NBA archive

San Antonio star Tim Duncan claims Australian centre Andrew Bogut is getting away with too much illegal play in their torrid NBA playoffs duel.

Bogut was lauded by his coach Mark Jackson for his 18-rebound, physically dominant performance in Golden State's 97-87 overtime win over San Antonio on Sunday, but Duncan believes the referees are giving him a free pass at times.

The win tied up the western conference semi-final series 2-2, with the crucial game five of the best-of-seven series in San Antonio on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).

"He (Bogut) is a big guy," Duncan told reporters on Monday.

"He's playing very physical and is getting away with a lot of stuff."

The battle between 213cm tall, 118kg Bogut and 211cm, 116kg Duncan, a two-time NBA MVP and 14-time All Star who plays forward and centre, has been one of the highlights of the series.

The Warriors' opponents in the first round of the playoffs, the Denver Nuggets, also complained about Bogut's physical play, telling reporters in post-game press conferences he was hitting them with illegal screens.

Bogut said Duncan has not complained to his face.

"He just talks to the ref, he doesn't talk to me," Bogut told a San Francisco radio station on Monday.

Bogut, however, is full of respect for Duncan, who he describes as the best centre in the NBA.

"He's number one," Bogut said.

"Duncan will go down as one of the best players to play all time."

Duncan had 19 points and 15 rebounds on Sunday, but his points came from 7-22 shooting, with Bogut's one-on-one defence credited for Duncan's off shooting night.







Bogut too rough claims NBA rival

For some of the 61 NBA draft prospects invited to the scouting combine, which began Wednesday in Chicago, the event is a mere formality that won't impact their draft stock much one way or the other. For others, these several days could be the deciding factor in when they'll hear their name called on June 27.

There are three components of the NBA combine — interviews with teams, drills and medical evaluations — and some prospects have more riding on the event than others. On Wednesday, players met with teams. On Thursday and Friday, prospects will work out for teams and continue to sit down with decision-makers. Over the weekend, players will receive a comprehensive medical examination. Here are five players who can benefit most from an impressive combine:

C.J. McCollum, Lehigh

If McCollum had entered the 2012 NBA Draft after his junior season, he likely would've been a lottery pick. After all, he had just dropped 30 points in Lehigh's upset over Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament. However, McCollum decided to return to school for his senior season. Then, the worst-case scenario for McCollum unfolded on January 5, when he broke his left foot in a game against Virginia Commonwealth. He was sidelined for the remainder of the season and is just now getting back to full health.

Teams will want to make sure that his foot is no longer an issue. He'll also have to answer questions about playing against lesser talent throughout the course of his collegiate career in the Patriot League, as all players from small schools have to do. McCollum has one of the widest ranges in the draft — he could be a top 10 pick or a mid-first rounder — so each part of the combine will be important for the 21-year-old.

Norvel Pelle, prep school

In 2011, Pelle was on his way to St. John's as one of the top-ranked freshmen that NBA teams were going to keep an eye on. Unfortunately, Pelle never managed to get eligible and spent the past two years bouncing around various prep schools. Despite that, he was still invited to the combine for the same reasons teams were intrigued by him out of high school: his length, frame and athleticism.

The combine means more to Pelle than any other prospect in attendance. He faded into obscurity over the last two years, but this is his chance to make up for lost time. He has to show that his character isn't questionable and that he's still physically gifted enough to warrant investing a draft pick in.

Ricardo Ledo, Providence

Like Pelle, Ledo never managed to get eligible in the NCAA. There was a lot of interest in him coming out of high school because of his size and versatility. Ledo has the ability to play either guard position, but he's at a disadvantage because he never competed against a respectable level of competition.

If Ledo can prove he belongs with the rest of the top guards in this draft class at the combine, the fact that he didn't play this past season won't work against him as much. He was already looked at as a potential first-round pick before and now he just needs to re-affirm what they once believed.

Glen Rice Jr., NBA Development League

After run-ins with two different coaching staffs at Georgia Tech before eventually being dismissed, Rice is on the verge of going from a fourth-round pick in the 2012 D-League Draft to a first-round pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. He exploded late in the year for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, showcasing elite-level athleticism and the ability to consistently knock down shots from NBA three-point range during their championship run.

The D-League is now viewed as a stronger league than the NCAA by most NBA teams, so Rice's strong production holds a lot of weight. If he can ease team's concerns about the off-the-court issues that ended his collegiate career prematurely at the combine, his incredible turnaround will be all but complete.

Tony Mitchell, North Texas

After a strong showing with Team USA's U19 National Team and an impressive freshman season, there were high expectations for Mitchell this year. However, the 6-8 forward regressed in his sophomore season at North Texas, in large part because of the team's coaching change. His points, rebounds, assists and blocks dropped significantly in his second collegiate season, as did his field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

NBA decision-makers wanted to see Mitchell take the next step in his development and solidify himself as a top pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, but that never happened. Now, Mitchell finds himself on the first-round bubble entering the combine. The 21-year-old will need to perform well in workouts and interviews to show teams that he's still the same player that seemed poised for success in the league just one year ago.




5 players who can benefit most from NBA draft combine

Responding to the wishes of NBA Commissioner David Stern, the Maloof family completed the sale of the Sacramento Kings to a local group led by software magnate Vivek Ranadive, on a franchise valuation of $535 million, which will be a league record, a league source confirmed late Thursday. That group will keep the team in Sacramento and work toward construction of a long-awaiting arena in the city's downtown area.

Ranadive agreed to a valuation that was $10 million higher than the initial valuation of the Kings by Seattle hedge fund manager Chris Hansen, who reached a deal with the Maloofs in January for 65 percent of the team on a valuation of $525 million. But Hansen's request to move the Kings to Seattle was rejected by the NBA's Board of Governors in a 22-8 vote Wednesday in Dallas, following a 7-0 vote of the league's relocation committee April 29 that also rejected the proposed move.

If Ranadive buys 65 percent of the Kings under the purchase price with the Maloofs, he would pay them $347.75 million.

Ranadive said Wednesday in Dallas that his group had put $341 million -- the original 65 percent share of the team under the $525 million valuation -- into escrow, a key requirement for the Maloofs to agree to a sale.

Stern had worked with the Sacramento group for the past several weeks to make sure the Kings' offer could pass muster with NBA owners. Stern said after the Board of Governors' vote Wednesday that he wanted to finalize the sale of the team to the Ranadive group within 48 hours.

The Kings' new owners -- Ranadive, who will be the first majority NBA owner of Indian descent, the Jacobs family, which runs the communications giant Qualcomm, swimwear magnate Raj Bhathal, who was introduced Wednesday as taking on a bigger role in the group, 24-Hour Fitness Founder Mark Mastrov and former Facebook executive Chris Kelly -- represent a cross-section of California investors who came together in the last three months to save the team.

Johnson was able to bring significant credibility and dollars to the group with Ranadive, a minority owner of the Warriors, and the Jacobs brothers, who were well-respected not only regionally in California because of their business and philanthropic work, but even by the competing Seattle group.

George Maloof said Wednesday he still hoped to keep Hansen involved as a minority owner, but that was not going to be acceptable to owners, given Hansen's stated desire to move the Kings to Sacramento.

Now, the Sacramento group and Mayor Kevin Johnson will have to come through on the commitments they made to keep the Kings in town. They will have to get the proposed $447 million arena, with $258 million in public funds committed, built in a timely manner and without large budget overruns. They will have to avoid potential delays such as a public referendum that local attorneys are trying to get on the fall ballot.

If they can, Johnson and Ranadive believe that the new arena and subsequent development in the downtown area of the city will be transformative, bringing jobs and additional capital to California's capital city.

The sale ends the Maloofs' stewardship of the team, which started with great promise after the family became the franchise's majority owners in 1999. The team became one of the most exciting in the league, with Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Jason Williams (and, later, Mike Bibby) leading one of the best passing teams in recent memory to the Western Conference finals, where they lost a controversial seven-game series to the Lakers in 2002.

But after Webber tore his ACL in the 2003 playoffs, the fortunes of the team dipped dramatically. And as the need for a new building to replace Sleep Train Arena became more acute, the Maloofs and the city could not reach agreement over more than a decade and several arena plans. In 2011, the Maloofs made plans to sell the team to an Anaheim group that would move the Kings there. But concerns about the building in which the team would play created enough doubt to scotch that proposal before it was put to a vote of the full Board.

With the league's substantial input last year, the city and the Maloofs reached agreement on a $391 million arena that was announced at All-Star Weekend in Orlando. But the Maloofs walked away from the deal, leading to acrimony between the owners and Johnson.

But as a deal got closer in the last few weeks, Johnson's rhetoric toward the family became much softer. Wednesday, he said he knew the family was emotionally torn about getting out of the NBA business, after their turn in Sacramento and their late father's ownership of the Rockets in the early '80s.

Sources maintained for months that the Maloofs did not want to sell to a Sacramento-based group, preferring to do the deal with Hansen, with whom the Maloofs had worked for months. George Maloof seemed to back off on that a little Wednesday, saying he liked Ranadive and that their lawyers had been speaking with each other for weeks in case the Hansen deal was rejected.

"If it had to turn out this way, it's fine with us," George Maloof said Wednesday. "But my loyalty's with Chris, because he stepped up. We tried to find somebody that would buy the team in Sacramento. And we couldn't. That's the fact of the matter...the Mayor did a great job, put a great team together."

The Hansen group, backed by billions between Hansen and Ballmer and Nordstrom Store executive Peter Nordstrom, was an exceptionally strong group with solid financing, and which had already acquired the land on which it wanted to build a $490 million area in Seattle's South of Downtown (SoDo) section.

It had agreement from Seattle's City Council to provide up to $200 million in public financing (which was contingent both on getting the Kings, and a potential NHL team). And it had an agreement with the owners of the team.

But Sacramento was able to do in months what it had taken Seattle two years to put together.

The c

Professional basketball players do not routinely collide at full speed, or fire small objects at one another with extreme velocity. They do not tackle, ram or body-check. Their heads may rise to startling heights, but they are not in harm’s way as often as the skulls of football, hockey or baseball players. Concussions in the N.B.A. are therefore relatively rare. But now a playoff series might be determined by one.

George Hill, the starting point guard for the Indiana Pacers, was held out of an Eastern Conference semifinal game against the Knicks on Thursday, hours after being told he had a concussion.

Hill became the first player to miss a postseason game under the N.B.A.’s new concussion protocols.

Under the league’s policy, instituted in December 2011, a player who exhibits concussion symptoms must be removed from athletic participation immediately. He cannot return to action until he is symptom-free and passes a battery of tests.

The N.B.A. does not set a timeline for a player’s return, and there is no telling how long Hill will be out. Concussions can last for days, weeks or months, and the recovery time varies from patient to patient.

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers played three days after sustaining a concussion in the 2012 All-Star Game. Chris Kaman, a Dallas Mavericks center, needed four weeks to shake off the effects of a concussion this season.

“Concussions are like snowflakes: every one is different,” said Dr. Michael Collins, the director of the sports medicine concussion program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“The right evaluation has to take place to figure out what systems are breaking down.”

The Pacers’ medical staff is conducting those evaluations on Hill, the team’s 27-year-old playmaker, whose recovery could determine the Pacers’ playoff fate. Indiana leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2, with Game 6 on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Hill was expected at the Pacers’ training facility Friday afternoon to meet with the team physician and to take another concussion test, Coach Frank Vogel said. The Pacers had not yet ruled him out of Saturday’s game and had listed him as day to day.

If the Knicks win Saturday, Game 7 will be played Monday night in New York. If the Pacers win the series, they will open the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday in Miami.

Hill is a critical piece of Indiana’s lineup. His absence was felt immediately Thursday night, as the Pacers’ offense disintegrated in an 85-75 loss that allowed the Knicks to stave off elimination.

Hill had scored a team-high 26 points in the Pacers’ Game 4 victory Tuesday, despite taking a blow to the head in the first quarter from the Knicks’ Tyson Chandler. Hill showed no obvious symptoms at the time, and he played the rest of the game.

The incident itself was unspectacular. Hill was chasing Raymond Felton and ran into Chandler, who was setting a pick near the top of the key. Hill’s head collided with Chandler’s left elbow, and Hill fell to the court. It took three seconds before he got up, but he appeared fine otherwise. No foul was called, and the television commentators did not even mention the play.

Hill practiced with the Pacers on Wednesday afternoon and flew with the team to New York. He did not complain of any symptoms until the flight.

“He said his head was hurting,” center Roy Hibbert said. “I thought he had a migraine.”

It was not until Thursday, after Hill participated in Indiana’s morning shootaround, that he apparently sought out the medical staff, which determined he had a concussion. The two-day lag is not unusual, Collins said.

“It’s more common than you can imagine, actually,” he said, adding, “The symptoms can be very tacit, very understated.”

Many concussion patients have dizziness, headaches and nausea, the result of what Collins called “an energy crisis in the brain.” The more a person exerts himself, the deeper that crisis becomes. The symptoms could also be set off by a busy environment, like an airport, a restaurant or an arena.

“All of a sudden, that energy crisis gets worse and worse, and it can be a lot more noticeable to the athlete undergoing it,” Collins said.

The N.B.A. consulted with the players union before announcing its new concussion policy 18 months ago, after the 2011 lockout.

According to the policy, a player who shows signs or symptoms of a concussion — or is suspected of having a concussion — must be removed from activity and subjected to an evaluation by the team’s medical staff. If a concussion is diagnosed, the player cannot return to action that day and must be held out “until he is symptom-free at rest” and shows “no appreciable difference from his baseline neurological exam and his baseline score” on a computerized cognitive assessment. Those baselines are established each year in the preseason through a battery of tests.

The player is then required to go through several steps of increasing exertion: a stationary bicycle, jogging, agility work and noncontact team drills. The player must be symptom-free after each activity to move to the next step. If the player still shows symptoms, he is required to stop the activity and return to the previous step that he passed.

The league’s policy notes, “There is no time frame to complete the protocol.” Pau Gasol of the Lakers needed 10 days to pass the tests after a concussion in January. The Charlotte Bobcats’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist needed only five days to recover from a concussion in February.

The concussion policy, a high priority for Commissioner David Stern, came after a wave of stories and heightened awareness about brain trauma in sports.

Tim Frank, an N.B.A. spokesman, said the league began the protocols “to protect player health and safety by standardizing teams’ existing policies for concussion management and ensuring that N.B.A. teams have access to the best and most current science on concussions.”

The league also hired

Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald reports that Antoine Walker's quest to return to the NBA isn't over, only this time around he's looking to become a scout, rather than return as a player.

Walker was forced to retire back in 2008 after an atrocious season with the Minnesota Timberwolves and has been trying to get back into the NBA ever since.

He filed for bankruptcy back in 2010, encountering money troubles fewer than two years after his retirement despite the fact that he made over $100 million in his 12 years in the NBA.

In order to grab a few bucks, Walker played for the Guaynabo Mets down in Puerto Rico along with former teammate Marcus Fizer. Walker was released two months after signing. Determined to make his way back into the NBA and find his way into some more money, Walker was acquired by the Idaho Stampede, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers.

He played there for two seasons before giving up the dream and retiring once and for all.

At this point it seems like Walker has accepted his fate and is ready to see what he can offer in a role behind the scenes.

Walker, who played seven seasons with the Boston Celtics (plus another half a season later in his career), has not spoken lately with Danny Ainge, the team's president of basketball operations.

His presence on the court as a big man who could also shoot from a distance is exactly what most NBA teams are looking for these days.

With his experience, picking out big men who could space the floor like he used to is something that could come naturally to Walker, or this could just be another one of his many failed post-NBA endeavors.



Antoine Walker Wants to Be an NBA Scout | Bleacher Report

As the field of the 2013 NBA playoffs is once again cut in half, the decision to name the most elite players remaining at each position becomes more contentious.

Through two rounds of play and one month's time, the individual postseason resumes have become more telling.

Because they're still playing into the conference finals, most of these guys have contributed to their team's success—though that's not the universal case.

There's incredible talent leading each spot on the floor, as new names are pushing harder against those been-here-before veterans.

Here's your starting All-Star team from the remaining postseason teams.


The Best Player Remaining at Every Position in 2013 NBA Conference Finals | Bleacher Report

Three times previously, Pat Williams had represented the Orlando Magic at the N.B.A. draft lottery with the best probability to land the No. 1 pick. Armed with various horseshoes and rabbits feet for luck, his success rate was perfect. On Tuesday, the Magic, which finished with the league’s worst record, were again bestowed with the best chance to select first in June’s draft. Williams brought a small plastic figurine called Peace Man — given to him by the 7-year-old daughter of Alex Martins, the team’s chief executive — to the podium.

After the first 11 teams were drawn, two teams were left: Orlando and the Cleveland Cavaliers, represented by Nick Gilbert, the 16-year-old son of the team’s owner, Dan Gilbert, wearing a red bow tie and carrying no other trinkets for fortune.

As it turned out, he would not need any. For the second time in three years, the Cavaliers won the lottery and will pick first over all.

“We’re excited for everybody in Cleveland,” Dan Gilbert said, his arm around Nick. “It’s been a rough few years here, but we know we’re rebuilding, and now we’ll be able to add another No. 1 pick to add to the great guys we’ve got. We’re going to be right back in it in a big way.”

Williams said: “When I was standing up there and there was two of us left, I thought, ‘We got it.’ But we didn’t.”

Nick Gilbert, who was born with a genetic nerve disorder called neurofibromatosis, wore a bow tie at the draft lottery in 2011, when the Cavaliers won the top pick and used it to select point guard Kyrie Irving, who has blossomed into an All-Star. Cleveland, which finished 24-58, the third-worst record in the league, had a 15.6 percent chance to land the top spot again.

“He’s a lucky guy,” Dan Gilbert said. “We ought to take him everywhere.”

With Irving, guard Dion Waiters, and forwards Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers a have a promising nucleus, moving the franchise forward after losing LeBron James in the summer of 2010. With Thompson and Varejao, Cleveland might pass on the sleek 6-foot-10 center Nerlens Noel out of Kentucky, who is projected to be a top pick, and might be more inclined to go with a talented wing like Ben McLemore of Kansas or Otto Porter Jr.

Orlando would seem a fitting landing spot for Noel, after they lost Dwight Howard, whom Williams landed with the first pick in the 2002 draft. Williams’s fortuitous touch also helped the Magic select Shaquille O’Neal in 1992 and Chris Webber in 1993 with the top picks.

He has taken four-leaf clovers, horseshoes, even a box of Lucky Charms to the stage with him in years past, and all worked wonders. But this year, his luck had run out.

“Obviously, we came here to win it, because we have a history and wanted to keep it going,” Williams said. “But everybody is very pleased with the second pick.”

Noel might still be on the board for Orlando at No. 2. He might be available for Washington at No. 3 or Charlotte at No. 4. The variability of this year’s draft class is considered high, with any number of players appearing interchangeable at this point, as the N.B.A. combines are getting under way.

With the draft devoid of any outright favorite — like Anthony Davis last year — and seemingly paling in comparison with the expectations for the class of 2014, analysts remark more about the balance and depth this year, and the opportunity to find a diamond in the rough.

“There’s not that elite player that’s going to change the face of the franchise, but I believe there is a lot of balance,” said the Minnesota Timberwolves’ president, Flip Saunders, a former ESPN analyst. “A lot of this draft is going to depend on the needs of the people and the players that are available at the time.”

The Cavaliers and their general manager, Chris Grant, have the entire field to work with. It is not such an easy task, but they were celebrating their fortune Tuesday night.

“I think for Cleveland it’s going to mean a lot,” Dan Gilbert said. “If we pick the right guy to find into the young core we have now, we could be a great team for many, many years.”



www-nytimes-com/2013/05/22/sports/basketball/cavaliers-win-nba-draft-lottery-html

LeBron James caught the inbounds pass, changed direction and immediately attacked the rim.

There was no one in his way.

There was no stopping him, either.

James made a layup as time expired in overtime, capping a 30-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist effort as the Miami Heat found a way to outlast the Indiana Pacers 103-102 in a wildly back-and-forth Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night. There were 18 ties and 17 lead changes, the last two of those coming in the final 2.2 seconds. "Two teams fought hard," James said. "We were able to make one more play."

If this is how this series is going to go, then get ready for a classic between teams that absolutely wanted to face the other with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line.

Paul George saved the Pacers at the end of regulation with a 32-footer with 0.7 seconds left, and then made three free throws with 2.2 ticks left in overtime to give Indiana a one-point lead. George pumped his fist gently after the third free throw, then extended his index finger skyward as the teams retreated to their benches to get ready for the final play.

He just left James too much time, and the Pacers left their best shot-blocking option on the bench. Roy Hibbert wasn't on the floor for the final play, and without a 7-foot-2 barrier to contest him, James made the winner look easy. "Two great teams just throwing punch for punch," Indiana coach Frank Vogel said. "Our spirit is very high, very confident. We know we can play with this basketball team."

Vogel said he left Hibbert off the floor for the final play out of concern of what defending champion Miami would do with Chris Bosh in that scenario. Afterward, he acknowledged he might have different thinking next time.

"I would say we would probably have him in next time," Vogel said.

Game 2 is Friday night in Miami.

Officials reviewed James' play at the end, though it was clear he beat the clock, and the Pacers walked slowly toward their locker room, lamenting one that got away -- by no fault of George's. George was fouled by Dwyane Wade on the play where the Pacers had to think they had stolen the series opener. Referee Jason Phillips said Wade hit George, and the Pacers' star made all three free throws for the 16th lead change of the night.

The final lead change came moments later.

"Welcome to the Eastern Conference finals," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Back and forth the whole way."

Wade scored 19 points, Bosh had 17 and Chris Andersen had 16 on 7-for-7 shooting for Miami.

George scored 27 for the Pacers, who got 26 from David West and 19 from Hibbert. The Pacers have won only two series in NBA franchise history after dropping a Game 1. "It just felt like everything was in our favor," George said.

The final few seconds of regulation were stunning, with Ray Allen - the sixth-best free-throw shooter in NBA history -- missing one that proved big, and George making a miracle happen.

Trailing by two with 17.7 seconds left, the Pacers had to foul Allen, who surely would have been their last choice. But he missed one of the two free throws, and it remained a one-possession game. Indiana brought the ball into the frontcourt, called time, and then seemed to have nothing really working as the final seconds of regulation ticked away.

So George simply made something happen. From 32 feet -- from the newly applied Eastern Conference finals sticker on the side of the court, technically -- George connected with 0.7 seconds left, tying the game and giving Indiana life.

Allen didn't get much of a desperation shot off at the end of regulation, and to overtime the teams went.

"It took an overtime to get it done," Spoelstra said. "Glad to get that one."

The Pacers kept landing the first punches in the extra session. George made a pair of free throws to open the OT, and Andersen tied it with a pair of his own. Hibbert scored from close range, and Wade answered with an easy one after a runout for the 16th tie of the night.

George was far from done. He went past James, got into the lane, tossed up a shot after contact and started what became a three-point play that put the Pacers up 99-96. Miami had three chances at the tie - a desperation 3-pointer by Shane Battier as the shot clock was expiring, then a 3-point try by Battier and another 3 attempt by Battier.

All missed.

But Bosh grabbed the rebound of the last Battier shot that bounced off the rim in that sequence, scored while being fouled by George with 49.7 seconds left, calmly swished the free throw and the teams were -- what else? -- tied again at 99-all.

James scored on a drive with 10.8 seconds left in the overtime, and George answered with the three free throws. With Hibbert on the bench, Indiana had one plan for James on the last play.

"We wanted LeBron to shoot a jumper right there," George said.

He was just better.

And after 3 hours, 18 minutes, it was over.

"We're excited about the win," James said. "But we have to get better going into Game 2."

Notes

Celebrities in attendance included Jimmy Buffett and Anna Kournikova.
James picked up two first-quarter fouls for just the ninth time in 125 career playoff games.
West's 18 first-half points were his most before halftime since March 24, 2011, when he had 20 through two quarters against Utah.
From the not-often-seen department, a lane violation against the Pacers that led to James getting a second (and successful) chance on a missed free throw, and a 5-second call against Wade, both of those coming in the first half.





NBA Recap - Indiana Pacers at Miami Heat - May 22, 2013 - CBSSports-com

A panel of sportswriters and broadcasters chose LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan and Chris Paul for the All-N.B.A. first team. James earned first-team honors for the sixth consecutive season and the seventh over all. Bryant was chosen for the eighth consecutive season and the 11th time over all, a record he shares with Karl Malone.

The second team consisted of Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin and Marc Gasol.

Flynn Robinson, the former NBA guard who played on the Los Angeles Lakers' 1971-72 championship team, has died after a two-year fight with cancer. He was 72.

Flynn's wife, Nancy Pitts-Robinson, told the Lakers he died Thursday at Keck Hospital in Los Angeles. Called "Mr. Instant Point" by late Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn, the 6-foot-1 Robinson averaged 9.9 points and 2.2 assists in 64 games in 1971-72, helping the Lakers win an NBA-record 33 consecutive games and the franchise's first title in Los Angeles.

"We are very sad to hear of the passing of Flynn Robinson," said Jeanie Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of business operations. "Flynn played an important role on the 1971-72 Lakers team."

Robinson had his best season in 1969-70 with Milwaukee, averaging 21.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 81 games and appearing in his lone All-Star game. In seven NBA seasons with Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, the Lakers and Baltimore, the former University of Wyoming star averaged 14.5 points and 3.1 assists. He finished his career in the ABA with the San Diego Conquistadors in 1973-74.


Former NBA guard Flynn Robinson dies at 72

There were plenty of numbers that offered notice of what likely was to follow Sunday night, in what turned into a 114-96 Miami Heat victory over the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Coming off Friday’s Game 2 loss to the Pacers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference final, the Heat had not lost a road game since March 27 in Chicago and had not lost consecutive games since Jan. 8 and 10 in Indiana and Portland, respectively.

Back-to-back losses, especially with the second coming on the road, seemed highly unlikely.

But few could have foreseen the number the Heat put on the scoreboard at halftime: 70.

A team that had scored 84 total points in the first halves of the series first two games simply detonated in the first half.

Like Dwyane Wade’s dunk on Roy Hibbert in the second quarter.

Like Udonis Haslem’s first six shots, each putting points on the board.

Like Chris Andersen’s first three shots, which gave him 15 consecutive playoff conversions from the field (a streak he would extend to 16 in the second half).

Heck, even Ray Allen hit a three-pointer to end the second quarter and give the Heat a franchise record for points in any playoff half, his first points in three visits to Indiana this season, having missed his first 11 shots of the season at the Fieldhouse.

By the time it was over, by the time Shane Battier had actually made a three-pointer, by the time LeBron James was done pulverizing Pacers forward Paul George in the post, the Heat had a 2-1 series lead, with Game 4 back on the Pacers’ home court on Tuesday night before returning to AmericanAirlines Arena for Thursday’s Game 5.

All those concerns about the series going south for the Heat after two gruelling opening tests at AmericanAirlines Arena? Now, not so much. Before Sunday, the Heat’s largest lead at any point in the series had been five points.

The last time the Heat left Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the Heat went on a franchise-record 27-game winning streak. Sunday’s Heat looked like those Heat.

The Pacers entered 6-0 at home in the post-season, outscoring their opponents by 14 points per game. Instead, the Heat exited 5-0 on the road this post-season.

James led the Heat with 22 points, supported by 18 points and eight assists from Wade, 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting from Haslem and 15 from center Chris Bosh.

Forward David West led the Pacers with 21 points, with Hibbert adding 20 points and 17 rebounds and Indiana point guard George Hill scoring 19. The problem for Indiana was George shooting just 3 of 10.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel downplayed his team’s post-season homecourt success going in.

“It doesn’t matter where they’re playing,” he said of the Heat. “They’re one of the all-time teams.”

They were Sunday, especially in the first half.

Even after the Pacers delivered their first pushback of the night, with an 11-2 run that moved them within 74-67 with 7:41 to play in the third quarter, the Heat had pushback of their own, going into the fourth quarter up 91-76.

It was a first half of revelations for the Heat. From Andersen and Haslem on shooting streaks to Allen actually making one on the Pacers’ home court.

Through it all, the Heat took a 70-56 lead into the intermission. The previous record for points in any half of a playoff game by the Heat was 68 against the Bulls on April 24, 2006.

According to ESPN, prior to Sunday, the last team to score 70 in a playoff half was the Golden State Warriors against the Utah Jazz on May 11, 2007.

The Heat committed only one first-half turnover.

The Heat’s previous highest-scoring half of the season had been 60 in the second half of Game 2 against the Bulls in the previous round, with their previous highest-scoring first half 55 in that same game.

It was an eventful and unexpectedly high-scoring first quarter, ending with the Heat up 34-30.

It was a sizzling start, with the teams opening a combined 16 of 20, with the Heat 9 of 11 and the Pacers 7 of 9.

Haslem got the Heat off to that hot start by opening 4 of 4 from the field. The problem was he was called with his second foul with 5:23 left in the first quarter, with coach Erik Spoelstra leaving him in at that stage.

Shortly thereafter, Heat point guard Mario Chalmers was called for his second foul, with Spoelstra electing to go without a point guard briefly, instead playing Allen alongside Wade.

The Heat later managed to play through additional foul trouble for Haslem, Chalmers and Bosh.




NBA playoffs: LeBron James fuels Heat past Pacers in Game 3 | Toronto Star

Go ahead and count out the San Antonio Spurs as simply too old to win another title with Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich.

They're back anyway with the chance they've wanted so very much the past six years.

Parker scored 37 points in his best game this postseason, and the San Antonio Spurs finished off a sweep Monday night of the Memphis Grizzlies with a 93-86 win on Monday night for their fifth Western Conference title.

``It's a great feeling,'' Parker said as he sat with the Western Conference trophy perched in front of him.

``Since last year, I promised to him (Duncan) that we will go back, go back to the Finals and get an opportunity to win the whole thing and I'm trying to do my best, try to be aggressive every night. I think everybody on the team, we really want to do it for him. We win the West and now it's one more step. This is the hardest one.''

The Spurs now wait for either Miami or Indiana having swept two of their three opponents already this postseason, this the first sweep in a conference final since the Nets did it to Detroit in 2003. They also have won six straight in these playoffs, handing two straight losses to a team that had been undefeated on their own court in their best postseason in franchise history.

Memphis finished off its best season ever swept by the very same franchise that needed four games to knock them out of their first playoff appearance back in 2004.

``We will be back,'' Grizzlies guard Mike Conley said.

Parker had his best game this postseason as he hit 15 of 21 and all six at the free throw line earning the Spurs and Duncan plenty of rest before Game 1 of the Finals on June 6.

``He's been amazing,'' Duncan said of Parker. ``Every year he gets better and better and better. He's been carrying us. You can see tonight he carried us the entire game.''

Duncan hugged Ginobili before heading off the court, celebrating the chance at a title that slipped away a year ago when the Spurs blew a 2-0 lead to Oklahoma City losing four straight. The 37-year-old Duncan finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. Kawhi Leonard added 11.

``We want to get back there,'' Duncan said of making the finals. ``We've had some really close years where we fell right on the verge of getting back. It feels like forever since we've been there.''

Popovich said the fact they are back in the finals after a six-year drought is something he'll think about once he hits the bed, though he already felt pretty good.

``You don't expect that to happen maybe this late in the game with the same group,'' Popovich said. ``It's tough to do, to maintain something that long. But it just shows the character of those three guys and their ability to play with whoever else is brought in around them. They deserve a lot of credit for that.''

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins had talked about how his Grizzlies needed to dig deep for something they didn't know they had to take the first step back into this series. But they couldn't outshoot the Spurs and got beaten once again at their own inside game.

``We just never could gain control of the paint,'' Hollins said. ``They controlled the paint.''

That the Spurs did as they shot 51.3 percent (39 of 76) from the floor and outscored Memphis 52-32 in the paint, even though the Grizzlies had a 41-34 edge on the boards. Memphis led only briefly and the last at 6-4 as the Spurs took control early.

Memphis stayed close only by getting to the free throw line, making more shots there (17 of 24) than San Antonio took (12 of 13). The Grizzlies also got a career-high 22 points from reserve Quincy Pondexter, 18 of those in the second half. Pondexter was the only player from Memphis to shoot over .500. Zach Randolph finished with 13, continuing his struggles at the line where he was 5 of 8, and Marc Gasol had 14.

``We learned that winning isn't easy and winning championships is one of the hardest things you can possibly do,'' Pondexter said. ``I think our guys really dug deep to get as far as we did, and San Antonio's a tremendous team. We're going to take a couple pages out of their book.''

Duncan had taken care of the Grizzlies scoring the big points in overtime in each of the last two games. Parker took over this time as he hit 14 of his first 18 shots, and he hit the biggest shot with 9:15 left when he knocked down his lone 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of both Tony Allen and Randolph after Memphis gotten within 76-73 with fans sensing the most life out of the Grizzlies all night long.

Parker and Duncan took turns making buckets before Parker got hit in the eye by Gasol's outstretched hand after missing a shot. When Parker returned with 4:43 left, Gasol went over to him and Parker told him he was fine. Parker then hit a jumper with 4:13 remaining for an 89-81 lead.

``He was outstanding the whole series, and he controlled the series with his penetration,'' Hollins said of Parker. ``He made shots, made plays. One game he has 18 assists, today he has 37 points. He was huge. But their team played well. You've got to give them credit.''

The Grizzlies made one last run and got within three one last time when Gasol scored on a runner in the lane with 48.7 seconds left at 89-86. But Parker hit four free throws in the final 29.7 seconds to seal the victory for San Antonio and its first Western Conference title since the Spurs' last NBA title in 2007.

The Spurs made it impossible for Memphis to get off to a quick start as they had more points in the paint (16) than the Grizzlies scored in the first quarter as San Antonio went up 24-14 shooting 52.4 percent (11 of 21).

The Spurs cooled off a bit in the second quarter, missing six of seven shots in a stretch. Memphis got into the bonus early, and the Grizzlies used the free throw line to keep San Antonio from doubling up its lead by hitting 8 of 10 at the line. Even Randolph, who has struggled mightily at the line in this seri

LeBron James vehemently denies he's a flopper but openly recognizes it as an effective strategy. "Some guys have been doing it for years, just trying to get an advantage," James said Monday in the lead-up to Tuesday's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. "Any way you can get an advantage over the opponent to help your team win, so be it."

That position illustrates a friction that's developed over the past two seasons between James' Miami Heat and their current opponent, the Indiana Pacers. It's fair to say the Pacers and the Heat have different views on flopping. One side thinks it's an art and the other a menace.

The Pacers, who trail the Heat 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, have routinely complained about the Heat's flopping, mostly to referees during games. Before a playoff series between the teams last season, Pacers coach Frank Vogel was fined $15,000 by the NBA for complaining that officials let the Heat players get away with flopping.

"I think it's well documented. I'm not for flopping," Vogel said.

In the last round of the playoffs, Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau accused James of flopping. James shot back at the comments, saying, "I don't need to flop. I play an aggressive game. I don't flop. I've never been one of those guys."

The accusations against the Heat, however, have continued in this series against the Pacers.

"People flop all the time," Pacers center Roy Hibbert said. "It's sad to say ... not just against the Heat, throughout the whole season."

During Game 3 on Sunday, Dwyane Wade appeared to be caught exaggerating contact from the Pacers' Ian Mahinmi when he fell out of bounds after Mahinmi put a hand on Wade's back. Officials did not call a foul on the play, but the clip of the move spread on the Internet as one of the more egregious cases of the maneuver seen in the postseason.

Any subsequent violations are subject to league discipline. Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen was the fourth player to be issued a fine for flopping during this year's playoffs. and Derek Fisher of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jeff Pendergraph of the Indiana Pacers and J.R. Smith of the New York Knicks were each assessed a $5,000 fine.

Still, fines have not seemed to stem the tide. No Heat players were officially warned or fined for flopping during the regular season or in the playoffs.

"It happens," Wade said. "We would have no NBA possibly if they got rid of all the flopping."



2013 NBA playoffs -- LeBron James says he's not a flopper but sees advantage in flopping - ESPN

The Orlando Magic could attempt to acquire Los Angeles Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe prior to the 2013 NBA Draft next month, according to Chad Ford of ESPN-com. Such a move would allow the team to focus its draft efforts elsewhere, possibly at the wing positions.

While the Magic may still be willing to select Michigan point guard Trey Burke with the No. 2 overall pick, trading for Bledsoe could allow the team to draft a wing like Ben McLemore of Kansas or Victor Oladipo of Indiana. Such a scenario would address both guard spots in Orlando's backcourt for the long run.

Orlando already has Arron Afflalo slated as the starting shooting guard going into next season, but Ford notes he could be a key part of any package heading back to Los Angeles. One possible deal suggested would swap Bledsoe and the expiring contract of swingman Caron Butler for Afflalo, who struggled in a lead offensive role with Orlando this season.

It's uncertain how much interest L.A. has in moving Bledsoe, particularly given the uncertainly revolving around Chris Paul. After the ousting of coach Vinny Del Negro, it's easy to see Paul returning to Los Angeles, but having Bledsoe around does give the franchise some leverage in the short-term.

Still, it's difficult to imagine Bledsoe's value getting much higher without a larger role on an NBA team, and that won't really happen with Paul around. If the Clippers decide to go all-in over the next few years with a core of Paul and Blake Griffin, a Bledsoe trade could be an ideal way of adding reinforcements.



NBA trade rumors: Magic showing interest in Eric Bledsoe, according to report - SBNation-com

Though the images of LeBron James ripping into his teammates in the huddle at the start of the third quarter will come to define this latest expansion of his postseason legacy, the anger that fueled it came from a much deeper place.

A furious James, knowing how pivotal Game 5s have been throughout his playoff career -- setting the stage for his greatest triumphs and failures -- needed someone to help him deliver what was needed. He'd left Cleveland three years ago because these crucial playoff tipping points had for too long been only about him, with everyone else just along for the ride. James didn't need passengers in this series-changing crucible of Game 5 against the relentless Indiana Pacers on Thursday night. He needed another driver. He looked into every teammate's eyes -- "Everybody!" he raged -- and demanded accountability.

James told his teammates that they needed to "look in the mirror," Dwyane Wade said, "and decide what you want out of this season." A home loss to the Pacers would've doomed James to an untimely reunion with his past, would've sent him on a trip down memory lane to a time and place when he wasn't flanked with two of the best players in the world -- when he had to do it all himself.

Even in triumph on Thursday night, a 90-79 masterpiece forged by James that gave theHeat a 3-2 series lead, he got more of a glimpse into that past than he wanted.

The superstars that he left Cleveland to team up with didn't show up. In the third quarter, when James went back to what he called "my Cleveland days," Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh might as well have been Boobie Gibson and Jamario Moon.

"I just said, hey, let's try to make more plays and be more of a scoring threat as well, and just try to figure out a way that I can -- I don't know, just see if the guys would just follow me, and just lead them the best way I could," James said.

And nobody followed.

While James was busy crushing the Pacers' will with 16 third-quarter points to Indiana's 13, Wade and Bosh accounted for one point between them in nearly 20 minutes. Wade took no shots; Bosh took one, and missed.

If not for Udonis Haslem going 5-for-5 on those baseline jumpers that he'll be draining in some YMCA in a couple of years, Miami would've gotten a grand total of one field goal in the third quarter from anyone not named LeBron James.

"We were in 'wait' mode in the first half instead of going and getting it," James said. "Just waiting for things to happen. I took it upon myself to stop waiting and just go." The way James had demolished the Pacers in the paint in Game 3, he demolished them from everywhere this time -- with no moment bigger than a quarter-closing 3-pointer that gave Miami a 70-56 lead. James turned, raised his arms and spewed a four-syllable expletive heard 'round the basketball world.

With 16 of his 30 points in the third, James stole the Pacers' will to fight, all by himself -- the way he had done so many times before in much different surroundings.

"We just didn't respond, didn't fight back," David West said in the Pacers' stunned locker room. "We didn't push back."

West pushed back after Mario Chalmers returned the dirty elbow that West had hit him with in Game 3, and went face-to-face with Haslem, who'd stepped into the fray. Tyler Hansbrough pushed back after Chris "Birdbrain" Andersen recklessly blindsided him away from the ball in the second quarter -- a mindless play that should've resulted in an ejection and will be subject to league review on Friday to determine if he'll be suspended for Game 6.

But that was it. Besides a quietly brilliant performance from Paul George, who tried to match James with 27 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, James stole the rest of the Pacers' soul.

James doing that all by himself was enough for Miami to regain command of this series. Whether it will be enough for the Heat to close out the Pacers and advance to James' fourth NBA Finals is something that James has to be wondering.

"That's what I came here for, to be able to compete for a championship each and every year," James said. "We are one step away from doing it once again.

"But it's not a promise," he said. "It's not promised at all. I made a tough decision, obviously. I think we all know the story; I'm not going to harp on that. I envisioned something that was bigger as far as a team. I sacrificed a lot for me individually [with] what I had going on in the summer of 2010 because I wanted to do something special with a team."

But this was not what James envisioned, this third-quarter onslaught unleashed by him alone. It was not what he envisioned when he left his hometown three years ago, and it wasn't what he had in mind when he blasted his teammates in that third-quarter huddle -- so many expletives that his mouth had to be blurred out on TV.

James is now 8-2 in playoff Game 5s since coming to Miami, and in each previous victory under these circumstances, the Heat have won the series. But with Wade hobbled by a knee injury that he admitted again after the game has stolen his explosiveness, and with Bosh virtually invisible on the floor, James hasn't had this little help this deep into a season since he wore No. 23 for the Cavs.

Wade has managed to score 20 points once in these playoffs and was 3 for 8 on Thursday night, attempting only two shots in the second half. Bosh is 4 for 13 in the past two games and has 18 rebounds in the entire series. Ray Allen is 11 for 38 against the Pacers and had made only six 3-pointers, showing every minute of his 37 years.

James' time in Cleveland came to end shortly after his epic failure in Game 5 against the Celtics in 2010, when he was 3 for 14 with 15 points. He made sure it wouldn't happen this time, though his effort to recruit some help with that fiery speech before the third quarter came up as empty as Wade and Bosh did after hearing it.

"I just tried to get on the guys and let them know that we ca

The NBA suspended Miami Heat center Chris Andersen for Saturday's Game 6 against the Indiana Pacers after an altercation with Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough in Game 5 on Thursday night. Without apparently being provoked, Andersen body-checked Hansbrough to the floor after Heat teammate Norris Cole missed a layup in transition during the second quarter of the Heat's eventual 90-79 victory, which gave them a 3-2 series lead.

Andersen then confronted Hansbrough, bumped him in the chest and struggled with official Marc Davis when Davis came to break up the altercation.

Officials gave technical fouls to both players and called Andersen for a flagrant foul 1 for the initial altercation. NBA vice president Stu Jackson upgraded the foul to a flagrant foul 2 and added the suspension without pay because Andersen "escalated the altercation by shoving Hansbrough, and resisted efforts to bring the altercation to an end," according to a league release.

Additionally, the technical given to Hansbrough was rescinded by the league.

Andersen was not made available to the media after Thursday's game or after the Heat's practice Friday.

Earlier Friday, in an interview with NBC Sports Radio, NBA commissioner David Stern condemned Andersen's actions and said officials should have ejected him. Stern told NBC Sports Radio "a serious review of his activities is called for."

Andersen's suspension is a significant blow to the Heat, who have struggled with the Pacers' size in the series. Andersen is averaging 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in the five games and is a perfect 15-for-15 from the field. He had four points and four rebounds in Game 5. The NBA has upgraded fouls after four of the five games in the series. The Pacers' Ian Mahinmi and David West and the Heat's Dwyane Wade also had fouls upgraded to flagrants after review.

This also is the second consecutive year a Heat big man has been suspended for Game 6 of a playoff series against the Pacers, and the second time it involved a hit on Hansbrough.

Last season, Heat forward Udonis Haslem was suspended for Game 6 in Indiana after a blow to Hansbrough during Game 5 in Miami.




2013 NBA playoffs -- Miami Heat's Chris Andersen suspended for Game 6 - ESPN

Seven-time All-Star Grant Hill retired from the NBA on Saturday after 19 seasons, ending a career interrupted by injuries that included an Olympic gold medal.

The Los Angeles Clippers announced the news, which came as no surprise since Hill had been mulling his future after the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He had one season left on his contract.

"I've been hinting at it for the last few years and you get to a point where you just don't want to do it anymore. But I've enjoyed it, I've loved it," Hill said while appearing on TNT's pregame show before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Hill appeared in just 29 games last season, his first with the Clippers, but he lent a valuable veteran presence. Gary Sacks, the team's vice president of basketball operations, called Hill "the embodiment of class, a true professional."

The 40-year-old forward averaged 16.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.2 steals during a career that included stints with the Clippers, Detroit, Orlando and Phoenix.

"I'm certainly proud of what I've been able to do," he said after the Clippers lost to Memphis last month.

Hill struggled with injuries, particularly his troublesome left ankle.

After leaving Detroit prior to the 2000-01 season, he spent seven seasons with the Orlando Magic in which he was limited to just 200 games due to injuries to the ankle.

Before joining the Clippers, Hill spent five seasons with Phoenix. In 2010-11, he became the seventh player in NBA history to average 13 or more points at the age of 38 or older.

"Grant was an outstanding player and embodied the ideals of dedication and perseverance in overcoming injury and adversity during his distinguished NBA career," NBA Commissioner David Stern said. "He was always the consummate teammate and professional. We wish Grant and his family our very best and, hope he will continue to contribute to the growth of the league and the sport for years to come."

During the 2011-12 season with Phoenix, Hill had a medial meniscus tear in his right knee. He missed 61 games because of a sports hernia during the 2006-06 season with Orlando. He missed the entire 2003-04 season with the Magic while rehabbing his left ankle after having surgery on it the previous season.

In 2000-01, he had season-ending surgery to repair a broken bone in his left ankle.

Hill was named to the All-NBA first team in 1997. He was a three-time winner of the league's sportsmanship award.

After a standout four-year career at Duke, Hill was drafted third overall by Detroit in 1994. He and Jason Kidd of Dallas shared Rookie of the Year honors. Hill was named to the all-rookie first team that year and became the first rookie to lead the league in All-Star fan balloting.

At Duke, Hill helped the Blue Devils to consecutive national championships in 1991 and '92. He won a gold medal on the U.S. basketball team at the 1996 Atlanta Games. He was named to the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, but didn't play because of injury.

Hill is married to Grammy-nominated singer, Tamia. His father, Calvin Hill, played in the NFL.

Off the court, Hill has co-produced two documentary films and he was part of first lady Michelle Obama's delegation to the London Olympics last year.


www-cbsnews-com/8301-400_162-57587224/nba-star-grant-hill-retires/

The NBA has fined Roy Hibbert $75,000 after the Indiana Pacers center used a gay slur in one answer and a profanity in another during his news conference Saturday following Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Hibbert ended a response to a question about his defense on Miami Heat star LeBron James with "no homo."

The NBA responded less than 24 hours later, announcing Sunday in a release that Hibbert was fined for "using inappropriate and vulgar language." The fine was handed down after Hibbert issued an apology Sunday morning, saying in a statement that he sincerely has "deep regret over my choice of words last night."

"I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night," Hibbert said in the statement released by the Pacers. "They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers' organization." Hibbert had drawn a key charge on James in Indiana's 91-77 victory against Miami on Saturday and lamented not providing enough help to teammate Paul George on James in Game 3.

Although he acknowledged Hibbert's apology, NBA commissioner David Stern said it was "necessary" to penalize the star center.

"While Roy has issued an apology, which is no doubt sincere, a fine is necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA," Stern said.

Earlier Sunday morning, Hibbert reached out to Jason Collins via Twitter. Collins made headlines in April when he became the first active male pro athlete in a major American sport to come out publicly as gay.

"Hey can I get a follow," Hibbert's tweet read. "Would like to discuss something's with you."

Athlete Ally, an activist organization working to end homophobia in sports, addressed Hibbert's comments in a statement released Sunday.

"We are disappointed by Hibbert's comments, as that kind of language is disrespectful, has no place in sports and is antithetical to the NBA's policies," the statement said. "As an official partner of the NBA and NBPA, Athlete Ally works closely with the league on delivering trainings and workshops to educate players about LGBT inclusion and respect. The league is undoubtedly a leader in this area, and Roy's statement of apology clearly recognizes the harms of his comments.

"We are confident that NBA will do its part to rectify the issue to the extent it can, comprehensively educate Hibbert, who seems genuinely apologetic, and make sure that these kinds of comments are soon a thing of the past."

During Saturday's late-night news conference, Hibbert also cursed in reference to the media when asked why he finished so low in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

"Y'all m------------- don't watch us play throughout the year to tell you the truth," Hibbert said. "So that's fine. I'm going to be real with you, and I don't care if I get fined. We play and we're not on TV all of the time and reporters are the ones that are voting and it is what it is. And I don't make it, that's fine. I'm still going to do what I have to do."

Hibbert finished 10th in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, won by Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Before departing for Miami, where Game 7 will be played Monday night, Pacers coach Frank Vogel told reporters he had already spoken with Hibbert and described the 2012 All-Star center as "contrite." Players were not available Sunday.

With the series tied at 3 and a trip to the NBA Finals at stake Monday, distractions are the last thing this young Pacers squad needs as it tries to prevent the Heat from making what many expected to be a stroll into their third straight NBA Finals. The Pacers have appeared in the Finals only once, in 2000, when they lost in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers.

So Vogel did what he could to calm down the brewing controversy while still backing the big man, who has given Indiana this chance by routinely beating up the defending NBA champions inside.

"It's simple. I support him. I know he's not that person and that it was a mistake," Vogel said. "He knows he's wrong. I didn't have to tell him that and we all love and support him."

The 7-foot-2 Hibbert has averaged 22.8 points and 10.8 rebounds in the series, up from 11.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in the regular season.

But now he's become the center of attention for a different reason.

"Obviously, he made a great mistake. He feels horribly about it," Vogel said. "I told him, basically, that we've got to move on from it."




2013 NBA playoffs -- Roy Hibbert of Indiana Pacers apologizes for postgame gay slur - ESPN

Struggling through his worst scoring stretch in almost a decade, Miami Heat center Chris Bosh said he apologized to his teammates after Game 6 and hopes to be more assertive in Monday's Game 7 against the Indiana Pacers.

Bosh has failed to score in double digits in three consecutive games for the first time since his rookie season in 2003-04. Bosh said he hopes to have a better Game 7 after "not being aggressive and not playing my best ball." Bosh has been largely outplayed by Pacers big men David West and Roy Hibbert. Bosh has averaged just 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks on 41.1 percent shooting in the series.

"It's hard, it's difficult," Bosh said. "Everything you're going to do in the postseason is difficult. And you're going to be put in situations you don't want to be in and you're going to have to do things that you don't want to do. It's part of it, so you might as well get used to it, being miserable and really loving it."

Bosh has found himself more on the perimeter in this series. He has averaged 2.3 3-point attempts in this series, which is up from his regular-season rate of one per game. The 6-foot-11 center has shot the ball well, making 50 percent of his tries from downtown, but it has pulled him away from the paint.

When asked if there would be changes to his game Monday, Bosh indicated that he might have been doing too much of that lately.

"I changed my game in Games 1 through 6 and it hasn't really worked," Bosh said. "I just need to do what I do and just let it all hang out."

Bosh, like his teammates, has struggled to challenge Hibbert at the rim. When asked if he was worried about Indiana's 7-2 center, Bosh said he hadn't followed through on his mental approach.

"What would I worry about him for?" Bosh said. "That's been my attitude, I just haven't really employed it."

Bosh was also asked about Dwyane Wade's implication after Game 6 that LeBron James was trying to "self-will" the Heat to victory and that the Heat needed to share the ball better.

Bosh agreed with Wade's sentiment that James can't will the team alone to victory. "He can't," Bosh said in reference to James. "It's never been like that in team sports history. We can't just sit around and expect LeBron to do all the work and hope that he has a 50-point game. We have to do our part."

Both Bosh (ankle) and Wade (knee bruise) have been limited recently due to injuries while James has referenced going "back to his Cleveland days." Wade is averaging a playoff career-low 14.0 points per game. So far in the series, James has scored more points than Bosh and Wade combined (171 to 155).

"If you look at our best games, LeBron didn't score 30 or 40 points," Bosh said. "He probably had 20 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. That's still a great game, but that just means the ball is moving and guys are being aggressive."

The Heat are 21-9 in games in which James scores at least 30 points this season (playoffs included). The one loss coming against the Pacers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals when James scored 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting with three assists and five turnovers. The Heat are 4-1 this season when James registers a triple-double with the one loss coming against the Boston Celtics on Jan. 27.

After Game 7, James acknowledged that his teammates haven't been up to par.

"I mean, we can state the obvious; they're both struggling," James said of Wade and Bosh.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said that James, Wade and Bosh haven't had any issues trying to get on the same page offensively.

"If we're trying to figure that out now, we're in trouble," Spoelstra said. "We have had two deep playoff runs where we have worked that out. Does it always work out perfectly? No. That's what happens when you play against a worthy opponent."

Spoelstra expects Wade and Bosh to play better on Monday.

"They're both big-game players and the bright lights inspire them more than shrink them," Spoelstra said. "This is why this team was put together, for moments like this."

James and Wade did not speak at Monday's shootaround ahead of Game 7 at AmericanAirlines Arena. In NBA history, home teams are 89-23 (.795) in Game 7s.



2013 NBA Playoffs -- Chris Bosh apologizes to Miami Heat for play vs. Indiana Pacers - ESPN

The Spurs made quick work of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the 2007 NBA Finals. No one is expecting that again this time, as James and his team, now the Heat, are more formidable this time. As he gets ready to lead his team to the NBA Finals for a third consecutive year and fourth time overall, LeBron James is expected to succeed, to win championships, to continue to cement his place in league history.

James continues to add elements to his game and when the San Antonio Spurs see him with the Miami Heat in this series, he'll have a refined low-post game, an always-improving jump shot, near-impeccable shot selection and a big-game aura typical of the league's best player.

"We all know what his skills are. He's a great passer, he can rebound, he can defend," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told reporters earlier this season. "But I think, if anything, he is maturing mentally in the sense that he is enjoying playing the game. He doesn't listen to talking heads anymore — or a lot less than when he first came in the league." Popovich and the Spurs are partially responsible for this. In 2007, they swept James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals. It was James' first time on the big stage, before he had won any of his four MVPs. It was the Spurs' fourth championship in nine seasons, the last title the Spurs have won.

Moments after that series ended, James proclaimed, "I have to be 10 times better." Fast forward to Monday, when the Heat beat the Indiana Pacers to win the Eastern Conference finals. James was asked to compare himself to that 2007 version: "I'm 20, 40, 50 times better than I was in the '07 Finals," he said.

The Spurs taught him a lesson. The prepared him for how hard it is to win a championship. They used Bruce Bowen to make scoring difficult for James, goading him into taking jump shots. As a result, James averaged 22 points on 35.6% shooting from the field and 20.0% on three-pointers in four games.

"My Cleveland team, we were very young," James said. "We went up against a very experienced team, well-coached team, and they took advantage of everything that we did." James made 24-for-36 shots inside the restricted area at the basket against the Spurs in that series and was 8-for-54 from everywhere else, including 4-for-27 on midrange shots and 4-for-20 on three-pointers.

"He obviously didn't shoot the ball from the perimeter like he does now," ABC/ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy said. "He was a much more accomplished finisher than a jump shooter at that point."

When the Spurs face James this time around, they'll know they can't leave him open for a jump shot — inside or outside of the three-point line. James shot career highs from the field (56.5%) and on three-pointers this season (40.6%). Against the Pacers in the conference finals, James shot 51% from the field and 44.1% on threes against an outstanding defense.

"The marked improvement in his jump shot is both surprising and a great lesson for younger players," Van Gundy said. "Practicing correctly and diligently can lead to dramatic improvement." James also plays with a freedom that wasn't apparent in 2007. It was also missing the second time he played in the Finals, when the Heat lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011. Another lesson learned.

"Ever since I lost the Finals to Dallas, my mind frame changed that off-season," James said. "I just wanted to get back to playing the game that I love and have fun and play it at a high level. ...

"I just went back to the basics. I went back home. I went back to Ohio. I worked out with my high school coach. I went back to my high school gym and just put myself in the mindset of what made me fall in love with the game. And it's because I had a lot of fun with it." Even though they beat him handily, the Spurs knew what they were seeing in 2007, a budding superstar. After it was over, San Antonio center Tim Duncan and James crossed path going to and leaving news conferences.

Duncan had words for James. NBA Entertainment captured the conversation.

"This is going to be your league in a little while," Duncan told James. Then with a smile, he added: "But I appreciate you giving us this year."




LeBron James '50 times better' than in 2007 NBA Finals