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Hard intentional fouls have been a focus of TrueHoop's Working Bodies series all season.

Our position: They make the game more dangerous and ugly than it has any reason to be, and the league should do something about it.

Which would be simple. These fouls happen, by and large, because NBA rules reward them. Hard fouling a player about to get an easy bucket (coaches call it "no layups") generally reduces the points a team gives up on that possession while also, importantly, discouraging future drives. An emerging body of advanced statistics show what coaches have long known: Drives are the mainstay of efficient offense.

Reducing drives is a core defensive principle, and it wins games. Intimidation is a known way to reduce them.

Increasing the penalty for these fouls is all it would take to inspire coaches to tell their players to handle players shooting layups like they already tell them to handle players shooting 3s. Play D, contest the shot, but don't foul.

Sadly, it's not aggressive or mean-spirited teams who most commonly deploy the intentional hard fouls, but the ones who best understand the risks and rewards from the rulebook.

That's not a problem players, coaches or referees can solve. That's a problem for the league office.

On every team there are some players who commit those kinds of intentional fouls. On the Heat, Shane Battier is the master of all the little things that lead to wins. That very much includes the kinds of hard fouls that a lot of people call "dirty." (On TrueHoop TV with Israel Gutierrez and Tom Haberstroh the morning after Game 1, he was everyone's pick as the game's dirtiest player.)

Battier is in the media crosshairs today for a handful of such plays in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 1 he not only sent a memorable flying knee to Roy Hibbert, but he also elbowed Tyler Hansbrough and got himself tangled up with Pacers any number of times, sometimes succeeding in getting fouls called on Pacers.

Today, amid allegations that Battier crossed a line, the Heat forward elected not to talk to the media about anything at all.

But Battier did discuss such topics with me back in March, in the days following a notable bruiser of a foul against the Pacers' Lance Stephenson, in the middle of the Heat's win streak. Battier threw the high-flying Stephenson dangerously to the ground with one hand, while using the other to whack the Pacer in the head.

I asked him about it a few days later when the Heat were in Philadelphia. Our conversation:

HA: What were you thinking on that play?

SB: Lance went to the hole and stuck the ball right in front of my face, basically.

He's a 62 percent free throw shooter.

HA: [Laughing] That's what you were thinking?

SB: Yeah! Honestly. Honestly.

HA: I believe you.

SB: You know who the guys are that you'd rather see at the line than shoot a layup. And you make him earn it.

HA: So you've seen Tom Haberstroh has reported some SportVu stats that LeBron drives are worth nearly two points per possession. So you wonder, why doesn't he drive all the time?

Fouls like that, I'm thinking, are why.

SB: Yes. Yes. We would like him fresh in April, May, hopefully June.

HA: If I'm David Stern, I want dunks. I want people watching that on TV, on smartphones all over China. Someone wrapping him up, or throwing him to the floor ... it's not good TV. It helps your team, but ...

SB: Then what's our goal? What's our goal? Television, or basketball?

HA: What's bad about dunks? What's un-basketball about that?

SB: Oh I'm all for it. As a defender ...

HA: If it helps your team to foul somebody, clearly the punishment isn't ...

SB: As punitive. No question. Now we're talking semantics. Now we're asking referees to grade intent.

HA: No. No, I want rule changes.

SB: What do you mean?

HA: So, if you're Frank Vogel, you're saying basically, well, we're not as good as that team but we can level the playing field by fouling the hell out of them.

Fouling is against the rules. Weird to help your chances by breaking the rules. Kind of like if I speed home right now and they pull me over and give me fifty bucks for breaking the law. It's a little weird.

SB: It's just part of the gamesmanship of the game.

Our job as basketball players is to exploit the rules, within reason, to our advantage. That's our job.

HA: Sure, sure. That's your job. I want you to do David Stern's job.

SB: Exactly!

We'll let the commissioner and his good people worry about selling broadcast rights and whatnot.

Our job is to exploit the rules, within the rules, and get a competitive advantage which is the same in any sport across the board. Win the game. That's the only thing.

HA: Very politic.

SB: [Laughs.]

 

The conference finals are upon us, and David Thorpe's weekly rankings of postseason MVPs continue. Last time we talked, Marc Gasol was on top, but there's a new sheriff in town.

 

After hitting the overtime buzzer-beating layup in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, LeBron James insisted he barely noticed whether Pacers center Roy Hibbert was on the court.

• "I don't know if I was surprised or not. I really wasn't worried about if Hibbert was in the game at all."
• Later he added: "I was in attack [mode] when Hibbert was in the game, I was in attack when Hibbert wasn't in the game."

I don't believe a word of it.

Let me tell you about Roy Hibbert and LeBron James. On the basketball court, they are blatantly obsessed with each other.

When LeBron has the ball, Hibbert often ignores his own man to better focus on James. And that's not new. When other Pacer bigs sense a James drive coming and step into the lane to protect the rim, Hibbert has been known to physically shove a teammate or two out of the way in order to patrol that zone.

The tallest player in the Eastern Conference (at 7-foot-2) does that because he knows James hates to try to score over him.

James is an entirely different player with Hibbert in the game, to the unfathomable extent that James adds a weird-looking new shot to his arsenal -- the teardrop -- almost exclusively for use over the massive Hibbert. It's such a rare move that James' first attempt in Wednesday's game -- a miss -- was greeted by commentator Steve Kerr's observation, "That's not part of his game."

Which is true -- against most opponents.

ESPN's Tom Haberstroh quoted James as saying he "just dusts it off when he needs it." Based on careful video review from the NBA's advanced stats site, James only "needs it" against Hibbert. James throws it down over a who's who of NBA big men, and essentially all the other Pacers, from David West to Paul George. When he encounters the biggest Pacer, though, he stops short, and flips up one of the toughest shots in the game.

James has made nine floaters over Hibbert over the last year (dating back to the 2012 playoffs). It's tough to find evidence he has attempted more than a couple against the rest of the league combined.

More importantly, Hibbert and the Pacers clearly make James think twice about attacking the rim. As background: James makes dunks and layups over and around an entire NBA's worth of big men. He's not only among the league's most frequent paint shooters, but he's also among the most efficient. According to SportVu, a typical NBA possession is worth about a point. Some of the NBA's most effective plays ramp up the efficiency to 1.2 points, for instance by having a typical point guard break down a typical defense and get close to the rim.

James, however. Hoo-boy. James' drives are worth a mighty 1.68 points each, on average. That's almost certainly the best scoring weapon in hoops.

And yet, despite repeated statements to the contrary, the MVP shelves that super-effective attack when Hibbert is patrolling the paint.

Over the past year combined -- the 2012 playoffs, 2012-13 regular season, and Game 1 of this series -- James has taken 210 shots against the Pacers and made 106. I just watched them all. A grand total of four of the makes -- three in last year's playoffs and the one in the photo above from Game 1 -- came from James taking on Hibbert directly at the rim. There are James scores near Hibbert, for instance by sneaking in behind him, or one oddball hook shot moving away from the hoop. But only four when James identified Hibbert on duty and proceeded to attempt a layup or dunk.

Meanwhile, James spends a lot of time driving close to Hibbert and then dishing (no small part of Chris Andersen's big Game 1) or pulling up from midrange, where LeBron is much-improved, but nothing like as effective. There was also one entire game -- the Heat's win over Indiana in the middle of their 27-game win streak -- when James drove just twice all game against a set defense of any kind.

This reticence has an effect. This season LeBron scored fewer points per game in the paint against Indiana than against any other team, according to the NBA's advanced stats website. Not surprisingly, with those high-percentage attempts down, James' shooting percentages are well below average against the Pacers compared to other teams.

Why does Hibbert so bother James? It's a big question, and size is only part of the answer.

There are some clues on the video. Worth noting: On the rare occasions when James has attempted it, he has scored over and around Hibbert without much trouble. But in addition to coping with the center's size, he must also cope with the Pacers' teamwide defensive tactics. One is that Hibbert and other Pacers have demonstrated a willingness to take charges, something James carefully avoids.

Another is that the Pacers are a "no layups" team if ever there was one. Going all-out to score over Hibbert leaves James distracted, airborne and in traffic, and therefore prone to any number of hard fouls, the likes of which have been constant in Heat versus Pacers games.

Game 1 was one of the most tightly called playoff games in modern league history, but even that one featured Ian Mahinmi's throwing James hard to the court on a rare occasion (Hibbert was on the bench) when James found himself with room at the rim. That fall infuriated the Heat star, who proceeded to drive relentlessly and effectively the next several possessions, marking his only period of half-court rim-attacking in the game. And it ended shortly after Hibbert returned.

James gets fouled hard as much as anyone -- it's a preferred leaguewide tactic to neutralize those effective drives. There's evidence that all kinds of NBA players avoid driving when they can, presumably because of the associated injury risk. That James often avoids those plays is normal, human and game-changing.

This shadowboxing between James and Hibbert has been playing out for at least a year, and matters. It's at the heart of a blossoming Pacers-Heat rivalry, and it could easily determine who'll win the East.

• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: Suddenly, Frank Vogel is a household name. A week ago, anybody outside of Indianapolis or the circle of NBA cognoscenti had no idea who the Indiana Pacers’ low-key coach was, what he looked like, what he stood for. Until last week, ESPN’s Skip Bayless thought Vogel was a door-to-door dictionary salesman. Now, everybody knows his name. First because of the misquote-turned-story regarding LeBron James, and now for Wednesday night’s decision to sit center Roy Hibbert in the Miami Heat’s final, game-winning possession. There’s even a sarcastic new Twitter hashtag out there: #frankvogelideas. He’s known now for all the wrong reasons. Which is sad, and unfair, because he’s done an amazing job breathing life back into this team, doing so from the minute he stepped in as interim coach. But it’s deserved, too, because by one man’s humble reckoning — and the reckoning of several folks in and around basketball — it was a mistake. There’s an inclination in the media to take what a TV expert says and adopt it as the last word, the prevailing conventional wisdom. Except in this case, the TV guys were right. Vogel just happens to disagree. Still disagreed Thursday afternoon. Strongly. Which means he’s either stubborn or has great strength in his convictions.
• Dan Le Batard of The Miami Herald: LeBron James was still and serene throughout this celebration. It was strange, given the asylum he has just made of his surroundings. James removed his mouthpiece gently with his index finger and thumb to reveal no overt smile or joy whatsoever, as echoing bedlam broke out all around him and teammates came over for hugs that went unreturned. Facially, emotionally, impossibly, he would have looked about the same if he had been wandering down a grocery aisle shopping for produce. He somehow lookednormal. And ordained. And not yet done. It was the peace and belief and clarity a bullet-dodging Keanu Reeves was trying to channel when he realized he was The One in the chaos ofThe Matrix. Only this wasn’t, you know, science fiction. Less than one year removed from America’s mocking laughter, the butt of televised late-night jokes and character smearing that suggested he was a late-game coward, James somehow seemed to be the least-surprised person in this entire bouncing building about what he had just wrought. We are in such a big hurry these days, staring into our phones as we walk past strangers, texting while driving, so connected to a bombardment of instant stimuli that it is easy to miss even the biggest and most obvious things whizzing right by us. James made a very difficult thing look very easy at the end of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, and the magic/art of this was lost in howling and blame and all the noisy insta-opinion wondering how the coach of the Indiana Pacers could possibly be so dumb as to allow it.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Tim Duncan earned another honor during his resurgent 16th season, making the All-NBA first team for the first time since 2006-07 while Tony Parker was selected to the second team, the NBA announced on Thursday. The Spurs treated them to a round of a applause when the news was announced by coach Gregg Popovich at the end of practice. “It’s quite an honor for those guys,” Popovich said. “I’m thrilled for them. I’m real excited that people would put them in that position. What an honor. All-NBA anything is pretty special. It’s something we really respect and feel great about. And then we’ll forget about it.” Duncan, who did not speak to the media on Thursday, earned his 10th first-team selection and 14th overall after averaging 17.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 2.65 blocks with a 24.4 Player Efficiency Rating. Duncan was previously named to the All-Defensive and All-Star teams for the 14th time. He extended his franchise record for All-NBA picks, a list that includes David Robinson(10), George Gervin (8), Tony Parker (3), Manu Ginobili (2), Dennis Rodman (1).
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Kevin Durant doesn't do bold predictions. Well, not since the summer of 2009, when he crazily but correctly proclaimed that the Thunder would be a playoff team the following season. Instead, it seems Durant prefers to just put in the work. Before darting off for the offseason, Durant spoke about how “fun” it's going to be to work on his game all summer. He said he's looking forward to growing as a player, coming back better next season and helping his teammates even more. Then he talked about being more efficient. Better offensively. Returning with different shots, different moves. “The only way I can go is up,” Durant said. Recent playoff disappointments perhaps might make Durant as determined as ever. The Thunder lost in five games to Memphis, dropping each of the final four contests. It was the third straight season in which the Thunder was eliminated by losing four straight. … It'll be another four months before Durant gets another shot at writing the Thunder's script. In the meantime, Durant's only promise is that he will be stronger because of his setbacks.
• Marcus Thompson of The Oakland Tribune: It only makes sense the Warriors get mentioned in the third annual Dwight Howard saga. They had cameos in the first two and they were awful. Now, Golden State is a successful, attractive destination in the NBA. And even though he doesn’t need to these days, co-owner Joe Lacob still loves the pursuit of the big fish. So the fact that reports surfaced about Howard being interested in the Warriors is expected, if not redundant. But is this even possible? Sure. In the same way it was possible for the Warriors to win a title. Except there were a few MAJOR obstacles in the way, namely San Antonio, Memphis and Miami. Golden State’s acquisition of Howard too has major obstacles. The first one being it’s only late May so the likelihood is Howard has NO IDEA what he wants yet.
• Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News: Given that Dwight Howard is a total head case, what is your prediction this week for where he signs? Tim Cowlishaw: He's more a partial head case than a total head case. He's not out getting arrested, so give him points for that. But, yes, he always seems to bring trouble of a different nature, or trouble follows him depending upon how one chooses to look at it. I think Houston and Atlanta will be at the top of his list. Re-signing with the Lakers might be next. Dallas comes somewhere after that because the Mavericks have little to offer besides no state income tax.
• Vince Ellis of the Pioneer Press: It’s been more than a month since the Pistons fired Lawrence Frank. They’ve interviewed many candidates, including Oklahoma City Thunder assistant Mo Cheeks, who spoke with the Pistons on Wednesday. The move to bring on Phil Jackson as a consultant is what has raised the most eyebrows. The short-term involvement was characterized as Jackson doing a favor for his friend and Pistons owner Tom Gores. As far as the coaching search, Dumars said: “We will do a hell of a due diligence on our next coach. We're not going to drag this out. Tom and I have talked about this, and we want to turn this over as quick as possible.” Look for a resolution by the first week of June.
• Craig Grialou of Arizona Sports: In a Suns season that went very much wrong, Goran Dragic did a lot right. He led the team in scoring (14.7), assists (7.4) and steals (1.6), setting career highs in each category. He also averaged a career-high 3.1 rebounds. … If Dragic can duplicate his second half numbers (16.1 points, 9.5 assists in 36 minutes per game) into the first half of next season, then yes, an NBA All-Star Game appearance may be in his future. … Dragic, who turned 27 this month, has already put last season behind him. He's back home in his native Slovenia getting ready for the European Championships, where he helped lead Slovenia to a seventh-place finish two years ago. Leading his country's national team can and should help Dragic become the floor general point guards are expected to be in the NBA.
• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com: As was expected, Golden State Warriors center Andris Biedrins will exercise his player option and return to the Bay Area for the 2013-14 season, according to his agent Bill Duffy. Biedrins, 27, held a player option for next season that will pay him $9 million for the final year of his six-year, $54 million contract the two sides agreed upon in the summer of 2008. The seven-footer could have declined the option, becoming an unrestricted free agent this offseason. However, that will not be the case. “He will not opt out,” Duffy stated clearly to CSNNW.com. General Manager Bob Myers has some tough decisions to make being that the Warriors are destined to be luxury tax payers next season with roughly $75 million in salary tied-up. The punitive luxury tax system goes into effect and Carl Landry (player option) and Jarrett Jack (free agent) are integral pieces the organization would hope to retain.
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: Doc Rivers is one of the most frequent visitors Jared Sullingersees at the Celtics’ Waltham training facility. And Sullinger has kept the conversation light, probably much to the coach’s relief after an early offseason of introspection. “Honestly, you can’t always talk basketball or talk about your situation,” Sullinger said yesterday of Rivers, who had briefly contemplated not returning following the C’s elimination by the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. “Sometimes you have to let people breathe, and that’s what I’ve been doing with Doc, Kevin(Garnett) and Paul (Pierce). Let them be themselves, because after a while, talking about basketball every day is really tough. I experience it all the time, and I catch myself, because there are times when I really need a mental break.” Sullinger is also like most Celtics fans. He has no idea what this team will look like next October, and whether it will include Garnett and Pierce — neither of whom Sullinger has talked to. “I’m the same way as everyone else,” he said. “I’m not the (general manager). I’m not Danny (Ainge). I don’t know anything what’s happening, but regardless of what they decide I’ll support it.”
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: But even with the exciting move, the Wizards will still have to wait and see what the teams ahead of them decide to do before they get attached to one player. Georgetown sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr., UNLV freshman power forward Anthony Bennett and Indiana forward Victor Oladipo are options for the Wizards if Kentucky center Nerlens Noel and Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore go first and second. Porter is currently preparing for the June 27 NBA draft at McDonough gym at Georgetown and will likely work out for the top three or four teams in the lottery. At 6-feet-8 and with a 7-1 wingspan, Porter stands out as an obvious choice at No. 3 for Washington. He would fill a need small forward, has local ties and a skill set that would mesh well with Wall and Beal. But there is a possibility that Porter, arguably the most NBA-ready player among the top prospects, might not be around when the Wizards pick third. A source with knowledge of the Cavaliers’ thinking said Porter is under consideration to go No. 1.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: Former Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says he doesn't plan to coach in the NBA next season and says there's the possibility he may never coach again. With two kids about to enter high school in Seminole County, Van Gundy says he has turned down the opportunity in recent weeks to interview for NBA head-coaching jobs. With some decent jobs available (see Clippers, Nets and Hawks) -- this news is a shocking revelation coming from one of the premier coaching candidates in the league. "We love where we're living and quite honestly it would be hard for us to leave Central Florida. ... As much as I would like to be back in coaching, we're all real happy here. I don't know what will happen in the future, but for right now we've decided not to pursue anything." Asked what if there's a chance he will never coach again, Van Gundy replied: "I guess there's a chance. ... The reason I say that is because I don't know when it will be a good time (to return). If I'm going to wait until everyone is out of high school, we're talking another four years. By then, I'd still be young enough, but I don't know if there would be any interest (from NBA teams). Every year, you're out of it, it gets harder and harder to get back in." However, Van Gundy was quick to add that the prospects of never coaching again is hard for him to fathom.
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: P.J. Carlesimo should be an expert on the Nets’ roster after coaching them to the playoffs this season. And while he believes Brooklyn’s talent places it in the upper echelon of the NBA, the Nets’ former coach said Thursday that Mikhail Prokhorov's goal of winning a title in two years is “maybe not totally realistic.” “Everybody starts the year saying we want to win a championship. Brooklyn has more reason to say that than a lot of the other teams in the league. I still would not call them one of the favorites,” said Carlesimo, who quickly picked up a job as an analyst on ESPN after he wasn’t retained by the Nets. “I wouldn’t put that on whoever is lucky enough to get the coaching job. I think it’s a team that could win a lot of games. I think it’s a 50-win team, a playoff team and a team that could do well, particularly in the Eastern Conference. But to win a championship is a bear.” Carlesimo, who went 35-19 with the Nets as interim coach before Brooklyn fell in seven games to the Bulls in the first round, also wasn’t buying into the narrative about why he was fired, which was at least partly because he was neither an authoritative nor respected voice in the locker room. He called that a “spin,” and said an inexperienced candidate could be successful with the Nets.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: New majority owner Vivek Ranadive met briefly with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie on Thursday before attending the "Long Live the Kings" rally at Cesar Chavez Plaza in downtown Sacramento. Petrie's contract expires at the end of June. Petrie had planned to attend this week's predraft group workout in New Jersey. Instead, he's in California as the transition from the Maloof family to Ranadive's group takes place. Ranadive said there will be an urgency in sorting out the basketball operations. … Besides Petrie, a decision has to be made on coach Keith Smart. While the rest of the coaching staff is not under contract for next season, Smart's contract runs through the 2013-14 season. Ranadive wants to meet with Smart, too. The Kings will pick seventh in the first round of the draft June 27, so clarity within basketball operations is important. … The sooner there is clarity in the front office and on the sideline, the sooner the focus can shift to the roster. The Kings have posted seven consecutive losing seasons. Eight players from this season are under contract for next season.
• Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times: Over the last year, LeBron James sold significantly more shoes in the United States than Kobe Bryant. James sold $300 million worth of his Nike signature shoes domestically, according to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes.com. Bryant was second on the list at $50 million for his Nike signature shoes, followed by Carmelo Anthony's Jordan brand ($40 million) and Kevin Durant's Nike ($35 million). Dwight Howard's Adidas brand shoes brought in $5 million, on par with John Wall's Reebok shoe. Derrick Rose, with Adidas, sold $25 million in the United States. While Bryant's shoes have dipped over the last year, he's the NBA's biggest star in China. His shoes also sell "briskly" in Asia. Bryant has been with Nike since 2003 after making the jump from Adidas.

The Heat squeak through Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pacers thanks to weird tactical stuff including the crunch time benching of Roy Hibbert. ESPN's Tom Haberstroh and Israel Gutierrez discuss the lessons of the opener, and name the game's dirtiest player.

Mornings like these make the NBA so much fun, especially when the debate touches on concrete strategy rather than abstractions.

On the surface, whether Pacers coach Frank Vogel should have left Roy Hibbert on the floor during crucial, late-game defensive possessions is a binary decision, but several factors govern Vogel's strategy in that situation. Although I'm strongly with the majority opinion that says when defensive possessions matter most you have your best defenders on the floor, the doubts implicitly expressed by Vogel when he left his 7-foot-2 center on the sideline must also be addressed.

If Vogel decides to not match down to the Heat's smaller lineup, here are a few fun counterfactual strategies to consider -- some more sensible than others.

• With 2.2 seconds left, an NBA defense is immune from a defensive 3-second call and can effectively zone up against any play. A zone defense is vulnerable to all kinds of hazards, open shots most prominent among them, because the goal is to guard space rather than individuals. Not having a specific guy tasked with defending specific scorers is risky, especially if one of those scorers is named LeBron James. But the Pacers are uniquely equipped to run a matchup zone for 2.2 seconds. Place Hibbert inside the circle, match up Paul George on James and zone the back side of the floor. The Pacers have some of the most capable, long-armed gap defenders in basketball and close space on shooters better than any team in the league. Zoning up would take away just about anything at the rim, though it would leave the Pacers vulnerable to a potential midrange shot from Chris Bosh -- a pretty reasonable trade-off, if not an ideal one.
• Too dangerous, especially since the most prolific long-distance shooter in history is licking his chops on the weak side? Then how about not guarding the inbounder, Shane Battier, leaving Hibbert underneath and going with a man-to-man defense on the other four Miami players? It's a tough call, because ball pressure is essential and, as every coach at every level preaches, somebody must account for the inbounder once the ball is put in play. But let's replay the possession with Battier passing the ball in to James as he did Wednesday night. James is a willing passer and could conceivably return the ball to Battier, who stands 30 feet from the basket, with 1-point-whatever seconds remaining on the clock. It's safe to say that's a shot the Pacers can live with.
• If you're not feeling the zone strategy and you also believe, as Vogel did, that Hibbert's lack of mobility was too much of a liability against a fast-moving, screen-heavy set with multiple shooters on the floor, then consider assigning Hibbert to cover the inbound pass. Approximately 2.5 million people were in Miami-Dade last night. If you asked Battier to list in descending order those he'd least like to see standing in front of him as he prepared to throw the ball inbounds to a Heat teammate, it's a good bet Hibbert would have been at the top of that list. The best use of Hibbert is still near the basket, but if he makes you nervous at the top of the circle when you know a back screen for Bosh is on the way, why not put him to some use by allowing him to disrupt an inbound pass then race after the ball for a possible block from behind?
• Let Hibbert sink or swim. Those defending Vogel's decision have a point -- a down screen for Bosh is a tough switch for Hibbert. But there are creative ways to play it: (1) Have Lance Stephenson switch on to Bosh, as he did. (2) Have Hibbert drop immediately to the paint. (3) Have David West, who was guarding the inbounds pass, switch on to Allen as he sprinted to the sideline since he was effectively there. Again, Battier would be the open man, but at 30 feet or so.

The Pacers outlasted their rivals in the East because they brought length, speed and versatility to the defensive end and had the rim protection provided by Hibbert. For nearly 100 games, Vogel has stayed true to that formula, but he had a crisis of faith when it mattered most. On Wednesday night, perfect defense was the enemy of the good defense.

It didn't help that his best man defender, George, got annihilated so quickly and absolutely. Had Hibbert been standing at the rim, it's easy to imagine James shuttling a pass to Bosh for the duck-in or kicking the ball out to another shooter. Credit James for presenting that kind of challenge. For years, critics have killed him for not wanting to take the last shot, but ask yourself this:

If James were an I'm-shooting-at-all-cost player, would Vogel have been so concerned about the supporting cast that he would leave his rim protector on the bench out of fear of an open shooter?

Every now and again, for fun, we ask regular guest David Thorpe a Seinfeld trivia question. Grantland writer Zach Lowe has straight up talked trash about the level of difficulty. So we invited him on for our first-ever all-Seinfeld episode.

He's the Indiana University professor who got young Mark Cuban interested in advanced analytics, a pioneer of adjusted plus/minus, and a man who says some coaching moves in these playoffs have been flat wrong.

• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: So you think Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel had a difficult time getting over taking Roy Hibbert out in the third quarter of Game 2 against the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals? What he did in Game 1 — with Hibbert again — against the Miami Heat should have caused him to toss and turn in his hotel bed, pace the floor in his room and look at himself in the mirror most of the night. Vogel put Hibbert on the bench in the final seconds of overtime. But wait, it gets better. The coach did it twice. And both times the Heat, well LeBron James, scored. The last one cost the Pacers the opportunity to take the first game of the Eastern Conference finals.
• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: This was the game the Pacers had to have, nearly had, should have had. They controlled the tempo. They held the edge on the boards. They turned Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat into an MMA muscle-fest, replete with bloody noses, harsh words, knees to the nether regions and flying elbows ... And still lost. They had it where they wanted it, how they wanted it, slow and methodical and punishing. They limited Dwyane Wade, kept Chris Bosh under control, led by a point with 2.2 seconds remaining in overtime ... And still lost. Miami 103, Indiana 102. In overtime. On a LeBron James drive and layup at the buzzer. This one hurts. “This one really hurts,” Paul George said later. Because it was right there. Because the Pacers let it get away, and they let it get away in part because of a curious coaching move, one that was more curious than Vogel’s ill-considered timeout in the Knicks series. … After the game, Vogel looked shell-shocked. “We’ve got to play better,” he said. “... You have to play a near-perfect game to beat this team. We played a very good basketball game, but we have to play better.” They need to coach better, too.
• Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: This is how this night went: Punch. Counter-punch. Heat take a small, second-half lead. Indiana battles right back. Indiana goes ahead. The Heat fight their way back. One lesson learned is if you give Indiana any room, any room at all, you will pay. Ray Allen, the Heat's best foul shooter, stood at the line with just over 17 seconds left in regulation and a chance to seal the game. In the previous seconds, Wade ran down the lane to break the tie and Indiana's George threw the ball out of bounds. So here was Allen, ready to seal the game. He put up the first free throw and … Missed? He missed. … Remember, Wednesday night was supposed to be the start, the actual start, of the Heat's playoff push, too. Their first-round opponent, Milwaukee, was the weakest team in the field. Last round, Chicago could barely field a team it was so hurt. Indiana has enough pieces to be dangerous, if allowed. But if the Heat are who most of us think they are — "We're a great team," LeBron said a few days ago — then Indiana can provide some tense nights without a dramatic series. All you know is the Heat won an unwinnable game this first meeting. LeBron took the ball to the basket and a night that would have sat ugly for the Heat has them up 1-0. On to Game 2 we go.
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: Tony Parker’s three-day layoff between Games 2 and 3 of the Western Conference finals will include a precautionary MRI on Thursday to track the progress of his bruised left calf. Parker was initially injured 12 days ago in Game 3 of the conference semifinal series against Golden State, resulting in what he described as “by far” the biggest bruise he’s ever had. “The calf is doing better,” he said. “Doing the MRI…just to make sure. It definitely limited me in the limit me in the last (three) games against Golden State and those two games (against Memphis). “But slowly and surely I’m turning the corner. Those three days arrive at a perfect time for me, so I’m definitely going to use them wisely. I’ll be ready to go on Saturday.” Parker is averaging 18 points in five games since the injury, alternating two strong shooting performances (9 for 16 and 9 for 14) around three poor ones (6 for 17, 3 for 16, 6 for 20).
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: An ESPN report said Howard devoted part of a separate meeting with Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak following his formal exit interview three weeks ago to lament how Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni made him feel "marginalized." Kupchak said that didn't happen. "Criticism of a coach did not come up," Kupchak said Wednesday in a phone interview. "Our coach did not come up." … Kupchak won't have clarity on Howard's future anytime soon. A source familiar with Howard's thinking says he plans to test free agency and has considered the Lakers, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Golden State. Nothing remains binding, though. The source added Howard's main concern involves "what team he feels has the best chance to win championships, has the best team and system around him." The source also stressed Howard has not and will not ask the Lakers to make any moves on his behalf. Kupchak acknowledged the team has made unspecified contingency plans in case Howard leaves. Either way, Howard can't officially re-sign until July 10 when a moratorium on NBA business is lifted.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: The Clippers have begun their search for a new coach to replace Vinny Del Negro, with the hope that they can find someone who is capable of molding the team into a championship contender. But it will not be an easy task to find someone of that stature. Currently, there are only four active NBA coaches who have won an NBA championship — San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Boston's Doc Rivers, Dallas' Rick Carlisle and Miami's Eric Spoelstra. Not only that, but only nine coaches have won an NBA championship dating back to 1987. Of course, Phil Jackson has 11 of those NBA rings, Popovich four and Pat Riley three during that span. That's how difficult it is to win an NBA championship. It will be up to the Clippers' front office to compile a list of potential coaching candidates, vet them, narrow the list down and then give the names to owner Donald Sterling.
• Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: Nerlens Noel is ranked No. 1 on most teams' draft boards. He's 6-foot-11 3/4, 206 pounds and is long. He has a 7-3 3/4 wingspan and a 9-2 standing reach. One can see why he led the NCAA in blocked shots at 4.4 per game. The Cavs were the only team in the NBA last year that didn't have a player average at least 1.0 block per game. Center Tyler Zeller was the team leader at 0.91 per game. Noel could be added to Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson to form a decent group of post defenders. Noel wouldn't be a starter, at least early on, but could be an energy player off the bench. There are drawbacks. First of all, he tore his ACL on Feb. 12. He said he's been told he could return to the court in December, but even that could be pushing it. … His weight of 206 pounds is slight for a shooting guard, much less a post player. Twenty-five pounds would need to be added once he comes to the NBA. Can he hold his spot on defense? Not at 206 pounds. Offensively, there's not much there. He can dunk and run the floor. Teams view him as a blank slate. Many believe he can be taught to shoot and score around the basket. For what it's worth, Gilbert and Grant both say the Cavs are not leaning toward anyone with the No. 1 pick.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Because of their clear intentions of making a huge run at Dwight Howard, the Mavericks will have to consider all options when it comes to assets on their roster. That includes the possibility of trading their draft pick to save the roughly $1.7 million that the pick counts against the salary cap. Doesn’t mean they will trade it. But they have to clear a few more million to make sure that they can offer Howard the maximum contract allowed under the collective bargaining agreement. It would be painful to give up the pick, but there’s a way the Mavericks could do it with a minimal amount of hurt. They owe the Oklahoma City Thunder a first-round pick before 2018. That pick is protected through the first 20 picks of the draft. But if the Mavericks don’t convey it by 2017, the Thunder gets the pick no matter when it is in the 2018 draft. The Mavericks are drafting 13th this year, which means it won’t go to OKC. But what if they went to the Thunder and said, we’ll give you that pick to complete the roundabout set of trades that ended up giving Oklahoma City the Mavericks’ pick (it went through the Lakers and Rockets). The Mavericks could get back a future second rounder and maybe a spare part off the OKC roster like the expiring contract of Ronnie Brewer. What comes back in return isn’t important. The key is the Mavericks would have satisfied that trade requirement by shipping the pick to OKC, wouldn’t be taking back any salary for this season and therefore would clear a nice hunk of cash to apply toward Howard’s salary.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: And on a warm Wednesday afternoon, the second day of rebuilding, the people within this Westmoore subdivision of Moore welcomed a much-needed symbol of hope. Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. One day after donating his money, Durant traveled back to Oklahoma to give his time. He did anything and everything he could to bring a smile to as many faces as possible. He shook hands and gave hugs. He posed for pictures and signed autographs. Not once did Durant turn down a request, graciously scribbling his signature on anything he was handed. A pair of shoes. A hat. A Thunder mug. A team program. “I just feel for these families, man,” Durant said. “They don't have a home. All their things are gone. I'm just lost for words, to be honest.” … After giving $1 million to relief efforts, Durant, in that moment, turned and walked away as if he wanted to give $1 million more. His generosity, however, had served its purpose. “What he immediately said to everyone around him is ‘We got to do something,'” said Emmanuel Bailey, president of the Kevin Durant Family Foundation. “And so he, on his own, decided that he wanted to give $1 million. And, really, that was designed to motivate others to give. I think we're up to about $7.5 million now as a result of Mr. Durant's gift.” Durant said giving his time was a direct reflection of how the Thunder is a part of the community.
• Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: Amar'e Stoudemire’s agent said the veteran forward is unhappy with the way the season ended for him and the Knicks, but that Stoudemire believes he’ll play a bigger role next year. “You know Amar’e, he’s going to work as hard as he can during the offseason,” said Happy Walters, Stoudemire’s agent. “It was a tough year, but Amar’e is already looking forward to next season. He’ll be ready.” Woodson would not commit to making Stoudemire a starter next season. Carmelo Anthony’s best position is power forward and he finished third in the MVP race playing Stoudemire’s natural position. The Knicks shopped Stoudemire last summer and will likely try to do it again. But with two years remaining on his contract, Stoudemire may be the toughest Knick to trade.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: The Knicks’ 1-2 scoring tandem was truly hurting in the ill-fated Pacers series. Not only did Carmelo Anthony play with what an MRI exam Wednesday revealed was a partial tear in his left shoulder, but The Post has learned J.R. Smith’s nightmarish playoff performance was partly because of a swollen left knee that contained fluid buildup. According to a league source, Smith likely will have his knee drained of the fluid in the next two weeks — the same procedure Anthony underwent in March. So Smith’s struggles weren’t only about his sharp elbow in the Celtics series, alleged hangover and viral infection. Meanwhile, Anthony’s MRI exam showed he had played in the playoffs with a small, partial tear in his shoulder, but the Knicks don’t expect him to need surgery, according to a league source. Anthony has been prescribed rest and physical therapy for a month to allow the shoulder to heal. Had the shoulder sustained a full labrum tear, surgery would have been required. Now it’s unlikely.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: Enes Kanter's recovery from April shoulder surgery is ahead of schedule, his agent said Wednesday, but the Utah Jazz center may not be cleared to play until August. That means Kanter will not participate in the Orlando Summer League July 7 through 12, although Kanter's agent, Max Ergul, said it was unlikely the Turkish big man would have played that week even if healthy. The second-year center underwent surgery on April 10 to repair a tear resulting from a dislocated left shoulder suffered against Phoenix two weeks earlier. Kanter, who turned 21 on Monday, is in his native Turkey this week visiting family, Ergul said.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: The Wizards initially stated that he would be out for at least six weeks, but Beal is anxious to have another update in the next week or two, so that he can get back to doing what he loves most. He had his last X-ray almost a month ago, “so I’m probably due for a checkup real soon. I feel no pain, but the [stress reaction] is still there.” “It’s always frustration,” Beal said of being out. “But at the same time, I have to stay positive, make sure I’m doing what I’m supposed to do. Making sure I’m able to take care of myself and just stay on top of it. Basically just being patient and when I get out there, I’ll get out there.” Beal has been spending his time mostly in St. Louis, relaxing and hanging out with family and friends. He stays fit by lifting with a personal trainer, riding a bike and swimming, and continues to maintain his shooting form by tossing up standstill free throws. “I’ll be hard-headed and shoot threes, but I still don’t jump,” Beal said. “Either my mom’s school or my school. I pretty much have access to any gym in St. Louis. They welcome me with open arms.”
• Gary Dzen of The Boston Globe: James Pallotta, president of the soccer team AS Roma and a minority owner of the Celtics, presented a Celtics jersey to Pope Francis at the Vatican Wednesday. Pallotta was there to represent Roma in the Coppa Italia, a match pitting the team against city rival Lazio. The Pope was given Roma gear but also a Celtics jersey with the No. 1 and "The Pope" written on the back. Can banner No. 18 be far behind?
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: It doesn't appear the Pistons will wait on the Eastern Conference finals to finish to formally interview anyone else, although talking to candidates by phone shouldn't be ruled out. "That's not all we've talked to, those are the names you've gotten," said Dumars, before adding, "We've talked to a lot of people. I'm waiting on you to get the names out there." One intriguing name where there could've been mutual interest was current Hawks coach Larry Drew, with "current" being a day-to-day term, considering he's a coach in name only. The Pistons were impressed with how Drew took a team with nine expiring contracts to the playoffs, factoring in guard Lou Williams' season-ending injury and Josh Smith's impending free agency not affecting how the team performed. Drew's contract expires at the end of June, but Hawks management hasn't approached him about an extension and is talking to other teams. Drew doesn't have the luxury of reaching out to the Pistons and they would need permission from the Hawks to interview him, a different proposition than interviewing a team's assistant coach.
• Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee: Thousands of Kings fans - plus a few former team legends and the core of the franchise's new ownership group - are expected to converge on downtown's Cesar Chavez Plaza Thursday afternoon for a rally celebrating the team's future in Sacramento. The rally will build off a big week for Kings fans. Team officials said Wednesday that their sales staff sold more season tickets on Tuesday than on any other day in Sacramento team history, other than day one, nearly 30 years ago. … The Kings also announced that seven members of the new ownership group - including managing partner Vivek Ranadive - are scheduled to attend the free Long Live the Kings Rally, which runs from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ranadive will be joined at the rally by partners Paul Jacobs, Raj Bhathal, Mark Mastrov, Mark Friedman, Andrew Miller and Chris Kelly. Kings legends Mitch Richmond and Chris Webber will attend, along with current Kings Tyreke Evans and Isaiah Thomas. Former players Scot Pollard and Bobby Jackson are also slated to be there.

What can’t LeBron James do?

Score 30 points? Check.

Triple-double? No problem.

Game winner at the buzzer? Sure.

LeBron is the first player in NBA postseason history with a triple-double and a buzzer-beater game winner in the same game.

Magic never did it. Jordan never did it. Bird never did it. Not even Oscar or Wilt. Only LeBron.

Not too long ago, the discussion was about how LeBron wasn’t clutch. That no longer seems to be a discussion.

Since LeBron came into the league in 2003-04, nobody in the NBA has made more game-tying and go-ahead shots in the final 24 seconds of playoff games than LeBron, who is 7-of-16 on those shots. His 43.8 field goal percentage on those clutch shots ranks the best in the NBA since his rookie season among players with at least 10 attempts. The league average is 28.3 percent on those shots.

Along with his buzzer-beater layup to defeat the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, LeBron also made a go-ahead layup with just under 11 seconds remaining in overtime.

The buzzer-beater was LeBron’s first game winner in the final 10 seconds of a playoff game since his buzzer-beater against the Magic in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference finals.

Coincidentally, that shot came exactly four years ago to the day -– May 22, 2009.

The last time any NBA player made a buzzer-beater to win a playoff game was Paul Pierce for the Celtics in 2010 against the Heat.

LeBron and Ralph Sampson are the only players in NBA history with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks in a playoff game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Sampson did it in 1986 for the Rockets against the Nuggets. Blocks became an official statistic in 1973-74.

Since the 2006 postseason, a player has had a playoff triple-double with at least 30 points four times. All four of those players are named LeBron James.

The last player other than LeBron to accomplish that feat was Steve Nash, for the Suns in 2005 against the Mavericks.

LeBron and Oscar Robertson are the only players in NBA history with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a playoff game four times, according to Elias. LeBron has done it four times, while Robertson has done it eight times.

LeBron now has nine career postseason triple-doubles, which ties him with Wilt Chamberlain for fifth on the all-time list, according to Elias. Only Magic Johnson (30), Jason Kidd (11), Rajon Rondo (10) and Larry Bird (10) have more.

No, the Grizzlies didn't figure the Spurs out late in Game 2. The Spurs just made a series of mistakes they're unlikely to repeat. Ethan Sherwood Strauss and Graydon Gordian break it down.

Experience advantage rests with the Heat
Players on the Miami Heat roster have combined for 194 games of Conference Finals experience.

The Indiana Pacers roster features one game of Conference Finals experience -- Ian Mahinmi played one minute for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011.

Best offense vs best defense
During the regular season, the Heat had the best offensive efficiency and the Pacers had the best defensive efficiency. This is the first playoff meeting between the most efficient regular-season offense and defense since the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns met in the 2005 Western Conference Finals. The Spurs, the team with the most efficient defense, won in five games.

The Heat ranked second in transition points per play and first in isolation points per play, but the Pacers ranked second in transition points per play allowed and fourth in isolation points per play allowed.

Inside the Heat’s struggles
The Heat were 1-2 against the Pacers during the regular season and really struggled to score.

Miami averaged 90.3 points per game against the Pacers, its lowest scoring average against any opponent. The Heat were unable to score effectively in the paint and in transition, two things they excelled at all season.

Miami struggled to get easy baskets, averaging 30.7 paint points per game against Indiana, its fewest against any opponent.

That's no surprise -- Indiana allowed the fewest paint points per game (35.5) and the lowest paint field goal percentage (48.1) in the league and was the only team to hold opponents under 50 percent shooting in the paint.

LeBron vs the Pacers
LeBron James played 121 minutes against the Pacers in the regular season and Paul George was on the court for 116 of them.

James averaged 21.0 points per 40 minutes with George on the court in those three games, down from his regular season average of 28.3 points per 40 minutes.

The Pacers also did a nice job keeping James away from the basket -- only 12 of his 46 shots came within five feet of the basket with George on the court.

During the regular season, James took 41 percent of his shots from that close.

James actually shot the ball well when specifically guarded by George (16-for-27), but getting his shot was a challenge. George forced James into 11 turnovers.

James averaged 21.0 points per game in three games against the Pacers, his fewest against any Eastern Conference opponent.

The Pacers were the only team that James averaged fewer than 10 paint points per game against during the regular season.

The Transition Game
The Heat shot 60.5 percent in transition this season, second in the NBA, but averaged only 9.3 transition plays per game against the Pacers (14.5 plays per game against all other teams).

The Pacers shot 63 percent in transition in the three regular-season meetings and outscored Miami 32-25.

The Heat have been dominant in transition during the playoffs, averaging 15.6 transition points per game, the most of any team remaining in the postseason.

Pacers could slow it down
No team played a slower pace against the Heat than the Pacers did this season (87.3 possessions per game). Indiana had the second-highest rebound percentage of any team against the Heat this season (58 percent), outrebounding them in all three meetings.

The Pacers played a slower pace, rebounded better and scored more efficiently against the Heat than they did against all other teams this season.

Once in a while a measurement can change everything.

For instance, if you were born since the middle of the last century, the beginning of your life was changed by a metric. he most essential and timeless human act (or, at least one of them) changed globally and instantly in the middle of the last century when a doctor named Virginia Apgar thought to score newborns on their health, as described by Atul Gawande in The New Yorker:

The Apgar score, as it became known universally, allowed nurses to rate the condition of babies at birth on a scale from zero to ten. An infant got two points if it was pink all over, two for crying, two for taking good, vigorous breaths, two for moving all four limbs, and two if its heart rate was over a hundred. Ten points meant a child born in perfect condition. Four points or less meant a blue, limp baby.

The score was published in 1953, and it transformed child delivery. It turned an intangible and impressionistic clinical concept—the condition of a newly born baby—into a number that people could collect and compare. Using it required observation and documentation of the true condition of every baby. Moreover, even if only because doctors are competitive, it drove them to want to produce better scores—and therefore better outcomes—for the newborns they delivered.

I think hoops is due for an Apgar moment.

We have lots of new measures, and they are changing the game bit by bit. PER has liberated us from a lot of dumb conversations about which boxscore stats matter more. Plus/minus, in its various forms, has started to shed light on the value of individual defense and 100 other tough-to-measure things.

But the real basic thing, the way that a measurement could change every NBA game for the better, every night, is to measure this one thing: Was that shooter open?

That's the thing I want to know.

Introduce that to the equation, and all of a sudden things get very interesting:

• It'll quickly become obvious that who's open matters more than making sure the most famous players shoot. Covered guys usually miss. Open guys usually hit.
• It'll help separate the very few players who are at all efficient when covered from chuckers.
• Like doctors competed with each other to have good Apgar scores, so will coaches compete to have teams with good open shot percentages -- after all, this is the measure of an offensive tactician. That's the antidote to Scott Brooks and Mike Woodson essentially saying "get it to the star" all through losing playoff series.
• I'm dying to know this about point guards: How likely are their teammates to get open looks?

There are some challenges. What is and is not open is open to debate. And the data is tricky to collect for other reasons too.

But the fact is that it's already tracked in various ways. Many teams dig into such things with their internal numbers. SportVu dabbles in it, as do other startups peddling data packages to teams. It's kind of knowable. What we need, though, is for it to be part of the boxscore, part of the daily dialogue, part of how every game is judged and discussed from the bar stool to talk radio.

Then we'll get quick and instant pressure on every team to play better, more effective basketball.

 

• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: As well as the Spurs played in Game 1, a letdown was almost inevitable. It didn’t happen until the fourth quarter, but happen it did with a 15-2 Memphis run — fueled by Manu Ginobili’s flagrant foul on Tony Allen (see below) — that forced overtime. The collapse prevented them from crushing the Grizzlies’ morale, but the fact remains: They lead the series 2-0, a point at which teams have won best-of-7 series 94 percent of the time, and the Spurs are 19-2. … So how to grade Tony Parker? From the standpoint of shooting, he suffered through a nightmare similar to the one that wakes Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade in cold sweats in that Gatorade commercial: 6 for 20, including misses on his last five attempts. He was otherwise sublime, dishing out a playoff career-high 18 assists against just two turnovers. He was especially good in the third quarter, scoring or assisting on 24 of the team’s 30 points. … It was a generally quiet performance from Tim Duncan, who struggled with foul trouble late in regulation. He still amassed nine rebounds, three assists, four blocks, two steals and 17 points, including the first three baskets of overtime to carry the Spurs home — a driving layup, a putback and a Parker-esque floater that bounced high off the rim and in, , Don Nelson in the 1969 Finals style, for a 91-87 lead.
• Chris Herrington of the Memphis Flyer: The Grizzlies saved Saturday. Wait, I’ve used that lead before? Through two games, this series feels an awful lot like the first-round series against the Clippers: A discouraging 20-plus-point loss in Game 1 followed by a disappointing but ultimately encouraging close loss in Game 2. In that series, the Grizzlies then won four straight. That’s very unlikely here, but the Grizzlies seem to have regained some confidence and made some adjustments and certainly can return home with more hope than seemed possible at halftime of this one. … They couldn’t pull it out, but the Grizzlies really got into the Spurs for the first time in that fourth quarter, giving home fans a reason to believe that the growth pattern the team followed in the first and second rounds may yet be viable.
• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: LeBron James speaks of restraint as if it were a skill he has needed to perfect, little different from his passing, perimeter shooting or post moves. “It took a while, honestly,” James said. “I just think it’s a maturity, leadership. I can’t afford to get out of my game and get unfocused if the play out on the court becomes more than basketball.” That’s because he recognizes his importance. “I have to continue to know what’s the task at hand,” James said. “It’s difficult at times, for sure. There’s times where I want to retaliate, but, you know, I can’t. I just stay the course, and just play the game. I’m here to just play basketball and that’s it.” That’s what he will attempt to do in this series, whatever the Pacers’ intentions or distractions. Last spring, Danny Granger, not known as an enforcer, oddly embraced the role of agitator, repeatedly confronting James and Dwyane Wade following fouls, earning technicals for his antics. James called the ploy “stupid,” adding that “whatever he’s trying, it’s not working.” Granger won’t be working in this series, sidelined after knee surgery. Still, others, notably Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson, figure to try James’ patience. He must respond as he did in the just-completed series against Chicago, after Nazr Mohammed shoved him or Nate Robinson hit his chin with a hand in transition. … Chris Bosh spoke of being a skinny kid in Texas and accepting the reality that lesser players would try to rough him up, that “if they can’t hold you, they want to make it about everything but basketball. You just continue to play basketball.” Opponents still try to bounce Bosh around. But someone else gets more of opponents’ attention. “I’m not the best player on the floor every night,” Bosh said. “I know that. He is.” He, as in James. The best player, who again must show he has the toughest skin.
• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: This does not qualify as any great insight heading into Game 1, but here it is anyway: Hibbert is absolutely central to the Pacers’ chances against the mighty Miami Heat. If he’s as big against the Heat as he was against the Knicks, both defensively and offensively, the Pacers have a chance to scare the life out of Miami. The key is doing what he has done in these playoffs, and that’s to be a defensive force without fouling. Once upon a time, Hibbert was a walking foul. Over the years, he has painstakingly learned how to go straight up and, in the process, he has gained the respect of officials, who now seem to be giving him the benefit of the doubt. That goes for all the Pacers, who were 29th in the league last season in fouls and have improved to 14th. Foul trouble killed them in the last year’s Miami series. Along with the bench. “I think he’s the best in the league in terms of going up with verticality,” Vogel said. “I think he’s been that way the last two, three years.”
• Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer: Yes, the Cavs grabbed the No. 1 pick in the NBA lottery, but it's a lousy draft. OK, it is a lousy draft ... so would you rather have the No. 6 pick in a bad draft? That was the worst the Cavs could have finished in this lottery. Nope, if you're a fan, you should be thrilled that your team has the top pick. Maybe they will end up taking Nerlens Noel, the 6-11 shot-blocking machine from Kentucky. Noel also is a thin 206 pounds, coming off knee surgery that may keep him out of action until Christmas. … The player best suited in terms of need is Georgetown small forward Otto Porter. He's projected as a top three pick. Is there a way the Cavs can trade with No. 2 Orlando, and still grab Porter while adding a future first rounder? You can be sure that will be discussed. Or perhaps the Cavs will think big. Real big. Huge as in the No. 1 pick and a player on the roster for a veteran forward who can score. They have the salary cap room to make that kind of move. At this point, I'm not sure what the Cavs should do. There is a certain appeal to Noel because he won't be 20 until next April. He can gain weight and strength and may keep growing. New coach Mike Brown wants defense, and Noel can deliver that because of his shot-blocking and leaping ability. But I'm positive the Cavs also are thinking trade. They have long liked Minnesota's Kevin Love. Golden State may have David Lee available, although his defense is "challenged," to be nice about it. Nonetheless, he can score. Even in a supposed bad draft, there are good players available. Remember, the Cavs also have the 19th, 31st and 33rd picks.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: Here's all you need to know about the quality of this year's draft: The No.1 pick might well be Nerlens Noel, the Kentucky center recovering from a torn ACL who might not even be healthy enough to play next season. For all of you Christmas carolers scoring at home, Nerlens would indeed be the Magic's first Noel, but he is far from a messiah. Who knows, he could be the franchise's next Dwight Howard -- or he could be the franchise's next Grant Hill. Is this really a chance you want to take with an early first pick in the draft? The Magic's young GM Rob Hennigan doesn't seem like the type to roll the dice with the team's future. If he were, he would have traded Dwight for Andrew Bynum and the Magic would be stuck with Bynum, who sat out this entire season with bum knees. … The upcoming draft will be just another way for Hennigan to add another young building block to a team that will most likely be right back here at the draft lottery next year. The fact is, there are no surefire saviors coming in this draft to rescue the Magic from another lackluster season. Unlike the past – when the Magic truly were built on lucky charms and pixie dust -- this overhaul is going to be slower and more methodical. Maybe it's a good sign that the Magic didn't win the draft lottery Tuesday night. Hennigan, after all, doesn't seem like the type who believes championships are built on a wing, a prayer and a bouncing pingpong ball.
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: The worst thing the Washington Wizards could do at this moment is give in to public sentiment and view their unexpected surprise of a No. 3 pick in the NBA draft lottery as a nameplate above a cubicle in their locker room next season. The Wizards got lucky, moved up five picks from where they were projected to choose in the draft, and drew the third selection Tuesday night for the second year in a row. Their good fortune could allow them to keep a local college or high school kid close to home. But they should resist the temptation. … They have next season. Postseason or bust. That’s it. And as much as I think Porter could be an all-star within three years and Oladipo could be sixth man of the year off the Wizards’ bench in 2015, I’m not sure either one makes their mark next season. And if Ernie Grunfeld can secure an established veteran now for that pick, someone who could even help take this franchise to the second round for the first time since 2005, he’s got to take that chance.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: You can change the name, but apparently you can’t change the Charlotte Bobcats’ lottery luck.Roughly three hours after the Bobcats announced their intent to switch to “Charlotte Hornets,” the team got bad news in the draft lottery. They will pick fourth on June 27 after finishing last season with the NBA’s second-worst record at 21-61. This is the second year the Bobcats slipped in the lottery after a bad season. In 2012 they went 7-59 – worst record in NBA history – but drafted second behind the New Orleans (no longer) Hornets. … Bobcats executives Rod Higgins and Rich Cho met with the media following the lottery selection. They didn’t offer much detail on players available, except to say they’d likely work out at least six or seven for the fourth spot. The Bobcats have no second-round pick this draft. General manager Cho said the Bobcats’ current roster shouldn’t be relevant to who they select. “Ideally you take the best player available – my philosophy has always been you draft for talent, trade for need,” Cho said. Cho mentioned size, rebounding and shooting as the areas that need the most improvement.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: No. 5 is a thrill for new Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough, whose draft work in the Boston front office has not for a pick higher than No. 19 in the past eight drafts. “The guy who goes there might not be much different, or any different, than guys who go in the top three,” McDonough said. This will be the highest the Suns have drafted since 1987, when they took Armen Gilliam with the No. 2 pick after David Robinson had gone first. Like then, the Suns are in dire need of a young talent infusion. “I think generally we need to get more athletic,” McDonough said. “I think we need more shooting. My philosophy is always to draft the best available player. There are some good pieces in place here. But at the same time, we won 25 games here, so we need to get better across the board.”
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: Pelicans General Manager Dell Demps hasn't ruled out the possibility the Pelicans could trade the pick in attempt to obtain more veterans. ``You never know,'' Demps said. ``There are trades, there's other opportunities that may present themselves. We're going to look at every angle to give ourselves the best possible chance to make our team better.'' The Pelicans interviewed 15 prospects during last week's NBA draft combine in Chicago, according to league sources. The Pelicans could be looking to improve the small forward spot with Al-Farouq Aminu becoming a free agent this summer. Aminu struggled to be a consistent scorer but improved as a rebounder. Williams said after Tuesday's lottery that any prospect the Pelicans select at No. 6 is capable of providing immediate help to improve their team. "Obviously, the higher that pick is, the better,'' Williams said.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: Last season, five of the top prospects refused to work out for the Kings. New ownership and stability might cause more players to be willing to embrace being a King. Regardless of who the selection is or who makes the final decision, the new ownership group could overhaul the roster, coaching staff and front office. The Kings also own the sixth pick in the second round, 36th overall. Players who could be available at No. 7 include point guards Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams and small forward Shabazz Muhammad. After projected top pick Nerlens Noel, Alex Len is viewed as the second-best center. Petrie noted that the draft has its limitations. "The idea that – except in certain cases that the draft is the stairway to success – except when you get that exceptional guy, (the draft) isn't necessarily the most important thing," he said.
• David Mayo of MLive.com: Joe Dumars said he still has no timetable for hiring a new Detroit Pistonshead coach but insisted the search would not extend into the opening of NBA free agency July 1. Dumars made his first public remarks on the coaching search in a conference call with local media Tuesday night, from New York, where the Pistons gotbumped down one spot in the NBA Draft Lottery and will pick No. 8 overall. The Pistons president of basketball operations did not dismiss any of the names reported to have interviewed for the vacancy created by Lawrence Frank's firing but seemed to delight in noting some interviews have escaped public scrutiny. "We've talked to a lot of people," Dumars said. "I'm waiting on you guys to get the names out there but you haven't gotten them out yet." Those known or reported to have interviewed with the Pistons include Mike Budenholzer, J.B. Bickerstaff, Lindsey Hunter, Maurice Cheeks, Nate McMillan and Darrell Walker.
• Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press: Congratulations to Kevin Love, who helped the Timberwolves hold onto their No. 9 position AND didn't get hurt at the NBA lottery. The Wolves now sport a lottery record of 0-7-8. They've never moved up, have drafted right where they should based on their record seven times and have tumbled backward eight times. Love, who on Tuesday represented the franchise at the event, brought enough good karma to allow the Wolves to hold serve at No. 9, which is just where they should be. Yippee. The lottery was created to prevent teams from tanking in order to improve their position in the draft, but it's a flawed system because it penalizes teams that consistently lose without subterfuge. For example, the Timberwolves always have been naturally good at losing basketball games. And for years, we all knew what to expect at the lottery: If there were, say, two impact players coming out of college, the Wolves would end up with the third pick. If there were four impact players, they'd draft fifth. It got to the point where the goal was just to survive the lottery.
• John Canzano of The Oregonian: Good organizations have a congruency of vision, and overcome mistakes. Bad organizations are disjointed, refuse to be accountable and are quick to accept failure as being unlucky. And if the Blazers want to distance themselves from the Kings, Raptors, Pelicans, Wizards and Bobcats/Hornets of the NBA world, the only way to do so is to make a solid series of wise decisions. The selection of Lillard -- No. 6 overall last June -- was a good start. But it can't end there. The burst of confidence Allen has demonstrated this season in allowing Olshey to work some is encouraging, but it must continue. Changing general managers six times in the decade has more to do with the lottery streak than coaching, bad knees or sad-story luck. And it's why Tuesday, a day this city may have wished for the No. 1 pick, instead ended with the sobering reality that a single player in this draft won't turn a flawed franchise into a champion. A change of vision will, though.