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There are 100 reasons to buy an NBA team. I'm sure some people will tell you it's a good business, and for some people it probably is. There are tax advantages. In places like Salt Lake City and Oklahoma City, owners talk convincingly of civic duty.

For Bruce Ratner, a team offered a sophisticated real estate pay, because a stadium was a key to using eminent domain for his sprawling downtown Brooklyn Yards development. For Mikhail Prokhorov, it made him an internationally recognized name, which did wonders for his domestic political career.

Some owners presumably just love basketball.

But there's another reason, one that is blatantly real, but that owners will seldom acknowledge: It's the ultimate fan experience. If you're the owner, you get to hang out in the locker room. You get to hang out in press conferences. You get to sit courtside, within earshot of timeouts. You get to slap five with players in key moments of games. You get to invite people like Julius Erving to hang out with you -- and they show up.

There are not a lot of ways to get into that exhilarating swirl of sports and celebrity. There are not a lot of ways to look so cool.

How much would you pay for that? In the case of some number of owners -- a number that's bigger than you'd think -- I'd argue the number is millions upon millions.

In Myles Brown's ongoing, must-read Jimmy Goldstein Chronicles for GQ, Goldstein tells that he once considered buying a team. Pay particular attention to the reason he's no longer interested:

I've always had ownership in the back of my mind and never quite had the financial assurances to do it on my own. Many of these teams are bought with groups of investors. Sometimes a general partner has a very small financial stake, but is still considered the owner. That would have been a way that perhaps I could have done it, but I'm not good with partners. I like to do things on my own. As my financial resources increased over the years, the prices increased at an even more rapid pace. So it never worked out for me to buy a team by myself.

David Stern, a few years back, was twisting my arm to buy the Milwaukee franchise when it was for sale because I'm from Milwaukee and one of the conditions of the sale from Herb Kohl would be that the new owner would have to agree not to move the team. So I'm sure that David figured because I'm from Milwaukee that would be a perfect fit. But at the time when I first started exploring that, Michael Jordan stepped in and was a more attractive buyer, obviously. That didn't go through and then Herb Kohl took it off the market. Since then, I haven't really seriously considered it. Right now, I have such terrific access to everything that goes on in the NBA that I don't feel I need to be an owner at this point if I could afford it.

It's great, it's fine. Buy a team for whatever reason you want!

But if you look at the kinds of bad decisions teams have made through the years, one of the trends is certainly overvaluing celebrity. A disproportionate number of bad general managers are famous former players. A disproportionate number of overpaid players are the kind of big-name, crowd-pleasing high-scorers owners love to be around.

No small chunk of how owners do business is about the very wealthy creating cool experiences and cool public images for themselves.

The owners even set policies (revenue sharing, draft picks for bad teams) that I would argue do far more to keep incompetent owners from looking foolish than they do to make the league any better for players, coaches or fans.

The title of owner works like the best backstage pass in the world, with some public cachet to boot.

Hats off to Jimmy Goldstein for getting himself an all-access pass through his charisma, ability to build relationships, time commitment and love of the game -- instead of just his millions.

EIGHT THINGS TO WATCH IN THE SECOND ROUND



1. LeBron’s Post Game

I think LeBron James learned from the Finals last year against Dallas that he needs to find a way to get inside and not just settle. He likes to drive, but a lot of it has to do with him having a halfway post-up game now. He gets the ball on that right block, closer to the basket and he’s able to post up and make a decision to either find a shooter or make a play himself.

The three times we played Miami, that’s one thing I noticed about LeBron. He’s making a consistent effort now to get the ball in the post. He’s such a good ball handler, almost like a point guard, that it’s tough to have him in the post all the time. He definitely added that to his game.

2. The Bosh-less Heat go small

When Miami features LeBron at the four, I think it can cause a lot of problems. It’s going to force Indiana to change the way they play defense and possibly take David West or Roy Hibbert out of the mix for long periods of time. It’s going to force David West into a huge role and we’ll see how big he can play.

On offense, Indiana likes to play inside-out with those two guys, but if Miami takes that away with a small lineup, forcing the Pacers to play on the perimeter, Indiana will play right into their hands. The way Miami rotates to shooters on defense is second to none. They trap the ball really hard on the pick and roll. LeBron, D-Wade and Mario Chalmers are very athletic guys. You could see it against the Knicks, guys like Steve Novak really didn’t have chance to shoot the ball even when it was rotating. They always had someone closing out to him and making him drive or pass.

3. Philly’s Backcourt

The Sixers guard the ball really well and their on-ball defense makes a difference. They did a good job in the first round of switching between Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner and giving the Bulls different looks. They made Chicago run a lot of sets instead of individuals taking over the game. That will be useful against Rajon Rondo, because he sets everything up for the Celtics. But they’ll be able to impact his decision-making by playing tight on the ball.

Both players are solid offensively as well. Turner is coming around really well. He’s turned into the player that they expected when they drafted him. Jrue is a very capable scorer, but he’s still able to control the game and run the team. He can shoot from the perimeter, but he also has a game where he can drive and make plays. What I like most about him is he’s very under control in his decision-making. He’s still young, but I think he has an advanced ability to make the decisions a point guard needs to make, whether it’s shoot the ball, pass or attack the basket. Playing against Rondo will be a great matchup. They’re both good on-ball defenders. I think they’ll both find ways to impact the game.

4. KG’s Renaissance

Kevin Garnett has really turned his game up this postseason. Offensively, he’s been able to get down in the post and they can get him the ball in a spot where he can make his turnaround jump shot. He’s also been great picking and popping off screens. He’s playing a full offensive game. Defensively, he just brings that intensity on every play. He took it to Josh Smith in the first round, took him out of his spots. He’s a smart defender so he knows where his man is going to get it and what he wants to do with it.

I think he can have the same impact against Philly. He has the size to impact Elton Brand in the post. Brand is a really a good player, but I don’t think he’s as athletic or versatile as Josh Smith, so I think it’s going to be easier for KG to have that defensive impact. Offensively, his ability to move around the floor and hit shots will be important. He can go inside against the younger guys like Thaddeus Young and just shoot that turnaround jump shot. Or if it’s Brand he can pull him out and hit some in the mid-range.

5. Tim Duncan and Blake Griffin

The matchup of power forwards in the Spurs vs. Clippers series pits two very different players against each other. Tim Duncan has always been a great offensive player. He has a patient game and as a defender it freezes you up. When he gets the ball, you really don’t know what he’s going to do with it. For one or two seconds he’s just looking at the basket and you don’t know what he’s thinking or what’s going to come. That’s why when he goes for that up-fake, guys go for it, because you have to guard against everything with him.

Tim has a great feel for the game around the basket and plays great with his back to the basket. He can turnaround and hit you with that bank shot, he can drive and he’s developed that jump shot to the point where it’s consistent. On the other end, he’s just a smart defender. He can guard guys in the post because he knows how to position himself and how to throw guys off their game.

Blake Griffin plays at a high level. On the offensive end, he finds his way in there. It’s not always pretty, but he’s finding opportunities to score. As soon as he gets the ball he’s trying to drive and he uses his quickness to drive past guys. He’s been doing well at that, but he’s still not a dominant power forward at this stage of his career. He can get out in transition or use the pick and roll and get to the basket, jump high and get the ball up. That’s what’s effective for him.

Going against Tim Duncan will be tough for Blake. Duncan is going to expose Blake’s weakness, which is jump shooting, whenever he can. Duncan will force him to take jump shots. And when Blake does get around him, San Antonio will use help defense to try and minimize his impact at the rim. Boris Diaw might spend a lot of time on Blake too because he’s laterally quicker than Tim at this point and can stay in front of Blake.

6. Pop’s Coverage on Paul

The Clippers go as far as Chris Paul can take them. Offensively they rely heavily on Paul coming off screens and making play. They have other guys who can score, but that’s their go-to. He can come off a screen and make a play for himself or for Caron Butler on the outside or DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin with a lob. Containing Chris will be the number on priority for San Antonio.

Defending the screen isn’t Parker’s strongest suit, but he’s a good enough defender that he’ll find a way to compete and do his best. San Antonio’s system won’t leave him on an island. Coach Gregg Popovich and his assistants will work up a coverage from their defense to limit Paul, make him go left instead of right, trap the pick and roll, or whatever they have to do. It has to be team defense that stops Chris Paul.

7. Westbrook Breaking Out

Russell Westbrook has been more aggressive this season and the Thunder have played well with him controlling the game. In the past, the I remember Russell tended to be passive. But now I just see him being aggressive and trying to score for the whole game.

He’s developed into a better shooter, but I think his bread and butter is driving to the basket. He’s physical and explosive in his drive. He’s one of the best players in the league at getting to the rim. The only guys that are better in my opinion are Derrick Rose, LeBron James and D-Wade. Russell is on that level and he should use that ability whenever he has the opportunity. He has the physical advantage over any point guard. Sessions is a bigger point guard, but he’s nowhere near as athletic and explosive as Russell. He has a clear advantage there.

8. The Kobe Show

If there’s one team that can matchup well with the Lakers bigs this postseason it’s the Thunder. OKC also plays more of a team defense. They execute their coverages very well. It’s one thing to say “we’re going to trap the pick and roll” but it’s another to go out and do it. They have a mobile big like Serge Ibaka who can go out and do it. Kendrick Perkins has always been a good defender and Serge has been tremendous this year. I think they’ll be able to guard Bynum and Gasol.

Once you take that away from the Lakers it’s all about Kobe Bryant. Kobe has been great this postseason. What he’s doing right now, at his age, it’s amazing. You look at the other guys in his class, most of them aren’t playing anymore and none of the guys that are playing are playing at his level. The hardest part about guarding Kobe is how hard he competes. He makes so many tough shots and he just keeps at it. Even when you have him missing five or six shots, he’s coming back with another one. He’s not as explosive and athletic as he used to be, but he’s a smarter player and he knows how and when to take his shot. You can play the perfect defense and he’ll still make the shot more than any player that I’ve seen since I’ve been around basketball. That’s Kobe for you right there.

HoopIdea began with the conviction that NBA basketball was the best game ever, but could be even better. To that end, we opened channels of communications to ESPN.com readers, to hear how they thought the game could be better.

You know what they wanted changed?

Flopping.

That was a radioactive topic in comments, e-mails and tweets. Flopping came up again and again, far too much to ignore.

That was, frankly, a bit of a surprise. None of us saw it as that big of a deal. Not then, at least. But we did some research, watched some video and found ... a hell of a lot.

NBA flopping is one of those things where the more you dig in, the more likely you are to become a zealot. There tends to be a moment of religious conversion, when suddenly it's clear that flopping is a major preoccupation of NBA players, and it's happening right before our eyes and it's ridiculous.

Flop of the Night was born, and during every single NBA game NBA fans are tweeting candidate plays to our @HoopIdea Twitter account.

Pacers coach Frank Vogel cemented the idea that flopping is an issue of the moment by accusing the Heat of leading the league in the dubious art. It was pure playoff gamesmanship, to be certain -- he wanted to get in the heads of referees -- but it resonated for a reason. People are worried about flopping now, and the Heat do it as noticeably as any team.

Following up in an interview on 790 the Ticket, as reported by Tom Haberstroh, Vogel made the case that fans are making: "We've got the greatest athletes in the world. There's nothing more exciting for our fans to see an athletic play made above the rim. When a defender's intent is to fall down and hope for a whistle, I don't think that's good for the game."

Whether or not Vogel's tactic will work in the series remains to be seen, but certainly Vogel succeeding in bringing the issue to a new level. At the Pacers' first game against the Heat on Sunday, NBA Commissioner David Stern got serious about flopping during the ABC TV broadcast:

Some years ago I told the competition committee that we were going to start fining people for flopping, and then suspending. And I think they almost threw me out of the room (saying), 'No, let it be.'

I think it's time to look at (flopping) in a more serious way, because it's only designed to fool the referee. It's not a legitimate play in my judgment. I recognize if there's contact (you) move a little bit, but some of this is acting. We should give out Oscars rather than MVP trophies.

The league was determined to fine players for flopping in 2008, as Marc Stein reported at the time, but nothing really came of it. Perhaps this time people see the issue differently. There is no shortage of voices complaining about the state of things:

• Jeff Van Gundy on ESPN TV: "It just ruins the game. I can’t believe with all the brilliance we have in the NBA office that we can’t find a way to eliminate this part of the game, or at least even start to punish it. ... I’m just sick of it! And I can’t believe the NBA office isn’t sick of it too. They’re obviously condoning this. ... They’re absolutely condoning flopping because they give them the calls and they don’t punish them when they do flop."
• Zach Randolph on "The Doug Gottlieb Show" says it's getting worse and that, for instance, the Clippers have learned well: "It starts with Chris Paul, because Blake didn't really used to flop like that, you know, last year. Reggie (Evans) flops, Reggie always flops. I think it started when Chris got (to the Clippers)."
• Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute admits on NBA Today that he has flopped, and says everybody does: "You can't touch guys now. The just flop, or they call everything. I think it's part of the game. Flopping. There's definitely a limit where flopping becomes annoying. ... I think, personally, 40 to 50 percent of all charges are flopping. ... Nowadays, you kind of touch a guy and he flops. ... It's just taking advantage of the way the game is called, offensively and defensively."
• Mike Golic on Mike and Mike in the Morning: “It looks horrible. ... Out on the football field I tried to sell things. So there’s a line in all of it: does it make it embarrassing to the sport, the way some of it looks? I guess that’s the questions David Stern is asking. There’s that line you cross over to say, 'All right this is getting out of hand, this is getting embarrassing' ... are we there yet?"
• Shane Battier says he is all for new rules to prevent flopping.

Whether or not you think the NBA has a pressing problem here depends on whether or not you think flopping is very common. If you don't think it's common, I question how hard you're looking.

Not doing anything about it -- and at the moment the league is doing literally nothing whatsoever -- seems to have real potential to harm the game.

Consider the lessons of international soccer. Gary Neville, who was today named a coach of the English national team, is almost synonymous with English soccer. As a longtime regular for Manchester United and the national team, and more recently as a TV analyst, he has a voice that matters. And in a meandering and heartbreaking rant on Sky TV (via @netw3rk), Neville is at his wit's end on the topic of diving. "It isn't creeping into the game," he insists. "This is an epidemic!"

Over nearly 15 minutes of Neville's commentary (well worth watching, by the way) the mood changes. As one superstar after another is shown falling comically to the ground, with games hanging in the balance, it stops feeling like garden variety hand-wringing, and starts to feel more like profound concern about the very definition of the sport. Where is all this headed? Why hasn't somebody fixed this by now?

In soccer one fall can lead to one penalty kick which has an excellent chance of deciding the match, which is why Neville speculates it's a regular part of even amateur soccer. That's also why Neville admits he took a dive or two in his playing days.

Who doesn't? Included in the video clips are some of the biggest names in the sport, including David Beckham, Lionel Messi, Frank Lampard and Stephen Gerrard. "This is every single game of football," Neville laments, "with the greatest players in the world."

What can be done about it? "I don't know what we can actually do," says Neville. But you sure get the feeling he wishes something would be done, because the sport is not, as he sees it, what it once was. "This," Neville says, "is the way of the game."

But of course, it doesn't have to be.

Word is flopping is likely on the agenda for the NBA's competition committee -- comprised of the NBA's 30 general managers or their designees -- expected to meet during the Finals next month. If the committee recommends some method to cope with flopping (and HoopIdea has plenty of suggestions), it will go to the NBA's Board of Governors, made of all 30 owners or their designees.

The owners can do with it as they please. They can vote the recommendations into the rulebook, they can come up with their own solution, they can vote against changes or they can abstain from addressing it at all.

What matters to those intent on stopping the flop, however, is that change could come quickly -- if general managers and owners want it.

• D.J. Foster on ClipperBlog, giving Blake Griffin an "A" for effort: "It started on an individual level, and it started with Blake Griffin. Over the season, Griffin developed his own reputation throughout the league. He was a flopper and a villain, an entitled superstar who had little interest in anything else but dunking and scoring. That all may be rooted in some form of reality, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of any of that in Game 7 in Memphis. Griffin may have played the ugliest, prettiest game of his career. There is nothing glamorous about battling with Zach Randolph. At one point, Randolph quite literally saddled Griffin and rode him to the ground. He clocked him with an elbow. Battling for every inch of space is something that rarely earns you money, recognition or stats -- just respect. Griffin was willing to sacrifice everything for a win -- bum knee, pride, whatever -- by finally engaging in the little battles that he’s often declined to take part of. If there was a scrum in the paint, you could guarantee Griffin was in the middle of it."
• From the Clippers team plane: Chris Paul is a big baby. Related: Marc Gasol and Blake Griffin making hilariously dramatic faces during Game 7. (Via @jailblazin)
• Greg Monroe makes all us perfectly adequate children look terrible on Mother's Day.
• John Hollinger (Insider) doesn't like the Lakers chances against Oklahoma City: "At first glance, this series pits three Lakers stars versus three Thunder stars, and seems like it should be a pretty even fight. Glance closer and the advantages tilt the Thunder's way. For starters, Durant is a much better player than Bryant at this point in their respective careers. And looking deeper, Oklahoma City's fourth-best player, Ibaka, is dramatically better than anybody else on the Lakers, and most of their role players are a bit better than their counterparts on the Lakers."
• Kobe Bryant is better suited to defend the speedy Russell Westbrook than the crafty James Harden.
• Royce Young, on an ESPN 5-on-5, with an interesting take on the "rust versus rest" issue: "I don't necessarily think it'll be a rust issue for the Thunder, but more an overeagerness to play. These are guys that are starved to play basketball. They absolutely live for it. And waiting nine days to get at it again, especially with the way the last game against the Mavs went, has to make the Thunder a bit anxious to get on the floor. It probably won't affect anything other than maybe the first 15 minutes of Game 1, but that might be enough to get in an early hole."
• Hornets fans are dreaming of Anthony Davis in a Hornets hat on draft night. Here is that dream, true already, in a way.
• Jared Wade of Eight Points Nine Seconds investigates whether the Heat got the benefit of the whistle an undue amount in Game 1. He also brings this sharp analysis: "More than anything, however, the last sentence in Granger’s quote is what stood out to me: 'I’ve never been in a situation like that.' This reminded me of something Granger said after Game 4 of the Magic series, during which the Pacers lost a 19-point lead in the final eight minutes of regulation before eventually beating a bad team in overtime. About the raucous crowd in the Amway Center, Danny said the following: 'It was a hostile environment -- one of the craziest environments I’ve played in.' Even though the 28-year-old Pacers’ captain is a seven-year NBA veteran, he has neither played in many hostile playoff environments nor played through foul trouble in the playoffs. This is revealing. And it’s not just him. Lest we forget, many of this team’s key players have very little playoff experience."
• Over at HoopSpeak, Ethan Sherwood Strauss explains, with helpful pictures, why today's defenses make it so much harder to be a high-scoring big man in 2011 than it was in 1998: "There is a reason why Rik Smits -- in his prime -- had a higher usage rate than even today’s best centers, and it’s not that we stopped producing tall people of notable skill. Speaking of Pacers and the 1990s, I believe Roy Hibbert would be an ever better All Star in that era. He’s certainly much larger than Robinson, Olajuwon and Ewing pretended to be. His post moves are refined and when given the chance, he drops ball-in-hoop like an automated arcade prize claw. But there is a problem, an obstruction to the plan that was salient on Sunday. It just wasn’t mentioned by the many who lamented how Indiana failed to press their frontcourt advantage in Game 1. Simply put, the Heat don’t want Hibbert to get the ball.
• Regret in Philadelphia after losing a golden opportunity to steal home court advantage against Boston. In Game 2, Brett Koremenos advises them to let Andre Iguodala direct things far more than he did on Saturday.
• With Chris Bosh sidelined due to injury, expect LeBron James to soak up a good portion of those power forward minutes. Can the Heat run away from the Pacers with this lineup and negate Indiana's size? Will the Pacers force James into foul trouble and limit his minutes? Will battling David West leave James too worn down to take over late, as he did in Game 1? It's a fascinating development.
• A Q & A with ESPN's Stephania Bell on Chris Bosh's abdominal strain reveals something you probably could have guessed on your own: you don't want any muscle tears near the pubic bone.
• Brandon Jennings is becoming just good enough to be a real headache in Milwaukee as the Bucks decide on his future with the team.
• How shot location data can serve as an accurate guide to the Spurs-Clippers series.
• The Spurs lit up the Clippers in two of three regular season matchups, but Aaron McGuire notes on 48 Minutes of Hell San Antonio didn't exactly shut them down on the other end: "While the Spurs were hardly a wonderful defensive team in the early going this season, the Clippers consistently picked apart the Spurs defense like few other teams did this season. They were overall relatively competitive in their three game gauntlet against the Silver and Black this year, losing by only 3 points on a fluke overtime-forcing miscue by Chris Paul in Los Angeles and serving the Spurs one of their five home losses."
• A Thunder fan and a Sonics fan exchange open letters about the complicated relationship between their respective fan bases.
• Hey Rajon Rondo, your swag is showing.

Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is spending his offseason in Los Angeles rehabbing from surgery, watching the NBA on TV, and helping me learn the proper French pronunciation of his name.

All three are works in progress -- especially the last one.

For the record, he's fine with your calling him "Luke Richard," with the total American pronunciation of both. But ohhhh, no, that's not good enough for me. I'm going for the real thing out of respect.

And mangling it.

But he has agreed to come on many times through the playoffs, so I'll keep practicing.

He crowns the NBA's defensive player of last night, admits to flopping, describes good hard playoff fouls, talks about how to stop James Harden, picks winners in Lakers vs. Nuggets, Heat vs. Pacers, Sixers vs. Celtics and much more.

And then we're joined by David Thorpe, who shares Lakers vs. Nuggets insight (he picked Denver before the series began, is he sticking with that?) before we argue about whether or not last night's games would have been better with more timeouts.

The NBA Today with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and David Thorpe.

• Tyson Chandler is your 2012 Defensive Player of the Year. Check out the rest of the results. For my money, Joakim Noah, who anchors the second-best defense in the NBA, is a way better defender than Serge Ibaka and too far down on this list.
• John Hollinger takes aim (Insider) at the assumption that a compressed regular season schedule is responsible for all these playoff injuries: "We say this every year in the first round of the playoffs, how we've never seen anything like all these injuries. Um, anyone remember a year ago? New York lost Chauncey Billups after Game 1 and had a skeleton crew by the end of Game 2. The Lakers' Steve Blake missed Game 1 with the chicken pox. Atlanta lost Kirk Hinrich for the playoffs in Game 6. Miami lost Mike Miller for the first round after Game 2; he played a total of six minutes in that series. The Hornets lost Aaron Gray to an ankle sprain in Game 1, although he managed to gimp through. These players weren't as famous as the ones hurt this week, perhaps, but injuries make no distinction based on Q-rating."
• Valley of the Suns blogger Michael Schwartz with a smart, sympathetic look at everything that's happened to Amare Stoudemire, and the Suns, since he left the desert.
• What is the Bulls offense without Derrick Rose? A lot of pin-down screens and snappy ball movement. In the regular season, that was reasonably effective. But the 76ers absolutely demolished these sets in the second half of last night's blowout victory. Zach Lowe has the video evidence.
• R.R. Magellan of Forum Blue and Gold was pleased with Jordan Hill's effort and output last night. Hill's brightest moments as a pro are coming just as things are taking a turn for the complicated off the court.
• Watch Kyle Weidie's brief movie about JaVale McGee titled, "Can't Say I Do"
• Along with everyone else on the Bulls, Derrick Rose looked like he was having a terrible time last night. In a related story, Jrue Holiday went nuts.
• HoopSpeak's Brett Koremenos with some praise for Big Baby Davis in his keys to tonight's games: "Hibbert, who relies on deep positioning for much of his success, has found himself unable to get that prime real estate near the paint when Davis defends him. It has seemed as if moving Davis is like moving a tree stump, if that tree stump also was chained to four sedan-sized boulders. Without getting to a more favorable operating area, Hibbert has shot just 31.3 percent from the field so far this series, a far cry from his 49.7 percent during the regular season."
• The Spurs have been running this play, called "Weak," for about a decade. It still gets them easy buckets.
• Before the Magic face the Pacers tonight, they need to find an answer to a simple question.
• Keith Smart is taking suggestions on how to become a better coach.
• Milwaukee plans to re-sign coach Scott Skiles. To Jeremy Schmidt, that's a sign that the Bucks won't be looking to rebuild any time soon.
• The NBA: where large feet happen.
• Jeremy Lin has inspired myriad puns and nicknames. The Communicated Stereotype takes a look at a few that reference his ethnicity, and analyzes whether they are endearing, or "problematic."
• Lots of good points in this post, but this is what Zach Harper has to say about Andre Miller's posterior: "It’s a big man’s rear-end on a point guard’s frame. It allows him to no longer have to worry about being slow. He can move mountains to the side by shifting from hip to hip. Sometimes it looks like he has one of those flatbed carts at Home Depot and he’s going up and down the aisles with piles of 2x4s and concrete slabs on it. And the weight is just too much to handle on the turns. It’s veering right when he’s trying to stay to the left, like an out of control semi-truck. He’s bumping into shopping carts and coming close to sideswiping people in the doorbell aisle. Take your eyes off him for a second and you’ll find yourself going from hearing melodious chimes at the push of a button to shin bruises a plenty."
• An invitation to Avery Bradley's Block Party. (Side note: Bradley and Jeff Teague both made a number of thrillingly athletic plays last night, which made it a perfect game for Kevin Calabro, the voice of the Payton-Kemp era Seattle Sonics, to call on NBA TV. For the uninitiated, here's three minutes of Calabro's classic calls from the Sonics' 1996 run to the NBA Finals.)
• Down 0-2, Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle is voicing his displeasure with the officiating. Daily Thunder's Royce Young just calls it whining.

6-8 Bucks forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is seen as one of the NBA's best defenders. Virtually every night of the Bucks' season, Mbah a Moute was asked to defend the opposing team's star, whether that was a lightning-fast point guard or a seven-footer with unlimited range. It has given him valuable insight into how the league's finest scorers operate. Milwaukee didn't make the playoffs this year, so he's using his work ethic to share some knowledge about all eight first-round series. You can read more of his insight on his website, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

BULLS vs. 76ers

How good is Chicago defensively?

They’re very good defensively. In the last couple of years, since Tom Thibodeau took over, they’ve been one of the top teams defensively. What they do a good job of is really just taking you out of your sets. They pressure the ball, take you away from what you want to do and make you play at their pace.

Individually they’re not such a great defensive team -- they have guys that can guard -- but it’s their team defense. Their ability to move in and out, dive on the strong side and not allow guys to get beat. They cover for each other. That’s what makes them so good.

How good is Philly defensively?

They’re not a great defensive team, but they’re good enough to create some problems. Andre Iguodala is a very good defender. He’s so athletic that you can put him on a bigger guy and you can even put him on Derrick Rose at the end of the game. He can impact the game with his length and that changes everything.

Up front, they’re a little slower and not as big as far as shot blocking. That kind of hurts them a bit. But when they come with the young guys in that second unit, they’re very athletic. They’re able to switch pick and rolls and create problems for teams.

What does Philly need to do to neutralize Chicago?

One of the best things Chicago does is offensive rebounding. Philly is going to have to match the energy of Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson and Luol Deng going to the board. Philly is a team that wants to get up and down and run. Sometimes when you have that mindset, you tend to give up some offensive rebounds because guys take off when the shot goes up.

Chicago is the best team in the league at converting off their missed shots. I think they get 33 percent of the shots they miss back, which is a high percentage. So they’re definitely going to have to make sure they stay on the boards against Chicago and they’re going to have to match up the bench. The Bulls bench is one of the best especially when they bring Kyle Korver, C.J. Watson and those guys that can shoot the ball. Philly’s bench will have to defend that.

What does Chicago need to do to neutralize Philly?

Chicago has OK perimeter defenders, I think Ronnie Brewer is their best perimeter defender and D-Rose is not bad at all. But when the benches come in, especially with Lou Williams on Philly, Chicago is going to have to do a good job.

Those Philly guys are really good one-on-one players. Williams, Evan Turner and all those guys coming off the bench. Sometimes Philly can go small and have Iguodala playing at the four. Chicago will have to go small as well, so their ability to guard the different guards that Philly has is going to be big.

Who will be defending Derrick Rose?

I think they’ll start with Jrue Holliday, but throughout the game, they will probably have different guys matching up with him. I definitely see Iguodala matching up with D-Rose at some point and also Evan Turner will be on him a bit. They’ll use some size on him.

Who will be defending Andre Iguodala?

Luol Deng. Andre is a guy that, when he’s playing well, Philly is a very competitive team. Deng taking on that challenge of matching up with him will be good for the Bulls.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Bulls?

I think it has to be Deng. He’s a really good defender and that matchup with Andre Iguodala is going to be big for them during the series.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Sixers?

I’ll say Iguodala because he’s probably the best defender on that team. You can put him on Deng, you can switch him to Rose and if you go small you can play him at the four. I think he’s underrated as a defender. Athletically, he’s gifted enough to defend several different positions and he’s shown it. What hurts him a little bit is that he doesn’t take on the challenge to guard the other teams’ best players on a consistent basis.

The Sixers win the series if …

I don’t think the Sixers are going to win the series. I just think Chicago is too good. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they win a couple games and make it interesting, especially if they can limit Chicago’s offensive rebounding ability and the bench contributions.

The Bulls win the series if …

It starts with Derrick Rose. It’s going to depend on how healthy he is and his ability to take over games like he has done in the past. Defensively, the Bulls match up well with Philly and their bench contribution is going to be key to winning the series.

Luc’s Prediction: Bulls in 5

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HEAT vs. KNICKS

How good is Miami defensively?

Obviously they do a good job, especially when they have LeBron and D-Wade on the court as well as Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers. The only concern with Miami is when those guys are not on the floor and the bench comes in. They just aren’t as good defensively when they have just LeBron on the court or just D-Wade on the court.

How good is New York defensively?

They’re a better team defensively under Mike Woodson. He does a lot of different things to make it tricky on you. They switch a lot. They go small and play small basketball. That’s usually a problem for teams because they’re not able to run the pick and roll. But with Miami it’s totally different because you have LeBron sometimes handling the ball at the point. It’s harder to have that small ball impact on them.

What does New York need to do to neutralize Miami?

They’re going to have to contain D-Wade and LeBron. I think D-Wade is the big one though. LeBron is going to be doing a lot of handling and they’ll find good matchups for him, but if D-Wade and also Chris Bosh have big games, the Knicks will be in trouble. They can’t let all three guys get going. They have to make it tough on at least one and probably two of them.

What does Miami need to do to neutralize New York?

It’s a very interesting matchup because the Knicks have been playing a different style of basketball. Mike Woodson does a good job of just throwing different things at you. But a lot of the success that New York had was starting Carmelo Anthony at the four. It forced a lot of teams to go small and it made it harder to match up. But with Amar’e Stoudemire back, it plays into the hands of Miami. Now they can have one of the bigs matchup with Amar’e and have LeBron guard Carmelo, just ease back into their regular way of playing.

Who will be defending LeBron James and Dwyane Wade?

Carmelo will be on LeBron and Iman Shumpert will be on Wade. Shumpert is a really good defender. As a rookie, he’s already shown that he can guard. He’s a very strong, physical guy. He gets into you and he’s done a good job on Wade the couple times they’ve played, so that’s going to be a good matchup.

Who will be defending Carmelo Anthony?

It will be LeBron for most if not all of the game. They’ll start on each other at the three, but I know New York will try to go small. When they do, Miami can go small too with LeBron at the four. It’s inevitable that they’re going to be on each other the whole series.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Heat?

I think it’s LeBron because the series comes down to that matchup between LeBron and Carmelo. Carmelo is going to be the guy that New York relies on to take over games. He’s going to have to score for the Knicks to win games. Whoever wins that matchup will win this series.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Knicks?

It’s Tyson Chandler. He’s one of the guys who is a strong candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He has the ability to control the floor, switch off to guards sometimes, hedge screens and guard the pick and roll. He can block shots and he’s always in the right spot on help defense. You don’t see too many big men as mobile and smart as he is in pick and roll coverage. Having him in the lineup is a big boost for New York.

The Knicks win the series if …

Their shooters catch fire. They matchup well because of the way they spread the floor. When they have their shooters out there -- Steve Novak and Carmelo in isolation -- they can even go small and have Amare at the five. It’s going to be a problem for Miami. The Knicks are going to put them in a situation where they have to close out to shooters and that’s not Miami’s strength. Having those shooters around Carmelo makes it harder for Miami.

The Heat win the series if …

They need to make sure they control Carmelo, but they also have to control the other shooters too. Carmelo is going to get his and he’s going to be in a good matchup with LeBron, but they have to control guys like J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. They have to matchup well when the Knicks go small and sustain it each game, throughout the whole game.

Luc’s Prediction: Miami in 6

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PACERS vs. MAGIC

How good is Indiana defensively?

They’re very good. They have a shot blocker in Roy Hibbert in the middle and very athletic players around him in Danny Granger, Paul George, Darren Collison and George Hill. Those guys are all solid defensively.

How good is Orlando defensively?

Losing Dwight Howard is huge for Orlando. Having Hedo Turkoglu back is going to help, but Dwight is the key to that team. They’re a totally different team without him. They’re not as talented as Indiana. Their team defense is still okay, but everything revolves around Howard.

What does Orlando need to do to neutralize Indiana?

I think you have to go small and embrace playing small. Indiana likes to stick to that traditional two big man game and I would try to get them out of that. You put David West and Roy Hibbert in close out situations against Ryan Anderson and Big Baby Davis -- guys that can step out and be a threat to make perimeter shots -- then they can drive from the perimeter instead of posting up on those bigs. That could be effective.

What does Indiana need to do to neutralize Orlando?

Their biggest test is going to be guarding Ryan Anderson on the perimeter. If you look at their front line at the four position, I don’t see anybody that can close out to him and stay in front of him.

Who will be defending Danny Granger?

If Turkoglu is back he’ll spend some time on Granger, but I think Quentin Richardson is the right matchup there. Quentin is a good defender and he can try to slow Granger down.

Who will be defending Ryan Anderson?

Anderson is the key to this series for Orlando. He can stretch the four man and that’s going to be key. He can shoot the 3 and he can also drive to the basket. I think the Pacers will start with David West on him and mix in Tyler Hansbrough. But if Anderson starts to hurt them, they’ll have to put Granger on him so he can close out at the 3-point line.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Pacers?

There’s more than one because all their perimeter players -- Granger, George, Collison -- need to play well. Orlando plays a lot along the perimeter. The Pacers need make it tough on them and close out well on the three-point line or the game could get away from them.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Magic?

It’s going to have to be Big Baby Davis. He’s going to be guarding Hibbert down in the post as an undersized four man playing at the five against a seven-footer. If Davis can somehow limit Hibbert’s touches and slow him down in the post, that would be a huge boost for Orlando.

The Magic win the series if …

I really don’t think there’s anything they can do to win this series. The only thing they could do is magically fix Dwight Howard’s back.

The Pacers win the series if …

Just play their game offensively and keep Ryan Anderson from having big games. If they’re able to limit his threes and ability to stretch the floor, they should be fine.

Luc’s Prediction: Pacers in 4

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CELTICS vs. HAWKS

How good is Boston defensively?

I believe they’re still one of best defensive teams in the league. They’re top five in the league in field goal percentage against. They’ve gotten older, but they haven’t changed the way they play and they’ve played championship caliber defense for the last five years. Those guys know what it takes to win and they’ve turned it up over the last couple of months.

How good is Atlanta defensively?

They’re okay defensively. I won’t say they’re a great defensive team, but they have some good individual defenders in Kirk Hinrich and Josh Smith. Zaza Pachulia is a solid defender as well. But as a team, I’m not sure how well they match up with Boston. There are a lot of matchup problems there.

What does Atlanta need to do to neutralize Boston?

Rondo is the general of that team. I’d put Hinrich on him to try and get Rondo out of his rhythm. If he’s able to put pressure on Rondo and take him off his game, you can take away about half of Boston’s offense. That’s the only way I think Atlanta can neutralize Boston. But that’s very hard to do.

What does Boston need to do to neutralize Atlanta?

They don’t have to change a thing. Their regular defense is solid enough to stop the Hawks. The key matchup is Josh Smith against Kevin Garnett. If KG is able to neutralize Smith, the rest is just Boston playing their normal defense. Their team defense is good enough to take care of it.

Who will be defending Josh Smith and Joe Johnson?

I would have Garnett on Josh Smith, Pierce on Joe Johnson and Brandon Bass on Pachulia. Those would be the right matchups for me. Garnett is a much better defender than Bass and can impact the game better by being on Smith.

Who will be defending Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo?

Joe Johnson on Pierce and Hinrich on Rondo. Hinrich is a good on ball defender so he can try to frustrate Rondo.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Celtics?

Garnett. If KG is able to prevent Josh Smith from having big games, that will play into Boston’s hands.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Hawks?

Hinrich. If he’s able to slow down Rondo and set the tone defensively for them at the point, it could flip the whole series.

The Hawks win the series if …

At the end of the day it comes down to how much of an impact Josh Smith has in the series. We all know what Joe Johnson is going to do. He’s pretty consistent in what he does. But it’s on Josh. When he’s playing at a high level, they’re very good.

The Celtics win the series if …

KG wins his battle with Josh Smith. Atlanta is a good team, but they’ll only go as far as Josh Smith can take them.

Luc’s Prediction: Celtics in 6

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SPURS vs. JAZZ

How good is San Antonio defensively?

It goes without saying, but they’re a great defensive team. They have been for the last decade. Now with all those guys healthy going into the playoffs, it’s going to help.

How good is Utah defensively?

They can cause some problems. They’re young and they play good basketball. They work hard.

What does Utah need to do to neutralize San Antonio?

They have to make sure they control Tony Parker and his playmaking. His play this year has been huge for them. If Utah can figure out a way to slow him down, they can give themselves a chance to win.

What does San Antonio need to do to neutralize Utah?

Utah’s frontline can be dominant with Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. Getting the ball inside is their number one option and their best option. They’re going to look to go it. But I think with Tim Duncan and DeJuan Blair, it’s a good matchup for San Antonio. I don’t see it as a problem for the Spurs. They should be able to handle those two guys.

Who will be defending Tony Parker?

By default I think it will be Devin Harris.

Who will be defending Al Jefferson?

Tim Duncan and he’s capable. He’s still a very good defender.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Spurs?

I think it’s Duncan. He’s always been a good defender, but it comes down to how good he matches up with Jefferson. That’s going to be a big factor.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Jazz?

Not one person in particular, just the whole perimeter defense. You’re guarding Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili first and then when those guys come out, you have a bunch of knock down shooters behind them. They have to keep those guys in check too.

The Jazz win the series if …

I don’t think they can. When you break it down individually, they do match up. But San Antonio is playing at such a high level right now and they’re that much better than Utah.

The Spurs win the series if …

They control the paint and match the intensity and energy of the younger team in Utah, especially in the second unit. I think they matchup well because the second unit is also really good with Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw.

Luc’s Prediction: Spurs in 5

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THUNDER vs. MAVERICKS

How good a team is Oklahoma City defensively?

They’re a very good defensive team. They’re big with Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka in the frontcourt and Kevin Durant at the three. KD is an underrated defender. He’s long and he’s able to alter shots, block shots sometimes. People look at his scoring but he can defend and create problems for wing players who aren’t as long as he is.

How good a team is Dallas defensively?

They’re definitely not as good as last year. But coach Carlisle still does a great job of getting them to play the right way defensively. Not having Tyson Chandler is huge, but they still have guys like Shawn Marion, who defends very well, and Brandan Wright, who can block shots and impact games.

What does Dallas need to do to neutralize Oklahoma City?

It’s going to be tough for Dallas to match up with OKC, especially not having Chandler in the middle. Matching up on Durant, Westbrook and especially when Harden comes in, is going to be tough for Dallas. They have to take some of those options away.

What does Oklahoma City need to do to neutralize Dallas?

Limit Dirk. If they take away Dirk, they give themselves a great chance. He’s still Dallas’ top option and if they can slow him down and make other guys score, that’s going to be hard for Dallas.

Who will be defending Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook?

You’re probably going to have Shawn Marion on Durant and I think you’ll have Jason Kidd on Russell.

Who will be defending Dirk Nowitzki?

Serge Ibaka. He’s a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. Dirk is going to do his thing, but this is going to be an interesting matchup.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Thunder?

It’s Serge. We all know what Dirk can do, what kind of offensive player he is. OKC needs Serge to limit Dirk to win this series.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Mavericks?

Shawn Marion. How good a job he does on Kevin Durant is going to be huge in this series. If Dallas is going to have a chance, Shawn is going to have to do a really good job on KD.

The Thunder win the series if …

They contain Dirk and their big three: KD, Russell and James Harden plays at a high level. If they do, they’ll control the game offensively.

The Mavericks win the series if …

Another scorer emerges. Dirk needs to be a superhero, but they’re also going to need somebody else like Jason Terry or Vince Carter to step up and take on some of the scoring to alleviate that heavy load on Dirk.

Luc’s Prediction: Thunder in 6.

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LAKERS vs. NUGGETS

How good a team is Los Angeles defensively?

They’re still very good. Not having Metta World Peace takes a toll on them, because he’s a very good defender, but I think Matt Barnes can fill in well enough. Then you have those big boys inside and that’s always a problem.

How good a team is Denver defensively?

They’re good but not great. Their best asset is the ability to get out in transition and play up-tempo basketball. When they go small and put Al Harrington or Danilo Gallinari at the four, it can create matchup problems to work in their favor.

What does Denver need to do to neutralize Los Angeles?

I don’t think the key to the series is Kobe as much as it is Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Those two are a matchup problem for Denver. They’re both playing at a high level and the Nuggets have to make sure they guard them well. When they’re both on the court and the ball goes inside, what can Denver do? If you look at their front line, they’re pretty small. JaVale McGee is their only true big guy inside. Kenneth Faried is 6-7 or 6-8, so his ability to guard Gasol or Bynum is going to be key.

What does Los Angeles need to do to neutralize Denver?

They have to make sure they can matchup when Denver runs out a small lineup. The Nuggets like to play small and pass the ball around the perimeter. That’s going to challenge that Lakers frontcourt to come out and contest. They also like to get out in transition and play an up and down, fast-paced game. If the Lakers can control the tempo of the game, they’ll cause problems for Denver.

Who will be defending Kobe Bryant?

Arron Afflalo. He’s always done a really good job on Kobe. Arron is a really good defender and I expect him to do a good job on Kobe again. Kobe is still going to be able to make plays and score the ball, you just have to try and slow him down so he’s not having huge games.

Who will be defending Ty Lawson?

I think Ramon Sessions is the best chance to try and keep up with him.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Lakers?

Pau Gasol. He’s going to be asked to come out and guard guys like Al Harrington and Gallinari. He has to stay in front of them and play them all the way out to the 3-point line.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Nuggets?

Kenneth Faried. He and JaVale have to somehow contain Gasol and Bynum. Faried is exactly what I thought he would be. He’s a high motor guy, plays very hard and he’s very athletic. Just a beast. He knows what his role is and he’s not trying to get outside of that.

The Lakers win the series if …

They can match up well with the Nuggets, control the tempo and get the ball in to their bigs.

The Nuggets win the series if …

They control Gasol, Bynum and the Lakers front line.

Luc’s Prediction: Lakers in 7.

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GRIZZLIES vs. CLIPPERS

How good a team is Memphis defensively?

This is the series I’m most looking forward to. The Grizzlies are very good defensively. Individually they have guys who are very athletic and can guard. Mike Conley and Tony Allen are good defenders on the perimeter and Mark Gasol is one of the best inside.

How good a team is Los Angeles defensively?

I don’t think they’re as good as Memphis defensively, but they’re good enough and they have the players to be a very good defensive team. The addition of Kenyon Martin helps them a lot. He’s always been a good defender and he can switch on to different players, guard a few different positions.

What does Los Angeles need to do to neutralize Memphis?

They have to find a way to neutralize the Memphis frontcourt. Those guys are a huge part of what Memphis does. They play an inside-out game. If the Clippers can stop the inside game, they give themselves a chance.

What does Memphis need to do to neutralize Los Angeles?

They have to limit Chris Paul’s ability to make plays and the key will be the coverage they’re going to use in pick and rolls to cover Chris Paul and bottle him up. The worst thing they could do is let him make easy plays, lobs and find his way free to the basket so he can make plays for the team.

Who will be defending Rudy Gay and Zach Randolph?

Caron Butler will be on Rudy. Caron is solid. He’s never been a great defender, but he’s solid. I don’t think it will be a walk in the park for Rudy. On Zach Randolph it’s going to be Blake Griffin and Blake is going to have to really guard him. Memphis does a good job of throwing the ball to Zach a lot in the post and we all know what he did last postseason. If he’s playing at that level, it’s going to be tough for Blake. If he can do that, Blake may get into foul trouble and it changes the whole series around.

Who will be defending Chris Paul and Blake Griffin?

I think they’ll have Conley on Chris Paul most of the time and that’s going to be the best matchup of the series. Paul is the floor general of the Clippers and if you look at the end of the games, the person who’s taking over games and making big plays is Chris Paul. He’s coming off the pick and roll and making decisions. That matchup is going to be key. I expect Conley to hold his ground.

On Blake, it will be more of a team matchup for Memphis. At this point his game isn’t really back to the basket, isolation situations, so you don’t guard him as you would traditionally guard a four. It’s more about how you defend the pick and roll and stop Blake from diving to the rim. They need to make sure they have the help there.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Grizzlies?

Mike Conley, when he’s on Chris Paul. I think he can do a good job. He did a good job on Tony Parker last year in the playoffs. He’s always been a solid defender. But if he doesn’t, I won’t be surprised if they put Tony Allen on Chris Paul. Whoever is guarding Chris Paul is the x-factor.

Who is the defensive x-factor for the Clippers?

Kenyon Martin, because he’s versatile. They can put him on Rudy Gay, Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they put Kenyon on Randolph and have Blake on Gasol.

The Grizzlies win the series if …

They neutralize Chris Paul. If Chris Paul is not a big factor, the Grizzlies will take it.

The Clippers win the series if …

They’re able to dominate the matchup inside between Martin/Griffin and Randolph/Gasol.

Luc’s Prediction: Grizzlies 4-2

• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: If you want to write off Michael Jordan as the guy who shouldn’t be wearing a hockey jersey in Chicago when his NBA team is withering back in Charlotte, more power to you. If you want to conclude Rod Higgins is a paper-pusher whose job security hinges on being a Friend-of-Mike, I won’t waste breath debating you (though I think that defines over-simplification). Here’s what trumps all that: Larry Brown turned Jordan and Higgins into victims on national radio Wednesday. It was shabby and silly and petty. Somebody – I guess it’s my job by default -- needs to explain what really happened. LB says Jordan’s people didn’t have a “clue’’ and made him “sick’’ and were “spies.’’ Here’s what I saw: Rod Higgins (who I’ve had more than a few battles with) put up graciously with hundreds of hours of all the garbage that comes with being Larry’s personnel guy. Ask Billy King. Ask Donnie Walsh. You think I haven’t? Larry is a magnificent maniac. He has a savant quality when it comes to basketball, but he’s loopy; overreacts to whatever he last saw. Like a crab in the sand, searching for the next feed. I think there are a lot of legitimate reasons to scrutinize the Bobcats. I’ve written that regularly over the duration of their existence: Rudy Gay vs. Adam Morrison? Come on. Not trading up for draft rights to CP3 or Deron Williams? Yadda, yadda, yadda. But what Brown did on radio and what Sam Vincent did in the Washington Post is so self-serving, so childish, that it reflects far more on them than Jordan or anyone who works for the Bobcats. Rip them for what they deserve. Don’t exploit bad times to settle old grudges. It’s tacky.
• Brian Schmitz, of the Orlando Sentinel: Stan knows that it does him no good at this point to scorch any more Earth. Attempting to paint a pretty picture of the 2011-12 Magic with Dwight and without Dwight would take a lot of imagination or flat-out lying, and Stan isn't built for either duty. I'm sick of it, too. "These kind of seasons happen," Van Gundy said. No they don't. These kind of things don't even happen on reality shows. Van Gundy wants to return for more and fulfill his contract next season, but Vegas won't even take bets. Publicly disclosing that management told him Howard wanted him fired will likely do him in — no matter whether Dwight stays or strays. Van Gundy can either sit on his stack of money for a year in Lake Mary or coach if he so desires. Unless Phil Jackson leaves his fly-fishing hole in Wyoming, Stan would be the best free-agent coach on the market. (Question: With Van Gundy under contract for another year, could the Magic possibly trade him and receive a draft pick from his new team? If you remember, the Heat got a second-round pick from the Magic in exchange for Stan because Van Gundy was under contract as a consultant.) Van Gundy might have some opportunities to work from some other team's bench.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Mike Woodson could be the next member of the Knicks ' basketball department to get a promotion. The Knicks ' newly minted executive vice president and general manager, Glen Grunwald, gave Woodson a ringing endorsement Wednesday. Grunwald, who is Woodson's good friend and former teammate at Indiana University , said it will be an organizational decision on who coaches the Knicks next season and that he will give his recommendations. He stopped just short of saying he would recommend Woodson. "Woody's done a fantastic job," Grunwald said. "I can't give him enough credit for the job he's done. Normally, coaching changes don't result in such a dramatic improvement in the team performance, so I think that speaks very well of him. I've known Woody a long time. We've had our separations, different jobs and stuff like that. It's amazing to see how he's grown as a person and as a coach in particular. To see him firsthand working as a head coach is very impressive."
• Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: The Clippers needed a win in New York on Wednesday night to be assured of home-court advantage, but the Clippers decided they needed Chris Paul healthy more. With Paul sitting out because of mild groin strain, the Clippers staged a late-game comeback but fell to the Knicks, 99-93. The Clippers now must wait to see if Orlando beats the Grizzlies in Memphis on Thursday night, which would secure home-court advantage for Blake Griffin, Paul and the rest of the team. The Clippers trailed, 90-72, with less than 7:30 to play, but the Clippers stormed back into the game with New York’s starters watching from the bench. The Clippers closed to within one in the last minute, but J.R. Smith scored four consecutive points to ice the win for the Knicks. “We competed,” Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. “The guys battled back. …We gave ourselves a chance.” The Clippers finished the regular season losing three out of four games with all three losses coming on the road.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The "We want Steve" chant broke out and grew in volume until the crowd was standing. A timeout stopped it and Nash did not return but the chant did. After sitting Nash out so long, Suns coach Alvin Gentry did not plan on playing him any longer but substituted him for a curtain call of 27 seconds, just long enough for him to dribble upcourt with a smile, make a turnover and leave with an index finger raised in acknowledgment to a thunderous ovation like the one that started the night when his turn came up during starting introductions. If that was Nash's last introduction as a Suns player in 10 seasons over two stints, it was met appropriately in front of a crowd of 17,172 that turned out despite the team's elimination on the previous night. Out of the race, the game still had meaning just in the potential of it being Nash's farewell, although he has said he will include Phoenix in the options he weighs as a free agent in July. "It was obviously amazing to get that type of reception and support," Nash said. "It's very special because it's not something I asked for or imagined. To get that kind of reaction means it's authentic, the relationship I thought we had. It really feels special. The fans have been phenomenal and it's meant a lot to me to play in a city like this as long as I have and to feel important to the fans and community. I just feel like a very lucky guy." Nash said he has "no clue" about his future and remains flexible on contract length even though he wants to play three more years. To stay, he would want to see the Suns improve their roster.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: With a 106-101 victory at Oklahoma City on Wednesday, the Denver Nuggets did the Spurs a favor and clarified the playoff picture. Now, the top-seeded Spurs are hoping for a similar solid from the NBA office. The doings in Oklahoma locked Utah in as the Western Conference’s eighth seed, at last giving the Spurs a first-round opponent for which to game plan. Game 1 will be either Saturday or Sunday, after the Spurs fly back from their season-closer at Golden State tonight. That’s where the league office comes in. Spurs officials are hopeful the league will take into account the team’s brutal season-ending itinerary — which included eight games in 11 days and requires a four-hour flight home across two time zones after the finale — when setting the playoff schedule. But they aren’t holding their breath. “You can’t politic for that sort of thing,” coach Gregg Popovich said. “When they tell you to play, you go play.”
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: With his Thunder trailing the Nuggets by three points late in the game Wednesday night, veteran guard Derek Fisher launched a 3-pointer that had the follow-through seen after so many of his clutch shots. But the shot missed, and Denver's Danilo Gallinari grabbed the vital rebound. With seven seconds left, it was over. After free throws, the Nuggets escaped with a 106-101 victory that enables them to control their destiny. If the Nuggets (37-28) win tonight's regular-season finale at Minnesota, they will be the Western Conference's No. 6 seed in the NBA playoffs — and will play the third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, arguably a more enticing opponent than the second-seeded Thunder. If the Nuggets lose tonight, they still have a shot at the No. 6 seed. Dallas plays at Atlanta. If Dallas loses, Denver is the sixth seed. But if Denver loses and Dallas wins, the Mavericks are sixth, and the Nuggets are seventh.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Speaking of JaVale McGee. He inexplicably tossed his headband into the crowd — as he checked in for the first time! Something is truly wrong with that cat.
• John Rohde of of The Oklahoman: When Thunder center Kendrick Perkins started flirting with the NBA limit for technical fouls several weeks ago, he vowed to never reach No. 13, which would have drawn a one-game suspension. “I told you I wouldn't. You didn't believe me?” Perkins said with a smile before Wednesday's regular-season finale against Denver. Perkins was in the clear when he survived Tuesday night's 118-110 victory over Sacramento without getting slapped with unlucky No. 13. Even had Perkins been hit with a technical on Wednesday, he would not have been suspended for the first playoff game because the slate is wiped cleaned for the postseason. Perkins said the key to his survival is knowing when to back off. “It's kind of like a child knowing how much he can push his parents,” said Perkins, who has two young sons. “It's like, ‘Daddy done got mad. I'm gonna chill out right now.'” Perkins said he has reached the limit for technical fouls three times in his nine-year career, but has yet to receive a one-game suspension. He paid $36,000 in fines for his 12 technical fouls this season – pending future fines in the postseason, of course.
• Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times: Ask C.J. Watson what owning the NBA’s best record for two straight years would say about these Bulls and he first mentions coach Tom Thibodeau. “It shows how Coach Thibs came in and changed the face of the franchise and the team,’’ the backup point guard said. ‘‘It’s good to have the best record in the East and maybe in the whole league, but we want more than that.’’ Players were thrilled when they received the text message that Thibodeau had cancelled Wednesday morning’s shootaround at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Several said they went back to bed — the best way for them to celebrate their accomplishment during this truncated season. ‘‘It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it also gives you your best chance,’’ Thibodeau said. The degree of difficulty was greater than last year, considering the Bulls lost 98 games to injury or illness compared to 61 a year ago. ‘‘It’s very impressive,’’ Watson said. ‘‘A lot of guys stepped up this year. It’s just the makeup of our team.”
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: The Pacers are taking a business approach into their first-round match up against the Dwight-less Magic this weekend. That means no bulletin board material Orlando players could use for extra motivation. Should the Pacers win the series? Without a doubt. I’m saying they’ll win it in five games during the playoff breakdown in The Star this weekend. You won’t hear any of the players saying that. The Pacers know the Magic are a 3-point barrage away from stealing one of the first two games at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. That’s why Pacers coach Frank Vogel probably went home after their loss to Chicago and started breaking down more film of the Magic. “I probably won’t sleep a wink tonight,” Vogel said. “I’m so excited. I’ve been peeking a little at Orlando, but I’m so excited to really bury myself in the film footage and dial into their tendencies and exactly what we need to do to beat that basketball team. I’m very much looking forward to it.”
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: Game 65 of 66, with a playoff spot already secured and an opponent playing for nothing, had about as much intensity as a day at the beach. Still, the game had to be played and the Sixers JV was better than that of the Milwaukee Bucks, pulling out a 90-85 win. It was the fourth-straight win for the Sixers and improved them to 35-30. Though no one in the 76ers organization will say so, playing the Chicago Bulls in the playoffs is much more preferred than having to face the Miami Heat for the second-straight year. The win by the Sixers and by New York Wednesday means the two are still tied for the seventh spot in the East, though the Knicks own the tiebreaker. Should the Sixers and Knicks both win or lose Thursday, the Sixers will get the Bulls. If the Sixers win in Detroit and the Knicks lose in Charlotte, then the Sixers will play the Heat.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Bucks second-year forward Larry Sanders returned Wednesday from a two-game unpaid suspension, the result of his emotional meltdown in the team's loss at Indiana last week. Sanders picked up two technical fouls and was ejected in the fourth quarter, and he nearly set off a melee between the teams before being dragged away by teammate Luc Richard Mbah a Moute. Sanders pointed at Pacers forward David West before being pulled aside. It was the second time this month Sanders had been ejected from a game. In a recent interview, Sanders vowed to reform his behavior on the court. "I think the punishment was fair and everything," Sanders said. "My actions were out of line. I just have to control my emotions in situations like that. "Sanders said he wanted to apologize to Bucks fans for his actions.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: The Washington Wizards woke up Wednesday knowing they would finish the season with the second-worst record in the NBA. But they were far from discouraged or disappointed because as the season is winding down, the fun is just starting to begin. Following a 96-85 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Wizards left Quicken Loans Arena as the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. They have won five games in a row for the first time in more than more four years. After the game, the locker room was filled with jokes, laughter and fashion advice, as John Wall chided rookie Shelvin Mack: “What kind of jeans you wearing, Wrangler? You got those Brett Favres on.” Wall later claimed that he would continue to give Mack a hard time for his clothing choices on Twitter. “It’s just the fact that you’re winning. It feels good to win,” Wall said after finishing with game-highs of 21 points and 13 assists to go with seven rebounds and seven steals. “You can tell, the whole group is having more fun.”
• Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer: The Cavaliers will finish with their worst home attendance since the season before they drafted LeBron James in 2003. But the arrival of the team's latest rookie sensation, Kyrie Irving, is increasing expectations and season-ticket renewals. The Cavs' season-ticket renewal rate already stands at 75 percent and is ahead of initial projections, a team spokesman confirmed. It's welcome news for a franchise that averaged 15,927 fans in the lockout-shortened season -- a 4,185 decline from last season, when they finished third in the NBA in attendance. The home finale against Washington drew 18,086 on Wednesday night. The decrease was completely expected after James' departure in July 2010 and a 19-63 record last season. The Cavs will finish 19th in a 30-team league, but they still outdrew three playoff teams: Memphis, Atlanta and Indiana. Heading into Wednesday's action, the Chicago Bulls (22,148) led the league, while the New Jersey Nets (13,961) were last. Cavaliers coach Byron Scott appreciates the support his team received, especially after perusing half-empty arena bowls in some NBA cities

One of the closest scoring races in NBA history comes down to the final day of the season, as Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant each take aim at their third scoring title.

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost to the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday to finish the season at 47-19. That .712 winning percentage is the best for the franchise since 1997-98, when the Seattle SuperSonics finished 61-21 – a .744 clip.

Durant scored 32 points in the loss, and finished the season with 1,850 points in 66 games. That computes to 28.03 points per game, so he is currently in position to claim his third straight scoring title.

However, Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers finish their season on Thursday against the Sacramento Kings. With 38 points, Bryant would pass Durant to claim his third scoring title and first since the 2006-07 season. If Bryant wins the scoring crown, he would be the first player over 30 years of age to lead the league in scoring since Michael Jordan in 1997-98.

Bryant has scored at least 38 points in seven of his 58 games this season. In two games against the Kings, he has netted 29 and 38.

This is one of the closest scoring races in recent NBA history. Two years ago, Durant claimed his first scoring title by 0.44 points per game over LeBron James. The closest scoring race since 1968-69 took place during the 1977-78 season, when George Gervin finished 0.07 points per game ahead of David Thompson. If Bryant finishes with between 34 and 42 points against the Kings, this season would vault to the top of the list.

Bobcats Record Watch
With their 102-95 loss to the Orlando Magic, the Charlotte Bobcats are one loss away from recording the worst win percentage in NBA history. The Bobcats host the New York Knicks on Thursday with a chance to avoid the dubious distinction.

The current record holder is the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers, who finished the season with a .110 winning percentage after winning just nine of 73 games. If the Bobcats lose to the Knicks, they’ll have a 7-59 record and .106 win percent.

The Bobcats have lost 22 straight games since beating the Toronto Raptors on March 17. That’s the fourth-longest losing streak within a single season in NBA history. The Cleveland Cavaliers lost 26 straight games during the 2010-11 season. With a loss Thursday, the Bobcats would tie the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies and 1997-98 Nuggets for the second-longest streak.

Full Court Press
• The Los Angeles Clippers finished their season with a 99-93 loss at the Knicks. They ended up with a 16-17 road record. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Clippers have never finished with a .500 or better record on the road in their 42-year franchise history.

• Evan Turner scored a career-high 29 points as the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, who were led by the first career double-double for Tobias Harris.

• The Washington Wizards won their fifth straight game, the longest winning streak for the franchise since they won six straight games in November 2007.

Micah Adams contributed to this post

• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: No James Harden meant no easy buckets. Now, it's anyone's guess when the team's most dynamic playmaker will return. But as the opening weekend of the playoffs nears, the Thunder can only hope Harden's symptoms subside soon. Sunday's game proved that with Harden, the Thunder has a championship-caliber, three-headed monster offensively that can be nearly impossible to stop, and without him, well, OKC could be on upset alert in round one. That's the significance of one swing of the elbow by Metta World Peace.
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: You want to go to a Grizzlies home playoff game? Then put down the paper and get your butt to FedExForum. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today. Yes, you could stay at home and get your phone ready and start frantically punching buttons at 9:59 a.m. But if you're truly dedicated, you'll do that while standing in line. That way, you'll cover all the angles. "It's almost here," said Tony Allen. The playoffs, he meant. How awesome is that? The fury and the tension and the mind-altering din. The white outs and the growl towels and the unmistakable civic spring in the step. ... Allen and the Grizzlies took care of another bit of business Monday night, dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-101. ... "We did what we had to do," said Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. "Now the pressure is on them." By them, he meant the Los Angeles Clippers, aka the team you are free to start loathing any day now. The Grizzlies will almost certainly play the Clippers in the first-round of the playoffs.
• Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer: Lots of Cavaliers fans wanted to see Kyrie Irving and his sprained right shoulder in street clothes for the remainder of the season for fear of re-injury. Four games into his return, Irving's opponents are once again the ones worrying about damage control. The presumptive NBA Rookie of the Year is shaking off the rust the way he often does defenders in the paint. The 20-year-old point guard scored 25 points Monday night in a 109-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. "That's why we wanted him to come back, just to go out there and get his feet wet and keep accepting the challenge every single night," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "He's done just that, so I'm very excited about the way he's played the last couple of games especially." Irving was terrific for the first three quarters in which he scored all his points, but two rare free-throw misses with the Cavs trailing, 100-98, proved costly in the final minutes as the Grizzlies ended the game on an 11-3 run.
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: The notion that team ownership is a “public trust” is a laughable anachronism. Maybe it felt that way once. But not since they priced the middle class almost virtually out of the picture. For the first time, the Nets are attempting to join that rat race in earnest. We wish them bon voyage and Godspeed and all that rot. They should do well. Mikhail Prokhorov personally thinks they will be valued at $5 billion in five years’ time, and since that’s the only measure of success he seems to know, we hope he achieves this goal that is so essential to the public welfare. The team itself could be great, or it could be horrid. Much of that depends on whether the point guard stays home, because Deron Williams is a player of extraordinary gifts: He can run and jump like an antelope, he plays hard, he cares about winning. But he’s also an incurable mope, with the personality of a nightclub bouncer, and if that’s the kind of guy you want to root for, help yourself. So embrace these dyspeptic darlings, if you must. But more than likely, you will watch without the emotional investment, because you have outgrown the need for it. You recognized this as a team with a core existential crisis since 2004 — from the moment Bruce Ratner bought them, they were an orphaned franchise with an estranged fan base, and as Jason Kidd belatedly observed four long years ago, “It’s not about basketball around here anymore.”
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: Goodbye New Jersey, hello playoffs. While the Nets' organization celebrated its final game in North Jersey after 35 years, as they'll be moving across the river to Brooklyn next season, the 76ers held a mild celebration of their own after beating New Jersey on Monday night, 105-87. The win clinched a playoff berth as the Sixers improved to 34-30 with their third straight win, each on the road. They are tied with New York for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks own the tiebreaker, having won the season series. The Sixers will play at Milwaukee Wednesday and at Detroit Thursday. New York will host the Clippers on Wednesday and play at Charlotte on Thursday. The Sixers will play either Chicago or Miami in the first round. Although the effort wasn't as strong as Saturday's at Indiana, the Sixers did jump out to a fast start. That seemed to deflate much of the interest that New Jersey, playing without injured All-Star guard Deron Williams, had in winning.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference moved Spurs captain Tim Duncan to do some campaigning for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for Coach of the Year. “Is it time to start the chant?” he said after Monday’s 124-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center that clinched the top spot in the West. “‘Coach of the Year, Coach of the Year.’” Duncan declared the work Popovich has done this season the best he has observed in any of his 15 seasons playing for him. “I really think so,” he said. “He’s put so many guys into our system. We’ve been playing with two very young guys starting for us the entire year; getting all those guys acclimated on the fly with very little practice time. All those things, he’s done an unbelievable job with it. Yeah, it’s probably the best job he’s done thus far. Obviously, not only the coaching job he’s done, but the rotation he’s given us. He’s kept us fresh. He’s found ways to rest guys when he can. I think our minutes are as low as anyone, and we’re still No. 1 in the West.” Duncan’s minutes are at a career low, 28.2 per game, and he is one of 10 current Spurs who average at least 20 minutes per game on the deepest roster of Popovich’s 16 seasons as head coach.
• Dan McCarney For The Oregonian: As has become the norm in recent weeks, Blazers interim head coach Kaleb Canales opened his pre-game media session Monday in San Antonio with an injury report. Joel Przybilla -- game-time decision. Nicolas Batum -- game-time decision. Jamal Crawford -- game-time decision. Raymond Felton -- game-time decision. Canales didn't need to mention All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, already lost for the season. Finally, a bemused reporter cut to the chase: "Who's playing?" Even Canales had to laugh. But there was little humor to be found later as the Spurs, gearing up for pursuit of their fifth NBA title, destroyed the depleted Blazers 124-89 at the AT&T Center. ... It was not the homecoming Canales, who grew up two hours south in Laredo, was hoping for. Scores of family members and friends were on hand to witness one of the most lopsided losses of a trying season.
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: Ernie Grunfeld, judged strictly by what he has done to execute owner Ted Leonsis’s plan the past two years — and not what he did or didn’t do in his six years under Abe Pollin — isn’t going anywhere. Two NBA officials, on condition of anonymity, told The Post that Leonsis and Grunfeld, whose contract expires at the end of this season, have agreed to a new deal that could be announced Tuesday. It is believed to be for more than one season. If that doesn’t make sense, well, it’s time to take a serious look at what Grunfeld has done since Leonsis took over rather than get caught up in How-Can-Ernie-Possibly-Be-Back? rhetoric. ... When the Wizards actually spend big money in the offseason and the mandate is to be a perennial playoff team, that’s when Grunfeld should be properly judged. Until then, disenchanted fans target their ire toward Leonsis’s long-term strategy and whether it’s going to pay dividends. Moan at the moon; Ernie was just doing Ted’s bidding. That’s why he’s staying.
• Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer: The night that matters is May 30. The evening will be the most important in the team’s eight-year history. Across the river from Manhattan, in the NBA’s Secaucus, N.J., studios, the league will place 14 pingpong balls in a drum. If the balls roll right, Charlotte will receive the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft. That pick will be 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis, the former Kentucky star. Davis is Manhattan. Compared to him, every other player is New Jersey. The Bobcats have only a 25 percent chance of winning the pick. We like to say that people, and teams, make their own luck. We lie. Good fortune is underestimated in the NBA and every other sport. San Antonio did a great job of packing talent around Tim Duncan, Chicago around Derrick Rose. But without Duncan and without Rose, the Spurs and Bulls are merely a collection of nice players. I wrote on Twitter last week that Davis will be as transcendent a basketball player as Panthers quarterbackCam Newton is a football player. Readers begged to differ, although they didn’t beg. ... You want to know how good Davis will be? This is how good. If the Bobcats get him, owner Michael Jordan will again become a courtside regular at his team’s home games.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: Frank Vogel’s latest move could help the Pacers when they open the playoffs this weekend. He gave Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and George Hill the night off against Detroit on Monday. Hibbert and Hill will be back in the lineup for the season finale against Chicago on Wednesday because Vogel wants to stick with his normal rotation as much as possible against the Bulls. Granger will sit the game out because he’s been dealing with knee issue. He’d be in the lineup if they were playing Game 1 on Wednesday. ... It’s uncertain how many minutes Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau will play his rotation players on Wednesday. But you can expect Vogel to go with his normal rotation – minus Granger – for as much as possible so come Game 1 on Saturday or Sunday the Pacers continue to look like the team that’s 12-2 this month. Not the team that looks like its out of sync. Vogel is making the right call.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko sat in his locker, quietly looking around and made a telling, but not arrogant, vow. "I don't want to go through this again," Jerebko said. "We're going to the playoffs next year. We know what it takes. You can't start off a season 4-20 and bounce back." He was asked if he was guaranteeing anything, seeing as how former Piston Rasheed Wallace made headlines years ago with his famous boasts. "Yes, sir," said Jerebko with a smile. "We're a playoff team, with playoff-caliber players."
• Charles F. Gardner of the of Journal Sentinel: The Milwaukee Bucks were reduced to scoreboard watching while trying to beat the Toronto Raptors on Monday night at the Bradley Center. Ersan Ilyasova led a late Bucks rally to overcome the Raptors, 92-86, but that scoreboard gaze revealed the dreaded news: Milwaukee's playoff quest was over for another year. Philadelphia won at New Jersey, 105-87, to clinch the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and eliminate the Bucks from contention. The Bucks (31-33) chased both the New York Knicks and 76ers in the final weeks of the season but failed to catch either one. Philadelphia (34-30) leads Milwaukee by three games with just two remaining, and Wednesday's game between the teams doesn't mean much now. "It's real disappointing to finish the season and not make the playoffs," said Ilyasova, who had 19 points and 15 rebounds against Toronto. "We started the season really bad. And when you look at our season, we lost a lot of close games. It's really frustrating."
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: Jonas Valanciunas and Linas Kleiza were among 24 players invited to try out for the Lithuanian National team that will attempt to qualify this early this summer in Argentina for the Summer Olympic games in London. Valanciunas, 19, will battle 32-year-old, 6-foot-10 centre Robertas Javtokas and 6-foot-10, 243-pound centre Antanas Kavaliauskas for a spot on the team. While Valanciunas, 7-feet, 240 pounds doesn’t have the track record of either player, he made a huge impression at Eurobask last summer and before that was huge in Lithuania’s win at the FIBA under-19 championships where he was MVP. Lithuania will have to finish in the top three at the July 2-8 tournament to qualify for London.

HoopIdea wants to #StopTheFlop. To spotlight the biggest fakers, we present Flop of the Night. You can help us separate the pretenders from the defenders -- details below:

Well it finally happened. Danny Granger has the honor: He's the first Flop of the Night recipient to cause a classic NBA quasi-brawl.

You could see this one coming. A series of tough calls off the ball had Larry Sanders fuming before Danny Granger finally put him over the edge.

As Sanders chased Roy Hibbert across the paint, Granger slid in to set a cross-screen, which is supposed to be still. On the replay, you can see Granger's is moving into Sanders' path (and it seems like you can hear Sanders yell "he moved!" after the whistle). And when Granger finds contact, he goes down immediately, prompting Sanders' disqualification (it was sixth foul) and, eventually, his ejection.

Does this look like our usual theatrical flops? No, Granger definitely takes some contact. But this one gets the award because it spotlights just how advantageous falling down can be. Granger is out of position the whole way, but because he ends up on his back, he winns a whistle and an ejection.

It's also an important lesson for Sanders, who was doing his best to play tough defense against a bigger opponent: in the NBA, it can be better to flop on contact than it is to fight through it.

For his part, Sanders does seem to understand that it's better to act like you want to fight than actually tangle with David West.

When you see an egregious flop that deserves proper recognition, send us a link to the video so we can consider it for Flop of the Night. Here's how to make your submission:

• Alert HoopIdea to super flops with the Twitter hashtag #FlopOfTheNight (follow us on Twitter here).
• Use the #FlopOfTheNight hashtag in Daily Dime Live.
• E-mail us at hoopidea@gmail.com

• Linda Robertson of The Miami Herald: Miami Heat coach and healer Erik Spoelstra has his players on a late-season “maintenance” program. Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau has also been giving his guys nights off and treating the battered Derrick Rose with caution. But the R&R approach didn’t relegate Thursday’s game to a place holder on the brutally compressed schedule. When the Heat and Bulls meet, there’s always something at stake. The No. 1 seed in the East is still up for grabs. And the Heat’s ability to win at home and even the season series against Chicago at 2-2 certainly counted on the mind games scorecard. Meaningless? It didn’t look that way when James Jones was whistled for a flagrant foul on Joakim Noah, then ejected. Nor when Dwyane Wade was called for a flagrant flooring of Rip Hamilton and the two continued to jaw and shove throughout the game. Nor when LeBron James delivered a hard shoulder screen that decked John Lucas III, prompting players from both teams to assume the usual combative positions for a midcourt brawl. No fight, but the bad blood got boiling. Hard knocks and hard feelings added to the history of this rivalry, which is projected to continue in what would be the dream Eastern Conference title matchup in June.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Derrick Rose sat for the 26th time Thursday night. The London Olympics begin in 98 days. If Rose, as expected, makes the U.S. team, might his myriad injuries give him pause? "I really haven't thought about it," Rose said. "But I've said before if I get the opportunity to play in those, it would be a great opportunity. I would have to make the smart decision. But I don't think it would change my mind because if I'm able to play through the playoffs, I should be able to play in the Olympics. "You also have to remember I probably wouldn't play that many minutes because of the great team we would have. Representing your country is a huge honor." The Bulls have no say in whether players play for their national teams. As the face of the host country's team, Luol Deng is preparing to play for Britain with a torn ligament in his left wrist. Joakim Noah will play for France.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: Dwight Howard is expected to undergo back surgery Friday morning in Los Angeles to repair a herniated disk that will effectively end his season and essentially end any remote chance the Magic may have had of winning a championship. But you know what? This is so much better than the alternative; than the reports and rumors that began to catch fire and circulate throughout the sports world on Wednesday night and all day Thursday. It all started on an Orlando TV station and spread into a full-fledged Skip Bayless ESPN debate on Thursday afternoon: Was Dwight Howard quitting on his team? That was essentially the report aired on WKMG Channel 6 when sports director David "Ping" Pingalore — quoting anonymous sources — reported that Howard called Rich DeVos Friday night and told the 86-year-old Magic owner that he will no longer play for head coach Stan Van Gundy. The report intimated that Howard, in protest of Van Gundy, would miss the playoffs even if he is healthy enough to play. In essence, Channel 6 was saying Dwight may have had a sore back, but he was more sore about his coach. No Magic fan wanted to believe it, but in this dysfunctional Dwightmare of a season anything seemed possible. Even the unthinkable: That Dwight Howard, the captain of the Magic, would turn his back — herniated disk and all — on his teammates and fans. Thank God, it turned out to be untrue. Then again, this is journalism in the Internet age. ... In the end, though, this surgery might be the best thing that ever happened to Dwight. Now he can properly rehab his back. But, mostly, he has a chance to rehab his image.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "What a game," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "I just thought we just kept hanging in and hanging in and found a way to pull it out at the end. ... It was a gut-check game and we did everything we could to just hang in there and find a way to pull it out." The Suns (33-30) moved back into an eighth-place tie with the Utah Jazz for the final playoff spot with three games left for each team to play. Houston fell a game back of both with its sixth consecutive loss, putting the Suns in a situation to clinch a playoff spot if they can win at home Saturday against Denver and at Utah on Tuesday. If Utah wins its final three games at home against Orlando, Phoenix and Portland, it would make the playoffs. A playoff bid is going to require playoff intensity, and the Suns captured that in the third quarter with their venom aimed at Clippers forward Blake Griffin. It started with Jared Dudley getting tangled with him on a foul and not backing down in the aftermath. In the fourth quarter, Griffin was going for a breakaway "SportsCenter"-bound dunk when Suns center Robin Lopez ran him down and braced his left hand on Griffin's back and swiped across his head and throat with his right arm. Lopez was ejected for a Flagrant Foul2 on the play with 6:14 to go, but Clippers guard Mo Williams also received a technical foul for running up on Lopez.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: The Clippers entered Thursday night's game against the Phoenix Suns with a five-game winning streak and having won 13 of 15 games, but when names have been mentioned for NBA coach-of-the-year candidates, Coach Vinny Del Negro's name is never among them. Del Negro was asked about his thoughts on that, on whether he even weighs something like that. He downplayed it, agreeing that San Antonio's Gregg Popovich, Boston's Doc Rivers, Indiana's Frank Vogel and Chicago's Tom Thibodeau should be the leading candidates. "Those guys deserve all that," Del Negro said. The media agreed with Del Negro, but his team has been playing really good basketball as of late.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: The Indiana Pacers began the season simply wanting to move up a spot or two in the Eastern Conference standings after getting a brief taste of the playoffs last season. They've accomplished that and much more. The latest turn in the Pacers' best season in eight years happened Thursday when they secured home court in the first round of the NBA playoffs by beating the Milwaukee Bucks 118-109 in a testy game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "It's tremendous the step that we've taken in one season," Pacers forward Danny Granger said. "How we've had a complete turnaround. Now we're one of the best teams in the NBA. It's really fun to win like this." The Pacers (41-22) will finish as the third or fifth seed. They would host Games 1 and 2 as the fifth seed because they'll finish with a better record than Boston, which is currently the fourth seed. The playoffs open the weekend of April 28.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Everything started spinning out of control in the fourth quarter Thursday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Milwaukee Bucks forward Larry Sanders picked up two technical fouls in a 20-second span, fouled out and was ejected, nearly setting off a melee between the Bucks and Indiana Pacers. And the Pacers continued to send Bucks guard Mike Dunleavy Jr., a former Indiana player, crashing to the floor with hard fouls. This time it was Leandro Barbosa picking up a flagrant-1 foul for hitting Dunleavy on a Bucks fast break. In the midst of all the chaos, the Pacers prevailed, 118-109, to win their seventh straight game and nearly end to the Bucks' playoff hopes. Milwaukee (29-33) lost for the fifth time in its last six games to fall three games behind eighth-place Philadelphia (32-30) with four games to play in the chase for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot. The 76ers' magic number to clinch a berth dropped to two - any combination of Bucks losses and 76ers victories totaling two will eliminate Milwaukee. "We're on the outside looking in," Dunleavy said. "We've got to do something extraordinary right now."
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: With an expiring contract and no guarantee from the Hornets on a possible extension, forward Carl Landry may have played his final home game Thursday night at the New Orleans Arena. With two picks already assured to be among the top 14 in June’s NBA draft, it’s not certain what direction the Hornets may go with their rebuilding plans now that Tom Benson owns the franchise. But Coach Monty Williams indicated Thursday night that changes are likely ahead for their roster. “It could be some surprises, and I’ll just leave it at that,’’ Williams said. “We’ve been evaluating older guys, even when they’re not on the floor.’’ Like Landry, shooting guard Marco Belinelli’s current deal expires after this season. Center Chris Kaman, who was acquired in the December trade that sent Chris Paul going to the Clippers, is in the final year of his contract. Although the Hornets listened to trade offers for Kaman before the February trade deadline, Hornets General Manager Dell Demps didn’t trade him. Now Kaman will become an unrestricted free agent. ... Landry said he would like to return to the Hornets, but said he didn’t know if they will pursue re-signing him. “You just never know,’’ said Landry, who scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against the Rockets. “You hear one thing one day, and something (else) the next. You’ve just got to play every game like it’s your last. That’s all you can do, especially in a contract situation like myself. You can’t worry about if you are going to be here tomorrow.’’
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle Just as their season spiraled down the drain from the heights of a four-game road trip sweep to a late-season fold, the Rockets went from a 13-point lead to a 105-99 overtime loss to the New Orleans Hornets on Thursday, filling the night with missed free throws, a bungled offense and a broken defense. The loss sent the losing streak to a season-long six games and all but ended the hopes for a return to the playoffs, the goal Kevin McHale had declared as a plan on the day he was introduced as Rockets coach. “It snowballed,” Rockets forward Luis Scola said. “With every game we lost, the ball was bigger and the rim was smaller. Tonight, we missed shots we never miss. I don’t find a valid excuse, and also I don’t have valid answers.” The Rockets knew only that with their season on the line, they shrunk. The latest loss did not eliminate them mathematically. It did capture where their season went so wrong so quickly.
• Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press: The biggest smile in the Timberwolves' locker room Thursday night, April 19, belonged to Wayne Ellington. It took Ellington nearly three full seasons to experience the joy of winning an NBA game in April. Even more satisfying for Ellington was that the Wolves' 91-80 victory over Detroit at The Palace reminded him of a special flashback. "The last time I won a game in April was in 2009, when I won a national championship in Detroit with North Carolina," Ellington said after the Wolves snapped an 11-game losing streak and won their first game in April since a 105-97 victory at Golden State on April 8, 2009. "Unbelievable." The Wolves (26-38) had lost 27 consecutive games in April, a statistic that was picking up steam around the league and giving the Wolves more unflattering publicity.
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: Pistons coach Lawrence Frank gets downright indignant when anyone mentions "tanking" about his team that's destined for a third straight season without a playoff appearance. But after a 91-80 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had lost 11 straight entering Thursday night, fans might be thinking, "Yeah, right." But the schedule might have had something to do with this one since the Pistons were playing their third game in three nights and sixth game in eight nights while the Timberwolves were off Wednesday night. Will Bynum, who tried to lead a comeback by scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, confirmed that the team was tired, but added: "We ain't had no legs all season. You can't complain about that now."

• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: The Memphis Grizzlies clinched a second-straight trip to the playoffs Wednesday night by defeating the New Orleans Hornets, 103-91. And if it wasn’t exactly a surprising development for Rudy Gay and company, it was satisfying, just the same. “No question,” said Gay. “This is why you play. We know where we’re going to be in two weeks. We don’t take that for granted at all.” Gay, of course, would be the last person to take it for granted. He missed last year’s playoff run after shoulder surgery. While Z-Bo and the Grizzlies upset the San Antonio Spurs in the playoffs, Gay tried his best to pretend he was thrilled. Inside, he was aching. Of course he was. “I might as well have bought a ticket last year,” he said. “That’s the honest truth.” So this time around, he’s become the ticket. NBA Playoffs, admit one.
• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: LeBron James heard the chants Monday in Newark. Now, yes, he would like the award. James told reporters this morning that it would be meaningful to be named the NBA’s MVP for the third time. This, after all, seemed like more of a long shot when he teamed up with Dwyane Wade. But this season, James leads the Heat in every meaningful category, while guarding five positions. I have a vote. And, unlike last year, he will get my first place slot. Kevin Durant will be second on my ballot. I’m still sorting out the rest of the top 5 from a flawed list of options — though Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Rajon Rondo, Josh Smith and Russell Westbrook will figure in there somewhere, depending in part on how the seedings play out. Dwight Howard will not be on my ballot, and neither will any Bull, Knick or Pacer.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: In addition to being nearly traded, Ray Allen was relegated to the bench by the emergence of Avery Bradley, a move that has made the Celtics more athletic and more effective defensively. Bradley’s offensive development has been one of the more surprising storylines of the NBA season. It appears that Allen would appreciate better communication from team management. Yahoo! Sports reported that Rivers called Allen just hours before the March 15 trade deadline and informed him of the trade to Memphis and then called back 20 minutes later to tell him the deal had been foiled. ... It seems while the Celtics have undergone a resurgence - primarily because trades for Allen and Pierce never materialized - there has been a breakdown in communication and perhaps regard between management and those veteran players. The wedge may be too late to close. Allen wants to finish this season with a championship, but the likelihood of his return next season has diminished. Perhaps those are the prickly issues that arise when eras conclude, but this one should have been massaged and managed better to make the road to the next Celtics’ phase smoother.
• Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times: Point guard Derrick Rose can’t explain why he has suffered so many injuries, but he said Wednesday that sitting out the last four regular-season games to ensure he’s healthy when the playoffs begin is not an option he’s considering. “I want to play as soon as possible,” Rose said. “I just want to get out there, man. I miss the game.” Rose missed his 25th game with his fifth different injury when he was ruled out against the Charlotte Bobcats at Time Warner Cable Arena. Forward Luol Deng also missed his second consecutive game with sore ribs. They suffered their injuries in the game Sunday against the Detroit Pistons, and the status for both Thursday against the Miami Heat will be game-time decisions.
• Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: Dwight Howard did not join the Orlando Magic on their road trip for Wednesday night's game against the Boston Celtics, but Magic General Manager Otis Smith said Howard isn't sitting idle. Howard, who has a herniated disk in his lower back, is doing rehabilitation work at Jewett Orthopaedic Clinic's location at RDV Sportsplex. ... Howard's camp is adamant that the All-NBA center wants to return for the postseason. He will be re-evaluated on or around the end of the regular season. Depending how he responds to treatment, he could play in the playoffs. Meanwhile, injured small forward Hedo Turkoglu, is about ready to resume conditioning work, Smith said. Turkoglu fractured his cheekbone April 5 and underwent surgery April 7.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Before we get James Harden’s career-high 40 points, to me there was an even bigger event during Wednesday night’s game. With 2:13 left and the final score already posted at 109-97 because neither team would score again, Thunder starting point guard Russell Westbrook threw a lazy in-bound pass to Harden that was nearly intercepted. An infuriated Scott Brooks immediately motioned Derek Fisher off the bench to replace Westbrook, who did not make eye contact with Brooks as he walked back to the bench. Brooks was sending a message to Westbrook. Whether Westbrook actually received that message is debatable since he didn’t seem to care in the least – which is precisely the entire point of the sequence. A big (+1) to Brooks. ... As for Harden’s performance: If you’re going to go off for a career night, no better place to do it than your hometown or where you played collegiately. The former ArizonaStatestandout had the crowd “oohing” and “ahhing” all night.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: The Suns fell back out of the playoff picture, dropping to ninth place in the Western Conference with a 109-97 loss to Oklahoma City at US Airways Center. The loss allowed Utah to move into eighth place, a half-game ahead of Phoenix and Houston, and the Thunder completed a three-game season sweep of the Suns (32-30). The Suns can move back into an eighth-place tie with Utah if they win at home against the Clippers tonight, when Grant Hill is expected to return after missing two games because of a sore right knee. With a week remaining in the season, Houston also could be in that tie with a win tonight at New Orleans, but the Suns hold the tiebreaker in either a two-way or three-way tie. Get through to the playoffs, and the Suns could wind up facing Oklahoma City (45-17), which is a half-game behind West leader San Antonio. "We've just got to go for broke now," Suns point guard Steve Nash said.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler are looking forward to Amar'e Stoudemire's return. "Amar'e is an incredible player, and he's been looking great," Chandler said. "It's just a matter of him getting his timing back. But we obviously know we're a way better team with him than without him." Stoudemire remains on schedule to play Friday night in Cleveland. He went through a pregame workout Wednesday night and if there are no issues with his back, he will start against the Cavaliers. ... Anthony has flourished being the Knicks' main scoring threat the 13 games Stoudemire has missed with a bulging disc in his back. There will be an adjustment for everyone involved, but Anthony believes it's been blown out proportion. "I don't think there's anything about a transition or adjustment or anything like that," he said. "I'm pretty sure he'll fit right in. Our biggest thing and his biggest thing is to get him healthy. We're going to need him down the stretch, especially going into the playoffs."
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: It looks as if Kobe Bryant will return Friday in San Antonio. Will it be enough to keep the Lakers ahead of the Clippers for third place in the Western Conference? The Lakers (40-23) are half a game ahead of the unyielding Clippers, who won for the 13th time in 15 games by beating Denver on Wednesday, 104-98. The Clippers have won five consecutive games but finish with three of their last four on the road: at Phoenix, home against New Orleans, at New York and at Atlanta. The Lakers, after visiting San Antonio, play host to Oklahoma City and finish at Sacramento. The Lakers own the tiebreaker against the Clippers (39-23) after winning two of their three regular-season meetings. Beyond whatever local bragging rights (albeit brief) accompany the team that finishes higher in the standings, the Lakers and Clippers want to finish third to avoid a first-round series against a young, well-rounded Memphis team.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: Before Wednesday’s game against the Kings at Power Balance Pavilion, Popovich reflected on the time he’s spent with Parker, as what he calls the point guard’s best NBA season hits the home stretch. Parker is averaging 18.6 points and a career-best 7.7 assists. Beyond the numbers, Parker — who turns 30 next month — has blossomed into the type of floor general modeling the Spurs’ first championship-winning point guard, Avery Johnson. “I’ll call something, and he’ll call it off if he sees something different,” Popovich said. “I’ll let him go with it. He’s earned that.” Parker’s command of the Spurs, keeping them in front of the Western Conference in a season in which Manu Ginobili has missed 30 games and Tim Duncan is flirting with a career low in minutes, has elevated the Frenchman to at least the outskirts of the league MVP discussion. “It was something we talked about, and we wanted and we gave him as a challenge,” Popovich said. “He fulfilled the challenge and the expectations. This has been his best year.”
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: Of course. Kenyon Martin, he of the snarling, chip-on-his-shoulder defense, was the guy who changed the game. In an air-tight final minute Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center, with playoff positions hanging in the balance, Martin made a tough tip-in and then blocked a shot for the Clippers, who escaped Denver with a 104-98 win over the Nuggets that was closer than the score suggests. The former Denver power forward, who wasn't offered a contract extension and ultimately signed with the Clippers, tipped in a missed jumper with 27.1 seconds left, giving L.A. a 98-96 lead. Then, on the other end, he swatted Ty Lawson's layup into the hands of a Clippers teammate with 19.9 seconds left. Everybody made their free throws and the Clips ped out of town with a W in their luggage. "It's about winning basketball. Never quit playing no matter what the situation is," Martin said. "And that was my only rebound tonight, so it was perfect timing."
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: The Mavericks have learned some hard lessons through the years, none better than the plain fact that to achieve greatness, you've got to have drive. It took awhile to put it on display, but they finally found it in every sense of the word Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets. Vince Carter, Jason Terry and even Dirk Nowitzki used an assortment of spins and drives to the basket to snap the Mavericks out of a somewhat sluggish first three quarters. The result was a remarkable fourth quarter in which Nowitzki had 21 of his 35 points, and the Mavericks put themselves on the lip of the playoff cup with a 117-110 victory over the Rockets at American Airlines Center.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: For the Rockets, the path to the playoffs is clear. Clarity does come when you have your longest losing streak of the season down the stretch to fall from sixth to 10th. “It’s tough now,” Chandler Parsons said. “We basically have to win out. We do have to win out.” Unless they somehow go from a five-game losing streak to a four-game winning streak, they will have turned into the Boston Red Sox without the fried chicken and beer. If they do somehow pull off such a spectacular turnaround, they still might not get in. It is, however, easier to see them getting the help they need than the four wins. With the Suns and Jazz holding the tie-breakers against the Rockets, the Rockets’ only way in to the playoffs is to get past both in the standings. The Rockets have to win in New Orleans tonight, take care of the freefalling Warriors and somehow win in Miami, where the Heat have the league’s best home record and the Rockets will be playing their sixth game in eight days.
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: There could be more than an NBA Eastern Conference playoff spot on the line for the Milwaukee Bucks in their remaining five regular-season games. There could also be John Hammond’s and Scott Skiles’ jobs. Hammond, the Bucks general manager, and Skiles, their head coach, are nearing the completion of their fourth year with the organization. If the Bucks fail to advance to the playoffs, it would mark the third time in four seasons under their regime that they missed out on postseason play. What’s more, there aren’t any concrete indicators pointing toward a more promising future. In fact, since their blockbuster trade last month that sent Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for Monta Ellis, Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown, the Bucks have posted an anemic 1-7 record against teams with a winning record. Of course, that will be easily forgotten if the Bucks reach the playoffs, which has always been Kohl’s primary goal for his GMs and head coaches. By making the playoffs, Kohl would also save himself an exorbitant amount of money. Skiles and Hammond each have one more season left on their contracts: Skiles for around $5 million and Hammond for around $2 million. At the same time, nobody should be startled if Kohl swallows one or even both of those contracts.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: No letdown, only a smackdown. The Hawks erased any concern they would fall to an inferior opponent minutes into a 116-84 utter dismantling of the Pistons at Philips Arena on Wednesday night. They set season-highs for points in a quarter (39) and points in a half (72) in building an early lead the Pistons had no hope of overcoming. Consider: The Hawks led 39-20 after the first quarter as nine different players scored. They led 72-42 at the half as all 12 available players entered the scoring column. The .622 shooting percentage was the best of the first half all season. The Hawks led by as many as 37 points in the second quarter. The lead eventually reached 41 in the fourth quarter. oe Johnson logged the most first-half minutes of any starter with just 12. Many starters jumped to their feet and waved towels as the reserves continued to pour it on. The Pistons made only 15 of 44 shots (.341) in the first half. The Pistons ended the first half with 42 points, a total the Hawks had reached with 11:28 remaining in the second quarter. The Philips Arena crowd even attempted the wave in the third quarter.
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: The Jazz destroyed the Portland Trail Blazers 112-91 during a Northwest Division matchup Wednesday at the Rose Garden. Utah (33-30) will make the playoffs if it wins its final three games. All are at home, where the Jazz are 22-8 this season. Two are against teams — Portland, Orlando — missing big-name All-Stars. And a contest against Phoenix next Thursday is shaping up as the make-or-break matchup for the Jazz’s season. Minutes after downing the Blazers (28-35), Utah’s locker room was as proud and strong as it’s been all year. Al Jefferson sang. Paul Millsap laughed and teased. Gordon Hayward smiled and slapped a low-five. All the while, Harris quietly but confidently talked about his game. He discussed his mid-career resurgence. The improved 3-point shot he worked on throughout the lockout. A team that’s believed in itself since December, weathered injuries and losing streaks, and emerged to finally be within sight of the postseason.
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: Any coach in any sport at any level must possess a large amount of patience if he is going to be successful. Doug Collins must have a reserve tank of it. How else could he still have his sanity after getting practically no production from starting shooting guard Jodie Meeks the past couple of weeks? But Collins keeps putting Meeks out there, night after night, with the hope that the streakiness that makes up the Kentucky product’s shooting will take a major turn upward. ... Streaky shooters will be just that and sometimes hit the type of droughts Meeks is stuck in. But it is worse than that. Meeks, who started the first 38 games of the season and 46 overall, looks unsure of himself on his jump shots, even airballing an important wide-open trey against the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday. Meeks has maintained the same attitude this season, claiming that he never loses confidence in his shooting and that if he goes through streaks like this, he truly feels his next shot will go in. With the Sixers in a somewhat free fall and struggling to maintain the final NBA playoff spot, the team can ill afford for Meeks not to perform.

• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: This was the game Lakers fans had been awaiting, hoping their team could turn into something special. Shrug off a season of only mildly inspirational play. Win a big road game. Have someone grab 30 rebounds. Thirty rebounds? Sure. Andrew Bynum became the first Laker to do it in 34 years, pushing and shoving the San Antonio Spurs out of the way as the Lakers stunned them without Kobe Bryant, 98-84, Wednesday at AT&T Center. "They beat us to death," was how Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich described it, and you could suddenly sense the rest of the Western Conference slowly turning toward the Lakers. In a little more than two hours, big-picture expectations of the Lakers rose meteorically. They led by 26 against a team that was drafting comfortably off Oklahoma City a game out of first in the West. It made no sense. Bryant skipped a third consecutive game because of a sore left shin and the Spurs allegedly were rested after sitting Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili in their previous game.
• Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News: The Spurs have been receiving a lot of favorable national buzz since the trade deadline after adding Stephen Jackson, Boris Diaw and Patty Mills to their rotation. The extra players are nice, but they haven’t made the Spurs any better equipped to face the Los Angeles Lakers’ height that has always been their biggest advantage against them. The Lakers took full advantage of their size in a resounding 98-84 victory over the Spurs Wednesday night. With Kobe Bryant out of the lineup, the Lakers were forced to work inside-out with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum as their offensive focal points. In a weird way, it might have made them even better equipped to attack the Spurs than if Bryant was in the lineup. The Lakers outrebounded them, 60-33. Bynum grabbed a career-best 30 caroms as it seemed like no Spur was able to contest him inside.
• Al Iannazzone of Newsday: If they play their final eight games with the determination and focus they showed down the stretch of their 111-107 victory over the Bucks at the Bradley Center, the Knicks will be in the postseason for the second season in a row. The Knicks had some big efforts and made some humongous plays with the game on the line, erasing an eight-point fourth-quarter deficit and outscoring Milwaukee 25-13 over the final 8:36. The result was the Knicks (30-28) opened up a two-game lead on Milwaukee for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. They're just one-game behind seventh-place Philadelphia. The win also tied the season series with the Bucks at 2. Conference record is the next tiebreaker, and the Knicks have a 11/2-game lead on Milwaukee in that race. "This probably was the biggest win we had thus far this season," Carmelo Anthony. "Just from how important it was, the way we won, gutted it out, the way we responded, the way we buckled down on the defensive end and won this game."
• Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel: Amid the buzz that was good to hear on a Wednesday night, the Bucks were in the game to end all games - at least for the last playoff spot in the East, at least for this week - for a good reason. They have a roster suited for no better than eighth place. They played like it from the start against the shorthanded New York Knicks, who were tougher and eminently willing to take part in the layup line the Bucks provided. Allow the opposition to make 14 of their first 16 shots, miss nine free throws - didn't the Bucks used to be No. 1 in the league from the line? - and fail to make plays at the end, and a 111-107 loss gives you pretty much what you deserve, playoff-wise. Let's face it. The trade for Monta Ellis, who was a daring scorer against the Knicks with 35 points, wasn't meant to make the Bucks seriously competitive this season. It was made to hold their place until they can finally get control of their payroll and maybe find the right pieces to get them out of this NBA no-man's land.
• Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe: Pietrus sustained the frightening injury in a game in Philadelphia against the 76ers. He was taken from the court on a stretcher, and it was uncertain when he would be able to contribute to the Celtics again. But on Wednesday, he was cleared to play, and he entered the game with 3:22 to go in the first quarter, earning a standing ovation from the Garden crowd. He got another round of applause went he left midway through the second quarter after scoring 3 points and grabbing one rebound. And while coach Doc Rivers had estimated that Pietrus would play between 5-10 minutes, Pietrus played 29 minutes, scoring 8 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in the Celtics’ 88-86 overtime win. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge had called Rivers Wednesday and said that Pietrus had tired after two minutes in a workout the day before, so Rivers hadn’t expected much. And yet Pietrus didn’t give his coach reason to take him out. ... Pietrus said after the game that he felt “great,’’ and that he knew the team needed him to bring energy on the second night of a back-to-back in two different cities.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks (34-24) had a three-game win streak snapped. They are now tied with the Magic, Friday’s opponent in Orlando, for fifth in the Eastern Conference. Both teams are 1 1/2 games behind the Pacers, who defeated the Cavaliers on Wednesday. It was the Hawks' fourth loss in the past 12 games. The Celtics have clinched the season series with their second win. The third and final game is April 20 at Philips Arena. The Hawks have eight games remaining in the regular season, including six at home. Five are against teams currently at or above the .500 mark, including the rematch with the Celtics. The Celtics (34-24), who won their fourth straight, hold the fourth spot in the conference with their Atlantic Division lead. Wednesday's victory was their ninth win in the past 11 games and improved their record to 19-7 since the All-Star break. They are also 12-1 against the Southeast Division this season. Hawks coach Larry Drew didn’t want to put added significance on the game.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: The Clippers are so lucky to have Chris Paul. The guy is just a winner. He’s fearless, he’s clutch, he’s calm under pressure and he’s virtually unstoppable. Take his game-winning layup, for example. The Thunder defended it fairly well from the start, sending its two best defenders, Thabo Sefolosha and Kendrick Perkins at him at the top of the key to trap an upcoming ball screen. Paul wisely and coolly audibled out of the 1-4 ball screen with Blake Griffin and into a 1-5 ball screen with Kenyon Martin. The goal was to try to make Perk retreat and get a more favorable matchup with Serge Ibaka on the perimeter. But the Thunder didn’t bite. Perk stayed and, unfazed, Paul adjusted. Paul simply called his own number and jetted to the basket for the biggest bucket of the night. He orchestrated it all from the start and made it look simple from the start.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: The media had formed a semi-circle around an exhausted-looking Chris Paul sitting inside the Clippers' locker room, the group waiting for the All-Star guard to explain how he was able to be the ultimate closer again. Paul, with a towel wrapped around his waist, looked up at the gathering and uttered, "Whew! I'm tired." He had just scored nine of the last 11 Clippers points, 31 all total, having carried his team to a 100-98 victory over the host Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. ... And after all he had done, the Clippers didn't escape until Kevin Durant (22 points) missed a potential game-winning three-pointer and after Blake Griffin (16 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists) tipped the rebound away as time expired. "This was a big game for us, especially after losing in Memphis the way we did," Paul said. "It's one of those games you just can't lose." Because the Clippers bounced back after losing in Memphis on Monday night, they maintained a half a game lead over the Grizzlies for the fourth seeding in the Western Conference.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Questions continue to fly about Randolph’s role coming off the bench, and how long the Grizzlies’ big man will accept it. Hollins praised Randolph’s production and improved conditioning. Randolph looks stronger and more active with every passing day. He was difficult for the Suns to handle in the post, especially down the stretch when the Griz went with a steady diet of Randolph on offense. Hollins said he spoke with Randolph about why playing off the bench helps balance this roster. Hollins likes Randolph paired with O.J. Mayo and Gilbert Arenas for offensive potency and an inside-out presence off the bench. “It’s all about winning,” Randolph said. “As long as we’re winning, that’s all that matters.”
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: At the beginning of this season, the 76ers got into a nice pattern of beating bad teams, who oftentimes were left shorthanded because of an injury or two. So good were the times then that fans spoke of the Sixers winning a playoff series, of what team might be a better matchup in the second round, of how close they could hang to the upper-echelon clubs of the Eastern Conference. Then came the valley. The Sixers went on to lose 18 of their next 27 and talk turned to a coach who was losing his players, of voices getting tuned out, of rifts among teammates. As has been said so many times, somewhere in between lies this season's Sixers. Obviously, getting closer to resembling the club in the first couple of months of the season is the goal. Slowly, and - maybe - surely, they are getting there. A lineup shuffle has seemed to breathe much-needed life into the Sixers and Wednesday it resulted in their second straight win, this time by 93-75 over the Toronto Raptors in Air Canada Centre.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: I heard from a number of people Wednesday about the story that appeared in the paper about the Coach of the Year. Barring a sudden change over the next two weeks, I’ll end up voting for Chicago’s Tom Thibodeau if I get to vote again this season. This is no knock on Frank Vogel. Vogel has done a hell of a job this season. The Pacers are on the verge of hosting a playoff series for the first time since the 2003-04 season. But ... Thibodeau has led the Bulls to the best record this season despite being without Derrick Rose, last season’s MVP, for 22 games this season. The Bulls aren’t a team loaded with talented outside of Rose. They’ve had a great season because of Thibodeau’s coaching. Vogel even acknowledged that he’d vote for Thibodeau, too.
• Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: The Nuggets want us to believe chasing an NBA playoff spot is a gallant quest for a holy grail, requiring some kind of miracle. "I don't think we're underachieving," Denver coach George Karl said. "I think we're overachieving." Here's a different take: If the Nuggets don't finish among the top six teams in the Western Conference, making the playoffs is fool's errand. If Denver can't finish with at least a No. 6 seed, the team would be better off with a spot in the NBA lottery and a shot at adding young talent such as Duke's Austin Rivers or Connecticut's Jeremy Lamb in the draft. What good would another year of one-and-done in the playoffs do for the Nuggets? Denver has no shot against Oklahoma City or San Antonio, all but locks to be the top two seeds in the West. You know it. I know it. If we know it, how could a basketball man as savvy as Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri not realize the harsh reality of the situation? Let's be blunt. Denver is not playoff-worthy.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The Rockets demonstrated that the Toyota Center rims can take a beating, but their worst shooting night of the season might not even come up when they see the next-day video. The shots were good. They missed. (And missed. And missed.) It happens, and there probably was some understandable fatigue mixed in. The Rockets knew where they went wrong during Wednesday night’s 103-91 loss to the Utah Jazz, and it was not about their 35.6 percent shooting or the 16 3-pointers they missed in 20 attempts. The Jazz were playing for their playoff lives. They were determined and desperate. The Rockets recognized it, having played the same way in Chicago and Los Angeles last week. When the Rockets got home — happy with their four-game sweep of the road trip and climb to sixth in the West — they did not match Utah’s desire until it was too late. ... It was not simply about effort, though the Rockets gave up 11 fast-break points in the first quarter.
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: Who needs a roster filled with 15 healthy players? Who needs a big-name, flashy All-Star to finish off crucial games? Who needs experienced, proven veterans to carry them into the playoffs? Not the Jazz. Not when second-year small forward Gordon Hayward is playing out of his mind. Throwing down his best overall performance as a professional and pouring in the most meaningful statistics of his young career, the 22-year-old rising star was often untouchable Wednesday at Toyota Center. G-Man finished with a season- and game-high 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting, drilling four of five 3-pointers, hitting all seven of his free throws and adding in six assists and two steals. ... Phoenix’s loss to Memphis was music to the team’s ears. The Jazz walked off the hardwood ninth in the West, 1.5 games behind Denver, Houston and Dallas, who are tied for sixth. Utah gained a potential playoff tiebreaker against the Rockets by winning the season series, the Jazz started a pivotal three-game road trip the right way and Utah captured back-to-back victories for the first time since March 22-23.
• Ray Nimmo of The Virginian-Pilot: Introduced last and to the biggest cheer of all the players, Norfolk State’s Kyle O’Quinn put on a show in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament opener Wednesday. O’Quinn tallied 18 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two assists for Portsmouth Sports Club in an 88-76 win over Norfolk Sports Club at Churchland High. “I felt good out there,” said O’Quinn, who helped Norfolk State upset second-seeded Missouri in the second round of the NCAA tournament. “We knew we wanted to win, so we all buckled down and did what we had to do.”

• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Zach Randolph couldn’t make it to shootaround Monday morning because someone rammed into the back of his Dodge Challenger on Bill Morris Parkway. The Grizzlies’ power forward complained of minor back soreness but wasn’t seriously injured. That’s more than he could say for that Challenger given its rear end was smashed and all but detached. So Randolph cranked up a different set of wheels in order to make the Grizzlies’ 94-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers before 17,219 in FedExForum. “I drove my Rolls,” Randolph said, referring to his Rolls-Royce. Randolph’s mode of transportation almost seems symbolic of the way the Griz are playing these days. They enjoyed another smooth ride to victory with the luxury of balanced scoring and a defensive effort that put the brakes on the Clippers’ offense. Randolph notched his third straight double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds) as six Grizzlies scored in double figures.
• Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: If this is what the first-round of the NBA playoffs are going to look like for the Los Angeles Clippers, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the rest of the team are in for a battle. Playing in Memphis for the first time this season, the Grizzlies controlled the game for most of the 48 minutes, beating the Clippers 94-85. If the season ended today, the Clippers would meet the Grizzlies in the first round. With a game-and-half lead now over Memphis, the Clippers would still have home-court advantage. ... With the Lakers win in New Orleans, the Clippers now are 1.5 games out in the Pacific Division race.
• Shannon J. Owens of the Orlando Sentinel: Last month, Dwight Howard was a hero for deciding to stay in Orlando until 2013 for another championship push. Now, judging by the prevailing opinion of sports commentators, sports talk radio and blogs, Howard is a villain for trying to push his coach out of the picture to win a championship. How quickly things change. Howard leaves a lot to be desired in the leadership department and he can come across as immature, indecisive and slightly arrogant. But a villain? Stop it. ... We live in an increasingly polarized world of unrealistic ideologies that holds individuals hostage to character flaws. As things go in the sports realm, you're either good or evil. Or in other words, you're Tim Tebow or Dwight Howard. But as Tebow knows, even the perception of being flawless is a flaw in itself. It's comical to me that Howard is considered the new No. 1 sports villain, successfully knocking off Tiger Woods and LeBron James. Howard didn't need a busted windshield or need to leave his home state or, crazy enough, even a criminal record to accomplish this. All it took was an infamous Stan Van Gundy press conference and Diet Pepsi swig to burn Howard's red cape.
• E.J. Holland Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News: Lamar Odom’s play on the court this season left many Maverick fans feeling like they deserved better. After all, the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year was supposed to help ease the void left by Tyson Chandler’s departure and help win another championship. But after a tumultuous season headlined by drama and flat out disappointment, the Mavs parted ways with Odom on Monday. When the news broke, Dallas fans didn’t hesitate to leave comments saying ‘good riddance’ and ‘send that diva packing.’ Anger and animosity escalated this year at American Airlines Center after Odom posted career-lows and played with no passion. It was clear the lethargic 13-year veteran had overstayed his welcome when he was greeted by a chorus of boos last month. But despite what Mavs fans are saying, Odom’s wife Khloe Kardashian, supported her husband over twitter, saying he’s the one that ‘deserves better.’ “U deserve so much better. Know ur worth and know ur skills that have been proven and earned! U showed ur strength, I love u.” Everybody in Dallas would probably disagree.
• Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: Kobe Bryant will get as long as he needs to get his sore left shin right, even if it means the Lakers slip a place or two in the Western Conference standings, coach Mike Brown said Monday morning. Bryant wasn't fit to play in Monday night's game against the New Orleans Hornets. His streak of consecutive games ended at 138 when he sat out the Lakers' 20-point loss Saturday to the Phoenix Suns. Brown couldn't say when Bryant, the league's leading scorer with an average of 28.1 points, would be sound enough to play. The Lakers, third in the West with a 36-22 record, conclude their three-game trip Wednesday against the Spurs in San Antonio. "It's not the end of the world if he needs another game," Brown said. "I'd rather he'd be fresh going into the playoffs and us being fourth or fifth than him hurting or dinged up going into the playoffs and we're third. If we play the right way, whether Kobe's playing or not, we should still be OK or give ourselves a chance to still get that third seed."
• Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: Phil Jackson has a message for everybody criticizing Andrew Bynum. Settle down. The former Lakers coach told The Times he enjoyed seeing Bynum's development, even if it had been filled with inexplicable turns the last few weeks. "Bynum is not quite mature, but everyone should relax and watch him grow up," Jackson said via email. "This year has been a big step for him offensively…nice to see…and when he takes up the mantle as defensive captain the Lakers can get back in the hunt." Jackson was strict with Bynum while coaching him for six seasons, prodding him about his fitness, getting more rebounds and playing better defense.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: The Lakers won without Bryant, who missed his second consecutive game after it was determined after the Lakers’ shootaround Monday morning at the Arena that he wouldn’t play. Similar to the Lakers, Monty Williams was forced to reshuffle his lineup, with starting shooting guard Eric Gordon sitting out with a sore lower back and point guard Greivis Vasquez starting in place of Jarrett Jack, who is out for the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his right foot. Although small forward Trevor Ariza isn’t injured, he never left the bench. Williams said after the game he didn’t play Ariza because he wants to give more playing time to Al-Farouq Aminu and Lance Thomas. “If Trevor was in a free-agent year or something like that, I’d play him the way I’m playing Carl (Landry) and Chris (Kaman),” Williams said.
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: The Thunder won this game with its size. Milwaukee had no answer for the Thunder’s size and length. It was clear on the opening possession, when OKC got two offensive rebounds before Kendrick Perkins scored on a putback. The Thunder had four offensive rebounds in the first five minutes and just pounded the Bucks on the boards all night. The Thunder’s length also was a major factor on the defensive end. Serge Ibaka helped set the tone on that end by blocking shots early and often and against almost everyone. Ibaka had four blocks in the first quarter and had five at halftime. All five were against five different players. By the midway point of the second period, the Bucks had begun unnecessarily hesitating on shots, seemingly out of fear of them getting sent back.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Andrew Bogut is no longer playing for the Bucks, but his bobblehead legend lives on. The Bucks distributed bobbleheads of the former Bucks center Monday night after soliciting opinion on the team's website and Facebook page. The results? More than 65% of the fans said the Bucks should give away the bobbleheads, even though Bogut is now a member of the Golden State Warriors.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: The recent additions of point guard Patrick Mills, swingman Stephen Jackson and versatile big man Boris Diaw allowed Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to leave team captain Tim Duncan and All-Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili back home in San Antonio when the team jetted off to its Monday night game against the Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. A fourth “addition” to this season’s roster has been vital in keeping Duncan’s playing time at a career-low 28.4 minutes per game. The solid campaign backup center Tiago Splitter has authored in his second season in silver and black has enabled long stretches of bench time for Duncan in most games, in addition to the four games Popovich has held him out altogether. “Getting Tiago Splitter back in health this year has helped,” Popovich said. “We didn’t really have him last year, so he’s like an addition to the team.”
• Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: Injuries to Earl Watson and C.J. Miles forced the Utah Jazz to what Kevin O'Connor refers to as an "emergency list." Topping that list: combo guard Blake Ahearn. As such, the Jazz signed the D-League's leading scorer to a 10-day contract. The 6-3 sharpshooter will join the team for today's practice and be available to play beginning Wednesday in Houston. General manager Kevin O'Connor said the Jazz like that Ahearn can shoot the ball and that the 27-year-old has professional experience. Ahearn led the D-League with 23.8 points per game, which included 40-percent shooting from 3-point range and a sizzling 96-percet clip from the free-throw line. "He can really shoot the basketball," Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. "He can set the offense. He can space the floor. . . . We need perimeter shooting and he'll be able to help us there."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: If Steve Nash dunked more than never, he might be able to lead the NBA in shooting accuracy. As it is, centers Tyson Chandler, Andrew Bynum, Dwight Howard and Marcin Gortat and power forward Blake Griffin have nearly 600 dunks cumulative to help hold off the 38-year-old. Nash entered Monday night's game shooting 54.0 percent this season for the best clip of his 14-year career. It makes him the only non-post player in the NBA's top 16 for field-goal percentage. "To be honest, my shoulder bothered me for a while, but generally I've been pretty healthy," Nash said. "That's usually a key for me to making shots. When I feel healthy, I'll make them. If I'm struggling, I'm going to have a few weeks where I struggle." During a season in which the roster's scoring options were fewer than in the past, Nash has wound up shooting less. He entered Monday averaging 9.2 shots per game, his fewest since his 1999-2000 season as a part-time starter in Dallas. Opponents have trapped Nash more on pick and rolls this season in the past two months, prompting him to pass even more than usual. Nash shared the league lead in assists with Boston's Rajon Rondo at 11.2 per game entering Monday night. Nash has proven efficient from all ranges, shooting 70 percent inside 8 feet, 50 percent from 8 to 16 feet, 55 percent from 16 to 24 feet and 41 percent beyond 24 feet. Those shots often are coming off his own dribble. About 84 percent of his baskets are unassisted.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The Rockets struggled all night to put away the Blazers, but Dragic carried the offense well into the fourth quarter before Kyle Lowry added the knockout punch. With that, the Rockets completed a four-game sweep of their road trip by holding off Portland, 94-89, on Monday. That was enough to give Dragic his first taste of what it will be like to be a coveted free agent, with so much interest before and after the game about his free agency plans and preferences. “It was a little bit different,” said Dragic, who was named the Western Conference Player of the Week Monday morning then made 8 of his 14 shots to score 22 points with seven assists. “Before, they never asked me this type of questions. ‘Are you going to come to Portland?’ Still, all the doors are open. We’re going to see what is going to happen this summer. I feel great in Houston. Hopefully, I’m going to stay in Houston. “It’s going to be a crazy summer for me. Still, I have to get every game, try to be focused, play hard and try to make playoffs with Houston Rockets. What is going to happen after the season, we’ll see.” The Rockets might not have expected what they have gotten from him, to the point that Monday’s performance was considered no more than ‘solid.’
• Phillip B. Wilson of The Indianapolis Star: Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel joked about having extremely high expectations for Leandro Barbosa with the guard's former team, Toronto, visiting Bankers Life Fieldhouse Monday night. "I just asked him to try to score 50," Vogel said with a smile. "If he can go for 50 and pay those guys back, we should be in good shape. Anything short of that, we'll be in trouble." Barbosa scored 14 in the Pacers' 103-98 victory. Since being acquired from the Raptors on March 15 for a second-round pick and cash considerations, Barbosa has provided an expected spark to the second team, an infusion of instant offense and intensity. He had averaged 8.1 points off the bench before Monday's game. He has an 11.2-point overall average for the season, his eighth in the NBA. But the 29-year-old Brazilian's influence goes beyond providing quality minutes off the bench. Raptors coach Dwane Casey described Barbosa as the spirit of their team and said he is missed. Vogel wasn't surprised to hear that.
• Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: Nuggets forward Al Harrington left Monday night’s game against Golden State at the end of the third quarter and did not return. Afterward he revealed he has a torn meniscus. His loss would be devastating to the Nuggets’ bench and locker room, as he’s been one of the team’s best players and leaders all season long. He’s also been durable, playing in all 57 games this season with averages of roughly 14 points and six rebounds, despite nagging injuries all year long. He had 10 points and one rebound before exiting the Golden State game. He’s hoping his consistent availablity this season doesn’t come to an end. Harrington, has, in fact already been playing with a torn meniscus, he said. He said he was injured “a couple of games ago.” Now, he said, both he and team doctors/trainers are exploring “a couple of different options” in terms of treatment.