- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Sure, the Rockets need to get Yao Ming the ball more no matter what defense the Trail Blazers play. Six shots are not enough. That, however, is only a sliver of the story. First, understand that he was sandwiched between the two biggest guys the Trail Blazers had on the court at any one time -- Joel Przybilla and LaMarcus Aldridge or Aldridge and Greg Oden. They fronted him relentlessly, and if he somehow held off a defender on his back, the other came over on the touch to double team. They committed a lot of fouls, 16 between them, but they did keep Yao from tearing them apart as he did when they tried to defend them alone. This is completely understandable. Yao is a big guy, but he is not 14-feet tall, and that's how much defense the Trail Blazers devoted to stopping him."
- Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "The Blazers evened the best-of-seven, first-round series at 1-1 and ensured there will be at least one more game at the Rose Garden, where the Blazers have a 35-8 record this season. In the process, the Blazers injected a heavy dose of optimism -- to their fans and to themselves -- that the franchise's first foray into the playoffs since 2003 might not be a quick exit after all. 'We got to believe that we can win,' Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. 'We go in there doubting ourselves and we lose before we even take the floor. And after that first game, basically the last two days were about getting this team to believe that we can do it.' With grit, physical play and precision -- and a whole a lot of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge -- the Blazers looked nothing like the team that endured their worst loss of the season Saturday."
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "You don't expect Detroit forward Tayshaun Prince to put up big scoring numbers against the Cavaliers, but to struggle like he has in Games 1 and 2 -- four points and two points, respectively -- is unacceptable if Detroit is to have any chance of keeping this series moderately competitive."
- Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer: "Here's what the Cavaliers need to remember every night, every quarter, every minute of the playoffs -- the faster you end the series, the better. The Cavs are an elite team, but they must remember how championships are won in the postseason: Get it over quick. It means more rest for the weary and wounded, less chance of injuries. The Cavs need to remember that the Pistons may ooze out some last drops of the pride that has driven this team to six consecutive appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals. Don't let them pull it off. Go to Michigan to go for the sweep, as hard as that may be on the road."
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "Lakers Coach Phil Jackson ended one tradition this week, declining to slip on a championship ring when the playoffs began, but he continued a different ritual. He has spliced clips of the movie 'Miracle at St. Anna' into team video sessions, part of his attempt to add a certain theme to every playoff series. 'It's a miracle. Miracles happen,' Jackson said when asked why he chose that film. Come again? It wouldn't be that much of a miracle if the Lakers win the championship ... or would it? Jackson insisted it took special circumstances for any team to win a title, perhaps mindful that injuries strike at any time. 'You have to have a tremendous amount of good fortune to come through playoffs and win,' he said."
- Ramona Shelburne of the Los Angeles Daily News: "At some point in Tuesday's game, the Jazz seemed to realize that outside of Deron Williams, it couldn't compete with the Lakers in a pure talent competition. The Lakers were too long, too deep, too skilled. Too good. So Utah fell back on what most teams do when faced with a talent gap to overcome: It threw an elbow right to the chops. Repeatedly. Jarron Collins upended Brown on a drive to the basket. Brewer crashed into Derek Fisher chasing a loose ball. Three guys clobbered Kobe Bryant on a third-quarter drive. Despite Sloan's put-downs through the media, it has taken a couple of games for the Jazz to accept the fact that it might have to land a few blows in order to win this series because it's still relatively new to them."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "For the third straight day, Vinny Del Negro answered questions about not having a timeout for the game's final seconds. After Ray Allen's three-pointer with 2 seconds left Monday night, Tyrus Thomas attempted a desperation 60-footer because Del Negro had burned the Bulls' final timeout with 20.1 seconds left and the Bulls trailing 115-113. 'People are going to second-guess and first-guess,' Del Negro said. 'So what? I don't care. I'm the coach. I will make the decisions. That's the way it is. In two or three seconds, the ball is going to go to Derrick [Rose] because he's our fastest guy to get it up the court. We set up a play in the Celtics' timeout [with 12.3 seconds left]. We didn't execute it because the Celtics did a good job with their execution." ... So no regrets? 'Not at all,' Del Negro said. 'Not for a second.'"
- Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "Three months from now, Leon Powe is supposed to be sifting through free agent offers before signing a long-term contract that will bring welcome security. At 25, he already has lived a lifetime, stepping up through poverty to help raise his brothers and sisters. He should be getting just reward for his talent and perseverance this summer. Instead he will be driving himself through the pain for another chance. 'He's such a good human being,' Doc Rivers said, 'and to think of what he's gone through in his life just makes this hurt even more. When I told our guys, I could barely talk about it with them. For me, it's just . . . I don't know. It just really bothers me. You know these things happen, but, darn, he's just so right for the game. He does so many good things. He'll get back though. He'll be back.' Powe's agent believes so, as well. 'I'm optimistic,' Aaron Goodwin said. 'I had a similar situation with Willie Green. He was in his free agent year when he hurt his knee, and the Sixers stepped up and tendered him. Then when he proved he was all right, they signed him. We're hoping the Celtics will do the same thing. The Celtics have always done what's in the best interest of Leon Powe, and I think he's rewarded their loyalty.'"
- Kate Fagan of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "The trip south will have been a success for the Sixers either way, but it seems this series, starting with today's follow-up performance, is a chance for Andre Iguodala to break from the NBA's sec
ond shelf to its top tier, from B-list to A-list. How can he get there? By winning playoff games. 'I have no idea,' point guard Andre Miller said when asked why Iguodala doesn't receive more respect. 'That just comes down to the respect the league has for certain teams, and we don't get that respect.' Miller called Iguodala a 'playmaking player.' 'He's the guy that will be the voice of the team,' Sixers coach Tony DiLeo said. 'He's undervalued around the league. I think when we win, he will get more respect.'" - Terence Moore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Winning always trumps losing, and maybe you heard: The Hawks used incredible energy to rip the Miami Heat on Sunday night at Phillips Arena during the opener of a first-round playoff series. Yeah, well. Flukes happen. To prove that Game 1 wasn't just the figment of everybody's imagination, when the Hawks won by 26 points and made the mighty Dwyane Wade meek, they must realize something. They must show it, too. They must realize and show they understand that to prosper in the NBA's postseason, you have to keep hustling at a wild and crazy pace until the other guy drops."
- Greg Stoda of the Palm Beach Post: "There's simply nothing special about the Heat save for the unbelievably special Dwyane Wade, who picked a miserable time to surrender so casually. He was aggressive out of the box (nine first-quarter shots) in Game 1, but wouldn't say how he'll approach tonight's contest. 'I don't know,' Wade said. 'I hope nobody notices if I'm being aggressive, because I hope the whole team is being aggressive.' Well, he should know. He should know the Heat is whatever he is. Wade's message to the Hawks from the outset should be that he is aiming for a highlight night. Already, it's Miami's only chance."
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "While Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who doubles as president of basketball operations, finds it flattering that other NBA teams make nearly annual raids aimed at stealing talented members of the Spurs' front office, he also is frustrated when the Spurs lose key members of the basketball operations staff. The latest raiders: The Minnesota Timberwolves, who have Spurs assistant GM Dennis Lindsey on a short list of candidates to run their basketball operations. 'I guess we have a lot of guys doing a lot of things in the league,' said Popovich, who already has seen two Spurs assistant GMs (Cleveland's Danny Ferry and Oklahoma City's Sam Presti) depart for GM jobs of their own. We've just done some good picking, I guess. But once trained, it is hard sometimes to watch them go away and have to start over again with somebody else.'"
- David Moore of The Dallas Morning News: "Days after San Antonio beat New Jersey for the second of its four titles, Jason Kidd hit the free-agent market. The Spurs lusted after him the way teenage boys once did for Britney Spears. The club put him up at a Hill Country resort and hired a private chef for his visit. Why pursue Kidd? The Spurs weren't convinced their young player, Tony Parker, was really a point guard. Coach Gregg Popovich benched Parker for Speedy Claxton in the fourth quarter of the last two games of the Finals. Kidd wrestled with the decision but stayed with the Nets. 'It may be a silly excuse, but I wanted to try to win a championship on my own, and we had that opportunity in New Jersey,' Kidd said. 'Then, the Nets went in a whole different direction. San Antonio did everything right. I just didn't make the right decision at the time.' Does that mean he now wishes he had joined Tim Duncan and Co.? 'Well, they've won two championships since then,' Kidd said. 'I might have had a ring by now.' Kidd is not one to dwell on this what-could-have-been scenario. Neither am I. But watching Parker in the first two games of this series, it's hard not to take a brief, flight of fancy."
- John Reid of The Times-Picayune: "If David West's problems are not resolved for tonight's Game 2, the Hornets will have difficulty meeting their objective of returning home for Saturday's Game 3 with the series tied at 1. 'I've just got to play better -- that's it,' West said after Tuesday's practice. 'I've got to be a little more aggressive and make some shots.' ... 'D-West is an All-Star and our go-to guy,' Chris Paul said. 'We definitely feed off his momentum. He played a good game; he just didn't make all of his shots. So, we're going to go to him again like we did the first game. Hopefully, he will get a few early baskets and get going, and we'll see how it goes.'"
- Tim Stevens of The Charlotte Observer: "John Wall plans to go to college. Others may say he is ready for the NBA, but he is talking about playing college basketball. He plans to have his list of schools down to three or four by next Monday. 'The amount of money you hear [for high picks in the NBA draft] is pretty impressive,' Wall said Tuesday. 'But I really think I need one, two, three years of college to prepare me to play in the NBA. I don't think I'm ready to play in the NBA right now and I want the college experience. Going to college would be good for me.' He plans to trim his list of potential schools to three or four by Monday. He currently has seven schools on his list - N.C. State, Duke, Baylor, Kansas, Miami, Kentucky and Memphis."
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