- Michael White of the Orlando Sentinel: "Fine. The Orlando Magic won a game. In the Finals. I am proud. Trust me, that win, even if the vast majority of the folks celebrating on Orange Ave. do not realize it, means something. For the come-lately fans, it is one more reason to get drunk on Thursday. For those of thus who have been living and dying with this team for decades, from losing Shaq, T-Mac and Grant Hill's feet, it means far more than that. It is a middle finger to the pezzonovantes in the national media who never gave this team a chance. We paid attention when they could not be bothered to flip their remotes to TNT. Whatever happens from here on forward, this Magic team, more than any other, has shown grit, heart and resiliency. Anfernee Hardaway and Shaq possessed gifts Dwight and Rashard will never know. But this current regime has shown something those superior athletes never even hinted at. That is, accountability in the face of superior adversity. Calm in the fist of a humiliating tsunami, something Shaq and Penny couldn't stomach even as an entire franchise existed only to fill their most menial needs."
- Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Two months shy of his 31st birthday, three games into the most strenuous basketball series of his life, could Kobe Bryant be hitting a wall that will not disappear? In three games, he has played 126 of 149 minutes while averaging 27 shots per game. That's strenuous work for any player. That's downright hard labor for an aging star who works hard at both ends of the court and has even taken to coaching his team during timeouts. Anybody else see him consulting Pau Gasol with a whiteboard late in Tuesday's game? Nobody in the NBA pushes their team like Bryant pushes the Lakers, and when that push diminishes to a shove like it did in the final three quarters Tuesday, well, everything collapses. Defense suffers, and if you don't think Bryant's energy was missing there, well, the Magic had the best shooting first half in NBA playoff history (75%) after bricking its way through Los Angeles. 'They're doing a great job making adjustments, it's on us to make adjustments as well,' Bryant said of the defense. 'We've got to do a better job on the close-outs.' The Lakers' fourth quarter also suffers, because when the game's great closer is tired, the game closes on him."
- John Smallwood of the Philadelphia Daily News: "Jason Kapono doesn't solve all of the Sixers' problems, but his proven ability to knock down shots from distance helps address one of this team's key weaknesses. As a team, the Sixers were last in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage (.318) and didn't have a regular player who shot better than 35 percent from beyond the arc. Obviously, the Sixers will have to bring in more shooters -- a draft pick who can knock down long-range jump shots would be nice. Still, by trading Reggie Evans for Kapono, the Sixers added a strength without sacrificing anything vital. That's called making a good deal, and for Sixers fans looking for this team to move to the next level despite limited avenues, that's the type of creative deal you want to see."
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: "The price to secure Reggie Evans' services was Jason Kapono, a good guy and a very good shooter when he's playing in the proper system. By moving Kapono to Philadelphia for Evans, Bryan Colangelo gets added financial flexibility, which is very important in a shrinking economy. By no means is Colangelo's work done because there's still plenty to do, but the addition of assistant coach Marc Iavaroni and the acquisition of Evans are solid moves and steps in the right direction. Evans, 29, isn't exactly a household name and he averaged just 14 minutes last season in Philly, but he's mentally and physically tough, will defend the post, rebound and will help shed the Raptors' label of being soft."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Certainly no shock that Jermaine O'Neal invoked his option for next season. It's not as if he was finding $23 million elsewhere. What it means, however, is that he officially is an expiring contract, one that just might tempt another team should the Heat decide not to wait for 2010 free agency to do its shopping. In other words, it was the first of several steps necessary to potentially fast track the rebuilding process. Next up would be convincing Dwyane Wade that there is no need to put his career on hold for another one-and-done playoff appearance."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "There's been much speculation about whether Ben Gordon's feelings were or weren't hurt following two straight summers of failed negotiations on a contract extension and how those might affect Gordon's upcoming unrestricted free agency. Gordon, for his part, never has wavered in his public statements that failed negotiations are part of the business and he would remain professional. Want more proof? Two weeks before Gordon will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Bulls' guard will host the Ben Gordon Basketball Camp at the Bulls/White Sox Training Academy in Lisle. This, of course, doesn't mean Gordon will re-sign with the Bulls. But it's another sign that, with just two weeks remaining on his Bulls contract, Gordon remains professional."
- Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "One player pointed to last summer's free agent season as proof that the Hawks didn't exactly swing for the fences and insisted that their frugal ways will come back to haunt them eventually, perhaps as soon as this summer. 'They waited until the last minute on [Josh Smith] and had to wait for Memphis to put something on the table to get a deal done,' he said. 'They lost the other Josh [Childress] to Greece and then filled the holes with role players. Let's be real man, and I'm not disrespecting anybody but signing Randolph Morris, Othello Hunter and Thomas Gardner doesn't translate into championship moves. That sounds more like a team worried about spending some real money. And to players, that's the kind of franchise you don't want to deal with when you're a free agent.' That's the real question for the Hawks this summer. Are they going to spend the money required to compete at the level they've become accustomed to the past two years? This summer is about dollars and sense. The Hawks have to spend their cash wisely or all the work they've done the past few years could disappear by Labor Day."
- Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "The chatter involving the Wizards is refreshing, seeing as how it conveys a modicum of hope. The Wizards do have a number of bargaining chips: two expiring contracts, a No. 5 pick, Nick Young, Andray Blat
che and one 7-footer, JaVale McGee or Brendan Haywood, depending on which center the Wizards would prefer to keep. The Wizards also have Jamison to shop if a franchise-altering deal becomes available. Arenas, Butler and Jamison, no fault of theirs, never were able to see how far they could carry this franchise. That prospect has vanished now. We'll never know what could have been after the Wizards pushed their way to first place in the conference in January 2007. We just know it is time for the franchise to look forward instead of backward, their position the last two seasons." - Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: "No matter what the Blazers do this offseason -- make a splashy trade for a veteran, sign a difference-making free agent or add draft picks -- the team needs to become tougher to advance beyond the first round of the playoffs and become a championship threat. Outside of playoff experience, perhaps no trait played a bigger role than toughness in the Rockets' win over the Blazers in the playoffs. 'I totally agree,' Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said of Brandon Roy's comments. 'There's no question we have to get tougher. We found out the playoffs are a freakin' battle. You have to be able to withstand seven games and go at guys that are physical and tough and be able to go toe to toe with them.' The Blazers made strides at shedding their 'too nice' reputation this season, when they showed glimpses of developing into a rugged group. ... Nate McMillan's primary goal is to help foster toughness with the roster he has, rather than bank on Pritchard acquiring a player to fill the void. But it's clear the Blazers are searching for some grit. 'We're going to look at it; we're definitely going to look at it,' McMillan said. "We're going to look at all our positions and look at these free agents and look at the draft and try to plug in some needs for us next season. And certainly the physical part of the game (is part of it). Is there a guy out there? We don't know.' "
- Alan Hahn of Newsday: "Here's a nod to my man VOR: I came away very impressed by Jonny Flynn. Unfortunately, it was only based on his personality. The media does not have access to the Knicks pre-draft workouts so I can't give you any first hand knowledge of anything that happened inside the gym. Still, Flynn has an engaging ebullience about him that is kind of what Nate Robinson would probably be like if he dialed it down to about a 7. But, as I've said here many times, that's what makes Nate who he is. And that's what allows these smaller guys to compete in the land of the giants. 'That's the edge you've got to have when you're a smaller guy, no back-down from anybody,' Flynn said. 'Nate Robinson definitely has that.' "
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