'Nasty News - Traversing Time & Space' Vol: 38

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStori ... TORY_18987

Melo, Smith, Martin All Playing With Pain
"I'll limp here and there running up the court, but it doesn't really bother me," he (J.R. Smith) said at the team's hotel here Friday. "I just have to go back to the gym and get more reps in with it. I felt a tug here and there, but I was able to play. I can't really jump off my right leg like I want to, but other than that, everything's fine."

"J.R. is fighting through a lot, but we really don't expect nothing less — he's going to fight," Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups said. "The deeper this series goes, the healthier he gets. That's a fortunate thing for us."

Injury update. In addition to Smith, forward Carmelo Anthony is also playing through pain due to a swollen left ankle. "It's sore, but I have 24 hours to get it right," Anthony said Friday. And forward Kenyon Martin is playing with a fractured ring finger on his non-shooting hand.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=18889

Kobe Bryant, wife countersue former housekeeper
Kobe Bryant and his wife are suing their former housekeeper, accusing her of violating her contract by talking to the media about the family's private affairs.

The housekeeper initially sued the Los Angeles Lakers star and his wife, contending they harassed and humiliated her. The countersuit was filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court and says Maria Jimenez broke a confidentiality agreement she signed. Jimenez said she was denied health insurance and forced to quit because of intolerable working conditions. The countersuit calls those allegations specious and frivolous.

The Bryants' attorney, Jon G. Daryanani, said he had no further comment. Jimenez's lawyer did not immediately return a call from The Associated Press.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/TheWireStory.asp?id=18892

Lakers center Bynum, coach Phil Jackson at odds
Andrew Bynum wants to play more minutes, and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson has just the solution: Play better defense. "If he plays well, he'll have more time," Jackson said Saturday, several hours before Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against the Denver Nuggets.

Bynum criticized the Lakers' defensive scheme after getting yanked from Game 2 early in the second half for his lackadaisical play that led to an easy bucket for Denver. Jackson was displeased that Bynum didn't hustle downcourt after failing to get a pass in the post, which allowed Nuggets center Nene to make a layup and draw a foul from Kobe Bryant. So, Bynum took a seat with 7:14 left in the third quarter and never returned, finishing with nine points, two rebounds, one foul and no turnovers in the Lakers' 106-103 loss that evened the series at 1-1.

Bynum bristled Friday when asked about Denver's frontcourt prowess in this series."They're getting their stuff because of our defensive scheme. They're just driving to the basket and nobody's bumping them," Bynum said, according to The Los Angeles Times. Before Game 3, Bynum said he hadn't discussed his criticism with his coach but he alternately stuck by his assertion and backed away from it. "Yeah, and I think we went over some different things today, changed it up a little bit," Bynum said of the defensive philosophies.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12740

Staying Healthy? Injury Questions for Next Season
If you were to compile a list of players who were injured in the 2008/09 NBA season, would the list ever end? It's been a year fraught with injuries, to the little guys as well as to the playmakers. We're talking big-time injuries to such big-name players as: Kevin Garnett, Yao Ming, Amar'e Stoudemire, Michael Redd, Tracy McGrady, Manu Ginobili, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson, Andrew Bynum, Allen Iverson, Tyson Chandler, Elton Brand, Josh Howard, Kevin Martin…and that's not even close to a complete list.

Let's take a look at some of the star players that did not finish the regular season due to injuries and explore any lingering questions about next season.

Allen Iverson: OK, adding AI here is rather dubious, but the official word is that a nagging back injury forced him to shut it down for the season. In fact, here's exactly what Joe Dumars announced: "After talking with Allen and our medical staff, we feel that resting Allen for the remainder of the season is the best course of action at this time. While he has played in our last three games, he is still feeling some discomfort and getting him physically ready to compete at the level he is accustomed to playing this late in the season does not seem possible at this point." So we're left with a lot of questions: Is this a case of a bruised ego (due to a reserve role) or a worrisome back injury? What is the diagnosis? Is any treatment underway? Prognosis? Is his career over? Retiring? Who knows.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12741

Jordan Buying the Bobcats?
Reports surfaced yesterday that Bob Johnson, owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, is interested in selling the team. Several prospective buyers have shown interest in the franchise, which is worth $284 million according to Forbes, but Johnson may already have his buyer on the payroll. Former Chicago Bulls star and current President of Basketball Operations Michael Jordan has serious interest in becoming the majority owner of the team, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Johnson would have no problems selling the team to Jordan either. "If Michael picked up the phone and said, 'I'm ready to be the Bobcats' owner,' I'd be more than happy to talk to him about it,'' Johnson told Bonnell and the Observer last month.

While Jordan is the most logical candidate to buy the team, there are also a couple other former NBA players who will likely show some interest. Current Pacers Executive Larry Bird was highly interested in becoming the Bobcats owner prior to the team's expansion and Christian Laettner was close to buying the Memphis Grizzlies just over a year ago. The perspective buyers mentioned earlier intend to keep the team in Charlotte, should they take over.

This is a situation that should play itself out soon since Johnson hired Sal Galatioto, a sports investment banker, to help speed up the process.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12741

Wright Staying at Villanova
Ed Stefanski has an endless list of candidates eager and willing to become the next head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. That list does not include Villanova head coach Jay Wright though, as he asked to no longer be considered for the position Friday.

"(Stefanski) is a longtime friend of mine, whom I have great respect for and is someone I talk to often," Wright said in a statement posted on the Villanova Web site. "We had a lively conversation about the vision Ed has for the Sixers organization. Following our meeting, I called Ed to thank him and requested that he remove me from consideration. I love Villanova, and it's where I want to be."

College coaches' struggles in the NBA game have been well documented over the past 10 years. While there are some of the best basketball minds in the world at the collegiate level, the NBA is a tough business. At the collegiate rankings there's a certain sense of comfort attainable that is very, very hard to get in the NBA if not impossible. Wright has earned that at Villanova, building it into one of the top programs in the country. Wright just took his Wildcats to the Final Four for the first time in his career and has a top-ranked recruiting class coming in. This isn't the right time or opportunity for Wright to try to make the jump and he's making the right choice by staying at Villanova.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4199114

Wright staying put at Villanova
Villanova coach Jay Wright says he talked to the Philadelphia 76ers about the head coaching job but is staying with the Wildcats.

Wright said Friday that he met last week with Sixers president Ed Stefanski to discuss the NBA job. He says he called Stefanski after that and asked to be removed from consideration.

Wright says he's flattered that he was considered. But he says he loves Villanova and that's where he wants to coach. "Last week, Ed reached out to me to see if I would be willing to speak to him about the Sixers' coaching position," Wright said in a prepared statement. "He is a longtime friend of mine whom I have great respect for and is someone I talk to often. We had a lively conversation about the vision Ed has for the Sixers organization. As a lifelong Sixers fan, I was honored to be part of the process."Following our meeting, I called Ed to thank him and requested that he remove me from consideration," Wright said. "I love Villanova and it is where I want to be. I am grateful to the Sixers for including me in the process. There is a lot to look forward to for Sixer fans like me with the young talent they have put together and the leadership of Ed Stefanski."

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4201710

Source: Calathes to pull out of draft
Nick Calathes is bypassing the final two seasons of his Florida career to play in Greece, according to a source close to the situation.

Calathes, who is Greek, has duel citizenship and a Greek passport. These factors were a huge plus in getting the deal done, the source said. Calathes played last summer on a Greek FIBA 20-and-under national team. His brother Pat, who played at Saint Joseph's, played for Maroussi in the Greek Euroleague last season.

An independent source confirmed the report to ESPN.com and said Calathes and his family decided to go the Greek route instead of waiting to see if he would be drafted by the NBA on June 25. According to the source, Calathes' workout with Dallas, which picks No. 22 in the first round, went well enough that the Mavericks would consider Calathes as a possible backup to Jason Kidd at the point. According to the source, Calathes' contract with the Greek team Panathinaikos requires him to withdraw from the NBA draft before the June 15 deadline. The source said Calathes' agent Dan Fegan may try to keep his client in the draft to see where he is selected.

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http://www.motownstringmusic.com/

Pistons Conclude First Week of Draft Workouts
Around 20 players worked out for the Pistons this past week--most notably Chase Budinger and Jodie Meeks. The next set of workouts won't be until the first week of June since the NBA pre-draft camp is set for this coming week in Chicago.

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http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/23/nick ... or-greece/

Nick Calathes Will Skip NBA for Greece
After two years at the University of Florida, Nick Calathes is turning pro ... but instead of waiting to be drafted by an NBA team next month, he's apparently settled on a one-year deal to play in Europe with Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos.

Details of his contract have yet to be officially announced, but Chris Harry of the Orlando Sentinel reports that the point guard will earn around $1.1 million in addition to lodging, transportation and tax credits. That's roughly equal to what Calathes would have earned had he been drafted late in the first round, which is where he was projected to go. But given his Greek heritage, he has a chance to quickly emerge as a star for Panathinaikos and earn lucrative endorsements as opposed to an unheralded role player in the NBA. As the Orlando Sentinel article points out, there's another bonus that shouldn't be dismissed: Calathes will also have a chance to spend a year near his older brother Pat, who plays for Maroussi, another Greek team in the Euroleague.

Calathes, who originally applied for the NBA draft without hiring an agent, is still eligible to be drafted by an NBA team, although any team that does so will apparently have to wait at least a year for his services -- assuming, that is, Calathes' contract doesn't include an out-clause based on where he's drafted. The Sentinel article doesn't suggest that's the case, but until an official announcement is made that rules such a scenario, it's certainly a possibility. It's not unusual for European teams to sign a player to a contract while still granting him time to attempt to find an NBA job, so it's possible Panathinaikos offered a conditional contract that becomes invalid if Calathes is drafted higher than a certain slot. Again, this is pure speculation on my part, but it's something to watch out for.

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/23/domi ... an-leader/

Dominique: Hawks Need Big Man, Leader
The Atlanta Hawks are considered one of the NBA's rising teams, as evidenced by consecutive playoff appearances for the first time in 10 years. The Hawks, however, were easily swept in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who spent four games exposing Atlanta's numerous flaws and weaknesses. The Hawks are approaching a critical time for their franchise, with Mike Bibby a free agent and third-year forward and former lottery pick Marvin Williams seemingly without a role.

Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins, the team's vice president of basketball, said the Hawks need two key components to challenge, Boston, Orlando and Cleveland for Eastern Conference supremacy. "First of all, we need some sort of leadership," he said. "The team is still a young team. We need another big guy, particularly somebody who's going to be a banger, do all the dirty work, rebound, play defense, a rugged guy, like a Reggie Evans type of guy. And also we need a solid backup point guard, especially if Mike Bibby is going to be back with the team next year. You need a solid backup who can come in and give them quality minutes." Joe Johnson is considered Atlanta's leader but there appeared to be times where he and gifted but erratic forward Josh Smith lacked on-court chemistry during the Cleveland series. The Hawks may need another veteran player to stabilize the roster.

The Hawks drafted Acie Law over Rodney Stuckey -- one of former GM Billy Knight's final moves -- in 2007 and the former Texas A&M standout has played in just 111 of a possible 164 games over the past two years, averaging 3.6 points. He may not be the answer at point guard.Atlanta was badly exposed at center during the series with Cleveland. The Hawks would like to move Al Horford back to his natural power forward position and keep Zaza Pachulia as a reserve. Atlanta picks 19th in next month's draft and Ohio State big man B.J. Mullens could be available. But Mullens, although legitimate NBA size, is extremely raw and would likely serve more as a project in the first couple of seasons. Also, GM Rick Sund has a poor history of taking centers dating back to his days with the Sonics. He drafted Robert Swift, Johan Petro and Mouhamed Sene in consecutive years. Only Swift remains with the franchise, now in Oklahoma City, and he's a free agent. There could be plenty of point guard available at 19 for Atlanta, such as North Carolina's Ty Lawson, St. Mary's Patrick Mills, Wake Forest's Jeff Teague and UCLA's Darren Collison.

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/23/the- ... lex-acker/

The Curious Career of Alex Acker
After being discovered in a pickup game by NBA superstar Chauncey Billups, Alex Acker was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, where his first encounter with Rasheed Wallace was truly one for the history books. Acker also spent two seasons with the best teams in Europe -- Olympiacos (Greece) and FC Barcelona (Spain's powerhouse) -- where he faced pepper spray and flare guns during games. In this FanHouse exclusive we hang out with Acker at his L.A. home and get a true inside look at the life of an NBA player.

Video in the link above^.

[nasty daddy]

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=290523007

Bryant's big shot over J.R. Smith gave Los Angeles a one-point lead with just over a minute left Saturday night and sparked the Lakers to a 103-97 victory over the downtrodden Denver Nuggets for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Bryant, who scored 41 points, went 5-of-6 on free throws to ice it after his 3-pointer gave Los Angeles a 96-95 lead.

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points but just three after halftime for Denver, which lost at home for the first time since March 9. He was 4-for-13 in his worst performance of the postseason.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-Game-3

James' shot redefines series heading to Game 3
As if once wasn't enough, the Orlando Magic were forced to watch LeBron James' amazing buzzer-beater all day Saturday. The Magic were witnesses all right. Again. And again. And again. James' stunning fadeaway 3-pointer in Game 2 that tied the Eastern Conference finals was replayed countless times on TV sets from Cleveland to Orlando. It was also a fixture in the minds of Cavaliers fans basking in the victory, and in the thoughts of Magic players wondering what could have been. "It's tough when you got to go home and watch it on TV over and over again," Magic center Dwight Howard said. The shot saved the Cavaliers from a daunting 0-2 hole, and already was being talked about as one of the greatest moments in Cleveland sports history. There's just one downside for the Cavaliers. "It is over and done with," James said. For all the drama and emotion surrounding the riveting shot, the Cavaliers have plenty to fix if they want to reclaim home-court advantage when the series shifts to Orlando for Game 3 on Sunday night. The Magic ripped their defense apart, exposed their lack of depth and roared back from a double-digit deficit for the second straight game. Now the NBA's top-seeded team heads to Orlando, where it lost both games this season, including a 29-point blowout in April in which it trailed by as many as 41. But one shot made all of that seem like a distant memory. "To go on the road, 1 second from being down 0-2, going to Orlando and from zero seconds the shot goes in to being 1-1 going on the road, it is a good feeling for us," James said. "We can carry this momentum."

It's an all too familiar feeling for Orlando. The Magic have been last-second losers four times this postseason. Boston's Glen Davis hit a jumper as time expired in Game 4 of their second-round series. Philadelphia's Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young each hit a shot in the final seconds for victories in the opening round, forcing the Magic to again watch another team celebrate as they walked slowly to the locker room in defeat. Any carry-over seems unlikely.Orlando responded well after each of the previous heartbreakers, winning the following games against Philadelphia and nearly taking Game 5 against the Celtics before losing a big fourth-quarter lead. "How many times have I been asked that in the postseason so far?" coach Stan Van Gundy said. "Game 1 in Philly we lose at the buzzer. Is there going to be carry-over? OK. Game 3 in Philly, they beat us at the buzzer. Is there going to be carry-over? Game 4 against Boston, is there going to be carry-over? I mean, you know, I've heard that the entire postseason." The Magic, a streaky shooting team that can dazzle at times and disappear during some games, overcame a 23-point deficit in Game 2 as skittish Cleveland fans covered their mouths in disbelief, with Hedo Turkoglu hitting a 12-footer in the lane to put Orlando ahead by two with 1 second left. Cleveland called timeout and drew up a play for James. The league's MVP darted toward the basket, cut back near the top of the circle, caught the ball and let loose a shot over Turkoglu that sent those same fans hugging and cheering in an all-too-good state of shock. An encore won't be easy.

The Magic have been a matchup nightmare at times for the Cavaliers, who have lost nine of the last 13 games to Orlando. The Magic, with their bevy of 3-point shooters and Howard inside, have picked apart Cleveland's defense for long stretches. Orlando has started slow in the first two games, and Cleveland likely won't be able to count on such a cushion Sunday at Amway Arena, where the Magic usually start fast. But the Cavaliers did show some positive signs in the victory. Unlike Game 1, when Orlando emerged on a late 3-pointer by Rashard Lewis, it wasn't just the LeBron show. Mo Williams had 19 points and made some big shots late. Cleveland also got 12 points each from Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West. Sasha Pavlovic scored nine points in 21 minutes but most of Cleveland's reserves again provided little support. The Cavaliers know they'll have to win at least one in Orlando to earn a spot in the NBA finals, and they're hoping to take advantage if they get another break. "You can't go through the playoffs without having some lucky bounces here and there," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "They got one, quote-unquote, lucky bounce in Game 1, if you want to say that with Rashard's shot. We got one in Game 2. Let's get ready for Game 3 now."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... st-Nuggets

Kobe Bryant, Trevor Ariza give Lakers 2-1 lead
Trevor Ariza's clutch steals are punching a dagger in Denver's season just as much as Kobe Bryant's big baskets. For the second time in three games, Ariza stole an inbounds pass in the final minute Saturday to help Los Angeles beat the Nuggets, this time 103-97 at the Pepsi Center for a 2-1 lead that restored the Lakers' home-court advantage in the Western Conference finals. Ariza, whose steal of Anthony Carter's lazy lob sealed the Lakers' win in the series opener, sliced in front of Carmelo Anthony to swipe Kenyon Martin's inbounds pass with the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead with 36 seconds left. Anthony fouled out to prevent the breakaway basket and Ariza sank both free throws for a 99-95 lead. "Trevor, he's very crafty, he's long, he's fast, he's quick and he's a ball hog," said Bryant, who scored 41 points. "He does a good job of reading those things. It's a great defensive play."

As he did in the first game, Lamar Odom guarded the inbounds, only this time it wasn't the shortest player on the team he was facing, but the 6-foot-9 Martin trying to get the ball in over the Lakers' 6-10 forward. "He's long, look at him," Sasha Vujacic said of Odom. "He's athletic. He's got eyes behind his ears. He knows how to jump all around the ball." Hounded, K-Mart called timeout, but on the redo, he wasn't so lucky as he led 'Melo too much with the pass and Ariza snatched away both the ball and Denver's shot at a win for the second time in five nights. "It was kind of deja vu from Game 1," Anthony said. Ariza thought so, too. "It was kind of funny," he said. "It was pretty much the same thing, different players. But we got the steal. We got a win, that's the most important thing." Bryant made four free throws in the final 22 seconds to seal the win after sinking a 3-pointer over J.R. Smith with 1:09 left to put Los Angles ahead for good at 96-95. "Kobe does that time and time and time and time and time again for game winners," Odom said of Bryant's 3-pointer. "It is routine -- for him."

Pau Gasol added 20 points and 11 rebounds. "I think Gasol was the key to them winning tonight," Anthony said. "Getting him going and him making shots, it made it hard to double-team him and still try to guard Kobe out there." Anthony scored 21 points but just three after halftime, and Denver lost at home for the first time since March 9. "I don't really think they did anything different tonight. But I missed some easy shots," said Anthony, who had averaged 35 points in his previous five games but went just 4-for-13. Before Saturday night, the Nuggets, who had won 16 straight games at home, had been dominant in Denver in the playoffs. They ran away with all six games at Pepsi Center against New Orleans and Dallas by an average of 17.5 points. The Nuggets led most of the game but were done in by poor decisions and a failure to keep their composure. They shot just 5-for-27 on 3-pointers and committed three technical fouls. Game 4 is Monday night, when the Lakers and Nuggets will have the Pepsi Center to themselves after World Wrestling Entertainment moved Monday Night Raw to the Staples Center in Los Angeles because of the double booking that WWE chairman Vince McMahon milked for all it was worth.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... st-Nuggets

Western Conference
L.A. Lakers vs. Denver
Lakers lead 2-1
Game 1: Lakers 105, Denver 103
Game 2: Denver 106, Lakers 103
Game 3: Lakers 103, Denver 97
Monday : at Denver, 9
Wednesday: at Lakers, 9
*Friday: at Denver, 9
*May 31: at Lakers, 8:30
Eastern Conference
Orlando vs. Cleveland
Series tied 1-1
Game 1: Orlando 107, Cleveland 106
Game 2: Cleveland 96, Orlando 95
Sunday: at Orlando, 8:30
Tuesday: at Orlando, 8:30
Thursday: at Cleveland, 8:30
*Friday: at Orlando, 8:30
*June 1: at Cleveland, 8:30
* If necessary

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gall ... s=Itemnr=1

Possible Pistons free agent targets
Mehmet Okur: Jazz 6-11 center
David Lee: Knicks 6-9 forward
Paul Millsap: Jazz 6-8 forward

Ron Artest: Rockets 6-7 forward
Hedo Turkoglu: Magic 6-10 forward
Jamal Crawford: Warriors 6-5 guard

Charlie Villanueva: Bucks 6-11 forward
Ben Gordon: Bulls 6-3 guard
Carlos Boozer: Jazz 6-9 forward

Please note: More information on each of the players listed above in the link^.

[nasty daddy]

http://dananbaplayoff.blogspot.com/2009 ... ebron.html

LAST THOUGHT ON LEBRON
LeBron James' last-second miracle shot reminded me of Christian Laettner's buzzer-beating vs. Kentucky in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Why? Because the coach and/or players on the opposing team forgot one important fact - the best way to prevent those shots is to distract the inbounder. Grant Hill had a clear look when he heaved the ball to Laettner.

Mo Williams didn't have quite that luxury but Rashard Lewis backed off an at angle while guarding the inbound. Was he afraid of a lob pass? Whatever the reason, if I were Stan Van Gundy, I would have told Lewis to get as close to Williams as possible and wave those long arms of his. No way would LeBron have had such a clean catch and shot. As it was, the Cavs only had to run a simple inbounds play with LeBron coming off a screen.

There's been some criticism of Hedo Turkoglu for backing off but I think he did all he could. If he had so much as breathed on LeBron in that situation, the officials would have tooted their whistles.

[nasty daddy]

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2009/05/24/kobe ... 3-victory/

Kobe Gets 41, Lakers Get Game 3 Victory
After LeBron James hit that magical shot to down Orlando in Game 2 on Friday, many wondered if Kobe Bryant might have noticed, and have something similarly special in store for us when his team hit the floor in Denver for Game 3 out West. As it turns out, he did. Bryant's thee-pointer with just over a minute to play gave his Lakers the lead for good, and he finished the Nuggets off at the free throw line by hitting five of six down the stretch to give L.A. the 103-97 victory. Carmelo Anthony, who averaged 35 points over his last five playoff games, led the Nuggets with just 21 on Friday. 'Melo shot a dismal 4-of-13 from the field, and made just one of his seven three-point attempts. He started off hot, hitting for 13 points in the first quarter and eighteen in the first half.

After the first quarter, however, Anthony had just one field goal and seven points the rest of the way. Kobe Bryant? He had 35 in the final three quarters. Denver got some contributions from guys like Dahntay Jones and Chris Andersen, who combined for 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. That's a bonus for them, but when Anthony, J.R. Smith, and Chauncey Billups combine to go 13-of-43, it ends up being irrelevant. Despite sub-par offensive games from Anthony and Billups, the Nuggets entered the fourth quarter with an eight-point lead and seemed primed to finish things off on their home floor. But the Lakers opened the period on a 10-1 run, taking their first lead since the first quarter on a three-pointer from Trevor Ariza that put them up 81-80 with seven minutes to go. Ariza hit another big three a couple of minutes later, but his biggest play of the game was yet to come.

In a situation very similar to the end of Game 1, Ariza pilfered an inbound pass to seal the win. Denver was trying to inbound the ball on the sideline while trailing by two with 37 seconds remaining. Kenyon Martin threw the errant pass, prompting Ariza to come speeding up behind Carmelo Anthony to get the game-sealing steal, one that caused Anthony to foul Ariza to prevent a fast-break basket. Anthony fouled out on the play, which made the possibility of any late-game heroics from him a non-issue. The Lakers outscored Denver 32-18 in the critical fourth quarter, and in the end, it was all about what Bryant was able to do to will his team to the victory: 41 points on 12-of-24 shooting, six rebounds, five assists, two steals, and just one turnover. And on the other side, it was about what Carmelo Anthony (30 percent from the field, 14 percent from three) simply could not accomplish.

[nasty daddy]

http://hoopshype.com/past_workouts.htm

Workouts
Tuesday May 19th
Terrence Williams SG 6-6 Senior Louisville Aaron Goodwin Lottery pick.
Dionte Christmas SG 6-5 Senior Temple Andre Buck Undrafted.

Wednesday May 20
Jeremy Wise PG 6-1 Junior Southern Miss Jamie Knox Undrafted.