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

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-be-key

Play gives Cavs fits
The Magic completely have discombobulated the Cavaliers, running basically one play -- the high pick-and-roll. Here's the problem for the Cavaliers: Along with Howard, the Magic deploy Rashard Lewis (6-foot-10) and Hedo Turkoglu (6-10) up front, along with a pair of penetrating guards in Rafer Alston and Courtney Lee. Those guys can all beat you off the dribble and they can all beat you from the perimeter.

The only way to counter is to play Howard straight up, and have enough length and quickness on the perimeter to stay in front of Lewis and Turkoglu. But the Cavaliers haven't been able to contain any part of it. Because Zydrunas Ilgauskas is too slow to stay with Howard, the Cavaliers have had to send help. Usually that's James, who leaves his man and sends Cleveland into full rotation.

Either Anderson Varejao or Ben Wallace gets stuck on Lewis -- mismatch. Or, on the other side, Delonte West gets stuck guarding Turkoglu. Even though West is a bulldog and has fought him hard, that's a gross mismatch. On the other end of the floor, the Magic's perimeter length and the interior presence of Howard has stymied the Cavaliers' secondary scorers, forcing James to be an offensive soloist -- which, as great as he's been, isn't the way to win this deep into the playoffs.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-be-key

Don't be hasty
All that said, do not bury the Cavaliers or Lakers just yet.

As good as they played the first two games in Cleveland, I can't see Orlando closing this out at Quicken Loans Arena. The Magic are going to have to end it back at Amway in Game 6 or they are going to be the first team to blow 3-1 leads twice in seven seasons (the Pistons did it to them in 2003).

As for the Lakers, you still have to like their chances, with the series tied 2-2 (before Wednesday) and two of the three games at Staples. But these have been two compelling series. Wouldn't mind if both went seven games.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-be-key

By the numbers
20 Postseason games this year decided by three points or fewer (NBA record).
43 Percent of the Cavaliers' offense provided by LeBron James against the Magic.
182-8 Record of teams that build a 3-1 lead in best-of-seven series.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-be-key

1-2 punch
A look at the 1-1 and 2-2 matchups in NBA Finals history. This year, the Cavaliers and Lakers are 1 seeds and the Magic and Nuggets are 2 seeds:

1 vs. 1
Year Result Year Result
2008 Boston d. L.A. Lakers 1974 Boston d. Milwaukee
2000 L.A. Lakers d. Indiana 1967 Philadelphia d. San Francisco
1998 Chicago d. Utah 1965 Boston d. Los Angeles
1997 Chicago d. Utah 1964 Boston d. San Francisco
1996 Chicago d. Seattle 1963 Boston d. Los Angeles
1992 Chicago d. Portland 1962 Boston d. Los Angeles
1989 Detroit d. L.A. Lakers 1961 Boston d. St. Louis
1987 L.A. Lakers d. Boston 1960 Boston d. St. Louis
1985 L.A. Lakers d. Boston 1958 Boston d. St. Louis
1984 Boston d. L.A. Lakers 1956 Philadelphia d. Fort Wayne
1983 Philadelphia d. L.A. Lakers 1955 Syracuse d. Fort Wayne
1979 Seattle d. Washington 1953 Minneapolis d. New York

2 vs. 2
Year Result Year Result
2006 Miami d. Dallas 1994 Houston d. New York
2005 San Antonio d. Detroit 1973 New York d. Los Angeles
2004 Detroit d. L.A. Lakers 1968 Boston d. Los Angeles

[nasty daddy]

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2009 ... -to-be-key

Where's the 'D'?
The Cavaliers, one of the stingiest defensive teams all season, have had no answer against the Magic. Their scoring defense through three rounds:

Round Opponent Pts.
First Detroit 94.2
Second Atlanta 98.1
Third Orlando 101

[nasty daddy]

http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-pre-dra ... .php?tid=8

Player Workouts
Player Team Workout Date Status Source
Leo Lyons Pistons Jun 8th Upcoming
DeJuan Blair Pistons Jun 8th Upcoming
Robert Dozier Pistons Jun 9th Upcoming
Marcus Thornton Pistons Jun 10th Upcoming
Dionte Christmas Pistons May 19th Completed
Jerel McNeal Pistons May 19th Completed
Joe Ingles Pistons May 20th Completed
Jeremy Pargo Pistons May 20th Completed
Alex Ruoff Pistons May 20th Completed
Michael Bramos Pistons May 22nd Completed

[nasty daddy]

http://www.freep.com/article/20090528/S ... ve+the+NBA

Walter Herrmann might leave the NBA
Free agent forward Walter Herrmann may return to Spain, according to a French-language Web site. The report said that the club Pamesa Valencia is rebuilding after losing three key players and that club president Manuel Llorente wants to bring Herrmann back.

Herrmann played four seasons in Spain after beginning his career in his native Argentina. The Pistons traded for Herrmann in December 2007 in a deal with Charlotte that helped clear the contract of center Nazr Mohammed, who had fallen into a limited role. The Pistons hoped Herrmann could back up the forward spots, use his athleticism to break teams down, push the pace and make things happen.

At times he did, but he was inconsistent. Reports from the end of the season said the team was unlikely to bring him back. His scoring average was below four points in each of his two seasons with the Pistons.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime ... ime-090528

Familiar Position For Jackson
The Lakers are now up 3-2 in their best-of-seven series against the Nuggets. This is the 18th time that a Phil Jackson coached team is up 3-2 in a best-of-seven series. Jackson's team won 16 of the previous 17 such series. His only series loss came in 2006 against Phoenix.

[nasty daddy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime ... ime-090528

Odom Stars Through Back Pain
The numbers will tell you Lamar Odom had a big game for the Lakers Wednesday night. The final box reads: 19 points, 14 rebounds (four offensive), four blocked shots, and a +18 floor-time total.

Odom doesn't like to talk about the injury -- "I won't make an excuse about playing well or not playing well, if my back is hurt or if it's not hurt," he said after the game Wednesday -- but the bulge in his lower back was unmistakable as he got dressed before Game 5, and he moved gingerly up and down the floor throughout the Lakers' 103-94 victory, obviously pushing his way through the pain.

"I know his back's been killing him," Lakers forward Luke Walton said Wednesday night. "He might be saying different, but his back's been pretty banged up."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Mavs Hoping Jason Kidd Re-Signs
OK, so there are lots of streets in this league that lead to gold. There's not nearly as many that take you to championship rings. (Jason) Kidd knows this, of course. And with the struggles of the two top-seeded teams in each conference, maybe Kidd should feel that his presence would be a difference-maker for either of those sides. Or, maybe the alternative – staying with the Mavericks – makes more sense.

The Mavericks view re-signing Kidd as their No. 1 off-season priority. Kidd will enjoy the options that come with free agency. He finds himself in much the same situation as Karl Malone was earlier this decade when the Utah Jazz power forward went to the Lakers for one final season to chase a ring and came up empty. "There's no clear-cut way to a title," Mavericks president Donnie Nelson said Wednesday. "And I think Jason really likes being part of a process, to be part of building toward something."

Owner Mark Cuban said that these playoffs confirm "how hard it is to win and [that] there are no sure things," adding that he doesn't think the surprising showings by Orlando and Denver change anything relative to Kidd, who cannot begin officially talking to the Mavericks or any other teams until July 1. A lot of point guards are on the Mavericks' list, just as there were a lot of them brought in last week for workouts. That doesn't mean any of them will be on their roster in September, when training camp opens.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

NBA Draft Prospects Hit Chicago
Predraft camp -- which relocated from Orlando, Fla. -- no longer includes the playing of basketball. After years of complaints from teams that the elite prospects hardly ever attended, the element that kept them away -- the scrimmage -- was removed, and the cast of characters is almost full again.

But it's a tease, really, like seeing LeBron James sitting courtside at the dunk contest and knowing he won't participate.

Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, the consensus No. 1 pick, is here like most of the big-name prospects for the June 25 draft in New York. He will be weighed, measured, asked to jump and perform agility drills. And he will be interviewed, which is perhaps this event's most relevant aspect in its current structure. Teams can request 18 interviews, as they try to learn more about each player's mental makeup while conducting the session in a hotel room.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Walter Hermann to Play in Spain?
Free agent forward Walter Herrmann may return to Spain, according to a French-language Web site. The report said that the club Pamesa Valencia is rebuilding after losing three key players and that club president Manuel Llorente wants to bring Herrmann back.

Herrmann played four seasons in Spain after beginning his career in his native Argentina. The Pistons traded for Herrmann in December 2007 in a deal with Charlotte that helped clear the contract of center Nazr Mohammed, who had fallen into a limited role.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Magic Expect Cavs to Come Out Swinging
All Van Gundy can envision is a nightmare scenario — LeBron James reviving the Cavs to win three straight games. "This is a heckuva basketball team." Van Gundy said. "So it is going to be really difficult. I don't know how everybody else is. I don't feel like we've gotten anything done yet in this series. "I'm happy with every win, but I'm not comfortable in the least."

Magic shooting guard Mickael Pietrus said his team realizes it can't relax. "We have a lot of confidence, but 3-1 doesn't mean anything," he said. "We just have to continue working hard to keep believing we're still the underdog."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

NBA Rescinds Howard Technical
The technical foul that C Dwight Howard was assessed during the Magic's 116-14 overtime win in Game 4 Tuesday night was rescinded by the league on Wednesday, NBA spokesman Tim Frank announced.

The technical, which would have brought Howard's playoff total to six and one away from a mandated one-game suspension, was levied against Howard for taunting Cleveland F Anderson Varejao after he scored over him with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 9a97b.html

The Mavericks do not have to use any of their mid-level exception to retain Bass.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.sacbee.com/kings/story/18975 ... =Kings/NBA

NBA teams scope out draft prospects in Chicago
The NBA's Be-Careful-What-You-Wish-For event began here Wednesday, when representatives from around the league came on the scene that has changed so much since the last time around.Predraft camp – which relocated from Orlando, Fla. – no longer includes the playing of basketball. After years of complaints from teams that the elite prospects hardly ever attended, the element that kept them away – the scrimmage – was removed, and the cast of characters is almost full again.

Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, the consensus No. 1 pick, is here like most of the big-name prospects for the June 25 draft in New York. He will be weighed, measured, asked to jump and perform agility drills. And he will be interviewed, which is perhaps this event's most relevant aspect in its current structure. Teams can request 18 interviews, as they try to learn more about each player's mental makeup while conducting the session in a hotel room. Fellow top-tier playersHasheem Thabeet (7-3 center) of Connecticut, Arizona's Jordan Hill (6-10 forward), Arizona State's James Harden (6-5 shooting guard), Memphis' Tyreke Evans (6-6 point guard-shooting guard) and Syracuse's Jonny Flynn (6-foot point guard) also are slated to interview with the Kings. Among the lesser-elite requested to be interviewed by the Kings, Virginia Commonwealth's Eric Maynor (6-3 point guard), North Carolina's Ty Lawson (5-11 point guard) and Arizona's Chase Budinger (6-7 swingman).

The event itself is a must for team executives, if only because they must maximize the draft system. Teams are allowed two workouts per player; predraft camp does not count as one. Group workouts (multiple teams watching prospects in a workout) also are exempt, as long as teams observe and do not interview players. "It's another look (at the players), and it's also a chance to interview players while you're there," Petrie recently said. "Some of it will be a duplication of what we do with our own workouts."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/o ... 5354.story

Next stop on the Magic's memorable joyride: Clinching the Eastern Conference finals with one more victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They haven't experienced a close-out game of this magnitude.

Beginning tonight, the Magic will have three shots at it. All that's riding on the outcome is a berth in the NBA Finals. "You can almost taste it," Magic point guard Rafer Alston said. "We understand you have to win one more and it is not going to be easy. But for right now, I think we could taste it getting there."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/HeadlineStories.html

Will Bass, Green, Hollins Stay in Dallas?
After Jason Kidd, the Mavericks’ other key free-agent issue this summer is Brandon Bass. The Mavericks do not have to use any of their mid-level exception to retain Bass. However, they will have to tap into that exception to keep James Singleton, Ryan Hollins or Gerald Green if any of them command more than the minimum salary of about $1.1 million.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/b ... ?track=rss

NBA rescinds Dwight Howard technical
The technical foul that C Dwight Howard was assessed during the Magic's 116-14 overtime win in Game 4 Tuesday night was rescinded by the league on Wednesday, NBA spokesman Tim Frank announced.

The technical, which would have brought Howard's playoff total to six and one away from a mandated one-game suspension, was levied against Howard for taunting Cleveland F Anderson Varejao after he scored over him with 4:11 left in the third quarter. Varejao fouled Howard hard on the play and Howard let out a brief yell as the ball dropped through the basket setting up a potential three-point play.

Both Howard and Coach Stan Van Gundy voiced displeasure after the game with the original call. "When you get calls like that, I'll be honest, you do start to feel that the guy is a marked man a little bit," Van Gundy said. "The thing I didn't like about the one tonight, Varejao grabs him on the shoulders going up. To me that's a lot bigger problem than [Howard] [making noise] when he makes the basket. "I guess there is no problem grabbing a guy by the neck as he goes up in the air, but if you celebrate the basket that's a problem."

[nasty daddy]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/b ... ?track=rss

Hack away, Cleveland
After Howard was sent to the free-throw line just once in the Magic's Game 1 win over the Cavs, Cleveland Coach Mike Brown said his team would make sure Howard made more visits there the rest of the series.

Brown kept his promise, but Howard has hardly been the liability at the charity stripe the Cavs' were hoping he'd be.

Howard shot just 59.4 percent from the line during the regular season and 61.2 percent in the first two rounds. But in the conference finals he's been the most accurate of his career, hitting 27-of-38 attempts (71.1 percent).