Keepingitreal

Dwight Howard Arrives to Camp Bigger, Expects to Be Better

ORLANDO -- There is a good reason that Boston and Cleveland -- two of the three serious contenders in the Eastern Conference -- added proven big men to their roster this summer. They already know what's coming.
Magic center Dwight Howard, already the best big man in basketball, is going to be even better this season. Howard has come to training camp with another 10 pounds of muscle on his well-muscled frame, up to 275 pounds. He also believes his 59 percent free throw percentage -- his only serious flaw -- will rise to 70 percent after a summer of sharpening his shot. He expects to be both more powerful -- and more accurate.It's why the Cavs added Shaquille O'Neal and the Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace. Both are players who have given Howard problems in the past with other teams, but both are probably too old to give him serious trouble now.The Magic beat both Boston and Cleveland on their way to the NBA Finals, where they lost to the Lakers. CONTINUE READING...

Dwight Howard's Pilgrimage To Africa

NBA players are high-paid athletes with huge paychecks, but many also have big hearts. Take Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard for example. The gifted center, dubbed "Superman," joined coaches and former players in Johannesburg, South Africa, to work at the NBA-sponsored camp "Basketball Without Boarders" for teenage boys. The organization picks 60 of the best players from around the globe under 19 years old, training them against their peers. Aside from sharpening their basketball skills, the program also promotes diversity among campers, dividing the teams independent of their race, religion or nationality.

Howard didn't stop his volunteer efforts at the camp. Off the court, he took time to lay cement for a Habitat for Humanity House and planted a peach tree at Cotlands, a facility in Soweto which provides care for orphaned and sick children. "[It] was great and the kids had a lot of fun," says Howard. He really is a superman.

Listen to Howard tell you about his journey to the Motherland. Also, check out exclusive photos of the five-day trip!

Sad display by NBA king

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The tears tumbled, flooding his face and Michael Jordan had yet to march to the microphone at Symphony Hall. He had listened to the genuine stories and speeches of a remarkable class. He had watched a “This is Your Life” video compilation of his basketball genius. Everything flashed before him, a legacy that he’s fought with body and soul to never, ever let go into yesterday. Yes, Michael Jordan was still fighting it on Friday night, and maybe he always will. Mostly, he was crying over the passing of that old Jordan, and it wouldn’t be long until he climbed out of his suit and back into his uniform and shorts, back into an adolescent act that’s turned so tedious. This wasn’t a Hall of Fame induction speech, but a bully tripping nerds with lunch trays in the school cafeteria. He had a responsibility to his standing in history, to players past and present, and he let everyone down. This was a night to leave behind the petty grievances and past slights – real and imagined. This was a night to be gracious, to be generous with praise and credit. “M.J. was introduced as the greatest player ever and he’s still standing there trying to settle scores,” one Hall of Famer said privately later.

Jordan didn’t hurt his image with the NBA community, as much as he reminded them of it. “That’s who Michael is,” one high-ranking team executive said. “It wasn’t like he was out of character. There’s no one else who could’ve gotten away with what he did tonight. But it was Michael, and everyone just goes along.” Jordan wandered through an unfocused and uninspired speech at Symphony Hall, disparaging people who had little to do with his career, like Jeff Van Gundy and Bryon Russell. He ignored people who had so much to do with it, like his personal trainer, Tim Grover. This had been a moving and inspirational night for the NBA – one of its best ceremonies ever – and five minutes into Jordan’s speech it began to spiral into something else. Something unworthy of Jordan’s stature, something beneath him. Jordan spent more time pointlessly admonishing Van Gundy and Russell for crossing him with taunts a dozen years ago than he did singling out his three children. When he finally acknowledged his family, Jordan blurted, in part, to them, “I wouldn’t want to be you guys.” Well, um, thanks Dad. He meant it, too. If not the NBA, he should’ve thought of his children before he started spraying fire at everyone. No one ever feels sorry for Isiah Thomas, but Jordan tsk-tsked him and George Gervin and Magic Johnson for the 1985 All-Star game “freeze-out.” Jordan was a rookie, and the older stars decided to isolate him. It was a long time ago, and he obliterated them all for six NBA championships and five MVP trophies. Isiah and the Ice Man looked stunned, as intimidated 50 feet from the stage, as they might have been on the basketball court. The cheering and laughter egged Jordan on, but this was no public service for him. Just because he was smiling didn’t mean this speech hadn’t dissolved into a downright vicious volley. CONTINUE READING...

Shaquille O’Neal Traded to Cleveland Cavaliers

For the third time in four years, Shaquille O’Neal is on the move, rumbling across the N.B.A. landscape, forcing adjustments, reassessments and revisions from coast to coast.The Cleveland Cavaliers, in a bold stroke aimed at winning the championship, acquired O’Neal from the Phoenix Suns, in a multiplayer trade that will have ramifications across the league.O’Neal, a 15-time All-Star, will join LeBron James, the league’s reigning most valuable player, to form one of the most powerful tandems in the league. The Cavaliers were already an elite team — winning an N.B.A.-best 66 games last season — but one that was missing any star power, or reliable scoring, beyond James.That will no longer be a problem. Even at 37, O’Neal remains a fearsome threat in the low post. He averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Suns last season, played in 75 games — his highest total in four years — and was named to the all-N.B.A. third team.With O’Neal, Cleveland now has an answer to Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who bulldozed through the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals.James’s championship dreams were crushed in Game 6 of that series, and he left the arena in a deep funk, without congratulating the Magic or speaking to the news media.The depression that settled over Cleveland in late May has now cleared.The Suns and Cavaliers had been discussing parameters of a deal since before the February trading deadline. At the time, it was deemed too great a risk by the Cavaliers, given their dominant season and their enviable chemistry. What appeared like a gamble then looks essential now.Although the Suns initially held out for a better package, they settled for a deal that gives them financial relief, and little else. Phoenix will receive two marginal rotation players, the past-his-prime center Ben Wallace and the swingman Sasha Pavlovic, plus $500,000 and a future second-round pick.If the Suns waive Pavlovic, whose contract is only partially guaranteed, they can save around $9 million in salary and luxury-tax payments. They could save millions more if Wallace decides to retire and accept a buyout, a possibility he has entertained. SOURCE:NYTIMES.COM

Miami school named for Mourning over Reno

MIAMI (AP) - A new North Miami high school will be named after former NBA star Alonzo Mourning, rather than the first female U.S. Attorney General, Janet Reno.A naming committee had earlier settled on the Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High School Biscayne Bay Campus.The Miami-Dade School Board on Wednesday gave it the final OK.Mourning was a star for the Miami Heat, but it was the work he and his wife have done in local schools, including mentoring, that spurred the nomination.Reno was a longtime Miami-Dade state attorney before serving as the country's attorney general from 1993 to 2001.Many in South Florida's large Cuban-American population disagree with her order to return 6-year-old Elian Gonzalez to his father in Cuba in 2000 despite protests by his family in Miami. SOURCE:FOX NEWS

D-Wade to the Celtics in 2010?

So far, we know the top level of the 2010 free agent class — LeBron, D-Wade, Bosh, Nowitzki, Amar’e — will be taking a long look at New York and all the money and mass appeal the city has to offer, even if the team still stinks by then. We know Miami, one of the NBA’s other destination cities, will be in the mix. We know Detroit is setting itself up to be a major player in the bidding. Now we may have to add Boston to the mix. During a radio interview earlier today, Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said the franchise will have room to offer somebody a max contract next summer, that “there is a situation under which we could do that.”Looking at the team’s salary structure, Ray Allen’s $19.7 million is coming off the books in 2010, and Paul Pierce has a player-option on his $21.5 million deal. Kevin Garnett is still locked in for $18.8 million in 2010-11. And don’t forget Rajon Rondo will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2010.Assuming Boston wants to re-sign Rondo to a big-money long-term deal and that Pierce opts out to test the market, what would you do if you’re running the Celtics? Try to keep Pierce, or let him go and go for one of the other superstars? SOURCE:DIME MAGAZINE

Orlando Magic fall apart in 4th quarter, go down 3-1 to L.A. Lakers

They've taken their fans on a wild, wondrous journey since October and defied the kind of odds this postseason that gets you in Ripley's and makes Vegas blush.The Orlando Magic now will have to top their own comeback act, dipping deep into the well of improbability to drink in a championship.After falling to the Los Angeles Lakers 99-91 in a bitter overtime loss on Thursday night at Amway Arena, the Magic trail 3-1 in the NBA Finals.The Magic not only must buck history heading into Game 5 on Sunday — no team has ever rebounded from this deficit in the Finals to win the title — but they must get past perhaps an equally formidable obstacle.Kobe.Can they beat Bryant three straight times and stop the Lakers from putting on a 15th title parade?The Magic will have to win to send the series back to L.A. If they wind up starting the summer without a trophy, the chance to win a championship might have come down to two critical areas in Game 4:Dwight Howard's poor free-throw shooting and the team failing to foul while leading by three points in regulation.Howard finished with 16 points and 21 rebounds but was just 6-of-14 at the line.Lakers forward Pau Gasol dunked to trim Orlando's lead to 87-84, but Howard missed two free throws with 10.8 seconds left. All he needed was to hit one to put the game virtually out of reach. They would be big misses on a horrendous night in which the Magic missed 15 free throws (22-of-37).Bryant got the ball to Trevor Ariza up the court, who found Derek Fisher. Fisher nailed a 3-pointer over 5-foot-10 Jameer Nelson to send the game into OT, the Magic unable — or unwilling — to foul on the other end. Mickael Pietrus missed a shot at the horn."We thought 11 seconds was too early, especially the way we were shooting free throws," Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "In retrospect, we gave [Fisher] too much space to shoot the ball. We played like we were trying to protect a layup. We just didn't play Derek Fisher. SOURCE:ORLANDO SENTINEL

Orlando wins Game 3, 108-104

Couldn't blame them if they spilled confetti on the floor a little too early.After all, the Orlando Magic waited all of their 20 years for their first NBA Finals victory.Even though a few more milliseconds were put back on the clock and players were kicking up the shiny ticker-tape, the Magic were not about to be denied Tuesday night.The Magic held off the Los Angeles Lakers 108-104 in front of a frenzied sell-out crowd at Amway Arena.They not only slowed the Lakers' parade planners and made Kobe Bryant look mortal, but the Magic jumped back into the best-of-seven series, trimming L.A.'s lead to 2-1.The Magic at last won a game in the NBA Finals after seven tries, and this one meant more to the present than the past.They not only found their shooting touch after going cold in L.A. --- 29.9 percent in Game 1 and 41.8 in Game 2 --- the Magic set an NBA Finals record 62.5 percent (40-of-84).They also held off a Lakers' charge after building a nine-point fourth-period lead."I've said it throughout the season and throughout these playoffs," Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy said. "The one thing that you can't question about our team is their resilience in situations like that, whether it's from game to game, minute to minute… our team will keep playing."Strangely enough, Bryant ended up wearing rare goat-horns, missing a free throw with the Lakers trailing by three and then turning over the ball, dribbling it off his foot.Pau Gasol picked up the loose ball, but Mickael Pietrus stole it and was fouled, hitting two free throws with 28.7 seconds left.Bryant it a lay-up with .5 seconds left, and the Lakers fouled Rashard Lewis. The clock read no time left and confetti started raining from the rafters. Hold the phone. Officials reinstituted 0.2 seconds, but Lewis made it academic hitting both free throws.Bryant led all scorers with 31 points, but the Magic had the balamce, with five players scoring at least 18.Dwight Howard rebounded with 21 points and 14 boards, Lewis added 21 and point guard Rafer Alston finished with 20 after jump-starting the Magic. Pietrus and Hedo Turkoglu each had 18."We were taking better shots tonight," Howard said. "We didn't rush. We attacked. That allowed us to get some easier shots. Instead of us shooting the ball with a big guy --- Lamar Odom --- or Gasol in our face, we did a good job of getting to the rim. Skip (Alston) did a good job of attacking and allowing guys to get open for free shots."The win was particularly uplifting for Alston. Alston was basically benched along with Jameer Nelson by Van Gundy in Game 2 as the Magic played down the stretch with no point guards. Alston had also complained after a poor shooting effort in Game 1 that Nelson's return had disrupted his flow. CONTINUE READING..

LAKERS 101, ORLANDO 96

The game hopped in and out of the Lakers' grasp, off to a staggeringly slow start but a quarter-inch from ending in Orlando's favor before the Lakers tucked away a victory, sighing heavily when it all finally ended.It wasn't beautiful, and it certainly wasn't Kobe Bryant's night, but Game 2 of the NBA Finals belonged to the Lakers after a 101-96 overtime victory Sunday against the Magic.Lamar Odom, bad back and everything, was an important part of it, and struggling veteran Derek Fisher had a big steal in overtime of a game in which Bryant had 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting but also committed seven turnovers.The Lakers lead the series, 2-0, though it could have easily been tied at 1-1 if Courtney Lee's layup attempt off a lob pass from Hedo Turkoglu had hit the inside of the rim and fallen through instead of bouncing off the outer part as regulation expired.There were 23 lead changes and 21 ties, and any Lakers fan who left Staples Center without feeling a little bit drained must have been one of the newer bandwagon types.After it ended, and the Lakers had exhaustingly moved another step toward their first championship since 2002, Bryant continued to show a stern demeanor, accurately signaling the Lakers' mind-set in the wake of a near-loss at home."What's there to be happy about?" he said. "The job is not finished. Is the job finished? I don't think so."The math doesn't look good for the Magic. Only 14 NBA teams in 222 tries have ever come back from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven series. That's only a 6.3% success rate.The next three games, assuming they're all necessary, will be in Orlando, starting Tuesday with Game 3.That the Magic won't be going home with a split at Staples Center came down to the simplest of physics.With 0.6 seconds left in regulation and the score tied at 88-88, Lee almost converted a well-executed inbounds play.Turkoglu, inbounding from the right side, found Lee open on a cut down the left side after Bryant was erased up top on a Rashard Lewis screen.Lee's layup attempt caromed a bit too hard off the backboard, energy that transferred to the ball's bouncing off the front of the rim."Honestly, it was just a brilliant play," Bryant said.

Kobe scores 40 as Lakers roll

Kobe Bryant pounded his dribble the way he does when the game has come down to its final shot and its fate is in his hands. He whipped a dribble between his legs, backed in a few steps closer, then spun into the lane, hung in the air, drilled a line drive in through a foul and marched to the line snarling as if to announce again that he was hungry for much more. There were 15 minutes left to play. But Bryant had grabbed Game 1 of the NBA Finals as surely as if he had hit a last-second shot, driving the Los Angeles Lakers past the Orlando Magic 100-75 on Thursday, with his most prolific-scoring game ever in the Finals. "I just want it so bad, that's all," Bryant said. "I just want it really bad. You just put everything you have into the game, and your emotions kind of flow out of you. "It's a bit of everything. It's a lot of motivation. I'm using it all right now." Bryant started slowly, then ran the Magic off the floor, scoring 40 points, adding eight rebounds and eight assists. Beginning when he returned to the game with 8:40 left in the first half, with the Magic holding a five-point lead, to when he took a seat for the start of the fourth, Bryant took control of the game and did not let it go. In that stretch, he made 12 of 20 shots, scored 30 points, set up 14 more and helped the Lakers build a lead that reached 26 points in the third quarter. Just 3-for-9 when he returned to the floor in the second quarter, Bryant hit his next five shots, all tough jumpers, and either scored or set up 21 of the Lakers' last 23 points of the half, including the drive he finished a half-second before the buzzer. "Offensively there isn't anything that he can't do," said teammate Lamar Odom, who had 11 points and 14 rebounds. "If he's serious before the game, if he's talkative or playful, with him it doesn't matter. We understand how much he wants this, how bad he wants to win this championship. We all want it. Of course Kobe is a focused person. He's ready. He's prepared." He had 18 in the third quarter to blow the game open, adding four in the fourth quarter with the win long-since certain. "He had the smell," said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who is 43-0 when winning the first game of a playoff series. "He found kind of the angle, what he wanted to do out there on the floor, and carried that game into the second half, just carried the game his way." CONTINUE READING..

LeBron should know respect is not a one-way street

LeBron James knows how to shake hands. It shouldn't be that hard to remember when. After losing a playoff series, for instance, no matter how much of a ``competitor'' you fancy yourself. For one thing, you're done competing. For another, it doesn't require much effort, or sincerity. If sportsmanship isn't motivation enough, and whatever friendships you've forged on the other side aren't important enough, then how about just to show some respect?Lord knows, James gets his share.Let's be clear: For the most part, James has been a model citizen. He's polite, accessible, generous with his time and money, and plays hard every night. Now 24, he's handled the spotlight and the comparisons to Michael Jordan since his junior year of high school with poise, and without the benefit of even one year on a college campus, let alone with somebody like Dean Smith - who mentored Jordan at North Carolina - in his corner.Even so, a little more maturity was in order Saturday night. In the seconds after the Magic eliminated his Cavaliers, James had the good sense on his rush toward the exit to stop and shake hands with all-time NBA great Oscar Robertson, who, coincidentally, was walking onto the floor to present the Eastern Conference trophy to Orlando.But that was it.James left without saying a word and his explanation a day later was more awkward still.``It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them. I mean, I'm a winner. That's not being a poor sport or anything like that,'' he told reporters back at the team's facility Sunday in Cleveland. ``Somebody beat you up, you're not going to congratulate them on beating you up.``I'm a competitor,'' he added. ``That's what I do. It don't make sense to me to go up and shake somebody's hand.''It has, though, for generations of ballplayers, including a lucky few who were every bit as gifted as James, and dozens more whose trophy collections James will need plenty of luck to match.Jordan, to name one, made a point of shaking the hands of the Pistons' self-styled ``Bad Boys'' every time they knocked his less-talented Bulls out of the Eastern  Conference playoffs early in his pro career, in much the same situation James finds himself now. His best was good enough to drag an average team through the regular season and into the playoffs. But against the best teams, trying to win a championship single-handedly too often turned his teammates into, well, witnesses.``Four other guys standing around waiting for something to happen,'' Jordan conceded just before the Bulls finally broke through, ``isn't going to do anybody any good.''Oddly enough, Jordan never got the hand shakes returned. After the Bulls beat Detroit en route to their first title in 1991, the Pistons' trio of Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer and Mark Aguirre walked off the court near the end of the game in a deliberate snub. Jordan responded to the slight by making sure the Pistons never got by him again.Whether Dwight Howard responds the same way remains to be seen. Though he said he understood why James left the court without a word, if anyone earned a handshake and the measure of respect that goes with it, that guy was Howard.The Magic center was a teammate on last summer's U.S. Olympic squad and he looks more and more like a force to be reckoned with for years to come. Howard came into the league less polished and his game isn't as showy, but he's the same age as James and he's already mastered the toughest lesson about being a star - making everyone around him better.When asked about LeBron's disappearing act, Howard said he received a congratulatory, late-night e-mail and didn't sound too vexed.``I just thought he would have said something to me, or said something to the team. He's probably upset, probably hurt and understand that, respect it. One day we'll see each other,'' he said, ``and I'll have to wait until then.''But in the next moment, asked whether he was surprised, Howard barely hesitated.``Real surprised,'' he said.No one competes in a sport to make excuses or concession speeches. But being able to make a passable one - even if it's just muttering ``well done'' in a handshake line -What James did offended old-school sensibilities, to be sure, but it also sent the wrong message to the guys playing against and especially alongside him at the moment. If that's his idea of leadership, he's headed in the wrong direction. SOURCE:AP

Orlando Magic beat LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers to reach NBA Finals

They're back from the basketball dead. Fourteen long and frustrating years since making their first NBA Finals appearance — just six years removed from posting the league's worst record — the Orlando Magic are returning for a shot at the championship. The Magic earned a trip to face the Los Angeles Lakers for the title by winning the Eastern Conference finals, ousting the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90 in Game 6 on Saturday night atAmway Arena. The NBA Finals opens in L.A. at Staples Center on Thursday night."It would be so great to get a trophy for Rich," Magic President Bob Vander Weide said, speaking of team owner Rich DeVos, 82. Orlando made it to the title round in 1995, but was swept by the Houston Rockets in four games. The Magic were led by young superstar center Shaquille O'Nealback then. And their return to those glory days is fueled now by young superstar center Dwight Howard, who scored 40 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to spare the Magic from playing a Game 7 in Cleveland on Monday night. Two summers ago, Howard — the No. 1 draft pick in 2004 the Magic received after compiling a league-worst 21-61 record — predicted the Magic would win a title."Everybody laughed," Howard said. "I mean everyone."And last summer, when Howard joined Cavs megastar LeBron Jamesand others on the gold-medal winning Olympic team, Howard was greeted with similar reactions when he talked up the Magic."They all said, 'Yeah, right, Dwight," he recalls. Dwight was right. The Magic rode Howard and super sub Mickael Pietrus' 14 points, hit timely 3-pointers and kept LeBron (25 points) from ruining their dream. So long LeBron, hello Kobe. The Magic closed out the Cavs 4-2 in the best-of-seven series, completing a remarkable playoff run along to reach L.A. SOURCE:ORLANDO SENTINEL

Lakers win Game 6 over Lakers 119 Nuggets 92

In a season of redemption, where the Lakers decided from day one to finish off what they couldn't a year ago, another authoritative step was taken toward an NBA championship. Those who questioned the Lakers' resolve were quieted. Those who wondered if they were too fatigued now know the answer.Those who didn't think the Lakers could handle the physical, unpredictable Denver Nuggets witnessed a thorough 119-92 series-clinching victory in Game 6 of the Western Conference finals Friday at Pepsi Center. Game 1 of the NBA Finals begins Thursday against either Orlando or Cleveland. The Lakers went 2-0 against Cleveland and 0-2 against Orlando in the regular season, but they would have home-court advantage against Orlando. Kobe Bryant had 35 points and 10 assists in a dominant effort Friday that brought home the franchise's 30th conference championship. James Worthy then handed a silver trophy to Lakers General Manger Mitch Kupchak, amid a reaction by the players that would be called appreciative rather than excitable or declarative.Once they were done with the brief ceremony, the Lakers removed the T-shirts and caps that proclaimed them conference champions. Andrew Bynum, who missed this part last season because of a knee injury, was the only one who wore his new merchandise out to the team bus. The victory marked the second consecutive time the Lakers advanced to the NBA Finals, though they never came home with the Larry O'Brien trophy last season, losing to Boston in six games. "It's good to be here, but it's not our goal," said forward Trevor Ariza, who had 17 points on seven-for-nine shooting. "It was just a step. I know we'll be happy when we get that ring." There were plenty who weren't sure the Lakers would have a chance after they sleepwalked their way through a seven-game series against Houston in the conference semifinals. But they took everything the Nuggets threw at them -- flagrant fouls, technical fouls and a maze of tattoos and attitude -- and emerged relatively unscathed. Bryant said this playoff journey through the West, which took 18 games, wasn't comparable to last season's breezy stroll that required only 15."Much, much tougher," he said. "Much more physical. Mentally challenging for us. But we gained valuable experience, went through a roller coaster of emotions." CONTINUE READING..

Lakers win Game 5 over Nuggets 94 Lakers 103

The Lakers are one win away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.The Denver Nuggets are one loss away from going on vacation.For three quarters tonight in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals at Staples Center, the Lakers and Nuggets played it even, ending all three with a tie score. But in the fourth quarter, the Lakers took control, pulling away for a 103-94 victory over the Nuggets and a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. The Nuggets can keep their hopes alive by winning Game 6 at the Pepsi Center on Friday night.If the Nuggets win, they'll meet the Lakers here Sunday evening for a winner-take-all Game 7. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 22 points and eight assists. Lamar Odom had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony had 31 points for the Nuggets, but he was just nine-for-23 shooting from the field. The Lakers had an 11-point, fourth-quarter lead trimmed to 93-89 with more than two minutes to play and then to 96-91 with 1:20 left on a basket by Anthony. Though the Lakers were struggling to keep their heads above water, they didn't go all the way under. Bryant found Odom down low for a layup. Odom was fouled as he scored and made the ensuing free throw for a 99-91 Lakers lead. Bryant made two free throws for a 101-91 lead that sealed the game. When winning Game 5 of a best-of-seven series, the Lakers have a 39-7 record. Since leaving the ABA after the 1975-76 season, the Nuggets have never played in the NBA Finals. In fact, the Nuggets have played for a professional basketball title just once, in '75-'76, for the ABA championship. And the Nuggets lost. The Nuggets, known for losing their composure, lost it early in the fourth quarter. Nene was called for an offensive foul with 9:33 left, his fifth foul. As he walked to the bench during a timeout, Nene was called for a technical foul. Nene eventually fouled out with 4:02 left on a blocking foul against Pau Gasol. SOURCE: LATIMES.COM

Magic beat Cavs in overtime to take 3-1 series lead

Appropriately enough, a living, breathing 7-foot timeline of the franchise's past and present sat a few feet from the court. The Orlando Magic crept within one victory on Tuesday night of making it to the NBA Finals, their first appearance since a certain onlooker named Shaquille O'Neal led the team to the title round in 1995. In a fiercely played game, the Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-114 in overtime at Amway Arena to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.The Magic now have three chances to end the club's 13-year dry spell, much of it coming after Shaq exited as a free agent a year after being swept in the title round by the Houston Rockets.The Magic seized home-court advantage from the top-seeded Cavs in Game 1, and can oust them from the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Thursday night at Quickens Loan Arena. A loss to Cleveland would have tied the series at 2-2, giving the Cavs two of three remaining games at home. Ousting LeBron James won't be easy. He will not go quietly, probably placing little stock in this historical trend that says this thing's over: Teams that go ahead 3-1 in seven-game series have advanced 95.6 percent of the time.
After Rashard Lewis made just 1 of 2 free throws for a 116-114 lead with 3.2 seconds on the clock, James tried to duplicate his Game 2 heroics, but this 3-pointer at the buzzer missed. Orlando went ahead 109-105 on Mickael Pietrus' 3-pointer and by six with 1:12 left on Dwight Howard's follow of Hedo Turkoglu's missed drive. But James hit a lay-up and, with 39.3 seconds to play, two more free throws to trim the Magic's led to 111-109. Howard then hit two free throws with 21 seconds left and Lewis added two more with 6.4 ticks remaining for 115-11 lead as the Magic held off any LeBron brilliance. With the Magic trailing 98-97 in regulation, Rashard Lewis, struggling all game, drilled a 3-point with 6.4 seconds left for a 100-98 lead. James took the ball with 4.1 seconds remaining, and went down after tangling with Pietrus, giving James two free throws with .5 seconds left. James made them both --- the second one hopping out and then back in – to send Game 4 into OT. The Cavs trailed by eight early in the final period, but stormed back with their season teetering. LeBron drove in for a dunk to cut it to one. The Cavs then fouled Dwight Howard, who made 1 of 2. After Delonte West drove on Howard for a lay-up to tie it at 97, Magic point guard Rafer Alston misfired. LeBron was fouled and hit just 1 of 2, but it gave Cleveland a 98-97 lead with 1:05 remaining. Pietrus then missed from the corner, but a floor-burn scramble between Howard and West resulted in Orlando gaining possession with 6.4 seconds left. James hit three free throws and a bucket after West's basket to make it 93-90 with just under five minutes left. CONTINUE READING..

Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter dies after apparently hanging herself on a dangling cord

PHOENIX (AP) -- The 4-year-old daughter of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson died Tuesday, a day after what police called a "tragic accident" in her home. Phoenix police spokesman Andy Hill said Exodus Tyson was pronounced dead in a hospital just before noon. Police said the girl was playing on a treadmill Monday in her central Phoenix home when she either slipped or put her head in the loop of a cord hanging under the console. Exodus' 7-year-old brother found her and told their mother, who was in another room. She took Exodus off the cord, called 911 and tried to revive her. Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on Exodus as they took her to the hospital, where she had been listed in critical condition since Monday.Tyson was in Las Vegas at the time of the accident and flew Monday to Phoenix, where he was seen entering the hospital. Cynthia Schwartz, a spokeswoman for Tyson, said the family would release a statement Tuesday evening. They had not made any funeral arrangements, she said. Hill said it was unclear whether an autopsy would be performed.

Howard and Magic muscle past Cavs

CLEVELAND - Dwight Howard made time stand still.Howard broke the 24-second clock and then helped the Orlando Magic do something seemingly even more impossible--- beating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.Trailing by as many as 16 points in the first half and 12 in the third period, the Magic put together a scrapbook comeback, winning Game 1 107-106 on Wednesday night to open the Eastern Conference Finals.You thought the Game 7 win at Boston to oust the Celtics was something?The Magic handed the steam-rolling Cavs with their first loss of the postseason, weathering James' 49-point masterpiece to steal home-court advantage from the team that posted the league's best record at home (39-2).The Magic, trailing 106-104 on James' 3-point play with 25.6 seconds left, went ahead 107-106 on a 3-pointer by Rashard Lewis with 14.7 seconds left.Cavs guard Delonte West missed a 3-pointer, and with one second left, a wild scramble resulted in a jump-ball between James and Hedo Turkoglu. James batted it out to Mo Williams, who barely missed a desperation shot.West had given the Cavs drilled a 3-pointer with 40.8 seconds left for a 103-102 lead until Lewis answered with a jumper to put Orlando ahead 104-103.James limped off the floor, his right knee bleeding and apparently was suffering from cramps. Or shock. SOURCE:ORLANDO SENTINEL

Lakers pull out victory over Nuggets

The Lakers traded for Trevor Ariza a year and a half ago, a move that was viewed with raised eyebrows in the locker room because two popular players were sent away. He was young, untested and an NBA unknown when he arrived, but it's now safe to say Ariza has plenty of friends, especially after making in-game amends with the biggest defensive play of the Lakers' still-evolving season.

The troubles Ariza had in guarding Carmelo Anthony were whisked away with his burst to the ball as Denver guard Anthony Carter inbounded it from the left side with 30.5 seconds left to play. There was a little too much loft on the pass, Ariza was a little too fast in ripping the ball away before it got to Chauncey Billups, and the Lakers were a little too good for the Nuggets in taking Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, 105-103, Tuesday at Staples Center. Kobe Bryant had 40 points, six rebounds and four assists, but the play of the game went to the player with only six points. Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Thursday, also at Staples Center.Ariza was the primary culprit in surrendering 39 points to Carmelo Anthony (14-for-20 shooting), but he protected a 101-99 Lakers lead with his third steal of the game. "That was a huge play for us," said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, usually not one to use superlatives, though Ariza's effort probably warranted such an assessment. Always one to downplay his achievements, the low-key Ariza said Bryant should be credited for his defense on Anthony on the inbounds play, forcing Carter to try to lob the ball to Billups before the referees could call a five-second count. Then Ariza gave the equivalent of a verbal shrug. "He threw the ball with enough air for me to get it," Ariza said. "That's all." The Lakers had shrugged and stammered their way through a seven-game series against Houston in the West semifinals, but they stood strong in the fourth quarter against Denver. Trailing by two when it began, the Lakers rode Bryant's scoring flurry in the final 12 minutes. He had 18 points in the quarter, making four of five shots and all nine free-throw attempts. SOURCE:LATIMES.COM

Warriors make it officialTeam won't renew exec's contract; set to hire Riley as GM

Chris Mullin's run as the Warriors' top basketball executive is officially over.Golden State announced Monday that Mullin, as widely anticipated, would not be retained as vice president once his contract expires at the end of June.Instead, Mullin will remain under contract - and presumably, in the shadows - while assistant Larry Riley takes the reins and is introduced as general manager today."It's never an easy decision to make a change," Warriors President Robert Rowell said in a statement. "This case is compounded by the fact it involves Chris Mullin - someone who has provided Bay Area fans with many great memories over the years, as both a player and executive. He's a class individual who will always be remembered for his accomplishments with the Warriors' organization."Mullin could not be reached for comment - Riley will be available at a news conference today - but couldn't have been caught off-guard by Monday's moves, which were more a formality than anything else after a year of moving-and-shaking in the front office.Mullin fell out of Rowell's favor following disagreements on several high-profile issues last summer - namely, the punishment for Monta Ellis' moped accident and negotiations for Baron Davis' contract extension.Rowell then signed coach Don Nelson and swingman Stephen Jackson to huge contract extensions while letting Mullin enter a lame-duck season. Rowell then fired Mullin's right-hand man, assistant GM Pete D'Alessandro, shortly after the season began and replaced him with Riley, a longtime Nelson confidant.

Lakers even series in rough game: LAKERS 111, HOUSTON 98

It took a while, about a game and a half, but the Lakers finally checked into their playoff series with the Houston Rockets, carrying several intriguing elements with them, including the one with the greatest importance -- an attitude. When the final technical fouls had been assessed, and all the ejections sorted out, the Lakers had beaten back the Rockets, 111-98, evening up their best-of-seven series at 1-1. Kobe Bryant had 40 points, Pau Gasol added 22 and 14 rebounds, and the Lakers stood up to the Rockets on Wednesday at Staples Center, displaying a swagger and toughness that had been noticeably lacking in their first six playoff games. Derek Fisher was ejected, as was Ron Artest, and it would be an understatement to say Games 3 and 4 in Houston might have a subplot or two.

On one hand, the Lakers lost another large lead in Game 2, squandering a 15-point first-quarter advantage to find themselves tied at halftime. On the other hand, there was the presence of a drive, perhaps even an anger, that had eluded them in the playoffs. Near the end of the third quarter, Lamar Odom was fouled by Luis Scola, said a few words to the Rockets forward and walked away. Luke Walton then jumped in and went face-to-face with Scola until their, uh, conversation was broken up by referees. On the Rockets' next possession, Fisher was ejected for throwing an elbow as Scola came to set a screen on him near the top of the key. Fisher was called for a flagrant foul "two" and ejected from the game. The league will review the incident today and determine if Fisher will be suspended for Game 3. The Lakers led at the time, 86-75, with 13.2 seconds left in the third quarter. Fisher said he should not have been ejected and hoped he would not be suspended for Game 2. He then said that Houston's big men had been setting tougher-than-usual screens, including Scola. "He, Yao and [Carl] Landry ... for some reason they get to tee off on the little guys up there when they're coming to set screens," Fisher said. "I knew he was coming. I was going to give a good, hard foul, with no intent to harm or injure anyone." SOURCE:LATIMES.COM