A closer look at a big night for Brandon Bass, who ate well because Rajon Rondo kept feeding him (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:05 PDT)
With injuries reducing Ray Allen to a shell of his former self and the combination of pain and enveloping Philadelphia 76ers defense limiting Paul Pierce to just 38 percent shooting from the floor through four games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Boston Celtics needed another source of offense to alleviate the pressure on primary scorer Kevin Garnett and primary facilitator Rajon Rondo if they were to take a series lead over the Sixers on their home court in Game 5. On Monday night, that source was Brandon Bass, who exploded for a season-high 27 points and six rebounds in a 101-85 win that gave Boston a 3-2 edge and put Philly on the brink of elimination as they head back to Pennsylvania for Game 6 Wednesday night. After the biggest performance of his seven-year NBA career — his 27 points matched a career high and set a new postseason high-water mark — the former LSU standout credited the attention drawn by his better-billed teammates for giving him the chance to operate. From Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press : ''We've got a few good players on the team that they had to focus on,'' said Bass, who left the game to a standing ovation with 2 minutes left and Boston leading by 18. ''That left me open, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunity.'' That was especially true during a third-quarter explosion that saw Bass hit 6 of 7 field-goal attempts and make all six of his free throws for a total of 18 points. That's the highest-scoring quarter for a single player this postseason and, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted , just the fifth time a player has scored at least 15 points in one frame during these playoffs, putting Bass alongside LeBron James (who scored 17 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the New York Knicks and 16 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers), Tony Parker (16 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Utah Jazz) and the man for whom Bass was traded this past offseason, Glen Davis (16 in the second quarter of Game 3 against the Pacers). It was an amazing effort at an absolute must-have moment by Bass, and it was also one orchestrated pretty deftly by Rondo, the Celtics' point guard and floor general, who repeatedly put Bass in position to make his monstrous contributions.

Oklahoma City Thunder Vs. San Antonio Spurs Playoff Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 23:49:00 PDT)
The 2012 Western Conference finals will begin on Sunday, May 27, setting up what could become an epic series between two completely different teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs playoff series pits a team of up-and-coming stars against a team of savvy veterans, likely giving NBA fans a very exciting match-up.

Spurs flirting with history on 18-game streak (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 23:19:06 PDT)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) Eighteen wins in a row, and eight more victories to go.

NBA roundup: Orlando fires coach Van Gundy, GM Smith (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 15:30:20 PDT)
The Orlando Magic said so long to coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith on Monday.

Spurs sweep Clippers to extend NBA win streak
(Mon, 21 May 2012 00:31:19 PDT)
San Antonio continue to run roughshod across the NBA, completing their second-straight four-game series sweep in the postseason by beating the Los Angeles Clippers 102-99 in game four.

Spurs sweep Clippers, advance to West finals
(Sun, 20 May 2012 23:39:37 PDT)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs steamrolled into the NBA Western Conference finals after a 102-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday gave them a clean sweep of their seven-game series.

Lakers-Thunder Preview (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 20 May 2012 16:14:29 PDT)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) After chasing championships for so many years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher now finds himself standing squarely in their way.

Longtime Laker Fisher near vanquishing old team (The Associated Press)
(Sun, 20 May 2012 16:11:14 PDT)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) After chasing championships for so many years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Derek Fisher now finds himself standing squarely in their way.

The Spurs’ 15-game winning streak: A look inside the numbers (Ball Don't Lie)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 10:45:53 PDT)
One night after the Oklahoma City Thunder convinced a lot of people that they were the team to beat in the Western Conference by walloping the Los Angeles Lakers , the San Antonio Spurs offered their retort: A measured, professional destruction of the Los Angeles Clippers. In the 108-92 Game 1 win, the Spurs made perhaps the best point guard in the world look ordinary. They choked off Chris Paul's patented pick-and-roll game, eliminating his outlet options and forcing him to take contested shots, harassing him into a 3-for-13 showing, five turnovers and his lowest point total since Feb. 4 . Without its primary weapon, Vinny Del Negro's team became a half-dimensional one-on-one team, and the results — 92 points, a 7-of-17 shooting performance by Blake Griffin, barely any offensive spark to speak of (save for the excellent bench play of Eric Bledsoe) — spoke for themselves. On the other end, San Antonio calmly got just about whatever it wanted, wherever it wanted. Of the Spurs' 80 field-goal attempts in Game 1, 65 came either in the paint or from 3-point range, according to NBA.com's shot location statistics , and they made 32 of them (52.3 percent), including a shattering 13-of-25 mark from beyond the arc. That pushes their postseason success rate on long balls to 43.4 percent; the next most accurate team from distance, the Thunder, has hit 38.6 percent . To do all that on a night where point guard Tony Parker — who carved up the Utah Jazz in the opening round (21 points on 50 percent shooting and 6.5 assists in 32.8 minutes per game in the sweep) — missed 8 of 9 shots, scored just seven points and turned it over nine times in 38 minutes? That's pretty impressive. Also impressive: The win was San Antonio's 15th straight. (As BDL editor emeritus/TBJ co-host J.E. Skeets noted Tuesday night , it's also the Spurs' 28th in their last 30 games and 43rd in their last 50.) They haven't lost since a 14-point defeat at the hands of the Lakers on April 11 — that was 35 days ago . But it's not only that they've been winning; it's the way they've been winning. Just how good has Gregg Popovich's team been during its rampaging run? Let's take a look inside the numbers.

Duncan dominates as Spurs win game one
(Wed, 16 May 2012 06:52:09 PDT)
Tim Duncan finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio cruised past the Los Angeles Clippers 108-92 in game one of the Western Conference semi-finals on Tuesday, extending the Spurs' win streak to 15 games.

No beats were missed in Spurs' Game 1 victory (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 23:30:09 PDT)
The San Antonio Spurs picked up right where they left in sweeping Utah by picking apart the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals Tuesday night.

LeBron James wins 2012 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award (NBA)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 13:41:53 PDT)
LeBron James wins 2012 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player Award

NBA MVP Award Winners (NBA)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 11:08:00 PDT)
NBA MVP Award Winners

‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers (Ball Don't Lie)
(Sat, 12 May 2012 09:15:10 PDT)
For every postseason matchup, Ball Don't Lie's resident dummy will offer a topically appropriate entry from the best-selling series of "Deep Thoughts" books written by legendary humorist Jack Handey, plus some of his own original thoughts on the playoff series. The combination will cost you literally nothing; we suggest you use the savings to purchase one of Mr. Handey's life-changing books . No. 2 Miami Heat vs. No. 3 Indiana Pacers

Resting Spurs in no rush to start West semifinals (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 09 May 2012 16:11:12 PDT)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) The San Antonio Spurs fretted all season about not getting enough rest.

Jazz reach goal yet not satisfied with playoff run (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 17:07:10 PDT)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) As the seconds ticked down Monday in Game 4 of what would be a first-round playoff sweep, Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors cursed all the way off the court.

Jazz guard Bell blasts Corbin as 'unprofessional' (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 15:36:24 PDT)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Guard Raja Bell cleaned out his locker Tuesday then pronounced his career with the Utah Jazz over, calling the damage ''irreparable'' and ripping coach Tyrone Corbin as ''unprofessional'' because of a lack of communication.

NBA roundup: Woodson denies report Knicks initiated talks to keep him (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 15:30:18 PDT)
The New York Knicks have "initiated talks" to keep Mike Woodson as head coach, according to a report in the New York Daily News, though Woodson denied that any discussions have begun.

Spurs steamroll into West semis on 14-game streak (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 14:58:34 PDT)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) No early playoff collapse this time. No skeptics doubting whether they're really the caliber of a No. 1 seed. No injuries to overcome.

The 10-man rotation, starring Shawn Kemp’s attempt at Shakespeare (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 13:25:23 PDT)
A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out. C : SLAM Online . Shawn Kemp and Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley approximate a scene from 'The Taming of the Shrew,' because that's exactly what you'd thought you'd see on a basketball blog in the second week of May. PF : Salt Lake City Tribune . Some of Utah's worst shooters are not happy with Ty Corbin. SF : Posting and Toasting . Mike Woodson confirms that Jeremy Lin is out for the entire series. Thank you. SG : Celtics Hub . For once, the Celtics aren't the team coughing it up. PG : TBJ . Everyone mispronounces Paul Jesol's name. Weirdos.

Jamaal Tinsley caps a nice career turnaround with a classy note on Twitter (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 12:40:51 PDT)
Four years ago, at around this time, Jamaal Tinsley was coming off a season that saw him play fewer than half the games his lottery-bound Indiana Pacers participated in due to injury woes. He shot well under 40 percent for the second straight year, and his sluggish play inspired the team to send former All-Star center Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto for point guard T.J. Ford on draft night to replace Tinsley as a starter. A few months later, with the 2008-09 season about to begin, Tinsley was kindly asked by the Pacers to stay away from the team, while they figured out how to either trade or release him. Between that impasse and Tinsley's re-emergence with the Memphis Grizzlies, the one-time All-Rookie team member wouldn't play a second of NBA basketball for 21 1/2 months. Fast forward to May of 2012, and Tinsley … well, he's still shooting way under 40 percent, in the playoffs at least. He's 34 now, and his Utah Jazz were just swept from the playoffs, and it's possible he's played his last NBA game. Still — he's going out as a professional this time around, as evidenced by the tweet he sent out on Monday night following his team's elimination :

Gregg Popovich hates all this winning, ‘scared to death’ as Spurs advance (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 08 May 2012 08:30:51 PDT)
The San Antonio Spurs eliminated the Utah Jazz on Monday night, finishing off a four-game sweep that pushed them one step closer to making Al Jefferson look like a prophet . As Kelly Dwyer wrote after the game, the Spurs are on a hellacious run right now, having won 14 straight games stretching back to April 12 , and 25 of their last 27 going back to March 21 , with 17 of those wins coming by double figures. It actually goes even deeper, as SB Nation's Mike Prada wrote Tuesday morning — they're 28-4 since March 9 and a whopping 30-5 since March 1. It's not like they've just been knocking over tomato cans, either; while all five San Antonio losses in the last two-plus months have come against playoff teams (one each to the Jazz, Nuggets, Clippers, Mavericks and Lakers), so have 15 of the wins (one each on the Knicks, Magic, Thunder, Mavs, 76ers, Pacers, Celtics and Grizzlies, two over the Lakers and, of course, five against the Jazz). That run of form, plus the go-go offensive system and 10-deep crew that have fueled it, have some thinking that the  steady-as-she-goes Spurs are the team to beat in this chaotic postseason. And that idea really, really bothers Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, as you can see in his response to the final question of his postgame press conference in the clip above. "How confident are you going into the next round and, potentially, winning a championship?" the reporter asked. "As usual, scared to death," Popovich replied.