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NBA Capsules: Dallas' Dampier ready if Spurs keep fouling him
DALLAS — Sweat dripping, arms getting heavy, Erick Dampier lined up yet another free throw. Feet set, eyes on the rim, he flicked the ball toward the rim for the 150th and final time Monday. He walked away with make No. 140.
Sure, this was only practice, the seats empty and the scoreboard off. Still, it's an indication that Dampier will be ready if the San Antonio Spurs again decide their best defense against the Dallas Mavericks is sending the big guy to the foul line.
"I think it's great," Dampier said. "I think they should do it again."
On Sunday night, in Game 1 of their first-round series, San Antonio was so frustrated trying to stop Dirk Nowitzki that late in the third quarter Spurs coach Gregg Popovich sent in Roger Mason with orders to foul Dampier as soon as possible. Three seconds later, he did — before Dallas even crossed midcourt.
Dampier had badly missed a pair of free throws earlier in the quarter and missed the second of these. So the next time the Mavs had the ball, Mason whacked Dampier again. Again, he made the first, missed the second. Five seconds into Dallas' next possession, Mason made sure the whistle blew again.
Fans finally figured out what was going on and began to boo. Then Dampier made both free throws and they broke into cheers. The shots put the Mavs up by six, two more than when this ploy began. Dallas ended up winning by six, as well.
"We knew exactly what they were doing after they did it a couple of times in a row," Dampier said. "So it was just up to me to step up, and I stepped to the line and knocked them down. I've just got to be ready to make those free throws."
Dampier finished the night 5 of 12 from the line, so he figured his stroke needed some refining before Game 2 Wednesday night. That's why he spent most of the Dallas' light workout Monday at the foul line, with the team's free-throw coach, Gary Boren, nearby.
"I normally shoot free throws a lot better than what I shot last night," said Dampier, who made 60.5 percent of his free throws this season and 62.7 percent over his 14-year career. "Good thing about it is there's always a second night. I'll get another chance to knock them down."
Popovich is a disciple of former Mavs coach Don Nelson, who introduced the Hack-a-Shaq strategy of fouling Shaquille O'Neal instead of letting him throw down dunk after dunk. The Hack-a-Damp was a bit of twist on that since the point was to get the ball away from Nowitzki on a night when he made 12 of 14 shots and scored 32 of his 36 points through three quarters.
"I was surprised," Nowitzki said. "But I think Pop is just like Nellie. You have to be ready for everything. He doesn't care what anybody thinks or says."
Dampier is likely to remain a pivotal player in this series, and not just for his free throws. It's because as Dallas' starting center, he is the first line of defense against Tim Duncan. Dampier and Brendan Haywood were praised by coach Rick Carlisle, Nowitzki and the rest of their teammates for how they handled Duncan in the opener.
Dallas' big men limited Duncan to only five free throws and forced him to commit a team-high six turnovers. Then again, he also had a team-best 27 points on 12 of 20 shooting, and grabbed eight rebounds.
"When you make him work hard, take tough shots, put him in different pick-and-rolls, make him fight for position, it just wears him down over the course of the game," Dampier said Monday. "Even though he had 27 points, he had to work for those 27 points. Nothing came easy. That's what this team depends on me and Brendan for. We go out there, we play defense, we block shots."
The Dampier-Haywood combination had 15 points, 18 rebounds and two turnovers. Their 14 free throws matched the entire Spurs' total.
"They both made an impact," Duncan said. "That's what you want from those guys."
Dampier was able to play Duncan tough because he stayed out of foul trouble. Haywood joked that had he been on the court, San Antonio might not have tried fouling him because he'd made both of his foul shots at that point. Dampier was able to laugh about Popovich's stunt, too, especially since he foiled it.
"I've played the game long enough (to know) you're going to make some, you're going to miss some," Dampier said. "Just try to make more than you miss."
Monday's Games
Short-handed Jazz beat Nuggets, tie series at 1
DENVER — With Utah running out of big bodies, Deron Williams carried an even bigger load. Williams had 33 points and 14 assists while chalking up nearly 45 minutes to lead the Jazz to a 114-111 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night in Game 2 of their Western Conference first-round series.
"He took over from the beginning of the game, which is huge for us," said Carlos Boozer, who added 20 points and 15 rebounds as the injury-riddled Jazz tied the series before it shifts to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Friday night.
"D-Will and Booze, they had their way," said Nuggets point guard Chauncey Billups, whose 3-point attempt from the top of the key in the closing seconds hit off the back iron.
Williams and Kyle Korver made two free throws each in the final 11 seconds to hold off the Nuggets, who had overcome a 14-point third-quarter deficit to take a 102-98 lead with 4½ minutes left. Utah was playing without two of its most experienced playoff performers in forward Andrei Kirilenko (calf), who is out for this series, and center Mehmet Okur, who tore his left Achilles' tendon in Game 1 and is done for the playoffs.
"We can't just give up on the season just because we don't have those guys out here," Williams said.
Kyryo Fesenko played admirably on Nene, and Carmelo Anthony was flustered despite scoring 32 points just 48 hours after his playoff-best 42-point performance in the opener. Anthony made 14 of 15 free throws but was just 9 of 25 from the field and was whistled for four offensive fouls. He fouled out of a playoff game for the first time in his career. Denver is 1-11 all-time when Anthony fouls out and he was whistled for his sixth foul with 25 seconds left and the Nuggets down by a point.
"Him not being in there the last 25 seconds was huge for us," Boozer said.
The officials blew the call, however. C.J. Miles stepped out of bounds before Anthony fouled him, but the crew didn't see it and Miles made both free throws for a 110-107 lead.
"I knew I was close but it was only because he was hitting me," Miles insisted. "He was trying to get the ball."
Each of Denver's other four starters finished with five fouls, and the Nuggets had 37 altogether.
"That's just part of the game," Nuggets acting coach Adrian Dantley said. "They went to the rim. Williams got 18 free throws, that's part of the game. You have to adjust to the referees if they're going to make close calls."
"We had some bad calls down the stretch but you have to figure out a way to fight through that, play through that," Nuggets center Johan Petro said. "We missed some easy shots, some lay-ups and we kind of felt it at the end. But we know what we have to do. We'll get one over there. It's playoff basketball."
Anthony didn't have the open looks he did in Game 1, when he shot over his defenders. This time, Wesley Matthews and Miles were up in his face every time he took a step toward the basket.
"I think we tried to get to him a little bit earlier," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "In the game before we let everybody go where they wanted to go. Sometimes you get tired of taking a butt kicking. You have to step up and fight back a little."
Trailing by 12 points at halftime, the Nuggets floundered through the first 7 minutes of the second half, falling behind 76-62 on Boozer's putback dunk before using a 14-0 run to tie it.
Williams ended a 5-minute scoring drought for Utah with two free throws, and the Jazz recovered to take an 88-82 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to Korver's three jumpers in the final 90 seconds.
The Jazz shot 68 percent in the first half and took a 63-51 lead after closing the half on a 17-3 run that had Denver's fans booing them through the tunnel almost as much as they jeered the officiating crew moments later.
Boozer had four baskets in the run, and Matthews swished a wide-open 3-pointer from the left corner as the crowd sat in stunned silence as the Jazz manhandled the Nuggets on both ends. Fesenko, who packs 300 pounds on his 7-foot-1 frame, clogged the middle for the Jazz and kept Utah from having to use Boozer and Paul Millsap the whole game.
After Anthony's big performance in the opener, the Jazz talked about being more physical with him in Game 2, although Dantley was skeptical they could do that effectively with young players Matthews and Miles: "They're not Kirilenko. They're not Matt Harpring," Dantley noted before tip-off.
On this night, they were equally effective.
NOTES: The Nuggets had won five straight over the Jazz at the Pepsi Center. ... Both teams and six offensive boards and 26 defensive rebounds. ... There were 67 personal fouls overall. Sloan had a technical and Anthony a flagrant foul.
-- Arnie Stapleton
Jazz put Fesenko in starting lineup with Okur out
DENVER — Running out of big bodies, the Utah Jazz are going to start Kyrylo Fesenko at center in Game 2 of their playoff series against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.
The second-year player out of Ukraine, who averaged 2.6 points and 1.8 rebounds this season, replaces center Mehmet Okur. Okur is out for the rest of the playoffs after tearing his left Achilles' tendon in the first half of Utah's loss in Game 1 on Saturday night.
Fesenko, who packs 300 pounds on his 7-foot-1 frame, got the call over center Kosta Koufos, who is still expected to get some playing time for the injury-riddled Jazz. Fesenko's primary defensive assignment will be guarding athletic Nuggets center Nene with Carlos Boozer focusing on Kenyon Martin.
Utah coach Jerry Sloan said he picked the bigger, stronger Fesenko over the 7-foot, 265-pound Koufos because "I just thought it would give us a little more size to try to keep them from getting inside as much."
Sloan stressed he's not expecting Fesenko to replicate Okur's 13.5-point scoring clip and 7.1 rebounding average.
"I'm not going to expect him to go out and get 20 rebounds. I think that's unfair. Or get 20 points," Sloan said. "Just come and play hard, try to understand what we're doing. Try not to make any mistakes."
Fesenko said his only concern was defending Nene.
"The biggest challenge is he is very quick on his spin moves, so that is going to be really tough for me to play defense against him. And I have some history against him, but I got fouled out in 10 minutes."
Fesenko promised physical play again: "Me and Kosta, we are subbing Memo, so we got 12 fouls for one position. Why not take them?" he said.
The Jazz also are without forward Andrei Kirilenko (calf), and Carmelo Anthony capitalized on his absence by scoring a career playoff-high 42 points in the opener. The Jazz were intent on not letting Anthony get to the foul line in Game 1. Now, they realize they're going to have to get in his face more, although Sloan is leery of double-teaming him because Utah allowed 52 points in the paint in the opener.
"Are we going to go double-team him out there and give up even more in the paint?" Sloan said. "We've got to do a better job. If you foul him, you foul him. You can't let him play in a tuxedo all night. He showed what he can do in that."
Sloan said it's harder to guard Anthony without Matt Harpring, who now works on Jazz broadcasts.
"I'm hearing that he's sending a message to the guys saying the one way to get me is get in my head," Anthony said. "That's what he used to try to do. That was my younger days. I was 19 to 20. I'm older now. I'm done with that."
-- Arnie Stapleton
LeBron's 40 lead Cavs over Bulls
CLEVELAND — Joakim Noah had to go back for one more look. Walking slowly across the confetti-littered court, Noah stopped at the spot just outside the arc where LeBron James had pulled up in his face and made a 3-pointer.
"That's a long way," Noah said, shaking his head in disbelief as he looked at the distant rim. "You've got to be kidding me."
The Chicago Bulls kept daring James to shoot jumpers. He obliged.
"They were telling me I can't make jump shots," James said. "They asked me to shoot a jumper so I did that. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again."
James scored 40 points — 15 in a tour-de-force fourth quarter — as the Cavaliers, fueled by a rabid home crowd that booed every move by Noah, maintained home-court advantage by beating the Bulls 112-102 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
James added eight rebounds and eight assists for the Cavs, who led 96-93 with 4:30 left before the league's soon-to-be-two-time MVP took over. He hit his 3 with the 6-foot-11 Noah coming at him and followed with a quick dance move and wink directed at Chicago's talkative bench. James then made two free throws, a layup and two jumpers, scoring 11 straight points as Cleveland opened a 107-98 lead with 1:36 left.
When James came off the bench in the fourth, teammate J.J. Hickson touched his fingers to his forearm the same way a baseball manager would to summon a closer from the bullpen. In came basketball's version of Mariano Rivera.
"They call me the closer every time I come in in the fourth quarter," James said. "It's my time to put the game away or do what I do best and that's try to close the game the right way."
Noah, who drew the ire of Cleveland fans by criticizing the city's lack of downtown activity, had 25 points and 13 rebounds. Afterward, the most brazen of the Bulls, said he had no regrets about his comments.
"Not at all," Noah said. "You like it? You think Cleveland's cool? I never heard anybody say I'm going to Cleveland on vacation. What's so good about Cleveland?"
Derrick Rose added 23 points and Luol Deng had 20 for the Bulls, who will head home for Game 3 on Thursday night. Noah didn't make much of the incessant booing. He's heard it before.
"My whole life I've been booed," Noah said. "College I was booed a lot. Boston they don't like me over there. They don't like me here, either. It's OK. I have my friends."
Antawn Jamison scored 14 points and Jamario Moon made four 3-pointers for Cleveland, which looked much more out of sync than in Game 1. Shaquille O'Neal, a force at both ends in the opener, scored eight points and played only 15 minutes — zero in the fourth quarter.
James spent the first 3:26 of the fourth on the bench getting rest. When he returned to the court, the Cavs were clinging to an 85-82 lead over the Bulls, who were giving top-seeded Cleveland all it could handle and were intent on evening the best-of-seven series.
With the Cavs up three, James pulled up on Noah, who had criticized Cleveland's superstar for dancing on the court in a game earlier this season. James, though, gave a little shoulder shake after his basket and then ended his personal scoring outburst with a jumper over Kirk Hinrich just before the 24-second clock expired.
"LeBron's hitting unbelievable shots," Noah said. "Yes, it's tough. But we've got to play them again, so I don't want to be up here and give LeBron all this credit. Yeah, he played an unbelievable game. It's tough right now. I hate to lose, so I'm a little frustrated by that. But we'll be ready to go come Thursday."
The Bulls, who pushed Boston to seven games in the opening round last season, did a much better job rebounding and were more physical than in Game 1. But Chicago had no answer for James. No one does.
He delivered one of those did-he-really-do-that dunks in the first quarter, a soaring slam over Chicago's James Johnson that could be one of the best — and most ferocious — of his career. Staring from the left side, James drove to his right past Johnson down the foul line, reached back like a baseball pitcher looking for more velocity on his fastball and powered his jam over a stunned Johnson as Cleveland's sellout crowd gasped and then erupted.
"It definitely ranks up there," James said. "It's one of the best ones."
The dunk shook the backboard, not the Bulls. They trailed by 10 points early in the second quarter, but worked their way back with extra effort, especially on the offensive glass.
Noah grabbed four of Chicago's eight offensive rebounds in the first half, resulting in 13 second-chance points. Anthony Parker's 3-pointer put the Cavs up 50-44, but with O'Neal on the bench after picking up his third personal, Noah scored six straight points as the Bulls pulled within 52-50 at halftime.
NOTES: The Cavs made 22 of 24 free throws. ... The Bulls are an NBA-best 107-35 in home playoff games. ... The Cavs gave all fans a box of macaroni and cheese as part of a promotion. That sounded tasty to Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro. "I'm Italian, I like macaroni," Del Negro said. "I'm hoping I can get a few boxes after the game. I love pasta." ... Someone's minutes for Cleveland were going to get pinched in the playoffs and so far it's Hickson, who averaged more than 20 per game in the regular season but has played just 50 seconds in the series. He's the odd-man out, but Hickson won't complain. "I understand we have goals we need to accomplish," he said. "I want whatever the team wants."
-- Tom Withers
Previews
Jackson wants better sustained effort from Lakers
LOS ANGELES — Phil Jackson wants a better sustained effort from the Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. He got it for one quarter in the playoff opener, then watched the defending champions lose energy the rest of the way.
The Lakers won 87-79 Sunday mostly on the strength of their dominating first quarter, in which 7-footers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum scored and rebounded with abandon and the team shot 54 percent. Although never losing the lead, the Lakers didn't win another quarter and the Thunder got within six points with 3½ minutes remaining.
"Our guys sustaining that effort is where we really have to keep working," Jackson said after practice Monday. "The big issue with us is we have to have good court balance, take good shots so that their run-out opportunities aren't available to them or they're more difficult than they've been."
A subdued Kobe Bryant said he shares Jackson's concern, although he maintains that getting the win was the most important thing.
"We'll do better," he said. "The games are prettier when you score a lot of points and stuff like that, and that's what we're capable of doing but at the end of the day, defense and rebounding wins championships."
Bryant scored 21 points on 6 of 19 shooting, but missed five of 12 free throws. He's been bothered by a swollen right knee, a broken right index finger and a sore tendon in his left ankle, all of which contributed to his missing four out of the team's final five games.
"His shot selection, he's had to narrow that down a little bit because he can't just elevate and get over people," Jackson said. "In the second half, I thought he might have tired."
Bryant went limited minutes on the practice court Monday, although Jackson said he arrived early to work on his shooting.
"He was very subdued when he was in the training room and in the video room," the coach said. "I didn't initiate a conversation but once with him."
Lakers reserve center DJ Mbenga will be re-evaluated on Tuesday after undergoing retinal surgery. He was hit near his left eye twice in practice last week and will have to wear protective glasses if he's cleared to play. The Thunder will be looking for its first playoff win since moving from Seattle two years ago in Game 2 at Staples Center on Tuesday night.
"We can't let them dictate our offense for us," Jeff Green said. "We have to be more aggressive as far as getting to the rim, making them move side to side, not allowing them to set up on one side of the floor by zoning us up. It's numerous things that we can do to have a better offensive game."
The Lakers expect a better offensive effort from Kevin Durant in Game 2. The NBA's scoring champion had 24 points — six under his average — on 7 of 24 shooting while being hounded by Ron Artest.
"Kevin is one of the great players in this league and all great players have nights like this," Russell Westbrook said. "He's going to find his way."
Durant didn't speak with reporters before practice Monday. The Thunder played tentatively in the early going of Game 1, not surprising for the NBA's youngest team.
"The second game, those nerves won't be there and they'll be more effective coming out of the gate," Gasol predicted.
Thunder coach Scott Brooks said his team can't defend any better than it did in the opener, but their offense must improve. Durant said he was frustrated by missing shots that had gone down for him in the regular season.
"Kevin is just going to have to keep working," Brooks said. "He's had some bad shooting nights, but what he needs to do is find other ways to help us win. He's one of our better rebounders and he needs to be able to do that better."
Jackson's teams have never lost a playoff series after winning Game 1, going 44-for-44 with Chicago and the Lakers.
"This is a very good opportunity now to give them a good psychological hit," Gasol said. "Get an even more convincing win in Game 2, then go to Oklahoma."
-- Beth Harris
Heat not overconfident against Celtics without KG
BOSTON — The last two times the Boston Celtics were missing Kevin Garnett against the Miami Heat they came away with wins. They get another, unwanted chance on Tuesday night.
With Garnett suspended for one game for throwing an elbow at Quentin Richardson in the final minute of Boston's win in the playoff opener, the Celtics will be without their emotional leader and one of their best passers and defenders. But the Heat still expect a tough game.
"This is a good defensive team, no matter who's in the ballgame," Dwyane Wade said Monday. "KG didn't play all 48 minutes the other night. So with KG being out it brings a different game, a different style, (but) it doesn't make it easier."
Boston won Saturday night 85-76 after overcoming a 61-47 deficit with active defense that forced Miami to speed up its offense and rush shots. With the outcome all but settled, the altercation broke out near the Heat bench with 40 seconds left after Boston's Paul Pierce fell down, clutching his right shoulder after apparently suffering a stinger.
A concerned Garnett hovered over him as Heat players milled about. He said he was trying to clear some space for his teammate. But he elbowed Richardson in the face after the two exchanged words. On Sunday night, the NBA suspended Garnett without pay and fined Richardson $25,000. Garnett said Monday he wasn't surprised by the suspension and learned his lesson: always keep a cool head.
"Obviously, I want all of this to be over with," he said. "The message here is that whoever it is, my teammates, (coach) Doc Rivers, anybody in this organization, I want them to know I got their backs.
"My elbow wasn't deliberate. But the league does what it has to do to set a tone and I respect (that) and now it's time to move on and get back to a wonderful series."
Richardson said he was surprised he was fined but also was eager to leave the skirmish behind.
"There's always a chance when there's an altercation that more than one party could be penalized," he said. "It happened. It's over with. I want to put it behind me and just look forward to Game 2."
Rivers thought Richardson also should have been suspended.
"If we really want to stop fights, you've got to suspend the agitators, too," he said. "The retaliator is getting suspended in all these incidents."
Might there be any lingering bad blood that could cause another confrontation in Game 2?
"I hope not," Rivers said. "If there's a carryover, then shame on whoever is involved."
The Celtics were 3-0 against the Heat in the regular season. On Jan. 6, Boston won 112-106 in overtime in Miami with Garnett sidelined with a hyperextended right knee. The Celtics also beat Miami in overtime on March 18, 2009 without Garnett, 112-108, in the teams' final meeting last season.
Garnett missed last year's playoffs with a knee injury and the Celtics struggled. They beat Chicago in seven games, four of them going to overtime, then lost to Orlando in seven in the Eastern Conference semifinals. In the opener against Miami, he had 15 points and seven rebounds.
Without Garnett, the Celtics will be missing "defensive energy," Rivers said. "Kevin also facilitates a lot of offense. In the first game, a lot of our open shots came off Kevin being involved in the play. That's my biggest concern. You're losing 15 points and, more importantly, you're losing all the picks, all the postups where they had to trap. That's big. We're going to have to try to find some points somewhere."
He expects Michael Beasley, who Garnett usually guards, to get the ball more. But he said he didn't know if the taller Rasheed Wallace or the more energetic Glen Davis would start for Garnett. Miami coach Erik Spoelstra scoffed at the notion that losing Garnett would significantly hamper the Celtics.
"Come on. This is the playoffs," he said. "They have enough guys and they've played well enough without him."
Spoelstra was more concerned with fixing Miami's opening-game problems — 22 turnovers, poor ball movement and a loss of composure when Boston started whittling the 14-point lead early in the third quarter.
"Having the mental stability and the composure to be able to close the game on both ends of the court is going to be a major factor," he said. "After two days of reviewing film and practicing, we have a very good idea of things we can do better. We were very active and athletic the other night but, in terms of our mind and our focus, I don't think it was very attentive to the game plan."
He also wants his players to be more aggressive attacking the basket. That might be easier without Garnett reacting quickly to Miami's pick-and-rolls and picking up the dribbler before he can penetrate too deeply.
"They've still got some big guys down there with Rasheed and (Kendrick) Perkins and Davis," Richardson said. "He (Garnett) is obviously a difference maker, but we need to play the way we need to play (Tuesday) with or without him on the floor. Even after (Tuesday) he'll be back and we're still going to need to be aggressive."
On Monday, Garnett practiced with Boston's second team. He won't be allowed in TD Garden for Tuesday's game and planned to watch it at the home of general manager Danny Ainge.
"That's going to be an experience," said Garnett, a noted on-court trash talker. "Danny talks through the whole game."
-- Howard Ulman
Johnson content flying under radar for the Hawks
ATLANTA — Joe Johnson has never been a guy who craves attention.
Even with all the accomplishments in his basketball career — first-round draft pick, four straight NBA All-Star Game appearances, member of the U.S. national team, cornerstone of the Atlanta Hawks' transformation from laughingstock to contender — he's rarely mentioned in the same breath with players such as LeBron James or Kobe Bryant. Which is just fine with Johnson.
"It's been like that pretty much my whole life," he said Monday, sitting at his locker after practicing for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs against Milwaukee. "It doesn't bother me one bit, man."
With some guys, those words might sound disingenuous. Not from Johnson, who doesn't have a catchy nickname, doesn't show much emotion on the court, and doesn't play with one of the league's high-profile teams.
Instead of being hailed for helping Atlanta rise from a 13-win disaster the year before he arrived to a 53-win team that finished third in the Eastern Conference this season, Johnson faces persistent questions about whether he's truly one of those players you can build a championship team around, the sort who'll take — and, more important, make — that big shot in Game 7 of the playoffs. For the Hawks, there are no such questions.
"I can't say it loud enough," coach Mike Woodson said, poking his desk for reinforcement. "He's been the foundation on which this team was built. There's nothing he cannot do on the basketball floor. I think he's proven that over the years he's been here. The team has gotten better every year he's been here. And the players around him have gotten better.
"Joe Johnson," Woodson added, "is the truth."
The truth of the matter is this: Johnson has averaged more than 20 points and at least 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in each of his five seasons with the Hawks. He's a 6-foot-7 guard who can handle the ball well enough to play significant minutes at point guard, but versatile enough to move to small forward when Atlanta goes to a quicker lineup. His size causes matchup problems at both ends of the court.
"He's very good with the ball," said Milwaukee's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who had the unenviable assignment of guarding Johnson in Game 1 of the playoffs. "He can just raise up and shoot over people. He's really tough to guard because he uses his body real well. He bounces off people. He can always get his shot off."
The Bucks discovered that in Game 1. Johnson got off to a sluggish start, but in the closing minutes of a furious Milwaukee comeback he swished a crucial 19-foot fadeaway with Mbah a Moute — a defensive specialist — right in his face. The Atlanta star finished with his typical all-around numbers — 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals — in a 102-92 victory.
"Nothing against fans or the media or anything else," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said, "but I think I can make a case that nobody knows the league more than the coaches, and they know full well how good Joe Johnson is."
But two players ahead of him on the recognition pecking order — Bryant and Miami's Dwyane Wade — have won NBA championships. James has made it to the finals and is favored to get back after leading the Cavaliers to their second straight 60-win season.
As for Johnson, he's never made it farther than the conference finals, and that came during his final season with the Phoenix Suns, when he was more of a role player than a star. Since coming to the Hawks in 2005, Johnson's deepest playoff run was a year ago, when the Hawks were swept by James and the Cavaliers in the second round.
"The recognition goes to the guys who are winners, the guys who go deep in the playoffs, the guys who carry their teams on their backs during the tough moments," Hawks teammate Maurice Evans said. "That's what this team has to do, and Joe in particular. If we get to the Eastern Conference finals or the (NBA) finals, anything like that, he's going to get more than enough credit for that accomplishment."
Even so, Johnson does little to draw attention to himself — good or bad. He's not a high-profile endorser who spends as much time filming commercials as he does working on his jumper. He's never gotten in trouble off the court. He's a simple man who just loves playing basketball and seems to care little for any of the extracurricular benefits.
"I don't think Joe is really into all that," Woodson said. "Joe just wants to win and play well. And he's done that for our ballclub. Everything else will take care of itself."
Johnson figures to draw plenty of attention this summer, though he's again likely to take a secondary role to players such as James and Wade in what figures to be the best free-agent class in NBA history. Before the season, Johnson turned down the Hawks' offer for a contract extension. That's just good business, a decision that will surely make him a very rich man no matter where he plays.
Johnson makes it clear that he'd like to finish what he's started in Atlanta. There's little doubt he'd be more comfortable staying in a low-profile setting than signing with a team such as the New York Knicks, but the money has to be right. Maybe if the Hawks do something special in these playoffs, Johnson will finally get some overdue recognition along with a big paycheck.
"In my eyes, he's one of the top players in the league, right up there with the LeBrons and Kobes and Dwayne Wades," teammate Joe Smith said. "I really think his name should be mentioned with those guys."
-- Paul Newberry
Aggressive Miller, stop-Amare strategy beat Suns
PHOENIX — Andre Miller has played in more than 900 games in his 11 NBA seasons, so the Phoenix Suns certainly knew what to expect from the Portland point guard — relentless drives to the basket. Still, the Suns couldn't stop him.
The Trail Blazers clogged the middle to prevent those thunderous pick-and-roll dunks from Amare Stoudemire. If the Suns were to win, they would have to do it from long range. They didn't.
Portland, despite the absence of leading scorer Brandon Roy, was the only team to win a series opener on the road with its 105-100 victory over Phoenix on Sunday night. The Trail Blazers, who last made it out of the first round 10 years ago, would head home up 2-0 in the best-of-7 series with a win in Game 2 on Tuesday night. Miller knows to expect a stiffer challenge.
"They're definitely going to come out and play harder, shoot the ball better and force-feed Amare a little bit more," he said before practice on Monday. "So it's going to be a tough test, the second game."
Portland's guards dissected the Suns in the decisive fourth quarter, pulling away after the Suns led by two with five minutes to go. Miller matched his playoff career high with 31 points, with 15 in the final period. Jerryd Bayless scored 10 of his 18 in the fourth quarter.
"Me and Jerryd were the guys trying to get to the basket and not rely on jump shots to give them easy transition baskets," Miller said. "Normally when you take bad jump shots or shots out of rhythm it leads to scores and transition baskets. By us driving to the basket and keeping the floor balanced we were able to control the tempo."
The league's highest-scoring team at 110 per game, Phoenix managed just four fastbreak points all night. Meanwhile, the Blazers scored 20 points off turnovers. Portland had the second-best road record in the West (24-17) but lost Roy for the series when he had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. After losing Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla to injuries earlier in the year, the Trail Blazers were accustomed to such situations.
"It's got to be a team effort to make up for the loss of Brandon," coach Nate McMillan said. "I thought the guys last night, they did that."
Besides, the Suns' Steve Nash said, Roy wasn't necessarily the reason Phoenix has had so much trouble with the Trail Blazers.
"Most teams have a guy similar to Brandon, a superstar who can carry the load offensively," Nash said. "A lot of teams don't have two 7-footers or a long, athletic front line like they have that make it difficult for us."
Stoudemire took 19 shots to score 18 points. And the best 3-point shooting team in the NBA made 11 of 32, 3 of 13 in the final quarter. Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge sensed Stoudemire's frustration.
"A little bit because we had so many guys around him," Aldridge said, "and he really couldn't get anything going."
Stoudemire had enough trouble with primary defender Marcus Camby, but said he had never had so many players collapse on him inside.
"Every time I caught the ball in the post you had five guys inside the lane," Stoudemire said. "I've never seen that before in my career, that sign of respect. The whole team is trying to guard me out there. For the most part what we've got to continue to do now is shoot with confidence, play with confidence and realize how good we really are."
Stoudemire worked on his jumper after practice Monday.
"Just trying to get into a rhythm," he said, wiping off the sweat as he talked to reporters. "Offensively we didn't quite have our rhythm last night so I figured get a few extra shots up and we should be able to get our rhythm back."
Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry said before the series began that his team would be fine if it made its shots. After shooting an NBA-best 49 percent in the regular season, the Suns shot 41.8 percent in Game 1.
"We shoot 41 percent we're going to struggle," Gentry said.
Nash, though, said the loss cannot be simply attributed to missed shots.
"You look at the tape and you look back at the game and you think 'We made a lot of mistakes,'" he said. "We made a lot of errors defensively, we gave away a lot of opportunities offensively — and we missed shots. To generalize it that we just didn't make our shots, I think that's hanging our hat on shooting too much. Yes, we're a great shooting team and we want to rely on that. But we want to be able to win games like we did the last game against them in the regular season when we didn't score a lot of points."
That 93-87 victory in Phoenix on March 21 was the Suns' only one in four tries against Portland. In Game 1, the performance was not just about the numbers for a Phoenix team that entered the playoffs winner of 14 of its last 16 games.
"We didn't quite have the spirit or the energy collectively that we had in the last few games of the regular season," Nash said. "Sometimes that happens."
But in a game this important?
"You can never predict. I mean, I thought we played hard. I just thought we didn't quite have that spark that we needed," he said. "I don't know — biorhythms."
-- Bob Baum
Wallace: Bobcats can't let Howard be the 'bully'
ORLANDO, Fla. — Gerald Wallace spoke with a bit of feistiness and flavor Monday, fed up with the notion his Charlotte Bobcats might be intimidated by Dwight Howard's presence in the paint. So this time Wallace sent an ever-so small shot back.
"We're not going to just let him think he's the bully or that he's a factor up under the basket," Wallace said, "because he's not."
Say this about the Bobcats: They still have some fight. Their offensive efficiency was a tale of two halves in their Game 1 loss to the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Charlotte turned into a perimeter shooting team when Howard swatted eight shots in the first — nine for the game — and was pushed out of the paint.
The Bobcats went down by 22 points, and sputtered until the reigning defensive player of the year hit foul trouble in the third quarter. To have any chance to even the best-of-seven series when it resumes Wednesday in Orlando, they know they have to score more around the rim. Even if that means on Howard.
"He's a shot blocker, and we're a team that attacks the rim," Wallace said. "You put those two together, and somebody has to win."
Score the first round for Orlando. But the Bobcats believe they have more than a puncher's chance. Their attacking style in the second half nearly led them to an upset of the second-seeded and defending Eastern Conference champion Magic. Charlotte closed the gap to five points in the final minutes, driving to the basket with more pop that forced Howard into foul trouble.
"That's why he had a lot of blocks, because we were taking it in there," Bobcats point guard Raymond Felton said. "We can't be intimated that he's going to block our shots. We got him in foul trouble. He had nine blocks, but he also almost fouled out."
Monday also offered the Bobcats hope they could make a series turnaround. The nervousness players said they had in the franchise's first-ever playoff game was washed away, and playful joking and trick shots were back after practice. Felton, for instance, said the "chills" he felt before Game 1 were gone. Confidence that they were close started to take shape.
"To know that you're able to win this series, I think we got a chance. I like our chances. Granted, they're a great team. But so are we," Felton said.
Perhaps the best news of the day for Charlotte came with an MRI on Stephen Jackson's hyperextended left knee that showed a small bone bruise but no structural damage. The Bobcats swingman sat out practice and had an ice wrap around his knee. He walked with a slight limp but expects to start in Game 2.
"It's real sore," Jackson said. "It's way sorer than it was yesterday. But hopefully come Wednesday, the little swelling it has will go down."
Or as Bobcats coach Larry Brown put it, "I think if the MRI said he had an ACL (tear), he'd play anyway."
Now if only the entire team would play so fearless. Charlotte's second-half scrappiness at least provided them with some confidence that the series might not be so lopsided. The pushing and pulling on Howard kept the All-Star center grounded offensively, holding him to five points and seven rebounds.
While Orlando's center was frustrated offensively and played only 27 minutes because of foul trouble, his defense was enough of a force for Brown to call him the "most valuable player" of the game afterward.
The Bobcats' approach is simple: drive at Howard even harder in Game 2, and live with the results.
"We're going to keep going at him, and we're going to keep attacking," Wallace said. "If he ends up with 20 blocks, he ends up with 20 blocks. He's going to have to work for his 20 blocks.
"We don't have anybody on this team that's afraid to attack the basket."
-- Antonio Gonzalez
NBA News
Thorn expects to be back as Nets president
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — There is going to be a massive overhaul of the New Jersey Nets in the offseason, and president Rod Thorn apparently will help make it happen. Speaking in a conference call Monday, Thorn said that potential new owner Mikhail Prokhorov has given no indication that he won't be back.
"As of right now, I am until someone tells me differently," said Thorn, who joined the Nets in 2000 and helped the team reach the NBA Finals in 2002 and '03. "But who knows?"
The Nets' chief executive said the work of rebuilding the NBA's worst team has started. Among the tasks are finding a new coach, preparing for the draft in June and free agency that starts in July. While he has not interviewed anyone, Thorn hopes to have a new coach in place for the draft. He also said the team is developing its strategy for free agency, a market that might include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire.
New Jersey finished 12-70 this season, the franchise's worst record and only the fifth 70-loss season in league history.
"This is not the season we anticipated," Thorn said. "Even with some of the things that transpired, we were hopeful of winning a lot more games than we did. Thankfully, we did not set the record, but 12 is not where you want to be."
A late run of five wins in nine games help the Nets avoid the NBA record for fewest wins in a season (9-73), set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73.
"We have a lot of work to do and to believe otherwise would be naive," Thorn said.
Thorn expects the NBA board of governors to vote "sooner than later" on Prokhorov's application to become the Nets' owner. Until then, Thorn is getting ready, adding the decision on the new coach will be his.
"We're considering multiple people," Thorn said. "I couldn't put a number on it. I am trying to ascertain who might have interest, obviously we have some people we have interest in and, then, maybe some candidates that wouldn't be consider who might have an interest in it."
Thorn said the Nets might ask other NBA teams for permission to talk to a current coach. He would not say whether teams are in the playoffs. The new coach will be someone who commands respect and can teach the team how to play defense, something New Jersey has not done well in recent years.
With the league's worst record, the Nets can draft no lower than fourth and have a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery next month. New Jersey also will have the 27th and 31st picks in the draft, where Kentucky guard John Wall is considered the top player available.
"If we get fortunate we should be able to get a very good player, and even if we don't get fortunate we should be able to get a good player," Thorn said.
The Nets not only need to add talent, but they need to add depth to a team that may only bring back four or five players from last season. Guards Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee, center Brook Lopez and forward Yi Jianlian are expected back. Backup Forward Kris Humphries has the contract option to choose whether he wants to return.
With the NBA salary cap only expected to dip to about $56.1 million next season, the Nets should have $25.8 million available for free agency. The Knicks might have up $34 million to spend, enough to sign to maximum salary players. Thorn said at least nine other teams will have $15 million available, so competition will be stiff.
"Everybody is not going to get one of the top guys, and chances are some of the really top guys may not move anyway," Thorn said. "I think what you have to do is determine a combination of a couple of guys who can really help you. It may not be one of the two biggest names out there, but you have to figure out if that's the way you want to go.
"That's what all of us who have a lot of money are trying to figure out between now and July 1," he added.
Interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe has resumed his job as general manager, but Thorn had no word on his status for next season.
Thorn said the Nets need to improve their defense, rebounding and passing. He said Williams, who was outstanding in the final month of his rookie season, needs to work on his shooting.
The longtime NBA executive noted that while Lopez had an outstanding sophomore season, he needs to cut down on turnovers and stop getting frustrated when he gets double- and triple-teamed.
"It's about growing in the league," Thorn said. "He's a very young player. You understand it's about winning the game. And Brook should affect the game every night defensively, rebounding the ball, and shot-blocking. Every night he should affect the game that way, whether he scores or not."
-- Tom Canavan
Bobcats: Jackson's knee has no structural damage
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Charlotte Bobcats say an MRI on Stephen Jackson's hyperextended left knee shows a small bone bruise but no structural damage. The Bobcats swingman said Monday he felt "way sorer" but expects to start in Game 2 against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night. He sat out practice and had an ice wrap around the knee.
Jackson was injured when teammate Gerald Wallace dove for a loose ball and collided with him just before the first half of Game 1 ended Sunday. The Bobcats lost 98-89.
Jackson returned to score 10 points in the second half, finishing with 18 for the game. But he sat out the final minutes with the injury, pleading with coach Larry Brown to return in the game.
Wade's ex-partners file new antitrust lawsuit
MIAMI — The former partners of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade filed a new antitrust lawsuit arising from a failed restaurant venture.
The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court claims Wade's decision to terminate the deal unfairly deprived the restaurants of lucrative personalized Wade memorabilia they were selling. The lawsuit claims that was unfair restraint on trade. A previous antitrust case involving the D. Wade's Place deal was dismissed in March by a judge who found adequate competition for personalized Wade gear. But the judge permitted the former partners to file an amended lawsuit.
Wade also faces a breach of contract lawsuit stemming from the restaurant deal. Wade's attorneys called the new case weak and said they would seek dismissal.
