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NBA Finals Capsules: Series heads to Dallas, will collapse carry over?
DALLAS (AP) — Dwyane Wade knows in the NBA Finals, collapses can carry over.
He was in the Dirk Nowitzki role five years ago, summoning a desperate charge to rescue a team that was down but refused to go out. A furious fourth-quarter rally saved the Heat from a 3-0 deficit and they never looked back, winning four straight to beat Dallas.
The Finals hadn't seen anything like that again until Thursday night, and this time Wade was on the wrong end of it. The Heat were almost halfway to another championship celebration when the game suddenly swung in the Mavericks' favor. Will the series, too?
"I understand once you don't close a team down, they get confidence and life," Wade said. "This is a big challenge for us. We're going to have to live up to the challenge, the hole we dug for ourselves, and we're going to see what we're made of as a team."
That means he, LeBron James and the rest of the Heat must prove they have the poise the 2006 Mavericks lacked.
"We made it a lot harder on ourselves," Wade said. "We're going to see what we're made of as a team. Now we have three straight games on the road, but I wouldn't want to be in this position with any other team."
Game 3 is Sunday night in Dallas, giving the Heat two days to think about their seven bad minutes. They made only one field goal after taking a 15-point lead, allowing the Mavericks to pull out a 95-93 victory on Nowitzki's layup with 3.6 seconds left.
Nowitzki, unaffected by a torn tendon in the middle finger of his left hand, scored the final nine Dallas points, including the tiebreaking basket using that hand.
After seizing the Mavs' second chance, he warned that they can't blow it.
"We're going to approach the next one like it's our last. You cannot get a split and get a huge emotional win in Game 2 and then go home and lose Game 3," Nowitzki said. "As far as I'm concerned, the next one is the biggest game of all."
He's right. In series tied at one game apiece, the winner of Game 3 is 11-0 since the Finals switched to the current 2-3-2 format. Just last year, Boston won Game 2 in Los Angeles to take home-court advantage, lost Game 3 at home, and ended up losing the series in seven games.
"I'm glad we have three games in our place," center Tyson Chandler said. "We just have to take care of business."
Neither team practiced Friday, but both knew what needed fixing.
The Mavericks did everything but get credit for the assists on Miami's fast-break baskets for nearly 3 1/2 quarters. Careless possessions, a handful coming from point guard Jason Kidd, sent James and Wade the other way in transition, often ending with a dunk.
"We can't turn the ball over against this team," Nowitzki said. "They have two of the most athletic players I've ever seen. If you turn the ball over, it's one or two dribbles there at the rim, laying it in on the other end."
The Mavs like their chances in the half-court game, and they forced Miami to play it down the stretch. The Heat cooperated by holding the ball too long, forcing themselves into bad attempts just to beat the shot clock, and they realize they have to be attacking the basket to capitalize on the athletic advantages they have.
"They picked up the aggression and it got us out of the flow of the offense where we were taking shots at the end of the shot clock. I know I took a few fadeaway 3s at the end of the shot clock because we couldn't get into our offense," James said. "It's something we'll work on and be better on in Game 3."
Of course, the Heat's offense would look a lot better if Chris Bosh's shot was falling.
Though he's averaging 15.5 points, he was 4 of 16 from the floor Thursday and is just 9 of 34 in the series as he prepares for three games in his hometown.
"We're faced with a challenge," Bosh said. "We're going to have to go and win on the road. And we've had to do that before, so we shouldn't be surprised that that's our situation now."
Victory seemed so assured for the Mavs midway through the 2006 series that plans for the championship victory parade began to leak out before the series moved to Miami after two games.
Nowitzki, one of two holdovers from that team, had to live with questions about the collapse ever since, overshadowing an MVP award and all his other accomplishments. But he's writing a new legacy along with his team this postseason, becoming better known for playing from behind.
The Mavericks wiped out deficits in Game 1 against the Lakers and Game 4 against Oklahoma City in the previous two rounds, and didn't lose a game in either series from there. After coming back from at least 15 down for the third time this postseason, the Mavs have become a team that's just as dangerous playing from behind.
"I don't know if confidence is the right word," Kidd said. "We just don't break."
But the Heat say they welcome the adversity. After all, they were just 9-8 after losing in their last trip to Dallas, so they're used to overcoming it.
"It's a ballgame now," James said. "With the series tied 1-1, we're looking forward to the challenge. It's going to be a difficult challenge for us but we're looking forward to it. We're a confident bunch. We play great on the road. It's going to be a hostile environment. Their fans and team are going to bring everything they have. We have to come out with it all."
Mavs not speedsters or leapers; they are resilient
DALLAS (AP) — Their best player can hardly jump. Their fastest player hasn't played a minute all postseason. So it's not breathtaking athletic ability that's gotten the Dallas Mavericks three wins from the NBA title.
Their strength is their resolve.
The Mavs are a collection of guys in their 30s who haven't won a championship, but clearly know what it takes. They have the determination to keep fighting in every game, no matter how out of it they might seem — such as trailing by 15 points with 7:14 left on the road against a Miami Heat team waiting to be crowned NBA champions since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade last summer.
Instead of continuing on their runaway path to an 0-2 deficit, the Mavericks sloughed off 7½ underwhelming quarters in the NBA Finals and scored 22 of the last 27 points. Their astonishing display of veteran poise and savvy completely changed the outlook of this series just in time for the action to shift to Dallas. Game 3 is Sunday.
Maybe the Heat's youth and athleticism will still rule. But the mettle of these Mavericks — it's as much of a constant this postseason as Dirk Nowitzki's step-back, one-legged jumper — means it won't be the coronation many were expecting. And it could produce the first title in the club history.
"We just understand what we're playing for," said center Tyson Chandler, the least-experienced of Dallas' starters yet in his 10th season. "Some of the guys are on their last legs. We've got a lot of guys who may not be here next year. We've got a lot of guys that come from situations where they've never been this far. We just want to win it for one another. We're never going to give up."
The importance of the next game can't be underestimated. All 11 times an NBA Finals has been tied 1-1 under the 2-3-2 format, the Game 3 winner has gone on to win it all.
The best-case scenario for Dallas is to win the next three games and not even return to Miami. Only two teams have won the middle three games at home on their way to a title, the Pistons in 2004 and the Heat in '06, against the Mavs.
"You cannot get a split and get a huge emotional win in Game 2 and then go home and lose Game 3," said Nowitzki, who scored Dallas' final nine points, getting the winning basket on a layup using his injured left hand. "Hopefully our crowd will be rocking. They've been great to us and carried us throughout the playoffs so far."
Dallas' comeback was the biggest in an NBA Finals since Michael Jordan and the Bulls wiped out a 15-point deficit in Game 6 in 1992, beating Portland and claiming their second title.
For the Mavericks, it was their biggest comeback win in ... 10 days.
That was the night the Mavs wiped out a 15-point deficit with 5:06 left to beat the Thunder in overtime in Oklahoma City in Game 4 of the conference finals.
Three weeks before that, they erased a 16-point, third-quarter deficit to beat the Lakers in Los Angeles in Game 1 of their second-round series.
A few days before that, they bounced back from a 12-point, second-quarter deficit to beat the Trail Blazers in Portland to close out their first-round series.
That makes four times — once each round — that they've won after trailing by double digits, all on the road. And all have come while relying on their core of 30-somethings, not youngsters like Rodrigue Beaubois, the lightning-fast guard whom Nowitzki, and the rest of the organization, was counting on to bring "unpredictability" to their attack this season. He's been hurt and ineffective when healthy, putting the burden back on the guys used to carrying the load.
"We don't want to get in these situations," said Jason Terry, who got the latest rally rolling with a jumper, a layup and two free throws in less than a minute. "But if this situation does present itself, we're a veteran team. And we pride ourselves on being calm, being even-keeled. If there's time on that clock, there's still time for us."
Funny thing is, this club's reputation coming into this postseason was the exact opposite. They seemed to lack the mental toughness needed to win 16 playoff games.
They got to 14 in the '06 Finals, then melted down. They lost in the first round three of the next four postseasons. Another early exit was in the making when they blew a 23-point lead with 14 minutes left in Game 4 against Portland.
That game has become both a rallying point and a reminder. If a veteran team like theirs can get that complacent and sloppy, then it can happen to anyone. Keep scrapping and there's no telling what might happen.
"If you're going to win a championship, you've got to have the wherewithal to hang in when things are tough," coach Rick Carlisle said. "You have to keep believing. All year our guys have believed."
-- Jaime Aron
Heat have no cause for celebration vs. Mavericks
MIAMI (AP) — Once again, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade basked in the roar of the crowd in their home arena, only to be accused of celebrating prematurely.
Again they pleaded innocent.
The Miami Heat's display of jubilation midway through the fourth quarter Thursday angered the Dallas Mavericks, who then rallied from a 15-point deficit for a stunning victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The comeback evened the series at 1, with the next three games in Dallas, beginning Sunday.
The Heat denied going overboard with enthusiasm when Wade sank a 3-pointer in front of the Mavericks bench for an 88-73 lead with 7:14 left. James and Wade even denied they celebrated.
"A celebration is confetti, champagne bottles," Wade said. "There was no celebration. It was a shot made going into a timeout. Every team does something."
Said James: "As far as celebration, that word has been used with us all year. But we knew how much time was left in the game still."
The Heat's superstar trio of James, Wade and Chris Bosh heard plenty of criticism when they took center stage in an arena spectacle last July after forming their partnership. And when Miami eliminated Chicago in the Eastern Conference finals, the Bulls' Joakim Noah said the Heat were "Hollywood as hell."
But Thursday's Hollywood ending was not what the Heat had in mind, and such a dramatic finish seemed improbable when Wade's 3-pointer gave the Heat their biggest lead midway through the fourth period.
As the Mavs called timeout, Wade held his follow-through pose and teammates raised their fists. Wade and James swapped jubilant gestures all the way to the Heat bench, while the Mavericks stewed.
"It angered a lot of us," Dallas' Tyson Chandler said. "It's upsetting when you're out there playing hard and someone celebrates right in front of your bench."
The tide quickly turned. The Heat missed their next nine shots, while Mavericks made 9 of their last 10. The game's final points came on a driving layup by Dirk Nowitzki with 3.6 seconds left for a 95-93 victory.
"Obviously this one hurts," Wade said. "We've got two days to think about our mistakes and blowing a 15-point lead. So we made it a lot harder on ourselves. We're going to see what we're made of as a team."
There have been doubts all season about the Heat's ability to close. During the regular season they went 5-14 in games decided by five points or less, but during the playoffs they had been at their best in the fourth quarter — until Thursday.
The Miami meltdown left second-guessers with plenty of fodder to fill the next two days. Why didn't Bosh foul Nowitzki on the Mavs' final play? Why was Bosh even the one guarding Nowitzki? Why didn't Wade get the ball more at the end after scoring 36 points in the first 41 minutes? Why didn't the Heat have a timeout left to set up a final play?
Wade conceded the Heat should have grabbed Nowitzki before he launched his last shot.
"Just a mental breakdown," he said.
Bosh said he was guilty of bad defense on Nowitzki.
"He gave me a quick move," Bosh said. "At that point I didn't feel that I had leverage for the foul, because he was going into a shooting motion."
Nowitzki, who needed 22 shots to score 24 points, went against Udonis Haslem much of the night. Coach Erik Spoelstra conceded he could have given Haslem the assignment again on the Mavs' final possession.
"That's a tough one," Spoelstra said. "I know U.D. probably is really wishing he had that opportunity."
There were issues on the offensive end for the Heat, too. They went stagnant in the stretch, content to run down the shot clock on each possession, with Wade rarely involved. During a span of more than seven minutes at the end, he took only two shots, both 3-pointers.
His last attempt was a desperation 28-footer at the buzzer. Spoelstra had no timeouts left because he had already called four in the last six minutes, and two in the final 58 seconds.
But nothing could stem the Heat's collapse.
"When it started to slide, it just kept on going," Spoelstra said. "But we've been a very resilient group all season long. We've been tested. We've had our moments where we feel uncomfortable and feel like our backs are against the wall. That's when we've responded and been our best."
-- Steven Wine
Game 2 rating up from last Heat-Mavs series
NEW YORK (AP) — The television rating for Game 2 of the NBA Finals was up 15 percent from the last time the same teams met in the championship series.
The Dallas Mavericks' 95-93 comeback win over the Miami Heat on Thursday on ABC drew a 10.5 overnight rating. Game 2 in 2006 earned a 9.1.
The rating was down slightly from the 10.9 for the second game of last season's Celtics-Lakers series, the only higher Game 2 rating for the last seven years.
Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.
Other NBA Capsules
McHale introduced as Rockets coach
HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin McHale missed the intensity of NBA competition and the Houston Rockets offered an ideal opportunity for him to plunge back in.
Houston officially introduced the 53-year-old McHale as its new coach on Friday to replace Rick Adelman, who parted ways with the team after four seasons.
McHale has been working as a television analyst and hasn't coached since finishing the 2008-09 season in Minnesota. But he missed the camaraderie of the locker room and never lost his desire to return to the sidelines.
"There's nothing like being in the fight," McHale said. "There's something about being in the game that's really fun, and I really enjoyed that."
McHale's salary was not disclosed, but he has signed a three-year contract with a team option for a fourth year. He said he's spoken to most of the current Rockets and is just starting the process of evaluating and contacting potential assistants.
A seven-time All-Star, McHale helped Boston win three NBA championships during a 13-year playing career. Ex-Celtic players Danny Ainge (Boston) and Larry Bird (Indiana) are now NBA executives, and McHale is eager to lead his new team against them and other former teammates working as coaches.
"I was one of those guys that, if you have on the other colored jersey on that I have on, I don't really like you very much that night, and I want to beat you," McHale said. "That's the fun thing about basketball is that you want to step out there with that feeling, with a bunch of guys together. There's something about that that you can't replicate in anything else you do in life."
After his playing career ended, McHale worked 16 seasons as an executive with the Timberwolves, including two stints as interim head coach. His career coaching record is 39-55, but Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said coaches shouldn't always be judged by their win-loss total.
"We're all evaluated on wins and losses, that's how it should be," Morey said. "But when you look at a coaching record, you've got to look deeper. You've got to look at when Kevin took over for those franchises, they did better with him than the person he took over from.
"Every good coach in this league, I challenge you to find one that hasn't been a sub-.500 coach at one point or another."
Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said he found the "perfect fit" in McHale, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player in 1999.
"Kevin McHale is the perfect fit for this team at this time," Alexander said. "You have to have somebody who's a great leader, a great communicator and understands how to use his staff and the players at all times, and will take input and work with people to make us a great team."
McHale will start a season as a coach for the first time, and says that's a huge difference from his previous stints. He guided Minnesota to 19 wins in the last 31 games of the 2004-05 season after he fired Flip Saunders, then won 12 of his first 16 games after succeeding Randy Wittman during the 2008-09 season.
"If you take over a team in the middle of the season, believe me, the submarine is taking on water," McHale said. "You're not taking over a team 'cause they're playing great. I was very proud of the fact that I was able to take both teams and turn them around.
"I wanted to try to start fresh, without a bunch of water in the submarine, going the wrong direction."
The Rockets have missed the playoffs the last two seasons. They played most of that time without injury-plagued All-Star center Yao Ming. Yao's contract is up and his future with the team is one of the most pressing decisions facing McHale and Morey as next season approaches.
"We'd all be really happy if Yao comes back to play, and I hope he can," McHale said. "I think he'll give it his best shot. His body is going to dictate if he can come back and play. That's all going to be laid out in the future.
"But who wouldn't like Yao Ming, a big guy who can really make shots, just a huge force in the middle? That's out of my control. We'll see where that goes."
McHale is the 12th coach in franchise history, and the third since Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down after the 2003 season for health reasons. Jeff Van Gundy coached the team from 2003-07, taking the Rockets to three playoff appearances. Adelman went 193-135 in his four seasons, the highest winning percentage (.588) among the franchise's full-time coaches.
McHale set a return to the postseason as the immediate goal, even though Houston lacks a true superstar.
"They have pieces in place here that are very good pieces that can be part of a championship-type team," McHale said. "Our goal is to make the playoffs next year, that's just what it is and that's going to fall on me to do it. If it doesn't get done, it'll be on me."
-- Chris Duncan
O'Neal moving on to the next chapter - retirement
WINDERMERE, Fla. (AP) — Shaquille O'Neal changed from his gray T-shirt and sweat pants into a three-piece suit, then walked by some of the souvenirs he accrued during his NBA days for the final time as an active player.
Framed jerseys from the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, Mark McGwire, Kirby Puckett, Steve Young and Jerry Rice. An NBA finals MVP trophy. Bottles of wine with labels bearing the "S'' logo that he borrowed from Superman and essentially made his own. Basketballs with the Miami Heat logos painted on them, one to commemorate his 25,000th point, the other for his 10,000th rebound. A photo of him, Bill Russell and John Wooden.
It took him 19 years to collect those memories. On Friday, he vowed to start truly savoring them.
"It's time for what's next," the Big Fella said.
The 39-year-old O'Neal made his retirement official, reiterating what he revealed in a video posted to Twitter two days earlier. Saying those words where he did brought a full-circle piece of closure to his career, since it all ended at his home in a suburb of Orlando, the city where his pro days began when the Magic made him the No. 1 pick in 1992.
"Never thought this day would come," O'Neal said. "Father Time has finally caught up with Shaquille O'Neal."
Speculation has been high for weeks that O'Neal's playing days were over, and the widely expected became real on Wednesday. It took him 10 seconds to announce his plans in the online video, and as few athletes could do, those 10 seconds turned into a three-day story. Tributes have poured in and on Friday, O'Neal thanked just about everyone he could remember.
His parents, thanking his father for his discipline and his mother for sneaking him cake, milk and cookies when that discipline prevented the boy from getting his own. His brothers and sisters. His six children, who got an apology for his schedule demands and a promise that they would keep going to Toys "R'' Us. His fans worldwide. The NBA and Commissioner David Stern. The camaraderie in the locker room. The six teams he played with.
"And I'm really going to miss the free throws," deadpanned O'Neal, a notoriously bad foul-shooter.
A joker, all the way to the end. He would not have it any other way.
He insisted he will not return, nor will he coach anyone but his three sons. His career ends with 28,596 points, 13,099 rebounds, 15 All-Star selections, four championships and three NBA finals MVP awards. He had a $1.4 million option to return to the Boston Celtics next season, but said he did not want to hold up the team's plans several months if he needs Achilles' surgery. So he made the decision to retire, on his terms.
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world," O'Neal said.
The finale came in a fitting place. He loves his mansion, about two miles from Tiger Woods' longtime home and surrounded by a private golf course, ironic in the sense that O'Neal has no plans to take up the game in retirement.
He bought the home in 1993, and it's remained his base ever since — even after he left the Magic for Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland and Boston throughout his NBA career.
The doorways are enormous, as one would expect when the primary occupant of the home is over 7 feet tall. Guests were ushered in across a red carpet laid out over his meticulous garage, which held luxury cars and motorcycles. Family and close friends gathered in the massive kitchen while the gymnasium filled for a celebration that was tinged with a bit of sadness.
"This is a bittersweet day on behalf of the family," said O'Neal's mother, Lucille Harrison. "It's been 19 years, but the 19 years have gone by so quick."
Dale Brown, who coached O'Neal at LSU, sat on Shaq's left. Brown told a slew of stories, including one when Shaq asked permission to eat peanuts from a hotel minibar, not even considering the liquor. Brown lauded how O'Neal was raised and his charitable work, much of which Shaq does not reveal publicly.
O'Neal was so moved by Hurricane Katrina that he arranged for tractor-trailers to bring supplies to storm-ravaged New Orleans and personally oversaw distribution efforts. And after that, Shaq considered signing with the New Orleans Hornets, thinking his mere presence in the city would help recovery efforts even more, but the deal simply fell through.
"He's an unbelievable person," Brown said. "He'll stay that way."
O'Neal's immediate future is uncertain. He'll likely work in television, but his health comes first. Injuries derailed him this season, and if his injured Achilles' doesn't improve soon, surgery may be unavoidable. He said he promised his family he would get his body right.
The ways he changed the game were countless, beginning with his unique combination of size, strength and athleticism. He was the first big man to become a marketing giant. He spent huge money — $650,000 one year in Miami — to play Shaq-a-Claus for underprivileged kids at Christmas.
Everything wasn't always perfect. He clashed with teammates like Kobe Bryant, clashed with coaches like Stan Van Gundy. Nonetheless, those in the league still hold him in high esteem.
"A living legend," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.
O'Neal said he leaves with some regrets, foremost among them not being able to reach 30,000 points. And while everyone knew what he would say Friday, he was anxious, something his mother gently chided him for afterward.
"I was nervous, Momma," O'Neal said. "I'm sorry."
Everyone laughed, as they did several times throughout the ceremony. He joked that the New York Knicks were calling, wanting him to interview for their general manager job. He cited his work in "award-winning movies, such as Kazaam."
He turned serious at times, thanking coaches like Phil Jackson and Doc Rivers, and proudly saying that his doctorate will be completed by January at Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. He'll then be called Dr. O'Neal.
Good thing, because all his famous nicknames — Shaq-Fu, The Big Aristotle, Diesel and especially Superman — are now retired along with him, he said. Henceforth, he'll call himself The Big AARP, which that organization couldn't have been happier to hear.
"If you're like most of our members — half are still working, many more give back to their communities — you're not done yet, either," AARP CEO A. Barry Rand said in a statement. "There's plenty left to do, enjoy, and figure out after 'retirement,' so let us know if you want help figuring out what's next."
Shaq's got a long time to figure that out.
-- Tim Reynolds
Walsh will not return as Knicks president
Donnie Walsh dedicated three years to fixing the New York Knicks, all the while knowing the job would take much longer.
At first he wanted to stay on as the guy who finished it, to see them really contend for a title. But at age 70, Walsh realized he wasn’t up for the task. So when Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan wanted Walsh to commit to a multiyear extension, the longtime executive decided it was best not to return as Knicks president.
"I just to myself thought, ‘I don’t know that I’m going to be up to that, I don’t think that I can commit to that,’ because I’m getting older and I do this job only one way and that is full forward ahead," Walsh said Friday on a conference call. "It’s 24-7 with me and I think that’s what it takes, to be honest."
The Knicks announced in a statement that Walsh and Dolan mutually agreed that Walsh will not return when his contract expires at the end of June, a somewhat surprising departure and major loss for a team coming off its best season in a decade.
"The more I got into it, the more I realized the commitment is going to be at my age probably too much more than I want it to be and I don’t think I can do that, and that’s where I came from," Walsh said.
So he leaves the Knicks with a playoff team again, one with two All-Stars under contract but still far from a championship level.
"I’m not bailing," Walsh said. "I wanted to see if I could get it closer to contending before I left, but I just don’t think I can commit the amount that I would have to commit here and I understand the franchise needs a commitment for more than one year."
His departure opens questions about whether coach Mike D’Antoni will return for the final year of his deal, though Walsh indicated D’Antoni would stay.
"I know that he is the guy that can take this team to the next level," Walsh said. "Mike wants to see the job through."
Walsh apparently would have been back had he been willing to agree to stay for at least a couple of seasons, especially since the next one is in jeopardy because of the NBA’s labor situation. But he has battled health problems and was separated from most of his family, who remained in Indiana when he came to New York.
"I do miss my wife and my family, and this is a 24-7 situation, as a lot of GM situations are. This is even more intense," Walsh said. "I’m running out of energy."
Walsh spent three seasons in New York, leading a massive rebuilding effort that got the Knicks back into the playoffs this season following the acquisitions of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.
But Dolan didn’t pick up his option for next season, and the two couldn’t agree on terms of an extension.
"In a relatively short time with the Knicks, Donnie made a tremendous impact, which will be felt for many years to come," Dolan said. "We thank Donnie for his leadership, hard work and many contributions to the revitalization of the team."
The Knicks said Walsh, who plans to move back to Indiana, will be a consultant next season. Senior vice president Glen Grunwald will serve as interim general manager.
Walsh arrived in New York following the 2007-08 season and immediately went to work cleaning up the mess left by Isiah Thomas. That meant spending two seasons reducing one of the league’s highest payrolls, getting the Knicks far enough under the salary cap to afford two top players last summer.
The Knicks got only Stoudemire but traded for Anthony in February and finished 42-40, their first winning record in a decade. They were swept by Boston in their first postseason since 2004, and the roster needs significant upgrades to compete with the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
Walsh had said he wanted to return to make them, but his desire lessened as time went on, realizing that he couldn’t do the job at less than 100 percent. But he’s satisfied that he made enough steps to get the Knicks moving forward again.
Walsh denied any friction with Dolan or Thomas, whom the owner has remained close with and was nearly hired last summer as an adviser.
"I don’t think Isiah Thomas had anything to do with basically anything I’m doing now," Walsh said, calling reports of Thomas’ involvement "an annoyance."
The highly respected Walsh came to his hometown team after spending 24 years with the Indiana Pacers. He joined their front office as general manager in 1986, became team president in 1988 and CEO in 2003, turning the franchise into a perennial Eastern Conference contender that reached the NBA finals in 2000.
He brought professionalism to a Knicks organization that had become an embarrassment on and off the court during Thomas’ reign, unloading some of the burdensome contracts that hindered them for years and relaxing the team’s media policies.
His draft record in New York was underwhelming — high lottery picks Danilo Gallinari and Jordan Hill are already gone, though Gallinari was used in the Anthony trade — but Walsh always said his focus was free agency, believing that was the quickest way to rebuild a team.
"I think I did that," Walsh said. "I think I did the first step of that."
-- Brian Mahoney
Rambis: Still no word on return with Wolves
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Seven weeks after the Minnesota Timberwolves season ended, Kurt Rambis has not been told whether he will be back for a third year as head coach.
So he finally decided to say something about it.
Rambis said Friday that he still sees himself as the coach of the Timberwolves until he is told otherwise, but admitted to being irked by the lack of communication with team President David Kahn.
"Everybody has reasons for why they conduct the business in the way they want to conduct their business," Rambis said in his first public remarks about the situation since the season ended April 13. "If you're asking me if that's what I would do, no, that's not how I would handle things. But everybody's different."
Kahn was traveling and not immediately available for comment. Assistant GM Tony Ronzone said he could not comment.
Rambis has two years left on the contract he signed in 2009. He has won just 32 games in his first two seasons as coach in Minnesota, a period of upheaval in the roster that left him with the youngest team in the league this season.
Rambis was in town watching a group of veteran free agents work out in front of Ronzone and a few assistant coaches. The coach's decision to address the media came as a surprise, and Rambis said he has had only "minor conversations" with Kahn in the weeks that have passed since Kahn refused to give him a vote of confidence in the season-ending meeting with the media.
Rambis has shown up in the Twin Cities twice in the last month, once to watch a workout of draft prospects and this week to look at several fringe free agents and Brazilian big man Paulao Prestes, whom the Wolves drafted in the second round last year.
The appearances have been a bit awkward, with the coach-in-limbo going about his business despite the very real possibility that he will not be back next season.
"The way I see it, I'm doing my job," Rambis said. "I'm still the coach of this team until something happens otherwise. So I've got to be watching for talent."
Kahn spent his first two seasons remaking the roster, turning the Wolves into a young, athletic and inexperienced team. The additions of Michael Beasley, Anthony Tolliver, Luke Ridnour and others made them a better shooting, deeper team.
But the lack of veteran leadership, and some players' struggles with getting comfortable with the offensive and defensive systems Rambis employs, led to just two more victories than the previous season, a 17-65 mark that was the worst in the league.
Tolliver said that the coach's uncertain status isn't really affecting the players, unless the situation drags on until the start of training camp.
"It would be great for him (to get an answer), but for us at this point right now it doesn't really make too much of a difference," Tolliver said. "I've supported Kurt and think he's a good coach. He has some things he needs to work on just like we do as players. Nobody's perfect.
"Hopefully we bring him back," Tolliver added. "But if they don't, I have to respect that decision and move forward. It's a business."
When he left his job as Phil Jackson's top assistant with the Lakers, Rambis requested a four-year contract to ensure that he would have the job security to see through the massive rebuilding project that Khan planned to implement.
But the Wolves lost 15 straight games to end his second season, a miserable finish that put the coach's job in jeopardy.
"It's out of my control," Rambis said. "It's what I said at the end of the season. There's nothing I can do about it. I just have to proceed like I am and do my job."
Kahn has said he was disappointed in the lack of progress shown in the record, but he didn't want to make an emotional decision at the end of a trying year.
The Wolves have the No. 2 overall pick in the June 23 draft, but Rambis still doesn't know if he'll be involved in the decision-making process.
The Wolves also were notified this week that 2009 top draft choice Ricky Rubio plans to come over from Spain next season. The Wolves have not announced Rubio's signing officially while they wait for the 20-year-old point guard to finish playing for Regal Barcelona.
While waiting to hear from Kahn, Rambis did some TV work for ESPN and a local station in Los Angeles during the NBA playoffs and has been spending a lot of time with his family.
He said he didn't have any talks scheduled with Kahn and had no idea when he'd get an answer about his future with the team.
When asked if that angered him, the always composed Rambis shrugged and said, "I don't know what to say other than I have to conduct my life in the way that I conduct my life. I'm responsible for my emotions and I just handle things that way."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Malone absent from Hornets while mulling options
WESTWEGO, La. (AP) — Hornets head coach Monty Williams has decided to give top assistant Mike Malone some space to mull over his career choices.
Malone, who has an offer to join Mike Brown's new staff with the Los Angeles Lakers, was not present when Williams' staff held a minicamp on Friday for young free agents.
"If Mike is going to go somewhere else, we're certainly not going to let him be here at one of our workouts," Williams said. "As soon as his situation is a little bit clear, he'll be with one team one way or another.
"This is an exciting time for Mike and his family," Williams added. "I don't want to take away from that by him having to come to a workout. If he's here, he's not going to be thinking about this. He's going to be thinking about the opportunities that lie ahead of him. I just thought it made sense for him to not be around for a while."
Malone previously worked under Brown for five seasons in Cleveland, where he eventually held the title of defensive coordinator. After the Cavaliers fired Brown following the 2009-10 season, Malone took a similar position with the Hornets under Williams, who was then a newly hired first-time head coach.
The Hornets improved substantially on defense last season, ranking fifth in points allowed at 94.04 per game, which was down from 102.7 a season earlier.
Malone, whose father, Brendan, is a longtime NBA coach, also could be a candidate for remaining open head-coaching jobs, including at Golden State.
"Right now, we're just going to give him his space and let him see what's going to be the best opportunity for him," Hornets general manager Dell Demps said. "We're not going to try to slow him down. He's been great for us and we hope he comes back, but if he doesn't, we understand and we'll miss him. ... We're just hoping for the best for him, hoping that he finds the right situation."
-- Brett Martel
Timberwolves' Tolliver leads camp for Joplin kids
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Timberwolves forward Anthony Tolliver grew up about 45 minutes from Joplin, Mo., so the tornado that ripped through the town May 23 hit very close to home.
Seeing the devastation on television, Tolliver decided to do something to lift the spirits of a reeling community. So he plans to hold a basketball clinic next week for children affected by the tornado, hoping to bring a few smiles to their faces during a trying time.
"Tons of lives were lost and tons of stuff was lost," Tolliver said Friday. "People's homes and cars and businesses and all kinds of stuff is just gone. It is what it is, and all I can do is try to help as much possible."
Tolliver, who grew up in Springfield, will head to Joplin on Monday and assist in cleanup efforts. His hoops clinic will be Wednesday at the Sports Park of Southwest Missouri and is free for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.
The three-hour session is aimed at getting their minds off their troubles, if only for a little while.
"This was an opportunity to give the kids a chance to get away from all the destruction and just go have some fun for a few hours and use basketball as a way to give back," Tolliver said.
More than 130 people were killed in the storm, and more than 8,000 homes or apartments were damaged or destroyed.
Tolliver asked that anyone interested in helping send money to the Abundant Life Christian Center in Joplin. Church leaders have told Tolliver that they have received plenty of donations of food, water and clothing and that now their biggest need is financial to help the people in the community start putting their lives back together.
"They need money to help people to build homes and get their things back," he said.
One thing the kids won't be learning is the triangle offense, a version of which coach Kurt Rambis has used with the Timberwolves. It's a complex system that has been difficult for the young Wolves to grasp over the last two years.
"That's a little complicated," Tolliver said with a chuckle. "Some of our guys didn't get it in a whole year, so I don't think these kids will pick it up in three hours."
-- Jon Krawczynski
Raptors F Johnson has ankle surgery
TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Raptors forward Amir Johnson has had surgery on his left ankle and is expected to be ready for training camp if there is no lockout.
The team announced Friday that the operation to repair an instability was performed by Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C. Johnson will do his rehabilitation in Los Angeles.
Soreness in the ankle kept Johnson out of nine games in 2010-11, including the final five of the season. He signed a five-year deal worth $34 million last summer. He averaged career highs in points (9.6), rebounds (6.4), minutes (25.7) and starts (54) in 2010-11.
NBA Draft Capsules
Hornets look to compensate for lack of draft picks
WESTWEGO, La. (AP) — If this year's NBA draft doesn't yield an immediate contributor for the New Orleans Hornets, general manager Dell Demps can at least take solace in the fact that he piled up frequent flier miles in his search for a second-round steal.
The problem for the Hornets is that, for now, they have only one pick on June 23, and it's in the middle of the second-round, 45th overall. That makes it tough to lure prospects down to the bayou for workouts.
"The guy you really want, he doesn't think he's a 45th pick. And so a lot of times you have the workouts and you schedule them and guys cancel for certain reasons, you know, that come up at the last second," Demps began. "So what we've done is, they've had a lot of workouts this year throughout the country and instead of bringing guys here, we went and watched them there."
Demps has spent 16 days in Europe already, looking at players in Spain, Turkey and Croatia. From there, he went to Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, and southern California. There was also a trip to New Jersey.
Demps declined to identify which players he's evaluated so far, and while he and his staff have put together a study on second-round picks that have become regulars in the NBA, he isn't sure there's a proven method to mining talent at the back end of the draft.
"We looked at every statistic of guys that make it in the second round and what's the probability of them making it and what type of guys make it," Demps began. "But I don't think there's really a science to it. I think sometimes there's a little luck. Some of it's if the second-round pick gets an opportunity to play. But for us, we're just going to look for best player available."
The Hornets currently have no first-round choice because they traded it to Portland for Jerryd Bayless. New Orleans later traded Bayless to Toronto as part of a deal that brought in Jarrett Jack. Portland, meanwhile, has since traded the pick to Charlotte.
In order to get back into the first round, New Orleans would have to make another trade.
If the Hornets stand pat at their current draft slot, the player they choose might have as good a chance of making an NBA roster and anyone taken in the second round.
New Orleans currently has only five players under contract: Chris Paul, Jack, Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and Quincy Pondexter. They'll have two more if David West and Aaron Gray exercise player options at the end of the month, while Marco Belinelli and Jason Smith, both restricted free agents, also could return.
Even if all those players are back, the Hornets would have anywhere from three to six roster spots open.
For that reason, the Hornets decided this week to host a minicamp for young free agents, most of whom spent last season playing overseas or in the NBA Development League.
"We're looking under every rock," Demps said. "We're looking for guys that can help us and there's a possibility that these guys are better than the 45th pick in the draft, and so if they are, we want to make sure we get that opportunity" to sign them.
Hornets head coach Monty Williams and his staff ran the minicamp, which included players like former LSU standout Tasmin Mitchell. He spent last season in the NBDL after attending training camp with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"My agent ... told me about the picks they have and the chances that I may have" to make the Hornets' roster, Mitchell said. "I always liked the Hornets. I'm a homegrown, Baton Rouge guy. ... I'd love to be here to help the Hornets out. It would be a dream come true."
Also at the minicamp was Darryl Watkins, who was one the last cuts of Hornets training camp last season and went on to play professionally in Lebanon.
Demps said it is important to keep tabs on young players in pro leagues overseas, noting that that's how San Antonio landed Gary Neal, who was named to the NBA's all-rookie team for 2010-11.
"It's a different game over there and sometimes you see guys that are really fast and athletic, they've got to change their game a little bit over there and sometimes when they come back it helps them," Demps said. "There's been a number of guys that have been able to go overseas, fine-tune their game and then come back here and make impacts."
-- Brett Martel
Brown looks to NBA future, not NCAA miss
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Gilbert Brown made the big shots look routine in college. It's the one he missed that will be remembered in Pittsburgh.
Now focused on his future professional career, Brown is trying to prove to NBA scouts that there's more to his game than just an errant free throw.
"It does linger on a little bit," said Brown, whose miss with 1.4 seconds left led to Butler's stunning second-round NCAA tournament upset in March. "It's kind of like a couple of years ago when (Villanova's) Scottie Reynolds hit that layup. You're always going to have those kind of moments."
They're just not easy to forget, especially when you have the kind of game Brown did that day. The 6-foot-6 forward scored a team-high 24 points against Butler and had a chance to save the top-seeded Panthers' season when Shelvin Mack inexplicably fouled Brown near midcourt with 1.4 seconds to go. Mack later called it the dumbest foul in Butler history.
Brown responded by making the first free throw to tie the score at 70, but missed the second shot. Butler forward Matt Howard grabbed the rebound and Nasir Robinson, even more inexplicably, fouled Howard 85 feet from the basket. Howard made the first shot to break the tie and missed the second intentionally to burn time and send Butler into the regional round for the second straight year. Brown and his teammates went home early again.
On Friday, Brown's whirlwind tour of nearly a dozen NBA cities took him to Indianapolis, where he worked out in front of Larry Bird and the Pacers. Brown said he neither had time or the desire to visit Butler's campus, six miles away.
Not surprisingly, Brown seemed to know he would have to relive the March misery all over.
"A lot of people were talking to me, saying it wasn't my fault, that it's just part of the game," Brown said after the workout in Indy. "You know, I tried to ignore it. But as soon as I got home, it was on SportsCenter, so I had to watch the game again."
Those who have played basketball at the highest levels understand what Brown has gone through the last 2½ months.
Two of the six players in Brown's group, San Diego State's Malcolm Thomas and Kansas' Markieff Morris, were eliminated earlier than expected last season. Pacers forward Josh McRoberts, a former Duke player, still remembers the times he missed critical free throws at the ends of games.
It happens to everyone if you play long enough.
"I don't think you ever forget it," McRoberts said. "It's tough to sleep at night, so you can't forget it."
Especially when it's replayed time and again on television and referred to constantly as one of the wackiest finishes in NCAA tourney history.
Thomas, one of Brown's teammates at another NBA camp in Portsmouth, Va., remembers seeing the replays.
"I never asked him about it because I know how it feels," Thomas said. "It's probably the toughest thing I've had to deal with, to get that close and lose, it's just tough to put it behind you."
Brown has tried to do it. After running the gamut of emotions in the immediate aftermath, Brown finally went back and watched tape of the game. His conclusion was that the Panthers made too many mistakes before The Miss to win the game.
That hasn't made chasing his NBA dream any easier. When the NBA handed out invitations to the combine in Chicago, Brown didn't make the list.
Then teams started calling to line up the workouts and Brown accepted every invitation. The tour stops include Indy, Houston, Phoenix, Los Angeles Washington and Detroit, among others.
"I want to show them that I'm a defensive stopper, that I'm capable of guarding anyone from one to four, that I'm a reliable shooter, too," Brown said. "I want to show them that I'm more of a player than they think I am."
And that he's over the sting of losing to Butler.
"Looking back, you look at the last two teams we lost to (Butler and UConn), and you felt like you could have been there," Brown said, referring to the two teams that played for the national championship. "It's tough, it's tough."
-- Michael Marot
UConn's Walker ready to make NBA transition
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kemba Walker took the NCAA tournament by storm as a dynamic, speedy, nearly unstoppable scoring point guard who helped Connecticut win the national championship.
Just over two months later, the former Huskies star is learning the reality that the NBA is a more demanding place.
Walker was in Charlotte on Friday for the first of many pre-draft workouts. Bobcats owner Michael Jordan was there, along with a gym full of skepticism.
While Walker is expected to go high in the June 23 draft, Bobcats coach Paul Silas said there's "no doubt" Walker's 6-foot-1 height is a concern. He wondered whether the Bobcats would want another small point guard — they already have 6-foot D.J. Augustin — and declared the Bobcats wouldn't attempt to trade up from the No. 9 spot to snag Walker.
"If he drops to nine," Silas said, "we'd really have to consider him."
Hardly a ringing endorsement for a guard whose spectacular quickness was no match for most college defenders. He got to the free-throw line, shot well from 3-point range, and led UConn to an unprecedented 11 straight wins to snag the Big East and NCAA crowns.
"I think he could be a good one," Silas said.
Yet Walker, who acknowledged working out in front of Jordan was a "little nerve-racking," was in the odd situation of having to make excuses for averaging 23.5 points last season. He averaged only 4.5 assists.
"Last season I had to score for my team out of necessity. But I'm a point guard," Walker said. "I'm able to score, but I'm also able to get guys involved, too. I think I fit in great with this team."
The 21-year-old Walker's junior season at UConn included being named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA tournament. He scored 36 points against San Diego State and 33 against Cincinnati. He had 27 games of 20 or more and even rebounded well (5.4) for his size.
"With speed, it gives me a chance to get to certain places other guards can't," he said.
Walker's dominant season helped give Jim Calhoun a national title in what could have been his final season. The 69-year-old coach is contemplating retirement.
"I think he's going stay, no question about that," Walker said. "He just loves the game too much. He's very passionate about the game."
People have said the same about Walker, who guided UConn to an unprecedented five wins in five days to take the Big East tournament. But then there are the whispers.
Can Walker become a pass-first point guard? Will his body hold up over an 82-game season? Can he effectively guard the bigger point guards in the league?
"That's always a concern. It's a concern with who we have currently," Silas said, referring to Augustin. "You just have to find a way to help them out and design your defenses so they can't get hurt."
Walker's quickness and toughness may be enough to overcome his 184-pound frame. It's also hard to overlook what he did in college
Perhaps fittingly, Walker's first NBA workout Friday included Butler guard Shelvin Mack. The two squared off in one of the ugliest NCAA title games. Walker shot 5 of 19 from the field and Mack 4 of 15 as UConn won 53-41.
Mack insisted more shots fell Friday.
"You can say that," he said, smiling.
Walker, too, smiles when people question his size. Yet he'll likely face similar scrutiny in upcoming workouts with Utah (No. 3 pick), Toronto (5) , Sacramento (7) and Detroit (8).
"I just laugh. I've been playing basketball my whole life," Walker said. "It's never been an issue. As long as teams like me, I don't care. If anything, I'll just adapt and adjust."
-- Mike Cranston
Wolves say they're keeping No. 2, for now
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Timberwolves appear content to sit at No. 2 and draft a player on June 23 — for now.
Minnesota assistant general manager Tony Ronzone said Friday that the Timberwolves are leaning toward keeping the second pick, even though they're getting a lot of phone calls with offers from teams looking to move up.
"I say right now we're keeping two," Ronzone said after working out several lower-tiered free agents. "And we really like where we're at at 2."
With Ricky Rubio signing a contract earlier this week to come to Minnesota next season, Ronzone was asked if the Wolves were going to hold onto the No. 2 pick. While saying that they were comfortable at No. 2 and they were planning on keeping it, things could change.
He said the Wolves like their options at No. 2, even though the youngest team in the league needs veteran leadership on its roster. He also said "that's where we are today," leaving open the possibility that they could trade the pick if the right offer came along.
The Wolves finished with the worst record in the NBA, but their poor luck in the lottery continued this year when the Cleveland Cavaliers leapfrogged them to get the top pick. The Cavaliers are expected to take Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with that pick, leaving Arizona forward Derrick Williams there for the Wolves at No. 2.
But Ronzone said he didn't think Irving to Cleveland was a foregone conclusion.
"I think it's still open," he said. "I think 1-2-3-4 is open. Could go any direction. Eye of the beholder, and what teams are there. It will be an exciting draft day, and it will be a lot of movement."
Whether the Wolves move could depend on what happens at No. 1. With the youngest roster in the league, the Wolves badly need a strong veteran presence on the roster. They could use that second pick as the big chip to get a quality veteran from another team looking to move up in the draft.
The Timberwolves will workout Williams and power forward/center Enes Kanter on June 16 and San Diego State swingman Kawhi Leonard on June 20, among other workouts.
Ronzone declined to comment on Rubio's decision to sign. The Timberwolves have not publicly announced Rubio is coming because they are waiting for the 20-year-old point guard to finish playing for his team in the Spanish league finals.
But he did speak about Rubio's game in general, specifically the perception that his game has regressed over the last two seasons playing in Regal Barcelona.
"All I know is the kid is a winner," Ronzone said. "He wins, and he's 20 years old. And he contines to win, and his team is in the finals of the playoffs right now. That's the way I look at him. He's just a winner, bottom line."
-- Jon Krawczynski
