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NBA Playoff Capsules: Nowitzki blasts Lakers again, sends Mavs to 2-0 lead
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks let loose with a few primal howls as they left the court, cutting through the scattered boos and gloomy silence at Staples Center.
After back-to-back wins over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavericks are headed home with something coach Rick Carlisle insists they expected.
These longtime playoff disappointments have a golden opportunity to knock out the two-time defending champions.
Nowitzki scored 24 points, Shawn Marion added 14 and the Mavericks stunned the erratic Lakers 93-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 second-round lead with consecutive road wins.
"If you would have told me before that were going to win both games, that would have been hard to believe," Nowitzki said. "But I think we earned it."
Jason Kidd scored 10 points for the Mavericks, who pushed the Lakers halfway to playoff elimination with Nowitzki's stellar shooting, another steady defensive performance, and a decisive 9-0 fourth-quarter rally. Dallas did nothing spectacularly well, yet was significantly better than the cold-shooting Lakers on both ends.
"We came to compete, and we came to make something happen here," Marion said. "We made our presence felt on both ends of the floor tonight. We did a good job of handling their pressure and just going out there and doing what we've been doing all postseason, just playing good defense and just playing our style of play."
Kobe Bryant scored 23 points for the Lakers, who hadn't lost the first two games of a playoff series since the 2008 NBA finals — also the last series they lost. Only three NBA teams have come back to win a best-of-seven series after losing the first two at home, where dismayed fans sent the Lakers off with boos and jeers.
"We came here to win two games," Carlisle said. "We're going to need every gun blazing and throw the kitchen sink at these guys when they come to our place."
Game 3 is Friday night in Dallas.
Los Angeles missed its first 15 3-point attempts in Game 2, only avoiding its first playoff game without a 3-pointer since May 8, 2001, on Bryant's 3-pointer with 2:43 left. Los Angeles finished 2 for 20 on 3-pointers, but the Lakers also appeared simply exhausted during long stretches of their 75th playoff game in the last four seasons.
Center Andrew Bynum saw another reason for the Lakers' frustrations.
"It's deeply rooted at this point. It's obvious that we have trust issues, individually," said Bynum, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds. "All 13 of our guys have trust issues right now. I think it's quite obvious to anyone watching the game — hesitation on passes, and defensively we're not being a good teammate because he wasn't there for you before — little things. And unless we come out and discuss them, nothing is going to change."
Bryant wrote off Bynum's comments as concerns about the Lakers' defensive communication.
"I think the trust that he's referring to is being able to help each other on the defensive end of the floor," Bryant said. "You saw a lot of layups. He gets frustrated when he supports a guard coming off the screen-and-roll and nobody supports him."
But Los Angeles also could be without its defensive stopper in Dallas: Ron Artest was ejected with 24.4 seconds left for clotheslining Dallas guard Jose Barea, possibly leading to a suspension. Even Lakers coach Phil Jackson conceded "there's a good chance" he won't have Artest on Friday.
"It's not a basketball play, so we'll see what happens," Barea said.
After years of playoff underachievement during owner Mark Cuban's tenure, the Mavericks certainly appear primed to change their reputation.
Dallas, which won just one playoff series in the past four years before this spring, was more aggressive and inventive than the champs, maintaining a steady lead before breaking it open with nine straight points down the stretch in the rally led by Barea, who highlighted it with an impressive short shot directly over Bynum. Barea had 12 points and four assists.
Cuban led the cheers behind Dallas' bench as the Mavs pulled away in the fourth quarter. Not even Bryant could save the Lakers, going scoreless in the fourth until hitting two free throws with 3:11 to play.
Bynum and Pau Gasol haven't been able to control the paint with their usual vehemence against the Mavericks' three 7-footers. Gasol had 13 points and 10 rebounds, but appeared tentative for long stretches while struggling to contain Nowitzki.
The Mavericks protected the rim and largely controlled the tempo, using their advantages in depth and athleticism to limit the Lakers' offense. Dallas took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter and stretched it to 10 moments later before coasting home with little opposition from the Lakers, who went 7 for 20 in the final period.
"Desperate? That's a strong word," Bryant said. "I think when you play desperate, you don't play your best basketball. What we need to do is relax, focus on what we're doing wrong and the mistakes that we're making, and we have plenty to review and lock in on that."
Dallas rallied from a 16-point deficit in the second half to win Game 1, finishing on a 9-2 run capped by four last-minute points from Nowitzki, who seems determined to erase memories of the Mavericks' past playoff failures on big stages.
Nowitzki came out firing again in Game 2, scoring 15 points in the first half with the 7-footer's usual array of impossible-to-block fallaway jumpers. The Lakers ran several defenders at him, using Gasol and Lamar Odom before trying Artest in the second quarter.
NOTES: Bryant has 5,246 career playoff points to 5,248 for Shaquille O'Neal, in fourth place on the NBA's career playoff scoring list. The former Lakers superstar is injured and sitting for the Boston Celtics this spring. ... Dallas is the most recent NBA team to win a series after losing the first two games at home, doing it in 2005. ... Fans near courtside included Larry David, directors McG and Brett Ratner, Bridget Moynahan, Eliza Dushku, George Lopez, Dax Shepard, Anthony Anderson, Holly Robinson Peete and Jaime Murray.
Rose, Noah lead Bulls over Hawks, 86-73
CHICAGO (AP) — Derrick Rose's night started with a trophy presentation from Commissioner David Stern and ended with those familiar "MVP! MVP!" chants from the crowd.
In between, he dominated in spurts. He struggled at times, too. In the end, all that mattered was this: The Bulls and Hawks are now tied.
Rose scored 25 points, Joakim Noah added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Chicago beat Atlanta 86-73 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Wednesday night to knot this series.
The top-seeded Bulls shook off a dismal performance in the opener and looked more like the team with a league-high 62 wins, building a 14-point lead and ending the game on a 9-2 run after the Hawks got within six.
Now, the series shifts to Atlanta for Games 3 and 4 Friday and Sunday, with Chicago at least in better shape after a 103-95 loss in Game 1.
Rose, meanwhile, can focus on the task at hand. The past few days were a blur for the Chicago product, with the news about his MVP breaking, the formal announcement on Tuesday and the presentation with Stern before the opening tip.
"I'm just happy that it's over now, and we can just ball out," Rose said.
The superstar point guard showed just why he became the youngest player to win the award — at least in the first half, when he scored 16 points.
He went cold after that and wound up hitting just 10 of 27 shots, going 1 of 8 on 3-pointers and committing eight turnovers. He did convert 4 of 6 free throws after failing to get to the line in the opener, and he insisted the left ankle he sprained in the opening round against Indiana and twisted at the end of Game 1 in this series is fine.
At times, he seemed more aggressive, but the shots stopped falling.
"Shots I normally hit, they just didn't fall tonight," Rose said. "The way that they're playing me, I'm going to continue to shoot."
The Hawks are sagging off him, daring him to hit from the outside.
To that, Rose said, "Things are going to change."
Noah helped pick up the slack. So did Luol Deng, who scored all but two of his 14 points in the second half and grabbed 12 rebounds in the game.
Carlos Boozer, bothered by a turf toe injury on his right foot, had eight points and 11 boards and heard it from the home crowd — something that didn't sit well with Noah.
"Sometimes our home crowd, it's a tough place to play," he said. "We have a lot of love for our crowd, but through tough times, we got to stick together."
Noah remembers being booed as a rookie, and "it's tough." Boozer, meanwhile, hasn't been the same since he missed five games with a sprained left ankle.
"With Carlos, I think people have to understand he's playing through an injury right now, and he's giving us what he's got," Noah said. "He's somebody who has an unbelievable presence and he opens up a lot of things for a lot of us. I think that sometimes people are quick to bash one player, but this is a team. And we know that we need Carlos to get to where we want to go. I think Taj (Gibson) does an excellent job, but we need everybody."
The Bulls won even though they shot just over 39 percent and were 5 of 22 on 3-pointers, because they dominated on the glass and locked down Atlanta.
The Bulls outrebounded the Hawks 58-39 after getting beaten on the boards 38-37 in Game 1 and held them to 33.8 percent shooting, after they converted just over 51 percent in the opener.
"They came out and applied pressure," said Atlanta's Jeff Teague, who scored 21 points without a turnover. "They got up into us. They made every catch we got tough. They came on Joe (Johnson), double-teamed him a lot. Kind of frustrated us as a team, because he got it going the first game."
While Teague came through with another good game filling in for the injured Kirk Hinrich, Johnson and Jamal Crawford struggled after coming up big in the opener.
Johnson saw his scoring dip from 34 points to 16. Crawford finished with just 11 after scoring 22 in Game 1, and the Hawks simply couldn't sustain any momentum.
"This one hurt," Johnson said. "This was definitely a game I thought that we could have won and go home up 2-0."
The Bulls led by as much as 14 and finally put away the Hawks in the closing minutes. With a 77-71 lead, Deng scored on a layup with just under four minutes left to start the game-ending run and Chicago hung on from there.
Rose provided the final point when he hit a free throw in the closing seconds as the fans chanted "MVP! MVP!" — a fitting finish given the way the night began.
During the presentation, Stern told him, "In a league of very valuable players, you are the most valuable."
Rose thanked the crowd and said the award is "for the city of Chicago, more than anything," and then posed with his mom Brenda and three brothers.
Once the game started, he was sharper, at least in the early going, after an uncharacteristically passive performance in Game 1.
Plagued by slow starts in the playoffs, the Bulls led 48-37 at halftime thanks to a strong start by Rose. And they ultimately prevailed thanks to a strong effort on defense.
"We affected them into taking a lot of tough shots," Deng said.
NOTES: Asked earlier in the day if the Hawks would see more defensive pressure — particularly Teague — Coach Tom Thibodeau quipped, "Well, some would be good." ... Thibodeau wasn't surprised Rose was a picture of humility during his MVP speech on Tuesday, thanking just about everyone and choking up when he mentioned his family. "He's like that every day, and that's the thing that's most impressive thing about him," Thibodeau said. "He's handled everything with so much class and grace. He's got a great demeanor. He's never satisfied. He wants the team to do well. He cares so much about his teammates. We just want him to continue doing all the things he's doing." ... Blackhawks star Patrick Kane was seen wearing a Rose jersey. ... Hinrich, the former Bulls player, has a strained right hamstring and is expected to miss the series.
-- Andrew Seligman
Saturday's Games
Boston ailing, Heat soaring in East semifinals
MIAMI (AP) — Coach Doc Rivers had very specific instructions for the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. Go golfing. Avoid hanging out with each other. Most importantly, try to stay away from the game of basketball.
Think of it as a Doc's prescription for mental health.
Physical health may be of greater concern for the Celtics, who are limping into big trouble against the Miami Heat. And if there's an upside to being down 2-0 to the Heat in these Eastern Conference semifinals, it's that the schedule allows Boston some time to heal.
Game 3 isn't until Saturday in Boston.
"We'll be ready," Rivers said. "I can tell you that. Guarantee you that. In this case, the rest is good. It's very good for us, because we are a little banged-up."
Or a lot banged-up, more specifically.
Paul Pierce (foot), Rajon Rondo (back) and Ray Allen (chest) are dealing with various maladies for Boston, and the Celtics are still without center Shaquille O'Neal, who has played in one game — briefly at that — since Feb. 1 because of calf problems.
"Rest is always good, but I don't think we really want four days off," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. "I think it probably helps Boston more than it helps us, for them guys to really get a lot of rest. We'll have one day off and then (get) back at it again. We're going to take it. We're going to learn from the things we did well and also the things we didn't do so well."
At this rate, there isn't much to complain about from the Heat perspective.
Miami used a 14-0 run in the fourth quarter to fuel a 101-92 victory in Game 2 on Tuesday night behind 35 points from LeBron James and 28 more from Wade. So far in the series, they've combined to score 123 points — nine more than the collective total from Ray Allen, Pierce, Rondo and Kevin Garnett.
The Celtics are getting beat up and banged up at about the same rate.
Pierce began noticeably limping midway through the first quarter of Game 2. Rondo did not warm up at halftime, keeping a heating pad on his aching back instead until play resumed, then needed some fourth-quarter stretching on the Celtics' sideline.
And when Rondo and Allen tried challenging James in the open floor, they paid big prices.
James spun around Rondo for a two-handed dunk — Rondo was knocked into a backward somersault on the play. And minutes later, James and Allen collided on another Heat breakout. James caught a forearm from Allen in the face and was briefly shaken up, but got the worst of it, having to leave the game briefly with a bruised chest.
"Something you deal with," Allen shrugged.
Say this much for the Celtics: They may be bruised, but far from beaten.
O'Neal insists that he will play in Game 3, and in a crestfallen Boston postgame locker room, both Garnett and Glen Davis used the same phrase to emphasize the importance of the next game.
"Do or die," they said in separate interviews.
If the Heat had their way, Game 3 probably would have been played already. A franchise that couldn't beat the Celtics for the better part of the last four years — Miami dropped 18 of 20 games to Boston — has now won three straight in the series, including the April 10 regular-season matchup.
Find a way to win two more, and the Heat are heading to the Eastern Conference finals.
"We did what we wanted to do, protect home-court," James said. "Now the series starts in a very, very hostile environment on Saturday. Looking forward to the challenge."
Like Rivers, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra gave his team Wednesday off. Rest is good, Spoelstra said, and he doesn't expect the Heat to lose their edge over the layoff.
"The series doesn't start until somebody wins on an opposing teams' court," Spoelstra said. "So we understand what the challenge will be going up there."
For Miami forward Chris Bosh, the rest might be worthwhile.
He took a pointed, lighthearted jab at himself Tuesday night, saying that he doesn't know what to do with off days in the second round because he's never reached this point in the NBA playoffs before.
"I like to call it 'breaking a mental sweat,'" Bosh said. "I'll just watch film, watch a lot of film and kind of go through it in your mind and see the mistakes that we made. It's always easy to look at the pleasant things. We need to take this game and really dissect it and look at what we could have done better."
-- Tim Reynolds
Criticism and stardom for Thunder's Westbrook
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Russell Westbrook has made a quick rise from turnover-prone rookie to NBA All-Star. He's also learned that no matter what he does, he can't make everyone happy.
"This time of the year, it's a tough job. You kind of take the good with the bad," Westbrook said. "Sometimes, people like when you score. Sometimes they don't like when you score. Sometimes they like when you pass. So, you've got to just play."
In the playoffs, Westbrook has drawn criticism for taking more shots than NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant in each of Oklahoma City's two playoff losses. He also had seven turnovers in the Thunder's Game 1 loss against the Grizzlies.
The series is now knotted 1-1 headed into Saturday's Game 3 at Memphis.
Just don't count coach Scott Brooks among those who are hopping off and on Westbrook's bandwagon this postseason.
"It's amazing. With Russell, we analyze every possession. I do that myself when we break down the film," Brooks said Wednesday during a break in the series. "But it seems like everybody's breaking down the film — like in my meetings or in my head."
Brooks, a former NBA point guard, sees Westbrook's rise as more of a long-term endeavor. Westbrook didn't even play the point during his two seasons at UCLA, but made the switch after he was drafted fourth overall in 2008.
He took over as the starting point guard on a team that was on pace for the worst record in NBA history and ended up leading the league in turnovers, only to develop within two years into an All-Star and the Thunder's go-to guy behind Durant.
"It's not fair to him," Brooks said. "It's really not fair to him. ... He gets criticized for every bad game. He's not the only player that has a bad game. He's not going to be the only player in the future that has bad games.
"The only thing that I can say about that: Russell knows what he needs to do, and we talk to him and he's coachable and he wants to get better. He controls his improvement."
Westbrook has come to understand the new place he occupies in the basketball world. Beyond his first All-Star selection this season, he was also a contributor on the U.S. team that won the world championship last summer.
So, there is a certain expectation that he'll perform each time he steps on the floor.
"That comes along with becoming a good player in this league. Everybody wants you to do everything," Westbrook said. "I'm trying my hardest to be able to get my teammates the ball and at the same time be aggressive."
Westbrook averaged 21.9 points and 8.2 assists during the regular season. His scoring is up about three points while he's averaging two fewer assists during the postseason, feeding the assertion that he's trying to do more instead of unselfishly relying on his teammates.
"The guy is trying. That's all I care about," Brooks said. "He tries, he cares, he wants to get better and those are the issues I look at with Russell.
"He's not a traditional point guard, but who is now? I mean, Derrick Rose is the MVP of the league and he leads their team in scoring. He takes the most shots. He's good. That's how they play and that's how they win, but that's point guards now."
Just like in the opener, Westbrook again took two more shots than Durant in Game 2. Only this time, there hasn't been the same reaction that he should have passed more — because the Thunder won.
"We're in the playoffs, and he's the starting point guard for the team," guard James Harden said. "He's going to get that pressure. It's up to him to make the right decision of when to pass it and when to take the shot. He's been doing it all year, so we'll be fine."
NOTES: Both teams took the day off Wednesday after a late game the previous night. "I think it's good for us to take the day off today, come in and just take care of what we need to take care of, then (Thursday) get some good work in and then Friday," Brooks said. "I don't mind the time off." ... Brooks didn't have an update on the status of starting power forward Serge Ibaka, who said after injuring his knee and ankle in Game 2 that he hoped the time off before Game 3 would allow him to play. "I just know he twisted his ankle and bumped his knee," Brooks said. ... The Thunder held a players-only meeting Monday night at Durant's house. "For Kevin and (Kendrick Perkins) to call the team film session, I think it's great," Brooks said. "I think it shows that we are committed to playing better and if you don't play well, you have to figure out ways to get better."
-- Jeff Latzke
Playoff Notes
Bulls' Rose, Boozer expected to play in Game 2
DEERFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Derrick Rose and Carlos Boozer went through the morning shootaround and are expected to be in the Chicago Bulls' lineup for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks.
Rose twisted his left ankle at the end of Game 1. Boozer has been bothered by a turf toe injury on his right foot that surfaced in the opening round against Indiana, although he did have 14 points and eight rebounds in the series opener against the Hawks.
Coach Tom Thibodeau says that "everyone's fine today, full practice."
Game 2 is Wednesday night in Chicago. Atlanta won Game 1, 103-95.
Other NBA News
Clippers' Griffin unanimously voted top NBA rookie
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Blake Griffin played his entire rookie season like a man making up for lost time. Now that the Los Angeles Clippers' dynamic dunker has been named the league's top rookie in a landslide, he's already thinking about ways to improve on a delayed NBA debut that was well worth the wait.
Griffin accepted the Rookie of the Year award on Wednesday, becoming the NBA's first unanimous choice for the award in 21 years.
The No. 1 overall draft pick out of Oklahoma in 2009 missed all of the 2009-10 season after breaking his kneecap in the Clippers' final preseason game. But Griffin returned with one of the most impressive debut campaigns in a generation. Griffin frequently thought back to that season in limbo while picking up his award during a party at the Clippers' training complex.
"To miss my entire first year and then be able to be up here today is definitely satisfying," Griffin said. "When I got injured, I just decided I had to come back even better. I had to keep improving even while I couldn't play, and I dedicated myself to that."
Griffin received every first-place vote from a panel of 118 media members, easily outdistancing Washington's John Wall. The Clippers' 22-year-old power forward is the first unanimous choice since San Antonio's David Robinson in 1990, and just the third in NBA history after Ralph Sampson in 1984. New Orleans' Chris Paul came close in 2006, missing by one vote.
Griffin led all rookies in scoring and rebounding while playing in all 82 games for the Clippers, finishing 12th in the entire NBA in scoring (22.5) and fourth in rebounds (12.1) while ranking second among rookies in assists (3.8).
The 6-foot-10 Griffin was the NBA's first rookie All-Star since Yao Ming in 2003, and he won the dunk contest at All-Star weekend in Staples Center with an iconic leap over a car.
Although Griffin's aerial acrobatics made him a staple of nightly highlight reels with more than 200 dunks of varying viciousness, he's already at work in the offseason rounding into an even more complete player.
"He's a highlight at any second of the game, but he's also smart enough to know that the fundamentals are the part that will make him better and help this team," Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "He handles it very well. He has great humility and great character."
Griffin received a maximum 590 points in the voting, while Wall had 91 of the 118 second-place votes to finish with 295 points. New York's Landry Fields received 12 second-place votes and 62 points, but finished fourth in the overall voting behind Sacramento's DeMarcus Cousins, who got 11 second-place votes and 81 points.
San Antonio's Gary Neal and Detroit's Greg Monroe were the only other rookies receiving votes.
Wall, the No. 1 pick last summer, tweeted his approval of Griffin's victory, saying: "Congrats to the homie ... well deserved!"
Cousins' teammate, Tyreke Evans, won the award with the Kings last season.
Griffin was named the Western Conference's Rookie of the Month six times, becoming the first player to sweep that award since Paul did it with the Hornets five years ago. He's the first rookie to average 20 points and 10 rebounds since Elton Brand in 1999-00, and the only rookie among the league's top 45 scorers and top 20 rebounders.
Griffin showed remarkable consistency, even during the dog days of the Clippers' 18th non-winning season in 19 years. He had 63 games with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds, third-most in the NBA, including 27 straight.
"This is just the beginning of a career that's going to be very special, very fun to watch," Del Negro said. "I've had this date on my calendar since the first day I walked into the gym and saw Blake shooting baskets."
Griffin faded only briefly, going through a seven-game stretch in March without a double-double, but finished strong with his second triple-double in Los Angeles' season finale.
Despite the 32-50 Clippers' struggles while missing the playoffs for the 13th time in 14 years, Griffin's fame soared as his freakish athleticism captured the basketball world's attention.
"He has matured enough to know he doesn't have to win every game," said Griffin's father, Tommy, who coached his sons in high school in Oklahoma City. "He knows it's a long process about getting better every day, and then seeing where he is in a year or two years. That's just how Blake is. He's not ever going to be satisfied."
Griffin won over fans with a humble personality and a dry wit, which he showed off when comedian Norm MacDonald showed up at Griffin's news conference and warned the Clippers star about the curse of the Rookie of the Year award: Nobody has ever won it twice in a row.
"I'll try as hard as I can," Griffin said with a grin. "That's going on top of the goals for next year."
Griffin is the first Clippers player to win the award since Terry Cummings won it with the San Diego Clippers in 1983. Adrian Dantley, Bob McAdoo and Ernie DiGregorio won the award during a five-year stretch with the Buffalo Braves, who moved to San Diego in 1978.
Griffin shares general manager Neil Olshey's optimism about the Clippers' future, which includes ample salary cap space and a talented young roster featuring Eric Gordon, centers DeAndre Jordan and Chris Kaman, and fellow rookie Eric Bledsoe.
"We're excited about where the Clippers are headed," Griffin said. "We just laid the foundation, and we can't wait until next year."
-- Greg Beacham
Stern hopes to keep labor dispute out of courts
CHICAGO (AP) — Commissioner David Stern hopes the NBA does not follow the NFL's lead and keeps its labor dispute with the union out of the courts.
Stern said litigation is "not appropriate to making a deal."
"We understand what a chaotic situation looks like, so we won't need to give away the negotiating process to a process that is nowhere near as controlling," he added.
All he has to do is look at the NFL, where locked-out players and owners are embroiled in a bitter dispute that's playing out in court.
The NBA's current collective bargaining agreement expires June 30, and Stern has made it clear the owners will lock out the players if a deal that gives them the financial relief they're seeking can't be reached.
The league sent a revised proposal for a new deal to the players last week, and ESPN.com reported Wednesday that they are balking, saying it's too close to the original one they rejected in February 2010.
Asked about that report, Stern handed the microphone to deputy commissioner Adam Silver, who said talks are ongoing and that more meetings with union leadership are set up.
"It's going to be a long process," he said. "But we're working toward a deal."
Not since 1998 has the league had a work stoppage, and although Stern has said he doesn't think it has to come to that, he has also warned the players that the deal offered to them before the current CBA expires may be more favorable than one they could be presented after games have already been lost.
Stern has also defended the right of his owners to profit off their investments. Though the league is projecting $300 million in losses this season, the league's initial proposal for a new CBA sought to reduce player salary costs by about $750 million annually.
The players quickly rejected that proposal, which also called for a hard salary cap to replace the current system that allows for certain exceptions. The players sent a counterproposal that summer, but the league wasn't interested in it and there has been no progress.
In other matters, Stern said he could see three teams in the Los Angeles area. Even so, he was "very, very happy" that the Kings are staying put for at least another year, rather than move from Sacramento to Anaheim.
"The results thus far in sponsorship, season tickets and enthusiasm are extraordinary," he said.
He also said the league is "working very hard" to keep the Hornets in New Orleans.
"I think we're going to put back the franchise soon in a way that there will be more than one owner interested in buying the Hornets and keeping the team in New Orleans if the business community follows through on its pledges of support," he said.
Stern spoke before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Bulls and Atlanta Hawks at the United Center, where he presented Derrick Rose the MVP trophy before the opening tip.
"I do know that he's the youngest MVP, that he deserves the award he's getting tonight," the commissioner told reporters. "He had a heck of a season. ... You can check it all. He's a heck of a player, and if we can keep him healthy, he's going to have some career."
-- Andrew Seligman
Hornets still see Paul in their future
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Chris Paul remains the face of the Hornets — for now. General manager Dell Demps intends to do what he can this summer so that it stays that way beyond next season.
Paul is not eligible for a contract extension until after July 9, by which time there could be a lockout preventing contract talks. But if a labor agreement is in place, Demps intends to reach out to Paul and is optimistic that the All-Star point guard's confidence in the franchise has at been restored enough that he'll be willing to reopen negotiations.
"When that time arises, we'll have those conversations," Demps said. "Chris has been engaged since Day 1. ... We have open lines of communication and we believe it will stay like that as this thing continues."
Before the hiring of head coach Monty Williams 11 months ago and the addition of Demps to the front office shortly after that, Paul publicly expressed interest in being traded if the Hornets failed to demonstrate an immediate commitment to contending for a title.
Demps was flooded with trade offers, but he and Williams remained firmly committed to making Paul the centerpiece of the franchise. That vision remains unchanged, even though Paul, in essence, has only one more year remaining on his contract because he can opt out in 2012-13.
"He's made some comments to us that he's happy and he likes the direction that we're going," Demps said, "and we're happy with him and we want to just keep building and growing."
While Paul has often praised Williams' performance, he has avoided discussing his future beyond saying that he is looking forward to trying to help the Hornets improve next season.
Calls to Paul and his agent, Leon Rose, on Wednesday were not immediately returned.
Demps added that the Hornets "really want to keep the core together," which would mean bringing back power forwards David West and Carl Landry to play alongside Paul, center Emeka Okafor and swingman Trevor Ariza.
West, who averaged a team-leading 18.9 points in 70 games, can opt out of the one season remaining on his contract, although that may be risky because of his left knee injury in late March that required reconstructive surgery. Other teams may now be reluctant to pay more than the $7.5 million left on his Hornets deal, given that he'll be 31 and may not be ready to play until December or later.
"David's a big part of what we do," Demps said. "The goal is still for him to have his jersey retired in the rafters. He represents everything that we want this franchise to represent. He's a good person. He works hard, and blue collar guy that's very talented.
Landry, acquired in a trade in February, averaged nearly 12 points in 23 regular season games with New Orleans and started after West went down. He is a free agent.
"When we made the trade for Carl, we assumed the risk," Demps continued. "We knew he was going to be a free agent, but we also had an opportunity to have him here for 23 games and the playoffs. Carl has become an important part of our team."
The Hornets were 46-36 this season, and improvement of nine wins over the season before and good enough for the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Paul, who played 80 games after missing 37 with three separate injuries a season earlier, finished the regular season with averages of 15.8 points, 9.8 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He was even better in a first-round playoff loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, helping the Hornets push the series with six games with averages of 22 points, 11.5 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.
Even if the Hornets surround Paul with West and Landry again, they will likely need to add some new players in free agency because they currently have no first-round draft choice.
New Orleans struggled to find reliable scoring at shooting guard, where fourth-year pro Marco Belinelli started most of the season. Although Demps did not rule out an upgrade at that position, he also noted that Belinelli had not been given consistent minutes before this season and still has a lot of upside.
Demps said the Hornets also could use more depth at center.
However, Demps said he did not want to pinpoint specific positions for improvement. He and Williams agreed that finding the right additions would be more complicated than that because they want players who fit their style both offensively and defensively.
"Chris is the kind of guy you need to put athletes and shooters around him," Williams said. "It's easy to say you've got to get (a player at a certain spot), but in getting that, does it fit with what we do? ... There's no need in having a guy who can flat out knock down shots but he couldn't guard a bike if he was riding it.
"The fit makes more sense to me."
-- Brett Martel
James' portfolio now includes energy strips
MIAMI (AP) — LeBron James is getting into the energy business.
The Miami Heat star was part of a group that formally announced the launch of a new product Wednesday called Sheets energy strips, a caffeinated product that dissolves when placed on the tongue. Company officials say the strips will be in stores nationwide early next month.
The company, Purebrands LLC, lists James as a co-founder, along with his longtime confidant and business partner Maverick Carter and entrepreneurs Warren Struhl and Jesse Itzler. The strips are supposed to provide caffeine comparable to one cup of coffee, and a vitamin boost as well. James said he has been using the product before workouts and Heat games.
"I've tried tons of other products in the past and none compare," James said.
Several celebrities are also involved in the launch, including Amare Stoudemire of the New York Knicks, Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens, plus entertainers Drake and Pitbull.
There's a $10 million marketing campaign to support the launch as well.
"We have a plan, a road map to ensure that our product gets ahead of anybody that wants to try to come into the market, particularly utilizing LeBron and others as the face of our brand," said Struhl, the company's CEO.
It's the second major business announcement from James in four weeks. On April 6, he signed with Fenway Sports Management, obtaining a small ownership stake of Liverpool FC.
Having that much business-related activity around the most important part of the Heat season is not an issue, James said.
"LeBron's focus is on the Boston Celtics right now," Carter said. "That's what he cares about. I focus on this, he focuses on that."
Miami leads its Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Celtics 2-0, with Game 3 Saturday in Boston.
The product is expected to be available internationally by year's end, with packages of four strips expected to carry a price of about $2.95. Packages of two and 10 strips also are planned.
The company said much effort was made to ensure that the product would not trigger positive drug tests for elite athletes.
"We cross-referenced all the ingredients with league policy, etc.," Itzler said. "We had a team of scientists and input from LeBron's trainer, nutritionists, a lot of voices chiming in. We spent a year on it. We went through a lot of different renditions before we got to a point where we said, 'Wow, we nailed it.'"
-- Tim Reynolds
Bobcats F Cunningham faces drug-possession charge
RADNOR, Pa. (AP) — Charlotte Bobcats forward Dante Cunningham faces a drug-possession charge after police found a small amount of marijuana in his pickup during a traffic stop in suburban Philadelphia.
Radnor Township Police Superintendent William Colarulo says officers responding to a reckless driving complaint on Friday stopped the former Villanova star.
Colarulo says officers smelled marijuana and recovered a suspicious substance after Cunningham consented to a search. That search also turned up a pellet gun in violation of a local ordinance.
Cunningham was arraigned and released on bail.
The Bobcats released a brief statement Wednesday afternoon.
"We are aware of the unfortunate incident involving Dante Cunningham in Pennsylvania," the team said. "We are in the process of gathering more information and will have no further comment until the legal process has run its course."
Portland traded Cunningham to Charlotte in February in the deal that sent Gerald Wallace to the Trail Blazers.
The Bobcats moved Cunningham from power forward to small forward and were impressed with his mid-range jumper. He became a part of the rotation, averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds in 22 games with Charlotte.
Cunningham is scheduled to be a restricted free agent this summer. Before the arrest, Bobcats owner Michael Jordan said they wanted to re-sign him.
Nets center Brook Lopez has surgery on right arm
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Center Brook Lopez, the New Jersey Nets' leading scorer, had surgery Wednesday to remove a bone mass and a calcium deposit from his upper right arm.
General manager Billy King said the center should be ready for training camp in the fall. The surgery was performed by Nets team orthopedic Dr. Riley Williams III and Dr. Andrew Weiland at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
"Brook was bothered this year by a bony lump that developed after he was hit in the arm early this year," Williams said. "The mass was successfully removed today. A full recovery is expected, and Brook should be able to return to basketball activities in approximately six weeks."
The team release did not define a "bone mass," but a team spokesman said it was not related to cancer.
Lopez, who has never missed a game due to injury in his three-year career, averaged a team-high 20.4 points and 6.0 rebounds this past season.
Boston to build Celtics statue pushed by Obama
BOSTON (AP) — Boston is building a statue of Celtics legend Bill Russell months after President Barack Obama suggested the city needed one.
The basketball franchise announced Wednesday the statue would be designed by a local artist and would commemorate Russell as a sports champion, human rights leader and youth mentoring advocate.
Russell says in a press release he's "uncomfortable" with such honors. But he adds his years as captain of the Celtics were "the proudest moments" of his career.
Russell led the Celtics to 11 league championships in 13 seasons.
Obama suggested Boston build a statue of Russell when he awarded him a Presidential Medal of Freedom in February. Obama said he hoped one day children would look up to a statute "built not only to Bill Russell the player but Bill Russell the man."
Timberwolves' Kahn headed to Spain
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — David Kahn is heading back to Spain as the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to wait to see if point guard Ricky Rubio will commit to playing in the NBA next season.
Kahn and assistant GM Tony Ronzone departed Wednesday to scout the Euroleague Final Four. Rubio is not playing in the tournament, but is playing in the Spanish League.
Rubio has to exercise a $1 million buyout with Regal Barcelona and sign his current rookie deal by May 31 if he wants to avoid risk losing money with a new NBA collective bargaining agreement. The Timberwolves can contribute $500,000 toward that buyout.
Kahn and Ronzone also will be there to visit former draft picks Henk Norel, Nemanja Bjelica and Paolao Prestes.
Knicks' Douglas has surgery on right shoulder
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks say guard Toney Douglas had surgery on his right shoulder and could be sidelined four months.
The procedure Wednesday was to repair a torn labrum. The team says the surgery, performed by team orthopedist Dr. Answorth Allen at the Hospital for Special Surgery, was successful.
The Knicks said the expected recovery time was 12 to 16 weeks.
Coach Mike D'Antoni said during the playoffs that Douglas' shoulder was bothering him. The reserve guard was forced to start the final three games of a first-round sweep against Boston because starter Chauncey Billups was out with a left knee injury, and Douglas shot only 3 for 11 for six points in the finale.
Bucks holding 11 summer camps for kids
MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks will hold 11 basketball camps over six weeks at various spots in southeastern Wisconsin beginning June 20 for boys and girls in the second through eighth grades.
The four-day camps will be held in Manitowoc, Sheboygan, Menomonee Falls, Oconomowoc, Glendale, Hales Corner, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, West Bend and Waukesha.
All the camps run for four hours a day, except the one in Milwaukee at the team's training center, which will be a full day camp.
All campers who attend will receive a team practice jersey, two free ticket vouchers for a home game next season, prizes and an online photo with their camp's team and coach.
Riley earns NBA's top executive by Sporting News
MIAMI (AP) — Heat President Pat Riley has been selected as the NBA's 2010-11 Executive of the Year by the Sporting News. The NBA's official award for top executive is expected to be released in the coming days.
Riley engineered some major offseason moves last summer, not only convincing Dwyane Wade to stay in Miami, but luring LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join him.
Chicago general manager Gar Forman was second in the Sporting News balloting, while Denver vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri was third.
