NBA Capsules: Nowitzki helps Mavs avoid sweep at hands of Nuggets

DALLAS - Down by 14 and playing listlessly, the Dallas Mavericks sure looked ready to call it a season.

Then Carmelo Anthony threw a jab, and everything changed.

Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs awoke from their early-game slumber with rally after rally, getting close or even tied yet unable to get ahead until the former MVP made a tough, high-arching shot with 1:05 left. Having worked so hard for the lead, they weren't about to give it back, pulling out a 119-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night to avoing being swept.

Anthony scored a career playoff-best 41 points and snagged five steals. He was the one turning away most Dallas rallies and made a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left that got Denver within a point. Yet when Mavericks guard Jason Terry intentionally missed a free throw with 1.1 ticks left, Anthony was out of answers. He got the rebound, but couldn't stop the clock and didn't even have time to try a 90-foot heave.

The buzzer sounded and confetti fell as the teams left the court knowing they will meet again Wednesday night in Denver.

"It was an unbelievable game," said Nowitzki, who scored 19 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter. "We were down the whole game, but were able to come back and win and we've been doing that all season long. ... We've got to go back to Denver and let it all hang out again."

The Mavs lost all four regular-season games against the Nuggets and the first three of this series, but all along felt they were close. The scoreboard showed it, too, as Denver's margin shrunk from 14 in the opener to 12 then to one in Game 3, which also needed a mistaken no-call and a 3-pointer by Anthony with a second left.

"We've been fighting and fighting this whole series," said Mavs forward Josh Howard, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds on two bad ankles. "The end of Game 3 gave us a lot of willpower for this game."

It sure didn't look like it the first 13 minutes.

Anthony and the Nuggets were scoring at will and the Mavericks were doing little to stop them. On one possession, Anthony turned, saw no one between him and the basket and soared for a dunk so easy it could've been preseason.

But then Anthony and Dallas' Antoine Wright - the combatants from the Game 3 finish - got their arms tangled. Once untangled, Anthony's open hand smacked Wright in the shoulder. Officials called Wright for a loose-ball foul, hit Anthony with a technical and watched a video replay to make sure they were right.

Nothing was the same after that. The intensity ratcheted to Game 7 proportions, with a total of seven technical fouls and two flagrants. It spilled into the stands, too, with security guards removing Anthony's girlfriend, LaLa Vazquez of MTV fame, for her safety and with extra protection around the mother of Kenyon Martin, who had a brief exchange with Mavs owner Mark Cuban after Game 3.

"They're allowed to be fans, but when it gets personal, it goes over the top," said Denver's Chauncey Billups, who had 24 points and seven assists.

Added Nuggets coach George Karl: "I would probably use an uglier word than hostile, but I'm not going to do that right now. I don't think it was very classy."

The postgame scene was a little calmer than after Game 3, although it may also wind up getting reviewed by the league office because Martin and Cuban clearly exchanged words.

Alas, Denver fans won't get their chance for revenge on Cuban. He's skipping Game 5 to be at an awards ceremony in Las Vegas, keeping a promise he made to his wife six months ago.

Nuggets fans will have plenty to scream about anyway. Their club is 5-0 at home this postseason and can clinch their first trip to the conference finals since 1985.

"We're still in control," Anthony said. "We'll be ready."

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle wasn't surprised his team played so well because that's been their pattern this season - bouncing back strong after hitting rock bottom. He probably would've preferred they didn't get so far behind so quickly at the start, but Nowitzki refused to let them stay down for long.

"There are very few guys I have been around in this league that are as strong-willed as him," Carlisle said.

Nowitzki, who also is dealing with off-court troubles involving a girlfriend, was 14-of-25. He made 16 of 17 free throws and grabbed 13 rebounds.

"We showed character and fought," said Dallas' Jason Kidd, who had 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. "The pressure is on them to win the series. We don't have any pressure."

Notes: Denver's J.R. Smith had 19 points, including two terrific baskets with the shot clock about to expire in the fourth quarter. ... Nuggets backup center Chris "Birdman" Andersen missed the game with a stomach flu. ... Dallas has still never been swept in a seven-game series.

Nuggets-Mavericks sideshow: Cuban vs. K-Mart's mom

DALLAS - An unlikely sideshow developed prior to Monday night's Game 4 of the Mavericks-Nuggets series: Mark Cuban vs. Kenyon Martin's mother.

The billionaire team owner and local mom became linked because of a brief confrontation in the heated aftermath of Game 3, when Denver benefited from an NBA-acknowledged officiating mistake and beat Dallas 106-105 for a 3-0 series lead.

Cuban stalked across the court, blew off steam at the scorer's table, then headed down a hall leading away from the court. Lydia Moore, wearing a Nuggets jersey, was standing near the base of the section he walked past, clearly in his view.

According to Cuban, a fan called the Nuggets "thugs" and he looked at Moore and said, "That includes your son." However, Martin's agent told the Denver Post that Cuban said, "Your son is a punk."

On Monday, Cuban would only say, "I'm happy to let her sit next to me. I've got no problem with Mrs. Martin."

Martin doesn't do interviews during the open locker room period before tipoff, but during Monday morning's shootaround he vowed to handle things himself.

"It's a little personal, and I'm going to take care of it," he said. "I'm not going to do the whole media thing, back and forth. That's his thing. I'm more of a face-to-face type of dude."

League spokesman Tim Frank said Monday that all of the postgame fallout was still under review.

In the second quarter Monday night, things got tense when Denver's Carmelo Anthony received a technical foul for shoving Dallas' Antoine Wright. As officials reviewed the play - presumably to consider ejecting Anthony - Martin went from the bench to near midcourt to make sure his mom and family were OK. They were, as security around them was beefed up.

Martin, who grew up in Dallas, already was fined $25,000 by the league for a hard foul on Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki during Game 1. That prompted his sister to call Michael Irvin's local radio show and defend her brother: "The one thing that I want to make clear, and very clear, is that my brother is not a thug. He's a human being that's doing his job."

Cuban has racked up more than $1 million in fines from the league, and even been suspended, for actions the league has deemed non-owner-like behavior. Most of it falls under the category of being passionate, which is how Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle sees this incident. Carlisle gave a 3-minute answer to a question about his boss, starting with saying this year (his first in Dallas) has been his best in coaching and ending with "I would swear by this guy."

"He's emotional, but his emotions - however they manifest - are all directed toward one thing, and I'm absolutely convinced that is putting forth the best product for our fans," Carlisle said.

Nuggets coach George Karl said he considers Cuban "very good for the game of basketball, but he's very eclectic and very different."

As for how he expects Martin to "take care of" Cuban, Karl said he expects it to be properly handled.

"Kenyon's a man. He doesn't want to discuss his problems with (reporters). He wants to discuss his problems with Mark," Karl said. "I would prefer he probably do it in the summertime. That would probably be best served for both of them. Let the emotion go away and go have dinner."

-- Jaime Aron

Carmelo avoids ejection after tech

DALLAS - Denver's Carmelo Anthony has been assessed a technical foul, but not ejected in Game 4 against Dallas after pushing off Antoine Wright.

Wright was wrapped around Anthony's arms under the Nuggets basket in the opening minute of the second quarter Monday night. When Wright didn't let go, Anthony swatted at the Mavericks guard. J.J. Barea of the Mavs then stepped between the two trying to calm the situation.

Officials called Wright for a loose ball foul and assessed a technical on Anthony. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle was obviously upset when officials took no further action after reviewing video of the play.

In the closing seconds of Game 3 on Saturday, Wright tried to intentionally foul Anthony. No foul was called and Anthony hit a game-winning 3-pointer.

Denver playing without 'Birdman'

DALLAS - The "Birdman" was missing for Denver.

Chris Andersen missed Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals Monday night in Dallas because of a stomach flu.

Andersen was on the court for pregame introductions, but the Nuggets' 6-foot-10 post player then went back to the locker room and wasn't seen on the bench again. When the team returned after halftime, Andersen wasn't with them and the Nuggets said he wouldn't play.

In Game 3 on Saturday, Anderson fouled out in only 11 minutes. He had eight points and nine rebounds while playing 25 minutes in Game 2.

NBA: more education on flagrants may be needed

NEW YORK - After preseason lessons and season-long dialogue with team officials, the man in charge of discipline for the NBA believes players should have an understanding of the league's flagrant foul rules.

By the end of the weekend, it was clear that wasn't the case.

So after reading their complaints, Stu Jackson, the league's executive vice president of basketball operations, feels more dialogue may be necessary.

"I look at it as opportunity for us to further educate the players as well as the coaches in terms of what a flagrant foul is," Jackson said Monday in an interview with The Associated Press. "Certainly the league office has consistently communicated to both the competition committee members, as well as the teams, on an ongoing basis as these fouls occur.

"But if there's still some uncertainty with respect to what is a flagrant foul, what's a suspendable offense and what a hard foul is, then it's incumbent upon us here at the league office to do a better job going forward of educating everyone."

The NBA has two levels of flagrant fouls: penalty one and penalty two. A penalty one is defined as unnecessary contact. The penalty two is issued if contact is deemed both unnecessary and excessive, and calls for an automatic ejection.

It's up to the officials to determine if a foul fits either or both criteria, and the definitions of those terms could change from official to official.

"Flagrants in this game, it's a little gray. There are some gray areas there, and I don't have a solution," Houston forward Shane Battier said.

"A lot of it comes down to judgment calls of the referees. I don't have a good answer. It would be nice to get some dialogue and get some discussion and some real talk, not just lip service to address it."

Battier and the Lakers' Kobe Bryant discussed their frustration with the rule Friday night after Ron Artest's flagrant foul against Pau Gasol in the closing minutes of Los Angeles' victory over Houston in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Artest was given a penalty two and thrown out, even though players and coaches on both teams thought it was nothing more than a hard foul, at most worthy of a flagrant one. On Saturday, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said the league must do a better job of defining the rules.

"Yeah, they have to. Even our guys announcing the games have no idea," Jackson said. "Is that a foul? Is that a flagrant one, is that a flagrant two? Then, they're surprised when it's a flagrant two, or no foul at all. Obviously, they're the guys who see replays a lot of times before we see them. I haven't even seen the replay on Artest's foul on Pau. It didn't look flagrant two to me."

Stu Jackson agreed, and later Saturday downgraded the play to a flagrant one, reducing by one the flagrant foul points against Artest. A player is suspended one game in the postseason once he reaches four flagrant foul points.

But that would have done the Rockets no good if the foul had been committed in the opening minutes and they had to go without their leading scorer for nearly an entire playoff game.

Before the player is ejected, the referees must review a video of the play to ensure that the flagrant two was warranted. Even though the league office later decided the Artest play wasn't, Stu Jackson believes the replay system would usually prevent the officials from getting it wrong.

"Certainly with respect to flagrant foul penalty ones and all fouls in general, the referees have to make decisions in split tenths of a second," he said. "When you're evaluating the severity of the contact, that's a daunting task and isn't always easy to do. That's why the league office evaluates flagrant fouls postgame to confirm them."

Jackson said the league is discussing ways it can offer more education before the playoffs are over, but deeper information probably won't come until next fall. He said the preseason meetings the referees operations department holds with each team may include a segment just on flagrant fouls.

And perhaps there won't be such confusion by this time next season.

"Throughout the season I spend an inordinate amount of time speaking with teams, primarily GMs and coaches, when they inquire about flagrant fouls as to the reasons a given play was evaluated the way it was," Jackson said. "But if there's still uncertainty, we need to do more."

-- Brian Mahoney

James scores 27 as Cavs win 84-74, sweep Hawks

ATLANTA - Like Michael Jordan, he knows there are times that call for dominating. Like Magic Johnson, he knows there are times that call for sharing the ball.

LeBron James went with his Magic impression in the deciding game of another playoff sweep.

While failing to match his offensive explosion in Game 3, the league's MVP scored 27 points and got his teammates involved as the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the Atlanta Hawks 84-74 Monday night to win the second-round series in four straight.

Delonte West and Mo Williams showed Cleveland isn't just a one-man squad, hitting huge shots down the stretch as the Cavaliers extended their NBA-record streak of double-digit playoff wins to eight in a row. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao pounded the boards, leading the Cavaliers to another big rebounding edge.

"I've got trust in every last one of our guys," James said.

Cleveland, which also swept Detroit in the opening round, will face either Boston or Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals.

No matter the opponent, the Cavaliers will be a lot more rested. The Celtics-Magic series is tied 2-2 and will last at least through Thursday, while the top seed heads back to Ohio to relax for a few days before opening the next round at home.

"We're glad to finish this series off," said Wally Szcerbiak, who chipped in with six points off the bench. "Now it's time to go get our rest and get ready for the next series. We have some bumps and bruises to heal from in this series."

So do the Hawks, but they've got all summer. Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Marvin Williams were all hobbled by injuries.

"It's hard to judge this team because we really weren't healthy in this series," said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, whose team made the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade, just four seasons removed from a 13-69 debacle. "We have to get better personnel-wise, but I couldn't be more proud of the guys than I am. We made some major strides this season."

James wasn't in the mood to celebrate. For the Cavaliers, the only thing that will make this season complete is hoisting a trophy after the final game.

"Why should we celebrate?" James said. "We're playing for a championship. An advance is an advance. It doesn't matter if you win in four games or you win Game 7. We're happy that we're playing great basketball ... but we're not taking for granted what we're doing right now."

The Cavaliers became the second team to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs since the NBA expanded the first round to best-of-seven in 2003. The Miami Heat started with sweeps of New Jersey and Washington in the 2005 playoffs before losing to Detroit in the Eastern finals.

After scoring 47 points in Game 3, James struggled with his jumper in this one. Still, he came through with the Cavaliers facing their first serious challenge of the playoffs.

Midway through the fourth, James hit a towering 3-pointer with 6½ minutes to go, lingering at the arc to pose with his right hand extended toward the arena roof. He also converted a three-point play with 2:03 remaining, making the basket desppite getting hacked by Zaza Pachulia.

When the Hawks came at him with double- and triple-teams, James passed it off to West for an open 3 from the corner and, finally, found Mo Williams for a trey that finished off the Hawks with 52 second left. The Hawks called timeout, their only way to extend the season, but James hovered near the middle of the court, just staring at a fan in a garish green shirt and orange pants who'd been riding him all game.

As usual, James had the last word. He made only 9 of 22 from the field, but had eight rebounds and eight assists. Plus, he had some help from his teammates.

West scored 21 points, while Williams made four 3-pointers to account for his 12 points. Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Varejao seemed to get his hand on every miss, picking up seven of his 11 rebounds at the offensive end.

The Cavaliers had another dominating night on the boards, finishing with a 48-33 edge after doubling up the Hawks (46-23) two nights earlier.

"You know LeBron is going to be there, but you don't know who else is going to be there," Woodson moaned. "They've got weapons around LeBron."

West donned a pair of James' signature sneakers and showed he was worthy.

"You saw I had LeBrons on? It was the shoes," West joked.

Added James, "Delonte was awesome. He's our glue. When he gets into attack mode, when he gets into the lane, he's one of those guys who's sort of unguardable."

Josh Smith led Atlanta with 26 points, but the Hawks were doomed by a miserable shooting night - 23 of 73 from the field to finish at 31.5 percent. Joe Johnson added 18 points but made just 7 of 18 shots. Mike Bibby scored his only points on a 3-pointer in the final quarter. Flip Murray kept putting it up, but made only 4 of 15 for 14 points.

The Hawks actually led 22-15 after the opening period - the first time they had been ahead of the Cavaliers after any quarter in any off the four games. The seven-point edge also matched Atlanta's biggest of the series.

But Atlanta squandered any momentum with a dismal offensive stretch to start the second quarter. The Hawks missed their first nine shots, finally hitting their first basket on Murray's drive more than 5 minutes into the period.

Still, the Cavaliers couldn't pull away, settling for just a 40-38 lead at the break.

Notes: Late in the third quarter, James had some fun with an Atlanta police officer standing guard over the officials while they reviewed a shot by Wally Szczerbiak to determine if it was a 3-pointer. James backed away playfully when the officer shooed him away from the monitor, then eased his way close enough to get a look before the officer noticed. ... Marvin Williams scored only four points, while Horford went scoreless in 19 minutes. The second-year center missed all three of his shots, two of them with airballs.

-- Paul Newberry

Celtics and Magic back to Boston all tied up

BOSTON - Glen "Big Baby" Davis wasn't the Celtics' first choice to take the last shot in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Orlando.

But he turned out to be a pretty good choice.

Davis hit a buzzer-beater to give the Celtics a 95-94 victory over the Magic on Sunday night and tie the best-of-seven series at two games apiece. The series resumes in Boston with Game 5, and a victory Tuesday night would preserve the home-court advantage for coach Doc Rivers and the defending NBA champions.

"Since I have been with the Celtics, I have been trying to fine my niche in our system," Davis said. "Doc told me that if you work on that shot and show me you can make it, I am going to let you shoot it. This year has been proof of hard work. You just have to be focused."

Celtics center Kendrick Perkins reported no ill effects of the left shoulder strain he complained about during Sunday night's game. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Perkins was on the team plane and there was no further testing planned.

Perkins had a similar injury during the NBA finals last year, missing Game 5 of the series against the Los Angeles Lakers and playing less than 14 minutes in three other games.

Even though Rivers now trusts Davis to take the big shots, the play wasn't drawn up for the 6-foot-9, 289-pound, second-year center from Louisiana State.

The ball was first supposed to go to Ray Allen, the All-Star who scored 51 points in a game against Chicago and has the most 3-pointers in the playoffs this season. If Allen wasn't open, NBA finals MVP Paul Pierce was supposed to be the consolation prize. Eddie House, who burned the Magic with 31 points off the bench in Game 2, was also on the floor.

Allen was covered tightly by Hedo Turkoglu, so point guard Rajon Rondo swung the ball over to Pierce, who was well-covered by Rashard Lewis. Pierce dribbled toward the center of the court looking for a shot, and Davis came over and set a pick on Lewis, who briefly left Davis to double-team Pierce.

While Lewis was caught in the middle, Pierce jumped and - instead of trying to shoot over Lewis and Dwight Howard - passed the ball over to Davis near the Magic logo on the left side. He calmly sank the 21-footer as time expired.

"We have a saying: 'Trust the pass,'" Rivers said. "Our best player trusted the pass. He may have had a shot but (Lewis) was in his face. Baby was open. He trusted the offense. He trusted the pass. That was great."

Davis' basket at the far end of the court set off a frenzy on the Celtics bench, with Rivers spiking an imaginary basketball in celebration.

The Celtics took Monday off to return to Boston, and Orlando did not practice either on the travel day before Game 5 as it tries to avoid being shoved aside like a 12-year-old kid with courtside seats.

"They're the champions. They protect home court well," Howard said. "We have to go in there with a great mind-set, start to finish it has to be the same. We know they're going to come out and try to knock us out in the first couple of minutes. We have to withstand all their blows."

-- Jimmy Golen

Magic fan wants apology after Big Baby bump

ORLANDO, Fla. - The father of the 12-year-old boy bumped by Celtics big man Glen "Big Baby" Davis after Sunday's game-winning shot is demanding an apology.

Ernest Provetti told the Orlando Sentinel that he wrote the NBA office demanding an apology from Davis for acting like a "raging animal with no regard for fans' personal safety." NBA spokesman Tim Frank confirmed the league received the e-mail but declined to comment on it.

Video of the play shows Davis ducking behind a referee and stepping out of bounds as he ran back to the Celtics bench. Provetti told the paper it was his son, Nicholas, whose hat fell off as Davis bumped him.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said Davis was not available for comment. The Magic also declined to comment.

Warriors cut ties with top exec Chris Mullin

OAKLAND, Calif. - Although Chris Mullin apparently stopped running the Golden State Warriors several months ago, this confusing NBA club didn't bother to make it official until Monday.

The Warriors finally cut ties with Mullin, their top basketball executive, nearly a year after the former star player seemingly lost all authority in a power struggle within the tumultuous Warriors.

Mullin, the Warriors' executive vice president of basketball operations, will be replaced by Larry Riley, a longtime assistant to coach Don Nelson.

Riley, an assistant general manager since last November, was promoted to general manager in a statement by team president Robert Rowell, whose rise mirrored Mullin's fall in recent years.

"It's never an easy decision to make a change," said Rowell, who publicly disagreed with Mullin on two important decisions last year. "This case is compounded by the fact it involves Chris Mullin - someone who has provided Bay Area fans with many great memories over the years, as both a player and executive. He's a class individual who will always be remembered for his accomplishments with the Warriors organization."

Mullin didn't immediately return a call to his cell phone, and Nelson wasn't available for comment. Rowell and Riley scheduled a news conference for Tuesday.

Mullin's contract won't be renewed after it ends June 30, but the two-time U.S. Olympian and St. John's star has been on the outs with Rowell for much longer. They clashed last summer over decisions on a contract extension for Baron Davis and a suspension for injured guard Monta Ellis, with Rowell apparently overruling Mullin both times.

Riley, a veteran NBA assistant coach and personnel executive, moved upstairs last November when the Warriors abruptly fired Pete D'Alessandro, Mullin's longtime right-hand man. Mullin quickly retreated from public view, refusing most interview requests and rarely showing his face to reporters or fans at Oracle Arena.

The Warriors improbably refused to acknowledge a clear change in their hierarchy during their recently completed 29-53 season while Mullin stopped speaking publicly about the franchise and Rowell became more prominent.

Nelson, who has been embroiled in power struggles at nearly every stop in his 30-year coaching career, wouldn't even acknowledge the drama around Mullin, who played for Nelson during their first stints with the club - although Nelson admitted he wasn't sure who would run the Warriors' draft preparations. Mullin jettisoned coach Mike Montgomery in 2006 to rehire Nelson, and the coach still claims their relationship is solid.

The basketball-crazy Bay Area's long-troubled franchise has made the playoffs just once during Cohan's ownership since 1994, but the Warriors owed that sole success to Mullin and Nelson, who put together the club that stunned top-seeded Dallas in the 2007 playoffs. The 2008 squad barely missed the postseason despite winning 48 games, the most by a non-playoff NBA team in a quarter-century.

Rowell, who never played or coached in the NBA, now seems to be in charge after yet another change of course by owner Chris Cohan, who once was Mullin's most ardent supporter after grooming the five-time All-Star forward for the top executive job.

Rowell's apparent displeasure with Mullin became public last summer when the Warriors allowed Davis, their top scorer and the star of their 2007 success, to leave for the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent. Mullin and Davis were thought to be close to a contract extension before Rowell vetoed it.

Rowell then overruled Mullin again later in the summer after Ellis, their high-scoring young guard, seriously injured his ankle in a motorized scooter crash shortly after signing a six-year, $66 million contract extension. Mullin argued against a suspension or fine for Ellis, but Rowell publicly scolded Mullin and ordered a 30-game suspension without pay.

Yet since taking over in April 2004, Mullin has been the Warriors' most successful executive of the last 15 years - admittedly not a high bar to clear in Oakland.

Mullin's personnel record was mixed. He gave exorbitant contracts to the likes of Adonal Foyle, Derek Fisher and Mike Dunleavy, yet he usually managed to maneuver out from under bad deals with trades. He acquired Davis from New Orleans in a move that revitalized the point guard and the Warriors, while Mullin's trade of Dunleavy and Troy Murphy for Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington sparked Golden State into the playoffs.

Mullin drafted Ellis, center Andris Biedrins and promising forward Anthony Randolph, but he also used first-round picks on center Patrick O'Bryant and forward Ike Diogu.

DiLeo out as 76ers head coach

PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo has withdrawn his name from consideration for the permanent coaching job.

Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski said DiLeo decided Monday to return to his old job in the front office, citing family reasons. DiLeo has two sons - T.J., a freshman who plays for Temple's basketball team, and Max, a sophomore in high school.

"A coaching job in the NBA is 24-7," Stefanski said. "He felt it was a good move on his part."

Stefanski said the search for a replacement will begin immediately.

Some possible names include TV analyst and former coach Doug Collins, a former Sixers guard; former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson, and former Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan.

"I have not contacted one person in the NBA, outside the NBA or anywhere to be the coach of the Sixers," Stefanski said. "No one has contacted me yet."

DiLeo replaced Maurice Cheeks after the Sixers stumbled to a 9-14 start. They went 32-27 under DiLeo and earned a playoff spot.

Despite the improvement under DiLeo, the 76ers looked lethargic late in the year before getting bounced from the playoffs by the Orlando Magic in the first round. It was the second straight year the Sixers lost in six games in the opening round. Philadelphia still has not won a playoff series since 2003.

After this playoffs, some team members offered only lukewarm endorsements of DiLeo, most notably Andre Iguodala and Theo Ratliff.

"That was the heat of the moment," Stefanski said. "That's why you have exit meetings and interviews. Emotions run high. I talked to Andre and he said he doesn't have a problem with Tony. He was just upset with the way he played."

Stefanski says DiLeo will go back to his former job as a senior vice president and assistant general manager. DiLeo will have input on the process of hiring the next coach.

"This will be wide open," Stefanski said. "I'll lean on our personnel people here."