NBA Capsules: Arena that brought NBA to Orlando bids farewell

ORLANDO, Fla. — There are no NBA championship banners hanging from the rafters. No lasting pre-game traditions, no spectacular gadgets or gizmos.

Just Magic memories.

After 21 seasons as the only home the Orlando Magic have ever known, Amway Arena’s run is almost over. Orlando hosts the Philadelphia 76ers in the last regular-season game Wednesday night in a place that housed two NBA finals and plenty of historic moments.

Many not even for the home team.

The arena saw Ervin "Magic" Johnson return to win the 1992 All-Star Game’s Most Valuable Player award after his stunning retirement and admission that he was HIV positive. The facility is also where Phil Jackson won an unprecedented 10th title as coach, and the site of Orlando point guard Scott Skiles’ record-setting 30 assists game.

Formerly the TD Waterhouse Centre, the Orlando Arena and even more briefly the arena in Orlando, it will always simply be known as "The O-Rena" for many.

With the Magic preparing to move into the sparkling new Amway Center next year, those who made the old arena’s most celebrated moments recalled their fondest memories.

— Pat Williams considers the arena’s groundbreaking one of the most crucial elements to the franchise’s birth, and one of the biggest thrills in his 42 years in the NBA.

The Magic co-founder and senior vice president remembers when many thought the idea of an NBA team in Orlando was a joke. Miami was more glamorous. Tampa was bigger, and other cities bidding around the county were seemingly better markets.

But not everybody could provide an arena.

Williams helped energize Orlando residents. City officials took to the idea, and the entire community rallied around the proposal. The building, publicly funded at a cost of more than $100 million, soon became reality.

The arena’s lasting legacy will likely be that it helped bring the NBA to Orlando. Construction began in January 1987, three months before the league approved the expansion franchise along with Miami, Charlotte and Minnesota.

"The arena was the key to getting the team," Williams said. "There had to be a building. She was our saving grace."

— On Dec. 30, 1990, Skiles knew early on he would leave a mark.

Then Orlando’s point guard, Skiles turned to teammate Jeff Turner during a timeout in the first quarter against Denver and made a prediction that drew laughs.

"I told Jeff, ‘I’m going to set a record tonight.’ I had like eight assists or something right out of the gate. I said it jokingly, but it ended up coming true," said Skiles, now Milwaukee’s coach.

He went on to break the record of 29 set in 1978 by Kevin Porter of the New Jersey Nets. Skiles’ milestone still stands.

"No offense, but I’ll be glad the day it’s broken because I get kind of tired of talking about it some times," Skiles said. "It’s one of those things where it all came together in one night."

— Perhaps no figure in the arena loomed larger in those early days than Shaquille O’Neal.

After being drafted No. 1 overall by Orlando in 1992, he first powered the Magic to prominence by leading them to the 1995 finals. O’Neal helped create many of the first marquee highlights in his four years in Orlando.

O’Neal’s fondest memory — "My banner" for the 1995 Eastern Conference title — will move a few blocks south next year to the Magic’s new arena.

— Tracy McGrady had some of the most remarkable highlights at the arena, but he had to think hard about his favorite.

Scoring an arena-record 62 points against Washington on March, 10, 2004?

"Could have had 75 if I made my free throws," he said.

Kicking the ball into the stands?

"That was fun," he recalled, chuckling.

Getting his 10,000th point?

"I’ll always remember that," McGrady said.

But none he would consider better than the 2002-03 season, when he had a league-leading 32.1 points per game.

"What I really miss is that one year, every night, just the ‘M-V-P’ chants," he said. "Just the feeling that I was getting every night on the court, hearing the crowd chant ‘M-V-P.’ That was a special season. I don’t know how I did it, but that stands out to me."

— Some memories the Magic will be glad to leave behind.

Sure, Nick Anderson stealing the ball from Michael Jordan in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals propelled Orlando to its first finals and still sticks in the minds of fans. But so does Anderson’s four missed free throws against the Houston Rockets at the end of Game 1 in that year’s finals, a collapse that started a series sweep.

There was also Dwight Howard’s 40 points and 14 rebounds in the Game 6 win that eliminated Cleveland in last season’s Eastern Conference finals. But Howard also missed a pair of free throws at the end of Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA finals, when just one make would have given the Magic a four-point lead and likely evened the series.

Derek Fisher then nailed a 3-pointer that forced overtime, the Lakers took the game and eventually the title.

"The good and the bad," Howard said, "will always stay with me."

— One of the most touching moments in the arena’s history belongs to a different Magic.

Magic Johnson came out of retirement after leading he was HIV positive to play in the 1992 All-Star Game in Orlando. Johnson’s showdowns with Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan stirred the crowd, drawing tears from fans and winning MVP honors.

"It was in all ways magical," NBA commissioner David Stern recalled last year. "I smile every time I think about it."

Lakers coach Phil Jackson even considers it his favorite moment at the arena. That might surprise some considering Jackson won his record 10th title as a coach last year at the arena, passing Celtics legend Red Auerbach.

Jackson said earlier this year when he walked in the arena that his main thought was about the Magic "franchise and its history and the All-Star Game they had here a number of years ago."

— The dull and dreary structure with a 17,519-seat capacity was solid but no engineering marvel when it opened.

The concession stands have since become insufficient. The restrooms are far too scarce, and most modern amenities — including many moneymaking luxury suites — are missing.

That’s a big reason Orlando is heading to a new arena.

City officials are hearing redevelopment plans for the old arena, and some have introduced ideas to turn the facility into a performing arts center. However, it seems likely the structure will eventually be sold and demolished.

The Magic have a chance to make one lasting memory.

Howard already has a commercial airing in Orlando where he stands in the new arena talking about his dreams to raise his first banner there — a title that could be won in the old building this June.

The Magic enter the playoffs with the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, and Howard said there’s nothing he wants more than to close down the building with a championship celebration.

"We’ve had a great ride here," Howard said. "It’s not over yet."

Nelson plans to be back next season for Warriors

OAKLAND, Calif. — Now that he’s the winningest coach in NBA history, Don Nelson has a new project planned for his final go as Golden State’s coach next season: turning Andris Biedrins into a decent free-throw shooter.

With an underhand shot, no less. Nelson insists Biedrins will do it this time after previous suggestions of such a change.

Biedrins, sidelined the last 23 games following March 10 surgery to repair a small tear of an abdominal muscle, made just 4 of 25 from the line this season — and Nelson says he was less aggressive going to the basket to avoid being fouled and having to shoot free throws. Nelson has even had the lefty Biedrins try shooting right-handed.

They might even bring in Hall of Famer Rick Barry to coach Biedrins on the outdated, underhanded "granny shot" he perfected during his day.

"If he can get some confidence in this system, it’s a proven system. George Johnson was a 40-percent free throw shooter, adopted and it and ended up shooting 80 from the free throw line," Nelson said. "I think it’s worth the try. I’m just going to ask Biedrins to try it for a year. Can it get any worse than 17-18 percent that he’s shooting this year? I don’t think so. I think most guys can drop kick 17 percent of their shots in from the free throw line. I’m not putting Biedrins down, it’s a fact."

Biedrins wasn’t around before Tuesday night’s final home game against the Utah Jazz to discuss the matter.

Nelson reiterated before the game he would return next season to fulfill the final year of his contract for the Warriors, and general manager Larry Riley said that would be the case barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Last week in Minnesota, Nelson earned his 1,333rd victory to move him past Lenny Wilkens for the top spot on the NBA’s wins list.

So, why come back at all for one more year? Nelson, who turns 70 on May 15, likes his young players and wants to keep helping them develop.

His first two summers back with the Warriors, Nelson returned to his offseason Hawaii home on Maui and pondered retirement before deciding to continue coaching.

"I really like the players in the other room. I think they play the game the right way," Nelson said. "There’s a very strong bond in there, especially with our younger guys. ... There’s a whole lot of positives going on in the other room. My motivation is to do a good job and develop the team and do what coaches do — and I’m under contract to do that."

It’s been another drama-filled season for the Warriors, starting with former swingman Stephen Jackson’s demand for a trade that he eventually got in a swap with Charlotte in November. In addition, there have been so many injuries Nelson often only had eight available players — and Golden State used only six in a remarkable win at Dallas on Nov. 24. The team regularly relied on D-League callups, too.

Nelson wasn’t even there for that win, quarantined at home with a lengthy bout of pneumonia. Riley is convinced Nelson is perfectly healthy again and ready to tackle another rigorous year.

"It would take something that would be uncharacteristic or an oddity," Riley said for Nelson not to return. "He’s done a really good job embracing this bunch, particularly down the stretch."

The Warriors had won five of their last eight heading into Tuesday. They finish the season Wednesday night at Portland.

While owner Chris Cohan has formally put the franchise up for sale, Riley and Nelson are proceeding as if everything is the same for now as they prepare for the NBA draft and build next season’s roster. Riley has already begun brainstorming some ideas of who might replace Nelson after next season.

Getting 7-foot center Biedrins back healthy and with a more effective free throw will be a key step for this young team. The Warriors’ run to the second round of the playoffs in 2007 is the organization’s lone postseason trip since 1994 in Nelson’s first stint as coach.

Neither Nelson nor Riley would rule out this team making the playoffs next season, though they are realistic.

"We’ve got a lot to do before that," Riley said.

Said Nelson: "It’s a tough mountain to climb. Is it possible? Yes. ... Certainly some of the incumbents are going to have to fail and fall for the young teams to get in."

-- Janie McCauley

Bower defends his record as Hornets coach

WESTWEGO, La. — Jeff Bower uncharacteristically cut short a post-practice interview on Tuesday after asserting that the New Orleans Hornets’ many accomplishments this season have gone "unnoticed" and "overlooked."

The Hornets held their last practice of a trying season on Tuesday. With one game left at Houston on Wednesday, the Hornets are 36-45 and will miss the playoffs for the first time in three years.

New Orleans is 33-39 since Bower, who is also the club’s general manager, replaced Byron Scott as coach.

When asked to summarize his first season as a head coach, Bower noted that the Hornets were a winning team and in playoff contention before three-time All-Star Chris Paul went out with a meniscus tear in his left knee. That was one of three injuries — including a sprained ankle and torn ligament in his middle finger — that will have sidelined him 37 games when the season ends.

Meanwhile, fellow starter Peja Stojakovic will have missed 20 games, mostly because of a lower abdominal strain. The Hornets have gone 4-15 without Stojakovic, a perimeter sharpshooter whose presence tends to open up opportunities inside for teammates.

"We went from five games under .500 on Nov. 14 (3-8) to .500 on Jan. 4 (16-16) to five games over .500 on Jan. 29 (25-20)," Bower said. "During that stretch, (Paul) missed games — eight games during that time. At that point we were also competing for the sixth spot in the playoffs."

Paul’s torn meniscus forced him out for 25 games after an overtime loss to Chicago on Jan. 29.

After that, Bower said, "Things changed, we lost some games. This past month has been difficult with Chris being out or not performing to his normal levels, Peja missing a significant number of games. When you look at what our record is without him on the floor, you see his impact."

The Hornets have won only five of their last 22 games.

Bower has worked for the Hornets since 1995, starting with the scouting department and working his way up to general manager in 2005. He also spent one season as an assistant coach in 2003-04 under Tim Floyd, who Bower hired as an assistant this season when owner George Shinn fired Scott and asked Bower to take on the dual role of general manager and coach.

Last summer, Bower oversaw one of the better drafts in the NBA. The Hornets selected point guard Darren Collison late in the first round and worked a second-round trade with Miami to acquire former LSU standout Marcus Thornton.

Thornton has averaged 14.4 points and started 16 games, while fellow rookie Collison has started 36 games because of Paul’s injuries and has averaged 12.3 points and 5.6 assists.

However, Bower’s job security is anything but clear. Hornets majority owner George Shinn, who founded the club and in 1988, is negotiating to sell his shares to minority owner Gary Chouest, a south Louisiana businessman.

Chouest has declined to discuss the pending transaction publicly or his vision for the club going forward.

Bower, meanwhile, said all the focus on the Hornets’ recent slide has overshadowed not only how competitive the team was when key players were healthy, but the progress the current coaching staff made with young players like Collison and Thornton, and the number of close losses the Hornets had down the stretch.

"This coaching staff, my assistants and the players have put an awful lot into this entire thing. That’s gone unnoticed and has been overlooked by this frenzy of the last two weeks," Bower said. "Our record is 33-39 since we took over, with Chris missing (36 games). ... That’s pretty competitive. I think that’s pretty respectable and that’s something that — that is our record, that’s this team’s record, OK? It’s not my record, it’s this team’s. And I think the impact of all of these things have been handled by each player without excuses. We haven’t always played well, but we’ve always tried."

Bower then added, "The things that we’ve learned throughout this year are going to be lessons that we all look at and learn from and grow from and are part of future success. And I think the development of our players is something that is a part of all this as well, so that’s about all I have to say."

With that, Bower walked off the practice court, perhaps for the last time as the Hornets’ coach.

-- Brett Martel

New Jersey Nets end 29-year run at Meadowlands

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — For most of the second half of the New Jersey Nets’ final game at the Meadowlands, the team’s current and most recent owners sat next to each other and shared some thoughts and laughs.

With the Nets’ 29-year run at the Izod Center coming to an end with a 105-95 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, Bruce Ratner and Lewis Katz looked at the photographers on the baseline and posed for a couple of pictures.

"We’ve been in this sport 12 years with this team," Ratner said after Monday night’s game. "We stayed friends and enjoyed the game and discussed who’s better and who’s worse. He’s better in basketball, I’ll tell you that."

As owners, neither got to enjoy the thrill of seeing the Nets win an NBA championship, although Katz had two of his teams reach the NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, respectively.

The Nets will move to Newark for the next two seasons to play in the Prudential Center. They plan to move to Brooklyn, N.Y., for the 2012 season, provided the proposed Barclays Center is open.

By that time, Ratner will not be the majority owner.

Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov agreed in December to buy 80 percent of the franchise and 45 percent of the planned arena from Ratner’s Forest City Ratner Cos.

His ownership application has been vetted by the league but its board of governors won’t vote on it until the state of New York takes full possession of land at the arena site that was acquired under eminent domain.

Ratner said it was somewhat sad to see the final game at the Izod Center.

"In my six years of ownership, we went to the playoffs three years and three years we didn’t," he said. "I wish we could have had a better season. I am kind of nostalgic. I still love the team. What was good was the last third of the season. We played very hard. I think the team was better than its record and I am so glad to be associated with it."

After trading Vince Carter to Orlando in the offseason to create some salary cap space for the upcoming offseason, Ratner knew the Nets would struggle this season. However, he did not expect the team to have 12 wins heading into the season finale at Miami on Wednesday.

"We wanted to improve and I think we’ve put ourselves in a great spot," Ratner said.

The Nets will be at least $23 million under the salary cap heading into an offseason in which LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Rudy Gay might be available.

The Nets, who have a group of good young core players in Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, Terrence Williams, Courtney Lee and Yi Jianlian, also will pick no worse than fourth in the draft — they have a 25 percent chance of getting the No. 1 pick overall.

For Katz, the end was somewhat ironic. He and fellow owner Ray Chambers wanted to build an arena in Newark and move the team there. They even signed a joint venture with the New York Yankees to accomplish that and purchased the New Jersey Devils of the NHL.

The move never panned out and YankeeNets eventually sold the Devils to minority owner Jeff Vanderbeek, who succeeded in building an arena in Newark and moving the team there.

"It’s bittersweet," Katz said of the final game at Izod. "It was a wonderful, wonderful time for all of us who spent a lot of our lives down here. On the other hand, maybe Newark will spur somebody else who will want to put a team there.

"It was our dream," he added. "We just couldn’t get a governor to support us to build the arena. But you got a hockey arena. It should have a basketball team. Maybe if they do real well that could be the beginning of someone else seeing how it could work. The end result, this team (the Nets) will come back when it gets to New York."

Some workers at the Izod Center felt there was a chance the facility might play host to the Knicks and Rangers for a year if Madison Square Garden underwent renovations in the near future.

"There is nothing to that," Dennis Robinson, the chief executive of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, said in a telephone interview on Tuesday. He said the arena might be the site of some college basketball games.

"I think what we have been known for and what we do best is being a family and concert show facility," Robinson said. "We have been one of the best in that business and we will look to grow that in the future."

-- Tom Canavan

Blazers and Roy can only hope star guard can play

PORTLAND, Ore. — The night after Brandon Roy felt something in his knee go wrong he couldn’t sleep, thoughts of ‘what if?’ tumbling though his mind. Maybe it wasn’t so bad.

But the next afternoon he got the news, and it wasn’t good. He had torn the meniscus in his right knee — just as the playoffs loomed for the Portland Trail Blazers.

And for Roy, the consummate team player, it got even worse.

"It’s tough. Especially being around my teammates, who are all like ‘When are you coming back? You gonna play Wednesday?" It’s hard to tell them that I don’t know when I’m going to play again as far as this season," Roy said.

"It’s difficult," he added. "It’s really difficult."

Roy injured his knee in Portland’s 91-88 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The tear was discovered on Monday and that night he sat out of Portland’s 103-95 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He’ll also miss the regular-season finale against the Warriors on Wednesday night.

After that, it’s anybody’s guess.

Roy will rest and ice his knee for the next several days. He’ll be reevaluated on Friday for his availability during the playoffs.

"Now, it’s just a matter of if I can play, then I’ll play as long as I can, and as long as we can as a team," he said. "And (I’ll) have the surgery when the season is over. That’s best case scenario for me, play as long as I can until the season is over."

What is certain is that Roy will need surgery, and he’s been told the recovery time will be four to six weeks. Doctors say that he cannot damage the knee any further if he is able to play on it.

With the victory over the Thunder, the Blazers avoided the eighth seed in the Western Conference, meaning they won’t face the defending champion Lakers in the first round. But because the conference is still largely undecided, Portland won’t know its seeding or opponent until Wednesday night.

There are those who believe it’s impressive the Blazers even reached the playoffs — not to mention 50 wins — given the injuries that have befallen the team.

Portland embarked on the season without starting forward Nicolas Batum, one of the team’s best defenders, who injured his shoulder during camp and required surgery. Then came center Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft, who mangled his left knee in early December and was out for the season after surgery.

Later that month, fellow center Joel Przybilla ruptured a tendon in his right knee and had season-ending surgery, too.

Along the way, swingman Rudy Fernandez missed significant playing time because of a sore back, and forward Travis Outlaw, later traded to the Clippers, sat out for an extended period with a right foot injury. Roy missed just more than a dozen games earlier this year with a sore right hamstring.

In all, 13 Trail Blazers have missed a combined 307 games because of injury, second only to the Golden State Warriors and the most of any playoff-bound team.

Even coach Nate McMillan was not immune. He ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in early December while practicing with his short-handed team. He also needed surgery.

"It’s been a bad year as far as injuries with our group and it’s just something we’ve had to deal with all year long. It seemed like every few hours it got worse," he said.

Roy averages 21.5 points per game for the Blazers, along with 4.7 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He is the unquestioned leader of the team.

His absence would undoubtedly be felt by the Blazers in the playoffs. Speculation was rampant as to just how far the Blazers could hope to go without him should the injury prove too painful to play on.

"We’d love to have him but his health is the most important thing. We need him well for years to come," center Marcus Camby said.

McMillan is confident his team will find a way to compete — just as it has all season.

"They just come to play," he said. "They don’t make excuses. They continue to work and get tighter and find ways to win games."

-- Anne M. Peterson

Barkley picks Cavaliers to win NBA title

NEW YORK — Charles Barkley wonders if the Cleveland Cavaliers are resting LeBron James too much, but doesn’t see anything stopping them from winning their first NBA title.

Not a banged-up Kobe Bryant and the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. And certainly not the aging Boston Celtics, who the Hall of Famer believes have too much mileage on their legs to mount a real threat.

"When you get older and people say, ‘When we get healthy,"’ Barkley said Tuesday during a conference call. "Older people die, they don’t get healthier."

Cleveland and Boston could meet in the second round, and Barkley sees the Cavaliers advancing.

"I think the Cavaliers are going to win the whole thing," he said.

Barkley and fellow TNT analysts Kevin McHale and Doug Collins all agree that a potential Cleveland-Orlando matchup would make a terrific Eastern Conference final, with the winner likely meeting the Lakers for the championship.

But they aren’t ready to guarantee Los Angeles a third straight trip to the NBA finals.

"The Lakers appear to be the team to beat (in the West), but they’ve got a lot of question marks right now," Collins said, listing Bryant’s condition, their depth if Andrew Bynum isn’t healthy, and their ability to defend quick point guards.

McHale said he would be less surprised than others if the Lakers weren’t in the finals, especially after getting a look at Bryant’s broken right index finger when the reigning NBA finals MVP appeared recently on the NBA TV studio show that features McHale. The injury has caused Bryant to shoot poorly late in the season.

"His finger looks just as bad as it did during the All-Star game. I was surprised it didn’t look a lot better," McHale said. "That thing is really, really looking bad. The swelling hasn’t gone down. It still looks really, really funky."

Fear of injuries is part of the reason Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has rested James the last three games with home-court advantage throughout the NBA finals already secured. He may consider playing the league’s MVP Wednesday in the season finale against Atlanta, when Shaquille O’Neal is expected to return from his thumb injury.

Barkley thinks James probably should play. He felt it was a mistake that he, Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle rested so much after Phoenix wrapped everything up in 1993. The Suns were rusty when they opened the playoffs against the Lakers and immediately fell into a 2-0 hole at home, forcing them to play more games than necessary before eventually reaching the finals.

"I’m a little surprised they’ve rested LeBron as much as possible," Barkley said. "It’s not like he’s 39 years old, so I think Cleveland has to really be careful."

The Celtics once looked like the biggest threat to Cleveland, but have struggled over the second half of the season and don’t defend nearly as well as they did while winning the 2008 championship.

"You can see they’re not the same. The energy level is not the same," Barkley said.

"I think the Celtics went for it, they won a championship, and now they’re just an older team. Kevin Garnett is one of my favorite players. You can just tell he’s not the same player."

The postseason opens Saturday, and TNT begins its coverage with three games Sunday.

-- Brian Mahoney

Curry’s father won’t vote for rookie of year

NEW YORK — The NBA has taken away Charlotte Bobcats broadcaster Dell Curry’s rookie of the year vote because his son is among the leading candidates for the award.

Curry’s son, Stephen Curry, is averaging 17.2 points and 5.9 assists per game for Golden State. He and Kings guard Tyreke Evans, who is averaging 20.3 points and 5.8 assists, are considered the front-runners to be top rookie.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank says Dell Curry will be allowed to vote for all the other postseason awards, but the league did not want to put him in an awkward position with the rookie award.

The New York Times first reported the NBA’s decision regarding Curry’s vote.

Curry played 16 seasons in the NBA with five teams.

Franks says the league will replace Curry with another voter who covers the Bobcats, but has not picked a replacement yet.

Bynum still on target for playoff return

LOS ANGELES — Andrew Bynum says he’s on track to return to the Los Angeles Lakers in time for their first playoff game this weekend.

Bynum missed his 12th straight game Tuesday with a strained left Achilles’ tendon, but the 7-foot center says his rehabilitation is progressing well. After running on an anti-gravity treadmill Monday, he was scheduled to run on a regular treadmill Tuesday night.

Coach Phil Jackson thinks Bynum will be able to practice with the top-seeded Lakers on Friday and Saturday before they open the playoffs Sunday against eighth-seeded Oklahoma City.

Bynum is averaging 15 points and 8.3 rebounds this season while making 57 percent of his shots and blocking 94 shots. Lamar Odom has replaced him in the Lakers’ starting lineup.

Artest goes blond for Lakers’ home finale

LOS ANGELES — Ron Artest is finishing the regular season as just another California blond.

The Lakers’ attention-seeking forward and reserve center DJ Mbenga dyed their hair dark yellow for Los Angeles’ home finale against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

Artest is no stranger to hairy schemes. Last month, he dyed his hair blond with the word for "defense" in Hebrew, Hindi and Japanese carved into the back.

Mbenga appeared to have a star shaved into the back of his head.

Coach Phil Jackson said Artest and Mbenga were getting plenty of grief from their teammates for their dye jobs.

Lakers’ Farmar out with strained hamstring

LOS ANGELES — Lakers guard Jordan Farmar has strained his left hamstring in the first half of Los Angeles’ home finale against the Sacramento Kings.

The Lakers said Farmar wouldn’t return Tuesday night and wouldn’t play in their season finale against the Clippers on Wednesday night.

The backup guard scored four points before his injury. He joined Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum in sitting out the rest of the regular season to rest for the playoffs, where the defending NBA champions will be the top seed in the Western Conference.

Farmar is averaging 7.3 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists.

Del Negro: No comment on reported altercation

CHICAGO — Chicago Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro would not comment on a reported altercation with executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson.

Del Negro simply said "no comment on that" after the Bulls’ victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

Yahoo! Sports, citing sources, reported Paxson shoved Del Negro twice in the chest and had to be restrained in a confrontation over Joakim Noah’s minutes after the March 30 home game against Phoenix.

Paxson did not return a call from The AP seeking comment.

"This is an organizational issue, which we will handle internally," Bulls spokesman Tim Hallam said.

Garnett back in Celtics’ lineup

CHICAGO — Kevin Garnett was back in the Boston Celtics’ lineup against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday after missing a game to get some rest.

Backup guard Tony Allen, however, was sick and missed the game.

Coach Doc Rivers says he plans to monitor Garnett’s minutes after resting him against Milwaukee on Saturday night. He also considered giving Paul Pierce the night off, but "he wanted to play."

The fourth-place Celtics had dropped five of eight and needed to win their remaining two games to stay in the running for the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Boozer leaves game against Golden State

OAKLAND, Calif. — Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer strained a muscle in his right ribcage after playing all 12 minutes of the first quarter against the Golden State Warriors.

Boozer was taken to the locker room at the start of the second quarter for X-rays, then the Jazz announced midway through the third period he would not return because of a muscle strain.

Boozer had five points and four rebounds before departing.

Lakers to play exhibitions in London, Barcelona

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — The Los Angeles Lakers will play exhibition games in London and Spain next season.

They will open the preseason on Oct. 4 against Minnesota at London’s O2 Arena. They’ll play Regal FC Barcelona in Spain three days later as part of NBA Europe Live 2010.

Their other road games include playing Sacramento in Las Vegas on Oct. 13; Utah in Anaheim on Oct. 19; and Golden State in San Diego on Oct. 21 and in Ontario the next day.

The Lakers’ annual shootout at Staples Center on Oct. 16-17 features Denver, Utah and the Clippers.