Basketball

Who's with me on this? Oh lordy how I miss the days of his college career at UNC and first couple of years with the Pacers where he was actually good. Now, I see him as a liability on BOTH ends of the court to the Pacers; PLEASE VOGEL, put in Pendergraph for him at least he plays better D and moves his feet. I know there's some Hansbrough lovers on this forum, which will probably cite his "hustle" and "heart" etc. Okay, he does have some hustle, but it's bad hustle in my opinion, like "Oh I can't defend that guy so I'm just gonna flail my arms and only move my torso (not my feet) and see what happens." Remember when the Pacers led 101-94 in Game 6? Hansbrough made a stupid play where he fouled a Knick player with about 2 minutes left whereas he should've laid off. I guess the guy lost his brain or something since his first couple of years with us. PUT IN PENDERGRAPH. Who's with me on this? Oh lordy how I miss the days of his college career at UNC and first couple of years with the Pacers where he was actually good. Now, I see him as a liability on BOTH ends of the court to the Pacers; PLEASE VOGEL, put in Pendergraph for him at least he plays better D and moves his feet. I know there's some Hansbrough lovers on this forum, which will probably cite his "hustle" and "heart" etc. Okay, he does have some hustle, but it's bad hustle in my opinion, like "Oh I can't defend that guy so I'm just gonna flail my arms and only move my torso (not my feet) and see what happens." Remember when the Pacers led 101-94 in Game 6? Hansbrough made a stupid play where he fouled a Knick player with about 2 minutes left whereas he should've laid off. I guess the guy lost his brain or something since his first couple of years with us. PUT IN PENDERGRAPH.

Tim Duncan told us this wouldn’t be pretty. That a bruising, slug-it-out bar fight would be the battle we’d get between two defensive monsters. For one game, Duncan was wrong. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be right when this thing is a wrap. The Tony Parker offense was back in full effect. Even against one of the most vicious, physical teams in the NBA, the Spurs’ point guard seemed to have free rein from baseline to baseline. Penetration into the teeth of the Memphis defense was shockingly easy, and the kick-outs turned lethal once the Grizzlies collapsed. San Antonio hit 14 of the 29 three-pointers they attempted, outscoring Memphis by 27 points from the arc in a 105-83 Game 1 beatdown that certainly set a tone for the series ahead. But caution must be exercised. The Spurs got anything they wanted on Sunday afternoon, and it’ll probably be the last time that’s the case. “Memphis has the best defense in the NBA. They do a great job of packing in the paint, and they force you to make shots,” Parker said. “And (today) we made shots.” Sometimes it’s as simple as that, just making shots. But in the series opener, the shots were there because the Spurs offense created them. They weren’t just being jacked up along with a prayer. “Making 14 threes against one of the best defensive teams in the league is not easy to do. It shows that we moved the ball very well,” Manu Ginobili said after the game. “We attacked. We made the big ones. Kawhi (Leonard) and Danny (Green) were fantastic, and of course Matt (Bonner) in the first half. “When you are making shots like that, everything opens up and makes the game easier.” Speaking of Matt Bonner, he’s beginning to outplay the ‘Winter Shoes’ moniker. The “Red Mamba” hit four 3-pointers — five of which were almost completely uncontested — and each of them seemed to add on to a lead that would prove to be insurmountable. But Bonner quickly shifted the focus of the questioning to the defensive side of the ball, where the effort was equally as impressive. The Spurs held the Grizzlies to just 83 points on 43 percent shooting, and the man who destroyed them in 2011, Zach Randolph, went 1-for-8 from the floor and didn’t score his only two points until there were just nine minutes left in the game. If Randolph can count the number of points he scored by throwing up a peace sign, you know the defense likely played well. “The 3-point shot is obviously the story of the game, but the real story story is the defense and the job we did rebounding the ball as a team,” Bonner said. “We are going to have to bring that same intensity moving forward. “It’s just one game. We are probably not going to shoot like that every game, so we need the defense and the rebounding.” And he’s right. It’s unlikely that 3-pointers will fall like that for an entire series. Just ask the Warriors. But one thing that can remain a constant is the way the offense was humming along, regardless of made shots. And if those open looks keep coming, don’t be surprised if shots do keep falling. This series is still going to be won on the defensive end, however. You know the Grizzlies will make adjustments in whatever capacity they need to prevent the almost inexcusable number of wide-open attempts they granted one of the best shooting teams in the league. And the one constant in basketball is, after all, defense. It’s the reason both of these teams are still here. But if Parker goes for 20 points and nine assists every night, if Green and Leonard combine for 34 points and seven 3-pointers, and if two players off the bench can put up double digits, the Spurs will have a hell of a chance to get to Duncan’s fifth NBA Finals. Memories of last year’s Western Conference Finals are still pretty fresh on the minds of basketball fans, th

We already know what we’re in for in terms of the steady stream of reports and rumors that will flood us leading up to the free agent decision of Dwight Howard this summer. It even has a nickname,  and although he’s technically not a free agent for another six weeks or so, the Dwightmare has…

Matt Bonner had four of the Spurs’ 14 made three-point shots in Game 1. (Joe Murphy/Getty Images) The Spurs defeated the Grizzlies 105-83 in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday. •  Momentum halted. Game 1 had a brick wall feel to it for the Grizzlies, who entered the conference finals having won eight of their last nine games only to immediately fall by 22 points, their worst defeat since January and their third-worst of the season. Many playoff games require complex, nuanced, detailed analysis. Game 1 of the Western Conference finals can be summed up in a  simple formula… [Season-high three-pointers by a Grizzlies opponent + season-low points from Zach Randolph = blowout loss] That impenetrable Memphis defense? Picked and apart and exposed by the Spurs, who connected on 14 three-pointers, the most by any Memphis opponent this season and five more than any Memphis opponent during the playoffs. The Grizzlies’ reliable low-post offense? Non-existent, with Randolph, he of the monster double-doubles in Games 4 and 5 against the Thunder in the conference semifinals, held to a season-low two points on one-for-eight shooting. It’s too much to expect Memphis to remain competitive at this stage without its defense clicking and Randolph producing. Perhaps they can sneak out a win with one of those factors misfiring, but not both. “They played better than us in every area,” Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. Memphis made life difficult for itself by committing 12 turnovers — which led to some easy buckets in transition they aren’t used to giving up — and by failing to keep containment on Tony Parker, who finished with 20 points and nine rebounds. Parker’s drives collapsed an eager Grizzlies defense, and the subsequent passing sequences led to wide open looks for Kawhi Leonard (four threes), Danny Green (three threes) and Matt Bonner (four threes) “Just one of those games, it happens sometimes,” Parker said. “Our ball movement was great tonight. We shot the ball very well. … When we shoot the ball like that, we’re pretty hard to stop.” Parker’s man, Mike Conley, looked a touch rattled to start, and he finished with a game-high four turnovers. Perhaps more importantly, he never found a way to get Randolph established inside. San Antonio used at least four players — Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan, Boris Diaw and Bonner — on Randolph at various points and yet the Grizzlies struggled to even enter the ball to Randolph, who was regularly fronted. Once he did receive the ball, Randolph fumbled catches and missed a few close-range shots in the paint. “We worked hard,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Zach and Marc [Gasol] are a heck of a combination, probably the best high-low combination in the league…Everything they do is really difficult to stick with and you have to have a mindset to do it on every down…I thought the effort was there for 48 minutes.” Randolph saved his best against both the Clippers and Thunder for later in the series; his Game 1 performance set the bar so low that there’s nowhere for him to go but up against the Spurs. •  All those threes. The three-point shot is often referred to as the “great equalizer” for its ability to help lesser teams keep pace with more talented squads. Sunday was a good reminder that the three can also be the “great distorter,” as nothing makes a very good or great team look totally unbeatable quite like a shooting spree. San Antonio entered the series with the second-best three-point percentage in the playoffs and fourth-best on the regular season but going 14-for-29 (48.3 percent) from deep was a lights out performance, even for them. “I’m not sure we’re going to shoot like that for the rest of the series,” Parker said. “Against Golden State we couldn’t make a shot.R

The Memphis Grizzlies have lost the opener in each round of this year's playoffs, but not like this.

Beth Hall-USA TODAY Sports With the 2013 NBA Draft right around the corner, it is time for teams to begin narrowing down who will be a good first round selection. The Milwaukee Bucks will most likely need guard help with the possible departure of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. That means taking shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would be a solid choice. There is a good chance Caldwell-Pope will be taken off the board by the time the 15th overall draft pick comes along. However, if he is still available then the Bucks will be very wise to make him their first round selection. Milwaukee needs help in pretty much every facet of the game, including perimeter shooting. They also need a big, offensive guard that can knock down shots while also taking it to the basket. Good thing Caldwell-Pope can handle all the above and then some. The 20-year-old averaged 18.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 2.0 steals and 33.9 minutes per game in his sophomore season with the Georgia Bulldogs. He also converted 43.3 percent of his shots from the field and 37.3 percent from beyond the arc. Caldwell-Pope has proven to be an efficient scoring guard, something the Bucks desperately need in the backcourt. The 6’6” Georgia native is very athletic. However, even though he has the ability to dominate smaller guards in the open court, he would much rather pull up and take the long-ranged shot. This is where he is most effective, which means he will fit in nicely with other Milwaukee sharpshooters (assuming there any left on the team next season). Caldwell-Pope is a great defender, which is another quality the Bucks will be looking for in a new guard. His athleticism will keep opposing guards from blowing right past the backcourt on their way to the basket. Fans who follow Milwaukee know that is something Jennings could never do. Unfortunately, like Jennings Caldwell-Pope will take some very questionable shots. It is something that could certainly hurt him at the next level. With that being said, he will make a higher percentage of shots than Ellis and Jennings, which means he can get away with taking a couple debatable shot attempts each game. Overall, Caldwell-Pope would be a terrific fit for the Bucks. He will be a solid asset off the bench if Milwaukee is able to keep J.J. Redick or Ellis, but he is also capable of starting next season. Michael Terrill is a Senior Writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelTerrill, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Sam Hinkie's tenure in Houston was never about Sam Hinkie, he'll tell you. It was really about the system. Now that Hinkie has become the new general manager and president of basketball operations for the 76ers, the question is: Can he bring that system to Philadelphia?

In the final edition of "Nets Magazine" on YES, Deron Williams talks about how criticism of his first half play motivated his post All-Star Break bounce back. After Sarah Kustok noted, "he used the criticism from the media for fuel for a bounce back in the second half," Williams explained how much it hurt to hear the criticism ... and how the motivation will last beyond this season. "When you hear people talking about it that way ... [that] it's all on me ... it definitely hurts, definitely motivates you to come back stronger," said Williams, adding, "So I look forward to prove people wrong -- for years to come." Just before the All-Star break, Williams underwent platelet rich plasma therapy as well as a regimen of cortisone shots and changed his diet. The result was a dramatic improvement in his game. Afterwards, he said he couldn't walk up stairs at home without pain.Billy King said some of the criticism went too far ... and was ultimately proven wrong. "A lot people took unfair shots at him and doubted him," said King who has long said D-Will's injuries alone were behind his slow start. "He was going through something. And one thing was that he acknowledged that he was going it through publicly and a lot of other players don't do that. So I'm happy for him and happy for the team. I knew that a player of his caliber just doesn't go away." The comments were part of a feature on how "Brooklyn's Backcourt" had played during the season. Joe Johnson talked about how he likes taking the last shot, something he did better than anyone in the league last season, making nine of 10 shots in the last minute of the fourth quarter or overtime, with the game on the line (within three points). "Honestly, I don't know how it happens," a smiling Johnson said. "I just try to come out and do everything I can, whether it's getting the best shot or creating the shot for someone else. The shots that I've made, I'm not afraid to take them. I relish those moments because it's one or the other, it's hit-or-miss and I think my chances of making them are pretty good. so i'm always willing to take those big shots."You know, it has been pretty exciting, not just hitting the shots, but seeing the reaction from my teammates, the fans. You know Brooklyn has been great to us this whole season. So to give the fans those kinds of moments, it's unbelievable." As for the pairing, King said Williams and Johnson fulfilled his expectations when he was putting the team together last summer. "It gives you guys you can go to," said regarding the pairing. "If one guy's not having it, you can go to Brook inside, you can go to Deron, you can go to Joe, Its tough for our opponents to match up against us, and in putting the team together, that's how I envisioned it, having three guys with the potential of scoring 20 every night." The edition overall was a review of the playoffs as well as a retrospective on the season. There was a lot of video as well as interviews with members of the "Loud and Proud" contingent. Nets Magazine airs four times this week: at 12 noon Monday; 7:30 am Thursday; 12:30 am Friday and 6:00 am next Sunday. It's not online.

San Antonio's 1st Half Firing Range Matt Bonner, Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green come out hot in the first half from long range. Visit nba.com/video for more highlights. About the NBA: The NBA is th... From: NBA Views: 301 55 ratings Time: 01:01 More in Sports

Life is good when you’re part of the Roc Nation Agency Family. Remember a few weeks back when we told you that Jay-Z signed Skylar Diggins as one of his first clients for his new sports agency? Apparently, being one of Jay’s clients comes with perks. Check out Skylar’s new gift: (Click for a larger [...]The post Jay-Z Surprised Skylar Diggins With a Brand New Mercedes (Photo) appeared first on Dime Magazine (dimemag.com) : Daily NBA News, NBA Trades, NBA Rumors, Basketball Videos, Sneakers.