Basketball

Jun 16, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade (3) lays the ball up past San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the fourth quarter of game five in the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT Before the NBA Finals started,  iff I had told you that the Spurs would hold a 3-2 series lead going into Game 6, what would you have said? Probably something along the lines of “Uhhh…hahahaha…. ….. Yeah.  No.” (I’ll be the first to admit, those would probably would have been my initial thoughts.) Unless you’re the diehardest San Antonio Spurs fan in the history of all diehard San Antonio Spurs fans (you know, the ones that have a Tim Duncan snuggie, or sleep with Tony Parker’s rookie card tucked underneath their Manu Ginobili pillow, or both) you probably didn’t have San Antonio winning this series. But right now they are one game away from doing just that.  Which means this guy will probably be s        himself for the entirety of Game 6. As for Diehard Spurs Fan #2, what happens if Tim Duncan pulls a Jordan, and retires, only to come back with a non-Spurs team?  What if it’s the Mavs?  Or the Lakers?  And what if he leads them to a title at age 53 (or however old he is)?  What then? Miami’s going to win Game 6.  Miami hasn’t lost back-to-back playoff games and I don’t think tonight will be the night (at home, to boot) that they lose back-to-back playoff games.  Too much is on the line for Miami, while San Antonio doesn’t have as much pressure (for the Spurs, there’s always Game 7; for the Heat, this is their Game 7, at least for the moment). On top of that, Manu Ginobili probably won’t have another big game tonight.  (Read more to see why.)

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com digs into the advanced stats to produce this interesting look at the best "Big 3" combinations of players in NBA history. The Portland Trail Blazers' combination of Clyde Drexler, Terry Porter and Jerome Kersey ranks eighth on his list of the top 10 since 1974. For this study, I considered every potential star trio in the NBA since 1974. Why 1974? That's the first season that the NBA officially tracked turnovers. Using that as a starting point allows us to measure each player using the same rubric. Turnovers are a pretty big deal. ... Don't think of this Blazers trio as a Big Three? Think again. Clyde Drexler and two-time All-Star Terry Porter made up one of the best backcourts of the Jordan era, and Jerome Kersey was no slouch either. Most youngsters these days remember Kersey as the washed-up vet on the 1999 Spurs championship squad, but Kersey was a big-time rebounder and defender at small forward for the Blazers and helped push them to two Finals appearances. If the rise of this Blazers' core hadn't run parallel with the "Bad Boy" Pistons and Jordan's Bulls, we probably would think of them much differently. The top three overall on the list... 1) Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish (Boston Celtics) 2) Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant (Chicago Bulls) 3) Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) Hat tip: Casey Holdahl, Blazers.com -- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

It's Game 5 of the Finals. LeBron James shoots a free throw, misses, slaps his hands against each other in consternation and steps back up to the line, ready to shoot his second. Then the buzzer sounds, announcing a player's entering the game. LeBron quickly swings his head around to see who it is and his expression immediately changes to one of disgust and disappointment. He shakes his head and drops an F-bomb while popping out his mouthpiece and stepping away from the free throw line. Mike Breen says the words "Leonard comes in and Green will sit." It has to be seen to be believed, and yet the more I watch it, the more the impossible seems to be as obvious as the grimace on LeBron's face: The league's best basketball player didn't want to see the Spurs' 21 year old small forward enter the game. There's not other explanation that I find plausible for his reaction. See for yourself. And now ... lotsa GIFs Danny Green's presence of mind -- and lights out shooting This just happens to be the three-pointer that put Danny Green ahead of Ray Allen as the sole possessor of the NBA record holder for the most threes ever made in a single Finals series. But that's not why I've included it. The big deal here is the fact that Green knew he was being trailed by Dwayne Wade on this play because both of them fell underneath the Heat basket as the ball was rebounded. Danny didn't want to get blocked, and had the presence of mind, even as he was receiving the ball and planting for his jumper, to take a look over his left shoulder to see whether he had enough room to get his shot off. I remember thinking as he did so that it would increase the difficulty on the shot. It obviously didn't make a bit of difference. I wasn't the only one to notice Danny's peek: Green looked behind him as he was gathering for that 3-point attempt. Doesn't even need to see the basket right now. — Matthew R Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) June 17, 2013 Here's a nice shot by Manu And here's another Here's a pass from Manu to Danny for a three And a pass from Boris to Danny for a three And finally: these were specially requested by tgojh of KL from G4

Kansas’ Ben McLemore was pretty much a top three pick on everybody’s board a month ago, but he may be sliding down some boards right now. In part that is because the smooth-shooting guard out of Kansas didn’t help his cause in some recent workouts, reports Chad Ford at ESPN.com (Insider). Multiple sources told me…

As the NBA Finals head back to Miami for Game 6, just about everyone on the floor has something to prove.

If Doc Rivers coaches the Clippers next season – and Kevin Arnovitz explains why that’s still a possibility even though talks have been reported to be dead – the Celtics will need a replacement. Lawrence Frank served as Boston’s defensive coordinator before the Pistons hired him, and that went well. So, apparently the Celtics would be interested in giving him more responsibility. A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN Northeast: In addition to Vinny Del Negro, former #Celtics asst. Lawrence Frank expected to emerge as candidate to replace Rivers as well. The Celtics can and should do better. I’m not convinced Frank would fail as their coach, but he’s shown enough in stints with the Pistons and Nets that Boston could either get someone with a better track record or at least someone who hasn’t shown so many negatives, and too few positives, as a head coach. Speaking of the Nets, Frank has an open and public invitation to join Jason Kidd’s staff. Mike Mazzeo of ESPN: Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd has offered Lawrence Frank the opportunity to be an assistant coach on his staff. "The invitation is out there, so it’s up to him," Kidd said Friday on ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike." "He’s in a special situation. He’s at home, his wife is sick, so I understand coming off of coaching [the Detroit Pistons] and [possibly] wanting a year off with his family, so I respect that. The big thing is he knows how much I love him and how much I need him, but family comes first, and I respect that." That’s more in Frank’s wheelhouse, playing a role as prominent assistant for a completely inexperienced head coach. I’m rooting for Frank to get either job, mostly because that would signal his wife’s health has improved. But I’m also not sure the Pistons hired a better head coach in Maurice Cheeks than the one they fired. I’d be very intrigued to see what Frank and Cheeks do next season.

1 Nerlens Noel Cleveland Cavaliers COLLEGE: Kentucky AGE: 18 HT: 7-0 WT: 206 POS: C Analysis: The Cavs have been talking to teams for weeks about a trade, but they are finding a limited market and at this point are likely to keep the pick. Sources in Cleveland strongly suggest that the Cavs have yet to make their decision. Anthony Bennett, Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter, Alex Len and Noel all have visits and/or workouts scheduled in Cleveland this week. Noel is scheduled to visit the team Thursday and has a chance to seal the deal as the No. 1 pick if he performs well. Noel remains on top because he fits the profile of a player the Cavs prefer to draft -- the player with the most long-term upside. That's why they picked Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters at No. 4 the past couple of years and why Noel remains the favorite. Sources say Noel's strongest competition right now is Len, whom some in the organization favor because he, too, has size and defensive ability, but he's less raw and should be cleared to play much sooner than Noel. 2 Victor Oladipo Orlando Magic COLLEGE: Indiana AGE: 20 HT: 6-4 WT: 213 POS: SG Analysis: The Magic are in the hunt for Eric Bledsoe. If they can address their point guard issue via trade, they're free to take the best player available at this spot. Indiana's Victor Oladipo and KU's Ben McLemore are widely seen as the two best fits in Orlando. While McLemore might have more pure upside, I continue to hear that Oladipo has the upper hand. McLemore was in Orlando last week, but according to multiple accounts, his workout wasn't terrific. Noel is a strong possibility, too, if he doesn't go No. 1 to the Cavs. 3 Otto Porter Washington Wizards COLLEGE: Georgetown AGE: 20 HT: 6-9 WT: 198 POS: SF Analysis: The Wizards continue to be in a strong position at No. 3. The two players they really like -- Porter and UNLV's Anthony Bennett -- are both on the board here. Both are getting looks from the Cavs, but neither is the favorite at this point. There continues to be a pretty strong debate on this one inside the front office, and it might come down to risk aversion for the Wizards. Do they go with more of a sure thing (Porter) or gamble on the guy with more upside (Bennett)? 4 Anthony Bennett Charlotte Bobcats COLLEGE: UNLV AGE: 20 HT: 6-8 WT: 240 POS: PF Analysis: This one sounds like it's coming down to a showdown between Bennett and Alex Len. Either player would give Charlotte's front line a much-needed scoring boost. The Bobcats have Bismack Biyombo as a defensive presence but not a lot else. Also, don't totally write off Cody Zeller here. I hear he's a dark horse. 5 Ben McLemore Phoenix Suns COLLEGE: Kansas AGE: 20 HT: 6-5 WT: 189 POS: SG Analysis: McLemore remains in the top 5, but I'm starting to have my doubts. I love the talent. But his lack of preparation for the draft is hurting him. Multiple sources told me that his workout in Phoenix was not impressive; he wasn't in shape, and he struggled to keep up in the workout. I heard similar things in Orlando. McLemore is in a tug-of-war right now between adviser Rodney Blackstock and his agency Rivals. It's kept McLemore out of the gym and for the most part, out of workouts. How much will all of this affect the draft stock? I'm told teams are worried. But how worried? Enough for one of the most talented players in the draft to slide further? If the Suns pass on McLemore, both C.J. McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams are possibilities here. 6 Alex Len New Orleans Pelicans COLLEGE: Maryland AGE: 19 HT: 7-1 WT: 225 POS: C Analysis: Len could go as high as No. 1 to the Cavs or No. 4 to the Bobcats, but I doubt he gets past the Pelicans at No. 6. Pairing him on the floor with Anthony Davis makes for a terrific front line. Small forward and point guard are the other two directions in which the Pelicans could go. They love Porter, but it's dou

I know, there’s some irony to Chris Bosh talking about physical play. But the thing is, he’s right — the Miami Heat have to come out with their best defensive effort they are not going on to a Game 7. They need to stick with shooters on the perimeter, make crisp rotations and stop cheating…

The Utah Jazz will host its annual draft party at EnergySolutions Arena on Thursday, June 27. Admission is free.

While this will largely be about Jeff Pendergraph, the late season rotation big for the Indiana Pacers, it's worth beginning the note on a few players who didn't get the playing time to warrant actually covering them on their own. The Pacers had their best season in nearly a decade, and while the roster featured guys whose time on the floor wasn't too valuable, there was a lot of chemistry value with this team, and it's worth paying homage to the locker room heroes for the Indiana Pacers. It's of course fitting to cover this for Pendergraph, who was the one who broke into the rotation while being notorious for being a locker room guy. Ben Hansbrough There's not a lot to look back on with Lil' Hans. It seemed his inclusion in the team was purely a chemistry addition to fire up Tyler Hansbrough when there was Ben would hit the floor, but he did get a crack at the rotation in December in an effort to also fire up D.J. Augustin. All it did was expose Hansbrough as a guy who wasn't really at the NBA talent level to compete. It would've been nice if Hansbrough could've offered the team the spark that launched Augustin's season, but that's not really on Hansbrough. Dominic McGuire Dude started a game for this team. Miles Plumlee Plumlee was Indiana's first round pick in 2012, got less playing time than the team's 2012 second rounder, but appeared in as many episodes of Parks & Recreation as the Indianapolis Colts' 2012 first round pick, who led the Colts to the playoffs. I'm not really afraid to admit I'm a bit of a Plumlee guy. I should preface I'm only buying into his future, not what he's shown because he sure didn't show anything on the floor this year. But I kind of feel he's a three year project. I may be wrong about Plumlee evolving into a Jeff Foster-type, but at least I won't have to eat crow for another season. At some point, Plumlee is going to have to show something, but I'm not really worried about him for the time being. He did have some fine performances in the D-League. Danny Granger The sudden news just before the tip of the regular season that the team was going to be without Granger until about February was the equivalent of a lion throwing its cub off a cliff. The Pacers not only survived the fall, they thrived, making Granger's unfortunate injury something of a blessing in disguise. While the Pacers with Granger all season would've likely performed at the same level they did, they probably wouldn't have the future they have if he had. What Paul George and Lance Stephenson each had to take on was well above what they were expecting and each came through the fire with a mountain of gold stickers. Granger in a sense helped create that. It's unfortunate because Granger is the guy more than anyone who deserved to be a part of this playoff run, and while he made a return just after the All-Star break for five games, he went out just as fast as he came in. With his exit, it was about what the Pacers missed without a bench threat like Granger instead of what he had offered the Pacers in his five games. Granger is also the guy who will swirl around in the middle of trade rumors all summer. Whether the Pacers move him, well, it's hard to imagine there's a suitor who can provide Indiana a return they can build with, but whether Granger himself can move forward with the Pacers for his final contract year will be the difference between what the Pacers can be and what the Pacers will be. Jeff Pendergraph Oh yeah. Pendergraph came in during the 2011-12 season as a Kevin Pritchard guy, someone Pritchard had in Portland and pushed to have the Pacers pick up as a consultant with the team. While he didn't show much in 2011-12, he proved to be a valuable locker room piece as one of the most upbeat guys in the locker room. Good locker room presence paid off for Pendergraph, who averaged career bests in points and rebounds (3.9/2.8). Pendergraph was able to make himself into a valuable piece of the Indiana rotation late