Basketball

Here we go! Win and the Knicks will get to play an epic Game 7 on Monday night, lose and, well, you know. Pacers starting point guard George Hill has been cleared to play. It will be fascinating to see how he deals with contact, or whether the Knicks will shy away from hitting him [...]

Dwyane Wade watched Kevin Durant against Memphis, and it was like watching a flailing man drown, wave after wave crashing upon him until he had no breath to give. Durant averaged 29 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists per game in the series that ended his season. Those were not merely better than the averages Durant posted in this, the best regular season of his young life. Those were not merely better averages than the ones that just won LeBron James his fourth NBA MVP award. Those were better averages than the ones that represent Michael Jordan’s entire career. But Durant’s season is over now, and Wade watched it happen through what felt like a rearview mirror.

Don't. The comments that you leave there will be treated as though you posted them here. In the past 24 hours, we have banned two StR members for leaving comments at SR that were so over the top, we banned the members here as our way of showing that we do not condone that sort of behavior. Comments that were absolutely beneath contempt. If this thing had swung the other way, you would not want to hear at all from a Sonics fan right now. So leave it alone and leave them alone. If you insist on posting there, it better not even hint of trolling or douchebaggery, or you will run the risk of a timeout/ban here. I apologize to the 99% of our membership that is classy and does not need this reminder. I just wasted your time, and for that I am sorry. To the other 1%, knock it the fuck off and/or get out of here. You're giving Sacramento Kings fans and StR members a bad name. Don't. The comments that you leave there will be treated as though you posted them here. In the past 24 hours, we have banned two StR members for leaving comments at SR that were so over the top, we banned the members here as our way of showing that we do not condone that sort of behavior. Comments that were absolutely beneath contempt. If this thing had swung the other way, you would not want to hear at all from a Sonics fan right now. So leave it alone and leave them alone. If you insist on posting there, it better not even hint of trolling or douchebaggery, or you will run the risk of a timeout/ban here. I apologize to the 99% of our membership that is classy and does not need this reminder. I just wasted your time, and for that I am sorry. To the other 1%, knock it the fuck off and/or get out of here. You're giving Sacramento Kings fans and StR members a bad name.

2012-13 Statistics:  33.8 MPG 13.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.2 BPG, .466 FG%, .702 FT%, 33 games missed due to injury Season Recap: The seven-foot Spaniard had his worst statistical season as a Laker in terms of points, rebounds, and shooting percentages, but some of that may have been due to injury or to early unfamiliarity with Mike D’antoni’s offense. In November and December and the early weeks of Mike D’antoni’s tenure, Pau Gasol seemed to be on the wrong end of an offensive experiment. He found himself attempting more mid-range jumpers than ever before and even a handful of threes for a short while. That’s not who Pau Gasol is. He’s a crafty, skilled post player on the low block. Pau Gasol’s efficiency increased as the Lakers began to use him in the same ways that he is accustomed. In January, Pau Gasol didn’t look quite like himself. He suffered a concussion and missed five games. Soon after returning, Mike D’antoni decided to play Pau Gasol off the bench and start Earl Clark instead. Clark took the world by storm and played really well, but you have to wonder if that hurt Pau Gasol emotionally. Pau had started 345 games for the Lakers and now was being asked to play a bench role behind someone who barely made it off the practice squad?  Gasol still hadn’t fully figured out his role in the new Lakers offense at the time that he went down with plantar fascia. He missed six weeks with this injury. When he returned, he actually looked like the Pau of old. He was scoring efficiently, rebounding well, and passing spectacularly for a big man. The biggest concern with Pau Gasol as a whole this season was how he was on the floor with Dwight Howard. He had never had a real issue in a dual big man lineup with Andrew Bynum. Heck, they won two championships together. But with Dwight, it was different. The defensive spacing seemed off the whole year with both big men on the floor, and the defensive numbers were terrible when they shared the court. It was not uncommon to see miscommunication leading to wide open lay-ups off of pick-and-rolls. There were flashes of great ball movement between them offensively, but that was the exception–not the trend. Mike D’antoni even said it himself: The Lakers were best with only one of them on the floor. Unfortunately, they are both high enough caliber players that they needed to share the court during a portion of every game. 2013-14 Forecast: Who knows what’s in store for Pau Gasol next season? How will he respond from knee surgery this off-season? Will he return to the Lakers? Will they trade him? Will they amnesty him? If Pau stays, will Dwight stay too? There are questions surrounding everything for Gasol next season and his future is in total flux. I’d prefer that they get rid of him. Don’t get me wrong, I love Pau, but he doesn’t seem like a great fit with Dwight Howard, the most talented young player on the Lakers and the likely cornerstone of the future of the franchise. I’d prefer to trade him and get Josh Smith or another younger and smaller athletic power forward who can stay out of the paint and let Howard control the game and do his own thing, without interference from any of his teammates. If Pau Gasol stays on the Lakers, with Dwight Howard, and the team is composed similar to the way it is now, I’d expect him to play more of a facilitating role like he did in the waning weeks of this past season. Gasol is an excellent decision maker at the high post and had six games with at least 9 assists, including the playoffs, after returning from injury. Defensively, it’s going to be difficult. He’ll need to communicate with Dwight more and develop better chemistry during training camp so they are on the same page in terms of assignments and roles on defense during the actual season. Highlights: This is a clip from Pau’s triple-double against the Warriors near the end

Pacers point guard George Hill (concussion) was medically cleared to play in Game 6 Saturday night, a potential blow to the Knicks' chances of staging a comeback in this Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Knicks at Pacers (Pacers lead 3-2); Saturday 7pm Central ESPN The Pacers try again to close out the Knicks, this time back in Indianapolis. The Pacers were without point guard George Hill in game five, and as of this writing, his availability after suffering a concussion remains unknown. The Knicks managed to stave off elimination behind improved play from Raymond Felton and a break out performance by Chris Copeland. Hill's absence also contributed to the Pacers 19 turnovers in game five. Without him, they are extremely thin in ball handlers, and can be exploited by the Knicks' pressure defense. Another key is rebounding, as the Pacers dominated the boards early in the series, but the Knicks managed to hold their own on Thursday night. Roy Hibbert needs to stay out of foul trouble for the Pacers to press their advantage in the paint. Grizzlies at Spurs (Western Conference Finals Game One) Sunday 2:30pm ABC The Western Conference Finals begin on Sunday with the 5th seeded Grizzlies, having already won two road series against the Clippers and Thunder visiting San Antonio, the team they beat in the first round of the 2011 playoffs to signify their arrival as a Western Conference power. The Grizzlies have won eight of their last nine games after losing the first two games of their opening round matchup with the Clippers. They have done it with their punishing inside game led by Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, and the emergence of Mike Conley as one of the top point guards in the league. They have a slogan: Grit-n-Grind. They have a theme song: We Don't Bluff. The Spurs continue to cruise along, but they struggled to dispatch the upstart Golden State Warriors in six games. Ultimately, their smarts and skills won out, but at times they actually looked a little old. They will have to find a way to counter the Grizzlies strength and size, presumably by executing their efficient offense and getting those corner threes. The battle of the boards will be key in this series, as Memphis was one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league this season while San Antonio was near the top in controlling the defensive glass. San Antonio can succeed if they don't let Memphis get second chances. Should be a great series. Enjoy the games and your weekend everybody. If you're watching, chat here.

I discussed the Hawks upcoming offseason and the potential coaching and roster changes that could be on the horizon on the Mike Sammond show on 92.9 The Game. We discussed the coaching search, possible free agents, Jeff Teague and Josh Smith's future, and the possibilities of Dwight Howard and/or Chris Paul coming to Atlanta. You can listen here to my appearance here. Exit Question: What coach and free agents do you think will be/want to be on the Hawks' bench next season?

Every Sunday, we’ll be updating the Nets' off-season with bits and pieces of information, gossip, etc. to help take the edge off missing the second round of the playoffs, relying on the Nets’ beat reporters and others who have slipped interesting stuff into larger stories, blogs, tweets...plus our own reporting. In this week's edition, we look at what's going on with the coaching search, post some draft notes, peer into the future of using the subway to get from Manhattan and New Jersey to Brooklyn, examine how the Nets aggressive marketing strategy is now being used by the Islanders and spent far too much time on the Emory College paper on how Brooklyn Nets fans are the worst in the NBA. Who's your coach? We don't have a lot of inside information out of the PNY Center. Few leaks there. The search for the Nets next coach is very close-hold, with Billy King holding his list tight. But reading the tea leaves and some tweets from around the league, we think the Nets top priority is a veteran coach and since King hasn't been talking to a lot of people, we have to think Lionel Hollins is at the top of King's list. The Nets can't talk to him until the Grizzlies exit the playoffs and that could be late June. To us, the most significant tweet of the week was this one...from Peter Vecsey who is known to be close to the Nets brass. I'm told agent Warren LeGarie has spoken 2 at least 1 team, probably 2, re what'll take 2 sign FA Lionel Hollins should terms scare off MG. — Peter Vecsey (@PeterVecsey1) May 15, 2013 Why so important? Because it suggests that Hollins agent isn't averse to fielding other offers from around the NBA. . The Nets, with such a veteran club, may want a veteran coach, not a rookie. As we said, it's close-hold and what we're going is what a lot of reporters, pundits and bloggers are doing: speculating. At the Combine The Nets had a significant number of front office types at the Pre-Draft Combine in Chicago. On the sidelines, there was, In addition to Billy King and Bobby Marks, Gregg Polinsky, the chief scout whose official title is director of player development; Frank Zanin, who works with King and Marks and whose title is director of player procurement. On teh court was Milton Lee, who has helped run the combine for eight years; Popeye Jones and Jeremy Bettle, the Nets strength and conditioning coach. You would think with all those eyes and ears, the Nets would wind up with one or more good picks. Draft Sleeper of the Week Norvel Pelle is not just a sleeper pick. He is a super sleeper. As the draftniks say, he followed a "non-tradtional route" to the draft. The 6'11" (actually 6'10.5") center/power forward prospect was the top high school center prospect in 2011, playing for Price High School in L.A. After agreeing to attend St. John's, he was ruled academically ineligible and wound up spending the last two years in prep schools. Despite never playing a minute of college ball, enough NBA teams were intrigued by him that he was invited to the Pre-Draft Combine this week, where he reportedly did well and took some interviews. He did not list the Nets as one of them when asked. How raw is he? Plenty, but he is also athletic on the Sean Williams scale (and Sean Williams, truth be told, was barely 6'8.5" tall. His athleticism and shot-blocking can seen here, here and here. Prepare to gasp out loud. Is he a first round pick? No way. Could he be worth a later second rounder and a ticket to Springfield? Maybe. Here's how Yahoo! Sports described him last month. NBA scouts who tracked him in high school recall being intrigued with his shot-blocking prowess, baseline-to-baseline speed and ability to defend multiple positions, but they also remember a player who gave spotty effort and often seemed content to get by on talent alone. The other picks As you watch the Draft on June 27, note the following: there are three picks on the board that originally

George Hill will play in Indiana’s crucial, and potentially series-deciding, Game 6 against the New York Knicks on Saturday. “We did everything by the book,” Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel told the media in the hours before his team’s match with the Knicks. Vogel told the media that his team’s medical staff, in concert with the NBA, put George Hill through all the proper paces as he recovered from a concussion suffered in Game 4 of his team’s series against the New York Knicks. Hill missed Game 5 because of that concussion, surprising most who witnessed both his brilliant play during the Game 4 win and affable demeanor post-game. The NBA’s concussion policy is lightly defined, when it comes to choosing a number of games a player can sit out for; but what is known about the policy is the stringent, recently-made, tests that players have to go through. Whether the player in question enjoys the tests or not, the NBA runs an exacting standard of procedures put in place to determine if the athlete in question is fit to compete in a safe environment that would not leave the player in question prone to future head injury. We hope that’s the case, at least. Saturday’s Game 6 is an important game, full of intrigue and season-deciding drama. What’s most important, though, is Hill’s long-term health. Brain “injuries” aren’t about gutting anything out; and it isn’t as if Hill (who was already dodging elbows from the likes of players like Tyson Chandler well before his concussion) was shirking his responsibility in Game 5. We just hope his ability to suit up for Game 6 stems from a good report from a doctor that has nothing to do with the NFL, and that this is the last time we’ll ever have to discuss a head injury to George Hill.

Orlando Magic fans approach Pat Williams whenever they see him around town these days.