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The Latest Basketball Newslines
Knicks Fire Mike Woodson
Mike Woodson has been fired as the New York Knicks head coach, sources told ESPN.Woodson had coached the Knicks for the past two seasons after taking over on an interim basis in 2011 following Mike D'Antoni's resignation. He guided the Knicks to a 54-win regular season and a division title in 2012-13.
The Knicks also won a playoff series for the first time in 13 seasons under Woodson's stewardship.
via ESPN New York
Tim Duncan Expects Two More Playoff Runs?
Reassuring to hear Tim Duncan say he has only "a couple more" playoff runs in him. Would seemingly suggest this is not his last then. Right?via Marc Stein of ESPN on Twitter
Iguodala: ‘We’re trying to save our coach’
(Warriors coach Mark) Jackson said Sunday he doesn't listen to the chatter about his job status that persists despite the Warriors' completing a 51-win regular season and continuing to win in the postseason.Jackson's players, meanwhile, have heard the rumblings and are rallying together to help change the tone of the national conversation.
"We're trying to save our coach," (Andre) Iguodala said. "Every game is pressure for us."
Stephen Curry supported the notion that the Warriors have taken it upon themselves as players to take care of business in the playoffs so that talk about Jackson's job security would subside.
via Diamond Leung of the San Jose Mercury News
Jefferson to Play Through Plantar Fasciitis
If Al Jefferson isn’t effective, the Charlotte Bobcats have no chance to beat the Miami Heat. If Jefferson ceases to be Big Al, if plantar fasciitis limits what he can do when he has the ball as well as when Miami has it, Charlotte’s season ends quietly.With 2 minutes, 10 seconds left in the quarter, Jefferson ran without the ball and felt a pop in his left foot. His plantar fasciitis recurred.
“I feel a lot better now but when it first happened there was a lot of pain,” he says. “As the game went on it eased up on me. I just got to suck it up. I’ll be fine for the rest of the playoffs. I don’t know all the details but I know I’ll be OK. Just something you got to play through.”
via Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer
Harrison Twins ‘Genuinely Torn’ on NBA?
As the NBA's April 27 early-entry deadline approaches, the basketball world is focused on Kentucky. The Wildcats will be good next season regardless, but two looming decisions — and they can be condensed into one — could dictate whether UK is wow-look-out elite.Although there is a glut of frontcourt talent, the backcourt is not as deep, so the decisions of guards Andrew and Aaron Harrison are especially intriguing and important.
The belief in NBA circles is that the 6-foot-6 twin brothers remain genuinely torn, the scout said. One Eastern Conference general manager told him the twins' father, Aaron Sr., wanted his sons to declare for the draft, but a lukewarm response from the league has given the family some pause.
via Adam Himmelsbach of The Louisville Courier-Journal
Rockets’ Beverley to Undergo MRI on Knee
Rockets point guard Pat Beverley sprained his right knee in Sunday night’s Game 1 playoff loss to Portland, the Rockets announced after the game.He will have an MRI on Monday to determine his status for Game 2 on Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m.
Beverley, who tore the meniscus in his right knee on March 27, started limping with 1:04 left in overtime after a contact with LaMarcus Aldridge.
via Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle
Steve Kerr Won’t Discuss Coaching Knicks
(Steve) Kerr, whose name has been linked to the Knicks job since Phi Jackson was appointed team president last month, refused to comment on anything and everything related to coaching the Knicks — or any team, for that matter.But you almost get the sense that Kerr, who played under both Jackson and Gregg Popovich, feels burned by the incessant speculation that he is set to replace Mike Woodson, whose job status is uncertain. Kerr, as loyal as they come, hates it when he hears coaches campaigning for jobs that are currently filled.
"I hope you understand, but I'm not talking about anything," Kerr said prior to Game 1 of the Bulls-Wizards first-round series before walking away.
NBA: Foul Call Missed in Warriors/Clippers
The NBA said referees missed a foul call late in the Warriors' Game 1 win that would have given the Clippers a chance to tie the score.Los Angeles point guard Chris Paul lost the ball out of bounds with 18.9 seconds left Saturday and Golden State leading 107-105. Rod Thorn, the league's president for basketball operations, said in a statement Sunday that the Warriors' Draymond Green should have been whistled for a foul, which would have given Paul two free throws.
via Associated Press
Pacers’ Paul George Wants to Guard Teague
One of those small changes will likely be assigning the team's best wing defender, Paul George, on Hawks point guard Jeff Teague. On Saturday, Teague exploited the one-on-one matchup with George Hill and the other Pacers did little to stop him as Teague scored a game-high 28 points."Yeah, that's an option," (coach Frank) Vogel said about George moving to Teague. "I'm sure we'll see some of that this series — at some point."
According to George, he and Vogel already spoke about the move and hinted that the change could come as early as Game 2.
"Yes, I would love to," George said about defending Teague. "Just change it up, give him a different look and really battle him out there."
via Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star
DeRozan Focused on Improving Game
DeMar DeRozan didn't dwell on his disappointing playoff debut. After missing his first eight field goals on Saturday and finishing with only 14 points on 3-for-13 shooting, DeRozan decided to take it easy. Toronto's 94-87 loss to the Brooklyn Nets ended just before 3:30 p.m., which gave him a while to think about what happened."I sat in my room the rest of the day," DeRozan said. "I didn't leave the room. I didn't turn the TV on. I didn't watch no game. I just cleared my mind."
The film session gave DeRozan confidence in his team's ability to bounce back. He saw correctable mistakes and a game that still ended up going down to the wire.
via James Herbert of ESPN
Blazers’ Aldridge Sets Multiple Records
The Rockets entered the series as a favorite, hailed by virtually every national pundit as a lock to breeze past the Blazers thanks to their playoff-tested All-Star duo, Dwight Howard and James Harden. But on Sunday night, it was the Blazers’ All-Stars, LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard, who put on a show.His (Aldridge) 46 points were a career and playoff franchise high, surpassing the 45 Bonzi Wells recorded in 2003. He became the first player in franchise history to record at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. And he became the first player in the NBA to register at least 46 points, 18 rebounds and two blocks in the postseason since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1987.
via Joe Freeman of The Oregonian
LeBron Passes Larry Bird in Playoff Scoring
LeBron (James) has passed Larry Bird (3,897 points) for 8th all time in career playoff scoring (3,898 & counting)via NBA.com on Twitter
Spoelstra Not Limiting Wade’s Minutes
It's been nearly a month since Dwyane Wade has played more than 23 minutes in a game, but coach Erik Spoelstra said Saturday there will be no restriction with his All-Star guard when the Miami HEAT open the NBA playoffs Sunday against the Charlotte Bobcats at AmericanAirlines Arena.
That doesn't mean there also won't be a cautious approach with Wade having played in just three games since missing nine with a strained left hamstring.
"I don't have a restriction with him," Spoelstra said, as the HEAT completed playoff preparations Saturday.
via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel
Spurs’ Parker: Championship Win Only Goal
As much as the Finals collapse sparked the Spurs to the No. 1 overall seed, there remains just one thing that matters for San Antonio."It shows a lot of character on our team, but at the same time, it doesn't mean anything if we don't win the whole thing," Tony Parker said after practice Saturday. "We have home court. We did a good job. But we know it doesn't guarantee anything. We just have to stay focused and we know we have a long way to go."
via Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles
Pistons’ Monroe Looking for Max Deal
The biggest decision awaiting the new (Pistons) GM is what to do with restricted free agent Greg Monroe.First off, the new GM has to figure out what the price tag is.
Monroe’s agent David Falk is likely going to ask for a max contract, which will be somewhere in the neighborhood of four years and $60 million.
via Dave Pemberton of The Oakland Press
