LeBron James salutes Team USA

Wow! Small news. Team USA beats Turkey. Turkey with no Memo Okur and no Hedo Turkoglu.

No Hedo Turkoglu for Turkey? No problem for LeBron Ameri-James. Evidently the sprained ankle is a thing of the past.

James was 8-of-9 from the field and finished with six rebounds, five steals and four assists in 23 minutes, sitting out the fourth quarter.

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Team USA had a lot of problems paying attention in this game and kind of let the Turks hang around for a while.

Turkey was still close late into the second before James seized control on both ends. He rebounded his own miss for a 10-point lead, came up with a steal and made a free throw, then leaped high for a one-handed dunk off an alley-oop pass from Kobe Bryant for a 50-37 lead. Another steal by James led to Howard’s dunk and a 15-point cushion.

Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had 13 a piece and Chris Paul had 6 assists.

America plays Lithuania on Friday.

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Check out this list of free agents.

Now you can see why the Pistons, Nets and other teams are clearing off salary cap room for next year:

PLAYER	TM	TYPE
LeBron James	CLE	player option
Dirk Nowitzki	DAL	player option
Josh Howard	DAL	player option
Dwyane Wade	MIA	player option
Michael Redd	MIL	player option
Amare Stoudemire	PHX	player option
Joe Johnson	ATL	unrestricted
Ben Wallace	CLE	unrestricted
Marcus Camby	DEN	unrestricted
Richard Hamilton	DET	unrestricted
Amir Johnson	DET	unrestricted
Antonio McDyess	DET	unrestricted
Tracy McGrady	HOU	unrestricted
Jermaine O’Neal	IND	unrestricted
Darko Milicic	MEM	unrestricted
Steve Nash	PHX	unrestricted
Shaquille O’Neal	PHX	unrestricted
Manu Ginobili	S.A.	unrestricted
Carlos Boozer	UTA	unrestricted
Mehmet Okur	UTA	unrestricted

Player option: Player has right to opt out of contract if he wants.

It is just amazing to even think about it.

It could become the most talented free agency class ever in professional sports in that there will be five players — LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson — with already one NBA championship, two NBA Finals, four U.S. Olympic team invitations and 16 All-Star appearances among them and not one of them will be older than 30 in 2010.

If that doesn’t whet the appetite, then there will be an available 32-year-old former league MVP (Dirk Nowitzki) and a just-turned-31 Michael Redd, one of the game’s deadliest perimeter sharp shooters.

source

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Kobe Bryant – from back spasms in game 4 to greatness in game 5

Image details: Los Angeles Lakers v Utah Jazz, Game 4 served by picapp.com

Kobe Bryant could not be stopped.

From passing that is.

Kobe had a sore back and was going to make Utah pay for it.

And they did.

The last 7 or 8 minutes of this game showed why Los Angeles is so dangerous as a team. The ball was moving all over the court, finally settling in Kobe’s hands sucking in the defense. Kobe would then drive to the hole and distribute the ball for a dunk or 3 pointer or easy jump shot.

If Utah tried to stop Kobe they fouled him and sent him to the line, where Kobe lived for his 4th quarter points. Kobe Bryant has beautiful foul shooting form and showed it once again with the game on the line.

The Los Angeles Lakers led the Utah Jazz all the way through the 4th quarter, but the margin was slim and the game was in doubt until the very end. Every time Memo Okur or Deron Williams would make a good play, Kobe had the answer. The answer was the Laker’s team and Kobe was the captain of that ship.

This time it was Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom leading the Lakers down the home stretch.

The two combined for 13 fourth-quarter points and the Lakers never trailed in a 111-104 victory over the Jazz in Game 5 of their Western Conference Semifinal series at the Staples Center on Wednesday.

Kobe Bryant led Los Angeles with 26 points, but it was Gasol and Odom nailing clutch shots in the final minutes to give the Lakers a 3-2 series lead.
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Kobe played in this game after suffering severe back spasms in the last game. It was doubtful he would be at full strength. Heck, it was doubtful he would be able to even play. Maybe that is why he took so few shots, but play he did.

They huddled in a tunnel here at the Staples Center early Wednesday evening, waiting to run onto the court, their season having reached a crossroads. Bryant nodded.

“I’m good,” he said.

Did anyone doubt he wouldn’t be? Isn’t this what the great ones, the MVPs, do? Bryant once jetted in from a Colorado courtroom to hang 42 points on the San Antonio Spurs in a playoff game, and back spasms were going to stop him?

Not on Wednesday. Bryant stepped onto the stage and starred yet again, fighting off the Jazz in a tense 111-104 victory that left the Lakers within one win of the Western Conference finals.

Bryant’s teammates saw all they needed to see 18 seconds into the game. With the fans having barely settled into their seats, Bryant raised up and buried a long three-pointer. He followed with a 14-foot jumper. Already, his teammates on the bench began to laugh. Lamar Odom had predicted Bryant’s “gun to be blazing,” and it certainly looked like that’s how the evening was heading.

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The Lakers needed the game to maintain home court and gain a 3 – 2 series lead.

The next game is in Utah and Kobe will once again be called upon to shake off the effects of coming back from the back spasms. Once again, we will have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, this time we all expect him back and expect him to be great!

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Kobe about to be fouled

Image details: Utah Jazz v Los Angeles Lakers, Game 1 served by picapp.com

Kobe is expected to be presented with the NBA MVP award, but he got in a hurry and put on an MVP performance for the LA crowd in defeating the Utah Jazz.

Los Angeles 109 Utah 98

Kobe set a foul shooting franchise record.

Bryant, celebrating what’s expected to be his first NBA MVP award, converted six of his franchise playoff-record 21 foul shots in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 109-98 Sunday to begin the second round of the playoffs.

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So just how good are the Lakers?

The Lakers were outrebounded by the Utah Jazz 58-41 on Sunday afternoon. The disparity in offensive rebounds was even more pronounced, 25-8. No surprise then that the Jazz also posted a significant edge in second-chance points, 26-12.

I don’t offer these numbers as mere arithmetic, but as statistical anomalies in evidence of just how good the Lakers really are. The team that controls the boards — especially the offensive boards, especially come playoff time — is almost always the winning team. But these Lakers do so many things so well — a more diversely talented team than any in the game — they can actually overcome an ass-kicking on the glass.

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Mehmet Okur had 21 points and 19 rebounds in the losing cause.

Kobe had 38 points 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Not a bad night for the MVP.

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The Utah Jazz used a 41 point quarter to blow out the Phoenix Suns.

This is the 3rd straight home loss for the Suns, in spite of Amare Stoudemire’s 37 points.

– Carlos Boozer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, including a tough eight-foot bank shot with 31.1 seconds to play, and the Utah Jazz handed the Phoenix Suns their third consecutive home loss, 126-118 on Friday night.

Deron Williams had 25 points and 15 assists and Mehmet Okur had 25 points, including 4-of-6 3-pointers, and grabbed 14 rebounds to give the Jazz their fourth win in a row and just their 14th in 33 games on the road this season. source

Utah 126 Phoenix 118

The questions on the Miami Heat to Phoenix Suns trade of Shaq for the Matrix are getting louder. Is Shaq relevant? Can he fit into a full court running team?

Mark D’Antoni, the Suns Coach, is excited about changing the team’s face with the addition of Shaq.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt,” D’Antoni said. “Not play-wise, but on paper and what we see. We can be a better team than we could ever be with the little guys running all over the place. We may not be as pretty, but we’re going to be much more efficient.”

He said defensive improvement will determine whether Phoenix reaches its goal of becoming a championship contender. O’Neal has been what the Suns expected. source

Right now that defense was not apparent in the 4th quarter of the Jazz game.

The Kyle Korver pick up by the Jazz actually looks better on the court right now than the Shaq trade.

Shaq time

But you have to give this time. The Suns are a team trying to trade their stripes in the heat of battle.

“It’s going to take a toughness, and we sometimes don’t have it,” D’Antoni said. “Maybe that’s because the last three years, we haven’t had it because we didn’t need it. Now we need it, so it might take a little bit.” source

The Suns have been plagued with turnovers and poor perimeter defense since the addition of Shaq. The game itself has changed with the big guy in the middle. Shawn Marion was often on the perimeter or slashing through the land. Shaq remains at the post.

“All of that I believe is a byproduct of just guys trying to get accustomed to what we’re doing now, the different personnel and different spacing on the court,” Bell said. “You know Shawn was a guy who was definitely a spacer. That allowed Steve (Nash) and the guys who make a lot of plays to have a lot of room to make those plays. When you add a big body like Shaq, plus his defender, that space that was wide open isn’t there.” source

In the end, the Suns will be there with a better opportunity to play the half court game needed in the playoffs.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will the Suns turn it around with Shaq and start winning?

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Who are these guys?

Deron Williams? All everyone talks about is Chris Paul of the Hornets, or the arrival of Jason Kidd in Dallas, but Deron Williams is off to a great career with that hidden team, the Utah Jazz. Deron had 14 assists by half time. Half time!

Mehmet Okur? All everyone talks about is Shaq going to the Suns, or Dirk Nowitzki lighting it up for the Mavs, or the return of Andrew Bynum, or Pau Gasol gaining new life with the Lakers, but Mehmet has some of those European style components to his game, learned in Turkey, that make him tough to guard and he rebounds well in a crowd. Just ask Joe Dumars, he wanted to keep him a Piston, but the price was too high.

Carlos Boozer? Hey, what is he doing on the Jazz? Carlos is a 20/10 guy that weighs 266 pounds. 20 points and 10 rebound season average that is and the 266 pounds on his 6′ 9″ frame makes him tough to handle inside.

Andrei Kirilenko? He may not be a 20/10 guy, but he does everything else with steals, blocked shots, rebounds, points, and just plain excellent defense. In 2005-06 he was on the NBA all defensive team. This year he has suffered a lot of injuries and did not play most of this most recent game.

Utah played most of the game without forward Andrei Kirilenko, who was knocked out of the game with 7:04 left in the first quarter after taking a flagrant foul from Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki. Kirilenko went crashing to the floor and bruised his right hip bad enough that he was taken to the hospital for X-rays, which showed no break. source

NBA Basketball Andrei Kirilenko factoid – Became just 4th player in NBA history, and first since 1993-94, to average 15+ points, 8+ rebounds, 4+ assists and 3+ blocks in single season (Abdul-Jabbar six times, Bob Lanier – 1973-74, David Robinson – 1993-94) source

Kyle Korver? The least heard about trade this side of Golden State picking up old timer Chris Weber. Kyle gives them the big time bench scorer they needed and had 17 points in this game.

Utah won over Dallas 116 – 110.

The Jazz went on a momentum-changing fourth-quarter run in a 116-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, coming back after blowing a 21-point lead. Utah made all 18 free throws in the fourth quarter and stayed near the top of the congested standings in the Western Conference. source

Dallas

Josh Howard scored 25 points and Nowitzki finished with 23 for Dallas, which fell to 4-4 since acquiring Jason Kidd.

Kidd finished with nine assists and 19 points — 10 of which he scored in the fourth quarter. Jason Terry scored 21 for the Mavericks.

It appears the Jason Kidd experiment will take a little time to get going.

Anyway, Utah is fighting for their life in the tough Western Conference.

Back to Utah

“It was a playoff atmosphere,” Boozer said. “You had people diving for loose balls, scrapping for rebounds. That’s what the playoffs are about. That’s what the last 20 games are going to be like as we try to position ourselves for the playoffs.”

So who is Utah and why aren’t the New Orleans Hornets called the Jazz? Hmm, that does seem a bit strange.

Utah is the hidden team loaded with talent and a good record. Look out Western Conference!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Were you aware of how good the Jazz are looking?

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And he shall come from the East and lead them…

Denver is all set up to win the Northwest.

Think about this division. Greg Oden is out for the season at Portland and they let their other big man, Zach Randolph, go to the Knicks.

Seattle is playing for the future with young Rookie of the Year front runner Kevin Durant. They are young and inexperienced.

The Timberwolves are starting the Al Jefferson show and have yet to move up town with their supporting cast of castaways.

This leaves only Utah. Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur present a solid core, but an unhappy Kirilenko really hurts them.

Carmelo is set to lead the Nuggets out of the Northwest.

He’s not the all-around threat James is, but he does exude greatness, able to put the ball in the basket as well as anyone in the game. All that has been missing are key ingredients like maturity and help. He feels he has both now. Excuses are out the window.

CBSSports.com believes in Anthony and the Nuggets, predicting they’ll overcome Utah in the Northwest Division. If they fail, it had better be a result of the scenario Karl believes possible, where Utah simply outperforms them and wins more than 60 games. That’s unlikely, but if it happens, Denver has every right to shake off the disappointment and feel good about its season. source

Introducing the Champions of the Northwest to be, the Denver Nuggets with an aging but still hungry Allen Iverson, a shoot happy Carmelo, a block happy Camby, and perhaps the key in Kenyon Martin.

Kenyon is coming off microfracture surgery and a lot depends on his recovery. Without Kenyon Martin they are not a very tough team on the offensive blocks.

Camby is counted on more for defense. Did you know he was the defensive player of the year? Came as a shock to me.

It appears any kind of chemistry on offense between The Truth and Melo should produce close to 50 victories and be good enough to win the division.

Hard to believe they have the horses to march through the playoffs, but we believed that about Cleveland and LeBron last year.

NBA Basketball Fan Question Who do you pick in the Northwest Division?

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Deron can handle the rock

Deron Williams is an up and coming star in the NBA.

That bears repeating, because for those of us that followed his career at Illinois, it did not always seem that way.

Now your intrepid author is a Michigan State University Spartan fan and grad. Izzo, baby, that is all that needs to be said. MSU finds themselves as a basketball school and oh do we not like that label. We want to be a basketball, football school.

Well, guess what, Illinois finds themselves in the same boat. There were some intense rivalry games between IU and MSU and Deron Williams was a part of quite a few of them.

In college, Deron seemed like an excellent passer, kind of fast, but not too quick, pretty good shooter, but not great. He played next to Dee Brown and Dee seemed to have all the star power in the year they went to the finals with only 1 loss.

Alan Anderson of the Spartans got hurt before the North Carolina game, during the weekend when my Spartys beat UK and Duke. The feeling around here, right or wrong, was that the Spartans would have beaten NC with a healthy Anderson and faced Deron Williams and the Illini in the finals.

That did not happen and NC defeated Illinois. Deron was only a Junior but pretty much had to declare pro with most of the Illinois graduating. There would not have been much team left and it could only hurt his draft status to stay.

Prediction for the Jazz

Who would have thought Deron would be such a great pro? With Deron at the point Johnny Ludden at Yahoo Sports is picking Utah to be first in the NorthWest Division.

Is that confetti in your hair? After an impressive run to the Western Conference finals, the Jazz made only a couple of minor tweaks to their roster. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, quickly resembling another formidable Utah pick-and-roll combo, anchor the team’s impressive core. Mehmet Okur is coming off an All-Star season and second-year guard Ronnie Brewer is making a strong bid to start. source

The NBA Draft

Deron is used to being the underdog and when he faced the NBA draft, once again Deron Williams had to prove himself to the doubters.

When it was time for Deron to take his collection of All-Big Ten awards and the ’05 Chicago Regional MOP trophy to The Greatest Show on Earth, he found that he had some believers out there. While some questioned his build and speed, Deron blew up during pre-Draft workouts, impressing the Jazz enough that they tabbed him with the third overall pick. Bigger-rep players Raymond Felton and Chris Paul followed.

Underdog

If Utah makes it a habit of winning all the time then that will probably cure the underdog stuff up with Deron and the fans, right?

Though his ball club is on the verge of regaining their once West Coast dominance, the playmaker can’t see the dim light raying on him any different. “People still don’t know my name. I go to [visiting] arenas, sometimes the announcers will call me Duh-RON. I have to make the PR people go and correct them,” he says. “So although a lot more people notice my game now, I still consider myself an underdog.”

Oh, well, if Deron is Underdog at least they have a movie about you!

NBA Basketball Fan Question Will Deron be an All Star this year?

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