Caron Butler whispered in LeBron James’ ear, one last word in case the Washington Wizards’ season was about to end. With only a few ticks of the clock left, desperate times called for desperate measures. “I was messing with LeBron before the play started,” Butler said. “I told him, ‘Miss this shot, make it interesting and let’s take this thing back to D.C.”‘ Seconds later, the Wizards were on their…
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Gilbert Arenas’ season is over. The Washington Wizards’ season isn’t. Arenas, who missed most of the regular season following knee surgery, decided he was done shortly before the Wizards faced an elimination game Wednesday night in their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With Arenas out, Caron Butler led the way and made a layup with 3.9 seconds left to give Washington an…
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Caron Butler saved Washington’s season. Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as LeBron James missed a potential series-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series.
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Celtics forward Paul Pierce, fined $25,000 for what the NBA called a “menacing gesture” during Game 3 of Boston’s playoff series against Atlanta, denied that the sign was gang-related. “I 100 percent do not in any way promote gang violence or anything close to it,” Pierce said in a statement issued Wednesday before Game 5 of the series. Read Original Post Here
From the start, Avery Johnson was a perfect fit as coach of the Dallas Mavericks. At the end, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t. Johnson lost his job Wednesday, a move the team referred to as “relieving him of his duties.” The softer tone made sense considering that in three-plus seasons Johnson guided the Mavericks to the finals for the first time and to a club-record 67 wins the following season.
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Maurice Cheeks expects to hear the heckles one last time. Cheeks wants to be the one who gets the last laugh with a Game 7 victory and silence those Pistons fans who needled him the last three games in Detroit. The 76ers coach told the hecklers, “I’ll be back” as the final seconds ticked off the clock in a Game 5 loss, putting Detroit up 3-2 in the first-round playoff series. Read Original Post Here
Derek Fisher still has a soft spot for the Utah Jazz. That being the case, he’d love nothing more than a date with his former team in the second round of the playoffs. “I’m pulling for them in terms of those being my guys, guys that I’m close to,” the Los Angeles Lakers’ point guard said after practice Wednesday. Read Original Post Here
The expectations were there for Kevin Durant the day he first arrived in Seattle: anything less than being the best rookie in the NBA would be a disappointment. The 19-year-old didn’t disappoint. Durant, the Sonics’ dynamic young star, has been chosen as the NBA Rookie of the Year, The Associated Press has learned from a person with knowledge of the vote.
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The Phoenix Suns’ window of opportunity to win an NBA title under coach Mike D’Antoni may have slammed shut with their first-round playoff loss to San Antonio. General manager Steve Kerr acknowledged differences with the coach but insisted on Wednesday he wants D’Antoni back for a fifth season with the Suns. Read Original Post Here
It took five playoff games for the Houston Rockets to finally look like the team that won 22 straight games during the regular season. All they have to do now is play like that in Utah. Houston routed the Jazz 95-69 at the Toyota Center on Tuesday night to cut their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-2 and force Game 6 in Salt Lake City on Friday night.
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