With homecourt advantage at stake, the Heat better win Game 3 in Indianapolis.

Most call them the supporting cast. Shaquille O’Neal simply calls them the “others.” Whatever term you prefer, this much is clear: With Chris Bosh out, the Heat’s ensemble around LeBron James and Dwyane Wade has not done enough offensively against the Pacers in the 2012 NBA playoffs.

And that must change for the Bosh-less Miami Heat to thrive as the series shifts to Indianapolis for Thursday’s Game 3. “D-Wade and LeBron will do their jobs,” Mike Miller said. “The rest of us have to find ways to put the ball in the hole.”

Excluding Chris Bosh (who played the first half of Game 1), LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, the other Heat players have shot a combined 29 percent — 16 for 55 — in the two games, with 44 points. Game 2 was especially gruesome: 9 for 34 with seven turnovers and two assists. The Heat is 1 for 22 on three-point attempts in this series, though James has seven of those misses and Wade two.

Game 2 marked the first time in franchise history that the Heat’s third-leading scorer in a game did not produce more than five points. ESPN noted that among 92 players that have logged at least 125 minutes in the playoffs, Udonis Haslem ranks last in its efficiency ratings. He played only 12 minutes in Game 2 because Erik Spoelstra opted to use only one natural power rotation player (Joel Anthony or Ronny Turiaf) the rest of the time.

Whereas David West and Roy Hibbert each produced double-figure…

Read More » Heat is on Miami to beat the Pacers in Indiana

Of course it is.

Beyond all the speed, juvenescence and everything rolled into what Kobe Bryant called the “youthful exuberance” of the Oklahoma City Thunder in their second round matchup this 2012 NBA playoffs, there’s one statistic that should get the Lakers’ attention.

Bryant’s teams are automatic when they go up 2-0 in a series, winning 21 of 21. But it’s a different drama when the Los Angeles Lakers are down 2-0 — they’re 1-7 with Bryant, their lone series victory in 2004 against San Antonio in the Western Conference semifinals. (Derek Fisher … 0.4 seconds … you know the rest.)

Wednesday’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Lakers is more than a Game 2. It might be the Lakers’ last stand, seeing how they sure don’t look like candidates to win four of five from Oklahoma City any time soon.

There weren’t any positive questions from reporters at Tuesday’s practice, none of the upbeat, “Can you take any positives from …?” that would characterize a close loss. What’s to offer other than blunt queries a day after the Lakers trailed by 35 points before falling, 119-90?

“We’re a team that doesn’t get down,” Kobe Bryant said….

Read More » Game 2 in OKC is a must win for the Lakers

Homecourt advantage. Yeah, after Game 2, the C’s lost that.

Say what you want about Paul Pierce’s scoring, and the need for Kevin Garnett’s scoring, and every other wrinkle in the Celtics offense, but the team walks a fine line every night, especially in the 2012 NBA playoffs, with its point guard.

When Rajon Rondo is at his creative best — which is about as good as it gets for a point guard — the Celtics run what Doug Collins referred to on Monday night as the most efficient offense in the league. “They take the fewest shots of anyone,” said the Sixers coach.

And yet the Boston Celtics often bemoan their own execution. Philadelphia won Game 2 on Monday night in part because the Celtics had too many brain cramps down the stretch. Garnett’s offensive foul with 10 seconds left — an illegal pick on Lou Williams after the Celtics center was warned by referee Dan Crawford about his leaning — was the most naked moment.

But the ball also stuck. Rondo held the ball for too long during one possession in the last minute before missing a jumper. Despite Garnett’s explosive scoring over his previous two games, the point guard seemed to forget about the big guy who has been in that rare zone where he wants the ball.

Instead, Kevin Garnett only took 12 shots, including three by halftime. Brandon Bass, someone the Celtics were trying to prime, took 15, including 12 in the first half. Something on the execution meter was out of kilter and the Philadelphia 76ers took advantage.

Garnett, never one to criticize teammates or coaches, alluded to…

Read More » Can Celtics beat 76ers in Philadelphia to win Game 3?

Yes, Lewis Hamilton ain’t having a good year so far.

In a 2012 F1 season littered with errors, Lewis Hamilton says he “can’t really complain” about the small mistakes as he’s still third in the standings. In the last two grands prix alone, Hamilton has suffered no fewer than three times because of mistakes made by his McLaren team.

At the Bahrain Grand Prix the errors were all during pit stops as McLaren ungled the Brit’s tyre changes on two occasions. Hamilton finished that grand prix in eighth place. However, McLaren’s biggest mistake yet was made in Spain on Saturday when a mechanic reportedly set Hamilton’s fuel rig to pump out rather than pump in the fuel.

Although Lewis Hamilton turned the switch the right way after noticing, it was too little too late and Hamilton was forced to stop out on track after claiming pole position with a blisteringly quick lap.

Five hours after qualifying, the 27-year-old was not just stripped of his pole position lap time, he was excluded from qualifying and therefore had to start the Spanish GP from the very back of the grid. He finished eighth. Hamilton revealed that given the mistake, Sunday’s 66-lap race was “all about damage limitation.”

“But now, looking at the bigger picture, I can’t really complain…”

Read More » Lewis Hamilton remains confident despite setbacks

What a fucking waste of human life.

And in case you’re wondering, I’m referring to Ron Artest who stupidly changed his name to Metta World Peace this season. And while he may have something to do with the Lakers advancing to the second round of the 2012 NBA playoffs after beating the Denver Nuggets in seven games, guy’s still a dick.

Ron Artest, or Metta World Peace (whatever you wanna’ call him) returned from his exile to save the Los Angeles Lakers‘ season. He helped fight off the Denver Nuggets in a thrilling Game 7 victory, and as he walked off the Staples Center court late Saturday, the crowd roared its approval, granting its conquering hero a standing ovation before they take on James Harden and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And for those expecting World Peace to show some remorse for either the elbow he jammed into the side of James Harden‘s head or the costly seven-game suspension resulting from it, well, you’ll have to keep waiting. After finally dismissing the Nuggets with a series-clinching 96-87 victory, the Lakers are headed to OKC to take on Harden’s Oklahoma City Thunder, and they’re bringing World Peace with them. Game 1 of the second-round series is Tuesday. World Peace knows what awaits him.

”Bring it on,” he said. “It’s not my concern. It’s their concern,” Metta World Peace / Ron Artest said of the Thunder fans…

Read More » Lakers’ Ron Artest calls out Thunder’s James Harden

No surprises there.

Yes, Miami Heat forward LeBron James is the NBA’s MVP for a third time, getting the award after leading the Miami Heat to the second round of the 2012 NBA playoffs. This, without a shadow of a doubt, put him alongside some of the game’s all-time greats.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press that LeBron James will be announced Saturday as this year’s winner of the league’s top individual honor, and that he’ll be formally presented with the trophy by Commissioner David Stern on Sunday afternoon before Miami hosts Indiana in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the league has not announced the results. The Miami Heat forward is winning the award for the third time in four seasons. Only seven other players – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Moses Malone – have at least three MVP trophies.

James said last week that while another MVP award ”would be amazing and would be humbling,” it’s not what drives him. In his ninth season, James still has not won an NBA title and it’s clear that, although he wanted to reclaim the MVP trophy, winning a championship is far and away his top basketball priority.

”What I’m all about is team and ever since I was a kid…”

Read More » LeBron James wins NBA Most Valuable Player Award

Yeah, this is arguably the biggest game of the first round.

The Denver Nuggets, after getting dominated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first few games of their first round matchup in the 2012 NBA playoffs, suddenly started playing with a chip on their shoulders, thanks of course to Andrew Bynum’s stupid comments heading to Game 5 a few days ago where he thought the Nuggets will just fold under pressure.

Lo and behold, the Denver Nuggets won that one before beating the Los Angeles Lakers again for the second straight time in Game 6 to force a do – or – die Game 7 in Los Angeles, California. Who could’ve thunk it?

The braggadocio echoed. Just minutes before Thursday’s tipoff of Game 6 at the Pepsi Center, the rapping voice of The Notorious B.I.G. was heard over the loudspeaker. The song? “Goin’ Back To Cali.” This opening-round playoff series was supposed to be over Tuesday night. But, after the Denver Nuggets won in Los Angeles in Game 5, they came out with a rapper’s swagger in the first quarter of Thursday’s Game 6. And now, they’re indeed goin’ back to Cali for Game 7 with the Lakers, after Denver’s 113-96, wire-to-wire victory Thursday night.

“I planned to play that as the last song,” said Cassidy Bednark, also known as D.J. Bedz, the Nuggets in-house D.J. “Then, I got slipped a note that said, ‘Big Al Harrington wants to hear “Goin’ Back To Cali.” Obviously, it was meant to be.”

Game 7, Denver’s first since 1994, will be Saturday night at the Staples Center. Denver trailed 3-1 and now has a chance to pull out a historic victory against the No. 3-seeded Lakers. Before Thursday’s game, on the locker room dry-erase board, the first thing written was…

Read More » Denver Nuggets force LA Lakers into a Game 7

Well duh. The Lakers could be eliminated in Los Angeles for crying out loud, of course he’s not happy.

The bus purred, waiting to whisk these Los Angeles Lakers away to a most uncertain, most uneasy Game 7 in their first round matchup with Denver in the 2012 NBA playoffs, and everyone waited for Kobe Bryant to climb aboard. He walked slowly, shoulders slumped, eyes empty. He promised to find the 7-foot salvation for his sixth championship on the trip home and implore Andrew Bynum to spare these Lakers the indignity of a colossal collapse.

“I’m going to tell Andrew he needs to play with a sense of urgency, a sense of desperation,” Kobe Bryant told Yahoo! Sports late Thursday, later than he ever imagined he’d still be in this playoff series. “He’s got to put himself at a fever pitch and elevate his game. I’m going to tell him the truth.”

Bynum’s fortunate that Bryant didn’t see the smile on his face as he left the showers and entered the losing locker room. He would’ve exploded. This is the immaturity of Bynum, the attitude that inspired him to mock the Denver Nuggets for being an easy out when the Los Angeles Lakers had them down 3-1. His arrogance, his indifference, has cost the Lakers.

Bryant cornered Pau Gasol in a private moment before boarding the bus and told him, too: Enough of the drifting, enough of the timidity, enough of the entitlement. Bleeping play, man. These Denver Nuggets are fearless and rugged and believing suddenly they can make this comeback complete on Saturday night in Staples Center. Bryant needed Gasol and Bynum on Thursday, needed them to be…

Read More » Kobe Bryant not happy with Lakers’ efforts

Rest in the playoffs is a luxury.

The second round of the 2012 NBA playoffs is beginning to take shape as the Philadelphia 76ers danced in celebration after their first-round upset of the top-seeded Chicago Bulls while the Boston Celtics plodded off the court after clinching their first-round series, in search of the nearest bucket of ice.

”They were excited. We were relieved,” Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Friday, the only off-day before the Celtics and Sixers begin the Eastern Conference semifinals on Saturday night. ”When the clock went off for us, we were like, ‘Oh my goodness. Let’s go to bed.”’

The Philadelphia 76ers took advantage of a Chicago team missing Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to become just the fifth No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the NBA playoffs. They celebrated appropriately: Andre Iguodala, who sank the game-winning free throws with 2.2 seconds left, hopped on the scorer’s table as the 76ers’ anthem blared in the arena and confetti fluttered down from the rafters.

”I don’t even know what to say. I really don’t. What this means to me, and the organization, and our team. It’s just off the charts,” coach Doug Collins said afterwards. ”Sometimes you just can’t figure this out. Sometimes you’ve just got to enjoy it. That’s what I’m sure going to do I can tell you that. It’s been an incredible year.”

The Celtics eliminated Atlanta in six games, but they aren’t ready to…

Read More » Celtics play 76ers in Game 1 of second round series

Can the Knicks avoid elimination again?

Their faith restored, their lineup (mostly) intact, the Knicks boarded a flight bound for South Florida on Tuesday, to face down LeBron James for Game 5 of their series in the 2012 NBA playoffs and confront a haunting montage of memories that include Iman Shumpert’s buckling knee, Tyson Chandler’s woozy gait, and Amar’e Stoudemire’s bloodied hand.

“I just don’t want to look at that fire extinguisher at all,” Amare Stoudemire said with a chuckle Tuesday afternoon, his pain momentarily offset by his own revival. The Knicks’ last trip to Miami ended with two lopsided defeats — three, if you count Stoudemire’s fight with a fire-extinguisher case, which left him with a shredded left hand — and little hope in this first-round series against the Heat.

The New York Knicks return to Miami, improbably, with their playoff hopes narrowly alive and Stoudemire thriving again, after a 20-point, 10-rebound performance that helped them stave off elimination in Game 4. The Heat lead the series, 3-1, and have another chance to close it out Wednesday night.

It is fair to wonder how different the ledger might look if not for the Knicks’ freakish string of misfortune over the last two weeks. Chandler was struck with flu symptoms just before the playoffs began and played, in his words, like a “zombie” in the series opener. Shumpert, the prized rookie, blew out his knee in the third quarter of Game 1 (a 100-67 loss). Then came Stoudemire’s moment of madness after Game 2 (a 104-94 loss), which caused him to miss…

Read More » Knicks visit the Heat in Miami for Game 5