Yes, the Sixers are speaking about Game 7 — and they are taking this improbable postseason run back to Boston.

Holiday scored 20 points, and Brand had 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Sixers to an 82-75 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday night that tied the Eastern Conference semifinals.

No team has won consecutive games in a series in which neither team has played well enough to seize control. But the Sixers were good enough to win Game 6, improving to 5-0 this postseason in games after a loss.

With guest of honor Allen Iverson setting the tone, the Sixers stayed alive in Game 6 to head to their first Game 7 in Boston in 30 years., writes Henry Abbott. Dime

Two nights after the Celtics rode a second-half surge to victory, they bricked their way through what would politely be dubbed an eyesore of an offensive effort, writes Chris Forsberg. Story

• Rapid Reaction | ESPN Boston

“Game 7,” coach Doug Collins said. “That’s all we wanted was to win tonight and give ourselves a chance to go into Boston and see what happens on Saturday.”

Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo could be playing their last game together Saturday night if they cannot find a way to hang onto the ball and put away a Sixers team that will not quit.

Boston has learned three times already how difficult that can be.

The fun started when the not-quite retired Iverson earned a roaring standing ovation when he presented the game ball.

It ended with the song, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” blasting through the arena.

“I want more,” Collins said. “We’re going to get greedy. We want more.”

The Celtics posted ugly numbers across the board: Blame the loss on the 33 percent shooting, the 17 turnovers or the 3 for 14 3-point shooting. Either way, there is enough to go around. Pierce had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Garnett had 20 points and 11 boards.

“We found a way to stay in the game, for the most part,” Pierce said.

They did because the Sixers again failed to put up the sparkling numbers in the box score usually required for a deep postseason run. They missed 8 of 9 3-pointers, shot a woeful 17 of 28 from the free-throw line and had 12 turnovers.

But when the Sixers really needed that game-changing basket, there was Evan Turner twisting and fighting through defenders down the lane. When the Sixers needed a stop, there was Brand, ripping a rebound away from Boston, even with painful neck and shoulder injuries that keep him awake at night.

“When you get out there, you do not feel much,” Brand said. “You’ve got the adrenaline flowing. You’re banging and fighting. That’s why coach has confidence in me to play 34 minutes.”

The Sixers wrote “Huddle Up and Fight” on their locker room chalkboard.

They did just that and are now one win away from reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2001.

Iverson was the MVP of that run.

Maybe a tiny of that ol’ A.I. magic rubbed off in Game 6.

Unlike Game 5, when the Sixers collapsed in the third quarter and blew a lead, they suddenly found a groove in front of 20,403 fans.

The Sixers started hitting free throws, kept turnovers to a minimum (two), and fed the ball to a starting lineup that had been largely outproduced by a fantastic bench.

Turner was fouled on a go-ahead layup but missed from the line. That made the Sixers 5 of 13 while the Celtics were 14 of 14.

Iguodala split two defenders and threw down a ferocious dunk over Pierce to draw the foul. He made his first free throw after missing his first four and the Sixers led by five.

Pierce led the parade to the line for the Boston. He made his first 11 attempts for a Celtics team that was 17 of 17 through three quarters. The Celtics made only 19 field goals through three.

“We’ve got to move the ball and continue to play the defense that we have been playing,” Pierce said.

The Sixers also could not find their way from the 3-point line and missed their first six attempts until Iguodala nailed one for a 58-52 lead.

Garnett caught some heat after calling Philly fans “fair weather” after Game 5 in Boston.

Well, the forecast called for thunderous cheers after Iguodala buried his 3.

That helped the Sixers take a 60-56 lead into the fourth and put them 12 minutes away from Game 7.

This time, the Sixers were not blowing a lead.

Turner, who never met a clutch attempt he did not like, went right to left on a drive down the lane for a nine-point lead. The 6-foot-4 Holiday brushed off the 4-inch difference and went high over Garnett for a one-handed bucket and an 11-point lead.

“Someone else was speaking bad about our fans, so it was good to get this victory for them,” Brand said.

While the Sixers swapped shot-makers on nearly every possession, the Celtics never found that third and fourth option behind Pierce and Garnett.

“We never really established Kevin,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Even though Kevin had points, it was not the type of points we needed.”

Rondo had tortured the Sixers over the first five games but was limited to nine points (4 of 14) and six assists.

He’ll need to return to form at home for the Celtics to have a chance at avoiding the upset.

“It’s been a tough series. It’s down to a Game 7,” Garnett said. “We’ve played well at times, they have played well at times. But now, we will take it home and see what we can do.”

Iguodala and Turner scored 12 points. Lou Williams had 11 and the Sixers outscored Boston 42-16 in the paint.

“I just want our guys to play with no fear,” Collins said.

Collins had the Sixers watch a highlight video from Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday. The Sixers blew a 3-1 lead in that series and were forced to win Game 7 at Boston to reach the finals — which they did.

Thirty years later, the Sixers get to try again.

Iverson cupped his hand to his ear and received the loudest ovation of the night. He watched the game from a suite and his eyes watered up when he was shown later in the game on the huge screen as the crowd, thousands wearing a No. 3 jersey, went wild and chanted, “MVP!” Iverson posted on Twitter, “You can always come home again!!!” … Celtics assistant coach Tyronn Lue was famously stepped over by Iverson in the 2001 NBA Finals. … Celtics G Avery Bradley (shoulder) sat out. Rivers stated Bradley and Ray Allen are both considered day-to-day. … Collins was stunned Iguodala was left off the NBA’s all-defensive squad. Collins stated Iguodala should have been “no worse than a second-team defender.” … Mickael Pietrus hit the only 3 of the half for either team at the buzzer to send the Celtics into the break ahead 36-33.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

source : scores.espn.go.com

For the rest of us — especially Boston Celtics fans — it looked a lot more Joan Rivers. But what matters to Sixers fans are the results and the 82-75 Philly win ties the series at 3-3 and forces a Game 7 in Boston on Saturday.

Philadelphia came in with a good defensive plan that Boston will need to counter Saturday — they trapped when the Celtics tried to make a move. Philly trapped Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo when they put the ball on the floor, they went after Kevin Garnett in the post. In Game 5 Rondo was carving up the Sixers defense, getting into the paint then hitting a slicing Brandon Bass or Kevin Garnett floating for the midrange. Come Wednesday night Rondo was 4-14 and forced to take jumpers that he missed. Boston was too often forced out of its offense into the improvised say Doc Rivers calls “random.”

As a team Boston shot 33.3 percent and had 16 turnovers (most in the second half). If it were not for Paul Pierce getting to the line and going 13-13 there this game would have been ugly. Well, even uglier.

Philly on the other hand had Jrue Holiday doing what Rondo did for Boston last game — attacking when he came off the pick and getting into the teeth of the Celtics defense (which was not its usual sharp self, especially Ray Allen who could not stay in front of anyone and fouled out). Holiday had 20 points and 6 dimes, and the Sixers had their usual balance. Elton Brand had 13 points and Andre Iguodala 12.

The 76ers had 42 points in the paint to the Celtics 16. Boston settled after the traps, Philly attacked. If that doesn’t change Saturday this is going to feel a lot like 1982 in Boston.

But let’s not pretend this game was well played or pretty. What worries me is that Game 7s is usually when teams get tight and play ugly basketball; I fear what we could see after this game. This was sloppy.

The second quarter… let us not talk of it. Philadelphia started 0-9 shooting and Boston only put up 17 points — and won the quarter by 6. It made you long for the beautiful basketball of the 1990s Knicks.

In the third the Sixers went on 11-0 run in the third to take the lead (Boston opened the quarter shooting 0-7), but Philly never really pulled away. Both team slogged toward the finish line. Philly won the third quarter 27-20 and led 60-56, something they were able to grow and maintain.

The key stretch may have been in the fourth when Holiday backed down Mickael Pietrus, then next time drove by Garnett and hit scoop layup. That got others going — Lou Williams had buckets, too. Without Avery Bradley (out with shoulder injuries) the Celtics didn’t have anyone who could slow them at all.

You anticipate that Boston will bounce back — they have the veterans, they are at home (and are historically 17-4 in Game 7s at home), they have the guys with the rings. But this series has seen momentum swing like a pendulum, anything can happen.

Which sounds beautiful to Philly fans.

source : probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Not after the Heat left the Pacers beat up and banged up.

LeBron James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 28, and the Heat moved a win away from the NBA’s final four with a 115-83 victory over the hurting Pacers on Tuesday night, a game where three flagrant fouls added more chapters to an already-physical series and Indiana watched starting forwards Danny Granger and David West leave with injuries.

“This is our challenge right now, to leave it behind us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “A lot of good things tonight, but we have to focus on the next one.”

That would be Game 6 in Indiana on Thursday night. The Heat lead the best-of-seven East semifinals 3-2.

James added 10 rebounds and eight assists. Shane Battier scored 13 points, Mario Chalmers had eight points and 11 rebounds, and Udonis Haslem completed with 10 points for Miami, which never trailed, held a 22-2 edge in fast-break points and shot a franchise playoff-record 61 percent — ideal of any team in the playoffs this season.

Paul George scored 11 points for Indiana, with Granger and West adding 10 points apiece. Granger left with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter and departed the arena in a walking boot, while West departed with what the Pacers called a left knee sprain at the end of that period — something that West thought was born of a cheap shot.

Replays showed Battier boxed out West on the play where he fell backward, but it did not appear any Heat player hit West below the waist.

It was an 11-point game when Granger departed early in the third quarter, and the Heat outscored the Pacers by 21 the rest of the way.

“We learned early in this series, you do not get two wins for a blowout,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

The Heat scored a postseason-high 29 transition points in Game 5. Miami is 6-0 this postseason when it scores at least 14 transition points.

A series marked by ugly moments had perhaps its worst with 19.4 seconds remaining when Miami reserve center Dexter Pittman went across the lane to send a forearm into the chin area of Indiana’s Lance Stephenson — who was caught on camera making a choke sign toward James during the Pacers’ Game 3 win, drawing the ire of the Miami locker room.

Pittman was caught on camera winking after the foul.

“I do not know if that was retaliation. … I’m sure the NBA will and do what they have to do,” Granger said, adding that Stephenson got X-rays for a possible collarbone problem, but they came back negative for a fracture.

Miami, which had gotten into quick deficits in each of the first four games, was the team that started hot in Game 5, running out to a 19-8 lead on the strength of three 3-pointers from Battier — who had been 2 for 19 from the field in the first four games of the series. Battier left his mark in many ways, even stopping a 3-on-1 Indiana break to set up a score by Wade at the other end.

But much like the Heat did in Game 4 when Indiana threatened to turn things into an early runaway, the Pacers settled down in a hurry.

The Pacers made Wade see blood early on, a couple of early flagrant fouls reminding everyone that these teams do not seem to like each other much.

Tyler Hansbrough struck first, hitting Wade on a play where the 2006 NBA finals MVP wound up with a cut over his right eye, similar to what Haslem received at Indiana in Game 4. So Haslem retaliated against Hansbrough not long afterward, earning a flagrant-1 foul that left the Pacers saying it should merit a flagrant-2 and automatic ejection.

Said Haslem: “I’ve seen worse in this league in nine years. Nobody wants to give an inch and everybody’s going hard.”

Following the game, Pacers president Larry Bird stated he felt his team wilted when faced with Tuesday’s physical play.

“I cannot believe my team went soft. S-O-F-T,” Bird told the Indianapolis Star. “I’m disappointed. I never thought it would happen.”

When asked to elaborate more, Bird told the newspaper, “That’s all I have to say.”

Even after facing the huge deficit, Indiana even had two shots to tie or take the lead late in the first half, the second of those a 3-point try from Granger with 3:03 remaining.

Granger landed on James’ foot after the shot, spraining his left ankle and leaving the game. The Heat outscored Indiana 8-2 the rest of the half, with James — who had been guarded by Granger for much of the series — scoring seven of them.

He opened the burst with a 3-pointer, stole the ball from West and dunked for a seven-point lead with 26 seconds left, then capped the half by coming up with a defensive rebound, passing to Wade, getting the ball back just before the halftime horn sounded and laying it in to send Miami into the break with a 49-40 edge.

“They played at their tempo,” West said. “We were not able to get enough stops. You cannot grant a team to shoot 60, 60-plus, whatever from the field.”

Granger tried to play in the second half, lasting about 3 minutes before realizing his ankle was not going to let him continue. X-rays were negative, which was about the only piece of good news for Indiana.

By then, Indiana was ailing, and Miami was rolling.

James leaned back to catch a slightly wayward pass from Chalmers near the Miami bench, then firing it in one motion to Wade for an simple score as the reigning MVP toppled atop Heat assistant coach Ron Rothstein. Mike Miller even made the crowd roar for defending Leandro Barbosa and forcing a missed 3-pointer late in the quarter — the highlight there being Miller played for about a minute while missing one sneaker.

When Granger left, it was 56-45. By the end of the quarter, Miami’s lead was 76-57, and the Pacers were down another starting forward as well. West left at the end of the period and also headed to the locker room, diagnosed shortly afterward with a sprained left knee.

“I’m fine,” West said, adding that he thinks Granger could be ready to play Thursday. Granger was not so sure, though added that his foot would “have to fall off” for him to miss the game.

So now the Heat are one win from the East finals, after a series filled with twists and turns.

There was Vogel’s accusation before the series started that the Heat were floppers, Chris Bosh’s lower abdominal strain that sidelined him midway through Game 1, James and Wade missing key chances late in the Game 2 loss, Stephenson’s gesture toward James and the 40-point, 18-rebound, nine-assist effort from James in Game 4.

And now a blowout — followed by a chance for a Heat close out on Thursday.

“When we defend and we rebound, we are a very good team,” James said.

Haslem needed nine stitches after Sunday’s game to close a cut over his right eye; the Heat distributed 20,000 stickers Tuesday in homage of the bandage he now wears. … Indiana has not held the lead at any point in the last 1 hour, 5 minutes, 20 seconds of the series. … Indiana lost consecutive games for the first time in these playoffs. … The winner of the rebounding battle has won each game of the series. Miami outrebounded Indiana 49-35 in Game 5.

ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst contributed to this report.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

source : scores.espn.go.com

Miami’s LeBron James makes a three-point shot against Indiana on Tuesday.

updated 11:36 p.m. ET May 22, 2012

MIAMI – Miami took a huge step forward. Indiana lost two forwards.

Suddenly, the road back to the Eastern Conference finals no longer looks daunting for the Heat.

LeBron James scored 30 points, Dwyane Wade added 28, and the Heat moved a win away from the NBA’s final four with a 115-83 victory over the hurting Pacers on Tuesday night.

The Heat lead the best-of-seven East semifinals 3-2, with Game 6 in Indiana on Thursday night.

“This is our challenge right now, to leave it behind us,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “A lot of good things tonight, but we have to focus on the next one.”

James added 10 rebounds and eight assists. Shane Battier scored 13 points, Mario Chalmers had eight points and 11 rebounds, and Udonis Haslem completed with 10 points for Miami, which never trailed, held a 22-2 edge in fast-break points and shot a franchise playoff-record 61 percent — ideal of any team in the playoffs this season.

Paul George scored 11 points for Indiana, with starting forwards Danny Granger and David West adding 10 points apiece. Granger left with a sprained left ankle in the third quarter, and West left with what the Pacers called a left knee sprain at the end of that period. X-rays on Granger were negative, and he is listed as day-to-day.

It was an 11-point game when Granger departed early in the third quarter, and the Heat outscored the Pacers by 21 the rest of the way.

“We learned early in this series, you do not get two wins for a blowout,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said.

A series marked by ugly moments had more, with two flagrant fouls in the second quarter and another with 19.4 seconds remaining when Miami reserve center Dexter Pittman went across the lane to send a forearm into the chin area of Indiana’s Lance Stephenson — who was caught on camera making a choke sign toward James during the Pacers’ Game 3 win, drawing the ire of the Miami locker room.

“Game 6 is going to be physical,” Wade said. “We’ve got to comprehend that this team has a lot of pride. Their crowd is going to be ready. They’re going to come out with a lot of energy. We’ve got to withstand that first hit and still be standing. We’re ready for it.”

Miami, which had gotten into quick deficits in each of the first four games, was the team that started hot in Game 5, running out to a 19-8 lead on the strength of three 3-pointers from Battier — who had been 2 for 19 from the field in the first four games of the series. Battier left his mark in many ways, even stopping a 3-on-1 Indiana break to set up a score by Wade at the other end.

“Shane came out very aggressive,” Wade said. “When the ball starts going down for him, you know it’s a great day because it keeps the floor spread.”

But much like the Heat did in Game 4 when Indiana threatened to turn things into an early runaway, the Pacers settled down in a hurry.

The Pacers made Wade see blood early on, a couple of early flagrant fouls reminding everyone that these teams do not seem to like each other much.

Tyler Hansbrough struck first, hitting Wade on a play where the 2006 NBA finals MVP wound up with a cut over his right eye, similar to what Haslem received at Indiana in Game 4. So Haslem retaliated against Hansbrough not long afterward, earning a flagrant-1 foul that left the Pacers saying it should merit a flagrant-2 and automatic ejection.

Even after facing the huge deficit, Indiana even had two shots to tie or take the lead late in the first half, the second of those a 3-point try from Granger with 3:03 remaining.

Granger landed on James’ foot after the shot, spraining his left ankle and leaving the game. The Heat outscored Indiana 8-2 the rest of the half, with James — who had been guarded by Granger for much of the series — scoring seven of them.

He opened the burst with a 3-pointer, stole the ball from West and dunked for a seven-point lead with 26 seconds left, then capped the half by coming up with a defensive rebound, passing to Wade, getting the ball back just before the halftime horn sounded and laying it in to send Miami into the break with a 49-40 edge.

“They played at their tempo,” West said. “We were not able to get enough stops. You cannot grant a team to shoot 60, 60-plus, whatever from the field.”

Granger tried to play in the second half, lasting about 3 minutes before realizing his ankle was not going to let him continue. X-rays were negative, which was about the only piece of good news for Indiana.

By then, Indiana was ailing, and Miami was rolling.

James leaned back to catch a slightly wayward pass from Chalmers near the Miami bench, then firing it in one motion to Wade for an simple score as the reigning MVP toppled atop Heat assistant coach Ron Rothstein. Mike Miller even made the crowd roar for defending Leandro Barbosa and forcing a missed 3-pointer late in the quarter — the highlight there being Miller played for about a minute while missing one sneaker.

When Granger left, it was 56-45. By the end of the quarter, Miami’s lead was 76-57, and the Pacers were down another starting forward as well. West left at the end of the period and also headed to the locker room, diagnosed shortly afterward with a sprained left knee.

“I’m fine,” West said, adding that he thinks Granger could be ready to play Thursday. West also stated that he thought someone dove into his knee.

So now the Heat are one win from the East finals, after a series filled with twists and turns.

There was Vogel’s accusation before the series started that the Heat were floppers, Chris Bosh’s lower abdominal strain that sidelined him midway through Game 1, James and Wade missing key chances late in the Game 2 loss, Stephenson’s gesture toward James and the 40-point, 18-rebound, nine-assist effort from James in Game 4.

And now a blowout — followed by a chance for a Heat close out on Thursday.

NOTES: Haslem needed nine stitches after Sunday’s game to close a cut over his right eye; the Heat distributed 20,000 stickers in homage of the bandage he now wears on Tuesday. … Indiana has not held the lead at any point in the last 1 hour, 5 minutes, 20 seconds of the series. … Indiana lost consecutive games for the first time in these playoffs. … The winner of the rebounding battle has won each game of the series. Miami outrebounded Indiana 49-35 in Game 5.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More newsIssac Baldizon / Getty Images ContributorMike Ehrmann / Getty Images

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They will have enough time to rest as they get ready for a second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.

Westbrook scored 28 points, Durant added 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the two All-Stars skipped their usual rest periods to power the Thunder ahead in the second half for a 106-90 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of the West semifinals on Monday night.

“We know that is the most important time of the game, especially in a tight game,” Durant said. “I think that we kept our composure throughout the fourth, and our poise and we made plays.”

Kobe Bryant scored 42 points for the Lakers and took the briefest of rest — less than 2 minutes — in the second half. It did not even take that long for the game, and their season, to slip away.

After getting eliminated by Los Angeles in 2010 and Dallas in 2011 before both of those teams went on to win it all, the Thunder knocked both out on their way to the West finals for the second straight year.

The only other time the franchise made consecutive conference finals was from 1978-80, including Seattle’s only NBA title in 1979.

Once there, they will face the top-seeded Spurs, the only team other than the Lakers or Mavs to win the West in the past 13 years and currently riding an 18-game winning streak. The series starts Sunday night in San Antonio.

After Westbrook’s pair of three-point plays fueled a 14-3 burst that put Oklahoma City ahead to stay late in the third quarter, Durant hit two 3-pointers as the Thunder scored the first 10 points of the fourth to push their lead to 93-77.

Bryant was waiting to check in when Durant connected on his second 3-pointer, just 89 seconds into the fourth quarter. But by the time he got in, there was tiny he could do — despite the 13th 40-point game of his playoff career.

“That what we do. That’s our rotations and that is the right rotation to make,” Bryant said. “You have to trust that unit coming in there to hold the fort down.”

Lakers coach Mike Brown stated he trusted that unit — including starters Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum — after it had turned a five-point deficit into a lead to begin the second quarter.

“I’ve got to be able to rest Kobe a few minutes here and there, and we did not do a good job of handling it at that point in the game,” Brown said, adding that he did not keep Bryant out as long as he had planned.

Westbrook went running to the scorer’s table and pumped his fist in the air after his first energizing three-point play, when he was able to flip the ball in after Ramon Sessions fouled him on the fast break.

“I just tried to throw it to the rim and luckily it went in. That kind of sparked us, and everybody else kept it going from there,” Westbrook said.

Westbrook converted another after banking in a jumper from the left side despite Sessions slapping him on the arm to make it 82-76 with 1:29 left in the third quarter.

Durant extended the lead with a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the fourth and then hit another 32 seconds later — just after Bryant had stepped to the scorer’s table to check in after a brief rest.

Bryant described it as “tough, to state the least.”

After blowing a fourth-quarter lead in Game 4, Bryant had called out forward Pau Gasol to be more aggressive — much as he had with Gasol and Bynum before the Lakers faced elimination in Game 7 of the first round against Denver.

Gasol came through with a monster game — 23 points, 17 rebounds and six assists — and Steve Blake scored a playoff career-best 19 points to save the Lakers that time. Bryant did not get almost as much help against the Thunder.

Gasol took 14 shots, his most of the series, but made only five to finish with 14 points and 16 rebounds. Metta World Peace scored 11 and Bynum 10.

James Harden added 17 points as Oklahoma City’s bench outscored the Lakers’ 35-5. The Thunder also had a 30-6 edge in fast-break scoring. The Lakers were outrebounded 51-35 and had only three offensive rebounds, two from Gasol and none from Bynum.

“We’re asking our bigs to do a lot but I know for sure we could have gotten more scoring from those two guys in the offensive rebounding category … and we could have gotten more from our bench,” Brown said.

The Thunder got five of their first eight baskets on dunks and controlled the boards early on, grabbing 16 of the game’s first 22 rebounds while keeping Los Angeles off the offensive glass for the first 11 minutes.

Bryant had to create all of the offense, scoring 15 of the Lakers’ first 19 points and getting all six of his baskets without the benefit of an assist. When others started chipping in, the Lakers went on a 16-7 run to go up 35-32 following Bynum’s three-point play.

Oklahoma City scored the next eight points, including Harden’s fast-break dunk, before Bryant got past him for a pair of dunks of his own — the first a driving, two-handed reverse jam and the second a two-handed alley-oop slam over Harden.

But Bryant and World Peace both drew technical fouls as the Lakers lost their cool with 31.9 seconds left before halftime when World Peace was called for a flagrant foul against Thabo Sefolosha on a fast break. World Peace used his right hand to strip the ball from Sefolosha as he went up to the basket but then shoved him out of bounds with his left hand.

Sefolosha hit both free throws and Durant capitalized on both shots from the technicals World Peace and Bryant got for arguing the flagrant call to put the Thunder 54-51 ahead at halftime despite shooting less than 40 percent.

The Lakers had baskets just after the buzzer at the end of the second and third quarters that both got reviewed on instant replay. … Westbrook got a technical foul for cursing at an official after a no-call midway through the first quarter. … The Thunder’s Nick Collison needed stitches to close a cut on the back of his head that he sustained during Game 4. … Los Angeles is 10-3 when Bryant scores 40 points in the playoffs, losing both times he did it this season.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

source : scores.espn.go.com

Brandon Bass scored 18 of his 27 points in the third quarter — Bass alone outscore the Sixers 18-16 in the third — and that sparked a 101-85 win that gives the Celtics a 3-2 series lead.

“I think it all started for us on the defensive end,” Bass stated after the game. “We were able to pick up our defensive intensity and it led to good offense.”

Boston did pick up its intensity in the second half, and now the question that faces the young Sixers is the same one from after Game 3 — can Philly find another gear to match what Boston has brought? They did last time, and a series where momentum has been fickle and fleeting nothing would really surprise.

Boston and Philly played a basically even first half (50-47 Sixers at the half) but that intensity really showed in the third quarter — that’s when it felt like Game 3 and Philly was overwhelmed. Boston pressured hard off the pick-and-roll (it was an aggressive show by Boston’s bigs who then recovered well), they cut off any lane to the hoop and blew up the Sixers go-to play. The result was a scrambling Philly team rushed into bad shots as the shot clock winds down and had six third-quarter turnovers.

Philly shot 32 percent in the fourth quarter as the Celtics defense kept the pressure on. They couldn’t mount a comeback. On the night both Lou Williams and Andre Iguodala were 3-10, and Evan Turner was 5-13.

Philly has to get better shots against that pressure — or get turnovers and transition points of their own — if they plan to force a deicing Game 7.

On the other end, Brandon Bass was just playing smart. He made cuts to open spaces and rolled to the hoop when the defense collapsed on a slicing Rajon Rondo. He attacked and got to the line 10 times. When he got looks at the rim it open up space for him when he caught the ball 16 feet out, and he knocked down the midrange, too.

Rondo played well — 13 points, 14 assists — but this was not Boston’s ideal offensive game. Kevin Garnett had a huge first half and completed with 20. Paul Pierce was the focus of the Sixers defense but had 16.

In Game 6 Boston isn’t going to change who they are or what they do. Philly knows what they are going to get.

We’ll see if they can match it.

source : probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

The Spurs extended their winning streak to 18 games and theirplayoff record to 8-0, tying the third-best postseason streak infranchise history.

Daniel Green and Gary Neal added 14 points each, and Manu Ginobili and Tiago Splitter had 11 each for the Spurs.

San Antonio could find out as soon as Monday night who it willplay next. Oklahoma City leads the Lakers 3-1 in their series, withGame 5 on Monday.

Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists, Blake Griffin added 21points, and Eric Bledsoe had 17 for the Clippers, who blew asix-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Both nursing injuries, Griffin and Paul combined to score 21 ofthe Clippers’ 28 points in the third quarter when they took theirfirst lead of the game. In the fourth, Bledsoe came up big, scoring11 in a row, to extend the lead to 90-85 with 5:38 remaining.

After Reggie Evans missed two free throws, Green hit a 3-pointerto tie it at 92.

With Sunday’s win, the Spurs became just the fourth team to sweep their way through the first two rounds of the postseason under the current NBA playoff format. That could be bad news for San Antonio, however. Each of the previous three teams lost in the following round, and only the Heat took their conference finals matchup to seven games. Here’s a look at that list:

Duncan’s hook put the Spurs in front 96-94 before Paul tossed upa one-handed shot that rose to the top of the backboard beforedropping straight in as he crashed into a baseline photographer. Hemade the free throw to put the Clippers ahead by one.

Parker scored consecutive baskets and the Spurs regained thelead, 100-97, with 1:47 left.

Paul’s two free throws drew the Clippers within one. After atimeout, Paul drove the basket and lost the ball. He fouled Green,who made the first and missed the second to keep the Spurs ahead101-99.

Paul then missed another shot, and Mo Williams fouled Parker,who missed the first and made the second with a second left.

DeAndre Jordan added 10 points. Paul had ideal performance of theseries after sub-par efforts in the first two games. He’d beenplaying with a strained right hip, while Griffin has a sprainedright knee, an injured left hip and got stitches for a cut lip inthe first half.

Neither team led by more than five points in the third period.Duncan had 10 points for the Spurs. Bledsoe’s putback slam dunkgave the Clippers 75-74 lead going into the fourth.

The Spurs stretched their lead to 12 points with Duncan sittingout the opening 7 minutes of the second quarter.

The Clippers closed on a 14-6 run to trail 51-47 at halftime.Paul got it started with a 19-foot jumper and ended it with a3-pointer. Early in the spurt, Griffin ran into Ginobili’sshoulder, fell and one of his top teeth went through his lip. Heleft the court with 2:20 remaining to get two stitches on theinside and outside of his lip.

Los Angeles began the game on a 9-4 run before San Antonioscored 14 unanswered points, reminiscent of its 24-0 third-quarterspurt Saturday that led to the Spurs’ eventual 10-point victory inGame 3.

Game notesThe Clippers have lost all seven of their playoff seriesafter losing Game 1. … The Spurs had a 40-36 edge on the boards,while the Clippers outscored them in the paint, 56-50.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

source : scores.espn.go.com

updated 10:23 p.m. ET May 20, 2012

LOS ANGELES – Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke connected for his first major league homer, a go-ahead, three-run shot in the seventh inning against his dad’s former team, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night.

Kyle Lohse granted three runs and 11 hits over 5 2-3 innings with four strikeouts and left with a 5-3 lead. But rookie Elian Herrera started the Dodgers’ winning rally with a one-out single against Victor Marte, and Bobby Abreu greeted Mark Rzepczynski (0-2) with a single.

Van Slyke, whose dad is former All-Star Andy Van Slyke, swung at a 3-0 pitch and drove it into the left field bullpen after Andre Ethier struck out.

Javy Guerra (2-3) got the win, which finished a three-game sweep for the Dodgers and improved the ideal record in the majors to 28-13. Los Angeles is 15 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2009 season and leads San Francisco by seven games in the NL West, the Dodgers’ biggest margin of the season.

Kenley Jansen retired the side in order in the ninth for his fifth save.

Dodgers starter Chad Billingsley gave up five runs – three earned – and eight hits in six innings and struck out seven – including World Series MVP David Freese all three times he faced him. The right-hander is 0-3 over his last seven starts with a 5.20 ERA.

The Cardinals placed first baseman Lance Berkman on the 15-day disabled list before the game because of an injured right knee, and bought the contract of Triple-A first baseman Matt Adams. The rookie smoked the first pitch he saw in the huge leagues to center for a single in the second inning for the first of his two hits and started an inning-ending double play in the first after fielding Adam Kennedy’s grounder in the hole.

The Cardinals turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead in the fifth. Daniel Descalso led off with a single and Rafael Furcal reached on an error by Billingsley, who went to cover first base on Furcal’s grounder in the hole and took the throw from James Loney with his foot off the bag on a bang-bang play.

Skip Schumaker followed with a two-run triple into the right field corner, then scored the go-ahead run when Carlos Beltran beat the relay to first from shortstop Justin Sellers on a potential inning-ending double-play grounder to short after a walk to Matt Holliday.

The Cardinals should have had runners at the corners with no outs in the sixth, but third base umpire Alfonso Marquez called Yadier Molina out on a single by Adams that center fielder Tony Gwynn Jr. chased down. TV replays confirmed that Kennedy’s diving tag was late, but Furcal came through with a two-run bloop single that made it 5-2.

Ethier opened the scoring in the first with an RBI single, his NL-leading 37th RBI. Abreu led off the fourth with a single and scored the Dodgers’ second run on Loney’s double-play grounder with the bases loaded.

Notes: Dodgers team physician Neal ElAttrache told Dodgers manager Don Mattingly that 2B Mark Ellis, who underwent emergency surgery Saturday to drain blood and fluid and relieve pressure in his injured left leg, could have lost his leg had he been brought to the hospital six or seven hours later than he was. Mattingly, who visited Ellis along with bench coach Trey Hillman after Saturday night’s game, lauded the team’s training and medical staff for their efforts. Ellis was injured Friday night when Tyler Greene upended him with a hard takeout slide as he attempted to turn a double play. … Van Slyke was born in July 1986 during his dad’s fourth and final season with the Cardinals. Andy hit 164 home runs in 1,658 huge league games. … Ethier did not get his 37th RBI last season until his 270th at-bat, 121 more than it took him this year to reach that total. … Freese struck out all four times up and is 3 for 29 over his last nine games – lowering his average from .309 to .259. … Loney’s RBI single in the sixth was the 2,000th regular-season hit Lohse granted in his 12-year career.

© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

More newsHot Dodgers rally past Cardinals

Pinch-hitter Scott Van Slyke connected for his first major league homer, a go-ahead, three-run shot in the seventh inning against his dad’s former team, and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a 6-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday night.

Strasburg hits 1st huge league HR

Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg hit his first major league homer Sunday, connecting in the fourth inning against Baltimore left-hander Wei-Yin Chen.

source : nbcsports.msnbc.com

Serge Ibaka scored 14 points for the second-seeded Thunder, who took a 3-1 series lead and moved to the brink of their second straight trip to the Western Conference finals.

Oklahoma City improved to 7-1 in the postseason with a tenacious rally on the second night of back-to-back games against the Lakers and Kobe Bryant, who scored 38 points in Los Angeles’ fifth loss in seven games overall.

The Thunder completed Game 4 on a 22-8 run, punctuated by Durant’s 3-pointer and two late free throws from James Harden, who had 12 points.

Game 5 is Monday night in Oklahoma City.

After sweeping Dallas in the first round, the Thunder are one win away from sending home the NBA’s last two champions.

Andrew Bynum had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers, who led 92-81 with 7:45 to play before Westbrook went to work with a furious series of drives to the hoop. The UCLA product scored nine points in just over 2 minutes, and Kendrick Perkins capped the 17-4 run on a putback layup with 1:16 left, putting Oklahoma City up 98-96 with its first lead since the first quarter.

After Bryant evened it with two free throws, Westbrook and Pau Gasol then traded turnovers, with Durant swiping Gasol’s careless pass before burying a straightaway 3-pointer that silenced Staples Center. The Thunder made 10 of their 15 shots in the final period.

Metta World Peace had 14 points, and Gasol managed just 10 points and five rebounds in the second game of the Lakers’ first back-to-back playoff games in 13 years. A night after the Lakers got back in the series with a late comeback for a 99-96 victory in Game 3, Los Angeles led for most of the night, but could not execute on offense late, struggling for even difficult shots.

The game was the third NBA playoff contest in 27 hours at Staples Center, which will host six playoff games in hockey and basketball over a four-day stretch this weekend. With the Los Angeles Kings’ ice just below the Lakers’ court, several players appeared to slip and slide on the floor during the game, and Westbrook almost did the splits at the halftime buzzer when his right foot slipped.

“I was a tiny stiff, but we needed this win,” Westbrook said.

Oklahoma City appeared to be unhappy with the floor’s condition, but Staples Center did nothing different in its changeover, and the referees deemed the floor safe for play. The San Antonio Spurs, on course to meet the Thunder in the conference finals, did not appear worried about the floor during their win over the Clippers.

Bryant shot poorly in the first three games of the series, but went 10 for 18 in the first three quarters of Game 4 before managing only a 2-of-10 effort in the fourth, including a meaningless bucket at the buzzer.

Jordan Hill’s offensive rebound and layup put the Lakers up 91-78 with 8 minutes left, but longtime Lakers guard Derek Fisher kick-started Oklahoma City’s comeback with a 3-pointer.

After Oklahoma City defended its home court with a blowout win in the opener and a comeback from a seven-point deficit in the final 2 minutes of Game 2, the Lakers finally answered Friday night. Los Angeles trailed by five with less than 3 minutes left in Game 3, but Bryant hit his free throws during the Lakers’ decisive run while the Thunder missed shots, including Durant’s potential tying 3-pointer near the buzzer.

Westbrook slipped near midcourt at the halftime buzzer, his right foot sliding forward when he attempted to stop. Westbrook stayed down on the court for an uncomfortably long moment before walking gingerly to the locker room with his hand on his left hip, but got treatment at halftime and returned for the third quarter.

The game was Chapter 4 in the four-day extravaganza at Staples Center. The Kings play Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix on Sunday afternoon, followed by the Clippers’ fourth game against San Antonio — all while tens of thousands of fans gather outside to watch the Tour of California, the nation’s largest cycling race, which finishes on the street outside shortly before the Kings’ opening faceoff.

NOTES: The Lakers had not played back-to-back postseason games since the second round in 1999, another season shortened by labor strife. … Westbrook and Perkins were called for technical fouls for angry reactions to contact with the Lakers’ point guards. … Denzel Washington, Allyson Felix and Michelle Kwan attended the game.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

source : scores.espn.go.com

With the Minnesota Legislature officially signing off over a week ago on a new stadium for the Vikings and the Minneapolis City Council less than a week from applying (or not) its official approval to the project, Governor Mark Dayton recently explained his support for the effort in an interview with Minnesota Public Radio.

Asked whether the citizens of Minnesota got the ideal deal possible, Dayton offered up a lengthy, but informative, reply.

“I believe it’s the ideal deal available under the circumstances,” Dayton said.  “I’m not one to defend the economics of professional sports.  It’s a world unto itself.  Any deal you make in that world doesn’t make sense from the way the rest of us look at it.  That’s just a given.

“The bottom line was:  do we want to create several thousand jobs by building this new facility?  Do we want to keep the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota?  Do we want an NFL franchise here in our state?  We accomplished all that.  We’re going to have a chance to build something that I think Minnesotans can be very proud of.  It’s going to distinguish the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota for decades to come.

“It can be used 355 days a year when the Vikings aren’t playing in it as the people’s stadium, for all sorts of other uses that will enhance the quality of life in our state.  Time will tell whether we get a deal or not, I think it’s going to be a good deal when we look back with the perspective of time.”

Dayton’s point is a valid one.  Regardless of whether it’s “right” or “wrong” or “competition” or “extortion,” the presence of 32 NFL teams in a country with more than 30 metropolitan areas that want to host one means that the metropolitan areas that currently host an NFL team may, from time to time, have to take steps to keep the NFL team from moving to one of the metropolitan areas that don’t.

Especially when there are now a couple of metropolitan areas outside of the country that may be interested in hosting an NFL team, too.

And to the extent there’s any confusion as to whether the Vikings and the NFL would have gone to one of the other metropolitan areas, Dayton was unequivocal as to the choice the Vikings faced.

“[W]hat the Vikings and the NFL impressed upon us, is that we can’t do it both ways,” Dayton said.  “We can’t not do a new stadium.  We can’t just keep the team here on that basis.  It’s either do we want a new stadium?  Do we want the thousands of jobs it will create?  Do we want to keep the Vikings here and move forward?  Or do we want to just state goodbye?  The majority of the Legislature, and I think the majority of the people of Minnesota, were in favor of continuing.”

So while some may have real — and legitimate — problems with taxpayer money being used to make a rich man even richer, sometimes those concerns need to be set aside, or else the NFL franchise may step aside.

source : profootballtalk.nbcsports.com