Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune: “There was the Jazz bench area, where Miller had more than once stormed into and around the huddle, yelling at his players for lackluster play. There was the spot where he, in full public view during a game, buried his finger into Kevin O’Connor’s chest, demanding some combination of increased effort by his coaches and players or different players who would play harder. A hundred feet from there was the place where Larry had once confronted an aggressive Nuggets fan during a playoff game, a man who popped off to those around him and to Miller himself. When the owner wanted him chucked out, the fan said he couldn’t do that, that those were his seats, not Miller’s. Larry infamously responded: ‘They’re all my seats!’ So, they were. In fact, now somebody in power should toss contracts and money to the wind and put Larry Miller’s name on EnergySolutions Arena. Call it Larry’s Place. Miller felt bad about some of his remarkably candid expressions, his open contract squabbles with Karl Malone, his outspoken beliefs on other issues, but his convictions, even the imperfect ones, were part of his charm.”
Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: “With a Friday afternoon free in the nation’s capital, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was looking for a way to create a bonding experience for his team. So he took his players on a field trip. To tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. It might have been a morbid manner in which to prepare for Saturday’s game against the Wizards. But Popovich decided it would be an important experience for his team. ‘I just thought it was a good situation for young players, who might not be that familiar with exactly what went on way, way, way back in World War II,’ Popovich said. ‘I think they can draw parallels to other situations they might have heard of. Like Bosnia, like Darfur, like Rwanda. This kind of brings it all home for them.’”
Jason Quick of The Oregonian: “Of the Blazers’ rotation players, only two have played in playoff games: point guard Steve Blake (four games with Washington, five with Denver) and center Joel Przybilla (five with Milwaukee). Despite having the second-youngest roster in the NBA, and the youngest playing rotation, the Blazers (34-20) hold the fourth-best record in the Western Conference and are coming off a decisive victory Friday over Atlanta, a likely playoff team in the East. At the same time, the Blazers know their current playoff standing is precarious: While they are 2 1/2 games behind Denver for the Northwest Division lead and the second-best record, they are also just 2 1/2 games ahead of Utah for the eighth and final spot in the West. It’s such uncharted territory for the Blazers, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2003, that Pritchard admitted he was eschewing common sense when he chose not to add a veteran, or at least some experience, to a team that is so green when it comes to playing in big-time games.”
Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: “With their current 27-26 record and games against the Heat, the Hornets and the Magic on the trip, the Pistons face the prospect of falling below .500 this late in the season for the first time since the 2000-01 season. That team finished 32-50. But with a 14-15 home record, maybe the road will prove more beneficial for a team that has lost seven of its past eight home games. Allen Iverson warns against looking at the trip in its entirety. He said he thinks the team must take it one game at a time. ‘Obviously it’s crucial because we’re not winning,’ he said after Thursday night’s loss to San Antonio. ‘But all we need to concentrate on is one game at time. We got to get the first one.’ He wasn’t necessarily talking about tonight, when the Pistons face LeBron James and the Cavs, who are fighting with the Celtics for the top record in the Eastern Conference.”
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: “Offensively, the Rockets want to use Brooks’ and Lowry’s speed more, not just in fast breaks, but in getting into their halfcourt offense. ‘We’re trying to push the ball up and not walk the ball up,’ Adelman said. ‘The people we have off the bench, the two point guards we have, it’s to their advantage to get it up the court. And if nothing is there … then we’ve got Yao as our anchor. He’s a guy we can go to at the end. And it helps him (to) where he doesn’t have to try to get down the court and get banged every possession… ‘If we get to that point, now you can see the flowing offense, the other team cannot lock into. We’ve done it in stages but not enough. A great example is Tony Parker. He’ll push it. He’ll attack. Or he’ll pull it back and they’ll look for something else. It’s really important he (Brooks) will pick and choose his spots.’ Brooks described the revised offensive emphasis in simple terms. Run to look for the ‘easy option.’”
Fred Kerber of the New York Post: “They talk about playing with a sense of urgency. Lately, they don’t. They talk about making the playoffs. Keep it up, they won’t. So the Nets, who have endured the trading deadline and several blistering scheduling stretches just like everyone else on the NBA planet, are facing their toughest opponent. Themselves. ‘We have to have better. It’s effort. We just can’t settle,’ said guard Devin Harris. ‘We need to do more.’ More what? Well, defend. And score. Rebounding would be nice, too. And stop looking like a bunch of wimps every game. In the last five games – all defeats – the Nets have been mauled off the glass, 233-181. That’s 46.6 to 36.2 per, more than 10 a game. Rebounds equal rings.”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “After replacing the fired Terry Porter, Gentry brought back a well-spaced, quick-shooting offense that has the Suns averaging 14 more shots in the past three games. ‘We’re the leading-shooting team in the league, but we haven’t been getting a lot of shots up,’ Gentry said. The Suns are coming off their lowest two-game turnover total (17) this season and have rediscovered a 3-point touch with the floor spread. In the past two games, they made 22 3-pointers after averaging 4.6 in the previous 17 games. ‘The key is that (the system) is liberating for 90 percent of our roster,’ Nash said. ‘It makes everyone more involved and makes everyone highlight what they’re good at, and it suits our team. Playing a little more of a half-court game only suited Shaquille. We can still go into him. As you’ve seen, he was really effective.’”
Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: “‘I don’t want to be in wherever they were trying to send me,’ O’Neal said. ‘But it was cool. Thank God for (Suns General Manager Steve) Kerr and the people upstairs. I’m just happy to be here.’ Had O’Neal been moved, the deal would have been financially motivated by Raef LaFrentz’s expiring contract and a chance to avoid O’Neal’s $20 million salary next season. O’Neal said he appreciated that Kerr was honest during the process. Though the Suns are without Amaré Stoudemire and an offense that utilized him in post-up situations often, O’Neal thinks the Suns have a shot to rise five places in the Western Conference standings and get home-court advantage in a first-round playoff series. ‘If I’m out there, the belief is always going to be high,’ O’Neal said, again adding later, ‘If I get more touches, I will deliver.’”
Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: “His minutes have increased substantially since center Andrew Bynum went down Jan. 31 because of a torn ligament in his right knee, and it has taken a toll on Gasol. He has averaged 42.1 minutes a game in the 10 games since Bynum was injured. ‘Yeah, I’m playing a lot of minutes,’ Gasol said. ‘It’s hard. It’s demanding. But I’m not going to complain at all. I love playing. I love helping my team and doing what it takes to win. I’ll be out there as long as I can and as long as they want me to. But it is challenging.’ Despite the heavy minutes, despite moving from power forward to center, where Gasol often has to face stronger and bigger players, his production hasn’t dropped. It has been just the opposite. Over those 10 games, Gasol has averaged 22.2 points on 61.6% shooting, 11.8 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He even had a triple-double during that stretch.”
Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: “‘It’s just a focus — focusing in more,’ Anthony said during a quiet, introspective moment last week. ‘As you get older, as you mature and learn the game a lot, you realize defense is one of the keys to winning games. Especially on this team — when my teammates see me going out there and playing defense, it brings enthusiasm. Everybody wants to play hard and play defense.’ Again, he’s still improving and there are still nights when Matador Melo makes an appearance. But ask the Nuggets coaches — he’s doing little things to win big ballgames. He’s more alert on weakside defense, for one. He’s more committed to defending possession after possession, not the ol’ ‘I stopped him last time, so I’ll take a breather this time.’ And he’s rebounding at a high level, a facet of his game that began improving last season. ‘Also, I think lately Melo improved and everybody has had a more focused beginning to games,’ Karl said. ‘When the other team knows you’re going to defend them very well every possession, it’s the most intimidating force in the game.’”
Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: “This team is on a Portland/New Orleans plan,’ Deveney said. ‘Start bad. Get THE key piece in place (Brandon Roy in Portland, Chris Paul in New Orleans and now Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City). Then you put the right pieces around him. ‘The Thunder were especially lucky because they got Jeff Green in the same draft as Durant and made an inspired pick in taking Westbrook. You have two key pieces right there.’ Durant, last year’s Rookie of the Year, dazzled in the rookie-sophomore game. His 46-point outing had many debating whether he should have been in the All-Star Game. ‘Kevin Durant is the fastest rising star in the NBA,’ said Chris Colston of USA Today. ‘Nobody has improved more than him this season. He still needs to fill out his frame, but whoa, he’s talented. And he’s solid off the court, too. A dream combination.’”
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: “Gay seems to be shedding bad habits such as focusing on scoring, settling for jump shots and dancing with the basketball or over-dribbling. He’s also tried harder to meet Hollins’ demands that he become a more effective defender and rebounder. Despite 7-for-24 shooting in Friday’s 115-106 loss to Sacramento, Gay pulled down 10 rebounds and has generally taken better shots and scored efficiently under Hollins’ supervision. Gay has averaged nearly seven rebounds and slightly more than 20 points on nearly 48-percent shooting since Jan. 27, all above his season averages. Like several of his teammates, Gay is more confident. He’s shown better versatility and seemingly benefited from the encouragement of a coach who believes in his talent.”
David Moore of The Dallas Morning News: “The Rockets traded Horry and Matt Bullard to the Pistons for Sean Elliott in February 1994. The two were in uniform, ready to make their Pistons debut, when a Detroit employee stopped them in the tunnel before they could reach the court. The deal wasn’t final because the Rockets were still awaiting the results of Elliott’s physical. Both players removed their uniforms, and Horry watched the game from the stands. Elliott failed his physical the next day because of a kidney condition. Horry and Bullard jumped into their rental car, raced to the airport and caught the last flight to Houston. ‘I remember Bullard said, ‘I’m going to tell them I want this, this and this,’ ‘ Horry said of the flight back. ‘I said, ‘Dude, you were just thrown in to make the money work. You can’t go back and demand anything.’ ‘I came back humble.’”
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Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: “Though there had been talk of building a new, swankier version of Madison Square Garden, the 41-year-old arena isn’t going anywhere. The fourth and current incarnation of the self-proclaimed World’s Most Famous Arena – home of the NBA Knicks and the NHL Rangers and host to the Leafs tonight – figures to remain on its perch atop New York’s Penn Station for years to come, albeit in a different form. There are plans afoot for a $500 million (U.S.) renovation to bring it into the present. The place, as anyone who’s ever seen a hockey or a hoops game there, is a worthy fixer-upper. It isn’t exactly Wrigley or Fenway, but it is one of the sporting world’s unique gems, its walls steeped in history, its lighting seemingly inspired by Broadway, its playing surface aglow like a stage, its audience in relative dark. When Alex English, the Raptors assistant coach, visited New York during his career, he said he always felt like he was on ‘centre stage.’”
Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: “The Knicks’ apparent premise is to make a multi-layered offer to James if he becomes an unrestricted free agent. They figure offering the City of New York plus a chance to play with one of his young superstar friends. To do it, they are in the process of not committing an extra dollar for the 2010-11 season to have enough room under the salary cap offer to maximum-level contracts. Give new Knicks GM Donnie Walsh credit, it’s a reasonable idea and he’s stuck to it. He’s also been able to make a series of trades to import a bunch of talent to make the team somewhat competitive until then, even if he’s only been able to do it by accepting players banished from their teams. But Walsh could not have foreseen the change in the economy. Now, instead of the cap growing by $5-$8 million to allow him the needed space, it’s likely going the other direction. Now, it appears it will be nearly impossible for the Knicks to clear enough cap space to execute the plan.”
