Larry Holder for The Denver Post: “The Nuggets’ defense mentally rattled and physically bullied Paul into one of the worst games of his young NBA career, leading to a 58-point victory that had Scott emptying his bench early. The runner-up for the league’s MVP award last season scored just four points, a career playoff low, and had six turnovers. Nuggets coach George Karl put special emphasis on slowing Paul, who broke down Denver’s defense in Game 3. Karl said there’s only one way to rattle one of the game’s most efficient scorers and passers. ‘We compared him to a football (player),’ Karl said. ‘We want Chris Paul to feel like he’s being blitzed. We want him to feel like there’s a linebacker coming from the left side and there’s a couple coming from up the middle. In Game 3, we thought he was quarterbacking the game, and we were letting him throw where he wanted to throw or do what he wanted to do.’”
James Varney of The Times-Picayune: “When Billups joined the team in December, Anthony’s monthly scoring average jumped from 19.9 to 21.9 and then 23.3. After the game, his knees and an elbow wrapped in ice, Anthony smiled when asked if his game improved with Billups’ arrival. Of course,’ he said. ‘Anytime you can bring in a player of that caliber, it’s going to help you tremendously in every aspect of the game.’ When Billups arrived, Anthony said the team ‘put our trust in him,’ but that it also boosted his own creativity on the court because he no longer felt the team’s fate was his burden alone. ‘He’s brought another option, because rather than me seeing the double team all the time now, I can kick it out, and I know Chauncey is going to make a play or knock down a shot,’ Anthony said. Nuggets Coach George Karl said Anthony has become more like his nickname — mellow. ‘Well, your best players make your team, and I think with Chauncey and the Olympic experience, it has just made Carmelo more comfortable,’ he said.”
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports: “To no one’s surprise, Scott suggested that the Hornets didn’t compete at the New Orleans Arena. In the history of the NBA, no truth had ever been so resounding. Yet, it was odd to hear him punctuate that thought with, ‘I don’t know what you can do to change that.’ It wouldn’t be Scott’s worst idea to come up with something between now and an embarrassing season’s end in Game 5 on Wednesday night. Multiple agents and rival league executives say that Scott’s job could be in peril. General manager Jeff Bower has been supportive, but the fact that he would extend Scott through only the 2009-2010 season suggests that he wasn’t completely sold on a coach whom he inherited. Scott is respected and beloved, and everyone wants him to succeed. He’s a prince of a man and has shown an ability to get teams through tough times and the grind of rebuilding. Yet there have long been questions about preparation and attention to detail.”
Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm: “Paul was tossed around, he’s probably fed up, and I’m sure he doesn’t want to take it anymore. With the way the series has gone, I think a bit of frustration would be inevitable. But despite how spectacular Paul has been this season on an individual level and how much he’s forced to do because of his comparative brilliance, that kind of embarrassment isn’t considered acceptable in most circles. Chris Paul still holds the top PG title until someone else claws it from his clutches, but those dreamy eyes and that winning smile don’t exempt him from the same gauntlet that every superstar runs. I’m hardly a Kobe apologist, but I’ll leave you with this: why is that when Bryant came up short with a limited supporting cast it was a testament to his flaws as a player, but due to position, rep, or other factors, players like Chris Paul, and on some level LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, are given a flyer?”
Dave McMenamin of NBA.com: “The Lakers might not have swept the Jazz like the Cavs erased the Pistons in four, but they did manage to win all four games by double digits. And in the one game L.A. dropped, Bryant shot a measly 5-for-24, the team shot less than 40 percent, Utah outrebounded them by 15 thanks to a Herculean 23-point, 22-rebound effort by Carlos Boozer and the Lakers still only lost by two. But those leads that dried up like roles being offered to Lindsay Lohan these days, where did they go? In Game 1, a 22-point lead was cut to eight. In Game 2, 20 points dwindled to three. In Game 3, a 13-point third-quarter advantage became a two-point loss. On Monday, L.A. had its starters resting comfortably on the bench until all but six points of a 22-point lead vanished. ‘We got a week here to have a spirited conversation with the group and see if you can’t correct that next series,’ Bryant said.”
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: “As much as they have prided themselves on continuity as an organization, with Sloan winning his 1,000th game with the Jazz, celebrating his 20th anniversary as coach and being selected to the Hall of Fame this season, the Jazz will head into an uncertain summer. Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Korver each have until June 30 to decide about opting out of the final year of his contract. With nine players who could become free agents, the Jazz’s top priority will be re-signing Millsap as a restricted free agent. ‘I told them I think they’re a very good team if they can stay together and keep everybody healthy,’ Sloan said. The Jazz lost 157 games to injuries and absences this season, but went only 16-15 at full strength after Boozer’s return Feb. 23. They closed the regular season 2-7 and would have escaped a series against the Lakers with just one more victory. After capturing the Northwest Division crown the previous two seasons, the Jazz were leapfrogged by Denver and Portland. They bowed out of the playoffs in the first round only two years after their run to the Western Conference finals.”
Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News: “In Game 4, Roger Mason Jr. and Matt Bonner were each held scoreless. Mason and Bonner both played key roles in stretching opposing defenses during the regular season, and Duncan said now is no time to abandon that game plan. ‘We’ve lived by that rule all year long,’ Duncan said, ‘and those guys have shown that they’re capable of winning games, of making shots, of giving us leads. And for us to be in a winning situation, we’re going to need those shots to go down.’ So far in the playoffs, they haven’t. When you add Ime Udoka’s slump to those of Mason and Bonner, that trio is shooting 10 of 35 (28.5 percent) from 3-point range and 20 of 65 (30.1 percent) overall in the postseason. During the regular season, Mason, Bonner and Udoka combined to make 41.3 percent of their 3-pointers and 44.1 percent of their field-goal attempts.”
Eddie Sefko for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The Mavericks have the Spurs on the brink of elimination because Nowitzki has put his faith in his teammates. The Spurs aren’t going to let him put the Mavericks on his shoulders. So why try? As a result, he’s averaging 10 points less than he did in the regular season. Jason Terry is playing the same way. And it’s sending a profound message to their teammates. Because their leaders have faith in them, the confidence of players such as J.J. Barea, Antoine Wright, Erick Dampier and Brandon Bass is skyrocketing. ‘We all act as one,’ Barea said. ‘We all want the same thing. Anytime you get your stars, Dirk and Jet, not caring about scoring, just … you can see it in Dirk’s eyes. No matter who scores, wanting to win he just wants to win. Anytime your leaders do that, it makes everybody else think the same way.’”
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: “‘I’ve gotta say this about Perk – clearly every game he’s been targeted for these moving screens,’ Rivers said. ‘He gets them every game – he gets the call every game. ‘Watching the tape last night, he did move but there was very little contact. Brad Miller, on the other hand, he’s laying guys out on screens and didn’t get one of those calls. That bothers me. ‘I don’t know why (they do it),’ Rivers said. ‘Perk does do it, and Perk could help himself, which I’ve told him 100 times.’ So let’s get this straight. Perkins believes that the referees don’t like the Celtics. Rivers is upset because they’re not consistent in the way they call moving picks. With the series tied at 2-2, the politicking has begun. But Rivers does have advice for Perkins. Lose the game face occasionally. Drop that scowl while addressing the man who just whistled you for sliding out an elbow on that last pick.”
Andrew Abramson for the Journal-Constitution: “It wasn’t all Atlanta’s defense — Wade was suffering from back spasms, and the Miami guard showed signs of discomfort throughout the game. The Hawks players said they were unaware of Wade’s injury. But Wade has played injured before and still excelled. The Hawks, desperate to send the series back to Atlanta tied 2-2, continued to guard Wade one-on-one from the outside, and for much of the game Wade was shooting bricks. The Hawks used a variety of backcourt players to defend Wade, and Wade didn’t have sustained success against any of them. ‘We just gapped him and tried to make him take tough jump shots,’ Hawks guard Joe Johnson said. ‘We just switched everything with him and if you had to guard him, you had to guard him.’”
Dave Hyde of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “OK, very funny. Fess up. Whose bright idea was it to make the Heat’s playoff motto ‘Back to Black?’ Because that’s just what Dwyane Wade’s back did Monday before Game 4 of this playoff series. It faded to black, as if a season spent carrying a franchise on it finally was too much to bear. It just gave out. And it might have taken the best chance to advance in the playoffs with it. The Heat can overcome many things. Young players. Sporadic outputs. Even Michael Beasley disappearing off the edge, as he has in somewhat shocking fashion this playoff series. But when the engine of the Heat spends three quarters sputtering, and coughing, as well as complaining every few seconds to the referees about some perceived slight that only he saw, it doesn’t bode well for the night.”
Mike Tokito of The Oregonian: “Brandon Roy, the Blazers’ All-Star guard, rarely fouls out of games, but he did Friday. Meanwhile, Ron Artest and Shane Battier, the Rockets’ stellar defenders who split the duty of guarding Roy, have stayed out of foul trouble, picking up a total of five fouls in the two games in Houston. ‘Our guys, Greg and Joel, are getting called for touch fouls against Yao, and Artest and Battier are riding Brandon Roy every time he runs or he penetrates to the basket,’ McMillan said. ‘I’m just saying that it needs to be called both ways.’ For the series, the Blazers have been called for 101 fouls, Houston 83. Portland has shot 79 free throws to Houston’s 106. Officiating was a major topic for the Rockets after they lost Game 2 in Portland as Houston coach Rick Adelman complained Thursday that the Blazers had been allowed to manhandle Yao.”
Howard Beck of The New York Times: “‘That’s crazy,’ said Daryl Morey, the Rockets’ general manager. ‘Are we better without the injured Tracy? Yeah, he was playing on an injured knee and he could barely jump.’ Yet the Rockets are undeniably different. Artest and Battier are two of the top perimeter defenders in the league, and they now spend more time on the court together. On offense, McGrady dominated the ball, like most superstar guards, which could make it tougher for everyone else to find a rhythm. Without him, the scoring load has been spread around. Scola and Artest are more prominent. Yao is the uncontested first option. Battier is getting more chances. (He hit two huge 3-pointers in the fourth quarter Sunday.) It is impolitic to say that the Rockets are better without McGrady, who has averaged 22 points in his career. But as Blazers Coach Nate McMillan noted poignantly: ‘When you take away scoring like that, it forces that team to play together. And playing together wins.’”
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: “Game 5 against the Philadelphia 76ers qualifies as their biggest game of the Dwight Howard era, currently in its fifth regular season and third postseason. The Magic will either take control of the series and go ahead 3-2 with a victory … or do it the hard way, if at all. Lose and they would head back to Philly needing a win to save their season — and Stan Van Gundy’s sanity. How big is this one? According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there have been 145 best-of-seven series that have been tied at 2-2. The team that has won Game 5 has gone on to win the series 121 times (83.4 percent). Suddenly, before they even toss up the jump-ball, before they track shots missed and made, 83.4 percent looms as the most important statistic of the night.”
