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| Kevin Garnett is one victory from his first NBA title after the Celtics stunning comeback in a Game 4 victory over the Lakers, 97-91. James Posey was also big scoring 18 points, including four 3-pointers, off the bench. |
Our View: Overcoming a 21-point first quarter deficit, the Celtics came on led by the play of Garnett who scored 16 points and hauled down 11 rebounds to overwhelm the Lakers late.
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| Lamar Odom had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, but only four of his points came after half-time as the Lakers squandered a 21 point first quarter lead to fall to the Celtics. |
Our View: Odom certainly can't be blamed for this loss, but then again, he did little to exert himself into the flow of the game at the most crucial moments.
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| Kobe Bryant failed to raise his game hitting only six of 19 shots on Thursday night in the Lakers deflating loss to the Celtics 97-91. The Lakers must now become the first team in finals history to overcome a 3-1 deficit if they are to win the championship. |
Our View: Bryant just couldn't get his shot to fall on this night and was only able to dish out four assists. He did contribute four steals and 10 boards, but that mattered little tonight.
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| Paul Pierce, playing in front of friends and family in Los Angeles, led the Celtics in scoring with 20 points as the team moved to within one win of the NBA championship. |
Our View: Pierce was 6-for-13 from the field, and 8-for-9 from the line while adding seven assists in the victory.
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| Ray Allen sparked one of the biggest comebacks in NBA finals history on Thursday night in the Celtics 97-91 victory over the Lakers. The Lakers led by 21 points after the first quarter only to lose, the first time in finals history that a team that was down more than 15 points in the first quarter and came back to attain a victory. |
Our View: Allen finished the night with 19 points and nine rebounds for a Celtics squad that is now one game from its 17th NBA championship.
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| Sources have informed SI.com that Danilo Gallinari may opt to stay in Italy next season if the forward doesn't get drafted by either the Knicks (No. 6) or the Nets (No. 10). "I heard Monday that he wants to go to New York or New Jersey," an NBA team president says. "He's too good to pull out of the draft, but he might stay over there [in Europe] for a while if he doesn't like the team that drafts him." |
Our View: If true, this news could be enough to scare away the Wolves, Sonics, Grizzlies, Clippers, Bucks, and Bobcats, the other six teams in the 3-10 area of the draft. Really, what's not to love about Milwaukee, Danilo? You could hang out with Yi.
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| The Magic would like to keep Keyon Dooling in Orlando. The combo guard is due to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. "I'm sure there will be other teams looking at him closely this summer," general manager Otis Smith tells the Orlando Sentinel. "We like him. We'd like to keep him, but that said, he is unrestricted. You like a guy, but at what number?" Dooling previously noted he'd like to stay in Orlando but is also interested in getting paid. |
Our View: Dooling doesn't have any fantasy value, but the Magic love him as a versatile bench player who can do a bit of everything. He's the type of solid role guy championship clubs typically employ, which is why the rising Magic squad wants to keep Keyon around.
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| The Clippers worked out a large group of potential draft picks on Wednesday, and point guard D.J. Augustin was the cream of the crop, the Los Angeles Times reports. The papers notes that the Clippers may also be interested in trading for Raptors point guard Jose Calderon. |
Our View: It's become quite apparent that Shaun Livingston is no longer the Clippers point guard of the future, as his devastating knee injury still has his career in doubt.
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| Shooting guard O.J. Mayo will work out for the Knicks on Thursday, the New York Post reports. The Knicks own the No. 6 pick in this summer's draft. |
Our View: This is likely just a due diligence workout, as there's no reason to believe Mayo will slide outside the top three. The Knicks do seem to be spending a lot of time looking at guards, which makes one wonder about the future of Stephon Marbury, Jamal Crawford, and Nate Robinson.
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| Sergio Rodriguez has been removed from the "preliminary" Spanish Olympic team, according to the Oregonian. |
Our View: He was replaced by Real Madrid's Raul Lopez. It is not clear if Rodriguez was cut from the team permanently or just replaced temporarily. Rodriguez only averaged 2.5 points over 8.8 minutes of action with the Blazers in 2007-08.
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| New coach Michael Curry commented on the possibility of dealing Rasheed Wallace, according to the Detroit Free Press. Curry noted that Wallace is a very talented and emotional player, but his behavior sometimes hurts the team. Curry also stated that Joe Dumars is looking to trade players if he can get someone as good or better in return. He then said, "There's not a lot of bigs out there that are as good as 'Sheed or better. If you can find a young big, or a player that's just as good as 'Sheed, then maybe Joe moves him." |
Our View: While he mentioned a trade, Curry also thinks Wallace will buy into what the Pistons are selling, just as the other players will.
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| Greg Oden has looked great in workouts so far this summer and is making strides, according to the Oregonian. |
Our View: He most notably improved his outside shot and consistency from the perimeter. He is also displaying a strong jump-hook. He is in great shape and ready to go, but won't likely be cleared for full-speed scrimmage until August. He missed his entire rookie campaign due to microfracture surgery.
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| Rajon Rondo is hindered by a left ankle bone bruise, but wants to play in Thursday's Game 4 against the Lakers, according to the Boston Herald. Coach Doc Rivers said, "He’s sore and swollen, so he’s out of practice. So we have to wait until today to see what we are going to do."
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Our View: Rivers also explained that Rondo's speed would be compromised. He mentioned that Tony Allen could potentially start, due to his ability to cover Kobe Bryant. Other candidates to start would be Sam Cassell and Eddie House, if Rondo is ultimately scratched.
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