Haywood plays tonight

Haywood won't be suspended

I just got off the phone with a spokesperson with the NBA and was told that Brendan Haywood will not be suspended for the hard foul he laid on LeBron James last night. Haywood was hit with a flagrant 2 foul and ejected in the third quarter. The NBA's Stu Jackson reviews all flagrant fouls and determines whether to take further action.

I asked whether the league was satisfied with the call and told that the league agreed with the flagrant 2 because James was in the air defenseless and Haywood extended his arms to shove him.

Eva Longoria-Parker going for movies despite tv-shows?

Eva Longoria-Parker going for movies despite tv-shows?

Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria-Parker has refuted reports she is to quit the hit TV show in a bid to pursue her burgeoning movie career.

The 33-year-old has made several high profile films since shooting to fame on the drama series, including Harsh Times with Christian Bale in 2007 and this year's Over My Dead Body.

But Longoria-Parker is quick to dismiss rumors she is to leave Desperate Housewives to become a full-time Hollywood star.

She tells British magazine Heat, "I would be insane to do that. I'm of the opinion that the show will still be running for another five years, at least. Marc Cherry (creator) has all these incredible ideas and plot twists planned for the coming years, and I'm convinced the show will be a success as long as he's involved."
Copyright World Entertainment News Netwo

Kevin Garnett is the best defensive player of the year 2007-2008

Kevin Garnett is the best defensive player of the year.The NBA announced today that Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics is the recipient of the 2007-08 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors.

The 6-11 forward led the Celtics in rebounds with a 9.2 average (7.3 defensive rpg), to go along with 18.8 points, 1.2 blocks and 1.4 steals. He recorded a team season-high seven blocks against Chicago on Dec. 12.

As part of its support of the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Kia Motors will donate a brand-new 2009 Kia Borrego seven-passenger SUV on behalf of Garnett to Boston Centers for Youth and Families, the cities’ organization supporting the same youth as Kevin’s “Big Ticket Challenge” program. Kia Motors will present a Borrego to the charity of choice of each of the four year-end award winners in 2008 as part of the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.”

Garnett helped the Celtics to league-best records of 66-16 (.805) overall and 31-10 (.738) on the road. Boston held opponents to just 90.3 points (second in the NBA) after allowing 99.2 points per game a season ago. Garnett led the Celtics to the biggest one-year turnaround in NBA history as the team won 42 more games this season than in 2006-07 (24-58), surpassing the previous record of 36 games, set by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1997-98 season.

The 12-year NBA veteran became the 32nd player in league history to record 20,000 career points on March 8 against Memphis. Garnett is only the fourth active player to reach this milestone, joining Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal (26,296), Denver’s Allen Iverson (22,988) and Kobe Bryant (21,619) of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Garnett received 493 points, including 90 first-place votes, from a panel of 124 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Denver’s Marcus Camby, who won the award last season, finished second with 178 points and Houston’s Shane Battier finished third with 175 points. Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote received.

The 2007-08 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Kia Motors is part of a series of on-court performance awards called “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors.” The awards, which are part of a multi-year marketing partnership between Kia Motors America and the NBA, also include the Most Valuable Player, Sixth Man Award, and Most Improved Player. The series also includes the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month presented by Kia Motors. For more information on the “The NBA Performance Awards Presented by Kia Motors” visit www.NBA.com/performanceawards.

Attached are the 2007-08 results and the league’s all-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award Presented by Kia Motors winners:

2007-08 NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KIA MOTORS RESULTS

Player, Team 1st 2nd 3rd Pts
Kevin Garnett, Boston 90 12 7 493
Marcus Camby, Denver 12 32 22 178
Shane Battier, Boston 11 33 21 175
Bruce Bowen, San Antonio 7 7 24 80
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers -- 10 10 40
Josh Smith, Atlanta 1 6 11 34
Chris Paul, New Orleans 1 4 7 24
Dwight Howard, Orlando 1 4 7 24
Tim Duncan, San Antonio -- 6 4 22
Tayshaun Prince, Detroit -- 3 4 13
Tyson Chandler, New Orleans 1 1 2 10
Rasheed Wallace, Detroit -- 3 -- 9
Richard Hamilton, Detroit -- 1 -- 3
Samuel Dalembert, Philadelphia -- 1 -- 3
Raja Bell, Phoenix -- 1 -- 3
Rajon Rondo, Boston -- -- -- 1
Chauncey Billups, Detroit -- -- 1 1
Kyle Lowry, Memphis -- -- 1 1
Ron Artest, Sacramento -- -- 1 1
Andrei Kirilenko, Utah -- -- 1 1

ALL-TIME NBA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR WINNERS

Season Winner, Team
1982-83 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee
1983-84 Sidney Moncrief, Milwaukee
1984-85 Mark Eaton, Utah
1985-86 Alvin Robertson, San Antonio
1986-87 Michael Cooper, L.A. Lakers
1987-88 Michael Jordan, Chicago
1988-89 Mark Eaton, Utah
1989-90 Dennis Rodman, Detroit
1990-91 Dennis Rodman, Detroit
1991-92 David Robinson, San Antonio
1992-93 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston
1994-95 Dikembe Mutombo, Denver
1995-96 Gary Payton, Seattle
1996-97 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta
1997-98 Dikembe Mutombo, Atlanta
1998-99 Alonzo Mourning, Miami
1999-00 Alonzo Mourning, Miami
2000-01 Dikembe Mutombo, Philadelphia
2001-02 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2002-03 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2003-04 Ron Artest, Indiana
2004-05 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2005-06 Ben Wallace, Detroit
2006-07 Marcus Camby, Denver
2007-08 Kevin Garnett, Boston

James Green as head coach at Jacksonville State University

Former Mississippi Valley State head coach James Green has been named men's basketball head coach at Jacksonville State University.

Green, who becomes Jacksonville State's 10th men's basketball coach, has 11 years of experience as a head coach at the Divison I level. He has spent the last three as head coach at Mississippi Valley State and eight previous years at Southern Miss.

Green led the Delta Devils to the 2006-07 Southwestern Athletic Conference regular season title and the 2007-08 SWAC Tournament championship and made an appearance in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. He was named the league's Coach of the Year in 2006-07 season after guiding the Delta Devils to a 13-5 league mark.

Coach Jim Boylen has hired Taylorsville's Stan Johnson from Cal State Northridge to fill one of the two vacant assistant coaching positions on his men

Coach Jim Boylen has hired Taylorsville's Stan Johnson from Cal State Northridge to fill one of the two vacant assistant coaching positions on his men's basketball staff at the University of Utah.
"The biggest thing for me is that he kind of shares my vision of Utah across your chest meaning something," Boylen said. "He wants to be here, he's passionate about being here. He understands our state and he's excited about what we are trying to build. I'm excited about it."
The 29-year-old Johnson grew up cheering for the Utes, and graduated from Taylorsville High School in 1998 - the same year the Utes played in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament.
"I was probably never good enough to play there," Johnson said. "But I know I'm good enough as a coach now to come back and help them."
Johnson played three years at Southern Utah - he helped the Thunderbirds win the Mid-Continent Conference championship and reach the NCAA Tournament in 2001 - before transferring to Bemidji State in Minnesota for his final college season. Johnson then began his coaching career at Bemidji, and moved on to Southwest Baptist University in Missouri before joining the Matadors less than a year ago.
"I'm excited," he said. "I've been around Utah basketball when it was at its peak. I know what's possible there. Coach Boylen has a great vision, great passion, and I myself am very passionate about the state. We can get Utah basketball to what it's capable of, not only competing for conference titles but nationally, doing some great things."
Johnson effectively replaces departed assistant coach Marty Wilson, who took a job as the head-coach-in-waiting at his alma mater, Pepperdine. Boylen still is working on finding a replacement for Chris Jones, who left the Utes for a similar job at Utah State.

Arizona State assistant Mark Phelps was hired as Drake's men's basketball coach Monday, replacing Keno Davis.

Arizona State assistant Mark Phelps was hired as Drake's men's basketball coach Monday, replacing Keno Davis.

Phelps' hiring came less than a week after Davis took the Providence job. School officials said Phelps was their top choice.

Phelps recalled hearing from Drake athletic director Sandy Hatfield Clubb.

"One day last week, Sandy called me ... and told me about Drake University, about the Drake experience and immediately I just got excited," Phelps said after his introductory news conference.

"We had another conversation on the phone. I was up here the next day, and now I'm the coach. It was just a whirlwind," he said.

The 42-year-old Phelps spent more than a decade as an assistant to Arizona State coach Herb Sendek, both in Tempe and during Sendek's earlier tenure at North Carolina State. Previously, Phelps was a high school coach in Virginia, compiling a .736 winning percentage over six years at two schools.

He replaces Davis, the first-year coach who led the Bulldogs to one of the best years in school history. Drake compiled a 28-5 record, won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles and earned the school's first NCAA tournament berth since 1971 and first national ranking in 33 years.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Chauncey Billups can't sleep after the surprising loss

In the Tuesday Detroit Free Press article, Coach Flip Saunders sympathized with his starting point guard.

April 22, Detroit Free Press: "Chauncey (Billups) said he got about two hours of sleep last night," Saunders said Monday. "I said, 'Now you know what a coach feels like.' But you can always look back and say, 'These are things you could have done,' or 'What if I could have done this?' But the greatest thing about the game is that in two days we get to play again."

It would seem like Chauncey had a lot to think about Sunday night, after shooting 3-9, and missing three free throws and an easy lay-up in the last minutes of the first-round game.

Rip Hamilton had a worse shooting percent than Billups did, at 29%, and was taken out of the game in the first minute of the 4th quarter after making a turnover and replaced with Lindsey Hunter. Hunter promptly missed a 20 foot jump shot, fouled Louis Williams, and turned the ball over on a shot clock violation and then a bad pass.

More....

That said, the Free Press goes on to describe the solution.
MAKE EASY SHOTS: (The Pistons) were worse than usual Sunday. You don't expect to see the All-Star backcourt of Billups and Richard Hamilton go a combined 8-for-26. Add small forward Tayshaun Prince, and it swells to 13-for-39.

That would definitely help in winning a game. Maybe Chauncey Billups should get some sleep too. It was just one game, after all. Nobody expects Chauncey, Rip and Tayshaun to combine to shoot like that again in one game.

LeBron shuts up cocky DeShawn Stevenson

Initially down nineteen points, DeShawn Stevenson blows on his hand as if it's on-fire after burying a three-pointer on LeBron James. But this just adds fuel to the proverbial fire between Stevenson and the L-Train, as James promptly knocks down a three in Stevenson's grill. Download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/suiddx

Houston Rockets Must win the next game

Win or go home. Actually, win or go on the road and face steep odds that could result in you going home. And not playing again until next season. Or something like that.

Faced with the possibility of going to Salt Lake City down 2-0 to the Jazz, the Rockets produce a better effort than in Game One, but still lose 90-84. While the team is hopefully just thinking about one game at a time, others are readying their brooms, preparing for what they believe will be a sweep. [HoopsVibe]

Denver Nuggets prefferd New Orleans Hornets

Karl admitted before the game Sunday he’d prefer facing No. 2 seed New Orleans rather than the No. 1 Lakers in the first round. "I’m not going to deny we were rooting to play New Orleans," he said. "We wanted to play the more inexperienced team." About the Lakers last summer, Karl later said, "I was hoping they would trade Kobe." [Rocky Mountain News]

Sonics in the North-West Division Despite the move to Oklahoma

According to league sources, the NBA will not realign any divisions or teams to accommodate the relocation of the Sonics to Oklahoma City. Whenever the team lands in Oklahoma, either next season or in 2010, it will continue in its current division, which includes Utah, Portland, Minnesota and Denver.

Although Oklahoma City is geographically closest to Southwest Division teams — Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Memphis and New Orleans — the league isn’t interested in undoing the system’s current balance by adding a sixth team to the division. The 30-team NBA has six five-team divisions. [NewsOK.com]

If Nets misses their objective, rough times are expected

The draft should bring quality. Trades are tricky, but they will be explored. And the Nets are armed with enough exception money to make more than a window-shopping appearance in the free-agent market.

When you win just 34 games and fail to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years, you have to figure change will be a steady offseason companion.

"We'll look to make some changes," team president Rod Thorn acknowledged yesterday at the start of his annual postseason, state of the Nets summation. "The ways to change your team are the draft, free agency or trades. We'll be looking at all three."

Thorn said Vince Carter is almost certainly headed for arthroscopic ankle surgery, management wants to keep the team's three key free agents and Kiki Vandeweghe is on the verge of a GM-type position. Thorn supplied little that hasn't been pretty much common knowledge even before the Nets completed their horrific season that contained the trade of Jason Kidd. So change will be forthcoming, but Thorn stressed it doesn't mean a complete, total overhaul. He said he would be "comfortable" if the four main offensive pieces - Carter, Richard Jefferson, Devin Harris and Nenad Krstic - returned en masse.

"I'm comfortable with it if that's what we end up with," said Thorn, giving high praise to Carter for excellent leadership after the break plus statistics that were bettered only by LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.

Carter and Jefferson would be tough to trade, if the Nets want to go that route, because of their contracts. Krstic is an unrestricted free agent, so the Nets can match any offer (within reason). And Harris is signed through 2013.

The draft, a good, "deep" one, Thorn said, is impossible to forecast now. But the Nets, with picks at 10, 21 and 40, will find help. The 10th spot "historically" is a good pick, Thorn said.

As for free agency, the first scenario is addressing their own guys.

"Our three free agents we would like to, if we can, sign them," Thorn said.

Bostjan Nachbar and DeSegana Diop are unrestricted free agents. The Nets want to keep Nachbar without overspending, but they expect to see competition.

"A lot of teams in the league like Boki. I think there will be a marketplace for him," Thorn said.

The same scenario could apply for Krstic, the restricted free agent. The Nets can match, but they are not likely to go to a full mid-level exception. Thorn seems to prefer breaking up the mid-level for several guys.
Regarding areas to be addressed, start with defense, continue to shooting.

"We had a major problem on the defensive end of the court this year, not being able to guard the basket and not being able to keep wing players in front of us," Thorn said. "We need one other guy who can make a jump shot because we struggled a lot of nights when teams zoned us or loaded up on the strong side."

Improvements must come, because a 34-win, no-playoff season is unacceptable.

"Whether it's what we have or whether it's with some additions - and I think it's a combination - we need to get better because the league is getting better," Thorn said. "Look at some of the teams that are starting to have some success in the East or who have not had a lot of success. They're getting better. So from both within and without we have to try and get better."

How long will Skiles stay?

The difference between Porter, Stotts, Krystkowiak and Skiles is the former 3 were “nice guys” who finished last, or darn close to it. Skiles, on the other hand, is a hard nosed, take no “BS” style of coach who’s a disciplinarian and won’t stand for the lackluster performances that have been trotted out on to the court under the guise of NBA Basketball. He’s a “say what he feels” type of guy and, in my opinion, that’s the kick in the pants that this organization needs right now. Skiles might not be the guy to take the Bucks from good to great but he’s certainly the guy who can take them from awful to good.

Whether or not the new head man has to deal with the shortcomings of Michael Redd or the “shoot first” mentality of his point guard, Mo Williams, we’ll have to wait and see what the off-season holds but one things for sure, it’s Skiles’ way or the highway and people in Milwaukee certainly know how to relate to that.

A semblance of defense, a propensity for “TEAM” and a hustle that’s worthy of the price of a ticket are all that people in Milwaukee are asking for, I believe that Skiles is the man that can deliver that.

One thing to remember, with the gruff exterior of a Scott Skiles, that’s something that will wear on players over time. How long the players, and fans for that matter, can stand it will determine how long Skiles’ tenure will reign.

NBA Flash news

Looking for toughness, Bucks hire feisty Skiles


The Milwaukee Bucks need to play tougher defense, and start sharing the ball on offense. So they're turning to Scott Skiles, the man who owns the NBA's single-game assist record and who once got into a fight with Shaquille O'Neal in his playing days.

The Bucks introduced Skiles as their new coach Monday, signing the former Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns coach to a four-year deal to replace Larry Krystkowiak.

And while Skiles said he learned some lessons after the Bulls fired him in December, he isn't backing away from his reputation for demanding a lot from his players.

"I always feel like I'm supposed to apologize for that," Skiles said. "Anybody that is going to come to work with enthusiasm, concentrate and play hard will never have a problem with me. I don't care if they throw the ball in the seats 25 times a game."

Skiles, who was drafted out of Michigan State by the Bucks in the first round in 1986, said he has a "fond place" in his heart for Milwaukee. But he has no illusions about the difficult task he faces in turning around a team that began the season with playoff aspirations but finished 26-56.

"It's not going to be easy," Skiles said. "I don't have any magic dust to sprinkle on people. We're going to have to do it by working harder and playing better [defense], and the first step will be getting competitive every single night. The team has not been competitive every night and if we do that, good things will happen."

Skiles spent nearly three full seasons in Phoenix after taking over for Danny Ainge early in the 1999-00 season. He was fired by the Bulls in December after making the playoffs in three of his first four seasons in Chicago.

Ginobili wins award

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili won the NBA's sixth man award given to the league's best reserve.

Ginobili led the Spurs in scoring, averaging a career-high 19.5 points to go with 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Ginobili came off the bench in 51 of his 74 games he played.

Kobe wants to stay

Kobe Bryant, who demanded a trade last May, now says he wants to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers and is open to finishing his career with them.

"I love the weather," Bryant said. "I love my '63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."

"Dirk Nowitzki should have had backup after New Orleans Hornets forward David West tapped him on the cheek" Says Avery Johnson, Dallas' Coach

NEW ORLEANS -- Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson didn't name names Monday, but he made it clear that Dirk Nowitzki should have had backup after New Orleans Hornets forward David West tapped him on the cheek during a staredown late in Game 1.

Both players were assessed technical fouls.

"More than anything we need players to not back down from anybody, that's what the playoffs are all about," Johnson said. "More than Dirk doing something about it, I would have liked for somebody else on the team, preferably in the center position, to do something about it.

"Was that clear enough?"

Since Johnson probably wasn't referring to Jamaal Magloire, it seems reasonable to assume Erick Dampier is the center Johnson called out. One problem with that -- Dampier was on the bench at the time. Had he done something about it, a forthcoming suspension for leaving the bench area would have kept him out of Game 2.

That leaves third-year power forward Brandon Bass, who sometimes plays center. Bass and West were teammates the past two seasons with the Hornets.

Three players drew technical fouls in Game 1. Hornets center Tyson Chandler got the first at the 5:36 mark of the third for shoving Nowitzki. Although the Mavs and Hornets do not have a contentious history, the finality of the playoffs always exudes physical and intense action.

"It's never going to be personal out there," Chandler said. "It's just guys playing hard, and it's going to be physical on both ends."

'D' up Paul

Avery Johnson said the Mavs must put more pressure on Chris Paul in Game 2, attacking him with traps to force the ball out of his hands.

"There were times that we had opportunities to attack, and for some reason we didn't," Johnson said of Game 1.

In some situations with smaller point guards such as Steve Nash, Johnson has employed bigger defenders such as Josh Howard, Devean George and Eddie Jones.

"Using bigger defenders is a good tool in some situations, but then sometimes it's good to go small because of the quickness factor," Johnson said. "The key for us is steadily trying to give him different looks; have Kidd on him, if it's Josh or Eddie, then try Jet [Jason Terry] on him some because we're trying to play certain other types of defense."

Kidd on the line?

Is Jason Kidd still straddling the line between knowing when to penetrate or take the open 3-pointer and when to get others involved?

Avery Johnson doesn't think so.

"I think that balance is over now," Johnson said. "We want him to play like he played in that last home game against New Orleans."

In that game, Kidd took more 3-pointers [eight] and made five, the same number of shots he took in Game 1, when he finished 3-for-5 -- 2-for-2 on 3s -- with eight points.

"We're not saying every shot is going to go in, but just with that aggressive take-it-to-you attitude every possession down the court that he has an opportunity," Johnson said. "So hopefully trying to strike that balance is over."

No practice

The Mavs did not practice Monday. They flew back to New Orleans in the afternoon, and Avery Johnson met with reporters later in the day.
Jeff Caplan, 817-390-7760
jcaplan@star-telegram.com

Dallas Mavericks should follow Dirk Nowitzki if they want to advance in the playoffs

Dirk Nowitzki has made a career of defying basketball norms. No 7-footer has ever been in the conversation as the best long-range shooter in the game. Germany is not exactly a hotbed of basketball talent. Deferential players seldom make great leaders.

When the Mavericks traded for Jason Kidd, Nowitzki went to Avery Johnson before Kidd's first home game and suggested a change in the way the starting lineup was announced. Kidd was returning to Dallas after being traded in 1996 and Nowitzki thought it would be great for Kidd to be the last player introduced.

As often happens with Nowitzki, however, that gesture was misread. Kidd came to Dallas with a reputation as one of the great leaders of his basketball generation. And here was Nowitzki, some thought, already turning over the keys to the franchise, symbolically saying: "It's your team."

Perhaps Nowitzki's greatest achievement as a player, however, is that some perceived weaknesses are actually strengths.

The fact that he went out of his way to welcome Kidd was not because he was abdicating his role as the team leader, it was precisely because of it.

"He could have made it a lot harder," Kidd said. "There's no doubt. But he's low maintenance. Not knowing who he really is on the other side, you don't know what superstars are like. And then to come over here and see how low maintenance he is, how easy going is just amazing. He just wants to play and win."

That was evident -- again -- on April 2 against Golden State when the starting lineup was announced and Kidd was the first player to come out. Nowitzki had been out for 11 days with a high ankle sprain and mild knee sprain and the normal recuperative period is at least three weeks.

But there he was, in his rightful place as the last player introduced. He played 27 minutes, scored 18 points and led the Mavericks to their first victory over a playoff-caliber team since the Kidd trade. After missing four games and watching the Mavericks struggle, Nowitzki made a resounding statement:

This is my team.

And Kidd agreed. It was Kidd, in fact, who suggested changing the order of introduction. He wanted Nowitzki to be introduced last.

"It's Dirk's team, and it's Avery's team," Kidd said. "I'm just a piece of the puzzle. For that, you try and feel your way through. And then when things present themselves, maybe you can speak up. Everybody has a lot of respect for each other's game and experience."

Nowitzki's return from the ankle sprain was an example of his unique brand of leadership -- and all his teammates noticed, especially his new ones.

"It showed his toughness and showed how much he wanted to be out there to compete," Kidd said. "Eighty percent, 70 percent, whatever it may be, he wanted to play. It showed why he is the MVP and why he is who he is."

Backup guard Tyronn Lue, who signed with Dallas on March 4, noted that Pau Gasol of the Lakers had an injury that was similar to Nowitzki's and missed nine games.

"Just coming back from the injury in 10 days said a lot," Lue said. "We thought he would be out for the rest of the season. That's the same injury Pau Gasol had and he was out for three weeks. Dirk came back in 10 days. Guys looked up to him for doing that. We looked up to him already, but just coming back and helping the team to get in the playoffs, that was a big step for us."

When the Mavericks meet the Hornets tonight in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series, Nowitzki's toughness and leadership will be tested again. A loss would not ensure another first-round exit for the Mavericks, but it would make the odds much more significant. Only 13 teams in NBA history have come back from a 2-0 deficit in a seven-game series to win the series.

Nowitzki is still motivated by the sting of the loss to Golden State last year. After averaging 24.5 points and shooting 50.2 percent from the field during an MVP regular season, Nowitzki averaged 19.7 and shot 38.2 percent against the Warriors.

He did his part in Game 1 against the Hornets, scoring 31 points with 10 rebounds. He shot less than 50 percent from the field, going 9-of-21. But he wasn't the problem for Dallas.

Kidd had 11 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but shot only five times. He has to be more aggressive offensively.

Josh Howard had 17 points, but was only 4-of-16 from the field. He has to be more efficient.

Jason Terry, Brandon Bass and Devean George were a combined 7-of-22 from the field. The bench has to play better.

Ultimately, however, if the Mavericks are to win, the major role will be played by Nowitzki, the team leader.

"Dirk has never been one to back away from a challenge," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "He's intense when it comes to competition. And he's happy having Jason here. When we got Jason, instead of a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, he saw a shiny light. And that kind of opened him up. It certainly took Dirk to another level."

ONLINE: mavs.com

WHAT THE MAVS NEED TO DO FOR GAME 2

Help out Dirk. He's the Mavs' leader, their best scorer and best rebounder. Now they need to follow his example by forgetting the excuses, getting to the free-throw line, staying mentally tough and delivering.

Cut off the lane. The Mavs can't allow Chris Paul to get into the paint and create. They need to turn him into a jump shooter and scorer, and prevent him from getting his teammates in the flow. Of course, that's easier said than done.

Get out and run. The Mavs get into big trouble when they fall into their half-court sets and start standing around. They can avoid that by defending, running off Hornets misses and attacking the basket in transition.

7 MAVERICKS AT 2 HORNETS

Hornets lead series 1-0

Game 2: 6 tonight, New Orleans Arena

TV: KTXA/Ch. 21, TNT

Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, KDXX/107.1 FM (Spanish)

Mavs adjustments

Defensive stops: The Hornets outscored the Mavs 22-2 in the paint in the second half of Game 1. Chris Paul continually broke down the defense with dribble drives.

Box out Chandler: The Mavs did a good job of rebounding in Game 1 despite Erick Dampier grabbing only four. The big problem is 7-foot-1 center Tyson Chandler. He had seven of New Orleans' 15 offensive rebounds and several crowd-charging dunks as a result.

Shoot better: The Mavs can't make nine field goals in a half and expect to compete. The Mavs shot 33.3 percent overall -- they ranked ninth in the regular season at 46.4 percent -- and made only 7-of-22 from behind the arc.

-- Jeff Caplan
Jan Hubbard, 817-390-7760
jhubbard@star-telegram.com

Seattle begins the training camp

Sheryl Swoopes looked down at the piece of paper, gave a quick scan of the roster and made quite the pronouncement.

"When I look at this roster here, top to bottom, with the exception of the USA (basketball) team, I've never been a part of a team that had so much talent," Swoopes said Monday.

With that, the already lofty expectations for the 2008 Seattle Storm were raised even higher - and training camp only started Monday.

The Storm began camp under new coach Brian Agler with a thinned roster while many of their stars continued playing overseas. Lauren Jackson and Sue Bird are still competing in the Euroleague tournament with their team in Russia, while new forward Swin Cash is playing with the U.S. team in a tournament in China.

That meant most of the attention was left for Swoopes, who missed most of last season with a back injury, new center Yolanda Griffith and Agler, all adjusting to the start of their first training camp in Seattle.

For Swoopes and Griffith, it's a stark change from the past. Both were mainstays in Houston and Sacramento, respectively, spending their entire WNBA careers with one team.

They won titles and were MVPs with those teams, then jumped at the chance to join Jackson, Bird and Cash and create a roster in Seattle that looks more like an Olympic or All-Star team than a WNBA lineup.

"It does feel different. I have to get used to the uniform," Griffith said. "I'm excited about it. I did so much in Sacramento and I felt it was time for a different change and it was a good move for me."

While Monday was a get-aquatinted session for the 12 Storm players that are in camp, it was also a celebration of the team's future in Seattle. In January, Force 10 Hoops LLC purchased the Storm from Seattle SuperSonics owner Clay Bennett for $10 million, assuring the Storm would be in Seattle for the 2008 season and beyond.

The purchase closed six weeks ago, creating a hectic March and April for the new ownership group getting ready for the May 17 season opener against Chicago.

The new owners are taking over at a time when the city is on the verge of losing its NBA team after the league's board of governors last week approved Bennett's application to move the Sonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season, pending the resolution of litigation between the city and the team.

But the sale of the Storm to local owners meant Agler could keep the core of his team intact - Jackson and Bird had both expressed their desire not to play in Oklahoma - and then build around those two.

While some observers wonder if the players can put their egos and credentials aside and mesh together, no one on Monday thought that would be a problem - even with Jackson and Bird potentially not joining the team until a week before the opener.

"If players come in and accept their role, I think it's scary how good this team can be," Swoopes said.

Notes: The Storm re-signed restricted free agent C Ashley Robinson on Monday. Robinson played 33 games for Seattle last year. ... Agler expects Cash to join the team in Chicago before its exhibition opener on April 30.

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Marcus Jordan tries to outbeat his father

THE WOODLANDS — There was once a time when Marcus Jordan felt immense pressure when he stepped on the basketball floor. Considering that his father is a six-time NBA champion, that's understandable.

Now, as a 17-year-old junior, Michael Jordan's youngest son is busy establishing his own identity — as perhaps one of the top prep guard prospects in the class of 2009.

"There was pressure on me when I was in seventh and eighth grade because I thought that I had to be my dad," Marcus said. "Now that I've gotten older, I'm making my own name."

Marcus, a 6-3, 180-pound guard from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, is in town playing in one of the premier basketball recruiting events in the nation, the 14th annual Houston Kingwood Classic. He's here with his Amateur Athletic Union squad, the Rising Stars, while trying to make a positive impression on the hundreds of college coaches in attendance for the three-day event, which is headquartered at Legends Sports Complex.

Rising stock
The event has 681 teams playing on 66 courts across the area in a 48-hour span. The 17-and-under platinum division will play its championship game at 3:15 p.m. today at Legends.

Marcus, who isn't nationally ranked but was rated as one of the top 10 prospects in the state of Illinois by Rivals.com, thinks he has plenty to offer to Division I schools. He describes his game as "solid," and some recruiting analysts think he could emerge as a major college prospect.

"I want to get everyone involved but I score when there's an opportunity," Marcus said. "I just try to run the team."

Madison junior guard Tommy Mason-Griffin, whose AAU squad Houston Hoops defeated the Rising Stars on Friday night, had good things to say about Marcus.

"He's a pretty good player," Mason-Griffin said. "He's quick and he has a solid midrange game."

Not quite like Mike
As he and his Rising Stars teammates played a Saturday morning game against the Alabama Challenge, his skills were on full display. At first glance, it isn't easy to tell he's Jordan's son. He has a goatee and headband as well as goggles and he dons the No. 5 on his jersey.

"I just go and play my game," he said. "I'm sure people look at me and say 'Oh, that's Michael Jordan's son,' but I don't even think about that. I just play."

He might not feel much pressure these days, but there always is a lot of attention focused on him.

"The attention is crazy," said John Hicks, who chaperones Marcus when he's traveling with the team.

Marcus said he's not sure who's actively recruiting him because his parents handle the recruiting process. But he does hope to continue playing basketball.

"I definitely want to play Division I basketball," he said.

sam.khan@chron.com

Patrick Ewing won't listen to Walsh

So how does Patrick Ewing factor into the Knicks' search for a head coach?

The Hall of Fame center, who has put in his time as an NBA assistant coach, has aspirations to be a head coach. When he was in New York with the Orlando Magic on April 6, Ewing said, "I'm always pursuing it." Yesterday, he was asked if he has heard from the Knicks about the job.

"Nobody has talked to me," Ewing told the Orlando Sentinel.

The proper protocol would involve Donnie Walsh seeking permission from the Magic to speak with Ewing, which, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, hasn't happened yet. Ewing has made it clear that he would not promote himself, so it will be up to Walsh to reach out to Ewing if he's at all interested in checking his credentials for the job.

At least before he settles on Mark Jackson, who in the early going appears to be not only the front-runner but the only runner in the race.

"I think it would probably be best if they came to me," said Ewing, who is in his fourth season as an NBA assistant coach and is known for his work in mentoring all-star big men Dwight Howard and Yao Ming.

There is a thought that if Jackson gets the job, he might reach out to former teammate Ewing to see if he'd want to join him in New York. Despite an outcry from fans to bring back the franchise's greatest player - Isiah Thomas had no interest last summer when Ewing was looking for a job - it is not a given that Jackson would make the call, nor would Ewing accept the invitation to leave Howard to work with Eddy Curry.

Experienced candidates are dropping out of contention to take other jobs. The Bucks hired Scott Skiles yesterday and Rick Carlisle is considered the favorite for the Bulls' opening.

Even Jeff Van Gundy put a quick end to any talk of an unlikely return to the franchise he coached from 1996-2001. The chances of Van Gundy's coming in as Jackson's top assistant are as likely as Thomas working off the rest of his contract coaching the Liberty.

Jackson and Walsh have yet to have a formal interview, but such formalities are easy to schedule and could be done sometime this week.

The only other viable candidate for the job at this point is Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, who might get a call from the Bulls. Though Boston is in the midst of a playoff series with Atlanta, coach Doc Rivers said Sunday that he would allow his assistants to interview for vacant positions during the playoffs.

"Obviously, if they really want them, they'll wait," Rivers told reporters in Boston. "It just depends on the situation. The only thing I won't allow is someone to be named as a head coach until we're done."

Walsh yesterday met with Herb Williams to discuss the longtime assistant coach's future with the team. Williams would like to be considered a serious candidate as head coach, but at the very least he wanted to know what his status would be if someone else got the job. Williams has survived three coaching changes so far.

Kobe Bryant recommits to Lakers


The fog on Kobe Bryant’s relationship with the Lakers has officially cleared. On Monday, the superstar made public what many have suspected for some time: he wants to stay long-term in Los Angeles. Check out the highlights from this story from the Associated Press:

On being a Laker:


"Absolutely. I’ve always wanted to be here. I just felt like I was in a position where I didn’t really have a choice. They wanted to go in an opposite direction. My legs aren’t as young as they used to be. Just let me know. I love the weather. I love my ’63 drop-top Impala. I love the 405 [freeway]. I love my guys."


On this season’s success:

“The journey we’ve been on is fun. It’s been a blast. With that being said, we play for titles. We want to win the championship. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t. But if it does happen, we’ll regroup and go at it again. We’ve got some great pieces here. Now it’s time to put it all together. We get that big fellow [Andrew Bynum] back down there and we’ll really be rolling."



My Quick Take: Bryant isn’t staying on the left coast because of the Impalas, warm weather, and freeways. Here are his true reasons for sticking in L.A.:




  • Mamba is winning on his terms. During their championship run, Bryant played second fiddle to Shaq; the ultimate Robin, capable of taking over when Batman (O’Neal) was bricking free throws or grappling with his ‘spare tire’. Now the Lakers are winning and Bryant has his starring role.



  • The Lakers finally got their business right. Zen-Master Phil re-signed. The front office seems more stable; Mitch Kupchak is in charge, no more black sheep members of the Buss family posting state of the franchise briefings on their myspace pages.



  • This team will compete for years. Pau Gasol can play, Andrew Bynum will evolve into a top centre, and Lamar Odom is a well-rounded talent. Derek Fisher stabilizes and the bench is stacked.


He belongs in purple-and-gold. The number, eight or twenty-four, doesn’t matter. Could you see Bryant suiting up for another team?

McGrady does a bad game when needed the most

Tracy McGrady bent over in exhaustion as the final seconds ticked away of another playoff loss.

The seven-time All-Star had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists, but faltered again in the fourth quarter as the Utah Jazz beat the Houston Rockets 90-84 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Deron Williams, who briefly left the game with an injury, finished with 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Jazz, who have won eight of the last 10 meetings with Houston.

Game 3 is Thursday night in Utah, where the Jazz went 37-4 during the regular season.

"It's great for us to come out the way we did and not settle for the one victory," said Williams, who re-aggravated a tailbone injury. "We wanted to get both of them, get greedy. We've just got to go back now and take care of business."

McGrady, who has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, fell just short of his first postseason triple-double, but he went 0-for-4 from the field and scored only one point in the final quarter. He scored 20 points in Game 1, but went 0-for-3 from the field in the fourth quarter of Utah's 93-82 victory.

McGrady played 43 minutes and said he was tired at the end of Monday night's game, a combination of Utah's physical defense and his efforts to carry his team.

"I had no legs. I was on empty," McGrady said. "Banging with Matt Harpring, trying to rebound, trying to make plays for my team, trying to score, playing 43 minutes. That's a lot."

The Rockets still had their chances to win.

Luis Scola hit two free throws with 1:21 to go to cut Utah's lead to 85-82.

After Williams missed a driving layup, Houston's Bobby Jackson hit a 3-pointer that would have tied the game but Scola was called for an offensive foul away from the ball when he pushed Andrei Kirilenko.

McGrady blasted official Tony Brothers for the call and accused Kirilenko of exaggerating the contact.

"You can't call that," he said. "I like Tony Brothers, but that was a bad call. Very, very bad call. Three points down, crucial point in the game and Kirilenko flops. He flops and you call a foul on that? It was a bad call."

Kirilenko grabbed an offensive rebound on Utah's next possession and Kyle Korver flipped in a one-handed shot as the shot clock expired to put the game out of reach with 20 seconds to go.

Carlos Boozer added 13 points and Williams had five assists for the Jazz, who closed the game with a 14-8 run. Utah went only 17-24 on the road during the regular season, but the Jazz have won four straight playoff games in Houston, including the last two games at the Toyota Center in the first round last year.

"It's big for us," Boozer said. "We came in here trying to get Game 1. That was a tough task, but we accomplished it. And then Game 2 was tough, but we held our composure down the stretch and got a win."

Jackson bounced back from a 3-for-15 performance in Game 1 to score 18 points.

The Jazz led most of the way and were up 64-61 with 1:47 left in the third quarter when Williams limped to the locker room with a trainer after re-aggravating the injury that has bothered him for a week.

Ronnie Price, Williams' replacement, hit a 3-pointer just before the quarter ended to give Utah a 69-67 lead. Williams returned to the bench before the final quarter began.

He was back on the court with 9:18 left in the game, after Aaron Brooks blew by Price for a game-tying layup. McGrady went out for a rest when Williams came back and Williams drove for a layup with 7:41 left to put the Jazz up 76-74.

McGrady returned with 7:07 remaining and was fouled on a jumper with 6:39 left. He hit a free throw to tie the game at 76-all. Williams hit a short shot at the other end to put Utah back on top.

Kirilenko stole the ball from McGrady near the 5-minute mark and Williams made a free throw to give the Jazz an 81-76 lead. McGrady finished with five turnovers.

While the Rockets played better than they did in Game 1, they still had no answer for Williams, who hit the first three 3-pointers he attempted.

Boozer committed his second foul and went to the bench with 5:47 left in the first quarter, but the Rockets started committing careless turnovers that led to easy baskets and Utah stretched the lead.

Houston shot and rebounded better than it did in the first half of Game 1, but trailed by exactly the same score at the break, 47-41. Okur, who scored only four points in the opener, had 10 in the first half on Monday, including two 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds.

"My teammates created open shots for me and I felt real good," Okur said. "I was focused and I hit my shots."

Houston scored mostly inside in the first half, but went 0-for-7 from 3-point range.

The Rockets will need a near-miraculous comeback to win in the playoffs for the first time since the 1996-97 season. They can conjure hope from the fact that they handed Utah one of its four home losses this season -- but that was at the start of the regular season.

"It's not over yet," Okur said. "We're very happy to get two wins in Houston. We have to do the same things in Utah that we did in Houston and be ready to go after them at home."

Game notes
The Jazz have led at halftime in all nine playoff games with Houston dating to last season. ... Houston has lost its last four playoff series after dropping the first game. They haven't won a series after losing Game 1 since the second round in 1995, their second championship season, when they rallied past Phoenix in seven games. ... Reserve Chuck Hayes grabbed 10 rebounds for Houston.

Gilbert Arenas's defender, Delonte West, did a great job

Great players win games at key moments in the NBA, especially in the playoffs.

So it went Saturday in the heated and chippy first game of the first-round NBA playoffs series between the Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. One great player made two key baskets in the final minutes. Another couldn't make a knot in a shoelace.

LeBron James sank two difficult but graceful shots, with 1:37 left and 55 seconds left, to put the Cavs ahead by four in what would be a seven-point win.

Gilbert Arenas could not make a thing in the fourth quarter, missing his final four shots for the Wizards.

There was a reason: An unheralded Cavs guard took it upon himself to get in Arenas' space and face.

Forced to forgo the jump shot he loves, Arenas wound up throwing up airballs in crunch time.

Agent Zero took the zero — as in zero-for-four in the final 2:13.

Two 17-foot jumpers missed, then Arenas missed the basket completely on attempted drives — from 5 and 2 feet.

The last two weren't close.

All came off the dribble — even the 17-footers.

The reason?

Delonte West forced the issue.

The guard who came over from the Seattle SuperSonics at the trade deadline was vital in changing the tone of the game by taking away Arenas' jumpers.

Washington Wizards choose wrong tactics against Cleveland Cavaliers

CLEVELAND: Which moment shall we pick?

The one when DeShawn Stevenson waved his hand in front of his face after he made a 3-point shot with his Washington Wizards down 19?

Or when Brendan Haywood was ejected after a blatant and ugly flagrant foul on LeBron James as James drove to the basket?

Or when Gilbert Arenas spent much of the third quarter trying to bait Delonte West?

How about this one, more than any: When James answered Stevenson's ridiculous gesture by sinking a 3 of his own — right in front of Stevenson.

That shot summed up Game 2 between the Cavaliers and the Wizards better than anything.

While the Wizards were engaged in tomfoolery, the Cavs just played. Which is why they won 116-86, and why they lead the series 2-0.

The Cavs played as good a game as anyone could have hoped.

The Wizards deteriorated, and by the second half, they looked desperate — or like punks.

Take your pick.

Stevenson's signature move is to wave his hand in front of his face, but doing it when his team is getting shellacked was as amateur as it comes.

The same guy who called
James overrated has shot 14-for-62 in playoff games against the Cavaliers — 22.6 percent on your radio dial.

His team has lost eight in a row to the Cavs.

And he's going to wave his hand in front of his face to James?

Toronto Raptors working on their defense against Orlando Maginc

The Toronto Raptors tinkered with their starting lineup and tried a few new plays early in their first-round playoff opener against the Orlando Magic.

The result? After 12 minutes and a barrage of Magic 3-pointers, they were down 43-23, and all but out of it with three quarters left. But Raptors coach Sam Mitchell doesn't think their 114-100 loss Sunday had anything to do with the changes.

"The problem was we didn't play defense in the first quarter," Mitchell said.

He's convinced they can do better. As evidence, he mentioned the last six minutes of the first half, when the Magic scored only three points.

"I think any coach in the history of all sports would take that," Mitchell said. "So we understand that we can play a lot better defense."
Mitchell said he intends to stay with Andrea Bargnani at small forward in Game 2 on Tuesday night instead of rookie Jamario Moon, who had started 75 games.

The Raptors wanted the 7-foot Bargnani's size to keep Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu out of the post, but it's out-of-position for the former No. 1 overall pick. Moon saw his 28-minute-per-game average shrunk to just 4:48 on Sunday.

"We're asking a lot of (Bargnani) to go out there, step outside and be involved in pick and rolls — something he's not used to," Raptors forward Chris Bosh said. "We know its tough on him but we're trying to take away their post-ups."

Bosh, too, will be making adjustments. Blanketed by Rashard Lewis, he was 4-of-11 from the field but a perfect 13-of-13 from the free throw line for 21 points in Game 1. He said Toronto was trying too hard to adjust to the Magic, the playoff opponent it has known for weeks it would draw.

"I think the players got caught up in it, especially on defense," Bosh said. "We'd start giving them lanes, trying to cut off their right or left hand instead of playing them straight up, and that's how they got a lot of 3s. Tomorrow we just need to play straight up, play a classic style of basketball."

The question for Orlando is whether it can sustain that level of offense. The Magic tied a playoff record by going 9-of-11 on 3-point shooting in the first quarter, but went 4-for-18 the rest of the way. Orlando averaged just under 10 3s per game this season.

"The 3 is sort of a streaky thing, and you hope on most nights it's something that evens out over the course of the game, and it did last night," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "You're not going to keep up what we did in the first quarter."

It didn't help that Lewis, who led the team in 3-pointers made and hit 2-of-3 in the Magic's 43-point first quarter, tired himself out chasing Bosh.

"I had to pick my spots where I could take it on the offensive end, because he kind of wore me out trying to front him and fight him in the post," Lewis said.

Bosh said Lewis' strong-arming surprised him, but he thinks he knows how to play it now.

"He sat on my left hand — took me awhile to figure that out," said Bosh, a lefty. "I've seen that before and I've had success against it. Now I know the scheme and I can break it down and I know what I can get out of it. I'm going to definitely use everything early to set myself up for later in the game."

Though Toronto helped cool Orlando's 3-point shots later in the game, they couldn't solve Dwight Howard inside. The All-Star center had 18 points and 13 rebounds in the second half alone. Perhaps as important, the 59 percent free throw shooter made 9-of-11 from the line.

"Now we have to think twice about fouling him," Bosh said. "But we still have to see if that was only one game."

Cleveland 116, Washington 86

The Cleveland Cavaliers' extreme makeover is complete.

For more than two months since a colossal trade dismantled the defending Eastern Conference champions, Cleveland has waited for the game where its team of mixed parts and new faces finally molded into a legitimate NBA title contender.

It happened.

Maybe Gilbert Arenas was talking about some other Cavaliers a few weeks back. The team he faced Monday night doesn't look so beatable. LeBron James scored 30 points, Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16, and the Cavs played their best game since the Feb. 21 megatrade, blowing out the Washington Wizards 116-86 to take a 2-0 lead in an opening-round playoff series oozing with bad blood.

The 30-point margin of victory was the largest in Cleveland's 112-game postseason history, and the Cavaliers' performance was perhaps their finest 48 minutes since November.

"We are playing the champs," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "I know they changed their team. But they still have the same coaching staff, the monster player and he's taking over the series."

James was scary all right.

He scored 14 points in the third quarter when the Cavs opened a 25-point lead over the Wizards, whose defensive scheme coming into their third series in as many years with Cleveland was to slow the superstar by roughing him up with hard, clean fouls.

It may be time for Plan B.

The Wizards hardly bothered James, who finished with 12 assists and nine rebounds, barely missing his third career postseason triple-double. James went to the bench with 6:12 left. At that point, the Cavaliers were leading by 24 points and coach Mike Brown inserted seldom-used reserves Dwayne Jones and Damon Jones.

With his team up by 15 at halftime, Brown began reminding his team about the importance of staying aggressive. He only got in a few words.

"I didn't say anything," Brown said. "LeBron James did. LeBron started talking, I just left and the guys just followed his lead."

Wally Szczerbiak added 15 points for the Cavs, who have struggled with injuries and inconsistency since GM Danny Ferry dealt half his roster at the trading deadline. With Cleveland staggering, Arenas called out the Cavs, saying "I think everybody wants Cleveland in that first round" and "We don't think they can beat us in the playoffs three years straight."

Those comments followed Wizards forward DeShawn Stevenson calling James "overrated."

Washington is eating its words.

The Wizards have lost eight straight playoff games to Cleveland, and they'll have to figure out something before Thursday night's Game 3 in Washington or they'll be heading off on summer vacation, again courtesy of the Cavs.

Arenas went 2-for-10 from the field and Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison were both 4-of-13 as the Wizards' Big Three combined for 28 points. The trio spent much of the fourth quarter sitting and thinking about what happened and the task ahead.

"For us to come out undisciplined and unfocused was real disappointing," Jamison said.

Despite all the trash talk, Jamison insists the Wizards weren't taking the Cavs lightly.

"We didn't underestimate anybody," he said. "We know this is a very special team. They didn't play well in the last month of the regular season, but just like any veteran team, when the playoffs get started you're going to elevate your game. "Let's be honest. Some guys talked. It's over with. We know this team is capable of not only going past the first round but going past that."

James withstood more rough treatment by the Wizards.

In the third quarter, Washington center Brendan Haywood was ejected for a flagrant foul on James. Haywood didn't make much of an effort to go for the ball and shoved James hard with both hands as he drove and the All-Star went flying out of bounds.

"It was scary," said James, who compared it to when he got undercut as a high school junior and broke his wrist. "I knew it was going to be a tough fall. I bounced up, though."

Haywood, who had an altercation with James in Game 1, could face further discipline for the intentional foul. He didn't speak to the media and was escorted from Quicken Loans Arena by a security guard.

James didn't have an opinion on whether Haywood should be suspended.

"It was not a basketball play in any shape or form," he said.

It was hardly the only physical one.

In the first half, Arenas was called for a technical foul and Cleveland's Anderson Varejao was given a flagrant foul after hitting Washington's Andray Blatche in the face.

The Wizards may be acting like bullies, but they insist they don't want to do anything more than make James work harder.

"There's a difference between taking hard fouls and trying to hurt somebody," Washington's Antonio Daniels said. "No one in this locker room or that locker room fouls anybody with the intention of hurting him. That's not the way the NBA is. That's not the way it's played. We all get knocked to the floor. That's playoff basketball. When you drive, you should expect to get hit."

The Wizards' problem in Game 1 was they missed shots the down stretch with a chance to win. They were cold again, but this time it had a lot to do with Cleveland's defense. Washington shot 38 percent from the field, missed 11 free throws and was outrebounded 49-34 while being outscored 80-50 over the final 30 minutes.

Notes: Jordan's message to the Wizards before Game 2: "Play harder, play better, play with more intensity, play smarter.'' ... The Cavaliers are 6-0 in series when they win Game 1, including 3-0 against the Wizards. ... Washington fell to 2-13 in their last 15 playoff games. ... The Wizards are 0-4 in Cleveland this season. The lost to the Cavs on Feb. 22, when Cleveland dressed just eight players one day after its three-team trade with Chicago and Seattle.

Andrew Bynum won't return anytime soon

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson indicated Monday the team doesn't expect injured center Andrew Bynum to make a serious contribution any time soon.

When asked after practice if there was a risk of messing up team chemistry by playing 7-footers Bynum and Pau Gasol at the same time, Jackson replied: "I think without a doubt that Andrew would come off the bench and we would play him a little bit off the bench if there was any chance that he could come back and play again, but it's such a remote thing. We're not seriously thinking about it.''

Gasol had 36 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists in the Lakers' 128-114 victory over Denver on Sunday in Game 1 of their first round playoff series.

The 20-year-old Bynum averaged 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots before injuring his left knee Jan. 13. He hasn't been cleared for practice, nor has forward Trevor Ariza, who hasn't played since breaking his right foot Jan. 20. Ariza averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 24 games after being acquired from Orlando on Nov. 20.

Jackson said Ronny Turiaf was sent home Monday because of a sore throat, but he hoped the backup forward/center would be available Wednesday night in Game 2 of the Lakers' first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. And reserve center DJ Mbenga was hospitalized after a collision in a 2-on-2 game following practice. Team spokesman John Black said a CT scan showed Mbenga had bruised ribs on his right side and was listed as day-to-day.

In Denver, Nuggets coach George Karl said Monday there was a "good chance'' he would make a lineup change in Game 2.

"We talked about some lineup changes before yesterday,'' Karl said. "We decided to go with the guys that got us to the dance. There is a good chance there will be a change.''

Reserve Linas Kleiza scored a career playoff high 23 points in nearly 38 minutes, and fellow backup J.R. Smith added 15 points in almost 23 minutes in Game 1.

Karl also said he was "really disappointed'' with his team's defensive effort in the opener.

"I don't think we matched their playoff intensity and defensively, we got shocked by the high-low game of Gasol and (Lamar) Odom,'' Karl said. "We generally froze up in a big game, the first game of a series. I don't think we performed at a level we are capable of performing.''

Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin said he believes his team can make the necessary adjustments.

"We didn't do a real good job helping one another,'' Martin said. "It wasn't just a particular matchup. Most teams that win championships play defense. We want to be one of those teams.''

Teammate Marcus Camby agreed, saying: "Defense is a whole lot more important now. Defense is something we talked about all season long. We're not that bad a defensive team as it is being made out to be.''

Camby, the NBA's defensive player of the year last season, had only four points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots along with a team-high four turnovers in Game 1. He sat out the entire fourth quarter.

"I'm not frustrated with it,'' Camby said. "The guys that were in there were playing hard. I have to be ready to go on Wednesday.''