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NBA 2001 Iverson Has Not Been Outdone Thursday, June 14, 2001 ISWire --- The National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers have been putting up a good fight against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2001 NBA Finals, but it does not appear as if they have enough in the tank to take the title from Tinseltown. Their 100-86 loss to the Lakers Wednesday night at the First Union Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, put them down 3-1 in the series and basically gave them the almost impossible task of beating the Lakers in three straight games. After the game Philly guard Allen Iverson talked about how unstoppable Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal is (34 points, 14 rebounds 5 assists in Game 4) and he gushed about his skill, but Iverson himself has the been the show of the playoffs. While O'Neal has had his sidekick, guard Kobe Bryant, Iverson has guided his squad through the playoff jungle pretty much alone and put the team on his back. He has shown in the playoffs that he has the NBA legend Michael Jordan-like intensity to take over a game, and has struck fear in the heart of his opponents and their fans when he got hot. "He just has the ability to create this energy around him that carries the team," said Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. "He is a gritty player." Iverson scored 35 points Wednesday night in the 76ers loss on a poor shooting night of 12 for 30, but he was still the driving force behind Philly's only run late in the fourth quarter when Philly cut it to 77-70 with 9:45 remaining. At that point in the game, Jackson pulled Bryant from the lineup and used his many other weapons to secure the lead. Iverson has never had the luxury of a rest in the playoffs, and will likely not rest on the court until the series is over.
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ISWire -- The Philadelphia 76ers are battered, a little beaten up, and could be close to breaking down if they lose Wednesday night against the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers in Game 3 of the 2001 NBA Finals at the First Union Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Coming into the game, Philly is down 2-1 in the series and going into a 3-1 hole against the defending champion Lakers will likely be too much for 76ers guard Allen Iverson & Co. to handle.
"We need this win there no doubt about that," said 76ers head coach Larry Brown. "Going down 3-1 against the Lakers is not any coach's idea of fun."
The return of forward George Lynch, who had bum foot, should help Philly, as he is an active player under the boards and on the perimeter. But the keys for Philly will likely be Allen Iverson playing phenomenal and center Dikembe Mutombo continuing to play well against Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal.
So far Philly has proved to be a team with guts that has stood in with the powerhouse Lakers and not stepped down. Now with the team still ailing a little as guard Aaron McKie and Eric Snow are nursing injuries, they need to muster up they extra energy to make this a series again tied it at 2-2.
If not it looks like O'Neal or Tinseltown guard Kobe Bryant will be heading to Disneyland.
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ISWire -- With the Los Angeles Lakers clinging to a six point lead against the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter Sunday night at First Union Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Lakers head coach Phil Jackson did not panic when center Shaquille O'Neal picked up his fifth foul with 6:28 to play in the tilt. Jackson made the decision to keep O'Neal in the game knowing that Philly would likely attack O'Neal and try to land the big man on the pine with his sixth foul.
The move by Jackson showed the confidence he had in his squad to play without O'Neal and showed the value Zen master Jackson places on the team game. O'Neal eventually did foul out with 2:21 remaining in the game, but a smaller lineup without O'Neal led the way for Tinseltown in their 96-91 win over the 76ers in Game 3 of the 2001 NBA Finals.
Lakers guards Kobe Bryant, Tyronn Lue, Brian Shaw, Rick Fox and forward Robert Horry were on the court come crunch time and they made sure the Lakers won the game and took a 2-1 lead going into Wednesday night's Game 4 at the First Union Arena.
"We had a similar game in Indiana last year [when the Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers in the 2000 Finals] where we had to finish the game without Shaq," Jackson said. "We're an effective team and we weren't afraid of Shaq just fouling out, that that was going to be the end. I knew we could win either way."
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ISWire -- When the National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers turned their season around in 2000-2001, many pointed to the ability of Lakers head coach Phil Jackson to finally bring Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal and guard Kobe Bryant together.
Lost in the celebration of Jackson and the re-emergence of Bryant and O'Neal though, was the fact that the return of the Lakers dominance coincided with the arrival of point guard Derek Fisher. Fisher had been out most of the season and when he returned to the lineup in April 2001, the Lakers went on their tear. With Fisher on the court, the Lakers were 25-8, without him they were 31-18.
Fisher is also one of the most respected players in the Lakers clubhouse and many say even Bryant and O'Neal listen when the floor general from the University of Arkansas opines.
With Fisher's presence on the Lakers obviously helping the squad, some are wondering if his inability to guard Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson in Game 1 of the 2001 finals at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, will hurt the team. Iverson lit up Fisher and Jackson was forced to bring in point guard Tyronn Lue down the stretch.
Lue did a solid job of guarding Iverson and cut his production dramatically, but he did make an errant pass in overtime that helped the Philly seal their 107-101 win. The Lakers may find themselves, as the series progresses, in the position of not having their best point guard on the court when it counts the most because they need someone to contain Iverson.
"We need to give Derek or whoever guards Allen," Jackson said, "better help of defense."
Fisher was a part of the Lakers renaissance in 2001, but his inability to hang with Iverson may keep him on the pine in crunch time in the finals.
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ISWire -- The slogan for the 2001 National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs is "It's All Good", but as far as the Nielsen Media Research television ratings go it has not been "All Good" at all for the NBA. In fact, since His Airness' final and well-watched inertial juggernaut through the playoffs on NBC Inc. in 1998, ratings have declined every year from an average household rating of 7.7 in 1998 to a comparatively paltry 4.9 share through the Philadelphia 76ers Game 7 clincher Sunday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.
No one is sure how the league will do when Philly squares off against the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, but if the past and the 2001 ratings are an indication, commissioner David Stern might not be too happy.
Overall, through the first 30 games of the NBA playoffs, NBC has averaged a 4.9 national rating, down 10 percent from 2000. The 2001 Eastern Conference finals ratings were 30 percent below the 14.9 national figures for last season's rubber match between the Lakers and Blazers in the 2000 Western conference finals. NBC's regular season ratings were also bearish, down 10 percent from last season and 30 percent from 1998-1999.
In an attempt to lure more viewers in for the NBA finals, NBC has hooked bands U2 and Sugar Ray to provide the halftime entertainment. Conventional wisdom, pundits, odds-makers and casual fans alike have largely predicted Laker dominance -- not surprising since The Lake Show have not lost since April 1, a string of 66 days and 19 victories without a hash mark in the other column. Stern might be bringing the big time entertainment to help compensate for the big time lack of interest if the Lakers romp.
NBA poobahs may also be bringing on Bono because the ratings are especially important to the NBA as their television deals are in the penultimate season, running out with NBC and AOL Time Warner Inc.'s cable brands Turner Broadcasting Station (TBS) and Turner Network Television (TNT) at the end of the 2001-2002 season. Both companies have first dibs on renewing their deals -- an exclusive 30-day renegotiating period in September 2001. Should they be unable to agree upon a new contract or pass upon continued coverage, the NBA would be fair game for other interested networks. A ratings dip could be detrimental to bidding and weaken the NBA's bargaining power come contract renewal time.
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ISWire -- While National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson are definitely going to get their points in the 2001 finals, the big key to the series might be how well the teams do down low.
When the finals kickoff Wednesday night at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, California, the 76ers will likely have to figure out a way to stop Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal. Philly center Dikembe Mutombo should help the squad from the Urb of Sibling Affection, but teams have needed all the help they could get in containing Shaq Dollar.
Forward George Lynch is a big part of the 76ers interior defense and he has not played since he injured his foot in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Toronto Raptors. The bad news for Philly is that he will be out the first three games of the series, and the good new is that he should be back by Game Four.
Lynch has been working out on his foot and is finally in sneakers shooting the rock.
"No cutting," Lynch said, "but I did run and come to a complete stop today on the heel. But the surfaces from wood to sand are totally different. I'm not going to do any cutting or running today. The doctor just wants me to shoot around and see how I feel walking on the floor. And we'll take it from there."
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ISWire -- With the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Nielsen Media Research television ratings going up and down in the 2001 NBA postseason, NBA Entertainment -- the entertainment wing of the NBA -- has announced that NBA fans will be treated to tunes from the rock band U2 at halftime Wednesday in Game One of the NBA finals.
U2's concert at the Fleet Center in Boston, Massachusetts, will be beamed in to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, so fans in the stands and fans watching the game on television can listen to U2 lead singer Bono wail in between watching the Los Angeles Lakers battle the Philadelphia 76ers.
NBA Entertainment is also planning to have the rock band Sugar Ray perform live at Game Five at the First Union Center, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Besides Sugar Ray and U2 the NBA is also considering having the R&B; group Destiny's Child perform. Destiny's Child performed for the NBA earlier in 2000 at the NBA Store in Gotham.
"We may be able to get fringe fans more interested in the NBA through these halftime performance," said NBA executive vice president and executive producer for NBA Entertainment Gregg Winik. "The finals generally attracts more fans than just the normal NBA fan. "
Winik also said the hit NBC Inc. television show "The Weakest Link" will appear at halftime during Game 2 and Game 3. Some NBA on NBC broadcasters and NBA players will appear on the show.
"We hope these shows will improve some of the ratings," said Winik, "so far they have been pretty good. "
NBA's Nielsen ratings on NBC Inc. for Eastern Conference and Western Conference finals were down 15% percent from the 2000 playoffs. The NBA was hurt the most by the Western Conference finals series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers swept the Spurs in four games and the series did not garner much interest after L.A jumped ahead 2-0 in the series. As a result, the final two games between the Spurs and the Lakers last weekend were down 16 percent. The Eastern Conference finals games between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers overall were down about 15 percent. The dip for the NBA comes after the NBA finally saw some improvement in the second round after seeing a dip in the first round. Through the regular season, ratings were also down.
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ISWire -- With the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2001 finals about to go down Wednesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, there has been tons of talk about the matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
But in particular there has also been talk about a huge matchup between two of the league's bright young stars as Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Philly guard Allen Iverson will likely be guarding each other.
Iverson and Bryant have had phenomenal runs in the playoffs so far and they are headed for a collision course. The two times they met in the regular season Bryant gave Iverson some trouble because of his size and his speed, but with the stakes very high Iverson will try to take his game to another level.
"He has given me some problems in the past," Iverson said, "but I can't worry about that know because this is the NBA finals."
As for Bryant he just wants to stick with the norm and make life hard for the Answer.
"I have had some success against," Bryant said, "but he is great so I have to keep working hard."
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson gave another clutch performance Monday afternoon at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as he scored 11 of the 76ers final 13 points in their 89-83 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The win ties the Eastern Conference finals series at 2-2 and gives Philly a little more confidence heading into Game 5. Philly had lost two straight games heading into Game 4 and played Game 3 without Iverson, who wad recovering from a bum hip. With Iverson back, Philly looked strong.
"It was good to come back and get this win," Iverson said. "I think the team hung tough without me and we showed that we are going to be tough to bring down. I felt good being back on the court and I am going to give all I got for the rest of the series."
Bucks head coach George Karl was upset that his team lost the chance to go 3-1 on the 76ers, but still thinks his team will win the series. Milwaukee guard Ray Allen had a rough game and only scored 14 points, but vowed to play tougher in Game 5.
"We lost a tough one," Allen said, "but we will come back."
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson has been called a lot of things since he entered the league, and now you can add Most Valuable Player (MVP) to the list.
Iverson was named the NBA's 2000-2001 MVP Tuesday afternoon after he received 1,121 points to beat out San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan who garnered 706 points. The Answer was the favorite to win the award as he led the 76ers to the best record in the Eastern conference and also seemed to mature during the 2000-2001 season.
"It's special because of everything I went through last summer," Iverson said. "I had to look in the mirror and see things I didn't do right as a person or a player. I promised myself when I look in the mirror after this season, I'll know I did everything right."
Iverson was almost traded by 76ers in summer 2000 because he could not get along with head coach Larry Brown, but Iverson pleaded with 76ers president and minority owner Pat Croce to not sling him. The Answer stayed and was more of a team player in 2000-2001.
Right now he is in a second round playoff battle as the 76ers and the Toronto Raptors are tied 2-2 in their best of seven second round playoff series. The Raptors and 76ers square off at the First Union Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Wednesday night.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks head coach George Karl has said all throughout the 2000-2001 season that the Bucks win their games by dropping jump shots from all over the court. And now that they are on the brink of elimination after losing 94-86 to the Charlotte Hornets Tuesday night at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he does not want them to stop trying to shoot the lights out.
"In this series," Karl said, "we've had fundamental breakdowns. Rebounding one game, turnovers another game. But it's not scientific. It's not complicated. We're not shooting the ball worth a damn. We got to shoot the ball better."
The Bucks shot terribly Tuesday and only hit 36 percent of their shots from the field, while the Hornets, usually a defensive half court team, had no problem lighting up the scoreboard to give the Hornets a 3-2 series lead in the best of seven series. Hornets forward Jamal Mashburn continued to emerge in the playoffs and scored 24 points, and Charlotte guard Baron Davis buried five three's in his 19 point performance.
The series now returns to the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, for game #6. Meanwhile the Philadelphia 76ers and the Toronto Raptors are tied 2-2 in their series and play Wednesday night at the First Union Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Charlotte Hornets forward Jamal Mashburn scored 36 points Thursday night at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, and led the Hornets in their 102-92 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
The win was the first for the Hornets in their second round playoff matchup against the Bucks. Milwaukee took the first two games at home and now lead the best of seven series 2-1 after the loss. For a while it looked like the Bucks would go up 3-0, but Mashburn had a career night and kept hitting the big shots.
"He was the difference," Bucks guard Ray Allen said. "Every time we came back, he kept knocking us right back down. He really carried them and our attention to defensive detail was just not there."
The Hornets will get another shot at home in game #4 Sunday. A key for the Hornets to even up the series might be stopping Allen. Allen was limited to only six points in the second half.
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ISWire -- When players on the National Basketball Association (NBA) Denver Nuggets decided not to attend practice in December 2000 because they were upset with head coach and president of basketball operations Dan Issel, most people thought Issel would at least lose his dual role.
But team owner Stan Kroenke said Tuesday that Issel was there to stay as his main man. Issel has two more years left on his contract with the team, and Kroenke says he plans to see Issel finish them out.
"I never thought anything would be different going into next year," Issel said. "We're improving and Stan has been nothing but supportive of me and the job I've done. "
Issel also indicated that since vice president of basketball operations Denny McGowan resigned last week he might hire a general manager to help him with personnel decisions. The Nuggets walked out on Issel after he reamed power forward Raef LaFrentz in the Fleet Center locker room in Boston, Massachusetts, for an awful shooting performance in an overtime loss to the Boston Celtics. LaFrentz went 0 of 7 from the parquet and threw in 5 fouls in the bargain (ISWire Basketball News: December 12, 2001).
"The team got together and discussed some things, and [not practicing] is what the conclusion was [Monday]," said Nuggets forward James Posey in December 2000. "That's all I would really say about it. We got to change the team and we got together and we talked about things. And that is what the conclusion was. We don't know if we are going to play or not. We'll be there for shoot-around, and we'll see what goes on."
Nuggets players eventually decided to practice and following the incident, Kroenke said he would not ax Issel, but would reevaluate the situation at the end of the 2000?2001 season.
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ISWire -- Reebok International Ltd. saw profits rise 30 percent in the first quarter of 2001, and a large part of the improvement has been fueled by the popularity of National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson. Iverson endorses Reebok shoes and apparel.
"According to the independent market research firms that track the footwear industry," said Reebok chief executive officer (CEO) Paul Fireman, our Reebok brand is gaining market share in several key markets around the world...And one of Reeboks premier athletes, Allen Iverson, is lighting it up in the NBA and at retail. Our Iverson product sold very well during the first quarter of 2001."
Reebok's first quarter ended March 31, 2001 and it reported a profit of $41 million on $770 million worth of sales. Fireman said Iverson's sales could continue to soar if the 76ers go far into the 2000-2001 playoffs. Right now Philly leads the Indiana Pacers 2-1 in their first round playoff series. Many scribes and mikes have them winning the Eastern Conference and making it to the NBA finals.
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ISWire -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks won their first playoff series in 12 years Tuesday night by beating the Orlando Magic 112-104 at Orlando Magic Arena in Orlando, Florida.
Leading the way for the Bucks high powered offense were the usual suspects as guard Ray Allen (26), point guard Sam Cassell (25) and forward Glen Robinson (17) all scored in double figures. For the Magic, guard Tracy McGrady continued his clutch post season play and scored 25 points.
Up next of the Bucks are the Charlotte Hornets who looked great sweeping the Miami heat 3-0 in the first round of the playoffs.
"We have a day, maybe," said Bucks head coach George Karl, "to celebrate, but we're hoping to make this a beginning, not a celebration."
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ISWire -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) Dallas Mavericks kept their playoff hopes alive Tuesday night by beating the Utah Jazz 107-77 in game #4 of their first round playoff series at Reunion Arena, in Dallas, Texas.
It looked doubtful for Mavs owner Mark Cuban and his squad after they fell behind 2-0 in the playoff series, but with this win the series is tied at 2-2 and the Mavs will face off against the Jazz in Utah for the final tilt.
"We definitely feel confident," said Mavs point guard Steve Nash. "We feel we're coming of age. If we continue improving, we'll reach the stage where we can say we've arrived, our backs are against the wall. They're very experienced, especially in front of their home crowd."
This is the Mavericks first time in the playoffs in 11 years and they have been lead by German born center Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki scored 33 points for the second straight night Tuesday and dropped 5-three pointers on the Jazz. The two tango again Thursday and the winner of the series gets to face the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal's record label TWISM -- which stands for "The World Is Mine" -- inked a deal with Trauma Records to have them distribute, produce and market TWISM's recordings, according to published reports.
O'Neal said in November 2000 that he plans to get back in the studio and start recording another rap album. O'Neal's first album did very well on the charts when it came out. ShaqDollar's teammate, guard Kobe Bryant, is also working on a rap album.
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ISWire -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) Toronto Raptors evened up their playoff series with the New York Knicks Thursday night at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in Gotham by winning 94-74.
Leading the way for the Raptors in their effort to knot the series at 1-1 was forward Vince Carter. Carter has been a no show in the playoffs since the Raptors 2000 first round matchup against the Knicks, and Thursday was his first breakout playoff performance. Vinsanity scored 22 points went on a second half scoring spree that sealed the game.
"This is big for us," Carter said. "Our first playoff win as a franchise and my first playoff win. I hope this was a confidence builder."
The Knicks swept the Raptors in the first round in 2000 and Carter looked weak. In game #1 in 2001, he also played poorly and the Knicks easily won. With the series heading back to Toronto, Canada, for games #3 and #4, Carter will again get a chance to prove he can play in the playoffs.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Phoenix Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo -- a member of the NBA's relocation committee -- said Monday that if the city of Memphis, Tennessee, wants to take in the Vancouver Grizzlies or the Charlotte Hornets it will need to build a new arena.
"There's no question in my mind," Colangelo said, "that a prerequisite is probably a new facility. That's a personal opinion, from experience."
Colangelo's comments come as city business leaders, politicians and citizens are debating over whether or not they should pay for a arena through tax increases. This has caused concern, because one of the key reasons Memphis won out over cities like Louisville, Kentucky, and Anaheim, California, was because the Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley felt he would get a sweet arena deal in Memphis. Charlotte Hornets co-owner Ray Woolridge and George Schinn also applied to move to Memphis because they thought they would get a new arena deal.
Although there re-location plans are more precautionary as they said they will only try to move if the citizens in Charlotte, North Carolina, don't pass a June 2001 stadium referendum. NBA commissioner David Stern said in March 2001 that the NBA Board of Governors had 120 days to decide whether or not the Grizzlies or the Hornets will move to Memphis. Stern has also said Memphis needs to build a new arena.
"A new arena is an important part of the re-location," Stern said.
Opponents of the arena, feel only the wealthy would benefit from having new digs, as many of the seats would be sold to corporations. They also point out that Memphis already has the Pyramid, in Memphis, Tennessee. The Pyramid is an arena, but it does not have many luxury sweets or club seats. Under the plan from the private investment group that is trying to bring the Grizzlies or the Hornets to Memphis, either team would play in the Pyramid for the first two years, while a new arena was being built. To build the arena, the city would be asked to contribute $52 million from taxes.
"Intimacy sells in our business," Colangelo said. "The Pyramid wouldn't qualify as a building with intimacy, with the amenities that are required in this day and age. So from the standpoint of retro-fitting versus building from scratch, a new facility gives you the opportunity, obviously, to do everything you need from a high-tech standpoint, to put in the amenities you could build upon."
If the Hornets don't get their stadium and Memphis refuses to build an arena the NBA may be stuck with two teams that have no city.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Philadelphia 76ers point guard Allen Iverson talked throughout the 2000-2001 season about wanting to win an NBA championship. Now that the playoffs are here he can no longer talk about it, he has to step up and lead his team to the title.
In game #1 against the Indiana Pacers, Iverson had his juice stolen by Pacers guard Reggie Miller as he nailed a last second three to win the game. But in game #2 Tuesday night, Iverson prevailed as his 45 points led the 76ers to a 116-98 win at the First Union Arena, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"I'm going to remember this game for a long time," Iverson said. "I've been playing a lot off my God-given ability. This game took a lot of thinking. I'm pleased with my mental aspect coming into the game."
The Answer raced up and down the court all night and it was apparent he was coming out strong to lead his team. Miller came out strong as well, scoring 33 points in the first half, but he cooled in the second and only finished with 41 points.
With the series tied 1-1 and it heading back to Indiana, Iverson will likely need to keep brining his A-game as the Pacers are a smart playoff team and have eliminated the 76ers before. Miller loves a grudge match and most of the Pacers team was on 2000 squad that went to the 2000 NBA finals and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"This series will be a tough one," Miller said, "but I love the challenge. It will be good to get back to Indiana."
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has taken the active owner shtick to a whole new level during the 2000-2001 season. When NBA commissioner David Stern fined Cuban $100,000 last Friday for making a derogatory gesture during a game last week the gesture and subsequent fine brought his tab for the season up to $505,000. Cuban has said he will pay for all the fines, which he has amassed for yelling at officials and being an overly active fan, but his method of payment may be a bit unorthodox.
"I pay Stern with pennies," Cuban said over the weekend. "I put tons of pennies into a jar and have a tightly secured security van drive them up and drop them off at the NBA offices. "
All kidding aside, Cuban is serious about paying, but is not serious about toning his image or his off court antics down.
"If it's about me having to sit on my hands and not stand up and not jump up and down when something happens, that's craziness," Cuban said. "That's craziness. Why should I have to be any different than a normal fan? The game is still going to be the game regardless of what Mark Cuban says or does."
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ISWire - The National Basketball Association (NBA) Milwaukee Bucks won their ninth straight game against the Orlando Magic Monday night at the Orlando Magic Arena in Orlando, Florida, and that does not bode well for the Magic men as they will face Milwaukee in the first round of the playoffs.
By beating the Magic 101-89, the Bucks continued their dominance of Orlando and made the Magic's first round playoff series even more daunting. At 52-29 the Bucks have secured the #2 seed and the Magic (43-38) have secured the #7 seed so they will square off.
"We feel like we match up well against them in the playoffs," said Bucks forward Scott Williams. "They just don't have the firepower necessary to last 48 minutes with us."
Magic forward Tracy McGrady feels as if the Magic can get it together against the Bucks, but admitted it will be tough after having such a tough time beating them in the 2000-2001 season.
Besides the Bucks and the Magic, the other set first round match in the Eastern conference will pit the #1 seed Philadelphia 76ers against the #8 seed Indiana Pacers. The series between the #3 and #6 seeds and the #4 and #5 seed have yet to be determined.
The Miami Heat (48-32) and the New York Knicks (47-34) are fighting for the #4 seed, with the Heat leading by a game and a half. While the Knicks have one game left against the Detroit Pistons, the Heat have two against the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Charlotte Hornets (45-36) and the Toronto Raptors (45-35) are battling for the #5 seed and the Raptors have a half game lead over the Hornets. Charlotte finishes up the season against the Boston Celtics and the Raptors play the Washington Wizards and the Detroit Pistons to finish up the season.
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ISWire -- To many basketball fans, the rhythmic dribbling television spot now extant for Nike Inc. is easily the best hoops advertisement ever because it captures the variegated elements of the elevator game - the street, the sound, the skill, the stars. Produced by advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy of Portland, Oregon, the "Freestyle" television advertisement has now officially taken on a life of its own with the news that an expanded version will appear on MTV as part of choreographer Savion Glover's appearance this week on MTV's "V.J. for a Day."
The spot will run five more times on the music channel through April 27, 2001. In
"Freestyle," streetball players perform alongside National Basketball Association (NBA) stars Vince Carter of the Toronto Raptors, Jason Williams of the Sacramento Kings, Rasheed Wallace of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Darius Miles and Lamar Odom of the Los Angeles Clippers.
One difference: the typical MTV credits for song and director won't show up "to make it clear this [Nike commercial] is not being treated as programming," according to MTV mouthpiece Graham James. Music video director Paul Hunter shot "Freestyle."
"It's MTV's prerogative to view this as an ad," said Nike spokesperson Scott Reames, "and we're fine with that. We view the creative aspect as more in keeping with a video, but it's most important that it's seen and enjoyed by the audience for MTV and the audience for Nike, which are very similar." "It doesn't have any shoe shots," said Wieden & Kennedy creative director and art director Hal Curtis, a co-producer of the spot. "It's more about celebrating the game. We were interested in something that would turn kids on to basketball so they'd pick up the ball and play.
We wanted to communicate that basketball is a game about freedom and self-expression and individuality. It seems to rise above selling a sneaker, though obviously that's what we want to have happen."
Reames said the dribbling spot has generated more positive responses from fans than any other in the company's history - quite a statement considering the stable of striking Nike ads going back to "Bo Knows" starring multisport star Bo Jackson.
The Weiden & Kennedy agency and Nike's JORDAN brand came out with a music video in January 2001 based on the commercial "Much Respect." That video now airs on NBA.com, MTV2, and BET. The piece goes for 2 minutes and 30 seconds to the music of Steve Brown and Africa Bombatta.
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ISWire -- National Basketball Association (NBA) Washington Wizards part?owner Abe Pollin is salivating over the possibility of Michael Jordan returning to the court and stepping down as part owner and president of basketball operations for the Wizards, but His Airness has denied the rumors again.
"I haven't wavered one bit from what I've been saying," Jordan said. "If I had to answer today, I'm 99.9 percent sure I won't play again."
Pollin said Monday that he could see Jordan coming back and playing for the 2001?2002 season. Pollin's comments come as Jordan has begun practicing with the Wizards players. In March 2001 rumors began to fly that Jordan would return because he was playing ball in a gym with former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley. Barkley said he was thinking of coming back with Jordan and playing for the Wizards. After Barkley began airing his opinion in March 2001, Jordan said he was 99.9 percent sure he would not return to the NBA as a player.
Of course Pollin would love to see Jordan return to the court because that would probably make Pollin wealthier and would also make the woeful Wizards, presumably better and possibly a playoff team. One reason His Airness has said he does not want to come back is because he would have to give up his ownership stake in the team. Jordan, Pollin and Ted Leonsis all own a piece of the Wizards.
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ISWire - In December 2000, Philadelphia 76ers strength coach John Croce - the brother of franchise president and part-owner Pat Croce - said in an interview that Sixers star Allen Iverson and his mother were known as "The Beverly Hillbillies" by some in the franchise because they had so much cash they did not know what to do with it.
John Croce resigned when he was accused of stealing cash from Iverson in the Philly locker room based on hidden videotaping done by the franchise after complaints by the players. Philadelphia players had been complaining of thefts since the 1999-2000 season. No charges have been filed as yet.
"The Beverly Hillbillies," of course, is the hit 1960s television show about a family of folk who strike oil and head to Beverly, there to bring their country ways to the rich, citified citizenry.
The situation in Philly has shown a spotlight on Iverson's propensity to carry cash rather than more secure plasticized financial instruments.
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ISWire - His Airness just cannot get enough of that parquet stuff.
Maybe that explains why Michael Jordan - now treadmilling as the National Basketball Association (NBA) Washington Wizards part-owner and president of basketball operations - laced it up for practice with the Beltway team for the second and third time in two weeks.
In typically Jordanesque fashion, the greatest player in the history of the game attributed his newbie practice schedule to a need to ward off lard, not an imminent comeback. Worth noting nonetheless: Jordan, 38, wore a #23 Wizards jersey.
"The only thing this signals," MJ said, "is that I'm getting some exercise."
"I think this is something all the young players should feel lucky to be a part of," said Wiz head coach Leonard Hamilton.
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National Basketball Association (NBA) Toronto Raptors power forward Charles Oakley - a man of phosphorescent suits and flamboyant opinions - is making no new friends among the poobahs in the league office.
First the Oak Man charged that 60 percent of all NBA players are on drugs. Now he says the league could care less about his team because it is ensconsed in Canada.
"I didn't hurt my team," Oakley said. "The league hurt the team. They hurt the team by putting it in Canada.
Oakley was smoking about his latest punishment: he was fined $10,000 for bonking Philadelphia 76ers power forward Tyrone Hill in the head with a basketball Tuesday morning when practices for the two teams overlapped. Oakley and Hill ran into each other before a preseason game and Oakley slapped him so they both got the heave-ho.
"NBA security reported what happened," Oakley opined about the practice brouhaha, "but didn't report about not getting them off the court until 11:15 [AM] when we're there at 11 [AM]. I told the NBA: 'You all let go on what you want to let go on, but you're making me out the issue.' I'm not the issue. The league is the issue."
Practice has been perilous for the Oak Man: he was also fined $15,000 and suspended for three games for ponging Los Angeles Clippers point guard Jeff McInnis during a December 2000 shootaround.
"They don't care about the team," Oakley said of the NBA's attitude toward Toronto. "It's not easy getting back into the States all the time. You got to go through customs, get checked by dogs."
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An online report charging National Basketball Association (NBA) Indiana Pacers head coach Isiah Thomas with a dearth of commitment to his job has provoked Zeke into firing back with both barrels.
"To anyone who's covered our team and been around our team, they would know that that's not the atmosphere and that none of those things that he suggested has happened," Thomas responded via the Pacers site on The Internet's World Wide Web. "That's the nature of the business. I've been in sports long enough to know that these things happen and people have their opinions and sometimes they're not truthful."
In the report, an unnamed Pacers source said Thomas cancels practices and shootarounds indiscriminately and shows up late. The report also indicated Thomas was on thin ice with franchise president Donnie Walsh.
"It's totally untrue," Walsh said. "Nothing could be further from the truth. I don't know where this is coming from. The fact is, I like what Isiah is doing with the team, I like him as a head coach and I like our future. If there's any problem with our team this year, it has more to do with me."
Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning stepped into uncharted medical territory when he returned to National Basketball Association (NBA) parquet after six months of treatment for the kidney condition known as focal glomerulosclerosis.
"The doctors, they're pleased with my condition, but at the same time, they're not satisfied at all," Alonzo said just a week before his return. "They understand that I've still got a little ways to go. And usually, when they make their close to final assessment of it all, it's usually after a year of treatments. And it's only been six months. So we're kind of halfway there."
Halfway was close enough for Mourning and the Heat despite continuing questions about how the illness will affect his longterm health. Zo is still downing fourteen pills a day to control the condition - seven in the morning and seven at night - and he's gone to foods in their raw form, not to mention peanut butter and jelly, in lieu of the salt in his diet.
How serious is focal glomerulosclerosis? Serious enough for some medical specialists to prescribe kidney dialysis. As for all those pills, Mourning himself said before his return that he was concerned about "putting all this toxic stuff in my body."
"I appreciate the time that we've had together," said his wife Tracy Mourning a week before his return. "But I know how important it is for him to get out there and do something that he loves, what makes him happy. Because if he's home miserable, he's not doing anything but making everybody else around him miserable. So if he's happy, then we're all happy."
"The bottom line is, I'm taking a risk, regardless of when I come back," Mourning said before he announced he would play in the 2000-2001 season. "It's been nothing but an experiment for all of us...it's a huge, huge blank spot for a lot of people. Especially the doctors. Because they don't know what the future is going to bring... all of this is new to them�. I'm human. I'm going to be afraid. The one thing that's going to instill that fear in me is the not knowing. Because my doctors won't know. Because if my doctors don't know, I definitely don't know. All I can do is pray on it, and hope for the best, and hope that I'm making the right decisions."
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National Basketball Association (NBA) Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan inked a deal with the mountain franchise to stay on with the team for three more seasons after the 2000-2001 haul. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Jazz fans are at least certain Sloan will return. Utah forward Karl Malone said in summer 2000 that he did not think, Sloan, or point guard John Stockton would be with the Jazz after 2000-2001.
"I'm going to back to work," Sloan said. "That's what I've always done."
Sloan is the longest tenured head coach in the NBA and now will be with the Jazz through the 2003-2004 season. He joined on with the squad in 1988 and since then has compiled a 638-298 record. Besides the wins, Sloan took the Jazz to the NBA finals in 1997 and 1998.
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National Basketball Association (NBA) San Antonio Spurs guard Derek Anderson is starting to feel at home in San Antonio, Texas - and the Spurs, not coincidentally, are starting to heat up.
Against the Golden State Warriors Monday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, Anderson dropped 14 points in a 109-85 win and continued to be the smooth role player the Spurs require. With the loss, the Warriors dropped to 14-33 and the Spurs improved to 30-15 while winning their seventh straight. Anderson and the Spurs are only one-half game behind the Utah Jazz in the Midwest: they are starting to feel like it will only be a matter of time before they surpass superstar Jazz forward Karl Malone & Co.
"We're on the right track," said Spurs head coach Greg Popovich, "and we know what our bread and butter is. We're playing defense and limiting teams. Our role players are also developing and Derek has been a big part of that."
Anderson came over to the Spurs from the lowly Los Angeles Clippers. Besides spending time with the Clips, Anderson also handled the rock for the Cleveland Cavaliers. When he inked with the Spurs in summer 2000, it was for the one?year@$2.5 million exception. Anderson could have gleaned more loot elsewhere, but was enamored of winning. San Antonio center Tim Duncan also could have signed for money with another franchise, but he decided to stick it out with the Spurs and his running buddy, the veteran center David Robinson.
"We came here to win," Anderson said, "and we are all starting to put it together."
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When the National Basketball Association (NBA) Boston Celtics named Rick Pitino their head coach and el presidente in 1997, many thought Celtic forward Antoine Walker would thrive.
Pitino and Walker won a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship in 1996 at the University of Kentucky (UK), and Walker had been Pitino's primary prime time player. Walker left UK after his sophomore season in 1996. After spending a year in Beantown in the NBA, he was reunited with the Rickster.
When Pitino came to Beantown, he took over a young team and added fellow UK star forward Ron Mercer via the 1997 draft. He also added former UK forward Walter McCarty. For a short time it looked like a happy Wildcat reunion, but as Pitino tried to place college-like restrictions on his former Cats things got ugly. Walker never thrived and was not happy with his coach: as a result the Celtics got worse until Pitino stepped down in January 2001.
Fast-forward to February 2001 and things look a lot different at the FleetCenter.
Under new head coach Jim O'Brien, Walker is thriving and the Celts have won six straight games. The Cleveland Cavaliers were victim #6 as Walkers scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds at the Fleet Sunday in Boston, Massachusetts, in their 103-82 win. The win bought the Celtics to 21-26 and dropped the Cavs to 20-26. More importantly for the Celts, is that the win put them into a tie for eight playoff spot with the Indiana Pacers.
"My goal is to make the playoffs," Walker said. "We are getting our team healthy and back together. I feel my game is improving and if I keep improving, I think the team will get better as well."
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National Basketball Association (NBA) New Jersey Nets point guard Stephon Marbury is one of the nicest ballers in the NBA, but he has yet to shake Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson as the top rock handler in the Eastern Conference.
Iverson has gotten the better of Marbury in most of their duels, but Sunday night at the Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it was Stephon's show. Marbury scored 34 points and hit key buckets down the stretch in his team's 96-89 win.
Iverson scored 32 points for the 76ers (35-13), but he bricked some shots down the stretch and had to step aside as the 15-34 Nets broke a seven-game losing streak.
"It's very big for us," Marbury said, "being that we've been playing bad. When I am hitting my shot and we have Kenyon [Martin] and Keith [Van Horn] make shots it's a different game."
Martin and Van Horn scored 20 points a piece and helped Marbury with some of the offensive load. Marbury at the tender age of 23 has been the Nets leader since he arrived from the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 1998-1999 season. The legendary hoop star from Coney Island, Brooklyn, has matured in 2000-2001: as a result, he was awarded a trip to the All-Star game. Now all he needs to do is overtake Iverson, a much tougher task.
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NEW YORK -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) New York Knicks entered the NBA record books Thursday night when they held the 18-17 Houston Rockets to under 100 points. For the Knicks it was their twenty-ninth straight game where they held their opponents under 100 points -- the Fort Wayne Pistons set the old record in 1954.
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The record was diminished a little bit by the fact that the Knicks lost the game 76-75 and ended their seven game winning streak. But after struggling early in the 2000-2001 season, the 22-13 Knicks are only three and half games behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
"Defense is the key," Latrell Sprewell told ISWire. "We haven't really let teams score on us. We've done an excellent job of keeping teams down and keeping them off the board. We've done a good job in rebounding. We've played better offensively too."
Forward Marcus Camby, who was unable to play in four of the previous games due to strained left groin, commended his team for its defense, but also said other crucial elements contributed to their streak.
"I think it's our intensity and focus," Camby told ISWire. "Our mental toughness has also been tested a lot. We're playing good basketball right now. I would have to say it's our poise, as well as our mental toughness. In the past few games, we've been down early-----like 14-15 points, but we've found a way to weather the storm."
The Knicks have the top-rated defense in the NBA, holding their opponents to 83.8 points per game.
Additionally, the Knicks are averaging 93.2 points per game, and are holding their opponents to .397 shooting from the field.
The Knicks have demonstrated the type of team that they are---even without the assistance of forward Glen Rice, who's on the injured list with left plantar fasciitis. Charlie Ward recently returned on January 7, 2000, when the Knicks hosted the Washington Wizards after missing nineteen games as a result of anthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Now the Knicks must demonstrate that they can continue their streak and their determination to knock the Philadelphia 76ers out of their position.
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