Kevin Durant and the Thunder take on the Heat in a pivotal Game 3 this evening in Miami with the series tied at one game a piece. With his 68 points through the first two games of the Finals, Durant trails only Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan for the most points in a player's first two career Finals games. Let's check in on the latest news and stories making headlines from around the league as the Heat look to improve on their 1-2 record in Games 3s during the 2012 playoffs…
- The Pistons are expected to take John Henson with the ninth pick in the draft even though there are concerns over his weight and perceived lack of strength, writes Brendan Savage of MLive.com. Henson, for one, is not worried about the fact that he only weighs 216 pounds while standing 6-foot-11 or that he was only able to complete five repetitions on the 185 pound bench press during pre-draft workouts in Chicago. The former UNC star's resume speaks for itself as Henson was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year twice during his tenure in Chapel Hill.
- Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says Hawks assistant general manager Dave Pendergraft is responsible for much of how the franchise approaches the draft. Pendergraft recently spoke with the media and described the team's plans as they currently hold the 23rd and 43rd picks in the draft. "… Come July 1 we will have only six guys under contract. In a perfect world our 23rd pick becomes a rotational player and our 43rd pick will be talented enough to join our roster. That’s the best-case scenario. We feel like we will be able to get a good player at both positions.”
- Kendrick Perkins believes Kevin Garnett will return for another season after speaking with him in the wake of Celtics' series-ending loss to the Heat, reports Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. While Garnett will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, Perkins expects the future Hall of Famer to remain with the Celtics. “I feel like if he does return to basketball, I think that that would be the team,’’ Perkins said of the Celtics. “I heard Kevin say a few times that he wouldn’t want to play for anybody but Doc, so it will be interesting to see. I still think he got a lot more years in him. He got a lot of love for the game and it would be hard to see Kevin walk away from the game right now.’
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