Kevin Garnett reminded the world on Tuesday night that a 36-year-old player can still be a game-changer as the man known as The Big Ticket put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-90 victory over the Heat. The Celtics, deemed underdogs by perhaps even their own mothers, have willed themselves to come within one victory of beating the Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging a double-double in the series as he's scoring 31.8 PPG and grabbing 10.0 RPG against Boston. The Heat, losers of three in a row, face a win-or-g0-home game in Boston on Thursday with a Game 7 in Miami looming. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Eastern Conference Finals…
The Heat will get underway in the Eastern Conference Finals on Monday against the Celtics after Boston knocked off the Sixers in Game 7 of the Conference Semifinals on Saturday evening. The series marks a rematch of sorts as the two teams faced each other in the playoffs last season when they met during the Conference Semifinals with the Heat winning the series 4-1. Let's check in with the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman for the latest news out of South Beach.
- Winderman is unsure of Chris Bosh's status for the Eastern Conference Finals and thinks the Heat aren't expecting anything out of the former Georgia Tech big man against the Celtics. Without Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have stepped up their play to the next level and have seen improved efforts from the role players around them. While the Heat should be OK against the Celtics without Bosh, there's little chance that the squad could take down the Thunder or the Spurs without him in the NBA Finals.
- Don't count on the Heat acquiring Lamar Odom during the offseason, writes Winderman, as the former Lakers Sixth Man of the Year probably won't come cheap even after a disastrous season in Dallas. Odom would have to be bought out by the Mavs and then willing to take a heavy discount to take his talents to South Beach. Look for the former Rhode Island star to return to the Lakers or sign with the Knicks as he needs to find an environment that he is familiar with so he can revive his career.
- Winderman says it doesn't make any sense to compare James and Wade in terms of who is the better leader or who is the best player on the team. As we've seen over the course of the past week, the success of the Heat is predicated on both players working in unison at a high level. Simply put, it doesn't matter who the face is of the franchise is if the team is winning games.
It's official. The Heat held a press conference this afternoon in Miami to present LeBron James with his third career MVP trophy. The 27-year-old averaged 27.1 PPG, 7.9 RPG, and 6.2 APG with 53% shooting from the field in yet another brilliant campaign.
James was in a two-horse race for the award with Kevin Durant for the bulk of the season but pulled away as the year wore on. James had 85 first-place votes while Durant was the runner-up with 24 first-place votes. After that, Chris Paul finished in third place, Kobe Bryant in fourth, and Tony Parker in fifth.
Only seven other players in the history of the game have won MVP honors at least three times: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Moses Malone. Abdul-Jabbar won the trophy six times, Jordan and Russell five times each, and Chamberlain four times.
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert addressed a few topics of interest during today's press conference with local media. Here are a few of the highlights from the afternoon session, courtesy of Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio and Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal…..
- Gilbert "loves" having Byron Scott as the Cavaliers' coach, noting that he brings stability and credibility to the franchise (Sulia link). The Cavs' owner added that he believes the right people are in the front office and on the coaching staff, and now it's just a matter of bringing in the right players (Sulia link).
- This year's draft is "very important" for the Cavs and the team wants to make it their main area of focus heading into the offseason (Twitter link).
- Gilbert specified that the Cavs want to build "with" Kyrie Irving rather than "around" him, perhaps alluding to a mistake the team made with LeBron James (Twitter link).
- Speaking of LeBron, Gilbert was asked how he felt about comments the former Cav made earlier this season hinting at a possible return to Cleveland. "Nothing in the NBA surprises me," Gilbert said.
In a tweet, ESPN.com's Marc Stein says that the Raptors have no interest in former Net and Laker, Sasha Vujacic. Here are the rest of the evening's updates:
- The Warriors shut forward David Lee down with what they called a groin injury earlier this month. At the time, the team was well out of the playoff picture, and the Warriors' main goal down the stretch was to lose as many games as possible in order to try and get their first round draft pick back from the Jazz. Lee's injury was treated as a convenient way to tank games, and the announcement was viewed with a skeptic eye by many. Now it appears Lee will have surger on Thursday to repair a torn abdominal muscle, according to the team.
- MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II breaks down what the Warriors need to do if they want to keep their first round draft pick.
- Stephen Curry underwent successful surgery on his ankles today. He's expected to be ready for action in 3-4 months, NBA.com's David Aldridge reports in a tweet.
- The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston points out the significance of what a third MVP for LeBron James would mean.
- Even before Dwight Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge suffered injuries that will prevent them from participating in this summer's Olympic games, there was a strong chance Kevin Love would make the 12-man roster. The Timberwolves forward feels more confident than ever before that he'll make the team, according to TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
- Kobe Bryant fully expects the Lakers to win the title, writes ESPNLosAngeles.com's Dave McMenamin.
- John Wall spoke to his friend Kevin Durant about what it took to turn one of the league's worst teams into one of the best, writes FoxSportsFlorida.com's Chris Tomasson.
- The Timberwolves will receive the Jazz's first round draft pick now that Utah is heading to the playoffs, according to the StarTribune's Kent Youngblood.
With the Bulls and the Heat staking claim to the top two seeds, the rest of the Eastern Conference playoff picture remains up in the air as the season winds down. The Celtics, currently the fourth seed, are in action tonight against the lottery-bound Nets while the Pacers, a surprising three seed at the moment, battle the Bucks, still in the mix as the ninth seed. Let's check in with the rest of the conference to see what other stories are making headlines.
- Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld considers what the Raptors should do as a franchise after suffering through a disappointing season. Team general manager Bryan Colangelo has cleared a great deal of cap space to build around the team's young talent but still has many holes to fill heading into next season. Brotherston identifies Steve Nash as a potential free-agent signing for the Raptors that would provide the team with a buzzworthy star they have been lacking the past few seasons.
- It may have taken awhile, but LeBron James and his family have finally reached a level of comfort where they feel at home in Miami, writes Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post. The former Cavs superstar may not know how to speak Spanish or how to get around Miami without a GPS, but James is enjoying being able to raise his two sons in South Florida for the majority of the year. James' affinity for Florida living has positively impacted his game as he is currently averaging 26.8 PPG and 7.9 RPG on the season.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Comcast SportsNet tweets Gerald Green would prefer to re-sign with the Nets, but would consider signing with the Celtics. Green, originally taken in the first round of the 2005 draft by Boston, had been out of the league since the 2008/2009 season before signing the first of two 10-day contracts with the Nets in February, where he has made the most of his opportunity. The forward from Gulf Shores Academy in Houston should attract significant attention this summer given his 13.0 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 25 games with the Nets.
It's being reported by ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that early on in Miami's 105-90 loss against Indiana last night, LeBron James may have dislocated the ring finger on his left hand. In 41 minutes, James scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds in what was Miami's second straight loss.
- According to the Associated Press, Georgetown junior Hollis Thompson is planning on hiring an agent, and will enter the NBA draft. This year he shot 43% from behind the three-point line, which led the entire Big East. Thompson finished the season as the Hoyas' second leading scorer, and third leading rebounder.
- Cavaliers shooting guard Daniel Gibson has a torn tendon in his right foot and may miss the remainder of the season. Gibson is currently seeking multiple opinions pertaining to the injury's severity, but with only a month left in the season and Cleveland all but out of the playoff picture—not to mention the fact that they recently signed guards Donald Sloan and Manny Harris—it's more than likely he won't see the court again.
- In a recent USA Today article, Rodney Stuckey told writer Jeff Zillgitt that he saw a psychologist in order to cope with all the recent losing he's experienced with the Pistons. Stuckey is in the midst of a resurgent season that last saw him hit a game-winning shot against the Wizards last night.
- Since being traded to the Nets, Gerald Wallace has experienced loss after loss, but he's keeping a positive attitude, according to the Newark Star-Ledger's Colin Stephenson.
- The Bobcats haven't found the most success this season. The Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell writes that if they don't turn things around, they could go down as the worst team in NBA history.
LeBron James sparked controversy earlier this week with comments that he would be open to a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he played the first seven seasons of his career. However, on Friday, he clarified these comments, as reported by the Associated Press (via The New York Times):
"I love the fans of Miami. I'm here," he said following Friday's shootaround as the Heat prepared to play the Cavs. "The question was asked of me, could I see myself playing back here. I said yeah, in the sense of I don't know what my future holds and I don't want to take that out. I love the fans of Miami.
"I've got everything thing invested with this team. I'm looking forward to the years to come."
These latest comments are intended to diffuse the firestorm caused by some earlier comments that hinted at a return to the Cavs for James in the future. He signed a six-year deal with the Heat worth $110MM in July 2010 and can opt out after the fourth year, giving him the ability to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2013/14 season.
With the Heat set to face the Cavaliers in Cleveland tonight, the focus is on LeBron James, who yesterday expressed an openness to eventually play in Cleveland again before telling Heat fans not to worry today. While both remarks struck me as attempts by James to make everyone happy, Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo Sports says LeBron came to Cleveland on a mission this week, and that his comments were no accident.
According to Wojnarowski, James delivered the same message he expressed publicly yesterday to Cavs owner Dan Gilbert months ago via "an emissary or two." Wojnarowski says LeBron is legitimately interested in the possibility of returning to Cleveland when he can opt out of his current contract (2014) and is already putting out feelers. Says one source to Yahoo: "[LeBron] has started to lay the groundwork, and he’s waiting to see what Dan Gilbert’s reaction to it is."
Under NBA tampering rules, Gilbert can't reply to James' comments, so we shouldn't to expect to hear anything out of the Cavs' camp. And with over two years until he even has the chance to opt out of his current deal, the two-time MVP could easily change his mind a few more times before he even hits free agency again. However, according to the Yahoo report, LeBron has nagging doubts about Miami.
Wojnarowski is blunt in his assessment of LeBron's motives, writing that the former Cavalier "lives for the recruitment, lives to be wanted elsewhere," and rightly pointing out that the Heat and president Pat Riley must be "livid" about James discussing free agency already.
Whether or not James is serious about a potential return to Cleveland, this week has made one thing clear: The road to The Decision: Part II could be even longer and more winding than the first time around.
With LeBron James stirring up a hornet's nest with his surprising comments about potentially wanting to return to play for the Cavaliers, let us take a look at some other recent news in Cleveland:
- The announcement that Anderson Varejao will officially miss 4 to 6 weeks while he recovers from a broken wrist likely ends any lingering trade talk involving the Cleveland center. With Varejao out for at least a month the Cavs are unlikely to make a run at the 8-seed in East, and may be more likely to be active at the trade deadline.
- Luke Adams examined Antawn Jamison as a trade candidate yesterday, concluding they won't get an offer more valuable than having Jamison's $15MM come off the books in the offseason. John Hollinger agreed in an ESPN.com chat today, saying that a post-deadline buyout is looking more and more likely.