Game 4 Orlando - Cavaliers Preview

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Tinted sunglasses concealing the cuts and bandages framing his puffy left eye, struggling Cleveland guard Mo Williams plopped down on a table inside a ritzy hotel ballroom on Monday and quickly proclaimed the Cavaliers were not in any trouble.
Far from it.

"We're the best team in basketball," he said.

Really? The Cavaliers, winners of 66 regular-season games and their first eight straight in the playoffs, certainly haven't looked superior to the Orlando Magic.

They can't stop Dwight Howard inside. They can't contain Orlando's squadron of outside shooters. They are missing easy, open shots. They're not giving LeBron James enough support, and they trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.

Williams remains confident.

"They deserve respect," he said. "They are a good team. But we are the best team in basketball. I don't feel that they've had to adjust to us one time in the series."

So, Mo. You're sure the Cavaliers will win Game 4 on Tuesday night and rally to win the best-of-seven series. Willing to guarantee it?

"Guarantee we're going to win the series? Yeah, yeah," he said. "We are down 2-1. But there is nobody on this team and definitely not myself that says we are not going to win this series. Yeah, it is going to be tough. We know that. We get this game tomorrow, go home, still got home-court advantage.

"We don't see ourselves losing two out of three at home."

The Magic brushed off Williams' boast.

"We just got to go out there and play," Howard said. "We can't worry about what other guys are saying."

James didn't flinch when told Williams had guaranteed the Cavaliers would advance.

"He should. There's no other reason why we should be here," he said.

Orlando, relishing the underdog role in its first conference finals appearance since 1995, won 99-89 on Sunday night in a disjointed Game 3 that included personal fouls, technicals and a flagrant on Magic reserve guard Anthony Johnson for his elbow to Williams' face in the second quarter.

The blow opened cuts above and below Williams' eye, and Cleveland's point guard said he was still feeling a little woozy from an unexpected shot he felt was intentional.

"My head's still ringing," said Williams, who refused to take off his shades to show the wounds. "The game of basketball is not played with throwing punches, throwing elbows."

Johnson refused to get drawn into a verbal war with Williams, who was called for a block on the play that bloodied him.

"I was trying to get to the rim and make a play and I drew a foul," Johnson said. "Elbows are a part of the game -- good and bad. Sometimes it turns out in a bad manner as last night. Elbows are a part of the game, as it is in hockey, as it is in other sports."

Never one to miss a chance to state his case, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy defended Johnson and challenged the Cavaliers' contention that it was a cheap shot.

"They can say whatever they want," he said. "It's one of the few times you'll see a guy with the ball in his hands driving to shoot getting a flagrant foul. I'm not saying he deserved it or didn't deserve it, it's just a rare play. It's usually the guy on defense making it. There's a lot of things go on we can complain about and they can complain about.

"I was upset at the number of times that they flopped last night. I mean, Ben Wallace and Mo Williams fell down more times than a baby learning to walk."

James was asked if the Cavaliers would retaliate.

"For what?" he said. "We're just trying to get wins."

James has been doing his part. His teammates have not.

The league's MVP is averaging 41.7 points in the series. But there have been extended periods when it's LeBron and only LeBron vs. the Magic. The Cavs, so together on and off the court all season, have become a one-man show at the worst time possible.

Williams (32.1 percent), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (38.2) and Delonte West (41.9) are not shooting up to their standards, and James had his first "off" night in Game 3 (11 of 28), but he scored 41 and had the Cavaliers within five points in the final minute.

James understands he can't win a championship by himself.

"It's going to be tough," he said. "I know they can play a lot better. They know they can play a lot better. I don't want to put pressure on those guys. They've just got to come out and do it. We just got to knock shots down."

The Magic feel as though they haven't gotten their proper due all season. While a potential James-Kobe Bryant showdown in the NBA finals has been fueled by popular TV commercials featuring puppets of the superstars, Orlando's players have been wondering: Hey, what about us?

"It's disrespectful when everybody's counting us and Denver out trying to win a championship," said Howard, who made the Cavs pay for fouling him by making 14 of 19 free throws in Game 3. "It's like, forget the Magic, forget Denver. They want to see LeBron and Kobe go at it. So that is disrespectful. The only way you get respect is by going out there and taking it.

"My mind-set is making people respect us."

James is locked in on ending Cleveland's 45-year title drought. A loss in Game 4 would place the greatest season in Cavaliers' history on the brink of collapse.

"I think we're fine. I'm fine," he said. "I'm excited about Game 4, and as long as I stay upbeat we have a chance -- of course. I'm confident and I'll make sure the rest of the guys are confident."

---

Associated Press writer Antonio Gonzalez contributed to this report.

Denver routes LA to even series at 2-2

DENVER -- The Denver Nuggets are so much more than just Carmelo Anthony.

A dominating effort on the boards and a great performance by the bench helped the Nuggets overcome a below-par effort from an ailing Melo on Monday night, when they raced past the Los Angeles Lakers 120-101, evening the Western Conference finals at two games apiece.They did it with their star hobbled by a sprained ankle and slowed by a stomach virus that had him hugging the commode before tip-off and getting IVs at halftime.

"Even before I twisted my ankle, with my stomach, I didn't have my legs early in the game," Anthony said. "I felt like I didn't have any energy. Those IVs were a must. They helped a little bit. I'll be OK for Wednesday."

Anthony finished with 15 hard-earned points on 3-of-16 shooting, but it hardly mattered because, unlike in Game 3 when his shot also wasn't falling, his teammates came to the rescue.

Six of them scored in double digits, led by Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith with 24 apiece.

"It was important for everyone to step up," Anthony said. "We had a bunch of guys step up today. I know the past two, three games our bench hasn't been as productive as they have been in the playoffs, but tonight those guys stepped up. J.R. stepped up big, Linas Kleiza came in and hit some big shots, he was just phenomenal out there."

2009 NBA Playoffs

Want an in-depth look at the Nuggets-Lakers series? Check out all the stats, analysis and opinion here:
• Nuggets-Lakers page

Kenyon Martin and Nene each had a double-double as the Nuggets posted their eighth blowout of the postseason but first against Los Angeles following three games that came down to the final seconds.

"They whooped us, period," said Kobe Bryant, who scored 34 points. "They whooped us on the glass. They whooped us to loose balls."

They whooped them in every which way as Denver dominated the glass, the paint and the stripe, outrebounding, outmuscling and outhustling the tired Lakers, whose fatigue after their grueling seven-game series with Houston and the quick turnaround to Denver is really starting to show.

"But that's not a very good excuse," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

The Nuggets beat the Lakers on the glass by 18, outscored them in the paint by 18, beat them on the fast break by 10 and outscored their bench 42-24.

"It just shows we have heart and can play with a man down," Smith said. "We did a lot this year and kept it up."

So, the Nuggets didn't need to worry about a botched inbounds pass in the closing seconds like the ones that cost them wins in Games 1 and 3.

"I had forgotten about that," Nuggets coach George Karl cracked.

The series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 5 Wednesday night, and the only thing that put a smile on Jackson's face on this night was the memory of the Lakers' win 48 hours earlier.

"What we've done is we've won a road game and brought the home-court advantage back to L.A.," Jackson said.

Martin had 13 points and 15 boards, Nene pitched in 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Chris "Birdman" Andersen added 14 rebounds for the Nuggets, who outrebounded the Lakers 58-40.

"We got hammered from every direction tonight," Lakers forward Luke Walton said.

In Jackson's view, the hammering went overboard.

Jackson complained about Dahntay Jones' trip of Bryant in the third quarter, calling it unsportsmanlike.

"I just fell on my face for no reason," Bryant deadpanned. "I'm a klutz."

Was Jones playing him dirty?

"Good defense," Bryant said.

Jackson also griped about Denver's lopsided 49-35 advantage in free throws, a reversal of Game 3's 45-31 Lakers advantage.

"Basketball is a game where the aggressor gets the advantage. And tonight we didn't know what a foul was and what wasn't a foul," Jackson complained. "Start of the game, we got guys knocked around going to the basket, they said, 'We're going to get those things go.' By the end of the ballgame little fouls were being called all over the place."

The game featured four technical fouls and 84 free throws overall.

The Lakers' only lead was 1-0 on Bryant's free throw 14 seconds in as Denver led for the final 46:46.

The Nuggets, who haven't lost back-to-back home games all season, were coming off their first loss in the Mile High City since March 9. They knew they blew a golden opportunity 48 hours earlier by trying for the dagger and misfiring on 22 of 27 3-pointers.

This time, they shot 7-for-24 from 3-point range. One of them was Billups' pull-up 3 after a steal by Smith that gave Denver an 83-70 lead with 10 minutes to go.

The Lakers and Nuggets had the Pepsi Center to themselves Monday night after World Wrestling Entertainment moved their Monday Night Raw card to the Staples Center in Los Angeles because of the double booking in Denver that WWE chairman Vince McMahon milked for all it was worth.

The fans saw plenty of gripping and grabbing in this rough-and-tumble series. This game featured 55 fouls, and plenty of plays that weren't whistled but could have been.

Billups said he likes Denver's chances in Los Angeles, where the Nuggets won Game 2.

"I'm sure the world wants to see Cleveland and the Lakers" in the NBA Finals, he said. "You've got the best two players in the world, a chance to see them play in a seven-game series. I don't want to see it. Man, I don't want to see it. And I'm trying my best not to make that happen."

Magic hand Cavaliers first loss of postseason

CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James chewed on his fingernails as he talked quietly with Mo Williams in the corner of Cleveland's muted locker room.

As they reviewed the game's final seconds, the two stars stared blankly at a boxscore floating in an ice tub above James' feet.They looked stunned. And for good reason.

No longer untested, no longer unbeaten. The Cavaliers finally met their match in the playoffs.

Dwight Howard scored 30 points, Rashard Lewis added 22 and the Orlando Magic rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to hand James and the Cavaliers their first loss of the postseason, 107-106 on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference finals opener.

James finished with 49 points, eight assists and six rebounds, but the league MVP limped off the floor after Cleveland's loss -- just its third in 46 home games.

"Nobody said it was going to be easy," said Cavs guard Delonte West, who missed an open 3-pointer with five seconds remaining. "This one hurts."

Lewis made a 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds left and the Magic, who dethroned the champion Boston Celtics in seven games in the previous round, survived two shots by Cleveland in the closing seconds. Williams missed a catch-and-shoot jumper off a jump ball as the horn sounded, dropping the Cavs to 8-1 in the postseason."It's a big victory," said Howard, who broke one of the shot clocks with a dunk in the opening minutes. "We kept fighting the whole game. We kept believing we could win."

Hedo Turkoglu scored 15 points with 14 assists for Orlando.

Game 2 is Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena, which fell eerily silent after the Magic's win.

As fans headed to the exits, they turned to observe James still on the floor and bent over in obvious pain. He was bothered by cramps throughout the fourth quarter and was tended to by Cleveland's training staff before slowly making his way to the locker room.

"I'm not hurt," said James, who felt the long layoff -- the Cavs hadn't played since May 11 -- may have contributed to the cramping.

Cleveland gave this one away. The Cavaliers lost their grip on the game with a stagnant third quarter that carried into the fourth. Also, the Magic shot 55 percent from the floor -- 59 percent in the second half -- against the league's top defensive team.

"That's unacceptable," James said. "We should have lost."

Orlando, which went 2-1 vs. Cleveland in the regular season, took its first lead at 85-84 with 10:06 left when Anthony Johnson buried a 3-pointer from the left corner. The bucket seemed to suck the air out of the raucous building and Cavs coach Mike Brown quickly called a timeout to stop the Magic's run and get James back in.The Magic, though, kept making big shots with Lewis hitting a jumper with 31.6 seconds left to give Orlando a 104-103 lead.

James then drove and scored on a runner while drawing a sixth foul on Howard, who added 13 rebounds. James completed the three-point play for a 106-104 lead but Lewis came down and nailed his 3-pointer over a closing Anderson Varejao.

"You got to play 48 minutes," Lewis said. "The most important thing is to play 48 minutes. We played only one half but it was the second half."

On Cleveland's last possession, West missed his open 3 but James was able to tie up Turkoglu for a jump ball. James tipped it behind him to Williams, but his last-second prayer hit the back of the rim and the Cavs walked off knowing they had given up home-court advantage for this round.

"This is good for us," Brown said. "We didn't expect to go undefeated."

Williams ended the first half by swishing a 67-footer to give the Cavaliers a 63-48 lead.

Taking the inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left, Williams dribbled once and sent a high-arching shot like the ones he and the Cavs' shooters work on at practice toward the basket. When it splashed through, James raised his arms and then wrapped Williams in a bear hug.

It was the third consecutive Game 1 in these playoffs that the Cavs have closed the first half with a buzzer-beating bucket. James did it against Detroit and Atlanta.

In the Orlando locker room, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy ripped into his players for not stopping James, who had 26 in the opening half.

"He told us, 'We're all witnesses,'" Howard recalled, using the slogan James has popularized with his commercials. "That got us fired up."

Leading by 15, the Cavs got complacent and lost their offensive rhythm in the third quarter. They stood around either waiting for James to do something or settled for jump shots that didn't fall.

Orlando seized the chance to get back in it and with Courtney Lee and Mickael Pietrus hitting 3-pointers, the Magic outscored the Cavaliers 30-19 in the period to pull within 82-78 entering the fourth.

Ariza helps sealed the win for the Lakers

LOS ANGELES -- The catalogue of famous postseason steals has historically been tinted green. It includes John Havlicek in Game 7 of the 1965 division finals, Gerald Henderson in Game 2 of the 1984 Finals, and, of course, Larry Bird in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Should we add Trevor Ariza's swipe of Anthony Carter's inbound pass of Game 1 of the 2009 Western Conference semifinals to the list?

With 29 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Lakers clinging to a two-point lead, Carter was set to inbound the ball in the Denver frontcourt, with Ariza assigned to defend Chauncey Billups, the intended recipient.

"Chauncey ran up, and I was a few steps behind," said Ariza. "[Anthony Carter] gave the ball just enough air, and that's all it took."

Had Lakers coach Phil Jackson not switched up the defensive assignments, the play might have never come to pass. At the five-minute mark, Jackson put Kobe Bryant on Carmelo Anthony, leaving Ariza to cover Billups. To defend the inbounds pass, Jackson stuck the lanky Lamar Odom on the shorter Carter.

"The reason [Ariza] got the interception was probably because Carter had to make the pass over Lamar," Jackson said. "The lob pass gave Ariza an opportunity to speed into that ball. That was a huge play for us."

It didn't start out as a banner night for Ariza. His matchup at small forward, Anthony, shredded him early. When defended by Ariza, Anthony shot 7-for-10 from the floor. Ariza's problems weren't limited to the defensive end of the floor. Although he entered the game shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc, Ariza couldn't get his stroke going. He finished with six points on 2-for-8 shooting from the field -- his worst shooting night of the playoffs.

Ariza brushed off any suggestion that the steal was a redemptive moment for him, but teammate Odom was impressed.

"It was a great play," Odom said. "Carmelo was having a great day scoring the ball. For Trevor to stay in the game ... it shows character. We were able to get some pressure on the inbounds and they were close to a five-second call, and Trevor did a great job at anticipating the pass and making the steal."

Asked about the play at his postgame press conference, Nuggets head coach George Karl sighed, then mournfully described what he saw from the Nuggets' bench.

"A.C. probably didn't see him and threw the ball with a little loft to it," Karl said. "[Carter] was surprised at how quick Ariza was. He has a great ability to make plays like that and I just wish [Carter] had called a timeout."

Ariza's quickness and, in Karl's words, ability to make plays stem in large part from his gambling style. Amid his troubles with Anthony and the forgettable shooting night, Ariza dazzled with a spectacular steal at a crucial juncture in the third quarter, when he shot the gap, knocked away a Billups pass and drove the length of the floor before scooping an underhanded pass to a trailing Derek Fisher for an easy layup.

The third-quarter steal won on style points, but Ariza's memorable play in the final minute Tuesday night likely will go down as one of the great acts of thievery in recent memory.

Nuggets waste golden opportunity in LA

LOS ANGELES -- J.R. Smith says the knee that he tweaked in Tuesday night's frantic Game 1 finish is merely bruised and won't stop him from playing in Thursday night's Game 2.
That's the silver lining for the team that just squandered a golden opportunity.

Apart from Smith's insistence that he's fine -- and maybe the fact that Kobe Bryant is now just two technical fouls away from a one-game suspension -- there is lots for the Denver Nuggets to lament after they started the Western Conference finals with a 105-103 defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.

"The next 48 hours," Nuggets coach George Karl conceded, "are going to be difficult."

That's because the visitors wasted Carmelo Anthony's 39 points and clanked 12 free throws, which pretty much nullified the fact that the Nuggets were sent to the line 11 more times than the hosts. The game was physical and close -- pretty much everything Denver could have wished for after nearly a week off since dismissing Dallas in Round 2 -- but the ending couldn't have been much more painful.

This one will sting even if Smith has indeed survived the hard crash he took in the scramble after he intentionally missed a free throw in the game's final sequence, since Denver came close to breaking through against the mighty Lakers after losing the teams' past 10 playoff meetings.

The Nuggets aren't the first team to let Bryant rumble for 18 points in the fourth quarter, but they also had to live with the sight of Trevor Ariza picking off Anthony Carter's looping inbounds pass to Chauncey Billups in the final minute and L.A. running the clock down to 10 seconds before Bryant was fouled with the Lakers only up two.

So ...

In spite of Anthony busting out against a team that held him in check in four regular-season meetings, Denver is behind in a series for the first time this postseason. Bryant scored 12 of his 40 points in the final 5:57 to erase the Nuggets' 93-87 lead and leave them tantalizingly close to clinching the Hollywood split of their dreams on the first try.

"We missed out on a great opportunity to steal this game," Billups said. "We played probably good enough.

"... I watched this team play against the Lakers last year [when Denver got swept in the first round]. I don't think they had one game this competitive. We pretty much controlled the game, most of the game, [but] that's why it's disappointing that we sit here and we lose this game."

Kobe is still the best closer in the game

By J. Adande
LOS ANGELES -- Sure, we've seen this before from Kobe Bryant -- the 40-point night, the clutch shooting, the takeover mentality, closing like Circuit City. Only this came in a different context. This one, which salvaged a 105-103 victory for the Lakers in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, followed 94 games that followed a summer of Olympic competition that followed a 103-game season.

His 18-point fourth quarter followed his finger popping out and having to be forced back into place, another in a long accumulation of injuries. It came amid the slight signs of fatigue, such as the ball hitting the front of the rim even on some shots that went in. And it all came on the day his sensei passed on "favored son" status to Kobe's younger rival."I do think LeBron [James] has surpassed Kobe as a player."
Those were the 10 words from Jerry West that resonated around the league Tuesday. Not that West is the first to say it, but he's easily the most important to say it, given his relevance to Bryant. This isn't just "the critics" or "the media." West was the one who traded for Bryant back before teenagers -- especially teenage guards -- were considered safe picks. He was the one whose counsel Bryant sought when he was first learning his way around the league or squabbling with Shaquille O'Neal.

Bryant claimed that he wasn't offended that someone who meant so much could cast his vote elsewhere, and said, "The debate of who is the best player ... that's going to go on for whatever. That's not something I concern myself with."

Just keep in mind, Kobe doesn't do coincidences ... unless you think it was merely coincidental that he scored 55 points the last time he played Michael Jordan.

Not that this game was about satisfying his personal agenda. The Lakers needed a great game from Kobe because too many other players seemed frozen by the moment and the Denver Nuggets' toughness. Kobe's most honest assessment came when he said, "I felt like the first half, their frontcourt really dominated us."

Not to mention Carmelo Anthony was busy putting his name into the league's best-player conversation by scoring 20 points in his first 20 minutes of play. The Nuggets struck first, taking a 13-point lead in the first quarter.

The Lakers took advantage of the little cracks the Nuggets gave them (missed free throws and poor backcourt shooting) and grabbed the lead at halftime. But the Nuggets are relentless -- the one constant in all three of their playoff losses is they fought to keep the outcome in doubt until the waning seconds -- and sure enough, they had a seven-point lead with seven minutes remaining.

A nervous, impatient murmur/rumble/cheer went through the Staples Center crowd. Kobe sensed the moment, as well, recognized that the game -- and home-court advantage for the series -- was slipping away from the Lakers, and he did something about it. He drove for a layup that cut it to five. He made two free throws on the next possession, then hit a fadeaway jumper the next time down. He scored 15 points in the final seven minutes, and passed to Derek Fisher in the right corner for a critical 3-pointer, as well.

"Tonight we had very little else going on for us, and he muscled his way through that game," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

"A night like tonight, it's something we needed," Bryant said.

Bryant calmly sank free throws after Chauncey Billups made impossible 3-pointers. He kept his balance and cool after Kenyon Martin gave him a message-sending whack on a late drive. He did it all after taking turns guarding Billups and even Anthony for a stretch, among his defensive assignments.

The Lakers felt like they escaped; the Nuggets felt aggravated that they let a great opportunity get away.

It took a disconsolate George Karl a half-minute to even respond to the first postgame question.

"They're great in the game, they have the best closer in the sport, and we didn't do enough," he said. "We didn't do enough to win the game."

Kobe gave as complete a performance as you could ask for from a player, the type of performance we demand of someone who wears the label of superstar. He made 13 of 28 shots, 2 of 3 3-pointers and 12 of 13 free throws, in addition to grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists on a night the rest of the team made only 24 shots. He played 43 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter, which he normally starts on the bench.

Nights like this remind you that we should wait for James to actually win a championship or two before we can establish his place among the game's greats. We all love what LeBron is doing. We shouldn't forget what Kobe has done and is still capable of. We didn't unanimously move Michael Jordan past Magic Johnson until he got his ring collection going in the 1990s. We shouldn't call Tiger Woods golf's greatest until he gets past Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors.

The question is whether Bryant can still do this on a nightly basis. It took him four games to put his stamp on the Utah series, and he couldn't deliver the fatal blow to the Houston Rockets in Games 4 and 6 of the last series. The reason LeBron has surpassed him in so many eyes is because LeBron's team has nearly maxed out so far in these playoffs, while Bryant and the Lakers have been advancing on numbers, not style points.

"It hasn't been, 'Can you stay on top as the best individual basketball player,'" Bryant said. "That's not something that has driven me. It's about winning another championship."

Both goals might need to be fused if the Nuggets are going to be this tough and the rest of the Lakers aren't going to respond.

Only two other Lakers scored in double figures -- Pau Gasol and Fisher each had 13, and it took Fisher 13 shots to get there. Jordan Farmar played only nine minutes, his first-half action cut short after attempting a blind, behind-the-back outlet pass. Sasha Vujacic (1-for-5) is still in a shooting slump. Lamar Odom has scored in double figures only once in the past four games. Andrew Bynum has more fouls than field goals in the playoffs.

So it's on Kobe. Does he have to come up with a performance like this three more times to win the series?

"Hopefully not," Bryant said. "But if that's something that's needed, then that's something I'm prepared to do."

He's still clutch ... even if he's no longer Mr. Clutch's choice.

Kobe, Lakers shut down Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of West Finals

LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant proved a steadying presence for his wildly inconsistent teammates, taking over in the fourth quarter and delivering a come-from-behind victory.Bryant scored 40 points, including six free throws in the final 30 seconds, to lift Los Angeles to a 105-103 win over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals opener on Tuesday night after the Lakers trailed most of the game.
"Once I sensed we didn't have the energy, I had to take it upon myself to lead by example," he said. "It's just part of my responsibilities to this team."He did it even with an injury.
Bryant had the right ring finger on his shooting hand taped after the game. He dislocated it against Cleveland in January and had to have it popped back in place Tuesday.
"He was the scoring opportunity for us," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We had very little else going on. He muscled his way through."
Pau Gasol added 13 points and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who faced a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Gasol's two free throws tied the game for the last time at 99 before Bryant started his closing streak at the line, offsetting a 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups and a free throw by J.R. Smith.
Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and Billups added 18 for the Nuggets, who hadn't played since taking care of Dallas in five games last Wednesday.
"There's no moral victories in playoff basketball," Denver coach George Karl said. "The next 48 hours are going to be difficult."
Game 2 is Thursday at Staples Center. The Nuggets have lost 11 consecutive playoff games to the Lakers, including a first-round sweep last season.
Bryant, who was 9 for 9 from the line in the fourth quarter, made two for a 101-99 lead with 30 seconds left. Trevor Ariza stole the inbounds pass near midcourt and the Lakers were able to run the clock down to 10 seconds when Bryant made two more free throws.
"He threw the ball and gave me just enough air to go get it," Ariza said of the steal of Anthony Carter. "That's all it took."
Billups hit a 3-pointer to get the Nuggets to 103-102 with 5 seconds left, but then Anthony fouled Bryant, who made his final two foul shots."They have the best closer in the sport and we didn't do enough," Karl said.
Smith made one free throw with 3.2 seconds left and missed the second intentionally. Bryant grabbed the game's last rebound.
"Any great player would love that moment, get the ball in their hands every time down the court and make something happen," Anthony said.
The Lakers were back in action 48 hours after closing out Houston in seven games in the conference semifinals.
"We won that game on energy and gutting it out," Jackson said. "They outmuscled us and put pressure on the passers. We talked about getting the game close enough to win it at the end. We got a couple stops that helped us."
Denver led most of the game in its return to the conference finals for the first time in 24 years. But the Nuggets couldn't stop Bryant over the final 6:48, when he scored 15 points, including seven straight to help the Lakers improve to 7-1 at home in the playoffs. They are 8-0 this postseason when scoring 100 points.
"You get used to greatness," Lamar Odom said. "He was amazing. He wanted the ball. Kobe is always going to help you or bail you out more than he hurts you."
Bryant got the better of Anthony, his U.S. Olympic teammate.
"It was a lot of fun, he's a bull down there," Bryant said. "I am a little out of my weight class, but I'll give it my best shot."
The Lakers used a 9-0 run, including seven straight by Derek Fisher, to go up 70-66. From there, though, the Nuggets ended the third quarter on a 10-4 run to lead 76-74. Billups had five consecutive points, including a free throw after a technical foul on Bryant, in the spurt.
Bryant has five technicals in the playoffs. "I won't get another one," he vowed.
The Nuggets took a 13-point lead in the opening quarter, but hurt themselves by going 12 of 21 from the line in the half. Billups, who missed three free throws in the first two playoff series combined, missed his first three of the game.
"We missed out on a great opportunity to steal this game," he said. "We lose this game on our poor free throw shooting."

FAST FACTS:
The Lakers continued their postseason dominance over the Nuggets. They have won 11 straight playoff games against Denver. That's the second longest streak vs. an opponent in NBA history and one win shy of the mark set by the 1980's Lakers that won 12 straight postseason games against the SuperSonics.

• The Lakers improved to 7-1 at home this postseason. It was the only home win decided by single digits this postseason. The Lakers improved to 8-0 this postseason when scoring 100 points or more (1-4 when scoring below 100 points).

• Kobe Bryant scored 40 points -- his eighth career 40-point game in the playoffs (second this postseason). That's the third most 40-point games among active players.

• The Nuggets fell to 2-15 (.118) in Game 1 road games since entering the NBA in 1976-77. With the loss, Denver now owns the lowest winning percentage among franchises that have played at least 15 Game 1 road games. Portland held the mark at 3-21 (Denver's only two Game 1 victories on the road came in San Antonio in 2005 and 2007).

• Carmelo Anthony scored 16 of his 39 points in the first quarter. It was his second-highest scoring performance in a postseason game (had 41 points in his last road game at Dallas). Four of his top five scoring games have come on the road. Anthony tied the Nuggets' record of four 30-point games in a row, set by Alex English in 1985.

-- ESPN Stats & Information

Turkoglu, Magic put end to Celtics' season

BOSTON -- Dwight Howard remembers the reaction when he first talked about bringing an NBA championship to Orlando.

"Everybody laughed," the Magic center said after helping Orlando beat the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics 101-82 on Sunday night and advance to the Eastern Conference finals."I believe we can win a championship. We're not going to stop going after one until we get it. We have the right team. We have the talent. We have the coaches. It's just on us to go out there and play hard. I have a long way to go, but I'm still hungry."

Howard scored 12 points with 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, and Hedo Turkoglu had 25 points with 12 assists for Orlando, which trailed for just 36 seconds after the opening basket and held on to earn the right to play LeBron James and the Cavaliers for a spot in the NBA finals.

Game 1 is Wednesday in Cleveland.

Orlando won the season series 2-1, but the Cavaliers swept both of their postseason series and have been waiting for their next opponent since last Monday.

"Cleveland is playing at a much higher level than anybody else in the playoffs. We're going to have to take it up another notch," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "But that's for us to worry about tomorrow. I am going to enjoy this one until I get on the plane tonight and start watching film."Ray Allen scored 23 points for Boston, and Paul Pierce had 16 before they were taken out of the game for a courtesy cheer with 2:30 left and the Magic up 99-78. The other member of the new Big Three, Kevin Garnett, awaited them on the bench, where he watched the whole series in street clothes with a right knee strain.Garnett's absence derailed the Celtics' title defense before it started, forcing them to fight through a seven-overtime, seven-game series against Chicago in the first round and leaving them perpetually playing from behind in the second.

"We still felt like this was a team that could have gone to the championship and won it, regardless of the injuries," Pierce said. "It felt like we ran out of gas."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Garnett had been holding off on having surgery on the chance he could come back if the team prolonged its season.

"There's no way he was going to play the next series," Rivers said. "We were hoping. But I didn't think it will happen."

The Magic nearly blew a 28-point lead in Game 1, then did waste a 14-point lead in Game 5 to give the Celtics a 3-2 advantage in the best-of-seven series. Boston, which won its unprecedented 17th NBA title last year, had never lost a series after being ahead 3-2.

But Orlando came back from a 10-point deficit on Thursday night to force Game 7.

And there was no panic on Sunday.Just a lot of Magic.

"I would like to say we played the game exactly the way we wanted. We actually played it better," Van Gundy said. "When you look at a team that's 32-0 when leading a series 3-2 and then you win by 19 points, that's a big win. I can't say that I've ever had one that I've ever been happier with."

Make that 32-1, as Van Gundy wrote on the visiting locker room white board.

"We learned a lot, coming in here and beating the world champs on their own floor," Howard said. "Everybody was talking about experience. The biggest thing was effort and energy. The team that played the hardest was going to win."

Orlando led by 14 in the second quarter before Boston cut it to 45-42 in the third period. Rajon Rondo's long 2-pointer at the buzzer to end the quarter made it a 66-61 game, but Orlando scored the first eight points of the fourth to open a double-digit lead.

Orlando led 81-64 with 8:04 left when Howard picked up his fifth foul and went to the bench, then Boston cut the deficit to 90-78 on Allen's 3-pointer with 4:12 to play. But Turkoglu sank a 3-pointer, Kendrick Perkins was called for a charge and Turkoglu made a fadeaway jumper to extend the lead to 17 points.

Turkoglu was 9 for 12 from the field, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter alone.

Gasol leads Lakers domination against Houston in game 7

LOS ANGELES -- All is well again in La-La Land. The real Los Angeles Lakers showed up, and in a Game 7, no less.

With Pau Gasol dominating on both ends of the court, the Lakers emphatically silenced the doubters and the Houston Rockets, winning the decisive final game of the Western Conference semifinals 89-70 on Sunday.Playing with emotion, Gasol scored 21 points and grabbed 18 rebounds. The Lakers looked like the conference's top-seeded team, not the maddeningly inconsistent one that was pushed to the limit by the undermanned, smaller Rockets.

Trying to reach the NBA finals for the second straight year, the Lakers host the opener of the conference finals against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night.

The Lakers have been so up and down in this series that coach Phil Jackson said before Game 5 that they had a little bit of Jekyll and Hyde in them. That was the night the Lakers raced to a 40-point win at home, only to follow it up two nights later with a 15-point loss, the second straight game they were blind-sided in Houston.

There are any number of theories as to why the Lakers have had a split personality.Asked what the Lakers learned from this series, Kobe Bryant cracked: "That we're bipolar."

Added Lamar Odom: "To make it interesting. It's Hollywood, you know."

It turns out that home-court advantage and a smothering defense were all it took to jump-start the Lakers, who made sure they didn't choke this one away against the No. 5 seed.

The Lakers dominated the paint on both ends, forcing the Rockets into turnovers and bad shots. They owned the backboards, taking a 55-33 advantage, and blocked 10 shots. They had an 8-0 lead a few minutes in and widened it to 25 points on Gasol's jump hook shortly before halftime.

After the game, Bryant patted Gasol on the shoulder and offered words of congratulations.

"I was just proud of the way he played," Bryant said. "He answered the challenge and he played like one of the best players in the world. I was just excited for him."

Gasol kept Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks from penetrating, as he did often in this series. The Spaniard had 12 defensive rebounds and swatted away three shots.

"We all know what he can do offensively. I just felt like defensively, he had a superb game," Bryant said.Gasol made 10 of 19 shots. He left to a nice ovation with 3:34 remaining in the game.

Trevor Ariza scored 15 points while Bryant and Andrew Bynum had 14 apiece. Bryant added five assists and seven rebounds.

Brooks was held to 13 points and Luis Scola to 11 for Houston. Ron Artest (seven points) and Shane Battier (three) were non-factors.

"I think we learned that if we play hard every night and we're ready to compete, starting on the defensive end, we're going to give ourselves a chance," Gasol said. "Hopefully we're going to carry that into the next round and to a championship. That's something we need to do consistently, no matter what, no matter where we play."

This one was practically over before the fans settled into their seats.

With Houston missing its first 12 shots, Los Angeles used two Houston turnovers and a blocked shot in racing to an 8-0 lead. Gasol blocked a shot by Scola and fed Bryant for a layup. Scola's turnover led to Ariza's tip-in of Gasol's miss. A turnover by Brooks set up Ariza's 3-pointer, forcing Houston to call timeout with 9:32 to go in the quarter.

Houston missed seven shots during the next 2 1/2 minutes, and didn't get on the scoreboard until Brooks made two free throws just more than five minutes in.

"Coming in here for Game 7, we knew they were going to give us their best shot, especially in the first quarter," Battier said. "To be honest with you, we just didn't have energy to match it. Unfortunately, after we got past the first quarter we played them pretty straight up, but the damage had been done at that point."

During one sequence, Odom blocked a shot by Brooks, Bryant ended up with the ball and whipped a crosscourt pass to Ariza for a 3-pointer and a 13-2 lead.

It wasn't until then that the Rockets made their first basket, a layup by Chuck Hayes.

Houston made only 5 of 20 shots in the first quarter, while the Lakers had 17 rebounds, including 12 on defense.

The Lakers were up 22-12 at the end of the first quarter and steadily pulled away.

Leading by 19, the Lakers scored six straight late in the quarter. Bryant stole a pass and fed Ariza for a slam dunk, bringing Jack Nicholson out of his courtside seat.

It was 51-31 at halftime.

"Obviously, the Lakers are more experienced than us, but I thought we were the better team," Artest said. "I thought it was a good learning experience for these guys. They've been through a Game 7. Most young teams get swept. That will really help the Rockets in the future."

Do or die for Lakers in Game 7

By Mike Bresnahan
May 17, 2009
Nobody talked about Saturday's practice possibly being the last of the Lakers' season, though it hung in the air, an uncomfortable guest during video sessions, a quick round of shooting and as the players went their separate ways after leaving the team's training facility.Few people would have predicted a Game 7 in the Western Conference semifinals, particularly after Houston center Yao Ming went down after Game 3, but here the Lakers are, forced to extend themselves to the max a month before many forecast they would be beating Cleveland for their 15th NBA championship.Players are typically reluctant to admit there's pressure on their team, but there will be plenty on the Lakers today if they want to get to the next round against Denver, much less the NBA Finals.

"A lot," Kobe Bryant said. "We're supposed to be there. As players, you have to respond. If you're to be the NBA champion, you've got to be able to respond to situations like this."

That the Lakers are in this situation in the first place can be traced to a host of realities.They haven't been able to control second-year point guard Aaron Brooks, who has averaged 18.8 points and 2.5 assists this series only three months after being handed the starting job. (How unexpected is his success? He's not one of the seven players pictured on the cover of the Rockets' 2008-09 media guide.)

Derek Fisher has averaged only 5.2 points while shooting 29.4% in this series and has had trouble defensively with Brooks. The Lakers' big men haven't been as effective as expected down low against the Rockets' undersized front court.

Steps have been taken to remedy the above. At least, that's the Lakers' hope.

After Saturday's practice, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol put in extra work on pick-and-roll defense with Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis, part of a concentrated attempt to "control Brooks," Gasol said.

"He has been feeling comfortable, especially at home, finding a lot of good looks and penetrating," Gasol said. "If we contain, then we have a lot of ground gained."

Fisher's minutes have been cut to only 19.7 a game the last three games while Jordan Farmar has averaged 21.3 minutes and Shannon Brown 16.7 minutes over the same span.

"[Fisher] says he's ready to play and he's got his shot back," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "We count on him. We believe in him."

Bynum has been scoreless in three of the games in this series, but there seemed to be some support to get him more touches in the post.

"The guys just have to look for him," Jackson said. "He's a great target, he's got a big body. If he asks for the ball and guys rotate off him, we've got to get him the basketball. He's open in certain situations."

Said Farmar: "We have to go inside to Pau and Andrew and let them play, no matter if they miss three or four. We have to get [Houston] in foul trouble."

Meanwhile, the Rockets have persevered without Yao, Tracy McGrady and Dikembe Mutombo, most recently answering their 40-point loss in Game 5 with a 95-80 victory Thursday in Game 6.

Spoilers? It's obviously possible.

The Rockets haven't been to the West finals since 1997.

"L.A. is the top team in the West and the top team in the East is Cleveland. That would be a great matchup," Brooks said. "But we're in a good position to try and spoil that."

It's been a busy 20 years for the Lakers, what with seven Finals appearances and three championship parades, but they haven't done a lot of Game 7s.

Lakers-Rockets game 6 draws highest viewers

Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets was the most watched basketball game ever on ESPN.The Rockets' 95-80 victory on Thursday drew 7.35 million viewers, topping the 6.6 million that watched Miami beat Detroit in Game 6 of the 2006 Eastern Conference finals.

The game earned a 5.4 national rating and a 16.0 rating in Houston, ESPN's highest local rating for an NBA telecast. ESPN's audience for its six conference semifinal games is up 16 percent from last year.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program, while the share is the percentage of all TVs in use at the time.

Rockets tied series 3-3, force game 7

HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets came up with one more stunning victory to set up a final showdown with the Los Angeles Lakers.Aaron Brooks scored 26 points, Luis Scola added 24 points and 12 rebounds, and the scrappy, undermanned Rockets pushed the top-seeded Lakers to the brink in their Western Conference semifinal series with a 95-80 win in Game 6 on Thursday night.Reserve Carl Landry scored 15 as the Rockets built another huge lead in the first half, then fought off a Lakers rally to force Game 7 on Sunday at the Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant scored 32 and Pau Gasol added 14 for Los Angeles, which lost for only the third time in the last 18 games when it has a chance to close out a series.

The Lakers have one more opportunity to finish off Houston, but they probably didn't expect to need it, three games after Yao Ming exited the series with a broken left foot.

"We still have no chance," Brooks said with a huge smile. "We'll keep playing, though."

The winner will play the Denver Nuggets, who finished off Dallas on Wednesday night and now have a few extra days to rest.

Ron Artest pumped his fist and Scola embraced Brooks near midcourt as the final buzzer sounded and the Lakers walked off the court with their heads down.

Los Angeles won Game 5 by 40 points, matching Houston's worst playoff loss.

The Rockets came out dominant instead of demoralized on Thursday night. They put together a near carbon copy of the first half of Game 4, when they seemed to hit every open shot, smothered the Lakers on defense and built an 18-point halftime lead.

Bryant missed a halfcourt shot at the halftime buzzer in this one and angrily shook his head as he stormed off the court. The Rockets led 52-36 at the break -- one basket shy of the halftime score in Game 4.

On Sunday, Houston stretched its lead to 29 and cruised to a 99-87 win. This time, the Lakers made a game of it, opening the second half with a 16-2 spurt.

But Landry converted a three-point play to break the Lakers' momentum and Brooks sank a 3-pointer to help Houston rebuild its lead.

The Rockets hit their last eight shots in the third quarter and took a 75-65 lead to the fourth. Landry drove down the lane for a one-handed dunk with 6:56 left to put Houston up 81-71 and Bryant checked in after a long rest.

But Bryant missed four of his next six shots and Brooks scored eight points over the next five minutes to secure another surprise over the Western Conference's top seed.

"We got active again against Kobe. He's going to make some shots. We toughed it out in the fourth quarter," Brooks said.

The Lakers outrebounded Houston 45-39, but the Rockets scored 40 points in the paint and held Los Angeles to 36 percent shooting (30-for-84). The Lakers went only 5-for-23 from 3-point range.

Houston opened the game with a 17-1 burst, electrifying another red-clad capacity crowd at the Toyota Center.

Bryant made the Lakers' first field goal near the 6-minute mark, but Scola put in another short jumper to make it 19-3 -- one point better than Houston's opening run in Game 4.

Artest got a nice pass from Chuck Hayes and muscled inside for a layup to make it 21-3. The Lakers missed 14 of 20 shots in the quarter and trailed 27-15.

Shane Battier and Artest sank 3-pointers early in the second quarter, another good sign for Houston. The Rockets made 10 3-pointers in their Game 4 victory, but only five in Game 5.

Von Wafer, averaging only 6.6 points in the series, sank a 3 with 5:51 left in the half to put Houston ahead 42-25 and force Lakers coach Phil Jackson to use a timeout.

But Houston stayed in control and Bryant's frustration boiled over near the 2-minute mark.

With Artest blanketing him near midcourt, Bryant appeared to shove Artest and earned a technical foul. The temperamental Artest, ejected from Games 2 and 3, ran away to avoid a confrontation and Brooks sank the free throw for a 47-31 Houston lead.

Dwight led Orlando to force game 7 in Boston

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Dwight Howard demanded the ball, and delivered when the Orlando Magic gave it to him.Now he needs to back it up, one more time.

Howard had 23 points and 22 rebounds after challenging Stan Van Gundy's coaching strategy, and the Magic beat the Boston Celtics 83-75 on Thursday night to force a decisive Game 7.

"I just tried to be me," Howard said. "I just have to go out there and play and not worry about nothing."

And what did he learn from his comments?

"Biggest lesson?" Howard said. "Keep my mouth shut."

Rashard Lewis had 20 points, and Hedo Turkoglu made a 3-pointer to highlight an 11-2 run to close the game for the Magic, who haven't made it to the conference finals since 1996. But it was Howard who the Magic leaned on after he called out Van Gundy for not getting the ball enough in Game 5."I guess Dwight Howard was right," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "My gosh. He was unbelievable."

Rajon Rondo finished with 19 points, 16 rebounds and six assists, and Paul Pierce scored 17 for the Celtics, who led by 10 points in the second half before falling apart. Game 7 is Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics also failed to close out the Chicago Bulls in Game 6 of their first-round series, a triple-overtime epic. Boston will now go the distance in its first two series for the second straight year.

The two days off before Game 7 should give an older, worn out Boston team a chance to rest its tired legs. It's still not enough for Rivers.

"I would take a week off and do it like the Super Bowl," Rivers joked. "That would be terrific. But that's not going to happen."

Boston had chances.

The Celtics held the Magic scoreless for more than five minutes to start the third quarter, building a 10-point lead on a jumper by Glen "Big Baby" Davis. But Howard led the Magic back, with a backspin alley-oop from Turkoglu that highlighted a spurt to end the third quarter. Orlando took its first lead with 8:38 remaining in the fourth.

Pierce hit three straight jumpers to give Boston a 73-72 lead with about four minutes to play, but the Celtics were done in by their 3-for-18 shooting from 3-point range and 19 turnovers. Ray Allen missed all seven attempts from behind the arc.

"The offense definitely struggled," Pierce said. "But we still played enough defense to win the game. We turned the ball over too much."

Howard blamed Van Gundy for not getting the ball more after the Magic's Game 5 collapse, when they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

"You've got a dominant player, let him be dominant," Howard said.

He came out trying to back up his strong words.

Howard scored the first eight points of the game for the Magic, including a pair of dunks that pumped some life into the home crowd. He finished 9-for-16 shooting.

Van Gundy said he didn't change his strategy at all, and compared Howard's comments to an argument between himself and his wife.

"When she gets on me for something, my first reaction is to blame someone else," Van Gundy said. "To make an excuse. To do something else, because I don't like being criticized. And I think when Dwight gets into a game, his first thing is, 'I don't want the blame.' This is just my guess.

"But when you step back and look at it, I usually realize the person who's been on me has a point. And then it's time to step up and do the job."

The Celtics were again the scrappier team for most of the night, diving for loose balls and outmuscling the Magic for rebounds. Pierce's layup capped a 13-2 run that pushed Boston's lead to 31-22 early in the second quarter.

It wouldn't last.

Finding their shots from outside, the Magic scored seven straight points, getting 3-pointers from reserves A.J. Johnson and Mickael Pietrus. Orlando eventually tied the game just before the half on a short jumper by Rashard Lewis, but Pierce's free throws helped put Boston ahead 46-45 at the break.

Lakers can end series against Houston today

For all their follies the last two playoff seasons -- Game 6 in last year's Finals in Boston, Game 4 last Sunday against Houston -- there's one thing the Lakers have done really well.If they are one victory away from ending a series, they take care of it, winning all four of their last "close-out" games against playoff opponents.Thanks to a breezy 118-78 victory Tuesday, the Lakers could finish their Western Conference semifinal tonight in Game 6 against the Houston Rockets.

If they need extra motivation, they could always study video of their last game in Houston. The Rockets found out they'd be without Yao Ming the rest of the playoffs, and the Lakers found themselves inexplicably down 29 points on the way to a 99-87 loss.

Each team had had something in common that day: their centers were missing. Yao was out with a fractured foot and Andrew Bynum went scoreless with three fouls, two rebounds and one turnover in 12 minutes.

The good news for the Lakers was Bynum's semi-emergence in Game 5. He had 14 points on five-for-six shooting, made all four of his free throws and also took six rebounds in almost 20 minutes.

It wasn't perfect, but it was better than his meager playoff averages coming into the game -- 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds a game.

"I thought he had pretty good energy out there," Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. "Rebounding was great, I thought his defensive spacing was good."

Jackson declined to say if Bynum would again be in the starting lineup for Game 6, though Lamar Odom (bruised lower back) didn't do much beyond taking a few shots off to the side at Wednesday's practice after playing only 19 minutes Tuesday.

A healthy, productive Bynum might be the key to the Lakers' championship aspirations, seeing how no other playoff team will be employing a 6-foot-6 center.

If the Lakers get past Houston, Denver will be waiting with physical pivot men Nene and Chris Andersen. The teams still alive in the East all have physical post players as well -- Cleveland's Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao, Orlando's Dwight Howard and Boston's Kendrick Perkins.

Any hint of a Bynum rebirth would intrigue just about anybody, including Bynum.

"I definitely got in the flow, started early and kept it going," Bynum said of his Game 5 effort. "It does wonders to be out there and playing with your teammates and being involved."

He had two dunks and a short bank shot in the Lakers' first few possessions and would have played more than 20 minutes if he hadn't sustained a minor heel injury that was fine by Wednesday morning, Jackson said.

Bynum was dripping sweat when he came off the court after taking part in a scrimmage at practice. He was ready to hear that Game 5 might be the beginning of the end of his playoff problems.

"It definitely has a lot to do with rust and just getting the same explosion that you had," Bynum said. "Jumping ability, quickness off the ground, was a good attribute of mine, something that I have to continue to work on and try to get back. And then, obviously, mentally, to go from playing to being on the bench is tough on anybody."

There's still a series to be sewn up, which the Lakers hope to do tonight.

"Houston's going to come out very hard and they're going to try to attack us just like they did [in Game 4]," Bynum said. "We're going to have to go out there and be ready this time, clamp down on defense from the beginning."

Maturity level

Games 4 and 5 showed the best and worst of the Rockets and Lakers.

Houston forward Ron Artest thinks he knows what's happening out there.

"I guess both teams are very immature," he said. "Both teams, they show immaturity. The good thing is that we still got two games left."

Two games left? Well, maybe.

All-NBA

Kobe Bryant was selected first-team All-NBA for the seventh time in his career, the league announced Wednesday.

Pau Gasol earned All-NBA recognition for the first time in his career by being selected to the third team.

Bryant was on the first team in seven of the last eight seasons. He was a second-team selection in 2000 and 2001 and third team in 1999 and 2005.

Bryant was joined on the first team by Cleveland forward LeBron James, Miami guard Dwyane Wade, Orlando center Howard and Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Billups, Anthony lead Denver to West Finals

DENVER -- Chauncey Billups is taking his hometown team to new heights with a big assist from Carmelo Anthony.
Behind 30 points from Anthony and 28 from Billups, the Denver Nuggets beat the Dallas Mavericks 124-110 on Wednesday night to wrap up their semifinal series in five feisty games.So, the Nuggets are leaving all the animosity with the Mavericks' players, fans and owner behind and heading to their first Western Conference finals since 1985.

The Nuggets, who are 8-2 in the playoffs after tying their franchise record with a 54-win regular season, will face either Los Angeles or Houston for the conference championship.

"It's special. We worked hard in the offseason and training camp and throughout," Anthony said. "We stuck to everything, we overcame adversity, we stayed humble and our hard work paid off."

Winners of 16 straight games at the Pepsi Center, where no opponent has won since March 9, the Nuggets would start their next series on the road if the Lakers win, and at home if Houston does. The Lakers lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 Thursday night in Houston.

Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said the combination of Billups, a proven winner, and Anthony, "who's just taking quantum leaps as a great player and leader," makes the Nuggets a true title contender.

"These guys are legitimate, a legitimate championship-caliber team," Carlisle said. "They've got a great shot. They've got a real opportunity."

The Nuggets didn't dare dream of this type of success when the season began following the departures of defensive stalwarts Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera."Sometimes when you're forced to come together and fight together and persevere, your best qualities come forward," Denver coach George Karl said.

The impetus for the transformation came when the team made its biggest trade ever, Allen Iverson to Detroit for Billups, who turned his hometown team from an afterthought into a championship contender after leading the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference finals and the NBA championship in 2004.

"We love Allen, Allen's family," Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke said. "But as Allen has said many times it's still a business. Chauncey was right for us, with the different personalities we have on the club Chauncey was a really important part."

"He's a leader," Anthony said of Billups. "He came on this team and he brought a businesslike attitude to our team. He brought a defensive mindset we were looking for."

Fired up from the ugliness on and off the court in Dallas in Games 3 and 4, the Nuggets came out in front of their home crowd with a passion and shot 64 percent in the first half while building a 69-55 lead.

The Mavericks wouldn't go down easily, though, making five straight 3-pointers, three by Jason Kidd, to pull within 79-72.

The Mavericks were within 103-97 with 7 minutes left but Anthony took the inbounds pass and with 2 seconds on the shot clock, hit a turnaround 25-foot jumper at the buzzer. Antoine Wright was assessed a technical and Billups' free throw made it a 10-point game with 6:35 left.

"That Melo 3 was a killer," Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki said. "We get the technical on top. Back to 10 points."

"I don't know how he hit that shot," Billups said.

Anthony said it was pure luck.

"Yeah, that was a spark," Anthony said. "If I told you I knew it was going in, I'd be lying to you. That was a lucky shot. It went in. I think that shot right there sparked the momentum for us."

Carlisle called Melo's shot a microcosm of the series, where Denver had an answer to almost everything the Mavericks threw out.

"In the final analysis, Denver's a better team," Carlisle said. "And they showed it throughout the series."

Nowitzki had his usual monster game, scoring 32 points -- he averaged 34.4 in the series -- and Kidd added 19.

J.R. Smith scored 18 points for Denver, which is starting to get recognized as this year's feel-good story.

"It's not over, we're still on the road man," Billups said. "We are moving on to bigger and better things and hopefully we can remain successful."

Karl said it's not too early for the Nuggets to believe they can be champions.

"I think our team is a good basketball team, a very good basketball team. And I have a feeling that we're not going to be messed up by the next round. We're going to make a team beat us," Karl said. "We can live with that. But we're not going to give it to anybody. We're going to go after it."

Karl said that for all Anthony's accolades, including an NCAA championship at Syracuse as a freshman in 2003 and a gold medal at the Beijing Games last summer, Wednesday was a red-letter day in Anthony's career because he was named to the All-NBA team and won another playoff series.

"These two awards tonight solidify how good he is," Karl said.

"You can start to put Melo in that group of winners and not just great players," Billups suggested.

Before the game, the NBA said it wouldn't punish anybody over the ugly incidents that occurred on and off the court in the games in Dallas, which included Mavs owner Mark Cuban throwing a fit after a non-call helped Denver win Game 3, when he also yelled at Kenyon Martin's mother.

Cuban, who skipped Game 5 to attend an awards ceremony in Las Vegas, had written in his blog this week that the Nuggets' families and friends could sit in his private suite "when the series returns to Dallas."

The Nuggets won't be going back to Texas. They have bigger plans, thanks to Anthony and Billups.

Lakers rout Rockets to lead series 3-2

Kobe Bryant needed only three quarters to score 26 points and the Los Angeles Lakers bounced back from their Game 4 flop, routing the Houston Rockets 118-78 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.The top-seeded Lakers did everything they didn't do in Sunday's 99-87 loss at Houston -- hustled, rebounded and played tight defense on Houston's smaller lineup, keeping Aaron Brooks in check and limiting wide-open shots.

On Sunday the Lakers trailed by 29 points. On Tuesday night, they had a 29-point lead by late in the second quarter, on a 3-pointer by Bryant, who led seven Lakers in double figures.

The Lakers can wrap up the series Thursday night in Houston.

Bryant looked more like himself after being held to 15 points on Sunday. With the Lakers far ahead after holding the Rockets to only 15 points in each of the second and third quarters, he sat out the fourth period.

Pau Gasol had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Andrew Bynum 14 points, Trevor Ariza 13 and Jordan Farmar 12. Lamar Odom and Josh Powell had 10 apiece.

Brooks was held to 14 points after scoring a career-high 34 on Sunday. Ron Artest had a horrible night shooting, 4-of-15 for nine points. The Rockets shot only 32 percent.

The Lakers fell behind by six points midway through the first quarter, but it didn't take them long to answer the question of whether they'd show up.

Los Angeles gained control by outscoring Houston 23-6 during the final six minutes of the first quarter. Bryant had eight points, making three straight shots at one point. Odom sank a 3-pointer and Farmar another 3 at the buzzer for a 35-24 lead.

With Bryant sitting out at the start of the second quarter, the Lakers didn't lose any of their intensity, going on an 8-0 run to push the lead to 43-24. Gasol made a hook shot and two free throws, Odom made two free throws and Sasha Vujacic blocked a shot by Von Wafer, raced down the court and took a pass from Gasol for a slam dunk.

With Houston going cold, the Lakers piled it on, taking a 64-35 lead on Bryant's 3-pointer with 1:31 before halftime. It was 64-39 at the break.

Boston escapes game 5 to lead 3-2 series over Orlando

BOSTON -- Ray Allen's 3-pointer with 1:20 left gave Boston its first lead since the opening minutes and the Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 92-88 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.Stephon Marbury scored all of his 12 points in the fourth quarter, keeping the Celtics in the game after a lackluster 36 minutes that left them trailing by 14 with 8:49 to play. Orlando led 85-75 with 5:39 left, then Boston scored the next 13 points to open an 88-85 lead before Rashard Lewis' free throws with 7.3 seconds left.

Paul Pierce had 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Kendrick Perkins grabbed 11 rebounds, and Game 4 hero Glen "Big Baby" Davis scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Davis also grabbed the rebound and hit a pair of free throws after Dwight Howard intentionally missed a free throw with 5.9 seconds left.

"It's all about never giving in and having the heart of a champion," Pierce said.

Howard had 12 points and 17 rebounds for Orlando, which needs a victory in Game 6 on Thursday night to force the series back to Boston for a decisive seventh game.

Lewis scored 19 and Hedo Turkoglu had 18 with seven assists for the Magic, who almost blew a 28-point lead in Game 1, then lost Game 4 on Sunday when Davis hit a 21-foot buzzer-beater.

Davis hurt them again on Tuesday, but he didn't wait quite as long.

Howard dunked on an alley-oop from Rafer Alston to make it 77-63 with 8:49 left, Orlando's biggest lead of the game, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers disgustedly called a timeout.

But Marbury hit a 3-pointer, then another jumper, and after Davis sank a pair of hook shots, Marbury converted a three-point play to make it 83-75. Turkoglu made a jumper to extend the lead to 10 points before Rivers put Pierce, Perkins and Rajon Rondo back in the game with 4:55 left.

Two jumpers by Davis, a layup by Pierce and a reverse from Perkins made it 85-83. Davis missed a potential game-tying shot with 1:55 left, but Allen made up for it by putting Boston ahead with a 3-pointer -- just his third basket of the game.

Orlando had a chance to take back the lead when Rondo's 3-pointer as the 24-second clock expired seemed to skim only the net as it came down, and the shot clock buzzer went off. But Perkins, who had grabbed the rebound, argued vociferously that the ball tipped the rim, and the referees overruled the call, giving the ball back to Boston with just 37 seconds left and allowing them to run the clock down to the final seconds.

Dallas stays alive against Denver

DALLAS -- So much for the idea that the Dallas Mavericks would be devastated by the way Game 3 ended. Inspired was more like it.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 19 of his 44 points in the fourth quarter, including a go-ahead, high-arching shot with 1:05 left in a 119-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night that prevented the Mavericks from being swept and injected a whole lot more excitement into this second-round series."It was an unbelievable game," Nowitzki said. "We were down the whole game, but were able to come back and win and we've been doing that all season long. ... We've got to go back to Denver and let it all hang out again."
Carmelo Anthony scored a career playoff-best 41 points and hit a 3-pointer with 3.1 seconds left from nearly the exact spot as his winning basket in the previous game, only this time it left Denver a point shy of a tie.
Dallas' Jason Terry made a free throw with 1.1 seconds left, then missed another -- intentionally, he said. Anthony got the rebound but couldn't stop the clock and didn't have enough time to even get off a 90-foot heave. The buzzer sounded and confetti fell as the teams left the court, knowing they will meet again Wednesday night in Denver.
"We're still in control of this going back to our home court," Anthony said. "We'll be ready."
The postgame scene was a little calmer than after the end of Game 3, although it may also wind up getting reviewed by the league office because Denver's Kenyon Martin clearly exchanged words with Dallas owner Mark Cuban. Martin wouldn't talk in the locker room, telling reporters to "go someplace else. All you [expletive] are trying to do is cause trouble."This game had all the intensity of a Game 7, with seven technical fouls and multiple flagrants. There were video reviews and concerns for the safety of Anthony's girlfriend and Martin's mom, all of it started by the wacky Game 3 finish, then stoked by a silly elbow from Anthony early in the second quarter.
Once things started going out of control, they hardly stopped. Denver led by 14, then Dallas got close several times only to fall back by several baskets. The Mavs tied it several times before finally breaking through on Nowitzki's rainbow over Martin.
"They're allowed to be fans, but when it gets personal, it goes over the top," Denver's Chauncey Billups said. "They're drinking before the game started, drinking all game, and it probably got a little out of hand. They're allowed to be fans but sometimes it can get over the top."
Added Nuggets coach George Karl: "I would probably use an uglier word than hostile, but I'm not going to do that right now. I don't think it was very classy. I've been in hostile buildings, but you can do it in a classy way."
Denver was headed to another blowout early when Anthony tangled arms with Dallas' Antoine Wright. It was like an alarm clock for the drowsy crowd of 20,523 -- and for the Mavericks, who all season have been at their best immediately after hitting rock bottom. It was a quality coach Rick Carlisle expected to see Monday night, even if it showed up more than a quarter late.
In the final minute, Dallas was up by two after Mavs forward Josh Howard and Anthony each hit a pair of free throws. Dallas got the ball to Nowitzki and he drew another foul on Martin. K-Mart knew it was his sixth and went straight to the bench and took a seat, watching Nowitzki sink two more free throws with 8.3 seconds left.
Anthony's 3 gave the Nuggets hopes of another miracle finish, but they were out of tricks. Unable to steal the ball from Terry, they fouled him instead.
It was too late. Denver wasn't going to pull off the first four-game sweep in franchise history and Dallas avoided getting swept for the first time in a seven-game series.
The Mavs also lost the season series 0-4, but they knew they were getting closer. The margin went 14 to 12 to one, and, now, to two points in their favor.
"We've been fighting and fighting this whole series," said Howard, who had 21 points and 11 rebounds. "The win finally went our way. ... The end of Game 3 gave us a lot of willpower for this game."
Nowitzki, who also is dealing with off-court troubles involving a girlfriend, was 14-of-25. He made 16 of 17 free throws and grabbed 13 rebounds.
"There are very few guys I have been around in this league that are as strong-willed as him," Carlisle said.
Jason Kidd added 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
Billups had 24 points and seven assists, and J.R. Smith had 19 points, including two terrific baskets with the shot clock about to expire in the fourth quarter.

Cleveland sweeps Atlanta 4-0 in East Semifinals

ATLANTA -- Like Michael Jordan, he knows there are times that call for dominating. Like Magic Johnson, he knows there are times that call for sharing the ball.

LeBron James went with his Magic impression in the deciding game of another playoff sweep.While failing to match his offensive explosion in Game 3, the league's MVP scored 27 points and got his teammates involved as the Cleveland Cavaliers finished off the Atlanta Hawks 84-74 Monday night to win the second-round series in four straight.
Delonte West and Mo Williams showed Cleveland isn't just a one-man squad, hitting huge shots down the stretch as the Cavaliers extended their NBA-record streak of double-digit playoff wins to eight in a row. Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao pounded the boards, leading the Cavaliers to another big rebounding edge.
"I've got trust in every last one of our guys," James said.
Cleveland, which also swept Detroit in the opening round, will face either Boston or Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals.
No matter the opponent, the Cavaliers will be a lot more rested. The Celtics-Magic series is tied 2-2 and will last at least through Thursday, while the top seed heads back to Ohio to relax for a few days before opening the next round at home."We're glad to finish this series off," said Wally Szczerbiak, who chipped in with six points off the bench. "Now it's time to go get our rest and get ready for the next series. We have some bumps and bruises to heal from in this series."
So do the Hawks, but they've got all summer. Joe Johnson, Al Horford and Marvin Williams were all hobbled by injuries.
"It's hard to judge this team because we really weren't healthy in this series," said Atlanta coach Mike Woodson, whose team made the second round of the playoffs for the first time in a decade, just four seasons removed from a 13-69 debacle. "We have to get better personnel-wise, but I couldn't be more proud of the guys than I am. We made some major strides this season."
James wasn't in the mood to celebrate. For the Cavaliers, the only thing that will make this season complete is hoisting a trophy after the final game.
"Why should we celebrate?" James said. "We're playing for a championship. An advance is an advance. It doesn't matter if you win in four games or you win Game 7. We're happy that we're playing great basketball ... but we're not taking for granted what we're doing right now."
The Cavaliers became the second team to sweep the first two rounds of the playoffs since the NBA expanded the first round to best-of-seven in 2003. The Miami Heat started with sweeps of New Jersey and Washington in the 2005 playoffs before losing to Detroit in the Eastern finals.
After scoring 47 points in Game 3, James struggled with his jumper in this one. Still, he came through with the Cavaliers facing their first serious challenge of the playoffs.Midway through the fourth, James hit a towering 3-pointer with 6½ minutes to go, lingering at the arc to pose with his right hand extended toward the arena roof. He also converted a three-point play with 2:03 remaining, making the basket desppite getting hacked by Zaza Pachulia.
When the Hawks came at him with double- and triple-teams, James passed it off to West for an open 3 from the corner and, finally, found Mo Williams for a trey that finished off the Hawks with 52 second left. The Hawks called timeout, their only way to extend the season, but James hovered near the middle of the court, just staring at a fan in a garish green shirt and orange pants who'd been riding him all game.
As usual, James had the last word. He made only 9 of 22 from the field, but had eight rebounds and eight assists. Plus, he had some help from his teammates.
West scored 21 points, while Williams made four 3-pointers to account for his 12 points. Ilgauskas had 14 points and 10 rebounds, while Varejao seemed to get his hand on every miss, picking up seven of his 11 rebounds at the offensive end.
The Cavaliers had another dominating night on the boards, finishing with a 48-33 edge after doubling up the Hawks (46-23) two nights earlier.
"You know LeBron is going to be there, but you don't know who else is going to be there," Woodson moaned. "They've got weapons around LeBron."
West donned a pair of James' signature sneakers and showed he was worthy.
"You saw I had LeBrons on? It was the shoes," West joked.
Added James, "Delonte was awesome. He's our glue. When he gets into attack mode, when he gets into the lane, he's one of those guys who's sort of unguardable."
Josh Smith led Atlanta with 26 points, but the Hawks were doomed by a miserable shooting night -- 23 of 73 from the field to finish at 31.5 percent. Johnson added 18 points but made just 7 of 18 shots. Mike Bibby scored his only points on a 3-pointer in the final quarter. Flip Murray kept putting it up, but made only 4 of 15 for 14 points.
The Hawks actually led 22-15 after the opening period -- the first time they had been ahead of the Cavaliers after any quarter in any off the four games. The seven-point edge also matched Atlanta's biggest of the series.
But Atlanta squandered any momentum with a dismal offensive stretch to start the second quarter. The Hawks missed their first nine shots, finally hitting their first basket on Murray's drive more than 5 minutes into the period.
Still, the Cavaliers couldn't pull away, settling for just a 40-38 lead at the break.

Orlando takes 2-1 lead over Boston

The Orlando Magic had plenty of fight in them this time — even on their own bench.

Anthony Johnson, subbing for the suspended Rafer Alston, threw an elbow into Stan Van Gundy as the starting point guard and the coach jawed after Johnson committed a turnover.

Yes, this thing is getting physical.

Van Gundy and Johnson could both laugh about the bumping incident after the Magic recovered from an embarrassing loss to pound the Boston Celtics 117-96 in Game 3 of the second-round series Friday. Two days after a pitiful 112-94 loss to the reigning champs in Boston, the Magic stood their ground to take a 2-1 lead with an aggressiveness that carried through the team.

"That wasn't an animated discussion. A.J. was upset and I was upset," Van Gundy said, chuckling.

"It was in the heart of battle. I said something to him first. I have tremendous respect for A.J. He got us off to a great start."

Johnson said, "It was the heat of the moment. It was 100 percent my fault."

He said he had heard the doubters dismiss the Magic after Alston was suspended Thursday for slapping Celtics shooting guard Eddie House in the head late in Game 2.

"I've been considered an underdog, considered not good enough to lead. I had heard we had no chance," Johnson said.

"I enjoy proving people wrong."

Johnson finished with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three assists. He set the tone with a dunk that belied his 34 years for the Magic's second basket.

He was a perfect 3-of-3 in the first quarter as the club shot 58.8 percent — just a warm-up for the franchise playoff-record 59.1 percent they would shoot against the vaunted Celtics' defense.

Before Van Gundy could put Johnson back in after their rhubarb at the end of the third quarter, the Magic were rolling with Hedo Turkoglu, who was playing the point and teaming with Rashard Lewis to put the finishing touches on the rout.

Johnson sat the entire fourth quarter, but Van Gundy said keeping A.J. on the bench had nothing to do with their dust-up — and everything to do with the Magic closing the door on the Celtics with the patchwork of point guards on the floor.

Shooting guards J.J. Redick and Courtney Lee — returning after missing three playoffs games because of sinus surgery — handled the ball.

Turkoglu, posing as a 6-foot-10 playmaker, scored 11 of his 24 points in the final period, hitting all three of his shots to turn back a typical Celtics' comeback.

Boston had whittled a 20-point third-quarter deficit to seven early in the fourth.

But then Turkoglu and Lewis combined for 22 points in Orlando's 29-16 run to go ahead by 20 again at 107-87 with three minutes, 50 seconds left, forcing Celtics Coach (and former Magic coach) Doc Rivers to send in his subs.

The Magic had to find some different ways to win this one — even outside Alston's absence.

They had to play most of the fourth quarter without foul-plagued Dwight Howard (17 points, 14 rebounds, five blocks).

He dominated most of the game but played just under 10 minutes of the second half — and only two minutes of the final quarter.

Lee, wearing a protective mask, had an impact, scoring 11 points and adding four rebounds.

The Magic held the Celtics to 43 percent shooting and shoved back. It looked like a hockey game broke out in the third when Magic shooting guard Mickael Pietrus was elbowed in the face by Kendrick Perkins. Perkins received a Flagrant One foul.

Eddie House started barking with various Magic players as tempers flared, bringing Van Gundy and Rivers onto the floor to act as peacemakers.

"We had one bad game, and as far as having any fight in us," Johnson said,

"I think we showed that we're in a position to put a stranglehold on the series."