Posts Tagged ‘nba’

Lakers coach Phil Jackson determined to retire

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said on Wednesday he is about to retire but will not make a final decision until the end of next week.

“I’ve made up my mind — I’m leaning towards retiring, but I have not made up my mind,” about a final decision, Jackson told reporters at the team’s El Segundo headquarters in Los Angeles.

Jackson said he needs to receive medical treatment. The 64-year-old coach has had a series of medical issues in recent years.

He said he would undergo additional medical tests today and Thursday. Jackson missed the team’s victory parade Monday because of a previously scheduled medical appointment.

Jackson said he will drive to his off-season Montana home Friday, then talk with his doctors next week.

Jackson has won a record 11 NBA championships as coach, the most recent coming Thursday when the Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics, 83-79, in Game 7 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center.

Sun’s Put the Hurt on all the Doubters

After immediately dropping two games to the Lakers in the Western Finals, the Suns weren’t surprised to hear people saying the series was over.

It’s nothing they haven’t heard before, plenty of times.

The Suns are used to people not believing in them as they tied the Western Conference finals at 2 all with Tuesday Night’s victory 115-106 in Phoenix.

Two crushing performances by the Lakers in Los Angeles began the perceived demise of the Suns and the Lakers predicted return to the finals.

Never mind that the Suns still had games to play on their own turf.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry gently reminded us that nobody counted out San Antonio after Phoenix won the first two games of the West semifinals.

We shall see!

Magic take Game 5 and have Boston on their Heels

Just like that, the Orlando Magic are back on their feet.

The hurt from Wednesday’s game was all in the Boston locker room with Davis and Daniels suffering concussions, and Kendrick Perkins earning an automatic suspension for game 6 on Friday night after picking up seven technical fouls.

All of the sudden, the Celtics are really not looking like the mean machine they were in the first three games of the series.

It’s not an elimination game for Boston, but they need to treat it as one.

The last thing they want to do is lose and have to come back to Orlando and possibly be the first team out of 94 to blow a 3-0 lead and lose the series.

Celtics Center Davis Brought Down Hard with a Concussion

Boston Celtics center Glen Davis received a concussion during the third quarter of game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Dwight Howard inadvertently struck Davis in the face sending him to the court as the play went the other way.

Davis was so stunned that when he tried to get up he fell again.

When he finally made it to his feet, he was visibly dazed and had to be held up by a referee so he wouldn’t fall again.

He never did return to that game, and the Celtics are all hush about his availability if the series stretches out to a game 6 on Friday.

Fines Fly Regarding Lebron James

Hawk’s owner Michael Gearon was fined $25,000 for comments he made regarding LeBron James that violated NBA anti tampering rules.

This was the third fine handed down in recent days for similar violations of the rule.

Gearon was fined for saying that he’d be willing to subject the team to the luxury tax if it could sign James to a maximum contract.

According to NBA rules, teams are not allowed to discuss players on other teams until free agency opens on July 1.

Maverick’s owner Mark Cuban was fined $100,000 for comments he made about James and also Phoenix Suns President of Basketball operations Steve Kerr was fined ten grand for comments he made about James on a radio show on May 14th.