NBA News

[abadani69]

Sunday might be the first time the San Antonio Spurs will see how good the Denver Nuggets really are.

The season series, which San Antonio won 2-1, didn't offer much insight into how their first-round playoff series will go once it starts Sunday at the AT&T Center.

"I don't think we played San Antonio the way we should have played them or the way we're capable of playing them this whole season," Carmelo Anthony said. "This is going to be the first time that everybody's playing together."

Anthony was suspended when the Spurs won 92-83 in January. In their second matchup in February, Allen Iverson was just back from an ankle injury and scored only nine points, 16 below his average with Denver at the end of the season. San Antonio won 95-80, holding Iverson and Anthony to 24 points combined.

And their season finale last Wednesday? Neither team had anything to gain and both rested their top players in Denver's meaningless 100-77 rout.

"It's irrelevant, isn't it?" Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said about the season's games. "We have to play the team that comes on Sunday."

And that team has been one of the NBA's hottest in recent weeks. Denver went a franchise-best 10-1 in April.

"We went and beat a lot of playoff teams on the road in April," Denver coach George Karl said. "And our mental toughness got better. Finishing off games got better. Our defense got better. I've said all along I think if we defend and pass, we're pretty good."

Popovich agrees, saying the Nuggets are playing their best basketball of the season. Of Iverson, whom the Nuggets acquired in December from the Philadelphia 76ers, Popovich laughed: "We've never stopped him, have we? I think he likes seeing us, he scores well.

"He's one of those players that you're not going to stop because he's a great one," Popovich said. "And if we can make him work hard, that's always the goal. And if you make someone work hard maybe they'll have a night where they don't make everything."

Putting The Answer and Anthony together makes it that much tougher.

"I think they've really turned a corner this end part of the season -- the last 10, 15 games. They've got some incredible pieces to their team," the Spurs' Tim Duncan said. "They've got what could be the defensive players of the year and two of the top scorers in the league and a whole cast. They're going to be an incredible challenge."

But the Spurs' league-leading defense has proven it can handle just about anything. They have a few offensive weapons, too.

Tony Parker, who will see a lot of time matched against Iverson, noted that though Iverson's speed will be hard to contain, "He's going to chase me, too."

And Denver may have to work hard to crowd the lane to keep Parker and Manu Ginobili from driving to the basket.

"We know they're going to do that," Ginobili said. "But I think we've got enough weapons to make shots from the outside. ... I think we've got all three important parts of the offense" -- penetration, outside shooting and an inside game.

And the Spurs are hoping that drawing Denver in the first round bodes well.

Two years ago, with a 59-23 season record, they beat Denver 4-1 in the first round on their way to the 2005 title. The Spurs also won it all in 1999 and 2003. The Nuggets haven't won a playoff series since 1994.

This season the Spurs ended up two games short of 60 wins. It would have been the fourth time the franchise had reached the milestone. After Milwaukee snapped San Antonio's season-high 13-game win streak in March, the Spurs went 12-6 the rest of the season. They lost only 10 games at home.

"They're a great team, probably the most consistent throughout the year," said Marcus Camby. "They've been overshadowed by the sort of season the Mavericks have had. But you don't overlook them."

Speaking of Dallas, San Antonio isn't overlooking Denver, but the Spurs are hungry to erase the memories of their last playoff game, an overtime loss to the Mavericks in Game 7 of last season's Western Conference semifinals.

"They're a special team that knows who they are probably better than we do. There will be situations where their experience and maturity will help them," Karl said. "But there also will be some situations where the stress and pressure and expectations of (the Spurs winning another) championship will help us."

At least Denver hopes so.

"It's just going to be tough, but I just feel good about us," Iverson said. "I feel confident in my team and my coaching staff. I know it's going to be hard, but it's something that we can accomplish."

[abadani69]

In a regular season that featured all sorts of streaks, milestones and records, there was one thing the Dallas Mavericks failed to do: Beat the Golden State Warriors.

Those Warriors happen to be the first-round foe for the Mavericks.

Will the Mavs get revenge for an 0-3 regular-season series? Or could the eighth-seeded Warriors, who needed a 9-1 finish just to make the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, be primed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NBA history?

Before answering, consider a few more things.

Start with the fact Golden State coach Don Nelson knows Dallas as well as he knows his own club. After all, Nellie spent the previous 10 seasons with the Mavericks, overseeing their rise, grooming Dirk Nowitzki into a superstar and positioning Avery Johnson to replace him as coach.

But here's the really interesting part: Golden State went 3-1 against Dallas last season, too, before Nelson was calling the shots.

All that background leads to the big question: Is the Warriors' recent 6-1 record against the Mavericks, which includes five straight wins, just a coincidence? Or could this be one of those weird cases where an inferior team matches up well against an elite team?

The answer will come over the next seven games, starting Sunday night in Dallas.

"We know this team poses a challenge to us," Mavs forward Jerry Stackhouse said. "It may take a game or so, but we feel like eventually we'll catch up to them."

Golden State's success starts with big, strong, athletic guards in Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Monta Ellis. Midseason acquisitions Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington have been a big part of their closing kick.

Because the Mavericks know Nelson so well, they're bracing for all sorts of lineup combinations -- probably small, smaller and smallest, all aimed at pushing the tempo. The last time the Warriors failed to score 100 against Dallas was the last time they lost. Another benefit of going with short guys is to try keeping 7-footers Erick Dampier and DeSagana Diop on the bench. The less they're on the court, the more room Golden State's guards will have to maneuver.

"Even though they play a small lineup, we still want to be able to do all the same stuff that got us 67 wins," Nowitzki said. "We need Damp and Diop to be a factor in this series, even when they go small. So it should be fun to see who can impose his will."

Although the Warriors had great success doing that against the Mavs this season, Johnson is quick to note there were extenuating circumstances every time. Even Nelson says "there should be an asterisk next to" those games.

Golden State deserves credit for the first one, but it has to be thrown out when analyzing this series because Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Troy Murphy were in the Warriors' rotation. They were traded months ago.

The second one came the night after Dallas won its 17th straight game. The Mavs were so vulnerable that "a Saginaw, Mich., high school team could have beaten them that night," Nelson said.

The third one was earlier this week, a game most of Dallas' best players sat out.

"Those regular-season games were a good experience, but we've all been talking about how that doesn't mean a lot now," Davis said. "Anybody who's been in the playoffs can tell you it's a different experience. ... Me and Jack and Al have been letting people know that's going to be a different Dallas Mavericks team when the ball goes up."

He has a good point. It's something Johnson has talked about, too, the difference between getting ready for a series vs. preparing for a regular-season game.

"It's good to zero in on one situation," said Johnson, who was the starting point guard the last time the Warriors made the playoffs, back in 1994.

The pressure for Dallas this postseason goes way beyond ending its Golden State hex.

The Mavs also are carrying the burden that comes with winning 67 games, the most in franchise history and tied for sixth-most in NBA history. Four of the five teams that won more games all won the NBA title, leading to questions of whether the great regular season will have been for naught if they don't win it all.

Plus, Dallas' mantra this season has been "finish," a reference to falling short in last year's NBA finals. The Mavs beat the Miami Heat the first two games and were up big late in the next one, but didn't win that game or any others.

Leave it to Nellie to up the ante.

"The Dallas Mavericks have no weaknesses," he said. "They're deep, they're great at every position, and they can play any style. ... They're looking at a different picture than we're looking at. We're looking to just play one good game. They're looking at two months of championship-caliber basketball."

AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Oakland contributed.

[abadani69]

Flat on his back, LeBron James grimaced as he looked toward the arena rafters, where giant banners spelled out his team's playoff motto: "RISE UP!"

And he did.

Ignoring a sprained left ankle, James stayed in the game to score 23 points and Larry Hughes added 27 Sunday, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers over the depleted Washington Wizards 97-82 in the opener of this Eastern Conference series.

James turned his ankle on a drive in the third quarter but refused to come out, adding nine rebounds and seven assists in 44 minutes.

"I had no intention of not coming back," he said. "First game of the playoffs, we've got to set a tone. If I was able to limp on it, I was going to be in there."


The Cavaliers were expected to blow through their second straight first-round matchup with the undermanned Wizards, missing All-Stars Gilbert Arenas (knee surgery) and Caron Butler (broken hand).

However, Game 1 was no walk in the park for the Cavs on a beautiful, sunny spring day in Cleveland.

Antawn Jamison scored 28 points with 14 rebounds and Jarvis Hayes had 18 points for Washington, which was still within 10 points with more than seven minutes remaining.

That's when the Cavaliers, much more playoff savvy than they were a year ago, moved their attack inside and pounded the ball to 7-foot-3 center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He scored seven straight points to help Cleveland push its lead to 89-74 with five minutes left.

Ilgauskas, bothered by a sore ankle when the Cavs beat the Wizards in a six-game series a year ago, scored 11 of his 16 points in the fourth period.

"When the big fella is feeling good and he wants it, you have to give it to him," James said.

Cleveland also clamped down on the Wizards in the fourth, holding them to 5-of-20 shooting and making Jamison go 1-of-7 for his only three points in the last 16 minutes.

"We missed some open shots," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "I thought we executed well enough. It was a game. Their defense was good, but we've got to finish the plays."

James appeared as if his second postseason as a pro might be in jeopardy when he crumpled to the floor with 8:03 left in the third.

On a drive, James rose for a floater from about 10 feet. As the ball dropped in, James came down on Etan Thomas' right foot, twisting his ankle and falling in obvious pain.

The injury looked severe and the fired-up Cleveland crowd moaned when James began slapping his hand on the floor. But after about a minute, James popped up and walked to the bench with hardly a limp.

"That made everybody's heart jump a little bit," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "You don't want to see that happen to any of your guys, let alone LeBron."

James expects a sore ankle Monday, but he's certain he'll be ready for Game 2 of the best-of-seven series Wednesday.

The scary moment sparked an 11-2 run by the Cavaliers. They appeared ready to bury the Wizards, but Washington hung tough and a 3-pointer by Antonio Daniels with 1.2 seconds left made it 74-67 with 12 minutes to go.

James was little more than a decoy the rest of the way. He made only two hard drives, deferring to Hughes and Ilgauskas.

"He's a machine, man," said Hayes, who tried to make James work extra hard on offense. "You've just got to do something to slow him down."

Hughes was just as tough on the Wizards, his former team. Not only did he knock down jumpers and pick up the slack when James got hurt, but Hughes' familiarity with Washington's offense allowed him to yell out the Wizards' plays.

"We were worried about LeBron, we were worried about the big fella down low and trying to box out Drew Gooden," Jamison said. "Larry did a great job of getting in the teeth of the defense."

After the Wizards trimmed a 10-point deficit to four, Hughes drained a 3-pointer at the halftime horn to give Cleveland a 48-41 lead.

"We were struggling through most of the first half," Hughes said. "I was a little hesitant, a little tentative on both ends, so to get one to go in and push the lead to seven was good."

Notes

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's assertion that anything short of the conference finals would be a failure didn't seem to sit well with James. Gilbert said, "Organizations and people are like trees -- you're either growing or dying. ... To call the season a success in growth, you want to see yourself up one notch." Does James feel the same sense of urgency? "No," he said. "He (Gilbert) has his own opinion. I play for my teammates. You can't go and contemplate on what other people say." ... Butler is to have his cast removed Monday and is hoping to return for Game 3. ... The Wizards return to Washington for practice the next two days.

[abadani69]

Phoenix 95, LA Lakers 87


PHOENIX (AP) -- For a long time Sunday, the Phoenix Suns couldn't make a shot and Kobe Bryant couldn't miss.

Then Leandro Barbosa, the "Brazilian Blur", brought the NBA's highest-scoring offense to life, and Bryant went from awesome to awful.

The result was a second-half rally that gave the Suns a 95-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round Western Conference playoff opener.

"They did everything in the book to give this game away," Lakers guard Smush Parker said, "and we didn't take advantage of it."

Barbosa showed why he is a leading candidate for the NBA's sixth man award. The super-speedy guard scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half, including 15 consecutive Phoenix points in one stretch, to match his career playoff scoring high.

"I was just trying to be aggressive like I've been the whole season," Barbosa said. "They were trying to slow down the game, and it's not the way that we like to play."

Amare Stoudemire, back in the postseason after missing last year's while recovering from two knee surgeries, added 23 points and 12 rebounds.

Bryant scored 39, but only 11 in the second half. The NBA's scoring champ was 1-for-10 shooting in the fourth quarter, when Phoenix pulled away.

"Kobe ran out of gas in the fourth quarter," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "Their defense did a great job against our offense, and we couldn't find a way to get on track."

That's right, a Suns' team known for its prolific offense relied on defense. Phoenix held Los Angeles to 10 fourth-quarter points.

"Our defense was the key to the game," Steve Nash said. "Obviously there's not much we can do on the runs Kobe went on, but if you look at the entire game, our defense was solid."

Nash had 20 points and 10 assists and Shawn Marion 16 points and 16 rebounds for a Phoenix team that struggled mightily on offense until Barbosa provide the spark, highlighted by a 31-footer at the third-quarter buzzer that cut the Lakers' lead to 77-74 entering the fourth.

"It was a really big shot," Nash said, "a turning point there."

Lamar Odom, who had to leave the game briefly to get five stitches in a cut over his left eye, had 17 points and 16 rebounds for Los Angeles.

Game 2 of the rematch of last year's first round series is Tuesday night in Phoenix. The Suns won the opener last year, too, but lost the next three, then regrouped to win the last three and advance.

Bryant, 11-of-17 shooting in the first half and 4-of-16 in the second, refuted any suggestion that his late-game troubles were due to fatigue.

"No, I was fine. I was fine," he said. "We didn't execute like we did in that first half, so my touches became a lot harder."

Nash said he didn't know if Bryant wore down, "but certainly it's not easy to go kind of one-on-one that long."

Energy was no problem for Barbosa.

His personal scoring surge erased a 77-71 deficit. Barbosa's driving layup on an ultra-fast break put Phoenix ahead 79-77 with 10:29. It was the Suns' first lead since it was 13-11 midway through the first quarter.

"He is just so much faster than anybody else it's unbelievable," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said.

The Phoenix run reached 16-4 after Boris Diaw made one of two free throws to give the Suns an 87-81 lead 6:27 from the finish. With Bryant misfiring, Phoenix stretched it to 91-83 on Stoudemire's dunk after a pass from Barbosa, who had tumbled to the floor, with 3:32 left.

Bryant's lone field goal in the fourth quarter was a layup.

"You lost a ball game. Nothing slipped away when you lose a game like that," Jackson said. "What we do know is that we can play with this ballclub, and we have the energy to contain them for a full game. They played a 48-minute game and we played a 36-minute game."

A 14-2 run brought the Suns temporarily back from a 12-point second-quarter deficit. Phoenix tied it at 37 on Nash's 3-pointer with 3:09 left in the half.

Then Bryant took over, outscoring the Suns 11-2 the rest of the half, the last nine on 3-pointers. His final 3 came from 27 feet with two defenders in his face and one second on the clock.

In all, Bryant scored the Lakers' final 15 of the half and Los Angeles led 48-39 at the break.

Bryant's only 3-pointer of the second half gave the Lakers a 57-45 lead with 9:47 left in the third quarter.

Nash, always his team's severest critic, liked its defense and the late grit but didn't like the way the Suns started.

"I think sometimes our team forgets where we are," he said. "We are a little bit complacent in that we feel like it's just going to happen for us.

Notes

The Suns' Raja Bell and Diaw were a combined 3-for-13 for seven points. Bell was 0-for-5 on 3s. ... The Lakers' record for most points in a playoff game is 61 by Elgin Baylor in 1962. ... Phoenix has four straight playoff victories over the Lakers. ... Jackson lost a playoff opener for the second year in a row after winning his first 14.

[abadani69]

Phoenix 126, LA Lakers 98

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns put the pedal to the floor and left that Game 2 jinx, and the Los Angeles Lakers, buried in the dust.

The Suns revved up their frenetic style to near perfection on Tuesday night in a 126-98 rout that put Phoenix up 2-0 in the best-of-seven first-round series.

"It's hard to single things out," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "Our defense was really good, our rebounding was really good, we really ran well, and I don't know if we can play any better than that."

The Suns had lost five consecutive playoff Game 2s, including one at home against the Lakers a year ago. But it was apparent early that this would be no replay. Phoenix led by 21 in the second quarter and 28 in the third.

"A great performance," the usually hard-to-please Steve Nash said.

Leandro Barbosa, presented with the NBA Sixth Man Award trophy before tipoff, scored 26 to match his career playoff high for the second game in a row, leading six Suns in double figures.

"It was a big night for me," said Barbosa, whose mother and brother were in attendance after arriving from Brazil earlier in the day.

Nash had 16 points and 14 assists. Amare Stoudemire, who was watching in street clothes when the Suns lost Game 2 to the Lakers last year, added 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots -- two of them spectacular ones against Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom to set the tone in the first quarter.

Nash and Stoudemire each played just 24 minutes. Both sat out the fourth quarter, getting some rest before Game 3 in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

Shawn Marion had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Raja Bell scored 11, including 3-of-5 3-pointers. James Jones scored 12.

Bryant tried to beat the Suns by himself in Game 1. This time, he mainly deferred to his teammates. The strategy that worked so well a year ago was a flop.

The NBA's scoring champ, coming off a 39-point performance in the Lakers' 95-87 loss in Game 1 on Sunday, scored 15 on 5-of-13 shooting. He shot 1-of-6 and scored six points in the final three quarters. He took one shot in the second quarter, and missed.

"It was really embarrassing to come in here and lose such an important game the way we lost it," Odom said. "...We need to think about some things as a team. It's kind of sad, but I don't know that we're as close as a team right now as far as camaraderie and things like that. That's the only way you lose games like this -- when you're not close."

Bryant downplayed the impact of losing by such a large margin.

"In the playoffs, it doesn't matter," he said. "It's a loss, either way you cut it."

Bryant was back in the game with his team down by 28 points in the fourth quarter, and said he didn't know why. During that time, he collided with Barbosa and rolled his right ankle. He walked it off and stayed in the game for a moment or so longer.

"It was 8:59," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "It's not that late in the ball game."

Plus, he said, "We wanted to get up our confidence and I thought Kobe was out of synch. He didn't shoot the ball well again, so I wanted him to get some rhythm."

Neither Bryant nor Jackson thought the sore ankle would keep Bryant out of Game 3.

Phoenix took the lead for good in the first quarter, then really turned it on.

The Suns outscored the Lakers 24-9 to start the second, taking a 55-34 lead on Barbosa's 3-pointer with 4:50 left in the half.

After Los Angeles cut it to 62-47 on Bryant's two free throws with 1:25 to play, the Suns scored the final six points of the half -- Marion's 9-foot runner, Nash's 21-footer and Boris Diaw's layup on a slick pass from Nash. Phoenix led 68-47 at the break.

That's 29 points more than the Suns managed in the first half of Game 1, when they trailed 48-39 at the break. They scored almost as many in the second quarter (37) as they did in the two first quarters of Game 1.

The Suns shot 54 percent for the game, and were above 60 percent during one span in the third quarter.

"It was like everything was working tonight on all cylinders," Marion said. "You can't ever go out there and play perfect, but I think we did everything we wanted on both ends of the floor."

Jones' 3-pointer punctuated a 10-4 spurt to start the second half and made it 78-51. The lead reached 93-65 after Bell's 3-pointer with 2:40 to go in the third.

Barbosa missed his first three shots, then went 11-of-15 the rest of the way.

Notes

Phoenix never had a 2-0 advantage in any of its 10 previous playoff matchups with the Lakers. Overall, the Suns have been up 2-0 in any series only five times. ... Eleven teams have rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win a series, most recently Miami against Dallas in last year's finals. ... Phoenix had one turnover in the first half. ... Barbosa has 100 points in his last four playoff games against the Lakers.

[abadani69]

Usually a member of Cleveland's supporting cast, Drew Gooden stepped into a co-starring role in Game 2.

With LeBron James playing cautiously on a sprained left ankle, Gooden scored 19 of his 24 points before halftime Wednesday night, powering the Cavaliers to a 109-102 victory over the Washington Wizards and a 2-0 lead in their first-round series.

Gooden normally doesn't have many offensive plays called for him by Cleveland coach Mike Brown, who may have to rethink that philosophy after the forward came through on a night when James was clearly not himself.

Gooden's performance came exactly one year after he had 24 points and 16 rebounds in Game 2 of the Cavs' first-round series against the Wizards. Cleveland lost that game before winning the series in six.

But the 6-foot-10 Gooden, who is growing out an 1980s-style ducktail hairdo, helped make sure recent history wouldn't be repeated.

The Wizards, though, made it interesting in the final minute. They kept pecking away at Cleveland's lead and closed within 105-102 on a 3-pointer by Jarvis Hayes with 18 seconds left.

Larry Hughes then made four free throws as Cleveland closed it out and sent the best-of-seven series to Washington for Game 3 on Saturday.

James, who twisted his ankle in Game 1, still managed to get 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists -- roughly his average this season. And when the Wizards trimmed a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to six, James took control.

He scored 13 points in the final period, including nine in the final 5:14. But other than a two-handed dunk in the first half and couple of powerful excursions toward the hoop, James seemed to take it easy on an ankle he said is still sore.

Once again, Antawn Jamison had to do it alone for the Wizards, who are without injured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler. Jamison had 31 points but Antonio Daniels (11) was the only other Washington starter in double figures.

Hughes had 19 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 for the Cavs, who have only been up 2-0 in a series one other time in their 37-year history.

Before the game, James said he still had pain in his ankle but he didn't expect to have any trouble playing on it.

"It's not 100 percent," he said. "It's (pain) is going to be there for a while."

James gave Cleveland fans a few moments of concern when he didn't immediately come out with his teammates for pregame warmups. But moments later, he burst onto the floor and began testing his injury with some strong moves.

Once the game began, he wasn't as assertive as normal, and the Wizards took advantage, opening a 43-36 lead on a basket by Jamison.

Gooden then brought the Cavs back by himself.

He scored 15 points -- and Cleveland's final 11 -- in the last 5:45 of the second quarter, hitting six straight contested jumpers and scoring two three-point plays as the Cavs took a 51-48 halftime lead.

After dropping a 19-footer and getting fouled with 28.5 seconds left, Gooden screamed and bumped chests with James as the sellout crowd serenaded Cleveland's No. 90 with a chorus of "Druuuuu."

James seemed reluctant to push off on his ankle early. He spent most of the first quarter out on the perimeter, looking to pass to his teammates. He didn't make his first drive until the 1:43 mark when he was fouled for a three-point play.

Wizards coach Eddie Jordan wanted more from Etan Thomas, who scored just four points in Game 1, and Washington's center responded with seven points in the first quarter. But he scored only two more and Washington's frontline got pounded on the boards 56-38.

Notes

James lent his vocal talents to a rendition of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" for a charity "American Idol" event. "It was absolutely terrible," he said of his performance. "It was for a good cause though." ... The Cavaliers are 4-0 in series in which they win Game 1. ... Wizards G Deshawn Stevenson shares a first name with the wife of Cavs G Eric Snow, who said their names aren't quite identical. "He pronounces it Da-Shawn, she's Dee-Shawn," Snow said. "She noticed when I was going over my scouting report."

[abadani69]

The San Antonio Spurs nearly headed to Denver down 0-2.

After squandering most of a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, the Spurs held on for a 97-88 victory over the Nuggets on Wednesday night to even the first-round playoff series.

Manu Ginobili had eight points in the fourth quarter and Tim Duncan added seven points in the final 12 minutes to save the Spurs from losing two home games against sixth-seeded Denver.

Duncan led San Antonio with 22 points and five blocked shots. Tony Parker had 20 points, Ginobili had 17, all but two in the second half, and Michael Finley added 14.

The Nuggets got within 91-88 on a 3-pointer by Allen Iverson with 45 seconds to play, but Duncan's layup and free throws by Finley and Parker put the Spurs on even footing with Denver, which won Game 1 95-89 on Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Iverson added 20 points, Nene had 17 points and Marcus Camby had 10 points and 18 rebounds.

Game 3 in the best-of-seven series is Saturday in Denver.

The Nuggets trailed 74-60 after three quarters. They were down 82-65, but a 16-5 run capped by Iverson's 3-pointer brought Denver within 87-81 with 3:23 left. It was the closest they had been since 7:11 was left in the first half.

Nene's dunk with 1:12 left made it 89-85. Ginobili scored for the Spurs, but Iverson's second 3 of the quarter made it 91-88. Duncan's layup with 27 seconds to go put the Spurs up 93-88.

Finley hit two free throws after being fouled by Iverson with 16.5 seconds left and Parker added two more with 9.9 seconds left.

The Spurs took the lead for good at 11-10 on a layup by Duncan with 5:42 left in the first quarter. They led 49-41 at halftime.

Camby was aggressive off the boards, getting 11 rebounds in the first half. Nene had one rebound at the half and two at the end of three quarters. He finished with seven.

Fabricio Oberto grabbed 10 boards for the Spurs.

Iverson and Anthony combined for 61 points in Game 1.

With just over two minutes to play in the third quarter, Robert Horry blocked Iverson's shot on the break and Ginobili converted for just his second field goal of the game to give San Antonio a 67-55 lead.

On the next possession, Bruce Bowen, who had hit three 3-pointers, stole the ball from Steve Blake and passed to Ginobili, who sank a 3 to put the Spurs up by 15.

It was Anthony's 11 points in the third quarter that kept the Nuggets within 14 heading into the final period.

Notes

Wednesday was Duncan's 31st birthday. ... Iverson, who is from Virginia, continued to wear a Virginia Tech patch on his right sleeve in honor of the shootings there last week. ... After heading to the line just 10 times Sunday, San Antonio hit 21 of 23 free throws Wednesday. ... The Spurs' bench, led by Ginobili, scored 30 points to seven for the Nuggets' reserves.

[abadani69]

These San Antonio Spurs suddenly look more king of the mountain than over the hill.

The seasoned Spurs took a 2-1 series lead on the youthful Denver Nuggets with a 96-91 victory Saturday night that was fueled by two old pros with a combined quarter century of NBA experience.

With Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker doing the heavy lifting as usual, 36-year-old Robert Horry and 34-year-old Michael Finley put the game out of reach with a flurry of 3-pointers in the third quarter.

Finley started it off with a 3 that gave San Antonio a 64-62 lead. After a jumper by Allen Iverson tied it, Ginobili sank two free throws, then Horry stole the ball from playoff novice J.R. Smith under the basket and sank his own 3-pointer for a 69-64 lead.

"This is a time when you can go out and use your knowledge," Horry said. "I have been in the league for 15 years, and you tend to read situations because you have seen situations. I can read a situation where someone might inbound the ball and be a little lackadaisical and I have been watching J.R. play, and he does the same move every time, so I was able to get my hands on one."

The Nuggets, who got 28 points from Carmelo Anthony and 20 from Iverson, never recovered.

Iverson and Smith got tangled up going for a rebound and Finley raced downcourt for another 3 that made it 72-64 with 1:02 left in the quarter. Horry, who scored 10, then set up in the right corner and sank another 3-pointer to give San Antonio a 75-67 lead going into the fourth quarter.

"We made some big shots behind some big stops," said Finley, who was 5-of-7 from the arc for 16 points. "That was the key. The shots were big, but the stops were even bigger because we prevented them from scoring and at the same time made shots."

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has heard plenty about how his team is getting too old for all of this, demurred when asked about the value of experience in the playoffs.

"It's however you all want to spin it," he said. "When we lose, we're older than dirt. When we win, we're really experienced, executing fools. So, write it any way you want it."

And which way does he see it?

"A little bit of both, probably," Popovich said with a smile. "Yeah, a little bit of both."

Game 4 is Monday night at the Pepsi Center, where the Nuggets went just 23-18 during the season, the seventh-worst home record in franchise history, and where they're just 2-5 in the playoffs since 2004.

"They got the home-court advantage back and it's important for us to come in on Monday and tie the series up," Iverson said.

Ginobili's two free throws made it 77-67. The Nuggets trimmed their deficit to five points on several occasions and got within three in the final seconds, but a series of forced shots that clanged off the iron doomed Denver to another home loss and returned the home-court advantage to San Antonio, which lost Game 1 at home before winning the next two.

"Once they got that little run at the end of the third quarter, they had the momentum and it was just tough for us to come back," Iverson said. "And then every time we got it to five points, they scored again. We just couldn't stop them when we needed to."

Duncan had 20 points and 13 rebounds. Parker led San Antonio with 21 points and Ginobili added 19, including two free throws to ice it after 'Melo's layup with 7.8 seconds left made it 94-91.

Nuggets center Marcus Camby accepted his award for Defensive Player of the Year in pregame ceremonies, then quickly tried his hand at offense, but was just 1-for-6 in the first quarter and committed an offensive foul on another drive to the basket.

The Spurs hit two clock-beating 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the first quarter to trim an early eight-point deficit to 25-22. The first one was Parker's and came after Finley sank a free throw when Denver coach George Karl drew a rare technical from official Bob Delaney for leaving the coach's box.

Even commissioner David Stern said at halftime that's not a violation that's usually called. Popovich couldn't recall the last time he saw one, and Karl said he'd never been whistled for being out of the coaching box in his 19 NBA seasons as a head coach.

"Maybe a long time ago in the CBA," Karl said.

Karl's worries go way beyond the officiating. He has to figure out a way to stop a Spurs team deep on experience and talent, one that beat the Nuggets four straight times two years ago after dropping Game 1 in San Antonio.

"This ain't the same as 2005," Anthony insisted. "Totally different team, totally different mentality. When I walked in that locker room at the end of the game, nobody's heads were down. In 2005, we had guys with towels on their heads, and you could look in people's eyes and see that they had given up on that series. Now we know what we want, and we have a chance to go get it."

Notes

The crowd of 19,951 was the largest in franchise history. ... The Spurs have closed out 17 of 18 series since 1982 in which they've taken a 2-1 lead.

[abadani69]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are mastering the art of doing just enough to win. This time, they managed to blow a 17-point second-half lead against the short-handed Washington Wizards.

But win the Cavaliers did, so it's hard to argue too much with the results. When the big basket was needed, LeBron James hit a struggling but wide-open Sasha Pavlovic for a 3-pointer in the final minute of Saturday night's 98-92 victory, giving Cleveland a 3-0 lead in the first-round series.

James had his best game of the series with 30 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who on Monday can complete the first playoff sweep in franchise history, a result that wouldn't be surprising since the Wizards are missing injured All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.

"We're not playing against a high school team," James said. "We're not playing against an NCAA team. It's the NBA. No matter what personnel is on the floor, we have to win the ball game, it's as simple as that. We win by 20, we win by one or we win by six, like we did tonight, a win is a win.

Now can we clean up some things? Yes, definitely. But as far as talking about we're barely getting over the edge? We're up 3-0. We should feel happy about that."

In an attempt to inspire the crowd and their teammates, Arenas and Butler were introduced with Washington's starting lineup. Arenas gingerly limped down the steps and across the court on his surgically repaired knee as the crowd went wild.

It was a nice try, but the Game 3 followed the same script as Games 1 and 2. The Wizards, while competitive, couldn't finish the job. The most glaring statistic was Washington's 6-for-20 shooting in the fourth quarter.

"We just didn't make plays again when we needed to," coach Eddie Jordan said. "You spend so much energy (coming back) that a little bit of fatigue sets in and you can't finish the play sometimes."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 24 points and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers, but it was James' passing that helped Cleveland hold on in the final minutes. He fed Drew Gooden for a dunk, Ilgauskas for a jumper and drove to the basket before dishing out to Pavlovic for the 3-pointer that pushed the lead to six with 25 seconds to play.

"I had a good look at it, but Sasha had a better look," James said. "It's all about making a better play -- and that was the better play. I've done it time and time and time again."

James said he asked coach Mike Brown to call that specific play, even though Pavlovic was having a rough night.

"I missed all wide-open shots," said Pavlovic, who finished 5-for-12 from the field and had five turnovers. "And I'm glad my teammates believed in me and they still kept passing me the ball when I was wide open. I had to make that shot."

The Wizards had trouble getting a good look on their next possession, and the game was essentially over when Roger Mason missed a 3-pointer.

Antawn Jamison scored a career playoff-high 38 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Wizards. Antonio Daniels, who drove more aggressively to the basket than he did in the first two games, finished with 20 points and 13 assists, and Jarvis Hayes had 15 points.

"They made more plays down the stretch than we did," Hayes said. "We played hard, but we just could not get the win. It was very disappointing."

Washington had hoped the comforts of home would give them the final push needed to beat the Cavaliers, even though the Wizards have lost seven straight at home and haven't won at the Verizon Center since March 28 -- the week before Arenas and Butler (hand) were injured.

Instead, the blowout everyone had been expecting in this series seemed finally ready to happen. The Cavaliers outhustled, outrebounded and out-talented the Wizards in the first half to take a 61-44 lead.

To their credit, the Wizards didn't give up. Jamison scored 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the third quarter. Jamison and Jarvis Hayes combined for 19 points and Thomas ripped rebounds with authority in a 21-4 run, with Jamison's putback tying the score at 65 midway through the quarter.

But the Wizards a 4 1/2 -minute stretch without scoring during the fourth, allowing the Cavaliers to go on a modest 6-0 run that gave them the lead for good.

"We understood that they would make a run, but to come back from 17 without us really putting up a fight or doing anything to stop those guys is not good basketball on our part," said Cleveland's Larry Hughes, who had 11 points and eight rebounds. "But we were able to withstand it, get a little cushion to make it even tougher on them."

"At times, we do go through a little lax," added Hughes. "But I think we're at the point in the season where we definitely have another level that we can tap into -- and that's our goal."

Notes

Washington assistant coach Mike O'Koren missed the game due to illness. ... Wizards G DeShawn Stevenson bruised his left hip when he fell after driving to the basket in the fourth quarter. He later returned to the game. Daniels rolled his ankle trying to guard James in the fourth quarter but stayed in the game. ... Wizards backup C Brendan Haywood had no points and no rebounds in 10 minutes. ... James, watching the NFL draft in the locker room before the game, was naturally interested when the Cleveland Browns traded up into the first round to take Brady Quinn -- a projected high pick who went at No. 22. "He lost a lot of money," James said.

[abadani69]

Michael Jordan's old Chicago jersey hangs over the Miami Heat's home floor, a tribute to the six-time NBA champion.

Now, a new bunch of Bulls want a title of their own after ending the Heat's reign atop the league with a four-game sweep.

Ben Gordon scored 24 points and Luol Deng had 22 to lead Chicago past Miami 92-79 Sunday in Game 4 to clinch the first-round Eastern Conference series. The Bulls advanced in the postseason for the first time since Jordan's last title in 1998.

Chicago, which meets Detroit next, became the first team to oust a defending champion in the first round since Phoenix did it to San Antonio in 2000.

"We felt confident coming into this series," Bulls guard ***k Hinrich said. "We felt like we could win."

With good reason. Including playoffs, Chicago was 7-1 against Miami this season, starting with a 108-66 win on opening night, spoiling the Heat's championship-ring celebration, and ending their season by allowing only two points in the final 5:27 of the clincher -- closing the game with a 14-2 run.

The coach of that Suns team that beat San Antonio seven years ago? Scott Skiles, who coaches the Bulls now and who put together a plan that befuddled Miami all series long.

"It's an accomplishment," Skiles said. "We're in a funny position here. We want to enjoy it. It was great. We played well. We played hard all four games. We deserved to win -- but we want to keep playing."

Chicago became the 80th consecutive NBA team to advance after taking a 3-0 lead in a series. Only three teams in major pro sports have overcome such a deficit, and the Heat won't be joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders and 2004 Boston Red Sox in that exclusive club.

"We ran into more than a formidable opponent," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "They are a great team. ... They deserved to win. There's no doubt in my mind. They can go a long way."

Dwyane Wade scored 24 points for Miami on 8-for-22 shooting, and added 10 assists. Shaquille O'Neal had 16 points, Alonzo Mourning scored 14 and James Posey had 18 rebounds -- a club-playoff-record 17 on the defensive end -- for the Heat.

"They were the better team," Wade said. "They won. We're not into what they were doing last year, saying they should have won. ... They beat us fair and square. There are no ifs, ands or buts about it."

Miami, which didn't trail until late in the third quarter, got within one point twice in the fourth, first on a jumper by Wade with 11:15 left, then when Posey -- a free-agent-to-be who said after the game he wants to return to Miami -- made a pair of free throws with 5:27 remaining.

It was all Chicago from there.

"They had our number, first game of the season," O'Neal said. "And they had our number the rest of the season. They just had our number."

Wade scored with 2:32 left to get Miami within 84-79, and the Heat then turned to the Hack-a-Ben strategy -- intentionally fouling the Bulls' Ben Wallace, a notoriously terrible foul shooter -- with hopes of getting the ball back. But Wallace made all four of his tries within a 21-second span to push the lead to nine, and the white-clad Heat crowd began shuffling into the offseason.

Wallace finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Andres Nocioni had 11 points for Chicago, which committed only five turnovers while forcing 17.

"This is a great feeling. We're someplace we've never been before," Deng said. "The guys made it a goal at the beginning of the season to get back to this spot, and it worked out that we played them in the first round."

Miami scored the game's first eight points, the first six of those coming from O'Neal -- who was 6-for-7 in the opening half. But the Bulls coolly withstood the opening burst and knotted the game at 14 when Gordon hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter with 5:30 left, the first of four ties in the half.

Chicago never led in the first half and trailed 48-44 at intermission, but probably felt quite good about the second quarter. The Bulls made only 33 percent of their shots in that period, compared to 64 percent shooting by the Heat. And in the third, Chicago finally broke through.

The Bulls got their first lead when Deng hit a jumper with 2:45 left. It was Deng's third basket in an 11-2 Chicago run to end the third quarter, and when Chris Duhon hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left, the Bulls had a 68-64 lead entering the fourth.

They didn't trail again. And the so-called Baby Bulls -- a young team that had endured two straight first-round ousters, including last year against Miami in six games -- officially grew up.

"They showed signs of maturity," said Wallace, who now gets to face his old team, the Pistons, with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals at stake. "I like to see that."

Notes

Gary Payton, who didn't play in Games 2 and 3 and logged 18 minutes Sunday, left without talking to reporters -- meaning it's unknown if he's leaning toward retiring or returning for an 18th season. He turns 39 in July. ... Heat backup center Alonzo Mourning said he will decide soon whether to return next season, and Wade said he hasn't decided if he'll need surgery to repair the left shoulder he dislocated in February or on playing for USA Basketball in Olympic qualifying this summer. ... The Bulls beat Detroit in three of four meetings this season. ... Posey replaced Jason Kapono as the starter at small forward for Miami; before Game 3, Kapono took the starter spot from Eddie Jones, who did not play in Game 4.

[abadani69]

Phoenix 113, LA Lakers 100

Steve Nash did what he usually does -- only better than he's ever done it.

With that, the Phoenix Suns have a commanding 3-1 lead over the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round playoff series.

Nash had a career-high 23 assists -- one shy of the NBA playoff record -- to go with 17 points, and the Suns raced to a 113-100 victory over the Lakers on Sunday to move within one win of advancing to the second round.

Amare Stoudemire had 27 points and a career playoff-high 21 rebounds for the run-and-gun Suns, who vowed to speed things up after a lethargic performance in Game 3.

"We just wanted to be in the right spots and just wanted to be a lot more aggressive," Nash said. "I just felt like I was going to be more aggressive, put the onus on myself to make plays."

The Suns averaged an NBA-leading 110.2 points during the regular season, scoring at least 100 in all but 14 of their 82 games and less than 90 only twice. After losing Game 3 to the Lakers 95-89, coach Mike D'Antoni and his players knew they had to quicken the pace.

Did they ever.

Shawn Marion had 22 points and 11 rebounds, supersub Leandro Barbosa scored 16 points and James Jones added 11 for the Suns.

"The speed of the game was ours," D'Antoni said. "They surprised us with their intensity in Game 3. Today wasn't a surprise. We have our system, and we ran it pretty good today. We had 34 assists on 41 baskets and that's because of our spacing. That's what we do -- we've done it all year."

D'Antoni said had the Suns shot the ball like they usually do, Nash might have had 30 assists.

Teammate Raja Bell went his coach one better.

"If we shot the ball well, he could have had 35," Bell said. "We run when he runs. He's the engine that can really rev us up and get us in transition."

Nash left the game to a mixed reception with 1:02 remaining and the outcome long since decided. Magic Johnson and John Stockton share the single-game playoff assist record -- Johnson doing so for the Lakers against Phoenix in 1984, and Stockton accomplishing the feat against the Lakers for Utah four years later.

"Probably the two best point guards to play the game," said Nash, who noticed Johnson in his courtside seat during the game. "Not a shabby collection to learn from. I grew up watching them and in many ways wanted to emulate them."

The 33-year-old two-time NBA MVP entered the fourth quarter with 20 assists, but fell one short of the record.

"It wasn't meant to be, and that's all right," he said. "There's two guys who had gotten more than me, and they deserve it."

Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Wednesday night in Phoenix, where the Suns won the first two games. A sixth game, if necessary, would be Friday night at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 31 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, but scored only three points in the fourth quarter. Lamar Odom added 19 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, and Maurice Evans and Smush Parker scored 11 points each for the Lakers, who committed 20 turnovers to 15 for Phoenix.

"They just had too much firepower for us today," Bryant said. "You knew they were going to step up and respond to the challenge."

Outrebounded 44-35 in Game 3, the Suns had a 44-39 advantage in this game.

"We made a conscious effort to control the paint defensively," Stoudemire said. "It was very physical. I've got a few war wounds I've got to take with me, but you do whatever it takes to get wins in the playoffs."

The Suns outscored the Lakers 10-4 to finish the third period for an 85-71 lead, and scored seven straight points to extend their advantage to 93-77.

Two baskets by Boris Diaw and two free throws by Nash made it 105-85 before Odom scored five points during an 8-0 run that made it a 12-point game with 3:46 remaining. But the Lakers weren't able to get closer than 11 points after that.

"They were a better team than we were today. They were a little quicker at everything," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "We have to get ourselves geared up and we'll have another chance to bring this game back here to L.A. on Friday."

Nash had 15 assists in the first half to match the NBA playoff record set by Johnson and equaled by Doc Rivers. The Suns led at halftime 58-51.

Notes

Nash's previous career playoff high in assists was 17, and his regular-season high is 22 -- three shy of Kevin Johnson's franchise record. ... Nash has had at least 10 assists in 37 playoff games -- seventh on the NBA's career list. He had been tied with Oscar Robertson. ... Jackson-coached teams have trailed a series 2-0 six times including this year, and have come back to win twice. Entering these playoffs, only 11 of 193 teams rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a best-of seven series. ... In Game 4 of the teams' first-round series last year, also played on a Sunday at Staples Center, Bryant scored at the end of regulation and overtime to give the Lakers a 99-98 victory and a 3-1 lead. The Suns won the next three games including a 121-90 blowout in Game 7.

[abadani69]

Baron Davis banked in a 3-pointer from midcourt at the halftime buzzer Sunday night. While his Golden State fans nearly deafened their team, absolutely nobody in either uniform seemed terribly surprised.

Davis has something in him these days that even the mighty Dallas Mavericks can't match -- and now his crazy, carefree Warriors are one win away from a historic playoff upset.

Davis had five of his 33 points and two key assists in the final 3 1/2 minutes, and Golden State roared from behind for a 103-99 victory to take a 3-1 lead over the NBA's best regular-season team in their first-round playoff series.

Jason Richardson scored 22 points and Stephen Jackson added 19 for the Warriors, who could become just the third team in league history to knock off a No. 1 seed in the opening round. After the frenzied Oakland crowd's second celebration in three days, the Warriors seem primed to pull off perhaps the biggest heist in playoff history.

"Every game we play is a learning process and an adventure," Davis said. "This is a young team which has never been in this situation. ... I felt I could carry the load in the first half and open things up."

He kept carrying it late as he got the Warriors to the brink of history. Only the Denver Nuggets (1994) and the New York Knicks (1999) have won a playoff series as a No. 8 seed -- and both did it in the old best-of-five format.

The Warriors are an even more unlikely candidate -- a 42-40 club that didn't make the playoffs until the final day of the regular season. But Golden State streaked into the postseason -- and Davis' club undeniably has a hold on Dallas, winning eight of their last nine meetings and surging to this victory after trailing by seven points with 6 1/2 minutes left.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Dallas, where the Mavericks went 36-5 in the regular season, but blew the series opener.

"Look in the locker room right now, and everybody is very disappointed," said Dirk Nowitzki, who had 23 points and 15 rebounds in another less-than-valuable performance. "We know this team won't give up. We've got a lot of heart. We'll still come out swinging. That's the only thing we've got."

Jerry Stackhouse scored 24 points and kept Dallas ahead for most of the second half, but the Mavs' offense tightened up as soon as the Warriors' incredible point guard took charge despite Dallas' numerous defensive traps and constant pressure.

"It's just fun," Davis said. "Coming into the playoffs, Coach (Don Nelson) said we had nothing to lose. We just wanted to be in the playoffs for this city, for the whole Bay Area.

"And come playoff time, you're in prime time, so you're going to have a little more focus, a little more energy, and your rhythm is there. My rhythm is there. I've been preparing for the playoffs since two weeks were left in the regular season."

Davis got the Warriors rolling just when the Mavericks seemed ready to exhale with a narrow win. Davis hit Jackson for an open 3-pointer, then made a driving layup past Nowitzki to put Golden State ahead 91-90 with 2:35 left.

After Stackhouse airballed a 3-pointer and Andris Biedrins dunked on another pass from Davis, the Mavericks fell apart with a turnover and a traveling violation before Davis coolly drilled a 20-footer with 57 seconds left.

Matt Barnes thought he put it away for the Warriors with a 3-pointer from the sideline, but Nowitzki hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the final 14 seconds to keep it close.

Davis missed a free throw with 3.2 seconds left to give Dallas one last shot -- but Devin Harris threw the inbounds pass straight to Golden State's Mickael Pietrus, sparking the crowd to deafening cheers from the sellout Oakland crowd. Pietrus finished with 16 points.

"We're just riding it right now," said Richardson, who was outstanding in both home games. "People were writing us off with 20 games left. We put it together, but you can't celebrate yet and act like you already won a playoff, because you've got to win four games."

Golden State put the top-seeded Mavericks in an early hole in the series with two quick wins, including an 18-point triumph in Game 3 with a raucous crowd enjoying Oakland's first home playoff game in 13 years.

Jason Terry and Stackhouse called a players-only team meeting Saturday, the Mavericks' first such gathering since last season's NBA finals. The Oracle Arena rematch wasn't nearly as one-sided -- but the Warriors had all the fourth-quarter poise that the defending Western Conference champions have inexplicably lacked.

"I saw fire in our guys' eyes tonight," coach Avery Johnson said. "We came to play. We just didn't have a good finish to the game. ... That's something we were concerned about all year. We have to have better finishes to quarters, practices, everything."

Johnson used his third starting lineup of the series, and it worked well with 13 rebounds and four blocked shots from center DeSagana Diop.

Josh Howard scored 20 of his 22 points before halftime, shooting Dallas to an early lead, but Golden State finished the first half on a 15-7 run capped by Davis' extraordinary 3-pointer.

Dallas jumped ahead in the third quarter, but Davis tied it again going to the fourth with another otherworldly play, stealing a pass and driving for a two-handed fingertip dunk with 1.2 seconds left.

"They're still in control of this series because they've been here, and they've bounced back," Davis said.

Actually, the Mavs have never rallied from a 1-3 deficit in franchise history.

Notes

Monta Ellis went scoreless in 24 minutes for Golden State. Devean George was scoreless in 15 minutes for Dallas. ... Josh Powell, the Warriors' seldom-used forward who played for Dallas last season, missed the game because of a death in the family. Rookie Patrick O'Bryant was activated. ... Actress Jessica Alba -- another friend of Davis, who also invited Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson to both Oakland games -- cheered from a front-row seat.

[abadani69]

They stunned the Spurs in San Antonio with a Game 1 win, then dropped the next three in their first-round series.

The Denver Nuggets have seen this movie before. And they know how it ends.

Back in 2005, the Spurs lost home court advantage to Denver right off the bat. Down 0-1, they went on a rampage, beating the Nuggets in the next four games on their way to the second round and, eventually, the NBA championship.

Now, two years later, Denver is sitting by as a virtual repeat unfolds. Even though the wins haven't come as easily for San Antonio this time around, the results are so far the same.

"We have to win the next game, that's it," Denver's Allen Iverson said after the Nuggets' 96-89 loss to the Spurs on Monday night. "We have to have it."

Iverson wasn't around in 2005 -- he was acquired by Denver in December -- but coach George Karl was. After being hired midseason, Karl orchestrated an impressive turnaround for the Nuggets, who went 32-8 under his lead after notching a 17-25 record before he came. They went 10-2 that April.

The Nuggets similarly surged this year as the Iverson-Carmelo Anthony duo finally came together. They had a 10-1 April record as they secured the No. 6 seed.

Despite the uncanny similarities to two seasons ago, they insist they're not necessarily fated for a repeat disappointment.

"Losing three games straight, two at home, you know everybody is going to be disappointed and down," Anthony said. "I try to tell everybody it really ain't over. Anything can happen."

Game 5 is Wednesday in San Antonio.

"The odds, everybody is going to say it's against us," Karl said. "We just have to win one game."

And another, and then another, if they want to send third-seeded San Antonio packing.

Marcus Camby said on Tuesday that Karl made them believe it can happen.

"Our spirits are definitely high. We feel that this team isn't that much better than us," he said. "It's not like we've been getting blown out of these ball games. Each ball game can be flip-flopped a little bit and it could be in our favor. So, we still feel confident, we still feel good. But somehow, some way we've got to come away with a win tomorrow."

Camby said that might be easier than playing at home, where Denver logged a 23-18 record.

"We feel we're a better road team. So, hopefully, that can come into play tomorrow," he said.

Monday's Spurs win came off of Robert Horry's 3-pointer with 30 seconds to go. The Spurs' two previous victories in the series were a 96-91 victory in Denver and a 97-88 win in San Antonio. Denver won the first game 95-89.

"It was another game just like the three previous ones," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Monday. "We feel very fortunate to get out of there with a victory against a hell of a team."

After losing Game 1 93-87 in 2005, the Spurs hammered Denver 104-76 in Game 2 and won Game 3 by eight. Game 4 went to overtime as the Spurs won by nine, and San Antonio finished the series with a 99-89 win in Game 5.

"The experience we're going through is good for us," Karl said. "The energy, the intensity, the understanding how hard it is to win a playoff game. All that has been good for us. It doesn't feel good now. In time, it will be good for us."

In the meantime, the Nuggets are desperately looking to write an alternate ending for themselves.

AP Sports Writers Arnie Stapleton and Pat Graham contributed to this report from Denver

[abadani69]

مراسم قرعه كشي هجدهمين دوره مسابقات بسكتبال قهرماني باشگاه*هاي آسيا با حضور رييس فدراسيون بسكتبال ايران و دبير كنفدراسيون غرب آسيا صبح امروز چهارشنبه برگزار شد.

در اين مراسم قرار شد مسابقات در قالب دو گروه ، الف و ب برگزار شود كه در گروه الف آرنا اردن، القادسيه كويت، كي جيرز هندوستان، الريان قطر و بلواستارز لبنان قرار دارند.

در گروه ب، تيم*هاي الجلاي سوريه ، هاربرسنتر فيليپين، آستانه تايگر قزاقستان و نماينده بحرين به رقابت مي*پردازند.

اين مسابقات از ۲۲ارديبهشت در سالن بسكتبال مجموعه ورزشي آزادي آغعاز خواهد شد و تا ۳۰ارديبهشت ماه ادامه خواهد يافت.

برنامه*هاي ديدارهاي اين دوره از مسابقات به شرح زير است:
شنبه ۲۲ارديبهشت
..........................

كي*جرز هندوستان آرناي اردن ساعت ۱۴
صبا باتري تهران بحرين ساعت ۱۶/۱۵
بلو استارز لبنان الريان قطر ساعت ۱۸/۳۰
آستانه تايگر قزاقستان الجلاي سوريه ساعت ۲۰/۴۵
يكشنبه ۲۳ارديبهشت
...........................

القادسيه كويت - بلواستارز لبنان ساعت ۱۴
هاربرنستر فيليپين - صباباتري ساعت ۱۶/۱۵
الريان قطر - كيجرز هندوستان ساعت ۱۸/۳۰
بحرين - آستانه تايگرقزاقستان ساعت ۲۰/۴۵
دوشنبه ۲۴ارديبهشت
.........................

صباباتري استراحت
آرناي اردن - الريان قطر ساعت ۱۴
كيجزرهندوستان - القادسيه كويت ساعت ۱۶/۱۵
اجلاء سوريه - بحرين ساعت ۱۸/۳۰
آستاناتايگرقزاقستان - هاربرسترفيليپين ساعت ۲۰/۴۵
سه شنبه ۲۵ارديبهشت
.............................

بلواستارزلبنان - كيجزرهندوستان ساعت ۱۴
صباباتري ايران - آستاناتايگرقزاقستان ساعت ۱۶/۱۵
القادسيه كويت - آرناي اردن ساعت ۱۸/۳۰
هاربرسنترفيليپين - الجلاء سوريه ساعت ۲۰/۴۵
چهارشنبه ۲۶ارديبهشت ماه
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الريان قطر - القادسيه كويت ساعت ۱۴
الجلاء سوريه - صبا باتري ساعت ۱۶/۱۵
آرناي اردن - بلوارستارز لبنان ساعت ۱۸/۳۰
بحرين - هابرسنتر فيليپين ساعت ۲۰/۴۵
۲۷ارديبهشت ماه ( تعطيل ) .

روز جمعه ۲۸ارديبهشت ماه ( پلي اف حذفي ) .

روز شنبه ۲۹ارديبهشت ماه ( نيمه نهايي ) .

روز يكشنبه ۳۰ارديبهشت ماه ( فينال و رده بندي )

[abadani69]

Suns 119, Lakers 110

PHOENIX (AP) -- The Phoenix Suns didn't exactly run the Los Angeles Lakers out of the playoffs. Nudged them out is more like it.

Amare Stoudemire scored 27 points and Shawn Marion added 26, and the Suns overcame an inspired performance by Lamar Odom and a late scoring binge by Kobe Bryant to beat the Lakers 119-110 on Wednesday night.

The Suns won the best-of-seven first-round series in five games and advanced to a Western Conference semifinal matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, who eliminated Denver earlier in the evening. Game 1 of the series is Sunday afternoon in Phoenix.

The Lakers never led Wednesday, trailing by 15 points in the second quarter and 16 with 5:52 to go, but they kept coming back.

Odom, playing the whole series with a hyperextended elbow and torn shoulder cartilage, had a career playoff-high 33 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, but it was Bryant who put the final scare into the Suns.

The NBA scoring champion, after an uneven night, made consecutive 3-pointers to cut what had been a 16-point fourth-quarter lead to 111-106 with 2:53 to play. Marion made a floater, Stoudemire hit one of two free throws, and the Suns came up with two crucial offensive rebounds on a late possession to help put the game away.

Bryant -- defended by new father Raja Bell -- scored 34 points but was just 13-of-33 from the field. Bell was playing on precious few hours of sleep after spending the night at a hospital, where his wife gave birth to their first child six hours before Wednesday's tipoff.

The Suns' Steve Nash also struggled, shooting 5-for-15 and committing seven turnovers. He scored 17 points and had 10 assists, four in the decisive fourth-quarter stretch. Stoudemire, 15-of-21 at the foul line, also had 16 rebounds. Marion had 10 boards.

Leandro Barbosa, winner of the NBA's Sixth Man Award, had eight of his 18 points in the fourth quarter on two early 3-pointers and a breathless fastbreak layup on a halfcourt pass from Nash.

Phoenix won the game at the free throw line, going 31-of-39 to the Lakers' 20-of-28.

Barbosa's layup on the long pass from Nash put the Suns ahead 104-91, then Bryant was called for a technical foul. Nash's free throw made it 105-91.

Marion's consecutive dunks on passes from Nash gave Phoenix its biggest lead, 109-93, with 5:52 to play.

The Lakers, down 64-52 at halftime, cut the lead to two in the third quarter.

Bryant's two free throws with 3:39 left punctuated an 11-2 run that cut Phoenix's lead to 80-75, then it was 85-83 after Kwame Brown's inside basket with 1:30 to go in the third. Brown, fouled on the play, missed the free throw that could have made it a one-point game.

In the final 49 seconds of the quarter, Stoudemire sank a 14-foot fadeaway jumper from the baseline, then Barbosa made an acrobatic driving bank shot and the Suns eked out a 91-85 lead entering the fourth.

It was the second straight year the Suns eliminated the Lakers in the first round. A year ago, Phoenix had to rally from a 3-1 deficit. With Stoudemire and Kurt Thomas back from injuries, this Suns team needed no such drama.

Bell, who said before the game he was on "a natural high," sandwiched a driving layup around two 3-pointers in the game's first two minutes.

Thomas came in after Stoudemire drew his second foul with 5:39 to play in the first. In the remainder of the quarter, Thomas was 4-of-5 shooting -- three from outside 15 feet -- for eight points, grabbed three rebounds, had two assists and blocked a shot.

Phoenix led 32-23 after one and built a 35-23 lead after Barbosa made three of four free throws in the first 54 seconds of the second quarter.

Stoudemire scored four points in an 8-0 Phoenix run that put the Suns ahead 49-34 on Marion's fastbreak basket with an assist from Barbosa.

Notes

Phoenix was 1-2 against the Spurs in the regular season. ... The Lakers failed to make it past the first round for the third straight year, the first time that's happened since 1992-94. They didn't make the playoffs in 1994 or 2005. ... James Jones of the Suns opened the game with a four-point play, hitting a 3-pointer and a free throw following a foul by Luke Walton.