NBA News

[abadani69]

LeBron James will attract the spotlight. The San Antonio Spurs have earned it.

While most of the hype surrounding these NBA finals is centered on James, Cleveland's crowned king of roundball, the Spurs are again being overshadowed despite winning three titles since 1999.

There's nothing seductive about them. They don't run and gun like the Phoenix Suns. Tim Duncan, their resident superstar, doesn't aspire to be a global icon or featured in any sneaker commercials. TV viewers channel surf right past their games.

The Spurs get no respect.

"We are kind of the vanilla of the NBA," guard Manu Ginobli said.

And every few years they're the favorite flavor.

On Thursday, the Spurs will begin their quest for a fourth championship as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA finals, a series being billed as King James' coming-out party but one that just as easily could turn into another Spurs coronation.

"This definitely is a model franchise," said Cavs coach Mike Brown, a San Antonio assistant when the club won its last title in 2005. "We can't be the Spurs. We don't have the same makeup as them or anything like that."

The Cavaliers do have James, and that could be enough.

Tagged as the new face of the league and saddled with immense expectations since entering the league four years ago, James arrived at basketball's ultimate stage on Wednesday full of confidence.

The climactic setting is a new one for the Cavaliers, who are making their first appearance in the finals since joining the league in 1970. After walking onto the floor adorned with finals logos, a few of Cleveland's players documented their visit with videocameras as an international media descended upon them.

It was only four years ago when the Cavs won 17 games while playing in front of as many empty seats as filled ones at home.

"It was like we weren't even in the NBA," said center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, drafted by the club in 1996. "We were in a deep depression as an organization."

Those gloomy days were B.LB. -- Before LeBron.

The 22-year-old has been a household name in the U.S. since he was an Akron, Ohio, high school phenomenon, and his growing popularity has made him just as well known on the playgrounds of Beijing.

In these playoffs, his second trip to the postseason, James has elevated his multidimensional game to a higher level, pushing the Cavaliers within four victories of Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964.

His appearance in the best-of-seven series should do wonders for the NBA's globalization plan. Undoubtedly, he'll also boost TV ratings, perhaps tempting casual viewers interested in seeing if he can match his jaw-dropping, 48-point performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.

It's as if Michael Jordan, the more famous tongue-wagging No. 23, has resurfaced. Not quite. Not yet.

With most of the attention focused on James, the other team in this LeBronian lovefest isn't getting its proper due. But hasn't that always been the case for the Spurs, standing at the edge of another title.

"The league is about new, exciting things," Spurs forward Michael Finley said. "And LeBron is that thing right now."

The Spurs are still, well, the Spurs.

They have always won with defense, and still do. The league's stingiest defensive squad during the regular season must figure out how to slow James, who sliced up the Pistons for 25.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists in six games.

Detroit tried to double- and triple-team the 6-foot-8, 245-pounder, whose ability to pass over the top of defenders allowed him to find wide-open teammates for easy shots.

Spurs forward Bruce Bowen will be assigned to guard James, but he'll need help, especially when James decides to post him up near the basket.

"Any way I can gain 40 pounds overnight?" Bowen joked.

On his last visit deep in the heart of Texas, James scored 35 points with 11 rebounds and four assists on the Spurs. He also posterized a defenseless Duncan with a vicious dunk -- a photo he has on the wall near his locker in Cleveland.

James won't have it easy as the Spurs likely will blitz him wherever and whenever he touches the ball.

"They work well together on the defensive end," he said. "You know if you beat one guy, another guy steps up."

Not long ago, the thought was that James needed a superstar sidekick, a player like Jordan had in Scottie Pippen. Turns out, James might have all he needs.

"We've had different guys step up in different games," Ilgauskas said. "So LeBron hasn't had to count on just one guy. There's always somebody else scoring, somebody else rebounding. We might not have other superstars, but we got other guys who play good basketball."

Ceaselessly confident, James isn't showing any pre-finals jitters. The whole world might be watching to see what he'll do, but that's nothing new. In the past, the spotlight has been a warming place -- not one to shun.

Jordan was 28 when he won his first title; Duncan was 23. This might be James' year, it might not be. But Brown says it will eventually happen.

"He's too talented, too driven not to win one," Brown said. "I agree with the talk that in order to be quote-unquote, one of the best players in the world, you should have one of those on your resume, if not more.

"It's a matter of time for him."

[abadani69]

One of the most anticipated debuts in NBA finals history was way, way off the mark.

A LeBrick, if you will.

LeBron James couldn't solve San Antonio's stifling defense and the pick-and-rolling Spurs, as fundamental and selfless as ever, outclassed Cleveland in an 85-76 win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Thursday night.

Tim Duncan had 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks, and Tony Parker added 27 points for the Spurs, who began their quest for a fourth championship since 1999 by putting on a basketball clinic for the Cavs, finals rookies, who have a ton of work to do if they have any intention of making this a competitive series.

With the eyes of Texas, a curious hoops nation and the world upon him, the 22-year-old James, who has rarely failed to rise to any occasion, flopped like never before on the game's grandest stage.

James shot just 4-of-16 from the field and finished with 14 points against the Spurs led by Bruce Bowen, San Antonio's secretary of defense, who got plenty of help from his teammates in grounding Cleveland's soaring superstar.

"It is going to be an incredible effort the entire series," Duncan said of keeping James in check. "I know he will come out stronger in the next game."

This was not the series opener James -- or the NBA -- had hoped for. His first foray into the finals was hyped in the days leading up to the game as many wondered if he could deliver the way Michael Jordan once did.

But James came nowhere nearing matching Jordan's first game in the finals when he scorched the Los Angeles Lakers for 36 points on June 2, 1991.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in San Antonio. Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) will be in Cleveland.

The Spurs, who lost twice to the Cavaliers during the regular season, seemed to be one step ahead of James all night. When he cut left, they cut him off. When he tried going right, they were right there. By the time James made his first outside jumper -- a 3-pointer with 6:54 left -- the Spurs had built a 74-59 lead.

The 31-year-old Duncan, labeled boring because of his lack of flash, did what he always does: dominate.

The Big Fundamental knocked down open jumpers, freed up teammates with crunching picks and generally had his way against Cleveland's frontline for San Antonio, which was lifted by its crowd's incessant chants of "Go, Spurs, Go."

"It felt like we played a month ago," Duncan said. "It was just good to get out there and get some of that rust off, kind of get back in the flow of things. Our shooters didn't shoot great, you could see that, but we played well all around the defensive end and we got it done."

James, who began 0-for-8 from the field, finally got his first basket with 7:15 left in the third quarter, blasting down the lane through a pack of Spurs to hit a scoop shot that brought the Cavs within 46-41.

But Bowen responded with a 3-pointer, Manu Ginobili hit another from long range and Duncan dished to Parker for a layup to make it 56-47. On the Spurs' next trip, Parker weaved his way inside and dropped in a layup, the ball sitting on the rim for several seconds before finally falling.

The Spurs eventually pushed their lead to 64-49 after three, and then opened the final period with 3-pointers by Robert Horry and Ginobili to open their biggest lead, 70-52 with 8:50 left.

Two 3-pointers by James and a few jumpers by rookie Daniel Gibson, who led the Cavaliers with 16 points, cleaned up the score but it wasn't nearly that close as Cleveland shot under 40 percent until a late barrage.

"They started to do a good job towards the end of the game," Duncan said. "They got a couple of layups and a couple of easy shots. We'll have to clean that up a little bit."

James left with 45 seconds to go, dejectedly slumping into his seat after a night he'd probably like to forget.

Before taking the floor for their first finals game in Cleveland's 37-year history, the Cavaliers huddled near the tunnel for a prayer. Then, James and his teammates repeated something they've done since the first day of training camp.

"One, two, three, championship," they shouted in unison.

But it became clear very early on that any climb to a title would be steep.

The Spurs, who hadn't played in a week since beating Utah in the Western Conference finals, showed no early rust. They started 7-of-9 from the field as Parker and Duncan combined for 14 of San Antonio's first 16 points as San Antonio opened a 20-15 lead after one.

Every time James took off for the basket, a Spurs defender -- or two or three -- was waiting for him. On one drive, he had his headband yanked off by Duncan, who got posterized on a dunk by James in the first meeting between the teams in November.

Seven months later, Duncan got even.

On the occasion of his fourth finals, the three-time finals MVP, arrived at the arena with a freshly shaved head -- typically a sign that he's ready to step up his game. He has been reluctant to talk about his place in history or the Spurs' ascension to a dynasty level.

But if this game was any indication, San Antonio may soon have to be recognized as one of the league's great powers.

James, who first graced Sports Illustrated's cover when he was 17, entered the finals perhaps needing an NBA title to validate his greatness. There have been other elite players -- Charles Barkley, John Stockton and George Gervin top the list -- who never got a championship ring.

Does he feel he must win to be immortalized?

"That's not my room to say," James said. "When you look at guys who become greats, it's because of their athletic ability and their ability to do the things that they did as an individual. I don't get involved in individual things."

On Thursday, the Spurs didn't let him get involved at all.

Notes

Game 1 winners have gone on to win the series 17 of 23 times since 1984. ... American Idol winner Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem. ... The finals always bring out celebrities of all shapes and sizes as well as great former players including Julius Erving, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Bob Lanier, David Robinson and Grant Hill. Erving spent time before the game chatting with actress Eva Longoria, Parker's fiancee. Later, when Erving was introduced to the crowd, Ewing bowed several times to salute "Dr. J." ... Horry is trying to win his seventh NBA title. "Big Shot Rob" won two with Houston (1994, 1995), three with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000-02) and one with San Antonio (2005).

[abadani69]

Beaten up for most of the game, the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the San Antonio Spurs in the fourth quarter.

Did the Spurs just let up, or did the Cavaliers show that they could solve San Antonio's league-leading defense?

"I think they started to figure some stuff out, and so it's just about getting back that focus that we had in those first three quarters," Spurs forward Tim Duncan said Friday. "I don't know that we specifically need to change much of anything, but we just need to make some adjustments and make sure that we're not giving those easy shots up in the beginning of the game, this next one."

Cleveland shot 36.5 percent and trailed 64-49 through three quarters of Game 1, with the 49 points matching the combined totals of Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. But the Cavs made 11 of 18 shots (61 percent) in the final period, outscoring San Antonio 27-21 and cutting an 18-point deficit to single digits.

"I think we started to show what we're capable of doing, so hopefully that carries on to the next game," said reserve guard Daniel Gibson, who made all four shots and scored nine points in the fourth.

But Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn't seem overly concerned, realizing that every team has good and bad moments in a game.

"An NBA game has several times in the game where momentum shifts," he said. "You know, there are going to be times when a team turns it over a little bit or doesn't make shots, and one team goes up on the other team. I think it goes back and forth."

DR. J ON LBJ

Dr. J has a little friendly advice for LBJ: Simplify and relax.

Hall of Famer Julius Erving said the 16 shots LeBron James took Thursday night in the first game of the NBA finals had a degree of difficulty of "an eight or a nine or a 10.

"You can be effective, but you're not going to play up to your potential unless you can simplify," Erving said.

The Spurs successfully contained James in Game 1, holding him to 14 points on 4-of-16 shooting in 44 minutes.

"Find the simplest route to what you need to execute," Erving advised, saying James should evaluate his primary defender, Bruce Bowen, to figure out ways to score. "I would let him guard me and bait him to get what I want when I want it and eliminate some of the difficulty."

Instead of trying to scoot around the quick Bowen, Erving suggested going for 15-foot jumpers.

"Make it a good shot rather than a hard shot," he said.

But Erving said James probably doesn't need the help.

"He's been very good at adapting and that's part of what his legacy's going to be about," Erving said. "He'll pick up on that, you'll probably see more of that the next game."

Erving, who won the NBA title in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76ers and won two American Basketball Association championships, said James, just 22 years old, needs to make the most of these finals, even if they are the first of many.

"You never make an assumption that you're going to get back," Erving said. "So I think he needs to be focused on being in it to win it."

COACHING THE COACHES

Hank Egan has ties to both coaches in the NBA finals. So which one is he closer to?

"Right now, since I helped negotiate his contract, he's probably closer to me," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said. "But back when he was working for Pop, he'd probably say Pop."

Egan is Brown's assistant, just as he was once for Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. But his relationship with both goes much deeper than that.

Egan coached both players in college -- Popovich on Air Force's junior varsity team, Brown at San Diego. Popovich then worked under Egan for six years at the Air Force Academy and years later hired him as an assistant with the Spurs.

Popovich said the first practice plan he ever did was with Egan.

"He taught me basketball as a player. He disciplined me, he stroked me and kicked me in the butt," Popovich said. "Then we coached together for six years, and then we coached another seven or eight here in San Antonio. He's meant the world to me as far as basketball and a personal relationship."

Brown hired Egan in 2005 when he got the Cleveland job, and noticed how much different he was from back when Brown was playing under him.

"He changed dramatically from when he coached me in college until now," Brown said. "He's a lot mellower. I remember the Irish coming out of him a few times when we were in college, but that hasn't happened since he's been in the NBA."

"He's right," Egan said. "I've calmed down a lot. I used to be a wild man."

BIG WRAP FOR THE BIG MAN

Cleveland's tallest player is about to have more of a towering presence than usual.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas will be featured on a building wrap that will measure nearly 70 feet high by 54 feet wide. It is expected to be adhered to the Gateway North Garage across from the Quicken Loans Arena by Monday.

The wrap is being created by Fathead, which makes life-sized graphics of sports and entertainment stars.

"Zydrunas is a great choice by Fathead to represent the Cavaliers organization during this special time in Cleveland," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. "I am very happy that he is getting the well-deserved recognition for all of his hard work during his past nine seasons with the Cavaliers organization."

Now the Cavs need the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas to come up big on the floor. He was only 1-of-8 for two points in their Game 1 loss.

ON ONE FOOT

Larry Hughes chose to play through the pain. Tony Parker made him feel even worse.

Hughes, slowed by a small tear and plantar fasciitis in his left foot, was unable to stay with San Antonio's speedy point guard in Game 1 as Parker scored 27 points -- most of them on layups -- in the Spurs' 85-76 win.

Hughes elected not to get a pregame injection into his injury, a medical treatment he opted for during the Cavaliers' Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.

"I'm pretty proud of myself for not taking it (the injection) and dealing with the pain and going out there and trying to help the team," Hughes said.

His teammates were proud, too.

"I know that's tough on him because I know the type of person he is, the type of competitor that he is," Cavs guard Daniel Gibson said. "But just seeing him out there on the floor, giving it a go and giving everything he's got, it really motivates us as a team. Any little injury that we have is really nothing because he's out there pretty much on one leg."

Hughes also said his foot is improving.

"Right now I'm feeling better than I've felt. I definitely felt I could have played more in Game 1," said Hughes, who had two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 23 minutes. "I felt just that good."

[abadani69]

Darting around the court -- and the Cleveland Cavaliers -- in Game 1 of the NBA finals, Tony Parker was nearly unstoppable.

He scored 27 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cavaliers, who spent Friday scheming ways to contain him.

But if the Spurs had gotten their way four years ago, Parker, perhaps, wouldn't even be here.

"That never happened, so I'm happy about that and I'm happy that Tony is playing," Tim Duncan said. "Let's just leave it at that."

The "that" -- or who, to be more specific -- Duncan was referring to is Jason Kidd. In the summer after the Spurs won their second NBA title, in 2003, the team was aggressively recruiting Kidd, who was and still is with the New Jersey Nets.

Had Kidd signed on, it's possible Parker wouldn't be three wins away from his third NBA title.

"It was just that summer of '03, and then after that I forgot about it," Parker said. "Then I was just focusing on me trying to improve and get better as a basketball player."

That's what he did, and now the 25-year-old Parker is emerging as the heir apparent to the Spurs' No. 1, Duncan.

"If you look for one person that's a steady impact throughout the finals, I'm looking for that second person to be Tony more so than anyone else," former Spurs star David Robinson said. "If there's anybody other than Tim that even has a chance to be an MVP of the finals, it would be Tony."

Teammate Michael Finley said Parker should be mentioned with the top point guards in the league -- such as Kidd -- and is always looking to know how he can improve.

"I always critique him after the good games, after the bad games just to let him know there's room for improvement," Finley said. "He could have done this a little bit better, he did this good, but he's always open for constructive criticism and I think that's what's going to help him in the long run."

Parker's quickness is a major element that sets him apart, along with his ability to drive the lane for acrobatic layups that he makes look all-too-easy.

"He gets shots right up to the rim," Duncan said. "They have arguments all the time about who's the best fastest in the NBA, and I don't know if he's the fastest, but he will get around just about anybody."

The point guard was drafted at age 19 by the Spurs in 2001 as the 28th overall pick. Before that, he played two seasons in the French A League.

"It's night and day," Duncan said. "I honestly didn't know what to expect with him coming in here. ... I had no idea he'd become the player he is right now."

Duncan said Parker went through "hell and back" in his development over the last few years. Parker doesn't deny he's been pushed hard, mostly by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

"It was a little bit like father and son," Parker said. "He was always hard on me. He always screams at me and always tried to push me because I'm a little bit like nonchalant sometimes in practice and a little bit lazy, so he's always like behind me."

On the court, though, Parker only makes tough shots look nonchalant. His quick drives to the basket and ability to change pace -- when he looks like he's at top speed, he can turn it on and tear away even faster -- require an athleticism that has stunned and impressed opponents.

"He's very good, he's very quick, and he knows where he wants to get on the court," the Cavs' LeBron James said. "It's very difficult, but basically we're going to have to challenge ourselves to keep him out of the paint."

If that's even possible. Is there a way to keep the speedy Parker out of the lane and away from the basket?

"Well, I mean, if there is, I hope nobody figures it out," Popovich said.

Cavs coach Mike Brown is already appealing to a higher power for help: "I'm going to pray a little bit. That's the first thing."

[abadani69]

Curious to see what LeBron James would do in his first NBA finals game, there were probably a number of people watching Game 1 who had never seen the Cleveland Cavaliers play.

And somewhere along the way, they must have had just one question.

"Why are we here?" center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said Friday.

The easy answer is because they are the best team in the Eastern Conference. But they were clearly the second-best one on the floor Thursday night, trailing by 18 points in an 85-76 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.

"We didn't play well, we really didn't," Ilgauskas said. "So we know we have a lot more in the tank than we showed, it's just a matter of us going in there and playing better."

Ilgauskas scored the first NBA finals bucket in Cleveland history in the opening minutes, then missed his final seven shots. Point guard Larry Hughes was 1-for-5, and hobbled by plantar fasciitis, struggled to stay in front of counterpart Tony Parker on defense when they were matched up.

James was 4-of-16 and had more turnovers (six) than field goals or assists (four). The Cavaliers needed a closing flourish to reach 70 points and 40 percent shooting, not exactly numbers that inspire comparisons to the Phoenix Suns.

"I think that's probably the worst basketball we played this whole playoffs as far as getting in a rhythm offensively and defensively, and especially rebounding the basketball," forward Drew Gooden said. "So it wasn't LeBron James that had an off night. It was the Cavs as a whole. So we will bounce back."

They have done it before.

The Cavs have thrown up a few clunkers already in this postseason, from the 83-72 Game 5 loss to New Jersey in the second round when they could have closed out the series at home, to the consecutive 76-point efforts while falling behind 2-0 to Detroit in the conference finals.

And yet they're still here, so they know how to move on after a pitiful performance.

"Teams that have been together for a while, that's what they're able to do," forward Donyell Marshall said. "They're able to put it behind them and come back and play well the next game. We've had a couple of bad games already where we were able to come back the next game. I think right now, we've got a good percentage of coming back after losses."

But none were against a team as good as the Spurs, and Hughes' injury just makes matters worse. Cleveland's second-leading scorer during the regular season, he scored 18 points in both of the Cavs' regular-season victories over San Antonio.

He also was a first-team All-Defensive team pick two years ago after leading the league in steals, but his painful left foot kept him from showing either aspect of his game Thursday. He managed just two points in 23 minutes, and the Cavs were even forced to use James at times against Parker because Hughes couldn't keep up.

Coach Mike Brown was asked after the game if perhaps he should consider moving rookie Daniel Gibson into the starting lineup.

"It is tough that I'm not where I want to be as far as due to injury," Hughes said. "But I give the team all I got and see what happens. If we feel like we need a change to win the series, then we have to go that route. But for myself, I'll continue to come out and try to prepare myself to make it through and try to help the team."

Despite all their struggles, the Cavs were down only five in the third quarter. And they started to solve the Spurs' defense in the fourth quarter, when they scored 27 points.

Plus, James doesn't figure to have such a horrendous game again. So perhaps the Cavs have plenty more to show Sunday night in Game 2.

"I don't plan to go out there and not shoot the ball well or not score," James said. "I do a great job of adjusting from game to game, and I think my teammates do the same."

[abadani69]

Having been burned by Billy Donovan, the Orlando Magic now wonder if they have the right coach in Stan Van Gundy.

In Van Gundy, they got an NBA-proven leader already familiar with the team. Donovan was a $27.5 million question mark -- even before he decided to leave after his first day on the job.

The Magic insist Van Gundy was a close second. He and Donovan were the only two guys the team interviewed.

Donovan might've sold more tickets -- the team moved 200 season packages within 24 hours of his hiring -- and put a more photogenic face on the Magic's push for a new arena. But Van Gundy could easily put up more wins -- particularly in his first season.

In Donovan, Orlando had a personality whose own celebrity might have dwarfed his players'. In Van Gundy, they get a strategist who can't change schemes fast enough to fit the franchise.

Van Gundy is excited about Orlando's young big men -- All-Star Dwight Howard and 7-footer Darko Milicic -- sharing the court. He already has ideas for the Magic.

"We've got to utilize both the athleticism and energy of the young players, and I think that means playing in a more up-tempo, attacking style," Van Gundy said. "I think sometimes that gets presented as just running fast breaks, but it's more than that. It means that we should always be on the attack, we should be getting to our options quicker."

Donovan said he envisioned Orlando looking a lot like his Gators -- pressing the floor, playing in transition and trying to create turnovers.

"I understand over an 82-game schedule you're probably not going to be able to press as often as we did," Donovan said.

Van Gundy knows that after spending the past 12 years at Miami -- just over two seasons as head coach.

He emphasizes the importance of playing the 24-second shot clock -- the biggest difference between college and the pros besides a deeper 3-point line, another thing Donovan would need to perfect.

So what's the biggest difference between the two?

"NBA experience," Orlando general manager Otis Smith said.

"Being around a very good coach, a great coach in Pat Riley. Knowing the players and the assets that we have. Knowing the players and assets of the league," Smith said.

Van Gundy has done nothing but study the league since he stepped down as head coach last season. Miami retained him as an adviser to Riley, which meant Van Gundy did a lot of scouting. Just about everything he learned will be useful to Orlando, which plays the Heat four times a year and shares the Southeast Division with Miami.

"Basically what I did was watch a lot of games and provide my ideas on their team, on the teams they were playing," Van Gundy said. "I watched a lot of NBA basketball. I was watching 10 or 12 games a week and really getting a chance to watch the league and stay abreast to what was going on."

Smith is confident he got the right guy, no matter how happy Orlando once was about the Donovan deal.

"To be honest it wasn't a hard sell at all. For us it was a good thing," he said.

[abadani69]

If David Stern has his way inside his own league, the SuperSonics will remain in Seattle.

The NBA commissioner, an associate of Sonics owner Clay Bennett for more than a decade since Bennett was the San Antonio Spurs' representative on the league's board of governors, said he thinks Bennett will find a way to get a new arena built in the Seattle area to keep the Sonics in their home for the past 40 years.

If Bennett doesn't find that way by Oct. 31, he has promised to begin the process of relocating the team, most likely to his hometown of Oklahoma City or to Kansas City, which is looking for an anchor tenant for its new arena.

"I think it's just going to work itself out and I hope it does," Stern said Thursday at the NBA finals in San Antonio. "It's been a good city for the NBA and we'd love to stay there."

Stern acknowledged that Bennett "has more than exhausted the traditional means" to getting a new arena built in the Seattle area. Before it adjourned in April, the state legislature rejected a plan to use King County tax revenues to cover $278 million of a proposed $500 million arena in the suburb of Renton.

Short of Bennett asking Gov. Chris Gregoire to call back lawmakers for a special session to reconsider the issue -- which the governor's office confirms Bennett has not done -- there is no way the Sonics can get public money approved for a building before Bennett's deadline.

"But sometimes in situations like that, something that you couldn't have contemplated comes to the forefront and maybe there's some possibility," Stern said.

With public financing unavailable, Bennett currently has one private, Seattle-area investor interested in helping him build a new arena.

The Muckleshoot Indian tribe owns land that includes and surrounds the Emerald Downs race track in Auburn, Wash., and its tribal council is exploring how that land might be used for an arena, tribal spokesman Rollin Fatland said. The site is 24 miles from downtown Seattle.

Representatives of the tribe, which runs one of the state's biggest casinos, met with Bennett in February in what Bennett called "purely an introductory meeting."

"I have not spoken with them since," he said. "I am willing and ready to respond to anything they want to talk about."

For now, Muckleshoot leaders are talking among themselves in what Fatland called "a serious undertaking" to determine whether the site and the transportation infrastructure around it would work for a new arena. The tribal council met Friday, "but the Sonics were not on the agenda," Fatland said.

Bennett has yet to see the proposed 70-plus acre site between the track and a six-lane highway.

Fatland said "there's no hard and fast deadline," on when the tribe's assessment will be complete, "though I know sooner rather than later is the order of the day here."

Fatland said the tribe does not want to prematurely raise the expectations of Seattle-area basketball fans because its interest is still so preliminary. But he added, "I think doing something good for the community was part of the motivation here, sure."

As for Seattle itself, deputy mayor Tim Ceis said Thursday the city will continue to enforce the lease the Sonics have to play in KeyArena through 2010, though he acknowledged both sides could agree to amend their agreement to allow a buyout.

Such an agreement would presumably cover the money the city would lose should the Sonics leave before 2010. Ceis said the Sonics have not yet approached the city about renegotiating the lease.

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney in San Antonio contributed to this report.

[abadani69]

Extraordinary in almost every way imaginable, LeBron James appears to have one major flaw in his splendid game: he's a slow starter.

During the regular season, and now in the playoffs, James has developed a pattern of bad beginnings. In Cleveland's past three series, James has followed up a subpar Game 1 with a solid Game 2.

And, the Cavaliers' forward, who shot 4-of-16 from the field and scored just 14 points in his ballyhooed NBA finals debut, has every intention of doing it against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 2 on Sunday night.

"The first game I kind of feel my way through it and kind of make an adjustment," he said, explaining his sluggish opening games. "I don't plan to go out there and not shoot the ball well or not score."

Including Thursday night's dud, James is averaging just 15 points on 33 percent shooting (17-of-52) in his last three series openers. But he has bounced back each time, scoring 36 in Game 2 against the Nets.

Cavs coach Mike Brown is confident his 22-year-old star will come through again.

"It was great for him to go through what he went through," Brown said. "He struggled a little bit in the first game against Detroit. It's just a matter of time, I think, when you have a player of his magnitude, until he can figure out the defense and get himself going."

The Spurs, defending every grain of hardwood on their floor, kept Cleveland's star under control and rolled to an easy 85-76 win.

James had encountered gadget defenses designed to stop him before, but the Spurs were all over the place, popping up in front of him like wild Texas sunflowers.

"This is definitely a different beast," he said. "We don't want to go down 0-2 against this team."

With two days to make adjustments before Sunday's Game 2, both teams spent time on Friday breaking down videotape of the series opener, which was sometimes tough to watch as the clubs struggled offensively.

Apparently TV viewers tuned out early as the game received the lowest national rating ever for a Game 1 shown in prime time.

For the Cavaliers, the critical challenge is to figure out how to get their marquee player free of Spurs forward Bruce Bowen, one of the league's premier shutdown defenders, who led San Antonio's posse.

A seven-time All-Defensive team selection, Bowen seemed attached to James. Wherever No. 23 went, No. 12 was right alongside, pestering him, pushing him, bumping him and never allowing James to get comfortable.

James, who averaged 25.7 points in the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, was unable to get loose for any powerhouse dunks, and any time he managed to slither past Bowen, the Spurs were lined up waiting.

"It's all a team effort," Spurs forward Michael Finely said. "It started out with Bruce lining up on him and just making his looks and his drives and such difficult. But at the same time, Bruce knew he had his teammates behind him. We just wanted to make it tough for LeBron, make him have to take tough shots and make them.

"Fortunately for us, they didn't go down."

James has described himself as a "quick learner." He'll need to cram for his next test against the Spurs.

Following Thursday's loss, the 22-year-old star went back to his hotel room and watched a replay of the game. He plans to view it again, hoping another look will help him find cracks in San Antonio's complex schemes.

"Sometimes it's about being more aggressive," he said, "and then sometimes it's about reading things and mentally trying to prepare yourself the best way to try to counter some of the things they do defensively."

While the Pistons were certainly a handful to conquer, the Spurs, seeking a fourth NBA title in eight years and third in five, are a superior obstacle. And what might be scariest of all for Cleveland, is that San Antonio can play better than it did in Game 1.

The Spurs had been idle for a week since winning the Western Conference title, and there were times when the rust showed. After building an 18-point lead, they relaxed and allowed the Cavaliers to get within eight points in the final minutes.

"We kind of let them back into the game," said Tim Duncan, who finished with 24 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks. "LeBron hit a couple 3s, they got a layup or two, they got a wide-open shot or two. Those are just things we've got to clean up. I think they started to figure some stuff out."

At times, James was way too slow in attacking San Antonio's defense. His passivity enabled Bowen to get up under his chin, and it allowed the other Spurs to settle back with one eye on their man -- and the other on James.

James' other problem is that he tends to try and make the perfect pass, the one that makes the fans ooh and ahh and the kind that ends up on the late-night TV highlight reels.

He's realizing the simpler, the better.

"I'm going to have to make the easy pass and rely on my teammates a little bit more, which I'm going to do and have done throughout the postseason," said James, who had four assists and six turnovers. "I do a great job of adjusting from game to game and I think my teammates do the same."

[abadani69]

Bruce Bowen was a tiny bit late for the Spurs' morning film session on Saturday. He had a tiny excuse.

"I'm a proud papa again," Bowen announced after getting to the AT&T Center to practice for Game 2 of the NBA finals.

Bowen's wife, Yardley, gave birth to the couple's second son, a 6-pound, 11-ounce baby boy named Ozmel. The newest member of the Bowen team -- he has a nearly 2-year-old son named Ojani -- arrived at 9:19 a.m.

"My wife is doing well and the baby is well," said Bowen, who was in the delivery room for the birth. "What a gift during quite a time."

The Spurs last won the NBA title in 2005, and Ojani Bowen was born a few months later. Bowen is hoping the arrival of his second son means another championship is on the way for San Antonio.

"I hope that's prophetic," he said.

Meanwhile, Cavaliers star LeBron James, who is being guarded by Bowen in this series, is awaiting the birth of his second son any day -- maybe any minute.

"I'm expecting," James said. "Well, I'm not. That would be kind of weird."

James' girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, is due on June 17, but James doesn't think she'll make it that far. In any case, there are no plans to induce the delivery to avoid any conflict with the best-of-seven series.

"She's just going to play it by ear," he said. "Whatever happens, happens. We're very excited about it, and we can't wait."

NATIONAL PRIDE

Zydrunas Ilgauskas no longer has most of his tie-dyed T-shirts, but his passion for Lithuania basketball remains.

The Cleveland Cavaliers center no longer plays for the national team, but spoke proudly Saturday about his homeland's accomplishments.

"When you come from a small country, we only have 3 million people, the only reason we're known around the world is for the basketball," Ilgauskas said. "We have amber, that's about it. So basketball is the only thing that made that country famous."

After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Lithuania had its own Olympic basketball team for the first time in the 1992 games. The Lithuanians beat the Unified Team, made up mostly of Russians, for the first of their three straight bronze medals.

Ilgauskas said his favorite player on that first team was, naturally, another center, Arvydas Sabonis. Ilgauskas added that he had "a lot" of the tie-dyed shirts inspired by the Grateful Dead, who sold them to help cover some of the team's expenses.

And he pointed out that Lithuania remained successful long after Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis, the stars of that era, retired.

"We're a small country, somehow we just keep popping up and popping up," Ilgauskas said. "The tradition level of the basketball, it's all we play basically. If they're not good enough to play basketball or they want for better

HORRY'S STORY

Robert Horry never had to go through the Chicago Bulls dynasty on his way to six NBA titles. And if he had met Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Bulls for a title, which of his teams would he have wanted to bring with him?

"The year we beat Philly in the finals, because we were rolling so tough that year I don't think anybody could have stopped us," Horry said Saturday.

That was the 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers, who went 15-1 in one of the most dominant postseasons ever.

"I don't think anybody could have messed with us," Horry said. "No Bulls, no Sixers, no Lakers. That team was pretty good."

And it's a team people in San Antonio remember well. The Spurs had the best record in the NBA that season at 58-24 and met the Lakers in a highly anticipated Western Conference finals. But it was no contest, as Los Angeles swept the series.

Their dominant postseason is the reason Horry thinks those Lakers deserve more respect. They swept Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio, all 50-game winners.

"I don't think that team gets enough credit for how good we were, because we clicked at the right time," Horry said. "The teams we beat were no slouches. You go back and look at the teams we beat, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, we rolled through everybody."

Horry won two other titles in Los Angeles, two in Houston, and added one two years ago in San Antonio.

WHAT IF, WHAT IF

If Jason Kidd had signed with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, life might be a lot different for Tony Parker.

And if, a few years before that, Tim Duncan had signed with the Orlando Magic? Life would be a lot different for the Spurs.

"It was probably a lot closer decision than people even think or even know," Duncan said of his near move to Florida. "But it's worked out the right way, to say the least, and I can't even go through all the factors that went into making the final decision to come back here."

Duncan, who won NBA titles with the Spurs in 1999, 2003 and 2005, mentioned one reason he stuck around, however.

"It was the people and the organization here at the Spurs that I was used to, and not only the players," he said. "Of course David (Robinson) was here, and that was great. ... But even beyond that, the staff, the coaches, guys I was comfortable with, guys I enjoyed being around is probably what swayed it in the end."

CLOSE CALL

Spurs backup point guard Jacque Vaughn chuckled when reminded of a funny -- and nearly disastrous -- moment he had in Cleveland a few years back.

While he was with the Atlanta Hawks in 2001, Vaughn made a steal near midcourt against the Cavaliers, and as he drove for the basket, he looked up just in time to see an unsuspecting ball boy mopping the foul lane.

As he approached the rim, and the kid, Vaughn was able to gently push him aside before shooting.

"I had three things in mind," Vaughn said Saturday. "I didn't want to break his neck. I didn't want to turn my ankle and I wanted to make the layup. Somehow I was able to do all three."

Vaughn said he and the youngster, who still works for the Cavaliers, share a laugh over their run-in whenever they see each other.

"That was unbelievable," Vaughn said.

^DRIBBLES: Country singer and Grammy winner LeAnn Rimes is scheduled to perform the national anthem for Game 2. In Cleveland, blues guitarist Ben Harper is slated for Game 3 and former American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks, will have anthem duties for Game 4. ... The Spurs are 13-6 in the finals and are 3-0 in finals series, joining the Chicago Bulls (6-0) as the only two teams never to lose in the finals.

[abadani69]

Usually heard midway through the first quarter of home games, the refrain that Manu Ginobili is coming off the bench makes San Antonio Spurs fans respond unlike almost any other time during the game.

It also often means great things are about to happen for the Spurs.

"He gives that team a totally different dimension and a totally different look and those are big elements coming off the bench that really help teams win," said Cleveland's Daniel Gibson, who has emerged as the Cavaliers' top reserve during these playoffs.

Ginobili scored 16 points in the Spurs' 85-76 victory in Game 1 of the NBA finals. Game 2 is Sunday in San Antonio.

Along with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, Ginobili is the final piece of the Spurs' top-scoring trio and the team's beloved sixth man, a role he's more than happy to fill.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich moved Ginobili to the bench midway through the season in hopes of getting more offensive energy from his reserves. That helped the Spurs overcome some midseason struggles and go 23-6 after the All-Star break.

"It hasn't been tough. I took it very lightly since the first moment he told me," said Ginobili, in his fifth season with the Spurs. "Not very big changes for me, only the fact of not playing the first 5 minutes."

The Argentine star was runner-up for the Sixth Man award to the Phoenix Suns' Leandro Barbosa. He started 36 games and played the reserve role for 39.

Among players who came off the bench for a majority of their games during the regular season, Ginobili, with an average of better than 16 points, ranked behind only Barbosa, who averaged about 18.

Ginobili has averaged 16.4 points during the playoffs. He made half of the Spurs' six 3-pointers in 28 minutes Thursday.

"I know that even when I start, I'm not a player that plays 38 to 40 minutes, so my minutes didn't drop," Ginobili said. "I still play the last 5 to 6 minutes, and I feel like I'm a very important player in this franchise."

Ginobili's relaxed attitude about being a reserve stops there. He's known as physical player, even if a bit of a flopper, who called the bloodied and bruised eye he got during the Western Conference semifinals with the Suns "no big deal."

While Ginobili can be somewhat inconsistent from game-to-game scoring-wise, when he's hot, he's often responsible for big runs and big wins.

In February in Atlanta, Ginobili came off the bench to score 24 consecutive San Antonio points in a 10-minute span of the first half. He finished the night with a season-high 40 points as the Spurs beat the Hawks 103-96.

After he got raked across the eye on a drive to the basket in Game 3 of the series with Phoenix, he went on to score eight of his 24 points in about the next 1 1/2 minutes.

"They taught me to release the reins a bit, and their play, their random play and their aggressiveness, their passion on the court meant an awful lot," Popovich said, also referring to Parker.

Popovich called the decision to bring the 29-year-old Ginobili off the bench a "seat-of-the-pants sort of thing."

"The bench wasn't really producing a whole lot. I thought maybe it would be easier for Michael (Finley) or Brent (Barry) to play with the starting group," Popovich said. "And I'm fortunate in that Manu is the kind of guy that obviously cares more about the team. Sure, he'd rather start, but he'll do whatever he's got to do for the team and would take it well and not moan and groan about it."

[abadani69]

Larry Hughes stood calmly behind a podium Saturday, showing no signs of pain. Deep down, though, he's hurting.

Standing still with a painful foot injury is one thing. Try covering Tony Parker.

Hughes didn't do that, or much of anything else, effectively in Game 1 of the NBA finals. And the Cavaliers don't know how much they're going to get from their starting point guard for the rest of the series.

But Hughes vows to keep trying, even as people wonder if the best place for him is the bench.

"I won't give up," he said. "You have to tell me I can't play, tell me I'm really hurting the team."

Hughes has been battling plantar fasciitis, which causes him pain along the bottom of his left foot, since the Eastern Conference finals. Though he hasn't missed any games, he's hardly supplied any offense on a team that's desperate to find some from players other than LeBron James.

Hughes hasn't reached double figures since he was hurt in Game 3 of the series against the Pistons, and was held to two points on 1-of-5 shooting in 23 minutes during the Cavs' 85-76 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday.

"I feel I've been giving the team all I can give as far as just trying to be out there on the court, not trying to do too much," Hughes said. "I think I need to be a little more aggressive, but the same time I really don't want to chance it and hurt the team. It's kind of a balance, trying to get my job done and also knowing there's a lot of things that I can't do."

His problems weren't restricted to the offensive end. He was unable to keep up with the speedy Parker, who led the Spurs with 27 points.

Hughes hasn't been able to practice much since he was hurt, but he said he was feeling much better than he was during the conference finals. He felt good enough to skip a cortisone shot before Game 1 and has been trying to get by on rest, ice and Tylenol.

And if he can play, his teammates want him to try.

"I know that Larry, if Larry's 70 percent, he's still a great basketball player and still capable of doing a lot of things," reserve guard Daniel Gibson said. "And I know that on this stage, he wants to be out here playing because it's a stage he's worked for his entire career to get to."

Gibson has replaced Hughes as the Cavs' best perimeter player since the injury, and there are people who believe he should take Hughes' spot in the starting lineup as well.

Cavs coach Mike Brown was asked twice about it after Game 1 but said he wasn't considering a lineup change. But Hughes was on the bench for the entire fourth quarter, the Cavs' best period of the game.

"We're just going to keep monitoring him," Brown said, "and if we feel like it's too much for him -- like in the fourth quarter, I didn't go back to him at that time -- then we'll sit him, whether it's our call, the doctor's call or his call."

Hughes was second to James during the regular season with 14.9 points per game and was in double figures in each of Cleveland's first eight playoff games. And he's an excellent defensive guard, leading the NBA in steals two years ago and getting voted to the first team All-Defensive squad.

When he finally arrived in the NBA finals, he's been prevented from demonstrating all his talents.

"It's hard to blame anything for it," Hughes said. "It just happens, so you have to come out and you have to adjust."

Hughes isn't a great outside shooter, so the Spurs can help off him to double-team James, knowing Hughes may not have the quickness to get to the basket. And playing Parker is tough for anyone, let alone someone trying to do it on one good foot.

But the Cavs are confident they'll figure out some way to utilize Hughes.

"He had that same injury against the Pistons and I think we handled that series pretty well as far as managing his time and putting him out there on the floor in situations where he could be successful," Gibson said.

Hughes said Brown hasn't discussed a lineup change with him, but a move to the bench might not be the best idea, anyway. Hughes said it's tough to get started again once he stops, so it's probably easier for him to go right from warmups to starting the game than it would be to play well once he's been sitting.

He won't consider sitting out, unless Brown or someone else on the Cavs' staff tells him that he's hurting the team.

"I plan on sticking it out," Hughes said. "I'm doing all I can to be out on the court and give this team anything I can."

[abadani69]

LeBron James will attract the spotlight. The San Antonio Spurs have earned it.

While most of the hype surrounding these NBA finals is centered on James, Cleveland's crowned king of roundball, the Spurs are again being overshadowed despite winning three titles since 1999.

There's nothing seductive about them. They don't run and gun like the Phoenix Suns. Tim Duncan, their resident superstar, doesn't aspire to be a global icon or featured in any sneaker commercials. TV viewers channel surf right past their games.

The Spurs get no respect.

"We are kind of the vanilla of the NBA," guard Manu Ginobli said.

And every few years they're the favorite flavor.

On Thursday, the Spurs will begin their quest for a fourth championship as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the NBA finals, a series being billed as King James' coming-out party but one that just as easily could turn into another Spurs coronation.

"This definitely is a model franchise," said Cavs coach Mike Brown, a San Antonio assistant when the club won its last title in 2005. "We can't be the Spurs. We don't have the same makeup as them or anything like that."

The Cavaliers do have James, and that could be enough.

Tagged as the new face of the league and saddled with immense expectations since entering the league four years ago, James arrived at basketball's ultimate stage on Wednesday full of confidence.

The climactic setting is a new one for the Cavaliers, who are making their first appearance in the finals since joining the league in 1970. After walking onto the floor adorned with finals logos, a few of Cleveland's players documented their visit with videocameras as an international media descended upon them.

It was only four years ago when the Cavs won 17 games while playing in front of as many empty seats as filled ones at home.

"It was like we weren't even in the NBA," said center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, drafted by the club in 1996. "We were in a deep depression as an organization."

Those gloomy days were B.LB. -- Before LeBron.

The 22-year-old has been a household name in the U.S. since he was an Akron, Ohio, high school phenomenon, and his growing popularity has made him just as well known on the playgrounds of Beijing.

In these playoffs, his second trip to the postseason, James has elevated his multidimensional game to a higher level, pushing the Cavaliers within four victories of Cleveland's first major sports title since 1964.

His appearance in the best-of-seven series should do wonders for the NBA's globalization plan. Undoubtedly, he'll also boost TV ratings, perhaps tempting casual viewers interested in seeing if he can match his jaw-dropping, 48-point performance in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit.

It's as if Michael Jordan, the more famous tongue-wagging No. 23, has resurfaced. Not quite. Not yet.

With most of the attention focused on James, the other team in this LeBronian lovefest isn't getting its proper due. But hasn't that always been the case for the Spurs, standing at the edge of another title.

"The league is about new, exciting things," Spurs forward Michael Finley said. "And LeBron is that thing right now."

The Spurs are still, well, the Spurs.

They have always won with defense, and still do. The league's stingiest defensive squad during the regular season must figure out how to slow James, who sliced up the Pistons for 25.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 8.5 assists in six games.

Detroit tried to double- and triple-team the 6-foot-8, 245-pounder, whose ability to pass over the top of defenders allowed him to find wide-open teammates for easy shots.

Spurs forward Bruce Bowen will be assigned to guard James, but he'll need help, especially when James decides to post him up near the basket.

"Any way I can gain 40 pounds overnight?" Bowen joked.

On his last visit deep in the heart of Texas, James scored 35 points with 11 rebounds and four assists on the Spurs. He also posterized a defenseless Duncan with a vicious dunk -- a photo he has on the wall near his locker in Cleveland.

James won't have it easy as the Spurs likely will blitz him wherever and whenever he touches the ball.

"They work well together on the defensive end," he said. "You know if you beat one guy, another guy steps up."

Not long ago, the thought was that James needed a superstar sidekick, a player like Jordan had in Scottie Pippen. Turns out, James might have all he needs.

"We've had different guys step up in different games," Ilgauskas said. "So LeBron hasn't had to count on just one guy. There's always somebody else scoring, somebody else rebounding. We might not have other superstars, but we got other guys who play good basketball."

Ceaselessly confident, James isn't showing any pre-finals jitters. The whole world might be watching to see what he'll do, but that's nothing new. In the past, the spotlight has been a warming place -- not one to shun.

Jordan was 28 when he won his first title; Duncan was 23. This might be James' year, it might not be. But Brown says it will eventually happen.

"He's too talented, too driven not to win one," Brown said. "I agree with the talk that in order to be quote-unquote, one of the best players in the world, you should have one of those on your resume, if not more.

"It's a matter of time for him."

[abadani69]

Everybody loves Steve Kerr. He's so popular that the Suns could have hired Opie as general manager and drawn less favorable response. Pair him up with Mike D'Antoni, the friendliest coach in professional sports, and the Suns have just become a PR dream team.

If they don't win a championship, they're going to kill you with kindness along the way.

"We're in perfect alignment," Suns owner Robert Sarver said. "We love our style of play. We have a lot of fun, win a lot of games, sell a lot of tickets. And we're very close to winning a championship."

Problems? Ha. Things are so harmonious at the moment that the Kerr family, the Sarver family and the D'Antoni family will convene this weekend at the owner's ranch in Wyoming for a little power bonding. And then they'll begin exploring how to improve the team in earnest.

It's so calm on the surface that Sarver said he told D'Antoni long ago that he could veto any general manager Sarver wanted to import. So, theoretically, D'Antoni could have nixed Kerr's sudden desire to be back in the game had D'Antoni felt threatened or compromised. And, already, the emphasis clearly is on camaraderie and consensus.

"As far as what we're going to do, well, that's the next step," said Kerr, far too savvy to let his wishes be known up front, in public. "We'll sit down in the next few weeks and talk some things over."

Here's what Kerr wouldn't tell you: The Suns need a bench, some toughness and some big players. They also need to mind the payroll in the coming years. But Kerr is strongly committed to the current vision, saying he "loves" D'Antoni's style and his coaching ability. And Sarver committed to spending more than he wants in the short term, recognizing that, "This our window. This our time."

It's everything you hoped to hear, but that's the way these news conferences usually work. And for an organization that didn't seem to think a general manager was that important when Toronto was courting Bryan Colangelo, the official unveiling of Kerr was quite a production.

But soon, the sticky decisions begin, most notably how to handle Shawn Marion. If they can trade him and get great value in return (ie: a high draft pick), the Suns will solve the long-term financial puzzle in one maneuver. One team source said it's about 50-50 that Marion gets jettisoned, but if he stays, something or someone has to give.

Fret not. There is much that Kerr brings to the table. Unlike many former star players who have failed in talent evaluation - Kevin McHale, Elgin Baylor, Danny Ainge, Larry Bird, etc. - Kerr always has been a back-of-the-room, cerebral type, the lesser player who had to get by on his acumen. He is the quintessential role-playing catcher, the one who sees everything and always seems to make the best baseball manager.

Besides, Kerr knows the Spurs organization intimately, and that's the biggest hurdle on the road ahead. He's smart enough to know that they've got a good thing going here in Phoenix, and that tyranny is not a good idea.

And this just in: Most decisions regarding players and talent have been run by Kerr's desk for some time, just to get his opinion, just because Sarver trusts him so much.

Now Kerr has a vested interest. And going forward, basketball operations probably will run a lot smoother by not having to track down Kerr's input while he is off broadcasting basketball games.

"It just makes it the way it's supposed to be," D'Antoni said.

Of course, if Kerr wants to trade Boris Diaw and not Kurt Thomas, while the coach thinks otherwise, it ultimately is the general manager's decision. That's the way it should be, too. And we can only hope that, this off-season, someone has a few good ideas.

[abadani69]

Denver Nuggets player J.R. Smith and another man were seriously injured Saturday when the sport utility vehicle Smith was driving collided with a car.

Smith and the unidentified passenger were ejected from the SUV in the crash, which occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Stagecoach Road in Millstone Township, said Sgt. Stephen Jones, a state police spokesman.

The passenger -- who had serious head wounds -- was airlifted to Jersey Shore University Hospital in Neptune, while Smith was taken there via ambulance.

Further details on their injuries were not immediately available Saturday night.

Smith's vehicle apparently went through a stop sign, Jones said, and collided with the other car. The driver of that vehicle and two other people in the SUV were injured and taken to CentraState Medical Center in Freehold, but their injuries were not considered serious.

The 21-year-old Smith was a star player at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in New Jersey. He averaged 13.0 points in 63 games this season.

[abadani69]

The San Antonio Spurs are halfway to a fourth NBA title. In their two victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers, they've looked dominant and composed.

They haven't, however, forgotten 2005. That's when they led the Detroit Pistons 2-0 and looked well on their way to the title but wound up needing seven games to win.

"We need to remember that and learn from our mistakes," said Tony Parker, who led the Spurs with 30 points in their 103-92 Game 2 win Sunday. "I think that's enough to make us get ready."

In 2005, the Spurs won Games 1 and 2 at home with scores of 84-69 and 97-76.

Then they went to Detroit.

The Pistons beat the Spurs 96-79 in Game 3 then blew them out 102-71 in Game 4. The Spurs took Games 5 and 7 to win the crown.

"Hopefully, especially the guys that were in that finals, learn from that and we are more humble going into those games and play a better game," said Manu Ginobili, who called the 2005 turn of events "really embarrassing."

This time, the Spurs will head to Cleveland, where the entire city will be abuzz with the possibility that LeBron James can deliver. It's the first time in the Cavs' 37-year history they've gone to the finals.

"It'll be a huge challenge," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "They've played well there, and I think they'll feel a lot looser, a lot more aggressive in a lot of ways."

Cleveland was down 0-2 in the Eastern Conference finals this year against Detroit before winning the next four games and a trip to the finals.

"They played good against Detroit and they came back, so we have to be aware of that," Parker said.

The Spurs are taking pains not to put on airs over their first two wins. But the sizable lead in Game 2 -- San Antonio was up by as many as 29 -- makes it hard to look humble.

"Sometimes I don't like to have a 20-point lead," Parker said. "I'm not going to complain. It'll take it. But sometimes it's tough because it's the NBA. And Cleveland, they've got a lot of pride, and they made a hell of a run in the fourth quarter."

The Cavs got as close as eight twice in the fourth quarter and opened the final 12 minutes on a 22-4 run that erased two-thirds of the 27-point deficit they had at the end of the third period. They outscored San Antonio 30-14 in the last quarter.

"We got too overconfident, and we stopped moving the ball offensively," Ginobili said. "We've got to learn from that because we can't get so relaxed, especially in the fourth quarter against a great team like Cleveland."

On one hand, Parker noted, Cleveland's late surge will give the Cavs confidence as they prepare for the games at home. On the other, it injected new motivation into the series for San Antonio and may help as the Spurs try to avoid a repeat of 2005.

"As I always say, we just took what was ours," Ginobili said. "We just maintained the home-court advantage."

It also provides Popovich with a reminder for his team.

"I'm concerned about every game. It doesn't matter whether it's the first game or the seventh game," Popovich said. "So there's no less concern for one game over another one. Coaches are paranoid that way. They worry about everything."