NBA News

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With each drive to the basket and each fall to the floor -- flop or not -- Manu Ginobili made the Utah Jazz and their fans angrier and angrier.

Players and coaches complained to the refs. Fans booed, threw things and popped balloons.

All Ginobili did was keep hitting his free throws, pushing the San Antonio Spurs to a 91-79 victory Monday night and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Ginobili scored 22 points, 15 coming in the fourth quarter and 11 of those coming from the foul line. San Antonio was 19-of-25 on free throws in the final period, with four of the attempts courtesy of technical fouls.

"I'm very proud of what we did in the fourth quarter because it was looking ugly for us," Ginobili said. "We stepped up and did a really good job."

Some of the calls Ginobili got were questionable, but the key was he forced the action after not doing "too much to get under their skin the first three quarters." The Jazz weren't about to let him get to the rim easily and wound up losing their temper as the foul calls mounted.

Utah drew four technicals fouls down the stretch, leading to the ejection of coach Jerry Sloan and usually mild-mannered Derek Fisher. Jazz fans -- seeing their team lose at home for the first time in eight games this postseason -- showed their disgust by hurling things toward the court, appearing to hit San Antonio's Bruce Bowen with something small.

"They threw Carmex at me," Bowen said. "I like Carmex, but not getting it thrown at me."

Of all the blows landed in this game, the most severe is to Utah's comeback hopes. After a 26-point win in Game 3, the Jazz felt good about their chances to pull off a historic comeback but now will have to win Game 5 in San Antonio on Wednesday night just to bring the series back to Salt Lake City. Utah has lost 18 straight games in San Antonio dating to 1999.

"I'm sure a lot of people are counting us out in the series," said Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, who had 18 points and nine rebounds. "We have a much better feel for this team after playing them four times. All we can do is toughen up ... see if we can get one in San Antonio."

Tim Duncan had 19 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and five turnovers. He was 5-of-8 from the line in the fourth quarter, part of San Antonio going 19-of-25 from the stripe.

Fabricio Oberto had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Tony Parker had his worst game of the series with 17 points, two assists and three turnovers.

This ugly-but-effective performance -- more free throws (30) than field goals (2 -- puts the Spurs within a victory of reaching the NBA finals for the third time in five years, and the fourth time since 1999. San Antonio has won the title each time.

"It could've been a tied series and a whole new ballgame," Duncan said. "It's a great position to be in."

Utah's Deron Williams had 27 points and 10 assists in 38 minutes despite having lost eight pounds the last two days while fighting a stomach ailment. He had two IVs in the morning, then was so good through three quarters that pregame reminders of Michael Jordan overcoming illness to have a huge game against the Jazz in the 1997 NBA finals -- made even by Sloan -- no longer seemed silly.

But Williams didn't get enough help. Boozer was the only player to score more than nine points, and he didn't even make it to the foul line. Neither did center Mehmet Okur.

"We felt there were a couple of things that were questionable ... but they won the game," Williams said. "They made plays. They kept their heads. We were the ones getting the techs, not them. And that's why they prevailed."

After three lopsided games, this one got tight midway through the third quarter, starting with Boozer stuffing Duncan on a drive to the rim.

Duncan went down and lingered on the court while Boozer made a jumper on the other end, this time leaving Ginobili on the ground. Parker missed a layup, then Williams dribbled up the court and nailed a jumper at the foul line with Duncan backing up, daring him to shoot.

Utah went into the fourth quarter down 63-62 and was within 67-66 a few minutes later. Then Ginobili hit a 3-pointer, Williams went miss-turnover-miss on the Jazz's next three possessions and the Spurs soon were up by six points. The Jazz never got closer than four.

San Antonio was up 79-72 when Ginobili got fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 3:57 left. He made all three, and Utah's hopes were flickering out.

"We just couldn't keep them off the free-throw line," Sloan said. Asked about all the technicals, he said: "I don't want to talk about those because all that does is give me more trouble."

Notes

This was San Antonio's first playoff win in Salt Lake City. The Spurs had been 0-9 counting losses in 1994, '96, '98 and Saturday night. They also were 0-3 in Salt Lake City this season. ... The Spurs improved to 6-4 in the game after a playoff loss by 12 or more points since 2004. ... Utah's Gordan Giricek got two fouls in a 3-second span early in the second quarter. Uh, make it three fouls as he got a technical, too, after complaining about the second one. ... The "True Blue" T-shirts given out at Game 3 were on sale for $10 this time. ... San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich moved back into a tie with Sloan for fifth on the career playoff wins list with No. 87. Neither can catch Red Auerbach's 99 wins for at least another year.

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The Charlotte Bobcats have had preliminary talks with Rod Higgins about becoming general manager, a move that would reunite him with former boss Michael Jordan.

Bobcats spokesman B.J. Evans said Tuesday the discussions are ongoing. Over the weekend, Golden State granted the Bobcats permission to speak to Higgins, who has served as the Warriors' GM for the past three seasons. Higgins reports to Golden State vice president of basketball operations Chris Mullin.

Higgins was assistant GM with the Washington Wizards from 2000-2003, when Jordan was the team's president of basketball operations. Higgins also played in Chicago during Jordan's rookie season with the Bulls in 1984-85.

Jordan became a part-owner of the Bobcats last June and took the final say on all basketball decisions away from coach and general manager Bernie Bickerstaff.

Bickerstaff stepped down as coach at the end of the season. He's staying with team as an executive vice president and will essentially be Jordan's top aide.

But the Bobcats are looking to fill the role of assistant GM Karl Hicks, who took a job this spring with the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Jordan has quickly brought in former friends and teammates to Charlotte. Longtime confidant Fred Whitfield is now team president of the Bobcats. Jordan's former Chicago teammate Sam Vincent was hired as coach last week.

The 47-year-old Higgins spent 13 seasons in the NBA as a player. He also spent six seasons as an assistant coach with the Warriors.

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No one was ever under the impression Greg Oden or Kevin Durant would play at this week's NBA predraft camp. But fringe prospects like Wilson Chandler, Derrick Byars and DeVon Hardin skipping out, too?

Has the weeklong annual Orlando showcase officially turned into a Mickey Mouse operation?

Those looking for more marquee names when the camp opens Tuesday may still find players like Pitt's Aaron Gray and Boston College's Jared Dudley, but the turnout is clearly not what the league was looking for when it made a rule change this season prohibiting private team workouts before the start of the camp.

The purpose of the change was to convince players like Chandler, Byars and Hardin - and, quite frankly, players of a higher caliber than them - to join the Florida field in search of guaranteed first-round money or a second-round shot.

However, with the draft still over a month away, many agents feel their clients can either do enough impressing in postcamp private workouts or will be able to rely on their collegiate resumes in lieu of facing the Orlando competition.

"How much do you gain versus how much do you risk and how much do you potentially lose?" said John Hamilton, who represents former LSU star Glen "Big Baby" Davis.

Questions about Davis' weight and injured quad seem to make him a perfect candidate to participate in the camp, a forum that could provide ample opportunity for him to disprove the doubters. Instead, he's sitting out, even though he could drop out of the first round altogether after being considered a potential lottery pick following LSU's run to the 2006 Final Four.

"The overriding issue is that all the guys he's competing against for slots in the first round won't be there," Hamilton said. "As bad as he wants to go and as much as we wanted him to be there, it didn't make business sense."

Still, the camp can be a golden opportunity for some to move up the draft board. One year ago, Renaldo Balkman went from a virtual unknown to the 20th overall pick by the New York Knicks thanks in large part to his Orlando performance.

Balkman and the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Farmar were the only first-round picks among the 11 players drafted who participated in last year's camp. The NBA was hoping it would get significantly more than two eventual first-round selections attending this time around, but while it's likely more than 11 of the participants will get drafted overall, the top-tier talent continues to shy away.

"There are a number of players who pulled out. Their agents, or teams, have told them, 'Don't go to Orlando, we guarantee you a spot in the draft,'" said NBA director of scouting Marty Blake. "We would always like to see everybody play, but a lot of representatives and parents of kids say don't go there. They'd probably have them not play anywhere, just send them a check."

Even representatives of many international standouts are not interested in putting their clients up against collegiate stars despite scouts' concerns about how foreign players will perform against top-flight U.S. competition.

The agent for Marco Belinelli, widely considered the best sub-7 foot international player available, won't put the prospect from Italy in the camp and is even holding back clients Arron Afflalo and Gabe Pruitt - big names, but hardly guaranteed first-rounders.

"It's a situation where you have to just take a look at the risks and rewards for sending a guy to Orlando," said Sam Goldfeder of Excel Sports Management. "While it's an excellent camp, we had made a decision here that we felt that their bodies of work had spoken for themselves and they're going to rely on their workouts."

While it seems unlikely the NBA will ever be able to put together something similar to the NFL combine, where nearly every player hoping to be drafted participates, there are ways the league could move forward in adding to the camp's prestige.

Assuming it does not plan to completely restrict private workouts, the NBA could push the camp even closer to the draft, thus giving players and teams that much less time to get together.

"I think they're gonna evaluate how it goes this year and I'm sure they'll have a meeting when it's over," said agent Mark Bartlestein. "The teams really seem to enjoy the individual workouts much more than the camps. I'm not even sure how much of a premium they're going to put on the camp in the future."

At the same time, there is no question the camp holds value, particularly for those players who remain undecided about entering the draft or those hoping to improve their draft status.

"I don't think (the rule modification) really changed anything from our point of view," said Bartlestein, who could have as many as four clients - including Dudley - competing at the camp.

Besides, it's not like the first round is the only one that matters.

Pointing out just how important the second round can be, Blake mentioned that among teams left in the playoffs, the only rookies seeing significant playing time are Cleveland's Daniel Gibson and Utah's Paul Millsap - selected 42nd and 47th, respectively.

"You gotta go in the draft understanding you're not gonna get Durant, you're not gonna get Oden, so how long will it take the guy you get to develop?" Blake said. "There's a lot of sleepers this year."

Justin Einhorn is a senior editor for STATS and will be in Orlando covering the NBA predraft camp all week. He can be reached at jeinhorn@stats.com.

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Greg Oden has been drafted by a trading card company, and will be on the same team as Bill Russell.

A possible No. 1 draft pick, Oden signed a multiyear deal Tuesday to become a spokesman for Topps Co. His first deal? A card featuring him and Russell, the Boston Celtics Hall of Famer, on the 50th anniversary of the company's first basketball set.

"Certainly there's been a lot of comparisons to Bill Russell, which we don't run away from," said Bill Sanders, a vice president for BDA Sports Management, which represents Oden.

"I think that Greg has got a lot of that in him, but he's also got other skills in him that people don't necessarily associate with Bill Russell. Certainly he's honored to be mentioned in that kind of company. I think one of his goals is to accomplish a little bit of what Bill Russell did."

Topps will also help create Oden's official Web site.

Still to be determined is what team Oden will be on when his card is issued in August.

By winning last week's lottery, the Portland Trail Blazers earned the right to choose between Oden and Kevin Durant.

Wherever he lands, Oden hopes longtime teammate Mike Conley Jr. will be with him.

Oden and Conley won titles at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis before leading Ohio State to the national championship game. They were back home over the weekend for the Indianapolis 500 before heading to Orlando, Fla., for the predraft camp.

"I mean two kids that won in summer basketball, won in junior high school, won in high school, won and were successful in college and then go pro together, that's probably never happened before in the history of the game," said Conley's father, Mike Conley Sr., who works for BDA Sports Management. "And if they were successful at the NBA level, that would be a marketer's dream."

It would be difficult, however, to get the on the same team because Conley Jr. is perhaps the top point guard in the draft and figures to be off the board quickly. He could go as high as No. 3 to Atlanta, which is desperate for a point guard after passing over Deron Williams and Chris Paul with the second pick two years ago.

Though Oden would be the top pick of many teams because franchise centers are rare, the Blazers, with Zach Randolph and LaMarcus Aldridge on the roster, could be one of the few in position to consider Durant.

Durant, the freshman who starred at Texas, beat Oden in the card contract race when he signed with Upper Deck earlier this month.

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Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss was arrested early Tuesday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol.

The 74-year-old Buss was taken into custody shortly before 1 a.m. after he drove his gold Mercedes-Benz station wagon the wrong way on a street in an unincorporated section of Carlsbad that has double yellow lines, California Highway Patrol Officer Tom Kerns said.

"Although I was driving only a short distance, it was a bad decision and I was wrong to do it," Buss said in a statement issued by the Lakers. "It was a mistake I will not make again."

A 23-year-old woman in the vehicle with Buss wasn't arrested, Kerns said.

He said Buss was "relatively cooperative" when placed under arrest, and was booked into the Vista jail for investigation of drunken driving and driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or above.

Buss was released around 10:30 a.m., according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Web site. Kerns said the final results of Buss' blood alcohol test won't be available for about three weeks.

Highway Patrol officers Sal Gutierrez and Julie Cahill administered field sobriety tests using an alcohol screening device, Kerns said.

Lakers spokesman John Black said Buss was in the Carlsbad vicinity because he has a home in north San Diego County. Buss' primary residence is in the Los Angeles suburb of Playa del Rey.

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As much as the individual talents of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have frustrated the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs have benefited from something else: their collective experience.

The Spurs are the oldest team in the league, featuring a roster full of players who've won championships or been part of long postseason runs. The calmness, confidence and wisdom gained along the way has been put to good use against the novice Jazz, helping San Antonio build a 3-1 series lead going into Game 5 on Wednesday night.

Consider the evidence.

In Games 1 and 2, San Antonio built big leads, then prevented Utah from getting close until it was way too late. The Jazz finally clicked when they went home for Game 3 and the Spurs were wise enough to realize it wasn't their night. Rather than go all out for a rally that might've made the final score look good -- as Utah did late in the first two games -- San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich let backups finish what became a 26-point loss.

The best example, though, was Game 4 on Monday night.

Neither team was playing great, but both were playing hard. The Spurs led by only one point early in the fourth quarter when a foul was called on the Jazz. Then another. And another. More fouls and some technicals followed. Utah's fans lost their composure, too, going from anti-official chants to throwing things on the court.

San Antonio handled it all just fine, mainly by making free throws and not doing anything silly. As a reward, the Spurs are one win away from heading to the NBA finals for the third time in five years.

"The playoffs are a physical time," Popovich said Tuesday. "Things happen and you move on."

Series clinchers, also known as "close-out" games, are considered the toughest to win, but San Antonio players certainly know the drill.

The Spurs are 12-4 in close-out games since Duncan, Parker and Ginobili teamed up in 2003. Nine of the wins came on their first chance to end a series, including against Denver and Phoenix this postseason.

Yet within those numbers lies a nugget of hope for Utah. All four of San Antonio's losses have come at home.

Well, that would be good news for the Jazz if they hadn't lost 18 straight games in San Antonio. Utah's skid dates to February 1999, so long ago that Karl Malone and John Stockton had four more years together and the David Robinson-led Spurs were not only still playing in the Alamodome, it was 18 months before ground was broken on their current arena.

Another concern for Utah is that point guard Deron Williams received treatment for a sprained ankle Tuesday. He's expected to play Game 5, but also is getting over a stomach ailment that he said cost him eight pounds over the weekend.

Still, San Antonio is bracing for another challenge. Just to get this far, the Jazz had to shake off a season-ending 3-6 slump, then an 0-2 deficit in the first round. So they're not likely to give up now.

"We don't in any way think we are just going to walk in our building and take these guys out," Duncan said. "They have shown they can play with us. They have shown that they are very physical."

Utah is likely going through a rite of passage, like Miami's Dwyane Wade endured before his breakthrough last year and, most famously, Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls faced in getting past the Bad Boy-era Detroit Pistons.

The Jazz are somewhat fortunate to have experienced all that they have this postseason. Sure, they earned it by beating the Rockets in seven games and Golden State in five, but the Warriors helped by eliminating the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round. Whether Utah might've beaten Dallas is irrelevant; the bottom line is that the Jazz are gaining valuable experience -- there's that word again -- that should help in 2008 and beyond.

After all, Carlos Boozer is 25 and Williams is 22, so the pieces are in place for Utah's revival to continue.

The biggest problem for the Jazz this series is that Williams (29.5 points per game) and Boozer (24.5) aren't getting enough help. Utah's third-highest scorer is Andrei ***ilenko at a measly 8.3 points per game.

"I think we're playing a little bit weaker than we did the first two rounds. Probably the opponent is a little different," ***ilenko said. "Still, we need to stay as a team for the whole 48 minutes."

Utah's inability to spread the scoring isn't a case of Williams and Boozer hogging the ball. ***ilenko, Mehmet Okur, Derek Fisher and Matt Harpring are mostly missing open shots and losing confidence, resulting in more misses or fewer attempts.

"We have guys who are talented enough to pick it up," Boozer said. "We're going to need those guys to pick it up if we're going to have a chance. In Game 5, we're going to have to get all the loose balls, all the rebounds. Every advantage we can have, we're going to have to get."

Associated Press Writer Elizabeth White in San Antonio and AP Sports Writer Doug Alden in Salt Lake City contributed to this story.

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Cavaliers point guard Larry Hughes was in the starting lineup for Game 4 against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday night despite a painful foot injury.

Hughes sustained a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his foot while making a layup in the first quarter of Game 3. He played only 22 minutes and sat the entire fourth quarter of Cleveland's 88-82 win.

After testing the foot on the practice court in Quicken Loans Arena, Hughes was cleared to play by Cleveland's medical staff.

"I'm going to try it out," said Hughes, who didn't favor the foot as he walked around the building. "From my side, I have to give it a shot. You can limp and walk on the court once your adrenaline gets going."

Hughes said he's not risking further injury by playing on the foot, which is expected to heal without surgery. His biggest obstacle is being able to play through the pain.

"I think I have a high tolerance," he said.

LeBron James was pleased to hear that Hughes would be playing.

"The fact that he's going to go is inspiring to us as a ballclub," James said.

Before learning Hughes would be available, Cavs coach Mike Brown said he would only keep Hughes on the floor if he's productive.

"If he's out there and he's limping or he's looking like he won't be able to help us, or it will give the Pistons an advantage," Brown said, "I'm going to have to make the decision of sitting him or keeping him out on the floor, like I did in the fourth quarter of the last game."

Even with Hughes available, Brown is expected to give plenty of playing time to rookie Daniel Gibson, who had a huge impact in Game 3.

He played a postseason-high 30 minutes, scoring nine points with two rebounds and a block. He also did a nice job helping Cleveland contain Detroit's backcourt of Chauncey Billups and Rip Hamilton, who shot a combined 6-of-22 for 20 points.

Gibson said he hasn't been told of his role yet, but he's looking to contribute any way he can.

"Coach has prepped me for this opportunity and I'm going go out there and have fun and make the most of it," he said.

Hughes missed 45 regular-season games with a finger injury last season, and he sat out four playoff games against Detroit last May after his younger brother, Justin, died.

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With a helping hand from a teammate even younger than him, LeBron James pushed the Cleveland Cavaliers as close as they've ever been to an NBA title.

James scored 25 points -- 13 in the fourth quarter -- and rookie Daniel Gibson added a season-high 21 as the Cavaliers evened the Eastern Conference finals with a 91-87 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 4 Tuesday night.

The 21-year-old Gibson made 12 free throws, Drew Gooden added 19 points and Eric Snow hit a crucial free throw in the final seconds for the Cavaliers, who have never played in the finals, and now need two victories to get there.

Game 5 is Thursday night in Auburn Hills, Mich., with Game 6 back at Quicken Loans on Saturday.

The Cavs are making just their third visit to the conference finals, and each time they've been tied 2-2 before losing in six games. When he was drafted, James promised to bring the championship-starved city a title and he's closing in on one quicker than anyone expected.

"The series is a lot better being 2-2 than 3-1 and going back to Detroit," James said. "I had to be aggressive in the fourth quarter and step up."

Chauncey Billups scored 23 points, Rip Hamilton 19 and Tayshaun Prince 15 for the Pistons, who needed last-second wins to go up 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and are suddenly the team looking for answers.

In the final minutes, it was the more-experienced Pistons who couldn't come up with the big play. With Detroit down 88-85, Rasheed Wallace blocked a shot in the lane but Billups rushed a 3-pointer that missed. On Cleveland's next possession, Snow, who only played 1:05, got fouled following a scramble for a loose ball.

Snow's free throw put the Cavaliers ahead by four before Antonio McDyess' tip-in got the Pistons within 89-87 with 4.7 seconds left.

James was fouled, and Cleveland's superstar -- whose poor free-throw shooting has been one of his only flaws -- calmly knocked down both foul shots to make it 91-87 with four seconds remaining.

Wallace missed a 3-pointer, James hauled in his seventh rebound to go with 11 assists and Cleveland had one of the biggest wins in its 37-year history.

Only the 1976 and 1992 Cavaliers won two games in a conference finals.

After a three-point play by James, Wallace's jumper put the Pistons up 77-74 with 7:29 left, but the Cavs responded with a 6-0 run, capped by Sasha Pavlovic's layup that forced the Pistons to call time.

As he stormed off the floor, Wallace was called for a technical foul -- his fifth of these playoffs -- by referee Joe Forte for throwing his headband in frustration as Cleveland fans sensed a change in momentum.

Gooden hit two jumpers and James knocked down a step-back 20-footer to make it 87-79 with 3:21 remaining. The Pistons, though, drew on the experience up and down their vast playoff resumes and nearly came back.

The Cavs got an emotional lift from Larry Hughes, who played 17 minutes despite a painful foot sprain. But it was Gibson who helped them tie up the tighter-than-tight series.

Gibson, who was expected to start if Hughes couldn't, came off the bench and scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Cavs built a 12-point lead and led 50-43 at the break.

Gibson spent hours in his Houston backyard practicing Billups' trademark fadeaway jumper, and in the second quarter, he stuck one just like one of his NBA heroes. Moments after feeding James for a jaw-dropping two-handed dunk, Gibson hit his Billupsesque shot in the lane.

On Cleveland's next trip, Gibson made a jumper and was fouled by Hamilton, who knocked the 21-year-old to the floor, where he pounded on his chest. Over on the sideline, James was waving his towel along with Cleveland fans at Gibson's spurt.

The kid wasn't done, either. He put his head down and drove to the basket, picked up hard fouls and made his free throws, finishing 7-of-7 from the line in the first half.

As they did in Games 1 and 2, the Pistons came out fast and furious in the third quarter, ripping off an 8-0 run while holding the Cavs without a field goal for the first 5:29 before Gibson hit a 3-pointer.

The Cavs pushed their lead to six, but McDyess, who didn't score in the first half, got eight in the final 4:51 and Detroit held Cleveland to 15 points in the quarter on 4-of-17 shooting.

On Monday, Hughes didn't seem confident about getting to play in Game 4.

He suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his left foot while making a layup in Game 3, an injury he described "as painful as anything I've dealt with." But he wanted to play, and after being cleared by Cavs doctors an hour before tipoff, he started and played 10 minutes in the first quarter.

Like he did before Game 3, James arrived at the arena a few hours early to get in some extra shooting. Unlike Sunday, he didn't call it the biggest game of his 22 years -- just the next important one in the growth of the Cavaliers, who have Cleveland fans hungry for the city's first pro sports title since 1964.

"Last year was about making the playoffs," he said. "This year, it's about a championship."

Notes

When Snow didn't get into Game 3, it was the first time he hadn't played in a game because of a coach's decision since 1998 -- a span of 701 games. ... Gordon Gund, a minority owner of the Cavs since selling the franchise to Dan Gilbert in 2005, attended the game. ... Popular "American Idol" contestant Melinda Doolittle sang the national anthem. ... Celebrity rows included: TV actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Browns coach Romeo Crennel, Michigan State hoops coach Tom Izzo and talk show host Geraldo Rivera.

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Believing he had been insulted and misled, Kobe Bryant asked the Los Angles Lakers for a trade Wednesday and insisted nothing could change his mind.

Then something did. He spoke with coach Phil Jackson and backed off his request.

"I don't want to go anywhere, this is my team," Bryant told KLAC radio. "I love it here. I called Phil, man, he and I talked, it was an emotional conversation, but he just said, `You know what, Kobe? Let us try to figure this thing out.'

"Phil is a guy I lean on a lot."

Some three hours earlier, in an interview with ESPN radio, Bryant said: "I would like to be traded, yeah. Tough as it is to come to that conclusion, there's no other alternative. It's rough, man, but I don't see how you can rebuild that trust. I just don't know how you can move forward in that type of situation."

Bryant also told KLAC, the Lakers' flagship station, that he hadn't heard from owner Jerry Buss, indicating a conversation could go a long way toward resolving the matter.

Buss issued a statement after Bryant's request, saying: "We are aware of the media reports. However, Kobe has not told us directly that he wants to be traded. We have made it very clear that we are building our team around Kobe and that we intend for him to be a Laker his entire career. We will speak directly to Kobe and until we do that, we will not comment publicly about this."

Bryant told KLAC that his agent had contacted general manager Mitch Kupchak early Wednesday.

Bryant, who helped the Lakers win three consecutive NBA championships, has four years left on the seven-year, $136.4 million contract he signed July 15, 2004. That was a day after Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Miami Heat.

Bryant became infuriated Tuesday when a Los Angeles Times columnist quoted a Lakers "insider" as saying it was Bryant's insistence on getting away from O'Neal that prompted the trade to Miami.

Bryant told KLAC he knew who the so-called insider was, but wouldn't identify the person.

Bryant also said he feels Buss misled him three years ago -- right before he re-signed with the Lakers -- by telling him one thing and Jackson something else about the team's goals.

Bryant said he was told the Lakers would immediately try to rejoin the NBA's elite. But he said Jackson told him Tuesday that Buss was not bringing him back as coach following the 2003-04 season because the Lakers were committed to reducing payroll and rebuilding long term.

"They said nothing to me about a long-term plan. Absolutely nothing," Bryant told KLAC. "They told Phil one thing and they told me another. Actions speak louder than words."

Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, didn't respond to several messages left by The Associated Press.

The Lakers won championships from 2000-02 and reached the NBA finals again in 2004, losing to the Detroit Pistons in five games. The team was broken up at that time. O'Neal was traded, Jackson left and other stalwarts -- Karl Malone, Gary Payton, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry and Rick Fox -- went elsewhere or retired.

The Lakers failed to make the playoffs the following season. With Jackson returning before the 2005-06 campaign, they finished seventh in the Western Conference in each of the past two years, but were eliminated by Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs.

The Lakers appeared to be title contenders through the first half of this season, going 26-13 despite several injuries. But they lost 27 of their last 43 games to finish 42-40 before bowing to the Suns in five games.

Bryant urged the team at season's end to do what it takes to get back into contention. He essentially repeated those comments last weekend in an interview with the Times.

On Sunday, he suggested former Lakers general manager Jerry West should return. West left the team in the summer of 2000 and was succeeded by Kupchak.

West, an employee of the Lakers for about 40 years as a player, coach and executive, is under contract as the Memphis Grizzlies' president until July 1. He turned 69 this week and has remained a close friend of Kupchak's. West has said he has "no plans to seek employment with any other organization."

It was West who brought Bryant to the Lakers, trading center Vlade Divac to Charlotte in the summer of 1996 for the rights to Bryant -- the 13th pick in the NBA draft. Bryant was only 17 at the time.

Bryant has made the All-Star team in each of the past nine seasons, clearly establishing himself as an NBA great before age 30. Only one active NBA player, Kevin Garnett, has a longer tenure with one team than Bryant. Garnett has played 12 seasons for Minnesota.

Bryant's anger boiled over Tuesday, when he did a series of interviews bashing the Lakers.

"That place is a mess," Bryant said, referring to the team's front office. "If we're not making strides here to improve this team right now, to be aggressive in that nature, then what's the point of having me here?"

That same day, the 74-year-old Buss was arrested in Carlsbad for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was released on bail later in the day.

"The fact of the matter is that many people don't know what really went down when I was approaching free agency because I have stayed quiet about it this whole time," Bryant wrote Tuesday on his Web site. "The real facts are that Dr. Buss requested a meeting with me during the '04 season long before I opted out of my contract, and he told me he had already decided not to extend Shaq, as he was concerned about Shaq's age, fitness and contract demands.

"Dr. Buss made it clear that his decision was final, his mind was made up, and no matter what I decided to do with free agency, he was still going to move Shaq."

O'Neal said on the Philadelphia Inquirer's Web site he believed Bryant "100 percent."

"There is no doubt in my mind Kobe is telling the truth," O'Neal added.

Bryant said he was considering signing with the Clippers and Chicago Bulls three years ago before hearing from Buss.

"Dr. Buss promised me he would rebuild right away, and I believed him," Bryant wrote. "That is why I put my trust in the Lakers. But when stuff like this is coming from the 'inside,' all I can do is hope that someone from the 'inside' comes forward to support me and set straight the facts of what really happened. This is the TRUTH."

[abadani69]

Tim Duncan and Tony Parker wasted no time showing how serious the San Antonio Spurs were about getting back into the NBA finals -- immediately.

Duncan and Parker powered an early 14-0 spurt that featured perhaps the most dominant stretch the Spurs have played all postseason and the Utah Jazz never recovered, letting San Antonio cruise to a 109-84 victory Wednesday night and into the championship round for the third time in five years.

The Spurs took all the suspense out of it by taking a 23-point lead early in the second quarter. Although Utah got an emotional lift at halftime when Derek Fisher arrived from New York, where his infant daughter was getting medical care for a rare eye condition, the only thing in doubt by then was whether San Antonio will play Detroit or Cleveland in the finals.

The title series begins a week from Thursday in San Antonio, regardless of who comes out of the East. The Pistons-Cavaliers series is tied 2-2, with Game 5 on Thursday night in Detroit.

"It's great, it's about the journey," Duncan said. "Last year we had a tough finish. This year to come back, put the team together and to go through three really, really good teams to get here, it's tremendous."

Having a nine-day layoff before the next round was part of the motivation behind San Antonio's get-it-over-with approach to Game 5. After all, the Spurs have the oldest roster in the league, so they're both wise enough to value not giving the underdogs any hope and eager to avoid playing another trip to Salt Lake City.

San Antonio led only 16-11 when the game-breaking stretch began with Parker cutting through several big guys and making a tough layup. Over the next 2:13, Parker had seven more points, plus a perfect lob that Duncan slammed with as much authority as he ever does.

Then Bruce Bowen capped the blitz with a 3-pointer from the left corner that put the Spurs up 30-11. They'd made eight straight shots, were 12-of-16 for the game, and were outrebounding the Jazz 13-4.

"Tonight we played great, everybody from the starting five to bench, everybody hit shots," Parker said. "I think we won that game in the first quarter."

Duncan and Parker each finished with 21 points and Manu Ginobili scored only 12. None of them played in the fourth quarter -- it was that much of a blowout.

By getting to the finals, San Antonio continues its bizarre trend of dominating the league in odd-numbered years since Duncan arrived for the 1997-98 season. The Spurs won it all in 1999, 2003 and '05, and even came close in the lone exception, losing the 2001 conference finals to the eventual champs, the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It always feels good to be here," team owner Peter Holt said upon receiving the Western Conference trophy, a sparkling silver basketball, during an on-court presentation. "This is wonderful."

"This is just part of the process," Bowen added, drawing a loud ovation.

The looks on the faces of the Jazz players throughout the game showed their disappointment. However, star Carlos Boozer admitted Wednesday morning, "We're not even supposed to be here."

Utah won 51 games and its division this season, but opened the playoffs on the road and lost the first two games. The Jazz rallied to beat Houston and got past eighth-seeded Golden State to reach the conference finals for the first time since 1998, yet were no match for the Spurs, especially in San Antonio.

After taking a seven-point lead in the first quarter of the first game, Utah didn't lead during any of the other 11 quarters played here and has now lost 19 straight games on the Spurs' home court.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan may already have been looking ahead when he sent in Ronnie Brewer during the first half, figuring the experience would do the rookie some good in the long run. Brewer had played only two minutes this series and 24 all postseason. Late in the second quarter, Sloan used a lineup featuring deep reserves Brewer, Dee Brown and Rafael Araujo.

Another rookie, Paul Millsap, joined that trio during the third quarter. Things were so out of hand by then that Fabricio Oberto took -- and made -- a 17-footer and 7-foot center Francisco Elson took -- and missed -- a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Point guard Deron Williams started for Utah despite a sprained right foot that had made him a game-time decision, but the game plan early apparently was to get shooters Andrei ***ilenko and Mehmet Okur out of their funks.

***ilenko took the Jazz's first two shots, making a dunk, and Okur took five in a row, making only one when the Spurs had their big run. It was their best stretch since Game 6 of the second round against Phoenix, when they turned a 63-61 lead with 5:23 left in the third quarter into a 20-point lead with nine minutes to play.

Duncan actually went to the bench before the rally ended. Coach Gregg Popovich told him, "Good job," and Duncan walked by as if he'd done nothing special. All he got was a light pat on the rear when he left the game for good with a few minutes left in the third quarter.

***ilenko ended up leading Utah with 13 points. Williams and Matt Harpring each scored 11. Boozer had nine on 3-of-10 shooting and Fisher had only two free throws in 15 minutes.

San Antonio's Jacque Vaughn dribbled out the clock to end the game -- sort of. There was still 0.3 seconds left on the clock, but Popovich shrugged and went to shake hands with Sloan and people began filling the floor. Officials scurried to get the Jazz to inbound the ball so time could run out.

While the postgame ceremony was being set up, Utah players and coaches lined up to shake hands and hug the Spurs.

Notes

Ever heard of a "correctable error?" The officials called one on themselves midway through the second quarter, realizing they'd called an offensive foul against Utah but not given San Antonio the free throws it was entitled to because the Jazz were over the limit. The Spurs had finished another possession when things were sorted out. ... The fourth quarter was such a joke that fans did the wave to entertain themselves. Former Spurs star David Robinson was among those getting up on cue. ... There are good storylines regardless of who San Antonio faces in the finals. Detroit would be a rematch of a tight 2005 finals, while Cleveland's coach (Mike Brown) and GM (Danny Ferry) came out of the Spurs' organization. ... Utah had been 2-0 when facing elimination this postseason, winning Games 6 and 7 of the Houston series. ... The Spurs improved to 13-4 in close-out games since 2003. Over the same span, they are now 7-2 in playoff series that feature a loss by at least 12 points. ... San Antonio won 58 regular-season games, more than Detroit (53) or Cleveland (50). That's why the finals will start in the Alamo City.

[abadani69]

LeBron James used one of the most spectacular performances in playoff history to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to the verge of their greatest season.

James' career playoff-high 48 points -- including 29 of his team's final 30 -- carried the Cavaliers to within a win of the NBA finals for the first time in franchise history with a 109-107 double-overtime victory over the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night.

James made a go-ahead layup with 2.2 seconds left and Detroit's Chauncey Billups missed a shot in the lane on the ensuing possession.

The Pistons blew a seven-point lead with 3:15 left in regulation and lost the third straight game in the series after winning the first two at home.

Game 6 is Saturday night in Cleveland and if necessary, Game 7 will be Monday night back at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

The San Antonio Spurs, who eliminated Utah on Wednesday, have a week off before hosting Game 1 of the NBA finals.

Detroit can only hope the series ends like its last postseason matchup with the Cavs.

The Pistons won the first two games of the conference semifinals last year, then lost three straight and needed to win on the road and then at home in Game 7.

James was 18-of-33 from the field, making both of his 3-pointers, and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. He also had nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals in a performance that might end up be a defining game of his career.

The 22-year-old star showed he's human, though, airballing a shot just before the shot clock expired with 6.6 seconds left in the first overtime that gave Detroit a chance to force another period.

James put Billups on the line with 3.1 seconds left and he made two free throws to make it 100-all.

The Cavs have prided themselves on not being a one-man show, but James just about did it alone against a team in the conference finals for the fifth straight year.

He simply took over late in regulation and in both overtimes, choosing to attack the basket with driving layups and dunks instead of deferring to teammates.

James scored 31 more points than Cleveland's second-leading scorer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who fouled out with 16 points. Rookie Daniel Gibson, who also fouled out, was the only other double-digit scorer, with 11.

The Pistons, meanwhile, seemed to finally put a complete game together and each of their starters scored at least 10.

Richard Hamilton scored 26, Chauncey Billups had 21 and Chris Webber scored 20. Rasheed Wallace had 17 points and Tayshaun Prince added 10.

It wasn't enough.

[donsaeid]

براي بازي برابر سن آنتونيو

كاواليرز به ديدار نهايي NBA رسيد


تيم سفيدپوش كاواليرز با غلبه بر دترويت پيستونز، حريف آينده سن آنتونيو از كنفرانس غرب شد.



قهرمان كنفرانس شرق، كلولند كاواليرز با نتيجه 98 بر 82 مقابل دتيرويت به پيروزي رسيد تا در بازي پاياني NBA مقابل سن آنتونيو به ميدان برود.

دانيل گيبسون با تصاحب 31 امتياز، بيشترين سهم را در اين پيروزي ارزشمند ايفا كرد.

ستاره سرشناس كاوا، *لي برن جيمز نيز در اين ديدار 20 امتياز را كسب كرد.

كاواليرز در تاريخ 38 ساله خود، *براي اولين بار است به اين ديدار رسيده و قهرمان كنفرانس شرق ايالات متحده مي*شود.

شايعاتي مبتني بر مذاكرات پشت پرده سياسيون با كاواليرز براي شكست در ديدار نهايي بر سر زبان*ها افتاده چرا كه سن آنتونيو تيم محبوب دموكرات*ها در آمريكا است.

[abadani69]

If the talent on display on the court at last week's predraft workouts was remotely proportional to the star power on display in the stands, the NBA would have come a lot closer to what it was looking for when it decided to prohibit any individual private workouts before the camp.

Instead, basketball royalty like Michael Jordan and Jerry West overshadowed players like Demetris Nichols and Jared Dudley, while first-round prospects with a lot to prove like Josh McRoberts and Glen Davis decided to just skip the thing altogether.

Still, there is no question the camp is worthwhile. Besides being the first chance for mid-major collegians to play against top-flight competition, it's an opportunity for more well-known second-tier players to improve their draft stock as high-level NBA personnel - like Jordan and West - watch intently.

While solid performances may have pushed players like Syracuse's Nichols and Boston College's Dudley toward the top of the second round, lesser-known entities like Nevada's Ramon Sessions and San Diego State's Brandon Heath likely moved closer to securing spots on the draft board.

"That's the whole story here, there are guys here that'll be taken in the second round," said NBA director of scouting Marty Blake. "The trick is, how will he look once they get the tryouts, how will he look once they get to rookie camp, summer programs? It's a long process."

And that second round may be more important than ever. Look no further than this year's playoffs.

Carlos Boozer, the 36th overall pick in 2002, led Utah to the Western Conference finals and teammate Paul Millsap, selected 47th overall last year, was one of only two rookies to get significant playing time among the four conference finalists. The other: No. 42 pick Daniel Gibson, whose 31 points in Game 6 against Detroit lifted Cleveland into the NBA finals.

Both Gibson and Millsap were part of last year's camp, two of 11 players to attend who ended up being drafted. It's possible that number could double this year, and Millsap, who came from unheralded Louisiana Tech, may have provided a blueprint on how to succeed coming out of a mid-major.

"This just shows the competitive level of basketball in this era, it's growing," said DaShaun Wood, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Wright State who bolstered his stock this week. "You can find talent all over the world, in any conference, and there's a lot of guys here from mid-majors. We're just trying to show we can play too, with the upper echelon of competition."

As Santa Clara alum Steve Nash has shown, there's little question about that. Maybe his Suns, owning the 24th and 29th overall picks as well as the 59th found a little help for him in Orlando?

Phoenix, or any other team for that matter, wouldn't divulge much about potential picks despite all the talking that gets done during these four days in the sun. During a week which coach Mike D'Antoni often spent joking with fellow top executives and coaches, it seems appropriate he would only offer a quick quip when asked about his team's draft needs.

"We just gotta find somebody better than Steve Nash, and that's just hard to do."

Indeed, especially considering all the lottery-type talent chose to take a pass and one of the deepest drafts in years is relatively light in point-guard depth.

Toward the end of the camp, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, Brandan Wright and the like came to Orlando to get their physicals taken, take part in some drills and undergo strength and agility testing - but that's it. Many of those players, as well as some draft hopefuls playing throughout the week, will later go on to have private workouts with teams during their stays in central Florida.

Those workouts being restricted prior to the camp was a new twist this year, a rule change the league hoped would result in more top players competing. They didn't. More second-round hopefuls showed, but many still decided to skip it, and the lottery picks all backed out.

"I think this is the best group we've had in the 26-year history of the predraft camp, and I was involved in the first one in '82 in Chicago," said Blake. "I think a lot of guys don't want to play here because their agents are afraid they might not look good."

Despite the overall depth of talent, it still wasn't good enough to be the main event.

The four-day schedule brings out many of the leagues biggest names, but most of them are not solely focused on what's going on at the gym. Virtually none were in the stands anxiously watching with pen and paper in hand jotting down notes.

Some were more interested in seeing the lottery talent when they finally showed up. Some were there just to make the social rounds with other league personnel.

The camp presents one of the few times all season when so many of the game's most influential people get together in the same city at the same time. That leaves opportunity for plenty of schmoozing, whether to just chat with friends or, more importantly, to discuss job openings or do some wheeling and dealing.

Maybe that's why where-have-they-been former stars like Shawn Kemp, Danny Manning and Moses Malone showed up. And it's no coincidence that three coaching vacancies were filled during the four-day span, with Mark Iavaroni going to Memphis, Jim O'Brien to Indiana and Billy Donovan to Orlando - at least temporarily.

So sure, some GMs might be checking out the competition, but as D'Antoni admitted, how much can he or other top coaches learn in just a few days? They have enough to worry about with their own teams, so they must rely on the scouts who have been analyzing these players throughout the college season.

"Somebody could play well here and maybe you don't like them in the workouts, or vice versa, so we just try to cover all our bases and make the most intelligent decision you can make," D'Antoni said. "Doesn't mean you?re not gonna miss it, you just try to do your best."

What most personnel know they aren't missing at the camp is the likelihood of a first-round selection. Only two came from last year's camp - Renaldo Balkman of the Knicks and Jordan Farmar of the Lakers - and that number is not expected to be much higher this time around.

Many thought the camp gained extra credibility last year with New York's selection of Balkman, an unheralded player out of South Carolina who shined at the camp before being drafted 20th overall. However, apparently that performance didn't matter as much as some thought.

"It was on previous work and the way he played at South Carolina and the things I saw him do there and the way he performed against some of the better teams is what I based my decision," Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas said.

"What I saw here last year, you know it helped, but it wasn't like I came here and saw him and was like, 'Oh my God, this is the guy I gotta take.' A little bit more thought went into that than a two- or three-day thing."

But for those on the fringe of being drafted at all, that "two- or three-day thing" just might be the thing that allows them to have their name announced on June 26. And that's the dream that brings these players to Orlando.

That and playing in front of Michael Jordan.

[abadani69]

Flip Saunders will be back as coach of the Detroit Pistons next season, an NBA official with knowledge of the team's plans told The Associated Press on Monday night.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the Pistons haven't made an announcement about Saunders' future, said bringing the coach back for a third season is part of Detroit's retooling plan.

Though many believe the Pistons could make significant changes this offseason and some have suggested a fourth coach in six years for the franchise, Saunders said he "absolutely" expects to return.

"That's never been a question," Saunders said Monday in a telephone interview with the AP.

Earlier in the day, the Pistons cleaned out their lockers at the team's practice facility in Auburn Hills and met briefly, two days after Cleveland eliminated them in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

"It's still disappointing to all of us the way the season ended," Saunders said. "We had some success during the process of the season, but we didn't get to our goal of winning a championship."

Richard Hamilton and Chris Webber were the only no-shows at the gathering that was not mandatory. A message seeking comment was left with Hamilton and an e-mail seeking comment was sent to Webber.

Saunders' future ultimately will be decided by Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who has declined to comment since the season ended Saturday night.

The Pistons have lost in the conference finals as a top-seeded team in two years under Saunders after Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown led them to the NBA title in 2004 and just short of a repeat the next year. Rick Carlisle helped a bad team become good, but was fired after leading Detroit to the 2003 conference finals.

Less than a day after Detroit finalized terms of Brown's $7 million severance package two years ago -- with three seasons and about $18 million left on his contract -- Saunders was hired with a four-year deal worth up to $26 million.

"We've had two chances these last two years to win a championship, and fell short. Flip got some unwelcome criticism for that," point guard Chauncey Billups said. "I don't think it was all his fault. Players not playing that great, had a lot to do with it. Like I said, could he have made some different decisions and been a little better? Probably so. Could I have? Probably so. Could a lot of other players? Probably so.

"We'll have to see what's going to happen."

Billups will be one of the NBA's top free agents next month, and he reiterated his desire to continue his career in Detroit.

"My first interest is the Pistons," he said. "I make no ifs, ands or buts about that."

Backup power forward Antonio McDyess said the Pistons don't necessarily need to revamp their roster, but they do need to change their cocky mind-set that led to them falling short of their goals.

"If we come back with the same mentality, it ain't going to work," McDyess said. "But if we come back with the mentality of being ready to work, ready to win, we'll be OK."

Reserve guard Flip Murray said he plans to exercise an option to return for a second season and reserve center Dale Davis said he doesn't plan to retire, adding that coming back to Detroit is a possibility if he expects to contribute.

[abadani69]

A year ago, LeBron James was one of Dwyane Wade's biggest supporters during the NBA playoffs.

Now Wade is returning the favor.

Wade, MVP of the finals last year with the Miami Heat, is sure his close friend can handle the pressure that comes with leading a team into the championship round.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers meet the San Antonio Spurs in this year's finals, starting Thursday night.

"He's one of the best players in the world," Wade said Tuesday. "There's not much you have to say."

Still, there's plenty of dialogue between the two stars.

Wade offered James some counsel during this year's Cleveland-Detroit series for the East title. The Heat played the Pistons the last two years for the conference title, splitting those matchups.

"It's been rumored out there that I talked to him throughout the Detroit series a little bit, kind of what he did for me last year," Wade said. "I just gave him some pointers from my point of view on what I'd seen and from playing Detroit before. He knows what to do."

Wade was the undisputed star of last season's NBA finals, averaging 34.7 points for the Heat in their six-game win over the Dallas Mavericks.

These days, though, Wade is thankful to simply be walking without pain.

Three weeks removed from surgeries to repair his left knee and left shoulder, Wade said he expects a smooth recovery from both procedures, yet still isn't sure if he'll be ready for training camp in October. He began rehabbing the knee two weeks ago and starts shoulder exercises next week.

"I'm a hard worker. I know I'm going to do everything that they tell me to do to get back to the point I need to be back to," Wade said. "I was never worried about that. That comes with the territory of playing sports. You're going to have to have surgery to get yourself back."

Grueling hours of rehab represents something much different from the excitement he and the Heat had this time last year on their march to an NBA crown.

This year, Wade is merely an interested finals observer. But he has high hopes for 2008, telling season-ticket holders Tuesday that the Heat will be "new and improved ... and refocused" next season.

Wade took some time to decide which procedures to have; he originally wasn't sure if he needed the shoulder surgery after rehabbing the joint for six weeks following the dislocation in February. Ultimately, he said getting the shoulder and knee done at once was the most logical move.

"I'm glad I got both of them out of the way and got them done, so I'm on a faster pace to recovery," Wade said.

He was bedridden for five days after the surgery, barely able to move. He can now drive and walk, and is getting around without much difficulty.

"No crutches for me," said Wade, who averaged 27.4 points in 51 regular-season games this season for the Heat, who were swept in the first round by Chicago. "I'm tougher than that."

It's already been a busy offseason for Wade, with the surgeries and last week's birth of his second son, Zion. James and his fiancee are also expecting a second son shortly, and Wade and James spoken often about the importance of fatherhood to them.

They entered the league together in the 2003 draft, James at No. 1, Wade at No. 5. A friendship was struck up quickly, and although Wade didn't come out and say he was openly rooting for Cleveland to win this year's title, he clearly wants to see James fare well.

"He knows how to handle everything," Wade said. "He knows how to handle the pressure people put on him. He's done it. In four years, he's in the finals. No one would have projected that."