NBA News

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Former Duke star Josh McRoberts has signed with an agent and is staying in the NBA draft.

Bob Myers, an agent with the Wasserman Media Group in Los Angeles, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he is representing the 6-foot-10 power forward who has worked out for three teams in the past week in preparation for the June 28 draft.

It wasn't much of a surprise that McRoberts kept his name in the pool of eligible players. Had he not signed with an agent, he could have withdrawn from the draft at any time before June 18 and returned to Duke.

He announced in March that he was leaving school early, and coach Mike Krzyzewski said he supported McRoberts' decision because "it is time for him to move on to the next level."

Since then, Myers said McRoberts has been training with former NBA forward Billy Owens and with several current players, and has worked out for the New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls.

Several mock drafts online have McRoberts as a mid-first round selection in one of the deepest drafts in years. Myers said McRoberts could be picked anywhere from ninth to 18th.

"It's tougher now. An agent (usually) has a better sense at this stage," Myers said.

McRoberts averaged 13 points and a team-leading 7.9 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who finished 22-11 and lost to Virginia Commonwealth in the first round of the NCAA tournament. McRoberts scored a career-high 22 points in that game.

He finished second on the team with 114 assists and was the only player in the nation to average at least 10.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 3.5 assists.

Even though McRoberts has left Duke, he remains connected through his agent to two ex-teammates. J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams are represented by Arn Tellem, president of WMG's management division.

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Buzz Peterson is leaving coaching to join Michael Jordan.

Peterson resigned Tuesday as coach at Coastal Carolina to become director of player personnel for the Charlotte Bobcats. Jordan, Peterson's former college roommate and teammate at North Carolina, is part-owner of the Bobcats and has final say on all basketball decisions.

Peterson was 35-25 in two seasons with the Chanticleers, who hired him after he was fired as Tennessee's coach in 2005. Before his four seasons with the Volunteers, Peterson coached at Tulsa and Appalachian State.

"We appreciate everything that Buzz has done for the program and Coastal Carolina University since he arrived two years ago," athletic director Warren Koegel said. "This is an opportunity that he felt he could not pass up. We wish Buzz and his family all the best as they start this new phase of their lives."

Peterson, 201-134 in 11 seasons as a head coach, is the latest Jordan confidant to join the Bobcats since Jordan bought into the team last summer. Team president Fred Whitfield and general manager Rod Higgins worked with Jordan when he ran the Washington Wizards, while new coach Sam Vincent played with Jordan on the Chicago Bulls.

Last week, former North Carolina point guard Phil Ford left the New York Knicks to join the Bobcats as an assistant coach.

Peterson was a senior at Asheville High School when he beat out Jordan as North Carolina's player of the year. Peterson then played with and roomed with Jordan, and the pair helped the Tar Heels win the 1982 national championship.

Peterson's hiring completes a shakeup in the basketball operations for the Bobcats, who just completed their third season.

Bernie Bickerstaff, coach and general manager since the team's inception, stepped down from both jobs and became executive vice president. Vincent and Higgins were hired to fill Bickerstaff's previous roles, while Peterson will head the team's scouting department.

Jordan tried to persuade Peterson to join the team for several months, but Peterson wanted time to decide whether to leave coaching.

Peterson met with Jordan and other Bobcats officials over the weekend. He returned to Coastal Carolina and told Koegel of his decision Tuesday. He then met with his players.

A search for Peterson's replacement at Coastal Carolina will begin immediately, Koegel said.

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Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson had replacement surgery on his left hip Tuesday, eight months after his right one was replaced.

The 61-year-old coach was expected to be released from Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood within a day, the team said. He most likely will be fully recovered for his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

He was walking with a cane within a week of his right hip replacement in October, but didn't travel with the Lakers for the first month of the season and then sat on a special chair during games.

Jackson recently completed his eighth season as coach of the Lakers, who finished 42-40 and lost to Phoenix in the first round of the playoffs.

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Denver Nuggets guard J.R. Smith was released from the hospital after a weekend crash claimed the life of a friend.

Smith was "devastated by the loss of his good friend," the Nuggets said Tuesday. The team asked for privacy for Smith and his family.

Andre Bell, 21, of East Orange died Monday at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, where he and Smith were taken after the crash Saturday in Millstone. Bell suffered severe head injuries and had been in a coma.

The 21-year-old Smith had injuries to his left shoulder and numerous scratches.

A third person in Smith's sport utility vehicle and the driver of the other car had only minor injuries.

The investigation into the crash is continuing, but Smith was cited for failure to stop at stop sign and improper passing.

Investigators said Smith was driving and Bell was a passenger when Smith's SUV collided with a Jaguar and overturned. Neither man was wearing a seat belt, and both were ejected, investigators said.

Smith's driver's license had been suspended five times in less than a year but was "in good standing" at the time of Saturday's crash, according to New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission spokesman Kevin Cranston. He said Smith had paid all restoration fees and fines.

Smith's driving record was reported Tuesday in The Star Ledger of Newark. Smith amassed 27 points against his license from April 22, 2005, to Jan 10, 2006, with eight violations on seven dates. Five of the citations were for speeding.

His most recent license suspension came on Feb. 7, 2006, Cranston said.

Smith, a star at Lakewood High School and St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, was the 18th overall pick of New Orleans in the 2004 NBA draft. He averaged 13 points in 63 games for Denver this season.

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Rick Carlisle told the Indiana Pacers he will not return as the team's executive vice president.

Carlisle was fired in April after four tumultuous years as Indiana's coach. The team offered him the option of returning as vice president, a title he was given as part of a new multiyear deal before this season.

Carlisle said in a statement Tuesday it would be "better for both the Pacers and myself to part ways at this time." He said he told Pacers chief executive Donnie Walsh and president Larry Bird about the decision Friday.

Carlisle told The Associated Press on Monday night that working in television, coaching or taking time off are all immediate possibilities for him. He has worked with ESPN and ABC during the playoffs and said he will continue through the rest of the NBA finals.

Walsh would not say how the team and Carlisle dealt with the remaining time on the contract.

"I just wish him well," Walsh said.

The Pacers finished this season 35-47, their worst since 1988-89, and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Indiana was 29-24 shortly after the All-Star break, but lost its next 11 games to fall out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

The day he was fired, Carlisle said he enjoyed coaching the team but understood it was time for the Pacers to hear a "new voice."

Carlisle had a 181-147 record during his four seasons, but his stay was marked less about wins and losses than his struggle to manage talented but volatile players. Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson were the two most prominent players in the 2004 brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans. That fight started the unraveling of a team that had the potential to make several title runs.

In the Pacers' first year under Carlisle in 2003-04, they went 61-21 for the best record in the NBA, and the club reached the Eastern Conference finals. But the Pacers lost more games each of the next three seasons.

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Time to bust out the hiking boots, grab some sturdy ropes and maybe even hire a Sherpa.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have some serious climbing to do.

Right now, the San Antonio Spurs tower over them.

Deep in the heart of the Texas, the Cavs dug themselves a canyonesque hole. Looking like lost tourists in their first NBA finals, they dropped Games 1 and 2 to the playoff-polished Spurs, who with the exception of a fourth-quarter letdown on Sunday night, have mastered Cleveland.

The Cavs will host a finals game for the first time in their 37-year history on Tuesday night, and they're hoping to turn around this lopsided series in boisterous Quicken Loans Arena, where the ear-splitting crowd noise and fire-spewing swords on their scoreboard will be a welcomed sight.

"It's going to be electrifying," LeBron James said.

Shocking the Spurs won't be so easy.

Creeping toward their fourth title, and third championship in five years, the league's best defensive team unleashed its offensive fury on the Cavs in Game 2 as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili combined for 78 points.

The awesome threesome helped the Spurs bolt to a 25-point lead after two quarters -- the third-largest halftime lead in finals history -- and by the end of the third it was: Big 3 68, Cavaliers 62.

Pride kicked in and Cleveland frantically rallied in the fourth, trimming a 29-point deficit to eight in the final minutes before the Spurs stopped giggling, made a few more clutch plays, and finally put the Cavs away.

"It was irresponsible from us," Ginobili said of the Spurs' near collapse. "We've got to learn from that and we've got to finish games."

The Spurs are mindful Cleveland can come back. They've seen it before.

In the 2005 finals, San Antonio destroyed Detroit in the first two games, winning by a combined 46 points, but when the series shifted to Auburn Hills, Mich., the Pistons won by 17 points in Game 3 and 31 in Game 4.

They remember more than the Alamo in San Antonio.

While the Spurs are concerned about finishing games, starting them has been Cleveland's problem.

Despite having three days to prepare, the Cavs came out flatter than a tortilla in the first half for the second straight game. They failed to match the Spurs' intensity and were continually outhustled to loose balls, something they've routinely done to opponents. They also made mental errors early on and costly turnovers, mistakes the experienced Spurs made them pay for each time.

There was a lack of championship-caliber effort, and following the loss, coach Mike Brown and several of Cleveland's players candidly assessed what has been a disappointing showing thus far by the Eastern Conference's top team.

"We've got to play harder than we're playing right now," Brown said. "There's nothing magical that's going to help us. No magic play, no magic defense. We've got to bring the juice, and right now we're not."

Instead of flying back immediately after the game, the Cavs recharged in San Antonio overnight, hoping the added rest will give them fresh legs for Game 3. The Spurs opted to stay home and awoke in their own beds Monday morning before flying to Ohio.

Though new to the finals, the Cavaliers are in a familiar place: down 0-2 in a playoff series. They lost the first two games to Detroit in the conference finals before winning four in a row over the Pistons.

The difference this time, however, is that the Spurs are superior to the Pistons and while the Cavs could have easily won both games in Detroit -- they lost by three each time -- they had little chance in San Antonio.

The comforts of home will help, but nothing's guaranteed.

"We can not rely on because we're going home, that our games are going to improve and our shots are going to fall," center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. "Yeah, we're going to have our crowd and the energy and stuff. But we have to make some adjustments. They're just playing harder than us -- simple as that."

The Cavs have a been a different team at home, where the baskets seem wider, the rims softer and the crowds have been crazed. Cleveland went 30-11 at "The Q" during the regular season and are 7-1 in the playoffs. Still, the Spurs are good enough to overcome any team and 20,000 towel-waving enemies.

"We've been a good home team all season long," Ilgauskas said. "But if we're going to think that way, before we know it it's going to be 0-3, and then it's over. We have to bring the energy right at the beginning."

Especially James.

As he promised, Cleveland's 22-year-old All-Star was in attack mode at the outset of Game 2, but two quick fouls forced him to the bench and doomed the Cavs, who were still within 16-13 without James on the floor when the Spurs ripped off 12 consecutive points to close the first quarter.

Only three teams have overcome an 0-2 deficit in the finals to win the title, but one of them was the 2006 Miami Heat, who looked as bad as Cleveland did in Games 1 and 2 at Dallas before winning four straight.

Last year, the Heat jumped on the shoulders of their star, James' good buddy, Dwyane Wade, in Games 3, 4 and 5, and stunned the Mavericks. As James showed against the Pistons, he's capable of a similar one-man spectacle.

Before Game 3 of the Detroit series in Cleveland, James showed up at his home arena three hours early to work on his game, something he hadn't done all year. "It's the biggest game of my life," he declared before scoring 32 points with nine rebounds and nine assists to revive his team.

The Cavaliers barely have a pulse now, and it's up to James to get them beating again.

"I've been in this situation before," he said while walking to the team bus late Sunday night.

"It's going to be tough, but we can still do it."

[abadani69]

Rick Carlisle told the Indiana Pacers he will not return as the team's executive vice president.

Carlisle was fired in April after four tumultuous years as Indiana's coach. The team offered him the option of returning as vice president, a title he was given as part of a new multiyear deal before this season.


Carlisle said in a statement Tuesday it would be "better for both the Pacers and myself to part ways at this time." He said he told Pacers chief executive Donnie Walsh and president Larry Bird about the decision Friday.

Carlisle told The Associated Press on Monday night that working in television, coaching or taking time off are all immediate possibilities for him. He has worked with ESPN and ABC during the playoffs and said he will continue through the rest of the NBA finals.

Walsh would not say how the team and Carlisle dealt with the remaining time on the contract.

"I just wish him well," Walsh said.

The Pacers finished this season 35-47, their worst since 1988-89, and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. Indiana was 29-24 shortly after the All-Star break, but lost its next 11 games to fall out of the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

The day he was fired, Carlisle said he enjoyed coaching the team but understood it was time for the Pacers to hear a "new voice."

Carlisle had a 181-147 record during his four seasons, but his stay was marked less about wins and losses than his struggle to manage talented but volatile players. Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson were the two most prominent players in the 2004 brawl between Pacers players and Detroit Pistons fans. That fight started the unraveling of a team that had the potential to make several title runs.

In the Pacers' first year under Carlisle in 2003-04, they went 61-21 for the best record in the NBA, and the club reached the Eastern Conference finals. But the Pacers lost more games each of the next three seasons.

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Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent completed his staff Wednesday by hiring former NBA center Paul Mokeski as an assistant coach.

The 7-foot Mokeski played 12 seasons in the NBA, including a seven-year stint with the Milwaukee Bucks. He most recently served as a scout with the Dallas Mavericks and an assistant coach with Fort Worth of the NBA's developmental league.


Mokeski will join Lee Rose, Phil Ford and Jeff Capel on Vincent's bench. Vincent was hired to replace Bernie Bickerstaff last month.

Vincent said he chose the 50-year-old Mokeski to help groom Charlotte's front line, which includes center Primoz Brezec and power forward Emeka Okafor.

"We have a lot of confidence in his ability to make our big guys better," said Vincent, who worked with Mokeski coaching the Mavericks' summer league team.

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LeBron James called to get the ball back. Anderson Varejao had other ideas.

The miscommunication couldn't have come at a worse time.

Down by two points as the closing seconds of Game 3 of the NBA finals ticked away, James drove the lane, determined to take the shot.

But he got trapped by a pair of San Antonio defenders then dished to Varejao, a high-energy rebounder who isn't much of a scorer.

After the game, James said he thought he'd get the ball back.


The crowd literally gasped when Varejao appeared like he would pull up for a jumper. Then he drove, spun, threw up a shot and missed -- badly.

Cavaliers coach Mike Brown spent the entire play screaming for a timeout.

"I'm more tired from yelling timeout 18 times in a row than from the game," Brown said. "It was so loud in there none of my guys heard me. ... I hollered all the way up until Andy shot the ball."

The Spurs got the rebound, Manu Ginobili hit a few free throws and it was over, 75-72, putting the Spurs ahead 3-0 in the series.

STINGY SPURS

The Spurs and Cavaliers are known for their defense, but they took it to the extreme in the third quarter.

San Antonio outscored Cleveland 15-12 in the period, tying a record for fewest points in a quarter in finals history.

The Spurs were involved in another low scoring quarter as well. They combined with New Jersey for 27 points in the second quarter of Game 3 in 2003. Miami and Dallas scored the same number in the fourth quarter of Game 4 last season.

NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE

The Cavaliers are left looking to salvage at least one win in their first NBA finals.

LeBron James tried to rally his teammates after the game.

"Well, everybody has to still believe," James said. "You know, it is the first of four games, but we dug ourselves a big hole, and we have to come out aggressive."

Game 4 is Thursday night.

The Cavaliers have been derided by some critics as one of the worst teams to reach the NBA finals. A sweep would certainly help that argument.

Cleveland has gone 43 years without a championship and not even Browns legend Jim Brown -- who played for that last title team -- could bring any luck to the Cavaliers from his courtside seat.

James talked about winning four straight, but the gravity of their situation seems to have set in.

"You know, the experience factor, we don't like to make any excuse, but it definitely played a part in this finals against a world power team in the Spurs," James said.

DONYELL SPEAKS

Donyell Marshall didn't score a point in Game 3, but his words afterward hit their mark.

"For this city to wait so long for us to get to the finals, and to come here and go down 3-0, I think that's the thing that's frustrating and I think this city deserves more," Marshall said.

He acknowledged being frustrated with three straight losses and like LeBron James, tried to fire up his teammates.

"If we're going to go down, go down fighting and let the city stand for something ... let the city remember this run," Marshall said.

IT'S BASKETBALL TIME

Longtime Cavaliers radio broadcaster Joe Tait may be calling his first NBA finals, but don't expect him to get excited about it.

He's treating each game just like any other he's called over 35 seasons with the Cavaliers.

"It's a big deal for Cleveland. It's a big deal for the team," Tait said. "To me it is just another ballgame. I have to do the same thing for these games that I did all year long."

The 70-year-old Tait, who starts each broadcast with "It's basketball time," said the postseason crowds at Quicken Loans Arena while loud, don't compare to the blue-collar crowd at the old Richfield Coliseum.

"A lot of folks who were regular customers to the Cavaliers back in those days watch it on TV because they can't afford to come downtown," Tait said. "It's a corporate community. It's three-piece suits. Those people don't scream as loud unless you snitch their wallet."

Tait wasn't surprised that the Cavaliers looked a little stunned in Game 1. He believes the young team is gaining valuable experience that will serve them well in the future.

And he doesn't mind that he's having to work in June for the first time.

"All I do is just sit and run my mouth. I can do that for a long, long time."

FOOD FROM FISHER

Though San Antonio knocked out his Utah Jazz one round before the NBA finals, Derek Fisher is in Cleveland, anyway.

The Jazz guard and players' association president will take part in a news conference Wednesday to announce the union's trip to Africa this summer to feed children in Nairobi, Kenya.

Through the "Feeding One Million" initiative, the union will partner with Feed The Children to deliver 11 million pounds of rice donated by the Taiwan government in 250 trucks.

"This is a huge accomplishment by the players' association and the players," union director Billy Hunter said.

Hunter and Fisher will be joined Wednesday by Feed the Children founder and president Larry Jones, and former Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy.

Fisher said he "jumped right on board" for the trip, his first to Africa, which will likely take place sometime in July. Hunter will finalize the remainder of the roster and itinerary depending on players' availability.

"We obviously understand the food won't last forever and it's not a cure or solution to what is really a worldwide problem," said Fisher, who has taken part in food delivery programs in Oakland, Calif. and Las Vegas. "They can feel positive and experience what's good in the world and in their lives."

The union has delivered food in a number of NBA cities. Hunter said they organized 190 trailer loads to be delivered in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and just this past winter fed 10,000 people in Harlem.

QUARTERBACK SNEAK

Brady Quinn grew up rooting for the Browns -- and the Cavaliers, the ones of Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Craig Ehlo.

The former Notre Dame quarterback, drafted by the Browns in the first round in April, was hoping to make it to Game 3 on Tuesday night but had other, more pressing priorities.

"We've got two-a-days tomorrow, so I'll be studying my playbook," Quinn said as the Browns opened minicamp on Tuesday. "Maybe I'll catch it (on TV) here and there, but this is football time for us."

And what about Game 4?

"That's a different story," he said.

NEED TICKETS?

Tickets for Game 3 were selling outside the arena for a minimum of $100 for upper level seats and between $325 and $500 for the lower bowl.

The Cavaliers 0-2 start in the series appeared to have dampened buyers' enthusiasm. Tickets on the club's FlashSeats.com reselling site ranged from $300 to $14,999 before the series started. On Tuesday, prices were $147 to $6,500.

AP Sports Writer Tom Withers, Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and Associated Press Writer Elizabeth White contributed to this report.

[abadani69]

Signs all around Cleveland implore the Cavaliers to "Rise Up!" the team's motto this postseason.

And if the Cavaliers are going to win their first championship, they'll have to rise up further than any NBA team has ever done.

Cleveland is facing a 3-0 deficit against the San Antonio Spurs in the finals. No NBA club has won a series after dropping the first three games, forcing the Cavs to look elsewhere for belief.

"Red Sox-Yankees," center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said Wednesday. "I thought about it this morning."

True, but Boston had a powerful offense back in 2004. These Cavaliers have one of the worst that's ever played on the NBA's biggest stage.


A loss Thursday could leave Cleveland as the most inept offensive team ever in the finals. Baltimore managed only 376 points (94 per game) while getting swept by Milwaukee in 1971, and the Cavaliers have scored just 240 (80 ppg) through the first three games.

The Bullets shot 38.4 percent in that series, also a finals-low for a four-game series. Cleveland is hovering right at 40 percent, with superstar LeBron James hitting less than 37 percent of his shots.

The Cavs were competitive for the first time in the series on Tuesday night in their 75-72 loss in Game 3. But even though Cleveland did plenty of things right, Ilgauskas and forward Drew Gooden both pointed out that the Spurs pulled out the victory without even playing their best.

So hopes of winning the first title by a Cleveland pro sports franchise since 1964 now look impossible. For now, the Cavs' biggest goal is to avoid becoming the first team to be swept in the finals since the Lakers beat New Jersey in 2002.

"We're all in right now," Gooden said. "We're playing our last hand right now. Our luck has to change or the season is over."

Like those Nets, the Cavs are playing for the championship for the first time. And they've quickly realized that trying to figure out a team like the Spurs is only part of what goes on once a team gets here.

"From my perspective I guess the stage is just so much bigger. I was caught off guard maybe by all the media attention," Ilgauskas said. "It takes a lot of your energy, you have to be focused and really stay on top of things. First time going through it, I think going as group we're learning it as we go.

"That's one thing about the playoffs. It's a roller coaster ride. You win against Detroit and you feel on top of the world and a week later you feel like you forgot how to play basketball because you're down 0-3."

Cleveland spent Wednesday trying to move past the painful final moments of Tuesday's loss. Coach Mike Brown apparently wanted a timeout with Cleveland down 72-70 in the last minute. But the players didn't see him and played on, with forward Anderson Varejao getting a pass from James and taking an ill-advised shot that missed badly.


AP - Jun 11, 12:38 am EDT
More Photos


James then seemed to take some contact as he was trying to set up for a potential tying 3-pointer, but no foul was called.

If the Cavs were going to keep their spirits up after those tough breaks, it would be up to James, their leader on and off the floor, to show that he wasn't letting them bother him.

"The biggest thing is understand with body language, not necessarily saying anything, but just with body language, show that, 'Hey, this thing is not over,"' Brown said. "Because it's not over. It's not over until somebody wins the fourth game.

"We -- when I say we, it's myself and the rest of the guys, and especially LeBron included -- have to understand it's one day, one game at a time. Nobody has come back from an 0-3 deficit like this. But like I was saying, there's always a first time for everything."

Between poor shooting and foul trouble, James has had a disappointing NBA finals debut. But he hasn't given up hope that there's still time to turn that around.

"We don't want to get swept, of course," James said. "We're not even thinking about that. We're thinking about winning a game and continuing to try to win and win a championship."

[abadani69]

The San Antonio Spurs' Robert Horry is going for his seventh ring. Teammate Michael Finley is going for his first.

But for both players, in the twilight of their careers, winning the NBA championship would still be special.

"It's going to hit Michael a little harder than it's going to hit me," said Horry, who may soon have a seventh ring. "People are like, 'It's old hat for you.' No, it's not old hat for me and I enjoy it to the utmost just as much as Michael does. ... If we can win this ring, and if I get my seventh ring, that's going to be like a feather in my cap."

The Spurs are just one win away from their fourth championship in nine seasons and third in the past five. Up 3-0 over the Cleveland Cavaliers, they have a chance to complete a sweep on Thursday.

"Every year that we've won we've had some guys on the team that have been around the league, have been journeymen, have done it year after year and just unable to kind of get to this level, get this opportunity," said Tim Duncan, who will likely soon have his fourth championship ring and perhaps a fourth finals MVP title. "So every year you're really proud to have a person like that."

It would be the second ring with the Spurs for 15-year veteran Horry, 36, who has two rings from his days with the Houston Rockets and three with the Los Angeles Lakers. The forward said he keeps them all in a bathroom drawer at home and only wears a couple of them now and again for charity events.

"Rob's got enough. Forget him, forget him," San Antonio's Bruce Bowen joked Wednesday. "I would really like to accomplish this goal" for Finley and the other veterans without a title.

Finley, 34, is in his 12th year in the league. He spent most of that time in Dallas before joining the Spurs in 2005 after they won their most recent title.

"He's had to go a different route, whereas he was the man on his team and now he comes to a team where he's no longer the man," Bowen said. "It's an adjustment, and I think that shows what type of basketball player he is."

Finley has acknowledged struggling at times with his stroke while in San Antonio. But he's found it when it mattered. He made a franchise playoff-record eight 3-pointers in Game 5 of the first round against the Denver Nuggets.

He started just 16 games during the regular season and has remained in the starting lineup for the playoffs, where he's started all 19 games.

"A win is a win. I think everybody will enjoy it the same, everybody for different reasons. If we're fortunate enough to win, for me to have my first ring it would be a blessing," Finley said. "For some guys to have multiple rings it still would be a blessing. Because this season hasn't been all hunky-dory. We had some struggles early, within the middle."

Other aging Spurs without a championship include Jacque Vaughn and Fabricio Oberto, both 32.

Backup point guard Vaughn is a veteran who has bounced around over his 10 years in the league. This is his first year with the Spurs.

"Jacque has been on some bad teams and he's a professional," Bowen said. "He's a guy that you would want on your team any given day, because of what he represents, how he prepares for the game and how he respects the game."

Oberto, of Argentina, is in his second year both in the league and with the Spurs.

"He's played on the big stage throughout his career. Europe, Olympics, now the NBA," Bowen said. "I think it's great for guys like that to be able to experience this and I really really really would like for them to have the opportunity to celebrate in a championship."

On Thursday, that just might happen.

"It's nice to have those guys in this situation, to be able to win a championship after being in this league for so many years and playing the game the right way for so many years. Such good guys," Duncan said. "It means a lot more to just add one and win one for them."

[abadani69]

Substance over style. That's the San Antonio way.

The Spurs may be boring. They might not make TV ratings soar. And they certainly aren't America's team.

Maybe they should be.

Rude and ruthless, the Spurs ruined Cleveland's 37-year wait to host the NBA finals on Tuesday night, beating the Cavaliers 75-72 in Game 3 to move within one win of a fourth title.

Bruce Bowen, the defensive stopper, emerged as an unlikely offensive star as the Spurs, who despite not nearly playing up to their usual standards, won anyway to take a commanding 3-0 lead in a series few are watching.


No team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit. It doesn't look like the Cavaliers will be the first, but they may become the first finals sweep for the Spurs, who are shooting for their fourth title since 1999.

"Oh, it's great, beautiful ... we didn't play good," guard Manu Ginobili said. "We won in a tough arena like this one and we are just one game shy of making it."

Tony Parker scored 17 points and Tim Duncan had 14, but Ginobili, who scored 25 in Game 2, had just three -- all free throws in the final 10.4 seconds -- to hold off the Cavaliers and crush the hopes of their rowdy, towel-waving crowd, who had never before seen their team play a finals game in person.

Cleveland's chances, and maybe their last hopes of extending the season, ended when LeBron James, who led the Cavaliers with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, was short with a 3-pointer in the final seconds.

Bowen, who had just nine points in the first two games, scored 13 and Brent Barry made three 3-pointers for the Spurs, who can all but plan their victory parade on the scenic Riverwalk back home.

"It doesn't change at all," Duncan said of the Spurs' attitude. "We need to get one more, and that's it, however it comes. We know they're going to come out this next game, they don't want to get swept."

The Spurs can wrap up their third title in five years with a win in Game 4 on Thursday night. If they do complete the eighth sweep in finals history, they'll join the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls as the only franchises to win four or more titles.

The grind-it-out game tied for the second-fewest points in NBA finals history, matching San Antonio's 80-67 win over the New York Knicks in 1999.

James, the 22-year-old who saved Cleveland's franchise, couldn't rescue this series.

He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, threatening to take over as he did in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, with drives through the teeth of San Antonio's smothering defense.

But James had several layups dance off the rim, and he got little help from his teammates as the Cavs went just 3-of-19 on 3-pointers and failed to take advantage on a night when the Spurs were not themselves.

"Game 3 is usually the toughest game possible," Duncan said. "And Game 4 brings a whole other challenge. It's a little bit of desperation. It's a little bit of laying it on the line."

All James can do now is try to prevent a sweep by the Spurs, who are 48 minutes from adding a 2007 title to the ones they captured in 1999, 2003 and 2005. Every other year, it seems to be San Antonio's turn, and this one is no different.

James scored seven straight points as the Cavs cut a 10-point lead to 69-67 with 1:22 remaining on another layup by Cleveland's star. But Parker countered with a 3-pointer before Sasha Pavlovic hit a deep one for the Cavs to make it 72-70 with 48.1 seconds remaining.

Parker, so dominant in Games 1 and 2, made a turnover but the Cavs failed to capitalize. James, criticized early in the playoffs for being too unselfish, passed to Anderson Varejao and the mop-topped Brazilian, nicknamed "Wild Thing," flung up a wild shot that wasn't close.

James expected a return pass, but it never came.

"I was definitely going to get it back from Andy, but Andy made a good move," James said. "He just over shot it. I wanted to try and get a better look, but it was just miscommunication."

Ginobili was fouled, missed his first throw but finally got something to fall through the net to give the Spurs a three-point lead. James again got to the rim for a basket before Ginobili's two free throws gave San Antonio its final margin.

The Cavaliers changed their starting lineup as rookie Daniel Gibson replaced Larry Hughes at point guard. Hughes was bothered by a sore left foot, but Gibson, who has emerged as a star in these playoffs, didn't help much.

He went just 1-for-10 from the field and missed all five 3-pointers, unable to duplicate his 5-for-5 performance when Cleveland captured the Eastern Conference title in Game 6 against Detroit.

"I'd rather not give excuses for not making shots," Gibson said.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 12 points and 18 rebounds -- 10 offensive -- for the Cavaliers, who were hoping three straight games in their own building could help them get back into the best-of-seven series.

Instead, the Spurs have nearly wrapped it up.

The teams played an ugly first half -- with Duncan and James watching a good chunk of it from the bench.

James picked up his third foul on a questionable push off near the basket, and moments later, Duncan was whistled for his third when he apparently brushed Ilgauskas' arm -- TV replays showed he fanned -- as the Cavs' big man dropped a shot in the lane.

Duncan's eyes bulged and he stared in disbelief before heading to the sideline -- James was already sitting and snapping on his warmup -- with 5:24 left in the second quarter.

The Cavs eventually built an eight-point lead without their superstar, but the Duncan-less Spurs got 3-pointers from Barry and Robert Horry, and Parker hit one of his teardrop floaters to put San Antonio ahead 40-38 at halftime.

Hughes was ineffective in Texas as Parker blew past him, spinning like a dust devil all over the AT&T Center's floor. But Gibson was able to stay in front of the Spurs point guard, who went scoreless until midway through the second quarter.

As he did when the Cavaliers returned from Detroit down 0-2 in the Eastern Conference finals, James arrived at the arena more than three hours before the opening tip to get in some extra shooting.

Wearing one of his popular sleeveless, black "Witness" T-shirts and silver sweat pants -- ironically, Spurs colors -- James worked up a healthy sweat while practicing 3-pointers, mid-range jumpers and free throws for 30 minutes.

"It's definitely a big game for us," James said in front of his locker. "It's either about changing the series around or doing the impossible."

And that's just what the Cavs are faced with.

Notes

Among the courtside celebrities were a pair of famous Jims -- Browns legend Jim Brown and Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, who sat next to each other. Also on hand were former Buckeyes center and likely No. 1 draft pick Greg Oden and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. ... James entered Game 3 with the fifth-highest scoring average in playoff history, trailing Michael Jordan (33.4), Allen Iverson (30.0), Jerry West (29.1) and Tracy McGrady (28.. ... The lowest-scoring finals game was Fort Wayne's 74-71 victory over Syracuse on April 7, 1955.

[abadani69]

As far as Juwan Howard is concerned, his move to Minnesota should have happened four years ago.

Back then he was a free agent coming off a big year in Denver, and the Timberwolves were high on his list of suitors. He chose Orlando instead, spending one year there before being traded to Houston.

"Even though I did not sign with Minnesota, it always was in the back of my mind when I was in Orlando (and) I second-guessed my decision," Howard said. "Nothing against Orlando, but I felt I should have signed with Minnesota."

Finally, Howard is in the Twin Cities. In the first of what could be several moves to shake up its roster, Minnesota shipped disgruntled point guard Mike James and swingman Justin Reed to the Rockets for Howard, and the 34-year-old veteran can't wait to get here to help Kevin Garnett.

Howard grew up in Chicago, where Garnett played his final year of high school before jumping straight to the pros in 1995. The two worked out together in the offseason and became friends.


"He and I have a lot of respect for each other," Howard said in a telephone interview from his son's basketball camp in St. Louis. "Not only that, we're familiar with each other on the court, playing against each other for many years. We both come out and bring our lunch pail to work night in and night out. We're both fierce competitors."

For most of last season, Garnett openly pined for another veteran in the front court, someone to take some of the attention away from him in the post, and some of the burden off him in the locker room.

Chemistry was a problem for the Timberwolves last season, both on and off the court.

"Being a veteran who has spent 13 years in the NBA, I have a lot of experience," Howard said. "That being said, I think it's important for me to come in and be a positive influence in the locker room as well as on the court."

Howard averaged 9.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in just over 26 minutes a game for the Rockets last season, but those numbers jumped to 13.6 points and 6.5 boards when he was inserted in the starting lineup for the 32 games that Yao Ming was hurt.

Timberwolves basketball boss Kevin McHale said Howard is coming to Minnesota to "help stabilize the locker room and help stabilize the team, and it balances out our roster a little bit, so it was a good deal."

Last season, the Wolves had a glut of guards on the roster.

James was a disappointment in his lone season in Minnesota. He signed a four-year, $23 million contract with the Wolves after a breakout year for Toronto, serving as Minnesota's lone notable free-agent acquisition last offseason. The Timberwolves hoped his swagger and sharp shooting would fit in well with a team that needed a fourth-quarter scorer and 3-point shooter.

But the team and the player never meshed. James found it difficult to secure consistent playing time on a team with four point guards -- himself, rookie Randy Foye, Troy Hudson and Bracey Wright -- and another guy in 6-foot-7 Marko Jaric who fancies himself one. James scored 10.1 points a game, less than half of his output the year before in Toronto.

Unhappy with his spotty minutes, James went to McHale when the season ended to voice his displeasure.

"Mike did not have the type of year that Mike wanted to have," McHale said at a season-ending news conference. "And he didn't fill the role for us that we had hoped that he would fill as far as spreading the court and making those shots."

James' struggles only exacerbated a disastrous season for the Wolves in which coach Dwane Casey was fired and they missed the playoffs for the third straight season.

"I just never really found a niche for myself in that organization," James said. "Because of that, instead of focusing on my game, I was focusing on other things and that affected my game."

The trade brings James back to Houston, where he played 26 games in 2004-05. He nearly signed with the Rockets before last season and loves the area so much that he was planning to build a home in Houston for his family even before the deal was completed.

"To be playing in the same city that I'm calling home now, it's definitely a good feeling," James said. "Being somewhere where I'm wanted and want to be, I'm excited about that also."

James' return also calls into question the status of Rafer Alston, who was badly outplayed by Deron Williams in the Rockets' first-round loss to Utah in the playoffs.

"Obviously, there's more competition for minutes," Rockets GM Daryl Morey said. "He was playing near 48 minutes in the playoffs and there will be some more competition."

AP Sports Writer Chris Duncan in Houston contributed to this story.

[abadani69]

Maximus was the first name LeBron James wanted for his second son, a nod to the lead character in "Gladiator," his favorite movie.

But like Caesar, Mommy gave it a thumbs down.


"She didn't like it," James said Thursday night, shortly before Game 4 of the NBA finals. "So she settled for the middle."

James became a father for the second time early Thursday when his girlfriend, Savannah Brinson, gave birth to the couple's second son, Bryce Maximus James.

James was in the delivery room for the birth, a moment that made the Cleveland Cavaliers' 3-0 deficit to the San Antonio Spurs seem somewhat secondary.

"You put everything in perspective," he said. "This is definitely special for me, being a part of the NBA and being a part of the NBA finals. It's great. Win, lose or draw, this is special for my family, especially to have another James. It doesn't get any better than this."

The 22-year-old James didn't get much sleep, but was able to sneak in a nap before heading to Quicken Loans Arena for the game. He arrived at 6:13 p.m. and was greeted at the door by employees who offered congratulations on the birth.

Bryce, who weighed 8 pounds, 6 ounces and was 21 inches long, was born at 12:51 a.m. at Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital, near his father's hometown of Akron. Brinson had been due to deliver Sunday. James and his longtime girlfriend had their first child, LeBron James Jr., in October 2004.

James was asked what kind of team he was assembling at home.

"Right now they look like two small, small forwards -- kind of like Tayshaun Prince," he joked.

The Cavaliers are hoping the child's arrival is a good omen as they face a Spurs team on the brink of a fourth NBA title since 1999. No team in history has ever overcome an 0-3 deficit to win the championship.

"Maybe it means something," guard Larry Hughes said. "Bringing another life into the world will maybe give us life."

Although he didn't get much rest, James said he was ready to go.

"I didn't get the sleep that I wanted to, but that's not an excuse in a game where it's win or go home," he said.

[abadani69]

As far as Spurs forward Michael Finley is concerned, the last great dynasty had its run on TV.

With San Antonio one win away from its fourth NBA title since 1999 and its third championship in five years, Finley was asked what he thought of when he heard the word "dynasty."

"Blake Carrington," Finley quipped.

Finley was referring to the central character on "Dynasty," the popular 1980s drama series -- one that drew sky-high ratings ABC can only wish it get with this year's mostly unwatchable NBA finals.


Leading the Cleveland Cavaliers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series, the Spurs can move themselves into rarified air with a win in Game 4 on Thursday night.

Not only can San Antonio become the eighth team to sweep a finals, but another title would place the Spurs with the Boston Celtics (16), Los Angeles Lakers (14) and Chicago Bulls (6) as the only franchises to win four.

Their remarkable consistency in this age of free agency had talk of a dynasty being kicked around the court inside Quicken Loans Arena on Wednesday as the Spurs practiced for perhaps the final time this season.

"They have a dynasty already at work," said LeBron James, whose second son, Bryce Maximus James, was born early Thursday morning. "They don't have the greatest athletes in the world, they don't have the greatest shooters in the world, but they probably have the greatest team in the world.

"And that's what this sport is all about. It's not about an individual. It's not like tennis. It's not like golf. You have to have one unit."

One of the series' other main figures didn't want in on the dynasty discussion.

"That's all psycho babble," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, using one of his favorite expressions to downplay the notion. "When I think of dynasties, two come to my mind real quick -- UCLA and Bill Russell. Everything else is just talk."

Let's talk about the Spurs' run for a second.

Beginning with their 1999 title, they've qualified for the playoffs every season -- no given out West -- made it to the semifinals eight times and advanced to the conference finals on five occasions.

They are 3-0 in the NBA finals, and unless the cold-shooting Cavaliers begin knocking down jumpers and become the first team in history to overcome an 0-3 deficit, the Spurs will be a perfect 4-for-4 in the finals.

Los Angeles' three straight championships from 2000-02 are sandwiched by the Spurs, who also won it all in 2005.

"They've become the class of this league, there's no question about it," said Utah guard Derek Fisher, whose Jazz team lost to the Spurs in the Western Conference finals.

Fisher was a key member on those Lakers teams led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and although it's tough for him to admit it, Fisher feels what the Spurs have accomplished has eclipsed what he and his teammates did.

"I hate to say it," Fisher began, "but they're probably surpassing us, to be honest. We had that great four-to-five-year period, but you have to kind of look at the Bulls and the Celtics and the Lakers teams of the 80s that dominated an entire period.

"I can honestly say they're surpassing us in terms of recent dynasties and teams that have been able to sustain that level of excellence over a long period of time."

Tracing the Spurs' path to prominence leads to one point: the 1997 NBA draft lottery, when the club won the rights to draft center Tim Duncan, their unappreciated star and perhaps the greatest power forward ever.

Duncan has been the foundation around which the Spurs have built their empire, one that has been raised through savvy business decisions, adept international scouting and a family oriented philosophy laid out by owner Peter Holt and implemented by general manager R.C. Buford.

The Spurs went overseas to find All-Star Tony Parker, their Road Runner of a point guard, as well as super sub Manu Ginobili and starting center Fabricio Oberto, who are both from Argentina.

San Antonio has also been able to lure free agents such as Brent Barry, Michael Finley and Robert Horry, valuable role players who joined the club with hopes of winning an NBA ring, or in Horry's case, a seventh one.

"The Spurs are, a lot of times, not really appreciated because I don't think people really fully realize how difficult this is to do," Fisher said. "So you have to give them and their owner and coach Popovich and their players all the credit in the world."

Finley spent eight seasons with Dallas, but it took him heading south in Texas to land in his first finals. The 12-year veteran remembers marveling at the Spurs' consistency while he was with the Mavericks.

"From the outside looking in, we thought they were a perfect team, a team that didn't make mistakes, a team that went out and played perfect ball," he said. "But once I got here, it was those imperfections that made them a good team. It's not a perfect team, it makes mistakes but the way it comes back from those mistakes and doesn't crumble to adverse situations is what makes it a great team."

NBA teams are no different than those in the NFL, where the best ideas and brightest talents elsewhere are either borrowed or stolen.

Thus, the Cleveantonio Spurvaliers.

The Cavaliers' first visit to the finals in 37 years has been orchestrated by former Spurs. GM Danny Ferry played four seasons in San Antonio and spent two others as their director of basketball operations. Assistant GM Lance Blanks won two titles in San Antonio's front office and coach Mike Brown was an assistant under Popovich for three years.

Both were hired by Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert, a Detroit native and longtime Pistons fan, who began remaking the Cavs in San Antonio's likeness after the Spurs beat his former favorite team in the 2005 finals.

"When you want to be the best, you want to try to mirror image the best," James said, "and they're definitely the best team in our league at this point in time. You want to try to do exactly what they do."