The Lakers

LOS ANGELES - The Lakers' emotions ran high when the lights went down at Staples Center. They walked to center court one at a time, accepting a gaudy ring before saying something heartfelt about the next teammate in line.

The two-time NBA champions needed every bit of that family bond just to survive the first test in a season that's sure to be full of them.

Kobe Bryant scored 27 points, newcomer Steve Blake hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 18.8 seconds left, and Los Angeles rallied late for a 112-110 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.


Pau Gasol had 29 points and 11 rebounds for the Lakers, who hung the golden banner celebrating their 16th NBA championship and handed out their impossibly ostentatious rings in a surprisingly touching pregame ceremony.

"It's always fun when this night comes and there's a chance to enjoy it," said Bryant, a five-time champion along with Derek Fisher. "And tonight it was a little more special because we all introduced each other. It's special. We know the bond that we share, and for (Fisher) to bring me out there, that was great."

But the champs then fell behind by 15 points before rallying for a fourth-quarter lead behind a 3-point barrage by Shannon Brown, who scored 14 of his 16 points in a 6½-minute span.

The clubs traded the lead four times in the final minute, but Houston's Luis Scola missed a difficult scoop shot with 3 seconds left. After officials used a lengthy video review to award possession of the loose ball to Houston with 2.4 seconds to play, Aaron Brooks' layup attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Lamar Odom.

"Getting those rings, you're definitely on a high," said Brown, who turned down significant free-agent offers for a shot at a three-peat. "You have to come back down, because that's history. That's something nobody can take away from you ever, but it doesn't help us in the next game."
Kevin Martin scored 26 points and Brooks had 18 of his 24 in the first half of Houston's eighth loss in its last nine regular-season meetings with the Lakers.

Yao Ming had nine points and 11 rebounds before fouling out with 6:30 left in his first NBA game since the 2009 playoffs, also against the Lakers. The Chinese center missed last season after surgery on his left foot, yet the Rockets were in position for a stunning win until the buzzer.

"They're the world champs, and we knew it was going to be tough," Houston coach Rick Adelman said. "But I thought we responded pretty well. I think (for) about seven minutes, we just didn't play the way we're capable of, and they got back in the game."

Brooks blamed himself for the Rockets' failure in the final seconds after he curled underneath the basket.

"When I caught the ball, I didn't know exactly where I was on the floor," Brooks said. "Then I took a dribble and realized where I was, and I tried to drive, but my leg kind of slipped."

The Rockets didn't make the celebration easy in the Lakers' first real home game since that gut-wrenching, come-from-behind victory in Game 7 of the NBA finals four months ago. Los Angeles trailed by 11 points late in the third quarter before a 21-4 run featuring 12 consecutive points.
The Lakers understandably had a little trouble focusing after the pregame festivities.

The nine remaining Lakers' rings are small asteroids of excess designed by owner Jerry Buss. They feature 16 oversized diamonds for each Lakers title, a three-dimensional rendering of each player's face, and even a small piece of the leather from a basketball used in Game 7 of the NBA finals.

In contrast, the ring ceremony was all heart. NBA commissioner David Stern and Lakers executive Jeanie Buss stood at center court waiting for coach Phil Jackson, who accepted his 11th ring and said a few kind words before introducing forward Luke Walton, who introduced Odom, who introduced Ron Artest — all the way to Fisher introducing Bryant to thunderous applause.

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Adam Morrison

WASHINGTON -- Former lottery pick Adam Morrison has been waived by the Washington Wizards, less than a month after signing with the team.

The Wizards also have waived center Sean Marks, and Thursday's moves allow the team to cut its roster to 15 players.

Morrison averaged five points and two rebounds in five preseason games with Washington. He was drafted with the No. 3 overall pick by the Charlotte Bobcats in 2006 after starring in college at Gonzaga.

The 6-foot-8 forward has played in four NBA seasons, two with Charlotte and two with the Los Angeles Lakers, with career averages of 7.5 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Marks has played for five teams since entering the league in 1998. He didn't appear in any games for the Wizards this preseason.

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The Celtics

The Celtics [team stats] left for Cleveland last night, and the hottest show in the NBA, a little cooler on the Heat index, chartered to Philadelphia.

Miami, with Dwyane Wade dragging his sore hamstring out of an inactive preseason, still has to learn to play together.

But the Celtics, with an 88-80 win over Miami that marked their third straight season-opening victory against LeBron James, secured something that was particularly elusive last regular season - a quality home win, this time over the league’s anointed.

Beyond James’ ability to spin out of a slow start and score 21 of his 31 points in the second half, including 15 in the third quarter, the Celtics kept this show under a small tent at the Garden.

Wade, who has to play his way back into shape, and Chris Bosh, who finished the night looking like the third banana many think he is, shot a combined 7-for-27. James and Wade combined for 14 turnovers.

And overall, after scoring only 30 points in the first half on the way to a 36.5 percent shooting performance, the Heat had to feel like the road to cohesion is longer than the one from here to San Francisco.

“They’re going to be great,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the Heat. “They’ll be much better. Hopefully, we will, too.”

There was one glimpse of the Miami future - a two-man attack from James and Wade in the fourth quarter that cut the Celtics lead as far back as three points (83-80) with 1:10 left.

But it had to grate them after Paul Pierce [stats] left the game in the third quarter upon bruising his back - courtesy of attempting in vain to take a James charge - and returned for an 11-point fourth quarter.

Pierce’s latest curtain call included two huge 3-pointers, three straight free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc by James Jones, and an assist on the shot that finally put the game to rest.

Pierce passed up a semi-open jumper to rifle the ball to Ray Allen, whose corner trey over an onrushing Wade was good for an 85-80 lead with 49.8 seconds left.

The opponent and preceding hype considered, Allen admitted to having a flashback to last June.

“I actually felt like I was in the playoffs - it was the same feeling and energy,” said Allen. “With those guys coming in here the fans were ready. I could hear them when I walked into the building getting on the other team. I look forward to many nights like that.”

That feeling was contagious.

“I said to Paul as we came out here, ‘Are we in the Finals already?’ ” said Kevin Garnett, who beyond taking Bosh out of the game had a rough time in the last 4:15, when he missed three shots and two free throws, and also committed the offensive foul that set up James’ drive.

But Garnett’s late drain was offset in all sorts of ways. Rajon Rondo [stats] had 17 assists to Miami’s overall 15. Though Shaquille O’Neal did a nice job of pounding the Heat frontcourt into early foul trouble, Glen Davis was Rivers’ choice as a crunch-time center.

Big Baby responded with a 13-point, 6-for-7, five-rebound performance off the bench.

The Celtics [team stats] needed every drop, too, considering that James and Wade each hit a 3-pointer in the last 2:26, before James cut the deficit to three points with 1:10 left.

Pierce, who had already made his biggest shots, then made an even bigger pass.

“Paul had a shot, but it would have been contested and he made the extra pass,” said Rivers. “We always talk about no hero ball, and to me that was a hero pass in a great way. He didn’t have to make that pass, but he made the right decision and it was great.”

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Jordan Farmar

Name: Jordan Farmar
Position: PG
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180 lbs
Birth Date: November 30, 1986 (age 23)
Birth Place: Los Angeles, CA
Number: 2
Drafted:  26th pick of the First Round in 2006 by the Los Angeles Lakers
Experience: 4 years
Contract: $4 million

On Offense: Essentially, this part of Farmar’s game is going to be intriguing to watch.  In his four years in the NBA, he’s been running the triangle offense, which limits the importance of a point guard.  Sure, it’s a successful formula, so who cares as long as you’re winning.  However, the Nets don’t run the triangle offense and this could open things up for Farmar.  He’s not a particularly explosive point guard in the vein of Allen Iverson in his prime, but Farmar seems to be a solid shooter when a basket is needed and provides some much-needed three-point shooting to create space.   In regards to being that second coach on the floor, Farmar never really had the opportunity to shine as he did in UCLA.  He’s capable of leading a fast break, as well as slowing the tempo and getting the job done in a half-court offense.  Again, it’s going to be intriguing to watch Farmar.

On Defense: Farmar doesn’t possess the speed, long arms, lateral quickness, or keen defensive intuition to jump passing lanes to be an outstanding defender, but he at least has the will to play defense, stay in front of his man, and give up his body.  He may not always stop his man, but the latter set of characteristics will endear Farmar to head coach Avery Johnson, as well as Nets fans.

Miscellaneous: Farmar has two NBA championship rings and in 75% of his NBA career, he’s been to the NBA Finals.  That pedigree gives him credibility to his teammates and while he won’t be looked at for sage advice as someone like Derek Fisher would, Farmar’s presence will still be an important one and should help change the attitude and environment of the Nets.

Comment: Should Devin Harris be traded for that Carmelo Anthony guy, Farmar will obviously be a downgrade as he isn’t starter material.  And if he is, he’s a low-grade starter.  He’s definitely a good fill-in type of player when Harris makes his annual visit to injury-land, but a full-time starter?  Nets fans would need to hope that the Lakers’ triangle offense was holding back the next Isiah Thomas.

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Dwyane Wade

Dwyane Wade isn’t ready to give any answers. So he’s not going to take any questions.
Not yet, anyway.
His appearance at a morning news conference in South Florida yesterday was postponed, the latest chapter in a free agency saga that has the Miami Heat on edge about the possibility of losing him to another team.

Read Full Story: The USA News

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Anita Baker

Multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning R&B legend Anita Baker will perform the National Anthem in front of a global audience on Thursday, June 10, 2010 prior to Game 4 of The Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.

The performance will be televised live on ABC in the U.S. and to a worldwide audience in 215 countries and territories beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET.

Anita Baker is currently in the studio recording her forthcoming album due out in the Fall. Baker will be producing the album with Nathan East, Daniel Moore, George Duke and others.

The album will include collaboration with Snoop Dogg on a "big, lush" version of Curtis Mayfield's Give You My Love that she promises "is going to raise eyebrows." The rest of the album will be original material.

Anita Baker was born in Detroit, Michigan and started singing in church and later in groups throughout Detroit, before landing a gig with Chapter 8, with whom she had the hit I Just Wanna Be Your Girl in the early 80s. Anita later went solo and recorded the classic collection The Songstress (Angel, and No More Tears) before finding her way to Elektra Entertainment and a decade-long collaboration that birthed such completely perfected projects as Rapture, Giving You The Best That I Got, Compositions, and The Rhythm Of Love, and honing a powerhouse songbook that includes such masterpieces as Watch Your Step, Been So Long, Lead Me Into Love, Talk To Me, Body and Soul and I Apologize.

Anita Baker has won Grammy, Soul Train, NAACP Image, Billboard, and Rolling Stone Awards, and she has been heralded as one of the great stylists of our time.

In March 2004, Baker signed an exclusive recording contract with Blue Note Records and in September 2004, a decade after her last studio album, Baker released a new album, My Everything. The album was a success and debuted at No.4 on the Billboard 200 and No.1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

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MLB Draft 2010

With so much going on in the world of sports right now (NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, World Cup, French Open, etc…) it’s easy to overlook the MLB Draft. But for the future success of the Cleveland Indians, the next few days will be crucial for this rebuilding franchise. Thanks to a dismal season last year, the Indians hold a high pick - the fifth overall selection in round one. This is the team’s highest draft position since 1992 when they selected Paul Shuey with the second selection.

Round one is where teams can grab players who are closest to being major league ready. For example, the Tribe’s 2009 first round pick Alex White (15th overall) is already in AA ball pitching for Akron. Holding the 5th overall pick means this season’s draft pool will be even deeper for the Indians.

Several mock drafts show LHP Drew Pomeranz falling to the fifth pick and if he does, the Indians would do well to select him. This 6'5" junior from Ole Miss had a fantastic 2010 season, with a 9-2 record, a 2.24 ERA, and 139 strikeouts in 100 innings pitched. As with the NFL draft, many MLB teams choose to go with the “best talent available” strategy in round one rather than addressing specific needs. This should be the approach the Indians should take, even with all the pitching prospects they’ve acquired in the last two years. So if Pomeranz falls to five, this is a no-brainer.

If Pomeranz is gone, the Indians could look to improve the outfield. With Grady Sizemore out for the season and his durability as a major leaguer in question, the outfield is a long-term concern for this franchise. Michael Choice, 6’1” 215 lbs, from UT-Arlington might be a bit of a stretch at five. But this outfielder is a power bat at the plate and an above average fielder. If the goal is to improve the outfield in this draft, Choice is a solid place to start.

In the past decade, first round results have been less than stellar for the Tribe. While names like Trevor Crowe (2005) and David Huff (2006) are at least with the big league club, no first round pick has become a quality major league player for the Indians since CC Sabathia (1998). The last decade has included several busts due to either injury (Adam Miller) or poor evaluation of talent (Jeremy Sowers, Daniel Denham, Brad Snyder).

But in 2008, the Indians hired Bud Grant as Amateur Scouting Director. He’s had two drafts so far and will oversee his third with the Tribe this week. Grant selected Lonnie Chisenhall in his first draft and Alex White in his second. It might be too soon to judge either player, but both have shown signs of success in the minors. This accumulation of talent through the draft will be crucial from the Indians success down the road.

Round one begins at 7 pm on Monday, airing live on MLB TV, followed by rounds two through 30 on Tuesday and the late rounds on Wednesday. Check back with Examiner.com for draft results and analysis.

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2010 NBA Finals Schedule

Game 1- Thursday, June 3- 8:00PM

Game 2- Sunday, June 6- 7:00PM

Game 3- Tuesday, June 8- 8:00PM

Game 4- Thursday, June 10- 8:00PM

Game 5 * Sunday, June 13- 7:00PM

Game 6 * Tuesday, June 15- 8:00PM

Game 7 * Thursday, June 17- 8:00PM

* If necessary- (All Times Eastern)

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Ron Artest

If there's a faster point of redemption in Lakers playoff history, it wasn't coming to mind, not after Jack Nicholson looked so stunned, Kobe Bryant looked so irritated and Ron Artest looked so confused.

Staples Center had fallen silent after Jason Richardson banked in a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left, not long after practically the entire crowd begged Artest to stop shooting when he missed two open looks from the left side near the one-minute mark.

But then Artest, of all people, maligned much of the season as Lakers fans pined for Trevor Ariza, carved out the franchise's latest slice of playoff lore with an improbable play against the Phoenix Suns.

Bryant's herky-jerky three-point attempt missed badly from the right side with 2.5 seconds left, but Artest beat Richardson to the airball and put in an off-balance follow that banked in as time expired, giving the Lakers a 103-101 victory Thursday in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals.

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