Oklahoma City suffered from injuries to much of their roster all season including key injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook would come back and lead the squad but missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Apparently that was not good enough for upper management, as they fired coach Scott Brooks and went looking quickly for his replacement. Today, it appears they have found him in Florida gators basketball coach Billy Donovan. Donovan has agreed to to a five-year deal -- with a team option on the fifth year. Donovan spent the past 19 years as coach of the Gators, with whom he won two national championships and appeared in four Final Fours.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Chicago Bulls 120 Milwaukee Bucks 66

Wow! What else is there to say about this game? The Bulls, who had a chance to close out the series twice against Milwaukee but struggled to find some offense in the two games they lost, came out in absolute fury from the start. They took an 8-0 lead to start the game and never let up. Mike Dunleavy led the Bulls with 20 points and five assists while Paul Gasol added 19 points and eight rebounds. In fact, all the Bulls starters scored in double digits, but their big advantage was on defense, where they held the Bucks to just 33% shooting from the floor. The leading scorers for Milwaukee, Ersan Ilyasova and Jerryd Bayless, each only scored seven points. The Bulls now move on to face Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Chicago wins series 4-2.

728huey said:

Oklahoma City suffered from injuries to much of their roster all season including key injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Westbrook would come back and lead the squad but missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season. Apparently that was not good enough for upper management, as they fired coach Scott Brooks and went looking quickly for his replacement. Today, it appears they have found him in Florida gators basketball coach Billy Donovan. Donovan has agreed to to a five-year deal -- with a team option on the fifth year. Donovan spent the past 19 years as coach of the Gators, with whom he won two national championships and appeared in four Final Fours.

OKC's upper management is a fucking joke. WTF was Scott Brooks supposed to do?

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Los Angeles Clippers 102 San Antonio Spurs 96

After the Clippers dropped game 5 at home, they knew they were facing an uphill climb in having to beat the defending NBA Champion Spurs on their home court in order to stay alive and force a deciding game 7. Neverthless, they kept their resolve and were able to pull it off.

But it wasn't easy. Unlike a couple of the games in this series, this was pretty close throughout for the most part. The Clippers started out well, but San Antonio would come back with a run and pull ahead, only for the Clippers to respond in kind with their own run. The game was tied at the half, but the Clippers would take control in the second half. But each time it appeared the Clippers would pull away, the Spurs would come back to make it tight. In the closing minutes, Marco Belinelli would hit two 3-pointers to bring San Antonio within two, but Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford would seal the victory with free throws. Griffin led all scorers with 26 points while also grabbing 12 rebounds, dishing out six assists and making four blocked shots. Chris Paul scored 19 points while also dishging out 15 assists, grabbing four rebounds, and making four steals. J.J. Reddick also added 19 points while DeAndre Jordan added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 23 points while Boris Diaw added 17 ppoints off the bench. Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard each added 12 points.

Series tied at 3-3.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 6

Atlanta Hawks 111 Brooklyn Nets 87

The Atlanta Hawks found themselves in a dogfight of a series primarily because they couldn't stop Brooklyn from comng back on them each time they made a run. So they were determined to close them out this time.

Much like the prior games, the Hawks jumped out tp a sizable early lead, but the Nets would come back and make it close by the end of the first half.

But this time around Atlanta would storm out on a 20-3 run to start the third quarter, and they would hold this lead and cruise to a game and series victory. The run was propelled by Kyle Korver, who scored 20 points including three of his six 3-pointers in the third quarter. Paul Milsap led the Hawks with 25 points, nine rebounds, and six assists while DeMarre Carroll added 20 points and Al Horford added 18 points. Brook Lopez led the Nets with 19 points, but Deron Williams and Joe Johnson struggled in this game, scoring just 13 and 12 points respectively. The Hawks now move on to host the Washington Wizards in the Eastern Conefernce Semifinals.

Atlanta wins series 4-2.

Western Conference Playoffs, 1st Round

Game 7

San Antonio Spurs 109 Los Angeles Clippers 111

This series between the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs appeared to be headed to an epic conclusion, and sure enough it lived up to expectations. The game was close throughout, as there were 31 lead changes and 15 ties all the way to the very end. It even had drama, as Chris Paul strained his left hamstring in the first quarter and looked as though he would be lost for the rest of the game after he went back to the locker room.

But he would return in the second quarter and played a pivotal role in this game. He would score 27 points in this game including the game winning jumper over Tim Duncan with one second remaining. Blake Griffin had a triple double, scoring 24 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, anddishing out 10 assists. Matt Barnes added 17 points, but it was his block on the inbound pass to Kawhi Leonard in the final second that saved the victory for the Clippers. Jamal Crawford added 16 points and J.J. Redick added 14 points.

Tim Duncan played like a champion in this game, scoring 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Tony Parker scored 20 points while Danny Green added 16 points and kawhi Leonard added 13 points and 10 rebounds. While the Clippers now move on to play the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals, the bigger question is whether basketball fans have seen the end of the Tim Duncan/Tony Parker/Manu Ginobil/Gregg Popovich championship era.

LA Clippers win series 4-3.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

Washington Wizards 104 Atlanta Hawks 98

The Washington Wizards had a whole week to wait for this series to begin, and coming into this series they had won the first game of the last three playoff series, all of which were on the road. Mostly, they had to worry about starting flat. While they weren't really flat in the beginning, Atlana came out in a torrid pace, jumping out to an 11 point lead to end the first quarter and keeping up that pace to hold a temn point lead at the half.

But the Wizards would recover. The would uise their defense to bring themselves back in the third quarter, and by the fourth the Hawks would run out of gas. Their shooting percentage went downhill in the final stretch, and the Wizards would hold on to their slim lead to get the victory. Bradley Beal led the Wizards with 28 points despite spraining his ankle in the third quarter, while John Wall scored 18 points and dished out 13 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. Paul Pierce added 19 points, and Marcin Gortat added 12 points and 12 rebounds. DeMarre Carroll led the Hawks with 24 points while Al Horford scored 17 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, and dished out seven assists. Jeef Teague also injured his ankle in this game, thus limiting him to 11 points while Kyle Korver scored 13 points but struggled from the floor, shooting only five for 15 from the floor.

Washington leads series 1-0.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

Memphis Grizzlies 86 Golden State Warriors 101

The Golden State Warriors had eight days to wait for this series to begin, and coach Steve Kerr joked to reporters that they would need to have two stories set to publish; one for if they came out fresh, and the second for if they came out rusty.

It turns out the days off did nothing to affect their play against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis was without Mike Conley Jr., who warmed up with the team wearing a protective mask but was unable to play in this game. It probably didn't matter, as Golden State came out with their usual energy and took control of this game early. Stephen Curry had 22 points and seven assists, while Klay Thompson added 18 points and Draymond Green scored 16 to help the top-seeded Warriors roll to their 21st straight win at raucous Oracle Arena. They led by nine at the half, 20 late in the third quarter and never let the Grizzlies come close in the fourth despite Green and center Andrew Bogut getting in foul trouble. Marc Gasol had 21 points and nine rebounds for Memphis, while Zach Randolph finished with 20 points and nine rebounds.

Golden State leads series 1-0.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

Chicago Bulls 99 Cleveland Cavaliers 92

The Cleveland Cavaliers firly easily dispatched the Boston Celtics in their opening round series, but it was costly for them as they lost Kevin Love for the remainder of the playoffs due to a separated shoulder and they lost J.R. Smith and Kendrick Perkins for the start of this series due to supsensions for misconduct on the court. But the biggest fear they had coming into this game was the eight day layoff from the end of the last series to the beginning of this series, as they worried about coming out rusty.

As it turned out, those fears were well warranted. The Cavs came out flat to start the game while the Bulls were on fire. Mike Dunleavy scored 12 of his 14 points in the first quarter, and the Bulls would surge out to a 12 point lead. But by the middle of the second quarter Cleveland shook off the rust and made the game competitive. Fron that point on the game was much like the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, with each team taking jabs at each other for the rest of the game. Kyrie Irving would ignite the Cavs in the second quarter, scoring 14 of his game high 30 points in that period and bringing the Cavs within five points at the half.

But Chicago would make another run in the third quarter thanks to Pau Gasol, who scored 13 of his 21 points then, and he would finish with 10 rebounds, four assists, and four blocked shots. The Bulls would jump out to a 16 point lead in the third quarter. But Cleveland would fight its way back in the fourth, with scoring from Lebron James, who would finish with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, and Iman Shumpert, who added 22 points. The Cavs pulled within two with five minutes remaining in the fourth, but they were held off by Derrick Rose, who scored 25 points, and Jimmy Butler, who added 20 points. It appears the absence of Kevin Love was significant, as it created easier chances for Pau Gasol and created numerous mismatches in the paint in the Bulls favor.

Chicago leads series 1-0.

In what turned out to be more of a runaway vote than a close contest, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry handily won the KIA NBA Most Valuable Player award on Monday.

Curry received 100 of 130 first-place votes for a total of 1,198 points from a panel of 129 writers and broadcasters, along with the fan vote on the NBA's website.

"There were obviously good times and bad times. Times I wanted to shut it down," Curry said of his road to becoming an NBA player and league MVP. "It just made me feel like how blessed and thankful I am to be in this position."

Houston Rockets guard James Harden, who averaged 27.4 points and said in early April that "he had done enough" to win the MVP award, earned 25 first-place votes and 936 points. Cleveland's Lebron James got five first-place votes and 552 points to finish third. Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (352) and New Orleans Pelicans' forward Anthony Davis (203) rounded out the top five in the voting.

Where are all these fake ass female Spurs fans we had up in here last year?

Nor do I see any of the male Spurs fans talking shit like they were last year.

Those bandwagon fans tend to disappear when the Spurs get sent packing in

the first round huh.

phunkdaddy said:

Where are all these fake ass female Spurs fans we had up in here last year?

Nor do I see any of the male Spurs fans talking shit like they were last year.

Those bandwagon fans tend to disappear when the Spurs get sent packing in

the first round huh.

PREACH!

Chris Paul's performance in Game 7 will go down as one of the best in NBA playoff hstory.

And I TOLD mfers, watch out for Chicago if Rose is healthy.With their defense, they can cause Cleveland lots of problems.

I want Jimmy Butler on the Knicks - we haven't had cats with his heart and toughness since the 90s.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 1

Los Angeles Clippers 117 Houston Rockets 101

After the Clippers defeated the San Antonio Spurs in a dramatic game 7 at home, they were at a disadvantage coming into this series against the Houston Rockets, especially since they would be without Chris Paul, who injured his hamstring in game 7 and was forced to sit out this game. So if they had any chance of competing against the Rockets, the remaining players would have to step up in Paul's absence.

Houston would start the game with the lead, but the Clippers would hang in and keep it close enough to make a move. They trailed the Rockets by only four at the half and would take the lead in the third quarter, propelled by their highest scoring quarter in any game this season with 37 points. They would lead by eight early in the fourth before the Rockets made a run to get within one thanks to Dwight Howard, who led Houston with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and five blocked shots. But then the Clippers would take advantage of Houston's turnovers to take a huge lead late and secure the victory. Blake Griffin had 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists for his second straight triple-double. Jamal Crawford scored 21 points off the bench while Matt Barnes added 20 points, J.J. Redick added 17 points, and Austin Rivers added 17 points playing in place of Chris Paul. James Harden scored 20 points and dished out 12 assists but turned the ball over nine times. Trevor Arriza added 17 points for the Rockets.

LA Clippers lead series 1-0.

[Edited 5/5/15 20:09pm]

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 2

Washington Wizards 90 Atlanta Hawks 106

The Washington Wizards began tonight's game without the services of John Wall, who sat out this game with a wrist injury suffered at the end of game one. The Atlana Hawks, in the meantime, just wanted to snap back from a disappointing second half of that same game.

And they would do so. But the Wizards would keep it fairly close until the fourth quarter. Then the Hawks would go on a 11-2 run to close out the game and the victory. DeMarre Carroll led the Hawks with 22 points while Paul Milsap and Al Horford each added 18 points. Kyle Korver shook off a horrible first half to score 12 points. Ramon Sessions, filling in for John Wall, led the Wizards with 21 points. Bradley Beal scored 20 points while still recovering from an ankle injury, and Paul Pierce and Otto Porter Jr. each added 15 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

Well, the Grizzles just made it a series, at least for now

Abdul said:

Well, the Grizzles just made it a series, at least for now

They have a chance to take this series as long as Conley's on the court....same with Washington and John Wall.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 2

Memphis Grizzlies 97 Golden State Warriors 90

Stephen Curry received his MVP award prior to this game to the delight of his fans and teammates, and he would lead the Warriors in this game. But it was the return of that other point guard that would loom large in this game. Mike Conley Jr. returned from a facial injury to play in this game wearing a protective mask. His presence seemed to jumpstart both the Grizzlies offense and defense. Memphis would jump out to an 11 point lead at the half. Golden State would rally in the fourth quarter, but Conley would end the run with a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining in the game to seal the victory for Memphis. He would finish with 22 points. Zach Randolph scored 20 poinst while Marc Gasol and Courtney Lee each added 15 points. Stephen Curry had 19 points and six assists, but Klay Thompson had a disappointing game, scoring just 13 points on six for 15 shooting from the floor.

Series tied at 1-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 2

Chicago Bulls 91 Cleveland Cavaliers 106

After coming out flat in game 1 and allowing the Bulls to steal the victory, the Cleveland Cavaliers knew they had to come out with more energy and more intensity or else they would find themselves in a huge hole in this series. Lebron James, though he nearly had a triple double in game 1, thought he had an off night and vowed to be more aggressive in this game.

And he was. In fact, the Cavs came storming out of the gate and jumped to a 23 point lead early in the second quarter and more or less cruised to victory, though the Bulls would make a brief run in the third quarter to get within eleven before the Cavs turned up the defense. Lebron James scored 33 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out five assists. Kyrie Irving scored 21 points while James Jones added 17 points off the bench. Iman Shumpert scored 15 points but injured his groin in the third quarter and his status for the remainder of the series is questionable. Jimmy Butler led the Bulls with 18 points but struggled from the field, shooting just five out of 14 field goals. Derrick Rose also struggled in this game, scoring just 14 points on six for 20 shooting, and Pau Gasol was held to just 11 points.

Series tied at 1-1.

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 2

Los Angeles Clippers 109 Houston Rockets 115

The Clippers shocked Houston in game 1 even though they were without the services of Chris Paul, who was out with an injured hamstring. He was also out of this game as well. Nevertheless, the Clippers played strong again for much of this game, and they were led by Blake Griffin, who scored 26 of his 34 points in the first half. Meanwhile, James Harden struggled in the first half and got into foul trouble early, forcing him to sit on the bench for most of the third quarter as the Clippers took a seven point lead late in that quarter.

But Houston would come storming back, thanks to Harden. He would score 16 of his 32 points in the fourth quarter to propel the Rockets into the lead. The Clippers would bring it close late, but Houston would extend their lead and secure the victory from the free throw line. Dwight Howard had 24 points and 16 rebounds for the Rockets while Trevor Ariza added 15 points and 13 rebounds. Jamal Crawford scored 16 points for the Clippers while DeAndre Jordan added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Series tied at 1-1.

The NBA announced Thursday that Chicago Bulls guard/forward Jimmy Butler has been named the league's Most Improved Player.

Butler was the runaway winner in the voting process, garnering 92 of a possible 129 first-place votes from a panel of media members. He earned 535 points in total, with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green finishing as the runner-up with 200 points, including 11 first-place votes. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert came in third with 189 points and 12 first-place votes. Miami Heat forward/center Hassan Whiteside came in fourth with 88 points.

Butler is also in line for a huge payday as a restricted free agent after he and the Bulls were unable to agree to a contract extension before the season. Butler said at the time that he was betting on himself, and it looks like he hit the jackpot.

Butler, however, called it "a tie" Thursday and insisted, "We both won."

Looks like we have 4 good semi final series

I'm still waiting for the 2014 Spurs fans to show up.

Come on don't all show up at once.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 3

Cleveland Cavaliers 96 Chicago Bulls 99

After the Bulls came out to a massive lead in game 1 to never trail in that game, and the Cavs came storming back to a massive lead of their own in game 2 and likewise never traile din their game, it was probably likely we would have to see a close game in this series.

Well, this game was certainly close throughout. There were 13 ties in the game and 19 lead changes, and it resembled a classic heavyweight boxing match both in excitement and physical intensity. Both teams' superstars led their respective teams in scoring and playmaking, and it was no wonder this game would come down to the final shot in the closing seconds. The first half was a defensive slugfest, as both Lebron James and Derrick Rose struggled to score but helped their teams in assists and defense. Lebron James scored 27 points while dishing out 14 assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Kyrie Irving struggled in this game, though some of it may have been due to him injuring his ankle in the second quarter. He would finish with 11 points and 3 for 13 shooting from the floor. He would be picked up, though, by the bench. Matthew Dellavedova scored 10 points off the bench while J.R. Smith returned from suspension to score 14 points including four 3-pointers, of which one tied the game with just 10 seconds remaining in the contest. Tristan Thompson was a monster on the boards, scoring 10 points while grabbing 13 rebounds.

But the Bulls would respond. Jimmy Butler shook of a tough first half to score 20 points, and they got 16 points from Mike Dunleavy. They also got help from their bench, as Taj Gibson scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds, but he was also a defensive presence. Nikola Mirotic scored 11 of his 12 points in the first half, but he got into foul trouble in the second half.

But it was Derrick Rose who had the huge game the Bulls desperately needed. Rose scored 30 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out seven assists. He scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter including the dramatic game-winning 3-point shot as time expired. If this game was indicative of where this series goes from here, this could be epic.

Chicago leads series 2-1.

RJOrion said:

RJOrion said:

Western Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 3

Houston Rockets 99 Los Angeles Clippers 124

After having missed Chris Paul's presence in the first two games of this series, the Clippers got him back into the lineup for game 3. But it was their reserve point guard, and son of the head coach, who would propel the Clippers to a lopsided victory in this game. Austin Rivers scored a career playoff high 25 points in this game, much of it in the third quarter when he sparked a 23-0 run to put the Clippers ahead for good. Chris Paul returned from his hamstring injury to bolster the Clippers with 12 points and seven assists. J.J. Redick had a career playoff high 31 points while Blake Griffin added 22 points and 14 rebounds, and DeAndre Jordan grabbed 15 rebounds while addiing six points. James Harden scored 25 points while also dishing out 11 assists, and Dwight Howard added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets.

LA Clippers lead series 2-1.

Eastern Conference Playoffs, Conference Semifinals

Game 3

Atlanta Hawks 101 Washington Wizards 103

The Truth shall set you free.

The Washington Wizards once again played this game without the services of John Wall, who injured his wrist at the end of game one and apparently suffered five fractures. His status for the remainder of this series and the playoffs is very doubtful if not outright out of commission.

Early on, however, it appeared that the Wizards didn't need John Wall, as they would dominate the Hawks for th first three quarters. They were sparked by Nene, who shook off not having scored any field goals in the first two games of this series to score 17 points in this game. Bradley Beal took the place of playmaker for the Wizards, also scoring 17 points while adding seven rebounds and four assists. Otto Porter Jr. also scored 17 points off the bench. The Wizards would jump to a 21 point lead with less than ten minutes remaining in the game.

But the Hawks would come storming back. They went on a 17-0 run to get close within the last two minutes thanks to Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder, who each scored 18 points. Then in the final minute Mike Muscala hit a 3-pointer to tie the game with just 14.1 seconds remaining in the fourth to cap off a dramatic comeback (or collapse if you are inclined to root for Washington).

Then came the moment of truth. Paul Pierce, who is nicknamed "The Truth", took the inbound pass, held it as time was winding down and quite literally put up a jumper in the closing second that banked off the glass and into the net for the second dramatic victory of its kind in two days. Pierce scored 13 points, but none was more dramatic than his final shot to put the Wizards up in this series.

Washington leads series 2-1.