Boozer may miss Jazz camp after son's bone-marrow transplant

SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer could miss training camp next week while his son recovers from a bone-marrow transplant in Miami.

Camp starts Tuesday and runs through Oct. 6 in Boise, Idaho.

As soon as my son is home from the hospital and stable, I will join my teammates," Boozer said in a statement released by the team Thursday. "Your thoughts and prayers are appreciated by me and my family during this time."

Boozer averaged 23 points and 12 rebounds during the playoffs last season.

"Carlos has been working out all summer in Miami. ... We are confident that when he rejoins the team he will be ready to compete," general manager Kevin O'Connor said. "Carlos needs to be with his family right now and we fully support his decision."

The Jazz did not release any other information on the child. Boozer has three sons, including twins born over the summer.

Utah released guard Derek Fisher so he could find another city to get treatment for a daughter who has cancer in an eye. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

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Clippers Strengthen Backcourt, Sign Guard Brevin Knight

The Los Angeles Clippers today took steps to add depth to the team’s backcourt with the signing of free agent guard Brevin Knight. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

A ten-year NBA veteran, Knight averaged 9.1 points, 6.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 45 games played for the Charlotte Bobcats last season. Knight started his NBA career with Cleveland in 1997-98 and has also played for Atlanta, Memphis, Phoenix, Washington and Miami. In 581 career NBA games, Knight has averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

In making the announcement Clippers’ Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor said: “Brevin is one of the better defensive point guards in the league. He’s also a gifted floor leader with a great assist-to-turnover ratio. We like that he is good at running the offense and that he always looks to get his teammates involved.”

A 5-10, 170 pound point guard, Knight was ranked eighth in the NBA last season with a 3.12 assists per turnover ratio. Knight averaged a career high 12.6 points and 34.1 minutes in 2005-06, the same year he ranked second in the NBA in steals (157). A member of the 1997-98 All-Rookie First Team while he was with the Cavaliers, Knight tied the NBA’s single-game high with eight steals against Orlando on March 24, 2005 while with the Bobcats.

The 16th overall selection in the 1997 NBA Draft by Cleveland, Knight enjoyed a successful career at Stanford University that saw him finish his collegiate career with averages of 14.9 points, 6.8 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 11 games. Knight was named to the Sporting News All-America First Team in 1997 and was the Naismith Award winner the same year.

Knight has reached the playoffs twice in his career, averaging 4.2 points, 3.4 assists and 2.2 rebounds in his postseason appearances with Cleveland (1998) and Milwaukee (2004).

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Grant Hill leaving Orlando Magic for Suns

Brian Schmitz

Grant Hill has decided to sign with the Phoenix Suns to hopefully hitch a ride to an NBA title, leaving the Orlando Magic after seven injury-racked, mostly unfulfilled seasons.

He will sign with the Suns for the $1.2 million veteran's exception, which is all Phoenix was willing to offer.

Hill, whose seven-year, $93 million contract with the Magic expired after the past season, apparently was eyeing the Suns from the start of the NBA free-agency signing period.

It had been reported that Hill had spoken with the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons, whom he played with the first six seasons of his career.

A 6 foot-8 seven-time all-star, Hill averaged 14.4 points per game last season with the Magic. He played in 65 games -- the most since playing 67 in the 2004-05 season.

Hill, who arrived in a sign-and-trade in the summer of 2000 to Orlando from Detroit, was expected to team with fellow free-agent star Tracy McGrady to return the Magic to post-Shaq prominence. But he underwent five surgeries on his left ankle and another surgery to repair a hernia, and, in all, played in just 202 regular-season games.

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Billups Becomes Free Agent

By Wendell Maxey
for HOOPSWORLD.com

It's offcial.

Chauncey Billups is a free agent.

The news came this morning from MLive.com where A. Sherrod Blakely reported he spoke with, "Billups' agent, Andy Miller, a few minutes ago who confirmed that the paperwork for Billups to become a free agent on July 1 has been filed with the league office, and with the Pistons."

Billups was due to make $6,819,000 next season in the final year of his contract.

Miller went on to say, "His (Billups) first priority is to re-sign with the Pistons. We'll see if we can get a deal done. And if that doesn't work out, then we'll have to explore other options available to us."

Orlando and Milwaukee have been rumored this offseason to be interested in Billups. Both teams are under the salary cap and in need of a point guard. However Joe Dumars may throw a wrench in those negotiations. The Pistons president maintains he will be able to re-sign Billups thus keeping him in Detroit.

Time will tell. But for now, Chauncey Billups is a wanted man and a free agent this summer.

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Parker, Spurs Close Out Cavs for Fourth Title

The Spurs continued to cement their status as one of the NBA's dynasties as they used a 83-82 Game 4 win in Cleveland on Thursday to complete their sweep of the young Cavaliers and capture their fourth NBA title in nine years.

Manu Ginobili poured in 13 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter, including six free throws in the final 24 seconds, to keep the charging Cavs at bay. Cleveland had scored the first 11 points of the period, but needed Damon Jones' 3-pointer at the buzzer to produce the final one-point margin.

Tony Parker finished with 24 points to become the first European-born player to earn the NBA Finals MVP Award. Parker averaged 24.5 points on 57 percent shooting and five rebounds for the series.

Tim Duncan, who had been named MVP in each of the previous three championship runs, tallied 12 points and 15 rebounds, and averaged 18.3, 11.5 and 2.3 blocks over the four-game set.

LeBron James finished his first Finals experience on a positive note, scoring 13 of his 24 points in the Cavaliers' strong fourth quarter to go along with six rebounds and 10 assists.

With title No. 4, the Spurs join the Celtics (16), Lakers (14) and Bulls (six) as the only franchises with that many. Veteran Robert Horry picked up his seventh ring, the most for any non-Celtic.

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Arenas Says He Will Opt Out of Deal in '08

By Ivan Carter

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, June 10, 2007; Page E07

Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas said last night that he will opt out of his contract after next season and become a free agent.

Arenas, who signed a six-year, $65 million contract in the summer of 2003, said his decision is based on family and business concerns rather than feelings about the direction in which the Wizards are headed as an organization.

"To me, it's just a smarter business decision to play next season, opt out and then be able to sign a long-term deal that is going to keep me in one place," said Arenas, who is recovering from left knee surgery and expects to be at full speed in time for training camp in October. "I'm not looking at anything else. It's just business. If something happens where they don't want me or they're going in a different direction, I can look elsewhere. But my intentions are not to leave."

Arenas also said he does not plan on hiring an agent. He parted ways with agent Dan Fegan last summer.

"I don't need an agent," Arenas said. "I can do all of this research myself."

According to the collective bargaining agreement, the most the Wizards could offer Arenas this summer is a three-year extension worth between $60 million and $70 million, but the deal wouldn't kick in until his original contract expires following the 2008-09 season.

Once he opts out, Arenas would be eligible to sign a maximum contract covering six years and worth between $90 and $100 million, depending on the salary cap. The Wizards will have an advantage however, because other teams would be able to offer him only up to five years.

Arenas has repeatedly expressed his desire to play for a championship contender but the Wizards suffered a setback this season when he and all-star forward Caron Butler suffered season-ending injuries. Washington was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season.

The Wizards have several free agents, including guards DeShawn Stevenson and Jarvis Hayes and forward Andray Blatche and hold the 16th and 47th picks in the June 28 draft. Arenas said he'd like to see the Wizards acquire a "scorer off the bench" and improve the team's post play.

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Favored Spurs Won’t Underestimate Cavaliers

By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO, June 4 (AP) -- LeBron James may be the star of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the San Antonio Spurs know better than to ignore the other four players on the court.

"They wouldn't be in the finals without LeBron, we wouldn't be in the finals without Tim Duncan,'' Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Sunday. "That goes without saying. But they still would not be in the finals, nor would we, if we didn't each have our supporting casts. Everybody else has to fit.''

San Antonio was 0-2 against Cleveland during the regular season. The Spurs lost their home opener to the Cavs, plus their January matchup in Cleveland, where the NBA finals will arrive for the first time later this month.

The Spurs held James to 19 points in the second meeting, but the Cavs put three other players in double figures in their 82-78 victory. Two other players scored eight points.

"We lost to them twice this season. They've been playing great,'' Duncan said. "They're on a high right now, playing with a lot of confidence. And they're going to be a tough opponent. We're going to have to really come out and shake this rust off quick this first game and really try to jump on them.''

After beating the Utah Jazz in five games for the Western Conference championship, the Spurs will have had a full week off by Thursday's start to the NBA finals in San Antonio.

Cleveland wrapped up the Eastern Conference championship on Saturday in Game 6 against the Detroit Pistons. James scored 20 points in that game, but it was rookie Daniel Gibson's 31-point performance that stole the show.

"Teams get to finals and teams win championships, and their team fits,'' Popovich said.

So do the Spurs. Their top three scorers, Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, have been together for the Spurs' last two championship runs, in 2003 and 2005. Duncan is healthy and said he's playing better basketball this year than in the last three. And the team turned midseason struggles around to take off on a 13-game winning streak and compile a 23-6 record after the All-Star break.

Still, the turnaround James has led in Cleveland over his four seasons there is what's grabbed the attention.

"I'm just hoping every once in a while they throw the Spurs in there, in between LeBron highlights, that'd be nice,'' Duncan said Sunday.

The experienced Spurs are going for their fourth championship in nine seasons. Duncan has been around for all three.

"I'm not sure how rare they think it is since they've been there quite often considering their young ages and time in the league,'' Popovich said. "But they know it's the finals and that would take care of any possible complacency I would think.''

San Antonio held opponents to just over 90 points a game during the regular season, leading the league. Cleveland was fifth, holding opponents to about 93 points.

"Cleveland's an excellent defensive team, they kind of snuck up on everybody. When you talk about defense people mention the Pistons and the Bulls this year, and Houston and San Antonio and that kind of thing. Dallas became a good defensive team under Avery (Johnson),'' Popovich said. "But Cleveland is right in that category with everybody else, it just hasn't been noticed yet.''

Popovich has reason to compliment the Cavs' defense. It's largely the same as San Antonio's.

Cleveland coach Mike Brown is one of several members of the Cavaliers organization, including general manager Danny Ferry and assistant coach Hank Egan, who used to be with the Spurs. Brown worked under Popovich as an assistant for three years earlier this decade.

"This is going to pretty much a situation where everybody knows what everybody's going to do,'' Popovich said. "There aren't going to be any secrets here, that's for sure.''

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LeBron, Cavaliers Outlast Pistons in Game 5

Cleveland 109, Detroit 107 (2OT)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 31 (AP) -- LeBron James used one of the most spectacular performances in playoff history to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers to the verge of their greatest season.

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

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

It was one of the many driving shots that James made look easy.

"Why should I be surprised? I was making a lot of great moves,'' James said. "They are definitely a great defensive team, but I was determined to attack.''

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We tried to trap him and get it out of his hands, but he attacked,'' Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "We'll definitely have to do something different next time.''

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

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

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

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

James scored 32 more points than Cleveland's second-leading scorer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who fouled out with 16 points. Rookie Daniel Gibson, who also fouled out, was the only other double-digit scorer, with 11.

"Somebody told me that in the locker room that he scored 29 of our last 30 points and I could not believe it,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Everybody keeps asking for more, and he keeps giving more.

"I feel bad that my words don't do justice what he did.''

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

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

It wasn't enough.

Notes: Both teams were slowed by foul trouble and Detroit had to play the final three quarters without its top reserve, forward Antonio McDyess, because his right arm appeared to hit Anderson Varejao's neck as he went in for a layup and he was automatically ejected with a flagrant-two foul. ... James averaged 28.5 points in two games at home after scoring 29 total in the first two games, including a playoff-low 10 points in the series opener. ... Faces in the crowd included Anita Baker, New Orleans point guard Chris Paul and Red Wings goaltender Dominik Hasek, who said he still doesn't know if he will retire or return to Detroit.

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Jazz Hope More Noise Can Rattle Spurs

By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer

SALT LAKE CITY, May 25 (AP) -- The fans will be wearing "True Blue'' shirts, cheering at the right times and groaning when officials make calls against their team, all the things that have helped the Utah Jazz win every home game this postseason.

But can the crowd fix a leaky defense? Or get struggling shooters to find their touch?

If not, this may be the final weekend of cheering for several months.

Utah is down 2-0 to the San Antonio Spurs going into Game 3 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night. While the Jazz overcame that deficit in the first round against Houston, starting their rally with two home wins, they know they likely need to take both these games to pull it off again. Game 3 is the biggie, because no NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 playoff deficit.

"We can't just bank on the fact that we're going to be at home to win it for us,'' forward Carlos Boozer said Friday. "We've got to show up.''

The Jazz haven't done that so far. Both games in San Antonio were decided by halftime, with Utah not even holding the lead since the first quarter of the first game. It's quite a contrast to Cleveland, which is down 2-0 in the Eastern Conference finals, but at least had a chance to win both games in the final minute.

The Spurs deserve much of the credit for this throttling.

Tim Duncan has been efficient as ever and Tony Parker has been a blur, zipping into the lane at will. Add in Manu Ginobili's scoring as a reserve and some timely shots by other role players, and it seems the only thing San Antonio has to worry about is boredom.

"We're playing as well as we have all year long,'' said Duncan, who is averaging 26.5 points, 12 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 blocks this series. "But we go and we look at some film and we still see some little things that we're doing wrong. And that's a great feeling to have, to be able to improve on some stuff even in a series up 2-0 in the Western Conference finals.''

Utah has the horrible feeling of trying to decide which is the bigger problem, its offense or its defense.

Take away the combined 44-of-82 from Boozer and Deron Williams and the rest of the Jazz are 28-of-86, an ugly 33 percent. The worst offenders are Derek Fisher (2-16) and Mehmet Okur (7-28). Worse yet, those two are supposed to be steadying influences. Both have championship rings and were the only guys who'd been past the first round of the playoffs when this postseason began.

Jerry Sloan is bothered most by the lack of defense. He sees players lingering on the offensive end after missed shots and they're repeatedly getting caught in the wrong place when they do set up their defense.

"I don't know if I've ever seen us be so totally lost just changing ends,'' he said.

The Spurs have capitalized, making 55 percent of their shots. Four starters are doing even better than that, with the center duo of Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson a combined 16-of-19, mostly on layups and dunks.

"They're just picking us apart,'' Sloan said. "If you want to compete, you've got to compete on the defensive end. Then your offense will come around. We can't just think, `I've got to get me some points and we'll be better.' We've got to stop some people. You've got to play defense in this league in the playoffs. You're not going to outscore people every night.''

Another Sloan gripe: "We don't have anybody fouling out.''

"If I had guys fouling out, I'd know they were at least close enough to touch somebody,'' he said. "I don't want any nasty basketball, that 'We got to take somebody out' kind of stuff. I just want to see us play hard.''

He'd like his players to get physical on offense, too, setting more hard screens - like the Spurs have done.

"It looks like we're playing an exhibition game the way we're running the floor,'' Sloan said. "I think we have to be held accountable for that.''

Boozer has more of a glass half full outlook on what's happened so far. He keeps saying the difference in the series is only two bad quarters (the second in both games).

"Sometimes, you play good D and it's better O. A guy makes a great shot or a great pass. It happens,'' Boozer said. "I'm sure we could've beat some teams that we played in the playoffs with how we've played.''

The Spurs lost both regular-season games in Salt Lake City, so they know the Jazz are a tougher team at home. Several San Antonio players also know what to expect from the Utah crowd because they've seen it before. Duncan, Robert Horry, Michael Finley and Brent Barry played postseason series against Karl Malone, John Stockton and that crew in the 1990s and early 2000s, plus Jacque Vaughn was on some of those Jazz teams.

"The fans are great,'' Horry said. "They whoop and holler. They know if they can get up it gives their team energy.''

Finley is wary that being home could cure all that ails the Jazz.

"I think those other guys who haven't been having a spectacular offensive performance have been looking forward to these home games to get in stride, so to speak,'' he said. "We're expecting one of their better games come Game 3 and Game 4.''

That may have to be the case both times if Utah fans are going to get to see a Game 6.

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Nets’ Future May Start With All-Star Breakup

By HOWARD BECK

Published: May 20, 2007

His will and his words were strong, but his gait was weary. Jason Kidd, as he had for six seasons, pumped every ounce of belief, focus and fortitude into the Nets on Friday night. He carried them as far as his 34-year-old legs would allow, until they finally buckled under the burden.

“I was just hoping that someone would pick it up from where I left,” Kidd said. “But unfortunately that didn’t happen.”

Kidd had All-Stars to his left and his right, but Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson never answered the call.

LeBron James surged, the Nets wilted and the Cleveland Cavaliers won a trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

For the fourth consecutive spring — after one first-round exit and three second-round appearances — Kidd will be a spectator for the N.B.A. finals. He has logged 1,046 games in 13 seasons, each ending without a championship.

So while Kidd boldly predicted several more years of elite play, and everyone talked about staying together, the Nets’ decisions this summer will not be so simple. Kidd has played alongside Jefferson for six years now, and with Carter for three. Their billing as one of the league’s top perimeter groups rings more empty each June.

For all their talent, it is possible this is as far as they can go together.

“That is something you obviously look at,” Rod Thorn, the team president, said earlier this week. “But saying that, do you tear your team up? The marketplace we’re in, that’s a tough one.”

It may be a necessary one. And it may not entirely be up to the Nets. Carter can opt out of the last year of his contract, and it seems likely he will — either to change teams or to seek a longer deal from the Nets. As a high-scoring, highly marketable highlight reel, Carter will probably command more than $10 million a year. Whether he can deliver a title remains questionable.

Carter was largely invisible for long stretches of the playoffs. He averaged only 19.7 points and shot .354 from the field against the Cavaliers. As the final minutes of the Nets’ season dwindled, Carter faded away.

He took 11 shots to score 11 points, went to the free-throw line only five times and failed to score in the final quarter.

That is hardly the sort of performance that inspires a team owner to commit another $40 million or so to a player. The Nets could choose to let Carter leave, or use him in a sign-and-trade deal that rejuvenates the roster.

But merely keeping the core of this team together might not guarantee the Nets anything more than an annual cameo in the postseason.

There is one notable asterisk in evaluating their run, however. Nenad Krstic, the Nets’ first-round pick in 2002, was blossoming into a top-tier center before tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in December. For a time, the Big Three appeared as if it would become the Big Four.

“You never base long-term plans on one game, two games, one series,” Thorn said. “You try to look at it as a body of work. And the key with us is: If you look at our team, if we had Krstic, where would our team be?

“Would we be better? Obviously, we’d be somewhat better. How much better would we be? If Krstic is healthy, and he should be next year, and you keep what you have and you add one or two pieces, can you get to another level? It’s what we have to look at. Or will we just be where we are?”

The Nets surely could have used Krstic’s inside scoring and rebounding against the Cavaliers’ beefy frontcourt. They got surprising production from the journeyman Mikki Moore (14.8 points, 4.7 rebounds in the series), but Moore is a free agent who figures to cash in on a breakout season.

Carter said Friday that he intended to be back with the Nets. Kidd said that he wanted Carter back and waved off the possibility of being traded himself.

But Kidd, who passed up a chance to sign with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003, may be better off chasing a championship somewhere else. A number of talented teams might be just a Kidd away from the title. This could be the franchise’s last chance to cash in on his value before Kidd’s body breaks down.

“We have a lot of questions to answer,” Thorn said. “There’s no doubt about it.”

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Suns’ Bench Unfazed By New Expectations

Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
May. 16, 2007 12:00 AM

The suspensions of Amaré Stoudemire and Boris Diaw leave the Suns with rotation issues for tonight's Game 5.

A short bench becomes even shorter.

The Suns will have no choice at times but to go small. Leandro Barbosa or James Jones likely will replace Stoudemire in the lineup, and the Suns will try to beat the taller Spurs in transition. “We're talented enough and we're deep enough to compete with anyone when we're playing right, which is fast and with high energy,” said Jones, who has six starts in this postseason. “If we do that, well be fine.”

Added Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, “We'll close ranks, and I'm confident that we can win any which way.”

Pat Burke could see his most significant minutes of the postseason. Burke, a 6-foot-11 center, has played four minutes in this year's playoffs. If he joins the rotation, stamina could be an issue.

Burke has played only 17 minutes since March4.

He left Tuesday's practice optimistic that Stoudemire and Diaw would get off with a fine, but he said if he is needed to help Kurt Thomas in the post, he would be prepared.

“I really don't know what the rotation would be,” Burke said, “but the most important thing is to stay ready.”

The team's reserves often stay after practice, scrimmaging to try to stay in shape.

Jalen Rose and Marcus Banks battled one-on-one before Game4 in San Antonio.

Rose, a veteran with Finals experience, has not played in these Western Conference semifinals, but he played nine minutes in Game2 against the Lakers.

According to him, every reserve thinks he is ready, but it is hard to judge the intensity of the playoffs.

“You don't know until you get out there,” Rose said.

Stoudemire was leading the Suns in postseason scoring (24.0 points per game) before he broke league rules by leaving the bench during a Game4 skirmish that began with Robert Horry's hard foul on Steve Nash. Stoudemire said he was just walking to the scorer's table to check in, but the league disagreed.

The Suns center said he had trouble sleeping because of the matter.

“When you see your star player go down, that hard in the playoffs; it's tough to hold your composure and not do anything,” Stoudemire said.

“Guys here are like family,” Jones added. “Your first instinct is to protect the family.”

Assistant coach Alvin Gentry said he did not think anyone did anything wrong after the foul, which earned Horry an ejection and two-game suspension.

“It's a natural reaction when you see somebody as important as Steve go down,” Gentry said. “I thought it was a situation where you're concerned about him. To me, that's human nature.”

Along with Barbosa, Diaw often is the first Suns reserve off the bench. He is averaging 6.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 22.8 minutes against the Spurs.

Barbosa, the league's Sixth Man of the Year winner, also will have to increase his production if the Suns are to protect home-court advantage.

After averaging 21.2 points against the Lakers in the first round, Barbosa's production has slipped to 11.8 against the Spurs.

Republic reporter Paul Coro contributed to this report..

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Davis Carries Warriors to Game 3 Victory

OAKLAND, Calif., May 11 (AP) -- When Baron Davis spun, sprang and threw down a breathtakingly vicious one-handed dunk right in Andrei Kirilenko's mug, it was more than an exclamation point on the Warriors' win.

It also was a question mark: Just how far can Golden State go when its point guard is playing such sublime playoff basketball, particularly in the arena that rocks to his beat?

Davis had 32 points and nine assists, Jason Richardson scored 25 points and Golden State stayed unbeaten in Oakland during the postseason with a 125-105 victory over the Jazz in Game 3 of their second-round series Friday night, cutting Utah's lead to 2-1.

Davis' mind-bending slam put multiple punctuation marks on a comfortable victory for the eighth-seeded Warriors, who lost two tough games in Utah to open a series few expected them to reach. They got back to their exciting style in front of the same fans who watched the Warriors beat top-seeded Dallas three times in the first round to the same 110-decibel soundtrack.

But after Utah cut Golden State's 30-point lead in half during the fourth quarter, Davis closed the door on yet another memorable spring night with his special delivery on shot-blocking specialist Kirilenko with 2:48 left.

"I shocked myself on that dunk,'' Davis said. "I was going to try to reverse it, but knowing he was a great shot-blocker, I thought I would just try my luck, and I got lucky.''

Game 4 in the best-of-seven series is Sunday night in Oakland, with Game 5 back in Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

Richardson hit four of the Warriors' NBA record-tying 11 3-pointers in the first half, and Al Harrington added 15 points as Golden State shrugged off two tough losses in Utah with yet another confident, free-flowing performance. The Warriors finished with 15 3-pointers while forcing 25 Utah turnovers.

But Davis produced a personal highlight reel in the second half after Golden State faltered, mixing spinning passes and jumpers before his big jam. Davis even got a technical foul after throwing it down for "acting the fool'' in celebration - but the screaming arena backed him up.

"That would have to be the greatest dunk I've ever seen with my eyes in person,'' marveled Richardson, the two-time NBA dunk champion. "It was like he put his whole body in the rim.''

"I think I was late on the help,'' Kirilenko said with a grin. "At least I got to be on the poster.''

Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz, who landed gracelessly in California after riding high from Wednesday's emotional overtime victory in Game 2. Deron Williams added 14 points and six assists, but Golden State stretched its 21-point halftime lead to 30 midway through the third quarter before the Jazz finally responded.

"You get into a groove, and they certainly were in one,'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We couldn't shoot the ball quick enough, which is certainly to our disadvantage. They were playing us strong and knowing where the ball was going to go.''

The Warriors have lost four of their five road playoff games, but they're 4-0 at home in the arena where they went 30-11 in the regular season. Their 125 points were a playoff-best, as was their 15-of-32 shooting on 3-pointers.

Their playoff-starved fans - replete in another collection of gold T-shirts that turned Oracle Arena into a big bowl of bubbling custard - rarely were quiet during Golden State's first home second-round playoff game since May 12, 1991.

And while Golden State's effort improved markedly from the opening tip, Utah regressed. The Jazz committed 16 turnovers before halftime while forcing just five by the Warriors, who got whatever shot they desired during most of their 70-point first half.

"They wanted us to take jump shots, and we fell into that trap,'' Boozer said. "We weren't hitting. It was a great first quarter, but midway through the second, it seemed like it slipped away.''

Derek Fisher, whose daughter's serious health problems forced his absence from the series until his dramatic return during Game 2, started for Utah but had nine points and no assists before fouling out.

The Warriors blew two late leads in Utah, but were revitalized at home as Davis predicted. Golden State made eight of its first 12 shots before blowing an early 13-point lead - but Williams and Fisher both picked up three fouls in the first half, limiting Utah's defensive options against Davis.

Golden State gradually built a healthy lead in the second quarter with its outside shot, eventually tying the league record for 3-pointers in a playoff half held by four other teams.

"We got snowballed in the second quarter,'' Fisher said.

Notes: Utah G Dee Brown sat out after spraining his neck when Mehmet Okur fell on his head in Game 2. Brown could return Sunday. ... The Jazz went back to the powder-blue uniforms they wore in their Game 7 road victory over the Houston Rockets in the first round. Utah wore its standard dark-blue togs for the first three games in Houston, losing all three. ... The Warriors hadn't won four home games in the same postseason since 1977.

Copyright 2006 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

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Suns Finish Strong to Close Out Spurs and Take Game 2

PHOENIX, May 8 (AP) -- Yes, those usually frenetic Phoenix Suns can play defense. They proved it Tuesday night with a blowout of the San Antonio Spurs.

With Kurt Thomas assigned to guard Tim Duncan one-on-one and Shawn Marion shutting down Tony Parker, the Suns squared the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series at a game apiece with a 101-81 victory.

Amare Stoudemire scored 21 of his 27 points in the second half to lead Phoenix.

Steve Nash, playing with a bandage over his nose after cutting it late in Game 1, added 20 points and 16 assists as the Suns beat the Spurs in a playoff game in Phoenix for the first time in five games dating to 2005.

Raja Bell added 18 points for the winners. Game 3 is Saturday in San Antonio.

The Suns' most significant contributions may have come from Marion and Thomas, who was added to the starting lineup.

"Defensively, we were really good," coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It started with Shawn and Kurt. Their work on those two guys was really good. Finally, we started clicking a little bit offensively. It was really a good effort. We just need to repeat it three more times."

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Wade chooses rehab

BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ

Dwyane Wade isn't ready to call it a season just yet.

The Heat guard said Monday that he will complete about two to three weeks of rehabilitation on his injured left shoulder and then decide whether he can return to the court this season.

Wade, who dislocated his left shoulder and tore his labrum Feb. 21 in Houston and has seen two doctors since, said he is making no guarantees on a return but will attempt it rather than undergo season-ending surgery.

''Both doctors thought it would be a great thing to do because of my youth, because of my history of injuries and normally coming back quicker than most,'' Wade said. ``That's my decision, to rehab for the next two or three weeks, and see if I have the strength and the confidence in my shoulder to play at a high level, especially at the end of the year going toward the playoffs. And if not, then possibly surgery.''

Wade said he will almost definitely have to undergo surgery in the offseason even if he does return, which will likely keep him out at least four months.

If he does feel strong enough after the rehab, Wade said he would like to get back into basketball shape and onto the court before the end of the regular season. Should Wade return soon after the rehabilitation period, that could leave as many as 12 games in the regular season for him to play before a potential playoff run.

CAN'T GET WORSE

Although there is a possibility Wade's shoulder can come out of the socket again, which is a painful experience, he said there is ''no further damage I can do'' to the joint itself.

''The main thing that I can do is feel that same pain again,'' Wade said. ``That's one thing they stressed to me, that's one thing I don't want to feel.''

Wade said he spoke with Eddie Jones about his experience after sustaining a similar injury. Jones missed 15 games after dislocating his left shoulder and tearing his labrum in March 2001. Jones played the final weeks of the regular season and three playoff games that season without reinjuring himself.

He did dislocate the shoulder in his sleep following the season, but it was not a stressful event.

''He was very confident that, with the rehab, I could do it,'' Wade said of his conversation with Jones.

Wade also spoke with Jones about the rehabilitation process, with which Jones is quite familiar.

''You're going to get a workout, a big-time workout,'' Jones said. ``There's going to be days when you don't want to do it. But you've got to stay on top of it. . . . I think he can get through it.''

Wade said the team's current performance without him, winning three of four games against playoff-quality competition entering Monday's game against the Hawks, didn't necessarily factor into his thinking. He said he will attempt to return and play his normal, aggressive game despite the injury should he return this season.

''I'm not even thinking that I won't come back 100 percent,'' Wade said. ``If I come back, then I would be able to play the way I normally play.

``You don't want to think about anything when you're playing the game of basketball.''

Heat coach Pat Riley said he's confident Wade will make any necessary adjustments to his game to remain effective should he return.

''He's a warrior,'' Riley said. ``He's a soldier. And these are his guys. I think all great players make the adjustment -- whatever adjustment they have to make.''

NO PROTECTION

Team physician Harlan Selesnick told Wade there was really no protective gear he could wear that would help him avoid another dislocation.

''I think there's a harness that guys wear,'' Wade said.

``He said that's really not for this kind of injury.''

Though most assumed Wade would choose this route, the guard said the decision wasn't an easy one, despite his competitive nature.

''It could have been easy for me, especially playing all year last year and plus the summer, just to shut it down,'' Wade said. ``I talked with a lot of people that had the injury and I heard a lot of different things. But my body is my body and I guess I'll find out after therapy, after rehab, how my body responds to things.''

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Webber Back Home With Pistons

by Keith Langlois

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Joe Dumars hasn’t had a lot of anxiety-free moments watching his basketball creation go about its business since Chauncey Billups went down with a leg injury in late December, but one of them came during the second half of the Pistons’ blowout win over the Hornets on Jan. 4 in Oklahoma City.

The Pistons were ahead by 20 points or so in the second half when a good moment got even better for him. His cell phone rang and on the other end was Aaron Goodwin. As he always does when a prominent agent calls, Dumars ran through the Rolodex in his mind of Goodwin’s clients.

When Goodwin asked his interest in Chris Webber, Dumars’ ears perked up a little more. Told that Webber and the Philadelphia 76ers were negotiating a buyout and that Webber’s first choice was to become a Piston, the team’s president embraced the idea - wholeheartedly and immediately.

And if he needed any selling, the core players on his team gladly would have provided it. When Dumars told Chauncey Billups of the possibility of Webber becoming his teammate, Billups enthusiastically endorsed the prospect of adding a five-time All-Star who ranks as one of the premier passing big men of his generation.

But Webber did a pretty good job selling it himself.

“When you establish your identity as a team, guys - if they choose to come to you - are choosing to come to that system. The first conversation I had with him, he was explaining to me, ‘Look, I understand your system. I understand you don’t have a one-star system. I’m at a point in my life and my career where I want to be surrounded by that environment. I know I will be one of five guys out on the floor.’

“So before I could even explain it to him, he explained it to me. I said, ‘All right. You win.’ ”

Looks like both sides of the equation come out winners. The Pistons feel they’ve re-established themselves as the team to beat in the Eastern Conference and can hold their own with the best of the West, and Chris Webber gets to come back to his native Detroit and chase a championship with the team he grew up adoring.

“What it came down to more so than being home, more so than anything else, it was the fact that Joe really showed he wanted me here,” Webber said Tuesday afternoon after signing his contract. “The organization, coach, everyone let me know they really wanted me. You want to be wanted. You want to be part of an organization that wants you.

“The guys on the team … just the way they get along. I’ve played with (Rasheed Wallace) before. I played with a guy, Maurice Evans, who played on the team last year. He told me how this was the best locker room he had ever been in. That’s the part of the game I love, the camaraderie with the guys and just being a part of an organization where everything is, ‘OK, let’s just work as hard as you can.’ ”

Webber goes to work Wednesday night - wearing No. 84, as suggested by his 6-year-old nephew who had a dream in which Uncle Chris was wearing that number - for the team that made Goin’ to Work a mantra more than a clever marketing campaign. Webber said that except for a minor nagging foot problem, the knee and ankle injuries that date to his Sacramento days feel better than they have in years. He hasn’t played a game since late December, so timing and conditioning could be issues for a week or so. But Webber told Flip Saunders he’s good to play against Utah on Wednesday and Saunders said he’ll use him, though not start him quite yet.

“My stomach will be in knots,” admitted Webber, who attended the Pistons’ Monday game at The Palace and drew a standing ovation when he entered the arena late in the first quarter. “I haven’t felt that good since draft day (in 1993, held at The Palace). Just to be home and to hear fans start to cheer for you, it’s great. I’m a Detroit fan, so I appreciate the Detroit fans. Coming in yesterday and people were letting me know that they approved of me playing here was a great feeling.”

Webber played with very good teams in Sacramento, but the prospect of playing amid a starting five where each member could score 20 points on a given night is a new and tantalizing prospect.

“Our guys are built to play off the ball,” Saunders said. “Ball movement, player movement, and that’s going to play right into his hands. Chris has a high basketball IQ. That’s why he’s going to fit right in. More than anything else, it’s going to be fun to watch him play and watch our team play. He’s going to make other guys better, and they’re going to make him better, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

“This is a very good day for all of us here,” Dumars said. “Chris brings a lot more to the table than just a basketball player. I think he embodies everything that we try to stand for as a basketball team and as an organization. I think he is what we want to be about as a team - people of good character, of his background, of his upbringing. I feel like he’s a pretty special guy from a special family from a special background. There’s an obvious connection here to Detroit and I’m proud to say today that not only is Chris back home, but he’s back home as a Detroit Piston.”

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