JMarkJohns
04-28-2005, 01:23 PM
The InsideHoops.com
Baller of the Day for Wednesday's games is San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who in a 104-76 blowout Spurs win over the Denver Nuggets shot 11-of-15 for 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Duncan did even more than those stats suggest.
The AP reports: The Memphis Grizzlies got the rough game they wanted, and the slower pace they prefer. Still, it wasn't quite enough against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns erased a five-point deficit with a 14-4 run over the final 4:04 to beat the Grizzlies 108-103 on Wednesday night and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series. Game 3 is Friday night in Memphis. Amare Stoudemire, who scored just nine points in the series opener, had 34 points and 10 rebounds, including 18-of-22 shooting at the foul line. ``The guy's a gamer,'' Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. ``At 22 years of age, he just shows remarkable poise, and a heck of a game.'' The physical Grizzlies sent Phoenix to the line 40 times, and the Suns made 32 of them.
The AP reports: Two first-quarter fouls and ineffective play got Kirk Hinrich an early trip to the Chicago bench. Not a place to be during the playoffs for a starting guard. So when he returned to the floor Wednesday night, Hinrich was more than ready to play and determined to make up for a sluggish start. Hinrich scored 21 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, sending the Bulls to a 113-103 win over the Washington Wizards and giving them a 2-0 lead in the opening series. Games 3 and 4 are in Washington on Saturday and Monday. ``I took a lot of time to think about it. I didn't get off to a good start. I couldn't get in a rhythm early,'' said Hinrich. ``I wanted to make things happen. I still thought I could have a positive effect on the game, that's what I tried to do.'' And after a scoreless, six-minute first-quarter, Hinrich's game blossomed.
The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets expected San Antonio to come out hard and fast in Game 2, and the Spurs didn't disappoint them. But what did disappoint the Nuggets on Wednesday was the way they reacted. The Spurs made nine of their first 10 shots and then outscored Denver by 20 points in the second quarter en route to a 104-76 win that evened their first-round playoff series at one win each. ``Any loss like that is embarrassing,'' said Denver's Carmelo Anthony, whose team shot just 36 percent. ``After the first game we expected someone to get better. They were the team that got better.'' Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday night in Denver, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday. San Antonio, which lost the opener Sunday after missing 17 straight shots down the stretch, went back to basics on offense -- that is, they got the ball to Tim Duncan.
Ticker reports: The San Antonio Spurs showed their championship pedigree, right down to their All-Star guard agreeing to come off the bench. Manu Ginobili scored 17 points in just 18 minutes and was part of a terrific all-around effort Wednesday night as the Spurs drilled the Denver Nuggets, 104-76, and evened their Western Conference first-round series at one game apiece. The top-seeded Phoenix Suns and fourth-seeded Chicago Bulls won at home to take 2-0 leads in their respective series. In the West, the Suns held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 108-103. In the East, the Bulls got past the Washington Wizards, 113-103.
The AP reports: When NBA commissioner David Stern first heard Congress was going to examine the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, he wasn't quite sure why. As he learned more, though, Stern said he realized something had to be done. Speaking before Game 2 of the Washington-Chicago playoffs series Wednesday night, Stern said the NBA and the players' union are discussing expanded testing for performance-enhancing drugs. He expects it will be part of the new labor agreement. ``Given the talk about kids actually using drugs that are dangerous for them ... we, as a league, want kids to look up to us, to do what we do, to follow us,'' he said. ``I think it's incumbent upon every sport to just have rules that demonstrate to their fans that if you're in the NBA, you submit to a certain amount of testing.''
The AP reports: The Sacramento Kings entered the playoffs with injury problems, several weeks of inconsistent play and no confidence they could win in the postseason. So did Seattle. But the SuperSonics have shaken off their late-season slide, while the Kings are two games away from taking their troubles into the offseason. The Kings retreated to their training complex in Sacramento on Wednesday after falling behind 0-2 in their best-of-seven first-round series with a 105-93 loss Tuesday night. They played terribly in the two games in Seattle -- making 26 turnovers, shooting 9-for-41 on 3-pointers and falling far behind early in both games. ``I don't think we have selfish players, but it seemed like we were playing that way,'' coach Rick Adelman said. ``Each guy felt like they had to do it. ... Every time things went bad, we were looking at the officials -- everything else but ourselves, and that's not going to get it done.
Ticker reports: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar swingman LeBron James has to be among those considered for the NBA's Most Improved Player award, which will be announced Thursday. Just 20 years old, James won the 2004 Rookie of the Year with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting under 42 percent from the field. This season, James was even better. He was third in the league in scoring at 27.2 points per game, sixth in assists at 7.2, boosted his rebounds to 7.4 and was third in steals at 2.21 while also shooting 47 percent.
Ticker reports: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Eric Snow, a former Sportsmanship Award winner, is the 2005 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Pro Basketball Writers Association, which has been giving the award to a player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community since 1975. Snow won the award despite changing communities. An Ohio native, he had spent the last six-plus seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to Cleveland last summer.
The AP reports: Jerry Colangelo has been given total control of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball program and has promised radical changes in an effort to restore the United States to international prominence in the sport. The system of a handful of NBA stars gathering for a few weeks before the competition will be abandoned, said Colangelo, the chairman and CEO of the Phoenix Suns who has been involved in basketball for 50 years, 39 of them in the professional ranks. ``It's going to be drastically different,'' Colangelo said Wednesday at a news conference, ``and I say that because you know stars do not necessarily make a great team.'' The 10-member committee that selected the teams has been disbanded, and Colangelo alone will name the players and coaches. He said he wants them to commit to the team for two years leading up to the 2006 world championships and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
WEDNESDAY'S GAME RECAPS
Home teams are in caps
SAN ANTONIO 104, Denver 76 - Ticker reports: Tim Duncan looked a lot better. So did the rest of the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan scored 18 of his 24 points in a huge first half as the Spurs cruised to a 104-76 victory over the Denver Nuggets that evened their Western Conference first-round series at one game each. The second-seeded Spurs changed their starting lineup and got a much better effort from Tony Parker as they overwhelmed the seventh-seeded Nuggets, who stole home-court advantage with a stunning win in Game One. Duncan clearly was not himself in the opener. Still recovering from a sprained ankle, he made just 7-of 22 shots. His elevation and explosion were limited as he missed all seven of his shots in the final period. This one was a different story. Duncan scored six points in the first period, when all of the Spurs displayed a crispness that had not been evident in Game One and raced to a 29-18 lead. There were dramatic differences other than Duncan. Parker, who was severely outplayed by Andre Miller in Game One, began with more purpose scored 12 of his 19 points in the opening period. And Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, looking for more energy from his bench, sat down All-Star guard Manu Ginobili in favor of Brent Barry. The move worked to perfection as Barry scored eight of his 16 points in the first quarter and Ginobili had 12 of his 17 points in the second period, when San Antonio turned it into a rout. Rookie Beno Udrih added 10 points off the bench for the Spurs, who dominated in every category, shooting 48% (34-of-71) from the field, holding a 46-39 advantage on the glass and leading by as many as 33 points. The series shifts to Denver for Games Three and Four on Saturday and Monday. Since George Karl took over as coach, the Nuggets are 19-1 at home. However, they are going to have to play better than this. The Nuggets shot just 36% (27-of-75), had no player with more than 12 points and were outscored, 18-2, on the fast break. Parker made a 3-pointer and jumper and Barry added two free throws to give the Spurs a 23-10 lead with 4:16 left in the first quarter. Ginobili scored 12 points and Duncan eight in a 24-4 run that extended the advantage to 60-28 with 1:37 remaining in the first half. Denver got no closer than 19 points thereafter.
CHICAGO 113, Washington 103 - Ticker reports: Kirk Hinrich no longer is the overlooked guard in this series. Hinrich had a pair of outbursts and scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 113-103 victory over the Washington Wizards and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. The fourth-seeded Bulls stormed back from an early 13-point deficit to open a 20-point lead before holding off the fifth-seeded Wizards, who don't seem to understand the sense of importance of the postseason. Entering this series, much was made of Bulls guard Ben Gordon, whose fourth-quarter explosions have made him a favorite for Rookie of the Year, and the Wizards' quick backcourt of All-Star Gilbert Arenas and NBA steals leader Larry Hughes, who carried the team all season. That left Hinrich as the forgotten guard in this series. But not anymore. Hinrich scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 in just over two minutes that took the lead from 81-70 to 93-73 with 9:21 to go. Down the stretch, Hinrich simply was unstoppable. When the Wizards closed to 95-84, he made a jumper and free throw to rebuild the lead to 14 points. He sank a 3-pointer to keep the advantage at 101-87 with 4:13 to play. And when Arenas drilled a 3-pointer to make it 107-101 with 1:30 left, Hinrich made another 3-pointer and two foul shots for a 112-101 bulge in the final minute. In just 24 minutes, Hinrich made 12-of-15 shots, including 5-of-5 3-pointers. There's no telling how many points he would have scored had he not spent most of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. Antonio Davis scored 18 points and Gordon added 14 for the Bulls, who are 28-0 in series in which they hold the home-court advantage. Their ability to win on the road will be put to the test in Games Three and Four in Washington on Saturday and Monday. Arenas scored 39 points, Hughes added 19 and 10 rebounds and Antawn Jamison 18 for the Wizards, who gave away a 13-point lead in less than 10 minutes, committed 18 turnovers and played with very little intensity on defense. Washington bolted to a 23-10 lead as Arenas scored 11 points - two more than he had Sunday - and Hinrich took a seat with two fouls. But Chicago fought back behind deep reserves Jannero Pargo and Adrian Griffin and tied it at 35-35 on a dunk by Andres Nocioni with 7:34 left in the first half. Hinrich returned three minutes later and scored nine points in 87 seconds to give the Bulls a 51-48 lead before sitting with his third foul. Chicago never trailed thereafter.
PHOENIX 108, Memphis 103 - Ticker reports: Amare Stoudemire and Quentin Richardson were not about to let the Memphis Grizzlies steal home-court advantage. Stoudemire scored a playoff career-high 34 points and Richardson came up with a huge defensive play and rebound in the final minute as the Phoenix Suns posted a 108-103 victory over the Grizzlies and took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. After sinking 15 3-pointers and amassing 25 fast-break points in the series opener, the top-seeded Suns were contained in both of those categories and had to rally down the stretch to keep the Grizzlies winless all-time in the postseason. Pau Gasol scored inside with 4:18 remaining, giving the Grizzlies a 99-94 lead. But Richardson answered 14 seconds later with a 3-pointer to trigger a 14-4 surge to close the contest. Shawn Marion made consecutive jumpers to give the Suns the lead and Stoudemire, the Suns' All-Star center, sank two free throws with 2:04 left for a 103-99 advantage. James Posey split two free throws with 1:46 left, pulling the Grizzlies within 103-100. With a chance to get closer, Memphis went to the 7-foot Gasol on the inside and the 6-6 Richardson came over on the weak side and blocked his shot. On the Suns' ensuing possession, Marion threw up an airball but Richardson grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 15 seconds left. He split two free throws for a four-point lead. Mike Miller answered with a 3-pointer - his only basket of the game and Memphis' only hoop in the last 4:18 - before Steve Nash made two free throws with nine seconds left. After Miller missed a shot from the arc, Richardson sealed things with two foul shots with five seconds to go. Limited to just nine points in the series opener, Stoudemire made 8-of-16 shots and went 18-of-22 at the free-throw line. He attempted three more free throws than the entire Grizzlies' team. Led by Stoudemire, the Suns went 31-of-40 at the line while the Grizzlies went just 11-of-19. Marion had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Steve Nash handed out 15 assists for the Suns, who shot 46% (36-of-78) and held a 49-45 rebounding advantage. Phoenix made just five 3-pointers and had just 15 fast-break points. Gasol had 28 points and 16 rebounds and Jason Williams scored 21 points for the Grizzlies, who fell to 0-6 in the postseason. Memphis stayed in the game behind its bench, which outscored the Suns' reserves, 30-5. The Grizzlies host Games Three and Four on Friday and Sunday.
THURSDAY SCHEDULE
All times Eastern. Television info to right of each game:
Miami @ New Jersey 7:00pm ET (TNT, SUNS)
Boston @ Indiana 8:30pm ET (NBATV)
Dallas @ Houston 9:30pm ET (TNT)
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
April 28, 1966: Red Auerbach retired as Boston’s coach after guiding the Celtics to a 95-93 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Auerbach coached Boston to nine NBA Championships--including eight straight titles from 1959-66--more than any other coach.
April 28, 1979: Oscar Robertson became the first Milwaukee Buck to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Robertson, who helped the Bucks to the franchise’s only NBA title in 1971, finished his career with 26,710 points and 9,887 assists.
April 28, 1990: The Boston Celtics set an NBA single-game Playoff scoring record in beating the New York Knicks 157-128 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Celtics shot .670 from the field (63-of-94 FG attempts), setting another playoff mark.
Baller of the Day for Wednesday's games is San Antonio's Tim Duncan, who in a 104-76 blowout Spurs win over the Denver Nuggets shot 11-of-15 for 24 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Duncan did even more than those stats suggest.
The AP reports: The Memphis Grizzlies got the rough game they wanted, and the slower pace they prefer. Still, it wasn't quite enough against the Phoenix Suns. The Suns erased a five-point deficit with a 14-4 run over the final 4:04 to beat the Grizzlies 108-103 on Wednesday night and take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round series. Game 3 is Friday night in Memphis. Amare Stoudemire, who scored just nine points in the series opener, had 34 points and 10 rebounds, including 18-of-22 shooting at the foul line. ``The guy's a gamer,'' Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. ``At 22 years of age, he just shows remarkable poise, and a heck of a game.'' The physical Grizzlies sent Phoenix to the line 40 times, and the Suns made 32 of them.
The AP reports: Two first-quarter fouls and ineffective play got Kirk Hinrich an early trip to the Chicago bench. Not a place to be during the playoffs for a starting guard. So when he returned to the floor Wednesday night, Hinrich was more than ready to play and determined to make up for a sluggish start. Hinrich scored 21 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter, sending the Bulls to a 113-103 win over the Washington Wizards and giving them a 2-0 lead in the opening series. Games 3 and 4 are in Washington on Saturday and Monday. ``I took a lot of time to think about it. I didn't get off to a good start. I couldn't get in a rhythm early,'' said Hinrich. ``I wanted to make things happen. I still thought I could have a positive effect on the game, that's what I tried to do.'' And after a scoreless, six-minute first-quarter, Hinrich's game blossomed.
The AP reports: The Denver Nuggets expected San Antonio to come out hard and fast in Game 2, and the Spurs didn't disappoint them. But what did disappoint the Nuggets on Wednesday was the way they reacted. The Spurs made nine of their first 10 shots and then outscored Denver by 20 points in the second quarter en route to a 104-76 win that evened their first-round playoff series at one win each. ``Any loss like that is embarrassing,'' said Denver's Carmelo Anthony, whose team shot just 36 percent. ``After the first game we expected someone to get better. They were the team that got better.'' Game 3 of the best-of-seven series will be played Saturday night in Denver, with Game 4 scheduled for Monday. San Antonio, which lost the opener Sunday after missing 17 straight shots down the stretch, went back to basics on offense -- that is, they got the ball to Tim Duncan.
Ticker reports: The San Antonio Spurs showed their championship pedigree, right down to their All-Star guard agreeing to come off the bench. Manu Ginobili scored 17 points in just 18 minutes and was part of a terrific all-around effort Wednesday night as the Spurs drilled the Denver Nuggets, 104-76, and evened their Western Conference first-round series at one game apiece. The top-seeded Phoenix Suns and fourth-seeded Chicago Bulls won at home to take 2-0 leads in their respective series. In the West, the Suns held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 108-103. In the East, the Bulls got past the Washington Wizards, 113-103.
The AP reports: When NBA commissioner David Stern first heard Congress was going to examine the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in sports, he wasn't quite sure why. As he learned more, though, Stern said he realized something had to be done. Speaking before Game 2 of the Washington-Chicago playoffs series Wednesday night, Stern said the NBA and the players' union are discussing expanded testing for performance-enhancing drugs. He expects it will be part of the new labor agreement. ``Given the talk about kids actually using drugs that are dangerous for them ... we, as a league, want kids to look up to us, to do what we do, to follow us,'' he said. ``I think it's incumbent upon every sport to just have rules that demonstrate to their fans that if you're in the NBA, you submit to a certain amount of testing.''
The AP reports: The Sacramento Kings entered the playoffs with injury problems, several weeks of inconsistent play and no confidence they could win in the postseason. So did Seattle. But the SuperSonics have shaken off their late-season slide, while the Kings are two games away from taking their troubles into the offseason. The Kings retreated to their training complex in Sacramento on Wednesday after falling behind 0-2 in their best-of-seven first-round series with a 105-93 loss Tuesday night. They played terribly in the two games in Seattle -- making 26 turnovers, shooting 9-for-41 on 3-pointers and falling far behind early in both games. ``I don't think we have selfish players, but it seemed like we were playing that way,'' coach Rick Adelman said. ``Each guy felt like they had to do it. ... Every time things went bad, we were looking at the officials -- everything else but ourselves, and that's not going to get it done.
Ticker reports: Cleveland Cavaliers superstar swingman LeBron James has to be among those considered for the NBA's Most Improved Player award, which will be announced Thursday. Just 20 years old, James won the 2004 Rookie of the Year with averages of 20.9 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting under 42 percent from the field. This season, James was even better. He was third in the league in scoring at 27.2 points per game, sixth in assists at 7.2, boosted his rebounds to 7.4 and was third in steals at 2.21 while also shooting 47 percent.
Ticker reports: Cleveland Cavaliers guard Eric Snow, a former Sportsmanship Award winner, is the 2005 winner of the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. The announcement was made Wednesday by the Pro Basketball Writers Association, which has been giving the award to a player or coach for outstanding service and dedication to the community since 1975. Snow won the award despite changing communities. An Ohio native, he had spent the last six-plus seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers before being traded to Cleveland last summer.
The AP reports: Jerry Colangelo has been given total control of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball program and has promised radical changes in an effort to restore the United States to international prominence in the sport. The system of a handful of NBA stars gathering for a few weeks before the competition will be abandoned, said Colangelo, the chairman and CEO of the Phoenix Suns who has been involved in basketball for 50 years, 39 of them in the professional ranks. ``It's going to be drastically different,'' Colangelo said Wednesday at a news conference, ``and I say that because you know stars do not necessarily make a great team.'' The 10-member committee that selected the teams has been disbanded, and Colangelo alone will name the players and coaches. He said he wants them to commit to the team for two years leading up to the 2006 world championships and 2008 Beijing Olympics.
WEDNESDAY'S GAME RECAPS
Home teams are in caps
SAN ANTONIO 104, Denver 76 - Ticker reports: Tim Duncan looked a lot better. So did the rest of the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan scored 18 of his 24 points in a huge first half as the Spurs cruised to a 104-76 victory over the Denver Nuggets that evened their Western Conference first-round series at one game each. The second-seeded Spurs changed their starting lineup and got a much better effort from Tony Parker as they overwhelmed the seventh-seeded Nuggets, who stole home-court advantage with a stunning win in Game One. Duncan clearly was not himself in the opener. Still recovering from a sprained ankle, he made just 7-of 22 shots. His elevation and explosion were limited as he missed all seven of his shots in the final period. This one was a different story. Duncan scored six points in the first period, when all of the Spurs displayed a crispness that had not been evident in Game One and raced to a 29-18 lead. There were dramatic differences other than Duncan. Parker, who was severely outplayed by Andre Miller in Game One, began with more purpose scored 12 of his 19 points in the opening period. And Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, looking for more energy from his bench, sat down All-Star guard Manu Ginobili in favor of Brent Barry. The move worked to perfection as Barry scored eight of his 16 points in the first quarter and Ginobili had 12 of his 17 points in the second period, when San Antonio turned it into a rout. Rookie Beno Udrih added 10 points off the bench for the Spurs, who dominated in every category, shooting 48% (34-of-71) from the field, holding a 46-39 advantage on the glass and leading by as many as 33 points. The series shifts to Denver for Games Three and Four on Saturday and Monday. Since George Karl took over as coach, the Nuggets are 19-1 at home. However, they are going to have to play better than this. The Nuggets shot just 36% (27-of-75), had no player with more than 12 points and were outscored, 18-2, on the fast break. Parker made a 3-pointer and jumper and Barry added two free throws to give the Spurs a 23-10 lead with 4:16 left in the first quarter. Ginobili scored 12 points and Duncan eight in a 24-4 run that extended the advantage to 60-28 with 1:37 remaining in the first half. Denver got no closer than 19 points thereafter.
CHICAGO 113, Washington 103 - Ticker reports: Kirk Hinrich no longer is the overlooked guard in this series. Hinrich had a pair of outbursts and scored a career-high 34 points to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 113-103 victory over the Washington Wizards and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series. The fourth-seeded Bulls stormed back from an early 13-point deficit to open a 20-point lead before holding off the fifth-seeded Wizards, who don't seem to understand the sense of importance of the postseason. Entering this series, much was made of Bulls guard Ben Gordon, whose fourth-quarter explosions have made him a favorite for Rookie of the Year, and the Wizards' quick backcourt of All-Star Gilbert Arenas and NBA steals leader Larry Hughes, who carried the team all season. That left Hinrich as the forgotten guard in this series. But not anymore. Hinrich scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 in just over two minutes that took the lead from 81-70 to 93-73 with 9:21 to go. Down the stretch, Hinrich simply was unstoppable. When the Wizards closed to 95-84, he made a jumper and free throw to rebuild the lead to 14 points. He sank a 3-pointer to keep the advantage at 101-87 with 4:13 to play. And when Arenas drilled a 3-pointer to make it 107-101 with 1:30 left, Hinrich made another 3-pointer and two foul shots for a 112-101 bulge in the final minute. In just 24 minutes, Hinrich made 12-of-15 shots, including 5-of-5 3-pointers. There's no telling how many points he would have scored had he not spent most of the first half on the bench with foul trouble. Antonio Davis scored 18 points and Gordon added 14 for the Bulls, who are 28-0 in series in which they hold the home-court advantage. Their ability to win on the road will be put to the test in Games Three and Four in Washington on Saturday and Monday. Arenas scored 39 points, Hughes added 19 and 10 rebounds and Antawn Jamison 18 for the Wizards, who gave away a 13-point lead in less than 10 minutes, committed 18 turnovers and played with very little intensity on defense. Washington bolted to a 23-10 lead as Arenas scored 11 points - two more than he had Sunday - and Hinrich took a seat with two fouls. But Chicago fought back behind deep reserves Jannero Pargo and Adrian Griffin and tied it at 35-35 on a dunk by Andres Nocioni with 7:34 left in the first half. Hinrich returned three minutes later and scored nine points in 87 seconds to give the Bulls a 51-48 lead before sitting with his third foul. Chicago never trailed thereafter.
PHOENIX 108, Memphis 103 - Ticker reports: Amare Stoudemire and Quentin Richardson were not about to let the Memphis Grizzlies steal home-court advantage. Stoudemire scored a playoff career-high 34 points and Richardson came up with a huge defensive play and rebound in the final minute as the Phoenix Suns posted a 108-103 victory over the Grizzlies and took a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference first-round series. After sinking 15 3-pointers and amassing 25 fast-break points in the series opener, the top-seeded Suns were contained in both of those categories and had to rally down the stretch to keep the Grizzlies winless all-time in the postseason. Pau Gasol scored inside with 4:18 remaining, giving the Grizzlies a 99-94 lead. But Richardson answered 14 seconds later with a 3-pointer to trigger a 14-4 surge to close the contest. Shawn Marion made consecutive jumpers to give the Suns the lead and Stoudemire, the Suns' All-Star center, sank two free throws with 2:04 left for a 103-99 advantage. James Posey split two free throws with 1:46 left, pulling the Grizzlies within 103-100. With a chance to get closer, Memphis went to the 7-foot Gasol on the inside and the 6-6 Richardson came over on the weak side and blocked his shot. On the Suns' ensuing possession, Marion threw up an airball but Richardson grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 15 seconds left. He split two free throws for a four-point lead. Mike Miller answered with a 3-pointer - his only basket of the game and Memphis' only hoop in the last 4:18 - before Steve Nash made two free throws with nine seconds left. After Miller missed a shot from the arc, Richardson sealed things with two foul shots with five seconds to go. Limited to just nine points in the series opener, Stoudemire made 8-of-16 shots and went 18-of-22 at the free-throw line. He attempted three more free throws than the entire Grizzlies' team. Led by Stoudemire, the Suns went 31-of-40 at the line while the Grizzlies went just 11-of-19. Marion had 22 points and 13 rebounds and Steve Nash handed out 15 assists for the Suns, who shot 46% (36-of-78) and held a 49-45 rebounding advantage. Phoenix made just five 3-pointers and had just 15 fast-break points. Gasol had 28 points and 16 rebounds and Jason Williams scored 21 points for the Grizzlies, who fell to 0-6 in the postseason. Memphis stayed in the game behind its bench, which outscored the Suns' reserves, 30-5. The Grizzlies host Games Three and Four on Friday and Sunday.
THURSDAY SCHEDULE
All times Eastern. Television info to right of each game:
Miami @ New Jersey 7:00pm ET (TNT, SUNS)
Boston @ Indiana 8:30pm ET (NBATV)
Dallas @ Houston 9:30pm ET (TNT)
TODAY IN NBA HISTORY
April 28, 1966: Red Auerbach retired as Boston’s coach after guiding the Celtics to a 95-93 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. Auerbach coached Boston to nine NBA Championships--including eight straight titles from 1959-66--more than any other coach.
April 28, 1979: Oscar Robertson became the first Milwaukee Buck to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Robertson, who helped the Bucks to the franchise’s only NBA title in 1971, finished his career with 26,710 points and 9,887 assists.
April 28, 1990: The Boston Celtics set an NBA single-game Playoff scoring record in beating the New York Knicks 157-128 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Celtics shot .670 from the field (63-of-94 FG attempts), setting another playoff mark.