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It was a bit surprising in historical context — this is the Boston Celtics, the franchise of Bill Russell, the team who one a 2008 title thanks to their big front line — but it worked, and that’s all Doc Rivers cares about.

In Game 1, Rivers went small in the fourth quarter with Kevin Garnett at center, Paul Pierce at the four with series of different wings and guards, the Celtics outscored the Sixers by five to win 92-91.

Half of what worked with that lineup was the defense. Philly struggled to get good looks and knock down shots — and were forced to shoot a lot from the midrange and ended up shooting 38 percent in the fourth quarter. Boston’s defense is hard enough to score on, but the Sixers played right into their hands.

The other half was at the other end, Boston ran a lot of Kevin Garnett/Rajon Rondo pick-and-roll and spaced the floor with shooters. Philly could not adjust. They need to for Game 2 (more and better Thaddeus Young please).

Both teams come into Game 2 with some reasons for optimism.

For Boston, they really didn’t play that well, especially for the first 35 minutes of Game 1. Pierce shot just 3-11 with Andre Iguodala on him for long stretches, Rajon Rondo was just 6-15. Ray Allen was 2-7 from three, the rest of the team was 0-11 from deep. These shots can fall. There should be credit given to the Sixers here, they had to give up something and they did — Kevin Garnett or other Celtics bigs and the 18 footer. Thing is, KG can knock that down pretty consistently.

Boston just needs to get a little more offense from guys like Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass. And they need to rebound better, second chance points were big for the 76ers in Game 1.

For Philly, they could have won Game 1 on the road, they led most of the way, which should show to them they can hang in this series. There were stretches and lineups where the Sixers were able to get out and run and get some easy transition buckets on the Celtics. They need do more of that.

They need to bounce back mentally and not just expect the Celtics to outplay them at the end. Also, they need more out of Elton Brand.

If Boston can win and go up 0-2 it’s hard to see Philly coming back to win four out of the next five. But if Philly can make a couple more plays and even the series, then it is on.

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AP

The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers face off in Game 7 Sunday. Here are five things to watch.

1. At Least You’ve Got Your Health, Or Not: It’s become a pretty big deal that Blake Griffin has a sore knee (no ligament damage known of at this time) and that Chris Paul has a hip flexor. The hip significantly bothered Paul at the end of Game 6, keeping him from being able to try and close the game. Lost in all of this is that Memphis has dealt with a sore knee for Tony Allen, their best perimeter defender, Zach Randolph is less than four weeks back from a ligament tear in his knee, and that it’s the playoffs. Everyone’s banged up. The Clippers aren’t going to get easy dunks at the basket, most times in these games. If they want to advance, they’re going to have to tough through it. This game may simply come down to attrition and who has anything left.

2. Painting Classes: Whoever wins inside wins the game. That’s pretty simple. If it’s Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dropping the ball in with expert passing and a soft touch, Memphis advances. If it’s Blake Griffin and Reggie Evans (?!) and Kenyon Martin getting easy dunks on the pick and roll, the Clippers will go on. The battle inside has determined this series, with Memphis’ 3-1 comeback cued by their improved emphasis on getting the ball to their bigs.

3. Expect The Unexpected: Reggie Evans has been a huge swing in this series. His effort on free throw attempt rebounds and making the tough, scrappy plays has given the Clippers life. That Evans has manged to do this without consistently fouling out, turning the ball over, or completely and totally losing his man in rotations stands in stark contrast to his recent career. But this is the playoffs. Someone’s going to have to get unlikely contributions. The Grizzlies had a big momentum swing in Game 6 from Hamed Haddadi. Whoever gets someone to step up who you don’t see coming gets a big edge.

4. Controlling Whistles: This is a fierce, physical series. Both sides are getting hit, and both sides feel the officials aren’t being fair to them. The officials have tended to call more whistles on drives than in the post, and that’s a pattern that helps the Clippers. If contact is allowed on swipes and bodies and elbows inside, that helps the Clippers, because most of their action starts on the perimeter and goes in. Getting a handle on the zebras is key, and if there are adjustments that have to be made, make them.

5. One Shot At A Time: This game could come down to Chris Paul in isolation vs. Rudy Gay in isolation. If that happens, who do you think comes out on top? The Grizzlies have lived and died by late game situations in this series. They have to make sure it doesn’t come down to a Rudy Gay pull-up jumper.

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AP

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points.

• How much respect does Vinny Del Negro deserve for the job he’s done coaching the Clippers this season and playoffs? Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo says more than he is getting. After a first round win I can’t see the Clippers making a change this summer, but that is different than saying he is the coach who can take this team to contender status.

• The NBA has rightfully rescinded the technical Reggie Evans of the Clippers got for giving Blake Griffin a high five (follow the link to see the video, I was there and we couldn’t figure it out).

• Thaddeus Young is a go for the Sixers on Monday night in Game 2 against Boston despite shin (or ankle, depending on who you ask) issues.

• Where is O.J. Mayo going to be playing next season?

• There are rumors out there the Pistons are looking to move Ben Gordon.

• The Indiana Pacers players would not discuss the foul disparity from their Game 1 loss to the Heat.

• Stephon Marbury was honored with a statue in Beijing over the weekend for leading his team to the Chinese Basketball Association title. Dennis Rodman flew out to honor him. I would love to have been at that party.

• The NBA viewership is skewing younger — that’s good for marketing. There are companies that will pay to reach a younger, multi-cultural, tech-savvy audience.

• A look at the Knicks season through New York Post covers.

• Shareef Abdur-Rahim left Cal after one season for the NBA, but he has gone back and will get his college degree on Monday. Good for him. He is currently an assistant GM with the Kings.

• A documentary on the Kings past and future in Sacramento will be released online Tuesday.

• Don Nelson got his college degree over the weekend, too. Just 50 years later than planned.

• Apparently LeBron James‘ son is now a Heat executive.

• NBA referee Bennett Salvatore is being roasted… no, not on a spit like some of you want. It’s for charity.

• Making ice cream with the Raptors’ Amir Johnson.

• You can now hire evil clowns for your child’s birthday party (via NPR).

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During last year’s playoffs, the Maloof family sent an attorney to an Orange County Register reporter’s home to collect evidence. The evidence in question was audio of Phil Jackson comparing the embattled family to unpopular former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

While the Maloofs may have wanted observers to believe they were merely protecting their image, or even trying to keep the Lakers’ mouthpiece from framing a potential move to Anaheim in a negative way — the reality is that evidence of possible complicity between Phil Jackson, the Lakers, and the NBA against the Maloofs was being collected for a potential antitrust lawsuit against the league.

An antitrust lawsuit (or the threat of one) would be used by the family if they wanted to move the team without the league’s consent.

The decision to send this attorney was widely derided as a bully tactic, though if we take the Maloofs at face value they were told by the NBA that the audio evidence of Jackson’s comments was not available as it normally would be (as pre-game pressers during the playoffs are usually recorded).

Apparently, the Maloofs’ only recourse would be to schedule an appointment with the reporter and ask for the tape. The reporter met with the attorney but declined to give up the tape.

Of course, nothing says ‘we love Sacramento’ and ‘get off my lawn’ like sending an attorney to a reporter’s house to recover antitrust evidence.

One year later with nothing but scorched earth behind them, the Maloofs are at it again – dispatching a former FBI agent to collect information from the 25 local business leaders that asked David Stern to consider changing team ownership.

According to the local CBS affiliate in Sacramento, the FBI agent turned private eye has been contacting those leaders trying to find evidence that one of them forged a signature on the letter they sent to Stern, which was largely ceremonial in nature.

“We got a call from somebody claiming to be a private investigator and trying to get in touch with myself to see if we signed a letter to the NBA commissioner; because they believe our names were forged,” said Stranley Lukowicz.

When asked if his name was forged, Lukowicz said, “No they were not.”

CBS13 asked George Maloof about the ex-FBI agent inquiry by phone and text, and received a statement from his spokesperson.

“It is the Kings’ and Maloof policy not to discuss internal business,” the statement read.

Barring something extremely unforeseen, it’s hard to see the relevance of a theoretically forged signature if the family’s goal is to stay in Sacramento (it’s not).

But if you want to make things uncomfortable for those that might be angling against you, or if you’re collecting more evidence for a future antitrust lawsuit – by all means — go hire a PI and disenfranchise your entire sponsor base.

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The Philadelphia 76ers’ 92-83 Game 4 win over the Boston Celtics may be remembered for many things: altogether brutal offensive play, defensive flurries, or even a pair of huge Andre Iguodala makes in the closing minutes of a game where points were precious.

Or, more realistically, this is exactly the kind of game that might be swept under the playoff rug altogether. Our basketball memories don’t exactly cling to these 48-minute slogs, and though this was a crucial win for a Sixers team fighting for the possibility of a potential upset, it was ultimately the kind of contest that holds more weight in narrative worth than it does in strategic or aesthetic relevance.

And if this game really is destined to be forgotten in the playoff mass, I only ask that a few important footnotes be worked into the total playoff tales of these two battle-hardened clubs. Friday night brought no revelation or reinvention, but if we cast a light on certain spots, it did offer bits of valuable affirmation.

The Sixers, scoring in balance: As mentioned above, Iguodala (16 points) was able to dole out the killing blows, but his late-game success provided a stark counter to his early ineffectiveness. The same could be said of Evan Turner (16 points), who was slow to start but ultimately instrumental. Or Lou Williams (15 points), who orchestrated the offense to startling effectiveness in the second half. Throw in Thaddeus Young (12 points), who functioned as the Sixers’ most productive big, and Jrue Holiday (11 points), and Philadelphia managed five double-digit scorers in a game where points were fairly rare. There was no anchor for the Sixers, save their defensive system; Iguodala may get to play the hero after laughing last, but it was the collective and persistent work of his team’s offense that finally pulled this game out. Philly’s offense may not be the most secure out there, but they managed to knock down the vaunted Boston D in the second half — a feat which shouldn’t be taken lightly.

The Boston Celtics are — even at their best — utterly inconsistent: The Sixers are by no means some monument to basketball stability, but their prospects also aren’t considered as seriously as Boston’s are. As such, Philly is allowed its flaws, while Boston must answer for its own. Due to prestige and familiarity, the Celtics are still regarded as something resembling an elite team; they hold the same core and the same Celtic green, and as such we’re apparently supposed to pretend that they still have a notable chance at this year’s title. It’s simply not so, and this is one area in which Boston’s regular season performance is particularly telling. These Celtics are simply too erratic to take a series against a more proficient opponent; it’s one thing to take down the Atlanta Hawks or even these Sixers, but the prospect of toppling the Heat or Pacers is incredibly slim, and the chances of beating the Spurs or Thunder even more so given Boston’s volatility.

Kevin Garnett‘s carriage reverts to a pumpkin: KG had been among the finest performers of the postseason, and his offensive progression gave Boston’s offense a surprising buoyancy. With Garnett operating so consistently and efficiently from the block, the chronically injured Celtics were finally able to bank on the slightest offensive foundation, and build leads with something other than the strength of their ever-impressive defense. Not only did that defense break down a bit in Game 4, but so too did Garnett. KG finished the evening with nearly as many turnovers (seven) as points (nine), as the defense he anchors also ceded a ridiculous advantage to the creatively limited 76ers offense. Garnett’s hardly done yet, and if nothing else, we should expect the Celtics’ defense to bounce back in both spirit and scheme for Game 5 on their home floor. But it remains to be seen if he can hold up with such a substantial offensive workload going forward; Boston already relies on Garnett to maintain so much of their defense, and considering his wear and age, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see the Celtics’ star fade ever so slightly. As much of a unique joy as it’s been to see Garnett turn back the clock, these futile fights against time itself can only last so long.

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This was a beating. A smackdown. A trouncing. A demolition. A boat race. A blowout. A “hit ‘em in the head with a shovel and drag their team to an unmarked grave,” “nail ‘em with a 2X4, watch them stagger around and then slam the door on them on the way out,” downright unavoidable-to-say butt kicking. The Thunder destroyed the Lakers 119-90 Monday to win Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series.

The Thunder scored 39 points in the third quarter to bust the lead open. It was a 30-point lead late in the quarter, the starters didn’t play the fourth, Devin Ebanks was ejected in garbage time, and the Lakers essentially embarrassed themselves every way possible.

Some numbers, just for fun.

The Thunder finished with a 132 offensive efficiency. In the third quarter, they had a 161 offensive efficiency. They started the third with a 22-6 run. In six minutes. In six minutes, the Thunder scored 22 points, the Lakers just six. Kevin Durant had 10 points in that span, all with Metta World Peace on the floor.

Thundertality.

So for the Thunder, the only thing you can really say is “do that more.” They played nearly perfectly, holding Kobe Bryant to 20 points on 18 shots, Paul Gasol to 10 points on 11 shots, and Ramon Sessions to just 2 points. They dominated every area of the game, played their way and hit absolutely everything they put up. This is not rocket science. Play that way, all the time, and you win a title.

For the Lakers?

OK, some caveats. The Lakers are two days removed from a Game 7 which is a physically and emotionally draining experience. They were on the road against a rested and ready OKC team who have young legs and are able to get up emotionally for Game 1s. The Thunder nailed everything in sight and the Lakers were just a step behind. It’s just one game. The Lakers can recover, respond, and tie the series on Wednesday. Losing by this much doesn’t have influence on the start of Game 2. It’ll be 0-0.

That said…

A message was sent.

The Thunder ran them out the building, and no one responded. There was no fight, no charge, no big move or surge. They didn’t even trim the lead in half to make a point going into Game 2. They just wilted. The Lakers are supposed to be a better defensive team, but they were crushed by the Thunder’s three-headed monster. Everything went wrong at once for the Lakers, and they do not appear to be aware that they are facing a team that finished with more wins, including two over them in dominant fashion this season. They do not appear to recognize that the Thunder are not kids who they can take lightly. This team is dangerous and has matchup advantages over the Lakers.

If the Lakers are going to win this series, if they’re going to win a game, everything has to change.

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Lakers guard Steve Blake and his wife received some serious threats via Twitter after the Lakers’ Game 2 loss to Oklahoma City on Wednesday. It’s the negative part about the way social media works, where anonymous lunatics can lash out at those in the public eye without consequence.

The events affected Blake and his family obviously, but they also had an affect on Lakers head coach Mike Brown.

Speaking before Game 3 on Friday, Brown struggled to find the words to express his feelings on the matter, before speaking emotionally and angrily about the way Blake and his family were attacked.

“We understand the passion and the love that people have for this team, and I respect that,” Brown said. “I respect you guys saying what you want to say about me and Steve, and beating us up; that’s you guys’ job, and you respect people saying that stuff. But … everybody has family. You don’t want to touch that. That’s the only thing, and it gets me emotional right now. I just feel bad for his family, I feel bad for him. That just shouldn’t be a part of life, to have somebody want to do stuff like that, attack your family. Frickin’ kids, man? That’s … no. I don’t like that.”

Brown believes Blake will be able to play through it, but reiterated just how tough it is for a player to have to deal with something like this.

“He handled it I guess the best he can,” Brown continued. “You guys wouldn’t like that. Nobody would like that. You kind of feel helpless out there, because all these people — you don’t know who did it. And people know when we’re leaving, and when we’re in town. That’s tough to deal with, man. Tough … It’s a shame. It’s a doggone shame.”

Thunder head coach Scott Brooks spoke more briefly on the matter, but he seemed to take it just as seriously.

“It doesn’t make sense,” he said. “It is a game, and it is an important game for both teams. But it’s not that important.”

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AP

It was a bit surprising in historical context — this is the Boston Celtics, the franchise of Bill Russell, the team who one a 2008 title thanks to their big front line — but it worked, and that’s all Doc Rivers cares about.

In Game 1, Rivers went small in the fourth quarter with Kevin Garnett at center, Paul Pierce at the four with series of different wings and guards, the Celtics outscored the Sixers by five to win 92-91.

Half of what worked with that lineup was the defense. Philly struggled to get good looks and knock down shots — and were forced to shoot a lot from the midrange and ended up shooting 38 percent in the fourth quarter. Boston’s defense is hard enough to score on, but the Sixers played right into their hands.

The other half was at the other end, Boston ran a lot of Kevin Garnett/Rajon Rondo pick-and-roll and spaced the floor with shooters. Philly could not adjust. They need to for Game 2 (more and better Thaddeus Young please).

Both teams come into Game 2 with some reasons for optimism.

For Boston, they really didn’t play that well, especially for the first 35 minutes of Game 1. Pierce shot just 3-11 with Andre Iguodala on him for long stretches, Rajon Rondo was just 6-15. Ray Allen was 2-7 from three, the rest of the team was 0-11 from deep. These shots can fall. There should be credit given to the Sixers here, they had to give up something and they did — Kevin Garnett or other Celtics bigs and the 18 footer. Thing is, KG can knock that down pretty consistently.

Boston just needs to get a little more offense from guys like Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass. And they need to rebound better, second chance points were big for the 76ers in Game 1.

For Philly, they could have won Game 1 on the road, they led most of the way, which should show to them they can hang in this series. There were stretches and lineups where the Sixers were able to get out and run and get some easy transition buckets on the Celtics. They need do more of that.

They need to bounce back mentally and not just expect the Celtics to outplay them at the end. Also, they need more out of Elton Brand.

If Boston can win and go up 0-2 it’s hard to see Philly coming back to win four out of the next five. But if Philly can make a couple more plays and even the series, then it is on.

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We’ve all been beaten by “old man game,” just ask the Clippers what it’s like. But this is ridiculous.

Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving teamed up with Pepsi Max to do a video where he dresses up like an old man, “Uncle Drew,” goes to the playground, gets in a game then just abuses people. Does it look staged? Yes. Who cares, this is funny stuff.

He should totally do this at like Venice Beach in LA this summer.

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It wasn’t easy for the Lakers in Game 7, just as it wasn’t easy for them the entire series. But in the end, L.A. was at full strength for the first time this postseason, and played to its strengths for much of the night, ending Denver’s season 96-87 at Staples Center on Saturday, and advancing to a second-round date with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the process.

Lakers starting forward Metta World Peace, playing for the first time in these playoffs after serving his seven-game suspension for elbowing James Harden in the head a couple of weeks back, made his impact felt on the defensive end all night long, holding Danilo Gallinari to just three points on 1-of-9 shooting.

The reintroduction of World Peace into the Lakers lineup was noticeable, but more important was the assertion and re-emergence of Pau Gasol as a dominant presence inside.

Gasol played like we all know he can in this one, after two consecutive dismal playoff performances that left us wondering what needed to happen in order to snap him out of whatever funk he happened to be in. Gasol was aggressive from the start in Game 7, and dominated on the glass with 17 rebounds — 11 offensive — while leading the Lakers in scoring with 23 points.

Andrew Bynum had 18 rebounds of his own, and finished with 17 points, but did so on just 4-of-15 shooting.

Kobe Bryant finished with 17 points and eight assists, but for the most part, deferred to his teammates when he saw consistent double teams from the Denver defense all night long. Bryant uncharacteristically took just two field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, and scored just three points on an attempt behind the arc with under a mintue to play that pushed the Laker lead to eight, and out of reach for a Nuggets team that had fought back time and again all night, and all series long.

In addition to the return of World Peace and the re-assertion of Gasol, Steve Blake was huge offensively for Los Angeles. He made timely buckets throughout the game, and finished with a big 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench.

It was a tightly-contested game for most of the night, but the Lakers were able to get out to a 16-point lead with less then seven minutes to play in the third. The Nuggets refused to fold, however, and played with the heart, desire, and drive that they had all series long. Denver was able to come back to tie the game before the third quarter was through, and trailed by just a single point heading into the fourth.

Bryant’s defense took center stage at that point, as he switched onto Lawson for the remainder of the game. Lawson was controlling the game for Denver at every turn, and had 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting through three quarters. But in the fourth, with Bryant defending, he was unable to get anything going, and went 0-for-5 in the final period without a single point and just two assists.

There weren’t too many surprises in this Game 7; with World Peace back in the starting lineup, the Lakers’ defense was stronger, and with Gasol showing up and giving maximum effort, the Lakers are always going to be tough to stop. As L.A. looks forward to its matchup with Oklahoma City, consistency will be the word thrown around the most in the Lakers’ camp, especially when discussing the play of the bigs inside.

Bryant is always going to be there as an offensive option that is scary for his opponent. But if OKC chooses to take him out of the equation with frequent hard double teams as Denver did in Game 7, the Lakers now know that they have plenty of other options.

Whether or not the Lakers can stop the weapons the Thunder have offensively is another matter entirely. But at least after Saturday night’s win to closeout the Nuggets, they’ve earned themselves the opportunity to give it their best shot.

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