Parker says Westbrook hasn't faced PG like him yet (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 16:22:04 PDT)
SAN ANTONIO (AP) It's the main event of the Western Conference finals: Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook, All-Star point guards having their best seasons yet. One going for a fourth NBA championship, the other still chasing his first.

Thunder face West's best in climb toward top (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:03:44 PDT)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) The Oklahoma City Thunder haven't found any shortcuts as they try to climb to the top of the Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Clippers, and Los Angeles Lakers? Gone till November (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 13:30:09 PDT)
The thought, as soon as the Los Angeles Clippers pulled off a deal for All-Star point guard Chris Paul last December, was that the Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers would no doubt meet in the playoffs at some point. That the two teams, with the Dallas Mavericks fading and the Oklahoma City Thunder not having made a major offseason move, would duke it out for the Pacific Division title, and possibly play in the Western Conference finals for the rights to represent the city in the NBA Finals. And why not? Even after trading Lamar Odom for mere payroll relief, the Lakers still looked stout as ever. Kobe Bryant's knee was as good as it had been in years thanks to his experimental knee rehabilitation in Germany and the extended six-month layoff due to the Lakers' relatively early 2010-11 exit and the NBA's lockout. The Clippers would be returning superstar Blake Griffin, they matched Golden State's offer for center DeAndre Jordan, and Paul was supposed to be the guy to find easy buckets when everyone's footwork went awry. Instead, though, both teams petered out in the second round, with just one win between the teams to show for their efforts. The Clippers looked both thin and brittle, overly reliant on Paul to save them from the offensive dregs, with CP3 once again ending his season with a pronounced limp. The Lakers looked disturbingly uneven from night to night, a top-heavy team whose top parts didn't play well with each other. Both went out far earlier than intended by them, or predicted by some, and both have major issues to face as they head into their offseasons a month earlier than they had hoped for way back in December.

Oklahoma City advances to Western Conference finals (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:01:16 PDT)
Oklahoma City is back in the Western Conference finals after outlasting another team that ended its playoff run in recent seasons. The Thunder took care of the Los Angeles Lakers in five games with Monday night's 106-90 romp at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Oklahoma City Thunder Vs. San Antonio Spurs Playoff Schedule (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 23:49:00 PDT)
The 2012 Western Conference finals will begin on Sunday, May 27, setting up what could become an epic series between two completely different teams. The Oklahoma City Thunder vs. San Antonio Spurs playoff series pits a team of up-and-coming stars against a team of savvy veterans, likely giving NBA fans a very exciting match-up.

Thunder sinks Lakers, prepares to battle Spurs in West finals (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 23:21:11 PDT)
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma City Thunder hopes to make more noise in the Western Conference finals that it did last year.

Column: Same skills, new mindset for LeBron? (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 17:51:44 PDT)
Spectacular as it seemed, it was nothing we haven't seen from LeBron James before.

David Stern changed the competition committee to push new rules, report says (Ball Don't Lie)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 14:52:18 PDT)
NBA commissioner David Stern holds a lot of power, but he can't make new on-court rules on his own. That job falls to the league's Competition Committee, an appointed group of owners, general managers, coaches and one player who decide how to improve the sport. In some cases, that involves introducing new rules — in others it means abolishing existing ones. For years, the Competition Committee consisted entirely of general managers. Last week, Stern changed the format and created a new nine-man group including Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. To most observers, the list looked perfectly normal. However, a new report indicates that Stern might have changed the committee to push through a few of his own preferred rules. From Mitch Lawrence for the New York Daily News (via EOB ):

Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant have Thunder looking like champion contenders
(Sun, 20 May 2012 08:40:23 PDT)
The whispers a year ago that the young stars couldn't coexist are fading following another shutdown of the Lakers in Game 4 of the Western semifinals.

Kevin Durant’s game-winner beats the Lakers in Game 4 (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Sat, 19 May 2012 22:53:32 PDT)
The Okahoma City Thunder are a young team, and many fans and observers believe they still need to prove their mettle in close, tense playoff games. Saturday night's Game 4 against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center was one of those games, with the Lakers jumping out to a quick double-digit lead and holding a nine-point advantage heading into the final quarter. By all possible measures, OKC proved itself, taking the game 103-100 and out-executing the home Lakers down the stretch. The finishing blow was Kevin Durant's 3-pointer over Metta World Peace with 13 seconds remaining. Durant's been no stranger to game-winners in these playoffs — this was his third, including this memorable one against Dallas on the postseason's first night — but this one felt a little more special. The context mattered: The Thunder were in danger of seeing the series tied at 2-2, and the shot was the perfect cap to their comeback. More than anything, though, it was impressive just how calm Durant looked throughout the possession. He knew what he wanted to do, got the chance, and executed perfectly. At no point did he seem to lose control of the moment. It was the play of a veteran superstar, not a young kid still finding his way to the top of the league. The Thunder still have much to prove as they try to win a championship, but there's now no question that they're a mature bunch. (Original YouTube video via EOB )

Do the Los Angeles Lakers have a chance in Friday’s Game 3? (Ball Don't Lie)
(Fri, 18 May 2012 13:20:23 PDT)
The Oklahoma City Thunder had the best record in the tough Western Conference for most of the season, and they've yet to lose in six postseason games. The Los Angeles Lakers, meanwhile, struggled through an up and down regular season, and the team has lost nine of its last 13 playoff games, dating back the group's second-round sweep at the hands of the champion Dallas Mavericks last year. An admittedly watered-down version of those Mavs, you'll recall, was swept out of the playoffs by the Thunder just two weeks ago. With this unfortunate bit of history in place, and with a desperate Game 3 set to tip off on Friday night, is it possible the Lakers have any chance — both not only in this series, but in Game 3? That's going to be a tough one, Los Angeles. We're well aware that the team was just over two minutes away from stealing the home-court advantage in this series on Wednesday night. Game 2's final-minute meltdown shouldn't take away from the fact that for 46 minutes the Lakers hedged off of Oklahoma City's screens expertly, covered ground in transition, forced nine more turnovers than they were able to in Game 1, while clogging the middle on drives from Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kevin Durant. The defensive template, clearly, is in place.

Andrew Bynum after 9-0 Thunder run beats Lakers: ‘We’re better than Santa Claus’ (Ball Don't Lie)
(Thu, 17 May 2012 10:20:58 PDT)
After an Andrew Bynum bucket with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to be sitting pretty. They held a seven-point lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder thanks to nearly 46 minutes of gritty ground-and-pound that made the postseason's best offense — yes, the Thunder entered Wednesday night averaging more points per 100 playoff possessions than even the San Antonio Spurs — look disjointed and stale. OKC had hit just 39.7 percent of its shots en route to 68 measly points two nights after scoring 119 in Game 1 , and didn't appear to be anywhere near getting well against a Laker team that had held it to just 20 second-half points. Unfortunately for the Lakers, appearances can be deceiving. Whether you'd like to laud Kevin Durant for the win, damn Kobe Bryant for the loss, do neither or choose both, the fact remains that Oklahoma City went on a 9-0 run in the final 128 seconds to score a 77-75 Game 2 win , take a 2-0 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series and deliver a serious haymaker to L.A.'s spirits as it heads home for Friday night's Game 3. The Lakers blew this one, and their center knows it. Bynum (20 points on 8-of-19 shooting and nine rebounds in the loss) said as much with a sharp, somewhat curious postgame turn of phrase that was shared by the Lakers' Twitter account and later expounded upon by Sekou Smith at NBA.com's Hang Time blog : The Lakers led 75-68 with two minutes to play with the game seemingly in hand. But instead of the veteran Lakers salting this one away with Kobe Bryant finishing the deal, the Lakers lost control of the game and basically gave it away. "We're better than Santa Claus giving out gifts," said Lakers center Andrew Bynum. "We like giving out gifts. We give out games, contracts and rings." "We give out games, contracts and rings." What's that about?

NBA appoints new Competition Committee (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 17:34:24 PDT)
NEW YORK (AP) Coaches Doc Rivers of Boston, Rick Carlisle of Dallas and Lionel Hollins of Memphis have been named to the NBA's Competition Committee.

Coaches, owners have new voice in suggesting changes
(Wed, 16 May 2012 16:56:03 PDT)
Rick Carlisle, coach of the reigning champion Dallas Mavericks, and Dan Gilbert, the club owner spurned by LeBron James, are among 10 people named on Wednesday to the NBA's new competition committee.

Pacers' Larry Bird is NBA Executive of the Year (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 14:33:43 PDT)
Everything always seemed to come so easily for Larry Bird on a basketball court.

David West hustles Pacers off court after Game 2 win, but not quick enough for Dwyane Wade (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Wed, 16 May 2012 06:15:52 PDT)
After Chris Bosh's Game 1 abdominal strain changed the landscape of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Indiana Pacers took advantage of their opportunity in Game 2, scratching out a 78-75 win over the Heat on Tuesday night. It wasn't pretty — the two teams combined to miss 97 field goals in 48 minutes of basketball, including 10 in the final 2:15 of the fourth quarter, as well as 17 free throws, including six in the last 80 seconds — but a win's a win, and given the choice between playing lovely but dropping to 0-2 or getting grimy and being level, Indy'll take the latter. [ Eric Adelson: Miami Heat fail to fill void left by the injured Chris Bosh ] Miami point guard Mario Chalmers had a look at a 3-pointer from the wing that would have knotted the score at 78 with scant seconds remaining, but he missed (though he may have been fouled ) and the final buzzer sounded, at which point several Pacers momentarily got slightly happy. That kind of thing can happen when your team just stole a physical one on the road, securing a split at AmericanAirlines Arena that sends you back to Indiana with home-court advantage and much sunnier prospects than most outside of Bankers Life Fieldhouse imagined a week ago. The reserved revelry was short-lived, though — David West, Indiana's taciturn power forward, quickly kiboshed it, shepherding his teammates off the floor and back to the Indiana locker room. "You know, we can't get too excited because we won one game," said West — who led Indiana with 16 points (14 of which came in the second half) and 10 rebounds — during his postgame press conference, which you can watch in full after the jump. "That's not our goal in this series. We can't overreact because we were able to get one game down here. We've got to win professionally and understand that we haven't reached the goal that we set out to reach."

Heat fail to fill void left by Chris Bosh
(Tue, 15 May 2012 21:51:47 PDT)
The Heat succumbed to the Pacers' physicality in Game 2.

Pacers win in Miami to tie series (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 20:10:24 PDT)
MIAMI -- The Miami Heat got some of the best of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but a two-man game for a team built around the premise of a Big Three wasn't enough Tuesday night.

Coach Rick Carlisle agrees to new deal with Mavs (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 16:19:29 PDT)
DALLAS (AP) The coach who led the Dallas Mavericks to their only NBA championship is staying put.

NBA roundup: Bulls' Rose may miss 2 months of next season (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 15 May 2012 15:40:41 PDT)
Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose could miss the two months of next season while recovering from knee surgery.