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GAME: Dallas Mavericks at Miami Heat.
PLAYOFF SERIES: NBA finals; Mavericks lead 2-1.
TIME: Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT.
The Miami Heat have admitted to playing poorly for almost all of the NBA finals. It was their performance over the span of half a quarter, however, that has them right back in the series.
Miami looks to build off its furious comeback at the end of Game 3 and tie the NBA finals at two games apiece as it hosts the Dallas Mavericks.
The Heat were outplayed in the first two games of this series in Dallas, losing both contests by a combined 24 points, and found themselves on the verge of going down 3-0 when they trailed the Mavs 89-76 with just under seven minutes to go in the fourth quarter on Tuesday.
But behind Dwayne Wade, the Heat mounted the second-largest fourth-quarter rally in NBA finals history, outscoring the Mavs 22-7 over the final 6:34 to come away with a 98-96 win.
"I said, 'I ain't going out like this,"' Wade told his teammates.
Wade tied a career playoff-high with 42 points, with 15 coming in the final quarter - 12 during the game-ending spurt.
"As a team, we just came out and said this could be the season if they win this game," Wade said. "We came out, ran our offense to the crisp, locked down on defense and came back and won this game."
Wade was hurt with 10:41 left in the third quarter when Shaquille O'Neal fell backward into his left knee. Wade didn't practice Wednesday, but said he would play when the series resumes Thursday.
"Going to bed at night and waking up, it's very stiff and very sore," he said. "The only thing I can continue to do is what I'm ordered to do, and that's a lot of icing. I'm confident in my training staff that they will get me as close as I can be to 100 percent by tomorrow night. So you know, I'm hoping."
Dallas had chances late Tuesday, but Dirk Nowitzki blew an opportunity to tie the game when he missed one of two free throws with 3.4 seconds to go, and Wade knocked away his inbounds pass in the final second on an attempted alley-oop to Josh Howard.
Nowitzki, who finished with 30 points, was 25-of-27 from the line in the series, but could only make the first foul shot.
"We couldn't really get anything down the stretch on both ends of the floor," Nowitzki said. "We started to relax too early or celebrate. We didn't defend them like we did before and we couldn't get anything to drop.
"The only good thing is we're still up 2-1. ... Now we've got a series."
O'Neal had his best game of the finals for Miami with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He also hit two clutch free throws during the epic comeback to pull the Heat within 93-90, and went 4-for-6 from the line after going 2-for-16 in the first two games in Dallas.
"We had 2 1/2 horrible games and now we can use this momentum and pick it up and just try to win four," said O'Neal, who had a playoff career-low five points in Game 2. "We still made a lot of silly mistakes. But, you know, we never gave up. We just kept playing, showed a lot of heart, a lot of intensity.
"We needed this one. Bad."
Dallas' meltdown contributed to its first loss in 26 games this season when Howard scored 20 points, and the Mavs had also won their previous 11 contests when center Erick Dampier reached double figures. Howard had 21, but didn't score over the final 14:42, while Dampier had 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
"We didn't expect it to be easy, but we do feel we gave this game away," said Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse, who was held to four points on 1-of-9 shooting Tuesday. "We should've won this game, that's how we feel. We'll talk about being disappointed, but I don't think we'll be despondent.
"They've played their best ball. Maybe they feel they can play better, but we feel like we took a huge punch and only lost by two."
Miami forward Udonis Haslem had a big Game 3 despite playing with a bruised left shoulder suffered in the second contest of the series. Haslem had eight points and 11 rebounds, including eight offensive, and made two huge free throws after stealing the ball and getting fouled to put the Heat ahead 94-93 with 1:03 remaining.
Haslem said his shoulder feels sore when he raises up to shoot or follow through, but Miami's comeback helped ease the pain.
"We needed this one, and were fortunate enough to get it. Now, we'll just move on to the next game. We can't get too high on our horse after winning just one game."
Game 5 is Sunday in Miami.
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Mavericks - 4th seed, Western Conference; beat Memphis Grizzlies 4-0, first round; beat San Antonio Spurs 4-3, semifinals; beat Phoenix Suns 4-2, finals. Heat - 2nd seed, Eastern Conference; beat Chicago Bulls 4-2, first round; beat New Jersey Nets 4-1, semifinals; beat Detroit Pistons 4-2, finals.
PROBABLE STARTERS: Mavericks - F Howard, F Nowitzki, C DeSagana Diop, G Adrian Griffin, G Jason Terry. Heat - F Antoine Walker, F Haslem, C O'Neal, G Jason Williams, G Wade.
PLAYOFF TEAM LEADERS: Mavericks - Nowitzki, 27.8 ppg and 11.8 rpg; Terry, 4.1 apg. Heat - Wade, 27.0 ppg and 6.0 apg; O'Neal, 9.4 rpg.
We've witnessed buzzer-beaters, nail-biters and upsets.
We've seen the Cinderellas and near dynasties.
We've watched unheralded players stand out and, of course, superstars shine.
Come to think of it, the only thing these NBA playoffs haven't provided that March Madness does is an office pool. (The NBA's Dick Vitale? Charles Barkley. Less loquacious, yes, but who isn't compared to The Original Talking Head?)
Who would have thought the pros could rival the excitement of the 65-team (I hate counting that silly play-in game) NCAA Tournament? But that's exactly what has happened since the NBA playoffs commenced five weeks ago, leaping into its version of the Sweet 16.
"This whole series is one for ESPN Classics," Jason Terry exhaled late Monday night after his Mavericks survived an epic overtime Game 7 in San Antonio in what was an epic series against the defending NBA champions.
So what if the NBA playoffs don't employ a one-and-done format. This postseason is proof, for once, that the NBA's best-of-7series can be no less exhilarating.
I'd even say the NBA playoffs have been more gripping, can't-miss TV this go-round than what the college kids did. And there are few annual sporting events I enjoy more than college basketball's title tournament.
But by the middle of last week, after the NBA playoffs had given us one more game (65) than the college tournament provides, we'd been treated to eight overtime contests, including a double overtime thriller between the Suns and Clippers. The NCAA Tournament produced five overtimes, including one game decided after double overtime.
The NBA playoffs have given us seven games decided by a point. Just three NCAA Tournament games ended with a one-point margin.
And the Mavericks, who won the second-most games in the West, just dethroned the defending champions, who won the most games in the West. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers, the Cinderellas of the pro tournament, nearly toppled the Pistons, who won the most regular-season games of any club.
It was like watching two No. 1 seeds battling it out and George Mason going up against Connecticut. No wonder TV ratings are up for the NBA during these playoffs.
But wait, there's more!
David Stern didn't send me a check for this glowing review of his league's second season. It's just been so compelling that it's impossible to ignore.
In a sense, this is the way it should be. The pros are the best basketball players in the world. They should be serving up these extraordinary performances with some regularity now that the Larry O'Brien trophy is on the line, and they are.
Kobe Bryant almost carried his otherwise star-less team past Steve Nash's Suns in the only first-round series that required seven games. LeBron James and Gilbert Arenas staged a shootout as James dragged his Cavaliers past Arenas' Wizards, four wins to two. James went over 40 points twice, Arenas once. Both averaged well more than 30 points.
Then James continued his impersonation of the second coming of Michael Jordan. Plenty of prodigies fail to live up to the hyperbole. But how many exceed it?
That's one of the funny things about sports. We always say there will never be another so-and-so, and there always is. Never another O.J., then came Barry Sanders. Never another Tom Seaver, then came Roger Clemens.
Never another MJ, then LJ made a playoff game-winning basket and a playoff game-winning pass, just like Jordan did more than once.
There are those among us who'll argue that the NBA doesn't have the pageantry and passion that make the college tournament so great, what with the bands and fight songs and tears of sorrow as well as joy.
No pageantry? True. But that was passion the Cavaliers displayed after returning from a funeral for teammate Larry Hughes' brother and persevering without the grief-stricken guard. That was passion when the Cavaliers looked like a bunch of college kids, piling on Damon Jones after he hit the series-winning, last-second overtime shot against Washington.
That was passion when Jason Terry exulted in the Mavericks' first overtime win against the Spurs after he hit a shot that put his team ahead late in the fourth quarter. That was passion when the millionaire Mavericks and Spurs hit the floor for loose balls in Game 5's final seconds.
"This is the best series I've ever played in," Tim Duncan remarked Monday night in defeat. "Both teams gave it their all, it went down to the wire, it was about whether the ball bounced one way or another ..."
And we've got more games to go.
May Mayhem, let's call it, isn't bad.
Detroit is alive in the East, but two do-or-die matches tonight will decide the matchup in the Western Conference finals
As great as they've been in recent years, the San Antonio Spurs know they probably would have one less NBA championship trophy if Game 7 of last season's finals weren't played on their home court.
After six physical, up-and-down games, the Spurs won their third title in seven years with an 81-74 victory.
It's the same court where the score will be settled between the Spurs and Mavericks in their Western Conference semifinal.
After battling back from a 3-1 series deficit, the Spurs hope to have the advantage with the home crowd urging them on in Game 7 tonight.
So why is home court such a big deal?
"You're more comfortable, you sleep at home, you have your fans behind you when you make runs, and that's important at times," Spurs forward Bruce Bowen said. "But it's the game being played on the court, and it's important that we understand that it's not given to us because we're at home."
In their history, the Spurs are 2-5 in Game 7s. Besides last year's matchup with the Pistons, their only other Game 7 victory occurred in 1979 - when they resided in the Eastern Conference and defeated Philadelphia in a semifinal game that also was played in San Antonio.
The only Game 7 the Spurs lost in San Antonio was in 1981 to Houston in the Western Conference semifinals. The Rockets were coached by Del Harris, who now is an assistant coach with the Mavericks.
When they were in the ABA, the Spurs lost a Game 7 at Indiana in 1974 in the Western Division semifinals. They also lost Game 7 at New York in the 1976 ABA semifinals and at Washington in the NBA East semifinals in 1979.
The Spurs' other Game 7 loss occurred at Portland in two overtimes in the 1990 West semifinals.
As expected, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said the home team doesn't have a magical advantage when it plays a Game 7 at home. However, the home team has won 82 percent of the Game 7s, and it happened again Sunday when the host Detroit Pistons won Game 7 against the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers 79-61 in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
"It doesn't matter where it's being played and thinking about whether it's home or away," Popovich said. "It's just fool's gold."
Suns vs. Clippers: Steve Nash and the rest of the Phoenix Suns got some much-needed rest for their second Game 7 of these playoffs.
They will face a Los Angeles Clippers team playing the biggest game in that franchise's history. The winner tonight advances to the Western Conference finals, where the Clippers have never been.
"It's the ultimate," Nash said after Sunday's practice. "I think both teams are going to be extremely prideful and will play with a lot of emotion. I think it will be a great game."
The contest will be played in front of a raucous, orange-clad packed house at US Airways Center, where the Suns blew out that other Los Angeles team, the Lakers, in Game 7 of the first round.
"I don't anticipate a Lakers Game 7," the Suns' Raja Bell said. "I think they're probably more up for the challenge than the Lakers were as far as being ready to play."
Nash shed a little more light on the nature of his struggles in the series, where his shooting has been off and he hasn't moved in the style that made him the league's Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row.
Nash has a chronic back ailment he has had to deal with for years. At times, the muscles around the damaged area don't provide the support he needs.
After playing 12 playoff games in 23 days, Nash desperately needed the three-day break that precedes tonight's series finale.
The Clippers, of course, have earned some rest, too, and come to Phoenix confident that their interior play, led by Elton Brand at the best he's ever been, can bring a victory in hostile surroundings.
"It's the biggest game of my career," said Brand, who has averaged 24.5 points and 10.4 rebounds in the playoffs, "and I'm just excited and ready to go out there and play."
Violet Palmer became the first woman to referee an NBA playoff game, working Game 2 of the first-round series between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets on Tuesday night.
Palmer worked the game with veteran officials Steve Javie and Ken Mauer.
The 41-year-old Palmer is the only current female official in the NBA. The Los Angeles resident is in her ninth season.
Dee Kanter is the only other woman to referee an NBA game.
Before joining the NBA, Palmer officiated in the WNBA during the league's inaugural season, including the 1997 WNBA championship. She has two years of CBA officiating experience and nine years of collegiate officiating experience, including women's games in the Big Ten, Pac-10, Western Athletic, West Coast, Big Sky, and Big West Conferences.
She also worked five NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA championship games.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have agreed to provide the opening music on NBA Playoff and Finals broadcasts on ABCSports and ESPN. Petty's music will be featured in the opening on all Playoffs and Finals on ABC Sports and on the Eastern Conference Finals on ESPN. The telecasts will also exclusively debut two brand new songs, "Saving Grace" and "Big Weekend," both from Petty's upcoming solo album, "Highway Companion," due out this summer. The NBA playoffs begin on ABC Sports Saturday, April 22 at 3:00PM EDT.
In addition, Petty's hit song, "Runnin' Down A Dream," will be played over NBA highlights; many more of Petty's songs will be part of all ABC Sports and ESPN coverage of the NBA, including classics "I Won't Back Down," "Learning to Fly," "Makin' Some Noise," and "You Wreck Me."
Petty's music and specially provided live footage will be intercut with game highlights from the 2005-2006 season.
During the last thirty years, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers have written and recorded some of the most memorable rock anthems of a generation. They have sold more than 50-million records and have been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers will kick off a major summer North American concert tour in June.
We can't really say the championship is on the line, because true contenders like the Pistons, Spurs and Mavericks won't be tested in the first round. We'll miss the league's worst teams, because no league combines misery and comedy like the NBA: this season, we had the Larry, Steph and Isiah Chronicles ... the Portland/Seattle "Who can leave the this wonderful corner of the country first? " contest ... Kevin Garnett's extremely lucrative prison term in Minnesota ... and, making a late but spirited entrance into the sweepstakes, here come Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, entering the 76ers' arena extremely late and with no spirit.
But we can get excited anyway, especially if the alternative is, like, reading a book or something. And there is a reason to get excited about the start of the playoffs.
LeBron James makes his postseason debut.
What could happen?
In his first playoff appearance, Magic Johnson led the Lakers to a championship ... as a rookie ... with a 42-point, 15-rebound, seven-assist title-clinching performance while playing out of position.
In his first playoff appearance, Michael Jordan was actually quite mediocre by Michael Jordan standards. In other words, he was excellent: He averaged 29.3 points in a four-game series loss against Milwaukee. But the real "I'm here" moment came the next year, when Jordan scored a playoff-record 63 points in one game against the Boston Celtics, who were merely one of the finest teams ever.
Why do Magic and Michael matter? Because James can be as good as either of them. Yes, either of them. I'll make my case quickly, before somebody comes barging through my door to smite me.
James entered the NBA with more hype than any high school player ever — and arguably more hype than any player, period. In three years, he has been better than anybody could have realistically expected — yet, inexplicably, he is now underrated in some circles. A lot of people still don't understand how good he is — not potentially, but right now. It is absurd for a 21-year-old to do what James is doing. For some perspective: James is only five months older than Chris Paul and a month younger than Andrew Bogut.
He is the third-leading scorer in the NBA, an exceptional passer and a very good rebounder. His only real weaknesses are defense and free-throw shooting, but is there anybody who thinks those will be career-long weaknesses?
With his coordination and scoring touch, James can easily become an 80-percent-plus free-throw shooter. And with his size, athleticism, and feel for the game, James can develop into an outstanding defender if he chooses. And the guess here is that he'll put in the effort to do just that.
James is likely to finish in the top three in the MVP voting. The race is too close to call now, but the best guess is that James either wins the trophy or finishes second to Kobe Bryant. For comparison purposes: Jordan won his first MVP in his fourth season, when he was 25 (though admittedly, he had a Bird/Magic wall in front of him). Bryant, supposedly the Air heir, is six years older than LeBron — and James is already on the same plane. Kobe is probably a better all-around player than LeBron right now (surely he is a better scorer), but he doesn't have LeBron's feel for the game — and LeBron is more likely to improve his defense than Kobe is to connect with his teammates.
The other knock on LeBron is that, until last month, he had never hit a game-winning shot in high school or the pros. But if you saw the end of James's epic duel with Wade a few weeks ago, you know that he makes plenty of down the-stretch plays to win games. The game-winning shots will come.
LeBron is bigger than Kobe; bigger and a better shooter than Dwyane Wade; and as gifted athletically as either of them. These are fun arguments — one would have to get really drunk to argue against any of these guys. They are all a joy to watch, all exceptional players. But arguments like LeBron vs. Kobe are a lot more entertaining than, say, Steve Blake vs. Chris Duhon. Long-term, I'll take LeBron in that fight. And the fight gets more interesting right about now.
all over but the seeding.
With just one game left in the NBA regular season for most teams, we already know who’s going to the playoffs and who’s been eliminated. But there should still be plenty of motivation left to go around over the next two days. Seeds have to be determined, the draft lottery order is still up in the air, and home finales have yet to be played. These three factors will surely affect the outcomes of the remaining games on the schedule.
The most interesting battle is in the Eastern Conference, where just half a game separates the fourth-place Washington Wizards (40-40) from the three teams tied for fifth at 40-41: the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers and the Chicago Bulls. All four teams will be relieved just to make the playoffs, but they can’t stop working now. Whoever earns the No. 4 seed gets home-count advantage in the first round of the postseason. Meanwhile, whoever finishes seventh has to play the 52-28 Miami Heat; the No. 8 seed gets the onerous task of facing the 64-17 Detroit Pistons. Good luck with that.
Tuesday night’s matchup at the MCI Center between the Bucks and Wizards should be a barnburner. The Wiz finally got small forward Caron Butler back into the lineup Monday after he missed five games with a sprained right thumb; Washington lost all five (2-3 against the spread) to come perilously close to missing the playoffs. Butler helped save the day by dumping 21 points, eight rebounds and four steals on the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 104-92 win, cashing in as a 5 ½-point home favorite. The Wiz need to keep it up against a Bucks team that has won three of four (2-2 ATS), including a key victory over Washington last week.
Along with a game in hand, the Wizards have the advantage of playing in front of the hometown faithful. They’re not so fortunate when it comes to Wednesday’s season finale in Detroit against the Pistons. The 2004 NBA champions have dropped the cash in each of their last three games, giving a halfhearted effort in Toronto and Milwaukee. As important as it is for the Pistons to stay healthy for their long climb back to the top of the mountain (they sat both forward Rasheed Wallace and guard Richard Hamilton against the Bucks), they won’t want to leave the Palace at Auburn Hills on a losing note. The same can be said for all the clubs as they play their last home games of the regular season.
This even goes for the non-playoff bound teams who are jockeying for position in the draft lottery. Heading into Tuesday’s action, the Portland Trail Blazers had the lousiest record in the league at 21-60 (33-45-2 ATS), one game worse than the New York Knicks (37-44 ATS). The Blazers finish up the season Wednesday at home against the Phoenix Suns. The Knicks, however, are on the road against the New Jersey Nets. It would surprise nobody if the Knicks, especially without coach Larry Brown, laid a Grade-A egg against the Nets to “earn” their 60th loss of the season. Then it’ll be up to the Blazers to decide whether to give it their all in front of the Rose Garden crowd, or to secure the best chance in the lottery for a No. 1 pick. Expect the former.
The surging Sacramento Kings try to give themselves a chance to finish as the seventh seed in the Western Conference when they play the Seattle SuperSonics in their regular-season finale.
Sacramento clinched its eighth straight postseason appearance Sunday when Utah lost 111-95 at Dallas. The Kings then went out and beat New Orleans 96-79 to improve to 8-2 in their last 10 contests.
Sacramento is in eighth place in the conference, and can finish seventh with a win Tuesday and a Lakers' loss to the Hornets on Wednesday.
If the Kings remain in the eighth spot, they will meet defending NBA champion San Antonio in the first round of the playoffs. Finishing seventh will give them a matchup with Pacific Division-champion Phoenix.
The Kings' postseason chances looked slim midway through the season when they were sitting at 18-24, but a Jan. 25th trade that sent Peja Stojakovic to Indiana for Ron Artest began to turn their season around.
Sacramento has gone 25-14 with Artest in the starting lineup.
``It's gratifying to come from where we were, especially the last three weeks,'' Kings coach Rick Adelman said. ``We got back into this thing, and that's a real accomplishment. On Jan. 30, we were behind about six teams that didn't make it. ... This is the fun part. It's a new season, and anything can happen.''
Artest, who is playing with his injured right thumb heavily wrapped, had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists Sunday.
``We're not finished,'' he said. ``We've got a long season ahead of us. We're far from done. Our goal is to come out of this year No. 1, and win a championship.''
Before the Kings begin that quest, they'll try to continue their strong play at home, where they've won 17 of their last 20 games.
Sacramento has won nine of the last 11 meetings against the Sonics at Arco Arena, outscoring them by an average of 13.4 points in those matchups. Artest is averaging 32.0 points in two games against Seattle this season.
The Sonics, who eliminated Sacramento from the playoffs last season, snapped a three-game losing streak with a 114-98 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
Ray Allen scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and needs 10 3s in his last two games to set the NBA record for most made in a season. Dennis Scott hit 267 3-pointers for Orlando in 1995-96.
Although the Sonics will miss the playoffs for the third time in four seasons, coach Bob Hill said his squad is focused.
``We're still playing to try and create a foundation,'' said Hill, who had his 2006-07 option picked up on Monday, 3 1/2 months after the Sonics promoted him to replace the fired Bob Weiss. ``We want to continue to build confidence going into the offseason and into camp next year. These games are important to us.''
STANDINGS: SuperSonics - 3rd place, 9 1/2 GB, Northwest Division. Kings - 4th place, 10 GB, Pacific Division.
PROBABLE STARTERS: SuperSonics - F Rashard Lewis, F Chris Wilcox, C Johan Petro, G Allen, G Luke Ridnour. Kings - F Artest, F Kenny Thomas, C Brad Miller, G Bonzi Wells, G Mike Bibby.
TEAM LEADERS: SuperSonics - Allen, 25.0 ppg; Robert Swift, 5.6 rpg; Ridnour, 6.8 apg. Kings - Bibby, 21.1 ppg and 5.5 apg; Miller, 7.8 rpg.
SEASON SERIES: Kings, 2-1.
LAST MEETING: March 21; Kings, 105-96. At Sacramento, Calif., Artest scored a season-high 34 points, Bibby added 30 and Thomas had a double-double.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: SuperSonics - 13-27 on the road; Kings - 26-14 at home.
Are the 76ers, Maurice Cheeks was asked, playing like a playoff team?
Not right now, the coach replied.
Not with the level of their performance in Sunday's 92-79 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Not coming off an arguably worse performance in Friday's 102-86 loss to the Orlando Magic.
Not with six losses in their last seven games, and nine losses in their last 11.
But there the Sixers are, mired in the No. 8 - and last - playoff berth in the NBA's Eastern Conference, treating their tenuous position as if it were quicksand.
There they are, at 32-37, 1 ½ games ahead of the No. 9 Chicago Bulls and 2 ½ games behind the No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks. They would have to win 11 of their remaining 13 games to equal last season's 43-39 finish. Two of those games will be against the Bulls, April 5 in the Wachovia Center and April 8 in the United Center. And before that, they have to contend - perhaps a poor choice of words - with the defending Eastern champion Detroit Pistons tomorrow night.
Talk about being great pretenders.
"For us to not hold on to that eighth [spot], we have to continue to lose, and somehow, someway, we have to change that, change the feeling, change the vibe," Cheeks was saying after practice yesterday at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "We've got to get some confidence in there; certainly, you look at Chicago right there, and there's a balance that can go any way at any time. We have to somehow change that."
It's obviously of critical importance to the coach. But given the listless performances against the Magic and the Pacers, what about the players?
"I would assume it is [important to them]," Cheeks said. "I told them [yesterday], I was sitting in that seat at one time; I know the feeling of playing important games, and knowing the things you have to do and getting ready to play. I can't say to a player after a game, 'Show me some feeling.' I don't know how to make that feeling for them. I know how I felt as a player. I know how I feel as a coach. I've been on both sides of the fence. If I [lost] a game and didn't feel I gave everything I had, I know how that feels. I want them to feel that.
"I want it to be not just another game. Sometimes we get caught in that feeling of thinking that we have next year and we have the next year [after that] instead of taking the moment as it is. The moment is like the Indiana game, and not using all of that to try and win [that] game."
Disappointment reigns.
"It's obvious, we're not playing as a playoff team," point guard Kevin Ollie said. "If we keep playing like this, we're not going to be a playoff team, because Chicago's going to catch us, Boston's going to catch us [from the No. 10 spot]. We've got to win; that's the bottom line. There's no sugarcoating. We've got to play better.
"The last two games, we weren't there in the fourth quarter [down 20 to the Magic, down 21 to the Pacers]. We're relying on our offense, and relying on perfect plays, and we're not talented enough to make offensive plays like the Phoenix Suns and teams that can get away with not playing defense all the time. We have to keep the game close in the fourth quarter, and then our superstars, Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, [can] make some key plays for us. Allen can score all the points he wants, [and] if we're not stopping anyone on the other end, sooner or later, Allen's going to miss."
More disappointment.
"I said it after Orlando; I was disappointed that the level we need to be at, we weren't there," Cheeks said. "Looking over the tape [of the Pacers game] again, [there's] just not the sense of urgency there. I have to take some responsibility in that; I have to get these guys ready, get them up, get them prepared as much as I possibly can, every possession. Possessions become quarters; quarters become games."
And the games, if you haven't noticed, are running out. That, to Cheeks, means this is no time to rely on what he calls "gimmicks," intricate zones and traps.
"Really, you have to learn how to guard your man at some point," he said.
Ben Gordon was in a familiar position at the start of Sunday's game against the Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden.
He was the sixth man.
Last season as a rookie, Gordon started just three games. But he averaged 15.1 points, was a dangerous three-point shooter and won the NBA's Sixth Man Award as the Bulls qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1998.
This season Gordon, the starting shooting guard on UConn's 2004 NCAA title team, moved into the starting lineup in December. And in 41 games he averaged 18.1 points and shot 43.2 percent, including 42.6 percent on threes.
But this month during a four-game losing streak, he had a similar slide in which he averaged 11 points and shot 30.8 percent. With the Bulls trying to overtake the Philadelphia 76ers for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, Bulls coach Scott Skiles made a lineup change Friday against New Orleans. He replaced Gordon - the team's leading scorer (16.4) - with Chris Duhon.
Skiles said he wanted "to shake up things, to create some matchups off the bench that were beneficial." Gordon responded by scoring a game-high 25 points (9-for-15, including 3-for-6 on threes) to lead the Bulls to a 96-82 victory.
The Celtics witnessed his second act.
With just over three minutes left and the Celtics leading 89-86, Gordon converted a three-point play off a drive in the lane. He scored 11 of the Bulls' final 15 points, including eight in a row.
"It was the fourth quarter with this game, a big game, on the line," he said. "I knew it was time to step up."
The Bulls won, 101-97.
Gordon ranks ninth in the NBA with a 42.6 three-point shooting percentage and made nine threes earlier in a game against Phoenix. But that's not how he beat the Celtics. He dribbled past them for two layups and was 5-for-5 from the free-throw line as Paul Pierce (twice) and Raef LaFrentz had to foul him to prevent additional layups.
Gordon finished with 17 points - 13 in the fourth quarter - in 31 minutes.
"He has proven he's very effective doing that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "Sometimes players don't want to come off the bench. Others have the maturity to do it well. And it seems Gordon is one of those guys. He's a scorer, if he starts or comes off the bench. He has a great scorer's mentality. When he's on, he's on. He seems to be on in the fourth quarter."
The Celtics tried Pierce, Tony Allen and Wally Szczerbiak defending Gordon in the final quarter. None was effective as Gordon shot 4-for-7.
Two of his nicknames, "Big Ben" and "Mr. Fourth Quarter," were appropriate. The latter was founded on his exploits of last season, including scoring 22 points in the final quarter against Charlotte and hitting the winning shot with 1 second left against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.
Earlier this season he scored 32 points and made another winning shot - a three - at Madison Square Garden.
"I'm a Mount Vernon [N.Y.] guy, so I love playing at the Garden," he said.
Sunday, Gordon enjoyed another Garden party.
"When they changed the name back to the Garden, I knew it was going to be a good place for me to play," he said.
As for coming off the bench, Gordon noted he usually plays during crunch time. He played the entire fourth quarter against the Celtics.
"I'm still learning out here," he said. "Last year as a rookie, I didn't know a whole lot. Experience teaches you stuff. ... When I'm on the bench, I watch matchups and the offensive and defensive tendencies of the guys out there. It's game focus, even though I'm not in the game - yet."
Skiles said using Gordon off the bench isn't a permanent move.
"Ben has had a good year," Skiles said. "Not starting isn't a reflection of Ben. When considering a lineup move to get some energy out there, you have to consider how that player will respond. Ben has proven he can come off the bench, score and be very productive."
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