Tony Parker On Game 4: ‘I Will Be Ready’

SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker will play tonight in Game 4 of the NBA Finals.

“I will be ready,” the All-Star point guard said after participating in the San Antonio Spurs’ Thursday morning shootaround.

Parker provided no other information about the status of his ailing right hamstring. An MRI on Wednesday revealed a Grade 1 strain and he was listed as day-to-day. With each inquiry about pain or limited mobility, Parker stuck with the mantra, “I’ll be ready to play.”

The Spurs lead the series, 2-1.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was first to break the good news, but also kept any information regarding Parker’s ability to play at or near full strength, or if he’ll take precaution in how he’ll utilize Parker to himself: “He’ll play,” Popovich said. “Tony’s ready to go.”

That’s huge news for the Spurs, who desperately need their leading scorer and assist man of the postseason to orchestrate the offense against the Heat’s defense.

“When he’s going, he’s pretty much our whole offense,” said reserve guard Gary Neal, who said Parker looked good during a light shootaround. “We pretty much feed off of him as far as him scoring or him making plays for other people to score. That’s a big brick off of our shoulders that Tony’s coming out and playing tonight.”

Parker is averaging 23.1 ppg and 7.1 apg while shooting 47 percent in the playoffs.

Source: NBA.com

Westbrook injury hurts Thunder's NBA title hopes

The Oklahoma City Thunder suffered a massive blow to their NBA title hopes today, when All-Star guard Russell Westbrook was ruled out indefinitely because of upcoming surgery on his right knee.

The 24-year-old suffered a lateral meniscus tear during the second quarter of Oklahoma's 105-102 victory over the Houston Rockets on Thursday (NZT), a win that put them up 2-0 in the first-round best-of-seven playoff series.

Westbrook, a three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star who averaged 23.2 points during the regular season, will have surgery in the coming days, but no timetable has been set for his return, the team said in a statement.

"Our players' health is our first and foremost concern," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said. "The Thunder's medical team and several specialists we consulted with determined that Russell undergo a procedure to address the issue.

"We have thoroughly discussed this with Russell. Despite being the competitor and team-mate that he is, he respects and understands the decision, and is committed to come back even stronger.

"Certainly, Russell is a leader and core player for this team, but we are in the midst of the playoffs, and I know other players are determined to step up and contribute."

Westbrook, who has never missed an NBA game during five seasons in the league, was injured while going for a steal, when his knee collided with Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley's hip.

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant, a four-time All-Star, said the team would have to "rally around each other and play Thunder basketball" in Westbrook's absence.

"We're not trying to rush him or bring him back ahead of schedule," Durant, 24, said. "We want to make sure he's healthy and his knee is right.

"That's our only concern with it right now. All he has to worry about is him getting healthy."

The top-seeded Thunder, who won the Western Conference last season, are widely regarded as the biggest challenger to the NBA champion Miami Heat during this campaign.

Original post @ http://tvnz.co.nz/basketball-news/westbrook-injury-hurts-thunder-s-nba-title-hopes-5418995

Clippers' Paul wins Kia Community Assist Award for April

NEW YORK -- Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is the recipient of the "Kia Community Assist Award" for April in recognition of his outstanding efforts in the community, ongoing advocacy, and philanthropy, the NBA announced today.

Kia and the NBA are honoring Paul for his commitment to the well-being of youth, as well as his continuous efforts through the CP3 Foundation. The six-time NBA All-Star is passionate about using his influence to enhance the work of national and international non-profit organizations to help communities around the world. April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Paul is showing his support as a spokesperson for Prevent Child Abuse America, a national organization that works to ensure the healthy development of children. Paul is currently featured in Prevent Child Abuse America's Ties for a Cause campaign, with proceeds benefitting the organization, and also participated in a fundraising auction to raise additional funds for the organization.

"I learned at an early age that you can make a major difference in someone's life by supporting your community," said Paul. "Community service is not something I have to do; it's something I want to do. While donating money is important, it is also important to be visible in the community and sharing time with people so that they know you care."

Paul demonstrates an even greater commitment to service through the CP3 Foundation, which strives to enhance and promote education, health, sports, and social responsibility for youth and families. Established in 2005, the foundation focuses on enriching communities through a number of initiatives, including the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship Fund, the CP3K Walk for Kids, CP3 Afterschool Zone, and the Jada Paul Prom Dress Giveaway.

This month, the CP3 Foundation held its 2nd annual Jada Paul Prom Dress Giveaway for 130 high school juniors/ seniors. Teenage girls from the Los Angeles area took part in a day full of dress selection, beauty giveaways, and motivational speakers. Prior to tonight's home game against the Memphis Grizzlies, NBA Cares Ambassador Bob Lanier will be on hand to present Paul with the "Kia Community Assist Award." Paul will receive the David Robinson Plaque with the inscription, "Following the standard set by NBA Legend David Robinson who improved the community piece by piece." In addition, Kia and the NBA will donate $10,000 on Chris Paul's behalf to the CP3 Foundation.

Kia Motors has been an NBA Cares partner since 2010. The league presents the "Kia Community Assist Award" monthly throughout the season as well as a final award at the end of the season to recognize players for their year-round charitable efforts. The award honors the NBA player who best reflects the passion that the league and its players have for giving back to their communities.

To learn more, please log on to www.nba.com/kiacommunityassist.

Original post at NBA.com

Heat, Cavaliers delayed by spill on floor

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The start of the Miami Heat's game against the Cavaliers was delayed 35 minutes Wednesday night because of liquid dripping from the scoreboard onto the floor.

The Cavaliers said the pool was caused by condensation from a carbon dioxide container in the scoreboard.

LeBron James and members of the Heat were in position near the midcourt line and ready for tip-off in Quicken Loans Arena when a large pool of liquid and some debris were discovered. As ball boys and arena workers used towels and mops to clean up the area, a referee went to the official scorer's table with something in his hand.

Both teams were sent to their locker rooms during the delay, and the near-capacity crowd was entertained with music and giveaways.

After the problem was fixed, the teams had a five-minute warmup period before the game began at 7:45 p.m.

The Heat are trying to win their 24th consecutive game and extend the second-longest winning streak in NBA history.

original post @ http://www.nba.com/2013/news/03/20/heat-cavs-game-delayed.ap/index.html

Kobe starts, then sits with ankle injury

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Kobe Bryant played 12 minutes Friday after starting for the Lakers at Indiana, missed all four shots and then went to the bench for good.

It was all his severely sprained left ankle could take.

Bryant spent two days trying to fight his way back after landing on the foot of Atlanta's Dahntay Jones in the waning seconds of Wednesday's loss at Atlanta. Throughout the day, he looked better and after going through warm-ups, the Lakers put Bryant in the starting lineup.

He wasn't the same. His four shots all came up short and when he went to the bench at the end of the first quarter, he never returned. It was only the 15th time in Bryant's 17-year NBA career he was held scoreless in a game.

Original post @ http://www.nba.com/2013/news/03/15/bryant-ankle-warming-up.ap/index.html

VIDEO: Deron Williams sets an NBA record with nine first half 3s

There's hot, there's a sidewalk in Texas in the summer, there's the of surface of the sun and then there's Deron Williams' hand Friday in the first half.

In the first half, Williams set an NBA record with nine 3-pointers, seven of them coming in the first quarter. Seven!

(Is there anything better than when a player is feeling it and he's got the ball crossing halfcourt and you just know he's about to crank one from deep? I love that.)

He finished the game 11-16 from 3 for 42 points, one off the NBA record for most in a games held by Donyell Marshall and Kobe Bryant.

Williams was going for it too. With his team up 16 with 1:52 left, he splashed his 11th 3. And with his team up 17 with 1:07 left, he launched his 16th 3 of the game. Mark Jackson would've hired a hitman to take a bat to his knees before his got that one off.

And as you might expect, his Nets cruised over the Wizards 95-78.

for the original post visit: http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/21834330/video-deron-williams-sets-an-nba-record-with-nine-first-half-3s

NBA suspends Magic's Turkoglu for positive steroid test

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Orlando Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu was suspended 20 games by the NBA on Wednesday after testing positive for steroids.

The NBA said Turkoglu tested positive for methenolone, an anabolic steroid. He began serving the suspension Wednesday night when the Magic hosted the Atlanta Hawks.

Turkoglu took full responsibility for the positive test and apologized to the Magic organization, fans and fellow teammates. He said he took medication from a trainer in Turkey this past summer to help him recover from a shoulder injury and mistakenly neglected to check it against the NBA's list of banned substances.

"As a player this is the worst situation that you want to be in," Turkoglu said. "I'm just sorry to put the organization in this situation. ... I should have double-checked and researched and shouldn't be in this situation."

He is the eighth player suspended for performance-enhancing drugs under the NBA's drug testing policy. He is the second Magic player to be suspended under the policy in four years. Former Magic forward Rashard Lewis was suspended 10 games in 2009 after testing positive for an elevated testosterone level.

Turkoglu said he was tested by the league in December and learned of the suspension Tuesday night. General manager Rob Hennigan said Turkoglu informed the team of the positive test a week ago.

Turkoglu sat out the Magic's past three games for what the team said were flu-like symptoms and a sore back. Hennigan said those ailments were legitimate and unrelated to the positive test.

It is the latest in a string of bad news for Turkoglu during the past year.

He missed 10 games at the end of last year's regular season for a fractured bone above his eye and then missed 28 straight games at the start of this season after breaking a bone in his hand. He's appeared in just 11 games in 2012-13 with only one start. Turkoglu is in the third year of his second stint with the Magic. He is averaging 2.9 points, 2.1 assists and 2.4 rebounds, all down from his career numbers over the previous 12 seasons.

"It's been really nightmare," Turkoglu said. "It wasn't a really good year for me. Now I'm facing this. As a player, you face a lot of injuries. It just comes and goes. But this kind of situation, you don't want to put yourself in. This is the worst one I'm dealing with now."

Hennigan said he doesn't believe there are any issues with the NBA's drug testing policy or the culture of the team in light of Lewis' previous test.

"Clearly we need to continue to educate our players on what's safe to take and what not to take," he said. "We'll move forward. We don't support the decision he made, but we support Hedo."

After seeing his rotation disrupted throughout the season because of injuries, Magic coach Jacque Vaughn said there is no choice but to move on.

"There's a great thing called reality and you have to accept it," Vaughn said. "Today was an unfortunate reality and you accept it and move forward."

Turkoglu is making about $11.8 million this season. He has one more year remaining on his current deal, but it is only partially guaranteed. He was picked as the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2008 while with Orlando.

The Magic came into Wednesday night's game with a 15-36 record in their first season of rebuilding following the departure of All-Star center Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers this past offseason.

Asked about Turkoglu's future, Hennigan said it is yet to be determined.

"I think we're going to get through this step. We'll worry about the summer when the summer comes," Hennigan said. "Contracts are what they are. We have to make decisions about a lot of different things in the summer and certainly the Hedo situation will be one of them. But we're not able to comment now on what the decision will be."

Turkoglu said he is focused on serving his suspension.

"I've had my best years in Orlando and I've tried to play as much as I can here. Certain situations are out of my hands," he said. "So like Rob said, we'll wait for the summer to come and we'll see what happens. Right now I want to deal with this and get it over as quick as I can."

For the original post visit: http://www.nba.com/2013/news/02/13/magic-turkoglu-suspended/index.html