Monday NBA News

[Raji]

NBA Headlines Around the League
1. Wade Comes Off Bench In Surprise Heat Return
2. Lakers Singed By Suns, Fall To Seventh In West
3. T-Mac Drops 40, Draws Rockets Closer To Jazz
4. Nuggets Flying Up Standings With Improved 'D'
5. Pistons Lock Down LeBron, Stifle Cavs Offense
6. Knicks Must Get Engine Running To Knock Off Pistons
7. Surging Warriors Can Thank Two 'Most Improved'
8. Raptors Give Bulls Sneak Peek At Potential Playoff Series
9. Finley Finally Earning More Time In Spurs' Rotation
10. Hill's Late-Season Health Is No Worry This Year

1. Wade Comes Off Bench In Surprise Heat Return
In the PALM BEACH POST, Chris Perkins writes "Sunday was a day for Heat
fans to be glad. Guard Dwyane Wade made a surprise return to the court
after a 23-game absence because of a dislocated left shoulder and torn
labrum. Of course, the happy feelings didn't last long. The Heat's
shaky three-game winning streak ended with a surprising 111-103 overtime
loss to Charlotte. But Wade's early return was reason for optimism. Wade,
who delights in proving people wrong, said he knew most projections
targeted Wednesday's game against Washington for his comeback. "I said,
'Sunday,' " Wade said with a smile. 'Gotcha.' "


2. Lakers Singed By Suns, Fall To Seventh In West
In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Mike Bresnahan writes "it was interesting for
a while, even entertaining, but the Lakers couldn't stop the Phoenix
Suns. Nor could they prevent themselves from falling to seventh in the
Western Conference. The season that started so well took another detour
Sunday, anticipation replaced by reality, slowly but then steadily, as
the Lakers fell to Phoenix, 115-107. Of greater concern is an inability
to beat a team with a winning record, which the Lakers haven't done
since defeating Utah on Feb. 26."


3. T-Mac Drops 40, Draws Rockets Closer To Jazz
In the HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Jonathan Feigen writes "the Rockets came back
to beat the Sacramento Kings 112-106 on Sunday precisely because they
finally stopped hitting -- along with grabbing, shoving and slapping.
After a first half in which the Kings lived at the line, heading toward
franchise records for free throws, the Rockets finally defended them
without sending them to the free-throw line. With that, and Tracy
McGrady's 40 points, to go with 10 assists and eight rebounds, the Rockets
snapped their three-game losing streak and moved within a half-game of the
idle Utah Jazz in their race for home-court advantage in the playoffs."


4. Nuggets Flying Up Standings With Improved 'D'
In the DENVER POST, Chris Dempsey writes "talking about being
playoff-caliber is one thing. Playing playoff-worthy basketball is another.
Suddenly, the Nuggets have been the latter. And that can be attributed to -
gasp! - their defense. 'There's a confidence at the defensive end that
I feel,' Nuggets coach George Karl said. In back-to-back wins over
Dallas on Friday and the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, the Nuggets
traded in high-octane offense for lockdown defense, and the eye-opening
stats stand in stark contrast to what the team had done through the bulk
of the season."


5. Pistons Lock Down LeBron, Stifle Cavs Offense
In the DETROIT NEWS, Chris McCoskey writes "if you want a blueprint for
how to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs, get the film from
the Pistons' 87-82 victory Sunday. It was textbook. 'We made their
other guys try to beat us, not LeBron,' said Chauncey Billups, who took
control in the final three minutes, scoring six straight and feeding
Antonio McDyess for a dunk in the Pistons' 9-2 clinching surge."


6. Knicks Must Get Engine Running To Knock Off Pistons
In the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Mitch Lawrence writes "a month ago, the
Pistons and Knicks were headed for a first-round matchup in the Eastern
Conference playoffs, where Detroit would have been a heavy favorite to
sweep Isiah Thomas into the offseason. Tonight, the Pistons can just
about KO the Knicks' coach and his team, a good three weeks early. Running
out of games and players, Thomas and the 32-44 Knicks need to defeat
the top team in the East at the Garden to keep their faint playoff hopes
alive. Stephon Marbury likely will miss his second consecutive game
because of turf toe."


7. Surging Warriors Can Thank Two 'Most Improved'
In the CONTRA COSTA TIMES, Marcus Thompson II writes "with all the talk
about the MVP, another closely contested race isn't getting much
attention: the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. Last season, Phoenix forward
Boris Diaw won in a landslide. This year isn't so cut and dried, in
large part because the Warriors have two players figuring into the mix.
Guard Monta Ellis and center Andris Biedrins are in a hat with
Sacramento's Kevin Martin and Utah's Deron Williams. There are other candidates,
such as Boston post Al Jefferson and Charlotte guard Matt Carroll, but
Ellis, Biedrins, Martin and Williams are getting the most love."


8. Raptors Give Bulls Sneak Peek At Potential Playoff Series
In the TORONTO SUN, Steve Buffery writes "the Raptors really took the
Bulls by the horns last night. In a game featuring a pair of young teams
that could meet in the first round of playoffs, the Raptors bounced
back from a four-point deficit at the half to defeat the Chicago Bulls
103-89 last night. Chris Bosh set the pace for the Raptors, although he
was not the only story. The all-star forward finished with his eighth
consecutive double-double, with 22 points and 11 rebounds. 'This was a fun
game to be a part of,' said Raptors shooting guard Anthony Parker, who
added a career-high 27 points"


9. Finley Finally Earning More Time In Spurs' Rotation
In the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, Johnny Ludden writes "Michael Finley
had just finished his second consecutive 40-plus-minute performance
Saturday night when someone asked about the sudden increase in his
workload. 'I'm glad we have tomorrow off,' Finley said, 'so I can rest up a
little bit.' Finley earned a day to relax after playing 41 and 40 minutes
in the past two games. He had been on the floor for as many as 30
minutes in only five of the previous 58 games. His consistent production has
given Spurs coach Gregg Popovich little reason to take him off the
court."

10. Hill's Late-Season Health Is No Worry This Year
In the ORLANDO SENTINEL, Brian Schmitz writes "Orlando Magic shooting
guard Grant Hill was asked by some young teammates why he needed to dunk
the ball so hard on a play Saturday night. Hill, 34, raced in for a
monster slam and slightly bruised a finger on the rim in a rout of the
Memphis Grizzlies. "They asked me why I dunked it so hard and I said,
'Sometimes when you jump at my age, you don't know if you're going to get
high enough,' " laughed Hill. The sound of Hill laughing as a player has
never been heard this late during a season in Orlando."


NBA Schedule
Detroit at New York 7:30 ET on NBA TV
Orlando at Milwaukee 8:00 ET
Portland at San Antonio 8:00 ET
Toronto at Minnesota 8:00 ET
L.A. Clippers at Dallas 8:30 ET
L.A. Lakers at Denver 9:00 ET
Houston at Seattle 10:00 ET
Utah at Golden State 10:30 ET


Raji