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By brIAN MAHONEY – 2 hours ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — If Tim Donaghy’s latest allegations are true, Kobe Bryant won his last championship with the help of an NBA conspiracy.
And Scot Pollard is still ringless because some guys in suits determined it would be that way.
Even with Bryant chasing another title in a marquee NBA finals matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics, the league still can’t escape the Donaghy mess, now nearly a year after learning the former referee bet on games he officiated.
And the people who thought the spotlight would be theirs alone are pretty fed up.
“The whole Donaghy thing just makes me sick, if you want me to be honest,” Boston coach Doc Rivers said Wednesday. “Paul Pierce got injured and we questioned him, but we believe Donaghy? When you think of the logic of that crap, it really … I’m not going to go any further, but our league is a great league, and that stuff bothers me a lot. It really does.”
In a letter filed Tuesday in New York, Donaghy’s attorney made a series of allegations about officiating corruption and misconduct within the NBA. The most damning accusation centered on the 2002 Western Conference finals, when the Lakers rallied from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings.
Donaghy said two referees known as “company men” worked the controversial Game 6, when the Lakers shot 27 free throws in the final quarter and scored 16 of their last 18 points at the line in a 106-102 victory.
The injured Pollard, who now plays for Boston, was on Sacramento’s team, while Bryant and Derek Fisher played for the Lakers squad that went on to sweep New Jersey for its third straight championship.
“I don’t know how you determine the game was rigged,” Fisher said. “Obviously, I was there in the game. I don’t remember any moment thinking, ‘They’re helping us out a little bit.’ A lot of things change from game to game. Different officiating crews call games differently. I can’t comment on it. You still have to win the next game (Game 7). I’m not going to give my ring back, I know that.”

ap.google.com

A lot of people thought the Lakers missed their shot in Game 1, that the game was there for the taking.
Not true. Game 2 traditionally is the time when the team with the home-court advantage is most vulnerable. The Celtics had nearly a week to rest after three tough series to get out of the Eastern Conference. The Lakers, quite frankly, did not get pushed that hard by San Antonio in the West finals.
Bottom line: the Lakers have their best chance to take control of the Finals tonight. Paul Pierce’s injury will make him something less than 100 percent. And don’t underestimate the impact of Kendrick Perkins’ sprained ankle. His absence wasn’t felt in Game 1. But it will make life tougher on them the longer that Perkins is limited.
Another factor is Ray Allen. He was a force in the opener, but he has not had a great playoff run overall. Will he come back with a dull effort?
Still another issue is the rebounding that has nagged at the Lakers periodically throughout the playoffs. They were hammered on the boards in Game 1 and that is one statistic that almost always carries a lot of weight, particularly in the playoffs. That’s where Lamar Odom must assert himself. He had six rebounds in 39 minutes on Thursday. that won’t cut it.
Lastly, the Lakers have to do two more things better than they did in the opener. They must shoot the ball better from the perimeter. They were 3-of-14 from 3-point land. And the must defend the Celtics better, starting by not allowing 10 offensive rebounds.
If you’re looking for a prediction, take the Lakers. This is the game they have to get. Going home for three games in a 2-0 hole is asking for trouble because it’s asking a lot to sweep the middle three games.

mavsblog.dallasnews.com

Both of these franchises are responsible for the league’s renaisance in the 80’s. Both of the teams are star-studded. Both of these teams are the benefactors of some questionable trades. Both of teams are making Commissioner David Stern very, very happy. Both of the teams are 100x better than the 2007-2008 Golden State Warriors. Both of the teams are about to put on one hell of a show.
We’re going NES on it!
Jump like you’re trying to do the impossible- block a Kareem sky hook!
When in doubt go with the home squad. I’m going with the Boston Collusion tonight. Look for big games from KG and Jesus Shuttleworth in particular. Garnett is just too fly for the Spanish Fly and Ray-Ray is a Laker-killer (always wanted to say someone was a Laker-killer instead of a Warrior-killer). Look for the overhyped Derek Fisher to make some huge mental mistake in the 4th quarter as always.

goldenstateofmind.com

The first day of the 2008 NFL Draft was full of the big names that fans have become familiar with watching football on Saturdays and from reading five months of mock drafts.
Most fans enjoyed the first two rounds and then moved on to the NBA playoffs, cleaning out the garage or cutting the lawn… but there were some late round gems drafted on the second day.
Now before you bet on your favorite team to win the Super Bowl, take a look at some of the second-day prospects that may help your team win more games next season.
Arizona Cardinals – Kenny Iwebema DE Iowa 4th round
Strong, physical, run-stopping end. Very good at the point of attack.
Atlanta Falcons – Kroy Biermann LB Montana 5th round
72 tackles, 15 sacks, and five forced fumbles as a DE last season.
Baltimore Ravens – Tom Zbikowski S ND 4th round
Will help immediately on special teams. Smart and strong in run support.
Buffalo Bills – Reggie Corner CB Akron 4th round
Good instincts in coverage and possesses good closing speed.
Carolina Panthers – Dan Connor LB PSU 3rd round
Projected as a late first-round pick, he’s a tackle machine that slid to the third.
Chicago Bears – Craig Steltz S LSU 4th round
Starting safety for the national champions. Smart and tough.
Cincinnati Bengals – Mario Urrutia WR Louisville 7th round
6’6”, 242 lbs, and 17.5 ypc. Could be a steal in three years.
Cleveland Browns – Beau Bell LB UNLV 4th round
Thumper inside in the 3-4 scheme. Will compete for the starting spot.
Dallas Cowboys – Orlando Scandrick CB Boise St 5th round
Converted WR. All the natural tools, just needs some coaching.
Denver Broncos – Josh Barrett S ASU 7th round
4.35 in the 40. Has had injury problems, but a playmaker when healthy.

theonlinewire.com

Ibelieve that if the NCAA wanted to, it could — in conjunction with the NBA and with the blessing of the fans — give players reason to attend school, stay for a while and get some real educational benefit from it, including a degree.
I also believe that the NCAA isn’t even remotely interested in accomplishing any of that, except where it gets the organization more money and a better reputation. Same for the NBA. As for the fans, they care deeply about graduation rates and the annual Academic Progress Rate right up until the time their favorite team makes a Final Four run.
If the powers-that-be in college sports really cared about the players’ “academic progress,” they would seek to function less as moneymakers for the NCAA itself and for its member schools and less as the NBA’s minor league.
But until then, you have to take this latest example of NCAA image-polishing with a grain of salt. Four years into this new program to measure classroom success (or lack thereof), the results remain predictable and easy to read. The sports with the lowest average APR are football and men’s basketball.
Duh. Revenue sports. Also the ones with the most questionable admissions, the most opportunities for academic shortcuts and the biggest impediments to departure for the pros — also known, in basketball, as the competition.
Thus, as much as one can blurt out a conditioned complaint about poor, underprivileged youth wasting a free education, it’s just as easy to see how the NCAA is undermining its own goals. While claiming it’s trying to raise the level of academic accomplishment, it’s putting the players themselves into a damned-if-I-do, damned-if-I-don’t situation.
How else to explain why players who otherwise would go to the pros straight from high school — and thus not potentially drag down a school’s APR — are forced to go for a year? Or why, if they know they can make it in the NBA after that one season, they have to stay in school that spring semester just to keep schools’ numbers above water, and for no other reason?

baltimoresun.com

ATLANTA — The LSU Tigers could never get control of the game from the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Tigers fell to the Gamecocks, 77-73, in the first game of the 2008 Southeastern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Georgia Dome.
The loss finished LSU at 13-18 overall, after a 6-10 record in Southeastern Conference play. LSU interim Coach Butch Pierre, who took over for the fired John Brady on Feb. 8, finished the rest of the season for LSU at 5-5.
South Carolina, with retiring coach Dave Odom still alive to coach a Friday quarterfinal game against Tennessee, is now 14-17 overall.
Anthony Randolph had 22 points and eight boards, but six turnovers for LSU with Marcus Thornton getting 17 points and Chris Johnson his sixth double double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. LSU also had Terry Martin with 11 points and Alex Farrer 10. Five players from each team ended up in double figures with Mike Holmes and Evaldas Baniulis leading South Carolina with 16 each, with Domingue Archie 15 and Devan Downey and Zam Fredrick 12 each.
The Tigers dominated many of the statistics of the game, shooting 50 percent (27-of-54) and 8-of-24 (33.3%) from the arc, to the Gamecocks 46.2 percent (30-of-65), including 9-of-27 from the arc. LSU out rebounded South Carolina, 42-27, but LSU had 19 turnovers and South Carolina had a 26-3 advantage in points off turnovers.

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So it appears some of the cheerleaders from the NBA’s Sacramento Kings may have enjoyed a little extra camera time. The pictures, some of which may be as old as two years, were surfaced from a photobucket account by blog site withleather.com, but you can view the pictures here. The powers that be within the King organization have taken embarrassment over the situation. Owner Gavin Maloof in the Sac Bee…
“We obviously don’t condone that type of behavior. We’ll deal with it internally.”
Sure you don’t condone that behavior, Mr. Maloof. That’s why you’re the North State leader in double-D cash stuffing. Come on now, if anybody really gives a damn about these pictures, they are in need of a serious reality check. How different are these photos from those of a cheerleader’s swimsuit calendar? Four girls sporting G-strings… Ever see a muscle car magazine at Barnes & Noble? What, champagne bottles? Yowza! Woman on woman kiss? Forget about it.
If you happen to be one of the people that takes offense to these photos, crawl back into the time machine, set the dial for 1955, and get outta here.

blog.synthesis.net