Crittenton charged in woman's death (BLOG)

ATLANTA (AP)

Javaris Crittenton was wanted on a murder charge as police searched on Saturday for the former NBA player in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Crittenton has been charged in the fatal shooting of 22-year Jullian Jones, a mother of four who was gunned down Aug. 19 on an Atlanta street.

A spokesman with the Atlanta police said Crittenton was not in custody. Calls to the FBI and U.S. Marshal's office weren't immediately returned.

Three of Crittenton's neighbors in Fayetteville said SWAT members executed a search warrant last week on his residence.

The neighbors declined to give their names to The Associated Press during interviews near Crittenton's home in an affluent cul-de-sac 17 miles south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

No one answered the door at Crittenton's residence, a three-story brick home with a manicured lawn and a small backyard.

Crittenton, who spent the 2006-07 season at Georgia Tech and played in 113 NBA games, allegedly killed Jones with shots fired from a dark-colored SUV, police said.

According to Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos, investigators don't believe Jones was the intended target. His motive, Campos said, appeared to be retaliation for an April robbery in which Crittenton was a victim.

Messages left for an agent who has represented Crittenton weren't immediately returned Friday or Saturday.

Crittenton, who averaged 5.3 points and 1.8 assists in his career, last played in the NBA during 2008-09. He was sidelined by an ankle injury the following season, during which he and teammate Gilbert Arenas were suspended for a gun-related incident in the Wizards' locker room.

Two days after a dispute stemming from a card game on a team flight, Arenas brought four guns to the locker room and set them in front of Crittenton's locker with a sign telling him to ''PICK 1.'' Crittenton then took out his own gun.

Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge on Jan. 25, 2010, and received probation.

After the Wizards declined to re-sign him, he signed a non-guaranteed contract with Charlotte before last season. The Bobcats waived him Oct. 15, and he then played five games in China for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, averaging 25.8 points. He also played 20 games for the NBDL's Dakota Wizards, averaging 14.3 points.

Crittenton was drafted 19th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007. He played little with Los Angeles and was traded to Memphis in his rookie year, then to Washington in December 2008.

NBA spokesman Tim Frank wrote in an e-mail to the AP that Crittenton is no longer under contract with Dakota.

''Beyond that I have nothing to add,'' Frank said.

Basketball Player Delonte West Wants to work at Home Depot(BLOG)

Delonte West(notes) apparently wants to work at Home Depot during the NBA's current lockout. And whether this is a Twitter joke or a legitimate attempt to build up his bankroll one hour at a time, can you blame the guy?

The history of NBA players taking a gig on the side is long and unheralded. Some choose sneaker endorsements, because the sneaker companies choose them. Some, before the NBA really got off the ground, chose selling insurance in the 1950s and 1960s during the offseason. Former scrub Reggie Harding (who famously yelled "come on, man. It ain't me!" when a liquor store clerk recognized his 7-foot frame) held up businesses with a gun and a ski mask. On the flip side, Mark West became a licensed broker years before his NBA career ended.

Then there's Ron Artest(notes), who famously applied for a summertime gig at Circuit City -- back when there was a Circuit City -- to take in the company's 15 percent employee discount. The Bulls quickly put the kibosh on that second job attempt once they found out what was going on.

West? A free agent in a lockout that possibly might not end for another 14 months? This might run a little deeper. Via his Twitter account.

Delonte swears he's on the up and up about working at Home Depot:

It's possible that West could be unhappy for reasons that are out of control, namely his bipolar diagnosis from two years ago that has at the very least shined a little light on why West sometimes acts a bit mercurial. At best, he reminds of former Spurs forward Malik Rose(notes), who moved back in with his parents during the 1998 lockout, famously sleeping in bed sheets adorned with cartoon characters, only to spring out long enough to help his squad win the championship in June of 1999.

West made over a million dollars last year working for the Celtics, and he's made well over $14 million since joining the NBA in 2004. The guy should have a nest egg, there's no doubt, but he's also dealing with chemical imbalances that could either make his online fulminations worrisome (West might be out of money) or understandable (he could be sitting on a mountain of cash, and just working through some embarrassment over the lockout publicly).

Either way, let's slow down a bit before we cackle away at a guy either trying to set up a legitimate offseason gig, or someone who might be working through his ups and downs online.

Also, Delonte? We need a new air filter for our furnace. I write about the NBA -- could you work up a 15 percent discount for me?

Rodman, Class of '11 to enter hoops Hall of Fame (BLOG)

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The acknowledgement list could only belong to Dennis Rodman.

There were coaches Phil Jackson and fellow inductee Tex Winter. He mentioned teammate Michael Jordan, along with rockers Eddie Vedder and Motley Crue. And he thanked that guy Stern who's coming to see him Friday night.

That's Howard Stern, not the NBA commissioner.

Rodman's uncommon blend of basketball and entertainment has arrived at the sport's birthplace, where he will be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame on Friday as part of the 10-person class of 2011.

"I really didn't play the game to be in the Hall of Fame. That wasn't my job," Rodman said. "My job was to go out there and win ballgames, have a good time and take care of my family. As long as the people had a good time, that was my main objective."

Dressed in all black, wearing sunglasses, an Ed Hardy tattooing hat and a scarf that read "The Worm, HOF '11" on the inside, the five-time NBA champion was the center of attention during Thursday's news conferences.

Exactly the way he likes it.

"I just love living life free. And for me to shine, I shine every damn day," Rodman said. "This is for other people here that don't get to see these famous people that's going to come in this building tomorrow."

Dream Teamer and two-time Olympic gold medalist Chris Mullin is the other headline name in the class, though much of the focus was on Rodman. Looking toward him, Stanford women's coach Tara VanDerveer joked she was so excited she was "gonna go out and get a tattoo."

VanDerveer, who has led Stanford to two national championships and won more than 800 games, joins Winter and Division II Philadelphia University coach Herb Magee, the career leader at the collegiate level with more than 900 wins, as the coaches being enshrined. Jackson will present both Rodman and Winter, whose triangle offense was used by Jackson to build dynasties in Chicago and Los Angeles.

"I don't know what's more shocking, that they didn't put Tex in 30 years ago, or they didn't make Dennis wait another 30 years," said Winter's son, Chris.

Eight-time NBA champion Tom "Satch" Sanders, big men Artis Gilmore and Arvydas Sabonis; the late Reece "Goose" Tatum of the Harlem Globetrotters, and women's star Teresa Edwards, who won five Olympic medals — four golds — and is entering her fifth Hall of Fame, also will be honored at Symphony Hall.

None of their speeches figures to be like Rodman's, whose seven straight rebounding titles set an NBA record and who won 70 percent of the games he played in. He wouldn't reveal what he planned to say, though did allow that he's listened to Pearl Jam as motivation for 20 years and that Vedder was an inspiration.

"It's hard to be an entertainer and an athlete and try to be a smart basketball player all at the same time. As you can see, some guys try to do it but they don't know how to actually put the game of basketball first," Rodman said, mentioning Ron Artest as an example. "And that's one thing I did, I put the game of basketball first. Entertainment could come any time of the ballgame."

Mullin is being enshrined for the second straight year, joining his 1992 U.S. Olympic teammates last year. He becomes the 11th member of that famed squad, but never dwelled on why individual induction took so long after scoring more than 17,000 points and making five NBA All-Star teams following his decorated college career at St. John's.

"To me, the Hall wasn't anything I expected or really consumed myself with, you know what I mean?" he said. "When your career is over, you can't change anything and to me I felt like I received so much over the years playing basketball that to get even more was not even on my mind."

Any musicians on your list, Chris?

"I'd like a few, but I don't know many," he said. "Satellite radio, '70s and '80s."

Like Rodman, nightlife went along with basketball for Mullin before a stint in rehab to face his alcohol addiction early in his pro career. He said he took his last drinks on Dec. 13, 1987.

"I don't know that it makes it any more sweeter," he said of overcoming that to reach the Hall. "It's part of the journey. Every player here has their journey and at some point in everyone's life someone's going to deal with something."

"To me, the way I live my life on a daily basis is as gratifying to me as being here in the Hall of Fame," he added. "If I never did, never mind being in the Hall of Fame, I wouldn't be here, period."

Sabonis, one of the world's best big men long before finally coming to the NBA to play for Portland, carried a small flag of his native Lithuania that looked even tinier in his giant hands.

Edwards was previously enshrined in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and US Olympic Hall of Fame. She's now coaching the WNBA's Tulsa Shock, who played at Seattle later Thursday.

"If Dennis wears a dress better than me, I'm going to have to beat him before we leave here," she joked.

Rodman, who once wore a wedding dress to a book signing, said he won't wear a dress Friday. But it'll be better than Thursday's getup.

"This is nothing. Tomorrow's going to be way different. It's going to be totally out there. You'll think Elton John's on the stage. That's what it's going to be like .But it's going to be in all good taste fun."

NBA Lockout May Send Ron Artest To "DWTS" & Carmelo Anthony To China (BLOG)

You can't expect the NBA's most talented players to sit around in rocking chairs doing nothing as the NBA lockout continues. So many are making "lockout" plans. Sources say Ron Artest may be heading to "DWTS" while Carmelo Anthony may find himself wearing a jersey for China.

Many NBA superstars are plotting thier next moves just in case the NBA lockout continues longer that expected. Mr. Metta World Peace aka Ron Artest, of the LA LAkers, is in talks with producers from "Dancing With The Stars" to join its cast next season.

The show is desperate for A-list talent and has announced that it will bend the rules for A-list stars allowing them to pick their own costumes and practice as much....or as little as they want. Hmmm....it would be interesting to see Ron on his mission for world peace while doing the cha cha slide.

And Carmelo Anthony may make his next move be out of the country.

The NY Knicks baller said he would consider offers to play professional basketball in China if there is no resolution to the NBA lockout.

When SNTV asked Carmelo why he might consider China, he replied,

"It's a lot of history here, the fans are great; why not, why not try it out?"

And Carmelo isn't the only one who may move overseas. Sources say Kobe Bryant is in negotiations to play in Turkey. But the more important question here is--how is LaLa going to continue her career of red carpet show-ups and paparazzi sessions with Kim K. all the way in China? This lockout is just a tragedy for everyone....

theybf

Scottie Pippen crowns Michael Jordan`(BLOG)

LISLE, Ill. -- Scottie Pippen said Friday he believes Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, despite remarks he made last month regarding Miami Heat forward LeBron James on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike In The Morning."

"The comments that I made were basically giving LeBron some props as a player, not to dismantle any player like Michael," Pippen said after a youth camp session at the Bulls/Sox academy. "We all know that he's the greatest player that ever played the game.

"I think it was taken a little bit out of context. I felt like I was drawing more of a conclusion from the statistics more than the accolades."

Pippen made the comments as the Heat eliminated the Chicago Bulls from the Eastern Conference finals.

"Michael Jordan is probably the greatest scorer to play the game," Pippen said last month. "But I may go as far as to say LeBron James may be the greatest player to ever play the game because he is so potent offensively that not only can he score at will but he keeps everybody involved.

"You have to be on your P's and Q's on defense. No guy on the basketball court is a threat to score with LeBron James out there. Not only will LeBron dominate from the offensive end as well, but he's also doing it on the defensive end, which really makes him the complete package. He's able to get in those passing lanes, shoot those gaps and create transition opportunities where he is pretty much unstoppable."



Pippen said he's spoken to Jordan multiple times since he made the comments and there is no rift between the former teammates.



"I talk to Michael all the time," Pippen said. "There was no problem between me and Michael. I think [the media] chewed into it a little too much."

Pippen didn't appear to be very bothered by the backlash caused by his remarks.

"Ya know what? I kind of rolled off into the sunset, went down south and enjoyed no media, no TV and just enjoyed life," he said. "So I didn't really get a lot [of flak] from [the comments] as much as probably the organization had to deal with it. But I'm ready to move on from it."

ESPN -

Pippen, We are gonna need you to just Stop talking Please.... and Thank You. ( Stadium Status Staff )

Cavaliers take Irving with No. 1 pick in NBA draft (BLOG)

NEWARK, N.J. – Kyrie Irving probably secured his spot atop the NBA draft when he went to Cleveland and beat his future coach in a shooting contest.

Yet even surrounded by family and friends from his nearby hometown, Irving couldn't relax Thursday night.

"When David Stern came up there and said that the Cleveland Cavaliers have five more minutes on the clock, that felt like the longest five minutes of my life," Irving said.

Imagine how Jimmer Fredette felt.

The sweet-shooting NCAA player of the year had to wait about 2 1/2 hours from the time he was picked by Milwaukee to the time he officially became a member of the Sacramento Kings after being involved in the biggest trade of draft day.

"It took a long time, but it's something you've got to do," Fredette said. "They just wouldn't let you out of the room until the trade was official, and I wish it could have been a little bit earlier. I have friends and family that I'm going to go see and hang out with after this, so that's what happens sometimes."

It happened for plenty others in a draft that was considered a dud talent-wise but certainly wasn't dull, thanks to a flurry of trades that including veterans and picks.

There was no chance the Cavs would deal Irving, confident his foot is healthy enough to lead the rebuilding effort that follows LeBron James' departure and no doubt impressed when the Duke point guard beat Cavs coach Byron Scott in a shooting contest during his workout.

Loudly cheered not far from where he starred at St. Patrick's High School in Elizabeth, Irving showed no signs of the toe injury on his right foot that limited him to 11 games last season as he walked up the stairs to shake hands with Stern.

"I didn't have any doubts about going to No. 1. I was looking to the organization to pick who they felt was the right choice," Irving said. "But now to this moment, from being a fan of the NBA draft and now being drafted, it's a special feeling in my heart and knowing that my friends and family were together, it's a memory I'm going to remember for the rest of my life."

A three-team trade that included Charlotte, Milwaukee and Sacramento that had been agreed to earlier in the day wasn't approved until midway through the second round, forcing Fredette to wait around for his NBA destination to be determined after he was taken with the No. 10 pick.

"Took a little while waiting back there, but it's a great moment for me and for my family, and for the Sacramento Kings organization," he said. "Hopefully their fan base is excited because I'm really excited to get out there and start the season with them and have a great year."

A draft that included a record four international players who didn't play at a U.S. college selected in the lottery soon became dominated by deals, which the NBA was still hustling to approve and announce as the second round wound down.

Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette and John Salmons were part of the three-way deal, and fellow vets such as Andre Miller, Rudy Fernandez, Raymond Felton and George Hill were involved in other trades.

The deals spiced up what was thought to be a lackluster draft, which was missing its usual buzz with the NBA perhaps a week away from a work stoppage.

Three of the first six players taken were from Europe, capitalizing on the absence of some American college players who might have gone in their spots and made this a stronger draft.

Even Irving has international ties. He was born in Australia while his father, Drederick, played professionally there and said he might be interested in playing for the Australian national team.

After grabbing him with their first No. 1 pick since taking James in 2003, the Cavs used the No. 4 selection on Texas forward Tristan Thompson. They were the first team since the 1983 Houston Rockets with two top-four picks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves took Arizona forward Derrick Williams with the No. 2 pick. The Utah Jazz then took Turkish big man Enes Kanter third with their first of two lottery selections.

The league's uncertain labor situation hung over the draft, and likely weakened it. Potential top-10 picks such as Jared Sullinger of Ohio State and Harrison Barnes were among those who decided to stay in school, without knowing when their rookie seasons would have started.

Stern, who could lock out his players next week if a deal for a new collective bargaining agreement is not reached, was booed when he came onto the stage at the Prudential Center, which is hosting the draft while its usual home, Madison Square Garden, is undergoing summer work.

New Yorkers made the trip across the river to join the crowd of 8,417, cheering loudly when Kemba Walker and Fredette were taken in the top 10 and booing when the Knicks made Georgia Tech guard Iman Shumpert the No. 17 selection.

The draft was filled with little-known European players. Kanter hasn't played competitively in a year, forced to sit out last season at Kentucky after being ruled ineligible for being paid to play in Turkey. Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas went fifth to Toronto and Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic was taken sixth by Washington.

"Basketball in my country is not so popular, but after this night, I think — I hope — that the basketball will be more popular," Vesely said. "I will do my best to help that."

Bismack Biyombo of Congo went seventh as one of six international players who went in the first round, three short of the record set in 2003. The 18-year-old forward moved to Charlotte as part of a three-way deal.

Kentucky's Brandon Knight went eighth to Detroit as casual fans finally heard a name they recognized again. He was followed by Walker of national champion Connecticut, who wiped away tears on the draft stage after he was taken by Charlotte, and Fredette.

"It's been like a movie. This whole year has been magical, honestly," Walker said. "So many different, crazy things have been happening to me, and you know, I just feel lucky."

Irving became the third point guard taken first in the last four years, following Derrick Rose in 2008 and John Wall last year. Rose was the NBA's MVP this season, ending James' two-year reign.

Irving insists he's not trying to replace James — whose highlights were booed when showed on the overhead screen — in a different manner now.

"I'm looking forward to getting to Cleveland," Irving said. "It's a big sports town and I cannot wait to embrace all of the fans there and the fan support. I can't wait."

Kansas twins Markieff and Marcus Morris went with back-to-back picks to round out the lottery. Phoenix took Markieff at No. 13 and Marcus followed to the Rockets.

Spurs smart to explore trades for Parker (BLOG)

The Spurs are gauging trade interest in Tony Parker, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. That’s exactly the sort of thing San Antonio should be doing — and not because of some flip comments the point guard made after the season about the end of the Spurs’ run as contenders.

The Spurs gave Parker and Manu Ginobili long-term deals over the last year with an eye toward seeing what the venerable Parker/Manu/Tim Duncan nucleus could do in 2010-11 and 2011-12, the final year of Duncan’s contract. A first-round loss to the Grizzlies makes last season feel like a failure, but that’s shortsighted. This team won 61 games, and it may well have gotten by Memphis — a terrible matchup for San Antonio — had Duncan not lost a bit of rhythm thanks to a late-season ankle injury and had Ginobili not sustained a fluky elbow injury in the regular-season finale. That’s not excuse-making; that’s reality. In the NBA, and especially in the ultracompetitive Western Conference, the line between advancing and losing in six games is that thin. And if the Spurs get by Memphis, who beats them?

But the Parker and Ginobili extensions did not change the fact that San Antonio is in a transitional phase. Seeing what they might be able to get for Parker is a smart way to accelerate that transition. The best front offices can do things at once without really contradicting themselves. Trading Parker could make the Spurs a player in the free-agent market a year from now if they get the right kind of contracts in return.

Parker is still a fantastic player, even if his lack of three-point range mucks up the offense now and then. The Spurs scored much less efficiently with Parker on the floor both during the playoffs and the regular season, though the opposite was true as recently as 2008-09, according to Basketball Value. But the combination of George Hill, Ginobili and Gary Neal might be able to cover for Parker in San Antonio’s motion-heavy, drive-and-kick system.

The Spurs want a lottery pick in this draft, and they’ve talked to Toronto (No. 5) and Sacramento (No. 7) about Parker deals, according to Yahoo!. It doesn’t really matter which prospect they’re targeting, though Lithuanian center Jonas Valanciunas is the early popular choice. The Spurs clearly have their eyes on someone who would be both cheap and a key bridge to the post-Duncan era.

The “cheap” part of that is not trivial. Remove Parker’s deal, and the Spurs have only $34.5 million committed for 2012-13, not including salary for future draft picks and other trivial charges. The Kings are far enough under the cap that San Antonio could send them Parker without taking on any salary in return, other than money attached to that lottery pick. The Kings, of course, would look to unload one of their less desirable deals (Beno Udrih or Francisco Garcia), but both players makes about half of the $12.5 million per season Parker is set be paid through at least 2013-14. The Spurs may even want Omri Casspi.

Nabbing Parker would allow the Kings to experiment with Tyreke Evans off the ball and guarantee that all the cap room they’ve carved out does not go to waste. Parker, by the way, is a really good cutter capable of playing off the ball for stretches, so acquiring him would not necessarily remove Evans as something of a co-lead ball-handler.

The Raptors are over the cap, so any deal with Toronto would include approximate matching salary going back to San Antonio. (The remaining portion of the Chris Bosh trade exception is not large enough to swallow Parker’s deal.) Still, the Spurs could save themselves some long-term money by taking on Leandro Barbosa’s $7.6 million expiring contract and a smaller deal to make the math work. The Raptors could obviously use Parker to run the point. Jose Calderon is a nice offensive player, but he’s a massive liability on defense and might be better suited as a backup. Jerryd Bayless has not proved that he can run a functional NBA offense.

Adding Richard Jefferson’s awful contract into any Parker trade changes the calculus dramatically, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported that the Spurs would prefer to do that. If that’s true, it will make it very difficult for the Spurs to achieve significant long-term cost savings, even if the team that acquires Jefferson might be able to wipe his contract away via an amnesty clause in the new collective bargaining agreement. (The Spurs could do the same if such a clause makes it into the CBA.) As wonderful as that amnesty clause sounds, teams are not exactly going to line up for the right to help the Spurs and pay Jefferson $30.4 million (the amount remaining on his deal) to go away.

If the Spurs can include Jefferson, obtain a lottery pick and net major long-term savings, then it’s time to start considering R.C. Buford for the next Executive of the Year award.

That’s not a slight at Parker. He’s an elite player, one of the truly great in-the-paint scorers in the league, a one-man transition attack and an ace on the pick-and-roll. He’s playoff-tested, and he just turned 29. Even if Parker has the sort of quickness-dependent game that may not age well, he should still be quite productive for the length of his contract. Losing a player this good would hurt any team. It is a gamble, especially because Ginobili is not up to playing 40 minutes a game. But it’s a gamble San Antonio might be well positioned to make, given the versatility of its remaining guards, the possibility of trading for another ball-handler and the upside of a lottery pick.

A Parker deal remains unlikely because any trade involving a star is unlikely, and the Spurs will be justifiably cautious in shaking up the team like this. But they are on point for considering it, even if doing so might hurt Parker’s feelings.

sportsillustrated

About 220,000 Mavs fans celebrate title, Nowitzki (BLOG)

DALLAS – The face of the Dallas Mavericks laughed, sang and even seemed to tear up.

For Dirk Nowitzki, the only thing that could come close to being an NBA champion for the first time was celebrating it with the fans in his adopted hometown of Dallas.

An estimated crowd of 200,000 crammed downtown Thursday morning for a parade in the team's honor, with another 20,000 or so filling the arena for a rally filled with emotional moments.

After waiting 31 years for the franchise to be atop the NBA, fans honored the feat in a way that many said was worth the wait. Dallas wrapped up the title in Miami on Sunday night so, other than their airport arrival, this was the first chance for fans to show their appreciation in person.

They were peaceful, too, unlike the scene in Vancouver following the end of the Stanley Cup finals on Wednesday night, and the commotion during a Cowboys championship parade in 1993.

Dallas police said the biggest problem was a fight that resulted in three arrests. There also were 145 minor medical treatments, mostly because of heat that approached 90 degrees. Nine people were taken to hospitals for heat exhaustion.

Nowitzki was the unquestioned star of the show, drawing the loudest cheers from start to finish — usually chants of "M! V! P!" There were German flags in the crowd, a sign calling him "Der Kaiser" and cut-out letters that spelled "Thank you Dirk."

After the parade and before the rally, Nowitzki and his teammates went to the balcony of the arena and spoke briefly to the crowd. Nowitzki capped it by leading a rousing rendition of their new favorite song, "We Are The Champions."

More singing came during the rally, when team owner Mark Cuban serenaded Nowitzki with "Happy Birthday"; he turns 33 on Sunday. Nowitzki got into it, too, pretending to conduct.

But this day had two other emotional crescendos for Nowitzki.

The first came when coach Rick Carlisle said, "You're looking at the best basketball team on the planet. It's also very clear we have in our presence the greatest basketball player on the planet." The overhead jumbo board showed a close-up shot of Nowitzki wiping his eyes.

When it was Nowitzki's turn to speak, his teammates and Cuban were among those standing and chanting "MVP." Nowitzki bit his bottom lip and looked down. He was too overcome with emotion to answer the first question from co-emcee Chuck Cooperstein.

"It's been an amazing ride, an amazing journey," Nowitzki said. "It's been a lot of ups and a lot of downs. This is the top of the iceberg. It feels absolutely amazing."

He relived his journey from a 19-year-old draftee with a bowl cut and a bad earring — "just a bad look," he said with a smile — to the greatest player in team history, a former league MVP and the newly minted finals MVP.

"I didn't really know what to expect," he said of his early days in Dallas. "It's been an amazing ride and you guys have been with me every step of the way. This is for our fans!"

Another highly charged moment came when it was Cuban's turn to speak.

He couldn't.

The rambunctious billionaire determined to do things his way seemed awed by the moment, surely thinking about his own journey from a fan who used to buy scalped tickets to buying the club in January 2000.

When Cooperstein joked about this being "a long way from Reunion Arena," Cuban just shook his head, lips pinched.

In came Carlisle to the rescue.

He grabbed the microphone and discussed something he said to the players a few days before, about the difference between success and fulfillment.

"Mark has had obvious success," Carlisle said. "The thing you have to understand is, to him, it doesn't matter the cost, it's to be able to bring this moment to you. So, thanks."

They hugged as fans stood and cheered. There were chants of "Thank you Mark," and Cuban wiped his eyes several times. Once he felt composed, the guy who loves being the center of attention motioned for quiet.

He had a story to tell.

"The day I bought the team, but it had not yet been announced, I went out with some friends to have an adult beverage," Cuban said. "I go into this bar and I see this tall, German, goofy-looking guy — with his bowl cut, earring — and I know I'm going to be his boss the very next day. He has no idea.

"So I walk up to him and say, 'Yo. Let me buy you a beer.' He just looks at me, shakes his head and walks away.

"The next day, we're at (the practice facility). I'm supposed to get introduced to the team. I walk in the door and I walk up and I just look at him and he just shakes his head. That's pretty much been our relationship for 13 years."

The video board cut to Nowitzki several times during the anecdote and he couldn't stop smiling and laughing.

There were all sorts of funny moments during the rally.

Brian Cardinal, a backup nicknamed "The Custodian," came on the stage with a broom and dustpan. With a stogie in his mouth, he tidied up a bit, then waved his arms to loud applause. He cupped a hand to his ears, asking for them to be louder, then went back into the tunnel.

Jason Kidd was the first player to speak and he talked about it being "a dream came true when I was drafted by the Mavericks in 1994."

"I just didn't know it was going to take 17 years to win a championship," he said. "We've got one championship, now we need to go and get another championship."

Tyson Chandler upped expectations.

"I hear they do things big in Dallas," he said. "So if we do it big, it can't be just one." He held up a hand and started flipping up fingers and counting, "One, two, three, four, five."

Jason Terry wore dark glasses and a Mardi Gras-style blue necklace. He did his traditional flying airplane motion to wild cheers, then flexed his right biceps to show off the tattoo of the trophy he added in October and vowed to scrub if they didn't win it all.

Terry and Nowitzki are the only holdovers from the Mavericks' only other finals team — in 2006, when they blew a 2-0 lead against Miami. So this title is especially sweet for them.

"Not only the way we did it, who we did it against," Terry said before the rally. "We'll never forget it. We'll never forget '05-06 and we sure as heck won't forget 2011."

Fans filled the downtown streets starting early Thursday. The plaza around the arena was filled to its 3,000-person capacity about two hours before the parade even began.

Franchise founder Donald Carter and his wife, Linda, for whom he started the club as gift, were in the lead vehicle, a white convertible.

"Fantastic," Carter said.

At the end of the parade, those who rode along said they were overwhelmed by the turnout — people as far as they could see.

"I'm numb," said Donnie Nelson, the team's president of basketball operations.

The Mavs want Rings, Despite What Mark Cuban Wants (BLOG)

In an interview with NBA TV soon after the Dallas Mavericks earned their first NBA title on Sunday night, team owner Mark Cuban jokingly dismissed the idea of giving his team championship rings as a reward. Probably because he was bored. Most likely because he's Mark Cuban, and he just likes saying things like that -- pointing out that rings were "old school" and mentioning that he'd try to come up with some new sort of reward for Dallas' 8 1/2-month trek.

And, because NBA players kind of like championship rings, this isn't going over well with Maverick players.Jason Terry(notes) says Cuban talked about "a five-finger ring" and Cuban reportedly talked to his employees and players about a bracelet. Jokingly, of course, but … seriously, boss, give us a ring. It's been a long year, Cubes.

Related: Mark Cuban's staggering tip for team's bar tab

From the AP:


"We've got to talk to him about that," said Dirk Nowitzki(notes), the finals MVP. "I don't think the last word has been spoken yet. We know he always wants to do something different, something bigger. But the ring is just so classic. I think I would vote for a ring. I mean, I'm a man. I don't know how I'd feel about a bracelet."

I know how I'd feel about a bracelet. You have to take it off when you wash dishes, write at a laptop, or bathe your cats. And I've got a lot of cats to bathe. Not a euphemism.

Donnie Nelson, the longtime Maverick personnel chief, wants to help Dirk out:


"I'll pay for [the rings]," he said. "Now, they might have to be plastic."

Jason Kidd(notes), the 17-year NBA vet, probably countered Cuban's "argument" best when he pointed out that he wants a ring because he's "old-fashioned," but as has been the case for all of 2010-11, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle had the best take:


"I don't know what he's thinking," Carlisle said, laughing. "You win an NBA championship, you've got to have a ring."

Well, you don't have to have one, because they're cumbersome and hard to wear and they look a little showy. But you've certainly earned one. And you've definitely earned the right, Dallas, to pass on a championship bracelet, some sort of jewel-encrusted set of brass knuckles, or your own personalized championship yacht.

Actually, that last one doesn't sound half bad. OK, a yacht and a ring it is, rich guy.

The Problem With Calling Chris Bosh “Bosh Spice" (BLOG, VIDEO)

Like many people, professional blusterer Skip Bayless is a fan of ripping on the Miami Heat’s awkward third wheel, Chris Bosh. Bosh is an easy target, because he does things like tap microphones in a weird way, he says funny things during interviews, and he is a fan of his teammates’ scarves.



We do not expect behavior like this from our professional athletes. We expect them to be socially graceful cool guys, which is not what Chris Bosh is. He is, at times, gawky in his dealings with teammates and the media, sometimes with admittedly hilarious results.


There’s a certain uncomfortable undertone to the way Bayless goes about making fun of Bosh, though. Maybe it was after the whole crying in the locker room thing, or maybe it was even before then, but some time over the course of Bosh’s up-and-down first season with the Heat, Bayless took to calling him “Bosh Spice” on ESPN.And then he did it again. And again. Until every time he talked about Chris Bosh, he called him “Bosh Spice.”


(Literally, every time. He would mention Bosh, pause, flash the camera an incredibly dickish smirk, and say “Or, as I like to call him… Bosh. Spice.”).


The inference here, of course, is that Bosh is soft. Or that he’s somehow not quite a man. Which would mean that he’s a woman, asJalen Rose pointed out today.







These aren’t the first rumblings about Chris Bosh’s non-manhood.An announcer once referred to him as “RuPaul.” A Chicago radio station recently made a parody music video about his sexuality (and in the NBA, and sports in general, when you call someone gay, you are calling them a sissy).

This is not what Skip Bayless did, per se. He did not call Chris Bosh a transsexual. He didn’t say he was gay, at least outright. But he called him “Bosh Spice,” which is a veiled way of saying something much uglier.

http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/the-problem-with-calling-chris-bosh-bosh-spice/

Mavericks Are the 2011 NBA Champions (BLOG)

MIAMI – For Dirk Nowitzki, the resume is complete. He's an NBA champion.

For LeBron James, the agonizing wait continues for at least one more year.

Avenging what happened five years ago in perfect turnabout style, the Dallas Mavericks won their first NBA title by winning Game 6 of these finals in Miami 105-95 on Sunday night — celebrating on the Heat's home floor, just as Dwyane Wade and his team did to them in the 2006 title series.

Jason Terry scored 27 points, Nowitzki added 21 and the Mavericks topped the Miami Heat 105-95 in Game 6 of the NBA finals on Sunday night. The Mavericks won four of the series' last five games, a turnabout that could not have been sweeter after seeing the Heat celebrate their first title in Dallas after Game 6 of the 2006 finals.

"Tonight," Terry said, "we got vindication."

James did not. Not even close, and a year unlike any other ended they way they all have so far — with him still waiting for an NBA title.

He scored 21 points for Miami, shook a few hands afterward, and departed before most of the Mavs tugged on their championship hats and T-shirts. Chris Bosh had 19, Mario Chalmers 18 and Dwyane Wade 17 for the Heat.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle joined a highly elite group, those with NBA titles as both a player and a head coach. Only 10 other men are on that list, including the presumably retired-for-good Phil Jackson, one of Carlisle's mentors in K.C. Jones, and Heat President Pat Riley — who led Miami past Dallas in 2006, and was the mastermind of what the Heat did last summer by getting James, Wade and Bosh on the same team with an eye on becoming a dynasty.

It might still happen, of course.

But even after 72 wins this season, including playoffs, the Heat lost the last game. And that means this year was a disappointment — except to just about everyone else in the NBA, or so it would seem.

Hating the Heat became the NBA's craze this season, and the team knew it had no shortage of critics, everyone from Cleveland (where "Cavs for Mavs" shirts were popular during these finals) to Chicago (the city James and Wade both flirted with last summer) and just about every place in between lining up to take shots at Miami.

Given their newfound popularity, meet the new America's Team.

Sorry, Cowboys — your long-held moniker might have to be ceded to your city's NBA club. When it was over, Mavs owner Mark Cuban ran onto the court to hug Carlisle, then punched the air and whooped.

Dallas took control in the second half after some wild back-and-forths in the opening two quarters. Miami took its last lead of the game — the season — just 64 seconds into the second half, lost it 16 seconds later and chased the Mavericks the rest of the way.

They never caught them.

Jason Kidd, at 38 years old, got his first championship. Nowitzki got his at 32, Terry at 33. They were featured on the video screen in their building in Dallas during this series on what seemed like a constant loop, each posing with the NBA trophy and looking longingly at it, standing mere inches from it, as if to say "so close, yet so far away."

No more.

It's theirs.

Nowitzki sealed it with 2:27 left, hitting a jumper near the Miami bench to put Dallas up 99-89, and some fans actually began leaving. Nowitzki walked to the Mavs' side slowly, right fist clenched and aloft.

He knew it. Everyone did. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra implored his team to foul in the final minute, and even then, they couldn't catch the Mavericks.

"All those unique individual stories is what propelled us to this victory," Terry said.

Dallas expected a big early push from Miami, and the Mavs' suspicions were proved correct. James made his first four shots, and the Heat raced out to a 20-11 lead.

It was erased — and then some — quickly, as soon as Dallas went to the zone defense that befuddled Miami again.

Dallas needed 5 1/2 minutes to rip off a 21-4 run, making 9 of 12 shots during the stretch. And much of that came with Nowitzki on the bench with two fouls, the first time he's been whistled for more than one in the opening quarter of a playoff game this season.

The Mavs were off and running. DeShawn Stevenson made a pair of 3-pointers within a span of 24 seconds to give Dallas a 40-28 lead with 9:42 left in the half. Dallas turned Miami's first six turnovers into 14 points, and the hundreds of blue-clad Mavs fans stood and roared, with Cuban waving his arms as if to lead the cheers from behind his team's bench.

Things turned quickly and got heated for good measure.

Miami scored the next 14 points to reclaim the lead at 42-40, a streak snapped only after Stevenson, Udonis Haslem and Chalmers got technicals with 6:25 left in the half after a midcourt mini-melee with mostly amounted to some words and a couple of shoves.

"A player will not automatically be suspended for leaving the bench if he has already left the bench because a timeout was called," the NBA announced later in the game. "However, we need to review the circumstances of this particular incident, which we will do, after the game."

So the NBA will watch replays.

The Heat, they probably won't — not for a long while. They had chances to take command and wasted them all. The Heat missed 13 of their 33 free throws, let the Mavericks score 27 points off turnovers and simply could not get a rebound in the final minutes.

Nowitzki finished 9 for 27, and the Mavs still won. He was 1 for 12 in the first half, and they were still ahead, 53-51, thanks largely to Terry's 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, along with a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers.

Plus, after James got off to such a fast start, he had two points in the final 19-plus minutes of the half.

James didn't score in the second half until a layup with 1:49 remained in the third — his first field-goal attempt since 1:05 remained in the half. Kidd made a 3-pointer late in the period, pushing the Dallas lead to 79-71, and it seemed like the only people standing in the arena were the players, referees, Cuban and a few guys around the Dallas bench.

It was 81-72 entering the fourth, after Ian Mahinmi made a foul-line jumper as time expired in the third, just his third basket of the entire series.

None were bigger.

The Mavs could taste a title.

When the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead in Dallas during the '06 finals, plans for their victory parade were announced. The Mavs didn't win another game in that series.

Now, that parade will finally happen. And when it's over, then the league's uncertainty will truly begin. Labor strife likely awaits, and although more talks geared toward movement on a new deal are scheduled for this week, both owners and players are bracing for a lockout to begin once the current collective bargaining agreement expires June 30.

What happens with the next deal may affect the Heat more than anyone. Some owners will insist on a hard cap, rolled-back salaries and, potentially, trying to bust some current deals — which could break up the Big 3 before get another chance to win a title together.

A gloomy end to the season may bring an even gloomier offseason for Miami.

"Every situation has felt like it was an our-back-against-the-wall situation," James said Sunday morning, hours before Game 6 began. "We've been able to figure it out and find our way through and scratch our way through. This is the last test. This is the last pop quiz for us that we need to pass in order to make it all worth it."

They didn't pass. So therefore, it wasn't all worth it. Except, of course, from the Dallas perspective.

Of the principal characters from the 2006 series, only Cuban, Nowitzki and Terry remain from the Mavericks' side, and for them, the beginning of this championship celebration seemed sweeter than even they could have imagined. Terry won't have to get his tattoo — the one of the NBA championship trophy — removed, which he vowed to have done if Miami won this series. Nowitzki will never be in the conversation of 'Best player without a title' again.

James is clearly the one with that most-unwanted label now.

NOTES: Carlisle improved to 11-3 as a coach with a chance to close out an opponent. ... James got a 21-minute rest in the second quarter in real time, thanks to that midcourt dustup and the referees taking several minutes to look at replays before doling out the technicals. ... Marc Anthony sang the national anthem, then took a courtside seat near the Heat bench.

Mavericks overcome James' triple-double, lead 3-2 (BLOG)

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki waited five long years for that elusive third victory over Miami, yet there was only a short celebration when it finally came.

He briefly thrust both arms in the air, a sea of blue screaming around him, but then quickly walked off the floor.

To Nowitzki, the real party can't come until next week.

"There's really nothing to celebrate," he said. "We're going in there Sunday swinging, like we did today, from the jump, and hopefully steal one Sunday."

And now it really is "now or never" for LeBron James and the Miami Heat.

Nowitzki scored 29 points, driving for the go-ahead dunk with 2:45 remaining, and the Mavericks beat the Heat 112-103 on Thursday night to take a 3-2 series lead.

The Mavs, who blew a 2-0 lead against the Heat in the 2006 finals, can wrap up their first championship in Game 6 at Miami on Sunday night.

"We didn't want to go to Miami and give them basically two shots to close us out. So we kept plugging there in the fourth. So definitely a big win for us," Nowitzki said. "And now we have to go down there and basically approach Sunday's game as Game 7."

James, who called this game "now or never," responded from his worst playoff performance with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, and Dwyane Wade battled through a sore left hip after a first-quarter collision to finish with 23 points.

"I could have made a couple of more plays for my team," James said. "But at the end of the day, all it's about is a win or a loss. Triple-double means absolutely nothing in a loss. So we will be better in Game 6 on Sunday."

Chris Bosh had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat, who get the final two games at home with history against them as they try to win a title in their first season together: In the 26 previous finals that were tied 2-2, the Game 5 winner won 19 of them.

"We fought hard all season for home-court advantage. We're down 3-2," Bosh said. "We protect home court, we win the series, so we just have to keep that in mind."

The Mavs shot 60 percent through three quarters, briefly gave up the lead in the fourth, then outscored Miami 17-4 in the final 4:23, controlling the final few minutes just as they had in thrilling comebacks in Games 2 and 4.

Dallas shot 56.5 percent from the field, including 13 of 19 (68 percent) from 3-point range.

"We made more shots," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "We did a lot of good things defensively, which led to good offense. ... You never know when the games are going to go that way. The thing we've got to do is we've got to make sure our defense is consistent."

Jason Terry scored 21 points and J.J. Barea had 17 for the Mavs, who insisted at some point their shots would start falling even against the Heat's stingy defense. Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler both finished with 13 points.

"We are getting the same looks we knew we would get," Terry said. "After Games 1 and 2, you watch it on film, you see it and then you realize you're going to have the opportunities. I said to myself, I said to my teammates, we're not going to continue to miss those open shots that we're getting."

James scored eight points in Game 4, going just 3 of 11, the first time in 90 postseason games he didn't hit double figures.

Trying to pump himself during a rough first finals in Miami in which he's been accused of everything from "shrinking" to "checking out" in the fourth quarters, he wrote "Now or Never!!" on his Twitter page early Thursday morning, later calling this the biggest game of his career.

But they feel the same urgency in Dallas, where the slogan "The Time is Now" is printed on those blue T-shirts that surround the court, and where the Mavs are loaded with 30-somethings — late 30s, in Kidd's case — who could be on their last shot at an NBA title.

Nowitzki said early Thursday he felt "great," having shaken the fever that rose to 101 degrees in Game 4.

This time, the health concern was Wade, who banged his hip in the first quarter and appeared to be limping at various points from there.

"I don't talk about injuries," Wade said. "It was unfortunate I had to leave the game, but I came back and finished it."

He remained in the locker room to start the second half, coming back onto the court about the midway point of the period. By then, the Mavs seemed in too good a groove to be cooled off no matter who Miami had out there.

A disgusted Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was already walking onto the court to call time by the time Chandler went up to dunk after catching the ball all alone under the basket, giving Dallas a nine-point lead that matched its largest of the series.

Miami stormed into the lead midway through the fourth with a 9-0 run, all layups, dunks and free throws until Wade's 3-pointer made it 99-95 with 4:38 to play.

The Mavs tied it at 100 on Terry's 3-pointer with 3:23 left, and after James missed, Nowitzki drove for a baseline dunk and a 102-100 lead. James was called for an offensive foul and missed a 3-pointer on Miami's next two possessions before Kidd drilled a 3-pointer to make it 105-100, sending the crowd into a delirious chant of "Beat the Heat! Beat the Heat!"

The teams were at the same point as their 2006 matchup after four games, but that one was already in the midst of a massive swing by then. Miami won the final four games behind Wade, the MVP of that series.

This one has been developing into one of the closest finals the NBA has ever seen. Games 2-4 were decided by three points or fewer. That hadn't happened in the championship round since 1948, according to STATS, LLC, when the Baltimore Bullets and Philadelphia Warriors played Games 2-4 within a three-point margin during the Basketball Association of America finals, a year before that league merged with the National Basketball League to become the NBA.

The first four games were determined by 15 total points, the fewest since a 12-game difference between the Celtics and Lakers in the 1969 finals.

And all eyes were on James, just as they have been since he bolted Cleveland for a better shot at a championship in Miami.

He vowed to be more aggressive after his puzzling Game 4. He caught the ball in the post more frequently, but his jumper was still off for much of the game.

James threw up an airball with his left hand on his first shot, and when he did finally score, the Mavs quickly came back with six straight points for an early 13-6 lead, a promising start for a team that had been playing from behind nearly all series.

Wade walked gingerly to the locker room with a left hip contusion with about 3 minutes left in the period after colliding with Mavs reserve Brian Cardinal on a drive to the basket, and didn't return to the bench until more than 3 minutes into the second.

James had a basket inside that gave Miami a six-point lead with 4:26 left in the half, but Dallas closed with a 14-5 push, taking a 60-57 edge to the locker room after Nowitzki's jumper with 6.1 seconds remaining. The Mavs shot 12 of 17 in the quarter, and after not reaching 30 points in any period through four games, hit that number in each of the first two quarters of Game 5.

LeBron says winning will take care of his legacy (blog)

DALLAS (Reuters) – LeBron James bristled Monday at the idea his offensive prowess in the NBA Finals has been a disappointment and that his unwillingness to take charge down the stretch could ultimately affect his legacy.

The Miami Heat forward has averaged a modest 20.3 points and has been largely absent on offense in the fourth quarter but his team holds a 2-1 lead over the Dallas Mavericks.

James says all he wants to do is win.

"Anybody that knows me throughout the years, all I care about is the W," he said. "I'm not just a scoring guy. I've got a lot of points in my career.

"I have had some team mates who have given me great confidence and ability to go out there and score a lot of points. But I've done other things.

"I don't have to score points to be effective."

James, seeking his first NBA title, said he has no problem letting his team mates shoulder the scoring burden in the fourth quarter if they have the open shots.

The two-time MVP and former scoring champion said he did not have to sink the winning shot to help the Heat beat the Mavericks 88-86 on Sunday in Dallas.

Chris Bosh provided the winning margin on a 16-foot jump shot with 39.6 seconds left and the Heat held on to restore their home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series.

"Not only did Chris Bosh make the game winning shot, but (Dwyane) Wade had a hockey assist," said James. "I got the assist to CB and Udonis Haslem set the screen on (Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki) to get him a wide open shot.

"That's what it's about. This is a team game."

James, who had only two of his 17 points in the final quarter, snapped at a reporter who suggested he was failing to live up to his lofty status by not taking control with the clock winding down.

"I think you're concentrating on one side of the floor," he said on Sunday during the post-game news conference. "All you're looking at is the stat sheet. Honestly, I'm a two way player.

"Since D Wade had it going offensively, we allow him to handle the ball, bring it on offensively.

"You should watch the film again and see what I did defensively. You'll ask me a better question tomorrow."

A day later, James said he was not concerned about his legacy.

"I just want to win," he told reporters. "My individual stats will take care of itself. In a series I've averaged 38 points a game and we've lost in the Eastern Conference Finals against Orlando.

"This is a team game. My resume will speak for itself after I'm done with this game of basketball. What me and my team mates are trying to accomplish now is the only thing I'm worried about.

"When I'm done, I'll let you guys figure where I should be placed."

Mavericks turn up heat on Miami at home (BLOG)

MIAMI (AFP) – Dirk Nowitzki hit the decisive layup with 3.6 seconds remaining as the Dallas Mavericks rallied from a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 95-93 in game two of the NBA finals.

Nowitzki finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who levelled the series at 1-1 and handed the Heat their first loss at home in this post-season.

"What a huge swing that was," Nowitzki said. "It was a huge comeback. We never gave up."

Nowitzki, who played through an injured finger on his left hand, got open and drove past Miami's Chris Bosh on the winning basket for the easy layup in front of a crowd of 20,003 at the AmericanAirlines arena.

Dallas' come-from-behind win also spoiled a 36-point performance by Miami's Dwyane Wade.

Miami had been sending two men to cover Nowitzki for most of the series but chose not to with the game on the line. They also decided not to try and foul and send Nowitzki to the free throw line where he is a perfect 15-for-15 in this series.

"I drove a little earlier than I normally would have," said Nowitzki. "I was able to drive the basket and make the play."

Germany's Nowitzki tore a tendon in the middle finger on his left hand in game one and is wearing a splint for protection.

"I got caught up trying to cut off his drive and that's what he wanted," Bosh said. "For a split-second I just played bad defence. It cost us two points."

The series now shifts to Dallas for game three on Sunday.

The Heat led 75-71 at the end of the third quarter then extended it to 88-73 in the fourth quarter and appeared to be en route to their 10th consecutive win at home in these playoffs when they hit a wall.

"We are not happy about this," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Offensively if we could have executed and moved the ball we might have been able to stem the tide."

LeBron James finished with at least 20 points for the sixth playoff game in a row but couldn't hit a late basket, unlike game one when he carried the Heat on his back down the stretch.

Said Bosh, "I don't know what happened. We were playing against the shot clock pretty much the whole end of the fourth quarter."

Shawn Marion finished with 20 points and eight rebounds. He and Nowitzki got plenty of help from the supporting cast Thursday as four Mavericks finished in double figures. Guard Jason Kidd also had six points and eight assists.

"We were down 15 and then went on a 4-0 run," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We have been down big a couple of times in the playoffs and we have shown the ability to come back."

This year's final is a rematch of the 2006 NBA championship, which Miami took in six games for their first title in franchise history. Dallas have never won the NBA championship in the 31 years they have been in the league.

There was a video tribute to Shaquille O'Neal with three minutes left in the first quarter, showing him holding the NBA championship trophy when he and Wade led Miami to the title five years ago.

O'Neal announced his retirement Wednesday after 19 brilliant seasons in the NBA that netted him four NBA championship rings.

Dallas raised their physical play a notch Thursday and the Heat responded in kind with plenty of pushing and shoving under the baskets and one-on-one battles for loose balls.

The Mavericks wanted to get more production out of their supporting cast and it worked Thursday, including from guard DeShawn Stevenson.

He was able to provide the added energy and muscle from the opening tip-off that was missing when the Heat pushed the Mavericks around in game one.

Stevenson shot three-of-six from the field and finished with nine points.

But Carlisle was most impressed with the gutsy performance by Nowitzki.

"You play and you play if you are feeling pain," he said. "You make yourself numb so you don't feel the pain. You've got to play and you've got to be a warrior."

Lakers to retire Shaquille O'Neal's jersey (BLOG)

LOS ANGELES -- Some time in the future, fans attending a game at the Staples Center will be able to say, "Look up in the rafters! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman's retired jersey!"

The Los Angeles Lakers plan to honor their former self-proclaimed Superman, Shaquille O'Neal, by raising his No. 34 jersey to the rafters.

"We don't have any specific timetable on this, but you can be assured we will retire Shaq's jersey," said Lakers spokesman John Black in an email on Wednesday.

O'Neal, 39, revealed his retirement earlier Wednesday using the new social media tool Tout, a real-time video messaging service, to announce to fans: "We did it. Nineteen years baby. I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."

O'Neal enjoyed the the bulk of the success during his 19-year NBA career in the eight seasons he spent in Los Angeles from 1996-2004, winning his lone regular season MVP award in 1999-00 and three consecutive Finals MVPs from 2000-02.

All seven other Lakers players to have their number retired are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, but the team may not wait for the requisite five-year grace period before O'Neal enters the Hall as a surefire, first ballot inductee before hosting the jersey ceremony.

"We don't have a specific policy on it," Black wrote. "As you know, players have to wait five years to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, but we could possibly do a jersey retirement ceremony for Shaq prior to that."

The Lakers will not purposefully hold off on O'Neal's jersey retirement until Kobe Bryant's jersey is retired, either.

"At this point in time I'd guess there's a really good chance that Kobe will still be playing in five years, and by that time Shaq will be elected to the HOF and we will have retired his jersey," Black wrote.

O'Neal retires with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks per game on 58.2 percent shooting, but his numbers jumped to 27 points, 11.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks in 514 regular season games played in L.A.

He was even more impressive in the three Finals wins against Indiana, Philadelphia and New Jersey, averaging 35.9 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks the the Lakers' three series wins.

O'Neal would become the eighth player in Lakers franchise history to have his jersey retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (No. 13), Elgin Baylor (No. 22), Gail Goodrich (No. 25), Earvin "Magic" Johnson (No. 32), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 33), James Worthy (No. 42) and Jerry West (No. 44).

O'Neal wore No. 32 in Orlando to start his career, but had to change to No. 34 when arriving in L.A. because of Johnson. He went back to No. 32 in Miami and Phoenix. He also wore No. 33 in Cleveland and No. 36 in Boston to finish his career.

The relationship between O'Neal and the Lakers spoiled before he was traded to the Heat in the summer of 2004. O'Neal's butted heads with Bryant and was seeking a lucrative contract extenstion that the team did not want to offer, time has helped repair the rift.

"Shaq had a long and amazing career, with a huge impact both on and off the court," Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss said in a statement on Wednesday. "His contributions were significant to the entire NBA, but we specifically appreciate what he did with and what he meant to the Lakers during his eight years with us. We have three championships that we wouldn't have won without him, and we will forever be grateful for his significant contributions to those teams."

Shaquille O'Neal announces retirement (BLOG)

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Shaquille O'Neal, the man with four rings, 28,596 career points and scores of nicknames, has finally decided to call it quits, ending one of the most colorful careers in NBA history that will surely culminate with a Hall of Fame induction.

End Of An Era

Shaquille O'Neal announced on Wednesday that after 19 seasons and four championship rings he's calling it quits. Here's a look back at his career:

• 15-time NBA All-Star
• 28,596 career points (5th all-time)
• 2000 NBA MVP
• 3-time NBA Finals MVP (2000-02)
• 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year
• Notable nicknames: The Diesel, Shaq Fu, Superman, The Big Daddy, The Big Shaqtus, The Big Shamrock
• 13 seasons with 20 PPG and 10 RPG (most in NBA)
• 5,250 postseason points (4th all-time in NBA)
• 216 postseason game played (3rd in all-time in NBA)

"I'm going to miss the competition. I'm going to miss, you know, the chase for the ring. You know, I'm actually going to miss everything," O'Neal said on "SportsCenter" on Wednesday.

He added: "Father Time has caught up with Shaquille O'Neal."

O'Neal, 39, revealed his retirement earlier Wednesday using the new social media tool Tout, a real-time video messaging service to announce to fans: "We did it. Nineteen years baby. I want to thank you very much, that's why I'm telling you first, I'm about to retire. Love you, talk to you soon."

"Once a businesman, always a businessman," O'Neal said with a smile later Wednesday. "I am the emperor of the social media network."

O'Neal said he wasn't prepared yet to reminisce about his long and prolific career, which produced three championships with the Lakers and one with the Heat. "Let's save that for the press conference on Friday," said O'Neal, who will hold that media event at his Isleworth home.

Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss says that O'Neal has not notified the team of his plans.

"Shout out to @SHAQ on the hall of fame career. One of a kind player," Celtics teammate Rajon Rondo tweeted Wednesday.

O'Neal retires fifth all-time with 28,596 points, 12th with 13,099 rebounds and second only to Artis Gilmore among players with more than 2,000 baskets with a .582 field goal percentage.

"I'm a little bit sad," said Pat Riley, the Heat president who was also the coach when O'Neal won a title in Miami. "It's the end of an absolute 20-year career. Great, great player. ... The league's going to miss Shaq. I'm sure Shaq will do something big and beyond."

LeBron James tweeted: "What a career for Shaq Diesel!! The most dominating force to ever play the game. Great person to be around as well. Comedy all the time!!"

O'Neal, who's in a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, said he isn't sure which team he'll enter under.

"I'm a humble and modest person so hopefully I get inducted. Let's just start there first," O'Neal said on SportsCenter. "... We'll just have to wait till that happens, and then I'll make that decision."

O'Neal signed a two-year contract with the Boston Celtics last summer but a persistent Achilles injury will prevent him from fulfilling the terms of the deal. O'Neal first injured his right Achilles on Christmas Day and was able to play only in two of the final 35 games of the regular season.

On April 3 against Detroit, O'Neal returned to the court after a two-month absence and scored six points in a spirited 5 minutes and 29 seconds before coming up lame and limping off the floor. Although his injury was listed as a strained calf, O'Neal said it was the Achilles flaring up again.

"I felt like someone had shot me in the back of my leg," he said.

Matt Campbell/AFP/Getty ImagesShaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant celebrate the Lakers' third consecutive title in 2002.

O'Neal did not play again in the regular season. He sat out the New York Knicks playoff series then tried to return in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against his old team, the Miami Heat. O'Neal logged 8½ minutes in the 97-81 victory but woke up in considerable pain the next morning. His final game was two days later, when he toiled for three minutes of Game 4 before Celtics coach Doc Rivers pulled him for good.

In the final weeks of the the playoffs, O'Neal, over the objections of team physician Brian McKeon, had "more than five" cortisone shots in his Achilles in an attempt to play against the Heat.

"Doc (McKeon) kept telling me, 'No, no,' but I wanted to play so badly," O'Neal said. "My feeling was, 'If it ruptures, it ruptures.' The Celtics were so good to me I wanted to do everything I could to get back on the court for them."

Throughout his time on the sideline, O'Neal said, he continued to do rehab as well as work on the treadmill and the exercise bike. He swam each evening at the Thoreau Club in Concord and shot a number of late-night free throws in at the Lincoln-Sudbury High School gymnasium across the street from his rented Sudbury home. He lost 35 pounds and was "feeling great everywhere except for that one little spot behind my heel."

O'Neal said McKeon recommended surgery that would "clean up" the area around the Achilles, but O'Neal said the recovery time would be close to nine months.

"I really, really thought about coming back," he said, "but this Achilles is very damaged and if I had it done the recovery would be so long we'd have same outcome as this last year -- everyone sitting around and waiting for me.

"I didn't want to let people down two years in a row. I didn't want to hold Boston hostage again.

"I'm letting everybody know now so Danny (Ainge) and the organization can try to get younger talent. I would love to come back, but they say once the Achilles is damaged it's never the same. I don't want to take that chance."

O'Neal said his final months in Boston included some of the darkest days of his career because "I just hated to let the city of Boston down. I really grew to love the place. Everyone was so welcoming to me and treated me so great. They believed in me and they took care of me, especially the great people of Sudbury. I love that town."

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O'Neal also had effusive praise for Rivers, whom, he said, was "one of the best I ever played for."

"I thought Doc was fabulous," O'Neal said. "He stressed 'team' all the time, never wavered on that. He kept everyone together. He's an amazing coach. I want to congratulate him on his five years (extension).

"He deserves it. He loves the organization, loves the players, and we all love him back."

O'Neal is acutely aware the Celtics posted a record of 21-4 when he was able to play 20 or more minutes this season. The chemistry he shared with the Big Three (Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rondo, he said, will be an enduring memory, leaving him to wonder what would have happened had he stayed healthy.

"We were supposed to win this year but 'supposed' doesn't count," he said. "The path was there for us. All the so-called super powers were gone -- L.A., San Antonio. I really feel if I was on the court we would have done it, but I don't believe in 'ifs.' "

O'Neal will be remembered as one of the most dominant, recognizable and controversial figures in the game, whose body of work included rap records, movies, a lengthy business portfolio and an even lengthier history of philanthropic deeds.

"I tried to make people happy," O'Neal said, "and I tried to have fun. I think I did both."

O'Neal was a franchise-saver when the Orlando Magic made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 1992 draft. He took them from the lottery to the playoffs in two years, and then led them to the NBA Finals in his third year before they were swept by the Houston Rockets.

O'Neal then signed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996 and had his greatest success there, winning three titles alongside Kobe Bryant and coach Phil Jackson. But amid tension between O'Neal and Bryant over credit for the team's success, O'Neal was traded to the Heat in the summer of 2004, fresh off a loss to the Detroit Pistons in the Finals.

After 3½ years in Miami, a tenure that included his fourth NBA championship, O'Neal became a veteran-for-hire, moving to Phoenix and then Cleveland and finally Boston. But he couldn't deliver another title for Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire with the Suns, with James with the Cavaliers or with the Celtics' Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

"I think Shaq was the most dominant big man of his era. He changed the game," former Lakers teammate Brian Shaw told ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi.

He added: "The amazing thing about him was with somebody of his size, that he was as nimble as he was. He could dance and run and do anything physically that somebody who was 5-10 could do. That's unheard of for a man his size. I don't know if we'll ever see that again.

With his basketball career behind him, O'Neal said he has a lot of things to fall back on, including pursuing his doctorate in human resource development at Barry University in Miami.

"If all goes well, I will be Dr. Shaquille O'Neal in December or January," O'Neal said on SportsCenter. "That's my main focus right now, but, you know, I've got a lot of stuff going on. I'm a business man. I own a couple of businesses. But right now I guess I could sit and take care of my body, get my body back."