Westbrook secures triple-double average, falls short of 42nd

PHOENIX — Russell Westbrook joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average a triple-double for a season.

That didn’t make him feel much better about his or his team’s awful Friday night, when Westbrook failed for the second game in a row to break Robertson’s 55-year-old, single-season record for most triple-doubles.

The dynamic Thunder guard fell two assists shy of what would have been his 42nd in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 120-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Of averaging a triple-double for the season, Westbrook said, “You could never say in a million years that I would think that was even possible.”

And as for not getting 10 assists?

“My main goal since I got here, especially this season, is to win a championship,” Westbrook said. “If I wanted to get 10 assists, I could get 10 assists. Everybody wants to see the record broke, but it’s bigger than that for our team and for me.”

On a rough night all around, Westbrook had 23 points (on 6-of-25 shooting, 2 of 12 3-pointers), 12 rebounds and eight assists, along with eight turnovers before coach Billy Donovan pulled him with 2:34 to play.

Devin Booker scored 21 of the Suns’ 25 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 37 as Phoenix snapped a 13-game losing streak.

“From the start of the game, Russ was chasing history,” Booker said. “… Unbelievable player. I’m sure he’s going to get it. I’m happy it wasn’t here but we locked in defensively.”

Westbrook did get the six assists he needed to assure that he’d join Robertson as the only players to average a triple-double for a season — breaching double figures for all three categories. Robertson averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists for the Cincinnati Royals in the 1961-62 season.

After the game, Westbrook went straight to the practice court and stayed there for nearly an hour.

“Get your mind right,” he explained. “You understand how important a game is and you want to make sure I’m playing the best that I need to play for my teammates. Tonight I felt like I let them down.”

Westbrook stayed in the game long after the outcome seemed certain. Donovan said he hadn’t given up on being able to win the game.

“No, I wasn’t trying for the triple-double,” the coach said. “I’ve seen enough miraculous things this year — at Dallas and Orlando — and I thought about taking him out at the stoppage of play around 3:40, 3:45. I just said, you know what, he gets hot around the 3-point line, we make a couple of shots. … I just wanted to give our team every opportunity.”

Westbrook had probably his worst shooting first half of the season and his teammates didn’t show much interest in the contest as the Suns opened a 28-point lead.

He missed his first 11 shots before sinking a 17-footer with 50.4 seconds left in the half. He followed that quickly with a three-point play on an acrobatic drive to the basket.

But his halftime stats were ugly: 2-for-13 shooting, 0 for 4 on 3s, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 6 turnovers.

Phoenix, meanwhile, shot 61 percent in the first half, led by Warren’s 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting, to Oklahoma City’s 39 percent and led 71-48 at the half.

source: sports.inquirer.net

NBA: Warriors rival Jordan’s Bulls for greatest season

OAKLAND, United States — One victory shy of defending their NBA title, the Golden State Warriors might just be on the verge of completing the greatest season in the league’s 70-year history.

A triumph over Cleveland in Monday’s fifth game of the best-of-seven NBA Finals would give Golden State a repeat crown to cap a campaign that had the best start in league history, 24-0, and saw the Warriors win a record 73 regular-season games, one more than the old mark of the Michael Jordan-led 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

“I never in a million years would have guessed that record would be broken,” said Steve Kerr, the Golden State coach who won his first NBA title as a guard on that Bulls squad. “I’ll say the same thing I said 20 years ago. I don’t think this one will ever be broken.”

A 108-97 victory Friday in Cleveland gave the Warriors a 3-1 lead in the finals and their 88th combined season and playoff win, one more than the Bulls’ old record total from two decades ago.

But Chicago was 15-3 in the playoffs to stand 87-13 overall while Golden State is 15-6 in the playoffs and only 88-15. And the Bulls had to win only three games in round one, not four as Golden State did this year.

The Warriors’ 28 regular-season win streak in a row dating to the end of the prior season became the second-longest in NBA history. They won 54 home games in a row over two seasons, 10 more than the old mark of the ’95-96 Bulls, and Golden State’s record 34 road wins were one more than those Bulls managed.

Jordan congratulated the Warriors in April on an “amazing season” but added, “I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.”

‘It’s all subjective’

Golden State’s Draymond Green takes the best-ever debate in stride, saying “they are going to talk and we really don’t care.”

“We’ve got (to win the title) before you can even consider saying that,” Green said. “It’s all subjective. To say we’re better than the ‘Showtime’ Lakers, how can you say that? We never played them.”

That’s when teammate Klay Thompson interjected: “We are better than the ‘Showtime’ Lakers.” But that could have been a nod to his father Mychal, who won two titles with that Lakers lineup.

“Like saying we’re better than the Bulls — we’ll never play them. Two completely different eras,” Green added. “So I don’t really get off on the ‘best team of all times.’ I’m trying to win rings. That’s my only goal.”

Lakers Hall of Fame guard Magic Johnson defended his “Showtime” squad, saying the unit with NBA all-time scoring leader Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy could beat this year’s Warriors.

“We’ve never seen two guys who can shoot like Steph and Klay (Thompson), but they never ran up against somebody like us,” Johnson told ESPN.

Each boasts Aussie big man

The 1995-96 Jordan, in his first full season after an ill-fated try at baseball, led the NBA with 30.4 points a game and added 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists, then raised his average to 30.7 points in the playoff run and captured NBA Finals and season Most Valuable Player awards.

But Curry led the NBA this year with 30.1 points a game, also averaged 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists, led the NBA in steals with 169, free throw accuracy at 90.8 percent, hit a one-season NBA record 402 3-pointers and won season MVP honors for the second year in a row. After a 38-point effort in game four, the finals MVP could come his way as well.

“He doesn’t have the size and the strength to dominate a game physically, so he has to dominate with his skill,” Kerr said. “But he has a lot of faith in himself and he trusts his shot.”

The Bulls had Scottie Pippen (19.4 points a game) to match Thompson (22.1) and Dennis Rodman with an NBA-best 14.9 rebounds a game to Green’s team-best 9.5.

Each team had an Australian center, with the Bulls’ Luc Longley averaging 9.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.35 blocked shots and the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut at 5.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks.

The Bulls had Croatian forward Toni Kukoc and guards Ron Harper and Kerr but the Warriors counter with Harrison Barnes and 2015 NBA Finals MVP Andre Iguodala off the bench.

And both Kerr and Chicago’s Phil Jackson were voted NBA Coach of the Year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors become 2nd NBA team to win 70, beat Spurs

OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry scored 27 points and the Golden State Warriors became the second team to win 70 games in a season by beating the San Antonio Spurs 112-101 on Thursday night, wrapping up home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Warriors (70-9) bounced back from their second loss in three home games two nights earlier against Minnesota and joined the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls as the only teams to win 70 games. Golden State can break Chicago’s single-season record of 72 wins by sweeping the final three games, including a rematch in San Antonio on Sunday.

Harrison Barnes scored 21 points and Draymond Green added 18 to help the Warriors avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. Golden State has outscored the opposition by 14.6 points per game following its nine losses.

Kawhi Leonard scored 23 points for the Spurs, who will enter the playoffs next weekend as the second seed in the West.

San Antonio has been outscored by 41 points in two losses at Golden State this season and will have to open on the road if these teams meet again in the conference finals.

After a relatively quiet first half, Curry took the game over in the third quarter and sent the Warriors to their second easy win at home against the Spurs this season. Curry had 15 points and four assists in the quarter — directly contributing to 11 of Golden State’s 16 baskets — as he was able to drive to the basket with ease for either his own shot or to set up a teammate.

Curry’s second 3-pointer of the game gave the Warriors a 19-point lead and then he fed Andrew Bogut for a dunk on the next trip to make it 69-48. The Warriors shot 80 percent in the third alone and took an 87-69 lead into the fourth — easily passing the 79 points they scored the entire game in last month’s loss at San Antonio.

This was a highly anticipated showdown between the league’s top two teams, with the 134 combined wins the most ever in a regular-season matchup. Both took the game seriously, with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich opting to play his stars instead of resting them. Popovich even called a timeout less than a minute into the game after a defensive breakdown led to an open 3-pointer for Klay Thompson.

Not to be outdone, Warriors coach Steve Kerr got angry after a turnover led to an open 3-pointer for Danny Green late in the first half and slammed his white board so hard during the timeout that his marker flew into the air.

That 3 by Green helped the Spurs cut a 15-point deficit down to six in the final minute of the half. But Barnes answered with a pair of two 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 52-40 lead at the break.

TIP-INS

Spurs: F LaMarcus Aldridge left the game late in the first quarter with a dislocated right pinky finger. Trainers taped it to his ring finger and he returned in the second quarter.

Warriors: Draymond Green committed two fouls in the first 3:53 and then got called for a technical for arguing the second call before going to the bench early. … Barnes has scored in double figures in a career-high nine straight games.

source: sports.inquirer.net

In LeBron’s final duel with Kobe, Cavs top Lakers 120-108

LOS ANGELES  — LeBron James savored every bump from Kobe Bryant in the low post. He relished every down-court sprint, every big shot – and even the fake that left him sailing helplessly through the air while Kobe pivoted around him for a layup.

The farewell duel between two of the greatest players in NBA history was quality entertainment, even for the two men involved.

“I wish I could play against him every single night,” James said. “Just that competitive juice, that feeling of just going against one of the greatest, you can never take that for granted.”

James scored 24 points while sharing a court with Bryant for the final time, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-108 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

Bryant, who will retire after the season, had 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He ignored his constantly sore right shoulder to make sure he didn’t miss his 22nd meeting with James on an NBA court, albeit never in the playoffs.

“It was just fun,” Bryant said. “I enjoy the physicality of it. Playing against him is fun because of his size. It’s always fun to bump with him and to have that physicality, backing him down and driving and bumping. That’s fun.”

After a pregame chat and hug with the crowd on its collective feet just to watch pregame warmups, Bryant and James both had vintage individual moments in the final edition of this friendly rivalry.

Bryant got a raucous standing ovation in the first quarter after that graceful post move, faking James out of his shoes and stepping around him.

“It was everything for a competitor like myself,” James said. “I know he was not taking this game off for sure, and I definitely wasn’t taking it off. It was great to be out there.”

Kyrie Irving scored 26 points and Channing Frye had 21 for the Cavaliers, who have won on the first two stops of their four-game West Coast road trip. Irving needled Bryant after a short free throw, and Kobe responded by guarding the youngster.

“It’s just great to have that mentorship out on the floor, but our relationship goes (further) off the court than it does on the floor,” said Irving, who recalled challenging Bryant to a 1-on-1 game at U.S. national team camp. “But to play against him one last time here in the Staples, it means a lot. I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

Bryant and James have been parallel superstars for the past 13 seasons. The U.S. national team teammates are the No. 3 and No. 13 scorers in NBA history, with 30 combined All-Star selections and seven championship rings.

The superstars are clearly friends, but their lack of a playoff showdown means they never developed enough history to suit Bryant. Either Bryant or James has played in the past nine NBA Finals, but never at the same time.

“It’s not a rivalry, but I wouldn’t say it’s because we like each other too much,” Bryant said. “I don’t like anybody that much.”

Bryant hit back-to-back jumpers in the second quarter while James threw down a pair of thunderous dunks. Bryant scored seven quick points in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers stretched their lead with James leading the way.

James and Bryant returned to the game midway through the fourth quarter with Cleveland well in front. Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 3:17 to play to trim Cleveland’s lead to 12 points, but went to the bench moments later with fans chanting his name.

Rookie Love

D’Angelo Russell scored 24 points, Julius Randle added 15 and Marcelo Huertas had a career-high 13 for the Lakers, whose two-game winning streak ended. Russell scored at least 20 points for the seventh time in eight games. “He’s been playing some good ball,” James said of the No. 2 pick. “Obviously, as a rookie you have some ups and downs, but they have a good player.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Curry, Warriors notch 41st win, slip past Thunder

OAKLAND, California — With a Super Bowl-sized stage, a celebrity-filled crowd and two championship contenders on the floor, it felt more like late May in Oracle Arena than early February.

Stephen Curry was up to the task.

Curry scored 26 points and keyed a strong closing stretch that sent the Golden State Warriors to their 41st straight regular-season home win, 116-108 over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

“This was very playoff-like for sure,” Curry said. “The atmosphere, just the intensity, the adrenaline down the stretch. That’s what you expect for sure. It was good to get that feeling and execute.”

Curry scored three baskets and assisted on two more in a closing 12-4 run that gave the Warriors (46-4) their ninth straight win to match the 1966-67 Philadelphia 76ers for the best record ever after 50 games. Golden State moved within three wins of tying the Chicago Bulls (1995-96) for the longest home winning streak in NBA history.

Harrison Barnes added 19 points and Klay Thompson scored 18 for Golden State.

Kevin Durant had 40 points and 14 rebounds and Russell Westbrook added 27 points and 12 assists for the Thunder, who had won five straight and 12 of 13 but still trail Golden State and San Antonio in the Western Conference.

“Man, we’re not scared of either one of these teams,” Durant said. “We’re going to play our game. Nobody in this locker room is scared. We have to play them. If we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to play them. We’re not ducking anybody.”

One day before he plans to watch good friend Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers take on Denver in the Super Bowl at nearby Levi’s Stadium, Curry helped the Warriors break out to a 20-point lead in the second quarter despite making just one 3-pointer on the night.

The defending-champion Warriors have beaten the three teams directly behind them in the standings during this current streak. After blowing out San Antonio and Cleveland by a combined 64 points, Golden State was tested against Oklahoma City.

The Thunder hung tough after facing the big deficit in the first quarter and cut the lead down to 99-95 on a 3-pointer by Durant midway through the fourth quarter. Enes Kanter then tied the game at 104 with a fall-away jumper.

“That’s what we’re supposed to do,” Durant said. “When we get down we’re supposed to tie the game up. No moral victories in here.”

But Durant missed a long trey a short while later that could have given Oklahoma City its first lead since the first quarter.

Curry responded with a driving layup and Klay Thompson followed another Durant miss from three with a long-range basket of his own off a feed from Curry that made it 110-104 with 1:40 to play. Curry’s jumper made it 114-108 with 33.6 seconds left, prompting chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the sellout crowd.

Andre Iguodala’s dunk off another pass from Curry sealed it.

“I thought it was great for our team to go through a game like that,” coach Steve Kerr said. “It’s been a while since we had to get stops and be solid down the stretch offensively. On a night when it wasn’t quite his night, I thought Steph was just brilliant the last couple of minutes.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

King James becomes youngest to assume 25,000-point throne

After becoming the youngest player in NBA history to surpass 25,000 career points on Monday, LeBron James sat in the locker room in the Wells Fargo Center with his feet in an ice bucket, an ice bag on each knee and another ice bag on his back.

No matter the aches and pains for the Cleveland Cavaliers forward, the 13-year veteran makes it look easy.

Needing 21 points at the start of the road game against the Philadelphia 76ers to reach the milestone, James scored 22 while collecting 11 assists and nine rebounds in Cleveland's 107-100 victory.

He surpassed the mark when he dunked a lob from guard Matthew Dellavedova with 8:07 remaining and left the game for good shortly after that.

At 30 years and 307 days, James surpassed Kobe Bryant (31 years, 351 days) as the youngest to achieve the milestone.

James, who is 20th on the all-time scoring list, could not immediately put the mark in perspective.

"It's pretty cool," he said. "I haven't had an opportunity to categorise the list of things I've done."

James did say that it was great to reach the mark in a victory while playing with a group of team mates he enjoys and, he added, "in a building that loves the game of basketball."

Cavaliers coach David Blatt called it an "extremely important, extremely impressive" mark.

"To be the youngest player in the history of the game to score 25,000 points -- particularly when you're every bit the passer that you are the scorer -- is just a testament to his greatness," Blatt said.

The Philadelphia fans accorded James with a standing ovation during a timeout with 7:45 left, when an announcement was made about his achievement.

"Obviously, they're Sixer fans to death, but they know and they respect the game of basketball," James added. "To get a standing ovation reaching that milestone, it was very special."

The former Miami Heat leader said the mark was a tribute to playing with "two great organisations" and having great team mates and coaches around him. The most important thing, he said, was, "I've been able to stay healthy, relative, in my career."

Then he knocked on a wooden bench. The ice bags were still on his knees and his feet were still in the bucket.

Sixers coach Brett Brown was, of course, asked about James afterward, and he talked not so much about his scoring as his leadership and intellect.

"He sees stuff," Brown said. "He's telling us about an assist before he even passes it. It's just the whole package he brings to the table. He's very, very unusual and very unique." — Reuters

Lakers point guard Nash retires after standout career

Two-time NBA most valuable player Steve Nash, one of the best point guards ever to play professional basketball, is retiring after a 19-year career, the Canadian said on Saturday.

The future Hall of Famer, a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, made the announcement in a letter published on The Players' Tribune website.

"The greatest gift has been to be completely immersed in my passion and striving for something I loved so much -- visualizing a ladder, climbing up to my heroes," the 41-year-old Nash said.

An eight-time All-Star, Nash finished his career with 10,335 assists, the third most in NBA history.

His retirement was in many ways a mere formality as the point guard, beset by back problems, had been unable to play this season with the Lakers.

After a standout career with the Phoenix Suns, where he won MVP honors in 2005 and 2006, Nash had struggled in Los Angeles due to injuries, playing in only 65 games.

"When I signed with the Lakers, I had big dreams of lifting the fans up and lighting this city on fire," said Nash, who signed a three-year, $28 million deal with the franchise in 2012.

"I turned down more lucrative offers to come to L.A. because I wanted to be in the 'fire,' and play for high risk and high reward in my last NBA chapter. In my second game here, I broke my leg and nothing was the same."

A standout at Santa Clara University in California after attending high school in British Columbia, Nash was a first round draft choice of the Suns in 1996. He played two seasons with Phoenix and six with the Dallas Mavericks before returning to the Suns for the 2004-5 season.

Only John Stockton and Jason Kidd had more assists than Nash, who for nine consecutive seasons was the point guard for the number one offense in the league.

Nash averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 assists for his career. He also was the most accurate free throw shooter in NBA history, making 90.4 percent of his attempts.

"I will likely never play basketball again," he wrote. "It's bittersweet. I already miss the game deeply, but I'm also really excited to learn to do something else." — Reuters