Parker, Leslie among players chosen for Games

Associated Press

WASHINGTON -- Lisa Leslie will have help from Los Angeles Sparks teammate Candace Parker when the U.S. women's basketball team tries to win a fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

They were two of the nine players placed on the team Saturday. The announcement came before Los Angeles played Washington in a WNBA game.

Leslie won gold medals at the last three Olympics. Former U.S. star Teresa Edwards won four Olympic titles, but a bronze in 1992 interrupted her run from 1984-2000.

Also on the team for Beijing are Olympic veterans Katie Smith, Tina Thompson, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird. This will be Smith's third Olympics. Cappie Pondexter, Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles will make their Olympic debuts.

"I'm just thrilled to have these nine players officially named to the team," U.S. Olympic coach Anne Donovan said. "It's such a great mixture of Olympic gold medalists with some really tremendous young talent."

The other three members will be announced by July 1. Possible candidates include Kara Lawson, Swin Cash, Lindsey Harding and, Lindsay Whalen.

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Pierce-led Big 3 lifts Celtics to 89-81 win over Pistons

By LARRY LAGE, AP Sports Writer

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP)—Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce walked together, sporting black hats with green four-leaf clovers, and tried to soak up the moment when both superstars became conference champions for the first time.

“My heart is beating faster,” Pierce said.

Someone asked Garnett if he needed a water.

“I’m good,” Garnett said.

KG and the Big Three certainly are.

Pierce scored 27 points, Ray Allen had 17 and Garnett added 16 to lift the Boston Celtics to an 89-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston got past an old nemesis to set up a matchup with another rival.

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Bryant’s 39 points lead Lakers past Spurs 100-92

By JOHN NADEL, AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP)—The Lakers celebrated the Western Conference championship before their adoring fans at Staples Center, but not too hard.

They’ve got one more goal to reach before the real excitement begins.

Kobe Bryant scored 17 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter, and the Lakers rallied from an early 17-point deficit to beat the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs 100-92 on Thursday night and win the conference finals in five games.

They get a week off before opening the NBA finals next Thursday night at Boston or Detroit. The Celtics lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-2 with Game 6 on Friday night in Detroit.

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Doug Collins to become Bulls head coach

BY BRIAN HANLEY Staff Reporter

Doug Collins will become the next Bulls head coach, according to a source.

The source said the deal is expected to be announced "sooner rather than later."

Expect one of the other candidates general manager John Paxson interviewed to be one of Collins' assistants.

Paxson has said Collins has one of the best basketball minds around, and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said he loves Collins despite having fired Collins in a controversial move in 1989.

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Fines will be imposed for clear cases of flopping

By Marc Stein
ESPN.com

The NBA announced to its teams this week at its annual pre-draft camp that fines will be imposed on players starting next season for clear cases of "flopping," ESPN.com has learned.

The league office has yet to determine exact fine amounts for offending flops and how fines might escalate for repeat offenders, but in-game arena observers and video reviewers will be instructed to report instances of theatrical flopping for potential punishment as part of postgame reports on officiating and other matters.

The league's pledge to crack down on flopping was conveyed to team representatives at Tuesday's competition committee meeting in Orlando.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson confirmed the new policy Wednesday night saying: "What was clearly expressed to the committee is that we would begin imposing fines next season for the most egregious type of flops. When players are taking a dive, for lack of a better term."

Because a precise penalty system has not yet been structured, it is not yet known whether serial floppers will be subject to possible suspensions after a certain number of fines for flopping, as seen with the league's protocol on technical fouls. Players who accrue 16 technicals during the regular season are hit with a one-game suspension when they get to No. 16 -- the limit is seven technicals during the playoffs -- and receive one-game suspensions for every other technical thereafter (No. 18, 20, etc.).

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