NY prosecutors: Ref 'central' to NBA bet scandal

By TOM HAYS

NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced NBA referee Tim Donaghy has exaggerated his cooperation in a gambling investigation in hopes of lessening his prison term and avoiding paying hefty restitution, prosecutors said in court papers filed Friday.

He also has minimized his own role in the scheme, according to the filing in Brooklyn federal court.

Prosecutors rebuffed defense arguments that Donaghy should get a break on his sentence for voluntarily coming forward and giving prosecutors inside dirt about alleged game-fixing and other misconduct by other referees and league officials.

In the court papers, prosecutors said that by the time Donaghy decided to cooperate last year, "the government had a clear understanding of the criminal conspiracy, and who was involved." Though he deserves credit for giving investigators information on his two co-defendants, his claims of other internal NBA corruption "did not lead to evidence of prosecutable federal offenses," the papers added.

Defense attorney John Lauro declined comment Friday.

NY prosecutors: Ref 'central' to NBA bet scandal....

Mayo and Love Swap Places After the Draft

By HOWARD BECK

O.J. Mayo, who was one of the N.B.A. draft’s most intriguing figures Thursday night, became the pivotal player in a blockbuster trade hours after the draft concluded.

In an eight-player deal that was announced after 1 a.m. Eastern, Minnesota sent Mayo’s rights to Memphis in exchange for the veteran sharpshooter Mike Miller and the draft rights to forward Kevin Love.

The Grizzlies also received forward Antoine Walker and guards Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner. The Timberwolves also acquired forward Brian Cardinal and center Jason Collins.

While the transforming Timberwolves bolstered their lineup, the rebuilding Grizzlies only raised more questions.

Mayo and Love Swap Places After the Draft....

Bulls take Rose with No. 1 pick in NBA draft

By BRIAN MAHONEY – 2 hours ago

NEW YORK (AP) — The Chicago Bulls selected Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft Thursday night, choosing the Memphis guard over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley.

Rose, a Chicago native, led the Tigers to the national championship game in his lone college season. The Bulls opted for the point guard's playmaking ability over the scoring and rebounding of Beasley, who ranked in the top three in the nation in both categories as a freshman.

Rose is the Bulls' first No. 1 overall selection since they grabbed Elton Brand in 1999. He's the second straight freshman taken with the top pick, following Portland's Greg Oden last year.

The 6-foot-3 guard put on a red Bulls cap, hugged some supporters, including Memphis coach John Calipari, and shook hands with Beasley, seated at a nearby table, before walking onto the stage to meet NBA commissioner David Stern.

Bulls take Rose with No. 1 pick in NBA draft....

Nets to Send Jefferson to Bucks in Three-Player Deal

By HOWARD BECK

The Nets plunged into a full-blown rebuilding effort Thursday, agreeing to send Richard Jefferson to the Milwaukee Bucks in a three-player trade. The Nets will receive forwards Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons.

The trade was not immediately announced, but the details were confirmed by the agent for Simmons. The players must all pass routine physical examinations before the deal is complete. No draft picks are involved.

Nets to Send Jefferson to Bucks in Three-Player Deal....

As NBA draft looms, Bulls' eye keenly focused on Rose

By Mike Dodd, USA TODAY
CHICAGO — The last time Derrick Rose played on the United Center court, he electrified the crowd with one of the more brilliant performances of his high-school career.
In a span of 20 seconds, the junior guard twice stole the ball and scored on spectacular dunks, leading Simeon Career Academy to the Chicago Public League 2006 championship.

"It was a big stage. I love the big stage," Rose recalled last week.

As NBA draft looms, Bulls' eye keenly focused on Rose....

Doc Rivers gives $55G shirt off his back for charity

By Renee Nadeau

A Gatorade toast was in order at WEEI yesterday after Doc Rivers’ soaked shirt raised $55,000 for charity at auction.

The shirt worn by the Celts coach as Championship MVP Paul Pierce [stats] doused him in a celebratory Gatorade shower had been on the auction block since Thursday. Rivers signed the shirt for the sports radio station, which put the garment and accompanying Gatorade bucket up for bids.

“We were obviously very hopeful,” said Jason Wolfe, WEEI’s vice president of AM programming, who was amazed by the high bid and praised “the generosity of Celtics fans.”

Doc Rivers gives $55G shirt off his back for charity....

Beasley or Rose? Chicago Bulls can't go wrong

By DICK JERARDI
Philadelphia Daily News

MICHAEL BEASLEY or Derrick Rose? The power forward with all-court skills or the point guard with the ability to control games? That is the question for the Chicago Bulls. It is also a question for all of us.
Really, who is better? Is there any difference? Are they such dissimilar players that it really does not make any difference?

Steve Rosenberry has an opinion with a caveat. Rosenberry, a longtime Philadelphia-based NBA scout for the Sonics, recently took a scouting job with the Hawks.

"I know exactly who Beasley is as a player," Rosenberry said. "I'm closer to Beasley's talent because I know him better because I worked him out for a month. This would be a better conversation if I either worked out both or had worked out neither."

Beasley or Rose? Chicago Bulls can't go wrong....

It's an encore for a dunking Candace Parker

When the Sparks played host to the Seattle Storm on Tuesday night, the winners of the last nine WNBA most-valuable-player awards started the game.

Of course, Sparks rookie Candace Parker wasn't one of them.

But in only her 13th professional game, Parker reached another milestone, performing a slam dunk for the second consecutive game.

Parker scored a game-high 22 points, the last two on a one-handed dunk with 56 seconds remaining. She also grabbed 11 rebounds and blocked three shots to boost the Sparks to a 76-62 victory at Staples Center.

It's an encore for a dunking Candace Parker....

Shaq takes shots at Kobe in rap

by FOXSports.com

Just when you thought the war of words between Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant had finally been laid to rest, the battle now appears to be back on.

This time, it's taking on a lyrical tone.

In a video released on TMZ.com, O'Neal is shown doing a freestyle rap in a New York City nightclub in which he takes several shots at his former Lakers teammate.

"Kobe (expletive), tell me how my a** tastes," went the chorus, which O'Neal repeatedly encouraged the crowd to sing along with him.

O'Neal also referenced Bryant's inability to lead the Lakers past the Celtics in the 2008 NBA Finals: "Last week Kobe couldn't do without me."

Shaq takes shots at Kobe in rap....

High Court Won’t Hear Appeal on Atlantic Yards

By Sewell Chan

The United States Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by 11 New York City property owners and tenants whose homes and businesses are scheduled to be taken over by the government and demolished to make way for the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn.

The justices, without comment, declined to hear the plaintiffs’ argument that the seizure of their property would violate the United States Constitution. (A notation on the court’s case list indicated that Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. would have voted to hear the case; such notations are not uncommon.) In February, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a trial judge’s dismissal of the landowners’ and tenants’ suit.

However, the plaintiffs, including Daniel Goldstein, the leader of Develop Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, which opposes the Atlantic Yards project, vowed to continue their legal fight by turning, once again, to the state courts. Matthew Brinckerhoff, the lawyer for plaintiffs, said in a statement:

High Court Won’t Hear Appeal on Atlantic Yards....

Parker wins female college athlete of year award

CBSSports.com wire reports

NEW YORK -- Candace Parker of Tennessee has won the Honda-Broderick Cup, given to the nation's top female college athlete.

Parker led the Lady Vols to their second consecutive NCAA title in April. She was the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.

Parker wins female college athlete of year award....

James, Bryant to lead US Olympic basketball team

By ANDREW SELIGMAN

CHICAGO (AP) — MVP Kobe Bryant will be heading to his first Olympics, and he'll have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade with him. They will lead a U.S. Olympic basketball team that was announced Monday and hopes to capture the gold medal in Beijing in August after a third-place showing in Athens four years ago. They'll have plenty of help.

Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd were among the 12 players placed on the squad. They were joined by Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams.

"It was a very difficult selection process," said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball managing director. "When you have as many outstanding players as we do — to select a group of 12 is going to leave out some outstanding people."

The team was selected without a tryout. It will have a minicamp this week in Las Vegas and reconvene there July 20-25 to train and play an exhibition against Canada before heading overseas. The Americans open Olympic play against China on Aug. 10.

James, Bryant to lead US Olympic basketball team....

Won't be a summer sequel because Kobe Bryant is happy in Hollywood

Barring any more bombs thrown by Tim Donaghy, it's shaping up as a quiet off-season in the NBA, if only for one reason.

Kobe Bryant is content with the direction of the Lakers.

That means he won't be storming the front office or lobbing grenades at team officials.

Two days after a stunning 39-point loss to the Celtics ended his season, Bryant left his 30-minute exit interview with GM Mitch Kupchak and Phil Jackson smiling, joking and promising to leave the offseason changes to Kupchak. That's a far cry from last year when, after the Lakers' second straight first-round ouster, he nuked Kupchak and the franchise while running to two national radio outlets to demand a trade.

"You're all trying to see if I'm going to do Mitch's job for him this summer. I'm not," Bryant said. "I leave it up to him. He's done a great job of building this team."

Coming off their epic collapse in Game 4 of the Finals and historic elimination-game defeat, the Lakers still have some work to do.

Won't be a summer sequel because Kobe Bryant is happy in Hollywood....

Crowds cheer as Celtics roll through Boston

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff, and Ryan Kost and Maddie Hanna, Globe Correspondents

The Boston Celtics were hailed by a sea of green-clad fans today as their rolling rally wound its way through the city in a jubilant celebration of the team's NBA championship victory.

Players brandished trophies, smoked cigars in homage to Red Auerbach, and waved from a procession of amphibious duck boats rumbling through city streets from the TD Banknorth Garden, the Celtics' home court, past Boston Common, to Copley Square. Fans lined the route, cheering their hearts out.

"It's been a long wait, but a great one," said Patti Nunley, 48, of Melrose, who came to the parade with her daughters Siobhan, 10, and Adrianna, 7. "It was absolutely worth it."

It took a little more than an hour for the procession to reach an ecstatic crowd gathered at Copley Square. From there, the duck boats slipped into Cambridge and made their way back to the Garden.

Crowds cheer as Celtics roll through Boston....

Report: Mavs' Kidd to be on U.S. Olympic team

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Mavericks point guard Jason Kidd will be named to the United States Olympic Basketball team, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The newspaper reported that the 35-year-old Kidd, who averaged 10.8 points and 10.1 assists in 80 games with the Mavs and New Jersey Nets last season, received a call earlier this week to confirm he would be on the 12-man roster.

Kidd's teams have a perfect 38-0 record in international competition,

STORY....

Celtics return to glory with championship effort

by Mark Kriegel

BOSTON - Spend too much time in Los Angeles and you forget what a real crowd sounds like, those deafening decibels, that beery din.

The Boston Celtics' 17th championship was accorded the familiar rituals: the spray of confetti followed by a televised trophy presentation. Still, however loud it remained inside the TD Banknorth Garden, by then the festivities had already begun to take on an anti-climactic air.

As celebrations go, this one was particularly exhausting, having begun midway through the fourth quarter. Finally, with 4:01 remaining and the Celtics up by a mere 35, Doc Rivers removed his triumvirate of stars known as the Big Three.

"They came in as a group," Rivers said. "I thought we should take them out as a group."

MORE....

Bulls work out Beasley, Rose next, as No. 1 pick looms

Associated Press

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- Michael Beasley kept drifting away from the podium, and he couldn't help but notice people at the hotel next door peeking through the fence to catch a glimpse of the player the Chicago Bulls could draft No. 1.

"Man, I got people behind the fence, too?" he said.


All eyes were on Beasley when he visited the Bulls' practice facility Tuesday, and Derrick Rose figures to get the same treatment this week. Holding the first pick in the NBA draft later this month, Chicago has a big decision: Beasley, a forward from Kansas State who would provide a sorely lacking scoring presence, or Rose, a point guard who just led Memphis to the NCAA championship game.

MORE....

Citing family reasons, Billups pulls out of consideration for Beijing

By Ric Bucher
ESPN The Magazine

Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups will not play for Team USA in this summer's Beijing Olympics because of personal family issues.

Billups contacted Team USA director Jerry Colangelo on Tuesday and notified him of his decision.

"It's a matter of what you want to do and what you need to do," said Billups, who declined to be more specific about the family matter prompting his withdrawal from the team. "Winning a gold medal is the one thing that I haven't accomplished, and I was looking forward to standing up on that big stage. That's what I really wanted. But I was taught family comes first, above anything else."

MORE....

Owner Clay Bennett takes stand in Sonics trial

By GREGG BELL and GENE JOHNSON

SEATTLE (AP) — SuperSonics owner Clayton Bennett testified Tuesday that he remained committed to finding a new arena in the Seattle area before last season — even as e-mails circulated among team co-owners portraying how eager they were to move the Sonics to Oklahoma City.

City of Seattle lawyer Paul Lawrence repeatedly questioned Bennett about an e-mail Sonics co-owner and fellow Oklahoma City business leader Tom Ward sent to Bennett on April 17, 2007. That was just after the Washington Legislature rejected Bennett's plan for a publicly financed, $500 million arena in the Seattle suburbs.

"Is there any way to move here for next season, or are we doomed to have another lame duck season in Seattle?" Ward wrote.

STORY....

Should they stay or should they go? Sonics case begins

By Lester Munson
ESPN.com

In the first of a series of legal battles that will determine the future of the Seattle SuperSonics, attorneys for the city of Seattle will try to persuade a federal judge in a trial beginning Monday that the Sonics are bound by a lease with the city and must play two more seasons in Seattle. On the other side, Sonics owner Clay Bennett and his co-owners want to move the team to Oklahoma City immediately and insist they should be permitted to leave Seattle if they pay the rent at KeyArena for the next two seasons. Bennett has the NBA's approval for that move. The trial and other litigation and threats of litigation raise numerous legal questions. Here are some of the questions and their answers:

ANSWERS....

Lakers put 17 on hold

By Mark Murphy

LOS ANGELES - In an NBA Finals stocked with blown opportunities on both sides, what’s one more?

The Celtics [team stats] have become master escape artists in this series, again climbing out of a big hole in last night’s Game 5. This time, however, erasing a 19-point second-quarter deficit merely was a delicious tease.

Though they threatened throughout, the Celts failed to close the deal in a 103-98 loss to the Lakers. The series now shifts back to Boston for Game 6 tomorrow night.

MORE....

Lakers one game shy of elimination from NBA finals

By Mike Bresnahan, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

The Lakers have already made history. They actually have a chance to do it again.

Somewhere in the same sphere of improbability that goes with blowing a 24-point lead in an NBA Finals loss, the Lakers will try to win the Finals after trailing, three games to one.

It has never been done since the Finals debuted in 1947, which speaks to the magnitude of their task, in case it wasn't already clear.

They managed to practice Saturday, one more step than they could take when they all gloomily assembled Friday, though it remained to be seen how they would look in Game 5 tonight against Boston at Staples Center.

They spoke positively, insisting the shock of Game 4 and the stagnation a day later had dried up and blown away. The final score tonight will be the best judge.

MORE....

Hawks sign Mike Woodson to new contract

ATLANTA (AP) — The Atlanta Hawks have re-signed coach Mike Woodson for his fifth season with the team.

Hawks general manager Rick Sund said Friday he thinks Woodson can help the team reach its potential and build on last season.

Woodson coached the Hawks to the playoffs, where they took the Boston Celtics to seven games in the opening round.

A Question Mark Looms Over 3 Expensive Projects

By CHARLES V. BAGLI

More than two years ago, the Bloomberg administration came up with an aggressively creative way to use tax-exempt bonds to finance two of the most expensive stadiums in the world, one for the Yankees in the Bronx and another for the Mets in Queens.

The Internal Revenue Service initially approved the use of the bonds for the ballparks, but quickly issued a proposal in 2006 to tighten the rules governing the use of tax-exempt bonds so that it would be more difficult, and perhaps impossible, for this kind of financing to be used again by profitable, private enterprises like professional sports teams.

Now state and city officials say the proposed rules are jeopardizing what is planned to be the city’s next big sports palace: the $950 million Barclays Center, an 18,000-seat basketball arena for the Nets that is the centerpiece of the huge residential and commercial complex in Brooklyn known as Atlantic Yards. The project’s developer, Forest City Ratner, says it plans to break ground on the arena this fall and has long expected to use tax-exempt financing to reduce its borrowing costs by tens of millions of dollars.

Barclays Center is expected to be the most expensive arena in the world, and the lack of tax-exempt financing would substantially increase its cost. The $4 billion Atlantic Yards project already faces delays because of litigation, a sluggish economy, the lack of commercial tenants and the reluctance of lenders to finance large real estate developments.

FULL ARTICLE....

Lakers one game shy of elimination from NBA finals

LOS ANGELES (AP) -Kobe Bryant realizes the Los Angeles Lakers are in deep trouble. He believes there's only one reasonable way to approach such a grim situation.

"I'm not thinking about beating them three straight,'' Bryant said after the Lakers collapsed in the last 18 minutes Thursday night, resulting in a 97-91 loss to the Boston Celtics that put them on the brink of elimination from the NBA finals.

"We're thinking about beating them on Sunday,'' Bryant said. "Then, you move on from there. Take one swing at a time to chop down a tree. We'll take care of business on Sunday.''

STORY....

NBA hopes Celtics-Lakers rivalry can respark the fans

By Erik Spanberg | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

With the return of pro basketball's most storied rivalry in the finals, the National Basketball Association has big hopes for a rebound in fans.

Last year, the league bounced from a controversy-filled All-Star game of celebrity excess in Las Vegas to a tepid San Antonio-Cleveland championship round to a summer filled with a disgraced NBA referee's guilty plea in a gambling scandal. Fast-forward to the NBA's recent run, a remarkable turnaround that began when Commissioner David Stern celebrated the league's humanitarian efforts during an All-Star weekend in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans. It was followed by exciting playoff runs featuring, among others, the resurgent Hornets and capped by a Celtics-Lakers that continues with Game 3 Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Boston leads the series 2-0.

STORY....

Boston Celtics take 2-0 finals lead

Ian Whittell

THE Los Angeles Lakers stumbled to another potentially costly defeat in their NBA Finals series with the Boston Celtics on Sunday but, from the ashes of a 108-102 loss, they may finally have witnessed the spark to ignite their Championship bid.

Kobe Bryant inspired a late comeback by his team, which had trailed by 24 points with only 7:55 (minutes) left to play, a recovery which brought them to within 104-100 with 63 seconds remaining.

Ultimately, thanks to two free-throws from the excellent Paul Pierce, the Celtics were able to hold on for a win which gives them a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as it is transplanted to Los Angeles for three games starting Tuesday.

However, the performance of Bryant, who finally seemed to come to terms with Boston’s stifling defence in the second half on his way to a game-high 30 points, suggested that the Lakers may have it within their power to become only the fourth team to ever recover from a 2-0 deficit in the NBA Finals.

STORY....

Pierce will play through knee sprain

By Michael Vega

The day after, Paul Pierce had a noticeable limp, his right knee still sore, stiff,
Miraculously (except, perhaps, to the man known as Dr. Phil in the Lakers' huddle), Pierce overcame his injury that led to him being carried off the court, and returned to a thunderous ovation to score half of his 22 points.

"I've never had any knee problems in my career, so it was real scary once I felt a sharp pain in it," Pierce said yesterday at TD Banknorth Garden, where the team held a film session and shot free throws. "There's a little pain in it right now, so I'm just going to keep it wrapped, iced. [There was] still a little bit of swelling this morning when we looked at it. [I'll] just continue to get treatments and go from there."

Pierce said he took "four Advils" for the inflammation and would eschew an MRI.

MORE....

Pierce’s Return Fuels Celtics and a Rivalry

By HOWARD BECK

BOSTON — A brilliant rivalry was renewed Thursday night, with all the attendant tension, drama, ill will and ear-splitting volume.

And at the end of a long evening of “Beat L.A.” chants, the Boston Celtics had their first finals victory in 21 years, a convincing 98-88 defeat of the Lakers at TD Banknorth Garden to open this best-of-seven series.

Amid the heavy nostalgia for all things Lakers and Celtics, Paul Pierce borrowed a scene from another historic finals moment, doing his best Willis Reed impression to lead Boston to the victory.

ARTICLE....

This version of Lakers and Celtics in unfamiliar territory

BOSTON - The season started this way, so why shouldn’t The Series, as well?

As a giant question mark matching a riddle against a mystery, no one capable of saying with certainty how the NBA Finals will end.

NBA? After five days of nothing but talk, that stands for Nonstop Baloney Analysis.

In one corner, there are the Lakers, a team which has two championship-proven starters but also with Lamar Odom, who never before had been beyond the postseason’s second round, and Pau Gasol, who never before had won as much as a playoff game.

ARTICLE....

Kobe Bryant is the reason Lakers will win in seven games

By Mark Whicker / The Orange County Register

If you really think the Lakers will win this NBA Finals, you must think they can win Game 6 and/or 7 in Boston. No one has won a championship that late in a series, on the road, since Miami at Dallas in 2006, and, before that, Chicago at Utah in 1998.

No one has won a Finals Game 7 away from home since Washington at Seattle in 1978.

Or you must think the Lakers can get this done in 4 or 5, against the winningest team in the league, a club with one certain Hall of Famer and two other candidates, and a defense that has squeezed its playoff opponents into 87.3 points per game on 42.1 percent shooting. That isn’t happening.

FULL STORY....

Pistons coach Saunders won't be back next season

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Pistons say Flip Saunders won't be back next season after leading the team to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference finals.

President of basketball operations Joe Dumars said Tuesday a change is necessary despite Saunders' successes.

FULL STORY....

Horry Says Return ’Up in the Air’

By ELIZABETH WHITE, Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO, June 1 (AP) -- "Big Shot Rob'' might be done breaking hearts.

San Antonio Spurs forward Robert Horry said Saturday he's considering stepping away from the game after winning seven NBA championships in a 16-season career.

"Right now I'm up in the air,'' Horry said. "That's all I can really tell you, up in the air. I want to play, 80 percent of me wants to play and I'm sure as soon as I get in the gym and see people bouncing the ball it would turn into 100 percent. So we'll just have to wait and see what happens.''

The defending champion Spurs lost in the Western Conference finals to the Lakers in five games. The series concluded Thursday night, and it was widely expected that this would be Horry's last year.

Horry, known as "Big Shot Rob'' for a resume filled with clutch baskets on the biggest stages, turns 38 in August.

STORY....