News from April 17. Mehmet Okur (Uta) will undergo an MRI today (Sunday) after aggravating his strained left Achilles during the 2nd quarter of Saturday's Uta-Den game 1 (and he sat out the rest of the game). Greg Monroe (sophomore, Georgetown, center) declared himself eligible for the NBA draft. Utah placed Andrei Kirilenko on IL. Kirilenko aggravated his strained left calf on Thursday and is expected to be out 2 weeks. Denver placed Renaldo Balkman, Brian Butch, and Coby Karl on IL. Miami placed Yakhouba Diawara, Kenny Hasbrouck, and Shavlik Randolph on IL. Boston placed Tony Gaffney, Oliver Lafayette, and Brian Scalabrine on IL. Gaffney was signed on April 14. Milwaukee placed Andrew Bogut (right hand surgery, out for playoffs) and Michael Redd (torn ACL, out for playoffs) on IL. Atlanta placed Randolph Morris on IL. Chicago placed Joe Alexander, Devin Brown, and Rob Kurz on IL. Cleveland placed Danny Green, Leon Powe, and Sebastian Telfair on IL. Cle 96, Chi 83 at Cle LeBron James (Cle) had 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. Antawn Jamison (Cle) had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Maurice Williams (Cle) had 19 points, 10 assists, and 5 turnovers. Joakim Noah (Chi) had 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 3 steals. Derrick Rose (Chi) had 28 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists, and 7 turnovers. Cle leads the series 1-0. Bos 85, Mia 76 at Bos Paul Pierce (Bos) had 16 points including 4-12 FG and 5 rebounds. Kevin Garnett (Bos) had 15 points and 9 rebounds. Rajon Rondo (Bos) had 10 points including 4-11 FG, 7 rebounds, and 10 assists. Quentin Richardson (Mia) had 15 points. Dwyane Wade (Mia) had 26 points including 11-18 FG, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 7 turnovers. Bos shot 22-28 FT and Mia shot 10-13 FT. Bos leads the series 1-0. Atl 102, Mil 92 at Atl Mike Bibby (Atl) had 19 points on 8-9 FG and 3-3 3-pointers. Joe Johnson (Atl) had 22 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Jamal Crawford (Atl) had 17 points including 4-11 FG and 5 rebounds. Brandon Jenning (Mil) had 34 points including 14-25 FG and 4-6 3-pointers. John Salmons (Mil) had 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 steals. Atl leads the series 1-0. Den 126, Uta 113 at Den Carmelo Anthony (Den) had 42 points including 18-25 FG and 5 assists. Nene (Den) had 19 points including 7-10 FG and 6 rebounds. J.R. Smith (Den) had 20 points including 4-10 3-pointers and 6 rebounds. Deron Williams (Uta) had 26 points including 9-13 FT and 11 assists. Carlos Boozer (Uta) had 19 points including 9-16 FG, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. Den leads the series 1-0. Note: Assistant coach Adrian Dantley continues to coach the team while head coach George Karl recovers from neck and throat cancer treatment [I'll note if/when Karl returns to the bench]. On the lighter side: Not NBA related, but one of the most bizarre things I've seen: http://www.eskimo.com/~pbender/pictures/cows/cows.html Playoff Standings 1st Round 2nd Round 3rd Round Finals (Best of 5) (Best of 7) (Best of 7) (Best of 7) 1 LA Lakers (0) _ 8 Oklahoma City (0) |_ _____________ _ _ _____________ | 4 Denver (1) ________| |_ _____________ _ 5 Utah (0) _ _____________ | | | 2 Dallas (0) ___ | | 7 San Antonio (0) |_ _____________ _| | _ _____________ | 3 Phoenix (0) ______| | 6 Portland (0) |_ ___________ _ ___________ | 1 Cleveland (1) _____ | 8 Chicago (0) |_ _____________ _ | _ _____________ | | 4 Boston (1) ________| | | 5 Miami (0) |_ _____________ _| _ _____________ 2 Orlando (0) _____ | 7 Charlotte (0) |_ _____________ _| _ _____________ 3 Atlanta (1) _____| 6 Milwaukee (0) First Round (all time Central) *if necessary Sunday, April 18 Game 1 Oklahoma City at LA Lakers 2:00 pm ABC Game 1 Charlotte at Orlando 4:30 pm TNT Game 1 San Antonio at Dallas 7:00 pm TNT Game 1 Portland at Phoenix 9:30 pm TNT Monday, April 19 Game 2 Chicago at Cleveland 7:00 pm TNT Game 2 Utah at Denver 9:30 pm TNT Tuesday, April 20 Game 2 Milwaukee at Atlanta 6:00 pm NBATV Game 2 Miami at Boston 7:00 pm TNT Game 2 Portland at Phoenix 9:00 pm NBATV Game 2 Oklahoma City at LA Lakers 9:30 pm TNT Wednesday, April 21 Game 2 Charlotte at Orlando 6:00 pm TNT Game 2 San Antonio at Dallas 8:30 pm TNT Thursday, April 22 Game 3 Cleveland at Chicago 6:00 pm TNT Game 3 LA Lakers at Oklahoma City 8:30 pm TNT Game 3 Phoenix at Portland 9:00 pm NBATV Friday, April 23 Game 3 Boston at Miami 6:00 pm ESPN Game 3 Dallas at San Antonio 8:30 pm ESPN Game 3 Denver at Utah 9:30 pm ESPN2 Saturday, April 24 Game 3 Orlando at Charlotte 1:00 pm TNT Game 4 Phoenix at Portland 3:30 pm TNT Game 3 Atlanta at Milwaukee 6:00 pm ESPN Game 4 LA Lakers at Oklahoma City 8:30 pm ESPN Sunday, April 25 Game 4 Boston at Miami 12:00 pm ABC Game 4 Cleveland at Chicago 2:30 pm ABC Game 4 Dallas at San Antonio 6:00 pm TNT Game 4 Denver at Utah 8:30 pm TNT Monday, April 26 Game 4 Orlando at Charlotte TBD Game 4 Atlanta at Milwaukee TBD *Game 5 Portland at Phoenix TBD Tuesday, April 27 *Game 5 Miami at Boston TBD *Game 5 Chicago at Cleveland TBD *Game 5 San Antonio at Dallas TBD *Game 5 Oklahoma City at LA Lakers TBD Wednesday, April 28 *Game 5 Milwaukee at Atlanta TBD *Game 5 Charlotte at Orlando TBD *Game 5 Utah at Denver TBD Thursday, April 29 *Game 6 Boston at Miami TBD *Game 6 Cleveland at Chicago TBD *Game 6 Phoenix at Portland TBD *Game 6 Dallas at San Antonio TBD Friday, April 30 *Game 6 Atlanta at Milwaukee TBD *Game 6 Orlando at Charlotte TBD *Game 6 Denver at Utah TBD *Game 6 LA Lakers at Oklahoma City TBD Saturday, May 1 *Game 7 Miami at Boston TBD *Game 7 Chicago at Cleveland TBD *Game 7 San Antonio at Dallas TBD Sunday, May 2 *Game 7 Charlotte at Orlando TBD *Game 7 Milwaukee at Atlanta TBD *Game 7 Utah at Denver TBD *Game 7 Portland at Phoenix TBD *Game 7 Oklahoma City at LA Lakers TBD ---- Patricia Bender pbender@eskimo.com For NBA stuff: http://www.eskimo.com/~pbender/index.html For Mavs stuff: http://www.eskimo.com/~pbender/mavs.html