Hornets-Lakers Preview

is a problem for just about any opponentsdefense. As the New Orleans point guard proved in the Hornets playoff opener,hes a particular conundrum for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers have spent the past two days scheming ways to slow down thefour-time All-Star in Game 2 on Wednesday night after he torched them for 33points and 14 assists in the Hornets series-opening victory.

1. Game 1: at LALNOR 109, LAL 100 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 2: at LALNOR 78, LAL 87 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 3: at NORLAL 100, NOR 86 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 4: at NORLAL 88, NOR 93 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 5: at LALNOR 90, LAL 106 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 6: at NORLAL 98, NOR 80 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   * – If necessary

   Series Breakdown

   Its always a challenge, but I feel like we can do a much better job,said Tuesday after a second straight lengthy practice day for theLakers.

   After two days of evaluation, the Lakers confirm their worst fears aboutPauls abilities were realized in Game 1. The Lakers are not particularlywell-equipped to counter what Paul does well, and Bryant said theyll need morethan one player paying attention to Paul on every play just to slow him.

   One of our biggest problems was there was a lack of communicationdefensively, said who managed just one rebound in Game 1. Wevegot to try to trap this kid as much as possible, make it as tough on him as wecan.

   So why is Paul such a nightmare for the Lakers? Its not just because theyobviously lack a strong defender at point guard: is years past hisspeediest form, while backup just returned to practice Monday aftera week off the court with a bout of chicken pox.

   Its because the Lakers greatest physical asset is their size, and Paulspoised speed negates much of that. Almost nobody in the NBA can keep up withPaul one-on-one, forcing the Lakers to commit more of their defensive resourcesto Paul.

   We cant let him have a lot of space to dictate and decide what he wantsto do, said center who blocked two shots in Game 1.

   Los Angeles pick-and-roll defense has been excellent at times during theseason, but coach Phil Jackson said Pauls basketball sense makes the Hornetsfavorite play particularly tough to contain. No matter how the Lakers approachit, Paul can find a way to exploit it, either with a quick drive or a savvypass.

   He attacks in the pick-and-roll, New Orleans reserve said.He can split it, he can shoot the jumper, so he can create a lot of problems.Im sure the Lakers are going to do a good job of adjusting, making him kick theball out and have other guys beat them, so weve just got to be prepared fortheir adjustments and try to continue to attack.

   Paul and Hornets coach Monty Williams appeared to work together well in Game1, with Williams noting several instances in which Paul had already called outthe play Williams was preparing to send in to his players.

   Near the close of an impressive rookie coaching season, Williams is stilllearning the best ways to help Paul. Sometimes the coach will call plays, buthell also allow Paul to run the show.

   Its been tough on him because I, at times, have messed it up trying tocall too many sets, Williams said. I think a lot of times it happenedbecause when you have someone like (injured scoring leader) on thefloor, you want to take advantage of both.

   (Now) Im just watching him. I watch and I watch, Williams added.Hell look at me and well have something, but I have to help him out as bestI can and try to put him in positions where teams cant take him out, which ishard. But having him on the floor has made me look better as a coach than Ishould, thats for sure.

   Paul is coming off lowest-scoring season of his career, with fansquestioning his commitment to New Orleans after his infamous wedding toast to afuture partnership with and in New York. Paulsaid he tried to have a different intensity when the playoffs began, mostlyto show his less-experienced teammates how its done.

   Did he ever.

   Between his baskets and assists, Paul was directly responsible for nearly 58percent of the Hornets points in Game 1. He relentlessly broke down the Lakersoff the dribble, usually after a pick-and-roll.

   Paul did most of his ball distribution in the first half with 10 assistswhile the Hornets made nearly 60 percent of their shots, but he took over as ascorer down the stretch with 17 points in the fourth quarter. Paul also hadseven rebounds and four steals with just two turnovers.

   Paul is just the fourth player in the past 20 seasons to record at least 33points and 14 assists in a playoff game. Although Williams game plan baffledthe Lakers, he knew he couldnt take credit for all of Pauls brilliance.

   He did some things that I didnt coach, Williams said. I didnt showhim how to do it, for sure. Hes an exceptional player, and hes hard to guard.Its going to be paramount for the rest of our team to help him out, becausetheyre not going to allow him easy looks. I dont think they did (in Game 1). Ithought Chris hit tough shots. Hes paid to make tough shots. People forgetthat, and he does it well most nights.

   NOTES: Hornets C who scored a season-high 12 points in Game 1,still doesnt know whether hell be able to play with his sprained right ankle.Its hard here in practice just watching the guys go and having to kind of beon the sideline, Gray said Tuesday. Thats definitely difficult, so Icouldnt even imagine what it would be like (to sit out) during the game.Hopefully were not at that point.

Hawks-Magic Preview

The Atlanta Hawks looked liked anything but apostseason threat two weeks ago, trudging into the playoffs riding a six-gamelosing skid.

Now they can take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven seriesagainst the Orlando Magic.

1. Game 1: at ORLATL 103, ORL 93 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 2: at ORLATL 82, ORL 88 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 3: at ATLORL 84, ATL 88 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 4: at ATLORL 85, ATL 88 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 5: at ORLATL 76, ORL 101 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 6: at ATLORL 81, ATL 84 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   * – If necessary

   Series Breakdown

   Oh yeah. We came here with the objective to get two games, Hawks centersaid when asked if taking two games on the road would be a deathblow to the Magic. We put ourselves in position and now we look forward togetting Game 2 on Tuesday night.

   The Hawks winning formula in the series opener was hot outside shooting,keeping their turnovers down and withstanding the Magics runs.

   Orlandos defense is designed to close out opponents shooters on theperimeter and force them into the paint where they have to deal with The Magic didnt succeed at either, and now they say its a must to eventhe series in Game 2.

   Our whole focus has been on protect the paint and they havent beenlooking to get to the rim a whole lot, Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said.

   Van Gundy said containing perimeter jump shots and the Hawks mid-range shotsare their biggest concerns. He said he counted only eight layups for the Hawksin Game 1. For the game, Atlanta scored only 36 of their 103 points in thepaint, but became the first opponent in 16 consecutive postseason games to score100 points against the Magic

   Even the (Hawks) 51 percent (field goal percentage) was deceptive,because going into the fourth (quarter) they were at 58 percent and thats whenthe game was decided, Van Gundy said. So they really had their way with us.And weve got to be a lot better defensively, no matter what we do offensively.

   If were going to have to score 105 or 106 points every night to win, thenwere gonna be in trouble.

   The Hawks arent likely to shoot close to 60 percent for most of Game 2, butthey say they arent relying on that.

   who had 23 points in Game 1, said it wasnt an anomaly thatthey shot so well. He said if dont do that again, Plan B isnt complex.

   Just to continue to do it with five guys, he said. Continue to makethe right play giving up good shots for great shots. Thats why we shot such ahigh percentage. Guys passed up some good shots but we got great shots in thelong run, we worked the clock well. We will continue to do things well that weresuccessful for us.

   That said, Hawks coach Larry Drew noted that they cant depend on jumpersagainst a Magic team that has had two days to make tweaks to their approach.

   We dont want to be a team that relies on just shooting jump shots, Drewsaid. We like to open the floor up. It wont be a situation of us justsettling for the perimeter. Weve got to find that balance of inside-out. Asdominant as Dwight is on the inside, we cant shy away from taking the ball tothe basket. We have to be the aggressor.

   But clearly the Hawks advantage is their size on the perimeter.

   Van Gundy talked about the conversations he used to have with former NBAplayer Bob McAdoo while they were working together in Miami. He said McAdoo toldhim that playing against smaller opponents always gave him confidence because ofthe comfort zone hed get in being able to shoot over them.

   No matter how hard (opponents) played, he knew he could just get his shotover the top and all he had to do was concentrate on making it. He didnt haveto rush and adjust and the whole thing, Van Gundy said.

   Van Gundy said the Hawks shooters have similar matchups with Magic 6-footpoint guard guarding (6-4), and

   Atlantas (6-7) and Crawford (6-5) both can shoot over (6-4) when he is in the game.

   And thats not even including Hawks 6-10 power forward who hadhis way using the pick and pop to create space between he and (6-8)to drill 15-foot jumpers.

   Its why Howard, who earned his third-straight NBA Defensive Player of theYear award Monday, said Orlandos efforts will be put into making the Hawks findanother way to beat them.

   Its not our goal to let guys who can shoot the ball well shoot it,Howard said. We want to make them do something else. Jamal Crawford, he shot alot of jump shots, we didnt force him to get to the basket and finish. The samething with Joe Johnson, it was either floater from far away or a jump shot.

   So weve gotta make those guys do different things.

Trail Blazers-Mavericks Preview

As the highest-seeded Western Conference team to win itsplayoff opener, the Dallas Mavericks should be feeling pretty good aboutthemselves.

They dont.

1. Game 1: at DALPOR 81, DAL 89 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 2: at DALPOR 89, DAL 101 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 3: at PORDAL 92, POR 97 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 4: at PORDAL 82, POR 84 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 5: at DALPOR 82, DAL 93 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 6: at PORDAL 103, POR 96 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   * – If necessary

   Series Breakdown

   Sure, the Mavs are happy to be up 1-0 on the Portland Trail Blazers goinginto Game 2 on Tuesday night, and happier still to have won with their defense.

   But they also remember what happened last year, when they got giddy aboutwinning a grind-it-out opener at home against San Antonio. Dallas got smackedaround in Game 2 and wound up also losing Games 3 and 4 on the way to beingeliminated in six games.

   They really came out smoking in Game 2 and were all over us, Mavs starsaid Monday. They were just more ready, I felt like, and then wehad to react, and it was kind of too late. Thats what the Blazers are going todo tomorrow, theyre going to leave it all out there. Weve got to be ready forthe first hit and be aggressive also, and just go from there.

   Last years Game 2 meltdown was no isolated incident. It continued a trendthat stretches back to the high point in franchise history, when Dallas took a2-0 lead on Miami in the 2006 NBA finals.

   The Mavs followed that win with a loss and eventually lost the series.Starting there, theyve followed eight of their last 10 postseason victorieswith a loss. Both exceptions came in a 2009 first-round series against theSpurs, which happens to be the only series theyve won since reaching the 06finals.

   Its a bad habit they know they have to break.

   It starts in practice, said guard who along with Nowitzkiare the only players left from the 06 club. If youve watched us the last twodays, were treating this as Game 1 all over again. I mean, we came in, weprepared, we went at each other hard. Everybody was pretty in-tune about thegame plan. Its all about focusing in on the task. Nothing else matters.

   A lot of strange things happened in the opener of this series, from Dallasscoring 24 pointsthree more than he had in any game this seasonto Portland center having more assists than Kidd.

   Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan found it especially curious that theMavericks took 29 free throws while his team took only 13. The disparity waseven more mind-boggling considering Dallas scored only one basket in the paintin the second half. He voiced his complaints about the officiating, and onMonday was fined $35,000 by the league office.

   McMillan also was perturbed by his clubs wayward 3-point shooting (2 of 16)and the poor production from (4 of 13, eight points) and (1 of 7, two points).

   For the most part, we had open looks, McMillan said. Were going toget open looks the way their defense plays. Weve got to knock those shotsdown.

   The Blazers lost out on hustle plays, too, things that dont always show upin the stat sheet but are glaring on tape. That tape was rolling before they hitthe practice court Monday.

   It just looked like they wanted it more than we did, McMillan said.Those are plays that you must make in playoff games to give yourself a chanceto win.

   The flip side to all this is that despite doing so many things wrong,Portland was within a basket in the final minutes and only lost 89-81. TheBlazers figure that if they can clean up even only a few of these trouble spotsthen they can be headed home with a split.

   For Blazers star Dallas actually is home. He went to hismoms place for a home-cooked meal Sunday night, and has enjoyed being aroundfriends and family. It certainly hasnt detracted from his focus because hescored 27 points in the opener. He also helped pester Nowitzki into making only7 of 20 shots, a ratio Portland would gladly take again.

   Being at home hasnt really been an issue for LaMarcus, McMillan said.Hes focused on what he needs to do.

Pacers-Bulls Preview

There wasnt a stingier team on defense than theChicago Bulls, so its safe to say they werent thrilled after their playoffopener against the Indiana Pacers.

Sure, they got 39 points from and prevailed 104-99 Saturdayafter wiping out a 10-point deficit with a 16-1 run to close the game, but formuch of the afternoon, the Pacers were getting open looks. The pressure wasweak, and when Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau reviewed the video, it wasnt exactlyeasy on the eyes.

1. Game 1: at CHIIND 99, CHI 104 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 2: at CHIIND 90, CHI 96 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 3: at INDCHI 88, IND 84 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 4: at INDCHI 84, IND 89 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   *Game 5: at CHIIND 89, CHI 116 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   * – If necessary

   Series Breakdown

   What stood out to him?

   Everything, Thibodeau said Sunday. Every aspect from ball pressure,challenging shots, finishing the defense, getting back, getting set.Fourth-quarter defense was a lot different than the rest of the game.

   Expectations are soaring for the Bulls after they breezed through theregular season, winning a league-high 62 games and securing homecourt advantagethroughout the playoffs. The first round was supposed to be little more than asimple exercise on the way to a bigger goal, yet there they were sweating it outright until the end in the opener.

   Game 2 is Monday night in Chicago, and if its going to be easier, theyrealize they have to tighten up their defense.

   The Pacers gave them all they could handle even though they struggled formuch of the season and changed coaches along the way, with Frank Vogel replacingJim OBrien. They juggled their rotation, too, and played better down thestretch. Even so, few expected them to push the Bulls, but thats exactly whatthey did on Saturday.

   We know were a good basketball team, Vogel said. We know we can playwith this team. We played a great basketball game for 45 minutes. They got thebest of us down at the stretch, but we definitely feel like we can compete withthis team.

   Ranked 13th in points per game and 26th in field goal percentage during theseason, the Pacers were making about half their shots for most of the gameagainst a team that held opponents to a league-low 43 percent. The last fewminutes, though, were rough for Indiana.

   Besides the late misses, there was a breakdown on Kyle Korvers tiebreaking 3in the final minute.

   We had a lot of breakdowns, not only defensively but also offensively,the Pacers said. It was uncharacteristic of what we wanted todo in that period of the game.

   For most of the afternoon, they were on target, particularly on theperimeter.

   The hit 10 of 18 3-pointers, with Granger nailing 4 of 8 and finishing with24 points.

   hit his share of open shots against andwhoever else tried to guard him, finishing with 22 points after shaking off anelbow to the ear from hung with Rose in the earlygoing, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half, and all of that was enoughto make the Bulls cringe.

   Give them space and they dont feel you, then theyre going to makeshots, Thibodeau said. Theyre a very good offensive team. Over the lastthree years, theyve scored a lot of points and theyre healthy now so they havea complete team. You have to be able to make multiple efforts with them. Oneeffort is not going to get it done against them.

   Korver said the Bulls had the intensity, were in the right frame of mind,but needed to play smarter. He also credited the Pacers.

   They played a really good game, he said. They shot the ball reallywell. Even shots that we defended well, they made a lot of tough shots. I thinkover the course of the season, we were really good at loading up for theone-on-one plays. Thats the whole thing about our defense is we kind of load upthe floor, keep the ball on one side, keep it there, jump shot, rebound. Theyspread the floor really well.

   The Pacers, meanwhile, were trying to figure out a way to contain Rosesomething few teams have managed to do. Even on a day when his shot wasntfalling, he still dominated in a big way. It didnt really matter that he missedall nine 3-pointers and was just 10 of 23 from the field because he hit 19 of 21free throws. He was driving at will and mostly unfazed by the hits he wastaking.

   He did have words with after one foul in the second quarter, andwhen Hansbrough delivered a hard one against him in the fourth, tookexception.

   Mild mannered and usually about as stoic as a palace guard, Deng shovedHansbrough and received a technical foul. Then, he waved his arms and revved upthe crowd in a rare show of emotion.

   It was just my reaction, Deng said. I felt at that time in the game,they had the lead and were getting whatever they wanted basically. It justhappened. Emotionally, I just stepped up.

   Thibodeau wasnt impressed.

   I think you have to find that balance of playing very aggressively but youalso have to be very smart and I think youve got to avoid fourth-quartertechnical fouls, Thibodeau said.

Bruins-Canadiens Preview

By his standards, Jacques Martins latest newconference amounted to a stand-up comedy bit.

The Montreal Canadiens low-key coach held court at the teams suburbanpractice facility Sunday, feeling sufficiently at ease to reveal his usuallywell-hidden sense of humor.

1. Game 1: at BOSMON 2, BOS 0 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 2: at BOSMON 3, BOS 1 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 3: at MONBOS 4, MON 2 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 4: at MONBOS 5, MON 4 – Final OT

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 5: at BOSMON 1, BOS 2 – Final 2OT

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 6: at MONBOS 1, MON 2 – Final

   Recap | Box Score 

   Game 7: at BOSMON 3, BOS 4 – Final OT

   Recap | Box Score 

   * – If necessary

   Series Breakdown

   After all, the Canadiens returned from Boston with a 2-0 lead in theirfirst-round playoff series after beating the Bruins twice at the TD Garden.

   Was he thinking of sequestering his team, say in a hotel?

   Are you guys staying in a hotel? said Martin, punctuating his playfulexchange with a wink.

   Zing!

   Asked about defenseman fight with Bostons said. Even the guys that come upthroughout the year, they know whats expected from them. Its a system that youcan play and something that you just need to buy into.

   It allowed Montreal to pull off stunning seven-game upsets over Washingtonand Pittsburgh last spring. The unexpected playoff run got the Canadiens to theEastern Conference final, where they lost to Philadelphia in five.

   Now, that same approach has Montreal off to a surprising 2-0 start followingSaturday nights 3-1 win in Boston, with the next two games at the Bell Centre.

   found himself right at home in Martins system after winning aStanley Cup with New Jersey.

   Its pretty similar, said the Canadiens captain, who scored both ofMontreals goals in Thursday nights 2-0 series-opening win. The Devilssystem got a bad rap for sitting back but its just making sure youreresponsible for that third guy. You dont lose him, you dont lose pinching(defenseman). You try to limit the turnover and the odd-man rushes.

   Whats going on in Boston right now is no laughing matter, what with the RedSox off to their worst start since World War II.

   As if that wasnt bad enough, the Bruins have now lost six straight playoffgames, including four in a row in their second-round loss to the Flyers lastyear after getting out to a 3-0 series lead.

   I mean it was tough the last few games, left wing saidbefore the team traveled to Montreal. Obviously theyve been playing real welldefensively and clogging up their defensive zone and the neutral zone. Theyremaking things really hard for us.

   With his tenure as Bostons head coach likely hanging in the balance withthe outcome of this series, Claude Julien has been feeling the heat as he dealswith the sudden absence of team captain The Canadiens left wing suffered asevere concussion and a broken neck vertebra in Montreals 4-1 win on Mar. 8after the 6-foot-9, 255-pound Slovakian defenseman slammed him headfirst into astanchion supporting a glass panel at the end of the visiting teams bench.

   Chara was given a major penalty and a game misconduct, but no supplementarydiscipline was assessed by the league. The outcry in Montreal led to an ongoingpolice investigation, though Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli said he has been assuredthat Chara will not be questioned during the playoffs.

   Martin had no news on who also did not play Saturdaynight. Kostitsyn was struck on the foot by a Chara slap shot early in Thursdaynights game and returned to finish the game.

   As for dealing with any potential lineup changes Julien might envision forMonday nights crucial third game, such as replacing All-Star goalie or inserting 19-year-old Martin played itstraight all the way.

   I think were playing a team thats a tremendous hockey club that got over100 points so I think that there are areas of our game that we need to be betterand thats our focus, Martin said. I cant do anything about what Boston isgoing to do. Sure, you prepare in your mind different scenarios but the focus isreally on our team.

Douglass boys basketball cruises

,Atletico Madrid shirt

MU suffers sickening end to regular season

Upcoming Trip To Sotheby’s

,Villareal shirt

Vermeil’s gamble pays off for Chiefs

,Celtic shirt

Eating champ Kobayashi out of hot water over July 4th arrest