Jun 18, 2013 3:32 PM EDT

Danny Green has set the record for most three-pointers made in an NBA Finals series, but Chris Bosh was adamant the Miami Heat will limit the San Antonio Spurs guard's open looks in Game 6 on Tuesday.
"[Green] won't be open tonight," Bosh said.
Tony Parker said after Game 5 that he could not believe the Heat continued to give Green open shots.
In Green's mind, if the Heat crowd him more in Game 6, it will lead to additional driving lanes for Parker and Manu Ginobili.
"You have to give up something," Green said, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com.
Jun 18, 2013 10:49 AM EDT
Pete D'Alessandro was introduced on Monday as general manager of the Sacramento Kings.
Vivek Ranadive put his GM candidates through an extensive interview process, involving analysis of the Kings' roster, plans for both the short and long-term, as well as examples of linear and non-linear thinking.
"I had just finished preparing for my first interview," D'Alessandro said later in the afternoon, "and I got this email from Vivek. I was thinking, 'Wow, I think I need to do a lot more.' I proofed everything on the flight over, and then when I landed, I went to a Kinko's in Palo Alto and made copies. I pulled an all-nighter. I felt like I was back in law school."
Jun 13, 2013 8:56 PM EDT
Roy Hibbert shed light on his friendship with Tim Duncan.
"I met him when I was a kid — in 2001 during the NBA All-Star Game in D.C.," Hibbert said. "I actually had a chance to meet him, and he actually remembers that moment. So that was pretty fun. We talk, text, share, like, scouting reports on other teams and things like that. I sent him mine for the Heat. Just a friendship."
Hibbert and Duncan share reports though not to the extent that it could give one a potential over the other.
"To tell the truth, when we compete against each other, we have respect," Hibbert said. "We're friends off the court. But on the court, he's trying to go at [me] and I'm trying to go at [him]. We've gotta make sure our teams win. But I learn from him, and — you know, he's the best, so I don't know if he picks anything up from me. But I definitely learn from him."
Jun 13, 2013 2:47 PM EDT
Jason Kidd played in two NBA Finals with the then-New Jersey Nets, and won his only championship in 2011 with the Dallas Mavericks.
Kidd hopes to take those experiences, couple them with lessons from past coaches, and use them to help improve the Nets next season.
"I spoke to Mikhail (Prokhorov) on the phone and understood right away how much he wants to win,” Kidd said of his interview. “I understood their concerns that I had never coached. But what they got from me is that I would be willing to learn. And that my work ethic as a coach was going to be the same as it was when I was a player. I shared with them the things that I plan to share with Deron (Williams) and with the whole team. After I left the Nets I found out what it takes to not just make the Finals, but to win a championship. I think I have a sense now of how you build a championship structure and how you maintain that structure."
Kidd interviewed at the Nets practice facility in East Rutherford, N.J.
"I felt like I was home, I really did," Kidd said. "I felt like I was home all over again once I was inside my old practice facility. This was the place where we practiced when we made our runs to the Finals. Whatever nerves I felt on the way over there, they really did settle inside me once I walked up the stairs."
Jun 12, 2013 1:53 AM EDT
Shaquille O'Neal has criticized Dwight Howard in the past and did so again on Tuesday when he said the Los Angeles Lakers' big man has been too nice in his career and must stiffen up.
"He's too nice," O'Neal said. "I'm a connoisseur of giggling and playing and all that and making you laugh and playing with the fans, but when I cross that line, I'm ready to tear your face off. I don't care who it is. You could put one of my aunts or uncles out there, and I'm going to give him these elbows in their chest and I'm going to throw it down in their face. That's what you have to do.
"He's just too nice. If I was him, I would get into the same mood I was in."
O'Neal said Howard has never reached out to him for advice and he does not want him to.
"He should have known all of this when he signed with L.A.," O'Neal said. "He should have known what he was getting into. My advice to him is to look pressure in the face and give it the one-two combination and knock it out."
Jun 11, 2013 12:30 PM EDT
The NBA has only had 10 players average a triple-double in a playoff series, with only Jason Kidd completing the feat in the past 20 years.
No player has ever averaged a triple-double in The Finals.
LeBron James enters Game 3 averaging 17.5 points, 13 rebounds and 8.5 assists.
The San Antonio Spurs appear to have built their defensive scheme against the Miami Heat around forcing James to be more of a passer than a scorer.
“What I do know is sharing the ball is contagious, and it allows everyone to feel involved in the offense,” James said. “For me personally, I know I attract a lot of attention. This team has been set up the right way where when I do attract attention, we have guys that can make plays.”
Jun 05, 2013 5:26 PM EDT
Kawhi Leonard will take on the primary responsibility of guarding LeBron James for the San Antonio Spurs.
“I want to play the best and be the best,” said Leonard.
Leonard has only face James once before, which came early in his rookie season.
“Just competing every possession,” Leonard said. “He plays hard throughout the whole 48 minutes. So really having energy and focus to guard him. You just have to compete.”
Jun 04, 2013 12:49 PM EDT
Austin Rivers had one of the worst statistical seasons in NBA history, but sources say the New Orleans Pelicans are unwilling to give up on him turning around his career.
Rivers was the 10th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft as the Pelicans' point guard of the future.
Greivis Vasquez had a breakout season for the Pelicans at point guard.
Jun 03, 2013 6:21 PM EDT
Due to the success of the Miami Heat going small in last season's playoffs, Erik Spoelstra further embraced the concept in strategy and in personnel.
The Heat had the best regular season record in the NBA and posted excellent numbers, but their lack of size has been an issue against the frontcourt of the Indiana Pacers.
Pat Riley was sold on the practice by Spoelstra, though it went against his commonly believed notions of how to win in the NBA.
"Pat Riley is a guy that believes in having big men," said Windhorst in an ESPN podcast with Bill Simmons. "Pat Riley almost took Chris Kaman ahead of Dwyane Wade in 2003 because he knew how important it was to have a franchise center. At the time, Alonzo Mourning had just gone to New Jersey. If you look at Riley, he believes in the need to have a center."
Wade was selected by the Heat with the fifth overall pick, while the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Kaman sixth.
Jun 03, 2013 2:07 PM EDT
Chris Bosh apologized to his Miami Heat teammates following Game 6 due to his poor performance.
Bosh has failed to score in double-digits in each of the past three games, the first time that has happened in his NBA career.
"It's hard, it's difficult," Bosh said. "Everything you're going to do in the postseason is difficult. And you're going to be put in situations you don't want to be in and you're going to have to do things that you don't want to do. It's part of it, so you might as well get used to it, being miserable and really loving it."
Bosh is averaging just 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 blocks on 41.1 percent shooting in the series. Bosh has a PER of 11.8 in the series.
Bosh has largely been playing on the perimeter during the series in order to bring his man away from the basket.
"I changed my game in Games 1 through 6 and it hasn't really worked," Bosh said. "I just need to do what I do and just let it all hang out."
Mike Budenholzer spent six years as the top assistant to Gregg Popovich.
In Phil Jackson's mind, the Lakers must make the inside game a major facet of their game plan.
The Heat and the Pacers appear to have opposite views on flopping.
The Pacers had one of the NBA's best defenses during the regular season, but struggled to contain the Miami Heat in Game 3 on that end of the floor.
Roy Hibbert has added MMA training into his offseason routine over the past few years.
The Heat made a concerted effort to feature LeBron James in the post in Game 3.
Amar'e Stoudemire continues to work to improve his low-post offense.
The Pacers would surely prefer to be beat on a jumper than a LeBron James' layup that could be prevented by Roy Hibbert.
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