Mavs PG Jason Terry had a team-high 32 points as host Dallas beat the Spurs 123-118 in OT thriller to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Terry hit 12-of-25 shots with 5 assists over 51 minutes. The Diggler had 28 points and Jerry “Annoying knee bend routine at the line” Stackhouse had 26…my favourite part of the game was with Dallas trailing 111-109 with 15.4 seconds left, Nowitzki draws a questionable foul call on Bruce Bowen on a drive into the lane…a furious Bowen actually walks over to NBA commissioner David Stern seated courtside and yells at him saying: "This is terrible!" Hillarious…

As for the other game, it was ugly…like Knicks-Pistons 1994 ugly…The Cavs beat the Pistons 74-72 to even the series at 2-2….OK, LeBron did have 22 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, but he was 8-of-23 from the field…not pretty and I’m not even going to mention the 3-point airball with 80 seconds left and the 50% (5-of-10) he shot from the fee throw line…it’s worth noting that for the third straight game, James led his team, outright, in points, rebounds and assists, becoming only the second player to do that in three straight games during an NBA playoff year….the other player was Chris Webber in the second, third and fourth games of Sacramento's first-round playoff series loss to the Lakers in 2000….the difference in the Cavs wins are defence…especially on Pistons win-guaranteeing PF Rasheed Wallace, who’s averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, sank 14-of-25 from the field, including 7-of-10 from 3-point range with one turnover, in the Pistons wins and averaged 9.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, sank 6-of-25 from the field and is 1-of-7 from beyond the arc with five turnovers in the losses…And he;s not the only one, PG Chauncey Billups averaged 22.2 and shot .462 from the field in the five-game win over Milwaukee in the first round, but he’s averaging 15.0 points and shooting .372 against the Cavaliers, including 13-of-38 the past the past three games….Pistons sixth man Antonio McDyess, who averaged 11.5 points and eight rebounds in the first six games of the playoffs, has averaged 2.75 points and 4.3 rebounds the past three...

Oh oh, maybe he should claim it belongs to Nate Newton…The attorney for University of Texas running back Ramonce Taylor, the all-purpose yardage leader for the national champion Longhorns in 2005, said roughly five pounds of marijuana found in Taylor's car early Sunday didn't belong to Taylor…sure it didn’t…and 5 pounds? Wow, maybe he’s just holding it for Ricky Williams…

Speaking of UT, if PF Mike Williams transfers, and SF P.J. Tucker, PF LaMarcus Aldrige and PG Daniel Gibson leave via the draft, Texas coach Rick Barnes could possibly have five freshmen in the starting lineup in 2006-07. He has signed six high school seniors, including McDonald's All-Americans Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin, a forward and point guard, respectively. Texas is trying to add Damion James, a 6-8 forward who signed with Oklahoma, but recently received a release from the Sooners. The Longhorns are said to be competing with Texas A&M for James, ranked among the top 20 high school seniors in the country…

Check this link…I would have had Payton ranked higher, but it is interesting…http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/dailydime?page=dailydime-GreatestPointGuards

And check this link..umm, for obvious reasons…holy cow…http://msn.foxsports.com/other/pgStory?contentId=5609578

Sleeper alert: Best shooter in the draft? Not Duke’s JJ Redick, Not Gonzaga’s Adam Morrison, Not Marquette’s Steve Novak…it’s actually Rutgers SG Quincy Douby…seriously, he’s like Redick, but with natural athletic ability…

And this story is crazy…Pretending to be stupid generally has minimal benefits, but the Spanish Paralympic Committee saw otherwise. They produced fake documents for 10 of the 12 members on their 2000 Paralympics basketball team, falsely claiming that they had IQs below 85. With an amazing performance, their intellectually able team captured the gold medal in a tournament for the intellectually disabled. It was soon discovered that the majority of their team members had no mental deficiencies to speak of and their medals were stripped. What makes it stranger: The story was brought to light by a Spanish journalist who joined the basketball team to uncover the scandal. To make the roster, it was not required of him to complete any medical or psychological tests; all he had to do was complete six sit-ups and a blood pressure test.

1) Brian Windhorst of the Akron Beacon-Journal with a Cavs report:

Cavs money in 'Guaran-Sheed' game

CLEVELAND -- Turns out a "Gilbert-tee" trumps a "Guaran-Sheed. " Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert quietly promised his team would win hours before Game 4 with the Detroit Pistons Monday, an indirect response to one of Rasheed Wallace's loud promises of Pistons' victory. Gilbert's family nicknamed the proclamations after the first four came true during the regular season. He remained perfect as the Cavs yet again beat the Pistons at their own game, 74-72. Now the series that once looked like a formality has been quickly evened 2-2 as the Cavs successfully protected their home court. Gilbert is no soothsayer and at this juncture really has no effect on outcomes, but he does know his team. Like the Washington Wizards before them, the Pistons are learning about them, too. For various and constantly changing reasons, the primary being LeBron James, the Cavs just win close games. Against the Wizards they won three one-point games by playing great offense. They've outlasted the Pistons in the last two games by playing great defense. They've now won 17 of their last 19 games decided by four points or less. Most of them have come at home, where the Cavs went 31-10 in the regular season and have taken 14 of the last 15 overall. Usually the Pistons kill such streaks, their rugged style and togetherness overcoming all. That hasn't been the case in this series for quite some time now, dating back to Game 2 at the Palace of Auburn Hills when the Cavs tightened their defense in the second half to turn a blowout into close game. James scored 22 points and broke the tie by twice splitting free throws in the final minute. He also had eight rebounds, nine assists, and eight turnovers on ordinary 8-of-23 shooting. But those are offensive stats; his efforts within in the Cavs' defensive scheme were just as vital. The Pistons shot just 33 percent in Game 4 and made just 4-of-18 shots in the fourth quarter when the Cavs erased a six-point deficit. Over the last three games the Cavs have outscored the Pistons 85-53 in the fourth quarters and held them to 30 percent shooting. That is supposed to be the Pistons' winning time not the Cinderella Cavs'. It has come from being physical and getting in position, be it getting a hand in a face or taking a charge. As Anderson Varejao, who led the NBA in charges per 48 minutes, did with 30 seconds to play in a crucial moment when he slipped and absorbed Chauncey Billups with the Cavs ahead by a single point. It was Ben Wallace-like as the Cavs continued to be Pistons-like. "The last two games we lost in our style games," said Richard Hamilton, who led all scorers with 30 points. "We had the game right where we wanted it." Indeed this has been uncharacteristic of the Pistons. On offense they have really tried to take advantage of the Cavs' decision to switch on pick-and-rolls to create matchup problems and the absence of Cleveland's best perimeter defender, Larry Hughes. So Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, who sprained his right ankle in the game, have gotten great position against smaller players in the post and Hamilton has repeatedly burned Damon Jones and Flip Murray. Yet they missed chances when the Cavs have yielded them down the stretch and suffered self-inflicted wounds, turning the ball over five times in the fourth quarter of Game 3 and seven times in the fourth of Game 4. Still with the homecourt edge and all the experience, the Pistons remain the favorites. But it is the Cavs to seemed to have jettisoned the pressure and, for the moment, have stolen another valuable Piston weapon: confidence. "If we continue to focus," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "Who knows what will happen."

2) Chris Sheriden of ESPN.com thinks he’s got em pegged

My 20 greatest playoff moments posted:

The NBA asked me to take part in balloting for the Top 20 greatest playoff moments ever, and this was my ballot.

1: Magic Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie starts at center in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals and has 42 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists at the Spectrum as Lakers win first of five titles in the '80s.

2. Celtics-Suns Game 5, 1976 Finals. Gar Heard's turnaround tied it at the end of double OT, and the Celtics won in 3OTs. I was 10 when I watched it on TV with my dad, and still remember the bedlam.

3. Game 7, 1957 Finals. Celtics beat Hawks 125-123 in double OT after St. Louis nearly tied it with a 90-foot ricochet pass off the opposite backboard to Bob Pettit.

4. Michael Jordan over Bryon Russell in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals. I know he pushed off, but he won his sixth ring. Watched it from the second row of the Delta Center.

5. Game 7, 1970 Finals. Willis Reed limps out of the tunnel, and Clyde Frazier has 36 points and 19 assists as the Knicks win their first title.

6. Game 7, 1962 Finals. Bill Russell has 30 points and 40 rebounds, and Bob Cousy frantically dribbles out the clock.

7. Game 6, 1985 Finals. The Lakers finally win a title at Boston Garden behind 29 points from 38-year-old Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

8. Elgin Baylor scores 61 points and grabs 22 rebounds for the Lakers at Boston Garden in Game 5 of the 1962 Finals.

9. Behind 34 points from Andrew Toney, the 76ers win Game 7 of the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals. Celtics fans send them off with a "Beat LA" chant.

10. Reggie Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds to stun the Knicks in the 1995 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

11. Game 5, 1972 Finals. After winning an NBA record 33 consecutive games, the Lakers wrap up the title behind 24 points and 29 rebounds from Wilt Chamberlain.

12. Game 6, 1986 Finals. Larry Bird cements the Finals MVP award with a triple-double at the Boston Garden, where the Celts were 50-1.

13. Bill Russell's 22 points and 35 rebounds give Boston the Game 7 victory over St. Louis in the 1960 Finals.

14. Jerry West wins the Finals MVP award with 42 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists in Game 7 against Boston, but the Lakers lose.

15. Jordan scores 63 points at Boston Garden in a first-round game against the Celtics in 1986. Still stands as the record.

16. Wills Reed is injured in the first quarter, but the Knicks beat the Lakers in Game 5 of the 1970 Finals anyway with Dave DeBusschere and Dave Stallworth guarding Chamberlain.

17. Jordan scores 55 points in Game 3 of the 1993 Finals against Phoenix, and the Bulls go on to their third title.

18. Game 3, 1967 Finals. Another 55-point performance, this one by Rick Barry of the San Francisco Warriors, who scores 55 points against the Sixers.

19. Jordan makes six 3-pointers and scores 35 points in the "shrug game" against Portland in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals.

20. Dominique Wilkins scored 47 points, but Bird drops 20 in the fourth quarter as the Celtics win Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Finals.

3) Peter Vescey of the New York Post reports that Larry might be out:

DOLAN SET TO SIGN CHECK, BOUNCE COACH

May 16, 2006 -- WHAT we have here is a failure to excommunicate. All this time, I had it wrong. I figured Isiah Thomas hired someone who would end up sabotaging him and taking his job. Not the other way around. Much to the delight of no one in particular, Thomas is staying and Larry Brown is an agreed contract buyout away from being drum-rolled out of his dream job. "The number is $25 million," reveals the same snitch who leaked Sunday's story regarding the Knicks' plot to create coach space for Thomas by bustin' Brown to an unrestricted private. That's the magic number echoing throughout the dead brain chamber of Cablevision (biz)czar James Dolan. It's roughly $19 million lower than what's owed over the next four years in salary and perks to the 66-year-old. Ten months ago, Brown pocketed $7 million when Pistons owner Bill Davidson dumped him after Detroit came within minutes of winning a second straight NBA championship. My source is unsure whether that number, or any number, has been presented to Joe Glass, Brown's longstanding agent, who does all the dirty work that doesn't show up in Larry's stained stat sheet. But apparently that's what Dolan is prepared to pay to liberate the Knicks of a contrary coach who has been fed up for months with both his employers and employees. "They're making things so uncomfortable for him, they're hoping he walks," said someone monitoring both sides of the epicenter. "But we all know that ain't happenin' in our lifetime. Not unless Larry's already halfway to his next multi-million job, which is positively conceivable."
According to an assistant coach, Thomas has been subverting Brown's authority with the players almost from the moment his coach began to undermine (read: devalue) his roster to the media. We're talking very early in the season. From then on, there was hostility among the troops. "It's like two competing militias in Lebanon," underlined an extremist view of the scene. Late in the season, I'm told Brown notified Thomas, "If you want me back you've got to get rid of five players." My informant declined to name names, maintaining a source isn't necessary to figure it out. So, we're talking Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jalen Rose and Jerome James for sure. Nate Robinson or Maurice Taylor has to be the fifth. Immediately after the Knicks' 23-59 sorry season expired, Thomas convened the usual exit meeting that all teams do. Both the GM/president and the coach separately get together with each individual player. Brown asked Thomas not to hold his encounter sessions, but he refused. "Larry knew Isiah would undermine him further with the players and he was correct," disclosed a member of Brown's camp. Subsequently, Thomas divulged to a Knicks beat writer that eight players had told him they don't want to play for Brown. Shortly thereafter, Thomas alerted Brown the five players weren't going anywhere. In at least one case, that's completely opposite than what Thomas told Brown when he consented to lie about endorsing the acquisition of Rose. Thomas promised he'd only keep him for the remainder of the season, but recently he told Brown he intends to keep him the coming season as well. I've got to believe the same scenario played out when Brown pretended to like Thomas' unfathomable procurement of the maximum compensated Francis (three years and $57M left). Thomas' plan (who says he doesn't have one?) is to make Larry's life as unpleasant as possible in hopes he goes away on his volition, or is so unhappy he accepts far less than the $25M number. Part II is for Thomas to leave his customary spot, skulking in the MSG tunnel, for a seat on the bench. That's tantamount to the arsonist who sets the fire, then tries to put it out so he can become the hero. And you wonder why I call it Fablevision? I'm guessing a letter of recommendation for Next Town's next six jobs is out of the question.

4) Paola Boivin of the The Arizona Republic with a great article on Sam-I-Am:

Vocal Cassell gives Clippers attitude

In the statistics-driven world of the NBA, Sam Cassell leads the league in syllables per minute. He'll challenge an official, chat up an opposing coach, needle a defender and invite a scorekeeper to lunch . . . all in the first five minutes. "I think he'd talk to himself even if he had no one else to talk to," Suns point guard Steve Nash said Monday. If Elton Brand is the heart of the Los Angeles Clippers, Cassell is the larynx. His motor knows only one speed: overdrive. "Sam says some off-the-wall (expletive)," Shawn Marion said. If you're a basketball fan, you can't take your eyes off him. If he's not lying on the ground in disbelief over a foul, he's hitting the biggest shot of the game. That's what happened late in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals Sunday night, when the Clippers' 13-point lead slipped to three. Cassell came off a screen by Brand and sank a three-point basket over Marion. His team held on to win 114-107, evening a series that moves to US Airways Center tonight. During much of this series, guard Cassell and Suns forward Tim Thomas - former teammates in Milwaukee - have traded words, not to mention friendly annoyances.
Before Sunday's game, Cassell came up to Thomas as he was stretching and smacked him on the head. At halftime, Thomas spotted Cassell lying down with a heat pack on his back, so he approached him and started poking the pack. "He knows if I've got him on the block, I'm going to take advantage of him, and if he has me on the wing, he's going to take advantage of me," Thomas said. "It's still all-out war, but at the same time, we're still having fun. We're good friends." This is how many NBA relationships are with Cassell: a lot of give-and-take, but ultimately, he has many friends among his peers because at 36, he works hard and is still a viable force. During Game 1, after Cassell was called for a foul, he gave the official a look of disbelief and charged over to Suns coach Mike D'Antoni. "What did you think of that foul, Coach?" Cassell asked. "Hell, you flagranted him!" D'Antoni said. D'Antoni was smiling when he said it. He thinks Cassell's flamboyant style is good for the game. He's right. "He'll take the big shots, he'll play, he'll laugh, he'll fall down," D'Antoni said. "If I'm a fan, he's fun to watch." If you're the opposing coach, however, that's not always the case. His swagger has been a big boost for a Clippers team that is trying to shake off decades of ridicule. Young talent is one thing. A veteran with the confidence of an infantry is another. "It's a big difference, bringing that swagger to us," Brand said Sunday. "We just have to keep it and do it every game." The Clippers didn't have it in Game 3, when coach Mike Dunleavy sat Cassell for all but 35 seconds of the fourth quarter. Fans and the media questioned the decision and later, Dunleavy acknowledged privately to Cassell that he should have put him in earlier.
What Cassell is doing in this series is exactly why Clippers General Manager Elgin Baylor brought him in during the off-season. The Clippers were prone to losing close games and needed a player whose style of play screamed moxie. He hasn't disappointed in this series and is averaging 21.3 points and 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range. After struggling in Game 3 with Marion covering him, he played more aggressively Sunday and finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. If there's a game-winning shot to be taken, Cassell wants it in his hands. "You don't want it to come down to that," said Nash, who still is called "rook" by Cassell from their playing days together with the Suns during Nash's rookie season, 1996-97. No, you most definitely don't.