Dallas Mavericks Coach Rick Carlisle

If it's not obvious already, it should be by now.
Nothing will be easy for the Lakers in the playoffs, their error is dangerously thin, and their training is equally fragile.
26 Kobe Bryant's foot on the far side of the buzzer hit the rim and bounced away, saying the Lakers to repeat the offense the last round - lost in a series of knife.
They were up to 16 early in the third quarter of Monday night, but somehow was giving the Dallas Mavericks, 96-94, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Staples Center.
Bryant had 36 points on 14-for-29 shooting, but it does not help, and took a disproportionate nine three-point attempts, making four of them.
Perennial All-Star on the other team, Dirk Nowitzki, had 28 points and 14 rebounds, making 11 of 22 shots.
Of great importance, the Lakers 'reserves were seriously losing Mavericks' backup, 40-25. Jason Terry had 15 points, Peja Stojakovic had 10, and Jose Barea was eight.
Not like the Lakers wanted to start a new series of the playoffs. But here they are, down the game, like two weeks ago in New Orleans.
They are not happy about it either.
"We went to the locker room and felt like we gave the game away," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.
Said Bryant: "I am concerned about this team can beat us is clear, we simply have to come in ready to play in game 2 ...."
The Lakers did not pound the ball low very often, Andrew Bynum scored eight points on three-eight shooting and Pau Gasol scored 15 for five-10 shooting.
Bryant has repeatedly said that it was not his fault, pointing instead to the Lakers' reserves.
"It has nothing to do with me," he said. "I'm going to do what I do. I think that the second block, we must make a conscious effort to get the ball to Pau and get the ball to Andrew."
Lakers relaxed after taking the 60-44 lead on three-pointer from Bryant 10:39 left in the third quarter. They settled too many outside shots and never seemed to care if the Mavericks scored.
Or, as Jackson said, Lakers stopped playing defense and stopped playing offense. "
This nonstarters for a playoff victory.
This should not surprise that Bryant scored a lot against the Mavericks. In the end, once he overtook them through three quarters, 62-61, in December 2005.

Are the Lakers really in trouble?

In recent chronicle the NBA playoffs, two of the most frequently raised questions about two more prolific franchise league is almost always the same answer.
There are the Lakers really are in trouble? There Mavericks for real this time?
History usually says "no." Something about the move.
Mavericks sounded alarm Lakers with their 96-94 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Staples Center on Monday. 16-point third quarter to lead the Lakers went even faster than Jason Kidd can say "no good call", which certainly the view he had when he went back to Kobe Bryant enough with three seconds left to force the turnover on the forward Pau Gasol from. Kidd was fouled once, killing one of two free throws to secure two points.
It was more than likely, the opposite view that Kidd would be held Mavericks or moments earlier. After Kidd forced Bryant into reckless turnover in the paint with 20 seconds left, Pau Gasol was whistled for riding the back of Dirk Nowitzki as he caught the inbounds pass from Kidd.
Two-time champion Lakers, as coach Phil Jackson would later say, did Mavericks make in the end, and held the belief that they "give our game away." Nowitzki two free throws gave Dallas its first lead since late in the second quarter, and Mavericks were on their way to convince the masses that maybe it's too early to write them again.
Forget the part about bowing to the Mavericks in the first round in three of the last four seasons and focus on the way in which they win. They suffered a seemingly devastating losses to Portland in Game 4 of the first round, when they gave up 23 points, and then answered with a convincing victory in games 5 and 6 put the Blazers' fire. Recent trips have all the makings of a similar vein, with Dallas response, despite the second quarter of crisis in which a flurry of technical fouls, surreal half-court foul, which led the Lakers to three free throws and loss of self-control was their three-point lead at nine-point deficit in the final 2 minutes, 30 seconds of the game.
6.20 in the third quarter due to start little-used two-way play small forward Corey Brewer has changed everything. Then Nowitzki scored 11 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, when at the end of defense on Bryant, Kidd had everything to do with the finish. Nowicki and C ° is not quite displaying shades of 2006 just yet, when they grew up in the finals to suffocation from Miami, but they may just be for real.
"I think so," Nowicki said when asked if his team has grown. "We have a lot of veterans, and they obviously went through a lot. Kidd had two finals earlier (from New Jersey). I was in the final. To do this, you have to go through some difficulties and fight through some things.
"Even in the playoff, there will be some tough losses and some tough games, but you have to restore."
Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, whose team lost two of three matches of the regular season against the Lakers when placing an identical record (57-25), have long pointed out the sandy way his team as well.
"We were on 12 points in the first three or four minutes in Game 6 in Portland," he said. "It's hard (on the road). Do you have a hostile crowd, everything goes against you. But in those situations, I should not say that much. Our guys hang in. They come together in a time-outs. They encourage each other, and they continue to play. We have a form that the team is going to continue to play. "
Meanwhile, the Lakers are unlikely to shy to admit their concerns. As was the case against New Orleans in the first round, they dropped the knife to the enemy, who was seen as inferior.
As there was no case against the Hornets, that they will restore does not seem so sure. Especially, if this formula is repeated.

Memphis Grizzlies in last night

Miami Heat eliminated Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder ousted the Denver Nuggets to move to the second round of the playoffs in the National Basketball Association.

San Antonio Spurs stayed alive with a 110-103 victory in overtime against Memphis in the other playoff game last night.

Heat beat the 76ers 97-91 win best of seven series four games to one. Dwyane Wade had 26 points and 11 rebounds, Chris Bosh had 22 points and 11 rebounds, Mario Chalmers scored 20 points and LeBron James counted 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat at American Airlines Arena in Miami.

Heat will face the Boston Celtics, "came the New York Knicks, for a place in the Eastern Conference finals.

"We understand where we are in this league and where the Celtics are," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. "If we want to get to any place where we want to go, and the goals we set ourselves at the start of training camp, we must pass through them. And it would not be right, if not play them."

In Oklahoma City Arena, Kevin Durant scored 41 points, including the last nine to thunder, as they defeated the Nuggets 100-97. Russell Westbrook added 14 for the hosts as he won the series four games to one.

Thunder in next time to play Spurs and Grizzlies, who lead the San Antonio 03.02 ahead of tomorrow's Game 6 in Memphis.

Spurs Leave late
In AT & T Center in San Antonio, Gary Neal caught inbounds pass with 1.7 seconds left and hit a 25-foot 3-pointer as time expired to force overtime and keep the Spurs' season alive.

San - Antonio, who the best results in the NBA during the regular season, ahead of Memphis 06/13 in overtime, so as not to become the second number 1 descendants of the 2006-07 Dallas Mavericks lose a seven-game playoff series with the eighth your team.

Manu Ginobili scored 33 points and Tony Parker added 24 for the Spurs, and Zach Randolph led the Grizzlies with 26 points and 11 rebounds.

Joakim Noah motivation

Indiana Pacers were labeled "rednecks", "hooligans" and "bandits" to Chicago Bulls fans for their aggressive play during the teams first round playoff series the NBA.

It turns out, the Pacers forward Danny Granger thought the Bulls were taking cheap shots.

Granger was restrained from going after Bulls center Joakim Noah, as the teams shook hands on the court at the end of the Bulls' 116-89 win an infinite series.

Grainger accused Noah playing dirty throughout the game, taking cheap shots in the Pacers, including forward Josh McRoberts, who was ejected in the third quarter.

Granger was in the hallway outside the locker room using expletives to describe the game in November.

"Everyone saw that Josh did, and he got ejected," said Granger. "No one caught it, what happened in the first place. It's always a second person. (Noah) was playing dirty the whole game. My teammates got caught with it and nothing happened."

McRoberts was ejected in the closing seconds of the third quarter for throwing elbow on Noah. Former Caramel High School Outstanding said that he takes revenge for the "elbow to the throat" of the center of the Bulls.

"We were on the side of him, and he took a good swing in the throat," McRoberts said. "I was trying to protect themselves and protect themselves. I must be people out there. It's not like I would like to end the season, though."