European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - May 23, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse May 2007 stars and stripes Mideast edition Page 31 nabs worst looking for Luck in draft by Brian Mahoney the associated press new York after All those losses some of them suspected on purpose theres finally a two of the nabs worst teams will be rewarded at the draft lottery winning the Chance to choose Greg Oden or Kevin representatives from 14 teams will be in be hoping they earn the right to select another Tim Duncan or Lebron players who went 1 in the draft and now have their teams deep into the someone is going to get very smart in a nets president Rod Thorn there is going to be a pm who All the sudden becomes a guru and a coach that is going to be very the Memphis after finishing with a league worst 2260 have a 25 per cent Chance of Landing the top the bos ton celtics have a nearly 20 percent and the Milwaukee Bucks will be looking to turn the leagues third worst record into their second lottery win in three the Bucks took Andrew Bogut with the 1 pick in the 2005 draft and made the playoffs the following so they know the Impact one player can and general manager Larry Harris has hinted that player would be Oden if Milwaukee beats the Odds to win one player solves a lot of problems for us said who will be carry ing a Stone submitted by a fan in a contest the team ran to find a Lucky i we were 29th in 30th in 30th in shot one Guy solves a lot of those and defense wins Oden could have been the top pick last year if not for the leagues age so in Stead helped Ohio state reach the National championship game with his shot blocking and a Forward who was the College player of the year in his Lone season at is the More polished offensive with two potential franchise players head ing this years there is More attention on the lottery than any year since James was the big prize in and there sometimes seemed quite a desire to be a part of strange substitution patterns and curious in jury absences convinced people that some teams were losing games on Boston coach Doc Rivers opened one Post game news conference by stressing that he want trying to but conspiracy theorists thought they found proof in the final week of the season after the celtics sat Forward Ryan Gomes in the fourth Quarter of a loss to the Bucks that clinched the second worst i probably would have but since we were in the Hunt for a High draft of course things Are Gomes said after the i understand hopefully things get now that we clinched at least hav ing the second most balls in the the last three games Well see what Well see if we can go out and finish some intentional or those losses can come in Handy with a bit of Luck or a lot of just ask Pat who won the lottery with Philadelphia and followed it with three More victories in earning the right to draft Shaquille Oneal in one of those which Are so gruesome during the there Beautiful in late the magics senior vice president those is Are gorgeous come springtime in the lottery determines the top three Posi with the rest of the 14 in inverse order of a teams so Memphis can do no worse than the 4 but missing out on Oden or Durant would feel like another loss for a team that began the season without Star Pau is losing Jerry West after the draft and didst have much to feel Good about in the celtics Are hoping for lottery Luck after they missed out on Duncan 10 years san Antonio won that lottery and the celtics didst beat the spurs from that moment until late this the have won three titles and Are seven victories from and coach Gregg Popovich knows that have been possible without some Eric Ohio state Center Greg Oden 20 is one of two potential franchise players heading this years Aba the draft lottery is id be coaching a third Grade team some place in he a couple of teams already Good Are hoping to get even the Chicago bulls got the right to Swap spots with new York in the Eddy Curry and the Phoenix suns will take Atlanta pick As a result of the Joe Johnson Trade unless the Hawks move into the top Williams has won when the Odds were in his and As a Long and he knows How much a Victory Means to a it just triggers your whole will iams it triggers your it triggers your above it triggers the Hope that the lottery brings you cant put a Price tag on a sports writers Jaime Aron in san Tom Canavan in East and Chris Jenkins in Milwaukee contributed to this Aba scoreboard playoffs conference finals Best of 7 Eastern conference Detroit Cleveland monday Detroit Cleveland Detroit leads series 10 thursday Cleveland at Detroit sunday Detroit at Cleveland May 29 Detroit at Cleveland May 31 Cleveland at if necessary june 2 Detroit at if necessary june 4 Cleveland at if necessary Western conference san Antonio Utah sunday san Antonio Utah san an Tonio leads series 10 tuesday Utah at san Antonio saturday san Antonio at Utah May 28 san Antonio at Utah May 30 Utah at san if necessary june 1 san Antonio at if Nec Essary june 3 Utah at san if Nec Essary monday pistons Cavaliers 76 Cleveland James 515 00 Gooden 36 00 Lugauskas 917 44 Pavlovic 414 02 Hughes 413 57 Varjao 68 12 Snow 04 12 Marshall 14 00 Gibson 04 totals 3285 1117 Detroit Prince 111 66 Wallace 713 Webber Hamilton 112100 Billups 46 Davis 2412 Mcdyess 15 00 Maxiell 00 00 Hunter 01 22 Delfino 00 00 totals 3172 1217 Cleveland 24 17 14 2176 Detroit 19 16 21 2379 three Point goal Cleveland 19 Pavlov in Marshall Gibson Hughes Detroit 514 Hamilton Billups Wal lace Hunter Prince fouled out rebound Cleveland 60 Lugauskas Detroit 46 Wallace assists Cleve land 16 James Detroit 25 Prince total foul Cleveland Detroit technical Cleveland defensive three playoff leaders through May 21 scoring g Fig Lal 5 60 4 49 5 47 10 91 7 63 Lal Utah Utah rebounds g off it pts avg 34 164 128 134 253 177 21 31 70 42 5 4 5 13 10 assists 12 16 20 43 30 def Tot avg 62 43 45 116 91 74 59 65 159 121 g ast avg 11 146 4 47 12 131 13 116 11 90 shot pistons defense helps stifle James from Back Page in sure Mike will talk about it and hell get some trips to the line in game Wallace both teams attempted 17 free it was definitely a physical he fouls were called at times and we rent called at Tayshaun Prince played Chest Chest defense against James when he didst have the Ball and had plenty of help when he everywhere he he had three Guys in his Hunter we have to keep that up All game 2 is thursday night at the Palace before the series shifts to James took just three shots in tiie fourth Quarter making one and defended the you just have to take whats said who was aver aging 26 Points in the playoffs on m average of 19 its not about taking a High volume of its about trying to win the Duane Cleveland Cavaliers Lebron James 23 goes to the Basket in the second Quarter basketball we had an Opportunity to Hamilton scored 24 Points and had seven while Wallace had 15 12 rebounds and a career High seven Prince added eight Points and a playoff career High nine a Drunas Lugauskas had 22 Points and 13 rebounds for the taking advantage of James Pas first Larry Hughes and Reserve Anderson Varjao each scored 13 the cars in their first East Ern conference final since 1992 fell to 012 in game is on the selfish cars need More not magic from Back Page James is the Best thing to happen to the Aba since Jordan retired after the 1998 finals that hiatus 2 for those keep ing Hes dazzling to Able to do things that defy imagination and Hes resurrected a franchise that was sliding to Ward carrying the cars to their first conference finals appearance in 15 years in Only his fourth and Hes been equally impressive off the though he made the jump straight from High the 22yearold is an old soul who can teach some 35 year Olds a thing or two about he recognizes that Hes the face of the league the latest heir if you will and has embraced the responsibilities and obligations that come with but if theres a Knock on its that Hes too too much of a team More magic than youve got to take whats James my game is not solely on taking a lot of in going to continue to say its the Only answer i can give no one is asking him to Channel Kobe one Ball hog of a Star is More than enough for the but theres a time and a place to be and right a Little More ego be such a bad go get the rest of the cars set them up like you did in the first when Lugauskas was dominating inside like Shaquille let them build a Little Confidence so there comfortable taking a shot when they have when its crunch its time to show what everyone knows youre capable to put on the kind of display that keeps opposing coaches at the grease Board Long into the the pistons coach flip Saunders is to try and con Tain Lebron As much As you make them do dont do it for from the Day he arrived in the Jordan wanted the Ball in his hands when it mattered he lived to take the big Rev Eling in being the Man who broke the spirit of his opponents and the hearts of Weir faithful but he didst become a Champi on until he accepted the fact he do it All on his there would be times he would need help from his supporting Scottie Bill cart John Horace Steve Ken All were brushstrokes in the Jordan Mas James has the opposite prob he has the passion to be a Champion All As he walked Down the Tunnel on his Way Back to the court for the Sec Ond half monday he scanned the Box hed barely been a yet the cars were leading the favored pistons by when a reporter asked How it he Tore up the Box and threw it in the shredding a piece of paper int the same As destroying the compe to be a Champion like Jor Dan was like everyone expects James to be he has to show that aggression on the he has to prove Hes really a ego and Nancy Armour is a National sports columnist for the associated write to her at
