Get ready, NBA: A superstar trio is born.

Ending weeks of silence and drama, the two-time MVP said on his ESPN special from Greenwich, Conn. on Thursday night that he’s decided to join the Miami Heat and leave the Cleveland Cavaliers after an unsuccessful seven-year quest for the championship he covets.

“I can’t say it was always in my plans, because I never thought it was possible,” James said. “But the things that the Miami Heat franchise have done, to free up cap space and be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down. Those are two great players, two of the greatest players that we have in this game today.”

Olympic teammates in Beijing, James, Bosh and Wade all helped deliver gold medals.

This time, it’ll be about a gold trophy, the NBA championship one – the one Wade got in 2006, the one that James and Bosh have yet to touch.

“Winning is a huge thing for me,” James said.

It’s a huge victory for the Heat, who got commitments from Wade and Bosh on Wednesday. That duo, along with James, formed the upper echelon of the most-celebrated free-agent period in league history.

Heat president Pat Riley landed them all, a three-pack of stars to help shape his quest for a dynasty in Miami.

And for Cleveland, a city scorned for generations by some of sports’ biggest letdowns, James’ long-awaited words represented a defeat perhaps unlike any other.

James is gone. Home sweet home no more.

He said he made the decision Thursday morning and knows it won’t go over well in Ohio.

“They can have mixed emotions, of course,” James said, adding that Akron will “always be home for me.”

His new home – part-time or otherwise – wasted no time in beginning the celebration. Horns honked outside the arena and on Miami Beach, where Wade was watching the announcement with members of his inner circle.

“It’s going to be crazy,” Wade said.

James, Bosh and Wade entered the pros in the same year, the respective Nos. 1, 4 and 5 picks in the 2003 draft. They went their separate ways: James to Cleveland, Bosh to Toronto and Wade to Miami, where he won a championship partnered with center Shaquille O’Neal in 2006. That year, James, Bosh and Wade all signed matching contracts to make sure they were all unrestricted free agents at the same time.

Season-ticket sales for the Heat’s coming 41-game season were suspended Thursday afternoon after the entire supply of available seats were sold out. Not every seat has been released for sale yet and some will be held back for single-game purchases at the 19,600-capacity arena.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Louisville coach Rick Pitino said while attending a tournament of high school stars at Cleveland State University, co-sponsored by James and Nike, one of the 25-year-old’s corporate partners.

Believe it.

The Cavaliers, a franchise that was in ruins before winning a lottery drawing and bringing James up Interstate 77 from his Akron home, have had the upper hand – until now. They were able to offer him more money – $30 million more – than any other team.

This wasn’t about money, though.

Wade and Bosh both said they would take fewer dollars to make this happen. And that, combined with what Riley and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said to James on the recruiting tour, was enough to pull off the stunner.

Because they have overspent while trying to please James and win the first title by any of Cleveland’s three pro sports teams since 1964, the Cavs are strapped with a few big contracts that have eaten up salary-cap space and prevented them from making roster moves to improve the team.

They’ve come close to winning it all with James, who at 6-foot-8 and 260 pounds has the quickness of a point guard and brute force of an NFL defensive lineman.

With the possible exception of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, James is the NBA’s premier player, but his legacy cannot be fulfilled until he wins a championship.

If it’s going to happen soon, it’ll happen in Miami.

(nba.com)

Ron Artest lost his voice, screaming at the top of his lungs while clutching what the Lakers had worked for all season.

But the moment that may very well stand out was the image of Kobe Bryant circling the court, ball in hand while pointing to the crowd as purple and gold confetti and streamers fell from the Staples Center rafters.

The celebration was just starting as the Lakers gutted out an 83-79 victory over the Celtics Thursday in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to win back-to-back championships and notch the franchise’s 16th title, one shy of tying arch-rival Boston.

“Well, it’s done,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who won his 11th title. “It wasn’t well done, but it was done.

“And we did it with perseverance.”

The Lakers have now won their fifth championship in 11 years. Next season they will look to be the first team to 3-peat since they accomplished that feat from 2000-02.

Bryant was named the Finals MVP for the second straight season. Despite struggling in the series finale, he came through when it counted the most. Bryant scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the final period, which included 8-for-9 from the free-throw line. He also had 15 rebounds.

After the game, Bryant admitted to having pressed too much as he struggled from the field, shooting a postseason-worst 6-for-24 from the field.

“I wanted it so, so bad,” said Bryant, who now joins Laker great Magic Johnson with his fifth ring. “The more I tried to push, the more it kept getting away from me. I’m just glad that my teammates really got us back in the game.”

When asked what this championship meant individually, Bryant had some fun.

“Just got one more than Shaq,” he said. “You can take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don’t forget anything.”

With Bryant struggling, it was the other Lakers who pulled through. Pau Gasol finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds, while Artest came up big with 20 points and five steals and Derek Fisher added 10.

Artest quite possibly played his best game as a Laker. During one stretch in the second quarter, he scored 10 of his team’s 13 points. He had several key defensive stops as well.

“Ron Artest was the most valuable player tonight,” Jackson said. “He brought life to our team, he brought life to the crowd.”

When the Lakers were receiving their 2009 championship rings during the season opener, Artest sat alone in the locker room. Now he has one of his own.

“Unbelievable. Unbelievable,” said Artest as he took a swig of champagne. “When we won, I didn’t know we won.

“I cried earlier before the game. How stupid was that? And then when you win you don’t cry. How dumb is that?”

This championship was especially sweet for the Lakers, who exactly two years ago lost in the 2008 Finals to the Celtics. They also beat Boston for the first time in a Finals Game 7 after losing all four of their previous meetings.

“We learned from the disappointment and the frustration and the anger that came from losing that series,” said Derek Fisher, whose team became just the seventh team ever to face a 3-2 deficit in the Finals and come back to win the final two games.

It wasn’t easy, however.

As a team, the Lakers shot 32.5 percent from the field to the Celtics’ 40.8. Only Fisher shot over 50 percent from the field (4-for-6). They struggled from the line, making 25-for-37, but they made up for it by pulling down 23 offensive rebounds and turning the ball over 11 times to the Celtics’ 15.

The Lakers played from behind for virtually the entire game. They fought back from nine down at the end of the first quarter. Then they scratched back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.

And when it came down to the fourth quarter, the game was filled with pressure-packed moments.

“I was nervous as a mother,” Artest said.

Down six with 1:30 left, the Celtics answered with Rasheed Wallace draining a 3-pointer. Then Artest responded with a three. After the make, he blew kisses to the crowd and pointed to the Celtics bench.

“What a perfect time to blow kisses at the crowd,” he said. “What a shot. What a shot. I always wanted to hit a shot like that. That’s why I took that shot.”

Seconds later Ray Allen, who had 13 points on 14 shots, answered from the left corner to cut Los Angeles’ lead to 79-76. Off a Bryant missed 3-pointer, Gasol recorded his ninth — and quite possibly biggest — offensive rebound of the season. The extra opportunity led to Bryant getting fouled, which was Wallace’s sixth of the game. Bryant hit a pair of free throws to give the Lakers an 81-76 lead with 25.7 seconds left in the game.

Out of the timeout Allen had his 3-point attempt deflected, and Rajon Rondo corralled the rebound and sank a triple from the right corner to trim the deficit to 81-79. The Lakers’ Sasha Vujacic checked in and iced the game when he drained a pair of free throws, giving Los Angeles an 83-79 edge with 11.7 seconds. After a missed 3-pointer by Rondo, Gasol chucked the ball up court to Bryant, who then ran the clock out.

Following the loss, the Celtics were emotional.

“Well there’s a lot of crying in our locker room, a lot of people who care,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I don’t think there was a dry eye. A lot of hugs, a lot of people feeling awful.”

The loss didn’t diminish what this season has meant to Rivers, however.

“It was the craziest, most emotional group I’ve ever coached in my life,” he said. “I told them, they made me reach to places that I never thought I needed to go…so that’s what makes (this loss) tough.”

In the loss, five Celtics finished in double figures. Paul Pierce had a team-high 18 points and Kevin Garnett tallied 17. Rondo finished with 14 points and 10 assists.

Wallace was huge in the absence of Kendrick Perkins, who missed the final game with torn ligaments in his right knee. Wallace, who scored 11 points, had a throwback game, circa 2000 Trailblazer or 2004 Piston. He was working in the post, draining fallaway jumpers and banking in turnarounds.

Despite a balanced attack and leading most of the game, Boston seemingly crumbled down the stretch. They were outscored 30-22 in the final period and couldn’t stop the Lakers without fouling, as evidenced by LA’s 16-for-21 performance from the line in the fourth quarter.

“This is probably one of the hardest feelings I’ve felt in my lifetime,” Allen said.

Before the game, Jackson spoke of how every game has a “moment of truth.” While Artest’s 3-pointer could easily fill that moment, the play that stands out came from Fisher.

With his team struggling to make a basket, Fisher came up with a huge 3-pointer to tie the game at 64-64 with 6:13 left in the game. That basket sparked an 11-0 run and the Lakers never looked back.

“That’s just who he is,” Bryant said. “There’s not enough words of praise that I can use to describe him and how I feel about him.”

(nba.com)

Kendrick Perkins had to be helped off the court thanks to a Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant sandwich.

Paul Pierce wound up on his back time and time again in large part because of the Lakers’ swarming defense.

It was that type of game for the Celtics.

It was that type of intensity the Lakers showed from start to finish.

In what was a must-win to keep their hopes of a repeat alive, the Lakers answered emphatically, blowing out the Celtics, 89-67, in Game 6 of the NBA Finals Tuesday at Staples Center.

Tied 3-3, the season now culminates in a winner-take-all Game 7 Thursday.

“It’s a really high-tension situation,” said Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who will be coaching in his first Game 7 in the NBA Finals.

No sweat for Bryant, who holds a 3-1 record in Game 7′s: “I know what’s at stake, but I’m not tripping.”

Added Paul Pierce on how he feels heading into the game: “Very confident.

“We know we have to come out a lot harder in Game 7. I promise you when I stand here on Thursday, we won’t be talking about energy.”

If history has any say in the outcome, the Celtics have the edge.

They are 4-0 all-time in Game 7′s against the Lakers, who hope to become just the seventh team in NBA history to come from behind to win a championship after facing a 3-2 deficit.

While the Lakers were given new life, the Celtics see Tuesday’s game as yet another missed opportunity.

“You could tell that the guys were kind of anxious,” said Pierce, whose team is now 1-8 in closeout games on the road. “When you’re so close to a championship sometimes that creeps in.

“We just didn’t play desperate like we wanted to win the championship.”

As for the Lakers, they played with a sense of urgency early and it carried into the fourth quarter as they led by as many as 27 points.

Bryant led the way, finishing with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. After making little impact in Game 5, the other Lakers answered with their best game of the series since a Game 1 rout of the Celtics.

Gasol nearly tallied a triple-double, posting 17 points, 13 rebounds and a playoff career-high nine assists. Artest chipped in with 15. Lamar Odom, who has been battling the flu this week, added eight points and 10 rebounds.

“Pau was sensational,” Bryant said.

In the loss, Ray Allen had a team-high 19 points. Pierce added 13 and Kevin Garnett 12. Rondo finished with 10 points but missed 10-of-15 shots.

After sinking in a series-best 56.3 percent in the previous game, the Celtics shot a series-low 33.3 percent.

“I definitely give them credit,” Allen said. “But in our defense, we made it tough on ourselves. We didn’t move the basketball around.”

Aside from all the historical ramifications of this series heading into the final game, the status of Boston’s Perkins, who suffered a right knee sprain, will be a hot topic. Perkins went down while trying to snag an offensive rebound with 5:30 to play in the first quarter.

After the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Perkins knee “doesn’t look great, but I don’t know.”

Added Allen: “It’s terribly unfortunate. But we have to do this for him. We have to push forward.”

This game was seemingly over by halftime as the Lakers bench came up big, helping Los Angeles go up 51-31.

Jordan Farmar had a key play, diving on the floor at midcourt to get a loose ball in the second quarter. Farmar’s dive sparked the Lakers in the second quarter as they built a 41-23 lead with 7:01 left before halftime. Sasha Vujacic had key 3-pointers en route to nine points. The Lakers bench outscored the Celtics’ 25-13.

Los Angeles’ defense, after being nonexistent in Games 4 and 5 in Boston, swarmed the Celtics all game. It seemed as if the Celtics were working against the shot clock on every possession in the first half, especially in the second quarter. In that period, Boston shot 28.6 percent from the field (6-for-21) and finished with 13 points, their lowest quarter output this postseason. They also had just two points during a stretch of 5:14 in the second quarter.

Boston scored just 31 points in the first half, nearly tying the franchise’s worst half in the playoffs. In 2002, the Celtics scored 29 points against Detroit.

“I was very happy,” said Bryant of the team’s defense, which recorded 14 steals (four by Bryant).

Leading up to Game 6, Jackson was at ease, stating he had a good feeling about how his team would respond.

Bryant, Gasol and Artest left their mark early. Bryant was all over the ball. Gasol was aggressive in his all-around play, which was devoid in the previous game. Artest found the stroke, scoring eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers from the right corner, in the first period. His 3-pointer at the 2:58 mark gave the Lakers an early 26-16 lead.

Boston never answered, however.

“We didn’t come out there and hit them back,” Glen Davis said.

The Lakers didn’t need a big game from Bynum, who left two minutes into the third quarter and headed to the locker room. He did not return and finished with two points and four rebounds in 15 minutes.

“I felt really, really stiff,” said Bynum of his right knee. “I felt like I would hurt the team if I was out there. This was precautionary. Save it for Game 7.”

As for whether this blowout defeat will leave any ill effects for the season finale, Rondo was quick to dispel that idea.

“This [Game 6] is in the past,” he said. “We’re not down. We’re not hanging our heads.”

(nba.com)

Tonight, the “right way” was the path taken by the Boston Celtics, and not only because they beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 92-86, in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. They were tougher, they played together and they prioritized defense, despite shooting 56 percent themselves.

“We scrapped, we got them in the half court for the most part, and that’s the type of game we like,” Paul Pierce said. “It would be tough for us to beat them if they go out and score 120 points.”

Defense certainly wasn’t a priority for the Lakers, who allowed 46 points in the paint in an 87 possession game — meaning Boston scored in the paint on 26 percent of their offensive possessions — and gave up three offensive rebounds when trailing in the final four minutes.

Not to mention multiple instances when a Boston player either had a straight line to the hoop or when they waltzed in, unhindered, with back cuts. Or allowing Boston to score in nine of its first ten possessions of the second half.

“Defensively, we weren’t very good at all,” Bryant said. “Last game it was the fourth quarter, this game it was the third quarter. We didn’t get any stops. They got layup after layup after layup, and you can’t survive a team that shoots 56 percent.”

The Lakers still had their opportunities, in part because of the extra chances afforded to them by 16 offensive rebounds and Boston managed just 19 points in the final quarter. But the greatest share for the window remaining open was due to Bryant going supernova in the third quarter, scoring the Lakers’ first 19 points of the half. Bryant hit jumpers from every angle, often over multiple defenders, and is deserving of every superlative.

And yet, good as Bryant was, his offense may have sunk the team.

“As long as we were going to keep scoring the way we were scoring, we were going to be good,” Doc Rivers said.

Against possibly the best team-defense in the league, using isolation plays nearly every time down the floor is a recipe for failure. While Bryant defied Hoops 101 for longer than nearly any other individual is capable, passing stagnated and his teammates, many who were already struggling, fell off.

Credit must be awarded the Boston defense for disrupting its opponents’ system, but it was abundantly clear that the Lakers were fine running set after set to get Bryant the ball. Even after timeouts, when coaches generally try to draw something up to generate ball movement, Lakers coach Phil Jackson would return to Bryant.

“He was in a nice rhythm,” Kevin Garnett said. “I thought for the most part we pretty much controlled everybody else, but in that scenario you put your hand up and play the best D that you can.”

It’s difficult to deflect criticism off Pau Gasol — 12 points, 12 rebounds, 12 shots — just because Bryant took over the team, but after being such a huge part of victories in Games 1 and 3, he was no longer an offensive priority.

Gasol was also thoroughly dominated by Garnett, a subject even Bryant couldn’t skirt.

“He’s been consistent for us, for awhile, so he can afford to have a bad game,” Bryant said.

Opposite Bryant’s production was Boston’s team (21 assists on 40 field goals) offense, led by a resurgent Pierce (27 points) and rounded out with 48 points from the combo of Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. Jackson wasn’t upset about giving up 92 points — 105 points per 100 possessions — but with assists on more than half their buckets and 17 percent better shooting, the Celtics were clearly doing something right.

What made this game nearly perfect, though, aside from chest-to-chest physicality being plentiful, was that the outcome came down to a pair of sequences.

The first came with 43 seconds remaining and the Lakers down five. Ron Artest missed a pair of free throws, but Bryant swooped in from the top of the key and appeared to have the offensive rebound … until Pierce took hold and snatched the ball away with force.

Then, after the ensuing timeout with the Lakers in full-court press, the inbounds pass went to a streaking Pierce down the sideline. He managed to make the catch and tip-toe inside the sideline before sending a line drive pass to Rondo, who then made an equally impressive catch-and-finish.

“I was just showing off my Randy Moss and my Tom Brady in one play, that’s all,” Pierce said.

Bad games, statistics and numbers aside, those are the types of plays that should decide the NBA championship. And whether or not Bryant’s offense needs to re-adapt to his team in Game 5, those are the plays he’ll need from his team to avoid a repeat of 2008.

“Just man up and play,” Bryant said.

“What the hell is the big deal? I don’t see it as a big deal. If I have to say something to them, then we don’t deserve to be champions. We’re down 3-2, go home, win one game, go into the next one. Simple as that.”

(nba.com)

In their 91-84 Game 3 victory, the Lakers, both as individuals and collectively, fought through a litany of situations that would have left them reeling and beaten. And they were tested from the very beginning.

Behind what was probably the best crowd at TD Garden in a non-series clinching win, the Celtics stormed out to a 12-5 lead. First there were six-straight points from Kevin Garnett (25 points), including two alley oops, and then six more from Rajon Rondo.

In Game 6 of the ’08 Finals, a run like that delivered L.A. a mortal, series-ending wound.

But over the next eight minutes, the Lakers made the painted area their own, earning 10 free throws and three point-blank layups to wrest control.

“We seemed to gather some strength and change the course of the game right there,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said.

By halftime, the lead was 12 and the Celtics, who have not performed well playing from behind in second halves, were left to do just that.

“We kept our poise after that quick start and didn’t get rattled,” Kobe Bryant (29 points on 29 shots) said.

“We didn’t doubt our ability to win here, even though we hadn’t done it in the playoffs,” Derek Fisher said. “We understand that in order to be the best, you have to win wherever, whenever.”

Then the Celtics, whose toughness has rarely been in question, won the second half, 44-39, and had the Lakers so discombobulated offensively in the fourth quarter it looked like Boston was inevitably going to roll over a team that was rolling over.

Not this time.

Though the Lakers continued to operate through broken plays and shortened shot clocks, and neither team could have played more superb defense — the Lakers scoring 107 points per 100 possessions, Boston 98.8 — fortitude won out.

“It’s very frustrating, very frustrating when you don’t play well offensively,” Garnett said. “But defensively, you know, you sort of buckle down and get the stops and things that you want and you get back into the game only to come up short.

“Yeah, that’s real disappointing.”

There was Lamar Odom (12 points on five shots), who had been largely absent from the series before, at one moment snagging an offensive rebound and kissing the ball off the glass, at another driving baseline for a layup. In both instances, the Lakers lead was two or fewer.

There was Pau Gasol, criticized by many for his style of play in the past, posting up Glen Davis with 2:18 to play and again up by a pair. Gasol lost his dribble and fell backwards, just barely punching the ball back out to his guard. But then Gasol re-posted, called for the ball, and rather than settling for a jumper over Davis’ wide body, he drove Davis back to the rim and shot right over the top, creating all the contact.

Not a play Gasol makes in ’08.

And then there was Derek Fisher, criticized so often for his age and difficulties guarding younger, faster point guards. With a little leeway from the officials — it was an ugly, physical, foul-ridden game throughout — Fisher was able to put his body on Ray Allen’s as he chased him through screens, riding his hip and taking out the shooter’s legs.

Allen, after setting an NBA record for threes in a Finals game with eight in Game 2, shot 0-for-13.

“Ray Allen’s not going to miss all of his shots, Thursday night, that’s not going to happen,” Fisher made sure to mention.

Fisher’s defense was terrific, but his offense saved the day, as he scored 11 of his 16 in the final quarter. With the Lakers’ having apparently abandoned all ball movement, Fisher made a number of contested shots, including a coast-to-coast layup for a three-point play in the final minute that gave L.A. a seven-point lead and the game.

“Derek Fisher was the difference in the game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “He’s just a gutty, gritty player. Fisher basically took the game over.”

It’s 2-1 Lakers now, but it doesn’t quite feel like anyone has taken over. Each team has had its fair share of brilliant and boorish stretches, and Boston has been in this position before — in these very playoffs.

In the second round, Boston split a pair in Cleveland before the Cavaliers handed the Celtics their worst home-playoff loss in franchise history in Game 3. The Celtics proceeded to win the next three games and advance.

“As a team we’re just going to come out and play with a lot of energy, have a great focus,” Rajon Rondo said. “I think we lost our composure tonight in a couple possessions and that hurt us. You can’t really write the story until the next game.”

The difference in this series is: it’s hard to fathom the 2010 Lakers folding like those Cavaliers did, or like the Lakers themselves did two seasons ago.

(nba.com)

The 16-year veteran and seven-time All-Star averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds last season. That was his highest rebounding average since 2002-03 and his most total rebounds (445) in a season since 1999-00.

Hill averaged averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in Phoenix’s run to the Western Conference finals, the deepest postseason run of his NBA career.

Hill has played the last four seasons in Phoenix, averaging 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists while playing 233 of a possible 246 regular-season games. Last season, he became the 18th active player to score 15,000 points.

(nba.com)

That was the powerful message from Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who refused to comment Tuesday on reports he has offered a massive contract to Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and adamantly denied that James, the two-time MVP now on free agency’s doorstep, has been running Cleveland’s franchise.

Gilbert added that James will not be consulted during the team’s coaching search.

Speaking at a news conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts to introduce new general manager Chris Grant, Gilbert refuted reports that James has had input on past hires and trades, the firing of coach Mike Brown and GM Danny Ferry’s recent departure.

“The concept that LeBron James has been involved in any way, shape or form with firing our head coach, involved in the transition to general manager Chris Grant and will be involved in future coaching decisions and hires is totally, 100 percent and patently false,” Gilbert said. “It’s unfair to him. It’s unfair to the franchise.

“He is a basketball player and a great one and his interests are aligned with our interests, but this concept that this franchise has been handed to a player who is running it and making the decisions is just completely and totally false. He’ll tell you that and Chris will tell you that and I’ll tell you that. The truth is the truth.”

Grant confirmed the club has had contact with Izzo and “a number” of other coaching candidates but would not provide any details. The team is believed to have contacted former New Orleans coach Byron Scott and Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson.

Grant said there is no timetable to hire a new coach.

“I want to find the right guy, and I want to find the right fit,” said Grant, promoted after Ferry resigned last Friday, ending a wildly successful five-year run. “That could be in a week and that could be in a month and a half. We’re going to make the decisions based on who that right person is and the best fit for our team.”

As for Izzo, Gilbert and Grant did all they could to sidestep repeated questions about their interest in the Spartans coach, who has been approached by NBA teams in the past — but perhaps not this tenaciously.

“At the appropriate time, we’ll have an announcement,” Grant said, “and we’ll have the next guy that’s going to lead us out there on the court.”

A person familiar with Cleveland’s pursuit of Izzo told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Gilbert, a Michigan State graduate, and the coach have discussed terms of a possible contract that would pay Izzo up to $6 million a year for four or five seasons. Use of one of Gilbert’s jets has not been discussed.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions were supposed to be confidential.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer first reported Monday that Gilbert and Izzo talked about the framework of a long-term deal, worth about $6 million a season for up to five years. Izzo makes more than $3 million a season and is under contract through 2016.

The Cavaliers fired Brown less than two weeks following their second-round loss to the Boston Celtics. Brown, named the NBA’s coach of the year in 2009, led the Cavs to 127 regular-season wins the past two seasons but couldn’t get James and the team back to the NBA finals.

Brown’s firing was quickly followed by Ferry’s decision not to return. The upheaval has given the impression the Cavs are in chaos just as James enters free agency. Gilbert, though, said all the decisions were based on his desire to bring a championship to Cleveland, and that while the moves may be risky, they were not done without deep consideration and analysis.

“If you took the other approach that you do nothing and nothing happened, I think the criticism would be just as loud,” Gilbert said. “It was our view that the benefit outweighed the risk of making some significant changes here to get us over the hump and get us to where we need to be.

“This is not about franchise value. This is not about the payroll we spent or didn’t spend. This is driven solely on the motivational factor of delivering a championship to this city. Period. We believe this is LeBron’s goal, it’s Chris Grant’s goal, it’ll be our head coach’s goal. We’re just going to keep going until we get there.”

Grant said the team intends to stay in close contact with James, but would not reveal specifics about plans to land the superstar or any free agents.

While not revealing potential coaching names, Grant said the uncertainty of James’ future with Cleveland has not been viewed negatively by candidates. He said the lure of coaching one of the league’s top franchises — with or without James — is enticing.

“People look at this organization and have seen what it’s done over the last five years and they’re really impressed,” he said. “They see games on TV, they see what the business side has done, they see the sellouts. People look at this and say, ‘Wow, it’s a desirable place and I’d like to be there.”‘

Izzo has had little to say about the Cavs’ courtship. During a radio interview on Monday night, he described some of the reports as “far-fetched.”

“I’m the Michigan State coach, and that’s what I’m going to do right now,” he said. “Who knows what the future brings? But it sure isn’t at all like it’s maybe being speculated.”

According to the latest version of Izzo’s deal, he has to pay the school $500,000 within 30 days of terminating his employment if he takes another job.

A message was left Tuesday by the AP for Izzo, who led the Spartans to the Final Four this year for the sixth time in 12 seasons.

(nba.com)

This was the one who declared himself the best point guard in the league. Not the one who came up lame in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

This was the all-around Rondo, who had a series of huge plays late, including a jumper to ice the game.

Rondo’s play and the explosive first half by Ray Allen proved too much for the Lakers as the Celtics pulled away with a 103-94 victory in Game 2 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center Sunday.

“Tonight was unbelievable,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of Rondo. “He was special tonight.”

Rondo finished with 19 points, 10 assists, 12 rebounds and two steals. This marked his second triple-double this postseason and the fifth in his postseason career.

Though Rondo stole the show late, the first half was all about sharpshooter Allen.

After being plagued by foul trouble in Game 1 and scoring just 12 points, Allen absolutely thrashed the Lakers with his silky smooth shot. He finished with a game-high 32 points, 27 of which came in the first half. He also set an NBA Finals record for most 3-pointers in a game by going 8-for-11 from deep.

“It’s definitely right up there,” said Allen of setting the record and where this performance ranks in his career. “(It’s) great to be able to look back on it and say I did that.”

With the victory, the Celtics even the series at 1-1 and take homecourt advantage away from the Lakers. The next three games will be in Boston with Game 3 on Tuesday.

Though this game was decided in the final minutes, it seemed as if momentum was in favor of the Lakers. After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half, they managed to tie it up 72-72 by the end of the third quarter.

There were several plays by the Lakers in the middle of the fourth quarter. One was a defensive stand. The Celtics had four cracks under the Lakers basket and couldn’t convert. Andrew Bynum had a pair of blocks during that sequence. Then there was Kobe Bryant’s double clutch bank shot. He was fouled too by Allen and converted the 3-point play. Then a series of turnovers by the Lakers hurt them down the stretch.

“We weren’t playing smart,” said Bynum, who tied a career-playoff high with 21 points and recorded six rebounds to go along with seven blocks. “We were playing bad basketball.

“We turned the ball over, it was that simple. Then Rondo is pushing it and Rondo hits an elbow jumper.”

Los Angeles did have a 90-87 lead with 5:21 left in the game, but Boston closed out the game on a 16-4 run.

Rondo hurt the defending champs the most down the stretch. He pulled down rebounds (four offensive) like a younger Kevin Garnett. He got inside the Lakers defense for easy lay-ins. He scored eight of the team’s 10 points at one point, including a key 16-foot jumper from the left elbow.

“He took a million of those shots this summer, and he didn’t hesitate,” Rivers said. “That was my favorite play for him.”

This game is tough to swallow for the Lakers after coming in with all the momentum following a decisive victory in Game 1 Thursday.

“Everyone was just pissed off,” said Bynum of the atmosphere in the locker room following the Lakers first home loss this postseason. “The coaching staff told us that this might be the last time we play here. I think that woke everybody up.”

In the loss, Pau Gasol finished with a team-high 25 points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Bryant scored 21 points but had an off night going 8-for-20 shooting. Bryant was also plagued with foul trouble, playing nearly the entire fourth quarter with five fouls.

As a team Los Angeles shot 40.8 percent to the Boston’s 42.9 percent.

Someone who may have been overlooked in the Celtics’ win was the play of reserve Nate Robinson. The Celtics late-season acquisition gave Rondo a breather in the fourth quarter and scored seven straight points in six minutes of action.

“Rondo was exhausted,” Rivers said. “We needed offense. Ray was exhausted in that period, in that stretch, and we put in Nate…so that was big for us.”

So was Allen.

He sank seven straight 3-pointers before missing a wide-open attempt in the final minute of the second quarter. Allen’s seven makes in the first half tied a Finals record for most 3-pointers made in a game, a record he held along with Scottie Pippen and Kenny Smith. Bryant and Derek Fisher looked as if they were going through a gauntlet, trying to fight off a bevy of Boston screens to get to Allen, who needed just a ray of light to get his shot off.

Despite no other Celtic scoring more than six points in the first half, Allen and his blistering shooting helped Boston lead by as many as 14 points in the first half.

“He carried us the whole way,” Rondo said. “He took over the game.”

Added Robinson: “Ray is hands down the best shooter in NBA history. He’s an amazing piece of work. It’s kind of cool just watching him. Every time he gets the ball we think it’s going in.”

The defending champs will now have to make their adjustments as they head on the road. This postseason, the Lakers sport a 4-4 road record.

“There’s no doubt it’s a blow to use to lose the homecourt,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “But we anticipated this might happen, and we’re just going to have to go pick it up.”

(nba.com)

On Thursday, the Lakers showed their rendition of defense.

They took charges. They caused deflections. They altered and rejected shots inside. In short, they frustrated Boston.

That defense coupled with a late third-quarter spurt helped the defending champs deliver an emphatic blow to the Celtics, winning 102-89 in Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Staples Center.

“I think people forget how good we are defensively,” Lakers forward Lamar Odom said.

No one is forgetting how dominating Phil Jackson‘s teams are after winning Game 1 in a series as his teams are a perfect 47-0. But a reminder of the Lakers’ ultimate goal was apparent in the locker room after the game.

Scribbled in black on a white board directly across Kobe Bryant‘s locker was the phrase “3 Mo.”

“We’re counting down,” said Odom, whose team is now 9-0 at home in the postseason with Game 2 on Sunday.

Leading the way for the Lakers in the series opener was Bryant, who had a game-high 30 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He has now scored 30-plus in 10 of his last 11 contests. Pau Gasol had a terrific all-around game with 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Ron Artest chipped in 15.

The dominating fashion in which the Lakers, who led by as many as 20 points, took Game 1 was surprising, even to Boston’s Paul Pierce.

After the game, Pierce, who a team-high 24 points, was quick to mention how many points the Celtics have given up. That’s because they have only given up 100 or more points four times this postseason coming into the series.

“It wasn’t typical,” said Pierce of the atmosphere in the locker room after the loss. “There were some angry people in there and they showed us.

“The (Lakers) definitely pushed us tonight and had us on our heels.”

The Lakers built their lead off their swarming defense, a 16-0 advantage on second chance points and a 48-30 differential on points in the paint.

They also held Boston to 43.3 percent shooting and neutralized their best player.

The Lakers’ length was a big factor in slowing down Rajon Rondo in the paint. Rondo, who typically gets a half-dozen easy layups, had a pair of what appeared to be easy lay-ins rejected by Odom and Gasol. It also helped that Bryant guarded Rondo all night.

“They did a great job getting back on the fast break,” said Rondo, who had 13 points and eight assists. “They did a good job of collapsing when I did get a chance to get inside the paint … they did a great job mixing it up.”

The third quarter was huge for the Lakers as they outscored the Celtics 34-23.

Bryant had his prints all over the period, scoring 14 points. None was prettier than Fisher’s alley-oop to Bryant, who threw it down with two hands to give Los Angeles a 75-62 lead. The Lakers finished the period on a 16-4 run to go up 84-64 heading into the fourth.

“It was horrible,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers of his team’s defense.

Boston did show some fight at the start of the fourth quarter. Trailing by 20 points, the Celtics whittled the deficit to 85-74 after a 10-1 run. But the Lakers answered.

The play that seemingly sapped the energy out of the Celtics was a block by Artest on Glen Davis, which led to a Gasol dunk.

“It was a big play for us,” Bryant said. “He does a great job for us setting the tone for us defensively.”

The “intriguing” matchup — as Jackson called it — between Kevin Garnett and Gasol was on display in the third quarter when the two went at each other. Garnett did his best to keep the Celtics close, hitting several tough fallaways with Gasol in his face and had 16 in the quarter.

Gasol didn’t back away from the challenge, however.

“He’s more aggressive,” said Rivers of Gasol this time around versus in the 2008 matchup. “I thought he was the best player on the floor.”

Facing the Suns’ zone defense helped the Lakers sharpen their ball movement and cuts to the basket. Gasol and Andrew Bynum showed that early on with with Gasol scoring 11 first-half points and Bynum looking as spry as a person with a torn meniscus in his right knee can. Bynum, who had fluid drained from his knee on Monday, had a pair of two-handed dunks in the first half and finished with 10 points and six rebounds.

This game had its fair share of physical play, especially early.

Twenty-seven seconds into the game, Artest and Pierce got tangled up under the basket and took each other down to the floor. They were separated and then given technicals. That physical play led to a free-throw parade in the opening quarter as both teams combined to commit 18 first-quarter fouls.

Foul trouble plagued the Celtics’ Ray Allen, who picked up his fourth in the opening minutes of the third quarter. Allen, who finished with 12 points in 27 minutes, returned late in the third quarter and 20 seconds later, picked up his fifth foul.

“We didn’t come out with that fire that we’ve been showing these playoffs,” Celtics forward Tony Allen said.

“They outhustled us today. …I don’t think we took that first punch like we should have.”

(nba.com)

Brown, the most successful coach in franchise history, was fired Monday after failing to win a championship with superstar — and soon-to-be free agent — LeBron James.

Brown’s dismissal had been expected since the Cavs were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs, a stunning exit for a team favored to win it all.

In five seasons, Brown, who had one year left on his contract, went 314-177 and was the league’s coach of the year in 2009. He took Cleveland to the postseason every season and led the Cavaliers to their only finals appearance in 2007.

But the Cavs, despite having the best regular-season record the past two years, fell short of winning their first title and now face an uncertain future with James, the league’s two-time defending MVP, eligible for free agency and expected to listen to offers from other teams.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert made the decision to fire Brown following an organizational review that began following the Cavs’ stunning collapse. Cleveland had a 2-1 series lead over the Celtics before losing three straight, including the final two at home by a combined 50 points.

“After a long and deep analysis of all of the factors that led to the disappointing early ends to our playoff runs over the past two seasons, we concluded that it was time for the Cavaliers to move in a different direction,” Gilbert said in a statement released by the team. “The expectations of this organization are very high and, although change always carries an element of risk, there are times when that risk must be taken in an attempt to break through to new, higher levels of accomplishment.

“This is one of those times.”

Brown was voted the league’s coach of the year last season when the Cavs won 66 games. However, Cleveland lost to Orlando in the conference finals and it was assumed Brown would have to get the team closer to a championship to keep his job.

But the Cavs regressed and were badly outplayed by the Celtics. The embarrassing home performances, coupled with the early exit forced Gilbert to make a difficult decision on Brown, who won 127 regular-season games the past two seasons and took Cleveland to its only finals visit in 2007.

With James moving toward free agency, the Cavs needed to show him a willingness to change and dismissing Brown, however painful, may have been necessary to re-sign James.

“I have truly enjoyed working with Mike Brown,” general manager Danny Ferry said. “Mike has played a huge role in turning around the Cavs organization. Over the past five years, Mike established a work ethic, defensive identity and culture of winning that was not here previously.”

Ferry’s future with the Cavs is also unsure. His contract is set to expire next month.

Brown is expected to get a long look from the five other teams with head coaching vacancies. There was no immediate word on his Cleveland assistants, who also have one year remaining on their deals.

Brown’s fifth season ended like all the others he shared with James — title-less.

It wasn’t all his fault, but the 40-year-old Brown, a former assistant in Washington, San Antonio and Indiana hired by Gilbert in 2005 to change Cleveland’s culture with a foundation based on defense, couldn’t deliver a title this season despite having the game’s most skilled player and a roster upgraded with the additions of All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison.

The Cavs’ defense, suffocating and relentless at times during the regular season, was atrocious in the series against Boston. Cleveland allowed more than 100 points in six games and couldn’t contain Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo.

Brown was outcoached by Boston’s Doc Rivers, who had his team better prepared and got more from his players. The Cavs were constantly beaten to loose balls and long rebounds, something Brown couldn’t help but perhaps a sign that he had already lost his team.

Brown’s rotations were a mess in the series, leading to the team’s inability to get into any type of offensive rhythm. With James unable to dominate as he so often does, the Cavs’ offense was stagnant and players didn’t seem to have any sense of their roles.

It was constant scrambling.

There were whispers Brown was in trouble after the Cavs were dumped by Orlando in last year’s Eastern Conference finals. It was thought that Brown would have to take his team at least as far this season to save his job, but he couldn’t and paid the price.

During his tenure, Brown rarely — if ever — criticized James. The opposite wasn’t true.

In past seasons, James complained about the team’s lack of offensive imagination, saying the Cavs should run more. He and Brown worked through most differences and seemed to have a solid relationship, but it began to fade as this brief postseason unfolded.

Because of a injury to O’Neal, Brown was forced to integrate the center back into the offense during the playoffs, and the Cavs never got into a flow. Also, James and some of the team’s other veterans questioned Brown’s game plans in both the series against Chicago and Boston.

James publicly questioned why O’Neal only played 49 seconds in the fourth quarter of the Game 4 loss in Boston. In the opening round against the Bulls, James campaigned to get J.J. Hickson more playing time, creating an awkward stand-off between the coach and superstar.

Adding to the drama in Cleveland’s final home game was the sight of Kentucky coach John Calipari, a friend of James, sitting in a courtside seat — next to James’ agent — adjacent to Cleveland’s bench.

(nba.com)