Dan Wetzel, Yahoo.com breaks down Thursday's NBA Draft:

WINNER

CHICAGO
The Bulls took hometown star Derrick Rose with the No. 1 pick. Yes, they have a glut of backcourt players but none as good as the Simeon High product. He’s a monster talent, a winner (he led Memphis to the NCAA title game) and while not a vocal leader he is the kind of player guys love playing with.

At the end of the day when a franchise can get the best player in the draft, who is a franchise point guard that is already popular in town, it’s a good night.


LOSER

MINNESOTA and MEMPHIS
Two of the most puzzling front offices in the NBA were cited for creating the NBA Finals this year. Minnesota gave Boston Kevin Garnett while Memphis handed over Pau Gasol to Los Angeles.

So when they make a trade, let alone a late-night, draft-night, eight-player swap, oh the potential humanity. Can there really be a winner?

Generally the team that gets the best player wins a deal and Memphis got that, even if they may not have needed him. What do you expect from a trade between these two?

COMPLETE ARTICLE

HEADLINES

Bulls pick Derrick Rose with first pick in NBA draft
Chicago Tribune - "Derrick Rose likes to attract attention as much as he likes committing turnovers, so a seersucker suit and bow tie definitely weren't part of his equation Thursday night. Nevertheless, Rose is all dressed up with somewhere to go after the Bulls used the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on the speedy, sturdy point guard who grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the city's Southwest Side. " 

15-67 good for one thing: Beasley
Miami Herald - "The worst team in the NBA stopped being that in a jubilant instant Thursday night. Younger, better, more fun, more exciting and an immediate playoff contender is what the Miami Heat became with one draft pick and two fairly magical words: Michael Beasley. An enormous, rollicking, standing ovation rose in the Heat's downtown arena from some 4,000 fans at the team's draft party when commissioner David Stern called Beasley's name in New York as the league's No. 2 overall selection." 

Grizzlies trade Love, Miller to Minnesota for Mayo
Memphis Commercial Appeal - "The Grizzlies fell short of moving up to No. 2 and grabbing Michael Beasley in the NBA draft so they did the next best thing. Memphis grabbed the consensus third-best player in the draft, USC's O.J Mayo. The Grizzlies, who selected UCLA's Kevin Love with the fifth pick, were completing a deal late Thursday night that will bring them Mayo (taken third by Minnesota), Antoine Walker, Marko Jaric and Greg Buckner for Love, Mike Miller, Brian Cardinal and Jason Collins. The deal still needed NBA approval, according to two league sources." 

Clippers glad to have Eric Gordon
L.A. Times - "They pushed. And Eric Gordon pushed back. There was only one other player on the court when the baby-faced Gordon took center stage in workouts for the Clippers. That was Nevada's Marcelus Kemp, not as elite a prospect as Gordon, but one that stretched a couple of inches taller. Battling those types of players was one of the few lingering questions the Clippers had concerning Gordon and when he answered those, the Clippers couldn't pass on him with the seventh overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft."

Knicks Go Danilo
New York Post - "When Mike D'Antoni walked into the interview room last night at the Knicks' Westchester practice facility, the coach blurted, "Are we doing this in Italian or English?" So begins the Knicks' Italian Stallion Era, and possibly the end of David Lee. Donnie Walsh and the Italian-speaking D'Antoni made the Italian League phenom Danilo Gallinari a Knick last night. They chose the defensively challenged Gallinari with the sixth pick amid mostly boos from the Garden's theatre crowd. "I'll be more worried if they're booing him next year," D'Antoni said. " 

Ainge again busy late
Boston Herald - "As usual, Danny Ainge finished with more than he started last night. In addition to taking New Mexico guard J.R. Giddens with the 30th pick of the NBA draft, the Celtics director of basketball operations secured Bill Walker for cash from Washington, which had taken the Kansas State forward with the 47th pick. Ainge then finished his night with the 60th and last pick of the draft by taking Semih Erden - a 6-foot-11 Turkish center who became the first international draft pick of Ainge’s tenure as the Celtics’ personnel chief."

Crawford heading to Lakers; Magic take Lee 22nd overall
Lexington Herald-Leader - "Kentucky's Joe Crawford was chosen around midnight, 58th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers, three picks away from the end of the draft. Crawford joined Western Kentucky product Courtney Lee as the only Kentucky collegians chosen in the draft. Lee was taken in the first round, selected 22nd overall by the Orlando Magic."

DRAFT BOARD
1. Chicago Bulls - Derrick Rose, Guard, Memphis
2. Miami Heat - Michael Beasley, Forward, Kansas State
3. Minnesota Timberwolves - O.J. Mayo, Guard, USC (To Memphis)
4. Seattle Supersonics - Russell Westbrook, Guard, UCLA
5. Memphis Grizzlies - Kevin Love, Forward, UCLA (To Minnesota)
6. New York Knicks - Danilo Gallinari, Forward, Italy
7. Los Angeles Clippers - Eric Gordon, Guard, Indiana
8. Milwaukee Bucks - Joe Alexander, Forward, West Virginia
9. Charlotte Bobcats - D.J. Augustin, Guard, Texas
10. New Jersey Nets - Brook Lopez, Center, Stanford
11. Indiana Pacers - Jerryd Bayless, Guard, Arizona
12. Sacramento Kings - Jason Thompson, Forward, Rider

COMPLETE RECAP 

With the NBA draft less than 24 hours away teams are heating up the phones, working deals, and trying to figure out who they want to take. Most of the hype leading up to the draft was which player would go first, Memphis' guard Derrick Rose or the do-it-all Kansas State big man Michael Beasley. However, at the clock gets ready to strike 12, USC and former North College Hill guard O.J. Mayo is entering the discussion.

With the Chicago Bulls expected to take Memphis guard Derrick Rose in Thursday's NBA Draft, the Heat have been sending mixed messages, telling one NBA official that they planned to take and keep Kansas State forward Michael Beasley but telling another NBA official that they are concerned about his maturity and are interested in USC guard O.J. Mayo, the Miami Herald reports.

Mayo averaged 20.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.3 assists during his one college season, leading Southern California to a 21-12 record and an NCAA tournament berth.

The Heat worked out Mayo and guard Jerryd Bayless Tuesday in Miami, and ESPN reports the team is seriously considering taking Mayo second overall. Mayo's off-season has been tainted with a recruiting  scandal, but it's not his or the team that drafts him problem, rather USC that will have to deal with it.

"He is the most NBA-ready of the guards in the draft, and I think is a really good prospect," ESPN's Jay Bilas said of Mayo. "The idea that somehow he's tainted. ... First of all, if it's true, he's certainly not alone. He's just one of the guys that it's surfaced on. And second, it's hardly anything that the NBA would concern itself with."

Both the Seattle SuperSonics and Memphis Grizzlies have made offers to Miami for the No. 2 pick, an NBA GM tells the Herald.

Its hard to imagine that Beasley would fall down to the No. 3 spot. The 6-foot-8 forward led NCAA Division I in rebounding (12.4) and was third in scoring (26.2) as a freshman. The Timberwolves, who sitting behind the Heat with the draft's thrid pick on sure hoping he does.

To comply with federal regulations that every sports blog must have a liveblog of the NBA Draft, I'll be liveblogging on this site starting close to 7:00, when ESPN coverage begins.  I'm not sure what time the actual draft starts, but we'll play that one by ear.  There should be an interface for some Q&A or live commenting as well.

And with that, I should probably give my predictions of at least the lottery picks for tomorrow night's draft.  I can't remember a draft with more teams looking to move out of their slot; just in the lottery, I've heard Miami, Seattle, Memphis, the Clippers, and Portland all are interested in switching positions, so all of this is predicated on picks not being traded around.

1. Chicago - Derrick Rose, SG, Memphis
2. Miami - O.J. Mayo, SG, USC (if they keep the pick I think they'll go this way, but my guess is that it's dealt to either Seattle or the Clips, and Beasley will get the nod)
3. Minnesota - Michael Beasley, PF, Kansas State
4. Seattle - Jerryd Bayless, PG, Arizona (and if he slips to #11, I won't be shocked either - this draft is that nutty)
5. Memphis - Kevin Love, C, UCLA
6. New York - Danilo Gallinardi, SF, Italy (D'Antoni knows the European game so this makes sense)
7. Clippers - Eric Gordon, SG, Indiana
8. Milwaukee - Joe Alexander, PF, West Virginia
9. Charlotte - Brook Lopez, C, Stanford
10. New Jersey - Anthony Randolph, PF, LSU
11. Indiana - Russell Westbrook, PG, UCLA (just like Bayless, he could go seven spots higher and I won't be surprised)
12. Sacramento - D.J. Augustin, PG, Texas
13. Portland - Brandon Rush, SG, Kansas
14. Golden State - Mario Chalmers, PG, Kansas

Shaquille O'Neal disses Kobe Bryant in rap form:

Let's take a look a few different mock drafts for Thursday's NBA showcase:

ESPN.com - Chad Ford
1.) Chicago - Derrick Rose
2.) Miami - Michael Beasley
3.) Minnesota - O.J. Mayo
4.) Seattle - Russell Westbrook
5.) Memphis - Eric  Gordon 

NBA.com - Consensus Mock Draft
1.) Chicago - Derrick Rose
2.) Miami - Michael Beasley
3.) Minnesota - O.J. Mayo
4.) Seattle - Jerryd Bayless
5.) Memphis - Brook Lopez

The Sports XChange - Kerry Eggers
1.) Chicago - Derrick Rose
2.) Miami - Michael Beasley
3.) Minnesota - O.J. Mayo
4.) Seattle - Jerryd Bayless
5.) Memphis - Kevin Love

The USA no longer dominates globally in basketball as it once did, as evident by their bronze medal they landed in the 2004 Olympics in Athens.  It has been 16 years since the original Dream Team was created to kick foreign butt and as special as that team was, there hasn't been anything close since.  America's 2008 version headed for Beijing has promise though.

The team, to be coach by Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, was announced on Monday and includes the following players: Carmelo Anthony, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, LeBron James, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd, Dwyane Wade, and Deron Williams.

The team was selected without a tryout. It will have a minicamp this week in Las Vegas and meet there July 20-25 to train and play an exhibition against Canada before heading overseas. The Americans open Olympic play against China on Aug. 10.

"It's really the world's game. We think we're the best at playing that game," Krzyzewski said, warning that "unless we show the respect to the rest of the world that it is the world's game" there will be no gold medal. 

It is no longer a show up and win a gold. If Team USA is going to come out on top, they are going to have to play hard and as a team.

"I take great pride in being given the opportunity to represent my country, and I strongly believe that with the team that has been assembled, the United States will be represented well," Prince said.

Of the ten ESPN prognosticators, nine of them picked the Lakers to defeat the Celtics in the NBA Finals.  I picked the Celtics at the start of the playoffs, and then changed my mind at the beginning of the finals.  Countless pundits went for L.A. over Boston.  Well, to paraphrase comedian Ron White, "we were wrooooooong!!"

Boston just shoved it down the Lakers throats, culminating with their 131-92 annhilation last night to win the NBA title in six games.  So the question that everyone should be asking is, what the heck did we miss here?  As best as I can, I'll try and go through everything I overlooked - your mileage may vary.

• Boston's defense was absolutely stifling, moreso than any team's I'd seen in a very long time.  We didn't appreciate just how much their defense could take the Lakers out of their game.  No one plays better ball-man defense, no one rotates better, no one plays better help-side defense, no one's better than Boston.  Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau put together a masterful plan to shut down L.A.'s two through five players, and dared Kobe Bryant to beat them.  Which leads to...
• 
  
• The Lakers' offense wasn't nearly as structured as we believed.  Every team they played they could beat on talent alone; Denver was hopeless, Utah was probably the 2nd best team in the West but their defense was way overrated, and San Antonio was just broken down.  So they got away with freelancing outside the triangle offense.  Once they actually had to run some plays against a talented squad who could cover the second and third option, everything broke down.  Which leads to...
  
  
• Kobe is not in MJ's league.  Never, ever, ever, EVER, make this argument again!  A 29 year-old Jordan doesn't let his team lose by 39, doesn't go 7-22, 8-21, 6-19, doesn't let his team surrender a 24-point lead, doesn't show up his teammates on court.  None of that happens to Jordan.  Funny what happens when you go up against someone your size that's physical and keeps you from getting to the hoop.  So let's let that one go right now.


• No one even considered the possiibility that Doc Rivers could outcoach Phil Jackson.  It happened.  Badly.  How could the Zen master not figure out a way to get his guys to double-team Garnett, trap Pierce, and keep a body on Allen?  And somehow, Doc found the right combination of players, finally realized that Sam Cassell needed to stay on the bench, and picked the right spots to put James Posey and Eddie House in.  He just schooled Jackson, there's no other way to say it.  (quick tangent: twice in the past five years, Phil Jackson has coached the team that was the prohibitive favorite in the finals, and both times they were soundly beaten.  I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'...)
  
  
• The emergence of Paul Pierce was almost impossible to predict.  Not only did he put together an absolutely career-defining game offensively in game 5 (one that they lost), he took over the 2nd half of the previous game, to the point that he essentially played point guard during the last five minutes.  And his defense on Bryant...no one knew he had that in him, but he took it upon himself to shut down #24, and he succeeded brilliantly.
  
  
• And finally, L.A.'s bench was horrific.  Jordan Farmar was mediocre at best, and got run around silly by Rajon Rondo.  Sasha Vujacic was out of sorts offensively, and couldn't play a lick of defense.  The rest of the crew (Luke Walton, Ronny Turiaf, Trevor Ariza) were mere afterthoughts.  The C's bench of Posey, House, P.J. Brown, and Leon Powe wiped the floor with them.

Just goes to show you, sometimes you have to go with your first instinct.  And now, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep, as these games are ending way too late.  I can manage though.

The Boston Celtics cruised over the Los Angeles Lakers to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals, 131-92.

The Celtics, winning this series, four games to two, are now 9-2 in Finals history against their bitter rivals, the Lakers. They finished these playoffs with a 13-1 record at home and played an NBA-record 26 postseason games.

"Oh, it's a great feeling, man," said Finals MVP Paul Pierce, "just knowing that these guys, what they accomplished and those things that hang over our head every day, and for us to go out there and make history in front of those guys. It means so much more because these are the guys, the Havliceks, the Bill Russells, the Cousys. These guys started what's going on today with those banners.

"They don't hang up any other banners but championship ones, and now I'm a part of it. And just all the years talking to Bill and John, Cousy, finally I feel like we've come out of that shadow now and created our own, and now we can stand up and look them eye to eye and say, 'Hey, we accomplished it, too.' "

The All-Star trio of Pierce (17 points), Kevin Garnett (26 points, 14 rebounds), and Ray Allen (26 points) won a championship in their first season together.

Kobe Bryant finished with 22 points, but shot only 7-of-22 from the field and was quiet after a sizzling start for the second straight game.

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe:

So they've done it. They have claimed the honor of having the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history. One year ago today, the franchise could accurately be described as forlorn. The Celtics were coming off a 24-58 season punctuated by an 18-game losing streak. They had been cruelly treated by the draft lottery, which left them with nothing better than the fifth pick.

And now they are champions. Again.

Lordy, Lordy, what hath Danny and Doc wrought?

It was a wire-to-wire championship that began with a 103-83 dismissal of the Washington Wizards back on Nov. 2 and came to fruition at the TD Banknorth Garden with perhaps their greatest combination of offensive play, defensive play, bench play, and just plain basketball in any game of the entire 116-game exhibition/regular season/playoff season.

131-92.

The Celtics started the season 8-0. They had such records as 20-2, 40-9, and, finally, 66-16. They never trailed in any playoff series. They won every playoff game they had to win. And they saved their absolute best for last, blowing away the Western Conference.

COMPLETE STORY

Phil Jackson, matter-of-factly, said it wasn't over. Kobe Bryant, with a touch more defiance, said it wasn't over. And as of Monday morning, both men are correct, if not by much.

Whether it was the first step of a resurrection or just a stay of execution - and with Games 6 and maybe 7 in Boston, bet on the latter - remains to be seen. But after Sunday night's Game 5, the Los Angeles Lakers are still playing. Following a nervy 103-98 victory over the Boston Celtics at the Staples Center, L.A. still trails 3-2 in the series, but has another chance to extend this NBA season.

That being said, they nearly blew it. Then, they nearly blew it. After that, they nearly blew it.

Bryant scored 25 points and made a key steal and decisive dunk in the final minute to beat Boston 103-98 and deny the Celtics their 17th NBA title -- at least for now.

Lamar Odom added 20 points and 11 rebounds. Pau Gasol chipped in 19 points and 13 boards. The Celtics lead the series 3-2. The Lakers are trying to become the first team to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the finals to win a title.

Paul Pierce was huge for Boston with 38 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

The Lakers, who blew a 24-point lead in losing last Thursday night, nearly squandered a 19-point lead in this game. But the Lakers regrouped to extend their season.

The Lakers have to win on the Celtics' floor Tuesday night to force a winner-take-all Game 7. Boston is 12-and-1 at home this postseason.

The Celtics were down 24 points in the second quarter but then they put their foot on the gas pedal and made the greatest comeback in the NBA Finals as well as the playoffs. The Celtics won Game 4 97-91 and took a 3-1 series lead in the Finals. The Lakers blew this one after having such a commanding lead in the first half and the Celtics took advantage of the opportunity. Good second half defense as well much better shooting from the Celtics put this one away after they finally managed to take their first lead in the fourth quarter.

Paul Pierce bounced back after his poor performance on Tuesday night by scoring 20 points and having seven assists. Ray Allen also had another solid game and played the entire 48 minutes of game time. He finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Kevin Garnett had another double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The two key players to this game were James Posey and Eddie House.

Posey and House provided the biggest sparks off the bench the entire time that they played, even when the Celtics were down. Posey seemed to hit just about every shot that he took and Eddie shot well and brought speed and energy out onto the floor. Both players had 25 minutes of playing time and used all of them well. Posey finished with 18 points and House had 11 with four rebounds. House, however, hit the shot that finally put the Celtics on top late in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers were the team that almost came back from being down by 21 in Game 2 back in Boston, but it was the Celtics who were down by 24 but could make the come back complete. The Lakers also were just shut down in the second half after scoring 35 points in the first quarter alone and then only putting up 33 points in the entire second half. The Lakers starting lineup were really the only ones that were able to do much of anything against the Celtics tonight as their bench only scored 15 points.

Lamar Odom had a breakout night with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, and was the biggest pain in the first half for the Celtics. Kobe Bryant, who was not much of a factor early on, finished the night with 17 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. Pau Gasol also had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Derek Fisher had 13 points and Vladamir Radmanovic had 10 points. Trevor Ariza was about the only factor (a small one at that) off of the Lakers bench tonight. He had six points and five rebounds.


GREATEST COMEBACK EVER?
Yes, because according to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team (until now) had ever overcome more than a 15-point deficit after the first quarter, and it was the largest comeback overall in the finals since 1971.


FINAL THOUGHTS
This was a great game, but quite a strange one at that. The Lakers were up 24 points in the second quarter and then up by 20 in the third, and Kobe did really contribute much during the Lakers’ run. He was there when the Lakers desperately tried to hold the Celtics back, but it was too little, too late for Bryant, who finished just 6-19 from the field.

The Celtics can close this out on Sunday because it will be difficult for the Lakers to bounce back from a game like this. Just one more win for the Celtics though and banner No. 17 will be raised to the rafters in the Garden again. Game 5 is Sunday night at 9 p.m. 

Check out what some of the nation's top papers are saying about Tim Donaghy's accusations of fixed NBA games:

Stern can't handle the truth
Jay Mariotti, Sun Times
The easiest event to fix in sports, I dare say, is a pro basketball game. There's too much room for hocus-pocus and interpretation, too much gray area for what is and isn't a foul, too much money on high. This always has led to suspicions, first hinted at in Chicago by a fearless Phil Jackson in the '90s, that the NBA conceivably could be in cahoots with its referees to manipulate and extend a playoff series via officiating.

Claims may be bogus, perception is real
William Rhoden, NY Times
N.B.A.Commissioner David Stern can huff and puff all he wants. But the league faces a potential crisis of credibility and needs to do less huffing and more introspection.
......Anyone is capable of lying, and even a convicted felon may be capable of telling some truths. Donaghy will soon have time to think about his actions.The big, bad, sprawling N.B.A. had better start doing some soul-searching of its own.

For NBA, doors blown practically off hinges
The Washington Times
Stern can denigrate Donaghy to his heart's content, stomp on him with all the NBA's multibillion-dollar might, but that still doesn't mean the Rogue Ref, as the commissioner likes to call him, is blowing smoke.

Fix not in
Richard Justice, Houston Chronicle
The problem is that issues of integrity can eat away at a sport's foundation. If fans begin to believe the games aren't called honestly, their cynicism can turn to apathy. Apathy is a killer.

Van Gundy disagrees with ref
Houston Chronicle
"I don't think for an instant games were manipulated to extend the series or for financial reasons," Van Gundy said. "I told the truth then, so to me this has no impact.

Though it has been 20+ years since we have seen the Lakers and Celtics tangle in the finals, this year's edition has one very familiar look - Phil Jackson.

Jackson, currently in his 8th season as head coach of the Lakers, led his team to three consecutive NBA Championships in his first three seasons with Los Angeles (2000-02). Overall, Jackson has guided his teams to nine NBA Championships, tying him for first with the late Red Auerbach.

In January of 2007, Jackson won his 900th game, currently placing him 9th on the All-time win list for NBA coaches. With this win, Jackson became the fastest to reach 900 career wins, doing so in only 1,264 games and beating Pat Riley's previous record of 900 in 1,278 games. His current record of 976-418 is without question impressive. Additionally, Jackson ranks first all time in NBA postseason history with a .699 winning percentage (179-77) while his 179 wins are the highest postseason victory total for any head coach.

Jackson is known for his use of the triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname "Zen Master".  His approach has drawn criticism, but undoubtedly it has also produced results.

Is Jackson that good or has he simply been in the right places at the right times?

He had Michael Jordan for six titles and any coach in the NBA could have won a couple earlier this decade with Kobe and Shaq. Managing those personalities certainly wasn't an easy task, but just because he was cool enough to do it, doesn't automatically annoint Jackson as the greatest coach ever.  That's OK to Phil though because the rings and paychecks already have.