Three Ball: Miami Moves On, All-NBA Teams, Woodson

May 25, 2012 15:42 pm 0 comments

By John Harris |@JHBasketball

Wade explodes for 41pts to power Miami into the Eastern Conference Finals:

Dwyane Wade hits 41pts with 10rbs and Lebron James added 28pts as the Miami Heat overcame the suspension of Udonis Haslem to eliminate the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of their feisty series. The Pacers led early and had all 5 starters finish in double figures but they couldn’t overcome the increasingly unstoppable double-punch of Wade and James. This game was less chippy than the rest of the series although David West did earn a technical for raking Shane Battier on his way down the floor. Both teams shot well from the field but Indiana’s 22 turnovers cost them dearly against the best transition team in the league.

“Chris Bosh is an awesome basketball player, but when he goes out it means more touches for LeBron and Wade and that’s not exactly an advantage [for us]. They were spectacular this series; they were too much for us.”

- Frank Vogel

Lebron, Durant headline All-NBA first team:

2012 MVP Lebron James polled 118 of a possible 120 first-place votes to lead the All-NBA first team selections, announced yesterday. The full first-team is:

Lebron James (Forward, Miami Heat), Kevin Durant (Forward, Oklahoma City Thunder), Chris Paul (Guard, Los Angeles Clippers), Kobe Bryant (Guard, Los Angeles Lakers) and Dwight Howard (Center, Orlando Magic).

With the selection, Bryant moved into joint-2nd place all time for All-NBA selections, joining Karl Malone and ex-Lakers running mate Shaquille O’Neal (all on 14, one behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). The second team was a very Californian affair with two players from LA teams and two others who played there while in college:

Kevin Love (Forward, Minnesota Timberwolves), Blake Griffin (Forward, Los Angeles Clippers), Russell Westbrook (Guard, Oklahoma City Thunder), Tony Parker (Guard, San Antonio Spurs) and Andrew Bynum (Center, Los Angeles Lakers).

Westbrook and Love both attended UCLA before jumping to the NBA and the Minnesota star led all vote-getters for the second team. The third team is:

Carmelo Anthony (Forward, New York Knicks), Dirk Nowitzki (Forward, Dallas Mavericks), Dwyane Wade (Guard, Miami Heat), Rajon Rondo (Guard, Boston Celtics) and Tyson Chandler (Center, New York Knicks).

Mike Woodson locks up permanent Knicks position:

New York interim Head Coach Mike Woodson is in the final stages of locking up a multi-year deal to coach the team on a permanent basis. Woodson — who took over when Mike D’Antoni was fired earlier in the season — went 18-6 with the team and led them to the 7th seed in the East, before being dispatched in 5 games by the Miami Heat. Woodson ditched his agent last week and signed with CAA (who also represent Knick superstar Carmelo Anthony) in a move many saw as a pre-cursor to Woodson’s permanent appointment. However many New York fans will question the decision, given their ambition to succeed in the playoffs, an arena where their new coach holds a lowly 12-22 record.

Do Lebron and Wade have enough left to continue at this level the rest of the way? Agree with the All-NBA selections? Would the Knicks have been better to wait it out before appointing a new coach? Let us know below!