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| Zydrunas Ilgauskas only scored seven points in Friday's 74-69 win over the Celtics in Game 6, but he carried his weight and contributed to the victory with 10 rebounds. He also blocked three shots. |
Our View: Cleveland tied the series 3-3, and tonight was the second time he reached double figures in rebounds.
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| LeBron James generated a game-high 32 points and 12 boards in Friday's crucial 74-69 win over the Celtics in Game 6. James also contributed six assists, two steals, and one block. |
Our View: His eight turnovers in the game were forgiven, as his heroics helped the Cavs tie the series 3-3.
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| Kevin Garnett led the Celtics with 25 points and eight boards in Friday's 74-69 loss to the Cavs in Game 6. He also chipped in two assists and two blocks in the losing effort. |
Our View: Cleveland has now tied the series 3-3. Garnett is averaging 20.6 points and 10.5 boards through the six games.
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| Coach Phil Jackson declared Kobe Bryant ready to go for Game 6 against Utah after Friday's shootaround, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Jackson commented on Kobe's sore back, "I think he'll have no problem. He came out and shot with the rest of the players." |
Our View: The Lakers lead the series against Utah 3-2, and it will take more than a sore back to keep Kobe out of tonight's crucial Game 6.
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| Rasho Nesterovic exercised the player option on his contract for the 2008-09 season, according to the AP. |
Our View: The 10-year vet averaged 7.8 points and 4.8 boards over 71 games for the Raptors this season. He provides favorable depth off the bench.
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| Reiterating a position that he put out there about a week ago, Jose Calderon said that he wants to be a starter and that if he can't be in Toronto he wants out, according to Slam Sports. "I would like to start and that's the most important thing," Calderon said. |
Our View: Wow, way to be a team player. Who cares about winning as long as you get yours eh Jose? Who would want an attitude like that on their team? Oops, we almost forgot this is the NBA we are talking about, so there are probably 18 teams lining up for his services right now.
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| There was a rumored deal that had Carmelo Anthony ending up as a New Jersey Net but those talks appear to be dead, according to the Rockey Mountain News. |
Our View: Apparently there were "exploratory" talks about sending Anthony and Marcus Camby to the Nets, possibly in exchange for a package that included Richard Jefferson, but the deal is dead long before anything substantial even had a chance of happening.
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| Ron Artest will not opt out of his contract with the Kings, according to the Sacramento Bee. "[My agent and I] have not talked about opting out at all." |
Our View: Artest continues to be one of the better all-around players in the game, that is when he is healthy enough to play and isn't antagonizing the hell out of someone on his own team. He has until June 30th to opt out of his deal.
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| Daniel Gibson is expected to miss 1-2 weeks after an MRI revealed a first-degree separation of his left shoulder, according to the AP. |
Our View: This news likely ends Gibson's season. Devin Brown, Damon Jones and Sasha Pavlovic will try to pick up the slack with Gibson out.
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| David West is confident he'll play in Game 7 after leaving Game 6 with a back injury, according to the San Antonio Express. "I'll play," West said. "It's a little tight, a little sore. But the good thing is we have a few days before Game 7, and we've got the best medical treatment available." |
Our View: It seemed unlikely that West would sit out in a game of this magnitude, though he's sure to be less than 100 percent.
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| Kobe Bryant sat out Thursday's practice, resting his back, which he said felt "really, really tight" and "pretty sore" after Game 5, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. |
Our View: Kobe's back probably won't get better until this offseason, but he's certainly not going to sit out any playoff games as a result.
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