Jrue Holiday needs to shoot more for Sixers to win, according to Doug Collins (Ball Don't Lie)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 13:15:38 PDT)
The second round hasn't been especially kind to Jrue Holiday. After averaging a sterling 18.2 points per game in the Philadelphia 76ers' first-round win over the Chicago Bulls, he's had a rougher go of it in Round 2, averaging just 12.4 points a night on 43.4 percent shooting against the Boston Celtics. He's far from the only Sixer to struggle — his teammates are shooting a combined 41.7 percent from the floor in the series, which Boston leads 3-2 and can close out in Philly in a pivotal Game 6 on Wednesday night — but what's made Holiday's play particularly noteworthy of late is its passivity. After hitting three of the first four shots he took during Monday's Game 5 and helping Philadelphia jump out to a 27-23 lead after the first quarter, Holiday seemed to recede from view, attempting just two shots in the rest of the game and finishing with a quiet 10 points in Boston's 101-85 win . That Holiday, the team's leading postseason scorer at 15.5 points per game, pulled back when he seemed to have it going gave Doug Collins cause for concern; as the Sixers' head coach told John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer , the team needs more offensive aggression from its lead guard and leading scorer. "He's our leading scorer," Collins said after a team film session Tuesday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. "[...] I've got to have him in the mode of looking to shoot the ball." In a perfect world for the Sixers, Holiday plays Wednesday night the way he did in Game 2 of the Chicago series, when he finished with 26 points and six assists in a 109-92 rout. "I have to be more aggressive looking for my shot," Holiday said. Perhaps too often, Holiday exhibits a reluctance to take over games. He has a pure point guard's mind-set in that he would rather set up his teammates — something Boston guard Rajon Rondo, his counterpart, could very well be the best in the league at doing. It's true that Holiday can look tentative at times, and that hesitance can spell problems for a Philadelphia team not blessed with very many players who excel at creating good looks, whether for themselves or others. But it's worth noting that it's not exactly as if the Sixers become a high-flying, explosive winning machine when Holiday starts looking for his own offense.

Reasons to Watch 76ers in Game 6 Against Boston: A Fan's Look (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:31:00 PDT)
The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of their second round playoff series on Wednesday, May 23. This could be the final game of the season for the 76ers as they trail in the series 3-2. However, this team has shown that they have a lot of heart. As a fan, I believe they can win at home and force a deciding Game 7 in Boston. No matter what happens, 76ers fans should be excited for this contest. Here are a few reasons why you should watch.

James and Wade on fire as Heat scorch Pacers
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:22:52 PDT)
MIAMI (Reuters) - With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on fire, the Miami Heat pounded the Indiana Pacers 115-83 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference playoff semi-final.

Pacers lose the game and perhaps some players (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:01:09 PDT)
MIAMI -- Now it's the Indiana Pacers' turn to be concerned. Very concerned.

Heat 115, Pacers 83 (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 20:01:12 PDT)
MIAMI -- Now it's the Indiana Pacers' turn to be concerned. Very concerned.

Celtics-76ers Preview (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:28:36 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Before coach Doug Collins had his Philadelphia 76ers look ahead to Game 6, he had them rewind the tape to a dusty Game 7.

Collins hopes blast from '82 Game 7 inspires 76ers (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:27:53 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Before coach Doug Collins had his Philadelphia 76ers look ahead to Game 6, he had them rewind the tape to a dusty Game 7.

Brandon Bass: Big Game Monday (Rotowire.com)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 11:15:38 PDT)
Update: Bass had probably the best game of his career Monday, scoring 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting during the Celtics' win over the 76ers.

A closer look at a big night for Brandon Bass, who ate well because Rajon Rondo kept feeding him (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:05 PDT)
With injuries reducing Ray Allen to a shell of his former self and the combination of pain and enveloping Philadelphia 76ers defense limiting Paul Pierce to just 38 percent shooting from the floor through four games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Boston Celtics needed another source of offense to alleviate the pressure on primary scorer Kevin Garnett and primary facilitator Rajon Rondo if they were to take a series lead over the Sixers on their home court in Game 5. On Monday night, that source was Brandon Bass, who exploded for a season-high 27 points and six rebounds in a 101-85 win that gave Boston a 3-2 edge and put Philly on the brink of elimination as they head back to Pennsylvania for Game 6 Wednesday night. After the biggest performance of his seven-year NBA career — his 27 points matched a career high and set a new postseason high-water mark — the former LSU standout credited the attention drawn by his better-billed teammates for giving him the chance to operate. From Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press : ''We've got a few good players on the team that they had to focus on,'' said Bass, who left the game to a standing ovation with 2 minutes left and Boston leading by 18. ''That left me open, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunity.'' That was especially true during a third-quarter explosion that saw Bass hit 6 of 7 field-goal attempts and make all six of his free throws for a total of 18 points. That's the highest-scoring quarter for a single player this postseason and, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted , just the fifth time a player has scored at least 15 points in one frame during these playoffs, putting Bass alongside LeBron James (who scored 17 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the New York Knicks and 16 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers), Tony Parker (16 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Utah Jazz) and the man for whom Bass was traded this past offseason, Glen Davis (16 in the second quarter of Game 3 against the Pacers). It was an amazing effort at an absolute must-have moment by Bass, and it was also one orchestrated pretty deftly by Rondo, the Celtics' point guard and floor general, who repeatedly put Bass in position to make his monstrous contributions.

Kevin Garnett takes a little shot at Philadelphia’s ‘fair-weather fans.’ His words, not ours (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 07:00:22 PDT)
Possibly the most warming, encouraging story of the maddening 2012 NBA postseason is the return to prominence of Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett. Not only is the first-ballot Hall of Famer averaging 19.3 points (on 52 percent shooting) with 10.5 rebounds and three combined blocks/steals 17 years after being drafted into the NBA , the whippet-thin 7-footer's shift to the center position has anchored Boston's playoff-leading defensive turn. This team is, again, one win away from the conference finals; and it has Kevin Garnett to thank. And now, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have Kevin Garnett to boo. Especially after he called the lot "fair weather" in an interview following Boston's Game 5 win. Via Ben Rohrbach at WEEI , here's the mildly NSFW clip:

Behind the Box Score, where a special Oklahoma City Thunder team is moving on (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:50:48 PDT)
Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Los Angeles Lakers 90 (Thunder win series, 4-1) We'll delve into the future of those ridiculous, marvelous, enervating, invigorating, fantastic, maddening, frustrating and ultimately obsession-worthy Los Angeles Lakers deeper on Tuesday. For now, the spotlight deservedly shines on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have taken down two of the NBA's most respected teams in 23 days, working at an 8-1 clip along that span. We're completely and utterly correct as we fawn over the San Antonio Spurs, but that undefeated group hasn't had to deal with nearly the level of competition that Scott Brooks' crew has. Any batch of Thunder-related praise has to begin with Russell Westbrook. Not only did he give his team a feature that the Lakers could not handle — the guy with the ability to frighten and shift defensive schemes just off of broken plays or transition work — but he ended the second round with a fascinating statistic to his credit. Westbrook played just under 180 minutes in this series, and turned the ball over four times. That's 36 minutes a night, full of active play that put Los Angeles on its heels , and he turned it over four times in five contests. Astonishing work.

Careless play dooms Sixers (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:01:17 PDT)
It happened swiftly and without warning. Five turnovers and a missed shot later, the 76ers' four-point lead was a four-point deficit. The Celtics just kept going on the way to a 101-85 victory in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

76ers coach Collins enjoying renewed rivalry (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:01:17 PDT)
It's not surprising that the Celtics-76ers series will go at least six games and maybe longer. These franchises have seemingly been programmed for such wars as they meet now for the 19th time.

Kevin Garnett's passion fuels Celtics' Game 5 win over Sixers
(Mon, 21 May 2012 22:22:26 PDT)
Even at 36 years old, Kevin Garnett remains as emotional as ever.

Thunder close out Lakers, Sixers on brink
(Mon, 21 May 2012 22:04:14 PDT)
(Reuters) - Oklahoma City plunged the final dagger into the Los Angeles Lakers with a 106-90 rout that sent them to their second consecutive NBA Western Conference finals. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook propelled the rising Thunder while leaving the storied Lakers franchise in a state of uncertainty after completing the 4-1 best-of-seven series win. Durant and Westbrook combined for 53 points and the home team withstood 42 from Kobe Bryant to set up a West final against the top-seed San Antonio Spurs. "It's a step in the right direction. ...

Unheralded Bass helps sink Sixers in NBA series
(Mon, 21 May 2012 21:04:22 PDT)
Brandon Bass scored a game-high 27 points as the Boston Celtics defeated Philadelphia 101-85 in crucial game five to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Strong second half helps Celtics take 3-2 series lead (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 20:11:13 PDT)
BOSTON -- After playing just well enough to stay within reach of Philadelphia in the first half, the Boston Celtics blew out the 76ers in the second.