First Cup: Thursday

• Randy Galloway of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "It wasn't only the Western Conference championship, it wasn't only a return to the NBA Finals, the Dallas Mavericks also achieved another franchise milestone on Wednesday night. They now become the most beloved basketball team in the world. Over the next few weeks, even Mark Cuban will be considered cuddly. Imagine that. ... In the end, the Mavs were more persistent, and, of course, more seasoned, but the Thunder was impressive. After the disaster of Game 4 on Monday night, the OKC kids shook it off, and came out ready to extend the series. The Mavs overcame the challenge, barely. Now it comes down to waiting on Miami. And waiting to become the most beloved basketball team in the world, at least for a couple of weeks."
• Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Owner Mark Cuban has been conspicuously silent during the Dallas Mavericks' run to the NBA Finals. He has avoided the media in the past two series against the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder. But he couldn't avoid the ESPN crew on the floor for the Western Conference Finals trophy presentation Wednesday night. Cuban avoided the question about why he has been so quiet. He thanked the fans for their support and ended his turn at the microphone with a proclamation that drew cheers from the crowd. 'We ain't done yet!' Cuban exclaimed. The fans responded with chants of 'Beat the Heat.' "
• Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "Dirk Nowitzki stands for fundamental. And now Dirk, we just need you to do what Boston and Chicago and MVP Derrick Rose have mostly failed at accomplishing. Destroy the Evil Empire, the basketball devil, The Architects of The Decision, the Miami Heat. 'Beat the Heat' echoed at The AAC in the giddy aftermath of the win. Yes, bring on Miami. And then beat Miami. I realize The Mavericks just barely and practically moments ago accomplished basketball magic and The Heat has not officially disposed of Chicago. They will, karma and fate dictate it so. Of course, this has to go through Miami. Nothing has been easy for the Mavs this season, not generating belief, not Game 4 in Portland, not this OKC series. So, of course, they have to go back to the scene of the crime to win a Championship. Of course, Dirk and Jason Terry and Mark Cuban have to go to Miami and stare down ghosts of Bennett Salvatore and memories of a Mavs collapse that has stalked this team in the ensuing years since June of 2006 and re-engage with Mr. Wade."
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: "Young, young, young. The Thunder proved unequivocally in Game 4 that it is nothing if not young. Until Game 5. When the Thunder proved that it is tough, tough, tough. The Thunder is more tough than young. Of course, tough isn't enough this deep in the NBA playoffs. The Thunder lost 100-96 Wednesday night as the Dallas Mavericks won the Western Conference, sending the Thunder to an offseason of what-might-have-been and what-will-be. The Thunder just wasn't quite good enough, again failing to close the deal despite a late lead. And the Thunder just wasn't quite lucky enough; three loose balls went Dallas' way in the final 80 seconds. But what an answer to that historic collapse in Oklahoma City 48 hours earlier."
• Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman: "Scott Brooks went off script. Way off. Mr. Consistency had a night at the improv. With the Western Conference Finals and his team's playoff future hanging in the balance, the Thunder coach threw away his substitution plan. He left his bigs on the bench. He decided to play a little small ball. Darn near worked. The decision to go small helped Oklahoma City build a lead but in the end cost the Thunder the game. Dallas 100, OKC 96. On a night that the Thunder showed remarkable heart two days after a devastating meltdown, Brooks showed some guts of his own. He played to his squad's strengths even if it went against the norm. He gave his team its best chance to win even though the decision came with risks. 'I knew that in order to beat this team, we had to keep moving their feet, and we put as much quickness on the floor as possible,' Brooks said. 'I thought it gave us a chance to win this game.' Sure did."
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: "Dwyane Wade delivered a message to Mike Miller after Game 4 Tuesday: 'I told him, ‘No matter what happened all year, at this moment, this was the best game you could have played for us.’ This is what we needed. He’s getting his confidence back.' Miller totaled seven points and missed 12 of 15 shots during these playoffs before scoring 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting in Game 4 against the Bulls. He added a career playoff-high nine rebounds in 26 minutes. 'It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been waiting for this,' said Miller, who has called his injury-plagued season the most frustrating of his career. 'I made some big shots in big moments.' He did it despite his ongoing concern about the health of his week-old daughter Jaelyn, who remains in a Broward hospital intensive care unit with an unspecified complication that might require surgery. Miller has been spending much of his time at the hospital and getting very little sleep."
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "Since winning Game 1 of the best-of-seven series, the fourth quarter has revealed some ugly truths, which has led to the Bulls' first three-game losing streak of the season. The Heat have outscored the Bulls 64-47 in the final period of the last three games. The Bulls have shot 16 of 49 in those fourth quarters for a paltry 32.7 percent. And MVP Derrick Rose is averaging four points on 2-for-11 shooting (18.2 percent) in the fourth quarter. 'Derrick will make the necessary adjustments,' coach Tom Thibodeau said. 'He'll be fine.' Thibodeau sounded like he could've been leading an Up With People recruiting meeting with his positive tint to virtually every question lobbed his way following a long film session and individual shooting at the Berto Center. But the fact of the matter is the Heat have closed games and the Bulls have not. 'We have to do a better job of finishing,' Thibodeau conceded. 'Derrick has made a lot of big shots for us all year. We have a lot of confidence in his ability. Every game we've played against them has been virtually the same -- hard-fought, comes down to the end. The team that can make a run and make some hustle plays usually wins. We just have to study, get ready for the next game and have the right approach.' "
• Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Jimmy Buss should know that in the NBA, even $18 million can't buy credibility. In Buss' first publicized move as the Lakers' prince, he insisted on drafting Andrew Bynum, and then refused to trade him for another scorer this winter in a move that eventually led to the Lakers being steamrolled by the Dallas Mavericks. This second move is even riskier. If Brown doesn't work, the Bryant era could end amid the sort of steaming rubble that could take years to clear. If Brown doesn't work, the Lakers could not only lose their place among the NBA hierarchy, but also find themselves in a struggle for the local buzz with the surging Clippers, the newly purchased Dodgers and perhaps even the incoming NFL. The next few years represent an important bridge into a new Lakers era. This hiring has left that bridge unnecessarily rickety and swaying. Mike Brown is reportedly a great guy, and he is probably a great defensive basketball coach, but for a franchise whose successful leaders have all possessed pedigree and star power and big-game savvy, he doesn't seem to be a great fit."
• Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle: "Dwane Casey, Lawrence Frank and Kevin McHale, the three finalists, do not have name recognition issues in NBA circles. But which is the best candidate? Tough call. The three have such different backgrounds and experiences that not only is it a challenge to compare them, it is difficult to determine what the Rockets deem to be the most important qualities in a new head coach. If it's head coaching experience and toughness, Frank could be the guy. If it is fall-asleep-watching-game-tape-in-the-office dedication and defensive innovation, Casey could be the man. If it is a strong motivator who would garner immediate respect from players, McHale would be a solid choice. It is somewhat surprising that McHale, the best known of the trio, a Hall of Fame player who has been involved with the league for more than 30 years (more years than the other two candidates combined), seems to be the least favored among fans. Why do so many think McHale, who met with Rockets owner Les Alexander on Wednesday, would not be a good coach? He has had two short stints as a coach -- both as a midseason replacement for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Each time the team's record improved."
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: "In an interview conducted in Italian and since translated by a Toronto newspaper, Bargnani is asked if he could play anywhere else in the NBA, where would he choose to play? The reply, according to the translation, has Bargnani first saying 'I want to stay in Toronto, at least this is the politically correct answer. If (I am) to go somewhere else, I’d like a warm-climate city and a team where I can actually play my role.' That response was published Tuesday in Toronto. On Wednesday, Bargnani’s press office sent a statement of clarification from Bargnani to the Raptors which was distributed to the local media. It read: 'I wish to personally clarify and correct an inaccurate portrayal of my words that recently appeared in the media. Much of what I said was taken out of context with respect to an entire conversation. I want to make clear my love for Toronto and that I consider the city a second home. I never said that I want to leave Toronto and I’m sorry if fans interpreted the inaccuracy that way. I am proud to represent Toronto and the Raptors organization. I appreciate what Bryan Colangelo and the organization has done for me during the past five years of my career. I will always continue to work to improve myself as a player in an effort to reward the organization and our fans with the best team possible.' "
• Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune "Some love the idea of Kevin O’Connor taking Jimmer. Others would roundly boo the pick. (When I recently asked O’Connor his thoughts, he declined to comment, naturally.) Hence, the Jimmer Fredette Game. After watching and covering Fredette in so many outings at BYU, and noting an evolving game, and an evolving personal opinion regarding his prospects as a pro, I now believe the Jazz would be wise to take him at No. 12, if he’s still on the board, and if they get a bigger man at No. 3. There’s a strong chance that a bigger man will be available to them with their initial pick, creating a shot at Fredette with the second. Some say the Jazz selecting Jimmer would put too much pressure on him to perform up to lofty expectations or on them to give him enough minutes to please certain segments of the home crowd. I disagree. Fredette and the Jazz aren’t weak enough to bow to that crap."
• Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The other day I wrote that it might be time for the Hawks to part ways with Josh Smith -- not just because he’s the most likely trade candidate in their core, but because it’s becoming clear that he’s getting tired of being blamed for everything when something goes wrong. The Smith-bashers in town favored the column. The Smith fans hated it, some taking it as another media assault on Smith. Fact is, as I wrote, I agree with Smith that he takes more blame for the team’s shortcoming than he deserves. But that column sparked immediate trade rumors, including this one: Smith and Kirk Hinrich to Los Angeles Lakers for Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest. Barring other moves, that would leave the Hawks with a starting five of Bynum (center), Ron Artest (small forward), Al Horford (power forward), Joe Johnson (shooting guard) and Jeff Teague (point guard). That trade is nowhere close to reality right now -- it was concocted by media members for the sake of discussion, and because it seems plausible. The Lakers could be looking to move Bynum after his postseason meltdown, and they also may pursue a deal for Orlando’s Dwight Howard, which would make Bynum expendable."
• Kate Fagan of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "It seems the only question with Thaddeus Young's potential as a starter is his lack of a definitive position. We're talking about him right now as a small forward, but he's proven effective as a backup power forward. It might make more sense for Collins and the Sixers to use him as the backup small and backup power forward and drop him 32 minutes a game (he played 26.1 minutes a game this season). As with many questions facing the Sixers, all of this depends on what kind of game Turner shows up with this fall, what kind of jumper Young shows up with, and what kind of moves the team makes to free up opportunities for each or both. But one thing is certain: the Sixers aim to bring back Young."
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: "Born with an unusually narrow spinal canal, Marquis Daniels was told before he ever played an NBA game that occasional twinges and numbness would be a routine part of the experience. The former Celtics swingman just never thought this condition, known as spinal stenosis, would force him to question his future in basketball. But the prospects all changed just over four minutes into a Feb. 6 game against Orlando. Daniels collided with the shoulder of Gilbert Arenas and pitched forward onto the floor. He had experienced numbness in his extremities before, but never to what suddenly felt like a paralytic level. 'Yeah, I questioned if I would play again, that night when I was laying on the floor,' Daniels said this week from his home in Orlando, Fla., where he is awaiting the next step, a June 28 meeting with doctors, who are expected to clear the mellow, soft-spoken Floridian for full workouts and a return to the NBA. 'They said there was a good chance they could correct it, but I also had to wait,' Daniels said of the prognosis. 'That was the tough part. A lot of things went through my mind. But I just had to wait it out.' Though the surgery he underwent March 31 to open space in his spinal canal was considered a success, he looks upon the June 28 meeting as passage back to his career, a signal that he can resume workouts that aren’t limited to an elliptical machine. Daniels hasn’t experienced any numbness since the surgery. Only the anxiety leading up to that meeting remains. It helps that the Celtics haven’t stopped being like family."

Source: http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/29565/first-cup-thursday-157

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