Playing Sets

Thursday, May 16, 2013

NBA Playoffs schedule 2013: Knicks, Warriors facing elimination on Thursday - SB Nation

The New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors are up against the wall on Thursday night as the 2013 NBA Playoff action continues to heat up.

The tension is rising in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks face a do-or-die Game 5 situation on Thursday night at Madison Square Garden against the Indiana Pacers. Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors can't afford to stumble in their Game 6 matchup versus the San Antonio Spurs. The Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies both advanced to the Conference Finals on Wednesday night, so the final four could potentially be set by the end of the evening. Here's a look at the TV schedule and tip times for Thursday.

Pacers vs. Knicks, Game 5 (8 p.m. ET, TNT) | Indiana leads series, 3-1

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has started to tinker with the lineup, and after a poor showing in Game 4 there is a strange atmosphere surrounding the team in New York. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith have struggled in the series, but it's not like the Pacers are unbeatable. Ian Levy of Pacers blog Indy Cornrows provided an excellent breakdown of Indiana's offensive deficiencies and weaknesses earlier in the week.

For more on this series, visit: Posting and Toasting Indy Cornrows

At Knicks blog Posting and Toasting, they aren't impressed with Woodson's decision making during this series:

Let's break down Mike Woodson's strategy in the series thus far. He went with the regular lineup for the first two games of the series. The Knicks scored 95 and 105 points, respectively, for an average of 100.0 points a game, which is exactly their regular season average. Their averaged 109.6 points per 100 possessions - a scant 1.5 points below their regular season average, and nearly 10 points more than Pacers opponents averaged during the regular season. After a thorough beat-down in Game 3, Woodson decided to throw the script out the window and improvised a new starting lineup, one that had yet to start a game this season.

The idea was terrible on a number of levels.

If the Knicks managed to pull out a win on Thursday, Game 6 would be on Saturday night in Indiana.

Spurs vs. Warriors, Game 6 (10:30 p.m., ESPN) | San Antonio leads series, 3-2

The Warriors and Spurs have alternated wins in this series, and if the pattern holds it means Golden State is due to emerge victorious in Game 6. Things won't be that simple, but Stephen Curry and the Warriors have to like the fact that they will be back at home with the ORACLE Arena crowd for the must-win contest.

For more on this series, visit: Golden State of Mind Pounding the Rock

The game preview at Warriors blog Golden State of Mind has taken the form of an emotional pep talk (a non-ironic ode to Mark Jackson, perhaps?), while the Spurs-centric preview at Pounding the Rock focuses on how the team can get back to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2007-08.

If the Warriors win Game 6, the winner-take-all Game 7 will be played on Sunday afternoon in San Antonio.

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Suddenly, It's Woodson's Fault - New York Times

GREENBURGH, N.Y. '� On the day he inherited the Knicks '� the Linsanity, the insanity and the rest of it '� Mike Woodson was handed a singular challenge: get Carmelo Anthony to play like Carmelo Anthony. Everything else would fall into place.

At that moment, on March 14, 2012, Woodson was precisely the coach the Knicks needed. He was stern, direct, demanding, with a decidedly paternal touch '� as quick with a lecture as with a supportive pat on the back. And, critically, he was not Mike D'Antoni, whose system and coaching style had been rejected by Anthony, the franchise star.

Freed of a coach he did not want, Anthony responded and flourished, and Woodson reaped the benefits. The Knicks won 18 of their final 24 games in the 2011-12 season, earning Woodson universal praise, a 3-year contract and a rollicking honeymoon that unofficially expired Tuesday night at about 9:30 Eastern.

It ended with the dissonant blare of the final buzzer at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which was soon followed by the dissonant blare of countless Twitter timelines, bursting with bewilderment and outrage after the Knicks' 93-82 loss to the Indiana Pacers.

The Knicks are facing a daunting 3-1 deficit in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. And Woodson is facing blistering criticism, for the first time since he assumed the job 14 months ago.

Across fan forums and blogs, the questions were the same Tuesday night:

� Why would Woodson abandon the small-ball lineup that got the Knicks this far?

� How did Pablo Prigioni go from invaluable starter to four-minute reserve?

� With the offense wilting for two weeks, why did it take so long to use Chris Copeland?

� Why was Copeland benched right after he made a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 10 points in the fourth quarter?

� And what in the blazes is Jason Kidd still doing on the court after missing every shot he has taken in the last eight games?

'Blame it on me,' Woodson said Wednesday afternoon, in an attempt to deflect blame from J. R. Smith, who volunteered to take the heat a night earlier.

The statement was classic Woodson, an old-school coach who prefers that all criticism and praise be distributed equally across the bench. It is a page ripped from the handbook of his mentor, Larry Brown, who in times of trouble is fond of saying, 'I got to coach them better.'

If the Knicks fail to make the Eastern Conference finals, as it appears they will, there will be no shortage of worthy scapegoats.

Anthony, presumed to be the N.B.A.'s best scorer, has converted only 40.9 percent of his field-goal attempts in this series but is still stubbornly dominating the offense, using 36.2 percent of the team's possessions. Smith is shooting a ghastly 28.1 percent, making a mockery of his Sixth Man of the Year award. Tyson Chandler has been outworked by Roy Hibbert. Kidd is scoreless for the series.

The Knicks' once-fearsome offense is producing only 97.3 points per 100 possessions in the playoffs '� a mark that would have ranked last in the regular season.

The Knicks insist they are missing shots that they normally make, but the truth is they are finding few quality shots against Indiana's disciplined defense. Anthony has been blanketed by Paul George, whose ability to guard him one-on-one has allowed the Pacers to avoid double-teaming, thus leaving few openings to drive or shoot.

The Knicks won 54 games this season on the strength of their offense and were at their most dominant when the ball was moving, the floor was spaced, and Anthony and Smith were alternating good shots with smart passes. That identity has been lost, and Woodson has failed to do anything to restore it.

Instead, Woodson went the opposite direction in Game 4 on Tuesday. He abandoned the small lineup that gave the Knicks their edge. He started Kenyon Martin, a defensive-minded enforcer, in a failed attempt to counter the Pacers' size. He benched Prigioni, whose passing skills had been critical to the Knicks' offensive rhythm for two months. (Prigioni has the best plus-minus rating of any Knicks starter in the playoffs.)

Though the Knicks quickly fell behind by double digits, Woodson stuck with the big lineup for most of the night, thoroughly revamping his rotation in the 90th game of the season.

Amar'e Stoudemire started the fourth quarter, despite recently returning from a two-month layoff after knee surgery. It was a bewildering move on many levels, but Woodson stood by it.

'That didn't hurt us,' Woodson said. 'Last I checked, we won the third and fourth. It was a tie, I think, in the fourth quarter.'

The Knicks opened the fourth trailing by 11 points. By the time Stoudemire checked out, the deficit was 17.

Woodson was as strident in addressing his loyalty to the 40-year-old Kidd, saying, 'I'll never kick J-Kidd to the curb.'

Although he declined to explain Prigioni's reduced role, Woodson said he was 'contemplating' a return to the small lineup, acknowledging, 'That lineup has been great for us for two, three months, and I went away from it.'

Woodson has indisputably been a net positive for the Knicks, corralling a locker room of volatile characters and disparate talents and presiding over the franchise's best season in more than a decade. His failures in this series threaten to overshadow it all.

On Wednesday, Woodson abruptly canceled his weekly radio spot with ESPN's New York affiliate '� a first this season. If the Knicks falter again Thursday night at Madison Square Garden, there will be no escaping the backlash.

'Blame it on me,' Woodson said. As if the city needs any encouragement.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNEjdEIc_cmdl_xzWlgj_smKw_HgQw&url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/16/sports/basketball/suddenly-knicks-problems-are-coach-mike-woodsons-fault.html

Lawyers wonder if 12-year-old Calif. boy mature enough to aid defense against ... - Fox News

Barney Fowler, the father of murder victim Leila Fowler, leaves the Calaveras County Courthouse after the arraignment of his 12-year-old son for the murder of Leila, in San Andreas, Calif., Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Leila Fowler, 8, was stabbed to death in her Valley Springs home, last month. The defendant was charged with second-degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon for the death of Leila Fowler. No plea was entered. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)The Associated Press
Priscilla Rodriquez, center, the mother of murder victim of Leila Fowler, leaves the Calaveras County Courthouse, in San Andreas, Calif., after the arraignment of her 12-year-old son for Leila's murder, Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Leila Fowler, 8, was stabbed to death in her Valley Springs home, last month. The defendant was charged with second-degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon for the death of Leila Fowler. No plea was entered. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)The Associated Press
Barney Fowler, the father of murder victim Leila Fowler, leaves the Calaveras County Courthouse after the arraignment of his 12-year-old son for the murder of Leila, in San Andreas, Calif., Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Leila Fowler, 8, was stabbed to death in her Valley Springs home, last month. The defendant was charged with second-degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon for the death of Leila Fowler. No plea was entered. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)The Associated Press
Barney Fowler, the father of murder victim Leila Fowler, leaves the Calaveras County Courthouse after the arraignment of his 12-year-old son for the murder of Leila, in San Andreas, Calif., Wednesday, May 15, 2013. Leila Fowler, 8, was stabbed to death in her Valley Springs home, last month. The defendant was charged with second-degree murder and a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon for the death of Leila Fowler. No plea was entered. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)The Associated Press

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VALLEY SPRINGS, Calif. '� �Attorneys for a 12-year-old California boy charged with killing his sister said Wednesday they wonder if he is mature enough to aid his defense.

The remarks came after the boy attended a closed juvenile court proceeding and was told he had been charged with second-degree murder with a special allegation for use of a dangerous weapon in the stabbing death of his 8-year-old sister.

Second-degree indicates the killing was not premeditated.

His sister Leila Fowler, was killed in the family's Sierra Nevada foothill home last month while the two children were home alone, authorities said.

"Can a 12-year-old be psychologically, intellectually and emotionally mature enough to aid attorneys in defending himself against the most serious of charges?" asked attorney Steve Plesser, who has been hired by the family to defend the boy.

The boy did not enter a plea at the hearing.

The Associated Press is withholding his name because he is a juvenile. Wednesday's hearing was not open to the public.

Plesser said neither he nor his law partner Mark Reichel had seen the evidence that led the Calaveras County district attorney to charge the boy. Still, they believe he is not guilty of the crime that terrified the rural community of Valley Springs and baffled investigators and the FBI for two weeks.

"We have no reason to have any doubts about our client's innocence," Plesser said.

Investigators went door-to-door in the area and searched barns, stables, outbuildings and ponds for evidence. They also collected DNA at the scene and from family members.

The attorneys declined to discuss specific details of the case during brief statements they made after the hearing, but they did talk in general about the legal issues they are facing.

"We have questions," Plesser said. "Why do the police think the minor did this? Why would a 12-year-old commit an offense like this? And how did it not lead to an immediate arrest and it took 2,000 hours of resources by the sheriff's office and the FBI? We're confident we'll get the answers when we examine and test the evidence."

Ken Rosenfeld, a Sacramento legal analyst and attorney, said that if the boy is convicted he cannot be held past his 25th birthday under California statutes.

Most young people convicted of similar crimes are paroled by age 19 or 20, said Rosenfeld, who is not associated with the case.

"The juvenile court system is designed for rehabilitation," Rosenfeld said. "If his sentence follows precedent and he does well in the system and doesn't get himself in trouble, he'll be out when he's 19 or 20."

The boy was arrested Saturday after a two-week manhunt for a mystery intruder the boy had said he saw in the home before he found his sister bleeding.

On Tuesday, Reichel told the AP the youngster might have lied about seeing a long-haired man fleeing the scene, but that doesn't make the boy the killer.

He said his client might have made up a "macho" story about scaring away the intruder because he was scared.

The children's father and his fiancee were at a Little League game at the time of the stabbing. The boy called them to report that he had seen an intruder in the home, and the couple called 911 and sped home.

After the hearing, which was attended by the boy's father Mark Fowler, his fiancee Krystal Walters, and the boy's biological mother Pricilla Rodriguez, attorney Reichel said the family wants to be left alone.

"As they travel down this incredibly difficult path, they are obviously extremely concerned about their son, who they also dearly love," he said. "I'm sure every family in America can understand they are going through extremely difficult times. This is a good family."

___

Cone reported from Sacramento.

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHuLD9wIhrAgK7UJqYK_I6rKW7xCw&url=http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/16/lawyers-wonder-if-12-year-old-calif-boy-mature-enough-to-aid-defense-against/

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

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Fix Penn Station Now; Raze $1 Billion Knicks Garden Later - Bloomberg

New York's grimy Madison Square Garden (MSG) has been an eyesore for all of its 50 years and hope has never died that one day the wrecking ball will swing.

But for the owners, the Dolan family, who are nearing the end of a $1 billion makeover, the Garden -- with its Knicks, Rangers and musical acts -- is a wonderful cash cow.

It's perched atop the depressing, low-ceilinged maze known as Penn Station, daily hive for 600,000 scuttling commuters.

The Garden's presence is one major impediment to the 25-year-old dream of turning the decrepit and overcrowded Penn station into a smoothly operating city gateway.

Then there's the bureaucratically toxic stew that includes three cash-strapped railroads (The Long Island Railroad Co., New Jersey Transit Corp. and Amtrak) and the nearly bankrupt U.S. Post Office.

Now the Municipal Arts Society is turning up the heat on a languishing plan to transform Penn Station.

At issue is the Garden's operating permit, which has expired. The Dolans want it extended in perpetuity. Advocates would like the city to renew the permit for as little as 10 years, during which time a relocation plan could be devised.

(A plan to move the Garden a block west to rise within the stone walls of the Farley Post Office Building in 2008 fell through.)

Lost Cause

Moving the Garden is probably a lost cause in the short term, since the Dolans have been flushing millions into the brown monster for three years now. The $1 billion the family says it will ultimately spend so far entails little more than rejiggering the seating bowl for better sightlines.

In truth, Penn can be vastly improved around the Garden. The arena roofs a considerable chunk of the station, but there are acres of ugly, useless plazas that are fair game to create expanded and more welcoming railroad entrances. Skylights and clerestories can be punched in to help create a civilized experience for travelers.

The station runs under the Garden so passenger movement and services for the railroads can be organized on a single, broad, easily navigated concourse. (Now they are Balkanized in separate mazelike fiefdoms on three different levels.)

A deal to extend the operating permit must assure the flexibility needed to improve the station. And it must insist on a vastly improved flow into the arena, especially at the dreadful entry through the Two Penn Plaza office building and over an especially ugly bridge that happens to occupy prime real estate above a no-longer-used driveway.

Architectural Ballet

These essential improvements are also architectural opportunities.

The station could choreograph the movement of people among station, subways and arena into an architectural ballet bathed in gorgeous light drawn from above. A talented architect could recapture much of the glory of the 1910 McKim Meade & White station, demolished to widespread horror in 1963.

The other Penn wild card is a long-planned additional tunnel to New Jersey. It is needed to handle a large expected increase in travel demand. In the latest of a long line of political grandstands that has tortured the Penn project, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie canceled the tunnel in 2010.

The plan needs to be revived and improved in a way that will genuinely extend Penn, as opposed to the murdered plan, which abetted a completely separate station.

The Municipal Art Society has asked four teams of architects to rethink the Penn plan. I hope at least one will design around the continued presence of the Garden and will create a persuasive extension to the new tunnel.

The essential plan, though, would find a way to supply backbone to the politicians essential to getting the station overhauled.

(James S. Russell writes on architecture for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. He is the author of 'The Agile City.' The opinions expressed are his own.)

Muse highlights include Ryan Sutton on dining, Jeremy Gerard on theater, David Shribman on books.

To contact the writer of this column: James S. Russell in New York at jamesrussell@earthlink.net. http://web.me.com/jscanlonrussell

To contact the editor responsible for this column: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

Enlarge image Penn Station

James S. Russell/Bloomberg

Rush-hour at the main entrance to Penn Station in New York. The station has 600,000 commuters daily.

Rush-hour at the main entrance to Penn Station in New York. The station has 600,000 commuters daily. Photographer: James S. Russell/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Penn Station

Allison Joyce/Getty Images

The exit of the Long Island Railroad platform at Penn Station. The Municipal Arts Society has asked four teams of architects to rethink and improve the Penn Station plan.

The exit of the Long Island Railroad platform at Penn Station. The Municipal Arts Society has asked four teams of architects to rethink and improve the Penn Station plan. Photographer: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Enlarge image Penn Station

Morning rush hour at Penn Station, beneath Madison Square Garden. The Dolan family, which owns the venue, wants to have its expired license extended.

Morning rush hour at Penn Station, beneath Madison Square Garden. The Dolan family, which owns the venue, wants to have its expired license extended. Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

Enlarge image Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden in New York, owned by the Dolan family. The venue hosts lucrative Knicks and Rangers games, as well as musical acts.

Madison Square Garden in New York, owned by the Dolan family. The venue hosts lucrative Knicks and Rangers games, as well as musical acts. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Enlarge image Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden in New York. The operating permit for the venue has expired.

Madison Square Garden in New York. The operating permit for the venue has expired. Photographer: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg

Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHiOAztAjNLQhX2qNLqvW1xWBOWWg&url=http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-15/fix-penn-station-now-raze-1-billion-knicks-garden-later.html

Warriors vs. Spurs adjustments: Two tweaks for the Spurs' pick-and-roll defense - SB Nation

The Spurs let a fourth-quarter lead slip away in Game 4 and have their pick-and-roll defense to blame for the collapse. How can San Antonio adjust to slowing down their ball handlers? For starters, stop giving up open jumpers.

The Golden State Warriors tied their series with the San Antonio Spurs in an overtime victory on Sunday. The Spurs lost the eight-point lead they had going into the final five minutes of regulation and completed their collapse by scoring only three points in overtime. In Game 5, San Antonio must challenge the Warriors' ball handlers out of the pick-and-roll and commit to stronger defensive rotations.

Pounding the Rock: Would playing McGrady be a panic move?

The Warriors' ball handlers averaged 1.32 points out of the pick-and-roll in Game 4, according to MySynergySports. Overall, they shot 9-of-16 in pick-and-roll sets. Jarrett Jack scored eight points -- all shots created after taking a screen -- in the final five minutes of regulation and was key in the Warriors' comeback.

As Jack takes this screen from Andrew Bogut, Tim Duncan opens up his stance and begins shifting back.

Duncan is trying to protect the basket, but Jack sinks a jumper instead of challenging Duncan at the rim.

The Spurs cannot give the Warriors' ball handlers space to take quality looks. Duncan backed up to prevent dribble penetration, but that is not a solution for San Antonio. The Spurs must crowd ball handlers more and rely on their help defenders to rotate to stop everyone else.

The Spurs did try challenge Curry out of the pick-and-roll, but the help defense failed to actually help. Manu Ginobili, the help defender on the opposite side, cheats into the paint while Curry works the pick-and-roll.

Curry drives and both Spurs defenders from the corner have an angle to step in front of him. If Green steps in front, Curry can easily pass the ball to Jack in the corner -- defenses are told never to leave the "strongside corner shooter." This puts the responsibility on Ginobili to make a fast rotation.

He does not and Curry gets an easy layup in overtime.

Ginobili must do a better job of rotating in that position or Curry will continue to take advantage of the Spurs. If Duncan can't rely on the help defense behind him, he will be inclined to sag and prepare for dribble penetration. If he can trust Ginobili, or whomever may be the helper, then he can challenge the ball handler at the top of the arc instead of watching the jumper sail over his head.

Defensively, the Spurs did not execute a sound game plan in stopping the pick-and-roll attack. Curry was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc, two of which came after he took a screen, and San Antonio was caught playing lackadaisical defense against him. Here, Tiago Splitter makes a poor defensive play that cannot happen against an elite shooter like Curry:

There's no need for Splitter to sag off the sharp-shooting Curry, as Duncan was in position to help if he drove to the paint. The lack of recognition from Splitter shows minimal defensive commitment to challenge shooters out of the pick-and-roll from San Antonio. If Splitter moves up to the arc, he gets into Curry's comfort zone, and can disrupt the shot.

As is, Curry has a clean look. Mistakes like the play above need to be minimized by the Spurs. When added on top of the inevitable "Curry magic" from deep on well-contested plays, it becomes increasingly difficult to beat the Warriors.

***

The Warriors have done a great job of using the pick-and-roll to ignite their offense and force the Spurs into defensive mistakes. The Spurs lack a big man who can stay with the Warriors' ball handlers out of the pick-and-roll, but if they tighten their defensive rotations and use other help defenders to protect the rim, they can take Golden State out of their comfort zone.