New York Knicks Close to Extension with Coach Mike Woodson: A Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 08:06:00 PDT)
The New York Knicks and Mike Woodson appear very close to wrapping up contract negotiations. I think that this is great news for the team, and not just because it will remove the interim tag from Woodson. Negotiations seem to have come along very nicely in a short span of time and it looks like a deal could get announced as soon as the end of this week.

Heat roll over Pacers to lead series
(Wed, 23 May 2012 06:58:57 PDT)
Miami got their swagger back as they scored the opening three points and never trailed to easily beat Indiana 115-83 in game five Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference series.

Mike Miller loses shoe, plays two possessions without it, Pacers don’t score (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 06:35:49 PDT)
If any member of the Miami Heat was going to lose a shoe and have to run around in his sock for a minute or so during a playoff game, it was going to be Mike Miller. He's already dealt with problem after problem since joining the Heat before last season — thumb and shoulder injuries, hernia surgery, ankle sprains, probably countless other dings that never leave the trainer's room, plus actual real-life issues — so what's one more inconvenience? Miller stepped out of his left shoe while rebounding a missed 15-footer by David West in the third quarter of Game 5 . Rather than stay behind the play to put it back on and let his teammates run four-on-five for a few seconds — which wouldn't have been too damaging, considering Miami already had a 17-point lead — the former Rookie of the Year pressed on, tossing the shoe to the sideline and running to his spot on the wing. After a Shane Battier miss, Miller had to hustle back on defense and actually wound up cutting off Leandro Barbosa's drive. He then stayed with Barbosa as Indiana set up its offense, sagged to chuck West as he dove to the basket, and recovered to contest Barbosa's deep end-of-the-shot-clock 3-pointer, which missed, leading to a James rebound and — mercifully for TNT color commentator Steve Kerr, who seemed really upset at Miller playing in his stocking feet — a timeout by Miami coach Erik Spoelstra to give his swingman the chance to get re-shod. Two possessions, some sound defensive work and representatively bad offense by a Pacers team that couldn't seem to do anything right on that end. Miller's just lucky he's on the same team as Dwyane Wade. That guy knows how to take advantage of situations like this. Is the clip above not working for you? Feel free to see the shoelessness elsewhere, thanks to 1jzo .

Haslem has started to play his game, not Bosh's (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:31:19 PDT)
If nothing else, this Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Indiana Pacers has allowed Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem to return to his roots.

Pacers might face elimination game without Granger (The SportsXchange)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:31:14 PDT)
The Indiana Pacers were bound to be blown out at some point in their series against Miami. Too bad it happened on national television. And too bad it caused them to put their backs against the wall.

James and Wade lead Heat past Pacers, 115-83 (The Associated Press)
(Wed, 23 May 2012 01:26:20 PDT)
MIAMI (AP) Dwyane Wade was bleeding after taking a smack in the head from Tyler Hansbrough, who became the target of a retaliatory shot from Udonis Haslem a few moments later.

Larry Bird calls his Indiana Pacers “soft” following the team’s physical Game 5 loss to Miami (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:15:02 PDT)
He might not be right, and it might be an overreaction, but in the words of Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski , "you knew Larry Bird wasn't going to sit this one out." In the hours following Indiana's Game 5 loss to the Miami Heat , in a physical affair that saw the Pacers blown out while taking in the two nastiest of the three flagrant fouls doled out on the evening, the Pacers president and 2012 NBA Executive of the Year called his team "soft," in a short discussion with Indianapolis Star beat writer Mike Wells following the game. And, if there was any confusion, Bird spelled the word out. Here's Wells' brief, but impactful discussion with the pissed-off Hall of Famer :

Heat retaliate after Pacers' hit on Dwyane Wade with force, nastiness and LeBron James
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:55:42 PDT)
Miami played like a hockey squad protecting its stars and Indiana appears to be done in the East semifinals

Heat and Pacers physical battle turns nasty
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:26:34 PDT)
MIAMI (Reuters) - There has been a nasty edge to the playoff series between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers and after more blood in Tuesday's latest encounter, the Heat's Dwyane Wade said the physical clashes were getting close to crossing the line. Wade was left with bleeding above his eye after being struck by Tyler Hansbrough in the second quarter of the Eastern Conference semi-final. That incident may have motivated a worse foul when Miami's Udonis Haslem slammed both his arms into the face of Hansbrough in the game's second flagrant foul. ...

Dexter Pittman’s elbow to Lance Stephenson’s throat is just one of three nasty hits in Miami/Indiana’s Game 5 (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 22:10:43 PDT)
Remember last week, when Indiana Pacers afterthought Lance Stephenson was spied on the Pacer bench making a "choke" symbol toward Miami Heat superstar LeBron James as he missed free throws in Game 3 of the teams' second-round series? And how LeBron apparently didn't care enough to give Stephenson the time of day following ? Well, it appears Heat Counterpart in Scrubbishness Dexter Pittman wanted to give Stephenson the time of day, just as soon as a big enough blowout hit in Game 5 to warrant an appearance from both Stephenson and Pittman, two players who combined for just 742 minutes during the regular season, some court time. And enough time for Pittman to exactly his stupid, pointless, ultimately ineffective and downright dangerous "revenge" on Stephenson with a shot to his throat, with just 19 seconds left in Game 5. 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.

James, Wade lead Heat to 115-83 win over Pacers (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:20:32 PDT)
MIAMI (AP) Suddenly, the road back to the Eastern Conference finals no longer looks daunting for Miami.

Behind the Box Score, where the Miami Heat split the Indiana Pacers in two (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:10:51 PDT)
Miami Heat 115, Indiana Pacers 83 (Heat lead series, 3-2) When the prognosticators started putting together their predictions for this series-swingin' Game 5, most leaned heavily on a Miami blowout win, and while I understood that educated guesswork, I didn't agree with it. Yes, NBA history often points to a big home team win in these sorts of games, but nothing had really changed in the Miami and Indiana rotation to make me think that this wasn't going to be yet another tough, close game. Just as we saw in Games 1 through 4, the Heat have mostly struggled without Chris Bosh providing spacing, and Indiana's defense wouldn't choose this time to take a break, would it? And though the Heat are fantastic, it's hard to overcome the presence of those (like starting center Ronny Turiaf and Shane Battier) who don't have to be guarded, right? Well, Indiana's defense was actually pretty stout. They forced the Heat into tough shots and made Miami move the ball. And after that movement the Heat started, with Shane Battier leading the way, hitting the long range shots they hadn't earlier in the series. Good start for Miami (with Battier dropping nine points in the first quarter after eight points in the first four games), but still good enough Indiana defense in the halfcourt. The Indiana offense? That's what destroyed the Pacers. Awful, awful decisions, spacing, a lack of patience and no impact once the team attempted to get in transition. As a result, even though the Heat's halfcourt offense wasn't especially astonishing (not until the Pacers gave up in the fourth quarter, at least), the team still piled up a whopping 115 points.

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.

Mike Miller hustles in only one shoe during Heat's blowout of Pacers
(Tue, 22 May 2012 20:25:19 PDT)
Mike Miller scored plenty of hustle points in Game 5 for the Heat.

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.

Granger out of Pacers-Heat game with ankle injury (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 19:06:06 PDT)
MIAMI (AP) Indiana forward Danny Granger left the Pacers' Eastern Conference semifinal game against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night early in the second half with a sprained left ankle.

NBA roundup: Eight wounded in gunfire following Thunder-Lakers game (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 15:30:17 PDT)
At least eight people were wounded in Oklahoma City as a result of a gunfire following Monday's Thunder playoff game.

Report: James calls Granger's confrontational tactics stupid (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 15:11:12 PDT)
Miami Heat star LeBron James said the confrontational tactics of Pacers guard Danny Granger are "stupid," according to ESPN.com.