LeBron James, Cavaliers come from 26 down, beat Pacers to take 3-0 lead

Associated PressApr 21, 2017, 2:00 AM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) LeBron James finished with 41 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers set an NBA postseason record by erasing a 25-point halftime deficit to beat the Indiana Pacers 119-114 on Thursday night and take a 3-0 lead.

James passed Kobe Bryant for No. 3 on the NBA’s career playoff scoring list and tied another NBA record by winning his 20th consecutive first-round game.

The Cavaliers will try to sweep the series Sunday.

The incredible rally ruined Paul George‘s big night. He had 36 points, a playoff career-high 15 rebounds and nine assists.

Cleveland trailed by 26 in the first half and was still down 74-49 at halftime. The largest halftime deficit overcome to win a playoff game had been 21 points by Baltimore against Philadelphia in 1948.

James scored 13 points in the third quarter to get the Cavs within 91-84.

James now has 5,669 points, 29 ahead of Bryant. He also matched three other ex-Los Angeles Lakers – Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper and James Worthy – for most consecutive first-round wins.

This comeback began with a second straight devastating third-quarter punch from the Cavs.

After Cleveland cut the deficit to 77-62 and then watched Indiana extend the margin to 20, Cleveland finished the quarter on a 17-4 spurt to make it 91-84.

Things only got worse for the Pacers.

George’s 3 with 5:15 to go gave Indiana a 104-103 lead – its last of the game. James answered with a layup out of a timeout and the Cavs never trailed again.

It’s only the second time in the Pacers’ NBA history they have lost the first three games in a best-of-seven series. Indiana has never endured a four-game sweep since joining the NBA.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving Kevin Love, J.R. Smith, Channing Frye all scored 13 points. … Cleveland has won six straight over Indiana. … After scoring 49 points in the first half, the Cavs scored 35 in each of the final two quarters. … Kyle Korver scored more points in two quarters (six) than he did in the first two games (four). He finished with 12.

Pacers: George had 23 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Lance Stephenson added eight points and five rebounds in the first two quarters. … Indiana scored 37 points in the first quarter, falling just short of a season high (39), then matched that 37 in the second quarter for its highest first-half total of the season. … Coach Nate McMillan made a lineup change, inserting former Cavs player C.J. Miles into the starting rotation. Monta Ellis was relegated to bench duty. … The Pacers drew two defensive three-second calls in the first half.

UP NEXT

On Sunday, Indiana will try to stave off elimination when it hosts Cleveland for Game 4.

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PBT Podcast: Talking second round of playoffs, where Grizzlies go next

By Kurt HelinMay 5, 2023, 5:26 PM EDT

After a summer of brash talk and high-profile distractions — including poking the bear that is LeBron James — the Memphis Grizzlies exited the playoffs with a whimper. That was quickly followed by reports they were not bringing back free agent Dillon Brooks as part of a shift to make this more of a playoff team. Is that the right move? NBC Sports’ Corey Robinson doesn’t think so, although Kurt Helin is less sure.

Before the duo goes walking in Memphis they take a stroll through the first round of the NBA playoffs. (This was recorded hours before news broke about Mike Budenholzer being fired by the Bucks.)

They talk about Jimmy Butler and the Heat against the Knicks, if Kevin Durant can bring the Suns back against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets, and the rest of the first-round series. Tied into that is Corey’s Jukebox, where Anthony Davis gets the Rolling Stones treatment.

You can always watch the video of some of the podcast above (the Christmas games segment) or listen to the entire podcast below, listen and subscribe via iTunes at ApplePodcasts.com/PBTonNBC, subscribe via the fantastic Stitcher app, check us out on Google Play, or anywhere else you get your podcasts.

We want your questions for future podcasts, and your comments, so please feel free to email us at PBTpodcast@gmail.com.

All signs point to Jimmy Butler return in Game 3, ‘We know what his intentions are’

By Kurt HelinMay 5, 2023, 4:03 PM EDT

Don’t be surprised if there is nothing official until half an hour before game time Saturday, when Erik Spoelstra is forced to submit his starting lineup.

However, do expect Jimmy Butler to return in Game 3 against the Knicks.

He missed Game 2 after an ankle injury suffered in Game 1, but the extra day off between games appears to have been enough to get the Heat star back on the court. Spoelstra was expectedly coy about a return when asked Friday.

Coach Spo’s latest update on Jimmy Butler’s ankle injury pic.twitter.com/1IkB1STFhv

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 5, 2023

Here’s Spoelstra’s full quote:

“Jimmy, he’s working. We’ll see. I’ll probably have an update for you at 2:15 [Saturday pregame interview time]. But don’t hold me to that. We know what his intentions are.”

Sources told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel that Butler intends to play.

Spoelstra says Jimmy Butler worked today. Says update at about 2:15 Saturday. “But we know what his intentions are.” According to an NBA source, Butler is planning to play.

— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) May 5, 2023

The buzz was that Butler was near ready to play in Game 2, but with the Heat having taken Game 1 and the extended break before 3, they decided to give him essentially a week off to get his ankle right.

Jimmy Butler has been the MVP of the playoffs, averaging 35.5 points per game on 58.5% shooing (including 42.9% from 3), plus grabbing 6.8 rebounds a night while playing elite defense on the opponent’s best players.

If Miami is going to win a couple of games at home this weekend and take command of this series, they are going to need that Butler, one not slowed by his ankle.

Five coaches to watch as Budenholzer’s replacement with Bucks

By Kurt HelinMay 5, 2023, 1:02 PM EDT

If an organization is going to fire a coach, they need to bring in somebody better.

In the case of the Milwaukee Bucks, if a team is going to fire a coach in Mike Budenholzer, who just won 58 games this season and a title two seasons ago, who will that replacement be? Especially for a franchise whose MVP star player is extension eligible come the fall.

The Bucks have a big decision ahead and the early reports are they want to take their time and do it right, with an exhaustive search. (If they fired Budenholzer without a replacement in the wings, well, that’s a choice.) The Bucks have the best job available on the market for a coach who wants to win now, but that coach walks in the door to unmatched pressure.

Here are five names to watch as the Bucks look for Budenholzer’s replacement.

1) Charles Lee

Firing Budenholzer may have been easier because the Bucks have the coach-in-waiting on the bench in Charles Lee. He is a long-time top NBA assistant coach who has been a serious candidate for other jobs — he is reportedly in the top three for the Pistons job — and could step right in with minimal disruption. This move brings a new voice to the room without making a radical, overhaul change. The Bucks won 58 games this season and were the No.1 seed, they need tweaks, not an overhaul.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is a man who likes his routine and familiarity, he has a comfort zone and often wants to stay in it. Lee fits that mold, he is someone the Greek Freak knows and trusts. That matters. Antetokounmpo’s happiness (and keeping him long-term) matters, and the coaching change directly impacts his work environment. Budenholzer isn’t fired if Antetokounmpo sticks up for him, and the new coach will at least get a nod of approval from the franchise player. Lee would get that.

2) Nick Nurse

If the criteria for a new coach is a proven winner and someone willing to make adjustments — sometimes radical ones — to win, then Nurse is the guy.

His adjustments — and a peak Kawhi Leonard with a deep roster around him — led Toronto to its first and only title. However, he was just let go in Toronto not because he couldn’t get a roster with talent out of the first round, but rather because he couldn’t even get them into the playoffs. Still, Nurse is an innovative coach, and meets the criteria of a proven winner and risk taker. He is a logical choice.

3) Frank Vogel

If we’re listing championship coaches out of a job, proven winners, Frank Vogel has to be on the list. Vogel is defense first, knows how to work with superstars, is relatively egoless, and is willing to adjust and adapt to make things work. He got fired in Los Angeles for his rotations and losing the Lakers’ locker room, but a lot of that falls on GM Rob Pelinka for taking a championship roster and breaking it apart for more offense and Russell Westbrook (look what happened at the deadline when the Lakers got shooting and defense back on the roster). Vogel can lead this team to a lot of wins and maybe another ring.

4) Kenny Atkinson

Like Charles Lee, this is another change in voice without radical change in style — Atkinson was a Budenholzer assistant in Atlanta. He coached the Brooklyn Nets for most of four seasons and helped build them into a solid young core and feisty playoff team, the kind of team Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving wanted to play for. The radical shift in franchise culture that came with those stars saw Atkinson on the outside, but he’s a good player development coach and could step in and do a quality job.

5) Mike D’Antoni

Antetokounmpo is the most dangerous player in the NBA when he is in transition or plays in space and is moving downhill. So why not reach out to the innovator of the pace-and-space offense? D’Antoni is older and out of the league for a couple of years, but if the goal is a change in style and to get the Bucks looking in a new direction, D’Antoni could be the guy. (If the Bucks are going this direction, it likely means significant roster changes as well, as constructed this team doesn’t play slow but they are not D’Antoni fast.)

Pistons, former assistant GM Murphy named in sex harassment lawsuit

Associated PressMay 5, 2023, 8:00 AM EDT

Nic Antaya/Getty Images

DETROIT (AP) — A female former employee of the Detroit Pistons has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the team and its now-fired assistant general manager.

The Pistons announced Thursday that Rob Murphy “no longer works for the Detroit Pistons or Motor City Cruise, in any capacity.”

“Mr. Murphy was recently terminated for violation of company policy and the terms of his employment agreement,” the team said in a statement. “The facts that gave rise to his termination surfaced during a review, assisted by a national law firm, of allegations made by a former employee.”

The team said Murphy was placed on leave immediately after the allegations surfaced and did not return to the workplace before his termination.

The lawsuit was filed Thursday in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit. It alleges that after Murphy persuaded the woman to take an entry-level position in 2021, he became her supervisor. She worked as his executive assistant.

Murphy made sexual comments about her body, repeatedly pressured her to engage in a sexual relationship with him, groped her buttocks and breasts and promised professional and personal advancement if she acquiesced to his demands, according to the lawsuit.

She “consistently and unequivocally rejected Murphy’s sexual advances, employing tactics to discourage him and avoid future harassment,” the lawsuit said, adding that Murphy groomed her, “periodically apologizing for his improper conduct and resuming the role of mentor and professional adviser, sometimes for weeks at a time.”

The woman, 32, left the Pistons in June 2022.

The lawsuit filed by Pitt McGehee Palmer Bonanni & Rivers PC is seeking an order that awards the woman economic and emotional damages, as well interest, costs and expenses.

The Pistons said they would have no further details on Murphy’s firing because it was a personnel matter.

The Associated Press was attempting Thursday to reach Murphy for comment.

Murphy was hired by the Pistons in 2021 as senior director of player personnel. He was promoted to assistant general manager and president of the Motor City Cruise, the Pistons’ G League-affiliate.

Murphy previously was the men’s head basketball coach at Eastern Michigan University. He also was an assistant coach at Syracuse and Kent State.

Check out more on the Lakers

Here's more on the Heat

1) Charles Lee

2) Nick Nurse

3) Frank Vogel

4) Kenny Atkinson

5) Mike D’Antoni

Here's more on the Bucks

Here is more on the Pistons