Ned Yost unconcerned about high strike-out rate of Brewers.
May 31, 2008
Brewers manager Ned Yost insists he’s unconcerned about the rate at which his hitters are striking out.
Really, really, really unconcerned.
“We’re probably going to make somewhere between 24 and 27 outs today,” Yost informed reporters Friday. “I don’t really care, unless there’s a runner on third base with less than two outs, how you make them.
“That’s all I look at. If we can make contact with a runner on third base, less than two outs, that’s the only time a strikeout really, really hurts you. We get a little carried away at times [worrying about] strikeouts. It’s not a concern right now.”
Yost concedes this is a new outlook on the strikeout, a statistic his teams have compiled with abandon over the last five-plus years. They finished with the second-highest strikeout total in the 16-team National League every season from 2003-2006, then slipped down to sixth last season while leading the Majors in home runs. But entering the weekend series against Houston, the Brewers ranked fourth in the NL with 390 whiffs.
They struck out seven more times on Friday and have picked up the pace of late. Entering the series against Houston, the Brewers had reached double digits in strikeouts four times in their previous six games, including a season-high 12 whiffs on Monday in Washington and 12 more Thursday against the Braves.
But, Yost pointed out, none of the dozen strikeouts in Thursday’s game came in the vital, “runner on third, less than two out,” situation.
“You have to have context to it,” Yost said. “When somebody says, ‘You’re striking out,’ give me some context to it so it means something.”
With runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs, the Brewers had struck out 48 times in 236 at-bats through Thursday, or once every 4.9 at-bats. The manager certainly does not want his hitters to strike out, and concedes that putting the ball in play in any situation forces the defense to convert outs and opens the door to run-scoring chances.
He simply is not counting every strikeout as if it’s the end of the world.
“It gets ridiculous at times, talking about it,” Yost said.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Astros’ manager Cooper reflects on playing days in Milwaukee.
May 31, 2008
Astros manager Cecil Cooper credits Bud Selig for sparking the best years of his baseball career, and for that, he’s forever indebted to the Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Selig was the owner of the Brewers in the winter of 1976 when he arranged for a trade that brought Cooper to Milwaukee from Boston. Selig gave Cooper a chance to be the club’s full-time first baseman, and Cooper rewarded his owner by producing two Gold Gloves and five All-Star appearances.
Three times, Cooper was named the Brewers’ team MVP and he still holds the Milwaukee franchise records for both hits and RBIs in a single season.
Selig took a chance on Cooper when he acquired Cooper from Boston in exchange for George Scott and Bernie Carbo, and Cooper has never forgotten the gesture. On Friday, he and third-base coach Ed Romero, who played for the Brewers from 1977-85 and again in ‘89, visited with the Commissioner for about 30 minutes at his Milwaukee office.
“We visited about old times again,” Cooper said. “How the Brewers are doing, how the Astros are doing, how [Astros owner] Mr. [Drayton] McLane is doing. Talked about the state of baseball. He always seems to make time for you.”
The two briefly discussed Cooper’s three ejections by umpires this year, but did so with a light-hearted tone.
“I told him from now on, I’m going to be a little calmer,” Cooper said. “He said, ‘Relax, enjoy the moment and have fun with it, too.’”
Cooper last played for the Brewers in 1987, but he’s still received warmly in Milwaukee, which the Astros’ skipper considers his second home.
“It’s always a thrill to come back to Milwaukee,” he said. “The fans are great, the people recognize you everywhere you go. It’s just a fun place to be. I had a lot of great years here, a lot of great friends, a lot of wonderful times here and I had a lot of success here.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Brewers’ Gallardo hasn’t ruled out pitching again in 2008.
May 31, 2008
Brewers right-hander Yovani Gallardo has crutches stashed in his locker, a vertical scar on his swollen right knee and a more cautious outlook on his odds of pitching again this season.”
I don’t want to say yes, and then I’m not able to,” Gallardo said Friday at Miller Park. “I don’t want to be disappointed.”
That’s a slight change in tone for the 22-year-old, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after tangling with a Cubs baserunner near first base at Wrigley Field on May 1. He remained in that game for another 1 2/3 innings, but the extent of the injury became clear after an MRI scan the following morning.
He underwent surgery to repair the torn ACL on May 8 in Milwaukee. The Brewers have not put a timetable on Gallardo’s return, but assistant general manager Gord Ash said the team is operating under the assumption that he will not pitch again this season.
Immediately after his surgery, Gallardo was vocal about wanting to pitch again, maybe in late September or even in October should the Brewers make the playoffs. Now he is more concerned with his rehabilitation, which at this point includes range of motion exercises and weight work intended to reduce the swelling in his knee.
“That’s the first thing,” he said. “We have to get all the swelling out of there; that’s the most important thing. Then you have to get your muscles to work again.”
So far, there have been no setbacks.
“It’s tough, but it gets a little better every day,” said Gallardo, who no longer needs to rely on his wife to drive him to and from the ballpark. “Everything is on track.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Boston advances to 2008 NBA Finals by eliminating Detroit.
May 31, 2008
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce walked together, sporting black hats with green four-leaf clovers, and tried to soak up the moment when both superstars became conference champions for the first time.
“My heart is beating faster,” Pierce said.
Someone asked Garnett if he needed a water.
“I’m good,” Garnett said.
KG and the Big Three certainly are.
Pierce scored 27 points, Ray Allen had 17 and Garnett added 16 to lift the Boston Celtics to an 89-81 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Boston got past an old nemesis to set up a matchup with another rival.
The Celtics, who locked up with Detroit many times in the 1980s, will now rekindle another classic series in the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.
“It’s kind of surreal,” Garnett said. “Probably hasn’t even hit me yet because we haven’t slept in about four days, going on five days now. Going to the Finals, I’m just hoping to get some sleep.”
After playing two Game 7s, the Celtics will get a needed break before hosting Kobe Bryant and the Lakers on Thursday night.
“We’re emotionally drained,” Garnett said.
The Celtics are in the NBA Finals for the first time since losing to the Lakers in 1987, the third meeting in a four-year span.
The Pistons blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost in Game 6 of the conference finals for the third straight year. They were eliminated on their home court for the first time during a six-year run that included a trip to the conference finals each year and the 2004 title.
“This is really tough,” said Chauncey Billups, who scored a playoff-high 29 points. “We had it, and we didn’t get over the hump.”
Boston entered the series without a road win in the postseason, then beat Detroit on its home court twice to win the grueling series. The NBA’s top-seeded team also rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit for the first time in seven chances during the playoffs.
“It was probably the best thing because now we can say we have gone through some stuff and we’re still standing,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.
The loss might lead to changes on a Detroit team that has looked the same on the court for four seasons.
Billups played well and Richard Hamilton scored 21, but the rest of their teammates had lackluster efforts — especially Rasheed Wallace.
At one point Billups had 21 points, matching the total for the rest of the team.
Wallace scored just four points on 2-of-12 shooting and had three turnovers in what might’ve been his last game as a Piston and could’ve been Flip Saunders’ last as Detroit’s coach. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars will likely make some sort of moves on the bench, the court or both.
“I’m sure that’s something Joe and I will sit down and evaluate,” Saunders said.
Wallace made three trips to his locker — with reporters surrounding it — before finally saying something to the media without taking questions.
“That’s the end, man,” Wallace said.
After it was 58-all, Detroit closed the third quarter with a 10-2 run and took its first lead since midway through the opening quarter.
Just when it seemed the Pistons might be in control with a 70-60 lead early in the fourth, the Celtics scored nine points in less than 2 minutes and went on a 19-4 run that put them ahead 79-74.
Billups’ three-point play pulled Detroit to 83-79 with 2:24 left, then the Pistons wasted a chance to get closer.
Tayshaun Prince grabbed a loose ball after a Boston miss and turned the ball over when James Posey surprised him from behind and snatched it away.
“He looked to his left, put the ball out and I just snatched it,” Posey said.
Pierce made two free throws on the possession, putting the Celtics up by six with 1½ minutes to go.
The Pistons failed on their 3-pointers down the stretch and couldn’t take advantage of Garnett and Pierce missing three free throws in the final 40 seconds.
The Pistons were eliminated at The Palace for the first time since Pierce helped Boston do it in the second round of the 2002 playoffs. Detroit had won its previous five games this postseason when coming off a loss.
With only one title and two NBA finals appearances during its impressive six-year run, the franchise will draw more comparisons to baseball’s Atlanta Braves.
The Celtics, meanwhile, validated their bold move of adding Garnett and Allen to join Pierce. Garnett and Pierce played key roles in the decisive fourth quarter, outscoring Detroit 20-13.
Boston point guard Rajon Rondo scored 11 points and Kendrick Perkins added seven points and seven rebounds.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Braun carries Brewers past Astros at Miller Park.
May 31, 2008
Ryan Braun is battling a head cold and an inner ear infection, and that’s bad news for the Milwaukee Brewers’ opponents.
Braun homered and matched a career-high with four hits, Manny Parra pitched six strong innings and the Brewers beat the Houston Astros 5-1 on Friday night.
“I think it worked for me today,” said Braun, who has battled dizziness and other symptoms for more than a week. “I’ve been sick for a little while. It happens throughout the course of the season. You just continue to play hard.
“For me, a lot of times if I have some kind of small injury or I’m a little bit sick, I think it helps me relax. When I feel too good, I try to do too much.”
Prince Fielder and Mike Cameron also went deep for Milwaukee, which won for the fourth time in five games.
Parra (3-2) rebounded from a disastrous outing against the Washington Nationals on Sunday, when he gave up six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. He allowed the Astros just one run and four hits, pitching around four walks and striking out six.
Brandon Backe (4-6) gave up five runs and six hits over five innings for Houston, which has lost three straight. Backe, who had won his past two starts, is 9-15 on the road in his career and 17-6 at Minute Maid Park.
Cameron hit his seventh home run in the first inning and Braun homered three pitches later, putting Backe in a hole early. It was Braun’s team-leading 14th homer.
“Backe is a guy that gives us troubles, so to hit two home runs in the first inning made you feel pretty good,” Brewers manager Ned Yost said. “That took a little pressure off us right out of the gate.”
Braun singled in a run in the third and Milwaukee added two more in the fifth. Braun reached on a single and Fielder hit a two-out homer just over the right-field fence, his first in 45 at-bats and seventh this season.
“I felt like I had pretty good stuff, I just couldn’t get guys out,” Backe said. “I had no putout pitches.”
Especially against Braun.
“He’s a guy who is seeing the ball real well right now,” Backe said. “We have a guy like that in Lance Berkman. When he’s seeing the ball well, there’s not much you can do to get him out.”
Berkman, who came in hitting .474 (46-for-97) in May, had two more hits, including a bunt single in the eighth.
Miquel Tejada had his 13-game hitting streak snapped for the Astros, who did not get a runner past second base after the second inning.
Carlos Villanueva, sent to the bullpen more than a week ago after struggling as a starter, pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth for Milwaukee. Guillermo Mota took care of the ninth.
Parra, however, drew the attention of Houston manager Cecil Cooper.
“We faced him in Houston, and he wasn’t the same guy,” Cooper said of Parra, who gave up six runs and nine hits in four innings against the Astros on May 3. “He had command (tonight). When you have command and throw 94, it’s pretty tough to beat that.”
Parra said his performance was a confidence booster.
“Sometimes I just felt like I didn’t belong,” he said of his struggles this season. “I didn’t really understand it because last year I felt like I had a lot of success.”
Braun, the reigning NL Rookie of the Year, also had success in 2007 - and has carried it over to 2008.
“He’s real good,” Cameron said. “When he is right, he is probably one of the best in the game. He can hit all pitches out of the ballpark. He is not real big, but he’s strong. His balls travel for a long time.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
2008 Stanley Cup Game 4 Preview - Red Wings vs Penguins.
May 31, 2008
The Detroit Red Wings can win the Stanley Cup on Saturday night, even if they may not realize it.
Not in actuality, of course. At last check, the NHL still requires a team to win four games to lift the Stanley Cup, not three.
No matter, a Red Wings victory on Pittsburgh’s home ice would likely be a devastating blow to a young Penguins team that was waxed by a combined 7-0 score in the first two games in Detroit, then needed two Sidney Crosby goals to win 3-2 in Game 3 on Wednesday.
The Penguins are 17-0 at Mellon Arena since Feb. 24, and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t lost there in six months, going 19-0 since the night before Thanksgiving. Now that’s a home-ice advantage.
Pittsburgh has seized on that home-ice domination as the primary reason to think it can even the series despite Detroit’s big edge in Games 1 and 2. The Penguins players talk daily about how comfortable they are at home, how their fans motivate them, how their confidence swells whenever they step on that ice.
Coincidentally, their sellout crowd will be the Penguins’ 66th in a row at home, appropriate given that co-owner Mario Lemieux wore No. 66 during his Hall of Fame career.
“If feels so great to be at home,” forward Max Talbot said Friday. “In the back of your head, you’re confident and you’re happy to be back in the series. It’s more of a mental thing than anything.”
Take that away, and the Red Wings may take away the series - and as early as Game 5 on Monday night in Detroit.
“I’m not a big believer in momentum,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said, referring to Pittsburgh’s victory in Game 3. “I just think you start a new day.”
If the Red Wings win Game 4, the Penguins would have a mathematical chance of winning the Cup, but possibly little else. Only six teams in the finals have forced a Game 7 after trailing 3-1 and only one, the 1942 Maple Leafs against the Red Wings, rallied to win.
The Penguins would also have to win twice in a six-day span in Detroit, something they couldn’t do there once last weekend.
Given how difficult the Penguins acknowledged it would be to win the series if they trailed 3-0, being down 3-1 would be little better given Detroit’s home-ice edge.
So, in what figures to be a pivotal Game 4 - there’s a big difference between being tied at 2 and leading 3-1 - the Red Wings again want to throttle the Penguins’ fast skaters in the neutral zone. They also want to make it difficult for Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to get scoring chances, and find a way to get the opening goal past Fleury.
“I think the team that gets that first goal, it feels more confident and the team that’s behind is pressing a little more,” Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom said. “I think we’ve seen that in this series and in previous series, too.”
These very experienced Red Wings also want to make sure they don’t get swept up by the Penguins’ speed, something they haven’t done until now.
“As a team coming in here, you have to play real well in your own end and you have to make them play defense, too,” Lidstrom said.
The Red Wings expect to have Tomas Holmstrom back on their top line with Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, even though Holmstrom injured a hamstring while colliding with 6-foot-7 Penguins defenseman Hal Gill in Game 3.
Babcock said it will be the player’s decision - and Holmstrom said he would have played if the game had been on Friday.
Holmstrom, who specializes in establishing himself in front of the crease to frustrate and distract goalies, will test his leg during the pre-game skate Saturday.
“If it’s like this, I think I’ll be OK,” Holmstrom said.
If Holmstrom can’t go, Dan Cleary would likely move up to the top line and Darren McCarty would play again after being held out since Game 1. Johan Franzen, who has a playoffs-leading 13 goals and scored in Game 3, also might assume the front-of-the-net role at times.
Regardless of whether Holmstrom plays, Penguins coach Michel Therrien is lobbying yet again for more obstruction penalties against the Red Wings, who have allowed only three goals in three games.
Therrien complained about the Red Wings’ defensive tactics following his team’s 3-0 loss in Game 2. He renewed his lobbying campaign on Friday after being asked about the Penguins’ home-crowd advantage.
Reminded he didn’t answer the question, Therrien said, “I understand your question, but I want to say my point, too.”
A Penguins victory makes it a best-of-three series, and they believe that favors them given their substantial advantage in age. A majority of the Penguins are 30 or younger, but most of the key Red Wings players are 30 or over - some, well over 30.
“We know they’re a team with a lot of pride and a lot of experience, and they’re not going to accept losing, either,” Crosby said. “So it’s going to be a tough win.”
One that very well could decide the Stanley Cup.
“If anything, I see us being even more into it because we’re actually back in this thing,” Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney said. “We got stage one accomplished … (now) it’s about getting this win and making it a whole new series.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Crew chiefs for Riggs, Sauter fined and suspended after Lowe’s.
May 30, 2008
NASCAR handed down its most severe penalties yet concerning alterations to its new car Wednesday, when the crew chiefs and car chiefs for Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter were suspended six races apiece for tampering with the rear wings on their Chevrolets last weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Additionally, crew chiefs Bootie Barker and Dave Skog were fined $100,000 each. Derick Jennings and Thomas Harris, the car chiefs, were not fined but their suspensions are unprecedented. All four must sit out until the July 12 race in Chicago, and are on probation through the end of the year.
Riggs and Sauter were each docked 150 driver points, penalties that severely hurt the struggling teams. The cars are both fielded by Haas-CNC Motorsports, which was docked 150 owner points for each Chevrolet. Haas general manager Joe Custer is listed as the owner for Riggs’ No. 66, and Margaret Haas is listed as the owner of Sauter’s No. 77.
The points deduction is the second largest in NASCAR history, only behind the 151 points
Gene Haas, who actually owns the fledgling two-car team, began serving a two-year prison sentence for tax evasion in January. The team is widely believed to be for sale, and two-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart has acknowledged he’s received an offer to buy the organization.
This round of penalties should drop the purchase price, as the points deductions are a significant setback to a pair of cars already running at the back of the field. Riggs’ No. 66 drops from 26th to 35th in the owner standings, and Sauter’s No. 70 falls even further outside the top 35, from 40th to 44th.
NASCAR officials said the Haas organization was ratted out by other teams in the garage following Thursday’s qualifying for the Coca-Cola 600. When NASCAR checked on the two Chevrolets, officials determined the brackets on the rear wings had been tampered with in an attempt to move the wing and create an aerodynamic advantage.
The cars were confiscated and Riggs and Sauter had to go to backups and start from the back of the field in Sunday’s race. Riggs rallied to finish 28th, while Sauter was 35th.
Sprint Cup Series director John Darby called the penalties “probably the most severe we’ve had with the new car up to this point.” NASCAR has not tolerated any modifications to its Car of Tomorrow, which was phased into competition last year and being used exclusively this season.
“The rules are very clear, the inspection processes are very clear and the message that was sent to the teams before the car ever came out that `We don’t want these processes messed with.’ I think that message has been delivered fairly clear,” Darby said as testing at Pocono Raceway concluded.
“If you look at this penalty and compare it to previous penalties, it is much more severe. The whole point is to make the garage area and all the competitors that compete in our sport understand very clearly that this is a car that we have many, many drawers in the toolbox full of tools that they can work with. But the stuff that’s NASCAR’s, leave it be NASCAR’s and don’t mess with it.”
Previous penalties had resulted in crew chief suspensions, $100,000 fines and the loss of 100 points. The Haas penalties are the biggest in terms of points deductions and the inclusion of the car chief suspensions.
Darby delivered the news to Haas competition director Matt Borland, Barker and Skog in a 10-minute talk behind the garage after testing was finished at Pocono. Borland declined to discuss the penalties, or reveal if the team plans to appeal.
“Typically when you go through some penalties and there’s a rules infraction, you always ask yourself `Why?’ ” Darby said. “Why should we have to deal with that? It’s obviously not good for Haas Racing, it’s not good for NASCAR, it’s not good for our sport.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.
Crew chief Eury Sr., two others penalized for altercation at LMS.
May 30, 2008
Three members of Brad Keselowski’s team, including crew chief Tony Eury Sr., were penalized Wednesday for participating in a post-race altercation with Denny Hamlin’s crew on pit road at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
Crew members from both teams scuffled after late race contact between the two drivers in Saturday night’s Nationwide Series event. Keselowski ran into the back of Hamlin under caution, and Hamlin retaliated by hitting him back.
The drivers finished second and third in the race, and their crews had to be separated in the impound area.
Eury Sr. was fined $1,000 and placed on probation until June 25.
Michael Sandlin, a team member for JR Motorsports, was suspended one race, fined $1,500 and placed on probation until Oct. 15. NASCAR said Sandlin failed to follow a directive from a NASCAR official and had inappropriate contact with a NASCAR official during the post-race altercation.
Jordan Allen, another JR Motorsports crew member, was fined $1,500 and placed on probation until Oct. 15 for failing to follow a directive from a NASCAR official and inappropriate contact with a NASCAR official.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
NBA to fine players for flopping on purpose in 2008/09.
May 30, 2008
The NBA will begin fining players guilty of flopping, beginning next season.
Although the exact amount of fines has not been determined, the clubs have been informed that a new rule is on the way.
“We have not finalized what the system’s going to be and certainly we will before the beginning of next season,” NBA vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said Friday.
In-game observers at the arenas and video reviewers will report theatrical flops as part of postgame reports, according to ESPN.com, which first reported the plan to penalize floppers.
“Our objective is to get the most egregious flops, the ones where the player’s just flat taking a dive,” Jackson said.
Whether suspensions could be a part of the punishments is not clear. The league has an escalating scale of punishments for technical fouls and could use something similar for flops.
Players who flop in international basketball get a technical foul.
Hookscenter.com wire report.
2008 NBA Eastern Finals Game 6 Preview - Pistons vs Celtics.
May 30, 2008
Flip Saunders doesn’t sound like a coach worried about his future.
The Boston Celtics won Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, pushing the Detroit Pistons to the brink of elimination and a possible shake up.
Saunders has already outlasted his predecessors, Larry Brown and Rick Carlisle, both of whom lasted just two years.
But if Detroit loses in the conference finals for a third straight season, there’s a chance Saunders won’t be back for a fourth year.
The Pistons’ nucleus, which has been together since winning a title in 2004, might also get broken up with another loss.
Saunders shrugged off the pressure on him going into a win-or-go-home matchup Friday night at home, saying he’s excited about the opportunity.
“I really believe if we get Game 6, that we’re going to have a good opportunity in Game 7,” Saunders said Thursday.
If Boston falls to 0-3 in Game 6s this postseason, it will host its third Game 7 on Sunday night.
Paul Pierce said the last thing he and the Celtics are thinking about is being tired from their grueling run.
“The only thing on my mind is getting a win, getting a step closer to being in the NBA finals,” Pierce said after helping Boston beat Detroit 106-102 Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the series. “I don’t think fatigue is going to be a factor for the rest of this series. The guys physically for the most part are feeling good, and it’s all about mental toughness right now.”
Even though the Celtics have the cushion of another home game, coach Doc Rivers wants his team to play with a sense of urgency.
“We don’t want to go to a Game 7,” Rivers said. “We want to win this now if we can. They’re not going to let us win it. We’re going to have to come in and take it.
“They’ve been in situations before. They’re a mentally tough team, and we’re going to have to play the game of our lives to go up there and win. But I think we’re capable of doing that.”
The Pistons’ past two seasons under Saunders have ended on the road in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Miami Heat.
The two previous years, under Brown, Detroit didn’t have home-court advantage when it advanced past the Indiana Pacers to win the NBA title in 2004 and Miami the next year before coming up just short of repeating against the San Antonio Spurs.
Less than a day after Detroit’s divorce with Brown was completed with a $7 severance package, Saunders agreed to a four-year contract worth up to $26 million.
Rivers said it would be “a shame” if Saunders lost his job this offseason.
“He’s one of the best coaches in our league,” Rivers said.
That description also fits Brown and Carlisle, but both were not welcomed back for a third season with the Pistons despite having success.
Saunders inherited a job with pluses, including championship-caliber players, and minuses such as strong-minded veterans, such as Rasheed Wallace, who respected and liked Brown.
Chris Webber, who played for Saunders last season, seemed to add to the perception that the Pistons had tuned out their coach earlier this postseason.
“No respect to Flip, but it doesn’t matter what Flip says,” Webber said on TV at halftime of Game 4 of the Detroit-Philadelphia series. “They come from a coach like Larry Brown, they look at him like he’s the epitome of basketball.”
Saunders dismissed Webber’s comments, and the former All-Star center later tried to clarify his thoughts on Saunders in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
“All I was saying was that the Pistons are the most veteran team besides San Antonio and both of those teams have leaders in the locker room,” Webber wrote to the AP. “I like Flip and think he’s a good coach. I predicted the Pistons to win it all and you can’t do that with a bad coach.”
Rivers has had his share of critics this season, too, despite leading the NBA in regular-season wins, helping the Celtics reach the conference finals for the first time since 2002 and pulling within a win of their first NBA finals appearance since 1987.
“I’ve always laughed at some of the criticism,” Rivers said. “I was joking with someone the other day, and I told them, just answer me this: `Why would someone listen to a guy that hasn’t played, hasn’t coached? Some of the guys have never even been reporters - they’re bloggers.’
“Who’s the fool, me or the people listening?”
Another layer to Saunders’ story was added in Boston’s win Wednesday night when reserve Lindsey Hunter reacted demonstratively to getting replaced late in the game by Chauncey Billups.
“It’s nothing personal,” Hunter insisted. “If I offended somebody, I apologize.”
No apology needed.
“As coaches, we make decisions that players question, you guys question, everybody questions,” Saunders told reporters. “As it plays out, you find out if it’s good or bad or whatever.”
The Pistons hope Wallace can keep his emotions in check because if he’s called for one more technical, he will be suspended for Game 7 if it is necessary.
“Usually when he gets this close in those types of situations, he knows to try to tone it down a little,” Saunders said. “I’ll talk to him.”
The NBA fined Wallace $25,000 for his expletive-laced rant targeting Game 5 officials Mike Callahan and Kenny Mauer.
“The cats are flopping all over the floor and they’re calling that,” Wallace told reporters after Game 5. “That ain’t basketball out there. It’s all entertainment. You all should know that.”
Saunders also seemed to want the league to take a look at Pierce’s bear-hug foul against Billups.
“I told the referee when I was standing there, `We’ve got New England Patriots that are here. (Teddy) Bruschi had a tackle like that in the Super Bowl,”‘ Saunders recalled. “So I don’t think that’s allowed in basketball.”
Hookscenter.com wire report.