NBA postseason a changing of guard

FINALLY, IT'S almost time to pay attention to the NBA.

The NCAA tournament is behind us, as is baseball's opening day. Once the Masters champion slips on his green jacket tonight, about the only other interesting diversion between now and summer will be the NFL draft, where players are picked for a season that may never come to pass.

So let's savor the upcoming NBA playoffs. If you're a fan of a certain age (or at least a fan of players of a certain age), the next two months may be your last chance to enjoy an era that's ending soon.

Shaquille O'Neal is 39 and may or may not suit up for the Boston Celtics as he chases a fifth ring. Shaq returned last Sunday after missing 27 games with a strained left Achilles tendon--only to limp off the floor after only 5 minutes, this time with a strained right calf muscle.

It's remarkable, really, that O'Neal's legs have held up for 18 seasons, given the sheer weight and force that they've had to bear. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said O'Neal should be ready for the playoffs (which start this week), but he's not sure how much he can count on the Big Nickname.

Even though O'Neal has become a defensive liability (especially against the pick and roll), Boston will need him at least for short spurts after trading away starting center Kendrick Perkins in February.

And this isn't just the last hurrah for O'Neal. Ray Allen is 36. Kevin Garnett turns 35 next month. Paul Pierce is 33. Chances are, this is their last real shot at winning a second title together--especially since coach Doc Rivers has been noncommittal about his future plans.

Plus, there's young blood ready to push aside the aging Celtics.

Led by 22-year-old Derrick Rose, the presumptive league MVP, the Chicago Bulls are the East's No. 1 seed. The road to the finals goes through the United Center--that is, assuming the Celtics survive a first-round series and a probable second-round matchup with Miami's Big Three.

And let's not overlook the Heat, whose stars are all in their prime and have been pointing to the playoffs all along. While the Heat have struggled all season against the NBA's elite, Miami may have enough to put a coda on the Celtics' final hopes.

The situation is similar in the West. Kobe Bryant's Lakers are the two-time defending NBA champions and must be regarded as the favorites until someone knocks them off.

But Kobe has a lot of mileage on his 32-year-old legs and, while he's still one of the league's stars, has shown unmistakable signs of slowing down. He won't be able to carry the Lakers to another title by himself. He'll need Pau Gasol's consistency and for Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest to show up for the playoffs.

Like Rivers, Lakers coach Phil Jackson seems likely to be elsewhere next season. Bryant would love to give Jackson his fourth three-peat, but it won't be easy.

That's because there are other veterans looking for a last hurrah--and a precocious young team that doesn't want to wait.

Tim Duncan is 35 and has gone from being the top-seeded Spurs' main man to one of several vital cogs. He'd love a fifth ring, and with the emergence of George Hill as a complement to Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, he might get it.

Or Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki might get their first. Kidd, 38, is one of the NBA's all-time best playmakers. Nowitzki, 32, is his generation's Dominique Wilkins or George Gervin--a stellar scorer who never had enough support to win a championship. This could be their last legitimate shot.

Or the Oklahoma City Thunder could spoil it for all the West's veterans.

At 22, Kevin Durant is poised to become the NBA's youngest repeat scoring leader. Emerging star Russell Westbook is also 22. Sixth man supreme James Harden is 21. And Perkins gives the Thunder the big body they lacked last year, when they pushed the Lakers to six games in the first round.

A Bulls-Thunder finals would have great appeal for a new generation of NBA fans. But there are a lot of spectators (not to mention players) who would love to delay the inevitable for another year.

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Red Sox Beat Yankees, Snap Six-Game Losing Streak; Mets Lose Home Opener

Jarrod Saltalamacchia hit a run- scoring double in the fifth inning as the Boston Red Sox won their first game of the season with a 9-6 home-opening victory against the New York Yankees.

At Citi Field in New York, the Mets lost their Major League Baseball home opener 6-2 to the Washington Nationals.

The Red Sox, who lost their first six games, avoided matching the 0-8 record they set in 1945.

“I just came in here thinking, ‘We need to find a way to win. I don’t care how we do it. I don’t care if it’s the ugliest win of all time. We need that win,’” Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “But we played great, man.”

Robinson Cano doubled in the first to give the Yankees (4- 3) a 2-0 lead. Pedroia hit a home run to left field in the first that closed the gap to 2-1 for Boston (1-6).

“He gave us a huge lift,” manager Terry Francona said. “We’re down two, he takes a good swing and kind of gets at least a little bit of momentum, a little bit of excitement going.”

Alex Rodriguez’s home run tied the game 6-6 in the fifth inning for the Yankees before Saltalamacchia drove in Kevin Youkilis in the bottom of the inning.
‘Great Team’

J.D. Drew hit a two-run single in the seventh to seal Boston’s win.

“They’ve got a great team,” Yankees catcher Russell Martin said. “(Going) 0-6 is not a good indication of how they’re playing. You’re not playing the record.”

John Lackey (1-1) got the win for the Red Sox despite giving up seven hits and six runs in five innings.

New York’s Bartolo Colon (0-1), who relieved starter Phil Hughes in the third inning, allowed two hits and two runs in 4 1/3 innings for the loss.

Nationals pitcher Jordan Zimmermann hit a two-run single to right in the second inning to give Washington a 2-0 lead against the Mets, who got a run in the fourth when Ike Davis scored David Wright on a sacrifice fly.

“I don’t know what happened there,” said Zimmermann, a .167 career hitter with four runs batted in. “I was trying to get the barrel on the ball.”
‘Awesome Job’

Michael Morse walked with the bases loaded to score Jayson Werth in the fifth for Washington. Ivan Rodriguez hit a two-run single and Ian Desmond grounded out to score Danny Espinosa three innings later for the Nationals (3-4).

Zimmermann (1-1) gave up six hits and two runs and struck out four in 5 1/3 innings for the win.

“I was battling pretty much all day” Zimmermann said. “I handed it over to the bullpen and they did an awesome job.”

R.A. Dickey (1-1), who split the nail on his index finger in the first inning, got the loss, allowing six hits and three runs while walking five over five innings as the Mets (3-4) fell to 31-19 in home openers.

“I’m not going to say (the split nail) led to every walk,” Dickey said. “It was just very tough to get the feel.”

In the American League, it was Detroit 5, Kansas City 2; Minnesota 2, Oakland 1; Tampa Bay 9, the Chicago White Sox 7; Toronto 3, the Los Angeles Angels 2; and Cleveland 12, Seattle 3. The game between undefeated Texas and Baltimore, postponed because of rain, will be played today as part of a doubleheader.

In the National League, it was San Francisco 5, St. Louis 4 (12 innings); Florida 4, Houston 3; Atlanta 6, Philadelphia 3; the Chicago Cubs 7, Milwaukee 4; Pittsburgh 4, Colorado 3 (14 innings); and Arizona 13, Cincinnati 2.

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Being Dwight isn't easy

While an MVP showdown between Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard and Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose would have been nice for the fans of Orlando to see, Sunday's off day might not be such a bad thing for Howard.

After his 18th technical foul of the season netted him a one-game suspension, Howard won't be available for the 1 p.m. ET tip, but it's probably best for the superstar big man and his team that he gets an afternoon off, anyway.

Because being Dwight Howard isn't easy.

Howard has played 2,862 physically taxing minutes in 76 games this season, for an average of 37.7 minutes per game. He is 10th in the NBA in total minutes played and 12th in the league in minutes per game. Among true centers, Howard is the league leader in both categories.

Other players – Monta Ellis, Blake Griffin, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, to name a few – may have spent more time on the court, but there isn't a player in the world – not a center, not a guard, not a forward – who absorbs the punishment Howard endures night in and night out.

Put an average NBA player in Howard's shoes and he's lucky to survive the season with all of his limbs still attached, much less excel the way Howard has this season. But Howard has persevered and averaged a career-high 23.1 points per game while pulling down 14.1 rebounds a night.

There's not a way to quantify the beating Howard takes on a nightly basis, but all you have to do is watch one Magic game to get the idea. He gets scratched, punched, kicked, grabbed, smacked and worse on a nightly basis.

Every game brings new blood and new bruises for the league's top center, but not once this year has an official decided that the contact Howard takes is excessive. Howard hasn't been on the receiving end of a single flagrant foul this season, a statistic that completely baffles Howard and his coach, Stan Van Gundy.

Need tangible evidence to support the claim that Howard takes more abuse than anyone else in the league?

Howard averages 11.8 free-throw attempts per game; the next most attempts belong to Durant, Griffin and Dwyane Wade, who all average 8.6 per night.

Howard has taken 898 free throws this season – 217 more attempts than Griffin, the next-most fouled player in the NBA. And trust me, each one of Howard's trips to the foul line was well earned. Players make sure they get their money's worth when they put Howard on the line because the other option is an easy two points for the Magic.

This is not a new phenomenon for Howard. Last year, he averaged nearly 35 minutes per game and was third in the league in free-throw attempts per game. In 2008-09, he averaged nearly 36 minutes per game and led the league in free-throw attempts per game.

Howard is hurt and exhausted – understandably – and he's said he needs the rest. And the Magic need him to be at the top of his game when the playoffs start next weekend.

So while it's frustrating in the short term, maybe Sunday's suspension will be a blessing in disguise in the end.

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