Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "Bad blood already exists between the two rivals, in part because the Cavaliers have won the previous two playoff series and James is granted wide latitude from the referees, often a hop, skip and a jump on his forays to the basket. Ernie Grunfeld, the team's president of basketball operations, understands that the animosity levels of teams increase in relation to the number of times they meet in the playoffs. He remembers how it was with the Knicks and Bulls in the '90s, when he was the general manager of the Knicks. 'Rivalries are created in the playoffs,' he said earlier this week. 'It's a good rivalry we have with them.' It is a matchup that seemingly favors the Wizards because of their three All-Stars, deep bench, improved defense and free throw shooting."
Rob Parker of The Detroit News: "Despite calls for Rasheed Wallace's ouster, Pistons president Joe Dumars never wavered. Not only wasn't Wallace going anywhere, Dumars believed Wallace would give the Pistons a legitimate shot to win another championship. Wallace, after his most consistent season in a Pistons uniform, is poised to do just that. 'Rasheed Wallace epitomizes what I want a Detroit Piston to be,' Dumars said. 'He's a smart player, he plays to win, plays with passion and he's totally unselfish.'"
Tom Enlund of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "The Krystkowiak era began late last season with a rousing home victory over eventual champion San Antonio, and then another victory over Charlotte two days later. Even though they won only three of the final 16 games after that, there was still an air of optimism, since the team thought it was laying a foundation for the future. That positive vibe continued when the Bucks started this season with a 7-4 record and they were still at the .500 mark early in December. But the bottom fell out quickly after that and in the final weeks, the Bucks won just four of their final 25 games."
John Reid of The Times-Picayune: "The Hornets don't begin their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks until Saturday at the New Orleans Arena, but the fans already are in a playoff frenzy. Several thousand showed up Thursday night for the Hornets' 'Fan Up Playoff Pep Rally' on Fulton Street next to Harrah's Casino and Hotel. The Hornets coaches and players were cheered when they were introduced, and the Honeybees had long lines of fans waiting to get autographs. ... 'This kind of sent me back to the old high school days when we had pep rallies to get the fans stirred up,' Hornets guard Bonzi Wells said."
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune: 'We fall in love with everyone we see,' Mike Krzyzewski said. Alas, Krzyzewski, the Team USA coach, and Jerry Colangelo, the managing director, can take only a dozen to the big dance in Beijing in August. Whether Hornets guard Chris Paul and center Tyson Chandler are among the chosen few remains to be seen. The players won't know their fate until the team is announced June 30. Twelve players and three alternates will be picked from a pool of 33 members of the USA Senior National Team program. With such high-profile athletes in the mix, the selection process should be among the most scrutinized and publicized events of the summer."
Jayda Evans of The Seattle Times: "He's already gone. One of the most magical rookies to ever step foot in Seattle has already caught a plane to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to begin an offseason of schoolwork and working out. Whether Seattle sees Kevin Durant again depends on the results of numerous court dates ahead."
Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "I'm a Don Nelson guy. Have been from the first shocking day the Warriors hired him almost two years ago. Think he's done an incredible job since then. He's so much better than any of the last bunch of Warriors head coaches it's not funny. Doesn't mean he's perfect, as I have often pointed out. But he has been excellent, no question. The guy is the second-best NBA coach (after Phil Jackson) I've ever covered. Still, Nellie does thrum the nerve points sometimes. I was a captive listener to the interview he just did with Tolbert and Barbieri (stuck in traffic on my happy way to HP Pavilion) and now I can't help myself. I'm here early for Sharks-Flames, time to kill, and I've got to say: Don? Enough with the self-pity."
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