Boston fans can finally stop holding their collective breath because in Game five of the Eastern Conference Finals, the third member of its Big Three finally acted like it.

Ray Allen, who hadn’t been able to find his shooting touch this postseason, busted out of his slump by pouring in 29 points on 9-for-15 shooting. He led Boston to a 106-102 victory, and a 3-2 series lead. Allen also went 5-for-6 from the three-point line. Prior to this game, he had been 3-for-14 from behind the arc against Detroit.
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With 5:54 remaining in the third quarter in Game one of the Western Conference Finals, things looked bleak for the top-seeded seeded Lakers. Down 20 points at home and in danger of losing the ever-important home-court advantage, they orchestrated a big comeback that gave them a 1-0 series lead and all the momentum heading into Game two.

The Lakers were down 65-45, but then Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol took over. NBA MVP Bryant scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half, and even scored the go-ahead bucket with 23.9 seconds left. Gasol added 19 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals. This effort culminated in an 89-85 victory, and the second-biggest second-half comeback in the NBA playoffs since 1998.

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The thought of the league’s top two MVP candidates squaring off in the Western Conference finals is an intriguing one, and, judging by Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul’s performances over the weekend, it is looking more and more like a slam dunk.

Paul didn’t have astounding statistics in New Orleans’ 101-82 over San Antonio on Saturday night - a relative statement for Paul, who still finished with 17 points, 13 assists, just two turnovers and four steals. His quick, controlled aggression broke down the veteran Spurs’ defense and got all of his younger, more athletic teammates into the mix. Read more »

The Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns knew that adjustments had to be made if they were to make a run at an NBA championship. Neither of their longshot trade experiments - the Mavs’ with Jason Kidd and the Suns’ with Shaquille O’Neal - panned out, as the Mavs were eliminated by the New Orleans Hornets and the Suns by the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Forcing the action on the trade market, which the crowded Western Conference forced these two teams to do in February, is rarely a good move. It’s easy to say in retrospect that these were foolish deals to make, but they were foolish far before the two teams were bounced from the playoffs. Read more »