T'wolves Protect Lead For a Change

'Wounded warriors' watch; reporters boxed out

(NEWSER) - President Obama played basketball today with a constellation of NBA stars and a ringer from the national champion UConn women's team. Service members injured in action and participants in the White House mentoring program watched, but the press pool waited outside, the Washington Post reports. Retired stars Magic Johnson and Bill Russell played but Kobe Bryant only watched, reports The Hill . More»

Odds for Knicks, Cavs plunge

(NEWSER) - LeBron James has pretty much decided he’ll be joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, sources tell Chris Broussard of ESPN . Of course, James won’t make any announcement before his special tonight at 9pm Eastern—which just happens to be on ESPN—so there’s time for him to change his mind. Good buddy Chris Paul is urging him to stay in Cleveland, as are many others close to him. More»

(NEWSER) - Idan Ravin has never played or coached competitive basketball. He has no formal basketball training. Yet somehow, this mild-mannered, 38-year-old Jewish ex-lawyer is one of the NBA’s most sought-after personal trainers, known in basketball circles as “the Hoops Whisperer,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Ravin’s workouts are more psychological than physical, putting players through such stressful, chaotic drills that their physical game becomes nearly automatic. More»

(NEWSER) - The San Antonio Spurs' Big Three came through, but they'll still have to win one on the road to keep their title defense alive. Manu Ginobili scored 25 points, Tim Duncan had 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Tony Parker added 15 points in the Spurs' 99-80 victory over the New Orleans Hornets in Game 6 last night. More»

Forward has 38 points, 14 boards and 5 blocks in 101-79 victory

(NEWSER) - David West and the New Orleans Hornets sure looked happy to be at home. West had career playoff highs of 38 points, 14 rebounds and five blocked shots, lifting New Orleans to a 101-79 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night and a 3-2 series lead. New Orleans looked impressive in winning the first two games at home but stumbled in San Antonio. More»