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2B – Daily News – Friday, April 15, 2011 Lakers’ road to repeat may go through Chicago NBA Playoffs By BRIAN MAHONEY AP Basketball Writer Kobe Bryant has all that champi- onship experience, and perhaps the NBA’s best supporting cast. The Miami Heat have the promise of what LeBron James and Dwyane Wade can deliver in their first post- season together, and the Boston Celtics think their playoff-tested group can do it again. ‘‘You don’t ever know if you’re going to win a championship until you get there, but you know you have the pieces that can compete for one,’’ Wade said. ‘‘That’s where we’re at right now.’’ But to win an NBA title, those teams may have to go past Michael Jordan. Well, past his likeness anyway. The Chicago Bulls, with dyna- mite point guard Derrick Rose, earned home-court advantage by finishing with the league’s best record for the first time since Jor- dan ruled the NBA. Keep on win- ning, and the Bulls would open the finals at the United Center, with its statue of Jordan outside. And what a story it would be if his old coach was on the opposing sideline. Phil Jackson, who led Jordan and the Bulls to six NBA titles, is expected to retire after this season. The Lakers would love to send him off with a sixth title in Los Angeles and a remarkable fourth three-peat. They are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and endured a five-game losing streak late in the season. But they still have Bryant, seeking to tie Jordan with a sixth ring, and loads of interior depth with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and they hope a healthy Andrew Bynum. And they might be back on track after closing the regular season with two straight victories. ‘‘Maybe we turned a corner the last two nights,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘We can’t do anything easy. We’re bipo- lar.’’ The playoffs start on Saturday, with Chicago hosting Indiana in the MLB NEW YORK (AP) — Shane Vic- torino charges hard from center field, chasing a sinking line drive. His glove, the ball and the grass all smack togeth- er at the same time. What’s the call? Next year, it well could be: Let’s look at the replay! Major League Base- ball is leaning toward expanding replay for the 2012 season to include trapped balls and fair-or-foul rulings down the lines, a person familiar with the talks tells The Associated Press. OFF (Continued from page 1B) Evans said. ‘‘But just think- ing about the process of us leaving is tough, especially because this is where I got drafted. This is my home. All I know is the Kings.’’ The future on the court might be more predictable. While Sacramento went 24-58 and missed the play- offs for the fifth straight year, a late-season surge behind a healthy Evans provided hope that maybe the Kings aren’t that far off from making the postseason again. They have a ton of roster flexibility and, with Cousins blooming into an elite power forward in his rookie season, it might only be a matter of time — and a few roster moves — before it happens. The Kings also have a stockpile of young talent, with Donte Greene, Jason Thompson and Francisco Garcia becoming solid role players. Marcus Thornton turned out to be a valuable midseason pickup from New Orleans, and keeping the free agent to-be will be a priority. ‘‘I’ve really enjoyed my time here,’’ Thornton said. ‘‘No matter where we end up, where I end up, I think this team has the makings to be a really good team sooner than a lot of people expect.’’ The Kings will know their future home soon enough. opener. Also Saturday, the Heat play Philadelphia; Atlanta and Orlando meet in a postseason rematch, and Portland visits Dallas. The Lakers get started Sunday against New Orleans, after West No. 1 seed San Antonio welcomes the Memphis Grizzlies. The Celtics drew the New York Knicks, in their first postseason since 2004 and con- fident they are dangerous with the Carmelo Anthony-Amare Stoudemire tandem; before scoring leader Kevin Durant and the Okla- homa City Thunder face the new- look Denver Nuggets in the night- cap. The Bulls may lack the star power of some other heavyweights, but they’ve spent the last few months making believers of all of them. Led by Rose, perhaps the MVP favorite, Chicago went 62-20 for its best record since finishing with the same mark in 1997-98, Jordan’s final season. ‘‘Chicago’s a good team and there’s a reason why can they keep coming at you in waves,’’ Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, ‘‘and they play hard.’’ Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah provide a strong tandem inside and the Bulls not surprisingly were a top defensive club under coach Tom Thibodeau, the architect of the Boston defense that knocked out Wade, then James in last year’s playoffs on the way to the finals. That duo then joined Chris Bosh in Miami, and after some early struggles and more scrutiny than any team should endure, the Heat surged into the postseason with 15 wins in their last 18 games and per- haps can still meet the expectations that were raised last July. ‘‘All these teams we’re talking about, they’re all flawed. There’s no perfect team to be honest with you. So if you’ve got two of the five best players, they are very dangerous,’’ Hall of Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley said. The two most intriguing first- round series could involve Antho- ny’s current and former teams. New York struggled last month as it adjusted to the trade with Den- ver, but won seven straight down the stretch to set up the 14th Commissioner Bud Selig and a group of umpires discussed the extra video review at spring training and were in agreement, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is still being dis- cussed. ‘‘Yeah to all of them, oh yeah,’’ St. Louis reliever Ryan Franklin said. ‘‘I just think they should all be called the right way, and it doesn’t matter if it takes an extra five minutes.’’ Baseball began using replay late in the 2008 season, though only to check potential home run balls. The NFL, The Maloofs were in New York on Thursday for the NBA Board of Gover- nors meeting, making their pitch to fellow owners to move the Kings to Orange County. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait also attend- ed to plead their cities’ cases for the franchise. If the Maloofs file for per- mission to relocate, as expected, a vote would fol- low in the coming weeks. No franchise that’s requested permission to relocate has ever been denied in 27 years under Stern. ‘‘If it was up to me, I would want to be here and the team obviously wants to be here as well,’’ Thompson said. ‘‘At the end of the day, if guys aren’t here and the MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Salt Lake 4 0 0 12 8 1 Colorado 3 2 0 9 8 6 Galaxy 2 1 3 9 5 6 Seattle 1 2 2 5 5 6 QUAKES 11 2 5 5 4 Vancouver 1 2 2 5 9 10 FC Dallas 1 2 1 4 4 5 Chivas USA 0 2 2 2 3 5 Portland 0 2 1 1 2 6 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA Philadelphia 3 1 0 9 3 1 Toronto FC 1 1 3 6 6 6 N. England 1 1 3 6 5 6 Houston 1 1 2 5 5 4 New York 1 1 2 5 2 2 Columbus 1 1 2 5 3 3 Chicago 1 1 1 4 5 5 Kansas City 1 1 1 4 8 8 D.C. 1 2 1 4 6 8 ————————————————— Thursday’s result Chicago at Portland, late Celtics-Knicks series. Boston had its own problems since dealing cen- ter Kendrick Perkins to the Thun- der, and though the Celtics quickly put things together last year after a lackluster finish to the regular sea- son, there’s questions if they can do it again following such a major change to their roster. Doc Rivers said his team will be ready. ‘‘I think this is what our guys have been playing for all year,’’ he said. ‘‘You know, when you lose a Game 7, it sticks with you and that’s very difficult to get back through the regular season because the whole season you’re thinking about, ’Gosh, we’ve got to go through 82 of these just to have a chance to get back to where we were at last year’ and now all that part is gone. And now we can start trying to get back to, and finish the job.’’ The Nuggets went 18-7 after trading their All-Star forward along with Chauncey Billups, moving up to the No. 5 seed by getting bal- anced contributions throughout the roster. Oklahoma City provided a tough first-round test for the Lakers last year and believes it’s better equipped to compete with the champs with Perkins patrolling the paint. The winner of that series might have to play the Spurs, then the Lakers just to reach the finals. ‘‘When you’re in the Western Conference, if you’re looking for something easy, you’ve come to the wrong place,’’ Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. ‘‘In this conference, it’s a lot different than it’s been in the East. A lot of their playoff posi- tioning has been settled for days and weeks. Out West, it’s been the epitome of high-level competition all year. It’s only going to be more competitive now.’’ The Lakers believe they can be the team to emerge from it. ‘‘Every team we can match up with in the playoffs, especially defensively,’’ Odom said. ——— AP Sports Writers Jaime Aron in Dallas, Tim Reynolds in Miami and Antonio Gonzalez in Sacramento, Calif., contributed to this report. MLB leans toward extra replay for 2012 NBA, NHL and the NCAA had already employed instant replay. Since then, there have been a spate of missed calls in the playoffs and World Series. Out-or-safe calls on the bases, like the one that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game last year, would not be subject to review. Nor would ball-or- strike decisions. Players and umpires approved adding replay three years ago. MLB’s contract with the umpires runs through the 2014 season; the labor deal with players expires this December. team is not here, it’s a busi- ness, just like any other busi- ness.’’ One thing a move could do is free the Kings up to start spending big again. The Maloofs have com- plained for years that they lack the moneymaking luxu- ry suites and amenities in Arco Arena, recently renamed Power Balance Pavilion. A move to Ana- heim’s Honda Center could free them up financially. The Kings had a league- low payroll of around $44 million this season — less than half of the Lakers’ pay- roll, to put that in perspective — and have as many options in free agency as anybody. Even with the potential for a lockout that could stretch into early next season, they’ll NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7) Wednesday’s late results Nashville 4, Anaheim 1 Nashville leads series 1-0 Vancouver 2, Chicago 0 Vancouver leads series 1-0 Thursday’s results Los Angeles at San Jose, late Series tied 0-0 Buffalo 1, Philadelphia 0 Buffalo leads series 1-0 Montreal 2, Boston 0 Montreal leads series 1-0 Today’s games Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh, 4 p.m..VS Pittsburgh leads series 1-0 N.Y. Rangers at Washington, 4:30 p.m. Washington leads series 1-0 Chicago at Vancouver, 7 p.m., VS Vancouver leads series 1-0 Nashville at Anaheim, 7:30 p.m. Nashville leads series 1-0 be in prime position whenev- er free agency begins. ‘‘We have the framework in place to really make a big leap in the future,’’ Westphal said. ‘‘But there are still so many question marks that go into the future and where that will be.’’ MLB West Division Texas American League WL Pct GB Angels 7 5 .583 2 A’s 9 3 .750 — 66 .500 3 Seattle 4 9 .308 5.5 East Division WL Pct GB New York 7 4 .636 — Baltimore 6 5 .545 1 Toronto 6 6 .500 1.5 Tampa Bay 4 8 .333 3.5 Boston 2 9 .182 5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cleveland 8 4 .667 — Kansas City 8 4 .667 — Chicago 7 5 .583 1 Detroit 5 7 .417 3 Minnesota 4 8 .333 4 ————————————————— Thursday’s results Detroit at Oakland, late Kansas City 5, Seattle 1, 8 innings New York 6, Baltimore 5, 10 innings Tampa Bay 4, Minnesota 3, 10 innings Today’s games Detroit (Porcello 0-2) at Oakland (McCarthy 1-0),7:05 p.m.,CSNC Baltimore (Britton 2-0) at Cleveland (Masterson 2-0), 4:05 p.m. Texas (Harrison 2-0) at New York (Nova 1-0), 4:05 p.m., MLBN Minnesota (Blackburn 1-1) at Tampa Bay (W.Davis 0-2), 4:10 p.m. Toronto (Cecil 0-1) at Boston (C.Buchholz 0-2), 4:10 p.m. Los Angeles (Weaver 3-0) at Chicago (Humber 1-0), 5:10 p.m. Seattle (Bedard 0-2) at Kansas City (Hochevar 1-1), 5:10 p.m. Saturday’s games Detroit at Oakland, 6:05 p.m. Baltimore at Cleveland, 10:05 a.m. Texas at New York, 10:05 a.m. Seattle at Kansas City, 10:10 a.m. Toronto at Boston, 10:10 a.m. Los Angeles at Chicago, 1:10 p.m. Minnesota at Tampa Bay, 1:10 p.m. Today’s games San Francisco (Cain 1-0) at Arizona (D.Hudson 0-2),6:40 p.m.,CSNB Florida (Vazquez 1-1) at Philadelphia (Oswalt 2-0), 4:05 p.m. Milwaukee (Narveson 1-0) at Washington (Gorzelanny 0-1), 4:05 p.m. Pittsburgh (Morton 1-0) at Cincinnati (Arroyo 2-0), 4:10 p.m. New York(D.Carrasco 0-0) at Atlanta (D.Lowe 1-2), 4:30 p.m. San Diego (Harang 2-0) at Houston (Happ 1-1), 5:05 p.m. Chicago (Garza 0-1) at Colorado (Chacin 2-0), 5:40 p.m. St. Louis (Lohse 1-1) at Los Angeles (Garland 0-0), 7:10 p.m. Saturday’s games San Francisco at Arizona, 5:10 p.m. Milwaukee at Washington, 10:05 a.m. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 10:10 a.m. New York at Atlanta, 1:10 p.m. Florida at Philadelphia, 4:05 p.m. San Diego at Houston, 4:05 p.m. Chicago at Colorado, 5:10 p.m. St. Louis at Los Angeles, 7:10 p.m. Wednesday’s late results San Francisco 4, Los Angeles 3 St. Louis 15, Arizona 5 GREENE (Continued from page 1B) Bluff that I haven't encoun- tered in other rodeos. My in-laws, they'll sense that too. They’ll sense things about this town no visitor’s guide could ever accurately explain — a family oriented town, holding with pride onto the reigns of its past as MAYOR (Continued from page 1B) commitment to building a new entertainment complex to replace the Power Bal- ance Pavilion, whether the Kings remained to play in it or not. ‘‘So for anybody that has concern, even in a down market, a down economy, that we as a community can’t step up to a higher level in the 2011-12 season, they would be mistaken and we have to demonstrate that,’’ Johnson said before the meeting. Darius Anderson of the Anderson Burkle Group said Burkle’s interest proves that. Johnson said the own- ers asked and were assured that Burkle’s group would not seek to move the team. ‘‘If this new ownership group comes to Sacramento, we will have a winning team. No doubt about it,’’ Anderson said. ‘‘Ron knows how to win, he won the Stanley Cup two years ago, and he’s made that same commitment going for- ward.’’ Johnson said the Kings sold out in 19 of their 26 sea- sons in Sacramento, adding that ‘‘I don’t believe the grass is greener in Anaheim than it is in Sacramento.’’ ‘‘Fans mean something. Fans are the texture and the heart and soul of the NBA,’’ Johnson said. ‘‘That’s No. 1. No. 2, we are a top-20 TV market, so I want to remind and maybe dispel some of the concerns that people it moves forward — all at perhaps a slower pace of life than they’re used to. But sitting in the grand- stands, soaking it all in, with majestic scenery abound it will become apparent why there’s less reason to hustle and bustle in this place. And like the family that’s visited before them — that’s when they’ll kick off their boots in our new home. have with the Sacramento market. It is a viable mar- ket.’’ But the former Arco Arena is outdated, so the Maloof brothers have begun exploring the move to Southern California. The Honda Center, which hosted the NCAA tournament’s West Regional finals, has amenities that Sacramento’s building lacks. The arena situation in Sacramento has long been a concern in the NBA, and Commissioner David Stern has expressed less optimism seemingly each time he’s been asked over the last few years. Yet it’s the league’s owners who will determine if the Maloofs can move, and a majority of them would have to approve the application. They could also seek to establish a severe relocation fee penalty that could make the Maloofs reconsider. Sacramento’s pitch also included a report from Tim Romani, president and CEO of the ICON group, which is performing a feasibility study for a new arena that he said should be completed by the end of May. However, he did say the financing for the project was not fully deter- mined. But Burkle led the drive for a new arena in Pitts- burgh, and Johnson’s team believes he could be the key to saving pro basketball in Sacramento. ‘‘We built a very com- pelling case to the NBA today,’’ Johnson said. Giants to raffle off ring SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The San Francisco Giants are raffling off a World Series ring identical to those the players and staff received. The proceeds will benefit the club’s community ser- vice arm known as the ‘‘Giants Community Fund.’’ The winner’s last name will be engraved on one side of the ring, which was designed by Tiffany & Co. and features white and yel- low gold with 77 diamonds weighing just under one carat. Tickets are available at www.sfgiants.com/ringraf- MLB West Division National League WL Pct GB Colorado 10 2 .833 — Dodgers 6 6 .500 4 GIANTS 66 .500 4 Arizona 5 6 .455 4.5 Padres 5 7 .417 5 East Division WL Pct GB Philadelphia 9 3 .750 — Florida 7 5 .583 2 Washington 5 7 .417 4 Atlanta 5 8 .385 4.5 New York 4 9 .308 5.5 Central Division WL Pct GB Cincinnati 8 4 .667 — Milwaukee 7 5 .583 1 Chicago 6 6 .500 2 Pittsburgh 5 7 .417 3 St. Louis 5 7 .417 3 Houston 4 9 .308 4.5 ————————————————— Thursday’s results Colorado 6, New York 5, 1st game Colorado 9, New York 4, 2nd game Florida 6, Atlanta 5 Houston 1, San Diego 0 Milwaukee 4, Pittsburgh 1 Philadelphia 4, Washington 0 St. Louis at Los Angeles, late fle. A minimum purchase of $10 is required. Run by Celebrities for Charity, the raffle will close on July 26. The winner will be announced the next day during the telecast when the Giants play at the Philadel- phia Phillies, then the recipi- ent will be acknowledged in a ring ceremony before an Aug. 27 home game with the Houston Astros. NBA PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND (Best-of-7) (x-if necessary) WESTERN CONFERENCE San Antonio vs. Memphis Sunday: at San Antonio, 10 a.m. Wednesday: at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m. April 23: at Memphis, 4:30 p.m. April 25: at Memphis, TBD x-April 27: at San Antonio, TBD x-April 29: at Memphis, TBD x-May 1: at San Antonio, TBD L.A. Lakers vs. New Orleans Sunday: at L.A. Lakers, 12:30 p.m. Wednesday: at L.A. Lakers, 7:30 p.m. April 22: at New Orleans, 6:30 p.m. April 24: at New Orleans, 6:30 p.m. x-April 26: at L.A. Lakers, TBD x-April 28: at New Orleans, TBD x-April 30: at L.A. Lakers, TBD Dallas vs. Portland Saturday: at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday: at Dallas, 6:30 p.m. April 21: at Portland, 7:30 p.m. April 23: at Portland, 2 p.m. x-April 25: at Dallas, TBD x-April 28: at Portland, TBD x-April 30: at Dallas, TBD Oklahoma City vs. Denver Sunday: at Oklahoma City, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday: at Oklahoma City, 5 p.m. April 23: at Denver, 7 p.m. April 25: at Denver, 7:30 p.m. x-April 27: at Oklahoma City, TBD x-April 29: at Denver, TBD x-May 1: at Oklahoma City, TBD EASTERN CONFERENCE Chicago vs. Indiana Saturday: at Chicago, 10 a.m. Monday: at Chicago, 6:30 p.m. April 21: at Indiana, 4 p.m. April 23: at Indiana, 11:30 a.m. x-April 26: at Chicago, TBD x-April 28: at Indiana, TBD x-April 30: at Chicago, TBD Miami vs. Philadelphia Saturday: at Miami, 12:30 p.m. Monday: at Miami, 4 p.m. April 21: at Philadelphia, 5 p.m. April 24: at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. x-April 27: at Miami, TBD x-April 29: at Philadelphia, TBD x-May 1: at Miami, TBD Boston vs. New York Sunday: at Boston, 4 p.m. Tuesday: at Boston, 4 p.m. April 22: at New York, 4 p.m. April 24: at New York, 12:30 p.m. x-April 26: at Boston, TBD x-April 29: at New York, TBD x-May 1: at Boston, TBD Orlando vs. Atlanta Saturday: at Orlando, 4 p.m. Tuesday: at Orlando, 4:30 p.m. April 22: at Atlanta, 5 p.m. April 24: at Atlanta, 4 p.m. x-April 26: at Orlando, TBD x-April 28: at Atlanta, TBD x-April 30: at Orlando, TBD