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The Atlanta Hawks offered Joe Johnson 6 years, and $119 million dollars. Joe Johnson vanished from the Hawks in the Playoffs last year, and lashed out at Hawks fans for their criticism of his poor play. Owners are quick to complain about player salaries, but are quick to deal out ridiculous contracts.

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It would appear the Milwaukee Bucks have some deep pockets, or a limited intelligence. Either way the Bucks are looking to expound on their success from last year:

Adrian Wojnawroski is reporting that Drew Gooden has signed a five-year, $32 million dollar deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.  WOW!

Bucks have also re-signed John Salmons for $39 million over five seasons.

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Los Angeles Lakers report the signing of a mega free agent Phil Jackson. “Count me in,” said Jackson. “After a couple weeks of deliberation, it is time to get back to the challenge of putting together a team that can defend its title in the 2010-11 season. It’ll be the last stand for me, and I hope a grand one.”

A member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Jackson established a new Lakers franchise record for regular season victories earlier this year, earning his 534th career victory with a win over the Charlotte Hornets on February 3. The fastest coach to 1,000 career victories, his total of 1,098 regular season wins ranks him fifth all-time while his .705 winning percentage is the best in league history. Additionally, Jackson ranks first all-time in NBA postseason history with a .697 winning percentage (225-98). His 225 playoff victories are also the highest postseason win total for any head coach in league history.

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Minnesota Timberwolves reach agreement in principle with Darko Milicic on a 4 year $20 million deal. In other words desperate times call for desperate measures. Darko must have the best agent in the world, or the Timberwolves are unaware who Darko is.

The Madison Square Garden Theater was ready for draft night as early as 4 am, when fans begin to line up to assure they had a seat when the $15 tickets went on sale at 11 am. Fans from across the country were in attendance to cheer for their respective teams, and boo Commissioner David Stern every time he walked out to the podium. The Chicago Bulls stole some of the early shine by proposing the trade of Kirk Hinrich to the Wizards. Not to be outdone by the Bulls, the Portland Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen decided to part ways with GM Kevin Pritchard on draft night, but let him still make draft decisions….?  The 2010 NBA Draft went pretty much as expected early, with the exception of the Utah Jazz stealing Gordon Hayward from the Pacers. The University of Kentucky set a record with 5 first round selections.

Here is a break-down of pick #1-#15:

First pick, Washington Wizards: John Wall, 6-4, 195, Kentucky, point guard.: The lock No. 1 pick, Wall has been called the most electrifying player in this year’s draft. A product of the John Calipari one-and-done mold, Wall averaged 16 points, six boards and four dimes. Wall brings the Wizards superior speed, athleticism, and late-game shot making, plus a relief from the circus of last year.

Second pick, Philadelphia 76ers: Evan Turner, 6-7, 205, Ohio State, guard. There was nothing Turner didn’t do for Ohio State, and he’s the most dynamic player in the draft. He averaged 20 points, 9 boards, and 6 dimes last season. With a good game around the basket and a solid midrange shot, Turner only needs to work on his outside shooting and ball handling. He shot 36% from three-point range and turned the ball over 4.4 times per game. Doug Collins new head coach of the 76ers gets another chance to coach a future superstar as he did in Chicago with MJ.

Third pick, New Jersey Nets: Derrick Favors, 6-10, 246, Georgia Tech, forward. A rare athlete who can explode from the floor, he’s also got a massive 7-4 wingspan. Though raw, he has shown signs of being a dominant force on both ends. He needs to add weight, improve his conditioning/shooting/ball handling and learn to play against double-teams, but he should become a special player.

Fourth pick, Minnesota Timberwoves: Wesley Johnson, 6-7, 205, Syracuse, forward. A lottery-level talent that is NBA-ready, he’s an explosive athlete who has a good mid-range game and can finish at the rim. He’s a good teammate and an underrated passer, but last season’s Big East Player of the Year needs to add weight and be more aggressive when his jumper isn’t falling. Wesley was also best-dressed.

Fifth pick, Sacramento Kings: DeMarcus Cousins, 6-11, 270, Kentucky, power forward/center. A top-five talent, with excellent athleticism, offensive and defensive skills, he’s a nightmare matchup. Many tend to be critical of his maturity, but, he was one of the best players in the country last season (15.1 points, 9.8 boards).

Sixth pick, Golden State Warriors: Ekpe Udoh, 6-10, 240, Baylor, forward. Udoh was one of the reasons Baylor emerged in the Elite 8 to face off with eventual-champion Duke. His ability to run the floor in a fast-paced offensive possession or hit a midrange shot in the half-court game led to 13 points, 9.8 boards and 3.7 blocks. He needs to improve his overall offensive game, ball-handling and add some weight.

Seventh pick, Detroit Pistons: Greg Monroe, 6-11, 253, Georgetown, forward. A huge upside–some call him a less-athletic Lamar Odom. Monroe can play with his back to the basket or face up. He averaged 16.1 points and 9.6 boards last season, and also dished 12 assists against Providence, the most by a center in Big East Conference history. Needs to prove he can dominate a game, and develop a more consistent jump shot.

Eighth pick, Clippers: Al-Farouq Aminu, 6-9, 215, Wake Forest, power forward. One of the best athletes in the draft; he uses his explosive first step to get to the bucket. He became a double-double player last season (15.8, 10.7), but is turnover prone (3.2 per game last season) and lacks ball-handling skills, relying too often on his athleticism. Still, a fine pick for an up-tempo team.

Ninth pick, Utah Jazz: Gordon Hayward, 6-8, 207, Butler, forward. He led the Bulldogs on their magical run to the NCAA title game and has a high basketball IQ, an outstanding touch (84% from free-throw line) and sneaky athleticism. He lacks post moves and will need to improve his defense in the NBA. Some question his lack of aggressiveness.

10th pick, Indiana Pacers: Paul George, 6-8, 210, Fresno State, forward. A great athlete who has deep range on his jump shot, rebounds well and can run the floor, NBA teams covet players with his size and skill set. Needs to improve his ball-handling and learn to not settle for the outside shot, but he’s an enticing player.

11th pick, New Orleans Hornets: Cole Aldrich, 6-11, 245, Kansas, center. A throwback-style big man that has good footwork and an awkward-but-efficient shooting touch, he’s also a strong shot blocker (averaged 3.5 last season) and cleans the glass well (10.5 boards his last two seasons). While not terribly athletic and fairly calm, a la Tim Duncan, Aldrich possesses strong fundamentals and better-than-average vision for his size.

12th pick, Memphis Grizzlies: Xavier Henry, 6-6, 220, Kansas, shooting guard. The smoothest player in the draft, he moves effortlessly and is a natural scorer who is deadly from outside (40%). He can slash if he needs to and finish at the rim, but he often relies on his left hand too much and can settle for outside shots. At times, he looks passive; at others, fiercely competitive.

13th pick, Toronto Raptors: Ed Davis, 6-10, 225, North Carolina, forward. After being overshadowed by Tyler Hansbrough, Davis had a breakout freshman year (13.4 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks) and showcased his potential as one of the top talents. Long, athletic, with several post moves and speed to run the floor, the main knock against him is his lack of strength  he also needs a reliable jump shot  but his upside is huge.

14th pick, Houston Rockets: Patrick Patterson, 6-9, 235, Kentucky, forward. One of the more NBA-ready forwards in the draft, he made significant improvements to his game in his junior season, including becoming an outside threat (35% from behind the arc) and a defensive presence (1.3 blocks per game). His intelligence, maturity and ability to learn should help him on the next level, though he’s still undersized to be a power forward, which is exactly what Houston loves.

15th pick, Milwaukee Bucks: Larry Sanders, 6-11, 235, VCU, forward. One of the most athletic players in this draft, Sanders had a breakout season as a sophomore, when he averaged 2.7 blocks per game. As a junior, he averaged 14.4 points, 9.1 boards and 2.6 blocks. He still has some developing to do, but his combination of size and speed give him plenty of potential.

Twenty-two NBA teams, including 11 that appeared in the 2010 NBA Playoffs, will compete in this year’s NBA Summer League. For the second consecutive year, a team of NBA Development League Select players will also participate in the action taking place at the Thomas & Mack Center and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Marketing partners included in the event are adidas, EA SPORTS, Gatorade and T-Mobile.

This year’s event will feature the Washington Wizards, who won the top overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. Other participating teams with top five selections in this year’s draft include the Minnesota Timberwolves(fourth overall pick) and the Sacramento Kings (fifth overall).

Additionally, 10 of the top 14 picks are expected to participate in Las Vegas this summer.

Joining the above-mentioned teams scheduled to appear in Vegas this summer are the Dallas Mavericks,Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, New Orleans Hornets, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers,Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards.

Tickets for the 2010 NBA Summer League are on sale and can be purchased by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting the Thomas & Mack Center Box Office and UNLV Ticket Outlets. All general admission tickets are $25 for the day; seniors and children (3-12) are $15 for the day; and children two years and under are admitted free of charge.

A complete broadcast schedule will be released at a later date.

Schedule after the jump.

2010 NBA Summer League Game Schedule:

Friday July 9

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Dallas

3 PM – Houston vs. Phoenix

5 PM – Detroit vs. LA Lakers

7 PM – Golden State vs. New Orleans

Saturday July 10

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Toronto vs. Phoenix

3 PM – LA Lakers vs. Denver

5 PM – Detroit vs. Golden State

7 PM – Dallas vs. Houston

Sunday July 11

COX Pavilion

1 PM – New York vs. Denver

3 PM – Portland vs. Houston

5 PM – Washington vs. Golden State

7 PM – Miami vs. New Orleans

Monday July 12

COX Pavilion

1 PM – LA Lakers vs. New York

3 PM – Sacramento vs. Detroit

5 PM – Dallas vs. Milwaukee

7 PM – Washington vs. LA Clippers

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – San Antonio vs. Minnesota

5:30 PM – Phoenix vs. NBA D-League

7:30 PM – Memphis vs. Atlanta

Tuesday July 13

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Chicago

3 PM – Cleveland vs. NBA D-League

5 PM – Milwaukee vs. Memphis

7 PM – Portland vs. New Orleans

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Houston vs. Toronto

5:30 PM – Sacramento vs. LA Lakers

7:30 PM – Golden State vs. Miami

Wednesday July 14

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Denver vs. Houston

3 PM – New York vs. Toronto

5 PM – LA Clippers vs. Chicago

7 PM – Sacramento vs. Minnesota

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Atlanta vs. San Antonio

5:30 PM – Cleveland vs. Phoenix

7:30 PM – Detroit vs. Miami

Thursday July 15

COX Pavilion

1 PM – LA Lakers vs. San Antonio

3 PM – Golden State vs. Phoenix

5 PM – Washington vs. Dallas

7 PM – LA Clippers vs. Portland

Thomas & Mack

5:30 PM – Atlanta vs. Milwaukee

7:30 PM – NBA D-League vs. Memphis

Friday July 16

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Detroit vs. New York

3 PM – Toronto vs. Sacramento

5 PM – Washington vs. New Orleans

7 PM – Memphis vs. Minnesota

Thomas & Mack

5:30 PM – Cleveland vs. Chicago

7:30 PM – Milwaukee vs. Miami

Saturday July 17

COX Pavilion

1 PM – New York vs. Washington

3 PM – Miami vs. Cleveland

5 PM – LA Clippers vs. San Antonio

7 PM – Minnesota vs. Portland

Thomas & Mack

3:30 PM – Toronto vs. New Orleans

5:30 PM – Sacramento vs. Chicago

7:30 PM – NBA D-League vs. Atlanta

Sunday July 18

COX Pavilion

1 PM – Cleveland vs. Milwaukee

3 PM – Chicago vs. Portland

5 PM – Dallas vs. Sacramento

Thomas & Mack

1:30 PM – San Antonio vs. Memphis

3:30 PM – Atlanta vs. Minnesota

5:30 PM – LA Clippers vs. NBA D-League

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

All Times listed are local Las Vegas time.

Jamal Crawford scored 22 points on 8 for 16 shooting. Horford worked hard at both ends of the court, finishing with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Mike Bibby, and Josh Smith both scored 15 points. Hawks leader Joe Johnson was held to 8 points on 4 of 14 shooting. Hawks out rebounded the Bucks 55 to 34.

Hawks now head to Orlando on Tuesday to face the Magic that have been waiting since last Monday.

(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

Milwaukee was an entirely diffrent team in the last two games compared to Game 2, 3, and 4. The short-handed Bucks made less than a third of their shots (28 of 86) and simply didn’t have enough weapons to cope with an Atlanta team that was into the game. Brandon Jennings led the way with just 15 points, and he needed 18 shots to score that many. Salmons finished with 11 points.

Still, it was a promising season for the Bucks, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 with a promising nucleus of Jennings, John Salmons and Andrew Bogut.

(Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Lakers Jazz game was in a way, rudely interrupted by the presentation of the MVP trophy to LeBron James. Fortunately for those watching the MVP presentation all they missed was the usual Lakers game. Someone from the Lakers shoots followed by an offensive rebound from one of the Lakers bigs and a put-back similar to the end of the Lakers-Thunder series. Lakers blew a 14 point lead letting the Jazz back in it with 4 minutes to play in the game, but finish on a 15-6 leading to a 104-99  win in Game 1. The Lakers have now won 15 straight home games against the Jazz.

Kobe Bryant finished wih 31 points on 12 of 19 shooting, 13 of those points came in the 4th quarter. Pau Gasol had 25 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 blocks. Lakers BIGs Odom, Gasol, and Bynum combined for 34 rebounds, the entire Jazz team had 38 rebounds.

In order for the Jazz to win they will need tremendous play from Williams, Boozer, and the entire bench. Williams had 24 points and 8 assists, Boozer had 18 points and 12 boards, and Paul Milsap finished with 16 points and 9 boards. Lakers lead series 1-0

(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

Atlanta Hawks with a must win on the road played with more then they have all Playoffs. After a closely contested first half, the Hawks outscored the Bucks 29-11 in the third quarter and held on to win 83-69. Atlanta got 22 points from Joe Johnson and Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford finished with 24 points.“The bottom line today is we brought our hard hats and not our fishing caps,” Smith said. “We established ourselves early. They gave us a fight, but we were just hungry tonight. I haven’t seen us play like this the whole series.” Atlanta heads back to the Philips Center where the city will turn down Wacka Flocka Flame on the radio and tune into the Hawks game.

Milwaukee had a chance to finish off the Hawks at home and advance to the Eastern Conf. Semifinals, instead they left their offense in the locker room. Bucks shot 25 of 76 from the field for 32.9%, and 7 of 26 from deep. John Slamons and Brandon Jennings combined for 20 points on 6 of 28 shooting. Carlos Delfino had 20 and was the only player with more then 13 points. Bucks. Milwaukee may have to put the blame solely on Jerry Stackhouse for this:

Stackhouse said it was his fourth time singing the national anthem. “I’m a little disappointed that my mojo didn’t work,” he said. “I’m 3-1 now.”  Series tied 3-3.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Once again the Lakers came out fired up, jumping out to a 13-4 lead, before the Thunder woke up to gain the lead 27-26 by the end of the first. After a back and fourth game, it came down to the final possession. Kobe missed a fade-away jumper and Pau Gasol was there to tip the ball in with .05 on the clock given the Lakers a1-point lead. Kobe lead all scorers with 32 points, and the only other Lakers in double figures were Derek Fisher, and Shannon Brown both with 11.

Ron Artest’s defense on Kevin Durant was the x-factor in this game and the series. Durant shot 5 of 23, for 26 points, which came mostly from the charity stripe where he went 14-15. Jeff Green had 16 in his best game of the series, and Russell Westbrook was solid with 21 points and 9 assists. Thunder were unable to execute with less then a minute left and the lead, allowing the Lakers multiple chances to win the game. Phil Jackson came up with an unexpected answer to a question about why visiting teams are generally more vulnerable. “You have to remember these men are out there in their underwear, in their shorts. These aren’t like the old days but they are pretty scantily clad, and they are, you know, in front of their fans. If you’re at all self-conscious, there you are.”

After a 50-win season and their first appearance in the playoffs, Oklahoma City gave the city and their fans an exciting and competitive series against the Lakers.

(Photo by Garrett W. Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

In the most disappointing series of this years playoffs, the Nuggets got completely embarrassed by the Utah Jazz. the above pic describes the awkwardness of this entire series. Denver was without its head coach George Karl as everyone in the world knows, and it had to affect the team in a major way. They seemed easily shook, and out of sorts on defense. Chauncey Billups led Denver with 30 points and Anthony finished with 20 points on 6 for 22 shooting.

After Carmelo’s explosion in Game 1 the Jazz won three straight and ended the series in Game 6 in front of their fans 112-104. 91 combined free throws were attempted…damn! Matthews went 13 for 15 from the free throw line.

Deron Williams had 14 points, and 10 dimes. Boozer had 22 points and 20 boards. Utah now heads to Los Angeles for a rematch of last years Round 1 matchup where the Jazz where dismissed in 5 games. Lakers were without Bynum, and the addition of Artest should be too much for the Jazz.

(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

In Game 5 of the Hawks-Bucks series, the Bucks did something they hadn’t done since April 21st of 2004, win a road playoff game. Brandon Jennings had 25 points, John Salmons added 19 and the Bucks down by as much as 13 fought back to win 91-87. The Bucks did what the Thunder were trying to do yesterday, win Game 5 on the road after winning both home games. Bucks can clinch Friday at the Bradley Center.

Atlanta appears to be in free-fall mode. They played a good game but Joe Johnson fouling out with over 2 minutes to go, left the Hawks out of sorts down the stretch. Joe Johnson shot 6 of 16 for 13 points and Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford was 4 of 18 from the field for 11 points. “This is incredible,” said Jamal Crawford,  “We had the game won. It just slipped away from us.” Hawks coach Mike Woodsen’s future with the Hawks is fading like people in the pictures in Back to the Future. His contract is up at the end of the year, and if Atlanta doesn’t make it pass the Bucks, Mike Woodsen will be unemployed. Bucks 3-2

(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The Nuggets had to win,  and they did just that, playing the best they have all series. Six players scored in double figures for the Nuggets, led by Carmelo Anthony’s 26. Anthony added 11 rebounds for his 10th career playoff double-double, and second in a row. The Nuggets shot 50.7 percent from the field and improved to 9-0 over the last two postseason when shooting at least 50 percent from the field. Surprisingly this was the first win for Carmelo win the Nuggets face elimination. Nuggets now head to Utah where winning will be as difficult as solving a Rubiks cube while skydiving.

The Jazz have never lost a series when up 3-1. Heading back to the Delta Center for Game 6 Friday, the Jazz will look to end this series. There was never a doubt that they weren’t trying to win tonight though. Deron Williams had 34 points and 10 assists to lead the Jazz. The 34 points is one off his playoff career high. Williams joined Kevin Johnson as the only players with 5 20-10 games in a single playoff series. Carlos Boozer added 25 points and 16 boards. Jazz 3-2

Photo by Brian A. Westerholt/Getty Images)

As disappointing as these Playoffs have been for the Bobcats the future is bright. Michael Jordan is the owner, they have a nice amount of cap space to get a needed point guard and Larry Brown said that he’ll only coach for Bobcats owner Michael Jordan. “I’m not coaching anywhere but Charlotte,” Brown said. “Now am I going to go home and talk to my wife and kids? I’ll be 70 years old with two young kids. Am I going to talk to them and find out what I need to do and am I going to talk to Michael? Yeah, absolutely.”

The Hawks and Bucks are giving each other fits, and rewarding the Orlando Magic tons of rest. The Hawks are the Eastern Conferences version of the Denver Nuggets, only they don’t have the coach excuse. “It’s very frustrating, man,” Johnson said. “We just don’t have the toughness. They are getting all the loose balls, all the big rebounds. We can’t get stops when we need to and it’s killing us.” Joe Johnson scored 29 points, Jamal Crawford had 21, and Smith had 20 points and nine rebounds. Winning at home is not going to be enough to beat Orlando in the next round…if they make it.

(AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)

When Carlos Delfino goes 6 for 8 from 3-point range, John Salmons, and Brandon Jennings go 15-15 from the free throw line, and score a combined 45 points, the other team loses. Milwaukee was 28 of 32 from the line after attempting 17 free throws or fewer in each of the first three games of the series.“I still feel like there’s no pressure on us,” Jennings said. “At the end of the day, everybody still expects us to lose the series.” The Bucks as good as they look at home have to carry this momentum to Atlanta where they have to win to advance. Series tied 2-2

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

The Suns-Blazers series is one that should never end. They should keep playing till Greg Oden, Joel Pryzbilla, and Robin Lopez all come back from injuries. Blazers were out rebounded 41-29, that includes 15 offensive rebounds from the Suns. Jared Dudley and Channing Frye combined for 8-14 shooting from deep. 55 bench points was also key in the Suns win. The Suns head to win Game 5 back at home, now a return to the Rose Garden where wins aren’t guaranteed.

The Blazers stared 9-0 then down 18-9, finishing way behind 107-88. The Blazers played the Suns’ game of quick jumpers and poor defense leading to 29 of 32 shooting from the free throw line for the Suns. Once again the Rose Garden will be amped up for Game 6 and will need a much better output from Nicolas Batum who had 3 points in Game 5.  Suns 3-2

(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

The Bobcats are disappointing Michael Jordan and making him look bad in front of his girlfriend. The Magic on the other hand are impressing everyone.

In Game 3, the Magic once again played the majority of the game without their Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard. For some reason Dwight continues to set-up in the post with his arms high, ramming them into poor Tyson Chandlers face, and drawing offensive fouls. For the third straight game and two days after Orlando was assessed $70,000 in fines for complaining about the officiating, Howard played about half the game, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks. The Magic haven’t looked shaken by the lose of Howard and instead have gotten amazing performances from Jameer Nelson, who finished with 32 points.

The only good news for Charlotte is the crowd of 19,596 was the largest to see the Bobcats in their 5-year-old arena.Magic 3-0

(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Big emotional boost for the Blazers from the return of Brandon Roy who had surgery eight days ago. He scored 10 points, including a key 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, and the Portland Trail Blazers evened their playoff series with the Phoenix Suns at two games apiece with a 96-87 victory on Saturday. “I just didn’t feel right sitting in the training room knowing that I could contribute — so I just had to keep begging coach,” Roy said afterward. McMillan said it was a “long, sleepless night” in deciding to play Roy, the team’s unquestioned leader. He even brought owner Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, in on the discussion.”All kinds of things went through my head, thinking about the risk of him reinjuring himself,” McMillan said. “But our doctors didn’t feel like Brandon could hurt himself.”

LaMarcus Aldridge was key with 31 points and 11 rebounds. I wish he and Amare Stoudemire who had 26 points, could just play one-on-one for the series. Back to Phoenix for Game 5! Series Tied 2-2

The Atlanta Hawks continue to play poorly on the road in the Playoffs. They rolled into the Bradley Center to face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3, but left all the intensity back in Atlanta in the Highlight Factory. Josh Smith, who mentioned there was “nothing to do” in Milwaukee earlier this week, was mostly quiet with seven points and 12 rebounds.

The Bucks shot 68 percent in the first quarter and 51 percent for the game following a three-day layoff and were never seriously threatened after building a 19-point, first-half lead. Milwaukee led by as many as 28 in the fourth as the Hawks shot 39 percent for the game. Salmons had 22 points and 37 year-old Kurt Thomas led everyone in rebounds with 13. Hawks 2-1

(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 4 showed that they shed all the fear that was noticeable in the first three games. In the first 3 games the Thunder had averaged 17.7 points in the first quarter, that ballooned to 29 points. There field goal percentage went from 30% to 52.6%. The Thunder out rebounded the Lakers 50 to 43 and shot 42-48 free throws compared to 17-28 for the Lakers. Durant and Westbrook together had  40 points, outscoring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum combined!

Kobe Bryant spent the majority of the first half trying to get his teammates going. He attempted his first shot with 9:06 in the 2nd quarter. The Thunder lead the Lakers in every stat category other then field goal percentage 41.5% to 40.8%. Game 5 is Tuesday back at the Staples Center, and the Lakers are once again letting the underdog shine, reminiscent of last years Rockets series. The team with the most bench points has won each game. Series tied 2-2

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

• No KG for the Celtics, no problem. Ray Allen shoots 7-9 from long range finishing with 25. The “Ticket Stub” Glen Davis fumbled to the rim for 23 points.
• Celtics have won the last three games they played against the Heat without Garnett.
• The Heat aren’t making a good case to keep Dwayne Wade in Miami. Every Heat player not named Dwayne shot 18-59! Wade finished with 29 points on 11-18 shooting.
• Boston outrebounded Miami 60-37
• In the first half the Heat had just one offensive rebound and took just four free throws while Boston tried 16. Celtics 2-0

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

• Grant Hill and Jason Richardson combined for 21-27 shooting for 49 points. They are a combined 66 in age.
• Steve Nash ad 13 points and 16 assists, 12 at the half.
• Suns have not lost two in a row since Jan. 26
• Blazers need a good dose of the Rose Garden to reclaim the magic from the first game. Marcus Camby blew easy layups and Andre Miller finished with 16 points after getting 31 in Game 1. Suns-1/Blazers-1

• Kobe seemed determine to put on a show, maybe it was the critics or his Dad sitting court side. Kobe had 39 points in a game the Lakers were trying to lose.
• Ron Artest’s defense on Kevin Durant was stellar once again, but he has to start making open jumpers, going 2-10 from the field with 5 points.
• Pau Gasol was nearly unstoppable with 25 points and 12 assists.
• Kevin Durant led the Thunder with 32 points and Russell Westbrook added 19, making all eight of his free throws.
• Thunder squandered points early on missed dunks, and layups. Heading home will be comforting but alas, the end is near for the Thunder. Lakers 2-0

2010 NBA Playoffs Bracket