NBA Insider with Ken Berger

Priceless. Ernie Johnson plays the old "Anchorman" trick on Charles Barkley on the set of TNT's "Inside the NBA." Notice the look on Barkley's face immediately after he reads the money quote.

This stat falls into the same dreaded category as "if the season ended today ..." Nonetheless, some research worth checking out at NBA.com shows that after the first seven playoff games of his career, Chris Paul is the best postseason point guard in NBA history.

His averages of 24.3 PPG and 12.1 APG surpass all the greats after their first seven playoff games -- better than Earl Monroe, Bob Cousy, Isiah Thomas, and Magic Johnson. Better than all of them. The only one who comes close is Kevin Johnson (24.0, 12.1).

CP3 has a few trophies to raise before he can join the discussion with Cousy, Magic, Isiah, et al. But this is just a little more proof that the dude is good.

With word that Bernie Bickerstaff is leaving the Charlotte Bobcats, my first question, naturally, is whether he is coming to the Knicks. According to a person with knowledge of Donnie Walsh's thinking, Walsh holds Bickerstaff in extremely high regard and will give strong consideration to offering Bickerstaff a role in the new regime.

It's not clear whether Bickerstaff would come on board in a front-office capacity or on the bench. My thought is, Bickerstaff would be extremely valuable as the lead assistant -- particularly to an inexperienced head coach such as Mark Jackson. When Walsh and Larry Bird hired Jim O'Brien to coach the Pacers, they did so after already confirming that O'Brien would bring legendary defensive guru Dick Harter with him. Walsh could be using a similar M.O. here.

We told you in yesterday's Newsday that Mike D'Antoni is not a slam-dunk to get the Bulls' coaching job and that the Knicks are still in the mix for the soon-to-be former Suns coach. Now, others are on the bandwagon, citing sources who have reiterated that James Dolan's deep pockets and Donnie Walsh's trustworthy reputation should not be ruled out as D'Antoni decides his next move.

Here is a story from ESPN.com's Marc Stein that sets up a possible bidding war between the Knicks and Bulls for D'Antoni.

Continue reading "Follow the bouncing D'Antoni" »

The coaching carousel could be entering the home stretch, which is good if you’re a Knick fan and you’re tired of your team being coachless.

Mike D’Antoni is still waiting for the Knicks or Bulls to make him a formal offer, a person with knowledge of the situation told Newsday this afternoon. That means the Mavericks will be the first team on the hunt for a coach to fill its position, and the dominoes will fall from there.

A person familiar with Rick Carlisle’s situation said negotiations with Dallas “should be wrapped up by late tomorrow or early Friday.” It is believed that the Suns want D’Antoni to advise them of his future plans no later than Friday as well.

Here’s my take on D’Antoni’s situation:

Continue reading "D'Antoni still waiting; Carlisle to Dallas by Friday" »

Boston -- Here I am in a very nervous TD Banknorth Garden, where the 66-win Celtics will try not to let their dominant regular season go down the tubes in Game 7 against the Hawks.

As compelling as that will be, I can't escape the Knicks' coaching search. Two of the top candidates -- ABC/ESPN analyst Mark Jackson and Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau -- are in the building. Neat pre-game moment with Jackson I want to share with you.

Continue reading "Mark Jackson is a Red Auerbach disciple" »

There is a lot of buzz about whether Kevin Garnett should be suspended after an altercation last night with the Hawks’ Zaza Pachulia that appeared to involve an elbow from Garnett connecting with the chest of referee Eddie T. Rush. Commissioner David Stern and executive VP of basketball operations Stu Jackson were in attendance, so you can bet no matter what the league decides, the annual postseason conspiracy theories will be spinning out of control.

TNT didn’t show Garnett getting tangled up with Rush during the telecast last night, but the incident is all over YouTube. There’s a still photo showing Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest that is fueling speculation – particularly among Hawks fans in Atlanta, not surprisingly – that Garnett should be suspended for Game 5 in Boston tomorrow night. The feisty Hawks tied the series 2-2 with a 97-92 victory.

First of all, I used to live in Atlanta, and I wasn’t aware there were any Hawks fans there. Secondly, let me give you some sober reasoning as to why Garnett’s actions do not warrant a suspension – and my theory as to why Stern will not suspend him.

Garnett got tangled up under the basket with Pachulia while going for an offensive rebound. Frustrated that Pachulia had grabbed his arm, he threw an elbow at him and then motioned to the officials that he was being held.

Instead of accepting the technical on Garnett and walking away, Pachulia chose to saunter over to Garnett and stick his nose in KG’s face. That’s called “escalating the conflict” in the parlance of Stern.

Garnett was wrong, too. After being separated from Pachulia, he tried to go after him again – running his mouth the whole time. At this point – and this is important – Rush grabbed Garnett to keep him out of the fray. The way I see the video, Garnett didn’t shove or elbow Rush. Instead, he pulled away demonstratively in an effort to break free of Rush’s grasp. This should cost Garnett a fine, but not a suspension. Knowing how Stern views such things, I believe he will agree.

Still photos can be deceiving. This one, courtesy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, clearly shows Garnett’s elbow in Rush’s chest.

But if you didn’t look at the video, you wouldn’t know that Garnett was pulling away from Rush, not elbowing him.

If there are any suspensions, they will involve Boston's Kendrick Perkins and Atlanta's Marvin Williams, who both appeared to barely venture onto the court from the bench during the altercation.

If Garnett isn’t suspended, the conspiracy theorists will be in full froth, jumping to conclusions that the league wants the Celtics in the Finals and that Garnett is only the latest superstar to get the superstar treatment from Stern.

Relax. Garnett’s actions don’t rise to the level of a suspension. And the Hawks should want to knock off the best team in the league AND its best player, anyway.