2012 NBA Playoffs TV Schedule for Wednesday, May 23 (Yahoo! Contributor Network)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 23:36:00 PDT)
The 2012 NBA Playoffs schedule for Wednesday, May 23 will feature one game. On May 22, the Miami Heat defeated the Indiana Pacers for a 3-2 lead in the series. Which of the two Eastern Conference teams playing on Wednesday will win the next game of their series?

James and Wade on fire as Heat scorch Pacers
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:22:52 PDT)
MIAMI (Reuters) - With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on fire, the Miami Heat pounded the Indiana Pacers 115-83 on Tuesday to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Eastern Conference playoff semi-final.

Pacers lose the game and perhaps some players (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 21:01:09 PDT)
MIAMI -- Now it's the Indiana Pacers' turn to be concerned. Very concerned.

Heat 115, Pacers 83 (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 20:01:12 PDT)
MIAMI -- Now it's the Indiana Pacers' turn to be concerned. Very concerned.

Celtics-76ers Preview (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:28:36 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Before coach Doug Collins had his Philadelphia 76ers look ahead to Game 6, he had them rewind the tape to a dusty Game 7.

Collins hopes blast from '82 Game 7 inspires 76ers (The Associated Press)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 16:27:53 PDT)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) Before coach Doug Collins had his Philadelphia 76ers look ahead to Game 6, he had them rewind the tape to a dusty Game 7.

A closer look at a big night for Brandon Bass, who ate well because Rajon Rondo kept feeding him (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:05 PDT)
With injuries reducing Ray Allen to a shell of his former self and the combination of pain and enveloping Philadelphia 76ers defense limiting Paul Pierce to just 38 percent shooting from the floor through four games of the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Boston Celtics needed another source of offense to alleviate the pressure on primary scorer Kevin Garnett and primary facilitator Rajon Rondo if they were to take a series lead over the Sixers on their home court in Game 5. On Monday night, that source was Brandon Bass, who exploded for a season-high 27 points and six rebounds in a 101-85 win that gave Boston a 3-2 edge and put Philly on the brink of elimination as they head back to Pennsylvania for Game 6 Wednesday night. After the biggest performance of his seven-year NBA career — his 27 points matched a career high and set a new postseason high-water mark — the former LSU standout credited the attention drawn by his better-billed teammates for giving him the chance to operate. From Jimmy Golen of the Associated Press : ''We've got a few good players on the team that they had to focus on,'' said Bass, who left the game to a standing ovation with 2 minutes left and Boston leading by 18. ''That left me open, and I was able to take advantage of my opportunity.'' That was especially true during a third-quarter explosion that saw Bass hit 6 of 7 field-goal attempts and make all six of his free throws for a total of 18 points. That's the highest-scoring quarter for a single player this postseason and, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted , just the fifth time a player has scored at least 15 points in one frame during these playoffs, putting Bass alongside LeBron James (who scored 17 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the New York Knicks and 16 in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers), Tony Parker (16 in the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Utah Jazz) and the man for whom Bass was traded this past offseason, Glen Davis (16 in the second quarter of Game 3 against the Pacers). It was an amazing effort at an absolute must-have moment by Bass, and it was also one orchestrated pretty deftly by Rondo, the Celtics' point guard and floor general, who repeatedly put Bass in position to make his monstrous contributions.

Kevin Garnett takes a little shot at Philadelphia’s ‘fair-weather fans.’ His words, not ours (VIDEO) (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 07:00:22 PDT)
Possibly the most warming, encouraging story of the maddening 2012 NBA postseason is the return to prominence of Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett. Not only is the first-ballot Hall of Famer averaging 19.3 points (on 52 percent shooting) with 10.5 rebounds and three combined blocks/steals 17 years after being drafted into the NBA , the whippet-thin 7-footer's shift to the center position has anchored Boston's playoff-leading defensive turn. This team is, again, one win away from the conference finals; and it has Kevin Garnett to thank. And now, fans of the Philadelphia 76ers have Kevin Garnett to boo. Especially after he called the lot "fair weather" in an interview following Boston's Game 5 win. Via Ben Rohrbach at WEEI , here's the mildly NSFW clip:

Behind the Box Score, where a special Oklahoma City Thunder team is moving on (Ball Don't Lie)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:50:48 PDT)
Oklahoma City Thunder 106, Los Angeles Lakers 90 (Thunder win series, 4-1) We'll delve into the future of those ridiculous, marvelous, enervating, invigorating, fantastic, maddening, frustrating and ultimately obsession-worthy Los Angeles Lakers deeper on Tuesday. For now, the spotlight deservedly shines on the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have taken down two of the NBA's most respected teams in 23 days, working at an 8-1 clip along that span. We're completely and utterly correct as we fawn over the San Antonio Spurs, but that undefeated group hasn't had to deal with nearly the level of competition that Scott Brooks' crew has. Any batch of Thunder-related praise has to begin with Russell Westbrook. Not only did he give his team a feature that the Lakers could not handle — the guy with the ability to frighten and shift defensive schemes just off of broken plays or transition work — but he ended the second round with a fascinating statistic to his credit. Westbrook played just under 180 minutes in this series, and turned the ball over four times. That's 36 minutes a night, full of active play that put Los Angeles on its heels , and he turned it over four times in five contests. Astonishing work.

76ers coach Collins enjoying renewed rivalry (The SportsXchange)
(Tue, 22 May 2012 02:01:17 PDT)
It's not surprising that the Celtics-76ers series will go at least six games and maybe longer. These franchises have seemingly been programmed for such wars as they meet now for the 19th time.

Jordan, Bird, Magic and Co. have produced NBA playoffs' most iconic moments (RealClearSports.com)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 22:24:59 PDT)
Jordan, Bird, Magic, Wilt and Co. have produced some of the playoffs' most memorable moments.

Kevin Garnett's passion fuels Celtics' Game 5 win over Sixers
(Mon, 21 May 2012 22:22:26 PDT)
Even at 36 years old, Kevin Garnett remains as emotional as ever.

Thunder close out Lakers, Sixers on brink
(Mon, 21 May 2012 22:04:14 PDT)
(Reuters) - Oklahoma City plunged the final dagger into the Los Angeles Lakers with a 106-90 rout that sent them to their second consecutive NBA Western Conference finals. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook propelled the rising Thunder while leaving the storied Lakers franchise in a state of uncertainty after completing the 4-1 best-of-seven series win. Durant and Westbrook combined for 53 points and the home team withstood 42 from Kobe Bryant to set up a West final against the top-seed San Antonio Spurs. "It's a step in the right direction. ...

Unheralded Bass helps sink Sixers in NBA series
(Mon, 21 May 2012 21:04:22 PDT)
Brandon Bass scored a game-high 27 points as the Boston Celtics defeated Philadelphia 101-85 in crucial game five to take a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.

Strong second half helps Celtics take 3-2 series lead (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 20:11:13 PDT)
BOSTON -- After playing just well enough to stay within reach of Philadelphia in the first half, the Boston Celtics blew out the 76ers in the second.

Bass erupts for Celtics in 101-85 win over Sixers (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 19:40:42 PDT)
BOSTON (AP) They started as a Big Three and grew to a Big Four when Rajon Rondo earned the right to be mentioned along with the other Boston Celtics All-Stars.

Celtics 101, 76ers 85 (The SportsXchange)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 18:41:10 PDT)
BOSTON -- Brandon Bass scored 15 of his 27 points in the third quarter as Boston dominated Philadelphia in the second half and moved within one victory of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals with a 101-85 victory over the 76ers on Monday night.

76ers-Celtics Preview (The Associated Press)
(Mon, 21 May 2012 08:12:22 PDT)
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) - The Celtics player who needs a break the most this postseason isn't 34-year-old Paul Pierce, who's nursing a knee injury. Or 36-year old Ray Allen, who's got bone spurs in his ankle. Or even Kevin Garnett, who turned 36 on Saturday but is playing like he did a decade ago.