Chicago's Thibodeau named coach of the year by the league

(Reuters) - Tom Thibodeau of the Chicago Bulls has been named NBA coach of the year after his first season in charge, the league said on Sunday.

Having spent three years working as assistant coach to Doc Rivers with the Boston Celtics, Thibodeau moved to Chicago where he guided the Bulls to a league-best record of 62-20.

Thibodeau becomes the fourth Chicago head coach to win the award, following Johnny "Red" Kerr (1967), Dick Motta (1971) and Phil Jackson (1996).

"This is a well deserved honor for Tom," Bulls general manager Gar Forman said in a statement. "He is a terrific teacher, motivator, tactician and communicator.

"His work ethic, passion for the game and for our players is appreciated. We are thrilled that he is part of the Bulls organization and want to congratulate him."

Thibodeau totaled 475 points, including 76 first-place votes, from a panel of 119 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.

His 62 wins during the regular season tied the NBA record for a first-year head coach set by Paul Westphal of the Phoenix Suns in 1993.

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Nadal through in Madrid, Bellucci fells Berdych

 (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal cleared the latest hurdle on his quest for a third claycourt title in under a month when he overpowered Frenchman Michael Llodra 6-2 6-2 on Friday to set up a Madrid Masters semi-final against Roger Federer.

The heavyweight pair were joined in the last four by unseeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, who caused another upset following Thursday's third-round victory over fourth seed Andy Murray when he knocked out Czech Tomas Berdych 7-6 6-3.

Bellucci, a stylish left-hander whose previous best at a Masters event was a fourth-round berth in Miami in 2010, will play second seed Novak Djokovic or sixth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer for a place in Sunday's final.

Nadal and great rival Federer have met in the last two finals in the Spanish capital, with the Swiss winning in 2009 and Nadal gaining revenge last year.

Former number one Federer went through to the last four when he saw off fifth seed Robin Soderling 7-6 6-4 in breezy conditions in the Magic Box arena, his 16th win in 17 matches against the Swede.

"The conditions were tough today. I didn't know you could get so much wind inside an enclosed space," Federer said in a television interview.

Looking ahead to Saturday's match against Nadal, who has won 15 of 23 meetings between the pair, he added: "He seems like he is playing amazing tennis right now but I'll give it my best shot and see how I get on."

Nadal recorded back-to-back titles on his beloved clay at the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open in April, beating Davis Cup team mate Ferrer in both finals.

The 24-year-old Spaniard's win against the unseeded Llodra was his 36th consecutive victory on the red dirt since falling to Soderling in the fourth round of the 2009 French Open.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

Surprise package Bellucci told a news conference his success against Briton Murray on Thursday, the biggest win of his career, had given him a confidence boost and he felt ready to take on anyone.

"I was losing some matches and wasn't playing very well but yesterday I played my best tennis and today I had a lot of confidence on the court," the 23-year-old world number 36 said after beating seventh seed Berdych.

"I have got even more confidence for tomorrow's match," he added. "I've got to face the match shot after shot and ball after ball so if I continue down this path I think I'm going to do well. I think I can beat any player."

Nadal moved into the last eight on Thursday without hitting a shot after resurgent former world number four Juan Martin Del Potro withdrew from the tournament due to a hip injury.

"It's not that I need minutes on the court so it didn't affect me at all," Nadal said after dispatching Llodra. "I just wish a swift recovery to Del Potro."

Serb Djokovic has won 31 consecutive matches going back to December's Davis Cup final and equaled the third-best start to the season when he secured his 29th victory of the year by beating Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez on Thursday.

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Lakers' Artest banned one game for striking opponent

(Reuters) - Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest has been suspended for Friday's playoff game against Dallas for striking Mavericks guard Jose Juan Barea in the face, the NBA said Thursday.

The one-game suspension was the result of Artest swinging his arm and hitting Barea late in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game, the league in a statement.

Artest was ejected after picking up his second technical foul in a game that Dallas won 93-81 to grab a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

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Miami put heat on Celtics, Thunder level series

(Reuters) - The Miami Heat piled the pressure on bruised and battered Boston by taking a 2-0 lead in their NBA playoff series with a 102-91 victory on Tuesday.

Quicker and more athletic than the veteran Celtics, who were hampered by a series of nagging injuries, the Heat again met the challenge of the defending Eastern Conference champions and have a commanding lead in the best-of-seven second-round series with Game Three set for Saturday in Boston.

In the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder slowed the inside force of the Memphis Grizzlies in a 111-102 victory that leveled their series 1-1.

Kevin Durant scored 26 points and the Thunder held red-hot Zach Randolph to 2-for-13 shooting as Oklahoma City bounced back from their series-opening loss to the giant-killing Grizzlies.

In Miami, LeBron James took his turn to carry the load with 24 of his game-high 35 points coming in the second half, while Game One standout Dwyane Wade added 28.

"This is a great team we're going against right now," James told reporters. "We're playing as hard as we can defensively and just trying to wear them down throughout the course of the game."

"They made a run but we stuck to our principles and finally wore them down."

With the game tied 80-80 midway through the fourth, the Heat exploded with a 14-0 burst to put the contest out of reach.

Boston's Paul Pierce, who was ejected from the contentious series-opener with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter, returned from a strained left foot but the injury forced him off the court briefly in the first quarter.

Ray Allen also played with a bruised chest following a collision with James in the third.

Rajon Rondo led the way with 20 points and 12 assists for Boston who trailed by five points after both the second and third quarters.

The Celtics will have to regroup at home if they are to take down Miami's "Big Three," who were brought together in the off-season to challenge Boston's supremacy.

Chris Bosh, the Heat's final member of the triumvirate, finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Having allowed 34 points from Memphis's Zach Randolph in Game One, the Thunder restricted him to just 15 points, as they charged to a 28-17 lead after the first quarter and stretched it to 97-76 in the fourth.

Russell Westbrook had 24 points and James Harden put in 21 for the Thunder.

Mike Conley led the way with 24 points for Memphis who will host Game Three on Saturday.

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Heat sizzle against Celtics as Grizzlies maul Thunder

(Reuters) - Dwyane Wade and Miami sent a strong message to their Eastern Conference tormenters the Boston Celtics with a 99-90 victory Sunday that gave the Heat an early edge in the heavyweight second round playoff matchup.

Wade came out firing with 23 of his game-high 38 points in the first half, and LeBron James added 22 to help the Heat grab a 1-0 best-of seven series lead over the Celtics team that knocked each player from last year's post-season.

"Today our shot-makers made shots and that was the story," Wade told reporters after turning around his regular-season struggles against the Celtics this season when he averaged just 12.8 points per game.

"These guys expect this from me. I wasn't giving it to them in the regular season versus them and I wanted to come out and be a leader. (Boston) is never going to quit and we look forward to the challenge."

In the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies continued their magical playoff run by mauling the Oklahoma City Thunder 114-101 to draw first blood in their best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series.

Fresh off a shock first round upset of the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs, the eighth-seeded Grizzlies showed no signs of a letdown against the Thunder, grabbing the lead midway through the first quarter and never letting go.

A showdown between the Celtics and Heat has been anticipated ever since James and fellow All Star Chris Bosh joined forces with Wade in the off-season in an attempt to shift Eastern Conference power.

The series opener proved feisty as Boston's Paul Pierce was ejected with two technical fouls in the fourth quarter following a confrontation with Wade.

LATE PUSH

The wily Celtics still managed to make a late push and pulled within eight points with four minutes left after having trailed by as much as 19 in the second half.

But the Heat held off the run with six straight points to move ahead 96-82 with 2:54 left

Ray Allen kept Boston in the game with 25 points, including five three-pointers, and Pierce finished with 19.

James Jones sparked the Heat with five three-pointers and a career playoff-high 25 points but it was Miami's suffocating defense that held Boston to 36 first-half points as the home team took a 15-point lead into the locker room.

Game Two is in Miami on Tuesday.

In Oklahoma City, Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies best player against the Spurs, was again in the spotlight as he hit for a game-high 34 points and 10 rebounds. Spaniard Marc Gasol also contributed a double-double with 20 points and 13 boards.

Kevin Durant, the NBA's scoring champion, had 33 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause for the Thunder while Russell Westbrook had 29 points.

Memphis led by as much as 16 in the first half and powered ahead 91-74 in the fourth as they eased to another shock victory.

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