According to Kori Ellis from SpursZone it appears the San Antonio Spurs are on the radars of both Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant.  Bryant, one of the league's best players, could end up in either Phoenix or San Antonio if he leaves the Lakers, with the Clippers a longshot according to a source of Peter Vescey of the New York Post.

Vescey's source was also cited as saying "I know he wants out of L.A. in the worst way.

"If he goes, it wouldn't surprise me if Kobe chooses between the Suns and the Spurs."

It was also said that the Jazz and the Nuggets, two other teams with cap room, have no shot at the All-NBA guard.

The Nuggets want to get into the bidding for free-agent Manu Ginobili but they will have to come up with some big dollar figures to win it.

Denver GM Kiki Vandeweghe is looking to sign a 2-guard and he will have about $20 million total to spend in total.  
Outside of Kobe Brant, Ginobili is at the top of  Denver?s wish list.  He brings a solid all-around game ? Ginobili has the good jumper with range, takes it to the hole aggressively, and plays tough defense.  His acquisition would bolster the Nugget backcourt substantially.

Vandeweghe is also expected to have interest in Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Brent Barry and Stephen Jackson.

After losing the first two, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Spurs four games in a row and knocked the defending NBA champions out of the playoffs.  

The Lakers beat the Spurs 88-76 at Staples Center to take the series 4-2.

"For us to do what we have done for four consecutive games against them, there's a lot to be said for that," said Kobe Bryant, who scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter.

Shaquille O?Neal added 17 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocked shots.  

Gary Payton, who had 15 points and 7 assists, said after the win that the series turned around when the Lakers focused more on defending Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.  Karl Malone, who had 10 points, said that he maintained a defensive mindset throughout the series.    

The Lakers advance to the Western Conference finals to play the winner of the series between the Mavericks or the Kings.

NBA Commissioner David Stern has decided to deny the Spurs protest that the shot clock did not start correctly in the last game. The league said a video tape review showed the game clock "started appropriately" and confirmed the determination of the referees, using instant replay, that the shot was released before time expired.

One of the three officials triggers the start with a wireless device on his belt. A neutral scorekeeper does, too, as a backup.

"I think it definitely started late," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said after the game.

The shot in question is Lakers guard Derek Fisher's basket with 0.4 seconds left in Los Angeles' 74-73 victory on Thursday in San Antonio against the Spurs.

The two teams play again tonight in Los Angeles with the Lakers holding 3-2 edge.

Just an hour after they lost the game on a play that began with four-tenths of a second left, the stunned San Antonio Spurs questioned whether Derek Fisher?s game-winning fling should have counted.

The game?s three referees determined that the shot was good and confirmed that decision on a television replay.

From a video room at the SBC Center, Spurs General Manager R.C. Buford could be heard shouting based on his belief that the shotclock started late.

The Spurs sent a written protest to the league.

NBA Commissioner David Stern says he doesn?t think the Kobe Bryant drama that is being played out in Eagle, Colorado and Los Angeles, California is heroic.

"I think I'm looking at it and saying that it's clear to me that he's using basketball to sort of keep a certain focus in his life, and it's available for him to do that,? Stern said.  "It's amazing that, given his travel schedule, that he's able to perform at the level he has."

Stern did express concern however.  "I think that we would hope our young men aren't in those situations.  And it's troubling to see that. But there's been an accusation and that's what the system is about and I respect the system and even its need to go forward, regardless of our playoff schedule, and I think that his ability to tie the two together is quite something, to see him do that."

Back-to-back prayers were answered last night but the Lakers got the last one and emerged with a 74-73 victory to give them the lead in their playoff series with the Spurs.

Derek Fisher?s miracle shot went in and sent the Lakers to the upset victory over the Spurs in San Antonio.  

The shot came right after Tim Duncan scored over Shaquille O?Neal with 0.4 left in the fourth period.

The Spurs battled back from 16 points down and 12 in the fourth quarter to get the lead, only to see it evaporate as the buzzer sounded.

The victory gives the Lakers their third straight win in the series and sends them back to Los Angeles with a chance to finish the series on their home floor.  Game 6 is Saturday night at Staples Center.

It?s one thing to be the best in the game and another to prove it even under life-changing circumstances and extreme pressure.

Kobe Bryant?s 42-point performance in Game 4 of the Lakers series-tying win at Staples Center drew mouth-gaping astonishment from onlookers and high praise from his teammates.  "I don't see how he does it," Shaquille O?Neal said after the performance.  "He's probably the best player to ever play the game, especially with all the stuff he's going through."

Bryant flew to Eagle, Colorado at 5 a.m. on Tuesday to plead not guilty to sexual assault, then flew two hours back to Los Angeles and took a nap before the game.

This was the fourth time that Bryant has spent the day of a game in court facing criminal charges.  When he?s hit the court that evening, Bryant has escaped his personal nightmare and inflicted one on his opponents.

"It takes your mind away from so many things. The pressure. The stress. Getting out on the basketball floor, it's an escape. It's fun."

With Bryant and O'Neal again getting on the same page at just the right time, the Lakers may be impossible to stop.

Shaquille O'Neal has been working on keeping his elbow in at the free throw line and the results so far in these playoffs are good.   "He found a rhythm to shoot his shots under," coach Phil Jackson said, "and he started finding a stroke that he could work with out there."

***

The Lakers blowout win Sunday gave coach Phil Jackson the chance to pull O?Neal, Malone and Payton.  Jackson knows that their rest will become a crucial factor if the series goes 6 or 7 games.  The schedule is set for four games in seven days this week.  Game 4 is tonight.

Tim Duncan said his left knee was fine after banging the knee early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's playoff loss to the Lakers.  

Duncan collided on a play in the lane.

"I just went knee to knee, I'm not sure who with," Duncan said. "It's fine."