The Los Angeles Clippers have fired coach Vinny Del Negro, NBA sources tell Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, ending an embattled tenure that saw Del Negro lead the Clippers to new heights for the franchise, yet still not climb over the top to championship contention.

The Clippers have fired Vinny Del Negro, source tells Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) May 21, 2013

The Clippers were 128-102 under Del Negro in three seasons. He took over a team that had the No. 1 pick in Blake Griffin playing his first season after sitting out his rookie season with injury. He struck it big when the Clippers moved to acquire Chris Paul. The franchise's fortunes changed dramatically.

Del Negro's teams the past two years had records with a win percentage better than 60 percent. He guided the Clippers to back-to-back Playoffs appearances for the first time since the franchise moved to Los Angeles and won a Playoff series in 2012, defeating the Grizzlies on the road in Game Seven to escape from the first round.

The 2013 NBA postseason has given fans some memorable games. From the Spurs' huge comeback win against the Warriors in Game 1 of their semifinals matchup to the Bulls testing the Heat during their series, these playoffs haven't been without excitement, drama, and memorable moments.

However, this begs the question... which playoff series has been the best of the best in the decade?

TNT is pondering this question and the nominees range from the Lakers-Kings rivalry, Lakers-Blazers testy series to the Spurs-Mavs epic playoff clashes.

Check out some of the most intense, brutal, and exciting playoff series from the past decade. Which is your favorite Crossover fans?

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The NBA draft has not even happened yet, but next year's Rookie of the Year sleeper may be its most recognizable name. 

Before the season started, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammed was one of the few household names in college basketball. He was one of three players, along with Nerlens Noel and Cody Zeller, projected to be candidates for the top pick overall in the draft.

The season came and went and between a suspension, an injury, being a year older than believed, and lower than expected output sent Muhammed from a top three pick all the way down to possibly a late lottery pick.

Thanks in part to all of the criticism, Muhammed not only showed up at the Draft Combine in Chicago last week and not only competed in the physical tests, but also in the skills competition, which most top propects skip.  Speaking to the media afterwards, Muhammed said despite all that happened this year he still considers himself the best player in the draft. (H/T to Michael Lee of the Washington Post)

Being the number one guy, everybody wants you to fall. Guys want you to fall all the time. You’re going to have guys out there that’s not going to want you to succeed. That’s why I’m going to work as hard as I can to prove those guys wrong.

I know I’m a great player. I’m a guy that believes he’s the best player in the draft. I’m going to tell you the truth.”

There's no complete prospect in this draft. 

At 6-foot-6, Muhammed might be a little undersized to play small forward in the NBA (though his 6-foot-11 wingspan helps). And it is unclear if he is quick enough to defend shooting guards. 

Still, he can score, he plays as hard as anyone else and he wants to win. Several times during the season Muhammed was the guy to hit a big shot late in a game to help UCLA win the Pac-12 regular season title.  And now, he has a chip on his shoulder because of how his falling stock.

 Vogel: I never said Heat were 'just another team'
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There is nothing like some media-manufactured words to get the blood boiling. Especially when the supposed perpetrator and poster of that bulleting board material did not actually say the words attributed to him. Or, even if he did, probably got taken out of context anyway.

The latest "controversy" (emphasis on the quotation marks) occurred when LeBron James was told that Pacers coach Frank Vogel referred to the Heat as "just another team." James took exception to that comment taking it to mean the Pacers did not respect the Heat and viewed them as just another opponent.

Not how it was actually mean in that the Heat are the next team in the Pacers' way to winning a championship.

Or not that Vogel actually said the heinous comment.

Vogel re-iterated his respect for the Heat and clarified his comment -- which was actually that the Heat are "the next team in our way" -- Monday as Indiana prepares for its first game against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals.

This sounds like another case of the media fishing for a story or media recording. The damage might be done with James already commenting about it and using it as motivation.

Of course, Vogel and the Heat have a history. Vogel was fined during last year's conference semifinals for saying the Heat flop too much. There is definitely little love lost. And Wednesday is still a few days away.

Heading into the postseason, Memphis was tops in the league in defense holding teams to 89.3 points during the regular season. In the playoffs, the Grizzlies are holding teams to 92.4 points but in Game 1 of the West Finals, Spurs' Tony Parker made short-work of the vaunted Memphis defense.

Parker scored almost at will during Game 1, finishing with 20 points, 9 assists, and shooting 9-14 from the field leading San Antonio to a 105-83 win.

From scoring in the paint, knocking down the outside shot to driving in the paint and finding the open man for a clear look at the rim, TP abused Memphis during his 32 minutes on the court.

Check out Parker making it look too easy versus the Grizzlies.

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Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points in yesterday's game, but came up short in the 4th quarter

The always-tumultuous New York Knicks' season came to end Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis at the hands of the Pacers, a team that clearly wanted the series victory much, much more than their metropolitan counterparts.

Even a kid from the big city -- Brooklyn's own Lance Stephenson, from Lincoln High School, Stephon Marbury's alma mater -- helped take down the team he rooted for growing up in New York, scoring a career-high 25 points to lead his team in scoring as it took down the favored No. 2 seed Knicks.

Now, the Pacers and coach Frank Vogel -- ironically a New Jersey native -- are in the Eastern Conference Finals facing the Miami Heat, the rival the Knicks were destined to meet up with, especially after four incredibly entertaining games between the two teams in the regular season, of which New York won three.

But destiny was not to be this postseason, as Mike Woodson's old and ragged squad just could not hit the shots and make the plays down the stretch that were necessary to win.

Add in a mind-blowing decision not intentionally to foul the Pacers with less than a minute left and an apparent team let-down with around 30 seconds left, and you get another disappointing Knicks' playoff exit.

As all NBA teams not still in the playoffs must do, New York has to look ahead to next season, which really is not very far away at this point.

Phil Jackson made some of the media rounds to promote his new book Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success, yet another memoir where Jackson tries to impart his wisdom and tell the stories of his coaching successes.

The book has gotten some notice for Jackson's first-ever public comparions between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan -- a fan boy's dream coming from the one guy who could probably make that comparison having coached both at the height of their careers and to all of their combined 11 championships.

Jackson said of the two that Jordan was a fiercer competitor because he never turned it off even when he stepped off the floor. Kobe is at least in the same ball park though, so he has that going for him even if it does not sit well with the Mamba. Jackson noted that Bryant was a bit more reserved and kept to himself early in his career because of his age.

That was the story Jackson was sticking to when he went on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The gregarious Leno asked Jackson about this comparison from his book but also asked him about what happened with the Lakers and his future in the NBA:

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Well that escalated quickly. 

Less than two days after the NBA Board of Governors voted down the Sacramento Kings relocation, the Maloof family has agreed to sell the team to the group led by Golden State Warriors minority owner Vivek Ranadive. According to a Sacramento Bee report, both sides have signed the agreement and the money has been wired.  It was not made clear whether the full reported sale price of $535 million was transfered.

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson told News10 in Sacramento that he thinks the deal will be approved in about a week and added he doesn't forsee any problems from the Board of Governor in that approval process. Ranadive will now have to sell his minority ownership in the Warriors.

The next question is how much, if any, of the Kings front office and coaching staff will return next season. General Manager Geoff Petrie's contract is up and, frankly, it is amazing he lasted this long. 

Head Coach Keith Smart has one year left on his contract, but it'd be really tough to see him stick around if Petrie goes.  Then comes the roster overhaul that might come with a new front office.

So there are a lot of questions that remain for the Kings, but the key is the Maloof family will be gone very soon and a new arena is a few years down the road.  Now if we can just get the Kings back to this color scheme we would be set!

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it is about that time of the NBA season where the playoffs are underway, and teams already in summer vacation are taking a look at potential NBA players at the 2013 NBA Draft Combine.

The combine kicked off yesterday and players from Glen Rice, Jr. to Nerlens Noel, the NBA's future was on display and this new crop of potential NBA players look ready to make their mark on an NBA team.

Check out some highlights from Day 1 of the NBA Combine.

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The Heat and Grizzlies wrapped up their conference semifinals series and made it to the NBA's Final Four last night with series-clinching wins. They will have some waiting to do, although it may not be too long (or may not be too much of an advantage with the NBA likely waiting to set up the conference final schedule to their liking) with a pair more of elimination games tonight.

The Warriors and Knicks will try to extend their season at least one more game from the comforts of their home tonight.

For the first time in a while, the Grizzlies and Heat can sit back and watch. Surely Lionel Hollins and Erik Spoelstra have begun thinking about the next matchups and what to do. Even if gameplans will not get installed until later. After all, Memphis  brought dogs to their practice the day after eliminating the Thunder.

This would be the time to relax a bit in the Playoffs and try to recoup while you wait.

Since they are waiting, they can think about who they would rather face. So who would Miami and Memphis like to see in the next round? Let's answer.