Dec 21, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

At this point, the only team that doesn’t have any rumored interest in Josh Smith are the Washington Generals.

According to a new report by Hoopsworld, the Philadelphia 76ers may still have interest in Josh Smith. Before the season, they had hoped to form a contender around the newly traded-for Andrew Bynum. However, he has yet to see the court for the Philadelphia team due to injury, and they are on the verge of missing the playoffs barring a second-half turnaround.

Now, according to a rumor from Hoopsworld, the Atlanta Hawks have approached the 76ers about third year SG/SF Evan Turner and C Spencer Hawes in exchange for Josh Smith. The post reads:

According to a pair of league sources with knowledge of the discussions, the Atlanta Hawks approached the Sixers seeking to acquire Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes in exchange for forward Josh Smith. Smith will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Bynum factors into any decisions about the team’s future.

“So much is Andrew Bynum’s health and what he is going to be able to do for us going down the road,” Collins said. “But we have to be very careful where all of a sudden you are trying to make a deal for something. You can’t trade for a free agent because you could give something up and they don’t re-sign. Then you’ve borrowed them for 30 games.”

Turner is in line to make over $5 million this year and then over $6.5 million next year before reaching restricted free agency. Hawes will be an unrestricted free agent that offseason as well, and will make $6.5 million in annual salary until then. This trade would fill a couple of needs that the Hawks might need longterm but Philadelphia may be wary to make the trade unless they are confident the could re-sign Josh Smith at a price they deem is acceptable. Nothing has been ruled out this trade season so continue to come back here to Soaring Down South for all the rumors that have been picked up.

BOSTON, MA - MAY 26: Paul Pierce #34 of the Boston Celtics and Kevin Garnett #5 of the Boston Celtics high five each other during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics during the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 26, 2012 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Boston Celtics have stamped their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals by knocking off the Philadelphia 76ers 85-75 in the seventh and final game of the series Saturday night.

Rajon Rondo messed around and got a triple-double in the game with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists while teammate Kevin Garnett achieved a double-double in the win with 18 points and a game-high 13 boards.

Paul Pierce narrowly missed recording a double-double as he was one rebound short of the mark. He finished with 15 points and nine rebounds before fouling out of the game with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Brandon Bass (16) and Ray Allen (11) were also in double-figures.

The 76ers were led by Andre Igoudala who had 18 points in the game on 5-of-11 shooting in a game-high 44 minutes of action. Point guard Jrue Holiday and 12-year veteran Elton Brand chipped in with 15 points each. The other two starters, Evan Turner (6) and Spencer Hawes (4), along with the four bench players scored 27 points collectively.

Boston scored the first six points in the contest and jumped out to an early 10-2 lead over Philadelphia on Rondo’s fourth assist in the first four minutes of the game.

The 76ers then responded with a run of their own and tied the game up 17-17 thanks to Iguodala’s 3-point make with 1:40 remaining in the opening period. The quarter ended with the teams tied 20-20.

Brand had a great start to the game as he knocked down three-of-five shots from the field and hit both free-throws for eight points while grabbing a pair of rebounds in the first 12 minutes of the game.

The C’s started to pull away in the second quarter due in part to good team defense as they limited Philly’s offense to just 13 points in the period. Boston was nursing a 32-30 lead after 76er center Spencer Hawes’ dunk cut the deficit to two points but Boston clamped down on defense and went on a 9-3 spurt in the remaining four and a half minutes to go up 41-33 at halftime.

The Celtics extended the lead to 49-38, the largest lead of the game, by the 8:03 mark in the third quarter but Philadelphia responded in the following seven minutes with a 14-4 run as they scrapped and clawed their way back to dwindle down the deficit to just one point with 34 seconds remaining in the period. Garnett hit a 14-ft jumper as the quarter expired to give Boston a 55-52 advantage heading into the final 12 minutes of the game.

Igoudala drained a 3-pointer with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter to keep the 76ers within striking distance, 71-68, and had the chance to take control when 14 seconds later, Pierce was called for an offensive foul as he drove into the lane and collided with Thaddeus Young who was there to step in and take the charge, drawing Pierce’s sixth and final foul of the game.

Now with their closer on the bench, Boston need someone to step up now more than ever.

That’s when Rondo took over.

In a two minute span he scored nine straight points, including a long 23-ft jumper and a rare 3-pointer on the next possession, to help the Celtics turn a three-point edge into a double-digit lead to put Boston up 78-68 with 2:09 remaining.

Rondo, Garnett and Allen then sank seven-of-eight free-throws down the stretch to close out the game and seal the 85-75 victory.

The Celtics will open the Eastern Conference Finals in Miami against the Heat on Monday night (5/28) at 8:30 PM (ET).

Brandon Bass powered the Boston Celtics to a 101-85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 5 on Monday night and helped the C’s take a 3-2 lead in the series by scoring 18 of his post-season career-high 27 points in the third quarter — he is the only Celtic to reach double-figures in each game this series versus Philadelphia.

Bass finished 9-of-13 from the field and made 9-of-10 foul shots in the game while grabbing a team-high six rebounds in 37 minutes of action. Teammate Kevin Garnett poured in 20 points and matched Bass’ rebounding output with six boards in his 33 minutes of game time.

Paul Pierce was only three-of-seven from the field overall but made all nine of his free-throw attempts in the game to give him 16 points in the victory. Rajon Rondo achieved a double-double in the contest with 13 points and 14 assists while adding two steals to his stat sheet in a team-high 39 minutes of action. Backup center Greg Stiemsma had a very productive 14 minutes of game time as he was a perfect five-for-five from the field for 10 points.

Veteran power forward Elton Brand led the 76ers with 19 points but only had three rebounds in 30 minutes of game time. Brand’s backup Lavoy Allen scored 12 points and was a perfect six-of-six from the field in his 19 minutes of limited action off the bench. Evan Turner assisted with 11 points as point guard Jrue Holiday and center Spencer Hawes chipped in with 10 points apiece.

Philly established a late 23-19 first quarter lead and remained on top throughout the second period and led 50-47 at half time.

Boston tied the score in the third then started to pull away later in the period as they went on a 14-2 run powered by Bass who scored eight points during the spurt to help put the Celtics up 63-57 with five minutes left in the quarter.

The 76ers would respond by scoring five quick points and cut the deficit to 63-62 following a timeout called by Philly head coach Doug Collins however Boston closed out the final three minutes of the period on a 10-2 run to take a 75-66 lead into the final quarter.

The C’s extended their lead to as many as 19 points late in the fourth period with four minutes left to play and coasted down the stretch to a 101-85 victory.

Boston leads Philadelphia 3-2

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Los Angeles Lakers vs Oklahoma City Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - MAY 21: Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder reacts after scoring while fouled against the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 21, 2012 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Youth got the better of experience as the young guns of the Oklahoma City Thunder trounced the older Los Angeles Lakers 106-90 in Game 5 on Monday night to win the series 4-1.

The Lakers kept the game close in the first half but the Thunder came alive after the break and started to pull away late in the third period as they ended the quarter on a 10-4 run to take a 83-77 advantage into the final 12 minutes.

OKC opened the fourth quarter on a 10-0 run capped off by Kevin Durant’s two trifectas and coasted the rest of the way as the Thunder won the game 106-90 to clinch the series and their ticket to the Western Conference Finals for the second straight year.

Russell Westbrook led the charge for Oklahoma City with a team-high 28 points while superstar teammate Kevin Durant chipped in with a double-double performance of 25 points and 10 rebounds. Sixth Man of the Year James Harden was also in double-figures with 17 points along with eight boards and four assists in the contest. The trio totaled 70 points in the game while the other 11 players for OKC who logged minutes only scored 36 points.

Laker legend Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 42 points as Pau Gasol posted a double-double with 14 points and 16 boards in a game high 44 minutes of action. Metta World Peace (11) and Andrew Bynum (10) were also in double-figures. Bynum only grabbed four rebounds in 35 minutes of action.

The Thunder will square off with the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday at 8:00 PM (ET) on TNT TV.

Oklahoma City wins series 4-1