Associated Press

The NBA notebook ...

CLEVELAND — On the subject of the NBA's infatuation with pregame pyrotechnics, smoke and noise, commissioner David Stern was loud and clear: He's had enough.

"I think they're ridiculous," Stern said Monday before Game 4 of the Cavaliers-Celtics second-round playoff series. "I think that the noise, the fire, the smoke, is a kind of assault that we should seriously consider reviewing in whether it's really necessary given the quality of our game."

His comments came just a few minutes before Cleveland's over-the-top player introductions, which include fire — hot enough that fans can feel the heat in the stands — shooting out of four swords on the scoreboard.

SUNS SEARCH

PHOENIX — There is "no big rush" to hire a new coach for the Phoenix Suns, the team's general manager said Monday.

Steve Kerr said he plans a thorough search that includes people with teams still in the NBA playoffs.

"We're going to make sure we cover our bases," he said. "There's not a huge rush because we're not one of five or six teams out there looking for someone, so we don't feel like we're competing with other people."

The Suns are looking for a coach in the offseason for the first time in two decades after Mike D'Antoni left to become coach of the New York Knicks.

BULLSCHICAGO — Mike D'Antoni is off the board, so the Chicago Bulls remain on the clock. A new week means a new round of interviews as the search for a coach continues. Next up?

It could be Avery Johnson. Or broadcaster Mark Jackson, or a hot assistant such as Boston's Tom Thibodeau or Detroit's Michael Curry.

Whoever gets hired will have to reconnect a fractured team that expected to contend in the Eastern Conference but fell into the lottery. Johnson, Thibodeau and Curry are known to preach defense, which is favored by general manager John Paxson.

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