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Pacers- Heat Game One: Bailout Ball

2013-05-23T00:59:00.001-04:00

First off, the only thing anyone is ever going to remember. For a long damn time.

Before we get into a wildly memorable game... had you forgotten all about the Eastern Conference Finals? I almost had, and I care about pro hoop more than anyone I know. But the Heat's playoff series have been forgettable, and the Pacer games have been only a little bit less so. So when this one came across my TV, more by habit then by anticipation after a ridiculous six day layoff, and the game was close after three, I felt like I had missed, well, nothing. And I hadn't.

(Tangent 1: I, for one, applaud the NBA's desire to approximate the worst aspects of college football in this fashion. Why should playoff games be decided by the full complement of a team's players, when it can be just about the 5 to 7 guys that are going to get real minutes in game situations, with rust to boot? Back to it.)

As for this game... the reason why the Heat are going to win this series, and a second straight NBA crown, shows up routinely in the fourth quarter of close games. That reason, not to put too fine a point on this, wears #6 for the Heat. He's too strong to guard down low, too fast to guard from distance, too unselfish to not get clean looks for his teammates, and too driven to let games slip. And his teammates know it, and so so the refs, which makes every close game an exercise of Can He Do It Again.

I had the same feeling, back in the day, watching the Jordan Bulls, and while I always marveled and respected those teams, I also kind of hated them. Some people get off on dynasties and want to be able to say how they saw true greatness, but true greatness has the same ending, over and over again. Tonight, the Pacers were right there, unafraid and unapologetic, and yet I was writing these words when the game was tied with eight minutes left in the fourth. There's only so many times that the football gets pulled away before you stop letting Lucy Van Pelt be your holder. (Or, better off, just kicking her in the freaking head and ending your torment. But perhaps I've shared too much.)

In tonight's game, once we got into the money quarter, James kept getting Iverson Assists -- soft missed shots where multiple Pacers overplayed him and left bunny offensive rebounds for his teammates -- when he wasn't converting on his own. You have to play better than Miami, and not just by a little, to overcome that, because it means that they don't even have to make shots or free throws to keep scoring points. It's a dimension that no other team has. If I were going against him, I'd spend the first three quarters doing nothing on offense or defense other than trying to get him in foul trouble, but that's not how NBA players work; they want to win by playing ball, not chumpery. It's also why intentional hacking schemes are rare.

(Tangent 2: Special credit for this one goes to Chris "Birdman" Anderson, who was a presence on both ends and kept Miami's energy up, since he seems to be the only Heat player who is truly excited about this winning thing any more. To the others, it's more relief from losing, or grim satisfaction at annoying the Pacers. He was perfect tonight, and they needed him to be.)

Beyond the game-ender, which I'll get into in a bit... the signature play for me was a made three by James after a spectacular block by Hibbert on Dwyane Wade. While it was only three points, you usually see plays like that spark a run, because the way of hoop is that some points are more valuable than others, in that they convince players that they are going to win or lose. The Pacers are single-minded enough to overcome that, with a made three and one of the most painful stops ever (Norris Cole hooked David West in the jewels) before Hibbert turned it over in the paint to stop the mini-run and kill the lead change chance. James to Wade at the rim was beauty for the 3-point lead, and Chris Bosh got another make to push it to four, before Hibbert volleyballed up an o-board to keep it close. James had a terrible possession and miss, and West tied it again with 54.6 left.

In the money minute, Wade got to the rim for the surprisingly easy layup around Hibbert at the rim; maybe Indy coach Frank Vogel saw that as Foreshadowing, or something. Indy then called timeout, another rough move given the ability of the Heat to swap defense for offense and clamp down in halfcourt. Wade got a piece of a miss, and Miami got a turnover off the o-board. There's a reason why the Pacers don't win close games, folks. Miami got the ball into Ray Allen's hands to make the killshot free throws, and he actually missed one to keep the game in doubt. Wade nearly stole an inbound, then Vogel called his final timeout with 11.9 left. This is not a team that looks comfortable in close and late. Without a timeout to advance, Indy looked bound to a tying three attempt...

And George utterly bailed out a horrible possession from 30 feet to tie it with 0.7 left. Wow. The Heat could have fouled West late in the clock and more or less ended it, but that's not something that players ever do. Allen's heave at the buzzer never had a chance, and hey, free ball.

(Tangent 3: This is going to get lost in the history, but Indy shouldn't have made it to overtime, and also shouldn't have gotten the lead at the end of overtime.) The last minute work was weak at best, and George's heaves are low percentage shots that maybe goes in about 20% of the time. Had either of those clanged out, there's no time for the put-back or anything other than the Heat leaving with a more or less ordinary win. But that's not how ball goes.)

Early in the overtime, Batitier missed and then picked up his fifth while defending West, but the Pacer PF missed both FTs and the Heat kept the ball after a peep show. Anderson got an o-board and Wade spiked the ball off Lance Stephenson for another shot, but James turned it over with an awful play. Wade took his fifth rather than give up a layup, but George hit both to give the Pacers a 2-point lead. Anderson, of all people got to the line for Hibbert's 5th, then continued his perfect night to tie it again. Hibbert scored off a nice entry pass for another lead, then George punched the ball away from Wade to force a shot clock violation; another great play. West missed something quite make-able, leading to a Wade runout for the tie; the Pacers should have been up by 4. George answered with an old-school and one for James' 5th foul -- and at this point, everyone started noticing just how amazing he's been -- and the 3-point lead with 2:05 left.

(Tangent 4: Frank Vogel is going to get the goat horns for benching Hibbert in the final minute, but West was the real reason why the Pacers lost the overtime. Two missed FTs, a missed FG that led to a runout and another miss late; that's 6 to 8 points in a 1-point overtime period. He's got to be better if Indy is going to have any chance in this series, but there's a reason why he's, well, not a star. Moving on.)

Allen got George Hill's 4th on undue exuberance. James continued to defer, leading to Battier missing from 35 feet at the end of the clock; mind-defying bad possession, and Miami was on the ropes. Stephenson missed early in the clock. Bosh missed from three, and then Battier from the arc again, but Bosh saved the game with an o-board, make and old-school 3. The Heat PF got away with a shove, but that's what happens at home, really, and that might have been the biggest play of the overtime that you won't see a million times in highlights. Tie game with 49.7 left in the extra.

West missed again, and Wade beasted up for the board. With 24.6 left in the first overtime, Miami had another chance to win... and Indy coach Frank Vogel inexplicably took Hibbert off the floor for it. So James went to the rack and scored with 10.8 left, because, well, why the hell not? I guess you can just get another bailout three off another terrible last possession...

And that's more or less what happened.

Hill nearly turned over the inbounds, but got it back to George after the melee. Wade fouled out while guarding George on a heave with 2.2 left, after a scramble / near turnover; I'm amazed that the Heat didn't get that no-call at home. George made all three for the lead, as calmly as if he were in warm ups, and that was just unreal. The Heat's last possession, after the usual back and forth chess piece timeouts, was a shocking moment of Pacer Fail, as James got the step on George from the catch and went to the rim for a layup for the win. George overplayed the pass, James turned the corner, and that was just stupid easy.

Hibbert was on the bench for both of James' lay-ups in the final seconds of overtime, when he was deferring; the lack of the stopper clearly inspired James. I have no idea what the hell Vogel was thinking, or why the TNT media stepped over themselves to excuse the move, as if James was just going to make both of those shots without a shot blocker in the game.

Oh, and by the way? Vogel took Hibbert off the floor to get the immortal Sam Young on the floor. If you don't know who Sam Young is, don't feel bad; Young barely knows by now, seeing how he's on his third team in 3 years, having washed out of the SIXERS. Yes, a guy who wasn't good enough to get burn in Philly was someone who Vogel wanted on the floor in the final moments of a had to have it defensive stop. I get that maybe Hibbert isn't an ideal guy, that he's had issues guarding Bosh on the baseline, and that he wasn't dominant in the fourth at the rim... but really? You'd rather have a 6'-6" journeyman swingman on the floor instead?

Can the Pacers shake this off and somehow steal Game 2? Of course; Miami is not, this year's playoff record notwithstanding, a true juggernaut, and this game hinged on a handful of plays that could have easily gone the other way. Without the Bosh save, or with a West make, they would have lost this game in overtime, and if they actually play defense on the final possession, they win it in another way that never happens in those Dynasty DVDs. James had a triple double in this game, but with overtime minutes and his usual game, that's nearly containment, especially given how much George got in the last 2+ periods.

But as we've seen time and again, when you fail to complete the road steal early against a favorite, you generally regret it. And with the time off between games, you get to wallow in it for a long damn time, too...

Top 10 reasons why the Clippers aren't bringing back Vinny del Negro

2013-05-22T01:05:00.002-04:00

Oh, The Pain, The Pain

10) Just realized they were, in fact, employing Vinny del Negro

9) Have to make sure that we continue to distract the world from the fact that Blake Griffin, despite being a very well-paid commercial spokesmodel and well-known superstar with hops for days, does not get rebounds or block shots

8) del Negro failed to give Chauncey Billups the memo that he's, well, not very good any more, and shouldn't shoot so much

7) Team feel that he didn't get enough out of DeAndre Jordan and Lamar Odom, who, shockingly, did not combine to be a championship level center

6) Winning the Pacific Division crown used to seem like a much bigger deal, really

5) Needed to fire him quickly before the world started calling him what he really is, which is the most successful coach in Clippers History

4) Desperate to do anything that makes Chris Paul like them and stay, up to just making him the official, as well as unofficial, coach

3) Vinny just isn't racist or repulsive enough to be trusted by management

2) Like every other franchise in the NBA, the Clips are convinced that if they just have an open spot, Phil Jackson will magically appear

1) Just like in Brooklyn, this team is far too talented (just ask them!) to ever lose on its own, so it must be all about the coach

Grizzlies - Spurs Game Two: After Six Quarters, Memphis Arrives

2013-05-22T00:44:00.002-04:00

My Head, I Say, My Head

This one was why you don't stop watching Game, just because it's stinking up the joint. This game was never pretty to watch, but it did get pretty good.

For the first 2.5 quarters of this one, the Grizz replayed the script of fall behind big early, make a middling run, then get taken out like a load of bad laundry. Tony Parker was dominant, with 16 of his 18 assists coming in the first three quarters. It was not making for Very Compelling Ball, and I was wondering if there was some way we could get the Clips or Thunder back in the playoffs instead. Even when Zach Randolph started to show signs of being himself again -- albeit a guy who couldn't make a FT -- I wasn't ready to buy in, but the Grizz kept grinding, and the Spurs kept missing. Memphis would up eating the lead and forcing the extra session despite shooting horribly and not playing clean ball down the stretch; they could have easily won it had Randolph made his freaking FTs.

The Spurs looked horrible on offense late in the game. Tony Allen's makes with 26.1 from a flagrant foul that seemed legit to my eyes despite the over the top sell job (Allen grabbed his head like a WWE jobber, which is all you will hear about for days, but the refs called it a flagrant due to the possible dislocated arm that Manu could have given him) were huge, and helped to set up a pretty Mike Conley make for the game-tying bucket. Old-school Memphis defense locked down the final possession to force extra ball, and this started to feel very much like the road team's game.

The overtime was really ragged, as both teams looked spent from tension, if not the minutes. Duncan and Gasol both had five fouls, but neither man looked aware of the situation, and Timmy took full advantage of his relative freshness. First was a block on Gasol at the rim to keep the lead with 90 seconds left, then he got a shooter's roll on a runner with 68 seconds left to make it four. Jarryd Bayless, an all-or-nothing contributor who looks like a much better idea in this series than Tayshaun Prince, made another mid-range shot to make the end game matter. Parker missed from the line with 14.6 left to keep things in doubt. Hollins, oddly, took both time outs, and then watched Bayless miss from the arc badly. Cory Joseph got the board from the Spurs and kept it interesting for a moment by missing the first free throw, but the second make salted it, especially after Bayless took time and missed from the arc to end it. The Spurs lead 2-0, and retain home court.

Credit where due: Gregg Popovich is playing Lionel Hollins like, well, the way Randolph played Kendrick Perkins in the last round. (Poor Kendrick. Even when he's out of the playoffs, he still manages to look worse and worse.) Zebo was actually better tonight, in that he didn't have the worst game of his life and got the free throw line. It would help if he started to actually make them. For the first 36 minutes, the Spurs' bench players, after indifferent contributions in the first two rounds, were just beasting. Tiago Splitter and Boris Diaw are both giving the Spurs more than Randolph is giving the Grizz. Danny Green is having one of those unconscious streaks that makes you wonder if he can take the Manu role in the next few years. Kawhi Leonard was supposed to have a hurt back that was going to be a big factor in why the Grizz could win; instead, he's shooting the lights out. But then the fourth quarter happened, the Grizz held the Spurs to nine points at home, and it feels like an escape for the team that led the vast majority of the game.

Game three is in three days for some fool reason; plenty of time for Popovich to come up with something new, and for Parker to get the rest he needs to go deep minutes. Without him on the court, the Spurs look like a very different, and not very good, team. I suspect the Grizz will win Game 3, and maybe even Game 4... but this seems more like a first round series to me now, which is to say, a series between two teams with big flaws and high unpredictability. That's what I call fun, and we'll take every ounce of it we can get this late in the year.

Top 10 reasons why the NFL is pushing back the draft

2013-05-21T01:41:00.002-04:00

Later Draft = More Commish Nooky

10) By having it in May, they better space out the calendar so that no one has to acknow- ledge the existence of other sports

9) Six full months of wondering who your team will draft is the perfect gift to give to fans of terrible franchises

8) Less time in OTAs means that the games will be crisper, since fewer spots will be taken by emerging rookies

7) This will spike interest in the draft combine, aka the annual reason to question the life choices of people who visit Indianapolis unless forced to by work

6) As with everything else involving the NFL in 2013, has to be somehow better for concussion diagnosis and treatment

5) With the planet's ever-increasing wacky weather, May for the draft means slightly less chance of a running into a blizzard that would impact the exercise

4) More time before the draft will give more free agents a chance to find, and then get cut by, new teams in the waiting period

3) With the draft happening later in the year, Jets Fan is more likely to be back in the stir for various crimes against humanity, which makes Roger Goodell's life easier

2) More time for the least useful columns of the year, the mock draft

1) It's what Goodell wants, and as we've seen with Scab Refs, the lockout, SaintsGate and a thousand other petty moments, What Roger Wants, Roger Gets

Top 10 reasons why Dwight Howard might leave the Lakers

2013-05-21T00:28:00.001-04:00

What, Me Leave?

10) It's just team #2 in his league-wide quest to become the most hated NBA player ever

9) Team might not go along with his need to collect the fresh coaching scalp of Mike D'Antoni

8) Doesn't want to be with a team that has a rich history of big men who actually succeed in the playoffs

7) Wants to become the first big man in NBA history to publicly bitch about playing with Steve Nash

6) Would rather not play with an aging superstar on the downside of a legendary career, which is why Dallas is such an attractive destination

5) You can't expect him to want to stay in LA when multiple towns in Texas, Cleveland and Atlanta come calling

4) Team keeps pulling him from late and close games, just because he shoots free throws about as well as a drunken Shaquille O'Neal

3) Knows that the franchise would never let a star player get a coach fired, unless that player was Magic Johnson, Nick Van Exel, Kobe Bryant or Smush Parker

2) If he goes back to the LEastern Conference, might go back to losing deeper in the playoffs

1) Gets him away from Mean Old Kobe, Lunatic Metta, Broken Down Nash, Mopey Pau and the rest of the going nowhere Lakers

Top 10 takeaways from the Pacers - Heat Beef

2013-05-20T00:49:00.002-04:00

So Much Beef

10) I blame the NBA for giving us a 3-week layoff before the series begins

9) If this keeps up, America might actually get to know who is on the Pacers

8) Pacer Coach Frank Vogel says the Heat are just another team, which seems to irritate LeBron James, who would rather the Heat be known as a soul-killing corporation from a robotic dystopian future

7) Shane Battier says none of this matters, because when you are hundreds of years old, you lose the ability to remember a beef long enough to react to it

6) There is no truth to the rumor that this entire kerfluffle was invented by ESPN to fill up the next 72 hours of programming

5) It's OK to hate both of these teams and still like pro hoop, really, it is

4) We can look forward to a wildly over-officiated Game One, with technical fouls for mean looks and hurt feelings

3) The Heat seem very surprised that their opponents keep trying to play defense against them, and don't seem to like them very much

2) You have to admire how the Paces are refusing to let their underdog status, against a champion that many people personally dislike, make them become lovable

1) If porn and romantic comedies have taught us anything about what happens before this much bitchy dialogue, at some point, these teams will just look into each other's eyes and start rutting like feral pigs

Grizzlies - Spurs Game One: Team, Not Star

2013-05-20T00:09:00.002-04:00

12 Inches Of Elevation

On one hand, you can safely disregard any Game One loss for the Grizz, since they do that sort of thing all the time, and all you have to do when you start on the road is get a split. But on the other, the way in which the Spurs won this game was new and unique, and reminds us, yet again, that every series is different.

In Game One, that difference was Matt Bonner. Unless you'd prefer Kawhi Leonard. Or Danny Green.

Bonner, the redheaded three-point specialist was all but useless in the Warriors series, but here, he's got a role and a use, and the four threes that he made in today's win are getting the lion's share of insider credit this evening. But of course, it's not just Bonner, since the Spurs hit 14 3's today, but you get the point. There's always been an element of Borg about the Spurs, who haven't just beaten teams with stars for a while now, but especially now. Besides, Bonner doesn't make his first delivery until the Spurs are already up 23-12, and the first quarter is nearly over. People talk about how defense is more of a constant than offense, but today, well, it wasn't.

The biggest thing about games where you go out to a big league is not panicking if and when the other team makes a run, and the Grizz did just that in the third, using a Quincy Pondexter run from distance to get back within six. But a Manu Ginobili flurry got back the lead before the quarter was over, and the fourth quarter was mostly garbage time. Short of the opening Grizz hoop, this was a wire to wire job.

The Grizz can and will play better, of course. Zach Randolph is going to figure things out; he's too good to be held down by the likes of Bonner, Boris Diaw and Tiago Splitter forever. San Antonio isn't going to shoot 48% from the arc throughout the series, especially on the road. Memphis is going to do better at closing some passing lanes, and they are also likely to assert themselves more on the boards as soon as the Spurs cool down a bit.

But the Spurs' ball movement is unlike anything the Grizz have had to face so far this playoff series, and if they play this way again, they will lose. I don't think they will, but you never know, especially with 48 hours to think about it. Time for Lionel Hollins to answer the critics.

NBA Conference Finals Picks: False Theory Choice

2013-05-19T13:40:00.001-04:00

Roll Again

For years now, the NBA has legislated and plotted to be about Going Small. Three point shooting and statistical analysis has made the corner three the most desired shot on the floor. Long jumpers from inside the arc, even in the hands of a capable shooter with a clean look, have been derided. Transition scoring has become more important, since the world's best athletes from six continents play this game, and they all close out to shooters like mad. So it's about the small man virtues (avoid turnovers and making your threes) and less about the big man attributes (shooting a high percentage, controlling the boards, and getting your opponent's starters in foul trouble).

In the second round, that all changed back with a vengeance. Memphis, with its retro-cool under the rim big man pairing of Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, is the new chic pick, having just ended the seasons of two of the best five players in the NBA. Indiana kicked past a New York team that was all about turnovers and threes, mostly because Roy Hibbert utterly destroyed Tyson Chandler.

So we're all clear here now, right? The Big Man has come back with a vengeance, as we all knew he would, and we need to start looking at series under the age-old adage of Good And Big Beats Good And Small. Right?

Well, not so fast. There were other factors at work in Memphis taking out the Clippers and Thunder -- mainly, that both teams were dealing with crushing injuries and/or rock-headedness from their coaches and bench players. Indiana caught a Knick team that was spent from age and injuries as well, and I can't help shake the feeling that Chandler played that series while hurt. In all of the games, you still had the corner three, turnover issues and transition scoring. The games aren't simple to predict now, and there is no New Old Wave at work where everyone is going to try to make their team look like the Grizz, any more than everyone tried to make their team look like the Thunder a year ago, or Miami and Boston the years before that.

There are many paths to greatness now in the NBA, beyond Have The Best Player. But all things being equal, I'm taking that one.

And with that... on to the picks!

Indiana vs. MIAMI

The case for Indy: Defensive stoppers all over the floor. Solid coaching. Ravenous fan base. Familiar with the Heat, and have had success against them this year. Can defend inside and at the arc in the half court game. Comfortable at any pace, though better at slow. Can win grind it out playoff games, which seems to be the only kind that Miami plays now.

The case against: This is the last team in the world that you want to have turnover issues against. If Hibbert gets in foul trouble, they have serious problems inside. David West seems to come up second-best at this stage a lot in his career. The guard play is erratic. Possible injury issues with George Hill's concussion. The bench doesn't tend to show up on the road.

The case for Miami: Defending champions with the best record and home court. Have the best player, potentially ever. Will defend at every position and can blow teams out when the connect from distance. Battle-tested with a bailout margin that no other team that's still in the playoffs has. Can go into defensive fugue states where the opponent never seems to score. Does not panic when down, and capable of making soul-draining comebacks.

The case against: Surprisingly indifferent for much of games; this is a team that allowed the Bucks to have leads, and for a Bulls team with a borderline overseas backcout to win Game One. Could have rust issues all the way into Game Two, given the NBA's absurd schedule and their own ability to close out series quickly. Home court does not intimidate, as their crowd is Lakers East in terms of cosmopolitan cool. If Dwyane Wade remains hurt, loses a lot of margin. They are getting a lot out of Chris Bosh and Chris Anderson, and both guys are mercurial. May be facing their first actually good team of the playoffs now, and may be a paper tiger.

The call: It would not shock me, though it would shock the world, if the Pacers win this. They are the only team in the East capable of giving the Heat a run for their money, and if they didn't have turnover issues, I'd be seriously tempted to take a stab at them. But they do, and when this series gets late and the Heat decide to just go to the rack and win it at the line, they are going to get those calls.

The pick: Heat in seven.

San Antonio at MEMPHIS

The case for San Antonio: Have the best coach in the business. Actually have quality front court depth, a first for a Grizzly opponent in this playoff. PG Tony Parker is capable of winning his matchup against Mike Conley, a must if a team is to advance against the Grizz. Home court helps, as does the best coach working in the NBA today. In Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard, have quality young players that can provide closeouts and help down low on the Grizz big men. The bench is useful and capable of providing surprise contributions from little-used guys (Boris Diaw, DaJuan Blair, Patty Mills, Kris Joseph). Have been at this level before and really do not panic when behind in a series.

The case against: Aging stars (Manu Ginobili especially, though also Tim Duncan) have not looked good late in games. Will need Tiago Splitter, who has been hurt, to play the series of his life. Got wrecked by a younger and worse version of this Grizz team as a high seed a couple of years ago. Might be running on fumes at this point, especially after a very taxing series against the Warriors. No matter how well he manages the minutes, Gregg Popovich is having to get more and more out of guys who are not capable of it.

The case for Memphis: Best defensive team, one through five, on the planet. Lockdown in halfcourt and good in transition. Perhaps the best defensive small in Tony Allen, and the best defensive big in Marc Gasol. Gets bailout shots from mid-range, which is unique at this point in the NBA, and prone to volleyball-style offensive board rallies that sap the will and drain the legs of their opponents. Might be playing their "easiest" opponent to date, in that there is no game-changing superstar around to steal early games. Have those good memories of bouncing the Spurs before. No auto-hack candidates for Popovich to take advantage of with intentional fouls.

The case against: Prone to dumb fouls and ref baiting. Not great from the arc; not explosive because they are not great from the arc. Coaching is pedestrian at best. Have never gotten this far, and might find the air a little thin. If you make Conley a shooter, and he's not hitting, can be relatively easy to defend, since the boards are going to go long. I'm not a big fan of their bench, especially in road games.

The pick: If the Spurs win this, we can pretty much revoke George Karl's coach of the year trophy and send it to Popovich with all apologies. They just might, given how smart and tough they are, and if this becomes a whistle-fest, the odds go up. But there's a reason they've won their series with more ease than the Spurs have won theirs, and it's because they've got a defense that turns their opponents into hamburger. The Spurs don't have the means to compete against that, and there's only so much that coaching smoke and mirrors can do to compensate.

The pick: Grizzlies in six

Year to date: 10-2

Enjoy the games, everyone.

Closet Consistency

2013-05-19T03:38:00.001-04:00

Thank you for not being yourself

Leading off the World Wide Lemur today, the revelation that Brittney Griner, the top WNBA pick who came out publicly to the yawns of a nation, was told to keep it quiet while at Baylor University by her coach.

That this is news is slightly more surprising then the actual news itself, but it also speaks to the following points.

First, that the idea that having the best player in women's basketball isn't effective for recruiting, unless that star is also closeted.

Second, that Baylor doesn't seem to care very much about its own anti-gay standards, once it comes to recruiting people who it wants to play on its teams.

The relevant passages, from the school's student handbook, labels homosexuality as "sexual misconduct", and equates it with infidelity. Here's the money quote:

Temptations to deviate from this norm include both heterosexual sex outside of marriage and homosexual behavior. It is thus expected that Baylor students will not participate in advocacy groups which promote understandings of sexuality that are contrary to biblical teaching.

(We'll leave alone the idea that there's one kind of Biblical teaching, and that said teaching hates the gays, since it's something of a lost cause to try to convince anyone that the Bible can be taught in more than the way that reactionary conservatives believe in. Or that eons-old passages, that have been rewritten over and over again and sound like gay bashing, probably have more to do with prohibiting pedophilia, and that it's fine to ignore the anti-shrimp and mixed clothing strictures that appear right next to said strictures. Anyway, moving on.)

Now, I don't have an issue with Baylor having this on the books. It's not a requirement for a business -- and colleges, as anyone who has ever stared down the barrel of a tuition bill, are nothing more than that -- to play nice on these matters.

But what is a requirement is this: you should not be able to play both sides of the street and get paid for it.

So if Baylor wants to keep this on the books, they should vacate any wins or honors from the Griner Era (since, well, Griner is presumed to have been a Baylor student at the time that she came out of the closet). They should fire the coach who, according to Griner, downplayed the school's guidelines by telling her that being gay wasn't a problem, just so long as she kept it quiet). They should forfeit any upcoming games against players that have out athletes, since that could also be seen as indirectly endorsing the "misconduct."

After all, fair's fair. If gay students can't be allowed to be gay in public at Baylor, then Baylor shouldn't be allowed to profit from the actions of people they believe to be engaging in destructive conduct. Or to condone said conduct just so long as you hide it.

And while we're at this for students... why not coaches? And professors, teaching assistants, administrators, janitors, support personnel, food service workers...

But that's not what happened, of course. Instead, this:

When asked Saturday to comment on Griner's recruiting remarks, Baylor referred to a statement it issued to ESPN The Magazine and espnW on behalf of Mulkey earlier this month. The coach declined to comment specifically, but said in the statement: "Brittney Griner represented Baylor University proudly on and off the basketball court, and she leaves behind an incredible legacy. I cannot comment on personal matters surrounding any of our student-athletes, but I can tell you Brittney will always be a celebrated member of the Baylor family."

So... Baylor celebrates people who flaunt its rules, provided they leave behind incredible athletic legacies. Makes about as much sense as telling gay people to just not be gay, really...

The Phillies: Keep Calm And Expect Nothing

2013-05-19T02:40:00.002-04:00

Philly Fan Can Use The Mellow

Saturday in South Philly, the home team did not have a good day. Starter Kyle Kendrick gave up 4 earned runs in 6 innings and was, by far, the most effective pitcher on the team. The offense collected 8 base runners in 9 innings, didn't bunch the contributions and didn't hit for power, so, well, they were shut out and looked fairly awful. The bullpen, a season-long source of concern, let things go from bad to worse, and the visiting Reds were paced by Joey Votto's six for six day for getting on base. 10-0 Reds, and another brick in the wall towards the lengthening drought of playoff-free Philadelphia sports seasons.

There are two factors that are mentioned by those who would make the case that this is all too much, too soon.

1) Despite indifferent play at 20-23, the Phillies are just 4 games back from the lead in the NL East. The Braves and Nationals have both squandered hot starts, so the NL East is looking more like a 90-win situation. There's also the fact that the second wild card makes an 85 to 88 win team a likely playoff performer, and once you get in, all you need is a hot couple of weeks.

2) Under manager Charlie Manuel, this team has always turned things around in the second half, spurred on by the core three of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Once they get the bullpen settled, perhaps with the return to health with lockdown eight inning guy Mike Adams, they'll be fine.

Howevah... hidden inside that 20-23 is a fairly weak schedule (the Marlins and Mets), a negative 35 run differential, second-worst in the National League, and, well, very few candidates on the active roster that qualify as guys having a good year, or even in the ranger of where they are supposed to be. (The short list: Utley, who is still useful if no longer an MVP candidate, back-up Freddy Galvis, who might be able to handle a key defensive position without being an offensive hole, and Michael Young, who has handled third base and posted a reasonable on-base percentage, but at something of a crazy fiscal cost and with no power or much in the way of greater potential. But compared to guys like Placido Polanco, Kevin Frandsen and Pedro Feliz, he's aces.) And being a good second-half team historically sounds a lot like how the Eagles always won after a bye under Andy Reid, and were always better in November and December. It's true until it's really, really not.

Finally, there's this: I've seen teams like this Phillies club. They were built on starting pitching and defense, they were historically competitive, and they were about as much fun to watch as paint drying. They played in Oakland in the Utter Meh years at the end of the Moneyball days, before last year's renaissance.

That's because good teams do not win playoff-style baseball games all year. They get to the playoffs by being a lot better than their opponents, with an offense that keeps their pitching staffs from getting worn down to nothing by working without a net all damn year. Then they win those playoff games. You don't actually get better at winning close games by having lots of close games. You get better at winning close games by being better than your opponent. Which, well, the Phillies aren't.

And there hasn't been, well, anything in the first 25% and counting of the season that says that the next 75% will be very different...

Knicks - Pacers Game Six: The Knicks Take The Lance

2013-05-19T01:34:00.004-04:00

Give It Up To The Lance

You need to be something of a NBA nerd to know much about the Pacers, let alone Lance Stephen- son. Known primarily for being a knucklehead in last year's playoff against the Heat, tonight he changed everything about his reputation with not just the best game of his playoffs, but his career. The ex-Cincy Bearcat and second round pick in 2010 had a night for the ages, playing like he, and not Carmelo Anthony, was the best player on the floor. For a guy who only reached double figures in 4 out of 11 playoff games this year, and was pretty much an 8/4/3 guy this year as a defense-only option, scoring 25 on 13 shots was just a contribution that the Knicks were not going to be able to overcome.

As for Anthony, he was amazing for three quarters and the only reason the Knicks were in the game at all in the fourth. But how you get to 39 points as important as scoring them in the first place, and Anthony's fourth quarter, where he was a ball stop, a shot misser, a turnover machine and a guy who couldn't make plays on the defensive end of the floor, will be the takeaway. From watching the game, it looked to me like he lost heart about the same time as he lost his legs, and while I usually hate analysis that goes away from the numbers and into the head, there is his past playoff history (this is only the second year since he got into the NBA where his team escaped the first round of the playoffs) to take into account. As gifted as a scorer as he is, he's never had a consistent game outside of points to make his team win. The idea that someone with a vote gave him the MVP, and not LeBron James, should be a revocable offense.

Knick Fan will also want to blame the refs for this one, and maybe even the entire series. That certainly seemed to be what Knicks coach Mike Woodson was left with at the close, but that's just what happens when a jump-shooting team plays bangers; the jump shooters avoid contact and don't get calls. It's also one more nail in the fallacy coffin over the idea that NBA games are fixed, since a Heat-Knicks series would have done something like 5X the business that this Heat-Pacers one will.

Anthony apologists will have other places to go, of course. The first being that J.R. Smith never really regained his form after the suspension in the Celtics' series, that early season heavy minutes and his own jaw-dropping age made Jason Kidd utterly worthless by this series, and that the continuing distraction that is Amar'e Stoudamire is going to weigh down this franchise for as long as they have him around.

The Knicks are an odd collection of young and on the rise, along with not really ready for the crucible (Ian Shumpter, Chris Copeland), in the middle of their careers but erratic (Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Raymond Felton), and absolute end of career wrecks (Kidd, Stoudamire, Kenyon Martin, Marus Camby). This year, by hitting their threes, not turning the ball over and playing fairly inspired defense, they won a weak Atlantic Division and fooled me into thinking they were going to go as far as the Heat... but in what has to be considered something of a trend considering the rise of the Grizzlies, they got taken out by a power team in the Pacers. Roy Hibbert will have the signature highlight of the series for his test of strength blocked shot win at the rim against Anthony, but the guy that truly ended the Knicks tonight was Stephenson, who was second only to Hibbert with 10 boards to go with his 25 points and 3 assists.

The hype for Heat-Pacers will mention how the Pacers won the season series, how the Heat haven't actually played a good or healthy team in the playoffs this year, and how the Pacers will have a huge edge in the middle with Hibbert. Perhaps we'll even hear about how the Heat were down to this very same Pacer team last year, and get more about how Dwyane Wade just isn't right.

But still, it's hard for me to counter the two best leading indicators of the NBA -- team with the best player wins, versus the team with the best big man. Unfortunately for the Pacers, both of those rules go to James. The series begins on Wednesday, which is just long enough for both team to be good and rusty, really...

Spurs - Warriors Game Six: So Sorry To Be Right

2013-05-17T01:59:00.000-04:00

Memories

Tonight in Oakland, the Spurs played a spectacular road playoff game. They weathered every run, with coach Gregg Popovich using his timeouts and personnel perfectly. With power forward and Franchise icon Tim Duncan having a weak fourth quarter, the Spurs coach just went small and got killer three pointers to keep the lead, and, well, that was that. San Antonio won despite Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili not being able to make shots, because the rest of the cast did, and their defense was finally able to stop the quality looks at the rim without giving up open looks from the three point arc.

All credit to them, thanks for making my pick of them to win in it a winner (10-1 so far) and I suspect they're going to give the Grizzlies more of a series than the Dubs would have -- the nature of the NBA playoffs is that we are certain the best team advances, in that it is an unforgiving crucible -- but they won't be as fun to watch, especially if their veterans don't start picking up their energy late in games. Memphis has spent the last two series turning Chris Paul and Kevin Durant into frail husks of themselves; it's hard to see how they don't do the same thing to the elder Spurs. But there's plenty of time to discuss that later. I want to stay on the Dubs for now.

Their run was, as you might have gathered from the coverage here for the past month, so much fun to watch... but fun to watch and hoisting a trophy are mutually exclusive sets in hoop, at least to my eyes. (Some will argue that the Jordan Bulls were the aesthetic and performance ideal, but I preferred the Gary Peyton / Shawn Kemp Sonics, and the Charles Barkley Suns, for ball movement and team play on offense. But I digress.) Depending on the night, Curry and Klay Thompson made me laugh out loud with the purity of their jumpers, and the rest of the roster kept coming up with heroics and goofiness (have you ever seen a more excitable bench?) in equal measure. They could run up big leads, cough them up at the close, then come back in overtime as if nothing happened. They could blow a game in breathtaking fashion, and play the next night as if the last game never happened. Few teams reach the level of unforgettable, especially when they don't escape the second round, but that's what this team was.

Now for the bad news. This really may be as good as it gets.

No one is going to say this, of course. When the youngest team in the NBA goes a round deeper than the other two teams in their division, everything should be skittles and beer moving forward. But in the history of the Association, great young teams fail to develop all the time, especially when a sizable amount of their improvement seems to come from a coach with a mercurial minutes strategy, and a best player with injury issues. And so much of the talent here seems to be one-way only (defense from the big men, offense from the guards) as to make future minutes a real challenge. And I haven't even gotten into the misery of keeping all of this talent in the future (someone's going to want to pay Thompson an irresponsible amount), or the frequently wounded on the floor.

But for now, they can go hit the golf course and fishing holes with a clear conscience, and the knowledge that they are going to be everyone's sexy pick to win the Pacific next year, and host a playoff series. And if Chris Paul and Dwight Howard decide to leave the state, they might be the only team in California to have a playoff team in 2014.

Or they could snap back to their historical doom and ineptitude. And if I had to bet...

Update: Just to prove how adorable this team was, check out what they do *after* the season's over. (Stay on the floor, give away their gear, say thanks. Classy.)

Pacers - Knicks Game Five: The Heat Win, Even When They Don't Play

2013-05-17T00:12:00.002-04:00

Wish You Were Here

Up until the late going in this game, it looked like the Pacers might get the road steal they needed to achieve quasi-parity with the Heat in terms of rest, en route to their future hard fought series loss. But tonight in New York, they choked the bit down the stretch, and making matters even wore, shooting guard and best player George Hill has a concussion, and might also be out again for the next one.

At least Knicks coach Mike Woodson seems to be getting away from the dead weight that is Jason Kidd. The beyond veteran point guard is just an offensive hole right now, and there's really no reason for him to get minutes as anything more than a steadying influence if you are beset by turnovers.

While it's still highly likely that the home Pacers will be able to hold serve and close things out, because the Knicks right now are Carmelo Anthony and a special guest second shooter to be determined later, and that guy normally does not show up on the road... but, well, losing your best player is never a good thing, and it's especially not helpful when you are dealing with a star-free lineup like what the Pacers roll out there. (And, well, a sub-standard bench, especially for a probable Final Four team.)

Game Six is Saturday in Indy. If Game 7 is necessary, that would be Monday in New York. The road to the Finals was already going to be kitteny-soft for the defending champions; now, I'm starting to wonder if the NBA will even make them play all four games.

Grizzlies - Thunder Game Five: Kevin Durant's Waterloo

2013-05-16T00:50:00.000-04:00

Needs a new mouthpiece

The simple and stupid way to look at this is that Kevin Durant didn't shoot well, so he must not be that good as we thought. But what we really learned by the end of this series was that having the second-best player in the world doesn't really matter when the rest of your teammates are losing their matchups. Just like in the last series, Memphis started off by losing to one of the best players in the world, and ended it by destroying him.

Beyond the frantic finish of this one, Memphis spent five games not working as hard as Oklahoma City to score, and idiots are now going to chastise Durant for not having a post game -- as if the finest shooting big man in the league should have old man craftiness at age 24, and to just suddenly acquire those skills when the ever-present guard suddenly isn't there. (Note: if he had a post game, he wouldn't have anyone to get him the damn ball. There's no way he was winning this series, folks.)

But what this series showed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is how utterly and completely worthless Kendrick Perkins is. This is the series that OKC traded for, the physical Grizzlies being one of the few teams that don't just go small in more than enough minutes to make a traditional 5 mostly pointless. With the sole and shocking exception of stopping Zach Randolph at the end of regulation to force an overtime where OKC got crushed, I don't remember any good moments for Perk in these games. Even when he got rebounds they were immediately punctuated by turnovers and disasters. This isn't a matter of a bad matchup or a bad series; this is, simply, a very bad basketball player that causes you to play 4 on 5 on offense, and 5 on Fail on defense. I think OKC would be better off releasing him and giving Hasheem Thabeet all of the minutes, just to see if you have something there. You know you have nothing in Perk.

As for the rest of this franchise, I don't mean to make too much of this; they were without their second-best player, and they are going against a team that clearly could be the Western Conference champion. But when you desperately need Derek Fisher to make shots, five years after Fish was way too damn old to be counted on, that's a problem. When you trade away a breakout talent for an erratic shooter with no defensive position, that's also Not Good. And when your coaching plan for an elimination game at home against guys who have been pounding you down low the entire series is More Of The Same Is Sure To Work This Time... well, that's a special kind of confident in your team's talent. Unwarranted confidence.

Even during the Thunder's big third quarter run to bring this game back to interesting, I never lost confidence in the Grizzlies' ability to close this out, just from watching the flow of the game. Grizzly coach Lionel Hollins kept defensive hammer Tony Allen on the bench during the run, then brought him back fresh for the close. No panic; no panic. Memphis knows the game is going to be close and that they are going to be OK when it is, because their offense isn't going to turn the ball over, and their defense is going to make damn sure that yours, well, is. They are also going to get to the line with their power game; your drive and kick thing, not so much.

In the fourth, the Grizzlies just put the clamps on, got some calls, hit some shots, and more or less squeezed the life out of the Thunder up until nearly spitting the bit late. Durant's going to wear the goat horns for a poor percentage and turnovers, but none of his teammates wanted to shoot when it mattered, and so many threes were left short as to just make you wonder if there were giving up in mid-shot. That's what game after game of going against better and bigger players will do. OKC made yet another run late to make this one closer than it should have been, but the end was still the same; Gasol hitting a bailout at the end of the clock, Allen taking advantage of a shockingly bad defensive breakdown for a 3-point play with 90 seconds left, fouling Ibaka out he actually made some finishes at the rim to get the crowd back into it.

What the world will see is that Durant was 5 for 21 and missed a chance to tie it in the last seconds. And sure, he could have played better, and just might in the future. But in the words of Kenny Smith, if he hits that shot, it just gives them five more minutes to lose, against a team that keeps ending All-NBA players. And now the Grizzlies will get rest, and an opponent that won't match up at all well with them. Ride the big men, folks.

Heat - Bulls Game Five: Everyone's Time Is Now

2013-05-16T00:19:00.001-04:00

Lack Of Energy Drink

Once again, this isn't going to be very much about the game, because you really don't need to watch the games very hard to know what's going to happen here. Or what needs to be said about it.

When you read the recaps of the end of one of the more inevitable and drama-free second round series -- though I do think they gave the Heat more trouble than the gutless Nets would have -- it's a pretty simple thing. Chicago was too battered, the Heat are too good, it's not their time. But, well, this is all a fallacy, for one critical reason. These is no "their time"; there is simply a time to be seized. Waiting for next year gets you acting as if the future is assured, rather than earned.

There is no future in the NBA; there is only the now, and that now lasts a lot longer than you might think. I mocked Ray Allen on this blog before he came to Boston as being an aging jump shooter who wasn't going to be able to help his new team win meaningful games. He is, of course, still a rotation player now, and continues to be an asset, age be damned. The Warriors excite a lot of people for going as far as they have with as young of a team as they have, but if Stephen Curry's ankles betray him again, or David Lee can't get back following the hip problem, or Andrew Bogut succumbs to the injury bug yet again, they are back in the 35 to 40 win treadmill to nowhere.

So for this Bulls team, this was their year; the year where Nate Robinson ensured that he'll be in the NBA for the next five years, the year where Joakim Noah took his intangibles rep to a new level, the year where Jimmy Butler became an iron man and the clear answer at shooting guard, assuming Tom Thibodeau didn't ruin him for life during this run. It was the year where Carlos Boozer didn't seem like a complete mistake, where Marco Belinelli actually had moments, where Taj Gibson seemed to bring it one more level, and so on, and so on.

None of this matters, of course, in the Fun Stops Now portion of the program, in the face of the best basketball player ever -- and sure, maybe I'm just trying to jinx LeBron James, but considering that he's my pick for MVP and Defensive Player of the Year, it doesn't seem that way. But to the Bulls' fans and players, there is only so much consolation to take from a hard-fought and honorable defeat.

It is, in the end, just a defeat.

Against an opponent that seems to be getting better every year, and not acting as if their time will ever end.

Top 10 reasons why the NBA voted to keep the Kings in Sacramento

2013-05-15T23:11:00.002-04:00

Buy many copies

10) There's no way that Oklahoma City's ownership is ever going to allow their team to go to Seattle if they can help it

9) Want to make sure they have an ace in the hole the next time some city develops a backhone around the shameless corporate welfare that is a new stadium

8) Road games in Sactown are in one of the few places where the owners can be sure their players won't stay out late or get in trouble

7) Seattle's basketball legacy clearly inferior to that brief period of time where the Kings weren't horrible

6) Having a team near Portland might make Paul Allen pay attention, which is clearly not good for the league

5) Just couldn't say no to Kevin Johnson while he's wearing a Quimby-esque Mayor sash, along with people who willingly carry cowbells a decade after that was a thing

4) The success of Memphis, Oklahoma City and San Antonio means that the league should continue to be in small cities, rather than, you know, places people actually want to go to

3) Considering the history of this franchise, making them stay in the same place is kind of new and novel

2) Really love the Kings' annual tradition of the tearful goodbye sellout home games in April

1) By keeping the team in Sacramento, they help to prolong the amount of time that anyone in this world have to care about the Maloof Goofs

Knicks - Paceers Gamve Five: The Sound Of Losing Money

2013-05-15T02:37:00.000-04:00

I won't pretend to care or cover this Pacers - Knicks series too much, because the games and teams just don't do very much for me, but the single salient point that I can make is this: if you like NBA Ref Conspiracy Theories -- and I know many of you do -- saddle up, folks. It's going to get thick.

Longer series = more product. Coverage of a Knicks - Heat series, with the sizable New York market getting interested beyond the hardcore everyday, would be dramatically more than the Pacers, Some betting people are going to shake out for Carmelo Anthony, especially against a hobbled Dwyane Wade; no one is going to take the Pacers against the defending champions. And so on.

And if the Pacers close the deal in five?

Well, that just means they really are that much better than the Knicks, no?

Warriors - Spurs Game Five: Waves Of Spurs

2013-05-15T00:33:00.002-04:00

I Hear He's French

For a while, this one looked like it was going to be another incredibly compelling game. The Spurs held an early lead, but the Warriors kept them within striking distance despite getting next to nothing from Splash Brothers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. And in the third, with Tim Duncan starting to miss badly (because he's old and tired, naturally, rather than just prone to attracting better defense late) and Manu Ginobili not even being able to hit three throws, there was a certain feeling of inevitability around thus one. Clearly, the Dubs were going to start making from distance and take control, right?

Well, um, no. Because when a young player has bad minutes in a deep game in an even playoff series, he's gassed, inexperienced, not ready or hurt. Whereas when this happens to an older guy, he's just old and tired. But what actually happened here was different.

What the Spurs did tonight, with Gregg Popovich pushing the buttons and the bench executing flawlessly, was expose what might be the final and most critical flaw of these Warriors: they don't take care of the ball. Jarrett Jack can be pressured, Stephen Curry is prone to the big chance when the small chance will do, and everyone on the team has just enough handle to be dangerous with the ball, for good or for ill. In the third and fourth quarter go time, Popovich threw waves at the Warriors, turned up the tempo, and got something akin to a wilding.

Beyond the defense, make no mistake about it: Tony Parker won this game for the Spurs tonight. He kept getting quality looks inside, kept going to the line, kept the pressure up. He's the one Spur who seems to hold an athletic advantage, in that he just keeps getting past his man in one on one situations. Just as Duncan is tragically old in every bad play, Curry's hurt.

Here's how good the Spurs were going in the third quarter. Mark Jackson actually dusted off the execrable Andres Biedrins, and Popovich did not go to hack a stiff. Considering how badly the worst contract in the NBA is at the line, this was a little surprising. (And hey, Mark Jackson, if you are going to give minutes to Biedrins, Richard Jeffeson and Kent Bazemore, maybe you'd do better to just get your starters much more bench time and concede this one a little earlier.)

The constant, full-court pressure on Curry was especially noteworthy. There were moments in the second half where the Warrior guard just looked incapable of handling the game at the speed that the Spurs were generating with their waves of bench guys. It's the best way anyone has guarded Curry so far in this playoffs you are going to beat the Dubs, you really need to have more shots than they do, and the prime way to get that is from turnovers. Credit Popovich for finding a new way to get it done, and for finally putting his deep bench to its best advantage. The Dubs aren't beating anyone with their backcourt shooting under 35%, which is what has happened since the first two games in this series, and they don't handle it well enough to just drive and go to the line against pressure.

Can the Dubs force a Game 7? Of course; the only real drawback here is that there won't be a Game 8 and 9, though to be honest, these teams seem to be shrinking over time. But the Game 5 winner takes the series over 80% of the time, and the Warriors aren't going to stop being turnover-prone, especially in the sixth straight game against an extremely well-coached opponent. There's also real worry that a team of shooters isn't going to get their legs back for Game 94 of the season, especially when most of them aren't used to playing more than 60 games a year with feeling. I'm just hoping that this series can end at a high level; most of the hoop here has been too good for things to end in a whimper.

Rooting For The Heat Is Like Rooting For The Tanks

2013-05-14T01:54:00.001-04:00

Bet On Tanks

There's an old joke about the perfect Argentinian football game. In it, they control the ball from the opening tip, pass and dribble it amongst themselves for the entire duration of the game, and then finally, regretfully really, tap it into the other team's goal at the end for a 1-0 victory. This would be the ideal; play so beautiful, passing and control and the befuddlement of your opponent that is so total, that it reaches a level of performance art or existential joke.

This is, of course, insulting and stereotypical and more than a little true, but it also speaks to a certain truth about free-flowing court games: if the flow of the game isn't good, it's no fun to watch. As an Eagles fan, I dream of a season where my team goes undefeated and every game is a blowout. As an A's fan, I want them to win by lots every night, and if they win every game against the Yankees and Red Sox, I will be happier than a pig in ice cream. But when it comes to the Sixers, I lose interest in blowouts. And when I used to watch hockey in my teenaged years, the same thing happened.

So Miami will close out the Bulls on Wednesday, hopefully in something that more resembles basketball than tonight's assault on the senses, then do the same thing against the Pacers-Knicks survivor, and to a lesser extent, the Western Conference finalist. They have the best player on the planet in his absolute prime, they get calls, they compete on defense and always finish in transition. They play without fear because they aren't being tested, and it's about as much fun to watch as a tank rolling against kids with rocks. I love hoop more than just about anybody I know, and it's all I can do to stay awake during Heat games, let alone appreciate them. And this is the early game team.

And the real bummer is that as the playoffs go on, the Heat will become more and more impossible to avoid, until you are left watching them hoist a trophy that makes you happy that the season is over. And wondering, as always, why such an amazingly fun thing to watch only gets worse and worse, the deeper you get, and kind of hating the Heat for being the tank on a field of cavalry...

Thunder - Grizzlies Game Four: Hit Me With Your Not Good Enough Shot

2013-05-14T00:57:00.002-04:00

Woo, I Say, Woo

The first half was about as good as the Thunder can play in the post-Russell Westbrook Era. Kevin Martin was hitting shots, Serge Ibaka had shaken off his gremlins, Kevin Durant was being the most efficient scorer on the planet, and Nick Collison was making his Veteran Poise plays. They turned Mike Conley into a shooter rather than a passer, fought the Grizzly bigs to a draw on the boards, and built a 17 point lead. Given the talent disparity post-Westbrook, no one made the mistake of thinking the game was over, but the Thunder were within another run of putting it away.

The run never got there.The Grizz cut the lead to end the half, and an 8-point halftime lead felt like a precursor to a loss. It was.

In the third, the Thunder offense ground to a halt, while Marc Gasol started making shots, and the refs made a few Home Court Hmm calls. The Thunder were doing a good enough job of avoiding turnovers to keep the run from being a runaway, but the drums were rising and the glass of water was shaking.

In the fourth, neither team could get separation. OKC got some stops on the defensive end with Durant on Gasol and Collison on Zach Randolph, which is to say, they got stops with smoke and mirrors. The officiating started to tighten up and make mistakes along with the players; it's never a good sign when you get late in the game and notice that Joey Crawford is going to decide how things are going to end. Randolph got Collison out of the game with a borderline flop, OKC's offense started looking all kinds of tense and isolations, and the Memphis defense went to that place that only they can go, with a Gasol block on Ibaka that was huge.

Durant missed another free throw with 1:48 that could have given OKC a lead, and maybe even a win. Memphis got o-boards; they always do. Zebo got to the line after one of those signature volleyball possessions and only made one, then striped Durant for the I Can't Believe He Did That play of the night. Tayshaun Prince got away with a hold to set up yet another o-board. Another FT make kept the door open, then Durant wisely went to the bucket and got a scoop to go for the tie with 6.4 left. And then, in honestly the most shocking play of the night, Kendrick Perkins blocked Randolph at the buzzer to force overtime. No, seriously, Kendrick Perkins, one of the worst rotation players in the NBA, made the stop when the Thunder needed it the most. I'm staring at that sentence right now, waiting for the footage to change and tell me something different. No one's going to remember this, but still, um, props to a terrible basketball player for his moment.

In overtime, Reggie Jackson joined the parachute club to give Allen a layup. Perkins saved an Ibaka miss, leading to a bailout foul on Allen against Durant, his fifth. Derek Fisher continued a string of bad misses, leading to a Gasol miss and Zebo volley; the 4-point Grizz lead became their largest of the night at the time. Durant missed again, and half of the overtime was over with the home crowd smelling blood, but Zebo missed and Gasol was called for a shove to give the Thunder life. Fisher finally hit a three, and the game stayed live. Conley missed a corner three, with Ibaka getting the board, but Jackson was called for the charge for a fresh turnover. Prince missed from the baseline, and he compounded the error with a loose ball foul as Memphis Fan went into Ref Serenade Mode. This was starting to feel special.

Durant missed a pull up where his feet weren't right, and then Gasol made another distance shot at the end of the clock, just huge, to push the lead to three. And then Fisher made just a gruesome, awful turnover, as Allen baited him to try a bounce pass down low to Martin for a quick make. Gasol missed one FT, but Durant couldn't get a three to go to make things interesting

The Grizz won tonight on a game when they shot for a poor percentage and only really played a good half and overtime. They also overcame the first good game that Ibaka has had in weeks. But the plain and simple fact of the Thunder is that they really can't win close games without Westbrook unless Durant wins them on his own, and the defense that Tony Allen throws at him late prevents that from happening. (Why doesn't Scott Brooks spend the first three quarters trying to get his guys to get Allen in foul trouble? Because Scott Brooks is still coaching as if he's got the best talent. When, well, he doesn't.)

The series now moves back to OKC, and I suspect it's not going to end there; the Thunder have pride, a home crowd, and an opponent that's in no way experienced at closing teams on the road. Durant shot three FTs tonight; in an elimination game at home, he might get 15 to 20. Every game keeps coming down to the end, which is leading some to think this could do deeper than six. But the reason why OKC hasn't won close games is because they are gassed from having to work harder the rest of the night, and because Grizz coach Lionel Hollins is saving Allen for Durant late.

But the plain and simple is that OKC played their best game tonight, and Memphis played ordinary. The fact that the Grizz still won tells you all you need to know about who's going to move on.

A Brief And Obvious Point About Pregnant Chicago Blackhawk Fan

2013-05-13T05:20:00.002-04:00

Sorry, kid.

This isn't going to win me any friends in Chicago, or from all of the people who seem to think this is just all kinds of cute, but so be it.

1) If you remain at a game, even a playoff game, while you are having contractions, you are not a super devoted fan that should get props on Mother's Day. You are, actually, something of a selfish lunatic who might be lacking the maturity to really excel at this whole putting the needs of your kid before yours aspect of parenting.

2) Hockey fans will put up a lot from their fellow fan, but what makes you think that the other people in your section want to be around you while you're giving birth?

3) I realize that you probably aren't big on this planning thing, but what if you had ran into traffic getting out of the stadium for the game that you insisted on viewing to the end?

Look, not to put too fine a point on this, but people DIE from giving birth. Fairly often. Fetuses die fairly often, especially in this country, with our bad diets and worse choices.

But you stay and enjoy your game, sweetie. And since the Hawks won, and you're now Internet Famous, will we see you for the next round, while someone else stays home with the burden?

Warriors - Spurs Game Four: Time Constraints

2013-05-13T05:05:00.004-04:00

ESPN Clock

Confession time: I was doing Mother's Day stuff all day today, and didn't see this game until the overnight replay, when I was doing the day job. I did see the overtime on a TV screen in a restaurant, and it was all I could do to not make myself an ass in front of the Shooter Wife and Kids. What a series...

How many more turns can this take? When last we saw these two teams, San Antonio had run the Roaracle gauntlet, taking control of the series back with a convincing win where they just looked better in all kinds of ways. Stephen Curry was hobbling, they had home court again, and all was right with the chalk. Especially with the Warriors having to turn in less than 48 hours.

Then this game started, and the refs looked entirely on board with the Spur march to the conference finals. Andrew Bogut picked up his third foul in the fifth minute. Carl Landry got similar whistles. David Lee can't jump in his current medical condition, which means he really can't do more than give you a couple of sad minutes. Curry looked weak and would have clearly sat out if this wasn't a must game. And the Spurs just kept making Spur plays -- taking charges, hitting threes, making the extra pass -- to keep the lead. Mark Jackson looked like he was going to spit nails. The Spurs were up 6 with 3:32 left, and the Dub offense looked sickly, with the defense getting no stops. The arena was surprisingly quiet; Dub Fan sounded like they were getting resigned to a loss.

And then, well, they just gutted it out. With 1.6 to shoot, Klay Thompson made a jumper off an inbounds pass. Landry gave his all to deny Tim Duncan down low. The Spurs kept missing chances at loose balls. Bogut owned Duncan on defense after a Curry miss. After a go-ahead Parker make, Thomspon answered over Duncan, Ginobili missed, and the Spurs didn't get the benefit of a loose ball call despite replay evidence. Once we got to overtime, the Spurs looked like they were gassed and shooting at a basket with a lid on it, and eventually the Dubs got enough makes to get separation. The series is tied at 2.

The Dub heroes included Bogut, who shook off the foul trouble to collect a massive number of boards, though he really needs to make more high percentage looks at the rim. Harrison Barnes was aggressive if not entirely effective, and it eventually paid off. Jarrett Jack continues to be an all or nothing guy with a maddening tendency to dribble the entire clock, but the Dubs got the all when they needed it. They continually find and exploit Tony Parker on defense, and that's just a winning play

I didn't think they could win a comparatively low-scoring game, where their bigs couldn't put it in the ocean, where Curry is operating at 60% capacity, and where Jackson continued to get his lunch handed to him by Gregg Popovich. If and when someone other than Parker or Duncan has a decent game, the Spurs might race out to an early win, especially at home. But at this point, it's a best of 3 between two teams that are each 1-1 at home. We've officially entered the realm of Very Interesting.

Oh, and one final note? I'm ready to support a Congressional inquiry, and possible Guantanamo trip, for the ESPN twats that decide to cut the amount of game shown on the 4AM replay. Time constraints? IT'S 4 IN THE FREAKING MORNING, YOU MOOKS. SHOW THE DAMN GAME. THE WHOLE DAMN GAME. THANK YOU.

Hinkie Dinkie Doo

2013-05-12T04:58:00.000-04:00

The New Guy In Town

A quick word about the Sixers hiring Rockets' second in command Sam Hinkie. That word is.. good. As in, good luck.

In Hinkie, the team has a respected grinder who knows the global talent market, will give them an insight into D-league level replacement guys, and makes the recent purchase of a minor league team in Delaware much more sensible. I'm also hoping that he'll help them get away from get worse fast schemes like the Andrew Bynum trade, or trades that move off high potential / strong frustration guys like Nicola Vucevic.

But the dirty little not so secret of the NBA is that this is the hardest job in personnel evaluation. Unlike football, depth isn't a huge help, because the playoffs are decided by stars. Unlike baseball, turnover of who the best players in the game don't change all that much from year to year. And unlike hockey, you can't just get lucky with a hot goalie to ride for a couple of series.

So if you are actually good at grinding and finding replacement players, you are much more likely to keep you in the 7 to 10 seed range, and away from the breakout talents in the draft. There is a reason, after all, why the Rockets haven't escaped the first round. And this is the guy they've hired to remake the team, and I'm more than down with that, seeing how the Rockets were up-tempo and fun to watch. If I can't get a champion, at least give me something I don't want to actively avoid.

So welcome, Mr. Hinkie, and good luck. You are so going to need it.

The Poker Diaries: Youth Will Be Calling

2013-05-12T04:26:00.002-04:00

Rock On, Eldest

A few months back, when we had a last-minute empty spot for a one-table HORSE tournament game with my regulars, I gave my eldest daughter, who just turned 13, the opportunity to play. She lasted nearly three hours, had a blast, and busted the room maniac, mostly just through catching good cards and calling a lot. I enjoyed getting her into the game, and it was nice to have something new to share with her.

Tonight, I gave the opportunity to my regulars to try a limit hold'em tournament where everyone had the opportunity, for a $10 buy-in, to give their kid a game to remember, and we were able to basically teach the game in a low stakes environment where everyone understood that having a good time with our kids was going to take precedent over poker. And, well, that's exactly what happened, for a table of nine. And after three hours, she held all of the chips, and $60 of the cash, as the men wondered just what they'd done to offend the Poker Gods.

What happened was something I think every grinder has run into over the years; the new player who just wants to play, and defines that as playing the vast majority of hands and rarely folding. My daughter wound up sitting next to an 8-year-old girl who was ever more willing to call every bet than she was, and never raised. They wound up catching cards and hitting flops, to the point where they were the two chip leaders. And as the blinds got heavy, both kids started picking off the short stack grown ups. I could have predicted it before the game, but that didn't make it any less amazing to watch.

And this is, of course, the special joy and hell that is limit. If you are holding a pair against a flush or straight draw and want to end the hand, you pretty much can't, assuming the opponent isn't wiling to go anywhere. If you are playing people who aren't experienced enough to put you on a bluff, it's also impossible to buy a hand. And if you fold a few dozen hands, then come in strong, you re still not getting the benefit of the doubt, because, hey, I wanna play, call.

If you are patient, of course, the big hands come and you cash out. I had pocket 10s, hit trips on the flop, and bet every street to make up for hours of holds, but that was my only quality pair and flop. One hand, I folded 9-5 offsuit, only to see it turn into a boat on the river. The eldest stayed in every street on that one, and also turned over 9-5 off. That's how hot she was running.

Over the long run, of course, playing like that will make you lose all of your chips, because you are going to run into big hands and pay them off. But in the long run, we are all dead, and that happens a lot faster than we're ready to accept. Especially when you are watching someone for whom you can remember from their first moments on the planet scoop pot after pot, and have the deck do things like serve a two-pair flop to K-Q against A-Q. (That was the hand when she busted the bubble boy.)

Having been so encouraged, my kid wants to keep playing in my game, and once the deck turns against her, my regulars aren't going to object; the eldest is a charmer and funny, and they want to get their money back, since the numbers dictate that they will. But in the meantime, the kid and I took every dime of the buy-ins. I've had worse days, really...

Spurs-Warriors Game Three: Respect The Vampires

2013-05-11T01:21:00.001-04:00

Tony Parker? Tony Parker.

For the first three quarters of tonight's pivotal Game Three, the Spurs were playing the perfect veteran road playoff game. Their best player, Tony Parker, was dominating. They answered every run with poise and a make. They took fouls rather than give up plays that would get the wild Oakland crowd back into it. They took care of the ball, and made their free throws. It was a clinic. They led by 10.

And then the fourth quarter started, and stuff changed. Tiago Splitter turned the ball over a couple of times. Manu Ginobili made an unforced error. Klay Thompson drained a corner three. Andrew Bogut stuffed Tim Duncan, leading to an old-school three attempt for the tie from Draymon Green. And in 114 seconds, the first 36 minutes was eliminated. The roof was coming off the place; the plane was on the runway. Clearly, the Dubs were about to take flight.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called time and scowled, and Lo, That Man Can Scowl. Green missed the free throw, and the Spurs' Danny Green hit a 3. A Steph Curry miss -- there was a lot of that tonight -- and then another Parker three, and it's like the run never happened.

And, well, this is what the Spurs do, year after year, until they don't. It's a very odd franchise, in that they always seem to contend, always seem too old, always adjust and just don't go away... and then they get spiked, usually out of the blue, and we have to remember that they are old and doomed until this time again next year. I call this team vampires, but I think I'm doing the Spurs a disservice in that. This franchise is far more persistent than any undead.

This is, of course, what makes this series so freakishly compelling; the exact same attributes that made me think it wasn't going to be that competitive. Golden State has clear athletic advantages all over the place, and can rain threes on you and go on runs faster than any team outside of Miami. San Antonio rolls with the punches better than anyone, never panics, never gives up, won't beat themselves. They also have such crazy crafty moments (the Duncan old-school three to get Bogut's 5th foul with 6:15 left was as big of a play as you could make with that much time left on the clock) that you wonder why they ever lose.

As for the Dubs, this was the second straight game where Curry wasn't electric, and I'm starting to wonder if he's just gassed for the year. He also blew an ankle with 4:40 left while all of Oakland held their breath, but stayed in and looked terrible the rest of the way; if he misses Game Four, which is Sunday early (I think the NBA is *trying* to kill Curry), this club is toast. Danny Green has shut him down better than anyone, and San Antonio has started to target him on defense, too.

Jarrett Jack gets a lot of praise for a guy that hurts his team with half of his plays, but he single-handedly ended any chance of a late comeback tonight, and there's a reason why Dub Fan doesn't seem to like him very much. And as long as Bogut keeps missing his FTs, Popovich is going to hack and win. They hung around all night, but never got over the hump, mostly because when the guards aren't hitting from distance, they just don't have the same verve. On the other hand, they have won in San Antonio, have bounced back from worse than this, and if Curry can bring the magic again, they will soon resemble the team that led 95 out of 106 minutes in Game 1 and 2.

But, well, the Spurs are the Spurs. And they've ended young and fun teams so many times before, and maybe did it again tonight. We'll learn more in 36 hours.