After decades covering sports for a daily newspaper, veteran reporter Steve Aschburner can not join the chorus decrying the state of online sports journalism.

Watch this video, and assess this statement: If he wanted to, Tony "teardrop" Parker could have Allen Iverso-like stats.

Allen Barra of the Wall Street Journal on Pat Riley's presentation: "The bottom line, of course, when assessing Pat Riley's greatness is that he has won five NBA championships, four with the Lakers and one with the Heat -- or, as his best player, Earvin 'Magic' Johnson, once quipped, 'one for every time he's been on the cover of GQ.' Actually, Mr. Riley has made the cover of that magazine only three times, but that was enough to earn him the nickname 'GQ.' His other moniker is 'Slick,' derived from his hairstyle, which he once told Entertainment Weekly he maintained with 'water, Sebastian High-Contrast gel, and High-Contrast Hair Spray. The whole thing takes about a minute and a half, and you couldn't mess it up with a sledge hammer.' Mr. Riley's fashion sense is as famous as his hair. According to a story that he doesn't deny, Mr. Riley walked into the dining room of a posh hotel in shirtsleeves on a hot summer night and the maitre d' tried to give him a 'house jacket' to wear into dinner. Mr. Riley didn't like the style of the navy sportscoat, walked back to his room and called for room service. His wardrobe, he once revealed, is 'about 90% Armani.' 'He doesn't mind that 'Slick' nickname,' says Mr. Abdul-Jabbar, 'but he secretly loves to be called 'GQ.''"

ESPN did not ask me to post this, I swear. It's from Bob Wolfley of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: "ESPN's news magazine show 'E:60' will feature a story about Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen, formerly of the Milwaukee Bucks, whose family is facing challenges off the court. Flora Allen-Hopson, Allen's mother, and Derek Hopson, Allen's stepfather, have spent more than two years in a witness protection program, after the attempted murder of Hopson, a psychologist. The husband of the former wife of Hopson, Ernest Garlington, a counselor of at-risk kids, organized the attempted murder of Hopson. Recently, Garlington was sentenced to 33 years in prison on five counts of conspiracy to commit murder. 'E:60' will air at 6 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN."

As the NBA prepares for competition committee meetings, where Commissioner Stern has promised various different kinds of playoff pairings and seedings will be discussed, the Warriors' broadcaster Bob Fitzgerald reiterates his call for some fairly radical realignment that addresses many goals, including reducing miles traveled. I think reducing travel, with more regional play, makes great sense. One of the NBA's most precious resources is the energy and enthusiasm the players have for the game. Fly hundreds of thousands of miles a year and see how peppy you feel. Also, at some point David Stern's stated concerns about global warming could come into play.

After Game 1 of Hornets vs. Spurs, TrueHoop reader Tim wrote: "I'm nonplussed at Pop's rotation for the game -- namely, giving an inordinate number of minutes to the ghost of Robert Horry while (essentially) not playing Ime Udoka. Inexplicable. And stupid. For game 2, I'd like to see Bowen on Peja and Parker on Paul, come what may." Coach Popovich didn't listen to Tim for Game 2, and the Spurs lost again. Last night, however, we saw a fair amount of that! Ryan Schwan of Hornets247 on the results: "Paul scored 35 on 15-25 shooting and had 9 assists with one turnover. He spent more time in the paint than almost anyone else on the floor, unleashing his hesitation dribble and crossover to get right to the top of the dotted circle multiple times. Duncan was unwilling to lay off Chandler to challenge him for fear of the alley-oop, and it resulted in Paul drilling a layup line." However ... "The Spurs perimeter defense was much improved by leaving Bowen on the perimeter and letting Ginobili track Peterson. Surprise? Peterson and Peja combined to shoot 3-10 and get two threes."

Powerful idea from the Painted Area: "LeBron James filling the lane on the fast break is about as physically unstoppable as Shaq was down on the low block in his prime. As much talk as there is about whether D'Antoni is the best fit in Chicago or Toronto or New York or Dallas, doesn't he actually make the most sense in Cleveland? Is there any team that needs to be relentlessly fast breaking more than the Cavs?"