Here are some highlights from last night's game. What's missing, however, was that move where Manu Ginobili dribbled through Pau Gasol's legs. That was something else. Also like to insert the notion that here that I bet, when he's falling asleep at night, Gregg Popovich dreams of world peace, fine wines, and Tim Duncan shooting 85% from the line. And how about that Derek Fisher? He's the president of the players' union, and undeniably a special leader on the court now. When did that become clear? I remember him as the young guy on the title-winning Lakers. Fair or not, back then he was mostly seen as a guy with pretty ordinary NBA skills. Makes me wonder what other special characters might be out there, too young to have distinguished themselves yet to the public.
NBA TV, on Tuesday, will broadcast a special program on one of the saddest stories in NBA history. From a press release: "Legendary Boston Celtics head coach Red Auerbach once said, 'Maurice Stokes was Magic Johnson before there was a Magic Johnson.' ... A standout at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., Stokes was on the verge of one of the most memorable careers in NBA history after being named the 1955 Rookie of the Year and earning All-Star honors from 1955-58, until a devastating collision during the final regular season game of the 1957-58 season resulted in him falling into a coma a few days later and being left permanently paralyzed due to what doctors diagnosed as 'post-traumatic encephalopathy.' 'How would you like to be one of the premiere athletes in the world on Saturday and on the plane trip back to Cincinnati, you suddenly go into a coma and wake up totally paralyzed except for the use of your eyes and your brain? Can you imagine anything worse?' says former teammate Jack Twyman, who had a Brian's Songlike friendship with Stokes becoming his legal guardian soon after the incident until his unfortunate death at the age of 36 in 1970." Here you can see a good chunk of the video.
Chauncey Billups is talking like a man who does not plan to have a second bad game in these Eastern Conference Finals.
Leandro Barbosa is reportedly saying a bunch of stuff in Portuguese that he probably wouldn't say in English. UPDATE: Here's the original interview. If you get a Portuguese friend to translate, it's not nearly as exciting. (For example, this line, which sounds pretty tepid, all told: "I love Phoenix and the fans, but if the team involves me in a trade I can't do anything (about it).")
Joey from StraightBangin' is just certain that Chris Douglas-Roberts is going to make some GM look really smart for drafting him this June. And here's an in-depth conversation in which CDR himself wonders why so much of the draft chatter is about things he allegedly can't do, instead of things he can.
SuperSonicSoul: "... rather than looking to fill immediate needs, the Sonics should instead take a hard look at the roster and ask this question: 'Who among this Baker's Dozen of players will be with us when we make a playoff run?' Personally, I can see two or three Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Nick Collison. That's it. One small forward, one small/power forward, and one power forward/center. In my estimation, everything else is as free and open as a land rush into the Louisiana Territory circa 1806. Meaning, therefore, center, power forward, shooting guard, and point guard are all possibilities in this draft. Sure, getting Derrick Rose to ride shotgun along Durant fills a gaping hole in the team's roster, but what difference would it have made in the team's outlook for the 2008-09 season? From 20 wins to 25? From 25 to 30? Does it really matter? Of course not. So, rather than just focusing on Jerryd Bayless and OJ Mayo, widen your scope to include Kevin Love (actually, forget him, unless you think the next Dave Cowens is what the Sonics need), Brook Lopez, Eric Gordon, Anthony Randolph, or even the possibility of trading down to get either yet another first rounder."
Mark Cuban admits he has inhaled, but says he was never a big fan of marijuana. Cuban also says he has had players for whom marijuana was a performance issue, who were cut or traded.
Pat Jordan, writing for Slate, says it's nearly impossible to write a real magazine feature story about an athlete anymore. "Because the [Tom] Seavers of today put walls around themselves, magazine writers are forced to churn out inconsequential puff pieces to satisfy those stars' publicists, or else the publicists will withhold their other clients from that magazine. Either that or the writer gets angry and delights in catching a star in a 'gotcha' moment (see A-Rod) or in a 'pullquote' moment: a second of weakness in which he might say something derogatory about a teammate. This demeans writers, who can't write true profiles without losing access, and it demeans their subjects, implying that they are so shallow that they don't dare let their fans see them as they really are. Are they that timid, or are they simply self-aware? Maybe athletes today are no longer authentic people as, say, Tom Seaver was in the day. When I ate lunch with Tom at his house, played basketball against him, and drove him to Shea Stadium in my leaky Corvette, I never felt I was with someone superior to me, a celebrity. I was with a man like myself, I thought, except for that minor fact of his talent."
Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune, speculating about Carlos Boozer: "[Michael] Beasley is a 19-year-old power forward. If he goes to Miami and plays well, the Heat might be less likely to spend millions of dollars on a free-agent power forward in the next few years ... maybe one who lives in Miami during the offseason ... maybe one who has had family health issues to worry about during the last year ... maybe one who owns an option on his contract for the 2009-10 season, when his current team will owe him a relatively matchable $12.6 million. So Jazz fans, say hello to your little friend: Michael Beasley."
Hardwood Paroxysm: "Spurs shot .250 from the arc, Lakers .400. The West has been entirely decided by three point shooting, I've decided."
Jason Terry's PE Teacher was Slick Watts? He talks to Ball Don't Lie: "You know what, I play for the Mavericks, I'm an NBA player, but I still root for the Sonics when I'm not playing against them. They're dear to my heart, and it would be tough seeing basketball not in Seattle. Growing up in Seattle, my P.E. teacher was an ex-Sonic player, Slick Watts. I've always loved the Seattle SuperSonics. Sneaking into the arena with my mom at four years old to watch a playoff game was unbelievable. So, to see them leave the city of Seattle would be disappointing, but if they do, hopefully they can get another team back there soon."
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