Between efforts to stamp a time of death on the Laker dynasty Monday night, conversation occasionally veered toward figuring out how the Thunder had so easily dispatched their veteran opposition. Speed? Explosiveness? Sure, that might have had something to do with it, but the Thunder were fast two years ago, too, and the Lakers were able to dispatch them in six. The Lakers might be slower now, but what's the tried-and-true effect produced by a maturing young team?
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
Actually, Dennis Hopper, Russell Westbrook Can Land on a Fraction, Man
There are basketball shots that DO THINGS TO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. A ball rips through a net, and the arc of Venus BENDS. You can't explain it. You just know from the emotional glitter that explodes all over everything that operating conditions are suddenly and permanently different.
Here's the conversation I imagine Russell Westbrook having with physics as he stole the ball from Ramon Sessions, with the Thunder and Lakers tied at 70 with 4:10 left in the third quarter, and went in for the shot of the NBA playoffs so far.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday.
Russell Westbrook scored 28 points and Kevin Durant added 25 and 10 boards as the Thunder eliminated the Lakers and advanced to the Western Conference Finals with a 106-90 win. As he walked out of the building, Pau Gasol felt something heavy in his coat pocket. He reached in and found the hilt of a knife with a note wrapped around it. "Amigo," it said. "Mine has a blade. See you tonight. -K." He's probably just letting off steam, thought Gasol, who found himself sprinting.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
Tim Duncan scored 21 points and Tony Parker added 17 as the Spurs moved on to the Western Conference Dinals with a 102-99 win (and a 4-0 sweep) over the Clippers. After the win, Duncan sneaked off to the parking lot, sat in the backseat of his minivan, and filled a plastic cup to the halfway line with red wine. "This is your moment, Tim," he whispered to himself. "Enjoy." He took one sip, stared at the wine, and whispered, "Don't be a glutton" before carefully pouring the rest back in the bottle.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Thursday.
Roy Hibbert scored 19 points and grabbed 18 boards as the Pacers took a 2-1 lead on the Heat with a 94-75 win. During the third quarter, Dwyane Wade had a heated exchange with head coach Erik Spoelstra that only ended after Spoelstra grudgingly conceded that yes, maybe E.L. James's Fifty Shades of Greydoes have some literary value.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
'Rondo Was Extremely Serious'
That was Doc Rivers’s assessment of his point guard’s demeanor going into Game 3 in Philadelphia. It ended with Rajon Rondo scoring 23 points (13 in the first quarter), doling out 14 assists, and losing just one turnover. So, yeah, you could say Rondo was serious. After Game 1 — in which he messed around and got a triple-double — the Celtics point guard complained of not getting his nap before the game and how it negatively affected his performance. Rondo looked … well-rested Wednesday night.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Wednesday.
Oklahoma City rallied from seven points down, and Kevin Durant scored the winning basket with 18 seconds left, in a 77-75 win over the Lakers. "How you like me now, Seattle?!" said Russell Westbrook, just because he hadn't been a real dick in a while.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday.
Russell Westbrook tallied 29 points, seven boards, and nine assists as the Thunder routed the Lakers 119-90 in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. "I'm not going to blame this loss on fatigue," said Lakers coach Mike Brown, who then urged reporters to keep the noise down as he carried a sleeping Pau Gasol to the team bus.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
The Clippers and Their Sad, Effective Bench
As Chris Paul dribbled out the clock Sunday in Memphis, everything the Clippers had hoped for when he arrived had come true. In just one season, Paul managed to provide the franchise with both relevance and probably the biggest win in its history. What the Clippers did Sunday — on the road, in a building known for the grind — was play the type of game they didn’t always seem fit to play this year. The result was a kind of success that often seemed out of reach. So why, after all that, does it still feel like they’re doomed?
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
The Los Angeles Clippers stunned the Memphis Grizzlies at home, winning Game 7 82-72 for the franchise's third playoff-series victory in 41 years. After the game, Chris Paul surveyed the catatonic Memphis crowd. "Are they actually stunned?" he asked. "Or do they just always look that way?"
Just so you know, last night was like basketball nirvana for me. First, the Sixers knocked off the no. 1 seed Bulls, giving my beloved Celtics the possibility of having home-court in Round 2. Then, the banged-up Celtics squeezed out an emotional Game 6 win at home and vanquished Atlanta, propelling them into the second round. And then, to cap things off, the Lakers self-destructed in Denver -- highlighted by Bynum sulking on the bench!!! -- and have to play Game 7 against the surging Nuggets. I loved last night and I want to relive it again and again and again. But since that was impossible, I brought on one of the guys who called Game 6 for TNT in Denver -- our friend Steve Kerr -- to talk about Round One, as well as the playoff picture, great point guards, Clippers-Grizzlies, JaVale McGee, Greg Oden and even his recent Grantland column about the one and done rule.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
Hero of the Night: Andre Iguodala
In the end what this Sixers team needed — after their regular-season hymn to the joys of team basketball — was a hero. In the absence of that, they turned to Andre Iguodala. And last night, that was just enough.
All season long, Iguodala seemed like the graduate still haunting his college campus bars, showing up at parties. Hell, audit some classes! Why not? Here's why not: This turf belongs to a new set of kids now. Namely, Holiday, Turner, Lou, and Thad. Iguodala was always a bridge from the Iverson-era Sixers to whatever was going to come next. This season, it felt like "next" had finally arrived.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Thursday.
On a night when Kobe Bryant was hampered with a stomach issue, Ty Lawson scored 32 points and the Nuggets forced a Game 7 with a 113-96 win over the Lakers. "It sucks when you're sick for a big playoff game, doesn't it?" said Michael Jordan, in a really sarcastic phone call to Bryant. "So hard to play well. So hard to win. Hey, good luck man. Good luck with everything. Jordan out."
This week on the Triangle Podcast, I talked to my NBA Playoffs Shootaround co-pilot, Robert Mays, about the Greek economy. J/K, we talked about the playoffs. Mays and I discussed the very entertaining Grizzlies-Clippers series, the joys of watching Chris Paul in the fourth quarter, and whether Vinny Del Negro has anything written on that piece of paper of his. We also bid farewell to the Knicks-Heat series, heaped praise on JaVale McGee, and talked about how the Bulls-Sixers will end our friendship. Peace, Mays. I hate you.
Amos Barshad then joined me to talk about his beloved Celtics, Rajon Rondo's need for attention, and the similarity between Amos's facial hair and that of Danilo Gallinari.
The pod wraps up with "casual American soccer fan" David Jacoby grilling me on the final weekend of the English Premier League, the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament, and the future of the U.S. Men's National Team. Enjoy!
Kenneth Faried is a ball of energy for the Denver Nuggets. On Tuesday night against the Lakers, he was matched up with Andrew Bynum. Bynum is clearly the superior player, but only when he wants to be. The fundamental differences between the two bigs was very clear Tuesday night. Faried rim-runs (runs the length of the floor once his team has possession) hard every time. The same can't be said of Bynum. This early play ended up being emblematic of the whole game:
