Lakers & Knicks' Desire for Derek Fisher

Every professional sports organization can be copycats at some point. There are teams always wanting to replicate what the successful teams are doing in order to make themselves successful. Sometimes it works out for them, and other times, it turns into a dumpster fire because there are bigger problems with the team. The latest trend in the NBA is hiring players fresh off their playing stint to be NBA head coaches without any experience. NBA believes coaches can be fine coming right off the roster. The latest candidate has been Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard Derek Fisher as he is wanted by New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. 

It seems like Fisher would be an ideal fit to be an NBA head coach. Fisher is a guy who has the respect of almost any locker room. He always seems to have the ear of the players. He is trusted, but Fisher needs to pick the place where he can mold minds versus trying to get his virtual peers behind him. My point when Jason Kidd got hired by Brooklyn was it concerned me with all the veterans, and how Kidd would be seen as just a former player, not a coach. Fisher will get the chance to influence some of the younger players although he could have some trouble with the old stalwarts of the team. 

Kidd ended up being okay, but it was a rocky start to the season with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and other veterans. Would the same thing happen to Fisher?  The odds of it happening in New York is way higher. The Knicks only have three players under the age of 25.  They also have J.R. Smith. I know people are worried about Carmelo Anthony, but if I am Fisher, do I really want to coach J.R.?  He is a hell of a player at times, but he can be one of the most frustrating players in the league. Fisher would also have to deal with Amar'e Stoudmire's playing time. Finally, the whole Anthony leaving the Knicks should be a concern as well with taking the New York job. 

It is hard to tell whether having Kobe Bryant as your top player in Los Angeles would pay off as it would be like having an extra assistant coach, or if Kobe would dictate all that happened on the court essentially becoming too involved with Fisher. The two have a good relationship, but it could become a scenario where Kobe sticks his hands into way too many things. Lakers might be going through a transition, but Fisher will get a youthful team compared to New York which is nice. Look at how many players rallied behind Mark Jackson due to being younger players. The one drawback with the Los Angeles is the pressure to win in the Western Conference plus the additional pressure to be the kings of L.A. with the success of the Clippers of the past couple years.

Is there a chance Fisher says 'Guys, I am going to keep playing for another year or two?'  I think there is a microscopic chance of that happening given the positions open. If say, Milwaukee and Orlando were the jobs open versus New York and Los Angeles, Fisher would definitely think more about staying on another year with Oklahoma City. But these are two premier jobs with a great way to start building your coaching legacy, there is no way Fisher says no to both of these teams if offered the job to play another year. Even Brett Favre thinks that's a bad idea. 

There are good and bad things about taking the New York or Los Angeles job. Fisher will probably burn a bridge at some point, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is a head coach next season. 

Charlie.  

Spurs-Heat: The Rematch We All Deserve.

As the NBA season’s picture cleared up in the months of March and April, it felt like we were due for the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs to run it back one more time in the NBA Finals. It is like seeing a great match at Wrestlemania and need to see a rematch in one of the lesser Pay-Per-Views the following month.  Both teams turned the rematch into a reality this weekend with Miami’s blowout win against the Pacers and San Antonio holding on in overtime despite not having Tony Parker to put away the Thunder. We will have another rematch, and I don’t think many people are complaining about it.

Even before Miami and Indiana tipped off, it felt like a foregone conclusion the Heat would win the game on Friday night. That's usually not the case when Game 6 happen in sports, but the series felt over.  That's really weird to explain after seeing Indiana winning in Game 5 with Paul George scoring 37 points. Heat looked the strongest they have been all series dashing Indiana's dreams from the get-go. Miami led by 26 points at halftime allowing Heat fans to start the party early. No one really had a memorable game rather Miami had all their players contribute in a major way with both LeBron James and Chris Bosh adding 25 points ensuring this series was not headed back to Indiana. One team took its place in the Finals and would their opponent join them after Saturday?

The answer is yes. San Antonio lost Tony Parker for the second half of the game, but the Spurs willed their way to victory. The game went back and forth for all four quarters delivering the first great game in this series. It appeared like the Spurs were going to put away Oklahoma City in the fourth quarter as they had a 10 point lead. But Russell Westbrook helped get the Thunder back into the game with his strong play late sending this game to overtime. Manu Ginobili had a bad night going 4/14 from the field, but he hit the biggest shots of the game with a big 3-pointer putting San Antonio ahead late in regulation plus added big free throws down the stretch. Tim Duncan also had a throwback game with a 19 points and 15 rebounds performance.

The stage is set for a Finals rematch. There are some pieces missing from the last time plus the series will begin in San Antonio. Duncan and Gregg Popovich will attempt to win their five NBA title, and win a title 15 years later after their first one. We will talk later this week, but it feels like either way, one of these two might be done with basketball after this season.  As for Miami, they could have the first three-peat since the early 2000's Los Angeles Lakers. The whole promise of 'Not one, not two, not three' would start to become more of a reality instead of laughing it off like we did when James uttered that famous phrase. Plus the whole discussion of how we perceive each team if and when they lose because there are some interesting storylines there as well.

Rematches aren't always the best thing for the professional sports product, but right now, this is one of the best things going in sports. Happy we will get to see LeBron against San Antonio at least one more time.

Charlie. 

Spurs Shut Down Thunder in Another Blowout Win

It is hard to remember a series that has been so boring go at least six games. There are still great individual performances, and things worth talking about yet one of the five games the final score has been under 10 points with none of them being close in the fourth quarter. TNT is probably going to church each day praying for a close game.  San Antonio didn't answer those prayers on Thursday night blowing out Oklahoma City, 117-89 featuring a big night from the Spurs bench, Gregg Popovich making the necessary adjustments and what's really going on with Serge Ibaka?

One of the things we haven't seen from the Spurs in the last couple of games is their bench coming to play on Thursday night.   San Antonio got great contributions from their bench last night with the stalwart Manu Ginobili having another great game and Boris Diaw coming to play making it real difficult on the Oklahoma City big men. Diaw spread out the floor creating separation inside allowing the Spurs perimeter players to attack the lane much better than the past two games. Matt Bonner started for Tiago Splitter, but he only played 17 minutes. It seems like Diaw will probably be getting the start for Game 6.  It makes the most sense for the Spurs. When he's playing at his highest level, it is the best Spurs team facing the Thunder.

Even though games are won on the court, Popovich ran circles around Scott Brooks. He didn't stay the course with the lineup he put out there for the last two games, and it paid off. Tim Duncan had his best game of the series since their Game 1 victory with 22 points and 12 rebounds making eight field goals as well. Duncan had a lot more room to operate thanks to the decision to increase the minutes of both Diaw and Bonner, the newest buddy cop drama. Pop also gave big minutes to Patty Mills who contributed with nine points off the bench hitting three big 3-pointers.  In the last three games, Mills combined for a total of seven points. Will Brooks have an answer for the new look Spurs?  The only thing I can think of is going super small with the Thunder starting Westbrook-Jackson-Butler-Durant-Ibaka, but that might do more harm than good.

Speaking of Ibaka, he might be hurt again. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! reported last night Ibaka feels the same he did in the first two games of this series. What does that mean exactly?  His body feels like it did for the first two games of the series?  Or is he bummed out with what happened in Game 5 as it did compare to the first two games?  I am going to guess the former because that's all we care about right now is the health of Serge. If he is at 50 percent in Game 6, can Oklahoma City really start him out there? I guess they could for a little while, and then keep him on the bench the rest of the game. It is also possible Serge is toying with the media as they have done with him for the past couple of weeks. It has become a boy cried wolf scenario for Ibaka. I don't put much stock into what's out there until we see it in front of our faces.

I wish I had a handle on this series like I do with Indiana-Miami. I have no idea what to expect in Game 6, but please for the love of James Naismith can we have a close game?  Just one, that's all I am asking for out of this series. I expect some changes to Oklahoma City's lineup and I do think Pop will make slight adjustments as well.

Tapping The Keg Podcast Episode 90

Tapping The Keg set for another edition with your two lovely hosts, Charlie and Mitch. Kind of a slow week, but we find a way to get 45 minutes of pure listening joy out of this one. We begin the podcast talking about your Brewers drinking team and what guys would be the most fun to go out with. It continues with a discussion about the hot Brewer hitting in the last week with a little All-Star talk as well. We move on to talk NBA Playoffs looking at both Spurs-Thunder and Heat-Pacers which are both headed for at least six games. The discussion continues with talk about the Bucks as Marc Lasry and Wesley Edens will be hanging with the common folk tonight plus why Mitch wants new jerseys. It finishes with the ridiculousness of criticizing Johnny Manziel.

Charlie.

KRS-OKC Evens Up The Series

People love to bring up Oklahoma City traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets. It is a fun topic to remember as Harden became one of the top 10 scoring guards in the NBA. Many people assumed there would be countless situations where we wondered as basketball 'What if the Thunder had Harden, would they won an NBA Finals or made another NBA Finals appearance.' It is time for those articles and the hypothetical situations to rest in peace. 

Serge Ibaka is proving to be a more vital cog to Oklahoma City as they have won the last two games in rousing fashion. Last night featured an all-time Russell Westbrook game with Kevin Durant playing a solid Robin to Russ's Batman in a 105-92 victory. Oklahoma City has turned the tide on San Antonio, how do the Spurs adjust?     

Vince Carter had the nickname of 'Half Man, Half Amazing' and it honestly fit him during his time with the Toronto Raptors yet we could reuse it for Oklahoma City's point guard. Westbrook played a complete game with a stellar performance with 40 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, five steals and a block for good measure. If anyone ever wondered if Oklahoma City could make without Westbrook probably stopped trying to make that argument with their buddies at the bar. Same goes for those whom think Westbrook is only a second banana. When Russ is playing at his 100 percent, there are not many better. Only three of Westbrook's baskets were outside 13 feet with many of them of him attacking the paint. He got to the free throw line 14 times. There was also this crazy statistic about Westbrook's night. 

The weird thing is Durant had a pretty damn solid night. If it is hard to have a quiet 31 points, five rebounds and five assists, that is exactly what happened with KD last night. Durant had a big second quarter which helped push Oklahoma Ctiy out to a 15 point lead at halftime which included a 58 point half from the Thunder. Durant and Westbrook combined for 71 out of 105 points for Oklahoma City. The dynamic duo had two-thirds of the team's buckets. Some might say this should be a cause for concern, but if Durant and Westbrook are playing at this elite level, I don't know what team is stopping them. 

Ibaka being back is helping in a major way though. The last time San Antonio beat Oklahoma City with Serge in the lineup was Monday, March 11th, 2013.  That's over a year ago. Ibaka had only nine points and eight rebounds with a PER of +11 last night, and in Game 3, he had 15 points and seven rebounds. But it is not the point total, it is the defensive presence inside. Tim Duncan had only nine points in Game 4, he only added 16 in Game 3. Ibaka keeps haunting nightmares and it's not just Duncan's as the Spurs seem afraid to visit Ibaka's lane. Their confidence against Ibaka seems to have disappeared therefore what can be done to rid themselves of this terror known as Serge? 

The simple answer is foul trouble.  The game plan should be taking it to Serge right away in the opening part of the game with Duncan getting some of the first touches trying to draw Ibaka in foul trouble early on. Same goes for attacking with him with Tony Parker whose been terrible in the last two games. If he gets his shot blocked, so what? If a foul is called and Ibaka is out of the game, it opens up the floodgates to attack the paint. The other one is they need a secondary big man scorer. Duncan can only do so much in the twilight of his career. If the Spurs can get a 15 to 20 point effort from Boris Diaw or Tiago Splitter, that will be huge for the Spurs.

Many people are saying this is history repeating itself from 2012. I am not ready to go there yet. This Spurs team showed a great deal of resilency this playoffs in the Dallas series, and their overall bounce back from the heartbreak in Miami last June. But I do know, this is a different Thunder team. One that's getting more terrifying by the moment. 

Charlie. 

Quick Tap Podcast Episode Nine

Quick Tap Episode Nine features a wide array of topics. Personally, I really enjoy doing this podcast and think it is pretty fun. Glad some of you like Adam, Bryan and Mike sent in questions this week. We talked about a lot of things in a short period of time. I explain what two teams I would like to see play if I had any venue, a Wisconsin and non-Wisconsin answer. We talk about if I would donate my UCL to baseball. Bat flip power rankings which is my favorite part of the podcast which makes me come to a realization. Tight end depth for the Packers based on this blog post. Why I need to watch Veep and I will never get out of TV purgatory.  We finish with a discussion on Elliot Rodger using Jeff Pearlman's blog post and wrap with quick takes on Mad Men and The Americans (Spoilers).

Charlie.

NBA Playoff Recaps: San Antonio Smashes Oklahoma City

After Game 1, it seemed like pushing the panic button on Oklahoma City's chances to challenge San Antonio was premature. After Game 2, the panic button has been pushed, and it is right for everyone to freak out for a little while. San Antonio beat the brakes off the Thunder as they won 112-77 in a 35-point playoff defeat, one of Oklahoma City's worst losses with a big night from Danny Green and a healthy effort from Tony Parker plus what will happen with Oklahoma City in the following two games.

Green became one of the biggest X-factors in the 2013 NBA Playoffs for San Antonio. In fact, he became one of the biggest storylines of the NBA Finals last year only to fall off in the last couple games. Green had his best night from shooting beyond the arc which helped San Antonio push out their lead in the second and third quarter.  The game remained close into the latter parts of the second half looking like we could get a close game between these two teams. Then Green happened in a major way. He helped push out the lead to 14 points by halftime and assisted in San Antonio's 33 point third quarter helping the Spurs go on a 43-14 run. In the second and third quarter, the Spurs outscored Oklahoma City, 67-36 and Green played a large part in it. In the last three games, Green is averaging 19.6 a game which is huge for this Spurs team.

Another major thing for the Spurs is the health of Tony Parker. He hurt his hamstring in Game 5 of the Portland game, and it appears he is all healed up. Parker had 22 points with five assists leading the scoring. Parker. He made 10 of 17 shots doing usual Parker things in the paint. One of the more unexpected things about the first two games is how Parker is still playing at such a high level going up against Russell Westbrook. Maybe I overvalued Westbrook's defense, or Parker is much better than I give him credit for. Regardless, he played great for a second straight game and appears he is back in full force. Hopefully, Parker stays healthy throughout the remainder of the playoffs.

Oklahoma City is in a state of flux. It is not just Serge Ibaka anymore either. Kevin Durant and Westbrook combined for 30 points with shooting 13/40 from the field making 1/9 from three. That's terrible. There is no way to describe it any other way. It is evident Durant and Westbrook are trying to do too much out there right now, and that's a problem for Oklahoma City. Neither of these two guys could have saved the Thunder last night as they had no else scoring for them. Jeremy Lamb got most of his points in garbage time, and the rest of the starting lineup had four total points. Someone not named Durant or Westbrook needs to step up in a major way for Oklahoma City, or this series could be over before we know it.

Does it look like San Antonio could sweep Oklahoma City right out of the playoffs?  Yes it does. Do I think it will happen?  No I don't because the Thunder are too good to let San Antonio walk all over them for the entire playoffs.  Oklahoma City needs more scoring in the starting lineup. I don't know if that means going small putting Durant as a four, but something needs to change before it's too late. It doesn't need to be said, but Game 3 is a must-win for Oklahoma City on Sunday night.

Charlie.

Quick Tap Podcast Episode Eight

Quick Tap Podcast comes in hot with an unusual early afternoon edition. We got some great questions this weekend which is really nice to see and hopefully, something that will continue in the coming weeks. The podcast leads off with trying to decide whose better - Olivia Munn or Olivia Wilde, impossible task. What I could spend with $17.14 which is Wei-Chung Wang's ERA. What athlete scares me mentally and physically. Summer stuff ranging from my favorite summer as a child, Season power rankings and least favorite summer clothing item. We finish with wondering why Haseem Thabeet plays for Oklahoma City then TV thoughts on Louie plus why FX might be the second best network in the game right now.

Charlie.

NBA Playoff Recap: Spurs Inside Dominance Take Game 1

When Oklahoma City Thunder lost Serge Ibaka for the playoffs, they knew it would be an uphill battle. Ibaka is a defensive force for Oklahoma City, and their weak inside presence became weaker without having Serge in there. San Antonio exploited them with 66 points in the paint including a big second half from Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan having one of his best games this playoffs. But this shouldn't be a panic button sort of things for Oklahoma City right now.  

While it is great to have players like Russell Westbrook and the NBA MVP Kevin Durant, it means absolutely nothing, if the team cannot guard the paint. Arguably one of the pillars to the NBA in terms of being successful. Points in the paint equate to easy buckets most of the time. Using that logic, 54 percent of San Antonio's shots were scored inside the paint and 'easy.'  54 percent!  That's only half of their points happened in the paint. No team is winning a basketball game with those sort of numbers meaning the Thunder will need to adjust in a major way in the following games.

Manu Ginobili always seems to have one game where he stands out in a major way. We all know he is not the same player as he once was, but sometimes, Manu dials up the time machine for a big performance. He definitely did on Monday night with a massive 18 point second half. He made 7 of  12 shots including three big 3-pointers helping San Antonio pull away.  Ginobili looked great out there finding different spots on the court to cause problems for the Thunder. This is a solid bounce back game for Ginobili whom averaged only eight points a game in the five-game series against Portland. He seemed comfortable out there and could be a real big problem for Oklahoma City.

Another player whose been sort of so-so through the playoff is Tim Duncan. Now, Duncan's 'so-so' is some players best effort so it is not really fair criticism. Although we haven't seen a game like this from Timmy D since Game 1 of the Dallas series.  Duncan had 27 points in 28 minutes with seven rebounds. He played great out there taking control with guys like Steven Adams and Kendrick Perkins being absolutely no match for the old wily veteran. For reference, Duncan averaged 14.8 points a game in the four meetings in the regular season meaning there was a direct effect of Ibaka not being on the court. Duncan could have one of those playoff series we will remember him fondly for if this continues in the coming games.

Oklahoma City is sort of screwed. They really cannot play zone against the Spurs because Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Ginobili will hurt them from the outside plus the zone allows Duncan to hit some of his favorite spots on the court. This is no time to panic for Oklahoma City, but they will need to do something different with their defensive effort. For whatever it's worth, they gave up 120-plus points to Los Angeles to start the series and adjusted nicely. Granted, they had Ibaka, but it is apparent Oklahoma City needs a game to adjust a bit.

For people to think this series is over should take a big cup of relax. It's not over yet, but if 60-plus points in the paint happen again in Game 2, we could be looking at another chance for the Spurs at the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Charlie.

SnoTap NBA Conference Finals Preview

2014 NBA Playoffs delivered the best first round in NBA history. The second round didn't deliver like the first round did, but it still brought a ton of fun. The two seeds in each conference are in the Final Four meaning it went completely chalk, but that doesn't mean we will not have great games. It should be very exciting. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1.) San Antonio Spurs vs. 2. Oklahoma City Thunder 
Game 1: Monday May 19th 8:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 21st 8:00 pm TNT 
Game 3: Sunday May 25th 7:30 pm TNT
Game 4: Tuesday May 27th 8:00 pm TNT 
Game 5 (Thursday) Game 6 (Saturday) Game 7 (Monday) -  If Necessary

Reason Spurs win: They are at full strength... sorta - Oklahoma City swept San Antonio in the regular season, and Brooklyn-Miami thought us that it is meaningless in the postseason, but if you look at how many key players for San Antonio missed an Oklahoma City is pretty interesting. Manu Ginobli missed two of them, Tiago Splitter missed one, same goes Kawhi Leonard. Tony Parker's hamstring is a concern, but other than that, San Antonio is coming in with their full unit. Also Gregg Popovich getting a couple extra days and an extra game to look at this version of Oklahoma City is always a good thing.  
Reason Thunder win:  Reggie Jackson, the Spurs killer - There are not many people whom have their best games against San Antonio, but Reggie Jackson is one of those rarities. He owns San Antonio. Jackson averaged 21 points against the Spurs which was his highest total against any Western Conference opponent. If Tony Parker is hurt plus Patty Mills not being a great defender, Jackson could have a transcendent series off the bench. It will be interesting to see how Scott Brooks manages the minutes between Jackson, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.  

X Factors:  Spurs - Kawhi Leonard, Thunder - Steven Adams - Leonard is going to be the Durant stopper. He could do some of the similar things Tony Allen did in the first round. And Leonard has done some good work against KD as he only averages 27.3 this season which was second worst against a Western Conference team along with only shooting 43 percent, one of his lowest numbers. If Serge Ibaka's calf is worse than we think, Adams becomes an even bigger player, but he showed some real promise in extended minutes in Game 6. He will obvious frustrate Tim Duncan and Splitter, but in no way get under the skin like he did in Los Angeles.   

Prediction: Thunder in six - Doesn't it just feel like it is Oklahoma City's year? After coming back in Game 5 against Memphis, Zach Randolph getting suspended, the refs controversy in Game 5 of the Los Angeles series, everything seems to be breaking for them. I also think Durant has been on another level and poised to make it back to the NBA Finals. It really does seem like KD is possessed to get back to the NBA Finals.  

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1.) Indiana Pacers vs. 2. Miami Heat 
Game 1: Sunday May 18th 2:30 pm ABC 
Game 2: Tuesday May 20th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 3: Saturday May 24th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 4: Monday May 26th 7:30 pm ESPN 
Game 5: (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) - If Necessary

Reason Pacers win: Paul George plays like a superstar - There have been a couple shining moments for George whether it be Game 4 against Washington or Game 7 against Atlanta, but the consistency hasn't been there. In five of the 13 games in the playoffs, George scored 18 or less points which isn't what you want from a superstar. Now he has a thrill for playing against Miami so maybe George elevates his game to another level, but he will need to be much better than he was for the majority of the Washington series.  

Reason Heat win: Dwyane Wade needs to be a true second banana. LeBron James is obviously important to Miami winning basketball games, but Wade will be needed in this series. Indiana's defense is still good no matter how dysfunctional they have been for the last couple of weeks. They will shutdown James at some point and will need a solid second option. In three games against Indiana, Wade scored 21.3 points plus he showed some signs of life on offense in the past few games. He needs to actually be a factor rather than a guy whose just there with a big name. We have seen in this rivalry before where Wade has a throwback game so don't be surprised if he throws out a 35 point night. 

X Factors:  Pacers - George Hill, Heat - Chris Bosh - Because Roy Hibbert has been subpar, no one is realizing how poorly George Hill is playing right now especially in the last couple game as Hill turned in two single digits effort. He needs to be a factor with Indiana's offense. Chris Bosh had one big shot against Brooklyn, but other than that, he really just been another guy. Bosh will face a tough inside game with David West and Hibbert, but his ability to spread out the defense could pay off huge dividends.  

Prediction: Heat in five -  You know how movies will come out with sequels or trilogies based on the success of the first two movies? And sometimes the sequel is great, and then the third movie is complete shit. Godfather Trilogy is a great example of this and basically, the third serving of Indiana-Miami feels like this will be the Godfather III. Not really that exciting of a series leading to Miami dominating in five games.   

-Charlie. 

NBA Playoff Recaps: KD Takes Over, Pacers Hold On

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

A late Thunder roll in Los Angeles pushes Oklahoma City to victory 
It seemed like we were heading to at least one Game 7 in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. Los Angeles Clippers got out to a 16 point lead in the early stages of the game, but Oklahoma City slowly but surely came back pulling away late in the game with a huge effort from Kevin Durant.  When people talk about the best players in the world, they want them to come up big in the big moments no matter what the sport can be, and Durant did just that after a bad start. He picked up two fouls early on with 1/7 shooting meaning KD shot 7 of 29 in about six quarters. He turned it on from there going 11/16 for the rest of the game finishing with 39 points, 16 rebounds and five assists. Hell of a stat line from Durant when the team needed it the most. Additionally, this leads to people forgetting all about the fact Russell Westbrook shot 4/15 in a Game 6.

Valient effort by Los Angeles, but they got tight at the end of the game. They didn't really attack the basket when Serge Ibaka left the game with a calf injury, and it didn't feel like anyone wanted to take that big shot when Los Angeles needed it the most. They also were on the bad end of the officials multiple times down the stretch with consecutive offensive foul calls with one being bullshit on Chris Paul and the other, a clear foul on Blake Griffin. As for Paul, he fails to make the Western Conference Final and this will become a narrative like it did for many of the other greats whom had postseason struggles. He played well in the game going for 25 points, eleven assists and seven rebounds, but in the end, Oklahoma City will face off against San Antonio, a rematch of the 2012 Western Conference Finals.

Pacers Continue Winning Road Ways 
You know how there are things in sports that end up being the most difficult to explain. I think that's what we have with the Washington-Indiana series. The road team ends up winning five of the six games and the Pacers move on to a rematch against their rival, the Miami Heat. Nothing is more Eastern Conference than Indiana finding their way into the remaining two. A team with a great deal of dysfunction is in the final two, but to their credit, they withstood a hell of a fight from Washington. The Wiz took the lead in the fourth even, but Indiana stood tall getting back the lead with two big David West jumpers. West played great with 29 points and six rebounds. Lance Stephenson bounced back from three straight rough games to have 17 points, eight assists and five rebounds including only missing five shots all game. Might not be able to understand Indiana, but got to respect them a bit.

Charlie.

NBA Playoff Recaps: Ref Controversies, Confusing Pacers Strike Again

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Thunder Somehow Beats the Clippers 
We have our first playoff referee controversy.  There were a couple blips here and there, but nothing compared to what we saw last night between Los Angeles and Oklahoma City.  Clippers blew seven point lead with 49 seconds left which included a no-call on Matt Barnes, the officials keeping the ball with Oklahoma City even though it was clearly the Clippers ball and the phantom bail out call on Chris Paul with Russell Westbrook's three-point attempt. This sequence is probably the only thing in life that still gives Jim Burr a hard-on. It was terribly bad, but Los Angeles has no one to blame but themselves.  Oklahoma City went on a 17-4 run to end the game including Kevin Durant coming up with Chris Paul adding another lowlight to his playoff career.

There have been times in his career where Durant has come up short in the fourth quarter. He disappears, defers to Westbrook or all of the above yet Durant hit the two biggest shots in the game even though Westbrook nailed down the final three free throws to win the game.  To that point, Durant had a horrible game. He would have probably received a ton of criticism for how bad he played in Game 5 with the whole Mr. Unreliable bullshit resurfacing as Durant went 6/22. But he hit a huge three to pull the Thunder within four points then recovered a loose ball with a hard take to the lane following it.  It shouldn't be forgotten that Westbrook played an awesome game with 38 points on 11/23 shooting with six rebounds and five assists. He has thrown out some great gems in this playoffs.

CP3 hates the whole narrative about him failing in the playoffs, but games like these ones will not help his case. Paul struggled down the stretch with a couple missed shots, two turnovers and a big foul. Complain about the refs all you want, but Paul tightened up late in the game leading Los Angeles losing to this game. Paul has won Los Angeles games therefore he needs some criticism when he cost the Clippers the game as well. It will be interesting to see how he responds in Game 6. That's a huge game for Paul. If he goes off for 25 plus and leads them to a Game 6 win, I don't think anyone should be continuing the playoff narrative.

Wall and Gortat Keep Wiz Alive
With how bad the Los Angeles-Oklahoma City finished, everyone sort of forgot how Indiana got blown out at home in a close out Game 5. That's horrible. Indiana continues to be the most confusing team in all of basketball. Maybe the most confusing team in the last decade. Just when you think everything is all good, they get boat raced at home by 23 with meager efforts from Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Marcin Gortat and John Wall dominated the game with a a great inside/out game. Gortat had 31 points and 16 points scoring 13 of 15 shots, but Wall is probably the biggest story. He had 27 points which is in far contrast to Wall's first four games where he is averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 turnovers. Wall sliced and diced the Pacers which is huge because people would have came down hard on Wall if he didn't have this one.

Charlie.

Tapping The Keg Episode 88

Charles and Mitchell return for the latest and greatest (Not really) edition of Tapping The Keg podcast. We lead off the podcast with talking about smartphone etiquette around friends and others, this leads to another conversation regarding Tinder which is always good.  We move to talk about the Milwaukee Brewers more so about Rickie Weeks role with the team right now. Why we both agree left field would have been a bad idea. Matt Garza is also discussed. Topic moves to recapping Green Bay Packers draft selections which we both like a lot. NBA Playoffs discussion about the drama at the end of Los Angeles-Oklahoma City game and why we think two series are ending tonight. We finish with NBA head coaches with some hockey talk because why the hell not.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Weekend: Collapses, Threes & Spurs Dominance.

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

Clippers stun Thunder, tie up the series.
It really seemed like Oklahoma City was heading home being up three games to one. ABC showed a
graphic about the Thunder never losing with a 3-1 lead. Los Angeles kept battling back though in the fourth quarter taking their first lead of the game with about three minutes left in the game. Darren Collison came out of the shadows with eight points in the final three minutes of the game leading the furious comeback. Clippers had 38 points in the final quarter with Collison playing a large part in the effort with 18 total points. Jamal Crawford also added 18 off the bench hitting his usual big buckets. Chris Paul started the comeback early on as he finished with 23 points, 10 assists and five rebounds with Collison and Crawford finishing sending this series to a pivotal Game 5 on Tuesday night.

Kevin Durant's stat line looks pretty good when you see he had 40 points with eight rebounds including going 50 percent from the field. But there is a dark underbelly with KD's performance yesterday afternoon. He had eight turnovers and a big free throw miss with 100 seconds left. That cannot happen. I used to rag on LeBron James for the same thing. As an MVP players, free throws are something that cannot be missed in the late game situations.

Paul George's big second half pulls Indiana past Washington
There are sometimes when a star player takes over and becomes the story of the game. Paul George is a fringe superstar. He is starting to get the media attention and doing more commercials. Games like this one is why he gets commercials. George had 28 points in the second half leading a furious comeback as the Pacers trailed by 19 points in the second half. George added 12 rebounds as well only missing eight of his 20 shots on the night. He looked great out there becoming the key cog to the game. Indiana needs more from their bench though. Only two points from their second unit is not going to win many basketball games. Pacers are lucky to pull this one from their teeth. It does seem like the Wiz received a knockout punch. I don't know how they recover from this one.

Brooklyn's outside arsenal sinks Miami
After two games where the Heat found a way to get full control in the second half, Brooklyn delivered a taste of their own medicine by pulling away with a huge 3-point effort with the Nets making 15 threes going 60 percent from the outside. Mirza Teletovic had a big second half making him one of the difference makers in this game with 12 points including four big threes. Keep an eye for Teletovic for the rest of the series. He had 20 points in Tuesday's loss as well. Miami needs to find a way to keep him contained because he seems like the type of player if he gets hot, Teletovic could make 20 threes. Joe Johnson also had a nice day at the arena with 19 points sinking in five threes. Joe Cool continues to have a good playoff performance.

I am a little puzzled why James Jones didn't get more time last night. He had nine points in nine minutes making three 3-pointers. It seems like a guy you would want out there more than nine minutes. Jones has went from playing around 16 minutes a game in the Charlotte series to only playing five minutes. I don't know what Erik Spoelstra has in mind right now.

Spurs found their mojo again... ruh roh
Poor Portland. They are getting completely steamrolled by San Antonio. The Spurs have won the first three games by a combined 18.6 points. That's not even close. Like is this Portland team that bad or are the Spurs that good again? Should we be even more impressed with what Rick Carlisle did taking the series to seven games? I really cannot explain it. We talked about at the beginning of the series, Tony Parker could expose their bad perimeter defenses and that's what's happening. Parker scored at least 29 points in three of the last four games. It is pretty clear how good San Antonio is when Parker is healthy. Portland's bench has been downright terrible. Minus Will Barton's 13 points in garbage time in Game 2, the Trail Blazers' bench has 21 points through three games... Not good.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recap: OKC's 1-2 Punch Delivers & Return of Roy

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

KD & Russ: OKC's Watch The Throne  
A day after Kevin Durant won an MVP and gave an emotional speech that made every mom fall in love with KD, he came through with his pal Russell Westbrook with near triple-doubles from both of them (Russ technically had a triple-double but that was a weak 10th assist). It was like watching Kanye West and Jay Z on the basketball court. We can debate which one is whom. Durant looked completely in control early on with 17 first half points and Westbrook finished them off in the second half. He helped them pull Oklahoma City away in the second half. Huge effort from Westbrook in terms of energy and what he brought to the table. If we keep getting this version of Russ, Oklahoma City will be hard to beat for the rest of the playoffs.

It is worth mentioning the developing storyline of Serge Ibaka's defense against Blake Griffin has been stellar for the first two games of the playoffs. Griffin scored 13 points in the first two games of this series against Ibaka's defense. He needs to figure it out against Serge and be a factor because if not, the Clippers inside presence isn't really there.

ROY HIBBERT LIVES 
I struggle with Indiana in the worst kind of way. One minute, they look like complete hell and the next, Roy Hibbert drops 28 points with nine rebounds to go along with it. According to Hibbert, he went fishing with Paul George whom had TMZ-esque rumors about him with Hibbert's wife, and helped clear his mind. Also Andrew Bynum left the team as well. I think we need to look at Indiana from a one game a day. We shouldn't expect this in Washington, and sort of wait and see. I will add this about the game, it was an old-school Indiana win.

Old school is only a year ago, but Indiana won this game by playing defense. Paul George and David West combined for 20 points and they still won this basketball game.  That's extremely impressive.  Additionally, Lance Stephenson was 3/12 on the night which all seem like recipes for failure, but not for Indiana as their defense willed them to the victory along with a few big shots.

Charlie.

SnoTap Thing of the Day: Kevin Durant's Magnificent MVP Speech

By now, you probably have seen Oklahoma City Thunder's forward Kevin Durant's MVP speech. It was one like none other. Like this is going to end up on one of those clickbait websites where it will be 'WHAT THIS NBA PLAYER SAID LEFT ME SPEECHLESS.'  It is a really good speech where Durant takes the time to thank of each of his teammates, and it really shows much even at 25, Durant wants to be a role model for the younger players on the team. The amount of times he says the word 'love' and talks about his enjoyment playing for the Oklahoma City franchise. We love to rag athletes all the time, call them selfish, call them other things, but this is fantastic stuff from Durant. More videos available at CBS Sports. Have a good night Tappers.





Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recaps: Game 1 Road Warriors

Second Round of NBA Playoffs will feature two games of night.  I dropped the ball on writing on Saturdays meaning Friday games were left in the dust.  I am going to write about the games like we did for the first round because it is picking up steam in terms of the hits. I will probably add a full blog post sometimes when we have a must talked playoff win. 

What injuries? Chris Paul takes control in Game 1

For the first round of the playoffs, much of the discussion with Chris Paul had to do with his injuries bothered by a hamstring and a hand injury. Paul did not really play well in the seven games against Golden State, but he stepped up in Game 1 against Oklahoma City. Paul drilled six straight threes in the first half propelling him to 32 points with 10 assists only missing two shots for the entire game. Additionally, the six threes were a career-high, he finished the game with eight threes. Paul added an element to his game, and if this becomes consistent, the rest of the league is in trouble. Blake Griffin had a nice night with 23 points on 7/16 shooting making most of his free throws from the line. This was an ass-kicking from Los Angeles, and I don't know how exactly Oklahoma City responds to it.

Oklahoma City needs to do something else on defense because they aren't playing Memphis anymore. They gave up 69 points in the first half. 69!  They have done this before as the Thunder do not have the best defense in the world, but at the same time, you aren't winning championships by giving up that many points in one half. It could be a case of Oklahoma City playing more in the halfcourt to slow down the potent Clippers offense.  

Wizards continue their road dominance 

This is starting to get silly for The Wiz Kids. They have won their last seven road games if you include playoffs and regular season plus they exorcised a demon by beating Indiana on the road, something they hadn't done in the last 12 tries. Bradley Beal does not really seem like a second option. Like it feels offensive to call Beal the meatballs to John Wall's spaghetti.  He is a star in the making and will only get better. Beal made a statement with 25 points, seven rebounds ans seven assists. But the thing that impressed me about this Wizards win was how the role players showed up in this one, and if that happens consistently, we could be heading to a real strange place with the Wiz. 

Trevor Ariza hit six threes channeling his days as a Los Angeles Laker in the postseason where he just became a difference maker from the outside.  He also did a pretty good job on Paul George as he went 4/17 from the field, obviously Ariza wasn't the only one guarding George but had a hand in it. Drew Gooden had 12 points with 13 rebounds including seven offensive rebounds. They both added a new element to Washington's game. Oh and Roy Hibbert... 0 points with two rebounds. YIKES.

Charlie. 

SnoTap's NBA Second Round Preview

2014 NBA Playoffs delivered the best first round in NBA history. The second round is filled with a great deal of intrigue and drama. We break down both conferences in the same way we did the first round looking at a reason each team will win plus an X-Factor with a prediction. 

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1.) San Antonio Spurs vs. 5.) Portland Trail Blazers 
Game 1: Tuesday May 6th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 2: Thursday May 8th 8:30 pm ESPN2
Game 3: Saturday May 10th 9:30 pm ESPN
Game 4: Monday May 12th 9:30 pm TNT
Game 5 (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) -  If Necessary

Reason Spurs win: Tony Parker plays like he did in Game 7 against Dallas for the whole series. A dirty little secret about Damian Lillard is he does not really play much defense. Wes Matthews is their stopper, and he did fine against James Harden yet I don't know if he can keep up with Parker for a whole game so I will expect to see

Reason Blazers win: I am trying to figure out who guards LaMarcus Aldridge in this game. Tiago Splitter? Tim Duncan? Probably a combination of those two guys, but LMA can take these guys outside of the post which is huge for the team allowing Lillard and Matthews to get into the lane. He can also get both of them in foul trouble which is equally important. I could see another big series for Aldridge. He averaged 21 points a game with eight rebounds a game in three meetings with the Spurs this year.  

X Factors:  Spurs - Tim Duncan,  Blazers - Thomas Robinson - We haven't really seen a vintage Duncan performance yet in the playoffs. 17 points is one of his lowest average of his playoff career and only pulling down around eight rebounds is his lowest rebound total since the 2009 season. I am throwing T-Rob in there because he showed some flashes against Houston, and Portland will need a better post effort from a guy not named LaMarcus. I am throwing T-Rob out there. 

Prediction: Spurs in six - Do I want to pick Portland?  Yes, yes I do. But I am trying not buy into the hype because they beat a poor defensive team in Houston where in multiple games, they came back late in the game. I doubt Portland will be able to do that against San Antonio. One name we haven't mentioned is Danny Green and he could be someone lying in the weeds for the Spurs.

2.) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 3.) Los Angeles Clippers 
Game 1: Monday May 5th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 7th 8:30 pm TNT
Game 3: Friday May 9th 9:30 pm ESPN
Game 4: Sunday May 11th 2:30 pm ABC
Game 5: (Tuesday) Game 6 (Thursday) Game 7 (Saturday) - If Necessary

Reason Thunder win: Durant continues to light the world on fire. Reggie Miller said on the Dan Patrick Show today that 'The newspaper thing could be the best thing for him (Durant).'  I agree with him, and it would make me very nervous if I were a Clippers fan. Durant averaged 32 points a game in four matchups with the Clippers which is one of the highest outputs against teams KD played four times this season. I think we could see an inspired Durant's performance where he takes over multiple times, and Russell Westbrook takes a little bit of a backseat.  

Reason Clippers win: Blake Griffin takes over in multiple ways. Oklahoma City does not have much post depth past Serge Ibaka, Kendrick Perkins and Steven Adams. Blake found ways to exploit Golden State's weak interior play, and he could do the same with Oklahoma City even if Ibaka is a better player than anything the Dubs had in Round 1. How the games are called will be a huge factor in Griffin's success because if they let Oklahoma City beat him up, he will need to adjust his game. 

X Factors:  Thunder - Reggie Jackson, Clippers - DeAndre Jordan - Couple obvious ones but they are equally important to the team's success. Jackson needs to equalize Darren Collison. He also bailed out Westbrook and Durant before, and can do it again. Jordan makes Los Angeles a different team when he is scoring and rebounding in double digits especially with his scoring. Jordan seems like he has some confidence and could handle the Thunder's inside group. 

Prediction: Clippers in seven -  Easily, the best series out of the four in the second round. Los Angeles can win on the road. I think they will do it in seven given their inside game with Griffin and Jordan. The only thing that worries me is Chris Paul's health against Russell Westbrook. Odds are he will not pick us Russ very often, but Paul could become very worn down. If that happens, Oklahoma City might just win the war of attrition.   

1.) Indiana Pacers vs. 5.) Washington Wizards
Game 1: Monday May 5th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Wednesday May 7th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 3: Friday May 9th 7:00 pm ESPN
Game 4: Sunday May 11th 7:00 pm TNT
Game 5: (Tuesday) Game 6 (Thursday) Game 7 (Saturday) - If Necessary

Reason Pacers win: They play like a team. It is that simple. This team won their first 33 of 40 games for a reason. They played like a cohesive unit. I realize they won back-to-back games to finish off Atlanta, but I am still not convinced this team is truly united right now. Indiana plays like one and not individuals, they will blow through this series.  

Reason Wizards win: Bradley Beal and John Wall come up massive. Paul George will likely pick up one of the them, but can he keep up with either of them in terms of quickness? Same goes for Lance Stephenson. If they play up-tempo and make Indiana play Washington's game, they could really do some big things. I really do think the guards of Washington could have some real big series. 

X Factors:  Pacers - Roy Hibbert, Wizards - Trevor Ariza - Yes we need to see Roy Hibbert come to play finally. He played well in Game 7 and against the bigger Wizards team could give Hibbert more an opportunity to work yet Marcin Gortat and Nene are badass dudes meaning Hibbert needs to keep his composure out there. Ariza could be huge for this team. We talked about his postseason performance last time around too, but what makes him important this round is the fact, he will be on Mr. George and containing him will be a tall task. If he does it well, Wizards have a good shot at winning the series. 

Prediction: Wizards in six -  Given the personalities in this series, I think we are going to see some chippy stuff from each side of the aisle in these games. I like the guards of Washington better than I do, Indiana's and I don't think Hibbert is all there. Until Indiana proves me otherwise, I am not ready to buy in to this team. If they light the world on fire, we can have a new discussion. 

2.) Miami Heat vs. 6.) Brooklyn Nets 
Game 1: Tuesday May 6th 6:00 pm TNT
Game 2: Thursday May 8th 6:00 pm ESPN2
Game 3: Saturday May 10th 7:00 pm ABC
Game 4: Monday May 12th 7:00 pm TNT
Game 5 (Wednesday) Game 6 (Friday) Game 7 (Sunday) - If Necessary

Reason Heat win: They need to have a good Chris Bosh come alive. What went under the radar is Bosh only averaged 14.5 points a game in their sweep against Charlotte. He can bring the big bruisers of Brooklyn outside of the paint creating more opportunities for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade to slash into the paint. He has seen Kevin Garnett in May before, and this time, Bosh is the much better player.  

Reason Nets win: Deron Williams becomes Deron Williams of old. Honestly, this Nets team can win the series. Paul Pierce and KG need to be big yet Williams actually having a say in the offense is the biggest key. Mario Chalmers is a decent enough defender, but Williams can still do some things to cut out what Chalmers wants to do on the defensive end. In three games against Miami, he only averaged seven points a game. That cannot happen if the Nets want to advance. 

X Factors:  Heat- Mario Chalmers, Nets - Marcus Thornton -  Heat need to find more scoring. They always seem to go through this at one point of the playoffs where only the Big Three are scoring and no one else. Chalmers did nothing in the four games against Charlotte and that cannot happen again if this team wants to win. Thornton is a microwave. If he gets hot, look out. And they might need a 'Marcus Thornton game' where he has 30 points making seven threes to win the series, he has found his way into some moments in the playoffs thus far.

Prediction: Heat in seven -  This will also be a nasty series with a ton of chippiness given the rivalry between Pierce and Garnett versus LeBron and Ray Allen. Also the fact Brooklyn won all four times they met this year doesn't sit well with the Heat either. Game 1 is huge. If Miami comes out tired from the layoff, Brooklyn will think they belong in the series. I think it goes the distance with LeBron James shutting the door in Game 7 with an iconic performance. 

Charlie.

NBA Game Seven Weekend: Big Stars Shine the Brightest

Every night there is some sort of drama about the NBA Playoffs. Every game is worth talking about even if it is just to make fun of somebody. The recaps look at the game itself and what could be upcoming for the teams.  


Brooklyn hangs on after a near-collapse in Toronto
The poor Raps. They battled like hell back in the fourth quarter after being down 10, and it seemed like there was no chance they could win this basketball game yet Toronto came back to make it a game in the final minute. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry did not have a defining Game 7 performances for the right reasons. DeRozan took it to the tin with three minutes left drawing an offensive foul and then a technical. Thankfully, Brooklyn came up empty on both attempts, but still, you need to keep their composure. Lowry had the final shot for a win and Brooklyn collapsed on him with three defenders yet he didn't pass the ball. That needed to happen, but instead Lowry tried to be the hero which did not work out for him.

Amid the comeback, Joe Johnson came to play on Sunday. We talked at the beginning of the series about how Brooklyn had closers on their team with Johnson, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Joe Cool stepped out to close out this basketball game. He had eleven straight points for Brooklyn at one point in the fourth. Solid performance from Johnson.

Clippers close out Warriors with a big second half
What a great game this was to close us out on Saturday night. Golden State had an early lead, but slowly, but surely, Los Angeles started to put themselves back in the game with some tremendous performances by the primetime players for the Clippers. Once again, DeAndre Jordan played terrific making all six of his shots, having 15 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. I have said this once, will say it again, if Jordan provides this kind of production, Los Angeles is the best in the West. Chris Paul had a great game after some concern about him with his injuries to his hand and hamstring. Paul had 22 points with 14 assists. J.J. Redick came up big late in the game which helped send Golden State home.

I am trying to figure out what Golden State's management's issue with Mark Jackson. Stephen Curry wants him to keep his job which would probably be my indicator he should stay put, but if Golden State forces him out, it will be interesting to see what it does for team chemistry.

The best shine through in Oklahoma City. 
We tend to see big players step up to the plate when it comes to Game 7's. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are two of the best in the league, and they showed it on Saturday with major performances. Durant had 33 points with 12/18 shooting with eight rebounds. In the last two games since the whole newspaper snafu, he has been excellent. But the bigger story was Russell Westbrook. He had another triple-double with a bananas stat line. Westbrook finished the game with 27 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds including a couple steals and blocks to go with it. He really looked strong out there, and if Russ is playing at this level with the good 90 percent, not the bad 10 percent, Oklahoma City is a scary, scary team. I like everything they are doing right now.

Pacers handle their business, dispose of Atlanta 
ROY HIBBERT FINALLY SHOWED UP. Well kinda. He had 13 points with seven rebounds making six shots which is more than what Hibbert has done in this whole series. Have to respect Frank Vogel for still trotting him out there and trusting him when literally no one had his back. Paul George was the bigger story. A primetime player stepped up in the big moment with 30 points taking over in the second half. George finished off the Hawks with great ease and looked great out there. Even though Indiana's story has been about their struggles, George is excelling in the playoffs. The numbers are up in both points and rebounds with George averaging a double-double with him being the top player on this team. Also worth noting how well Lance Stephenson played with an efficient scoring night with 19 points 14 rebounds and five assists.

Spurs wake up and finish off Dallas with ease 
Many people wondered how the Mavericks got to seven games with San Antonio? It seemed like Dallas could maybe get one or two games, but no one thought this team could bring it to seven games. San Antonio shot over 70 percent in the first two quarters meaning it was complete curtains for Dallas' chances to pull the upset. Tony Parker was excellent with 32 points with making eleven shots on 19 attempts with none being from outside the arc. Parker dressed down this Dallas team, and it is fair to say, he is healthy from his ankle injury which could be big trouble for Portland. Another thing to keep an eye on is Danny Green's performance, he had been struggling, but last two games, he is averaging 16.5 points with 6/8 from three. If Green comes to play, this is a different San Antonio team.

Charlie.

NBA Playoffs Recaps: Clippers Come Up Big, #THUNDERGRIZZLES & Wiz Kids Alive!

Every night there is some sort of drama about the NBA Playoffs. Every game is worth talking about even if it is just to make fun of somebody. The recaps look at the game itself and what could be upcoming for the teams.  

Los Angeles shakes off distraction, takes Game 5 
People wondered what the state of mind would be for Los Angeles as they played their game at home since the Donald Sterling scandal. Los Angeles took advantage winning Game 5 and taking advantage in the series with a 113-103 win. Clippers had a spirited crowd behind him, and a big game from DeAndre Jordan proved to be the difference in the game. Jordan's strong season went a bit under the radar with the play of Blake Griffin all season, but he made a strong case for Defensive Player of the Year. Jordan had 25 points with 18 rebounds and four blocks. He dominated the whole game long and looked completely engaged. If the Clippers get half of that from Jordan in the coming games/series, Los Angeles can win the NBA Finals.

As for Golden State, is it time to start wondering about Stephen Curry? I know we all love him but besides Game 4, he's been pretty average at best. Tonight, Curry only shot the ball 10 times with seven of them being from behind three.  He also added eight turnovers. This hasn't been a great series for Curry and it could be dealing with a mean three-headed monster of Chris Paul, Jamal Crawford and Darren Collison yet it is worth paying attention to it.


Appropriate picture: Clippers banded together to say 'We Are One'

Thunder and Grizzlies play another classic 
THIS SERIES.  Four straight games with an overtime period, and the Grizzlies came out victorious with a 100-99 win taking the 3-2 advantage heading back to the Grindhouse for Game 6 Thursday night. The bizarre thing about this series is every game it is nearly the same. Memphis buries Oklahoma City early, Thunder make a comeback that includes a four-point play and force overtime where it is 'may the best man win.'  Mike Miller rose from the dead to hit two huge threes in overtime and had 21 points for the game leading the Grizzlies in scoring. Miller has become a vital part to this Memphis team and helped them out when the rest of the team was not cooking on all cylinders. But let's be real, the talk is about Oklahoma City.

This was a Russell Westbrook game. We thought it would be one where we are talking about Russell for the next week because he played out of his mind with a triple-double having 30 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists plus a big steal to tie the game with four seconds left. Westbrook looked like himself more than ever before, but as you would believe it, people are starting to come around with Kevin Durant criticisms. He didn't touch the ball in the fourth quarter letting Westbrook work, but that wasn't good enough for people. Then he missed a key free throw with under 30 seconds keeping the lead at one. The debate will be Joey Crawford making an icing attempt at Durant by taking the ball and going to the scorers table, but that's a cop out for Durant (Crawford is such a mental midget, acted like someone had sex with his daughter in front of him).  He needs to find a way to be better or else this team is done on Thursday.

Appropriate Video: Westbrook cookies steal.



Wiz Kids are nothing to F' with
Sure they only scored 75 points tonight in a close out win, but they also held Chicago to 69 points so I guess there is that as they sent Chicago packing. It is memorizing to see this Bulls team go from being a top four team to the East then falling to complete shambles in five games with Washington winning all three games in Chicago. They are legit. I don't think they could get to the NBA Finals, let's not get crazy, but at the same time, Washington can handle everything thrown at them in the next series whether it be Indiana or Atlanta. Here are the bright spots for Washington... John Wall has been inconsistent through the first five games, and him having 24 points with seven assists is really encouraging. Nene and Marcin Gortat continued to make Joakim Noah look like a small child. Nene had 20 points with seven rebounds while Gortat didn't do much on offense yet still grabbed 13 rebounds. The Wiz Kids are a bandwagon we can all get on, folks.

Approrirate Song: Bullets... er Wizards Fever!!!!!



Charlie.