jadande: Per Lakers pr, Bynum's hyperextended rt knee could be bones, could be ligaments. Won't know till MRI tomorrow. [via Twitter] That sounds like done for the season.
Asked a Laker staffer why team wasn't worried about 5-game losing streak. "We have a healthy Bynum. We've never had that in the playoffs."
Dude, just by his smile and reaction. he is having the time of his life and is loving every minute. Meanwhile, Kobe's reaction is....
Haha with 4 minutes left, the announcers finally realized they have been talking about the Lakers all game and needed to give some attention to the Spurs.
A callout to Marv Albert & Mike Fratello. Watching the game, thinking about how two decades ago if the Bulls had Rose they would have sometimes isolated him for the post-up, given his size/strength advantage over many guys who defend him. Then sure enough, Fratello chips in with how Rose always faces his opponent and tries to get him on his heels, that you will rarely see him turn away from the basket. Those guys are good. They know the players, they know the game, they know how to bring excitement for the casual fan, and they can offer subtle tips for the serious fan. And they've been doing it a damn long time but don't seem jaded.
Okay so I've read in several places that the Bulls and Spurs are headed towards a coin flip. Not that it should matter because I don't see both SA and Chicago making the finals (I don't think either will in fact), but I don't see where a coin flip comes into play. This comes straight from the NBA rule book on breaking ties to determine home court advantage: NBA Playoff Tie Break Procedure I didn't see any exception in the rules for home court in the Finals. What am I missing?
It's funny that nobody has any idea what's going on, this is a highly visible and transparent multi-billion industry after all. Oh well, I'm guessing that at least the players know.
"I think we are the most dangerous first-round team in the NBA,'' said Billups. I assume he means among the lower seeds ... but no Chauncey, there's this team called Denver, perhaps you know of it?
The Griz are a very good 8th seed. Rugged tough athletic bastards. Charles might be exaggerating a bit, though.
I love Charles. He is my favorite non Lakers basketball player. On TNT, I love his sense of humor and his crazy thought. I am not too fond of him hogging talk time but he has improved these days. However, I never take his predictions seriously. I sometimes think the years of alcohol has taken a toll on him when he says some extreme stuff.
Ah that's Charles, he doesn't self-censor. It's bar talk. But he's a smart guy and very good at it. I'm glad they keep him around.
Well, there's also the "Mark Jackson" 5 second rule in the NBA that prohibits guys from dribbling with their back to the basket forever. Over time it's definitely had the effect of encouraging more face-up play from PG's and made the game way more fun to watch. I love those guys on the mic. Does anyone remember a few years ago when Steve Kerr was the third man in that booth, before he went to the Suns front office, and he would inexplicably go after Fratello all the time? Always undercutting his points and taking playful jabs at him? It was funny and slightly uncomfortable all at the same time.
Marv of course is also constantly after Fratello, but it works great ... funny and not uncomfortable. It's hard to pull that off, usually as with Kerr when one guy teases the other there's something that doesn't quite translate to the listener.
Can't see it. It could be a longer series but the Spurs will win. If Rudy Gay was healthy it might be another story, though.
That's probably it, Marv is good at the schtick and Kerr would came off strange, almost mean. It must be nice for Bulls fans again to have Marv Albert calling "Yesss!" after the MVP makes another bucket.