kimblr.com

Paul Pierce No. 34 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 12, 2008, in Los Angeles.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images
Paul Pierce No. 34 of the Boston Celtics celebrates after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers 97-91 in Game 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals at Staples Center on June 12, 2008, in Los Angeles.

cbs2.com

The Spurs are in trouble, down 3-1 in the NBA Playoff series after a loss 93-91 on Tuesday night. Kobe Bryant led the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 29 points, Brent Barry had 23 off the bench and Tony Parker had 23 points and eight assists. The Spurs got a final possession with 2.1 seconds left. Barry had to force up an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer. There was contact when Barry went for his shot by Lakers Derek Fisher but there was a no call and the Lakers won. You have to respect the Spurs saying all the right things after the game about the no call on the foul. If it was Lebron, it would be " I believe LeBron was fouled at that point. I believe LeBron should be shooting Free Throws." If that was Kobe putting up the last shot for sure he would have got the fouled called. The oddsmakers at sportsbook.com currently have the LA Lakers -8 favorites to San Atonio heading into this NBA Playoff betting matchup.
I'm already thinking conspiracy after they let Joey Crawford ref this game after what happened last year with him getting suspended, maybe having something out for the Spurs and Tim Duncan. Plus it was his decision to make it a no call involving Brent Barry and Derek Fisher at the end of the game. The Spurs are cool losing on the road but Crawford and Stern stole one from them Tuesday night. Why in the wide world of sports would Joey Crawford ever be allowed to ref a Spurs playoff game after all the history between them. The refs are handing the Lakers the series so they can play the Celtics in the championship. David Stern can't wait for that after recent dismal television ratings. If fouls at the end of the game don't count, then I'm sure the Spurs are wondering why Ginobili got called for a foul on Nowitzki in 2006 Western Conference Finals - not only at the end of a game, but at the end of a Game 7 to decide the series, and who went to the NBA Finals.

onlinesportshandicapping.com

Phil Jackson was feeling a bit nostalgic before Game 4 of the Lakers-Spurs NBA playoff series and talked about players’ celebratory styles.
“We started out with low five, and then it became high five,” the Lakers coach said of his days as a Knicks player, “and then it became a variety of things.”
When the Knicks did a Vitalis hair tonic commercial — teammate Bill Bradley declined to participate because it represented a commercial endorsement that he found distasteful even though he was the son of a banker — the players slapped skin.
“This was kind of a symbol of our era that we were getting very hip at giving each other five,” Jackson said. “And now it’s progressed to where you not only give a high five, but you jump in the air and give a chest and do another bump on your way down.”
And what’s next in this realm, the Zen master was asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I think the feet will come into play somehow.”
Tickets available for movie about Garrido’s career
Those interested in seeing the sneak preview of the Richard Linklater movie, “Inning by Inning: A Portrait of a Coach,” a biography of Texas baseball coach Augie Garrido, can still buy seats.
Tickets are $15 and can be obtained at Ticketmaster for the June 3 showing at the Paramount Theatre, which holds 1,200 people. The preview begins at 6:30 p.m.
Proceeds from ticket sales for the movie, which will be aired three consecutive days on the various ESPN channels starting on June 15, will go to the Boys & Girls Club.
Please read our Privacy Policy. By using this site, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement.
Copyright 2008 The Austin American-Statesman. All rights reserved.

statesman.com

(Richard Vogel/Associated Press)
Los Angeles Lakers centre Andrew Bynum underwent surgery Wednesday on his injured left knee.
The 30-minute procedure, performed in New York by Dr. David Altchek, involved the removal of cartilage debris and smoothing the underside of Bynum’s kneecap.
“Everything seemed to go well,” Lakers head coach Phil Jackson said. “I think Andrew is glad he did it.”
Bynum, 20, was examined May 7 in Princeton, N.J., by Dr. Steven Gecha, who recommended exploratory arthroscopic surgery unless there was improvement in three to four weeks.
Bynum hasn’t played since he was injured in the third quarter of a 100-99 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Jan. 13.
He jumped for a rebound and landed on the left foot of teammate Lamar Odom, sustaining a subluxation — a brief dislocation that pops back into place — of the kneecap and a bone bruise.
At the time, the Lakers figured Bynum would miss two or three months.
Bynum was enjoying a terrific season, averaging 13.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 blocked shots, 1.6 assists and 28.9 minutes in 32 games, including 22 starts.
He was leading the NBA in shooting percentage (62.2%) and ranked ninth in blocks and 11th in rebounds before being hurt.
“Andrew is really important to us,” Odom said. “We will all be waiting for him.”
Bynum has averaged 7.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, 1.0 assists and 19.3 minutes in 163 appearances (78 starts) since he was drafted 10th overall by Los Angeles in 2005.
The Lakers host the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday (6 p.m. PT).

cbc.ca

Every now and then I hear from a friend or family member about how I haven’t been writing for my Rockies blog as much. Well, what is there to say about this year’s team? Is tracking Jonathan Herrera’s starts really a worthwhile use of anybody’s time? The other day I was listening to the Denver sports radio station in the car and two guys were arguing about whether Willy Taveras or Scott Podsednik should be the Colorado leadoff hitter. Apparently just leaving the spot open, or hitting the pitcher there, were not considered options.
That says all you need to know about the .375 ‘08 Rockies, who are just a hair ahead of San Diego to avoid the worst record in the majors. (Remember all that talk, much of it from me, about how good the NL West was going to be this season? So much for that. The Rockies and Padres are making San Francisco look decent by comparison.) The trouble about that saying all you need to know about the Rockies (that and their 4.80 team ERA) is that that leaves me with little to say.
Well… I bought the new Rays hat at a sports store at the mall in Broomfield. It’s nicer than it looks on TV, with a little light blue drop shadow under the white letters. It’s less of a ripoff of the new-ish Padres design than I thought. It’s a nice color blue, too, although I was in the minority in really liking the solid green look Tampa Bay used sometimes before this year.
The NBA playoffs have not delivered on the promise eight 50-win teams in the West and a seemingly great Celtics team suggested going in. The unbelievable difference in the performance of every single team from their home games to their road games suggests either that none of these teams were as strong as we were led to believe or that the level of officiating in the league was even worse. I thought that San Antonio would look less vulnerable against New Orleans but it’s still possible that the Spurs could win Games 6 and 7. Utah has less of a chance of pulling out their series against the Lakers — Game 5 was their big chance to steal a game on the road, and they came up just short. The Celtics didn’t even make it out of the first round before losing all of their confidence, and that has rendered the East playoffs close to unwatchable. The Cleveland-Boston series has featured nonstop brickery from both teams, and I was unable to watch more than a few minutes at a time of any of the East series involving Detroit and/or Orlando. The team that wins will probably be decided by how hurt Kobe Bryant’s back is, and Kobe Bryant — like the Rockies, presently — is not that interesting to me.

badaltitude.baseballtoaster.com

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain “signatures” by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
If you want to see great basketball without the pretense, without the self-righteousness that has become an inescapable part of March Madness worship, then settle in for the next eight weeks and watch the NBA playoffs. It’s a postseason with greater promise, potentially better basketball and more melodrama than any season since 1998, the year Michael Jordan retired from the Bulls.
There’s certainly something for every basketball disposition, beginning with the kickoff game, the very noisy confrontation between the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers. If you’re a purist who likes to see basketball played by the book, the four-time champion San Antonio Spurs bear close watching as always, as do the Utah Jazz, the dark horse pick among people who prefer screen-and-roll to run-and-gun. If great defense is your thing (or you mistakenly think professionals don’t play it) you’ll want to lock in on the Boston Celtics or Detroit Pistons.
Of greater mass appeal is unrestrained offense, and there’s plenty of that, the gradual move away from the bump-and-grind of the late ’90s and early 2000s having now taken full effect. The Magic, Jazz, Lakers, Suns and Nuggets all score between 105 and 111 points per game. All the Nuggets do, with Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson leading the way, is score.
And there’s no need to warm up slowly to the big action. From Day One starting this afternoon, there are matchups worthy of the conference finals. The league couldn’t ask for a first-round series more glamorous than Spurs-Suns, matching the four-time champs against the perennial bridesmaids. We might as well find out right away if the Suns’ stunning midseason trade for Shaquille O’Neal was worth the risk.

washingtonpost.com