Just when it seemed fair to come to the conclusion that the first round of the playoffs (with the exception of the Clippers-Grizzlies series) sucked worse than a broken Oreck … Just when it looked like Thursday might be a decent time to schedule a date night … Halt! It’s all good. We were ridded of the Orlando Magic and their soap opera season in the first game of the night Wednesday, and after that came dramatics and comebacks that made that early evening
“I’m retro,” the player formerly known as Ron Artest said last night in explaining his style of play. He also said he had not yet called James Harden to apologize for the elbow to the head that gave Harden a concussion, because he and Harden may yet meet again in the playoffs, and it would be a violation of competitors’ etiquette to pick up the phone right now. World Peace also declined to comment on the length of his suspension — seven
Notice a trend in the first round of the playoffs? Teams are missing and losing their star players. It is somewhat of an issue in the Western Conference, where the Los Angeles Lakers will be without suspended forward Metta World Peace for another four games and the Los Angeles Clippers will be without injured forward Caron Butler until perhaps the NBA Finals – if they get that far. Over in the East, there is a veritable All-Star team of sidelined players. Dwight Howard.
Like the June gloom, there is one thing you can count on in May in Los Angeles — panic from Lakers Nation. And all it usually takes is one loss. This year, the panic is beginning already with Metta World Peace suspended for the first six games of the series, further depleting a roster that is not as deep as last year when Lamar Odom was bringing a little of everything off the bench. Lest we forget, those deeper Lakers
NEWS Chicago, Miami and Oklahoma City will open the NBA playoffs Saturday, though their opponents are still to be determined. Thunder guard James Harden has been cleared to play after recovering from the concussion he suffered when the Los Angeles Lakers’ Metta World Peace elbowed him in the back of the head. NOTES The NBA on Thursday announced that Rose’s jersey is the most popular, based on sales at the temporary NBA Store on Fifth Avenue and on NBAStore.com from April 2011 to present. Chicago
So we finally come to the conclusion of the regular season. In terms of who’s making the playoffs, anyway. With only one spot – the eighth seed of the Western Conference – still left for grabs, the Utah Jazz sealed the deal on Tuesday night by defeating the Phoenix Suns for their fourth consecutive victory, on national television, and clinched the final available seed. They are not done either, as they still have a chance to move up to the seventh seed, albeit
NEW YORK — The penalty came in rather harsh. Metta World Peace of the Los Angeles Lakers was suspended for seven games by the NBA Tuesday for elbowing James Harden in the head, a punishment that could end the former Ron Artest’s season if the Lakers get knocked out of the first round of the playoffs in six games or less. “The concussion suffered by James Harden demonstrates the danger posed by violent acts of this kind, particularly when they are directed at
