nba-playoff Page 73 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The Marquis Teague Scholarship-Revocation-Countdown Begins Now
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day...

Bango The Buck's Encore: Battery And Harassment
Bango — drunk with power after surviving last night's dunk — is now harassing Wisconsin's small coterie of Atlanta Hawks fans. Enjoy the dulcet tones of P.O.D. and — I hope — the use of a single Al Horford jersey. H/T Jon....

Last Night's Winner: People Who Question Dwight Howard's Manhood
In sports, everyone is a winner—some people just win better than others. Like the folks who mistake human beings for sled dogs and accuse Dwight Howard of not being alpha enough....

Bango The Mascot Ascends Ladder As Deer, Descends As Deer-Man
Bango, the Bucks' mascot, is one of the best performers in the mascot ranks. Last night he proved it. During the biggest game of the year, Bango flipped off a ladder, dunked, and somehow managed not to die. [Vegas Plays]...

Old People: Still Not Listenin'
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day...

Your NBA Playoffs Open Thread
Will Bulls-Cavs be half as good as Bulls-Celtics? Will the Atlanta Hawks learn to "Fear the Deer?" Can the Celtics shake off some half-season rust and stop Los Heat? Will the Nuggets rally in the name of their ailing coach?...

Revisiting The Long, Unhappy Police Interview Of Kobe Bean Bryant
Kobe Bryant's one win away from winning his first post-Shaq NBA title, which will effectively end all The Kobe Hate. For history's sake, then, perhaps it's time to revisit a certain 57-page transcript released just less than five years ago....

Stan Van Gundy A "Working-Class Hero," Says Newspaper For Rich People (UPDATE)
There is no worse fate for an NBA final than to be turned into a roundtable discussion on the brilliance of the coach. Someone please tell the Wall Street Journal: Stan Van Gundy is not the reason people are watching....

Today Everyone Is Finally Convinced Kobe Bryant Is One Of The NBA's Greatest Despite His Shaq-Filled, Jizz Bomb Past
The Lakers still need two more games to close out the Magic, but those people who never doubted Kobe's true greatness for most of his career are filing early to get a leg up on those who did....

Oh, Courtney
Beautiful play, but flawed execution. Courtney Lee probably needed .2 of a second more to make that layup instead of bonking it off the backboard. Instead, Lakers win in OT, go up 2-0. [ESPN]...

Blazer Girl To The Rescue: Hello, Deadspin
Meet Blazer Girl. Her name's Cathryn White, and she's a senior at Oregon. She's here to judge how you support your teams. If you spot fans embarrassing themselves by wearing ridiculously awful team gear let her know. Rip City, baby....

One Smirk At A Press Conference Is Worth A 1,000 Box Scores
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Economists Confirm That NBA Referees Are Biased
An academic study concludes that NBA zebras "tend to favor home teams, teams trailing in a game and teams trailing in a playoff series." Also, the team getting 10 points when Tim Donaghy is involved. [Oregonian]...

The Playoff Stress Has Really Taken A Toll On Stan Van Gundy
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

Surgeons All Up In LeBron's Face
LeBron James had a benign growth removed from his jaw yesterday. The good news is that surgery went fine, but the bad news is that he refused to shake hands with his doctors. [AP]...

Joyless Mike Breen Threatens To Make Boring Finals Even More Unbearable
Of the many reasons to feel generally blah about the upcoming Magic-Lakers series, there is, above all, this sad fact: Mike Breen, the only man who watches basketball and cheers for the refs, is still the voice of the NBA finals....

How LeBron Could Have Avoided Handshakegate Without Shaking Hands
Sports columnists must love LeBron James. Not only does he provide fanciful fodder during the regular season and permit them to wax rhapsodic as witnesses during the playoffs, but even when his season is done, he gives them the material they need for their next-day opinions....

Sir Charles Continues To Be The Most Bulletproof Person In Media
After his audible "pussy" blurt during Saturday night's Inside The NBA broadcast , Charles Barkley was reportedly given a stern talking-to by the suits at the TNT. Of course, that's all he received....