The Latest in the Clippers' Saga: On The Court Edition

(Oh, I'll get to that bat in the Anderson Cooper interview.  Would've last night, but was too tired after doing some off-blog stuff.)

But, last night, the old guard of the NBA stuck up it's ugly head.

Controversial calls at the end of the Clipper-Thunder game give the game to the home team.

104-102 Clippers, they have the ball.  17.8 left.  (1:51 of the clip.)

So here's problem #1:  There's no shot clock here.  The Clippers have two time outs of some stripe, so there's really no reason for the play to get this far to begin with. 

The ball is ripped out of the hands of the Clipper player with apparent good defense, no call. 

Oklahoma City gets the ball back, goes up for a layup, and the ball is out of bounds.  (1:59 of the clip, 11.3 to go in the game.)

The back-side official (referee #25) makes the immediate call of Oklahoma City possession, and they get 3 free throws to win the game after being down 16 -- and down 5 with Los Angeles with the ball with 1 minute to go.

At 2:27 of the clip (2:38 and onward gives a great slow-mo), it's clear that the ball is not touched by Barnes near Barnes.  And I mean NOT REALLY CLOSE.

But the call is made from the back-side official who could not have seen that angle in any respect.

And then the foul on top of it (6.6 left, 3:30 of the clip).

I mean, this is 90's NBA obvious -- the complete ignorance of the reality of anything on the court.

3:48 shows the replay:  HE DOESN'T TOUCH HIM.

Ladies and gentlemen, that game was fixed.

You have a steal which almost certainly would've been called a foul on Westbrook.

Then you have an inexplicable back-side call to have OKC keep the ball.

Then you have the classic "assumed foul" to give the winning free-throws.

---

Brian Tuohy has long maintained that there was no way the Clippers were going to do anything in these playoffs because of the Sterling mess.

And he has a compelling case.

I'm still 50-50, even after last night.  I think it's clear the Clippers win tomorrow night to force Game Seven, blah blah yadda yadda.

As I'll talk about in the next post when I get to that, the Anderson Cooper interview shows Donald Sterling as a complete old bat whom I cannot be convinced how this guy has not been shot by some big-wig in Los Angeles. 

So it would be compelling to try to get the story to go away and have as more than one Tweet I've seen today has it:  LeBron vs. the MVP:  Heat vs. Thunder in the Finals.

I mean, that would appear to be obvious.

Except for one scenario that talking to friends of mine who've gotten information on the subject of next season has reinforced:

The National Basketball Players Association (the NBA's PA) had it's first vice president, Roger Mason, on Jim Rome recently.

Mason stated the following:

"If it's not handled by ... the start of next season, I don't see how we're playing basketball. I was just in the locker room with LeBron. At the end of the day, you know we have leaders, we have player reps, we've got executive committee members. ... Leaders of the teams, they're all saying the same thing: 'If this man is still in place, we ain't playing.' "

Now, the article claims that James might be backing away from that, but you can't tell me (especially after the old bat basically all-but-insinuated Magic Johnson was disseminating the AIDS virus to all of his lovers) that there wouldn't be enough players this October, if the Sterlings took the league to court to prevent a forced sale, to basically shutter the NBA until the Sterlings (all of them!) are out.

Since forcing a sale might not be able to be pulled off in time, you might be looking at The Nuclear Option:  If he doesn't accept the ruling of the Board of Governors to sell by an X Date, the league folds the Clippers, puts a successor franchise as the 2nd LA franchise, and pockets the entire bit of money.

I'm going to state it now:  If the Sterlings are not out of the NBA entirely by October, there's a player's strike.  There's no way that's going to be avoided.

And, if they can't convince them to sell or enforce it through a (NBA-)constitutional vote, then the league might be forced to fold the Clippers, create a successor franchise, and then they get all the money Magic-Guggenheim/Geffen/Mayweather/whomever puts in.

That's the only way I could see the Clippers winning the title -- but there are enough murmurs out there!!!

El Stupido, All Over the Net...

So it's been a bit more than 24 hours, and the asses are showing themselves.

Two stories out of the most predictable bunch of asses in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins, who, in the course of a week, have done their attempts at image-repair no favors at all.

First, Mike Pouncey opens his fat trap...

No sooner had the Dolphins drafted Ja'Wuan James with their first pick in the 2014 Draft, Pouncey emitted this:

"Great pick!  I can't wait for our gifts he's getting us lol"

This, by a "man" on a team still under the gun for bullying, including (relevant to this) forcing rookies to pay through the nose as part of their initiation with the veterans.

Mike Pouncey has left Twitter, and I cannot think of his own choice.

But, with that going on, a second Dolphin made an even more egregious idiocy of himself:

As ESPN themselves had this to say about Michael Sam being drafted:

"Putting football aside, the Rams made a historic move in using the 249th overall pick on Missouri defensive end Michael Sam. Sam became the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL. There will be plenty of time to discuss how he fits the defense, his chances of making the roster and everything else a draft pick entails. But for now, the Rams should be applauded for taking an important step that will have a lasting impact well beyond the confines of a football field."

And as ESPN, correctly, as a sports-news story, was at Sam's house with the raw emotion of the entire moment pouring through, and with the very appropriate moment of affection with his significant other, Don Jones spewed tweets of "OMG" and "horrible"...

Jones was ordered to delete those tweets and has already been fined by the Dolphins for the indiscretion.

Jones, ironically, was a 7th-round pick himself, and made the team on special teams last year.

It's time for Goodell to take a good hard look at smacking the Dolphins harder.  This is the kind of environment the likes of Jonathan Martin create.

Also the kind of environment the likes of Martin create was exposed yesterday, in not only tweets to myself, but a myriad of tweets Deadspin collated on the entire subject, of not only Sam being drafted, but also his emotional affection with his significant other.

I'm not going to give these motherfuckers the dignity of being quoted here.  You can read them for yourself.

I'm left with two thoughts:

1) Do you idiots honestly believe that a touchdown/home run/great dive/gold medal/etc. is worth less, if not worthless, if the person performing the athletic feat is GLBT?

(If so, fuck you and the horse you rode in on...)

and

2) I'll let Sean Newell speak to it:

"There's nothing new about a draftee celebrating with a significant other, or cameras focusing on her. Hell, sometimes they are openly drooled over; Lauren Tannehill almost broke Twitter when she showed up during the draft. It's not even the first time someone's been drafted and kissed his girlfriend. But since it's two gay men kissing and embracing, it's too much for people (even the ones who say they aren't homophobic!)."

Exactly.  That's the thing about all this:  This guy was the Defensive Co-Player of the Year in the best conference in the land, and the homophobia of the NFL dropped him into the supplemental portion of the final round.

Period.

Will he make the team?  Odds aren't great -- he's probably a situational pass-rusher and a special teams player...

But he's here.  It's 2014.  GLBT athletes can perform the same athletic feats that you would otherwise applaud if you didn't know they were GLBT (Hello, Greg Louganis...)

Would we all like it not to be that we have to make this the story?  Yes.

But until the day that all groups are treated equally and given that equal chance on the fields, in the boardrooms, in the offices, etc. and so forth, this will be a story.

And if you can't handle that, that's not my problem.

Nor is it Michael Sam's.

Have to Play Fair Again...

I was about 20 minutes from writing one of my most vitriolic posts ever.

I had resigned myself to a fate that I was certain of about three months ago, even though many draft boards had Michael Sam between rounds 3 and 5.

When I got to my computer after finishing my day's work at about 3:30 PM PDT, there were about 15 picks to go, the supplementals at the end of the NFL Draft, and Michael Sam of Missouri, the first openly-gay NFL Draft prospect, was still undrafted.

And then, as I was batting back some of the comment-homophobes on ESPN's comments on the article thereto (and, of course, they would never admit to it), I popped over to the NFL Draft ticker on FOX.

Michael Sam has been drafted, with a supplemental 7th-round pick to the St. Louis Rams, #249 overall, seven picks from Mr. Irrelevant.

(Boy, would that have been interesting...)

I think the FOX Sports brief comment (one is done on every player drafted) on their draft ticker once Sam was drafted says everything that needs to be said:

"No big deal. The NFL's first openly gay player has found a home! Actually, it is a big deal. A very awesome deal. Congratulations, Mr. Sam! Now get to work."

EDIT TO ADD 4:18 PM PDT 5/10: John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, a man with 35 years covering the NFL, said this in two tweets today:

Tweet 1: "I can honestly say in my 35 years of covering the draft, I've just witnessed a landmark moment. Congrats to Michael Sam."

Tweet 2: "Jeff Fisher is ideal coach for Michael Sam. Fisher is all business, no nonsense. He'll keep normalcy while others try to make it a circus."

NBA Playoff Study Round 2 Complete

And that does it for round two...

EASTERN CONFERENCE

INDIANA PACERS VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS

(Indiana wins series 4-2)

Game 1 (May 5): Washington 102 - Indiana 96

Indiana was a 4 point favorite, with a 3.5 at the Atlantis and a 4.5 at Coasts. (UPSET)
O/U: 183.5 - 184.5 (OVER)

Free Throws: Indiana 22-27 Washington 22-31

Game 2 (May 7): Indiana 86 - Washington 82

Indiana was a 4.5 - 5 point favorite. (NO COVER)
O/U: 187, with a couple of 186's. (UNDER)

Free Throws: Indiana 18-21 Washington 5-12

Gee, Indiana with their backs to the wall and we get this...

Game 3 (May 9): Indiana 85 - Washington 63

In Washington, no less...

Washington was a 4.5 - 5 point favorite, with money coming in on them all the way through. (UPSET)
O/U: 183.5 - 184, with a 184.5 at the Peppermill. (UNDER)

Free Throws: Indiana 16-21 Washington 11-21

Game 4 (May 11):  Indiana 95 - Washington 92

Washington was a 3.5 point favorite with a 4 at the Wynn.  (ON WHAT BASIS?  UPSET!!)
O/U:  179.5 - 180 with a 180.5 at the Mirage. (OVER)

Free Throws:  Indiana 19-29  Washington 15-19

Oh ho, huge second-half comeback for the preferred team here...

55-38 Washington at the half.  Got it to 62-44 in the 3rd.  End of the 3rd:  72-71 Washington.

3rd quarter FTs:  Indiana 5-9  Washington...  ZERO.

Evened out a bit in the 4th, but STILL...

Game 5 (May 13): Washington 102 - Indiana 79

In Indiana no less! Gee, talk about wanting it to go at least six.

Indiana was a 5 - 5.5 point favorite. (UPSET)
O/U: Anywhere between 180 - 182. (First game that it truly DEPENDS WHERE YOU GOT IT.)

Free Throws: Washington 15-19 Indiana 13-22

Game 6 (May 15): Indiana 93 - Washington 80

Washington was a 4 - 4.5 point favorite in this game.  (SUCKERS!!!!)
O/U: 180.5 - 181.5 (UNDER)

Free Throws: Indiana 17-25 Washington16-20

Series in Review:  Indiana was more in threat in the first round!  I mean, it's clear they're probably putting all the cards on the table, and, as some Clippers fans assessed a couple nights ago, it may be getting pointless to wait for anything but Indiana-Miami (which we now have) and Miami-Oklahoma City (which we might get).

Betting favorites got brutalized.

The favorite was 0-6 against the number.  Only time they won in the series was Indiana in Game 2.
Over was 2-3.

MIAMI HEAT VS. BROOKLYN NETS

(Miami wins series 4-1.)

Game 1 (May 6):  Miami 107 - Brooklyn 86

Miami was an 8 point favorite, with a 7.5 at the William Hill and the LVH.  (BIG COVER)
O/U:  191.5 - 192.5 (JUST SNEAKED OVER at 193)

Free Throws:  Miami 14-16  Brooklyn 10-17

Game 2 (May 8):  Miami 94 - Brooklyn 82

Miami was an 6.5 - 7 point favorite, as money came in on Brooklyn.  (COVER -- Miami is 5-1 vs. the number in these playoffs.)
O/U:  191.5 - 192.5 with a 191 at Stations. (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Miami 14-18  Brooklyn 8-14

Did the NBA really want Heat/Nets?

Game 3 (May 10):  Brooklyn 104 - Miami 90

They may well have!

Miami was a very small 1 - 1.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U:  188 - 188.5 with a 189 at the Stratosphere.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  Brooklyn 13-17  Miami 20-25

But not for lack of trying, it seems...

Game 4 (May 12):  Miami 102 - Brooklyn 96

Miami was an 2 point favorite, with a 2.5 at the Treasure Island and the Wynn.  (COVER -- Miami now 6-2 against the spread.)
O/U:  186.5 - 187.5 with a 186 tip at the Atlantis.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  Miami 20-27 (with LeBron getting 49 by going 14-19 from the line)  Brooklyn 23-28

Game 5 (May 14):  Miami 96 - Brooklyn 94

Miami was an across-the-board 7 point favorite.  (NO COVER)
O/U:  188.5 - 189 with a 190 at the Atlantis.  (OVER, sans a PUSH at the Atlantis.)

Free Throws:  Miami 29-31  Brooklyn 12-15

Series in review:  Not much to speak about, and no reason why Tim Donaghy really should've felt the Nets were going to make the NBA any bank in Miami's procession to the Eastern Conference Finals at 8-1 straight up and 6-3 against the spread.  Large free-throw margins in Games 3 and 5 toward the Heat also lay things on the table here too.

Miami was 3-2 as the favorite.
The over was 4-1.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER VS. LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS

(Oklahoma City wins series 4-2.)

Game 1 (May 5): Los Angeles 122 - Oklahoma City 105

Oklahoma City was a 5.5 point favorite with a 5 at the Treasure Island) (UPSET)
O/U: 212.5 - 213.5, tipped at 214 at Caesar's. (OVER)

Free throws: Los Angeles 17-30 Oklahoma City 18-23

Game 2 (May 7):  Oklahoma City 112 - Los Angeles 101

Oklahoma City was a 5 - 5.5 point favorite.  (COVER)
O/U:  215 - 216 with a 214.5 at the Mirage.  (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 16-22  Los Angeles 18-23

Game 3 (May 9):  Oklahoma City 118 - Los Angeles 112

Los Angeles was a 4 - 4.5 point favorite.  (UPSET -- both May 9 games went to road dogs)
O/U:  214.5 - 215.5 with a 216 at the Stratosphere.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 24-28  Los Angeles 21-25

Game 4 (May 11):  Los Angeles 101 - Oklahoma City 99

Los Angeles was a 5 point favorite, with a 4.5 at the Peppermill and a 5.5 at the Atlantis.  (NO COVER)
O/U:  214.5 - 215.5 with a 214 at the South Point. (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Los Angeles 20-29  Oklahoma City 26-34

A rout for the better part of three quarters, and ANOTHER made-for-TV comeback by the NBA-controlled Clippers!

9:14 to go in the fourth, 82-66 Oklahoma City.

Free throws after that were rather even:  8-9 LAC 6-7 OKC.

Still, though...  Two of these on the 11th??

Game 5 (May 13):  Oklahoma City 105 - Los Angeles 104

Oklahoma City was a 5 - 5.5 point favorite.  (NO COVER)
O/U:  214 - 214.5 with a 213 at the Treasure Island.  (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 32-36  Los Angeles 16-20

That was a massive FUCK YOU to Donald Sterling. 

Game 6 (May 15):  Oklahoma City 104 - Los Angeles 98
Los Angeles was a 3.5 - 4.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U:  You could get anywhere from 211.5 at a number of places to 214 at the William Hill. (UNDER)
 Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 29-33  Los Angeles 12-20

Series in Review:  And that was an even bigger one...

Take a snapshot of that, because that's probably the last you will see of a relevant Los Angeles Clippers organization for some time to come, unless someone literally slaps some Sterlings to their senses.

From the night of the Anderson Cooper interview:

FT's, Games 5 and 6:  Oklahoma City 61-69, Los Angeles 28-40.

Game, set, and match.

Favorites were 1-5.
Over was 2-4.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS -- SERIES OVER

(San Antonio wins series 4-1.)

Game 1 (May 6):  San Antonio 116 - Portland 92

San Antonio was a 6.5 point favorite with a 6 at the Wynn.  (BIG COVER)
O/U:  207 - 208 with a 206 at the South Point (OVER on the Strip, PUSH at the Nuggets and Stations at 208)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 21-25  Portland 26-31

Game 2 (May 8):  San Antonio 114 - Portland 97

San Antonio was a 6 - 7 point favorite, depending on where you could find it.  (BIG COVER)
O/U:  207.5 - 209.  (Snuck OVER at 211.)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 6-14  Portland 10-10

Wow.  Whistles stayed in the pocket in both May 8 games.

Game 3 (May 10):  San Antonio 118 - Portland 103

Some books had it a Pick Em, the books that didn't had Portland a short 1 - 1.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U:  208 - 208.5.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 25-25  Portland 23-31

At least 2004 on back, according to NBA.com, only once in the playoffs has a team attempted more free throws than 25 and made them all.  Phoenix made all 29 attempts vs. Golden State on May 9, 1989.

Basketball-Reference.com confirms this to the present day.

Game 4 (May 12)  Portland 103 - San Antonio 92

San Antonio was a 4 - 5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U:  210.5 - 212 (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Portland 10-13  San Antonio 11-19

Call this one "getting the series back to San Antonio -- thank you Portland and your fans for a wonderful year".

Game 5 (May 14):  San Antonio 104 - Portland 82

San Antonio was an 8.5 - 9 point favorite.  (BIG COVER)
O/U:  208.5 - 209.5.  (UNDER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 11-16  Portland 11-17

Series in review:  Are you serious?  I mean, if you need any indication as to why about 2/3 of the teams in the NBA are now seen as tanking by the end of a given season, just understand that Portland made the Western Conference Semifinals...  only to lose by 24, 17, 15, and 22.

The four relevant teams in the NBA -- two of them are in the Conference Finals as of the 14th, and the other two might join them on the 15th.

Favorites were 3-2.
Over was 3-2 as well.

--

And, with that, the only four relevant teams in the National Basketball Association this season:

The Miami Heat
The Indiana Pacers
The San Antonio Spurs
and The Oklahoma City Thunder

will play on for the championship.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...

Favorites in the conference semifinal round were 7-15 against the number, 11-11 straight up.
Over was 11-10 with one game that could go any way.

This makes the playoff numbers:

Favorites:  38-34 straight up, 23-49 against the spread.
Over is 42-29 with one indeterminate.

2013-14 NBA Playoffs Study, Round 1 Complete

First round is now over, and here is the final look at Round 1 before I go to Vegas to watch/bet on the start of Round 2.


And I'm forgetting something and I need to rectify it now:  The line and over-under information I am getting is from vegasinsider.com .

EASTERN CONFERENCE

INDIANA PACERS (1) VS. ATLANTA HAWKS (8)

(Indiana wins series 4-3)

Game 1 (Apr. 19):  Atlanta 101 - Indiana 93

Indiana was a 7.5 - 8.5 point favorite (UPSET)
O/U was 185.5 - 186.5 (OVER)

Free Throws:  Atlanta 24-29.  Indiana 16-23.

Could there be a move away from Indiana, here?

Game 2 (Apr. 22):  Indiana 101 - Atlanta 85

Indiana was a 7.5 - 8 point favorite.  (COVER)
Definite middle potential here.  185 at the Atlantis.  186.5 - 187.5 at all the other Vegas books.

If you middled on the Atlantis, you got the middle.  Otherwise, UNDER.

Free Throws:  Indiana 21-27  Atlanta 13-18

Nope.  But it sounds like the whistles had hands in both games in Indiana.

Game 3 (Apr. 24):  Atlanta 98 - Indiana 85

Indiana was a 2 - 2.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U: 186 - 188. (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Atlanta 30-37  Indiana 16-21

Pacers in trouble here. Could their dysfunction be paving the way for the three-peat? Free-throw margin appears to have a hand in all three games.

Game 4 (Apr. 26):  Indiana 91 - Atlanta 88

Indiana was a 2.5 point favorite across the board, except for a 2 at the Treasure Island and a 3 at the Atlantis.  (COVER)
O/U: Game was a bit all over the place. You could get 186 at a couple of places, one went all the way to 189. (UNDER at all places though.)

Free Throws:  Atlanta 17-17  Indiana 8-14

Pacers still in a lot of trouble here. Refs kept their whistles in pockets, and that seemed to get the series back "on serve". Lots of word Indiana's coach is gone if they don't get it done here.

Game 5 (Apr. 28):  Atlanta 107 - Indiana 97

Indiana was a 6.5 - 7 point favorite, with not much movement at all. (UPSET)
O/U was 186.5 with a 187 at the South Point and a 186 at Stations. (OVER)

Free Throws:  Atlanta 26-33.  Indiana 11-18.

In Indiana.  I think they just waved the white flag on the Pacers.

Game 6 (May 1):  Indiana 95 - Atlanta 88

Oh no, they didn't!!

The original line had Indiana a 1 - 2 point favorite.

Lots of money came in on Atlanta to finish the job.  The game tipped with Atlanta a 1.5 - 2 point favorite at home.  The line moved 3 - 4 full points, depending on the casino.  (UPSET)
O/U:  186 - 188, again, depending on where you shopped.  (UNDER, total was 183.)

Free Throws:  Indiana 23-27  Atlanta 21-24

And Indiana only got that margin late in the game, since they had the lead and control of the initiative.

Been doing these studies for a couple of years now, and I've never seen that kind of a move, and that kind of a FAILED move, at any point.  I hypothesized a very down field after this round (East:  Miami-Washington-Toronto-Atlanta).  Could this (and the OKC-MEM result) tonight state otherwise?

Or, as a friend of mine has posited, maybe all the screwball stuff is the result of the Silver NBA leaving well enough alone???

Game 7 (May 3):  Indiana 92 - Atlanta 80

Indiana was a 6 - 6.5 point favorite, was 6.5 basically everywhere, some went back to 6.  (COVER)
O/U: 184.5 - 185.5, with a 183.5 at the Atlantis.   (UNDER at all places though.)

Free Throws:  Atlanta 13-16  Indiana 23-29

Series summary:  That Game 7 free-throw line tells it to you.  They could not feasibly afford Indiana to lose and Miami to have a complete waltz into the NBA Finals vs. the likes of Washington, Toronto (or Brooklyn), and Atlanta.

Indiana may be little more than a necessary evil in the Eastern Conference, as flawed and out-of-chemistry as they are.  That said, the NBA probably needs them more than they need anyone else.

Favorite was 3-4 (with Atlanta actually getting the favorite for Game 6 being the difference.)
Over was 2-5.

TORONTO RAPTORS (3) VS. BROOKLYN NETS (6)

(Brooklyn wins series 4-3.)

Game 1 (Apr. 19):  Brooklyn 94 - Toronto 87

Toronto was a 3 - 3.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U was 192.5 - 193.5 (Under and BARELY)

Free throws were pretty even (and almost all made):  Toronto 23-25.  Brooklyn 22-27.

Game 2 (Apr. 22):  Toronto 100 - Brooklyn 95

Toronto was a 4.5 - 5 point favorite.  The Golden Nugget briefly got to 5.5, a loser for the favorites, but it was a PUSH at most of the Strip casinos with the occasional COVER.
O/U:  190.5 - 191.5 (OVER)

Free Throws:  Brooklyn 20-28  Toronto 24-29

Two games where the FT's are pretty even.  Brooklyn lost to a better free-throw shooting team in Game 2.

CONTROVERSY:  (Apr. 24) There is a report from Brian Tuohy that Tim Donaghy has noted that the league wants Brooklyn to win this series.

Game 3 (Apr. 25):  Brooklyn 102 - Toronto 98

Brooklyn was a pretty consistent 5-point favorite, with a single 4.5 at the Peppermill.  (NO COVER)
O/U:  190 - 191.5 (OVER)

Free throws:  IDENTICAL.  Both teams 29-37.

Do I get thrown out of the stadium for chanting "Take the Over!" at Misters Callahan, Wall, and Mott?

Game 4 (Apr. 27)  Toronto 87 - Brooklyn 79

Brooklyn was a 4 point favorite, except just at the tip at the Stratosphere, it got to 3.5.  (UPSET)
O/U:  192.5 - 193, with a 191 at the Mirage.  (NOT CLOSE -- UNDER)

Free throws:  Toronto 19-23  Brooklyn 19-29

Game 5 (Apr. 30)  Toronto 115 - Brooklyn 113

Toronto was a 3 point favorite across the board.  (BWAHAHAHAHA -- up 22 entering the 4th quarter, NO COVER!!!!)
O/U:  189.5 - 190, with a 190.5 at the Treasure Island and a 189 at the Atlantis.  (NOT CLOSE -- OVER)

Free throws:  Toronto 29-36  Brooklyn 22-30

Perfect example of how the referees can influence at least the over.

Brooklyn scored 44 points in the 4th quarter.  Free throw attempts, 4th quarter:  BKN 15, TOR 10.

Game 6 (May 2):  Brooklyn 97 - Toronto 83

Brooklyn was a 4.5 - 5 point favorite.  (COVER)
O/U was 192.5 - 193.5 (Under and BARELY)

Free throws: Toronto 16-20 Brooklyn 19-25.

Game 7 (May 4):  Brooklyn 104 - Toronto 103

Toronto was a 2.5 - 3 point favorite. (UPSET)
O/U:  188.5 - 189.5 (OVER)

Free throws: Toronto 29-33 Brooklyn 22-30.

Series Summary: On April 24 (before Game 3), Brian Tuohy posted to his News of Note section that Tim Donaghy had stated that the league wanted a Brooklyn-Miami series. If you take a look at all the 5 Game 7's of this year, you see that the NBA got everything it wanted: The Clippers (now run by an NBA CEO) story continues; the Spurs, Thunder, and Pacers (the three non-Heat relevant NBA teams entering the playoffs) advance, and the league gets Miami-Brooklyn. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss???

Favorite was 2-5 against the number.
Over was 4-3.

MIAMI HEAT (2) VS. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (7)

(Miami wins series 4-0)

Game 1 (Apr. 20):  Miami 99 - Charlotte 88

Miami was a 10 - 10.5 point favorite.  (COVER, BARELY)
O/U was 192 - 193, with a 191 at the Atlantis .  (UNDER)

Free throws:  Miami 18-26  Charlotte 8-12

Gee, so how many wins are you going to give Mr. Jordan in this series, NBA?  By the looks of this, not many...  You gave LeBron James (10) almost as many freethrows as you gave the entire Bobcats team (12)!

Game 2 (Apr. 23):  Miami 101 - Charlotte 97

Miami was a 10 point favorite, with 2 9.5's at South Point and the Mirage.  (NO COVER on any of them.)
O/U was 187-188 (OVER)

Free throws:  Miami 22-29  Charlotte 14-19

Yes, again the free throws made the difference, but a closer look indicates most of the difference in free throws actually came as a construction of Charlotte stopping the clock.

Game 3 (Apr. 26):  Miami 98 - Charlotte 85

Miami was a 4 - 5 point favorite.  (COVER)
O/U:  187-188 with 188.5 at the Mirage.  (UNDER on all.)

Free throws:  Charlotte 24-33  Miami 17-20

More whistles for Jordan's boys at home, but it's boys versus men.

Game 4 (Apr. 28):  Miami 109 - Charlotte 98

Miami was a 7.5 - 8 point favorite, money coming in on Miami until they got to 8.  (COVER)
O/U:  187 - 187.5.  (OVER)

Free throws:  Charlotte 21-30  Miami 22-29

Series summary:  In a first round that, to the point of Miami's sweep, saw the favorites only cover 9 times, Miami has three of those covers.  And with Indiana imminently on elimination, the road to The Finals, and a three-peat, is clearing rapidly.

Miami was 3-1 ATS.  The over was also 3-1.

CHICAGO BULLS (4) VS. WASHINGTON WIZARDS (5)

(Washington wins series 4-1.)

Game 1 (Apr. 20):  Washington 102 - Chicago 93

Chicago was a 4.5 point favorite at most books (with a 4 and a couple 5's -- UPSET)
O/U:  178.5 - 179.5  (OVER)

Free throws:  Washington 26-35.  Chicago 20-26.

Borderline decisive on that one.

Game 2 (Apr. 22):  Washington 101 - Chicago 99 (OVERTIME)

Chicago was a 5 - 5.5 point favorite, 6 at Stations and Golden Nugget.  (UPSET)
O/U:  180 - 180.5, with a 181.5 at the Mirage.  (OVER with the OT, barely OVER at regulation at 91-91)

Free throws:  Washington 16-28  Chicago 18-24

Game 3 (Apr. 25):  Chicago 100 - Washington 97

Late money moved the game from Washington -3 to -2.5, except at the Papermill where it stayed -3.  (UPSET)
O/U:  181 - 181.5, with a 180 at the Atlantis  (BIG OVER)

Free throws:  Chicago 20-30  Washington 15-21

That's enough for a boldface.  10 of Chicago's 30 free-throws came in the last 1:36, though, so it might, again, have been trying to get in the game for Washington.

Game 4 (Apr. 27)  Washington 98 - Chicago 89

First home win of the series.

Washington was a 2 point favorite at all the Strip casinos -- there was a 1.5 at the Coasts line.  (COVER)
O/U:  183 - 184 with a 182.5 at the Mirage. (OVER at all)

Free throws:  Washington 20-25  Chicago 15-17

Not quite enough for the boldface there.

Game 5 (Apr. 29):  Washington 75 - Chicago 69

Chicago was a 3.5 point favorite at all books except a 4 at the Treasure Island (UPSET)
O/U:  183.5 - 184  (NOT CLOSE -- UNDER)

Free throws:  Washington 13-19.  Chicago 13-17.

Series Summary:  In a playoff season full of upsets, this is a decent-sized one.  Even without their star player, Chicago still appeared to have the better side.  Now, if Brooklyn and Atlanta win, they can keep Miami and Brooklyn away from each other until the East Finals.

Favorites were 1-4 ATS (Game 4 only).
Over was 4-1, probably a burn tonight.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (3) VS. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (6)

(Los Angeles wins series 4-3.)

Game 1 (Apr. 19)  Golden State 109 - Los Angeles 105

The Clippers were 7 - 7.5 point favorites (BIG UPSET).
O/U was 211-212 (Over and BARELY at 214)

Free Throws:  Clippers 23-35  Warriors 18-25

Hey, not for lack of trying, right referees Wright, Garretson, and Callahan?

CONTROVERSY:  The day after Game 1, the NBA cited a late foul on the Warriors that the referees missed.

Game 2 (Apr. 21)  Los Angeles 138 - Golden State 98

Clippers were 7.5 - 8.5 point favorites.  (Yeah, I'd say they COVERed.  They won by FORTY!!!)
O/U was 212.5 - 214 (OVER by about 30)

Noticed something immediately:  Fouls for the first quarter were 8-3 Golden State.  Free throws were 9-2 Clippers.

Free throws for the game:  Clippers 32-35  Warriors 22-27

A real tone is being set in this series.

Game 3 (Apr. 24)  Los Angeles 98 - Golden State 96

Clippers were 2.5 - 3 point favorites, and the action on the line was going in their direction.  (SUCKERS, NO COVER)
O/U was  212.5 - 213.5  (SUCKERS AGAIN, WELL UNDER)

Free throws:  Los Angeles 10-23 (YUCK!!)  Golden State 16-24

The only winners of this game were the Clippers and the Vegas casinos.

CONTROVERSY: Donald Sterling mess came between Games 3 and 4.

Game 4 (Apr. 27):  Golden State 118 - Los Angeles 97

Incredibly, after all the controversy (and with Sportsbook.com going 70-30 Golden State on the money line), Los Angeles was STILL a 1.5 - 2 point favorite at the Vegas casinos.  (UPSET -- EASY EASY MONEY FOR NOTHING)

And then they doubled down on the stupidity:  Many of the second-halves at the casinos had Clippers -6 - -7.  WOW.  Why couldn't I have been in Vegas on the 27th instead of a week or so from now???

O/U:  209.5 - 201 with a 211 at the Atlantis.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  Golden State 21-28  Los Angeles 21-24

RESOLUTION?:  Donald Sterling banned for life from the NBA between Games 4 and 5.

Game 5 (Apr. 29)  Los Angeles 113 - Golden State 103

Clippers were 7 - 7.5 point favorites.  (Only COVER of the night)
O/U was 209 - 210 (OVER)

Free throws:  Los Angeles 31-41  Golden State 13-19

Kumbaya, My Lord...  Kumbaya...

Look, I know we all wanted the "All join hands" moment now that Adam Silver stepped in, but that's a bit obvious, don'tcha think??

To give you an idea of how series things were getting on the 29th:  The Atlantis sportsbook reported NO game lines for any of the three playoff games played on the 29th, only first-halves.

Game 6 (May 1)  Golden State 100 - Los Angeles 99

For the purposes of the standings, this is a NO COVER.  The game tipped at either a Pick or Clippers -1 (about half of each), but a big move was made at the South Point to get Warriors -1 (which would've been a PUSH).
O/U was 210-211, with 209 at the Mirage and the Atlantis.  (UNDER)

Free Throws:  Clippers 24-33  Warriors 23-37

Game 7 (May 3)  Los Angeles 126 - Golden State 121

Clippers were 6.5 - 7.5 point favorites, with an 8 at the Wynn.  (NOPE.  SUCKERS)
O/U was 207.5 - 208.5 (OVER by about 40)

Free Throws:  Golden State 29-35  Los Angeles 26-33

Series Summary:  Dear God, where do I start?

A lot of people are going to point to the loss of Andrew Bogut, the main defensive threat for Golden State, as their death-knell, and they're probably right.

But this series took on far more than a basketball series with the revelations on Donald Sterling, and with the NBA announcing they were taking functional control and naming a temporary CEO for the Clippers on Saturday, letting them go forward is probably in the best financial interests of the league, especially if they stand to pocket more than a little bit on whatever franchise is the second team in LA when all this is over.

Favorites were 2-5.
Over was 5-2 in a series that was felt to have a lot of points in it.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (2) VS. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (7)

(Oklahoma City wins series 4-3.)

Game 1 (Apr. 19)  Oklahoma City 100 - Memphis 86

Oklahoma City was a 7 - 8 point favorite (COVER - only cover of Day 1).
O/U had a pretty wide spread with middle potential:  Game tipped 189.5 at the Atlantis, but was 192.5 at the MGM Grand and 192 at the Golden Nugget.  (Didn't matter, game was UNDER on all numbers.)

Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 28-32.  Memphis 18-31.

Game 2 (Apr. 21)  Memphis 111 - Oklahoma City 105  (OVERTIME)

Oklahoma City was a 7 point favorite with a couple of 6.5s.  (BIG UPSET)
O/U was 190.5 - 191.  (Obviously OVER with the OT, and was over in regulation at 99-99.)

Free Throws:  Memphis 21-24  Oklahoma City 22-25

Game 3 (Apr. 24)  Memphis 98 - Oklahoma City 95 (OVERTIME)

Oklahoma City was the favorite -- mostly 2 - 2.5.  The Treasure Island had at at 1.5, the Stratosphere and the Golden Nugget had it at 3.  (SUCKERS, UPSET!)
O/U was 190 - 191, with a 189.5 at the Mirage and Treasure Island.  (Needed the OT for OVER, regulation was 85-85.)

Free throws:  Oklahoma City 22-30  Memphis 12-15

In Memphis??  Was this a mis-direction or a failure on the part of the officials??

Game 4 (Apr. 26):  Oklahoma City 92 - Memphis 89 (OVERTIME)

Third consecutive overtime game of the series.

Oklahoma City was a 3.5 point favorite, with a 3 at the Atlantis.  (Money was coming in on Oklahoma City, making it NO COVER.  Nice job, SUCKERS.)
O/U:  188 - 189.  (UNDER all the way, even with the OT.)

Free throws:  Oklahoma City 18-20  Memphis 13-23

Memphis is 3-1 up in this series if they can hit some stinking free throws.

Game 5 (Apr. 29):  Memphis 100 - Oklahoma City 99 (OVERTIME)

Make that four in a row.

Oklahoma City was a 7 - 7.5 point favorite.  (ANOTHER UPSET)
O/U:  186 - 186.5 (OVER with the OT, needed it, regulation was 90-90)

Free throws:  Memphis 19-26  Oklahoma City 15-19

Wow.  Durant and Westbrook, one game from home in the first round...

Game 6 (May 1)  Oklahoma City 104 - Memphis 84

Now one game from advancing...

Oklahoma City was a 2.5 point favorite, and got to 3 at the Wynn at the tip.  (COVER).
O/U:  184.5 - 185.5 (OVER)

Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 23-35.  Memphis 19-28.

See my comments on Game 6 of Indiana-Atlanta above.  Faced with a possible Western set of Clippers, Mavs, Grizzlies, and Rockets/Blazers (with no OKC, San Antonio, or Indiana -- three of the only four relevant teams the NBA had to start the playoffs), tonight's two convincing road wins kinda ring a shade hollow with me.

... even if the free throw numbers don't play that out.

Game 7 (May 3)  Oklahoma City 120 - Memphis 109

Big, Donaghy-level money came in on Oklahoma City here.  They were only 7.5 point favorites at one point, but by the time the game tipped, they were 9.5 at most of the casinos and 10 at the rest.  (COVER)
O/U:  185 - 186, with a 184.5 at the Mirage and a 184 at the Treasure Island.  (OVER)
Free Throws:  Oklahoma City 25-30.  Memphis 30-34.

Series Summary:  Word out of the NBA Saturday night is that Kevin Durant is the likely MVP for 2013-14.  That should tell you the final result.  How they got there was a bit more insidious than the free-throw numbers, as, down 3-2, the free-throw numbers didn't indicate the normal NBA bias.

That said, it is hard to believe that the NBA might not, now, prefer Oklahoma City out of the West to give the MVP the shot at the title.

Favorite was 3-4 ATS.
Over was 4-3.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (1) VS. DALLAS MAVERICKS (8)

(San Antonio wins series 4-3.)

After Miami and Washington won their series, this if the fifth consecutive seven-game series.

Game 1 (Apr. 20)  San Antonio 90 - Dallas 85

San Antonio was a 9 - 9.5 point favorite.  (NO COVER)
O/U was 203.5 - 204.5, with a 202.5 at the Nugget.  (NOT CLOSE -- UNDER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 17-22  Dallas 9-13

Well well well...  Could we be getting an indication that the league wants San Antonio around a while??

Game 2 (Apr. 23)  Dallas 113 - San Antonio 92

Nope.  Not yet, at least...

San Antonio was a 7.5 - 8 point favorite.  (OUCH)
O/U:  201 - 201.5, with a 202 at the Coasts.  (All went OVER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 18-29  Dallas 15-16

Probably chalk it up as a night everything went right for Dallas.
 
Game 3 (Apr. 26)  Dallas 109 - San Antonio 108

San Antonio was a 3.5 - 4 point favorite.  (UPSET -- San Antonio is 0-3 against the number in the series.)
O/U:  Another wide spread: Could get 200 at a couple places, up to 202.5 in some others. (All went OVER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 14-17  Dallas 16-19

Game 4 (Apr. 28)  San Antonio 93 - Dallas 89

San Antonio was a 4 - 4.5 point favorite, with a 5 at the Nugget.  (If you could get the 4, you PUSHed.  NO COVER otherwise.)
O/U was 200.5 - 201.5.  (NOT CLOSE -- UNDER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 16-22  Dallas 18-28

Game 5 (Apr. 30)  San Antonio 109 - Dallas 103

San Antonio was a 6.5  point favorite, except for a 6 at Jerry's Nugget (not "the Nugget").  (Unless you found Jerry's Nugget, NO COVER in another win for the casinos!)
O/U was all over the place, 196.5 - 198.5.  (OVER at all.)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 19-27  Dallas 13-15

Twelve more free-throw attempts, and the margin of victory?  Six points.  Just sayin'.

Game 6 (May 2)  Dallas 113 - San Antonio 111

San Antonio was a 3 point favorite with almost no movement vs. the number, except for a 3.5 at the Wynn.  (UPSET -- San Antonio is 0-6 against the number in the series.)
O/U: 197 - 198, with a 199 at Jerry's Nugget.  (OVER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 24-28  Dallas 15-24

Game 7 (May 4)  San Antonio 119 - Dallas 96

San Antonio was a 6.5 - 7 point favorite.  (BIG COVER)
O/U was 198 - 199, with a 197 at the Mirage.  (NOT CLOSE -- OVER)

Free Throws:  San Antonio 25-33  Dallas 15-17

Series Summary:See my comments about Brooklyn winning their series above -- the same principle applied here. The league, after letting the playoffs run wild for most of the first round, seemed to take an iron fist of control to ensure "it's teams" got through the Game 7s. 5 Game 7s, and they were ALL won by the preferred team.

That said, unless the league wants to eliminate the MVP early, the Spurs won't get out of the West.

San Antonio was favored in all seven games, but only 1-6 vs. the spread.
Over was 5-2.

HOUSTON ROCKETS (4) VS. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (5)

(Portland wins series 4-2.)

Game 1 (Apr. 20)  Portland 122 - Houston 120 (OVERTIME)

Houston was a 5.5 - 6 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U was 215 - 216.  (Obviously OVER with the overtime, and it needed it. Regulation total was 212.)

Free Throws:  Portland 29-39  Houston 26-40

CONTROVERSY: For the second out of four games in the Western Conference, a missed call might have influenced the outcome of the game for a road team who might be getting a slight rub in the series.  The NBA admitted an error on the sixth foul that took Dwight Howard, the only real relevant star in the series, out of the game.

Game 2 (Apr. 23):  Portland 112 - Houston 105

Houston was a 6.5 - 7 point favorite, with a 7.5 at the Peppermill.  (UPSET)
O/U:  215 - 215.5 with a 216 at the Wynn and Stations, and a 214.5 at the Treasure Island.  (All OVER, BARELY)

Free Throws:  Portland 24-27  Houston 24-30

Game 3 (Apr. 25)  Houston 121 - Portland 116 (OVERTIME)

Portland was a 2 - 2.5 point favorite.  (UPSET)
O/U:  214.5 - 215.5 (Obviously OVER with the OT (again), didn't need it this time -- regulation was 110-110.)

Free throws:  Portland 24-28  Houston 19-22

Game 4 (Apr. 27)  Portland 123 - Houston 120 (OVERTIME)

Three out of the four games in this series have gone OT.

Significant money came in on Portland in this game, moving the line a point to a point and a half on most of the boards, to 3.5 - 4.  (SUCKERS!!!!)
O/U:  214.5 - 215.5 (OVER with the OT, needed it too.  Regulation was 106-106.)

Free throws:  Portland 22-30  Houston 27-38

Game 5 (Apr. 30)  Houston 108 - Portland 98

Houston was a 4.5 - 5 point favorite, with a 5.5 at the Wynn.  (Only COVER of the night, though faves went 3/3 straight-up.)
O/U:  213.5 - 214.5, with a 215 at Jerry's Nugget. (UNDER)

Free throws:  Portland 17-23  Houston 14-18

Again, look at the comparative score, look at the FT attempts.

Game 6 (May 2)  Portland 99 - Houston 98

Portland was a 4 point favorite, 4.5 at the Wynn.  (NO COVER)
O/U:  212-212.5 with 211.5 at Caesar's and 213.5 at Stations.  (UNDER - didn't even get to 200.)

Free throws:  Portland 22-30  Houston 27-38

Favorites were 1-5 against the number.
Over was 4-2.

Series summary:  In the one Western series no one really cared about compared to the other three, three OT's and a buzzer-beater, and Portland goes on.

As of the games of May 2:

The favorites are 27-23 straight up, 16-34 against the number.
31 games went over, 19 went under.

Gee, The Underdog Thinks He Won The Fight, and Didn't In The "Home of the Champion"

Well, say this:  Maidana didn't get the script most other fighters did, and seemed to actually be able to hit Mayweather.

In fact, at the end of the obligatory 12 rounds, he actually thought he won the fight.

You forget where you are, Mr. Maidana.  You're in Las Vegas, and Mayweather OWNS you and all other fighters across from him, and OWNS Las Vegas.

So be happy with the one card which gave you a draw.  (114-114, 117-111 and 116-112 for Mayweather, Mayweather unifies major belts in that division.  ESPN had it 115-113 for Mayweather, so 114-114 doesn't seem so out of line.)

Yeah, they're talking rematch, believe it or not.  Why not?  It's not like the punk bum is going to fight anybody who can feasibly beat him.

This is probably the closest you get.

Two of the Most Idiotic Things I've Heard Said in a Long Time

Well, Donald Sterling finally spoke.

Tony Maglio, in The Wrap, posting on Yahoo!:

"Disgraced Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling broke his silence to DuJour Magazine, saying of reported girlfriend V. Stiviano: “I wish I had just paid her off.”"

This is an owner (at least as of now) of a professional sports franchise in the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen.

You know, the more I read about this guy and the more I hear about him, the more I wonder how this guy lasted so long in LA without some mega-mogul minority just offing him or something...

I know that's provocative, but, dear God...  How low can you get?

But he's not the only one raising eyebrows.

P.K. Subban of the Montreal Canadiens scored in the second overtime to win Game 1 of a Conference semifinal series in the Stanley Cup over the Boston Bruins last night.

The Bruins' GM is pissed, and for good reason.

P.K. Subban is black, and, after the goal, an estimated 17,000 references on social media to Subban as the N-word racial slur were registered, enough to make local trending.

Now, not all of the usages were negative, but still...

I continue in my contention that the only way we may start holding people accountable for their actions in sports is the win-loss column...