Overtime, Damian Lillard, and Lint Rollers: Things We Loved About the NBA Playoffs 1st Round

Alright folks, now that I’m back we’ve really got to get to work. The NFL Draft is quickly approaching; the NBA Playoffs are FINALLY heading into the second round, and yesterday was Star Wars Day. Okay, Star Wars Day wasn’t necessarily related, but Star Wars is awesome so just deal with it. Sports journalism is a time-sensitive industry, so I’m going to have to make some tough choices here. Seeing as how the second round of NBA glory will commence tonight, we don’t have much time to discuss what made the first round so awesome. We better get to it! 

Let’s begin at the end. Confused? Don’t worry; I’m confused 90% of the time. What I’m saying is, let’s talk about overtime. It's basically extra basketball that you didn't even pay for! Who doesn't love free?? An amazing thing about that last round of games is the fact that there was so much overtime. Teams were so evenly matched and so unwilling to back down that they just couldn’t settle their differences in the four given quarters of the game. In their respective series, the Thunder and Grizzlies played into overtime for four consecutive games. Overall, there were eight overtime games in the first round. That’s madness! And on top of that, five of the first round series went all the way to game seven. All that extra basketball was an unexpected blessing, but don’t get spoiled, folks. In sports especially, we can’t always expect lightning to strike twice. 

Three-pointers, driving layups, the well placed sky-hook. There are plenty of exciting shots in every basketball game. However, nothing can bring a crowd to their feet quite like a game-winner. When the clock is winding down, tension is high, and you know its do or die time, that’s when fans really come alive. Damian Lillard knows a little bit about the subject at hand. In Game 6 of the Portland-Houston series, with 0.9 seconds left, the Trail Blazers were down by two points and it looked like the Rockets were about to force a game seven. With their back against the wall, Portland inbounded the ball to Damian Lillard, who then…well, he can tell you better than I can:  The great thing about Lillard’s shot, besides the adrenaline it sent pumping through the blood of basketball fans everywhere, was the fact that it ended the series. The Portland-Houston matchup was one of the more exciting of the first round, and it seemed only right that it would end on such a note. Even beyond that, the shot was Portland’s arrival, their statement that the young talent on their roster is relevant now and that there’s more where that came from. So when Lillard grabbed the arena microphone and belted “RIP CIIIIIIIIITY!!” as the fans exploded in the stands, he was saying much more than maybe even he realized. Be sure to tune in tomorrow night when they begin their battle with the Spurs. 

Even though the Raptors didn’t win their series against the Nets, their presence was something we all appreciated. We all believed that they could really pull it off, that the likes of Kyle Lowry could really defeat Paul Pierce and KG in the playoffs. Their brand of basketball was exciting and fun, and they definitely managed to firmly place themselves on the NBA map. However, their greatest gift to us was not anything that happened on the court, but rather who was on the sidelines. That’s right, Toronto’s greatest contribution to the playoffs was Drake representing at every game. It didn’t take long for someone to stick his face on the Raptors logo, and when he was caught courtside using a lint roller (becoming the butt of jokes all over the sports world) the team handed one out to every fan at the next game. No matter what he did, it worked out for the best because Toronto refuses to be a joke any longer. 

On the last leg of the time I recently spent traveling, I was in Oakland/Alameda for a week. There are a lot of cool things about that area that you wouldn’t get to see in a place like San Diego, but one place was more important to me than anything else Oakland had to offer.

 Even though I never did get to attend a game, I knew that for a few days that week, the best series of the first round was playing out inside of Oracle Arena. No matchup was more anticipated this year than the Warriors and the (San Diego) Clippers. In fact, most fans I talked to were sad that they were meeting in the first round because it meant we’d only be able to see one of those teams for the duration of the playoffs. This series was epic on the strength of Steph Curry vs. Chris Paul in itself, but LA and Golden State truly delivered better basketball than any of us deserved in the first round. As two teams that recently turned around long legacies of losing with some of the most exciting young players in the league, it was easy to see the relentless determination in every ball Deandre Jordan blocked into the stands, every time Harrison Barnes broke a set of ankles and drained a jumper. Also, we all found out that JJ Redick is still alive, so that was crazy. Enough of me talking, let’s re-live this madness together. 

Now of course there was a lot to appreciate about the first round of this year’s playoffs, but those were just a few of my favorite things. I would have been a little happier if the Thunder, Pacers, and Nets were cleaning out their lockers right now, but nobody can complain about how those games turned out. As we dive into the second round, here are some things to be on the lookout for:

·         LaMarcus Aldridge vs. Tim Duncan: The young, electric Blazers are about to face off with the Spurs, the NBA’s old guard. A deciding factor in this series will be whether or not Portland’s premiere big man can gain an advantage over decorated vet Tim Duncan as they battle in the paint. This is classic Old School vs. New School, folks

·         Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce vs. Hypocrisy: When the Heat and Celtics met in the playoffs last year, KG and Paul Pierce treated Ray Allen like a leper because of his secession from Boston. Then a few months later, they bolted to Brooklyn and left the Celts to crash and burn. Now that they’ll be facing off with Ray under Brooklyn’s banner, I wonder if their views have changed?

·         Washington Wizards vs. Indiana Pacers: John Wall, Bradley Beal, and the Wizards surprised everyone by offing the Bulls in 5 games, and now they’ll matchup with #1 seed Indiana. With the problems Indiana had against the #8 seed Hawks, it’s not hard to believe that Washington has a real chance to win this series. If for no other reason, watch these games because Wall and Beal are the most exciting guard combo in the league right now.

Needless to say, we’re all excited for more basketball. If we’re lucky, every series will go to seven games and every game will spill into overtime. Well, we can dream, can’t we? As the games continue, feel free to show me cool moments I may have missed, players who are being overlooked, or even just a rant about an especially bad call. We’re getting closer to Miami’s three-peat! (Sorry, couldn’t contain my bias for a whole article). Until next time! 

"Lucy, I'm home!": My triumphant return to putting the FREE in freelance journalism

Alright folks, I know it’s been a while. Did you miss me? I know, I know, silly question. Of course you did! The sports world has left plenty of “while you were out”s on my desk (which is actually someone else’s desk, but they were addressed to me just the same) so I know we’ll have plenty to discuss. In case you were wondering, I spent my hiatus roaming this great nation in a fifteen-passenger van along with ten other radical young adults. You’ll hear more about that later, but in the meantime let’s talk about what really matters: grown men being paid millions of dollars to play sports!

Speaking of aforementioned grown men, did you know that the NFL released its schedule for the 2014 season?? I know, I just squealed too! We now know exactly when we’ll get see rematches of the AFC Championship and Super Bowl, both games that left something to be desired from the losing teams. We’ve also learned that the Seahawks will only play one home game in primetime because apparently, they’re just too good and the league is tired of them blowing out opponents when they’re trying to boost ratings. But the real story here is the fact that on December 7^th, 2014 the New England Patriots will play an away game against the San Diego Chargers. As a Patriots fan in San Diego, this was already news worthy of excitement. However, even more important than that is the fact that I can now find redemption for this:

That’s right, at a booth in a farmer’s market a few weeks ago I laid eyes on that beauty and instantly fell in love. So in love, in fact, that I borrowed $40 from my friend to purchase it on the spot. The conversation went something like this:

Salesman: $40 out the door, right now man

Me: $40? Aaagh…Edwin should I do it?

Edwin: I don’t know man, is it worth it? I have forty bucks right now

Salesman: Why don’t you try it on? Full length mirror right over there

Me: *tries on jacket, looks in mirror* Why does it have to be so fresh?! It’s so fresh!

Edwin: It does look pretty sick, man

Me: You know what, man? Whatever. I’m 19 and I’m buying this frickin jacket right now

And so…a star was born! Now, if I don’t go see the Patriots when they’re in town, I’ll just be another dumb kid who can’t manage money. I HAVE TO BE AT THAT GAME, PEOPLE!

In other NFL news, Earl Thomas signed a new deal with the Seahawks on Tuesday. His deal is for 4 years, worth $40 million with about $27 million guaranteed. Earl Thomas, as we would say where I’m from, cashed out. Thomas is now the highest paid DB in the league, the best at his position at the young age of 25. Along with his partner in crime, Kam Chancellor, and the rest of the self-proclaimed Legion of Boom, Thomas is the best player in the league’s best defensive backfield. In case you’re wondering whether he’s worth what Seattle gave him, well…

Unless you literally live under a rock in the arid desert of Arizona (like my friend Michelle did as a kid), you’ve heard about Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s comments regarding the African-American race. Now, I’m sure you’re curious about my thoughts on this situation being that I myself am African-American (if you even knew that), but the truth is there isn’t much to say. On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the NBA for life and stated his intent to force a sell of the team.  This decision is being celebrated around the sports world, and with good reason, but the fact of the matter is that racism goes much deeper than Donald Sterling’s Pockets. If the next owner of the Clippers is a black man, I’ll still have to look over my shoulder in white-majority residence areas and the entire South and Mexicans will still be examined more closely at border crossings. Every kind of racism should be as outrageous to us as an old white man being a jerk to his girlfriend and getting caught on tape. That still counts though. 

There is, however, one shred of silver lining in this whole mess. As I said earlier, Adam Silver is forcing a sale of the Clippers. This means that there will be new ownership, maybe a new name, maybe even a new location. That’s where the amazing happens. In the last six months, the purchase of San Diego Clippers merchandise has sky-rocketed in this city. It seems like everyone woke up at the same time and remembered that the NBA had once graced our beautiful paradise. Well, my friends, it’s San Diego’s time once again! I’ve been in talks with Silver about sending the Clippers back to San Diego, and it seems like I may have a real reason to wear these socks soon besides looking cooler than other people. Huzzah!

You guys, I’m so excited I just can’t contain myself! We have a whole lot to catch up on, and I can’t wait to talk about it all. If there’s something you want to read about, or just a welcome back message for me, feel free to drop it in the comments section, email me at gyasi.redding@gmail.com, or even hit me up on Twitter @GSRudy. Until next time!