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Shanoff’s WUC: The Redemption of Ron Artest?

May 28, 2010, 12:26 PM UTC

Today’s Calls: Ron Artest vs. Redemption, Kobe vs. Nash, Celtics vs. Oblivion, Kendrick Perkins vs. Dwight Howard, LeBron James vs. Dwyane Wade, Blackhawks vs. Flyers, Phillies vs. Zeroes, Kelvin Sampson vs. the NBA Coaching Carousel, Kansas ticket scandal vs. UConn recruiting scandal vs. Dwyane Bowe sex scandal, Texas vs. Independence, Oakland Raiders vs. JaMarcus Russell and More.â†µâ†µThe Opening Pitch: Did we just witness the ultimate image rehabilitation of Ron Artest?â†µ

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â†µâ†µHis defining moment will always be the brawl in Detroit, but Ron-Ron’s yo-yo contribution to the classic finish in L.A. last night will go a long way toward mitigating it.â†µ

â†µâ†µOne minute, Artest is jacking up an atrocious 3, which gave the Suns a chance to come down the other way and get their improbable 3 bites at a game-tying 3, which sounded a bit like this in living rooms across the country: “Aww... Oh! OHHH!!!”â†µ

â†µâ†µIf the Lakers go on to lose Game 5 (and perhaps the series), that becomes the definitive play of the end of the Lakers’ run as a championship contender.â†µ

â†µâ†µBut instead, the lasting image is Artest scrambling along the baseline to intercept Kobe’s desperation air-ball, then flipping it up for the leave-no-doubt game-winner -- what could be the definitive play of the Lakers’ run to another championship.â†µ

â†µâ†µIt was classic Artest: bone-headed, then brilliant. It captured everything that makes Artest good -- and chips away at his calcified legacy from the Brawl.â†µ

â†µâ†µNothing changes peoples’ attitudes like buzzer-beating, game-winning, series-altering, playoff-highlighting shots. â†µ

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â†µThe bright side for the Suns: They were a buzzer-beater from taking the Lakers to OT in LA -- and perhaps winning. (Man, Steve Nash played brilliantly, didn't he?) Back in PHX, the Suns should be fine. If they can avoid getting hung up on how close they came to stealing Game 5 on the road, they should use it as confidence to know that they can win at Staples on Monday in Game 7.â†µ

â†µâ†µCeltics-Magic Game 6 (and 7?): The Celtics should win tonight, closing out the Magic and ending any talk that they are going to suffer the biggest choke in NBA history. But if they don’t, and the series goes back to Orlando for Game 7, the Magic will win, and we will reconvene on Monday morning to enjoy the greatest moment of schadenfreude in NBA history.â†µ

â†µâ†µ(As expected, Kendrick Perkins will play in Game 6. But even a single T takes him out of the Celtics’ next game -- whether that is Game 7 or the first game of the Finals. With those stakes, will the refs be hesitant to T him up? And will that give him license to be even more aggro than usual?)â†µ

â†µâ†µLeBron Mania: Team execs can’t openly talk about the big stars, but it’s not collusion when the players talk amongst themselves. What would LeBron and D-Wade discuss?â†µ

â†µâ†µDwyane: Why don’t you come to South Beach?â†µ
â†µLeBron: Why don’t we meet in Chicago?â†µ
â†µDwyane: New York? (Pause)â†µ
â†µBoth: Nah!â†µ
â†µDwyane: Seriously, we could never play together.â†µ
â†µLeBron: So who gets Bosh?â†µ
â†µDwyane: Well, who has the ring already?â†µ
â†µLeBron: What are you implying?â†µ
â†µDwyane: Oh, nothing...â†µ

â†µâ†µAaaand...scene.â†µ

â†µâ†µStanley Cup Finals Begin: If you are a casual fan, either of these classic franchises emerging as champs feels like a good outcome. Here are arguments for both.â†µ

â†µâ†µMLB Talking Points: The Mets have just made their season, no matter how they finish. Blanking the rival Phillies over an entire 3-game series? That kind of humiliation hasn’t been pulled off in MLB since 2004 (or done to the Phils since 1983). It gives Mets fans something to cling to when the Phillies win the division again.â†µ

â†µâ†µMore:â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Pujols back on track: HR, 3 RBI.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• So much for that Red Sox mojo.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Oz rant: MLB prob’ly liked it.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Walk-Off Watch: Walk!â†µ

â†µâ†µNBA Coaching Carousel: Kelvin Sampson to the Cavs? Really? Better check his phone records to make sure he hasn’t had any rule-breaking contact with free agents. (Look, on the bright side, at least he’s not from the re-tread pile.)â†µ

â†µâ†µBig Ben Watch: He can return to the team next week, which indicates that the league is satisfied with his emotional rehab so far -- and probably means that his suspension will run the minimum (4 games).â†µ

â†µâ†µScandals:â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Rock, Scalp, Jayhawk: Mike DeCourcy weighs in.â†µ

â†µâ†µ• Bowe “Scandal”: Rather than dissemble, why doesn’t Dwayne Bowe simply say “So?”â†µ

â†µâ†µ• UConn: Much to the annoyance of Michigan football fans, this probably won’t get the same level of scrutiny as RichRod’s recent issues -- despite being arguably a worse offense.â†µ

â†µâ†µCFB Offseason: Pat Tillman in the CFB Hall of Fame is long overdue. Desmond Howard gives the class glitz, but Tillman is its soul. As in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there should be a permanent exhibit at the Hall celebrating his life.â†µ

â†µâ†µConference Expansion: Texas as ... independent? That would certainly fit the state’s worldview. (Dare we say: Secession?) For the mega-teams, conference affiliation is hardly necessary in today’s college football -- just look at Notre Dame. They could cut their own lucrative TV deal. No playoff system -- BCS or otherwise -- could afford to ignore UT. In fact, rather than four 16-team superconferences, what if all the big programs bolted their conferences and became independents? Inevitably, they would coordinate on a TV deal and it would be a de facto conference and we’re back to Square 1. The far simpler option for Texas is just to join the SEC.â†µ

â†µâ†µTop 100 Countdown: Minnesota.â†µ

â†µâ†µNFL Offseason: The Raiders just need to let it go about JaMarcus Russell.â†µ

â†µâ†µTrash Talk: Who doesn’t enjoy a friendly -- or not-so-friendly -- Twitter battle amping up what is already the most intriguing game of the NFL schedule?â†µ

â†µâ†µThe Last Word: “He can’t pitch on Yom Kippur. And I can’t pitch.” -- Barack Obama, welcoming Sandy Koufax to the White House at an event yesterday.â†µ

â†µâ†µDan Shanoff writes The Wake-Up Call every weekday morning for SportingNews.com and blogs daily at DanShanoff.com. Got any comments, questions or feedback? Email Dan at shanofftsn-[at]-gmail-[dot]-com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/danshanoff. â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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