Good morning. I’m not sure the Warriors are legal, and I’m serious.
That and more in Tuesday’s NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
THEY DON’T CALL IT SNORACLE: The Pelicans played about as well as you could have asked them to play, and they still lost by 10 to the Warriors in Oakland. I’m becoming convinced no one will beat the Warriors in Oakland this postseason, which would mean Golden State will win the title (since they have home court throughout). New Orleans led through most of the first half and was in striking distance until Klay Thompson and friends poured it on late. A second moral victory; unfortunately, those don’t count. Here’s to earning a return trip to California.
As it turns out, Monty Williams’ pregame comments on the noise levels in Oracle -- “I’m not so sure that the decibel level is legal there, and I’m serious” -- didn’t help matters much. The crowd was especially pitched whenever the Warriors did something grand. (The Warriors often do something grand.)
THE BUTLER, IN THE ARENA, WITH A JUMPER: The Bulls went up 2-0 on the Bucks after another defense-first slog. (I saw that endearingly.) Jimmy Butler was the man, and as Ricky O’Donnell so eloquently puts it, Butler is what the Bulls have always needed.
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Celtics at Cavs, 7 p.m. ET, TNT
Wizards at Raptors, 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV (NBA TV status!)
Mavericks at Rockets, 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT
BIG UPSET: The most impressive block on a team that stars Anthony Davis came from ... Dante Cunningham?
THAT’S SO ZAZA: Zaza Pachulia is one of the meaner pivots in the league, and he might get a 1-game suspension for this elbow to Nikola Mirotic’s dome. But we can’t blame him for this scuffle that led to four technicals being called. The Zaza State of Mind is contagious!
THAT IS A BOLD STATEMENT: The Lakers aren’t really using their locker room right now because they lost 61 games this season. So Clippers boss Steve Ballmer turned it into a temporary owners’ lounge. I hope he’s lighting his cigars with rolled up championship banners.
STOP TALKING, SHAQ. (Possibly NSFW.)
EVEN MORE UPSETTING: The Blazers privately believe LaMarcus Aldridge might bounce in free agency this summer. That’d be devastating for Portland.
BAYNES OF MY EXISTENCE, DAY 2: Zito Madu on Blake Griffin’s total and repeated annihilation of Aron Baynes. Then SportsNation had Bones Thugs-N-Harmony eulogize Poor Aron through song and verse. Aron Baynes has to be so pissed right now.
STILL MAD, PAT? Pat Riley drops another remark about LeBron’s purported two-faced streak, is beginning to sound like Dan Gilbert circa 2010. Joe Goodman of the Miami Herald handled this latest accusation appropriately.
AWARD SEASON: Lou Williams wins Sixth Man. Isaiah Thomas in second, Jamal Crawford in third.
LET’S HOPE THIS IS JUST A PROPOSAL: More leaks of some proposed new Clippers branding.
Happy Tuesday! See you next time.
