Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Kyle Lowry is the King in the North
Good morning. We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.
THE NORTH REMEMBERS: Kyle Lowry had himself the biggest game of his NBA career as he launched the Toronto Raptors into the Eastern Conference Finals over the Heat. Toronto won 116-89, breaking away for good in the fourth. Lowry led with a marvelous 35-7-9-4 line, and Bismack Biyombo did work with 17-16-2 and one Usain Bolt celebration against the undersized, undermanned Heat.
That wasn’t Dwyane Wade’s final game as a Heatian, was it? I sure hope not. Miami turned a corner around the All-Star Break and has been really tough and really interesting ever since. I think some tweaks and one more run is in order, depending on what schemes Pat Riley has cooked up for the summer. It also depends on Chris Bosh’s future.
Here’s the East Finals schedule. First game is Tuesday after the lottery.
ON THE AIR TONIGHT: The first rendezvous in the Western Conference Finals is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on TNT. Andrew Bogut is questionable for the Warriors, while the Thunder expect to have their full complement of players. Whatever happens, remember that a) the Thunder got blown out in Game 1 last round and still won in six, and b) the Warriors were down 2-1 twice last year before winning it all.
REVENUE PATCH: The Sixers become the first team to announce a jersey patch sponsor. It’s the ticket reseller that doesn’t advertise on every NBA podcast under the sun. Yeah, that one. I’ll mention them by name when they pioneer the practice of advertising in newsletters!
COMPARATIVE STUDIES: An argument that compared to other American sports leagues two decades into their existence, the WNBA is right on track attendance-wise.
PRESENTED WITH COMMENT: The Spurs in costume following the end of the season.
REVIEWING COLANGELO: A meticulous review of Bryan Colangelo’s career performance by the meticulous Derek Bodner.
Happy Monday. See you next time.
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