Such is the vacillatory existence of the NBA contender, wavering perilously between ultimate triumph and the coldest oblivion on consecutive nights, the difference encompassed in the screech of a whistle, or a moment's uncertainty, or the agonizing flight of an arcing ball.
In other words, lots of stuff could have happened, but this is the stuff that did.
Shaq vs. Yao was a yawn factory, and Dallas was more Goose than Maverick. The Grizzlies claimed the honor of most outclassed #5 seed in playoff history, while Boston should have taken Danny Ainge up on his suggestion to skip the whole affair. The Knicks were longing for the invisibility of Keith Van Horn as Tim Thomas pounded his chest at the Nets. Denver's Francisco Elson questioned KG's sexuality, to which Garnett responded by entering the name Francisco Elson into Google's search engine. And where can I purchase my seat on Miami's bandwagon?
More items of interest:
* Sam Cassell is a man of many talents. He orchestrates an offense brimming with offensive weapons, hits game-winning shots, and motivates his team when he is unable to play. That said, his celebration at the end of game two was something that I could have died happily without ever seeing.
* I find it fascinating that only one team named after an animal remains in the playoffs, but two named after cars are still around. The Industrial Revolution lives on!
* Kevin Garnett is a very astute basketball player, but looking at the opposite basket's shot clock is neither unprecedented nor genius, as TNT's analysts would have us believe. It's a smart play, not basketball's answer to decoding the human genome.
* Tony Parker is the third point guard in as many years to become a star at the Lakers' expense, joining Mike Bibby in '02 and Troy Hudson last year. Derek Fisher's lack of quickness never was the problem - the problem has always been Shaq's inability to defend the pick and roll. My question is, if Bibby, Hudson, and Parker can all take advantage of this obvious vulnerability, why couldn't All-Star starter Steve Francis?
* An interesting note related to the above item is that Bibby and Hudson both lost the series even as they exploited Shaq's deficiency. Looks like Parker is headed for a similar fate.
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