SH Blog: Broussard doesn’t agree with homosexuality, Pau Gasol senses change for next season

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130429144053-jason-collins-cover-single-image-cutMonday’s headlines were dominated by Jason Collins’ decision to open up about his sexual orientation, which opened up the door for athletes everywhere to be able to do the same one day. For the most part, there was wide-spread support around the league about his decision.

Jason Collins reveals he is gay 

Emeka Okafor was one of the first to know that Collins would break the news nationally, from Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports:

“The Washington Wizards’ Emeka Okafor had no idea that the phone call he took from a teammate Monday morning would include a heads-up on news that would forever change sports. Okafor was one of the select people Jason Collins gave advance notice that he was telling the world he was gay in a first-person article posted on Sports Illustrated’s website. Collins’ announcement made him the first active player in one of the U.S.’s four major pro sports leagues to come out. Okafor said Collins was “calm, collected and cool” during their conversation.”

Some, however, weren’t all necessarily 100 percent supportive. Chris Broussard of ESPN created major controversy by stating his opinion about what it means to be a homosexual on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines”, transcribed by Ben Golliver of SI:

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Bernucca: Future murky for Lakers, biggest underachievers in NBA history

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Dwight HowardBefore Game 4 of their Western Conference first-round series against the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers handed out white towels to fans at the Staples Center.

Apparently, someone in the marketing department didn’t understand symbolism. By halftime, those towels had become flags of surrender for the Lakers, the biggest underachieving team in the history of the NBA.

Dwight Howard offered his own symbolism, figuratively throwing in the towel midway through the third quarter. Unwilling to grit his teeth and bang and bump his way through all of another telling, embarrassing loss, he got himself ejected, starting his offseason of uncertainty with an hour’s headstart on his teammates.

Dwight Howard, human surrender flag. Yeah, there’s the sort of toughness you want to build a franchise around.

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Kamenetzky: Undermanned Lakers torched in Game 3

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Mike D'AntoniThere is an alternate universe somewhere in which the Lakers stayed healthy, and people still speak of them as Finals contenders.

Must be a nice place.

Friday night at Staples Center, the Lakers took the floor short Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, and Jodie Meeks, with Metta World Peace playing one-legged after having fluid drained from his surgically repaired left knee earlier that afternoon, and a starting backcourt consisting of a point guard who should have just finished his senior season at Michigan (Darius Morris) next to a guy who wasn’t in the league two weeks ago (Andrew Goudelock).

The Lakers, who intended to have Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Nash, World Peace, and Bryant as the core of their team, finished the third quarter with Morris, Chris Duhon, Earl Clark, Antawn Jamison, and Jordan Hill.

In a playoff game.

Against Gregg Popovich, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker.

And in this universe, that can only mean one thing: Final score, 120-89, the worst home playoff loss in franchise history. San Antonio up 3-0 in the series.

Five Biggest Impact Players in West Playoff Race

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There are less than a dozen games left in the NBA regular season, and the most dramatic race still going on is a five-team scrum in the Western Conference for three playoff spots. Those five clubs – the Warriors, Rockets, Lakers, Jazz and Mavericks – are separated by five games in the standings.

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SH Blog: George Karl explains Nuggets success, Michael Jordan promises off-season changes

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GeorgeKarlErik Spoelstra may be hunting for the greatest winning streak of all-time, but there is probably no one having more fun with his job than Denver Nuggets coach George Karl these days.

Sure, a 14-game winning streak is no 24-game winning streak, but the reigning champions were supposed to be this good at some point this season. Not a whole lot around the league expected Denver to play this big of a role in the Western Conference. After the improbable 101-100 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, it stands alone at a league-best 31-3 at home.

Here is a detailed look at the mindset of a very happy coach about why his team has been so successful and how important homecourt advantage would be in the playoffs, from Sam Amick of USA Today

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