Well, the Knicks are done. Kind of anti-climactically, as well, at least compared to previous playoff series against Indiana (see right). Now it’s up to the Pacers, who are kind of like the anti-Heat, to stop the Miami freight train that seems destined to roll right on through to the finals.
For all the gory details on just what went wrong in the Knicks’ elimination, I’ll point you over to Chris Sheridan’s latest column and podcast.
In the West, we’ve got the Grizzlies and the Spurs starting today, in a series that should push the Spurs in an entirely different manner from the way the Warriors pushed them. If the Grizzlies get their way, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will suffocate Tim Duncan in the low post and Tony Allen will shut down Tony Parker and/or Manu Ginobili. But the Spurs don’t make a habit of letting their opponents get their way. In fact, as Jan Hubbard writes in his latest column, the Spurs are all about doing it their way, and not anybody else’s.
Today’s blog actually doesn’t focus much on the playoffs, though. There’s lots of draft stuff in here, since the combine just happened. Check out all the links below, of course, but also be sure to read Jeremy Bauman’s roundup of the biggest news from the combine.
- Mike Krzyzewski is considering a return as Team USA’s head coach. Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated reports: “Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski acknowledged in a phone interview Saturday that he’s in discussions to return as head coach of USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics. “There’s a chance,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s correct.” Krzyzewski said he hasn’t made a final decision, but his openness to the position represents a significant change. For eight months, Krzyzewski has maintained he’s not returning as USA Basketball’s head coach. On Saturday, Krzyzewski said he and USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo have been talking about his return “quite a bit.” Colangelo said Saturday he and Krzyzewski have been discussing his return “in installments.” “I think it’s very close to being resolved,” Colangelo said. “That’s all I can say for sure.” He added: “Give it another week and it should be resolved.”
CHICAGO — It was not a make or break situation, but when you walked into the gym for the NBA pre-draft camp on Chicago’s west side - filled with scouts, general managers, coaches, media and everyone in between – you could feel the intensity in the air.
