This was supposed to be the best of times for LA. Then it all came crashing down. The Clippers were swept and the Lakers got smashed. So now it’s up to the L.A. Kings to pick up L.A.’s front running fans. And I’m calling my shot right now: they Kings will do Phoenix in their house tonight...Full take »

The Celtics put an emphatic beat down on Philly last night to take a 3 games to 2 lead in that series. And if Boston is making a deep run in the postseason, then you know its Kevin Garnett gum-bumping season. You can call this guy dirty, or call him a fake tough guy, but you can’t question his...Full take »

Andrew Bynum was right. Close out games are easy. Especially if you’re playing them against Bynum and the Lakers. So, where does L.A. go from here? First they need to stop saying they have the championship pieces in place. They don’t. They got smashed the last two years in the playoffs and...Full take »

Obviously, here in Southern California, we’ve spent a whole lot of time talking about what’s wrong with the Lakers, instead of talking about what’s rightwith the Thunder. The Lakers are taking plenty, and deserve it, but the Thunder’s no joke. The better team won. They’re younger,...Full take »

“I’ll Have Another” was sensational in gunning down Bodemeister in the Preakness Saturday, and horse racing has the one thing it needs most: a star, with a shot at the Triple Crown. So can he do it? Maybe: given the earlier fractions and how far he had to come, he had no business running...Full take »

Although they were swept, there’s no shame in losing to the San Antonio Spurs. The L.A. Clippers had their break out season: they added Chris Paul and made it to the second round of the playoffs. A big win for the second tier franchise. Question is, how do they build on that? One, they have to...Full take »

Down 3 games to 1, Laker management has to be this close to taking a wrecking ball to it. Someone’s taking the fall for this showing. Look, the Thunder may be younger, quicker and more athletic, but the Lakers could just as easily be up 3 games to 1 as they are facing elimination. They blew a...Full take »

LeBron Raymone James. I have rarely gone with ‘Bron’s government. Because you have to earn the gov and he hasn’t in a long time. But 40, 18 and 9 with Miami’s mouth on the curb, and his number two banged up, and number three on the shelf, was all man and an all timer. That was ‘we are...Full take »

Hell is about to freeze over. Because the L.A. Kings are going to win the Stanley Cup. I never thought I’d see it. Not in my lifetime. And not in my kids’ lifetime. But they will. They’re up 3-0 against Phoenix so that series is over and I really don’t care who comes out of the East. And...Full take »

Sometimes I think Twitter is one of the greatest things ever. But sometimes it’s something I wish they could un-invent. And seeing Laker Steve Blake and his family getting death threats is one of those times. After Blake missed that 3 ball in the final seconds against OKC, his wife Kristen...Full take »

Clipper fan: forgive me for keeping it real, you had a great run, but it’s about to come to an end. This isn’t just San Antonio holding serve. The Spurs are holding the Clippers heads under water until they stop moving: I know the Clips are banged up. And really, they’re not even playing...Full take »

Looks like LeBron isn’t the problem, Dwyane Wade is. Seriously, what happened to this cat? Remember when he was the cool guy, great player and class act? I’m not sure I do either. Not when he’s cheapshotting opponents, f-bombing his coaches, looking to get paid for the Olympics and whining...Full take »

WINNER OF THE 18TH ANNUAL SMACK-OFF Chael Sonnen (Surprise Pro Athlete Invitee) FINAL STANDINGS 1st CHAEL SONNEN 2nd Mike In Indy 3rd Iafrate 4th Vic In No Cal 5th Doc Mike Full take »

I’ll say it again. I don’t root. But know this: when the New York Rangers lose, we all win. Because then we get to see John Tortorella work his magic with the media. These get togethers are now the stuff of legend. So, turn your phones on silent and get ready to squirm in the beautiful...Full take »

Are you familiar with Ubuntu? The 76ers got real familiar with it last night. It’s an African philosophy based on chemistry and Kevin Garnett says it’s the Celtics’creed: “Ubuntu, we been preaching that since we got here…I just had to reiterate that.” Then the tenets of Ubuntu must...Full take »

So did the Thunder rip that game from the Lakers, or did L.A. just give it to them? Yes. Credit to OKC: down 7, with two minutes to go, they never gave up on that game. And stabbed L.A. in the heart. But make no mistake, the Lakers went into the tank. L.A. has to finish that game. Has to. And...Full take »

I had no choice but to gloss Javale McGee, “must see McGee” because he did something every single night this season that you couldn’t afford to miss. And now I’m hitting Bryce Harper with his new handle. Must be nice, Bryce. Because everything about this dude’s life is nice. Let me ask...Full take »

Kobe Bryant’s not in the best mood right now, so it was the best time to ask him about flopping. And he gave the best response yet. He said NBA’ers hitting the deck and flailing like fish on a dock makes him wonder if they’re missing a part of their male anatomy: “that’s kind of like,...Full take »

Timothy Theodore Duncan. Don’t kick dirt on the guy, even if he's older than the dirt itself. Because dude found a time machine and set it 1998... If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he just busted out of Wake Forest and was running with the Admiral last night. Was that Tony Parker...Full take »

To quote the Miami Heat team president: A playoff series doesn’t really start until the home team loses a game. Consider Heat-Pacers officially underway after Miami couldn’t finish in Game 2. And consider the Heat officially in trouble. And just when you think it’s safe to buy into LeBron...Full take »

If any NFL team is looking for an over-the-hill quarterback who insists he’s still a starter despite being traded within his own division and run out of the last three cities he’s been in, Donovan McNabb is your man. And he says he’s in great shape after losing 15-20 pounds. Full take »

Other than clocking himself after taking a bat to the wall, Washington Nationals sensation Bryce Harper is saying and doing all the right things. And now, he has his first career bomb. An absolute blast to straight away center. With the perfect trot to match: head down, right into the...Full take »

Kevin Garnett was the one who said before Game 2, “I’d die out there if I had to, and that’s real talk.” I don’t know about that but he certainly did kill them with that illegal pick late last night. And Celtic fan, stop telling me the ref needs to swallow the whistle in that...Full take »

And Metta World Peace had a night didn’t he? What do you think was his most ridiculous statement of the night? Telling TNT that James Harden flopped. Or saying he thought the Lakers played OK. Or plugging his podcast and website in the locker room after that massacre. Go ahead and take D, all...Full take »

While flopping in the NBA has become an epidemic, it’s still not nearly the threat to the league that the NBA Nerd Plague is. Because that has reached code red status. Literally. Again, Russell Westbrook was far and away the best player on the floor last night. But how do you explain his act...Full take »

Lakers v. Thunder wasn’t a matter of Rest vs. Rust. That was more like Hammer vs. Nail. Curb vs. Face. Contender vs. Pretender. No amount of rest was going to prevent this from happening! The Lakers could have had a week off and they still would have gotten abused by Russell Westbrook. Fatigue...Full take »

I keep thinking the L.A. Kings are going to show up one night…and…well, remember they are the L.A. Kings: a franchise that has never won the Stanley Cup and really has no reason to believe they ever will. And I thought last night would be that night when they fell behind Phoenix 1-0 on a...Full take »

The Texas Rangers just took 2 out of 3 from L.A, and are threatening to run away from them in the AL West. Not only that, Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson thinks Josh Hamilton may even have a shot at Barry Bonds’ single season homerun record, tweeting: “I know a lot of people might want to pitch...Full take »

NBA flopping has reached crisis levels. NBA commissioner David Stern admitted as much calling it a “legitimate concern.” A ‘legitimate concern’ is defcon-1 in commissioner speak. Of course, he tried to make light of it by saying, “some of this is acting. We should give out Oscars...Full take »

If you’re looking for Metta World Peace to shake hands with James Harden before Game 1 tonight…don’t’ be. Peace says, “I only fist bump with the starting five. I don’t fist bump subs.” No doubt. Why should he? Especially after Harden slammed his head into Peace’s elbow. And...Full take »