Chicago Bulls/Brooklyn Nets: Game 5

-       Kirk Hinrich is out for tonight. That means that the leash is off Nate Robinson for an entire game. There is no question Robinson loves to let it fly. The question becomes whether or not we will see the Robinson that lit it up at the end of Game 4 or a crazy, erratic Robinson.

-       The other day I wrote about who you would want taking a wide-open three-pointer. If you absolutely needed a rebound, would you want anyone other than Reggie Evans? That guy is a machine dedicated to only one thing.

-       It is hard to really say a game is won in this series. Have to hold on until it’s a sure thing. With a 14-point lead and 1:15 to go, I would say that is a sure thing. Or would I….?

-       The Bulls managed to just hang around all game, finally made their run at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth to get within one, then it seems like they just ran out of gas. Nets end the game on a 17-3 run

-       As it has been for the rest of the series, Bulls’ defense is a big story. If they play that swarming style of play that throws Brooklyn off their rhythm, 91 points is enough to win. Instead they lose by 19.

-       Six players in double figures for the Nets. Solid team effort. Going to need to kick it up to the next gear though if they want to come back to Brooklyn for a Game 7.

For Kyle's thoughts on the night's other two games including a thrilling finish in Houston, click after the jump.

We are one step closer to a resolution in the Sacramento Kings/Seattle SuperSonics saga after the NBA's relocation committee made a unanimous recommendation to deny the request to relocate the team to Seattle, according to several reports.

This does not totally rule out the chance for relocation, but it would be pretty odd to see the NBA Board of Governors decide against a unanimous decision from the relocation committee. The Board of Governors will meet May 13 to formally vote on the matter.  The reaction from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson came quick on Twitter and was obviously one of excitement.

That's what I'm talking about SACRAMENTO!!!!! WE DID IT!!!!!

— Kevin Johnson (@KJ_MayorJohnson) April 29, 2013

I've never been prouder of this city. I thank the ownership group, city leaders, but most of all the BEST FANS IN THE NBA!!!

— Kevin Johnson (@KJ_MayorJohnson) April 29, 2013

The next question is whether there will be any sort of legal action taken by either the Hansen/Ballmer Seattle group or the Maloofs themselves. However, I am sure David Stern and Adam Silver will be quick to tell Hansen and Ballmer that they want them to be part of the league and will look at them and Seattle very favorably the next time a team is for sale.

One fan base's good news is another fan base's bad news. Seattle's fan base has been hungry for a franchise since the Sonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008. They were very close to getting one now with the Maloofs accepting the Hansen group's bid to buy the team. Seattle fans will have to keep waiting unfortunately.

But for now it is time for celebration in Sacramento, where a one pro team city looks like it will remain that way for several years to come.

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Mark Jackson had a major dilemma facing him and his team entering Game Two last week in Denver.

David Lee would be out for the remainder of the Playoffs with a torn hip flexor. Andrew Bogut, despite a strong Game One performance, had not put in performances like that one consistently throughout the season. It was unclear what Jackson could get out of him. Sure, Carl Landry can add some of the rebounding help but he cannot quite spread the floor like David Lee could.

And if there is one thing the Warriors can and must do, it is score. The defense is improved, but not elite by any means. To win in the postseason, Golden State has to score.

So Jackson began talking with his coaches and asked them to talk him out of a crazy idea for Game Two. Could he actually get away with replacing an All-Star power forward with a(nother) point guard in his starting lineup? would this be a gamble too big for the Playoffs?

The Warriors asisstant coaches did not talk Jackson out of the move. They encouraged him and gave him the go-ahead to do it. And so it was Jarrett Jack starting with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry in a small backcourt. If there was one team something like that could work against it was the run-and-gun Nuggets. Evan at the inpenetrable Pepsi Center.

What followed was an offensive onslaught. The Warriors shot an incredible 64.6 percent from the floor and Jack, Curry and Thompson combined to score 77 points and shoot 63.3 percent. The team field goal percentage was the 38th time in NBA history that a team shot 60 percent or better in a Playoff game and was the highest field goal percentage for a Playoff team in a win since 1991.

For months, the sports world has discussed the potential of the first gay male professional athlete.  Advocacy and support for an active gay athlete in American professional sports has grown immensely in the last several years and in 2013 the questions were becoming a matter of when and who and not if.  

The time is now and the person is NBA center Jason Collins, who played with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards this past season.  Collins penned a first person story in this week's Sports Illustrated as this week's cover story.  Here's Collins in his own words:

It was an instant classic and perhaps the game of the 2013 NBA Playoffs when the Bulls and Nets gave us a thrilling triple-overtime in Game 4 of their series in Chicago.

It had it all - hard fouls, clutch shots, team-play on display, and a healthy does of Bulls' Nate Robinson showing passion, grit and fire on the court when he rattled off 23 points in the critical fourth quarter to send the game into the first OT period.

It was a game no fan wanted to see end but in the end, Chicago pulled out the victory to take the series lead.

Relive some of the most thrilling moments from Game 4 through the lens of the NBA's slow-motion "Phantom" camera.

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New York Knicks/Boston Celtics: Game 4

-       Celtics trying to avoid being swept. Knicks playing without J.R. Smith, their Sixth Man of the Year (called it!).

-       Celtics coming out strong and hitting shots early. The question is whether or not they can sustain that over a whole game. In each of the first three games there have been major scoring droughts that allowed the Knicks to win.

-       Is there anyone in the NBA you want taking a wide open three-pointer more than Steve Novak? Maybe Matt Bonner, but man, those guys are almost automatic when left unguarded. (Of course, right after I type that, Novak misses a wide-open three. I have a gift for jinxing.)

-       Carmelo Anthony reminds me of the degenerate gambler at the blackjack table. He goes on a bad run but figures the luck has to even out so he keeps putting that money down on the table, hoping to win back what he has lost. Anthony could go 0-30 from the field, but he is not going to stop shooting.

-       Well the Celtics blew it. I am sure everyone out there is just shocked.

-       Jason Terry finally decided to show up. Too bad it is just to avoid the sweep. Although with the way he is smiling after the game, you would think the Celtics just evened the series.

-       Well… there is a precedent for a Boston team to come back from 0-3 on a New York team. I am not betting on it though.

For Kyle's thoughts on the three other games from Sunday, click after the jump.

 Denver Nuggets vs. Golden State Warriors
Game 4 (2-1 GSW) -- 9:30 p.m./TNT

In the late hours of Friday evening, basketball fans were seemingly in heaven. One of the most entertaining basketball games in this Playoffs was playing out in front of everyone at Oracle Arena.

Perhaps this was to be expected. In the first two games of the series, fans got a back-and-forth offensive display from two offensive-minded teams. First there was Denver running up and down the court with Golden State matching it each step of the way until finally Andre Miller broke the tie and won Game One. Then it was the Warriors putting on a stellar shooting display that left basketball fans breathless.

Game Three was much of the same with another game that went back and forth between these two teams with plenty of offense to attract the casual fan and plenty of key shot-making to make even die hards swoon.

Of all the first round series, this one has clearly been the most entertaining to watch. And that was to be expected with two teams that like to get up and down the court in transition and have plenty of shooters and high flyers to excite the eye.

What do these two teams do for an encore?

Game Four, like all the games in this series, will come down to defense. For as much as the offense is stealing all the headlines of late, the series will be won by whoever can get a stop first. Easier said than done with Stephen Curry making  wild heaves and scoop shots that seem indefensible all while willingly and effective sharing the ball. Denver has struggled to corral Golden State's small lineup and now faces a must-win situation on the road to even the series back up.

It simply does not get better than this.

Brooklyn Nets/Chicago Bulls: Game 4

-       Feel like this series has been impossible to predict because we do not know which Bulls team will show up.

-       Finally got a “fight” in the playoffs. Not the series I would have predicted, but I will take it!

-       Nate Robinson is singlehandedly bringing the Bulls back in this game. My NBA history is not good, but has there ever been a better performance by a player off the bench? I know Goran Dragic scored a ton against the Spurs in the fourth quarter of a playoff game a few years ago, but the magnitude was not this big.

-       I guess Deron Williams is no Chris Paul. Actually, by that (misguided) logic, Williams is no Andre Miller either.

-       First overtime game of this postseason! Bulls and Nets trying to match the excitement bar set by the Warriors and Nuggets. This time it is the Bulls with a ridiculous comeback, but they are able to finish it off and hold on to force OT.

-       Fitting that shot would go in for Robinson. I guess we can say Deron Williams is no Nate Robinson now as well.

-       I guess Deron Williams is no Joe Johnson either. This is getting old, but I have committed myself to this joke, and I will not stop as long as someone keeps hitting shots down the stretch.

-       The MVP of the third overtime goes to… Nazr Mohammed? Wouldn’t have guessed that.

-       Bulls win and after looking like they might get swept after Game 1, they now have a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.

Check out Kyle's thoughts from the other three games after the jump!

New York Knicks/Boston Celtics: Game 3

-       First game in Boston since the bombing. I always think it’s weird when they connect traumatic events to sports because you spend the pregame honoring the victims then you have to go out and forget about it to try and win a game. I understand the significance and how important it is, it just seems out of place at a sporting event to me.

-       Paul Pierce opens the game with a blown layup. Seems on par with what the Celtics have been doing in this series. Wondering if it’s a sign we’re going to see more of the same.

-       The ability of Carmelo Anthony to get shots off over outstretched arms is just ridiculous. It’s even crazier that they usually go in too.

-       Celtics with 31 points at halftime… yeah.

-       J.R. Smith is one of those guys that you’re always going to have to worry about his ability to keep his cool. Gets ejected, probably deserves a suspension too.

-       Hoping the second round of games is a lot more exciting or I am going to fall asleep.

For Kyle's thoughts on the two Western Conference games including a thriller in Oakland, click after the jump.

LeBron is a true competitor to the very end. Dude doesn't want to lose anything, ever. Kinda like another current famous NBA player (hint,hint: Kobe)

One knock on LeBron James earlier in his career was that he focused more on individual goals like winning MVP and proving his worth to the media as opposed to winning a championship for the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Miami Heat. But now, as he has moved past the "winning a 1st NBA Finals" stage of his career, Miami's all-world small forward has clearly put the team over himself, but still shows that the individual stuff still affects his play and his mindset.

Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies -- a very deserving candidate -- ended up winning the award, a fact that no less angered the uber-competitive LeBron who is playing better than basically anyone on the planet right now.

The superstar certainly did not try to hide his feelings of anger and frustration that he was not crowned the NBA's top defensive player for the entire 2012-13 season.

From Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: "It sucks," James said. "It [losing the award to Gasol] sucks. It sucks."

When asked if his high chance to win MVP played a role in his not winning of the DPOY award: "I don't know," James said. It definitely sucks, though. Finishing second? Who wants to finish second?"

Even if he is being extremely self-centered and putting him own interests in the forefront as opposed to those of his highly-favored team, this attitude from LeBron demonstrates how his focus has changed since last season, and that he has truly embraced his role as divisive and incredibly successful star who never seems to turn off the competition. He is replacing the soon-to-be-outgoing Kobe Bryant in this all-crucial position among the NBA's elite.

As Kobe would incessantly demand scoring titles and MVPs in his heyday, LeBron gets frustrated at losing the Defensive Player of the Year award. The NBA works in cycles this way, as Kobe is to likely retire in the next few years, but has LeBron stepping in for his role in the league's hierarchy of players seamlessly. Just the way it should work.

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