Chat with Mike Sherman at 11 a.m.
Power Lunch Chat Recap: Mike Sherman
Why Blake Griffin is all the RAGE
I’m not much for shoot’em-up video games, but Blake Griffin — or at least his marketing alter ego — is apparently obsessed with this one.
It’s the latest display of Blake’s mad skills as a pitch man, all rooted in the former University of Oklahoma star’s willingness and ability to poke fun at himself.
Below you’ll find a couple other examples of Hollywood Blake’s work.
http://youtu.be/Xf4hITGVtCo
If you can get over Blake with the creepy Norm MacDonald voice, this one’s entertaining.
Blake is more than a baller.
Mis-Thunderstood? Was Oklahoma City’s conduct at the end of the Game 5 fun or bush?
Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka (9), Kevin Durant (35), and Eric Maynor (6) celebrate as Sam Young (4) of Memphis walks off the court after game five of the Western Conference semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA basketball playoffs at Oklahoma City Arena in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May 11, 2011. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
Part of the reason Kendrick Perkins is in Oklahoma City is to teach the Thunder how to act like champions.
And he isn’t the only ex-Celtics center who thinks there’s still much to learn after watching the closing minutes of the Thunder’s 99-72 rout of Memphis in Game 5 Wednesday at the Oklahoma City Arena.
Oklahoma City's Nate Robinson (3) reacts after a basket during game five of the Western Conference semifinals. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
“We have to end the game with better class than that,” Perkins told Johnny Ludden of Yahoo Sports! “That’s too disrespectful in my eyes. That’s not what the Thunder are about. … I think we were too flashy.”
Said TNT analyst and former Celtics great Kevin McHale: “For me, Oklahoma City did a little too much celebrating the last couple minutes. (Coach) Lionel Hollins will show them the tape, and the Memphis Grizzlies will win Game 6 back home at the Mailbox. The big fellows will be upset.”
Should they be? Should anyone be? TNT’s Charles Barkley was so worked up he imagined what he’d do in a Grizzlies uniform: “I’m going to take a guy into the stands, and I’m going to make it look like an accident.” (Read more about what TV analysts had to say about the Thunder last night here).
For months the media has lauded the Thunder’s spirit. Oklahoma City’s youthful roster has been called Thunder U for its chemistry, togetherness and camaraderie. In March, national analysts considered it refreshing to see young All-Stars cheering on teammates from the bench.
In May, when you’re up 27 on a team that’s taken you to four overtime periods in the previous two games a griding series, apparently it’s bush.
What do you think? Should Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook remain seated, make dinner plans and golf claps while Thunder reserves are outplaying Memphis starters? Should coach Scott Brooks have kept Nate Robinson and Royal Ivey — two veterans who you’d think should know the unwritten rules — on the bench rather than have them jack up 3-pointers or dribble between their legs in violation of NBA blowout etiquette?
Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates during game five of the Western Conference semifinals. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman
Or should McHale, Barkley and Perkins (who apparently didn’t get around to teaching Robinson those lessons in Boston when they were Celtics teammates) just relax?
Weigh in with your thoughts, but know this: If you think Perk should relax, I’m going to let you tell him.
Sobering news for Thunder: Triple-OT winners in NBA Playoffs ultimately lose
Oklahoma City Thunder players Royal Ivey, left, Serge Ibaka (9) and Eric Maynor, right, celebrate in the final moments of the third overtime period against the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 4 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, in Memphis, Tenn. Oklahoma City won 133-123 in triple overtime. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)
We interrupt the sleep-deprived euphoria of the Thunder’s Game 4 triumph with this sobering thought: NBA history shows that when you win a triple-overtime postseason battle, you lose the next game and the war.
Sorry to be a killjoy, Thunder fans, but that’s what Tim Griffin of the San Antonio News-Express uncovered today on his blog.The three previous teams that won triple-overtime games all lost the next game and the series. Those teams:
The 2009 Chicago Bulls who:
– beat Boston 128-127 in triple OT in Chicago in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference series.
– lost at Boston 109-99 in Game 7
The 2004 New Jersey Nets who:
– beat Detroit 127-120 in triple OT at Detroit in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
– lost at New Jersey 81-75 and at Detroit 90-69 in Games 6 and 7.
The 1993 Phoenix Suns who:
– beat Chicago 129-121 in triple OT at Chicago in Game 3 of the NBA Finals
– lost the series 4-2 when Chicago won Game 6 at Phoenix 99-98.
Among the winners of the four triple-OT games in NBA Playoff history, only the 1976 Boston Celtics bucked the trend. Those Celtics:
– beat Phoenix 128-126 in triple OT at Boston in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
– won Game 6 and the NBA title four games to two with a 87-80 victory at Phoenix.
A few circumstances that could feed Thunder fans’ faith that this time will be different:
– None of those three triple-OT winners who became losers had the home-court advantage for the series as Oklahoma City does against Memphis.
– The Thunder’s 133-123 triple-OT victory in Game 4 pulled the series even at 2-2. Only the 2009 Bulls’ triple-OT win evened a series (3-3).
Power Lunch Chat Recap: Mike Sherman
Former Oklahoma Sooners coach Jeff Capel says ‘I just didn’t get enough time’
University of Oklahoma Head Basketball Coach Jeff Capel poses for a photo at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Oklahoma November 11, 2009. Photo by Steve Gooch, The Oklahoman
Former Oklahoma Sooners basketball coach Jeff Capel is headed back to North Carolina to serve as an assistant coach under Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. And hours after his hiring was announced, the former Duke point guard and Fayetteville, N.C., prep star gave this interview to his hometown newspaper.
Among Capel’s comments:
– He compared the troubles with his program at Oklahoma to being “hit with a tornado.”
– He said his firing was particularly difficult on his wife, who continued to teach at the OU law school after his dismissal.
– And he said there’s plenty he’d like to say — but can’t — about the current NCAA investigation into Oklahoma basketball:
Some exerpts of the interview with Fayetteville Observer sports writer Dan Wiederer:
On how the last five years were like being “hit with a tornado”:
“Growing up in North Carolina, we had hurricanes and you could always track a hurricane. You could spot where the eye was forming and see where it was headed and you could track it. But for me, the situation in Oklahoma over the past five years, was like a tornado. You can’t track it. That’s what I felt like happened. We got hit with a tornado. And I know we were on track to recovering from it and being better and being stronger than ever. I just didn’t get enough time. But I really believe it was a tornado of things that we just didn’t foresee coming. And one of the things that was kind of a mantra with the last team I coached at Oklahoma was to focus on moving forward and staying positive. I commend our guys for their focus and for giving me everything in that regard. There were just some things that we couldn’t help.”
On how he felt after being fired at OU:
“You feel disappointment for the fans. You have the feeling that you let people down. That was not easy. It was frustrating. It was a lot of different things. But I think it’s made me a better coach. It’s helped me grow. And for that I’m happy. I’ve been asked frequently, ‘Are you bitter about the way it ended?’ I’m not bitter. I’m better. I’m better for having gone through it all.”
On being associated with an NCAA investigation:
“I think anyone who goes through something like that is frustrated by it. Incredibly frustrated. You need time to figure out what happened. But again, this is where I grew in learning to control what you can control. Because with that situation, especially initially, there were so many things being said about you and you’re hearing rumors that you know are not true. And everyone now, it’s all about speculation with a lot of what’s written. And some of it, you know is not true. But you can’t say anything. You can’t say anything. Even now, I can’t say all of the things that I really want to say because of the investigation. So yeah, that’s very frustrating.”
On the impact the firing had on his family:
“The first thing for me was making sure my family was OK. Anyone that goes through a firing like this, it’s traumatic for everyone. Your family, your staff. Most important to me was making sure my wife and daughters were OK. My wife teaches at the law school at OU. And you can imagine how difficult that was for her. She had to go back and teach on campus for six weeks after that. So I wanted to make sure she was OK. I wanted to make sure the players were OK. I wanted to make sure my coaching staff and their families were going to be OK. When someone gets fired, the impact reaches so far. And I’m a person who cares. That’s who I am.”
On his immediate plans after being fired and how they changed:
“My initial feeling was that I was going to be out of coaching for at least a year. I had thought about trying to maybe do some TV and had talked to some people who were generous enough to listen and to contemplate giving me an opportunity. But when this situation came up, it was just too good to pass up.”
