Thursday, June 21, 2012

06/21 (Game 5) Quickie

Here's what is at stake tonight: Either LeBron wins his first championship or the Thunder takes the series back to the friendly confines of OKC with a puncher's chance to pull of a historic upset.

It will be a big deal if LeBron wins, but you get the sense that the almost-immediate reaction will be: "...And?" One ring will be a start; one ring will not be enough. Necessary, but not sufficient.

CFB Playoff nearly here: The conference commissioners agreed on a plan -- the most sensible plan of the options available (4 teams, best available, selection committee, bowl games host semis, title game site up for bid). In other words: SEC commish Mike Slive won again. It is expected to be ratified next week.

It is an improvement; it is not flawless -- the fury around picking the 3rd and 4th teams in the playoff field (potentially among a half-dozen or more reasonable contenders) is going to be intense, most likely centered around a one-loss SEC runner-up versus a one-loss conference champ (or unbeaten lower-conference team).


Euro 2012 Quarters: Portugal should get past Czech Republic today.

NBA: Trade! The Wizards (my Wizards) used their (our) Rashard Lewis albatross buy-out deal and prodigious cap space to take on two decent (but expensive) complementary players: Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor, two potential starters and shoring up areas of weakness: A solid defensive SF who can occasionally shoot the 3 and a shot-blocking anchor in the middle to complement Nene. To those NBA pundits ripping the Wizards for joining the "treadmill of mediocrity," I contend that it is a huge upgrade -- as long as they aren't contending for a title, they might as well be contending for a playoff spot.

NFL:  Percy Harvin wants out. I think he's worth trading for -- a Top 5 most dynamic receiver talent in the NFL.

Today's best read: ESPN.com's Wayne Drehs on Ryan Lochte.

Best thing I found yesterday: SBNation's amazing video with Bill Murray.

Media: Top sports business reporter Darren Rovell is going back to ESPN after a good run at CNBC. It's a great move for Rovell and ESPN.

Tomorrow's headline today: "Back to OKC!"

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