A Crazy Thought: Indiana-Miami Will Be Great

Call me crazy but I think Miami-Indiana is going to be a great Eastern Conference Final. Just based off how surprising the Pacers were last year against the Heat and how much better they look now.

Then again, I haven't been able to look at the Pacers the same way since the Lakers beat them on the road minus Kobe during the regular season. If there's a team remaining that has more fool's gold, I'm not sure who it is.

At the same time, the Pacers' ugly style (which led to them having the No. 1 defense in the league) has started to look better. Roy Hibbert is a legit center who can cause problems in the paint. Lance Stephenson is starting to fulfill the promise he had as a NYC hoops legend. Paul George is validating why he's an All-Star as the team's leader and an emerging go-to scorer (in spots).

Who Got Da Props: Memphis Stays Fly

As much as I focused on the predictable blame game that's going to happen in Oklahoma City, I should also give Memphis a ton of props because I've loved how they played the last two playoff rounds. It's old school, it's physical, it's smart hoops that any fan of the game should admire.

Props to Mike Conley, who has become by default the best player from his highly recruited Ohio State of 2006. Seven years ago, who would've thought that he'd have a better pro career than Greg Oden and Daequan Cook.

Conley's gotten a lot of heat most of his career but I loved how aggressive he is on both sides of the floor. He dominated the Thunder without Russell Westbrook guarding him and I think he's grown a lot more comfortable with who he is as a player.

Don't Blame Kevin Durant, Blame Scott Brooks

There's a good chance the Oklahoma City Thunder will see their season end this week. Whether it's tonight or Friday, the Thunder will be joining Russell Westbrook on the sidelines as Memphis has bullied them the last three games.

I've seen folks predictably start to turn on Kevin Durant and try to blame him for not being able to carry the Thunder to victory. Soon as LeBron got that ring, I started to figure out that Durant would be next to catch the wrath of impatient fans who are wondering when he'll get that ring.

It's frankly another sign of lazy fandom. Durant has played 43, 46 and 48 minutes the last three games and he hasn't been effective in the fourth quarter obviously. He's not used to carrying a team solo and hasn't been since 2008. No Westbrook means more work for Durant and since his game is based on shooting and slashing, we're seeing a Durant I haven't seen since he was a freshman in Texas.

He's averaging 30.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 6.8 assists this series. He's doing everything he can and when it's not enough, I'm looking around to say where's the rest of his mates to step up. He looked absolutely sick after Game 3 and as much I want to say toughen up, I sympathize because he's an island chief surrounded by Pygmies.

To me, the story with OKC should revolve around Scott Brooks' failings as a head coach and the front office looking foolish betting on Serge Ibaka instead of James Harden.

Kobe's Tweets and My Game 2 Thoughts

Apologies for the brief hiatus. I left my computer cord at a school this weekend and I'm waiting to get it back. Til then, I've been borrowing charges from friends when I can. On to the thoughts.

I guess I'm in a minority of thought that seeing Kobe Bryant tweet his thoughts during Game 1 of the Lakers-Spurs series wasn't a problem. NFL players do it often during the playoffs and I've seen Jordan Hill tweet during Lakers games in the season. But since it's the playoffs, every little thing gets magnified.

Since my comp was down, I barely noticed the tweets except for ABC mentioning them. Did I care what Kobe was tweeting? Not really because I know he'd be saying it on the sidelines. This is a guy who lives and breathes hoops. His IQ is sharp and his insight should be valued. Especially since Kobe has been so guarded with his thoughts/methods.

Alas, it became a bigger story than it should have. Mike D'Antoni was stupidly asked that question by the media (like he has time to check Twitter during a game) and he bristled at it. For once, I side with the coach I love to needle. He has every right to feel that way and I think it's a stupid, gossipy type of question.

Podcast: NBA Playoff Preview

I joined my friend Paris Lay on his podcast Thursday night to discuss the first round of the NBA playoffs. I'm probably going to eat my words on picking Chicago in 5 over Brooklyn but as much as I respect Brooklyn, I think Chicago might surprise them.

We also discussed some of the big stories of the season. It's a long listen so feel free to enjoy in the background. Clearly all of us are still distracted by what's going in Boston so this will be here when you have some time.

Check out Paris' site "A View From Paris"

Video: Lakers are Playoff Bound (And Everybody's Celebrating?)

The Lakers didn't just make the playoffs, they got in as the No. 7 seed. This cursed season will continue at least for one more week and I like their chances to at least make this series with the Spurs interesting. Both teams are veteran based and have young guys who can contribute and change the tempo.

I should add that one factor I forgot to consider in my video. Gregg Popovich vs. Mike D'Antoni. This might be an underrated match-up considering that Pop has owned Antoni for the last decade and remember, when the Suns beat the Spurs in the 2010 playoffs, Alvin Gentry was coaching that team.

Maybe my boys are doomed worse than I thought? Hard to play chess with a chessmaster when you barely know how to use what you have against other coaches.

Either way, enjoy the video. Enjoy Gary Clark Jr., who I'm bummed came out here Tuesday night and I missed his show. I'll be on a podcast later tonight talking about the playoffs and I'll post that link when it goes up.