The 10-man rotation, starring Mike Conley, Memphis’ latest folk hero
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: Memphis Commercial Appeal ($). Geoff Calkins on Mike Conley putting a mask on his broken face, the Memphis Grizzlies on his shoulders, and the Golden State Warriors on the ropes: “Of such moments, Memphis legends are made.”
PF: CBSSports.com. A pretty fascinating look by Ken Berger at how Blake Griffin has become more explosive, well-rounded and damn near unstoppable, thanks to a highly specific high-tech training regimen and a specially tailored path to developing his jumper.
SF: SB Nation. Paul Flannery on Doc Rivers’ talents as a postseason coach helped stake the Los Angeles Clippers to a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals without Chris Paul: “In games when he’s shorthanded, Rivers is like a junkball pitcher, relying on guile and guts rather than a blazing fastball.”
SG: The Players Tribune. Minnesota Lynx superstar Maya Moore on what it meant for her to actually see great female players perform in a professional league in the U.S. when she was growing up, and why keeping that presence alive remains the biggest challenge facing the WNBA and its players right now: “If we want to grow the women’s game, we’ve got to grow the visibility.”
PG: espnW. Jane McManus and Kate Fagan wrangle with that visibility question in considering Tuesday’s stunning and, in the eyes of many, disappointing news that James Dolan has hired Isiah Thomas to become the new president of basketball operations for the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
6th: Pattern of Basketball. Good stuff from Jonathan Tjarks on how Kyrie Irving’s defensive shortcomings put the Cleveland Cavaliers in precarious positions against the Chicago Bulls offense in Game 1, and how it complicates David Blatt’s matchup and rotation decisions moving forward.
7th: Sports on Earth. Brett Koremenos breaks down the Cavs’ need for more out of Kyrie on the other end, too: “Outside of [LeBron] James posting up [Jimmy] Butler on the block (another action not utilized nearly enough despite good results), the most successful action of the game — and likely the series — will involve Irving running pick-and-rolls with whomever is guarding [Pau] Gasol.”
8th: Deadspin. Alan Siegel talked with a bunch of former Clippers about what it was like to play for Donald Sterling’s club during the bad old days of the 1980s and ’90s. Quoth Bo Kimble: “My love of the game was most important, and they took away that for the very first time in my life.”
9th: ClickHole. The only oral history of Michael Jordan’s “Flu Game” that you’ll ever need: “No one throws up better than Michael Jordan, and I proved it that night. I’m the best in the world at basketball and throwing up and crafts and swimming.”
10th: Spurs Nation. In his latest column for the Argentine newspaper La Nación, Manu Ginobili says he’ll wait a month to decide whether he’ll come back for another run with the San Antonio Spurs or if he’ll hang up his high-tops after two decades as a pro.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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