F**** the TV Schedule; Curry Plays Media Hold 'Em

Let me start off by saying I am absolutely LIVID with how the NBA scheduled these games tonight. How were the Spurs and Mavericks relegated to NBATV tonight? Look, I realize times are tough and Davey Stern needs to sell more jerseys, but if you look at all three match-ups tonight, you can't TELL me that the Spurs/Mavs game isn't the most intriguing. Yes, the Celtics are reeling and somehow knotted up with the Bulls at one, but I expect that game to be over by half-time despite what Bill Simmons says. Yes, the Jazz are one of the NBA's best home teams, but I still see the Lakers winning... and even if they don't they'll effectively end the series in Game Four. The Spurs and Mavs are much closer talent-wise, and with Erick Dampier's comments (no fine) creating even more animosity between the two squads... nevermind. I'm officially boycotting watching any games tonight... save for possibly the last four minutes of the Utah/L.A. game if it's close.

But, in terms of Game 3, I'm interested to see how the Mavs come out after Tony Parker's lay-up drill on Monday. I had to work late Monday and when I got home it was all about getting Cadence ready for bed. The few precious minutes I did see were not good. All I know is that if they duplicate that effort, this time they'll get run out of their own building.

Fortunately for them, the Mavericks will be in their own building, where they lost only nine times all year, a remarkable number considering they started the year 0-4 in their home confines. I've never been to a game before, but everytime I see them on TV that crowd is jacked up, and the Mavs definitely feed off of that. I still think that the Mavs collectively are much more capable of creating offense in one-on-one situations, even though the Spurs possess the series' best one-on-one player. Sigh... call it a homer pick, but I'm going with the Mavs by eight or more.

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Minutes before I walked into my sports journalism class, news broke that Stephen Curry is going pro. The story seems ho-hum on the surface, but the whole story about him going pro is pretty amazing considering today's journalistic climate. In a time where there are more leaks than a run-down apartment in Baltimore (still better than living at home at 26), Curry and camp played it extremely close to the chest. Usually when a player decides to turn pro, there's a report like two days before that player holds a press conference. But, there was no indication one way or the other which way he was leaning throughout the entire process. Steph didn't even tell his dad (allegedly) what he was going to do. His coach Bob McKillop probably thought he was coming back, prompting him to clear all of his plans from March to April. But, the kid really didn't give anything up to anybody. Curry might as well have been sitting at a poker table riffling chips with a pair of shades on; the ballin' version of Phil Ivey. As for how he projects at the next level, I'm going to reserve judgement until I see where he gets drafted. He's never going to be the savior, but if he gets on a team where all he has to do is spot up (i.e Lakers, Magic, Rockets), he could be a missing piece.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my 100th post, and only this year does it seem like I've gained any sort of consistency. After all, this is my third year of blogging and only my 100th post. I expect to hit 200 way sooner, probably around the time the Blake Griffin posts his first double-double as a member of the Clippers.

It's been a fun ride. Hopefully it goes on for years and years.