SBNation.com - From Our EditorsBlog Posts

A.C. Green Is At A Bar Watching The Lakers Game In An A.C. Green Jersey

2012-05-17T04:02:16Z

Time to hit to take a trip down memory lane for a moment. Wondering what A.C. Green is up to? We believe he's watching the Lakers-Thunder matchup. That makes sense, of course.

But it gets better. A.C. Green appears to be watching the game at ESPN Zone while rocking his own Lakers jersey. We're 99.9 percent sure it's him.

via Instagram

We changed the faces of the other people in the photo so they're not just hanging out on the Internet, but A.C. was left untouched. And you know what? If I was A.C. Green I'd probably just show up at a bar wearing my own jersey for the hell of it. Because why not?

POLL: Would You Want This James Harden Foam Mask?

2012-05-17T02:28:53Z

Simple question here: if this James Harden foam mask cost, say, $10, would you buy it?

Poll

Would you buy this foam mask?

Net Cords: What's Next In Memphis?

2012-05-16T17:00:39Z

The Memphis Grizzlies improved over the previous year during the regular season, and landed a lovely top-4 seed in the playoffs. But until 2011, the Grizz couldn't get out of the first round. SB Nation's Memphis blog Straight Outta Vancouver considers that progression and what the future holds for the Grizz.

It appears as if the Grizzlies are open and willing to make a major move this offseason, as long as it doesn't mean "starting over." You won't find them shipping off both Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay for future pieces. They're going at it over the next 4-5 years (and beyond?), and one, if not both of those players are going to be a part of the equation. Now, is it possible that they move one of them? Absolutely. Is it also possible that they let O.J. Mayo walk? Most definitely. But for now it's going to be a period of deep reflection for Chris Wallace, Lionel Hollins and company.

San Antonio Has Been Spurred To A Pretty Impressive Winning Streak

2012-05-16T16:10:33Z

The San Antonio Spurs have put together a pretty impressive winning streak in the NBA Playoffs, winning all five games they've played, but the truth is this recurrent winning thing has gone on for quite awhile.

In fact, for those that are into advanced statistics*, the Spurs have now put together a streak of 15 consecutive victories. It's actually been over a month since the Spurs last lost -- and, were it not for the playoff victories, this might not even be the most impressive string of wins that San Antonio put together during this lockout-truncated season.

Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili have been able to stave off defeat since April 11, when the Los Angeles Lakers handed San Antonio a 14-point loss at the AT&T Center. Following that loss, the Spurs rattled off 10 straight wins to end the regular season.
Though these don't exactly add up to a winning "streak," the Spurs finished the regular season winning 24 of their last 27 games and -- if one wants to broaden the perspective -- an NBA best 38 of 45 to end the regular season.
Despite the shortened season, the Spurs were able to win 50 games this year for the 13th consecutive year -- the longest streak in NBA history.
San Antonio also broke one of its own franchise records this year, putting together double-digit winning streaks on three consecutive occasions.
The Spurs were the only team to win both of their back-to-back-to-backs this season.
The NBA Playoffs have included the Spurs 15 consecutive times, the longest current streak in the NBA.

That's a lot of winning!

*Note: Winning is not really an "advanced" statistic and the above streaks were provided via the San Antonio game notes.

'Good Game, Daddy,' Said Chris Paul's 2-Year-Old Son

2012-05-16T14:21:51Z

From the AP's Clippers-Spurs recap:

Clippers' All-Star Chris Paul needed no reminder that his wretched performance contributed to the Spurs' 108-92 victory over Los Angeles in the opener of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night.

He just needed to deliver the message to his kid.

"Good game, Daddy," Paul's young son told this father in the locker room.

"No, bad game," Paul answered. "Daddy had a bad game. Daddy couldn't make a shot."

Do you see what you've done Gregg Popovich? Are you happy now, Spurs fans? Chris Paul's son just found out his Daddy's not invincible, life's not just one big party full of laughter and triumphant press conferences, and now WE MAY NEVER SEE THE BLAKE FACE AGAIN.

Isn't growing up the worst?

(HT @jeskeets)

NBA Assistant Head Coaches Who Deserve A Shot Power Rankings

2012-05-16T13:37:33Z

On Monday, I offered up a ranking of the NBA head coaches who are or are expected to be available for teams looking for a new leader as the offseason develops. My Top 10 includes four assistant coaches who have never been a head coach. I will admit a bias toward these working stiffs: while 40 percent of my top 10 fits the category, of the eight head coaches hired in the calendar year 2011, only two had never been a head coach. Both of those gentlemen, Ty Corbin and Frank Vogel, were midseason replacements.

This is to say that while I like career assistants, NBA decision-makers tend to look toward the head coach carousel with more frequency.

That said, let's devote a brief power rankings only to these career assistants who (I think) deserve a shot in the big boys' chair.

1. MIKE BUDENHOLZER

Tom Thibodeau used to get plenty of interviews before the Bulls hired him in 2010. It was suggested that he wasn't terribly personable and possibly couldn't connect with the modern player well enough to earn respect.

Through two years, Thibodeau has the highest winning percentage for a coach in NBA history ... over Phil Jackson ... by no small margin. Clearly, teams that passed on him for guys like Paul Westphal (Kings) and Avery Johnson (Nets) are kicking themselves.

Such is the fate of Mike Budenholzer, the early-40s lead assistant who has spent almost two decades learning from and informing the decisions of Gregg Popovich. Some GMs are going to feel really, really silly for picking over the carcass of the carousel instead of giving Bud his first shot.

2. BRIAN SHAW

Shaw doesn't have the years on the bench that Bud does, but they were spent a) learning from Phil Jackson, and b) dealing with Kobe Bryant behind the scenes. Unfortunately, the league has more personalities like Kobe (difficult) than Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, especially among the top players. As such, Shaw's experience in the fish bowl of L.A. Basketball is a huge part of his potential as a head coach.

3. MIKE MALONE

Unfortunately missing from my Monday list was Malone, who became the "it" assistant last summer. Malone could get the Bobcats job a year after nearly getting the Warriors job. He turned down an assistant job with Mike Brown (his old boss in Cleveland) to be Mark Jackson's No. 2 in Golden State; no one expected that partnership to last long, and it probably won't.

Here's the thing: we have come to realize that Mark Jackson (who had zero coaching experience going into last season) is not some kind of coaching savant. That much is clear. So the Warriors have a hot coaching prospect sitting behind Jackson, ready to pounce on a lead job somewhere else. And chances are that the hot coaching prospect (Malone) is already a better coach than Jackson. Yet there's no way they can make the switch. So they (ownership) either need to shrug and continue down a path Chris Cohan would recognize (consistent churn and failure and churn) or make a bold decision and replace Jackson with Malone before they lose the latter.

A better solution: acquire time machine, return to 2011, hire Mike Malone as head coach instead of the TV analyst best known for uttering the quizzical defensive mantra "Hand down, man down" 14 times per game.

4. DAVE JOERGER

The Grizzlies' assistant is a hot name, one of those assistants for whom teams actually battle to add him to their bench. Our Scott Schroeder covered him well last summer and, well, forever!

5. MARIO ELIE

The Nets assistant has the proper disposition and experience both as a player and coach to make the leap. His success will, as is the case for so many assistant-turned-head coaches, on his players. But I'm confident in projecting that he won't be the problem, though he's not a pick for the advanced stats set.

Also worth keeping an eye on: Nate Tibbetts, Quin Snyder, Patrick Ewing, Bryan Gates.

At Least Vinny Del Negro Is Honest

2012-05-16T12:34:42Z

Vinny Del Negro, asked if the Spurs have the coaching edge in this series: "Absolutely."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) May 16, 2012

Dwyane Wade Accuses Pacers Of Excessive Celebration

2012-05-16T12:01:06Z

Dwyane Wade wouldn't know anything about getting too excited before winning anything of consequence. He would never do something like this or this, would he? Of course not.

So when he says that the Indiana Pacers got a little too excited after beating his Miami Heat in Game 2 of their 2012 NBA Playoffs series on Tuesday, he's doing it because he wants to make sure they're as virtuous as he is. Here's what Wade said following the game.

"I heard they wanted to be like the Dallas Mavericks," Wade said, referencing something Pacers coach Frank Vogel said during a timeout that was broadcasted on ABC during Game 1. "I saw their little celebration at the end of the game, so I don't know if they expected to win."

It was Wade's way of reminding the Pacers that they are the underdogs, which Wade felt the need to do even though the scoreboard doesn't care which team was actually favored in the series. But that's neither here nor there. If Wade wanted to blow off steam, I guess that's his prerogative.

The problem? The Pacers weren't even really celebrating. Oh sure, they were excited for a bit, but David West ushered them off the court simply because he knew it was just one game.

If that's a form of celebration, I'd like to know what Wade thinks isn't.