The Weak Ender

True story. Actually spent some time looking for the Lakers/Clippers score last night after watching Scrubs. Now, that might not seem like much commitment to the NBA, but probably the biggest effort ever put into an NBA regular season game for quite some time. So that's progress, considering it is much easier to just listen to T.J. Simers talk about it the next day on the radio.

And speaking of the LA talking heads, what was up with everybody yesterday predicting a Lakers victory? Now, the NFL is certainly guilty of having teams mail it in on some weeks, but it is a damn near precedent in the NBA. The Clippers needed a win to remain alive in the playoffs. The Lakers are almost assured of a playoff spot.

Yeah, who was going to win that one?

And when you look at it, the playoffs are more important to the Clippers than they are to the Lakers. A playoff appearance for the Clippers is akin to an NBA championship for the Lakers. Even if the Clippers lose in the first round, just being in the playoffs gives the program legitimacy that its sorely been lacking. The Clippers will go back to the same old sorry Clippers if they fall short again. Now looking at the Clippers schedule, who is still good? There was a time when Sacramento and Portland would be a death march, and the Phoenix game would be a breeze, but that isn't the case now, is it?

The Clipper Spirit pictured above is Harmony. Now, isn't that a (female dog) when you fill out your Clipper Spirit application and accidentally put down your stage name instead of your real one. Burn.

And for those of you wondering, your Miami Heat (led by the lovely and former TWE girl Katherine on the right) are again your champions in the NBA.com, come click on a bunch of pictures contest.

• The Lakers need to take CS Fullerton point guard Bobby Brown. He has to be an upgrade over Smush Parker, and at least he won't be afraid to get involved in the game. And he also hates to play defense, making him the perfect Lakers.
  

• Drew Bledsoe has retired. Damn. Watching an immobile Bledsoe play behind the Raiders offensive line would have been a fitting end to his career. Instead he took the easy way out. What a tough year this has been for defensive backs, losing Bledsoe and Jake Plummer. At least Brett Favre is still around to toss some interceptions.
  

• The hockey playoffs have started in earnest this week, the same week in which Don Imus was fired. Now, which one were you most surprised to find out was actually still around?

THE LINKS

Sports Hernia had a really good week, a couple of great posts here revolving around the PacMan Jones fallout and look at some of the hockey fights.

The Wade Blogs has a nice look back on Kurt Vonnegut. Who, you might remember, caused Thorton Melon to fail a test in Back to School.

Zach LS debates on whether he would like to know (in the biblical sense) a women college hoops player. We all know which way Imus voted.

That is a bonus picture of Katherine for those of you who clicked over to Zach's page and Candice Parker's mug.

Awful Announcing will have its own Mock Draft on Monday (including THN picking for the Chargers). But Benny over the Sports Pulse found this incredibly humorous mock draft from The Brushback. And that, my friends, was probably the most links dropped in a minute.

Here is a Cleveland fan's view of the series in Milwaukee. Via the real Will Leitch at Deadspin.

Remember this Titan, Denzel Washington's son is off to play in NFL Europe, via Steroid Nation.

AND FINALLY

The Angels dropped a tough one in Cleveland, err, Milwaukee yesterday. Scot Shields will get the brunt of the blame for walking two and giving up a three-run bomb to that one guy. But this is going to happen when you try to win all of your games 3-1, or 4-2. This is going to happen when your margin for error is so small. Expect more games like this because it will be impossible to expect the pitching staff to be perfect every time they step out on the field.

BTW, Troy Glaus belted another home run this week. But hey, Dallas McPherson might one day walk again.