8:30 Steve Kerr thinks Lance Stephenson has stolen Tony Allen’s “Trick or Treat” monicker. Dammit, he’s right.

7:40 LeBron James blocks, then strips, a Roy Hibbert dunk attempt, then hits his second stab-and-pop J in a row. A move he’s going to have to utilize more with Hibbert looming inside this series (more on this, later).

5:04 Miami’s nightmare: Hibbert gets good post position, misses his hook, and West cleans up.

2:47 Call of the Year? Hibbert goes straight up to challenge a Battier drive, who promptly knees Hibbert in the spot one least wants to be kneed (and not unintentionally). Charge. Flagrant foul. Is it bad that a foul call in a basketball game can warm my heart?

1:23 Psycho T doing Psycho T things; technical foul on Birdman.

End of the first quarter: 22-21 Miami. West and Hibbert have 16 of the Pacers’ 21 points.

2nd Quarter

8:51 Marv Albert: “West with a hand in his face!”

8:04 Chris Andersen with a swat on DJ Augustin. Birdman Birdman.

4:45 Eric Spoelstra to Miami during a timeout: “This series is a possession series.”

4:21 West again. He’s 8 for 11, and on 2 of those misses, he rebounded and hit the putback.

3:08 Chris Bosh: more fouls (3) than points (2).

It feels like more than half of Miami’s points have come off feeds to the weakside helper’s man (Hibbert’s) from whoever’s getting into the paint. I wonder if the Knicks are watching and taking notes.

0:03 Questionable offensive foul called on Lance, on what would have been an and-1.

Half time: 42-37 Pacers. 13-12 Miami in turnovers.

Missing persons report: Paul George has 2 points. Chris Bosh has 1 rebound.

3rd Quarter

11:05 Bosh is alive? Jumper cuts lead to one. 42-41 Pacers.

10:07 Wade hits a fade to take the lead, answered by a sweet take and slam by Paul George.

Where do Craig Sager’s suits go after he wears them? He doesn’t re-wear, does he? Can I have them?

8:57 LeBron for 3, followed by a tip-in the next time down the floor. 49-44 Miami, who opens the half on a 12-2 run.

7:57 George answers again, this time with Indy’s first 3 of the night.

6:39 West hits off nice Stephenson feed. Tied at 51. Hibbert and West have 33.

5:45 Bosh hits on the break. Quick, what’s the land speed of a T-Rex?

4:42 Psycho T finshes two Indy offensive boards in a row.

2:20 Steve Kerr: “Augustin is surprisingly strong, Reggie.” After DJ “bowls” LeBron “over.”

65-64 Pacers.

4th Quarter

11:38 LeBron misses both free throws after a hard foul from Hibbert.

7:30 Two easy buckets for Birdman, who’s 6 for 6. 76-73 Miami.

5:50 Birdman hits on the trail after a sweet swat on Stephenson.

5:35 Paul George answers with banking and-1. Tied at 80.

4:29 Huge play: Hibbert with a massive rejection on Wade, only to see the ball squirt to Norris Cole, who feeds LeBron for 3.

3:01 Norris Cole takes his forearm to West’s groin. Offensive foul.

2:35 A gust of wind sends Wade flying. Foul on the floor.

1:40 Hibbert puts back his own miss. 89-87 Miami.

0:55 West drives in and flips for 2. Tied at 89.

These Hyundai commercials … I never thought Bob Marley could make me so angry.

0:18 With the chance to take a 4-point lead, Ray Allen hits only 1 of 2 from the line. 92-89 Miami.

0:00.7 Paul George hits a deep off-balance 3 on a broken play to tie! 92 all.

Retrospect police say to foul West on the dribble hand-off to give Pacers 2 FTs down by 3 with 2 seconds left.

Overtime

4:28 West misses both FTs.

3:32 Birdman benefits from a bad call on Hibbert challenge of a sweeping hook. 94 all.

2:28 West misses bunny shot, Wade hits on the break. 96 all.

2:10 Paul George and-1 for LeBron’s fifth foul. Wade has five, too.

0:49 Bosh and-1 on putback ties the game at 99 (his second rebound of the game).

0:33 West’s step-back J rims out.

0:11 Here’s where it gets frustrinteresting: Frank Vogel calls a timeout just to take Hibbert, his defensive anchor and one of the best rim protectors alive, out of the game for his team’s biggest defensive possession of the night. LeBron strolls to the rim for 2. 101-99 Miami.

:02 Hill fumbles the inbound, bodies fly, and Indy ends up with the ball. Paul George puts it up, only to be fouled on the 3 attempt by Wade (who, of all people, can’t believe it).  George hits all three, seemingly taking the game.

:00 But again, Vogel calls timeout to sub Hibbert off the floor. How? How?! How after what just happened? On the easiest game-winning drive with 2 seconds left of all time, LeBron catches and angles to the hoop, uncontested for the win at the buzzer.

Three hours of great basketball in the vaults, and we’re left only wanting more. However, in the same game that the Pacers showed they’re more than capable of knocking off the defending champs, their best chance at staking that claim was squandered with the same questionable (and that’s a generous adjective here) coaching call, not once, but twice in less than 20 seconds of game time. Hibbert wasn’t just on the bench, but a timeout was called specifically to take Hibbert out in favor of Sam Young on each occasion. The rationale is a matchup thing, but the Bosh-LeBron frontline is what the Heat start with, and Indy never seemed to have trouble pitting Hibbert against it. How, on the two most important defensive possessions of the game, could taking him out even be an option?

The post Pacers-Heat Game 1 Retroactive Log: Too Easy, Two Times appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila: 1989-2013 R.I.P.

Our condolences to the Ibaka family.

The post Nasty Tayshaun Prince Dunk Over Ibaka appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

Against the youthful and more athletic Golden State Warriors, it was crucial for San Antonio to out-hustle them in every way possible. Whether it was taking a charge (flop), going for a loose ball, or long rebound, the Spurs did just that to win the game, 109-91. The Spurs now hold a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.

Tony Parker led a well-balanced Spurs offense with 25 points and 10 assists, Kawhi Leonard poured in 17 of his own, and Danny Green scored 16. The old man of the bunch, Tim Duncan, double0-dipped to the tune of 14 points and 11 rebounds while patrolling the paint on the defensive end.

The Warriors‘ super-shooting back court duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were miserable, going just 6-22 from the floor, combining for 13 points on the night. On a brighter note, rookie Harrison Barnes had another spectacular night, scoring 25 points for the second game in a row.

San Antonio will look to close out the series Thursday on the road.

The post Spurs Take The Lead appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

When you have a team down, you don’t let them back up. You put your foot on their throat and push harder. I know it sounds harsh, but these are the NBA Playoffs people!

It’s kill or get featured in a “Gone Fishing” segment with Kenny and Chuck, and nobody wants that.

While George Hill powered the Pacers with 26 points, Paul George had a monster game of his own dropping 18 points, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, leading Indy past the New York Knicks, 93-82. David West  chipped in with another double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds) as Lance Stephenson played his usual stingy defense, while also contributing on the offensive end with 13 points.

Current NBA scoring “champion” Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points on 9-23 shooting before fouling out with 2 minutes left in the game. Carmelo failed to score a basket in the final 12 minutes for the second game in a row.

The Pacers will look to close out the series in Game 5 Saturday night at home.

The post Pacers Have Knicks On The Ropes appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

Yesterday afternoon, Kobe Bryant decided to gross us all out by Tweeting a picture of his Achilles surgery. Are we being trolled by Kobe, or is this just the Mamba doing Mamba things?

Check out the Tweet below, followed by the picture.

Warning for the squeamish, it’s not pretty.

Kobe Bryant @kobebryant

One month ago yesterday #surgery #graphic #RealNoImage #mambamentality http://instagram.com/p/ZTUNSZxNhf/ — Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) May 14, 2013

The post Kobe Tweets Pic Of Achilles Surgery appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

Ummm …where do we start here? OK, I know all about the trend of shorter pants that show a little bit of ankle. I even like the look in general, and am well aware we have designer Tom Ford to thank for bringing it back into fashion. Yeah, I’ve had a GQ subscription since I was 12 alright, don’t judge me. But this, my friends, is Dwyane Wade going way overboard. I don’t even think Russell Westbrook would wear those pants.

The post Dwyane Waders appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

The Chicago Bulls were slaughtered last night, 88-65, by the Miami Heat in Game 4 of their best-of-seven series. The Heat now hold a substantial 3-1 lead heading into Wednesday evening’s Game 5.

The Bulls again were without Luol Deng (illness) and Kirk Hinrich (calf),  and have simply appeared to run out of steam. While coach Tom Thibodeau rejects the thought, the Bulls were clearly a step behind the Miami Heat all night long.

“No,” he said. “I think the thing is they’re [Heat] a great team. We have to come out with great intensity—but we also have to make shots.”

The Bulls  did not make shots….

Chicago’s super-sub-turned-starter, Nate Robinson, had an abysmal shooting night, going 0 for everything in Game 4. The rest of the Bulls team seemed to follow suit, as they shot a combined 25.7% from the floor.

LeBron James was the head executioner, leading all scorers with 27 points, while adding his usual 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Chris Bosh chipped in with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks as the Heat won again despite another ugly outing (6 points) from Dwyane Wade. D-Wade‘s right knee appeared to be bothering him again, as he landed hard on it taking a fade-away jumper, though he was able to return after a trip to the locker room for re-taping.

The Heat will look to close out the series in front of their home crowd Wednesday night, while the Bulls will be fighting for their playoff lives.

As for the amount of fight the Bulls have left in them, we will have to just wait until Game 5 to see.

The post The Great Chicago Massacre of 2013: Heat Slaughter Bulls appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

1st Quarter

10:27 Tony Parker opens the Spurs’ scoring with back-to-back patented pull-up 2s.

9:33 Steph Curry hits his second 3—a runner off one leg. This is his last made deep-ball of the hame.

8:46 Tim Duncan pumps and pops off glass, his second hoop in a row. 8-6 Spurs.

7:54 Steph air-balls a 3, something so unlikely the ref blows the whistle and settles on a Danny Green foul.

6:39 Klay Thompson heating up with 5 points on straight possessions.

4:37 Klay hook shot. I can’t decide if “Klay Hook” sounds more like a rap name or a New England vacation spot.

2nd Quarter

10:55 In one beautiful, fluid motion, Manu drives, hits and complains about a no-call. 30-27 Warriors.

10:07 Steph dribbles into a side-fading jumper. Swish. My mom: “Wow. That was nice, right?” Yes, mom. And yes, reader, I watched this game at my parents’ house.

9:40 According to Dick Stockton, when Bonner dribbles towards the hoop and shoots a fearful one-handed hook from 10 feet, he’s “attacking the basket.”

8:00 Festus Ezeli tip-stuff is followed by five straight points for Klay, capping a 9-0 run. 44-31 Warriors.

5:54 Parker responds with a flurry: six points and a dish to Kawhi Leonardfor a Spurs response.

4:07 Klay hits from deep, followed by three consecutive bricks from distance for Danny Green, followed by yet another triple from Thompson. 23 for him now.

2:10 Harrison Barnes jabs and hits for the Warriors’ largest lead, 56-41. Tim answers with sweeping lay-in from the post.

At the half: Golden State: 62; Spurs: 43 (Steph and Klay: 42 and 0 turnovers)

3rd Quarter

8:33 Thompson slams home a feed from Curry for the Warriors’ largest lead yet of the night, 69-49.

7:43 Danny Green 3 cuts lead to 15. The Alamodome is brimming with intensity.

2:45 Ginobili strip and lay-in, giving the Spurs 6 straight at the rim. 75-62 Warriors

2:17 Technical foul on Ezeli for … jumping? Saying (to himself) “my god”? Chris Webber disagrees from the booth: “You need emotion in this game.” True. 75-64.

1:43 Hack-a-Bogut I: Makes FTs. Danny Green 3 cuts lead to 10.

1:39 Hack-a-Bogut II: 2 ugly bricks. Spurs miss from 3, but Gary Neal connects after a tip-out. Timeout. Bogut sits. 77-70 Warriors.

0:00 Klay huge 3 at buzzer on awkward crosscourt Jarrett Jack feed. 83-72.

4th Quarter

8:30 Tiago Splitter and Parker brick consecutive point-blank lay-in attempts and draw more groans than are found at the Alamodome during a Spurs Rodeo Road Trip. (That’s a livestock joke for all you city-folk.)

8:06 Neal pulls up on the break to cut lead the Warriors lead to 86-78.

6:39 Duncan and Parker sink back-to-back jumpers, but Draymond responds with a 3. 91-82 Warriors

4:22 Ginobili 3 is answered by a Steph circus scoop. 97-89

Who is Deon Cole and why do 5-year-olds write his jokes?

2:40 CWebb: “What a play call by Popovich,” but Kawhi misses the wide open 3.

1:55 Steph dagger pull-up 3. 99-89.

Final: 100-91, Golden State

As Shaq noted (repeatedly) after the game, Klay Thompson was just too “Hot hot hot hot” for the Spurs, whose valiant comeback attempts met Golden State responses throughout the night. Duncan and Parker dropped 23 and 20, respectively, but it wasn’t enough to match Curry’s 22 and Klay’s 34 and eight 3s. With the series tied at one, Gregg Popovich needs Parker’s scoring but can ill afford him to be mismatched guarding any member of the Warriors backcourt rotation. It will be interesting to see how the team attacks Golden State defensively through the rest of the series.

The post Spurs-Warriors Game 2 Retroactive Log: Made of Klay appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

He has certainly caught the eye of his teammate, Tony Allen.

“Mike Conley is now one of the top five point guards in the league, whether anybody likes it or not. I know a lot of people have got their favorites on who they think it should be, but Mike Conley is in that conversation now, being able to do these types of things on the court night in and night out.”

I’m not one to argue with Tony Allen, and neither should you.

Kevin Durant may have led all scorers with 36 points, but it was Conley that stole the show. Mike dropped in 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists as the Grizzlies defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 99-93 Tuesday night. The series is now tied at one game apiece. And with the win, the Grizzlies have gained home-court advantage in the Western Conference Semifinals.

The post Mike Conley Leads Grizzlies In Game 2 Victory appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.

Anthony scored 32 points, 16 during a 30-2 New York barrage in the second half, as the Knicks crushed the Pacers 105-79 on Tuesday to even the Eastern Conference Semifinals at one.

Iman Shumpert got in on the action with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and one nasty dunk right past four flat-footed Pacer defenders. Raymond Felton chipped in 14 points of his own, as the Knicks turned the game into a blowout over the final 15 minutes.

The post Carmelo Anthony Lights Up Pacers appeared first on Baller Mind Frame.