Baily's Sports & Stuff

The Charlotte Bobcats came into the NBA draft lottery hoping for the first pick in the draft. However, they ended up with the second. Even though they probably won't get a crack at star power forward Anthony Davis, there's another player the Bobcats need to pick. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was Davis' teammate at Kentucky, and he is a small forward with lots of upside. He can score down low, he can shoot, he can defend, and he can rebound. And that's just a small portion of what Kidd-Gilchrist can do. He was always Kentucky's second-best player, and that's very impressive for a championship team full of great NBA prospects. MKG is a good shooter, and he knows how to create good shots for himself and his teammates. Although Kidd-Gilchrist isn't great at scoring from the perimeter, he is a great post player, and he is tough enough to get to the rim and make his shots there. He is always there for his team, and while he is an inconsistent scorer, he always

The Thunder came into the Western Conference Finals feeling very confident about themselves. Now, after losing two games in San Antonio, they have a small chance of making the Finals. San Antonio has won 20 straight games and cruised through the playoffs so far, taking a 2-0 lead over the Thunder. While Game 1 was close (101-98), the Spurs dominated Game 2. To win the series, Oklahoma City will have to win 4 of 5 games against the top-seeded Spurs, and at least one of those will have to be on the road. Even with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, I don't see that happening. Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard, and Manu Ginobili have anchored a fantastic team that is poised to make playoff history. Right now, almost everybody is expecting a Spurs-Heat Finals. And they have no reason to expect anything different. While Durant, Westbrook, and Harden have scored points, Westbrook hasn't been getting everyone involved. As a result, nobody else (except

Andre Iguodala trade rumors are swirling around the NBA, and the All-Star has drawn interest from a few teams. Even the Lakers are interested in the Sixer small forward. Philadelphia had a very impressive playoff run, beating the top-seeded Bulls in 6 games and taking the fourth-seeded Celtics to seven games. However, their magical run has ended, and the young, talented 76ers must wait until next year. From the playoffs, we noticed strengths and weaknesses from the team. Philadelphia's defense was phenomenal, with Evan Turner and Iguodala anchoring the D. The 76ers made clutch shots and found many different ways to win. But then, there are the weaknesses. Spencer Hawes played very well in games 3 and 4 against Chicago, becoming the first Sixer center since Moses Malone to score 20 points in back-to-back playoff games. However, against Boston, his weaknesses became visible. The Celtics, the NBA's worst regular season rebounding team, did better on the glass than the

Jonathan Quick went from an unknown goalie to a solid goalie to a Vezina trophy finalist. And throughout his run, he's led the Kings to the Stanley Cup Finals. Los Angeles, the eighth seed in the West, beat the Canucks, Blues and Coyotes (the top three teams in the West) en route to a West title. Now, the Kings have the sixth seed in the East, the New Jersey Devils, ahead of them. New Jersey also has a top-notch goaltender in Martin Brodeur, who is looking to win his fourth Stanley Cup. The goalie battle will likely determine the Cup, and Quick is determined to win. His 1.54 GAA and his 94.6 save percentage throughout the playoffs show no reason not to believe in him. Quick hasn't given up more than three goals in his past 15 games, 12 of which have been won by the Kings. Brodeur has been consistent as well, but he has been aided by New Jersey's offense. Los Angeles has played great offense so far in the playoffs, and in all five games against the Coyotes, the K

The two best teams in the West made the conference finals. Now, it's time to see who is the better team. Both San Antonio and Oklahoma City cruised through the playoffs, combining for a record of 16-1 in the playoffs. The Spurs and Thunder both feature stars and both have gifted benches. To keep it short, both teams are talented. There will be some great individual matchups, some great shooting battles, and some great late-game battles. So don't blink now, or you'll miss the action. Here are three things to watch for in the Western Conference Finals. Late-Game Play The Oklahoma City Thunder have come up big late in games, and against the Spurs, their play down the stretch will be crucial. Both teams have proven they know how to finish off tight games, and no one knows better how to hit the big shot than Kevin Durant. Durant has hit three game-winners in the playoffs, and his late-game play has given Oklahoma City a few big wins. San Antonio hasn't had as

A miserable performance at Boston in Game 5 seemed to doom the 76ers' season. However, in Game 6, they bounced back, and now they're on the brink of advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals. Jrue Holiday stepped up big time to keep the Sixers alive, and he'll have to have another great game if Philly wants to win the seventh game. However, from what we've seen in the past, it is definitely possible. Philadelphia has no true star, but with Andre Iguodala, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner and some other young 76ers, they are loaded with talent. They have pieced their team together very nicely and built a championship contender, even as the eighth seed. That's why I foresee them shocking the Celtics. Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett are all (or have all been) great players, and guys like Avery Bradley and Brandon Bass have stepped up during the playoffs. However, Allen's shot is off, and he seems to be lacking the energy he needs. Pierce

Philadelphia looked to be in control of Game 5, leading for almost all of the first 2.5 quarters. Then, the Celtics went on a run. Then, they went on another run, and the 76ers were pushed into a 3-2 series hole. Brandon Bass used a fantastic shooting night to score 27 points as Boston beat Philadelphia 101-85 to win Game 5 and take a 3-2 series edge. Kevin Garnett scored 20 points, and Rajon Rondo had 13 points and 14 assists. Elton Brand scored 19 points for Philadelphia, and five players scored in double-digits, but no one delivered the key performance Philadelphia needed to come away with a win. Andre Iguodala scored eight points and shot 1-of-4 from the free-throw line (and 3-of-10 from the field). The game didn't resemble 76ers basketball at all. Hard-nosed, physical defense and rebounding have guided Philadelphia to where it is right now, but the Sixers couldn't execute that type of basketball in the second half. Boston shot an incredible 52.2 percent, with Bas

We know LeBron James as the MVP and Kobe as the most clutch player in the NBA. However, both of those teams are struggling, and Kevin Durant's team isn't. Thanks to Durant's magic, Oklahoma City rallied from down 13 to stun the Lakers and take a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Durant made the go-ahead three with 13.7 seconds to go, lifting Oklahoma City to victory. If the Thunder put L.A. away in Game 5, they'll play the Spurs (or Clippers) in the Western Conference finals. Without Durant, the Thunder would probably be down 3-1. He scored 31 in Game 4 and made the shots that mattered, and in Game 2, he hit the game-winning shot and keyed OKC's comeback from a seven-point deficit. There's just no stopping him down the stretch. If you ever get into a close game with the Thunder, make sure to guard Durant well. If you take your eye off him for a split second, he'll get open and nail a jumper. That's what happened in Game 4.

Kevin Durant wasn't playing up to his full potential, and as a result, the Thunder barely won Games 1 and 2. But in Game 3, Durant played up to his full potential. And as a result, Oklahoma City dominated Dallas. Durant scored 31 points on 11-for-15 shooting, as Oklahoma City crushed Dallas, 95-79. Russell Westbrook added 20, and the Thunder took a 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. While OKC's stars scored points and shot well, its defense was also great. Dallas shot just 34.2 percent, and Dirk Nowitzki was held to just 17 points. The Mavs turned the ball over 15 times and played sloppily. In the first two and a half quarters, Dallas was in the game. OKC would make a couple shots to take a double-digit lead, and then the Mavericks would cut the lead to single digits in a matter of minutes. This pattern continued into the third quarter, but the Thunder put a stop to it. OKC led, 60-50, when Russell Westbrook swished a three from the top of the key. On its next poss

With a 1-0 series lead against the eighth seed in the East, most people thought Chicago would win the first round, even without their star. And in the first half of Game 2, there wasn’t much concern from Bulls fan, with their team up 8. Then, the third and fourth quarters happened. Philadelphia ran away with Game 2 in the third quarter, outscoring the Bulls 36-14 and scoring 14 fastbreak points. Jrue Holiday scored 26 points, and he and Evan Turner powered the 76ers' third quarter stampede. Three 76ers finished with 19+ points, as Turner scored 19 and Lou Williams added 20. Philadelphia racked up 25 fastbreak points during the game, and they scored 52 points in the paint. Chicago got 8 fastbreak points and 32 points in the paint. The simple cause of Chicago being outscored 62-37 in the second half was their lack of effort and hustle. We all know Chicago as one of the best hustle teams in the NBA, but in the second half, when the Sixers started clicking, Chicago stopped fi

Oklahoma City came into their playoff series with Dallas looking ahead at a tough road to the NBA Finals. Now, after two close wins, the Thunder are up 2-0 on the defending champs, and looking ahead at a much easier path to the Finals. Kevin Durant came through in the clutch again, draining the go-ahead free throws in OKC’s 102-99 win over Dallas. The Thunder won games 1 and 2 at the last second. Russell Westbrook led the team with 29 points, while Durant scored 22. Derek Fisher, a veteran point guard the Thunder acquired in February, scored 11 off the bench. Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki was clutch in the 2011 postseason, but he missed a 12-footer that would’ve put Dallas ahead by 1 with under 30 seconds left. James Harden made 4 free throws late in the game to give the Thunder a three-point lead, and when Jason Terry missed two threes in the last five seconds, OKC’s win was sealed. Although they only outscored Dallas by a total of 4 points, the Thunder are up 2-0 in the seri