Some Good Playoff Basketball

I said yesterday that I was looking for some good playoff basketball. And did I ever find it. Yesterday, I had a clone email suggesting I shorten The Association to The 'Ass' or just plain 'ASS' because the games couldn't get any worse.

It went from can’t get any worse to doesn’t get much better pretty quickly, didn’t it? Well, not for Car Flag Nation. And not for you Philly fan. But for the rest of us, that was some remarkable basketball. And some remarkable buh bah buh bah CHOKING. 

You know I don’t throw that term around lightly. But what else am I supposed to call what happened to the Lakers and the Sixers last night? Were those not two of the clearest cut cases of teams gagging away games they desperately needed to win and absolutely should have won? If that's not gagging then I don't know what gagging is anymore. 

It’s gotta be especially devastating for Smoked Ham’s Lakers. You can't say I didn't warn you, Ham. I warned you that you were gonna find that smoke you were looking for. And now, Smoked Ham, that's TEN in a row.

That's TEN FOR YOU. NOT ONE NOT TWO NOT THREE, TEN straight L's against the Nuggets. And you just lost the TENTH by blowing a 20 point lead. That's a rough look, Smoked Ham. That's bad enough to have Car Flag Nation sprinting to the garages to hide their car flags and rip off their purple and gold bumper stickers and remove their Laker license plate covers. 

Tenth loss to Denver in a row, and even on a night where the Lakers had it all working. And Denver had very little working. Even with LeCap balling the hell out. Even with DLo going off, dude drilled 7 threes! And for most of the game, AD couldn’t miss a shot. Literally could not miss. 

YO AD… WHAT’S GOOD? AD was what’s good. Until he disappeared at least. But for the first three quarters, AD was the best player on the floor. AD was the face of the franchise. Again, for three quarters. Then that face of the franchise buried itself in the sand and did a complete disappearing act down the stretch. While the rest of the Lakers not named LeCap also did a complete disappearing act down the stretch.

The Laker Show had it all going. And Denver looked disinterested for most of the game. Like they knew they could just get around to beating these dudes later. Jamal Murray couldn't toss it in the ocean for most of the game. But then somehow, after being 20 down in the second half, Denver found themselves with the ball and the last shot in a tie game and Jamal Murray did this.

It was far from Jamal Murray's best night, but it had the best possible ending. Meanwhile it was also the worst possible ending to what was basically the best possible Laker night.

What a mic drop moment Murray. Actually the first of a few mic drop moments last night. Because for some reason the butthurt Lakers kept dropping mics and storming off the stage in the postgame.

Yo Lakers… the hell happened? Yo AD… the hell happened? Maybe you can help us out here. YO AD, first off, WHAT’S GOOD AD? My second question, the hell happened to all of you at the end of the game? 

Good look AD, thanks for clearing that up and then storming off the podium and throwing a butthurt temper tantrum:  True face of the franchise kinda stuff. This was supposed to your big moment too, AD. Yo AD, WHAT’S GOOD!! What bothered you more: the choke job, Jokic dominated you when it mattered most or the Defensive Player of the Year snub. Wait. Don’t say anything: the answer is yes. But why do I think this dude was at his best for much of the game, not because they had to have it, but because he was all bent about the DPOY snub.

You would think losing nine in a row to Denver would be enough motivation, but AD had to dig deeper. He had to go all the way to THE QUOTE  "the league doesn't like me," he actually said that to ESPN, because he wasn't named a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year. Even though the league doesn't vote for that, the journos and broadcasters do. The league doesn’t like me is so lame and so hilarious. The league doesn’t even vote on the award, but the league doesn’t like you.  If it will make you feel better, dude, these guys love you? 

But hey, whatever works as fuel, right AD? When AD was 14 for 15 from the field, RUNNING ON  the cleanest burning rocket fuel ever. It's just that fuel ran out around the middle of the third quarter. Which is why I think there's a little more to this epic collapse than "Jamal Murray made a shot." 

Yes, he did, but also, AD didn't make a shot in the entire fourth quarter. AD didn't score after the 7:15 mark of the third quarter. Pretty tough on the Lake Show to close out the defending champs who've beaten them nine times in a row without any help at all in crunch time from AD. But yeah, I can't deny, also true that Jamal Murray made a shot. 

Incredibly enough, AD's postgame CASE OF BUTTHURT  and storm off wasn’t even the most cringe postgame CASE OF BUTTHURT  and storm off of the night. LeBag somehow actually managed to top it. Well we all know how, he LeBagged it up. LeBag went vintage LeBag and somehow found a way to make that hideous gag job about the replay center. 

This is precisely why you’ve been glossed LeBag, LeBag. He was so outrageously good too last night, the last thing I want to do is crush this dude for that performance. For real, I'm not messing around, this old man is still absolutely incredible. I just don't know what's more unbelievable at this point, his level of play on the floor or his level of utter baggery off it.

Yeah, it was totally the replay center’s fault. The replay center blew that 20 point lead. Just like the replay center also has a 10 game losing streak to the Nuggets. Somebody call Secaucus, New Jersey, and tell them it’s their fault the Lakers blew the game last night and can't beat the Nuggets. Somebody let those nerds locked in that dark, windowless room in the New Jersey swamp know that they cost LeBag and AD and Car Flag Nation a huge game. 

What a bad look. And that goes for the whole Lake Show. But I'm not sure anyone looks any worse right now than Smoked Ham. Smoked Ham had a hell of day... First there was a report before the game that he's expected to return next season, although I can't say I'm personally convinced of that. 

Then the Ham found a microphone pregame and casually admitted that he has no idea how to stop the Joker. 

Yeah, we know, Ham. We know you have no idea what to do. That's totally what it looks like to everyone watching, that you have no idea what to do about the Joker. And you have no answers in the fourth quarter and Michael Malone has been absolutely destroying you in second half adjustments. I know Ham, I can tell by watching, that's why I'm calling you Smoked Ham.

Way to Lake Show, Lake Show. Smoked Ham doesn't know what to do. LeBag is blaming the replay center. AD is BUTT HURT that the league doesn't like him. All while the Nuggets are just doing what they always do, AKA beating the Lakers. And oh yeah, Jamal Murray made a shot.