The Starting Five

(Matthew West | AP)

“Dude…now what am damn I gonna do with all those Game 2 tickets?”

Why didn’t Marc Davis simply call a jump ball?

Any of us who have hooped on any level know there is a presence of some refs. We know as soon as they walk into the building by that damn “Damn! This cat…” we let out. It affects the game. You try to forget  it and focus on executing but when they blow that cotdamn whistle for some dumb shit you chill and continue playing. When they do it the second time there is a glare and by the third time there is a physical reaction of sorts. Fans need to understand refs are human to and bias becomes a part of their performance sometimes as well. Dwil (D.K. Wilson) and I were talking earlier and he said the grade system of refs should be made public. I totally agree. It’s a needed check and balance. This in no way absolves any player but the punishment should be doled out accordingly in regards to officials as well…in all sports….

Yeah yeah it’s a rule: “Any player or coach guilty of intentional physical contact with an official shall automatically be suspended without pay for one game. A fine and/or longer period of suspension will result if circumstances so dictate.”

TNT’s coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs continues Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the New York Knicks @ Miami Heat (Game 2) followed by the Orlando Magic @ Indiana Pacers (Game 2). I’ll have a playoff preview with player season quotes I collected and predictions up tonight before the games begin tomorrow. Have a great week folks.

**Addendum 5:15 pm est. Rondo suspended for Game 2.**

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(Robert Gauthier/LA Times)

Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum tied an NBA playoff record with 10 blocked shots in the Los Angeles Lakers 103-88 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first round series. Bynum also recorded 10 points and 13 rebounds giving the Lakers their first playoff triple-double since Magic Johnson in the 1991 NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant led all scorers with 31 points.

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(Al Bello/Getty)

The rematch between light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson lacked the fireworks of their October 15, 2011 bout. In last night’s rematch, Dawson survived and ugly cut from an accidental butt from Hopkins, forging ahead to win a majority decsion in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

On the undercard, former Michigan State football player Seth “Mayhem” Mitchell survived an early onslaught from Chazz Witherspoon to regroup and score a third round TKO.

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(Photo: Jose3030)

Derrick Rose suffered what appears to be a serious leg injury in the closing minutes of the Chicago Bulls opening round of the playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers. TNT sideline reporter Cheryl Miller has reported that Rose has been taken to a local hospital.

TNT’s coverage of the 2012 NBA Playoffs continues Sunday, April 29 at 7 p.m. ET with a doubleheader featuring the Boston Celtics @ Atlanta Hawks (Game 1) followed by the Los Angeles Clippers @ Memphis Grizzlies (Game 1).

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell gave out pounds and bearhugs by the dozen as tears flowed from proud families during the first round of the NFL Draft. After Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III were off the board, a trade bonanza ensued. The SEC dominated the opening round with nine overall picks including of the first ten selections. The shocker of the round was the Dallas Cowboys moving up nine spots to snag standout LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne.

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Washington Capitals winger Joel Ward became the first Black player to score a game-winning goal in the NHL playoffs, it was a moment in the spotlight for the Ward who is Canadian-born, but of Barbados descent.

Until racism once again reared it’s ugly head.

Boston Bruins fans took to Twitter last night to use the N-word towards Ward whose goal sent the defending Stanley Cup Champions packing last night in Game 7 of their first round series against the Capitals.

Stay classy Boston.

We all heard Donovan McNabb’s comments a couple of weeks ago when he expressed concern for Robert Griffin III about how the Washington Redskins would not be a good fit, and while it sounded like McNabb was using the ESPN platform to publicly rip former coach Mike Shanahan for the hell that he put him through in DC – who would know better than McNabb?

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The Eagles have traded disgruntled cornerback Asante Samuel to the Atlanta Falcons for a yet to be determined late round draft pick. In nine seasons, Samuel has 45 interceptions (23 as an Eagle) and an NFL record four interceptions returned for touchdowns

The trade comes on the heels of a frustrating season which placed him in a logjam at the cornerback position with the 2011 acquisitions of Nnamdi Asomugha and Antonio Rodgers-Cromartie.

The seemingly one-sided deal gives the Eagles an extra $20 million in cap space (they are now around $11 million) which will be used to re-up running back LeSean McCoy and Rodgers-Cromartie.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

The fifth year forward out of UNC is beginning to put it all together…

Imagine being a high school player coming off  3 Mr. Basketball titles in the state of Tennessee (never been done before and since) and participating in the Jordan Classic after winning 4 straight high school championships at Brentwood Academy. Everything is in front of you…

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The Indianapolis Colts told us what we had known for months when they announced that they were going to make Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck the first pick in tomorrow night’s NFL Draft. Baylor’s Robert Griffin III will most assuredly be selected second overall by the Washington Redskins.

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As expected, the NBA came down on the Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace levying the forward with a seven-game suspension for throwing an elbow that left Oklahoma City Thunder forward James Harden with a concussion in their contest on Sunday.

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Welcome to The Starting Five Tip-Off – linking you to the top news and sports stories of the day. This is a daily feature that I hope will become a staple on the site.

We’ll start of with a Sportsblot, featuring one of the most bizarre moments in NBA history. It happened on this day in 1983.

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There was no better teammate than Brian Dawkins…

One of the most beloved athletes to play professionally in Philadelphia, Brian Dawkins retires from the NFL after 16 seasons with the Eagles and Broncos. The Jacksonville, Florida native out of Clemson University tweeted the news. The heat seeking safety will be remembered as one of the most motivated teammates and also one of the most ferocious hitters ever to play the sport. The team was always first with Dawkins. The 9 time Pro Bowl defensive back cried after losses. I’ve seen him cry on the podium. Football meant that much to him but he is more than a football player to those he impacted…

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Let’s be clear about something before we go any further. Along with the Chicago Bulls and the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Miami Heat are the favorites to win the NBA Championship. These are the facts, and they are indisputable. But despite that fact, or maybe even because of it as we will discover later, all three of these favorites have flaws, reasons why they could very easily not win the championship in June. But as I thought about this further, the flaws for the Heat are worthy of their own post.

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(Louis DeLuca/Dallas Morning News/MCT)

The Gerald Green story could’ve ended with him hidden in the obscurity of professional basketball leagues abroad – light years away from the 18th pick of the Boston Celtics of the 2005 NBA Draft. Instead, Green has rebounded from an embarrassing exile from the NBA and is looking to forward to cashing in on free agency this summer.

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