Happy Sunday, children. This joyous day brings with it four must-see (three can-see) NBA playoff games. Here's your schedule:
12:30- Toronto/Orlando- TNT
3:00- Denver/Los Angeles- ABC
6:00- Philadelphia/Detroit- TNT
8:30- Atlanta/Boston- TNT
The bad news? Rumor has it that the Nugs/Lakes tilt on ABC won't be viewable in the New York area because the Pope's visit to Yankee Stadium is gonna be televised on ABC. I don't know about you, but until Benedict improves his assist/turnover ratio, I'd rather see Kobe. Oh well.
Meanwhile, if you were watching yesterday, you probably heard Mike Breen formally ask Mark Jackson if he had interest in the Knicks' now-vacant coaching job. Here's his reply:
"Well, I'll tell you what, Donnie Walsh is a guy I have a great relationship with, I have a lot of history with," Jackson said. "You talk about the Knicks, it's one of the greatest franchises in all of sports. It is a job that is very intriguing."
That's genuine interest, folks. I also love that he managed to incorporate some Hubie Brown "you talk about..." styling into his response. When Jeff Van Gundy was asked the same thing, he instead gave a vote of confidence for Jackson:
"This is a one-horse race right now; it's Mark Jackson," Van Gundy said. "It's his time and he would do a tremendous job if given the opportunity anywhere, but particularly a New York guy in New York. Great idea on basketball philosophy, great communication skills."
This certainly does seem to be the case. While we haven't heard anything yet from Walsh, Jackson does appear to be the front-runner. It's hard to take a stance when the guy has never coached before and we have no idea what his style is like. I can say that I'd be relieved to longer have to hear his announcing anymore...
More on this as it develops. Enjoy this glorious day and leave your comments here.