  -->We've now learned that Kings guard Anthony Peeler will have to sit two games for his forearm shiver in the face of Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett. Much to my shock, people are actually trying to claim that Garnett should have retaliated. ESPN.com's Bill Simmons said earlier today in a weblog-type piece on Page 2 that Garnett backed down. He would later explain that he was disappointed that Garnett didn't shove Peeler or at least get in his face. While I understand where Simmons is coming from, I'm more upset at Peeler's behavior and the reaction of Garnett's teammates. Instead of circling the wagons and rallying around their teammate (note: I am not advocating fisticuffs...but you can send the proper message without them), many of them chose to stand and watch the festivities. Claiming that Garnett should have retaliated and risked his Game 7 eligibility is questionable at best, as the same reporters would have chided such behavior as "thuglike" and "insanely selfish" had it actually happened.
-->As for Game Seven of the series, it's an easy call. The Timberwolves aren't losing this series. They're a better team. They have three guys--Garnett, Sprewell, and Cassell--that are matchup nightmares for those Kings who choose to play defense on occasion. Cassell gets an extra day of rest for the first time in a week and a half (the series went Monday-Wednesday-Friday-Sunday last week). I don't buy the experience argument. The Kings' experiences in playoff series haven't exactly been memorable, and Cassell certainly has some playoff mileage on those tires of his.
The Timberwolves have played better at home, and the Kings have been worse on the road. Factor in the NBA Officiating Quotient, and you have to think a more talented home team will advance, especially when David Stern doesn't want to have to deal with the prospect of Sacramento beating the Lakers. That was stressful enough two years ago. Wolves by a dozen on Wednesday. -->We know the Pistons and Nets will play a Game Seven. If everyone who watched Game 6 is awake by Thursday, they might get themselves another nap. These games have been either excrutiatingly dull or full of terrible basketball. Some have been a mix of the two, like Game 6 on Sunday night was. The Pistons, a deeper team that was facing a team that looked out of it by the middle of the second quarter, were unable to put away the opponent.
Through a collage of bad shot selection and inexplicable turnovers (you'd think that Detroit would know enough about Jersey's defensive tendencies to avoid some of the silly turnovers that plagued them last night), the Pistons managed to come within an eyelash of snatching another defeat from the jaws of victory. This might be the worst exciting series in NBA playoff history. Just enough good stuff (Nets fast breaks, stories like Brian Scalabrine, Chauncey's buzzer-beater) to keep you interested.
Enough bad coaching and execution to drive you to watch "I, Max". -->Speaking of "I, Max", does ESPN have some sort of copyright on "Around the Horn"? If so, they need to use it to get this abomination off the air. Seriously, do Fox Sports Net a favor. It's the same show...minus Woody Paige and Bob Ryan. I never thought I would see a show that was a bigger waste of television airtime than "Around the Horn" (well, besides "For Love or Money"). Then, "I, Max" came around. I hope it wasn't host Max Kellerman's choice to take Michael Holley with him from ATH. Holley may have been the worst of the panelists on ATH, and he is now featured on "I, Max". Whoever convinced Kellerman that he is more than a boxing analyst with an annoying voice should be fired from whatever his/her job is. The worst thing that ever happened to Kellerman was when he was picked to host a show that didn't fit his strengths. Now, he's taken his "talent" to Fox Sports Net, doing the same annoying show he did on ESPN. It's a show that is so overrun with the opinion of a boxing analyst that I don't know what to do. I don't care what John Madden thinks about the Red Wings. I don't care what Tim McCarver thinks about the Lakers.
I don't care what Bill Walton thinks about the Packers. I don't care what John Davidson thinks about the Yankees. Kellerman is making a huge career mistake. Fox might have more money, but they have a track record of losing big-time with ventures like this one. What Kellerman apparently forgot is that Keith Olbermann, Chris Myers, and others have tried to play the "Make a name for yourself, leave ESPN, and make a bigger name for yourself" game.
None of them have succeeded. Kellerman won't, either. -->While I'm talking about TV shows, hats off to that Rupert guy for winning the $1 million in that "Survivor All-Stars" fan vote last week. Maybe he can use that money to buy a razor and some shirts that have sleeves. -->Ben Sheets struck out 18 Atlanta Braves hitters yesterday. He threw 91 of 116 pitches for strikes in a complete-game three-hitter. It's the first time this season that I've seen a guy pitch with "no-hitter" stuff. Unfortunately for Ben, he didn't throw a no-hitter. In fact, I'm amazed that no one has even come close to a no-hitter so far this year. I don't keep track of such things, but don't we normally have at least a couple "near-misses" by now? You know, the game where a guy takes a no-no into the seventh or eighth inning...those kind of games. I can't think of any. If there's been more than one or two so far, I'd be very surprised. No-hitters are, for the most part, historically insignificant events, but they're fun to talk about, and they're fun to watch develop.
-->Twins radio guy Dan Gladden is really bad at play-by-play. Actually, that's an insult to guys who are really bad at play-by-play. If I were hiring for a play-by-play gig for a high school baseball team, I would laugh at Gladden's resume tape at this point. For those of you who would say "He's knew at it...let him get better", I would respond by saying "On the air doing Major League Baseball is no place to get better at doing play by play. If you're serious about such a venture, go do some minor league games and get better that way, instead of embarrassing yourself and the network you work for at the major league level. " -->The hockey playoffs continue. As usual, no one is watching, but there is excitement. The San Jose-Calgary series is strange, as the home team is 0-4 so far (2-2 series heading back to San Jose later tonight), while Philadelphia and Tampa Bay are, not surprisingly, tied at two wins apiece.
I still think Philadelphia and San Jose will advance, but the Lightning and Flames are far from out of it right now. Both need to win their respective Game 5s, though (Calgary at SJ and TB at home vs. Philly), to have a shot. The momentum in both series means a lot right now, and the Lightning and Flames have something in common heading into Game 5s: Their opponents have the momentum. It's good hockey, even though elitists like Mitch Albom don't know what to do with Detroit and Colorado out (there are teams in the league not named "Detroit" who don't rely on clutching and grabbing to win games, and Tampa Bay is a very fine example of one). If you like hockey, you'll enjoy the Finals, provided Philadelphia isn't there. 
