Hand Down, Manu Down

'Never leave your man,' coaches preach to defenders, especially when guarding shooters. Mark Jackson should've told his players never leave Manu, either. Manu Ginobli, wide open, took a cross-court inbounds pass and connected on a three-pointer with 1.2 seconds left in the second overtime period, of what was the second multiple-overtime game of the playoffs, to complete a Spurs comeback Monday.The Spurs rallied from 16-points down to send it to OT numero uno, while the Warriors wasted a 44-point night and 22-point third quarter from Stephen Curry. The Warriors are, in tennis terms, love-30, since Love Day 1997, on the Spurs home floor. Never mind remembering the Alamo, does anyone actually recall the last time the Warriors won in San Antonio? Think it's no big deal that Curry was in elementary school and Tim Duncan in college? What if we told you Notorious B.I.G. was still alive in those days*? And if you wanted to own his music back then, you had to get off your duff, go to Sam Goody and buy a damn compact disc (look it up, you ignorant iTuners).

Ginobli, 4-19 before his final shot, resembled Lauryn Hill's (also popular in 1997) tax returns: mostly missing. "I went from trading him on the spot to wanting to cook him breakfast," Gregg Popovich reflected, on his roller coaster of emotions, referring to Ginobli's bad miss beyond the arc just 42-seconds before his winner. "I'll have an omelet with mushrooms," Ginobli cracked back, egging his coach on^. Both could joke because things turned out sunny-side up for the Spurs.

*Did we just "Hypnotize" you with that fact?

^Tony Parker has put in an order for crepes.

Throw Momma from the Gravy Train

Like many moms, Pamela Bryant had held onto her child's boyhood belongings: trophies, plaques, sports uniforms. However, her son's stuff is actually worth something because he happens to be Kobe Bean. Even mushy Moms eventually throw out or give away goods not gathered by grown-up kids, but when she decided to store no more, her intent was to sell. Money was the motivator. It seems she wanted new digs in Nevada and her stingy son wasn't willing to dig deep enough - $250,000 was his limit* - so she got in contact with a New Jersey auction house that agreed to advance her $450K. Goldin Auctions offered the golden opportunity to ruin her relationship with her offspring.

Among the 900 items slated for sale in June are several high school jerseys, two All-Star game rings and a pair of championship rings produced precisely for his parents. The lot is valued at $1.5 million. Can this Lower Merion family fued sink any lower? Yes, same way any situation can: by bringing in lawyers. Kobe's attorney issued a cease-and-desist letter, while the auction company countered by filing suit against Kobe. If no resolution is reached, a collector could hit the mother lode of Pam's son's memorabilia.

* a mere quarter-million, isn't he aware that Mother's Day is in less than a week?

A Good InFLUence

Feeling ill early on Wednesday, James Harden was excused from the Rockets morning practice. Come game time, it was only his shot that was - as the kids say - sick. Harden swished seven threes, three more than he had made through the first four games of the series, on his way to 31 points. Harden may have been battling a cold; however, his shooting was anything but, as he drilled 10 of his 16 field goal attempts. Harden said he spent the day sleeping, yet it was his old teammate Kevin Durant who drifted off late, going scoreless in the fourth quarter.

Harden's rapid recovery is just as surprising as the Rockets, who staved off elimination for the second straight time and get to head home for game 6. Maybe there's a mini-medicine cabinet in that bushy beard.

Iggy Pop

Andre Iguodala scored a game-high 25 points, adding 12 rebounds and 7 assists in a do-it-all display. He and the Nuggets starters, who all reached double-digits, showed their "Lust for Life," as Denver sustained the series with a win. After the game, Warriors coach Mark Jackson popped off about Stephen Curry getting popped: "They tried to send hit men after Steph." Nonsense. The only Assassin's Creed the Nuggets swear by is the video game. There's nary a ruffian on Denver's roster; the Nuggets are good fellows, not Goodfellas.

Jackson accused Denver of "some dirty plays," yet it was Golden State who was whistled for two flagrant fouls, while none were called on the Nuggets, who committed just two more personal fouls than the Warriors. The coach can comfortably blame the Nuggets for hurting the Warriors locker room, but not their players. After his team lost three straight to form a three-games-to-one hole metaphorically, Sunday a frustrated Kenneth Faried created a hole physically. If Denver climbs out of it, a wall won't be the only thing the Nuggets end up booting.