The Sport's Authority

Evidently, Sterling and Silver don't go together - at least not anymore in the NBA. Commissioner Adam Silver harshly handed down an almost unthinkable and absolutely unprecedented punishment to Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who owned up to his repugnant remarks: a lifetime ban from the league, along with a superfluous $2.5 million fine, stopping short of sentencing Sterling to eternal damnation - although we get the sense if Silver had the (higher) power to so, he would have. A suspension would've been seen by some as a slap on the wrist. For Silver, stinging Sterling wouldn't suffice; he sought to scar him.

Beyond being permanent prohibited from any association with The Association, Silver will attempt to force the sale of the franchise, allowable if agreed upon by three-fourths of owners. Silver didn't just throw the book at Sterling, he threw a set of encyclopedias. However, a law library's worth of texts could be consulted before this conflict concludes.

We wonder, if words warranted this severe a sanction - and it's important to point out there wasn't any wrongdoing, only wrongsaying - what step would Silver have taken had Sterling been guilty of an actual discriminatory action as an owner: ordered his execution via a Silver bullet* and then served his head on a Silver platter to placate the pitchfork-possessing public, pissed-off players and pea-brained pundits? Instead, Silver lost his head over the hullabaloo, so Sterling lost his team.

This isn't a defense of Sterling, but we'll side with a dick before we do a dictator. We find it ironic that, for once, a reputed racist was lynched by a mob of minorities. We don't, however, find it justified.

At least Sterling learned a two valuable lessons: 1. Intolerance isn't tolerated under the sovereignty of Silver 2. Never trust a mistress; she may be wearing underwire - and also a wire.

*Silver would surely have shot Marge Schott

.

Reaction Jackson

There are many methods to peacefully demonstrate, but a sit-in isn't one the Warriors coach would stage. Mark Jackson sounded like Jesse Jackson, when he suggested supporters of either squad should take a stand by not being in the stands for tonight's tilt. "I believe as fans, the loudest statement they could make is to not show up to the game." That's one way to take the crowd out of it. Odd, Jackson didn't advocate that action when the teams played in Oakland. It appears he was absentminded.

It's both unrealistic and unreasonable to expect fans to boycott attending. They have already paid for tickets (no one's buying at the box office the day of during the playoffs), so by skipping out, they're the only ones who suffer. If Sterling isn't embarrassed by being a bigot, he won't be by an unoccupied arena, which was once common for the club. It would be an empty gesture. Besides, you think they can't find seat fillers in L.A.?

Too bad for Jackson he can't treat basketball buffs like they're one of his assistant coaches and boot them from the building.

An Awful (Audio) Clip

Donald Sterling has, for decades, had a less than sterling reputation - mostly for penny-pinching, but partly for prejudiced practices. TMZ, which deals in dishing TMI, released a recording in which a man who is supposedly Sterling advises his then-girlfriend not to associate with black people and insists none accompany her to games. The language is clean, the tone is calm, but the directive is decidedly discriminatory. What remains in question is whether it came from the mouth of a man who has received the NAACP's Lifetime Achievement Award and was slated to be bestowed the accolade again in May, yet also lost a lawsuit alleging biased practices in renting his properties. Did we mention his former gal pal is of African-American and Mexican heritage (or that Sterling's wife is suing her for embezzlement*)? Racism isn't always so black and white.

While those comments circulated that Sterling didn't want people of a certain color in the crowd, a crowd with clout - Magic, Kobe, LeBron and Jordan - condemned him. The commissioner was more cautious, but while he preached due process, the team felt they had to do something, so as persons no less prominent than POTUS dressed down Sterling, they undressed. Prior their playoff game Sunday, players, in protest, removed their official Clippers warm-up jackets and left them at center court. If only removing Sterling, the league's longest-tenured owner, were so simple.

*apparently, she digs up dirt and gold easily

The Other Maverick Carter

Vinsanity* is alive and well in 2014. You may remember Vince Carter from his days a decade ago as a dunking dynamo in Toronto (make that dino-mo) or you may have forgotten about him during his dim days in Orlando. He's in Dallas now and his most memorable moment this season was being part of was J.R. Smith's shenanigans (Carter's headband was pulled by the noted prank-puller).

That was before Saturday, when Carter, who now operates below the rim, was also far from it as he sunk a three-pointer as the buzzer sounded for the Mavericks. Carter pumped to free himself in the left corner and he and the Mavs had to be pumped at the result, particularly since it backed the top-seeded Spurs into a corner.

At 36, he's the oldest player to hit a game-winner in the playoffs since 1997 and Carter recalled that the last time he'd taken such a high-stakes shot was 2001 (back when Dr. Dre was still producing beats, not Beats). After the meaningful make, Carter felt a high his most soaring slams could never supply.

*hysteria for him pre-dates Linsanity

Get Well-Dressed Soon

If the sidelines seems significantly less snazzy so far this postseason, it's because they are sans Sager. Craig Sager, TNT's roving, resplendent reporter is undergoing treatment for leukemia. Allow us to pause while we dab our eyes with a paisley pocket square. No media member dons more distinctive duds - and make no mistake, some of them are duds (his aren't the suit and tie Justin Timberlake was singing about*). Thus, the network's commentators coordinated clothes in a pin-striped suit salute to Sags - and we were never so glad to see plaid^.

His son subbed in his stead Sunday (Popovich was kind enough to handle the kid with the kid gloves), but junior can't fill his father's two-tone shoes. There are those who want you to get better clothes, we just want you to get better.

*on the suit scale, Sager is closer to Tom Wolfe than Tom Ford

^it was Easter, the one day men besides Sager put on pastels

Hop on Pop's Bandwagon

Apparently, once you honor Pop, you can't stop. On Tuesday, Gregg Popovich was named Coach of the Year for the third time in his career. He was the obvious and safe choice for the award, but we're unsure he was most worthy, after admitting that occasionally during timeouts he tells his team to figure it out themselves (is that laissez-faire or just lazy?). Here are a trio of candidates whose names should've popped up:

Jeff Hornacek, Phoenix. Evidently, he still has his shooter's touch. Under his guidance, they rose from the ashes, like some sort of mythical bird. A griffin? No, that's not the one. It'll come to us.

Steve Clifford, Charlotte. We had to consult a media guide to learn who was at the helm, but he must have had veterinary training, since he nursed these cats back to health* with a winning record and playoff berth. Even MJ wouldn't have wagered on that happening.

Tom Thibodeau, Chicago. Dang, D.Rose was dinged (deja vu) and Deng was ditched, yet Thibs was like a top-of-the-line juicer, squeezing out wins from the rinds left behind. He's who you want when things don't go smoothie, er, smoothly.

Not receiving any votes whatsoever: Brett Brown, Philadelphia. Naturally, he stood no chance of winning, which is the way 76ers management would want it. Even if there was a trophy for trying not to tank when told to, he'd still finish behind our other three nominees. It fits with the Philly philosophy: "You lose some, you lose some more^."

*and we hear he's healed a colossal, carmine canine whose name escapes us

^also: "a lot o' losses leads to lotto gains"

FireWoodson

Mike Woodson was a dead man walking the sidelines since Phil Jackon's arrival and Monday the Zen Master trimmed him like a branch on a bonsai*. Even in an eastern conference that was more watered-down than a light beer, the Knicks still fell short of the playoffs. Although they finished strong - winning seven of their last ten and four straight - but for most of the season, they were The Assocation's Malaysia Airlines flight MH370: inexplicably lost after taking an abrupt turn^.

J.R. Smith showed his support for his booted boss. "He was great to me. He treated me how he wanted to be treated."
Woodson let him run wild, like a red fox on the White House grounds. Smith stayed loose - as did his opponent's shoelaces - still the Knicks had 17 fewer victories compared to last year. Woodson tried to fall on his sword, but the press had already plunged it inches into him (Stephen A. Smith being a serial stabber; as if his shrieking wasn't piercing enough).

Woodson is probably relieved to be relieved of this duties. He didn't have the spotlight shone on him so much as a black light, exposing the series of stains and splotches, showing how unsightly the Knicks were. "He responded to the players," Smith said, but they failed to return the favor. He was a defensive coach whose best defender openly question his defensive scheme, so Smith, it seems, was Woodson's sole defender.

It's widely assumed that the gig will go to Steve Kerr. That sets up a situation where the proven coach who's an unproven executive would hire the proven executive who's an unproven coach. Only in New York are head coaches easier to remove than horses.

*the Jazz's Tyrone Corbin was tossed in the waste bin, too
^their black box contains audio of Carmelo counting the days until he can opt out