\n\nSpurs vs. Mavericks: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 NBA Playoffs<\/h1>\nBy<\/h4>\nRob Goldberg<\/a>, Featured Columnist\u00a0<\/address>\nApril 26, 2014<\/time><\/h4>\n\n\n\u00a0SHARE<\/a><\/li>\n\u00a0TWEET<\/a><\/li>\n107 Shares<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n\nNEXT ARTICLE\u00a0\u00bb<\/a><\/div>\nUse your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\nUSA Today<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n20.9K<\/div>\nReads<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n109<\/div>\nComments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nAn incredible battle came down to one shot, and it was Vince Carter who came through for the Dallas Mavericks.<\/p>\nThe 37-year-old swingman hit a three-pointer as time expired to give the home team a 109-108 victory over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3. ESPN summed up the reaction:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>All of a sudden, the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/nba\">NBA<\/a>'s best team during the regular season is in trouble, as the Spurs are now down 2-1 in the series with another road game coming up in Game 4.<\/p>\n<p>San Antonio appeared like it was going to come away with the key road win after Manu Ginobili scored the go-ahead basket with 1.7 seconds remaining. This was his last of 12 points, all of which came in the second half.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, they could not keep Carter from stealing the win for the elated home crowd.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nba.com\/.element\/iframe\/2.0\/video\/third_party_player\/iframe.html?videoID=\/video\/channels\/playoffs\/2014\/04\/26\/0041300143-sas-dal-1h.nba&team=blrpt&width=630&playerHeight=355\" height=\"355\" width=\"630\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>Monta Ellis led the way for the Mavericks with 29 points, including a number of clutch baskets late. Jose Calderon also had a strong performance with 16 points and nine assists.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div id=\"poll-320346\">\n<div id=\"poll-ballot-320346\">\n<h4>Who will win this series?<\/h4>\n<div>\n<form id=\"poll-vote-form\" action=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/polls\/create\" method=\"post\"><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice0\" \/>Spurs<\/label><label><input type=\"radio\" name=\"vote\" value=\"choice1\" \/>Mavericks<\/label>SUBMIT VOTE\u00a0vote to see results<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>The Spurs were led by Tim Duncan, who scored 22 points one day after turning 38. Tony Parker had 19 points, but only two of those came in the second half as San Antonio fell just short. The squad will now need at least one road victory to ensure a trip to the second round.<\/p>\n<p>Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle set the stage for Game 3 by talking about the physical nature fans should expect, via Dwain Price of the<em>Star-Telegram<\/em>:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-10\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>These two veteran teams lived up to this statement, as both sides came ready to battle right out of the gate.\u00a0The Spurs grabbed the early advantage with a 34-27 lead after the first quarter due in large part to the play of Parker.<\/p>\n<p>However, the Mavericks were able to remain in the game thanks to the performance of Jose Calderon. The guard had 10 points in the opening frame and was extremely aggressive, as David Ubben of Fox Sports Southwest noted:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-11\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>San Antonio remained in front in the beginning of the second quarter, with Parker looking almost unstoppable as both a scorer and a passer. Chris Webber was impressed while calling the game for TNT:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-12\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"210\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>This lead only stood for a few minutes longer, until the Mavericks started making all of their shots. The biggest stretch featured three three-point shots in a row, as Price described:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-13\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dan McCarney of the\u00a0<em>San Antonio Express-News<\/em>\u00a0pointed out the poor defense that was taking place in the second quarter.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-14\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dallas outscored the Spurs, 32-20, in the second quarter and went into halftime with a 59-54 lead. Parker led all scorers with 17 points along with six assists at the break, but both sides were hitting over 50 percent of their shots.<\/p>\n<p>The home team built the lead up to seven points in the third quarter and appeared as though it was going to run away with it. At that point,\u00a0ESPN's Skip Bayless noticed one player who needed to step up his effort:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-15\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"162\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>It turns out that Ginobili played a big role in bringing his team back, dropping eight points in just three minutes of game time to take the lead. Dallas was then able to make a couple of field goals to take a 77-74 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to some impressive balance, as ESPN's Tim McMahon identified:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-16\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Both teams continued to make their shots as the lead swung back and forth throughout the final 12 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Ellis was especially impressive, tying the game up on a three-point play with just over a minute remaining, and then again on a floater with 24 seconds left after Boris Diaw gave the Spurs the two-point lead.<\/p>\n<p>Alan Hahn of MSG was one of many who liked what he saw:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-17\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"162\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Ginobili put the Spurs in front with a difficult shot, as Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN Dallas illustrated:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-18\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"162\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>However, Carter got the last laugh with a three-pointer from the corner, leading to this reaction from the veteran player:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-19\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"485\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The series will continue with Game 4, which is set for Monday, April 28 at 9:30 p.m. ET on TNT. The one day of rest is the shortest of the postseason for either team, and the fatigue is likely to become a factor with two older squads.<\/p>\n<p>This will also be a must-win game for San Antonio after falling behind 2-1 in the series. A win turns it into a best-of-three battle, but a loss makes it extremely difficult to come back.<\/p>\n<p>The Spurs clearly need to improve defensively after allowing 51.2 percent shooting in this one, but you can never count out reigning NBA Coach of the Year Gregg Popovich. Expect San Antonio to get back on track and look more like the group that won 62 games during the regular season.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/TheRobGoldberg\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Follow TheRobGoldberg on Twitter\" src=\"http:\/\/twitter-badges.s3.amazonaws.com\/follow_me-c.png\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>********************<\/p>\n<header>\n<div>\n<div><a title=\"Next Article\">NEXT ARTICLE\u00a0\u00bb<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div itemprop=\"associatedMedia\">\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"contentURL\" alt=\"Thunder vs. Grizzlies: Game 4 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 NBA Playoffs\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/images\/photos\/002\/867\/100\/eda5d95a8c6db9769b7e38711f5568e8_crop_north.jpeg?w=630&h=420&q=75\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Getty Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>2.8K<\/div>\n<div>Reads<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>67<\/div>\n<div>Comments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-twttr-id=\"twttr-sandbox-0\">\n<p>For a third game in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies needed overtime to decide a winner. For the first time, Oklahoma City prevailed, 92-89, in Memphis to tie the series at 2-2.<\/p>\n<p>Only twice has one postseason series featured three consecutive overtime games, per ESPN Stats & Info:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If before the game, you had been told that the two teams would combine to score 181 points, and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/kevin-durant\">Kevin Durant<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/russell-westbrook\">Russell Westbrook<\/a>\u00a0would shoot a combined 11-of-45, you'd have picked the Grizzlies to win. That kind of low-scoring game is right in their wheelhouse, and the Thunder are surely going to struggle when their best players have such off nights from the floor.<\/p>\n<p>Only twice in 474 games have Durant and Westbrook been this bad in the same game:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>To put everything in perspective, Tony Allen (14 points) nearly outscored the star duo (15 points apiece) in an\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/nba\">NBA<\/a>\u00a0playoff game. That almost happened, and yet the Thunder still won.<\/p>\n<p>Both Allen and Tayshaun Prince did a great job hounding Durant in particular:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The way in which he seemed bereft of ideas late in the game was befuddling:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-3\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>As Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin pointed out, though, it was as if the two teams agreed to some sort of role reversal before the game, covering up for Westbrook and Durant's failings:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-4\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After the third, OKC was up 64-52 and the 12-point lead felt much larger given the low nature of the scoring.<\/p>\n<p>Then, the Thunder's offense began to melt down in the fourth quarter. Memphis outscored Oklahoma City 28-16 in the final frame. Mike Prada of SB Nation highlighted the fact that Oklahoma City's offense had no Plan B when Plan A didn't work out:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-5\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-6\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"162\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Luckily for OKC, Reggie Jackson stepped up in a big way. He led all scorers with 32 points on 11-of-16 shooting off the bench, adding nine rebounds in a great overall performance by the third-year point guard.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nba.com\/.element\/iframe\/2.0\/video\/third_party_player\/iframe.html?videoID=\/video\/channels\/playoffs\/2014\/04\/26\/0041300154-okc-mem-jackson-highlights.nba&team=blrpt&width=630&playerHeight=355\" height=\"355\" width=\"630\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>Coincidentally, Thunder head coach Scott Brooks spoke about how little the team's supporting cast had provided during the first three games of the series, per\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/tbt.blogs.nba.com\/2014\/04\/26\/thunder-at-grizzlies-930-p-m-et-4\/\">NBA.com<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>They\u2019ve been good all year. They\u2019re going to get great opportunities tonight. It\u2019s not because they\u2019re not trying. It\u2019s not because they don\u2019t care. They\u2019ve got to make some shots they normally make. Reggie\u2019s one of the best finishers in the game, and that includes all players. We have to get him more opportunities, and that\u2019s on me, to find him more opportunities. But he\u2019s going to get opportunities tonight to attack and create, not only for himself but for his teammates.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Jackson's 11 made field goals were eight more than he had made during the first three games of the series combined.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-7\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>After the game, Brooks praised Jackson's performance.<\/p>\n<p>"Reggie played an outstanding basketball game," he said, per The Associated Press, via\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/scores.espn.go.com\/nba\/recap?gameId=400553071\">ESPN.com<\/a>. "He was able to attack and finish around the rim like he's done all year, and I knew he would bounce back. He's done a great job of coming in and giving us that lift offensively when we needed it as a sixth man."<\/p>\n<p>His only real mistake of the game was his last-second heave at the end of regulation. Jackson channeled his inner\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yabpY-YT46k\">Roscoe Smith<\/a>, throwing up a prayer despite having more time on the clock to get up court.<\/p>\n<p>Memphis' biggest stars fared slightly better than Oklahoma City's.<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/marc-gasol\">Marc Gasol<\/a>\u00a0(23 points, 11 rebounds) and\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/mike-conley\">Mike Conley<\/a>\u00a0(14 points, 10 assists) both finished with double-doubles, but\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/zach-randolph\">Zach Randolph<\/a>\u00a0shot 5-of-14 for 11 points.<\/p>\n<p>What the Grizzlies really lacked was somebody like Jackson coming from out of nowhere to have a huge game.<\/p>\n<p>That was exacerbated by their continued poor shooting from three-point range. They attempted (1,147) and made (405) the fewest threes in the league in addition to ranking 19th in three-point shooting percentage (.353), according to\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/teams\/MEM\/2014.html\">Basketball-Reference.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In the first three games of the series, Memphis shot a combined 10-of-37 from downtown. On Saturday, it managed a paltry 6-of-20.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn't for a lack of opportunities, either. Grizzlies shooters weren't even attempting long-range shots when presented with open looks:<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-8\" title=\"Embedded Tweet\" height=\"186\" width=\"350\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Foul shooting was also a problem for Memphis. It missed 10 of its 23 attempts from the charity stripe. In such a close game, you can't expect to miss that many gimmes and still expect to win.<\/p>\n<p>The series heads back to Oklahoma City for Game 5. Both teams will get two days off to reflect on Saturday night's game and figure out what went right and what went wrong.<\/p>\n<p>The Grizzlies will need a much better offensive performance if they want to get back in the driver's seat in this series. You do wonder, though, if this was Memphis' best chance to take control of the series.<\/p>\n<p>As a team, the Thunder shot 36.7 percent from the field and turned the ball over 21 times. And yet, they still won. If the Grizzlies can't win at home with that kind of an advantage, do they have much hope for the rest of the series?<\/p>\n<p>Given the unpredictability of the entire postseason so far, don't be surprised if this series has a few more twists and turns<\/p>\n<p>******************<\/p>\n<p>STERLING<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2043100-thunder-vs-grizzlies-game-4-score-and-twitter-reaction-from-2014-nba-playoffs\">Thunder Even Series with Grizzlies<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/1fg5X79\">Buzzer-Beating 3 Lifts Mavs<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"page-header\">\n<h1><a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/nba\">NBA<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"container\">\n<div id=\"container-shadow\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"newsletter-lightbox\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"content\">\n<div id=\"container-page\">\n<div id=\"swipe-buttons-region\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-slider\" itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Article\">\n<article>\n<header>\n<h1 itemprop=\"headline name\">Adam Silver, NBA Face Momentous Test in Donald Sterling Deliberation<\/h1>\n<address itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">By\u00a0<a itemprop=\"url\" title=\"Howard Beck\" href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/users\/3065513-howard-beck\">Howard Beck<\/a>,\u00a0NBA National Columnist\u00a0<\/address>\n<h4 itemprop=\"author\"><time itemprop=\"datePublished\" data-updated_at=\"1398573301\">Apr 27, 2014<\/time><\/h4>\n<div id=\"top-share-buttons-region\">\n<ul>\n<li data-source=\"facebook\" data-position=\"top\"><a title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2043131-adam-silver-nba-face-momentous-test-in-donald-sterling-deliberation&t=Adam%20Silver,%20NBA%20Face%20Momentous%20Test%20in%20Donald%20Sterling%20Deliberation\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0SHARE<\/a><\/li>\n<li data-source=\"twitter\" data-position=\"top\"><a title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?original_referer=http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2043131-adam-silver-nba-face-momentous-test-in-donald-sterling-deliberation&text=Adam%20Silver,%20NBA%20Face%20Momentous%20Test%20in%20Donald%20Sterling%20Deliberation&tw_p=tweetbutton&via=bleacherreport&url=http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2043131-adam-silver-nba-face-momentous-test-in-donald-sterling-deliberation&counturl=http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/2043131-adam-silver-nba-face-momentous-test-in-donald-sterling-deliberation\" target=\"_blank\">\u00a0TWEET<\/a><\/li>\n<li>39 Shares<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div>\n<section data-page=\"1\">\n<header>\n<div>\n<div><a title=\"Next Article\">NEXT ARTICLE\u00a0\u00bb<\/a><\/div>\n<p>Use your \u2190 \u2192 (arrow) keys to browse more stories<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div itemprop=\"associatedMedia\">\n<div itemscope=\"\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" itemprop=\"contentURL\" alt=\"Adam Silver, NBA Face Momentous Test in Donald Sterling Deliberation\" src=\"http:\/\/img.bleacherreport.net\/img\/images\/photos\/002\/867\/077\/hi-res-bdc383b4ff1f01ad986e93e379a402b4_crop_north.jpg?w=630&h=420&q=75\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" \/><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Danny Moloshok<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>5.0K<\/div>\n<div>Reads<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>32<\/div>\n<div>Comments<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p>The public record strongly suggests that Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald T. Sterling is an unabashed bigot, small-minded, mean-spirited, vindictive, parsimonious and petty.<\/p>\n<p>That record was ingrained long before\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tmz.com\/2014\/04\/26\/donald-sterling-clippers-owner-black-people-racist-audio-magic-johnson\/\">TMZ\u00a0released an audiotape<\/a>\u00a0Saturday that purportedly captured Sterling making racist remarks.<\/p>\n<p>Sterling has been sued for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/espn.go.com\/blog\/truehoop\/post\/_\/id\/6435\/donald-sterling-one-creepy-story-after-another\">racially based housing discrimination<\/a>, repeatedly. In 2009, he paid a $2.7 million settlement that was termed the largest of its kind.<\/p>\n<p>Sterling has been sued by countless ex-employees, including\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/articles.latimes.com\/2009\/feb\/12\/sports\/sp-elgin-baylor-suit12\">former general manager Elgin Baylor<\/a>, who also alleged racial discrimination.<\/p>\n<p>Court records are littered with stories of Sterling\u2019s vile remarks on race.<\/p>\n<p>Anyone who has ever worked or played for the Clippers could fill a coffee table book with such tales.<\/p>\n<p>Donald Sterling is an abominable owner and, apparently, an even more abominable person.<\/p>\n<p>Donald Sterling has owned the Clippers since 1981.<\/p>\n<p>Donald Sterling has never been disciplined by the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/nba\">NBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Keep that in mind as we await a verdict by new commissioner Adam Silver, who on Saturday night pledged a full and swift investigation of the\u00a0TMZ\u00a0tape, which includes a voice, said to be Sterling\u2019s, angrily castigating his girlfriend for \u201cassociating with black people\u201d and for \u201ctaking pictures with minorities,\u201d including Magic Johnson, and posting them to her\u00a0Instagram\u00a0account. He asks her not to bring Johnson to Clippers games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe audio recording posted by\u00a0TMZ\u00a0is truly offensive and disturbing,\u201d Silver said at a press conference in Memphis, \u201cand we intend to get to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nba.com\/.element\/iframe\/2.0\/video\/third_party_player\/iframe.html?videoID=\/video\/channels\/nba_tv\/2014\/04\/27\/20140426-silver-sterling-presser.nba&team=blrpt&width=630&playerHeight=355\" height=\"355\" width=\"630\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>This is the first serious test of Silver\u2019s leadership, and his response will be closely scrutinized by players, coaches, fans, media and the league\u2019s corporate partners. But it is not altogether clear that Silver can deliver the only sensible outcome: for Sterling to be an ex-owner.<\/p>\n<p>A trained lawyer, Silver was predictably restrained in his remarks Saturday, citing \u201cdue process.\u201d Asked about his options, Silver referred to \u201cbroad powers\u201d and \u201ca range of sanctions\u201d at his disposal. Yet those broad powers have never been deployed to push out an owner.<\/p>\n<p>Even if the league determines that the tape is legitimate andundoctored\u00a0and that the voice is Sterling\u2019s, it is unclear how far the league can go to punish him.<\/p>\n<p>The NBA has fined owners for criticizing referees (Dallas\u2019 Mark Cuban) and for commenting on labor issues (Miami\u2019s Micky\u00a0Arison). The league has suspended owners for salary-cap violations (Minnesota\u2019s Glen Taylor) and for driving under the influence (the Los Angeles Lakers\u2019 Jerry Buss).<\/p>\n<p>A fine, no matter how steep, will never be sufficient in this case. A suspension, no matter how lengthy, will ring painfully hollow. A suspension only prevents the owner from attending games.<\/p>\n<p>Sterling deserves to be expelled from the league and barred from ever setting foot again in an NBA arena. But there is no precedent in this area, and it is legally questionable whether the NBA can force an owner to sell.<\/p>\n<p>If the league had that authority, it\u2019s reasonable to think that former Commissioner David Stern would have shoved out Sterling long ago.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nba.com\/.element\/iframe\/2.0\/video\/third_party_player\/iframe.html?videoID=\/video\/channels\/tnt_overtime\/2014\/04\/26\/20140426-inside-donald-sterling-investigation.nba&team=blrpt&width=384&playerHeight=216\" height=\"243\" width=\"384\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>Nor is this decision purely in Silver\u2019s hands. There are 29 other owners who have a stake in this\u2014a fraternity of the\u00a0hyperwealthy, who generally turn a blind eye to one another\u2019s transgressions, lest they be the one in the firing line the next time.<\/p>\n<p>But this case is different. This is a league that is dominated by African Americans, that prides itself on its diversity and its\u00a0progressivism, that warmly embraced the first openly gay player in league history, Jason Collins, just two months ago.<\/p>\n<p>The NBA in 2014 cannot passively tolerate bigotry in any form, from any member of its extended family. The players themselves made that clear Saturday, filling Twitter\u00a0timelines\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram\u00a0accounts with their outrage.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSterling basically articulated Plantation Politics,\u201d the Pacers\u2019\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/david-west\">David West<\/a>\u00a0said\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/fansided.com\/2014\/04\/26\/david-west-blasts-donald-sterling-twitter\/\">on Twitter<\/a>. \u201cMake money off the Bucks\/Lay with the Women\/No Association in Public good or bad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/chris-paul\">Chris Paul<\/a>, the Clippers\u2019 star guard and president of the players union, called Sterling\u2019s alleged remarks \u201ca very serious issue which we will address aggressively.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>LeBron James, the game\u2019s biggest star,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nba\/clippers\/2014\/04\/26\/nba-commissioner-adam-silver-clippers-donald-sterling\/8226345\/\">declared unequivocally<\/a>, \u201cThere's no room for Donald Sterling in our league. There's no room for him.\u201d James challenged Silver and the league \u201cto do something, do something very fast, quickly, before this gets out of hand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The players themselves could hasten the process with a boycott, or some other dramatic show of force. The Clippers reportedly considered, and quickly dismissed, that option. But this is not their responsibility, nor should it be.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<div><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YhT6d5fMhzI?wmode=transparent&autoplay=0\" height=\"300\" width=\"350\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the NBA\u2014albeit previous owners and previous league officials\u2014who invited Sterling into this exclusive fraternity, who vetted him and approved him and for years willfully ignored his thinly veiled bigotry.<\/p>\n<p>If the tapes are proven authentic and unaltered, if that is indeed Sterling\u2019s voice (and multiple sources who know Sterling say it is), then there can be no ambiguity about the outcome: Sterling must be removed from the NBA landscape, as expeditiously as possible.<\/p>\n<p>There will most certainly be legal risks, but that is nothing compared to the risk of alienating your players and your paying customers, or the risk of appearing insensitive and ineffectual.<\/p>\n<p>How broad are the NBA\u2019s \u201cbroad powers?\u201d How extensive is that \u201crange of sanctions?\u201d How committed is the NBA to equality and social justice?<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re about to find out.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>1. \u05d4\u05d6\u05df \u05de\u05e1\u05d8\u05e8 \u05d1\u05d9\u05e6\u05e2 \u05d0\u05ea \u05e6\u05e2\u05d3\u05d5 \u05d4\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d5\u05df NBA Home Teams 2014 NBA Draft Archives Top Writers Tickets Shop Newsletter Odds Mobile site Thunder Even Series with Grizzlies Buzzer-Beating 3 Lifts Mavs NBA Spurs vs. Mavericks: Game 3 Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 NBA Playoffs By Rob Goldberg, Featured Columnist\u00a0 April 26, 2014 \u00a0SHARE […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ocean_post_layout":"","ocean_both_sidebars_style":"","ocean_both_sidebars_content_width":0,"ocean_both_sidebars_sidebars_width":0,"ocean_sidebar":"","ocean_second_sidebar":"","ocean_disable_margins":"enable","ocean_add_body_class":"","ocean_shortcode_before_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_after_top_bar":"","ocean_shortcode_before_header":"","ocean_shortcode_after_header":"","ocean_has_shortcode":"","ocean_shortcode_after_title":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_widgets":"","ocean_shortcode_before_footer_bottom":"","ocean_shortcode_after_footer_bottom":"","ocean_display_top_bar":"default","ocean_display_header":"default","ocean_header_style":"","ocean_center_header_left_menu":"","ocean_custom_header_template":"","ocean_custom_logo":0,"ocean_custom_retina_logo":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_width":0,"ocean_custom_logo_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_tablet_max_height":0,"ocean_custom_logo_mobile_max_height":0,"ocean_header_custom_menu":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_family":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_subset":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_size":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_font_size_unit":"px","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_font_weight_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_tablet":"","ocean_menu_typo_transform_mobile":"","ocean_menu_typo_line_height":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_line_height_unit":"","ocean_menu_typo_spacing":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_tablet":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_mobile":0,"ocean_menu_typo_spacing_unit":"","ocean_menu_link_color":"","ocean_menu_link_color_hover":"","ocean_menu_link_color_active":"","ocean_menu_link_background":"","ocean_menu_link_hover_background":"","ocean_menu_link_active_background":"","ocean_menu_social_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_bg":"","ocean_menu_social_links_color":"","ocean_menu_social_hover_links_color":"","ocean_disable_title":"default","ocean_disable_heading":"default","ocean_post_title":"","ocean_post_subheading":"","ocean_post_title_style":"","ocean_post_title_background_color":"","ocean_post_title_background":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_image_position":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_attachment":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_repeat":"","ocean_post_title_bg_image_size":"","ocean_post_title_height":0,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay":0.5,"ocean_post_title_bg_overlay_color":"","ocean_disable_breadcrumbs":"default","ocean_breadcrumbs_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_separator_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_color":"","ocean_breadcrumbs_links_hover_color":"","ocean_display_footer_widgets":"default","ocean_display_footer_bottom":"default","ocean_custom_footer_template":"","ocean_post_oembed":"","ocean_post_self_hosted_media":"","ocean_post_video_embed":"","ocean_link_format":"","ocean_link_format_target":"self","ocean_quote_format":"","ocean_quote_format_link":"post","ocean_gallery_link_images":"on","ocean_gallery_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=27575"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27719,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27575\/revisions\/27719"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=27575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=27575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hoops.co.il\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=27575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}