BASKETBALL

In the NBA, the Jeremy Lin show was back, as the Knicks hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The Cavs are a team on the rise behind star rookie Kyrie Irving, but still have a bunch of kinks to work out.  As for the Knicks, they are gelling more and more every night, especially getting solid play from their point guards Jeremy Lin, Iman Shumpert, and Baron Davis.  However, in this game, the Cavs jumped out to an early lead behind a 22-point night from Kyrie Irving.  But the Knicks came storming back from a 17 point deficit, getting a solid performance from their bench, namely sharp-shooter Steve Novak.  The Knicks win, and it’s only going to get better.  NY Knicks 120, Cleveland 103.

Elsewhere in the NBA, it was Kobe Bryant back in action, albeit in a clear plastic mask that protected his broken nose.  He looked like a low-rate superhero.  Then again, he is still KOBE under that mask, so you can always expect a solid performance.  The Lakers had to take on a Timberwolves team that crushed the Clippers Wednesday night.  These guys are going to be dangerous in the playoffs, but, like many young teams, they still need to learn how to play perfectly as a “team”.  They were without Kevin Love last night, so they would need strong play from their back-up big man Nikola Pekovic, another emerging role player.  Pekovic had 10 points on the night, but the Lakers were just too much for them to handle, cruising out to a big lead in the beginning and never looking back.  Kobe finished with 31 points, and the Lakers continue to claw their way up the playoff ladder.

Finally in the NBA, some disappointing news.  For the past 10 years, a man named Darrell Bailey has held season tickets to the Clippers.  He became their most ardent fan during a stretch when they were absolutely horrible.  Every game, he wore a clown-like outfit with Clipper colors and would cheer loudly, getting the sparse crowd into the game.  He earned the nickname “Clipper Darrell” by the media, and that name stuck.  He used this name to start outreach programs in the community and inspire other kids to care about something besides the perils of life.  Now, the Clipper organization has asked “Clipper Darrell” to remove that name from his website and his own moniker.  He wrote on his website that he was extremely saddened by this, because he had stuck with the team for so many years.  And he used this energy to get over some of life’s toughest problems.  It’s unclear why the Clipper organization did this, but some of the Clipper players (like Blake Griffin and Chris Paul) are using Twitter to show support for Clipper Darrell.  And the Clippers might want to keep those all-stars happy so we’ll see what happens.