Bawful After Dark: May 11, 2011

20110510-tom-thibodeau"All right! I wanna see four guys standing around while Derrick Rose does all the work!"

Sorry to get this posted after the first game already started -- got home from work a lot later than anticipated. I may have a Clark Kent job, but I am not Superman. Unfortunately.

Before we get to anything else, R.I.P. Robert "Tractor" Traylor.

On a lighter note, GQ.com takes a closer look at lacktion report regular Royal Ivey in a Profile in Obscurity. (h/t Chris) Perhaps the best part of it? Royal Ivey himself retweeted the link to it.

An item that showed up today on Woot.com: the Maverick Remote BBQ Thermometer & Timer. Without reading the description, I assume it tells you when the Lakers are done?

Speaking of the Lakers, one of the most absolutely bawful things I've seen in awhile: Rob Kardashian intentionally let Lamar Odom beat him in NBA 2K11. (via Deadspin)

This link is the opposite of bawful, but it's certainly a worthy read. ESPN's Arash Markazi put together a fantastic piece on the Lakers' potential new head coach Brian Shaw, detailing his struggle after losing his parents and sister in a car accident.

Worst of the Night in Pictures:

20110510-larry-drew-josh-smithCaption This!
What is going on with Larry Drew and Josh Smith?

20110510-taj-gibsonTaj Gibson tries to trick his opponents into thinking his defense is super duper soft, apparently


20110510-josh-smithJosh Smith did not react well when he was informed that, no, he is not shooting well from outside 5 feet


Nationally Televised Games:
Celtics at Heat, TNT, 7pm (Heat lead series 3-1): Doc Rivers says Shaq's bum leg is getting worse, not better. Considering the strain it must put on every inch of his lower body just to transport that much weight from one side of the court to the other, this was a bit inevitable. However, that does give reason for a little reflection. Have we seen Shaq play his last NBA game? Remember how good Shaq was back in the early 2000s? When exactly did some random out of shape obese guy eat Shaquille O'Neal and steal his identity?

Here's something that shouldn't surprise anyone who has watched more than five minutes of this series. Per ESPN's Tom Haberstroh: "Q: How bad has Mike Bibby been in the playoffs? A: It's the least productive postseason in NBA history." Ladies and gentlemen, your 2010-2011 Miami Heat supporting cast!

Grizzlies at Thunder, TNT, 9:30pm (Series tied 2-2): This series has been close, but just how close? Memphis has outscored Oklahoma City by just 2 points total in their four games so far. TWO points. 440-438! In fact, the most obvious statistical difference between the two teams is that Memphis has grabbbed 17 more offensive rebounds. Again, it all comes down to Marc Gasol and Z-Bo being significant parts of the playoffs. This is continuing to blow my mind. Will I ever accept this strange new reality?