↵The Playoffs got underway with wall-to-wall action on TNT, ESPN, and ABC this weekend, and surprisingly, every single team did pretty great jobs. I was also completely blown away by Doris Burke this weekend as her and lead Dan Shulman were amazing together on the late Saturday game. They kept the talk about the game at hand, provided relevant stats, and could even joke around with each other. They seemed to play off each other seamlessly and enjoy each other's company, which is rare these days. Another ESPN newbie, Rick Carlisle, also impressed in his debut. ↵
↵The only low point of the weekend came when the ABC team of Mike Breen, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy went on a five-minute diatribe about the definition of the phrase pound-for-pound." Jackson called the Nuggets' Allen Iverson “pound-for-pound” the best basketball player in NBA history. Van Gundy responded by called Jackson completely crazy. Jackson and Breen repeatedly tried to explain the meaning of the phrase, but it was lost on Van Gundy. So much so that the following exchange ended the conversation: ↵
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↵"You're thinking I'm crazy and I'm thinking you're crazy."- Jeff Van Gundy
↵"Well the viewing audience thinks you're both crazy."- Mike Breen
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↵Calzaghe Wins Split Decision over the Executioner
↵If anyone caught the Saturday night HBO fight they know that it definitely didn't disappoint. Bernard Hopkins knocked Joe Calzaghe down early, but it was the Wales native that settle down and landed more punches on Hopkins than any other opponent. Hopkins decided to spend all Sunday saying how he won the fight, and when asked if he could give Calzaghe any credit he went so far as to say, "No, I cannot, because I don't believe I lost the fight. I believe I won the fight decisively." HBO also brought out all the stars for the fight including Simon Cowell, Whitney Houston, Sylvester Stallone, Jay-Z, and another Wales native Catherine Zeta-Jones.
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↵Quotes of the Weekend
↵"Lebron responded to Stevenson’s comments that he was overrated by saying that's like Jay-Z saying something to Soulja Boy and I really don't know what that means."- Dave Pasch
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↵Jeff Van Gundy: "If I'm Popovich, I'd rip Oberto's head off in film study tomorrow for that. You know Shaq hesitates at the line. A lane violation! That's basic preparation!"
↵Mike Breen: "Rip his head off?"
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↵Mark Jackson: "I've been there, he would actually do it."
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↵"The ball has to be there before the runner for there to be an out."- Jon Miller ↵
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↵Video of the Weekend
↵Colorado learns that using real Buffalos for mascots is not a good idea (via EDSBS):
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.