Manu Ginobili was forcibly removed from Waiters Island

Good morning. Let's basketball.

WELL, THAT HAPPENED: Thunder-Spurs Game 2 is rather indescribable, which is quite unfortunate given that I'm a writer. Alas. OKC came out of the shoot raring, and Russell Westbrook was mighty effective most of the game. Kevin Durant got uncorked a bit, too, and LaMarcus Aldridge continued his brilliant series as OKC hesitated to abandon shooters to double until quite late. The game was tight through the second half, with the Thunder unable to pull away beyond 10 points or so. Then the last play happened. Just ... just watch.

In short, we have a violation on Manu Ginobili guarding the inbounds, a blatant and bizarre shove by the inbounder Dion Waiters, more grabs than a klepto convention on the court, various takedowns in the Spurs' paint, and a fan grabbing onto Steven Adams as he tries to get back into the play. The upshot? Thunder win, and the Spurs (and Chris Webber) are furious. The series is tied up and OKC is just the second team (after Golden State) to win in San Antonio all year long.

Before the game, I wrote about the need for Durant to blow up, because, in retrospect, I'm Captain Obvious.

LEBREEZUS WALKS: Paul Flannery has your narrative retelling live from Cleveland. The biggest thing that stood out to me was Kyle Korver getting one shot attempt. Well, that and LeBron nuking the Hawks late for like the billionth time in recent years. The Paul Millsap-LeBron matchup when Cleveland goes small will be something to watch going forward. So will Kyrie Irving cramming the Hades out of transition layups ...

SCORES GALORE ...

ATL 93, CLE 104 (Cavs lead 1-0)
OKC 98, SAS 97 (Series tied 1-1)

ON THE AIR TONIGHT ...

Heat at Raptors, Game 1, 8 p.m. ET, TNT
Blazers at Warriors, 10:30 p.m., TNT, GSW leads 1-0

CULPABLE DENIABILITY: Billy Donovan has no idea what blown call you might be talking about, and he won't be answering any more questions without a lawyer present.

MY GOODNESS: This Tony Parker drive and dish a) was spectacular and b) kept San Antonio alive. What a pass!

HMM: Dan Le Batard reports that Chris Bosh wants to play and has at least one medical opinion clearing him. But the Heat, trying to protect him, won't allow it.

WELL THEN: This is interesting! Dirk Nowitzki says he'll opt out of his contract and sit down with Mavericks' brass to sort out how to make the team better. Tim Cato has the options for how this plays out. This isn't dire for Dallas, but it's certainly not as nice as Dirk just quietly opting in to the final year of a cheap contract.

QUITE FRANKLY: Larry Bird doesn't do cute, and he was pretty blunt about Frank Vogel's future in Indiana. Vogel's contract is up, and in talking to Gregg Doyel Bird didn't really indicate he's super interested in bringing the coach back. He talks about not wanting to leave Vogel in the wind as the few other open jobs get filled, and wanting the team to have a strong offense. I mean, it looks like Vogel might be done here, in which case Sacramento, Houston, and New York are going to be mighty interested in bringing him in.

UGLY, FLAWED AND GREAT: Why the 90s Knicks were worth hanging onto. Via REDEF.

COME ON AND JAM: So it appears Space Jam 2 is gonna happen, but LeBron is not quite signed on to do it just yet. If a deal with King James can't be struck, might I suggest recruiting Allen Crabbe?

BENCH MOB: Yaron Weitzman on how the Raptors' first-round victory underscored how vital Toronto's bench is to the team's success.

SILLY SEASON: Ricky O'Donnell appreciates all the wackadoo moments of Raptors-Pacers.

WAKE UP, NBA: Why blowouts are on the table in Round 2.

LIFTED UP BY LOVE: William Rhoden on the thread that Baron Davis weaves in his documentary on The Drew League.

WELPVILLE: Seattle is now having problems getting its arena built.

THE LOBBY IS FULL! In addition to David Blatt and Patrick Ewing, the Kings are interviewing Corliss Williamson, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Hornacek this week.

Happy Tuesday. See you next time.