The 10-man rotation, starring Craig Sager's long road back
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.
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C: Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report. Richard Deitsch and Lars Anderson on the road Craig Sager traveled to get back to work on Thursday night.
PF: D.C. Sports Bog. Dan Steinberg went back through a load of Randy Wittman interviews to confirm that the coach has been saying for a month that the Washington Wizards just aren't playing hard enough. A) Is that really the Wizards' problem? B) If it is, what does it say about Wittman's work that a full month of harping on it hasn't seemed to help at all?
SF: Pro Hoops History. A look at the sheer distance between teams in the West and East that showcases just how vast the travel disparity between the two conferences: "If there’s going to be a chance at long, uncomfortable travel, everyone deserves an equal shot at bearing the pain."
SG: The Hook. Tom Ziller on James Harden not getting the call against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night and why his offensive approach, effective as it is during the regular season, could come back to haunt the Houston Rockets in the playoffs: "Referees are encouraged by our outrage-happy sports society to be mostly invisible and let the stars determine who wins and who loses. Blowing the whistle in a crucial moment is filled with peril."
PG: Northeast Ohio Media Group. Credit the eagle-eyed Chris Haynes for catching this: LeBron James is experimenting with some tweaks to his free-throw shooting form after recent struggles, headlined by his 3-for-11 performance at the stripe in Sunday's loss to the Houston Rockets.
6th: Sports Illustrated. Greg Hanlon chronicles the sad descent of Mookie Blaylock, whose alcoholism cost him his wife and children, and ultimately cost Monica Murphy her life.
7th: Heat.com. Couper Moorhead: "Certainty might freak us out at times, but the longer we wait and see with [Hassan] Whiteside, the more reason to believe he has offered."
8th: Bleacher Report. Ethan Skolnick doesn't much care for the strain of thought that the Atlanta Hawks are more likely to scuffle come the postseason than a squad like the Cleveland Cavaliers because they don't have a "go-to guy," because while he might not see a superstar when he looks at the Hawks, he does see a club that's been nails in the clutch.
9th: Sports Illustrated. Rob Mahoney takes a closer look at the Indiana Pacers, one of my picks for the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, who have quietly become one of the league's hottest teams over the past month thanks to George Hill's steady hand, Rodney Stuckey's surprising shooting, and Frank Vogel's relentless coaching.
10th: ESPN Insider ($). Jeff Goodman talks to pros who watched, played with and against likely 2015 lottery pick Emmanuel Mudiay during his sojourn to China to get a feel for the state of his game, what he's got to work on and some comparable talents. (The names Penny Hardaway and Kyrie Irving make appearances.)
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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