Nunnie on the Sideline, The Westside Gazette Sports Editor
The NBA playoffs are trending toward unexpected, surprising finalist as the 4 remaining teams battle in their respective conferences for the opportunity to compete for a championship. Basketball purists rightfully assumed that the Eastern Conference finals would pit the defending champion Boston Celtics against the team with the best record, the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks had a different assumption as the Pacers won the series 4-2, while the Knicks annihilated the Celtics in game 6 in Madison Square Garden, pro basketballâs Mecca. The  commonality for the Cavs and Celtics was losing the first 2 games of their series at home, placing both in untenable, pressure packed situations from which there was no recovery. The Celtics never adjusted after blowing  20 point leads in both home games  when the favorite weapon in their arsenal, the 3 point shot,  disappeared. Winning game 6 in MSG, a blowout, solidified the Knicks as the better team, especially after the Jason Tatum Achilles injury.
Clevelandâs baffling series loss to the Pacers emanated from untimely injuries, inconsistent play and Tyrese Halliburtonâs exceptional, clutch play, dooming the Cavs.
One thingâs for certain: a different NBA champion will be crowned in â25.
In the west the attraction is the unavoidable collision between rising superstars and current new faces of the NBA, Anthony âAnt-ManâEdwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Shea âSGAâ Â Gilgeous-Alexander (favorite to win MVP) of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Get your popcorn or whatever your favorite food or beverage preference is because itâs about to go down.
The WNBA is poised to have another successful year on the court and in the stands. However, donât ever forget as Iâve often stated: racism is alive and well in America! WNBA darling and great White female hope – Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever – was called for a flagrant foul against the Chicago Skyâs Angel Reese, who like Clark, is in her second year in the league. Reese, no shrinking violet, was pushed to the floor simultaneously as Clark attempted to reach for ball but struck her on the arm stating that it was a legitimate basketball play and should not have been called a flagrant 1 foul. Reese quickly got up and appeared to go after Clark but was restrained from doing so by an official and other players. The flagrant call stood and the game ended with no additional issues.  Too . many see Clarkâs action as justifiable, a good hard basketball play, while being overly critical of Reese for reacting as she did. There is a competitive history between the two but no tangible animosity. Angel, at times, felt slighted as Clark received a majority of the attention  based on the year that she had at Iowa.  In a perfect world, it should be no big deal, but America is anything but perfect, especially with this current, racist administration on a national and state level. ( Think FAMUs new president)! The fight for equality in America continues. Fight On!
