NBA Playoffs Continue, Whither Candace Parker?

Just a quick spin around the league on a Thursday:

In last night's playoff action, the Charlotte Hornets got the road win they needed in Miami and took a 3-2 series lead. It was a tight, back and forth affair that the Hornets won in the fourth quarter behind hot three point shooting (12-24 on the night). They will look to finish off the series in Charlotte in game six.

The Blazers also got a game five road win in Los Angeles against a hobbled Clippers squad without Chris Paul or Blake Griffin. C.J. McCollum led the way with 27 points and Damian Lillard had 16 in the 4th quarter as the Blazers took control of the series.

Finally, the Warriors without Steph Curry blew out the disinterested Rockets to finish that series in five games. They will await the winner of Blazers-Clippers, as well as pray for a quick recovery for Curry from his knee injury.

Only one game on the docket tonight: Atlanta heads to Boston with a 3-2 series lead. The game will be on TNT at 7 pm CDT.

Elsewhere, Luke Walton appears to be a figure of interest to teams with head coaching openings; reports have the Kings, Rockets, and Lakers all asking for and receiving permission to speak to Walton.  Whether he has interest in any of those jobs remains unclear.  Meanwhile, old friend Kevin McHale is apparently among the possibilities for the Kings job. I think that would be a decent fit: McHale seems like a good choice to get everyone pulling in the same direction.

On the Wolves front, Charley Walters reported in the Pioneer Press that two new minority partners have bought into the team, bringing the number of investors beyond Glen Taylor to 10. They are Meyer Orbach, a real estate guy from New York, and John Jiang, the operator of a sports marketing business in China. Meanwhile, Debbie Saunders has chosen to retain the family's interest in the team.

Finally, I was completely baffled by the exclusion of Candace Parker from the Women's Olympic Basketball Team. Parker is one of the best five players in the world, and leaving her off is a bizarre omission that I couldn't figure out until I read this article at Swish Appeal. Apparently although technically Geno Auriemma doesn't pick the team, he has a lot of influence over the committee, and there are politics involved. You should go read it. But it's completely ridiculous that Parker isn't on the team.

Today in history

1253: Nichiren Buddhism expounded by Monk of that name. 
1521: Treaty of Worms.  I just like writing that. Treaty. of Worms. 
1770: Captain Cook lands at Botany Bay, Australia. 
1788: Maryland becomes 7th state to ratify Constitution. 
1789: Mutiny on the Bounty.
1914: Coal mine collapse in West Virginia kills 181.
1923: Wembley Stadium opens (Bolton vs. West Ham in the FA Cup)
1956: Last French troops leave Vietnam
1965: U.S. Marines invade Dominican Republic
1967: Muhammad Ali refuses induction into army
1969: Charles de Gaulle resigns as president of France
1977: Andreas Baader and other members of the Baader-Meinhoff  are sentenced to life in prison
1986: Soviet television annouces Chernobyl disaster 2 days after event

Today's musical birthday is Kim Gordon, best known as a founding member of Sonic Youth, born in 1953

Have a great day.