The Big Three combined for 83 points and 35 of the Heat’s 45 rebounds. Also notable: Miami forward Udonis Haslem made his much anticipated return tonight…The only thing he picked up in his three minutes of action? A technical foul for arguing with a ref.

And in the second part of the doubleheader…
For the second time in as many games, Zach Randolph and company needed more than 42 minutes and even more than 48 minutes to try to extend their lead against the OK City Thunder. Both Western Conference teams fought through THREE overtimes. In a game that lasted just under four hours, the Thunder broke open to win the game 133-123 and tie up the series at two apiece.

I’m sorry, Kobe. There’s a difference between saying your team has a chance to keep the series alive and just completely blowing smoke. After last night’s ugly 36 point loss to the Mavs, what are you going to say now?

So the Lakers bow out in four straight and Phil Jackson looks like he might retire. But those aren’t the only story lines coming out of this weekend…

Atlanta evened its series with Chicago last night despite MVP Derrick Rose leading the Bulls with a game high 34 points. But Rose took 32 shots from the field to get those points (making only 12 for an unimpressive 37.5 field goal percentage).

Meanwhile the Memphis Grizzlies…yes, the Grizzlies…continue their Cinderella story as they’re up 2-1 against Kevin Durant and the Thunder. Will tonight’s contest be as exciting as Saturday’s overtime game where Zach Randolph and the Grizz went off and established themselves in the extra five minutes?

And before that game, we’ll see if the Celtics have the energy, heart, and healthy bodies to tie their series against the Heat. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 PM ET.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=6500348

Brown is currently suspended indefinitely. The University released a statement saying they are aware of the “serious charges” and cannot comment further right now.

We clearly don’t know what happened that night. And I’m not about to brand a kid when we don’t know all the facts yet. But this is obviously not something Al Golden and his staff want to deal with. And knowing him, I’m sure he won’t tolerate it. A charge like this is not about image anymore…If convicted, Brown should face proper justice and not be allowed to see the field as a University of Miami student-athlete.

Let’s see what insight this role model has for us today!

[insert Ben Roethlisberger joke here]

After that gem, news broke about Bin Laden’s death, and today Mendenhall has been commenting with his take on the historic event.

“We’ve only heard one side.”  I know these athletes take a lot of shots to the head…but…come on, Rashard.

At least he ended the issue there.

Hold on, he didn’t? Really?

Rashard Mendenhall’s sage wisdom can be found @R_Mendenhall

Still looking for excitement, the league has never been one to shun a suggestion, and this season’s All-Star Game was a perfect example of this.  The teams were split with captains–Eric Staal and Nicklas Lidstrom–picking their own teams in a Fantasy-draft style.  The NHL deemed this a success and we can count on seeing this next year, although probably tweaked.

The playoff system is one of my least favorite things about the NHL.  The two conferences are seeded just like basketball, 1-8, with the top three seeds going to the division leaders.  But instead of a simple bracket format throughout the conference playoffs, the teams are re-seeded after the first round to guarantee the greatest advantage to the top-seeded team, and make the road to the finals as challenging as possible for the lowest-seeded team.  So if the eighth-seeded team won an upset in the first round, they would go on to play the best remaining team in the second round.

Now, however, the NHL may be considering a static bracket format like basketball or the NCAA where the teams will play the winner of another series no matter what.  I like this idea, and I don’t know why it hasn’t been initiated since the lockout.

But as I said, the NHL is not going to ignore an idea–no matter how outlandish it may seem at first–and it is considering a 1-16 bracket that will include match-ups determined by conference standings.  The top eight teams from each conference would advance to the playoffs, but they would be matched up with a corresponding team–determined by regular season points–that will not necessarily be from their own conference.  It would be possible, then, for teams from the same conference to play each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.

As much as I don’t like this idea (travel would be strenuous and costly, bad match-ups between teams with no history would be costly in terms of fan excitement in the opening rounds), it might be a win for the NHL, who after all is looking out for its best interests.

No offense to my friends who root for the Marlins, but you can bet your house that the front office of Major League Baseball enjoyed the viewership and earnings from the epic seven-game ALCS between the Yankees and Red Sox more than they did the world series.

Likewise, the NHL commissioner and owners might enjoy a Capitals-Penguins Stanley Cup or a Red Wings-Canucks matchup.  The integrity of the NHL may be at stake, but in the meantime, several of the league’s franchises are threatened by financial struggles, and this might be just one way to increase viewership at a time that the NHL is desperately trying to stay relevant.

In the meantime, enjoy the Stanley Cup playoffs as they are.  The Capitals and Red Wings, both down 0-2, are fighting for their lives, while the Predators are attempting to stun the top-seeded Canucks in a series that’s tied 1-1.  The Bruins, up 1-0 in their series against the Flyers, host Philadelphia tonight.