Idle playoff thoughts

Detroit Red Wings vs Tampa Bay Lightning.

Instead of being tied 2-2, many in Detroit think their Wings should be up 3-1 in this series. After all, already up two games to one, they were ahead 2-0 with just five minutes left to play in Game 4, but wound up losing it 3-2 in overtime.

Idle thought: Congrats on playing 55 minutes worth of good hockey, though you lucked out when the Tampa Bay goalie accidentally knocked a puck into his own net. But the game is 60 minutes, and if you can't close the deal during the last five, only to lose in OT, then you blew it.

Besides, in Game One, the Lightning outplayed the Wings for the entire game, including outshooting them by a 3 to 1 margin, but somehow Detroit "stole" a victory. The folks in Tampa Bay likely think THEY should be ahead 3-1 in the series.

2-2 sounds about right. Even Wings coach Mike Babcock admitted the same.

LA Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs.

Rememer the whole sordid Donald Sterling affair less than a year ago? As then owner of the Clips, he was eventually forced to sell. The brand new, chrome-domed NBA Commish with the big floppy ears (sometimes called Adam Silver) banned him for life.

Then along came one Steve Ballmer, a former Bill Gates associate. He would pay the ridiculous sum of $2 billion to purchase the Clippers, far above their market value. So Sterling has faded away, along with V. Stiviano, his arm-candy bimbo that got the whole mess rolling in the first place by going public with a private conversation. You remember Maria Vanessa Perez, aka Monica Gallegos, aka Monica Perez Gallegos, aka Maria Valdez, who changed her name in 2010. Throw in a Ferrari, a couple Bentleys, a Range Rover and some serious cash along the way, and you pretty well get the picture. Such a nice upstanding lady.

Idle thought: Congrats to the chrome-domed owner of the LA Clippers with the big floppy arms. He could be seen spastically waving them and chanting like your typical fanatical rednecked fan after maybe 7 or 8 too many beers during the first game his Clips faced the Spurs. The Clippers would win Game 1 of that series convincingly at home.

But then came Game 2 and the defending champion Spurs evened the series at the Staples Center. Not so high a profile for the 2 billion dollar spaz man. No sign of Sterling, but he's probably got more pressing matters to tend to these days. Like -- a bunch of lawsuits and his beloved wife still slugging it out with Maria Vanessa Monica Perez Gallegos Valdez Stiviano over a few other assets. Girls, girls. What's a few bucks between a WASP billionaress and a world class golddigger that apparently couldn't decide what race she is on her lengthy rap sheet? Can we have a little decorum and civility here?

At any rate, the Clips went to Alamoland for Game 3 and were totally blown out 100-73. Given such a dismal performance by his team, forget the high profile rabid fan routine. Ballmer might be hanging out with Darth Cheney in one of his bunkers.

But this is what happens when two coaches like Doc Rivers and Gregg Popovich square off and match wits. One has never won anything and the other has developed a team concept that is second to none and has several world championships to show for it. One team talks smack on the court and a couple star players make dopey TV commericials for more money they obviously don't need. The other remains humble, unselfish, and continues to work their butts off to be the best they can be. When the Spurs are clicking they're a thing of beauty to behold, both offensively and defensively. Plus they play 10 men deep in their rotation.

Final idle thought: Obviously, $2 billion was WAY too much to pay for the Clips. So far, all Ballmer has to show for it is his team is the best team at Staples Center -- and that's because the Lakers have become pitiful. The Clips have little chance of getting by the Spurs in the opening round of the playoffs and their future doesn't appear so rosy either. With the salary cap being what it is, and they already overpaying for some "star" power, they're pretty well in a bind as far as improving their squad in the near future.

Chances of them reaching the NBA Finals, let alone winning it in the near future? Slim to none. Ballmer may have known how to max out the software potential, but he's no further ahead than Sterling when it comes to sniffing a championship. And one of them just pocketed two billion dollars from the other. So who's the dummy indeed?