NBA: CONFERENCE FINALS UPDATE // MLB: CURRENT STANDINGS

sports-notebook.blogspot.com . . . FOR MORE ANALYSIS, GO TO "MILE HIGH SPORTS RADIO," AM1510 or FM93.7, and to Denver’s best sports blogging team---milehighsports.com. SPORTS NOTEBOOK posts its columns Tuesday and Friday of each week. Ed., Publ., Marvin Leibstone; Copy & Mng. Ed., Gail Kleiner. . . //. . NBA: CONFERENCE FINALS UPDATE // MLB: CURRENT STANDINGS . . . // NBA---THE absence of forward Serge Ibaka as means favoring San Antonio Spurs domination of the Oklahoma City Thunder, it wasn’t meant to be. The talented Thunder rebounder, blocker and close-in shooter Ibaka played during Game Three of the Western Conference finals and is good to go for Game Four. His contribution to the Thunder’s Game Three win over the Spurs was crucial, an aid to Thunder’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook scoring high in double-digits, the Thunder taking down the Spurs, 106-97, preventing the Spurs from going into Game Four at 3-0, thus one win from becoming the 2013/14 NBA-Western Conference championship team, to face either the Miami Heat or the Indiana Pacers. Tonight is Game Four, and the Spurs are ahead, 2-1, and while the Spurs Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are still threats, the return of Ibaka can again yield a seamless Thunder defense and also clear pathways for Durant and Westbrook for both deep and close-in shots, and the Spurs need to diminish the plays forced subtly by the Thunder’s Derek Fischer, an enabler for many sudden Durant and Westbrook drives + shots made from the corners. The next Spurs/Thunder contest is tonight, May 27 . . . As for the Eastern Conference grab, forget the trash talk accusations made about LeBron James. Concentrate on his must-win attitude and the resulting near-perfection of ball control and subsequent points that ensue. Against the Pacers last night, James dominated the game’s second half and helped to push the final score to 102 Heat, 90 for the Pacers. That’s a 12 point deficit for what’s been touted as the NBA’s best defense of the year, James having provided 32 points, Chris Bosh, 25, Dwyane Wade, 15. The Heat are now at 3-1, a game away from the NBA-EC championship trophy, next playing either the Spurs or Thunder for the NBA 2013/14 championship title. Should the Heat defeat the Pacers after Game Five on Friday, May 30, it will be the team’s fourth straight appearance at the NBA finals, a record held to date only by the L.A. Lakers and the Boston Celtics. Not that the Pacers were completely below the margin during Game Four, with the Pacers Roy Hibbert being scoreless and the Pacers Lance Stephenson reaching but nine points. Pacers Paul George scored 23 points. . . //. . MLB---THE now 26-23 Baltimore Orioles are the only division team of 10 days ago now below that slot, holding at the American League East’s third position, four wins back of the 30-22 Toronto Blue Jays, and one win behind second place team, the 27-23 N.Y. Yankees. And, the National League West’s 32-19 S.F. Giants and the AL Central’s 28-19 Detroit Tigers are the only division leading franchises of 10 days ago with substantial leads over number two position teams, the Giants now ahead of the L.A. Dodgers by four wins and the Tigers leading the Chicago White Sox by five wins. Meanwhile, since May 17 the NL Central’s leading franchise, the Milwaukee Brewers, dropped from five wins ahead of second place team, the St. Louis Cardinals, to just one win above the Cardinals; and, within the NL East, a three game lead held by first place team, the now 28-22 Atlanta Braves, is now a one win edge over second place franchise, the Miami Marlins. Inside the AL West, the 31-20 Oakland A’s are still numero uno with three wins above second place holder, the L.A. Angels. Best re. both leagues today are the NL’s 32-19 S.F. Giants. . . Of teams that have sunk to the very bottom of their respective leagues, the AL’s Boston Red Sox are there with only 21 wins, only two wins above the worst current year record of 19 wins and 30 losses, that held by the Chicago Cubs. Ironic is that five of the six bottom-of-the-pile franchises are from the biggest MLB market regions and are teams that have plenty of dollars to spend wisely and coaches and staff to arrange for performance tactics wisely---New York, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland and Houston. “Wisely” could be the operative word missing among all five. END/ml