There are some compelling series in the association. Some heroic performances. Brooklyn vs Milwaukee will go to game seven tomorrow after Giannis Antetokounmpo played forty-one minutes and had thirty points and seventeen rebounds; Kris Middleton played forty-two and had 38, 10, 5, and 5 as the "Bucks" evened 104-89. Kevin Durant had one of the best playoff games ever in game six in the borough Tuesday night. Playing all forty-eight minutes Easy Money put the "Nets" on his slight shoulders and carried them to the win with an astounding performance: 49 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kyrie Irving sat out with bed bugs and the third star in Brooklyn's constellation, The Beard, played a heroic 46 minutes with his damaged knee looking like it was being held together with masking tape and chewing gum. Harden was 1/10 shooting which merely affirms the wisdom of Dr. Johnson's point about the dancing three-legged dog, "It is not that it is done well, but that it is done at all." Harden had a respectable 16 points on 5/9 (3/6) last night.

Compelling, Philadelphia and Atlanta, heroic and cowardly. Atlanta's diminutive point guard Trae Young has been heroic, averaging 29.6 ppg and 10.8 apg including 39 and 7 in a stayin' alive win in Philadelphia Wednesday. No courage from the "76'ers". They blew a twenty-six point lead with 8:31 left in the third in what for them was a close-out game. Their point guard, 6'11" Australian Ben Simmons, was a pee-wee Kiwi. In thirty-eight minutes of play gentle giant Ben took four shots. He has nerves of taffy. From the free-throw line Simmons was 4/14. Coach Doc Rivers had to take him out down the stretch, the "Hawks" were hacking him every chance they got. Simmons' ten missed freebies were more than the difference in the game, won by Atlanta by only three, 109-106.

Simmons is a strange bird. Durant-like size and skill but cannot lift, much less carry, his team. This has been ever since he has been in the States. Simmons was the greatest recruiting coup LSU scored since Shaquille O'Neal, but couldn't even will his team, in the one year he was there, into the sixty-eight team NCAA tournament field. Didn't care enough to even keep himself academically eligible. The "Sixers" made him the number one pick in the draft during their "Process" years despite prophetic wariness from draft analysts. Hasn't taken the "Sixers" to the Conference finals. Just doesn't care enough. Doesn't see why the fans would come to a game and boo their team when they play shitty. "Stay home." Simmons tugged on Superfan's cape with that one. Philadelphia fans of all the city's sports teams are ruthless, especially to false heroes. After Wednesday's debacle Simmons is done in Philadelphia. He won't care.