Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken are hard at work covering the latest sports developments ...

I have got to talk with those two.

Anyway, a look around the sports world. We start with the NBA, as all of us at the sports desk know that as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west if there is anything the gentle readers of RedState love, it is anything having to do with LeBron James. (I kid, I kid.)

It has become clear that Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison is the hardest-working GM in the NBA. This is made evident by his apparent inability to find the time to attend any Mavericks home games, as made evident by his recent statement that he was unaware of how loved superstar Luka Dončić was by the Mavericks fan base. Harrison traded Dončić in February 2025 to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis in one of the more, shall we say, unexpected trades in NBA history. The trade has proved to be an unanticipated boon for local clothing manufacturers, as sales of FIRE NICO shirts have soared since the trade. Charles Barkley, who has never met a microphone he did not like, has chimed in with the suggestion that Harrison not follow his lead.

Chuck has a message for Nico Harrison: pic.twitter.com/jBPZvxSGuq

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 21, 2025

Had the trade worked out, it would have assuaged the outrage of Mavericks fans over watching the most beloved player in franchise history since Dirk Nowitzki shipped to the Lakers. It did not, as the oft-injured Davis missed multiple games following his acquisition by Dallas while the Mavericks’ other top player, Kyrie Irving, tore his ACL. Dallas will not defend its 2023-2024 Western Conference championship this year.

Among teams authentically competing for this year‘s championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder are turning the Memphis Grizzlies into Boo Boo, having won the first two games of their quarterfinal series by a total of 70 points. Ouch. Signs point to the Grizzlies‘ game plan being mapped out by whichever consultants believe going to the mat for MS-13 members is a winning strategy for Democrats.

Elsewhere, the Indiana Pacers lead the Milwaukee Bucks 2-0 in a series that has all the hallmarks of turning into a basketbrawl contest. Slightly less contentious, but nonetheless spirited, we have the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks tied at a game apiece, as are everyone’s favorite team the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves. In action today (April 23), we have the Miami Heat visiting the Cleveland Cavaliers with Cleveland leading the series 1-0. The Orlando Magic are in Boston to take on the Celtics, with the latter enjoying a 1-0 advantage in the best-of-seven series. Finally, the Golden State Warriors (yay!) are in H-Town to see if they can defuse the Rockets for the second time in a row.

Much to Sammy and Karl’s delight we’ll look at the NHL playoffs shortly. Enjoy the day, everyone.

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