'ey yo spiced-out calvin coolidge, loungin' with seven duelers.

--NBA playoff reflections:

• KG got suspended for this, which some people think will bring out the emotion the Celtics have been lacking, and which others, Joakim Noah included, think is yet another example of KG's dirty play.  As a known KG fan (even though he's made it very hard on me since ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!!), I tend to think that KG's anger came more from the fact that he airballed a shot he would've sunk in his sleep just two years ago than any concern for Pierce.  His body is betraying him, and this season has given him a laundry list of reminders.  What I hate, though, is that people forget that the year he joined the Celtics he decisively won a vote of his fellow All-Stars on who they most wanted to see win a championship; I guess he's burned through all the goodwill he earned toiling in Minnesota.
• The offenses in the Nuggets-Jazz game were just ridiculously efficient, and Melo had a night befitting a superstar.  Even though I don't have any great love for the Nuggets, I'll gladly watch the Jazz lose every night.
• It's looking like my prediction for ugly games is going to come true in the East, and that the Heat are going to keep their streak of unwatchable playoff series alive.
• Finally, most of the games were more lopsided than the scores would show, especially in the East.  I can only hope that the Thunder will show a little more ferocity than they did in Game 1.

 --I missed Treme last night because of an article I was writing; I'll try to catch a rerun tonight, and give a review tomorrow.  From what I hear, Clarke Peters deals with a hoodlum in this episode, which is one of my favorite things to watch him do.

--The Ernie Sims trade breaks down like this:  the Lions send Sims, their young outside linebacker, to the Eagles, who send a fifth-round pick to the Broncos, who send Tony Scheffler, their young tight end, to the Lions.  The Lions had no use for Sims, who was lost in basic zone coverage last year and who was abysmal against the run (although injuries, supposedly, played a big role) and get, in Scheffler and second-year man Brandon Pettigrew, one of the better young tight end tandems in the league.  I don't know what the Eagles think they're getting with Sims, but maybe he'll do better in a more man-blitz defensive scheme.  Also, come on, Broncos.

--Chris Brown's breakdown of scouting in football is weighted towards the frustrated college football fan's perspective, but it's very reasonable and, like everything else Brown writes, an immensely readable and knowledgeable analysis.

--To the right of that article is a link to the Fifth Down Blog's slightly questionable list of the 10 best safeties in the league (Antrel Rolle? Roman Harper?), with a pretty limited rationale and some interesting honorable mentions.  My list would be:

10. Adrian Wilson, Arizona.  A-Dub had a down year by his standards, mainly in run support, which has traditionally been (and is lazily assumed to still be) his forte.  He was very solid in coverage, though, and remains the league's least publicized dirty player.

9. Bernard Pollard, Houston.  Scott Pioli never should've cut Pollard, whose run defense is impeccable (and a big part of Houston's rather short-lived renaissance against the run).  He's no slouch in a robber zone, either.

8. Brandon Meriweather, New England.  Previously known for getting distracted by shiny things on the sidelines (and for all-around dirty play), this year Meriweather helped provide a semblance of a pass defense that's been missing since the front office let Asante Samuel walk.

7. Darren Sharper, New Orleans.  Like Dawkins, Sharper proved his doubters wrong in the first half of the season by returning to his ballhawking form of yore.  I'd rank him higher, but he's a total liability against the run and started running out of steam late last season.

6. Antoine Bethea, Indianapolis.  Bethea was better when paired with Bob Sanders and allowed to roam more, but he's done a very good job of corralling Indy's secondary and masking the direly overrated Melvin Bullitt's limited range.  He can also destroy people with his hits and has a knack for forcing turnovers in the red zone and deep coverage.

5. Brian Dawkins, Denver.  Like many others, I was ready to write off Dawkins after the end of the 2008 season, when he had really started showing his age in coverage.  He proved me wrong this year, though, because he was as responsible as anyone for Denver's brief defensive resurgence (generally through good intermediate zone coverage and bread and butter, run support).

4. Kerry Rhodes, New York/Arizona.  Most of the criticisms I've seen leveled at Rhodes are nebulous "he lost his passion for the game" accusations; from what I've seen, he's very sound in coverage and excellent in run support.

3. Nick Collins, Green Bay.  Ed Reed lite, he's an excellent center fielder who's speedy enough to help in run support; he makes the most of Green Bay's pressure defense.

2. Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh.  I take issue with people who praise Polamalu unequivocally (too risky in coverage and too many missed tackles), but his versatility is critical to the success of Pittsburgh's scheme.  Although people tend to forget about Aaron Smith's injury also hurting the Steelers, losing Polamalu to the Madden Curse was devastating.  Like Reed, he's one of the only defenders in the game who can dictate terms to an offense.

1. Ed Reed, Baltimore.  The best coverage safety in the league since he arrived, he's also better than he's made out to be against the run.  He took fewer chances in coverage last season, though he's about as good protecting the ball on returns as Adrian Peterson.

If I were making this list last year, LaRon Landry would be included, possibly in the top five.  If I were making it two years ago, Bob Sanders would be number one with a bullet.  When I make this list next year, I will eat my own eyeballs if Eric Berry isn't on it.