Basketball On The Internet.

CAN'T help it. As much affection as I have for Patty Mills and Aron Baynes for their green-and-gold exploits, I'd rather see the blue-and-gold prevail in the NBA's Western Conference semi finals.

Of course I'm referring to Andrew Bogut and the Golden State Warriors who were just so entertaining and inspiring as they took out the Denver Nuggets in Game 6 to clinch their series 4-2 to advance.

That advance takes them in to San Antonio, where Mills is still trying to establish his importance to the team and where Baynes, in the injury-absence of starter Tiago Splitter, opened in Game 4 of the Spurs' sweep of the LA Lakers.

He even got up Dwight Howard's nose, the Lakers' confused big man electing to warrant a second technical foul and get thrown out of a game LA was desperately trying to save.

And, of course, former Boomers, Sydney Kings and North Melbourne Giants coach Brett Brown is an assistant coach at San Antonio.

To many, the Spurs have become "Australia's team" because of their presence and also through past connections to the NBA franchise, Andrew Gaze being part of a championship-winning roster and Shane Heal getting a better shot there than at Minnesota.

Ultimately too, most will expect San Antonio - organised, efficient and ruthless - to end the fairytale story which has been Mark Jackson's rebuilding of Golden State Warriors.

But after the trials and tribulations Bogut has experienced since being taken by Milwaukee Bucks with the No.1 selection of the 2005 NBA draft, it is impossible to barrack against him.

Frankly, and with due regard for other long-suffering LA Clippers fans, the Warriors have been the best story and most entertaining team of the Western Conference playoffs.

Steph Curry has taken the mantle from Ray Allen as the NBA's best shooter. Some of the shots this kid has hit make you jump from your sofa.

To have David Lee suit for Game 6 at the yellow-sea of Oracle Arena after suffering a torn hip flexor, and even to play a minute is inspirational stuff.

So too was Bogey's dunk down the lane in Game 4. Welcome back.

And his 14 points, 21 rebounds, five blocks, three assists in Game 6 were vintage from the man Bay Area fans were unhappy about when the Warriors traded away Monta Ellis for him.

His well-documented arm injury - still can't watch that replay - and ankle issues finally behind him, Bogut was The Bogeyman for Denver.

So while I do expect the Spurs to advance, truth is the Warriors will have my support and admiration. Even if they did try hard to throw away Game 6 before prevailing 92-88.

Bogey against Tim Duncan - presuming David Lee cannot continue - is the big challenge, Warriors veteran Richard Jefferson, who also spent two years with the Spurs, predicting a great match-up.

"Bogues is a defender. He doesn't care if he gets dunked on, he's going to keep coming as that guy in the paint who tries to protect it, and he's also going to take the challenge of guarding Tim Duncan,'' Jefferson said.

"Tim's going to be Tim. It doesn't matter if it's Andrew Bogut or Shaquille O'Neal, Tim's going to do what Tim does. That's why he's probably the best power forward to ever play the game.''

MEMPHIS taking out Los Angeles Clippers 4-2 after trailing 0-2 - and winning all four games by double figures - was probably the shock of the first round.

The shock though is not the Grizzlies reversing last year's result but the manner in which they did it.

Game 6 was a 118-105 wrap, with LA's star point guard Chris Paul watching from a distance.

Paul had to watch how it all panned out from the changerooms after being thrown out with his second tech foul at 2:29 left.

"I don't understand how you can throw Chris out of the game unless it's something incredibly flagrant,'' Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro said. "And that wasn't.''

Blake Griffin was only able to play 14 minutes because of a high right-ankle sprain.

The loss ended a season where the Clippers' set franchise records for wins (56) and consecutive wins (17). It may also end Del Negro's coaching career in LA.

OKLAHOMA City will have its work cut out against the Grizzlies after seeing off Houston Rockets in six games.

So much was left to Kevin Durant in Russell Westbrook's absence, and it is hard to see the $7million Man - Kendrick Perkins - enjoying his upcoming joust with Memphis centre Marc Gasol.

Seriously. Has $7million ever been paid so wastefully? (Yeah. Don't answer that because we can probably all recall another dud or three. But Perkins remains my current poster-child for overpaid underachiever.)

THEY call it Celtic Pride and Boston showed plenty of it to reel off a mind-blowing 20-0 run in yesterday's Game 6 (and deciding game) against New York Knicks.

Trailing 49-75 with about nine minutes left, they got to 69-75, although by then, Jeff Green looked out on his feet, a big Carmelo Anthony three steering the Knicks back to the safety of an 88-80 win.

New York now has Indiana Pacers in one Eastern Conference semi final.

Indiana put away Atlanta Hawks 4-2 in by far the least interesting playoff series of the eight first rounders - including Miami and San Antonio's respective sweeps of Milwaukee and the Lakers.

Ah for the days of the old Knicks-Pacers rivalry, or was that the old Reggie Miller-Spike Lee rivalry?

ESPN had that "30 for 30" doco on again yesterday and it was just as compelling as the first two times I watched it.

"I hated him," was such an honest comment from great Knicks centre Patrick Ewing, speaking about Reggie's ability to get into the hearts and minds of rivals - Michael Jordan included.

And you have to love Reggie re-telling the story of how he was bragging to his dad and sister Cheryl - the greatest women's player of the 21st century - about his 40-point game in a high school semi final before finally asking his slightly bemused why she was smiling.

"How did you do today?" he asked her.

She had just gone off for 105 points.

So while the Knicks-Pacers will certainly be more interesting than the Pacers-Hawks could ever be, there isn't a Reggie Miller anywhere to be seen.

MIAMI kingpin LeBron James will be awarded his fourth MVP tomorrow but his focus will be on Chicago Bulls, after they beat the Nets 99-93 in Brooklyn today to steal the series 4-3.

Kirk Hinrich sat again due to injury but rarely-used Marquis Teague stepped up to deliver crucial minutes.

Luol Deng stayed in Chicago, spending half of today in hospital. But Marco Belinelli scored 24 points and Daequan Cook, who had played just 66 seconds all series, joined Teague in a first-half run.

Then, of course, there was Joakim Noah, backing up Thursday's postgame declaration "we're going to go into a hostile environment in Brooklyn and we're going to win'' with a stunning game of 24 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks.

This really isn't the team Miami expected to play.

Celtic Pride? Try Bulls-Eye. That's what Chicago, who played with such great heart, have on the Heat right now.
 

THIS just in.

Dwight Howard has texted Chris Paul: "I feel your pain."