Klay Thompson fends off Manu Ginobili (D. Clarke Evans/ Getty).

For several minutes of Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the San Antonio Spurs, it looked as if the Golden State Warriors were headed for a repeat of a devastating Game 1 loss that included blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead. After building a 62-43 halftime lead on the strength of a burning-hot performance from Klay Thompson (29 points in the half, including seven three-pointers), Golden State let the game get away once again in the second half. From the 3:49 to 1:23 marks of the third quarter, the Spurs went on a 14-2 run to cut the deficit 19 to seven points. They looked headed for disaster.

Except they didn't. The Warriors scored six points in the last 67 seconds the period (including a huge Thompson three-pointer at the buzzer) to bring the lead back up to 11. And while the Spurs managed to cut the lead to six points within the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, they never got closer over the rest of the game. It wasn't always pretty, but the Warriors managed to make enough plays late to come out on top 100-91 in the franchise's first win in San Antonio since Valentine's Day 1997. The series is now tied at 1-1 as the action shifts to what should be a raucous Oracle Arena for Games 3 and 4.

[Also: LeBron James, Heat frustrate Bulls in historic Game 2 blowout]

Join us after the jump for more analysis of the game and the issues at play in the rest of the series.

Hey, Miami Heat fan: How do you feel about Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls center who just got ejected for arguing with a referee early in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Wednesday night?

Neat. (Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports/BDL Illustration)

Oh, OK, cool.

[Related: Filomena Tobias, fan who flipped off Joakim Noah, has crazy backstory]

Two nights after the Bulls bested the Heat in one of the most remarkable wins of the NBA season, Miami handed Chicago the worst loss in Bulls franchise history, a nasty, physical 37-point drubbing that featured nine technical fouls and ejections for Bulls reserve Taj Gibson and All-Star center Noah.

[Also: LeBron James, Heat frustrate Bulls in historic Game 2 blowout]

Check out video of the ejections, plus Noah's postgame reaction, after the jump.

The Chicago Bulls' win over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals series was one of the most stunning wins of the season, a case of an overmatched, injury-riddled side out-playing the clear title favorites as if it were the climax of an inspirational movie. It also recast this series as something more interesting than the dominant Heat performance most of us assumed it would be when the matchup was set on Saturday night. The Bulls were given life.

In Wednesday night's Game 2, the Heat did everything they could to obliterate that sense of hope. While Chicago played Miami close for the bulk of the first half, the home team looked far more comfortable than they had in Game 1, relying on LeBron James for early scoring and moving the ball with newfound ease.

Yet that improved start was mere prelude to the dominance to come. After a Jimmy Butler three-point play made the score 42-38 Heat with 3:42 left in the first half, the Heat closed out the period on a 13-3 run to stake themselves a sizable halftime lead. They won the third quarter by a lopsided 30-15 score and opened the fourth quarter on an 18-2 run. From that Butler and-one to the 8:27 mark of the fourth quarter, the Heat outscored the Bulls 62-20 to put the game well beyond reach. The final score of 115-78 makes it the worst loss in Bulls playoff history and the biggest win in Heat playoff history.

New York Knicks scorer J.R. Smith is not having a very good time right now. Since winning the Sixth Man of the Year award on April 22, Smith has done pretty much everything wrong, from getting suspended for elbowing Jason Terry in the head to not playing adequate basketball at a time when the Knicks need him badly. In his four games since returning from suspension, Smith has shot a combined 15-for-57 (26.3 percent) from the field and 7-for-24 (29.2 percent) from beyond the arc. Many Knicks fans want his minutes cut drastically, and he appears to be doing serious damage to his market value as an unrestricted free agent this summer.

It's enough to make you want to yell at him. So, during Tuesday night's Knicks win in Game 2 of their series against the Pacers, head coach Mike Woodson did just that. Near the end of the first quarter, Smith took a pass from Tyson Chandler near the rim with a very good chance to score. Unfortunately, he let his pivot foot wander and was rightfully called for

Tony Parker can't believe how quickly Stephen Curry can get hot. (Getty Images)

After the San Antonio Spurs escaped with a thrilling, final-possession, double-overtime Game 1 win over the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, there's been one question on all of our minds: What the heck are the Spurs going to do differently to stop Stephen Curry, who went Human Torch for 44 points on 18 for 35 shooting against a very good Spurs defense that finished tied for third in the league in defensive efficiency this season.

"We've got to do a better job with him," Spurs legend Tim Duncan said, according to ESPN.com's J.A. Adande. (Thanks for the inside scoop, Tim.)

"We'd like to figure out how to hold Curry below 40," Popovich said, according to Adande. "We've got about 10 phone calls out to people asking for suggestions. He's unbelievable. Unbelievable."

And yet, the answer out of San Antonio's Wednesday shootaround didn't sound like a sweeping, revolutionary change.

There'll be some "new wrinkles," according to San Antonio Express-News beat stalwart Jeff McDonald, but for the most part, the second verse will be the same as the first, as Spurs guard Danny Green said:

“We’ve come up with more questions, a couple solutions,” Green said. “We won’t know if they work until tonight.”

Asked if he believed the impetus behind Curry’s big night was the guard simply hitting tough shots or the Spurs’ defensive breakdowns, Green answered, “A little bit of both.”

“Once a guy like that gets a rhythm, regardless of how tough the shot is, there’s a pretty good chance of it going in. We want to do a better job of keeping him out of rhythm.”

It'll be very interesting to see what the "wrinkles" that Gregg Popovich and his coaching staff have developed look like. In re-watching Game 1 possession by possession to take a closer look at how the Spurs defended Curry, it didn't seem like any one on-ball defender — primarily starting point guard Tony Parker, who's expected to get the call once again, but also backup Cory Joseph, shooting guard Green and small forward Kawhi Leonard — got particularly roasted. Instead, it looked more like A) the Golden State offense took advantage of various one-on-one mismatches away from Curry and B) Curry can be really, really, ridiculously, terrifyingly good.

Brook Lopez during Brooklyn's Game 7 loss to Chicago (Getty Images)

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: The Classical. David Roth delves into the enervating and tacky start of the Brooklyn Nets, the five-year malaise following Jason Kidd’s trade demand season of 2007-08, and the team’s tough first year after moving across the river.
PF: Indianapolis Star. Bob Kravitz details why, despite New York’s fantastic run to pull away in Game 2, the Indiana Pacers should be the favorites in this conference semifinal.
SF: SB Nation. After an embarrassing DJ turn during Game 1, Jon Bois previews the upcoming San Antonio Spurs in-house arena music we’re expected to take in for Game 2.
SG: Eye on Basketball. Royce Young is completely correct when he points to Kevin Martin as a needed bulwark to fortify Oklahoma City’s comeback in a five-game series that they do not own the home court advantage in.
PG: SB Nation. The Chicago Bulls have cleared Derrick Rose to play basketball. They’ve also cleared quite a few players that weren’t fit to play basketball. This is Tom Ziller’s damning and accurate indictment.

(Courtesy Twitter.com/mamasasso)

The city of Chicago (or, by extension and more specifically, the city of Skokie, IL.) is quite proud of its Chicago Bulls. The team has overcome quite a bit on its way toward staring down the defending champion Miami Heat; with a chance to take a 2-0 conference semifinals lead on Wednesday. Along the way, this 90-game Derrick Rose-less run has inspired all sorts of breathless tributes.

None finer than the work of Command Signs, which gave drivers on the Edens Expressway in Chicago the chance to gawk and laugh at their wonderfully Photoshopped digital bow downs to this incessantly entertaining Bulls team.

Via The Basketball Jones, via Blog-a-Bull, via Chicagoist, via Command Signs, via the Edens Expressway, here are the billboards:

(Courtesy Twitter.com/CommandSign)

Shaquille O'Neal and Kendrick Perkins clutch and grab (Getty Images)

Shaquille O’Neal has never been shy about initiating various beefs with opponents, former coaches, or even current teammates. From Dwight Howard to Kobe Bryant to Chris Bosh and Brian Hill, Shaq has never shied away from calling out those that displeased him. Throughout all of this O’Neal has long looked petty in the process, as he’s usually the first to lash out.

This time, it’s different. This time it was Oklahoma City Thunder center (and former O’Neal teammate, for 12 games at least) Kendrick Perkins that went after Shaq. Or, “Shack.” We’re pretty sure it was Shaq.

Here’s Perkins’ tweet, sent out during TNT’s coverage of the thrilling double-header that saw the Chicago Bulls beat the Miami Heat, and the San Antonio Spurs come back to top the Golden State Warriors:

Do Shack ever stop talking about himself. SMH

— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 7, 2013