Thanks to the promise of two awesome Western Conference matchups and the stirring conclusion to a thrilling episode of "Castle," we were pretty pumped up for the start of TNT's Tuesday night double-header. But when host Ernie Johnson tossed the pregame show's discussion of Game 5 between the Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors over to Charles Barkley, things went a bit sideways:

Luckily, Shaquille O'Neal is so cool under pressure that his immediate response is to throw his phone off-camera, a motion that completely messed with everyone on the studio floor and apparently dislodged his lapel microphone, requiring multiple fix-up trips from a sound technician. Even more luckily, Shaq's improv instincts kicked in on the second trip, when he recognized that the best and funniest (basically the same thing) he could do would be to hug said sound guy, turning into the skid and highlighting the gong show.

Well, this is something you don't see every day:

Of course this would happen on a Tony Allen layup.

I'm just hoping his Memphis Grizzlies teammates don't fine him $100 for this missed layup, because that would just seem unfair. Then again, most contracts drawn up in locker-room kangaroo courts explicitly include an "Acts of God" clause, so the grit-and-grind shooting guard is probably safe from financial penalty here. In fact, getting your shot to rest on the rim might wind up being a lucrative opportunity for Allen. I hear the Atlanta Hawks are always looking for new halftime-show talent.

After three stellar performances in Warriors wins, Stephen Curry had his worst shooting night of the postseason in Tuesday's 107-100 Game 5 loss to the Denver Nuggets, going 7 of 19 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3-point range. It was a frustrating night for Curry, who also had a brief skirmish of words with a fan on his way into the locker room after the final buzzer. Perhaps a return home to a raucous Oracle Arena will help him reclaim his stellar form for Thursday's Game 6.

Warriors head coach Mark Jackson was not content to let Curry's night go down as merely a bad performance. In his post-game press conference, Jackson claimed that the Nuggets targeted Curry for particularly harsh treatment. Watch the video above and read some of the most notable quotes after the jump.

The Denver Nuggets staved off elimination on Tuesday night, beating the Golden State Warriors 107-100 to extend their best-of-seven first-round series to a sixth game. It was a frustrating night for Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry, who came into Game 5 on an absolutely torrid run over his past three games (30 points per game on 55.4 percent shooting from the field and a 14-for-28 mark from 3-point land) but struggled at the Pepsi Center, missing 12 of his 19 shots and six of his seven long balls en route to a sluggish 15-point, eight-assist, four-rebound outing.

The frustration appeared to boil over when Curry exited the floor after the final buzzer, as TNT's cameras caught the star point guard stopping his egress to confront a heckling fan seated next to the tunnel through which the players travel to the locker room:

Asked after the game what transpired as he walked off the court, Curry offered this response:

Perfect. (Photo via @s13mag)

Guys, we're all having a lot of fun focusing on the 2013 NBA playoffs — so much fun that we might have forgotten that today makes six weeks since Andrew Bynum had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on both of his cursed knees. I wonder how he's feeling, and if he's having any fun.

No worries, guys. He's having fun flamenco dancing in what appears to be a Ferrari jacket at Cafe de Chinitas in Madrid, Spain, where he's spending some time on an early offseason vacation, which is the kind of thing you can do when your team doesn't have to worry about the playoffs. (Bynum also took in a nice meal at Basque restaurant Mesón Txistu and had a nice time at a Real Madrid match.)

Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and Kings fan Barbara Rust celebrate on Monday. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)

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: SB Nation and NBA.com. In light of the NBA Board of Governors Relocation Committee's unanimous recommendation that the Sacramento Kings not be moved to Seattle, Tom Ziller considers Sacramento's three-part blueprint for staving off relocation, while Scott Howard-Cooper takes stock of the 12-0 verdict and the reasons behind it — the committee "did not vote against Seattle as much as it voted for Sacramento."

PF: CelticsBlog. I really enjoyed this post by Jeff Clark about confronting the eventuality of Paul Pierce's departure from the Boston Celtics, not only from an emotional perspective (where he says he'll miss "The Truth" on a level "that borders on feelings I have for extended family"), but also a practical on-court matter, because despite the All-Star appearances, the deep playoff runs and that one title, he's not sure he and Celtics fans really appreciate what they've had for the past 15 years.

Earl Monroe and Bubba Smith (Getty Images)

This is altogether more lighthearted news than the story Eric Freeman brought you earlier this month about Earl Monroe’s dalliances with the ABA’s Indiana Pacers. While promoting his new book "Earl the Pearl: My Story," Monroe told Sports on Earth’s Will Leitch about a harrowing encounter with a very, very illegal and dangerous drug: PCP, commonly known as “angel dust.” Earl the Pearl apparently ingested the stuff at a party at former Baltimore Colt (and future Police Academy repertory player) Bubba Smith’s house. Unaware of what he was smoking, Monroe did not enjoy his experience.

If you don’t have time to listen to the podcast, The Washington Post’s Sarah Kogod thankfully transcribed the discussion for all to see, and we very much appreciate her putting these words on HTML record. Not that Monroe could see anything, after getting wet. Here’s Pearl’s tale of woe:

But Bubba was a great guy, and he was one of the only athletes that I knew that lived in downtown Baltimore. And so, he had a great apartment and he threw a lot of parties. And this one particular evening, I was at his party and there was this guy who came up to me and asked me…he said, ‘Hey Earl. Do you wanna do this?’ I said, ‘What is that?’ He said, ‘Aw, man. Just take a toke. Don’t take to much.’ And I said ‘Alright.’

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol discuss the work of Ansel Adams (Andrew D. Bernstein/ Getty).

It was a tough season for Los Angeles Lakers big man Pau Gasol, one filled with injuries, a marginalized role, and consistent trade rumors. Under these circumstances, the Lakers' exit from the playoffs might come as something of a relief for him, apart from the essential pain of losing. Yet, as the Lakers head into an uncertain future, it looks as if Gasol might be at the end of his time with the team.

On Tuesday, Gasol had his exit interview with the team at Staples Center. (Visit Yahoo!'s own Marc Spears's Twitter page for substantive updates on what he had to say.) In the midst of several comments on his preparation for a potential trade, Gasol revealed some exciting news about his future plans off the court. From Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com on Twitter:

Pau Gasol reveals he's working on a photography book with inspirational messages from his life off the court

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 30, 2013

Um, when will this book be available for purchase? Can I buy it yesterday?