Vinny Del Negro considers his playbook late in Game 6 (Getty Images)

Memphis Grizzlies 90, Los Angeles Clippers 88 (series tied, friends, at 3-3)

It's been a nasty series, full of flops, strange possessions, dodgy officiating, and low scoring. But it's also been, by many accounts, the best series in the first round. It's the Grizzlies and Clippers — now 100 percent lottery free — and it's going to seven games. And we couldn't be happier.

The Grizzlies prevailed in Game 6, but this game really did come down to the obvious absence of the Chris Paul we all know and love and sometimes pick series' based on how well he'll play. The Clippers won't make such excuses (save for the team's coach, perhaps), but Paul really was a shell of himself on Friday night, especially in the fourth quarter when the Clippers needed him most. Paul finished with 11 points on nine shots with five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and three turnovers. Not a terrible line in the slightest, but a far cry from the sort of MVP-level production that the Clippers need to make a difference in these playoffs.

No excuses, there, but Paul's limited mobility wasn't even made up for by a tough and determined performance from Blake Griffin. Griffin was also hobbled, and it showed, but he still put together a 17-point night with six assists and five rebounds. And it wasn't enough, because the Memphis Grizzlies made damn sure of it.

LeBron James is the NBA's MVP in 2011-12 (Getty Images)

All apologies for making this so stupidly simple, but this truly is a simple award. You give the Most Valuable Player award to the player that has played the best basketball during the regular season, and LeBron James clearly played the best basketball of any player in the NBA this year. This is why, according to the Associated Press, he will be awarded the MVP trophy on Saturday. Gotta get it in before the Indiana Pacers sweep LeBron's Miami Heat out of the playoffs, y'know.

To consider any other candidate was to be charitable to that runner-up at best. Other NBA players have had MVP-level seasons in terms of production, and there certainly have been several players this season that have been just about invaluable to their respective franchises, but James was so far and away the best player in the NBA that even L.B.J. fatigue -- James has won the award three times in four years -- couldn't sway the vote.

[Related: James wins third MVP award in four seasons]

James averaged 27.1 points this season on just 18.9 shot attempts a game, which is nearly (by .1 of a shot) a career-low. To put that in perspective, Kevin Durant averaged 28 points on 19.7 shots a night, and Kobe Bryant managed 27.9 on 23 shots a contest — and we don't want to hear about Heat helpers in comparison to teams that feature Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. James also contributed 14.1 rebounds/assists and 2.7 steals/blocks, numbers that far outpace his contemporaries in whatever the hell position James plays these days.

Chris Andersen (Doug Pensinger/ Getty)On Thursday, we passed along a report that Denver Nuggets center Chris "Birdman" Andersen had his home searched in relation to an investigation by a Colorado Internet Crimes against Children unit. It was a shocking story, and enough for the Nuggets to excuse Andersen from all team-related activities in the midst of a neck-and-neck playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. With few details, no one knew what to think of the situation, and many feared the worst.

New details have emerged, though, and they paint a different picture of the situation. According to one of Andersen's lawyers, he could be the target of extortion. From Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post:

Elton Brand boxes out Carlos Boozer, but whatever (Drew Hallowell/ Getty).

By every popular metric, the Chicago Bulls had a disappointing season. Despite earning the East's top record and a top seed, injuries to Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and others foiled their dreams of a championship. While it might have been a case of bad luck rather than some structural defect in the squad, there's a reason that every Bulls fan I know (including our own Kelly Dwyer) feels a little worse about the NBA postseason today. The team had high expectations, and they didn't meet them.

Don't tell that to Carlos Boozer, though, because he's feeling really great. From Nick Friedell for ESPNChicago.com (via SB Nation):

Paul Pierce, all smiles (Getty Images)

Hey. It's Kelly. That wasn't fun, was it? The silly lockout, the terrible season, the Dwight Howard, and that awful first round. It's OK, though. It's over now. That is a bird chirping in the distance, I made a pretty good sandwich for your lunch and we don't have anything to do when you get home from work but watch a series of basketball games played by players that are rested, well-instructed, and mindful of what town they're in.

You're going to feel better, now. Your pal insists on it.

Let's talk about the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

Get ready to substitute a gimpy Taj Gibson for an angry Kevin Garnett, Spencer Hawes (Getty Images)

For every postseason matchup, Ball Don't Lie's resident dummy will offer a topically appropriate entry from the best-selling series of "Deep Thoughts" books written by legendary humorist Jack Handey, plus some of his own original thoughts on the playoff series. The combination will cost you literally nothing; we suggest you use the savings to purchase one of Mr. Handey's life-changing books.

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Philadelphia 76ers

Don Nelson readies to shoot a free throw in the strangest way possible (Getty Images)

In which the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers fight for the future of the nation in Revolutionary America.

When we speak of America's Founding Fathers today, we typically imagine them as a unified body that agree exactly how and why this country's citizens and corporations should be allowed to do things like marry, give money to political candidates and compensate their workers (or slaves). The truth, however, was a little more complicated. In the thick of the Revolutionary War, factions from different cities argued over the country's future.

But which would end up victorious? Join me, if you will, on a trip back in time …

Metta World Peace works out at the Staples Center on May 8th (Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace averaged 14.1 points on 47 percent shooting in April, adding more than four rebounds a game despite playing just 32 minutes a contest -- and not really being asked to do much outside of defending the best wing player and not put up crazy stats. Three weeks into that month, Metta World Peace did something ridiculously crazy — carelessly bashing Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden with an elbow, and he was suspended seven games, as a result, beginning with his team's final regular-season win. With the Lakers due to play the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 of their opening-round series, holy crap, Metta World Peace is coming back. He's actually allowed to play.

The Lakers need a shot in the arm. Andrew Bynum is moping through plays, nobody can stay in front of the Nuggets' guards, Pau Gasol isn't working his way toward good looks and the team's rotation is severely lacking. Always a top-heavy outfit, the Lakers have now lost two straight to the Nuggies because of the steep falloff in production once you move beyond Kobe Bryant, Bynum and Gasol. World Peace would seem to fit wonderfully.

But he's Metta World Peace. It's not so much that he's going to fling an elbow at Denver's Andre Miller (mostly because 'Dre would probably block it with his cane) or do something suspension-worthy in his first game back. It's because M.W.P. is the definition of mercurial. You don't know what you're going to get from him every night -- and, worse, one has to wonder just how much he can contribute after nearly three weeks away from in-game NBA action. What can the Lakers reasonably (hah!) expect from their man Metta in Game 7? And should expectations even be placed on the guy?