The NBA Playoffs have been off to an exciting start and with the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs already through, there are a number of teams staying alive, including the Rockets defeating the Thunder without Russell Westbrook and the Nets taking down the Bulls to stay ni the playoffs.
The Grizzlies and Clippers have played one of the best series and they are tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Tuesday, while the Warriors and the Nuggets are playing to stay alive in Denver, as Golden State is up 3-1 now after winning the last game. The Hawks have finally come together to tie the Pacers series, while the Nets and Bulls have been exciting since playing their three overtime playoff game and now the Bulls are up 3-2 as the teams face off in Game 6 later in the week.
Jason Collins dominated NBA news on Monday after coming out as gay in an SI cover story and he has gotten a great response from the league and many players, including Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant. He even got a call from the President. Collins said President Barack Obama had been encouraging in the telephone conversation.
NBA player Jason Collins, who became the first gay man to come out while playing in one of America's major professional leagues, said he has been startled by the positive reaction. Collins is currently a free agent after spending last season with the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards but said he expects future team-mates to welcome him.
The 34-year-old center revealed his sexuality in an article published by Sports Illustrated on Monday and said he was glad that he was now 'out'.
Collins could well be the first of several gay players in top sports to come out but he said everyone's decision on how open to be was based on their own circumstances. "It's time for someone else in the room to raise their hand and say: 'You know what? Yeah, so big deal. I can still play basketball. I can still help the team win, and that's what's most important,'" he added.
Asked about the scale of reaction to his decision to come out, Collins said: "That's kind of mind-boggling... I never set out to be the first," he said.
