In Milwaukee, James Nelson notes the "return of playoff basketball will bring an amped-up atmosphere and much larger than usual crowd" for tonight's Raptors-Bucks NBA First Round Game 3 at BMO Harris Bradley Center. The Bucks "recently began a push for season ticket sales" for their new arena, which is expected to open for the '18-19 season. Bucks President Peter Feigin also noted that the local TV broadcast of Tuesday's Game 2 was the "highest-rated game ever" for FS Wisconsin (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/20).
FAN DISCONNECT? In Philadelphia, Marcus Hayes wrote under the header, "Sixers' Bryan Colangelo Is Too Slick For His Own Good." The team's President of Basketball Operations "believed his Ivy League vocabulary, his tailor-made wardrobe and his striking Mediterranean features would distract the proletariat." That "slick veneer might have helped him on Wall Street, but it doesn't mean squat" in Philadelphia. Hayes: "Colangelo needed to be transparent, sympathetic and diplomatic. He was opaque, indifferent and dismissive. Maybe he will learn. Maybe he won't" (PHILLY.com, 4/19).
SAFETY FIRST: In Denver, Mark Kiszla noted Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni accused Sporting KC of "lax security that allowed unruly fans to instigate" a April 9 postgame confrontation for which Rapids G Tim Howard is "being blamed." Mastroeni: "After the game, there are fans in this tunnel where players are walking. It’s like me walking a foot away from an angry fan who has been drinking all game long and is saying, ‘Howard, you suck!’ What do you say? What do you do?” (DENVER POST, 4/19).
