I have but a single thought to share today, my reaction to the exit of the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers from the playoffs: thank God for that.

I don't bear any ill-will towards either franchise, mind you. The Clips have been down so long that it's nice to see them excited and making an impact in the league. Rewinding to the beginning of the year, however, you couldn't find two more excessive hype-to-reality ratios than these teams engendered.

Mind you, I'm not anti-hype either. Chris Paul coming to L.A. was worth the headlines. I suppose I can see how Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony bring excitement in New York. They're not my cup of tea, but their names are plenty big and the city is preeminent. That's worth ink.

But you know, media-types across the map, including some who should have known better, were speculating on these teams going deep, threatening established powers. They were the fancy names on the block, chic picks. But one look at either roster could have told you that was never going to happen. They were fine teams. They were not great teams.

That's the part that disturbs me...not the hype surrounding either franchise but the impression I'm getting that we don't know the difference anymore between hype and reality. Is it that much of a reality-TV, ratings-driven, if-it-bleeds-it-leads world now? Are we so starved for excitement that we're just as happy making it up out of thin air as finding solid ground and seeing what we can build on it? Call me crazy, but the vicarious thrill isn't the most important part of watching NBA basketball for me. It's about the game, the players, the contests, the communal experience. Those things bring the thrill, because those things are real. "OMG! The Knicks are SOOO going to rule everything this year!!!" just doesn't do it for me.

I'm not taking Knicks or Clippers fans to task here. My objection is placed solely at the feet of the guys who write the headlines, who analyze the league, the pundits and prognosticators who are supposed to know what they're talking about. Increasingly the media is taking on bad high school overtones. It's not a matter of who's correct or most thoughtful, rather who's popular. "Oooh! Everybody out there is hyping up the Knicks? I better hype up the Knicks!" Ratings! Listeners! Readers! Like me!!! Oh, please, like me!!!

Is this really what we want from people tasked to give and analyze information? Our ability to understand the game is only as good as the data which is fed to us. Thankfully the internet now affords the capacity for us to acquire our own data, reach our own conclusions. But it's a curious world when we have to work around the media instead of getting informed by the media. The world is even curiouser when we willingly accept hype as a substitute for thoughtful analysis because it makes us more excited. In the end, we get excited about nothing that way.

This phenomenon is not confined to New York or L.A., of course. It's simply more prominent there, and in these particular cases. Hype creep encroaches everywhere, though, including in little burgs like Portland. I don't know about you, but I'm a little weary of it. I'd rather have information I can actually use that helps me understand the game better (even if it's slightly less sensational) than falsehoods wrapped in pretty bows.

--Dave (blazersub@gmail.com)

As we all know, the Portland Trail Blazers are headed back to Las Vegas in July for the NBA's annual Summer League. Blazers expected to participate include Wesley Matthews, Luke Babbitt and Nolan Smith.

The NBA announced the full field on Thursday.

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, D-League Select, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards

The Blazers have attended Summer League every year since 2005, with the exception of 2011 when the event was cancelled due to the lockout. Only the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets and Cleveland Cavaliers have attended consecutively since the event's inception in 2004.

Here are more basic details if you're planning trips.

A record 24 teams will compete at the 2012 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas from July 13-22 this summer.

The 2012 competition will mark the eighth summer that the league has been held in Las Vegas since its inception in 2004. Each of the participating teams will play five game each for a total of 60 contests over the course of the event's ten days. The games will be available on NBA TV and also on digital platforms.

Tickets for the 2012 NBA Summer League will go on sale June 1, at 10 a.m. PDT. Fans will be able to purchase tickets for the Strip's hottest summer event by calling 702-739-FANS, through UNLVtickets.com or by visiting any UNLV ticket outlet.

I'll see you down there.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter

The NBA announced its All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams on Thursday and Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge was not included.

Aldridge, who was named All-NBA Third Team in 2011, narrowly missed the All-NBA Third Team this year, receiving the most votes of any player not selected. The following forwards were selected in front of him: LeBron James and Kevin Durant (First Team), Kevin Love and Blake Griffin (Second Team) and Dirk Nowitzki and Carmelo Anthony (Third Team).

Aldridge, 26, averaged 21.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 36.3 minutes per game this season. He played in 55 of Portland's 66 games and was shut down at the end of the season so he could undergo surgery on his hip.

The full votes are listed below.

The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 120 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis. First team votes are in parentheses and total vote tallies follow.

2011-12 ALL-NBA FIRST TEAM

• Forward LeBron James, Miami (118) 596
• Forward Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City (117) 591
• Center Dwight Howard, Orlando (75) 476
• Guard Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers (104) 568
• Guard Chris Paul, L.A. Clippers (74) 484

2011-12 ALL-NBA SECOND TEAM

• Forward Kevin Love, Minnesota (16) 365
• Forward Blake Griffin, L.A. Clippers 170
• Center Andrew Bynum, L.A. Lakers (33) 400
• Guard Tony Parker, San Antonio (41) 367
• Guard Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City (5) 239

2011-12 ALL-NBA THIRD TEAM

• Forward Carmelo Anthony, New York (1) 154
• Forward Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas 136
• Center Tyson Chandler, New York (4) 60
• Guard Dwyane Wade, Miami (1) 235
• Guard Rajon Rondo, Boston (4) 142

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 55; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 52; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 44; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 33; Paul Pierce, Boston, 31; Al Jefferson, Utah, 30; Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers, 27; Steve Nash, Phoenix, 24; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 22; Tim Duncan, San Antonio, 18; Joe Johnson, Atlanta, 16; Deron Williams, New Jersey, 14; Rudy Gay, Memphis, 10; James Harden, Oklahoma City, 8; Luol Deng, Chicago, 5; Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 5; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 3; Danny Granger, Indiana, 3; Joakim Noah, Chicago, 3; Monta Ellis, Milwaukee, 2; Chris Bosh, Miami, 2; Luis Scola, Houston, 2; Marcin Gortat, Phoenix, 2; Paul Millsap, Utah, 2; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 2; David Lee, Golden State, 1; and DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento, 1.

-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter