People and animals have ruined photos since camera technology moved beyond long film exposure. For decades, our photos were sabotaged by interlopers—intentional or not—and left out of our albums and scrapbooks..
.unless there was something nostalgic or particularly hilarious about it.
But, they weren't photobombs, because they were buried in boxes, binders and anything else that can store old photos. Before social media, photobombs were like that proverbial tree falling in a forest when no one was around to hear it.
There's a reason you never saw Michael Jordan getting bombed by Dennis Rodman in the '90s. Even if it happened, it wasn't likely to show up in USA Today or Sports Illustrated or anywhere else for that matter. Space was limited in print publications and they had to stick to the story.
Now superstar athletes are constantly surrounded by cameras and any picture of them, good or bad, can make it around the world before they make it home from the game. Anyone can capture a great photobomb, and if it goes viral, it can be seen by millions of people within hours.
Which is great! Because photobombs are pretty great. They're like this hidden treasure that has not only been rediscovered since Facebook and Twitter took over our lives, but also embraced by some of the biggest names in sports.Things almost never work out that well in life!
NBA Power Rankings: Breaking Down Every Team's Standing Before Playoffs Begin
Not that there aren't plenty of interesting races going on. Every seed in the Western Conference is still up for grabs in some sense, with the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder duking it out at the top and the Los Angeles Lakers, the Utah Jazz, and the Dallas Mavericks embroiled in a free-for-all at the bottom. In the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers are neck-and-neck in the race for No. 2, while just a handful of games separate Nos. 4 through 7.
And, if you're into bad basketball, you can always tune in to see the Charlotte Bobcats and the Orlando Magic duke it out.
All of which will make "power ranking" the league's 30 teams a tad more difficult going forward, though we'll do our best to keep you abreast of how they stack up against one another anyway.
Even though nobody knows who's playing for whom from night to night.
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
The Houston Rockets don't know exactly where they'll finish in
the standings, but they've given their fans enough confidence to start
scouring for playoff ticket bargains.
Don't expect coach Kevin McHale to call off his dogs just yet, though.
The Rockets (43-33) sprinted past the reeling Portland Trail Blazers (33-43) in their 116-98 win on Friday night.
Houston got 55 points from its starting backcourt (James Harden and Jeremy Lin) but still managed to put together a box score that reads as a well-balanced attack.
Greg Smith started for the fourth straight game and put himself in solid position to keep the starting nods coming his way. He compiled 19 points on a 5-of-6 showing from the field and 9-of-12 effort at the free-throw line before fouling out after logging 24 minutes.
Francisco Garcia and Donatas Motiejunas also hit double figures (11 and 10, respectively) although their points didn't come nearly as easily (they shot a combined 7-of-19).
But this win started and ended with the play of Harden and Lin. Besides those 55 points (which included converting 19 of their combined 34 field-goal attempts), the pair combined for 14 assists (against eight turnovers) and 11 rebounds in their 69 minutes on the floor.
Even in the face of so many offensive eruptions (LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 32 points in the game), the Rockets guards showed some might on the defensive end. Rookie of the Year lock Damian Lillard needed 12 field-goal attempts for his 11 points, and backcourt mate Wesley Matthews needed 19 attempts to hit 18 points.
The Rockets remained a game back of the Warriors for the sixth seed but stayed three games in front of the eighth-seeded Lakers.
Don't expect coach Kevin McHale to call off his dogs just yet, though.
The Rockets (43-33) sprinted past the reeling Portland Trail Blazers (33-43) in their 116-98 win on Friday night.
Houston got 55 points from its starting backcourt (James Harden and Jeremy Lin) but still managed to put together a box score that reads as a well-balanced attack.
Greg Smith started for the fourth straight game and put himself in solid position to keep the starting nods coming his way. He compiled 19 points on a 5-of-6 showing from the field and 9-of-12 effort at the free-throw line before fouling out after logging 24 minutes.
Francisco Garcia and Donatas Motiejunas also hit double figures (11 and 10, respectively) although their points didn't come nearly as easily (they shot a combined 7-of-19).
But this win started and ended with the play of Harden and Lin. Besides those 55 points (which included converting 19 of their combined 34 field-goal attempts), the pair combined for 14 assists (against eight turnovers) and 11 rebounds in their 69 minutes on the floor.
Even in the face of so many offensive eruptions (LaMarcus Aldridge tallied 32 points in the game), the Rockets guards showed some might on the defensive end. Rookie of the Year lock Damian Lillard needed 12 field-goal attempts for his 11 points, and backcourt mate Wesley Matthews needed 19 attempts to hit 18 points.
The Rockets remained a game back of the Warriors for the sixth seed but stayed three games in front of the eighth-seeded Lakers.
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
When's the last time the Lakers didn't play a must-win game?
With the media hanging on their every step, it's impossible for coach Mike D'Antoni's team to miss what's at stake over these final weeks. It's not like the Lakers really need any reminding, though, not with Kobe Bryant on the roster.
Their Friday night clash with the Memphis Grizzlies wasn't a must-win due to their opponent. This same Grizzlies team had already handed the Lakers a pair of losses in their first two meetings.
But Utah's win, coupled with the fact that a victory here could bring the momentum L.A. needs after an emotionally grueling season, made this contest one that the Lakers just had to have.
For the third time in as many games, the Lakers (40-36) emerged victorious.
The game didn't lack for drama, as Mike Conley took a contested layup in the closing seconds that would have knotted the score.
But it didn't need to have as much drama as it did either. Bryant missed two jumpers, Steve Blake missed a three and Dwight Howard split a pair of free throws all in the game's final minute.
When it mattered most, though, the Lakers made the play they had to make. Howard cut off a driving Conley and forced him to take a look destined to miss before it even left his hands.
The Grizzlies (51-25) controlled the pace of this game, holding the Lakers to just 86 points. But D'Antoni's team showed a little grit and grind of their own, limiting Memphis to 84.
With the win, L.A. held its half-game lead on the Jazz.
The Lakers have to show this level of intensity over their remaining six games, as Utah holds the tiebreaker.
With the media hanging on their every step, it's impossible for coach Mike D'Antoni's team to miss what's at stake over these final weeks. It's not like the Lakers really need any reminding, though, not with Kobe Bryant on the roster.
Their Friday night clash with the Memphis Grizzlies wasn't a must-win due to their opponent. This same Grizzlies team had already handed the Lakers a pair of losses in their first two meetings.
But Utah's win, coupled with the fact that a victory here could bring the momentum L.A. needs after an emotionally grueling season, made this contest one that the Lakers just had to have.
For the third time in as many games, the Lakers (40-36) emerged victorious.
The game didn't lack for drama, as Mike Conley took a contested layup in the closing seconds that would have knotted the score.
But it didn't need to have as much drama as it did either. Bryant missed two jumpers, Steve Blake missed a three and Dwight Howard split a pair of free throws all in the game's final minute.
When it mattered most, though, the Lakers made the play they had to make. Howard cut off a driving Conley and forced him to take a look destined to miss before it even left his hands.
The Grizzlies (51-25) controlled the pace of this game, holding the Lakers to just 86 points. But D'Antoni's team showed a little grit and grind of their own, limiting Memphis to 84.
With the win, L.A. held its half-game lead on the Jazz.
The Lakers have to show this level of intensity over their remaining six games, as Utah holds the tiebreaker.
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
The Utah Jazz will go as far as Gordon Hayward can take them.
That means he's either grossly underrated, or coach Tyrone Corbin's team just doesn't have a lot of talent.
Frankly, it's probably a combination of both.
But team chemistry can often trump talent in exhaustive playoff races, and no race will be more taxing than the push for the eighth seed out West.
A 95-83 win over the New Orleans Hornets (26-50) doesn't guarantee them a playoff berth by any stretch, but it keeps the Jazz (40-37) in the fight.
Hayward isn't this team's best player; he's their third option at best. But he is the most consistent perimeter scorer this team has, the player Corbin can rely on to free up space for his big bodies to go to work in the paint.
He shrugged off a 1-of-8 start to finish with a team-high 23 points, hitting eight of his final 10 shots. The space he created helped Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors bang with an overmatched Hornets frontcourt, and the trio responded with a combined 44 points on 20-of-32 shooting from the field.
That means he's either grossly underrated, or coach Tyrone Corbin's team just doesn't have a lot of talent.
Frankly, it's probably a combination of both.
But team chemistry can often trump talent in exhaustive playoff races, and no race will be more taxing than the push for the eighth seed out West.
A 95-83 win over the New Orleans Hornets (26-50) doesn't guarantee them a playoff berth by any stretch, but it keeps the Jazz (40-37) in the fight.
Hayward isn't this team's best player; he's their third option at best. But he is the most consistent perimeter scorer this team has, the player Corbin can rely on to free up space for his big bodies to go to work in the paint.
He shrugged off a 1-of-8 start to finish with a team-high 23 points, hitting eight of his final 10 shots. The space he created helped Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Derrick Favors bang with an overmatched Hornets frontcourt, and the trio responded with a combined 44 points on 20-of-32 shooting from the field.
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
Look, I get it. If comfortable wins are something you enjoy watching, then you've probably never been a fan of a Tom Thibodeau-led team.
The Chicago Bulls can't worry about style points when they struggle to accumulate any points at all.
But it looked as if Chicago had found enough of them on Friday night when Nate Robinson's jumper gave the Bulls an 87-78 lead over the Orlando Magic with less than four minutes left in regulation.
Then a minute passed without any Chicago points, and a Nikola Vucevic jumper cut the lead to seven. The next minute again saw no offense from the Bulls, but two more buckets for Orlando cut the deficit to three.
When Doron Lamb came up with a Robinson turnover on Chicago's next possession and Tobias Harris threw down a transition dunk, suddenly the Bulls were only up one with 1:33 still left on the clock.
Both teams saw two more possessions—and none of them produced any points.
When the final buzzer mercifully sounded, the Bulls (42-33) had somehow stumbled into an 87-86 win over the Magic (19-58).
It was ugly and tough to stomach at times.
It was just what we've come to expect from Thibodeau's team.
It's not an easy way to win basketball games, but it does lend itself better to the slower-paced world of playoff hoops.
Still, the Bulls could get bounced in the first round or roll all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, and neither outcome would surprise me.
But it looked as if Chicago had found enough of them on Friday night when Nate Robinson's jumper gave the Bulls an 87-78 lead over the Orlando Magic with less than four minutes left in regulation.
Then a minute passed without any Chicago points, and a Nikola Vucevic jumper cut the lead to seven. The next minute again saw no offense from the Bulls, but two more buckets for Orlando cut the deficit to three.
When Doron Lamb came up with a Robinson turnover on Chicago's next possession and Tobias Harris threw down a transition dunk, suddenly the Bulls were only up one with 1:33 still left on the clock.
Both teams saw two more possessions—and none of them produced any points.
When the final buzzer mercifully sounded, the Bulls (42-33) had somehow stumbled into an 87-86 win over the Magic (19-58).
It was ugly and tough to stomach at times.
It was just what we've come to expect from Thibodeau's team.
It's not an easy way to win basketball games, but it does lend itself better to the slower-paced world of playoff hoops.
Still, the Bulls could get bounced in the first round or roll all the way to the Eastern Conference finals, and neither outcome would surprise me.
8 Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
The Miami Heat could have packed it in after the Chicago Bulls snapped their league-best 27-game winning streak on March 27.
For all intents and purposes, that's exactly what they did. LeBron James (hamstring) and Dwyane Wade (leg) assumed cheerleading duties with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra opting to give his stars some needed rest in preparation for his team's attempt to defend its title.
Yet even with James, Wade and Ray Allen (who tweaked his ankle late in Miami's loss to New York on Tuesday night) out of action, the Heat tallied their third win in their last four games.
Granted, the victory came at the expense of the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, but the Heat still needed to replace the 59 points that their resting trio has averaged on the season.
Spoelstra needed an answer, and veteran Mike Miller looked like he'd been waiting for this game all season. If he had, I'm guessing he's not the first reserve that's giddily circled a date with the Bobcats on his calendar.
Miller erupted for a season-high 26 points, burying seven of his 11 attempts from outside. Mind you, this is the same player who entered the contest averaging just 13.6 minutes in the 51 games he's played this season.
Chris Bosh added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Rashard Lewis finished with 14 points as the Heat (59-16) handled the Bobcats (18-58) 89-79 in Charlotte.
The rich are clearly getting richer at this point. Miami's starting five is the best in the business, but games like these give Spoelstra even more flexibility heading into the postseason.
For all intents and purposes, that's exactly what they did. LeBron James (hamstring) and Dwyane Wade (leg) assumed cheerleading duties with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra opting to give his stars some needed rest in preparation for his team's attempt to defend its title.
Yet even with James, Wade and Ray Allen (who tweaked his ankle late in Miami's loss to New York on Tuesday night) out of action, the Heat tallied their third win in their last four games.
Granted, the victory came at the expense of the lowly Charlotte Bobcats, but the Heat still needed to replace the 59 points that their resting trio has averaged on the season.
Spoelstra needed an answer, and veteran Mike Miller looked like he'd been waiting for this game all season. If he had, I'm guessing he's not the first reserve that's giddily circled a date with the Bobcats on his calendar.
Miller erupted for a season-high 26 points, burying seven of his 11 attempts from outside. Mind you, this is the same player who entered the contest averaging just 13.6 minutes in the 51 games he's played this season.
Chris Bosh added 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists, and Rashard Lewis finished with 14 points as the Heat (59-16) handled the Bobcats (18-58) 89-79 in Charlotte.
The rich are clearly getting richer at this point. Miami's starting five is the best in the business, but games like these give Spoelstra even more flexibility heading into the postseason.
Takeaways from Friday Night's NBA Playoff-Primed Action
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