Basketball from a fan perspective

I only have two eyes

Watching the Mizzou-Arkansas game I couldn’t watch the Kansas-Texas game.  I was shocked when I located the score on the internet, 84-59 with Texas being the winner.  The win was a surprise as much as the spread…a 25-point win by Texas in Lawrence Kansas no less.  No report on the game since I didn’t see it let’s just say I’m surprised on several levels.  Texas (in my estimation) has under achieved under Shaka Smart. 

Smart is likely on the hot seat this year so we must believe his team had to show improvement, beating Kansas has got to be quite an accomplishment.  As for Mizzou they went into hostile Bud Walton Arena and took it to the Arkansas Razorbacks 81-68.  Many in Mizzou Nation wondered how the team would play after being bounced about by the Tennessee Vols on Wednesday.  Arkansas was sporting a 9-0 record coming into the game so we didn’t know what to expect. 

Star of the game must be the 6-foot 10-inch 260-pound Jeremiah Tilmon.  Tilmon’s been in the doghouse with Mizzou Fans for quite a while, it seems he’s displayed talent the four years he’s been in Columbia.  Generally, he could be counted on to get into early foul trouble and occupy a spot on the Tiger bench.  On Saturday he put it all together scoring 25 points along with 11 rebounds, he certainly answered the call.  A side note which I thought interesting to share.  My son-in-law called me at half-time, “I had to go to work and just got it, what channel is the game on, I checked ESPN, SECNetwork I can’t find it.”  I informed him the game was on CBS Broadcast Network local channel 5 in our area. 

We knew

Depending on your age the name Paul Westphal might be unknown to many of you.  Westphal died on Saturday, what do you need to know about the man.  He was a successful basketball player first in the college ranks and later in the NBA.  He won an NBA Championship while playing for the Celtics in 1974, this list of honors he received is far too numerous to list here.  After retirement Westphal took up coaching and he was good at that as well, was there anything Westphal was incapable of accomplishing?  He was honored being selected by the Naismith and College Basketball Hall of Fame.  In August 2020 it was announced Westphal had been diagnosed with brain cancer, on January 2, 2021 Westphal died at the age of 70.  Another basketball light has now become dim here on earth, R.I.P. Paul Westphal. 

An unusual season thus far

We have a question for you to ponder, when’s the last time you read a Top 25 list with no Duke or Kentucky basketball?  That research belongs to someone other than me, this I do know It’s certainly rare.  Both programs represent the crème da crème of college basketball as the calendar turned to 2021 neither program is visible at least in the Top 25.  Both programs are not playing at the level they might have reached in prior years.  This brief account is not intended to provide a critique of each team because I’ve witnessed neither team play to date.  Our only intent is to point out how unusual this season is thus far. 

Can you be a fan of the Clippers and Lakers?

Viewing Lakers Nation post game program, the question was asked, can someone be a fan of the Clippers and Lakers?  The question caused a rash of responses by Laker fans, but the answer is simple.  The reply is an emphatic NO, root for both teams hardly.  Part of the problem is history, neither team can trace its history as an original resident.  The Lakers moved to Los Angeles in 1960 from Minneapolis, the Clippers located from San Diego in 1984. 

How about championships won as a barometer of comparison.  The Lakers franchise has won 17 championships 12 of them in Los Angeles, as for the Clippers they are still waiting on the first.  The last several years has witnessed the Clippers drafting or acquiring in trade several outstanding players.  The Lakers have 10 players enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame; Kobe Bryant will make the count total 11 as for the Clippers they are awaiting their first honor. 

Those 11 players jersey numbers are hanging in the rafters at Staples Center the Clippers have none.  We must wait to witness how the city would react to a Clipper Championship; it’s the belief of many Los Angeles will always remain a Laker town even with a championship by the Clippers.  It’s not a west coast thing consider this fact; Cubs fans don’t root for the White Sox.  We could make the same statement for Yankees-Mets fans or Jets-Giants, you root for the Lakers and hate the Clippers or vice versa.