Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Double OT shootout

At this point of the season I’m unsure “who’s boat is taking on the most water the Warriors or Lakers.” In any event the two teams met on Saturday night for the first time this season. The headline says it all, a double OT shootout. I will use the phrase made popular by Dan Patrick, this night Steph Curry was en Fuego. In 43 minutes on the floor the diminutive Curry led the way for the Warriors with 46 points, four other teammates scored in double figures as well. It was Jonathan Kuminga (22), Andrew Wiggins (22) and Klay Thompson with 24 along with Brandin Podziemski's 10. On the other hand the Lakers had 6 players in double figures led by LeBron James triple double.

The ancient one scored 36 points along with 20 rebounds and 12 assists, at 38 years of age he became the oldest player in NBA history with a 20-point 20 rebound game. There was help from D’Lo with his 28 points including a sizzling 62.5% from three-point range. If we check the shooting percentage for both teams it was fairly good, the Warriors with 46.2% from the floor and 39.7% from distance. As for the Lakers they shot 48.6% and 33% from three-point range. The Warriors managed to shoot only 69% from the line compared to 88% for the Lakers. James questioned after the game by Lisa Salter said, “I don’t feel like the oldest player in the league.” Based on his game I could agree with his statement, he sure doesn’t play like any 38-year-old I remember seeing. Athletes his age playing basketball usually move at about half-speed.

Two years in a row

This is a re-visit of an earlier account, the prospects for the 2024 NBA draft. Will the nation of France lead the way again having the top pick in the draft class is the question? I mentioned his name previously, as a reminder he is Zaccharie Risacher another French youngster aged 18. Risacher is a 6-foot 9 200-pound small forward who currently plays for JL Bourg in the city of Bourg-en-Bresse. He’s got a 6 foot 10 ½ in wingspan, it should also be of note he turns 19 in April.

Just in case you wish to know the city is reported to be 70 km northeast of Lyon. The only question might be does Risacher believe he’s ready for the stiff competition the NBA will provide him? It would appear the mock draft sites think he’s ready, his name is listed on the three I use for insight especially with international players. Don’t be surprised to hear his name announced in June by commissioner Silver, if drafted all indications he’s a first round choice. This becomes more evidence of the growth of the game internationally.

Say what

There are several in the basketball community who command my attention. One of those names is Joe Lunardi, the guy who projects the field of 68 for the NCAA Tournament. Lunardi said, “Mountain West could have as many bids as Pac-12, ACC combined.” His statement caught me off guard because it was certainly unexpected. I decided to check the standings for the Mountain West, this is written January 28 so the numbers might have changed by the time you read this:

                            Conf     Overall                         

Utah State         6-1         18-2

New Mexico      5-2        17-3

San Diego St.    5-2        16-4

Boise St.            5-2        14-6

Wyoming          4-3        11-9  

Those above represent the top five teams in the Mountain West Conference. I must inform you of the five I’ve only seen New Mexico and that was twice, as for the others I must take Lunardi’s expertise as proof these teams are good. In any event, his pronouncement shouldn’t be considered so outlandish. The turmoil in both the Pac-12 and ACC might be related to the predicament of play today.

Once upon a time

In 1972 the Cincinnati Royals moved to Kansas City-Omaha and a name change…Kings. Omaha was included in the move due to scheduling conflict dates with Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. A number of games were played in Omaha up to 1975 when adjustments were made and Kansas City became the exclusive home. Although this was different it was not the first time an NBA franchise had been shared. It was Buffalo under the Bisons name the team first began play, after a brief period they moved to Moline Illinois. 

This is where the history is a little murky, it’s unclear when the team became known as the Tri-City Blackhawks. They begin play in 1946 one of the first BAA teams, this arrangement unlike the one in Kansas City years later with its two franchises this one had three. The other two towns added were Rock Island Illinois and Davenport Iowa, if you check out a map you will discover all three towns are in close proximity to one another. 1951 would be the last season the team played in the Tri-City’s before the move to Milwaukee where the Blackhawks name was shortened to the Hawks. In 1955 the franchise moved once again this time to St. Louis, they remained in the Gateway City until 1968 when the team was sold to Atlanta interest and moved there.

I hope

Although I root with passion for the Lakers and Mizzou my hope is to not make excuses. Poor play and execution of the game plan offers no explanation whatsoever. Looking at the Mizzou Tigers I became more excited about the fall of 2024 over that of 2023. I figured with the returnees plus transfer portal players the Tigers would be able to hold on until the outstanding 2024 recruiting class arrives in August. So what occurred, a series of events which severely impacted the program for the 2023-24 season. We are near the end of January so what transpires for the balance of the conference race?

Truth is I don’t know, I wish I could tell you but I’m no Nostradamus. On the schedule the next week or so, Mizzou has South Carolina (4-2, 16-3), Arkansas (1-4, 10-8) followed by Vanderbilt (0-5, 5-13). If I were to speculate Mizzou should be able to win at least two of the three games. It would be an outstanding accomplishment if they were able to win all three games. Although the program is down I believe in Dennis Gates, it’s a matter of plugging in the right guys into the system. I imagine the coach gets a pass for this season based on his accomplishment in his first year. Sorry haters that’s me, no requirement for you to agree with my take.