Basketball from a fan’s perspective

Another one bites the dust

Was the game an upset, I’m unsure if it qualifies I asked the question for this reason. Kansas was rated the number 7 team in the nation while Iowa State was number 23. The final score from Ames read Iowa State 79 Kansas 75 although there was more separation than the score might indicate. Kevin McCullar hit a 3-point basket as the buzzer sounded which resulted in Kansas totaling three additional points which represents the final score.

What I find interesting is just yesterday I attempted to point out how dangerous conference races have become this season. There are no “super teams” in the college ranks in 2023-24, the P.A. system in Hilton Coliseum could have played the Queen classic at the close of the game…Another one bites the dust. The end of the game the announcer and color guy were discussing whether Kansas would be at or near first at the end. With the Saturday loss their 3rd in conference play Kansas is now in 5th place in the Big XII, they will not close the season in that position but it might be a stretch to expect the usual first place finish for these Kansas Jayhawks.

KAT plus 77 and Booker

The week began with a scoring binge the NBA hasn’t witnessed for quite a while. On Monday it was the Wolves Karl-Anthony Towns who started it all, he managed to total 62 points in his game against the Hornets. It was outstanding shooting by the Wolves Big Man (7 foot 248 pounds) the majority of shots he took for the most part were somewhat close in yet he still managed to shoot 60% from the floor. This CAT KAT has range out to the 3-point line and he demonstrated it with 66.7% from distance. Two downsides to his magnificent explosive effort, he committed 7 TO’s and similar to Booker his Wolves team lost the game 128-125.

Luka Doncic almost matched his jersey number, Mavs point forward Luka Doncic continued the NBA scoring trend begun on Monday. For unspecified reasons NBA scoring appears to be at an all-time high this season. The trend continued Friday evening as Luka the Don scored 73 points in his team’s 148-143 victory over the Hawks. Kyrie Irving was absence so The Don did his part making up for the absence of Irving. He sure took a considerable number of shots but it wasn’t just volume shooting on his part, The Don shooting amounted to 75.8% from the floor and 61.5% from three. I should also mention his box score total included 10 rebounds and 7 assists plus 93.8% from the free throw line. In 45 minutes of action The Don had only 4 TO’s.

Also in action on Friday evening was Devin Booker of the Suns with his 62 points against the Pacers. In the same manner of Luka he wasn’t just jacking up shot after shot, his output was shot with extreme accuracy. In 38 minutes of court action Booker managed 59.5% shooting from the floor with 50% of it coming from beyond the arc. He is normally lights out at the free throw line on this occasion it was 92.3% and despite handling the ball more than usual he committed only 4 TO’s during the game. The only problem for Booker was his Suns team managed to come up one point short, they lost the game 133-131. The output by him is amazing however it’s not his top attempt. On March 24, 2017, Booker scored a scorching 70 points.

The Big E

While conducting research I came across one of those names. He’s a name rarely mentioned from the past, although he’s 78-years old now Elvin Hayes remains one of the greats of college basketball and the NBA. This hall of fame power forward/center first came to prominence while playing for the Houston Cougars. He played in the first nationally televised college basketball game January 20, 1968. I realize in writing about the game that might seem strange but 56 years ago none of the sports networks operating today existed back then.

An entrepreneur Eddie Einhorn set up a string of stations across the country to telecast the game, there was no network affiliation for college basketball at the time. TVS as he named his network operated for several years thereafter ceasing operations in 1995. The UCLA Bruins led by Lew Alcindor would face Houston in the Astrodome before 56,000 fans, at the time the game set an all-time attendance record. Alcindor suffered a scratched cornea in a game a week ahead of the match against Houston and it was questioned whether he’d play. Alcindor did play however the eye injury clearly impacted his play, playing defense against Hayes and the exuberant gathering in the Astrodome aided Houston to win 71-69. The loss broke UCLA’s 47-game winning streak, later that year in the NCAA tournament UCLA would extract revenge with a 73-58 beat down of Houston.

As for the 6 foot 9 Hayes he would become the top pick in the 1968 NBA draft by the San Diego Rockets. Of course, later the team moved to Houston where Hayes first came to fame during his college years. He would later play for the Washington Bullets becoming an NBA champion in 1978. His accomplishments are far too numerous to cover in this brief look at his career. It should also be of note Hayes has been enshrined in the college basketball hall of fame too, Elvin Hayes an outstanding name of the past.

14 miles

Google maps indicate Crypto.com arena is about at most 14 miles from the Intuit Dome. The locations are supposed to be about 30 minutes’ drive time apart although that might be a little misleading, commuting within Los Angeles might require a little more drive time. In any event we are close to the Clippers “taking the keys” to their own arena. What is interesting to me is that I believe Intuit Dome would not exist with Donald Sterling the previous owner in place, check out the prior history of the franchise. The Clippers arriving from San Diego began play in the Sports Arena, it was home from 1984-1999.

Apparently play was split between two arenas, the history indicates that from 1994 through 1999 the Clippers played at the Honda Center in Anaheim. When Staples Center (Crypto.com) opened in the fall of 1999 the Clippers moved into the arena along with the Lakers and NHL Kings. The NBA needed an owner in Los Angeles similar to Steve Ballmer for two reasons. Ballmer’s vision and his deep, deep pockets. Despite what might be perceived as a rivalry I like the fact the Clippers will soon be located at 3939 W 102nd Street in Inglewood. There are 12 million plus folks located in metro Los Angeles, that is certainly a large enough fan base to support the two franchises. New York City’s two teams have always played in their own arenas, Madison Square Garden for the Knicks and the Nets in Barclays Center.