Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursday

This is the explanation

We operate from an information overload at times. One of those instances is college basketball Quad wins, what is it and how is it defined. Rather than confuse you with my explanation I’d rather allow you to read an AI clarification and here it is:

Quad 1

Home games against teams ranked 1–30, neutral games against teams ranked 1–50, and away games against teams ranked 1–75

Quad 2

Home games against teams ranked 31–75, neutral games against teams ranked 51–100, and away games against teams ranked 76–135

Quad 3

Home games against teams ranked 76–160, neutral games against teams ranked 101–200, and away games against teams ranked 135–240

Quad 4

Home games against teams ranked 161–353, neutral games against teams ranked 201–353, and away games against teams ranked 241–353

AI

The lilliputian Warriors

Can they win with this lineup, I speak of the Golden State Warriors and their lilliputian lineup. Folks I believe in Steve Kerr’s coaching mind…heck I believe adding Jimmy Butler to the roster improves them. Is this enough talent for a deep playoff run with your tallest starter 6 foot 7, I always attempt to never say never. At the same time I will fall back on the motto of my home state, “I’m from Missouri, you’ve got to Show Me.”

As for the height thing Jimmy Butler is that tallest starter, there is “Lights out” Curry at 6 foot 2 along with 6-4 Brandin Podziemski and 6-5 Moses Moody plus 6-6 Draymond Green in the post. As you might guess that’s got to be the smallest starting lineup in the NBA. The “experts” claim my Lakers are deficient in the depth department despite the fact the roster contains a trio of 7-foot post players and one who stands 6-10. The question might be asked of the Lakers, “are the critics basing their judgment on ability,” which I cannot address. All I can say to Draymond Green and the Warriors is good luck with this lilliputian lineup, they could certainly succeed against one or two teams in the west but play for the conference championship…well.

The GOAT

During the years when Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) played for UCLA (1967-969), the team achieved an impressive record of 88 wins and only 2 losses. UCLA secured three NCAA Tournament championships during this period with Alcindor dominating the paint. To mitigate his impact, the NCAA implemented a rule banning dunk shots, citing potential injuries to players defending against such shots. One of UCLA's two losses occurred in the widely regarded "Game of the Century" against Houston at the Astrodome in 1968.

Many believe this game played a pivotal role in increasing the popularity of college basketball on television. The other loss was in 1969 against Southern Cal, their crosstown rival. Throughout the years, various allegations have surfaced suggesting that UCLA basketball engaged in illegal recruitment practices, though no evidence has ever been substantiated. The records set by Alcindor and his teams remain in the history books. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is now enshrined in both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. Considering his accomplishments in collegiate and NBA championships, he could be regarded as the greatest of all time, surpassing even Michael Jordan for me.

I’m sorry

This apology is coming up front and I will explain the why. If you’ve read this blog any length of time there is a tendency to write about several players who I consider favorites. Truth is despite my affinity for the Lakers the players it seems appear most often don’t wear Purple and Gold. Who are they you ask, well one of them is Victor Wembanyama. The 7 foot 5 French youngster I believe will change the NBA if he is able to avoid major injury. Although this was written weeks ago I’m still publishing it despite Wemby being shut down for his sophomore season. The two complaints I read about Wemby are bogus in my view, the fact he’s got a limited inside game.

I contend that will come about in time watch and see, the other issue of the cynics. “He’s shoots far too many three’s” is another complaint, if you shoot it at the level he does I say continue. You might remember I wrote he’s shooting three’s and sinking them at a higher percentage over a number of veterans James Harden being one of them. You question why Cooper Flagg is on my watch list, that’s easy to explain. He will be the youngest NBA Rookie of the Year once he arrives in the association. As for Duke his game reminds me of Magic Johnson to a degree, Flagg is unselfish with the basketball, he is always looking to involve his teammates in the Duke offense. In addition despite Cooper’s lean frame he rebounds the ball well.

The Thunder have Shai-Gilgeous Alexander point guard on their side. In addition to his warp speed up and down the court he holds a unique distinction, his game is a throw-back, his offensive effort is mostly mid-range with little emphasis on shooting three’s. He can shoot the three although that’s not his preferred offensive shot. Finally I close with this, “The Baby Face Assassin” Steph Curry is 39-years old. Next stop for him is Naismith however there remains lights out shooting especially from three. I blame Curry along with Klay Thompson for the proliferation of three point shooting. Despite my “complaint” I continue to enjoy his shooting. There are others I’ve failed to mention, there will be more as this story develops.