Basketball from a fans perspective

Published daily except Tuesdays & Thursday

Only half the game for me

Due to sleep, I was unable to view the entire Lakers-Mavericks game. The match took place in Los Angeles (Pacific Time) against Dallas (Central Time), with a start time of 9:00 p.m. My error was believing I could watch the second half of the game from my bed, which proved to be a mistake. I woke up at 12:45 a.m., knowing the game had concluded, and switched my television to the NBA channel. I would have been surprised if the Mavs had won the game based on what I’d seen up to sleepy time. The final score read Lakers 107, Mavericks 99.

Key factors contributing to this outcome included a triple-double performance by Luka and other elements. Luka contributed significantly to the Lakers' effort with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and 12 assists. During a moment in the game, when Nico Harrison was on the line, the crowd began chanting, “Thank you, Nico,” acknowledging his role as the General Manager who traded Luka to the Lakers. From the highlights, it was evident that after the Lakers led by a comfortable margin, the Mavericks launched a strong comeback, even tying the score at a point in the second half. Initially, the Mavericks missed several shots but managed to improve their accuracy and made a notable defensive effort. As for the Lakers LeBron James was the leading scorer with 27 points. Austin Reaves has become the Lakers' third option, though opinions see to vary among a number in the media.

Unless another player takes his place, Reaves holds that position and it will continue until someone is able to replace him in this role. I must note the game played by Rui Hachimura, the power forward is at a place for me he’s untradable. He only scored 15 points but it’s the other stuff he manages to accomplish while on the floor. The NBA season is far from over, and the next 6 games for the Lakers should prove quite noteworthy. Upcoming on the schedule are games versus Minnesota, the Clippers twice, Pelicans, Knicks and Celtics.

A potential future move 

This could be considered a good news-bad news conclusion. I read an article claiming there is little benefit to the Memphis Tigers to continue play in the American Athletic Conference. If you are a fan of a particular conference you can stop at this point. The conference does not wield the power or glitz the Big XII, SEC or Big 10. The writer suggested Memphis would be in a better position league wise and the NCAA if they joined the Big XII.

As for the unwelcome news part of this story the existing powers in the conference, especially Houston, Kansas and Arizona would have one added power team to face. If Memphis should apply for admittance I could hardly see them being turned down. The school has a rich basketball history that existed long before Penny Hardaway played for the Tigers. I had mentioned earlier that Brett Yormark Big XII Commissioner is still in the expansion mood, he is amenable to adding teams. This is pure speculation but it might be beneficial to the Big XII, the SEC is at the maximum number of teams. Should Memphis be extended an invitation it should be interesting.

Who is at fault 

I prefer to write or speak what I believe is true. There is no intention on my part to insult anyone’s intelligence; it is simply to present the why. Kansas City sports media may not fully recognize how SEC men’s basketball has grown. The reasons involve the Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas Jayhawks. The Chiefs have been consistent Super Bowl contenders since Patrick Mahomes joined the team. Each season, they play football until mid-February, drawing substantial attention from the media. This focus on the Chiefs can sometimes overshadow other sports especially college basketball.   

Similarly, Kansas basketball under Bill Self has become a strong program, often advancing far into the NCAA tournament, which again captures significant media attention. About ten years ago, the SEC decided to invest heavily in men’s basketball to ensure all teams, not just Kentucky, were competitive. The schools began hiring successful coaches from other conferences and promising newcomers. The introduction of NIL also enhanced the conference's ability to attract top athletes. Over recent years, SEC men’s basketball has improved significantly. However, the Kansas City sports media’s focus on the Chiefs and Jayhawks might have diverted their attention from the growth and talent in SEC basketball. Despite the evidence being in front of them the Kansas City sports media have unintentionally overlooked the growth of SEC men’s basketball.

Meanwhile

The win against South Carolina was expected, with an 11-17 record (1-4 conference) Mizzou dominated the Gamecocks from start to finish. The final score read Mizzou 101 South Carolina 71, for the 4th time this season the Tigers managed to eclipse the 100 point mark. Caleb Grill was the high man, coming off the bench he scored 22 points and Anthony Robinson II managed to stay on the floor avoiding foul trouble. Robinson II scored 14 points and dished out 8 assists, next up for the Tigers are the tough Commodores of Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Tuesday evening win became number 21 versus 7 losses, the Tigers find themselves with a 10 win 5 loss conference record in the SEC.

Next, I make the declaration because everyone along with their brother, sister, mother, father and cousin must make a statement regarding Duke’s Cooper Flagg. The latest Sixer Paul George in his podcast, he didn’t say Flagg wasn’t talented he just claims Rutgers Ace Bailey has “more upside.” Define your statement would you PG, that confuses me and a bunch of others. No argument here practically every mock draft site has Bailey listed as the number 2 or 3 pick but you’ve got some explanation to do.

A story about Nate ‘Tiny’ Archibald's 1972-73 season recently appeared on my social media feed. During that season, while playing for the Kansas City-Omaha Kings, the point guard led the NBA by scoring an average of 34 points per game and also led the league with 11.4 assists per game. This was the first time in NBA history that the leading scorer also led in assists, and it has not been repeated since. Despite this achievement, Archibald finished third in MVP voting, behind Dave Cowans of the Celtics and Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who played for the Bucks at the time. The bio says Tiny was 6 foot 1 and 150 pounds, he was more like 5 foot 10 or 11 than 6-1.

I am sure a portion of this figure might be AD related because it represents the season thus far. Several media members appear to be focused on “the bad Laker defense,” hold on there for a moment. It ain’t nearly as bad as the cynics claim, truth is the Lakers are in 8th place defensively out of 30 teams. Without looking at the entire picture I’m sure the Lakers might come up short in some areas. Teams are not always at the top of their game however what I’ve been able to witness to date details a team making a concerted effort to address the issue.