A fans perspective

Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Sunday

It certainly fits for all

The headline read: “Lakers lose winnable game,” of course that statement could be applied to the Lakers-Bucks game however it could just as easily be applied to the game Saturday afternoon between Ole Miss and Mizzou. Sure it was a road game for Mizzou but losing 76-69 is a gut punch for Mizzou Nation. If we look at the stats and not the score you might believe the visitors won the game. From the floor they outshot Ole Miss 49% to 43%, from the three line was key, Ole Miss shooting 41% to Mizzou’s 29. The game didn’t begin in that manner as Mizzou was shooting lights out from three early in the game.

The free-throw line would also become Mizzou’s kryptonite, you can’t shoot 50% as a team from the line and expect to win any game Ole Miss or anybody. Mizzou had 13 TO’s to the 7 Ole Miss registered. Headed into the game Ole Miss had not played particularly well, they had an 8-7 record prior to the game while Mizzou was 12-3. This game was certainly frustrating considering much of what was presented earlier. Next up Mizzou will face a tough Auburn team at Mizzou Arena on January 14. Hopefully, the outcome on Wednesday will much different from the Ole Miss game.

Never say never

Throughout NBA history, some extraordinary events have shaped the league’s development. One such episode involved two team owners swapping franchises—yes, they literally took control of each other’s teams. For me it is extremely difficult to imagine anything like this happening again. The story began with business interests however they were actually outside of basketball. John Y. Brown owned the Buffalo Braves at the time, having previously led the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA. After the expansion he became a minority, then majority owner of the Braves.

Next to enter this account, Irv Levin, then owner of the Boston Celtics, his business operations were located in Southern California. Levin a California type wanted the west coast, however, the NBA would have refused to let Levin move the legendary Celtics out of Boston. As a solution, Levin and Brown agreed to exchange ownership of their teams. At the time, the Braves were struggling both on the court and at the box office. After the swap, Levin received NBA approval to move the Braves to San Diego, rebranding them as the Clippers in 1978. Brown became the owner of the Celtics, and both men were content with their new arrangements. This summary is a simplified version of what happened, and there were likely more details involved than simply trading franchises. Despite my reluctance I’m going to say it anyway, ‘never would something similar occur again.’

He is the last name

If you were to list the top NBA coaches all-time or just those coaching now, his name probably would be missing. Who am I referring to…how about Erick Spoelstra head coach of the Miami Heat?  Spoelstra has been head man of the Heat since 2008 and how he came to be the Main Man is unique in itself. He was a point guard in college playing for the Portland Pilots, the NBA was not in his future as a player however coaching was a different matter. Few could claim they began their NBA career as a video coordinator, that’s was his first hire with the Heat. Later Pat Riley added Spoelstra to his staff at the time he was head coach of the Heat, in 2008 Riley stepped down from his role. As president of basketball operations and general manager Riley named Spoelstra as head coach.

My guess once Chris Bosh and LeBron James joined the Heat and Dwayne Wade who was already in place might have been Spoelstra’s most difficult coaching role initially. That first year (2011) the Heat played for the NBA championship but lost to the Dallas Mavericks. The following season the Heat would not be denied, they won it all in 2012 and 2013. The departure of LeBron and Bosh saw the Heat settle into a routine however they were always competitive with Spoelstra providing the coaching. This early 2025-26 season witnessed Spoelstra collecting his 800th victory as an NBA head coach. Recently retired Gregg Popovich former coach of the San Antonio Spurs is the all-time leader in wins and there is no active coach close to him in wins. Doc Rivers, with more than 1,200 wins, is the closest to Popovich. However, if— and that's a significant "if"— Spoelstra stays in his position long enough, he might have a chance to reach Popovich's record of 1,390 wins, though that would be quite a remarkable feat.

How about a non-move

It’s Los Angeles and it’s the Lakers, the spotlight shines intently on the franchise. An example, player acquisition…it seems there are always 55 people lined up to say, “Why it was a mistake the Lakers failed to acquire _________.” Those same 55 people never tell you about the potential drawbacks of acquiring a player, but that's exactly what I'm going to do now. Over the course of his NBA career Brook Lopez has been an outstanding player for several NBA teams, that is what many in the NBA expected as a free agent. Despite standing 7-foot 1 and 284 pounds Lopez was a decent shooter from three and could stretch the floor with his range.

Lopez had left the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency last summer, the Los Angeles Lakers were a team that needed a center and somehow this series of events occurred. Lopez would sign with the Los Angeles Clippers and that other team was forced to look elsewhere. That ‘elsewhere’ move arrived in the form of Deandre Ayton who arrived with questions regarding his attitude. Fast forward to the middle portion of December, although Ayton’s play to date has not been outstanding its met what the Lakers hoped would transpire. As for Lopez and his time with the Clippers, that is a different story. Ivica Zubac was to play major minutes in the post with Lopez providing a backup role, to date he’s underperformed in that role. The lack of change by the Lakers might have been a blessing in disguise based on the results.