A basketball fans perspective

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How this series turns out

The Thunder are betting favorites to beat the Spurs after sweeping the Grizzlies and my Lakers. What about during the regular season you ask, the Thunder practically invincible winning 64 games and posting a winning record against every team in the NBA with the exception of four. They were .500 (1-1) against the Celtics (1-1), Pistons (1-1) and Nuggets (2-2). The Thunder experienced a losing record against only one team.....the Spurs. The teams faced one another 5 times with the Spurs winning 4 of the games.

It was not only the height of Wemby, the trio of Fox, Castle & Harper (sounds like a legal practice) were key contributors to their victories over the Thunder. We shall see how this series plays out beginning with tonight's Game one in OKC. It should be of note that Wemby and Chet Holmgren have an adversarial history, they have often been matched against one despite growing up two continents apart. It was July 11, 2021, when they played in the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup Final held in Riga Latvia. Team USA won the game 83-81 although Wemby had 22 points 10 rebounds and 8 blocks prior to fouling out. As you can see there is that history between Holmgren and Wemby.    

Is there a curse

I’m not a superstitious person, despite that fact I’ve encountered individuals who are. Some have expressed a belief in curses. AI claims “A curse is a solemn invocation of misfortune, harm, or supernatural evil against a person, place or object.” A few have expressed their view that the Clippers have been operating under a curse, I guess they could be an object. What is unclear is who placed the curse on the team and will it ever be lifted? This is no curse of the Billy Goat or is it, I’m going to leave the story of that for you to research? 

The Clippers began the 2025-26 season well under water, things changed and they began to play improved basketball. At one point they were one of the hottest teams in the NBA and then came this. Southern California guy James Harden wanted out despite his huge salary, the Clippers complied trading him to the Cavs. Kawhi Leonard took the lead and they were on the way, the day after Christmas might have been the low point of the season, that date saw the Clippers end the day with 9 wins and 21 losses. They would qualify for the play in having finished the season with 42 wins and 40 losses. Facing the Golden State Warriors this writer figured victory in favor of the Clippers and they would move on. I didn’t figure Steph Curry would heal so quickly, I didn’t figure Draymond Green still had “gas” in the tank. I didn’t figure Kristaps Porzingis would play such a vital role, final scored Warriors 126 Clippers 121.

With the Clipper season coming to an abrupt stop there is much soul searching required, allow a brief check. As this team is constructed it’s the oldest (average age) in the NBA, there might be a degree of difficulty reducing the age issue. Due to the Ivica Zubac trade they will have the 5th pick in the 2026 draft, that pick is not likely to impact the team immediately. I’m not going to detail the “body count” however the Clippers  have a number of restricted and unrestricted free agents on the roster, the franchise is certainly one with questions leading into the off season. The Kawhi Leonard investigation remains in question for now as the NBA has not announced a resolution.

Wanna be startin’ somethin’

This is no reference to the 1982 pop hit tune by Michael Jackson, despite that fact many will become upset with me after reading this. Recently I came across a list containing a Top 10 NBA All-Time list of centers and one name I thought was questionable. At this point whenever a discussion is held on centers it can be a little perplexing. Are we discussing play in the time of Chamberlain or present day? In today’s game there are few centers with low post skills, at times when fully healthy Joel Embiid might be the only low post center of which I can think, all others generally operate some distance from the basket.

As for the Top 10 list it contained the names of the usual suspects, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Nate Thurmond and others. Smack in the middle of this list was the name Nikola Jokic. Of course The Joker is a walking, talking triple double, there is no disagreement. Drafted in the second round and the 41st pick has certainly justified himself in the NBA. The problem for me is including his name (despite the 3 MVP’s) in the pantheon of NBA great centers is a stretch. In today’s NBA I have no difficulty arguing he is the best of the current crop of centers, all-time is an entirely other discussion. I realize my take will not sit well with some, in this instance I’m calling it as I see it, there is no requirement for you to agree with me.

Where is he

The headline is asking the question regarding LeBron James, where does he stand in my list of all-time Laker greats. He’s not at the top…at one point names have been switched around. Currently the name at the top is Kobe Bryant, should someone come along and lead the Lakers to a new version of Showtime there might be a change. The league’s all-time points scoring leader is a member of my Lakers however exactly where he stands on my list varies. This is the part I know, after watching him play for the Cavs, Heat and especially the Lakers I’ve managed to view him up close so to speak.

I remember Vince Carter and others, their hall of fame skill had all but disappeared by the time they reached their 40th birthday. That fact alone makes LeBron one up on anyone who played past the age of 39. LeBron James's career as a Laker may not yet be settled, but regardless of what happens next, his tenure with the team has been outstanding—even during seasons when the outcome wasn't what Laker Nation wanted. This is written after the series win against the Rockets, they are facing the defending champion Thunder. Whatever the outcome LeBron James has an NBA and Laker legacy, no one can take that away from him.