A basketball fans perspective

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Game 6

I was not prepared for this game in a sense, which team would prevail home or visitor? My uneasiness is based on the outcome of Game 5, yes the Spurs were facing elimination in Game 6. At the same time they would be playing the Thunder at home so there is that to consider. I stated this previously and will repeat it, Wemby looked drained in Game 5 can you say it with me, low energy. Game 6 would be totally different as he stepped onto the court ready for action. Unlike the prior game Wemby was engaged early taking shot after shot but there was plenty of help as well. Spurs teammates who also looked lethargic at times in Game 5 joined in this combined effort. Besides Wemby there are two others on the Spurs who I believe played outstanding basketball. They are Spurs guards Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, Castle scored 17 points and dished out 9 assists, it was the defense….the defense.

Castle was matched against SGA a great portion of the game and managed to locked him down with the defensive effort he made. SGA had a modest 15 points on 33% shooting from the floor with only 4 assists numbers far below what he would normally produce. As for Harper he came off the Spurs bench scoring 18 points, included in his total was 6 rebounds and 4 assists in 22 minutes of action. Despite the bright portrait described the Thunder made the outcome in doubt at the half. What most of us didn’t anticipate was a 20-0 run in the third quarter. As a team the Thunder shot a poor 37% from the floor with 25% of it from three, the Spurs shot 47% from the floor and 37% from three. The Spurs outrebound the Thunder 52-42 along with 30 assists to the Thunder 22, it should also be noted although the lead for the Spurs dwindled at times the Thunder never led in this game at any point. The final score would read Spurs 118 Thunder 92, series tied 3-3. The Game 7 win by the Spurs will be provided in the Monday morning edition.

Villanova in da house

The Knicks will play for a championship for the first time since 1999. Congratulations are certainly due for Knicks coach Mike Brown….should I say thrice fired Mike Brown? The Cavs twice, the Lakers and the Kings which provides proof he can coach winning basketball despite his resume. Certainly key has been the Knicks connection to Villanova, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges all played at the university and are now teammates with the Knicks. Even more interesting the Knicks didn’t draft any of the trio, point guard Brunson the leader was drafted 33 in the second round by the Mavs.

Brunson would later become a Knick after signing a free agent contract in 2022, as for the others they became Knicks too despite being drafted by other clubs. Hart was drafted by the Jazz with pick 30 in the first round in 2017 but his draft rights sent him to the Lakers were he began his NBA career. A trade with the Blazers in 2023 brought Hart to the Knicks and finally we close with Bridges. In 2024 Bridges was acquired in a trade with the Nets, prior to that he was pick number 10 by the Suns in the first round of the 2018 draft. Perhaps its not as important as where the journey begins based on your ultimate destination. We could say that statement certainly applies to the Villanova Knicks.

Is his time up

The headline should actually have a question mark behind it, the reference is aimed at Clipper forward Kawhi Leonard. At the trade deadline the team traded veterans James Harden and Ivica Zubac and the question is, are the Clippers beginning a youth movement? Management says they want to win with Kawhi however birthday number 35 occurs in June, with his injury history his career is not going to last the length of the other Los Angeles basketball player LeBron James.

The Clippers finished the season two games above .500 after a horrific start of the season, if not for Kawhi the record might have been even worst. The terrible start cost the Clippers a playoff berth, they missed for the first time since 2022. So what occurs now, Kawhi is due for an extension this summer so you can see the dilemma facing Clipper management. He didn’t begin play until the calendar had turned to January and after a slow start began accelerating his play. The Kawhi numbers for the 2025-26 season proved to all he’s still got it but for how long? So the question is asked once again, is Kawhi’s time with the Clippers up, summer developments will be the final decider and provide all an answer.

Old but they remain in use

Over time you’ve read plenty of stories on new or planned arenas,’ most of them are primarily intended for NBA use although in several instances NHL and other events share the building. How about the older arena’s, several have been operating for decades with a few having plans for replacement or upgrades. If you live or have visited one or more they are likely familiar to you, this is only intended to provide the latest information on arena usage. We live in a different age now, it is quite difficult to decide on a new “anything sports related” and expect citizens to automatically buy in to the effort. Interestingly, Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center—built to NBA specifications in 2007—is newer than all of the arenas listed below. I’ve also included the year each opened and its current age.

Madison Square Garden-Knicks 1968 (58 years)

Target Center-Wolves 1990 (36 years)

Delta Center-Jazz 1991 (35 years)

Rocket Arena-Cavs 1994 (32 years)

Toyota Center-Rockets 2003 (23 years)