A basketball fans perspective

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The bench

A few might find this next statement a slight bit misleading, the starters for the Thunder and Spurs are somewhat on the same level. As for the reserves of the teams Mark Daigneault can offer far more firepower (and to a degree the defense) over Mitch Johnson. Perhaps you read the same figure I did, Thunder reserves scored 70 plus points of the 123 the winners made. The Spurs playing at home began the game on fire, sinking shots stealing or blocking the Thunder in all areas and then came the reserves of the Thunder.

Jared McCain, Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso were the principle culprits, this trio plus Thunder starters led the way back from a possible loss to a 123-108 win. Wemby didn’t play badly but appeared a bit lethargic at times, he managed to score 26 points on 8 of 16 shooting but only contributed 4 rebounds and 3 assists. With the exception of his scoring total far less even in losses we’ve seen. Wemby’s teammates missed a great number of shots or managed turnovers at crucial times of the game. “I feel like I’m having trouble making my teammates better right now,” he (Wemby) said. “My shooting splits aren’t terrible. I need to be more of a team player, facilitate better, rebound the ball better, push their defense a little bit further and see how much the need to help with my teammates and (then) feed them.” It appeared to me every time the lead for the Thunder was whittled down to 7 points a Spurs turnover or missed shot would allow the Thunder to retain control of the game.

Now the defending champions take a 2 games to 1 lead in the series, Game 4 becomes even more critical now. If the Thunder win tonight they are at least on their way to contend for another championship facing the winner of the Knicks-Cavs series. No argument SGA is a superior talent, his love affair with the floor bothers me to no end. Maybe he played in the same manner last season I don’t remember, in any event this falling on the floor when an opposing player is near him in annoying for me.    

The line is blurred

The line has not been erased, it might be blurred a bit but it still exists. The line I am referring is the separation between amateur and professional athletes, it appears there are individuals attempting to circumvent conventional beliefs. I really cannot lay my finger on the beginning of this new view….was it Name, Image and Likeness? Some might remember Alabama signed a player who was considered a professional (at least by a judge), after playing a few games this player was declared ineligible….end of story, not quite yet. Will Wade now in his second stint as head men’s basketball coach at LSU has decided to rock the boat as well. The school has signed a player who went undrafted, earlier he signed a contract with an NBA team, then farmed out to the G-League team.

I believe there was even a trade from one NBA team to another in there, bottom line injury requiring surgery meant he played 0 minutes in the NBA and the G-League. We must guess due to the fact this player never played professionally he’s eligible to play in college. I am not the arbitrator on this matter but it appears Wade is walking on the edge of a cliff. The previous case landed in the court of an Alabama judge, this matter will be settled by one from Louisiana. The court ruling could manifest itself in a similar manner as occurred earlier or worst case scenario this player be ruled eligible to play. If this athlete is allowed to play that will create a devastating event in my view. I am prepared to follow this and will advise you of the outcome as soon as a ruling is made. Is this the future of college basketball ruling made in court rather on the court?

3-1

NBA teams have won series after being down 3 games to 1, most recently the 2020 Nuggets who accomplished the feat twice. Before you begin scratching your head thinking “The Cavs are not down by three games” and your response would be correct. The issue, Thursday evening they found themselves on the losing end of a 109-93 Knicks win, the Cavs find themselves in a 0-2 hole in this series. Game two was nothing similar to the first one, the hometown Knicks did fall behind but not by much. An 18-point explosion would see the Knicks take command of this game.

Jalen Brunson led the way but instead of by scoring it was directing the offense, Josh Hart led a balanced scoring attack with 26 points. All five Knick starters scored in double-figures (including Brunson w/26 pts). Donovan Mitchell along with Jarret Allen and Evan Mobley performed the best they could in managing to contain the Knicks Thursday but it was not to be. The Cavs James Harden presented a good game however even it fell short as the aggressive and defensive minded Knicks managed to throttle efforts by the Cavs. So what occurs now, by the time you read this the game will have been played Saturday evening in Cleveland. I certainly am not bold enough to predict a winner.

Show Me the Way to Go Home

The headline is the title of a 1925 pop tune, it’s been recorded by a number of artists over generations. If you are a movie buff you might have heard it sung in the 1975 classic Jaws. By now you are wondering “how is that connected to basketball?” I’m going to introduce a number of you to Bobby Marks, he’s the NBA Front Office Insider for ESPN, prior to that he spent more than 20 years working in the NBA most recently assistant GM of the Nets. Regardless of how the Thunder-Spurs turn out both teams are fixtures for the future, Marks indicates the two teams are most prepared for the future in the NBA,

These two have a combined 20 first-round picks and 30 second-round picks over the next eight years. We certainly have no ability to peer into the future, it’s quite probable neither will hold all these draft picks, in some instances they are likely to be utilized in trades to shore up deficiencies each team might foresee. If the Thunder-Spurs continue this pattern they will be polar opposites in the manner of operations of most NBA teams. Not in all instances, however, a significant number of teams appear content to focus on signing free agents. It’s several who believe they can attain success in this manner while the Thunder-Spurs are on a different pathway. As the pop tune might indicate is the method utilized by these teams the most effective manner to compete for a championship? Only time will provide the answer to that question for both teams.