The incompetence of NBA referees is staggering - they damn well better acknowledge that that was a BUSTED call
when the replay didn’t change their mind
that told me other forces/factors were acting on their decision
I’m cynical so this to me was just out & out corrupt as well as incompetent
Just imagine the fallout if the call had cost them the game
as it was there was gunfire outside in the area of the arena after the game, w/injuries
After They’d Won
however, gun violence/pretty-obvious corruption etc, shouldn’t tarnish/compromise their title - nugs of mile-high acapu, I mean Denver gold this season🏀
Hey Stephen: Just wondering how you feel about Marcus Smart for Kristaps Porzingas?? Celtics trading Smart was really a shocker to me as I think it was to MANY NBA fans. Everyone talks about Tatum and Brown but wasn't Smart kind of their heart and soul? And a former NBA defensive player of the year? Seems they just lost a very inspirational player. At least maybe now he won't be wearing that dumbass green hair. Porzingas is LONG (7'3"), a rim protector, and had a great offensive year (23 points/game). And he's only 27. The catch here of course is that last year was the only season at least that I can remember that he played the entire year without getting hurt. My bet is that over his career he has missed something close to 50% of his team's games so obviously his health will be a big question mark. Maybe if they use Robert Williams enough at center they will only have to play Porzingas 30 or so minutes per game (that would be smart IMO).
Not very good bro - we were all set w/big men w/Big Al & Robert W, also Kornet & Muscala - yes Marcus was the key guy for us, what he did at both ends of the floor will be hard to replace - few imo could agree w/trading him
Kristaps is younger than I thought but he does have that history of injuries
I understand part of it, more paint points, Al’s specialty is D, same Robert, Marcus etc etc
It Could work out great, Brad Stevens has proven to be as sharp upstairs as he was on the bench - his judgement is sound
it Has worked out great these past 3-5 years or so, we always put a solid D-oriented team on the floor
hoop fans everywhere are saying it
We Love Ya, Cooz
they watched in awe as he picked apart defenses w/his speed & seeing-eye passes
& we salute him in awe today, the 95th birthday of the Houdini of the Hardwood
They’ll never lose - in addition to Kawhi & John Ringo, now James Harden has joined old OKC teammate Russell Westbrook in LA to back them up
a fearsome foursome they are not tho - they’ll each play 50 games or so - none play the 2nd half of back to backs, each have prescribed rest days, & sit out frequently claiming one injury or another
but they’ll also have those few games when they play up to their reputations/salaries - in short, let’s go Celts, we got the green unis🏀
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🏒 they’re never mundane, even this early - it’s Tor Thurs, Det Sat, they’ve both started fast & these O6 games are key - Habs & NY also out quick, highly touted rookie Connor Bedard & ChiHawks will be
Broonz set league record for points last year (135) - now-no Patrice - Treece was almost as great in his last year as Big Papi was in his
RIP, Bobby Knight - rein in that temper in your next stop on the bench of the pearly gates arena big guy, it’ll save you some energy - still recall Knight headbutting one of his players, Alvin Robertson
RIP, Walter Davis - The Greyhound - great player & a real nice guy, met him at a hoop camp, he was still w/Suns at that time
MN looks like a team to watch this year, Rudy Gobert should really free up KA Towns on offense, they have other good players too
same thing applies this year - KAT missed last year w/a leg injury - now he’s back, they’re W6 & if they ever stayed healthy (not likely), mayb this would be that year - game tonite at GSW will be telling
not so much LAC - not in Denver tonite - having all 4 of their megastars starting is a mistake - from the getgo, I would’ve had Westbrook & Harden in off the bench - individually, all 4 are/have been front-line superstars - collectively, they have to give up the ball too much - they’re used to being go-to players - w/all 4 on the floor they become no-go players, chemistry unattainable, wins sporadic
so what - we’re just hoping Indy takes some of the pace outta Philly tonite - they’re W8 - we see em tmrw nite down there - unsure who sits out the 2nd of back to backs for them - hopefully Embiid🏀
pleasantly surprised by Kristaps so far, Big Al has been Real Effective off the bench w/him there - give ‘em the green boys, let’s go🏀
Everyone has injuries - stinks RW III missing the season - you hate to say, gosh we made that trade just in time, but whatever
looks like Jamal Murray will be out for awhile, Key for Denver - Curry (knee) not playing tonite, Booker injured as usual
update, tmrw nite vs MN will be the 1st game of Booker Beal & Durant all on the floor - B&B have only had 5 total games this season - should be fun, MN is W7 & the 2nd of a back to back - guessing Phx wins big
so far so good for Zion, he’s played 8 of their 10 games altho his Sunday sitout was “for personal reasons” not an injury - yep NO lost
Daniel Theis should definitely get minutes backing up Ivica Z - really hoping this two-time ex-Celt makes their rotation, he’s a real good player imo, minutes would reveal that, they did in Boston - he got buried on Indy’s bench
it just goes to show, a highly touted rookie doesnt a winning team make
in this case, 🏀Victor W, 🏒Conor Bedard - 2 of the more hi-profile can’t-missers in a long time, both sports
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🥅Fla this week, then O6 back to back matinees - MSG Sat, not looking forward to that
I hate Fla - weather is nice but they’re both always a headache to play - let’s get this 1st one tonite - We Need 1 Outta 2, At Least, In Both Series, Down There, Up Here
for a team that lost 2 franchise stalwarts to retirement we’ve started good
🏀Big Al & Derrick White sitting out tonite in Charlotte (back to back)
🏒Det has handed us our only 2 regulation losses
puts some new urgency into MSG matinee - they win, they tie us, simple as that
we win, a helluva bounceback & today’s outcome is forgotten
it’s one of those real important early-season games - rivals, both played today, NY is obviously tough, yep max-level pucks tmrw, showem where we’re from Broonz -
Red Wings were good today, no problems admitting that
🏀Orlando has our number, they smoked us last year too - don’t know why 2day after we smoked them 1st qtr
👏👊👍 to coach ‘vich for telling the idiots in the crowd to zip it when they were yelling crap at Kawhi - sports needs more of that positivity, civility - foulmouth fans should be ejected
we’re in good shape, let’s go Celts
🏀Orlando has our number, they smoked us last year too - don’t know why 2day after we smoked them 1st qtr
we’re in good shape, let’s go Celts
they’re in for a wknd series next month - they’re pressing for 1st place - they’re W7 incl over Celts & Denver, have a pretty easy schedule leading up to their visit,
….& have the Wagner-pronounced-Vogner brothers
Mil might have the Lopez & Antetokounmpo brothers, but Franz, 6-10, and Moritz, 6-11, are making em forget even the Van Arsdale twins - they’re very good players & are to the German hoop community what Dirk Nowitzki was
If Orl makes a regular thing outta playing the way they play us, look out - they have a 19 year old starting G, & former Jazzman Joe Ingles
orl is one of many up & coming teams, MN, OKC, Sac imo will be heard from loud, depending on injuries - yep nugls have struggled w/no Murray
old friend Grant Williams is flourishing in Dallas’ starting lineup w/Luka, Kyrie & promising rookie C Dereck Lively II, 19
same Aaron Nesmith in Indy (2nd year) - Pacers are like Orlando, they can go off anytime, am always surprised they don’t have a better W-L
Phila in Fri nite, let’s go Celts
🏒🥅ol veteran Corey Perry, ChiHawks part ways
longtime ChiHawk Patrick Kane signs w/ChiHawks rival Red Wings
guess who’s visiting Det tonite - yep, ChiHawks - Kane will join Red Wings next week
there’s no panic about the L3 - recognizing that it’s getting crowded at the top
NYR beat Red Wings, passing us in standings
we visit Tor Sat for Hockey Night in Canada - we usually play good up there but must go in w/the W1 - ya -
they still talk up there about broadcaster Foster Hewitt’s staccato-almost-frantic description of the action as Canadians gathered around their radios & fireplaces for HNC, esp when it was Leafs-Habs, which it often was
LV-Vanc tonight, two top West teams - Canunk, who’d a thunk
31 points, 11 assists, eight rebounds, five steals…..scored 15 of LA’s 1st 19 points of the fourth quarter, & assisted on the other two
…..superhuman greatness last night that LeBron James has made routine over 21 years
plays both ends of back to backs - doesn’t claim the dings/personal days/rest days that sideline so many other players
many might disagree but it’s a no brainer to me - trot out any ‘criteria’ you want, James is the greatest of the last 50 years, or since the Russell-Wilt era - Bill & The Big Dipper each played 13 years
am not unmindful of the MJs, Bird - Oscar & Kareem, both individually & in tandem - Stockton-Malone, just in tandem - Tim Duncan, others….
current players like Luka, Curry
….They All Look Up/Hold Only A Candle, To The All-Time Greatness Of LeBron
#6 is the most revered number in all of sports - it & #42 - worn by the three greatest of them all (LeBron in LA), couldn’t be more fitting
MN looks like a team to watch this year, Rudy Gobert should really free up KA Towns on offense, they have other good players too
same thing applies this year -
we see xmpls of it in their 30/30 (combined) last night - they won even in an off shooting night for Anthony Edwards (4-17)
⚾️we saw it on the diamond in the 2023 ALCS - Houston, Texas - a series as big as the Lone Star state itself
and now, the hardwood?
🏀yep, from El Paso to Corpus, Brownsville to Amarillo, that’s what Texans - and hoop fans - are asking
could it be another Russell-Chamberlain
w/rookie sensations Victor Wembayana, 7-4, San Antonio
& Dereck Lively II, 7-1, Dallas
both centers, both just 19 so a long way to go but ya never know….they opened the season, their next game is Dec 23,
….& needless to say, Spurs fans are just plain unhappy - lotta concern in all areas of the organization
it wasn’t a for-real halftime triple double for Luka last night, Jazz was minus its top 3 players & little different from a lower-tier college team
:green: as always we press forward in a parquet world, Knicks are next, Kristaps played w/them, he should be motivated/healthy enough to return
Indiana 128 Milwaukee 119. Pacers meet Lakers tomorrow, 12/9, for the in-season Tournament Championship. I watched the entire Pacers - Bucks game yesterday, mostly because I keep hearing about Tyrese Haliburton but had never seen him play. Well let me tell you something folks, this dude is the REAL DEAL. 27 points, 15 assists, 7 rebounds and ZERO turnovers! Several highlight reel passes on the break, and he is just as good a scorer as he is a passer. Reggie Miller commented more than once that he is a budding Superstar and I can't argue. Watch him Saturday vs. Lakers if you can. And speaking of the Lakers............I simply cannot believe that the energy LeBron is playing with at (almost) age 39. Shooting the lights out too. I never thought I would say it, but the Lakers are a dangerous team. They'll go exactly as far as LeBron takes them. They beat a good Pelicans team by 44 points!!
All I can say is that when Anthony Davis is healthy he is an absolute BEAST, just one of greatest centers and also one of greatest physical specimens EVER. LeBron, LeBron, LeBron yes.........but Lakers' success hinges on Davis' health.......one guy cannot do it and never could............
and yet when AD is healthy & ready to play, LA turns scary - 41 points, 21 rebounds, Reaves 28 points off the bench, LeBron doing his thing….
no athlete means as much to his team as Anthony Davis does to Lakers - in tandem w/LeBron, that team Clicks
@stephen: I hear you about A.D. and thanks for quoting my past comments about him. The Lakers are a different team right now, playing lock down defense like I haven't seen from them in years. And you can thank Coach Darwin Ham for that! Also, LeBron is obviously motivated to put yet another stamp on his immense greatness.
Absolutely bro - Zion is another athlete who when healthy & able to play, is as key to NO as AD is to LA - ate the new kid’s lunch for 36 points tonight over a good OKC team - Zion reminds me a lot of how Chas. Barkley played - when uninjured, he’s a top PF
Beal debuts for Phx tonite vs your guys - tonite, the W is for Warriyz, esp w/KD outta the lineup (wattashock), & CP III possibly returning
Greenland - a country yes, but in hoops, Boston - nothing is cinched, too many good teams, incl Orlando in a weekend dance on the parquet floor - we’ve had it circled, but Cleve 1st
Time for the Warriors to dump Draymond for good. This BS has gone on so long that I don't believe he's going to change no matter what kind of counseling they put him through. And I think the entire NBA, including fans, are every bit as fed up with him as I am.
Yeah Draymond’s gotten a little too wayward w/his shenanigans - he said it was unintentional - imo the replay leaves that open to debate
regardless of what the league decides, the ballclub could well be thinking….we love Draymond…but enough is enough….we’ll be better off w/out him
it’d be a shame given how well he fits w/them - he’s one of the great blend-inners (?)
🤙🏀we visit Tues to kick off our WC swing - let’s see how it goes for GSW tonite in LA
we play Cleve again tonite
then eff the rest day/personal day/no back to back Baloney, all hands on deck for Orl tmrw - we’re at home, no claiming tiredness or nickynack dings
regardless of the outcome tonite, tmrw, we’ll take the floor like we’ve had 2 days rest
shoot - no ja morant or steven adams, & even w/Marcus, Memphis is sunk - too bad he had to go into a situation like thatnow same thing w/cavs - huge setback for them, mobley & garland would basically be Jays/Jayl for us, or say, KAT & Anthony Edwards for MN
injuries & blown calls - 2 of the ‘uncontrollables’😮 - but the deflating injuries can hit at any time
….the boys are loose w/some good needles going around about who the most worn-out wimp is blah blah🏀…….hehe just making that up obviously😵💫
On Our Floor, They Gave Us The Worst Butt Kicking In Years last Year - Times Two
Just Saying, Was SmokeSweep One Way Last Year…..No One Could Believe It, But Now It’s Same Time Same Place Same Two, One Year On -
…..& smoke goes the other way this year - tonite & Sunday
This post was modified 2 years ago 3 times by Stephen
😡Despite all the exhorting, our 2 big men, Big Al & Kristaps - Al resting😠, Kristaps, calf tightness, says team page
so disappointing to come in short handed - dammit why can’t they each cut their minutes in half or something like that - they gotta be there, their D/O yinyang is pivotal for us
it’s gotta be 2 of 2 or bust, let’s go boys - remember 2022
🥅🏒🏒🥅not since the Sedin twins, Pavel Bure, Trevor Linden & their 2011 finals team - have they been going like this in Vancouver -
it’s crazy - out west, Cup-champ LVGK, 45 points, Canuck 44 -
then in East Conf, Broonz Rangiz round out the top 4 w/43 each - watta treat
bummer tho to see Taylor Hall’s injury, he was a big part of our record season last year - him on the sheet, RW III on the court - crummy luck
Good season so far but we can’t solve NYR - much better this time (Sat), outplayed em for long stretches….They’re Really Good - the rivalry has heated up again, as it always does - yar Broonz🥅🏒🏒🥅
Good game tonite Rob & hoop fans everywhere are of course continuing the healing vibes to Kareem - that’s a bad injury for anyone much less someone his age - get well soon big guy
but it’s the age-old ? - are Warriors better off without Draymond’s divisive distractions & drama off the court
or does his absence On it, prove too big a handicap trying to cover for him - have read it’s a 3 week suspension
🏀would not have thought that a LeBron triple double, & an AD double-double, at home, would’ve resulted in a L for Lakers
it’s us Phil & Mil again in the east - every game is big - let’s go Celts, it’s always a fun one w/GSW - No Green For Them, It’s All W/Us,
…even w/no Kristaps - another sitout for ‘injury management’😠 - was afraid this might happen -
he’s played great, but darn-it-all-&-worse - mayb Neemias, our reserve C, will play his way into the rotation
…I understand - I don’t walk in the big guy’s shoes - mayb he’ll play tmrw nite - Al is not likely to, probly others
so I have empathy, but regardless of back-to-backs or anything, you always want & expect your front liners out there & ready to go & these sitouts are often worse for the team than they are beneficial for the player
was pleasantly shocked when we beat Orl last Friday w/out both KP & Al - now down one, tonite & tmrw nite
@stephen: Yes Stephen great ballgame. Was very proud of my team the way they gutted it out against your great Celts. Of course, when you have the greatest shooter of ALL time there is always a chance. And I agree with you 100%, maybe it is time to leave Draymond and all of his dysfunctional BS in the past. But I fear that they are paying him WAY too much for that to happen. Rookie Trace Jackson-Davis is showing that he is just one HELL of a ballplayer (see my Wikipedia quote below). How in hell did he slip to #57 in the draft? I just found out during this game that he is Dale Davis' son........Dale was one of the greatest Indiana Pacers to ever step onto the court. Jonathan Kuminga also had an outstanding game for my Dubs tonight. Here's some facts from Wikipedia on Jackson-Davis:
"Jackson-Davis was awarded the Karl Malone Award for the nation's top power forward, along with being named to the Oscar Robertson Trophy Late Season Watch List, the John R. Wooden Men's National Ballot, and the Naismith Trophy Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist list. TJD was also a unanimous choice for the All-Big Ten First Team by the coaches, media, and Associated Press while also collecting All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors.
Jackson-Davis finished his Indiana career as the program's all-time leader in rebounds (1,143) and blocked shots (270), third on the all-time scoring list (2,258), and third in double-doubles (50)."
@stephen: Kristaps Porzingas is a GREAT ballplayer. Unfortunately, I doubt he will ever be able to get through an NBA season without a serious injury. That's the chance the Celtics took when they traded for him. Hope it works out for you but don't get your hopes up!
