Whatever you think you thought about Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown and stardom in the NBA is running up against a little thing called the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
Question about Dončić’s defence: why did it seem more competent before this series? Was it just that the other teams didn’t have Boston’s level of players and couldn’t hunt him the same way? Dallas could hide him better before? Or the other teams weren’t as relentless?
Not rooting for the Cs but I am legit happy for Jaylen Brown. I’m sure all the hot take artists who thought he should be traded last offseason are having a normal one.
Also, it’s not getting a ton of public traction but the way the Lakers treated Jerry West the last 25 years was pretty damn disgraceful. I happened to read Roland Lazenby’s book on him last month and it’s clear that pro basketball might not have made it in LA if not for West and Elgin Baylor. And for all the love Jerry Buss gets for Showtime, West was the architect of those teams. Maybe Magic and Worthy were no-brainers and he didn’t sign Kareem but all the role players who helped get them there were Jerry’s guys. And let’s not forget he signed Shaq AND traded for Kobe in the same week in 1996.
I don’t wanna get into the salacious reasons as to why the Buss family faded West but I do think they should be called out for issuing a pithy statement on a guy who essentially made the franchise what it is.
Even if Tom may be playing around, his description of the Lakers as a small family run organization is spot on - particularly if you put “dysfunctional” before “family”.
The funny part about the "close call" narrative about Doncic's obvious foul on Brown, is that about a minute previous, Luka had basically launched himself sideways into Brown (may have been Tatum) as Brown was blowing past him, nearly knocked him over, and there was no call at all.
Doncic is a truly unique player with incredible skill, and yet, I can't stand watching him play. His combination of whining about every call while simultaneously getting a nearly continuous benefit of the doubt on most foul calls is just exhausting.
My prediction is that getting swept or losing 4-1 won't impact his behavior in the slightest.
It was, if I'm mot mistaken, the great Robby Biegler who noted that this Dallas team reminds him of Kidd's Nets teams that spent a number of Finals getting swept, and in general, having their asses handed to them. I wouldn't object to seeing that play out over the next half-decade.
Over on Marc Stein’s excellent Substack, there is a whole crew of Dallas fans in the comments section who (even though giving lip service to the Celtics being the better team) are certain that the refs cost the Mavs the game.
I did see West play in his prime. He was incredibly clutch (not his fault that the Lakers didn’t win more rings for him - the team just wasn’t good enough, particularly going against Bill Russell’s Celtics and then against some truly great Knicks teams). He also, though not being a classic point guard (they called them “playmakers” in those days), consistently led the team in assists and was a relentless defender. Living to 86 ain’t bad, but it’s still a huge loss.
Question about Dončić’s defence: why did it seem more competent before this series? Was it just that the other teams didn’t have Boston’s level of players and couldn’t hunt him the same way? Dallas could hide him better before? Or the other teams weren’t as relentless?
Not rooting for the Cs but I am legit happy for Jaylen Brown. I’m sure all the hot take artists who thought he should be traded last offseason are having a normal one.
Also, it’s not getting a ton of public traction but the way the Lakers treated Jerry West the last 25 years was pretty damn disgraceful. I happened to read Roland Lazenby’s book on him last month and it’s clear that pro basketball might not have made it in LA if not for West and Elgin Baylor. And for all the love Jerry Buss gets for Showtime, West was the architect of those teams. Maybe Magic and Worthy were no-brainers and he didn’t sign Kareem but all the role players who helped get them there were Jerry’s guys. And let’s not forget he signed Shaq AND traded for Kobe in the same week in 1996.
I don’t wanna get into the salacious reasons as to why the Buss family faded West but I do think they should be called out for issuing a pithy statement on a guy who essentially made the franchise what it is.
Even if Tom may be playing around, his description of the Lakers as a small family run organization is spot on - particularly if you put “dysfunctional” before “family”.
The funny part about the "close call" narrative about Doncic's obvious foul on Brown, is that about a minute previous, Luka had basically launched himself sideways into Brown (may have been Tatum) as Brown was blowing past him, nearly knocked him over, and there was no call at all.
Doncic is a truly unique player with incredible skill, and yet, I can't stand watching him play. His combination of whining about every call while simultaneously getting a nearly continuous benefit of the doubt on most foul calls is just exhausting.
My prediction is that getting swept or losing 4-1 won't impact his behavior in the slightest.
It was, if I'm mot mistaken, the great Robby Biegler who noted that this Dallas team reminds him of Kidd's Nets teams that spent a number of Finals getting swept, and in general, having their asses handed to them. I wouldn't object to seeing that play out over the next half-decade.
Over on Marc Stein’s excellent Substack, there is a whole crew of Dallas fans in the comments section who (even though giving lip service to the Celtics being the better team) are certain that the refs cost the Mavs the game.
As the French say, "Quelle surprise," or to translate, "no fucking shit."
Texans love a conspiracy theory. Oswald shot JFK, end of story.
I did see West play in his prime. He was incredibly clutch (not his fault that the Lakers didn’t win more rings for him - the team just wasn’t good enough, particularly going against Bill Russell’s Celtics and then against some truly great Knicks teams). He also, though not being a classic point guard (they called them “playmakers” in those days), consistently led the team in assists and was a relentless defender. Living to 86 ain’t bad, but it’s still a huge loss.
Please...I need a whole book on Jerry West's time in Memphis! Can you imagine going to practice under Hubie Brown with Mr West in the bleachers?