This is the Hangover. This is where I get drunk on the NBA as I recap last night’s action as well as a few things going on around the league. Here’s your word vomit.
11/01/2016
THE GAMES
HOU 120 (2-2) @ CLE 128 (4-0)
LAL 108 (1-3) @ IND 115 (2-2)
ORL 103 (1-3) @ PHI 101 (0-3)
SAC 96 (2-2) @ MIA 108 (1-2) [OT]
NY 89 (1-2) @ DET 102 (3-1)
MIL 117 (2-2) @ NO 113 (0-4)
MEM 80 (2-2) @ MIN 116 (1-2)
UTA 106 (2-2) @ SA 91 (4-1)
GS 127 (3-1) @ POR 104 (2-2)
(PHOTO CREDIT: Lynne Sladky/AP.)
RAY ALLEN FINALLY CALLS IT A CAREER
Ray Allen is not making that comeback like some people anticipated him to. He announced his retirement on the Players’ Tribune on Tuesday. It was an excellent letter “to his 13-year-old self.” He talked about his obsessive routine on the court. He talked about all the shots he missed. His family. Him not fitting in. The destination. And finally, a goodbye to the NBA.
Allen was one of the prized draft picks in what was possibly the greatest NBA class in history, the 1996 NBA Draft. He was the man in Milwaukee and Seattle. Then he became an excellent third and fourth option in Boston and Miami, where he won a championship each for the team. He hit some of the greatest shots in NBA Playoff history (his three-pointer in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals is probably the greatest shot in NBA Playoff history).
Everyone would beg to have Allen’s NBA career. He was a first option for many years and he made the perfect transition to become the third option and then a role player. He was the safety net for the Celtics and the Heat; you need a big shot, look for Ray for the three.
Have a good retirement, Ray Allen. We’ll miss your smooth three-pointers and your underrated athleticism.
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE
Philadelphia traded Jerian Grant to Oklahoma City for Ersan Ilyasova and a conditional first round pick. Philly just loves to stash picks (conditional or not) and trade away young players “that don’t work out.” Ilyasova could be a good veteran presence for them, if he plays. Meanwhile, doesn’t OKC need shooters? Do they think they can turn Grant into an all-around player? This trade hurts my head now.
The Lakers so far have fought back on every single game they have played. What they have to do now is to stop getting off to slow starts. With the way they’ve been playing with a sense of urgency in the second half, they might be able to secure more victories that way if they play better in the first half.
Minnesota‘s dumping of Memphis showed how capable they can be. It seems like they’ll have a good core in Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, recently paid Gorgui Dieng, and Ricky Rubio (if he can stay healthy). Now what they need are a couple of years of seasoning, experience, and a reliable bench to move into the next tier. A lot of us expected them to be a team on the brink of the playoffs because of their talent. But they will be frightening once they become battle-hardened players..
You can’t win every single game as you already know and that’s what happened to San Antonio. Sometimes, teams will have bad days and at the end of it all, it’s the playoffs that will matter. Teams at the upper echelon will win 70 percent of their games. Don’t use a single game as a litmus test for each team.
Meanwhile, I guess things are all good in Golden State after their drubbing of Portland, right? Sure.
LINE CROSSER
(PHOTO CREDIT: David Dermer/AP.)
James Harden did all of this in a losing effort against the champions:
41 points, 7 rebounds, 15 assists.
And point guard Harden is fun!
WATCH THIS PLAY
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA.)
This dunk by Aaron Gordon is a 10.
Follow Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass for all tweets about the NBA and terrible pop music. Also, check out his podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental.
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