Welcome to the B-Ball Brunch. Enjoy reading about my NBA musings about last night during your brunch hours.
Paul George made his presence felt immediately as a Clipper.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.)
I don’t think anyone really forgot but in case we needed a reminder, Paul George is SO good at basketball.
SO good that he showed his repertoire in such a short time. He was 10 for 17 each in the two games he has played in. He has scored 70 points… in 44 minutes (33 points against New Orleans and then 37 points against Atlanta. He only played 20:10 against the Hawks.)
Paul George has been a two-way beast nearly his entire career. He had his best season last year when he practically did everything in Oklahoma City. He finished third in the MVP voting. George averaged a career-best 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 2.2 steals.
His trade to the Clippers was a blockbuster surprise. Kawhi Leonard probably wouldn’t have gone to the Clips if PG-13 didn’t agree on this deal. But Leonard being on injury watch this season (and probably the rest of his career) would be the reason why George is there. He can be the #1 option on the team when Leonard is resting. And he can help the team not miss a beat as they make their way to April.
When both are on the court, the Clippers are going to have a terrifying one-two punch. Both guys are excellent both offensively and defensively. They can cover so much ground on both. We have yet to see it on reality but, on paper, the Clippers look so scary.
It is going to be treat on Christmas Day. Everyone better be playing on that day. That’s when the Clippers take on the Lakers next.
Bullet Passes
That Clippers/Hawks score, by the way? That’s real. It really was 150-101. Of course, the 150 points by the Clips aren’t the most in a single game this season. Remember the Rockets scoring 159 against the Wizards scoring 158?
Gregg Popovich got ejected last night so we were really excited about WNBA legend and current Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon becoming the first woman ever to coach a men’s professional sports team in North America. After all, she IS the lead assistant on the team.
Unfortunately, Popovich’s response was disappointing. He said the job fell to Timmy (Duncan). Then he said “he’s not there to make history” when asked about the question.
Becky Hammon is definitely capable (as well as a lot of other women) of handling the job. She was the Summer League coach for the Spurs in 2015 and even led the team to the Summer League championship. I really hope she gets a chance to be coach of the Spurs and even though that was a cold response by Pop, I hope he picks her to succeed.
I still want the scenario of the Spurs being coached by Becky Hammon with Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili as assistants.
Okay. You’re REALLY lying to me if you thought the Knicks (3-10) were going to have a better record than the Warriors (2-11) about a month into the season. Also, it’s not going to get easier as D’Angelo Russell has a thumb injury (HIM, TOO?!).
James Harden scored 49 points against the Timberwolves on Saturday night. His scoring average is up to a whopping 39.5 points.
In 2019, we have a player averaging nearly 40 points after 13 games. What the f…
Watch This Play
For the second night in a row, three-point game-winners were the buzz. Check out Devonte’ Graham.
DEVONTE’ GRAHAM LETS IT FLY FOR THE @HORNETS WIN! #ALLFLY pic.twitter.com/vz1twgegLq
— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2019
Such great execution on the play, too.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.