Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to yet another win.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Nelson Chenault/USA Today.)
The Milwaukee Bucks have won 17 straight games. They’re the 20th team in NBA history to do such a winning streak (in one season and a streak that doesn’t carry over to the next).
Hey, is anybody questioning how easy THEIR schedule is? In any case, winning 17 straight is remarkable, no matter how you slice it. And the streak takes a life on its own and becomes more stressful the longer it goes on.
So many things can come into play. Players start wondering how long they can do this. They might get a bit complacent because it might feel a little too easy, sometimes. They might exert themselves too much when they feel they’re in danger of losing. The media could get more intense because it’s such an impressive feat. That target can get real big so every team is going to bring their A++ game towards them. And of course, the normal fatigue of traveling and playing back-to-back games. 17 straight wins is quite an accomplishment.
Obviously, winning is always the goal here. But losing one and stopping a long streak can be beneficial, too (just don’t get used to losing). The stress from the winning streak could be lifted off of them. The losing shows that they’re actually vulnerable; this could be a means to stay sharp. And it humbles them as the real prize is not won until June. But winning a lot can sure be intimidating.
Here are the longest winning streaks in NBA history. Note that these streaks are all in the same season:
L.A. Lakers (1971-72): 33
Miami Heat (2012-13): 27
Golden State Warriors (2015-16): 24
Houston Rockets (2007-08): 22
Milwaukee Bucks (1970-71): 20
L.A. Lakers (1999-2000): 19
Boston Celtics (2008-09): 19
San Antonio Spurs (2013-14): 19
Atlanta Hawks (2014-15): 19
And later today, they’ll have the Cleveland Cavaliers. At home.
Win #18 of this streak is pretty likely. But hey, you never know.
(I might have just jinxed the Bucks.)
Bullet Passes
In other crazy statistical nonsense last night, Paul George scored 46 points while his teammate, Kawhi Leonard, went for 42 in the Clippers’ win over Minnesota. Teammates scoring 40+ each in the same game is some feat. Take a look at this old graphic from February 22, 2019:
So George has now done this with a second different teammate. Westbrook went crazy in the last few years, didn’t he?
James Harden scored 54 against Orlando. That is two nights after he went for 55 against Cleveland. So check this out:
Good grief. Harden’s scoring average is at 39.3 PPG.
Somebody told me that Harden gets ALL the shots in Houston. I did tell him that while I have no problem with shot distribution (I feel the best player should have the ball as much as he can as long as the others feel involved), Harden doesn’t get ALL the shots because he has a teammate named Russell Westbrook.
As you can see, Westbrook is still getting his shots just fine.
Yes, I know. Shot attempts don’t tell the whole story. Harden gets to the free throw line A TON. So that’s still far and away from Westbrook’s, right?
The free throw discrepancy is there but Westbrook is still in the Top 15 in getting to the line. So Westbrook is still getting his.
This final score is gross.
I love it when people tell me that 90s basketball was way better. I would say that the attitudes were probably way better. Shawn Kemp and Karl Malone used to play with the camera a lot. I feel like there was quite a bit more showmanship in the 90s than it is now.
But the basketball was NOT great. That Hornets/Bulls score is something you’d see way more often then than now. Plus the basketball we were exposed to back then was whatever was on the NBA on NBC (greatest sports theme ever, by the way) and whatever was on TNT once or twice a week. It’s not how it is now with NBA League Pass, NBA TV, TNT, and ESPN when there is a game pretty much on national TV EVERY day.
Could you take the slog of post-up centers instead of the pace-and-space we’re getting now? Because that was the style back then. In fact, it was still the preferred style until about a decade ago.
Jaren Jackson, Jr. scored 43 points overall after scoring 26 points in the third quarter. It was not enough against the scorching Bucks. Still, I just wanted to acknowledge that.
Lakers/Heat was extremely fun last night. The Heat are good, man. They were resilient against the seemingly-overpowering Lakers. But the old-school line-up of the Lakers paid dividends at the end; the Heat couldn’t get a defensive rebound to save their lives.
My main concern, though, was that Alex Caruso (I know he’s a cult hero and all but it’s because he really had been playing so well) didn’t play much in favor of Rajon Rondo. They now have a glut of guards again after Avery Bradley came back from injury. It’s clear where Rondo is at this point. But Caruso has been playing hellish defense this year.
With the Heat losing at home last night, Philadelphia is the only team left that is unblemished on their home floor.
The Knicks seemingly continue to invent new ways to give away games. Kevin Knox scored a tip-in… but the Knicks were on defense. Whoops.
(VIDEO CREDIT: ClutchPoints.)
Luckily for them, the Knicks actually beat the Sacramento Kings in a mild upset.
By the way, the Kings’ last five games have been decided by 1, 4, 1, 1, and 2 points. They sure love to keep their fans in suspense. They are 3-2 in that stretch.
Watch This Play
Yeah, let’s see what happens when Russell Westbrook has an open lane.
BEASTBROOK pic.twitter.com/vsrfSUf5Q9
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) December 14, 2019
Destruction. That’s what happens.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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