People LOVE Power Rankings in sports. It’s pretty stupid. So, of course, I have MY Stupid Power Rankings. I take 10 things from the NBA (or not) in the past week and rank them accordingly. You don’t like them? Make your own rankings!
Week 9 of the 2019-20 regular season had some things happening. Let’s get into it.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ron Turenne/Getty Images.)
1) Amazing Title Defense Continues
The Raptors had won three straight before they learned that they were losing Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol, and Norman Powell indefinitely.
So they barely scraped by the Wizards. And then they miraculously came back from 30 down to beat the Mavericks. It was a scintillating comeback and it will probably go down as Kyle Lowry‘s signature game.
They’ve already surprised everyone by having a good record. But it’s gotten even more impressive when they lost three key guys (especially one who had become an MVP candidate in Siakam) in their rotation. I don’t know how long they’re going to keep this up but, man, it’s so fun watching them this season.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Andy Marlin/USA Today.)
2) Spencer Is A Star
Kyrie Irving has been out so Spencer Dinwiddie took the opportunity. He had grown to become the #1 option for the Nets and is now in the Top 20 in both scoring (22.7 PPG) and assists (6.2 APG).
This week, he had games of 31, 41, and 39 points. That is an average of 37 points.
He went from castoff to playing like he’s a Top 5 player in the league this week. I am all aboard on the Spencer Dinwiddie All-Star Train.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Alonzo Adams/USA Today.)
3) Thunder Comebacks
The Raptors had the biggest comeback this season but the Thunder earlier this week had comebacks of 28 and 26 points in back-to-back games. With the way they’re playing as of late, I wonder if we kind of underestimated the Thunder. Stay tuned!
(VIDEO CREDIT: NBA BandWagon Fan.)
4) This Nikola Jokic Shot
He has some of the funkiest shots ever. And we love Jokic for that.
5) Westbrook vs Beverley Continued
So Patrick Beverley got ejected in that Rockets/Clippers game because of a second technical foul. His best friend, Russell Westbrook, waved goodbye to him as he left the floor. You can see in that picture that Beverley looked back.
Westbrook got a technical foul for his troubles. I love that their feud has continued this season.
The Rockets went on to win the game, in case you’re wondering about that.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Benny Sieu/USA Today.)
6) Lakers vs Bucks Wasn’t Bad But Wasn’t Great, Either
We all looked forward to this game because it felt like the most anticipated game since Opening Night. The problem was that the Bucks were mostly in control of that game, which they ended up winning by 7 after the Lakers attempted to make a late run.
We did see a breakout perimeter game from Giannis Antetokounmpo, who terrified everyone by going 5 for 8 from three. This game also exposed to most of the NBA fan base the lack of playmaking from the Lakers. It wasn’t the back-and-forth instant classic we wanted but we did learn some things from both teams.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Disney/Lucasfilm.)
7) A New War in the Stars
I’m only putting this up because everyone around me is talking about it.
I don’t have any sort of investment towards the franchise but I can tell you this wacky story.
My birth name is Rey. Nothing longer. Just Rey. But my parents let me know that if I were born a girl, I would’ve been named Leia (after the very famous Star Wars Princess). I got Rey, which is pretty much a derivative of Leia. It was probably because of this knowledge that I kind of unconsciously rebelled against watching Star Wars.
Anyway, 30-something years later, someone let me know that the trilogy sequel‘s main character was… a girl named Rey.
This franchise will haunt me my entire life. Anyway, I hoped you liked Movie #9. Maybe someday, I’ll watch the trilogy sequel.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Matt Slocum/AP.)
8) So Many Streaks Ended
I don’t know how long I wanted these streaks to go but I was always sad when they ended.
The Mavericks ended the Bucks’ 18-game win streak.
The next night, the Pacers beat the Lakers at home. That meant the end of the Lakers’ 14-game road win streak, which is now the third longest in league history.
The night after that, the Sixers lost at home against the Heat. The Sixers were 14-0 at home going into that game. They were the last team to lose a home game. So that one was done.
Rest in peace to all those incredible streaks.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Abbie Parr/Getty Images.)
9) Battle For The 8th Seeds
It is just so ugly right now.
So the Portland TrailBlazers in the West are currently #8. They are a not-so-great 14-16. The Blazers are on pace for 38 wins.
It’s worse in the East. The Orlando Magic are 12-17. That’s on pace for… 34 wins.
The middle tier of those conferences are… really struggling. 35 wins might be enough to make the playoffs?!
Isaiah Thomas said the fan he approached in the stands gave him two middle fingers and yelled “Fuck you, bitch!” three times: pic.twitter.com/z1Fk4LVKdW
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) December 22, 2019
10) Those Philly Fans Heckling Isaiah Thomas
The situation? Fans yelled at Isaiah Thomas because he made a free throw, which denied the Sixers fans a Frosty from Wendy’s. So they’re shouting these disrespectful words at Isaiah, which was why he went into the stands to warn them. And that was the reason. He wanted a Frosty.
First of all, don’t say those types of things to professional athletes. Remember that they are human like us. Sure, they are way richer than all of us but they’re still human. Would they say the same things to a complete stranger?
And this is over a Frosty? Isn’t that like a dollar? They’re mad because of that? They can find four quarters under the couch or in their car. Go buy a Frosty yourself.
And of course, I kind of wonder if the Frosty was the real reason they shouted those things at Isaiah. The current climate of this country has empowered evil people so I wouldn’t put it past that.
Poor Isaiah. He’s already been through enough in his life, too. Plus he got suspended, too, for going to the stands. I understand it but I also think that’s rotten. The offending fans did get banned from Wells Fargo Center for a year, though.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
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