Welcome to the NBA Hangover. We jot down NBA stuff mostly from last night that we want to talk about. Check it out.
Very few sports rivalries are as timeless as Lakers vs Celtics.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP.)
Rivalries and feuds sell. In Major League Baseball, the Yankees against the Red Sox is always brought to the forefront. Because of the importance in divisions in the NFL, they always have multiple rivalries going such as the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Baltimore Ravens. Hell, let’s go a bit further in other genres. There’s Batman vs Joker. Superman vs Lex Luthor. Road Runner vs Wile E. Coyote. Stone Cold Steve Austin against the Rock.
While we’re still arguably in the golden age of the NBA, there aren’t very many deep rivalries to speak of. Lakers vs Celtics gets brought up every single year, though. Obviously, it’s not hot as it was in the 1980s or even 2008-10. But it feels palpable every time they go against each other (like Sunday‘s game!).
And it doesn’t even matter who the players are. Marcus Smart is currently the Celtic who has the longest tenure. On the other side? It’s Kyle Kuzma. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are the franchise cornerstones as of now and they’re in their fourth and third years, respectively. LeBron James just arrived two summers ago and this is Anthony Davis‘s first year as a Laker.
It doesn’t matter what the records are. Even during the lean years, the rivalry gets brought up. But it definitely helps when both teams are good like this year. There’s a lot more at stake and it serves as a possible NBA Finals preview. Even the young fans who didn’t grow up on this rivalry know the history of these two teams. Yeah, YOU try to walk around L.A. with a Larry Bird jersey on. YOU try to walk around Boston with a Magic Johnson jersey on. You’re asking for trouble.
But that’s all the NBA seems to have right now. It’s a bit hard to sell “just basketball” when you’re trying to get more people to watch. We’ll get some fleeting rivalries. Warriors vs Cavs was great for a couple of years before Kevin Durant destroyed the balance of power by joining the Dubs. Those teams went to 4 straight NBA Finals, which was unprecedented. Yes, there was more star power when Durant joined but most fans knew it was a one-sided battle.
Durant leaving the Thunder also built up a Durant vs Russell Westbrook feud. But it lost its luster when the Warriors swept through the Thunder in the regular season after Durant fled to NorCal. And it never escalated as they never faced each other in the postseason. Both parties have since moved on to other teams.
We might get something between Luka Doncic and Trae Young. They were famously traded each other on Draft Day of 2018. Their careers will be linked forever. But for that rivalry to get to the next level, they’d have to play each other in the Finals. By the way, Luka missed both games against the Hawks this season so that certainly didn’t help.
It’s not that I want players to want to kill each other. But I do know a lot of fans (especially older fans) lament that the players today are way too friendly with each other. It’s why we don’t have blood feuds like the Bulls vs Pistons in the late 80s. Or the Sixers and Celtics in that same time period. Heck, what about the Lakers and Spurs in the 2000s. I know the Clippers and Lakers fans do not like each other and that could be a budding rivalry. But the two L.A. teams have NEVER met in the postseason.
So as of now, it’s still really only the Lakers vs Celtics. The late great Kobe Bryant noted that his favorite championship was beating the Celtics, likely because of the deep history between the two teams. Those days of yore go way back to 1959 when the Lakers (still in Minneapolis) faced the Celtics in the NBA Finals. They have waged war against each other in the NBA Finals a total of 12 times. The NBA is in its 74th season and the Lakers and Celtics have 33 of those NBA championships. So it is hard to argue against these two teams as the premier rivalry in the league.
We just wish there were more meaningful feuds in the NBA.
Bullet Passes
The Raptors continue to be terrifying as they have won 17 of their last 18 games. And good grief. Look what they did to the Pacers.
Bradley Beal went for a career-best 53 points against the Bulls. Too bad, that the Wizards still can’t stop anybody. The Bulls stopped their 8-game winning streak.
Remember when Carmelo Anthony did a little jab step to teach our young boy, Zion Williamson?
Well, Zion learned his lesson and did THIS to Alan Smailagic:
Zion shook ‘em 🤭 pic.twitter.com/N1nCA3xuoo
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 24, 2020
He is scary. He scored another 28 points. Geez.
Speaking of Carmelo, he can still hit the big shot.
Carmelo Anthony hits the dagger for the Blazers! #STAYME7O pic.twitter.com/vX7zbfX4Yp
— The BenchWarmer (@BenchWarmerPost) February 24, 2020
He scored 32 points in Damian Lillard‘s absence. YOU STILL GOT IT.
Speaking of clutch, LeBron did that, too, in the forever rivalry.
LeBron Raymone James with the dagger in basketball’s greatest rivalry 🔥🔥🔥
(📺: ABC ) pic.twitter.com/vOu1YfHCxf
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 23, 2020
What a shot.
I am still loving the resurrection of Chris Paul’s career in OKC. Remember that they were once left for dead at 5-10. They’ve gone 30-12 after that.
The Minnesota Timberwolves Twitter account was a little brave putting this up in mid-November. Complete with aZn tYPinG (I know it’s not but that’s how the typical Asian-American typed in the late 90s and early 2000s):
“tHe WoLvEs aRe GoInG tO bE bAd tHiS sEaSoN” pic.twitter.com/siMT9pfe9V
— Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) November 14, 2019
The Wolves were 7-4 at the time. Since that tweet, they’ve gone 9-35. That burns.
The Scoreboard
BOS 112 (39-17) @ LAL 114 (43-12)
IND 81 (33-24) @ TOR 127 (42-15)
MIN 116 (16-39) @ DEN 128 (39-18)
WAS 117 (20-35) @ CHI 126 (20-38)
SA 103 (24-32) @ OKC 131 (35-22)
NO 115 (25-32) @ GS 101 (12-45)
DET 104 (19-40) @ POR 107 (26-32)
Watch This Play
Josh Okogie sneaks in and comes in with a strong putback slam.
(VIDEO CREDIT: Minnesota Timberwolves.)
Box your man out, guys.
Later on today at 1 PM EST/10 AM PST is the memorial for Kobe and Gianna Bryant at Staples Center. I couldn’t attend for my own reasons but the memorial should be shown on ESPN, social media, and on various local channels in Southern California.
(PHOTO CREDIT: EPA.)
Respect.
GG.
Rey-Rey is on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
TNLP on FaceBook.
I sign off “GG” which means “good game” but also to honor Gianna “Gigi” Bryant.