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 and WNBA (or not) in the past week and rank them accordingly. You don’t like them? Make your own rankings!
The last full week of March as we go into the homestretch before the homestretch.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Darren Abate/AP.)
1) Gregg Popovich Reaches 1,300 Wins
Popovich is only the third coach to reach this mark. It would probably have taken him longer if he actually had bad teams but he never did. Actually, it should’ve taken him a bit shorter because he had to go through two lockout-shortened seasons. Not to mention that he’s going through his second pandemic-shortened season.
(VIDEO CREDIT: Bleacher Report.)
2) Harrison Barnes Beats the Buzzer
First of all, what a pass by DeAaron Fox. The catch was perfect and so was the turnaround and release. Reminds you of a famous March Madness play, don’t ya think?
(PHOTO CREDIT: NBA.)
3) Hello, Moses Brown
The Oklahoma City Thunder are finally going full rebuild and they’re checking out what the youngsters can do.
Actually, Moses Brown showed a lot. 21 POINTS AND 23 REBOUNDS.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Derick Hingle/AP.)
4) Zion’s Back-To-Back
Normally, stars sit out back-to-backs. Zion played against Denver on Friday and put in a career-best 39 points. The night after, he scored 38 on Dallas. What a monster.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Alonzo Adams/USA Today.)
5) Brooklyn Adds Another Former All-Star
As if the Nets needed another all-star, right?
The Nets now have LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, and Blake Griffin.
Imagine this team 6-7 years ago.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Scott Wachter/USA Today.)
6) The Trading Deadline
Honestly, nothing earth-shattering. A very busy deadline, though, and some borderline-middling teams might get enough of a nudge with their deals.
One thing we did learn, though; one team in this countdown decided they’ve had enough.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images.)
7) March Madness Mumbles
I can’t say I’ve been intrigued enough by March Madness; the pandemic still makes it weird to enjoy a lot of things, including the NBA. I don’t even see much excitement around it, to be honest.
The one match-up that did get me watching, though, was the mighty UConn women’s team against Iowa. Even I’ve had my eye out on Paige Bueckers for a while now. And then there were a lot of rumblings about Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. I had to watch it. Granted, UConn is ALWAYS loaded to begin with and they ended up winning but hopefully, Paige vs Caitlin is a match-up we see many many times over the years.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Bob Levey/AP.)
8) Houston Finally Stops The Bleeding
The Rockets FINALLY snapped their LOOOOONG losing streak. They defeated the Raptors, who were cold in their own right.
But after losing 20 in a row, this had to feel good.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
9) The Magic Blew It Up
For a few years, I had said that I didn’t think the Magic would go anywhere with this current team. They were the definition of an average team to me and I thought that maybe it was time for them to reset.
Well, they got off to a 4-0 start. And then 6-2. Then injuries took over this team and they went on huge losing streaks. At 15-29, they had to let go of what they had and change course. Nikola Vucevic got sent to Chicago. Evan Fournier went to Boston. Aaron Gordon packed his bags for Denver.
They probably should’ve done this before the season started. Or even two years before. But at least, the Magic realized that the road they were on was leading nowhere.
10) The New WNBA Jerseys Are Out But…
It’s just bad news when I have to add a “but…” on there. Good grief. Elena Delle Donne is one of the best basketball players on the planet and they couldn’t even get her name right on the back of the jersey. There is NO HYPHEN on her name.
Women’s sports really need more respect.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the NBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.