Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the NBA daily, even when COVID has ravaged the league.
These teams were in the finals two years ago.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Kim Klement/USA Today.)
Man, so this Warriors/Raptors game was something.
It started out regular enough. The Raptors were only leading by one after one. And then the team that is supposed to stay in Canada but is now staying in Tampa was unleashed.
The Raptors slowly ballooned to 10 and then to 20 by halftime. And then in the first minute of the third, the lead grew to 28. And then 36. 44. Suddenly, the score was 101-49. Toronto got to 100 before G. State got to 50.
Now people were wondering if Toronto was going to break for biggest margin of victory in an NBA game. The Cavs beat the Heat, 148-80, in a 1991 game. Toronto would have to win by 69 (heh heh) to eclipse that.
The Raptors led by 61 at one point but the final margin turned out to be 53. Still, that is an impressive blowout. It is the 28th game in NBA history where a final score ended with a margin of 53 points or more.
The funny thing is that the Warriors only lost the first and fourth quarters by one each. It’s the middle quarters that killed them: 35-16 and 46-14.
Sometimes, something like this just randomly happens. The Warriors didn’t have Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Kyle Lowry and Rodney Hood didn’t suit up. Fred VanVleet left the game after injuring his hip.
You can look deeper into this, of course. The Warriors didn’t have a great roster available on Friday. And it just clicked for the Raps that night. People would say that without Curry and Green, the Dubs could be in the running for worst team ever. I mean, sure; we saw the Warriors operate like this last season. But with Curry and Green available for most of the campaign, the Warriors are actually only three games below .500. Still, this is how far the Dubs have fallen after they ruled the last half of the 2010s.
The Raptors aren’t great right now, either. Not a lot of remnants remain from the title team in 2019. They’re currently 19-30. And the current situation certainly didn’t help them. The pandemic forced them to play their home games in Tampa. And of course, COVID is still running rampant today.
And I know people will ask how the heck the Warriors can recover from this. It really is difficult. But these guys are professionals. The good news about losing by 53 is that it’s the same thing in a way by losing by 3; they both count as one loss.
But momentum can be a funny thing, too. If the Warriors lose 10 straight then we can look at this game as the turning point.
As it is, the Warriors lost by 53. That’s humiliation in itself.
Bullet Passes
So this might be a bit terrifying but Rick Carlisle tested positive for COVID. The good news is that he feels fine so it could be a false positive. The thing is… he’s been vaccinated. Fully. Hopefully, future tests turn out negative.
But it was cool to see Jamahl Mosley help guide the Mavs to a win over the Knicks. The win would count on Carlisle’s coaching record but this is quite a moment for the young defensive coach of the Mavs.
Not to be outdone in terms of blowouts, the Phoenix Suns obliterated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first to the tune of 43-13. The game ended in a 37-point win for the Suns. It’s not 53 but, regardless, it’s good to take care of business early.
But Utah continues to take care of their own biz as they maintain that three-game lead over the Suns. The Jazz have now won 8 straight and this is their third 8-game win streak this season. Of course, that may not matter by the time the postseason gets here.
Charlotte continues to be in the 4th spot in the East. It’s so hard to believe that in this part of the season, the Heat and the Celtics are #6 and #8, respectively while Charlotte, Atlanta, and New York are all in the mix.
I said that Giannis should be in MVP convos at the start of March. Well, he scored 47 against Portland and suddenly, the momentum for Giannis is being noticed by all other media. I HAD BEEN TELLING YOU GUYS.
NBA Scoreboard
Apr. 2, 2021
Watch This Play
Man, there were a TON of dunks on Friday. But Jaylen Brown had the best of them all.
(VIDEO CREDIT: House of Highlights.)
Kenyon Martin would probably like a word with his son. But that was just bullying by Jaylen.
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.
R.I.P. Nala.