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 NBA has whittled down to four teams while we’re approaching the halfway mark of the WNBA season. Hoops are getting hotter! Literally!
EVERY ANGLE of Jae Crowder’s pinpoint pass to Deandre Ayton to win Game 2 for the @Suns! #NBAPlayoffs #ThatsGame #NBAWCF presented by AT&T continues with Game 3 on Thursday at 9pm/et on ESPN pic.twitter.com/JMEXIj0erK
β NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2021
1) The Valley-Oop
This is the signature play of the NBA Playoffs. For all intents and purposes, the Clippers had the game won. It’s tough to get a basket with 0.9 seconds left on an inbounds play. But what the Suns did was brilliant. They went back to a play that they did years ago with Tyson Chandler. Granted, it was a different coaching staff but Devin Booker was there so it was familiar.
This gave the Suns a 2-0 series lead against the Clippers. And it could very well be the catalyst to their first Finals berth since 1993. Then in that case, that play would be even more legendary.
But the Pistons get the #1 pick! (cc @StephanieKMusic @JoannePistonFan @kateasa_l) pic.twitter.com/chPxlKOWMu
β πππ’-πππ’ π€πΎβπΎ (@TheNoLookPass) June 23, 2021
2) Pistons Win the Draft Lottery
The Detroit Pistons have been pretty irrelevant for a while. They’ve only made the postseason twice in the last decade and even then, they weren’t very memorable runs at all. Finally, they have a chance to strike as they get the first pick of the draft since 1970 when they got Bob Lanier.
Let’s see what they do here (Cade Cunningham is the likely pick here).
Fastest player to 7,000 career points β
WNBA’s all-time leading scorer β
Only player to 8,000 β
9,000 β pic.twitter.com/jbR7dT9AGzβ Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) June 27, 2021
3) Diana Taurasi Reaches 9K Career Points
Diana Taurasi is in an island on this. She’s over 9000 points and Tina Thompson, who’s in second place, has 7,488. The next active player closest to Taurasi is Candice Dupree at 6,822. Don’t think Diana will be caught anytime soon.
Congrats to Diana Taurasi!
4) Trae Young Shakes It Off
The audacity of Trae Young. He dusted Jrue Holiday and had all the time in the world to shoot a three. He SHRUGS. Then he swishes the three.
DOES HE CARE THAT IT’S THE EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS?!
(PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Johnson/Getty Images.)
5) Vintage Sylvia Fowles
The Lynx only played two games in the last week but they won both of them by the skin of their teeth. And most of the thanks should go to Sylvia Fowles, who was amazing in both games.
Against Atlanta? 26 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Against Vegas? 30-14-4-4-4. Yes. That’s 4 assists, 4 blocks, and 4 steals.
She’s still got it. Or maybe she never lost it.
Gray (@cgray209) calls game with this one, @LVAces WIN π€ pic.twitter.com/t4LtUUYEUT
β WNBA (@WNBA) June 27, 2021
6) 2020 WNBA Finalists Go Overtime
What a classic game the Aces and the Seattle Storm had. Of course, they went to overtime, seeing how good these two teams are. Chelsea Gray hit that go-ahead J after that cross on Breanna Stewart.
There have been many close games in the W this season. This might be the best game of the year, though, due to the quality of teams and play.
37 points!!! Khris Middleton is killing it!! #khashmoney @Khris22m #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/t3rkrNCZX2
β Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) June 28, 2021
7) Sheryl Crow Is A Bucks Fan?
If it makes you happy…
I donβt think I need to repeat myself, but I will anyway damnit! Middleton is the Batman, Giannis is the Robin, and thatβs OK!
38 points, 20 in the 4th.. all timely buckets! Carry the hell on⦠https://t.co/XgqUvp32uy
β Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 28, 2021
8) People Suck at Talking Basketball
I don’t care if they played professional basketball. They can be great at the sport but that doesn’t mean they’re great at analyzing it. Those are two different things.
We can clearly see how Giannis Antetokounmpo plays. And we can also see how Khris Middleton plays. Stop with this nonsense. That means for both media AND fans.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images.)
9) The Injuries Continue To Mount
As if we’ve already had enough injuries, Trae Young steps on a REFEREE’S foot and it rendered him useless for the rest of Game 3, which the Bucks went on to win. Ugh. Just awful.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Ashley Landis/Dallas Morning News.)
10) NBA Coaching Hires
It’s just discouraging when teams out there say they’re going to consider women like Becky Hammon and Dawn Staley for their head coaching gigs and then they go on to hire a man with a history of domestic violence and another who was involved in a rape case. It reeks of performative gestures and I’m just afraid that, after early promises, we still won’t see a woman get hired for an NBA coaching job.
As far as the men hired, it’s not that I don’t believe in second chances. But I also think there should be some accountability. We haven’t seen that yet and that’s disheartening.
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.