Recap: I’ve already found a trend that I don’t like: the 3 props I’ve incorrectly picked were the result of the player’s team playing too well. On Christmas, Jrue Holiday and company had no reason to play the 4th quarter, ending at 12 points in 25 minutes. It happened on Opening Night with Joe Harris and Kawhi Leonard, too. If only I could predict the potential blowout…
First Pick: James Wiseman O12.5 Pts vs CHI(-134)
Fact #1: The Bulls are allowing 23.5 points per game to the Center position early on.
Fact #2: Wiseman broke out the 3-point shot on Christmas, which is only going to give him more shot opportunities.
Fact #3: Wiseman has posted 19 and 18 points, respectively in his first two games against Brooklyn and Milwaukee, which feature better defensive big men than Chicago.
Fact #4: Draymond Green remains out, which just gives Wiseman more looks in Golden State’s offensive sets.
Second Pick: Kyrie Irving O2.5 Made 3Ptersvs CHA(-120)
Fact #1: Irving has posted 3-pt made totals of 4 (vs GSW) and 7 (vs BOS) through two games.
Fact #2: There are no other facts. Brooklyn has the spacing right now to get any shot they want and we should ride the waves until given a reason not to.
Third Pick is a 5-pt Teaser: Nets -5.5/Bucks -7.5 (-104)
Fact #1: Both teams are catching their opponents on the second half of back-to-back sets. The Hornets lost a last-second shot against the Thunder, while the Knicks were beat by the Sixers.
Fact #2: Both of these teams have put up big point totals to start (124.0 per game an 129.5, respectively). Not having the freshest of legs, I don’t see neither the Hornets, nor the Knicks keeping up by the time this game reaches the 4th quarter.
Recap: Domantas Sabonis reminded us that PFs are going to continue to give the Knicks trouble this year and Rudy Gobert showed the world why he deserved that contract extension.It’s a nice feeling when both player props cash well before the 4th quarter.
First Christmas Pick: Jrue Holiday O16.5 points vs GSW (-120)
Fact #1: Holiday’s Bucks’ debut went well: 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting against a defensive-minded Celtics team.
Fact #2: The Warriors are not a defensive-minded team with this supporting cast around Steph, especially with Draymond being ruled out again today.
Fact #3: Warriors surrendered 26 points to Kyrie Irving in just over 25 minutes of play. Holiday’s only worry in this game is how much he plays in the second half because of the potential rout that could happen early.
Second Christmas Pick: Nets -1 1st quarter vs BOS (-110)
Fact #1: “The preseason doesn’t matter” but the Nets treated it like a real game and blitzed the Celtics out the gate prior to their season opener against Golden State.
Fact #2: The Nets were +15 in the first quarter of their season opener against the Warriors — a quarter in which Steph Curry played all 12 minutes.
Fact #3: In Boston’s season opener against Milwaukee — a solid offense in their own right, but not at Brooklyn’s level — they trailed by three after the first quarter. Boston also ranked 21st in 1st quarter scoring a season ago (26.9)
Fact #4: Kyrie is hopefully going to sage the building (again!) and the Nets are going to back him in a game that we all know he really wants to win.
Tuesday Recap: Kawhi needed 26 shots to reach 26 points and we lost by the hook. On the East Coast, the Nets played “too well” and it forced Joe Harris to get rest for most of the second half. Mind you he had 6 points after the first quarter and finished with 10 — a bucket shy of his over.
I just want to preface these picks with a quick mention that I had amazing reasons to play Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s O22.5 points tonight against the Rockets, including an excuse to use a “Hamilton” gif and the Rockets ruined this opportunity.
First Pick: Domantas Sabonis O18.5 Pts (-121) vs NYK
Fact #1: Sabonis faced the Knicks 3x last season totaling 19, 25 and 24 points respectively.
Fact #2: The Knicks’ front court is returning both Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson, which are matchups that Sabonis took advantage of last season.
Second Pick: Rudy Gobert O13.5 Pts (-117) vs POR
Fact #1: In three meeting last season, Gobert totaled 16, 6 and 16 respectively.
Fact #2: Subtract: Hassan Whiteside (Sac-Town)… Add: Enes Kanter back in Portland and you have a recipe for success
Fact #3: Jusuf Nurkić will reportedly be a minutes restriction (20), which means more Kanter, which means Gobert should get easy looks at the rim.
I understand most athletes don’t want to talk to the media and I get that Kevin Durant probably hates Charles Barkley, especially for saying things like the reason Durant left Golden State is because he was a bus rider, not a bus driver on a championship team and he wouldn’t be a “made man” until he was the No. 1 guy on a championship team. I get that. But to act like a mopey 16-year-old with a handful of one word answers when the TNT guys are asking him pure softball questions is just silly. Especially when you’re a guy who LOVES to talk and had his own documentary about himself and has his own podcast. Especially after Kyrie just had his own shit storm and refused to talk to the media until the fines piled up and he relented (and Barkley bashed Kyrie’s meandering explanation behind that).
So it’s well within Durant’s rights to fulfill his media obligations and say nothing (I’ve watched Belichick do it for 20 years), but I also love the NBA on TNT guys just absolutely roasting KD for it. Can you imagine any other pre-game/post-game crew in any other sport doing this? No shot. The NFL, MLB, and the NHL are pretty straight laced at best and at worst are just playing grab ass with all the players. It’s the reason why this is one of the few pre-game broadcasts that I actually will tune into. When the Patriots are on I put the game on just in time for kickoff and not a minute earlier. It helps that TNT give these guys the leeway to screw around and speak their minds, but it also helps that guys like Barkley do not give a single shit about being friends with these players.
Charles Barkley's reaction to Kevin Durant's one word answer to his question.loooooool pic.twitter.com/KEHnG0wGa3
Breaking news animation: Jimmy Lips aka Big Game James knows hoops as well!
Normally, I’d wait to a few games in order to be able to draw from a sample size bigger than two preseason games, but these two picks seem too good to pass up.
First Pick: Joe Harris O11.5 points (-121) vs GSW
Fact #1: In the bubble, which seems like ages ago, Joe Harris averaged 19.1 points per game?.
“But James, that was without Kyrie, KD and Dinwiddie!”
I know, it’s called making a point that he can get buckets.
Fact #2: In the limited two-game sample size, the second of which the Nets treated like a real game, Harris went for 4 and 14 respectively. The 14 matters because the Nets treated the Celtics game like a regular-season tuneup.
Fact #3: There’s no Draymond and no Klay, which rids Joe Harris of potentially be guarded by two of the league’s best on the perimeter.
Fact #4: Harris averaged career bests in FGs Made (5.5) and attempted (11.4). With Kyrie and KD on the floor, he should rarely face a contested jumper/3-pointer.
Second pick: Kawhi Leonard O26.5 points (+112) vs LAK
Fact #1: There’s no convincing me that Kawhi and PG13 aren’t pissed off that A) Their arena mates won the title and B) All those questionable leadership and behavioral traits leaked to the public.
Fact #2: In 4 games against the Lakers last season, Leonard notched totals of 30 (opening night), 35, 27 and 28 — an average of 30 flat per contest.
Fact #3: There’s no way Bron guards Kawhi all game and when that duty is left to the combination of Matthews and KCP, the Board Man will have an easier time reaching his over points total.
Is Kyrie gonna read some horoscopes and tarot cards like your earthy crunchy ex-girlfriend after the game too?
I understand this probably comes off as sour grapes to anyone that hasn’t had to listen to Kyrie’s bizarre press conferences and media appearances on a daily basis (buckle up Nets fans), but I swear the Celtics dodged a bullet when this guy decided to skip town. I’m not a very religious or spiritual person so I’m not here to dump on anyone’s beliefs, but seriously what in the hell is Kyrie doing here? He is legit every girl I went to school with that uses crystals and what position the moon is in to guide their life decisions.
If there’s one thing I give credit for it’s for just not giving a shit how out to lunch you appear to be to just about everyone because this little act came just hours after Charles Barkley roasted Kyrie for his media act.
"Stop acting like you’re the smartest person in the world.”
Charles Barkley had some thoughts on Kyrie Irving's recent comments about the media.
As others on the internet have already pointed out, Barkley came dangerously close to “shut up and dribble” here, but that’s not what he’s saying. Speak your mind, say what you feel, but stop acting like the kid that talks down to everyone because he took Philosophy 101. Agree with Chuck or not, “you only went to college for six months” is a laugh out loud funny line.
The Nets better win 65 games this year and get off to a fast start because I’ve seen the media begin to circle when things are going poorly and Kyrie does not handle it well. Nothing like moving to the biggest media market in the world to help with that.
New York Times – After the 2002-03 season, Carter, then 27, was planning to exercise a $4.1 million player option to remain in Miami. Picking up the option was a no-brainer. Carter was coming off a disappointing season in which he averaged 4.1 points on .356 shooting in 49 games. For a player with that stat line, $4.1 million was a fortune.
Except Carter’s agent, Bill Duffy, failed to notify the Heat by the June 30 deadline that Carter was coming back. Instead of locking in another season in Miami, Carter accidentally became a free agent.
The mistake cost him at least $3 million. Carter had to settle for a minimum contract with the San Antonio Spurs — roughly $750,000 — the next season, rather than the $4.1 million he would have locked in by exercising his option.
The fact that Bill Duffy is still a licensed NBA agent, let alone Luka Doncic’s agent, after losing Anthony Carter $3 MILLION dollars because he forgot to file some paperwork is legitimately unbelievable.
Not only that, he’s still Anthony Carter’s agent! (Or at least still “looks over” Carter’s contracts) That is a ride or die friend, folks. If Carter gets pinched and needs a fall guy, Duffy better be first in line to take the bid. Carter must have had Duffy on speed dial as his gopher for anything and everything like Sean Boswell in Tokyo Drift.
To be fair he did pay Carter back for the lost wages over the last 17 years, which is not to be minimized because that is some honorable stuff right there. But my god, imagine being the agent and realizing what you’ve done? Must have felt like the mom from Home Alone except instead of committing a light bit of child abuse, you just punted on $3 MILLION dollars.
In an old ESPN article from Marc Stein, Duffy blames an unnamed staffer for a “clerical error,” which is the least believable thing I’ve ever read. You don’t entrust a $4.1 million contract to a paper pushing intern, you make sure that shit gets signed, sealed, and delivered. If that really is the case though and that is a true story, I hope Duffy walked into the guy’s office and fired him Ari Gold style.
If nothing else, I suppose this is a feel good story that should remind us that money isn’t everything. Duffy screwed up, paid Carter back, Carter went on to make $17 million in the NBA during his career and is now an assistant coach for the Miami Heat. Duffy for his part got some goodwill for doing the right thing and landed the next great NBA mega star in Doncic as his top client. See? Everything works out in the end.
NBA on ESPN: “And up next, we got a good one for you as the COVID vaccine looks to save the season for humans here in 2020. We’ll find out next, in what is shaping up to be a huuuge game for the human race as they look to end their losing streak to the formidable COVID-19 virus. pic.twitter.com/4tPyP6bHom
Just shut down your laptops and call it a wrap because the internet has peaked for the day. It’s rare to make me laugh out loud before I even finish my morning coffee, but this COVID vaccine perp walk getting the NBA on ESPN intro treatment did just that.
Jayson Tatum was recently named the No. 11 player in the NBA according to ESPN (so it’s a good thing we have a fire flames JT t-shirt you can buy) with three of his teammates also landing in the Top 50. Jaylen Brown was ranked No. 32, Marcus Smart No. 37, and Kemba Walker No. 48 to round out the list.
I would expect Kemba to be ranked higher, buttt he did deal with a knee injury before returning to the bubble last season and looking less than 100% and now he’s out until at least January so I’m sure that knocked him down this list a bit.
Jayson Tatum was ranked No. 35 by ESPN before the start of last season so it’s a substantial leap for the young forward prior to his fourth NBA season. It’s not like Danny offering the deal was ever in question, but all this talk of Tatum knocking on the door of becoming a Top 10 player in the NBA makes his recent 5-year $195 million max extension look even better.
Tatum also came in at No. 2 on Complex’s Top 24 Players 24 and Under list (Jaylen Brown was No. 12) behind only Luka Doncic. Here’s what Complex had to say about Tatum, which has me looking like the Three Eyed Raven (or an overly optimistic Celtics fan).
“We all thought Tatum would be pretty good coming out of Duke when the Celtics made him the third pick in the 2017 NBA Draft because Danny Ainge usually knows what he’s doing up in Boston. But if you saw Tatum elevating his game to All-NBA status in three short seasons you need to play the lottery because Tatum really burst onto the scene last season. “
I don’t think it was a stretch to assume the No. 3 overall pick was going to become a very good player, but not many people expected such a meteoric rise for Jayson Tatum. I know they lost the series and there’s no moral victories in sports, but Jayson Tatum ended his rookie season by dunking over LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals.
If that didn’t tip people off to greatness bubbling under the surface then you just weren’t paying attention.
Depending on where you fall on the blind optimism meter, Danny Ainge is either a so-so GM whose won just one title in nearly 20 years on the job and is a terrible drafter OR he’s a master chess player that turned a bunch of scrubs and Al Jefferson into Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and a Larry O’Brien Trophy and THEN turned those guys in their late 30s into Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart (and Kyrie Irving). I fall somewhere in the middle because Danny obviously orchestrated the Brooklyn trade and has nailed his picks when the Celtics get that high up in the draft. BUT he has also had some horrific misses like trading up to draft Kelly Olynyk over Giannis Antetokounmpo as well as some really bad draft picks like Guerschon Yabusele, RJ Hunter, James Young, Fab Melo etc.
As we all know Danny has borderline fetishized acquiring assets and stockpiling draft picks, so much so that he often hurt his own leverage because teams knew he couldn’t actually use all the picks he had. Thats how you build the best G-League team in the entire NBA! But seriously, this led to years like 2016 when Danny drafted 6 players + two more guys that he traded away. So my point is, over the years I have seen A LOT of Danny’s crappy draft picks playing meaningful minutes for the Celtics and none of them ever had the potential that Jayson Tatum had on Day 1. Again, obviously he was the No. 3 overall pick so he should have great potential, but even Jaylen Brown was a No. 3 overall pick and for the first few years of his career he was looked at as a jack of all trades, athletic, defensive specialist type player. Marcus Smart was the No. 6 overall pick and is the heart and soul of the team, but I still cringe when he pulls up for a 3 in a big spot. Tatum though, from Day 1 you could see they had something special, and he’s only gotten better ever year.
He’s improved in just about every statistical area significantly including Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, and Blocks per game. Even the nerds love him as Tatum’s advanced analytics have improved substantially from Year 1 to Year 3 including his PER (Player Efficiency Rating) and his VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). Thats the full package, folks.
Tatum is now signed through 2026, which means the Celtics are married to him and are quite frankly dependent on him turning into a Top 5 player if they have any hope of winning their first title since 2008. Top tier free agents never have and never will make Boston a destination so the Celtics are all in on Jayson Tatum being that piece. The way things are looking now, so far so good.
Yahoo – The former Seattle SuperSonics big man found out the hard way just how ruthless of a trash-talker Bird was when he faced him as a rookie in 1989. During a recent appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles, Kemp recalled a meeting with Bird that has stuck with him to this day.
“We were playing the Boston Celtics, so the great Larry Bird. I’m from Indiana and Larry’s from Indiana,” Kemp said. “I knew about the history of Larry but I didn’t realize how he really got down. …
“Larry gave me 50 [points] in three quarters. And he talked to me the whole entire game. He asked me at the jump ball, ‘You’re the one that broke all my records in high school right?’ and I said ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ and he said ‘I’ve got something for you tonight.'”
In honor of today being Larry Bird’s 64th birthday, it’s a great time to remind everyone how Larry Legend wasn’t just a basketball icon, he was also a shit talking savant.
Michael Jordan gets tons of credit for being a master trash talker and somehow figuring out a way to make everything a slight against him,
But people don’t realize how ruthless Larry Bird was because he looks like an unassuming white dude putting up mid range jumpers at the Y.
Here comes this rookie in Shawn Kemp and Bird already knows his whole life story and takes it personal that Kemp broke his high school scoring records. Mind you, this is after Bird had already won three championships and three MVP awards in the NBA. Just an all-time shit talker from his “Who’s coming in second?” line at the 3 point contest, to playing a game left handed, to his “Merry fucking Christmas” line during a Christmas Day game, to telling Reggie Miller “I am the best fucking shooter in the league.”
Check out a collection of the best stories here, put some Larry Bird YouTube highlights on loop, and then weep that we were too young to watch him play. We did get another Hall of Fame shit talker in Kevin Garnett though and for that I am grateful.
The 300s 