Raise your hands if you thought that the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder would still be playing for the NBA title this first weekend of Summer? Thought so—not too many hands up.
Did I think it was possible? Yes. Did I believe it was likely? Not really. And heading into Game 7 on Sunday night, the oddsmakers are leaning towards OKC by 8.5 points.
To which I ask those betting gurus—do you guys know what you are doing? Have you watched the wild swings in games thus far? Indiana winning Game 1 on the road. OKC returning the favor with its own road win in Game 4, then pulverizing the Pacers in Game 5—only to have Indiana rout the Thunder on Thursday night to force the deciding Game 7.
I know that Indiana’s Mr. Clutch—Tyrese Haliburton—has been hobbled by a calf injury. Yet he managed to play just fine in Game 6 and his teammates contributed mightily with a tenacious, swarming defense which rattled the Thunder repeatedly. The 108-91 final score was not at all indicative of how badly the Pacers put a hurtin’ on the Thunder.
Will the massive home court advantage that the very boisterous OKC fans have created be enough to spur their team to victory? Or can those road warriors from Indianapolis conjure up just enough to take home the franchise’s first league trophy since the ABA days? (That’s in the long ago American Basketball Association which gave the NBA franchises in Indiana, San Antonio, Denver and the then-New Jersey Nets, now residing in Brooklyn; along with stars like George “The Ice Man” Gervin and Julius “Dr. J” Erving) Oklahoma City’s roots were in Seattle, where the SuperSonics won the franchise’s only title in 1979 before relocating in Oklahoma in 2008 The Sonics weren’t the only franchise to leave the Pacific Northwest—MLB’s expansion Seattle Pilots stayed for one season in 1969 before finding a home in Milwaukee as the Brewers.
I digress. Logic points to the firepower of OKC having an edge on the Indiana pressure. M.V.P. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging an outstanding 36 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists. His running mate, Jalen Williams, is averaging 25.8 ppg, 5.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
That’s a dynamic duo which has brought about comparisons with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on those championship Chicago Bulls teams. No greater an expert on the subject than Scottie Pippen himself weighed in on the topic.
Pippen didn’t waffle about the question. He felt that Williams has a greater upside than he did alongside Jordan. Pippen added that this era is far different than when he played, as there is much more free movement in the offensive schemes, thus permitting a player like Williams to thrive.
So much so that, while SG-A has drawn so much attention, there are those who say that Williams is the actual Finals M.V.P., negating the strong performance from his teammate. If Williams has another 40 point outburst like he did in Game 5, then yes, he is the Finals M.V.P. As long as OKC wins.
I stated this before and I stick with it going into Game 7. The person who decides which team emerges as the winner isn’t SG-A, Williams or necessarily Williams.
It is Haliburton. He is the one who drives the Indiana offense and can ignite the defense. Forward Pascal Siakam leads the team in scoring and rebounding; Haliburton sports the highest average per game in assists. If he is on his game, then the oddsmakers might be losing some serious cash.
Sticking with the NBA for two more items. First, the NBA Draft is this week. Former Rutgers forward Ace Bailey had refused to workout for teams after the NBA Combine, where he measured 6’7”, not 6”10” as advertised.
He may be shooting himself in the monetary foot with the advice he Is receiving. Bailey believes he can star now, and he is searching for a team where that can happen (Washington at No.6?). Be careful for what you wish for, young man. The NBA is for adults and they let you know it if you aren’t ready.
While the New York Knicks continue their meandering search for Tom Thibodeau’s replacement to lead the team, the Buss family has sold the Los Angeles Lakers to minority owner Mark Walter for a paltry $10 billion. Walter owns the Los Angeles Dodgers, and during his ownership, the team has won titles, always contended and is, along with the New York Yankees and maybe the Chicago Cubs, a marquee franchise in MLB.
The Dodgers are imbued with talent in the front office with experience in MLB and the NBA. It is no reach to believe that he won’t make the same magic happen at crypto.Com Arena for the Purple and Gold. Could LA Kings owner Philip Anshutz make similar things happen on the arena’s ice, making LA the capital of the sports world (I am tempering my thoughts about the Rams and Chargers)—even if the nation is focused on different happenings within Los Angeles County?
One more basketball note. Memo to WNBA leadership: take better care of Caitlin Clark. She is constantly being abused and roughed up. Your ratings and earnings are dependent upon how she and her Indiana Fever teammates do. Remind your referees, please.
A quick stop for hockey. Florida took matters into their own hands at home and sent Edmonton packing for the second consecutive year. Talk of a dynasty remains premature. If the Panthers win again next season, then such admiration is appropriate.
I cannot definitively say how good the Panthers are. Undoubtedly, they are the best team in the NHL once more.
And I don’t know how good the rest of the league really is in comparison. Starting with Edmonton, which, without Connor Mc David scoring and passing, the defense become suspect and exposes the shortcomings in goal.
Florida looks like a team with goal scoring punch and great goaltending. There are a bunch of Hockey Hall of Fame caliber players on the Panthers—Carter Verhaege; Sam Reinhart; Sam Bennett; firebrand Matthew Tkachuk; Aleksander Barkov; and Brad Marchand, along with goalie Sergei Bobrovsky. If they are so motivated for a trifecta, then it is distinctly possible.
What those guys need to do is learn is how to celebrate better. In the aftermath of the 5-1 victory, somehow the Stanley Cup made it into a notorious bar on Fort Lauderdale Beach. Where it was dented after beer flowed from its bowl. C’mon, guys. This is the Stanley Cup. Stop acting like drunken hockey players for a moment? Oh, yeah—right—they ARE hockey players.
Finally, baseball has gone sour in New York. The Yankees went on a six game losing streak and stopped hitting—which included miserable performances by Aaron Judge and shortstop Anthony Volpe. Judge broke out of his slump on Thursday night versus the Angels when NYY salvaged a win in the four game set.
Baltimore came to town playing winning baseball and downed the Bombers on Friday night when closer Luke Weaver returned from his hamstring injury and looked abysmal. Why he didn’t have a rehab assignment boggles my mind.
On Saturday, behind Clarke Schmidt’s seven no hit innings, the bats awoke on cue for the first day of Summer. Volpe had three hits including a home run, which was one of four slugged by New York in a 14 hit barrage. Or maybe it was simply that Manager Aaron Boone wore his pinstripe jersey for the first time an effort to drive the demons away.
Am I impressed? Not until the bats continue to awaken on a more consistent basis. A neighbor who played Division I college baseball called this Yankees team “mediocre.” Right now, as the rest of the division closes in on the Yankees, there is serious need to improve. Quickly.
Meanwhile, the team in Queens went through an almost similar 10 game span as their rivals in the Bronx. The seven game losing streak for the Mets vaulted a red hot Philadelphia Phillies team into first place.
Like the Yankees, player batting averages are not very good. Outside of first baseman Pete Alonso, nobody is batting over .290. Alonso leads the team in home runs—if he shuts down, so does the team. Did you hear that, Juan Soto, who has been missing in action for awhile.
The Yankees starting pitching wasn’t their problem. It was a bat meltdown. Ditto for the Mets. Maybe both teams come alive by the time they meet on July 4th at Citi Field. One can only hope. Don’t worry, Fan X, the Mets will play better soon. After hosting Atlanta for a four game payback series, they are off to Pittsburgh.
While Shohei Ohtani finally ascended the Dodger Stadium mound on Monday after his elbow surgery and looks rusty (again, no rehab assignment where he could work on his pitches), both he and Judge might have legitimate competition for M.V.P. recognition in their respective leagues. More so in the American League.
Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh is on fire. He has set the MLB record for most home runs before the All Star break by a catcher. And his 30th dinger on Saturday set a MLB record for most home runs before the ASG by a switch hitter. If he continues to set records, Judge will have a real competitor for the AL M.V.P.
Ohtani is still head and shoulders above the rest of the National League. Watch Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies, along with Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstong of the Chicago Cubs as the season progresses. Especially if Octane’s numbers drop as he tries to reintegrate pitching into his game.
As for me, my Golfer’s Elbow has returned—I don’t know why. And I was talking with neighbors when I suffered a tick bite on my shin.
I get why Ohtani and Weaver didn’t go on rehab assignments. With all that is happening, there is no time for me to go on the IL, either.
See you next week after the annual visit to Camden Yards with Fan X. For my sake: “Let’s Go Mets!”
No comments:
Post a Comment