Is Rudy Gobert the hardest player to dunk on?
“Rudy is the hardest player to dunk on in the league since Dikembe Mutombo” – Scott
Panel:
First Half
Monologue: Playing the seedings shuffle until the music stops
There are other teams that could maybe possibly win the title this year:
The team’s other two regular starters, Gary Harris and Will Barton, did suit up but weren’t allowed to play in the 4th quarter
But make no mistake: This is a risky game Denver is playing. The Rockets still control their own ability to stay out of the four seed, No matter what Portland or Denver does. Houston could drop to number four but now thanks to Denver, they were not really going for it in Portland last night
The Nuggets didn’t even make the playoffs last year. Getting to the conference finals, that would be quite the story. They are trying to stack the deck in favor of that
The problem is that while winning may not be the only thing, it is generally a good thing in pro sports
Do favorable playoff seedings really matter?
Scott:
“Denver is really testing their faith right here. They are messing with fire. If Houston gets up to that two spot and takes home court advantage away from Denver and meet them in the second round, I don’t think Denver could beat them if they are the home team anyway. It’s going to be a tough matchup” – Scott
“To me, you just go out and try to win every game right now when you can to get that momentum going into the playoffs” – Scott
“The Nuggets should at least prioritize homecourt for as long and as far as they can. Denver is a real homecourt advantage” – Nichols
Heat have legit beef with refs after Loss to Raptors?
“That is not why they lost the entire basketball game” – Nichols
April 8, 1998 – Shaq with the behind the back pass to Corie Blount who slams it home vs the Vancouver Grizzlies!
Adjustments; Impressed by the resourcefulness?
Organization; Who actually won this game?
“WHO WANTS IT LESS?!?!” – Nichols
“The Boston Celtics because Memphis is going to keep their pick this season, it is maybe going convey next year when it has fewer protections, then this might not be very good. The Celtics are very pleased” – Arnovitz
Entertainment; Hope the “Litty Committee” returns next season?
“I hope so. They make it look fun. Sacramento made vast improvements” – Scott
Teammates; Does T.J. Leaf have something against Cory Joseph?
Commitments; Did the Rockets have somewhere to be?
“That is so disrespectful. I would be so pissed off if I was the other team and the organization, period” – Scott
Moving on…
Rockets set record for most 3s in a single game with 27 vs Suns
Rockets 3-point shooting records fool’s gold?
“This is their style. This is how they’ve been playing for the last 4-5 years. We’ve all said that you’re going to live by the three and you’re going to die by the three. I remember 5 to 10 years ago, you would never win with this brand of basketball. It was always from the inside out” – Scott
“This isn’t fools gold. It’s gold. This is just the new reality” – Arnovitz
Second Half
Scott: Everything
“For this team to be able to achieve that goal and have the best record in the NBA, which means right now they are the best team in the NBA. You got to give the Milwaukee Bucks and Coach Bud a lot of credit. They are the best team, going into the playoffs, in the NBA”
“This is a dominant team. They do everything. They are inklings of the 14-15 Warriors in terms of style, in terms of conduct, in terms of just the way they can comport themselves and I don’t say it lightly” – Arnovitz
“The Warriors are the best team in the NBA [not the Bucks]” – Nichols
More dangerous in playoffs: Nets or Magic?
Arnovitz: Nets
“They have so much perimeter depth and really hustle defensive”
Scott: Nets
“They are a lot more dangerous than the Orlando Magic. They just seem to enjoy playing with one another and have a lot of fun”
Korver pens “Privileged” piece in the Players’ Tribune
I've been trying to write this for a while. https://t.co/Qkt8aoVtdE
— Kyle Korver (@KyleKorver) April 8, 2019
Korver asked himself the following questions (Via The Players’ Tribune):
“How can I — as a white man, part of this systemic problem — become part of the solution when it comes to racism in my workplace? In my community? In this country?”
As for the Westbrook situation (Via The Players’ Tribune):
“This wasn’t only about Russ and some heckler. It was about more than that.It was about what it means just to exist right now — as a person of color in a mostly white space.It was about racism in America.”
“The first time I heard this, I said ‘Kyle, preach to the people.’ We do try to sweep this under the rug. What he said was riveting, it was mind-blowing at certain times and it was very educational. It was great that he just brought this to our attention” – Scott
“He realizes that he is a symbol for possibly for the right reasons or possibly the wrong reasons” – Arnovitz
Zach Lowe’s 8th annual Luke Walton All-Stars column
Warriors unveil Oakland banner in final regular season game at Oracle (Via NBC Sports Bay Area):
How will you remember Oracle Arena?
“I don’t really miss the NBA being in the East Bay and I’m going to miss Warriors fans that I’ve always loved. The building itself? It’s a monumental concrete. It’s a terrible building and it should be imploded as soon as possible” – Arnovitz
Richard Jefferson criticizes Warriors signing KD
Via Fox Sports Ohio:
Thoughts on IG exchange between KD and Richard Jefferson?
“Durant is still in the business of responding to everything and that apparently is not going to change, even on the eve of the playoffs. That’s his way” – Arnovitz
“If I’m Kevin Durant, I wouldn’t even comment on it. He’s a grown man, he had an opportunity. That’s what they call free agency free agent. You get a chance to do what you want to do” – Scott
“I understand where Richard is coming from because back in the day, he’s right. You run it back and let’s play again” – Scott
Nichols:
April 8, 2008 – Monta Ellis with the behind the back pass to Baron Davis who slams it home vs the Kings!
The Athletic poll: Players pick Harden over Giannis for MVP
122 players were polled; Didn’t give their names
44.3% for Harden
39% for Antetokounmpo
13% for PG-13
“I expected it to be very close and I expected Harden to win it” – Scott
“There’s something about Harden’s game that the way he kind of proceeds himself on the floor that players just love” – Arnovitz
The Athletic poll: Russ & Draymond voted “Most overrated” | Will Westbrook’s TDs mean more or less in hindsight?
“This I found interesting for two reasons: they are, statistically in terms of profile, totally different. Russ is the stat stuffer and Draymond is the the no stats All-Star. But they have one thing in common: they are very abrasive” – Arnovitz
“I was like, ‘What?’ This is all about hate. They just hate his game. He’s underrated” – Scott
“If the players do vote, it should be transparent. Just like how they are for the media” – Arnovitz
“If you make it transparent, it’s going to be really crazy. You got a lot of guys that don’t want to tell you the truth about guys that they vote for and they will be a little bit more safer. The way it is right now, just don’t give them a vote when it comes to the real awards” – Scott
“Team wide vote. Transparent by team, not by player” – Arnovitz
