Five NBA Things I may or may not have Liked: A Farewell to Free Throws, CPTheater, Knicked, Cursed Cavs, Spare Nuggets

My favorite and least least favorite things from the NBA

End of Game Free Throw Contests

The NBA Cup was a rousing success. The group stage was intense, we got those Kramer memes, and the players clearly care about the knockout round when the money is literally on the table. However, for my money, the best game of the knockout round was the Western Conference semifinal, and the ending was completely and utterly ruined.

On the surface, there’s nothing to complain about. The Spurs’ upset victory over the Thunder prevented them from setting the NBA record for best start to the season. Victor Wembanyama returned from injury, but due to a minutes restriction, didn’t start the game and had his workload backloaded for late in the game. And for 47 minutes, this was a contest full of drama, until it wasn’t.

With 24 seconds left, the Spurs held a 105-103 lead, and instead of winning the game on the merits of basketball, the game devolved into a free throw contest. While I understand the strategy behind the tactic, it is unethical basketball and sucks to watch. This was a close game that had provided us with excellent basketball for 99% of the game, and it was just going to end as each team fouled the other to see who would blink first at the line.

The NBA needs to rectify this. It makes for horrible basketball and causes the game to drag on forever. It also isn’t basketball. There’s a reason networks and streaming services don’t pay billions to broadcast competitive accounting. This isn’t a gripe about the NBA Cup, but if we allow for this nonsense, we may see a classic NBA Finals clincher end with a whimper.

Chris Paul Drama

The Chris Paul and Los Angeles Clippers saga is shaping up to be peak trashy reality television. The natural inclination in any dispute is to take sides, but what makes this kerfuffle so hilarious is that both parties are completely guilty. Paul was clearly being an unmitigated ass, and the Clippers handled the situation about as well as a drunk raccoon. Personally, the only side I’ve taken is that this is excellent drama.

That being said, I do find it sad that Paul’s career is going to end in such a humiliating fashion. While the majority of the reporting that has come out has been from the organizational side, I do believe he basically made the situation untenable by being Chris Paul. If coaches and the front office ask you to stop a behavior, and your response is, “I know better,” you had better be a god damn star.

Now that the Clippers have gotten their story out there, I’m sure we’ll hear Paul’s side once he gets traded or released, and I’ll be chomping at the bit to see how this feud concludes.

Hang the Banner

The New York Knicks are your 2025 NBA Cup champions, but if you go to Madison Square Garden, you’ll just think Billy Joel and Elton John were a mean backcourt. According to Shams Charania, the Knicks will not hang a banner for their Cup win, which is a ridiculously James Dolan thing to do.

The Knicks are one of the most popular professional sports teams in the world, but they’re also one of the least successful global professional sports brands. That may sound like hyperbole, but it’s just a fact. The Knicks won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973, and didn’t win anything in between those titles and this NBA Cup. Sure, they made the Finals in 1994, and then again in the wacky 1999 lockout season that people forget happened, but the Knicks aren’t a franchise with a winning tradition.

In fact, between 1973 and today, the Knicks have only won four division titles (1989, 1993, 1994, 2013). That is the same amount as the Washington Wizards. The Knicks aren’t too big for an NBA Cup because, and I say this with all due respect, they’re a loser franchise.

When I first saw this news, I quickly racked my brain to find a soccer equivalent. The best comp I could find, in terms of trophies, is Derby County. If you’ve never heard of Derby County, there’s a reason. They’re not particularly good, and haven’t been for some time. However, under the management of Brian Clough, who would later lead Nottingham Forest to consecutive European Cup titles, they won the English First Division in 1971-72 and 1974-75. Since then, Derby County have won nothing, much like the New York Knicks. Now, imagine if Derby County won the FA Cup today. They’d throw a parade, the team would go down in history, and the entire organization would embrace the accomplishment, because that’s what it is— an accomplishment.

The Knicks are a much bigger brand than Derby County, but sticking their nose up at the NBA Cup is a pigheaded thing to do; although, being pigheaded is kind of James Dolan’s thing. If the Lakers can find room next to their 17 NBA Finals banners for the NBA Cup, then the Knicks can too. The truth is, this NBA Cup might be the only thing this beloved group of Knicks win. My hope is public shame will force the Knicks to do the right thing and hang their NBA Cup banner next to the Billy Joel 140-something (and counting) lifetime Madison Square Garden performances where it belongs.

Cavalier Curse

The Cleveland Cavaliers are not having a good time. Coming off a 64-win season, the Cavaliers were considered the class of the Eastern Conference and co-favorites to reach the Finals out of the East. Instead, they’ve limped to a 15-13 record with a +2.1 net rating, have lost consecutive games to the Hornets and Bulls, and will be without Evan Mobley for the remainder of the month.

While the vibes in Cleveland appear to be awful, injuries have played a large part in their underperformance. Max Strus has yet to play, Sam Merrill has featured in 12 games, Darius Garland has been injured or ineffective, and their quartet of Garland, Mobley, Donovan Mitchell, and Jarrett Allen has played 57 minutes together. Throw in Lonzo Ball and De’Andre Hunter forgetting how to shoot, and this is how a team goes from a juggernaut to mediocre in the span of a few months.

There’s still more than half a season to turn this around, but the Cavaliers feel like a cursed team this season. Everything, minus Donovan Mitchell getting injured, that could go wrong has gone wrong. Hopefully, they get a bit healthier and 3-point regression lifts a few of their underperforming role players, but right now, the Cavaliers look like they’ll be lucky to avoid the play-in.

Spare Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets are in the midst of a five-game winning streak and are 20-6, despite missing two starters for close to half the season. Christian Braun went down on November 12, and Aaron Gordon followed about a week later. The whole theory of the Nuggets is that their starting lineup will dominate, and the bench will be competitive enough to slow the scoreboard bleeding. Unfortunately, every time you have to replace a starter, you’re borrowing from your bench.

In the 12 games the Nuggets have played without Braun and Gordon, they’re 9-3 with two wins over the Rockets. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray have been the driving force, but the Nuggets have benefitted from solid contributions by Payton Watson and Spencer Jones, while their veteran bench unit has held steady.

I’m not sure how much longer the Nuggets’ two stars can keep carrying this roster to wins, but they’ve already done enough to keep themselves in the race for the two seed. Long term, the Nuggets relying on a few of their deeper bench pieces could be huge. Jones isn’t special, but if he can give you five solid minutes in a playoff game, that’s five minutes you didn’t have at the beginning of the season.

Titles aren’t won in November and December, but they can be lost. The Nuggets’ spare parts have done enough to keep them in the race for a top-two seed, which is not something you would have expected a few months ago.

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