Five NBA Things I may or may not have Liked: Celtic Whine, Magic Ending, Elementary, Bullieve it, Pacing
My favorite and least least favorite things from the week that was
Celtic Whine
The Boston Celtics, without any context, are having an exceptional season. They’re currently second in the league in net rating at +6.7, second in the Eastern Conference (.625 win percentage), and have the league’s second-best offensive rating (122.2). And as a reminder, last season, they finished second in net rating, second in the East, and second in offensive rating. Now, they’re not nearly as dangerous as they were last season, when they finished with a +9.5 net rating and a .744 win percentage, but they also had Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
Considering the context, the Celtics should be overjoyed with the season they’re having, but that would require Joe Mazzulla and Jaylen Brown to be normal, non-insane people. Following a loss to the Spurs, Brown bemoaned how the Celtics didn’t get to the line and straight up said there was a conspiracy. Mazzulla did the coach thing where he said that’s not our focus, while also backing his player.
I hate when players and coaches do this, but I especially hate it when they’re full of shit. While I understand that Jaylen Brown was clearly frustrated that he shot zero free throws against the Spurs, the fact that the Celtics, who have the league’s lowest free throw to field goal ratio (.165) on offense, only managed four free throws against the Spurs, who have the league’s best defensive free throw to field goal ratio (.186), isn’t some grand conspiracy. It’s simply a case of a team’s weakness being exploited by another team’s strength.
Players and coaches need to understand that when they have temper tantrums like this, they are literally tarnishing the integrity of the league. The league fined Jaylen Brown $35,000, but I think they should suspend players for this crap. Referees are incredibly good at their incredibly difficult and thankless job. The last thing they need is a horde of mindless Massholes abusing them because the Celtics never get to the rim.
A Magical End
The dream died in Berlin. While that sounds like a line from a foreign film your annoying cinephile friend swears they have watched, but their recounting sounds an awful lot like a Wikipedia entry, it actually refers to a real NBA game. The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies were shipped overseas with history on the line. Between December 18th and January 11th, the Magic went on a run of 14 consecutive games alternating wins and losses, two away from tying the record of 16 set by the 1977-78 Buffalo Braves.
All the Magic needed to do was lose to the Grizzlies in Berlin and then vanquish them in London. Unfortunately, the Magic overcame a three-point deficit with three and a half minutes to win the game by seven. Interestingly, the streak occurred exclusively while Franz Wagner was out, and the German’s return in Berlin was the catalyst the Magic needed to start a new, exotic streak.
(Thanks to Neil Paine and Luke McCartney for doing the actual research on this streak for me.)
Elementary, by Peyton Watson
I’m sure there have been more random Players of the Week before, but at the same time, the odds on an anytime Peyton Watson Western Conference Player of the Week had to be outstanding. However, Watson’s star turn has been far longer than a week. Starting on December 31st, a span of nine games, Watson has averaged 23.9 points, 3.1 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game on an effective field goal percentage of 58.1%. For a guy who was averaging 10.7 points per game before that, that’s a gamma-ray glow-up.
This run of form couldn’t have come at a better time for the Nuggets. It started when they were down Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun, and has continued as they’ve lost Nikola Jokic and Cameron Johnson. If the Nuggets end up securing the two-seed, Watson making it look elementary for two weeks will be a huge reason why.
Chicago Bulls, Like Clockwork
For the fourth consecutive season, the Chicago Bulls posted an 18-21 record through their first 39 games. Considering they’re looking to become the first team in NBA history to win between 39 and 40 games four seasons in a row, I’d say this is a great sign. While I’m sure Bulls fans are sick of the franchise’s kamazi approach to mediocrity, I do appreciate their commitment to the bit.
However, the real reason I brought up the Bulls is to secretly vent, yet again, about the narrative around tanking. The basketball media needs to shut up about tanking, or they need to be effusive in their praise of the Bulls. The Bulls enter every season aiming to win as many games as possible, and even though that means mediocrity and a low-value pick, they power through to the play-in. It’s a wretched long-term approach, but it’s the approach teams would be taking if no one ever tanked.
You can’t mock the Bulls and also bemoan tanking. You’ve got to be consistent with your values, or else you’re a hypocrite that’s basically mad at the existence of bad teams. I think what the Bulls do every year is pretty hilarious, and I love it. Would I make the same decision? No, but it’s cool that they are. At the end of the day, the Bulls are raging against the machine, which makes them the most hardcore franchise in the league.
Picking up the Pacers
The Pacers, just a season after reaching the NBA Finals, have the worst record in the league. At 9-32, there’s basically nothing to play for, but that didn’t stop them from rattling off a three-game win streak. From January 8th through 12th, they beat the Hornets, Heat, and Celtics to end a 13-game losing streak and push Rick Carlisle past 1,000 career wins. While these types of streaks will be forgotten in the weeks to come, they’re always nice to see. Losing at the level the Pacers have is demoralizing to the spirit, and streaks like this have a revitalizing power for the players, coaches, and fans.
From afar, it’s easy to ignore, and ultimately forget, a lost season, but there are still real people who have to go through the full 82. The Pacers will probably be better off in the long term for having such an abhorrent year, but that’s no solace for the likes of Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard. Hopefully, the Pacers won’t need another therapeutic winning streak, but if they do, I’ll be rooting for them to get it.
For any inquiries about work, discussion, and the like, you can email me at nevin.l.brown@gmail.com.