Good morning, the NBA is rigged for ... the Cleveland Cavaliers?
It sure is! Plus: links on the Heat’s Game 2 win and more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
CLEVELAND? AGAIN?! That’s three No. 1 picks in four years for the Cavaliers after the Lottery Gods smiled on them Tuesday. Word is they’ll take Andrew Wiggins or Joel Embiid. Our mock draft, by Ricky O’Donnell, has them choosing Embiid. Check out it to see where the other top prospects land.
SPEAKING OF CLEVELAND NO. 1 PICKS ... LeBron took over late in Game 2 to even up the East Finals 1-1. The teams head to Miami, but inexplicably won’t play again until Saturday.
That should give Paul George some time to remember his name: he claims he blacked out after a collision during the game and had blurred vision. He still played, of course, because the NBA’s concussion policy is more of a guideline that seemingly every team ignores, not an actual helpful rule.
TONIGHT: The Thunder try again to peel a win off of the Spurs without Serge Ibaka. The game’s at 9 p.m. ET on TNT.
SACRAMENTO’S BIG WIN: The Kings’ arena is happening. The City Council made a final vote on Tuesday to move forward with the plans to build a new arena downtown, and the papers could be signed as soon as today. The building is expected to open in the fall of 2016.
LEE JENKINS PROFILE ON ADAM SILVER. YOU’VE ALREADY CLICKED ON IT. I’M NOT SURE WHY I’M STILL TYPING.
MORE MOCKS: Here’s the Chad Ford mock, which has Wiggins going No. 1. Here’s the DraftExpress mock, which also has Wiggins to Cleveland.
WEIRD DATA: Nate Silver purports to show that winning the No. 1 pick is not an instant fix, and instead shows that winning the No. 1 pick is hugely valuable compared to not winning the No. 1 pick. I would advise that you look at the charts and ignore the thesis.
MEMPHIS CHAOS: The Memphis Flyer’s Kevin Lipe sounds the alarm as the Grizzlies get weird. Zach Lowe also has a gander at the currently unstable front offices.
UHHH: The birds in Miami were apparently rooting for the Pacers?! #BadSportsTown
Happy Wednesday. See you next time.
