Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Good morning. Josh Smith has thoughts about Hawks fans.
That and more in Wednesday’s NBA newsletter. SUBSCRIBE!
OH DEAR! Josh Smith has done well after being waived by the Pistons, but he played with fire on Tuesday. First, he teased Atlanta fans by shushing them when he, uh, bounced in a three. Then, after the Rockets lost to the Hawks, he called the ATLiens “very fickle bandwagoners.” Dang, Josh! This does imply, though, that a potential Hawks-Rockets Finals series would be two weeks of Josh Smith being angry which is pretty enticing.
THE REST OF THE NIGHT IN 32 SECONDS: Someone unplugged Otto Porter’s controller! The Bulls beat the Wizards to continue D.C.‘s misery. The Knicks lost to the Kings (the Kings!) by 38 points, leading a shirtless, hirsute man to lead bored fans at the Garden in a “TOM HANKS!” chant to the actor’s approval. (This game also featured our latest beer explosion.) The Cavaliers destroyed the Celtics, the Grizzlies got Goberted by the Jazz, the Nuggets had their Dead Cat Bounce in beating the Bucks, and the Hornets beat the Lakers by one because Mo Williams is kind of perfect for Charlotte.
SHAW SHANKED: Brian Shaw got fired by the Nuggets on Tuesday. Melvin Hunt takes over. Mike Prada pointed out some of Shaw’s unforced errors as coach. He’ll be highly sought-after as an assistant at the very least and it’s only a matter of time until he gets another shot. As for the Nuggets, the Mike D’Antoni talk is nice and all, but we all realize Denver’s ownership is trying to pay as little as possible for the front office and coaching staff, right? (Besides, Alvin Gentry is the correct answer here.)
MVP RACE! It does seem like Stephen Curry and James Harden are just repeatedly trying to one-up each other.
LOOKING AT THE FAVORITES: Paul Flannery and I debated whether the Hawks and Warriors are the favorites to reach the Finals. Neither of us think so! I apologize for jinxing Memphis by naming them my West favorite. Or do I? (HOLLINSTIPPEDTHEBALL)
GAME BLOUSES: Photographic evidence that Prince played high school basketball. And was spectacular.
GOOD CALL: The Wizards apologize for comparing franchisee Ted Leonsis to MLK in a Black History Month meme.
THE TERRIBLE DEFIANCE: An appreciation of Patrick Beverley.
WHAT IS EMBIID DOING? Find out now!
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK! This is the point in the year where all of us NBA heads pretend we know something about college ball. Mike Rutherford has his annual beautiful breakdown of all the crazy conference tournaments coming to your TV. It’s highly recommended. And not just because there are effusive words about Sacramento State (STINGERS UP) and the greatest UC Davis diss ever printed.
HALLELUJAH: Snacks that explain our world!
Happy Wednesday. See you next time.
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