Good morning. Let’s basketball.
The Warriors went from 0-1 to 1-1 real quick
Good morning. We have that and more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
BACK TO BASICS: The Warriors responded well to adversity (per usual), starting a run late in the second quarter that never really ended and finishing with a 118-91 win to even the series. That run included Steph Curry scoring 15 points in two minutes. (Seventeen in a five-minute overtime wasn’t good enough!) Golden State never looks on edge, even when down 1-0 in the series at home, when Kevin Durant is putting together some shots, when déjà vu from Game 1 is setting in. They are never tight. It’s amazing!
NOOOO! That’s what your humble newsletterman was thinking when Steph dove into the crowd for the loose ball. Shout out to Let’s Bring A DSLR Courtside Man.
ON ILLEGAL SCREENS: Jesus Gomez did a deep dive on the claim that the Warriors are the kings of the illegal screen. Check it out.
ON THE AIR TONIGHT: The Raptors try to do better against the Cavaliers in Game at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. If we’ve learned anything this postseason: Toronto doesn’t really do Game 1s, and series aren’t decided in their first 48 minutes.
LISTEN UP: New Limited Upside podcast on the lottery’s winners. Plus, I joined Greg Wissinger for the 100th episode of The Sactown Royalty Show to talk Kangz.
[WHAT DO YOU CALL NBA LOTTERY CONSPIRACY THEORISTS?]: Dikembe Mutombo exposed the great NBA lottery conspiracy! Speaking of which, I argue that now is the perfect time for lottery reform. Honestly, it’s always the perfect time ideologically. Now is the perfect time politically speaking.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: The Knicks are hiring Jeff Hornacek as head coach. This is seen as a victory after it was reported Phil Jackson would hire someone he knew well, like Kurt Rambis or Brian Shaw. Jackson’s only known tie to Hornacek is that Jackson really respects Jerry Sloan, and Hornacek was one of his players. The Daily News is handling the news with its usual aplomb.
MULTI-SPORT STARS: Ben Cohen on how Steph Curry helps build the case that playing lots of different sports as a kid is a good thing. One important issue that gets ignored, though, is that while this works for wealthy families like the Currys, youth sports are kinda expensive! Anything we can do as a nation and a generation of parents to ensure inclusivity for all socioeconomic levels in youth sports and other activities. (Yes, I know LeBron, who grew up modestly, played lots of different sports, too. Most kids who grow up on the lower end of the economic scale aren’t recruited to private schools like LeBron.)
SPEAKING OF SPORTS IN COMMON SOCIETY ... A really nice piece by Chavie Lieber in Racked about the death of the sporting goods store.
INTERESTING: Nick DePaula argues that losing the Kevin Durant bidding war in 2014 was the best thing that could have happened to Under Armour, because it led them to Steph Curry. Via REDEF.
C-WEBB IS STILL ON FIRE: Patrick Sauer talked to Chris Webber about pursuing a broadcasting career and more. He stills seems heated about Dion Waiters’ shove.
SPOILER ALERT: Realistic jersey sponsor patch mock ups.
Happy Thursday. See you next time.
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Blatant travels by Russell Westbrook
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