Forget everything I blogged yesterday minus the question I would ask of Shai and Lu Dort in relation to being black Canadian men playing in the most radical extreme far right market in the NBA. An NBA which to be blunt, is a predominantly black sports league (players, agents and NBAPA) which strives to give the appearance of caring about some degree of social fairness and justice.
I’d love to do that podcast with Shai and Lu at some point. It would be the furthest thing in Oklahoma they’ve experienced from the ‘compromised’ sports media outlets in Oklahoma. I think they’d be pleasantly surprised by the overall feel of the podcast.
Clay Bennett, Sam Presti, and subservient Little Nick Gallo wouldn’t be asking the questions. Mike Jackson would be that person asking the questions in a very lawyerly manner. MJ can do that. MJ was trained in his earlier life to ask those questions like a lawyer.
As far as the game last night… HOLY SHIT. I am going to have take back everthing I wrote about the Thunder being a lock to easily makeitto the NBA Finals.
Coach Mark…you may have a problem, Supreme Super Challenge Dude…that being your team played like a collective group of soft pussies in the second half when they perhaps had a chance to put away the Denver Nuggets with a standing eight count from the first half.
I mean, yeah, J-Dub didn’t play in the second half. But Aaron Gordon and Julian Strawther didn’t play a solitary second in this game either, and this very objective NBA blogger rates Aaron as the third most valuable Nugget player behind Nicola, then Jamal, then perhaps just a smidge above Michael Porter Jr who has upgraded his play in a very positive way in the last two months.
And BTW…Coach Malone wanted to sit Nicola with the sore elbow, but Nicola would have none of that. He said, “This is a team deal. Jamal is playing hurt, everyone is hurt, my team needs me. I’m playing.”
That is champion MVP leadership. Shai has yt to travel that road.
Chet just so you know…when J-Dub went down you were supposed to elevate your play and become the second best Thunder player on the floor. Just so you know there was an NBA game last night at Paycom. This is where a real coach in a darkened corner of the locker room might suggest…toughen the fuck up and act like the second player taken in your draft class. Know what I mean?
It was the Denver Nuggets’ best night of this NBA season so far. Not even close. They let it be known there’s still some life and guys like Peyton Watson and Jalen Pickett could be much needed bench pieces as we veer towards April and the goal acheiving portion of the schedule.
Nicola went 35-18-8. Jamal scored 34 points on 22 shots with fellow Candian Lu Dort guarding him. Michael Porter Jr scored 17 points. Peyton Wastson scored 16 points and in my mind had his most impactful game in his NBA career to date. Russell scored 16 points and was smart with the ball. And Penn State rookie, Jalen Pickett, was huge in the second half with several clutch threes.
On the night Denver shot 56% from beyond the arc, and 60% overall. Without J–Dubb the historically vaunted Thunder defense was softer than melted butter in a microwave. That’s a Kelvin Sampson line just so you Oklahoma NBA basketball illiterate fuckwits know.
So…basically–the Thunder in Boston on Wednesday night which all the sudden appears to be a game which might tell us more about this Thunder team as the games start to mean something.
And, oh, BTW for you Trump loving dumbasses in Oklahoma…the best four players on the floor last night in OKC went in this order… 1 Nicola-Serbia, 2 Jamal-Canada, 3 Lu Dort-Canada, and 4 Shai-Canada.
Stick a motherfucking tariff on that you clueless idiots. I’d check the 401C values today. Just sayin’. And BTW, Joe Rogan… YOU WERE PLAYED.
Eternal love, Mike J