Let me start with this line on what will be a very matter of fact summary of the much anticipated Game 1 between the defending champs and the Denver Nuggets.
There were three former Kentucky guards who played for John Calipari on the floor tonight in Denver, Shai and Cason Wallace for the Thunder, and all-star Jamal Murray for the Nuggets.
Two of the three had massively good games, the other struggled mightily with a 4-14 shooting night.
Are you with me? Figure it out.
But how serendipitous it was that just on Tuesday I was in Norman to watch Coach Cal’s Razorbacks put one of the final nails in Porter Moser’s tenure at Okahoma. I’m a hoops junkie. Obviously…I can’t get enough of this stuff. I guess a guy could have worse addictions.
So I was very interested to hear what Coach Cal had to say about his two stellar freshman guards, Acuff and Thomas, after they beat OU the other night with their speed to the rim off various sets.
I love listening to John Calipari. He’s Italian and he loves basketball even more than I do. How could I not love him?
So on this current cover on the underground blog here, I put that interview up not knowing it would turn out to be a semi-prescient decision given what the two Kentucky guards who play for the Thunder did tonight in Denver.
There’s no way I’m going to sit here and write I thought Cason Wallace would have a career night with seven made threes and 27 points in total. I can’t do that because it wouldn’t be true.
But in that presser on Tuesday night…I was touched by the fact that Coach Cal in front of the Oklahoma scribes talked so glowingly about Shai and Cason.
About how proud Coach Cal is of his two former guards who won their first NBA rings this past June. Plus, he talked of how they still stayed in touch a bit here and there. I thought it was cool and that’s one of the reasons I posted the presser.
Of course, it’s a small basketball universe. Last night in Fayeteville… Coach Cal’s new team got beaten by Kentucky with former OU guard Otega Oweh leading the way. When Otega transferred to Kentucky after his sophmore season in Norman because Porter wouldn’t turn him loose as a player and of course, the money…was probably the first nail in the proverbial coffin Porter Moser finds himself in currently.
It all ties together this week for MJ. Go figure.
Yeah, I know, Shai scored 34 points with 13 assists and was masterful in getting his teammates the ball on the perimeter with space and time early on in Game 1.
The Thunder came into this game as the 4th worst three point shooting team in the Association and made 19 threes from beyond the arc. Nobody, I repeat nobody is beating the Thunder when they do that. I mean nobody. The Thunder don’t need Forty Minutes of Hell when they splash 19 threes in an efficient manner.
On this night…it should be about Cason. Because without JDub, Caruso, and Ajay…somebody had to step up big and stand with Shai. And lo and behold it was the other Calipari-Kentucky guard on Sam Presti’s roster.
I think Shai’s prolly going to win the MVP after tonight though. The only question in that regard might be who comes in second… Cade, Jokic, Jalen Brunson, or maybe even Jaylen Brown.
As far as the Nuggets…when Peyton Watson is your best player on the floor–you’re not beating the Thunder. I would say in closing there are two sports agents who are very, very happy tonight. One being the agent of Cason Wallace, the other of Peyton Watson. In the words of Jerry McGuire…it was a very, very good night for both of those guys. A very good night.
Mike J