Junior Bridgeman Lived a Model Life on and Off the Court
Only a select few people make it to the NBA, let alone have a career lasting 12 seasons--but Junior Bridgeman's second act after he retired from the NBA was even more impressive than his playing career. Bridgeman, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly yesterday at the age of 71, built a business empire that vaulted his net worth to an estimated $1.4 billion, making him one of the five wealthiest retired athletes in the world. Bridgeman's diverse portfolio included hundreds of Wendy's and Chili's restaurants before he sold them in 2016, plus investments in Coca-Cola bottling, magazine publishing (he recently bought Ebony and Jet), and a 10% ownership stake in the Milwaukee Bucks.
Ulysses Lee "Junior" Bridgeman grew up in East Chicago, Indiana, and he led Washington High School to the 1971 Indiana state high school championship with a 29-0 record. He then starred at the University of Louisville, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors in 1974 and 1975. During his senior season, Bridgeman led the Cardinals to the Final Four, where they lost in the national semifinals to eventual champion UCLA, 75-74.
The L.A. Lakers selected Bridgeman with the eighth overall pick in the 1975 NBA Draft, but before the season began the Lakers sent Bridgeman, Dave Meyers, Elmore Smith, and Brian Winters to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley. Trading an all-time great like Abdul-Jabbar rarely works out well, but the Bucks went 38-44 in the first season after shipping out Abdul-Jabbar, matching their record in Abdul-Jabbar's final season with the team. Bridgeman averaged 8.6 ppg as a rookie.
Bridgeman ranked third on the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) in his second season, but the Bucks' record slipped to 30-52. Don Nelson replaced Larry Costello as Milwaukee's coach after the team started out 3-15, and the Bucks went 27-37 down the stretch, setting the stage for a string of winning seasons to follow.
The 1977-78 Bucks went 44-38. Bridgeman played in all 82 games and averaged 15.5 ppg. In his first five seasons, Bridgeman played in 81, 82, 82, 82, and 81 games. No load management back then; it was expected that players would play in as many games as possible, and it was a badge of honor to play in all 82 games.
Bridgeman came off of the bench for most of his career, and in the late 1970s/early 1980s he was one of the league's premier sixth men. The NBA did not give out the Sixth Man of the Year award until 1983-84, so prime Bridgeman missed out on potentially receiving that honor.
Bridgeman enjoyed his best season in 1979-80, averaging 17.6 ppg (second on the team) for the 49-33 Bucks, who lost 4-3 in the playoffs to the defending champion Seattle SuperSonics; the Bucks were a Western Conference team at that time, but they shifted to the Eastern Conference in 1980-81--and for the Bucks this was like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire, as the 60-22 Bucks lost 4-3 in the Eastern Conference semifinals to the Julius Erving-led Philadelphia 76ers, a squad that reached the NBA Finals in 1977, 1980, and 1982 before acquiring Moses Malone and winning it all in 1982-83.
I recently watched a video of game one of the 1981 Philadelphia-Milwaukee series. The 76ers won 125-122 as Erving scored a game-high 38 points, but Bridgeman stood out for Milwaukee as he poured in a playoff career-high 32 points on 12-19 field goal shooting. In that game, Bridgeman showcased his deadly midrange jumper--a lost art in today's NBA, but a thing of beauty to watch--and he also proved that he had some bounce by dunking in traffic.
The 76ers eliminated the Bucks from the playoffs in 1981, 1982, and 1983. The 1984 76ers were upset by the New Jersey Nets in the first round, and the Bucks reached the Eastern Conference Finals before falling in five games to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics.
After the 1984 season, the Bucks shipped Bridgeman, Harvey Catchings, and Marques Johnson to the L.A. Clippers for Terry Cummings, Craig Hodges, and Paul Pierce. Bridgeman spent two seasons with the Clippers before they traded him to the Sacramento Kings, who then waived him. Bridgeman returned to the Bucks and played one last season with Milwaukee.
Bridgeman scored 11,517 career points, averaged 13.6 ppg, and sported a .846 career free throw percentage that still ranks 83rd on the ABA/NBA career list. His name is also visible throughout the Bucks' record book, including a third place ranking in career games played (711).
Many retired players struggle to adjust to life out of the spotlight--and to no longer receiving big paychecks--but Bridgeman proved to be an astute student of business; even more importantly, he was very generous with his time and with his money, serving as a role model and providing a blueprint for pro athletes who far too often lose fortunes after their playing days.
Today's NBA players would do well to not only learn from how Bridgeman played--showing up for every game, accepting whatever role he was given, and contributing to team success in every way other than three point shooting--but also how he lived his life off of the court.
Condolences to Junior Bridgeman's family and friends. He will be missed but not forgotten.
Labels: Julius Erving, Junior Bridgeman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers
posted by David Friedman @ 12:37 AM
Stephen Curry is the 30th Member of Pro Basketball's 25,000 Point Club
On Saturday March 8, Stephen Curry joined pro basketball's 25,000 point club while scoring a game-high 32 points as his Golden State Warriors won at home versus the much improved Detroit Pistons, 115-110. The NBA and its media partners count Curry as the 25,000 point club's 26th member because they stubbornly refuse to acknowledge ABA statistics, thereby wrongly excluding Julius Erving (who scored 30,026 career points), Dan Issel (27,482), George Gervin (26,595), and Rick Barry (25,279).
Curry joins Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, John Havlicek, Reggie Miller, and Jerry West on the list of players who scored at least 25,000 points while playing for one franchise.
Curry ranks fifth among active players on the career scoring list, trailing only LeBron James (the NBA's career scoring leader who is also the sole member of the 40,000 point club), Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. DeMar DeRozan needs to score 123 points to be the next member of the 25,000 point club. Chris Paul is 2158 points short, but the soon to be 40 year old has not scored 1000 points in a season since 2020-21 so it seems unlikely that he will join the 25,000 point club.
Curry, West, and Russell Westbrook are the only 25,000 point club members who are shorter than 6-4, which is yet another reminder of how much size matters in pro basketball. As I discussed in my article about Westbrook joining the 25,000 point club, Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, West, and Havlicek were the "charter" members of the 25,000 point club, and then the club added six members in the 1980s: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Dan Issel, Elvin Hayes, George Gervin,
Moses Malone and Rick Barry.
Even though the 25,000 point club is not as exclusive as it used to be, joining the club is still meaningful: a player who averages 25 ppg and plays in 80 games per season for 12 years would fall short, highlighting the combination of durability and high level productivity that it takes to surpass 25,000 points.
Labels: Dan Issel, George Gervin, Golden State Warriors, Jerry West, Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry
posted by David Friedman @ 2:28 PM
Tatum Outshines Doncic and James as Celtics Beat Lakers, 111-101
Less than a week ago, I cautioned that before the L.A. Lakers are deemed to be legitimate championship contenders we need to see a larger sample size of games from them--and some games pitting the Lakers versus legitimate championship contending teams. ESPN termed Saturday night's clash featuring the Lakers versus the Boston Celtics to be the game of the year. At least ESPN did not call it the game of the century, though perhaps that would have happened after the game if the Lakers had prevailed to sustain the narrative of the past few weeks that the Lakers are the best team in the league. As it turns out, the Celtics built a 22 point lead, let the Lakers back in (thank you, high variance three point shooting), and then settled for a 111-101 victory.
ESPN devoted most of its pre-game hype to the Lakers' LeBron James and Luka Doncic, but greatness is determined by what happens on the court, not what is said in ESPN's studio--and, on the court, Boston's Jayson Tatum authored a masterful performance with a game-high 40 points, a team-high 12 rebounds, and a team-high eight assists. It will be interesting to see if the best player on the reigning NBA champions--a team that currently has the third best record in the league--cracks the top five in regular season MVP voting, an honor that is selected by people who often seem to be more swayed by hype and narratives than by objective evidence. Tatum does not hype himself, and he does not have a team of sycophants hyping him up; he just shows up and produces. Jaylen Brown added 31 points and six rebounds, while Al Horford made his presence felt with 14 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.
Doncic scored a team-high 34 points, but he also had a game-high five turnovers and a game-worst -19 plus/minus number. James had 22 points, a game-high 14 rebounds, and a game-high nine assists, but he had a -11 plus/minus number before sitting out the final 6:44 with a groin injury. The Celtics led 94-85 when James left the game, and the Lakers pulled to within four (99-95) on a Doncic three pointer with 4:36 remaining, but in a little over two minutes the Celtics built the margin back up to 10 and they led by double digits the rest of the way.
The Lakers were without the services of injured starting center Jaxson
Hayes, but the Celtics were without the services of injured starting
center Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis is a former All-Star with career
averages of 19.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, and 1.8 bpg; Hayes has career
averages of 6.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and .7 bpg while starting just 71 of his
351 career games. If both teams had been at full strength, the Celtics
would have enjoyed even more matchup advantages than they did in this
game, particularly in the paint. The Lakers went 20-4 in their 24 previous games, and during that run they ranked first in the NBA in paint points (44.3 per game), but the Celtics outscored the Lakers 48-38 in the paint.
TNT's Charles Barkley famously said earlier this season "The Lakers stink," and he only backed down partially in the wake of the Lakers' recent surge, noting that the season started last October, not in January--the point being that to win a championship a team must maintain greatness for a sustained period. There are valid reasons to question whether the Lakers can win the four playoff series necessary to claim the NBA title, including their lack of size, James' age (he is the most remarkable 40-plus year old NBA player ever, but the clock is going to strike midnight sooner rather than later), and Doncic's health (he has been dogged by nagging injuries throughout this season). The Lakers' lack of size puts extra pressure on James and Doncic to rebound and defend, which in turn makes it more likely that they will get worn down and/or injured.
James is an all-time great, but is he better than Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, or Jayson Tatum right now? To win the 2025 NBA title, James might have to outduel all three of those players--and the strong teams that they lead in Denver, Oklahoma City, and Boston respectively. The Cleveland Cavaliers do not have a player of the caliber of Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander, or Tatum but Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley are having All-NBA caliber seasons, and the Cavaliers have other excellent players, including Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.
The Lakers did not look like a well-coached team when they started the season 13-9, but now the prevailing narrative is that J.J. Redick is a great coach, and any evidence to the contrary is just ignored. During the first half--before the Celtics took over the game--ESPN's Richard Jefferson listed his buddy Redick among potential Coach of the Year candidates, but omitted Cleveland's Kenny Atkinson; all Atkinson has done is lead the Cavaliers to an NBA-best 53-10 record after the Cavaliers went 48-34 last season. Unlike the Lakers, the Cavaliers have been consistently great this season.
The amazing thing about Redick's Lakers is that they never have the wrong defensive scheme or overall game plan; if the Lakers fail, it is 100% the players' fault--and if you are not sure about that, just ask Redick or his media buddies like Jefferson, and they will set you straight. On a more serious and less sarcastic note, ESPN's Bob Myers--frequently the lone voice of a reason on a studio show including "Screamin' A" Smith and Kendrick Perkins--pointed out the incredibly low percentage that the Lakers' opponents have shot on wide open attempts, which Myers called "L-U-C-K." Another word for a defense that has been successful despite giving up a slew of uncontested shots is "Unsustainable." The Celtics shot worse than they usually do from three point range and the free throw line, and they still beat the Lakers by double digits.
There is no doubt that the Lakers are better now than they were at the start of the season. The 26 year old Doncic made the All-NBA First Team each of the past five seasons with Dallas before the Lakers acquired him last month, and he is an upgrade over the 31 year old Anthony Davis (even before Davis suffered yet another injury). However, the Lakers have a lot to prove before they jump the line ahead of teams that have been great all season, including Cleveland, Oklahoma City, and Boston.
Labels: Al Horford, Boston Celtics, J.J. Redick, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Luka Doncic
posted by David Friedman @ 12:43 AM
Nikola Jokic Posts First 30-20-20 Stat Line in Pro Basketball History
Last night, Nikola Jokic posted historic numbers--31 points, 22 assists, 21 rebounds--as his Denver Nuggets defeated the Phoenix Suns 149-141 in overtime. Jokic dominated the overtime with five points, five assists, three rebounds, and one steal. This is not only the first 30-20-20 stat line in pro basketball history, but Jokic broke Wilt Chamberlain's 47 year old record for single game assists by a center (Chamberlain had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists for the Philadelphia 76ers in a 131-121 win versus the Detroit Pistons on February 2, 1968). Jokic joined his teammate Russell Westbrook and Chamberlain as the only three players in pro basketball history to have a 20-20-20 game. This was Jokic's seventh 15-15-15 game this season and the 14th of his career, tying two Oscar Robertson records.
It is unfortunate that the NBA and its media partners ignore ABA numbers when discussing all-time records, but it should be noted that Julius Erving had 26 points, 20 rebounds, and 15 assists in a 138-91 playoff victory versus Rick Barry's New York Nets on April 13, 1972. Erving was a rookie when he accomplished that feat, and--as far as I can determine--Jokic is the only other player in pro basketball history to notch a 26-20-15 game (in addition to last night's performance, Jokic had a 35-22-17 game versus Sacramento on January 23, 2025).
Jokic now has 29 triple doubles in 2024-25, matching his career-high for a season, and tying for sixth on the all-time single season list behind Westbrook (42 in 2016-17), Robertson (41 in 1961-62), Westbrook (38 in 2020-21), Westbrook (34 in 2018-19), and Chamberlain (31 in 1967-68). Side note: as long as you are not brainwashed by Amin Elhassan and Zach Harper or LeBron James' p.r. man Dave "Vampire" McMenamin, you understand that Westbrook is an all-time great.
The prevailing media narrative seems to be that Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will win the 2024-25 regular season MVP award. Gilgeous-Alexander is having a great season for the West-leading 52-11 Thunder; he ranks first in the NBA in scoring (career-high 32.8 ppg), second in steals (1.8 spg), and eighth in free throw percentage (.898). Gilgeous-Alexander has no skill set weaknesses, and there is nothing negative to say about his game--but Jokic is nearly averaging a triple double and he is poised to become the first player in pro basketball history to rank in the top three in scoring (28.9 ppg, third), rebounding (12.9 rpg, third), and assists (10.6 apg, second). I explained my MVP criteria in an article handicapping the 2017 MVP race, and my MVP criteria remain the same: "My philosophy about the MVP award remains unchanged; the MVP should be
the best all-around player in the league, unless there is a player who
is so singularly dominant in one or two phases of the game that this
dominance makes him more valuable than the league's best all-around
player at that time. So, Shaquille O'Neal should have won several MVPs
(instead of just one) even though he was never the best all-around
player in the league; his dominance in the paint made him more valuable
than anyone else during his prime."
O'Neal averaged more than 28.9 ppg three times in his 19 season career, and he averaged more than 12.9 rpg three times; he exceeded both of those numbers in the same season just twice, and in one of those seasons (2000-01) he captured his lone regular season MVP. Jokic is putting up "Shaq-like" numbers as a dominant big man and he is the best all-around player in the league as signified by his scoring/rebounding/passing excellence, so I would designate him as the clear choice for 2024-25 MVP--not based on one game, but based on his season-long triple double dominance.
Labels: Denver Nuggets, Julius Erving, Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Oscar Robertson, Phoenix Suns, Russell Westbrook, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Virginia Squires, Wilt Chamberlain
posted by David Friedman @ 11:11 PM
An Initial Assessment of the Lakers After the Doncic-Davis Trade
The L.A. Lakers' 123-100 win versus the Denver Nuggets on February 22 sparked a lot of media talk and
social media chatter about the Lakers being a legitimate championship
contender. Can one game or even one good stretch of games prove that a team that has not won a playoff series since 2023 and has not advanced past the first round in three of the past four seasons is an elite squad?
The L.A. Lakers did not look like a championship contender when they started the season with a 13-9 record. On January 7, the Lakers fell to 20-16 after Jason Kidd coached circles around J.J. Redick as Kidd's shorthanded Mavericks routed Redick's Lakers. The 21-16 Mavericks looked poised to jump back into championship contention once the injured Luka Doncic returned to action--but less than a month later the Mavericks traded Doncic to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, a deal that shocked the league and may have changed the trajectories of both franchises.
The Lakers have gone 10-2 since the trade--but they went 8-3 after the loss to Dallas and before the trade, so they showed signs of improvement before acquiring Doncic. The Mavericks have gone 6-6 since the trade, but it must be emphasized that Davis suffered an adductor strain in his first game with Dallas and he has been out of the lineup since that time. The Mavericks are also without the services of injured big men Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II, so the only fair grade for the post-trade Mavericks is "incomplete."
Since the trade, the Lakers have a 6-2 record with Doncic in the lineup, and they are 4-0 without Doncic. The teams that the Lakers beat with Doncic include the Jazz, the Nuggets, the Mavericks, the Timberwolves, and the Clippers (twice). The Lakers also lost to the Jazz and the Hornets with Doncic. Other then the Nuggets, none of those teams are currently seeded higher than sixth in the Western Conference--and the Hornets have the 14th best record in the 15 team Eastern Conference. The Lakers beat the Clippers, Warriors, Pacers, and Trail Blazers sans Doncic; none of those teams currently ranks higher than fifth in their conference.
It was reasonable to assume that the Lakers sans Davis would struggle defensively and on the boards due to their relative lack of size--but the post-trade Lakers have improved in defensive field goal percentage, points allowed, and rebounding. The defensive improvement is surprising, and it remains to be seen if it is sustainable, particularly against stronger opposition; the Lakers are compensating for their lack of paint presence/shot blocking by playing with tremendous energy on the perimeter, and they are completing these frenetic defensive possessions by grabbing rebounds and then getting out on the break. LeBron James and Luka Doncic are by far the Lakers' two best rebounders: James averaged 10.5 rpg in February after averaging 7.0 rpg or less in three of the previous four months, and Doncic has averaged 8.3 rpg since joining the Lakers. For all of the talk about James being a pass first player who is a point guard, James is the same size as Hall of Fame power forward Karl Malone, and his teams have consistently been at their best when he played in the paint like a power forward. Similarly, Doncic may nominally be a point guard, but at 6-6, 230 he is the same size as a big small forward or a small power forward. It is not clear if the Lakers can win four playoff series with James as the de facto power forward and Doncic as the de facto small forward--but it is clear that without James and Doncic leading the way on the boards the Lakers would be in trouble. Offensively, James and Doncic may be sharing the "point forward" role, but the Lakers are thriving now because James and Doncic are rebounding like power forwards while also showing unexpected defensive commitment; James is playing better defensively than he has in years, and Doncic is at least paying some attention at that end of the court. James and Doncic are elite scorers and elite passers, so it is not surprising that the Lakers now have a high-powered offense--but the Lakers' playoff prospects are directly connected to defense and rebounding (which is true of any team's playoff prospects).
How significant is the Lakers' win versus the Nuggets? The Nuggets dominated the Lakers for the past several seasons, and eliminated the Lakers from the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, so Redick and company took great joy in that victory--but that was just one regular season win, not the four playoff victories necessary to prevail in a seven game series. The Lakers thought that they found something brilliant when they used Rui Hachimura as the primary defender on Nikola Jokic late in game one of the their 2023 playoff series, but the Nuggets still swept that series, so it is way too soon to say that the Lakers found something brilliant by fronting the post, swarming Jokic, and daring other Nuggets to make shots in a regular season game. Redick can pat himself on the back until his arm is sore, but that does not change the reality that one regular season win does not equal one playoff win, let alone four playoff wins.
Also, it is far from clear that the 2025 Nuggets are as good as the 2024 Nuggets or the 2023 Nuggets, so even if the Lakers have found something to vanquish the Nuggets that may not matter against the league's best teams. There are seven teams other than the Lakers that currently have a winning percentage of at least .600, and the post-trade Lakers have only played one of them (the Nuggets). Until we see the Lakers not only play regular season games against those teams but also face strong competition in a seven game playoff series it is too soon to say that the Lakers are legitimate championship contenders.
It is not surprising that the Doncic-James Lakers have a powerful offense. It is surprising that they have a good defense, even in a small sample size of games against mostly non-contending teams. It is not surprising that the Lakers with a relatively healthy Doncic are better than the Lakers with Davis (let alone an injured Davis); Doncic has been one of the NBA's top five players for the past five years, while Davis last made the All-NBA First Team in 2020.
An objective analyst needs to see more before labeling the Lakers as a legitimate championship contender, but it is understandable why Lakers' fans are excited about their team's prospects not only for the long term with Doncic at the helm but also for the short term with Doncic and James leading the charge together.
Labels: Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks, J.J. Redick, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Luka Doncic
posted by David Friedman @ 1:29 AM
New All-Star Format Produces Same Desultory Results
At least some of the players tried some of the time.
Sadly, that is the best that can be said about the NBA's new All-Star Game format featuring four teams playing a mini-tournament consisting of games that are each an untimed race to 40 points. TNT's Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kenny Smith picked the rosters for three of the four teams out of a player pool consisting of this year's 24 NBA All-Stars. Barkley's Global Stars included players with an international connection, O'Neal's OGs included veteran American players, and Smith's Young Stars included young American players. Trae Young was selected by Commissioner Adam Silver as a replacement for the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo on the Global Stars, and Silver tapped Kyrie Irving to replace the injured Anthony Davis on the OGs. LeBron James (OGs) and Anthony Edwards (Young Stars) waited until the day of the game to decide that they could not play, and thus no replacements were selected for either of them. The fourth team, Candace Parker's Rising Stars, included rookies and second year NBA players who won the Rising Stars event on Friday night.
I've been following the NBA since the 1970s, and the NBA All-Star Game used to be one of my favorite events, but recently it has become something that I watch more out of a sense of duty than a feeling of joy; during the 1980s, I loved watching the East's Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Moses Malone, and Isiah Thomas compete against the West's Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and George Gervin because the players had fun and showed off their individual skills while playing to win--but in recent years the All-Star Game has featured various gimmicky formats while the only thing the players competed at was showing who was least interested in playing hard.
Last night, after numerous breaks in the action for Kevin Hart to ham it up, the OGs defeated the Global Stars 41-25 in the championship game. The OGs raced out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back. Bay Area hero Stephen Curry was the inevitable choice for the Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP award after he scored 12 points on 4-8 field goal shooting (attempting no shots inside the arc), though a credible argument could be made that Jayson Tatum (15 points on 6-7 field goal shooting, three rebounds, two assists) had a bigger impact. The Stephen Curry All-Star moment that I will never forget--and that symbolizes how far the All-Star Game has plummeted--did not happen in 2025, but was when he lay down on the court in 2017 to permit an uncontested dunk.
The Global Stars qualified for the championship game by defeating the Young Stars 41-32, while the OGs beat the Rising Stars 42-35. It would have been fitting if the Rising Stars had won against an OGs team packed with star power, but the OGs closed the game on an 18-9 run after the Rising Stars enjoyed a brief 26-24 lead. The OGs played some defense down the stretch, but still flirted with disaster by missing four three pointers after scoring their 37th point before they closed the game out with a Kevin Durant dunk and a long Damian Lillard three pointer; it never seemed to occur to the OGs to take two easy two pointers instead of firing away from long range, which says a lot not only about the All-Star Game but also about the way that "stat gurus" have skewed basketball with their emphasis on "advanced basketball statistics" as opposed to sensible basketball strategy focusing on attacking the paint, defending the paint, and not relying on high variance long range shots. The Rising Stars played hard but just did not have enough talent to match up with a squad featuring four players on the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
Recent All-Star Games have been defined by the players jacking up three pointers and playing no defense, culminating in last year's fiasco featuring 168 combined three point field goal attempts and just five combined free throw attempts. This year, some players--most notably Victor Wembanyama of the Global Stars and Jaylen Brown of the OGs--played defense, but in the championship game the teams combined to attempt 33 of their 59 field goal attempts from three point range while shooting just four combined free throw attempts. Wembanyama scored a team-high 11 points on 5-7 field goal shooting in defeat.
The inescapable conclusion is that some of these players do not want to participate at all, and most of the players refuse to play hard. During the 2025 Legends Brunch--the highlight of the weekend--Rick Barry reminisced about the 1967 NBA All-Star Game, a contest during which the teams combined to attempt 63 free throws. At that time, the players had enough personal pride to compete against each other, but that started to fade in the early 2000s after Michael Jordan retired, and then in the past 10 years or so it completely disappeared. None of the NBA's experimental All-Star Game formats have worked because no amount of begging or extra money will induce these players to compete.
There is only one solution, and I proposed it during my 2024 All-Star Game recap: get rid of the All-Star Game. The players don't want to play, and I can't imagine that many fans enjoyed watching these choppy games interrupted by goofy skits (though it was fun watching a fan win $100,000 after making one half court shot before Lillard could make three half court shots). The NBA should not only stop having an All-Star Game but it should restructure existing contracts that have bonus clauses for being selected as an All-Star, and those bonuses should be tied to objectively measurable performance goals combined with a minimum number of games played. If the NBA thinks that fans just want to see three point shooting interspersed with musical performances and comedic skits then the league should end the pretense of calling that event an All-Star Game and instead just have an "NBA Entertainment Extravaganza" featuring those things.
It was hilarious to hear Draymond Green--a guest commentator on TNT who is preparing for the next stage of his life when he can no longer bask in Stephen Curry's reflected glory--complaining all night about the All-Star format. He whined that the All-Star court is "sacred" ground and that the Rising Stars have no right to even set foot on the court, and he griped that the new format prevents players from ever breaking single game All-Star records. Charles Barkley challenged Green, bluntly declaring, "His generation messed the game up." As noted above, I don't like any All-Star format other than East versus West with both teams playing hard, but Green has no credibility criticizing anything in the NBA; he is lucky to even be in the league--let alone featured as a commentator--after a career that includes numerous dirty plays and violent actions. If modern All-Stars had taken the All-Star Game seriously then they would not have had to worry about their "sacred" ground being sullied by the presence of basketball players who are not superstars.
Note that the 2025 All-Stars were given the opportunity to play for more money in a shorter format; players on the winning team received $125,000 each, an increase from the $100,000 that each player on the winning team received last year, which was an increase from the $50,000 that each player on the winning team received prior to 2018. Yes, All-Star Game winners receive more money for a few hours of "effort" than most people earn in an entire year--and that money is on top of their huge salaries, plus the six or seven figure bonuses that many players get just for being selected as an All-Star.
No, Draymond, we don't feel sorry about "sacred" ground being sullied, but many of us are offended by the combination of greed and sloth displayed by so many players. Unlike some people, I don't have a huge issue with the general concept of athletes making a lot of money: they are the best in the world at what they do, and what they do generates billions of dollars in revenue. However, I am increasingly offended by the entitled attitudes of so many players who want more and more money for doing less and less work, and who have no compunction about breaching their contracts on a whim when they decide that they would prefer to play somewhere else. For those of you who do not understand contract law, teams have the legal right to cut or trade players (and the players with guaranteed contracts still get paid anyway), but players do not have the legal right to get out of shape and stop playing hard if they decide that they don't like their current employment circumstances; the notion that teams "have no loyalty so it is OK for players to have no loyalty" reflects a misunderstanding of the employer-employee dynamic. If the players want the absolute right to play or not play whenever they want, then they should agree to not have their contracts guaranteed. Then, guys like Jimmy Butler and James Harden can stop getting paid right after they stop playing hard, and guys like Joel Embiid can get paid if and only if they show up for work.
Green was not content to rain on Silver's All-Star parade. Green provided more comic relief than Hart, declaring that the Golden State Warriors will win the 2025 NBA title. When Joe Namath made his famous guarantee prior to Super Bowl III, he was the best player on the New York Jets and arguably the best player in pro football. In marked contrast, Green has never been better than the third best player on his own team except for the one season when all of the great players left or got injured, after which Green led the Warriors to a 15-50 record while posting his typical "triple single" averages. Adding Jimmy Butler should make the Warriors a better team in the short term, but the Warriors currently are clinging to the 10th seed in the West; if they move out of the Play-In Tournament field and into the top six that would be an accomplishment, and if they win a playoff series that would be a surprise--but imagining them winning four playoff series is delusional, and making such a prediction as the team's third best player is absurd and delusional.
If Commissioner Silver does not cancel the 2026 NBA All-Star Game, then he should at least put a clown's hat on Green and replace Hart with Green so that the audience understands that Green is there for comic relief and not serious commentary.
Recent NBA All-Star Game Recaps:
The 2024 NBA All-Star Game Descends to New Lows as Any Pretense of Defense is Abandoned (2024)
"The 2023 NBA All-Star Game
may have been not only the worst NBA All-Star Game ever, but possibly
the worst basketball game ever played by high level players--until the
2024 NBA All-Star Game sunk to a new low: the teams launched 168 three
point shots while attempting just five free throws as the Eastern
Conference All-Stars routed the Western Conference All-Stars, 211-186.
That is not competitive basketball, and it is unrecognizable compared to
what the All-Star Game used to be: in 1994, the East beat the West
127-118 in a game featuring a combined 60 free throw attempts but just
30 three point field goal attempts; there was no shortage of highlight
plays/moments but the most important thing is that the players competed.
During the wonderful 2024 NBA Legends Brunch,
Larry Bird praised today's players and made a request: "The one thing I
would really like to see is they play hard in tonight's
All-Star Game. I think it's very important when you have the best
players in the world together you've got to compete and you've got to
play hard."
Instead, the players disrespected themselves, the
sport, and the legends who built the game that provides them with the
opportunity to receive generational wealth. No one is expecting the
All-Star Game to resemble game seven of the NBA
Finals, but the refusal of the modern players to even pretend to want to
compete is sad...
We hear so much about how great Commissioner Adam Silver is, but it
appears that he is praised because he tends to let the players do
whatever they want, in contrast to his predecessor David Stern, who viewed himself as a caretaker of the sport as a whole.
Considering how little today's best players care about putting even
forth minimal effort, the NBA should get rid of not just the
All-Star Game but even the concept of being an All-Star: retain All-Star
Saturday Night (it could be renamed something else, like NBA Showcase
Saturday) and of course retain the Legends Brunch, but the All-Star Game
serves no purpose, and being selected as an All-Star in today's NBA has
no meaning. Only the awards given after the season matter, so let the
players grumble about having to play at least 65 out of 82 games--oh,
the suffering!--to be eligible to win those awards.
Here is
the challenge to Silver: fix the All-Star Game, or have the intestinal
fortitude to not only get rid of it but to publicly say that he is
getting rid of it because the players do not take it seriously enough to
deserve to have it and to receive the bonuses associated with being
selected for it."
The 2023 NBA All-Star Game May Have Been the Worst Basketball Game Ever (2023)
"The
2023 NBA All-Star Game was not only the worst NBA All-Star Game
ever, but it may have been the worst basketball game ever
'contested'--and I use that word with hesitation--by high level players.
Denver Nuggets Coach Michael Malone, who coached Team LeBron, made this
statement after Team Giannis prevailed 184-175: 'It's an honor to be
here, and it's an honor to be a part of a great
weekend with great players, but it's the worst basketball game ever
played.' Malone also admitted that he has no idea how to fix the game.
The
NBA All-Star Game began its horrific slide to irrelevance several years
ago (see game recaps appended to this article for more details), but
yesterday the league's showcase midseason event descended to a nadir
from which there may be no recovery.
At its best, NBA basketball
is about the world's greatest athletes competing at a high level at both
ends of the court while working together to help their team win. At its
worst--and its worst was on full display last night--NBA basketball is
about players flaunting their individual skills without any connection
to team success while their 'opponents' step aside and watch instead of
competing on defense. The 2023 NBA All-Star Game was such an abomination
that it is difficult to decide which moment was the worst."
NBA Formally Honors the 75th Anniversary Team, Stephen Curry Wins the All-Star Game MVP (2022)
"How much has the All-Star Game devolved from an actual competition
featuring the league's best players to an exhibition of players
demonstrating individual skills devoid of competition or team play? Free
throws are a quick way to gauge physicality/defense. The 2022 All-Star
Game included eight fouls, four of which were called in the fourth
quarter, and Team LeBron shot 2-2 from the free throw line while Team
Durant shot 7-7 from the free throw line. This season, NBA teams average
a little over 21 free throw attempts per game, so it is obvious that
the All-Star Game featured few fouls, few free throws, very little
physicality, and token defense compared to a normal NBA game.
All-Star
Games used to be played much differently. In the first NBA All-Star
Game, the East beat the West 98-93 in overtime in 1954 with the East
shooting 36 of 44 from the free throw line and the West shooting 17-26
from the free throw line. In 1962, Wilt Chamberlain set an All-Star
single game scoring record (42 points) that stood for 55 years.
Chamberlain shot 8-16 from the free throw line, and his East squad shot
24-43 from the free throw line. The West, which won 150-130, shot 36-51
from the free throw line. Chamberlain's scoring record took place during
a competitive game, and the record stood until long after NBA All-Star
Games ceased to be competitive; his record is so exceptional that even
in an era during which it is much easier to score in All-Star Games only
two players have surpassed the standard that he set--and Curry did so
by making a bunch of uncontested three pointers.
For most of
All-Star Game history, players from both sides played hard, played
defense, and committed a normal amount of fouls. Things began to change
in 2007, when the victorious West only attempted nine free throws and
the East only attempted 13 free throws, a big decline from 24 and 28
respectively in the 2006 All-Star Game. The 2008 All-Star Game was more
of the same. Matters improved a bit during the next several All-Star
Games, but in 2014 the East attempted nine free throws and the West
attempted 12 free throws. Since 2014, single digit free throw attempts
per team have been the norm rather than the exception--and on the rare
occasion that a team has attempted more than 10 free throws most of
those free throw attempts have happened in the fourth quarter, when the
new scoring rules inspire (or shame) the All-Stars into playing some
defense."
Giannis Antetokounmpo Wins All-Star MVP With Perfect Shooting, Leads Team LeBron to 170-150 Win Over Team Durant (2021)
"Giannis Antetokounmpo did not have the first perfect shooting
performance in NBA All-Star Game history--Hal Greer shot 8-8 from the
field en route to scoring 21 points and winning the 1968 NBA All-Star
Game MVP--but he set the NBA All-Star Game record for most field goals
without a miss (16), and he captured his first All-Star Game MVP by
scoring a game-high 35 points as his Team LeBron routed Team Durant,
170-150. Antetokounmpo played just 19 minutes, so he scored nearly two
points per minute. Most of Antetokounmpo's shots were lightly
contested--if not uncontested--dunks, but he also shot 3-3 from three
point range. Each team shot 3-5 from the free throw line as both teams
spent most of the game not even pretending to care about defense.
Perhaps the league and/or the players think that the fans want to see
uncontested dunks and wide open three pointers, but I think/hope that
true basketball fans want to see competition. A contested dunk is a
great play; an uncontested dunk is just performance art."
Kawhi
Leonard Leads Team LeBron to 157-155 Win over Team Giannis as New
Format Results in Exciting Fourth Quarter Competition (2020)
"After
three quarters, it seemed that the new NBA All-Star Game format had not
inspired many players from either team to even pretend to play at a
fraction of their full capabilities. Fortunately, the fourth quarter--a
race to 157 points based on adding 24 points (in honor of Kobe Bryant)
to the 133-124 lead enjoyed by Team Giannis over Team LeBron at the end
of the third quarter--featured high level play as both teams looked
fully engaged: Team Giannis' Kyle Lowry seemed to try to take a charge
on every defensive possession, players from both teams contested almost
every shot, and the level of physicality ramped up to top notch regular
season levels, if not even first round playoff levels.
It is mystifying that most NBA players seem to need external motivation
to play their best in the All-Star Game, but with a substantial portion
of the weekend's festivities dedicated to the memory of
Bryant--including naming the All-Star MVP award for him--it would have
been a travesty for the players to just sleepwalk through the entire
proceedings. Kawhi Leonard is a pioneer of the less than commendable
load management scourge, but at least he always plays hard when he is on
the court. Leonard scored a game-high 30 points on 11-18 field goal
shooting (including 8-14 from three point range), grabbed seven
rebounds, dished for four assists, and received the first Kobe Bryant
All-Star Game MVP Award as his Team LeBron won, 157-155."
Kevin Durant Wins his Second All-Star MVP as Team LeBron Overcomes 20 Point Deficit to Defeat Team Giannis, 178-164 (2019)
"The All-Star Game sunk to such depths a few years ago that there were
even whispers that it might be discontinued. Instead, the league changed
the format from East versus West to a format in which the top two
vote-getters conduct a draft consisting of a pool of other All-Stars
selected by fans, coaches and media members. LeBron James faced off
against Giannis Antetokounmpo in this year's All-Star draft. Popular
consensus was that James, whose draft strategy seemed to be focused on
acquiring every major player who will be a free agent soon, got the
better of Antetokounmpo--but it did not look like that initially, as
Team Giannis led 53-37 after the first quarter and 95-82 at halftime.
Antetokounmpo scored a game-high 38 points on 17-23 field
goal shooting, including 10 dunks. He also had 11 rebounds and five
assists. He set the tone in the first quarter with 16 points.
Antetokounmpo's
Milwaukee teammate/All-Star teammate Khris Middleton added 20 points on
7-13 field goal
shooting, including 6-10 from three point range. Middleton scored 12
first quarter points.
To coin--or repeat--a phrase, it seemed like Team LeBron was in 'chill
mode' during the first half, but in the second half they exerted at
least some defensive effort and they rained down a barrage of three
pointers. Team LeBron outscored Team Giannis 96-69 in the second half
while shooting 22-49 from three point range. The teams combined to
attempt 167 three pointers during the game, compared to 108 two pointers
attempted.
Kevin Durant earned MVP honors by scoring 31 points on 10-15 field goal
shooting (including 6-9 from three point range) while also contributing
seven rebounds. He had 11 points on 4-4 field goal shooting in the
fourth quarter. Durant's Golden State teammate Klay Thompson finished
second on Team LeBron with 20 points on 7-16 field goal shooting (6-12
from three point range) and he had eight rebounds and four assists as
well."
LeBron James Earns Third All-Star Game MVP as Team LeBron Outlasts Team Stephen, 148-145 (2018):
"LeBron James scored a game-high 29 points on 12-17 field goal shooting,
grabbed a game-high tying 10 rebounds and dished eight assists as Team
LeBron defeated Team Stephen 148-145 in the first year of the NBA's new All-Star selection format;
instead of the traditional matchup featuring the Eastern Conference
facing the Western Conference, a team of All-Stars picked by LeBron
James faced a team of All-Stars picked by Stephen Curry. The NBA tweaked
the All-Star Game in the wake of several subpar All-Star Games,
culminating in last year's farce.
Before the 2018 All-Star Game, James already held the NBA All-Star Game
career scoring record (314 points) and yesterday he surpassed Julius
Erving (321 points) to set the record for most points scored in ABA and
NBA All-Star Games combined. Bob Pettit (1956, 58, 59, 62) and Kobe
Bryant (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) share the record with four All-Star Game
MVPs each, while James joined Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan and
Shaquille O'Neal as three-time winners; James previously earned the
All-Star Game MVP in 2006 and 2008."
The NBA All-Star Game Has Become a Farce (2017):
"The Western Conference's 192-182 victory over the Eastern Conference is
without question the worst NBA All-Star Game that I have ever watched.
Other than the MLB All-Star Game that ended in a tie (and many NFL Pro
Bowls of recent vintage) it may be the worst major professional league
All-Star Game ever. When the reigning two-time regular season MVP
literally lies down on the court instead of attempting to play defense,
you know that the event has jumped the shark."
Labels: 2025 NBA All-Star Game, Charles Barkley, Draymond Green, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kenny Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Stephen Curry, Victor Wembanyama
posted by David Friedman @ 12:56 PM
The 2025 NBA Legends Brunch Honors Oscar Robertson, Gary Payton, and Rick Barry, and Features a Panel Discussion With Run TMC
The Legends Brunch is the most meaningful and special NBA All-Star Weekend event; it is important to acknowledge and honor the people who built the sport. I had the privilege of covering the Legends Brunch in person from 2005-2010, and every year that was the highlight of All-Star Weekend for me, along with attending the ABA Reunions in 2005 and 2006.
Ernie Johnson is the perfect host for the Legends Brunch, and he consistently hits the right notes in terms of when to be serious and when to be humorous. This year ends TNT's four decades of covering the NBA, and during his traditional Legends Brunch poem Johnson expressed gratitude for TNT's long run, and appreciation to the production crew behind the scenes that makes sure everything runs smoothly.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Oscar Robertson. Silver called Robertson "A man of dignity, character, and respect." During a video tribute for Robertson, John Havlicek said that Robertson is the best player he ever played against, quite a statement from a Hall of Famer who spent 16 NBA seasons playing against many of the greatest players of all-time, including Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain,
Jerry West, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius Erving. Abdul-Jabbar, who played with and against Robertson, termed Robertson a "pioneer in the game of basketball."
During his acceptance speech, Robertson emphasized that his guiding thought has always been, "Situations in life should be as fair as possible." Robertson said that this principle impacted both how he played the game--keeping his teammates involved--and how he worked to represent the players' interests when he served as the President of the Players Association from 1965-74; his friends Jack Twyman and Tommy Heinsohn persuaded him to accept the latter role, and Robertson was one of the "NBA 14" who filed a lawsuit that paved the way for the huge guaranteed salaries that today's NBA players take for granted. Robertson, Archie Clark, Dave Bing, Dave Cowens, and Dave DeBusschere later founded the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA). Robertson said that as a player and as a retired player he sought to partner with the NBA team owners as opposed to having an adversarial relationship with them. Robertson thanked Chris Paul for his role with the Players Association to help the retired players finally obtain health insurance in 2016. Recalling the Legends Brunch's humble beginnings, Robertson looked at the large assembled audience and concluded, "This is magnificent!"
Damian Lillard presented the Hometown Hero Award to Gary Payton. Lillard is a Bay Area native who said that when he was a kid he was inspired by Payton, who was already an established NBA player. Payton said that he is sad that his mother and father did not live long enough to see this moment. He acknowledged that other Bay Area natives--including Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis, and Brian Shaw--could have received the honor instead of him. Payton emphasized the importance of giving back to the community, mentioning that the reason that he took the head coaching job at College of Alameda is that he seeks to positively influence the community, particularly young people.
Stephen Curry introduced the program's always poignant "In Memoriam" segment. He spoke briefly about Jerry West,
Bill Walton, Dikembe Mutombo, and Al Attles. Then, a video tribute accompanied by live music honored other Legends who passed away within the past year. I was a Philadelphia 76ers fan growing up, so three names in particular caught my attention and brought back memories: Pat Williams (the general manager who built the 76ers' 1983 championship team), Joe "Jellybean" Bryant (Kobe's father, who played for the 76ers from 1975-79), and Harold Katz (the 76ers' majority owner from 1981-1996).
Julius Erving, the NBA All-Star Game MVP in 1977 and 1983 and an All-NBA First Team member for the 76ers' 1983 championship team, presented the Legend of the Year award to Rick Barry, who spent nine of his 14 professional seasons playing in the Bay Area (eight during two separates stints with the Warriors, plus one with the ABA's Oakland Oaks). Erving said that Barry is "as iconic for his scoring ability as for his style" and that Barry was "a player ahead of his time." Erving added that Barry, who is six years older than he is, "was one of my heroes, and
he is still one of my heroes." Erving noted that Barry shared the proceeds from his 1967 All-Star Game MVP award with his teammates, inspiring him to do the same thing. Erving mentioned how often he and Barry spent time together, including going to Israel, coaching in the "Big Three," and doing Spalding commercials.
During the video tribute to Barry, one of the clips showed Barry saying that he wanted every game to come down to the last 10 seconds with the ball in his hands. Barry also declared that you play the game to be a champion.
After Barry joined Erving on stage, Barry mentioned that his speech was supposed to last just four minutes, and he scoffed that asking him to limit his remarks that way is like asking him to only take 10 shots in a game because he would just be warming up by that point. Barry said that he feels an "extreme sense of gratitude" for receiving the Legend of the Year award. He looked around the crowd, and singled out several people from his journey, including his wife Lynn, who he credited for helping him mellow out during the past 34 years. He also mentioned his oldest son Scooter, who was born just a few months before he won the 1967 All-Star Game MVP. Barry pointed out Clifford Ray, the starting center on Golden State's 1975 championship team, and he said that there is "no one in the world I would rather run the pick and roll with."
Barry recalled that his father once told him "The older you get the faster the years go by," and he said that those words have proven to be true. Barry reflected on how it feels to be an octogenarian, and he reminisced about the 1967 NBA All-Star Game. Barry did not mention that he scored a game-high 38 points on 16-27 field goal shooting, but he focused on the overall talent level present in that contest and how competitive the players were. Barry noted that 13 of the 20 1967 NBA All-Stars are on the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List; that group includes Pantheon members Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, Bill Russell, and Jerry West. Barry recalled that East Coach Red Auerbach was ejected. It is also worth emphasizing that the East attempted 37 free throws and the West attempted 26 free throws in a 135-120 West win. The concept of the league's best players playing hard, playing defense, and committing fouls in an All-Star Game is unimaginable to a generation of players who have been led astray on All-Star Weekend by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry (as correctly emphasized by Sirius XM NBA Radio host Brian Geltzeiler during the Saturday morning show that he hosts with Sam Mitchell).
Barry said that he can't stand load management and he mentioned that he hated blowouts during his playing career because his minutes would be limited in such games. Barry still misses playing because he loves to compete, and he said that the NBA should add a designated free throw shooter rule so that he can make a comeback (Barry led the league in free throw shooting seven times, and currently ranks eighth in career free throw percentage at .893). Barry's competitive fire is limited these days to fly fishing and pickleball.
The Legends Brunch concluded with a panel discussion with Run TMC hosted by Bob Costas. Ernie Johnson introduced the discussion by saying that he always wanted to be like Costas but never quite measured up. Costas returned the compliment by noting that Johnson had carved his own path as one of the best of all-time.
Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin only spent two years together as Golden State teammates (1989-91) but during that short time they formed lifelong friendships while etching a permanent place in the hearts of fans who fondly recall their on court exploits. The trio's name--a play on words combining the first letters of each of their first names along with the name of legendary rap group Run DMC--was chosen as a result of a fan voting contest. During the panel discussion, Mullin noted that he had "seniority" and knew as soon as he heard the Run TMC option that it was by far the best one. Mullin, who is from Brooklyn, went to high school with Run DMC founding member Darryl McDaniels.
The trio's short tenure ended when Coach Don Nelson traded Richmond for Billy Owens. Costas recalled that Nelson later called the deal a "no brainer--I had no brain when I made the trade." The Warriors reached the second round of the playoffs in Run TMC's final season together and they did not advance that far in the postseason again until 2007, when Nelson--during his second stint with the franchise--coached the "We Believe" squad that upset the number one seeded Dallas Mavericks. The players were understandably upset that Nelson broke up their trio, but Mullin noted that Nelson "was a visionary" who played small ball and exploited matchup advantages in unconventional ways that he learned during his playing days with the Boston Celtics when the Celtics had a fast team featuring the relatively undersized Dave Cowens at center. Mullin also praised Al Attles for being a mentor to everyone in the Warriors organization, and he spoke about how much he cherished the "brotherhood" that he shared with Hardaway and Richmond through good times and bad times. Mullin said that he felt like he never had an athletic advantage at any level during his basketball career, so he had to rely on his teammates to help him. Hardaway said that Mullin is way too modest, noting that Mullin was a three-time Big East Player of the Year during the Big East's glory years. Hardaway said that Mullin's work ethic and superior conditioning set a great example for him and for Richmond. Hardaway gave a shout out to Archie Clark as the inventor of the
crossover move that Hardaway made famous as the "UTEP two step" or
"killer crossover." Richmond is the most soft-spoken of the trio, but he told a funny story about receiving some trash talk from Hardaway after he had a poor shooting night and then returning the favor a short while later after Hardaway had an even worse shooting night--0-17 from the field in a December 27, 1991 game versus Minnesota. Hardaway emphasized that the Warriors won that game anyway, and then he had a big performance in his next game (30 points on 13-21 field goal shooting as the Warriors beat the Lakers).
The 2025 NBA Legends Brunch hit the ball out of the park (to use a mixed metaphor), but here is one suggestion for the 2026 edition: resume giving out the Bob Lanier Community Impact Award, named in honor of the Hall of Fame center who played for Detroit and Milwaukee. That award was first presented to Pau Gasol at the 2023 NBA Legends Brunch, and then Jalen Rose received the award last year, presented by
Hall of Famer Dave Bing. It is not clear why that award was not presented this year. Lanier devoted his post-playing career to community service and to encouraging players to participate in community service, and his legacy deserves to be honored and remembered.
Selected Previous NBA Legends Recaps:
The 2024 NBA Legends Brunch Honors Tamika Catchings, Jalen Rose, Reggie Miller, and Larry Bird While Also Featuring ABA Panel Discussion (2024)
NBA Legends Brunch Honors Bill Russell, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and Pau Gasol (2023)
Jerry West Gives Powerful Speech After Being Honored as NBA Legend of the Year (2022)
Legends Brunch Honors Alonzo Mourning, Five Great Mavs (2010)
NBA Legends Brunch Honors Phoenix' Rich Basketball History (2009)
King James Reigns in Houston (2006 NBA All-Star Weekend) Labels: Chris Mullin, Damian Lillard, Gary Payton, Julius Erving, Mitch Richmond, NBA All-Star Weekend, NBA Legends Brunch, Oscar Robertson, Rick Barry, Tim Hardaway
posted by David Friedman @ 10:24 AM
Cavaliers, Herro, and McClung Take the All-Star Saturday Night Trophies
NBA All-Star Saturday Night is not likely to ever recapture the glamour of its glory years, an era from the 1980s to the early 2000s when Pantheon members Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant competed against other Hall of Famers. The first official Slam Dunk Contest took place at halftime of the 1976 ABA All-Star Game, and four of the five participants became Hall of Fame inductees: Julius Erving (the winner), David Thompson, George Gervin, and Artis Gilmore (the fifth participant was Larry Kenon, who made the All-Star team five times in his ABA/NBA career). Some fans may scoff at what they consider to be the pedestrian nature of some of those 1976 dunks, but keep in mind that no one at that time was thinking about jumping over props; rest assured that Erving and Thompson--both of whom had vertical leaps in excess of 40 inches--could have done any dunk that we have seen in the "modern" era: after all, Erving did his trademark free throw line dunk in games, which is more difficult and impressive than dunking over any prop.
Now, the NBA cannot beg, borrow, or steal enough money to induce the elite players to deign to participate in what is supposed to be one of the league's showcase events.
So, we have to settle for what we can get, because there is no point to living in the past or complaining too much about the present.
The highlight of the Skills Challenge was the San Antonio Spurs team of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama being disqualified after trying to circumvent the rules; to shave seconds off of their time, the Spurs did not even attempt any shots during the shooting portion of the obstacle course, and just focused on the passing portion of the obstacle course, drawing boos from the crowd and a prompt disqualification from the officials. The Spurs' shenanigans are much like tanking and load management, odious practices that not only don't work but cheat the fans from seeing legit competition. You might say that what the Spurs did does not matter because few people care that much about the Skills Competition, but a major reason that people don't care about the Skills Competition--and care less about the NBA in general than they did before--is that the players' focus has shifted from trying to compete to trying to find shortcuts and excuses to not compete. Here is a novel idea: spend some time practicing the shots from the Skills Challenge--shots that could also be useful in real games--instead of trying to figure out how to win an event while exerting as little energy as possible.
Paul's career Skills Challenge resume--a record six appearances but no wins--now rivals his playoff resume, which includes the most blown 2-0 leads in NBA postseason history. Hopefully for Spurs fans, Paul is only teaching Wembanyama how to lose in the Skills Challenge and not how to lose 2-0 leads in the playoffs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NBA this season, and their team--featuring Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley--won the Skills Challenge, defeating the Bay Area's home team, the Golden State Warriors (Draymond Green and Moses Moody).
Ten of the NBA's top 25 leaders in career three point field goal percentage are active players--including future Hall of Famers Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson--but none of them participated in the Three Point Contest. Just one of the players who ranks in the top ten in three point field goal percentage this season--Cleveland's Darius Garland--participated in the Three Point Contest. In the first round, Golden State's Buddy Hield--who ranks 97th in three point field goal percentage this season, and 58th all-time--tied Stephen Curry's Three Point Contest record with 31 points. Two-time defending Three Point Contest champion Damian Lillard failed to advance. Garland and and the Miami Heat's Tyler Herro joined Hield in the final round. Herro set the bar with 24 points, Garland scored 19 points, and Hield fell just short with 23 points. This was Herro's first All-Star Weekend event win, and tomorrow he will make his first appearance in the All-Star Game (or games, depending how one prefers to describe the NBA's new format, colloquially known as the "Adam Silver begs, hopes, and pleads that at least a few NBA All-Stars will pretend to care" All-Star Game).
The Slam Dunk Contest lacked drama--the eventual winner was obvious immediately--but was yet another showcase for Mac McClung's surreal athleticism. The two-time defending Slam Dunk champion jumped over a car and executed a two-handed reverse dunk for his first dunk, setting a standard right from the jump (pun intended!) that the other competitors could not match. After McClung jumped over an assistant, grabbed the ball and did a spinning two-handed dunk for his second dunk, TNT's Kenny Smith said that the event should just be McClung doing five dunks with music playing in the background--an acknowledgment that this contest was no contest. McClung lived up to that praise by receiving a perfect score of 50 on all four of his dunks. McClung is the first "three-peat" winner in Slam Dunk Contest history. Nate Robinson is the only other three-time champion (2006, 2009, 2010).
Julius Erving--who not only won the 1976 ABA Slam Dunk Contest, but was runner
up (at age 34!) to Larry Nance in the 1984 NBA Slam Dunk
Contest--presented the Julius "Dr. J" Erving Slam Dunk Contest trophy to
McClung:
It would be interesting to see some of the NBA's All-Stars who are great leapers--Anthony Edwards comes to mind--challenge McClung, but don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
It is what it is, to borrow a (too often) used phrase, but we should not let those who did not appear cast too big of a shadow over those who did appear: congratulations to Mitchell/Mobley, Herro, and McClung for doing their best to put on a great show during All-Star Saturday night.
Labels: Cleveland Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Mac McClung, NBA All-Star Weekend, Skills Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest, Three Point Contest, Tyler Herro
posted by David Friedman @ 1:28 AM
Kevin Durant is the Ninth Member of Pro Basketball's 30,000 Point Club
The Memphis Grizzlies built a 19 point lead and held on to defeat the Phoenix Suns 119-112, but the headline story from that game is that the Suns' Kevin Durant joined the elite 30,000 point club by making a free throw with 1:11 remaining in the third quarter. Durant finished with a game-high 34 points on 12-18 field goal shooting. Ja Morant scored a team-high 26 points as the Grizzlies improved to 36-17 while dropping the Suns to 26-27. The Grizzlies have the second best record in the Western Conference, while the Suns are fighting just to earn a berth in the Play-In Tournament; the Suns are yet another example of how the "Big Three" model of instant team building fails more often than it succeeds.
Durant is the 30,000 point club's ninth member, and the first new member since LeBron James became the eighth (and youngest) member in 2018, one year after Dirk Nowitzki joined. Before we reflect on Durant's excellent career, it must be emphasized that it is shameful that the NBA and its media partners call Durant the 30,000 point club's eighth member, ignoring the fact that Julius Erving scored 30,026 points. ABA numbers should be counted offiically by the NBA, just like the NFL officially counts AFL numbers. Erving was just the third player to score at least 30,000 points, and he was the first "midsize" (6-7 or under) player to accomplish the feat; nearly 40 years after Erving retired, the only other "midsize" players who have scored at least 30,000 points are Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Ignoring Erving's accomplishments and statistics skews the ubiquitous conversation about the greatest players of all-time; Erving is often left out of that discussion, but he deserves to be prominently mentioned. Erving starred in the ABA for five years before enjoying a spectacular 11 year run with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He made the All-Star team in each of his 16 professional seasons, he
never played for a losing or non-playoff team, and he is the only player
to win an MVP award in both leagues. Erving won four regular season MVPs, three championships, and two Finals MVPs; he did a lot more than just score, but he was also one of the greatest, most consistent scorers of all-time, with scoring averages ranging from 20.0 ppg to 31.9 ppg in his first 14 seasons.
Durant is unlikely to join James in the 40,000 point club, but he has come a long way from being a skinny rookie who was played out of position at guard before blossoming in his second season after being shifted to his natural position of small forward. Durant spent his prime years at small forward but as his body developed and the league began favoring smaller lineups he became a devastating weapon at power forward, stretching the floor while not being afraid to attack the hoop. Durant had a high, loose dribble as a young player but he developed into an effective ballhandler. He did not average at least 4 apg until his sixth season, but he averaged at least 4 apg in each of the next 12 seasons. Durant won four scoring titles, and he posted two 50/40/90 seasons that exemplify how complete his scoring repertoire is: Durant is renowned as a midrange assassin, but he also posts up, drives to the hoop, drains three pointers, and not only draws fouls but shoots his free throws at an elite (.882) clip. Like Erving, Durant has an all-around game, and an impressive list of accomplishments, including two Finals MVPs, two championships, and one regular season MVP.
Six of the nine members of the 30,000 point club are in my Pantheon (an asterisk denotes that the player is in my Pantheon):
Pro Basketball's 30,000 Point Club
1. LeBron James* 41,623
2. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* 38,387
3. Karl Malone 36,928
4. Kobe Bryant* 33,643
5. Michael Jordan* 32,292
6. Dirk Nowitzki 31,560
7. Wilt Chamberlain* 31,419
8. Julius Erving* 30,026
9. Kevin Durant 30,008
Labels: Dirk Nowitzki, Julius Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain
posted by David Friedman @ 3:25 AM
Milwaukee Bucks Beat Philadelphia 76ers 135-127 in Hubie Brown's Final Broadcast
For Hubie Brown, the game is always the most important thing, so in deference to his approach I will focus first on what happened in Hubie Brown's last game as an analyst before shifting my attention to Brown's legacy and the tributes paid to him during a very special and well-produced broadcast.
The Milwaukee Bucks sans two-time regular season MVP and 2021 NBA Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 135-127. Prior to the game, Brown noted that both of these teams must improve defensively, which he
emphasized is a collective effort and not just a matter of individual
one on one defense. The final score indicates that neither team is a defensive juggernaut, to put it mildly.
Brown's pregame choices for players to watch proved to be very prescient: Damian Lillard scored a season-high and game-high 43 points to lead the Bucks to victory, and Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 39 points in a valiant effort for the 76ers. Before the game, Brown praised Lillard's three point shooting and his complete game as a scorer/playmaker/rebounder, and he complimented Maxey's complete game plus his unstoppable off the dribble moves. Lillard shot 14-27 from the field--including 8-15 from three point range--while passing for a game-high eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Maxey nearly matched Lillard shot for shot and play for play, shooting 16-23 from the field--including 5-10 from beyond the arc--while dishing for five assists and pulling down four rebounds.
Gary Trent Jr. scored 23 points off of the bench for the Bucks, and Bobby Portis added 18 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, and five assists as the Bucks' reserves outscored the 76ers' reserves 54-35.
The 76ers' purported "Big Three" combined to score 78 points, but this is an example of how numbers can be deceiving. Maxey did as much as he could and he played hard at both ends of the court, but Joel Embiid (27 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five turnovers) lumbered up and down the court, looked a step and a half slow on defense, and accumulated his statistics based more on size/raw talent than on consistently playing championship-level basketball. Paul George drifted around the court, putting up solid starter numbers (12 points, six assists, five rebounds), but having little impact on the game's outcome.
During a defense-optional first quarter when Milwaukee outscored Philadelphia 40-39, Brown mentioned Lillard's ability to score at all levels, draw fouls, and make free throws, and he noted Lillard's willingness to take the big shot in late game situations. After Lillard made a long three pointer, Brown quipped to his play by play partner Mike Breen, "If he steps back any deeper, he's going to be with you and me at the table."
Brown mentioned how much he loves Philadelphia's Kyle Lowry, who he described as the "heart and soul" of Toronto's 2019 championship team for Coach Nick Nurse before joining Nurse with the 76ers. Lowry, who is battling a hip injury, played just six minutes, and has had a limited impact this season, but the 76ers desperately need more players who play with the energy and hustle he displays when his body is right.
What struck me most during this game is how bad Embiid looks, despite his superficially impressive statistics. Embiid did not jump for rebounds in his area on several possessions, he did not run hard, he rarely fought for low post position, and he did not set strong screens. Embiid spent most of his time on offense drifting around the perimeter, and he did a poor job protecting the paint on defense. Yes, he scored nearly a point per minute while leading the team in rebounds and tying for the team lead in assists, which shows that even at half speed he is still a very productive player statistically--but a team cannot win a championship when its best player is out of shape, does not play hard, and is chronically unavailable. This is not a one game assessment/indictment of Embiid; what he showed during this game--the gaudy numbers and the small impact on team success--is what he has shown throughout his career, and it is sheer folly to believe/expect that he is going to show anything else on the back end of his career. To top things off, sideline reporter Lisa Salters dropped a bombshell: Embiid told her that he will likely need another knee surgery, followed by a long rehab process. Embiid will turn 31 in a month, and he has never played in more than 68 games in a season (a high water mark that he reached in 2022), so it is fair to wonder if he will ever be fully healthy and available to play on a regular basis.
I have consistently said that it is ridiculous to assert that the 76ers have "tanked to the top" and that if they ever win a championship with Embiid that will happen despite the infamous "Process," not because of it.
The Bucks were ahead 65-63 at halftime even though Maxey had 26 first half points and Embiid had 24 first half points, the first time this season that they both scored at least 20 points in a half. Embiid already looked gassed by the second quarter, and he had just three points in the second half.
The Bucks led by as many as 25 points in the second half before the 76ers cut the margin during garbage time. Breen asked Brown what went wrong for the 76ers, and Brown succinctly noted the 76ers' two problems: bad shot selection, and not playing as aggressively as they had played in the first half. It should be added that both problems can be traced to the basketball habits of Embiid, the team's most talented player; half of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc even though he was the biggest and strongest player on the court, and his casual approach to defense is not likely to inspire supreme effort from anyone on his squad. It matters little that Embiid shot a high percentage from beyond the arc (4-7) or that he has a good shooting touch; for the 76ers to be a championship contender, they need for Embiid to dominate the paint while shooting timely three pointers, instead of regularly shooting three pointers while occasionally posting up. If Embiid is not physically capable of playing the right way, then the team should shut him down until his body is right; if he is not willing to play the right way, then the coaching staff and management must confront Embiid about this.
Throughout the telecast, Brown suggested that at full strength both of these teams are capable of challenging Boston, Cleveland, and New York for conference supremacy. Theoretically, that may be true, but from a practical standpoint it looks highly unlikely that the 76ers will ever be healthy enough or focused enough to advance past the second round (and they are on course to not even make the Play In Tournament this season). As for the Bucks, their ceiling is higher than the 76ers' ceiling: with a healthy Antetokounmpo teaming up with Lillard, Portis, Brook Lopez, and the recently acquired Kyle Kuzma, the Bucks are capable of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, but anything beyond that seems out of reach.
----------
Milwaukee was the most fitting location for Hubie Brown's final broadcast, because that is where his NBA journey began in 1972 when Larry Costello hired him as his assistant coach (at that time, NBA teams only had one assistant coach, not an army of assistants). During this game, Breen and Brown seamlessly included details about Brown's remarkable basketball journey into the broadcast without detracting from their attention to the live action.
Brown successfully coached at the high school, college, and professional levels. After working for Costello in Milwaukee, Brown led the Kentucky Colonels to the 1975 ABA title before coaching three NBA teams: Atlanta Hawks (1976-81), New York Knicks (1982-86), Memphis Grizzlies (2002-04). He won the NBA Coach of the Year award in 1978 and 2004, and he finished third in the balloting in three other years (1979-80, 1984).
Brown first did analysis on nationally televised NBA games for the USA Network in 1981. After he coached the Knicks, Brown did analysis for CBS from late 1986 until 1990, and then he worked for TNT from the early 1990s until he became Memphis' coach in 2002. Brown left the Grizzlies due to unspecified health reasons, but he soon joined ABC/ESPN. Brown was initially the network's lead analyst, and he worked the 2005 and 2006 NBA Finals in that capacity, but then he was replaced as the lead analyst by the Mark Jackson-Jeff Van Gundy duo. Brown continued to do games for ABC/ESPN, and he also did games for ESPN Radio, including 14 NBA Finals. Overall, Brown was a commentator for a record 18 NBA Finals. In addition to his success as both a coach and a commentator, Brown was a tremendous clinician at basketball camps in the U.S. and at basketball camps/clinics held around the world. Breen said that Brown has taught basketball to more people than anyone, and that statement is not hyperbole.
Brown said that his 50-plus years in pro basketball as a coach and media
member went by very quickly, and that what he thinks about the most are
the people who opened doors for him. Brown mentioned that working for Costello provided the equivalent of a Master's degree and a Doctorate in basketball in just two years. Brown said that he learned a lot from Costello, from teaching at various clinics, and from speaking at a variety of corporate engagements.
During the first quarter, Mike Tirico made a live appearance, and he chatted with Brown and Breen. Tirico remembered calling Lillard's series-winning shot in 2014 with Brown by his side, and he reminisced about calling Kobe Bryant's 60 point career finale alongside Brown.
Breen said that Brown has been an "NBA father" to his play by play partners, and he said that it is a "privilege" to call a game with Brown.
When Mark Jones joined the broadcast, he talked about the excitement he felt the first time
that he worked with Brown, and he spoke about Brown providing pointers for his
basketball playing kids. Like all of Brown's broadcast partners, Jones mentioned that Brown treated him like family.
Brown
later talked about the importance of making everyone feel included on a team, whether that team is a sports team or a broadcasting team. Brown explained that he learned an important lesson about team
chemistry while assisting Costello, who put Brown in charge of working
with the last three players on the bench at a time when NBA rosters had
just 10 players. Brown said that on a strong team like the Bucks during
that era, the last three players on the roster did not play very much
and were often upset with their limited roles. When Brown became a head coach, he lengthened his
player rotation to give more players playing time and decrease the
number of dissatisfied players on the bench.
Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson, who played for Costello and Brown in Milwaukee, recorded a message during which he noted that when Hubie Brown speaks everyone listens and respects what he says.
After Breen asked Brown his take on the Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade
that shocked most NBA observers, Brown noted that Wilt Chamberlain,
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James--"five of the greatest"--all were traded, so Doncic can also be
traded.
When Dave Pasch made a live appearance, he pointed out that it is rare
to be an icon in just one field, but that Brown is an icon in two fields
(coaching and commentating). Pasch said that Brown always asks his play
by play announcer how he is doing, and if he had enough time to talk.
Pasch quipped that just once he wanted to mess with Brown and say that
he had not had enough time to talk.
Basketball Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, who played for Brown when Brown coached the Knicks, praised Brown's "vast knowledge" of basketball.
Hall of Famer Pau Gasol called it a "privilege" to play for Brown in Memphis.
Other people who recorded tributes to Brown include Indiana Coach Rick Carlisle, Miami Coach Erik Spoelstra, and NBA Commissoner Adam Silver.
ESPN/ABC ran a graphic stating that Brown coached against or broadcasted
80% of the players in NBA history, a statistical nugget that is
stunning but not surprising.
Near the end of the broadcast, Breen shared with the audience a look at "The Hubie Sheet," the meticulous notes that Brown brought to each game and then marked up during the broadcast:
Brown downplayed this, saying that being prepared is part of the job--but the way that Brown treated each game like a masterpiece deserving the most careful thought and analysis demonstrates his dedication to his craft.
After the game, the referees presented the game ball to Brown, who joked about receiving a present
from them despite leading the league in technical fouls along with Kevin
Loughery.
Next, ESPN/ABC ran a piece featuring several of Brown's colleagues reminiscing about Brown. Dick Stockton is one of the most gracious people who I have ever had the privilege of interviewing,
and he made an eloquent tribute to Brown: "I hope that the viewing
audience of NBA basketball realize what kind of a treasure Hubie Brown
has been in a brilliant career which longevity is beyond comparison. I
worked with a lot of different people in a lot of sports in my 55 year
career as a broadcaster but he stands out because of his love of the
game and the way he expressed the game."
Breen asked Brown to summarize his thoughts about his career. Brown said that he learned from his father to always give 100%, and that he viewed both coaching and broadcasting as being part of a team whose job is to teach. Brown thanked all of his well-wishers on behalf of his family, and he noted that the day was almost overwhelming. Brown mentioned that a cardinal principle that he always upheld is to never underestimate the IQ of the audience.
Brown deserved all of the heartfelt praise that he received, but I would be remiss if I did not note that the same employer that is gushing over him as he departs relegated him to second tier status for most of his tenure with ESPN/ABC; he was only the lead analyst at ESPN/ABC for a brief time, but he is the best NBA analyst of
all-time, and he should have been on the number one team for a lot longer than he was. Howard Cosell once declared, "I never played the game"
(which was also the title of his 1985 autobiography), meaning not only
that he never played pro sports but that he never stooped to playing the
game of being popular at the expense of being authentic to his values. Based on ESPN's other hiring choices, it is fair to assume that the network chose "entertainment"--which is, after all, what the "E" stands for in ESPN--over in depth analysis. I mean no disrespect to Van Gundy or Jackson, who both did well during their time at ESPN, but Brown is a better analyst than either of them.
I interviewed Hubie Brown in 2006 and 2009.
My approach to basketball writing has always focused on the perspective
of a coach/scout analyzing the skill set strengths and weaknesses of
players and teams, and then determining what the optimal strategy should be
for a team based on a skill set analysis of that team and the opposing
team. This analytical approach is heavily influenced by Brown, and I
agree with Brown that you don't talk down to the audience, but rather you
provide high level information to the audience with the belief and
expectation that the audience can follow along and will appreciate being
educated. I can crack jokes and be silly, but my primary focus is
spreading knowledge, not producing one liners or click-bait hot takes. During the
time that I covered the NBA as a credentialed media member at regular
season games, playoff games, and All-Star Games, I cherished the
opportunity to speak in person with coaches and scouts. I learned a lot
from those conversations, but those conversations also reaffirmed that I
analyze and perceive the game the way that coaches and scouts do, in
contrast to the way that many media members who favor sensationalism and
superficiality do.
I will miss Brown very much, because for more than half of my life I have viewed any game that he did as must-see, appointment television. Anyone who would like to learn more about Brown should watch Brown's 2013 conversation with George Raveling, which includes timeless wisdom not only about basketball, but about life, as
well as a wealth of information about basketball history from the 1950s through the 2000s. Recently, NBA.com's Ben Lambert did an interesting interview with Brown.
Hubie Brown was an excellent coach, a premier clinician, and the greatest NBA analyst of all-time. His presence on the NBA airwaves will be missed, but he will never be forgotten and his influence is indelible.
Further Reading:
Hubie Brown Interview (2006)
Seven Great "Hubie-isms" (2007)
Trading Places: LeBron Scores 37 as the "New" Cavs Beat the "New" Bulls (2008)
Hubie Brown Breaks Down Cleveland-Orlando and LeBron-Kobe (2009)
Sleepwalking Lakers End "Nightmare" Season by Being Swept (2013)
Hubie Brown Analyzes Russell Westbrook and the L.A. Lakers (January 28, 2022)
NBA's 75th Anniversary Celebration Game Provided Stirring Trip Down Memory Lane (April 7, 2022)
Cold Young Heats Up as Hawks Defeat Celtics, 130-122 (April 21, 2023)
Jayson Tatum Scores Game Seven Record 51 Points as Celtics Roll Over Listless 76ers, 112-88 (May 14, 2023)
New Look Knicks Rout Slumping Heat (January 17, 2024)
Sharpshooting Bucks Take Down Defenseless Suns, 140-129 (March 18, 2024)
Doncic is Doncic, Washington Shines Early, and Irving Dominates Fourth Quarter as Mavericks Beat Thunder, 105-101 (May 11, 2024)
Labels: Atlanta Hawks, Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Hubie Brown, Joel Embiid, Kentucky Colonels, Memphis Grizzlies, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Tyrese Maxey
posted by David Friedman @ 4:26 AM
