#first take kyrie irving | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

opiatemasses · 1 year

Text

Underlying racism in the NBA

“You’re seeing a lot of old ways come up. Just underlying racism and treating people like they’re in a human zoo.” - Kyrie Irving

Don’t let the NBA’s racially diverse rosters fool you.

Many NBA athletes have reported racism by fans, staff and other players. Many people argue that certain incidents such as fans throwing objects at players, as being a regular hate issue. However, some NBA players beg to differ. Celtics player Marcus Smart stated “I was made to feel less than human” after hearing a racist remark from a fan.

Racism within the NBA has a long history, dating back to the 1950’s during the first draft when Chuck Cooper was selected 14th in the draft by the Boston Celtics. Fans, including Boston fans, ridiculed Cooper and stated he couldn’t play in the NBA because he was a “negro”. Boston has been scrutinized throughout the years as being one of the most racist states.

‘Human zoo’

How would you feel if someone threw a bottle at you?

How would you feel if someone threw food at you?

Would you feel like you’re being treated like an animal?

Incidents relating to fan misconduct and mistreatment of the players have cropped up over the years and arguably have become commonplace. Some players don’t even bother addressing these issues and just ignore the fans to avoid conflict.

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving took a stand on the issue, after fans during a playoff game vs the Boston Celtics, ridiculed and even went as far as throwing bottles at the Nets player. This begs the question of whether this is a regular hate issue or a deeper issue of race.

Kyrie Irving referred to the NBA as a ‘Human Zoo’ when discussing the way fans treat players and especially Black NBA players. Dehumanization is a problem athletes across many sports face, involving the disregard of a person's human qualities and in this case looking at someone as less or different due to their race. The nature of sport encourages dehumanization through over competitiveness and leads to some fans forgetting that athletes have feelings and emotions and are humans just like them.

Reports of negative fan altercations in the NBA almost always come from African-American players. As we know from recent history involving slavery, in which African-American's were seen as ‘animals’, it’s not crazy to think that some of this may be embedded in the sporting world today.

‘Shut up and dribble’

Athletes can influence people's views and ideologies. Their inspiring and competitive nature draws us towards them, so much in fact that we may overlook our own original beliefs.

NBA athletes of older generations often avoided speaking out on controversial issues. Michael Jordan is a prime example of this with his infamous quote ‘Republicans buy sneakers too’ when responding to why he did not take political sides during his career - inferring that you could argue Jordan’s income meant more to him than anything.

Today’s players contrast this, frequently using their NBA status as a platform to broadcast both personal and political views. Lebron James is often in the news sharing his political views and did not hold back on his opinions during Donald Trump's time as President.

Laura Ingraham, a Fox News host, did not appreciate James’s comments on the former president. Outraged by what she had heard, Ingraham proceeded to call Lebron’s comments “barely intelligible” and stated he should “shut up and dribble”. Comments such as these seek to disregard an athlete as being a citizen and indirectly propose that an athlete's only role in society is to be a sporting icon.

Sun’s owner

Employees of the Phoenix Suns (Top NBA team), reported use of both racist and sexist language in the establishment by one of the owners, Robert Sarver. He was accused of using the ‘N word’ at least 5 times and was fined 10 million dollars and suspended for 1 year.

Did the NBA go far enough on his punishment? It’s up for debate, however considering Sarver confessed to these comments, you would think the NBA would ban him in order to prevent a reoccurring event. This questions the NBA’s treatment of race and how important it is to the league that racism is not condoned.

Following the suspension, Sarver proceeded to sell the Suns, meaning Sarver’s punishment didn’t affect him at all, in fact he gained from it. Fans and NBA players were outraged by this, and the NBA lost respect and trust in term of their ability to adequately deal with discrimination.

NBA Commissioner’s decision

Adam Silver, the Commissioner of the NBA, ultimately made the final decision regarding Sarver's punishment. Due to reports of concern about his decision, Silver was forced to respond and explain why Sarver’s punishment wasn’t as severe as many thought it should have been.

Silver considered that “many people had positive things to say about him” when deciding his punishment for Sarver. This is almost an attempt to excuse Sarver's actions, again suggesting the NBA’s views on racism as being inadequate compared to other issues surrounding the league.

What's Next?

To avoid ongoing and future acts of racism in the NBA, more needs to be done to heighten the severity of the punishments for racial harassment for fans, players and any NBA employees. If no action is taken, then these events will proceed to occur, and the NBA will lose the fans and players trust because of this.

Do you think the NBA has an underlying race issue?

Do you think the NBA is downplaying acts of race?

N0943272

#sport #nba #racism #discrimination #equality #diversity #sociology

7 notes · View notes

richardleerutgersblog · 1 year

Text

Kanye West: Gifted but Controversial

Kanye West, easily one of the most gifted artists of our generation. He's been relevant for close to a decade now if not longer, and continues to impress the rap scene over and over again. Coming out with new albums and songs, or even simply being able to relive the nostalgia of his older songs, Kanye is a name that simply won't be forgotten. However, unfortunately due to the recent swarm of controversy that Kanye has found himself in, the previous statement is all the more true.

Kanye has always been a controversial figure, being more of a free-willed individual who didn't seem to mind the public opinion on his lyrics. This tendency worsened however, following the recent separation between him and his previous spouse Kim Kardashian. After Pete Davidson started dating Kim Kardashian, Kanye began a virtual barrage of tweets and digs directed towards Pete Davidson got so bad, to the point where apparently, "Pete Davidson is seeking help for online harassment he has received at the hands of Kanye West" (People). Whether it was on instagram, Twitter, you name it, Kanye aired his problems for the entire world to see, letting loose whatever thoughts came to mind. Rather than protecting his image, he doubled down on his actions, and continued to make threatening or hate posts towards Pete, that only caused society to see Kanye at a more personal level. The social media craze however, did not stop there.

Even more recently, it has been stated that "Ye (Kanye) continues to double down on his antisemitic rhetoric" (ADL). For those who don't know, Kanye has recently tweeted out antisemitic comments, once again for the public to see. It's things like this that make you wonder what is going on in his head sometimes, and why you would blatantly do this to your reputation. Kanye West is arguably the best rapper of our generation, so doing this only hurts his brand, his reputation, etc. In fact, Kanye lost his deal with Adidas and his shoe brand "Yeezy", in which "Kanye West has claimed he lost $2bn in one day after Adidas ended the big-money deal with the rapper over his antisemitic comments" (Sky News). So now, this adds a financial effect on him, which takes an even bigger toll on himself. To make matters worse, these are very preventable actions in the first place, but he has yet to apologize for these comments and instead has doubled down on his statement. This would be like if Lebron James just started to make hateful comments out of nowhere, people would wonder why you would do that to yourself (A similar situation actually did happen with NBA point guard Kyrie Irving but we won't get into that...).

However things are not all bad for Kanye, let's talk about some of the positives in his career. For starters, he is a very influential figure in society (which makes his controversies so surprising), as he was able to create such a massive influence in society. Whether it be his major brand Yeezy, his run for presidency, etc. (talked about more in depth in my article here), it is an irrefutable fact that Kanye has had a major influence on society through his music and creativity. In fact, he was quoted to have "sold an estimated 160 million records, among the most ever for a recording artist" (LA times). So, it's honestly such a shame to see Kanye destroy his image on social media, instead of watching what he posts or simply taking himself off of it in general. Kanye West has the perfect resume when it comes to success, and has quite literally dominated the world in multiple industries and ways. However, sometimes I speculate whether it is his open personality and free speech that allows his audience to so greatly connect and follow him. And, sometimes this doesn't seem too farfetched. One of the main problems with celebrities in today's society are that we don't get to see them for who they truly are, which is what has allowed cancel-culture and being "exposed" to take over our society. Social Media has become ruthless, and will pounce on any bad past or controversial statement/action that a celebrity has said or committed. While, there are times where this is very well deserved, I think that it is beginning to get a little out of hand, which causes this widespread fear in celebrities to expose all of themselves to the internet. With Kanye, it's hard to tell whether he deserves his controversy. With things such as his anti semitic comments, he deserves every bit of criticism coming his way, but sometimes when he just acts a little bit out of the ordinary, I don't particularly believe he deserves all of the hate that he gets. And to be quite honest, he simply doesn't care regardless. Kanye will continue to do and say Kanye things, it's just a matter of when, what, and why. Despite this fact however, one thing remains the same: we will still continue to listen to his music.

#kanye #spotify #music #controversy #yeezy #cancel #culture #cancelculture #Kanye West #West #Social media #Records #Rap #Spotify

4 notes · View notes

fromchaostocosmos · 1 year

Text

I just watched the Jon Stewart On Dave Chappelle, Kyrie Irving, And Kanye West from Stephen Colbert's late show.

The first couple of minutes were pretty funny.

But the rest of it I have to say I very much disagree.

He said that he disagreed with suspension Irving, and as to how I understood what he was saying was equating it to censorship. He said that putting adults in "time-outs" for their thoughts doesn't stop the thoughts. Which yes is true and I agree with, but you can't do nothing when express these kinds of ideas.

When people say slurs, call for genocides, and/or say the kind of stuff Irving did you can't do nothing, you can't just let it go without punishment of some kind.

As West he said "hurt people hurt people" a statement I personal find abhorrent. As a survivor of multiple forms of abuse, as someone with lots of trauma and pain I'm hurt and guess what I do my best to not go around inflicting pain on others. An endeavor that I am not alone in as many many hurt people also do their very best to not hurt people.

He also said that we are to quick to call things antisemitism and when we do call people or things antisemitic it just shuts the conversation down. This idea was expressed when talking about Chappelle's SNL monologue. He also said that people who say Chappelle was helping to normalize antisemitism should go read comments on any news article, because antisemitism is already normalized. Jon both missed the point being made about Chappelle's SNL bit as well as exonerated Chappelle of any wrongdoing.

It was very disappointing and upsetting to hear all these things. We all know that people will use Jon Stewart and his words against any of us who take issue with the antisemitism being discussed here because they will say "Jon Stewart said...."

I am also still upset at Jon Stewart for taking back his statement of saying the JKR's Goblins in Harry Potter were antisemitic and that he was just joking when he made that original statement.

#jon stewart #antisemitism #antisemitism denial #my posts

3 notes · View notes

90363462 · 1 year

Text

Charles Barkley Says NBA 'Should Have' Suspended Kyrie Irving After He Promoted Antisemitic Film

Denver Sean

Charles Barkley thinks Kyrie Irving “should have been suspended” after promoting an antisemitic film.

via People:

“I think the NBA dropped the ball,” Barkley, 59, said during Tuesday night’s episode of Inside the NBA.

Barkley said that “the NBA made a mistake” in not suspending Irving, who had already been the subject of controversy for his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and that the league has previously done “the right thing” by suspending players for similar behavior in the past.

Barkley told co-hosts Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Johnson that he thinks NBA commissioner Adam Silver, specifically, “should have suspended him.”

“First of all, Adam is Jewish,” Barkley continued. “You can’t take my $40 million and insult my religion.”

“We have suspended people and fined people who have made homophobic slurs, and that was the right thing to do.”

Barkley said that Irving should have received disciplinary action after acknowledging his public support for a theory from Alex Jones, whom Barkley called “crazy” during Tuesday’s broadcast.

Barkley added that he doesn’t use social media much, but he believes that Irving needs to be more responsible with his platform as an NBA star.

“When you’re somebody as great at basketball like [Irving], people are going to listen to what you say,” said Barkley.

Regardless, Barkley concluded that he blames the NBA in the situation for not stepping in sooner. “It’s too late now,” he said. “This should have been handled already.”

Irving, who claimed at a press conference Saturday that posting a link to the antisemitic film did not mean he was promoting it, was recently met by a group of upset Nets fans sitting courtside at Monday night’s game in Brooklyn, wearing matching “Fight Antisemitism” shirts and yarmulkes.

The group’s public message comes two days after Irving posted a link to the film, Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America on his social media.

According to Rolling Stone, the film is based on a book promoting antisemitic messages, as well as “ideas in line with more extreme factions of the Black Hebrew Israelites” including “misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia, and Islamophobia.”

He’s not exactly wrong.

2 notes · View notes

news4usonline · 3 days

Text

Clips take game 1 against Dallas

LOS ANGELES - Without Kawhi Leonard in Game 1 of their first round NBA playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks , the Los Angeles Clippers played with the energy they needed to jump out to the series lead. The Clippers attacked Dallas from the opening tip and proved they can advance even if their star player does not return. Ivica Zubac bullied the Mavericks down low from the start, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. James Harden was passive early but scored 11 points in four minutes down the stretch, going 3-3 from three-point range, to take a 34-22 lead into the second quarter.

Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac goes up for two of his 20 points against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of a NBA playoff first-round series played at Crypto.com Arena on April 21, 2024. Zubac also added 15 rebounds in the Clippers' 109-97 win. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline Harden finished the game with 28 points and eight assists, and Zubac totaled 20 points and 15 rebounds. Postgame, several Mavericks' players and coaches credited Zubac's physicality as to why the Clippers were so successful. Playoff career-high for Big Zu ? ? 20 PTS | 15 REB pic.twitter.com/XOWEGXOeFX— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 22, 2024 "(Harden) understands that he doesn't have to do a lot of heavy lifting when Kawhi and PG are both on the floor, but when one of those guys is out, he has to step up and be aggressive scoring the basketball. That is what he has been doing for us as of late. I thought he really set the tone early, him and Zu, and then it kind of opened everything else up for us," said Tyronn Lue. The Clippers won this game in the second quarter with their defense, holding the Mavericks to eight points. To put things into context, Dallas was the seventh-best team in the NBA scoring basketball this season, averaging just under 118 points per game. They also have the league's leading scorer, Luka Doncic, who is averaging 34 points per game this year. Holding them to eight points is nothing short of spectacular. "I thought we did a great job in that second quarter of keeping them to 22 points, but we just couldn't throw it in the ocean. We missed layups, free throws, and wide-open shots," said head coach Jason Kidd. "Ready to get ready for Game 2" -James Harden pic.twitter.com/wk1HT2XchF— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 21, 2024 The defensive game plan is clear. Defend Luka well enough to make him take difficult shots while not allowing him to be the playmaker he is capable of being. LA held the MVP finalist to six assists, his fewest in eight games. Doncic was second among all players in that category this year. The Clippers changed their look and used different primary defenders on Doncic, including Terance Mann, Amir Coffey, and Russell Westbrook at times. They also attacked him continuously when they were on offense to wear him down.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) scored 13 points in the team's 109-97 Game 1 NBA playoff win against the Dallas Mavericks on April 21, 2024. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline Doncic and Kyrie Irving both scored over 30 points in the loss, but no one else was able to get going. Dallas was held to a season-low 14 assists as a team, something they must address before game two. "It is a war out there in the playoffs, metaphorically speaking, of course. We have to enjoy it and have fun, but at the same time, bring it to these guys. We are going against some Hall of Famers, so they are not going to make it easy," said Irving. "We just have to pay attention to what we can control." There is little doubt the Mavericks will bounce back from the disappointing showing. This team has too much talent and finished the regular season on a roll. Adjustments will be made, and game two is a fresh set of 48 minutes. The Clippers' biggest concerns coming into the series were Kawhi Leonard's availability and containing Luka Doncic. Leonard sat out while Doncic scored 33 points, yet LA got the win relatively easily. Read the full article

#Clippers #DallasMavericks #JamesHarden #KawhiLeonard #KyrieIrving #LukaDoncic

0 notes

smokeybrandreviews · 4 months

Text

NBA Rant: Delusions of Grandeur

Respectfully, f*ck Steven A. Smith for dismissing Kobe Bryant. Bean doesn’t deserve to be in the GOAT conversation? Are you f*cking kidding me? Are we talking the Kobe who dropped eighty-one of Jalen Rose and the Toronto Raptors? Are we talking the Kobe who lead his team to three consecutive Finals and two titles, with only Pau Gasol as the lone Superstar caliber talent by his side? Are we talking about arguably the keenest, sharpest, most brilliant basketball mind to ever step foot on a court? Look, I understand that Stephen A., and his industry as a whole, are out here feeding the trolls and stirring the pot for a living, but, my dude, stop. Just, stop. Dismissing Kobe Bryant from the GOAT conversation is just stupid, especially when you take into account that, long before LeBron entered the league, the GOAT conversation was between Kobe and Jordan almost exclusively. Kobe is, and always has been, the Air Apparent and for good reason. Gilbert Arenas made a great f*cking point. Cats always throw LeBron in there at number two because of his insane stats but Players don’t go by that. They go off of what you can do, with what you have. Every great on the list has a god given advantage. Jo0rdan had a forty inch vertical and gigantic hands. Shaq is just a whole ass tank. Bron is an athletic freak of nature. Magic is a 6’9” Point God with unlimited court vision. Kobe had none of that. What Kobe had was straight up tenacity. He was driven. He had work ethic. He had Mamba Mentality. If we're really going to sit here and asterisk Kobe’s first three titles because he played with Shaq, then we have to do the same for ALL of Bron’s titles, right? If we’re being fair. Bron won his first two on those Heatles squads alongside a revolving door of Hall of Fame talent but, more specifically, he ran the court with a prime Chris Bosh and just-outside-his-prime Dwayne Wade. The next two came after teaming up with Kobe’s number one Apostle and heir apparent, Kyrie Irving, and a Kevin Love who was putting up Double-Doubles like they were an afterthought on a middling Minnesota team for years. Even that Bubble Title can be written off because it was won in the goddamn Bubble! To take it a step further, I would even say, with my whole chest, the path to all of Kobe’s titles was far more difficult, considering he played during the era of the Super West. However, there is one, single, aspect, which puts Kobe over Bron and that’s the fact LeBron makes his teammates worse.

Kobe played alongside Shaq. Doing so freed Shaq up to become the Diesel. HE was able to find his most dominate self with Kobe. Pau Gasol found his most efficient self, playing alongside Bean. Metta World Peace won a whole ass title, tagging along with Bryant. We saw how ineffective Derek Fisher was when he left LA for Utah. Guess who didn’t play in Utah? The list goes on and on. Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, Rick Fox, Nikola Vucevic, Luke Walton; Tons of players came through LA and found a place alongside Kobe to brilliant effect. One could make the argument that the Triangle had way more to do with that than Kobe, but I’ll raise you USA Basketball. After that Bron led team brought home Bronze, who did Coach K go and get? Kobe Bean Bryant. And what happened? The Redeem Team was born. Ask anyone on that team who the most important piece was, and they’ll tell you it was Kobe. On a team full of talent, stacked with first ballot Hall of Famers, including LeBron James, it was Kobe Bryant who turned the tide. His ethic, his mentality, changed the entire dynamic of that team. He made those guys better. Imagine how dynamic of a presence you have to have, in order to make guys like James, Anthony, Wade, Williams, Kidd, Irving, and Bosh, better. These cats are already giants in the league, superstars unto themselves, but Kobe’s leadership and work ethnic naturally made them better. His presence pushed those guys to an entirely different level, lessons they carried forth into the rest of their careers. LeBron James directly benefited from playing alongside Kobe Bryant. No one can say that about LeBron James. Quite the contrary, actually. Every talent peer LeBron has played with, outside of Kyrie Irving (probably because he had that Kobe in him), has had their game severely hampered. In order to win with LeBron, you have to defer to LeBron. If you don’t, you’re either shipped out or your game suffer severely. I mentioned the double-double Machine Kevin Love was right before he got traded to Cleveland? Yeah, alongside LeBron, he was a spot-up shooter. Love is a Power Forward by nature but couldn’t bang down low like he’s used to because that’s the space Bron works. King James can’t shoot like Kobe so he drives a lot. You can’t drive when you have a body in the key, eating up rebounds. Wade had to become a facilitator TO LeBron in order to make the Heatles work and Bosh contributed less to those runs than Ray Allen. Dude was THE Raptor after Vince left. On the Heatles, he was kind of just a body. I’m watching it happen to Anthony Davis as we speak, which is absolutely devastating because he’s my favorite active player. Cats talked about AD being the best PF to ever play the game, strictly based on his potential. Now, the chorus of NBA talking heads are out here chanting about his fall. Why? Because LeBron exists. LeBron James is just Russell Westbrook with better PR. They have the exact same issues which hinder teams. The only difference is that LeBron has been the face of the NBA since he was a teenager and Russ drove KD out of OKC. LeBron makes his teammates worse just by the nature of how he plays. Kobe made them better with how he prepares and leads. The former facilitates egregious stats and superficial arguments of greatness. People who don’t understand the mettle of a champion will point to those longevity achievements in Bron’s body of work as proof he’s the best. Those who know basketball, who have played the game and understand the intangibles, will point to Bryant as their GOAT because of his impact on the game, overall. Statistically, LeBron is superior to Bryant in almost every way, outside of tiles. Ask this next generation of players who their GOAT is, and they don’t say LeBron, they say Kobe. Because the Mamba is one of, if not THE best, to play this game.

For me, as a fan, both Bryant and Bron are on my Rushmore. In order, I have Jordan first, Magic second (Magic Johnson is my all-time favorite NBA player), Kobe and Bron in a A-B situation. That’s my personal ranking, mostly because I watched Kobe play. I watched Kobe win. I am familiar with his work and how he got to that point. Listening to that man talk about the game, the way he saw basketball, is absolutely fascinating. His show, Detail, is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. You don’t get that same energy from Bron. He doesn’t have that tenacity or understanding. Few do. Mike did. Magic did. Bron doesn’t. If he did, his teams would be better in execution than all of the other cats I mentioned on this list, but they’re not. Only on paper. As a student of the game, that order shifts dramatically. I’d put Mike, first, then LeBron, Cap, and Magic. The difference? Kobe isn’t a freak of nature by any means. He is the median Shooting Guard, the generalization for that position. Mike is Mike. LeBron is LeBron. Cap developed the Skyhook and played into his eighties. Magic is THE best Point God to ever play the game of basketball. These four gentlemen are the archetypes for the BEST version of those positions, all-time. Everything Kobe had, he earned. He learned. Practice, preparation, attention to detail. Kobe is no one’s holotype for the Two, and yet, he is, arguably, the best to ever play that position. Arguably because I’d still put Jordan over him, personally, but I wouldn’t fight you if you slid Bean in that top spot.

#NBA Rant #some ol' bullsh*t #Kobe Bryant #Black Mamba #Mamba Mentality #LeBron James

0 notes

smokeybrand · 4 months

Text

NBA Rant: Delusions of Grandeur

For me, as a fan, Bryant both Bryant and Bron are on my Rushmore. In order, I have Jordan first, Magic second (Magic Johnson is my all-time favorite NBA player), Kobe and Bron in a 1A-1B situation. That’s my personal ranking, mostly because I watched Kobe play. I watched Kobe win. I am familiar with his work and how he got to that point. Listening to that man talk about the game, the way he saw basketball, is absolutely fascinating. His show, Detail, is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. You don’t get that same energy from Bron. He doesn’t have that tenacity or understanding. Few do. Mike did. Magic did. Bron doesn’t. If he did, his teams would be better in execution than all of the other cats I mentioned on this list, but they’re not. Only on paper. As a student of the game, that order shifts dramatically. I’d put Mike, first, then LeBron, Cap, and Magic. The difference? Kobe isn’t a freak of nature by any means. He is the median Shooting Guard, the generalization for that position. Mike is Mike. LeBron is LeBron. Cap developed the Skyhook and played into his eighties. Magic is THE best Point God to ever play the game of basketball. These four gentlemen are the archetypes for the BEST version of those positions, all-time. Everything Kobe had, he earned. He learned. Practice, preparation, attention to detail. Kobe is no one’s holotype for the Two, and yet, he is, arguably, the best to ever play that position. Arguably because I’d still put Jordan over him, personally, but I wouldn’t fight you if you slid Bean in that top spot.

0 notes

nbatrades · 3 years

Text

Atlanta Hawks Land Delon Wright in Three-Team Deal with Boston Celtics and Sacramento Kings

On August 7th, 2021, as part of a three-team trade, the Sacramento Kings traded guard Delon Wright to the Atlanta Hawks; the Hawks traded guard Kris Dunn, center Bruno Fernando and a 2023 second round draft pick (Julian Phillips) to the Boston Celtics; and the Celtics traded center-forward Tristan Thompson to the Kings. Boston also received a trade exception.

After nine years and a championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise, former lottery pick Tristan Thompson hit free agency. He joined the Boston Celtics on a two-year, $19 million deal for the full midlevel exception.

After losing Gordon Hayward in free agency, there were questions about how Boston would look after a Conference Finals appearance in the NBA Bubble in 2020.

All of this happened in an abbreviated period where the NBA season ended in the Bubble in August. Free agency and the draft happened in November and a truncated 72-game season started in late December.

Boston got off to a solid 8-3 start during the 2020-21 season but amid the weird season, Boston was consistently inconsistent. The team hovered around .500 for much of the season.

With the team at 21-23 at the March trade deadline, Boston tried to add a spark to the roster, dealing for Orlando Magic guard Evan Fournier while trading away center Daniel Theis to the Chicago Bulls in a separate trade. Fournier missed time after the trade because he contracted the COVID-19 virus.

With the team at 34-31, it lost star Jaylen Brown for the rest of the season to a torn ligament in his left wrist. Boston went 2-5 over the final seven games to finish 36-36.

Much like the Celtics, Thompson's role was also inconsistent. He began the season as a starter in a double big lineup with Theis, but came off the bench at times too. Thompson missed 13 consecutive games due to health and safety protocols which were connected to the COVID-19 virus.

Overall, Thompson appeared in 54 games (43 starts) and amassed 7.6 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 1.2 APG and 0.6 BPG in 23.8 MPG. Boston had the seventh best record in the East and qualified for the play-in tournament. As seventh seed, the Celtics had to win just one game to take the seventh spot. Boston faced the Washington Wizards in the play-in. Tatum had 50 points and Kemba Walker added 29 in an easy 118-100 Boston win. Thompson chipped in 12 points and 12 rebounds in the game.

After defeating Washington, Boston entered a playoff matchup with the second seed Brooklyn Nets and its vaunted trio of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. The Celtics meanwhile were relying on Tatum with Brown absent.

In the series opener, Durant had 32 points and 12 rebounds, and Irving put up 29 points as Brooklyn outscored Boston 57-40 in the second half to win 104-93. The second game was a laugher as Brooklyn led by as much as 33 points in a 130-108 rout.

Tatum was dominant in the third game, scoring 50 points in Boston. Marcus Smart added 23 points as the Celtics held on for a 125-119 victory. However, Boston would lose key players Walker and Robert Williams for the rest of the series to a left knee bone bruise and ankle injury respectively. Added to Brown who was out for the rest of the season, Boston was severely shorthanded.

Tatum (40 points) was great once again in Game Four, but Brooklyn's trio of Durant, Irving and Harden combined for 104 points as the Nets comfortably won 141-126. Brooklyn led for much of the fifth game, and never relinquished the lead in the second half, winning 123-108 and eliminating Boston.

Thompson was productive in the first round loss, managing 10.4 PPG on 58.8% shooting, 9.8 RPG and 1.2 BPG in 26.4 MPG. This included a 19-point, 13-rebound performance in Boston's lone win in Game Three.

youtube

After Boston's early exit, it was back to the drawing board. Thompson was a casualty as Boston looked to create wiggle room below the luxury tax by dealing Thompson's contract after just one season with the team.

Delon Wright is a master of none, but solid at several categories. That very fact is the reason that Wright has played for several teams over a relatively short period of time.

During his sixth year in the NBA, Wright was traded at midseason by the Detroit Pistons to the Sacramento Kings for Cory Joseph and two second round picks. It marked the third time Wright was traded in less than two years.

Wright joined the Kings and was a quality third guard capable of manning both backcourt positions behind starters De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton. The guard appeared in 27 games (eight starts) with the Kings, putting up 10.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 3.6 APG and 1.6 SPG in 25.8 MPG. Wright started the final eight games of the season, averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 6.1 APG and 2.4 SPG in 34.1 MPG.

When Sacramento acquired Wright, the team was in 10th place in the West and had a chance at qualifying for the play-in tournament. After a five-game winning streak placed the Kings at 22-25, the team had a nine-game losing streak that dropped it to 12th place. The stretch killed Sacramento's hopes at the play-in and the Kings finished outside of the playoff picture with a 31-41 record.

After drafting guard Davion Mitchell in the first round of the 2021 draft, the Kings created a logjam in the backcourt. The team wouldn't necessarily need Wright and could focus on improving a weak rebounding roster.

Bruno Fernando joined the Atlanta Hawks after he was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers 34th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft from the University of Maryland and was traded for the 57th pick in 2019 Jordan Bone and two additional second rounders in 2020 and 2023.

Fernando joined the Hawks Summer League team in 2019 and struggled in three games, compiling 4.3 PPG on 31.3% shooting and 3.7 RPG in 26.8 MPG.

The Hawks began the 2019-20 season 2-0 and that would be the team's high water mark. Atlanta went 2-16 over the next 18 games to quickly fall out of the playoff picture. With the team a miserable 8-32 over the first 40 games, Atlanta began to play better. Youthful pieces such as Trae Young, John Collins, Kevin Huerter and rookie Cam Reddish played better and the Hawks went 12-15 over the next 27 games to reach 20-47.

However, the NBA season shut down in March of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the NBA season returned with a Bubble format in August, the Hawks did not qualify ending their season. In his rookie year, Fernando played in 56 games (13 starts) and registered 4.3 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 0.9 APG in 12.7 MPG.

In the 2020 offseason, the Hawks signed guard Kris Dunn to a two-year, $10 million deal. Dunn was expected to be a backup point guard with the ability to slide over to the two because of his defensive ability.

Atlanta began the 2020-21 season 4-1, but struggled, falling to 14-20. At that point, Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce was fired and replaced by assistant coach Nate McMillan on an interim basis.

Soon after the coaching change, Atlanta became one of the better teams in the NBA, going on a 27-11 run. The Hawks rose to fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 41-31 record during the '20-'21 season.

Dunn missed most of the season due to arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle and what he defined as a see-saw issue between his ankle and right knee. He returned late in the year without a defined place in the rotation and played in four games, managing 1.3 PPG, 1.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.5 SPG and 0.5 BPG in 11.3 MPG. Fernando appeared in 33 games during his sophomore season, posting 1.5 PPG and 2.4 RPG in 6.8 MPG.

Atlanta matched up with the New York Knicks in the first round of the playoffs. Atlanta took the first game 107-105 after Trae Young made a clutch shot with less than a second remaining. New York evened the series with a 101-92 win.

The Hawks took the third and fourth games at home by double digits and closed out the series in New York with a 103-89 victory.

After the first round win, the Hawks faced** **the first seed Philadelphia 76ers in the East Semifinals. In the first game, Atlanta stole homecourt with a 128-124 road win. The Sixers responded by winning the next two games by 16 points each to take a 2-1 series advantage.

In the fourth game, Atlanta won 103-100 to tie the series 2-2. The Hawks took Game Five 109-106 on the road with Young contributing 39 points. In Game Six, Seth Curry and Tobias Harris combined for 48 points to help the Sixers win 104-99.

Hawks guard Kevin Huerter put up 27 points in Game Seven and Atlanta pulled away late to win 103-96 and win the series 4-3.

In the Conference Finals, Young had 48 points and 11 assists to help Atlanta take the first game 116-113. The Bucks won Games Two and Three by double digits. In the third game, Young suffered a bone bruise in his right foot after stepping on the foot of a referee.

Even with Young out, Atlanta won Game Four 110-88. Bucks All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a serious knee injury in the contest that would keep him out for the rest of the series. The Bucks won Game Five 123-112 and Game Six 118-107 despite Young returning in that contest. Milwaukee won the series 4-2.

During the postseason, Fernando played just 11 minutes and 40 seconds, scoring six points. Dunn appeared in five playoff games, averaging 1.2 PPG in 6.6 MPG.

After the trade, Dunn was shipped with Carsen Edwards and the right to swap 2026 second round picks to the Memphis Grizzlies for Juancho Hernangómez in September.

Fernando stayed on the Celtics roster. First, the big man joined Boston for Summer League where he put up 9.3 PPG on 75% from the field and 5.3 RPG in four contests.

He played in 20 games with Boston, amassing 1.0 PPG and 0.8 RPG in 2.9 MPG. He also played four games with Boston's G-League team, the Maine Celtics, averaging 13.8 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 4.0 APG in 23.3 MPG.

At the trade deadline, Fernando was traded with Enes Freedom and Dennis Schroder to the Houston Rockets for Daniel Theis.

The second round pick Atlanta sent to the Celtics was originally owned by the Portland Trail Blazers. The pick had been exchanged over a series of trades before Boston selected University of Tennessee forward Julian Phillips with the 35th pick of the draft.

After selecting Phillips, the Celtics moved him in a draft night deal to the Washington Wizards in a three-team deal that involved the Memphis Grizzlies and was centered around Kristaps Porzingis. Five days after, the Wizards sent Phillips' draft rights to the Chicago Bulls for two second round picks.

Delon Wright joined the Hawks as a backup guard to Trae Young. Atlanta had expectations to be one of the top teams in the East after its Eastern Conference Finals appearance the previous season. The Hawks began the year 4-3 but endured through bouts of inconsistent play.

Atlanta dropped six games in a row to fall to 4-9 before a seven-game winning streak brought the club to 11-9. Then a 6-16 stretch made the Hawks just 17-25 and in 12th place. Atlanta quickly got back into the playoff picture with a seven-game winning streak.

Over the final 40 games, the Hawks went 26-14 to finish the regular season at 43-39. The record placed the team ninth in the East, qualifying for the play-in game.

In his seventh NBA season, Wright appeared in 77 games (eight starts) and managed 4.4 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.4 APG and 1.2 SPG in 18.9 MPG. Wright lost his spot in the rotation at times as coach Nate McMillan opted to go with veteran scorer Lou Williams who provided more offensive pop than the defensively-inclined Wright.

The guard wasn't aggressive on the offensive end, attempting the least amount of shots per 36 minutes in his career (6.7 FGA per 36 mins). But Wright's defensive impact was significant. Atlanta allowed just 108.8 points per 100 possessions when Wright was on the floor, the lowest figure of any Hawks rotation player per NBA Stats. Wright also had the highest steal rate on the team (3.1%) according to Basketball Reference.

As the ninth seed, the Hawks had to win two play-in games to qualify for the playoffs. In the first game, Atlanta hosted the 10th seed Charlotte Hornets. Young had 24 points and 11 assists as Atlanta cruised to an easy 132-103 rout. The Hawks advanced to the second play-in matchup where they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers for the eighth spot.

Cleveland jumped out to an early 14-point lead mainly thanks to six threes in the first quarter. However, Young was able to dominate on offense. The diminutive guard had 38 points and nine assists as Atlanta outscored Cleveland 56-40 in the second half to win 107-101.

The win put the Hawks in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. As the eighth seed, Atlanta faced the first seed Miami Heat.

In the first game of the first round matchup, Miami led by 20 points in the first half and never looked back in a 115-91 rout. The second game saw Miami build another double digit lead. However, the Hawks battled back and cut the deficit to three points on two occasions late in the fourth quarter.

Jimmy Butler (45 points) scored seven points unanswered to help the Heat pull away late and win 115-105. In Atlanta, the Hawks took a double digit lead in the first half of Game Three. Miami looked to take full control of the series after a 21-0 run in the third quarter gave them an 84-68 advantage. Atlanta fought back and made the game close.

After a P.J. Tucker three-pointer with 54 seconds left gave Miami a 110-109 lead, Trae Young made a shot with five seconds left to give the Hawks a 111-110 lead. Butler missed a three at the buzzer, giving the Hawks the win.

The Heat took a 3-1 series lead after Butler led all players with 36 points and Miami won 110-86. In Game Five, the Heat looked ready to close the series out, pulling ahead 67-52 in the third quarter. The Hawks made the game close, getting within three points with 56 seconds left.

With chances to tie, Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari missed a jumper with eight seconds left and the Hawks were unable to get a shot off after securing an offensive rebound. Miami won the game 97-94 and eliminated the Hawks.

Wright's defense and penchant for knocking down shots at an efficient rate gave him a boost in playing time during the first round. The guard played in all five games, producing 8.2 PPG on 51.7% shooting from the field, 4.8 RPG and 2.8 SPG in 27.4 MPG. Also, the team performed best with him on the floor. In the 137 minutes Wright played in the series, the Hawks outscored Miami by 7.9 points per 100 possessions according to NBA Stats, the best rate of any player in the Atlanta rotation.

Wright became a free agent after the season and signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Washington Wizards.

Tristan Thompson joined the Kings as a veteran sage for a young roster in need of rebounding and physicality in the paint. Thompson was primarily a reserve.

The Kings began the 2021-22 season at 5-4 before dropping eight of the team's next nine games. In that stretch, head coach Luke Walton was fired and replaced by assistant Alvin Gentry. During those crucial times, Thompson made headlines before Walton's departure about how he doesn't need a coach to inspire him.

“No man in this world should rely on another man to inspire him. Point-blank, you can put that in all capitals. Me personally, no one should ever need a coach to inspire you. If you don’t get inspired in the game, then you shouldn’t be on the court.”

The big man played in 30 games (three starts) and compiled 6.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG and 0.6 APG in 15.2 MPG before he was included in a six-player trade that saw Tyrese Haliburton go from Sacramento to the Indiana Pacers for center Domantas Sabonis.

Tristan Thompson on his excitement with joining a young Sacramento Kings roster (via The Sacramento Bee):

"I'm excited to be here. This team has a lot of very talented young players and I've been on the other side when me, Kyrie [Irving] and Dion [Waiters] were in Cleveland and LeBron [James] came back. LeBron brought the energy and kind of brought that hard-work mentality each and every day, and I think it's only right to take what I've learned from him and pass it on to the younger generation and our stars that are coming in this league.

"That's how you keep this league growing and that's how you keep the talent at a high level. Vets that learn great things from others and don't want to pass it on, you're doing a disservice to our league. It's a brotherhood and a fraternity, so it's my job to pay it forward and then when D. Fox and Tyrese and Davion get to my age, they pass it on to the next (generation) and that’s how you keep the league at a high level."

On what he brings to the table for Sacramento:

"I'm just going to come in and do whatever it takes to win. I think everyone knows what my strengths are and what I can bring to the table and how I can impact and change a game. What I've done in my career is impact winning basketball, so I think everyone knows that."

On how he asked former King and fellow Canadian Cory Joseph about Sacramento after the trade:

"As soon as the trade happened, I called Cory. He told me the staff here is great and the fellas that are here, they want to learn, they're great listeners. And Cory's been at a high level in his playing career, winning a championship and being on multiple playoff teams and being competitive.

"He said, 'Double T, just be yourself and go in there and teach the young fellas. Go in there and be yourself,' and that’s just working hard every day, punching the clock, putting my hard hat on, and leading by example, but also with your voice and knowledge."

Atlanta Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk on acquiring Delon Wright (via Hawks.com):

"One of our priorities entering the offseason was to solidify the backup point guard spot. Delon is a consistent two-way guard who has been a part of several successful teams. We think he’s a great fit here. I'd also like to thank Bruno and Kris for their contributions to the Hawks, and I want to wish them well as they continue their careers."

Image Credit:

Delon Wright: Getty Images/Maddie Malhotra

Tristan Thompson: Getty Images/Lachlan Cunningham

Bruno Fernando: Getty Images/David Dow

#Delon Wright #Tristan Thompson #bruno fernando #Kris Dunn #Hawks #Kings #Celtics #Julian Phillips #2021*22 Season #2021

0 notes

newsworld-nw · 6 months

Text

How did Victor Wembanyama play in his NBA debut? The Spurs rookie overcame foul trouble to shine in a loss to the Mavericks

On Wednesday, all eyes were on Frost Financial Institution Middle for the beginning of the Victor Wembanyama period in San Antonio. The 19-year-old's NBA debut was crammed with ups and downs. As at all times, there's more to the story than the numbers. And whereas Wembanyama's stat line won't essentially soar off the web page, it is worth taking a deeper dive into his efficiency.

How did Victor Wembanyama play in his NBA debut?

It did not take long for Wembanyama to make his presence felt on this one. In what may turn into a nightly affair, Wembanyama received the opening tip for San Antonio, who rapidly acquired the board first. On his first professional defensive possession, Wembanyama recorded his first professional layup, blocking Kyrie Irving's mid-range shot try. Wemby kicks issues off with the primary rejection in San Antonio 😤 Watch his NBA debut reside on ESPN #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/hs08jf333u — NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023 Wembanyama was sharp early on, discovering Jack Collins and choosing up help. A number of possessions later, Wembaniama wasn't shy in any respect, arising quick on a pull-up 3, his first shot try of the night. As snug as he was on the primary try, it meant that Wembaniama's first NBA level got here from past the arc as he drained a 26-footer with help from Devin Vassell. Wemby from deep for his first NBA bucket ‼️#KiaTipOff23 | Stay on ESPN pic.twitter.com/9ZgyoRdSC4 — NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023 With less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Wembanyama hit a second 3-pointer. 68 seconds later, he picked up his second foul of the night. MORE: What are affordable expectations for Victor Wembanyama in his first 12 months? After picking up his third and fourth fouls early within the second half, Wembanyama was compelled to sit down out the ultimate 8:37 of the fourth quarter. He returned to begin the fourth, returning to the bench 26 seconds into the body after choosing up his fifth foul. Wembanyama will sit for one more 4 minutes before returning to the sport. Because, it seems, the final seven minutes of the sport were all that the No. 1 seed wanted for promotion. After placing his wingspan on display with a formidable alley-oop end, Wembanyama reached double figures with a face-up 3-pointer, a reminder that his mixture of dimension and ability is something however pure. 5 fast factors from Wemby minimize Dallas to 2 📺: Spurs-Mavs ESPN Stay | #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/p4CMd7si32 — NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023 Two possessions later, Wembanyama led the Spurs by way of contact and introduced his whole team to fifteen factors at night. After scoring six factors within the first three quarters, Wembanyama wanted less than three minutes to play so as to add nine to his tally. MORE: LaMarcus Aldridge explains Wembaniama's blueprint for achievement

Takeaways from Victor Wembanyama's debut

Total, the most important takeaway from Wembanyama's debut is that regardless of the foul bother, he is an expert who may nonetheless discover methods to impression a recreation. It was a perimeter-heavy display for the rookie, who went 3-of-5 from past the arc and 3-of-4 from 2-point range. It might appear unusual; however, Wembanyama has an enclosure-based recreation. Defensively, the impression is there, so long as he can keep away from fouling. It was no secret that Wembanyama had all of the instruments; however, he also had the IQ to make a far better impression defensively than a typical standout rookie. Wembaniyama has been known as a unicorn and an alien; however, his NBA debut is a reminder that he's certainly human. A teen then. A number of the nerves concerned about enjoying such an event undoubtedly had a hand in his foul trouble and rookie errors on the play. He did not break the file; however, Wembaniama's first recreation marked the start of something particular in San Antonio and the NBA. His late arrival is the most important reminder that he will likely be okay; it doesn't matter what adversity comes his way. #Victor #Wembanyama #play #NBA #debut #Spurs #rookie #overcame #foul #bother #shine #loss #Mavericks Read the full article

0 notes

nba-updates-ph · 7 months

Text

In a blockbuster deal, the Lakers trade for the Knicks' Julius Randle

The last few years of the Los Angeles Lakers' past have been very interesting. Few NBA teams have changed as much as this one has. Even if a team is rebuilding, they might think about selling their young core for a superstar. So, they think LeBron James will only sign with them if they're still trying to get better.

The Lakers lost because of this. Put it down to the Lakers being different. This is one of the league's best names and biggest markets. Most of the time, a good player will want to play for the Lakers. James was a big name. After he signed with them, it was clear that they should trade their young core for Anthony Davis.

Still, the Lakers traded away a lot of guys who went on to have great careers. Since leaving L.A., Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Larry Nance Jr., and Josh Hart have all been great. Julius Randle of the New York Knicks has also been great. Could he one day play for the Lakers again?

The Trade Proposal

New York Knicks Receive: G D'Angelo Russell, F Rui Hachimura, G Jalen Hood-Schifino, C Jaxson Hayes, 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL)

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F C Isaiah Hartenstein and Julius Randle

The Knicks' recent past has been very different. In some ways, the Knicks have been known for what they didn't do, while the Lakers have been known for what they did. This team almost did things, but they have yet to go through with them.

Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were meant to play for New York. In the end, the two stars turned down the Knicks and joined the Brooklyn Nets, a city foe of the Knicks. The Knicks were then expected to trade for Donovan Mitchell. The Cleveland Cavaliers were faster and caught up to them. How has everything gone for New York?

Rather well. Last season, the Knicks made it to the second round of the playoffs. This team has kept up with the competition and kept all of its properties. Should Randle be moved now?

Why The New York Knicks Do The Deal

Some new rumors have given rise to this idea. Randle has just switched from CAA to WME sports. Why does it matter that he changed sides? Well, CAA is very close to Leon Rose, the president of the Knicks.

Does that mean that Randle is going to leave New York? In no way. Still, it gives people a chance to guess. Also, this is not the first time we've talked about how the Knicks might trade Randle. As brilliant as he is, he is very hard to predict—Randle's production changes from one game to the next and from one season to the next. Here, the Knicks have decided that enough is enough.

In the process, they might go backward. Still, they would be getting more money. This first-round pick is very important because it is far away, and the Lakers are getting older. When you add in interesting young players like Hachimura and Hayes, the Knicks might decide to move on from their star forward. Should the Lakers take on a guy with so many ups and downs?

Why The Los Angeles Lakers Do The Deal

Randle may not always be the same. That could be a result of him having too much on his plate. He was the first choice in New York, and Randle might not be the right person for that job. On the other hand, he would be one of the best third-string players in the NBA. That would be his job for the Lakers.

Randle, on the other hand, could be a better defense. In Los Angeles, that wouldn't be a big deal. Anthony Davis is one of the best players at the back of the defense in the league. He could make up for Randle's weaknesses on that end of the court. Randle would make the Lakers much more exciting to watch on offense.

He would have such an effect that they wouldn't miss Russell all that much. Randle is also a player like that. Lastly, he would take Hachimura's place in the starting group. Overall, this trade should help the Lakers become a better team. It could help them win the Larry O'Brien Trophy for the second time in recent history.

#Trade #Julius Randle #Lakers

1 note · View note

sportyconnect · 9 months

Text

Introduction The Boston Celtics defeated the Golden State Warriors 103-90 in tonight's NBA sport. The Celtics had been led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 factors. Jaylen Brown added 26 elements, and Marcus Good had 12 and 12 assists. The Warriors had been taught by Stephen Curry, who scored 30 factors. Klay Thompson added 21 pieces, and Draymond Inexperienced had 12 rebounds and eight assists. The Recreation The Celtics jumped out to an early lead and by no means regarded again. They led by as many as 20 factors within the first half and by no means allowed the Warriors to get nearer than ten factors within the second half. The Celtics shot 50% from the sphere; they usually held the Warriors to 40% taking pictures. The Celtics additionally received the rebounding battle 45-38. The Celtics' Street to the Finals The Celtics had a troublesome highway to the Finals. They needed to beat the Brooklyn Nets, Milwaukee Bucks, and Miami Warmth to get there. The Nets had been the seventh seed. However, they'd Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. The Bucks had been the defending champions; they usually had Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Warmth had been the primary seed within the Japanese Convention, with Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. The Warriors' Street to the Finals The Warriors had a lot simpler highway to the Finals. They needed to beat the Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Dallas Mavericks. The Nuggets had been the sixth seed, usually without Jamal Murray. The Grizzlies had been the second seed. However, they had been without Ja Morant. The Mavericks had been the quantity three seed; they usually had been without Luka Doncic for 2 video games. The Future The Celtics, at the moment, are the NBA champions. They have a younger crew that's getting begun. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are each All-Stars, and Marcus Good is, without a doubt, one of the greatest defensive gamers in the league. The Warriors are, nonetheless, crew. However, they're getting older. Stephen Curry is 34 years outdated, and Klay Thompson is 32 years outdated. The Warriors might want to discover some youthful gamers to assist them in competing for championships sooner or later. Conclusion The Celtics are the NBA champions. They received tonight's sport with a rating of 103-90. The Celtics had been led by Jayson Tatum, who scored 34 factors. Jaylen Brown added 26 elements, and Marcus Good had 12 features and 12 assists. The Warriors had been led by Stephen Curry, who scored 30 factors. Klay Thompson added 21 pieces, and Draymond Inexperienced had 12 rebounds and eight assists. The Celtics shot 50% from the sphere; they usually held the Warriors to 40% taking pictures. The Celtics additionally received the rebounding battle 45-38. FAQs Who had been the highest scorers in tonight's sport? Jayson Tatum of the Celtics scored in tonight's sport with 34 factors. Jaylen Brown of the Celtics and Stephen Curry of the Warriors scored 26 factors. Who had been the highest rebounders in tonight's sport? Robert Williams III of the Celtics had 12 rebounds in tonight's sport. Draymond, Inexperienced with the Warriors, had 12 rebounds. Who had been the highest help leaders in tonight's sport? Marcus Good of the Celtics had 12 assists in tonight's sport. Draymond, Inexperienced of the Warriors, had eight assists. Who was the participant in the sport? Jayson Tatum of the Celtics was named the participant of the sport. He scored 34 factors, grabbed eight rebounds, and had five assists. What are the Celtics' possibilities of repeating as champions in subsequent yr? The Celtics have a probability of repeating as champions in subsequent yr. They have a younger, proficient crew that's getting begun. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are each All-Stars, and Marcus Good is, without a doubt, one of the greatest defensive gamers in the league. #SportyConnect

0 notes

nbalovers · 10 months

Link

Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban Strongly Defends Kyrie Irving: ‘He’s Misunderstood’ There was certainly no shortage of cri... #usa #uk

0 notes

candletocandle · 1 year

Text

From a Certain Point of View

Opening Scripture:

Zechariah 13:6 - And one will say to him, ‘What are these wounds between your arms?’ Then he will answer, ‘Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.’

Introduction: Kyrie Irving, Politics, and Star Wars

Kyrie Irving’s trade from Brooklyn Nets to Dallas Mavericks

How people see performance of past presidents

Luke Skywalker confronts Obi Wan Kenobi about his father’s true identity

Two parables

Parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32)

Summary of the parable of talents

Interestingly, similar parable told in Luke 19:21-27 with minas instead of talents

1 mina = 1.25 pounds in weight = 100 denarii = 4 month’s of wages for a worker in the time of Jesus (assuming a 6-day work week)

1 talent = 75 pounds = 60 minas = 20 years of wages in the time of Jesus (assuming a 6-day work week)

Master gives talents to his servants to do business for him while he goes away to a far country for a time

Each given amount according to his ability

First servant = 5 talents, second servant = 2 talents, third servant = 1 talent

First two servants double their money doing business

Third servant digs hole in the ground and hides money

When master returns, all servants give all the money back to the master with a report of what they had done

Master praises first two servants for their work and gives them promise of rulership

Third servant returns the one talent given to him with excuse of how he feared how harsh master was

Master rebukes third servant and orders him to be cast out from his presence

Master orders for third servant’s talent to be given to the first servant

Summary of the parable of the prodigal son

A man had two sons

The younger son audaciously asks for his inheritance now

Surprisingly, the man gives his son his inheritance

This young man goes away to a far country and wastes all his money

He inevitably falls into hard times

The only job he can find is a farm hand feeding swine

The younger son eventually realizes the error of his ways

He decides to return home, confess his sins to his father, and beg to be retained as a hired hand

Surprisingly, the father welcomes the son back home with open arms

The father orders his servants to dress the younger son in fine clothes

The father also orders the fattest calf to be killed and that a party be held in the younger son’s honor

The parable ends with an interesting conversation between the father and the older brother

The older brother cannot understand why they are having a party for the younger brother

Why are we talking about these two parables?

You’ve probably heard countless sermons on these two parables

For example, God gives us talents we must use

Or, it does not matter what talents you have or don’t have, God is only interested in your faithfulness in using what you have for His glory

Or, no matter how much you mess up in life, God can forgive all sins if you come to Him and sincerely repent

All good lessons, but not the ones I am interested in discussing today

Rather, I would like to focus on two conversations, one from each parable

Let’s look at the first parable read Matthew 25:24-30 together:

Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The third servant and the master

Let’s take a deeper look at the relationship between the third servant and the master

Why did the servant bury the talent of gold?

Ostensibly, he was afraid of his master

Perhaps he didn’t want to risk losing money on the master’s investment and get into trouble

Is this really the case, though?

Look at the performance of the other two servants

They each went out and doubled their money for the master

You don’t work that hard for someone you are afraid of or don’t like

I can tell you working in retail, it’s the same thing for employees and managers

If you have a bad manager, you only do the minimum necessary to not get in trouble

However, if you have a good relationship with your manager, you will go above and beyond for that person

Let’s go back to the second parable and read Luke 15:25-31 together:

Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’

Do you know what I find very interesting about this conversation?

It is how differently the elder son and the father view their relationship

The elder son actually views his relationship with his father in transactional terms

“I’ve been slaving for you” and “”I’ve never disobeyed your orders”

The obedient elder son never got a young goat, but the disobedient young son gets a party with the fatted calf?

In transactional terms, this is indeed not fair

The elder brother and younger son actually share a similar viewpoint about their father

It’s like two sides of the same coin

However, listen carefully to the father’s response

“My son, you are always with me and everything I have is yours”

The father had a more personal view of his children

The young goat and even the fatted calf were already the older son’s - just his for the asking

While in terms of a transactional relationship, the celebration may be unfair, but in terms of a personal relationship, a party is only appropriate

The lost son is now found

Back to the first parable: bad master or bad servant?

It seems to me the first two servants had a rather good relationship with their master, perhaps even a personal relationship

The third servant is claiming a transactional relationship with the master

However, the master calls the servant out on this claim

If the servant truly beloved his master was harsh, he would’ve deposited the money in a bank and earned interest for the master

That was the minimum necessary he would need to do to accomplish the task the master assigned to him

The parable of the good and wicked servants

Matthew 24:45-51: Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Luke 12:42-48 same parable, but verse 48 says the wicked servant will be assigned a place with the unbelievers

So, what is the third servant’s relationship with the master?

It’s apparent that the third servant did not respect his master or even fear him

The master was interested in a personal relationship and the third servant was claiming a transactional relationship

But the truth of the matter is, the servant wanted to relationship with the master

There are three possible kinds of relationship we can have with God

You can choose to have no relationship with God and live life on your own terms

You can choose to have a transactional relationship with God

This is a trap a lot of Christians fall into

We “need to do this” or “we need to do that” to get blessings

You can choose to have a personal relationship with God

This is what Jesus desires most of us

He doesn’t merely want obedient slaves and servants

He wants obedient sons and daughters who love Him and know His will for them

Closing:

Jethro’s voice

Soft and breathy - some kids might make fun of him

However, his voice is the most beautiful voice in the world in my mind

Why?

People don't know what I know about Jethro

They don't know all the bronchoscopies and throat surgeries he had to go through

They don't know that his endocrinologist didn't even think he could ever speak at all

Because I know the true, you can never, EVER convince me otherwise

Zechariah 13:6

Jesus’ scars on his wrist, ankles, and side will be with Him for all of eternity

They may seem ugly, but one day we will acknowledge how beautiful they are

Those scars are eternal proof of the love He has for us, to die for our sins on an old wooden cross

Jesus wants to have a relationship with you

What kind will you choose?

#sermon #zechariah 13:6 #knowing Jesus

0 notes

90363462 · 2 years

Text

The Most Attention-Grabbing Moments on the New Kendrick Lamar Album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

By Grant RindnerMay 13, 2022

Inglewood, CA - February 13: Kendrick Lamar performs during halftime in Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, Feb. 13 2022 in Inglewood, CA. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)Wally Skalij

Kendrick Lamar albums are notably dense: good kid, M.A.A.D. City is one of the great modern coming-of-age works of art, To Pimp a Butterfly is a lush and didactic examination of Black culture, and DAMN. sees him wrestling nervously with his stratospheric fame and tremendous influence. Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Lamar’s eagerly awaited fifth LP, is no exception. It’s been five years since DAMN, the 34-year-old vocalist has a lot on his mind, and it feels like he airs it all over the record’s two discs (it's being called a double album even though it's shorter than To Pimp a Butterfly). He delves into celebrity hero worship on “Savior,” reflects candidly about watching a family member transition on “Auntie Diaries,” and shares his reaction to Kanye and Drake burying the hatchet on “Father Time.”

Musically, the album arguably covers more ground than Kendrick ever has, with features ranging from Portishead’s Beth Gibbons to Kodak Black to actor Taylour Paige. “Die Hard” is a gleaming Los Angeles joy ride, “We Cry Together” offers menacing boom bap courtesy of The Alchemist, “Crown” feels like a bleary-eyed Lamar writing on a cocktail napkin at a piano lounge.

Given the time he takes between releases, each time Kendrick releases an album he’s reckoning with a vastly different world than he did on his previous project. Mr. Morale is wide-ranging, ambitious, thoughtful, and occasionally messy, and it’s certainly full of food for thought. Here are some of GQ’sbiggest takeaways from our initial listen.

Kendrick weighs in on the vaccine debate (and Kyrie Irving) on “Savior.” There’s a complicated relationship between some hip-hop artists and vaccines in general. But Kendrick is the rare artist who actually stays out of the spotlight when he’s out of the spotlight, so we really had no sense of how he felt about the COVID-19 vaccines. He opens Mr. Morale’s “Savior” with a Charles Barkley-ian critique of people who look to celebrities as societal bellwethers, and on the second verse really zeros in on the issue of inoculation. In classic Kendrick fashion, he doesn’t just come right out and share his opinion, but paints a picture of a devout Christian who was a vaccine skeptic…until they got sick.

“Seen a Christian say the vaccine mark of the beast/Then he caught COVID and prayed to Pfizer for relief/Then I caught COVID and started to question Kyrie/Will I stay organic or hurt in this bed for two weeks?” he raps, referring to Kyrie Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated for nebulous reason, which made him ineligible to play for much of the NBA season. .

It’s easy to be anti-vaccine until you’re ill, in other words. Irving has already responded to “Savior” in classic cryptic fashion, telling his Twitch audience, “That’s definitely gonna go over people’s heads but that’s part of art. It sparks conversation. I love it. I’m not mad, I’m not indifferent, I’m just grateful.”

“We Cry Together” is an early contender for the album’s biggest lightning rod. As early reactions started pouring in, fans and critics seemed particularly split on disc one’s “We Cry Together,” a venomous back-and-forth that many have likened to Eminem’s “Kim.” Kendrick and Zola star Taylour Paige play a toxic couple who shout at each other over a grimy Alchemist beat. “I swear, I'm tired of these emotional-ass, ungrateful-ass bitches,” Kendrick seethes as the first verse opens, while Paige fires back “Always act like your shit don't stink, motherfucker, grow up.” Both performers put their all into the track emotionally–Kendrick’s voice even breaks the way it did when he was rapping in similarly distraught fashion on Lil Wayne’s “Mona Lisa”–but the clunky hook and awkward (though perhaps realistic) transition from fighting to sex scans a little weird in an audio-only format.

It’s a messy song, which is obviously kind of the point, so while it’s probably not going to get a lot of spins outside the context of the album, it’s at least interesting to hear Kendrick still trying new things at this phase of his career.

Kendrick uses his family to offer his perspective on trans rights in “Auntie Diaries." While hip-hop is slowly becoming more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s still uncommon for an A-list rapper to really weigh in on a topic like gender identity. Kendrick does so on “Auntie Diaries,” a track about two people transitioning and the subsequent ripple effects.

The first two verses focus on Lamar’s trans uncle, and how he was treated by other members of the family. The final few verses deal with Mary-Ann, a trans woman who we were first introduced to as Demetrius on Good Kid m.A.A.d City. Over the course of the song, Kendrick seems to grow up, from peppering the second verse with homophobic insults the way grade schoolers would, to reckoning with the relationship between different kinds of slurs. He even harkens back to a moment in 2018 when he brought a white fan on stage at a festival to perform “M.A.A.D. City,” who used the n-word in her performance to the dismay of the crowd.

But Kendrick’s decision to use anti-queer language in the song has been met with some criticism, with many making the point that he could’ve touched on the same themes without using a word that has such venomous connotations when said by heterosexual cis people. “Just listened to Kendrick's ‘Auntie Diaries.’ I want to reflect. I'm thankful he spoke in favor of love [and] acceptance of trans sibs — even after admitting what society did to them first. The ‘f**got’ threw me off because it isn't his word to use. But that's his point at the end,” The Trevor Project’s Preston Mitchum wrote on Twitter.

Kendrick can't understand why Kanye made up with Drake. Kendrick is often willing to acknowledge his own shortcomings. He rarely takes a holier than thou approach, and that’s something that has kept his music relatable and vulnerable even as he’s become one of the biggest stars in the entire music industry. We get a glimpse of this on “Father Time,” where Lamar shares his reaction to the seeming resolution of the venomous feud between Drake and Kanye West: “When Kanye got back with Drake, I was slightly confused/Guess I'm not mature as I think, got some healin' to do,” he admits.

The lyrics are endearingly candid–we don’t all forgive and forget in the same way and on the same timeline. But they also tie into the larger theme of the song, which is around the beliefs we inherit from our fathers and how they continue to shape us. Kendrick has rapped about his dad before, chiefly on DAMN.’s cinematic closer “Duckworth,” and here he talks openly about how his father taught him to present a tough exterior and repress his emotions (“Daddy issues, hid my emotions, never expressed myself/Men should never show feelings, being sensitive never helped”).

The line also raises eyebrows because Kendrick's relationship with Drake hasn’t always seemed smooth. In fact, despite Drake's early embrace of Kendrick in 2011 and a pair of collaborations, things have seemed icy between the two ever since Kendrick's infamously confrontational “Control” verse. (The “ghostwriter” line on To Pimp a Butterfly single “King Kunta” is interpreted by many as a jab at Drake for the whole Quentin Miller controversy.) Most of this could arguably of course just be media and fans trying to strum up conflict where there is none. But insiders have noted there was a real point where tensions almost reached a fever pitch. Since Kendrick frequently bigs up Kanye and has worked with him often, some people are taking the line as him saying he wouldn't be so quick to bury his own issues with Drake.

Kendrick gets real about his relationship with Whitney Alford. We’ve never heard Kendrick talk about his romantic life with this level of candor before. Lamar got engaged to Whitney Alford, his childhood sweetheart, in 2015 and they now have two children together. But clearly, there have been some fraught moments in their relationship, and Kendrick gets into them here. On “Worldwide Steppers,” he says he had a “lust addiction,” and talks about how his involvement with other women put a strain on his relationship with Whitney. On “Mother I Sober,” Kendrick seems to cop to infidelity. He raps, “Insecurities that I project, sleepin' with other women/Whitney's hurt, the pure soul I know, I found her in the kitchen/Askin' God, ‘Where did I lose myself? And can it be forgiven?’”

The story ends on a note of reconciliation, as Alford can be heard talking to Kendrick at the end of “Mother I Sober.” “You did it, I’m proud of you. You broke a generational curse,” she says, before an adorable interjection from their daughter. Whitney and Lamar’s children come up again on “Rich Spirit,” in which a fiery Kendrick bucks back against critics, chiefly those whose lives revolve around being online while he has real-world obligations as a partner and father. “Takin' my baby to school, then I pray for her/'Cause you bitches ain't never been cool, writin' testament,” he says.

1 note · View note

classictshirt · 1 year

Text

‘THINGS CHANGE’ AS MAVERICKS HOPE STEP BACK WILL VAULT THEM FORWARD

‘THINGS CHANGE’ AS MAVERICKS HOPE STEP BACK WILL VAULT THEM FORWARD What the Mavericks did Friday was make a decision that gives them the best chance to protect a valuable asset. They switched gears and elected to sit six key players, including Kyrie Irving and, for almost three full quarters, Luka Dončić. The bottom line is that a top-10 draft pick is worth more than a long-shot try in the play-in tournament and an even longer-shot try that they would have had if they could have made the playoffs. If they are in this to win championships, doing everything possible to keep that draft pick is the No. 1 priority. It’s no different than protecting a star player when they are injured. You do whatever you have to. The Mavericks lost 115-112 to Chicago on Friday and were officially eliminated from any postseason action. Before the game, the team announced that Irving was one of five key players who would sit out against the Bulls while Dončić was shelved after one quarter and one possession in the second quarter on “I Feel Slovenia Night” at American Airlines Center. Coach Jason Kidd said it was an “organizational decision” to switch gears and emphasize the future of the franchise rather than push all in on an Oklahoma City loss to Memphis on Sunday, which is what would have been needed (along with two Mavericks’ wins) to get into the play-in tournament. “It’s not so much waving the white flag,” Kidd said postgame. “Decisions sometimes are hard in this business. And you have to make hard decisions and we’re trying to build a championship team and sometimes, you got to take a step back. “We trust (governor Mark) Cuban and Nico (Harrison, general manager) to put the pieces together to put us in a position to win a championship and so that’s just starting the process today.” It’s certainly not the first time this has been done, nor will it be the last. Kidd outlined the process before Friday’s tipoff about how the desire of Dončić to play until there was no hope of the postseason now had to change to do whatever the Mavericks could to protect their first-round draft pick, which remains theirs only if it is in the top 10. Missing the postseason obviously helps that goal. “Things change,” Kidd said pregame. “We still have to be professionals, go out there and put our best foot forward with who can play. We were fighting for our lives, and understand this is the situation we’re in. “But the organization has made a decision to change and so we have to go by that. That’s just something that happens. We talked about that this afternoon and the guys that are playing are going to go out and try to play to win. You got to be pros. You can’t cheat the game. And so, those guys that are playing are out there to win and we’ll go from there.” The Mavericks’ decision may have been made Friday, but it was rooted much, much earlier. Go back to all the bad losses they had to teams they felt they should have beaten in November, December and January. Or just look at eight losses in their last 10 games in the past three weeks. On Friday, in addition to Irving (right foot), sitting out were Tim Hardaway Jr. (left ankle), Maxi Kleber (right hamstring), Josh Green (rest) and Christian Wood (rest). Luka’s availability is a result not only of the numerous Slovenians who were at the game, but also his desire to play. “He wanted to play,” Kidd said pregame. “So, understanding that, we talked about the minutes, especially with the other guys that are not playing. That’s what we came to as an agreement. He wanted to play. The minutes will be normal for him in that first run. From there, he’s done.” This is a major change from Tuesday, when Dončić said that “When there’s still a chance, I’m going to play.” Said Kidd on Friday: “We all said that. We want to have the opportunity to find a way to get in and we want to play until told otherwise. And today’s the day we’ve been told that we’re doing something different. He’s going to participate in the first quarter and then he’s done for the season.” “Things change fast here. He’s going to play this quarter and then we’ll see where we sit going into Sunday, but most likely, he’ll be out.” The Mavericks went into Friday’s play in 11th place in the Western Conference. Teams that finish seventh through 10th go to the play-in tournament. Oklahoma City has one game left on Sunday against Memphis, but that game is moot now. The loss Friday ended any potential drama on Sunday. The Mavericks have been disappointed with the twist the season has taken since acquiring Irving before the February trade deadline. They entered Friday’s game with a 9-16 record since Irving’s first game at the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 8. They also feel like the talent on the roster to do some damage in the playoffs if they could have gotten there. Last year, they got hot a tthe right time and reached the Western Conference finals. This year, there will be no such run. Kidd said changes will be coming, as they do every offseason. It’s just going to start a lot earlier than the Mavericks had hoped it would. Read the full article

0 notes