THANK you -- had the same thought reading that ESPN headline this morning. “Weird” remains undefeated as the best shorthand admission that you can’t explain yourself
Yes! If it's "weird" to care and compete for the full 48 minutes that fans (and advertisers) are paying for, then basketball is a sport with a badly broken attitude.
Disagree heartily! This logic suggests that, using the Kings’ game last night as an IST example, that they should have played only to keep the margin at 11 or below, which seemed like a possible approach in the 3d quarter. But they played to win because that’s what teams do anyway, when victory is possible.
It is the height of stupidity for “point differential” to be the tiebreaker, and even more ridiculous that the Celts and the Cavs kept their starters in to that end. That is the ultimate garbage time, with garbage stats, starters playing against scrubs, a total farce.
And give me a break - teams should give their best at all times - that is totally unrealistic and counter to the teams’ best interest. You discount the injury concern, but it’s a real thing, and how stupid in any sport that the W is not the most important thing.
The tiebreaker should have been best overall record, by the way, so that the best possible teams get in to the knockout.
Will the IST championship catch fire or be perceived as some goofy collection of not the best teams? Remains to be seen. But I am not subscribing to this purity vibe, in a league that seems somehow to increase its connection to gambling every day, and where its officiating is still embarrassing.
If this “give 100% at all times” is somehow perceived as the NBA promoting a positive value, it would purely be by accident.
THANK you -- had the same thought reading that ESPN headline this morning. “Weird” remains undefeated as the best shorthand admission that you can’t explain yourself
oh my god yes
I genuinely hope you go hack-a-child when you’re coaching your son’s rec league and y’all are up by 30😅
Great article once again, Tom!
Yes! If it's "weird" to care and compete for the full 48 minutes that fans (and advertisers) are paying for, then basketball is a sport with a badly broken attitude.
Disagree heartily! This logic suggests that, using the Kings’ game last night as an IST example, that they should have played only to keep the margin at 11 or below, which seemed like a possible approach in the 3d quarter. But they played to win because that’s what teams do anyway, when victory is possible.
It is the height of stupidity for “point differential” to be the tiebreaker, and even more ridiculous that the Celts and the Cavs kept their starters in to that end. That is the ultimate garbage time, with garbage stats, starters playing against scrubs, a total farce.
And give me a break - teams should give their best at all times - that is totally unrealistic and counter to the teams’ best interest. You discount the injury concern, but it’s a real thing, and how stupid in any sport that the W is not the most important thing.
The tiebreaker should have been best overall record, by the way, so that the best possible teams get in to the knockout.
Will the IST championship catch fire or be perceived as some goofy collection of not the best teams? Remains to be seen. But I am not subscribing to this purity vibe, in a league that seems somehow to increase its connection to gambling every day, and where its officiating is still embarrassing.
If this “give 100% at all times” is somehow perceived as the NBA promoting a positive value, it would purely be by accident.
Now we just need to figure out how to televise these IST games such that people on the east coast can watch on weeknights :)