Around The League 2024-2025 Season

Happy Birthday!

 

Allen Einstein  / Getty Images


Malice at the Palace turns 20!


“Ron Artest has a look in his eye that’s very scary right now.”


I still remember Mike Breen delivering this line 20 years ago today. I wasn’t watching live, but I knew to set the TIiVo for this Pistons-Pacers game that day. These were the two best teams in the East. The Pacers were loaded. The Pistons were loaded and literally sporting title belts as the defending NBA champs. And, on a random League Pass night, I set the DVR to record. I went to a game at Arco Arena with my friend to watch the Kings host the Grizzlies. We had a great time at the game.


And when I got home to my apartment, my roommate delivered the news. Remember, this was back before text notifications and social media. On our long ride home, we had no idea that the Malice at the Palace had even happened. My roommate, Dan, said, “The Pacers fought the fans.” What? Which fans? “All of them.”


We fired up the TiVo, fast-forwarded through the entire game and got to the incident. The hard foul between Artest and Ben Wallace. The shoving. Artest lying on the scorer’s table. And then, all of a sudden, Artest and Stephen Jackson were in the stands. Punches were being thrown. Cups were being thrown. Jermaine O’Neal punched a guy, who everybody says looks like Turtle from “Entourage.” Shoutout to Jerry Ferrara! Absolute chaos was ensuing, and Breen was letting us know everything he could. It would lead to the longest on-court incident suspension in NBA history: Artest being suspended the rest of the season and playoffs (86 games in total). Jackson got 30, and O’Neal got 25. Some Pistons got a few games too.


If I may break the fourth wall of this newsletter, I want to tell you my internal struggle writing this. This entire event was dangerous and got out of hand, and it was something that really damaged the image of the NBA and its players for a long time. It was unfair. It was serious. And I’ve been trying to find a tactful and responsible way for an hour to tell you that I absolutely love this moment in history. I loved it at the time. I love it every time I watch it. I loved the Netflix documentary produced by O’Neal about it. I’ve never been able to get enough of the Malice at the Palace.


You’re not supposed to say that, right? That night, it blew my mind. Completely unprepared for the chaos that awaited me at home. And I loved it. I still love it. I don’t know how to reconcile that. The Malice at the Palace, while a really, really bad look for all involved, was also one of the most exciting moments in NBA history. Terrifying but exhilarating. It probably helps that I watched it from thousands of miles away in the comfort of my own place, but alas.


It also changed the course of the NBA. The 2004-05 season was the introduction of new rules to open up the game. Hand-checking above the free-throw line was gone. Defensive three seconds was implemented. The NBA was trying to open things up and get away from the physicality and games that would total 150 points between the two teams. The Malice at the Palace gave the NBA a chance to crack down on a lot of this culture, while also avoiding an exodus by sponsors.


Eventually, we got to a game today that makes us pine for more physicality than what currently exists. And while the NBA made some tweaks halfway through last season, the league will never allow it to get to a place that could result in another incident like this.


Bob
MY NOTE:  For those who are unfamiliar with comedian Bill Burr here's an old show of him doing a bit about the Malice at the Palace. Only 1:59 long.




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Early season surprises.

Cleveland in the East off to a great 15-0 start

Houston in the West at 10-6 Ime is putting his stamp on their defense.

Ime should not have lost that game last night.  Not against the hapless Bucks, that is.    

db

Ime did not lose the game, the players did.

The Bucks were at home and desperate for a win which they barely got 101-100. They were holding on for dear life while getting outscored 35-26 in the 3rd and 20-18 in the 4th.

I have not figured out who is the worst, the Sixers or the Bucks. I think that the Sixers injuries have hurt more. Maxey will be back soon and if they can somehow manage to get their big 3 on the court together they should be very competitive. On the other hand, the Bucks seem old and slow!

Well, you guys and gal know my penchant to start the ax swinging brigade in the NBA as soon as I see blood.  Couple of places to look currently but probably not going to see anything just yet.  

PHI is the easiest place to start.  But even there, they haven't had a chance yet to even see what their Big 3 looks like. Nick Nurse may hang on just because he's won a championship.  And then who would you replace him with?  Darryl Morey "Eel" would then be the next target.  But he can scream that my three guys aren't on the court yet!!  At least let them play some damn games before cutting me!  We could come back that on what planet will those two with the #1 and #2 worst history of untimely injuries in NBA history get on the court along with Maxey all at the same time.  Morey would come back with...EXACTLY!  Job security!!  What a buffoon.  Philly is a great soap opera.  All that and they will never see a championship.  And they are our perineal whipping boy.  Gotta love Philly.  

Next is MIL.  Like Doc or not, we'd all like to see him hit the streets.  OK, maybe it's just me.  Giannis can't be traded because he's a lot like Aaron Rodgers and the Jets...he created all this mess with his whining, bitchin' and moanin'.  Sorry, Giannis, this is the slop we're serving up for the next couple of years.  this is what you ordered.  Sit down.  Shut up.  And eat.  

So looking further up the food chain unless you're going to do a trade/draft pick dismantling and blow it up, Jon Horst is GM and Arjun Mahendroo is President of Basketball Operation.  Don't know enough about either of these two and no one is talking about them, so they are going to have to be pretty safe for the time being.  

Just waiting for the Lakers to implode.  We all know the house of cards there is reaching the end of the deck for stacking as much crap on a delicate structure before a soft wind comes along...LeBron way passed exit time, nubile coach, Bronny scene.  I say, Come on, man!!

Long season.  We'll see.

db

That's a good update for now.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nba-three-point-revolution-gotten-004040037.html



The NBA’s three-point revolution has gotten extreme. How many is too many?


Ben Golliver and Artur Galocha

Updated Wed, November 20, 2024 at 6:42 AM PST·6 min read



PHOENIX, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 06: Terry Rozier #2 of the Miami Heat shoots a three pointer over Kevin Durant #35 of the Phoenix Suns during the game at Footprint Center on November 06, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Heat 115-112. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) (Chris Coduto via Getty Images)



LOS ANGELES - Not two weeks into the NBA season, Kevin Durant sat at his locker and grappled with the latest repercussions of the league’s three-point boom. Stephen Curry and James Harden ushered in basketball’s perimeter revolution roughly a decade ago, but a disorienting new era has swept through the league.

The defending champion Boston Celtics launched 61 attempts from behind the arc on opening night, and Celtics star Jayson Tatum put up 18 by himself against the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 30. When Durant was a rookie in 2007-08, his Seattle SuperSonics shot just 11.5 three-pointers per game; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball is averaging more than that by himself this season. Entering Monday’s games, NBA teams were taking 37.4 three-pointers per game, which was on pace to set a record and more than double the league’s average in 2014-15.


Players continue pushing the boundaries, hoisting off-the-dribble threes, step-back threes, one-legged threes, transition threes, early-shot-clock threes and deep threes from the center-court logo. Teams are commonly fielding lineups with five players who are encouraged to shoot from the outside, including 7-foot centers. Within this whirlwind, it can feel like anything goes.

“That’s a fine line a lot of teams are having this season,” Durant said. “Do I come down on the break after a good [defensive] stop and pull a three over the top of two people? That’s a question you’ve got to ask yourself. That is considered a good shot nowadays. But, really, is it? If you miss that ball, it’s a fast break on the other end.”

Despite Durant’s reservations, many teams have decided to chuck threes and ask questions later in an attempt to keep up with the Joneses. The Celtics led the league in three-point attempts and offensive efficiency en route to the 2024 title, and the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks ranked second in three-point attempts per game in 2023-24.

After getting his first taste of celebratory champagne, Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla doubled down on his obsession with three-point generation. Entering Tuesday night’s game against the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston is the only team this season - and just the third in league history - to attempt more three-pointers than two-pointers. While Harden’s Houston Rockets leaned more on threes than twos in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the Celtics have distorted the outside-inside balance more than any team in history by taking 51.1 three-pointers and 39.7 two-pointers per game.

With its current shot profile, Boston is on track to become the first team to average 50 three-point attempts, more than double its output in the 2014-15 season. By comparison, Harden’s Rockets topped out at 45.4 three-point attempts in 2018-19, and Curry’s Golden State Warriors peaked with 43.2 in 2022-23.

“I love three-pointers,” Mazzulla said shortly after taking over the Celtics in 2022. “I like math. I like open threes. I like space. I think it’s a huge strength of our team.”

Boston has painstakingly assembled a roster to fit Mazzulla’s vision: Eight Celtics attempted at least 200 three-pointers last season, and all five starters made at least 100. Tatum is averaging a career-high 11.1 three-point attempts, up from 8.2 in 2023-24, for a Celtics team that ranks second in offensive efficiency.

Tatum, 26, is part of a growing trend. When Curry averaged 8.1 three-point attempts during his 2014-15 MVP campaign, he was the only player in the league to shoot more than eight per game. Last season, 16 players reached that threshold. This season, a whopping 21 players are firing with 2015 Curry-like frequency.

The NBA’s younger generation clearly doesn’t share Durant’s hesitancy. Recent high draft picks Anthony Edwards, Ball, Jalen Green, Brandon Miller and Victor Wembanyama are averaging at least eight three-point attempts while relying more heavily on the outside shot than they did last season.

Remarkably, that group knows no positional bounds - it includes a flashy point guard in Ball, a physical shooting guard in Edwards, a prototypical small forward in Miller and a 7-foot-4 center in Wembanyama.

“F— ’em,” Edwards said, when asked for his message to critics who think he is shooting too frequently from the outside. Wembanyama had a less profane but similarly dismissive response to the same question: “If I’m open, I’m going to keep shooting them.”

The shamrock influence is clear: Ball and Miller play for Hornets Coach Charles Lee, a former Celtics assistant, while Green plays for Rockets Coach Ime Udoka, who preceded Mazzulla in Boston.

On the team level, many of this summer’s most prominent moves were geared toward increasing three-point volume: The New York Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, the Philadelphia 76ers signed Paul George, and the Mavericks added Klay Thompson. The Phoenix Suns, who hired Mike Budenholzer as coach in May, entered Monday attempting 40.1 three-pointers per game, way up from their average of 32.6 last season and easily on pace for a franchise record.

“Whenever a team wins a championship, everyone analyzes how they did it,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said last month. “A lot of people saw how successful [the Celtics] were with their offense, the five-out. It may not be a carbon copy, but everyone wants to adjust to the new ways of basketball.”

Given Mazzulla’s unshakable belief in the mathematical benefits of the three-pointer and a competitive landscape that is being reshaped in Boston’s mold, it’s fair to wonder what might prompt a philosophical correction. The Rockets famously missed 27 consecutive three-pointers to lose Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference finals, and they had difficulties in subsequent postseasons when Harden’s heavy individual burden caught up to him.

Boston and its copycats appear focused on circumventing that potential weakness: If everyone can shoot threes at a reasonable clip, the offensive machine is less reliant upon a single star. The Celtics were crowned as champions even though Tatum endured a shooting slump that saw him connect on just 28.3 percent of his three-pointers during the 2024 playoffs.

If Boston wins another title, or comes close, its rivals seemingly would be motivated to follow Mazzulla’s approach by restructuring their offenses to generate more threes than twos. The leaguewide gap between twos and threes has never been smaller, and it’s possible to imagine the NBA as a whole eventually following the Celtics’ lead.

“The game continues to change,” Celtics center Al Horford said. “Even from last year, I think it’s different. I feel like people are shooting more threes now and playing more of a style like we play. It’s more and more teams. That’s an adjustment.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has yet to take proactive steps to slow this sea change - such as pushing back the three-point arc or eliminating the bend that allows shorter three-pointers from the corners - but fans could have a say if the three-point boom continues unchecked. Perhaps modern basketball’s “bad shot” will become the one that’s no longer thrilling because everyone already has seen it too many times to count.

“The league needs to change the rules,” Fox Sports commentator Nick Wright said. “The smart way to play is probably what the Celtics did on opening night: shoot 60 [three-pointers]. That’s the best strategy, but it’s also terrible television.”


Bob


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https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5928995/2024/11/21/nba-lookahead-sixers-nba-cup-preview/?campaign=11787128&source=athletic_targeted_email&userId=13921316



How low can the Sixers go? Plus, more NBA Cup action on tap






By Zach Harper

Nov 21, 2024



Every Thursday, I’ll be taking you through the big story heading into the weekend. Or maybe the weirdest story? Or maybe just something that makes me laugh and I think will make you laugh too. Essentially, if you’re subscribed to The Bounce and reading every day, we’re going to have the same fun here as we do in that space.

On top of that, I’ve culled the weekend schedule for you to know what to pay attention to. Weird bad streaks against teams? Beefs you need to track? Just fun games with matchups you may not have known were happening? We’ve got that for you. On top of that, we’ll have a good old-fashioned Throwback Thursday to hit you with that feel-good nostalgia.

Let’s have fun by starting with trying to decipher just how bad this season is for the Philadelphia 76ers.


Story to Watch: This 76ers thing isn’t getting any better

The 76ers are 2-12. There’s no cute intro. There’s no storyline to weave in and out of and bring back in a full-circle kind of way. There is simply the stark reality that, after 14 games in the 2024-25 season, the 76ers possess the worst record in the league. The New Orleans Pelicans have been better despite missing at least five of their top eight guys almost every night. The Utah Jazz have been better despite being fully inclined to be a train wreck for some Cooper Flagg lottery luck in May. The Detroit Pistons show life. The Atlanta Hawks haven’t been abysmal. Heck, even the Washington Wizards woke up this morning a half-game ahead of the Sixers.

Wednesday night, the Sixers finally got to debut their star trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. It’s what Daryl Morey built this team around. It’s what Nick Nurse game-planned for all summer. Even though they started the season 2-11, that was all chalked up to injuries to all three of their stars. They were going to get to show off what this is supposed to look like against a Memphis Grizzlies team without Ja Morant and Zach Edey. The star trio? It played six minutes together, and there was nothing to write home about in those six minutes. Instead, everything fell apart on a night Embiid finally had a big game after three mediocre ones, as he gets his legs under him and his body back in game shape.

Maybe Sixers fans would’ve found solace in the 35 points, 11 rebounds and plus-seven stat line from Embiid. Instead, they have to key in on yet another injury. George left the game and did not return after hyperextending his left knee. If that sounds like deja vu all over again, that’s because he hyperextended that same knee roughly a month ago. It cost George the first five games of the season, and we have to hope doing it again won’t lead to a longer absence. The Sixers just got Maxey back from a hamstring injury, and they’ll be playing musical chairs with Embiid’s availability all season long. They don’t have a ton of time on the court together to build chemistry.

There are plenty of caveats to throw at the Sixers in favor of patience and taking a breath. This has been a disaster so far, but we still have five more months of regular season. And they have their three stars under contract for years. Unless they have some worry that Embiid might want out at some point (he doesn’t), then there’s no real reason to panic … yet. They also own their 2025 first-round pick, as long as it falls in the top six. They sent it to the Oklahoma City Thunder (it’s always OKC) when they traded for Al Horford in 2020, but this continuing to be a disaster would only put Morey and company in position to add a top-flight prospect to the mix for the future.


The bad news is nothing looks good so far.

Worst offense in the NBA. They rank 30th in offensive rating with a putrid 104.7 points scored per 100 possessions played.
That offensive rating falls to 92.5 with Embiid in the four games he’s played this season.
The Sixers have been outscored by 12.8. points per 100 possessions with Embiid on the floor.
They’ve been outscored by 15.0 points per 100 possessions with George on the court.
They’ve been outscored by 11.8 points per 100 possessions with Maxey on the court.
In 75 minutes on the floor together, the Embiid and PG combo has been outscored by 24.0 points per 100 possessions.
In 45 minutes on the floor together, the Maxey and PG combo has been outscored by 19.9 points per 100 possessions.
The 76ers are 18th in defensive rating.
Philadelphia is tied with Portland for the worst effective field-goal percentage in the league.
They are 28th in opponents’ effective field-goal percentage allowed.
They lead the league in team meetings after a loss.

Embiid will get better. Maxey will get better. George will hopefully get healthier. Jared McCain will get even more comfortable, which is great considering his good start to the season. I think …? However, it’s the Sixers, and recent history dictates they will always disappoint. At least it can’t possibly get worse for the 76ers … because they’re officially the worst right now, and awaiting another piece of injury news.


Bob
MY NOTE: Paul George has just been diagnosed with a knee bruise and will be out the next 2 games.


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I somehow managed to watch the Magic@ Lakers game. (119-118 Magic win)

Franz Wagner went off for 37 points including the game winning 3 pointer with just 2 seconds left in the game. He also had 11 assists and 4 steals. Both Lebron and AD were tremendous but just one possession was all that was needed to lose the game.

This was the first Lakers loss at home. Overall, the Lakers are playing well at 10-5.

Don't be fooled by the LA ruse, dboss.  The wheels are coming off in LA in a MASSIVE derailment.  Don't know when.  Don't know how.  But it's coming.  Get your kettle corn and Twizzlers.  

db

Russell Westbrook still has it. Guy is still an energizer bunny/beast capable of close to and triple doubles. He has really helped Nuggets this year, like Lebron he still has enough of his burst. Can’t say the same of old friend Marcus Smart, I feel sorry for him. Has the true heart of a Celtic, but his skills and durability have fallen apart. Only played 20 games last year, already missing games this year and averaging 7.4 points on 30% from field and 21% from 3.

Sunday Morning Standings:

A weekly snapshot which includes current playoff and play-in seeding.

https://www.espn.com/nba/standings

Run It Back
@RunItBackFDTV
"I'll be honest guys, I knew that his professionalism had been questioned consistently around the league, and within the organization."

@sam_amick
on questions surrounding Joel Embiid's reputation.


StatMuse @statmuse
Tobias Harris has more
— Points
— Rebound
— Blocks
— Threes
— Wins
than Joel Embiid and Paul George combined.
MY NOTE: Sixer fans must be going crazy. They hated Harris (they hate everybody, but especially him and Al, and now both of them are doing great with other teams)


Bob


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