The Opening Tip

Must-watch game

You gotta give.

1. The floodgates are open

The 2024 Basketball Hall of Fame class was announced this weekend.

The NBA list was Vince Carter (fine), Chauncey Billups (ok), Walter Davis (eh) and Michael Cooper, who’s induction must tank any faith you might’ve had left in the seriousness of this sham of an institution.

Michael Cooper’s career NBA stats: 

That is a role player who was a good/great defender. If that’s the bar now, that means Ron Artest, Mark Eaton, Tyson Chandler, Marcus Camby and Marcus Smart all have the game’s highest honor in their future.

If the argument is the 5 rings … Steve Kerr, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry, Horace Grant, John Salley, Kurt Rambis and Ron Harper all deserve a look.

A club loses aura when exclusivity becomes second to being nice. The sport’s only true Hall of Fame is irreversibly broken because of this.

[READ: Basketball Hall of Fame’s criteria, process need a serious overhaul]

2. Daily GIF: Chaos

The Mavs won this game in OT, despite being down by 22 in the first half and 10 in the fourth quarter, thanks to this chaotic game-tying 3 by Dante Exum.

[Watch: Mavs-Rockets highlights]

3. Trivia

4. NBA title winners by regular season games won, 1960-2023

TLDR: If you’re the Heat (43 wins), 76ers (44), Warriors (43) or Lakers (45), you are statistically not going to win the NBA title this year.

Notes: 

Also … the next time someone says the regular season/regular season records don’t matter, they do. They do.

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