Good Morning It’s Basketball - Tanks for everything
This is a preview of today’s full, robust newsletter. Want the whole thing, plus every full newsletter five times a week? This glorious prize is within your grasp for just $5 per month or $50 per year! Tanks for everythingLosing on purpose works in the NBA. The 2022-23 Mavericks prove it. The 2021 and 2022 Thunder really prove it.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Fate of the Animals; Franz Marc; 1913 Last year, all the talk around this time centered on the Dallas Mavericks’ decision to not compete in a couple of games when they were technically still alive for a possible play-in berth. The odds to make the play-in were long, and the odds to advance once there were longer. The other end of the rope: the Mavericks owed a draft pick out unless it landed in the top 10. Missing the play-in went a long way to keeping it in-house. And so it goes. I was among those gnashing their teeth about a novel way to tank. Never before had we seen a team opt out of the postseason race when hope remained even narrowly alive. But then again, the play-in is still new and fresh. It could happen again in similar circumstances. And certainly the Mavericks — the hottest team in the Western Conference, a potential conference finals contender — are no worse for the long-term wear. Dereck Lively II, their lottery pick, is a real contributor on this team. The gambit worked. It worked too in 2021 and 2022, when the Oklahoma City Thunder were rather shameless in their tanking activity... Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to Good Morning It's Basketball to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. A subscription gets you:
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The NBA playoff picture is a total mess with 1 week left
Monday, April 8, 2024
The field of 20 teams is set in stone. But only a single seed is locked in. What a week we have ahead of us. First, let's recap the weekend. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Joel Embiid is back. Are the Sixers?
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
The Big Fella plays 30 crucial minutes in a huge win. Thank goodness there are a couple of weeks before the playoffs. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Everything important that happened in the NBA this weekend
Monday, April 1, 2024
And also another sick Collin Sexton highlight. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
This is what it sounds like when Dubs cry
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Back to reality for Draymond Green and the Warriors. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Get ready to learn Jontay Porter, buddy
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Like clockwork, a betting scandal hits the NBA. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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