Out of line in Georgia

A plea to focus energy on those who truly deserve the most heckling.

Feb 2

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

Carnival Evening, Henri Rousseau (thanks Paul)

But first:

LeBron James @KingJames

Courtside Karen was MAD MAD!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

LeBron James is referring to an incident during Lakers-Hawks in Atlanta, when a courtside fan got into a (maskless) shouting match with LeBron, was ejected and went on Instagram to tell the world.

My first thought was “COURTSIDE FANS? REALLY?” but LeBron nor other players seem openly upset about that. In fact, LeBron and Anthony Davis both said after the game that they want fans there and hope this incident doesn’t change things. I feel awful for the non-millionaire employees exposed to this — those security guards, ushers, concessions workers shouldn’t be exposed to this, not at their wages — but that sympathy extends to the service workers and essential workers continuing to risk their health to put food on the table throughout this country right now.

My second thought was that I don’t actually care about Courtside Karen, but I do care that after LeBron, the Atlanta Hawks organization, Lloyd Pierce and many many many many others helped Stacey Abrams and thousands of hardworking, passionate volunteers and staffers achieve incredibly high turnout for the 2020 and 2021 elections in Georgia, and that as this effort is on the verge of leading to material improvement in the lives of many Americans at a time of enormous need, the Georgia state legislature is trying to ensure that fewer people vote in future elections. Specifically, the Republican Party is working to undo achievements in expanding democracy and expanding the vote to as many interested adults as possible. And it makes me sick.

Let’s yell about that.

So instead of any more tweets about Courtside Karen, here are a few tweets from Abrams’ Fair Fight group working for free and fair elections across the country.

Fair Fight @fairfightaction

Today, Georgia Senate Republicans dropped nine - NINE! - anti-voting bills. This unhinged set of voter suppression legislation from a radical Senate Republican leadership appears intended to appease conspiracy theorists like those who stormed the Capitol last month. #gapol

Fair Fight @fairfightaction

THREAD: Republicans are trying to change the rules of GA elections - rules that they wrote - because they were humiliated on November 3 and again on January 5, and they know their only chance at winning future elections is to prevent eligible Georgians from casting their ballots.

Malik Monk Did It But They Just Can’t Prove It

I’m not going to lie: sometimes I forget that Malik Monk is still a Charlotte Hornet. He’s picked up some DNP-CDs this season and is pretty low on the rotational totem pole. But let me tell you what, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat are not going to soon forget that Malik Monk is still a Charlotte Hornet.

He dropped 36 in Charlotte’s big overtime win.

Butler has been really good and impactful in two games back for Miami, and losing to the Hornets without Terry Rozier and having lost P.J. Washington in the second half, that stings. (Get it?) But Charlotte is legitimately pretty alright, and Monk was on fire, so this goes down as one of Miami’s most understandable losses all told.

Charlotte’s frisky and absolutely cannot be ruled out as a playoff team in the East.

The Mavericks Are Not OK (I Promise)

I was wrong about the Mavericks. Something is off here. I mean, this bucket for Devin Booker off a Chris Paul feed — that’s just good basketball from the Suns and an earned win.

NBA @NBA

👀 EVERY ANGLE of CP3 finding Devin Booker for the @Suns GAME-WINNER!

Except for the fact that the Mavericks had a foul to give and didn’t take it.

Brad Townsend @townbrad

Rick Carlisle said, "We were aware that we had a foul to give. We didn't take it. That falls on me. There's not going to be any finger-pointing."

Rick Carlisle is a top-tier coach, and he has an elite player on his team, a clear captain. If someone else was supposed to take the foul and didn’t, then it’s on Carlisle and Luka Doncic for not making sure it was clear to said player. Given how little time was left when Booker put up his shot, that very well could have meant the game.

The Mavericks have lost six straight. Luka has played in all of them, and actually had a positive plus-minus in three of them (including Monday’s loss). The team does not appear to be built very well, and while it has dealt with absences, just about every team has been in that position this season. (Booker just missed four games, the Suns won two of them.) None of this is Luka’s fault, but it will absolutely reflect on him. Similarly, while the lack of a foul take on the last Suns possession is potentially not Carlisle’s fauly, it absolutely reflects on the job he’s doing this season.

The Mavericks are not OK. Whether it’s a trade or just an internal jolt to break up the malaise, something has to happen or this is going to turn into a lost season. You can’t afford lost seasons when you have a young superstar like Luka.

False Alarm

After I mentioned on Monday that the positive COVID-19 tests in the NBA has shrunk to one last week and that no teams were out of commission due to the protocols, Pistons-Nuggets was postponed. Thankfully, it was a false positive test on a Pistons player and the team is cleared to play Tuesday.

Meanwhile, despite living with someone who tested positive, Tyler Herro is apparently good to go. He played on Monday.

Scores

Lakers 107, Hawks 99

Hornets 129, Heat 121

Timberwolves 98, Cavaliers 100

Knicks 102, Bulls 110

Blazers 106, Bucks 134

Kings 118, Pelicans 109 — De’Aaron Fox took over late, with 18 in the fourth quarter. In the last few weeks he seems to have added an edge, some anger to his offense. Also, put this highlight in a respectable metropolitan museum. What a joy to watch.

Sacramento Kings @SacramentoKings

De'Aaron Fox #NBAAllStar De'Aaron Fox #NBAAllStar De'Aaron Fox #NBAAllStar De'Aaron Fox #NBAAllStar De'Aaron Fox #NBAAllStar

Rockets 136, Thunder 106

Suns 109, Mavericks 108

Grizzlies 133, Spurs 102 — Memphis has won seven straight games: you’re forgiven for missing that, since there was a two-week COVID break in the middle of the streak. But holy smokes they are cooking, and I don’t think the Spurs ever want to see them again after two straight blowout losses. Memphis had nine players in double figures, no one took more than 14 shots or played more than 28 minutes. Memphis!

League Pass Cup

Wins for the Bulls and Cavaliers push them over .500.

Question for subscribers: would you be interested in a LEAGUE PASS CUP GAME OF THE WEEK on Discord? Basically, I pick a LP Cup game, we gather in Discord to watch it and chat? Drop a comment if that’s something that you’re into.