Weekly NBA Wrap: 19 August 2020
The NBA needs to be applauded for the success of the bubble so far. While many thought we would never restart the season, we have now finished the seeding games and are heading into the playoffs. There have been no positive tests in the bubble and most importantly, teams have produced some high quality and entertaining basketball.
It has been a jam-packed week in the NBA so let’s get straight into the Weekly NBA Wrap.
The All NBA Bubble Teams
Devin Booker and Damian Lillard headline the All NBA Bubble first team, while the second team includes stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kawhi Leonard. Up and coming young players Caris LeVert and Michael Porter Jr were rewarded with second team honours after having breakout games during the seeding games.
Damian Lillard received the MVP of the seeding games after carrying Portland all the way to the playoffs. By sneaking into the 8th spot in the Western Conference, the Trailblazers have set up a tantalizing clash with the LA Lakers.
Spurs Break Run
Bill Clinton was the President of the United States.
The first-ever DVD was sold.
The first Space Jam movie was released.
The world looked very different the last time the San Antonio Spurs missed the NBA playoffs. Their 22-year playoff streak has finally been broken. A playoff run that included five NBA Championships. It took an unprecedented season to bring the longest playoff streak in NBA history to an end.
Short Jokes
Luka Doncic has been making headlines since the NBA restart. The 21 year old Slovenian has been dishing out dimes, breaking NBA records, recording triple-doubles…...and cracking jokes?
Adrian Wojnarowski recently reported about how each player is allowed one ticket per playoff game for a guest and an an additional ticket for a child as long as they are 32 inches or below. Doncic wasted no time bringing JJ Berea’s height into the conversation.
Coaches Keep Dropping
The New Orleans Pelicans were one of the disappointments during the seeding games and Alvin Gentry ended up being the scapegoat. After their final game of the season, the Pelicans management wasted no time in bringing Gentry’s tenure to an end.
David Griffin, Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations, said it was a challenging decision given his relationship with Gentry.
“I’ve known Alvin for more than 15 years, so this is really difficult on a human level.”
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Shaq Hazes Dragic
Goran Dragic joined the Woj pod this week and shared an entertaining hazing story from his days in Phoenix. When Dragic was a rookie at the Suns he had the fortune of being teammates with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Aristotle (one of Shaq’s many nicknames) made Dragic carry around a keyboard and Dragic realised at the end of the year that Shaq wasn’t even using it.
The keyboard didn’t even work.
Butler Has a Second Job
What do all NBA players have in common? They are stuck in the NBA bubble and they have money.
To take advantage of this, Jimmy Butler has set up his own coffee shop in his room and is making cups of coffee for NBA players.
How much is he charging? $5? $7?
Nope! He is charing $20 a cup (small to large).
“You can’t get coffee nowhere here. So I might bump it up to $30 a cup. People here can afford it so ain’t nobody complaining.” The Miami Heat star said.
Looks like Butler may make a decent wage from his second job.