It’s Thursday, March 14 – here’s what to watch the rest of the week
1. Where Do You Draw the Line for Fans?
This is of course in reference to the drama that recently unfolded in Utah, where hecklers had a notable exchange with Thunder star Russell Westbrook.
According to Thunder players, Jazz fan Shane Kiesel and his female companion crossed the line when they heckled Westbrook from their courtside seats Monday night. “Get down on your knees like you’re used to,” was the alleged taunt that came from Kiesel, and Westbrook absolutely lost it in a retort that was caught on film.
“I’ll $#@! you up. You and your wife.”
Kiesel claims that he shouted something far more innocuous, something along the lines of “Ice those knees up!” Right.
Both these comments crossed the line, but the fan’s comments are the ones that need to be dealt with (Kiesel has already received a lifetime ban from Jazz games). First of all, fan chirping is a fantastic, time-honored part of the game. But it’s like alcohol – if you can use it responsibly, it’s there for everyone’s enjoyment. But if not, you’re going to get it taken away and ruin it for the rest of us.
What seems to have set Westbrook off so badly were the racial undertones he perceived in what the fan said. I don’t think we have audio on what the fan said – only Westbrook’s reply was captured – so we may never know. And even if Kiesel said what Westbrook and several other Thunder players claim he did, perhaps he meant the comment in a vulgar, homophobic sense, which would be equally as inexcusable and certainly still grounds for banishment. It really doesn’t matter – the fan got what he deserved.
But it always seems to be Westbrook at the center of this all. No player seems to draw more fan ire and vitriol than he does. And I get it – I’m a Westbrook hater myself, it’s an absolute blast. But it’s one thing to hate the player on the court, and another thing to hate the man off of it. From all indications, Westbrook seems to be a pretty solid dude. He’s very involved in charitable initiatives, has never gotten in trouble, and is always seen giving away his game-used sneakers to fans as he heads to the locker room.
Yes, there is an aspect of public criticism and heckling that you sign up for when you agree to play professional basketball for millions of dollars. But that doesn’t extend to bigotry and harassment.
So, I say to sleazeball fans out there: 1. Don’t be a dick, and 2. Don’t ruin it for the rest of us. Let’s make sure that harmless chirping can still be a part of the game. If I had been in Kiesel’s seats, here are a few of the things I would’ve yelled instead as Westbrook iced his knees a few feet away:
- Rest up for some more stat padding! People are out there getting your rebounds!
- I love your gameday wardrobes! How long have you known Peewee Herman?
- Where are you gonna watch the Finals?
- Did you like Kevin Love better when he was fat?
2. What’s Happening with the Pistons?
Just when everything looked like it was going right for the Detroit Pistons, they suddenly look very much so in trouble.
The Pistons came out of the All-Star break by winning eight of nine, including signature wins against the Pacers, Raptors and Spurs. And in a very un-Pistons development, it was actually the offense leading the way – Detroit averaged 118.3 points per game over that nine-game span.
Well, all of that has come crashing down over the last two games, as the Pistons have put up 75 and 74 points respectively. I’d love to see the last time a team combined for 149 points over a two-game stretch, but I was unable to find it. Hit me up if you can find it.
Specifically, the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game at Miami was historically awful. The Heat opened the half on a 21-0 run, and the Pistons finished that quarter with a grand total of eight points. The Pistons only ended up scoring 25 total in the second half.
The Pistons currently sit at 34-33 and in the seventh spot in the East. Their playoff birth seems to be secure, as either Orlando or Charlotte would have to make up four games over the final 15ish games of the season. But after back-to-back offensive clunkers, who knows.
3. LeBron James Sighting!
With the Lakers firmly out of the playoff picture, as (not) predicted by yours truly, one of more interesting story lines down the final stretch of the season will be Luke Walton’s search for a realtor. And also LeBron James’ performance down the stretch.
Though Los Angeles isn’t quite mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, LeBron knows that his squad is going to come up short this year. His coach knows it, his teammates know it, the city knows it. So LeBron has now turned his attention to showing his teammates how to play the fiddle while the Titanic sinks. Or while Rome burns. Whichever metaphor you prefer.
LeBron turned in a vintage performance against the (atrocious) Bulls Wednesday night in Chicago, pouring in 36 points, 10 rebounds and several highlight dunks in 33 minutes of play. Luke Walton and the Lakers have spoken recently about reducing LeBron’s minutes as this doomed season wraps up – otherwise, LeBron could have easily had 45.
Hey, LeBron – what took you so long? Is there a reason you had to wait until your season flew too close to the sun and combusted before you showed your young teammates how to be a professional? Is there a reason that you chose now to ramp up your scoring, once your team is already out of the postseason?
LeBron goes autopilot every night and puts up 27-8-8. That’s a freakish accomplishment and we need to recognize how incredible it is that that is a run-of-the-mill night. But there are simply nights where LeBron has to do more.
I get that LeBron is 34 years old. I get that this is his sixteenth NBA season. I get that he suffered the worst injury of his career this season, which caused him to miss 18 games, the most he’s ever missed in a single campaign. I get that at this point in his career, he needs to save some of his energy for the playoffs. But as LeBron learned this season, there’s no guarantee of making the playoffs in the first place – at least not in the Western Conference. If LeBron can sleepwalk his way to the kind of stat line above, there’s no excuse for him not dropping 40+ more often.
I hope LeBron realizes that some of the responsibility for an embarrassing Lakers season befalls him. But hey, at least he still has a spot reserved for him on the Warner Bros lot.
4. Warriors Wearout
Last week, it was “Are the Warriors Finally Vulnerable?” and “Is Boogie Cousins Holding This Team Back?” This week, it’s “Are the Warriors Finally Back?” and “Can the Warriors Be Beaten When Boogie Plays This Well?”
This garbage is so annoying, and it’s ramped up now that it’s clear that LeBron won’t be available for his annual postseason storyline exploitation. As usual, ESPN is at the forefront of the sensationalist regurgitation.
Accordingly, here are some of the Warriors-related headlines you should expect to see down the final stretch of the regular season.
- Klay Thompson Calls Out Warriors Fans: What Kind of Contract Will He Sign with the Knicks?
- Steph Curry’s Shoes Didn’t Have Girls Sizes: Does He Believe in Gender Equality?
- Kevin Durant Goes Down with Ankle Injury: Will the Warriors Tank?
- DeMarcus Cousins Looking More Like Old Self: Is He on Steroids?
- Draymond Green Signs with Klutch Sports: What Number Will He Wear on the Lakers?
- Andre Iguodala Says Curry Is Second-Best PG Ever: Is the Warriors Locker Room in Shambles?
5. Did You Know?
We are currently finishing up the second NBA season with company sponsorship logos on team jerseys. Everyone briefly freaked out about this when it was implemented, then largely forgot about it.
Know who hasn’t forgotten about it? The NBA. The patches helped the NBA surpass $1 billion in sponsorship revenue for the first time last year, landing at a whopping $1.12 billion. This represents a 31% jump from the $861 million brought in through sponsorships the previous season, in 2016-17.
The jersey patches alone accounted for $137 million of that jump. Last year, the average patch deal brought in roughly $6.5 million for each team, with most of that going straight to the team and some of it to the league.
The NBA has been a model league under the leadership of Adam Silver, with breakthroughs in revenue, television deals, player empowerment, and stances on social issues. And all of it has helped fuel the NBA’s flat-out startling sponsorship growth over the last five seasons. Check it out:
- 2013-14: $679 million
- 2014-15: $739 million
- 2015-16: $799 million
- 2016-17: $861 million
- 2017-18: $1.12 billion
While other leagues such as the MLB and NFL seem to be hurtling inevitably toward a labor standoff when their respective CBAs expire, the NBA seems to be doing just fine. No wonder the NFL was furtively gauging whether Silver wanted to make the move over to the NFL.
