Fri, Feb 28th, 2020

The all-leap year team — Giannis vs. Harden — Embiid update

February 28, 2020

Friday, Feb 28th, 2020

  

  The Opening Tip

  • The best Feb. 29 performances of all-time 

  • James Harden finally shot back at Giannis

  • Wilt dropped 61 points 58 years ago today

Tonight's must-watch games

1. The Lead: The all-leap-year-day team

Every four years, for some reason that maybe five people in the entire world could actually explain, we all get an extra day at the end of February.It’s an extra day to gather rent; to grant yourself one more day to not do the thing you were supposed to do; to remember your junior high math teacher, Mr. Jacques, who was born on a leap year day and would always make the same joke that he’s a quarter of his actual age.But, most importantly, it’s one more day of free basketball.Over the years, there have been many great Feb. 29 performances. So, without further ado, we present the first-ever all-leap-year-day-team:

  • Point guard: Oscar Robertson, Feb. 29, 1964, 43 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 16 of 28 shooting

  • Shooting guard: Allen Iverson, Feb. 29, 2008, 38 points, 6 assists, 13 of 22 shooting

  • Small forward: LeBron James, Feb. 29, 2008, 30 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists

  • Power forward: Karl Malone, Feb. 29, 1988, 41 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, 15 of 20 shooting 

  • Center: Hakeem Olajuwon, Feb. 29, 1996, 42 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks

As always, we owe this silly segment to the player game finder feature at Basketball Reference.

2. Myles Turner saves the Pacers

After a desperate 11-2 run by the Trail Blazers last night in the game's final three minutes, Myles Turner iced it with this big-time 3. The Pacers won 106-100.

3. The Harden-Giannis is officially sizzling  

A week ago, we wrote about Giannis’s apparent disdain for James Harden. During All-Star Weekend, Giannis took consistent shots at him:

  • Feb. 6: While drafting his All-Star team, and with Harden clearly the best player left, Giannis said he was between Kemba Walker and Trae Young, and “wants somebody that’s going to pass the ball,” eventually taking Walker.

  • Feb. 16: During the All-Star Game, Giannis hit Harden with a nasty elbow.

  • Feb. 16: Once the game was over, during his post game presser, Giannis said, unprovoked, “Offensively, we were just trying to find whoever James Harden was guarding. That’s who we thought we had an opportunity to score on.”

Alas, a true beef takes two, and we have Harden’s response, via an interview yesterday with The Jump: 

“I have more assists than (Kemba Walker). So I don’t see what the joke is. I don’t even pay attention to stuff like that. I just know none of them can mess with me.”“I wish I could just run and was seven-feet and could just dunk. Like, that takes no skill at all. I’ve got to learn how to actually play basketball and how to have skill. I’ll take that any day.”

Two things:

  • Harden saying “I don’t even pay attention to stuff like that” is like us saying “We’re actually not interested in getting bought out by a big digital media company.” (Email us at [email protected].)

  • Harden has a right to be snappy. The disrespect for an MVP averaging 35-plus two seasons in a row for a consistently good team is unfair. 

PS:

Harden’s

the other day to a fan asking if anyone can guard him is great.

4. 02/28/1962: Wilt drops a measly 61

On this day 58 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain scored 61 points on 28 of 46 shooting with 28 rebounds and six assists in a round 48 minutes played.(The game was played in Chicago, against the Chicago Packers, who became the Zephyrs the next season, then moved to Baltimore and became the Bullets, then the Capital Bullets, then the Washington Bullets, then, finally, the Washington Wizards.)Wilt’s 61-point game, while impressive, was only the seventh-highest scoring output of his 1961-62 season, in which he averaged 50 a game:

  • 03/02/1962: 100 vs. the Knicks

  • 12/08/1961: 78 vs. the Lakers

  • 01/13/1962: 73 vs. the Packers

  • 02/17/1962: 67 vs. the Hawks

  • 02/25/1962: 67 vs. the Knicks

  • 02/13/1962: 65 vs. the Royals

  • 02/27/1962: 65 vs. the Hawks

  • 01/14/1962: 65 vs. the Celtics

Also:

His lowest point total

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 5.  Quick hits 

 6.  Off the press 

  • The make-sh*t-happen all-stars [The Ringer]

  • Nick Wright has managed to be wrong about Jayson Tatum every step of the way [Yahoo! Sports]