Friday, Aug 13th, 2021

  The Opening Tip

• You can’t watch the new Netflix doc on the Pacers-Pistons brawl without feeling for Jermaine O’Neal. 

• The Nets might have another guy who can score like crazy. 

• Test your knowledge on the all-time 3-point leaders in our quiz section.

 1. The heartache in Jermaine O’Neal’s voice in “Untold: Malice at the Palace”  

Footage wise, Netflix’s new documentary “Untold: Malice at the Palace” doesn’t offer much more from what we’ve seen over the years of the terrifying Pistons vs. Pacers vs. fans brawl in 2004.At the beginning, a prompt tells us the NBA has never released the extended footage. Evidently, the doc had no luck getting it.In the end, “Malace” is a somewhat familiar retelling of the incident -- even though the fans (or, mainly, the idiot who pelted Ron Artest with a cup) deserved a huge chunk of the blame, the media as a whole took aim at the “thug mentality” among players in the NBA, who were “gangsta wannabes,” as Keith Olbermann put it. (Fearing backlash, David Stern immediately implemented a strict dress code.)But it’s worth watching if only for its main character, Jermaine O’Neal, also a main character in the fight, who executive produced the film. (Talk about a conflict-of-interest.)17 years later, you can plainly see how the incident, and its aftermath, still haunts him. He makes a point to say that a federal judge ruled his acts were in self-defense, and he was thus innocent.He says kids who weren’t even born in 2004 ask him about it constantly. He shows little sympathy for Artest, whose snap decision to go into the stands and beat up (the wrong) fan set off a chain reaction of eventual punishment for dozens of people.What’s saddest, for O’Neal in particular, was he never got his basketball justice before or after. Artest went on to win a title with the Lakers and said in the post game, “I was supposed to get one with Jermaine. I bailed out on them. I felt like a coward.”Stephen Jackson won a ring in San Antonio beforehand. Same with Rasheed and Ben Wallace in Detroit. Reggie Miller is still one of the gentlemanly faces of the NBA.After the brawl, O’Neal never recaptured his All-NBA form. He was traded by Indiana in 2008, and never found the right role as either a starter or backup elsewhere, winning only one playoff series after the 2005 season. Clearly, he never got his closure. 

“I’ve never really tried to use the word regret,” O’Neal says toward the end. “But (the brawl) is a part of me that’s always bothered me. I just wanted to move on with my life. I’ve never been able to get away from it, though.”

 2. Daily GIF: Cam Thomas, for the Summer League win     

Cam Thomas, the No. 27 pick in the NBA Draft, is an unabashed scorer who will probably be able to get 10 points in his sleep off an NBA bench.So … who’s the one team the rest of the league shouldn’t have let Thomas slip to in the draft? The Nets.Who’s the team that drafted Thomas? The Nets.

 3. Trivia time  

Fill in the blanks on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers made list. 

1. Ray Allen, 2,973

2. ____, 2,832

3. Reggie Miller, 2,560

4. ____, 2,450

5. James Harden, 2,445

6. Vince Carter, 2,290

7. ____, 2,282

8. Jamal Crawford, 2,221

9. ____, 2,143

10. Damian Lillard, 2,051

Answers at the bottom.

4. By the numbers

$84 million ➡️ $5.9 million

Poor Dennis Schroder must have spent too much time watching bet on yourself TedTalks on YouTube this past season.He could have had $21 million a year for four years from the Lakers, which he turned down in February. Instead, he just signed for $5.9 million with the Celtics, though he’ll have a chance now to play well and test the open market next offseason.(Also, don’t feel too bad for him. He’s already made $70 million in his NBA career.)

  $176.3 million

Kawhi Leonard has officially resigned with the Clippers for four years and $176.3 million. He could have opted into the final year of his last contract, then signed a four-year, $187 million extension, but chose instead to take four years now with an option after three. He can next hit free agency as a 33-year-old.

  2,450 3-pointers

Kyle Korver is joining Steve Nash’s coaching staff in Brooklyn, which means he’s officially retired after 17 seasons and 2,450 made 3s, which is currently fourth all-time, though James Harden will eclipse him when he hits six more next season.

 5.  Quick Hits 

• JR Smith, who is enrolled at N.C. A&T, hopes to play golf for the Aggies should he clear NCAA waivers. 

• Robin Lopezon Twitter: “I've been congratulated so many times on winning a championship this summer. I don't want to hurt anybodys feelings, so I've just been saying thanks.”

• Payton Pritchard is simply too good for Summer League.

• Here’s a cool clip of James Harden in 2009 comparing himself to Manu and Paul Pierce. Pretty spot on, it turned out. 

• Thanasis Antetokounmpois headed back to the Bucks. 

• Kyrie Irvinghates his new sneaker.

 6.  Reads and pods 

• The Knicks used the offseason to build for now and later [The Ringer]

• Stories from the 1969 Finals with Leigh Montville [The Ryen Russillo Podcast]

• Winners, losers and everyone in between after a wild 2021 NBA offseason [ESPN]