The Grip - FRI 4.19.19

Boban is not your punchline

April 19, 2019

Friday, April 19th, 2019

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Written while listening to Anderson .Paak's Winners Circle

With Embiid out, we got the full Boban experience   

Great NBA players influence the game in some important way. Wilt’s dominance led to the three-second violation; Steph Curry’s shooting fast-forwarded the 3-point revolution; Magic Johnson’s even play inspired the term triple-double. And, now, the NBA, thanks to Boban Marjanovic, has a new portal it must address -- the non-over-the-back, over-the-back call. Here’s Boban, simply plucking a rebound over 6-foot-11 Jarrett Allen before dunking like he’s putting a softball back in the batting practice bucket. The over-the-back rule simply does not apply to Boban, because Boban does not need leverage. In all seriousness, Boban was great in his 18 minutes yesterday, filling in for Joel Embiid in a 131-115 Game 3 blowout; he fouled out late in the game -- supernovas don't last forever -- but finished with 14 points on five shots (he made all eight of his free-throws) and added eight rebounds. He finished the game a plus-18. As Gregg Popovich made clear in 2015, Boban isn’t a sideshow, he’s a 7-foot-3 person. And he isn’t a gimmick, either. In the right match up, like last night, he’s a difference-maker with a soft touch who can clog the lane on defense and clean the glass on offense. Oh, and Ben Simmons was better than average, scoring 31 Game 3 points while abusing the Nets in the paint. Without Embiid, the 76ers played small ball for much of the game, and it allowed Simmons room to operate inside, creating gorgeous scoring chances like this one. [READ: The legend of Boban Marjanovic]

Eastern Conference

 [1] Milwaukee Bucks vs. [8] Detroit Pistons  

Game One:

Bucks 121

,

 Pistons 86

Game Two:

 Bucks 120. Pistons 99

Game Three:

Bucks at Pistons, 8 p.m., Saturday

This series continues to be very sad without Blake Griffin, who willed his team to a .500 record,

longform stories, and

from the bench as Giannis takes a blow torch to the Pistons.

But, for the adventurous type: A $100 wager on Detroit to beat the Bucks straight up on Saturday will return roughly $315.Hopefully, an actual crowd shows up to watch the game.

 [2] Toronto Raptors vs. [7] Orlando Magic  

Game One:

Magic 104

,

 Raptors 101

Game Two:

 Raptors 111, Magic 82

Game Three:

Raptors [-5.5] at Magic, 7 p.m., tonight, ESPN

At the trade deadline, it seemed like the Raptors took a flyer on Marc Gasol because the NBA loves shiny names and Masai Ujiri

, anyways.

He wasn’t a regular season addition, though, he was a postseason addition, and he was excellent in Wednesday's Game 2 blowout win over the Orlando Magic. He finished a plus-22 in 21 minutes, and channeled his inner Defensive Player of the Year against Nikola Vucevic, who took only seven shots in 25 minutes.Gasol is something like the fifth-best player on the Raptors, but he can go stretches of a game here or there looking like the best, which is why it makes sense to add old, former All-Stars to a playoff roster in February.In the postseason, as a general rule, it also helps when your point guard scores more than zero points. Lowry had 22 points in the Game 2 victory.

 [4] Boston Celtics vs. [5] Indiana Pacers  

Game One:

Celtics 84, Pacers 74

Game Two:

Celtics 99, Pacers 91

Game Three:

Celtics [+2.5] at Pacers, 8:30 p.m., tonight, ABC

Where were you on Wednesday, when Jayson Tatum learned how to make a smart basketball play?

One of us was in Italy, and the other was at a local bar, begging the bartender to grant a Happy Hour request a minute after the deal had expired.(He did.)But that, of course, is meaningless. Here was his savvy play in Game 2, after nailing a 3-pointer to go up one point with a minute left.Regular season Tatum jacks that shot. Playoff Tatum transcends. And the Celtics are winning, which means Kyrie tried, he really did, but he’s back on his bullshit.Here’s what he told ESPN:

  • “It's just been a long journey having those two knee surgeries and watching the team last year. And finally getting a chance to lace them up for the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs? There's nothing like it."

Boston is Kyrie’s captive, and we are ready to crank that Stockholm Syndrome to the limit.[READ: Jayson Tatum will decide how far the Celtics can go]

Western Conference

[1] Golden State Warriors vs. [8] LA Clippers

Game One:

 Warriors 121, Clippers 104

Game Two:

 Clippers 135, Warriors 131

Game Three:

Warriors 132, Clippers 105

Game Four:

Warriors at Clippers, 3:30 p.m., Sunday

On Monday night, the Clippers found themselves down 31 points in the third quarter. As you have surely heard, they ended up winning, 135-131, making history as the first team to overcome a 31-point deficit in a playoff game.Lou Williams celebrated with nachos.The honeymoon was fun, and very short. On Thursday night, Kevin Durant did Kevin Durant things, dropping 38 points and seven assists as the Warriors blew out the Clippers, 132-105, in front of a decidedly pro-Clippers crowd, which has been rare over the last four decades.All is normal again, though DeMarcus Cousins’ quad tear in Game 2, which will likely cost him the postseason, flew a little under the radar.That was Boogie’s second playoff game ever in his ninth NBA season, which definitely qualifies as a sports tragedy.[READ: Examining the greatest comebacks in NBA playoff history][READ: DeMarcus Cousins to the Lakers? Analysts begin free agency speculation]

[2] Denver Nuggets vs. [7] San Antonio Spurs

Game One:

 Spurs 101, Nuggets 96

Game Two:

 Nuggets 114, Spurs 105

Game Three:

Spurs 118, Nuggets 108

Game Four:

Nuggets at Spurs, 5:30 p.m., Saturday

This tweet last night from Marc Stein sank us into another dimension.

It’s true, and the Spurs, who beat the Nuggets in Game 3 behind 36 points from Derrick White, who, we repeat, played Division II basketball for three seasons, are going to beat the Nuggets, aren’t they?Here’s what we wrote about the Spurs in November:

  • Our unsolicited advice to Pop: Tank, and tank fast -- you know, like you did in 1997 to get Tim Duncan.

Us, stupid: TankPop, an intellectual: This D-II guy is gunna beat the two-seed in the playoffs

[3] Portland Trail Blazers vs. [6] Oklahoma City Thunder

Game One:

 Trail Blazers 104, Thunder 99

Game Two:

 Trail Blazers 104, Thunder 99

Game Three:

Trail Blazers [+7.5] at Thunder, 9:30 p.m., ESPN

Here’s what Zach Lowe said

about Russell Westbrook, a day after

in a Game 2 loss.

  • “They’re down 0-2. Since Kevin Durant left, Russ had a five-game loss, a six-game loss and now an 0-2 in the playoffs. I am not a hot take guy, but he’s got to start winning in the playoffs if he wants to have the stature historically that his stats suggest that he should have.”

Not much else to add.[READ: Westbrook vows to play better after loss][READ: The Damian Lillard experience is the sweetest show in basketball]

[4] Houston Rockets vs. [5] Utah Jazz

Game One:

 Rockets 122, Jazz 90

Game Two:

 Rockets 118, Jazz 98 

Game Three:

Rockets at Jazz, 10:30 p.m., Saturday

Remember when, after the regular season finale between the Clippers and the Jazz,

He definitely meant well, but trying to contain Harden is becoming as impossible a task as there is in the NBA. Harden dropped 32 and a triple-double in another easy Game 2 victory on Wednesday and the Rockets, completely healthy for the first time all season, look really, really good. 

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey went on the Bill Simmons Podcast yesterday to talk about his shooting guard and his team's chances this season,

. 

The Jazz are still a good team, but two non-competitive games in a row can mess with a psyche, and, as it turns out, the local media. 

 the argument that, actually, Harden is simply a gimmick. 

At least he can admit this much: 

  • "I’m not saying Harden isn’t talented."

A strong stance, Doug.