The Grip - FRI 6.1.18

The burden of being LeBron

June 01, 2018

6.1.18

Written while listening to Cypress Hill's Insane in the Brain [Spotify] [Apple Music]

LeBron did everything and one play ruined it

No. 2 Golden State vs. No. 4 Cleveland

Game 1: Warriors 124, Cavaliers 114 [OT] [Box Score] [Highlights]Game 2: Cavaliers @ Warriors, Sunday, 8 PM EST, ABC

P Diddy once said: “I don’t wanna hear no crying at my funeral.”

And now, in private, or maybe even in public, LeBron must say: “I don’t wanna hear no crying when I leave Cleveland.”

Because in one of the seminole moments of his career, when stealing game one on the road against a team with four future Hall of Famers was the most likely outcome, something completely abhorrent, unacceptable and horrifying happened. Behold, The Play:

(Horrifying, actually, is really the only word here. Even worse, he tried to lie about it afterwards.)

JR Smith, a professional NBA player who gets paid to play basketball, who is expected to focus acutely during game one of the NBA season, let alone game one of the NBA Finals, forgot the score. Forgot the score.

Forgot-the-score. Are you kidding me?

What Smith has done is far worse than anything he’s done in his shaky social life. Far worse than soup throwing or Twitter DMs. Far more appalling than any post on social media or immature fight or dirty play.

What he did, in that moment, with LeBron James on the doorstep of a great achievement, was an insult to the game’s integrity. He showed everyone -- LeBron, his team, the Warriors, Ty Lue, the fans, the hundreds of reporters, Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, the state of Ohio -- that he just doesn’t care enough to do his job the right way.

You can say you’re sorry -- and he tried while LeBron scolded him like a distraught mother -- but it became too late for that the moment he settled for not knowing the score as George Hill settled into his last free throw.

He let….everyone….down. In a game that means so much to so many people for so many different reasons, he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to know the score.

He was also horrible earlier in the game. His out of control play in the first half led to a buzzer-beater by Steph Curry from 40 feet to tie the game going into the break. He finished with seven points and was a minus-22.

LeBron, who had 51-8-8, should be up 1-0 on an inorganic group of mercenaries with horrible attitudes towards the rest of the NBA. Instead, George Hill bricked a free throw and Smith acted like the sixth grader who would rather get a cheap laugh than take his life seriously.

That, to use a term that admittedly may be better applied to a real world problem, is heartbreaking.

Of course, overtime was a wash. The Warriors didn’t let go of the new life, and went up double-digits at times to race ahead for the win. They scored 17 in the five minute extra period.

LeBron must try and reconcile his Jordan-esque performance that ended in a loss, but it felt like this game last night was the one to steal.

In a great recent op-ed by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in The Guardian, he writes: “LeBron is a much better player today than he was when he was younger. Few can dispute that he was the catalyst who drove the Cavaliers to defeat the Celtics in the playoffs. Having that power isn’t just a matter of skill, it’s a willingness to take on the responsibility of rallying the team and of having the respect of the team as a leader, not just a player.”

He shouldered the load, took on responsibility, played his best game possible, and JR Smith decided he’d rather forget the score than help him out. Too bad.

Your guide to the Colangelo-Twitter thing

The summer has not even started. And the NBA has already won it with this Ringer story by Ben Detrick, which released on Tuesday night.What is the story about?

The story, catalyzed in February by an anonymous tipster, floats out the very real possibility that 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo is the owner of five burner Twitter accounts. Over the course of the last several years, the various accounts have spewed highly-classified information about the team in tweets to fans, bloggers and beat writers.

The damning evidence comes in the content of the tweets. One of them suggests Jahlil Okafor failed a physical and voided a trade. Another suggests Markelle Fultz’s mentor was the reason for a messed up shot. One even defends Colangelo’s shirt collar.

The point: Whoever is running these accounts is deeply involved with both Colangelo and the organization.

  What was the reaction?

Shortly after the piece dropped and shocked the NBA world, the 76ers released a statement announcing they were investigating the situation. In a private statement to the Ringer while the piece was still being researched, the team confirmed that one of them did in fact belong to Colangelo. Jerry is also an advisor for the 76ers, though the two might be dumped before this whole thing is over. 

  Who is Bryan Colangelo?

The Colangelos are one of the more famous NBA families. His father, Jerry, has been with the league almost since its inception.

If the NBA were America, Jerry would be John Hancock. He was the first general manager of the Phoenix Suns in 1968. He held that title until 1994, when Bryan took over and held the job until 2006.

The wink-wink in NBA circles is that, if a team is reaching a historical level of incompetence, it’s time to send in the Colangelo family. That’s what Adam Silver did with the 76ers in 2015.

  Has Colangelo addressed the story?

Sort of. He’s maintained his innocence through various people. Though he issued this statement admitting to owning one of the accounts:

“Like many of my colleagues in sports, I have used social media as a means to keep up with the news. While I have never posted anything whatsoever on social media, I have used the @Phila1234567 Twitter account referenced in this story to monitor our industry and other current events. This storyline is disturbing to me on many levels, as I am not familiar with any of the other accounts that have been brought to my attention, nor do I know who is behind them or what their motives may be in using them.” 

Want more?

Here is a podcast with Detrick, discussing in great detail the process -- ha! -- of how the story came together. It’s only half-an-hour, and it’s fascinating. And probably a little bit better than our roundup.

Coaching news

  • Steve Clifford is the new future former coach of the Orlando Magic. He signed a four-year deal this past week.

  • The Detroit Pistons are going hard after former Toronto coach Dwane Casey.

  • Unsolicited commentary: Why are these teams dipping into the fired coaches pile? Why isn’t every team trying to find the next Quin Snyder or Brad Stevens?

JR Smith Links

What else happened?

Pat vs. The House

Pat’s Pick Record: 6-2

P.T.: In an attempt to start on a positive note, I would like to congratulate those who wagered on the Over 217.5 points last night.  It looked like the game would end in regulation, with the total points being under 217.5. However, when George Hill missed his second free-throw attempt, the score was tied at 107.JR, the score was tied at 107, JR.

Cleveland Cavaliers (+12) at Golden State Warriors (-12) -- [Over/Under 215.5] NBA Finals - Game 2 – June 3 – 8:05 PM ET

After watching the final seconds of regulation in game one, I can only assume that JR Smith wagered on the Warriors' money line.

It seems as though the Cavs lost their chance to steal a game in Oakland.  That being said, they still covered the spread on Thursday. As for the Warriors, they survived by the skin of their teeth. They will have a renewed respect for the Cavaliers transition scoring ability in game two. Expect the Warriors to explode in the first half of game two, and cover the first half spread (-6.5).   

Best Bet: The Warriors are +501 in the third quarter this year; the Cavs are +5. In the playoffs, Golden State is +130; the Cavs are -1.  My money is going on the Warriors covering the third quarter spread in every game of the series.

Angry Side Note:  Many LeBron apologists are arguing that LeBron will become the consensus “Greatest Player of All-Time” if he can lead the heavy underdogs from Cleveland to an NBA title over their seemingly unbeatable Finals opponent. Well, let me remind you all about an even better underdog story, starring an even better individual basketball player. In 1995, the Greatest Basketball Player of All-Time, Michael Jordan, led a squad of misfits that would make Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance look like all-stars. Who were Jordan’s teammates? Well, his sidekick was a cartoon bunny. Newman from Seinfeld got significant minutes off of the bench. And, if you think Daffy Duck and Tweety Bird were anything but liabilities, you’re just being disingenuous. Jordan’s opponent? The largest favorite in sports betting history. Aliens from outer-space, infused with the talents of NBA Hall of Famers. That, my friends, is a real underdog story.Pat’s Pick --> WARRIORS -12Odds to win series: Rockets (+850) Warriors (-1750)If you have bet all of Pat’s $20 Parlays, you would now have: -$2

Pat’s $20 Parlay1st Half Spread à Warriors -6.5Under 215.5 pointsWINS $52