An NBA-obsessed newsletter for the info-craved basketball mind.

10.22.18

Standings | Tonight’s schedule

  Written while listening to Dr. Dre's Keep Their Heads Ringin'

Rajon Rondo vs. Chris Paul: A brief history in beef

On Saturday night, some spicy point guard beef turned into a five-second melee between Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul.Look closely at this gif, and you will understand beyond doubt that Rondo is the reason this started. 

Gross. Boooooooo Rondo. Paul responded by poking Rondo, and Rondo, ready -- very ready -- swung with his left hand and connected. Paul got one back, then Brandon Ingram, who started this whole thing with an unnecesarry shove of James Harden, came and suckered Paul.[Here’s a picture of Chris Paul and young Brandon Ingram.]As you’ve heard by now, this fight was not a one-off. It was about 10 years in the making.Said Paul Pierce on ESPN after the game: “I am not surprised at all. For all you people out there that don’t know, Rondo and Chris Paul have never liked each other.”

Here’s a quick timeline

2008 -- Paul makes the Olympic roster over Rondo. Rondo thinks he should have made it over Paul because he had just won a ring, said Brian Windhorst on the HoopsHype podcast.2009 -- Rondo and Paul get in a shouting match during a game, with Rondo using the #RINGZ argument, saying, “I've got a ring, and you're never gonna win one," according to Yahoo! Era Woj. After that game, Rondo requested, through Celtics’ PR, that “you not ask anything about Chris Paul now, tomorrow, or any other time.”2009 -- Danny Ainge tries to trade Rondo for Paul, but the deal falls through because, among a few other reasons, Paul says he won’t commit long term.2011 -- Rumors of a trade involving these two come up again. Paul is instead shipped to the Lakers. That deal is voided, and he is again shipped to L.A., this time to the Clippers.2012-present -- Rondo is a loyal person to an absolute fault, and this is indirect beef, but it should be noted that DeMarcus Cousins and Chris Paul hate each other. And Rondo loves Boogie. You think Rondo wasn’t taking notes while Boogie was dragging Isaiah Thomas away from Paul? When Boogie spiked Paul with a basketball? (Here’s a history of their beef.)October, 2018 -- FIGHT NIGHT IN LOS ANGELES  

I love Rondo as irrationally as Toby loves Pam, but he has done some indefensible, horrible things, and this was one of them.Carmelo Anthony said it best, on Rondo spitting: “You don’t even do that in the streets.”- S.E.

Big Blocks & Deep Shots

Here are the weekend’s can’t miss plays on both ends of the court.  

 Big Block Golden State’s Damian Jones thinks he has a game-tying dunk. Denver’s Juancho Hernangomez thinks otherwise. Deep Shot It’s the opening play of the game. Damian Lillard is near the half court logo. You won’t believe what happens next. Big Block Lou Williams uses every inch of his body to block Jame Harden in a surprising Clippers win. Deep Shot The ball gets tipped to half court. The shot clock is winding down. Terrence Ross chucks it up.

  Quick Hits

• Ingram got four games, Rondo got three games, and Paul got two games punishment for #SpitGate.

• LeBron basically copped out on the whole situation.

• Rookie Trae Young put up 35 points on six threes, and led the Hawks to a franchise-high 22 threes in a win over the Cavs last night. Full highlights here.

• The Sacramento Kings put up 131 points on Sunday and dealt the Thunder (0-3) their third loss of the season, despite Russell Westbrook’s debut.

• Kemba Walker is doing his thing: 35-a-game through three games; 6.3 made threes per game.

• Jokic had the night of his life against the Suns. He put up a perfect 11-11 from the field and ended with 31-10-10 with no turnovers. He and Wilt are the only players to put up a 30-point trip-dub while not missing a shot. [Highlights]

• Kyrie Irving, on comparing LeBron to Kawhi Leonard: “Man, Brad Stevens told me a quote: 'Comparison is the thief of joy.’ So I'm going to enjoy Kawhi for who he is and what he brings to the game, and I'm going to enjoy what Bron brings to the game as well.”

• Your Timberwolves catch up can be found here.(We contacted The Athletic looking for a promo code. They never answered. BUT, we have a personal subscription, so hit us up for the details. Let’s load this account up.)

 Concrete Reads

• Shea Serrano has become viral-famous on Twitter, but he’s much more interesting than some offhand NBA jokes. [The Houston Chronicle]

• Before #SpitGate, there was LeBron’s opening night in L.A. On the frenzy, and the 15 reporters ESPN sent to the game. [The L.A. Times]

• Zach LaVine and Jabari Parker have been as bad as expected on defense [The Athletic]

• Five takeaways from the NBA’s opening week [The Ringer]

  Podcast Pick

• Chauncey Billups tells great stories on the Lowe Post, then Rachel Nichols shares insight into how her interview with Jimmy Butler went down. [The Lowe Post]

Two games you should watch

Tonight, NBATV

Tomorrow, stream on Reddit