Monday, September 14th, 2020

  The Opening Tip

• Are the Clippers going to blow it again?

• Winning Game 1 against LeBron is a bad omen

• Memorializing Marcus Smart’s block

• Nikola Jokić is representing the hefty fellas

Tuesday's games

1. The Lead: Holy shit, we jinxed the Clippers   

In Friday’s newsletter, we chronicled the Clippers’ many historical shortcomings and how, up 3-1 against the Nuggets heading into the weekend, they were fit to finally reach the semi-finals for the first time in their 50-year history. We wrote the Clippers would “likely beat Denver tonight and unceremoniously break the glass ceiling that’s entrapped their franchise since 1970.”That night, L.A. led by 13 points with 13 minutes left in the game before melting down and being outscored by 14 in the fourth quarter to lose, 111-105.OK … a little weird, right? But no real reason to panic.Last night, though, in Game 6 -- the Clippers led by 16 at halftime and by 19 with 10:10 left in the third period and blew it even more spectacularly this time, getting outscored by Denver by 19 points in the second half to lose in a blowout, 111-98.Must we remind you that, in 2015, in Game 6 against the Rockets after once holding a 3-1 lead, the Clippers also led by 19 points in the third quarter before melting down and losing by double-digits?We won’t go full QAnon on you, but this is all a little weird.Don’t be shocked when the Clippers come out flat in Game 7 on Tuesday and lose the series to the Nuggets.

2. The ol’ wrong foot stepback rainbow 28-foot toilet bowl 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down 

If not the absolute best big man in the NBA, Nikola Jokic is currently the strangest and most delightful. He operates like the claw in a toy crane machine, methodically spinning and surveying before either loading up a rainbow jumper or dumping a perfect pass to a cutting guard.He put up 34 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and the 3-pointer above in last night’s win and his numbers for the playoffs aren’t much worse: 

• 26.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 52.2 percent shooting, 46.3 percent from deep. 

In general, this is the second-straight monster postseason he’s been had. He is the rare player whose raw numbers and on-court play improves during the playoffs. 

“I’d say he’s the best player in the world,” said Jamal Murray last night.

Above all, though, he is an

inspiration

to all the hefty fellas out there

3. It’s no fun to go up 1-0 on LeBron James  

LeBron James and the Lakers are 0-2 this postseason in Game 1s. They lost to the Trail Blazers to start the first round -- which gaslit Charles Barkley’s guarantee that Portland would sweep the Lakers -- and to the Rockets to start last round, which at least gave us hope that it’d be a real series.Instead, L.A. swept the next four each time, most recently taking care of the Rockets in Game 5 on Saturday night.At this point, it should be known: LeBron does not care about Game 1s. He usually refers to them as some version of a “feel out” game. 

“For me, Game 1 has always been a feel-out game for me, if you’ve ever followed my history,” LeBron said in 2018 after going down 1-0 to the Celtics. “So I’ve got a good sense of the way they played me today and how I’ll play going into Game 2.”

Every time he loses a Game 1, the anti-LeBron folk get a little bit hopeful that maybe he’s finally fallen off. It’s been happening for a decade. He’s 35 now, and nothing's changed.Since the 2010-11 season, when he moved to Miami and began his true reign, LeBron has lost Game 1 of a series 15 times. In 11 of those, he’s gone on to win the series. Five of those times his team has won in five games. All four of those losses have come in the NBA Finals, against the Spurs in 2014 and the Warriors in 2015, 2017 and 2018.In general, LeBron hasn’t lost a non-Finals series since the Big 3 Celtics beat his Cavs in 2010. So, whoever the Lakers play next round, history says he won’t let his team lose -- even if Game 1 goes to the opponent.

 4. This was the play that finally killed the Raptors 

And anyone who thinks this should have been a foul probably thinks VAR is helping the Premier League.[READ: Why this next chapter of Heat-Celtics won't let us down]

5. By the Numbers 

   7-7-7-7 

Dating back to last season, the Nuggets have played in four playoff series, all of which have gone to seven games.  

  11-of-17 

: “11 of the 17 players on the (Celtics) roster have made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as rookies while playing for Boston.”   

  217-101 

Mike D’Antoni, who resigned as Houston’s coach yesterday, went 217-101 with the Rockets. He should have made the Finals in 2018 and advanced past the first round in all four years with the team.

  11 Conference Finals 

LeBron is about to play in his 11th Conference Finals (and his first in the West).

to ESPN Stats & Info, that’s more than 21 NBA teams. 

 6.  Quick hits 

• Here’s another ridiculous Nikola Jokić shot.

• Also, Jokić on Game 7: "We don't have pressure. I think the whole pressure is on them."

• Montrezl Harrell in Game 6: Five points, one rebound, one assist, two TOs, minus-19.

• From Reddit: If the Nuggets pull off the 3-1 comeback, they’ll be the first team to do twice in the same postseason.

 7.  Off the press 

• Kemba Walker keeps acing the moment that Kyrie Irving got most horribly wrong as a Celtic [NBC Sports]

• Why are the Nuggets handling pressure better than the Clippers? [ESPN]

• Meet the man who makes your favorite announcer sound smarter [The Ringer]