Sign up for the daily newsletter, Jay’s Plays of the Day, to get sports betting recommendations for the top games of the night and the week ahead.
Late night greatness
So the NBA In-Season Tournament has, by most measures, been an unabashed success.
Drama. Strange courts. December games that feel bigger — in terms or meaning and in terms of the players’ efforts.
Case in point: The Lakers beat the Suns 106-103 to advance to the semifinals.
Normally a Dec. 5 game on the West Coast would not garner this kind of attention.
But here’s the thing: The stakes clearly matter to the players, and the effort speaks to that.
Each player on the winning team of this faux tournament — the games are regular-season and count as such — gets $500,000. Seriously.
Players on the second-place crew get $200K, with each player on the Lakers and the Bucks, who beat the Knicks in the other quarterfinal game Tuesday, are assured at least $100K.
Each player on a quarterfinalist gets $50,000.
That’d pay for a nice Christmas, no?
Well, money or no, pride or no, two ancient dudes in NBA years put on a show last night.
LeBron James will be 39 later this month, and he dropped 31-8-11 with five steals.
I repeat: He dropped those numbers — in a game that matter — and he’ll be 39 at the end of the month.
Hate his policies and politics. I understand that.
But LeBron’s a top-five player in today’s NBA. At 39 — the age of MJ’s final season in Washington, mind you.
James stats in his season at age 39: Shooting 54.6/38.7/69.7 (FG%/3P%/FT%) and averaging 24.7-7.6-6.6 in points, boards and assists.
MJ’s stats at 39: 44.5/29.1/82.1 and 20.0-6.1-3.8.
Also on the floor was the sneakily longed-tooth Kevin Durant, who dropped 31 with seven boards. KD is 35 — I know I would have guessed younger, too — and will be a top-eight all-time scorer by the end of the season if he remains healthy.
It was fun, whether it was motivated by cash or caring, I didn’t care.
It also made me wonder who will the NBA turn to in five years? Luka, you need to get your crew in a conference finals ASAP brother.
Final playoff thought
Here we go. Well, before we get to the Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game Success, Bowler optional, I feel the need to make a couple more points about the college football playoff and the committee’s decision.
First, in my mind the solution here is not expansion, although this controversy garnered more support for expanding the field since anything that has happened in 19 years, when unbeaten and SEC champ Auburn was left out of the two-team title field.
Controversy in selections are going to happen — maybe not at as a dire point of a team with FSU’s resume getting shuffled to the Orange Bowl rather than the playoff — whether there is 12 or 24.
In years past, UTC has been upset about being left out of 24. In years past, untold numbers of hoops teams felt robbed about being left out of the field of 68.
It will happen when the field goes to 12 next year, too — both from the team that is No. 13 and the team that is No. 5 for not getting a bye.
And controversy is OK; it generates talk and interest.
Expansion is coming, so I’ll just deal with that when it gets here.
The first step to limiting the controversy is transparency. Did you know there is not even transparency in that room? It’s a secret ballot in the secret chamber.
Second, and I am surprised not many folks that I have heard or read have made this point.
The committee was faced with the no-win scenario that was going to buck at least one precedent with five qualified conference champs for four spots.
Michigan and Washington were in. Period. No one blinks.
The other three each had a strong talking point and a glaring flaw.
And while I think the order could have (and likely should have) been Michigan, Washington, FSU then Texas, the committee focused on the biggest flaw rather than the strongest talking point.
And FSU’s flaw — clearly not the same team without Jordan Travis — is much more detrimental than Bama losing to Texas in September or Texas losing to Oklahoma in October, in my view.
Bowling alley
OK, enough about the controversy. Let’s win some stuff.
Bowling for Bowls of Bowl Game is the longest running contest we have here.
We started it that first year in 2010 to have a little interest in every bowl game. Yes, we picked every game, from the most meaningless to the most meaningful. And we do it against the spread.
You can only win points, not lose them. Deal? Deal.
Note: I am going to have to post this in the comments (and again tomorrow) because I ran out of time this morning. My bad.
This and that
— So a Colorado court could rule that Donald Trump can’t run because of the 14th Amendment, which says someone who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” after taking an oath of office can’t hold any public office. Hmmmmm. Man, that could really open things up for a 2024 election, since I don’t think any currently announced GOP candidate can beat The Donald (sadly) and I think the only GOP candidate Biden can beat is The Donald.
— Wow, I knew the professional golf ranks were putting governors on the golf ball in an attempt to limit distance. But did you know they are doing it for your everyday 18-handicapper too? The change will come into play in 2028 at the highest levels and 2030 for everyday players and their equipment at their local pro shops.
— Another Blind Side hit. So the Tuohys — Sean and Leigh Anne, the folks that took in Michael Oher in a story that became the blockbuster movie “The Blind Side” — filed a counter suit against Oher. Oher, the former Ole Miss star and Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl tackle, said the Tuohys tricked him into a conservatorship to bilk him of money and decision-making powers. The Tuohy’s suit says Oher was trying to extort as much as $15 million from them. Yikes. Merry Christmas.
— MTSU is expected to hire former Vandy coach Derek Mason to replace Rick Stockstill, who was canned last month.
— Barring a monster surprise and Marvin Harrison Jr. Heisman win (he’s minus-25000, which means a $100 bet lands $25K), did you know this will be the fifth time in the last seven years that a transfer QB wins the Heisman?
— Rest easy Norman Lear, a TV pioneer who was the producer of “All in the Family” among other great shows. He was 101.
— Interesting story here that Boo Carter, the Bradley Central star and UT commit, is set to join the Vols early and participate in bowl practices. You know who had it first. Of course it was Hargis. Rules and all.
Today’s questions
Which way Wednesday starts this way.
Which non-playoff bowl game looks the most interesting to you?
Which bowl name is the silliest?
Which playoff team would you have left off?
Which side do you believe, Oher’s or the Tuohys’, in the Blind Side brouhaha?
As for today, Dec. 6, let’s review.
Otto Graham would have been 102 today.
If you want to try a Rushmore of Otto, knock yourself out.
But I will also ask a Rushmore of famous people with a first name that starts and ends with the same letter.
Go.