NBA Finals preview
I want this series to be good.
I want this series to be tight and competitive and able to generate drama in crunch time of a Game 5 or Game 6 or let’s hope a Game 7.
I want to believe that.
And if Kevin Durant does not play, I am starting to think the Raptors-Warriors series can deliver that.
Seriously.
Yes, the Warriors are better, even without Durant. But the divide is much closer without KD, and let’s explore some of the ripples that are here if KD does not play. (KD is out for tonight’s Game 1; there has been no announcement for his status for Game 2 or the rest of the series.)
Without KD…
> Kawhi can chase Steph rather than being forced to guard KD, which is a huge advantage for the Raptors. Side note: How amazing is Kawhi defensively if he goes from frustrating Giannis in the ECF to frustrating Steph in these Finals?
> Toronto has home-court advantage, something that normally is worth a shoulder shrug, but the Raptors fans have created a real edge in their area. They Are North.
> Toronto has the best player on the floor. Kawhi Leonard has been truly amazing this postseason, and if there’s no KD, the Warriors do not have a counter on either end for him. (And as defensively disruptive as Draymond can be, he’s not quick enough to handle Kawhi’s handle.
So let’s tip it off, and see if the North can derail the three-peat.
I am cheering for the Raptors, in large part because I am cheering for a fun and compelling series.
Pick: Warriors in 6.
More than mouse-sized economic pressure
This story was eye-catching, and certainly will not be the last of its kind.
According to this story in the Hollywood Reporter, Disney CEO Bob Iger said he didn’t “see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there.”
Yes, that was intentional vague.
So let’s connect the dots.
For Iger – who leads the company that is filming Marvels and Star Wars-theme movies around the clock these days – the there is the state of Georgia and the why is because of the controversial fetal-heartbeat abortion bill.
Among the multiple movies and TV shows that have been filmed in Georgia are the Disney blockbusters “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Endgame.”
Disney spent more than half-a-billion dollars combined to make those two movies.
According to Georgia.org, there are 32 current projects for film or TV being shot in the state of Georgia right now, including Conjuring 3 (Warner Bros.) and season 10 of the TV hit The Walking Dead and season 3 of Ozark.
I referenced non-Disney projects because if you think this will only be a possible Disney position – remember Iger used strong words but not definite words – moving forward, well, that feels like a stretch.
According to AJC, the state had 455 filming projects in the fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018) and the governor’s office claims $2.7 billion in direct spending was generated from those projects.
(Yes, conservatives will note that the state offered monster tax breaks to those productions, but the tax incentives – up to a 30 percent credit for projects that spend more than $500,000 – have increased the direct spending from $270 million in 2008.)
Threats on social positions from powerful entities are not new.
Whether it was sports leagues – from the NFL to the NCAA – taking stands on racial issues from MLK day to the Confederate Flag to this one, this is neither the first time or the last time a company will tale a stand.
But it will be interesting to watch, not only in what Disney shoots in Georgia, but what type of ESPN resources could be deployed there in future entities.
And if ESPN is part of this stand, well, other than NFL entities which are really too big to ignore, what kind of sports ripples could that generate?
Would the NCAA participate in something this controversial, because unlike the MLK stance or the flag flap – which were decidedly one-sided in almost every public polling done nationally – this one is deeply divided, deeply emotional, and deeply religious.
Disney has fired the first salvo, one that potentially could carry billions of dollars of economic impact to Georgia.
Who is next and how it expands now become the next dominoes to watch.
Unfair foul ball reaction?
OK, no one wants anyone to be hurt at something that is supposed to as fun as going to the ballpark as a family.
I get it.
And the scenes from last night’s unfortunate incident in which Albert Almora’s line drive curved into the crowd and struck a little girl.
I was in support of the netting going over the dugouts that generated from the girl being struck by a line drive behind the dugout at Yankees Stadium.
I understand the calls for those inside baseball for commissioner Rob Manfred to take a hard stand about fan safety.
No one wants anyone to be injured – especially a child – being hurt.
But I am curious about the reaches of preventative measures, because the drum-banging for netting all the way down to the foul pole has reached a fevered pitch.
Again, no one wants anyone to get hurt.
But if they are going to extend the netting, why not cover the outfield too.
No the netting does not alter the sight-lines, so that’s not what this is about.
And, I feel obligated for the third time to say, no one wants anyone to be hurt, but what about the countless memories a lot of us have about catching foul balls – be them hit or thrown to fans by players – and interaction with the MLB stars?
Thankfully, the reports on the girl hit by the line drive last night have all been positive. That’s great news.
I also know this: Whenever I take my kids to a game, I always sit closest to the plate and always keep my eye on the hitter with intent on foul-ball protection.
It also makes me wonder where the line of demarcation in our society sits to the point of can we regulate everything in terms of safety for all in anything? And at what levels of sacrifice for all the rest of the crowd?
Because if safety is the ultimate goal, how safe is beer in the stands – which leads to fights, bad decisions and drunk-driving – or tobacco in the dugouts.
And why are we not supporting rules to make people from ages of 12-to-60 (or whatever gauge is deemed proper to defend yourself) as the only ones who can sit in areas not protected by netting?
Again, here’s hoping that little girl makes a full recovery and becomes a lifelong sports star or cures the common cold.
But universally safety is a quixotic windmill and regulating the masses for the individual case is far too frequent.
Again, no one wants kids or anyone hurt by foul balls, but is there a stopping point?
Go ahead. Release the hounds.
This and that
– Quick side story on interaction with players: In the 1970s, the Braves were junk. They also had the bullpens down the lines in foul territory. We were in the old seats called the Picnic Area and I was right along the railing looking around the stadium through binoculars. All of sudden both lenses went dark. Staring back at me through the glasses was none other than Tom Seaver, who was starting for the Mets that day. Startled at first, later we all laughed and Mr. Seaver signed my glove and gave me the ball he was warming up with. It was a lifetime memory that – as we continue to divide fans from the field – will continue to be eliminated.
– Quick side story on the side story: If you are thinking, “Wow, that Greeson guy has a lot of sports memorabilia,” well yeah kind of. I guess. I’m sort of a memorabilia compiler because I have been to a LOT of sporting events. Well, last year pitching BP to our 10-year-old all-star team, I reached into one of the half-dozen buckets of baseballs I have and pulled one out. I glanced down at it and read “To Jerry, Best Wishes, Stan Musial.” Yep, throwing BP to some pre-teens with a ball signed by Stan the Man. (Jerry was my Pop’s name, for what that’s worth.)
– NERD FIGHT ALERT: We now have some zingers being floated by Jeopardy! dudes James Holzhauer and Ken Jennings on Twitter. Enjoy the exchange here, and here’s betting everything in my pocket – and yes, I am an old-school Southern cash carrier from a long line of old-school Southern cash carriers – that the Jeopardy! execs are already trying to line-up a James vs. Jennings grudge match.
– Wow, not since Bob Kraft has someone had a worse experience at a massage parlor. Astros star shortstop Carlos Correa will miss multiple weeks with a cracked rib he suffered from a massage at his home earlier this week. Hmmmmmmm, something smells a little fishy here, no?
– Hey, do we need to start printing those state title banners now? Bronny James and Zaire Wade are going to be high school teammates. Wade is a rising senior who is a three-star prospect for the class of 2020. James is a rising freshman who already has an offer from UK among others.
– The Memorial starts today. We’re good with that.
– Braves got hammered 14-4 by the Nationals, who swept two games in Atlanta. The lone highlight for the Braves was Austin Riley’s first MLB grand slam. Riley has 20 RBIs through 14 games, the most by any player to start a career since 1952.
– Speaking of baseball, the Dodgers rallied last night like no one else has this year in the big leagues. Down 8-5 against Mets closer Edwin Diaz, the Dodgers opened the bottom of the ninth with homer, homer, double, double to tie the game and chase Diaz. The Dodgers are the first team to win a game when trailing by three-or-more runes in the ninth this season. Teams were a combined 234-0 with at least a three-run lead heading to the ninth in 2019.
– Wonder why no one has heard much about Tim Tebow’s baseball season through Memorial Day? Simply put, because he has not done much. Tebow has been historically bad through 128 at-bats and 40 games. He’s slashing .156/.239/.227 and has whiffed on 41 percent of his ABs. (That’s 53 Ks, ‘Dro.) At this pace, Tebow would have the worst season on that level since 2006, when Fangraphs started collecting Triple-A data.
– Mission accomplished St. Louis, as the Blues grabbed a game in Boston to even the Stanley Cup Finals at 1.
Today’s questions
Wow, that was a lot of words.
On this day, May 30, 32 years ago the first compact disc video was unveiled.
The first Indy 500 was raced on this day in 1911. The winner, Ray Harroun, had an average speed of 74.59 mph.
Gale Sayers is 76 today.
Rushmore on real-life sports movies. Go.