Jordan Sternblitz

dtx | umich

[Ben Rogers @BenRogers]

I’ll be a fan of this man for his entire career no matter which team he plays for. Still heartbroken, but tonight I’ll be tuned in for the first song of Luka’s vengeance tour hoping he drops 75 on the Universe.

I’ll probably never fully understand how we got here. In 45 years of being a Mavs fan, although we’ve seen so many phenomenal players — like Mark, Ro, Derek, JKidd, Mash, Jimmy, Nash, Fin, Marion, Jet, Tyson— we’ve only had two truly magical and immortal basketball unicorns in 41 & 77.

No fan is ever promised even one of them in their entire lifetime. Yet miraculously, somehow in Dallas we were able to witness the extremely rare baton pass from one hoopgod to another. That’s like seeing Bigfoot riding around White Rock Lake on the Lochness Monster. These. Things. Don’t. Happen.

It happened here TWICE!

It is what is. We can’t go back in time, and this particular saga has MANY years to go in order to fully play out.

Early returns for the Mavs were strong in the 1st half Saturday. AD was here. Until he wasn’t. And now this absolutely dominant big is sidelined with an injury for an unknown amount of time. That unfortunately poetic development is of little comfort to a fanbase that already had that concern, along with the age difference, at the top of their worry list.

The reality is that AD has actually been on a nice stretch in terms of durability, and it’s still possible that this latest setback won’t be too significant. But again, that injury news is not the warm blanket we’re all looking for right now.

While he played on Saturday, though — good lord! The Mavs looked like iron codpiece wearin super-gladiators ready to make a run at the throne. The Rockets struggled to get good looks against an absolute sea of shot blockers.

AD at the 4, playing alongside other talented shot-blocking bigs, is truly special. I had read that, but now I’ve actually seen and understand that.

Although you and I probably agree that we wouldn’t have traded Luka for anything other than Michael Jordan and a Time Machine, objectively you can see the appeal in building a team this way. If healthy, they’ll likely contend for a championship this year, and for the next couple after.

If. Healthy.

And that’s how the Mavs side of the equation will be measured. Risk vs Reward. We know what they’re risking — the motherload. The baby goat who captured our hearts and captivated the entire basketball world with his unique ability to dominate the biggest moments at his pace, and on his terms.

Watching Luka isn’t transactional. It’s experiential. It’s not corporate. It’s family-owned. It’s pregame trick shots off the Jumbotron. It’s buzzer beaters. Game winners. It’s Luke Skywalker plus Neo with a hint of Harry Potter.

Smaller defenders get annihilated in the post. Bigger defenders get embarrassed by stepback threes. Overly aggressive defenders get crossed up and become passengers on his hip on a ride to an “and one”. Pick and rolls result in easy ally oops. Doubling him only leads to teammates catching insanely accurate circus passes right in the shot pocket for wide open looks.

And it always feels like no moment is ever too big. Ask Phoenix. Ask Gobert. Ask anyone.

But again, that ship has sailed.

The stage is set for this to be the most talked about trade in sports history. The now independent but forever linked and thoroughly scrutinized trajectories of the Mavs’ fate vs the future of Luka will be unavoidable for the next decade.

As for our young hero, his new adventure in an unfamiliar uniform begins tonight. My love and appreciation for his game is unwavering. As is my love and appreciation for the basketball organization I grew up rooting for. Again, I have 45 years invested here and I’m not about to punt. That’s not how this works.

I’ll never stop being a fan of either. Hate that I have to watch two different teams to accomplish that now. But that’s our new reality.

Wishing you the very best in LA, 77. Give em hell.

[Ben Rogers @BenRogers]

My heart is broken. If you’re ever lucky enough to land a true franchise-carrying sports unicorn and all time great — Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Magic, Bird, Shaq, Steph, Dirk — you don’t trade them. You build an empire around them. You thank the Sports gods for being so generous to have miraculously blessed your life with an absolute miracle.

And God forbid if you were ever forced to trade such a HoF unicorn, the return better be so much that you reshape your future with so many 1st round draft picks, and young players that you can almost make sense of it.

This just doesn’t add up for me

[JPA @jasrifootball]

𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: The #Cowboys and Dak Prescott’s agent are having positive conversations regarding the QB’s long-term future with the team, per @dmrussini

Dak could make over $60 million per season in his next contract.

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

@sendavideo24 @esidery Sorry did you hit 4 3s in a Finals game?

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

@sendavideo24 Chill

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

Not sure I’ll ever understand not closing with DJJ once Luka fouled out

[MavsMuse @MavsMuse]

Tim Hardaway tonight

19 minutes
0 PTS
0 AST
0/5 FG
0/3 3P
- 16

— stepped up when needed most 🙏

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

Reminds me of another 22 year old rising star posterizing a center we recently got from the Wizards in the WCF

[NBA @NBA]

MY GOODNESS, ANTHONY EDWARDS 🤯🤯

📺 Game 3 on TNT

[Ben Kaplan @bkaplan4]

🧵 With the news that TNT might lose the NBA, it’s time to share the story about Ernie Johnson and the @NBAonTNT halftime show he made for my Bar Mitzvah.

It began w my dad and ended w me being called a drug addict & ballhog (fair, tbh) in front of family & friends

(1/X)

[KassidyWoods @Kassidy7Woods]

Heavenly Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit it’s all about you, thank you!

1 Corinthians 15:58

Special shoutout to @TrevisGrahamJr for his creativity!

[Texas Rangers @Rangers]

Welcome to the Hall, Adrián Beltré! 🐐

[#2⃣BeSavage @blake_corum]

Michigan, thank you for everything!! Onto the next chapter in my journey!! #2024nfldraft

[Rich Eisen @richeisen]

It’s great to be a National Champion Wolverine.

Please share this with the @UMichFootball fan in your life.

[J.J. McCarthy @jjmccarthy09]

I want all Michigan fans to do this. Take 3 deep breaths... And have faith. Faith that every single Coach, player, employee in that building is doing everything they possibly can to be great.

[Michigan Football @UMichFootball]

IT’S GREAT TO BE A MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!

#GoBlue

[FOX College Football @CFBONFOX]

"Coach Harbaugh... I love the sh*t out of you man. I did this for you!"

Sherrone Moore breaks into tears while speaking with @JennyTaft after the @UMichFootball's win vs Penn State

[KassidyWoods @Kassidy7Woods]

To share this experience with my wife and daughter was a feeling I can’t even put into words. My Heavenly Father deserves all the praise. Thank you to my village, my coaches, teammates & every person who has prayed over my life. Praying everyone who sees this receives blessings.

[Texas Rangers @Rangers]

A moment 52 seasons in the making. #WentAndTookIt

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

Can you imagine DK Metcalf beats his man and sees this in the paint

[NBA @NBA]

🌟 The 2023 #RufflesCelebGame rosters! 🌟

#RufflesCelebGame: Friday, Feb. 17 on ESPN

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

@8kobelakers24 Reggie Miller just told me he averaged 18/7/7 though

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

smh do better yahoo

[Jordan Sternblitz @JSternblitz]

@YahooFantasy did he get away with it??