Winners and Losers from this year’s NBA Finals from Sports Illustrated:
The @NBA must do something about the officiating. It was the first time I’ve ever watched the game and felt it was corrupt.
With social media the fans see everything. There are no more rugs to pull.
@mattyglesias Mikal, ignore idiots that dont understand VALUE. Idiots
that dont understand market value. Leverage. Idiots
that didn't see your 41 point christmas game against the Spurs. Idiots that dont understand that not only do you play ELITE defense but you can also take a game over.
The narrative that the Spurs dominated the Knicks for most of the series is mathematically offensive.
It is wild how many sports reporters have repeated this.
Jalen Brunson’s mom, Sandra, missed her connecting flight, had to fly commercial, and drove 1.5 hours from Austin to San Antonio just to make it to Game 5 on time.
She refused to take the team’s private charter so she could attend a charity event for kids in Harlem.
A mother’s dedication.
(Via @ramonashelburne)
Can’t wait to talk about Wembanyama today in The Arena, 2:30-4:30 E: Crybaby. Sore loser. No clutch gene. No handshake. Most overprotected. Fake tough guy. Sent teammates after McCain, Brunson. Disappeared late in all 5 Finals games. Premature arrogance. Alien? Earthling.
“Why work if you don’t want to be the best?”
— Kobe Bryant on Jalen Brunson in 2014
Kobe Bryant would be so proud of Jalen Brunson right now. He watched his growth, mentored him, and witnessed the countless hours of hard work behind the scenes. 🫡
Now, Brunson is an NBA champion.🏆
Steve Nash says Jalen Brunson stands out because of one trait above everything else: his will to win.
“Last year he was the Clutch Player of the Year, and for me that starts with how badly he wants to win.”
“Everybody talks about the shot-making, but what I love is how smart he is with his body.”
“He plays off two feet, has incredible touch, and gets shots off at awkward timings defenders can’t predict.”
“It’s not a floater, not a layup, not a runner. It’s just a unique shot on the move.”
“As a defender, you can’t time it because you never know when he’s going to release it.”
“He’s also elite at cutting defenders off and controlling space.”
“He gets in front of you, stops the game, and forces the defense to react to him.”
“Once he creates that pocket of space, he’s asking the defense: ‘Who’s going to come guard this?’”
“If someone helps, he already knows where the next pass is.”
“He’s great at turning small advantages into big ones and making the defense play on his terms.”