In the context of NBA history, dropping 40+ points at 6'2 and 38 years old is literally unheard of. The oldest player other than Steph even under 6'5 to drop 40 is Dame, who had 43 at age 34.
Steph has now scored 40 or more 21 times since turning 34, breaking a tie with Michael Jordan for the most such games in league history.
(h/t @stathead)
We simulated today's NBA opener, Celtics @ Pistons, 5,000 times 🏀
Every possession is built from real 2025-26 play-by-play: where each player shoots from, how often he makes it, who he passes to, and who's guarding him.
Here's the most typical game 👇
Michael Jordan made $33.1 million in his last season with the Bulls. Scottie Pippen, his partner for six titles, made $2.775 million.
Pippen says the two of them never once had dinner alone together.
In the video below, he is asked why everything with Jordan still feels so tense. "Michael is a very difficult person to deal with," he says.
Pippen grew up poor in Hamburg, Arkansas. In 1991 he signed a seven-year, $18 million deal because he wanted security. The owner warned him it was too long.
Then NBA salaries exploded. By 1998 he was the sixth-highest paid player on his own team.
In 2020, The Last Dance made Jordan the hero of those years. Pippen later wrote that Jordan was paid $10 million for it, while he and his teammates got nothing.
He stopped watching halfway through. His kids were turned off by it.
In May 2020, Jordan texted him that he heard Scottie was upset. They spoke briefly. Pippen calls that talk "good and final."
"Great teammate," he says. "We just never were a great friend."
The case for Jordan: he never set Pippen's salary. Pippen signed that contract himself, against advice. And Jordan's drive is a big part of why they have six rings.
So did Jordan owe Pippen more than six rings?
When I was growing up, the hottest ticket anywhere was to the ACC basketball tournament. There were only eight teams in the league, and no matter how good the field, you had to win the tournament to get into the NCAA tournament.
The pressure was immense. The atmosphere was awesome. It was must-see basketball every year, every game.
Then came perhaps the best college game every played: Maryland and N.C. State, with the likes of David Thompson, Tom McMillen, Tommy Burleson, John Lucas, Monte Towe, Len Elmore, etc. State won 103-100 in overtime. Maryland went home.
Because of that, changes were made. Conferences were allowed two teams in the NCAAs. Then three. Then four or more. Leagues expanded so the ACC Tournament that started on Friday at noon and went for three incredible days eventually started on Tuesday and seemed to go on forever. Tickets that were handed down in peoples' wills because they were so valuable started going unsold. Empty seats in the early rounds were plentiful.
People still watched if they had nothing else to do. But it was no longer special. It was just another set of basketball games played in March except maybe to the fanbase of the tournament-winning team.
I mention this because I believe this is exactly the same road college football is now travelling with its 24-team expanded field.
Seems like it's only a matter of time before they eventually reach the same destination...
Rev breaks down the spacing that’s created from LaMelo Ball & Anthony Edwards “bad shots”:
“I call them 1 yard runs, I call them no gains, I call those shots that keep the defense on their toes & keeps the defense honest��”
(via @ReVLiTHoUSe)
Danny Green on Jaylen Brown:
“He came to play. He got in his ISO situation, got in his bag a little bit.”
“When you have Tyrese Maxey and LeBron James, you can get these type of ISOs… it’s going to be even harder to guard a Jaylen Brown.” 👀🔥