The Miami Supah Hot Fire
Their streak ended Saturday night against a Joel Embiid-less Philadelphia 76ers, but don’t let that distract you from the fact the Miami Heat somehow just won thirteen games in a row.
Thirteen games! This was a team whose best players were a prematurely washed-up Goran Dragic and the posterchild for great stats-terrible team play in Hassan Whiteside.
They started off the season at a dismal 11-30 and looked like a sure candidate to tank the rest of the way to secure a high pick in this year’s loaded draft but now, against all odds, the Heat sit just two games out of a playoff spot in the East.
There has been some talk about whether this streak is actually bad for Miami in the long run, robbing them of the opportunity to draft a potential franchise cornerstone, but I think that’s a load of crap. Newsflash everybody: tanking is no guarantee of success!
The Sixers have been doing it for years and are only just now showing flashes of competitiveness; the Warriors, Celtics, Rockets and Spurs have all built contenders from developing talent and making smart trades, not placing all their eggs in the basket of a top five pick.
Are you really going to bemoan the fact that this team is exciting to watch again for the first time since LeBron left, that Dragic is looking like his vintage All-NBA self again, that Dion Waiters might have been literally possessed by the spirit of Kobe Bryant? The Heat are doing what basketball is all about: getting buckets and winning games.
Ball is Life
UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball is turning heads this season, looking like an unholy hybrid of Steph Curry and Ben Simmons on the court and establishing himself as one of the top names in the 2017 draft class. Now what if I told you that he might not even be the best baller in his family?
Ball’s youngest sibling LaMelo is straight killing it at his brother’s alma mater this season, leading Chino Hills HS to a 60-game winning streak and getting up to all sorts of video game-like shenanigans. Dude is pulling up from half court and calling his shot, scoring 92 points like it’s peanuts. And he’s only a sophomore!
LaMelo is currently ranked outside the top 100 high school prospects in his class, and I can’t say that I’ve watched enough high school game film lately to adequately describe the ins and outs of his game, but if keeps this pace up, it won’t be long before he’s a household name.
You Suck, Mother Nature
Pitchers and catchers report for training on Tuesday and you know what that means: spring is almost here!
Just a few more weeks and baseball will be back, the flowers will be blooming, the sun will be shining, and . . . what? It’s already summer in Oklahoma?
I’m sorry, I’m just bitter about this. It was 86 degrees on Saturday. What? 86 degrees? Are you kidding me? It’s February, where is the snow and cold weather?? I’m a seasons traditionalist, damnit!
