Basketball

[Vrede too]

MIA leads series 2-0.

Soon to be 3-0.

I thought Boston was supposed to be good.

Turns out they are pretty good.

How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit?

The Boston Celtics are on the verge of doing the unthinkable.

The storied franchise, despite being the No. 2 seed out East, trailed the No. 8 Miami Heat 3-0 in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. But they stormed back in extraordinary fashion, winning Game 4 on the road and Game 5 at home in a semi-blowout before a last-gasp buzzer-beater from Derrick White in Game 6 knotted it up at 3-3.

With the chance at a historic comeback on the line, let’s take a look at how many times a team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NBA playoffs.

How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs?

The unfortunate answer is zero times.

Never! Will Boston be the first?

While no teams have come back to win after being down 3-0, there are three teams that have rallied to tie up a series 3-3 and went on to lose Game 7.

1951: Rochester Royals def. New York Knicks (NBA Finals)
1994: Denver Nuggets def. Utah Jazz (Western Conference semifinals)
2003: Dallas Mavericks def. Portland Trail Blazers (Western Conference first round)

Boston is the first team down 3-0 to reach 3-3 in a Conference Finals.

... Has any NBA team been able to sweep the whole playoffs?

While no team has been able to win every single game in postseason competition, there are some squads that managed to drop only one playoff game.

1982-83: Philadelphia 76ers (12-1)
2000-01: Los Angeles Lakers (15-1)
2016-17: Golden State Warriors (16-1)

Denver Nuggets are 12-3 so far.

[GoCubsGo]

No history tonight.

[Vrede too]

Stomped.

No history tonight.

At least not the best kind of history.

... How many times has an NBA team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs?

The unfortunate answer is zero times.

Never! Will Boston be the first?

While no teams have come back to win after being down 3-0, there are three teams that have rallied to tie up a series 3-3 and went on to lose Game 7.

1951: Rochester Royals def. New York Knicks (NBA Finals)
1994: Denver Nuggets def. Utah Jazz (Western Conference semifinals)
2003: Dallas Mavericks def. Portland Trail Blazers (Western Conference first round)
2023: Miami Heat def. Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference finals)

Boston is the first team down 3-0 to reach 3-3 in a Conference finals. ...

First flop in the Eastern Conference, first flop in a Conference finals.
Fwiw, the NBA may have only gone to 7 games before the NBA Finals not long before 1994, and in the first round not long before 2003.

Congrats, O Really, but GO NUGGETS GO!

[Vrede too]

NBA Championship Odds 2023

Average Odds
DEN Nuggets -405, bet 100 win $24.69
MIA Heat +314, bet 100 win $314.00

Chance of Winning
DEN Nuggets 80.11%
MIA Heat 24.21%



DEN Nuggets are up 39-31 in Game 1.
Edit: 59-42 at Halftime.
Edit 2: 104-93, survived a strong Miami comeback.
DEN leads series 1-0.

[Vrede too]

Strong Miami 4th quarter comeback.
Nuggets comeback in the last 3 minutes came up just short.
1st Nuggets home loss in the playoffs, 1st Nuggets home loss since 3/30.
1-1, Nuggets lost home court advantage.

[Vrede too]

A stomping.
Denver Nuggets (1) lead Miami Heat (8) 2-1.
Nuggets regain home court advantage.
Game 4: Friday at Miami, 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC)

Jokic, Murray each post triple-doubles amid historic night in Nuggets' G3 win

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray became the first teammates in NBA Finals history to both record triple-doubles, and Denver's two stars made sure the Nuggets reclaimed the lead in the series by beating the Miami Heat 109-94 in Game 3 on Wednesday night.

Jokic finished with 32 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists -- the first such game in NBA Finals history, or at least the first since assists were tracked. Murray had 34 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, getting the rebound he needed with 9 seconds remaining.

The Nuggets outrebounded the Heat 58-33 ...

[Vrede too]

Denver stars take a break, rest of team steps up. Denver sweeps in Miami, leads 3-1.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/378 ... nba-finals
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore/_/gameId/401544849

[Vrede too]

Called it a month ago.

Boston Celtics (2) defeat Philadelphia 76ers (3), 4-3
Rout. Sorry, O Really. Oh well, I don't hate either Boston or Miami, but I'm not thrilled with them either . Go NBA West!


Denver Nuggets (1) defeat Phoenix Suns (4), 4-2
1st team in a Conference Championship, may be the team to beat.


Los Angeles Lakers (7) defeat Golden State Warriors (6), 4-2
Routed. First West team to eliminate Warriors in Steve Kerr era. Is the reign over? Next year?
Go Nuggets!

2nd half comeback!
Sorry, O Really.

[Vrede too]

Brittney Griner, Aliyah Boston named WNBA All-Star starters

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner was named an WNBA All-Star Game starter in her return season from detainment in Russia, and the Indiana Fever's Aliyah Boston will be the sixth rookie in league history to start the game....

This will be Griner's ninth time as an All-Star, which includes last year when she was named an honorary All-Star by commissioner Cathy Engelbert. Both teams wore No. 42 jerseys in the second half of last year's game in Chicago in honor of Griner, who missed the entire 2022 season in a Russian prison. She returned to the United States in a prisoner exchange in December.

Griner is averaging 19.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, and returned to action Saturday night in a 97-74 loss to Seattle after missing the previous three games with a hip injury....

Good for her, many people would not have bounced back so quickly, or at all.

[GoCubsGo]

That's scary.
(Cue the vaccine conspiracy).

[O Really]

So a sports guy out of Sacramento was talking about opening night, upcoming season, yada, and summarized current year costs.
Average Kings ticket price is $256. (BTW the Kings are the 9th cheapest; LA average ticket cost is $619)
Parking $50
Beer $10
Hot Dog $6
Replica throw-back jersey $250
Hat $40

82 games in a season/about 41 home. Average attendance close to sell-out (17K+). So that's 697,000 tickets sold at minimum couple cost of $600+.
Sacramento total metro area is about 2 mill with a median family income of about $71K.

Who's filling all those NBA seats?

[Vrede too]

Who's filling all those NBA seats?

Corporate ticket blocks?

Definitely not Vrede too and his nephew more than once in a blue moon.


What is the NBA in-season tournament? Format, schedule, groups

I'm game to give it a chance. GoGSWGo! Winners last night, barely.

[Vrede too]

What is the NBA in-season tournament? Format, schedule, groups

I'm game to give it a chance. GoGSWGo! Winners last night, barely.

Oh well. Go Pelicans or Knicks.
https://www.espn.com/nba/in-season-tournament/bracket

Run For The Ages

Dallas' 30-0 run against Oklahoma City on Saturday night is the longest in NBA history. It also came in a loss, as the Thunder rallied late for a 126-120 win in Texas:

Date Team Run Opponent
Sat. Mavericks* 30-0 Thunder
2009 Cavaliers 29-0 Bucks
2021 Mavericks 28-0 Warriors
2017 Knicks 28-0 Raptors
* Lost game

Wow, that must suck.

[Vrede too]

Speaking of streaks that suck:

Pistons tie 76ers for longest overall losing streak at 28 games

When the Detroit Pistons entered the visiting locker room at halftime of Thursday night's matchup with the Boston Celtics, it looked like the Pistons had a chance to not only shock the basketball world but avoid landing in a dubious place in the history books in the process.

Detroit, a 16.5-point underdog after losing 27 consecutive games, found itself leading Boston -- the NBA's best team with a perfect 14-0 record at TD Garden -- by 19 points.

Then the second half began. And as quickly as Detroit had taken control of the game, Boston surged right back into it. By the end of the third quarter, the Celtics had erased that halftime deficit. And despite the Pistons fighting back valiantly to force overtime, ultimately it was Boston that would claim a 128-122 victory.

Ouch.

With the defeat, the Pistons tied the 76ers for the longest overall losing streak, which Philadelphia set across the end of the 2014-15 season and the beginning of the 2015-16 campaign with 28 consecutive losses. The Pistons can set a new record for futility on Saturday, when they face the Toronto Raptors back home in Detroit.

GoPistonsGo

... After the Pistons led by as many as 21 points in the first half, Boston outscored Detroit 35-16 in the third quarter to storm back, tying the score going into the fourth quarter....

21 points

[Vrede too]

Pistons beat Raptors to snap historic 28-game losing streak

The Pistons ended their NBA record losing streak at 28 games with a 129-127 victory

Phew.

over the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, as Cade Cunningham had 30 points and 12 assists.

The 12-20 Raptors.

The Pistons, who hadn't won since Oct. 28, matched the Philadelphia 76ers' record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, with an overtime loss at the Boston Celtics on Thursday. That tied the record for the longest losing streak in NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB history. Detroit did, however, set the single-season NBA record with its 27th straight loss earlier this week....

Ugh. Still, until the next loss:

[GoCubsGo]

Ugh. Still, until the next loss:

Hopefully they can start a new streak.

[Vrede too]

Ugh. Still, until the next loss:

Hopefully they can start a new streak.

Of losses?

[GoCubsGo]

Ugh. Still, until the next loss:

Hopefully they can start a new streak.

Of losses?

[billy.pilgrim]

Glad to see the sec step up this time. The coach playing a guy who was carried a loaded gun to a gunfight would have been a better time to get involved, but at least they reprimanded the coach this time.

https://www.wvtm13.com/article/alabama- ... i/46430926#

Typical bammer - ahead by 20 points and still fighting
—
“The Southeastern Conference reprimanded Alabama coach Nate Oats on Wednesday for making physical contact with a Missouri player.

Oats pushed Missouri’s Aidan Shaw away from Alabama’s bench during a first-half timeout in the Crimson Tide’s 93-75 victory on Tuesday night.”

“Nate Oats’ actions were unacceptable and violated the expectations for conduct and sportsmanship as established by the membership of the Southeastern Conference,” Commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. “Under no circumstances should a coach make intentional contact with a student-athlete on an opposing team.”

[Vrede too]

WNBA teams - DC, LV - are moving games to bigger arenas when Caitlin Clark (IN) is coming to town.
Also:

Caitlin Clark becomes first two-time winner of Sullivan Award