Christmas Day, a day where the NBA owns the sports landscape and shines a spotlight on its biggest stars — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo — and its best teams. Plus the Knicks. And unless that team is the Raptors.
What should you be looking for on Christmas Day?
In this latest PBT Extra, I preview all five games on the docket for Tuesday and give you a little idea of what to look for.
Happy holidays to all of you, and thank you for reading/watching.
Every so often, a video or picture goes viral of Delonte West – who played primarily for the Celtics and Cavaliers and whose NBA career ended with the Mavericks in 2012 – on the street appearing to be in rough shape.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban did something about it.
TMZ:
Mark Cuban is personally helping Delonte West get back on his feet … with the Dallas Mavericks owner picking up the ex-NBA star at a gas station in Texas.
We’re even told Cuban has offered to help cover Delonte’s cost for treatment.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
A Delonte West update, as people close to the ex-NBA player going through very difficult personal struggle continue to offer help: Sources say Mavs owner Mark Cuban reunited West with his mother in Dallas on Monday — and now West has checked into rehab facility in Florida.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2020
Mark Cuban reached out to Delonte West's mother, Delphina Addison, asking how he can help. Answer was simple: Find Delonte.
Cuban did on Monday, waited with West until his mother arrived to hotel, and West finally took step many close to him have awaited: Entered rehab. 🙏🏽 https://t.co/IiVKGH3a62
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 29, 2020
Good for Cuban for stepping up. And hopefully West gets the help he needs.
The Clippers’ loss to the Nuggets was devastating. L.A. was a huge favorite. Blowing a 3-1 lead added to the misery. As did the Clippers’ history of futility, which was supposed to end with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
But Doc Rivers’ job appeared safe in the aftermath.
Then, the Clippers suddenly ousted him as coach yesterday.
What changed?
There was no aha moment or event that led to the Clippers’ and Doc Rivers’ decision to mutually part ways on Monday afternoon, league sources told The Athletic.
Following the Clippers’ premature postseason ouster, Rivers and Clippers owner Steve Ballmer held several candid meetings and conversations, league sources said.
They discussed where things went wrong for the Clippers in the playoffs and forecasted their visions of the organization’s future, including the team’s style of play, the makeup of the roster, player development and on- and off-court leadership.
After hours of back-and-forth, the sides concluded they had differing visions of the team’s path forward
Even if the Clippers had lost deeper in the postseason, say, to the Lakers in the conference finals or to the Heat in the finals, Rivers likely would not have been back next season.
Of course, the Clippers want to present themselves as having made the rational decision. Nobody wants to be the organization that overreacted to a single situation.
The Clippers’ issues – specifically a lack of chemistry – manifested throughout the season. Rivers handled that poorly. That’d be true whether or not the Clippers had enough talent to get by the Nuggets or Lakers, anyway.
Process over results is a nice ethos.
It’s difficult to implement, though.
The collapse against Denver left such a sour taste in everyone’s mouth. However people think they would’ve reacted to a different outcome, it’s impossible to know for certain. So, I have some skepticism about whether Rivers still would’ve been ousted if he guided the Clippers to the Western Conference finals and especially NBA Finals.
That said, he didn’t. Not this year. Not any year.
So, it was easier for the Clippers to move on with a coach they viewed as flawed. They never faced the difficult decision on a coach they viewed as flawed but also had more success. We just can’t know with certainty how that would’ve gone.
Listen to all the praise being heaped upon Doc Rivers – as both a coach and person – in the aftermath of his firing. He has earned that. It’s why he’s already in demand for openings around the league.
But it’s impossible to ignore his teams repeatedly falling short in the postseason.
The Clippers hired Rivers specifically for his ability to win deep in the playoffs. He guided the Celtics to the 2008 championship and back to the 2010 NBA Finals. For a downtrodden franchise like the Clippers, getting Rivers looked like a coup.
In Rivers’ seven seasons, the Clippers averaged winning 63% of their regular-season and seeding games. There have been 152 seven-year stretches that good in NBA history.
All of them produced at least five playoff-series victories.
Except the Clippers of this era.
Rivers’ Clippers won just three postseason series in seven years.
Rivers didn’t even emphasize the regular season. He often eschewed practice to keep his players fresh. And his teams still won so many regular-season games, which speaks to the Clippers’ star power.
Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan then Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – Rivers’ teams were loaded.
They also never advanced past the second round.
Of course, that requires more context.
Beating the Warriors in the 2014 first round looks even better in hindsight, considering Golden State turned into a dynasty. The 2015 Clippers-Spurs series, which L.A. won, had no business being in the first round with teams that good. The Clippers lost in the second round to the Rockets when Josh Smith and Corey Brewer – Josh Smith and Corey Brewer! – got hot on 3-pointers. The Clippers lost to the Trail Blazers in the 2016 first round after Chris Paul and Blake Griffin got hurt. Griffin got hurt again in a first-round loss to the Jazz the next year. The Clippers overachieved just to make the 2019 playoffs.
Maybe Rivers would’ve been the right coach for the Clippers in the 2021 postseason. New issues arise, and he already proved he can coach a team to a championship. The Clippers are taking a huge risk with this move.
But this year’s historic collapse against the Nuggets reflected particularly poorly on Rivers, who has now blown three 3-1 leads as a coach. The Clippers were disjointed – an issue that lingered throughout the season. His personnel and tactical decisions were suspect.
And – perhaps most importantly – there was no track record of success in L.A. to fall back on.
The Clippers’ problems weren’t all Rivers’ fault. The timing of his ouster, after his job appeared safe, raises questions.
But it might just be this simple: Rivers was hired to win in the playoffs. He didn’t.
The Clippers framed the conclusion of Doc Rivers’ coaching tenure as, “Doc Rivers Departs LA Clippers” and “Chairman Steve Ballmer and Doc Rivers have reached a mutual decision that Rivers will step down as head coach of the LA Clippers.”
What really happened?
Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times:
people with knowledge of the situation said Rivers was surprised to learn the Clippers wanted to move on.
Internally, Rivers enjoyed support even after the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals. But ultimately, the sting from yet another disappointing end to a season prompted the change.
The Clippers suffered a historic upset by blowing a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets. In a season with legitimate championship aspirations, the Clippers fell short of even the conference finals for a record 50th straight year.
Of course, the coach was going to face scrutiny for that collapse. And Rivers deserved plenty.
But once the smoke cleared, Rivers appeared safe.
What changed?
Despite the Clippers’ initial spin, it’s becoming increasingly clear Rivers got fired. Still, many questions remain about the shocking move.