By Art Spander
For Maven Sports
The NBA stopped. But only to make us aware that the killing must stop. If we weren’t aware already.
Black men keep getting shot — this time in Kenosha, Wis. — and other black men again did what they could to peacefully show their outrage and fear.
Copyright 2020 The Maven
By Art Spander
SAN FRANCISCO — ESPN has an ulterior motive, if a very understandable one.
The network wants us to watch. So on the screen for a game that, except for one great player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was of no national interest, it kept listing his team, Milwaukee, as having the best record in the NBA East.
The other team, the Warriors, the opponent, were “No. 15 in the West.” Impressive. Until you realize there are only 15 teams.
Indeed the Dubs are last.
This isn’t, as they used to say, man-bites-dog news, but nearly half way through this very predictable and yet still very distressing season there was a hope the Dubs would be off the treadmill.
However, they’re still going nowhere, at least in terms of results. Well, actually they’ve returned to going nowhere.
There was a four-game win streak a few days back, but the 107-98 loss Wednesday night at Chase Center was their sixth in a row.
At least the Warriors didn’t anger coach Steve Kerr with listless play, as they did two nights earlier at Sacramento when he screamed obscenities at the officials and earned an ejection and a $25,000 fine.
Against the Bucks, Kerr liked the effort, which when a team isn’t any good is about all anyone can wish. The Dubs kept falling behind, as was expected, and then kept battling back, which wasn’t expected.
The Warriors climbed to within five points with a minute, six seconds remaining. Not bad, in relative terms, if you’re not going to win.
The Warriors' games this season, with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson out because of injuries, are comparable to those of the bad old days. The only reason to go — assuming you didn’t put down a king’s ransom for season tickets at the billion-and-a-half-dollar Chase — is to watch the visiting team.
It was like that over the years, first with Bill Russell and the Celtics, then Michael Jordan and the Bulls, then Shaq O’Neal and Kobe Bryant of the Lakers. I skipped Kareem and Magic, but how much pain can one absorb?
Anyway, the star was there but he was on the wrong team, beating the Warriors. The 7-foot Antetokounmpo was last season’s MVP and dreamers think a future Warrior.
Giannis didn’t have his best game, but 30 points, 12 rebounds and four assists isn’t terrible, either.
“Even when he doesn’t shoot well,” said Kerr (Antetokounmpo was 10 for 21, 1 for 7 on 3-pointers), “he has a huge impact. We tried to make him work. We did a good job, but we just couldn’t hang in there.
“We played great defense in the first half against the best team in the league.”
Does that count for something, especially to the home crowd? The people come, but they aren’t very enthusiastic. That the Warriors change uniforms and the court (both read “San Francisco” on Wednesday) doesn’t seem to mean much to fans who watched their team win a record 73 games one year and reach the NBA finals five straight seasons.
They’re spoiled. And they should be. Going back in time doesn’t work. Alec Burks, a journeyman in the most positive sense of the word, did score 19 for the Warriors, and the great hope of the future, Alen Smailagic, had 10 (8 in the first half when he led everyone). Still, there wasn’t a chance the Warriors were going to win.
The Bay Area is sport’s Broadway, not the bushes. The crowd is paying for greatness. It got its money’s worth with Milwaukee. The Warriors? They’re No. 15 in the West. And there only are 15 teams.