Wednesday Bolts – 2.22.17
Scott Cacciola of the NY Times: “Yet the circumstances could not have been more different three
months later when Anthony Bowie, Shaw’s teammate, pulled off one of the more notorious triple-doubles in league history. With Orlando up by 20 points against the Detroit Pistons, Bowie grabbed his 10th rebound and, fully aware that he needed an assist to complete his triple-double, called for a timeout — with 2.7 seconds left. It was not the most glowing display of sportsmanship, and then it somehow got worse. Doug Collins, who was Detroit’s coach, was so irate that he had his players stand near the opposite basket in protest as Bowie passed to a wide-open teammate for his 10th assist. Before the final buzzer had even sounded, the Pistons had stormed off the court.”
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post: “Russell Westbrook is on pace to become the first player since Oscar Robertson, in 1962, to average a triple-double for a season. On the heels of Stephen Curry becoming the first player to surpass not only 300 three-pointers in a season but 400, finishing with 402 last year, the league is firing triples at an unprecedented rate. Lumbering 7-foot centers jack them up like players a foot shorter. Virtually every team is trying to play smaller and faster and get up more perimeter shots, eschewing the traditional path of playing through dominant centers and relying on defense. Even Sunday’s All-Star Game in New Orleans followed the trend, as a free-flowing series of dunks and threes allowed the West to emerge with a 192-182 victory and Anthony Davis to earn MVP honors with a record-setting 52 points.”
ESPN Stats: “With a big gap between them and the eighth-seed Nuggets in the West, the Thunder are a virtual lock for the playoffs, according to BPI.”
Bill Reiter of CBSSports.com on the Lakers: “The Lakers organization, over the past two weeks and several years, has been a Game of Thrones. Jeanie now unequivocally has the throne, a place of basketball royalty she deserves. She is smart, strategic and committed to the Lakers legacy and what it can and should be in the NBA. She is, along with coach Luke Walton and the dismissal of her brother form decision making, the most promising sign the Lakers can return to glory.”
Jazz want Deron Williams back?
James Herbert of CBSSports.com: “The Nuggets want a first-rounder and swap rights on another pick for Gallinari and the next guy on this list, according to ESPN. It’s unclear if they’ll get that, but the versatile forward could be a nice rental for a playoff team’s stretch run. He will likely decline his player option and ask for a big contract in a few months, though.”