NBA players criticized their own perseverance in the high-stakes, low-effort IST semifinals.
Would fans care? was the most important question facing the NBA’s In-Season Tournament. Would fans give a damn? Do the players really care? Because if nobody is interested, we’re going to be watching carefree (not in a positive way) December basketball and we’re back to square one in the Association’s dilemma.
The kind of defensive play that helped the Milwaukee Bucks defeat the Indiana Pacers 128-119 on Thursday night may have been a sign of things to come in April and May. The New Orleans Pelicans’ enthusiasm in their 44-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers makes it pointless to even attempt to be sardonic.
I’ll just let the coaches and players tell it how it is, you know.
According to Pelicans coach Willie Green, “Tonight was a total letdown.” “We all felt let down by our lack of competitiveness against the Lakers, and you have to give them credit.” They emerged and assumed control.
You mean there wasn’t enough motivation to stop a 133-89 eyesore because of the $100,000 prize? Oh no.
“You won’t receive anything from anyone,” Giannis Antetokounmpo remarked. “At times, it seems like we expect someone to hand us the game simply because we have excellent players like Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, or Aaron Nesmith. Like, never. We must improve. We need to step outside and accept it. Even if I believe we are excellent players, they won’t respect us if we don’t put in the effort to compete. They exerted every effort to hinder us.
It’s true that the Pacers got “a lot of dunks, open 3s, early 3s,” Giannis.
“I have to improve,” Zion Williamson declared. “I had to step up my aggression and find my shot. I have more work ahead of me to motivate my crew. I simply can’t do that; I think my attitude tonight was too carefree. And I needed to improve my defense.
When teams complain in the semifinals of the inaugural “Save the Regular Season” tournament about having “too laid-back” and “competitive spirit,” I’ll bet Adam Silver adores hearing it. There is no amount of trophies, flashy floor designs, or Vegas chutzpah that can alter the fact that these teams were playing games 22 or 23 out of an 82-game season.
After appearing to hyperextend his knee during a fast-break layup attempt in the second half, Pacer player Andrew Nembhard was quickly declared out for the evening. I want to know what he would have done “if this was the playoffs,” because it looked awkward and he needed assistance walking to the locker room. It’s possible that the situation was serious enough that playing through it wasn’t an option.
Nembhard shouldn’t risk any more injuries at this stage of the season, and it’s okay if doing so means skipping the IST finals as well. Unless LeBron James wins the cup, nobody really gives a damn. Then, it will be an accomplishment like to the Bubble title and be utilized to strengthen his reputation.
I’ve read that the NBA’s ideal final four will play on Saturday. However, it seems absurd that Tyrese Haliburton and Myles Turner will face LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Lakers in the finals rather than Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Just stop, please. Put an end to it. I’m going to go crazy about this.
Would the NBA and its commercial partners just please let this be what it is if I confess to loving the lipsticked pig that is the IST? And that’s basketball during the regular season for a fan base suffering from severe cases of sports ADHD due to their addiction to player movement and NBA Twitter. Not any more, not any less.