This Week In Basketball ... with a new twist
I'm testing out a new format with one of my go-to column presentations. Input is welcomed and encouraged
As I've mentioned often previously, I loved loved LOVED This Week In Baseball in my youth and have frequently compiled what I like to refer to as TWIB Notes on this Substack to pay homage to the great Mel Allen and that life-changing show which debuted in 1977.
Now I'd like to try something new with this file.
I want to make it more of a roundup every Sunday of what I wrote, said, did, saw and maybe even ate, etc., in a given week … with categories that I suspect will evolve as I get a better handle on what this piece should look.
For starters: I know it needs to be published a lot earlier on Sundays than this maiden edition, but there's a very good reason this one is getting out so late. I attended Dallas Mavericks 107, Denver Nuggets 105 on this St. Patrick’s Day, which meant that I was away from my writing post for several hours and ultimately treated to a buzzer-beater as memorable and wild as you could ever wish to see.
In case you haven't yet seen Kyrie Irving's running floater/hook shot/20-foot-fling WITH HIS LEFT HAND …
On Thursday night, while watching a ridiculous spinning Kyrie layup in traffic with his left hand late in a loss at Oklahoma City — which you can see late in this highlight reel — I joked with my son Aaron that I thought Irving must be trying to sneak his way onto my annual All-Lefty Team in August.
On Sunday, with Aaron working the game as my photographer (more from his camera to come), Irving's unforeseen All-Lefty campaign duly continued. Hard to believe on this evidence, as my pal Tim MacMahon wrote, that Irving entered Sunday's play shooting just 38-for-87 this season with his left hand.
Stories of the Week (published here)
Monday: The league's response to claims that the game is being officiated differently since the All-Star break … requested and received by The Stein Line days before the NBA addressed it in a memo to its teams Friday.
Saturday: An interview with Knicks legend Bill Bradley about his new "performative autobiography" Rolling Along on HBO Max.
Games of the Week (that I attended)
Wednesday: Mavericks 109, Warriors 99
Sunday: Mavericks 107, Nuggets 105
Podcasts of the Week (that I co-hosted)
Tuesday with Turner Sports' Chris Haynes:
Thursday with Turner Sports' Chris Haynes and special guest Mike Conley Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves:
Radio Show of the Week (that I hosted)
The Saturday Stein Line on 97.1 (FM) The Freak:
PS — And my Radio Guest Spot of the Week with Sportsnet 590 AM in Canada:
Scoopage of the Week (that I tweeted)
Meal of the Week (that I savored)
Modest as this plate looks, it was the last dining experience that I enjoyed on British soil before the Wannabe Manc grudgingly flew back to the United States.
Freshly scrambled eggs with a dash of smoked salmon mixed in … thank you American Airlines Flagship Lounge!
Nerdiest Stein Line Purchase of the Week
In a desperate attempt to bring as much of England (and the Premier League) home with me as possible, I grabbed three Monday papers at Heathrow filled with coverage of Liverpool 1, Manchester City 1 … and refused to even look at them until I was back on U.S. soil and missing all the Klopp vs. Pep drama like crazy.
Quote of the Week (from my notebook)
An excerpt from my email exchange with Knicks legend Bill Bradley:
How much are you watching the Knicks of today … and do you enjoy watching today's NBA?
BRADLEY: I see 10 regular-season games and watch the playoffs. I enjoy the talent and coaching. The game is about maximum player and ball movement and it requires unselfishness. Champions know that today just as they did when I played. My only problem today is legal gambling on games. I think it's a mistake.Please expound on your issues with gambling.
BRADLEY: I don't think players should be turned into roulette chips; it's a scandal waiting to happen. There will always be gambling around the edges, but to legitimize it as a central part of the sport is counter to the values of the game.