‘3 From Deep’ Holiday Edition
I hope you and those closest and most important to you had a wonderful Christmas Day! Part of the day’s challenge was how to fit some of the NBA action spread out over the 5 featured matchups into your other obligations like eating great food, opening presents and making sure you took part in the holiday table games! Each NBA game had a plot of its own worthy of analysis but 2 stood head and shoulders above the pack so let’s break them down by going ‘3 From Deep’:
1) Honorable Mention
a) Cavs and Knicks – Cleveland showed why they’re a shadow of last year’s 60+ win team. Up big early in the 4th, they melted down like butter basting the turkey.
- The Knicks showed their character, once again, as they stormed back to steal the ‘W.’ Players not named Brunson are contributing to the NBA Cup champs success. These are 2 Eastern Conference teams going in opposite directions.
b) Warriors and Mavs – Cooper Flagg is just plain good and showed his versatility despite the best efforts of Jimmy Butler. The Warriors played well enough to beat
- The Mavs who are trying to right the ship. Shock of shocks: AD is hurt again; I mean, who saw that coming!
- It was somewhat sad to see Klay out there like a rudderless ship exiled to the background on a struggling team; I would rather see him with GSW as his career winds down.
c) Rockets and Lakers – The dog’s breakfast that is the LA Lakers were soundly beaten by a Houston team that had its young talent combined with KD’s veteran mastery on full display.
- The Lakers are a sinking ship who are as bad defensively as any team in recent NBA history.
- And adding insult with another injury is Austin Reaves is out for another month with a lower calf injury.
- The bench is terrible, plain and simple. J.J. has a lot to figure out.
2) Spurs and Thunder – Now to the juicy stuff. 2 weeks ago, the major topic of discussion surrounding the NBA was how many more games past the record of 63 could OKC win.
- That conversation is no more as it has been replaced by wonderment at San Antonio completing the trifecta of 3 consecutive drubbings of Shai and the boys by Victor and his crew. The Spurs are for real and have ripped the narrative out of the Thunder’s hands as the team that has rebuilt methodically through great drafting and strategic, understated trading ( Ironman Harrison Barnes is more impactful on his young teammates because of his rock solid character driven work ethic than by his stats). Isn’t that what we were just saying about OKC? They have Castle growing in leaps and bounds, a marvelous rookie in Harper and a generational, other worldly talent in Wemby, who is devouring opponents like a Praying Mantis having a lunch of aphids. Are they now the best team in the league? A definite maybe. But it is a small sample size, as impressive as the victories have been. They matchup better than any other team with OKC but they had trouble with the Knicks in the Cup loss. And they haven’t faced the Dark Lord recently…
3) Timberwolves and Nuggets – That reference, of course, is to Nikola Jokic. His Vader-like performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the final and best game of the Christmas Extravaganza was by far the finest individual effort of the year by anyone in the league. It takes its place in the Mount Olympus Hall of All Time Great Performances since the game was using peach baskets.
● 56 points. 18 points in OT – the most ever in OT in NBA HISTORY!. 16 rebounds by the league leader. 15 assists by the league leader. The only player in NBA HISTORY to score over 50 with 15 and 15! Led the Nuggets back from a 9 point deficit in OT. Shot ludicrous percentages in every category. Greatest player on the planet is not a debate, it is a given.
● As impactful as the stats are, and they are stratospheric, his elbow bump to Edwards as he went to the free throw line in the overtime completely unraveled Ant, who had a spectacular clutch-shot filled game himself to that point, but then he was ejected in the final minute. NJ affects the game in every way possible, even without the ball. Know your opponent’s weakness and exploit it at every opportunity.
● Add in that the Nuggets were down 3 starters! Jamal Murray was also clutch for Denver, for all you Canadian fans. Randle for the T’s kept them close enough for their impressive comeback from 15 down with 6 minutes to go to even be possible. The momentum carried on into the extra stanza for the Wolves until the Joker did what he did in ways no one else can. Mozart was in the building! As Barkley has said, ‘It is an honor to watch him play.’
No ‘Hoop City with Paul Sir’ this week or next on Sports1440 or via podcast but we will be back and better than ever on January 10, 2026, which is my college roommate’s 27th birthday ( or is it 72nd, Brew? 🙂 We are as young as we delude ourselves into believing!
Happy Holidays everyone. Here’s wishing you and yours a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Yours in holiday hoops,
Paul
