Thursday’s Hot Clicks: Reggie Jackson Picked the Exact Wrong Time to Prank Blake Griffin
Not now, Reggie
Fox Sports Detroit
The Pistons picked up a hard-fought victory, 98–94, over the Anthony Davis-less Pelicans last night, led by Blake Griffin’s 37 points. Griffin, though, wasn’t happy with the effort of his teammates as he saw Detroit’s lead evaporate in the fourth quarter.
“We’ve got to lock in and finish games,” Griffin said in a postgame interview. “Our lack of focus at the end of games has been awful and that’s why we lose games like this. I’m happy with the win but I’m not necessarily happy with how we closed this game out.”
And that’s the exact moment when Reggie Jackson decided to have a little fun with Blake.
Jeez, Blake was clearly not amused. The way he kept wiping his face with the towel tells you everything you need to know. He didn’t even crack the slightest smile.
As an amateur stand-up comic, Griffin can probably teach Jackson a thing or two about comedic timing.
Yeah, I know who you are
Here’s a funny story about what happens when Tom Brady introduces himself to new teammates.
“I walked past him going into the weight room, and I smiled and I sort of nodded my head,” undrafted defensive tackle Adam Butler told Patriots Wire. “And he stuck out his hand to shake. And I shook. And he was like, ‘Hi, I’m Tom.’ And I’m like, ‘Of course I know you’re Tom!’ You know what I mean? But that’s just the kind of attitude he has as a person.
The best player signing announcement I’ve seen
French soccer club Olympique de Marseille signed enigmatic Italian striker Mario Balotelli (aka Super Mario) and announced the move with this Mario Bros.-inspired video.
The best of SI
The 25-year-old man who posed as a hurricane refugee to play high school basketball explains himself. ... You really need to learn the name Ja Morant, the point guard from tiny Murray State. ... The Grizzlies want to trade Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, but they probably shouldn’t have waited this long to do it.
Around the sports world
ESPN investigative reporter Seth Wickersham has an exposé about the dysfunction of the Browns. ... Cowboys receiver Cole Beasely thinks the decision about who gets the ball thrown to them most comes from the front office. ... Knicks rookie Allonzo Trier DM’d a fan who criticized his defense on the Rockets’ game-winning possession.
Really bad luck for Victor Oladipo
Oladipo was having a tremendous season for a really good Pacers team and now he may miss the rest of the season.
James Harden set a record for most points by an opponent at the new MSG
“At one point, people mistook the thud off his chest for thunder”
Congratulations to this columnist for knowing more about Roy Halladay’s wishes than his family
Footage of me playing basketball
Can we stop doing elaborate public gender reveals?
They’re stupid even if you’re not igniting a 47,000-acre wildfire.
No respect for the Jaguars
Antonio Brown clearly still loves the Steelers
He’s even got black and gold facial hair.
Still one of the greatest nicknames in sports history
Not sports
Canadian authorities spent more than a year trying to bust a man for illegally selling less than $100 of fish. ... The science behind hagfish “slime” is fascinating.
Grandpa really hates stains
The guy who had to speak after Martin Luther King
The exact moment a volcano in Mexico erupted
This movie has a loaded cast
A good song
Email dan.gartland@simail.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
