Mavs Donuts: Let's Grade The NBA Playoff Format Ideas
DALLAS - Dallas Mavericks Donuts: NBA Notebook Including Our Basketball Grief - And Theirs ... Oh, and Let's Grade The NBA Playoff Format Ideas!
DONUT 1: GRADING THE IDEAS
Grading NBA's potential schedule changes? Let's take a look at three potential schedule changes for the 2019-20 NBA season and beyond, grading the viability of each change.
Shortened playoffs? Hmm. Permanent schedule shift? Hmm. End-of-season tournament? Hmm.
And what if, as a result of it all - rather than struggle for attention against football each fall - the NBA could kick off with a bang on Christmas, dominate the spring headlines, then hold its playoffs in the slog of baseball season? SI goodness ... click here for more.
DONUT 2: SHOOTERS GOTTA SHOOT
Stephen Curry had to build himself a basketball hoop so he could keep shooting.
DONUT 3: FREAK ON UNICORN
Do we need reassurance that Kristaps Porzingis is all the things we believe him to be? No, but ...
Milwaukee Bucks superstar and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked to share some thoughts about KP. And his flattering remarks are ... well, reassuring. Read here.
DONUT 4: WHO? ME?
We'd like to think that Dwyane Wade would've learned humility from his 2011 conflict with Dirk Nowitzki. (Cough. Cough.) Unfortunately, D-Wade teamed up with Carmelo Anthony to poke at another Euro, Darko Milicic, who was drafted the same year as Anthony and Wade.
The "stars'' joked about not knowing who Darko is.
"Thank God (Wade and Anthony) have succeeded; I have not," Milicic said in response. "We are not kids, we are adults, I hope you are ripe to understand that life is full of ups and downs. ... It is not necessary to judge and ridicule when, thank God, you have not passed the path that I am. To them, as always, I wish everyone good and every honor on their careers and in further life a lot of success and less condemnation."
Milicic played 10 seasons in the NBA. They know who he is. And if they'd forgotten? They just received a humble reminder.
DONUT 5: 'I MISS DALLAS SPORTS'
He's one of DFW's best sportswriters and he nails the DFW vibe here. Dig in: 'COVID-19, Us 0: I Miss Dallas Sports'' by Richie Whitt.
DONUT 6: LEBRON CONTENT
LeBron James has an idea.
Yessir. You have our permission. Please. We're starving.
DONUT 7: OR ...
We can just let Michael Jordan handle things.
Right, Luka Doncic?
DONUT 8: GRIEF
Our guy Dalton Trigg pitches in on the subject of our 'grief' as Dallas Mavericks and NBA fans ... and trying to imagine their 'grief' ...
When you pour in so much of your time and energy into a season, just to see it suspended and perhaps even canceled 80 percent of the way through - with, in the case of the Mavs and all of the NBA the final 20 percent offering so much promise - that’s a tough blow.
And that’s just how I feel, as a fan, an observer, a reporter. So I can’t even imagine how some of the players (especially the older ones) feel.
Yes, my "grief'' is minimal - nothing - compared to so many others worldwide who are experiencing so much more ... experiencing the front-line pain and even death associated with COVID-19.
But it is "grief'' nonetheless, a gnawing ache that reminds us of how much we love it ... and hopefully, someday soon, will be allowed to love it again.
DONUT 9: SPEEDING UP BASEBALL
Mavs. Stars. Cowboys. Rangers. Were it not for the shutdown, we'd have 'em all right now. Instead? We still get the Dallas Cowboys (via free agency and the NFL Draft) ... and, courtesy of the Rangers ...
We get that. Hey, it's something!
DONUT 10: SMART!
People who have beaten the coronavirus have antibodies that can be used to treat people. A DFW native who plays in the NBA had it ... so Celtics guard Marcus Smart is donating his blood.
DONUT 11: WHAT'S ON TAP?
Not a damn thing.
DONUT 12: THE FINAL WORD
"A leader doesn’t doesn’t look to criticize; a leader accepts criticism and learns. A leader doesn’t look for praise; a leader offers praise. A leader doesn’t ask for trust; a leader earns your trust. We all have those who need us to love them and lead them. Be a leader.'' - Mark Cuban.
