Friday, October 27 - The NBA is back and so am I!

Ok, yes, I know, I’m late.

I started this column on Tuesday. It’s now Friday morning as I sit in class writing this, my schoolmates slowly turning their heads. “Why is that boy typing so aggressively?” they think. To explain to them, I turn to the great Kobe Bryant: “I never gave a f-ck if they understood me,” he said, “because I was on to something so much bigger than they could understand.”

It’s not really the quote i’m going for, although it’s very nice, but more so the man - Kobe infamously ran on his own schedule, he did things his own way.

And it sucked and everyone hated him for it.

So basically, I’m sorry. I won’t turn into Kobe again, because heavens forbid it’s 20 years later, I’m on a team with future All-Stars* Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell, and take 50 shots in one game and call it greatness.

(P.S. - This was all jokes - I love Kobe and RIP Mamba, an absolute legend - but you did shoot a little too much sometimes bro)

So yes, The Three Point Play is finally back in full capacity, uploading bi-weekly again. I’ve changed up my formula a bit - check the new About page for updates (may not have an updated version up as you read this, but should be up by tommorrow).

In other news, THE NBA IS BACK!!!!!!! If you couldn’t tell by my NBA-influenced intro, I’m so hyped. Get ready for 8 months of game-winners, off-court drama, and smooth outfits, y’all (I’ll cover all, don’t worry). Basketball is such a fluid, pure sport, and covering it for a full season is going to be awesome. I’ll put a little emphasis on basketball coverage during the season, but I’ll still make sure to cover all sports.

Today, we have NBA opening week reactions along with some MLB playoff chaos to cover, a reaction to Monday Night Football, and important news and notes. So let’s get into it.

(P.S. This is an email with a lot of links, and Substack says it might get clipped in some inboxes, so click here to view the post in my website)

• The NHL un-banned pride tape after the Arizona Coyotes’ Travis Dermott used it directly after the NHL banned it. Read all about it here.

• Rest in peace Tasha Butts, the Georgetown women’s basketball head coach. After a two-year battle with breast cancer, Butts passed away Monday. She was forty-one. Read more here.

• The entire country of England is mourning the loss of Bobby Charlton, widely regarded as the country’s best soccer player ever. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family; he was eighty-eight. Read about his life here.

• The Michigan Wolverines football team is being accused of being part of a sign-stealing scheme. Staffer Connor Stalions is at the front of it. Learn more here.

A quick note here:

If you noticed, all of those topics were definitely on the less-fun side, and two of them were very serious issues. You might be thinking, “Ian, these are important topics. Why aren’t you covering them with a full section?” The answer is: for me, sports are an escape. They always have been. I want for the Three Point Play to be a celebration of sports and its athletes, not a hot-button debate forum.

I want to make it clear - I stand with all athletes who are struggling with anything. Athletes are more than just people who play sports, they’re people - complicated people, with thoughts and feelings. I know that might seem obvious to some. But often, sports are covered without thinking about the athletes. I guess we think that because they make all this money, they’re invincible, and they can handle all kinds of abuse by us, the sports fan. That sucks.

As such, I’ll always make sure to mention any important, controversial topics in the “News and Notes” section, because it’s important that I don’t just ignore them. Please, educate yourself and form your own opinion. Click those links.

But ESPN can cover those big issues, and we’ll keep it controversy-free here at The Three Point Play.

I’m not a mind-reader, but after learning that his Minnesota Vikings teammate, All-World wide receiver* Justin Jefferson, was out for the Monday Night Football game against the San Francisco 49ers, I would guess that Jordan Addison sat down and remembered.

He remembered how, for a moment, he was just the latest in an unfortunately long line ofunsafe NFL drivers. Cited for reckless driving after going 140 MPH in a 55 MPH zone, many people doubted his mental fortitude, if he was ever going to be ready for the NFL. He knew he was ready, but would anyone else ever believe that?

Well, turns out he was right. He was ready.

The Minnesota Vikings’ rookie WR (short for wide reciever) caught the ball 7 times for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns Monday night, proving why many thought he was a Rookie Of the Year* candidate. But more than that, he carried his Vikings to a win against the mighty 49ers. The 49ers were a popular preseason Super Bowl pick, with quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey, and tight end George Kittle on offense, and defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner on defense. But they stumbled Monday night, and the Vikings and Jordan Addison certainly pounced.

7 catches and 123 yards are incredible numbers, but mostly, I think people are focused on this:

Just incredible.

Final score: 22-17, Vikings. Vikings next play my Falcons and Bijan Robinson (or not, lol) on November 5th at 1 PM ET (on FOX Sports), and the Niners play the Bengals this Sunday at 4:25 PM ET (on CBS).

Well, the World Series are set. After 7 months and 162 games, Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, and the Arizona Diamondbacks will play Corey Seager, Adolis Garcia, and the Texas Rangers for the MLB championship.

I’m not sure anyone expected either of these teams to make the World Series, not even the most hopeful of fans. Just to show you how no one expected this, I took 8 popular media outlets (and the betting odds) 2023 World Series predictions. Here are the results: (it’s a little small, click here for the link to the page to zoom in)

No one gave them a chance.

Both the Rangers and Diamondbacks won 6-8 games more than expected. They both ended up as Wild Card teams, with the Rangers grabbing the 5 seed in the AL and the Diamondbacks got the 6 seed in the NL. They both swept their Wild-Card matchups and their DS matchups, starting out the postseason a perfect 6-0. Then, they both fought long, hard battles in their CS, with the Diamondbacks beating the explosive Philadelphia Phillies in 7, and the Rangers beating their in-state rival Houston Astros (also in 7).

Both teams play structured, team-oriented baseball, but they also both have guys that are stepping up big. The Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte is on a 16-game hitting streak* and showing no signs of slowing down. Corbin Carroll, a rookie, went 3-4* with 2 RBI* and 2 SB* in the winner-take-all Game 7. The Rangers have Corey Seager and Evan Carter, two consistent hitters who aren’t power guys but get lots of RBIs, and they also have El Bombi - Adolis Garcia, the coolest guy to ever set foot on a baseball diamond (I won’t talk about him here much - hoping to have a full-length feature on him up soon).

This series is going to be so much fun. Both of these fanbases have been deprived of good baseball teams for a few years now, and Dallas and Phoenix should be rocking. Catch Game 1 tonight at 8:03 PM ET on FOX.

I’m channeling my inner Sonic the Hedgehog right now because I’ve got to go fast. Again, I started writing this column Tuesday, before the madness that was last night (Wednesday). So I’m going to recap scores (not for all games, though) and, in doing that, educate you about storylines and players for this season. Each recap will be 2-4 sentences, anything in bold you should pay attention to. It’s gonna be fast, fun, and a little chaotic, just like the NBA. Let’s get into it!

Denver Nuggets 119 - 107 Los Angeles Lakers - In the first game of the season, the Nuggets got their championship rings, and center Nikola Jokic got a triple-double. The Nuggets are a popular pick for the championship after winning last year. They return mostly the same team, but what really matters is that center Nikola Jokic is there. The guy is the best player in the NBA, period. There wasn’t much to mention on the other side - forward LeBron James was fine. Forward Anthony Davis was great in the first half, but we may need to put out a “missing” poster for Davis, because in the second half he didn’t make a single shot. Steven A. Smith sure didn’t approve.

Phoenix Suns 108 - 104 Golden State Warriors - Suns fans will have to wait a little longer for the reveal of their game-breaking trio of guards Bradley Beal and Devin Booker, and forward Kevin Durant - Beal didn’t play. Booker and Durant were just fine by themselves, Booker especially (he had 32 points). On the other side, guard Stephen Curry was magnificent (as usual) and an aging point guard Chris Paul was suprisingly good, finishing with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists in the loosing effort.

All of those teams figure to be in the hunt for the championship.

Charlotte Hornets 116 - 110 Atlanta Hawks - This was dumb. Dumb dumb dumb dumb DUMB. My Atlanta Hawks, my pride and joy, they of the great city of Atlanta, my hometown, lost to the lowly Charlotte Hornets, THEY OF A YOUTUBER AND A GUY FROM THE GAMESTOP SQUEEZE. Guard Terry Rozier and center Mark Williams had great games for the Hornets. Rozier was on fire for most of the game, and he put the team on his back. Mark Williams controlled the paint and ended up with 15 rebounds. The one positive for the Hawks: promising young forward Jalen Johnson set a career high with 21 points. The Hawks are contending for one of the final playoff spots in the East, the Hornets won’t be great.

Indiana Pacers 143 - 120 Washington Wizards - I knew this Pacers squad would be fun. Apparently, they’re also really good. 143 points!!!!!! In the first game of the season!!!!!! Guard Tyrese Haliburton had 11 assists, and forward Bruce Brown had 24 points with 6 made threes (!) in his Pacers debut. Guard Jordan Poole was underwhelming in his Wizards debut, but it was fun to see Hawks legend Danilo Gallinari (forward) get some great production (17 points in 16 minutes). Forward Kyle Kuzma also had 25 points for the Wizards. The Wizards are going to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Oklahoma City Thunder 124 - 104 Chicago Bulls

Boston Celtics 108 - 104 New York Knicks - This was a tale of what didn’t happen, instead of what did. What didn’t happen: Jaylen Brown (guard) playing good (11 points), Jrue Holiday (guard) playing good (9 points), Julius Randle (forward) playing good (5-22* on his shots, 14 points), Jalen Brunson (guard) playing good (6-21 on his shots, 15 points). This was ugly, gritty basketball - exactly the way most Knicks fans like it. If only they had won. Count on all of those players to be much better over the course of the season. There are players who’s names don’t start with J on both teams, by the way.

Orlando Magic 116 - 84 Houston Rockets

Cleveland Cavaliers 114 - 113 Brooklyn Nets - We have our first game-winner* of the year!

With about 18 seconds left, guard Donovan Mitchell got the pass from Darius Garland, created space, and launched a 26-footer* that gave his Cleveland Cavaliers the lead. Yeah, I know. If you’re a basketball fan, you’re probably outraged. Mitchell clearly pushes off of forward Cam Johnson (defending). But, as they say, it isn’t a foul unless the refs call it. Other than that, this game was kinda weird. We had some unusual statlines - forward Max Strus of all people ended up with 27 points and 12 rebounds (????????), and guard/forward Ben Simmons quasi-returned from whatever he was dealing with by getting 4 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Both the Cavaliers and Nets figure to be in the hunt for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference (seeds 5-10).

Miami Heat 103 - 102 Detroit Pistons

New Orleans Pelicans 111 - 104 Memphis Grizzlies - Zion! He’s back. The 6’8 bundle of downed power lines known as Zion Williamson (forward) sure was explosive Tuesday. If you don’t how he plays, let me tell you this - 16 of his 17 shot attempts this game were 8 feet and closer to the hoop. The guy literally does a crossover or two, runs to the basket, and eviscerates whoever’s dumb enough to be in his way. That’s his whole game. It’s awesome. He ended the game with 23 points. On the other side, the Grizzlies managed to get some scoring outside of guard Desmond Bane (31 points), in the form of Marcus Smart and Xavier Tillman’s 17 points each. Both the Grizzlies and Pelicans are contending for the top seeds in the Western conference (seeds 1-4).

Toronto Raptors 97 - 94 Minnesota Timberwolves

Sacramento Kings 130 - 114 Utah Jazz - I just want to watch this Malik Monk dunk all day.

Los Angeles Clippers 124 - 111 Portland Trail Blazers

Dallas Mavericks 126 - 119 San Antonio Spurs - Yes, the San Antonio Spurs lost. In basketball, if you score more points than the other team, you win. And 119 is lower than 126, you know? But in a way, they actually won. And it’s not this “moral victories” stuff - just having rookie Victor Wembanyama on your team is a victory of its own. I’ve talked about him before, but that was after a preseason game - this is the real deal. His stats are a bit underwhelming - 15 points, 5 rebounds, as he got into foul trouble, but when he did play, it was masterful. Just watching his highlights almost made me fall out of my chair. His first point was a three-pointer! He made 3 threes that game!! He’s 7-4!!! Do you know the average three pointers made over the career of any players 7-4 or taller? 5! 5!! HE MADE MORE THAN HALF OF THAT OVER ONE GAME. The guy is insane. And it’s not just threes- he had a clutch and-one* with about 5 minutes to go that erupted Frost Bank Center. Ok, now for the team that actually won - point guard Luka Doncic was his usual incredible self. He had a 33 point triple-double, and guard Kyrie Irving had 22 points. They were the better team, sure. But Wembanyama was the real winner. The Mavericks and Spurs figure to be in contention for the last playoff spots in the Western conference (seeds 5-10).

Man, I love the NBA (if you couldn’t tell by those 1,137 words on just two days). It’s so chaotic yet controlled - it’s like hollowing out a mountain with dynamite, or a ballet with chainsaws. Like I said, the NBA will be a focus of our coverage during the season here at The Three Point Play. Not usually as in depth as today, though.

Before we go, it’s National Cranky Co-Workers Day, so here’s my Top Three Athletes Who Would Be Really, Really Bad Co-Workers -

3. Lance Armstrong (Cycling) - All his work would be ChatGPT’ed.

2. LeBron James (NBA) - I don’t think he’d be as good as you might think. Yeah, he’d be demanding the best out of everyone, but he’d do it in a really annoying way. He’d always be hovering around you, making sure you’re on task, and whenever you’d be like, “dude, where’s your work?” he’d just shove it in your face and get mad at you for suggesting - like, you dare challenge his greatness. Also, at company parties, he’d probably sing like this.

1. Aaron Rodgers (NFL) - An average work day with Aaron Rodgers: 9 AM - Shows up exactly at 9 and talks about how “I’m just so lucky” for the next five minutes. 11 AM - Starts yapping about how he thinks the moon landing was fake. 12:30 PM - Eats a lunch of avocado toast and coffee - “I don’t eat breakfast for breakfast, because that’s just basically agreeing with what society wants you to do, and that’s like, kind of racist.” 2 PM - Takes his break. 4 PM - Gets back from his break. 5 PM - Tries unsuccessfully to get “the gang” to go to that new pizza place on Parkview and Abbott. “No one calls it ‘the gang’, Aaron,” you say, halfway teasing, and for the next 30 minutes he stares at you, hurt beyond belief.

Thanks so much for having me y’all, it really is a blast.

Until next time (sooner than last time, hopefully),

Ian