🏀 Anthony Edwards: Him

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Before you start reading, sit down, pour yourself a glass of water, and take some deep breaths, because we have some bad news to tell you. We don’t know how to say this but…there was no NBA basketball last night.

This is a tough time for all of us, but at least we have a jam-packed Monday night slate filled with high-quality hoops to talk about as a consolation prize. Let’s get into it.

Today’s Lineup

Ant-Man 🐜 Edwards and Minnesota take down Boston in an OT Classic

The Purest of Buckets 🏀🏀 Cam Thomas scored how many points???

Hoops History Spotlight 💰❌ Remembering the greatest fumble of all time

Morning Blitz

You know we love hoops, but how do we keep up with other sports? Simple — by reading Morning Blitz. 

Morning Blitz is a free newsletter that curates all essential sports news from the day prior, using a unique blend of wittiness and informational writing. Just like Jeff Van Gundy, the Morning Blitz HATES load management. That’s why they’re here for you every weekday to recap every major sports game.

In simpler terms, think SportsCenter in an email read by the likes of Mark Cuban, Dana White, and more! You’re welcome for the rec – sign up here.

Monday Night Notes

Monday night was about as hectic as you’ll see in the NBA. Let’s break down a day of hyped debuts, monster statlines, and insanely clutch buckets in bullet form.

• If you should take away one thing from Monday’s games, it’s that Anthony Edwards is respectfully that dude. Not only did the Wolves’ defense look spectacular (outside of the odd Jaylen Brown poster), but Ant-Man (38 PTS) finished things off with an array of backbreaking moves to clinch a 114-109 OT W over Boston.

• Clippers fans are learning the valuable lesson that just because a debut is hyped doesn’t mean it’s going to be good. James Harden (17 PTS, 6 AST) had his moments in LA’s 111-97 loss to the Knicks, but it’s clear that this star-laden squad will need some time to gel.

• Harden’s former teammate however was having no problems getting buckets. Joel Embiid (48 PTS) is somehow leveling up from last year’s MVP campaign, setting the Sixers record with 29 points in a quarter during their 146-128 demolition of the Wizards.

• If there’s one rule in the modern NBA, it’s that the Miami Heat are inevitable. Bam Adebayo (22-19-10) stuffed the stat sheet with an impressive triple-double to help South Beach scrape by LeBron James and LA, who were approximately thissss close to walking out of the Kaseya Center with a W.

• No lead is safe when Nikola Jokic (35-14-12) is nearby. He was the driving force behind the Nuggets flipping a 20-point first-half deficit into an 18-point W over the Pelicans. And we can’t talk about this one without mentioning the young guns. Jordan Hawkins (31 PTS, 7 3PT) and Julian Strawther (21 PTS) looked like walking buckets out there.

• Speaking of Jokic…his Turkish passing prodigy didn’t look half bad either. Alperen Sengun (17-8-12) was setting up teammates left and right in the Rockets’ surprise 122-97 beatdown of the Kings. Is Houston finally starting to turn the corner?

• They might have lost a close one at the hands of Giannis (36 PTS) and the Bucks, but Brooklyn fans should be going crazy at the thought of about 75 more games of Cam Thomas. The third-year pro out of LSU dropped a seemingly effortless 45, even splashing bombs from another borough.

• The Pacers score, and the Pacers get scored on. Just days after giving up 155 to the Celtics, Tyrese Haliburton and Co. dropped a cool 152-piece combo on Wemby and the Spurs. Truly a must-watch League Pass team.

• Somebody, please tell Steph Curry it’s okay to slow down with age. The 35-year-old might just be having his best start to a season ever, averaging over 30 a night on mind-boggling 53-48-91 splits, including 34 in Golden State’s 120-109 win over Detroit.

• Last but not least, a 7’1” man casually throwing behind-the-back passes in transition. Chet Holmgren is fun, the Thunder are fun, get used to it.

Box scores, get your box scores here!

Daily Trivia

Hoops History Spotlight: The ABA’s Big Mistake

Former NBA all-time leading scorer and master of the skyhook, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a man who needs no introduction. But what if we told you he almost didn't even join the NBA? This is the story of one of basketball’s most famous blunders and most overlooked what-ifs.

Coming out of college at UCLA, Kareem had to make a decision about which league he would join. The NBA was the more established and more talented league at the time. But the ABA offered a more exciting brand of basketball and a chance for the young star from NYC to play in front of his hometown.

Rather than drag on lengthy negotiations with both sides, Kareem decided to settle the whole ordeal in a single day. He'd meet with representatives from each league one time and then make his decision.

Without the status or the talent level of the NBA, and with just one chance to make their case, the ABA executives knew they had to concoct an offer that would blow Kareem away. And despite all the odds, it seemed like they'd actually done it.

The plan was simple: offer Kareem a seven-figure multi-year contract with the Nets, and to seal the deal, top it off with a million-dollar check, no strings attached.

It was supposed to be a simple operation. ABA Commissioner George Mikan (yes, the 50s legend) and Nets owner Arthur Brown would meet with Kareem, offer him the bag, and close the deal with the check Mikan had in his pocket.

At least…that’s what should have happened.

The check was in the room, just feet away from Kareem. All Mikan had to do was take it out of his pocket and hand it to him. But he never did. For whatever reason, he decided to save the check for the second round of negotiations. A second round that did not exist.

Kareem wound up going to the Bucks on a five-year, $1.4 million offer—and the rest was history. Just imagine how different the basketball landscape could have been if the ABA had been able to sign the defining player of the 70s. Thanks to one massive missed opportunity, we'll never know.

Three in the Key

• Nikola Jokic said, “Fine, I’ll do it myself” 😂

• The Kornet Kontest™ strikes again 🧱

• Lauri Markkanen with the most intentional assist of all time 🪙

What We’re Enjoying

Blacklight by EarthGang: The latest single from the Atlanta hip-hop duo EarthGang is, simply put, a vibe. Blacklight is a smooth and synthetic R&B track perfect for some late-night driving. That baseline is living rent-free in our heads.

Signing Off

Time to head out, y’all! Thanks as always for trusting us to give you your morning hoops fix. Remember, just like your favorite players, one bad game or moment doesn’t define you: there’s still plenty of life left to live.

Until next time,

-Spencer Poole

Trivia Answer: The answer to today’s trivia answer is Karl-Anthony Towns! KAT swatted a whopping 21 shots over the first seven games of his 2015-16 Rookie of the Year campaign.

Before you go…