The Celtics and Thunder played like losers so they lost
Good morning, Winners! This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Here’s Mike Sykes.
The NBA playoffs have been spectacular throughout so far this season, but Monday night's games may have been the crème de la crème.
We saw not just one — but two! — upset comebacks, with the Knicks evaporating a 20-point lead against the Celtics and the Nuggets doing the same to a 14-point lead held by the Thunder. Both games were pure cinema. The comebacks were fueled by late-game heroics from Jalen Brunson (29 points) and Nikola Jokic (42 points, 22 rebounds), who led their teams to victory in different ways late.
But, as far as I can tell, there's one common denominator that unites the two: Cowardice.
Both the Celtics and the Thunder pulled out two of the most cowardly strategies I've seen for arguably two of the best teams in the NBA.
The Celtics resorted to a hack-a-Mitchell Robinson strategy in the second quarter of their game against the Knicks despite the team's high-powered offense already building a fairly solid lead. The Celtics' hack-a-Robinson strategy ground the game to a halt and broke the Knicks' offense. They were forced to actually sub Robinson out. It was technically effective.
But it went too far right here.
That's a clear breakaway layup for Jalen Brunson. Instead of defending that, the Celtics foul Robinson. The Knicks don't get two points — Robinson shoots free throws instead. The officials rewarded the Celtics for being cowards. It was only right that the basketball gods step in and take away Jayson Tatum's ability to make 3-pointers as retribution. Boston lost.
Next, we go to Oklahoma City. It's a close game late. The Thunder have allowed the Nuggets to hang around, and suddenly, Denver is only down three with 13.2 seconds left in the game. Instead of defending straight-up, the Thunder decided to play the free-throw game and foul to ensure Denver isn't allowed to shoot a 3-pointer.
Guess what? They lost! Chet Holmgren bricked two straight, leading to this.
Looks like Denver got that 3-pointer up anyway!
This is a choke job, folks. No other way around it. And it's all because, instead of simply playing things out and defending with the best 3-point defense in the NBA, the Thunder chose to leave it up to free throws. When you play silly games, you get silly prizes. Surprise! You lose, Oklahoma City.
Intentionally fouling with a lead is not basketball. It's loser behavior. Sometimes, loser behavior is rewarded, sure. But the basketball gods never forget. They didn't let the Thunder or the Celtics off the hook here.
Good. Hopefully, they learn their lesson.
Speaking of cowardice...
The Ravens finally released Justin Tucker, but it didn't happen for the reason you think it did. At least, that's not what the Ravens are telling us, anyway.
Remember, Tucker is facing several sexual misconduct allegations, according to a report from the Baltimore Banner. Tucker's misconduct is alleged to have happened between 2012 and 2016. Several massage therapists spoke with the Banner about Tucker's alleged inappropriate behavior.
But none of that was mentioned by the Ravens when they released their former kicker. Instead, the team lauded him for creating "unforgettable moments."
Feckless. Our Christian D'Andrea went in on what makes this statement from Eric DeCosta so weak.
"Releasing Tucker without mentioning the mounting complaints against him allows the franchise to skirt whatever liability issues could arise from this cut while allowing fans to create their own narrative behind what happened. The easiest read is Tucker's fading accuracy dented his invincibility, allowing Baltimore to quietly move on without having to weigh the cost of rostering an alleged predator against the value he brings in the standings. The more complex one is that Harbaugh and company finally allowed pragmatism to overcome personal sentiment and understand Tucker, beneath his facade as a local hero, may not have been who they thought.
Monday's statement allows the Ravens to be accountability chameleons, avoiding the subject, directing questions back to the statement and standing for either morality or shrewd football strategy, depending on where you stand. And, thus, Baltimore managed to make the correct decision still feel like a gross one."
What a shame.
Some good news
Remember the Pirates fan who fell onto the warning track last week? His name is Kavan Markwood. Last week he was in critical condition after the fall, but we've got a positive update today.
Our Charles Curtis has more details here:
"After an update from his girlfriend, Alonna Brown, in which she told the world he was "awake and continuing to work toward making his body stronger each day," there's now this from Jennifer Phillips on a GoFundMe for Markwood: "Kav took his first steps today! It’s a slow slow process, but seeing him up and moving was a huge win and definitely lifted everyone’s spirits."
She listed his injuries that include a broken neck, clavicle and back, but hopefully this is a sign that he's on his way to recovery."
Here's to a speedy recovery.
Quick hits: Sam Bennett deserves a suspension ... The NHL draft lottery was awful ... and more
— Sam Bennett's hit on Anthony Stolarz deserves some sort of punishment, our Charles Curtis says. I've got to agree.
— Our Cory Woodroof hates draft lotteries — but especially the NHL draft lottery. This was so bad.
— The Met Gala was fun! Here's a look at the most stylish athletes at the event.
— Speaking of the NHL draft, here are the top five prospects you should be looking at.
— The Cavaliers are in crisis mode. Injuries to key players has this team reeling against the Pacers. Robert Zeglisnki has more.
— Timothée Chalamet is every Knicks fan. Mary Clarke has more here.
That's a wrap, folks. Thanks for reading. Peace.
-Sykes ✌️