It’s time for Basketball: Spurs vs Thunder

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Tonight’s game gives us a matchup from the leading two candidates for NBA rookie of the year, with Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama fighting it out and no one else even close. The contest doesn’t look that close to me, but apparently the losing record of the Spurs might be affecting the opinions of some of the writers voting on the award. That seems dumb to me, but a win tonight by the Silver and Black would put that argument to rest for sure.

The Spurs have definitely been improving lately, but the loss to the Sixers on Monday put things into better perspective, as the improving Spurs were still outclassed by one of the better teams in the East as their MVP carved up San Antonio for 70 points. They will have to play with more coherence and effort tonight to challenge the Thunder, who are tied for the top spot in the Western Conference. It’ll be a stiff test for the good guys, but however it turns out, it’ll be fun to watch.

For some reason, ESPN has scheduled this game fairly late for a game in the Central time zone, and it’s not even a double header, although there is a game on ABC that starts an hour earlier. It’s a real head-scratcher, but brew up a pot of coffee to so you can catch the end of the game.

Off topic observation:

How the heck does Doc Rivers keep getting hired for head coaching jobs? His teams always underperform in the playoffs. Yeah, he did win a championship in 2008, but with a team loaded with superstars … not to mention that it was 16 years ago. He must give a hell of a job interview. In any case, the best part of him getting hired as a coach is that he’s not on television as a commentator, because his commentary almost makes games unwatchable.

Game Prediction:

The ESPN broadcast team will struggle with the pronunciation of Wembanyama, substituting an ‘N’ for the final M in his last name. [Unless It’s Mike Breen, who is usually very good with player names.]

One final word:

Go Spurs GOOOOOO!!

San Antonio Spurs vs Oklahoma City Thunder
January 24, 2024 | 8:30 PM CT
Streaming: NBA League Pass
TV: ESPN, CW35

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