Somehow, the NBA In-Season Tournament is working, plus Tom Brady’s rant
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Good morning! Iowa is still good, actually.
Experiments: Wait, is this really working?
Back in April, when the NBA officially announced the In-Season Tournament, we all decried the vanity of it. Trying to be a midseason soccer tournament, but with no other leagues participating? This is a pure money grab. The courts are ridiculous . Why would we care?
All these criticisms were valid and continue to be. And yet ... the In-Season Tournament is awesome. I am all in. Consider two bangers from last night:
Never have I cared more about November basketball than when Tyrese Haliburton had all 37 of his points in the first three quarters as two teams combined for 309 total points.
Real tension! Real stakes! Ugly court! Maybe I’m just overstimulated watching these, but yes, 100 times yes. The Sixers are essentially toast in this competition, while the Cavs cling to hope for a wild-card spot.
I recommend catching up on the backstory via this Mike Vorkunov explainer from the summer. We have six groups, with the winners of each advancing into the knockout rounds. Two wild-card teams — one from each conference — will advance as well. So here’s where we stand right now:
Pacers, Lakers
Pistons, Wizards, Grizzlies, Blazers, Spurs
I’m still trying to figure out this works, because nothing functionally has changed. Maybe it’s the idea of early-season ramifications. And maybe, sigh, it’s the courts. Prior to last night’s slate, John Hollinger wrote about the maximum chaos going on in the IST . That helps, too.
The courts are glaring, yes, but they tell something in my brain that these games are different. I hate admitting that. It’s like admitting good weather makes you happy. Of course it does, but it feels so simple. I should be more advanced than this. But my brain still goes “ooh, bright colors,” and serotonin kicks in.
The basketball is good, and Zach Harper — who listened to me rant last night about my simple brain waves — will have more IST fodder in The Bounce later this morning.
Oh, the other thing: This is all happening quickly. The tourney’s NBA Cup final happens Dec. 9.
Yelling at Clouds: Brady, Sanders rattle their canes
A bad thing about aging is seeing the players you watched in their, ahem, primes morph into something you never expected: old guys complaining about the way things are these days. Yesterday, we had Tom Brady and Deion Sanders take center stage.
His full comments are worth a read
, including pointed criticism of both NFL and college coaching, plus some extra animus for recent rule changes.
I won’t pretend to know more about football than the most accomplished quarterback in NFL history, but I do know we have dazzling young talent in this league (hi, C.J. Stroud) and scheme-heavy guys (Mike McDaniel, Kyle Shanahan) winning a lot of games. Brady’s comments just come off as bitter and curmudgeonly from here.
Early this season, he was incredible, leading Colorado to a top-20 ranking and winning more than anyone could’ve dreamed with a team that’d gone 1-11 the year prior. Since, he’s changed play-callers (
didn’t work out well
) and, after two commitments reneged, is now
decrying the entire recruiting process
Specifically, Sanders said he wishes the NCAA would ban visits for any player committed to a school, which is funny, considering he famously
poached from his own alma mater
on Signing Day. Anyway, unrelated: Colorado’s 2024 recruiting class ranks 70th,
according to 247
, sandwiched between Coastal Carolina and Miami (Ohio) ... and below Colorado State.
I cannot wait to go on someone’s podcast in 10 years and complain about 2033 newsletters.
News to Know
Padres hire Shildt
Mike Shildt is the new manager in San Diego, the team announced yesterday. The former Cardinals manager succeeds Bob Melvin, who spent two turbulent years in San Diego before decamping for San Francisco. Shildt inherits arguably the most talented roster in baseball , with soaring expectations amid a well-documented difficult work environment .
A rare mid-season change
The Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada yesterday, a move two years in the making that was still shocking. It’s the first time the franchise has made an in-season coaching change since 1941 . Under Canada, Pittsburgh’s offenses have languished despite plenty of talent.
More news
Under Cover: We’re still smashing the under
Iowa’s offense has been a meme this year. It’s been bad enough to get the offensive coordinator AKA head coach’s son canned. But I think the story is more interesting than that. Before we get there, we have another eye-popping line this week:
Absurdly low, and I still think I’d hit the under. Despite the mind-boggling totals that get lower by the week, the Hawkeyes are last in FBS in hitting overs this year. For perspective: 71 FBS teams average more than this game’s projected total — by themselves.
What doesn’t get enough attention in the national conversation: Iowa is still good . The defense has been enough to clinch the Big Ten West with one game to go. A win over the Cornhuskers this weekend would give Kirk Ferentz his third 10-win season in the last five years, with one of those seasons a 6-2 COVID outlier.
Still. Bet the under.
Watch This Game
NCAAM: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 4 Marquette
These two play for the Maui Invitational crown after huge wins over No. 7 Tennessee and No. 1 Kansas, respectively, yesterday.
NBA : Bucks at Celtics
Milwaukee is finally rolling with its superstar duo, and Boston might be the best team in the NBA. Must watch.
Pulse Picks
Zak Keefer tells the harrowing tale of the Bills’ Nyheim Hines , whose career nearly ended this summer after a jet ski accident. He’s been through physical pain and mental anguish (and a contract dispute). He has big plans for next year, though.
Lions’ rise to title contention isn’t surprising when you look at one thing: Penei Sewell and the offensive line. Nick Baumgardner breaks down what Detroit is doing so well .
Take a look at this week’s 12-team College Football Playoff projection . We can absolutely decry how the current college football model is evaporating, but this looks fun, too.
Jayson Stark had a really fun conversation with new Angels manager Ron Washington, a self-described “baseball generational giant.”
Sean McIndoe traces the “championship belt” of hockey franchise dysfunction from pre- to 1992. A fun start to a fun series.
A headline you don’t see every day: Daphne Corboz turned down medical school to play soccer in Europe. Now, she has two master’s degrees and one year of a doctoral program while playing in the Champions League. This story is worth your time .
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The Bounce The Windup Full Time Prime Tire Until Saturday
(Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/)
