Tuesday, January 21, 2020

There are sometimes I watch highlights of an NBA game and I see right away, in spades, why a bad team is bad—like Cleveland the other night. There are other times, Washington early in the season I remember, and Sacramento today, where, against all expectations, record and game conditions, I don’t see any difference between a woeful team playing under difficult conditions, and a good Miami team. The “Kings” played with intensity, they are skilled, Buddy Hield was tremendous, they are well-coached and their shootaround to “prepare” for this game was on a hotel ballroom floor. I have nothing but respect for SAC tonight and will say what I said about DC that they, probably not prophetically: if SAC plays like that every game, they’re going to win a lot of ball games. And if James Johnson plays like he did tonight then he is going to have a career year in a suspension, benched short season. I am so happy for JJ. He is now the consummate professional and teammate and tonight my personal game ball goes to the Rising Phoenix, James Johnson.