AP:
This was Nebraska's 30th consecutive loss to an Associated Press-ranked opponent, second to Rutgers' [RUTGERS!] 43-game skid. Rhule has lost 20 straight games to ranked teams, including 0-11 at Baylor.
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
A BITTER loss for Ohio
They end the season with two consecutive upset losses, to Ind. in B1G championship, -4.5, and tonight to Miami as 9.5 point favorites. OH-MYO.
Great punt to UMG 11 wiped out by penalty. Re-punt, UMG ball own 30. 5:56 to go.
Now, Ohio NEEDS a UMG turnover.
The Bucks Are Coming
UMG 17-14, 13:28 4Q. That was a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Their first drive of the 2H, also for the TD, was 11 plays 82 yards.
They went for it, they got it...
And then went backwards. They punted from the Ohio 40, 4th and 20. Ohio got the ball on their own tyoo. Now 1:36 left, Ohio ball own 6.
Miami 4th and 2 at Ohio 36, 2' 1H, Gardeners FTO
There is no decision here. You go. Unless they have Sebastian Janikowski, 53 yards is tooo longgg for college kickers, and in the likely event that the kick is unsuccessful you risk 1) a block and return for TD, or 2) a kick six if it's short. What else are they going to do, punt? You go.
Oh my goodness. College (tackle) Football Playoff: Miami Gardens (10) 14 Ohio (2) 0, 5:19 2Q
UMG fumbled, Ohio recovered, Gardeners forced a punt. UMG drove 83 yards, 13 plays, led 7-0. Ohio threw a 72-yard pick six, 14-0 Gardeners. HOO DOGGIE!
Nebraska will never be back
The "Huskers" finished Matt Rhule's third (usually turnaround) season 7-5, then lost Rhule's prize recruit and star quarterback Dylan Raiola to the transfer portal, and are now getting blown out by Utah in their bowl game 44-14. Nebraska football died the day they fired Bo Pelini. There is no life after death.
Okay, LAST, last call. End 3 in Hollywood, La-La lost ground; they trailed by 5 at HT, by 8 now.
Of course the game is not over. Not with LBJ and Luka. A 4th Q explosion reasonably could come, but the money has to be on Zollner now, more than at the beginning of the game.
Good night.
It's Half-Time in Tinsel and Meat and Potatoes Detroit leads the Hollywood "Lakers" 65-70.
Detroit shot 68% in the half. LA-LA not too shabby at 53%, but that's an Imperial Valley size chasm.. The "Pistons" are outworking LA-LA, bullying them in the paint, 46-22, out-running them on the fast break 19-4, forcing them into turnovers that have gifted the leaders 20 points to 11; in short, doing the things that win basketball games. A pathetic first half of effort for the glamour franchise in the Association.
I forgot to mention last night...
I ask rhetorically, Does the "New Miami" offense mean that the org. has changed the team's thirty-one year identity as a Defense First team? I ask because, the offensive detonation last night nothwithstanding, Pebbles still shot 53% from the field (only one % point less than whatever iteration of the Miami franchise this is called).
And I ask because, I state the case plainly, this is not sustainable. We have a collection of good to very good shooters, maybe one great shooter in Norman Powell, but we're not going to shoot 54% with any regularity; and we're not going to win many games when the other shirts shoot 53%.
Finally, I ask this rhetorical question because it is ominous, it reeks of desperation to attempt to change so long-standing an identity in one season. And what has it gotten us so far? Another way to go 45-37, one win better than our 11-year 44-38 average record. That, and playing in the Least will get you a Play-In slot--for the fourth season in a row.
When an org. gets away from the basis of basketball, that defense wins championships, and won three down here, and you resort to trick schemes, you don't gain a new identity, you lose any identity, and identity is difficult to get back.
Tuesday, December 30, 2025
Now what do you think this is an advertisement for?
I don't know, a fucking porn site? Orgasms R Us?
No. No, porn sites are still not permitted to advertise on ESPN (as far as I know).
Anybody who thought that was an ad for sleep apnea, you're liars liars your underpants are in flames.
No I would not like to know more.
State of the Least, end December 29
Playoff Homies
1. Zollner -Conference Champions Hopefuls-
2. Mamdani City -1 -Conference Champions Hopefuls-
3. Beans -4.5
4. Ontario State -5
Playoffs
5. Disney -6.5 -Homie Hopeful-
6. Miami 45's -6.5 (lose tiebreaker with Diz) -Homie Hopeful- . Pause: Win percent as decimal .545 x 82 games=45 wins. Unpause
Play-In
7. Seven Foot Sixers -7 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
8. Sensitive City -8 -Playoff Hopeful-
9. Male Cows -9
10. Pigeons -10
Outside Looking In
11. Male Deer -10.5 -Play-In Hopeful-
Monday, December 29, 2025
THEY HAVE RISEN!
The Sensitive City Cadavers rose up in the 4Q and done smote Hotspurs in Alamo 113-101. EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVELY, they won the 4th by 14.
In Katrina, Mamdani City almost went splat against the Waves, but almost don't count. FT Mamdanis 130 Katrina 125.
OKC had their hands full of Pigeon droppings for a half before cooking in the 3rd and then coasting 140-129.
The only news tonight in American sports in the injury to Nikola Jokic. MRI tomorrow and, no exaggeration, the sports world is anxious. 🙏🃏
"Heat" End Losing Streak to Pebbles with EXTREME PREJUDICE, 147-123
Now before anybody jumps in my shit, yes, Nikola Jokic got injured with 3" left in 1H, yes he had 21, 5, and 8 in 19'; yes the score was tied when he went out, and we won by 24. But we jumped in their shit in the 1Q, leading 41-29. Our largest lead was 27, their largest lead was tyoo. Yes, in the 2Q, Jokic contributed mightily to totally erasing that 12-point lead. Yes, we probably would have lost if he had not gotten hurt...What's my point? Idk, don't jump in my shit.
Pebbles (22-9, 12-4 away) (-2.5) is in Bang Bus tonight
Over the holiday the 45's got fat on Pigeon and Yellow. Pigeons, 10th in the Least; Yellow, dead last in the Least--and in the entire Association.
Tonight, they have a chance to do what "Heat" team has done in the regular season since Aug. 1, 2020, one year and five months ago: beat Denver. We have lost eleven straight times to Pebbles. ELEVEN. Tonight's line opened at Denver -4.5. It has dropped to the current because Bam Adebayo is a GTD.
On that 5.5 year record, who's got money on Miami tonight?
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Antetokounmpo is 31 years old. He wants to win another title. He knows, everyone knows, he ain't gonna do it in Beer. Where should he go if he wants to win another title?
The Miami 45's are thrown around as a prominently mentioned destination where he could win a title. 601 Biscayne could put together a pretty enticing package to get him. Personally, I would offer Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. That should be enough for the Male Deer front office. But there are many possibilities. We have draft picks. We may have Scary Terry Rozier's salary for ballast; we have Kel'el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Nikola Jovic. We would still have a good team no matter the reasonable package.
But since LeBron James went back home we have landed one "whale", Jimmy Butler III. Why would that be? Why will Antetokounmpo not come to Miami? The answers I bolded in the last paragraph. We're the 45's (actually the 44's, 44-38). No one superstar is going to elevate a 44-38 team to the NBA title. You need more than one. You can't win a title by adding one superstar to our middling roster.
In recent years whales have migrated West. But that conference is so congested at the top. Antetokounmpo's new team would have to run a gantlet. They may not even make the conference finals. If Antetokounmpo really wants out of Beer, and wants a real good chance to win another title, he will will land in...Mamdani City.
Sunday, December 28, 2025
The State of the Least, End December 28
There were some Least-Best matchups today, which matchups went pretty predictably.
The Lowly La-La Clip Ship, now 10-21, beat Least leaders Zollner, pretty handily too, 112-99.
Portlandia (13-19) fried Beans (19-12) 114-108.
Lizards won at home against Memphibians 116-112. For what that is worth.
The "Thunder" (27-25) cut the 7' 6"ers (16-14) down to size 129-104.
The one (meaningful) bright spot was Ontario State's (19-14) win in OT at home vs Peaceniks 141-127
To the Least Standings:
Playoff Homies
1. Zollner lost a half game and lead Mamdani City by 1.5
2. Mamdanis -1.5 -Conference Champion Hopefuls-
3. Beans -4.5______________
Playoffs
4. Ontario State -5.5 -Homie Hopefuls-
5. Diz -6 -Homie Hopefuls
6. Seven Foot Sixers_-7___________
Play-In
7. Miami 45's -7 (2 one-thousandths of a percentage point) -Playoff Hopefuls-
8. Sensitive City -7.5 -Playoff Hopefuls-
9. Male Cows -8.5 -Playoff Hopefuls-
10. Pigeons -9.5_________
Outside Looking In
11. Male Deer -11 -Play-In Hopefuls
Good night Bests and Leasts!
Continuing our popular series, Weird Soccer Team Names
Warri Wolves were supposed to play Wikki Tourists at 10 am but the match hasn't started yet. Maybe they'rw having difficulty with the message relay system.
45's
17-15 =.531 x 82 = 44-38.
We're 7th in the Least. BUT on cumulative point diff, which they use as a crucial tie-breaker in the EPL, we are FOURTH. I suggest that the NBA invoke this salient metric.
Saturday, December 27, 2025
Cavs Atkinson: "I thought the game was over in the first quarter."
Atkinson, YOU should be over. You and Drunk Toby Altman made a "strategic choice" to get yourselves in this position. It was the dumbest Cleveland thing of all dumb Cleveland things.
The State of the Least, End December 27
Hopefuls are within two games of next level up.
Playoff Homies
1. Zollner
2. Mamdani City -2 -Conference Winner Hopeful-
3. Beans -4.5
4. Diz -6.5_________________
Playoffs
5. Ontario State -6.5 (tiebreaker with Diz) -Homie Hopeful-
6. Seven Foot Sixers -7 -Homie Hopeful-_____
Play-In
7. Miami 45's -7.5 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
8. Sensitive City -8 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
9. Male Cows -9 -Playoff Hopeful
10. Pigeons -10____________
Outside Looking In
11. Male Deer -11.5 -Play-In Hopeful-
FT Houston 117 Sensitive City (17-16) 100 (It was worse than that)
AP
Kevin Durant scores 30 points to lead the Rockets to a dominant win over the Cavaliers
HOUSTON -- — Kevin Durant scored 30 points in three quarters to lead the Houston Rockets to an easy 117-100 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.
...
Durant, who also had seven assists and four rebounds, didn’t play in the fourth quarter with Houston up by 27 points after three.
H's largest lead was 31. Sensitive's twee, but don't say that, they're very sensitive.
...
The Rockets scored seven straight points, with 3s from Tari Eason and Smith, to take a 16-12 lead and never trailed again.
This is "New Miami"
The Heat scored at least 140 points for the sixth time this season and seventh time in 2025, after reaching 140 points seven times — combined — from 1988 through 2024.
Cleveland People Doing Cleveland Things
Inside the Cavs’ decision to focus on big picture to build a postseason powerhouse
Published: Nov. 12, 2025, 5:20 a.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs have made a strategic decision that’s causing significant ripples throughout their fanbase: November simply doesn’t matter.
Neither does December!
It’s not that they don’t want to win games. It’s that they’re playing a longer, more sophisticated game focused on May and June — and they’re willing to accept early-season turbulence to get there.
Tyson wasn’t the only Cavalier who was ticked off. Evan Mobley was also candid in his post-game interview, admitting that the entire roster is growing frustrated with how the season has started.
“Yes,” Mobley said when asked if the team is frustrated. “That’s natural, everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be the best we can be, but right now we’re not..."
It’s not that they don’t want to win games. It’s that they’re playing a longer, more sophisticated game focused on May and June — and they’re willing to accept early-season turbulence to get there.
Is that not the most Cleveland thing to do?
And they're continuing to do it!
"We’re not hungry enough. What happened to us last year it’s a similar thing that’s happening this year; it’s a common theme, ultimately, it’s on us to fix it. The young guys, the role players, it shouldn’t be us having to bring energy every time, right? Everyone has to bring energy, everyone has to pour into this thing.”
By Ethan Sands, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs haven’t been focused on the wins and losses early in the season. They’ve concerned themselves more with the process and finding combinations that could be useful in a playoff series.
Not everyone got Drunk Toby Altman's memo.
Nov. 30:"We’re not hungry enough. What happened to us last year it’s a similar thing that’s happening this year; it’s a common theme, ultimately, it’s on us to fix it. The young guys, the role players, it shouldn’t be us having to bring energy every time, right? Everyone has to bring energy, everyone has to pour into this thing.”
Cleveland player Jaylon Tyson. Even the PLAYERS didn't get the memo!
"Come together as a team, and do your job,” Tyson said when asked how to fix Cleveland’s problems. “I feel like teams want it more than us..."
"Come together as a team, and do your job,” Tyson said when asked how to fix Cleveland’s problems. “I feel like teams want it more than us..."
And other teams DO want it more than the Cleveland team!
“Yes,” Mobley said when asked if the team is frustrated. “That’s natural, everyone wants to win, everyone wants to be the best we can be, but right now we’re not..."
Pitt will attempt to play (tackle) football at 11 am
In the "Go Bowling Military Bowl" vs East Carolina.
Friday, December 26, 2025
Angel Moronis 111 Zollner 103, End 3
Detroit is such a gang of sharpshooters. They trailed by 15 at 2:34 and then boom, boom, boom, BOOM, 4 four three-pointers got them right back into it heading to the 4th.
The State of the Least Dec. 26, 2025 (Preliminary)*
My method here is to label teams "hopefuls" if they're within two games of the next level.
Playoff Homies
1. Zollner (in progress winning) *Update HT Angel Moronis 95 Z 86, 4' 3Q. Z was -9.5 out there. If Moronis pull the upset, subtract -.5 from each of the trailers on the list below. If Z comes back, add +.5.
2. Mamdani City -3
3. Beans -5
4. Seven Foot Sixers -7.5
Playoffs
5. Ontario State -7.5 (decimal % points) -Homie Hopeful-
6. Diz -7.5 -Homie Hopeful-________________
Play-in
7. Sensitive City -8 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
8. Miami 45's -8.5 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
9. Male Cows -9 -Playoff Hopeful, Homie Hopeful-
10. Pigeons -10_________
Heats are in Bang Bus tomorrow night to play Yellow
Might Bam Adebayo's back, which kept him out tonight, and from experience does not flare up suddently, have been the/a cause of his underproduction the last several games?
Lads, it's Atlanta
Apie: The Hawks fell to 5-10 at home and are the only team in the NBA with a winning record on the road (10-7) and a losing record at home.
45's without both Bam and Tyler, their two best players for years. We have more weapons this year against an excreable team like Pigeons, who actually shot identically to the 45's from the field, 47%, and slightly better from range, 33-31. But Miami had a gargantuan 19 more possessions, a combination of 10 more rebounds and 9 more Pigeon droppings of the ball.
AP:
Wiggins turned in one of the plays of the game in the fourth quarter. He saved the ball along the sideline after stealing an inbounds pass, got a return pass and hit a running reverse layup to stretch Miami's lead to 102-87 with 9:05 to play. A 9-0 run capped by an over-the-head layup by Powell later in the quarter pushed the lead to 17.
Struggle Session
This is the AP lede...
Norman Powell's 25 points lead Heat to 126-111 win over struggling Hawks
...and this is AP's first paragraph:
ATLANTA -- — Norman Powell had 25 points, Pelle Larsson scored a career-high 21 and the struggling Miami Heat handed the Atlanta Hawks their fifth straight loss, 126-111 on Friday night.
Bam is OUT
"Heat" starters:
Wig-oKel'el
Nahmin
Davion
Pelle
3J, first sub, leads us with 14 in 17'.
As a team we shot 46 and 37 with TEN more possessions.
Kendrick Perkins: Lakers players "not listening to the coach, and the respect level is not there.”
There is a lack of respect for JJ Redick. It's not just Redick. It's the NBA, the Christmas Day audience, other coaches, the game itself.
LeBron James is uncoachable--and he is very sensitive to that criticism. It harms his legacy. It's also just fact. He all but throws games. He hangs teammates who he wants gone out to dry during games. LeBron tells on himself with his body language and Perkins criticized LeBron for his body language in the Houston game. LeBron didn't respect Erik Spoelstra in Miami nor David Blatt in Cleveland. He tried to get Pat Riley to replace Spo and his relationship with Blatt got him fired. He would be my GOAT were it not for all of that.
I offered JJ Redick some unbidden advice last night: Don't go too hard on the players. Perkins advises the same thing for fear of losing them. Well, they're not Redick's to lose. He does not have that "level" of respect. Redick is expendable, Luka Doncic is not, even if LBJ is. Putting the players through a gantlet is not in Redick's interest, nor the team's. Redick has to earn whatever respect there is to be earned there. He can't break what bond he has with the players.
FUCKING GOOD!
Why didn't your team execute? "Because we don't care enough right now. ...We don't care enough to do the things that are necessary."
I'm not going to engage in "misery loves company" downplaying. I am NOT excusing any of this. This is to say, as I wrote the other night, the physical, mental and emotional demands of an NBA season are impossible for an outsider like me to truly understand. What happened to the "Heat" in the last nine games? Spo said that although his guys care, they don't care enough. What happened to Cleveland from last season to this? Kenny Atkinson said that there were "mental lapses" specifically in rebounding today. Others up there have written about the lack of an "identity", of a "malaise" this season. This is not unique. To the young person who says, "Nobody knows how I feel!", if you've lived life for awhile, you know exactly how somebody feels when 1) they break up with their sig oth 2) when their boss is a prick 3) when a loved one dies--lived experience informs us and we can assure the other person that their crisis is not the first in human history, in fact it is common in a lived life. Maybe that doesn't make them feel better, but it should talk them off the emotional edge. "They got on the other side of it, I can too."
How can you improve when you can't practice enough? "We practice them all the time. It goes back to what I said the other night, it's a matter of making that choice and too often we have guys who don't want to make that choice. And it's pretty consistent who those guys are."
There was a question right about here, Your team went through a similar thing last year (I am paraphrasing, not quoting, because I couldn't hear well). However your team got out of it last season, is there something replicable to get your mojo back this season? I mention that not because of Redick's answer, which was essentially "no", but because, as I wrote in a previous post today, I have a pretty clear memory that they did go through something very similar at about the same time last season.
"...I'm not doing another 53 games like this."
JJ, they'll change, they will change on their own time schedule, no coach can make LeBron James or Luka Doncic "care more". Keep them close. Don't give up.
Thursday, December 25, 2025
H (10-3 3Q) 73-56 at LAL, 9:07
Goodness gracious JJ Redick must wish a return to podcasting. You can't motivate LeBron James and Luka, they're too great. They play the way they want to, when they want to. Didn't LAL go through this bullshit last season about this same time?
Donovan Mitchell Embarrasses Himself
"If he ran and did a regular layup, I wouldn't have caught up to him - he wanted to do some windmill shit, he slowed down, he was trying to do something crazy"
-Tyler Kolek
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