NCAA championship game
Huge matchup Monday night.
Not Florida vs. Houston.
NBA vs. NCAA.
For the first time since 1985, the NBA, as part of its normal schedule, played the same night as the NCAA men's basketball tournament championship game. While the Gators were conquering the Cougars, the Kings came back to top the Pistons and the Heat sludged past the 76ers.
There were NBA games the same day as the NCAA title game in the 1999 and 2012 lockout-shortened and 2021 coronavirus-shortened seasons plus three makeup games over the years. But otherwise, the NBA hadn't intruded on this NCAA turf in four decades. Even before 1985, the NBA went game-less most years.
Definitely a shift in approach from Adam Silver.
(hat tip: subscriber David Anderson)
Trivia
Trivia: Who holds the longest active streak of games with a free-throw attempt?
Kevin Durant
The Suns seeking a "massive haul" for Kevin Durant (in addition to his reluctance about getting dealt) is a reason he didn't move ahead of the trade deadline, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
It sounded like the Warriors were willing to meet Phoenix's asking price until Durant scuttled the deal. So maybe the Suns' requests weren't totally outlandish.
Remember, the highest bidder – not consensus – sets the price. There are probably several teams willing to grouse about Phoenix's asking price. But only the most able-and-eager team matters.
Granted, there are gray areas. Sometimes, these deals get discussed simultaneously on multiple levels. Even if Durant approved, Golden State might not have met the Suns' final asking price. He could have dissuaded the Warriors before they agreed upon everything with Phoenix.
The Suns haven't gotten much out of keeping Durant. They're barely hanging in the play-in race. They'll probably have to trade him this summer – maybe for less than they could have gotten before the deadline if they were more shrewd in February. This report makes them look bad, and maybe they should.
But I'm not sold their asking price was too high.
Joe Cronin
The Trail Blazers gave general manager Joe Cronin a multi-year extension, they announced.
Cronin has overseen the teardown of the Damian Lillard era into a solid up-and-coming team. Of the three teams with an average age below 24 (weighted for playing time) – Portland, Utah, Washington – the Trail Blazers have won more than double the games of the other two.
There are real questions about Portland's upside. But that stems from ownership. Of course, managing up is part of the GM's job.
Maybe it's one Cronin will be empowered to do more aggressively now that he has this extension.
Trivia answer
Trivia answer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander drew zero free throws in the Thunder's loss to the Lakers on Sunday, ending his streak of games with a foul shot at 248, dating back to 2021. (Don't worry, he maintained his streak of scoring more than 20 points.)
That means the longest active run of games with a free throw belongs to… Luka Doncic, at a relatively piddling 138:
Longest active streaks of games with a free-throw attempt (plus SGA):
Gilgeous-Alexander obviously towered over anyone lately. But it wasn't quite a historic streak. Joel Embiid had a run of 362 games end in November.
But it'll be more than a full season until Doncic can catch SGA.
Seeds
I really like this graphic from the NBA showing which seeds each team can still get:
The wildest part: The Lakers can still get the No. 2 seed… or miss the playoffs entirely!
Awards
Watch Nate and Danny reveal their MVP and All-NBA picks through facial expression (then verbally):
No. 3 player
Who's the No. 3 player in the NBA? Watch John, Nate and Danny get into it:
Evan Mobley
Is Evan Mobley a top-10 player in the NBA? Watch John, Nate and Danny explain their unanimous answer:
Rankings
For any subscribers who missed it, the full rankings for:
-Dan Feldman