SU knows that many of you have written off the NBA and no longer tune in.  You are making a big mistake – especially in a COVID-19 world.   Look, I am the first person to say that I can’t stand watching James Harden play.  It physically pains me.  But there is a whole crop of young players who are lighting it up now in the playoffs.  Consider:

• Luka Doncic, playing on a sprained ankle, had a triple double yesterday and the game winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in OT for Dallas.  SU faves Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway, Jr. also had great games and the action was up and down the court all game long.  The 4th quarter and OT were great.
• If you stayed up last night, Utah outlasted Denver with Donovan Mitchell netting 51 and Jamal Murray 50 for the Nuggets.   SU caught the 4th quarter – really great stuff.
• The NBA has done an amazing job of piping in the crowd noise which makes it feel like the stands are full – it’s just that you never see them.  SU says the crowd noise is key as the announcers get excited to be heard over the crowd.
• Now, not all of the series have been close.  But for the series that are now tied at 2-2, in a normal playoff year, the home team has the advantage as 2 of the next 3 games are in their arena.  Not this year.  It makes for a whole new dynamic as there is no true home court – at least not that I can make out as I can’t tell if the home team crowd is louder than the opposing team’s.
• The games are in the 120s and the 130s – so much better than the 1990s Knick-Heat games in the 70s.  The Pat Riley of the 1990s would not be happy coaching now I don’t think.  Sure, there is little defense and no big men in the post anymore.  But when you have 7-footers like Doncic operating, who cares?
• Btw, Jeff Van Gundy made an excellent point yesterday that SU was thinking about also.  There is no reason that every kid cannot learn  how to use his or her feet the same way that Doncic does.  American born players can also learn and use the Euro step and it’s a huge advantage.  He finishes at the hoop with those long strides and it’s legal.  Dunking gets you on the highlight shows but learning the footwork will separate you from the pack.

SU stumbled across the Shut Up and Dribble series on Showtime last night.  Very interesting and well done.  It traces social activism and racism in sports going back 60 years.  Worth a look.

Tennis has started at the Western & Southern tournament at the National Tennis Center in NY and ESPN should pipe in the same crowd noise that they do for basketball but for tennis matches.  The quiet is not good.  SU says it’s easy enough to make some noise on a great shot.  We need to think outside of the box now.  The low TV camera angles are bad enough on some of the courts.

Finally, SU is happy to report that the Yankees have not placed any more players on the IL this morning as they had no games over the weekend.  Gleyber Torres, Paxton and one of the relievers all joined on Saturday.  As long-time SU subscriber, Jeff, commented over the weekend, it may be good to get the injuries out of the way now, but we all know the preliminary time estimates are always wrong.  Tight hamstrings and calf muscles are always susceptible for re-injury.  Not a good situation.