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This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Watching Ja Morant play basketball is such a treat.
I don't mean a treat in a "Wow, look at this guy. He's incredible" sort of way, though he is an incredible player when he's healthy. But that's not what I'm here to talk about today.
This dude is just hilarious. And what makes it funnier is that he's very clearly not intentionally being hilarious. It's just who he is. Or, really, it's what he does.
Case in point: Thursday night's Grizzlies game against the Heat. This was the quintessential Ja Morant game. It was a 30-point showstopping performance. He dazzled in the pick and roll. He got to the rim and hit some tough layups. The jumper was working well.
The jumper was working so well, in fact, that the man felt compelled to pull out the finger gun-pointing 3-point celebration that the NBA had quite literally just issued him a warning about mere hours before the game for a similar gesture the game before.
I mean, the audacity to pull this out. On one hand, I respect it. On the other hand, Ja, you're nuts!
And that was in the first quarter! Talk about starting off with a bang. Get it? A bang? Yeah, I won't quit my day job.
Before I could pick my jaw up off the floor four quarters later, the man hits a game-winning jumper that touches every part of the rim before it bounces in.
That's Ja Morant, man. You never really know what you're going to get with him. One day, it might be a 5-of-15 performance where he also just dunks on someone's head. The next day, he might shoot 7-of-7 from 3-point range and pull out all the finger guns. Here, he deliberately chooses to pull out the controversial celebration that just seemingly got him into some trouble and then hit a game winner to shut everyone up about it.
You can't help but laugh, man. This dude is a treasure and a menace all at the same time.
It's sort of hard to believe that Paige Bueckers is a senior. It feels like just yesterday she'd arrived at UConn and we were talking about her first matchup against Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Time flies, you guys.
The women's Final Four weekend starts tonight. And that means it's officially the beginning of the end of Paige Bueckers' UConn career. No matter what happens on Friday night, this weekend will be the last time we see her in a UConn uniform.
How's she taking it? "Just enjoying it," she told reporters in Tampa.
"Last year I got so caught up in the pressure and the stakes of it all and trying to be perfect and worrying about the wrong things," Bueckers said. "Worrying isn't even the right word to use anymore. Just enjoying it. Like you said, it's the last weekend regardless of what happens. So, just enjoy this last weekend."
It's easy to think about what could've been if Paige had injuries not robbed her of some of her time at UConn. She'll finish as the third all-time leading scorer in UConn history behind Maya Moore (3036 points) and Breanna Stewart (2,646 points), but she also is the program's all-time points per game leader at 19.9 per game. She's also just 130 assists away from Nika Muhl's all-time program record of 686. Another season and she's at the top of that list.
But none of that matters. We know how good Bueckers is. History should look back kindly on her time at UConn, whether she wins it all or not.
Have a great weekend, Paige. You deserve it.
I know I always talk about wanted these old guys to retire, and I still do. But every time I watch them play against each other I realize how stupid I am.
LeBron James and Steph Curry went bucket-for-bucket last night in the Warriors' win over the Lakers. I don't even need to say anything else. Just watch this.
Bron. Steph. I'm sorry. Never leave us.
This is Victoria Garza at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Mexico, somehow bending her body in the shape of a croissant during platform preliminaries.
Pretty sure if I bent this way I'd just break. What a shot.
— Charles Curtis ranked the 11 greatest UConn Huskies ever.
— Bryan Kalbrosky has a new NBA mock draft loaded and ready to go for you. It's almost lottery time.
— Here's the latest on what position Travis Hunter might play in the NFL.
— Steve Kerr is absolutely right on fans not appreciating the greatest performances in the NBA today. Robert Zeglinski has more.
— Marcus Morris put up NUMBERS on First Take Thursday. Andrew Joseph has details.
— Here's Cory Woodroof with options for the Bengals if the team chooses to relocate.
That's a wrap, folks. Have a fantastic weekend. Peace.
-Sykes
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ja Morant and his finger guns are funniest player in the NBA
Continue reading...
Good morning, Winners! Watching Ja Morant play basketball is such a treat.
I don't mean a treat in a "Wow, look at this guy. He's incredible" sort of way, though he is an incredible player when he's healthy. But that's not what I'm here to talk about today.
This dude is just hilarious. And what makes it funnier is that he's very clearly not intentionally being hilarious. It's just who he is. Or, really, it's what he does.
Case in point: Thursday night's Grizzlies game against the Heat. This was the quintessential Ja Morant game. It was a 30-point showstopping performance. He dazzled in the pick and roll. He got to the rim and hit some tough layups. The jumper was working well.
The jumper was working so well, in fact, that the man felt compelled to pull out the finger gun-pointing 3-point celebration that the NBA had quite literally just issued him a warning about mere hours before the game for a similar gesture the game before.
I mean, the audacity to pull this out. On one hand, I respect it. On the other hand, Ja, you're nuts!
And that was in the first quarter! Talk about starting off with a bang. Get it? A bang? Yeah, I won't quit my day job.
Before I could pick my jaw up off the floor four quarters later, the man hits a game-winning jumper that touches every part of the rim before it bounces in.
That's Ja Morant, man. You never really know what you're going to get with him. One day, it might be a 5-of-15 performance where he also just dunks on someone's head. The next day, he might shoot 7-of-7 from 3-point range and pull out all the finger guns. Here, he deliberately chooses to pull out the controversial celebration that just seemingly got him into some trouble and then hit a game winner to shut everyone up about it.
You can't help but laugh, man. This dude is a treasure and a menace all at the same time.
Paige Bueckers' final weekend in a UConn jersey is here
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It's sort of hard to believe that Paige Bueckers is a senior. It feels like just yesterday she'd arrived at UConn and we were talking about her first matchup against Caitlin Clark and Iowa. Time flies, you guys.
The women's Final Four weekend starts tonight. And that means it's officially the beginning of the end of Paige Bueckers' UConn career. No matter what happens on Friday night, this weekend will be the last time we see her in a UConn uniform.
How's she taking it? "Just enjoying it," she told reporters in Tampa.
"Last year I got so caught up in the pressure and the stakes of it all and trying to be perfect and worrying about the wrong things," Bueckers said. "Worrying isn't even the right word to use anymore. Just enjoying it. Like you said, it's the last weekend regardless of what happens. So, just enjoy this last weekend."
It's easy to think about what could've been if Paige had injuries not robbed her of some of her time at UConn. She'll finish as the third all-time leading scorer in UConn history behind Maya Moore (3036 points) and Breanna Stewart (2,646 points), but she also is the program's all-time points per game leader at 19.9 per game. She's also just 130 assists away from Nika Muhl's all-time program record of 686. Another season and she's at the top of that list.
But none of that matters. We know how good Bueckers is. History should look back kindly on her time at UConn, whether she wins it all or not.
Have a great weekend, Paige. You deserve it.
Just let Steph and LeBron play forever
I know I always talk about wanted these old guys to retire, and I still do. But every time I watch them play against each other I realize how stupid I am.
LeBron James and Steph Curry went bucket-for-bucket last night in the Warriors' win over the Lakers. I don't even need to say anything else. Just watch this.
Bron. Steph. I'm sorry. Never leave us.
Photo Friday: Victoria Garza does the impossible
This is Victoria Garza at the World Aquatics Diving World Cup in Mexico, somehow bending her body in the shape of a croissant during platform preliminaries.
Pretty sure if I bent this way I'd just break. What a shot.
Quick hits: The GOATs of UConn ... A new NBA mock draft ... and more
— Charles Curtis ranked the 11 greatest UConn Huskies ever.
— Bryan Kalbrosky has a new NBA mock draft loaded and ready to go for you. It's almost lottery time.
— Here's the latest on what position Travis Hunter might play in the NFL.
— Steve Kerr is absolutely right on fans not appreciating the greatest performances in the NBA today. Robert Zeglinski has more.
— Marcus Morris put up NUMBERS on First Take Thursday. Andrew Joseph has details.
— Here's Cory Woodroof with options for the Bengals if the team chooses to relocate.
That's a wrap, folks. Have a fantastic weekend. Peace.
-Sykes
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Ja Morant and his finger guns are funniest player in the NBA
Continue reading...
