Not a great week for the former Irish in the Association.
Notre Dame’s NBA representation found some team success this past week but not much in terms of individual accomplishment. That tends to happen when both players have fallen way down on their respective teams’ depth charts.
[autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] won the NBA Cup when the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the final in Las Vegas. He recorded 12 minutes in the game but no points. He did however make a 3-pointer and grab a rebound when the Bucks returned to regular games Dec. 20 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As minimal as Connaughton’s contributions were, that was the case even more with [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag]. The San Antonio Spurs played only two games over the past week, and Wesley only played in the Spurs’ Dec. 21 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He dished out one assist, and that was the extent of his positive contributions to the Spurs’ cause.
It’s a trying time for the former Irish in the NBA, and there’s no sign of that improving anytime soon.
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Good morning, winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you.
First of all, before I completely roast these guys, let me congratulate the Milwaukee Bucks for winning the NBA Cup on Tuesday night. That’s an awesome moment. An extra $500k in pocket sounds extremely nice.
But here’s the thing. The Bucks refused to pop champagne after their victory and I cannot stop laughing about it.
The NBA meticulously planned all of this for Milwaukee, only for it to go untouched. Those bottles are collecting dust, baby. Take that plastic down. No bottles will be popped tonight — well, at least, not in the locker room. When the Bucks hit the strip last night their tune probably switched up.
The team didn’t indulge because it wanted to remain focused on the rest of the regular season. They did this at the behest of Darvin Ham, Chris Haynes reports.
Guys. DARVIN HAM.
Now, let me put some respect on that man’s name. He and Taurean Prince are the only two people in the world to go undefeated in two straight NBA Cup tournaments, after all.
But this is just objectively funny. The mere thought of Doc Rivers telling Chris Haynes that Ham told him the Bucks shouldn’t pop champagne, so the Bucks decided not to, is sending me to the moon.
We’re talking about the same Darvin Ham, right? My guy, you’re in Milwaukee for a reason.
Now, Ham is a fine coach. But I’m sure the Lakers’ decision not to pop the champagne after winning the NBA Cup probably had nothing to do with their relative success last year.
Doc Rivers is a better man than me. Because if Ham told me not to pop the champagne? Hand me a bottle right now. If I do this, the Nuggets may have mercy this time.
Look, I get it. Athletes are superstitious. Popping champagne after a regular season tournament would probably feel a little weird.
But, guys. Come on. There’s no need to be this weird about it. Give those rookies and two-way guys something to remember. Let them have a little fun. Some of them just doubled their salary! Somebody is going to buy a house tomorrow because of this!
That’s success worthy of celebrating. Stop being corny and celebrate it.
Peace up, Kirk Cousins down
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Getting demoted on your day off has to suck. Kirk Cousins can tell us all about it.
The Falcons named rookie QB Michael Penix Jr. as the team’s starter for the rest of the season after another stinker from Cousins in Atlanta’s win over the Raiders.
It’s not often you see a team make a QB switch after a win. But you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t think this is the right decision.
Our Cory Woodroof has more on what facilitated the end of the Cousins era in Atlanta.
“For as much as the idea of Cousins contending with the team for two or three seasons before an organic passing of the torch to Penix sounded great on paper and in press conferences, there was always the possibility that this timeline would hit the hyperdrive if Cousins struggled in a meaningful way.
Cousins throwing nine picks and a lone touchdown in five games, looking like a statue in the pocket and going 1-4 in that stretch served as the catalyst to his Tuesday benching.
Monday night’s abysmal performance from Cousins against a lowly Las Vegas Raiders defense sealed it. Even though Atlanta got the win, the offense looked stuck in place with Cousins throwing the ball and unable to escape even the smallest sliver of defensive pressure. The writing was on the wall.”
That’ll do it, folks. This dude doesn’t look good anymore. There’s potential for a trade down the line. Cousins could find himself a new home.
But, man. He’s 37 years old. It might just be time to hang ’em up, Kirk.
Mike Vick’s big move
(Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The NFL legend has climbed the coaching ladder into a pretty fantastic job. After some confusion over the last few days, news finally broke that Michael Vick is headed to Norfolk State as the head coach of the HBCU’s football team.
Vick’s hire could save NSU’s football program entirely:
“Now, in this changing landscape of college football, Norfolk State has turned to a hometown hero and a big name who knows a thing or two about football that might help it harness some goodwill and garner some NIL contributions to keep the program afloat.
If Vick can turn Norfolk State into a winner quickly, it would represent a tremendous feel-good story for Vick and his legacy, Norfolk State and Hampton Roads, and all of college football.
And if Vick is as successful as Deion was at Jackson State, it will only make Brent Pry’s seat in Blacksburg warmer. If Vick’s Spartans have more W’s than Pry’s Hokies next season, expect their resumes to be compared, and expect folks in Blacksburg to call for a different kind of homecoming.”
I hope Vick finds success at Norfolk State, and I hope his tenure there lasts a long, long time. Seeing a good head coach stick around for a minute at an HBCU would be nice.
Quick hits: QB Rankings … Kirk Cousins landing spots … and more
While the franchise opted not to celebrate with champagne in the locker room following the victory, the Bucks did stay on the court for the trophy presentation from NBA commissioner Adam Silver.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo was named tournament MVP, which is yet another impressive note on his already stellar resume. When he was done with the trophy, it eventually made its way to head coach Doc Rivers.
Fortunately, everything turned out OK. But there was nearly a big problem:
A former Duke basketball player helped the Milwaukee Bucks win the NBA Cup on Tuesday night.
Former Duke basketball star Gary Trent Jr. and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup Championship on Tuesday night, a 97-81 victory in the second edition of the in-season tournament.
Trent, a second-round draft pick from 2018, came off the bench to score 13 points after he made three of his six 3-point attempts. Milwaukee led by a single point after two quarters, but a 26-14 advantage in the third helped build a comfortable lead. Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo added to his awards case with 26 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in the win.
The former Blue Devil has averaged 9.1 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 41.1% from the field and 39.3% from distance through 24 games this season. He’s averaged at least 13 points per game in each of the previous four campaigns.
Trent only spent one season in Durham alongside Marvin Bagley III and Grayson Allen. He averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals while the Blue Devils reached the Elite Eight.
Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] won the 2021 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Four seasons later, his role with the Bucks has greatly diminished. However, he still is collecting hardware with them.
The Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81, in Las Vegas to win the 2024 NBA Cup, culminating the second such competition. So Connaughton now has two different championships since arriving in Milwaukee.
Connaughton had not played in 10 of the Bucks’ past 12 games, a consequence of falling out of the Bucks’ rotation. However, he did log over 12 minutes of playing time in this game. He missed his lone shot, a 3-point attempt, but recorded an assist, and he’s done at least once in every game he’s played in this season.
It’s hard to tell what the future holds for Connaughton, who turns 32 in early January and has only one year left on his contract. At least he’ll have this highlight this season.
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The Milwaukee Bucks have officially rebounded after a tough start to the 2024 season.
The team took home the 2024 NBA Cup on Tuesday night in a 97-81 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Las Vegas on Tuesday night, giving Milwaukee some much-needed momentum going back into the regular season.
After the game, Bucks superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard shared a really sweet moment on the court to celebrate such a hard-fought run in this year’s NBA Cup tournament.
The two gave each other a big, long hug, and you could tell what a relief it was for both of these outstanding NBA players to get this tournament win.
Things weren’t looking so great for the Bucks earlier in the season, but the team is 14-11 and very much a contender in the Eastern Conference. That’s worth embracing over if you’re Milwaukee.
The Bucks are the new NBA Cup champions after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in Las Vegas. Milwaukee took control in the third quarter as Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered another legendary performance with a 26-19-10 triple-double. Damian …
The Bucks are the new NBA Cup champions after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 in Las Vegas. Milwaukee took control in the third quarter as Giannis Antetokounmpo delivered another legendary performance with a 26-19-10 triple-double. Damian Lillard helped the NBA Cup Finals MVP with 23 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 21 points on 8-24 shooting.
Check out some of the immediate reactions after the game.
Could this game have potential playoff implications down the line? Let’s find out.
The Thunder and Bucks will face off in the final matchup for the second annual NBA Cup.
Each of these teams has championship aspirations for June, so playing in this Cup Final game on Tuesday will serve as a solid litmus test to gauge exactly where each team is at this point in the season.
However, this game has a bit of a caveat regarding what it could potentially mean for the rest of the season.
So far, each NBA Cup game from the group stage to the semifinals has counted toward each team’s regular season record. Not this one.
The NBA Cup Final game does NOT count toward the Bucks’ or Thunder’s regular-season record.
The reason is simple: If it did, this would be the 83rd game on Milwaukee and Oklahoma City’s schedule. Every other team plays an 82-game schedule. This would give one of these teams an unfair advantage or disadvantage over the rest of the season for tiebreakers when it’s time to decide playoff matchups.
The NBA excluded this game or its stats in its regular-season record book to keep things simple.
The championship and prize money still remain. Whoever wins will still be the winner of the NBA Cup for this season. It just doesn’t matter when it comes to regular season records or stats.
That’s OK. Let’s just hope someone doesn’t drop a 100-point triple-double in this one that technically doesn’t count for anything.
Take it from me, folks: That’s a massive mistake because some really good basketball has been played across the league. And we’ll probably get another good one tonight between the Bucks and Thunder for the NBA Cup final.
This Cup final is offering everything folks have claimed to want to see from the NBA over the last few years.
Did you want parity? You got it. The Thunder are an NBA title contender and the Bucks hope to be one. Did you want small markets? This is Oklahoma City and Milwaukee. Did you want stars? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a shot at the league’s MVP award this season and Giannis Antetokounmpo already has two of his own. Did you want stakes? There’s a championship at play here, even if it is just a regular season one. That doesn’t make it meaningless — there’s money on the line for these players.
And, by the way, the Thunder and Bucks are 9th and 15th in 3-point attempts per game, respectively. So if the 50 three-pointers the Celtics take aren’t your cup of tea, don’t worry. This isn’t that. There’s variance in the styles of play here. These teams are unique and interesting.
If you’re a basketball fan, there’s almost no reason to not watch this game. But I’m sure folks will find a way.
That’s the thing. A lot of the folks who are complaining about the game simply don’t watch the game. They’re not fans of the league. The NBA only serves as a punching bag to get off lukewarm takes that get a bunch of likes and reposts on Elon Musk’s rage-bait-y hellscape of a social media platform for those people.
Does the league get in its own way at times? Absolutely. NBA League Pass probably shouldn’t be so expensive if you want people watching your smaller markets. Also, media blackouts probably shouldn’t be a thing. Splintered television rights get in the way more often than not.
Plus, the NBA needs to start treating its small markets like it actually wants them to exist. Embarrassing copy like this about the Rockets vs. Thunder matchup should never be published. That’s dumb. You can’t expect fans to care about your teams when you don’t.
Regardless, though, the basketball this season has been very good. We’re in for another good one tonight. If you’re not watching, you’re missing out.
Meanwhile, in the NFL…
Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
We got yet another atrocious serving of Monday Night Football between two matchups: The Vikings vs. Bears and the Falcons vs. Raiders.
Both were pretty awful in their own ways. So bad that our own Meg Hall is begging the league to stop serving its fans slop in primetime television slots on MNF.
She makes the astute point that it’s kind of on us. When there’s a bad Monday or Thursday night football game, we don’t turn it off. We watch anyway. The NFL isn’t going to fix it if we don’t make them.
“But perhaps that’s my fault. The NFL knows it can serve slop to fans because it doesn’t matter how terrible the product is; they will watch it. Frankly, I’m disgusted with myself and the league for subjecting me to comically lousy football.
Someone needs to pay for their crimes. We can’t go on like this. At this point, I’d be open to another alt-cast. What about Family Guy? Rugrats? Bluey? Something. ANYTHING other than what I watched Monday.”
Let’s be better, folks.
Golf’s dream matchup is here
The best players from the PGA and LIV are going head to head on Tuesday night in what they’re calling “The Showdown.”
Scottie Scheffler (No. 1) and Rory McIlroy will face off against Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau (No. 10) at Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.
But this is unequivocally a good thing for the golf world. These are the best players in golf, going at it.
Imagine getting LeBron James and Kevin Durant to play a two-on-two matchup in the offseason against Steph Curry and James Harden. That’s basically what this is.
Golf fans everywhere are certainly going to be tuned in. Let’s hope this lives up to its billing.
Quick hits: NFL Power Rankings … A new Logan Paul matchup? … and more
Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] had a couple of opportunities to prove himself with the San Antonio Spurs this past week. After not playing in a Dec. 8 win against the New Orleans Pelicans, he scored eight points and tied his season high with eight assists Dec. 13 to help beat the Portland Trail Blazers. Four points and five assists while losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 15 meant averaging 6.0 points and 6.5 assists for the week.
With the Milwaukee Bucks winning a couple of games to advance to the NBA Cup final, Doc Rivers opted to leave [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] on the bench the entire week. While it’s hard to tell what will happen when the Bucks battle the Oklahoma City Thunder for the title Dec. 17, this past week suggests Connaughton won’t play in that game either unless it’s a blowout and Rivers empties his bench. It’s tough to see Connaughton drop out of the Bucks’ rotation, but that’s the life of an NBA player, especially as one gets older.
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