Why the Hawks are the new Pacers. Plus, Warriors-Rockets ends in controversy

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Trae Young mimed shooting dice at the Knicks logo as the game was ending. Jalen Brunson didn’t cry about it when asked. He said, “To stop it, you just beat them.” Amen. 🫡 (we have more on the Hawks below.)

Unconscionable Finish

Warriors–Rockets has controversial ending

The end of the NBA Cup showdown between the Rockets and Warriors ruined a perfectly ugly but competitive game. This was one of the most physical games, if not the most physical game, of the season. Hard fouls were given. Big contact was ignored. Then, after Steph Curry missed a 3-pointer with a one-point lead on the Rockets, we had a scramble for the loose ball on the rebound.

Gary Payton II was on the floor and decided to pass to the middle of the court to avoid a turnover or getting fouled. Jalen Green dove to the floor in an attempt to secure the ball, and Jonathan Kuminga instantly pounced to try to tie up for a jump ball. The whistles blew, and the Warriors were shocked by the foul called on Kuminga. How shocked? Look at your new Steve Kerr meme.

He’s pretty shocked! Dare I say, maybe even flabbergasted? If you didn’t see the play, this is the moment veteran referee Bill Kennedy said the foul occurred. He said Kuminga pulled on the shoulder of Green in trying to get to the ball:

In a scramble for a loose ball, fouls happen plenty, and this is borderline. I don’t think it’s a bad call, but I don’t think it’s a good one either. Especially not considering time (3.5 seconds left), score (90-89 Warriors lead) and the physicality allowed in the game. I would’ve awarded Green the timeout he tried to call and let the Rockets set up a play to try to win it on a final possession. To Green’s credit, he knocked down both free throws with ice in his veins before the Rockets got a stop to secure the win.

It was the Rockets’ first win over the Warriors SINCE BEFORE COVID SHUT DOWN THE WORLD. THAT MEANS 15 STRAIGHT LOSSES!

That’s right, the Rockets had last defeated the Warriors on February 20, 2020. You saw how shocked Kerr was after the 91-90 loss. This was his quote:

“I’ve never seen a loose ball foul on a jump ball situation 80 feet from the basket with the game on the line. I’ve never seen that. I think I saw it in college one time 30 years ago. Never seen it in the NBA. That is … unconscionable. I don’t even understand what just happened.”

The Inside the NBA crew criticized Steph for taking the 3-pointer with so much time left on the clock, but he got himself an open 3-point look on a step-back against Dillon Brooks when he let it fly. I’ll take that look from Curry every time, regardless of clock situation. And ultimately, there’s nothing the Warriors can do about it now. The Rockets (17-8) held the Warriors (14-10) to 90 points, hit clutch free throws and blocked the final shot attempt. They’ll face Oklahoma City (19-5) in Vegas on Saturday with a chance to go to the NBA Cup Final.

The Last 24

James family updates and more

💆 LeBron on a break? JJ Redick said the 39-year-old is taking some time away. We got some Bronny news too. 

🏀 Make them respect it. The building of Anthony Edwards’ new 3-point shot. A must-read.

🩼 More Raptors injuries. Scottie Barnes will miss several weeks with a high ankle sprain. What’s next for Toronto?

📺 Don’t miss this game tonight. Pistons (10-15) at Celtics (19-5), 7:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV. Yes, this is probably the best game tonight.

📺 Or you could watch. Raptors (7-18) at Heat (12-10), 7:30 p.m. ET on League Pass. Toronto has been scrappy, and we’re looking for Jimmy Butler trade clues.

CAW CAW!

NBA Cupdate: The Hawks are the new Pacers

The Hawks’ turnaround couldn’t have come at a better time because this franchise has looked mostly aimless since making the Eastern Conference finals in 2021. Entering last night’s NBA Cup showdown with a trip to Las Vegas and hundreds of thousands of dollars on the line for each player, the Hawks had won six of their last seven games with a couple of wins over the Cavaliers. The Knicks posed a big-time threat as the best offense in the league went against the worst 3-point defense.

That’s not what ended up playing out, though. The Hawks (14-12) dominated the second half with defense and the combination of Trae Young and Jalen Johnson to book their trip to Sin City with a 108-100 win. The defense has been much improved during their hot eight-game stretch. Their physical style of defense, galvanized by Dyson Daniels, took form in a 34-18 third quarter for the Hawks, and they’re looking like a team that can use this experience in the NBA Cup to get their act together.

Going into last season, the Pacers were coming off a 36-46 season and looking to improve upon two disappointing seasons under Rick Carlisle. They were 10-8 when they encountered their chance to go to Vegas for the final four of the In-Season Tournament. They ended up getting to the final, and then continuing their good play to a 47-35 record and an appearance in the conference finals (can’t forget their Pascal Siakam trade helping). The Hawks went 35-47 last season, and took a 13-12 record into last night’s game. Now, they have a chance to use this to set themselves up for success the rest of the way.

Young is playing a more calculated and balanced game. Johnson has been their second-best player. De’Andre Hunter has been tremendous since he came back from injury. And the Hawks are playing balanced basketball. We’ll see how Atlanta does against Milwaukee on Saturday in Vegas, but the Hawks’ formula of trusting their star point guard with a sound supporting cast mirrors Indiana’s last season.

#WeMove 🎲🎲 pic.twitter.com/r2Fy7M5D9n

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) December 12, 2024

Front-Office Rankings

Teams who need votes of confidence

If you haven’t read the anonymous front office poll from Sam Amick, John Hollinger and Mike Vorkunov, what have you been doing? We dove into it yesterday by examining some of the surprise or noteworthy teams that made the top 10 in voting from the anonymous panel of 40 different team executives from around the NBA. But the more I dug into the survey, the more I started wondering about the teams who didn’t receive any votes for their front-office excellence.

There were nine different franchises that didn’t receive a single first-, second- or third-place vote from their executive peers. It made me wonder where these teams could be coming up short and if there’s hope for their future. Let’s divvy these teams up into three different categories:

New front office, who this? Hornets (7-17), Pistons (10-15), Trail Blazers (8-16)

The Hornets hired Jeff Peterson as executive vice president to turn things around back in March, and we’ve seen a massive regime change with the organization from top to bottom. Peterson hired Charles Lee to coach the team, and you can already see progress happening in a short amount of time. Trajan Langdon was hired by the Pistons as president of basketball operations to fix whatever happened, and we’re seeing big steps forward already with his roster and the hiring of J.B. Bickerstaff as the coach. Portland general manager Joe Cronin was hired to recreate the Blazers back in May of 2022, and he’s really only been in the rebuild for a little over a year. We’ll see where Portland is after this coming summer.

There’s good hope for all three of these organizations.

Where are we going? Bulls (10-15), Kings (12-13), Hawks (14-12)

We talked about the Hawks and their possible turnaround happening in real time. Landry Fields has been in the position for about two and a half years, and the Hawks may finally be forming into a team you have to take seriously under Quin Snyder. Monte McNair got the Kings back to the playoffs to end the longest drought in history, but they’ve grown a little stagnant in the ever-improving West since then. Still, I liked his pickup of DeMar DeRozan this summer. Bulls executive VP Artūras Karnišovas has been in charge in Chicago for four and a half years, and nothing much has truly changed. They’re finally embracing a younger core, so maybe we can see some progress there.

I’m bullish on the Kings’ direction, and I am starting to talk myself into the Hawks if this is really them. It’s difficult to feel great about the Bulls under the Reinsdorf ownership – unless prime Michael Jordan returns.

Big spenders, big stars, big whoop? Lakers (13-11), Pelicans (5-20), Suns (12-11)

The Lakers have struggled to put shooters around LeBron and Anthony Davis for years, and might finally be witnessing Father Time putting up a fight against the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Their next step is trying to be the first NBA team to successfully build around AD. The Pelicans haven’t been able to make the Zion Williamson era work, but that’s more about injuries than anything. They’ve done a good job of bringing in players and assets. The Suns sold the future for a Big Three in today’s CBA. That was risky, but James Jones has proven to be a good GM.

The Lakers always end up the Lakers, but we’ll see how the Suns and Pelicans pivot if things don’t work out.

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(Top photo: Elsa  / Getty Images )