AROUND the NBA:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

https://www.reddit.com/r/nba/comments/1o...?rdt=60059


Kevin Love trolls Dame Lillard about the allegations.

[Chicagojk]

Yeah, Golden State looks good.  Long season though.  I thought they were going to drop back this year, but thru two games they look really good.   I didn't watch much of the game last night but thought Denver looked good when I saw them.

No surprise in the national games I have seen the Mavs don't really compare to the teams I have seen.  That is not really surprising.  The question is how can they close the gap throughout the year.   I think crispness on offense is the major thing that pops out.   Some of these teams are not even playing a real "true PG" either but the crispness and ball movement just sticks out to Dallas's defense.  Just something to monitor.

We all got spoiled that with Luka (even when sometimes the process was not exciting to watch) on the court, you always had an elite offense. My eye test is how often are you getting good looks. If you consistently get good looks (whether make or miss), then things are eventually going to work out. If you struggle to get good looks, that is a bad sign.

[Chicagojk]

No surprise, SGA is damn good.   He is not exciting and how he looks for fouls is not appealing, but there is no doubt there are not many players ahead of him for "Best in the League".   It has been two games but he has made shot after shot in big moments already.   All with being a good teammate and good defender.   

For all the talk about OKC having a ton of picks, they do great on the edges.    Mitchell second round pick, Wiggins undrafted, Dort undrafted, J-Will second round pick.  ETC.    Memphis does this as well.  If you can play, you can play.  No matter where or if you were picked.

[myconsumerclub]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-L3Jc_XAS8
The FBI just detonated a nuclear bomb on professional basketball. Gary Franchi's RAW FEED segment exposes Operation Royal Flush - the biggest sports corruption scandal in American history. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested. Miami Heat star Terry Rozier perp-walked. La Cosa Nostra running NBA games like their personal casino for years.

FBI Director Kash Patel dropped the bombshell at a Brooklyn press conference: "This is an illegal gambling operation and sports rigging operation that spanned the course of years." Over 30 arrests across 11 states, including 13 members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families. The charges: wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, robbery, and illegal gambling involving "tens of millions of dollars."

The most explosive revelation: Terry Rozier faked an injury on March 23, 2023, leaving after just 9 minutes so mob associates could cash $200,000 in under bets. NYPD Commissioner confirmed "players altered their performance or took themselves out of games to make sure those bets paid out." The proceeds were delivered to Rozier's home where they counted mob money.

But it gets worse. The poker operation used x-ray tables with hidden cameras in rigged shuffling machines. Signals went to a mafia house, then back to a "quarterback" at the table who directed three corrupt players to fleece unsuspecting "fish" victims. Chauncey Billups, Mr. Colorado himself, caught running this scheme with organized crime families.

U.S. Attorney called it "a financial pipeline for La Cosa Nostra" proving the mafia is "alive and well." Every game potentially scripted, every championship possibly rigged, every bet you made potentially stolen by this criminal enterprise. Damon Jones also arrested, making three current or former NBA figures caught red-handed with the mob.

The Wall Street Journal had been investigating Rozier since January over "strange betting patterns" in that Charlotte game. The NBA cleared him, but the FBI knew better. This connects to Jontay Porter's lifetime ban for throwing games - the corruption runs deeper than anyone imagined. From x-ray poker tables to fake injuries, from mob money to rigged championships, the NBA's integrity lies in ruins.

Kash Patel declared: "Under President Trump's administration, there is no room for any type of criminal behavior, be it on the world's largest stage or in the back rooms of tiny parlors." The timing is perfect - as the new NBA season tips off, its biggest stars are getting perp-walked for selling out to organized crime.

Gary Franchi reveals how this scandal destroys everything fans believed about their heroes. Kids wearing jerseys of players who took mob money to miss shots. Families spending thousands on tickets to watch scripted games. March Madness brackets contaminated by mafia manipulation. This isn't Pete Rose betting on baseball - this is organized crime owning basketball.

[myconsumerclub]

Wonder if there is any connection to the Mob in Las Vegas about to become a part of this story, given that potential connection to the world of the sports betting being legal there.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Is the mob still in Vegas? Vegas used to be fun when the mob ran it. Now it's private equity trying to drain every single penny from visitors.

[Mavs2021]

Am I the only one that is surprised Kidd is not involved. Leaking an injury status to outsiders, so they can place strategic bets, seems totally in his wheelhouse.

[michaeltex]

Is the mob still in Vegas?  Vegas used to be fun when the  mob ran it.  Now it's private equity trying to drain every single penny from visitors.

some might say that private equity = the new mob.

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Yall see how fat Jokic looked against the Warriors? Bro put on all the weight Luka lost.

[Branduil]

Luka 32 points at halftime. Sure would be nice to have a PG like that

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

Luka 32 points at halftime. Sure would be nice to have a PG like that

Im watching that game on tape delay. I also watched their first game. 

I was one of the only fans not melting down over Luka leaving. I also criticized him a lot. I have to admit this is the best he’s ever looked. That Lakers roster is bad though. Feels like his early years here carrying Dwight Powell and THJ.

[Smitty]

Im watching that game on tape delay. I also watched their first game. 

I was one of the only fans not melting down over Luka leaving. I also criticized him a lot. I have to admit this is the best he’s ever looked. That Lakers roster is bad though. Feels like his early years here carrying Dwight Powell and THJ.

I don’t like to get into the Luka stuff because there’s no point now, but I agree it’s the best he’s looked since the bubble. An in shape, motivated Luka can and will win MVP. Unfortunately for him, that roster is a mess.

[Mavs2021]

Reaves is averaging like 25/10/5 through two games. Nico couldn´t even get him in the trade. LOL.

[KillerLeft]

Reaves is averaging like 25/10/5 through two games. Nico couldn´t even get him in the trade. LOL.

Even worse - I don’t think he wanted him, though he clearly should have.

[Branduil]

Reaves is averaging like 25/10/5 through two games. Nico couldn´t even get him in the trade. LOL.

Why would Nico want a perimeter player who is actually good at basketball. 5 forwards is the lineup of the future

[RoyTarpleysGhost]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-zrHji_2pg0