NFL
By: Mark Wilson
The 2022 NBA Playoffs have been nothing short of exciting. From the Play-In Tournament with the Minnesota Timberwolves to the young Memphis Grizzlies almost pulling off the upset against the Golden State Warriors, fans have been on the edge of their seats. While there will be a newly crowned champion, the Playoffs have had their fair share of head-scratching moments.
What has stood out the most has been the play of superstars. Let’s begin with the Atlanta Hawks and Trae Young. The Hawks, led by Young are another young explosive team. Yet, against the defensive-minded Miami Heat, Young was a no-show. During the season, he averaged 28.4 points but against the Heat, Young averaged just 15.4 points while shooting .184 from deep. Where was the regular season trash-talking PG? The Hawks never stood a chance.
In the first round, it wasn’t just all about individual players. The Grizzlies put up a great fight against the Warriors but if the Timberwolves as a team didn’t choke against Memphis, there would be no budding rivalry between the Warriors and the Grizz. The Timberwolves took the first game and lost the second, but from there on, they gave away the last three games in the 4th quarter after holding double-digit leads. As a team, they faltered when it mattered most.
The same can be said regarding the Brooklyn Nets. A team with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving should not have been swept. Losing the series was a possibility but being swept, no one saw that coming. Another team that fits this bill of chokers who gets no sympathy is the Chicago Bulls.
Yes, they were paired against the defending champs, Milwaukee Bucks, however, the Bucks were not at full strength. The absence of Khris Middleton should have been enough to upset the Bucks but cold shooting from both Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan killed any possibility of a first-round upset.
In the second round, things got really weird for teams, players, fans, and analysts.
The word “choke” was thrown around so many times during the first two rounds and rightfully so. However, the issue is that fans and analysts have used that word for specific players. It seems that if a player is well-liked and he loses then the excuse is that he just needed help or he ran out of gas. But if a player is not well-liked, then he choked. That was the case with Durant and Harden.
Durant got swept and since he’s not a fan favorite, he choked. The same with Harden. He became Public Enemy No. 1 since leaving Houston and since he took only 8 shots in Game 7, he choked. But what happened to the critism of Giannis Atntetokounmpo? In Game 7 against the Boston Celtics, he scored 17 first-half points but only 8 in the second half. And yet, no mention of the word choke. For Giannis, the excuses were that he didn’t have enough help or he ran out of gas.
The choke label was never given to Young either. The media and fans have their favorites but the truth is when you’re an all-NBA player and considered to be on an MVP-type level, the expectations for you should be higher. There should be no excuses for superstars whatsoever.
If Giannis ran out of gas, then why the same can’t be said for Joel Embiid or even Durant? Yes, Middleton was out but the Bucks still won games. Then you move on to the Chris Paul and Phoneix Suns diaster. There was no way the Suns should have laid down like they did against the Dallas Mavericks in their own Game 7. But when Patrick Beverley goes on TV and criticizes Paul, Beverley is seen as the bad guy. The Suns won 63 games this season and were up 2-0 on the Mavericks in the same series and yet they still managed to choke away that series.
In today’s game, it’s all about favoritism. No superstar should receive that type of treatment where they can get away criticism-free while others take all the heat. Giannis is a two-time MVP and a defending champ. So, to go 1-6 in the 4th quarter of a Game 7 is unacceptable. He gets no passes here. The same with every member of the Suns. Their performance as a team was unacceptable.
Yes, Harden, Embiid, Durant, Young, and others choked but so did the same players who get a pass from the media and fans. Paul and Booker choked just as much as Harden and Durant. The Timberwolves choked just as much as the Bulls.
But they will say that Giannis, Durant, Irving, and Booker didn’t have help. Well, who is the other All-Star playing alongside Luka Donic? Who is there to really help Jimmy Butler? Doncic is carrying his team. Butler is carrying his team. Are they tired? I’m pretty sure they are but with their seasons on the line, they stepped up. Maybe those same superstars people are busy protecting should learn to do the same.
