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Shaquille O’Neal was named Top 50 at 50 just four years into his career, and nobody batted an eye — nor should they have. More on Shaq below.
Title Odds
Any reason to not bet Celtics–Nuggets?
Most people seem to expect an NBA Finals showdown between the Boston Celtics (42-12, first in East) and the Denver Nuggets (36-18, fourth in West). And why shouldn’t they? The Celtics have the largest net rating (plus-9.5) we’ve seen since the Warriors (plus-11.4) back in 2016-17. Denver has the reigning Finals MVP and is totally healthy. The Nuggets are still pretty dominant while sleepwalking through most of this season.
As Dan Santamorita details , the oddsmakers at BetMGM have the Celtics as the title favorites at +260, and the Nuggets are second on the board with +450. Take a look at the list of top-10 odds:
The Clippers have surged to third as the Bucks and Suns round out the top five, but the Suns (+1400) are a big leap from Milwaukee (+600) at fourth. The Knicks have looked brilliant when healthy since trading for OG Anunoby, but are they the team to crack the code and beat the odds? Probably not.
What’s interesting is the Thunder have been amazing, but this is their first time at the rodeo, so they sit at +2200. That seems like good value! The Wolves have +2500 odds, but they’re just four wins behind Boston for the NBA’s best record, who are nearly identical in double-digit games (22-7 to 22-4) and games against non-losing teams (23-11 to 22-11). And yet, nobody believes in Minnesota like they do Boston.
The Heat are +4000 despite making the Finals last season. The Lakers are also +4000. And the Warriors are +5000. Do you put your money where your nostalgia is?
The Latest From Shams
Clippers send Tucker, Hyland home; discuss Tucker’s role
The Clippers sent home two players – PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland – from their road trip vs. the Warriors, and both players are expected to rejoin the team after All-Star break, sources tell The Athletic. Amid three months of frustrations, the Clippers and Tucker have had productive discussions this week about the disgruntled forward staying ready for potentially re-entering the rotation, according to league sources. The conversations stemmed from weeks of boiling frustrations surrounding Tucker and his lack of playing time, according to those sources. It led to much-needed and strong conversations among all parties, those sources said.
After The Athletic reported on Dec. 11 that Tucker and the Clippers were discussing a resolution to his frustration via a move elsewhere or internally, no deal occurred at last week’s trade deadline. A buyout has not gained traction yet as Tucker has a $11.5 million player option for next season.
Now, Tucker and the Clippers are expected to move forward after the All-Star break with an openness to re-inserting him into the rotation as the franchise enters the stretch run of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Draymond Green Show
Draymond podded about Jusuf Nurkić
If you thought the spicy comments between Draymond Green and Jusuf Nurkic the other night would end their beef, then you clearly haven’t been on the internet long. Green loves to call his podcasting ventures “The New Media” because, even though podcasts started 20 years ago, they didn’t really start until he was given a mic.
Green absolutely eviscerated Nurkić for about an eight-minute stretch of his 38-minute podcast. I watched the entire thing for two reasons: 1) I didn’t want to risk taking anything out of context, and 2) so you didn’t have to. You’re welcome. Here’s what to take away from it:
He constantly referred to Nurkić as “that little guy,” but Nurk kept growing in the story.
You might remember, the other night after the game, Dray said Nurkić was 70 pounds heavier than Green,…
This article was originally published by a theathletic.com . Read the Original article here. .