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If you make a basketball movie, your leads must be able to dribble a basketball.
Cleaning a Crowded Hall
Star-studded 2023 class joins overcapacity HOF
The Dr. James Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame welcomes its 2023 class of enshrinements this weekend. Whenever a new class is welcomed to the Hall, it’s always a spectacular celebration of the game of basketball we all love.
The class of 2023 includes Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Gregg Popovich, Becky Hammon and more. This is one of the most impressive classes ever inducted.
Here, I’m highlighting four of the figures being honored with my favorite moment from their careers:
YESSIR!!!!! HEAT NATION ๐ฅ STAND UP!! STANDING OVATION ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ๐๐พ!!!! CONGRATULATIONS @DwyaneWade LOVE YOU BROTHER!! https://t.co/OC0Sxnf9dO
— LeBron James (@KingJames) August 10, 2023
- Dirk Nowitzki: He eliminated all career criticism with his march through the 2011 playoffs on his way to the championship. Dallas eliminated three 55-win teams during that run!
Just dirty ๐ฎ๐จ @Swish41 changed the game for so many. #DirtyThursday // #23HoopClass pic.twitter.com/NjFV6yunbL
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) August 11, 2023
๐๐คฉ Class of 2023. pic.twitter.com/QPfZAt4M7O
— Pau Gasol (@paugasol) August 11, 2023
The great @Monroe_SA crushes, again, as you'd expect, with the definitive piece on Gregg Popovich as the Spurs' legendary coach is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame this weekend. In @TheAthletic: https://t.co/vtybxcGGbz
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) August 10, 2023
But even though we celebrate all these additions, as for the actual layout of the Hall of Fame itself, there are too many NBA people inducted into it. Since the NBA doesn’t have its own Hall of Fame, people (like myself) feel the need to pick apart how non-exclusive this club seems to be. It’s not a new topic.
I’d just like to see more exclusivity involved in creating the NBA portion. I think there should be a One In, One Out policy when it comes to the Hall of Fame. There are roughly 146 NBA players who have been inducted. I don’t know what the right number of players should be, but let’s arbitrarily cap it at 150.
When LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden and others get in, there should be a committee that decides who should go. This would make the honor more special, leaving us to create Hall-of-Fame terms for certain figures who don’t endure the test of time.
How would this be decided? We can’t have it be the committee who decided the Top 75 for the league’s 75-year anniversary since, yanno, they ended up with 76 choices and didn’t eliminate anyone from the original Top 50 at 50 list. This scenario needs something more cutthroat. But I also think it would add more proper debate for the league’s history, as well as create more intrigue and gravitas for its players being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
The Latest From Shams
Key NBA matchups announced
The NBA has set opening night and Christmas Day matchups for the 2023-24 season. Here’s what I’ve been able to learn via league sources:
Denver defeated the Miami Heat in five games to win the NBA championship last season. Nikola Jokiฤ was named the NBA Finals MVP after averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 9.5 assists per game in the postseason. You can read more instant analysis on these matchup selections here.
Back to you, Zach!
Early Christmas Grades
Did the NBA choose well?
You saw the Christmas Day games from Shams above, so let’s do a quick-and-dirty five-basketball rating/preview of each game (assuming health, of course).
- Bucks at Knicks: This feels like a blowout in the making. Milwaukee has won six straight meetings – four of those were double-digit wins. ๐๐
- Sixers at Heat: If James Harden is still a Sixer, this has more juice. Otherwise, we’re just looking for Jimmy Butler courting Joel Embiid. ๐๐๐
- Celtics at Lakers: This is a good play on nostalgia, but two very good teams make it a great game. ๐๐๐๐๐
- Mavs at Suns: Luka Donฤiฤ against the Suns is always fun, and there’s lots of fun scoring. He, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker each scored 30-plus in the last meeting. ๐๐๐๐
- Warriors at Nuggets: Golden State helps make this matchup with the champs a must-watch. Denver has won five of its last seven home meetings. ๐๐๐๐๐
Bounce Passes
Will guys like DeMar DeRozan and Jimmy Butler reach the Hall of Fame?
Gregg Popovich’s everlasting message: “Get over yourself.”
Josh Hart got paid, and Team USA is extremely happy right now.
Brandon Ingram sounds very committed to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Are we finally going to see Team Canada play enduring basketball?
Movie Review
Last week, we examined the movie “Blue Chips” for our basketball movie reviews. This week, we’ve got the 2006 film “Crossover,” starring Anthony Mackie, Wayne Brady, Wesley Jonathan, and Philip Champion.
Let’s dive into the movie and see if it’s worth your time.
Any real hoopers in the movie? There are two. Champion (aka “Hot Sauce” from the And1 Live Tour) and Earv Opong (nicknamed “I’ll Be Right Back”). Not only are they the only two hoopers in the movie – they’re the only two who can actually dribble. 2/10
How’s the story? It’s an absolute mess. Former agent Vaughn (Brady) runs an underground streetball betting system in which only two teams ever play, and one hasn’t lost in three years because of its star player, Jewels (Hot Sauce). Tech (Mackie) never got his life together but loves to hoop and rip off “White Men Can’t Jump” by hustling two-on-two pickup games with his younger brother, who randomly quizzes him on NBA trivia.
Noah Cruise (Jonathan) is a high-school star with a scholarship to play college ball, but he just wants to be a doctor. Tech is trying to get noticed to go play overseas and, at some point, has to make sure everything ties up nicely in a pretty bow. It doesn’t. 1/10
How’s the basketball? Horrendous. Mackie looks like an actor who took a crash course on how to hoop in three weeks – same with Jonathan. The continuity of the basketball is horrible in the editing, and most shots that go in are just cutaways to footage of a ball going in the hoop. Hot Sauce does some cool stuff, but it’s nothing new if you lived that And1 life. 2/10
Is the lead believable? Absolutely not. Spoiler alert: he goes on to play for “El Real Madrid” in the “Euroleague,” which can only be code for an organized pickup game in Spain. Cruise is also not even close to believable as a phenom. 2/10
Least believable moment: At one point, Mackie shoots a national basketball commercial but never knew he was the stunt actor and not the star of the commercial. He gets so mad that he storms off, punches a guy and starts drinking heavily. 2/10
Does it have truly memorable moments? Hot Sauce makes Mackie do math without a calculator in a shoe store because the cash register isn’t working. I’ll never forget how funny this is. 9/10
Would you watch it again? At some point, we’ll do the movie for my podcast with Amin Elhassan and Anthony Mayes, Cinephobe, so, legally, yes. But this movie is not good.
Final verdict: It’s a really bad attempt at a streetball movie.
๐/5
Hoops Movie Ongoing Rankings:
4. “Crossover” (2006)
3. “Eddie” (1996)
2. “Above the Rim” (1994)
1. “Blue Chips” (1994)
(Top photo of 2023 Naismith Hall of Fame class: Logan Riely / Getty Images)
"crowded" - Google News
August 11, 2023 at 09:20PM
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Is Basketball Hall of Fame too crowded? Plus early Christmas Day talk - The Athletic
"crowded" - Google News
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