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Reliving the wild final minute of Grizzlies-Timberwolves, which featured a finish you have to see to believe

Published

2 years ago

November 9, 2021

The NBA regular season is ridiculously long, and there are times when the constant stream of games can make each singular one feel meaningless. But even among the deluge, there are certain games that manage to stand out, such as the Memphis Grizzlies‘ wild overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.

With less than five minutes to play in the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies trailed by 13 points and appeared to be heading toward a second straight defeat. Instead, they went on an 18-2 run over the next four minutes to take the lead, and would have won in regulation if it wasn’t for an unbelievable shot by Karl-Anthony Towns.

As it was, they prevailed in overtime, pulling away in the final few minutes of a somewhat uneventful extra frame for a 125-118 win. Ja Morant finished with 33 points, six rebounds and eight assists in another big-time performance, while Towns went for 25 points and 13 rebounds in defeat.

If you were watching this one live, congratulations on getting to experience the magic of the regular season. If you weren’t, let’s walk through some of the best moments down the stretch, because it really was an ending you need to see to believe.

56.3 — 31.5 seconds: Morant magic

As the Grizzlies looked to complete their comeback, Ja Morant decided to take things into his own hands and delivered back-to-back clutch buckets in typically impressive fashion. First, he completely shook Jaden McDaniels with a nasty crossover and careened down the lane for a huge dunk to tie the score.

After the Grizzlies got a stop, he came down and called for a screen so he could get Karl-Anthony Towns on the switch. The big man clearly wasn’t comfortable on the perimeter and had his hands down by his sides, which gave Morant all the space he needed to rise up and bury the triple to give the Grizzlies the lead.

24 seconds: Grizzlies can’t get the ball over midcourt

We’ll skip ahead now to 24 seconds remaining, with the Grizzlies holding on to a one-point lead. Instead of fouling immediately, the Timberwolves put on some full-court pressure to try and force a turnover. Their plan worked, as they got a trap on Desmond Bane, then forced De’Anthony Melton to throw a tough bounce pass that Kyle Anderson mishandled.

The initial call was out of bounds off the Timberwolves, but since the Grizzlies hadn’t gotten the ball over midcourt, it was changed to an eight-second violation.

16 seconds: Goaltending overturned

After getting the ball back, the Timberwolves had a chance to take the lead. D’Angelo Russell — who had 30 points, five rebounds and seven assists on the night — called for an isolation at the top of the key and was able to get a step on Ja Morant. But as he got into the lane, Jaren Jackson Jr. came flying over from the corner to swat his finger roll away.

The officials first called JJJ for goaltending, but upon review it was overturned to a clean block, and an incredible one at that.

3.9 seconds: An embarrassing five-second violation

Because neither team had possession when the play was blown dead on Jackson’s overturned block, they went to a jump ball at the center circle. Jackson won the tip but knocked the ball out of bounds in the process, giving the Timberwolves yet another chance to go back in front.

Or, they would have had another chance if they could have gotten the ball inbounds. Instead, the Timberwolves turned it right back over to the Grizzlies with an embarrassing five-second call. D’Angelo Russell was trying his best to shake free, but he was shadowed by two defenders and had no luck. Meanwhile, all of his teammates were just sort of hanging out on the far side of the court, and none of them ever came to the ball.

0.0 seconds: Towns makes one of the shots of the year

The Timberwolves quickly fouled to send the Grizzlies to the line, and Ja Morant hit two free throws to make it a three-point game. With no timeouts left, the Timberwolves were in a tough spot and tried to throw a deep pass the length of the court. Luckily for them, it was deflected out of bounds, giving them another chance to run a play closer to the basket.

In truth, they didn’t exactly get a great look, and ended up forcing the ball in to Karl-Anthony Towns near midcourt. Somehow he made it work, and tossed up a 40-footer at the buzzer that crashed in off the glass to send the game to overtime. Just truly an absurd shot.

From the chaos to the mistakes to the incredible plays, this was peak regular-season basketball. And unlike most games this time of year, we’ll be remembering this one for some time to come.

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Fans React To First Images Of NBA In-Season Tournament Trophy

Published

2 mins ago

December 5, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The NBA is about to start the next phase of its first In-Season Tournament and fans are excited to see what happens next.

Which team will reign supreme and claim the first NBA Cup?

Speaking of the NBA Cup, the league showed it off on Monday morning, along with medals for the winning players and the tournament MVP trophy too.

Dave McMenamin shared pictures of the trophies on Twitter and the reaction from fans was decidedly mixed.

The NBA released images of the In-Season Tournament hardware that will be handed out in Vegas this weekend: The NBA Cup trophy for the championship winning team, medals for the winning players and the IST MVP trophy (Not pictured: the five bricks each winning player will earn) pic.twitter.com/QnTfUvHHPt
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) December 4, 2023

Some people came straight out and claimed that the trophy is officially “the ugliest award in sports history.”

The ugliest award in sports history
— NiteNiteCurry (@NiteNiteCurry) December 4, 2023
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Others called these “clown show awards.”

There were some positive reactions to the trophies, of course, but the majority of people didn’t seem very impressed.

Clown show awards.
— Chris Rohlfing (@J2Chris) December 4, 2023

Then were many people who showed their support for their favorite teams.

One fan plainly stated that the New Orleans Pelicans were going to earn these trophies, while others showed their support for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Pelicans
— Polpoll (@Polpoll140544) December 4, 2023

lakers taking it
— Jones (@lakerstjr) December 4, 2023

Very soon, all fans will know which team was the best of the best in the In-Season Tournament.

The first games of the next round are being held on Monday night with the Pelicans facing off against the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers battling the Boston Celtics.

Although people weren’t sure how the tournament would go when it was first announced, the reaction has been very kind so far.

Fans and analysts like the energy of the games and feel that players are performing well.

There is a sense of urgency to the tournament even though the games are being played at the beginning of the season.

Now it’s time to see who ends up winning it all and taking a place in NBA history.

The post Fans React To First Images Of NBA In-Season Tournament Trophy appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Saints Star In Concussion Protocol For Second Time This Season

Published

6 mins ago

December 5, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

The New Orleans Saints have not been good this season.

Through 12 games, the Saints have a record of 5-7.

Yet, they are still alive for the NFC South crown and a playoff berth.

One player who has not panned out as they had hoped is quarterback Derek Carr.

The Saints signed Carr to a lucrative contract this offseason.

But he has not been good in the first year of his four-year contract.

To make matters worse, Carr has consistently been injured this year.

On Sunday, he took a big hit that knocked him out of the game.

According to Adam Schefter, Carr has been placed in concussion protocol.

Saints’ HC Dennis Allen said QB Derek Carr is now in concussion protocol.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2023

This is the second time Carr has been placed in concussion protocol in the last month.

So, it makes sense that he is going to miss some time.

Recovering from concussions is different for every player.

But the Saints should be extra cautious for someone who has had two concussions in the past four weeks.

Now it looks like the Saints will turn the starting job over to Jameis Winston until Carr is healthy enough to return.

Most NFL fans know Winston as a big risk-taker.

He once threw 30 interceptions in a season, but he can help the Saints win games.

It is not crazy to think Winston has a higher upside than Carr.

He might be able to do more for the Saints offense than Carr could.

New Orleans needs to win as many games as possible to keep pace in the NFC South race.

It seems like they will have to find ways to win games without Carr under center.

The post Saints Star In Concussion Protocol For Second Time This Season appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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Fans React To Today’s News About Shaquille Leonard

Published

10 mins ago

December 5, 2023

nigemord@gmail.com

(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Many NFL fans have been waiting to see where linebacker Shaquille Leonard would sign.

He was released by the Indianapolis Colts a few weeks back and spent the last few weeks looking for a new home.

Two teams that Leonard met with were the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

Both could use some linebacker depth and Leonard spent this past weekend deciding where to play.

According to Ian Rapoport, Leonard has decided to join the Eagles on a one-year deal.

Sources: The #Eagles and former #Colts All-Pro LB Shaq Leonard have agreed to terms on a 1-year deal after he took a visit to Philly last week. A potential big addition for the stretch run.
Leonard also visited the #Cowboys, but Philly was always the preferred spot. pic.twitter.com/gACJRIoIuK
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2023
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After watching the Eagles on Sunday, it is clear they need help at linebacker.

Philadelphia was dominated by the San Francisco 49ers, as the Niners scored 42 points in the game.

San Francisco attacked the Eagles’ linebackers, knowing that was one of their weakest spots on defense.

The Eagles now hope Leonard can give them something that will help fix their issues.

Adding some competency to the LB room is nice. I’m not sure how the rotation works once Cunningham comes back, but at least it’s something. https://t.co/ZkiUb1A5r5
— Shane Haff (@ShaneHaffNFL) December 4, 2023
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But, Leonard is not much of a difference-maker anymore.

He was once an All-Pro, but that player is long gone.

Still, he provides the Eagles with some depth at one of their weakest positions.

Many people around the league believe this move will do nothing to close the gap between them and the 49ers.