Flames

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a triple-double after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nikola-jokic-suns-owner-ishbia-nuggets-68825fb1632f87930fe30ec72ae5c94f">making up</a>&nbsp;with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. sank five 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.
Joker had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a center in NBA history.
&ldquo;To be honest, I just like to win the game, so whatever it takes,&rdquo; said Jokic, who was coming off a career-best 53-point performance in Game 4.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Phoenix.
&ldquo;If we play the way we did today,&rdquo; Jokic said, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re going to have a chance&rdquo; to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the NBA bubble in 2020.
The Suns are confident they can shake this one off just like they did in bouncing back from two losses in Denver last week.
&ldquo;Yeah. I&rsquo;ve been in here a couple of times now,&rdquo; Phoenix star Devin Booker said. &ldquo;I love it. Every game has is its own character. Every game is its own movie, its own different preparation and everything to go with it. We&rsquo;re going watch over film, see how we can be better for Game 6.&rdquo;
The home team has won every game in the series. If that holds true again, the decisive winner-take-all clash will come Sunday back in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets own the NBA&rsquo;s best home record at 40-7, including 6-0 in the playoffs.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone devised a five-point plan for the Nuggets to regain control of the series after losing two in Phoenix: patch up their transition defense, slow down Booker, get more from his bench, unleash MPJ and knock down open 3s.
Check, check, check, check and check.
Porter bounced back from a quiet night in Game 4 with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range. Denver outscored Phoenix 31-23 in fast-break points; Booker scored 28 points but missed 11 of 19 shots; Bruce Brown boosted the Nuggets&rsquo; bench with 25 points and the Nuggets sank 13 of 27 from long range.
Jamal Murray added 19 points for Denver, and Kevin Durant chipped in 26 points for Phoenix but also had an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
The Nuggets turned a three-point halftime lead into a 91-74 cushion with a domiinant third quarter in which Jokic made seven of eight shots for 17 points and Booker was just 1-for-8 for 3 points.
The chippiness of the series reached a new level in the final minute of the third quarter when Nuggets swingman Brown antagonized the Suns as they huddled up on the court and Durant gave Jokic a forearm shiver. A double technical was assessed on Durant and Brown.
&ldquo;Just to see what they were drawing up,&rdquo; Jokic said when asked why he and Brown were spying on the Suns.
Durant called the dust-up &ldquo;absolutely nothing, it wasn&rsquo;t anything serious. They were excited, they were up big and we were trying to draw up some stuff. So, it was nothing.&rdquo;
So, no need for a hug and a handshake next time they play.
Before this game, Jokic shared a warm pregame embrace &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MichelleTuckner/status/1656099830685663232?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">and the basketball</a>&nbsp;&mdash; with Ishbia 48 hours after their kerfuffle over a loose ball in Phoenix in Game 4 resulted in a technical foul and a $25,000 fine for the Nuggets big man.
&ldquo;I was hoping he was going to pay my fine,&rdquo; Jokic cracked after the game.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s just making light of a situation that was way overblown,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;The NBA handled it the right way and I give their owner, Mat Ishbia, a lot of credit when he came out after the game and said, &lsquo;Listen, I don&rsquo;t want anyone to be suspended. Let&rsquo;s let the players decide this on the court.&rsquo; So, kudos to him for that.
&ldquo;But yeah, I think it just speaks to Nikola&rsquo;s personality and him being a little bit of a smart (aleck).&rdquo;
The NBA had stickers placed on the first several rows of seats &mdash; including Ishbia&rsquo;s &mdash; reminding spectators, especially those close to the action, of its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/arniestapleton/status/1656074725368668162?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fan code of conduct policy</a>&nbsp;and a reminder that violations could result in ejection and revocation of tickets.
TIP-INS
Suns: Seated courtside alongside Ishbia was Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker, derisively known in much of Colorado as &ldquo;Midnight Mel&rdquo; for his departure from the Buffaloes job only hours after telling boosters he was in Boulder to stay.
Nuggets: This marked the first game in the series that the leader after one quarter held on to win the game. ... Among the VIPs in attendance was Broncos new head coach Sean Payton, his quarterback Russell Wilson and John Calipari, who coached Booker and Murray at Kentucky.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.

Nuggets beat Suns 118-102 in Game 5 to regain series lead

As a viewer who actually enjoys watching basketball &mdash; and especially playoff basketball &mdash; I get miffed when social media brands with influence post like this:
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Biggest lead each game this series: Game 1: Heat by 20 Game 2: Celtics by 34 Game 3: Heat by 26 Game 4: Celtics by 32 Game 5: Celtics by 23 This series sucks. <a href="https://t.co/Ul80OhALE3">pic.twitter.com/Ul80OhALE3</a>
&mdash; StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1529659726438404096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I recognize that StatMuse isn't a traditional news outlet and that its primary purpose is to, well, let's call it "generate discussion." However, to say "this series sucks" is beyond simplistic and standoffish &mdash; I would even argue it's untrue.
The Eastern Conference Finals' games have not been particularly close on the scoreboard. It might be an acquired taste for NBA fans who want to see a spectacle at the end of a game instead of during the middle quarters. But the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have absolutely slugged it out in a 3-2 battle in the trenches. It's created one of the more bizarre series we've seen, fully loaded with lockdown defense and herky-jerky offense.
The numbers this series is spitting out are also, quite frankly, unreal. I'd like to round some up for you to give you an impression of the bizarre, trippy, straight-up mystifying nature of these past five games.
Let's start with last night, courtesy of the Miami Herald's David Wilson:
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The Heat missed 38 three-pointers tonight, the second most in a single playoff game in NBA history.
&mdash; David Wilson (@DBWilson2) <a href="https://twitter.com/DBWilson2/status/1529659717026566144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Heat, almost literally, could not buy a perimeter bucket on Wednesday. They shot 7-of-45 from beyond the arc. That 15.6% clip is the fourth-worst of this postseason, but none of the three ahead surpassed 40 attempts in the game. In fact, only twice in the regular season (Dallas on March 9 and Boston on Dec. 29) did a team shoot worse on over 40 attempts.
Doubly-in fact, only two other postseason games have ever seen a team shoot under 20% on at least 40 three-point attempts:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>May 28, 2018: The Houston Rockets went 7-for-44 (15.9%) in one of the most infamous Game 7 meltdowns in playoff history, losing 101-92 to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.</li>
<li>Aug, 29, 2020: The Oklahoma City Thunder shot 7-for-46 (15.2%) and lost Game 5 to the Rockets in the first round.</li>
</ul>
It was a rough night, led by the backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus.
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Kyle Lowry and Max Strus went a combined 0-15 in Game 5. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/EliasSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliasSports</a>, that's the worst 0-fer for a starting backcourt in playoff game since starters were officially tracked in 1970-71. <a href="https://t.co/PiGKhQQAA3">pic.twitter.com/PiGKhQQAA3</a>
&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1529661050441834497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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So, this is just an ugly series where the Heat are missing shots, right?
Wrong!
Both the Celtics and Heat have fortified the perimeter. Miami is attempting 12.8 "wide open" perimeter shots per game, categorized as an attempt when the closest defender is at least 6 feet from the shooter. It's even lower for Boston at just 10.4 attempts per game. Both teams are actually shooting fairly well when they find these looks, with the Celtics hitting at a 40.4% clip and the Heat at 37.5%. They just have scarcely found these chances.
The table below compares how made wide-open shots both teams found at different segments of the season, plus the percentage of their total three-point attempts that were wide open (scroll right for full table):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Season Segment</td>
<td>BOS wide-open 3PA/game</td>
<td>BOS wide-open 3PA/total 3PA</td>
<td>MIA wide-open 3PA/game</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">MIA wide-open 3PA/total 3PA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Regular Season</td>
<td>16.5</td>
<td>43.8%</td>
<td>13.5</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">37.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">First Round</td>
<td>16.5</td>
<td>47.8%</td>
<td>14.2</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">36.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Second Round</td>
<td>20.0</td>
<td>47.9%</td>
<td>13.2</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">41.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Conference Finals</td>
<td>10.4</td>
<td>30.1%</td>
<td>12.8</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">35.9%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Look at that drop-off for Boston! After the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks effectively dared the Celtics' complementary players to knock down threes, the Heat haven't given them breathing room. Meanwhile, Boston has only made life more difficult for a Miami offense that already struggled to create open looks. It's like watching two snakes try to squeeze the life out of each other.
Circling back to Wednesday night, only 14 of Miami's 45 three-ball attempts were categorized as wide open. The Heat actually went 5-for-14 for a half-decent 35.7% clip on those shots... which means they were 2-for-31 (6.5%) on shots with some level of contest. I just shivered.
Let's stay with Game 5:
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Half-court offense at the 6:22 mark, per <a href="https://twitter.com/cleantheglass?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cleantheglass</a> Miami: 58.8 ORTG Boston: 50.0
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1529635748621713410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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When Nekias tweeted this, Jayson Tatum had just fouled Jimmy Butler and the Heat led 27-22. That already is brutal, and these half-court Offensive Ratings are just over half of the 95.8 league average of the playoffs.&nbsp;
Boston figured something out as the game went on and finished Game 5 averaging 92.5 points per 100 half-court possessions. Miami's half-court ORTG: 58.8!?! You don't need me to tell you that's easily the worst rating of the postseason, with the Heat's Game 4 (65.7) not far behind. Miami's half-court offense is in a... state.
But let's not turn on the Heat too much (is that a pun and a double meaning in one sentence?). Miami racked up 19 steals in Game 3, the most by any team in a playoff game since the Bucks swiped 20 in 2015 and the second-most since 2004-05. According to Cleaning the Glass, Boston's 25.5% turnover rate in that contest is the most from the franchise in any game &mdash; regular season or playoffs &mdash; since 2014.
The Heat have three players with a steal rate above 2.0% this postseason, per Cleaning the Glass: Victor Oladipo (2.7%), Butler (2.4%) and Caleb Martin (2.1%). Oladipo and Butler are both averaging 1.8 steals per game in the conference finals, while Lowry (1.3) and PJ Tucker (1.2) aren't far behind. And while Gabe Vincent hasn't gotten the steals to match, his 3.2 deflections per game tie the second-best average in the series behind only Butler.&nbsp;
Miami relies on swarms of event creation to generate turnovers and support its sporadic offense. Boston wants to wear the Heat down in the half-court and take their confidence away.
Embrace the defensive warfare!
It may not look like your typical playoff thriller, but as the series record shows, an NBA Finals berth is still very much in play for both franchises.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>While I was reseraching the wide-open threes, I checked the other two conference finalists as well. The Warriors are in line with the Celtics and Heat, limited to just 11.0 attempts per game against the Mavericks. But Dallas... man. They're free to fire away, to the tune of a whopping 25.3 wide-open triples per game. You have to wonder what happens as they keep falling.</li>
<li>Staying on the subject of playoff shooting, here's a noteworthy graphic from SIS Hoops:</li>
</ul>
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These conference finals have been defined by variance. Large swings in either direction have led to massive leads from each team in both series. How much of this can be attributed to the rise in three point attempts, as illustrated here? <a href="https://t.co/WCfQcar0HR">pic.twitter.com/WCfQcar0HR</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1529494752206303233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>That's exactly right, Slam Studios! Margin of victory doesn't define the playoffs.</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Reminder that everyone&rsquo;s most beloved playoff series was a snooze fest until Game 7: Game 1 &ndash; GSW by 15 Game 2 &ndash; GSW by 33 Game 3 &ndash; CLE by 30 Game 4 &ndash; GSW by 11 Game 5 &ndash; CLE by 15 Game 6 &ndash; CLE by 14 Game 7 &ndash; CLE by 4 Are NBA fans doing some revisionist history? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/MByPIqUuyL">pic.twitter.com/MByPIqUuyL</a>
&mdash; Slam Studios (@slamstudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/slamstudios/status/1529516755219095553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Eastern Conference Finals has been a roller coaster, and Ethan Fuller has the numbers to back things up.

NBA Stats Notebook: This wacky Celtics-Heat series — by the numbers

With just one minute and 15 seconds remaining in Game 4, James Harden stared at holes in the Miami Heat's defense, preparing to make his move.
Danny Green crept up to Victor Oladipo's right side to create a driving lane for Harden's preferred left, and so Tyler Herro hedged the pick-and-roll to stop Harden in his tracks. Then, with just five seconds to improvise, Harden whipped out a slew of crossovers, stepped back to his right while gathering across his body, nearly dropped the ball and proceeded to nail the game-sealing three.
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Harden's 16 fourth-quarter points were the most he's scored in the final frame of an NBA playoff game since way back in 2015. Moreover, Sunday was just the second time since the turn of the new year that Harden broke 30 points in a game, regular season or the playoffs. It was only fitting that the shot that had failed him most in his down year signed, sealed and delivered his keystone performance of the season.
It's true. Harden's step-back three, a weapon that once sent shivers of fear up and down defenders' spines, fell off a statistical cliff during the 2021-22 season. The Beard connected on just 33.3% of his 199 step-back treys this season; yet, in his previous four seasons, that percentage sat at 38.9% on 1,431 shots. Quite the tailspin, indeed.
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It's tough to decipher what has fueled that decline. One could make the case that his lift has failed him; now, he's unable to generate the same level of space when moving front-to-back on his signature shot. Maybe it's his free-falling first step, as James is no longer able to keep defenders on their toes in lieu of the threat of his drive, making those step-backs all the easier to contain. More than likely it's a combination of both, a consequence of multiple hamstring strains in the previous season and an offseason set back by slow, plodding rehabilitation.
But that was the beauty of Sunday. Those arguments about the former MVP's decline, for the first time in a while, were best saved for another day. In Game 4, he was sublime &mdash; nah man, let's be real &mdash; he looked like Prime Harden in certain stretches, knocking down 4 of his 7 step-backs en route to 31 points on 69.2% True Shooting. Heck, the dude was feeling it so much he even took (and made!) a catch-and-shoot three.
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But Harden's barrage of step-backs wasn't his only divine moment. 
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This drive in the second quarter was one of Harden's best rim attacks of the entire 2021-22 season after getting the switch against Herro. An hour(-ish) later, he did similar things against Bam Adebayo, first getting a half-step on the Defensive Player of the Year finalist, and then whipping out a nasty&nbsp;hesitation dribble to clear his way to the rim for the uncontested lay-up.
Of course, Harden wasn't without his flaws. On numerous occasions, the 32-year-old was stonewalled on drives to the rim, a trend that has reared its ugly head throughout the entirety of the season; his 59.8% shooting within 3 feet of the basket was his worst regular-season mark since his rookie year. It didn't really matter who was in front of him &mdash; PJ Tucker, Jimmy Butler, Victor Oladipo... shoot, even Herro &mdash; if Harden couldn't generate any space with his dribbling forrays, his drives were as good as done-zo, swallowed up or just flat-out swatted into nothingness by a defense eager to pounce. Overall, the Beard shot just 1 of 7 on his drives to the rim.
I've long worked under the hypothesis that Harden's decline in zippiness, and especially his first step, has dramatically affected his once-touted decelaration game. Why? Well, because his top speed has been dampered, Harden now has nothing to contrast with when he drags his feet to slow down. What I'm saying is: He's effectively working at one speed for the entirety of his drives, and it makes him all too predictable as a downhill-heavy player.
The first clip in the video below is a great example. Harden does a nice job getting a shoulder into Butler's body after a series of crossovers, but because his first three steps are so sluggish, Butler is able to stay an arm's reach away. Then, when Harden decelerates in the cadence that once made him so tough to tango with, his change-of-pace game actually works against him and gives Butler ample room to recover for the block.&nbsp;
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One thing that has remained a constant this year has been Harden's passing, which, whew. He tossed out some beauties versus Miami. 
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Harden was just about the only Sixer who could capably feed Joel Embiid entry passes against the relentlessly fronting Miami Heat defense, powering a 15-point first quarter for the MVP front-runner. His second-quarter lay-down pass to a cutting Tobias Harris after faking it to Tyrese Maxey in the strong-side corner was just vintage stuff from one of the best passers in the Association.
Sunday marked Harden's sixth game of tossing out 9 dimes or more, which ties Ja Morant for the most&nbsp; playoff games with 9+ assists this current postseason.
Game 4 was more than just another extraordinary performance etched into a storied legacy; it was the physical representation of a player breaking out of the shackles of his least efficient season since just 20 years of age.
Is it sustainable? Can Harden continue to supercharge and lead a playoff offense? And, maybe more importantly, can The Beard helm the Sixers into winning the minutes (by +3) with its superstar in Embiid off the floor?
That much is to be determined... and is maybe the biggest swing factor of the 2022 postseason. Sure, Harden had himself a monstrous showing with his team's season on the line, but 6 of his 8 makes came from the three-point line; otherwise, he went just 2 of 8 from two-point range on the night &mdash; a troubling trend for a player that's so rim-dependent.
It's crazy, but suddenly, one of the league's most prestigious scorers &mdash; a walking 50-point bucket just two seasons ago and a former MVP &mdash; is one of the NBA's biggest X-factors in the postseason.&nbsp;
The success of his Philadelphia 76ers rides on his ability to take a step back, step-back and reclaim his greatness on the shot that brought him to the forefront of the NBA landscape.
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Matt Brooks details James Harden's extraordinary performance in Game 4 for the 76ers and why he is a huge X-factor for Philadelphia.

Taking a step-back: How James Harden found his groove in Game 4

Shawn Marion wants you to put respect on his name.
It's a common retort for former and current players who feel their games or resumes are being slighted. Marion isn't the first nor the last player to make the request, but man was his version one of the more emotional ones we've gotten to date.
To be clear, I do not mean emotional as a pejorative.
During a Twitter space on Tuesday night, Marion found himself on stage defending his own honor. Comments about his shooting form, admittedly a wonky one, put him on the defensive. He felt the shots at his form were unfairly discounting the overall impact he had during his playing career.&nbsp;
And he let the people know about it. Put your headphones in if you're at work, or around children.
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Shawn Marion&rsquo;s RANT is an All-Time Classic 😂💀👏 <a href="https://t.co/tQVDO3NClE">pic.twitter.com/tQVDO3NClE</a>
&mdash; MOC dude 🏜 (@moc_dude) <a href="https://twitter.com/moc_dude/status/1506490247604961287?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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There are some bad words in there [shivers], but the heart of his message is absolutely correct. Let's get to the key notes, shall we?
"That was the one thing they (detractors) did to me, talk about my [expletive] shot," Marion said. "Nobody in the [expletive] league shoots the same! Get the [expletive] out of here. I was shooting 35, 40% from the [expletive] three-point line at one point of my career."
Marion has a point. There were, and are, plenty of unique jumpers in the league. He shot from his chest; Kevin Martin shot from his hip like he was pulling a gun from a holster. If it goes in, it goes in.
And to further Marion's point, he shot 37.2% from three (3.1 attempts) over a three-year stretch from 2002 to 2004.
That isn't a ton of volume when looking at things through the context of today's league, but considering the league average for three-point attempts was a shade under 15 attempts per team (and around 35%) during that stretch, Marion held his own in that regard.
"You want to talk about my [expletive] shot, but don't want to talk about everything else I did on the floor?" Marion argued. "I'm averaging 20-plus points, and over 10 rebounds per game at 6-foot-7 in a league that's dominated by bigs at the time &mdash; dominated by power forwards and centers. Then, I'm getting 2&nbsp; blocks, and I'm getting 2-plus steals per game."
There's some minor fact-checking needed, but again, the heart of Marion's argument is correct.
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His 2005-06 season is one of the most underrated over the past 20 years. The man averaged 21.8 points (.577/.331/.809 splits), 11.8 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.7 blocks while playing 40 minutes a night.
That's wild box-score production and an even wilder workload, especially when you consider how fast (relative to the rest of the league) the Phoenix Suns were playing, and the defensive assignments he was tasked with as their best/most versative defender.
If we want to zoom out a bit, Marion had a seven-year stretch between 2001-2007 where he averaged 19.3 points (.511/.344/.829), 10.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks. The Suns had a plus-4.2 Net Rating with him on the floor, and a minus-1.9 NET with him on the bench,<a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612756&amp;Season=2000-01,2001-02,2002-03,2003-04,2004-05,2005-06,2006-07&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1890" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> per PBP Stats</a>.&nbsp;
Marion made four All-Star games and two All-NBA teams (third-team selections in '04-05 and '05-06) during that stretch. It's hard to overstate how unlucky Marion was in terms of award selections.
Think about the forwards he was up against. Pantheon guys like Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki. Drop it a tier, and you still have Paul Pierce, Chris Webber at the peak of his powers, Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter depending on their positional designations and Ron Artest (we don't talk about his peak enough). Towards the end of the run, you're adding LeBron James to the mix.
Marion not having an All-Defensive team on his resume says nothing about him &mdash; the stocks (steals and blocks) are eye-opening, but he legitimately could defend 1-through-4 while being an absolute menace as a weak-side helper &mdash; and more about the era he played in.
Here are some clips of older, post-title Marion on defense. Look at the range of players and responsibilities he has to deal with. Now, imagine this with even more athleticism.
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Again, All-Defensive teams for Marion meant being one of the four best defenders at forward. You could pencil in Duncan and Garnett. Then there's Artest, Andrei Kirilenko and Bruce Bowen to contend with (among others).
Don't let the lack of team selections fool you: Marion was one of the best defenders of the generation.
"Who's got the No. 1 winning percentage in Phoenix Suns history? Me. I'm top-five in almost every category in Phoenix Suns history," Marion said. "Go back and look at it Numbers don't lie... I adjusted my game to every team I went on because I wanted to win. I got one of the best winning percentages in NBA history."
Marion doesn't have the highest winning percentage in Suns history (.611), though it does rank sixth<a href="https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/which-player-has-the-highest-winning-percentage-ever-in-phoenix-suns-history-with-a-minimum-of-500-games-played" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> among players who have played at least 500 games</a> of the franchise. That kind of win rate shouldn't be sneezed at.
He does<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHO/leaders_career.html"> rank in the top five</a> in total minutes (second), points (fourth), rebounds (second; first in offensive), steals (second), blocks (third) field goals made and attempted (third) and three-pointers made (fifth, though ninth-place Mikal Bridges could catch him in a year or two).
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To the adjusting-his-game portion, he's got a point there too. What made Marion unique was that he could give you buckets without dominated the ball. He got busy in transition, was a timely cutter, lit teams up on the offensive glass, could get busy as the roll/slip man in pick-and-roll and had the aforementioned stretch where he shot well from deep.&nbsp;
His off-ball feel made him an easy fit alongside different primaries. Stephon Marbury early on. Steve Nash. Dwyane Wade (though that overall experiment didn't go well). Nowitzki.
And oh yeah, he won a title in 2011.
Marion's importance ranged from second to fifth on that team depending on who you ask &mdash; especially when Caron Butler was lost for the year &mdash; but the Mavs surely wouldn't have won that title without him.&nbsp;
Let's stop sleeping on Marion, please. The jumper was funky, but he was a star in his own right during his peak.
Heck, teams are looking for Marion-esque players now; 6-foot-7 wings who can fill gaps offensively and defend all over the place are among the most valuable archetypes in basketball.
As Marion said, he left quite an imprint on this game.
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Nekias Duncan defends Shawn Marion defending himself. Put some respect on his name.

Shawn Marion's imprint on the NBA extends way beyond a unique jumper

Oh,&nbsp;now&nbsp;we're talking about Nikola Jokic?
This is what it took? Taking an elbow to the ribs, then sending a forearm shiver to the back of the pain-disher?&nbsp;
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Now, his <a href="https://twitter.com/JokicBrothers/status/1458087274332180508?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brothers are involved</a>, and everyone is brushing off their AP World History knowledge. Alright, man. Y'all got it.
I've given my <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1457946138422747141?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">thoughts on the ordeal</a>. I don't think Markieff Morris should've made that kind of contact. There are take-fouls, and then there are take-that&nbsp;fouls. The Morris shot was the latter.
Jokic certainly didn't have to respond the way that he did. Frustration over the foul is one thing; putting dude on a stretcher is another. Add in the context of the Nuggets already missing Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. due to injury, and the Jokic retaliation becomes even more inexcusable. He's too important to put himself at risk of suspension.
And to that point, it feels like the lede is being buried: Jokic is important. Too important for nonsense. But he's that important because of a fact &mdash; a conversation, at least &mdash; we (collectively) are seemingly afraid to acknowledge or discuss: He's the best player in the world right now.
Some may read that and roll their eyes, might even call it controversial.&nbsp;
Do you know how absurd it is for the reigning MVP &mdash; a guy playing&nbsp;better&nbsp;than he did last season, in which he won MVP &mdash; to be considered an unpopular choice in the "best player in the world" discussion? It is insane (in the membrane!) to me.
Let's start with this: Jokic is leading his team in everything right now.
I don't mean virtually everything. I don't mean all of the important stuff.
Scoring (25.4 points), rebounding (13.6), assists (5.7), steals (1.6), blocks (1.0), three-point percentage (40% on 4.0 attempts), free throws attempted (5.3) and made (4.2). He's flirting with a 69% True Shooting percentage, which, come on. That's pretty darn cool.
Jokic's credentials offensively should be well-known by now. He's a legitimate three-level threat. In addition to his gaudy three-point percentage, he's also converting nearly 68% of his two-point shots.&nbsp;
He's done this despite being uncharacteristically off as a putback machine; per Synergy, he's converting 44.4% of his shots after offensive rebounds this season, a mark 20 percentage points lower than last sesaon (64.4%).
It helps that he's shooting 60% on post-ups. His combination of dizzying footwork, brute force and superb touch makes him nearly impossible to deal with. On any given possession, he can activate Backdown Punisher to get to his spots, Post-Hook Specialist to infuriate try-hards or Fade Ace to demoralize his foes.
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Honestly, it's unfair to be this kind of scorer. The paint dominance is there, as is the proficiency from the mid-range area (<a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/shooting/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;DistanceRange=8ft%20Range&amp;sort=8-16%20ft.%20FGA&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">59.1% from 8-16 feet</a>) and three-point shooting. You can't give Jokic a sliver of space, which allows him to tap into his actual best skill: his passing.
Don't let the assist numbers from this year fool you; he's every bit of the elite passer he's always been. He gets some freebies as a handoff hub &mdash; his chemistry with Porter, in particular, has grown tremendously over the past year-and-a-half.&nbsp;
But the fun comes when Jokic gets to read or manipulate defenses. There aren't many players in league history &mdash; and none from the center position &mdash; that map out the floor as quickly as Jokic does. He doesn't just hit open teammates; he creates passing windows that don't exist to most elite passers.&nbsp;
He threads the needle to cutters, makes live-dribble reads and can manipulate weak-side helpers whenever he wants. Cheat a step too far, and Jokic will capitalize.&nbsp;
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This is all amazing. No player in the league is slapping up 25-14-6 like Jokic is; Giannis Antetokounmpo (27-11-6) is really the only guy that comes close. Considering the gap in scoring versatility and passing ability between the two, I think it's more than fair to dub Jokic as a deadlier offensive threat.
To most, the defensive side of the ball is where Jokic has fallen short in "best player" conversations. A player with Jokic's, uh, limitations, are difficult to value on that end.
(Well, it is if you don't actually watch him.)
We know Jokic isn't a "Gobertian" rim-protector. He doesn't have the vertical pop to challenge drivers above the rim. Fine. That isn't the only way to get it done.
Throughout Jokic's career, the Nuggets (read: head coach Michael Malone) have opted to play him higher in pick-and-roll. Instead of dropping Jokic and giving drivers a pocket to attack, they play him at (or above) the level of the screen to make life more difficult.
Jokic has three things working for him. He's incredibly large, has quick and active hands and has a keen understanding of angles. Those factors work together to create havoc.
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What's been interesting to watch is Jokic's growing comfort in drop coverage. His vertical limitations persist, but he's playing the gap with more purpose. There's a little more activity, stronger contests. He's flipping his hips a little better, allowing him to track ball-handlers in a smoother fashion.
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Jokic is contesting <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/defensive-impact/?sort=DEF_RIM_FGA&amp;dir=1&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more shots than last season</a> (6.8 to 7.2), and is allowing 59.7% shooting at the rim. That isn't an elite clip, but it's much lower than last year's mark (66.8%).&nbsp;
Oh, and here's a fun one:
<ul>
<li>Jokic: 7.2 shots defended, 59.7% FG allowed</li>
<li>Anthony Davis: 6.6 shots defended, 67.1% FG allowed</li>
</ul>
(No, Jokic isn't a better defender than Brow, but you have to admit you didn't see that one coming.)
Here's more fun for ya: the Nuggets have the second-best defense in the NBA (100.4 defensive rating). With <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612743&amp;VsPlayerID=203999&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jokic on the floor</a>, that number drops to 94.1. Per Cleaning The Glass, opponents are getting to the rim much less, and shooting a ton more from mid-range with Jokic on the floor.
In fact, teams have gotten to the rim less with Jokic on the floor in every season of his career; the difference (-7.1%) has never been more stark than it has been this year.
It is virtually impossible to have a good defense &mdash; more so a no-questions-asked elite D &mdash; with a bad defender at the 5. You just can't do it. They're too important to a team's base.&nbsp;Unless you want to argue that Jokic has the 2018-19 Raptors around him 1-through-4, you have to attribute at least some of that success to him.
Jokic isn't just holding his own &mdash; he's actually been darn good while being asked to do multiple things. That doesn't mean he's without his flaws; it simply means his flaws aren't as pronounced as some would have you believe.
If a player is a top-three offensive talent (at worst), is an above-average defender and his team is nearly [checks notes] <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/vs/advanced/#!?TeamID=1610612743&amp;VsPlayerID=203999&amp;Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">34 points per 100 possessions better</a> with him on the floor, shouldn't that guy be in strong contention for being the league's best player?&nbsp;
That checks out to me.&nbsp;

Nekias Duncan makes the case for Nikola Jokic being the best player in the NBA.

We're having the wrong conversation about Nikola Jokic

Dapper Labs, the company behind NBA Top Shot and the new Flow blockchain, today announced that it has closed $305 million in new funding led by Coatue. 
The company received support from NBA legend Michael Jordan as well as current players and funds including Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Khris Middleton, Domantas Sabonis, Nikola Vucevic, Andre Iguodala, Kyle Lowry, Spencer Dinwiddie, Andre Drummond, Alex Caruso, Michael Carter-Williams, Josh Hart, Udonis Haslem, JaVale McGee, Thad Young, and Richard Seymour&rsquo;s 93 Ventures, as well as entertainment and music heavyweights including Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary's Sound Ventures, Will Smith and Keisuke Honda's Dreamers VC, Shawn Mendes and Andrew Gertler's AG Ventures, Shay Mitchell, and 2 Chainz. Other strategics participating include a16z, The Chernin Group, USV, Version One, and Venrock.
Additional investors in the round include: MLB players like Tim Beckham and Nolan Arenado; NFL players: Ken Crawley, Thomas Davis, Stefon Diggs, Dee Ford, Malcom Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Jordan Matthew, Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, DK Metcalf, Tyrod Taylor, and Trent Williams; team ownership including Vivek Ranadive (Kings), and notable sports investors Bolt Ventures. This round of financing brings the total capital raised by the company to $357M.&nbsp;
The funds will be used to scale the Dapper Labs team to continue building out the NBA Top Shot vision, expanding the platform to other sports, gaming and entertainment experiences, and helping a new generation of creators develop engaging experiences using blockchain technology including NFTs. Dapper Labs will open its platform to other creators, brands and developers.&nbsp;
Dapper Labs&rsquo; NBA Top Shot is one of the world&rsquo;s fastest-growing marketplaces, with nearly $500 million in sales, more than 800,000 registered accounts, more than 338,000 customers with at least one NFT, and over 3 million transactions, less than five months into its open beta.&nbsp;
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&ldquo;NBA Top Shot is successful because it taps into basketball fandom &ndash; it&rsquo;s a new and more exciting way for people to connect with their favorite teams and players,&rdquo; said Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs. &ldquo;We want to bring the same magic to other sports leagues as well as help other entertainment studios and independent creators find their own approaches in exploring open platforms. NFTs unlock a new model for monetization that benefits the fans much more than advertising or sponsorships.&rdquo;&nbsp;
&ldquo;NBA Top Shot is one of the best demonstrations we&rsquo;ve seen of how quickly new technology can change the landscape for media and sports fans,&rdquo; said Kevin Durant, Co-Founder of Thirty Five Ventures. "We're excited to follow the progress with everything happening on Flow blockchain and use our platform with the Boardroom to connect with fans in a new way."
The success of NBA Top Shot also provides a proof point that Flow, the blockchain built to handle mainstream consumer applications at scale, can support mass adoption, which is something that separates it from its blockchain predecessors. In addition to supporting scalability, payment solutions on Flow provide a much needed ease of use for credit cards as well as cryptocurrency, and can keep customers safe from the fraud or theft common in cryptocurrency systems. Flow enables NFT marketplaces and other decentralized applications that need to scale to handle mainstream demand without extremely high transaction costs (&ldquo;gas fees&rdquo;) or environmental concerns.&nbsp;
&ldquo;NFTs are the first time anyone can create unique digital items that can live forever and be portable across different products anywhere the customer wants &ndash;&ndash; simple but game-changing,&rdquo; said Dieter Shirely, CTO of Dapper Labs and the author of the first non fungible token standard on which CryptoKitties was based. &ldquo;NFTs let people have real ownership in games and digital worlds for the first time. On a blockchain like Flow, NFTs can rewire the internet for the better.&rdquo;
Joining the NBA, other cultural leaders currently building experiences on Flow include Warner Music Group, Ubisoft, Warner Media, and the UFC, as well as thousands of third party developers, artists, and other creators. Products already live on Flow mainnet include Viv3, an art marketplace where visual artist Ben Mauro instantly sold out of $2 million in collectible cards; Blocto, a leading non-custodial wallet solution; and MotoGP, which held its first sold out drop last week.&nbsp;

Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant and many other athletes are investing in Dapper Labs, which is the company behind NBA Top Shot.

Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant, others invest $305M in NBA Top Shot company

Ah, the Western Conference. Where there are very few &ldquo;average&rdquo; teams, much less a need to quantify that mediocrity by stating a team is &ldquo;very average.&rdquo; Back in the East, &ldquo;very average&rdquo; was the quote of the night from a player from a certain team in Brooklyn that stunk for a third-straight game.
The West is better than the East once again, which is no longer can be explained away as a cyclical pattern (as former commissioner David Stern used to do). Only once in the past 12 seasons has there been an East team without LeBron James that won a title. And that team was not even located within the continental United States.
As this 72-game season plods forward with cabin fever being experienced at an epidemic level by NBA players in five-star hotels, there is nothing predictable on any given night unless the Jazz are playing. Utah has won 16 of 17, with that only loss coming in an afternoon game against Denver. Utah&rsquo;s last loss in a night game was way back on Jan. 6.
So Quin Snyder&rsquo;s team leads off our trimester report card for the West, coming off of <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-trimester-report-cards-grading-team-eastern-conference-philadelphia-sixers-nets-brooklyn-boston-celtics-milwaukee-bucks-brooklyn-nets">yesterday&rsquo;s Eastern Conference report card</a> in which the Pistons must have been upset about their D-minus-minus. Hey, the professor is tough, but nobody gets an &ldquo;F&rdquo; around here.
So, without further ado&hellip;
UTAH JAZZ (20-5): What sets this team apart from the other 29 is their three-point proficiency. They have taken and made more three than any team and they have converted them at a 40.2-percent rate, which is better than everyone except the Clippers. On any given night, it could be Donovan Mitchell (an MVP sleeper pick at 100-1), Joe Ingles, Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic, Jordan Clarkson or Royce O&rsquo;Neale. Then, they also have Rudy Gobert grabbing 13.5 rebounds and blocking nearly three shots per night, and there isn&rsquo;t much to pick apart here. They have a back-to-back against the Clippers next week. Advice: Watch both games.
GRADE: A
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (19-6): They have the league&rsquo;s best road record (10-2) and are currently on a five-game winning streak, as ageless LeBron James keeps putting up triple-doubles and Anthony Davis gets it done on both ends of the floor -- something that has made him to No. 1 name when discussing Defensive Player of the Year candidates.&nbsp; Dennis Schroeder and Montrezl Harrell are combining to give them almost 28 points per night, and they are so deep that their starting center, Marc Gasol, is 11th on the team in scoring. Six of their next 10 games are on ABC/ESPN, the best of the bunch being their Feb. 24 match-up at Utah.
GRADE: A
LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (17-8): They go into tonight&rsquo;s game against Minnesota having lost two in a row for the first time this season, and Paul George (swollen right toe) is not on the trip. But Patrick Beverley could be back after missing eight games with right-knee soreness, and it&rsquo;ll be nice to have another look at one of the handful of current NBA players who can an effective perimeter defender night after night after night. Imagine if he was allowed to hand check? The Clippers are knocking down threes at an astronomical rate (41.9 percent), which is the best since the Charlotte Hornets shot 42.8 percent in 1996-97 when the league moved the three-point line closer (22 feet), a change that was abandoned after two seasons. Back to the Clippers: Kawhi is not getting worse. &lsquo;Nuff said.
GRADE: A
PHOENIX SUNS (14-9): Kaminsky? Really? OK, apologies for that, Devin Booker, but old Frank from UW is bringing it nightly lately, which is a testament to how this Phoenix team gets a lot more than expected from absolutely everyone, and last season&rsquo;s 8-0 unbeaten bubble run was no fluke. Adding Chris Paul has been huge for this team, as his veteran leadership has turned the Suns into a top-four team even though their primary offensive weapon in Booker has seen his scoring and shooting dip from where they&rsquo;ve been the past three seasons (which is weird). The trend extends to Deandre Ayton, whose scoring is down 4.2 points per game. But the Suns are well-rounded, and Paul is Mr. Intangible, Mr. Leadership, Mr. Steady.
GRADE: A-
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PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (13-10): To have this record despite the injury absences of C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard is quite impressive, and at a certain point 29 general managers (along with some former GMs) are going to be kicking themselves for not grabbing Enes Kanter when he was available, which has happened a number of times over the past half-decade. Lillard pretty much never has a bad night (only three sub 20-point games), and Carmelo Anthony continues to flash the form that made him a 10-time All-Star. Gary Trent Jr. is hitting threes at a 43-percent clip, and Terry Stotts has been adept at riding the secondary hot hand (aside from Lillard) from game to game.
GRADE: B+
SAN ANTONIO SPURS (14-11):&nbsp; All of the barber shops are apparently closed in San Antonio, but that did not stop Gregg Popovich from getting the coronavirus vaccine and having the NBA film it so that it could be used in a public service announcement. Props on that, Pop. Dejounte Murray and Patty Mills have been excellent alternating time at point guard, which makes one wonder whether Derrick White gives them too much of a good thing, and whether they will be active at the trade deadline. LaMarcus Aldridge has missed the past four games, and he can be considered an old 35 as he finishes up his contract along with DeMar DeRozan. No NBA team has less salary committed for next season, so the Spurs can take on long money if they so choose at the trade deadline. 
GRADE: B+
DENVER NUGGETS (12-11): Perhaps Jamal Murray spoiled us in terms of expectations during the playoffs. For two weeks, he was all anybody wanted to talk about. But now he is shooting 44 percent and averaging just 16.8 points, and the rest of the sidekick by committee crew is not stepping up on any kind of a consistent basis. Michael Porter Jr. is pretty darned good now that we are getting an extended view of him, but the team needs more from Murray and their supporting cast. Asking Nikola Jokic to deliver career-best games night after night isn&rsquo;t sustainable.
GRADE: C
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (13-12): It was all &ldquo;boo-hoo&rdquo; and &ldquo;the-end-of-the-world-is-here&rdquo; back on draft night when we all learned that Klay Thompson would miss another season, but these guys have dusted themselves off and are getting big night after big night from Steph Curry. As head coach Steve Kerr recently said: "This is the best I've ever seen him, just from a confidence and strength standpoint, and that's saying something, obviously.&rdquo; When you are talking about a two-time MVP who was once a unanimous pick (the first ever), that is truly a mouthful. Draymond Green is piling up the assists, reaching double figures four times in five games this month after doing it just twice in all of January. Kelly Oubre has improved after a slow start to the season, and you have to wonder what James Wiseman will look like in the playoffs after having a full season (aside from his current injury absence &ndash; sprained wrist) under his belt.
GRADE: C+
SACRAMENTO KINGS (12-12): De&rsquo;Aaron Fox has popped out four 30-point games in their last five, Harrison Barnes is as steady as they come and Richaun Holmes is second in the NBA in field goal percentage at 65.3 percent. If Buddy Hield could figure out how to shoot with consistency and Marvin Bagley III could realize his full potential, this could be a pretty decent team. Tyrese Haliburton has shown flashes in his rookie season, but he&rsquo;s no LaMelo Ball. The Kings were 5-10 but have won seven of their last nine, so keep an eye on them. They are the epitome of the sneaky, under-the-radar team. 
GRADE: C
NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (11-12): Is it fair to say that the Zion fever we were all collectively experiencing entering his rookie season has gone away? Yes, he is a heck of a skilled player, but is he a guy you schedule your nightly TV viewing around? No. And Eric Bledsoe was supposed to be better than this. Same with Lonzo Ball and Steven Adams. They had the NBA&rsquo;s worst case of cabin fever after spending two consecutive weeks on the road right when the NBA tightened COVID protocols and banned players from leaving their hotels on the road. They have bounced back nicely recently with wins in six of their past eight, albeit against mediocre competition. A favorable schedule continues for another two weeks, after which David Griffin can decide what to do with this roster. 
GRADE: C-
MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (9-10):&nbsp; Looks like we will be seeing a lot of them and the Wizards during what was supposed to be a down week surrounding the All-Star break. All of their COVID-related postponements are going to make for a busy second half of the season, and they really don&rsquo;t even qualify for a trimester grade because they&rsquo;ve only played 19 games. Aside from Ja Morant, who should continue to be a mainstay of Plays of the Day, there is not a whole lot for the casual fan to gravitate toward here.
GRADE: INCOMPLETE
HOUSTON ROCKETS (11-13): Everyone except Shaq had Christian Wood fever just a couple weeks back, and then he went down with a sprained ankle and the Most Improved Player race got thrown wide open (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-gambling-bets-odds-most-improved-player-award-jerami-grant-christian-wood-jaylen-brown-chris-boucher-collin-sexton-julius-randle">with Jerami Grant of the Pistons picking up steam</a>). There is not a huge body of evidence to review concerning John Wall and Victor Oladipo playing alongside each other, as Houston has become the new home of load management. In hindsight, they probably should have traded James Harden before the season began. Distractions of that magnitude are not all that easy to shake off, and in this case, it set a negative tone for the franchise that seems to be bleeding into mid-February.
GRADE: C-
DALLAS MEVRICKS (11-14): Wasn&rsquo;t this supposed to be Luka Doncic&rsquo;s MVP season, the year when he and Kristaps Porzingis delivered a one-two Euro punch that the rest of the West would be unable to recover from? Well, so much for preordained storylines. This is the most disappointing team in the West, and you have to wonder how Rick Carlisle is going to solve this puzzle &hellip; or if he&rsquo;ll become the NBA&rsquo;s first head coaching fall guy. Not that we expect that, but somebody will eventually win the Fizdale Award. They are the NBA&rsquo;s worst three-point shooting team, and the NBA has sort of become three-point-centric, ya know?
GRADE: D
OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (10-13): After last year&rsquo;s overachieving season, we were all expecting them to take a major step backward while Sam Presti sent legions of scouts to the furthest reaches of the planet to find guys worthy of his horde of first-round draft picks. But scouts cannot travel overseas because of the pandemic, which makes you wonder exactly how Presti will find the next Aleksej Pokusevski. If not for Hamidou Diallo winning the slam dunk contest a couple years ago, these guys would be more anonymous than the Grizzlies. But they&rsquo;ve overachieved here and there, so kudos for that.
GRADE: C
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (6-18): They were 2-0 the day after Christmas after beating the Jazz, but things have not really panned out since then, one might say. As a polar vortex covers a majority of the United States this week and you sit home shivering, be thankful that you are not in Minneapolis, and that your name is not Ricky Rubio. The forecast for Thursday is 1 degree in the Twin Cities and 58 degrees in El Masnou, Catalonia in Spain where Rubio is from. Did we mention that they actually beat the Jazz? Not much else positive to say about them.
GRADE: D-

A third of the way into the 2020-21 NBA season, Chris Sheridan breaks down the state of each West team and grades their start.

JC