Nothing But Net: Wade makes last Dallas stop, 76ers can’t beat East’s best
The Dwyane Wade retirement tour hit Dallas for the last time on Wednesday night, the city where the Miami Heat icon is most disliked for the way his team beat the Mavericks in their first NBA final matchup. It also allowed Wade to catch up with the equally iconic Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle, seeing Wade at the scorer’s table to check into the game in the first quarter, immediately summoned Nowitzki so the two could share a moment. And as has become tradition, Wade’s post-game jersey swap was with Nowitzki. “To be able to have that — he’s a hall of famer, somebody that obviously I’ve grown to have so much respect for,” Wade said. “I’m just thankful that he didn’t turn me down and say no, so I appreciate it.”
PART OF THE PROCESS:
There’s no doubt the Philadelphia 76ers are an excellent team. The starting five of Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid rivals the best in the NBA. They are locked in a dogfight with Boston and Indiana for third, fourth and fifth in the Eastern Conference and are not to be trifled with. The trouble for them is, they can’t beat good teams. After dropping a game to Boston this week, the Sixers are now 1-7 against East powers Milwaukee, Toronto and Boston. The only teams with worse records against those three are Chicago, Cleveland and Atlanta, who are combined 0-23.
MAGICAL RESURGENCE:
The Orlando Magic went into a game Thursday night against Charlotte with a 26-32 record, which is not astounding but it is good for 10th in the East and had them only two games out of seventh place. The fourgame winning streak going into Thursday was their best stretch since 2015; they just swept a three-game road trip, the first time an Orlando team had done that since 2012; and each of those three road wins were by at least 16 points, the first time they have ever accomplished that. They are definitely in the conversation for one of the final two post-season slots as they chase their first playoff berth since 2012.
GREEN’S STAR TURN:
Danny Green of the Raptors is not old, only 31, and likely has a few years left in the NBA. But it’s never too early to at least start thinking about a post-playing career and Green’s going to get a taste of television broadcasting this weekend. Before he competes in the three-point shootout on Saturday night as part of the NBA’s all-star weekend in Charlotte, Green will work as an analyst on TNT’s coverage of Friday’s Rising Stars game involving, among others, Green’s teammate OG Anunoby.
KANTER’S TRAIL:
The Portland Trail Blazers — trying to hold off Houston, Utah and San Antonio for fourth place in the Western Conference and home court in the first round of the playoffs — got a sizable advantage this week. Enes Kanter, arguably the premier big man available on the increasingly impactful NBA buyout market, decided to join the Blazers after getting out of the final few months of his contract with New York. The Knicks, losers of 18 straight games, couldn’t find a taker for Kanter at last week’s trade deadline and ended up getting nothing for him. He was obtained by the Knicks in 2017 in the deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder.