Vol. 1 No. 3 — September 11th, 2019

Welcome to the third edition of the Rathbun Roundball Report, Subscriber First Name! This newsletter is dedicated to the basketball community, and that I hope it sheds a light on what’s going on in the world of basketball this week!

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In Memoriam, Fred McLeod

The game of basketball and my business, in particular, were deeply saddened Tuesday when we learned of the passing of Fred McLeod, the Cleveland Cavaliers long-time TV play-by-play announcer.

Fred was a dear friend, and anyone who knew him felt the same way.

Extending sympathies to Beth and his family just don’t seem nearly enough to express the grief and the emptiness we all feel.

I can’t imagine going to Cleveland this season and not seeing him with Austin Carr.

RIP, buddy. We will miss you.
 

Naismith Hall of Fame

It seems like the sport of basketball never stops. Somewhere on the globe, the game is being played, 12 months out of the year. It’s hard to pinpoint when one season ends, and another begins.

For me, the annual Naismith Hall of Fame ceremony in Springfield, MA is where I draw the line. Nothing gets me more excited for the start of a new season than the enshrinement ceremony, and this year was no different.

One of my favorite moments came when a former Hawk, Chuck Cooper, was posthumously induced.

Cooper played with the Hawks in Milwaukee, in the 1954-55 season, the same season that saw Bob Pettit enter the league from LSU as a rookie. He moved with the team to St. Louis. Cooper was the first black player drafted into the NBA, joining the Boston Celtics when they selected him in the second round in April 1950. But there was Hawks legend, Dominique Wilkins, Class of 2006, among the all-time greats of the game to honor Cooper’s memory.

As my friend Steve Aschburner wrote last weekend, that was some group on stage:

The star power in the building for this event, as always, was blinding. But at one point during the two-hour Class of 2019 enshrinement ceremony, this group stood shoulder to shoulder across the width of the stage: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Elgin Baylor, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Isiah Thomas, Dominque Wilkins, Tom Heinsohn, Ray Allen and Harlem Globetrotters CEO Mannie Jackson.

Multiple Mount Rushmores worth of basketball royalty, all there in the service of one inductee who averaged 6.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in six professional seasons. And one who died more than 35 years ago, at age 57, in February 1984.

Charles Henry (Chuck) Cooper, selected by the Early African-American Pioneers Committee, might possibly have had the most impressive roster of presenters in the history of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

An amazing night for all in attendance, but significant for the memory of Chuck Cooper.

Source: https://www.nba.com/article/2019/09/06/hall-fame-chuck-cooper-honored-all-eras?cid=EMA_NBA_daily&uniqueID=4309435342

 

Developments at the FIBA World Cup

Meanwhile in China, the United States guaranteed itself a berth in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo with its FIBA World Cup win Monday over Brazil, 89-73.

Here’s something to keep your eye on as camps unfold--last weekend, Team USA drilled Greece, 69-53, and rendered the reigning NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo an afterthought.

Giannis sat the entire fourth quarter. His brother nearly wiped out Harrison Barnes on a dirty play after the outcome was no longer in doubt. Later, words were exchanged between the sides, Giannis among those jawing with his American colleagues.

The group included his Milwaukee teammate, Khris Middleton. Of course, the Celtic players that are on Team USA, had plenty to say. You’ll recall the Bucks roared back to eliminate the Celtics from the playoffs last spring.

Four Bostonians play for Team USA, and two of them had some hard feelings on display: Jalen Brown and Marcus Smart. Jason Tatum missed the game with an injury.

Just keep an eye on this situation. Lots of strong feelings there!

The first Boston-Milwaukee game of the season is set for October 30th.
 

Start of the WNBA Playoffs

Once again, the WNBA Playoff format is stacked against the bottom six teams.

Winning the double-bye puts Washington and Connecticut in the enviable position of watching the other six teams try to survive winner-take-all, single elimination games.

And with the way the Mystics dominated this season, it looks like it is their championship to lose.


The Fearless RRR predictions:


 

MINNESOTA over Seattle

CHICAGO over Phoenix


 

LAS VEGAS over Minnesota

LOS ANGELES over Chicago


 

Semi-finals (Best-of-5)

WASHINGTON over Los Angeles, 3-1

CONNECTICUT over Las Vegas, 3-2


 

Finals (Best-of-5)

WASHINGTON over Connecticut, 3-1.


 

Did I overlook any WNBA matchups?

Drop a line and let me know your thoughts.

bob@bobrathbun.com

2019 WNBA Championship Odds

Team Odds at MyBookie

Washington Mystics +110

Connecticut Sun +300

Las Vegas Aces +350

Los Angeles Sparks +550

Phoenix Mercury +2000

Chicago Sky +2500

Minnesota Lynx +4000

Seattle Storm +4000

WNBA Playoff Schedule

First round (single-elimination) -- Wednesday, Sept. 11

No. 8 Phoenix Mercury at No. 5 Chicago Sky, 8 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

No. 7 Minnesota Lynx at No. 6 Seattle Storm, 10 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Second round (single-elimination) -- Sunday, Sept. 15

TBD at No. 3 Los Angeles Sparks, 3 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

TBD at No. 4 Las Vegas Aces, 5 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Semifinals (best-of-five series) -- Starts Tuesday, Sept. 17

TBD vs. No. 1 Washington Mystics

Game 1: TBD at Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 8:30 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 2: TBD at Washington, Thursday, Sept. 19, 8:30 p.m. -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 3: Washington at TBD, Sunday, Sept. 22, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 4*: Washington at TBD, Tuesday, Sept. 24, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 5*: TBD at Washington, Thursday, Sept. 26, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

TBD vs. No. 2 Connecticut Sun

Game 1: TBD at Connecticut, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m. ET -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 2: TBD at Connecticut, Thursday, Sept. 19, 6:30 p.m. ET -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 3: Connecticut at TBD, Sunday, Sept. 22, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 4*: Connecticut at TBD, Tuesday, Sept. 24, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 5*: TBD at Connecticut, Thursday, Sept. 26, TBD -- TV: ESPN 2 | Streaming: WatchESPN

*If necessary

Finals (best-of-five series) -- Start Sunday, Sept. 29

Game 1: TBD at TBD, Sunday, Sept. 29, TBD -- TV: ESPN | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 2: TBD at TBD, Tuesday, Oct. 1, TBD -- TV: ESPN | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 3: TBD at TBD, Sunday, Oct. 6, TBD -- TV: ABC | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 4*: TBD at TBD, Tuesday, Oct. 8, TBD -- TV: ESPN | Streaming: WatchESPN

Game 5*: TBD at TBD, Thursday, Oct. 10, TBD -- TV: ESPN | Streaming: WatchESPN
 

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