“I am the best player in the world, and I am here to prove it.” (Bobby Fischer)
Kanye West: “Christmas in Harlem”
It’s Christmas time and the NBA Christmas Day is a special one. This year there are five games on the slate. Here are some numbers that stand out on this NBA Christmas Day, which will mark the start of week 11 of the 2017-18 season:
60 Points. Hall of Fame forward Bernard King notched 60 points in 1984, a Christmas Day record.
50 Point games. Three players with 50-point games this season will play on Christmas Day: LeBron James (Cleveland), James Harden (Houston) and Bradley Beal (Washington).
44 Points. Kevin Durant has the record for an active player, which he accomplished back in 2010 as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
22 Victories. The New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers share the record.
16 Years. Philadelphia will play on Christmas Day for the first time.
10 Wins. Dwayne Wade is most victorious on Christmas Day.
1 First home game. The Boston Celtics have played 30 games on Christmas Day, 28 on the road and two on a neutral court.
BEST CHRISTMAS DAY PERFORMANCES
1961: Wilt Chamberlain (New York Knicks 136-Philadelphia Warriors 135). 59 points and 36 rebounds.
1965: Bill Russell (Baltimore Bullets 99-Boston Celtics 113). 19 points and 34 rebounds.
1966: Rick Barry (Cincinnati Royals 112-San Francisco Warriors 124). 50 points.
1972: Nate Archibald (Kansas City-Omaha Kings 99-Milwaukee Bucks 104). 20 points and 18 assists.
1984: Bernard King (New York Knicks 114-New Jersey Nets 120). 60 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists.
1987: Dominique Wilkins (Philadephia 76ers 100-Atlanta Hawks 106). 45 points and 9 rebounds.
1992: Michael Jordan (Chicago Bulls 89-New York Knicks 77). 42 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.
1993: Charles Barkley (Phoenix Suns 111-Houston Rockets 91). 38 points and 18 rebounds.
1994: Scottie Pippen (Chicago Bulls 107-New York Knicks 104). 36 points and 16 rebounds.
2002: Tracy McGrady (Orlando Magic 104-Detroit Pistons 99). 46 points and 6 rebounds.
2006: Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat 101-Los Angeles Lakers 85). 40 points, 11 rebounds, 4 steals and 4 blocks.
2010: LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers 80-Miami Heat 96). 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
Diamonds are forever. They can be pricey, too. This month, 173 lots of jewels auctioned by Sotheby’s raised 54 million dollars. Not 54, but 51 were scored by James Harden on Friday night, making it back-to-back 50-point performances. This was the first time since Kobe Bryant accomplished the feat back in 2007 and is now one of ten players in NBA history achieving this.
| PLAYER | YEAR |
|---|---|
| James Harden | 2017 |
| Kobe Bryant | 2007 |
| Allen Iverson | 2004 |
| Antawn Jamison | 2000 |
| Michael Jordan | 1987 |
| Bernard King | 1984 |
| Dan Issel | 1971 |
| John Brisker | 1970 |
| Rick Barry | 1967 |
| Wilt Chamberlain | 1964 |
(source: Basketball Reference)
Here is how the action went down in Week 10 across our 12 RCL Leagues:
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Experts League: There were a few changes this week, as Tarch Tadness jumped into the second place. Here is where the Jordan Bell passion began in all of our leagues, as Dream Killers added him on December 22. Over the last two weeks, Bell is averaging 9.8 points, 4 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.4 blocks, 70.0 %FG, and 87.5 %FT.
Straight Cash Homie: Pikachu won 5-4, but Osama Razz2 is narrowed the gap with a 7-2 victory. Good move by SON adding Marvin Williams.
Straight Cash Homie 2: Slack-Jawed Daps lost to BUUNKGANG. jasper’s Team is only one point behind. Great victory by Slapnuts over Cronos Black Metal.
Straight Cash Homie 3: Vengeful Hoopdies beat Rodmans Peacekeepers, helped by Kyle Kuzma‘s big week. The best acquisition of the week goes to Boogie’s Low Ceiling for acquiring Wesley Matthews.
Straight Cash Homie 4: There was not much blood in the victory by get picky with it over Woo’s Team. He remains in first place. With the upcoming return of Isaiah Thomas, I filled my injury spot with Markelle Fulz. It could be a while before Fultz has reliable fantasy value.
Straight Cash Homie 5: Hals’s Team and Klark Shark were the strongest teams of the week. SCH5-Celestial Being is now only 0.5 points behind second place. The rebirth of Myles Turner in the last month has been one of the keys, as he averaged 16.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks.
Straight Cash Homie 6: Evil Empire and my team TonyRP 4 will fight for first place this week. My curry too spicy! finally got a win and SON has now won three in a row, the last one over the strong RJC’s Team.
RAZZblueBALLS: Ten weeks, ten wins. That’s Mamba, the leader. His keys? A solid team with LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Trevor Ariza. Pass it to the Greek acquired Kyle Korver. Without Isaiah Thomas he’s a deeply undervalued player, owned in only 30% in Yahoo Leagues. He’s an elite 3pt shooter with 2.5 per game with very good shooting percentages 48.3 %FG and 87.2 %FT. A top 80 player so far this season.
BBQ Mousetrap: Team of the week goes to Durrant me a Title. I’m not a big fan of Jordan Bell, but I acquired him in this league, Why? A player with per 36 minutes averages of 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 3.5 blocks is worth the experiment.
Italy vs Razzball: Stuck in Saigon 2 is in first after defeating the former leader ! in an exciting match. The 3pts by Eric Gordon and Lou Williams were crucial.
No Punt Intended: effi’s Peerless Team clawing into playoff contention. A few trades this week. I can only highlight the move made by The Green Walkers adding Kelly Olynyk for Jahlil Okafor. He’s a trustworthy player averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 3pts, 1.1 steals with 49.6 %FG in the last month.
Dynasty Deep Dive: Big Baller Brand surprisingly lost, but still holds onto first place, punished by the absences of Aaron Gordon and Kristaps Porzingis. I dropped Kelly Olynyk for DeMare Carroll, as both players have similar value but Carroll looks better for the long-term.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
| Name: | Durrant me a Title (BBQ Mousetrap) victory 7-2 and best team with +7 cat win |
| Key players: | K. Durant(27.3 pts/ 8.0 rebs/ 2.8 blks)
D. Mitchell (17.5 pts/ 2.5 stls / 65.2 %FG) Jrue Holiday (1.7 3pts / 1.7 stls / 1.0 blks) |
BEST RECORD
| 1 | Pikachu | Straight Cash Homie | 62-26-2 |
| 2 | Evil Empire | Straight Cash Homie 6 | 59-28-3 |
| 3 | basketballsacks | No Punt Intended | 59-30-1 |
| 3 | More Sonics Please | BBQ Mousetrap | 59-30-1 |
| 5 | TonyRP 4 | Straight Cash Homie 6 | 59-31 |
| 6 | Stuck in Saigon 2 | Italy vs Razzball | 57-32-1 |
| 7 | ! | Italy vs Razzball | 56-32-2 |
| 8 | Hals’s Team | Straight Cash Homie 5 | 57-33 |
| 9 | Onions! | Straight Cash Homie 3 | 55-33-2 |
| 10 | The Wakefield Case | Italy vs Razzball | 54-33-3 |
| 10 | Vengeful Hoopdies | Straight Cash Homie 3 | 55-34-1 |
BEST RECORD LEADERS
| Week 1 | gesiot’s Team | Italy vs Razzball |
| Week 2 | basketballsacks | No Punt Intended |
| Week 3 | GasOl(d) Anthem | RAZZblueBALLS |
| Week 4 | TonyRP 4 | Straight Cash Homie 6 |
| Week 5 | ! | Italy vs Razzball |
| Week 6 | Cronos Black Metal | Straight Cash Homie 2 |
| Week 7 | Pikachu | Straight Cash Homie |
| Week 8 | Pikachu | Straight Cash Homie |
| Week 9 | Pikachu | Straight Cash Homie |
| Weel 10 | Pikachu | Straight Cash Homie |
TEAM OF THE WEEK WINNERS
| Week 1 | gesiot’s Team | Italy vs Razzball |
| Week 2 | Slack-Jawed Daps | Straight Cash Homie 2 |
| Week 3 | The Wakefield Case | Italy vs Razzball |
| Week 4 | The Wakefield Case (2) | Italy vs Razzball |
| Week 5 | Newbie | No Punt Intended |
| Week 6 | Evil Empire | Straight Cash Homie 6 |
| Week 7 | TonyRP 5 | Dynasty Deep Dive |
| Week 8 | Stuck in Saigon | RAZZblueBALLS |
| Week 9 | Newbie (2) | No Punt Intended |
| Week 10 | Durrant me a Title | BBQ Mousetrap |
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Thanks for playing and Merry Christmas everyone.
