Jul 9, 2020 owes a belated thank you to referee Marc Davis and former teammate . Without either, back in mid-May of 2016, Waiters would’ve been elevated into exclusive company, high atop the list of most consequential playoff blunders of all time, a tick or two below new teammate J.R. Smith, who is perhaps the gold standard.The context: vs. , Game 2, a second-round matchup with more stakes than usual. San Antonio was a 67-win team trying to get one more ring before ’s retirement. Oklahoma City was a dangerous, desperate 3 seed requiring (and nearly getting) a championship run to cling onto...…Jul 9, 2020 owes a belated thank you to referee Marc Davis and former teammate . Without either, back in mid-May of 2016, Waiters would’ve been elevated into exclusive company, high atop the list of most consequential playoff blunders of all time, a tick or two below new teammate J.R. Smith, who is perhaps the gold standard.The context: vs. , Game 2, a second-round matchup with more stakes than usual. San Antonio was a 67-win team trying to get one more ring before ’s retirement. Oklahoma City was a dangerous, desperate 3 seed requiring (and nearly getting) a championship run to cling onto...WW…

May 14, 2020When you pull off the improbable, people tend to believe you can do it again. Rise from the ashes for a title, dodge six pass rushers and throw an off-balance 40-yard dart for a touchdown, hire away a rival’s big-name employee — whatever the unlikely sports task, once completed, opponents gain greater fear and fans more confidence you can repeat it., entering the 2015 summer, and , entering the 2020 summer, have obvious parallels. Durant was 26. Giannis is 25. Durant was an all-time great reaching the front side of his prime just as he prepared for the final season of his...…May 14, 2020When you pull off the improbable, people tend to believe you can do it again. Rise from the ashes for a title, dodge six pass rushers and throw an off-balance 40-yard dart for a touchdown, hire away a rival’s big-name employee — whatever the unlikely sports task, once completed, opponents gain greater fear and fans more confidence you can repeat it., entering the 2015 summer, and , entering the 2020 summer, have obvious parallels. Durant was 26. Giannis is 25. Durant was an all-time great reaching the front side of his prime just as he prepared for the final season of his...WW…