It spoke volumes about the competitiveness — or, to be more precise, lack thereof — of the HORSE matchup between Zach LaVine and Paul Pierce that its most memorable segment involved the former recounting his experience in the shadows of a 40-year-old Kevin Garnett while a rookie with the Timberwolves. Indeed, the 13th overall pick of the 2014 National Basketball Association draft dominated the Challenge, blanking the 2008 Finals Most Valuable Player with an array of shots that highlighted his athleticism and silky smooth touch. Never mind that the rules disallowed any dunking and effectively negated his inherent advantage over the rest of the field.
Not that LaVine was the lone player who impressed in yesterday’s first round. Mike Conley Jr. was likewise a standout, failing to get the better of opponent Tamika Catchings just once. He was a picture of consistency, going to his non-dominant hand — including once from behind the backboard — to get ahead. His Hall-of-Fame-bound opponent was more game, and certainly put up a better fight than the laid-back Pierce did, but he proved to be in his element. And, no doubt, he benefited from having a gym in his home.
The other two set-tos bucked conventional wisdom. Chauncey Billups appeared ready to go down as expected, only to gain confidence midway through and upset pre-event favorite Trae Young. The come-from-behind victory was particularly surprising given the way he crafted it: via three-point shots with a twist that his All-Star foil seemingly had the talent, not to mention the range, to pull off as well. The latter was gracious in defeat, acknowledging the superiority of “a Legend and a mentor of mine” but hinting at a rematch.
Parenthetically, Allie Quigley seemed all too ready to use traditional HORSE fare to upend Chris Paul. For a while there, she looked ready to fold in the face of a spirited comeback. Ultimately, through, the early cushion she built proved more than enough for her to pull through. Forget that she was aided by the point god’s slow start, and, with the outcome on the line, uncharacteristic inability to bank in a shot from the charity stripe. And considering her velvet stroke and willingness to dig deep inside her bag of tricks, she may yet raise more eyebrows.
Moving forward, the Billups-Conley and LaVine-Quigley tiffs are projected to be equally compelling. The format itself lends well to tense moments, but only when participants are eager to push the envelope. In this sense, the four are primed to entertain. And, in a time of COVID-19, the fans win.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
