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Michael Jordan memorabilia auctions are great, but when are we going to get Dennis Rodman’s estate sales?

WNBA Finals

Lynx storm back to take Game 1

I’ll admit it: When the Liberty hit a 3-pointer last night to go up 81-66 with 5:20 to go in the fourth, I threw Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on the back burner (my iPad) and turned off the TV off. to ‘Thursday Night Football’. Minnesota trailed by 18 in the first half before pulling within two points in the third quarter. The team just seemed to have no energy or momentum left.

Then the Lynx hit a pair of three-pointers to make it a single-digit game and completely shut down the Liberty’s water. Minnesota went on an 18-2 run capped by a four-point play from Courtney Williams to take an 84-83 lead with 5.1 seconds left.

Then, after an out-of-bounds, you shout that should After giving the Lynx possession, the Liberty finally got the ball to Breanna Stewart, who was fouled with 0.8 seconds left. She split the free throws before Game 1 went to overtime. There was also a blown call that went the way of the Lynx when Williams was blocked and the ball went away from her, so the bad referee at least evened it out.

Napheesa Collier knocked down the go-ahead goal with 8.1 seconds left in overtime. Then Stewart had a chance to tie the game and send it to a second overtime after being pinned by Collier all game. But she hit nothing but the backboard on a layup attempt as time expired, and the Lynx stole Game 1 with a 95-93 win. Minnesota’s 18-point comeback is tied for the largest in WNBA Finals history.

Another look at Napheesa Collier’s game winner in #phantomcam 🎥

The @minnesotalynx take Game 1 against the Liberty 95-93#WNBAFinales presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/rjk9Pfsw4h

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 11, 2024

Game 1 went like this⬇️

The @minnesotalynx 18-PT’s comeback marks the biggest comeback in WNBA Finals history

They tied the Liberty, who came back against the Comets to win 68-67 in Game 2 of the 1999 Finals#WNBAFinales presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/4855Eh5VWd

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 11, 2024

What was the difference for the Lynx? It’s the defense. They were obliterated in almost every way in the first quarter. But when Minnesota needed to make a run, it got deflections, blocks and plenty of plays to frustrate New York.

What do the Liberty need to change for Game 2? They have to score inside the three-point arc. New York managed just 36 points in the paint and made 36.8 percent of its two-point attempts.

Who should stand up for Freedom? Sabrina Ionescu. She hit some big shots, but went just 8 of 26 from the field on her way to 19 points.

How should the Lynx adjust for Game 2? They need to end possessions on the defensive boards. The Liberty grabbed 20 offensive rebounds.

When is game 2? Sundays at 3pm ET on ABC from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Enjoy!

When it comes down to it, Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride are one cold duo 🤝

McBride: 22 PTS, 2 REB, 4 AST
Necklace: 21 PTS, 8 REB, 2 AST, 6 BLK #WNBAFinales presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/oPNMxWltvP

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 11, 2024

Fuels a lot!

A good draft class for 2025 means that refueling is back

It happens often: teams that are unlucky or simply stuck in neutral spot a prospect on the horizon and start putting their worst possible product on the floor. They are willing to lose games if it means getting their next superstar. Several franchises did it just two seasons ago with Victor Wembanyama as the historic prize. No one really did it last season because…well…look at the draft class.

But as John Hollinger noted this week, the Year of the Tank is back. The class of 2025 is chock full of potential stars, and it doesn’t take much mental gymnastics to envision them as saviors of your franchise. This class is the real deal. Before we get into which teams should/could tank, these are the five players atop Sam Vecenie’s latest mock draft for 2025:

Cooper Flagg | Forward | 6’8 | Duke: You know about this man. He is currently the top prospect in the class of 2025. He played for the USA Basketball Select Team to prepare the Olympic team for Paris. He produces freak highlight after freak highlight. Flagg will be a great defender almost immediately.

Ace Bailey | Wing | 6’7 | Rutgers: This is the other guy that more people will be talking about soon. He also joins Flagg as the top prospect in the class, and he might just improve. Bailey is a top shot maker, but needs to channel that into higher quality shots. But he is unreal.

Dylan Harper | Guard | 6’5 | Rutgers: He may be in the shadow of his Rutgers teammate (yes, Rutgers), but Harper is a fantastic point guard prospect. He’s not a crazy athlete, but he is extremely polished with his footwork and skills with the ball.

VJ Edgecombe | Guard | 6’3 | Baylor: Edgecombe is an absurd athlete. His jump is ridiculous and he can put you in a highlight reel in an instant. There is so much to leverage through development.

Nolan Traore | Guard | 6’3 | France: Traoré is more of a project than the other four. However, his time at professional and national level in France should help him a lot. If he knocks down the jumper consistently, he will be a star.

We know why – now we need to know who is refueling or who should be refueling. Maybe you don’t think that’s a very sporty thing to do. In the family-friendly version of Marsellus Wallace’s poignant words: “That’s pride squeaking within you.” Here are my 2024-2025 Tankapalooza candidates:

Washington Wizards: You don’t have a franchise guy. Alex Sarr power be something. Bilal Coulibaly could be very good. However, you need a star.

Portland Trail Blazers: Even if you still believe in Scoot Henderson, he’s going to need a lot of help. At least three of these guys should be better than Henderson even if he reaches his potential.

Utah jazz: You’re left dipping your toes in the tank water as the pool party draws to a close. Dive in! You can’t keep missing guys because you want to win 30 games.

Chicago Bulls: You don’t have that near to a franchise man, and history has proven that you should have your destiny directly in your hands. Or you’re going to screw it up.

Toronto Raptors: You tanked last year and still didn’t get your first-round pick. Please try again.

Brooklyn Nets: Or maybe Ben Simmons is back in All-Star mode and things are going well for you?

Charlotte Hornets: I am proud of your new regime and hope it knows what it is doing. That said, there isn’t almost plenty of talent on this roster.

Detroit pistons: If you do that, there’s a good chance you’ll end up getting the fifth choice. Anyway, there are five guys in this draft! (I don’t mean burgers.)

Go once…

Spend some money on Michael Jordan memorabilia

Two items that caught my attention when I read about “Colossal: The Ultimate Jordan Collection” being auctioned by Sotheby’s from October 23 to November 4. None of these items are likely to cost the $10 million that Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 1 jersey fetched at auction in 2022. But to me, they’re worth a lot more when you take their basketball history into account.

The first item is the game worn shirt from the 1996-1997 season. According to Sotheby’s, it was used in 17 games.

• We all have a moment of one of those games burned into our brains. That jersey was worn by MJ when then-rookie Allen Iverson crossed him and buried the jump shot in his mug. Hearing Iverson talk about Jordan during the Hall of Fame ceremony is always a must-watch. Sotheby’s has a value between $4 million and $6 million. Honestly, I love Mike, but I won’t offer more than $2.5 million for it.

The second article is the article for me: the American flag that Jordan draped over his shoulders during the medal ceremony in Barcelona at the 1992 Olympic Games.

• Why did Jordan drape that flag over himself? Patriotism? Celebrating winning the gold medal? The Team USA jackets were Reebok jackets, and we know MJ is a Nike guy forever, so he wasn’t about to give Reebok some free Jordan advertising power. The flag was also signed by the Dream Team, but either way, that pettiness and wit when it comes to product placement has to be almost priceless.

I probably wouldn’t go into eight figures to be sure, but you never know. I once spent $78 on a Moochie Norris bobblehead, after budgeting just $30 to win the eBay auction.

Three other MJ items I’d like to see auctioned someday:

1. A Michael’s Secret Stuff bottle. Even though the movie “Space Jam” is truly awful if you rewatch it as an adult, that bottle would look great on my bookshelf.
2. His dunk contest gold chain. This man flew from the free throw line with that gold chain flapping in the airstream.
3. His mansion in Chicago. It apparently sold after being listed in the $14.8 million to $29 million range. If it had gone to auction, I wouldn’t have spent more than $11 million.

Bounce passes

It might not get better than Jack Nicholson’s courtside stories.

Commissioner Adam Silver believes the NBA will be back in China soon.

Most clicked in Thursday’s newsletter: Kyrie opened up to Sam Amick about his new chapter, including his goal for the Olympics.

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(Top photo: David Berding/Getty Images )