Basketball is not a sport, it's a way of life.

The Splash Brothers stay making waves, Gafford keeps bashing, way in on the Play-In...

QUICK HITS

• The New Orleans Pelicans, yes, the same group I said had to make a trade three months ago—shows what I know—have been one of the league’s best surprises this season. Going into the last game of the year today against the Lakers, New Orleans sits at 49-32, tied for the seventh-best record in the league, and sixth in the West; importantly, just outside of the play-in tournament. A large part of New Orleans' success has been the long-range prowess of CJ McCollum, particularly since the NBA’s All-Star break. McCollum’s 4.0 threes per game are good for fourth in the entire league since mid-February, trailing only Luka (4.5), Donte DiVincenzo (4.4), and Steph Curry (4.4). But what has made CJ’s run of bombing so impressive is that he’s hitting that volume while shooting 44% from distance over that stretch—Dončić (39.5%), DiVincenzo (38.5%), Curry (37.9%) . McCollum is actually riding this hot shooting to his best season from distance in his career, as his 3.6 makes per game for the year ties a career-high (’21), while his 42.9% is the best he’s ever shot from distance and good for sixth in the entire league. McCollum’s 235 total threes made are also a career-high and seventh overall in the NBA, despite McCollum missing sixteen games on the year—five more than any other player in the top-15. (click to expand)

  Considering the Pelicans as a team only make 12.4 threes per contest—just 19^th league-wide—CJ’s value as a three-point shooter is even more important as he accounts for 29% of his team's makes per game. Only Steph Curry (32.4%) and Anfernee Simons (29.6%) account for a larger percentage of their team’s long-distance makes per contest this season.

• I have always been a fan of Daniel Gafford. As most of you know by now, I am drawn to the high-effort guys, and while it's been to varying success prior to arriving in Dallas, few players play with more effort than the former Arkansas Razorback. But pairing a player like Gafford, who fully understands his role and rarely tries to play outside of it, was a brilliant decision by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, as the hyper-athletic big man with a penchant for rim runs and ferocious finishes is a perfect complement to Luka; especially with Dereck Lively II dealing with a bothersome right knee sprain. For his part, since being traded to Dallas on Feb. 9^th from Washington for Richaun Holmes and a 2024 first-round pick (via OKC), Gafford has led the NBA in field goal percentage, shooting an insane 78% over that time, including a stretch that saw him make 33 consecutive field goal attempts—the second most all-time, trailing (of course) only Wilt Chamberlain’s 35 in a row in 1967. Unsurprisingly considering his shot diet, Gafford is getting 89.5% of his baskets in the paint, a percentage surpassed only by his teammate Lively (93.4%) since being moved to Dallas. For his time as a Maverick, Gafford is averaging an impressive 11.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks (6^th in the NBA). Gafford is giving that kind of production while only playing 21.5 minutes per game, meaning he gets to optimize his energy in impactful bursts. Seeing as the Mavs are 21-8 since the deal, second only to Boston over that stretch, I would say he’s been impactful indeed.

• To say that it’s championship or bust for the Celtics would be a bit of an understatement. This season, Boston’s record is 63-18, a whopping 14 games ahead of the Knicks and Bucks, who sit tied at a very distant second in the Eastern Conference. The Celt’s 77.8% win percentage is good for the 29^th best in league history. While their 11.4 margin of victory is the largest since the ’17 Warriors (11.6) and the fifth highest in NBA history. Of the fifteen teams on the list in terms of margin of victory, nine have won titles. (click to expand)