A different kind of March madness kicked off earlier than the NCAA Tournament this year in the world of sports.
The past week’s events certainly had heads snapping sideways and jaws dropping to the floor.
Had any of these incidents or achievements occurred in different weeks, they would’ve provided bountiful and long-lasting fodder for sports talk shows and podcasters worldwide. The fact that they all took place in the same week deserves a collective view.
Here’s a ranking of one of the most memorable weeks in sports history:
5. A Classic Shakeup
Seattle Mariners teammates Cal Raleigh, the catcher of the U.S. team, and Mexico outfielder Randy Arozarena on Monday sparked conversation when Raleigh refused to extend a handshake, fist bump, or any kind of greeting prior to Arozarena’s plate appearance during their World Baseball Classic game.
Arozarena went on an expletive-filled rant to Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert in Spanish following the game, which the United States won 5–3.
The pair helped drive the Mariners to the American League Championship Series last season, and Seattle is a favorite to make a strong playoff run again in the upcoming season.
But the popcorn-ready public is focused on the interactions the two will have during the season when the WBC is done and they share a locker room that is focused on the long major league calendar.
4. Maxx-imum Push
The Las Vegas Raiders had pulled off a maximum-gain deal by sending star edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Ravens for two first-round picks, but Baltimore on Tuesday rocked the NFL world back a few steps by rescinding the deal.
The Raiders spent four days speculating over the players they might select in the upcoming draft, but the Ravens pulled out of the Crosby deal on Tuesday over concerns about the results of Crosby’s physical, specifically a meniscus injury suffered early in the season and his subsequent status and progress after the 28-year-old’s season-ending surgery, according to ESPN.
Critics accused the Ravens of suffering a case of cold feet and exploiting the trade system. Others said the rules are clear, and Baltimore did nothing wrong.
3. Staying on Point
The Oklahoma Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history, notching his 127th against the Boston Celtics in a 104–102 victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
The streak is remarkable for many reasons, the most obvious being that Chamberlain was a 7-footer who dominated the league and took shots mostly around the hoop with smaller men flailing to defend him.
Gilgeous-Alexander is a mid-range master, using shifty moves and dead-eye jump shots to torment defenders, coaches, and even scouts who are all plotting ways to defend the 6-foot-6 scoring star.
Chamberlain now has the second-longest 20-point streak at 126, and the third longest at 92 games. Houston Rockets shooting star Kevin Durant is the only other player to get more than halfway to Chamberlain at 72 games. Gilgeous-Alexander broke the record after it held for 63 years. He might also hold it that long.
2. WBC Rules
U.S. manager Mark DeRosa apparently didn’t know the convoluted World Baseball Classic rules for tiebreakers and machinations for his team to advance at the WBC.
But DeRosa spent more time trying to caress his bruised ego than anything else after he said his squad had already “punched” its ticket to the quarterfinals before a Tuesday 8–6 loss to Italy.
Italy saved DeRosa from the ultimate embarrassment by beating Mexico 9–1 on Wednesday, but instead of admitting that the U.S. lineup wasn’t its best and that changes made during the Italy loss weren’t the best decisions to earn a victory, DeRosa says he knew his side had to win to move on.
The manager held Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Alex Bregman, Brice Turang, and Byron Buxton out of his starting lineup against the Italians, and the loss would’ve been the biggest crawl-in-a-hole moment in sports in decades had Italy not eventually knocked out Mexico.
1. Crash, Boom, Bam!
The 83-point performance the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo put up on Tuesday in a 150–129 win over the Washington Wizards has drawn almost as much criticism as it has praise.
Only Chamberlain’s 100-point game was better, and Adebayo pushed Kobe Bryant’s 81-point night a rung down on the legendary-game ladder.
But shenanigans in the final quarter—mainly the Heat fouling to earn more possessions and get Adebayo the ball for more shots—were frowned upon as manipulating the game for individual achievement.
Adebayo’s previous career best was 41 points, and he hasn’t really been seen in the NBA as a big-time scorer. The center shot 20-of-43 from the field, but was only 7-of-22 from 3-point range and made 36 of 43 free throws—the 36 makes and 43 attempts both setting NBA single-game records.
The tanking Wizards, who are near the 50-loss mark this season, aren’t a real measuring stick, and Adebayo remained on the court late during an easy win with the point total in mind.
So as high as his total was, many raised eyebrows were at a similar altitude given the way Adebayo and the Heat went about reaching 83.