Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Are you going to wake up at 5 a.m. ET tomorrow morning to watch Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan in their first game of the World Baseball Classic?
In today’s SI:AM:
🌎 How Team USA built a WBC power
🤔 What are we trying to save college sports from?
🏈 Remembering Lou Holtz
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SGA leads Thunder over Knicks
If I asked you to list the defining characteristics of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game, you’d probably start by mentioning how he’s an elite scorer who’s especially effective from midrange, or how he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. But if you kept naming his most well-known attributes, it wouldn’t be long before you mentioned the most divisive aspect of his player profile: He shoots a ton of free throws.
SGA gets to the line more than almost any other player in the NBA. He ranked second in free throw attempts per game last season (behind Giannis Antetokounmpo) and is second again this year (behind Luke Dončić). Remember when Timberwolves fans chanted “free throw merchant” at him during last year’s Western Conference finals? It’s part of what makes him one of the league’s most reliable scorers, but it’s also kind of annoying to watch a guy score a quarter of his points from the line.
One reason Gilgeous-Alexander shoots so many free throws is that he takes a bunch of shots in close quarters, where he’s likely to be fouled. The other reason is that he’s able to persuade the refs that he’s been fouled.
The latter point is what Knicks coach Mike Brown took issue with on Wednesday night.
SGA and the Thunder won a tight game 103–100 at Madison Square Garden last night. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 26 points and had a game-high seven free throw attempts. (He made all seven.) After the game, Brown pointed to his team’s relative underperformance from the line as one reason New York lost. (The Knicks hit 72.7% of their free throws, compared to OKC’s 84%.) He also noted Gilgeous-Alexander’s ability to earn free throws.
“SGA, he’s a tough cover, and he does a great job of convincing the referees—probably better than anybody in the league—that he’s getting hit,” Brown said.
Brown wasn’t criticizing Gilgeous-Alexander, but it’s still interesting to hear a head coach echo what fans find frustrating about the reigning MVP’s style of play. Brown also had another reason to be critical of the officiating and the referees’ treatment of SGA.
Late in the first quarter, Gilgeous-Alexander bowled over Jalen Brunson on a drive to the rim but was not called for an offensive foul. Had Gilgeous-Alexander been whistled for a foul, it would have been his third of the game, and he likely would have been forced to sit on the bench to avoid further foul trouble. An irate Brown got up in the face of an official, passionately pleading his case that SGA should have been called for a charge. The argument resulted in Brown’s first technical foul as coach of the Knicks.
“SGA had two fouls, and Jalen was there and he ran him over,” Brown said. “I don’t understand why that was a no-call. That should’ve been his third [foul], the bucket shouldn’t have counted and we should’ve gone the other way with the basketball. Jalen is standing there, putting his body on the line and our guys are fighting their asses off to try to win the ball game, and it just didn’t sit well with me.”
Despite the loss, the Knicks have been playing well of late. They lost nine of 11 games between Dec. 31 and Jan. 19 but have gone 15–5 since then. Wednesday night’s game was the final home game before they start a five-game road trip to accommodate the Big East men’s basketball tournament at MSG. For the Thunder, Wednesday night’s win was a rare victory over an elite opponent. OKC entered the game with a 4–8 record against the top seven teams in the NBA. The Thunder will have four games against the top three teams in the East over the final month of the season.
The best of Sports Illustrated
- The World Baseball Classic often struggled in its early iterations to draw the best U.S. players. Stephanie Apstein says that’s no longer the case.
- Everyone is rushing to save college sports. Bryan Fischer questions whether anyone knows exactly what they’re trying to save.
- Pat Forde reflects on the life of longtime football coach Lou Holtz, who died at 89.
- Forde goes inside how a small mid-major men’s college basketball team forged a perfect season.
- The Chiefs need to rebuild their offense, and trading Trent McDuffie was the first step. Now the rest is up to GM Brett Veach and coach Andy Reid, writes Matt Verderame.
- Gilberto Manzano recommends one free agent to target for each of the 32 NFL teams.
- From Rico Dowdle to Geno Smith, Manzano also runs down the hits and misses from last offseason’s free agency.
The top five…
… things I saw last night:
5. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s enormous coat that made him look like a teddy bear. (It was way too warm to wear something like that in New York yesterday.)
4. The wild brawl between South Alabama and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt women’s basketball tournament.
3. A nasty between-the-legs goal in the Minnesota state hockey tournament.
2. Travis Bazzana’s home run for Australia to provide an insurance run in a win over Chinese Taipei. Bazzana, who was born and raised in the Sydney suburbs, was selected by the Guardians with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.
1. The reaction after Isaac Gard, the son of Wisconsin coach Greg Gard, hit a three-pointer on senior night.