Season 2, Episode 10- Gaudium Mundo (Joy to the World)

In this week's Christmas-edition episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," I discuss:

Highlight: Boston Celtics
Lowlight: Charlotte Hornets
Random Stat: Victor Wembanyama nearly had a triple-double in points, rebounds, and blocks against Portland
Game of the Week: The NBA's quintuple header on Christmas Day
San Antonio Spurs @ New York Knicks
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks
Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics
L.A. Lakers @ Golden State Warriors
Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns

"Joy to the World" by HygienikStudios credit:
https://pixabay.com/music/christmas-joy-to-the-worldlofi-christmas-chillhop-128661/

"Aurora" interlude music written by Jeff Kaale
https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aurora
License code: HJ6W88QKKUB00FNS

Intro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, Dec. 23, 2024

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:01 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 6:32 Highlight
• 8:20 Lowlight
• 10:35 Random Stat
• 12:29 Game of the Week
• 14:17 Conclusion

Transcript

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #45 of “Diehlman at Halftime,” the NBA podcast that tops all others! I’m your host, Larry Diehlman. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome abroad. And if you’ve been a loyal listener, welcome back! We have much to get to today and not a lot of time to do it. We have five sections that we’ll get into: a general overview of the NBA this week, and our usual “Highlight, Lowlight, Random Stat, and Game of the Week.”

Overview of the NBA this Week: Another NBA in-season tournament has come and gone. The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 97-81 on Tuesday to claim the second-annual NBA Cup. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with a triple-double of 26 points, 18 rebounds, and 10 assists. And one man who keeps on winning in the in-season tournament: Darvin Ham. Ham was the Lakers head coach last year when L.A. won the inaugural NBA Cup. He’s currently an assistant in Milwaukee, and he sports a 14-0 record in the tournament’s first two seasons! My original prediction was Rockets over Knicks 112-110. Oklahoma City knocked out Houston in the Semifinals. Atlanta bounced New York in the Quarterfinals. Yikes, I wasn’t even close!

The Philadelphia 76ers are one step closer to receiving their new arena. On Thursday, Philadelphia city council approved the project 12-5. The arena, called 76 Place at Market East, would be located between Market Street and Philadelphia’s Fashion District. The plan is to have it open for the 2031-32 season. What makes this $1.3 billion, yes billion, plan interesting is that it would be privately funded, with Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment and real-estate developer David Adelman leading the way. The proposed arena has been controversial to say the least, particularly from Chinatown. Parts of the Fashion District and Chinatown would have to be demolished, and game day traffic would be a major issue. However, Philadelphia mayor Cherelle Parker called this a “historic game-changing economic development project.”

Finally, longtime NBA broadcaster and head coach Hubie Brown will call his final game on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in Milwaukee. The Bucks will host the 76ers. It’s ironic because the 91-year-old began his NBA coaching career in Milwaukee in 1972. Brown’s accolades are impressive. He’s in three Hall of Fames: the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor (class of 2005), the College Basketball Hall of Fame (class of 2006), and the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame as a broadcaster (class of 2022). He won Coach of the Year in 1978 and 2004. In 1994 and 1999, Brown was nominated for a Sports Emmy. And he was awarded the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Brown was the head coach of the Hawks, Knicks, and Grizzlies. He has been with ESPN since 2004.

This episode is entitled "Gaudium Mundo (Joy to the World)."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: At Christmastime, it’s better to give than to receive. Yeah, the Boston Celtics are giving the rest of the NBA nightmares. Boston is 22-6 and second in the Eastern Conference behind Cleveland. With the group Boston has, they’re a matchup problem for anyone that stands in their way. It starts with the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Tatum leads Boston with averages of 28.8 points, and career-highs of 9.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per night. Brown gives them 23.4 points, a career-high 4.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game (which is tied for his career-high). Tatum and Brown are one of the best, if not the best, wing pair in the association. Then, the Celtics have great big men in Kristaps Porziņģis and 38-year-old Al Horford. Oh, don’t forget guards Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, and Payton “Half-Court-Shot” Pritchard. Most of Boston’s core is secured contract-wise until the 2027-28 season. The front office did their job. The team did their job last year by hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. Basically, the Celtics are locked in for the foreseeable future. Boston should be penciled in for at least the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s only December, but back-to-back titles doesn’t seem too far-fetched. Their next game is tonight, Monday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. They will be in Orlando to face the Magic.

Lowlight: As we just mentioned, at Christmastime, it’s better to give than to receive. For the Charlotte Hornets, they’re hoping to receive a good draft pick in the spring. The Hornets are 7-21, 13th in the East, and on a four-game losing streak. You might remember from my power rankings predictions in the season opener that I predicted Charlotte would be a team to watch out for, as in for the play-in tournament or playoffs. It seemed like a good pick at the time. However, LaMelo Ball is averaging a career-best 30.4 points, as well as 5.3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists per game. He’s putting up 6.5 more points per night than last year! Charlotte is attempting to build a contender around him and Brandon Miller, who was drafted in 2023 right after Victor Wembanyama. He gives the Hornets 21.5 points per contest. Charlotte also has Miles Bridges, Josh Green, and Nick Richards. They made a great pick for their new head coach in former Boston Celtics assistant coach Charles Lee. Lee was with the championship team last season, so we’ll see if he can impart some wisdom on the young Hornets. But, they also got clowned on social media the other day for something unrelated to the team’s performance. Hornets, Hornets, Hornets. Their next game is tonight, Monday, Dec. 23 at 7 p.m. They will host the Houston Rockets.

Random Stat: When athletes develop over time, especially when they’re young, it’s a sight to behold. San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama nearly had a triple-double in San Antonio’s 114-94 win against Portland on Saturday. He had 30 points, seven rebounds, and 10 blocks! Wembanyama joins a group of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Artis Gilmore, Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson, and Dwight Howard as the only players to have a 30-10 game. He’s also the youngest player in NBA history with multiple games with 10+ blocks (remember, he’ll be 21 on Jan. 4). When Wembanyama entered the draft in 2023, everyone was excited to see his skillset on American soil. After all, he was one of the most hyped-up draft prospects in NBA history behind LeBron James. When he was drafted to the Spurs, we knew it was a wrap. San Antonio has had plenty of success under Gregg Popovich in wins, championships, and player development. Wembanyama would be, and has been, no different. The Le Chesnay, France native led the league in blocks last year with 3.6 per game…as a rookie! Wembanyama is doing it again this year with 3.8 per game. Although the Spurs aren’t in a prime position to make deep playoff runs at the moment, it’ll come soon enough. Wembanyama will make sure of it.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” the NBA is dishing out a five-course meal: the Christmas Day slate. Christmas Day is on Wednesday, Dec. 25, and these matchups shouldn’t disappoint. First up is San Antonio Spurs @ New York Knicks at 12 p.m., followed by Minnesota Timberwolves @ Dallas Mavericks at 2:30 p.m., Philadelphia 76ers @ Boston Celtics at 5 p.m., L.A. Lakers @ Golden State Warriors at 8 p.m., and Denver Nuggets @ Phoenix Suns at 10:30 p.m. We kick off our quintuple header with Victor Wembanyama at Madison Square Garden at 12 p.m. sharp. I’ll take the Knicks 125-110. Then, it’ll be a Timberwolves-Mavericks showdown in Dallas. Luka Dončić against Anthony Edwards? Yes, please. Give me the Mavericks 117-112. Up next will involve classic rivalries being renewed with the Celtics hosting the 76ers. With the 76ers season on life support, I’ll favor Boston 129-115. After that, we have Lakers @ Warriors. You can’t go wrong with LeBron James and Anthony Davis vs. Steph Curry. I’ll side with Golden State 114-108. And to conclude the evening, we have Nuggets vs. Suns from Phoenix. The Suns’ big three vs. Nikola Jokić should be a treat. I’ll pick Phoenix 120-116.

Conclusion: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on social media. I have two X (or Twitter) accounts and two Instagram accounts. The podcast accounts are under @Diehlman_NBA for both X and Instagram. My personal X account is @LarryDiehlman18, and my personal Instagram is @mr_sports18. They’re also in the description on Buzzsprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” I'd like to wish all my listeners a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and a Happy New Year. I'll wish you a Happy New Year next week too, but it's never too early. I'm thankful for you all for listening to my podcast week in and week out. See you next time, fellow hoops fans, and Merry Christmas!