NBA Recap: History in Real Time

Hey hey! Ya boy—it me, ya boy—is back from the All-Star break with a recap of an outstanding recent stretch of basketball. Let’s highlight a couple things. But first, allow me to give a definition. If you’ve listened to The Till Show, you know this is important when I want to share a perspective.

A milestone is defined as, “A stone functioning as a milepost,” and, “A significant event or stage in the life, progress, development, or the like of a person, nation, etc.” Both of those definitions are relevant, as two of the best hoopers on the planet are crossing milestones in their careers.

Let’s begin in the NBA ranks, as LeBron James recently passed 40,000 career points. In a game against the Denver Nuggets, James made a left-handed layup to eclipse 40k, becoming the first player in Association history to do so. It’s another accomplishment for a player who already has a myriad of accomplishments on his NBA resume. And while there was no official stoppage of play like when he broke the all-time scoring record, fans in attendance gave LeBron an ovation during the next media timeout. Even for a living legend like LeBron, who has nearly everything a basketball player could ever wish for, he acknowledged just how, “cool,” it is to have any prestigious record.

In women’s college basketball, Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark became the all-time leading scorer in college basketball history. She surpassed LSU’s “Pistol” Pete Maravich on March 3rd against Ohio State and now has the most points in collegiate basketball, regardless of person. She has been one of the faces of college basketball since the turn of the decade and looks to be a leading figure of a new generation of women’s basketball.

The common thread between these two milestones is not just that both an NBA and college basketball who are megastars of their respective domains, but rather there seems to be a propensity for a good portion of the discussion to quickly towards what it means for the rest of time. Gotinstance, there was a lot of pageantry before the games. Stars and families were in attendance in both Los Angeles and Iowa City. All sorts of merchandise and items were made as memorabilia. In both places, it was clear we were on the cusp of witnessing a milestone of the highest sports importance. Both LeBron James and Caitlin Clark possess records that may not ever be broken again.

There have been and will be plenty of words dedicated to listing those achievements. But it seems that at times, we view those accomplishments as a more of a marker of what may lie ahead instead of all of what it took to reach the milestone. I’m guilty of this myself. My mind went to wondering how long Clark would have the college record. I understand how fun it is to project, but we must also remember to prioritize the present time. Our tomorrows will take care of themselves. All the time we have to exist in our todays are those days. We cannot go back in time once the time passes; why not embrace our truly historical moments a little longer. So instead, I would like to simply appreciate the moments for longer than a couple moments. We are standing in the pages of future textbooks as observers of the text being written. We are a part of the source material. We are living research data. Let’s acknowledge just got special the present is, too. It is our responsibility to make sure that the stones used to mark this part of the journey are given their proper reverence for being created.

Till Take Time!

This is usually the time where the contenders begin to separate themselves. As the playoffs grow closer, the focus heightens even more. The Denver Nuggets appear to be doing that. The team has not lost since the All-Star break. And while we bathe in the moment of LeBron reaching 40k, Denver did win that game.

Maybe the same can be true of the Milwaukee Bucks, who have won five in a row recently. Giannis Antetokounmpo says the secret had just been, “playing better.” But we just recognize that sometimes, it is difficult to adjust on the fly. A new coach and scheme during a season in which another superstar joined the team is a lot to overcome.

This following blurb should be more than a footnote or Till Take, but there was one of the most bizarre buzzer-beater shots in basketball history. I don’t think it will be talked about much because it wasn’t in the pro ranks or with anything significant on the line or involving a nationally followed player or team. However, please click this highlighted text of a full-court pass from Western Michigan’s Ja’Vaughn Hannah that bounces before reaching teammate Anthony Crump for the game-winning basket. It was truly something that deserves much more fanfare for just how absurdly remarkable that play was.

That’s it for this recap. Be back soon with the next one!