Welcome to Miguel’s Friday Thoughts! I have a couple of things to share today in this blog post. It all starts with the NBA.
Joel Embiid was magnificent last night against the Bucks. He continues to make his MVP case stronger. The Philadelphia Sixers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 123-120 on Thursday night. Khris Middleton missed a three-pointer at the final buzzer that would’ve sent the game to overtime. Embiid finished the game with 42 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists.
According to the Sixers Wire, many of his teammates praise James Harden’s leadership and support to the team. Harden seems to be uplifting his new teammates, being on the sideline with them, and just being an excellent overall teammate. However, I think it’s too early. We will have to see how James Harden will gel with Joel Embiid. I’m not in the locker rooms or anything like that, but James Harden has built himself a reputation for quitting on his team: Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets. We understand that the Sixers were his first choice before he landed in Brooklyn; we know that the situation with Kyrie and not getting vaccinated was not Harden’s fault. Still, I realized that Harden was not a true winner when he brushed off Chris Paul in the huddle during the 2019 playoffs. Chris Paul is one of the best leaders in the game. He’s a floor general, and he makes them BETTER for every team he goes to. Chris Paul tells you to like how it is. Harden didn’t realize how important Paul was to the Rockets. So when he couldn’t coexist with him, then that’s the moment where I started viewing him a little differently. James Harden is arguably the best one on one player that I’ve ever seen, a great scorer, and a future Hall of Famer; I don’t think that Harden is a championship-caliber player. He doesn’t take constructive criticism lightly. I would love to be proven wrong this year or next year. Harden would need to stay healthy and stay in shape.
James Harden has yet to take the court as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers as he is still dealing with a hamstring issue that bothered him towards the end of his time with the Brooklyn Nets.
During the Miami Heat-Charlotte Hornets game, Duncan Robinson reached an important milestone. In the fourth quarter, the made 3-pointer on Duncan Robinson’s four-point play was the 700th of his NBA career, making him the fastest player to reach that total in terms of games played. The game went to double overtime, and the Heat won, but congratulations to Duncan Robinson. He is such a valuable piece to their bench and one of the best shooters in the game right now.
Former NBC Sports NFL sideline reporter Michele Tafoya leaves the company to join as co-chair for Kendall Qualls’ Minnesota Republican gubernatorial campaign.
The five-time Sports Emmy Award winner is making a bold move to leave a high-profile job. I think it’s courageous on her part. It’s braver than Colin Kaepernick and Kyrie Irving. It also reminds me of Maya Moore. That’s how things should get done. If you want to take a stand on something, make all the sacrifices, put your career on hold, and do not complain about it. Michele knew the public would be critical for this, she knew what she was getting herself into, but she doesn’t care. She wants to be part of the change.
Michele has been one of my favorite sideline reporters for many years dating back to her ESPN and ABC Sports days. Tafoya is class personified. She will be missed. The sideline reporting won’t be the same, and it’s been fun to watch her work and professionalism for so many years.
