NBA HORSE Tournament Flopped, But It Was an Honest Attempt to Give Fans Something

We honestly have no idea when we will get real sports again. Until then, we'll have to settle for the kind of made-up sports we saw on Sunday. The Sunday that should have been a Masters Sunday didn't quite live up to its usual billing, but in the face of a global pandemic, it was a nice try by everyone involved.

The main event of the day was Tiger Woods and Jim Nantz talking their way through Tiger's 2019 Masters victory on CBS. The co-main event on ESPN was a group of current and former NBA and WNBA players streaming trick shots in their driveways. On a regular sports weekend, this stuff would be forgotten. This weekend, it should be appreciated. Not because it was all good, but because they are trying.

It's also like a very concentrated episode of Cribs. All these guys and ladies have very different set ups. Mike Conley has his own gym. Chauncey Billups has a full half court. Trae Young and Allie Quigley and Tamika Catchings all just have classic freestanding hoops in their driveways. Quigley doesn't even have a traditional paved driveway.

And then there's Paul Pierce in a puffy vest and air buds dealing with rain for maybe the first time in his life. How else do you explain a 6'7" former NBA player who is still only 42 not being able to get to the rim? It's not like this was without its moments.

The NBA has tried HORSE before. They did it for two years a decade ago. It had high production value. It had Kevin Durant. It's just not something that is made for television. But they were trying something back then and the NBA is trying something now. They're trying to reach out to fans and people in need of distraction. And it's for charity, and if someone does something for charity I've heard they are beyond reproach.

So, good for the NBA. To date they've had a video game tournament and they're putting people on television shooting actual basketballs. It is unreasonable to ask for more than that right now.