Soko also selects LeBron James and Luka Doncic's triple-double duel and the Houston Rockets' loss to the San Antonio Spurs following James Harden's 'phantom dunk'
Wednesday 8 April 2020 14:23, UK
Sky Sports NBA analyst Ovie Soko picks his top three games of the 2019-20 NBA season, with the Boston Celtics' double-overtime win over the LA Clippers topping his list.
LA Clippers 133-141 Boston Celtics (2OT), February 13, 2020
The game was something of a 'coming out' party for my man Jayson Tatum. He had a massive game (39 points), topping it off with some big shots late on in regulation in the two overtime periods.
What a performance! This was a game between two of the premier teams in the league, a match-up we thought we possibly might get to see in the Finals, and we got a little preview of what a series like that could give us.
It was a huge night for Tatum. Having a game like that on national TV across the US when everyone is watching, there are pressures that come with that. It was great to see him deal with that and make that game part of his NBA story.
I think Tatum's performance may prove to be a big turning point for him. After his rookie season (2017-18), people expected to see him take some huge strides last season but it didn't happen for him. To come out this season and put on performances like this one, it has done wonders for his confidence. He is really starting to know that he is up there with the top guys in the league.
The next step for the Celtics is for Tatum to assert himself as their No 1 offensive option. We were seeing that start to happen before our eyes, especially in February and in March, before the season came to a stop. These type of performances from Tatum were happening more frequently, he was stringing a few of them together.
Now, when the games resume, the question is can Tatum sustain this? Can he keep this up? That is what it comes down to. The big dogs, they don't do it once, they do it night in and night out.
Los Angeles Lakers 119-110 Dallas Mavericks (OT), November 1, 2019
The Lakers' first meeting with the Mavericks this season gave us a terrific duel between Luka Doncic and LeBron James. Their individual duel, and the fact there was so much talent on the floor, made the game feel like a generational battle.
Watching it play out, with Luka and LeBron both putting up triple-doubles in a game with such a high level of play, was just huge.
We look back at NBA history and pick out those moments where great players 'passed the baton' to the next generation, like the games Michael Jordan had with Kobe Bryant. We always remember those games. For me, this game, with Doncic and James firing on all cylinders, it felt like we were witnessing our generation's version of that.
The LeBron-Luka duel was real master vs student stuff. And we saw that LeBron is not ready to move aside any time soon. Whenever you are able to witness these types of battles, it's something really special. Both players were eye-popping in this game.
With LeBron, I don't think we have ever seen play of this quality from a player this late in his career. He is our generation's version of 'MJ'. LeBron is what you get when you combine an elite-level skillset with technology, to a certain degree. And it makes you wonder what more Jordan could have been like late on in his career if he had access to the technology LeBron uses to help him sustain his level of excellence.
Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs (2OT), December 2, 2019
This game was a bit of a spectacle, to say the least! The theatrics that followed James Harden's 'phantom dunk' - two points that ended up being pointless - with the referees left confused, the Rockets furious, the Spurs coming back from 16 points down to force overtime then win the game… I don't think we had ever seen anything like that before.
After all that, the Rockets protested the result and asked for the game to be replayed. Then commissioner Adam Silver had to step in to settle the matter
The NBA have ruled parts of games to be replayed before. In 2008, the Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks replayed the final 51.9 seconds of a game because the official scorer incorrectly ruled Shaquille O'Neal had fouled out. But the Rockets-Spurs situation was way more dramatic. We are used to seeing late comebacks in the NBA and this one was about as interesting a comeback you could see.
This game showed us the best and the worst of the Rockets. For parts of the game, we saw how good they can be, Harden scored 50 points! But the way they reacted after Harden's dunk was ruled out, that showed their immature side. They were up big by 16 points with seven minutes left and end up losing a game they should have easily closed out.
The Spurs haven't had a great year but I feel they have a couple of rough diamonds on their roster. We saw that with Derrick White last season. We have seen flashes from their young players at different times. In this game, Lonnie Walker showed what he can do with 18 points in the fourth quarter to force OT.
