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🏀 The Lakers Collapse... AGAIN

🏀 The Lakers Collapse... AGAIN

December 14, 2022

Happy Humpday BTP family! Argentina is heading to the World Cup final for the first time since 2014! We get to figure out their opponent this afternoon as Morrocco and France battle it out for the second spot. We had a wild Tuesday night in the NBA that was filled with a fan ejection and an OT thriller! Also in unrelated news, is the end of TikTok here? We are going to break it all down in today's rendition of Beyond The Press!

Stay safe & healthy!

FAN ALTERCATION

Draymond Green Receives Death Threat From Fan

Draymond Green had a rough Tuesday night, and it wasn't just because he had a poor showing on the court. In the middle of the third quarter, after chirping back and forth with a fan, the fan reportedly threatened Green's life, who had no choice but to have him ejected.

During a stoppage in play, Green approached an official and told him that a fan said ”some threatening stuff to my life.” Green added: “When I told the official what he said, he's like 'He gotta get outta here.'"

Green has had plenty of contentious moments with NBA fans over the years and has never been shy about speaking his mind; earlier this month, Green was fined $25,000 after a verbal altercation with a fan in Dallas. But this kind of behavior from a fan is never ok, and unfortunately, it's becoming increasingly common.

A little over a year ago, LeBron James was forced to eject a pair of Indiana Pacers fans on their home court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse after repeatedly crossing the line with their obscene gestures and words.

LIFE CHANGING MOMENTS

A New Argentinian Superstar, Julian Alvarez, Emerges!

It’s impossible to overstate how much this World Cup means to Argentina and their captain, Lionel Messi. For as individually brilliant as Messi is, his legacy in professional football has always been dragged down by a lack of international success. At the club level, he’s done it all and more, from a record seven Ballon d'Or awards (think MVP but of all of football), four UEFA Champions League trophies, 10 La Liga titles, and seven Copa del Reys titles. But what he hadn’t done before winning the 2021 Copa América was winning big on the international stage. A World Cup victory is the last thing missing from his sensational resume, and he’s just one win away from achieving it.

But for as good as Messi has been, and he might just be having his best World Cup ever, the story of this semifinals match belongs to the 22-year-old Julian Alvarez. Julian Alvarez did it all in this game. First, he drew a penalty kick, which Messi converted for a 1-0 lead, then he scored a cheeky goal of his own five minutes later to take a commanding lead. Finally, in the 69th minute, Messi returned the favor from Alvarez’s penalty by feeding him a pass inside the box which Alvarez slammed home to put the final nail in Croatia’s coffin.

GAME OF THE YEAR?

Celtics Survive Unbelievable 32-5 Lakers Run

Lakers-Celtics games just never disappoint. The two long-standing rivals had a battle for the ages last night in a game that had everything from monster superstar performances to crazy-blown leads. Here’s what you missed.

The Celtics appeared to have iced the game early, going up 20 points in the third quarter, but the Lakers had other ideas. The Lakers proceeded to go on an all-time run, not only erasing the 20-point lead but going up as many as 13 points with 4:25 left in the game. Now it was Boston’s turn to get their act together, which they were able to do thanks in no small part to some missed free throws by AD with 28 seconds left in a 2-point game. After AD missed, Tatum tied the game with a clutch jumper en route to a 44-point night, and the game moved to OT.

Even though the Celtics blew the first lead, you can argue that the Lakers should have won. Between the missed free throws and failing to hold yet another lead in overtime, the Lakers had every chance to end it and just couldn’t. All of the stars played well too, AD finished with 37 points and 12 rebounds, James with 33 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists, and even Russ had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks. But in the end, there's a reason the Celtics are the defending Eastern Conference champions and the odds-on favorite to win this year.

TIKTOK BAN

The End of TikTok?

Republican Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday announced bipartisan legislation to ban the popular social media app TikTok in the United States. The U.S. fears that the app could be used to spy on Americans and censure content. You can read more on the matter HERE!