Classic card of the week

Latrell Sprewell, 1997 Upper Deck

When there’s a minute and 10 seconds left in the game, and you’re playing in a half-empty black-and-white arena against a team that refuses to wear numbers on the back of their jerseys, there’s few people in the NBA that you want with the ball in their hands more than Latrell Sprewell. To wit:

In a game vs. the Los Angeles Clippers, Sprewell became the difference in a 97-91 victory. With 1:10 on the clock in regulation, Sprewell shaked and baked his way to a three-point play and sealed the win at home.

Did Walt Frazier write this little tidbit? That will remain a mystery. And apparently in California, 1:10 left on the clock equals “crunch time,” regardless of the fact that those final 70 seconds probably took 23 minutes to play out. (Not mentioned is another “crunch time” play by Sprewell during this game, when he sank one of two free throws midway through the second quarter.)

When asked by a reporter after the game how he managed to be so clutch against the NBA’s elite Clippers, Sprewell stressed that he was only trying to feed his family, and if feeding his family meant draining jumpers over miscellaneous opponents with 1:10 left on the clock, then so be it. When the reporter asked if his family could eat the 20” spinning rims on the wheels of his Bentley, Sprewell choked him.

Did you know?
While it can often sound like a cliche, it nevertheless rings true: You don't want to barf on Latrell Sprewell's yacht.