Reinis Lacis's Basketball Blog

‘It Was a Circus’. Delving into the Mark Madsen Game

The Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes inspire to explore what some consider the most blatant one-game tank job in NBA history. Mark Madsen fires up 3-pointers as Minnesota moves up in the draft lottery.

December 1, 2022 · Leave a comment

Quiet. Tough. Best Shooter on The Team. Timberwolves Remember Gundars Vetra

13 games, 89 minutes, 45 points. Those are the superficial numbers from the season Gundars Vetra spent in the National Basketball Association (NBA). However, underneath those figures stories are to … Continue reading

November 25, 2020 · Leave a comment

Trail Blazers from the West in the Latvian Basketball League (Pt. 2)

The second installment on a series of oral histories about the first American basketball players in Latvia in the 1990’s.

April 29, 2020 · Leave a comment

Elvin Hayes (43pts) Battles Ray Williams (38pts) and Micheal Sugar Ray (17asts)

Footage of Elvin Hayes, Ray Williams, Micheal “Sugar” Ray Richardson and a couple of others having awesome performances in a fun Knicks-Bullets game.

April 13, 2020 · Leave a comment

Penny Hardaway Battles Injury for 29 Points Before Surgery (1996)

A few new videos… Here I come, armed with my 2020 biases and second-hand experience of stars sitting out games due to wear and tear. Yet I do think that … Continue reading

March 21, 2020 · Leave a comment

NBA Record – Toronto Raptors Block 23 Shots vs. Hawks

Another NBA record which seems shaky at the least when you take a closer look at the footage.

March 17, 2020 · 2 Comments

The Handle Podcast – Chuck Mencel: 01/30/19

Minnesota Golden Gophers legend Chuck Mencel came on the podcast to relive his life and career. Plenty of stories proved to be very insightful about the events from that time. From stories about George Mikan to an innovative shooting drill he created…

January 30, 2019 · 1 Comment

The Handle Podcast – Kerry Eggers: 12/28/18

We talk everything concerning the late 90’s, early 2000’s Portland Trail Blazers with Kerry Eggers, Portland Tribune’s journalist and author of “Jail Blazers: How the Portland Trail Blazers Became the Bad Boys of Basketball”. Topics include the research…

December 28, 2018 · Leave a comment

The Handle Podcast – Keith “Mister” Jennings: 11/30/18

East Tennessee State Buccaneers legend Keith “Mister” Jennings joined the program to talk about his almost 60-60-90 senior year, influence of Isiah Thomas and difficulties of making the NBA as a small guard. Having ultimately made the Golden State…

November 30, 2018 · Leave a comment

The Handle Podcast – Audie Norris: 09/28/18

There are so many ways I could introduce Audie Norris. European basketball star with Barcelona, former Portland Trail Blazer, global ambassador of the NBA, even a certified backboard breaker. We talked about everything. From coaching kids…

September 28, 2018 · Leave a comment