Omar Zahran

That has evolved to always having peanuts in our car to feed crows that we see when driving around. Idk why doing this makes me so happy, but it always does the trick for me.

That has continued to the present day. We have a couple of bird feeders in the backyard and I fill them up, and get a special joy in seeing a wide variety of birds flying in to have some seeds.

But she wasn't the best about filling the feeders with bird seed so that was something I took over. And there was something strangely rewarding about it, where certain birds would know when I would fill them up and would be there on a schedule everyday.

Something that I started doing a lot during lockdowns in the pandemic was bird feeding. I was in a really toxic relationship, and my former partner loved birds, so we had multiple feeders.

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Six games behind the Suns for the seven seed right now. Feels like an excellent opportunity for LAC to make up A LOT of ground in the standings considering the Suns injury situation

Mikal Bridges today had 25 points on efficient shooting and was excellent on defense with 5 steals. A lot has been made about Bridges as an acquisition, performances like these make him feel like he was worth the cost. This team is so different when he and Anunoby are dialed in like they were today.

Defense was incredible today, forcing 22 turnovers. The type of performance that shows you what this team is capable of when it's firing on all cylinders.

This was such a huge win for the Knicks. There have been doubts about the team's ability to compete with elite teams (mainly because of the struggles against the Pistons). And today they outplay a Spurs team that won 11 in a row and had ample rest before this matchup.

I'll be 40 next year. The whole time I've been alive the US has been at war in the Middle East. Every single time it was a Republican president that was failing as a leader. We keep fucking doing this. And it ends up in people that look like me being bombed and killed. I'm so sick of this shit.

The Making of a Defensive Star: The Emergence of Ausar Thompson Often labeled the “other Thompson twin”, Ausar has emerged as a premier defender and a defining force behind Detroit’s revival

Read the full article here!

open.substack.com/pub/deepcove...

The Pistons are the best team in the East this season, and a big reason is their defense. At the heart of that is Ausar Thompson, a player who has often been overlooked in his young career, but who is emerging as one of the best defenders in the sport. Wrote more about Thompson in my latest below 👇

Its honestly such a shame that Collin Sexton has never been on a contending or playoff team 21-22 Cavs being the exception because he was injured). He's been a consistently excellent shooter and should be an ideal instant offense guy for a good team. Hope he gets a chance to prove that worth.

Any of my fellow sports writers out there that post a lot on Substack? Been thinking about a strong pivot back to that platform, would love to hear some feedback on your experiences!

Man those black pinstripe Bulls jerseys will always be amazing to me. Such a great jersey.

Has Adam Silver been too reactionary when it comes to tanking and as a commissioner in general? Tone from BME Pod joins me this week to discuss on Deep Cover.

In an effort to combat tanking, some people have suggested abolishing the draft entirely. Is it plausible or just a half-baked idea. We get into this and more tanking discussion on the latest episode of Deep Cover.

I really enjoy Ryan Rollins' game. Just always steady and seems to make the right decision time and time again. Made a lot of plays down the stretch for the Bucks tonight. A real shining light in what has been a disappointing Giannis drama-filled season for Milwaukee.

This was such a bad game for the Knicks. Terrible shooting night, unable to make the Cavs pay for blitzing Brunson. Gave up a ton of open looks in the corners on defense. And committed so many careless turnovers. Pretty much the only positive was Mitchell Robinson's rebounding. On to the next.

The issue of tanking has come up again, but is the outrage a function of timing in the sports calendar more than anything? Went long on NBA ranking in this week's episode of Deep Cover with Tone from the BME Pod.

This Team Will Drive Us Crazy. That Might Be Okay. In the age of social media, every loss feels like a disaster and every win an affirming triumph. This Knicks team asks us to think bigger, but can we?

Read the full piece here!

knicksfantv.beehiiv.com/p/this-team-...

In the age of social media and rapid reaction, what happens in the moment is always magnified. This years Knicks team has stated that it's eyes are on the long game, but is that something we can truly accept? More on the Knicks and our expectations as fans in my latest for Knicks Fan TV below 👇

The NBA’s Structure & the Inevitability of Tanking The league wants to end tanking, but its own structure makes it an impossible task

Read the full article here!

medium.com/@omarzahran/...

The NBA wants to solve tanking as teams have become more blatant in their methods of trying to lose games. But what isn't being acknowledged is that the NBA's very structure and culture of statistical optimization make teams tanking inevitable. Check out my latest on Medium below 👇

Tone from BME Pod joined me this week on the podcast and talked about his experience covering All-Star Weekend and an appreciation that he has for all the media availability that the players are obligated to fulfill.

Then on defense two blocks, basically taking away rim looks for a very excellent driving team. Wemby is already so composed, it's terrifying (for every other team).

Four possessions early in this fourth quarter where you saw why the Spurs will be such a problem in the playoffs. Wembanyama uses his offensive scoring gravity to set up an open layup for Castle and an open corner three for Vassell.

Feels like a hinge rotation that could either be wildly explored or be a huge bonus for unlocking as much rest as possible for Cade come playoff time.

Really interested by this lineup that the Pistons are using to close this third quarter. A lot of non-creators with Caris LaVert running the show. The offense looks horrendous but it is almost counteracted by the relentless hustle of this unit.

They probably want to squeeze out revenue if the Bears end up moving forward with the stadium in Indiana. Reminds me of when I lived in Detroit and they tried to keep the Palace of Auburn Hills into a concert venue after the Pistons moved to downtown Detroit

Just gotta embrace the chaos of them lol