The music world lost one of its sweetest voices as it was announced that Christine McVie, of Fleetwood Mac, passed away at the age of 79.  It was not mentioned how she died, only that it was a brief battle.

McVie was born Christine Perfect, she married John McVie, the bassist of Fleetwood Mac and would join the band soon after.  After the addition of Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, the band released “Rumours” the album that catapulted them to the stratosphere, and yielded many hits, some which were written and sung by McVie.  The band continued to perform for decades, generating many more hits throughout the 1980s.  

Fleetwood Mac was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends and Family of Christine McVie.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NHL Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the second year that we have done this, and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid won the first one.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 40 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 40 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Auston Matthews, Edmonton Oilers 43 Points:  24 Games, 11 G, 15 A, 26 P, +7, 2.9 PS.

Matthews is the defending Hart winner but he is not on the PPG pace he was last year.  Still, he is Toronto’s best player and is leading the standings here, showing that he has not had to share Cup Points with his teammates as much as the player below. 

2. Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers, 42 Points:  22 Games, 17 G, 22 A, 39 P, +2, 4.4 PS.

Last year’s winner is chasing last year’s runner-up, with McDavid currently topping the NHL in Points (39) and Power Play Goals (9).  If he wins the Art Ross this year, it will be his fifth.

3 (Tie). David Pastrnak, Boston Bruins, 37 Points:  21 Games, 14 G, 18 A, 32 P, +10, 4.0 PS.

The Bruins are the NHL’s top team and Pastrnak is their top scorer.  He is currently fifth in Points.

3 (Tie). Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars, 37 Points:  23 Games, 19 G, 17 A, 37 P, +13, 5.1 PS.

Robertson is the current leader in Goals (19), Even Strength Goals (15), and is on pace to shatter last season’s 41-38-79 output.

5 (Tie). Nick Suzuki, Montreal Canadiens, 36 Points, 23 Points:  23 Games, 12 G, 12 A, 24 P, +3, 3.0 PS.

Although Suzuki is Montreal’s leading scorer, he is not in the top ten in any offensive statistic, but when the Habs win, chances are that Suzuki was the main reason.

5 (Tie). Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators, 36 Points:  21 Games, 9 G, 16 A, 25 P, -7, 2.4 PS.

Ottawa has been abysmal this year, but Tkachuk had taken his game to the next level and should finish the year with his best numbers by far.

7 (Tie). Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins, 35 Points:  16 Games, 13-1-0, 2.00 GAA, .935 Save Percentage, 3.9 PS.

Ullmark is the highest ranked Goalie, and he is the second Bruin in the top ten.  His ascendence to likely All-Star has been colossal for Boston’s rise to the top of the standings.

7 (Tie). Kirill Kaprizov, Minnesota Wild, 35 Points:  21 Games, 13 G, 14 A, 27 P, -6, 3.0 PS.

Kaprizov is easily Minnesota’s best player and if he stays healthy should have his second straight 100-Point year.

7 (Tie). Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils, 35 Points:  23 Games, 12 G, 14 A, 26 P, +10, 3.3 PS.

The Devils are surpassing everyone’s expectations with Hughes leading the way.  The 21-year-old Center will likely be named an All-Star this year.

7 (Tie). Erik Karlsson, San Jose Sharks, 35 Points:  24 Games, 11 G, 21 A, 32 P, -2, 4.7 PS.

Karlsson is the highest ranked Defenseman, and is currently the highest scoring blueliner in the NHL.

If you are a regular visitor at Notinhalloffame.com, you know that we created the Notinhalloffame NBA Cup, where in every regular season game, we award points (5-4-3-2-1) to the top five performers.  This is the third year that we have done this, and Denver’s Nikola Jokic won the first two.

To keep everyone regularly in the loop this time, we have decided to give regular updates, starting at when the first player cracked 80 Points, and tell all of you the top ten.  We will this going forward with every update as the first player breaches the elevated ten-point threshold afterward.

Here is the current top ten, based on the first player to breach 80 Notinhalloffame Cup Points:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets 82 Points:  22 Games, 30.0 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 26.6 PER, 3.5 WS.

Durant might play for the most dysfunctional team in the NBA, but the Nets struggles cannot be pinned on KD, who has been electric this year.  The last time Durant finished with 30 Points per Game was in 2013/14, and his 1.8 BPG is higher than any year-end total.  As of this writing, Durant has logged the most minutes (807), sunk the most Field Goals (233) and has the most Points (660).

2. Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors 80 Points:  19 Games, 31.4 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 7.1 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 29.1 PER, 3.6 WS.

The Warriors have disappointed this year, and are clearly aging, but that is not the case for Curry, who is leading the NBA in Win Shares, Offensive Win Shares (3.0) and Three-Point Field Goals (99).

3. Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks 78 Points:  18 Games, 33.1 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 8.4 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 31.0 PER, 3.6 WS.

Doncic is our first-quarter MVP, and the current leader in Points per Game, and is on pace for his first 30 PER/30 PPG year.

4 (Tie). Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics 77 Points:  20 Games, 30.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 4.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 26.6 PER, 3.3 WS.

Tatum continues to get better which should scare the hell out of anybody cheering against the Celtics.  He has never finished a season averaging over 30 Points per Game, but he is currently over that now.

4 (Tie). Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder 77 Points:  20 Games, 31.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 6.1 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 27.6 PER, 3.32 WS.

Gilgeous-Alexander is going to be an All-Star this year, and is shattering last year’s averages, which were already good.

6. Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies, 69 Points:  17 Games, 28.5 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 7.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 25.7 PER, 2.0 WS.

Morant is the face of the Grizzles, and he is posting similar numbers from last year, when he took Memphis to the next level.

7 (Tie). Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks, 67 Points:  20 Games, 30.9 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, 0.9 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 28.5 PER, 2.1 WS.

The two-time MVP missed a few Games, which dropped Antetokounmpo in the standings, but the Bucks are considered the top contenders to win it all this year.

7 (Tie). Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns, 67 Points:  20 Games, 27.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 5.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 22.4 PER, 2.3 WS.

Booker is on pace to have the highest PPG and PER of his career.

9. (Tie). Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers, 64 Points:  19 Games, 28.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 23.9 PER, 3.0 WS.

Mitchell’s numbers in his first year in Cleveland are higher than his last year in Utah, and it is reflecting in the Cavaliers overall performance.

9 (Tie). Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers, 64 Points:  17 Games, 26.2 PPG, 12.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 29.6 PER, 3.2 WS.

Davis has been on fire lately, though the same can’t be said about the rest of his team.  He is currently the league leader in Rebounds per Game.

The NBA 2022-23 pre-season tour kicked off in Japan last September, and the two games between the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards attracted a great deal of interest.

The matches attracted thousands to the Saitama Super Arena, and many paid top dollar to see their NBA idols in action, including Japanese star Rui Hachimura, who is into his fourth season at the Wizards. 

Japan is a country rooted in tradition, but in terms of the more youthful elements of society, the rise in many new markets, such as NBA and ポーカーゲーム(online casino), and in terms of the ongoing interest in the former, efforts are ongoing to expand the push to make NBA even more popular in the country.

Efforts to further develop the market will include more live action for fans to enjoy in their own backyards, with NBA Asia Managing Director Ramez Sheikh looking to build on the fanatical interest in the country by offering a closer connection to the league, stating the need to promote;

“Not just the NBA experience, the live NBA experience,”

“That’s what this (NBA Pre-Season In Japan) is all about,” 

“because half of the fandom in Japan especially is through events, through those experiences. And those experiences imprint and make a level of difference.” Sheikh added.

There is also a keen sense of a need to re-think the way live games are broadcast to the market, opening up to include more prominent alternatives as regards potential platforms; this was emphasized by Denver Nuggets fan Hiroaki Tanaka, who works in Tokyo and seemingly can’t get enough of the NBA saying it should be broadcast;

“not only on TV but also on YouTube and Tik Tok consistently.”

“People like me who are older than their 20s watch on TV, but younger ages won't watch shows on TV,” he said. “They watch on YouTube or Tik Tok or Instagram,” Tanaka commented.

The need to harness the popularity of the NBA with Japan’s youth is obvious, not least because they are a prized demographic for advertisers but also a group already very much invested in popular American culture. 

Warriors star Steph Curry commented on this need to make a connection with Japan’s youth as part of efforts to broaden the appeal of the NBA beyond the US borders;

“That’s what the game is about,” 

“Trying to build inspiration, confidence, fun for the next generation of kids that look up to us and love basketball, love sports.”

“Understanding what impact that can have on kids, who knows if they’re gonna pursue basketball at the highest level, but just the lesson that sports teaches you, the fact that basketball has brought such a diverse group together, and a global group together, that’s what it’s all about,”

The NBA has been broadcast in Japan for 34 years, and the popularity of the league continues to impress. However, it is worth noting that the country still lags behind the likes of China and the Philippines, where the game is truly massive, and this may well be the subject of any future targets the league looks to set in the country.