Good morning. It’s difficult to overstate just how wonderful the Warriors have been this season. On Wednesday, Golden State went on a 17-3 run in the fourth to blaze out a win over the Rockets. Harrison Barnes had 20 points, for crying out loud! The Warriors have won 14 straight and sit at a league-best 19-2. The asterisk here is that Golden State has played the league’s third easiest schedule to date; that will change over time as they play more West elites like Houston. But nothing the Warriors have actually done has been anything less than incredibly impressive. They’re winning by an average of 11 points per game, and throwing several unstoppable units at opponents. They are beyond real. I dare say -- and with all apologies to Iggy -- that they are the realest.
Good morning. The Warriors are completely unstoppable.
That and much more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter. You can subscribe to receive Good Morning It’s Basketball in your inbox every weekday morning.
Let’s basketball.
THE REST OF THE LEAGUE IN 14 WINKS: The Spurs sat Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili ... and beat the Knicks (without Carmelo) by 14. The Wizards beat the Magic on a inbounds lob with 0.8 seconds left. The Hawks have won eight straight and are quietly (silently?) a half-game back for No. 1 in the East. (!!!) Rajon Rondo casually elbowed Lance Stephenson in the head and I don’t think anyone in America is all that broken up about it. Nets rookie Cory Jefferson shot perhaps the worst three of the season. The Nets also lost by 25 to the Bulls. The Wolves stunned the Blazers. The Nuggets crushed the Heat. Dallas still has too much Monta.
NEED MORE? We have recaps for every game at our NBA Scores hub.
ON WALL: Colin Cowherd finally walked back some of his gross statements about John Wall ... four years too late. And in doing so Cowherd said Wall had changed (he hasn’t) and attempted to say people who play defense by definition have good character (they don’t). I responded to all of that in The Hook.
THE WEST IS SO DEEP: Ryan Nanni explains just how deep.
PRADA’S NOTEBOOK: You should bookmark or Facebook like Prada’s Notebrook StoryStream. He updates it with short play breakdowns and whatnot as he’s watching games. So much good stuff. (If you Facebook like it, you’ll get the posts in your News Feed.)
WE HAVE A TRADE: Andrei Kirilenko, possibly Jorge Guiterrez, a 2020 second-rounder and the right to swap 2018 seconds to the Sixers for the unguaranteed contract of Brandon Davies. The Nets save an estimated $12 million in luxury tax and salary. The Sixers get a veteran who probably will never suit up because Sixers. Woj reports he could become a free agent.
RIP TOILET BOWL: The Warriors redesigned their future arena so it no longer looks like San Francisco’s Giant Toilet.
CLARITY: Dwight Howard talks at length about his nasty little knee injury. He’s trying to return Saturday.
REMEMBER THE TITANIC: netw3rk on the last decade of the Atlantic Division.
TWISTIN’ THE NIGHT AWAY: Sam Cooke died 50 years ago. This is a nice remembrance of one of the more important creative artists in the nation’s history.
Happy Thursday. See you next time.
