Good morning, they found Roy Hibbert in that lake
The curse of Bynum is lifted! That plus a whole lot more in Thursday’s NBA newsletter.
Good morning. Let’s basketball.
REVENGE! Both series in action got evened up on Wednesday. The Pacers rebounded to get a close win over the Wizards at home. OKC lit the barn on fire and knocked the lights out to beat the Clippers.
Here’s our daily roundup, which includes pieces on the Curse of Bynum, the fishing salvation, Westbrook and more. If you need recaps, here’s Indy-Washington and here’s OKC-Clips.
FASHION CRIME: You wouldn’t even expect to say “hey I’ve seen that shirt” when referring to Russell Westbrook. But yup, Westbrook apparently borrowed a shirt from his friend James Harden. A very interesting shirt.
A BASKETBALL EXPLORER: Kevin Durant with a rather slick crossover-Eurostep combo that pretty much every 11-year-old on the planet will be attempting on the blacktop today.
BESTBROOK: The most entertaining player in the NBA.
TONIGHT: The home teams lead 1-0 in these series, each winning in a blowout on Tuesday.
Nets at Heat, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Blazers at Spurs, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
FREE LILLARD: Mike Prada writes about how the Spurs bottled up Damian Lillard in Game 1, and how Lillard can break free.
BE A RENTER: There is no safe coaching job in the NBA, as I laid out in Wednesday’s Hook. Only four current NBA coaches have been in their current position since before 2010. Jeff Hornacek, hired 11 months ago, is the longest tenured coach in the Pacific Division.
SALT MINE: Speaking of which, Mark Jackson has been incredibly salty since getting fired. His latest eyebrow-raiser/eye roller: “Unnamed sources can’t affect me any more.” Sigh ...
GOD’S ROLE: Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle wonders if religion played a role in Jackson’s dismissal.
KERR! Steve Kerr, who had a goofy GM tenure in Phoenix, has never coached at any level and has made some of the most questionable award votes as a media member, has interest from four of the six teams hiring a new head coach.
APPRECIATING DURANT: Neat Rob Mahoney piece on Kevin Durant’s rise.
THE CURSE OF BYNUM: Andrew Bynum leaves the Pacers, Roy Hibbert scores 28. And you don’t believe in the spirit world?
PRISON SPORTS: An ex-con’s guide to prison weightlifting. Prison yoga.
WHIMSY: The “If I Fought This Rapper, Would I Win?” Chart. I feel like J. Cole is getting a little too much credit here.
Happy Thursday. See you next time.
