Good morning. Let’s baskeball for real.

Good morning. Let’s basketball. Like actual, real NBA basketball. Let. Us. BASKETBALL.

ALL HAIL POP: I wrote about the ascension of Gregg Popovich as the unanimous gold standard NBA coach despite his rough-hewn personality and numerous quirks.

PREDICTION TIME! A bunch of us editors and writers at the mothership predicted the season to come. I have the Cavaliers beating the Thunder in an epic finals series, and Kevin Durant winning his second MVP after marching Oklahoma City to 60-plus wins. Most of us do not have the Warriors repeating, for what it’s worth. All of us have the Cavs in the finals.

NEW ADS: The NBA’s marketing slogan this season is “This is why we play.” They rolled out three ads around that on Monday, titled “Anthem,“ “Anticipation” and “Joy.“

YES! The Lakers kept Metta World Peace.

MAS RICK: The Mavericks are negotiating a five-year extension with Rick Carlisle, says Stein.

NOTED: The Hornets took a metric ton of threes in the preseason. Will it carry over? Can they make them?

I LIKE THIS: Kobe’s team lost a scrimmage at practice on Sunday. An opposing player talked trash. Kobe went nuts in the next scrimmage. Lesson learned. So if nothing else, Kobe can at least dominate when playing against Lakers in practice, if not any other team in the league.

A DIFFERENT BRAND OF REHABILITATION: Sam Amick on the Warriors’ staff playing against inmates at San Quentin, a max security prison across the bay from Oakland.

MORNING TIP: David Aldridge leads with the 24 things he’s most looking forward to.

DOPE: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, a Nets rookie, bought his mom a house.

SPEAKING OF GIFTS ... Derrick Rose apparently bought Jimmy Butler a really nice watch. BEEF OVER!

INTERESTING: A graphic novel from ESPN on how LeBron is building his empire in Cleveland.

RETURN OF SAGER: Richard Deitsch talks to Craig Sager about his TV comeback.

MELO ON NEW YORK: On his VICE show Stay Melo, Carmelo Anthony opens up about how tough it can be to wake up in New York every day. Specifically, he says: “New York is the greatest city on the planet, I think. But you’re not a New Yorker if you don’t wake up some days and be like ‘man, f--k this place.’” I really enjoy Melo. Have I mentioned that lately?

ENDING INJURIES: Lakers trainer Gary Vitti is at the forefront of trying to reduce the impact of injuries on the NBA. On that subject, here’s a great Wall Street Journal piece by Ben Cohen on the NBA’s collective realization that injuries decide so much of what happens in June.

MYTH OF THE MYTH OF THE HOT HAND: So, it turns out the famous study that supposedly killed the myth of the hot hand might have actually proved the existence of the hot hand. Good summary of what’s going on in this increasingly confusing realm from Jordan Ellenberg.

THE HAIRENING: Steven Adams’ media mug shot features more hair every year, will eventually display a Yeti.

TONIGHT! TNT double-header starting at 8 p.m. ET: the Cavs at Chicago and the Pelicans at Warriors. Plus Hawks-Pistons on League Pass.

My dear friends, please find happiness and fun in the NBA this season, even if you root for the Lakers. Be kind to one another and yourself. We’re all stuck on this rock together, so let’s make the most of it. And, of course, let’s basketball, y’all. See you Wednesday.