Good morning. Let’s basketball.
Pau Gasol swallowed LeBron’s hopes and dreams whole
Good morning. We have that and more in the inaugural NBA newsletter of the new season!
RIGHT IN THE KISSER: With the Bulls up two over the Cavaliers and less than five seconds left, Pau Gasol swatted away the tying LeBron layup attempt and we entered The Paulight Zone. [insert theme song here] Jimmy Butler disrupted the ensuing inbounds pass and Chicago went 1-0 in front of the Leader of the Free World, who showed up to take in the opener at United Center. What a game!
And don’t get it twisted: LeBron had a monster dunk early and tried to take a nap in the fourth quarter. He’s still got it.
WHAT A TIME TO BE A CHAMP: How fun are the Warriors? They sang “Big Rings” (a song by Drake and Future) as they received their championship jewelry. Andrew Bogut put his ring on his middle finger because Andrew Bogut. Stephen Curry scored 24 in the first quarter and 40 overall while sitting in the fourth! The Warriors beat a dilapidated Pelicans team, who put up a good fight nonetheless.
IN OTHER ACTION: Detroit got a big early quality win in Atlanta. Andre Drummond is a beast. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope might be poised to destroy everything.
TONIGHT: Lots more openers on deck with 28 teams in action. ESPN has a doubleheader with Spurs-Thunder (8 p.m. ET) and Wolves-Lakers (10:30 p.m. ET). League Pass has Cleveland-Memphis, Utah-Detroit, Washington-Orlando, Sacramento-Clippers, Indiana-Toronto and a couple other interesting matchups.
NO CHILL: Inside the NBA used an old Charles Barkley mug shot to make a joke. Nothing is off the table for Inside the NBA right now. Nothing.
THE BASKETBALL GODS SMILE: My old FreeDarko friends previewed every single NBA game to be played this season. Every single one.
A MOMENT FOR FLIP: To help honor the memory of Flip Saunders, a bunch of Basketball Twitter folks (myself included) will participate in a moment of silence at the start of the Timberwolves’ first game on Wednesday. The game will begin shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET. The plan is remain silent on Twitter from the opening tip until the Wolves score their first basket.
DID THE PRESEASON CHANGE OUR MINDS? Paul Flannery and I discussed what’s changed since we laid out our previews of all 30 teams. In short: we’re skeptical of some teams of which we’d been believers after seeing them in action.
I KNOW THE ANSWER: Are the Celtics really on the treadmill of mediocrity?
ALRIGHT: Nick Young dressed up as “God’s gift to women” for Halloween. Some of us don’t need a costume to prove that, Swaggy. [smooths eyebrows]
SMART! Three NBA franchisees -- Michael Jordan, Mark Cuban and Ted Leonsis -- have invested millions in a firm that’s poised to explode once the United States legalizes sports betting. Via REDEF.
TIERS: Zach Lowe present his league tiers. I hold that the Kings belong in a tier of their own.
NOT IN A HURRY-SON BARNES: The Warriors and Harrison Barnes have tabled extension discussions until the offseason. As such, Barnes will become a restricted free agent on July 1, 2016. He controls his own financial destiny, if nothing else. Sam Amick indicates the Warriors offered around four years, $65 million.
HUH: The 911 call from the John Henson incident sure suggests that the Bucks center’s belief he was racially profiled is accurate. The store staff told dispatch they didn’t believe Henson was a “legitimate customer.”
HOW TO STOP A TIDAL WAVE: Ethan Sherwood Strauss on how teams plan to slow the Warriors attack.
INTERESTING: The Lakers intend to convert Metta World Peace into a coach. You could really mess with people from 10 years ago by going back in time and telling them Ron Artest would be a champion, a key mental health advocate and a future coach.
Happy Wednesday. Happy Basketball Christmas. See you next time.
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