Draymond Green wants to ‘annihilate’ the Cavaliers

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

NOW WE’VE GOT BAD BLOOD: David Aldridge interviewed Draymond Green about the Warriors’ new look, the Ethan Strauss story and more. But the best part is when Draymond discusses what happens if the Warriors meet the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals again: “And then, if Cleveland comes out of the East, I want to destroy Cleveland. No ifs, ands and buts about it. But I also know that there’s steps to get to that point. And if and when we get to that point, I want to annihilate them.” Points for being real, but I’m not entirely sure this is productive. Feels awfully Count of Monte Cristo to me.

I WONDER WHY? The best reminders that the Warriors blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals from LeBron’s annual Halloween party.

MONEY GALORE: A bunch of high-end youngsters signed Early Bird extensions on Monday just before the deadline. The Thunder locked up both Steven Adams (four years, $100 million) and Victor Oladipo (four years, $84 million). The Jazz locked up Rudy Gobert for four years, $100 million. The Wolves gave Gorgui Dieng four years and $64 million. The Hornets convinced Cody Zeller to take four years and $56 million. And thaaat’s it. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Otto Porter, Nerlens Noel, and Alex Len will be restricted free agents next summer.

THE SAD FATE OF THE PELICANS: I wrote about the short-term future of Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, who seem destined for sadness due to bad luck and bad team decisions.

GAME BLOUSES: Paul Pierce is injured, so he wore his Rick James costume on the bench, and the league isn’t going to say a damn thing about it (because it probably meets the dress code).

SCORES GALORE ...

Nuggets 102, Raptors 105
Bulls 118, Nets 88
Kings 95, Hawks 106
Suns 98, Clippers 116

NO DRAGONS AFTER ALL, I GUESS: What to expect from young Dragan Bender in Phoenix.

SHARING IS CARING: The undefeated Bulls are doing a marvelous job sharing the ball, especially on this transition play. Hey, the Bulls! How y’all doing this?

GAME BLOUSES II: Who wants a $1,600 cashmere NBA sweater?

THE NEXT PASS: Nice Justin Tinsley piece on how retired NBA vets are involved in the marijuana legalization business.

THE HORSE RACE: Kevin Pelton’s look at the MVP race is very good.

A FARCE: Joe Nocera of the New York Times on how a new Showtime documentary on Ben Simmons shows what a farce the one-and-done system is.

SO GOOD: The best costumes from LeBron’s annual Halloween party.

ROLLIN’: Sam Amick on how the Spurs are blitzing opponents.

THE NETS, LIVE FROM HELL.

REGRETS, I HAVE A FEW: Mike Conley waxing on Greg Oden’s potential and future.

SURE: Metta World Peace claims a ghost touched him inappropriately at the haunted OKC hotel teams still book for unknown reasons.

ACCURATE: The Lion King Cam is the best reason to go to a basketball game.

Happy Tuesday. Pray for Paris, pray for the parents. See you next time.