Still thinking about Steph Curry’s shot? Samesies

Good morning. We have that and more in Monday’s NBA newsletter.

Feb 29, 2016, 1:04 PM UTC

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

MOOSE IN THE MIDDLE: Paul Flannery’s Sunday Shootaround looked at the curse of unmet expectations in Milwaukee, and how much of it centers on Greg Monroe. Very interesting read on an interesting topic. Plus: five free agents who will get paid, the best quotes of the week and more. Check it out.

SATURDAY MASS: Stephen Curry and the Warriors had the most Stephen Curry and the Warriors night imaginable on Saturday, beating the totally competitive Thunder on a 38-foot pull-up bomb from the Chef. I wrote about the game and the personality of this Golden State team.

THE OTHER SIDE: That game was one of the most entertaining in recent memory, because Kevin Durant was all the way there ... until he wasn’t. Zito Madu writes on how KD’s critical mistakes helped cost OKC the signature win.

RANKING ALL 12 THREES: Matt Moore ranked all of them.

HISTORY BOOKS: The game-winning bomb was Steph’s 12th of the game, which means he tied the record for most threes in a game. He also broke his own record for most threes in a season. It’s February.

ALL BUT FORGOTTEN: The heroic finish shrouded the fact that Draymond Green went on an expletive-filled rant in the Golden State locker room at halftime, apparently related to his lack of shots.

SCORES GALORE FROM SUNDAY ...

CLE 99, WAS 113
CHA 76, ATL 87
TOR 101, DET 114
POR 111, IND 102
PHI 116, ORL 130
MIN 101, DAL 128
MIA 98, NYK 81

MONDAY MORNING STANDINGS CHECK: Toronto had a chance to pull within one game of Cleveland for No. 1 in the East ... but couldn’t beat potential first-round opponent Detroit. Darn. (They did beat Cleveland in the best game of Kyle Lowry’s life on Friday. Helluva win.) Boston, Miami and Atlanta are 3-4-5 in the conference currently, and Chicago and Detroit are tied for No. 8 with Washington two games back. This race is going down to the wire with two teams finding themselves on the outside.

It’s a similar situation in the West, with one fewer team (Sacramento ain’t getting there). Dallas and Portland are tied for No. 6, and Houston has a half-game lead on Utah for No. 8. Also keep an eye on the 3-4 race, where the Clippers have closed to within 2.5 games of OKC.

BOOGIE BEANED CP3 WITH THE BALL AND IT WAS LEGAL AND A GOOD BASKETBALL PLAY.

THE BEST STORY IN THE NBA: It’s not Kobe or LeBron or the Warriors. It’s Jonathan Simmons. GREAT story by Jeff McDonald.

CORRECTING THE BIG O: Oscar Robertson, who is a legend and can say whatever he wants, downplayed the Warriors last week and said coaches aren’t doing things that could stop him, like picking him up higher and being physical. Here, Jesus Gomez shows that this is exactly what coaches have been doing to no avail.

HE THE NORTH: Nice Forbes piece on Dave Freeman, who heads up brand marketing for the Raptors and other Toronto teams. Via REDEF.

THE WARRIORS DON’T WANT TO SEE FAT JIMMY.

WHY? Tim Kawakami answers the question of why the Warriors get so much doubt and criticism.

THE OTHER PROBLEM WITH INTENTIONAL FOULING: It doesn’t really work!

BUYOUTS GALORE: Check in with the buyout market, which will come to a head on Monday. Andre Miller, Kris Humphries and Kevin Martin are the latest names out there.

GOOD DUNK: Dwight Powell can elevate, y’all.

EXPECTO PATRONUM: So Klay Thompson is a huge Harry Potter fan, and names The Prisoner of Azkaban as his favorite tome in the series. Nice choice, but not the nicest choice. Here are the official GMIB Harry Potter book rankings.

1. The Goblet of Fire
2. The Half-Blood Prince
3. The Prisoner of Azkaban
4. The Deathly Hallows
5. The Order of the Phoenix
6. The Sorcerer’s Stone
7. The Chamber of Secrets

BRAD STEVENS DUNKING.

ON THE AIR TONIGHT: Your NBA TV doubleheader features Pacers-Cavaliers (7 p.m. ET) and Thunder-Kings (10). The other game of note is Jazz-Celtics.

Happy Monday. Start that week off right, my friends. See you next time.

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