Friday, Jan 25th, 2019

An NBA-obsessed newsletter for the info-craved basketball mind. Did a friend forward you this newsletter? Sign yourself up here.

Written while listening to NAS' It Ain't Hard to Tell

Harden is à la mode

James Harden didn’t play last night, which means the league’s other simpletons were forced to trudge on without him. And so we were forced to settle for Steph Curry’s Thursday-night high of 38 points. And for Russell Westbrook’s 23-point triple-double.There was no 61-point explosion, like the one we witnessed from Harden on Wednesday night against the Knicks, a game that boosted his per game scoring to 36.3, a number that, if it stands, would be only behind one-namers like Wilt and Mike on the single-season scoring list.As an NBA fan, you can only hope to be around for a special moment like this before it crystallizes, so you can claim importance by association, and so you can fire off an I watched James Harden boomerang at your nephews in 15 years, the same way your grandfather talked about the sprinkler that took out Mickey Mantle, the same way every dude from Boston older than 40 talks about “Magic vs. Buhd.”When greatness is happening, in any sport at any level, you should just watch. And, hey! the Rockets are on ESPN tonight at 8 p.m. against the Raptors. He might get 70. Who knows.So, go ahead and watch the way Harden contorts his body and baits mortals into fouling him, and how he sautes at the 3-point line for 20 seconds then drives and dunks in two seconds.You should do that, really. You should not listen to shriveled grapes like Colin Cowherd, who are too deep in their own thought cave to realize sports aren’t about being a duplicitous antagonist.Sports are about caring that a dude is averaging 43 points per game over his last 21 games, a span in which the Rockets are 16-5.[READ: Let us step back and appreciate James Harden]

OH, FUCK THIS

*shuffles papers**apologies for profanity*Victor Oladipo is out for the season after suffering a ruptured quad tendon on Wednesday night, toppling a quietly very fun season for the Indiana Pacers, who are third in the Eastern Conference at 32-15. 

Your 2018-19 All-Star starting lineups, released yesterday

Eastern Conference: Giannis Antetokounmpo (captain)Kawhi LeonardJoel EmbiidKyrie IrvingKemba WalkerWestern Conference: LeBron James (captain)Kevin DurantPaul GeorgeSteph CurryJames Harden[READ: Five takeaways from the 2019 NBA All-Star starters announcement]

Tommy Heinsohn’s accomplishments, ranked

11. Making the Hall of Fame as a player10. Making the Hall of Fame as a coach9. Helping to form the NBA Players Association, a fundamental institution in the 1960s which helped shift power from owners to players, making way for necessities like pensions, health insurance, and anti-discrimination laws8. Renting an apartment to one of my neighbors growing up7. Earning the nickname Tommy Gun ("Sure, he takes a few bad shots now and then” -- Bob Cousy)6. Winning eight titles in nine seasons as a player and two as a coach5. Calling Kyrie Irving fat4. Saying, of Aron Baynes, after a quick peek in the shower, “He looks like all of Australia!”3. “That is bogus!!!!!”2. Doubling as a chimney during his playing days and having the "oldest 27-year-old body in the history of sports"1. Painting this very nice watercolor painting (Tommy is an experienced artist)

  Quick Hits

• It took three games for DeMarcus Cousins to get his first T with the Warriors. It came last night against the Wizards.

• A wholesome moment shared between Steph Curry and a fan.

• Steven Adams can do a lot of things well. Euro-stepping is not one of them.

• Why does everyone love Inside the NBA? Moments like this.  

• Why didn’t Chuck get a farewell tour? Kenny: “We didn't know he was on a farewell tour. We just thought he was playing bad.”

• Kawhi Leonard dropped $13.3 million on a new house in Los Angeles.

• Russell Westbrook’s block-layup sequence from last night is a reminder of greatness.

• LeBron’s groin injury has gone from day-to-day to missing the last 15 games, a stretch in which the Lakers are 5-10.

• Deadspin collected every NBA player who got exactly one All-Star vote from their peers.

• After his 61-point performance, James Harden has now scored 263 unassisted points.

• Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn's sharpshooting sixth man, is out for at least 4 to 6 weeks with torn ligaments in his thumb.

 Concrete Reads

• How Jamal Murray was raised to be a star [ESPN]

• Ja Morant, Murray State's high-flying star, is no longer college hoops' best kept secret [Sports Illustrated]

• The world according to Ray Ratto [The Ringer]

  Podcast Pick

Harden’s 82-point quest [The Ringer]

Best weekend games

Tonight, 1/25, ESPN

Saturday, 1/26, ESPNSunday, 1/27, ESPN