Tuesday, Jan 5th, 2021

  The Opening Tip

• A few places you can still watch the NBA for free on the internet. 

• Nikola Jokic continues to amaze us. 

• A quick Chris Paul appreciation post. 

• Did the movie “Soul” break the Knicks out of their decades-long slump?

Tonight's best games

 1. The Grip presents: The 2020-21 NBA season streaming guide 

NBA4free.com has fallen

As children of the LimeWire and YouTube to MP3 generation, we believe in one uncompromising liberty when it comes to basketball: That everyone should have free access to pirated NBA streams, because NBA League Pass is kind of expensive, and because everything -- including NBA games -- is better when stolen off the internet.Unfortunately, those post-capitalism execs over on Fifth Avenue don't think the same. Starting with the dearly-missed r/nbastreams a few years ago, the NBA has been syphoning off our precious online streams for years.With that said, we regret to inform you that two more reliable websites thriving as recently as October have been picked off as well: 

• nba4free.com (they were kind of asking for it with that name)

• nbastreams.xyz (same)

Alas, like Michael Scott’s paper companies, if tomorrow one live stream goes under, some hacker will just start another livestream, and another livestream. There is no shortage of website names.Here’s a short list we compiled of all the still-working streams (know of another? Share here): 

• buffstream.io

• 6stream.xyz

• nbabite.com

Sure, you might have to deal with the occasional solicitation from a few hot singles looking for fun in your area (they have other motives), but it beats spending your COVID check on League Pass.

 2. Daily gif: How did Nikola Jokic make this pass?  

This play, pointed out on Twitter by Mike Singer of the Denver Post, looks fairly mundane on first blush.But watch it a few times: Nikola Jokic’s eyes are transfixed on the opposite end of the floor until the moment he fires a perfect crosscourt bullet pass without knowing exactly where his teammate is.He was either trying to trick Minnesota’s defense (wouldn’t be the first time), or he counted five Timberwolves in his periphery and made a quick calculation. Remarkable nonetheless.Also: Jokic’s stats through six games remain preposterous: 22.3 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 12.8 APG, 61.7 percent shooting, 43.8 percent from 3, 29.6 PER.

3. Trivia time

Who holds the all-time record for career 3-point percentage?Hint: Currently a head coach.Answer at the bottom.

 4. Chris Paul is the ultimate team improver, Steph Curry’s “legacy,” and other thoughts 

1. Chris Paul was traded to the Suns this offseason, which, of course, means the Suns (5-2) are markedly better and likely in line for a playoff berth.LeBron is the ultimate floor rasier, but Paul isn’t far behind. Whether New Orleans, L.A., Houston, OKC, or Phoenix, he’s made every team he’s been on markedly better, and he hasn’t missed the playoffs since the 2009-10 season. Ring or not, he’s an all-time great who makes the league more fun.2. The Warriors had a rough first five games of the season, which led to is Steve Kerr a good coach?, which led to is Steph Curry overrated?, which culminated in, for some reason, Channing Frye alluding to the idea that a two-time MVP and three-time champ in Curry has something left to prove. 

• Curry, in response, has scored 92 points over the last two games, including a career-high 62 against the Trail Blazers on Sunday. 

Curry could not score a single point in any game for the next five seasons, and he’d still be a first ballot Hall of Famer, the greatest shooter in NBA history, and a top 20 player all-time. He has nothing left to prove.3. The Pixar movie “Soul,” which included this great ribbing of the Knicks, came out on Christmas. Since then, the Knicks have gone 4-2 and own their first winning record (4-3) through seven games since 2012.We aren’t coming out and saying being made fun of in an animated movie was the Knicks’ final exorcism, but we’re open to the idea.4. The Nets, who were crowned the NBA champions after two games, have since gone 1-4 with losses to the Hornets, Hawks and Wizards. With Kevin Durant out the next week because of contract tracing, their record figures to take another hit in the short term.

 5. 01/05/1960, 1961, 1962 & 1963: Wilt drops 50 

On this day 60, 59, 58 and 57 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain scored 52 points, 56 points, 53 points, and 50 points, respectively.The fact that he happened to score 50-plus points on the same day four years in a row was no cosmic coincidence … It's because he was constantly scoring 50-plus points, especially in his earlier and more spry days.Here’s his 50-plus game counter for each of those four years:

• 1959-60: Five times.

• 1960-61: Eight times.

• 1961-62: 45 times(!). This was the year he scored 100 and averaged a round 50 per game. He also had a 78-point, 43-rebound, 63-minute game. Casual. 

• 1962-63: 30 times

For his career, Wilt went for 50 or more 118 times (MJ’s 31 is next), 60 or more 18 times (Kobe’s next with six), 70 or more six times, and, of course, 100 or more one time.He’s more myth than anything at this point, and many of his statistics have been explained away by the era, but no one else was averaging half-a-hundred in the ‘60s.

 6.  Quick hits 

• The Pelicans blew a six-point lead with 20 seconds left last night. Watch how it happened.

• Here’s a picture of Bill Russell blocking someone while jumping over another person.

• Want to watch Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving brick a game-winner each in the span of 10 seconds?

• Kelly Oubre update: He’s now shooting .067 percent (2-of-30) from deep.

 7.  Off the press 

• Paul Westphal succeeded as a player, a coach and a man [Arizona Republic]

• John Wall is once again a basketball player [Defector]