I'll just leave this here...

DO NOT ANGER LEBRON

 

 

 

Can you imagine seeing LeBron look at you like that on the basketball court while you're between him and the basket?  Jesus Christmas.  He's fun to watch when he realizes he can do anything he wants on the court and nobody can stop him.

Great Stats

Slow day up in da club, but here are a few nuggets to chew on.  They're wild, for different reasons. 

Up first:

 

Safe to say Bron might just be turning the corner on all the naysayers.  Small sample size, sure.  But completely absurd numbers.  Near impossible to play better basketball.

 

 

And then, in a tweet sure to drive Chuck to the brink of insanity...

Just something else to further the Westbrook/Durant cohabitation talk.  Regardless of how good Westbrook is, he should not be taking more shots per game than Durant.  Sure there will be nights RussRuss is the hot hand, but over a season?  Unacceptable.  It also speaks to the shooting efficiency of the OKC duo.  For example, last night in a loss to the Spurs, KSmoov shot 9/13, while RussRuss clocked in at 11/27.  TWICE AS MANY SHOTS?!  That just flat-out does not make sense.  That is the type of performance that can derail Title hopes in the postseason.  If the Thunder want any chance of even reaching the Finals, Ksmoov needs to be in the drivers seat, and Scott Brooks needs to make that clear.  But I don't know if a) he can muster the cajones to tell Russ that, and b) what kind of tantrum Russ would throw at hearing it.  Should OKC flame out before the Finals, there's going to be a lot of speculation about RussRuss, and whether the Harden trade was a move they'll live to regret.

All You Need to Know

BronBron puts the nail in the coffin of a 16-point comeback over the Knicks in MSG, making it 14 wins on the trot for the defending champs.  James posted a 29-11-7-3 line, with 12 points in the fourth quarter.  Also guarded Melo for the second half, holding him to 8 points on 3-11 shooting, and put up a huge block on Tyson Chandler.  Not much else you can say about the presumptive MVP.   

BronBron Done Did It Again

What more can you say?  Marquee matchup right before the All Star Break.  Finals rematch, with 2 of the 3 best records in the league.  Bron vs KSmoov.  And Bron steals the show yet again.  39 points, 12 boards, 7 assists, 2 steals.  Shot only 58%, missing out on continuing his 60% streak because he took a long 3 pointer with a minute left in the game as the shot clock wore down.  No way Durant would have taken that shot, lest his stats get affected. 

The Heat came out hard and put up a double-digit lead in the first quarter, stretching it to 23 points in the third.  Durant overcame a nasty fall and rough shooting start to finish with 40, and eventually (kind of) made a game of it in the 4th quarter, but no dice.  Every time the Thunder got close, LeBron answered.  Whether it was a long 3 right in Smoovs grill, dish to a teammate for a wide open 3, or throwing down a viscious dunk off the inbounds, Bron was all on his own tonight.  Completely owned the game, making it 6 straight wins vs Smoov and da fellas, dating back to those fateful summer nights in South Beach.  Miami has won 7 straight overall, and built a 4-game cushion over NY at the top of the East. 

I was really hoping Durant would win the MVP this year, partially because I like him and he completely deserves it, and partially so people would be off LeBron's back a bit.  But right now, unfortunately for Smoov, I don't know how you'd pick anyone but Bron.  You never know, but this could become the usual.

Ho Hum, Just Another Night for Bron

As BronBron led the Heat to their 6th straight win, he coincidentally set an NBA record by scoring 30+ points on 60%+ shooting in his 6th straight game.  He is 60 for his last 80 shot attempts (75%).  Just let that sink in for a bit.  Going to be hard to deny him another MVP if his game stays at this level. 

Touchdown!

Midway through the 3rd quarter of an eventual win over Jeremiah and the Rockets, a jump ball in Rockets territory led to this absurd full-court alley oop. 



Hell of a play.  Bron takes off immediately, Wade sees it and one-hands a full-court dime right into Bron's hands, who finishes with as smooth of a layup as you will see.  That coordination is mind blowing. 

Ball night!

Notes and highlights:

• The Sixers suck, bad.  They need Bynum back in the worst way possible.  Putting up 77 on a Hornets team without the Brow or Austin Rivers?!  Yikes.  Also, fuck Nick Young.  Glad we got rid of Sweet Lou Williams for him.  Speaking of Sweet Lou, he's been on a tear:

• You know Psycho T is gonna hear it from his boys in their next sting-pong game for that one.  Also, the Hawks beat the Pacers, whose title of "Best chance to beat Miami" is looking weak so far.  This Granger injury could prove costly.
• Miami steamrolled BKNY.  BronBron nearly got a triple-double in 3 quarters, Rashard Lewis dunked twice (!!!), and Deron Williams turned the ball over 7 times.  Good thing they have Brook "Max-Contract" Lopez holding down the middle.
• Grizz beat up on the Bucks pretty bad.  Brandon Jennings fell off the casting couch and came back down to earth, with him and Monta Ellis playing like everyone figured they would, shooting a combined 11-38.  The success of Milwaukee rests entirely on two trigger-happy guards.  Makes for great basketball.
• The Rockets have also come back down to Earth after the high of Smooth J and his otherworldly first two games.  Denver, meanwhile, is starting to get its act together, led by the MANIMAL posting 16 and 16, denying what would have been a big Harden bucket late:

• Dirk-less Mavs beat the Lowry-less Raptors.  OJ Mayo still playing awesome.  Looks like he made a good move so far.  Could be a pretty decent team once ze German is back.  Also the Rubio and Love-less Wolves beat the Magic if anyone cares.
• In everyone's favorite storyline, the Lakeshow lost again, this time to the Jazz.  Kobe scored 29, Dwight had a pedestrian 19 & 9, Steve Blake continues to be Steve Blake.  Interesting note:  First time in NBA history that, on a night with at least 12 games, nobody scored 30 points.  Weird.
• Kings notched their second win of the season over the sorry Pistons.  Greg Monroe even put up a triple double! But DeMarcus was doin his thang with 21 and 11, and a big ol dunk:

• Golden State beat the Cavs, David Lee had a nice 22 & 14, while Steph Curry managed to play and not get hurt.  Also, Kyrie Irving is awesome. 
• For the nightcap, the Clips went into full Lob City mode and ran the Spurs outta town, giving them their first loss.  Griffin at 22 & 10, DeAndre at 20, 11 and 4 blocks, and CP3 had a quiet 10 & 12.  Tough to beat when they're playing like that. 

IT'S ALL HAPPENING

Tonight, the NBA gets back underway.  Coming off one of the best seasons in years, the league awash in a level of talent not seen since the early 90s, big offseason trades, and storylines out the wazzoo, everyone in da Club couldn't be more excited.  Welcome back.