People have kind of gone crazy with James Harden and his facial accessory. People have made food in honor of it, decorated buildings, made stupid shirts or even made their own replica beards.
Now, someone has taken things to the next level. The permanent level.
Some guy got James Harden’s face — in exquisite detail I might add — tattooed on his arm. Check it out: Keep Reading…
Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com on the schedule: “As the clock ticked away on the Thunder’s season in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, something sparked in Kevin Durant’s eyes. His proximity to the Heat’s celebration a few yards down the sideline was unbearable. Durant was no longer interested in marshaling a troop of upstarts whose athleticism could challenge the most polished outfits in the league. At that moment, he graduated to a title-or-bust guy. That drive should propel the Thunder to a romp through their 2012-13 schedule. The Thunder won’t be adding a new piece, unlike the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan returned and the team won 72 games, but Oklahoma City has a chance for a prolific season during which they lose only two or three times a month. The crescendo will start building on Christmas afternoon when the Heat arrive.”
J.A. Adande of ESPN.com: “Fast-forwarding to Dec. 25, the highlight game on Christmas is the NBA Finals rematch of the Oklahoma City Thunder at Miami. But now that we’ve seen them play in June, the thought of seeing them in December isn’t as intriguing.” Keep Reading…
Words fail.
One thing though: I’m really looking forward to seeing James Harden in this outfit. That should be fun. And Russell Westbrook? He probably looked at the getup and said, “Pff, have you seen the s%*@ I wear?”
Fran Fraschilla on Team USA’s top challenger: “In addition to its talent, Spain has great continuity. The core of the team has been together for a while and is in the midst of a great run that includes a FIBA World Championship in 2006, an Olympic silver medal in 2008 and the past two European Championships. Spain’s attack has evolved into an inside-oriented one because of the size of the Gasol brothers, Ibaka and veteran Felipe Reyes. In fact, the team’s three-out, two-in offense is a much more NBA-oriented attack than it has had in the past when it spread the floor with shooting forwards.”
Hollis Thompson in a Q&A: “I think I learned how to play the game at Georgetown, I learned how to score. I’m looking forward to just ramping up my game in other areas.” Keep Reading…
KD is pretty much the coolest. He gives his mom kisses on TV, he takes pictures with fans, he plays flag football with random people and he always signs autographs for fans before every game.
Except for when you throw your shoes at him. I guess that’s where he draws the line.
(Though if you’ll notice, KD catches the pen the person throws down and appears like he’s ready to go ahead with it before a security guard runs over and takes the shoes. Of course he was.)
Shoes are only for throwing when you’re doing it at a political figure. Everybody knows that.
Elena Bergeron of ESPN.com on Team USA’s best lineups: “[USA Basketball director Jerry] Colangelo might consider adding to his summer reading list “NBA Chemistry: Positive and Negative Synergies in Basketball,” in which researchers from NYU-Polytechnic Institute analyzed plus/minus ratings to determine optimal combinations of skill sets. One of their findings: Quality offensive rebounders often go to waste when teamed with efficient scorers, as good shooters are less likely to miss; it’s better to pair scorers with defensive boarders. That would mean playing Love, Team USA’s top defensive rebounder in 2011-12, with higher-percentage shooters like James and Paul, and pairing Chandler, its best offensive rebounder, with less efficient shooters like Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony.”
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop on flopping: “At a minimum, referees ought to enforce a forgotten part of the existing NBA rule book. “To be unsportsmanlike is to act in a manner unbecoming to the image of professional basketball,” it reads, in a section discussing unsportsmanlike play. “It consists of acts of deceit, disrespect of officials and profanity. The penalty for such action is a technical foul. Repeated acts shall result in expulsion from the game and a minimum fine of $1000.” “Deceit” is the issue in flopping, and the very first example in this list of unsportsmanlike conduct. The penalty is a technical. That’s a start.” Keep Reading…
Breaking down the Thunder’s 2012-13 schedule
Still more than three months away until the NBA season actually begins, but with the schedule out, it feels a lot closer than that. Especially when you think about the Olympics taking up some of our attention, then training camp starts in late September, then preseason games, then the actual thing. It’s like Jerry explaining to Elaine how short their trip to his parents will be. “It will go by like that.”
I mean, really if you think about it, the season’s almost here. At least with a schedule, we can think about what it will be like, right?
If you want to go over the entire thing, it’s right here, but I’m going to hit on the big parts of it. Keep Reading…