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In Tuesday's NBA newsletter, LeBron goes nuts, a young Knicks fan learns to accept disappointment, the East eats itself and much more.
Good morning. Let's basketball.
THE KING'S PUSH: Let it be known that LeBron has not conceded a) the No. 1 seed to Indiana or b) the MVP to Kevin Durant. King James popped off for a career-high 61 against the Bobcats' tough defense on Monday. He made some ridiculous, GIFable shots. He was also efficient, getting the 61 in 39 shooting possessions.
It's the second-highest total by a single player this season; 'Melo had a 62-point night against ... the Bobcats. Who have the No. 6 defense in the NBA. We need the brains at Sloan to crack why Charlotte is giving up huge nights. But hey, at least they still got half off their pizzas.
THE KNICKS IN ONE GIF:A boy witnesses the Knicks live and cannot stop shaking his head. (The Pistons ended their four-game losing streak by beating the Knicks on Monday.)
MORE SCORES:The Wolves held off the Nuggets to complete a 4-1 road trip. The Lakers stunned the Blazers. The Nets smoked the Bulls. The Grizz held off the Wiz. The Bucks (?!) killed the Jazz. The Kings beat the Pelicans.
FINALLY, A VIDEO GAME WITH CRATES:Jon Bois attempted to make a basketball video game called Jon's Basketball Game. It did not end well. (That was a lie. It went perfectly. Be sure to check out the comments, too.)
M(A/O)MBA CONVERGENCE:The two athletes nicknamed after the weird snake, Kobe and DeAnthony Thomas, meet. Only one would walk away.
NASH'S FUTURE: Steve Nash tells the media he wants to return to the Lakers next season. L.A. may look into waiving him under the stretch provision to open up more 2014 cap space. Meanwhile, Mike D'Antoni doubts Nash will be back on the court this season.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HOOP DREAMS:Hoop Dreams is 20 years old. The Dissolve did a great oral history of the documentary.
THIS WILL GO WELL: LeBron is expected to attend Zydrunas Ilgauskas' jersey retirement ceremony in Cleveland on Saturday.
BEHAVIORAL SCIENE, GENETICS AND SPORTS:Amin Vafa breaks down the Malcolm Gladwell-David Epstein panel at Sloan. Interesting stuff.
SPEAKING OF WHICH: SB Nation's own Paul Flannery wrote about the state of Sloan for Boston Magazine.
HYPOTHESIS PROVEN:Isaiah Thomas cannot borrow one of Shaq's shirts. It will not fit. Thanks for testing that hypothesis, Aaron Gray.
CRISIS AVERTED: The Pistons deny Isiah Thomas is a candidate to replace Joe Dumars as GM.
POWER RANKINGS:What it says on the box.
OPTING IN?: Darrell Arthur indicates he's leaning toward picking up his player option to remain with the Nuggets in 2014-15.
THE CYCLE OF FAILURE: Monday's Hook looked at how the East's shallow depth serves to perpetuate a reality in which East teams are hurt in draft order. It's going to happen again this year.
BEBE BACK: Lucas Noguiera, the Hawks' Brazilian first-rounder, is back in action in Spain after rehabbing some severe tendinitis in the States.
IN BROOKLYN FOR GOOD: The Nets appear likely to keep Jason Collins for the remainder of the season.
Happy Tuesday. See you next time.