If you stayed up to watch last night's Warriors/Thunder game, which quickly turned into an instant classic, take a moment to catch your breath - you need it.
I suppose the bad news is that I'm quite confident we won't see a regular season game like that again for a long while, let alone this year, but that's the only downside to what was easily one of the best regular season contests we'll ever see.
231 points on a combined 49 percent shooting and 51 percent three-point shooting, six 20-point scorers (Westbrook, Thompson, Ibaka, Curry, Durant and Lee), 18 lead changes and nine ties, including a Thunder rally from 14 down in the fourth quarter and two lead changes in the final three seconds, culminating in an Andre Iguodala buzzer beater that sent Kevin Harlan and Oracle Arena into an absolute frenzy.
I'm getting giddy again just thinking about it.
It's not often a regular season contest or moment becomes the kind of experience you'll remember exactly where you were and how you felt years later, but I'd assume all of you who watched that finish will be able to tell me, a long time from now, where you were when Russell Westbrook and Iguodala traded buckets in the final moments.
Lastly, I realize we're only 10 percent of the way through a new season, but between these two teams, the Clippers, the defending Conference champion Spurs, the Rockets and even the Grizzlies if they can figure things out, do you realize how insane the West playoffs are going to be?
About last night...
Rockets 109, Knicks 106 - The mayhem in The Bay Area completely overshadowed what was actually a great game in its own right, as Carmelo Anthony went off for 45 points in a losing effort while James Harden went for 36.
Warriors 116, Thunder 115 - What more is there left to say?
Line of the night: Carmelo Anthony - 45 Pts (17/30 FG, 2/4 3PT, 9/11 FT), 10 Reb, 4 Ast, 1 Blk, 3 TO
Play of the night:
Sidenote: Westbrook's holstering of his three-point finger guns has quickly become one of my favorite in-game celebrations ever.
Bonus highlight: Check out the last two courtside fans who Iguodala leaves hanging, forcing them to play it off by high-fiving thin air.
Chuck says: "I want a job in Toronto." - Barkley on wanting to hang out with embattled Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
"The toughest guy on your team can't be 5'3." - On the soft Clippers and Chris Paul.
On tap tonight: The NBA will somehow try to top itself tonight with 11 games on a typically loaded Friday schedule. Games to watch include the Pacers looking to go 9-0 when they host the Bucks, the Mavericks in Miami to take on the champs and the slumping Nets trying to win their first road game against the surprising Suns.
Asik wants out: Just as he did when the Rockets first acquired Dwight Howard, Omer Asik has reportedly requested and been denied a trade out of Houston. The Rockets have looked bad with both natural centers on the floor at the same time, as any defensive impact it was assumed they would have together has been negated by confusion and a lack of spacing on the offensive end. How the Rockets manage this situation and the valuable trade asset that Asik is will definitely be one of the storylines to watch as the season progresses.
Smith/Jennings feud: The NBA is investigating the twitter exchange between J.R. Smith and Brandon Jennings - which started with Jennings questioning whether Smith's younger brother deserved a spot on the Knicks roster - as Smith seemed to threaten Jennings in one of his tweets. Chris Smith winning a roster spot as part of a prerequisite for older brother re-signing would understandably upset most NBAers, and Smith getting defensive in his protection of little brother is also understandable, just maybe don't threaten another player on social media with your "street homies," J.R.
Rose in or out? Rose missed practice yesterday with his tight hamstring but says he'll play tonight in Toronto if the decision is his. Keep in mind, though, that the Bulls host the Pacers tomorrow night in what is surely a bigger game for them, so it wouldn't shock me to see Chicago hold Rose out against the Raptors.
