Blake Griffin(notes) throws down jaw-dropping dunks with such regularity that you'd think they'd become old at some point. Every time he hits a court, he does something you've seen maybe a handful of times -- if at all -- before. Luckily, every dunk is so fantastic that it still wows you every time. That's the beauty of a transcendent talent -- he can catch your attention even when you think you've seen it all before.

Above, witness Griffin's latest feat of strength, an unreal catch-and-flush on an alley-oop from Baron Davis(notes) in Sunday's 108-103 win over Phoenix at Staples Center. I have no idea how a human can reach his arm back that far for the catch and still finish the play with ludicrous force, but I suppose Griffin isn't a normal person. Someone should check him for flubber.

Last week, I said that players like Griffin are best-seen in full games because their best moments come with little warning -- the surprise can't be re-created in a highlight, where you know the great

Today is Christmas, full of joy and cheer, and there's no better way to spend it than by watching five quality NBA basketball games with your friends, family, and the new puppy you received last night. This truly is the happiest day of the year.

The NBA festivities kicked off this morning with the Knicks' 103-95 win over the Bulls at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks got into the Christmas spirit with some festive duds to mark the occasion. With the Bulls wearing their usual road reds, the Knicks eschewed their usual home colors and went with their rare alternate green, most famous for Nate Robinson's "Krypto-Nate" performance in the 2009 dunk contest against Dwight Howard(notes).

The point behind this red and green combination should be fairly obvious: they're Christmas colors, today is Christmas, and the Knicks wanted to do something to honor the holiday. It's a nice touch, and unlike some Christmas changes -- like, say, the Lakers' current neon green shoes -- it doesn't seem

China is the most populous country in the world, and basketball is its most popular sport. Ergo, there are a lot of NBA fans in China, and not just because of Yao Ming(notes). At various points in the last decade, they've also loved Allen Iverson(notes), Kobe Bryant(notes), and LeBron James(notes) as if they were their own.

Now, they can't refer to the best league in the world by it's real name due to the Chinese government's language purity initiatives. Bo Gu has more on Behind the Wall (via ProBasketballTalk):

As a result of practices that damage the "purity of the Chinese language," the regulator prohibited the "arbitrary" use of English words or acronyms from foreign languages mixed with Chinese. It also forbade the use of "ambiguous" words that are neither Chinese nor foreign.

When words in a foreign language have to be used, the government decreed that a note or annotation in Chinese must be added. And the names of foreign people, places and science terms also have to be

As Ball Don't Lie's resident Jew, I see myself as an authority on all things Christmas. So when Mr. Dwyer wrote yesterday about Phil Jackson's distaste for playing basketball games on Christmas, it set my mind on fire. Are we supposed to cherish this holiday with family or enjoy ourselves as much as possible, which often involves watching thrilling sporting matches on our televisions with loved ones?

It turns out that Jackson is not the only notable basketball figure to come out against this schedule. Yesterday, LeBron James(notes), aka The Grinch Who Stole Cleveland, said he'd rather the NBA not schedule games on the world's most widely celebrated winter holiday. From the Associated Press:

"If you ask any player in the league, we'd rather be home with our families," James said. "I think the people that even set the games up would rather be home with their family during this day. It's not just a regular holiday. It's definitely one of those days that you wish you could wake up in the

It's almost Christmas, and you know what that means: extremely awkward team videos for their fans! It's a holiday tradition as old as the Furby, or maybe just YouTube itself. Fans love to watch them, teams love to make them, and bloggers love to post them. It's a win-win for everyone!

The video above features perhaps this year's best entry: the Denver Nuggets rapping and dancing their way through the Run-DMC classic "Christmas in Hollis." Al Harrington(notes) is definitely the most excited to be involved, Shelden Williams(notes) seems the most awkward, and Carmelo Anthony(notes) has the best hand-waves. The less said about Chris Andersen(notes) the better.

The absolute best part, though, is that the Nuggets probably had to film this in October at Media Day. If they seem lacking in Christmas cheer, it's probably because they were spending most of their time thinking about Halloween. On the bright side, they all had some pretty great costumes handed to them.

Whenever the Clippers play, it's a good bet that Blake Griffin(notes) will make the play of the game. Shockingly, that did not occur Wednesday night in the Clips' 97-92 home loss in Los Angeles. Soon, lions and antelope will walk hand in hand and lunar eclipses will become a daily occurrence.

The video above features the real top play of the game: a spinning and-one lay-up by Kyle Lowry(notes) with 40 seconds left on the clock in a 90-87 game. Given the final score, this was the dagger. Like Monta Ellis' crazy finish to Wednesday night's Warriors/Kings game, it was an exceedingly athletic play that you don't typically see in crunch time, when defenses get tighter and more fouls go uncalled. Then again, maybe that's why these teams are looking in on the playoff picture from the outside rather than as an active part of it.

Or you can take the optimistic view that even the most insignificant NBA games carry the promise of an exciting finish from an unexpected source like this one. On a

At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.

Brian Cardinal: The table is much rounder than I anticipated!!!!

Steve Nash: News Flash: Mikail Pietrus Reneges on Soccer Challenge with Nash. 'I was just kidding' said Pietrus.

Brandon Jennings: That's finna be my new hair style, the old school Caine Curl from Menace 2 Society.

Brandon Rush: Granger finally admitted he stole my headphones

Al-Farouq Aminu: Oh yeah update on my mixtape. I might leak a song lol

You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.

Dwyane Wade(notes), aka D3, started this year's basketball ad season with a fun little ditty about Miami's favorite superhero dispatching all foes that stand in his way as he tries to bring the rings back to Miami. It was light, harmless, and rendered somewhat ridiculous when the Heat started off the season with some shortcomings rather than the explosion of dominance many had expected.

Wade is now back with the ad shown above for T-Mobile's 4G network, as described by voiceover artist David Faustino. In the spot, Wade locks himself in a bathroom and creates a video asking someone to let him out of there. People think he's asking for a trade instead, and the sports media machine works its magic to turn his innocent clip into a firestorm.

At a time when many stars actually do request trades, this ad would be a problem for virtually anyone but Wade. As a lifetime Heater who plays alongside two stars, Wade is unlikely to leave South Beach any time soon. So this is fun play rather than an