As we herd the various cats and kittens in front of us while recovering from the mad rush of the holidays, Ball Don't Lie will shut down for a spell in preparation of a real return to action on Tuesday morning. We appreciate your patience.
Until then, notice that 12 actual NBA games will be played on Monday night. No exhibition contests here, and no hyped klieg light-lit national TV matchups that could never live up to the hype (but sometimes did). No, this is the NBA for reals, yo, and as NBA League Pass is featured for free this week on just about every cable outlet available, you've no excuse not to take some hoop in.
To pump you up even further? Here's TNT's most recent intro celebrating the NBA's lineage, including the cadre of current legends that still roam the hardwood as 2011 bleeds into 2012
Enjoy:
(HT: Rob Mahoney, at Pro Basketball Talk, who penned a fantastic essay on this clip.)