Earlier this afternoon, I hit the Y! NBA front page to check out tonight's games, a habit I developed in 1996 or so, and couldn't help but notice that tonight's NBA action was ... terrible. 

Knicks in Dallas, Clippers in San Antonio? These are the games TNT picked in August, thinking they'd be worth watching? Thinking they'd be right for a national TV audience?

Then I look to see what stations they're on. All local. No TNT. The NBA picked these, in August, thinking that they wouldn't be worth watching. Knowing that they wouldn't be right for a national TV audience.

It turns out that I forgot about that game. For the second time in as many days.

So, go watch that game. The NBA doesn't want you paying attention to the Knicks or Mavs or Spurs or Clips on this particular Thursday; and I gotta tell ya, Charles Barkley picked the right time to do something terribly, terribly wrong. When was the last TNT game? Christmas?

In the meantime, this is the NBA's equivalent of laying down at the goal line to let the opponent score, hoping it will save time on the clock for a last second drive of their own. Something like that. I really need to watch more football. Maybe I'll start tonight.

The NBA thinks I should. That's enough for me.

Related: Game to pay attention to