Basketball is not a sport, it's a way of life.

DDV is TNT, why Trae wasn't snubbed, an A-A-Ron that has not messed up...

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• Calling Sam Hauser a three-point specialist is like calling LeBron James' longevity cute—the modifier does a great disservice to the significance of the action. The Celtics' third-year forward is in the middle of his best season, as his 21.7 minutes, 8.3 points, and 2.3 made threes per game are all highs for his young career. And while Hauser's increase in minutes per game is in part reflective of his significant improvement as a defender—teams have loved trying to isolate Hauser, who has responded with gritty effort and surprising strength as a post defender—it's his role as a three-point specialist (83.1% of all his points come from behind the arc, good for 6^th in the NBA this season), particularly in the Celtics' three-happy offense (Boston's 793 made threes are 56 more than the second-place Mavericks' 737), that has earned Hauser the significant uptick in time on the floor. Hauser is currently taking a whopping 85.7% of his total field goal attempts from behind the three-point line, which is sixth in the entire league (min. 20 appearances), while his 2.3 makes per game rank third in that grouping (Kennard-2.7, Merrill-2.4), and his 41.6% from three ranks fifth (McDermott-44.2%, Mathews-44.1%, Merrill 43.6%, Kennard-43.6%, Gilyard-42.5%) among all players attempting 75% or more of their shots from behind the arc. In case you're curious, 75% seems to be the clearest line of demarcation among specialists, meaning that Hauser is amongst the best of the most elite class of shooters in the league. A specialist indeed; but say it like you mean it.

• I suppose that it tracks that a team from Cleveland would be looking to embrace the cold weather, but to do so while dragging half of their injured squad along through the rough driving snow of the dead of winter is a whole other level of noteworthy. Enter the Cleveland Cavaliers, who since the beginning of the winter solstice (Dec 21^st) have an NBA-best .789 win percentage (15-4). Those 15 wins are tied for fourth over that stretch (OKC-17, NYK & BOS-16). This is all despite Darius Garland and Evan Mobley only playing a combined six games during that run—all over the last four contests for Cleveland. Surprisingly, somehow despite missing the runner-up for defensive player of the year last season in Mobley, it’s been on that side of the ball that Cleveland as a team has really thrived during this run, as their 107.8 defensive rating is first in the league, as is their 10 points allowed on second chances and 76.5% defensive rebounding percentage, while their 45.7 opponents' points per game in the paint ranks fourth since winter came. Cleveland being good defensively isn’t a surprise, as the team was second in overall defense last season, but the fact that the defense didn’t take off until Mobley was injured is a bit shocking. The reason for this is simple: Jarrett Allen has been an absolute force since his batterymate went down with a knee injury, averaging 18.1 points on a typically efficient 62.4% from the field, but more vitally to Cleveland’s defensive success, 13.4 rebounds (2^nd in the league since 12/21) and 1.4 blocks (18^th) during this winter season. This hot stretch for Cleveland has gone a long way in quieting the talks of the Cavaliers being a disappointing team in need of shopping Donovan Mitchell (guilty as charged; i owe you an apology Jon), but it’ll be interesting to see if this high level of play remains sustainable as the Cavs fold two of their best players in Garland and Mobley back in. So far, in the four games that have been played since their returns (both players have only played in three of those affairs, each appearing in separate games in which the other did not suit-up), the points in the paint have remained a strong fourth, while the second chance points are actually first during the four-game duration, and the defensive rating still ranks a strong fifth—all good signs, though the defensive rebounding percentage, a key to their stingy defense as they haven’t allowed opponents many second-chance opportunities, has dropped all the way down to 19^th over the four games. A weird occurrence considering how strong of a rebounder Mobley is at 10.1 rebounds per game this season.

• While future GOAT Caitlin Clark, glamour girl Angel Reese, and the impressive return of Paige Bueckers are getting most of the individual recognition this season in women’s college basketball, the completely predictable stellar play of USC freshman guard JuJu Watkins deserves some additional acknowledgment. While anyone with a social media feed was prepared for Watkins being awesome going into her inaugural college basketball season, the phenomenal freshman has done everything she can to hold the insanely high standard that those IG sizzle-reels embedded in our minds. Following a program-high 51 points in a win against bitter rival Stanford on Friday—remember, this is the same college that gave us Cheryl Miller, of the 105 points scored in a single high school game—Watkins is now second in all of women’s college basketball in scoring for the year at 27.2 points per game (Clark-32.4). That scoring average is on pace to break the record set by Clark of 26.6 points per game for any freshman in women’s college basketball history. As my mother would say: that’s some good JuJu indeed.

• DDV has been TNT. The feel-good New York Knicks have been one of the best stories this season, particularly since ringing in the New Year, as their 15-3 record is both the most wins and the second-best winning percentage (.833, CLE-.867) in the NBA in the year of 2024. While the MVP-level play of Jalen Brunson, as well as great contributions from recently selected third-time All-Star Julius Randle, and from the newly acquired OG Anunoby, have gotten most of the ink, it has been the stellar play of Donte DiVincenzo that has been as important as any player outside of Brunson and Randle over the stretch. During the Knicks' hot 18-game run of play, DiVincenzo is one of only three Knicks to appear in every game since Jan. 1st—along with Precious Achiuwa and Miles McBride—while his 16.4 points per game is third on the team over that time. But where DiVincenzo has really excelled in the New Year is from distance, where his 3.7 makes per game rank him tied for fourth with Paul George league-wide. DiVincenzo has been particularly explosive since an injury to Julius Randle created a need for some supplementary offense from other Knicks players. In the four games since Randle suffered a dislocated shoulder against Miami on Jan. 27th, DiVincenzo is averaging 26.8 points, on six made threes per game, at 38.7% from distance. Both the points and threes made per game are easily the highest average over any four-game stretch of his career; and it’s no coincidence that the Knicks are 3-1 during that time, despite the absences of Randle and Anunoby, who has missed the Knicks' last four games with an inflamed right elbow. For the New York faithful, DiVincenzo’s hot play of late may only come as a moderate surprise, as he is already amidst his best season of his six-year career (his 12.6 ppg, 41.6% 3pt, 2.9 threes made per game, and 60% efg are all career-highs) since signing an extremely team-friendly 4yr./$46,870,000 deal as a free agent this past summer.