Courtside Commentary

Maybe you eat, sleep and breathe basketball.

Maybe you don’t.

Regardless, you should at the very least know where things stand in the series and be able to make an educated comment or two about how we got there.

Thusly, we’re teaming up with Samsung 837 on Courtside Commentary, a quick-and-dirty Finals primer delivering you six nuggets of Naismith-ian knowledge throughout the series.

And if you want to come catch a game on a three-story screen with us at Samsung’s stunning 837 experiential space in New York City, don’t forget to RSVP right here.

READ THIS

While exceptional hurlers-of-basketballs Steph Curry and Klay Thompson shined the bench with their short-bottoms on Thursday night, the Warriors ran away to a 104-89 victory in Game One. A 45-point onslaught from Golden State’s usual bench-shiners was the key, with backup point guard Shaun Livingston (20 points; 8-10 shooting) leading the way.

Further reading:

• Will Livingston’s reinvention as a mid-range jump shooter prove to be the Warriors’ secret weapon?
• Assessing sixth man Andre Iguodala’s chances of repeating as Finals MVP
• And finally, is this LeBron’s chance to achieve basketball immortality?

THIS IS THE FUTURE OF RETAIL

“A scene from TRON.” “The playground of the future.” “An experiential wonderland.” Those are but three of the phrases our NY editor once used to describe 837, a Meatpacking District experiment in retail hosted by our friends at Samsung. Inside: virtual reality roller coasters, a fully-loaded recording studio, a sci-fi kitchen and a three-story screen made of 96 55-inch screens. The kicker: nothing is for sale. Want to check it out for yourself? We’re giving our readers an exclusive invite to watch the Finals at Samsung 837 this month.

RSVP HERE

MAD LIB: JEFF GREEN
Forward, LA Clippers

Playing pro ball is a dream come true. I never thought it would be this amazing. Sometimes when I play in New York I like to visit LAVO because their fried Oreos are gracefully tasteful. When I’m on the road, the show I most like to binge watch is Martin. My favorite character is Cole. He is too funny. If there’s one thing I can’t live without during the season, it is my phone. Without it, I’d be lost.

FROM THE TRAINING ROOM …

One thing Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant have in common besides rings? George Mumford. A sports psychologist, mindfulness teacher, coach and author of The Mindful Athlete, Mumford has practiced meditation with a slew of former basketball greats. Here are three tips he gave us on zenning out that can help you, too, improve your athleticism.

MIND OVER MATTER

“Athletic ability is athletic ability, yet the mind controls whether or not it is expressed properly or hindered from expression. You can be the best athlete in the world, but if your mind doesn’t cooperate, it will trip you up. On the other hand, if your mind is cooperating with your athletic talent, you will experience the achievement of your goal.”

PRACTICE

“Stamina can be viewed as being physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. The practice of meditation not only enhances each of these aspects, it also unites them so that there is synergy. This phenomenon is sometimes referenced as being the ‘zone’ or ‘flow,’ where everything is done effortlessly and fatigue is not a factor.”

TRIAL AND ERROR

The drill is the same on court and off: be present for whatever you are doing right here, right now. “It’s blue-collar work, trial and error, let go and begin again. People have to work it out for themselves because we all have our idiosyncrasies and conditioning. The good news is there are many practices that will get you there. The not-so-good news is you have to practice and learn which approach works best for you.”

BUY THIS THING