was watching
Watching The Boston Celtics, A Pretty Good Basketball Team
The conventional wisdom in the NBA is that it's worse to be in the middle than to be terrible. This doesn't explain the Celtics, who make "pretty good" seem great.
Watching Dwyane Wade, Who Is Savoring The Twilight
Dwyane Wade has had one of the great careers of his generation, and is winding it down with such grace that it makes getting old in a young man's game look...fun.
Watching Chris Paul, Who Is Fighting The Future
Chris Paul is still one of the NBA's best and most distinctive playmakers. But in Golden State's NBA, his style and approach seem almost retro. Or, less kindly, old.
Watching The Minnesota Timberwolves, Who Can Still Afford To Have Fun
The Timberwolves might have the most electric collection of young talent in the NBA. They could be great someday, but in this moment they're something else: fun.
Watching Paul George, Who Is Getting It All Back
Paul George appeared to be on his way to superstardom before breaking his leg. He's back on the rise, and while it feels different, now, that's because it is.
Watching Stephen Curry, And Getting Bored With Miracles
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are blowing away the rest of the NBA. They're having fun, but what happens when the miraculous becomes mundane?
Watching Kawhi Leonard, Who Is Still Growing
The San Antonio Spurs are the NBA's most effective collective, which made it easy to miss how good Kawhi Leonard is—until this season.
Watching the Kansas City Royals, Who Take the Long Way Home
The Royals don't play baseball like other teams do. But there's something singularly cool about their singles-on-singles-on-singles approach. Also: it works.
The Happy, Scary Cubs and the Rough Justice of the Wild Card
There's nothing fair about a system that makes the second- and third-best teams in baseball play a one-game playoff, but the injustice makes it that much more fun.
Watching Clayton Kershaw, Who Makes It All Work
Clayton Kershaw is still one of the best pitchers in baseball, if not quite as effortless as he's seemed in the past. It's only made him more thrilling to watch.
Watching Marshawn Lynch, Who Is Always Falling Forward
Marshawn Lynch is one of the best and best-loved players in the NFL, and for good reason. But he's also one of the last humans in a dehumanizing game.
Watching Jered Weaver, Baseball's Most Beautiful Junkmaster
Jered Weaver was a Cy Young contender just a few years ago. Now he's just barely hanging on with some of the game's junkiest junk, and it's beautiful to watch.