The NBA ruined the greatest Christmas commercial ever, even if it's loveable

This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.

Good morning, Winners! Welcome back to the Morning Win. Thanks so much for rocking with us today. We appreciate you.

Do you remember the greatest NBA Christmas commercial of all time? Jingle Hoops. The one you see people post online year after year after year with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and other NBA stars shooting into hoops with bells attached to them.

It’s one of the most pleasing ads I’ve ever seen. The commercial is a decade old and I remember watching it for the first time like it was yesterday.

In the spirit of our current times, where nothing is original and everything is an iteration of an old thing we cherished, the NBA brought back this commercial. Kind of. Sort of.

It’s not the exact same thing. It’s the Jingle Hoops commercial in stop motion like the old Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus movies used to be. The concept is the same. At least in the beginning. But then the thing goes off the rails.

Victor Wembanyama comes out of nowhere to block one of the shots. Anthony Edwards shows off his handle on a xylophone. Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic come out of nowhere on a sleigh. Mike Breen’s head is huge. Kevin Durant is swinging on a line of lights. I don’t know what’s happening.

Guys. The peace and tranquility of the old Jingle Hoops commercial is completely violated. I’m not going to lie.

This was … kind of fun? I hate that I love this.

It ruins the old commercial. But it did it in such a fun and over-the-top way that you don’t mind that it’s doing it. After all, the NBA is at its best when it’s at its zaniest. It doesn’t get zanier than this — at least not for a Christmas commercial.

It’s kind of like in Marvel’s Deadpool and Wolverine movie when they start off the movie by completely desecrating the Logan movie that ended Hugh Jackman’s initial run as Wolverine before he returned to the MCU. I won’t get too deeply into it to avoid spoilers, but listen. Deadpool and Wolverine make no bones about it — the movie doesn’t hesitate in ruining Logan and its perfect ending. It’s not shy about it. It intentionally does it and gets it out of the way early.

That’s kind of what happens here with Jingle Hoops on a much, much, much, much, much smaller scale.

The old Jingle Hoops commercial? It’s ruined. Completely besmirched by this new sham of a spot. But, hey, man. At least this new joint is pretty fun.

Caitlin Clark clears the air

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese’s rivalry has been a headliner for women’s basketball since their college days. Every time these two and their teams match up, it’s a show.

But Clark, herself, isn’t really buying into the hype. She doesn’t seem to see it as a rivalry at all. And she certainly doesn’t like people pitting her and Reese against one another.

She spoke about it in her interview with TIME Magazine after being named Athlete of the Year. Meg Hall has more on that:

“Let the record show that the rivalry narrative has been debunked. Per Sean Gregory of Time, Clark shared that she never understood why people tried to make it a thing. “I don’t get it at all,” Clark said. “We’re not best friends, by any means, but we’re very respectful of one another. Yes, we have had tremendous battles. But when have I ever guarded her? And when has she guarded me?”

She also explained how Reese’s infamous John Cena celly, which seemingly started the narratives, was a nothing burger and that people ran with it. “I didn’t think it was taunting,” she explained. “It really didn’t bother me… the only thing people cared about was this controversy that was really fabricated and made up, and then that has continued to be the case ever since.”

There you have it, folks. We’re certainly going to still write about their matchups. It will certainly be sold to us as a rivalry. And maybe Clark is downplaying things a bit here.

But she certainly doesn’t seem to take these things as seriously as fans and some media have taken them. Good on her.

Bill Belichick at UNC, but make it a play

Charles Curtis wrote Bill Belichick’s UNC recruiting strategy, but did it in play form. Guys. I can’t stop laughing.

I’m sorry, but this is brilliant writing. Please read this. This destroyed me.

Belichick: “Any questions?”

Mom: “Do you think our son will be a starter by his sophomore year?”

Belichick: “We’re on to Cincinnati.”

[Mom and Dad exchange a look of pure confusion.]

Dad: “Uh, what kind of NIL opportunities could you see for him?”

Belichick: “We’re gonna keep that in house.”

[Belichick and the parents stare at each other in silence for another minute. He stands up.]

I would pay money to watch this. Real money.

Quick hits: A non-QB friendly mock draft … The end of an Era

— Here’s an NFL mock draft with just two quarterbacks going in the first round. Wild times! Charles Curtis has more.

— Caroline Darney has more on Taylor Swift’s sweet tribute to Travis Kelce after the final Eras Tour.

— Here’s Christian D’Andrea with his latest QB rankings. Is that a non-Josh Allen QB at the top?

— Shaq breaking the Inside the NBA video board is hilarious. Cory Woodroof has more.

— Michelle Martinelli has a running list of players who are skipping bowl games this bowl season.

— Bryan Kalbrosky put together some NBA Cup power rankings for us. Check em out.

That’s a wrap, folks. Peace! Thanks for reading.

-Sykes