NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.1. The Denver Egotist, via TrueHoop. A vicious destruction of the Thunder logo by a professional designer.
2. The Pitch. A follow-up on Michael Beasley's mysterious connection to the Arthur-Chalmers sting.
3. Ball Don't Lie. And you never thought you'd see Clay Bennett and Aubrey McClendon star in an animated caper.
4. Christian Science Monitor, via BallHype. Basketball Without Borders now has something for the ladies, too.
5. SuperSonicSoul. Shawn Kemp's first impressions of life in Italy: "But here there are beautiful people and there is the sea... For me that is good.""
6. Upside and Motor. More ESPN analysts picked the Sixers as the Eastern Conference champs (2) than picked the Pistons (0).
