Thursday And-1 Links: Blake Griffin taps Chandler Parsons in the… watch the video

Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points like old ladies like to complain about how loud movies are now days (written sitting at a coffee shop overhearing a conversation after “Argo”)….

In my favorite player interaction of the day, Chandler Parsons tweeted the video above to Blake Griffin, and Griffin responded.

@ChandlerParsons sprained my wrist and had to keep it moving.. My bad didn't even see you.—
Blake Griffin (@blakegriffin) February 07, 2013

Is there anything colder than tapping a guy in the nuts then saying “I didn’t even see you there?” Ouch.

• Chris Paul has a new fragrance coming out, so if you want to smell like CP3 (and who doesn’t)….

• There is a lot of buzz that the Knicks James White has been invited to the All-Star weekend Dunk Contest. If I were a betting man, I would bet that is spot on.

• Since John Wall came back, the Wizards have been a good defensive team. Don’t just take my word for it, ask the Knicks after Wednesday night.

• The Pacers have been a defensive force this season, but will that carry over for them into the playoffs?

• After two 10-day contracts, Shelvin Mack is out in Philadelphia and Jeremy Pargo is in.

• Watch a time-lapse video of a Blake Griffin/Red Bull mural going up on a downtown Los Angeles building near Staples Center.

• Zach Lowe of Grantland is one of the best basketball writers out there and this interview with Will Leitch is a great read if you are into basketball writing. Let me echo one thing Lowe says, and consider this a lesson to young writers — write about more than just basketball (or whatever your sport of choice is). The best basketball writers are the best journalists in the field, it’s that simple.