After his second 30-point game in a week, Michael Beasley was asked when he started feeling hot. His answer was his birthday.
Michael Beasley thinks and Michael Beasley speaks. One action does not necessarily follow the other. Some people speak from the head. Some people speak from the heart. Michael Beasley speaks from the gut.
On Thursday night, Beasley went off for 32 points and 12 rebounds in a huge win over the Boston Celtics, currently the best team in the Eastern Conference. It was Beasley’s second 30-point game this week (he scored 23 in a loss to Charlotte between the two games) and afterwards he was asked when he started to feel hot.
Beasley’s gut took over.
Michael Beasley on when he started feeling the hot hand: "January 9, 1989."
— Al Iannazzone (@Al_Iannazzone) December 22, 2017
If you don’t get the joke, Beasley was born on Jan. 9, 1989. He’s implying that his whole life has been one extended hot streak. Over his past five games, it’s hard to argue with him — 22.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per contest, shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 55.6 percent on 3-pointers. Beasley has actually been remarkably effective across this entire season for New York. He’s only playing 17.4 minutes per game, but he’s averaging 22.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per 36 minutes, shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 36.4 percent on 3-pointers.
However, as with anything out of Beasley’s mouth, there’s a kernel of absurd inanity in the idea of hot lifetime. There was the 2012-13 season with the Phoenix Suns where he shot 40.5 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent on 3s. The three seasons that followed that where appeared in a combined total of 99 games, mostly because teams weren’t really interested in his hands touching the ball, regardless of temperature. There was also that game in 2011 where he shot 11-of-28. Or that 8-of-22 performance from the same year.
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Regardless, there is not harm in indulging Beasley or his gut thoughts. Here’s to your life and to your hands, may they be ever flaming hot.