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ESPN The Magazine’s NBA Preview Issue will hit newsstands Friday featuring two of the league’s biggest stars, Chris Paul and James Harden. The Houston Rockets made the splash of the offseason by acquiring nine-time All-Star Paul to pair with five-time All-Star Harden. Contributing writer Jackie MacMullan’s “Better Call Paul” cover story gives the behind-the-scenes tale of how GM Daryl Morey landed a second star and how the Rockets plan to compete with their Western Conference nemesis, the Golden State Warriors.

The issue also takes a look at the origin story of the Golden State Warriors with writer Baxter Holmes’ “The Charcuterie Board That Revolutionized Basketball.” When head coach Steve Kerr was hired in 2014, Golden State ranked dead last in the NBA in passing. In 2014-15, Kerr’s first season, the Warriors won 67 games—and their first NBA championship in 40 years. Kerr is known for fostering an organizational culture that encourages a life outside of basketball. But there’s one edge of the Warriors’ template Kerr and his staff refuse to smooth: They demand 300 passes per game.

Additionally, Hamilton’s original Thomas Jefferson, Oakland native Daveed Diggs, wrote and annotated a musical tribute (the video premiered on Monday Night Football – view here) about his team – “Warriors, They Get the Job Done.”

Additional NBA Preview highlights:

Crazy, Stupid, Brilliant

In a summer when seven 2017 All-Stars changed teams, the maneuvering between the Celtics and Cavaliers stood apart. So who won this arms race? By Kevin Pelton

The Wolves Will Not Rest

Tom Thibodeau is a man obsessed with the grind. The Timberwolves were one of five teams that didn’t register a DNP-Rest last season. Of the top five players in minutes per game, two played for Thibodeau. This summer he landed a third: Jimmy Butler. Are the Wolves ready for the spotlight, or will they burn out before they get there? By Tom Haberstroh

Hang Time: Blake Griffin Is a Stand-Up Guy

On a paddleboard in the Pacific, the Clippers All-Star talks about skinny jeans, punching sharks, coming back from injury and balling without CP3. By Sam Alipour

Lonzo Ball Confidential

Love him or loathe him, it’s Lonzo (and LaVar) Time in Los Angeles, so The Mag went man-to-man press on 59 NBA pros with six on-the-ball questions.

Also in this issue:

Numbers: Columnist Peter Keating analyzes the Nashville Predators and the incredible fan value they deliver.

The Truth: Columnist Howard Bryant points out that professional athletes are protesting injustice, not the anthem — and they need to make that clear before their movement wilts under a false narrative.

NFL:  In “Waiting to Inhale,” senior writer David Fleming takes a look at why and how heavily NFL players — like Ezekiel Elliott and Demarcus Lawrence — use smelling salts, the history of salts, and their use in other sports. What does a whiff of this alcohol-ammonia compound do to the human body and brain, and what does it do for athletic performance?

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