You may have noticed that many of your favorite sports media platforms like to express ideas about the NBA through the prism of popular culture. Here's Grantland applying Game of Thrones plotlines to the NBA in a two-part series. Here's Sports On Earth turning players from the year's playoffs into a Game of Thrones-themed comic strip. Here's The Classical telling us which characters from Game of Thrones correspond with which NBA players. Here's Grantland—again in a two-part series—explaining the state of the NBA through quotes from Game of Thrones. Here's Jason Whitlock using Game of Thrones to tell us why the Indiana Pacers are a dangerous playoff team. Here's an SB Nation blog figuring out which NBA teams correspond to which houses from Game of Thrones. Such a wide array of perspectives!
We wanted to get in on the fun, too, but then we realized that Game of Thrones, despite its evident popularity among people who write about sports on the internet, isn't exactly a cultural touchstone for the population at large. Not everyone has HBO, you know? So we decided to look at the NBA through the lens of a different show: CBS's Mike & Molly, a popular sitcom about a couple of Chicago newlyweds. Mike is the laid-back momma's boy police officer; Molly is the high-strung elementary school teacher with an occasional temper. Which NBA players are which Mike & Molly characters? Find out by joining us now for Mike & Molly, NBA style.
LeBron James: Mike
Kevin Durant: Molly
Zach Randolph: Mike
Stephen Curry: Molly
Tim Duncan: Molly
Marc Gasol: Mike
JaVale McGee: Mike
Kobe Bryant: Molly
Derrick Rose: Molly
Roy Hibbert: Mike
J.R. Smith: Mike
Danny Green: Mike
Dwight Howard: Mike
Rajon Rondo: Molly
Jarrett Jack: Mike
Derek Fisher: Molly
James Harden: Mike
Ray Felton: Mike
Tyson Chandler: Molly
Tony Parker: Molly
Deron Williams: Mike/Molly
Rasheed Wallace: Mike
Carmelo Anthony: Molly
Paul George: Mike
Joakim Noah: Mike
Nate Robinson: Mike
Dwyane Wade: Molly
Mario Chalmers: Mike
Manu Ginobili: Mike
Serge Ibaka: Molly
Check back soon for Part 2*!
(* There won't be a Part 2)
Art by Barry Petchesky. Jack Dickey contributed reporting.