Welcome to Finkel's Fast Five #149. Thanks for reading and subscribing!  ONE  MUSCLE - I've had a garage gym that I lovingly call the Flex Factory for almost a decade. It's my favorite room in the house. By far. Every 6 months or so I add a cool new toy. A kettlebell here... A slam ball there... This month...  I finally got a piece of equipment I've been after for a long time: an olympic hex bar. Like any meathead, I love deadlifts, and this puppy is the last frontier. They've been almost ungettable since the pandemic started, but now Titan Fitness is fully stocked and they're on sale for the holiday, If you have a hankering for a hex bar (and who the hell doesn't?) here you go.

TWO

 DRINKS - I've conquered rooibos tea. I'm a matcha man at heart. I've dominated peppermint tea. Now I've got a new bag I've added to the mix...  ...it's called Caribbean Dream ginger tea. Ginger is "good for you" for all kinds of reasons, but mainly I like it because it has no caffeine and it's a nice change of pace from a green or black tea. It's spicy-ish, but clean. It has a zip, but not really. If you're into tea time, give it a whirl.

THREE

 HOOPS - I've played more driveway basketball this year than probably any year since high school. It's awesome, but as we reach the end of 2020, we've worn out our balls (cue Beavis laugh). If you go to a sporting goods store, there are about 1,000 choices...  ...after testing out a bunch, I went with a Spalding Never-Flat indoor/outdoor ball. Over the years I've found that the Never-Flat thing is a bit of BS, but the grip on these balls holds up better than most and it keeps its bounce longer than other balls we've had. One thing to keep in mind is that it takes like an hour of playing with it outside for it to feel right. I can't explain it. Just trust me. I like this version the best. But if you have a better outside ball you like, let me know. I'll likely need a second one soon.

FOUR

 BOOKS - My book Hoops Heist comes out next week and I've been recording a series of videos talking about some of my favorite characters/athletes in the book.  So far we've gone over Slick Watts and his epic headband, Dennis Johnson's insane road to the NBA, the "X-Man" Xavier McDaniel's college dominance... and I've got more lined up. Would love for you to check them out. You can watch the series on Instagram here.

FIVE

 A great quote about positivity:  "It's a wonderful thing to be optimistic. It keeps you healthy and it keeps you resilient."  - Daniel Kahneman

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"The basketball brotherhood in Seattle is just different. There's such a deep connection with each other and their city. I really enjoyed that feeling and I was happy to be apart of it. This story of the culture of basketball in Seattle is so pure."   - Kevin Durant, 10x NBA All-Star, 2x NBA Champion   "The fans are so loyal and so dedicated in Seattle. They give you a feeling of warmth and family. So many guys made it to the NBA from the area because of that feeling of family. Hoops Heist is the story of generations of NBA guys lifting each other and their community up".  - Gary Payton, Pro Basketball Hall of Famer, NBA Champion

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