Marc Stein’s ESPN story about the resolved arbitration between Don Nelson and his former boss, Mark Cuban, has three quotes any one of which is jazzier than the best quote in any normal basketball story.

First there’s Cuban explaining how this was all worth it, even though he really could not have had a worse ruling from the arbitrator, essentially because he gets to prove Don Nelson is a liar:

“I feel a lot better knowing that under oath [Nelson] said that [during Dallas’ NBA] Finals games [in 2006] that he was meeting with [Golden State’s] GM and helping the Warriors work on their draft plans. [And] that he and his lawyers had started discussions more than a month before he took the job, not days as he said publicly. … I can live with that. It was all worth the hassle to find out what really happened.”

Then there is a quote from Nelson’s attorney, John O’Connor:

“… it was an old-fashioned ass-whuppin’.”

And finally, there’s the Don Nelson quote that is making its way all over the internet:

“It’s a good day. I’m relieved it ended the way it did. I didn’t think I would lose and I didn’t think he would win, but you just never know when you go to court. It was kind of a silly case. It’s like a pimple on his behind for [Cuban], but [$6-plus million is] a big number for me. I don’t feel like I’ve won the lottery because I’ve already earned that money, but it’s good to know I’m going to get it.”

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