Last night, as Kobe Bryant (27 pts, 8 asts) hit a dagger pull-up jumper and the Lakers were turning the screws into the Jazz during a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter, one of the Utah announcers said dejectedly, “You can almost write this script every time we come to town.” Moments later, Carlos Boozer tossed up an airball and Jordan Farmar beasted his way through the lane for an and-one. “Yeah, the wheels are off,” confirmed the other Jazz announcer. Thing is, Boozer and Deron Williams and them were doing OK well into the second half, then L.A. just turned on the “Wait a minute, we own these guys” switch and ran them out the building … Read More »

Before we hit up the Converse event last night, we made a pit stop at the Sony PlayStation “Past, Present and Future” Preview which took place inside the Openhouse Gallery in SoHo. The atmosphere here felt more like a holiday cocktail party than a video game preview event. There was an open bar, fancy appetizers and the kind of background music you’d hear at a W Hotel lounge. Read More »

Who is the greatest rap group of all-time?

Last week we asked for your Top 5 list of solo MC’s and, more specifically, where Jay-Z fit into the picture.

But we can’t ignore the group dynamic. From the very beginning with the Sugarhill Gang and Run-DMC to current “super-groups” like Child Rebel Soldiers (Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell) and Slaughterhouse (Joe Budden, Royce Da 5’9″, Crook I, Joell Ortiz), the rap collective has been responsible for some of the art form’s best and most diverse music and trends: Geto Boys in the South, Wu-Tang Clan in New York, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony in the Midwest and N.W.A. on the West Coast all helped define their region’s hip-hop scene. Give us your Top 5…

In the Seattle area’s rise to prominence as a hotbed for basketball talent, it’s been mostly PG’s (Aaron Brooks, Rodney Stuckey), twos (Brandon Roy, Jamal Crawford) and wings (Martell Webster, Marvin Williams) who have put the city on the map. All due respect to Spencer Hawes, but so far the list of big men hasn’t been that impressive — which is where Josh Smith enters the discussion.

A senior at Kentwood H.S. (Stuckey’s alma mater), Smith stands 6-10, 270, and is widely considered the best prep center in America. Read More »

David Stern is just going to love this. Mavericks forward Tim Thomas is a suspect in an assault according to the Dallas Morning News. Hours after the Mavericks defeated the Suns last night, Thomas and a group of friends went to eat at Denny’s. Based on the police report, a fan approached Thomas to say “what’s up”. Thomas allegedly brushed him off, then started insulting him. The fan then responded back to Thomas and it escalated into a full on fight. One of Thomas’ friends, supposedly punched the fan twice in the face causing his lip to slit open. Then fan also said that Thomas threw a chair at his group.

Source: The Dallas Morning News

Last night, Kellan White and I hit up the “Heaven is a Playground” Converse event that took place inside a small art gallery in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. This tiny and narrow space was packed wall to wall with media, shoe connoisseurs and playground legends, who were all there to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the novel Barack Obama called his favorite basketball book of all time, Heaven is a Playground. Read More »

Beast of the Night: LeBron James put up 43 points, 13 boards, 6 assists and 1 block in a losing effort in Memphis last night. He added 4 threes and shot 48 percent (14-29) from the field and 92 percent (11-12) from the line. The only snag was his 5 turnovers. The King is putting up great numbers so far this season but this line is a reminder that he might still be picking up steam. Read More »

When comparing NBA players, fans always show bias. We all have players we hold above all others and will argue why they are better than another player or deserve an All Star bid more until we are blue in the face. We are often blinded by the player himself and use his past accomplishments as evidence for why he is so great today or his past failures of why he isn’t deserving. Read More »

Last season the Oklahoma City Thunder won 23 games and finished third-to-last in the Western Conference. 2008-09 marked the organization’s end in Seattle and the supposed beginning of a long haul back to the playoffs.

The plan in 2007 was to rebuild the team around fresh legs. Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis were traded, and the franchise tag now donned the chest of a lanky rookie out of Texas in Kevin Durant. With any rebuilding plan, architects and fans alike have to cope with the possibility of many losing seasons. Similar situations have succeeded in Atlanta and Portland, while Sacramento is still recovering. Read More »

You can’t beat the holidays in New York City. With the lit Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, the bright lights of Times Square and the world famous Rockettes performing in their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular – tourism is at a high this time of year. But for the visiting Portland Trailblazers, a trip to the Big Apple is just another business trip in just another city. After arriving Sunday night via their chartered 747 plane, painting the town red was the last thing Blazer players were trying to do. Read More »