Working at Dime Magazine, a ton of headlines, news and opinions pass through our website each week. Everyday a new story breaks and we change our focus to the next game on the schedule. Before this week gets started, I’ll take the time to reflect on what the NBA taught me last week. Read More »

Just like the great champions of individual sports — Manny Pacquiao, Roger Federer, Ric Flair — NBA title contenders make statements by avenging their losses. Last night, you had the Lakers and Cavs up against teams they’d suffered somewhat embarrassing losses to earlier this season, with mixed results that may tell us something about who will be left standing with the Larry O’Brien come June 2010 … Back in October, the Mavericks went into Staples and handed L.A. a decisive loss. This time the Lakers administered an all-out demolition, 131-96, especially impressive considering Ron Artest didn’t suit up, Pau Gasol left in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, and Kobe was on chill mode for most of the second half. Read More »

If you’re up on your signature kick game, than you already know that the shoes that Chris Paul is wearing this season (the Jordan CP3.III) hit the shelves yesterday. The third signature shoe for the young guard will feature at least five colorways throughout the season, but for now you’ll have to decide between his first two. Read More »

It’s kind of fitting that the music video for Jay-Z‘s “On To The Next One” hit on the last day of 2009. The video’s kind of crazy – at one point featuring a bunch of bouncing, burning basketballs – but I’m definitely feeling it. What do you think?

This may have been the only bright spot in Miami’s loss to the Charlotte Bobcats at home. And Mike should clearly keep the blowout, right?

We’ve all heard of bizarre fights that have gone down within NBA locker rooms over the years. When Nate Robinson was a rookie during the ’05-06 season, he allegedly tried to jump then-teammate Malik Rose in the shower over a football bet. In 2000, an altercation during practice between former Seattle Sonics teammates, Vernon Maxwell and Gary Payton, carried over to the locker room after practice. The Glove reportedly threw a VCR remote control at Mad Max, who responded by chucking a five-pound dumbbell back at Payton. Read More »

Perhaps you’ve noticed a trend with the Orlando Magic: While Dwight Howard‘s shot attempts have noticeably decreased — 9.0 FGA per game this season versus 12.4 FGA last season — it only pops up as a serious issue when they lose a game. And seeing as Orlando is 24-9, third-place in the East, that hasn’t been often … It’s not like Stan Van Gundy has changed the offense, so some will look at the summer roster turnover and figure the difference is that Hedo Turkoglu was a playmaker who would look for Dwight, while Vince Carter just looks for Vince Carter. It’s not that simple. Read More »

If you were in front of a TV last night watching Lakers/Kings, you know that it was a great game. Guys like Spencer Hawes and Omri Casspi were knocking down huge shots keeping the Tyreke Evans-less Kings just ahead of the Lakers during the second half. The Kings had tons of energy – after Hawes knocked down a big three from the top of the key, the camera caught him yelling, “Let’s f**king go! We’re not losing this motherf**cking game!” as he ran back down the court.

But then they left Kobe wide open with a shot to win the game, instead opting to switch off of his back pick to guard an ice cold Sasha Vujacic cutting to the hoop. You can guess what happened next.

So that was random. After riding pine for the last month like his name was Gordan Giricek, Nate Robinson was finally given a shot by Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and responded by dropping 41 points in an upset win over the Hawks — one of the best defensive squads in the League. Whatever you (and Coach D) might hate about Nate’s game, you hardly saw any of it last night. He was taking good shots (18-24 FG), he wasn’t ball-hogging (8 asts), and he generally didn’t do anything silly like shoot at the other team’s basket or get a tech from the bench. Read More »

It could be said that Tracy McGrady is the most embattled NBA player in the League right now. (Alright, besides Gilbert Arenas.) But with an expiring $23 million contract and the Rockets simply not playing him, every GM is trying to figure out a way to make a deal. Playing a lackluster 7:35 minutes per game – that is before he’s sat out the past four altogether – things aren’t looking good for T-Mac. So while the Bulls could be the team that rescues him, apparently the Sixers have jumped in the mix with a proposed package deal built around Andre Iguodala. Read More »