So it wasn’t exactly Willis Reed or Daniel LaRusso, but the scene in Portland when Brandon Roy stepped back onto the court yesterday was pretty amazing nonetheless. After the Blazers got bass-taped by Phoenix twice in a row, they activated their superstar at the last minute for Game 4, about a week following his knee surgery. Clearly far from 100 percent and all but dragging his leg around, Roy (10 pts, 4-10 FG) still gave the team and the crowd an emotional lift and managed to play a key role as Portland pulled even in the series … Read More »
Two or three minutes into Heat/Celtics, you would’ve bet the college fund that Dwyane Wade was going to crank out a Jordan-esque performance. But by the time it was over, Paul Pierce was the one channeling The G.O.A.T. and turning Dorell Wright into the tatted version of Bryon Russell … The game’s ebb and flow was determined by the superstars. Wade came out like he was gonna hit a double-nickel easy: pretty turnarounds, follow dunks over the backs of 7-footers, carving into the lane for and-ones, and it looked like Miami was on their way to a solid win. Read More »
Along with social networking and a concrete resume of NBA alumni, it looks like one of the best ways for college coaches to land big-time recruits nowadays is to sign up that kid’s friends. And it’s not like if Georgetown had offered Bugaloo a scholarship to get Kyle-Lee Watson — since travel schedules and national schedules allow the best high schoolers in the country ample opportunity to get to know each other, you can entice one five-star kid to your program with the lure of a five-star friend of his.
At Texas, coach Rick Barnes has landed his next great point guard thanks to the buddy system. Read More »
In Dime #55 & Dime #56, we brought you the training secrets of high school powerhouse DeMatha Catholic in a Dime Training exclusive. But it seems just like all programs, they wanted to get even better. So after seven seasons working at Montrose Christian, they decided to bring in legendary trainer Alan Stein as the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach. Check out the video of the full body strength workout he took the team through on his first day of their off-season training.
If NBA TV had a good reason for breaking up the studio duo of Chris Webber and Gary Payton, I still haven’t heard it. One of my favorite C-Webb/GP moments last year was when C-Webb lost his mind during a Lakers/Jazz highlight when Pau Gasol led a fast break, dribbled between his legs and flipped a no-look underhand pass.
That play is part of the reason Gasol has become known as maybe the most skilled 7-footer in basketball. Read More »
Here’s all you need to know about the Celtics/Heat series: Dwyane Wade is averaging 27.5 points through two games. Quentin Richardson is averaging 10 points. And nobody else is in double digits. Defense wins championships and all that, but Miami isn’t going to win a game this postseason if they can’t score more than the 76 points a night they’ve scored so far.
More than anything, Jermaine O’Neal and Michael Beasley need to become a factor. Read More »
Yesterday, people were really feeling the “Only Kings Have Rings” tee from our homies over at Tradition. Today, they’re dropping another Kobe gem, this time for all the haters out there. A collaboration between Tradition and L.A. streetwear brand Fly Or Die, this highly anticipated tee drops today. Check out a detailed pic of this limited edition tee after the jump. Read More »
We’ve been high on the Thunder all season, but even we were impressed to see just how fast the young guns in Oklahoma City have put the pieces together. Coach Scott Brooks, GM Sam Presti and everyone in the organization have managed intelligently – and drafted high-character guys – to build a team that will challenge in the Western Conference for years to come. And after last night’s 101-96 statement win against the defending champs, they look poised to make some noise right now. Kevin Durant is going to consistently drop near 30 points a game, Jeff Green is far better than he’s given credit for and rookie Serge Ibaka is emerging as a defensive force in the post. But the key to the Thunder’s success is their second-year point guard, Russell Westbrook. Read More »
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