The Suns vs. Spurs is one of the most underrated rivalries in sports, and it even flies under the radar as an NBA rivalry. It seems that every year now we have a Spurs vs. Suns bloodbath to look forward to, although under different circumstances each time. Read More »

And we’re back with another John Calipari story.

At the end of a week that had to go down as an L for the much-hyped, much-criticized Kentucky coach — where he got the news that top recruiting target C.J. Leslie was choosing N.C. State over UK — Calipari found himself in the middle of another mini-controversy. Read More »

If you think that a franchise’s coach or general manager doesn’t have influence on whether or not a free agent with sign (or stay) with your franchise – think again. Aside from the fact of how lucrative a contract you can put together, a team’s management is vital to attracting (and keeping) top talent. So for all you Miami Heat fans out there hoping to keep Dwyane Wade, this is great news: Pat Riley‘s time in Miami will not end anytime soon. Read More »

On the eve of the NBA playoffs, I listed 10 players I saw as the biggest X-factors to determine this year’s championship. On purpose, I didn’t include anybody from the Utah Jazz. Truth is, I didn’t think they had a realistic shot at the ‘chip.

I was wrong. After knocking off the higher-seeded Nuggets in the first round and giving the Lakers all they could handle before losing down the stretch in yesterday’s Game 1 of the conference semifinals, the Jazz are as much a competitor as anybody else still alive in the postseason. Read More »

It’s not often that you get a chance to talk to Kobe Bryant for an extended period of time. So whenever media outlets – print or online – get an interview with No. 24, I take some time to check it out. This weekend, Kobe’s latest feature in the Los Angeles Times Magazine hit the web and is worth a read. Amongst talking about his demeanor on and off the court, listening to Dropkick Murphys and how he absolutely hates dog s–t, Kobe lets his guard down for a second to talk about his basketball mortality. Read More »

Inspired by the NBA playoffs, LRG & Dr. Jay’s have come together to bring a piece of the the action to your crib with the “We Are The Champions” Playoff Pack. The pack comes with mini basketball, string backpack and t-shirt in four iconic colorways. If you want to get your hands on one of these, check out the details and more pics below. Read More »

Right after the NBA All-Star Break, I wrote a piece about how the Dallas Mavericks had to be considered darkhorse title contenders. And the second half of the season proved they were. From February 17 until the end of the regular season, the Mavs were 23-6, and finally had some swagger that Dallas had long been without. But what happened? After getting bounced by the Spurs, that makes it three out of the last four years that the Mavs have lost in the first round. So where do they go from here? Read More »

In case you missed this gem over the weekend, Mo Williams threw down his first dunk as a Cav, and it just happened to be on Paul Pierce. What’s even better is Mike Brown‘s reaction after the game. Priceless.

Source: TrueHoop

All it took was one game to make the first round a memory. Forget that the Lakers had a tougher time than expected with the 8-seed Thunder, forget that the Jazz overachieved in beating the Nuggets while missing two starters; now it’s just L.A. up one game on Utah and three wins away from knocking them out of the playoffs for the third year in a row … Up by eight to start the fourth quarter, the champs went on a 1-for-10 shooting drought as the Jazz rallied to take the lead. Kobe Bryant (31 pts, 12-19 FG) was on the bench for most of that run, and said afterward he checked himself into the game when he’d seen enough. (And you thought Phil Jackson was coaching this team.) Read More »

Anybody who wrote off the Celtics as legit championship contenders when they were struggling through that middle section of the regular season shouldn’t be talking now. Although the C’s did lose in yesterday’s Game 1 of the conference semifinals to Cleveland, they more than proved they can run with LeBron‘s team and this won’t be an easy series … Rajon Rondo put up Deron Williams numbers in the first half alone, dropping 19 points and 8 assists before the break as Boston was in control. Rondo finished with 27 and 12, and did it on an efficient 7-for-10 from the field and 12-for-14 at the line. But he can’t hit a three, so he obviously stinks, right? … Anyway, the Celtics were up double-digits midway through the third quarter before Mo Williams went off. Read More »