You still gotta play the game. Boston head coach Doc Rivers pounded that into the heads of his players after they went up 3-0 on the Orlando Magic. All the numbers, stats and unblemished records of teams in that situation don’t mean anything until you finish it.

Some numbers that do actually mean something: 7 and 0. 7 is Rashard Lewis’ points per game average, despite his “breakout” performance in Game 4. And 0 is the amount of heart/balls/fortitude/any type of emotion whatsoever that Vince Carter has shown all series. The Magic won’t survive another night if those two don’t eat their Wheaties. Here are three more keys for the Magic to extend it back to Boston. Read More »

After missing out on a chance to sweep the Magic at home on Monday, the Celtics are back in Orlando – a place they hoped they wouldn’t have to return to. If the Celtics don’t want this series to drag on any longer, they will need to rebound tonight, and these are three ways the Celtics can book their ticket to the NBA Finals. Read More »

Normally the tweets you get from @NBAStoreNYC are pretty tame. A sale going on, an autograph session, etc. But today this came out of left field. Apparently next season at your local pizza parlor, they’ll have licensed edible NBA logos for all 30 teams to put on your pie. I’m speechless. Read More »

Boxing or MMA?

My favorite fighter of all-time is Mike Tyson. Second place? Bruce Lee. Those who only remember the ear-biting, post-prison, forgotten-fundamentals version of Tyson may not believe it, but once upon a time Mike 100% earned the title “Baddest Man on the Planet.” Young, focused Tyson won fights with his power, speed and technique as much as he did with menacing intimidation. But even while that Tyson seemed unbeatable to me as a kid, I used to wonder how he would have fared with a fast pair of feet coming at him as well as fists. Read More »

With all the talk about the Lottery and the importance of building your team through the Draft by accumulating first-round picks (like the Oklahoma City Thunder have done), the second round seems to be increasingly marginalized in the minds of fans. However, the second-round can be a valuable place to find role players or even stars, so here are the best second-rounders from each of the past 10 NBA Drafts. Read More »

Remember two years ago when we told you how Kevin Love was becoming a beast before the NBA Draft? If you paid close attention to the article, you would have noticed that Love was training with Joe Abunassar. Abunassar is known for his training company, Impact Basketball, where he trains basketball players year-round, but especially NBA Draft prospects this time of the year. This week, we had the chance to get up with Joe to discuss the NBA Draft, how to eat properly as a basketball player, and what working with Kevin Garnett was like. Read More »

After the Suns’ bench scored 54 points on the Lakers last night, many people were wondering who the five guys were standing with Craig Sager after the game. The Suns’ bench is made up of home-grown talent, free agents signees, and guys acquired through trades, and here is a look at how the unit was put together and what each player brings to the court. Read More »

If you could only watch one highlight from last night’s game to know why the Suns and Lakers are tied 2-2, watch this. Can Derek Fisher stop anyone anymore?

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We argue. You decide.

CHRIS BOSH (by Austin Burton) By now you’ve read 1,000 writers who will compare basketball to jazz. Well, I don’t know much about jazz; but I can point out the similarities between a basketball team and a rap group. While freestyling and impromptu ciphers can be a thing of beauty, we can’t underestimate the harmonic blueprint of every man playing his position. Anybody who’s been to a Wu-Tang or Grand Hustle concert can tell you — it doesn’t work when every man on stage is trying to be the headliner. Read More »

We gotta admit, even we jumped the gun about a week ago, all but booking the Lakers’ ticket into the 2010 NBA Finals. But with the Suns taking care of business at home in last night’s Game 4, the Western Conference Finals is now tied up, Steve Nash and Co. have all the momentum, Kobe is frustrated, and the guys in purple and gold look like a college team unable to figure out a simple zone defense. Kobe might want to break out his Team USA phone book before Game 5, hit up Jim Boeheim and talk about how to attack the zone … The Suns were up one going into the fourth quarter, before their bench put the game away with an 18-3 run against the L.A. starters. Read More »