Tonight is Game 7 of the NBA Finals. But you already know that. The stage could not be bigger, and both teams are desperate to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy. With Kendrick Perkins out, the Lakers are looking like slight favorites, but here are three keys to ensure victory for the home team: Read More »

Unlike the South Africa red card yesterday, I’m not questioning the rule here. The Nigerian player was obviously trying to kick his Greek opponent, so I understand the red card. But check out the level of contact versus the Greek player’s reaction.

So now that the Sixers have finally rid themselves of Samuel Dalembert and his horrendous contract (owed almost $13 million next year), what’s next for both teams?

As far as the Draft, this trade – with Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni coming to Philly – won’t affect either team’s strategy. The Sixers will take Evan Turner and Sacramento still appears to be keen on either DeMarcus Cousins or Greg Monroe. If anything, it may be a sign that the Kings have made up their mind: they are going big in this Draft. Read More »

There are stories that everyone wants to talk about in these Finals: Kendrick Perkins‘ knee, Kobe Bryant‘s legacy, and the Celtics’ age. In the midst of all those stories, the tales of two Celtics players have not been shared at all. They are two players who have not played a single minute in these playoffs. Most people have never heard of them, yet if the Celtics win tonight, they will get championship rings along with their teammates. Their names are Oliver Lafayette and Tony Gaffney. Read More »

We’ve known for a long time that the Philadelphia 76ers have been shopping Samuel Dalembert, and now it appears they’ve found a taker. According to ESPN’s Chad Ford via Twitter, the Sixers have agreed to trade Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes. We’ll have more analysis coming soon.

The last time Los Angeles and Boston met in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals was June 12, 1984. And we all know how that played out. With the Celtics leading the Lakers 105-100 with just under two minutes to play, take a minute to stroll down memory lane. The crowd’s reaction is crazy!

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Nothing Kobe Bryant could have done was going to top this. Pau Gasol could have gone for a triple double (he nearly did) and a 360 dunk on the break (he never will) and he might not have topped this. Same goes for the Lakers’ bench play, the re-emergence of Lamar Odom and Shannon Brown’s dunks. The Lakers were waiting on it. They needed it and had not had it since Game 1.

Ron Artest finally delivered a few outside shots in Game 6 and they helped spark a performance that was right up there with the more dominating ones the NBA has seen in the past few years. Read More »

When you talk about a Game 7, there’s three words that always come to mind: Do Or Die. And when it comes to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, there’s literally no tomorrow. Tonight will be only the third NBA Finals Game 7 in the last 22 years, and you already know that ABC has a spot in the ESPN Classic archives ready to go. So in anticipation of tonight’s epic match, we got up with the two biggest X-factors – Rajon Rondo and Lamar Odom – to find out what Game 7 means to them. Read More »

You’re going to get the same boring analysis about the NBA Finals on every basketball site (other than DimeMag.com of course) you go to today. So we sent members of the Dime editorial team to the streets of New York City to find out who was going to win Game 7. This is what we came back with. Enjoy!

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Exactly one week after the 2010 NBA champion is crowned in tonight’s Game 7 between the Lakers and Celtics, the 2011 season begins with the June 24 NBA Draft.

Since our last mock draft, one projected Lottery pick pulled his name out of consideration (Lithuanian center Donatas Montiejunas), while other players projected to go a lot later in the first round have jumped into Lottery consideration. This updated mock is a combination of what we think teams should do, and what we think they will do: Read More »