Hubris and high self-confidence are about as synonymous with New York City as greasy pizza, but the good folks of NYC really could have taken some advice from Cleveland: Don’t provoke LeBron James. In LBJ’s first game at MSG since he snubbed the Knicks in free agency, the local newspapers were all over LeBron in the morning (“LeChicken,” “LeBum” and “Beach Bum” headlines), and the Garden crowd booed him at night. So all LeBron did was rip their team a new one while putting up a triple-double with 32 points, 11 boards and 10 assists in a Miami rout … Read More »

It’s more than just Jordans. eBay’s strongest tie to basketball is not documented footwear, but an infinite inventory of NBA junk, official and otherwise, wearable or not. If it’s old and NBA, it’s worth watching. Keep checking back for the best in vintage NBA memorabilia around. This week, we have a random Bob Sura card and unidentified Houston Rockets Air Force Ones. Read More »

To celebrate the 12 days leading up until the NBA’s Christmas Day games, Dime and tünr will be giving away an exclusive pack of tünr laces and socks each day. Each pack – which you’ll get in your size – contains 10 pairs of matching laces and socks, including the limited edition Dee & Ricky collaboration. If you’re interested, here’s all you have to do: Read More »

Take Jeff Van Gundy-as-anklet out of the equation, and Larry Johnson vs. Alonzo Mourning was just another poorly executed NBA fight. Charlie Ward and P.J. Brown actually fought. Will we get the same from Juwan Howard and Toney Douglas tonight?

While most of the Dime crew will be at MSG tonight while LeBron and the Heat take on the Knicks, AP will be hitting up the Jazz/Hornets game down in New Orleans. And could he ask for a better point guard matchup? Here are the stats this season: Chris Paul (16.2 points, 9.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 3.0 steals) vs. Deron Williams (23.0 points, 9.8 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 steals). Who wins?

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It was only natural to, upon hearing Yao Ming had received another grim medical report, begin writing obituaries for his basketball career.

Yao isn’t ready for that just yet.

“I haven’t died,” the Houston Rockets’ center was quoted by ESPN. “Right now I’m drinking a beer and eating fried chicken. What were you expecting, a funeral?” Read More »

Buy Low: J.R. Smith has been all over the place this season. The good news is that he’s finally getting a steady diet of minutes for the Nuggets. The bad news is that it’s hard to predict when he’ll do much with them. However, Smith remains a solid source of threes and steals, despite his low field-goal percentage, and should Carmelo Anthony be dealt away in the coming weeks (which seems increasingly possible), Smith will have more minutes and shots fall into his lap. Read More »

Part of the daily routine that comes with living in New York City is seeing what ridiculous headlines/photos the New York Post is running on their front and back cover – it’s always creative tabloid journalism at its best. Today, with LeBron and the Miami Heat in town to visit the suddenly ultra-revitalized Knicks and Madison Square Garden, the Post brought their A-Game with this back cover featuring LeBron’s head photoshopped on the body of a chicken and the following headline and copy: Read More »

From the outside looking in — Brandon Roy‘s ominous knee issues notwithstanding — it seemed the least of the Portland Trail Blazers’ worries was their backcourt. Two months ago, I watched the Blazers beat the Knicks in New York’s home opener behind B-Roy’s 29 points and Andre Miller‘s 19 points and 10 assists. One month ago, I ranked Miller and Roy the 3rd-best guard tandem in the NBA.

Today, it seems Portland’s franchise centerpiece (Roy) and its veteran floor general (Miller) are headed for an ugly end to their relationship. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Tim Duncan posted 28 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocks last night against the Nuggets. He shot 67 percent (12-18) from the field and 67 percent (4-6) from the charity stripe. This was Duncan’s third straight game with double-digit rebounds, and he’s averaging 4.3 blocks during that stretch. Though his fantasy value remains limited by his tightly controlled minutes, Duncan remains a strong asset when healthy and given 30+ minutes. Read More »