By now, we’ve given you some idea of what Nike Basketball has been doing with their secret 2-on-2 tournament, Los Fearless, that has been operating in L.A. over the last few weeks. And as of today, we now know its final location: The “Nike Tunnel” on Lower Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles this Saturday.

And this past Tuesday, we got our first look at what the Los Fearless 2-on-2 game is all about. At 9 p.m., our Dime crew in the tournament, Birdman’s Tattoo Advisors, arrived at USC’s Galen Center just as Nike requested we arrive “ready to play.” Read More »

And they said Tim Duncan wasn’t a center. In what may very well be his final All-Star Game, the greatest power forward of all-time will start for the Western Conference at center to replace injured Yao Ming, as decided by Spurs/West coach Gregg Popovich.

I’ve already been over why Duncan deserves his All-Star spot despite his stats not being as good as LaMarcus Aldridge, Zach Randolph or Al Jefferson, and surely some will have a problem with Duncan starting over Pau Gasol or Kevin Love. Read More »

As sad as it is, there are less than two months remaining in the 2010-11 NBA regular season, which means fantasy basketball leagues are quickly approaching their playoff schedule. Most playoff matchups begin in Week 21 (March 14) or Week 22 (March 21), which is coming quicker than the next Carmelo Anthony trade rumor. Well, maybe not that quickly, but you get the idea. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Derrick Rose finished with 42 points, five rebounds, eight assists and a block. He shot 64 percent (18-28) from the field, 100 percent (6-6) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. This was a nice way to head into the All-Star break for Rose, who has made a lot of noise in fantasy circles this season. Expect more of the same post-All-Star weekend. Read More »

If the latest rumors are true, the New York Knicks are going to get stood up for their date with Carmelo Anthony. Not long after it was reported that the Knicks are Nets have meetings scheduled during All-Star Weekend between ‘Melo and their respective majority owners, now it’s been reported that the Nets have a deal in place for ‘Melo that is essentially contingent on the four-time All-Star’s approval. Read More »

I know. You’ve read this kind of thing before. But I won’t be here for long, because my suggestions are pretty simple.

Despite Magic Johnson‘s annual declaration that “The dunk contest is BACK!” the NBA All-Star dunk showcase simply isn’t what it used to be. It’s not for lack of trying — the League has tinkered with the rules plenty of times over the years in their efforts to make the contest more appealing — but they can’t do much about top-level superstars declining to compete, or the natural evolution of fans with shorter attention spans who get tired of seeing dunks they’ve seen before. Read More »

NBA All-Star Weekend is in full effect for the basketball world. The rookies, sophomore and celebrities are set to put on a show tonight. Blake Griffin has the world anticipating this year’s Slam Dunk contest like it’s Dr. Dre‘s Detox album. The main course in this basketball feast is the All-Star Game itself. We get to see the best 24 basketball players in the world competing under the lights of the Staples Center. This is sure to satisfy your basketball appetite.

At around the same time the NBA was crowning its 2011 All-Stars, the best high school players in the country were hearing their names called for the McDonald’s All-American Game. Read More »

Remember that TV show “Elimi-DATE”? In an average episode, you’d have a girl (or guy) set up in a blind date with four guys (or girls), and over the course of the day, eliminate them one-by-one until picking their favorite.

That show has been off the air for a while, but it looks like it’s coming back this weekend, with Carmelo Anthony as the star. According to the New York Daily News, ‘Melo is scheduled to meet with Knicks owner James Dolan and Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov in Los Angeles during All-Star Weekend. Read More »

Even with today’s Smack comments turning into a debate over Manu Ginobili‘s Hall of Fame merits — for the record, I think Manu would get in if he retired today — that isn’t even the most controversial HOF two-guard topic of the day.

With the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame set to announce its 2011 finalists later today, word has leaked that Reggie Miller isn’t on the list in his first year of eligibility. Read More »

The NBA Celebrity Game has evolved into an All-Star Weekend staple, like it or not. Sure, most fans really only look forward to All-Star Saturday Night, maybe the Rookie Challenge on Friday, and of course the main event on Sunday, but the Celebrity Game definitely flies under the radar as a must-see.

With the festivities this year being in L.A. — the hub of everything celebrity — the NBA had no choice but to incorporate a star-studded lineup. And does it really get any bigger than Justin Bieber, who apparently is an avid baller? Read More »