You heard it in the classroom. You heard it from your uncles. You heard it from your momma. We’re not sure who Dirk heard it from, but we know it was in German: “If at first you don’t succeed…” and yeah, you know the rest. After missing an open three with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and his team down two, Dirk had another look from behind the arc. Maybe previous versions of Dirk (since he’s become a robot) would’ve shied away from that second shot. But not this Dirk Nowitzki. And this Dirk Nowitzki was buckets – hitting the three that would give his Mavericks a lead they wouldn’t give up, beating the Thunder, 100-96, and punching their tickets to the team’s second NBA Finals in five years. Read More »
Ever since the adidas adiZero Crazy Light was unveiled, people have been asking the same question: Is it really the lightest basketball shoe ever? As good scientists, the folks at adidas conducted several trials to test this assertion, and what you see below is what’s left of The Other Guys’ shoe (the Nike Zoom Kobe VI) to match 9.8 ounces. This time, they traded in the samurai sword for a chainsaw.
“He looks like the devil.” Don’t even know why I said it. They didn’t look alike, outside of the glare. Spring 1999. Vince had set it off. On fire. Maybe that’s why “devil” came up. The first time I had ever really seen him play – had heard the name, but Toronto wasn’t exactly popping on the NBA scene – and immediately noticed the hops, the smoothness, the cool. The dude was raw. And yet, all I could say was, “He looks like the devil.” The devil. Oxymoron. Who would’ve ever thought the devil and Tracy McGrady would be used in the same sentence? Read More »
This year, the whole city of Chicago rallied around Derrick Rose and the Bulls. And with their backs up against the wall, Bulls Nation needs to stand up and stand strong. So if you’re in the Windy City and going to the United Center for tomorrow night’s Game 5, you need to pick up a “Chicago Leaders” t-shirt from Leaders 1354. Read More »
A night after Sir Dirk Nowitzki went all epic in OKC (yes, you read that right, I’ve officially knighted him), there was no way I was letting another pivotal Game 4 pass me by without a live journal (not that kind of LiveJournal). Chicago needed this one: a 3-1 hole is insurmountable – like the hole left in my heart after the Macho Man’s untimely passing (RIP). Bulls’ backs to the wall, LeBron & Co. raring to go…Let’s. Get. It. On. Read More »
UPDATE: Reports are now that this a is a done deal. Chris Broussard just tweeted the following: “Deal is done. Mike Brown and Lakers agree to 4-year, $18.25 million deal. Team option for 4th year. Brown gets $2.5 mil if option not taken.”
Out of all the potential head coaching candidates for the L.A. Lakers, Mike Brown wasn’t considered a favorite. Most figured he was at the bottom of the list, below Rick Adelman, below Brian Shaw and possibly below Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy. But somehow it appears Brown has emerged and will be named the new head coach of one of the most celebrated organizations in sports. Read More »
When I think back to my childhood years and developing my basketball game, like many others my age, I think of the summers when I attended Five-Star Basketball camps. About 10-15 years ago, Five-Star was the most prestigious grassroots basketball organization and helped develop the skills of players like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kevin Durant. The business of basketball camps has changed tremendously in the last 10 years with top players and sneaker companies starting their own camps and tournament circuits, and as a result Five-Star took a backseat. Now under new ownership, Five-Star Basketball is ready to step back into the spotlight and reconnect with the youth with the launch of fivestarbasketball.com, a content heavy site with player rankings, blogs, highlight reels, camp history and much more. Read More »
The EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball League) is in its second season and features 40 elite 17-and-under travel team programs spanning 27 states and Canada. After events in Virginia and Texas, the league heads to Cali for Memorial Day Weekend. With that, check out two exclusive versions of the Nike Zoom Hyperfuse Low that you may see on the court. Read More »
You don’t get more Chicago than Bobby Simmons. He was born in Chicago, played high school ball (Simeon Career Academy) and college ball (DePaul University) in Chicago and spends his offseasons training in Chicago. So while you might think it’s a stretch for the NBA’s former Most Improved Player and nine-year vet to appear in a music video for Chi-Town duo L.E.P. Bogus Boys, it’s not. Check it out.
On paper, Andrea Bargnani has the makeup of a franchise player. He’s seven-feet tall, only 25 years old and averaged over 21 points per game this past season. But despite all that, the Raptors only won 22 games, with Bargnani missing eight of the final 10 due to a nagging ankle injury. So what is Toronto to do? Should they trade their No. 1 in order to improve? If AB had his druthers, he might be on his way out of town. Read More »
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