I was cracking up at this whole sequence when I caught it after the Game 3 last night on ESPN. This reporter – in his Ed Hardy or Tapout shirt or whatever it is – was clearly out to get a reaction from LeBron in this post-game press conference when he suggests that James is “shrinking” from the big moment in the 4th quarter. James kills him and then does his best not to laugh…

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Before I unveil Game 3’s winners and losers, let’s get one thing straight: the Miami defense, and not Dwyane Wade, closed out that game. Sure, D-Wade knocked down some jump shots, but that’s exactly the point. He took jumpers. For those of you keeping score at home, LeBron went the same route in Game 2, except he missed. So Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade, you are this week’s first official losers. You got lucky this time, but history has proven that end-of-the-shot-clock heaves are not the answer. Read More »

Game 3 of the NBA Finals was pretty much an attempt by the basketball gods to screw with us onlookers. We had finally decided that the Miami Heat were LeBron James‘ team, Chris Bosh was weak sauce and Dirk Nowitzki had more clutch in him than Jeff Gordon‘s NASCAR car. But that all was a cruel trick.

As it turned out, Bosh hits the game winner, and though LeBron made the pretty set-up pass, King James took a lot of flak from the media afterward. Dallas had a good shot to tie it and send the game into overtime, but Nowitzki shot it long and that was that. Read More »

Thankfully for all you fanatics out there, Jimmer Fredette is documenting every step of the way as he prepares for the NBA Draft and beyond. Going behind the scenes with an ongoing, all-access series on YouTube called “Follow Jimmer,” you can watch him workout, eat in his hotel room and do just about anything else. In one of his latest entries, Jimmer introduces us to his girlfriend, BYU cheerleader Whitney Wonnacott, while getting the VIP treatment at the Real Salt Lake (Major League Soccer) game at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. Play on, playa.

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I’m not sure if LeBron James actually speaks French, but if he does, I’m sure this is what he said to Ian Mahinmi while dunking over him last night. Check after the jump for the NBA’s Phantom view of the dunk as well.

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All we can say is it’s good to be a hoops fan. In the third of three incredible Finals games, basketball dudes everywhere should unite to appreciate what has been a straight-up epic series so far. The Heat took back home court, beating Dallas in Dallas, 88-86, in another primetime nail biter behind a game-winner from Chris Bosh and a takeover from Dwyane Wade. Wade (29 points, 11 rebounds) was a monster all night, and his late buckets after a 17-2 Dallas run gave Miami the cushion they needed. After the way Game 2 ended with Wade being ignored, we weren’t surprised. Read More »

If I told you before the postseason that the Miami Heat would have a 1-0 lead in the Finals, were undefeated at home in the playoffs, up 15 with 7 minutes to go in Game 2, you would obviously assume they went up 2-0. After promising their fans multiple championships, you think they would be more focused than to let Dallas comeback in that situation, right? Wrong. In one of the worst and most embarrassing meltdowns in NBA Finals’ history, the Heat let Dallas come back and tie the series on their home floor. Now going to Dallas for Game 3, Miami has put themselves in sort of a must-win situation. After the 2-3-2 format was put into effect for the Finals, 11 times out of 11 the Game 3 winner has gone on to win the title. Read More »

Well, the Mavs are leaving South Beach with what they came for, a victory, and they got it in emphatic fashion. Maybe it was LeBron and Wade’s early celebratory antics that got the Mavs rolling, but Dirk stepped up and reminded us all why he has been Captain Clutch this whole postseason. The Mavericks proved that just like in the Oklahoma City series, we can never count them out of a game. Heading back to Dallas for three straight games, they have a chance to take a commanding series lead. Here are the keys to doing so: Read More »

The x-factor in the Mavs’ entire postseason run? No doubt about it, that guy has been Shawn Marion. He was kinda forgotten about, his numbers down since leaving Steve Nash and his athleticism waning as his age advances. Remember, earlier this year, dude wasn’t even starting. Then Caron Butler got hurt, the Matrix reloaded and in his last five postseason games, he’s averaging 15.4 points a game. Read More »

He was once dubbed The Matrix. TNT’s Kenny Smith even gave him a patented sound that’s onomatopoeia too complicated to spell out. Nowadays, Shawn Marion, a four-time NBA All-Star, is supposed to be a role player with the Dallas Mavericks, a defensive stopper who needed only to do the little things to help out Dirk Nowitzki and Co. But in a career of ending many seasons by saying “almost” or “maybe,” Marion doesn’t appear satisfied to sit back anymore.

He’s taking this one personally. Read More »