The push this year will come stronger and faster. You can’t work your way into it. There’s no waiting for tomorrow. You have until April 28 – that’s less than two months – to work your way into the postseason. If you’re in the East, there’s hope. Outside of three or four teams, everyone else is one big injury away from a five-game slide and a shot at extinction. Outside of Miami and Chicago, get too big-headed and you’ll be slain. Lose your confidence and you’ll take up residence next to Washington and Charlotte. Read More »

We hear this all the time, but is there any question Kenny Dobbs – who might just be the best dunker in the world – would’ve won the NBA contest on Saturday night? With his through-the-leg and windmill dunk variations – normally resulting in him catapulting himself over somebody – I doubt most NBA players would have a chance. Read More »

LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant might’ve been the headliners on this past Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game, but they weren’t the only ones putting in work. Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade did their thing as well. Perhaps they were low on the replay highlights, but each left his imprint on the game; Wade with only the third triple-double in All-Star Game history (24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists); and Paul with a game-high 12 dimes. Read More »

I’ve become good friends with the Air Jordan 2012 in the past few months, first going to the launch in New Jersey, then getting to be one of the first people in the world to customize my very own pair (which should be arriving soon… hopefully!). Even this past Sunday at All-Star Weekend, I was hooked up once again and hooped against Jadakiss and DJ Clue in these joints. Now being tasked with building and customizing my ultimate sneaker, I knew where I was starting. Read More »

As the second half begins, Dime looks at a burning question facing each team. Here’s the Northwest Division.

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Oklahoma City Thunder When do the Thunder get tired? When OKC gets tired as the playoffs get closer, Scott Brooks will look to rest his team, even if it is one of the league’s youngest rosters. That, in turn, means a search for regaining momentum before the playoffs start — the proverbial “flipped switch.” The Thunder made a Western Conference Finals run last year and are tied for an NBA-best 27-7 with Miami, but their sample size is still too small to have full confidence in their playoff maturity. Read More »

WHERE WAS BLAKE? This year’s dunk contest set itself up for an inevitable disappointment when the league’s preeminent smashing machine decided not to come through for the fans. Last year, despite what you thought of Griffin’s winning performance, he created excitement, a buzz. This year there was none of that, and we were left with some average guys trying to uncover drama by dunking over small celebrities and turning off all the lights. Read More »

Beast of the Night: DeAndre Jordan finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and four blocks last night. He shot 78 percent (7-9) from the field and shot not free-throw attempts and had no turnovers. This was Jordan’s third straight game with double-digit rebounds. He remains a fantasy stud for owners punting free-throw percentage. Read More »

We mentioned it in Smack, but it definitely deserves a post. JaVale McGee was out hunting Bucks last night, and came away with this instead. Now that’s a throwdown. Shout out to Get Banged On for alerting us to another ridiculous McGee highlight. Read More »

Who would’ve ever thought these three had it in them? DeShawn Stevenson never handles the ball. MarShon Brooks never passes the ball. And Kris Humphries‘ hops aren’t exactly screaming for a highlight. But on a night where a lot went right for them, all three powers combined for one of the better double alley-oops we’ve seen in the NBA. Read More »

We wonder if Dwight Howard was watching last night. The two teams most often associated with the Orlando big man met up for what could’ve been a classic last night in Dallas if it wasn’t for Jason Kidd, and if it wasn’t for the fact that one of the teams is the Nets. Still, New Jersey stole the game 93-92 after a Kidd three-point heave at the buzzer was off. How’d it happen? The Nets have a new big man, and it’s not the guy everyone is talking about. Brook Lopez dropped 38 points in his first big game of the season after coming off his injury. Read More »