To a bookkeeper, it’s the same old Staples Center for Lakers-Celtics as it is for Kings-BlueJackets, but in reality, that’s not the case. And there’s an argument to be made that this year’s Clipper home games are somewhere near the top of the list, closer to the more important Laker Friday night games than an empty-arena Monday night stinker. It’s a new age if it’s anything. There have been previous big-deal regular-season games in Clipperland – Danny Manning at his peak, Sam Cassell and co.’s 2006 magic, Blake Griffin’s return from injury in 2010– but they were dinner theater compared to the Lakers’ Broadway shows. Read More »

The 2011-12 NBA season is at a standstill, but all is not lost. The union and league are far apart on terms, according to reports, but each day without basketball means a night without a gate, and neither side wants that. They should eventually reach a compromise and play; let’s hope it’s this year. Bidding Basketball is back, though, with an eye towards the Spurs and Knicks, Eastern and Western Conference Champions in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. Positive vibes heading to the NBA? Hard to say. Read More »

Can you cut open a frog to see how it jumps? Jonah Lehrer, a contributing editor at Wired, argues on Grantland.com that you can’t. Hardcore statistical analysis of sports – sabermetrics, a baseball term, is used as a catch-all – is leading to grievous errors on teams’ and fans’ parts by ignoring what can’t be measured by obsessing on what can. Stat-heads, he argues, believe statistical accomplishments trump the rest, turning human competition into a series of fantasy leagues where everything is on paper and nothing is appreciated. There is no real insight, only leader boards. Sabermetrics is missing the point of the team. Read More »

All brackets are subject to infinite randomness, but not all strategies are created equal. College hoops’ weak shooters and trap defenses make for wild games, throwing all involved into a storm of coaching whims and player incompetence. There are untold permutations a bracket can take – slightly less for Duke fans – but is there a right way to do things? What follows is a list of better (and worse-than-average) strategies for college basketball experts. Some work, some don’t, though which exactly those are is up for debate. 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 Penny Hardaway‘s 1965 Ford Mustang and Carmelo Anthony‘s 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle. 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 game-worn Mark Price jersey and some Steve Nash kicks. 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 old school kicks from Shaquille O’Neal and Patrick Ewing. 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 »

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 Michael Jordan‘s Birmingham Barons Bobblehead and Dennis Rodman‘s Wedding Day Doll. Read More »

The NBA and adidas may have an exclusive merchandising deal, but the $400 million-plus agreement is definitely not respected on eBay. Even if the Association expands into Europe, Stern won’t be able to stop the movement of Bill Laimbeer video games, old Jordans and bootleg laundry bags from one fan to another. Then again, why would he? eBay’s stockroom beats any store’s, and a fan wearing a jersey is still a fan wearing a jersey. Stay tuned for a look at cheaper, misspelled NBA-related gems, as well as the expensive, hurt-your-feelings stuff. Read More »