It’s summer of 2010 and free agency has just begun. Give the pitch to LeBron on why he should sign with your team and your city. I’m expecting to hear a whole lot from Knicks, Pistons, and Cavs fans. Anyone else want The King? Tell us.

When we first started Dime over seven years ago we shared an office with a top NYC modeling agency. And there were only glass walls. Needless to say, it was amazing. During that time, or approximately our first 19 issues, we had a section in the magazine where we featured and celebrated beautiful women. The section was called “Dime Pieces” and was loved by many and hated by some. The some though made their voices heard and we decided to remove the Dime Piece section. So here’s my question, do Dime Pieces have a place in The Basketball Lifestyle Magazine? Is it appropriate? Are they a part of the basketball culture? Women feel free to comment as well. We’re equal opportunists here.

In the past, whenever the Cavs and Nets have played each other the media goes bananas with stories about LeBron signing with the Brooklyn Nets. The two teams face each other tonight and there was a small mention of LBJ and the Nets in the NY Post today but nothing like the past. The big reason for this? It isn’t even clear the Nets will ever move to Brooklyn. Read More »

“Nothing is going on. Nothing is going on but a humbling experience.” - Stephon Marbury

I love this quote from Stephon Marbury. This was Steph’s response to the media after being asked about his meeting with Donnie Walsh this past Thursday. The entire Steph/Knicks experience (really, is there a better word for it than experience?) is amazingly intriguing. I honestly can’t remember many examples in sports like this one. The quick facts: Read More »

I was watching a few minutes of one of the Vegas Summer League games, and for the most part, the stands were empty. Except for the times when a marquee name like O.J. Mayo or Eric Gordon is playing, most of the games have been like that.

Here’s my idea: Instead of a destination summer league (Vegas, Orlando), let’s have a small mini-season. Same roster rules apply, with rookies, no-names, and a few young NBA players rounding out each team. The mini-season can be over two weeks and can include only local teams. So the East, for example, could be New Jersey, New York, Boston, Philly and Washington. Or maybe you could break it up the same way the NBA divisions are broken up. The teams would travel between each other’s cities, but play in secondary local markets or smaller venues. In other words, the Celtics might play in the Hartford Civic Center, the Knicks at Long Island University, Philly at St. Joe’s, and so on. Knicks fans would definitely go check out Danilo Gallinari if they could without having to fly to Vegas, right? Read More »

As the Celtics were going into the tunnel last night as time expired, Danny Ainge reached out and grabbed James Posey. It was literally one of the only times I’ve seen Danny this entire playoffs. Yes, he won Executive of the Year, but the much maligned Ainge still hasn’t received the credit he should from both C’s and league-wide fans. Read More »

I was at game 1 and game 2 and I can tell you, unequivocally, that I am a true believer that the home fans gave the players an amazing lift of energy and adrenalin and have been a major reason for the Celtics now 12-1 record at home.

During last night’s game, Leon Powe was having a career night. The fans were literally chanting “Leon Powe… Leon Powe… Leon Powe.” Josh and I were waiting to see just how crazy the crowd was going to go when Doc took Powe out of the game. But that moment of fan hysteria never came because Doc chose to take Powe out during a timeout. As soon as this happened, I emailed Austin that Doc screwed that up. By not giving the crowd that chance to go crazy, he killed the momentum a bit. I’m not saying that the Lakers made their comeback because Doc pulled Powe during a timeout. All I’m saying is that it didn’t help and in a time where the team looked like they could have used that last boost to push them to victory, Doc had wasted a golden opportunity. Read More »

If you can remember before game 5, the TV cameras caught the Celtics coming out of the locker room getting their inspirational speech from Paul Pierce. The Truth slipped up for a second and said that they “are one win away from reaching their goal.” He quickly corrected himself and said that they are one game away from a step closer to their goal. After the Celtics Eastern Conference winning victory last night, Pierce couldn’t hide how good he felt. In fact, The Truth said that he could “write a book on his emotions.” And then there was Kevin Garnett, who immediately after the game described his feelings as “neutral”. In fact, when the C’s received their Eastern Conference trophy, KG was no where to be seen on TV as the rarely smiling PJ Brown and the rest of the team hammed it up in front of the camera and gave the famous “Beat LA” chant. Even in the post game press conference, where Garnett was sitting next to a giddy Pierce, the Celt’s inspirational leader had his hat down low and seemed a little bit stoic. Where Pierce was clearly fired up to get to the Series and to be part of history by playing LA, KG had his sights on one thing; the Championship Trophy.

There is NOTHING wrong with either Paul or KG’s approach. Their roads have been different and their emotions show that. Paul’s been there for 10 years. He has been through the ups and downs and is about to play in his first championship series against his hometown Lakers and relive a rivalry that he grew up loving. There is a whole lot to be emotional about there. KG on the other hand, came to the Celtics to do one thing: WIN a championship and it appears that nothing will break the barrier of elation until he does that. Read More »

NBA TV showed a Cavs vs. Celtics game from the 1992 Eastern Conference semifinals yesterday. That Celtics squad not only featured Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale (and a young benchwarmer named Rick Fox), but also Reggie Lewis.

Some of the young’ns in the office were asking what current player Reggie Lewis could be compared to. The comparison is tough. Reggie was such a tremendous scorer, averaging 20.8 points in each of his final two seasons, but he wasn’t a three-point threat. He could shoot, though, and was a terrific slasher. He was an improving defender who used his length and athleticism and always seemed to be picking up steals. Reggie was sort of a combination of Paul Pierce, Rip Hamilton and Josh Howard, but without the threes. Rudy Gay was actually nicknamed “Big Truck” by an AAU coach in his native Baltimore because he reminded him so much of Lewis, a B’more legend who went by “Truck.” To me, the closest comparison is probably Josh Howard, but that really doesn’t do Lewis justice. Reggie passed at the age of 27, and who knew what the peak of his career would have looked like.

For those of you who watched Reggie, school the youth on who #35 reminds you of in the comments section.

Last year, Bill Simmons, who I like as much as every other Boston fan, wrote a “Doc Rivers has been fired!” column a few days before a date that he projected the C’s would fire him. I was on the bandwagon as well. I also thought Doc had lost the team and mismanaged some of the younger players.

It’s one year later and as you know Danny Ainge re-made the team – led of course by the new Big Three, second-year point guard Rajon Rondo at the point, an adequate center, and what was deemed a very questionable bench. Really, everything was different in Boston, with the exception of Doc.

And here’s the thing: We were wrong about Doc. I was wrong. Simmons was wrong, most of the fans were wrong (don’t think the “FIRE DOC” chants have been completely forgotten), and the list goes on. Everyone not named “Bob Ryan” was wrong (Ryan came to Doc’s defense after the Simmons article). I know the Celtics talent and experience level is exponentially greater than last year’s team. In fact, there is really no comparison between the two squads. The coaching staff has also been significantly bolstered by the addition of defensive wizard Tom Thibodeau, (hired by Doc). All that being said, Rivers has coached a brilliant first half of the season. Read More »