The word of the day yesterday was white smoke (well, technically that’s two words). In the NBA, the word was twenty, as in Miami has now won 20 games in a row after bludgeoning Philly down the stretch in a 98-94 W. LeBron James did his thing (27 points, seven rebounds, eight assists), and Dwyane Wade (21 points, eight rebounds) was pretty good too. But we can’t get over how awful the 76ers looked in the last two minutes. Read More »

FRESH PICKINGS Andre Drummond (45 percent owned in Yahoo!, 60 percent in ESPN) Every year I wind up with a fantasy crush on someone that I just have to get my hands on and after watching him develop throughout the first half of the season, Andre Drummond is definitely that player. Read More »

As the first leg of the NBA season comes to a close, player values are starting to fall in place. Of course there are some exceptions, like if some of these players just happened to start off ice cold or riding a hot streak. However, by this time statistics begin to even out. The early hot streaks dissolve, and the underachievers slowly work their way back into the fantasy hierarchy. Here are this week’s top risers and fallers in fantasy basketball. Read More »

Holy three-point shooting, Knicks. Of all the places to go on a heat check that lasted a whole half, the Heat’s own court was the backdrop of New York’s statement win Thursday night by handing LeBron, Wade and Bosh their worst home loss together, 112-92. Read More »

Currently, the Brooklyn Nets are tied with the Knicks for the lead in the Atlantic after winning their last three games (over New York, Portland and the Clippers). Much of their success can be attributed to Brook Lopez‘s excellent post play, which has translated into 19 points a game and over 54 percent shooting through the season’s first month. Regardless of Lopez’s goofy perm and laboring quickness, he’s managed to team with Deron Williams for some pretty pick-n-rolls to keep the Nets a threat in the paint, and his low post moves are effective, if not aesthetically pleasing. Read More »

Think about all of those games you remember that came down to a final shot, the ones where you thought you’d pass out if it got any more intense. Technically, San Antonio’s 111-106 win over Toronto on Sunday was the NBA’s most tightly contested win of all time. That the game went into two overtimes is notable, but not as much as this — according to Elias Sports, since 1954 this was the “first double-overtime game in which each of the first five periods was either tied or decided by a single point.” Polar opposites though they may seem, Toronto and San Antonio turned a matinee into 24 minutes of free hoops instead. Read More »

The Knicks rarely found themselves on the losing end of the turnover battle in their undefeated start to this season. They also never had someone so thoroughly at ease against their defense until Chandler Parsons‘ first half Friday. The Rockets forward upended the Jeremy Lin vs. Knicks/Raymond Felton narrative when he didn’t miss in the first quarter, knocking down his first eight shots en route to 26 points — in the first half. The Rockets torched the Knicks’ defense that had been at or near the top of league statistics for the season’s first two weeks for 131 points in a 28-point win. Read More »

Turkey Day is one of those guilt-free days where you can cheat on the NBA without feeling bad. NFL football is a tradition on Thanksgiving of course, and we’re left with Texas (Cowboys got RG III’d) and New York (a Jets fail for the ages) as two of the biggest stories coming out of a day without any NBA games. You won’t even have to readjust to make room for one of Friday’s biggest games — the Knicks at the Rockets. Do we even need to state the obvious about the matchup to watch in this game? Read More »

On the day that Chicago’s most famous face took center stage in the presidential election, the Bulls beat down the undefeated Magic, 99-93. Over the final five minutes, the Bulls closed the door with some ferocious interior defense, forcing guys like Big Baby into impossible shots, and on the other end, Joakim Noah (20 points, nine boards, five blocks) and Taj Gibson (playing over Carlos Boozer to end the game) provided some offensive highlights. Read More »

Has the torch been passed?

The new crop of elite power forwards has officially arrived. The young superstars at the position are beginning to push the aging vets out of the top spots and are cementing their status as the best in the game. While some of these changes can be attributed to new frontcourt rotations, others are a direct reflection of just how good the new crop has played, and are expected to play this season. Two of the best power forwards of all-time don’t play the position anymore (no, you won’t see Duncan or Garnett on this list). Read More »