MADISON SQUARE GARDEN — Carmelo Anthony delivered the blow, full-impact right in the face of his opponent, then broke into a speedy yet awkward backpedal, looking like a man built to play defensive end trying to imitate a cornerback.

And the New York crowd, at their loyal and passionate best, gave him a wild standing ovation. Wait … what?

There were plenty of surreal moments during Carmelo’s first game as a Knick, but for me, that was the standout. Read More »

As we said in Smack: Bill Walker should have gotten a tech for hurting Andrew Bogut’s feelings last night. You’ve seen his body of work, so what do we have to do to get him in the dunk contest this February?

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Last night we saw the best and the worst of the Miami Heat. The best was on display as they built a 22-point first half lead against the Jazz: Nine or 10 Miami players got on the scoreboard, LeBron was collecting rebounds and directing the offense while letting the scoring happen naturally, and D-Wade attacked and put pressure on Utah’s defense. Miami took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter, but as it slipped away, we saw their worst — namely, poor frontcourt and rotation defense as Paul Millsap was a steroid mix of Karl Malone and Sam Perkins, finishing with 46 points (19-28 FG) and 9 rebounds … Read More »

Pretty much every wing player — i.e., a two-guard or small forward, typically someone who can play both — in the NBA is athletic. It’s one of the job requirements. And if they’re not very athletic, they can at least compensate by shooting your face off. So simply being able to do a YouTube-friendly dunk or knock down a rack’s worth of threes isn’t always enough to make an impact in the League.

The key is expanding your game. Here are five wing players who have added pieces to their original arsenal and are poised for a breakout season in 2010-11: Read More »

Beast of the Night: Stephen Curry finished his stellar first season in the NBA with a bang, finishing with 42 points, 4 threes, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 2 turnovers. He shot 52 percent (13-25) from the field and 100 percent (12-12) from the line. The kid deserves some major props for finishing the season as a top-12 fantasy stud and he’s sure to go very high in next season’s drafts. Read More »

If you thought last Thursday’s loss to the Cavs was a sign the Celtics don’t have enough in the tank to win a championship this year, Saturday’s loss to the New Jersey Nets — yes, we said the New Jersey Nets — was all the confirmation you needed … Tommy Heinsohn and the two psychos from Celtic Pride would have a hard time coming up with an excuse here: Boston was at home, they hadn’t traveled since last weekend, they weren’t playing a back-to-back, and Kevin Garnett (26 pts, 9 rebs) and Rajon Rondo (13 pts, 17 asts) didn’t play horribly. Read More »

Tracy McGrady is finally a Knick, Nate Robinson is a Celtic and Tyrus Thomas has transformed from a sulky Bull into a brooding Bobcat. There were also a few odds and ends to note as the trade deadline passed, and it’s clear that fantasy owners have some work to do if they want to sort through the debris to separate the gems from the rubble. Let’s take a look at the notable fantasy implications. Read More »

The Nate Robinson saga is finally complete. After differing reports for the past two days, Newsday‘s Alan Hahn says that the trade is official: Robinson and Marcus Landry for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker. Read More »

While yesterday’s Nate Robinson to Boston scenario seemed like it was going to be straight up for Eddie House and a second round pick, ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan is reporting that the Knicks have reached a tentative agreement on a deal that would send Robinson and a second player to the Celtics for House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker. The identity of the second New York player was not immediately clear. Read More »

It seems this year’s All-Star Weekend is just full of dunk contests. From the dunk-in during the Rookie/Sophomore game, to the search for the nation’s best amateur dunker in the inaugural Sprite Slam Dunk Showdown, to the actual dunk contest during All-Star Saturday Night, there will be more 10s out than a Sports Illustrated swimsuit shoot. But there’s one dunk contest that nobody’s really talking about, and it just so happens to feature some of the most talented aerial artists around. That’s right folks, I’m talking about the dunk contest during tonight’s D-League Dream Factory. Read More »