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You had to know it would happen with 66 games in 120 days. Someone was going to fall off. Surprises are a double-edged sword; Somebody has to fall. Besides Miami – who despite the loss last night look like the runaway best team in the NBA – who else can you say has really been dominating? I’ll give you Chicago. But after that Portland has been blown out at home and on the road to two dysfunctional teams with superstars on the edge of town (Phoenix, Orlando). Denver is feasting on the weak but struggling against talent. Atlanta, who knows what’s going on with them? Read More »

The Dallas Mavericks haven’t won an NBA game in over six months. A crazy thought, but then again their last win on June 12 won them a championship. Mark Cuban isn’t worried about the Mavs’ 0-3 start this year, but should Dallas fans trust in the owner’s confidence? Read More »

Hype is a dangerous thing. Realistically, when you think about it, what does hype do? It creates pressure, problems, anxiety amongst organizations in an effort to reach expectations. Really, hype doesn’t do anything but divide and destroy. When was the last time hype helped a team win a title? Some squads are able to do it in spite of the hype, but words and predictions rarely mean anymore than what they are. With the hype of the NBA exploding through the creation of so many superteams, this year is promising to be one with many disappointments. Read More »

Everyone wants to talk about super teams. Of course, the Heat, Knicks, Clippers, Celtics and all the rest of ‘em capture the imagination of the NBA fan base. There’s nothing quite like feeling the anticipation and excitement in the air when you see that news hit telling you Chris Paul has finally been traded and he’s going to the Clippers. What immediately follows is typically more invigorating than what eventually happens. The promise of what could be is almost always better than what is. Even here at Dime, we find ourselves talking about one third of the NBA about 80 percent of the time. That doesn’t mean we don’t care about everyone else. Read More »

While all the NBA exhibition and charity games during the lockout have been great, there’s been one element missing: school pride. So if guys can put on for their city or their team, the next logical step for them was clearly to put on for their alma mater. And it only makes sense that one of the most heated and storied rivalries in sports kick things off. Read More »

The first task for fantasy owners looking at the Dallas Mavericks is to take extra care to separate reality from fantasy. Yes, the Mavs were the underdogs-turned-NBA-champions in June, but that means absolutely nothing for fantasy basketball purposes. Assuming the team can reassemble itself into something resembling the 2010-11 champs, the Mavs will have one first-round stud and a handful of other usable parts, many of whom will be well into their 30s when the next season starts. Get those coughs out of your system and read on to see what the Mavericks can offer to fantasy owners next season. Read More »

When it was all said and done, the Dallas Mavericks grew while the Miami Heat wilted, going from underdog to favorite led by a cold-blooded monster in Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs beat the Heat in six games because as a team filled with players abandoned and lost in the seas of NBA roster movement, one thing became clear: all of them were hungry.

But of course, blame will fall on Miami’s preseason introduction ceremony of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade, and mostly on King James himself. Yet, it isn’t that simple. Miami had one season of cohesion to Dallas’ years of scarring playoff losses on Nowitzki’s mind. Read More »

You would think in the middle of the NBA Finals in a matchup between two veteran teams, we wouldn’t have to be dealing with kiddy stuff. But we are. And now Dirk, all 32 years of him, is speaking on it. After Nowitzki’s bout with a high fever earlier in the series, cameras caught D-Wade and LeBron poking fun at him, fake coughing and playing it up to suggest that perhaps Dirk was faking his sickness. It came back to the German and he had this to say to reporters after practice: “I just thought it was a little childish, a little ignorant. I’ve been in this league for 13 years. I’ve never faked an injury or illness.” Read More »

Before I unveil Game 3’s winners and losers, let’s get one thing straight: the Miami defense, and not Dwyane Wade, closed out that game. Sure, D-Wade knocked down some jump shots, but that’s exactly the point. He took jumpers. For those of you keeping score at home, LeBron went the same route in Game 2, except he missed. So Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade, you are this week’s first official losers. You got lucky this time, but history has proven that end-of-the-shot-clock heaves are not the answer. Read More »