There are a couple of guys in this list you might know pretty well, but are nonetheless surprising to see here. We kick off the weekend with the top 10 plays from the lockout-shortened season in 1998-99.

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By hiring former Mike Woodson assistant Larry Drew as its next head coach, the Hawks sent a message: Things need to change around here … but not that much.

The Hawks have improved each year for the last five, including a 53-win campaign this season where they earned the No. 3 seed in the East. And even if All-Star Joe Johnson leaves in free agency, Atlanta still has a solid young core in Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams and Jeff Teague, plus a couple of solid vets in leadership positions, Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby. Read More »

It’s almost impossible to watch an NBA game these days without seeing a T-Mobile commercial. But featuring the personalities of Charles Barkley and Dwyane Wade, I’m not complaining. Tonight, they’re launching a new 30-second spot during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with two new additions: the Walton Family (Bill, Adam, Nathan and Chris – with a family shout out to Luke) and the Barry Family (Rick, Scooter, Jon, Brent and Drew). And we’re told that this is the first time in 10 years that the Barry Family have all been together. Check out the sneak peek below.

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Right after Kevin Durant‘s showcase of savage bucketry, it was Serge Ibaka who almost got the Thunder over the hump against the Spurs last night. Throughout the fourth quarter, Ibaka was giving Tim Duncan all kinds of problems on the defensive end: taking charges, poking the ball away, and swatting his shots. And with every big play, Ibaka (10 pts, 8 rebs, 3 blks) would pump up the crowd and had OKC’s arena on the verge of exploding. After the rookie forced Duncan (14 pts) into a big turnover in the final two minutes, one of the announcers yelled, “Get on your feet, folks! Serge Ibaka is in the building!” … Read More »

That was Brent Barry‘s line before last night’s Cavs/Spurs game, his way of saying Mo Williams needed to step up and lead Cleveland since LeBron was out with a sore ankle. After sticking a big three midway through the fourth quarter to tie it, Mo (17 pts, 8 rebs, 8 asts) was at the line with nine seconds left and the Cavs up one. He made both free throws (between shots, did you see that girl in the crowd who looked exactly like J.J. Hickson?), and although Greg Popovich drew up a beautiful play to get Roger Mason a wide-open three, “No Shot Rog” bricked to complete his 0-for-8 night beyond the arc … Read More »

Two games. If you were in the office pool to get action on the first time Tracy McGrady would start showing signs in New York of why the Rockets never trusted him enough to give him a featured role this season, whoever had “two games” gets the pot. In the second half of last night’s home loss to Milwaukee — the Knicks’ seventh L in a row, by the way — McGrady was noticeably limping around. After the game Mac admitted his knee had taken some punishment and he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to play against the Celtics tonight … On top of the knee issues, McGrady got his first taste of what it’s really like to be a Knick in the 21st century. Read More »

Two weeks ago, I wrote at length about Rashad McCants and teams that should be interested in signing the four-year pro. According to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, the Rockets have signed McCants to a non-guaranteed contract for training camp. And of all the teams out there, he should have as good a chance as any to make the roster. Read More »

A couple weeks ago in Smack we mentioned that we didn’t even realize Brent Barry was still in the NBA, let alone the subject of trade rumors. But at the time the Grizzlies, Thunder and Clippers were all mentioned as being interested in getting “Bones” from the Rockets. We asked this question: Would Barry even bother with playing for a non-contender, or just retire? Today, word out of Houston is that that’s exactly what Barry is now considering. Read More »

Auto-robotic response upon hearing the news Manu Ginobili is out for the rest of the season: “The Spurs are done, they’re toast, peace out, etc., etc. …” Whether you said it with a huge grin on your face as a Lakers fan, or with an “Oops I crapped my pants” look as a Spurs fan, it was an easy conclusion to jump to. Read More »