As one of Nike’s elite programs, but also with Jordan Brand’s Carmelo Anthony on the alumni list, Syracuse gets hooked up across the board. Before they take on Vermont tonight, check out the kicks and jersey that they’ll be sporting on the court. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Dwyane Wade put up 36 points, 3 threes, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover against the other team in Florida. Despite lower all-around numbers this year, Wade has managed to remain a top-10 fantasy player, which says a lot. Read More »

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of the NBA, NCAA or high school – great basketball is great basketball. And yesterday has to go down as one of the greatest days in hoops history. Ever. Take for example the first four games of the day: you had a one point game, a buzzer beater for an upset, an overtime scare and a double overtime thriller. Only if Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery called all four games, could you have asked for anything better … If you were on the site at all yesterday, then you know the Dime crew was on top of everything. So we’ll try and bring some new thoughts and observations to Smack … Let’s start with BYU’s Jimmer Fredette. Read More »

Watch your head, because the LeBron Haters Street Team is gonna be out in full force today. Although LBJ posted a triple-double (29 pts, 12 rebs, 12 asts) and hit some big-time daggers down the stretch to lead the Cavs past Detroit, it’s the one blocked shot on his stat sheet that’s causing problems … With 1:30 to go in the fourth, Detroit was down three and Will Bynum was on his way in for a breakaway layup. Of course that’s when LeBron came flying into the picture to smack the ball off the backboard. Chalk up another Top-10 highlight and MVP resume-builder, right? Not quite. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Carmelo Anthony finished with 45 points, 3 threes, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 turnover. He shot 51 percent (18-35) from the field and 86 percent (6-7) from the free throw line. He’s lost some of the luster he had earlier in the season but is still having a much-improved season. Read More »

Carmelo Anthony did everything he was supposed to do against the Rockets on Monday, except win the game. All night long ‘Melo was proving why Clyde Drexler called him “probably the best — no, he IS the best offensive player in the game,” scoring 45 points on 18-of-35 shooting to go with 10 rebounds and only one turnover … ‘Melo was clutch in the fourth, dropping 15 of Denver’s 28 points and putting the Nuggets up double-digits. But next thing you know, Houston hit a few threes and suddenly it was a one-possession game. And every time ‘Melo seemed to stick the dagger, somebody would respond on the other end. Read More »

Going outside the norm was the theme of last night’s Lakers/Suns game. In a close fourth quarter against a not-so-lockdown defense, Kobe didn’t go nutso shooting the ball, scoring “only” eight of his 21 points in the quarter and just two during L.A.’s decisive run. Ron Artest, meanwhile, was a regular Mitch Richmond out there; the normally streaky shooter showed a smooth stroke (15 pts, 3 threes) and knocked down some daggers in crunch time to secure the win … Read More »

As much as the Celtics are supposed to be struggling, and as much as I root for the Pacers, I’m just not seeing an upset special when Boston hosts Indiana tonight. The C’s have had a day to rest, an extra day to think about how they got booed by their own fans in a blowout loss to Memphis on Wednesday. Indiana is coming off a win over the Sixers, and they’re getting Danny Granger back from a one-game suspension, but still, my gut says a motivated Boston squad will make an example of the Pacers before Sunday’s potentially season-defining test at Cleveland. Read More »

Down 10 going into the fourth quarter against the reigning Eastern Conference champs, it seemed Kobe was just waiting for the perfect set-up to steal another team’s heart. Scoring a modest 16 points through three quarters, Kobe hit back-to-back jumpers to open the fourth, then later went on a personal 7-0 run to cut Orlando’s lead to two with about 4:30 remaining. Read More »

For some inexplicable reason, while the ESPN announcers were recapping last night’s Cavs/Pistons game as Cleveland was putting the finishing touches on another W, they failed to explore the possibility that Detroit was shaken up by what had happened to Rodney Stuckey, or go into how it affected their play … During a timeout late in the third quarter, Stuckey was coming of the court and said he felt dizzy. He then collapsed on the bench right next to the Pistons’ trainer, and had to be rushed away in ambulance. After that, there was a somber, strange vibe in the arena that even translated through the TV. Read More »