We are so tired of writing words like “lockout” and “canceled” and “meetings” and “George Cohen” and “decertification” that we can’t imagine how y’all feel reading it. It all makes us want to run up in the meetings shouting and screaming, slapping people across the face. The bad news never seems to stop. No matter if he’s playing or in a suit, Michael Jordan is always in between the lines. Amazingly, even nearly a decade after he officially retired for the final time, MJ’s influence can still be felt across the league, from the owners to the players and onto the fans. People still love him. His sneakers still sell. And the players still respect him. Tomorrow will represent some of the most important meetings yet, and the two sides are basically fighting to save the season at this point. Read More »

The 2011-12 NBA season is at a standstill, but all is not lost. The union and league are far apart on terms, according to reports, but each day without basketball means a night without a gate, and neither side wants that. They should eventually reach a compromise and play; let’s hope it’s this year. Bidding Basketball is back, though, with an eye towards the Spurs and Knicks, Eastern and Western Conference Champions in the strike-shortened 1998-99 season. Positive vibes heading to the NBA? Hard to say. Read More »

One of the more prominently promoted features of the new NBA 2K12 is the ability to play with great teams from NBA history. Ostensibly, this would allow one to discover who the greatest squad ever was, albeit in a virtual and fictional setting. Is it Jordan and the 72-win Bulls? Bird and the ’86 Celtics? The Kobe-Shaq Lakers? The Duncan-Robinson Spurs? Make it a head-to-head contest, and you can find your answer. Read More »

To say that Charles Oakley doesn’t mince words is a dramatic understatement, especially when you consider that he’s one of a very select few with the cache to bust Michael Jordan’s chops.

“We have a lot of heated conversations about the league,” said Oakley with a hint of mischief about his longtime friend and current boss with the Bobcats. “About how he was the only guy who could travel 95 percent of the time and get seven fouls every game.”

Oak made an appearance at K1X’s new flagship store in New York City on Saturday to celebrate the rollout of their Charles Oakley Collection, and before signing autographs for fans, he held court with the media on a variety of topics, pulling very few punches as usual. Read More »

You knew once K1X opened their NYC flagship store (359 Lafayette Street) that they’d be releasing some cool stuff, and the K1X x Charles Oakley collection is just that. Personifying the brand’s “play hard” philosophy and admiration for the “Golden Era” of basketball, Oakley’s gritty game and gutsy persona have always been an inspiration to a lot of people within the company, and they were thrilled when Oak announced he would be on board. Read More »

The NBA tends to come full circle. I mean, did we ever think that after the Mavericks watched the Heat celebrate on their home floor that they would come back to South Beach a mere five years later and return the favor? Did we ever think that the great Phil Jackson could have even had a chance to win 12 titles, coaching two different teams in three different decades? But the NBA has been around a long time, and while we may not have anything on a Red Sox–Yankees level, there are several matchups that come back to rear their ugly head, again and again, kind of like a bad Freddy vs. Jason movie. In honor of this week’s Sox-Yanks series, here is one of our favorite rivalries, Knicks vs. Celtics, which has been renewed from decade to decade. Read More »

The x-factor in the Mavs’ entire postseason run? No doubt about it, that guy has been Shawn Marion. He was kinda forgotten about, his numbers down since leaving Steve Nash and his athleticism waning as his age advances. Remember, earlier this year, dude wasn’t even starting. Then Caron Butler got hurt, the Matrix reloaded and in his last five postseason games, he’s averaging 15.4 points a game. Read More »

Upon leaving New York City for All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, we knew there was a very good possibility that either the Knicks or Nets would pull off a deal, most likely involving Carmelo Anthony. But what transpired last week for both New York teams (yes, the Nets will soon be in Brooklyn) has been nothing short of astounding. Read More »

Considering the violent and aggressive nature of football — American football, that is — it’s a wonder you don’t see more incidents like the brawl between Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson and Tennessee Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan that stole NFL headlines yesterday. The main reason? Helmets. If you noticed, Johnson and Finnegan didn’t really start throwing blows until they had each ripped off the other’s protective headgear.

NBA players don’t have to worry about breaking their hand on a plastic shell, which automatically makes for more fights in their sport. But for the most part, basketball players can’t fight. Here are the good, the bad and the ugly of some NBA brawls that stick out in my memory: Read More »

Around the time it became clear Chris Bosh was not going to spend his entire career in Toronto, two seemingly natural destinations for CB4 were Dallas and Houston. Bosh would be looking for a franchise with more exposure, he’s a Texas native, and both of those teams could use a big man — especially Houston, since Yao Ming‘s legs are as sturdy as a LEGO skyscraper. But after the Rockets took on Kevin Martin and Jared Jeffries‘ salaries in the T-Mac trade (about $18 million combined for next season), it seemed Houston was out of the race for any big-time free agents. Not so fast, though. Read More »