Falling short of an NBA championship in 2011 was not part of the plan for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat. But it may have been exactly what the NBA’s super-team needed to truly become a dynasty, starting with a title in 2012.

Here is the cover story from our newest issue – Dime #68 – on the Miami Heat and great expectations… Read More »

The real Amar’e Stoudemire might’ve finally emerged, scoring 26 points and dunking aggressively for the first time since before someone snuck into his house at night and gave him Penny Hardaway‘s knees. But Dirk hit two of his patented awkward rainbows in the final moments, and gave one courtside kid a HARD handshake in Dallas’ 95-85 win over the visiting Knicks. Read More »

If you were keeping up with my live coverage of All-Star Weekend, you probably would’ve noticed me paying close attention to Nicki Minaj. Not that I love her music. But you know why… Anyways, she dissed Chris Bosh in one of new songs called “Roman Reloaded” by spitting: Take you b—– to school than I Columbine you hoes/I hear the slick sh-t, b—- you washed/All you hoes cryin’ Christopher Bosh. Not exactly that buck that bought a bottle could’ve struck the lotto, but it does the trick. This video isn’t safe for work. Read More »

Does anyone else find it strange that the hottest months for basketball take place during the coldest months in America? All-Star Weekend. Trade Deadline. March Madness. For a sport played year-round, February and March are by far the most exciting times for the game we love. While tertiary fans may not start paying attention to the NBA or NCAA until after the BCS National Championship or Super Bowl are over, us diehards are waiting, ready to tell them everything they missed. Read More »

Just do yourself a favor and save the retirement home jokes for the NBA’s elite older players.

Before 35-year-old Chauncey Billups tore his left Achilles tendon on Feb. 6, he was one of a handful of guys proving NBA effectiveness isn’t tied to an age range. Even calling Phoenix’s Steve Nash (38) and Grant Hill (39) “effective” misses out that the pair are the lifeblood of an otherwise nondescript Suns season. You already know about the Celtics’ Big Three, highlighted by Ray Allen (36), who’d be my No. 1 pick to be voted most likely to play past 45. Read More »

Don’t hurt ‘em LeBron. We guess all it took for James to deliver a near-perfect performance was the possibility of being swept this year by Milwaukee because he unleashed fury on the Bucks in the second half. The NBA’s MVP at this point tried to tear apart the rims three or four different times, forget if anyone was in his way. To cap the end of the third, LeBron had one dunk where he split a double-team and flushed it (he covered 30 feet with one dribble) faster than a fat man going over a waterfall. That could’ve been expected. What wasn’t was his post game, scoring every…single…time against Carlos Delfino in the post. Read More »

Buy Low: Derrick Rose has produced just 10 points, five rebounds, six assists and one steal in his last two games. His back is aching him, which is part of the reason why he only played a total of about 33 minutes in those two games. Clearly, Rose’s fantasy value has taken a hit with this latest setback, just as we were forgetting about his bum toe. He could be playing at less than 100 percent for the foreseeable future, but with All-Star weekend about two weeks away, recovered health shouldn’t be too far away. Read More »

With the shot clock dwindling, Paul Pierce lost the ball, backed up behind the three-point line, fought off Landry Fields for the rock and heaved in a deep jumper as the clock leaked zeroes. So what if it didn’t count? It was crazy enough to warrant the MJ shrug from Pierce. It was also a signal: Down the stretch, the Celtics would make the plays. The Knicks wouldn’t. Boston came from behind to win again, 91-89, behind 30 from the Truth and a couple of monster shots from Jesus (14 points). Read More »

No position in the NBA is as loaded as the power forward spot. True centers are dead. Two guards are top heavy. Small forwards all want to be two guards. And point guards that can actually run teams are outnumbered by athletes playing the spot. But look on almost every decent NBA roster, and you’ll find one of their best players is a power forward. Look at Pau Gasol. He’s been one of the 10 best players in the NBA for three years, and yet this season he might not even make the All-Star Game because there is so much competition. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Andrea Bargnani posted 36 points, six boards, two assists, two steals, a block and four three-pointers in his mighty comeback from a calf injury. He shot 48 percent (10-21) from the floor, 100 percent (12-12) from the free-throw line and had two turnovers. Bargnani is having himself a solid all-around season with no real signs of a letdown in sight. Read More »