Some moments live on forever. This is one of those moments. I’m sure Chris Childs still talks to his boys about this, while Kobe has added some hardware to the mantle that’s allowed him to forget. Now, UNDRCRWN gives you a chance to read between the pixels to see hoop history repeat itself. 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 »

When I tagged Tony Allen to be Boston’s most crucial X-factor in these NBA Finals, I was thinking more in the momentum-building, sparkplug-scorer role, with some solid defense thrown in for good measure. I wasn’t expecting TA to become this year’s Raja Bell.

The Celtics’ backup guard hasn’t done much offensively (4.3 ppg, 4-10 FG), but continues to earn playing time for his defensive efforts against Kobe Bryant. Read More »

Anybody who watches MSNBC’s “Lockup” knows this much about prison etiquette: It’s all about perception. You might come into the bing at 5-foot-4 with a real pretty mouth, but if you create the perception right away that you’re stone crazy, you can drop the soap all you want and not have to worry.

Same rules apply in basketball. Guys only mess with you if you let them think they can, which is what makes Kobe Bryant such a strange case. Read More »

Bill Simmons posted a link to this video on his Twitter feed about 20 minutes ago with this attached: “#UTube Classic: Chris Childs punches Kobe right in the face. Would anyone dared to do this to MJ?”

Before he played himself onto the ’09 postseason map with bursts of effective/annoying defense against LeBron James, Orlando swingman Mickael Pietrus was — by definition — just your average NBA player.

According to the League’s annual survey tallying the average height, weight, age and experience of its players, Pietrus was found to be the closest thing to the quintessential average pro: 6-foot-6, 215 pounds, 27 years old, six seasons in the League. Read More »

SI’s Steve Aschburner isn’t even asking the question. He’s coming right out and saying that Kobe is a definitively dirty player.

“I’m coming with the good stuff right up top: Kobe Bryant is a dirty player,” writes Aschburner. “Not definitive enough for you? OK, then let the record show that Kobe Bean Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers is the eighth most dirty player in the NBA.” Read More »

The e-mails started early yesterday morning, and unfortunately I was asleep through most of the exchange. (Occupational hazard of living on the West Coast.) If I’d been awake, I wouldn’t have gotten a headache from Dime’s Top 25 Motherf*ckers of All-Time.

The original list we debated had more than SIXTY names on it for consideration. Darrell Armstrong was on it. Kenny Smith was there. Clarence Weatherspoon’s name popped up. Read More »