The Utah Jazz are a frontcourt-heavy team. They have about 3-4 big men capable of producing usable numbers if given sufficient minutes, which means that unless a trade happens to free things up there, some frustrating minutes-based limitations are in the cards. That said, the Jazz have a nice balance of productive veterans and up-and-coming players ready to make an impact on fantasy basketball whenever the NBA starts again. Read More »

We don’t really want to use the word. Let’s just leave it at this: the NBA is on its way to a thing – a thing that only happens when the Collective Bargaining Agreement expires. This thing rhymes with “flock route” which also might have something to do with birds flying south for the winter. This thing could last ’til the winter. And even though the two sides involved in preventing this thing are meeting today for the last time before the CBA expires, this thing is still probably going to happen. Read More »

There’s a difference between LeBron and D-Wade and everybody else. Last night, they showed it, taking over in the final five minutes the way very few players (and even fewer teammates) can. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Heat will take it, going up 1-0 over Dallas with a 92-84 win. Late in the game, all we wanted to see were some baskets. The first half was ugly, but the fourth quarter was one hideous fadeaway after one missed free throw after one off-ball foul after one annoying commentator comment. It didn’t really feel like Game 1 of the Finals. Read More »

A member of two championship football teams – one collegiate and one pro – Jermichael Finley has been a winner at every level. But despite boasting countless pigskin achievements on his résumé, the Green Bay Packers tight end still attributes his success on the football field to the fundamentals he picked up on the hardwood with his Houston Hoops AAU team. Read More »

The Oklahoma City Thunder took a big step forward last night. Kevin Durant & Co. went into Miami and beat a fired up Heat team – and to be honest, didn’t even play all that well offensively in the process. The Thunder traded haymakers with Miami in the first half as each team took turns churning out highlight reel material. Then in the second half, OKC clamped down on defense and completely shut down the Big 3, forcing them into a 4-24 performance in the third and fourth quarters, and propelling the Thunder to a 96-85 win. The whole thing was foreshadowed by Durant as he headed into the locker room at halftime. In his interview with Heather Cox, visibly irritated Durant told her, “The first team that plays defense will win the game.” If they play defense like this and get their offense going at the same time? Unbeatable … We can’t stress how incredible some of the highlights in the first half were last night. Read More »

The honeymoon is over. At this point in the season, Miami was supposed to be annihilating lesser teams like Indiana. Instead, they are succumbing to a laundry list of fundamental breakdowns: defensive rotations, closeouts, ball movement and three-point shooting. Basically, everything that good role players are called on to do isn’t happening for the Heat. Submit your Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller excuses HERE … The Pacers, despite getting just 9 points from Roy Hibbert and an off shooting night from Danny Granger (20 pts, 6-21 FG), were in control for the final three quarters. Read More »

Last night we saw the best and the worst of the Miami Heat. The best was on display as they built a 22-point first half lead against the Jazz: Nine or 10 Miami players got on the scoreboard, LeBron was collecting rebounds and directing the offense while letting the scoring happen naturally, and D-Wade attacked and put pressure on Utah’s defense. Miami took a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter, but as it slipped away, we saw their worst — namely, poor frontcourt and rotation defense as Paul Millsap was a steroid mix of Karl Malone and Sam Perkins, finishing with 46 points (19-28 FG) and 9 rebounds … Read More »

Landing a glamor job in professional sports is a numbers game. With so many talented athletes, so many great players just do not receive the opportunities to shine at the highest level. Every year on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” we see examples of deserving players lose their jobs due to lack of roster space, even if they might be pound-for-pound better than another guy on the same team who plays a different position. Read More »

If you haven’t already watched the DimeTV episode of C.J. Miles buying 16 pairs of kicks and talking about his collection, do it now. And for all of you out there who wear a size 13, C.J. put together a little PSA at Flight Club to try and find three specific shoes. Help him out.

UPDATE: C.J. just hit me up on Twitter and said, “yo tha American flag joints I said were number one are at tha crib waiting on me so I got one down.”

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This summer, I got to spend the day with Utah Jazz swingman C.J. Miles and go sneaker shopping. Starting at his apartment outside the city, we drove in to hit up Niketown and Flight Club where the damage totaled 16 pairs between the two spots. Also, both tracks on the video are from C.J. himself.

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