Christmas came early for the Lakers. Steve Nash is back, and he brought one of the Lakers’ most impressive wins of the season with him. L.A. had to fend off a list of issues to win against the Warriors: Jarrett Jack (29 points, 11 dimes) torching them, Dwight Howard foul trouble, a 14-point deficit, and Kobe Bryant (16-for-41 shooting, 34 points, 10 boards) shooting so often they classified his arms as unregistered firearms. Read More »

Took me long enough. Some media members have been complaining all weekend about how this All-Star Weekend seemed like one of those high school Friday night bashes when the rents don’t tell you they’re bouncing until 9:30 that night, and you call up a few friends, they call a few friends, you hit up your beer connect, charge up the iPod and yet everything feels rushed and crowded. That’s what a lockout will do to you. Read More »

This season, college basketball is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the three-point shot. The three-ball forever changed the game of basketball. It made a place for the Steve Kerrs and Kyle Korvers of the world, who have the ability to get three points for what is seemingly a layup to them. It also changed the game among mid-major teams. Mostly all of the best men in the nation attend big name schools, leaving the mid-majors with little size to scrounge over. With limited power on the block, these squads have no choice but to consistently hoist three-balls to be competitive. Just take a look at VCU, whose torrid shooting pace brought them all the way to the Final Four last season. Read More »

By hiring former Mike Woodson assistant Larry Drew as its next head coach, the Hawks sent a message: Things need to change around here … but not that much.

The Hawks have improved each year for the last five, including a 53-win campaign this season where they earned the No. 3 seed in the East. And even if All-Star Joe Johnson leaves in free agency, Atlanta still has a solid young core in Josh Smith, Al Horford, Marvin Williams and Jeff Teague, plus a couple of solid vets in leadership positions, Jamal Crawford and Mike Bibby. Read More »

Dwight Howard isn’t as brand-new as you think. Though it doesn’t seem like that long ago since he took the stage on NBA Draft night ’04 with those braces shining on his teeth, and while his persona makes him seem younger than he is, Dwight is a veteran at 24 years old and now in his sixth pro season.

In other words, it’s not too early to discuss (or at least make realistic projections for) his place in history. Read More »

Friday was pretty quiet for the day after the opening act of the NBA Finals. Then again, funerals tend to be that way. Seriously though, only the most giddy Lakers fans (that includes you, Spike Lee) are completely writing off the Magic after the Game 1 piecing, but anyone who saw the game or just saw the score has to admit Orlando has a lot of work to do to make this series competitive. Read More »

No sports lends itself to the “If” game more than basketball. Because so much of one man’s success depends on his teammates, because different eras are so hard to compare, and because none of us really knows as much as we think we do, basketball arguments almost always break down into a series of “If this” (If Kobe was on the Cavs…) and “If that” (If Stockton didn’t have Mailman…) and “What if?” (What if Mike hadn’t retired?) Read More »