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General / May 8, 2008 / 4:08 pm

Using the “Jordan Rules” on Dwight

G.O.A.T. (photo. Jordan)
In the ’80’s, Chuck Daly coined the term “Jordan Rules” when he issued an edict to his Pistons to blitz MJ with traps and double-teams to get the ball out of his hands. Ideally, by the time the ball swung back to him, he’d be rushed to get a shot off before 24 […]

Hit List / May 8, 2008 / 10:41 am

Top 25 Postseason Performers

Kevin Garnett (photo. Gary Land)
To answer some of the questions we’ve received about criteria for this list, we are including guys whose teams have been eliminated so long as they’ve played at least one game since the previous power ranking. So while names like Caron Butler and Josh Smith will be seen in this week’s […]

Smack / May 8, 2008 / 2:52 am

Kobe Gets the Party Started

We told you so…
Everyone wanted to see what Kobe Bryant would do on the night he was presented with the MVP trophy; one notoriously loud national analyst casually predicted he’d score 50, while others talked about triple-doubles and game-winning buckets for the game’s ultimate big stage performer. After telling his adoring L.A. minions that it […]

General / May 7, 2008 / 2:30 pm

The Unusual Suspects: The Best Players in the Playoffs

Jason Maxiell’s gone toe-to-toe with Dwight
In the Lakers/Nuggets series it was J.R. Smith. In the Philly/Detroit series it was Reggie Evans. In the Jazz/Rockets series it was Mehmet Okur. No matter the series, there has been at least one guy that has elevated his level of play far beyond expectations to give his team a […]

Smack / May 7, 2008 / 1:38 am

The Worst Game LeBron Has Ever Played

Photo. Mannion
One reason everyone has been so geeked since July that the Celtics are a championship contender again is the inevitable feeling of nostalgia. Well, Celtics/Cavs last night was definitely nostalgic; it looked a lot like those awful bump-and-grind Knicks/Heat games from the 1990’s. Paul Pierce only had 4 points on 2-of-14 shooting, Ray Allen […]

Smack / May 6, 2008 / 12:59 am

Clockers

Dwight Howard (photo. Mannion)
Right after the final buzzer sounded and the Pistons had taken a 2-0 series lead on the Magic, we got a great camera shot of Stan Van Gundy spewing venom at a referee, screaming “That’s f***ing bulls***!” before storming off to the locker room. He could have been talking about a couple […]

Smack / May 4, 2008 / 1:00 am

We Don’t Need No Water

Tyson Chandler (photo. Brandon Sullivan)
Just when you were about to face facts and admit the Hornets weren’t ready to beat the Spurs in the postseason, Chris Paul found his game and led N.O. on a 13-0 run to grab the lead in the second half, then guided the Hornets the rest of the way in […]

Hit List / May 1, 2008 / 2:56 pm

The Hit List: Playoff Players

Photo. Chris Sembrot
Whereas we normally rank teams in this space, last week was the first of our Playoff Player individual rankings. For this we’re taking into account who’s playing the best at the moment, who has the best overall body of work, who has the most ability and who has the most potential to make […]

Smack / Apr 29, 2008 / 3:03 am

The Terminator

Joe Johnson (photo. Zach Wolfe)
Game 3 was Josh Smith’s time to shine. Game 4 belonged to Joe Johnson. Getting wherever he wanted to go off the dribble while unleashing mixtape moves (pity James Posey and Leon Powe), then wetting jumpers from every angle and distance, Joe went Terminator on the Celtics, putting the red beam […]

Smack / Apr 27, 2008 / 6:38 am

Same Old Story

Carmelo Anthony (photo. Mannion)
Is Carmelo Anthony destined to become the next Tracy McGrady? Same lead-the-League-in-scoring type offensive ability, same game/personality that’ll keep him a superstar as a player and endorser for the long haul, and — well, we’re in Year Five of Carmelo’s pro career, and he’s now looking at a fifth straight first-round playoff […]

Smack / Apr 25, 2008 / 4:45 am

Upset Thursday

Photo. Marc Morrison
Anyone who’s actually watched the Rockets/Jazz series (not just the highlights) can tell you this much: Tracy McGrady didn’t play any differently in last night’s Game 3 win than he did in the previous two losses. But because he knocked down some shots in the fourth quarter and found a way to shake […]

Hit List / Apr 24, 2008 / 2:20 pm

The Hit List: Playoff Players

Chris Paul (photo. David Deal)
Every week during the regular season, we use this space to rank each team in the NBA from first to worst — an inexact science that combines who is playing the best in that particular week, who has the best overall body of work for the season, and who has the […]

Smack / Apr 23, 2008 / 1:47 am

Special Victims Unit

J-Kidd (photo. Jordan Hollander)
Sometime during the end stages of the Mavs joining the Dub Club (a.k.a getting 20-pieced) in New Orleans, this e-mail came through from one of the Dime crew: “Chris Paul, you’re under arrest for the murder of Jason Kidd.” That was cold, but you saw the numbers: 32 points and 17 assists […]

Smack / Apr 21, 2008 / 1:15 am

The Rich and the Pope

Kobe (photo. Mannion)
Talk about an East Coast bias; yesterday the New York City airwaves were devoid of the Lakers/Nuggets game until about midway through the fourth quarter, with every major network pre-empting their regular programming to show the Pope conducting a mass at Yankee Stadium. It was understandable — after all, there are more Catholics […]

Smack / Apr 18, 2008 / 2:46 am

And Now We Wait

Tyreke Evans (photo. Pineda)
Today’s your day off before we dive full into every NBA fan’s favorite time of year: the postseason. Here at DimeMag.com we ranked the 16 playoff teams in our latest NBA Hit List, as well as wrapping up the season for the Lottery teams. A lot of people had an issue with […]