If the Atlanta Hawks had been involved, they could’ve just called a re-do of the last minute. They really should’ve. Miami had an ugly missed shot and a turnover and were on the edge of falling behind for the first time all game. But Derrick Rose clanked two free throws, then got another chance after LeBron had clanked two freebies of his own, but was short on a floater. Forget the win/loss records, the Heat can hold the Eastern crown a little longer, 97-93. Read More »

There’s something purely Americana about the hometown kid making good in front of the hometown crowd.

Whether it’s David Freese blasting home runs to lead his St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series title, or Chauncey Billups going from prep legend to college superstar to NBA bust back to NBA superstar in Denver, or even Jerome Bettis winning a Super Bowl in Detroit in his final NFL game while playing for another team, we like these stories. In a sports culture where free agency and stressed-out GMs eager to trade make it increasingly tougher for fans to claim one group of players as “our guys” for any length of time, hometown ties remain nearly impossible to break. Read More »

All things being equal, the NBA’s best sixth men would rather be starting, of course. On other teams, there’s a chance they certainly would be. You don’t have to look much further than Jason Terry. He’s been the second-best player on a championship team and one of the fourth quarter shoulders the Dallas Mavericks have leaned on for the past eight seasons. Is he good enough to start? Of course. Even though his numbers are down this year (13.9 points, 41 percent shooting), Terry’s been hitting big jumpers and spot up threes for the past decade. As a starter, he’d be a nice player. As a bench player, he became a staple of what it means to be a great sixth man. Read More »

Can we get Dirk on the mic every game? Read More »

Lob City’s a Laker town again, if only for a night in this upside-down season where the Clippers are the supposed juggernaut in town. With Andy Garcia looking on with an, ahem, obvious Lakers’ interest, Metta World Peace was as much a factor tonight as he hasn’t been the rest of the season. His physicality and hesitation three, his only bucket of the night, with 3:30 left capped an 11-4 run and the Lakers put the game away from there, thanks to two key plays from Andrew Bynum (19 points). In the closing seconds, he caught a lob from Kobe and finished, and then snuffed DeAndre Jordan‘s layup. Was this truly the night the big kid finally grew up? Read More »

Earlier today we wanted to be the first to give you a sneak peek at the Mavs’ new championship ring, but now we have crystal-clear photos for you along with details on each historic piece. So as Dallas celebrated their first NBA title tonight, check out the bling – with 250 total diamonds – designed by Jostens’ master jewelers and members of the Mavericks organization, including Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry. Read More »

You never forget your first, so make sure you’re in the building tonight when the Dallas Mavericks finally receive their NBA championship rings. A team of Mavericks players including Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry collaborated with master jewelers from Jostens’ championship jewelry team to create custom rings for players, coaches and members of the Mavericks organization. Get your first look here: Read More »

The term “clutch gene” took on a life of its own over the past few years. Michael Jordan birthed it. Kobe Bryant pushed it. Skip Bayless popularized it. It became indistinguishable, something that we can’t quite grasp. No one can explain how you get it or how you improve it. It’s just out there, sitting as the ultimate when it comes to validating yourself as a player. If someone doesn’t have it, they’ll never reach the apex.

Jason Terry has it. Ever since he was a sophomore on Arizona’s 1997 National Championship team, Terry has thrived in fourth quarters. In Dallas, despite starting just once during the Mavs’ last three playoff runs, the JET has almost always come through, the ultimate late-game sniper next to Dirk Nowitzki. Read More »

This is one of the greatest videos ever made. Read More »

As our man Aron posted Wednesday, two bros just happened to be sitting in between Vince Carter and Delonte West on the Dallas Mavericks bench on Tuesday night. Who were these mystery men? Mark Cuban’s hipster buddies?

After doing some investigative journalism, Dime found out that these two are Detroit Pistons season ticket holders Chris Rabban and Aaron Cohen of Detroit area streetwear boutique Revive. Read More »