THE RULES

*And if you didn’t get a chance to vote on the Deron Williams/Paul Pierce matchup, there’s still time. Voting closes 24 hours after each matchup, so you’ve got until 2:00 P.M. to make your choice.*

Anyway, onto today’s games.

You know the NBA scouts who completely ignore advanced stats and instead rely on the famed superficial phrase, “he looks like a basketball player?” They were talking about Joe Johnson. Read More »

THE RULES

Paul Pierce needs to shave. Maybe he thinks he’s fashionable or grizzled, I don’t know. Honestly he just looks like an old man who clings to the scraps of hair on his scalp, struggling to obscure his baldness with a handicapped combover. Instead of dazzling the ladies with manly stubble, he’s edging more towards the homeless look.

Alright, so I hate Paul Pierce. He’s a Celtic, he’s a winner. He’s put a dagger through the heart of my Knicks more than a few times. But his stubble is basically all I can criticize, because his offensive game may just be custom built for a one-on-one. Read More »

THE RULES

It may be No. 1 vs. No. 16, but this isn’t the NCAA Tournament and Amar’e Stoudemire is no slouch. He’ll feed off the energy from the crowd, embrace his underdog status and look to stick it to LeBron. His 6-10 frame and deceptively powerful upper body should allow him to score once he’s in the post – but will the South Beach import even allow STAT to back him down in the first place? There’s no doubt that Amar’e has developed a nice midrange jumper of late, but consistency is the key. If LeBron gives him room and Amar’e starts sinking 18-footers, he may jump out to a surprising early lead. Read More »

While their new draft pick won’t be coming to the NBA this season (Jonas Valanciunas and Toronto’s front office reached an agreement on his buyout and the power forward will be coming over for the 2012-2013 season), the Raptors learned that Leandro Barbosa won’t be leaving them. He exercised his player option for $7.6 million for next season. Read More »

Welcome to the 2011 NBA Draft Awards – an awards ceremony where we celebrate the obscene, the awkward and the term “wingspan.” Unlike the red carpet, we encourage the peculiar and admire the hideous. You wear a green suit, you probably get an award. You hug David Stern for more than four seconds, you probably get an award. You make fun of what Craig Sager’s wearing or his unnecessary question about how you’re feeling now that you just got drafted, you bet your ass you get an award. Much like the Oscars, this award defines your legacy – separating the boys from the Hall of Famers.

So without further ado, your 2011 NBA Draft Awards: Read More »

From what I recall in my young life, I’d rank this draft in the top 5, not because it was utterly surprising as far as picks go, but mostly because of how much Twitter enhanced the viewer experience. OK sometimes the pre-pick “sources told me blank team is taking blank player” tweets ruined the surprises; it was a little too NFL Drafty for my tastes. Read More »

The media doesn’t often come to a consensus, but regarding this year’s NBA Draft class, there seems to be widespread agreement: it blows. From bloggers to radio show hosts to television pundits, everyone is saying this could be the weakest draft class in years.

“I tend to think that there’s so much media out there that there’s no way we’re going to think just one way,” says basketball analyst Jay Bilas. “Sometimes it pays to be contrarian in the media. [But] you just don’t hear the contrary view this year.” Read More »

Yesterday was one of my favorite days of the year. No, it wasn’t my birthday or the night I bet my buddy that Dirk Nowitzki would go H.A.M. Rather, last night was the 27th annual NBA Draft Lottery at the NBA Entertainment Studios in Secaucus, N.J. (And if you know me, it takes a special occasion to willingly travel across the river.) With Commissioner David Stern in the house along with representatives from the 12 teams in the Lottery, go behind the scenes to relive the experience. Read More »

With March Madness officially coming to an end last night, fans all over the nation have been watching players pour their blood, sweat and tears into building the reputation for their respective schools. This year’s NCAA Tournament has been one of the most entertaining we’ve seen in recent years, and with every game being televised, the amount of revenue generated was through the roof. USA Today mentioned that this year’s Tournament will generate more than $771 million dollars in television rights alone. Read More »