During Game 6 in Dallas last night, Jeff Van Gundy said “the best predictor of future behavior is prior acts.” (I went back to my DVR at midnight and fast-forwarded through almost the entire first half to find the exact quote.)

Why did I waste 30 minutes of my life searching for this?

Because Rick Carlisle has coached three teams in the NBA, and he always makes them better. A lot better (see the below graphic). Read More »

We’ve seen it far too often in the NBA. Corporate elites married to their BlackBerrys occupy the best seats in the house, relegating the beer-drinking, obnoxiously chanting fans to the inaudible back corners of the arena. At first it brought tears to my eyes, watching the heart of the NBA, the fans, being pushed away from the action. But now that it’s an undeniable facet of every NBA arena, we have to accept it. Read More »

OMG. LOL. WTF. LMAO. Seriously, what did we watch? How did that happen? One minute Miami was introducing the first ever NBA Finals Dunk Contest, and the next the Mavs were canning Js all over the place, erasing a 15-point lead in the final seven minutes and grabbing the win they absolutely had to have, 95-93, after Dirk hit a layup with just three seconds left. Was this the swing game? It’s too early to say. But one thing it did do was turn this jaunt from a coronation to a series. Read More »

Many things were different in 2006. Our president was still white, Osama still roamed the deserts and no one had even heard of Soulja Boy. Yet, the NBA was still as competitive as ever as the upstart Miami Heat took on the Dallas Mavericks in a wild six-game series. Five years later, as the two teams hook up again in the Finals, we take a look at the top 5 reasons why the 2011 Finals is not the 2006 Finals. Read More »

A few years ago, I visited the ruins of a Turkish bathhouse outside Istanbul. The tour guide informed our group that the bathhouse managed to survive the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and various other wars throughout history. As much as I hate tours and sightseeing, I would be lying if I told you that I was not impressed. Despite everything the world had thrown at this stone structure, it still stood strong. Read More »

UPDATE: Reports are now that this a is a done deal. Chris Broussard just tweeted the following: “Deal is done. Mike Brown and Lakers agree to 4-year, $18.25 million deal. Team option for 4th year. Brown gets $2.5 mil if option not taken.”

Out of all the potential head coaching candidates for the L.A. Lakers, Mike Brown wasn’t considered a favorite. Most figured he was at the bottom of the list, below Rick Adelman, below Brian Shaw and possibly below Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Dunleavy. But somehow it appears Brown has emerged and will be named the new head coach of one of the most celebrated organizations in sports. Read More »

Hello? KD, you there? Russell? Heeelloooo? Scottie Brooks is that you? Damn, Dirk really shut up an entire team, an entire city. Brooks said in the postgame that if you aren’t upset after a loss like this, then you can’t get upset over any loss. He’s right. Blowing a 15-point lead in the final four-plus minutes in a pivotal Game 4 is about as low as it gets. Oklahoma City had everything lined up to punch a 2-2 ticket back to Dallas. Except Dirk wasn’t cooperating, and after Dallas’ epic 112-105 overtime win, it’s not even a question anymore. Dirk Nowitzki won’t let his team lose. Perhaps the Thunder’s only hope? Calling Mike O’Hara and Jimmy Flaherty … Read More »

Dear Dallas, watching you shred the Thunder in the first half was almost too much. We couldn’t take it, the beatdown was too ruthless. And also thank you for killing the stereotype. As the game jumped into the fourth quarter, OKC started rolling and the Mavs started disintegrating. Again. But this time, there would be no fun. The Mavs held on 93-87, riding Dirk Nowitzki (10 of his 18 points in the final frame) late to jump out 2-1 in the series and regain control. Read More »

For four games, Zach Randolph was held down. His shooting percentages dropped (never hitting above 36 percent). But the odds that the NBA’s Cinderella would go another 48 playing like Oliver Miller? 1 to 10. Or something like that. Randolph took over Game 6 in the fourth quarter, helping Memphis grind out a 95-83 win to send it back to Oklahoma City for Game 7. Randolph (30 points, 13 rebounds) was a beast throughout the final quarter, scoring on drop steps and hook shots. Read More »

Who will coach the Lakers next season? Almost immediately upon getting knocked out of the playoffs, the focus of L.A.’s offseason turned to who will replace Phil Jackson and his 11 championship rings. Because they are the Lakers and because they still have a ton of talent on the roster, L.A. should have the pick of the litter. GM Mitch Kupchak says that while he expects Jackson to retire, he is not yet ready to talk about the probable coaching vacancy. But we can. Read More »