Contrary to what Chris Webber said last night, the Celtics are not going to win the 2010 championship because they picked up Rasheed Wallace. While ‘Sheed will definitely play a role, Boston isn’t winning jack (or Larry) unless Paul Pierce performs up to Paul Pierce standards. Last night was vintage Truth, as Boston downed the Cavs in the opening game of the new season, a rare home loss for Cleveland. With a little over a minute remaining in the fourth and the Celtics up by four, Pierce (23 pts, 11 rebs) ran a pick-and-roll with KG near midcourt against LeBron and Shaq. Advantage: Boston. Shaq reached, Pierce teached, then stuck a jumper from the top of the key that was essentially the dagger. Read More »

Even though there was no NBA game action last night, there was tons of activity in the League. As we mentioned yesterday in Smack, while there were certainly some memorable plays in the tune-up games, this preseason will be known for two things: a lack of “real” NBA refs and injuries. Thankfully the former has been cleared up after the NBA reached an agreement with the referees, but unfortunately the latter seems to be an overwhelming reality for many of the League’s standout players … On the eve of the season opener, which includes a matchup between the Lakers and Clippers in a battle for Los Angeles (well, not really), it appears the Clippers will be without their superstar. Announced late last night, Blake Griffin may miss up to six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. Suffered during the Clippers’ last preseason game against the Hornets on Friday, this is horrible news for the No. 1 pick and Rookie of the Year favorite … Read More »

For every idiot/moron/stupid/crazy/you-should-be-fired/you-should-die (seriously) insult I took after writing that Michael Jordan is overrated, the only time I ever felt dumb was later that same night I wrote the column, when NBA TV aired a Lakers/Clippers game from 1979.

While the re-run was meant to showcase Magic Johnson in his first NBA game, the star of the show was the one guy who I somehow failed to mention when listing players who could challenge Jordan for the Greatest of All-Time crown: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Read More »

Has anyone bothered to find out what Al Jefferson thinks of all this? Friday’s NBA Draft aftermath still focused primarily on the Timberwolves, specifically on them picking Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn back-to-back. It’s to the point where Minnesota GM David Kahn wrote an open letter to Wolves fans explaining his actions, a classic example of a guy who still feels the need to prove himself. Could you ever see Larry Bird, Michael Jordan or even Rod Thorn doing that? Anytime Bird hears criticism for his player moves, we can imagine him thinking, “Why did I do that? Because I f***in’ felt like it. I’m LARRY BIRD, dammit!” … Read More »

Why would Minnesota take Jonny Flynn? You’re basically using a Top-6 pick on a backup, because [Ricky] Rubio and Flynn won’t start in the same backcourt. Aren’t you just setting Rubio up to fail if Flynn comes in and bulldogs the starting job away from him?

That’s what I wrote when the Wolves took Syracuse PG Flynn right behind Spanish PG Rubio in last night’s draft. While everyone is still questioning Minnesota’s thought process, GM David Kahn wrote an open letter to T’wolves fans, posted in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Here’s an excerpt: Read More »

Despite the fact that the Clippers were able to pull off the W last night in New York (thanks Al), their team is still a mess. Don’t believe me? According to ESPN.com, Clippers owner Donald Sterling spoke with Isiah Thomas about an executive position several weeks ago. Read More »