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 »

So the Heat won and the Mavs lost. Pretty simple. But if you watched the game closely, some other winners and losers definitely slid into the conversation. So here’s to you, unsung heroes. And losers, try again in Game 2. Read More »

Analyzing Game 1 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat goes beyond the Xs and Os, past the same storyline many of us predicted before the tip. Were you surprised that it was a game until LeBron James and Dwyane Wade proved too much for Dirk Nowitzki and, well, nobody else?

I think you might have seen that coming. Whatever the case may be, the Twittersphere was blowing up with a lot of insight, smack talk and humorous accounts (for the love of the basketball gods, “Dirk NoRingski” was trending). For the sake of objectivity, here’s a little taste of the Mavs Malice and the Heat Hate – plus a ton of old-guy jokes – via Twitter. Read More »

There’s a difference between LeBron and D-Wade and everybody else. Last night, they showed it, taking over in the final five minutes the way very few players (and even fewer teammates) can. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Heat will take it, going up 1-0 over Dallas with a 92-84 win. Late in the game, all we wanted to see were some baskets. The first half was ugly, but the fourth quarter was one hideous fadeaway after one missed free throw after one off-ball foul after one annoying commentator comment. It didn’t really feel like Game 1 of the Finals. Read More »

We mentioned it in Smack this morning – John Wall and Big Z sort of got into it last night in Washington. You can’t really call this a “fight,” because Zydrunas seems fairly amused by the whole thing and he doesn’t really fight back, even after Wall delivers a serious right-handed body blow to his rib cage.

Afterward, this is what Wall had to say about the skirmish: Read More »

It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »

On a weekend where everyone was dressed up as something they aren’t, Sunday’s late-night game marked a return to reality. The Lakers played basically a perfect first quarter in their all-California matchup with the previously undefeated (what?) Warriors. Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom were eating up the glass and Kobe Bryant (20 pts, 7 rebs) was putting Monta Ellis in his post-up chamber. After one quarter, L.A. was up 34-14 and on their way to a 20-piece win, about as easy a W as the champs will get all season … On offense, all the Lakers had to do was get the ball to the rim and Odom (16 pts, 14 rebs) or Gasol (26 pts, 12 rebs) were going to go get it. On defense, they only had to check Ellis, who finished with a team-high 20 points. Read More »

As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Eddie House, Jerry Stackhouse, Juwan Howard

Lost: Michael Beasley, Jermaine O’Neal, Quentin Richardson, Dorell Wright, Daequan Cook, Rafer Alston Read More »

As NBA training camps get underway, we preview the upcoming season with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Wes Matthews, Luke Babbitt, Elliot Williams

Lost: Martell Webster, Juwan Howard Read More »

One way or another, there are going to be a lot of broken hearts in Miami this year. Either the new-look Heat don’t win a championship, or they do, and three guys who signed this summer don’t end up getting a ring. Now that Miami has inked former West Virginia star Da’Sean Butler, the 42nd pick in this year’s NBA Draft, he becomes the team’s 18th player under contract going into training camp. So while it’s going to be an uphill battle for Butler as he works to come back from a torn ligament in his left knee, let’s look at the roster and try and figure out who will be on the outside looking in this year. Read More »