We argue. You decide.

PAUL PIERCE (by Adam Flomenbaum) Of course, nicknames don’t define a player, but both Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have nicknames that will live on with them past their playing days. The difference is that Allen’s nickname, “Jesus Shuttlesworth,” is fictional. It was given to him as the lead in Spike Lee’s He Got Game (a fine performance), and when I hear the nickname I think first of the perks of being a highly-touted college recruit rather than Allen’s deadly shot. Pierce, though, is “The Truth.” Read More »

Not trying to take anything away from the Celtics and the completeness of their domination, but Boston’s win last night wasn’t nearly as interesting as Cleveland’s loss. You already knew the story line going into the tiebreaker Game 5 would be whether this was LeBron‘s last home game “deep in the Q,” but you also have to remember what city we’re talking about here. This is potentially one more year where Cleveland had a championship-caliber squad — the Cavs, the Browns, the Indians, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony — and something went terribly wrong on the way to what seemed like a certain ‘chip … Things were fine until the Celtics went on a 15-0 run in the second quarter, capped by Paul Pierce‘s and-one layup. Read More »

You want to cause a splinter within the ranks of the Solar Temple of Michael Jordan followers? Ask them whether they think MJ’s second comeback with the Wizards was a good idea. It’s like if Lauryn Hill dropped an album this year: Half her fans would be thrilled to snatch up anything by L-Boogie, while the other half would be terrified of the potential damage to her legacy when she’s clearly not at the top of her game right now.

But really, the concept of “going out on top” is one that has become strangely unique to sports. Read More »