Wasn’t this Manhattan/South Beach matchup supposed to be the best series of the first round? Um, what happened? It’s a colossal mismatch, and a 2-0 lead doesn’t do justice to Miami’s dominance through eight quarters. Game 1 felt like murder. In last night’s 104-94 Miami win, the Knicks were better. They played a little harder. Defended a little better. Actually made a few shots. And yet it seemed like the Heat had set their sliders to the Rookie level. Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James combined for 65 points on 48 shots whereas Carmelo Anthony was struggling against everyone besides old man Shane Battier (‘Melo was unleashing hell on him in the first quarter), forcing his way to 30 points on 26 shots. Read More »

No. No no noooooooo. Seriously, we had no other reaction to the news about Derrick Rose than that. It really makes us sick to our stomachs. We aren’t Bulls fans. We’re NBA fans, and with the reigning MVP now out for the reason with a torn ACL, everything has changed. The favorites are different, and most importantly, the East is now wide open. Can Boston win two rounds? Yes. Can they break Miami to go to the Finals? They definitely can. Read More »

We recently crowned Kevin Durant as the 19th-best dunker in the NBA. After seeing him demolish JaVale McGee last night on this play, we might need to reconsider. The NBA’s leading scorer put in 32 to close in on a scoring title but yet still couldn’t deliver a W. He has to be happy with this one though. Read More »

We know Randy Foye dropped 15 in the third quarter and was doing work all night for the Clippers (28 points), but still L.A., here’s some advice: don’t go to him with the game on the line. Foye had a pass deflected off the backboard in the final seconds for a turnover, and then threw up an air ball. The Clippers had raced back after trailing by as many as 18, and even though the man once traded for Brandon Roy‘s knees was at the center of that, you’d think they would’ve gone somewhere else to avoid what ultimately became a six-point Knick win. Read More »

With only a few games left on the slate it’s looking like LeBron James will be our MVP for 2012. His main competition, Kevin Durant, has surrendered, recently quoted saying:

“He [LeBron] deserves all the love [for MVP], He’s playing phenomenal basketball. I’m just trying to get better every single game and trying to help my team as much as I can. I’m just blessed to be in that conversation.”

Here’s what the Top 10 MVP Candidates looks like today: Read More »

You see that? That’s what all those people in Boston and Minnesota used to talk about; what all those people in Utah still talk about. Last night, that was Al Jefferson showing his entire skill set, showing why he should be right up there in the discussion with Andrew Bynum and whoever else you think might be the second-best center in the NBA behind Dwight Howard … In a game the Jazz needed to win to clinch the final playoff spot in the West and eliminate the Suns from contention, Jefferson put up 18 points and 16 rebounds to go with four assists and two blocks. Read More »

Laker fans should slow down. They’re better than they were earlier this year, but San Antonio has showed them recently how far they still have to go. The Spurs took it back in time, unleashing their vaunted Big Three on the visitors in an easy 121-97 W. Kobe played and scored 18, and it didn’t matter. Tony Parker (20 points, 10 assists) blended them up and turned the Los Angeles defense into a milkshake in the first half. Tim Duncan (21 points) outplayed Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum nearly by himself. And Manu Ginobili (20 points on nine shots) turned in one of those crazy lines he’s known for … Read More »

Nothing gets us going in the Dime offices like a good ol’ fashioned debate, and the best debates are the ones that get heated. Trying to rate the best dunkers in the league is unanimously impossible. Do you want style? Force? Does a big man get points taken away? If a player is an epic dunker in warm-ups, does that count?

Back in the day, we had Vince Carter and there was no denying what type of dunker he was. But in the current NBA, outside of perhaps one or two guys, you could make a case for anyone. Read More »

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Carmelo Anthony’s wife, La La, talked about the couple’s luxurious Hell’s Kitchen apartment. Like any typical multi-millionaire’s pad, there are top of the line features like high ceilings and custom closets designed by The Container Store, but the one design element that stands out is a huge painting of Carmelo that hangs above their fireplace. Read More »

The regular season is coming to an end and the playoffs are right around the corner. The last few weeks in this MVP race are the most important, as each superstar works to put their team in the best position to contend in the Playoffs. For Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose, the MVP is the least of their concerns. Both players are usually top candidates in the MVP conversation, however they both have gone through rough times this season and are focused solely on the playoffs. Read More »