On this day in 1988, Dominique Wilkins and Larry Bird traded haymakers during the fourth quarter of Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference Semifinals. It became known as “The Duel,” one of the greatest mano-e-mano performances in playoff history. Wilkins rang up 47 points, but Bird countered with 20 of his 34 in the final quarter, pushing Boston to a two-point win and a series win. Read More »

We’re only a few days away from one of the best weekends in college basketball. With Louisville, Michigan, Wichita State and Syracuse set to go to battle this weekend, expect to hear a whole lot of Cinderella, zone defense and Trey Burke talk. It’s inevitable. Hopefully, the games live up to the billing. But in all likelihood, none of them will make this list. Read More »

Mike, know that The Mamba is coming for you next. In the second quarter of last night’s Lakers/Kings game Kobe Bryant drilled a pull-up mid-range jumper to score the 31,420th and 31,421st points of his career, pushing him past Wilt Chamberlain for fourth on the all-time scoring list. MJ is next at 32,292 … We don’t care if you love Kobe or hate Kobe, you just need to respect what he has done in his career. Read More »

It’s not often you hear Vince Carter‘s name mentioned with Larry Bird‘s. But before you start in with the “Wince” jokes, know that he’s been one of the most surprising players this season, playing like he’s 30 years old again. In Dallas’ 23-point thumping of Sacramento last night, VC hit for 17 in the third and 26 total to pass Bird for 29th all time in points. Read More »

Into the Indiana vacuum left by Danny Granger‘s knee injury has stepped Paul George, a player whose ascension and fit have been so fast and so seamless he’s drawn many an endorsement to be an All-Star reserve (Dime has, too). George can leave you with a sense of wondering where the Pacers would be without his 16.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per 36 minutes, his Dunk Contest-worthy athleticism and fearlessness to guard an opponent’s best player. But just as George should be recognized for his role in keeping the Pacers afloat, so too should be Lance Stephenson. Read More »

*With all of the recent events surrounding the Carmelo Anthony/Kevin Garnett feud, and the trash talk involved that lit the Internet on fire, we figured it was a good time to repost our piece on the top 20 trash talkers of all time, originally published in October of 2012.*

David Stern and the rest of the suits might be charged with trying to take the fun out of the NBA, but trash talk will never die. Read More »

On this date 56 years ago, a basketball legend was born. Indeed, if you were to craft the perfect all-around basketball player, you would probably start with Mr. Larry Joe Bird.

In 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, Bird blessed fans with his passion, wit and pure skill. The numbers (26 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG) and accolades (three NBA championships, three NBA MVP awards, 1979 Rookie of the Year, two NBA Finals MVPs, nine All-Star appearances, Hall of Famer) obviously bear this out now, but Bird’s game was perhaps best appreciated by watching him in the moment. Read More »

In all sports the basic concept is to beat your opposition. You never want to lose a game to anyone, but when your rival beats you there’s a different feel. When your rival beats you, there’s suddenly an everlasting second wind about you. When your rival beats you it feels like the whole world is laughing at you in shame. Read More »

The word “rival” is lost in the NBA today. Too often we see camaraderie between players on opposing teams. With the growing presence of AAU basketball, the players have gotten closer and closer.

AAU isn’t the only thing that brings the players together as one. The Olympic basketball experience has done it as well. Obviously when these guys are all on the same team, they must get along in some capacity, but the 2012 NBA champion Miami Heat were formed because of a rumored plan that was created during an Olympic run in 2008 by LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Read More »

After his shootaround in Atlanta yesterday (a game the Pacers would go on to blow in the final minutes), we got up with former Georgetown Hoya, and current Indiana Pacers center, Roy Hibbert. He talked to us about how he came to play himself on Parks and Recreation, his flash mob performance, video games, Larry Bird, the Pacers title chances, and more. He even sets the record straight about his supposed love for Pokemon in high school. Read More »