Mike Breen called it. A Knicks announcer when he’s not doing national TV, Breen called Carmelo Anthony’s 43-point performance Sunday against Chicago his finest moment as a Knick. How could it not be? He hasn’t had the most consistent tenure as a Knick, putting it nicely, which is par for the Knicks’ fate during his time since the Nuggets’ trade. Two months after his return during Jeremy Lin’s breakout had everyone thinking Anthony was key to the Knicks’ woes, he was king of New York for the day. Read More »

Three hours before tip off, Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena was empty save for one cat and an assistant coach going through shooting drills. LeBron James wanted to be ready for Philly, and why not? He owns them, and as a team the Heat have the Sixers’ number, winning the last 11 times the two teams have matched up. So it really shouldn’t have been surprising to see ‘Bron go for 14 consecutive points in the fourth quarter of Miami’s 99-93 win. James looked dare we say comfortable without Dwyane Wade, running screen-n-rolls every time down, and pulling up for jumpers off the right side. Read More »

While everyone else put “Mad Men” on the TV at 6 in the east, it was time for Heat-Thunder. Is there really a question what you should have watched? The atmosphere in OKC was like a late-round playoff game and the Thunder came out hot. James Harden’s full-court dime to Kevin Durant was finished by KD’s off-balance righty layup over Shane Battier (11 points) and Dwyane Wade. That was the appetizer. Read More »

Carmelo Anthony

Wednesday night wasn’t a bad night to pass the rock around the NBA, but a couple dimes became must-watches the second they were thrown.

Arguably — and we can always here at Dime go on about who had that night’s best, well, dime — the two best of the night came from Carmelo Anthony in Philly and Manu Ginobili in San Antonio. Read More »

While Jeremy Lin continues to steal the spotlight in the East, it’s his Reno Big Horns D-League teammate, Danny Green, who’s staking his own claim as the surprise story out West. Once Manu Ginobili went down, the former NCAA Champion out of North Carolina stepped in and clawed his way up a tough San Antonio Spurs’ depth chart, landing right in the starting lineup alongside Hall of Famers Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. Playing major minutes in his first full year, like Lin, Green has taken full advantage of his opportunity, knowing all too well that it could have been his last. For Danny and the Spurs, though, it’s just business as usual. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Channing Frye posted 26 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, four blocks and five three-pointers last night. He shot 56 percent (10-18) from the floor and 100 percent (1-1) from the free-throw line, and had two turnovers. After a poor start to the season, Frye has picked things up since February. He’s been a top 70 asset so far this season, which is about in line with expectations. Read More »

With four minutes left and the Chicago crowd ready to explode, John Lucas III cleared out against LeBron, did a lil’ herky jerky dance on the King, and canned a fadeaway in James’ mug. It was a capper on one of those nights when everything goes right. Lucas III has this weird complex about him where he truly believes he’s big time, and for a little while last night, we kept yelling at him to stop shooting. But eventually, you just gotta enjoy the ride. Dude went off for 24 big points, hit contested pull-ups all over the court. Read More »

Monday night belonged to the block shot artists — but who did it best?

Think of last night’s slate of games like a buffet line of blocked shots. You had your two-hand Bismack Biyombo variety to save the win against New Orleans to start things off. Move down the line a little later and Washington’s Chris Singleton came with the one-handed “long arm of the law” kind on Manu Ginobili at the rim, the kind where you see the ball freeze in mid-air. Check it out at play No. 7 below. Read More »

Beast of the Night: James Harden posted 30 points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks and four three-pointers last night. He shot 67 percent (8-12) from the field, 91 percent (10-11) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. Harden has been a top 25 fantasy stud so far this season, which is extra impressive given that he’s the non-starter in that bunch. Read More »

Who are these old guys, anyway? Shouldn’t San Antonio’s core of Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker be content with riding out their careers with rings and memories in hand?

Think again. The Southwest Division this year has been up for grabs dating back to Memphis’ playoff upset and Dallas’ offseason moves that made its title defense a question. This division used to be the Spurs and Mavericks’ personal playground every year. Only the Hornets in 2007-08 broke the hold of those two teams’ titles going back to 2004. Read More »