It’s a new season in the NBA, the Heat and LeBron James have new championship rings, and yet nothing has changed. You still got the haves and the have-nots, which was easily apparent switching back and forth between the freshman ball (Wizards/Cavs) and the varsity (Celtics/Heat). The fans still don’t understand the concept behind the MVP chant (Seriously? In the first game of the season?) And Kevin Garnett is still super ornery. Read More »

There’s something everyone needs to know about Mario Chalmers: his confidence is bordering on movie star-level. He really believes he’s one of the best big moment players in the game. Trust us. We’ve asked him before. Now, he’s saying he’s not just one of the best point guards in the world, but that he’s in the “front end of the top 10.” We’re not even sure Rajon Rondo would reach that far, and what’s funny about this is that Chalmers’ proclamation came from a question about Rondo’s standing in the game. Read More »

Yesterday, we brought you our list of the top 25 most overpaid players in the League. Today, we’re taking a break from condemnation and doling out some praise. Although the number is smaller, plenty of NBAers deserve a little more cash. Whether it’s because they’re on their rookie contracts or they exploded after signing a long-term deal, some guys could have some serious contract gripes. Here are, in our estimation, 25 of those underpaid players, beginning with No. 25. Read More »

The aftermath of the NBA Draft is always a good time to tell who actually knows something about basketball and who should just sit in a corner and think about hockey. One particularly popular non-informed opinion we’ve heard across sports-radio shows and Internet columns since Thursday is that the Cavs messed up by taking Dion Waiters with the No. 4 overall pick. Now we’re not guaranteeing that Waiters will be a good pro. He might not pan out, just like any Top-5 pick could potentially be a bust. But if your only reason to bash Cleveland’s pick is that Waiters wasn’t a starter at Syracuse, well, you need a better reason. Read More »

If you watched to the very end of Game 4 last night, you probably caught Dwyane Wade heading to the locker room after his interview with Doris Burke. You probably also caught him happily yelling after Mario Chalmers – who came up huge down the stretch – and calling him “Motherf***er.” Read More »

You could have crammed an entire postseason’s worth of story lines into last night’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Which would be a big help to us, because Miami’s 104-98 win over OKC was so incredible and intense that we almost forgot all about the other stories from these playoffs that led up to it … As usual, it starts with LeBron. His 26-point, 12-assist, 9-rebound performance featured some passes borrowed from Magic and some buckets borrowed from Kobe, but then it really got interesting after LeBron went down late in the fourth quarter with what appeared to be leg cramps (or a busted hip, or a thigh bruise, depending on who you ask). Read More »

If the rest of the NBA Finals go anything like Game 1, LeBron James is going to have one crappy summer. As for his critics, could it have been scripted any better? Miami comes out scorching before the duo we dubbed the best since Shaq and Kobe completely dominate the second half. Yep, sounds a lot like a Skip Bayless wet dream. After trailing for almost all of the first 36 minutes, OKC went off in the fourth quarter to secure Game 1, 105-94. Read More »

With the NBA Finals kicking off tonight, everyone has an opinion on what’s going to happen. It’s been a while since there was no definitive favorite in the Finals. This year figures to be one of the best series in recent memory. Miami has the best player. OKC has the home-court advantage. We think it’s fair to say that the Heat have the most pressure on them, and how they respond to that could go a long way in determining this series. Read More »

Mario Chalmers has hit big shots before – we all remember his game-tying three that sent the 2008 NCAA National Championship game to overtime. Last year, in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, he responded to a Dirk three-pointer with one of his own, tying the game at 93 with 24 seconds left. In the conventional sense, this is clutch: big shots in big moments that induce Mike Breen’s “BANG!! (Insert Name)!!!” This is also the definition we have so stringently and conveniently attributed to LeBron, the one area where he hasn’t totally overwhelmed. Read More »

The Finals are finally here. Every fan of the game knows this, of course, but after a season that almost entered a “nuclear winter,” to borrow Commissioner David Stern‘s phrase, the simple fact of its existence is something to be happy about. It’s not the only thing to be excited about, however. Read More »