You would think in the middle of the NBA Finals in a matchup between two veteran teams, we wouldn’t have to be dealing with kiddy stuff. But we are. And now Dirk, all 32 years of him, is speaking on it. After Nowitzki’s bout with a high fever earlier in the series, cameras caught D-Wade and LeBron poking fun at him, fake coughing and playing it up to suggest that perhaps Dirk was faking his sickness. It came back to the German and he had this to say to reporters after practice: “I just thought it was a little childish, a little ignorant. I’ve been in this league for 13 years. I’ve never faked an injury or illness.” Read More »

Playing in the same American Century Celebrity Golf Championship as Jimmer Fredette, Charles Barkley heads into the tournament with 500-1 odds. Arguably the most entertaining basketball personality on television, Barkley has no reservations about speaking his mind. I caught up with Chuck yesterday to talk about Jordan, LeBron, Shaq, gambling and the looming NBA lockout. Read More »

So apparently we have a series. When LeBron James cites an elbow injury today, don’t be surprised. And when Dirk eventually contracts pneumonia, expect him to score 40. Obviously LeBron was last night’s biggest loser and Dirk it’s biggest winner, but there are some other people of note who deserve some recognition. Read More »

Just like that, it’s all tied up. In response to some mix-matching with the Mavericks lineup, Rick Carlisle got some help for a sick Dirk Nowitzki in helping Dallas climb back to a 2-2 series tie. And before you ask, yes, this post is going to come across a little LeBron-haterish.

In Game 4′s tweets, we learn who the T-Mobile girl is and rave over a sighting of The Custodian. And of course, us media are going to go crazy on LeBron James after he shrunk in Game 4, but before reporters made him sweat after the game, the Twitterverse was already ragging on the King. Read More »

Yesterday, the Warriors announced that Mark Jackson will take the reins as the new head coach. Jackson, a former NBA point guard, has gained notoriety in recent years thanks to his position as an NBA analyst for ESPN and ABC. Never one to shy away from having his opinion heard, he’s best known for coining a number of catchphrases that have left some basketball fans scratching their heads.

With Jackson out of the analyst seat and patrolling the sidelines next season, we thought it was a perfect time to reminisce on some of his finer moments as an announcer. Without further ado, here are Jackson’s top five catchphrases: Read More »

Down 2-1, the Mavs are close to the edge, desperate and in Dirk‘s case, aggravated. Nowitzki sounded off on his longtime teammate Jason Terry for the way the sixth man has been shrinking in the clutch. Dirk blamed some of the team’s four quarter issues on Terry being unable to shake free from LeBron‘s D (he’s been guarding him a lot in crunch time). Read More »

Former NBA assist machine and current ESPN NBA analyst Mark Jackson has been named the new head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Jackson’s deal is a guaranteed three-year contract worth upwards of $6 million. We will have more info and analysis on Jackson’s hiring in tomorrow’s SMACK.

Many things were different in 2006. Our president was still white, Osama still roamed the deserts and no one had even heard of Soulja Boy. Yet, the NBA was still as competitive as ever as the upstart Miami Heat took on the Dallas Mavericks in a wild six-game series. Five years later, as the two teams hook up again in the Finals, we take a look at the top 5 reasons why the 2011 Finals is not the 2006 Finals. Read More »

There’s a difference between LeBron and D-Wade and everybody else. Last night, they showed it, taking over in the final five minutes the way very few players (and even fewer teammates) can. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but the Heat will take it, going up 1-0 over Dallas with a 92-84 win. Late in the game, all we wanted to see were some baskets. The first half was ugly, but the fourth quarter was one hideous fadeaway after one missed free throw after one off-ball foul after one annoying commentator comment. It didn’t really feel like Game 1 of the Finals. Read More »

You heard it in the classroom. You heard it from your uncles. You heard it from your momma. We’re not sure who Dirk heard it from, but we know it was in German: “If at first you don’t succeed…” and yeah, you know the rest. After missing an open three with the clock winding down in the fourth quarter and his team down two, Dirk had another look from behind the arc. Maybe previous versions of Dirk (since he’s become a robot) would’ve shied away from that second shot. But not this Dirk Nowitzki. And this Dirk Nowitzki was buckets – hitting the three that would give his Mavericks a lead they wouldn’t give up, beating the Thunder, 100-96, and punching their tickets to the team’s second NBA Finals in five years. Read More »