Nobody told Jeff Teague he had to stick to the script.

Before last summer’s Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Hawks and top-seeded Bulls tipped off, Teague was cast as a bit player. The 6-2 point guard, Atlanta’s first-round draft pick in 2009 who was on the verge of being labeled a bust, had averaged just 4.5 minutes of action in just two appearances during the Hawks’ first-round series. But when injuries forced Teague into a starting role – and a nightly matchup with league MVP Derrick Rose – he responded like a man ready to steal the show. Read More »

The Miami Heat’s shortcomings last season were well-documented. That said, it should do nothing to diminish the fact that this time has some serious fantasy firepower. Aside from the Big Three, there is some residual value to be had on this squad. Whenever the NBA starts up again, fantasy owners would do well to keep a close eye on which players the Heat adds to its roster, and which of its free agents it chooses to re-sign. It’s very possible that this team will have a whole new batch of role players once its retooling is over with. Read More »

Endorsement deals can score an athlete millions of dollars. Of course, such are relegated to shoes and clothing, but in the name of branching out with their branding, why don’t NBA players sign with booze companies?

Okay, it’ll probably never happen. They’re role models, no matter what Charles Barkley says. If the taboo ever goes away, here’s some pairings of players and alcoholic beverages that might make some marketing sense. Read More »

There’s not much to the Miami Heat roster. While they have a lot of movement going on, Pat Riley and company don’t have the flexibility to be too picky in the free agent market. With three sure-fire pieces on the roster in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, add in some nice role players like Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony, and you’ve got some continuity going into next season. After that, however, things are pretty open. Read More »

The Mavs may be the big winners and the Heat the big losers, but it’s the little things that count. For the last time of the 2011-12 season, here are your Game 6 winners and losers. Read More »

I thought LeBron might want to have no regard for human life if he wanted the Miami Heat to win Game 5. He didn’t do that, shooting only two free throws and looking helpless while guarding Jason Terry. Sure, a triple-double is nice, but now the Heat are on the brink of elimination and in search of answers. Read More »

I watched Game 5 in a bar full of my anti-Heat friends. When Jason Terry sank that off-balanced, are-you-kidding-me three, a “U-S-A!” chant broke out first amongst my friends, then throughout the entire bar. When I asked why that started, I was told that what Miami did this offseason was “un-American.” So congratulations, Dallas, for winning America’s heart. Now to the rest of the winners and losers. Read More »

There are some things I will never quite understand about Avatar. For all of the hype, all of the months/years spent building, all of the insanely futuristic special effects and the mountains upon mountains of money put into the project, the movie was supposed to suck. It told the same story I’ve seen a gazillion times, and did it with weird blue creatures that weren’t nearly as cool as “Two Socks” from Dances With Wolves…not to mention that the scenes where the avatar and his alien lady hooked up got my stomach gurgling. Awkward for more than one reason. Read More »

Before I unveil Game 3’s winners and losers, let’s get one thing straight: the Miami defense, and not Dwyane Wade, closed out that game. Sure, D-Wade knocked down some jump shots, but that’s exactly the point. He took jumpers. For those of you keeping score at home, LeBron went the same route in Game 2, except he missed. So Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade, you are this week’s first official losers. You got lucky this time, but history has proven that end-of-the-shot-clock heaves are not the answer. Read More »

What he said. Although I can’t decide if Miami lost or Dallas won. Most likely it was some indeterminate combination of the two. But no matter how you look at it, it was fun watching Erik Spoelstra quietly s*** his pants as Miami decided to go November 2010 on us. Anyway, here are the winners and losers of Game 2. Read More »