LeBron James caught a lob pass from Norris Cole last night that most humans wouldn’t have a chance at catching. Here, James had to be at least two and a half feet above the rim, and has the ball above the square. Someone take the springs off of this man’s shoes. Read More »

Watch this wild Miami Heat sequence begins with Ray Allen saving an out of bounds ball to Norris Cole who drops the dime to LeBron James who finishes with a slam: Read More »

Is it time we start taking New York seriously? We’ll have to wait until Amar’e Stoudemire comes back from his latest knee setback, and Carmelo Anthony gets pushed back to the three to see if this level of play holds up. But what else can we say? ‘Melo (21 points last night) has looked like he’s ready to finally embrace basic basketball principles like rebounding, defending and not holding the ball every time you touch it, and New York is getting contributions from everyone. 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 »

Everyone knows I have an awkward obsession with Deron Williams‘ crossover. It is definitely the best move in the game, so I’m a little surprised and pissed off it didn’t take home the No. 1 spot on this list. Read More »

Miami’s Norris Cole has been one of my favorite rookies to watch all season, all because the Cleveland State point guard plays with an absence of fear. His confidence walks a fine line between making him look unbeatable to making him look untrustworthy.

As a Cole fan, though, you enter into an unspoken agreement with the rookie that you know he’s going to barrel into a play with just as much confidence as before, mistake or not. It’s part of the fun/trepidation.

I think that’s why when LeBron James introduced Jay-Z to Cole after Monday’s game, I couldn’t stop watching. Read More »

Does anyone else find it strange that the hottest months for basketball take place during the coldest months in America? All-Star Weekend. Trade Deadline. March Madness. For a sport played year-round, February and March are by far the most exciting times for the game we love. While tertiary fans may not start paying attention to the NBA or NCAA until after the BCS National Championship or Super Bowl are over, us diehards are waiting, ready to tell them everything they missed. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Kevin Durant finished the first half of the season to the tune of 33 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers. He shot 55 percent (12-22) from the field, 100 percent (7-7) from the charity stripe and had two turnovers. Durant has been a stud, as expected, so far this season. He’s improved his field-goal percentage, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks from their marks in his 2010-11 campaign. Read More »

Beast of the Night: Nick Young makes an unexpected appearance here thanks to his 35 points, three rebounds, two steals and seven three-pointers last night. He shot 71 percent (12-17) from the field, 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line and had one turnover. After starting the season on the bench, Young has managed to give his owners reliable value as a scorer and three-point maker. So far in February, he’s averaging top 25 numbers. Read More »

We’re now a month and a half into the season, and it’s been more unpredictable than a Lil’ Wayne album. Sure, we have our juggernauts (Miami, Chicago, I guess OKC) and our basement-dwellers (Charlotte gets their own spot). But in the middle, it’s a wreck. Portland looks like the best team in the West at home, but then goes on the road and can’t do anything. Denver started off 14-5. Then lost seven of eight. Even old reliables like the Celtics have continuously sputtered and stopped. Already this season, they’ve had winning streaks of four, four again and five, and losing streaks of three and five. Read More »