Yes, we know the season is still young. There are a lot of games left to be played in what should be a great year, but still, it seems there’ll be a surprise for us waiting around every corner.

This season has already given us some unexpected gut-punches in the first two weeks of the season. Even before opening week ended, we were treated to some moves that garnered a lot of attention and excitement, and I think the regular season will have the same compelling feel as the offseason did. Read More »

Even after Dallas avoided what could’ve been a knockout punch this summer (hint: Deron Williams) and instead netted some decent talent, I did not expect them to make noise in the West this year. Dirk Nowitzki was going to be out for an early chunk of the season. They had lost a handful of veteran leaders. And they were coming off yet another summer where they failed to land any big names. Mark Cuban‘s philosophy felt like it was in a tailspin, a forever cycle of Plan Bs that weren’t quite good enough. Read More »

The life cycle of Tom Coughlin and Greg Schiano‘s midfield  feud Sunday over what is proper NFL end-game etiquette is just about over now. We’ve heard the defenses and the accusations and hashed out what exactly count as unwritten rules in football. The rarity of coaches tossing jabs at each other — I can think of just Jim Harbaugh vs. Jim Schwartz and Pete Carroll blasting Mike Bellotti — is still too good to let go entirely, though. Read More »

Shaquille O’Neal‘s movies make us want to wince (did you know he’s been in seven films?) but it doesn’t mean the big screen is out of his future. And we’re not talking about his cameo in “Grown Ups 2″ he’s got coming up. The Big Aristotle became The Big Projector on Friday when his newly renovated movie theater, the CityPlex 12, he co-owns in downtown Newark opened. Read More »

The challenges facing Eduardo Najera are threefold after his retirement from playing last spring. His new roles include minority ownership of the NBA D-League’s Texas Legends, where the 36-year-old will also be head coach, and an unspecified front-office position with the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA’s first Mexican-born player ever drafted thus became its first Mexican-born coach under its umbrella, too, and with those already on his resume, another milestone he hopes that can be achieved is next: bringing the first NBA franchise to Mexico. If it sounds like a stacked workload, it is, Najera said in a recent interview with Dime. Read More »

If you would’ve told us at any point during the past year that Pau Gasol‘s job security in July of 2012 would be locked up, we would’ve laughed. It’s amazing how things changed. Now, it’s Andrew Bynum who has one foot out the door, a piece of meat being spun on a skewer for Houston, Cleveland, Orlando and anyone else who will take a moment to listen. What’s perhaps even more ironic is how Kobe Bryant – the same guy who’s averaged probably 5.6 glares a game at Gasol over the past two years – is saying he wants the big Spaniard around. In talking with reporters at Team USA practice, Bryant said, according to Brian Mahoney, “As long as I’m there, he’s going to be there.” Kobe’s reasoning? He would’ve agreed to deal Gasol for a young, big-time point guard like Chris Paul, but now that they have one of the better lead generals in the game, they don’t need to deal him. Read More »

Do you believe in Philly now? You should. The 76ers turned the stove temperature up in the third quarter and started grilling Chicago. It was like the visitors got caught up in a storm they couldn’t get out of. The defense was suffocating. Andre Iguodala (19 points) had a cuff dunk that only five or six people in the world could’ve pulled off. And Jrue Holiday (17 points) capped it all with a corner three right before the quarter ended. 26 to 11, they mauled the second-best team in the East in the third, and ended up winning 98-82. Read More »

This is one of the greatest videos ever made. Read More »

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Ah, the perils of no training camp, a condensed schedule and disgruntled players. Let’s get to it. Read More »

As we said in today’s Smack, everyone in the gym knew who wanted to take the final shot for the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. Down one with 1.4 seconds left, no one but Kevin Durant was going to get this look. Read More »