This year’s NBA Playoffs haven’t gotten off to a very exciting start. The home teams are 8-0, and the majority of those games haven’t been close. The best part of the weekend was actually probably Kobe Bryant‘s consistent tweeting. Read More »

Records are made to be broken, right? Statistics in sports serve as a bridge between eras, a way to compare the greats of the past with the stars of today. A quick look at some of the NBA’s most impressive statistical records reveals the true legends of the game of basketball. Seeing, in numbers, the dominance and consistency of the all-time greats offers an appreciation of the magical moments on the hardwood as well as a measuring stick for the super stars today. Read More »

Ever since New York decided to bless the basketball world with more Rasheed Wallace and then this tape followed soon after, the offices at Dime have been on a trash-talking binge. Rasheed was one of the best, even if he normally saved his best stuff for either the referees or even his own teammates. But we’re not sure he makes a list of the best trash talkers ever. Read More »

Everyone knows Steve Nash is an incredible shooter. If you’ve played NBA 2K13, you know it’s almost unfair how good virtual Nash is spotting up, too. (If the ball gets swung to him in rhythm in that game it’s game over, turn off the console, you’re going to lose almost every time.) However, when one of the best shooters in the NBA’s last 20 years (Steve Kerr) says that, “Statistically, it’s easy to make the argument that he’s the best shooter in the history of the league,” you have to open your eyes a little bit. Read More »

When he was smashing on cats’ heads back at Oak Hill, we doubt Josh Smith thought he’d one day have to play his way into a contract. Alas, that’s where he’s now at with Atlanta, the only NBA home he’s ever known. New GM Danny Ferry is running a tight financial ship – you can ask Joe Johnson about that – and giving Smith a new deal doesn’t totally make sense for him, at least right now. Read More »

The whole “clutch gene” thing has taken on a life of its own in the past year or two. It’s become an impossible standard to live up to. But for once, even with great player after great player succumbing to its weight and expectations, someone stepped up and met the challenge. Through the Western Conference Finals’ first three games, Kevin Durant had 13 fourth quarter points. Last night in OKC’s series-tying 109-103 win, he dropped 18 and made every single big basket. Durant (36 points) wasn’t just hitting jumpers either; In fact, most of his buckets in the fourth quarter were tear drops or midrange pull-ups, the hardest shots to master in the game. He made pretty much all of them, and by the time it was over, he had officially stamped his blueprint on a series that suddenly looks very interesting. Read More »

With the Conference Finals now in full swing, and the Spurs exhibiting dominance that we haven’t seen since the days of Shaq and Kobe, Dime had a chance to catch up with TNT broadcasters Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr in a recent conference call to discuss all things basketball, including why James Harden is so good, why the Spurs are so good and why the age rule is so hard to get a handle on. Here’s what they had to say: Read More »

All-Star Weekend is measured by the plays that make everyone get out of their seats — whether it’s a courtside chair or your couch — and howl. There’s no other metric to capture the buzz of the three days every player looks forward to. Since 1994, when All-Star Weekend started its young guns’ showcase, some of the biggest highlights have come from the weekend’s youngest stars. Read More »

With Linsanity temporarily suspended, a nation turned its eyes to the next best thing: Bulls-Celtics. Paul Pierce came out on fire, knocking down his first three shots in Chicago, but it was Luol Deng (23 points, 10 assists) who capped the night for the Bulls’ 89-80 victory. He dropped 14 in the fourth quarter, with a huge three from the left corner (one of his six threes) to go up nine in the final minute. Since we brought it up, don’t overlook who fed him on that three — 10-day contract signee Mike James, who’s now with his 10th team (and also looks like Jason Weaver‘s father)… Read More »

The rich keep getting richer. The Heat have a new toy and last night, he dropped 14 points in the fourth, drugged the crowd into chanting MVP for him at the line and used his Sam Cassell in ’94-sized balls to hit two straight jumpers in the final minute against the Celtics. Boston had to endure the wrath of D-Wade (24 points, eight assists, four blocks) and LeBron (26 points) for three quarters, but some great shooting and a zone defense brought them all the way back. Too bad Norris Cole wasn’t having it. Read More »