The most common criticism that people have had against the Bulls this season has been their lack of a true scorer outside of Derrick Rose. Never was that more evident than in the last five minutes of regulation and overtime of Game 4, when Rose essentially went one-on-one with a much bigger LeBron James because nobody else on his team could create any shots without his help. The most glaring weakness is at the two guard spot, where the Bulls currently have a flawed three-man rotation there. Read More »

When C.J. Watson replaces Derrick Rose, Chicago fans collectively hold their breath. While their star briefly recharges the batteries, they can only hope that he does not shed his offensive leash. In a structured offense, an overconfident backup can singlehandedly ruin the dynamic. Think Jamal Crawford when he’s ice cold. This, in a nutshell, is C.J. Watson. But the emotional rollercoaster that is Watson’s game does not provide a concrete answer to the following question: How much do the Bulls actually miss Rose when Watson is on the floor? More generally, how great a difference is there between a starter and a backup in the playoffs? Let’s find out. Read More »

This much we know. Behind Kevin Durant acting as the “one” in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s one-two punch is Russell Westbrook. But to make a run in the playoffs, the other, other guy that could punctuate OKC’s ascent to elite heights is James Harden; the lightening bolt that could roll the Thunder deep into the playoffs.

He’s smart. He’s savvy. He’s hardworking. He’s unnoticed. A No. 3 overall draft pick (he went a pick ahead of Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans, by the way), the shooter/slasher is averaging 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists since the All-Star break. Read More »

All die-hard NBA fans look forward to Christmas Day games because of the numerous storylines, as last year’s games had a similar star-studded lineup to this year’s games. With all of this hoopla in the holiday atmosphere, we decided to take a look at the Top 10 storylines to follow today. Read More »

Ranking the NBA from worst to first…

30. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-17) Last week — Lost at Philadelphia, lost to Chicago, lost at Houston, lost at Oklahoma City They could snap this eight-game losing streak at Miami on Wednesday. And Brett Favre could go one week without appearing on SportsCenter, and Mel Gibson could actually respect people who aren’t like him. Read More »

It’s officially Back to the Future time for the Hornets. After starting the season winning 11 of their first 12 games and eliminating all of the persistent rumors about Chris Paul leaving, they’ve since lost four out of five and reality is beginning to set in. Last night in Oklahoma City — 24 hours after blowing a 17-point lead in a loss to the Spurs — the Hornets led for much of the second half until a flurry of OKC awesomeness sent N.O. home with another loss … Late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets were up by four before Russell Westbrook (25 pts, 11 asts) hit a foul-line jumper. Read More »

It would be so much more scandalous had the Celtics/Cavs pre-game predictions floating around the Dime office actually come true — that Boston would let Cleveland win just to mess with LeBron James’ head. But realistically, The Replacements knocked off the C’s for simpler reasons: They caught an old team on the second part of a back-to-back, Ray Allen‘s inconsistency reared its ugly head (4-13 FG, 0-5 3PA), Paul Pierce missed shots down the stretch he usually makes, and more importantly, this game meant everything to the Cavs. Read More »

As the NBA regular season approaches, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.

Added: Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, Morris Peterson

Lost: Etan Thomas, Kyle Weaver, Kevin Ollie Read More »

In its most simple form, an “Energy Guy” on the basketball court is charged with changing the complexion of a game without having to dominate the ball.

For Serge Ibaka, the rising 2nd-year big man of the Oklahoma City Thunder, that means blocking seven shots in Game 2 of OKC’s first-round playoff series against the Lakers. Or forcing Tim Duncan into crucial missed shots and turnovers down the stretch of a March game against San Antonio. Read More »

If defense wins championships, it’s no surprise that four of the five people to make the NBA All-Defensive First Team are still in active pursuit of an NBA Championship. Of course Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard made the team, and he was joined by Rajon Rondo, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Gerald Wallace. But for those of you wondering, there is definitely one glaring omission from this year’s teams. Read More »