Keeping up with the Joneses is a phrase that took on a life of its own, and when you look at it through NBA-colored glasses, you can see why: it’s a pretty popular last name. 45 NBA players have been named Jones, and while that’s a pretty cool stat, three other last names are actually more common among NBA/ABA players.

On Friday, I put together a list of some of my favorite NBA names ever. In the process of writing that, I figured I should do something on the best/most frequently used last names in NBA history. Read More »

You don’t need me to point out that tonight is the biggest game of the season. Massive. Enormous. Undertaker-huge. Rings are resting on these 48 minutes. The winners of Game 5s in the Finals win the series 77% of the time. If Miami wins, wrap it up. If Dallas wins, they have a death grip on it.

Because of the 2-3-2 format, Game 5s always seem to carry some type of legendary stench. The air is stuffy with expectations and formality. Just look at tonight, at all of the storylines. Read More »

Like I had to remind the guys at work: Not every ’80s rapper was nice. While we’d like to believe we grew up on nothing but Eric B. & Rakim and N.W.A.-quality work, but don’t forget that wackness existed even in the Golden Age. Case in point: This clip from the NBA’s ’83-84 season recap pointing out how many guys in the League had the last name Johnson.

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As the Lakers head back to L.A. to either win or lose the NBA championship, more than Kobe Bryant‘s legacy is on the line: Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum … all of them face career-defining games (or just one game) this week. As does Lamar Odom. Arguably the best all-around talent on the Lakers after Kobe, Odom has averaged 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds through the first five games against Boston, compared to 14 and 11 per night in the Western Conference Finals. Should the Lakers fall short of a title, the knock on Odom that he often falls short of his potential will only gain credibility. Read More »

For the most part, opinions were split when Ben Gordon signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons last summer reported to be worth $55 million.

On one hand, the 26-year-old BG was just coming off the best season of his pro career, which he capped by averaging 24.3 points and hitting a slew of clutch shots in a close playoff series loss to the defending champion Celtics. On the other hand, was it smart for the rebuilding Pistons to give All-Star type money to an undersized two-guard (with zero All-Star nods) who is widely regarded as a one-dimensional scorer? Read More »