Some NBA Finals series come to an end with a sweep, while others go seven games. In each and in everything in between, there’s a player whose performance in the closeout game is the turning point. Part of the reason the public is so interested still in the Oklahoma City-Miami series is because of LeBron James’ reputation as a non-factor in “clutch” situations. This may be the most anticipated Game 5 of a 3-1 series ever — has there ever been a series this seemingly over that’s still been considered as wide open? Read More »

To say that Charles Oakley doesn’t mince words is a dramatic understatement, especially when you consider that he’s one of a very select few with the cache to bust Michael Jordan’s chops.

“We have a lot of heated conversations about the league,” said Oakley with a hint of mischief about his longtime friend and current boss with the Bobcats. “About how he was the only guy who could travel 95 percent of the time and get seven fouls every game.”

Oak made an appearance at K1X’s new flagship store in New York City on Saturday to celebrate the rollout of their Charles Oakley Collection, and before signing autographs for fans, he held court with the media on a variety of topics, pulling very few punches as usual. Read More »

The NBA tends to come full circle. I mean, did we ever think that after the Mavericks watched the Heat celebrate on their home floor that they would come back to South Beach a mere five years later and return the favor? Did we ever think that the great Phil Jackson could have even had a chance to win 12 titles, coaching two different teams in three different decades? But the NBA has been around a long time, and while we may not have anything on a Red Sox–Yankees level, there are several matchups that come back to rear their ugly head, again and again, kind of like a bad Freddy vs. Jason movie. In honor of this week’s Sox-Yanks series, here is one of our favorite rivalries, Knicks vs. Celtics, which has been renewed from decade to decade. Read More »

Upon leaving New York City for All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles, we knew there was a very good possibility that either the Knicks or Nets would pull off a deal, most likely involving Carmelo Anthony. But what transpired last week for both New York teams (yes, the Nets will soon be in Brooklyn) has been nothing short of astounding. Read More »

This Big Three business is nothing new to the New York Knicks. Matter of fact, in typical Big Apple fashion, the Knicks have done it before and done it extra. In the 1972-73 season they fielded a Big Five of Clyde Frazier, Earl Monroe, Dave DeBusschere, Bill Bradley and Willis Reed. Throw in Jerry Lucas and Phil Jackson, and that’s seven Basketball Hall of Fame members on one roster. Their ’73 NBA championship was the last one for the Knicks franchise.

As today’s Knicks introduce a new Big Three — Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups — I got a chance to speak with two of the originals, Frazier and Monroe, about how they did it and what lies ahead: Read More »

Apparently the Timberwolves are to the Spurs what the Bobcats were to the Celtics a couple years ago. Remember when the ‘Cats were generally bad, but somehow managed to always give the Big Three C’s a hard time? Last night’s Spurs/Wolves game was the third time in three matchups this year that the game went down to the wire, and the third time San Antonio walked out with a close win … Read More »

When we talk “rivalries” in sports, the first question that needs to be asked is the following: Have both teams been competitive during the same established period of time?

The answer, of course, when it comes to the Knicks and Celtics is “No.” We are not talking about Boston vs. New York, which has been dominated by Yankee/Red Sox in terms of a sports rivalry with sprinkles of Jets/Patriots and even Giants/Patriots (Super Bowl XLII) recently mixed in. Read More »

Coming off two championships with the Knicks, in the prime of his career, Walt “Clyde” Frazier was a departure from your typical sports hero of the 1970s. Sporting a wardrobe as vast as Liberace’s, and a burgundy-and-antelope Rolls Royce for good measure, his image off the court was as important to him as his image on the court.

Trying to depict the very essence of Walt Frazier – one of the few elite players whose lifestyle often exceeds his statistics – seems like a daunting task. Which is why at first glance of Rockin’ Steady: A Guide to Basketball & Cool, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Was it a comedic autobiography? Was it a player’s guide to living life in style? Or was it merely an instructional book, providing tips on basketball’s fundamentals? I would soon find out it was an incorporation of all three. Read More »

Who do you want your offense to run through with the game on the line? Counting down from 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…

DERRICK ROSE, Chicago Bulls The end of the era was about four years ago. The funeral was held over the past week.

Once upon a time, “score-first” point guards ran the NBA. At a time when quickness became more coveted than size, and the influences of Michael Jordan (long-term) and the AND 1 Mix Tape style (short-term) took hold, men like Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, Stephon Marbury and Baron Davis thrived. Read More »

Evidence was building up for Russell Westbrook, if anything, to have a meltdown in crunch time rather than take over last night’s Thunder/Blazers game. Throughout the second half, Wetsbrook was attacking the basket only to miss shots and not get calls. Meanwhile, Andre Miller (16 pts, 11 asts) was kind of busting Westbrook’s ass and picking apart the OKC defense Westbrook was supposed to spearhead. But right when it seemed Westbrook was one more no-call away from a technical foul or a rash of bad decisions, he locked in. Read More »