With Marco Belinelli playing out of his mind, and the rest of the Bulls desperate for a win, the Nets leaned on an unlikely source late to take Game 6 and tie the series up, 95-92. Andray Blatche had just 10 points and seven boards, but he made them count, scoring the team’s final five points on three (of four) free throws and a wild runner high off the glass. Read More »

Okay, so Monday was technically Left Hander’s Day. But you didn’t know that did you? I didn’t, not until about 10 p.m. that night because quite frankly, I never realized we had a Left Hander’s Day. So this post is a little late, but that doesn’t matter. You care about reading up on the 10 best lefties to ever put on a NBA uniform, not when you read about them. 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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

In the biggest free-agency bonanza to ever hit the NBA, LeBron James is the first domino that has to fall before everyone else figures out their next move. From D-Wade all the way down to Brian Scalabrine, you could say every other free agent’s future will in some way be affected by LeBron’s decision.

With the official start of free agency set for 12:01 a.m. Wednesday night/Thursday morning, we decided to look at each team believed to be in the running for LeBron and delve into the reasons why LBJ would and wouldn’t (or should and shouldn’t) sign with them. Next up: The Cleveland Cavaliers. Read More »

With talk out of Boston getting louder that Rasheed Wallace will retire this summer, we may be witnessing the end of one of the NBA’s all-time greatest coulda-been-greater careers.

For 15 years, we read that same book on ‘Sheed: He could have been … fill in the blank … if he’d wanted to be. Hall of Famer. Best power forward in the League. Franchise superstar. The Black Dirk Nowitzki. The hip-hop generation’s Willis Reed. As nasty as he wanted to be. Read More »

Call me an apologist, an optimist, a dick-rider, whatever. But I have to disagree with Dime’s Daniel Marks: I think Vince Carter can shake his reputation as a crunch-time choker and overall soft player.

All he has to do is play the game of his life tomorrow.

With the Orlando Magic facing a death-certificate deficit should they lose Game 3 in Boston (8:30 p.m. EST, ESPN), this is a must-win for the team, and for Vince, a must-dominate. Read More »