Kevin Durant (photo. Nike)

We’re not even through the first round of the NBA Playoffs and we’ve already seen game-winners, fights, sweeps, comebacks, and yes, monster highlights. The most amazing thing about this list you’re about to see isn’t necessarily that all of the plays came within the past two weeks, but that LeBron James doesn’t make one single appearance. Read More »

The Golden State Warriors came into the playoffs with little expectations. They nearly lost their No. 6 seed to the Houston Rockets before finishing at 47-35 (and amazingly, Houston dropped back down to No. 8). They finished 3-3 in their last six games, had been in a .500 funk for the second half of the season, and really weren’t the dominant team they seem to be now. Read More »

From the intensity of the playoffs, the most memorable moments arise. Amid the chaos, reputations are forged, particularly for those whose renown does not (yet) land them gaudy shoe deals. Yesterday we took a look at hidden x-factors in the Grizzlies/Clippers series. Read More »

In the battle of the game’s best jerseys, it’s funny that old man Andre Miller is using the same tactics to embarrass people in the NBA that the old, fat dude with the nasty back sweat is using to bust your ass at a local YMCA. Golden State/Denver was supposed to be crazy — uptempo and out of control — and instead, their Game 1 developed into a back-n-forth mud bath. Read More »

Go into any basketball locker room in the world — CYO leagues, middle school, high school, or even in the NBA — and you’ll find sharpshooters, bench warmers, you’ll see Jordans, adidas and Reebok, you’ll see tall oafs and slippery guards, coaches that rarely say a word and coaches that never shut up. Every team will have it’s own unique flavor, it’s own unique environment. Read More »

Basketball demands we break down its players not just by stats, but by the time and place they occur. That’s not the case in NBA fantasy hoops, though, where cold calculations rule the day and the matchup. Who are the Fantasy Doctor‘s choices for this week’s best pickups? Hit the jump to find out. Read More »

No one, it seems, walks into Denver lately and comes out unscathed. The Nuggets are rolling past teams to the point if you go in on the back end of a back-to-back it’s almost an assumed loss and, welp, watch your head that you don’t get dunked on too badly. Read More »

You want to know why that Lakers win in Dallas was so big? Any sensible L.A. fan knows whenever they go to Denver, they get spit back out like spoiled food. With time running out and Houston not looking like they’re going to fall apart anytime soon, the Lakers can’t afford anymore mishaps. Their 119-108 loss to the Nuggets doesn’t count as as screwup – Denver just had it rolling. Read More »

When will the Lakers’ “new” season start exactly? And did Boston’s begin once Rajon Rondo was lost for the year? These are things we think about after Thursday’s second-half power surge by Boston shut off the lights on the Lakers, 116-95, now four games under .500. Read More »

This week’s pickups list comes with some good and bad news. Let’s just get the negative stuff out of the way first. You could probably do better than this edition’s Fresh Pickings. After having such a thick waiver wire for the last couple weeks, things have slimmed down, and will probably stay that way until the trade deadline opens up opportunities for more players. Read More »