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THIS WAS THE ULTIMATE TEARDOWN JOB. When Sam Presti left his gig as the Spurs' assistant GM in 2007 to take over the Sonics, he inherited a team that had been two games over .500 i...(full article)

It’s slightly overcast in the parking lot on the edge of Ganesha Park in Pomona, CA, and Keith Closs is standing amidst a group of men who are drinking from containers wra...(full article)

HoopIdea is reimagining NBA basketball, and we kicked things off with a plea to speed up the end of close games. Timeouts, fouls, free throws, substitutions, video reviews and the...(full article)

As the media horde began peeling away one by one from Carmelo Anthony’s locker late Monday night, the Knicks captain suddenly had an epiphany. “There are a million of you guys,...(full article)

Back in my blunted-out days in high school, I played in one of those coed softball leagues for which the sole purpose is to provide an outlet for parking lot drinking, revealing ...(full article)

More Recent Articles

Irving Leads Cavs' 4th-Quarter Rally

Fourth quarters are supposed to belong to veteran players, men who have learned over time to harness their emotions as the possessions grow few and consequences for mistakes esca...

Spurs Sacrifice Win Streak for Rest

Our first clue that the San Antonio Spurs’ league-best 11-game winning streak might be coming to a self-inflicted end came when coach Gregg Popovich announced his starting ...

Leave Jeremy Lin Alone

If I can indulge myself for just a moment, I'm feeling a little postmodern this morning. It's nothing that should bestir the culture warriors. It's just that I'm supposed to have...

Heat Playing Their Best Ever in Big 3 Era

The Miami Heat have been playing better than ever during the past 10 days. Think about that. Better than ever. Last season the Heat had stretches in which they won 21 of 22 games,...

NBA: Playing the Percentages

A few weeks ago, I discussed how volume shooting can affect the fantasy value of players and your team's ability to move up the rankings, because the more field goal or free thro...

Nobody Equals Kobe in L.A.

Perspective is required in judging sports in Southern California, a place where the Angels play in Anaheim but call it Los Angeles, the Dodgers have gone from greatness to embarr...

Lin Overshadowing Heat's Great Run

Perfunctory Tuesday has kindly bowed out of the way for the Miami Heat and yields now to the onslaught of Linsanity Thursday, but here’s the thing: The wrong team will be g...

Time to Blow Up Celtics? Already Done

It’s tempting to say that the next three and a half weeks are the most important stretch of Danny Ainge’s tenure as the man making the basketball decisions for the Celtics. I...

Lin Now Has a Huge Target on His Back

All around the New Jersey Nets, everyone had come to understand something these past two weeks: Deron Williams wanted to destroy Jeremy Lin. Nothing personal – kid seems perfectl...

Greg Oden Era: Disappointment, No Regrets

There’s plenty of sadness and disappointment, but no self-pity, and, still, absolutely no admissions of regret. Portland Trail Blazers center Greg Oden went into an operating ro...

Knicks Have Talent, Need More Time

Let’s try to remember one thing from hereon out, as we contemplate what happens next during this Double-Asterisk Season: The only function of NBA prognostication, from this...

How to Survive in NBA When You're Not a Star

The NBA is a league of roughly 450 players of different sizes, backgrounds, ages, skill sets and abilities. There are guys in the league who will make $200 million over their car...

NBA: Court Report - Keep Eye on Isaiah Thomas

Keith Smart finally got around to replacing John Salmons in his starting five, moving him to the bench on Friday and promoting Isaiah Thomas. Smart wants Thomas to keep the off...

Top 10 Asian-American Athletes

You know you've arrived when A) you lead an apparently moribund NBA franchise to seven victories in your first eight games, B) you put up numbers that prompt comparisons with leg...

Lakers' Front Office a Deteriorating Mess

Kobe Bryant spoke, and his words carried all the way back to Los Angeles, and beyond. He spoke up for his teammate, Pau Gasol, in the hopes that his words would bring ...

Bryant's Latest Rant Hurts Lakers, Gasol

"I wish management would come out and either trade [Pau Gasol] or not trade him," said Bryant, who threw a tantrum five years ago in demanding to be traded. Obviously, superstars ...

Okla. City Lucky to Have Thunder, Not Hornets

What happened here Sunday night caused quite the buzz Monday. And why not? While there have been tens of thousands of NBA games over the decades, there has never been one quite lik...

Oden Endures Sad Ending

Turns out there's a microfracture in Greg Oden's armor. Not laughing at Oden. Hopefully, laughing with the guy. Because with the awful luck he's had, hearing that his fifth knee su...

Carmelo Rusty as Knicks Fall to Nets

Carmelo Anthony, clearly rusty in his return from a seven-game absence with a strained right groin, shot 4 of 11 and scored 11 points. Williams scored 18 in the third quarter, in...

Arenas On the Long Road Back

When Gilbert Arenas pulled the curtain on his "AgentZeroShow" Twitter account last September, he went dark in ways we hadn't seen since his fascinating rise and infamous fall. He...

Lin, D'Antoni: Match Made in Basketball Heaven

Jeremy Lin and Jason Kidd, two point guards from the Bay Area, had a chance to chat during the game. Yes, the kid from Palo Alto mentioned to the Kidd from Oakland th...

Kobe on Gasol: Trade Him or Don't

The Lakers were drubbed by the Phoenix Suns, but Kobe Bryant had one last shot. It was aimed at the Lakers' front office. He's tired of the Pau Gasol trade rumors that have circul...

Thunder's Superstars Bring Lightning

George Karl likes the mission he's accepted. The Nuggets coach is out to prove that you don't need superstars to win big in the NBA. For much of Sunday night, Karl was building a ...

Love's Late Free Throws Beat 76ers

Through three quarters it was bad. Off the glass, off the rim, miss, miss, miss. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love would get the ball, work for position, take a shot, curse the resu...

Mavericks Learn Linsanity for Real

Standing at the old freight elevator at the Garden, Mark Cuban had a chance to complain about the officiating after Jeremy Lin and the Knicks on Sunday afternoon rode emotion, mome...

Next Chapter Near in Knicks' Revival

Now it gets really interesting. For those still harboring doubts about Jeremy Lin, put them away. He’s the real deal. In helping spearhead another rousing New York Knicks victory...

Lin Asks Privacy for His Family

After one more starry performance Sunday, New York Knicks phenomenon Jeremy Lin delivered a plea to the media in Taiwan where his grandmother and family live: Back off. “The ...

Knicks' Chemistry to Be Tested

Carmelo Anthony will “probably not” play Sunday afternoon against the Dallas Mavericks, Coach Mike D’Antoni said, but J. R. Smith and Baron Davis could be in unif...

James, Wade Lead Heat Past Magic

Forget the race for NBA Most Valuable Player. Right now bragging rights as best of the Miami Heat is emerging as basketball competition of the highest order. So in Sunday's 90-78 v...

More Than Just Racist Headline at ESPN

Linsanity just jumped the shark with the ESPN mobile website using the headline a “Chink in the Armor” to refer to the Knick’s loss to the Hornets.  This came on the heels ...

Sacramento Battles to Keep NBA Team

A hedge-fund manager's $500 million plan for Seattle to poach Sacramento's professional basketball team, the Kings, has city officials in California's capital fuming. But time ma...

Heat's Efficiency Will Spell Championship

Like many consumers, the Heat’s Mike Miller thought he was paying extra for comfort and luxury. He was signing up, essentially, for an expensive VIP basketball experience, lite...

Spurs Win But Lose Ginobili Again

It took the luckiest play of the season for the Spurs to beat the Los Angeles Clippers and run their winning streak to 10 games Saturday at Staples Center. It took cruel news to ...

Bobcats Seek to Connect With City

Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan admits his team has an image problem, and he's not referring to their 4-26 record. It's something worse, in his opinion. Somehow, after eigh...

Seattle Plan Untested, Enticing

The phone call was impulsive, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn calling the New York office of NBA Commissioner David Stern last Wednesday. Stern wasn't in town. But McGinn's exuberance w...

Depth, Defense Keep Bulls on Top

If the Bulls beat the Nets in Saturday's matinee at United Center, they will finish the first half of the lockout-shortened season on pace for a league-best 52-14 mark. That's a wi...

With Streak Over, Lin Faces Tough Road Ahead

Jeremy Lin's magical ride as the star of the hottest team in the NBA hit a speed bump Friday. A bump about nine turnovers high, as Lin and the New York Knicks saw their seven-gam...

J.R. Smith Worth Low-Risk Gamble for Knicks

You have to love the Knicks. They’ve won seven consecutive games, possess the league’s sixth-stingiest defense (in terms of points allowed per possession) and have scored at ...

LeBron Wants Cleveland as Option for '14

LeBron James came to Cleveland with an unmistakable mission this week, the beginning of a campaign to soften the fans and ownership on his desire to return to the Cavaliers in 20...

NBA: Court Report - Time to Drop Felton

There's not much else left to say about Raymond Felton's offensive game at this point. Thursday produced yet another "Felton-esque" line (24 minutes, 0 points, 0-7 FG, 2 assi...

NBA: Finding Short-Term Category Help

Marco Belinelli, SG, New Orleans Hornets (2.1 percent owned): Belinelli has been excellent with Jarrett Jack sidelined, scoring in double figures in eight of his past nine contest...

Roles of Knicks' Players About to Change

They will all be coming soon, one impact player after another, certain to transform Linsanity into Linstability. J.R. Smith, the run-and-gunner. Carmelo Anthony, the chucker. Baron...

Bobcats Snap 16-Game Slide

Reggie Williams scored a season-high 22 points to help the Charlotte Bobcats snap a 16-game losing streak by beating the Toronto Raptors 98-91 on Friday night. D.J. Augustin had ...

Hornets End Knicks' Win Streak

Two weeks of Lin-sanity and everything that entails finally got the best of Jeremy Lin. He’s no longer undefeated, no longer invincible and the Knicks winning streak is over....

Nets to Slash Prices vs. Magic

On February 22, your NETS will face off against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. For this one night only the NETS are discounting tickets in the Loud & Proud section ...

4 Teams in Trouble Amid Short Season

The Pacers have lost six of eight to drop to 18-12, ceding that “feel-good threat to Miami and Chicago” status to Philadelphia and falling to a point where New York, ...

Bulls Make Statement vs. Celtics

With the NBA's best record, the Bulls know they can beat anybody. Still, there are moments in any season where statements must be made. And, having dropped five of their last six ...

Why Lakers Should Sign Arenas

Here's a scene of everyday NBA cruelty: Derek Fisher, surrounded by a few bored reporters, fielding questions about whether the Lakers can contend without bringing in fresh talen...

Clippers Confront Role of Contender, Pretender

The moment that Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers will be forever etched in NBA history. It featured a giddy DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin, chest-bumping and g...

NBA: Paying Attention to Defensive Matchups

I took my 3-year-old to last night's Wizards game. No, he hadn't done anything wrong. He's been an early rider on the Trevor Booker bandwagon, and wanted a chance to see his unders...

Suns Have No Plans to 'Blow Up' Team

The Suns have spent much of the past year collecting and analyzing data about NBA teams in transition. They've crunched the numbers, scrutinized the results. Despite the roller-c...

Don't Take LeBron's Comments Seriously

Sometimes, politeness doesn't pay. On an unseasonably warm day in Cleveland, LeBron James continued trying to thaw his relationship with the city's fans, by refusing to rule out ...

NBA: J.R. Smith to the Knicks?

J.R. Smith appears to be close to signing with the Knicks, according to reports. It's not possible to project starter's minutes for Smith in New York as long as everyone is hea...

LeBron Should Focus on Heat, Not Cavs

Wonder what the Miami Heat thinks about LeBron James talking about playing for the Cavs. James is still with the Heat, right? Hasn't even been there for two full seasons. Under co...

NBA: Potential Impact of Trade Deadline

Dwight Howard, C, Magic Key stats: 20.1 points, 15.1 rebounds, 2.1 blocks Rumored destinations: Lakers, Nets, Knicks and Bulls If traded his Fantasy value would: stay...

Seattle Has Plan; Now It Needs Teams

If they build it, who will come? That's the biggest question left by Thursday's announcement regarding the plan to build an arena in the Sodo District. While the idea of a shiny ne...

Warriors' Ellis Becomes Expendable

His is still the last name heard when lineups are announced, he is still the last of the Warriors to step onto the basketball court, and his annual salary remains a gaudy $11 m...

Star-Less Grizzlies Keep Winning

The record is now four games above .500 under the circumstances. The Grizzlies improved to 15-11 in games without power forward Zach Randolph after their latest victory -- a 105-1...

Bucks Playing Without Passion

Not so long ago in this space I wrote that the Bucks were an entertaining team to watch. They were sharing the basketball. They were hustling and playing with passion. In a matter ...

Lin Hits Game-Winning 3 vs. Raptors

Jeremy Lin had the crowd on its feet, Jose Calderon on his heels and the game in his hands. All that remained was the shot. Hours earlier, Lin had called his fairy tale journey "a...

Bobcats Drop 15th in Row

Apparently, the Charlotte Bobcats' 15-game losing streak is in part a matter of trust. Among the many flaws the Bobcats have is a relative inability to steal the ball. That starte...

Anthony Says He'll Mesh With Lin

When Carmelo Anthony walked into a short hallway at the Knicks’ practice facility in Greenburgh Monday, he joked that he had one focus as the Knicks prepared to fly to Toro...

Heat Win, Aim for 3 in 3 Nights

Milwaukee Bucks coach Scott Skiles was at a loss for words. And that was before his team fell 114-96 to the Miami Heat on Monday night at the Bradley Center. It's almost as if he k...

Heat Win 1st of 3 Games in 3 Days

The Miami Heat figured this would be a test. On Sunday, it appeared they either knew the questions to the exam or had a cheat sheet. The Heat made it look easy in their 107-87 vic...

Rose Day-to-Day With Bad Back

Derrick Rose's back issues have been giving fans' lungs a workout. But now it's time to exhale after the specialist Rose saw on Monday confirmed the Bulls' original diagnosis of l...

Bryant Gives L.A. Sloppy Victory

These are the wild, even ridiculous, ways the Lakers have to win nowadays. A controversial five-second violation by Toronto with 4.2 seconds left. An airballed three-point attempt ...

Lakers Watch Arenas' Workout

Free agent guard Gilbert Arenas conducted a workout in the Los Angeles area Sunday that was attended by Lakers officials, the three-time All-Star confirmed to SI.com via text mes...

Bulls' Rose to See Back Specialist

As Derrick Rose shuffled across the Bulls' locker room before Sunday's 95-91 loss to the Celtics, somebody remarked he looked like an old man. "I feel like one," Rose said with a t...

Spurs Cruise as Ginobili Returns

Gregg Popovich worried about Manu Ginobili, because this is what Popovich does. Specifically on Saturday, the Spurs coach was worried that Ginobili, back on the floor after a 22-g...

Lin Leads Knicks to 5th Straight Win

Emergent star guard Jeremy Lin, after shooting 1 for 12 in the second half, hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to help lift the New York Knicks to their season-high fifth victo...

West 'Phenomenal' in Mavs' OT Win

That off-season acquisition of Delonte West is looking better and better with each game. West came off the bench Saturday night to score six straight points in the second overtim...

Nowitzki's 33 Lead Mavericks

Not that he needed validation, but Dirk Nowitzki put his stamp on why he was deserving to make the NBA All-Star Game for the 11th consecutive season. Nowitzki drilled jumpers fro...

Thunder's Brooks to Coach All-Stars

Thunder coach Scott Brooks recently was mapping out where he would take his family during NBA All-Star Weekend later this month. Just past the stroke of midnight Friday, the city ...

Thunder Blow Lead, Fall to Kings

The Sacramento Kings closed out the game with a 19-6 scoring spurt to post a 106-101 victory before a sellout crowd of 17,317 at Power Balance Pavilion. The scrappy Kings were ...

Cavs' Irving to Miss 2 Games

Cavaliers rookie guard Kyrie Irving will spend the weekend resting and recovering from his concussion. Irving is sitting out Cleveland's next two home games - against Milwaukee an...

No Timetable for Irving to Return

Kyrie Irving's dazzling drives and fourth-quarter heroics have helped the Cavaliers unexpectedly contend for a playoff spot with the season nearing its halfway point. It's unclea...

Billups Vows Not to Retire

After a basketball life of comebacks upon comebacks, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups is determined to make the greatest of his career: a full recovery from a torn Achil...

Pierce Passes Bird on Celtics' Scoring List

Pierce passed Bird with the third quarter’s first shot — a 3-pointer, naturally — and the Celtics briefly flirted with a 20-point lead without quite getting the...

Clippers Win But Lose Billups

Maybe it was just too good to be true. After all these years, the lowly Los Angeles Clippers finally had assembled a team ready to challenge for an NBA title, ready to look down ...

Anthony Hurt as Knicks Prevail

No Carmelo Anthony? No Amar’e Stoudemire? No problem. The Knicks rallied behind unlikely starting point guard Jeremy Lin again for a 99-88 win over the Jazz at the Garden Mon...

Stoudemire's Brother Killed in Crash

Amar'e Stoudemire comes from a small city in Florida that used to be called Lake Wailes, but founders worried that the name made residents sound melancholy, as if they were waili...

Suspended 2 Games, Love Contrite

His coach didn't think so, but Timberwolves forward Kevin Love called Monday's NBA-imposed, two-game suspension "warranted" and vowed he won't step on anybody's face and chest ag...

Johnson, Celtics Win 4th in Row

  A week and a half ago, E’Twaun Moore went for 16 points in the Celtics [team stats]’ large comeback victory in Orlando. Thirteen of those points came in the game...

Knight to Get Mask on Broken Nose

There’s a good chance rookie starting point guard Brandon Knight would be in the lineup when the Pistons travel to New Jersey on Wednesday. Knight had his broken nose reset...

Heat Start Slowly But Beat Raptors

LeBron James had a bit of extra pep in his step before tip-off. It had nothing to do with the Miami Heat's opponent or the fact it was the day of Super Bowl. James was a little mo...

No-Star Offense Guiding Nuggets

The Denver Nuggets, sans superstar, have the second-best offense in the NBA. Through Friday, the Nuggets rank second in offensive efficiency, scoring 105.9 points per 100 possessi...

Love Finesses Stomp on Scola

There were about 8 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter Saturday when Houston's Luis Scola put the ball on the floor and drove towards the basket. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love ...

Parker's 42 Lift Spurs Past Thunder

Tony Parker arrived in San Antonio in the summer of 2001 a skinny, unknown French point guard in an era when European players were still more novelty than necessity. All Spurs co...

Effort Begun to Put Team in Seattle

A wealthy San Francisco hedge-fund manager and officials in the Seattle mayor's office have been working behind the scenes for eight months to bring an NBA team back to the city ...

Lakers' Trip Starts on Mile-High Note

The Lakers arrived here ahead of the winter storm that blanketed the area with more than a foot of snow, causing near-whiteout conditions amid swirling winds and frigid temperatu...

Rose Exposes Knicks' Backcourt

Amar'e Stoudemire was suddenly back to playing the way he did in the pre-Carmelo Anthony days. His jumper was smooth and his drives usually ended with dunks. “He looks more e...

LeBron Scores 40 in Loss to Bucks

The Heat probably wouldn’t mind avoiding the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. With first place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs on Wednesday, the Heat droppe...

76ers Get Signature Win Over Bulls

With the sound system booming "Here Come Your Sixers," the team's theme song from a more successful era, when Julius Erving and now-coach Doug Collins played at the now-demolishe...

Ibaka Helps Thunder Beat Mavs

After a five-game playoff series last year, two preseason games to start this season and two more early regular season contests against the Dallas Mavericks, forward Serge Ibaka o...

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