Sixers Don't Sell-Out Heat Game

While a Sixers game not selling out is hardly newsworthy, this particular game actually surprises me. This game has been hyped since the schedule came out and if the team had any hope of selling out any games this year, this would be the game. Home opener, hyped super-team opponent, no-brainer right? Apparently not. I was shocked that I was able to find tickets this morning from the team directly, but once I got to the game I was surprised to find the stadium filled like it was a random Sixers/Warriors game in March. Then when I read what Henry Abbott of ESPN.com did in the second quarter had me almost embarrassed to be a part of the fanbase.

They Are Who We Thought They Were?

Photo from ProBasketballTalk.com


With the 2010 NBA season still in its infancy, I don't quite know what to make of the Miami Heat after two games, and I probably won't be able to figure them out for awhile. Are they immensely talented, absolutely. Do they have weaknesses, sure. So far in two games we basically saw what we were expecting in terms of how the games played out, without focusing on the final score. Both games played out predictably, so how much have we learned about LeBron, D-Wade and Co.?

Winning Time

The latest ESPN 30 for 30 documentary premiered last night called "Winning Time" which chronicled the rivalry between Reggie Miller's Pacers and the Knicks in the 1990s. The documentary showcased what made the NBA so great in the 90s. The rivalries that don't exist anymore, the good "teams" not just superstars and the storylines. Although I am not a particular fan of either team, I appreciate the passion of the rivalry and a fan of that era of basketball. This is a must watch for anyone with an appreciation for that era.

Winning Time

NBA JAM Trailer

BOOM SHAKALAKA

LeBron James vs. Carmelo Anthony

Highlights from a great game last night in Cleveland.

NBA Trade Deadline Winners/Losers

Another NBA Trade Deadline passes and many moves are made. Some moves are made to help teams improve for this season and make a run at a championship, some are made to clear cap space to move under the salary tax and some are made to set up big moves in the offseason. All of these moves came to fruition this year, some just were a little more successful than others.

Winners

Dallas Mavericks- Adding Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood to an already potent lineup makes them a scary team come playoff time. Haywood is the center that Erik Dampier was never able to be, and Caron Butler gives them a legit scoring option beside Dirk in crunch time. A crunch time lineup of Haywood, Dirk, Caron, Terry/Marion and Kidd is mighty dangerous. DeShawn Stevenson off the bench along with Jason Terry gives them more outside shooting.

Cleveland Cavaliers- Antawn Jamison is the perfect person to add to this team, more than Amare Stoudemire, in my opinion. Jamison doesn't need to have plays ran for him to score. He hustles, grabs rebounds, and can stretch the floor unlike the other Cavalier big men. He will be a great matchup for Rashard Lewis in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Lamar Odom if they meet in the Finals. Those were two players who would give them fits before the acquisition of Jamison. Also, they traded Big Z, but there is a possibility that he can return after a buyout from Washington after 30 days.

Houston Rockets- In my opinion, T-Mac is one of the best scorers and perimeter players in the NBA in the last decade. Is he often injured, Yes. Has he ever made it past the first round of the playoffs, No. But he is one of the few people in the league who can dominate a game from the wing and can get off his own shot at will. He isn't the same scorer he was in Orlando, but he still has some juice left. However, he had an expiring contract and the Rockets parlayed that into Kevin Martin who can provide some offense from the wing which Houston desperately needs. Great move by them, although I'm sure they wish they could have kept Carl Landry.

New York Knicks- The Knicks won't do anything this year. They know it and they don't care. However, with the moves the Knicks made today, particularly shedding Jared Jeffries' contract in the T-Mac deal, they are now able to offer TWO max free agent contracts to the plethora of available talent this summer. So if they go into training camp with a combo of LeBron/Wade/Bosh/Amare, then they are definitely the winners of this trade deadline.

Chicago Bulls- Shedding the salary of John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas allows them to offer a max free agent deal, preferably to hometown hero Dwyane Wade. If they can land Wade, huge win for the Bulls. If not, they will definitely be able to sign a big-time post presence, a la Carlos Boozer/Amare Stoudemire/Chris Bosh.

Other Winners by shedding salary for the summer of 2010: LA Clippers, Washington Wizards.

Other Winners by acquiring players for a playoff run in 2009: Milwaukee Bucks (John Salmons), Portland Trailblazers (Marcus Camby), Boston Celtics (Nate Robinson) & Charlotte Bobcats (Tyrus Thomas)

Losers

Miami Heat- The Heat failed to land either Amare Stoudemire or Carlos Boozer to play alongside D-Wade, assuring them of a first round sweep out of the playoffs this year. This doesn't mean they can't sign one of them in the offseason, however it does increase the chances that another first round exit will also mean the exit of the franchise's best player, Dwyane Wade.

Philadelphia 76ers- No one expected the Sixers to actually land Amare Stoudemire, and unless Elton Brand was traded (which he wouldn't have been), then it wouldn't have made much basketball sense. Why they are on this list is because they failed to unload any of the MANY bad contracts they have (Iguodala, Dalembert, Brand).

Washington Wizards- Sure the Wizards dumped a ton of salary, but they also dumped every talented player on their team. Josh Howard was the only legit player they got in return and the Wizards are going to need plenty of pieces if they ever want to be relevant anytime soon.

No one really got roped into a bad deal, most teams just did nothing. The next step of course is to see which players get bought out and what teams add veterans for the playoff stretch run. A ton of teams will be able to offer max free agent deals in the offseason so the summer of 2010 is setting up to live up to the hype.

Kobe, AI Out of All Star Game

Perennial All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson will not partake in this weekend's All Star Game in Dallas. Both voted to be starters in the game, Kobe won't play because he is nursing multiple injuries and Iverson declined because of personal reasons. Kobe will still make the trip to Dallas in order to assist teammate Shannon Brown in the dunk contest. Jason Kidd and David Lee will replace the players on their respective rosters. David Lee was a popular snub this year, having a stellar season. Kidd is more of a surprise, especially with great seasons by Chris Kaman, Monta Ellis and Carlos Boozer in the Western Conference, among others.

Team USA Has 9 Players Return

Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade highlight the names who have decided to return to Team USA and defend their gold medal in London in 2012. Everyone from the 2008 gold medal team returned except for Jason Kidd, Tayshaun Prince and Michael Redd. Expect Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose to eventually make the team. The list of 25 players who will be invited to training camp this summer is linked below.

Team USA 25-man roster

Iverson's Starting Spot in Jeopardy

Well, this should be an interesting little bit of entertainment: “Allen Iverson has started each of his 22 games as a 76er this season. When Iverson sat out four games in mid- to late December with knee arthritis, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan always said Iverson would start when he returned. But after Monday’s practice, which Iverson again missed due to his daughter’s illness, Jordan wouldn’t commit to Iverson starting when he comes back. ‘That’s a topic we have to discuss,’ Jordan said. Later, Jordan said, ‘We’re going to talk about that as a staff. We’ve had some of those discussions. We’ll cross that bridge when we cross that bridge.’ The 19-31 Sixers have won three in a row - all against teams with a .500 or better record at the time - with Iverson absent and Willie Green starting in his place. The 6-foot-3 Green and 6-4 rookie Jrue Holiday have given the Sixers better size and matchups in the backcourt than when the 6-1 Lou Williams and 5-11 Iverson started. They’ve also cut down on opponents’ dribble penetration, allowing teammates to stay on their man rather than having to rotate over to help on the ball.”

ViaSLAM Online

"Nothin But Net"

In an homage to the old MJ/Larry Bird McDonald's commercials, Mickey D's unveiled a new ad featuring Dwight Howard and LeBron James.



The original is below. Great to see them bring back a classic.

NBA's Best Buzzer Beaters of the Decade

Best NBA T-Shirt Ever?

Spotted on Deadspin, this hilarious t-shirt features the three best white big men on the Bulls in the 1990's (OK, so they were the only three white big men on the Bulls in the 90's), and their nickname the "Bang Gang" which I believe they gave themselves. Just so much wrong with this shirt, read about it HERE.

Chauncey Replaces Paul in ASG

Chauncey Billups, recently named to The Let Out's All-Decade Team, was picked to replace Chris Paul in the All-Star Game. Paul will will be out for up to 2 months with a knee injury. Chauncey, much deserving of the honor, will play in his fifth All-Star Game.

Phoenix Suns x Avatar

Another hilarious vid from Steve Nash and his Phoenix Suns teammates.

The Let Out's All-Decade NBA Team

After posting the article about the NFL's All-Decade Team, I decided to make one for the NBA. 5 starters, 12 total players. The bench will consist of best PLAYERS, not necessarily a specific amount of players at each position.

C- Shaquille O'Neal
F- Tim Duncan
F- LeBron James
G- Kobe Bryant
G- Allen Iverson

Bench
Kevin Garnett
Paul Pierce
Dwyane Wade
Dirk Nowitzki
Steve Nash
Jason Kidd
Chauncey Billups

There is an abundance of guards on the list, but I couldn't see myself leaving any of these players off the list. Just doing it for fun, post up people you would have/take off and why in the comment section.

Lakers Take Down C's

Highlights of the game of the day in the NBA. The Lakers took down the Celtics in Boston on Sunday 90-89. Kobe Bryant hit the game-winning jumper with Ray Allen all over him with 7 seconds left. Ray missed the potential game-winner on the next possession giving the Lakers the W and a 5-2 record with 1 game left in their road trip. Bryant and Andrew Bynum finished with 19 points a piece in the victory.

Nike RED Viral Video

(NIKE) RED Lace Up Save Lives from NikeSportswear on Vimeo.

Viral video going around the web for the Nike RED campaign. The RED laces are sold to raise money to fight AIDS in Africa. Video features Kobe Bryant and other athletes.

All-Star Starters Announced

West

Amare Stoudemire
Tim Duncan
Carmelo Anthony
Kobe Bryant
Steve Nash

East

Dwight Howard
Kevin Garnett
LeBron James (leading vote-getter)
Allen Iverson
Dwyane Wade

Showing he still has a great fanbase, AI was voted to be an All-Star starter, despite missing games due to injury and being a shell of his former self. Steve Nash beat out inactive Tracy McGrady for the second starting guard spot in the West, which would have been an embarrassment for the NBA. Tim Duncan edged out hometown hero Dirk Nowitzki in the last couple days. The game will be played in Dallas in the Cowboys Stadium.

LINK

Highest Selling NBA Jerseys

Top 15
1. Kobe Bryant – Los Angeles Lakers
2. LeBron James – Cleveland Cavaliers
3. Dwight Howard- Orlando Magic
4. Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls
5. Dwyane Wade – Miami Heat
6. Kevin Garnett – Boston Celtics
7. Chris Paul – New Orleans Hornets
8. Paul Pierce – Boston Celtics
9. Shaquille O’Neal – Cleveland Cavaliers
10. Pau Gasol – Los Angeles Lakers
11. Carmelo Anthony – Denver Nuggets
12. Steve Nash – Phoenix Suns
13. David Lee – New York Knicks
14. Allen Iverson – Philadelphia 76ers
15. Kevin Durant – Oklahoma City Thunder

Not a ton of surprises. David Lee @ 13...good for him. AI still has a great fanbase after all these years. The rankings are based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2009-10 NBA season.

Monta Ellis Trick Shot