“If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Long before said manifesto came to define Talladega Nights, my ninth grade history teacher ironically preached the same premise. Second place is never celebrated and playing to win is the only way to approach any obstacle in life, especially sports. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: NBA

After a shoddy Game 1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat needed a spark. LeBron James went on to lead all scorers with 29 points, but it wasn’t before Udonis Haslem gave the alleged favorites a boost in confidence of energy. Read the rest of this entry »

Miami traveled to Chicago and got smacked in the mouth for their troubles. Game 1 saw the Bulls run past the Heat 103-82. Chicago simply brought too much posse, their bench providing the punch and Taj Gibson leading the pack. We’ve credited Wade’s never-give-up approach on D but…uh…yeah. Read the rest of this entry »

Maybe more than any season in recent memory, the 2010-2011 NBA campaign has stood out like Clayton Bigsby at a Klan rally. Two of the more prominent stories centered around the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat, but for completely different reasons. The upstart Bulls did everything the “right way.” They were led by a rookie coach, a young point guard who managed to win the hearts of nearly every basketball fan with his timid ferociousness and a team who embraced the concept of “we.” Read the rest of this entry »

Earlier this week, Derrick Rose was named the NBA MVP for the 2010-11 season. Last night, he put on a show worthy of the honor. He dominated the opposing Hawks, dropping a career-high 44 points on and swinging the home Atlanta crowd, which chanted “MVP, MVP” all night for the man from the Windy City. Read the rest of this entry »

Nevermind Chicago fell flat on its face in Game 1 versus the Atlanta Hawks. Only time will tell if that proves to be an omen of things to come or a mere speed bump in the road to the Eastern Conference Finals. In what has been all but decided since mid-February – or March 26 – Derrick Rose was officially named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player Read the rest of this entry »

As a fan, we watch each game of the NBA playoffs with knowledge that we potentially have a front row seat to history. Last night was just that. Carmelo Anthony’s 42 points and 17 rebounds performance vindicated every fan who supported trading damn near the entire franchise to obtain his services and Melo carried the Knicks to a layup away from one of the more improbable victories in recent memory.

The more ironic (and forgotten) facet? It came within a few hours from landing on the exact day Michael Jordan blitzed the same Celtics franchise for his now mythical 63 points. Read the rest of this entry »

Graphics: Talia

The NBA’s regular season is a grueling campaign. Yet, come mid-April, bottom-feeders and ne’er do wells are sent home early while the league’s best vie for the Larry O’Brien trophy. Of course, some squads will serve as fodder for the ensuing rounds. However this years match ups and trends warrant meaningful discussion. Read the rest of this entry »

Graphics: Talia

NBA franchises play 82 games for the chance to contend in “the second season” and win 16 that actually matter. Still, the playoffs are far from being rocket science. Sixteen teams enter the postseason, but a select few have a legit chance to actually hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June. Read the rest of this entry »

Call me a lot of things when it comes to being a NBA fan. A Miami Heat bandwagoner? That’s fair. A LeBron James stan? I’d say so. A Boston Celtics hater? With every fiber of my being. However, when I noted Derrick Rose was playing at a MVP-level in November, I meant it. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh off referring to Rose as this season’s leading MVP candidate, MJ spoke very optimistically of the current Bulls squad at a recent ceremony celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the franchise’s first championship. Read the rest of this entry »

No, I haven’t swallowed 15 Tylenols. Yet. As things continue to get worse and worse for the LeBron James fan club, the option appears less and less foolish though. I’m only kidding, America. Really, I am. But while the team from Miami dominates the headlines – seriously, every fifth word on SportsCenter is either “Miami,” “Heat,” “LeBron,” “Wade,” “Spoelstra” or “cry” – it is the team from the Windy City making all the progress. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember the scene from Boyz N The Hood when Ricky and Tre were pulled over? Then the Uncle Tom black cop put that gun to Tre’s chin solidifying the first cinematic appearance of what would prove to be the inspiration behind Aaron McGruder’s “Uncle Rukus.” More specifically, do you remember the very next scene when Tre went Brandi’s house and he started punching the air while mumbling incoherently? Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the Bulls/Heat thriller in Chicago thanks to a really good friend and frat brother of mine. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why I jumped at the chance. But as much as I wanted to see LeBron play, witnessing the human pinball that is Derrick Rose was equally as anticipated. Read the rest of this entry »

The LeBron-less “Heatles” stopped in Chicago last night to go up against Derrick Rose and the Bulls. Dwyane Wade put the Heat on his back & didn’t look back, attempting to curtail a two game losing streak after their 13 game winning streak was snapped in L.A. However, Rose was up to the task, leading the Bulls to a 99-96 win by turning in 34 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and a couple of beautiful drives to the basket. Read the rest of this entry »