We all learned a long time ago to never count the San Antonio Spurs out.
But after Tuesday’s 22-point loss to the New Orleans Hornets set them back three games to two, it’s difficult not to envision the Conference Finals without the black and silver. Yes, the Spurs have a home game left tonight and yes, they are the Spurs, but the story of this series so far makes that fact somewhat irrelevant.
The Spurs simply cannot get it done in New Orleans. With raucous crowds spanning from rappers to NFL quarterbacks …

It is a storyline that, while noticed, has fallen under the radar to some degree. While NBA fans clamor for Lakers-Celtics, LeBron-Kobe, and Spurs-Pistons, a potential NBA Finals match-up of San Antonio against Boston doesn’t seem all that appealing.
Except for, you know, the whole Big Three against Big Three thing.
And the “Maybe the Best Power Forward Ever” against “Maybe the Best Power Forward Ever” thing.
Yes, it is conceivable and largely possible that Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan could meet up in the NBA Finals this year. This has never been …

The NBA does a fantastic job marketing itself on the Internet. This statement seems obvious coming from a basketball website, right? Sure, but the breadth of this Internet dominance had not really hit me until I saw a startling stat the other day.

If you are a reader of my site, and you probably aren’t, you have noticed a decline in my basketball content over the past two weeks. It is a problem caused both by baseball season kicking off and ESPN’s J.A. Adande stealing all of my article ideas literally as I sit down to write them (and knocking the ideas out of the park). I wanted to discuss potential NBA Finals match-ups this week so I’ve avoided ESPN like the plague so I couldn’t be accused of idea stealing - though …

Alright basketball pundits, we get the message. The Western Conference is far superior to the Eastern Conference overall, but the East may have the best two teams.
We’ve heard that sentiment plenty lately. We’ve also heard to no end just how exciting and competitive the West’s playoff race is. Don’t get me wrong, I love that playoff race and had trouble ungluing my eyes from the West side of the standings to write this column. It’s that good ‘out there.’
But what about in the East? It sure is a top heavy …

I need to disclaim from the get go that I appreciate and admire the way David Stern has handled and developed the D-League so far. What follows is by no means a criticism of Stern or his reign as commissioner, but rather a look at the current shape of the league and where I would go with it from here.
In 2001, David Stern announced the creation of the National Basketball Development League. Since collective bargaining rules had changed — the control NBA teams had over the players they drafted …

Just wanted to let everyone know that I got a chance to interview former Hawaii standout, long-time Canadian national team player and emerging international basketball star Carl English for my site over at The On Deck Circle. It’s a great look at the life of an international player, the trials of a Canadian baller and the tough road some must take to get to the NBA.
You can read the interview by clicking here.
Photo Credit: ICON SMI

I think it’s about time somebody took a long hard look at the NBA’s marketing strategy for the 2007-08 season. And I don’t mean from a blogger’s point of view, because we’ve all beaten the “Where amazing happens” tagline to death by now. Look around the internet and you’ll find that every basketball blog and sports blog in general has, at some time, made a comment or post using the NBA’s current marketing slogan as a foundation.
I get it. We’ve spoken. For the most part, we don’t like the tagline.
“The …

Bryan Colangelo has transformed a doomed franchise into a competitive and developing one, assembled with likable players in a clear and enjoyable image. “The Architect” has turned the Raptors into the envy of those who cheer for bad teams, turning the team’s fortunes around instantly. It seems blasphemous, but despite being a complete and utter genius, The Mastermind’s franchise plans have consistently had one fatal flaw – rebounding.

What is everyone’s problem with Kevin Durant?
I lobbied hard for him to be the number one pick in the 2007 draft. I talked at length about it all through the college season and all through the summer until, finally, Portland went with Greg Oden. You can’t blame them because Oden is a safe and likable pick, a player sure to be good-to-great for many years in the NBA. My logic was both that Durant had a higher upside and the Blazers needed a swingman more than a big man (at …