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SI's Fortunate 50 features NBA Starpower
2008-06-04 21:38:00
Sports Illustrated has released its 2008 list called "The Fortunate 50". The list is composed of athletes from all sports who are earning the most between their endorsements and actual sports salaries. Topping the list this year easily was Tiger Woods, the pro golfer who's also seen pitching products on almost every commercial break. Tiger's endorsements make up $105, 000, 000 of his overall total. Several NBA stars made it into the top 10, thanks to their hefty contracts. Lebron James comes in at #3 thanks to a high NBA salary and his endorsements from the likes of Nike, Vitamin Water and Powerade. Also included on the list are both Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett who will appear in the 2008 Finals starting Thursday evening. Kobe still makes a decent amount of endorsements despite his legal trouble in the past. Kobe's former pal in Los Angeles, Shaq trails him by about a half a million dollars on the list.Here's the top 10 highest paid athletes (total earnings in parenthe...
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2008 Celtics vs. Lakers - Rivalry Renewed
2008-06-01 18:05:00
Cue up the "NBA...where amazing happens" and Kobe/Pierce split screen ads, because one of the most storied rivalries in all of basketball and maybe even sports has been rekindled. On June 5th, 2008 , the Boston Celtics will host the Los Angeles Lakers on their court, setting off another showdown between the two most winning NBA champs.Boston is perhaps a Cinderella story. Last year they were worse than the New York Knicks in the league, and looking to the NBA's draft lottery to win that #1 pick. They didn't, but the pick they had for # 5 was good enough for a trade. Eventually, the Boston Celtics brought in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and a host of helpers for the bench. James Posey, PJ Brown, Eddie House and Sam Cassell have all been huge for the team as they provide great veteran experience. Posey and Cassell both have rings so that's only helped more in the playoffs. So give Boston credit for assembling one terrific team for 2007-08. They went from worst to first thanks t...

Celtics KO Pistons en Route to NBA Finals
2008-05-31 05:23:00
It will be a renewal of a classic rivalry in the 2008 NBA Finals as the Boston Celtics will face the Los Angeles Lakers. The two dynasties are storied in their histories as championship teams, and now the newest versions will do battle. Boston took care of business Friday night, winning their second road game to eliminate the Detroit Pistons.The Luck of the Irish showed up in Detroit for sure. In the second half the Celts shot an amazing 67% field goal percentage. Rajon Rondo's shot with about 2:30 to go in the 4th put Boston up 7. Detroit had an 8 point lead just moments earlier. Billups was able to respond with a three point play to get the Pistons back into it. Posey had a huge steal from Prince after Rondo missed a three, and Pierce followed up by knocking down 2 free throws. Pistons fans began to leave the building as the Celtics had a 85-79 lead with about a minute to go. However, KG missed two free throws with 36 seconds to go, leaving signs of life for Detroit. A...
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Kobe's Lakers Return to NBA Finals
2008-05-30 06:04:00
San Antonio fought the LA and the LA won. The Lakers are headed back to the NBA Finals for their first appearance since 2004. On Thursday night, Kobe put in 39 points to help lead the squad to the promised land. The reigning MVP was all smiles as Jerry West praised the team and especially Kobe for his work ethic. The Lakers were up 5 points with about a minute to go. Despite a Radmonovic missed 3 pointer, Pau Gasol pulled down a huge offensive rebound. Kobe drove and was fouled, and then the MVP cooly knocked down both free throws to push it back to 7. A last second 3 was hit by the Lakers, which isn't always in good taste, but gave them the 100-92 win. Tim Duncan had a near triple double in the loss. Now 2008 will see a new NBA champion, as the defending Spurs have been eliminated. There is of course that non-call two games ago that looms over the heads of the NBA and both teams, but take nothing away from the Lakers who've been on a roll this postseason. The addition ...
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More Instant Replay in NBA?
2008-05-29 22:35:00
On Wednesday the NBA told the world: "yes our referees messed up, a foul should have been called". This was in reference to Brent Barry's potential game-winning shot against the Lakers a few nights ago. Barry was bumped into by Lakers guard Derek Fisher, but no call was made, game over. While I'm not a big fan of the San Antonio Spurs, the NBA's "admitted mistake" seems a bit like a slap in the Spurs' faces. The foul could have given San Antonio the win and tied up the series, rather than putting the world champs into a bigger hole. The game can't be a do-over like this past season's Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat contest, so it seems strange the NBA would just admit a mistake and move on without further mention. The league should start meeting about the concept of better instant replay system, especially in the late stages of a game, and especially in playoff contests.Instant replay may need to come into heavier use in all 4 of the major sports. It currently is used moder...
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Boston 3 Party Wins 106-102
2008-05-29 06:04:00
The Boston Three party was in effect Wednesday night. Boston and Detroit were 9 of 14 from three point land in the first half. Shot of the night was easily KG's fade away high arc three pointer bank shot as the shot clock expired in the 2nd quarter. Ray Allen hit two threes in the first quarter and Pierce did as well to aid the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins had 12 points and 13 rebounds in the first half to really give the Celtics a lift. In the first half Boston out-rebounded the Pistons 28-11. Rajon Rondo had just 4 points but was aggressive and able to find his teammates for several key baskets.The Pistons defense began to help Detroit work their way back into yet another game against the Celtics. Detroit had it down to a one point game after a huge Lindsay Hunter 3 pointer in the 4th. Several lazy lob passes from the Celtics lead to turnovers or near turnovers. Ray Allen hit yet another 3 pointer with a minute to go, pushing the lead back to 4. Rodney Stuckey hit two key...
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Lakers Have Spurs on the Ropes
2008-05-28 07:54:00
The Lakers are now in cruise control with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs . Los Angeles kept the Spurs from making the comeback Tuesday night to take a 3-1 series lead. With another win, Kobe will return to the promised land to await either the Pistons or Celtics.On Tuesday night, Kobe lead the way with 28 points and 10 rebounds, while Duncan had 29 and 17 for the Spurs. It was very close down the stretch, but the Lakers took it 93-91. Brent Barry went for the win with seconds remaining, as he took a 3. Some claim Barry was fouled by Derek Fisher, but the refs made no call, creating somewhat of a controversy following the game.The Lakers last were in the Finals back in 2004, when they had the team composed of Hall of Famers like Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone and Gary Payton, but failed to defeat the Detroit Pistons. We could see a renewal of that series or a renewal of the storied Lakers vs. Celtics rivalries from the 80's. Right about now though, the world champions look ...

Celtics Defeat Pistons for 1st Road Win
2008-05-25 05:48:00
Just a few days ago the Boston Celtics had the unfortunate distinction of losing their 1st home game of the post-season. Things were tied at 1-1 as the series shifted back to Detroit. Tonight with an impressive performance in Detroit, they picked up their first road win of 7 tries, which many might have called a "much needed win".Despite what seemed like an energetic pre-game intro show, the Pistons came out lackluster in the 1st. Boston was up 11-0 to start things, but the Pistons stormed back behind a 13-4 run to take the lead. The Celtics started to play great D, shot 55% and pushed the lead up in their favor bigtime. The C's were up by 18 heading into the half, but not because of their Big 3. It was the Celtics bench providing the points, lead by Rajon Rondo, the promising young guard. Garnett had a vicious dunk during the game, which semi-reminds me of the Vince Carter dunk over the French player for Team USA.The Pistons showed grit and determination in the 4th as they ...
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Lakers Have Spurs Down
2008-05-24 07:57:00
Friday night's Lakers -Spurs game was a blowout, no doubt about it. Even with Tony Parker's NBA Wife, Eva Longoria-Parker cheering her team on, the Spurs couldn't make the type of heroic comeback the Lakers did against them. Los Angeles now sits pretty with a 2-0 series lead on the defending champs. But we've been here before right?Keep in mind New Orleans held the 2-0 advantage over the Spurs and also homecourt advantage last round. The Spurs stayed in it, winning all their home games and then doing what they needed to do to take Game 7 in New Orleans. Difference here is the Lakers have the reigning MVP and veteran star power from Kobe, Odom and Gasol. Derek Fisher adds yet another ring wearer as he's been a part of Laker's championships. Even with Bynum MIA due to injury this team's the real deal. It's gonna take a lot more than what San Antonio did to New Orleans for them to overcome the Lakers. The Lakers seem to be sensing they can eliminate this team and just m...

Pistons Steal Game 2 in Boston
2008-05-23 05:40:00
Thursday night proved an exciting and close NBA playoff contest in Boston . The Pistons started to really up the notch on their D in the 2nd quarter and locked down the Celts. Pistons went up by as many as 11 in the game, pushing the Celtics to the limit. In the 3rd quarter, Ray Allen finally started to find his scoring touch and pushed the Celtics back. He also had 5 fouls making it tougher for him to give his all on D. In the 4th the Celtics tried to fight back and got it down to as few as 2 points, but the Pistons prevailed, by hitting shots and free throws consistently. Rip Hamilton was the leading scorer for the Pistons with 25. Chauncey Billups chipped in 19 points and 7 assists. The Big 3 put in a solid effort as well in the loss, with Pierce scoring 26, Ray Allen 25 and KG 24. The big concern here is this marks the Celtics' first home loss of the playoffs. As mentioned before here, if the Celtics lose a game at home they most likely will lose the series. The exper...
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Large Lakers Comeback Beats Spurs
2008-05-22 05:55:00
The Spurs had made plans to leave town early and catch a flight to LA Monday night, however their plane had been delayed for hours. The plane situation didn't seem to hurt them as they were walloping the Lakers for a while Wednesday night. In Game 1, the Lakers defended their homecourt, but they had to make a big comeback to finally overcome the Spurs in the 4th. Spurs led by as many as 20 in this game, but the determination of Kobe along with his squad were able to pull off an 89-85 win. The Lakers defense was credited for making a great deal of stops to charge back. Kobe was cold early but his performance helped push the team to the victory. He finished with 27 points, while Duncan finished with an impressive 30 points and 18 rebounds.The final minute of the game proved exciting with the Spurs tying things up on a Duncan tip in, then Kobe coming right back at the other end to hit the jumper. Lakers were up 2 with 20 seconds to go. The Spurs tried to take the lead on a 3 ...
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Bulls' Choice: Beasley or Rose?
2008-05-21 18:26:00
The Chicago Bulls had just a 1.7% chancce of winning the NBA's version of the lottery on Tuesday night, and now they face the big choice: Beasley or Rose ? The consensus seems to say that Rose is the lock for #1 pick in the draft, however he is a PG and the Bulls have Hinrich. Hinrich could always slide into the shooting guard role. Beasley would give the Bulls even more size upfront, but some say he may have some red flag issues. As a longtime Bulls fan, I'd say the Bulls should do what they should have for several years now: make a trade for veteran talent to help them in the playoffs.The Bulls already have a very talented young team which has achieved playoff status over the past several years. Hinrich, Duhon, Gordon, Noccioni, Tyrus Thomas, Joakim Noah..the list goes on. While they are one of the youngest and most talented teams around, they failed to make the playoffs this season. In the past, they tried to add Ben Wallace to the mix, but he never quite gave them the b...
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Celtics Control Game 1
2008-05-21 05:22:00
With the city of Boston still abuzz over the Red Sox No Hitter on Monday night, the Celtics took to the court against the Detroit Pistons to start their Eastern Conference Finals. Boston came out very energized Tuesday night and ready for business. Behind Garnett's 26 points and 9 rebounds, the Celtics won 88-79 and are now up 1-0 on the Pistons. Paul Pierce added 22 points of his own and the Celtics never really trailed in this one. For the Celts, Ray Allen continues to be cold as he shot just 3 for 10 for field goals. Detroits defense was also out of wack in this game.Of course this is just one game of 7, so there's bound to be better Piston performances to come. The Pistons may even have been in a bit of a lull after resting for a good week. After the game, Flip Saunders addressed the loss saying the Pistons just couldn't get their offense into a good flow, and they were a step slow on defense. Don't expect that to be Detroit's performance in the rest of this serie...
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2008 NBA Draft Lottery
2008-05-21 02:31:00
Tonight the NBA held its annually-televised Draft Lottery selection special from New Jersey. During the live event on ESPN, 14 lottery teams were represented by various personnel as the ping pong balls were drawn. Larry Bird was there for the Pacers, D-Wade for the Heat and a lucky season ticket holder represented for the Sacramento Kings. Rapper and business mogul Jay-Z was even on hand to represent the New Jersey Nets, the team he is a part owner of. Following the show, we now have the team selection order determined for the 2008 NBA Draft. Selection order for the 2008 NBA Draft:1. Chicago Bulls2. Miami Heat3. Minnesota Timberwolves4. Seattle Supersonics5. Memphis Grizzlies6. New York Knicks7. LA Clippers8. Milwaukee Bucks9. Charlotte Bobcats10. New Jersey Nets11. Indiana Pacers12. Sacramento Kings13. Portland Trailblazers14. Golden State WarriorsCongratulations to Chicago Bulls for winning the lottery to get #1 pick. They should be able to add yet another talented...

Spurs Advance Past Hornets 91-82
2008-05-20 05:50:00
In the words of former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, you can never "underestimate the heart of a champion". Perhaps many people did just that, self included, as the Hornets were blowing San Antonio away in New Orleans. Many people expected the champion Spurs to be done as of Monday night.Monday night marked the final Game of the series, with a trip to the Conference finals on the line. Each team had been really dominating the other on the homecourt, but that wasn't the case here. Experienced champions were consistent here and the younger Hornets couldn't overcome their spirit. San Antonio was up by 9 as the teams headed into halftime. They had a hot 3rd quarter, going up by as much as 12. In the 4th, Janero Pargo narrowed the gap to just 3 points after New Orleans played volleyball with about 4 different offensive rebounds. Tony Parker hit a nail in the coffin type shot and the Spurs ended up winning it 91-82. Despite the loss, Chris Paul definitely had the brea...
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2008 NBA Mock Drafts
2008-05-19 22:43:00
On June 26th 2008 , all those NBA teams who didn't get themselves into the playoffs are officially lottery-bound. Their hopes for successful team building and playoff opportunities rest on the way the ping pong balls bounce. One team will get the honor of pick #1, which could become a franchise player. Several websites offer NBA Mock Draft speculation. The Miami Heat, Seattle (or Oklahoma City) Sonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves are amongst one of the teams vying for the top pick, as they suffered a disappointing 2007-08 season.NBA Mock Draft 1) Chicago Bulls: Michael Beasley (PF 6-9 235 Kansas State)2) Miami Heat: Derrick Rose (PG 6-4 195 Memphis)3) Minnesota Timberwolves: Jerryd Bayless (PG 6-3 190 Arizona)4) Seattle Supersonics: Brook Lopez (C 7-0 245 Stanford)5) Memphis Grizzlies: O.J. Mayo (G 6-4 195 USC)6) New York Knicks: Eric Gordon (SG 6-5 205 Indiana)7) LA Clippers: Danilo Gallinari (SF 6-9 210 Italy)8) Milwaukee Bucks: Kevin Love (PF/C 6-9 260 UCLA)9) Charlotte Bobca...
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Celtics Outlast Cavs 97-92
2008-05-19 06:08:00
Congrats go out to the Boston Celtics ! On Sunday the Big 3 and company defended homecourt yet again, to defeat King James and his Cavs 97-92. It was the performance of Paul Pierce that really gave the Celtics the edge today. Pierce tallied 41 points in the victory, because after all this has been his Boston team for years now. It's great to see Pierce gaining the glory he and the franchise deserve. This will also resume the Pistons vs. Celtics rivalry (starting Tuesday night), which some might recall from the past. It featured the likes of Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Dennis Rodman, Kevin McHale and others battling on the hardwood. Now we have the likes of KG, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, and that guy named Sheed.Read more about the game at National Post.Some news sources are also quickly saying that King James has lost his "supremacy". I think it's safe to see we will see Lebron back in the playoffs and most likely win at least 1 rin...

Pistons & Lakers in Finals?
2008-05-18 06:30:00
Today marks Game 7 between Boston and Cleveland, and it will be the second elimination game of the playoffs involving the Celtics. Next week we get the additional treat of New Orleans hosting San Antonio in their final game. While these 4 teams duke it out to be a part of the NBA's Final 4, two teams are sitting back and relaxing, the Detroit Pistons and the LA Lakers . Could they also be the 2008 NBA Finals matchup?You'd have to give both the Pistons and Lakers the edge in their next round series. The Pistons have demonstrated the ability to win on the road, and just 1 win in Boston would be all it takes to knock out the top team in the NBA. In fact, earlier in the 2007-08 season, Detroit was able to do just that, defeating the Celtics in TD Banknorth. As for the Lakers, it may come down to the status of Hornet David West. If the All-star forward for the Hornets is hurt, the Lakers will be dominating inside thanks to Gasol, Kobe, Odom and several others on the team. That'...

Cavs Force Game 7 & Lakers Advance
2008-05-17 08:40:00
The Boston Celtics are now officially 0-6 on the road in the 2008 playoffs, as they lost again to the Cavs in Cleveland Friday night. King James had put the Cavs up by as much as 9, and Boston narrowed it to 3 with less than a minute to go. But Wally Sczerbiak hit a huge 3 pointer and Joe Smith hit crucial free throws to help seal the game, 74-69. Lebron led the way with 32 points. The Celtics will now head back to Boston for a 3:30PM EST game on Sunday. So we have another Game 7 to decide the next round of the playoffs. Will King James have another heroic performance like last year against the Pistons? This could be a classic game in Boston.In the nightcap, Kobe and his Lakers invaded Utah to try to knock the Jazz out. The Lakers took control early in the game and continued it through the 3rd quarter up by double digits. Utah seemed frustrated by foul calls as they played to try to save their playoff lives. Down the stretch Utah charged back and behind several threes from ...
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Rodman Charged with Offense
2008-05-16 21:22:00
The Worm has once again found himself tangled in quite a mess. The former rebounding and defensive clown-prince of the NBA, Dennis Rodman was charged with offense, more specifically Domestic Violence on Friday. The former NBA champ allegedly hit his girlfriend at a hotel last month bringing on the charges. On Wednesday, his charges included spousal battery, brandishing a deadly weapon, and one count of dissuading a witness. The charges were all misdemeanors.More from ESPN.com:The 46-year-old was arrested at a hotel April 30 after Gina Peterson called hotel security. Police say she suffered injuries to her arm.Rodman spokesman Darren Prince says Rodman had had too much to drink when he got into an altercation with Peterson. Prince says the couple are still dating."We look forward to a successful resolution of this misdemeanor matter," said Rodman's attorney, Paul Meyer.Attempts to find a phone listing for Peterson were not successful.Rodman was part of championship teams with the...

Spurs Hurt the Hornets
2008-05-16 05:57:00
The Spurs not only hurt New Orleans with a 19 point win Thursday night, but also hurt their All-star forward, David West. West left the game after taking a hit in the back by Robert Horry. Apparently back spasms forced West to the back locker room with the help of his teammate and staff. Hopefully for the sake of New Orleans he's able to play again on Monday in a do-or-die Game 7.The Spurs looked very good in the second half, and due to Chris Paul's foul trouble, they were able to build an impressive lead. Despite Paul's 21 points and 8 assists, San Antonio outscored the Hornets 20-12 in the 3rd quarter. For San Antonio, Duncan notched 20 points, 15 boards and 6 assists, with Ginobli scoring 25 to lead the team. The Hornets didn't really have any other impressive performances, as Peja had just 13, West chipped in 10 and Chandler had 14.The World champs who were once down 2-0 and seemed "out of it", are now easily in position to return to the promised land. So now we get t...
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Celtics & Lakers Both Up 3-2
2008-05-15 07:37:00
Wednesday night saw the Celtics back on "safeground" as they hosted the Cleveland Cavs in Boston. The Cavs were up by as many as 10 points in the first half, with Lebron James scoring 23 points in the half. Boston narrowed the gap to just 3 points heading into halftime. It seems as if the breakout star who's emerged for the Celtics is now Rajon Rando, their point guard. Rando led the way along with KG even though Cleveland kept it close down the stretch. Bostn was able to effectively defend Lebron in the 2nd half, preventing his typical scoring outbursts. A Delonte West lane violation sealed things in the final seconds, and the Celtics pushed forward with a 96-89 win. Boston now leads the series 3-2 and will try to eliminate Cleveland in their next contest. Detroit continues to await the winner of this series.In the late game, a sore lower back wasn't enough to keep NBA MVP Kobe Bryant off the court Wednesday night, as he suited up for Game 5 against the Jazz. Kobe scored ...
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2007-08 NBA All-Rookie Teams
2008-05-14 22:28:00
On Wednesday, the NBA unveiled its 2007-08 NBA All-Rookie Squads. Rookie of the Year winner, Kevin Durant of the Seattle Sonics headed up the team and was joined by Al Horford of the Hawks. Horford was the only unanimous selection on the first team. Durant enjoys the selection as well as his ROY award, despite a 20-62 record in Seattle this season. The Sonics look to move their team and future star to Oklahoma City next season. Also on the first team were Luis Scola from the Rockets, Jeff Green, who is Durant's Seattle teammate, and Clippers forward Al Thornton.2007-08 All-Rookie Squad:Kevin Durant (Sonics)Jeff Green (Sonics)Al Horford (Hawks)Luis Scola (Rockets)Al Thornton (Clippers)The All-Rookie Second Team includes the likes of Toronto's Jamario Moon, Houston's Carl Landry, Detroit's Rodney Stuckey, Philadelphia's Thaddeus Young and Spanish guard Juan Carlos Navarro of Memphis.2007-08 All-Rookie 2nd Team:Carl Landry (Rockets)Jamario Moon (Raptors)Juan Carlos Navarro (...
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Hornets Buzzing & Pistons Move Forward!
2008-05-14 06:36:00
On Tuesday night the New Orleans Hornets gained payback as they beat the Spurs soundly, 101-79. New Orleans buzzed out after halftime with the Spurs leading, and Chris Paul took over the game. Paul finished with 22 points and 14 assists to lead his team to victory. Forward David West had an impressive 38 points and 14 rebounds in the win, as well as 5 blocks. Perhaps the most impressive of his 2 points came on a layup where he drove by Duncan under the basket and then hit the layup. The Hornets have now outscored San Antonio by a total of 93 points in their 3 wins, while San Antonio has outscored New Orleans by a combined 41 in their two wins. Despite the victory, the Hornets saw their defensive-minded Center Tyson Chandler leave the game in the 4th with an apparent ankle injury. Chandler was in obvious pain and was helped the bench by his teammates. There was also a brief verbal altercation between referee Joey Crawford and Spurs coach Greg Popovich. During Popovich's pos...
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Win a Shot to Play 1-on-1 vs. Lebron James!
2008-05-13 23:44:00
Club Cadet, a company devoted to meeting the needs of rural and suburban homeowners wants to give one lucky winner the chance of a lifetime! The company is partnering with NBA superstar Lebron James to offer quite the grand prize. The prize will be the chance to compete 1-on-1 against King James of the Cleveland Cavs, and also $5,000 worth of lawn equipment, of the winner's choice! Here's more from the official press release:Valley City, OH (PRWEB) May 12, 2008 -- Cub Cadet, a leader in premium outdoor power equipment, has teamed up with NBA superstar, LeBron James, to launch a contest seeking America's best basketball trick shot. In the Trick Shot Challenge, everyone from playground legends to backyard ballers are encouraged to upload their best trick shot to LeBronsTrickShotChallenge.com by June 28, 2008 for a chance to compete, one-on-one, against King James and fill their garage with $5,000 in the Cub Cadet lawn equipment of their choice. I see layups, fade away jumpers a...
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2007-08 NBA All-Defensive Team
2008-05-13 23:01:00
On Tuesday the NBA unveiled its 2007-08 All-Defensive Team . League MVP Kobe Bryant was on the first team along with another MVP candidate from the past season, the Celtics Kevin Garnett. Rounding out the team were Denver's Marcus Camby, Spurs' Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan.KG and Kobe each received 24 first-place votes from NBA coaches. The second team consisted of Shane Battier (Rockets), Chris Paul (Hornets), Dwight Howard (Magic), Tayshaun Prince (Pistons) and Raja Bell (Suns).Several of the names above are still active in the playoffs with the Celtics, Pistons, Spurs, Lakers and Hornets potentially the final 4 for this year's postseason.Source: Associated PressGet your favorite NBA Player or Team Wallpaper for your cellphone!

Boston Celtics in Trouble?
2008-05-13 22:59:00
The Boston Celtics owned the best regular season record in 2007-08, coming very close to the 70 win mark this past season. They have homecourt advantage right now, but it may not matter. In the post season they've had immense trouble winning on the road. Many analysts expected the Celts' Big 3 to be on vacation getting spa treatments after sweeping the Hawks. However, the Hawks were tough at home and exposed the Celtics as a bad team on the road taking them to a full 7 game series.Now the Celtics find themselves in a similar situation, however it's against a superior team in the Cleveland Cavaliers. Lebron and company have evened the series at 2 games a piece. After some antics in the last game involving Lebron yelling at his mom, the Celtics still couldn't find a way to win the game. Ray Allen's been cold, Rajon Rondo has been an unlikely star, and the team continues to struggle. The Big 3 have become "The Big Mystery". Lebron just may be hungry to get back to the Fin...
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Jazz & Spurs Even the Score
2008-05-12 05:53:00
On Sunday the two Western Conference playoff series resumed with both of the home teams tying things up. It was almost a bit of a mirror of Saturday's East games, with the first game a close affair, and the second a massive rout.Utah played host to the Lakers in Game 4 of their series. I watched most of the first half, but had to set the DVR for the second due to Mother's day plans. Luckily, I set the DVR to tape a half hour beyond the scheduled end time. The Jazz were up by 12 points with about 4 minutes left, but the Lakers were resilient. Lamar Odom played the role of hero to hit a key 3 as well as the tying basket to bring it to overtime. In OT, Utah was able to hit their foul shots as they should, and capitalized on a few LA turnovers to win it. We now have a 2-2 tie in this series after Utah's 123-115 win. The Jazz also continue to display an impressive home record this 2007-08 season.In the late game it was another NBA playoff blowout, as the veteran Spurs really ...
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2 Games & 2 Coaches
2008-05-11 06:18:00
Saturday featured two Eastern Conference playoff games with Orlando hosting Detroit and Cleveland returning home to host the Boston Celtics. It wasn't pretty for Boston or Hedo Turkoglu though.In the Detroit-Orlando game it came down to 8.9 seconds to go with the Pistons up by 1. For some reason the winning play was drawn up for Hedo Turkoglu. Not that he can't score or hasn't won games before, but you'd have to wonder why Dwight Howard can't be "the Man" when it comes to final shots down low. True, there is a "Hack a Howard" going on, due to the fact he can't hit free throws. But he is capable of putting the ball in the hoop when he's down low. Either way, Turkoglu's drive resulted in a botched layup which bounced off the backboard/rim area and gave Detroit a slim victory. Detroit now commands with a 3-1 series lead which they can close out next week.In the late night game it was the Boston Celtics against the Cleveland Cavs. Cleveland came out extremely hot at home...
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What's Up with King James?
2008-05-09 06:20:00
Lebron has started off in a serious slump during the Celtics-Cavs series. While he continues to do more than just score for his team, his heroic scoring performances have been sorely missed. You'd have to believe when things get back to Cleveland, Lebron will be in full gear and ready to go. The Celts are now up 2-0 on the team that was last year's East rep for the Finals.About the Cavs, they are definitely a talented and deep team. However, people overlook the fact that they really changed up their team midseason, with the acquisition of guys like Sczerbiak, Delonte West and Ben Wallace. I'm a strong proponent of the concept that mixing up a team can hurt its chemistry. The Cavs still compete and are hanging around with the Celtics, but some fans are already calling for the dismal of head coach Mike Brown.In the other game from Thursday night, the Spurs got themselves back into their series with New Orleans. It's 2-1 Hornets. Ginobli and Parker each had 31 for San Anton...
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