Joe Johnson (photo. Zach Wolfe) The ‘94 Nuggets. The ‘07 Warriors. The ‘08 Hawks? A monumental playoff upset can do a lot to legitimize a franchise and its star player, which is why Joe Johnson (or Josh Smith) is one game away from putting himself on the mainstream map, just like Baron Davis did last year [...]

Standing Tall and Ticked (photo. Mannion) Cue another summer of the Phoenix Suns (secretly) and their fans (very publicly) blaming the refs and whatever other straws they can grasp onto while trying to come to grips with another heartbreaking playoff exit. You could say last night’s game hinged on a few crucial calls/no-calls, most of which [...]

While this play starts with Rafer Alston trying to contain the Utah point guard on the perimeter, it ends up with he and Shane Battier getting absolutely dunked on. Williams’ play was just one of multitude of highlights from the NBA Playoffs this weekend — highlights you might’ve missed as they were buried under two days of Chris Berman, Ron Jaworski, Mel Kiper, Keyshawn ...

Carmelo Anthony (photo. Mannion) Is Carmelo Anthony destined to become the next Tracy McGrady? Same lead-the-League-in-scoring type offensive ability, same game/personality that’ll keep him a superstar as a player and endorser for the long haul, and — well, we’re in Year Five of Carmelo’s pro career, and he’s now looking at a fifth straight first-round playoff [...]