The Knicks Are The Basketball Version Of An Erectile-Dysfunction Ad

Despite being so old they meet every morning at McDonald's for discounted coffee, the 'Bockers are the NBA's only undefeated team.

The New York Knicks are the only undefeated team in the NBA (6-0). Who are these Knicks?
1) Carmelo Anthony, the league's most perenially unsuccessful All-Star;
2) J.R. Smith, a streak shooter who is the basketball equivalent of Russian Roulette;
3) Steve Novak, who, if he weren't 6'10", would remind you of your girlfriend's genial older brother, a bank manager in Ohio;
4) Fat Raymond Felton
and 5) a whole mess of old dudes.
The Knicks right now feature six rotation players — Tyson Chandler, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas — whose average age is 53. Which is remarkable considering none of them are actually older than 40; it's just that the Knicks are so old that they cripple conventional mathematics. (Those guys' average age in reality is 37. Which is still a lot.)
And yet, the Knicks have won five games and lost zero — one fewer than the Grizzlies and the Spurs; two fewer than the Nets and the Clippers; three fewer than Heat and the Thunder; and five fewer than the Lakers, a team that rosters both Ares the God of War and 19th-century abolitionist John Brown. In a twist anticipated by no one, the Knicks — the big-city team, the celebrity-fan glamor team — have become better than they've been in years by harnessing the power of middle-aged wisdom. As the Lakers' coaching carousel and Dwight Howard antics dominate the headlines, this is probably the quietest five-game Knicks winning streak in the last three years. (Can you imagine the pandemonium if they were doing this WITH Jeremy Lin? You don't have to: they did last year, and it consumed the world.) They are the spirit of an erectile-dysfunction ad channeled into a basketball team: laid-back, kind of goofy, and hard to take seriously — but always, in the end, effective.
Saddled with bad knees and full figures — Rasheed Wallace in particular entered training camp as though he'd been transported there by a Carnival Cruise — it seems incomprehensible that the team could keep pace with, for example, a Miami Heat squad made up mostly of players who appear to have been carved from Egyptian obelisks. Even Carmelo Anthony, who at 27 is one of the Knicks' sprightlier youngsters, looks physically smudged, like the artist who drew him had to leave before he could finish. And these guys SMOKED the Heat on opening night. It wasn't even close.
What these Knicks are is efficient. They can't run around all crazy like they used to, but hey, that's not going to stop them from getting the job done. They play defense, they take good shots and make them at a high rate, and they take care of the ball. Their turnover differential is best in the league at -7.6, meaning that they force 7.6 more turnovers a game than they surrender; second place are the Raptors and the Hawks, at -3.6. They have all the glamour of a couple in parallel bathtubs watching the sun set over wine country, and about as much appeal to a viewing audience that doesn't have an immediate need for their product. (Cialis users = Knicks fans.)
Will the Knicks keep up this pace? No! J.R. Smith will not continue to make 72% of his three-pointers, and Jason Kidd won't maintain a 22.8 PER. But is it reasonable to think that they could be a long-shot Finals contender? That, especially with the return of Iman Shumpert, they could continue to combine a top-five defense and a top-ten offense? That they could compete for the NBA championship, and that Carmelo Anthony could finish the season in the MVP discussion? It's possible, just like anything else in our age of miracles.

Credit : Buzzfeed

Check out OU's James Fraschilla's Trick Shot Video Benefitting Hayden's Hope

Sports : NBA - Chris Paul Trade hits a Road Block

The Los Angeles Lakers trade to obtain New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul for Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom has hit a snag, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Sources said that a group of NBA owners, assembled in New York for the ratification of the league's new labor pact with the players, protested vigorously that the league-owned Hornets were trading Paul to the star-studded Lakers and convinced NBA commissioner David Stern to intervene.
"The deal is off," one source told ESPN.com.

The Houston Rockets were the third team in the trade and would have obtained Gasol from the Hornets in return for Luis Scola, Kevin Martin, Goran Dragic, and a 2012 first-round pick that Houston received from the New York Knicks, sources said.
Paul can opt out of his current contract with New Orleans after this season, and the Hornets have been fielding trade offers in an effort to acquire new players for the star guard rather than letting him walk in free agency.
Paul averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 assists last season.
The Rockets, who lost Yao Ming to retirement, coveted the 7-foot Gasol, while the Hornets didn't, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.
Furthermore, the Rockets have the rebuilding pieces Hornets general manager Dell Demps wanted in a trade for Paul -- namely, young talent such as Martin and the 2012 first-round draft pick, the source told Bucher.

Speaking earlier Thursday, Hornets president Hugh Weber said the franchise has been preparing for months for the possibility that Paul would resist signing an extension in New Orleans, a move that would all but force a trade."We've been preparing for this moment for over a year and it's not like we were surprised or caught flat-footed," Weber said. "This is not a surprise. This is not something where we've been sitting around waiting to see what would happen. We've been managing this and taking control of the situation as best we can and we're going to have a team that we believe achieves that objective of making this community proud."
While he never said publicly that he wanted to play in a larger market, he did say before last season that he wants to play for a team that has a chance to contend for a title right away -- something he should get if he joins Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.

The Hornets have been owned by the NBA since last December, when the league bought the club from founder George Shinn.
Despite the lockout and uncertainty over Paul's future, fan support has been building in New Orleans, where the team has advertised their season-ticket drive as an effort to lure a permanent local buyer who is committed to keeping the team in Louisiana.
The Hornets have increased their season ticket base from a little more than 6,000 last season to just over 10,019 as of Thursday afternoon.
Owners and players ratified a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday, the final step to ending the five-month lockout and paving the way for training camps and free agency to open Friday.
There was hope in small markets like New Orleans that after the lockout it would be easier for teams to hold on to their biggest stars. However, that apparently is not the case.
If this deal is approved one of the NBA's biggest stars from the league-owned small-market Hornets will be moving to one of the NBA's largest, richest markets.
Paul was drafted by the Hornets fourth overall out of Wake Forest in 2005.

Sports : NBA - Chris Paul traded to Lakers in three-team-deal

The Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to surrender Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom in a trade for New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, sources tell ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Sources close to the process tell Stein that the Houston Rockets remain part of the talks and are trying to complete a deal that would send Gasol to Houston and the Rockets' Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic to New Orleans, along with Odom.
In Paul, the Lakers would be getting an All-Star and U.S. Olympic Team member who has averaged 37.1 minutes, 18.7 points and 9.9 assists a game in his six seasons.
Paul can opt out of his current contract with New Orleans after this season, and the Hornets have been fielding trade offers in an effort to acquire new players for the star guard rather than letting him walk in free agency.
Paul averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 assists last season.
The Rockets, who lost Yao Ming to retirement, covet Gasol, while the Hornets do not, increasing the likelihood Gasol won't stay in New Orleans, a source told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.
Furthermore, the Rockets have young talent the rebuilding pieces Hornets general manager Dell Demps wanted in a trade for Paul, namely, young talent such as Martin and a protected future first-round pick Houston acquired from the New York Knicks. The Hornets would look to acquire that pick as part of the proposed deal, the source told Bucher.
Speaking earlier Thursday, Hornets president Hugh Weber said the franchise has been preparing for months for the possibility that Paul would resist signing an extension in New Orleans, a move that would all but force a trade.
"We've been preparing for this moment for over a year and it's not like we were surprised or caught flat-footed," Weber said. "This is not a surprise. This is not something where we've been sitting around waiting to see what would happen. We've been managing this and taking control of the situation as best we can and we're going to have a team that we believe achieves that objective of making this community proud."
While he never said publicly that he wanted to play in a larger market, he did say before last season that he wants to play for a team that has a chance to contend for a title right away -- something he should get when he joins Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
The Hornets have been owned by the NBA since last December, when the league bought the club from founder George Shinn.
Despite the lockout and uncertainty over Paul's future, fan support has been building in New Orleans, where the team has advertised their season-ticket drive as an effort to lure a permanent local buyer who is committed to keeping the team in Louisiana.
The Hornets have increased their season ticket base from a little more than 6,000 last season to just over 10,019 as of Thursday afternoon.
Owners and players ratified a new collective bargaining agreement Thursday, the final step to ending the five-month lockout and paving the way for training camps and free agency to open Friday.
There was hope in small markets like New Orleans that after the lockout it would be easier for teams to hold on to their biggest stars. However, that apparently is not the case.
If this deal is approved one of the NBA's biggest stars from the league-owned small-market Hornets will be moving to one of the NBA's largest, richest markets.
Paul was drafted by the Hornets fourth overall out of Wake Forest in 2005.

Sports : Delonte West has been traded to Home Depot?

Although he's made over $14 million in the NBA, Delonte West tweeted recently that he is "broke" and has applied for a job at Home Depot.

"It's official.. Pride 2 the side.. just filled out a application at Home Depot.. Lockout aint a game," the Celtics guard tweeted.
West is on probation for a weapons charge and also tweeted that he wasn't allowed to pursue basketball opportunities overseas.
"Can't even get that over seas money," he tweeted. "Judge said it's a no go on leaving the country."
West has battled bipolar disorder during his career and also posted this to Twitter: "Broke down in the ATM line.. 25 cars behind me and I already reached my daily limit... I'm broke n my cars broke.. Where's my therapist???"
Appearing in only 24 games this past season, the 27-year-old West averaged 5.6 points in his second stint with the Celtics.

Sports : Mark Cuban spent $110k in four hours Sunday night

Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks celebrated their championship at Club Liv in South Beach Sunday night. If you find that weird, you’re not alone. In the history of professional sports (at least in my lifetime), I don’t ever recall a team partying it up in the road team’s city. Can you imagine the Bad Boy Pistons hitting up a Hollywood club after disposing of the Lakers in the 80′s? Or Magic and Kareem throwing back cocktails in a Boston pub? Yea, right.
That aside, Cuban went on bit of a spending spree in his four hours at the club. All told the bill ran as high as $110k. A mere pittance of Cuban’s net worth.

Cuban spent most of it on a $90,000 bottle of Ace of Spades Champagne for teammates Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, Brian Cardinal and Shawn Marion. After partying with the trophy until 5 a.m. yesterday and taking in a performance by Lil Wayne, Cuban left a $20,000 tip for the wait staff. “Worth every penny,”

Video : THIS is How You Do A Slam Dunk Over a Car #AHEMBLAKEGRIFFIN

Kicks : Air Jordan XIII Retro ‘Playoffs’

Word out of Charlotte is Michael Jordan has been participating in Bobcats scrimmages and coach Paul Silas has gone so far as to say that “If he got in shape he could probably average about 15 to 20 points a game, no question, because he still has the shot.” It seems absolutely insane to imagine a forty-seven (48 on Thursday) year old MJ back in the NBA, especially since the Bobcats are poised to return to the playoffs even without his Airness. But then again, when you consider what happened the last time Mike laced up his Air Jordans for an NBA Playoff run, the idea is downright tantalizing. The same can be said of the above pictured Air Jordan XIII Retro, a sneaker that earned its nickname as Jordan’s home playoff sneaker in 1998. So one way or another, Jordan and Playoffs are coming together and you can get a better look at new Dunk pics of the upcoming Air Jordan 13 release when you click on the jump below. They’re slated to hit US retailers on Saturday, February 26th, but you can get yours early now on eBay.

Style: 414571-001
Color: Black/Varsity Red-White-Vibrant Yellow

Kicks : Video - Dominate Another Day: Air Jordan 2011 Gadgets

Specialist H has been an important figure in Agent D-3′s Dominate Another Day mission, and in this latest Air Jordan 2011 video, Specialist H debriefs Dwyane Wade on the interchangeable insole feature on the latest Air Jordan creation. As he walks Agent D-3 through the Explosive and Quick options, D-3 ponders the on-field possibilities of his new gear, and now realizes he can dodge flying projectiles and explode through hazardous obstacles with ease using the Max Air and Zoom Air. The option of two different cushions does in fact create two completely different shoes – which do you prefer? Check out this latest Jordan Brand video from the Dominate Another Day series.

Sports : LeBron James scores 23 of his 51 points in first quarter to lead Heat

Team Stat Comparison

	Miami	Orlando
Points	104	100
FG Made-Attempted	36-72 (.500)	36-85 (.424)
3P Made-Attempted	7-16 (.438)	12-33 (.364)
FT Made-Attempted	25-36 (.694)	16-31 (.516)
Rebounds (Offensive-Total)	9-44	17-44
Assists	19	20
Turnovers	11	10
Steals	6	4
Blocks	6	0
Fast Break Points	12	21
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant)	27 (0/0)	26 (0/0)
Largest Lead	23	0

Top Performers

Miami		Orlando
	L. James Points: 51 Reb: 11 Ast: 8 Stl: 1 Blk: 1		J. Nelson Points: 22 Reb: 6 Ast: 6 Stl: 0 Blk: 0

Game Leaders

	Miami	Orlando
Points	L. James 51	J. Nelson 22
Rebounds	L. James 11	D. Howard 16
Assists	L. James 8	J. Nelson 6
Steals	L. James 1	G. Arenas 2
Blocks	D. Wade 2	G. Arenas 0
Team rosters: Miami | Orlando

Are 50-point games becoming less frequent? LeBron's 51-point effort was the first 50-point game of the season. 50-pt games have been in decline each of the last three seasons. There were just three such games all of last season (Andre Miller, Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings) after 11 in 2008-09.

This is the 9th 50-point game for LeBron James on the ROAD. He ties Kobe Bryant for the 2nd-most road 50-point games in the last 25 seasons.

LeBron James recorded the 6th 50-pt game in Heat history, with 3 of them coming against the Magic. His 51 is 3rd most in franchise history, behind Glen Rice's 56 and teammate Dwyane Wade's 55.

LeBron James is only the 2nd player in Heat history to reach 45+ points, 10+ rebounds and 8+ assists. Dwyane Wade went for 50 pts, 10 rebounds and 9 assists on march 14, 2009 vs Utah. No Heat player has ever had a triple-double with 40 or more points

LeBron James had 29 points in the first half. That is tied with Wesley Matthews for the 2nd-most points scored in the first half this season. Kevin Martin had 32 in the first half on December 11 against the Cavaliers.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In the days leading up to Miami's third matchup of the season with Southeast Division-rival Orlando, LeBron James stressed that even at barely the midpoint of the season there was high importance for Thursday night's game.

And James played like it, pouring in 51 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists -- including a 23-point first quarter -- to lead Miami to a 104-100 victory.

It was a season high for James, whose scoring effort tied for the fifth most points of his career. Dwyane Wade added 15 points and Chris Bosh 13. The victory was the Heat's fourth straight. The Magic lost for the fourth time in their last six and fell behind 2-1 in the season series with Miami.

LeBron Drops 51

LeBron James' 51 points Thursday gave him the ...

• most by any player this season (the previous high was 47 by Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin).
• ninth 50-point game of his career -- all of them on the road.
• sixth 50-point game in Heat history.
• second-most points against the Magic in the Dwight Howard era (Allen Iverson scored 60).

"Just playing this team got me going," said James, who hit his first 11 shots of the night. "We understand that it wasn't just any regular-season game. There were a lot of things said about us in the offseason that came from this organization. So we just wanted to come in here and play to our abilities and make a statement."

Jameer Nelson led Orlando with 22 points. Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds, but only one point after halftime and was just 3 for 13 at the free throw line. Jason Richardson chipped in 16.

The Heat were expected to exploit a thin Magic front line that was missing injured starting forward Brandon Bass. Instead, led by James, the Heat did their damage from the outside. They led by as many as 23 points before a frantic rally by the Magic in the final six minutes almost washed it away.

Miami took a 16-point advantage into the final period and led 90-69 before the Magic went on a 19-4 run, capped by Gilbert Arenas' 3-pointer to cut the lead to 94-88 with 1:51 remaining in the game.

But James responded with his own 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to give Miami a 97-88 cushion.

A missed 3-pointer by Richardson on the other end was rebounded by James, who was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws. Another 3 by Richardson cut the lead to 98-91 with 51.1 seconds left.

Nelson hit a layup to trim it to 98-93 and then 99-95 with a pair of free throws with 22.5 to play.

Are 50-point games in decline?

LeBron's 51-point effort was the first 50-point game of the season. There were just three such games last season (Andre Miller, Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Jennings), after 11 in 2008-09.

50-Point Games, Last 5 Seasons

Season	Games
2010-11	1
2009-10	3
2008-09	11
2007-08	5
2006-07	18

Following a pair of free throws by James to make it 103-97, Nelson hit a 3-pointer with 9.4 seconds left. The Heat lost the ball on the ensuing inbounds play, but the Magic were unable to tie it on their next possession. Wade hit a free throw to provide the final margin.

"We just let our guard down," James said. "We can't do that as a veteran ball club. You can say that about a young team. We came in [the locker room] and you could tell by the look on the guys' faces that we weren't satisfied with the way we finished the game out. That's always a good sign. It wasn't just 'Let's celebrate.' "

Aside from the late flurry by Orlando, there was another scary moment for the Heat in the third quarter.

Wade was driving to the basket with 9:43 left in the period when he went up for a dunk and was fouled hard by Howard, who was attempting to block. Wade slammed to the floor and remained down for about a minute.

After a timeout, the Heat players -- even those who were on the bench -- went out to check on Wade, who was face-down on the court. He eventually walked gingerly to the bench and remained in the game to shoot two free throws. He went to the locker room and returned with a heat pack on his back. He returned to start the fourth quarter.

He had ice on his back afterward, but said he will travel with the team to Charlotte and plans to play Friday. He said he didn't think the play by Howard was dirty.

Nelson said he was pleased with his team's comeback effort, but not with another slow start by the Magic, who he said succeeded for the most part Thursday in forcing the Heat to shoot jumpers.

"We need to do the things we need to do to get ourselves ready, individually and collectively," he said. "We shouldn't have to come out and talk about energy or intensity every night. That should be a given of something that should be there every night."

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said their early offensive woes were too much to overcome. For the night, Orlando shot just 42 percent.

"Everybody struggled on the offensive floor," Van Gundy said. "I was quote honestly pretty happy with the shots that we got. Some nights I'm not, but I thought we got good shots. I thought we had trouble putting the ball in the basket."

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said that though he was pleased with the win, the final six minutes is what he will be watching for their final meeting on March 3.

"They've very competitive. You've got to be on top of you game and for 42 minutes we played as well and as efficient as we can on both ends of the court. We had an unfortunate six-minute lapse, but I'm not going to let that take away from the win," he said. "It was a good win. Our guys were very motivated in this game to beat a division rival, but hopefully we've learned our lesson."

Game notes
According to STATS LLC, in the last 25 years the only player with at least 50 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists in game was Michael Jordan against Phoenix on Jan. 21, 1989. ... The Magic were outrebounded 35-27. ... Making his fifth start of the season, Anderson scored in double figures for 19th time in the last 22 games.

Credit : ESPN

Sports : Heat's Wade plans to wear tinted glasses at Knicks

NEW YORK — Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade plans to wear tinted glasses for the start of Thursday's game against the New York Knicks to protect his eyes from the bright lights as he recovers from a migraine headache.

"I'll feel the game out, see how I feel," he said after Thursday morning's shootaround. "At times throughout the game, of course, I'll take them off, and if I feel like my eyes are adjusting well, my eyes are doing well, I may go without them. But I'm going to start the game (wearing them) for sure."

Wade missed Miami's last game Saturday against Toronto because of a migraine, a problem that has plagued him for years. Bright light is one of the triggers for the headaches.

"I just want to take no chances right now," Wade said. "I want to play."

Wade said he felt better after Wednesday's practice, but when he got off the plane in New York, he experienced blurred vision again and had to take more medication. He apologized to a reporter Thursday for not making eye contact while answering a question because he didn't want to look toward a light.

Wade has practiced with the glasses for several days, experimenting with different tints to find the one that's most comfortable. His peripheral vision will still be compromised some. Coach Erik Spoelstra said the glasses had been approved by the NBA.

The Heat were without forward Chris Bosh for Thursday's game because of a sprained left ankle. Wade was back to give Miami a Big Two with LeBron James after both he and Bosh sat out Saturday.

He still had one major uncertainty heading into his first game with the glasses.

"I don't really know how I look in them yet — I haven't even looked in the mirror," Wade joked. "I've got to make sure I look good in them, too."

Sports Entertainment : Kanye West Co-Stars With Kobe Bryant in 'Black Mamba'

Beautiful Dark Twisted Black Mamba Fantasy.

Kanye West will be co-starring in Kobe Bryant’s soon to be released film “The Black Mamba”, as seen in this newly released Nike poster.

The first official trailer for the Nike Basketball-produced, Robert Rodriguez-directed film which also bills Bruce Willis and Danny Trejo

Kicks - Lamar Odom's Nike Hyperdunk 2010 Player Edition

Odom’s New Player Shoe.

Here’s a new look at another player edition Nike Hyperdunk 2010 painted up for Lamar Odom. The Lakers styled kicks feature Odom’s custom “LO7″ logo on the tongue. Available at House of Hoops locations now.

NBA : Nets close to landing 'Melo in three-team trade

The New Jersey Nets were close on Sunday evening to acquiring All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets in a three-team deal with the Detroit Pistons, but are still looking to get a commitment from Anthony and his camp on a long-term contract, according to two league sources.

The deal would send Anthony, along with guards Chauncey Billups and Anthony Carter, along with center Shelden Williams, to the Nets. Detroit would send veteran Rip Hamilton to New Jersey. The Nets would send guard Devin Harris, rookie forward Derrick Favors, guards Anthony Morrow, Stephen Graham, Quinton Ross and Ben Uzoh, along with two first-round picks, to the Nuggets. New Jersey would send center Johan Petro and forward Troy Murphy (and his expiring $12 million contract) to Detroit.

Talks continued Monday, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press. The three teams negotiated over the weekend and the source said the deal was "advancing.''

Anthony refused to discuss a potential deal before the Nuggets played New Orleans in Denver on Sunday night. He said afterward he didn't think a 96-87 loss was his last game in a Nuggets uniform.

"Uh-uh, not at all," he said, repeating the phrase "not at all" four times.

Asked if that was an indication he wouldn't sign the extension so the trade with the Nets could be consummated, Anthony demurred, saying: "I haven't heard anything. Only, that it's just been speculation as of right now."

Anthony noted that team executive Josh Kroenke and general manager Masai Ujiri "are not even here, so I don't see that happening."

In what time frame was he referring to?

"I'm just saying I don't see it happening right now," Anthony said.

This week sometime?

"No."

The potential savings for Detroit -- Hamilton has two years and $25 million left on his deal -- combined with the opportunity to break up the backcourt logjam that has plagued the team for two seasons makes the deal irresistable for the Pistons. Trading Hamilton would allow the team to, finally, move Ben Gordon into the starting lineup instead of splitting mintues with Hamilton.

The Pistons don't want Petro, though, and are looking for New Jersey to route him somewhere else.

Billups and Hamilton were the starting backcourt for the Pistons team that won the 2004 NBA title and remained teammates until Detroit traded Billups to his hometown club for Allen Iverson.

Billups said he didn't know if a trade was imminent, either.

"I don't know nothing new, so I can't tell you nothing new," he said.

The Nets were close to acquiring Anthony during the preseason, but a four-team deal that included Utah and Charlotte fell through. Talks progressed recently with the inclusion of Detroit.

Anthony can become a free agent next summer. He has refused to sign the contract extension the Nuggets offered him last summer.

Video : Monta Ellis Tricks AND1

Monta tricks.

Video : Tyreke Evans half court game-winning buzzer beater Sacramento Kings vs. Memphis Grizzlies

I certainly don’t want to stick the knife and deeper here for the Grizzlies but that was some porous defense as Evans got his shot off. There was still plenty of time left so technically, I’m not even sure what they were thinking. I realize the Kings are the worst team in the NBA but hey, miracles can happen right? Even the lowly Detroit Pistons pulled off a stunner beating the Boston Celtics pretty soundly last night.

Kicks - Nike WMNS Dunk High Icons – Light Bone – Varsity Red Patent

There are a couple impressive madras plaid Skinny Dunks on the way for spring, but what about the good old fashioned Nike WMNS Dunk High? This new pair of WMNS Dunk High Icons offers the simple approach echoed by the ‘Be True to Your Street’ collection, but tackles its two-toned colorblocking differently than the classic BTTYS. Instead, they’re mostly all-white with red coming in on the laces, lining, heel stitching, sole and a patent leather Swoosh. You probably already have a matching shade of nail polish and/or lipstick, so combine that with a white base and this should present all kinds of fun for lady sneakerheads when it hits US Nike Sportswear retailers soon. via mita sneakers

Style: 407922-018
Color: Light Bone/Varsity Red-Black

Kicks - Nike Zoom Kobe VI ‘LA’ Allstar Edition

Zoom Kobe VI ‘LA’ is the first look at an All-Star edition that’s about to be released. Take a closer look at the LA-specific graphics that can be seen on the heel-cup window of the Zoom Kobe VI ‘LA’. The top section also uses imagery of the city, placed underneath the polyurethane snake-skin. Another shoe proves that the city of Los Angeles is always one to stand out. Check anyconline for new arrivals.

Kicks : Reebok Zig Clash - Utah Jazz Custom Sneaker

Custom Slash.

CounterKicks friend Bryant Klug, who interned as a footwear designer at Reebok this past fall, sent in these images of a just-arrived customized Zig Slash in his hometown team Utah Jazz colors.

Using the online Reebok Customize product page, Bryant decided on a lifestyle look for the shoe with solid color blockings and subtle additions of green and yellow to match his Jazz gear. You can customize your own pair of Zig Slash’s here.

Breaking News!! Larry Brown Steps Down as Head Coach of Charlotte Bobcats

Letter from Bobcats Chairman Michael Jordan to fans (PDF)

Charlotte Bobcats Chairman and CEO Michael Jordan announced today that Larry Brown is stepping down as head coach of the team, effective immediately.

"I met with Coach Brown two weeks ago about the team’s performance and what we could do to improve it. We met again this morning after practice. The team has clearly not lived up to either of our expectations and we both agreed that a change was necessary," Jordan said.

"This was a difficult decision for both of us, but one that needed to be made. I want to thank Larry for everything he has done for our team. He has played a key role in this organization’s development, including coaching us to our first playoff appearance last season. Larry will continue to be a valuable advisor to me regarding the team. The search for a successor will begin immediately."

Brown was named the third head coach in team history on April 29, 2008, and compiled a record of 88-104 (.458) in two-plus seasons with the Bobcats.