Doctor J and the Philadelphia 76ers of the early Eighties are the reason why I love this game. All my italian friends “escaped” (like me, more or less) from football (soccer), were all Lakers or Celtics fans. It was right, Los Angeles and Boston was the great rivalry of the Eighties, but for me The Doctor was the only one who shaked my chair for real. Read More »

photo: flickr.com

FLY!

Back in the days, the word was a staple in the NYC urban vernacular – a ubiquitous adjective that meant smooth, slick, incredible, pleasing to the eye, dapper and cool all rolled into one inspiring conglomeration. Cats yearned to have the flyest crib, the flyest car, the flyest wardrobe, the flyest ladies.

And on the city’s playground landscape in the ’70s, everybody wanted to have Fly’s game. His government name was James Williams. But like all of the transcendant talents that rose off the asphalt, whose exploits travelled across geographical barriers and continental divides by word of mouth, the skills engendered a legendary alias that would live forever: Earl Manigault aka The Goat, Joe Hammond aka The Destroyer, Herman Knowings aka The Helicopter, Fly – you get the idea. Read More »

images courtesy of flytip.com

Watching the slam dunk festivities this weekend had me reminiscing on, in my humble opinion, one of the greatest in-game slams I’ve ever seen. So I decided to bring this one back, on the re-mix tip, with some added highlight videos for your viewing pleasure.

He personified the New York Knickerbockers in the early ’90s – fearless, blue collar, hungry, relentless and very good, yet a few inches short of great. Still cherised and appreciated, his deficiencies were accepted. There was never any doubt that he played with every ounce of blood and nerve sinew, as if each time on the court could be his last. What can you say about a man that turned his life around and always tried his best? You give him respect! Read More »

photo: jamd.com

“Simple and plain, give me the lane, I’ll throw it down your throat like Barkley!” - Chuck D’s lyrics from the Public Enemy classic, Rebel Without A Pause.

To young fans, Charles Barkley is simply a former player. He’s better known as the affable television personality that always has something funny to say on the TNT show, Inside the NBA.

But for those who watched ball in the ’80s and ’90s, he was an awe inspiring, revolutionary talent that turned the establishment on its ear. He was an unstoppable, undersized, 6′4″ power forward who owned the low post, an explosive leaper and ferocious rebounder who could dribble, pass, score and pump gallons of fear through the hearts of even the most accomplished big men. Read More »

photo: hoopedia.com

“It was all a dream…”, B.I.G.’s opening lyrics to Juicy

It’s no mere coincidence that as we celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his dream, along with the historic Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama and the dream that he represents, that this offering in “The Playground Gave Us…” pantheon focuses on b-ball’s “Dream”. Read More »

photo: si.com

Tenacious! Relentless! Ferocious! Unrelenting work ethic. The Chairman of the Boards.

Those are the words that immediately come to mind when I think of one of the game’s true pioneers, Moses. He was the modern era’s trailblazer that went from ashy to classy, straight from high school to the pros, and blossomed into one of the greatest big men the game has ever seen. The time has now come to step into another chamber, the one reserved for the big boys who called the paint home. Read More »