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SI.com (Free subscription) | yesterday
The adolescent squeals, the squeaking sneakers, the timeout horns that made the gym sound like a clogged Manhattan intersection -- this was the grating ambience in which Jermaine O'Neal worked late last month. While a dozen of his fellow NBA luminaries were preparing to play in the Beijing Games, he was on a court in Las Vegas, separated by a curtain from an AAU tournament. For O'Neal there was no...
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 08/07/2008
The best USA Basketball team in eight years is the result of previous mistakes in judgment. Over the preceding three major international competitions, the American men have failed to win an Olympic or world championship gold medal because they lacked shooting, chemistry and preparation time together.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 08/01/2008
You'll never guess which NBA star the Greek team Olympiakos of Athens may be targeting next.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/25/2008
I have the right to predict what may happen next season, even at this early date. And I have the right to change my mind in the months ahead, based on pending events and an unexpected leap in wisdom.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
Scott Skiles' coaching philosophy starts with accountability on the defensive end.APIan Thomsen's MailbagIan Thomsen will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag.The most ambitious team this summer so far has been the injury-prone, underachieving and eminently forgettable Milwaukee Bucks.Which is not to say that other teams have been passive. The Knicks and Mavericks...
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
I don't remember the first time I paid visit to the Boston Garden in the early 1980s, but I do remember the smell. You walked up the staircases to the upper back of the arena where the incense of boiled hot dogs from the press room gathered with the humidity of the playoff season. The worse the smell, the bigger the series.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/23/2008
The Sixers hastened their post-AI turnaround by getting Elton Brand. But their long-term hopes might actually hinge on another player, says Ian Thomsen.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/17/2008
Former phenom Darius Miles, who hasn't played a game in two years, is trying to make an unprecedented NBA comeback, writes SI.com's Ian Thomsen.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/18/2008
Seeing rookies debut isn't the only reason the Vegas league matters.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/15/2008
LAS VEGAS -- He was 19 years old and he looked tired.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/11/2008
In the Weekly Countdown, Ian Thomsen examines the newfound challenges of the OKC franchise and analyzes the latest free-agent activity around the NBA.
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/09/2008
There was one difference-maker on the free-agent market this summer. He was Elton Brand, and the news emerging Tuesday of his agreement to sign with the 76ers may turn out to be the biggest player move of the offseason. (Unless the Cavaliers unload a blockbuster trade involving their $30 million in expiring contracts.)
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 07/07/2008
The Knicks hope their top pick in last Thursday's draft embodies their future: Forward Danilo Gallinari hasn't stopped growing (he's 6' 9" and counting), he has the versatility required for new coach Mike D'Antoni's open-court offense, and he embraces the challenges of playing for the
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 06/27/2008
Russell Westbrook comes to the NBA with a reputation as a strong defender, but he will have to develop his point-guard skills.Rick Scuteri/US PRESSWIREIan Thomsen's MailbagIan Thomsen will periodically answer questions from SI.com users in his mailbag. Name:Email:Hometown:Question:NEW YORK -- No Weekly Countdown today, I'm sorry to say, but there is plenty of mail rescued from the spam...
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SI.com (Free subscription) | 06/27/2008
NEW YORK -- A long apprehensive day of lies, gossip and unrequited negotiations ended with an NBA draft that defies analysis. Many of the players who were chosen Thursday, including a record 12 freshmen, are too young to be assessed.
