During the 2012 NBA season, the Dallas Mavericks found out exactly how difficult it is to be “king.” After going through everything they had throughout their careers, long-in-the-tooth NBA veterans Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry, and Shawn Marion had supposedly finally seen it all by winning their first championship last season. Apparently, there was still one more lesson the basketball Gods had in store for them: “It ain’t easy being king.”

Heading into this series, Memphis was supposed to be the franchise which would thrive on their toughness and grit. But, three games into this series it’s Los Angeles who has a 2-1 advantage thanks to their grit and mental toughness.

There are four huge match-ups taking place on today. Indiana can close out the series at home over Orlando, while Philadelphia, Boston and the L.A. Lakers can all do the same with their respective Game 5′s.

This NBA playoffs have been littered with injuries, and they’re not just minor ones. These injuries are, or could be, career ending injuries that top players have endured.

The Brooklyn Nets have more flexibility than most teams and can make a splash in free agency. Unfortunately, this year’s free agent class pales in comparison to that of 2013.

While we saw problems with the club like the lack of a bona fide star, poor wing play for most of the season and a rash of injuries, we also saw marked improvement in a number of areas. Our defence was much improved, some unexpected players stepped up to show they belong here and our coaching staff showed that they can strategize with the best in the league.

The playoffs just ended their second full weekend, and now Monday is here. However, Monday doesn’t have to be all bad, as there are two great Western Conference NBA games to help the Monday blues.

The debate over whether Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire can co-exist was put on hold for at least one game as Anthony erupted for 41 points while Stoudemire added 20 points in his first game since his “incident” with a fire extinguisher.

After a stellar standout career at St. Johns University, located in Queens NY, where he averaged 18.3 points under Head Coach Steve Lavin, Dwight Hardy took his talents to Italian club Pistoria where he averages 22.6 points per game. I recently sat down with Dwight to talk about life and basketball.

According to sources, Phil Jackson isn’t thrilled with the Knicks personnel, but hasn’t ruled out considering the job. If he does take the job, it isn’t going to be a manageable task considering all the pressures associated with playing in Gotham City.