True Hoop’s Henry Abbot links to a fairly incriminating photograph of Def Jam prez / Nets partner Jay Z sporting a pair of Nikes whilst observing New Jersey and Miami’s playoff battle. Not necessarily newsworthy stuff, except Mr. Carter is a rather high profile Reebok pitchman.

Detroit Bad Boys’ Ian Cameron dissects ESPN’s highly arbitrary (isn’t everything?) picks for the Top Ten Point Guards Of All Time. Had this been a list of the Top Ten PG’s From Coney Island, I’m sure Stephon Marbury would’ve placed somewhere.

It seems like it happened a lifetime ago, but the New York Post’s Peter Vescey is still steamed over LeBron’s highly effective psych-out of Gilbert Arenas at the end of the Cavs/Wizards Game 6 last Friday.

How, pray tell, can the NBA have a rule that assesses Dikembe Mutombo a taunting technical for wagging a finger in the face of an opponent whose shot he just invalidated, yet it’s OK, cool, oh-so cute and considered gamesmanship by many for James to make contact with the shooter – and talk junk to him?

Where were the other Wizards when this was going on? Isn’t protecting your primary asset an essential bodyguard function?

Think Charles Oakley would’ve allowed an opponent to get anywhere close to Patrick Ewing in the same circumstances?

Think Maurice Lucas would’ve let anyone come within a ponytail of Bill Walton? Think Ricky Mahorn would’ve permitted the enemy to get within whispering room of Isiah Thomas or Joe Dumars? Wasn’t that part of Joe Kleine’s Celtic job description?

(While on the subject, wasn’t it just yesterday -more like a lifetime ago, sad to say – that a player would pull a teammate away if he offered a hand to a fallen opponent? Now, they’re swappin’ sweat, huggin’, smilin’, makin’ dinner plans on the court immediately after the first game of a playoff series. The older I get, the more I love Red Auerbach.).

I say one of Arenas’ teammates should have cut off James faster than a New York cabbie and administered some vigilante violence – just the type of street justice Stern is gravely intent on precluding.