...game against the Houston Rockets in Game Four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Toyota Center on April 26, 2009 in Houston, Texas

...in Game Three of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on May 8, 2009 in Houston, Texas. The Lakers won 108-94

...2 of the Dallas Mavericks in Game Five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center on April 28, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas. (R)NEW ORLEANS - OCTOBER...

...0 of the Houston Rockets in Game Two of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 21, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User...

...ups in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Houston Rockets during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at the Rose Garden Arena on April 18, 2009 in Portland, Oregon. The Rockets won 108...

...of the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Seven of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on May 17, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly...

Better be careful with those guarantees

In honor of Rex Ryan's and Lane Kiffin's big mouths, we look at some of the boldest recent statements in sports.

...34 of the Houston Rockets in Game six of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 1997 NBA Playoffs at the Compaq Center on May 29, 1997 in Houston, Texas

NBA's 65 in 65: Carl Landry

...Send your questions now and join Landry on Thursday at 2 p.m. ET! Watch the NBA Playoffs on ESPN & ABC and the Finals on ABC. MORE 65 NBA chats in 65 days | NBA...

First Cup: Wednesday

...Celtic coach Doc Rivers agreed: 'It was a great foul by Rondo. You always talk about playoff basketball, no layups. Rondo did it on the very last play and it won the game for...

...31 of the Houston Rockets in Game Three of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2009 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center on April 24, 2009 in Houston, Texas

Monday Playoff Bullets

...in there is there any real optimism about the Pistons doing well in this year's playoffs. Basketball can seem complex. For instance, consider some of what David Thorpe tells us about the Cavaliers...

Playoff Warmup Bullets

...but I could not stop watching this. If that doesn't give you playoff fever, nothing will. About the NBA and research into referee bias. More to come on this topic next week. A...

A.B.C. Teams: All But the Championship

...eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, they can take solace in the fact that they aren't the first teams to find out just how elusive an NBA championship can be...

First Cup: Friday

...Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "To some of us, Devin Harris' inability to develop into a capable, dependable NBA point guard stands as one of Avery Johnson's notable failures. ... In the end, Avery, as teacher...