nba

The newly formed Green Sports Alliance will promote eco-friendly practices for professional sports teams and their stadiums.

The alliance, announced this week, was created by team owner Paul Allen and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Allen, who co-founded Microsoft, owns the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers and co-owns the Seattle Sounders.

The Environmental Protection Agency and six pro sports leagues are endorsing the effort: Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), the National Hockey League (NHL), the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS).

Six teams, including … Read more

NBA Jam is an updated and faithful recreation of probably the most popular standup arcade basketball game of all time. For those who never went through several dollars in quarters at the local arcade playing this fun classic many years ago, NBA Jam is not your standard five-on-five simulation you see on consoles. This game is all about two-vs.-two high-flying dunk basketball, where just about every play is worthy of a highlight reel.

The control system for NBA Jam on offense includes a directional pad on the lower left part of the screen, and pass, shoot, and speed boost … Read more

I grew up playing video games and was part of the era of going to arcades and dropping quarter after quarter into my favorite games. Back then, if you would have told me that one day I could play the same games on a mobile phone I would probably have said, "I doubt it, and who would want to lug one of those giant things around anyway?" In the '80s, mobile phones were huge. In other words, I would never have believed it.

Now, there are hundreds of games in the iTunes App Store that bring old classics to your touch screen. Not all of them are perfect, certainly. Sometimes the controls don't translate well to the touch screen, for example. But even with mediocre controls, it's still fun to be able to play a game you loved as a kid while you're commuting to work or in between classes.

This week, two games were released that were favorites of mine in the arcades, and both work relatively well on the touch screen. My question to you is, What games from the old days should be made for iOS? What games should not? Let's talk about it in the comments.

This week's apps are a classic gory fighting game and an arcade basketball remake that might already be one of my favorite games of 2011.… Read more

LAS VEGAS. I never thought anything would give me more pleasure than taking an orange-handled hammer and smashing an Acer laptop.

I was still glowing from managing this yesterday that I almost didn't hear a rather short lady asking if I wanted to shoot a free throw with my iPhone.

Because I was wearing my shiny black Costume National boots, she must have naturally assumed that I owned an iPhone, which I don't. However, I confess that I have seen Golden State Warriors fans wanting to toss several types of smartphones in the direction of Andris Biedrins, every … Read more

Playing in the NBA is a high-pressure, neurotic experience.

You are so tall that the public glares at you even when you're not on the court. This apparently means you must get the appropriate amount of sleep--not too much, not too little--in order to perform your best.

It seems that three members of the Los Angeles Lakers relied on their iPhone alarms on Sunday to wake them at the perfect moment. And their iPhones let them down so badly that the Lakers then let their fans down by performing like sleepwalking oddities against the Memphis Grizzlies.

According to ESPN.com, … Read more

What should you do if you see an unidentified flying object?

Should you panic? Should you inform the authorities? Should you relax, take out your cell phone, and film it, while simultaneously thinking: "At last!"?

Well, the San Antonio Spurs' Manu Ginobili happened upon a mysterious flame in the sky last week. While the Spurs' Head of Security filmed it, Ginobili stood and watched and wondered what it might be.

Then he investigated and reported, at considerable length, to his more than 340,000 fans on Facebook.

Writing in his native Spanish, Ginobili said he availed himself of &… Read more

Activision is launching "Call of Duty: Black Ops" November 9. So it needs everyone to get very worked up about the idea of a new way to shoot the living daylights out of those who occasionally enjoy the sight of living daylight.

And when I say "everyone," I mean every concierge, every mystery meat salesman, every businesswoman, every Best Buy salesperson, every sportsman, and every comedian. Well, they're everymen too, you know.

So please rejoice in the sight of Kobe Bryant (reportedly a deeply committed "Call of Duty" player) appearing as if he'… Read more

It's World Series time, and if you're a fan of either the San Francisco Giants or the Texas Rangers looking for tickets to any of the sold-out games being played over the next few days, don't despair: You can get in.

Of course, it's not going to be cheap. Since the only tickets that are available are on the secondary market, they're going to cost substantially more than face value. For example, in San Francisco, where tonight's game two, and games six and seven (if necessary) will be held, the average price for all … Read more

Looking for a basketball game this season? The choice is simple: NBA2K11. EA has pushed its contender, NBA Elite, to 2011, so your only option for any action this fall comes courtesy of 2K Sports. Though that might make those who like choice a little apprehensive, the good news is that 2K11 has pulled out some extra surprises to turn what was already a really strong game into a classic overall package.

Adding Michael Jordan on the cover seemed like a publicity stunt at first, but the extra challenge modes and authentically re-created vintage playoff games help add something timeless to a game that's destined to be replaced next year. Maybe the idea's pretty smart: collector's features could make certain editions of sports titles worth keeping.

Jeff: 2K Sports has dominated the basketball video game market for years now, so it's no shock that NBA 2K11 is the most realistic basketball game ever made. Though the game's laundry list of tweaks and improvements are all welcome additions, we were floored to see how deeply detailed the game's Michael Jordan mode has been developed.

The amount of painstaking detail that must have gone into crafting the Jordan Challenge mode in NBA 2K11 should not be overlooked. Sure, we've seen sports games opt for a gimmicky add-on before, but the Michael Jordan features in 2K11 are anything but.

Just getting his Royal Airness to even grace the cover is an achievement in itself, but giving the player the chance to participate in 10 of his most legendary games is something any basketball fan--casual or die hard--can instantly relate to. Not only are 10 of his most iconic games represented with astonishing attention to detail, the opposing teams in which he faced are sized up right down to game-accurate plays. Each of the 10 challenges transports the player back in time--complete with uniforms and fashion styles of that specific era.

Jordan himself has been captured with mind-blowing precision, from his casual mannerisms, shooting technique, even down to his iconic tongue that came out during his spectacular slam dunks. The Jordan Challenge is one of the most substantial side quests we've been presented with in a sports game, and something fans of basketball should not miss.

Scott: As for me, I'm not actually a basketball fan at all. Other than attending a few NBA drafts and watching the Lakers three-peat in the late '90s when I lived in Los Angeles, I've lost touch with who's even playing in the NBA, other than the lineup for the Miami Heat. I've treated sports games as my educational tools. I learned a ton about the NFL through Madden over the years. I'm banking on NBA2K11 to do the same for me and hoops.… Read more