James Harden & The Drew League Get Their Big Payback

Even EPMD and James Brown never went this hard. The Drew League was in it to win it, to get revenge for “Capital Punishment,” and mainly because of James Harden, they got what they came for: “The Big Payback.” The L.A. squad pulled away from the Goodman League in the final moments, winning 151-144 even as John Wall (55 points) and Kevin Durant (50 points) dropped a couple of bombs on them. Harden, who hit for 48 and was completely unstoppable at times in the first half, led a somewhat-balanced attack, even with his beard being nearly overshadowed by whatever that crap is on Nick Young‘s head. Whereas most celebrity games like this inevitably fall into a routine of you take it, I take it, this one was dominated by three players. There were times during the second half where we felt we hadn’t seen KD pass in 15 minutes. By the end, many of the forced shots from Goodman ended up working against them. Two guys – KD & Wall – weren’t going to beat a whole team of NBA players … Michael Beasley took some heat from the game’s MC. When he fouled out with only two points, the dude said it didn’t matter because B-Easy wasn’t doing anything anyways … While neither side budged in their proposals, top officials from the NBA and the Players Union met late last night in a desperate attempt to get this lockout resolved before weeks start getting thrown in the trash. Some officials from the NBA’s side are even adamant that a deal will get done shortly just because they don’t believe the players will hold the line, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Why is that? Because CBSSports.com’s Ken Berger says that if the players were to lose the first two weeks of the season, they’d lose half of what they’re holding out for. Same goes to the owners. Berger also tweeted that if the owners were to consent to 48.5 percent of the BRI, they’d make out with $367 million more per year, which would easily cover the supposed $300 million annual loss. So what did they get done last night? No one would speak on it. Today at 2 p.m., it’s do or die … According to the Miami Herald, the Heat are still interested in Mario Chalmers and will match any offer, if and when the NBA picks up again. The Herald described the Heat as being unimpressed with free agents T.J. Ford, Delonte West and the “incumbent” Mike Bibby. If there is an amnesty clause in the new labor deal, the Heat are rumored to be interested in Baron Davis. The clause would allow the Cavs to take one contract off their books, most likely being B. Diddy. Davis has a good relationship with LeBron James and could be someone the Heat go after. But would he be a better fit? Whoever plays the point for that squad better be a knock-down shooter … Keep reading to hear Kenyon Martin sound off …

Who do y’all think are the best crowds in the NBA? New York, Boston, Miami (Yeah right)? Well in an interview with RedsArmy.com, Rajon Rondo crowned the Golden State Warriors as having the loudest crowd in the NBA. We believe it. The title for most obnoxious, however, that one goes to the Chicago Bulls. Rondo said ever since the playoffs a couple years back when he and Kirk Hinrich “got into it,” the Chicago crowd has booed and heckled him constantly … While NBA players are concerned with the lockout and fret over what could happen should they decide to play overseas, American Chauncey Hardy – a former guard at Sacred Heart – was killed this weekend in Romania. The 23-year-old was attacked by multiple people while he was out celebrating a big win with CSS Giurgiu, and by the time he was admitted into the hospital, he was in a coma after suffering two heart attacks and severe head injuries. Terrible news … The greatest point guard of all-time, Magic Johnson, was on Jay Leno this weekend and had some interesting words regarding Metta World Peace and his decision to change his name. Magic told Metta to “come back down to earth” and joked about the effect it will have on NBA announcers. Should the announcers call Ron Artest “Metta World Peace” during games or refer to him as his previous name? “Metta World Peace” would definitely be funnier, and it’ll eventually catch on, but right now it just feels like a big joke. It’s hard to take it seriously … We received a few critical comments after the Kenyon Martin update in yesterday’s Smack. Here’s his reaction, via Twitter: All yall that has something to say about me! Send me your home address and I will make a special trip to ur house and kick yo ass myself. But for real, check out dude’s whole timeline. Our man was not very happy … Amar’e Stoudemire has given himself the nickname “Renaissance Man” … And next Saturday, the Battle of I-95 will continue with Philadelphia’s All-Stars traveling to Washington D.C. to face off with Kevin Durant, John Wall & co. The setting is Calvin Coolidge High School, and the game will be streaming live on iLinkSports.com for $.99 … We’re out like Nick Young’s hair.