The Round 2 Games of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs began on Monday night, with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers taking commanding 2-0 series leads in their respective series’. Dwyane Wade debuted the Air Jordan Fly Wade in a White/Red/Yellow colorway while teammate LeBron James donned the LeBron 8 P.S. for the second straight game. Jrue Holiday wore the sparkling blue colorway of the adidas adiZero Crazy Light and Jodie Meeks wore a unique Red/Black Kobe VI iD. On the Chicago/Indiana front, Bulls superstar Derrick Rose wore the adidas adiZero Crazy Light Rose.

Last night’s games were a bit more dramatic, with the Knicks and Celtics going down to the wire again. Carmelo poured in 42 in a losing effort while wearing the Jordan Melo M7 Advance, and Stoudemire, who left the game with injury, wore the Zoom Huarache TR Mid PE. Rajon Rondo did his best to hide Kobe insignia by wearing a white/green Kobe VI iD, which featured a tonal-white upper. Other notables included the various Jordan Play In These F TXT PEs, Gilbert Arenas’ Air Trainer SC, and Brandon Roy’s Zoom Hyperfuse PE. Check out the gallery from the Round 2 Games below and let us know who had the best kicks! via Yahoo!.

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The Air Jordan VII has been basking in the limelight of the sneaker world, but keep your shades on because it’s about to get a bit brighter. Releasing May 1st, 2011 in Asia is the Air Jordan VII ‘Year of the Rabbit’, featuring a regal colorway commemorating the Rabbit – the Chinese Zodiac animal of the year. Some have called the colorway similar to the Air Jordan VII ‘Hare’ for the two-toned white/light grey upper, but this particular version comes paired with red and gold, traditional accents reminiscent of ancient Chinese artistry. The Air Jordan VII ‘Year of the Rabbit’ will also come packaged in a special slide-out box, featuring a red/gold graphic. Continue reading for another look and be advised that the China release date is May 1st, and that just 300 pairs will be released in all of China. Stick with Sneaker News for more information and updates regarding this release. via Dunk.

Update: The U.S. release for the Air Jordan VII ‘Year of the Rabbit’ has been confirmed to be May 7th, 2011. Info via TSG.

Air Jordan VII Retro ‘Year of the Rabbit’
Light Silver/Metallic Gold-True Red-White
459873-005
05/01/2011 – China
05/07/11 – U.S.
$160

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Sneaker News brought you exclusive coverage of the Nike LeBron 8 P.S. media event in Miami this week, but just because King James is moving on to a new model for postseason play doesn’t mean we’ve seen the last of the version he wore throughout most of the 2010-11 season.  Check out these new images of the LeBron 8 V/2 Low in ‘Triple Black’, a colorway that’s sure to be one of the go-to looks for ballers and fashion-conscious sneakerheads alike this summer.  Could these be the kicks LeBron wears to celebrate his first NBA Championship come June?  There’s still a lot of basketball to be played to determine whether that happens, but one thing we know for sure is that more photos of the ‘Blackout’ LeBron 8 V2 Lows follows your click on the jump below and a few sizes are already in stock at Kicks-lab.
Nike LeBron 8 V/2 Low ‘Triple Black’
456849-001

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In late 2009, Sneaker News showed you a special Nike Hyperize whose white and bright blue colorway was accented by drawings derived from Takehiko Inoue’s popular Slam Dunk manga.  A similar colorway has now popped up on the new Nike Air Zoom Brave IV, a peculiar pairing, given the model’s status as Frenchman Tony Parker’s signature model and the fact that we’ve already seen photos of its successor.  But the Slam Dunk x Nike Zoom Brave IV will release on May 14th well in advance of the Zoom Brave V’s drop date, and along with a pair of matching tee shirts is sure to be a hot seller.  Click through for more and stick with Sneaker News for word on a possible US release.  via SF/houyhnhnm

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EA Sports’ recent Fight Night: Champion release was widely praised by the video game reviewing community, but even if it’s the best boxing video game, FN:C can’t hold a candle to the brilliant career of welterweight world champion Manny Pacquiao.  The Pac-Man is gearing up for a big fight on May 7th against ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, and while a fight against Floyd Mayweather would no doubt draw more attention, Nike is adding some clout to the bout with two new Pacquiao collaborative sneaker releases.  The Manny Pacquiao x Nike Zoom Huarache TR Low will hit retailers this Friday, April 22nd with a Trainer 1.3 Max Pac-Man PE dropping on fight night eve, May 6th.  Click through to see more, including our first look at a real pair of Trainer 1.3 Maxes and stick with Sneaker News for updates on both pairs’ availability.

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Paul Rodriguez was one of the youngest skaters to secure a signature sneaker deal with a major brand when he signed with Nike SB, but few have ever done it at an earlier age than CONS rider Nick Trapasso.  Nick was only 21 when his Converse Skate Trapasso Mid hit retailers last summer but his namesake sneaker has a timeless design.  Somewhere between the immortal Chuck Taylor All Star and the Star Player, these new Trapassos go for a super-neutral look, their beige suede uppers giving way to white chevron-and-star logos on the side panels, just a hint of red coming in on the foxing band.  Click through to get a better look and grab yours from select Converse Skateboarding retailers like Premier.

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‘Hectic’ is an apt description, is it not? Check out realmad HECTIC‘s latest collaborative project with adidas Originals, featuring the YOPS! IMMOTILE sneaker; it’s a classic cycling shoe that draws inspiration for classic tre-foil silhouettes like the adidas Samba, but these features far more materials, like a hairy suede, flat leather, distressed boot leather, and a whimsical corduroy in two different tones. On the lateral heel is a realmad HECTIC badge with a special crown label on the insole. These are set for a release in May at select retailers so continue reading for another detailed look and let us know what you think. via hayabusa.

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The upcoming Nike Hachi Quickstrike will mark the beginning of the end for the model that’d carried Nike Sportswear’s lifestyle sneaker torch for the past couple years.  Check out one of the very last Nike Toki colorways we’ll see, a womens release that comes in a navy blue canvas with tonal dots and a white sole to nicely compliment those cute sailing stripe getups that’re so popular this season.  Seeing the quality on this pair is bittersweet given the Toki’s impending demise, but you can click through to view more shots and be sure to stick with Sneaker News for word on the US release so you can grab a pair before it’s too late.  via Dunk

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The best part about Shannon Brown’s slam-dunk contest appearance during last year’s All-Star Weekend in Dallas? The shoes he never wore. While Brown’s dunks were shockingly ordinary (he was regarded as a one of the front-runners to stymie a Nate Robinson three-peat), his shoes, pics of the unworn Nike Zoom Kobe V ‘Throw It Down, Shannon Brown’ PE quickly caught our eyes with the unique colorway of white, grey, blue, green and orange. While the significance or inspiration behind the wayward colorway hasn’t been determined, the mysterious shoe is a collector’s gem and near the top of the Most Wanted Nike Kobes around. Here’s a new set of images of the Shannon Brown PE, and if you’re a size 8, grab this rare pair from jackpotvintage on eBay.

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Last night Sneaker News gave you an up close look at the Jordan Melo M7 Advance ‘Welcome To New York’ Pack, a limited edition Melo-centric layout given to twenty-one select individuals in Carmelo Anthony’s family, media, and New York-based cultural influencers. The trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the New York Knicks has been viewed has a homecoming for the Brooklyn native, which is a primary focus of the ‘Welcome To New York Pack’; you will see seven tokens, inspired by the old New York City subway tokens, with each individual piece depicting significance to Carmelo’s life, like his Puerto Rican roots and his hometown hoods in Red Hook and Myrtle Avenue.

A ‘Melo State of Mind’ t-shirt sits behind a glass case, and beneath it is the Jordan Melo M7 Advance, the third Jordan Melo M7 version this year. The Melo M7 Advance is the first Jordan Brand performance shoe to feature Flywire construction, which gives the shoes an even more lightweight package at 14.75 ounces. The tonal blue upper is matched with a black/white midsole, with a defiant orange placed on the Jumpman insignia as well as the visible Max Air unit. Three colorways of the Jordan Melo M7 Advance will release (these, a second Knicks-inspired version, and a black/white colorway) with a limited run of 1,500 pairs in total, and will be available on June 1st exclusively at NYC House of Hoops and Niketown locations. Continue reading for another detailed look at the Jordan Melo M7 Advance and let us know what you think.

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The morning after the LeBron 8 PS media wear-test event held last Friday at American Airlines Arena in Miami, the group in attendance was brought over to well-known Miami sneaker spot, Shoe Gallery, to check out the impressive display setup showcasing the LeBron 8 PS, which became available for purchase for the first time that very day. With Game 1 of the playoffs starting later that afternoon, what better way to pre-game than with the PS launch and a chance to visit the mobile Nike iD customization station that made its home outside of the shop for the day.

Customers could laser up their LeBron 8 PS boxes or choose to customize a white Nike N98 jacket chosen to play up the “white hot” theme that took over the arena for the Heat’s first home playoff game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As with the rest of the weekend and this year’s Nike Basketball playoff campaign, the operative word here was “EPIC” – four letters that you will see scrawled wherever Nike B-ball and the NBA Playoffs are present this year. Keep reading after the jump for a look at some of the choice sights inside and outside of Shoe Gallery, and if you still need a pair of the shoes, get your LeBron 8 PS’s now at NikeStore or on eBay.

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While the release of the Nike SB Dunk High ‘Cheech & Chong’ is still up in the air, rest assured that you’ll be able to enjoy your 420 – the HUF Hupper 420 that is – tomorrow when it releases at select HUF retailers. Featuring a green-friendly upper with an ‘appropriate’ graphic and a white vulcanized midsole, the HUF Hupper 420 doesn’t beat around the bush and goes straight for the gold. Accompanying the shoes is a set of HUF 420 socks in three different colorways, and a neat zip-loc style packaging. The HUF Hupper 420 will be available at HUF tomorrow as well as other select retailers such as Premier, so take another look below for some new images and a full list of retailers.

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