Nike Basketball didn’t make any outright predictions about the way this lockout-shortened NBA

Nike Basketball didn’t make any outright predictions about the way this lockout-shortened NBA season’s playoffs would turn out, but even putting memories of MVPuppets aside, we can’t help but notice that these new Nike Zoom Kobe V2 iDs do indeed form a ‘final four’ with direct correspondence to teams act5e in this year’s postseason.  A black-soled take on the Lakers-colored edition Kobe himself wore in the first round matchup against Denver represents Showtime, but an orange and blue pair with black and white accents could prove a suitable match for the New York Knicks or even the Laker-vanquishing Oklahoma City Nike Free Run 3.0 Thunder.  Bulls and Spurs round out this set that might have gotten the West Finals right without even trying, and you can see more photos of all four of these sample designs before you head to NIKEiD to create your own ‘Poison Dart Frog’ Zoom Kobe 7 iD.
 

Nike touted its Lunar cushioning technology as “rocket science”, and it will be tested on Nike Free Run 5.0 V2 hiking trails across the glove, as the Lunar Elite now comes in a mid-top trail ready form. Sneaker News first previewed the Nike Lunar Elite Trail Mid during the Nike Sportswear Fall 2010 Preview and gave you a closer look of the Lunar Elite Trail Mid later in  June; the hybrid shoe of sorts featured an upper design similar to the Lunar Elite, featuring a Flywire panel on the upper as well as breathable mesh panels. The two new Quickstrike releases Nike Free Run 5.0 V3 feature a grey/pink colorway as well as a m6.0 of blue/orange/grey, and both feature gorgeous speckled midsoles. These have started to hit select retailers such as LE Vault in Singapore, and they have just 12 pairs of each, so we perce5e these to be a tough find. Continue reading for another look and let us know if you think Lunar Foam would be fit for rocky trails. via Streething.

After getting a preview last month, the initial New Balance M564 colorways are beginning to hit select retailers.  A lowtop trail runner designed by NB Japan, the M564 offers a one-piece toebox with perforations through its suede instead of mesh, corded laces and a unique eyelet-strap that should make for superior heel lockdown.  As for the colorways, all four of these are well thought-out and each one is bound to appeal to its own audience.  Click through to see more of the bred pair pictured above plus tonal brown, black/white/royal and last but not least a pair in electric blue with neon pink accents.  If you like what you see, check for these at New Balance retailers soon; StreeThing reports they’ve already released in SE Asia.
 

Kevin Durant could not have asked for a better regular season. Leading his Thunder squad to 50 wins while leading the league with and astounding 30.1 points per game, Kevin Durant established himself as one of the league’s elite, joining the likes LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade. His rise to the top was largely in part due to his disciplined training regiment and committment to excellence, and that is the message he brought to Tsinghua High School during his tour of China.

A special colorway of the Nike KD 2 – limited to 100 pairs – was made for the Tsinghua High School basketball team to celebrate and congralate its third consecut5e Chinese National Championship. This special pair features a blue upper with a black and orange trim and a translucent sole, with Chinese text outlining Durant’s training sequence written under the footbed. Other special touches include KD’s PPG printed on the heel through a translucent heel counter as well as encouraging messages on the tongue crest and personalized graphics on the inner tongues. Continue reading for a detailed look at this latest Nike KD 2 and let us know if this colorway is one of the better KD 2 colorways you’ve seen. via Dunk.