Shaq & Hoopz Look Like They Have A Lot Of Fun Together [PHOTOS]

Shaq’s Mistress Writes Love Letter Including Details On Sexual Acts

Spotted @NecoleBitchie.com

LeBron James said he was sorry on Wednesday night (May 11th). A year to the day after a game 5 debacle against the very same Boston Celtics,  where James took tremendous criticism for allegedly quitting on the court in a 120-88 rout, he apologized to fans, family and friends he left behind in Cleveland:

“The way it panned out with all the friends and family and the fans back home, I apologize for the way it happened. I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime. To be able to come down here and pair with two guys and this organization — in order for me to move on with my career, that team that we just defeated, we had to go through them.”

After a “decision” that shook the landscape of the NBA, a premature (some would argue immature) celebratory pat-on-the-back style post-signing pep rally, a tumultuous regular season filled with blood, sweat and tears in the locker room, the much-maligned superstar that is LeBron James finally exorcised the NBA playoff demon that is the Boston Celtics and threw the non-clutch gorilla off his back at the same time in a classic final flurry of dagger-filled buckets, complete with after shot poses that would make MJ proud.

After LeBron scored the last 10 points of a 97-87 series clinching victory against a very different, injury-plagued Boston Celtics squad, he immediately took to one knee and buried his head in his left hand after the final buzzer sounded. He had not won the NBA championship, a goal that is more of a possibility now than at the start of the season, but he might as well have. The Celtics have been responsible for two of James last three playoff exits beginning in 2008 where he dueled with Paul Pierce in a classic Game 7 for the right to go to the NBA Finals that year. 2008 coincidentally was the first year Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce to form the “Big 3″ blueprint every team seems like it is trying to follow. King James admitted their union influenced his decision to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Now I ask, should this apology make Cleveland fans feel better? LeBron pretty much admitted that even though then-Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry tried every year to add pieces around his hometown superstar, including the likes of All-Star guard Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O’Neal that he didn’t have enough talent around him to beat the Celtics.

I guess Cleveland fans can take solace in the fact that LeBron finally let his guard down emotionally to admit his thought process.

Baby steps, people.

RELATED POSTS:

Miami Heat Bounce Celtics, Advance to Eastern Conference Finals

Will the Winner of Heat-Celtics Come Out of the East?

“Everything went through my mind at that point,” James said. “Finally getting over this hump against this team. Everything I went through this summer, with ‘The Decision’ and deciding to come down here to be a part of this team … because I knew how important team is to this sport … and all the backlash I got from it.

“I’d be up here for two hours if I tell you exactly everything that went through my head. Very emotional at that point, you know, and happy we got through it as a team.”

Delonte West Says He Didn’t Sleep With LeBron’s Mom

5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will NOT Win The NBA Title This Season

GALLERY: The Anti-MILFS, Moms We Wouldn’t…

L.A. was getting all they could handle through two games with New Orleans and the Celtics needed two last second baskets at home to take a 2-0 series lead against the New York Knicks who, were virtually without Chauncey Billups and Amar’e Stoudamire in Game 2. After the first round both Boston and L.A. have moved on after flipping the proverbial switch (or twisting the ankle in Kobe’s case).

The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder both looked impressive in their series and Atlanta shocked the world by dispatching of Orlando as easily as they did. Up 3-0 on Indiana, the Bulls struggled againsnst the #8 seed. Derrick Rose has been all world in the series, but Chicago will need more production out of everyone else going forward. The Bulls have won the NBA title in every season in which the team won 60 games or more. The 2010-11 Bulls won 62 games. No pressure. As round 2 begins today here are my updated predictions.

Eastern Conference

#1 Chicago Bulls vs #5 Atlanta Hawks

I had Orlando winning this round, but unfortunately Orlando center Dwight Howard was the only player that got off the bus in the series against the Hawks. I was encouraged to see Atlanta adjust their gameplan against Superman, refusing to double team and staying home on the 3-point shooters of the Magic. Jamal Crawford, the leading bench scorer in the playoffs, worked his magic (no pun intended) throwing in dagger 3′s with regularity. Joe Johnson showed the urgency and intensity necessary in the closeout game 5 and Al Horford was a man amongst boys down low. All of that being said, the Bulls are overjoyed that Atlanta took care of Orlando because they have owned the Hawks in the regular season (a blown double-digit lead in ATL notwithstanding). I expect this to continue as Joakim Noah will cancel out Al Horford’s energy. The Hawks will be hurt by the loss of Kirk Hinrich, who pulled his hamstring in Game 5 of the previous series, as he would have been key in containing Derrick Rose defensively. Rose can do his usual damage on offense and get by Atlanta but Carlos Boozer has to come out of the witness protection program and give him some help or Atlanta will make it a tough series.

Prediction: Bulls run wild and win 4-2

#2 Miami Heat vs #3 Boston Celtics

This is the series everyone has been waiting to see. LeBron has already been asked about his alleged quitting against Boston last season and he is saying he takes this series personal (whatever that means). This series is why Pat Riley flashed the rings at LeBron last July. This series is what the Miami Heat team as we know it had been training at military bases for. The Celtics limped into the playoffs as they did last year and looked old in the first two games against the Knicks that had everyone in New York talking upset. Boston showed up to Madison Square Garden and turned back the clock to 2009 becoming the first team to make it to the second round this year in the process. Jermaine O’Neal (not the O’Neal I expected to contribute) must have thought he was back in Indiana the way he held down the middle for Boston on both sides of the ball. They will need him to show up again in this series if Shaquille O’Neal can’t go. These aren’t the Knicks, however. The Heat play defense, and Mario Chalmers will not be on skates and jumping out of the way of Rajon Rondo in the paint (hello, Toney Douglas?). History is on Boston’s side as 8 of the last 9 teams to sweep an opening  round series have gone on to win the conference semifinals. Ray Allen has torched the Heat to a tune of 57% shooting. Wade will need to step up offensively and score more than 12 points a game for the Heat to win. This is the Heat’s Detroit Pistons of 1991, the Piston’s Boston Celtics of 1989 (the Jordan-led Bulls had to overcome Isiah Thomas’ Bad Boys and Thomas had to get by Bird’s Celtics to get to the proverbial “next level”).

Prediction: LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have never beat the Boston Celtics in a playoff series. That ends this year. I am sticking with my upset pick. Heat burn Celtics in 7, 4-3.

Western Conference

#2 Los Angeles Lakers vs #3 Dallas Mavericks

The Lakers struggledwith the upstart Hornets without David West. They cannot afford to take a game off in this series. Jason Kidd is not as fast as Chris Paul, but you can’t call him”Ason” anymore. Kidd has hit some clutch 3′s all year and he can still get his teammates the ball in the right places. Although Kobe brought out the ’97 dunk contest hops in game 5 against Emeka Okafor, it is highly unlikely he will repeat that against the likes of Tyson Chandler and Brendan Heywood. The Mavericks are 15-0 this season when Dirk Nowitzki attempts 10 or more freethrows in a game, but with the Lakers bigs inside Dirk may forget to drive to the basket and settle for jumpshots, not necessarily a bad thing if the shots are falling. Andrew Bynum showed last round why the Lakers refused to entertain including him in Carmelo Anthony trade talks as he was the most consistent player for L.A. against New Orleans.

Prediction: the Lakers will get by the Mavericks 4-2.

#4 Oklahoma City Thunder vs #8 Memphis Grizzlies

I’ll admit the Grizzlies know more than I did going into the playoffs. They asked for San Antonio and made sure they got ‘em. In the process they made Tim Duncan look like a shell of himself and kept Richard Jefferson out of the series entirely (did he even play?). They dominated the series so thoroughly that it took two miracle shots by Manu Ginobli and Gary Neal in Game 5 just to force overtime or the series would have ended earlier. Zach Randolph has come a long way from his “jailblazer” (with Portland) and “black hole” (with New York) ways of the past. He has remained a big-game scorer and rebounder, but has passed effectively averaging over 5 assists in the SanAntonio series. While the Grizzlies handled the Thunder in the regular season winning 3 out of 4 games, Kevin Durant is on a mission. I thought he would be derailed by a veteran SanAntonio squad, but Memphis has opened the door for him to have a deep post-season run. The key matchup is Tony Allen against the unstoppable Durant. Allen has become the heart and soul of the team since Rudy Gay went out with his shoulder injury and that playoff experience and toughness gained from his time with Boston will take the Grizzlies far in this series.

Prediction: I will give the Grizzlies a little more credit as they showed me something against SanAntonio. OKC has the bigs to withstand Marc Gasol and Randolph and the five inch height advantage Durant has on Allen will be the difference. Oklahoma wins the series 4-3 in 7 hard fought games to set up a rematch with the Lakers for a chance to go to the Finals.

Check back after Round 2 for my updated predictions of who will make the NBA Finals.

RELATED POSTS:

NBA Playoff Preview: Can the Heat Win It All?

Is Kendrick Perkins Boston’s New Babe Ruth?

The most stunning development in one of the best NBA seasons in recent memory has been the trade that jettisoned former Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, along with guard Nate Robinson, to Oklahoma City right before the trade deadline for Nenad Krstic and Jeff Green. This move left many people scratching their heads because a year ago the Celtics were one quarter away from winning their second championship in three seasons. Quite telling that in that game Boston blew a 13 point lead to the Lakers while Perkins watched helplessly from the bench after suffering a season ending knee injury in game 6.

Fact is the Celtics have not lost a playoff series in which Perkins and the Big 4 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo have started every game (they won the NBA title in 2008, lost to Orlando in 2009 when Garnett was out with an injury, and the aforementioned loss in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals sans Perkins). When the future of coach Doc Rivers and Ray Allen was uncertain this past off-season, they both returned to the fold with the intent of giving it one more shot at the NBA title as constructed at the time. With Perkins playing for the Thunder, that will certainly not happen.

NBA Trade Deadline Recap: What Were They Thinking?

Why did this happen? At the beginning of the 2010-11 season Perkins reportedly turned down a contract extension offered by the Celtics general manager Danny Ainge. It is possible that Ainge believed he would not be able to re-sign Perkins and wanted to get value back for him, a calculated risk that has backfired thus far. The Celtics are 9-10 in the last 19 games and have been beaten handily by the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat in the last few days, two teams they owned earlier in the season.

Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose stated that the current version of the Boston Celtics is “different” from the team he has played against the last three years. Speaking on Perkins, Rose said “he was hard to get around.” Strong words from a guy who has gotten around everyone this season on his way to the basket. Perkins’ replacements have not come close to providing his toughness to this point. Nenad Krstic is a jump shooting, finesse-playing big man and Jeff Green, who was drafted by the Celtics and traded to Seattle (now Oklahoma City) on draft night, seems like his mind is still in OKC as he has been a non-factor. The veteran big men Boston brought in to give Perkins a breather have not been pulling their weight. Shaquille O’Neal cannot stay on the court at his advanced age sidelined with knee and calf issues and Jermaine O’Neal, who just recently returned to action after missing over 60 games with a knee problem, is a shell of himself.

Besides Kevin Garnett the Celtics have no one in the paint that scares the opposition. Evidence of that came with the 100-77 beating they took at the hands of the Miami Heat on Sunday (Apr. 10th). Miami out-rebounded Boston 42-26 and scored 44 points in the paint. The big man triumvirate of Jermaine O’Neal, Troy Murphy and Krstic combined for a whopping 2 points in 29 combined minutes. Only 3 Celtics players scored in double figures. Lets not forget the mental edge the Heat possibly gained with this shellacking.

On the flip side the Thunder destroyed the Lakers on the same night 120-106 in a game where Perkins got physical with Kobe Bryant (left), something the Thunder failed to do last season. The Lakers beat the Thunder in the first round of the 2010 playoffs mainly because they did not have any real size in the middle to slow Lakers big men Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. Perkins fills that void and then some, plus his experience competing against L.A. will only help should the two teams meet for a rematch.

The playoffs are an entirely different season and no team knows this better than Boston, who limped to the finish line last year only to flip the switch in the postseason. Still Kendrick Perkins was a part of that team and I have to believe he would have eventually re-signed with Boston. He reportedly cried in the locker room when he got the news he was traded and Garnett, Pierce and Doc Rivers looked like someone died when they were interviewed after the deal was done. Perkins immediately signed a 4-year extension with Oklahoma City upon his arrival there, a possible flip of the bird (no pun intended) to Danny Ainge for shipping him out in the first place.

Three years removed from being named Executive of the Year after bringing the original Big 3 together, Ainge has been getting killed on sports websites with some people calling him “Dummy Ainge” for moving Perkins. With Perkins the Celtics were prohibitive favorites to win the Eastern Conference even with all the moves Miami made. This trade will never be on par with the “Curse of the Bambino,” the supposed hex put on the Boston Redsox after they sold Babe Ruth to the rival New York Yankees that led to over 80 years of World Series futility, but if the Celtics do not win the Eastern Conference everyone will point to the trade that shipped out the anchor of the vaunted Boston defense.

More Sports Coverage From TheUrbanDaily…

Boston Draws First Blood In Battle With Miami

Manny Ramirez Retires From Baseball Over Drug Suspension

Jay-Z & The Nets Reportedly Fined $50

LeBron Responds To His Mother’s Arrest [VIDEO]

When Ray Allen set the all-time record for three-pointers his wife and mother cheered and cried as the capacity crowd in Boston hailed him as the new Three-Point King. Reggie Miller, who was in attendance as a commentator for TNT, gave Allen a congratulatory hug.

“He just told me he was proud of me and he was excited for me,” Allen said of Miller. “He said he was glad that he could be here for this moment and it’s just so serendipitous that it happened the way it happened.”

Ray Allen will compete against his teammate Paul Pierce in the 3-Point Contest at this year’s NBA All-Star Game. Pierce is the defending champion in that contest.

[SOURCE]

RELATED POSTS:

Paul Pierce Reaches 20,000 Point Mark In Win Over Bucks [VIDEO]

Cavaliers Set Record With 24th Straight Loss

Boston Draws First Blood In Battle With Miami

While it is still early in the season, another twenty games of mediocrity will most certainly drive the media watch dogs into a frenzy and Heat fans to drink.

The new “Big 3″ of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh now know that the games won’t be as “easy” as LeBron predicted before the season. The “Welcome to Miami” pep rally/coronation that signaled James and Bosh’s arrival seems like a long time ago. The Heat will not win the NBA title this year, but here are five ways they can salvage this season and make the run to the NBA Finals almost everyone predicted after July 8th 2010.

5 – Pat Riley takes over as head coach

Make no mistake about it. Pat Riley is a big reason why LeBron James “took his talents to South Beach.” It was Riley on the front lines in Cleveland reportedly flashing his championship rings at LeBron this past summer. While Erik Spoesltra may command D Wade’s respect, it is hard to fathom that James and Bosh are really gonna listen to what Spoelstra’s selling when times get tough. That being said, a coaching change probably won’t be made until next season which is why this reason is number 5 on the list. As past history has shown, Riley won’t come down from the executive suite until this team is built to win. With the way the roster is currently set-up, Spoelstra won’t have to resign to be with his family until next year.

4 – LeBron has to decide whether he is a passer or go-to-guy

Even though this is Wade’s team, LeBron is still the best player on it. For this reason the Heat have looked like the Miami Cavaliers at times with LeBron taking over the game offensively while the other four guys on the floor stand around. The Boston Celtics made their Big 3 of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett work because ball movement was fluid. None of the three stars dominated the ball for significant stretches of the game. LeBron has to figure out if he is going to put up gaudy scoring numbers each time out and leave the passing to someone else or facilitate the offense and sacrifice scoring until they address a glaring need at the point.

3 – The other 12 guys have to step up

This ain’t The Redeem Team. Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony aren’t rounding out the starting five. Deron Williams, Dwight Howard, and Jason Kidd are not coming off the bench. This is the down side of locking up three max players and leaving crumbs in the coffer to fill out the rest of the roster. Granted, this team has been decimated by some freak injuries (Wade’s hamstring, Mike Miller’s thumb, etc.), but the guys that are putting on the uniform have to hit some shots and keep opposing defenses honest. Sure Juwan Howard and Zydrunis Ilgauskis have seen better days, but they are former All-Stars. Mario Chalmers was the starting point guard for last year’s Heat team that had a better record at this point than this year’s squad. Show some pride men!

2 – Get an elite point guard

With all apologies to Carlos Arroyo, who is a proven floor leader (Wade plays much better with Arroyo on the floor) as witnessed during the 2004 Olympics when the Arroyo-led Puerto Rican team beat the USA, the Heat have lost to teams boasting Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo (twice) at the point guard position. Like the Riley move, a change may not happen at the “one” this season. Even if some top tier point guards were available, I doubt they would take the minimum salary to defer to three other stars.

This season LeBron has been dominating the ball as point forward. This needs to change. If Arroyo is gonna be the guy he needs to control the ball more. Passing to LeBron and then setting up on the wing is not going to cut it. This predictable offense allows teams to clog the middle on LeBron and Wade forcing them to take jump shots and with the way they have been shooting the three ball (a combined 5-30 the last few games) keeping them on the perimeter is the best defense. Showcase Arroyo  more, allow him to drive the lane and break down the defense to set up the star players instead of vice versa. This needs to be addressed asap if the Larry O’Brien trophy is going to make an appearance in American Airlines Arena in June.

1 – Get a big man or two (or three)

If the point guard is a glaring need, a presence in the middle is a gaping hole. If Miami wants to compete with Dwight Howard in Orlando and Boston, who has a rejuvenated Shaquille O’Neal catching alley-oop dunks from Rondo, Jermaine O’Neal, Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins returning in February, they need someone who can score and defend in the pivot. Unless Chris Bosh starts playing like Blake Griffin, Joel Anthony and Big Z is not gonna cut it come playoff time.

RELATED POSTS:

Cleveland Fans Respond To LeBron James Nike Commercial [VIDEO]

Boston Draws First Blood In Battle With Miami

5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will NOT Win The NBA Title This Season

LeBron shot a Nike commercial addressing the backlash he has received from Cleveland fans and former NBA players alike. Cleveland fans (who really should be the only ones upset at LeBron) have answered LeBron’s rhetorical question “What Should I Do”? with scathing responses ranging from references to the disappointing playoff exit in Boston last season, the broadcast of “The Decision” and his “Chosen One” tattoo. Also damning is a recording at the end of the commercial of James’ voice promising not to stop until he wins an NBA title for Cleveland.

The commercial was shot by an unknown filmmaker from Cleveland and captures the pulse of the Cleveland faithful superbly.

In my opinion, I think LeBron should just save face at this point and confirm that he discovered Delonte West had slept with his mom before game 4 of the Boston series and that caused him to quit on his team because he couldn’t trust his teammates. That would go over better than sarcastic commercials further angering the town you deserted.

Watch the original LeBron clip followed by the response below.

Note: LeBron has seen the Cleveland version of the commercial  and responded “They could have done a better job”. What do you think?

RELATED POSTS:

South Park Clowns LeBron “What Should I Do?” Commercial [VIDEO]

VIDEO: Old Spice Guy Spoofs LeBron’s “Decision”

Lebron James Asks Fans “What Should He Do?” In Nike “Rise” Commercial

LeBron James Says Race A Factor In Backlash

Cleveland Cavs Owner Calls LeBron A Coward

His eight free throws over the final 1:09 of OT helped ice the Bucks for the 105-102 win.

RELATED POSTS:

Boston Draws First Blood In Battle With Miami

5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will NOT Win The NBA Title This Season

Glen Davis Teaches Us How To Dougie

The Heat could not find the basket as the Celtics looked like a cohesive unit even integrating the newly acquired Shaquille O’Neal in the early going with two wide open dunks.

Coming into the game as “the other team” seemed to light a fire under the veterans from Beantown as Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen led an offense that opened up a 19-point lead on Miami in the second quarter en route to a 45-30 halftime edge.

Those who thought the game was over at this point may have been under a rock when LeBron James said he was “taking his talents to South Beach” this past summer. With Dwyane Wade (4-16 from the field, 13 points) struggling with his shot, still getting into game shape after missing the entire preseason, and Chris Bosh (8 points) being locked down by Kevin Garnett, King James stepped out of the phone booth in the third quarter.

James led the Heat back all by himself in the third quarter scoring 15 of his 31 points in the period, including scoring or assisting on 14 points in a row, to cut the lead to six points at 63-57.

Every time the Heat threatened the Celtics, mainly Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, hit a big shot to quell any notions of a Miami comeback. When James and Wade led a two-man attack in the 4th quarter to cut the lead to three at 83-80, a clutch three pointer by Ray Allen and two free throws by Paul Pierce set the final score.

The Heat looked like a team that just came together over the summer (James had 8 turnovers) as many of the shots and passes made by Miami were off. The good news is the NBA season is 82 games. No one expected the Heat to go 82-0. They have time to get the kinks out, but give Boston their props. They did not succumb to the hype and played like the defending Eastern Conference champs they are.

With the opener looking like an Eastern Conference Finals game, the 2010-2011 NBA season is off to a fantastic start.

RELATED POSTS:

5 Reasons The Miami Heat Will NOT Win The NBA Title This Season

Dwyane Wade Calls Out Charles Barkley

Boston Celtics center Glen Davis decided to get in front of the camera to teach us how to Dougie. I thought he was injured?  Anyway, it’s nothing worse than seeing a 6’9″ 300 pound grown ass 24-year-old man get all feminine with it like he’s a 16-year-old in skinny jeans.

The NBA should put out a league wide mandate prohibiting their players from making Youtube videos because it always turns out bad. In Big Baby’s case it’s John Amaechi bad.

You can find me at Thesmugger.com or follow me at Twitter.com/youngpharoh

RELATED: Chris Brown Teaches Us How To Dougie

One of the great things about the Lakers vs. Celtics series is that they aren’t just playing for a title, they are playing for legacy. There is so much at stake in Game 7 that the repercussions will be felt for a very long time:

For Kobe Bryant:

Bean is fighting tooth and nail to get on the Mount Rushmore of the NBA. He obviously has the most to gain and the most to lose. A 5th title over his bitter rival will vault him into the conversation of one of the greatest basketball players that ever lived. A loss drops his Finals record to 4-3 — and his critics, fair or not, will have a field day.

For The Big 3:

With the Big 3 I like to use the Peyton Manning comparison (and Brett Favre, to a lesser extent ). One title gets you out of the Barkley category (or Dan Marino category, if you want to follow the NFL analogy), but it doesn’t quite put you up there with the greats of the greats.

Manning will end up with a lot of records, but if he never wins a 2nd championship, people will always think something was missing, similar to Favre.

When you think of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, all three of them will probably end up in the Hall of Fame, but a second ring just pushes them up another notch not just in NBA lore, but Celtics lore.

To see what this series could mean for the legacies of  Ron Artest, Rajon Rondo, Doc Rivers, Phil Jackson and more go to Blacksportsonline.com.

Saying he will coach at Louisville “as long as they’ll have me,” Rick Pitino apologized on Wednesday for “an indiscretion” he committed six years ago.

In a news conference at the university, Pitino did not directly address the report that he admitted that he had consensual sex with the woman charged with trying to extort him and then paid her $3,000. But he did say that “the past seven months have been very difficult on the people I love.”

The Courier-Journal of Louisville, citing police records, reported on Tuesday that Pitino made those admissions.

Pitino did not take questions.

He said that he did admit what he did to his family and to the university and that he tried to handle the problem the same way he advises players to handle adversity.

“When you have a problem, if you tell the truth the problem becomes part of your past,” he said. “If you lie it becomes part of your future.”

Pitino said that he had not commented on the charges against Karen Cunagin Sypher, including trying to extort $10 million from the coach and lying to the FBI.

“A grand jury indictment is a very serious thing and that’s why I haven’t commented on that,” he said.

At one point in the short, seemingly off the cuff, statement, Pitino said that he came to Louisville “at a very difficult time.” He spoke of 9-11 and the university’s need for healing.

“You needed a community to get over it,” he said and concluded that the university and his family has helped him get over this trouble.

As for his wife and five children, Pitino said: “I let them down with my indiscretion six years ago. And I’m sorry for that and I tell them that every day.”

But he also apologized to his “extended family:” the university community, fans and even the press.

The statement came after Pitino’s lawyer disputed part of the Courier-Journal report.

Citing police records, the newpaper reported that Pitino had sex with Cunagin Sypher in a restaurant after closing time and that two weeks later she called to tell him she was pregnant. Pitino then gave Cunagin Sypher $3,000 after she said she needed an abortion and didn’t have health insurance, according to a summary of Pitino’s July 12 statement to police. The coach’s attorney, Steve Pence, said Wednesday that the money was to help her get medical coverage, not specifically to pay for an abortion.

“The way this has been reported in the media is not accurate,” Pence told The Associated Press. “The coach has not done anything illegal.”

For more about this story, please click here to find out what’s going down with Rick Pitino.

VIA ESPN:

There were a half-dozen playoff caliber teams willing to sign Leon Powe and wait for his surgically reconstructed left knee to heal, but the forward who had been such a big hit in Boston ultimately decided he wanted to team up with an old AAU buddy — LeBron James.

Powe traveled to Cleveland on Tuesday to have his knee examined by Cavaliers team medical personnel, with the expectation that he will sign a two-year, $1.77 million deal Wednesday.

A source told ESPN.com that Powe will sign for the league minimum for players with three years of service — $855,189. Cleveland will hold a team option for a second season at $915,852.

Powe, who re-tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Game 2 of the Celtics’ first-round playoff loss to the Chicago Bulls, is not expected to be ready to play until sometime around February.

But if he returns healthy, he will bolster a Cleveland big man rotation that already includes Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao along with youngsters Darnell Jackson, J.J. Hickson and Jawad Williams and recently signed Jamario Moon.

The Celtics forfeited their exclusive negotiating rights to Powe when they declined to tender him a contract offer in June. He had spent the past two years sharing time with Glen Davis as the backup power forward behind Kevin Garnett, averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds last season, and had a huge performance in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals when he scored 21 points in just 15 minutes as the Celtics took a 2-0 lead over the Lakers.

Los Angeles, Portland, Dallas, Orlando and Miami also expressed interest in Powe, whose preference was to remain in the Eastern Conference and to sign with the team most capable of giving him his best shot to exact some revenge on the Celtics after they effectively gave up on him by declining to tender him a qualifying offer.

Powe had a huge game against Cleveland last March 6, going for 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 11 rebounds. But he injured his right knee five games later, sat out the next 12 games, then returned for the final two games of the 2008-09 regular season before tearing up his left knee (which had already undergone previous reconstructive surgery) in the playoffs against the Bulls.

VIA ESPN:

The Boston Celtics are bringing back Glen “Big Baby” Davis, who agreed to a two-year deal that could pay $6 million.

A source told ESPN.com’s Chris Sheridan that the Celtics made Davis an offer of a third season that would have kept him in green through the 2011-12 season, but Davis chose instead to do a deal that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2011 — at the completion of his fourth NBA season.

Davis will receive $5 million in base salary and can earn an additional 500,000 per season for meeting certain weight clauses, a source told ESPN.com’s Chad Ford.

Some expected Davis’ value to be higher after he performed admirably in the playoffs filling in for the injured Kevin Garnett, but his restricted free-agent status and the tight NBA financial climate limited his options. By turning down a guaranteed third year, Davis will become unrestricted one year earlier than he would have had he been drafted in the first round and been subject to the NBA’s rookie salary scale.

The Celtics also signed free agent Shelden Williams on Monday, adding a second young forward to a frontcourt that broke down last season in the playoffs. Davis, who’s 23, and Williams, who will be 26 by opening night, give Boston some youth at a position that has shown its age.

“We’ve got a lot of veterans and we also have a lot of young guys,” general manager Danny Ainge said. “I don’t think we needed to add a bunch of older, aging guys.”

Garnett missed the entire playoffs last spring, Leon Powe went down early in the postseason with a knee injury and Brian Scalabrine was coming off multiple concussions as the Celtics bowed out in the conference semifinals. Davis was pressed into the starting lineup and went from 21 minutes per game to 36 while bumping his scoring average from 7.0 points to 15.8 a game.

“Glen really came into his own last season in the second half when he got a chance to play,” Ainge said. “He wants to play. Just like all young players, he wants a more significant role.”

This offseason, Ainge made forward Rasheed Wallace his top target, signing him to a three-year deal. And now the frontcourt is complete, with Davis and Williams ready to come off the bench.

“We have some guys who are getting up there in age. I think it’s important to surround our Big Three and Rasheed with young guys,” Ainge said. “We feel like we’ve got one of the best front lines in all of basketball. We have six really good basketball players on our front line right now. It’s a long season; we’re going to need all the bodies we can get.”

Ainge said he believed all along that Davis would be back, but it took the two-year pro out of Louisiana State a while to realize that restricted free agency wasn’t going to be the lucrative payday he expected. Other teams may have stayed away because they assumed the Celtics would match any offer.

“You could have called me,” Ainge told Davis’ girlfriend. “I would have told you he’ll be back. … We came through. We like Glen more than anybody else out there.”

Davis said the offseason has been an education about the business side of basketball — especially how it affects young players with limited options.

“I feel like I’ve grown up so much this whole summer in terms of being a professional and being an adult,” Davis said. “The Celtics organization is a great thing to be a part of.”

Williams knows what he means.

The fifth overall draft pick out of Duke in 2006, he played in plenty of big college games — including a third-round loss in the 2006 NCAA tournament to Davis’ Louisiana State team. But in three seasons with Atlanta, Sacramento and Minnesota, Williams has never appeared in an NBA playoff game.

Now he’s back in a place with high expectations.

“I assume it will be similar to what it was in college,” he said. “For me to come in here and fill out my role — whatever that might be — it’s an exciting time.“

VIA ESPN:

Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker has been arrested on criminal charges stemming from $822,500 in gambling debts in Las Vegas.

Douglas County sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Halsey says Walker was arrested Thursday at a Harrah’s Tahoe cabaret bar on Lake Tahoe’s south shore.

Deputies were notified of his presence by an employee who had seen a television report about an arrest warrant issued for Walker two days before.

Walker is accused of three felony counts of writing bad checks. Clark County prosecutors say he failed to make good on 10 checks totaling $1 million to Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood and the Red Rock Resort.

Walker has repaid $178,000 of the debts that were incurred from last July to January.

Walker was released from jail after posting $135,000 cash bail.

VIA ESPN:

Rasheed Wallace is joining the Boston Celtics, giving the Celtics one of the most important free agents on the marketplace as they attempt to return to the championship.

Bill Strickland, Wallace’s agent, told the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe on Sunday night that the 34-year-old forward told him to call off meetings the agent was in the process of scheduling with the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks.

The Boston Globe reported Wallace will sign for two years at the mid-level exception.

Wallace won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 after arriving in a mid-season trade, although his career has been noted just as much for his volatile interactions with officials and contentious relationships with coaches. However, the strong presence of veterans such as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen in the Celtics’ locker room should keep Wallace in line and bring the focus to his positive attributes: the 6-foot-11 Wallace is a scoring threat from the low block to the 3-point arc and a long-armed, savvy defender.

“As much as Rasheed’s a headache, teammakes like him and he’s a winner,” an NBA executive said.

After trade rumors involving Allen and Rajon Rondo surfaced last month it appeared the Celtics might be trying to shift on the fly, at the risk of breaking up the core that won the 2008 NBA championship. Now they have landed a piece that makes them a prime contender to win again next season, with an emphasis on the short term. Wallace will be 35 in September and made joining a championship-caliber team a priority this offseason.

But Boston was always the leading contender, a positioned strengthened by a dinner meeting with Wallace involving Garnett, Pierce, Allen, coach Doc Rivers and owner Wyc Grousbeck last week.

Wallace restores frontcourt depth to the Celtics, who did not extend a qualifying offer to Leon Powe and could lose restricted free agent Glen Davis if another team signs him to a contract the Celtics decide not to match.

Both Boston papers are also reporting that the Celtics may be interested in signing Grant Hill, who averaged 12 points and 4.9 rebounds for the Phoenix Suns last season.

Check out our Noisemakers gallery below:

VIA SI:

The Boston Celtics made their pitch to Rasheed Wallace on Thursday. And Wallace was receptive.

A contingent from the Celtics organization — including owner Wyc Grousbeck, President Danny Ainge, head coach Doc Rivers and All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen — descended on Wallace’s suburban Michigan home on Thursday for a three-hour meeting with the free-agent forward.

“Solid, thorough, cogent and very impressive,” Wallace’s agent, Bill Strickland, told SI.com about Boston’s recruiting trip. “[They] definitely gave Rasheed and his wife something to think about.”

During the course of the meeting the Celtics offered Wallace a contract using their entire mid-level exception. It is unclear how many years Boston offered Wallace, who will be 35 at the start of next season.

Multiple league executives believe Wallace is deciding between Boston and San Antonio. Both the Celtics and Spurs can offer Wallace the full mid-level exception ($5.6 million). With Ron Artest agreeing to terms with the Lakers and Trevor Ariza agreeing to a deal with Houston on Thursday, league sources expect Cleveland to make a late push for Wallace’s services. Orlando, should they choose not to re-sign restricted free agent Marcin Gortat, is also a possibility.

However, Boston and San Antonio stand as the strongest candidates. The Celtics can offer Wallace a chance to stay in the Eastern Conference as well as the opportunity to play with Garnett, who is a close friend. San Antonio, which traded forwards Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas last month in the deal for Richard Jefferson, can offer Wallace a starters role. Boston’s interest in Wallace is believed to be as a backup.

Wallace has given no indication as to when he will make a decision.

VIA Deadspin:

If the NBA were a horrible Michael Bay movie, this is the part where the bad guy would mutter “I fear we’ve awakened a sleeping giant.” Then a Boston Celtics flag would flutter in slow-motion.

Cleveland sent a message—even though they don’t send messages—by destroying the Celtics in an (almost) completely meaningless regular season clock burner. Boston, playing without Kevin Garnett, will still finish second in the East and still won’t have home-court advantage if and when they run into the Cavs in the playoffs. But depending on your interpretation of the 31-point blowout, the defending champs have been humbled by this passing of the torch … or for the first time all season they have been given a reason to give a crap.

For more about this story, please click here!

Any NBA playoff predictions, BlackPlanet?! Share your thoughts in the comments section!

This is the third installment of the ever-growing popular Adidas house party series titled “The Game.” Two of the biggest in each of their respective hustles go toe-to-toe in a game of poker.