Larry Brown Sports

LeBron James is one loss away from falling short of winning his second NBA title, but a certain group of people is convinced that the Miami Heat have already defeated the San Antonio Spurs. That group of people would be the folks at Nike, who decided to manufacture a shoe that already labels LeBron a two-time champion.

Those of you who are looking at the photo above that Kix and the City passed along (via NikeTalk.com) and thinking, “Well, it’s bound to be true at some point,” are probably right, but…

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The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team brings in some of the best high school players in the nation on an annual basis, but that does not mean the teenaged superstars don’t have to earn their place. Upon arriving on campus in Lexington, incoming freshmen have to immediately begin following the “Wildcat Code.”

Over the weekend, Kentucky recruit Dominique Hawkins revealed some of what the code entails. Hawkins told the Courier-Journal that the “Wildcat Code” is a points-based system that allows players to earn perks based on academic and physical achievements. For example, players can earn one to four points per day by sitting at the front of class, showing their notes to teachers and putting in extra work at basketball practice.

The points are then used for things like gaining access to the team locker room and earning a private room in Kentucky’s sick new housing facility. Once players hit the 100-point mark, they are given their basketball jersey.

On Monday, Kentucky coach John Calipari jokingly needled Hawkins on Twitter about giving away secret details of the code.

“The first rule of the Wildcat Code is: You do not talk about the Wildcat Code,” Calipari wrote. “The second rule of the Wildcat Code is: You do not talk about the Wildcat Code. LOL.”

Calipari then clarified that he is not upset with Hawkins, who he described as a “good kid” who has been doing well with the team so far. He explained that the “Wildcat Code” is geared toward making players earn everything and that all of their grades will be revealed at the end of the summer. While we know people will somehow spin this into a way that Calipari is violating NCAA rules, it actually sounds like a pretty decent idea.

On Monday, we shared a report with you about former NBA star Allen Iverson’s ex-wife filing court documents claiming he abducted the couple’s five children. Tawanna Iverson has full custody of the children, but she allegedly gave Allen permission to take them on a short vacation. She claimed he never returned them to her when he was supposed to.

Apparently Tawanna’s story was not entirely true. TMZ reported on Tuesday that Allen appeared in court last Wednesday and explained to the judge that Tawanna had full access to the children the whole time they were staying with him. In fact, Tawanna testified that she could have picked the children up but did not want to drive 45 minutes to Allen’s location to do so.

“They say I stole my kids? That’s what they say?” Iverson said Monday, according to NBC 11 in Atlanta. “If that’s what you believe and people think I’m crazy enough to do, then so be it. I ain’t never treated fairly, don’t expect to be.”

After hearing Allen’s testimony, the judge reportedly declined Tawanna’s request to have him put in jail and the children were returned to their mother. TMZ also noted that a source says Allen and Tawanna have worked out some of their issues and she has agreed to allow him to spend more private time with the kids.

So, about that whole he’s an alcoholic who drinks around the kids thing…

Via Washington Post

Rapper Flo Rida and his crew have been some of the most visible Miami Heat fans at the American Airlines Arena throughout the entire postseason. That trend will not continue for Game 6 or Game 7 (if necessary), because Flo Rida’s manager Freezy has been banned from attending.

During an appearance on 104.3 The Ticket’s “Hochman and Zaslow Show” Tuesday morning, Freezy explained how the NBA contacted him and told him that he would be arrested if he tried to attend Game 6 on Tuesday night.

“They were sending me emails all week and kind threats but I was ignoring them,” he said. “Then I got emails and phone calls from their lawyers telling me I’m not allowed in the building for the next two games. So I’m like, ‘What violation did I (commit)’”

According to Freezy, San Antonio Spurs Head coach Gregg Popovich asked that his crew not be allowed back because they were getting too rowdy in support of the Heat.

“They were just telling me we had too much energy and the head coach complained about it,” Freezy claimed. “Them cats want an easy win. They ain’t used to that Miami Heat support right next to them in their ears.”

Freezy was also asked to leave the arena by the Indiana Pacers during the Eastern Conference Finals, but he said the Pacers were more disrespectful about it than the Spurs.

“The Spurs are just scared,” he explained. “They’re scared of the energy. The Pacers were disrespectful. The Spurs don’t want that building to erupt around them. What I do to cheer for my team is no different than what Spike Lee does in New York or Jack Nicholson does in LA.”

We have no way of knowing if Flo Rida and company were doing more than just cheering for the Heat, but if that’s the case you can understand why they would be upset — especially with Game 6 being in Miami. At least when this rapper was allegedly booted from the American Airlines Arena it was because he was cheering for the other team.

The Los Angeles Lakers would like to re-sign Dwight Howard and build their franchise around him. The team has made that abundantly clear since the end of the season, but Howard has made it equally clear that he would like to explore all of his options first.

If LA is going to lose Howard in free agency, they might be best off working out a sign-and-trade involving the 27-year-old center. That way, Howard could get a max contract and the Lakers would get something in return. But does any team have the resources needed to pull off a deal of that magnitude? The Los Angeles Clippers might.

As talks remain ongoing between the Clippers and Boston Celtics for a potential deal that would send Doc Rivers and Kevin Garnett to LA in exchange for DeAndre Jordan and draft picks, the Clippers have been hesitant to include point guard Eric Bledsoe in a trade. That does not mean they would not include Bledsoe and Blake Griffin in a potential swap for Howard.

“If the Clippers do indeed decide to formally offer Griffin and Bledsoe in a sign-and-trade package for Howard, indications are that it’s a proposal the Lakers will certainly not dismiss outright,” ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne reported over the weekend. “Blake Griffin is about as untouchable with the Clippers as you can be, but you have a chance to go after Dwight Howard with the idea of having Howard and Chris Paul along with Kevin Garnett and (possibly) Paul Pierce.”

Shelburne went on to say that it is “hard to believe” the Clippers would part ways with Griffin, but LA understands that it will have to talk big names if it wants to acquire a player like Howard.

Of course, there’s always a possibility that none of this happens and all of the aforementioned stars stay with their current teams. Doc Rivers may even have another career path in mind aside from basketball, so his situation remains up in the air. Still, the thought of Howard in a Clippers uniform and Griffin in a Lakers uniform is one that will make NBA fans’ heads spin.

Kobe Bryant recently settled a lawsuit with his parents, who were trying to sell some of the basketball star’s memorabilia. Bryant successfully protested the auction, saying that the items belonged to him and that his mother had no right to sell them.

While most of the items were pulled from the auction as part of the terms of the settlement between the parties, some items are still being auctioned.

Goldin Auctions, which initially gave Bryant’s mother $500,000 up front to sell the items, has 22 items currently listed for auction from the Kobe Bryant collection. The items include rings, shoes, autographs, jerseys, and more.

Here is a full list of the items available in the auction, and their prices:

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Manu Ginobili had a nice game against the Miami Heat on Sunday night as his San Antonio Spurs took a 3-2 lead in the NBA Finals. Ginobili scored 13 points in 30 minutes of play, but none of his baskets were as special as what Tim Duncan did for him at some point during the victory.

As you can see from the GIF above that Got ‘Em Coach put together, Duncan has cured Ginobili’s baldness with the swipe of a hand. One minute the bald spot on the back of his head was there and the next it was gone. It was truly a miracle. Duncan is more than just one of the best power forwards in NBA history. He’s a medicine man.

Between this and the amazing then and now Spurs GIF we showed you last week, there have been some fantastic GIFs scattered throughout the 2013 postseason.