NBA: Cavs Hold Players Meeting To Call Off Grievances

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the best mess in the NBA for some time. Despite their gaudy record and nearly assured path to the NBA Finals, the team has expressed concerning body language and worrisome quotes, well before the blowout loss to the Warriors and the firing of David Blatt.

However, after a faceplant loss to the Chicago Bulls in their first game after firing Blatt, the Cavs have rattled off four straight, including their most impressive win over the Spurs Saturday night. Now ESPN reports that in the aftermath of Blatt's firing, the team held a players-only meeting, spearheaded by their three stars LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, and not only cleared the air, but established a measure of accountability ... for everyone. From ESPN:

Kobe Bryant Punched Me Over $100 Bet - Samaki Walker

Ex Lakers Samaki Walker has accused super rich Kobe Bryant and ex team mate of punching him over $100 bet in 2002. Would you just believe this? Rich Kobe causing a feud over $100! That was way back though....

Back in 2002, a story was sort of swept under the rug involving the Los Angeles Lakers. There was an altercation between Kobe Bryant and teammate Samaki Walker that left Walker with a black eye. In an age before Twitter and social media, those types of stories just weren't as big as they are now, especially when it involved just one star instead of two stars like the Kobe and Shaquille O'Neal feud.

NBA: Lamar Odom Leaves Hospital For Private Facility

Former NBA star Lamar Odom has been transferred from a Los Angeles hospital to a private facility. But there's no word on his condition, three months after he was found unconscious and in critical condition at a Nevada brothel.

Family spokeswoman Alvina Alston said Friday that Odom was released from the hospital earlier in the week. Alston says Odom's family is proud of what's termed his "miraculous and continued improvement" but isn't providing details of his condition.

Shin Injury Is "Frustrating & Annoying" - Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry walked to the locker room to the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday because he'd aggravated his shin contusion. The injury kept the Golden State Warriors superstar out of two games at the end of December, and he had to leave Saturday's game early, too.

This time, his shin hit the leg of Lakers center Roy Hibbert. He stayed in the game, but checked out about five minutes later with his team en route to a 109-88 win. In his 26 minutes, he had 17 points on 6-for-13 shooting, including 4-for-8 from deep, plus six assists, one rebound and three steals.

"It's just frustrating and annoying and any other adjective you want to throw in there," Curry told reporters, via ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss. "Long-term, it's not something that I'll have to worry about. It's just playing through an injury that's there. It doesn't get worse if I play on it, unless I get kicked, and that's happened three times since I did it, so hopefully it won't keep happening again."

NBA: Jahlil Okafor Unhappy Over Father's Criticism Of Sixers

Jahlil Okafor seems not to be happy with his dad after his father gave a sixers fan a condition for taking a picture with him.

Philadelphia big man Jahlil Okafor also had to deal with dad stuff. Michael Weber, a screenwriter and Sixers fan, attended the game against the Clippers at the Staples Center and tweeted that Okafor's dad, Chuck, heckled coach Brett Brown until his son told him to stop. Weber then posed for a selfie with Chuck, who had him cover the face of general manager Sam Hinkie on his T-shirt.

Wow! Andre Iguodala's Babymama Wants $58,000 Per Month

Andre Iguodala Pays his babymama $18,000 per month but the former dancer has made a new demand for $58,000 in a month.

Different athlete, same story, an ex-gf/wife wants an insane amount of child support because of course it will all be used on the child. Riiiight. Apparently Andre Iguodala has a genius child at a young age & it cost a bunch of money to maintain all this knowledge.

Clayanna Warthen a former video vixen claims she can’t even pay for the 6-year-old’s school expenses on the $18k a month he’s paying in child support.

NBA: Will Curry's Shin Injury Affect Warriors Run

For now, Saturday night doesn't leave a huge void in the Golden State Warriors' season. Stephen Curry left the game after re-injuring his sore shin when it got knocked when trying to navigate some screens and stay in front of Jameer Nelson against the Denver Nuggets. Curry was subbed out at the 2:16 mark of the second quarter when he was noticeably limping, and never returned.

The result of the injury was a fascinating look into what may lie ahead for the Warriors in their pursuit of the best record in NBA history, the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. The Warriors want this record and they've been pretty adamant about finding the requisite motivation in order to be up for all of these games in a way that does harken back to the insane competitive nature of Michael Jordan. But when you take away that team's M.J., does such a feat become impossible to attain or even approach?

NBA: Golden Warriors State 111-108 Denver Nuggets

With reigning MVP Stephen Curry hurt again after re-injuring his left leg, the Golden State Warriors barely kept their long home winning streak going.

Klay Thompson made a driving finger roll with 15.6 seconds left in overtime and the short-handed defending champions held off the Denver Nuggets 111-108 on Saturday night.

Draymond Green knocked down his first four 3-point tries in the opening 3 1/2 minutes on the way to 29 points, 17 rebounds and 14 assists for his NBA-leading sixth triple-double.

Bad Boy: Troubled Jahlil Okafor Aspiring To Save His First NBA Season

After a series of troubles that has appeared to affect his performance on the court,  76ers rookie Jahlil Okafor hopes to save his first NBA season.

"When it first happened it was clear that his world was rocked in the biggest way, I'm assuming, of his sporting life," Sixers coach Brett Brown told Yahoo Sports. "You can see it in his eyes, his demeanor. His swagger got bumped around a little bit. We explained a lot. 'We all go through mistakes. Don't beat yourself up. You screwed up. We got people here that will help you. Time will pass.'

"I feel what I see now is a distant memory. It's taught all of us and I see him playing basketball again."

NBA: Warriors 89-83 Cavaliers

Even when all those long-range shots aren't falling like usual, the defending-champion Golden State Warriors showed they are quite comfortable grinding out wins.

Draymond Green had 22 points and 15 rebounds and the Warriors got defensive in their NBA Finals rematch against Cleveland, beating the Cavaliers 89-83 on Friday.

''It's good to have one of those every so often,'' guard Stephen Curry said. ''If our defense shows up, we're in pretty good shape to win games. We just show our versatility and try to win different ways.''

NBA: Kobe Leads Curry In All Stars Returns

It looks like Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant's farewell tour will stop in Toronto in February. The 20-year veteran leads all players in the first returns of All-Star voting, the NBA announced on Friday. Merry Christmas, Kobe fans.

NBA: Hakeem Olajuwon, Micheal Jordan Tops List Of Kobe Bryant's Toughest Opponents

Basket Ball great Kobe Bryant has named the top five players he has ever played against in the NBA

In a conference call on Monday, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant named his top 5 opposing players and teams, adding that it was difficult not to pick more, via ESPN's Baxter Holmes.

NBA Star Derrick Williams Robbed Of $750,000 Jewelry

Basketball star Derrick Williams has confirmed that a jewelry that worth $750,000 was stolen from his apartment in Tribeca

This is what the New York Post said:

Knicks forward Derrick Williams was robbed of $750,000 in jewelry at his Tribeca apartment early Saturday — and he's blaming two women he took home from a Meatpacking District club earlier in the evening.

NBA: Jason Day's Wife Out Of Hospital After Collision With LeBron James

Good news here for PGA star Jason Day's wife, Ellie Day, who according to the PGA has been released from Cleveland's Metro Hospital after a scary collision with LeBron James Thursday night. The AP reports via Day's agent that Day suffered from "concussion symptoms." Ellie and Jason were sitting courtside at Quicken Loans Arena watching the Cavaliers do battle with the Oklahoma City Thunder when,  LeBron went flying into the front row in chase of a loose ball late in the fourth quarter.

Video: Watch LeBron James' Double-Pump Reverse Dunk Against Celtics

             
LeBron James had himself an incredible dunk Tuesday night vs. the Celtics in Boston. With the Cavaliers facing the team that has given him so much trouble through the years, and with Celtics announcer Tommy Heinsohn literally calling him a crybaby courtside, James found himself on a break from an outlet pass and gave the crowd something special.

So yeah, he's got a pretty great history on those dunks. Hey, remember when LeBron was struggling to play "above the rim?"

NBA Power Rankings: Warriors Still First

Now that the Golden State Warriors have lost, the question in this space becomes whether or not there's a legit argument to be made for the Warriors not being No. 1. On the surface, it looks absurd. The Warriors have one loss -- ONE LOSS -- this season. The San Antonio Spurs have five times that, and have as many losses this week as the Warriors do.

However, consider that in the past 15 games, the Spurs have a better net point differential per 100 possessions, while the Warriors' defense has been just 12th in the league in that span. The Spurs have three losses in their last 15, but the Warriors also struggled with teams like the Nets and Raptors, before the double-overtime win over Boston which led to their stumble vs. the Bucks on the back to back.

The Spurs, meanwhile, have played more consistently, game to game, and their losses have come in single-possession games. Still, the Warriors still found ways to win, so they hold on this week. But the debate is there, and honestly? You can consider them tied at the top.

NBA: Bucks Ends Warriors Incredible Winning Streak

About three hours before the Golden State Warriors' 24-0 start would come to an end in Milwaukee, amid an atmosphere that could only be compared to the NCAA Tournament, Doc Rivers stopped on his way to the locker room in Brooklyn and was asked to assess what impressed him most about "the streak."

His Los Angeles Clippers had just beaten the Nets 105-100 on Saturday night, finally getting some reliable play from the bench and continuing a recent trend of precise execution down the stretch.

In other words, what the Warriors had been doing for 24 games in a row.

Golden State Warriors 124-119 Boston Celtic: Andre Iguodala Lifts Warriors

They were facing one of the best defensive teams in the league, on the road, without two starters. Stephen Curry had an off night. Kelly Olynyk was on fire. Avery Bradley played the best defensive game of the season. They went to double overtime. They were exhausted. They were off their game (9 of 31 from 3-point range).

The Celtics threw the kitchen sink at the Warriors, who were without Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes, both out with ankle sprains. Golden State's inability to spread the floor in transition allowed the Celtics to swarm Curry, forcing him into a 9-of-27 shooting night with eight turnovers. But Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala stepped up and carried the Warriors, while Boston could not find quality shots in key situations as two Isaiah Thomas hero ball possessions at the end of regulation and the first OT came up short.

NBA: Jahlil Okafor Has "Gone Through A Hell Of A Hard Time" - Brett Brown

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown acknowledged on Wednesday that rookie Jahlil Okafor has struggled since his altercation in Boston and subsequent suspension. Brown said that it would be "naive" to expect the big man to be unaffected by it, via the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey:

"He's gone through a hell of a hard time," coach Brett Brown said. "I'm sure the hardest time of his life. To think that's not going to impact how you play in front of 18,000 people and go be on national TV again and go put yourself out there where you are scrutinized on your performance is quite naive, I think."

Okafor wouldn't call it a slump, but he's averaged 10.5 points and shot 31 percent over the four games he's played since the news of the fight two weeks ago. In fairness to him, he's played against teams with good defensive big men: the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, though Tim Duncan sat out in Monday's game.

NBA: LeBron James Nike Life Deal Worth More Than $500 million

LeBron James announced a life deal with apparel giants some days ago. Facts reaching us now speculates that the life deal with Nike is worth more than $30 million a year.

LeBron James' lifetime deal with Nike will not only keep the Cleveland Cavaliers forward in the company's clothes and sneakers for the rest of his life, it will also make him an even richer man.

According to USA Today's Sam Amick, Nike's lifetime deal with James will pay him "significantly more than" $500 million.