Now we bring you a look at 16 other athletes and their interesting costume choices.

After hitting up the Flamingo Senior Rec Center League, the Bayou Women’s League and the Jewish Under 40 League, they all coincidentally met up at the Drum Tower Park in Beijing, China.

Moral of the story?  “Love the game no matter what.”  Check it out.

Many individuals have been negatively affected by the NBA lockout, including Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, who was set to make $15.5-million during the 2011-12 season, but must now settle for a $20/hour wage working in Sears’ automotive section.

So for those of you who have a question regarding the battery life of your Ford Focus, or if you were wondering how many times a month you should be bringing your Honda Civic through the car wash, feel free to send your question in to the 2009 NBA scoring champion.

Shaq only recently retired from basketball and joined the broadcast team on NBA TV, but he wasted little time stirring things up when he referred to the Miami Heat as the “Big 2.”

The Big Diesel thought he could slip that comment in undetected, but it wasn’t long before he was questioned about it.  Unfortunately, Shaq didn’t want to add any more fuel to the fire, as he simply talked about how great Wade and James are without mentioning Bosh’s name.

Needless to say, this was an interesting start to Shaq’s broadcasting career, and something tells me this is only the beginning.

Among those receiving the VIP kits were Kevin Durant, John Wall, Michael Vick, Drew Brees, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony.  And with both the NBA and the NFL in the midst of a lockout, it appears as though all of these men will have plenty of time to enjoy their wonderful gift from EA Sports.

Here is a look at some of the images of the EA Sports NCAA Football ’12 VIP kit.

Looking at the coverage 24 hours after the Mavericks twisted the dagger and the Miami Heat bled out, it’s not surprising to see LeBron James be the recipient of vitriol. It was surprising to see how much of it there was. People were calling him a failure and saying that his legacy was tarnished, labeling him a loser and other things far worst.

The fact is that the guy is 26 years old, has two MVP trophies, and three finals appearances. And no rings. I’m sure that’s frustrating, and people will be critical. But he’s still an asset in every sense of the word. So why is he the nation’s whipping boy right now? I was just going to make the “haters gonna hate” argument and turn in my piece early, but since my editor probably wouldn’t pay me for that, I offer a more comprehensive analysis of why he’s being criticized and which accusations are unfair and untrue.

But mostly: Haters gonna hate.

5. He Has Never Had the Killer Instinct
The guy hasn’t had the fangs that Jordan, Kobe, or Bird had. He’s more on par with Shaq as someone who was the best at their level for so long that they got caught off guard when they had to work to be the best. LeBron is more physically gifted than any player in the league save for maybe Dwight Howard, but he doesn’t seem to have the compulsion that separates the legends from the greats.

It’s a weird thing to say when I’m arguing someone’s defense. Only I’m not arguing on behalf of LeBron, I’m arguing against the backlash. What causes a backlash is a change or perceived change. Nothing has changed with LeBron. He’s still acting like a goofy teenager. But to turn on him because he isn’t a great seems a little misguided. People loved the guy when he was goofing off his first three seasons. However, now they’re pissed he can’t get his house in order enough to spend time in the gym to work on high post moves and steps towards the basket. I’m not saying that his lack of teeth is a good thing, but considering he never had them, its illogical to call him out on it now.

4. He Had a Decent Playoffs by His Standards, and a Great One by Anyone Else’s
He fell off in the finals, but over the course of the playoffs, BronBron put up 23.7 PPG, 6.4 Rebounds, and 5.9 assists. To put it in perspective, Dirk Nowitzki, the darling of the playoffs, put up 27.7, 8.1, and 2.5. The lines are pretty close to equal. I would have to be insane to make the argument that these two were equally impressive in the playoffs. Dirk turned on and off like a light switch, shooting approximately 6,322% from the free throw line and owning the game when he needed to. LeBron only owned games when he could. Dirk led, and LeBron didn’t. But to argue that King James played poorly in the playoffs just isn’t true. He didn’t improve, and he didn’t lead, but he played well enough to make the argument that didn’t play well a fallacy.

3. The Stats Don’t Tell the Story
Often times, a great player will step up their game with a new team to become legendary. However, much more often, a star will join a better team and see his numbers fall, regardless if the team succeeds or fails. The reason for this is clear: A team only gets X possessions per game, so if more talent on a team will dilute the number of possessions any player has, putting a lower ceiling on their numbers.

It’s pretty clear that this is the case in Miami. On Cleveland, LeBron was the alpha and omega of that team. When it came time for the playoffs, if he didn’t do it, it wouldn’t get done. Consequently, he was tracking among the league’s best in scoring. Well, LeBron doesn’t have to do it all himself now. Wade scores and Bosh gets boards. Just because LeBron doesn’t get as many rebounds doesn’t mean he’s not as good a player as he was. It makes more sense to simply look at the performance of the team upon his arrival…more on that in the next point.

2. He Helped the Heat Become the Nation’s Second-Best Team
The over/under from myriad sportswriters on Heat championships immediately after “The Decision” was probably around 2 or 2.5. How quickly we forget. His first year in, he was part of a young, new team that were two wins away from being champions. Call this a failure if you must, but most players should be so lucky. This is not a now or never situation. Second place is frankly higher than I would thought they would be. With that much talent and pressure from not only the playoff environment, but the haters out there, I would view this season as a success. Of course, if you’re good enough to get there, you’re good enough to be disappointed when you lose, but that’s a fan’s mentality. The LeBron detractors aren’t fans, so that doesn’t apply. They are focusing on the fact that he (they) lost to one team, rather than admitting they finished better than 30 others.

1. He’s Not That Bad of a Guy
People are really hating Lebron right now. Sadly, the hate for LeBron specifically and the Heat in general is about 3x as prevalent as the love for the Mavs. Which is unfortunate because it diminishes what the Mavericks did. (Full disclosure: I’m from Dallas and an enormous Mavs fan.

As some of the points above indicate, the backlash isn’t really about statistics or even reality, but rather just hate. People hate Lebron because they want to hate him. Which I suppose is as good a reason as any, but the fact is, I don’t really think he deserves it. He’s had the misfortune of making a few very high-profile mistakes recently, but none were made out of anger or malice. He’s a big dumb kid. I’m pissed that he hasn’t grown up faster and become as special as he’s capable of being, but I don’t hate him for it.

The decisions he’s made are misguided at best and stupid at worst, but he’s not a bad guy. “The Decision” was (I assume) the result of bad handlers and probably some pressure from ESPN. The “Welcome Party” I’m comfortable laying on the Heat. Hell, his decision to play for the Heat was just the result of a 25 year-old kid wanting to play with his friends in South Beach. I don’t think it was a good decision, but I’d say the punishment as meted out by the court of public opinion far outweighs the crime.

Recently, there’s been a lot of hate on the Heat, culminating in last night’s Finals loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Some of it was deserved, and some simply piled on because expectations were so high. Well, they have a few months to lick their wounds, get back to gelling and prove to the skeptics that Rome wasn’t built in a day. Or even 82 nights. Case in point: They made the NBA Finals and were two wins away from being crowned kings. Not bad. But many seem to need reminding as to why these guys aren’t a flash in the pan, or, even worse, a failed experiment. Take a look.

9. They Are Young
Wade is 29 years young and LeBron just 26. There’s not a whole lot of need for analysis here. Wade is at the peak of his career and LeBron is (hopefully) approaching his. Meanwhile, the Lakers age, the Mavericks age, and the Celtics really age. The young talent of the Heat just got hit with a jarring dose of experience. They principals should find this dovetailing nicely with the apex of their physical development.

In short: they’re young and good.

8. They’re in the East
East isn’t bad, it’s just not as good as the West. Consequently, Miami will have a pretty easy go of advancing in the playoffs than if they had to make the run in the more difficult and taxing west. That’s right, I’m talking about a never-developed Magic squad, the geriatric Celtics, and the quite-legit Bulls. While the best team usually wins the championship, you have to take into consideration one team’s more leisurely stroll into the Finals.
 
7. The Lakers Are Getting Worse, The Heat Are Getting Better
Of course, there’s no denying that the Lakers weren’t the contenders that knocked off Miami, but they were certainly the team most feared going into the playoffs. There’s a handful of reasons I toss around the complex scientific phrases ”getting worse,” and “getting better,” but none are particularly earth-shattering, but rather just stray observations. Gausol fell apart. Kobe’s getting older, but no less clutch. Kobe’s expectations of a banner team from the Lakers next season are probably a closely guarded secret. Miami’s fast, Lakers are tall. Well, “fast” seemed to give the Mavs more fits than “tall,” so don’t expect the Lakeshow to stick with last years strategy.

Meanwhile, while Miami didn’t get as far they would have liked, they gave the eventual champs perhaps one of the greatest Finals matchups in recent memory.

6. Chalmers Is Exhibiting “Big Shot” Potential
Don’t make me go into specifics. It would be like asking me to illustrate when and where I received all 73 of my gnat bites when I went camping last month. I don’t know details about him and don’t feel I need to. The guy is an offensive pest in the most complimentary sense of the term. He stepped up in the Finals, hitting half-court buzzer beaters and enough open threes to have Mavs fans scream “who does this guy think he is?” He’s not gonna star on the Heat, but his play is reminiscent of Robert Horry, who probably has more of a positive corollary of team success to his involvement than any other player in basketball history.

5. Dwayne Wade Is Still The Fastest Slasher in the League
Dwyane Wade has a few shortcomings. He pulls dives and acting jobs that would make an Italian soccer player blush. His durability ranks about halfway between Kobe’s and Tracy McGrady’s. The dude gets injured more than you would like. And he kind of acts like a big, dumb kid sometimes, and the only person that could keep him in check is another big dumb kid in LeBron James. However, he’s the fastest player down the court and perhaps the fastest one from the arc to the rim. He will be next year, and while he didn’t have many chances to prove how clutch he has been, he has demonstrated that he’s the type of superstar that raises his game in the playoffs.

4. Dwyane Wade Will Realize, Beyond Any Doubt, That He’s The Leader of This Team
Chalk the first year up to growing pains. Made all the more impressive by the fact that Chris and Dwyane and LeBron took their squad all the way to Game 6 of the NBA Finals. I would hazard a guess that most teams would consider Miami’s run more than just “character-building.”

Early in the season, BronBron explicitly said that the Heat would remain D. Wade’s team. Well, it should be pretty clear that James wasn’t just offering up lip service. LeBron hasn’t shown himself capable to be the leader of this team. While this may sound like more of a negative than a positive, the fact remains that it was the case all year, so it’s best to just make your piece with it, barring a serious behavioral departure by the King. So both parties will hone their roles both on the court and off. Both players are too nice to seriously threaten each other.

3. Erik Spoelstra Is 41
I don’t bring up his age to talk about durability or the distant future but rather to simply illustrate that the guy is really young, so don’t expect him to be firing on all cylinders just yet, especially with the myriad problems inherent to housing three superstars on a court. Now, I’m not saying he’s the best coach for this team: frankly, I think he’s far from it. But, that question is moot. As it will stand next season, Spolestra will be the coach and he will enter the season older, humbler, and wiser than he was yesterday. Which is good, because he got drastically outcoached in the Finals. To be fair though, Carlisle was coaching circles around everyone for the playoffs.

2. Just…LeBron
He certainly didn’t blow anyone away with his performance over these playoffs; rather, he just looked “reliable” and “tough.” Not the hallmarks of the Basketball Messiah. However, the old adage goes that if you see two sprinters that run the same times, though one has poor form and one has good form, you take the one with bad form, because once you train him the good form, he’ll be even faster. LeBron hasn’t shown perfect form. I’m not guaranteeing that he’ll reinvent himself a la Kobe with the post moves, but between the hell he took last summer and the hell he’s going to take starting about two hours ago, expect the pressure on him to force him to put some teeth into his game.

1. Their Problems Are Solvable
Is the ceiling on Bosh’s success too low? Would he serve the Heat better as a player for hire with another team, benefiting both Bosh and ownership better than if they’re taking one of the NBA’s top talents and shoved him into a position that was destined for no more than an 14-10-6 every night. Solid numbers, but Bosh would be able to soar much higher with a weaker team. I’m not saying it would be the C. Bosh show, but right now his two biggest opponents are perhaps the blue-chip players on his team.

LeBron James

Last night they were at it again, this time mocking Dirk Nowitzki prior to Game 5 after he claimed to be playing with a 101-degree fever during Dallas’ 86-83 victory in Game 4.

So how did Dirk respond to this jab from the Heat’s “Big Two”?  Exactly how you would expect him to.  Twenty-nine points, six rebounds, three assists and a crucial Game 5 victory.

Hey LeBron and Wade.  Tell me how Dirk’s ass tastes!

P.S. We’ve got to get Shaq into a studio to record that song immediately!

Hat Tip – [Ball Don't Lie]

Those are the words on every Heat-hater’s mind after watching Dwyane Wade and LeBron James celebrate an 88-73 lead with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter, only to squander it away and lose Game 2 last night by a score of 95-93.

The celebration came after Wade had just knocked down a three-pointer beside the Mavs’ bench to give the Heat a 15-point lead.  After hitting the shot, Wade held his right hand in the air for several seconds before standing in as LeBron’s punching bag.  The two appeared to be having a great time, but it didn’t last long.  Dallas responded to the tune of a 22-5 run, led by some clutch shots from Dirk Nowitzki down the stretch, which helped cap one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history.

Coincidentally, the Heat’s collapse comes only one day after the Cavs’ Daniel Gibson said “(LeBron James) might have needed to go somewhere and find someone who is a little greater so maybe he wouldn’t die down in those moments.”  Those words were a response to James saying that he “wanted to team up with some guys that would never die down in the moment,” when asked about his decision to join the Heat after beating the Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Here is a look at James and Wade’s early celebration.  Every time I watch this, I can’t help but smile.  What a great way to start a Friday!

During the post-game press conference, Wade was asked about the “celebration.”  We put “celebration” in quotes because according to Wade, holding your hand up in the air 8 seconds after your shot and sparing with a teammate isn’t a “celebration.”  You can hear his full explanation below.

Gibson stole the show last night with a monstrous two-handed dunk over the out-stretched arms of Wade, who is usually on the other end of this type of posterization.  As for Gibson’s Bulls, they would go on to win Game One by a score of 103-82.

Here is a look at Gibson’s massive slam over Wade.