Well, friends. We’re not going to get a better image from the NBA Playoffs than this one, Tweeted by CBS Sports’ Matt Moore last night. Hell, if I were picking the best overall sports photo from 2013, this beauty would already have a giant blue ribbon slapped on it, as it dined for free at Red Lobster this evening.

It doesn’t need much of a recap, obviously, as the Miami Heat absolutely demolished the Chicago Bulls in Game 2 last night – as I and probably everyone outside of Chicago predicted – and Joakim Noah didn’t bottle his emotions very well. Noah was ejected in the 4th quarter after sharing some choice words with official Scott Foster after the refs missed a goaltending call, and as you can see he was greeted by this woman on his way to the locker room.

But there’s more to this woman and her husband – the Heat Bro and Babe, if you will – than just this image, as the video of Noah’s ejection reveals.

UPDATE: This is apparently the woman, according to the Sportress of Blogitude. Wow.

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Even after my team locked up the worst record in the NBA, I’m trying hard to enjoy the NBA Playoffs because I think what LeBron James and the Miami Heat are doing this season, despite being what we’ve expected them to do from day one, is legendary stuff, and I think that the West is going to provide us with some exciting basketball all the way through Game 7 of the Conference Finals, before the eventual winner has to play the Heat in the NBA Finals.

Two things, though, are annoying the bejesus out of me. One, as always, is the completely idiotic scheduling that gives teams two days off between certain games, and is the reason why BASEketball gave us that hilarious scene about drawn out playoffs. The other, though, can only be explained with a Seinfeld reference. You know how Kramer practically has a seizure every time he hears Mary Hart’s voice? Well, that’s me with will.i.am.

Except instead of a seizure, I get really punchy. Case in point, ESPN’s “That Power” NBA Playoffs commercial, starring will.I.am and players from all of the playoff teams except for the ones that ESPN and the NBA don’t care about.

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For my money, there’s no greater MS Paint artist in this generation or any other, for that matter (suck it, Picasso), than our own Danger Guerrero. His efforts within this specific medium have been unparalleled over the decades that I’ve known him, and I believe that he has no less than 75 works currently hanging in the Smithsonian and the Louvre. Do not quote me on that number, as it may be off just a tad.

However, despite the important life lessons that we were given by The Highlander series, there doesn’t have to be only one, and I recently stumbled upon the works of another outstanding MS Paint artist (pronounced ar-teest) who sadly remains anonymous at this current time. But like most great reclusive artists of the last several centuries and great artistic periods, this unknown person got his or her start on Tumblr, with the site “Great NBA Moments”.

Sure enough, this collection of artwork re-captures some of the greatest moments in NBA history through the stunning use of basic colors and brushes that only MS Paint can provide. Included in these incredible works are Michael Jordan’s iconic game-winning jumpshot, Dirk Nowitzki’s three-pointer in Game 5 of the 2011 NBA Finals and even the cover of the video game masterpiece, Shaq Fu.

Short of Larry Bird sharing a milkshake with Skeletor or any of the sketches that we’ve previously viewed from the artists at Double Dribble, this is probably the best NBA art that you will see this year. While there are many more beautiful works available at Great NBA Moments, I have included some of my favorites in this week’s With Leather Wild Art Gallery.

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As we head into the 4th quarter of the NBA season, the Chicago Bulls are the first and only team to have clinched a playoff spot so far, which wouldn’t seem like much of an accomplishment, except that Derrick Rose has missed 17 games this season. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat have entered that “we know we can kill anyone but we’re saving it for the playoffs” phase of their season, which doesn’t mean much, because they’ll still finish in the No. 2 spot – if they don’t gain ground and upend the Bulls, that is – because the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers most likely aren’t going to catch them.

In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder showed they’re ready to start the playoffs now, with a 103-87 thrashing of the Heat on Sunday. San Antonio, though, has flown under the radar while becoming the second best team in the conference, and those cranky, grizzled veterans are probably the biggest threat to the Thunder’s Finals run. Well, except maybe the Lakers or the Mavericks. Or anyone.

This season has been strange.

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I probably have a few million first world complaints that I keep to myself for the sake of not being struck by lightning, but if I had to throw one out there, I’d say that Kate Upton doesn’t Tweet enough fun pictures of her and her friends. And no, it’s not because I like to sit in a dark room and photoshop myself into those pictures, despite what any court documentation might say. But when Kate does Tweet pics of her random adventures, it proves one of my oldest theories – life must be good for a gorgeous 19-year old supermodel.

Kate, a huge New York sports fan, recently toured the newest additions to Madison Square Garden and I’m sure it was the greatest thrill of her life. Must have been a million times better than those lame ass trips to Caribbean islands and sitting front row at anything on this planet that has a front row. But she Tweeted the pic of her and her friend Lizzy Glynn having fun so who am I to complain?

Oh, and if you weren’t aware, Kate was also photographed for Diddy’s new coffee table book about the female posterior, fittingly titled, “Culo.” I happen to have her contribution after the jump, as well as this week’s Wild Card Wednesday. Join me, won’t you?

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Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 in April because he called a referee a f*ggot during a game. Joakim Noah called a fan a “f*cking f*ggot” twice during Sunday night’s loss to the Miami Heat and he was fined $50,000. According to CBS Sports, Bryant was fined more for his ignorant shout because it was directed at a league official. The NBA also since made the commercial for the “Think Before You Speak” campaign to spread awareness of the damage that comes with calling someone gay. To recap – Kobe paid $100K for calling a ref the derogatory F-bomb and Noah will pay half that amount for calling a fan the same thing. A fan. The person who pays to see the product. The person who is targeted by the hate speech campaign. Rock solid logic.

Athletes will never stop using words like f*ggot or gay as insults because they just won’t, unless the leagues really start attacking their wallets. But for Noah, I have a better idea – instead of the NBA fining him, the gay community should make him the new face of prejudice. It worked for preserving Rick Santorum’s legacy, so why can’t it be applied here?

More than likely, though, Noah will just cut a check and act like nothing happened. Hopefully he’ll think long and hard about it after his vacation starts next week.

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