Cleveland just gave LeBron a gigantic middle finger(via Basketbawful reader Paul, Jimmy Traina, Deadspin, and a dozen other sources)

We've given Cleveland a lot of shit over the years. (For example, the Hastily Made Cleveland Tourism Video and its equally awesome sequel that I have linked to on multiple occasions on this blog.) However, I've gotta give them credit for this video. LeBron absolutely took a monumental bowel movement on the entire city when he waited until the very last moment to inform the team he was leaving, and he did it in the most inflammatory, public way possible. I think it's perfectly okay for the Cleveland fans to be just a little bitter, and their video here does a good job expressing their frustrations. (Come on. Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao are supposed to lead their team now? Honestly?)

FYI, if you didn't read it earlier today, make sure you check out AnacondaHL's Unnecessarily Comprehensive and Overdue NBA 2010-11 Schedule Analysis. It is, for lack of a better word, epic. I'm glad we have somebody here willing to crunch the numbers because I sure as hell don't feel like doing it, even though the information you get from it is fantastic.

From our friends at The Basketball Jones, this is why Andray Blatche is fat. Indeed. Oliver Miller, on the other hand, is just fat because having a jersey with the horrific old Raptors logo made him drown his sorrows in the Sizzler buffet line.

Again, something completely not basketball-related, but I felt absolutely worth sharing: here's a beautiful slideshow of a photojournalistic looks at Elizabethtown, Kentucky. It's a small town right off Interstate 65 just around an hour south of my hometown of Louisville. If you are a photography junkie like me, or if you just appreciate good stories and good pictures, it's well worth a look. (And here's the rest of the story related to those pictures.)

Oh, and speaking of Kentucky... JOCKEY FIGHT!!!

Worst of the Night in Pictures:

This would be a Sad Bench photo, except Scalabrine's on the bench. By default, this cannot be a sad photo!

You know, if CJ Watson actually could fly like Superman, maybe they'd have beaten the Knicks...

Turiaf is enjoying boxing out Noah a little too much

Nationally Televised Friday Games:
Bulls at Celtics, ESPN, 8pm: Okay Celtics, you're catching the Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back after getting demolished (at home no less) by an unholy three-point shooting night by the friggin' Knicks where most of the starters were benched? Either the Celtics win big, or this is a devastating trap game. There is no in-between.

Clippers at Nuggets, ESPN, 10:30pm I get that the Clippers are in a big TV market, but why oh why must they show up on national TV so often? Who watches Clippers games? (You know, aside from us.)

All The Other Friday Games:
Bucks at Pacers, 7pm: By contrast, this game doesn't even appear to be televised according to the ESPN.com schedule. Probably for the best.

Nyets at Magic, 7pm: Nice to see the Magic will continue to remain unbeaten at home.

Cavaliers at 76ers, 7pm: Our own BadDave had this to say: "It may not be a pair of 4in5s, but I have the utmost joy in attending tonights 76ers hosting the Cleveland Sadoliers. I'm hoping the total score is below 150." I hope you are indeed so lucky, BadDave.

Bobcats at Pistons, 7:30pm: The poor, poor Detroit Pissed-Ons... This is a huge game for them, right?

Wizards Generals at Knicks, 7:30pm: The Bricks absolutely own the Generals when playing at MSG. They've won 12 of their last 14 meetings there. Remember, that's even in spite of the Isiah Thomas. I'm impressed, even if it is only against the Generals.

Heat at Hornets, 8pm: How "for real" are the Hornets this year? I had zero faith in them, but they've been proving me wrong. (And we're getting the Clippers instead of this game on ESPN tonight? Ugh.)

Hawks at Timberwolves, 8pm: The Darko PER Watch continues. Can he get his PER all the way down into negative numbers for the season? Stay tuned!

Grizzlies at Suns, 10pm: Well Suns fans, this is not promising. Steve Nash tweeted: "Suns need a dubbbb! How are we going to do it tonight, people?" If you don't know how to beat the Grizzlies at home, I am afraid for the rest of the season.

Jazz at Warriors, 10:30pm: The Warriors running around aimlessly! Yay!!

Craptors at Lakers, 10:30pm: Well, I have nothing interesting to say about this game. So how about another thought from our friend The Philosoraptor?

Mind-boggling.

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Nationally Televised Saturday Games:
Nuggets at Mavericks, NBA TV, 9pm: Go read this great piece on George Karl. Do it.

All The Other Saturday Games:
Cavaliers at Wizards Generals, 7pm: Per AnacondaHL: More fun with Twitter, or rather, fun with Ted Leonsis: "Ted Leonsis will do the "Dougie" just like @jimmywa11 did http://bit.ly/cfbd2u after first sold out game (no Miami, Boston or L.A. though)"

Magic at Bobcats, 7pm: Look, I have nothing against a low scoring basketball game, just so long as it's because of good defense and not because of general sucktitude. So yeah, I'd rather watch random videos of people on Youtube dunking on a Nerf basketball hoop than watch the Bobcats at this point.

Nyets at Heat, 7:30pm: Two ass-whuppins in one week by the Heat? Poor New Jersey. (Well, poor New Jersey in general, but still.)

Hornets at Bucks, 8:30pm: An over-performing team meets an under-performing one. Interesting game? Well, at least it'll be interesting to see if Corey Maggette can continue to put up a large majority of his points from the charity stripe despite being a third, fourth, or fifth tier player.

Rockets at Spurs, 8:30pm: The Rockets are letting their opponents shoot 50% from the field in the 2nd half of games this year. That's horrific. Clutch the Bear could just stay on the court after his halftime performance in home games and play better defense than that.

Clippers at Jazz, 9pm: Look out, people of Utah! The Clippers are coming to your state! Get out while you can!

Craptors at Trail Blazers, 10pm: I wonder... do the random employees of the Blazers organization have the same problems with random health ailments and patella injuries the rest of the team does?

Grizzlies at Kings, 10pm: Since it's essentially impossible to care about this game under normal circumstances, I had to consult our resident Kings fan Chris for input on this game. His take: "Once again, the Paupers get to take advantage of a soft early schedule! Yet these are the same Paupers who -- WITH Tyreke the Freak --lost to the Nets. So I have no idea." Well, that's reassuring.

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Nationally Televised Sunday Games:
Celtics at Thunder, NBA TV, 7pm: I can't wait to watch this game! Except, oh wait, I don't get NBA TV, so I'd have to go to a sports bar and consume half my weight in chicken wings and Captain Morgan and Cokes on a Sunday night then try to go to work the next day.

All The Other Sunday Games:
76ers at Knicks, 12pm: If Amar''''e can't get a double-double in this game...

Suns at Hawks, 5pm: Nash's worried about the Grizzlies. I don't even want to think about this game... (curls into fetal position)

Warriors at Pistons, 6pm: It's a high speed vortex of suck! Look out!!

Timberwolves at Rockets, 7pm: Considering this is the second night of a back-to-back for the Rockets, I don't expect to see Yao Ming and his porcelain feet in this game. Darko Milicic just breathed a sigh of relief -- he'll only put up a 2-for-10 shooting effort with 5 turnovers instead of getting blanked and turning it over a dozen times.

Trail Blazers at Lakers, 9:30pm: Okay, we get it. The Lakers are good. But was this really necessary?

Labels: Bawful After Dark, Cleveland Cavaliers, jockey fight, Kentucky