Dwight Howard is not effing around.

Not only has he been ballin' out of control for Orlando during round 1 of the playoffs (Paging anyone else on the Magic... Please show up if you have any interest in advancing), but he's going after money owed to him by Royce Reed, the mother of his child. Dwight previously sued Royce because she was talking trash about him in the media, and was awarded $500,000. Apparently Royce didn't pay up, because according to Dwight Howard and his legal team- she now owes him $551,606.74. Why the increase in amount, you might ask? Interest is a b*tch.

I doubt Dwight will be seeing that money any time soon... But she must be working with a little something- why else would she still be on Basketball Wives if she wasn't getting paid? Oh, and speaking of the Basketball "Wives" (quotes because none of them are actually married)- they were invited to an event in Miami called the AMG Beach Polo World Cup this weekend, and a fight broke out. No word yet on what caused the altercation... But it's a hot mess in the street nonetheless.  It looks like Royce was holding Tami back. Good luck with that. 

5 Questions with Shaq.

Via Marc Stein:

Q: How much do you look forward to the opportunity to go up against guys like Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum in the playoffs?

A: Excuse me? Don't ask me a question like that.

Q: But that's what people want to know. Those guys are playing so well and everyone wants to see if you can match up with them one-on-one.

A: First of all, they won't dare play me one-on-one, even at the tender age of 39. And you know what? Playin' those teams, it ain't gonna be about the [center] matchup, so I don't really worry about that.

Q: So there's not more pressure on you now because the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins?

A: No. Because I've just got to rebound and play good defense. And I can do that. If I was getting the ball and taking all the shots, it'd be a lot of pressure at 39. But I've just got to rebound and play D.

Q: However you feel health-wise right now, you're convinced that you're going to be healthy enough to be a factor in the playoffs?

A: Yeah. Gotta be.

Q: How much thought have you given to playing beyond this season? Is there a chance that this is the last season for you?

A: I don't know yet. Probably not.

Oh Shaq. I love that he says games with the Magic and the Lakers aren't about the center match ups. We're lucky to have him at a point in his career when it doesn't have to be about that match up. He knows that it's about winning games, and that's it. All Shaq has to be is 39 years old, 7'1" tall and 325 pounds.

Ray Allen loves Ellen Degeneres. Also, Kobe Bryant says "Get jiggy with it..." because it's 1999, apparently.

Ellen posted this video of NBA All-Stars shouting her out on youtube. I'm completely unashamed to say that I LOVE Ellen. She's so kindhearted and hilarious, she doesn't take herself too seriously, and she's always dancing... So what's not to love? Apparently Ray Allen loves Ellen, too! He would be a fab guest for her to have on. And I won't lie... Dwight Howard would be funny as well.

Recap: The Celtics are better than the Magic.

I was at the game today. Rondo had a monster game, and I was also really impressed by Perk. The Celtics started out slow, and had a rough first quarter. They recovered and thoroughly outplayed the Magic for the remaining three quarters, even though the refs sucked. Dwight Howard is annoying and whines a lot.

Being there when Marquis got injured was harrowing and really hard. It happened so fast, and all of the sudden he was just lying on the floor motionless, and 18,000 people were silent. I felt absolutely helpless, and shocked, and even a little bit nauseous. I also felt like I shouldn't even be there, and like I had no business to be sitting there watching him in his time of great pain and panic. Words can not describe my relief in learning that he's going to be okay. The Celtics played more inspired basketball after it happened... but after he was taken off of the court, it was hard for me to transition back in to watching the game. It felt wrong for me to get in to the game and cheer and be happy when he was in the hospital. Don't get me wrong, it's admirable that the Celtics kept their composure and won that game. I'm sure they thought of him while doing so. I don't personally know Marquis Daniels, but everyone who's a big fan of any team knows that it's an emotional thing. As an NBA fan, you watch your team 82 nights a year, and it's inevitable that you develop a connection to your team and it's players. I am thankful for all that Marquis has brought to this team in the past 2 years, and I wish him a speedy, safe recovery.