Cleveland Cavaliers

"F*** Miami!!! F*** Miami!!!"

New York Knicks fans celebrated like they won the NBA Finals after their beloved team advanced to the second round of the playoffs on Wednesday ... and they made it clear how they felt about their next opponent as they partied in the streets.

The Knicks made it to the semifinals after beating Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers to complete their first-round series in five games ... and their loyal fan base let their emotions loose right near Madison Square Garden.

The whole bash was caught on video ... and you can see a ton of fans in orange and blue jumping up and down shortly after the final buzzer rang.

The hyped-up crowd chanted many things, including "F*** Miami" ... and even Trae Young, a longtime nemesis of the Knicks fandom, caught a few strays.

Fans even booed a Heat supporter, who happened to be in the crowd wearing a Jimmy Butler jersey ... and former Knicks president Phil Jackson also got thrown into the chants as folks reminisced over his bad tenure with the team.

People even treated the victory like Warped Tour ... as one fan jumped on top of Knicks fans and started crowd surfing.

The fans have every reason to celebrate -- it's the first time in 10 years the Knicks made it to the second round ... and there's a bit of history between NY and Miami going back to the '90s.

Rick Pitino's phone was BLOWING UP Sunday ... the legendary hoops coach was seen giving out his phone number during the Knicks game, and lip-readers nabbed his digits, and wouldn't stop texting him.

Pitino was at Madison Square Garden to watch the team he coached from '87-'89 take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 of their first-round playoffs series.

As is customary, the broadcast showed the vast array of celebrities in attendance at MSG, but when the cameras panned to Pitino, he could be seen mouthing his phone number while having a convo.

"So yesterday I was enjoying the Knicks game n someone read my lips on TV giving out my phone number," the 70-year-old head coach tweeted Monday.

He continued ... "Over 300 plus messages came in - here’s the bizarre news, 95% were nice n positive. I got a lead on 7 new recruits. My new cell is….."

Rick is one of the greatest coaches ever. He won National Championships with Kentucky (1996) and Louisville (2013 -- was vacated for an NCAA violation). His coaching career spans 40+ years, dating back to his time as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii (1974).

In March 2023, 70-year-old Pitino was named head coach of St. John's ... after coaching at Iona for three years.

Cavs forward Isaac Okoro had a religious experience while listening to 'Take Me To Church' on Monday ... and hilariously performed the song in the team's hot tub!!

The 22-year-old former 5th overall draft pick was sitting in the team's hot tub (hey, gotta take care of the body) minding his business, listening to Hozier's hit single when his teammate Darius Garland walked in.

While the music was blasting, Garland started singing the chorus, and that's when Okoro got up and put on a show.

"Offer me that deathless death, Good God, let me give you my life, Take me to church!" the two belted out.

Okoro's choreography was on point with a hilarious backward fall into the hot tub to conclude his performance .. and Garland couldn't help but laugh.

Of course, Okoro and Garland have a lot to be happy about ... they just whooped the Los Angeles Clippers 122-99 on Sunday. The Cavs are currently ranked 5th in the Eastern Conference.

Plus, Garland -- who signed a five-year deal worth $231 million last season -- is averaging 21.9 points and 8.2 assists per game.

BTW, the song might ring a bell for Cavs fans ... it's the track that was playing in LeBron James' Beats by Dre commercial when he returned to Cleveland.

Kevin Love had a bold strategy for defending Larry Nance Jr. during the Cavs game on Monday ... by giving his old teammate's ass a smack!!

The odd moment went down with less than three minutes left in the third quarter of Cleveland's MLK Day matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans ... when Nance -- the son of former Cavs and Suns star Larry Nance -- was waiting for Jose Alvarado to inbound the ball.

Nance's reaction is hilarious -- he quickly pleads with refs to do something about the bizarre tactic ... but ultimately, the game continued without a foul.

Of course, it was all in good fun ... as Love and Nance grew close during their time together with the Wine & Gold.

Love and Nance's former Cavs teammate/NBA referee Richard Jefferson even got in on the fun ... posting a TikTok about the incident.

"Hey @kevinlove this is under review for a flagrant," RJ joked. "@larrydn7 you good?"

Nance -- an Ohio native who played for the Cavs from 2018-21 -- finished the game with four points, three rebounds and three assists for NOLA.

Retired NBA player Drew Gooden says the narrative that LeBron James led a bunch of nobodies to an Eastern Conference title in 2007 isn't entirely wrong ... admitting the King's supporting cast was the "least talented group" he's ever taken to the Finals.

TMZ Sports spoke with LBJ's old teammate at LAX recently ... and the veteran big man, who was a part of that '07 Cavs squad, says he understands why people criticize LBJ's teammates from that season, but he thinks they're missing the bigger picture.

"I think they might be halfway right on that one," said Gooden. "The reason why, I ain't gon' say scrubs, but you know what, I just want that to glorify how raw and talented LeBron James was at that age."

"You gotta give that man props, especially at that age, for doing what he did," he continued.

Remember, the Cavs won 50 games in 2006-07 ... with help from LBJ, Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Larry Hughes and Eric Snow as their core nucleus.

After defeating their archrival, the Detroit Pistons, in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs punched their ticket to the NBA Finals, where Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker awaited them.

LeBron, who was only 22 and playing in his first NBA Finals, got swept by the Spurs ... a series many don't hold against the King when objectively evaluating his career, given the massive talent and experience disparity.

LeBron went on to reach the Finals four more times for the Cavs after winning 2 rings with the Miami Heat ... and secured Cleveland its first title in franchise history in 2016.

Gooden, who retired from the league in 2016, says even to this day, NBA fans will bring up his name whenever they're discussing how mediocre LeBron's teammates were that year.

Jaws is back!!!

Just days after losing his crown at a famous shrimp cocktail eating contest -- Joey Chestnut redeemed himself at a Cleveland Cavaliers game, destroying the field in a pierogi competition.

The #1 competitive eater in the world -- who just lost by a wide margin at the St. Elmo shrimp cocktail eating contest in Indianapolis on Saturday for the first time in EIGHT YEARS -- went up against Cavs fans during the halftime show of the Lakers game ... and got his redemption.

Rockin' a Cleveland hoodie -- Chestnut stuffed his face, taking down a total of 47 pierogies ... while everyone else only ate 33 combined.

The 39-year-old was thrilled to be back in the winner's circle ... holding up a belt with the Cavaliers' mascot -- while wearing a big smile on his face.

Of course, things couldn't have looked worse for Chestnut just three days prior ... when he lost by nearly SEVEN pounds to Geoffrey Esper at the famous shrimp event.

LeBron James says he knows what Kyrie Irving did was wrong ... but the Lakers superstar still came to the Nets point guard's defense Thursday, claiming the punishment KI is now facing is just too much.

James, who played with Irving for several seasons in Cleveland, took to Twitter to relay his stance on the matter to his fanbase ... writing out several tweets while he was in the middle of rehabbing a lower-body injury.

"I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information," James said. "And I’ll continue to be that way, but Kyrie apologized, and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple."

Irving was suspended by the Nets last Thursday after he repeatedly refused to apologize for tweeting out a link to the antisemitic film, "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America!"

The team called the ban indefinite -- saying Irving would have to satisfy "a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct" in order to return to the floor.

According to Shams Charania, some of the stipulations included sensitivity training, antisemitic training and meetings with Jewish leaders.

James clearly feels it's all too much ... adding, "Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him."

The Cavs might have lost, but Donovan Mitchell was winning after the game -- hitting up an L.A. hot spot with his beautiful girlfriend ... and TMZ Sports has the vid!!

Cleveland lost just its second game of the season against the Clippers on Monday ... falling 117-119 and snapping an 8-game winning streak, despite Spida's 30-point effort

26-year-old Mitchell and his lady, Tinara Westbrook, decided to get over the loss at The Nice Guy in West Hollywood ... enjoying a peaceful meal late into the night.

The 3-time All-Star and hair entrepreneur have been going strong this year ... making their romance "Instagram official" back in September.

Spida is off to an insane start in his first season in Wine & Gold ... averaging 31.2 points, 6 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game.

Westbrook was in attendance for the Cavs vs. Clippers game at Crypto.com Arena ... and she had some pretty good seats for the matchup.

The Miz says the Cleveland Cavaliers are AWEEEEEESOME -- telling TMZ Sports he thinks his hometown team is going to make it all the way to the NBA Finals this season!!

We spoke with the WWE Superstar out at LAX this week about his Cleveland sports teams ... and while his Browns are struggling, he says there's hope with the Wine & Gold.

"We're going to the NBA Finals," Miz tells us. "They got a young squad, and they got some good superstars. They look better than the Lakers."

The Cavs have been playing well so far this season -- they already have more wins than the Browns -- and have been led by newly acquired star Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen ... even with Darius Garland missing games with an eye injury.

Miz is clearly a fan of the Cavs' blockbuster trade ... saying, "Spida is going to be amazing."

"He is the star," Miz adds. "And we welcomed him with open arms, 'cause we didn't think we could get another star. It's Cleveland. It's not like an L.A. or NY, or Miami market."

What's even more surprising -- Miz isn't exactly worried about whether LeBron James ever comes back home ... saying he believes the current Cavs squad can win it all without the King.

The wife of Cleveland Cavaliers legend Zydrunas Ilgauskas has sadly died, a funeral home in Ohio confirmed this week. She was just 50 years old.

Jennifer Ilgauskas, according to an obituary from the Zeis-McGreevey Funeral Home, passed away on Sunday. A cause of death was not revealed.

Zydrunas and Jennifer had been married for almost two decades -- the couple reportedly tied the knot way back in 2004, when Big Z was starring for the Cavs.

She had worked in the medical industry while Zydrunas was playing in NBA arenas ... and according to her obit, "She always had ideas for growth and the never-ending desire to achieve more."

"She truly enjoyed working and being a leader who led by example," her family and friends wrote in the obituary. "She cared deeply about everyone she employed, and her door was always open to those who needed to talk. She was generous with her time, finances and counsel."

Jennifer and Zydrunas had two sons. Her funeral is scheduled for Sept. 17.

The former basketball player -- whose jersey was retired by the Cavaliers in 2014 -- has yet to publicly comment on the loss.

RIP.

Donovan Mitchell's days in Utah are over -- the NBA star has been traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a huge deal on Thursday.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted out the bombshell news just minutes ago -- the face of the Jazz franchise is officially on the move to northeast Ohio.

Mitchell -- who was drafted by the Nuggets out of Louisville -- spent all 5 of his seasons with the Jazz after being traded on draft night ... where he established himself as one of the game's best young stars.

The Cavs are sending Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji and three first-round picks to Utah ... and the rights to swap two other future picks in the deal.

The Knicks had been floated as a potential landing spot for Spida ... but their dreams were officially squashed after the Cavs -- who made the play-in tournament last year -- sealed the deal.

Utah appears to be in complete rebuild mode -- the team traded away Rudy Gobert, a 3-time Defensive Player of the Year, and now have shipped Donovan out of town as well.

Kevin Love's honeymoon in Africa just took a WILD turn -- the NBA star watched lions hunt down a wildebeest ... and then saw them completely devour it from limb to limb!

Love, who's with his model wife, Kate Bock, in Tanzania celebrating their recent nuptials, shared video of the scene on Friday morning ... and, warning, it's pretty graphic.

In the footage, you can see a group of lions snacking on their prey -- all while Love recorded just feet away in a vehicle.

"We were told it’s very rare (and lucky) to see a kill play out in front of your eyes from start to finish," Love said, before adding, "It’s an ugly and yet beautiful game out there."

Love and Bock have been in Africa for a few days now, and the two seem to be thrilled with their experience so far.

The couple has been spotted watching elephants, giraffes and other exotic animals, all while enjoying some food and drink.

"This place is everything we dreamed of & more," Bock said. "The views, the animals, the light, the warm people, the adventure, the wildness…. Tanzania, you’re something special."

The emergency protection order that was filed against Rajon Rondo last month after he was accused of pulling a gun on the mother of his kids has been dismissed, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

A judge ordered the dismissal of the petition on June 16, according to court records.

Court documents show the reason for the move was Rondo and his accuser, Ashley Bachelor, "reached an agreement." No further details surrounding the pact were revealed.

As we reported, the emergency protection order was initially filed on May 13 after Bachelor claimed Rondo became enraged after she interrupted a video game session between the NBA player and his son in Kentucky on May 11.

Rondo allegedly smashed a bunch of items around the house ... and, according to court documents, told Bachelor "You're dead" before leaving the residence.

Bachelor claimed Rondo eventually came back with a gun, scaring her and their kids.

Bachelor was eventually granted protection for herself and her two children, and Rondo had to temporarily stay at least 500 feet away from Ashley and their kids.

Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love got an eyeful at the Louvre Museum on Friday ... and by an eyeful, we really mean it.

The 2016 champ hit up the world-famous museum in Paris prior to catching Rafael Nadal's semifinal match against Alexander Zverev at the French Open ... and decided to document all the artistic man junk he saw along the way.

Relax ... it's art!!!

K. Love also checked out some non-nude pieces along during the trip ... including the Mona Lisa (which was cleaned up after the cake attack on Sunday), Athena of Velletri and The Wedding at Cana ... as well as Napoleon's apartment.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving were one of the greatest 1-2 punches in NBA history -- so says NBA vet Tristan Thompson ... who tells TMZ Sports he has nothing but praise for his old teammates.

TT's comments come after Irving recently admitted on the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast that he and LeBron would have won more championships together if he had been more mature.

Of course, that admission has to sting a little bit for Thompson (hey, at least he got one off the Warriors!!) ... but he explained to us Bron and Kyrie will always hold a special place in his heart after what they accomplished in 2016.

"I win a 'ship with somebody, they're always my favorite," Thompson said.

Tristan knows firsthand what the two guys are capable of -- he was a part of the Cavaliers team led by James and Irving that erased a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals to beat the Golden State Warriors ... and was a key role player in the series.

Before the breakup, LBJ and Kyrie enjoyed success together in Cleveland ... dominating the Eastern Conference and making four consecutive Finals appearances.

Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, and Shaquille O' Neal and Kobe Bryant are generally touted as the standard for best duos ... and, rightfully so, considering the careers they had.

Rajon Rondo allegedly pulled a gun on the mother of his children and threatened to kill her during a heated altercation ... and the woman claims their kids witnessed the whole thing.

TMZ Sports has learned 36-year-old Ashley Bachelor, Rondo's former partner and mother of his two kids, filed for an emergency protective order in Louisville last week, requesting protection for her, her son and daughter ... and the story she tells about the alleged incident is scary.

Bachelor says Rajon -- a 2x NBA champ and 4x All-Star -- was playing video games with his son on May 11 ... when Ashley asked the boy to separate laundry. Bachelor says Rajon became enraged and ripped the game console out of the wall in front of the kid.

Ashley says Rajon then continued the destructive behavior, smashing everything from a teacup to outdoor lights and trash cans.

Bachelor says the kids were upset after witnessing their dad losing it, so she tried to "deescalate" the situation. But, she says Rajon responded by making a death threat, allegedly saying, "You're dead."

Rondo temporarily left the home, according to Ashley, before returning about 15 minutes later, when he allegedly approached a back door and began banging on the window with his gun.

Bachelor says she didn't know what was going on, so she approached the door from the inside to take a look. She allegedly saw Rondo with the weapon and asked him to stop because he was scaring her. She says Rondo didn't listen, and instead yelled, "Go get my f**king son!"

Ashley says she feared if she didn't comply with the alleged gun-wielding hoops star something bad may happen, so she brought their son, Pierre, downstairs, but kept the backdoor closed.

Soon after, Ashley says Pierre opened the door and Rondo "yanked him outside."

Bachelor says Rondo, who was still allegedly holding his gun, was screaming at Pierre, asking why the boy was scared of his dad.

Ashley, who claims her son was "visibly upset," says she didn't intervene because she was scared Rajon would shoot her.

Bachelor says Rajon eventually demanded their daughter also come outside ... where she claims he yelled at both kids for being afraid of him.

Thankfully, Ashley says Rajon's mom and dad both arrived at the home ... and although they didn't have much success in calming down Rajon, she claims he eventually left the scene.

But, now Bachelor says she's scared for the safety of her and her kids, writing the following in the emergency order of protection on May 13.

"I am extremely fearful for my safety and for the safety of my children. Rajon has a history of volatile, erratic, explosive behavior. He is verbally, emotionally, and financially abusive. He physically hits our son and calls him names like 'p***y' and accuses him of acting like a 'bitch.'"

"Rajon verbally assaults our daughter. He calls her names like 'thot, bitch, and d**khead.' Rajon has made several threats on my life, saying at various times he will shoot me or shoot up my car."

Ashley Bachelor was granted protection for herself and her two children by a local judge.

We reached out to Rondo's reps, but, so far, no word back.