Yesterday, we posted the video of Joakim Noah using a homosexual slur. In the video, you can see an irate Noah yell to a fan, "F You, F ". Well, the NBA didn't take kindly to those words. On Monday, Noah was fined $50K for using a term the NBA called "Offensive" and "derogatory".

The center for the Chicago Bulls has apologized numerous times sine the incident.

Chris Bosh has gotten his share of heat this season and not in a good way. The power forward has been in the shadow of Dwyane Wade and LeBron in Miami. However, in Game 3 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals against the Chicago Bulls, Bosh carried the Heat to a 96-85 victory. The Heat now lead the series 2-1.

I've always thought Russell Westbrook was overrated. In the 2011 Western Conference Finals, the All-Star point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder is being outed as a fraud. Yeah, he's a good player but he's far from the up-and-coming superstar he's made out to be. In fact, Russell Westbrook isn't even really a point guard.

The Dallas Mavericks could do no wrong early on. Leading by as many as 23 points in Game 3 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, it appeared as if the Mavs would coast to a victory. However, the Thunder rallied late making it a four-point game in the final period before the Mavs were able to hang on for a 93-87 win.

After Game 1 of the 2011 Western Conference Finals, everyone was talking about Dirk Nowitzki. Quietly, what nobody cared to admit was that the Dallas Mavericks needed a career night out of Dirk simply to edge the Oklahoma City Thunder. In Game 2, the Thunder held Dirk in check and took home a 106-100 victory to tie the series, 1-1.

After the Chicago Bulls drubbed the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals, fans have jumped off the Heat bandwagon in a major fashion. Just a couple days ago, their bandwagon was full. Now it's difficult to find a fan who still believes that the Heat can beat the Bulls.

But it's still very much possible.

When the NBA playoffs tipped off, nobody would have imagined that the two teams left standing in the Western Conference would end up being the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder. Pundits saw the Mavs as too old and too much of a regular season wonder. The Thunder, on the other hand, were viewed as too young and not quite ready.

Nobody is giving the Dallas Mavericks much of a chance in their second round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, winners of the last two NBA championships. However, on Monday night, the Mavs proved they are ready for this stage with a come from behind 96-94 victory over the reigning champs.

With the Lakers up by five points with three minutes remaining, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion and Dirk Nowitzki all scored two-pointers to close the game to one-point.

With the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs about to begin, let's take a look at an updated NBA power rankings. This is the list of the best NBA teams in order 1 through 8. While any team could theoretically win the championship, expect one of the top four teams to eventually take home the Larry O'Brien trophy.

Who will win in the second round matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies? This matchup features two of the best young and coming teams in the NBA. The Thunder have arguably the brightest future of any team in the league, while the Grizzlies' fantastic youth was on full display as they dispatched the San Antonio Spurs in their first round upset.

As LeBron James was taking his talents to South Beach, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert said that LeBron quit against the Boston Celtics last year. Yes, seeing as LeBron was leaving his franchise, Gilbert's comments were probably a bad case of sour grapes. However, that said, LeBron has a lot of questions to answer over the next couple weeks as the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics.

We all know Derrick Rose is going to win the 2011 NBA MvP for his regular season play. However, which players are playing the best in the 2011 NBA Playoffs? While there's no such thing as a postseason NBA MVP, here's our look at the top five best players so far in this year's NBA playoffs.

1.

Although Caron Butler suffered a season ending knee injury, he has always been hopeful that he'd be able to return in the playoffs. With the Dallas Mavericks about to start a series against the two-time reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers, now would be a good time for him to return. However, it's not going to happen according to Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle.

The Chicago Bulls had a tougher than anticipated series against the Indiana Pacers in the first round. The Hawks, on the other hand, were the underdogs against the Orlando Magic but were able to stun many NBA pundits. Now, with the two teams matching up in the second round, who will win the Bulls or the Hawks?

In a matchup that may very well decide the Western Conference champions, the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Dallas Mavericks. Since the San Antonio Spurs have been eliminated, these are the top two remaining seeds in the West. Who is going to win between the Lakers and the Mavs?

The Lakers will win.

The Orlando Magic couldn't hit a three-pointer to save their lives in the first four games of their first round series against the Atlanta Hawks. In Game 5, the Magic finally found the range and destroyed the Hawks to force Game 6. The Hawks still lead the series 3-2 and the series shifts to Atlanta on Thursday.

Although the Indiana Pacers played extremely hard and gave it all they had, the Chicago Bulls were just too good. With a 116-89 victory in Game 5, the Bulls eliminated the Pacers. As you might expect, the Bulls were led by MVP-to-be Derrick Rose, who scored 25 points and handed out six assists in 30 minutes.

It's the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. However, even though the playoffs are just beginning, there are some teams that appear to be the cream of the crop. While things my change between now and the NBA Finals, these teams appear to be the top five teams to beat going forward in the postseason:

1.

When the Los Angeles Lakers got the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, we all thought it was a break for the Lakers. With David West lost for the season with a knee injury, the Hornets appeared vulnerable. However, that hasn't been the case so far. After a Game 4 victory by a final score of 93-88, the Lakers and Hornets are tied 2-2.

The Chicago Bulls are both lucky and good. In Game 1 of their first round series against the Indiana Pacers, the BUlls were down 10 points with three and a half minutes remaining but went on a 16-1 run to end the game. The Pacers were giving the Bulls another hard push in Game 2 even though they lost starting point guard Darren Collison.

The 2010-11 NBA regular season ends on Wednesday night. In the Eastern Conference, all the postseason matchups are set. However, in the West, there are a number of spots up for grabs. That means we'll see a couple hard-fought games on Wednesday. That said, in terms of the power rankings headed into the 2011 NBA Playoffs, we know who we like.

Almost 100% of the time time, NBA coaches won't answer a question regarding which team they want to face in the playoffs. George Karl, however, wasn't afraid to answer the question. He's also not afraid of the Dallas Mavericks. The outspoken coach of the Denver Nuggets, who has become even more outspoken ever since the Carmelo Anthony trade, was honest when asked the question coaches almost always avoid.

These new Denver Nuggets, sans Carmelo Anthony, are tough to beat. Just ask the Sacramento Kings. On Wednesday night, the Kings were up at halftime, 51-41. However, in the second half, the Nuggets got rolling and smashed the Kings by a final score of 104-90. The win improved the Nuggets to 45-29.

The Nuggets had six players in double-digits.

We can smell the 2011 NBA Playoffs in the air. Only about five weeks from the postseason, NBA teams are fighting for position. Which NBA teams are a cut above the rest? Here's our look at the current 2011 NBA power rankings where we list the ten best teams in basketball starting with number ten.