There's a common saying that ballers want to be rappers and rappers want to be ballers, and it's been proven enough times to have some merit. Think back to Kobe Bryant, Chris Webber, Allen Iverson (aka Jewelz), et al.

Sadly, most of those guys were terrible rappers, but that hasn't stopped others from trying. We now have our newest entrant in the form of Sixers guard Louis Williams(notes), aka LouWill. Check it out above. Don't worry, all naughty language has been elided, so it's safe for work unless your boss hates even the suggestion of profanity.

Only time will tell if Williams can make music a second career rather than just an entertaining lark. For now, though, enjoy the music and respect the fact that an athlete is getting to do one more thing he loves.

(Video via ProBasketballTalk)

At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.

Kevin Love: I need to twit pic Mike Beasleys locker...I'm gonna pitch to do a full episode of "Hoarders" on A & E just on that alone...its a problem

Steve Nash: Sun roof is open. If only this wasn't a hybrid somebody would be cool as hell....

J.R. Smith: Hope I can get some love on @2KSports one of these dayz! Hate having to edit my self! #Gamer!

Sean May: Seriously. They need to take CSI Miami... Off the air! The show has just gotten out of control with some of this ish

Greg Monroe: #psa if u got yo zodiac sign tatted on u, u nite wanna make sure its still urs...

You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.

Oklahoma City is one of the least liked road trips in the NBA, both because of the young Thunder and the typical accommodations in town. No, NBA teams don't spend their nights at a Super 8 but they do occasionally have to contend with ghosts.

The Skirvin Hotel in OKC pays home to visiting NBA teams regularly. It also is rumored to house spirits from another world. Josh Robbins has more for the Orlando Sentinel:

"Yeah, I was scared the last time I stayed there," Magic power forward Brandon Bass(notes) admitted.

The legend says many decades ago, the owner of the hotel, William Skirvin, had an affair with a maid that resulted in a pregnancy. Supposedly, the woman was locked in a top-floor room, grew despondent and eventually jumped out a window with the baby in her arms.

The ghost stories don't stop Rodney Powell, the Magic's operations manager, from booking reservations for the team at the hotel. "You can't go wrong when 28 or so of the other NBA teams stay there," Powell said in the

If you've spent any amount of time online over the last few years, you're probably familiar with the Rick Roll, the delicious prank in which enterprising Internet insiders spring the video for Rick Astley's 1989 hit "Never Gonna Give You Up" on unsuspecting bystanders. In the grand scheme of mean Internet schemes, it's pretty modest and delightful, because at least the viewer gets to rock out to a fantastic song at the end of the day.

The excellent Mavs video team decided to have some fun with it, putting head coach Rick Carlisle into the video for the "Rick (Carlisle) Roll." If you thought you were going to see a Mavs dancer wardrobe malfunction, think again, because instead you get Carlisle's head plopped onto Astley's body. Oh, and Rodrigue Beaubois(notes) and J.J. Barea as the video's excitable dancers.

Here's hoping the Mavs aren't done with Astley hits. Who knows, maybe they'll trade for Steve Nash(notes), and he and Dirk Nowitzki(notes) can work out something for "Together

When a game gets out of hand, most fans flee for the exits or turn off their TV sets knowing full well what the outcome will be. But garbage time, despite having nothing to do with who gets the win or loss, still has its fair share of positives. Young players get a chance to prove they belong, coaches get to see who should get more time, and NBA players still make unbelievable highlights.

Like, say, J.R. Smith's(notes) unreasonably athletic reverse lay-up above. Smith has had highlights like this before of both the dunk and lay-up variety, but those plays don't make this one any less jarring or amazing. He's a unique talent -- and, as Kenny Smith mentioned on TNT's postgame show, so erratic that he frustrates like few other players in the league. When he's on, though, he's as exciting as any shooting guard around.

Let this play also be a lesson to NBA fans who think the final score is the only thing worth watching for. Sometimes, when the winner is decided and nothing happening on the

Last night, the Clippers beat the Miami Heat at Staples Center to break one of the longest road winning streaks in recent history. They did so in large part because of a stellar first quarter.

According to Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times, it might have even been the best 12-minute period in franchise history:

The Clippers then put an amazing show, running up 44 points in a spectacular first quarter with Griffin flying, Eric Gordon(notes) bombing, Baron Davis(notes) dealing and DeAndre Jordan(notes) dunking.

In an unofficial poll, broadcasters Don MacLean, Michael Eaves and I decided it had to be the greatest quarter in Clippers history. Of course, in other teams' histories, they keep track of seasons, not quarters.

This might not seem like an accomplishment for the record books, but this quarter beat out some pretty stiff competition. Here are just a few of the other best quarters in the storied history of the Clips:

1. That one time Loy Vaught went for 15 against Buck

Simply by virtue of being in New York, the Knicks have lots of famous fans, from Woody Allen to Spike Lee to Chris Rock. Sometimes, they even band together for a good cause, like bringing LeBron James(notes) to New York last summer.

Now, they've joined forces again to make sure all possible Knicks fans vote for Amar'e Stoudemire(notes), Raymond Felton(notes) and Danilo Gallinari(notes) for next month's All-Star game in Los Angeles. All of your favorites are here: basketball superfan Liam Neeson, Turtle from "Entourage," Meadow Soprano, Amber Rose, America's sweetheart Chris Brown, Jeremy Sisto, Vinny from "Jersey Shore," and, last but certainly not least, Whoopi Goldberg (aka former Knicks coach Eddie Franklin). With star power like that -- plus a few enthusiastic Average Joes and Jolenes -- how could they lose?

Then again, maybe the Knicks don't need the help. According to ballot returns released Thursday, Stoudemire has moved ahead of Kevin Garnett(notes) among East forwards and

In the spring of 1994, the NBA was in an odd place, in the midst of its first playoffs in the wake of Michael Jordan's first retirement and searching for whatever street cred it could find. The Knicks and Rockets met in the playoffs, but without a marketable star to hit up the masses, they were forced to get creative with ads.

So, they did what's since become a popular standby in the world of NBA advertising: the movie tie-in. Behold this ad for the "I Love This Game!" campaign featuring John Goodman as Fred Flintstone for the absolutely terrible live-action "Flintstones" movie released on May 27, 1994. What's that, you don't remember this movie at all? Somehow it earned $130 million at the box office despite being memorable for little more than putting the young Halle Berry in a sexy cavewoman outfit.

Sadly, this is how we'll remember most of today's blockbusters 17 years from now, too. Goodbye, "Megamind," you were too young for this world.