ORLANDO -- A lot of people think that changes made in Cleveland and Boston – getting Shaquille O'Neal via trade and Rasheed Wallace in free agency, respectively – have made the Cavaliers and the Celtics the co-favorites in the Eastern Conference this season.
"I still like us [as favorites],'' Carter said defiantly Tuesday.
Carter, who was acquired in a trade with New Jersey last month, and Howard, the All-Star center, have been highly-visible spectators at the Orlando Pro Summer League that is comprised mostly by rookies and young free agents hoping to be invited into someone's training camp in the fall.
The Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O'Neal a week ago, but his introductory press conference didn't happen until Thursday afternoon. And for the most part, it was worth the wait. As we've come to expect when Shaq gets in front of a microphone, there were plenty of interesting and entertaining quotes that came out of his first meeting with the Cleveland media.
Shaq kicked things off by flashing the picture to your right, claiming that when he received the initial call from Cavs' GM Danny Ferry, he had to Google him, and when he did, this was the one of the first things to pop up.
Nice way to break the ice, Big Fella. Here are some more highlights from Shaq's first official day as a Cavalier.
I heard Michael Jackson died at approximately 5:30 PM ET. Hours later, I still don't think it's fully hit me. This was the man I idolized growing up as a kid ... I watched Moonwalker about 80 times on VHS (Joe Pesci was the villain). I once furiously outbid someone $159 for a replica Beat It jacket with 13 zippers. I actually have an 8x10 glossy of Billie Jean Michael taped next to my bedroom door.
Everyone -- from celebrities to sports stars to ordinary people -- had their way of trying to feel connected to the King of Pop. In his mere presence, fans have fainted and needed medical attention. So when news broke that Jackson had passed away, the reverberations on social media sites like Twitter were immense. Outspoken wide receiver Chad Ochocinco even went on to tweet "this is just as sad as 9/11" and then tried to play damage control after his offensive comment.
After the jump, read the emotional reactions from current and former athletes.
The 2005 NBA Draft would change the course of the future of two teams -- the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks. There was no clear-cut No. 1 pick, but Utah's Andrew Bogut was big, skilled and NBA ready. He wasn't the most convincing or dominant No. 1 pick, especially with Dwight Howard averaging a double-double in his rookie season, but he appeared to be the best choice for the Bucks.
Meanwhile, the Hawks decided on a player who was a sixth man of his college team. Marvin Williams had all the physical tools to be a star but played just one season at North Carolina. He fed off the Tar Heels' national title run and opted for the draft. It sounded like a good idea, although he was only 19. It's not that these were poor choices. Neither Bogut nor Williams are busts. They are productive NBA players, but when compared with the next two drafted, they are disappointments.
The 2004 NBA Draft marked the biggest influx of high school entries in league history, which resulted in a series of busts, unexpected gems and troublesome stories. Five years ago, the Orlando Magic agonized over the No. 1 pick with high school product Dwight Howard competing with UConn's Emeka Okafor over Orlando's affections. Howard was a rather unknown entity with an amazing body while Okafor just led the Huskies to the NCAA title and had established himself as the most dominant force in college basketball.
Whomever the Magic passed up would land in the lap of a new NBA team, the Charlotte Bobcats. Those two players appeared to be the only sure things in this draft. It was littered with early entries, unproven players and talented youngsters who might have bolted college a year too early. And making decisions more difficult was a slew of high school players who were years away from making an impact.
When it comes to surprises, last week's revelation was like finding out Iran's elections were juiced for the incumbent. If you want shocking news, however, you've come to the right place.
We are ready to reveal all the players who failed baseball's 2003 drug test. The results were supposed to be kept confidential, but Alex Rodriguez's name was leaked to Sports Illustrated and Sosa was outed last week in the New York Times.
There are 102 names to go. This drip-drip-drip could go on for years, but we're not going to let it.
The Magic didn't simply parachute into NBA Finals from nowhere -- they had to knock off the defending champs from Boston and usurp the supposed heirs to the throne from Cleveland. And yet, even after they arrived, it always felt like they simply crashed the party.
ORLANDO -- Jameer Nelson was headed into the locker room after the crushing, Game 5 defeat in the NBA Finals, not interested in watching the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate on his home court, not after he felt so helpless to stop them.
Yet teammate Dwight Howard pulled him back out, asked him to watch alongside him, so they could share the pain of defeat, so that maybe they could turn it into incentive this summer.
It's something he'll remember.
"It hurts. It's tough, but Dwight wanted me to be there with him to see it,'' he said. "I don't want this feeling again. Dwight wanted it to soak in. I wish I could have done more.''
Kobe Bryant was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, and being the best player on the team that just won the championship, it's tough to disagree. It was Kobe's first time winning the award, because it went to Shaquille O'Neal the first three times that the Lakers won the title with Bryant on the roster.
Bryant averaged better than 32 points, five rebounds, and seven assists for the series, so again, his numbers validate the fact that he's taking home the award. But this was truly a team effort, and there are others that are arguably just as deserving.
Game 5 was another quiet one for Magic center Dwight Howard. Eleven points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and three turnovers in 39-plus minutes in his team's 99-86 elimination game defeat against L.A. on Sunday.
Rather than point their fingers at Howard, there are sure to be plenty who will instead criticize Magic coach Stan Van Gundy. They will argue that Van Gundy didn't do enough to get Howard involved in the offense.
After all, Howard took only nine shots in Game 5, which is the number of shots per game he averaged during the Finals.
Let that sink in for a minute, particularly if Howard is supposed to be the best center in the NBA. Biggest and strongest player on the court and he can only get you nine shots per game?
ORLANDO -- A lot of people think that changes made in Cleveland and Boston – getting Shaquille O'Neal via trade and Rasheed Wallace in free agency, respectively – have made the Cavaliers and the Celtics the co-favorites in the Eastern Conference this season.
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ORLANDO -- 
Game 5 was another quiet one for 
