Despite the high-octane action taking place on the court in the Lakers/Kings second-round matchup, it's hard to pay attention because of the action around the court. I'm talking about celebrities at the Staples Center, of course. Not the old fogeys like Jack Nicholson and Dyan Cannon, but people we really care about. There is a new breed of younger, cooler stars who are regularly on hand to cheer on the home team. Here's a glimpse of what I saw at Game 2:

Actor/comedian Chris Tucker and rapper Eve strolled in shortly after tip-off and grabbed courtside seats along the baseline. Those checks from Rush Hour 2 must really be rolling in. Tucker kept it casual, sporting blue-and-white Air Jordans with a hat to match. A few minutes later Jay-Z rolled in, I thought solo, until his boy caught up with him. He wore a towel on his head a la JWill in the fourth quarter when Bobby Jackson is gettin' all the minutes. He was noticeably ice-free, too.

At halftime, on my way to the press room, I was right behind Tyra Banks whose perfume had such a hypnotic affect on me that I bumped into Leonardo DiCaprio. "Sorry, bro," I said. "No problem, man," Leo replied. Yeah, that sounds cool, we'll do lunch.

On the way back to his seat, Jay-Z flicked Eve's diamond-studded earlobe as he walked by. The X-rays on his finger were negative. He did return.

And there were ballers in the house, too. T-Mac, who was also at Game 1, sat next to Steve Francis about 15 rows up on the 50 yard-line. Steve was nice enough to go to the concession stand on the concourse level and get two large Pepsis for T-Mac and himself.

After the game, me and Steve chatted for a few. Like Jigga, he was suprisingly platininum-free, which makes me wonder if it's going out of style. (Don't worry, I've got A.I. on speed dial.) "What's up, Wink (Stevie's nickname from around our way)," I ask as I give him a hug and a pound. "Nothing goin' on here, player," he says. "Just checkin' out the Lakers." He's also in town to shoot a Reebok commercial for his new shoes. Just then, I spot Tyra in my rear-view sporting those cool purple shades so I try to play it cool. I'm talkin' milkshake-in-a-snowstorm cool. "Yeah, aiight dog. I'm a call you," I say to Wink. She catches my act, giggles and keeps walking, her face saying, "Oh, please!"

Just another day covering hoops, I tell you. Oh yeah, there were no Cindy Crawford, Venus Williams or Matrix 2 star Aaliyah sightings. I said I was at a Laker game, not in Shaq's dreams.

Chris Palmer covers The NBA Life for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at christopher.palmer@espnmag.com.