Unpredictability, Bamboozled and Swiftie Fever: NFL in the Upside-Down World

 If the last several weeks isn’t an example of living in the ‘upside-down’ world in the NFL season, I am not sure what could be a better comparison! 

Of all the whirlwind actions that unfolded across the time zones of dot.com fields, we may remember 2023 as the season Taylor Swift hi-jacked Sundays from the NFL! 

As the tenth month segwayed into the giving and gratitude portion of North America’s holiday season, the USA’s Professional football league has been a wild ride! After experiencing euphoric highs, and crushing blows, here we go rounding the curve and beginning the final push (kick!) to the finish line of the fabulous North American 2023-2024 football season. Will any of us recall all the cheers, jeers and historic play over all the Swiftie cliches made by every broadcast play-by-play caller in every national football game?! This will be tough one to side with, and I am here for laying out my own man-eating moment, leaving a ‘blank space’ for anyone to reply. 

As we segway deep into the second half of the NFL season, there’s been some unpredictability transpiring across the gridiron between sidelines. Following multiple injuries, on-paper expectations and preseason power rankings, things have been a little scrambled to say the least between favorites and long shots in the NFC and AFC alike. 

Surprising Highs: 

Philadelphia Eagles: 

The team representing the supposed city of brotherly love have not skipped a beat on seeking the top seed once more in the NFC. With the exception of their one surprising loss to the JETS?!, they’ve been dominant. Philadelphia and Jalen Hurts have recently struck up some rumblings regarding their perfection of the ‘tush’ push on 4th and short options… It appears there’s been some whining heard around the league on the Eagles consistent success in the legalized stable scrum they tend to call at least once in every game so far this season (tush push was approved by the NFL in 2005, by the way…). The remainder of the season for Philadelphia will be partially challenging, and partially easy peasy, based on how their opponents have done so far. It will be challenging to say the least at this point to knock the Eagles out of the top seed, with the exception of their wings being clipped by unforeseen opponents (questionable games will be versus San Francisco, Dallas and possibly Buffalo or Seattle. I would be shocked, SHOCKED if they end up losing to the two worst teams in New York! 

Detroit Lions: 

Week after week, we are all waiting for the other shoe to drop… Week after week, Detroit vies to remind NFL opponents, they’re not the walkover from past seasons. The Lions are piecing together that viable play-calling not only to make the playoffs, but to contend for a number one seed! Head coach Dan Campbell has collectively assembled high performing lines and secondary units showing up on both sides of the ball. In previous decades, we’ve seen Detroit become a threat in the NFC North usually beginning with their annual Thanksgiving Day match up. It’s been six years since the Lions had a winning record (9-7), and more impressive, Detroit hasn’t began their season 8-2 in six decades! Yes, that is correct, DECADES! It was 1962! The only team right now with a better record is Philadelphia. It was stunning, honestly, to see Green Bay walk into Ford Field and man-handle Detroit yesterday, on Thanksgiving. The outlying question for the remaining games, will be, if the wheels are beginning to fall off? Or was the turkey day rivalry let down a blip on their radar? The Lions seem to have the easier schedule of opponents versus the Eagles. I am sure I am not the only one of the fantasy fans and NFL analysts from coast-to-coast peering into the motor city to see if they can finish out as strong as the muscle cars and music they’re known to produce! 

Miami Dolphins:

After a disappointing fizzle of the 2022 season filled with controversial back-to-back concussions of Tua Tagovailoa the decision-making by coach Mike McDaniel seemed to be front and center to see if he truly has the gumption, fortitude and where-with-all to lead the South Beach squad back into contention, changing the headlines on the East Coast.  After squeaking out a one-game-above .500 record in 2022 and making a playoff appearance, they were immediately eliminated by the Buffalo Bills. Miami has not won a playoff contest since 2000! I know the prime objective for McDaniel and his Miami mobsters would be to win the division, secure  the top seed, and pull off a Marino and make a deep run in the 2023-2024 playoff, Nothing less! The Halloween costume that came in second of going viral behind the unfathomable duo of Taylor Swift and Travis (my hips don’t lie! Doh!) Kelce, are the kiddos that either ARE McDaniel fans, or their fathers that knew that would win as best costume as well as impression. You are asking why I am laying out this observation in the midst of my Miami up-and-coming surprising franchise take? Only the fact that the quirkiness and passive ruthless nature of Coach McDaniel are beginning to gain more eyes and momentum as the Dolphins are an actual legitimate threat for the top seed in the AFC. Everyone and their snowbird grannies will be tuning into Friday night ‘Prime’ time to see if Miami will hand the J-E-T-S as big of a beat down as they posted versus Denver in September. 

WTF is going on Uh-ohs: 

Buffalo Bills: 

The Bills Mafia and the wannabe mafiosos hanging on to the Buffalo wagon knew something was awry when Josh Allen threw three interceptions and the team experienced a season opening head scratching loss to the Rodgers-less Jets. Following the September 11th abrupt letdown,  it seemed the Bills may have returned to the form and wins expected of them going into 2023-2024 season. Then, the lowest power-ranking opponents began to rip off wins against the Bills that included New England, Denver and Jacksonville. Buffalo is finally looking back to form getting a W back versus those Jets. Will the stamina of the Bills withstand against the stronger and higher ranking opponents in the upcoming weeks? The Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys and Dolphins will definitely not be handing out any mulligans to the Bills Mafia. 

San Francisco Forty-Niners: 

Here we go! The Cinderella undeniable  phenom out of left field Mr. Irrelevant-becomes-relevant quarterback Brock Purdy starts off the 2023-2024 season ripping off to a 5-0 record before crashing back down to earth, losing three games in a row to extremely subpar opponents! San Francisco couldn’t have planned a better time for their bye-week to place the faithful derailed train straight and steady back on the tracks. The goal for the Niners definitely was to secure the number one seed for home field advantage through the playoffs. With Philadelphia squeaking out wins left and right, San Francisco truly has to win out to have any chance at the top seed, as well as a whole lot of help from the Eagles’ upcoming opponents (including the Niners) to knock them out of their current strangle-hold of top dog in the NFC. Following their Thanksgiving night blasting over the Seattle Seahawks (of, as Niners fans refer them as, ‘Sea-Chickens’ Tee-hee), San Francisco have 12 days to recover and  prepare for a NFC Championship rematch where Purdy and Backup Quarterback Johnson sustained injuries creating an unfortunate lopsided game and loss. With Purdy back healthy,  and the return of Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams from recent tweaks, there is no doubt San Francisco is dead-set on knocking Philly down a notch. 

Cincinnati Bengals: 

Two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance, and making it back to the AFC Championship last year, only to lose again to those Kansas Chiefs, I was dumbfounded to see Joe-Cool Burrow and the Bengals struggle, starting off 1-3! We kept hearing that the calm collected play caller  was nursing an injury, and now seems to be out for the remainder of the season. Cincinnati are in last place in the AFC North right now with a 5-5 record, and running out of time!  Jake Browning is stepping into Burrow’s prominent shadow and will be experiencing quite a bit of pressure to  lift the Bengals up for an opportunity to at least squeak into the playoffs; will that be even possible? Browning is an undrafted free agent signed by the Bengals after Minnesota waived him a couple seasons ago. Jake was quite successful in his college football career at the University of Washington averaging almost 3500 yards passing and 23 touchdowns for the Huskies. Can Browning be another Purdy story for the ‘Who Dat’ Cats?  The Bengals have opportunity with upcoming division opponents that have been struggling themselves. 

The 2023-2024 NFL season has definitely been a wild card. Regardless of what’s on paper, and what’s discussed on the First Takes, Countdown shows, Sports Centers and sports columns circulating around our sphere, the ultimate outcomes never cease to disappoint or surprise fans hanging out in the various longitude and latitude joints we enjoy gathering! May the sweet cream rise to the top! Best of luck to all the fan bases that have withstood the good, bad and ugliness of their teams throughout their rooting roots! 

P.S. 

I couldn’t go without putting in my meager opinion and observation regarding Tom Brady’s interesting take with Stephen A. Smith. His mumblings regarding mediocrity, poor coaching standards and lackluster player development did not hit quite right. First of all, when there’s 32 teams and an expanded 17 game slate of games going on, there’s going to be a bit of water-downed performances and coaching that will occur. If that wasn’t a bold subliminal call-out to the league and owners about investing in off-the-field development, I don’t know what else it could be? Oh, wait… There’s one more iota this could be… With news of Brady’s attempt to become a small percentage owner investment falling through with the Vegas Raiders, Brady could definitely be vying for a front office GM role at a franchise near you. I understand he has a placeholder for a multi-year (multi-million $$$$$) for broadcasting with Fox in the coming year, I am not going to hold my breath seeing him anytime soon next to Strahan and company. My last reply regarding  his comment about a watered-down product and the coaching, is for the franchises to actually STOP the mundane coach carousel with recycled aging predictable candidates, and research a little more in acquiring fresh coaching products that turn the game and player tune up around! The game is faster, the players are bigger, stronger… There’s no reason the league cannot create a multiple team any-given Sunday product that will entertain even the likes of an incredibly critical Tom Brady. Oh! I thought I was done, but one more teeny-tiny rebuttal on another  ‘line’ spewed from ‘Terrific Tom’: Those ‘rule’ changes supposedly making the game ’soft’ allowed you to have a two-decade career Mr. Brady… Those ‘rules’ that made the head-to-head hits, the horse-collar choking, mask-grabbing throwdowns and blind-sided hits have benefited every player in having an opportunity of an improved mobile lifestyle following football, as well as less injuries and concussions. Thank you for giving us some insight on where you kind of stand? Maybe? I dunno… Moving on! 

Bang! Bang! Niner gang! #FTTB. Prime game on Black Friday versus coaches off the Shanahan tree of coaching. Let’s go! 

What Goes Up, Must Come Down to Earth: NFL Week Two Wins and Woes

 Some of the high hopes and pipe dreams around the NFL’s AFC and NFC conference teams following week one have been rigged to implode after the second week’s slate of games. One iota to keep in perspective is the hype machine encouraged by network analysts. There were teams on both ends of the doom and over-the-moon spectrum heading into their second match–up. There were a few that kept the locomotive chugging in the right direction, while others did not stoke the fire well enough to withstand their opposing competition, getting derailed off their intended tracks.

Let’s take a peek at some week two highlights and low blows: 

When New York Jets pulled off a miraculous overtime win versus the Buffalo Bills in week one with Aaron Rodgers out for the season, there may have been a glimmer of hope for the Jets to possibly pull off a fair season with an improved defense and the opportunity for Zach Wilson to glean off one of the great quarterbacks in Rodgers. The New York Jets were in high hopes to be the better competitor of the New York franchises versus the Dallas Cowboys. With a prominent defense, and decent running game with the tandem of Dalvin Cook and Breece Hall, many fans were hoping for a better game than what unfolded on the gridiron. The Jets defense appeared to have no answers for the play-calling Dallas offense. The Jets went down hard losing 30-10. The Jets host New England on Sunday, and there’s an aura of insecurity of what will show up on the Meadowlands gridiron. 

On the flip side, Buffalo came out week one with a surprisingly lackluster display on both sides of the football. Josh Allen threw three interceptions in one game, and when it came down to stopping the Jets from tying the game, the Bills D came up empty. Following that overtime loss, the Bills Mafia had to be smacking their foreheads in disbelief of what they just witnessed unfolding in New Jersey (yup, both New York Teams play in Jersey…) Needless to say, Josh Allen was the most frustrated and perplexed regarding his and the team's performance. Week two, Buffalo welcomed the 1-0 Oak…. Errr (still difficult for many East Bay residents to accept the move, Ugh!) Las Vegas Raiders to town with the chiseled-jawline handsome Italian quarterback, Jimmy G (Garoppolo) at the helm. Needless to say, the Bills Mafia and Buffalo players were on a mission to get back on track at home in the tundra of Northwest New York. The game plan, offense, and defense performances did not disappoint, beating the Vegas Raiders with ease, 38-10. Buffalo handed Garoppolo his worst loss since being a starting quarterback. The Las Vegas Raiders secondary continued to struggle. The Raiders D-Line needs more than their top defensive end, Maxx Crosby to place a dent into future competitions. 

The Cincinnati Bengals offered a $275 million 5-year extension to star quarterback Joe Burrow, making him the highest paid player in NFL history, clearing $55 million in earnings annually. And then, the Bengals proceeded to fall flat on their pads and helmets losing their first two games to the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens. Just two years removed from a Super Bowl appearance (losing to the Los Angeles Rams), expectations are definitely high for the ‘Who Dey’ crew repping the other franchise in Ohio. I am fairly sure they weren’t expecting this outcome heading into week three. It’s cliche’ to say when one of these gargantuan contracts are awarded, there tends to be a slip in performance of the athlete, usually exhaling and celebrating the life changing deal. Although ‘Broadway Joe Jr,’ has a knack for panache and flair above the average professional athlete, it may be more about a plaguing injury from preseason (calf), than Gucci shades and Havana cigars in the locker room. I understand Joe is theee quarterback and leader of the Bengals, there’s ten other players along with him on the scoring side, as well as eleven defense positions with the single-minded goal of stopping the opposing team from scoring. Let’s hope a healing calf, and scrutinizing analysis of game tapes helps Cincy turn things around going into week three. The Bengals will be hosting the Los Angeles Rams, a formidable (and surprisingly competitive, plus possible grudge match from the Super Bowl) opponent on Monday night. Pending Burrow’s game time status with his questionable calf injury, I am sure the crowd will be roaring to help pump up their team towards a needed win.

Speaking of losses, two formidable NFL franchises have high expectations for their teams coming into the 2023-2024 season. The 0-2 Chargers travel to the 0-2 Minnesota Vikings in week three. Both squads are looking to notch a win on their record. Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense are coming off a productive 2022 season, where there were high hopes to go deep into the playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings are beginning the 2023 season with firm expectations of competing for a conference championship coming off of a substantial showing in last year’s regular season with a 12-4 record, clinching their division (NFC North), only to be eliminated in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Chargers always appear on the brink of pushing forward and having a successful season, and producing in the postseason. San Diego (Oh.... I know, they're actually in Lala land...) scraped enough wins in 2022 to make it into the playoffs, only to be rejected again in the wild card playoff game last year. Looming curiosities and questions circle around each franchise wondering if it’s a shortfall due to the rosters? Or the execution of the game plan by the head coaches and coordinators. Of course, it continues to be early in the season, however I am sure fan bases are pondering what direction their respective teams are going. Oh how the amateur and professional (and well paid, huh-hum) sports analysts love speculating and hyping up potential (and probable minutiae) of the early unfolding NFL season! 

Some surprises for our football fanatic eyes have been the effective play of Baker Mayfield down in Tampa Bay. Let’s be honest ladies and gents, didn’t we all have Baker marked up as a wash out after being waived/traded from the Browns?! I know I was shaking my head wondering how he would perform coming into this season. Well, well, well… The flag planter is showing up and possibly making a list of names to send sandbags to for a pounding workout. Between the Tampa Bay defense grabbing turnovers, sacks and a pick six combined with Mayfield’s elusiveness to escape and find touted receivers in Evans, Godwin and rookie Palmer, the Buccaneers have turned up with a surprising win in Minnesota and beating a competitive Chicago Bears squad at their home opener. Tampa Bay hosts the NFC defending champions, Philadelphia Eagles in the early Monday Night kickoff game, and may have an opportunity of handing Philadelphia their first L of the season, going to a pristine 3. 

Last but not least is the continued injuries playing out on the gridiron, affecting many fantasy outcomes week-to-week. One of the highest rated running backs, Cleveland Browns Nick Chubb has suffered a season-ending MCL tear. Baltimore Colts top rusher, David Montgomery suffered a deep thigh bruise that will most likely keep him out 1-3 weeks. JK Dobbins, the premier running back for Baltimore out for the season with a torn Achilles. Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle is ruled out for a concussion. Chargers leading rusher, Austin Ekeler will be out for a second week with a lingering ankle injury. Niners wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was ruled out of Thursday night’s game with a shoulder injury. Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback, Joe Burrow will be a game-time decision due to a continued ailing calf injury. Starting quarterback for the Colts, Anthony Richardson will be out due to a concussion. Carolina Panthers starting quarterback, Bryce Young is ruled out with an ankle injury. New Orleans Saints running back Jamaal Williams ruled out with an ailing hamstring. Many defensive line, defensive secondary and offensive line players across the league remain questionable and doubtful to suit up for their third game. Depending on the number of teams and layout of your fantasy league, this can cause quite the disruption of maneuvering a starting lineup, and possibly affecting a win or loss for your ‘Burrow the Competition’ squad. 

Obviously, I missed the deadline of posting my farce amateur sports fanatic nuggets before the Thursday night game between my home team, San Francisco Forty-Niners and New York Giants. Purdy wobbled a little in the first half, only to recover with prominent play of the core YAC brothers defeating the Giants handily, 30-12. The Niners moved to 3-0, with Brock Purdy winning his first eight starts in the regular season. The San Francisco defense continues to shine and become even stronger with Bosa scoring his first sack of the season, as well as documented rushes on the quarterback and tackles. Niners are showing up fierce and ready to rumble with anyone on the road and at Levi Stadium. The Niner Nation faithful to our Bay team is here for it!!! Bang-bang Niner gang! 

Best of luck fellow fantasy peeps! 

#FTTB 

The Glows and Blows from NFL Week One

 What a topsy-turvy week one captured across the time zones in week one of NFL! Fantasy football owners across the landscapes are experiencing the spectrum of emotions, from elation to head blown emojis following Monday Night Football! 

Takeaways from the first week of September NFL action: 

Shockers-

For the first time in my fantasy tenure, I actually decided to take a risk on Aaron Rodgers’ off season move to the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, JETS! And take him as my QB1 in one of my two fantasy football leagues. In less than five minutes into the Monday night game, all Aaron Rodgers owners had our jaws on the floor and pretty much shat our pants in the same moment. Here was an anticipated 25-30 points to win our fantasy game shut down. I was actually surprised I still won that fantasy match up in that league EVEN WITH Rodgers accumulating a big fat zero! (thank you Jared Goff flex, Pittman and Jones!)

The home squad (my home squad, Niners Baby!!!) laid down a statement of their own in Steel Town USA, when the San Francisco walked out onto Three Rivers Stadium and dismantled all hope for every fan waving those terrible towels, limiting the offense to one score in the first half! Swooping in the last hour, San Francisco made 2022 DPOY Nick Bosa the highest paid defensive player in the NFL. Although he had some rushes and assistance in tackling, I am sure the intimidation he thwarted on the defensive line, helped his fellow teammates kick some Pittsburgh booty all game long. Another secure (not-any-surprise to Bay Area Niner fans) performance was by San Francisco’s QB1 coming off elbow ligament surgery, Brock Purdy. Experts have ranked him as the 24th best quarterback in the league?! 24th??? Really? Well, Shanahan’s game plan, and Purdy’s calm cool demeanor had something to say about that diss. San Francisco walked off the gridiron sending a statement to the rest of the league: with a 30-7 dredging of the Pittsburgh Steelers; we’re coming to make a mark, and win. 

Another shocker that arose this past Monday night, was the rare lackluster performance by Josh Allen, throwing three interceptions to the same Jets Safety, Jordan Whitehead, coincidentally wearing #3 (Possibly a Damar Hamlin nod). There were two grabs I felt Stefon Diggs could have batted away… I know Allen is rumored to be dating a hottie (Hailey Stanfield), and not sure if that’s been possibly a distraction? Of course, I am sure he’s the consummate professional compartmentalizing those things when walking into the locker room, and trotting onto the field. Just curious myself, and the eye-opening-eek performance coming out of the preseason. To see Zac Wilson take over for Aaron Rodgers, along with a stingy Jets defense/special teams performance and win the game in an OT touchdown was incredibly entertaining, and I’m sure there was a collective sigh and J-E-T-S jubilation breathing potential hope for the upcoming season. The expectations of ‘Super Bowl or Bust!’ have definitely been deflated to, ‘Let’s try and make it to the postseason’! 

The opening game between Detroit and Kansas City was a twister! The Lions came to play! No one, NO ONE had Detroit pegged to win that game! Things just got real in motor city, and they're definitely not rolling over for anyone. Their power ranking rating should rise if they continue to lay out upcoming opponents. 

Sunday night football with Dallas walking into New York (Okay, okay, Jersey…) versus the Giants- we thought we would be watching a balanced competitive game between two foes. Nothing could be closer from that happening. The New York Giants offense looked flatter than a day-old pitcher of beer. On top of that, the Giants defense had zero answers for what Dallas threw, ran their way. If there were a mercy rule in football, I believe New York may have requested not to play the remaining minutes of the fourth quarter, with Dallas stringing up a 40-0 spot on the supposed more competitive of the two New York teams in the past several years. 

Many football enthusiasts were looking forward to seeing if Seattle would continue their rise with the second coming of Geno Smith and the plethora of offensive options between receivers and running backs. Their opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, had rising concerns with their main pro-receiver, Cooper Kupp being out, and if Matthew Stafford would find some of his Super Bowl pizzazz that was proficiently displayed two years ago. Well, well, well… Lookie here ladies and gentlemen! Seattle was taking too many steps in the wrong direction, while Stafford hooked up with some unknown receivers lighting up the field and scoreboard! The waiver wires in many leagues I am sure were busy with claims from every team in the league attempting to out bid one another for either Tutu Atwell or Puka Nacua! (I mean I attempted to claim both! And, actually acquired Atwell!). Between Cam Akers and the receivers, Stafford and the LA Rams sent Seattle twelfth man fans into a tantrum rant and left Lumen Field in a tizzy fit.

Last but not least, were the performances of certain traded quarterbacks, and the expected performance of one Miami team. Jimmy Garropolo and Derek Carr landed wins in their new towns and team colors. It was nice to see Jimmy G and Carr do well in their new locker rooms and teams. The other team (and quarterback, after all the concussions from the previous season) many of us were piqued to watch were the Miami Dolphins and how Tua Tagovailoa would rebound from such a tumultuous 2022-2023 season. The San Diego Chargers led by one of the talented quarterbacks in the league, Justin Herbert were definitely favored to win in many football minds. Little did we know how ready head coach Mike McDaniel and the offense plan would unravel, stunning the Chargers with outsourcing them as the last seconds ticked off the clock. Tua did a phenomenal job spreading the ball out between the two highlight reel receivers Tyreek HIll and Waddle, as well as newcomers Barrios and Cracraft, mixed in with a strong running game headed by Raheem Mostert. 

We all walk into the NFL season with our heads held high, thinking we know it all… Even the paid experts miss the mark on their evaluations and predictions. Of course, we can definitely have our overreaction moments, considering it's week one of eighteen! After all of our ‘Hmph!’ and adjusting moves, we all look forward to seeing what week two will bring!!! Buckle up buttercups (and superstars!), we may continue to experience some turbulence heading into the Fall! Best of luck to all my fellow fantasy football fanatics (okay, all except my opponents… I would like to kick some A this weekend, uh-hum…) 

#FTTB

It's TIME!!! The Fantasy Football Sweetspot

 If you’re not familiar with the Buffer brothers, let me refresh your memory: the elder Michael Buffer has been the main man ring announcer for premier boxing bouts and most famous (and I’m sure trademarked) phrase before the beginning of each main fight or championship fight, “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble!!!!”; the younger brother, Bruce Buffer has been the main Octagon announcer for UFC fight cards and his infamous crowd pump-up phrase, “ Iiiiiiiiit’s TIIIIIIIME! For the MAIN EVENT of the Evening!!!”... As rookies, invites and established players reported to camp for the upcoming 2023-2024 NFL Season, may I glean from the Buffer Boys’, the greatest ring announcers of our time, “Are you Ready for Fantasy Football?!!!!” It’s time for God to take the backseat, as NFL Mayhem rises up taking  over Sundays!  The most popular professional and physical sport in America is revving its engines with the preseason games in the books, final rosters established and the first game on Today! 

When getting ready for your fantasy draft, it’s wise to catch up on all the coaching changes, free agency signings and acquired draft prospects joining the sixteen AFC and NFC rosters. Honing in on power rankings, head coaching strengths and weaknesses, offense and defense coordinators’ philosophies and playbooks, all should be taken into consideration.  Of course, there are in-depth charts created by analysts and proclaimed ‘experts’ at every fantasy team’s disposal. The outlying questions remain about each of their accuracies of predicting performances, especially as a prime PPR player ages, and the unknown effectiveness of rookies making rosters.  You can always follow power rankings by certain fantasy football analysts and do fine; I always like to evaluate the whole team, beginning with the strength of the offensive line, the offense play calling style and the ranking/effectiveness of the quarterback. We must not forget about an established running game to open up passing opportunities. Depending on how the scoring is layed out, there can be gems performing on losing teams, (e,g, Derrick Henry) where they are the go-to clutch player for their squad. There’s also the seasoned fantasy football player’s gut many should not ignore. Many dipping their toes into the fantasy football world may not realize what’s all involved creating consistent winning fantasy teams year-in and year-out. I have yet to see a player in my two top leagues win back-to-back seasons. A main goal for ‘mois’ is to at least win my entry fee back in bonus points (top score weekly bonus; playoff team bonus; top team bonus; winning playoff round bonus), as well as placing in the top three. Last season was brutal! I  went the whole regular season undefeated, only to lose in the championship game, coming in second! Ugh! One of the drawbacks of having top point performing players, usually means they end up resting, not playing during the final games leading up to the playoffs; thus, that truly gutted my team in the championship game. 

As draft party dates are lined up during the preseason, there’s such a thing as creating a drafting date too early! As I found out, (as many of us around the nation did, oof!) drafting Jonathan Taylor (RB, IND) at an auction draft in late August, risking that he may not be signed, or traded before the mandated 53-man roster cut date! Now he’s either on the bench for the first four games, or possibly the whole season! I am going to be as patient as possible to see if there’s some action in the next two weeks before possibly seeking a trade, or picking up another running back. Luckily I have decent flex options with drafting extra tight ends and the other running backs I have, I believe are slotted RB1 for their teams (Raheem Mostert, D’Andre Swift, Ezekiel Elliott, Pat Freirmuth, Cole Kmet and Chigoziem Okonkwo as flex options). When drafting towards the beginning of training camp, preseason can be risky, as injuries, waivers, trades and signings happen, leaving you in a lurch, scrambling to find players off the waiver wire. There’s a balance one must attain laying out an ideal fantasy roster.  Always keep in mind the scoring layout of your league, and invest in the positions that will get you the most points week-in and week-out. Most of all, have fun! Wishing all of my fellow fantasy football colleagues the best of luck! Shock your league and be the babe that conquers their league!!! 

College Football Roulette: The Reorganization of Division I

As I continue to tediously work on my promised NFL/Fantasy Football article providing a peak at each team as we delve into preseason games (going through all the off-season transactions and potential is a bit more time consuming, okay, I’ll admit, daunting than I originally imagined, doh!), the cringe-worthy headlines cropping up day-in and day-out this past week about the dismantling of the Pac-12 Conference, I couldn’t pass up a quick breakaway to put in my amateur two cents (I think I heard some eye rolling about the additional not asked for opinion, right? Ack!)

And just like that, the Pac-12 is on the brink of collapsing, with eight of the twelve teams moving to either Big-10 or Big-12 conferences. The four remaining teams, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State are in desperate mode trying to either save their conference, or find another top NCAA Division I Conference to join, Cal and Stanford have been courting the ACC, although four of the fifteen teams have turned down the move (North Carolina, North Carolina State, Florida State and Clemson). I believe one of the primary rebuttals from the opposing ACC schools was the idea of additional unrealistic travel for athletes from coast to coast, as well as time zones, applying potential stress and time away from classes and campus activities. If one of the four opposing schools switches their vote to yes, we may have a forming APCC coming in 2024 (Atlantic-Pacific Coast Conference). The Pac-12 originally was the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC) established in 1915 with four schools. It expanded to become the Pac-8 in the 1950’s, and then the Pac-10 in 1978. It became the Pac-12 in the 2010’s adding Colorado and Utah. The four teams remaining right now in the conference actually were original members of the PCC over 100 years ago. They recently hired a consultant, Oliver Luck to assist them in next moves. Right now, those options (as I feel I am repeating myself) would be to entice another strong established conference to join (Like the WCC, WAC or MWC), or move to another prominent established Division I conference, such as the ACC or SEC. 

Honestly, I am not surprised at all about the disintegration of the Pac-12. The current commissioner, George Kliakoff did not do a very good job reading the room, and making better decisions regarding television revenue opportunities to boost exposure and streaming income for the schools.  Creating the ‘Pac 12’ Network, then only having it available on a specific cable network was one of the daggers. Another stab in the gut was the late start times for games; a 7:30 PM start time may be on the edge of the prime time window for the West Coast, but it’s terribly late for every other time zone. I recall when I was living in Washington in the 1990’s, enjoying going to University of Washington football games with the stadium’s gorgeous backdrop on the Montlake Cut between Lake Washington and Lake Union, always beginning at 12:30 PM or 1:00 PM. There may have been a rare occasion of an ESPN featured game starting at 5:00 PM. The Pac-12 commissioner literally scratched on the eight ball. With a failing network, no television network proposals and players now getting paid with the NIL decision, the attraction for high school star recruits to consider playing for PAC-12 teams are dwindling. The athletic directors at universities representing the PAC-12 were also evaluating the realistic prospect of a lower revenue stream coming in to support their programs. Ultimately, money talks and boy did the Big-10 and Big-12 flush those options out to the teams that made in their minds, a no-brainer decision to leave for greener pastures. 

Observing the strengths and power of certain conferences in the NCAA Division I Football, I will not be surprised if we see a major shift and reorganization of the division itself into 4 conferences, and splitting each one of those conferences into regions. I can see Big-12, Big-10, SEC and ACC envelope all Division I conferences from the West  to East Coast. Each one of those conferences would have Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western Regions. At the end of the regular season, each one of the conferences would have their own ‘Playoff’ tournament and crown a champion. The winning team from each championship would then vie for the NCAA National Championship. With the main networks already paying out to these main conferences, I truly feel this will become a realistic projection of the future of college football. 

The Dog Days of Summer Sports Fodder~

Denver gets it done in Mile-High with the Gentleman's Sweep-

Big shout out to the Denver Nuggets Franchise bringing another shiny trophy 5,280 feet up- up- up above all the NBA Competition! The pressure’s on the Rockies now to see if they can figure out the best advantage of incoming baseball teams to their hit-friendly field (the last professional league in Denver without a world championship). The question now looming will be if the NBA mile-high team can retain their big-inside offense along with hovering defense for upcoming seasons. The landscape in the NBA is swiftly turning heads between trades, the draft, and free-agency. Two big moves come to mind. San Antonio will quickly come up as a threat in the upcoming 2023-2024 playoff conversations after drafting 19 year-old French 7’4” athletic phenom Victor Wembanyama. He’s definitely the most coordinated and dynamic tall-man shooter the NBA has seen, ever! With the support of past big men Tim Duncan and David Robinson, Popovich and the Spurs are ready for a resurgence of significance of being a contending team disrupting the power rankings in the Western Conference. 

Another move giving everyone pause out of the West is the Golden State Warriors. Right before the NBA draft earlier this month, Draymond Green expressed to the Warriors front office that he would be flexing free agency options meeting with other teams with his agent, Rich Paul. Immediately following his announcement, Golden State Warriors new GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. pulled quite the first move (and message to Green) early in his tenure trading Monte Poole to the Washington Wizzards, and acquiring veteran guard CP3, aka Chris Paul and later round draft picks. This move clears room for the Warriors to offer (or a counter offer) Draymond Green a top tier contract. Draymond did comment following the bold trade expressing his continued interest in speaking with other NBA teams; most likely a move to increase his contract amount that will come from the Warriors. I do not expect the split of Golden State’s core three players, knowing they continue to strive for another championship. What’s more contradictory, is the Warriors Ground welcoming CP3 into the fold with open arms after hazing him for so long on the court with opposing teams. Chris Paul will be one of the oldest players taking the floor for the Warriors at 38, as well as a reputation of being injury prone. With free agency opening up on June 30th, there were a few whirlwind moves, along with rumors ‘Heating Up’ regarding the potential of Damian Lillard being traded to the Miami Heat in a potential multi-team deal, moving Tyler Herro off Miami’s roster to acquire ‘Dime’ Lillard. Draymond scored a 4 year-$100 million deal (with three years guaranteed); DiVencenzo signed with the New York Knicks; Derrick Rose lands in Memphis (as being the mentor for the youngest player roster looking for common sense guidance); Sebonis signs mega-deal staying with the Kings. The upcoming NBA season will be an adjustment and potential wild card of what squad comes out on top! 

Will Las Vegas Raise another trophy for sin city? 

Following the Las Vegas Aces winning the 2022 WNBA Championship, NHL’s Las Vegas Knights got the line transitions right to raise the most storied and heaviest piece of hardware among major leagues and tournaments, Lord Stanley's Cup after only six years as a franchise. A sport born on the frozen lakes of Canada has come a long way with teams competing in a desert and beach front to drink bubbly champagne, errr sudsy lagers from Lord Stanley’s silver bowl! This  begs the question on other professional franchises that have relocated, and will be relocating to the high stakes glitzy city just a four hour ride from another shiny metropolis of Hollywood. The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t sniffed a Super Bowl in nearly twenty years (the infamous tuck fumble fiasco in a New England blizzard). Will having Brady as a part-owner, and the sparkle of Jimmy G help them navigate closer to a successful playoff run? There’s another Oaktown product headed to Las Vegas, the Athletics and the outlying question is if the owner will actually place a competitive product on the diamond? Right now, their team salary, at 33 million dollars is the lowest of all 30 Major League Baseball teams. Actually there are 11 major league players making more salary annually than the whole Athletics roster. There have been pushes from Oakland fans with reverse boycotts (that means packing the stadium, versus staying away) and a clear message requesting the league to force the Athletics owner to SELL the team. Unfortunately, with all the efforts, the Las Vegas legislation has approved public funding for a 30,000 capacity Stadium where the flamingo used to stand all but clinching the Athletics move to Las Vegas. Will the stingy owner build a winning team in Vegas to bring another World Series Championship to the beleaguered franchise that has suffered tough times since 1989?! I’m highly piqued and entertained at the Nevada desert destination investors capitalizing on America’s professional leagues to draw in betting and fans.

Race for the National League West heating up! 

If you asked me in May, even the beginning of June if the San Francisco Giants had a sliver of a chance to contend for the NL West title, I would have spit out my margarita and peed my pants laughing. Well, it appears the joke may be on me with a plate of crow on order! Farhan’s finds (with a little sprinkle of pixie sparkles) have been called up and are performing extraordinarily beyond any Giants fans expectations. Between Casey Schmitt, Patrick Bailey, Luis Matos, Camilo Doval, Thairo Estrada, along with the numerous acquisitions and signings for the field and bullpen are beginning to produce and build a motivational can-do, next-man-up chemistry in the clubhouse resulting into impressive offense and defense production on the field, no matter how many times we want to scoff or doubt the positive and inclusive dynamics of the GM and nature of the manager, Gabe Kapler. The millenial formula that has been receiving criticism left and right for the last three years may possibly coming to fruiting in 2023. Following a back-to-back sweep of the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers (the preseason contenders for the NL West), San Francisco finds themselves within two games of the leading Arizona Diamondbacks coming up on the midseason All-Star break. Will Farhan and Gabe break the ol’ adage even-year hopes and make a World Series run for fans and players seeking affirmation of their talent and finding a home to show off what the world didn’t realize what was possible! The team deemed in 2010 as, ‘Lightning in a Bottle’ just may have sparked a resurgence on the MLB scene. 

The Return of Formula One to the United States

For the first time in history Formuly One has returned to the United States in enthusiastic momentum where for the first time in Formula One history, there are three stops on the Grand Prix tour happening inside the United States, with two being incredible road coarses created by the cities of Miami and Las Vegas! I am absolutely ecstatic that US fans will be able to experience what I’ve always felt as the premiere auto sport in the world. I’m hoping it can spark interest of young aspiring speed cart demons to dream bigger than IRL or NASCAR, and seek skill, fame and fortune in a racing circuit that can give them not only world fame, to include diversity, challenges, engineering and physics! Right now on the Formula One circuit has been the lowest representation in decades of american drivers and only one mediocre team, HAAS 1. I, and hopefully other corporations, hoping the extended exposure of the Formula One schedule in America will spark interest on both sides of drivers and teams to join the elite luxurious world circuit. 

Summer and Women’s World Cup, Gold Cup…

Okay, Okay… So it’s ‘off season’ for ‘American Football’... That doesn’t mean there isn’t futbol happening this Summer around the world! There’s two significant world tournaments happening and about to happen for your viewing pleasure! And if I were you, I would tune in! The women’s FIFA World Cup is about to kick off in July, and the North, Central and South America tournament for the Gold Cup is happening as I’m typing!  The rivals, the hopefuls and everyone in between vying to advance out of the group stage in hopes for that Gold Cup title! After a shaky early start of Mexico versus Haiti with a nil-nil tie at half, Mexico came back in the second half to dominate with a 4-1 victory. The US continues to attempt to prove their worth with lackluster wins of 2-0 versus Canada, a 1-1 ties versus Jamaica, and a thrilling dominant performance versus Trinidad and Tobago, 6-0. We all see the writing on the wall. The hopes is to see a final between Mexico and USA for the Gold Cup! Hopefully both teams can come through for fan around the world hoping for this result! 

Alternative Sports to Watch through the Summer awaiting your next fantasy football draft party- 

We all know majority of the sports landscape crawling across the good ol’ stars and stripes of ‘Merica’ has been addicted to their national phenom tough guy feat of football. Fans of the national league that’s stolen Sundays away from God has a lag time between mid-February and August to figure out where to spend their leisure time (where they’d usually be in the grind of the hikes between teams…) on the sports landscape. Well, Here-Yee! Here-Yee! I am here to promote the multi-tiered spectacle of sports opportunities around the world. We have rolled into July, where there are two premier championships beginning their run towards wearing the final yellow jersey riding into Paris under the Arc De Triomphe riding along such sites as the  Champ Elysees, and playing a championship match on the infamous manicured grass courts following a breakfast of strawberries and cream. Le Tour de France, the most grueling 21-day road race meandering through the highest peaks of the Alps begins at the end of June/beginning of July and truly shows the definition of grit, endurance, and team strategy. As the sun finally blesses the Isles of the UK, the storied turf tournament, almost as old as current time, begins on July 3rd, Wimbledon. Venus Williams will be strapping on her tennies for a 23rd tournament to face one of the top seeds, Elina Svitolina. The US Tennis field is finally showing some life and promise on the men’s and women’s sides with the likes of Coco Gaugh, Frances Tiago and Taylor Fritz seeking to make a deep run, dreaming of perfection to reach the final match on Wembledon’s Centre Court. Other sports broadcasts coming you way is WNBA heating up at mid-season with the defending Vegas Aces on a tear with only one loss as of July 1st; Nascar, IRL and Formula One are going strong weekend in and weekend out. The Open Championship (the fourth major in PGA) taking place in Liverpool; the match games between Steph Curry, Klay Thompson against Travis Kelce and Patrick Maholmes; the little league World Series will be coming your way soon! Of course, there’s America’s original past time, baseball happening on a nightly basis, be it major league or the minors around a hometown nearby. Flex your sports game and watch something new! 

Coming Soon (before NFL preseason)!!! Breakdown of all NFL franchises leading up to fantasy drafts, and the 2023-2024 NFL Season! Who will rise to top? Who will be the surprise team of the season? Who’s going to flop worse than a catfish thrown on a dock from the mud?!!! We are all waiting with baited breath (Okay, maybe some of us… Not I my friend… Not I…)! 

 

The Battle for History

 Welcome to the 2023 NBA Finals! Vegas odds at the beginning of the 2022-2023 season predicting a finals match-up between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat had to have been one of the rare and oddest long shots. Of course, there’s always that one ticket floating out there… We are three games in, and Miami has come up strong and has taken a game in Denver, which has surprised everyone except Miami themselves. With the series moving back to sea level near the jaw dropping shores of South Beach in Miami, the opportunity for the Heat to make NBA history (opportunity to be the first 8th seed to win the Larry O’Brien Trophy) grows stronger with the high probability of Tyler Herro returning. Denver had a different game plan, stealing game three in Miami; we will also have to wait another game to see if Herro returns to the Heat Lineup.

The series may be guaranteed to go at least 6 games now with Miami hijacking game 2 in the Mile High City (first home court loss for the Nuggets in this playoff run), with Denver turning right back around and taking home court away from the Heat. The question will be if Denver will put their heads down and take the prize in a gentleman's sweep? Or will Miami prevail, dragging the series out? I may be one of the few excited to see how the match-up will play out! Miami is playing to be the first eighth seed to win an NBA title. Denver has the opportunity of winning their first NBA Title. There’s some interesting statistics and advantages backing Colorado’s NBA franchise. One advantage I have yet to hear any of the experts point out helping Denver Nuggets, is practicing, and playing games at elevation. A team coming in from a sea-level town can be affected and gassed not having much time to adjust expending oxygen at a slightly faster rate. The conditioning of all NBA players in the series has to be on point. The other advantage already mentioned, is the size differential between squads. 

There’s some interesting factoids popping up, be it valid or a coinkydink predicting if Denver or Miami would win a game. Let’s discuss… When Nikola Jokic scores 40+points, their record is 0-3 in the playoffs; on the other hand, when Jokic has 6 or more assists, their record is 5-1. Thus, when Jokic distributes the ball and gets other players involved in the offense game plan, they tend to win. If Jokic tries to carry the team on his own shoulders, it’s not the winning formula. The statistics on the Miami side are a bit more convoluted when it comes to win or losses, with an exception of a couple stat lines that seem to be the difference between a winning formula and seeing a loss appear on their 2023 playoff record. One standout is the points Jimmy Butler scores and supporting points from fellow starters and the bench. If Jimmy Butler scores less than 20-25 points (or, in one game, didn’t play) and the fellow roster does not have more than two players score 20+ points, they are cruising for the L. Another observation I noticed in a couple of losses was the free throw discrepancy. When Miami lost their first game against Denver in the NBA Final, the Heat only had two free throw attempts! TWO, versus 20 the Nuggets took!!! A couple other items that popped up were turnovers and assists. When Miami would give up a game, they had a habit of turning over the ball (be it unforced, or a steal) 10+ times, and ball distribution was not the best, having less than 25 assists in many of those games in the playoff series.  Team Field goal percentage and 3-point percentage between wins and losses weren’t drastically different. There were a few wins where the Heat’s FG and 3PT percentages did hover around 50%; where some of the losses those percentages where closer to 30%. 

The main game plan Miami should aim for is shutting down the Denver bench, as well as fellow role players of Jokic; put themselves in opportunities of getting to the free throw line, and DON’T turn the ball over! Of course, on the other side, Denver needs to apply pressure defense to create turnovers, and Jokic to distribute the ball, getting his teammates involved in scoring. Game 4 tips off tonight and intriguing basketball heads will be tuned in to see if we’re going to get six games out of the series, and see if Herro will be back to be another ‘hot’ Miami weapon Denver will have to try and defend. 

Mile High Brooms to A Brutal Game 7 Save!

 Who Let the Brooms Out?! - Sweep…Sweep-Sweep-Sweep! That was the Tune stuck in my head earlier last week as the Denver Nuggets secured a sweep in Lala Land at the Crypto.com Arena on South Figueroa Street, Monday night 22nd day in May. I thought I would be posting this amateur reflection last Thursday, with the heavy anticipation, expectation that Miami would follow up with their own sweep the following evening, Tuesday May 23rd. Hearts all over South Beach must have dropped into their guts when Boston decided to show up, winning game 5, game 6, forcing game 7 on the historic parquet floor at Boston Gardens, oh, I mean TD Garden. I felt I was experiencing the opening theme of Wide World of Sports repeating over and over again after game 5 and 6 between Boston and Miami - “The Thrill of victory! Or, the Agony of Defeat…” We as fans are part of the spectacle gleaning off the ‘human drama of athletic competition’. Zaza Pachulia also showed up streaming through my mind at the end of game six, echoing his sentiments, “Game 7! Game 7 Baby!!! Nothing easy… NOTHING EASY!!!’ Ahhh… the great NBA and sports memories through the years… Priceless!

The sexy NBA matchups of our past are becoming as antiquated as the boomer generation that revelled in the cliche East Coast versus West Coast rivalry over the last two generations, Los Angeles Lakers versus Boston Celtics. There’s a new kid in town, Mr. Gen Z, and they are not intimidated or swayed by their intentions to overcome the ‘I’m special!’ helicopter doting upbringing. The Gen X generation are raising a class of thick-skinned athletes ready to take over a league once dominated by few teams. If you haven’t been paying attention in the past two-three seasons, or wearing blinders (only paying homage to your favorite team), there’s a paradigm shift emerging in the NBA, and it favors every fan. 

No one predicted the Los Angeles Lakers would look two-steps stale, and cough up four games in a row to the prime seed, Denver Nuggets. Not even the referees could dissuade the mile-high franchise from bouldering over everything the Lakers attempted to throw up against their game plan. LeBron, even with his 40+ points performance could no longer carry the City of Angels and their squad on his shoulders to attempt the impossible- overcoming an 0-3 series deficit. King James needed perfection performances from ‘Cowboy Kobe’ Austin Reaves, ‘Unibrow’ Anthony Davis and stealth accuracy from Rui Hachimura. Fans and professional analysts alike were thinking the series would go at least six, seven games for the eyes to feast on. Nope, the dudes in purple-and-gold were gassed. They attempted to put on as best possible a show as their seventh-seed exposed. After being defeated in division play-off series two years in a row as one of the western conference top seeds, the Denver Nuggets were adamant with themselves, and their fan base to not let that opportunity to represent the West in the NBA Finals for a third time. Coach Michael Malone has a bulldog mentality and has obviously rubbed off on his players. Nikola turned in another triple-double performance and teammates Murray, Porter and Gordon have been showing up game in and game out to create frustrating defense scenario situations for Los Angeles. 

On the other coastline, Miami has walked over the line drawn in the sand by expert analysts, and league assumptions. Coach Eric Spoelstra along with team leader Jimmy Butler are not backing down striving for a crash course with their west coast nemesis Denver and Jokic. Of course, nothing came easy for the eighth-seed Miami going into game four at home versus Boston. The following three games last week became a roller coaster of abject to thrilling performances witnessed on both sidelines. In my own opinion, I felt if Miami did not win game six at home and had to go back to Boston for game seven, we may experience the first NBA playoff series comeback by Boston, winning a series after trailing 0-3. Little did I know, the grit and determination that showed up from Miami blew the Celtics fans to dismay and impressed me that Monday night on the 29th day in May. Miami is only the second team in NBA history to make the NBA Finals as the 8th seed. The last team to make it to the Finals from the last playoff spot were the 1999 New York Knicks. The Knicks ultimately lost in the Finals to the San Antonio Spurs in five games (4-1). Miami has an opportunity to make history as being the first 8th seed to hoist the Larry O’brien Golden Layup Trophy. On the other end, Denver has an opportunity to park the Larry O’brien for the first time 5.280 feet above sea level in their NBA history. Another dynamic between the two franchises is their lack of respect for one another; this series has the potential of being physical and explosive! For anyone thinking this matchup between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets, as ‘Meh’, or ‘Borrrrring…’ Those reflections couldn’t be farther from the truth. The 2023 NBA Finals are going to be fireworks, and I am here for the show! Get your popcorn and soda pop ready! I know what I am doing tonight at 17:30 PST, what about you?! 

The Perfect Match: Road to the NBA Finals...

 Ahhhh… Here we are, at the final four teams aiming to win four more games to have an opportunity to hoist the Larry O’Brien golden orb set on a pedestal net, carving their way into the record books. Professional sports have been the penultimate reality television for fans all over the world amazed by athletic feats the ordinary wish they could accomplish. Since the Kardashians and Bachelor franchises, populations present on our planet have become addicted to reality TV. Is it the envy of perfect looking people, and knowing they have arguments and issues just like the rest of us? Is it ‘thee’ heavily influenced by producers' trainwreck moments on dating shows we stream week after week from The Bachelor to Love Is Blind? Producers have definitely repeated their winning formula time after time as globalization and social media expand across our sidewalks and buroughs. Has there been inside influences when it comes to our ultimate unscripted athletic entertainment?  From  national media sports analysts and journalists alike, they quietly (or not so quietly) have been nodding towards potential NBA league influence to create the ‘Perfect Match Up’ when it comes to who the final two teams the globe will be watching come June 1st. One seasoned writer expressed his input earlier this week, quipping ‘“ It would be great to see the Nuggets versus the Heat in The Finals…” Said no NBA official ever…’ Which brings me to beg the question, are the Lakers versus the Celtics the perfect match?

We are down to the Western and Eastern NBA Championship series with the winners (of course) advancing one step closer to a championship ring. Every team involved has a telling storyline of how their squad would make the best feature of reaching the summit of what is touted as the world’s greatest professional basketball league, hence considered a ‘World Champion’. The Denver Nuggets have a compelling story playing for an opportunity at firsts for their club. Since their history of joining the NBA back in 1976, they have never been to an NBA final. On top of that, the Nuggets have a franchise winning percentage of .510, the best in the NBA without a championship. Will the giant, lanky, uncoordinated-looking yet effective Nikola Jokic, the supporting role players, and his untraditional straight-shooter coach, Michael Malone be able to finally break the ‘never have I ever’ streak for the mile-high team striking gold? The long shot, and eighth seed out of one of the most glamorous neon beach side resort cities in the southeastern most points in the USA, the Miami Heat, are seeking their first NBA title since King James decided to transfer his talents back to Ohio, in 2013, ten years ago. The Miami Heat have been led by Jimmy Butler throughout the Heat’s playoff run, with the other main impact player, Tyler Herro being sidelined with a hand fracture. The remainder of the Heat’s roster has definitely stepped up their game supporting head coach Spoelstra on his game plan and assisting Butler in dividing the load. What’s impressive with this Miami squad is Butler and Herro are the only drafted players on the roster; majority of the remaining ten teammates were un-drafted, earning their spots with true grit, consistency and stamina. If this isn’t a great storyline from zero to hero, I don’t know what you would have in mind to top that?!!! 

And that takes us to the two remaining tried and true favorites on US’s opposite coasts. There’s the Black Mamba’s Lala Lakers, and their generation after generation east coast brownstone rivals, Boston Celtics. Since the 1960’s, the Lakers have faced the Celtics a record 12 times in the NBA Finals. Of course, this classic rivalry is a media-darling favorite, where it would make an assuming splash in all media markets. What are their compelling story lines? If we look at the Los Angeles Lakers, outside of winning the NBA title in ‘The Bubble’ year (2020), L.A. hasn’t seen a parade since 2010 under the late great MVP Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson! That’s quite the drought for the top western league winning franchise. Will Lebron James and Anthony Davis be able to come back from being 0-2 down to go back and play for an All-NBA leading 18th title for Los Angeles? And then there's Hollywood land’s nemesis, the Boston Celtics vying to win their 18th NBA league-leading title. Boston Garden has to be one of the most intimidating arenas for opposing teams to play in with the rich history of the perfectly polished parquet floors packed with a fan base that will not hesitate to taunt and rip on the opposing team. What is the compelling angle for Boston? Boston has one of the youngest leaders, Jason Tatum attempting to make his mark, along with a significant veteran role player, Al Horford returning to the Celtics in hopes of winning that elusive NBA world championship ring.  

Between Lebron seeking another title with his third team and each storied franchise (Boston and Los Angeles) wanting to break the tie of most championships in the league, they’ll both have to battle back from an 0-2 deficit against their viable opponents. Will we see a sweep? Will the old adage clubs have the fortitude to withstand another six-seven game series?  Will Nikola Jokic be the big man to finally lead Denver to their first NBA title? Will the ultimate underdog in the fight Jimmy Butler finally sweep the favorite as he leads the eighth seeded Heat to another Larry O’Brien to place in the trophy case? NBA fans across the time zones are tuning in to see who will prevail. The perfect match always depends on the vantage point, and eyes of the beholder. Regardless of seemingly intentional or unintentional influences, we are all rooting for the best teams, and match up to prevail. The outcome and teams vying in June may surprise us, and put on quite the reality athletic feat for all the fans! 

Nightmare on South Figueroa Street...

 It’s now seventy-two hours following the disastrous performance that took place at The Crypto Arena in Los Angeles of the Golden State Warriors. Anything Warriors attempted just fell absolutely flat. No one on the team could make a shot even if they were a boat trying to hit water! It was a nightmare outcome for everyone watching. As ‘Cowboy Kobe’ Austin Reaves hit the full court shot at the buzzer at halftime, I was depleted. I of course kept some faith, knowing how many times Warriors role players tend to show up in the third and fourth quarters. Not this time. Everyone seemed out of sync. Between trying to grab boards, nailing an open layup, 15-footer, or the usual ‘nailed it’ open three-footer from Klay or Steph, nothing swished in. Clank after clank off the rim was another dagger into hope of any comeback. 

Friday’s loss against the Lakers was the first game six loss in a playoff series under coach Steve Kerr. The stats displayed all we needed to know of the team's deplorable Performance. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry were 6 for 26 at the three point line (23%), team field goal percentage at 46.5%, 16 turnovers and only making 9 of 12 free throws (where Lakers made 20/20 of their free throws), and 22 fouls versus 15 fouls for the Lakers. Honestly, other numbers between the two teams were similar, with the exception of free throw attempts made and the made field goals. The Warriors had several opportunities with open layups and three point goals, where every one clanked off the rim; there were times where we even were able to grab the board with another attempt, only to either turn it over with a bad pass, or throw it out of bounds. There’s other times where the Lakers just smuggled the boards and the Warriors either had only one person or none under the rim. When has it become a thing not to have a person camping out to grab a board? Between the series versus Sacramento and Los Angeles, it seemed like the Warriors allowed the opposing team to get under their rim, for second and sometimes frustratingly third shot opportunities. 

This result gives you perspective of how incredible the three-peat by Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, Magic Johnson Lakers battling with Larry Bird’s Celtics between 1984 and 1988. Attempting to win back-to-back Championships is a monstrous task. Although Golden State made it to the NBA Finals five years in a row (2015- 2019), they were able to win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018 with the help of Kevin Durant as part of the squad. As the roster dynamics have shifted, and key role players getting older, the window to The Finals is closing. There are unknowns coming up on what the 2023-2024 Golden State Warriors will look like. I am hoping Bob Myers comes back as GM, and Draymond Green decides to stay along with Gary Payton II. The one person I would ship off, due to so many inconsistencies, would be Jordan Poole. There’s other young players that sat on the bench I feel can be developed this summer as impactful role players (DiVincenzo, Kuminga, Moody, Green) for this upcoming season. 

As I was exchanging jabs with my brother-in-law (lives in Oceanside, grew up in Venice) about the series between NorCal and SoCal, he cheekily replied Friday evening, “You know Suzanne, you can come over and root for the Lakers, they’re a California team…” I quickly responded, “Jim, that would be like going over to the Dark Side!” of course, with no hesitation, “Is that such a bad thing??? Don’t they have special powers? 😛” You won this round L.A. and LeBron… Let’s see if you can go all the way outside a bubble! We will be paying attention! 

Art of the Flop

Proportionality

 Let’s get something straight, if the media has an opportunity to be over-the-top, and blow an action out of proportion (depending, of course, on the network and program…), nine times out of ten, they will! On top of flops, on top of absolute overreaction, we have another on-court incident between the Lakers and Warriors jumping the shark. Kevon Looney, when reaching for a free throw, had his forearm inadvertently swipe the side of Anthony Davis’s face and may have bumped his temple. I’ve watched the replay of this action a dozen times, and I cannot truly equate the reaction that unfolded following the incidental contact. Full disclosure, having done a previous piece on ‘an inconvenient truth’ regarding the NFL and their lack of actions relating to CTE, I do not take the risk of concussions lightly. There’s been no mention or follow up statements made by the Lakers team doctor, or Unibrow about possible concussion, or needing to continue concussion protocol; although, it’s been mentioned ad nauseum every time it’s highlighted on a sports update. Inadvertent contact is going to happen. Although basketball is supposedly a non-contact sport… Uh-hum, some may beg to differ. 

Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith on TNT’s broadcast NBA playoffs coverage, could not resist chuckling. They may be receiving some backlash regarding their reaction. They may be giggling, due to the fact, where this forearm swipe did not deserve the over-exaggerated reaction by Anthony Davis. Let me do everyone a solid, and give a link of some ‘intense’ head bashing contact Charles and Kenny survived when they graced the hardwood in the late 1980’s and 1990’s: 

https://youtu.be/_HJmZmR0-NM

The added fuel to an already intense playoff series is irresponsible, and feeding a narrative that should be squashed. AD may have a little tenderness, or possible bruise; that’s it! End of discussion! Done! Donezo! Capiche?!

Let’s move on to the upcoming game six between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors. We travel back down I-5 to Lala Land to what should be another physical and grueling 48 minutes. There are two takes on this Friday night lights special depending, of course, your regional allegiance. If you’re pumping the purple and gold, you do not want to take the 75 minute flight back to San Francisco for a Mother’s Day game seven. If you’re repping the ‘We Believe’ squad, you’re expecting the most aggressive and physical game of the series, and need to leave it all on the hardwood in hopes of hosting a Mother’s Day classic finale. We definitely have a must-watch California rivalry and we’re here for it! There’s nothing greater for sports fans than a hope-and-a-prayer possibility of a seven-game series! 

Art of the Flop

 As the NBA becomes popular world wide and further representation popping up on every NBA team’s roster from all-continents, they’ve brought with them an ingenious strategy that we’ve seen perfected on futbol pitches around the globe: the art of the flop. There’s many players around the NBA league that has been practicing, and honestly perfecting their flop technique, where it’s now potentially impacting outcomes of games. It’s becoming a talking point looking at rule changes to potentially apply consequences, such as T-ing up those partaking in the practice (that’s a technical foul, by the way- where the team affected by the action gets a free-throw and possession). We’ve been witnessing such performances in every playoff series going on right now. Some of the infamous flopping we’ve experienced come from players such as Nikola Jokic, James Harden, Chris Paul, LeBron James and some not so successful attempts from Jordan Poole. 

The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of elimination in the western conference semi-final playoff series. With less than two minutes left in game 4 versus the Los Angeles lakers, the Warriors were up 7 points and looking to even up the series when a collection of disastrous shot selections, and unforced turnovers took place, specifically an errant pass, and losing possession of a jump ball, and NOT using a time out available when Steph Curry fell to the floor and nowhere to go (Steph pulled the ‘Michigan Final Four’ error last series against Sacramento Kings, where he called for a time out, where no timeout was left… possibly hesitant to avoid that situation; maybe it would be a good idea to remind players of the TO status as gems are winding down with fate of series direction at stake). On top of seeing a game slip away from your control, is the gross disparity of free-throw attempts between the Lakers and Warriors. The Los Angeles Lakers have 83 free throw attempts versus the Warriors with only 39 through game three. One of my ‘lovely’ Lakers fan friends cheekily replied, “You don’t have opportunity to get fouled when all you’re doing is shooting 3’s...” Of course, if he was actually watching twelve minutes in all four quarters, he’d know we also post up, and have in-line shooters, also! To add to that disparity, are those phantom fouls- the flop on fleek by LeBron, Russell and many other role players learning the technique coming off the bench. 

Of course, there were season-high performances by Reaves and Williams IV in the second half. Reaves was burning our coverage making 3’s and shooters left and right at will. Williams IV scored 15 points for the Lakers in the fourth quarter, just two points shy of scoring the same total as the Warriors! The last player to do such a performance in a playoff game in the final quarter would be the Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant (man, I am nowhere near a Lakers fan, but I did love, respect Kobe’s heart and game; I miss him, as many do!). It’s difficult repeating a championship run. Going through an 82-game season, as well as playing the full gamut of a championship playoff run is ALOT of physical endurance and strength; and then to be expected to display the same intensity the following season?! Ooof, that’s huge, especially when the heart of your line-up and future hall-of-famers are north of thirty years old. The amount of conditioning that every player needs to commit to premier performances night in and night out would be considered insane for the average Biff and Joe Blow in the gym. There’s players and combination line-ups I hope Kerr will evaluate and consider for game five. The Warrior achilles so far has been inconsistent performance on defense, and shot selection. I’d like to see Gary Peyton II step up, Two-Way-Wiggins appear on both ends of the floor, Looney grab some offensive boards and put back up for two and consider giving phenom youngster Jonathan Kuminga some minutes, and see if he can play up to the remaining playoff rosters’ caliber.  

All of us rooted and behind the Gold-Blooded, Strength in Numbers and ‘We Believe’ Golden State Warriors are hoping this will come down to game 7 at Chase… Prayers, voice loud and hands up with the layups, dunks and treys! Let’s go Blue and Gold!