Breaking
Archive

March 2020

Browsing
Sports

LeBron Is Making the NBA MVP Race With Giannis Interesting After Big Wins Over Bucks and Clippers

By

At this point in the season, the MVP Award is a two-horse race between Giannis and LeBron. I’d be lying to you if I said I had been watching the Bucks closely this season. I recognize that they’re having a historic season and are one of the best teams in the league, plus ya know…GIANNIS…but since I can’t watch them on TV unless they’re on a national network (ESPN, ABC), it makes it hard to keep up. But since I live in Los Angeles and can watch the Lakers whenever I want, I am continuously amazed by the performances LeBron gives on a nightly basis. It’s most evident how much he means to the Lakers when he goes to the bench. I have been very vocal in previous blogs about how bad the Lakers bench is, and that they are a completely different team with him in the game. In addition, he leads the league in assists, which shows how he isn’t just a scorer, but a playmaker that gets other guys involved and makes the whole team better. Since I will clearly come off as biased if I just talk about the things I’ve seen, I’ll let the stats do the talking to determine the argument.

PLAYER GP MIN PTS FGA FG% 3 PTS Made 3P% FT% OREB DREB REB AST STL BLK
Giannis Antetokounmpo 57 30.9 29.6 20 54.7 1.5 30.6 63.3 2.3 11.5 13.7 5.8 1 1
LeBron James 59 34.9 25.7 19.6 49.7 2.2 34.7 70.4 1 6.8 7.8 10.6 1.2 0.5

So as you can see, statistically, Giannis is having the superior season so far. He is averaging more points, rebounds (offensively and defensively), and has a better field-goal percentage. The only significant stats LeBron is leading in are assists and free-throw percentage. However, I do want to take your attention over to “MIN”. Lebron is averaging four more minutes per game than Giannis. This goes back to how bad the Lakers are without LeBron, which doesn’t allow him to rest as much during games. Instead of Jared Dudley subbing in the last few minutes of garbage time, LeBron is forced to stay in the game to secure the lead.

LeBron is 35 years old and has been playing in the league since he was 19. He has played in 1,257 games over his 17-year career and 34.9 min/game is actually his lowest average in a season so far. From 2004-2008 he averaged at least 40 minutes per game, with 42.5 min/game being his highest mark during the 2005-2006 season. The most minutes Giannis has ever averaged in a season was 36.7 in 2017-2018. Giannis, 25, has played in 735 less games than LeBron and they are still putting up comparable numbers, with LeBron carrying a heavier load.

LeBron has already won four MVP’s. A fifth would just be icing on the cake at this point and would tie him with Michael Jordan – an ode to his jersey number. And while I don’t want this to feel like a pity prize (like when Leonardo DiCaprio won the Best Actor Oscar for The Revenant, which wasn’t even close to his best role), if the season ended today I think the award should go to LeBron. To do what he’s doing at his age and with Anthony Davis as his only real help among an inconsistent supporting cast is unprecedented. After beating the Bucks and Clippers in back to back games this weekend they’ve solidified themselves as the best team in the league which is even more impressive considering their third-best player is a toss up between Danny Green, KCP, and Kyle Kuzma. LeBron’s leadership above all else is what separates him from the pack and is what makes his teams so successful. You can hate him off the court all you want (he irritates me every now and then) but you can’t discount the player he is on the floor and the VALUE he’s added to this 2019-2020 Lakers team. It is the Most VALUABLE Player after all…

Keep Reading
By
T.V.

‘Love is Blind’ is Trash TV But I Enjoyed Every Second of It

By

I’ve allowed myself to become a die-hard fan of The Bachelor, and I have no regrets about it. I let myself be a fan of one “trash tv” show and that was it. I haven’t gotten involved in any E! or Bravo shows, which is tough because social media is dominated by clips from those shows (KUWTK, Real Housewives, Project Runway, etc.). That was until Love is Blind starting sweeping the nation as Netflix continues it’s run of dominance in every facet of Hollywood and is now producing reality tv shows.

People get engaged before ever seeing each other in person? They have to get married within a month of their engagement? It’s set in Atlanta, not Los Angeles or New York? It had all the makings of a show I thought I would hate…but I didn’t. It took an episode for me to fully commit, but after that I was hooked. I had to make it to episode ten to see if anyone got married. And surprisingly, two actually did! The craziest part about this show is that it was filmed in 2018, which means these couples had to keep their relationship a secret for over a year! Bachelor couples having to wait a couple months to announce seems hard enough, but Love is Blind took it to a whole new level.

One of the biggest issues I had with the show was that I didn’t get a “where are they now” portion in the season finale. So, when I heard they were releasing a reunion show on March 5th I was ecstatic. I had to know if Barnett and Amber and Cameron and Lauren were still together. I knew Cameron and Lauren would still be together given Cam cries every time he even thinks about how amazing Lauren is, so the big mystery in my mind was Barnett and Amber.

Amber doesn’t really have a job (by her own choosing), her living situation consists of jumping from friend’s house to friend’s house, and she has a ton of debt. In all honesty, Amber is a loser. It’s weird saying that about a girl because that term is usually reserved for men, but it’s true. She said a large portion of her debt is from buying makeup, c’mon now. And Barnett has his own home, a good job, and a good family (Amber has a good family too), so I didn’t think they’d last more than a couple months. But to my astonishment, Amber and Barnett were still together! Biggest shocker since Arie dumped Becca for Lauren on season 22 of The Bachelor.

The best part of the entire night was when Amber went OFF on Jessica for outwardly flirting with Barnett the entire time she was engaged to Mark. Jessica and Mark were never going to work, and it was surprising to that Mark couldn’t see that. She was uncomfortable about his age the minute she heard about it and seeing that he wasn’t some tall, blonde hair blue-eyed stud didn’t help his case. At the reunion, Jessica ended things friendly with Mark and attempted to do the same with Amber, but she wasn’t having it. If another woman so much as touches Barnett, she’ll beat her face in, so Jessica should just be thankful there was a room full of cameras and witnesses when she was all over Barnett.

Then there was the apology between Carlton and Diamond who ended things on the show just about as badly as I’ve ever seen a relationship end. I saw why it would’ve been hard for Carlton to come out to Diamond, but at the same time, he probably should’ve told her before they got engaged. Diamond also could’ve had a better reaction but in the moment that’s a pretty shocking thing to hear and it’s understandable why she needed some time to process. However, the minute Carlton called her a bitch it was game over. He still had only known this girl for about two weeks, so regardless of whether or not they were engaged, she wasn’t going to stand for that. But at the reunion we learned that they had been messaging each other a little bit and were friendly at that point. They’ll never date again but there will always be love, baby.

Kenny For President

I have never seen a person handle adversity as gracefully as Kenny did. He had just been dumped on the altar by a woman he was ready to marry and what does he do? He addresses the crowd in with a speech I can only assume was something out of an Abe Lincoln speech, my God.

“Today is not our day, but I love each and every one of y’all, and it’s something that I’ll cherish and be grateful for forever.”

Now THAT is a man. The guy just had his heart ripped out of his chest and he still had the courage to give family and friends a closing speech. And of course I couldn’t mention Kenny’s speech without mentioning how Kelly’s mom capped it off by whispering “God I love this guy” to someone.

I think every parent would want their little girl to end up with a guy like Kenny. Once again…KENNY FOR PRESIDENT.

We also learn that Damian and Giannina have gotten back together after he dumped her on the altar, and she went running around Atlanta presumably looking for answers. While they seem to be doing great, I still can’t make sense of the two of them. We already know that Damian isn’t phenomenal in the sack, plus he’s the most robotic person I’ve ever seen speak. Giannina on the other hand is very bubbly and has a lively personality. Apparently opposites do attract because on paper these two couldn’t be a worse fit for each other.

One of the parts about the show that really made it work was that they were all from the same city: Atlanta. My biggest concern with his process going into it was “how are they going to get married in a month when they don’t even live in the same city. That remains one of my concerns with The Bachelor. While relationships are always about compromise, moving to a different city, let alone a different state is a much bigger decision than moving in with your husband who lives 30 minutes away from you. So, I’d like to see Love is Blind come make its way to every city around the U.S. – matchmaking people that aren’t as shallow as Bachelor contestants and are prioritizing love over Instagram followers!

Keep Reading
By
Sports

The Rams Should Be in on Signing Tom Brady. But Why Aren’t They?

By

Since everyone has an opinion on where Tom Brady is going to land, I might as well throw my two cents in. In a perfect world, Tom Brady would be on his way to becoming a Los Angeles Ram. However, there are a lot of things that hinder this possibility, but mostly it’s Jared Goff. Goff just signed a four-year $137 million contract last year, so being that they have so much money invested in him, they aren’t looking for another QB.

However, this is Tom Brady we’re talking about. Only two years removed from an MVP award and coming off a 2019 season in which he had no offensive weapons and still led the Patriots to a 12-4 record. If Brady is looking for a team that he can win now with, the Rams would be the perfect destination. A young, offensive-minded head coach in Sean McVay, offensive weapons up the ass, and a shiny new stadium is waiting for him in Los Angeles; not to mention they’re the big brother in the City of Angels (sorry Chargers).

The Rams are only a year removed from a Super Bowl appearance (where they lost to the Patriots) and with the addition of Brandon Staley as their new defensive coordinator, they’re looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2019. And sadly, Goff was one of the main reasons they were bad last year. The two-time Pro Bowler shined at times but overall did not live up to the contract the Rams gave him. And I hate saying that because I really do love the guy…as a person. He threw for 22 touchdowns and had a whopping 16 interceptions (not a great ratio), despite still throwing for the third-most yards in the league last year. He was also historically terrible in the Super Bowl with a team that had arguably the best offense in the league in 2018.

I really want it to work with Goff, being that the Rams have been lacking a franchise QB for quite some time, but if last season is any indication, he might not be the guy. And that’s where I think the Rams need to consider a trade to allow themselves to land Brady. With Goff’s contract structured the way it is, trading Goff would free up an additional $16 million in cap space, allowing them to go after Brady more aggressively in a free agency setting.

I know Brady isn’t likely to sign with the Rams, being that they aren’t even one of the teams that has been noted as interested in him, but I’m just trying to make the point that it’s not out of the realm of possibility if the Rams were to consider it. The Rams also just hired Kevin O’Connell (a former quarterback drafted by the Patriots in the prime of Brady’s career – 2008 – so he was destined to fail from the start) to be their Offensive Coordinator. Considering Brady’s other options besides New England (Raiders, Chargers, Titans, Colts), the Rams are by far the best option if winning now is as important to him as we think it is. It’s really just Goff’s contract standing in the way.

I do want to apologize to my guy JG for dragging him a little bit there in the third paragraph, but I was just spitting facts. Since the Rams look to be dedicated to Goff for the next few seasons I will admit that I have verified from an inside source that he has been spotted working out (throwing to receivers) “almost every day” the past couple weeks – a whole five months before training camp even starts. I’m hoping this means he’s determined to make last year simply a learning experience, and he’s determined to correct whatever was wrong. Sometimes when athletes sign a big contract they overcompensate to try and live up to it, but Goff needs to just remember he has all the tools to be an elite quarterback. He wasn’t taken first overall for nothing.  

Keep Reading
By
T.V.

Saul Is Officially Working for the Salamanca’s and Oh My God Hank Is Back – ‘Better Call Saul’ S5E3

By

The third episode of this season of Better Call Saul was what we in the biz call a “setup episode”. It was relatively uneventful, but set the scene for the coming episodes. Saul is officially working for the Salamanca family, Kim is now a part-time realtor, and oh yeah…Hank (Dean Norris) and Gomez (Steven Michael Quezada) are back!! It took five seasons for them to make an appearance, but Saul just got a whole lot more interesting. First, let me give some background as to how they worked their way into this season.

Last episode, Domingo (Nacho’s right hand man) got busted at a Salamanca stash house, leading to him needing legal representation – enter Saul Goodman. The episode begins with Nacho taking Saul to meet Lalo, who would decide if Saul was the man for the job. Saul (Jimmy at the time) and Nacho have a past, so knowing he is such a great lawyer is why he sought out Saul in the first place to defend Domingo. After sizing him up, Lalo agrees to Saul’s demand of $7,925 to take on the case, but gives him a round $8,000 in good faith.

Then we see Mike is drinking his pain away at the local pub. Still wrought with grief over the entire Werner situation, Mike notices a postcard pinned to the wall next to the bar. It’s not what’s written in the postcard that upsets Mike, but the picture on the front of the Sydney Opera House. If you remember the story Werner told Mike last season about how Werner’s father was the engineer who created the Opera House, you can see why it’s so upsetting for him to see that. He proceeds to desperately plead with the bartender to take down the postcard, which he refuses to at first. After seeing how serious Mike is, he takes it down.

On Mike’s walk home, a group of hoodlums attempt to jump him, but he’s not an ordinary 70-something year old man. Mike isn’t like Robert DeNiro in The Irishman…he still looks like he can kick some ass. Mike manages to get one of the guys one the ground in 0.8 seconds and was on the verge of breaking the guy’s arm with relative ease. Suffice it to say, none of the other guys try testing old man river, and Mike is allowed to go on with his night.

Now for the biggest surprise of the night…Hank and Gomez are back. If you don’t know who they are, you obviously didn’t watch Breaking Bad, but in short, they are DEA agents, and Hank is the brother-in-law of Walter White – the protagonist in Breaking Bad. Now that we’re all caught up, can we talk about how awesome it was to see these guys?? The last time we saw them things didn’t go so well, and it’s hard to forget that at one point they were just normal DEA agents (as normal as that profession could be). And now they have entered the Better Call Saul universe.

The whole reason they’re brought in is because Saul is trying to strike a deal for his newest client: Domingo Molina. Saul made up this elaborate story for Domingo to tell the agents claiming that he knew where they could find $500,000 worth of drug money. Only, they saw through the whole thing.

Obviously Saul doesn’t want Domingo giving up any real information because he’d be dubbed a rata, so they give the agents the location of “dead drops” that belong to Gus Fring. Gus is not happy that his “dead drops” are now under DEA surveillance, but it was Lalo’s call – for obvious reasons (he hates Gus).

Then Kim gets in trouble with Mesa Verde *again* because she would rather work her pro-bono cases than help the firm that’s keeping the light’s on. She ultimately gives in and drives all the way out to Tucumcari? where one old man is refusing to give up his land to make way for a brand new Mesa Verde branch…in the middle of the desert. Really not sure why they had to upend an entire neighborhood when there’s literally hundreds of miles of open desert for them to build a call center but that’s corporations for ya. So Kim is called upon to deal with this old man who has lived on his property since the 1970’s and is refusing to leave even after Mesa Verde offered him a whopping $18,000 in good faith. To be fair, I’m pretty sure that buys a three-bed, two-bath in Albuquerque so I’m not sure what the problem is. But judging by the distain on Mr. Acker’s (the old man) face when Kim makes him so acutely aware of the settlement offer, I assume that money won’t go as far as I thought, even in the early 2000’s housing bubble. Go figure. 

Despite her pleading with Mr. Acker, he only sees her as a suit even after she offers to take him looking for houses. She even brought some real estate flyers! Those lonely nights in the New Mexican desert have turned his heart cold. The episode is capped off with Saul and Kim chucking full bottles of beer off the balcony of their apartment/condo after what were career defining days for the both of them. Saul is now the go-to lawyer for the cartel, and Kim realizes she has to play hardball and embrace the heartless corporate suit her image gives off.

Keep Reading
By
Sports

Lakers Get Bullied by Ja Morant, Grizzlies in 17-Point Loss

By

While the above shot of Ja Morant posterizing Anthony Davis didn’t go in, it basically summarizes how last night went for the Lakers. A younger, inferior Grizzlies team bullied the Western Conference title favorite Lakers all night.

Sure, Danny Green was out last night in the Lakers’ 105-88 loss against the Memphis Grizzlies. But, the Grizzlies were without Jaren Jackson Jr, Brandon Clarke, and Justise Winslow; on paper, the score should’ve been reversed. The Lakers had all the momentum on their side, especially riding an 18-game road winning streak against the Western Conference and a 7-game win streak overall. Coupled by the fact that the Carushow (Alex Caruso) was getting his first start of the season and LeBron was riding the high of seeing his son win the CIF Southern Section Open Division Boys Basketball Championship, I thought they’d have so much energy. But, the Grizzlies are fighting for that 8-seed, and clearly wanted it more. 

The Grizzlies got huge games out of Jonas Valanciunas, Dillon Brooks, and Ja Morant. Valanciunas absolutely bullied the Lakers in the paint all night, as he had 20 rebounds and 22 points. With Valanciunas holding things down on defense (15 DREB), Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant was able to do his thing on offense – he combined for 27 points and 14 assists.

Then you have the Lakers, who as a team, combined to shoot just 40.9% from the field. LeBron and AD can’t save the day all the time, and this was another prime example of the weakness of the Lakers’ supporting cast. The other “scorers”: Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso, Avery Bradley, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, combined for 36 points on the night, which means they averaged 9 points each. Being that neither LeBron or AD eclipsed 20 points last night, these guys need to be able to step up when those two guys aren’t on their A-game. In my opinion, the biggest storyline for the Lakers to come out of last night’s loss is Anthony Davis’s case for DPOY is growing stronger by the game.

Davis added another two blocks and nine rebounds (7 DREB) to his resume, making his candidacy for the award even stronger. LeBron and Frank Vogel have already voiced their opinion on the issue which goes to show that he is already highly favored at this point.

Via Silver Screen & Roll:

Davis currently leads the Lakers in blocks (2.5) and steals (1.5) per game. Davis is also second in the league in blocks per game. Davis has a total of seven games where he’s finished with three blocks and two steals in a game this season, which is the second most in the league. There are only two players in the league that average at least two blocks and one steal per game, one of which is Anthony Davis.

Davis still ranks further behind in several categories league-wide such as rebounds and steals, but his solid defensive play night in and night out make him a solid contender. NBA Canada doesn’t give “Block of the Night” honors to just any schlub.

The Lakers clearly still have some things to clean up, but hopefully a “rivalry” game tonight against the Pelicans will light a fire under their ass and get them to play harder.

Keep Reading
By