Sports n Stuff

7/19/22

How ’bout that you muppets.

The kid, some idiot who knows nothing about hockey at all, called that Darcy Kuemper was going to sign with the Caps. I am very excited for the next 4 years of Caps hockey. Heads up, this is going to be a stroke off of the Caps so if you don’t want to hear it then move on.

I think the Caps are built to make a few more runs at the Cup until Ovi is done in 4 years. What they have done so far in free agency is tremendous with the limited cap space that has been available. Solving the goalie problem is obviously the biggest thing so far. It gives the Caps a fighting chance to compete in the playoffs. Honestly, if the Caps had Kuemper in last year’s playoffs they would’ve beaten the Florida Panthers in 5 games.

Moving onto some of the other needs that the Caps had, they needed another solid defenseman. They didn’t resign Justin Schulz because of the dough and they lost him to the Kraken, so the next best option was to snag Erik Gustafsson from the Blackhawks. He was a solid player for Chicago and needs a little consistency in his game. He’s had the injury bug for a few years and has been traded around to teams with not as many big guns on offense, so that side of his game will definitely improve during this season. Getting chemistry early on shouldn’t be a problem either since the Caps snagged his teammate Dylan Strome.

Strome is probably the biggest sleeper in free agency this offseason that nobody had been talking about. He had a career season with the Blackhawks last year, posting career bests in points, assists, and goals. He has a great opportunity to make some noise early on with the Caps too, since Backstrom will probably be good to go mid/late in the season and Tom Wilson will probably miss the first quarter of the season coming back from his ACL injury. Laviolette will definitely let Strome fly around and make a difference in the top 6 forwards to start the season.

The last few comments on the free agency is the resignings for the Caps: MOJO and Matt Irwin. Having Marcus Johansson back for his return for hopefully a full season for the Caps is a nice throwback and he definitely helps bolster the back half of the team. He still has some game left and will help boost the Caps in between the blue lines. Matt Irwin will also help with the physical play on the defensive side. He’s a hound to the puck, and will knock guys off their line on fast breaks to help Kuemper in the net.

With all that said, the other minor signings will definitely help older guys and the team in general with the minor injuries and the pressure to play night after night. TJ Oshie was the king last year of nagging injuries throughout the entire regular season. If the back half of the team is bolstered up, like it is now, TJ or some of the other star players don’t need to feel the pressure of sucking up injuries and give themselves time to rest.

What are my expectations for this team going into the new season? Well, first things first, Ovi will lock himself in as the second greatest goal scorer of all time. He needs 22 goals to pass Gordie Howe, and I see him passing Mr. Hockey before Christmas. Second, I think it’ll be tough, but I see them sneaking into the playoffs. A lot of these teams in the Metro made some moves to get into the playoffs, starting with the enemies in Shittsburgh. They brought the whole squad back together for chances at the cup, but they’re old. If they get hurt, it’ll be tough for Sid to will them into the playoffs. The Rangers and Canes are sort of locks to make it into the playoffs; they’re just really really good. Ottawa has been making a lot of big moves up in the forwards, but their defense is lacking. They’ll definitely try and make some noise to get into the playoffs. Lastly, the Flyers did make moves, especially with Tortorella behind the bench, where the Flyers could be in a position to make a run. I love the Caps’ chances to make the playoffs and be ready for them to make some noise when they do.

7/11/22

I know I haven’t done one of these in a while, get off my fucking back aight. This one is going to be kinda far fetched and a doozy, so bear with me, but this week’s GOAT of the Week is Stanley Cup champion, Darcy Kuemper.

Last week during the NHL draft, the Colorado Avalanche traded draft picks to the New York Rangers in exchange for last year’s backup goalie Alexander Georgiev. Georgiev then received a contract extension from the Avs, giving him 3 years at $3.4 million AAV, so anyone who thought that Joe Sakic planned on Kuemper staying was dead wrong.

Georgiev is good, but hell was going to freeze over before he got the start over Igor Shesterkin. He may be better the Kuemper, maybe not, but that’s a risk Sakic is willing to take.

Where the hell am I going with this? Hear me out: Darcy Kuemper to the Caps. If I lost you, then get the fuck out, but just listen to me for a second here.

Kemper is going into free agency in 2 days. He just won the cup which will make him a little expensive, but he has been shaky, which could lower his salary level. I think he would want to be on a team that is in WIN NOW MODE that doesn’t have an answer in net. Let’s look around the league first.

I’m looking at just playoff teams from last year. Every team that made it the their conference finals have an answer in between the pipes, so that eliminates those options. In the West, Calgary, St. Louis, and Nashville all have goalies in place for the future. The Wild just signed Marc-Andre Fleury so he’s staying up in Minnesota and Jonathan Quick isn’t Leaving LA, who’s gearing up for a run. In the East, Florida and Carolina are set in net, they just need their goalies to stay healthy right before playoff time next year. Shittsburgh just needed Jarry healthy during the Rangers series and they honestly might’ve won in 7. Boston is in a weird phase right now with a new head coach, a terrible GM, and question marks as to weather Bergeron is staying or leaving. Toronto is Toronto, if Kuemper wants to deal with that then good luck. What team is left? The Washington Capitals.

The Caps still have most of their core group that won the cup 4 years ago. If they didn’t get the injury bug during the playoffs, they could’ve potentially beaten Florida in 6 or 7. Laviolette started Vitek Vanecek in net for the playoffs, but after 2 games quickly turned to Ilya Samsonov, which wasn’t much help either. The Caps just traded away VV to the Devils too, so right now the goalie room is Samsonov, Pheonix Copley, and the stall for the new starting goalie, Darcy Kuemper.

It makes total sense for him to sign 2-3 years with the Caps. Why wouldn’t he want to either? Healthy on paper, the Caps can compete with anyone. They have a decent group of defensemen lead by John Carlson, an older but talented 4 lines of forwards, and a more defensive minded coach in Peter Laviolette. Oh yeah, you wouldn’t have to face Ovi in a game anymore too, which doesn’t hurt. Brian MacLellan isn’t shy on signing big names either; look back to when the Caps signed Zdeno Chara and Henrik Lundqvist before that.

Caps fans can remember how well Holtby played during the run to the cup, and he didn’t even start the playoffs, Philipp Grubauer did. You need a hot goalie to win the cup, that’s what HoltBEAST was. If the Caps want to make any noise in the postseason in the next four years while they still have Backstrom, Ovi, and the rest of the go-to guys, it is in their best interest to go after Darcy Kuemper. I hope Kuemper sees this, so he knows he’s wanted. Please come to DC, especially since you’re the GOAT of the Week.

7/8/22

Like I said in the last post, we’re in the dog days of summer. The only big thing that’s happened in the sports world is Baker Mayfield is headed to the Panthers, which I think isn’t really that mind blowing. I don’t think he’s going to do any better then when he was in Cleveland, but I do think we’ll see Bake with a chip on his shoulder for the first couple of weeks in the season.

Moving on, I think I have a pretty solid top 10 for the masses today. Today’s top 10 is the top 10 karaoke songs.

These songs are songs you can go up and sing at the bar at karaoke night and it’ll get the bar buzzing. These are songs that if they come on the radio or anywhere else, you’re not NOT gonna sing along. Without further adieu, here we go.

10. A Thousand Miles, Vanessa Carlton: If you’re a guy, and you say you don’t like this song, you’re lying to yourself. This song is an absolute banger and if it comes over the radio, you’re 100% singing along the entire time. Definitely gotta be in the right crowd to be singing this for karaoke. https://youtu.be/Cwkej79U3ek

9. I Miss You, blink-182: This isn’t a song that I would necessarily sing in its entirety, but the one part where it goes “WHERE ARE YOU??? AND I’M SO SORRY!! I CANNOT SLEEP CANNOT DREAM TONIGHT!!!” is such a sick part where if you belt that out in a bar it’ll get the crowd going at karaoke night. Without a doubt I’m getting gitty if I hear this song on the radio. https://youtu.be/s1tAYmMjLdY

8. Sk8ter Boi, Avril Lavigne: This is by far Avril Lavigne’s best and most popular song, and it’s a banger without question. If you sang this at the bar, it would undoubtedly get the people going, but again, definitely gotta find the right crowd for it. I think this song is through and through something that everyone can sing and should know the words to, which is big if you want to get a whole crowd singing it. https://youtu.be/TIy3n2b7V9k

7. Stacy’s Mom, Fountains of Wayne: If you’re in a group with a ton of guys and this song comes on, it’ll get the boys going. Everyone loves Stacy’s Mom, I mean she literally has a it going on. This song is about MILFs which is fucking hilarious and definitely has the boys fired up for sure. https://youtu.be/dZLfasMPOU4

6. The Joker, Steve Miller Band: I think this song is maybe a little slow to sing as a karaoke song, but if this song comes on while you’re diving with your friends, it’ll be sung all the way through in its entirety. Everyone loves going “WEEEIIIIIR WOOOOOW” right after calling someone people Maurice. Awesome song to just belt out. https://youtu.be/F5N7qNid79s

5. Party in the USA, Miley Cyrus: Most younger kids will sing along to this song when it comes up, or if someone is getting after at it for karaoke, but the older crowd is definitely tired of this song. I personally love singing this song, but it can get old very quickly. Definitely gotta be picky for when you use this song for karaoke nights. https://youtu.be/M11SvDtPBhA

4. Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond: Wanna get a crowd going, particularly at a Red Sox game? PLAY THIS SONG. When you hear this song come on and you’re sad, you’ll instantly become happy for the rest of the day. It’s an all time song and it’ll get any crowd going, enough said. BAAA BAAA BAAA!!! https://youtu.be/GmK5_lnQUbE

3. Mr. Brightside, The Killers: Some may call it the white person anthem. I think the song is overrated personally, but I will still sing it for the sake of getting a crowd rowdy and ready for a good time. It’ll also never not have you in a good mood after the song is over because if someone plays it in karaoke night, everyone will sing along without question. https://youtu.be/gGdGFtwCNBE

2. Don’t Stop Believing, Journey: Without question an ultimate, ‘get the party started’ song for the ages. If this song gets played, the masses instantly get juiced up to sing the entire thing. I don’t think I’ve been to a place and only heard the radio blasting this song. There will be more than half the house singing the song if it’s being played, and it’s a classic karaoke song for sure. https://youtu.be/1k8craCGpgs

Honorable Mentions: Love Story,Taylor Swift; Come on Eileen,Dexys Midnight Runners; In the Air Tonight,Phil Collins; Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell; Sweet Child ‘O Mine,Guns N’ Roses; Johnny B. Goode,Chuck Berry.

1. Country Roads, John Denver: Maybe controversial only because it’s a country song, but you can’t not sing along with it. This is one of those songs where it can come on at a game and the fans will keep singing it even after it shuts off. You gotta hit the high notes if you’re singing it on karaoke to get the people going, but it’s definitely an epic song to make everyone happy. All time sing along song. https://youtu.be/1vrEljMfXYo

7/6/22

Vacation=well needed. The kid=so back.

I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July to celebrate America’s birthday. I took a small hiatus spending time in Colorado moving into my house for school and playing in a tournament up in Vail (s/o Texas Forever). In this week, a lot of random shit has happened in the sports world. I came up with a system that’s gonna help evaluate what is IN and what is OUT in the sports world now.

IN: hot dogs. Joey Chestnut put the dawg in hot dawg. He is the most dominant athlete of all time, and that’s just in the facts. He’s won now 16 Hot Dog Eating Championships in 17 seasons, which is just fucking insane. Not only has he been a winner, he’s been dominating the competition. This last Mondy alone, Joey ate 15.5 more hot dogs then the second place winner, which is absolute domination. Not to mention, He won with crutches and a messed up foot along with taking down a protestor. Hot dogs=IN.

OUT: Football Conferences. USC and UCLA are joining the Big 10. What does that mean for the landscape of College Football? To be honest, I think it will grow the audience for areas where you don’t normally watch teams from the other side of the country. I don’t remember the last time I’ve watched a USC game out on the east coast, not including bowl games, so I think it’ll help grow nationwide attention to different teams. I do think College Football is headed towards a similar setup like the NFL, 2 conferences that will send a team each to the College Football super bowl. I think this will greatly impact recruiting to colleges. Players will want to commit to the best schools, not the ones in the middle of the pack because they will want to win and earn a lot of money through NILs. It won’t be like the NFL where there’s a draft, so having the best teams continuing to separate themselves among the rest is BAD FOR COLLEGE FOOTBALL. Football Conferences=OUT.

OUT: The Stanley Cup. The parade happened this past Thursday, sorta marking the official end of the NHL season. I hope everyone prays for the Stanley Cup, because it looks like it has been taking an absolute beating in the few days leading up to the parade, and the few days after as well. As the season is done, I’m sad because I’m now stuck with either watching baseball or summer league basketball, so basically no sports. I’m counting down the days to the next season, and patiently waiting to watch Ovi score more goals from his office. The Stanley Cup=OUT

IN=NBA free agency. KD requested a trade from the Nets and nothing has come out of it other then buzz, predictions, and twitter rants from random people. I’m not saying I’m not another random person, and I’m also not gonna say I know what’s going on in the league or what’s gonna happen. I’ll just sit back and watch how the rosters line up for the start of the season. The NBA is the one pro sports league where the players are really the GMs at the end of the day, so what happens behind closed doors is beyond me. All I’ll say for KD is I hope he comes home and plays for the Wizards. Him with Bradley Beal I honestly think would be very fun to watch, and him being on the Wizards automatically makes them a lock for the playoffs. NBA free agency=IN.

So that’s about it in the sports world for now. We’re officially past the 4th of July, so I now consider it the dog days of summer. No more real sports that are fun to watch, so find a good TV show everyone, and binge that because Hard Knocks and preseason NFL isn’t here yet.

6/27/22

Let me start this by congratulating the Colorado Avalanche on winning the Stanley Cup, the finest trophy in the world. They truly deserved to win it, even if they dented it after like 7 whole minutes of having it in their hands. They were better than the Tampa Bay Lightning through and through, but that doesn’t mean they walked away without some controversy.

Okay, so I thought the game last night was very very fun to watch for about 2 whole periods. The puck was flying around all night, and for the first period flat, the refs swallowed their whistle which made it super exciting. The problem was that I think the refs swallowed their whistle too much as the game kept going.

There were plenty of times the Avs did in fact ice the puck and the refs waved it off last minute, including in the final minute of the game.

https://youtu.be/Q9u8prQnvA4

There was also a couple of bogus no calls, in my opinion, where the Avalanche could of been called for boarding or a hooking penalty, but they got away with it. They did however, call a boarding penalty on Ryan McDonough and left Tampa shorthanded. The Avs didn’t score off of it, but it’s the principle of the matter.

I’m all for “letting the boys play” but you have to call it the same both ways if that’s gonna happen. I get it also, it’s the fucking Stanley Cup Finals!! The play needs to be physical all the way through, and while the playoffs tend to be more physical than the regular season anyways, I’m all in for having even more physical play in the finals. Again, if it’s gonna be physical, call it both ways.

Do I think it would of mattered in the end? No. I think the Avs got their shit together and if they hadn’t won last night I think they would’ve on Tuesday in the potential Game 7. I am a little salty because I wanted a game 7, but that’s neither here nor there. Tampa Bay needed Darcy Kuemper to play rattled, shakey, and inconsistent for them to have a chance to beat the Avs, at least last night. He let in one goal early off an unlucky bounce on the clear for Colorado, and after that he was lights out. He had an awesome read for a save against Nikita Kucherov late in the third period, and it looked like he was playing with a ton of confidence.

I’m going to Colorado on Wednesday, and I am very excited to be around fans that are going to be pumped up, hammered, and an electric factory all weekend long. As the hockey season is now officially over, I will say again, congrats to the Colorado Avalanche and their fans. Party hard with Lord Stanley, you deserve it. Rest up, and watch out for another high scoring season from the GR8 One next year.

6/24/22

Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs with Lord Stanley’s Cup in the building as the Avs have a commanding lead over the Lightning 3-1 in the series. A win and the Cup stays in Denver. A loss, and Game 6 goes to Florida with the Bolts having some momentum. Who’s going to pull off the win tonight?

Earlier this past year, The University of Denver Pioneers won the Frozen Four in an amazing come from behind win against star studded Minnesota State. Minnesota State had Dryden Mckay, the Hobey Baker winner, in between the pipes and they still allowed 5 goals in the championship game. The Pioneers Brought the National Championship back home for the first time since 2017. Could the magic from that run help fuel the Avs tonight?

The Avalanche are coming off of a very controversial OT win in game 4 where the Avs may or may not of had too many men on the ice. Personally, I think that Colorado 100% had too many men, but what are you gonna do?

I mean, it’s not like the NHL can overturn the call the next day and bring both teams back to redo the overtime. It’s also a lose lose for the NHL as well because of the fanbases. If the Avs win, folks in Tampa will forever say that there were 7 guys on the ice wearing white sweaters, and if Tampa somehow comes back to win this series then people in the greater Denver area will say they had 6 guys (including goalies here too, they’re people also). Regardless, game 4 was a very big momentum changer in the series.

So tonight, in Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, with Lord Stanley’s Cup in the building, I think the Colorado Avalanche are going to run away with this game. They have nothing but momentum; a 3-1 lead, home ice advantage, and the altitude to back them up. Tampa is depleted. Braden Point isn’t coming back, Vasilevskiy has been hung out to dry at times, and the Bolts’ stars have not come out to play in this series so far. The only way they can win this game is with consistent pressure and good play from their stars like Vassey, but also guys like Stamkos, Kucherov, and Hedman. The surrounding cast has been playing well, but that isn’t enough for a game like this. Unless the Tampa Bay Lightning show up for all 3 periods, they’ll return to Tampa to pack up their locker room, 2 wins shy of a 3 peat. For the rest of the Summer and most of the Fall, Denver will be Hockeytown USA.

6/23/22

Once again, I’m trying to get a grip on the fact that sports that I care about are winding down to a close. I’m going to do a preview for Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals tomorrow so stay tuned, but I don’t want to talk about baseball when it’s in the middle of their 300 games a season. So, we’re back to another top 10 list. This top 10 list is my top 10 superheroes of all time.

What am I looking for in best superheroes out there? Some of the things that were taken into consideration when making this list are the superpowers that come with them, like if I was in this position, how cool would it be if I could fly, not die etc. Some other things are how cool they are in pop culture through movies and just how badass they are in general. Finally, I’m choosing general superheros, not just how they evolve in places like the MCU or DC universe. Spiderman, for example, is straight up spiderman, not Tom Holland in an Iron Man suit. So to start off this list, number 10 is Morbius.

Ok Morbius isn’t on the list, but how fucking funny is it that this movie dropped the ball this bad just because of Twitter.

10. Green Lantern. This is going to be very controversial. Yes the movie sucked (except it had Blake Lively in it) but imagine how sick it would be to have this superpower. You have the ability to make whatever you want with a fucking ring. Thanks so sick. Also in the cartoon Justice League shows, Green Lantern is pretty cool. He’s not as much of a loser personality wise compared to the cartoon versions of number 9

9. Aquaman. Again controversial. But think about it, you could rule the sea, that’s fucking cool dude. You can breathe underwater and summon all the sea creatures to you and you rule Atlantis. Call me crazy, but I think that’s pretty nuts. Not to mention, you get a cool looking trident that lets you move water like a waterbender (top 10 fake weapons list coming soon). I’m also not thinking of the nerdy cartoon aquaman that made Mermaid man look swaggy but Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was badass.

8. Magneto. This took me a while to consider, but I think he’s in a solid spot on the list. In this day and age, the ability to move metal with your mind basically means you can move anything in the world. You could even move transformers with your mind if they were real. I feel like this one is pretty self explanatory as to why it belongs on the list, not to mention in movies he’s been cast pretty well between Ian McKellen and Michael Fassbender.

7. Superman. The Man of Steel. Kal El. Clark Kent. SHAQ!! If he wasn’t on this list I’d call myself insane, but he can’t go higher on this list for many reasons. One, he has too many superpowers. Whatever superpower you can think of off the top of your head he probably has, which is kinda lame. He’s like the teacher’s pet of superheroes, like get over it. Plus Superman has a ton of responsibility with all those superpowers, not to mention half the world hates him because they think he’ll destroy them. He does have the perfect mindset of a superhero and Henry Cavill makes Superman look a lot more badass and personable in Man of Steel.

6. Hulk. The Incredible Hulk has always been one of my favorite superheroes ever. The only reason why he isn’t higher on my list is that he is publicly hated. The military is constantly chasing puny Banner, only to get smashed in the end. If I was the hulk I wouldn’t be able to live a normal life (obviously), plus I’d have no use if I didn’t turn into the Hulk. There would be no reason to not imprison me. At least Bruce Banner is smart as shit, I’m just a normal guy.

5. Iron Man. Playboy, Genius, Billionaire, Philanthropist. Do I need to say more? All I have to do is wear a dope suit and I can fly around and shoot bad guys? Done deal. It might be controversial to have him up here since his superpower is money as some people think, but he’s also smart as shit so that has to count for something. RDJ will go down as the GOAT for being Tony Stark, who. Is. Iron Man.

4. Batman. The Dark Knight. The Caped Crusader. Vengeance. Batman is compared to Iron Man a ton because they are very similar with their dollar bills, but Batman in my opinion is way more badass than Iron Man. Ya Affleck butchered his role as Bruce Wayne but so what, He still had cool training montages and a cool suit. The new Batman with Michael Patterson was awesome too with more of a detective side to the superhero, and Christian Bale is just iconic, so no doubt Batman deserves a spot in the top 5 and the best DC superhero on the list.

Honorable Mention: Before we dive into the top 3 I want to give the list for honorable mentions, which include Morbius (just because it’s funny) Wonder Woman, Star-Lord, and Spiderman. It also includes unconventional but badass superheroes like Star-Lord, The Punisher, The Ghost Rider, and The Human Torch. There are also superheroes with too much responsibility that I can’t get over like Prof. X, Dr. Strange, and Captain Marvel, where if you’re not on your game then the world could fall apart. Finally, shoutouts to the only 2 OG Avengers not on the list, Black Widow and Hawkeye.

3. The Wolverine. He’s badass, he can’t die, and nobody hates him. Hugh Jackman brings the cool ass character to life as a fan favorite from all the X-Men movies and capped it off with an awesome movie in Logan. I think it would be cool as shit to have bone or Adamantium claws come out of your hands, heal instantly, and not die. Being mortal is overrated. Finally, riding around on that motorcycle sounds pretty cool. I’m not a motorcycle guy at all, but when Logan does it, it just looks right.

2. Captain America. The First Avenger. What’s not to hate with this guy? He’s the best example of what it means to be a superhero mentally with bravery fearlessness and all that shit, plus he’s just so cool. He literally represents the greatest country ever and he uses a fucking shield for crying out loud. That’s pretty fucking nuts. He was portrayed amazingly by Chris Evans and I know he wants to get away from the role and do something else, but he will never not be Steve Rogers. Absolute GOAT.

1. Thor. A lot of different tiebreakers between him and Captain Rogers. One is that he’s a literal god, and the ruler of a planet? World? Realm? Whatever you want to call Asgard. He uses a hammer and can control thunder which sounds like a dope ass superpower and weapon to have. I also think it’s important to not that Thor seems like a guy in the movies and in comics that likes to party. I mean he is Viking so that means he’s a big beer guy I guess. Thor is pretty funny too, and overall is a well-rounded superhero.

6/20/22

Ya ya ya I know I haven’t done one of these in a while, but nobody has been very GOAT worthy recently, except for one person. Depending on how you see it, this may be from last week as well, but this week’s GOAT of the Week is Stephen Curry.

Last week Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors beat the Celtics for the NBA finals in 6 games. Steph popped off in what will go down as a legacy series for Steph. He won his first ever finals MVP and won his fourth NBA finals in his career. After his performance people have to ask the question of what this means for how Stephen ranks among the greats.

Without question Stephen Curry is the best shooter in NBA history, or at least from the 3 where he own the stat for the most 3’s ever made. In this finals series he really got any shot from the floor he wanted except for in game 5 when his shots just weren’t falling for him. But at least for his range, it’s unlimited on the floor, which makes him so dynamic. His resume is insane, including a unanimous NBA MVP and now as many rings as Lebron James.

I think Stephen Curry is in the conversation to be the best Point Guard of all time between himself and Magic Johnson. I’m looking at the individual player as well as how they changed the game. I think both are pretty self explanatory in terms of how they changed the game. Steph helped make the 3 so dynamic and Magic was the highlight of the Lake show and the battle throughout the late 70s and the 80s of the Lakers vs the Celtics. Magic has one more MVP than Steph, has one more ring than him as well, and 3 more all NBA first and second team appearances. Steph has some accolades that Magic didn’t have though, including leading the league in Steals in 2016, 2 time NBA scoring champ, and obviously all time 3 pointers made leader. Depending from person to person on how you want your point guard to play, your two best options are for Magic on dishing the ball out or Steph to score on every other possession.

It’s only because I saw him play live is why I will choose Stephen Curry as the better Point Guard, and ultimately the best PG in NBA history. I think you need to talk about Steph in the top 10 all time players without a doubt, and there is a solid argument to have Steph in the top 5 all time players. Steph could potentially be looking for a repeat for this upcoming year, but for now, I’m sure he’s getting hammered during his parade.

6/14/22

The final is set for the greatest trophy in all sports. The storylines are epic. The Colorado Avalanche, with a revived and youthful fanbase who is starving for their first banner in Ball Arena since 2001, taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 2-time defending champs, looking for the Jordan 3-peat. This is going to be a finals of the ages.

Let’s look at the Western Conference Champs, the Colorado Avalanche. The Avs are far and beyond better then the Bolts in almost every category. From the forwards and the defenseman, they are much much better then the Lightning. Nathan MacKinnon is playing like a man possessed, and has an amazing support crew with Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri mucking things up in between the lines. The Avs also have the greatest defenseman in the world, arguably the greatest player in the world in Cale Makar. He played McDavid in the Western Conference Finals almost effortlessly, which is absurd. His support with the other defensemen, specifically Devon Toews make the blue liners for this team formidable. The two edges I think they lose out on is the goaltending and the coaching.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are potentially the team of the era, and it would be solidified with a third cup in a row. It starts in between the pipes with the greatest goalie in the world, Andrei Vasilevskiy. Vassy is so consistent and so reliable for this team on their way to back to back to back Stanley Cup Finals appearances. He is almost impossible to beat after a loss and is a brick wall when it comes to series clinching games. Part of that is because upfront with the rest of the skaters they are mentally ready for every series, and that comes from the players being mentally ready by their head coach, John Cooper. Cooper knows how to get his players ready for each game and knows how to push his players in different ways to get the best out of each one. These two teams are evenly matched and both deserve to be in the finals, but who’s gonna win?

The Avalanche, on paper, are a better team then the Lightning in my opinion. Would this be any other game or series, I would give the advantage to them. But this is the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning have way more experience in this series all over the place, and so do the new players on the team as well. Corey Perry has been in the lineup against the Lightning in the previous two finals for the Dallas Stars and the Montreal Canadiens and lost to the Bolts in both years. In my opinion, this means a lot for a chance to win the cup. I think the Lightning are going to win the Stanley Cup for the third year in a row because they aren’t showing signs of slowing down. Yes, the Avs are very good, but the edge of experience means too much in this race to first to four. On top of that, the injuries for both teams are going to be a factor during this series. The Avs aren’t sure if Kadri is going to play, which is a big concern if I’m an Avs fan. On top of that the Bolts might get Braden Point back during this series which would be a huge swing of momentum for Tampa. Regardless, I think Tampa Bay will win this series in 6 games, and leave the Cup back on the beaches of Tampa Bay.

6/8/22

So the NBA Finals are going on. Game 3 in the Gahden (that’s how the good people of Boston pronounce the garden) tonight at 8. I’m no NBA analyst but I will try and give my best take as to what’s going on and how the rest of the series will play out.

I saw some stat on Bleacher Report this morning that for whatever reason, the Celtics are favored to win the Finals 88% to the Warriors 12%, which I personally think is absurd especially when the series is tied 1-1. I think the Celtics caught on fire randomly in the late third and all of the fourth quarter, which is the only reason why then won game 1. I mean, they caught fire from the 3 point line, and seemed very juiced up to be in the Finals, which for most on that team was their first game in the NBA finals. It’s not right for anyone to think that Boston will say that hot the entire series, and it was evident in Game 2.

Game 2, I think, will be more of the norm for how the rest of the series is going to go from the Warriors perspective. They still need Klay Thompson to find his groove, but as all legends say, shooters need to shoot their way out of their slumps, so I don’t think Klay will be unimpactful the entire series.

Steph is a massive problem for the Celtics. He is heating up like crazy. Ime Udoka needs to find a way to shut him down if the Celtics have a chance at winning this series. The longer this thing goes, the better it is for the Warriors as well because they have the extra rest, more experience, and less pressure. The Celtics are young. I think they would have more pressure for themselves and the city they play for to win now. The Warriors have been there and done it. They have a lot less pressure to win the whole thing.

Looking at just game three, I see the Warriors winning this one. This is purely on the fact that I think the Celtics won’t be able to stop Steph Curry, and maybe even Klay Thompson if he finds his game back. Steph has had roughly 30 points per game, so I’m expecting another crazy game for the best shooter of all time. The only way the Celtics can win is if they shut down Steph with Marcus Smart and feed off the Boston crowd in the Gahden.