Sooooo…..

The playoffs have begun. The top 16 teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences have squared off.

The Matchups are as follows with current results

Western Conference:

Golden State vs New Orleans; Golden State won series 4-0

Houston Rockets vs Dallas Mavericks; Houston leads 3-1

Los Angeles Clippers vs San Antonio Spurs; series tied 2-2

Memphis Grizzlies vs Portland Trailblazers; Memphis leads 3-0

Eastern Conference

Atlanta Hawks vs Brooklyn Nets; Atlanta leads 2-1

Washington Wizards vs Toronto Raptors; Washington won series 4-0

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics; Cleveland won series 4-0

Chicago Bulls vs Milwaukee Bucks; Chicago leads 3-1

The playoffs so far have been a sweep fest within the western conference having the top teams sweep early to get rest. In the eastern conference however two out of the eight teams have already ended their series and are now resting waiting for their opponent. If you have been watching playoffs so far which teams have surprised you? Which teams did you know were going to sweep? For me the teams that have surprised me thus far are Brooklyn with how dominant they are playing and Washington with how strong they played in their series. I am a die hard Wizards fan and the fact they swept Toronto is a testament to the hard work on and off the court as well as the coaching staff and leaders of the team in John Wall , Bradley Beal, and Paul Pierce. Otto Porter,Drew Gooden III, and Ramon Sessions have also been great pieces to this Washington team. I am excited to see how far they will go this year. They have to take it one game at a time. In the west, I was not surprised at Golden State sweeping but I was surprised at how close they came to losing Game 3. Stephen Curry stepped up big for his team dropping 40 points and willing his team to a overtime victory that would have been won at the end of regulation had the refs called the foul while Curry shot the three and made it to force game into the extra period. It will be fun to see how far the Warriors will go with the expectations placed upon them.

Notable News:

Some key injuries and suspensions may cause some adjustments to be made within the Cleveland squad. During Sunday’s Game 4 victory multiple injuries and physical play boiled over into the game. Kevin Love left the game early in the first quarter due to a dislocated shoulder and will miss the entire Eastern Conference Semi-Finals which can hurt Cleveland as they try to make a run deep in the playoffs. On the flip side of things, a injury to Boston’s Jae Crowder caused by JR Smith could hurt Cleveland as well because he will  be suspended for two games.

Overall, I am really enjoying the playoffs as it comes on the heels of my semester winding down. We are in the last week of classes with finals being the following week.The playoffs often indicate to me that summer is right around the corner and I can spend time with my family. I am very excited to get a much needed break from school and really enjoy the playoffs and root for my teams!!.. Although my blogs have been required for a class project assignment, I will continue to blog each week about different basketball topics and the impact it will have on my life in the long run. So I really do appreciate all the love and support and feedback from reading my blogs. Please if you have any suggestions or topic suggestions please tweet me @bballmypassion 🙂

See you next week….!!

*Pictures/Videos Courtesy of Youtube & Google Images*

Craig Sager

Craig Sager is one of the most ecentric dressers that I know as a NBA Analyst. His outfits are always ones worth waiting for on game day. His many colorful outfits also showcases his personality and players and coaches always love talking with him. Late last year, Craig was diagnosed with Leukemia. This cancer is found in the blood and can be deadly if not treated properly. Craig’s son with the biggest heart he had, gave his bone marrow to his dad which helped him and the treatments . For one year Craig fought hard and long. Christmas 2014, Craig found out his cancer was in remission and could be close to returning to TV. I was excited because him fighting and never giving up was a testament to him wanting to live and be with his family. During his small return, it was great to see him back in action, working and smiling. Craig was back for good so I thought. Sadly, right before the NCAA tournament was supposed to begin, Craig found out that his cancer had yet again returned. Craig is resilient and I know he will make it through this. Their is a foundation that was started in his name #SAGERStrong. You can use this hashtag on all social media to send well wishes to the Sager Family as he continues to battle. I know he will get better but for now all we can do is pray and continue to have a positive mindset.

Personal Story:

Cancer has been around my life many times. I have known family members and friends who have had to battle this disease which has many types. My grandmother( on my mom’s side) right now is battling breast cancer. When I found out about it I immediately was sad. The thoughts that started to trickle in my mind were beginning to consume me. Questions like Will she be okay?, How is she feeling? Will her hair fall out? Will I be able to see her? My mind was racing because the one person who inspired me to cook was now fighting for her life. She was on medications and changed her eating habits, thanks to my mom’s help and constant encouragement. I am to say that the cancer is still there but the lump in her breast has shrunk to a size of a dime. I talked to her a few weeks ago and she sounds great, she is happy upbeat and most importantly positive. I always like to see how she is doing and I always makes sure I let her know I love her. She inspires me to never give up in anything that I do and I am grateful for her. I live for people who have had to overcome adversity. I love hearing their stories and what they did to continue to motivate themselves to keep fighting. I have often wanted to do a breast cancer walk but just encouraging someone with the disease is sometimes all they need to get through their tough day.

Words of Encouragement

Don’t Ever Give up….Smile…Stay Positive even on days you don’t want too…

Thanks for reading my blog this week!! If you have any suggestions please feel free to tweet me @bballmypassion

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of Google Images&Youtube*

The MVP race for the NBA is heating up and the talk is now among three top players surprisingly all in the Western Conference with the exception of one player in the Eastern Conference. These players include Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, James Harden of the Houston Rockets, and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Russell Westbrook

Russell has had a blast of a season. This season he has averaged 11 triple doubles the most of any player in the NBA. He is very explosive and aggressive and has to be due to his right hand man Kevin Durant being out with a injury. Russ has stepped up tremendously and plays every night with his heart on his sleeve. When you see him play you know he hates to lose or if his team is down he is pushing his teammates to do better. OKC is deep in the western conference and fighting for their playoff lives. They are currently in the 8th seed and tied with the New Orleans Pelicans for the final spot and ultimately may lose the opportunity this season to go to playoffs. As far as MVP goes I will leave that choice to you, but Russ is very close to winning the scoring title for this season. He is tied in with the next candidate for MVP James Harden.

James Harden

James Harden this season has emerged on the scene since November 2014. Discussions began during this time that he could possible by in the MVP race.  It was kind of shocking to me because I’m not a huge Harden fan but I do enjoy watching him play. He let his game show why now he is being considered for MVP. James is winning the percentage for MVP among fan votes. The last vote I tracked was during a ABC broadcast and during both games Harden was winning 49% of the vote. On the flip side, the Rockets have had their struggles this season and are now sitting in 2nd place in the west. Harden’s game is always developing and he is really close to almost being un-guardable with his fade away 3 point shot. I would like to see if James can really step up in tough playoff situations but he is going to have to go through the main candidate and my choice for MVP Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry has had a exciting season. From breaking his own 3 point shot record in a single season a few games ago, Steph has been proving game in and game out why he should be MVP. The Warriors are now 65-15. They have the best record in the NBA and #1 overall seed and homecourt in the playoffs. I am very proud of how the team as truly developed this past season. Steph is honestly just amazing to watch, I have had the pleasure of seeing him play and it was very fun to see him do his thing on the court. He is also humble and professes his love for Christ. One thing to watch for when Steph plays is every shot he makes or misses his pats his chest and points his finger to the sky as a way of admiration for him and how far God has brought him. He is very open to expressing his relationship with him not saying Westbrook and Harden don’t but it’s something I notice being a Christian myself.

I really hope steph wins MVP but any candidate mentioned is worth the award. It’s going to be a tight race and you can tweet your vote! ex. Stephen Curry #KiaMVP

Thanks so much for reading!! & Tune in next week!:)

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

Have you ever went to your everyday job and felt like everyone liked you, admired you to only fine out your main boss hates you and could care less about your existence?

The NBA ( National Basketball Association) experienced this April 25,2014.

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling had a recording of him leaked where he was saying some very racist comments geared toward his African -American players such as Chris Paul, Deandre Jordan, & Blake Griffin. When news first broke of this story on Twitter & ESPN/CNN, it was shocking first of all that an issue of this magnitude was coming forth. Racism in the NBA ?! was my first thought. My next thought was is this true and if it was true why?

Racism means to discriminate or belittle people of a certain race and trying to get rid of them.

As the next few days went on many people spoke out about how the NBA needed to investigate hard and fast and come to a decision. New Commissioner Adam Silver was placed in a new position and now faced with a big decision. First confirm that the recordings are Donald Sterling’s voice and Secondly decide his punishment. Players of various teams as well also voiced their opinion on this pertinent issue.

April 29,2014

Adam Silver spoke to the media and came to a decision to ban Donald Sterling for life and force him to sell the team for $2 billion dollars. Justice was served in a way that benefited all races. I was personally glad that Adam Silver stepped up and reminded the nation that racism would not be tolerated in the sport and anyone else who was participating in such acts would be dealt with as well.

Many people fought and died for the end of racism such as Dr. King and Harriet Tubman and others. It goes to show that racism of any form still exists and may not go away. Equality is essential in a game such as basketball because many different races are represented on all 30 teams and we want to make sure they are welcomed and very importantly appreciated.

Unity….The NBA is a sport about Unity and being able to come together during difficult times. This incident played out during the NBA Playoffs which was supposed to be a fun and exciting time for fans but it was stressful and nerve wracking for everyone involved. i enjoy the game of basketball but I also enjoy how in tough situations they can be handled accordingly and affectively. I hope as you are reading this blog you will understand that intolerance of any kind is not welcomed or appreciated. We must band together to help end discrimination among people.

Thanks so much for reading my blogs! Pictures/Videos courtesy of Google Images & Youtube!