Playoff Update :)

Posted on by

nba33

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing as the final 4 teams have started their quest toward the NBA Finals.

In the east you have the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors; In the west you have the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trailblazers.

The east series will be exciting to watch as Kawhi and Giannis battle back and forth. The Bucks won game 1 108-100.

In the west, Golden State , behind Steph Curry took down the Houston Rockets in 6 games unfortunately without Kevin Durant who suffered a right calf strain to move on to the West Finals. The cool part about this series against the Blazers is that Steph gets to battle his younger brother Seth. All brotherly love! Golden State took Game 1 116-94.

As both series progress it will be interesting for Golden State with the timetable of KD and Demarcus Cousins uncertain, how they settle in against Portland. I have no doubt in my mind they will prevail but one game at a time.

Game 2 for the Warriors/Blazers is tonight on ESPN.. 🙂

Let me know who you got winning both series, I would love to hear your thoughts!

I appreciate all my readers!

Leave feedback below or hit me on twitter @bballmypassion

*Pics/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

 

East vs West

Posted on by

The NBA Playoffs are in full swing!!!

The Eastern Conference is as strong as it has ever been with no Lebron this year. It is quite interesting to see. The semi-finals are underway with the Celtics and Bucks &76rs and Raptors.

Paul Pierce made an interesting statement after the Bucks lost Game 1. He said the series was over and that Boston was going to sweep them. Paul first of all should’ve just kept that to himself lol. The Bucks came out in Game 2 and beat boston in team fashion. That game was good to watch. I am sure the Bucks are going to come out very strong in Game 3. Keep making Pierce eat his words!

The Philadelphia 76rs and Raptors series is real good too. Lots of grit, heart, passion in this one. This series is also tied 1-1. Jimmy Butler went off in Game 2 and helped his team tie the series heading back to Philly. I know the east teams will make me proud, my focus has been in the western conference.!

The Western Conference is always the conference to watch! To me it is the most entertaining. The surprise in the west this season is the Denver Nuggets. I love a good underdog, even though I am pulling for my Warriors to win it all. It will be fun.

The Portland Trailblazers and Denver Nuggets are tied 1-1, I would love the blazers to close this series so Seth and Steph can play each other in the Finals! That would be lots of fun 🙂 and I mean who wouldn’t want to see brothers battle it out on the court and push each other. Seth is an assassin on the court when he is in a rhythm. We shall see how this series plays out!

Now grab your popcorn because the real movie is now in session….HA…..

Rockets vs Warriors Round 2….

As you can remember last season the Rockets and Warriors played a gritty series, with Chris Paul missing the rest of the series due to injury. The rockets are now out for revenge and will do anything to beat Golden State or at least try too.

Game 1 was so chippy and fouls everywhere… Curry, Thompson, Iguodala combined for 14 fouls. CRAZY..right?!…Complaints from Diva James Harden and his side kick Paul regarding fouls and having a fair chance of play. The Rockets had more free throw attempts than the Warriors and it was Curry who closed it out for his team and protect home court.

Game 2…was called alil tighter but KD who has been having an amazing playoffs put his team on his back and went OFF!.. Klay is back in a rhythm, Curry dislocated his finger but was still able to pour in 22 points to go up 2-0 over the rockets. James Harden had 29 points as well after leaving with a eye injury that he said affected his scoring, but he had a pretty decent game, I will give him that. 🙂

I’m super excited for Game 3 and the rest of the games to come between the East and West Teams.

Let me know who you got winning it all!

Drop a comment below or hit me on twitter @bballmypassion.

As always I appreciate my readers!

*Pics courtesy of @nbaontnt instagram*

 

Live Life..Leave your legacy

Posted on by

Stephen-Curry-Nipsey-Hussle-Momo

These past couple of weeks have hit the sports and entertainment world by unfortunate storm. The music world lost a legend in Ermias Asghedom aka Nipsey Hussle. Sunday, March 31,2019, Nipsey’s life was taken from us by someone he knew, broke bread with, possibly even shared some of his success with. For me, however it made me stop, re-evaluate my life, my relationships, my own legacy.

Questions posing in my head: Why did this happen to someone doing so much for his community, for his people, honestly for the world. He impacted almost everyone he met or didn’t meet including Barack Obama. CRAZY! but it shows the kind of heart he had. His impact on the world and specifically the South Central LA area where he grew up and passed away, Nipsey left his imprint. Another question I asked myself is Why are people (the people that say they ride for you) are sometimes always the ones the most jealous or intimidated by your success? I often pride myself with treating everyone how I would like to be treated, but in life it will never be that way. I have learned how to do deal.

From a sport’s perspective: Music bridges the gap and makes sports games lots of fun. For players and teams, music gets you in the zone, gets you game time ready to put on a show. Music is therapeutic in a sense that it helps you block out unnecessary noise (haters, rumors, unwanted news).

Losing a loved one is difficult, as much as you grow up, live life, and make memories the person who is no longer on this earth, you always tend to imagine what life would be like if they were still here. YOU NEVER GET OVER LOSING THEM….The grieving may stop, but as long as I live, they are always on my mind. I have unfortunately dealt with the loss of losing a sibling so I know all to well the non-stop grieving. I know what it’s like to have success and then 2 seconds late I am wishing my brother was here to share the success with me. I always give those I love, all the appreciation and all the praise while I can, some times it is the most random moments but it is always from the heart.

Last question I found myself asking: What will my legacy be? When I leave this earth, what am I leaving behind? We all see the ongoing legacy of Nipsey Hussle, It is his brand The Marathon Clothing, All money in No money out label, his community outreach,vector 90 for STEM, All of his music( go listen), and his Smile…I have listened to his music prior to his death but one thing I wish I did was tap into him more. Now that he is gone, I just have to make sure that the marathon continues in my life..Keep grinding..staying dedicated, working hard, and being patient.

I wanted to leave you guys with one of my favorite interviews! 🙂 Stephen Curry has this 5 minutes from home series on YouTube where he speaks with athletes, students, celebs anyone making a difference in the community. They meet after a game at Oracle and talk and get some food( my favorite part lol). I love the whole interview aspect but the food segment is always my favorite part, so I know what food trucks to try next time I am in LA!. Thanks Steph! 🙂

Nip &Steph -click to watch lol 🙂

I just wanted to shed some light on a awesome human being, humanitarian and artist who also helped bridge the gap between hip hop and sports! Music makes us feel good but Sports also makes us feel good and come together.

Live your Life….Leave your Legacy!

Thanks to all my readers, I appreciate it!

Next Week: NBA Playoffs…:)

R.I.H. Ermias Joseph Asghedom-Nipsey Hussle

August 15,1985-March 31, 2019

*Pictures/Video Courtesy of Google Images/Youtube*

Lebron…Passing Jordan

Posted on by

bronjordan

First off before I dive in, just want to wish Steph Curry a Happy Birthday! and to all the mathematicians happy pi day!!…

Okay Okay…. I know what you are probably thinking this will be another Jordan/Lebron comparison post….nope not even lol.. This is going to be a celebration post!

3-6-19 will always be a special day for Lebron James who is now a Laker for those that don’t follow basketball. He passed his Idol Michael Jordan for 4th all time on the NBA’s scoring list. To me that is mind boggling in itself, the fact I have now been able to witness two NBA future hall of famers pass one of the greatest players ever. I saw Kobe Bryant do it while at college, I was sitting at the hookah lounge watching the game on my laptop the anticipation,excitement, and accomplishment was great to watch. I was in bed on twitter when Lebron passed Jordan, I missed the actual point but social media held me down and I still got to witness such an accomplishment.

Let’s go back a little bit to June 26,2003.. the day Lebron who was at the time age 18 and drafted #1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was day one on a journey to everlasting greatness. The beginning of his career was proving doubters wrong but also showing us what he was capable of. At such a young age, he led the team to the playoffs demolishing The Washington Wizards during the Big 3 era….(tough losses and missed opportunities, another story for another time lol). He just showed not only me but the world he was here to stay and he wouldn’t be forgotten. We all know him by name and now if you mention him, the Jordan comparison isn’t too far behind but we are not doing that tonight lol.

#23….A distinct number that belongs to a 6 time champion, trailblazer for athletes, and someone who wouldn’t be denied an opportunity to win;  Man the flu couldn’t keep Michael Jordan off the court.  It was only fitting that Bron chooses to wear the same number as someone he grew up idolizing.

Fast forward…4 championships later..MVP’s…opening a school in Akron, Ohio (shout out to my home state)! to 3-6-19…hours before the game Lebron tweeted: “Can’t even front. This is going to be UNREAL!! Wow man”

The excitement, anxiousness, pride that James must have been feeling, I can only imagine very overwhelming. He was about to accomplish something most people who have ever doubted him didn’t think he would be able to do. Night in and night out Lebron has shown up and shown out for his team, willing them to win. He hates to lose…reminds me of someone else I know who hates to lose. lol.. As he hit a lay up to pass Jordan, I saw the relief on his face but then came the emotion finally accomplishing a goal. Raw emotion, I love anyone who isn’t afraid to show their emotions, I personally don’t like too but I’m learning to just embrace it.

Quick break: I sell cars, and each month we all have goals we set out to reach. A goal of mine was to sell 25+ cars for the month. May 31,2018… I finally reached my goal after working their for over a year. The amount of excitement, relief, stress I felt was all dedicated to the hardwork, tears(a few of them) and a smile. Whenever I reach a milestone, it is honestly never about me but those who helped me, trained me, encouraged me, criticized me, and even doubted me. I made it through and took a moment to celebrate!  That is goal I will always be proud of forever 🙂

With that said, I am so proud of all the accomplishments Lebron has made and will continue to make. I am sure passing his idol and someone he respects is atop of his list. We will always remember him for that if nothing else, He was able to score enough points and play enough games to have the opportunity to come along side the greats! It is a new era, I am sure there will be someone else who get close to Lebron James, but for now we celebrate, admire such an achievement by one of the greats! Enjoy Lebron!! and Congratulations…all the hardwork, blood, sweat, tears, training sessions have paid off and will continue to pay off. 🙂

Thanks you guys so much for reading!

*Pics/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

Next Week: NFL Draft Recap….whew chile..lol…

See ya next week! 🙂

 

D.C.’s Panda: Bradley Beal

Posted on by

brad

Hey! I know tonight is a late post but I wanted to write, I was very excited about this post! This week I am highlighting the one and only Bradley Beal! from the Washington Wizards. (If you know me I am a die hard fan) 🙂

As many of you know, John Wall is out due to injury and Brad had to step up as leader and role model of the team. Not only has he dominated night in and night out during the month of February, he has put up some impressive MVP type numbers.

Night in and Night out, Brad has been averaging 30 points a game, almost 7 assists per night, and 5 rebounds a game. He has really showed up for his team and it has paid off.

Brad is known as the panda! He is tenacious, plays with his heart, but also has a softer side. He recently became a father over the summer to a beautiful son Bradley Beal II aka deuce with lovely girlfriend Kamiah Adams. Being able to see Brad as a dad is absolutely breath taking because now he has another reason, motivation to go hard every single night on the floor. One thing I love about him is that he gives his heart 1000% win or lose.

Although the Wizards are in the rebuilding phase yet again, the month of February gave a glimpse of hope for wiz fans around the league. Brad’s stellar performances this month have been off the charts and will definitely give some momentum closing out the season.

Keep it up Brad! Can’t wait to see how you follow up your dynamic February in March!!

Be sure to keep up with Brad on IG: @bradbeal3 or Twitter: @realdealbeal23

He is always positive and lots of fun and I just wanted to shine a quick light on him!

Short and sweet post tonight, as always I appreciate you guys for reading!

Feel to comment, offer suggestions feedback!

*Pics/Vids courtesy of google*

Topic Next Week: Zion Williamson……A Phenom?

Buzz City All-Star Recap

Posted on by

all star 19

NBA All-Star 2019 Weekend is one big party! This year it was hosted in Charlotte, NC. The home of Golden State Warriors Guard Stephen Curry and his brother Portland Trailblazers guard Seth Curry. It was a family reunion for them. It was also numerous first time all-star as well such as Kemba Walker(first time as a starter), Karl Anthony Townes, De’angelo Russell to name a few.

The weekend is typically three days and has multiple events but the big events most fans watch include: The celebrity all- star game, the rising skills challenge on Friday night, All-Star Saturday night which includes: the taco bell skills change, 3 point contest (my favorite event), and the dunk contest. The weekend concludes with the All-Star Game Sunday night.

steph curry

Two of the biggest highlights for me during the weekend included the 3 point contest and the dunk contest.  The 3 point contest showcased one of my favorite players Steph Curry who drained 10 straight 3’s in the first round. Although he did it again in the 2nd round it wasn’t enough to beat Joe Harris who edged him out by two points. The cool part is that we know how great of a shooter Steph is, the awe-amazing part is that their are more shooters out there who got to showcase their talent, hard work, effortlessness, and most importantly how much fun it was. I was literally yelling at my TV. lol It was really was fun to watch. Attending an NBA All-Star weekend in person is definitely on my bucket list. 🙂

The next best highlight for me was when Hamidou Diallo literally dunked over Shaq. There was alot of doubt in the room when he was getting this dunk set up. Diallo executed and well the rest is history. He made the dunk contest exciting and brought the energy. I know he will return and have more creative dunks in his bag. Great Job Diallo!

dunk

This year, the NBA All-Star Game was a product of a NBA style Draft, where Lebron  and Giannis were both captains and were able to pick their teammates. Lebron’s team however had a few extra players than Giannis team. The game was still fun and both teams donated to their respective charities. A win in every way! Giving back is definitely a big highlight throughout the weekend. Putting a smile on a child’s face as well being out in the community giving up your time to help those in need. The game featured lots of dunks, including a bounce pass from Steph down the lane to Giannis whose head ended up above the rim for a spectacular finish! Team Giannis had a big 20 point lead throughout most of the game until, KD arrived and got hot scoring 31 points to help lead Team Lebron to victory #2 in this team style format.

Legends: Two of the NBA greatest players and future hall of famers Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks who has made 21 All-Star appearances in his career and another favorite player of mine Dwyane Wade who has made 13 all- star appearances. Dirk hasn’t officially announced his retirement from the game but has been leaning toward it, Dwyane however announced that this will be his final season and that he is at peace with where the game is going. They were honored with their own all-star uniform jersey’s by the commissioner who personally chose them to this year’s festivities and all of the players, teams represented. It was cool to watch but also bittersweet that two of the games best players are no longer going to be on the court. You have to cherish every moment you have while you still can! Cheers Dirk & Dwyane on phenomenal careers! You made your presence known and your legacy will live on!

legends

One final thought: Kevin Durant was voted NBA All-Star MVP for the second time in his career, he is an amazing player to watch plus when he is hot..he is hot!…Durant-All-Star

This weekend always goes by so fast, but it is thoroughly enjoyable, As the 2nd half of the season kicks off, the grind now kicks into high gear. This is the final 25-26 games for teams to make the final push to playoffs and for some legends before they say goodbye one last time.!

If you watched all star weekend what were some of your favorite moments?

As always I appreciate each and every one of you who has read my blog, commented, followed me. I am sorry I have been away for so long but I am back with brand new content! Meet me here next thursday as I shine a light on Bradley Beal and his new role now that John Wall is out with a injury.

*Pics/Videos courtesy of Google Images*

Don’t call it a comeback :)

Posted on by

IT

Hey!!!…

It has been awhile…but the blog is coming back!….

All Star Weekend is this upcoming weekend, so I will be relaunching the blogs…:)

As always if you have any ideas, topics, anything you would like me to discuss let me know! 🙂

Talk soon-

Mariah

Been a minute….

Posted on by

bball

Hey Guys!

It has been a while since I last posted but I wanted to write something short and sweet.

The NBA has been making some summer headlines with the Draft and off season moves.

The biggest thing I have seen is the contract extension amounts for players such as Steph Curry, James Harden, Otto Porter to name a few.

The amount of money is out of this world but they deserve it. I honestly love the off season, to watch summer league games and read about the business side of things.

Summer League showcases recent draft picks as well as players who are looking to stay in shape and improve on their craft.

The hype of the Lakers this season will be interesting to see as Lonzo Ball adjusts to the NBA and staying healthy.

I’m excited for the season to come, I would love to know you guys thoughts on summer league, off season trades, and the upcoming season….

How do you guys feel about everything?

Leave a comment below 🙂

Thanks so much for reading, As always if you have suggestions please feel free to tweet me @bballmypassion.

*Pics courtesy of Google Images*

Passion, Perseverance

Posted on by

mj-23

Hey Guys!

So it’s been a minute since my last blog but I’m back!

I’ve been so busy with my new job that I sometimes I forget to blog but I will try to set aside a day a week to blog, so if you have topics you want me to write about sport related let me know 🙂

I was sitting in my kickoff 2017 meeting with my staff and co-workers and the person presenting gave us 3 P’s.

  • People
  • Passion, Perseverance
  • Product

The P that stuck out to me is the title of this blog, Passion and Perseverance which then made me think about athletes who had to overcome some sort of obstacle to get them where they want to go for their career.

I  began to think about Michael Jordan, who as we all know was cut from his high school team but ended up becoming one of the greatest basketball players to ever live. Then was Stephen Curry, who is a dominating scorer in the league right now and almost unable to guard. I think about how people criticized his size and weight and doubted him from the beginning of his career. Curry has now silenced his doubters by winning a championship and two MVP Awards one of which was a unanimous vote by the league which says ALOT.!

I was at work all day dealing with some clients who were ultimately testing my passion and love for people as well trying to steal the joy I had. After dealing with my 2pm appointment, I was ready to just give up and go home for the day. Something on the inside was like Mariah you got this just go take someone else. My manager comes and grabs me and I’m with someone else and that experience was good. Although I didn’t sell anything, at the end of the day I didn’t give up or throw in the towel.

I used Michael and Steph as my reminders in my head that they didn’t achieve the success that has come to them overnight, it took practice, repetition, faith, and just belief they can be the greatest players they can be. It also takes time to get where you need to be so today just was a test for me. I am sure I will have more tests along the way.

So I leave you all with this, whatever difficulty you may be facing day and day out, don’t forget the reason you started the career path you are on. Always remember the passion driving you and that obstacles may try to stop you but as long as you persevere, you will see success on the other side! 🙂

Thanks so much for taking the time to read and as always if you have comments/suggestions you can comment below or tweet me @bballmypassion.

*Pics/Vids Courtesy of Google*scurry-780x520

Assassin on a tear: Russell Westbrook

Posted on by

NBA: Oklahoma City Thunder at Phoenix Suns

This season Russell Westbrook has caught many by storm but not surprise with his breakout triple double season. Russ has been an assassin on the court causing high praise and often times speechless moments in that you can only say so much about a phenomenal player.

I wanted to highlight Russell for his successful season because he really sparked my interest as to how he was able to accomplish such great achievement game in and game out. For instance, in a Thunder loss Russ would still post his nightly triple double. I was in awe at how he was able to do it like it was easy. At this point it has become very natural for him.

Russ reminds me so much of a young allen iverson in the way he attacks the basket and wills his way to score each and every time.A lot of teams have a hard time guarding him just because he is very fast and most often if not will get the foul call.

Russell is still on pace to have an amazing season and be the only guard other than Michael Jordan who had a triple double streak from March 25 to April 4 , 1986 & Oscar Robertson who held a active triple double streak during the entire 1961-62 NBA season.

He is such a fun player to watch and makes the game very entertaining in a way that keeps you watching the game start to finish just to see if he will reach the triple double plateau.

Continue to keep an eye on Russell and the Oklahoma City Thunder as they make a push for the playoffs as we are nearing the All-Star Break. 🙂

In regards to the All-Star break 2017, this year’s festivities will take place in New Orleans, LA and voting is now underway.

You can vote for your favorite players by tweeting, commenting on facebook with the player’s first and last name with #NBAVOTE; visiting NBA.com/VOTE until January 16,2017 11:59pm.- happy voting! 🙂

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this blog post and be on the lookout for my next post coming next week! It will be my 40th post and I will be announcing my All-Time top 10 players!-Be on the lookout for that!

If you have any suggestions on blog topics please feel free to comment below or tweet me @bballmypassion

*Pics/Videos courtesy of Google*