NFL Playoffs: You Ready?

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If Sunday was any indication of how wild the playoffs may be then get ready for a fun ride.

The road to the super bowl begins this weekend with the wild card games.

The matchups & My Predictions

Sat. Jan 10

Rams/Panthers – winner Panthers

Packers/Bears – winner Bears

Bills/Jaguars – winner Jaguars

Sun. Jan 11

49ers/Eagles- winner Eagles

Chargers/Patriots – winner Patriots

Mon. Jan 12

Texans/Steelers- winner Texans

These matchups are going to be good to watch. The defending champ Eagles begin their quest to repeat.

The Bills/Jaguars game will be interesting, Trevor Lawrence is heating up and will definitely be giving his all. The Jags are on a win streak right now looking to make a huge playoff push.

The all eyes matchup will be the Texans/Steelers game on January 12.

Talk about a thriller of a game between the Ravens and Steelers coming down to the final 2 seconds. The Steelers captured the division title and the final playoff spot by the skin of their teeth but win and you are in right?

On the other hand, the Texans have been building momentum this season behind a great defense and smart decision making by CJ Stroud. I am really excited for him and his team.

I am going to keep this post short so I can come back and update it as the games finish.’

Let me know your predictions, who do you have winning and moving on to the divisional round games?

Comment below!

I will be back next week 🙂

Happy New Year! and I am glad to be back writing.

Meet me here next wednesday!

*pics/vids courtesy of google images*

The 3 point King; 4000 and counting…

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There are always certain where were you moments in sports that you just never forget as well as players.

Stephen Curry is definitely one of those players who leaves you speechless with a jaw dropping moment.

For example, the 2016 game winner he hit against OKC with Mike Breen on the call, by far one of my favorite plays in his career.

Steph has solidified himself as one of the all-time greats. December 14, 2021 in Madison Square Garden, he officially became the All- Time 3 point leader in NBA history surpassing none other than Ray Allen. That night was super fun, emotional, and one I won’t forget. Watching a player since college, his growth, the countless amount of criticism he receives on a day and day out basis, and constantly have to prove himself.

You would think a 4x NBA Champion, Finals MVP, NBA MVP, 3 point leader, Gold Medalist wouldn’t have to constantly prove himself over and over again but what do we always say, if you don’t have at least one hater are you really doing it right? LOL….

From three pointer number 1 to 2,974 ( passing Ray Allen) to 4,000+ it is amazing to just state the fact that the amount of work, strength, confidence, and conditioning goes into such an achievement. Keep in mind these are MADE three point shots, just imagine where the number would be if he didn’t miss. It is very astounding. I am always in constant awe whenever I get a chance to watch the chef cook it up on the court. I have also been blessed to see him in person as well. My hope is to get to another game before he hangs it up.

March 13, 2025 at home against Sacramento, Stephen solidified himself once again by hitting the 4,000 three point milestone. Congrats Steph! Keep changing the game for good and moving the needle. I feel like Steph at this stage in his career now is honestly in some of the best shape he has been in just overall stamina and his teammates. Having a good on the court team structure as well as trust makes for milestones like this truly inspiring. His teammates, coaches, trainers trust him to do his job but also have lots of fun along the way.

I can’t wait to see what’s next for Steph, I’m pushing for championship number 5. If the warriors would get it done, He will join the exclusive company: Magic, Kareem, Michael, Kobe, just to name a few. I know that is the one title he is seeking. With the playoffs on the horizon the western conference is going to be as competitive as ever. If any team can do it , Golden State can…Remember 2022?! Never ever count them out! With the 3 point king on their side.

Again Congratulations Steph on accomplishing a huge milestone. Your impact on the game is definitely seen, imitated, and imagined. There is only one Chef Curry! Keep shooting and when it’s all said and done on your hall of fame career, I can’t wait to see what the overall All-Time 3 point number ends up being.

Celebrate this moment and Kill it in the playoffs 🙂

As always I appreciate my readers! Check back with me next week. We head to the NCAA and celebrate the UCONN Huskies!! 🙂

*pics/vids courtesy of google/youtube*

Playoff Update :)

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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

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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*

 

Playoff Time!!!..

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The NBA has had an amazing season thus far but the best is yet to come. With only 10 days left in the regular season teams are making their final playoff push for positioning. I often have my favorite teams doing well even if they don’t go deep into the playoffs. One of those teams The Washington Wizards are now 44-33 and a game back out of the 4th spot with the Toronto Raptors who they will play one more time before the season ends. Out of all the 3 meetings this season, Toronto leads 3-0. Washington would need to win this game to give them some confidence going into the playoff run. With Washington potentially playing Toronto in the first round, I wanted to offer my 5 keys on a potential upset.

My 5 keys to playoff win success….

1. Limit Turnovers.

Toronto is a team that if you let them can get out and run. Washington can run to but also need to be mindful of scoring off turnovers they may cause.

2. Keeping Leads

Washington is a team that can blow teams out early but often let them creep back in on them in a hurry rather than put the nail in the coffin. In the playoffs, it’s no different but enhanced. If you want to get a jump on a team and secure victories ,you have to be able to hold a lead and still play strong.

3. Star Matchups

Playoff time is where your big stars flourish! I always get excited to see John Wall & Bradley Beal go head to head with Demar Derozan & Kyle Lowry. Each game whether home or away will continue to push players to play better, stronger and continue to find the will to win.

4. 3-point shooting

Many players on both Washington & Toronto can shoot the 3 very well and if consistent it can become dangerous on both sides. The main key is consistency and also not rushing 3’s because you panic. I think that is one of the ways teams mistakenly cost themselves games.

5. Have Fun( to a degree)

Now I know this is stretch, but both Washington & Toronto have worked very hard to get back to the playoffs multiple times and should be able to have a little fun while still focusing on the main goal which is ultimately winning a NBA Championship. As a fan this is where I get to shine and flourish. I have been able to experience playoff games in person and they are just as or more intense in person than tv. I always enjoy the opportunity to watch players I admire play well and push their teams. This also gives me another perspective into what drives a team to win and also fall in love more with the player.

Personal Playoff Story:

In the 2004-2005 season, Washington kept running into Miami. This season was the first time Washington was able to get to the second round after defeating the Chicago Bulls and had to face Dwyane Wade and Shaq. I was able to go to a game and I got to feel just how loud and intense the game was. I also got to see Dwyane Wade in action. Boy! was I impressed, he played lights out and ended up winning the game. It was just fun to watch while supporting my team , I started to love how well Dwyane played and just how explosive he could be. It definitely changed my perspective on the game but also let me have love for other teams&players. What are some of your playoff memories??

Thanks for reading! Be sure to follow me and share your thoughts 🙂

*Pictures/Videos courtesy of Youtube & Google Images*