What Happened to the Warriors?

The actual question that we should be asking is what happened to the Thunder? The Thunder were a good team throughout this past season, but KD wasn't playing at his MVP caliber level. If it wasn't KD who spurred the change, what or who was the catalyst for this team to wake up out of its season-long ailment of not finishing games very well. I will be listing the 2 main reasons why the Thunder currently lead the series 3-1 against the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

1. Westbrook: He has stepped up continually throughout the past season, and has played better than any other PG besides Curry. Actually, in my opinion, Westbrook has been outperforming Curry in this series. Westbrook is the #1 guard at driving to the basket and attacking the rim. He is also a shutdown defender who has completely locked down Curry this series. Throughout the regular season, Curry shot 50.40% from the floor and scored 30.1 PPG. This series, Curry only shot 43.025% from the floor and only scored 24.25 PPG. Those numbers are not bad at all, for almost any other player those stats would be phenomenal, but for Curry this season, it is a disappointment. My gut wants me to think that he has not had the same mojo ever since his injury during the first round of the playoffs, but that's not it. Curry had a 40 point outing, and almost a triple double, in game 3 against the Rockets, and he had a double-double in assists and points during the game after that. Curry just has not been himself during the series and it's taking a huge toll on his team. Curry is a leader on the Warriors and without him performing well, the attitude and ability of the rest of the team suffer's. Westbrook is blowing Curry away on the court, and it clearly shows based on their team's respective records in the series. Curry is not a bad player, he is just being defended by one of the game's best defenders. With the way Westbrook is playing currently, Mark Cuban must feel embarrassed after his comments on how Westbrook is not a superstar. Mr. Cuban, I just want say that you are very wrong, and Westbrook will be seen as a legend if he keeps playing at this level.
2. The Tunder: The Thunder are playing exceptionally well; better than they have played throughout the entire season. They are finally learning how to finish games; Steven Adams is showing that he is more than an average role player acquired in the Harden trade; Westbrook is playing like an MVP; and Durant is, simply put, Durant. Based on how they are playing currently, I can't think of any team in recent memory that could beat them besides maybe the 2012-2014 Miami Heat. I don't want to jinx it, but I think that any team in the finals will have trouble playing against the Thunder. The Thunder also has more depth at each position than the Warriors as well. They have the shot blocking machine Serge Ibaka on their roster, as well as Westbrook and Steven Adams who have both emerged as elite defenders. There is no stopping the Thunder at this point because they are on a roll in pursuit of their first championship title in franchise history.

All statistics are from espn.com or basketball-reference.com

The Influx of International Talent Into The NBA

Serge Ibaka, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Kristaps Porzingis, and the great Yao Ming. The list goes on and on. What all of these players have in common is that they have all come from other countries than the US. The Baltics, and France, have long time been seen as breeding grounds for amazing basketball players. It is embedded into the Baltic culture that basketball is a game of beauty and elegance. That specific mentality is one of the reasons why Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the other countries in the region have produced fantastic basketball players.
How is basketball such an international sport, when a high-level professional league can only be found in North America? Basketball is becoming such an international sport that international camps are being held in America so these players can showcase their skills to NBA and college coaches. Kids internationally dream of playing in the NBA or in college with Coach K or Coach Pitino. They dream of playing with the legends just like we do in the US. Basketball is becoming huge, and it has been exploding since the start of the 21st century. For example, last year, 4 international players were picked in the first round of the NBA draft, and 3 of them were picked in the first 7 picks. That's huge for basketball abroad. It shows that kids coming from impoverished situations internationally can find many heroes in the NBA that they can aspire to be like. The international talent in the past 20 years has been prolific, with many all-stars coming from countries outside of North America. That just proves to show that even in countries where soccer reigns supreme, they can still find solace in basketball.
In the coming weeks, we will see Dragan Bender to likely be taken with the second pick in this year's NBA draft, and he will be another example of a future success story coming out of an impoverished family abroad. He is seen by many to be a more complete Porzingis, which GM's are salivating over. The pick of Bender will prove to be one of the year's highlights for many young basketball players abroad who have dreams of playing in the NBA. Those dreams will just become more of a reality for many other talented players abroad after that one fateful pick.

What Happened to the Seattle Mariners?

After an offseason that was highlighted by the hiring of a new GM, Jerry Dipoto, and a new manager, the Mariners have shown some signs of light in an organization that has had little to be excited about in recent years. Currently the #5 team on Sports Illustrated power rankings, they are really coming to light and starting to show some success early in the MLB season. Some may be wondering how they became the team they are today just in the matter of an offseason, and I'll be uncovering that in this article.

1. The bullpen: The Mariners starting pitchers have not collectively had a very strong season, with the exception of Tijuan Walker. Felix and Kuma aren't performing to the height of their abilities, and the newcomers to the rotation are not stepping up. The bright side of the Mariners pitching this season has undoubtedly been the bullpen. We have the #3 closer in the American league, Steve Cishek, who currently has 9 saves on the season. Additionally, their bullpen has had a generally low ERA throughout the season so far. Despite their mild struggles this past week, this bullpen still means business this season.
2. Taijuan Walker: Now a legitimate threat to King Felix in becoming the new king of the Mariners, Tijuan Walker has pitched his heart out this season. Currently sporting a 2.63 ERA, Taijaun is the real deal. He can get you with his fastball and, just like King Felix, his changeup is also killer. He has eclipsed and blossomed into a quality player who has a chance to even make it to the all star game if he keeps this play up. This is the player who the analysts were all hyped up about over the past three years. It's time for the rein of Taijuan.
3. The management: When the Mariners old GM, Manager, and CEO were in place, there was not a winning culture on the team. A squad with the misfortune of having the longest playoff drought in the MLB, the players were losing faith in the people who ran the organization. Then, the new management came into the front office. They have completely changed the organization from the top down. The M's were one of the most active teams in free agency this past off-season, and the results are starting to show. Wins are coming back to the Emerald City, and it looks like they are here to stay. Let's just hope that this management can break the playoff drought this season, or else I am not sure how secure their jobs will be this coming offseason.

Top 3 Value Picks in the NFL Draft This Year

1. Laremy Tunsil - Miami Dolphins (#13): Tunsil was by far the biggest steal in this year's draft. Once seen as the #1 overall prospect, he eventually fell all the way down to the #13 spot after a Twitter debacle about an hour before the draft. That video, which was taken when Tunsil was in high school, demolished his draft stock and some have predicted that he lost up to 8 million dollars as a result of that. Although Tunsil has some off the field issues, if he can fix himself up, I have no doubt that he can make an immediate impact on a Miami team that is finally building up their pieces to be great. Tunsil should expect to get the starting spot at Guard right off the bat. Get excited for what is coming for him in the future, because it is certainly bright.
2. Jarran Reed - Seattle Seahawks (#49): Reed was a great value pick at this point in the draft. The Seahawks needed to add depth at the defensive line after the departure of Brandon Mebane, and they certainly did with Reed. Jarran Reed was seen as one of the best defensive line prospects in the draft, and was one of the best value picks in the second round. He was also a safe pick for the hawks because of his lack of off the field issues and his on the field leadership. Reggie Ragland even said that the captain was "The emotional heart of the defense" on a stout Alabama team that won the national championship with the best defense in the nation. Jarran Reed is favored to win the starting spot, so be on the lookout for Reed to be lining up next to Ahtyba Rubin on day 1.
3. Kenneth Dixon - Baltimore Ravens (#134): He was one of the best running backs in college football this season, but he was completely overlooked because he was coming from a small school and mediocre combine results. Dixon has the skill set to be great in the NFL, there is no doubt about that, but the real question is whether Dixon can capitalize on his raw talent to become a multifaceted 3 down back in the NFL. Luckily for Dixon, he got drafted onto a team that has a great veteran running back in Justin Forsett, and he is in a place where he can mature and learn from the guys in front of him on the depth chart.

My NBA Playoff Predictions

It's the middle of the NBA playoffs and it's full of drama already. Steph Curry has an injury, and both Chris Paul and Blake Griffen are out as well. The playoffs are really heating up and underdogs like the Portland Trailblazers are emerging as a potential cinderella story. All of these are why I really love the playoffs; anything can happen in them. So with that, I want to share with all of you, my NBA playoff predictions.

Post CBB Season Recap

You may not like to watch college basketball, but as a fan of basketball, it is imperative that you admire the amount of upsets in this past season. This past season had countless upsets, and there was no dull moment to it. The season was comprised of all of the components of a theoretical reality show, which is what I am going to explain in this article.

1. Buddy Hield

First, let's talk about Buddy Heild. Buddy became an overnight sensation around the nation for his ability to shoot. No one expected Buddy to become the superstar player that he has become, though. Buddy was always a solid player at Oklahoma, but this year was different. It seemed like Buddy wanted to leave his program with a national championship, which Oklahoma has never won. Buddy certainly delivered in his last season, and brought his team to a midseason #1 ranking and eventually to become a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. Much of Oklahoma's success is a result of the fantastic play by Hield, who had a historic season in points per game and 3 point percentage. Hield was truly an elite player this year, who originally came from nothing. In fact, he was born into poverty in the Bahamas. Buddy was forced to build his own basketball hoops out of wood crates. He didn't actually come to the US until he was recruited by a prep school in Kansas, which is where he truly blossomed into the a polished player and where he started to get recruited. With a story like that, how could someone not admire Buddy?

2. Ben Simmons

Secondly, I want to talk about the rise and demise of Ben Simmons. He came out of high school as one of the most highly recruited prospects in the country. Some even wondered if Adam Silver should have changed the rules and allowed for high schoolers to enter the NBA draft just to allow for Simmons to go straight to the NBA. Ben Simmons is a truly special player, and it was a complete surprise to everyone when he chose to attend LSU and join their struggling basketball team. As the season came, Simmons proved that he was going to be the #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft. Ben Simmons carried his team on his shoulders every game, as LSU did not have very much depth or talent built around Simmons. Off the court, though, Ben struggled with academic issues. He was eventually suspended for one game as a result of these issues and he was disqualified from Wooden Award contention. The press was constantly surrounding the anomaly of Ben Simmons, and this led to a plethora of stories about his personal life, experience on the team, and the cold hard facts about his play. Much of the drama this season has been centered around Ben Simmons and it has been ridiculously fun to watch. To no surprise of anyone, Ben Simmons recently decided to declare for the NBA draft, and he is seen to be the perennial #1 pick. Ben Simmons is a perplexing person to me, though. He could have had the opportunity to be something truly great, and one of the best college basketball players in history, but he chose to leave LSU for the draft to the surprise of no one. College may not have been the best place for him, but he could have revitalized the LSU basketball program. Simmons made his decision and he will most likely make a great career in the NBA.

3. The Upsets

The countless upsets this season has made the entire season so much fun to watch. I read a statistic that stated that there has been the most #1 seed changes in this past season than in the entire history of the AP poll. That statistic alone does not do justice to the constant excitement displayed throughout the season. It all started when unranked UCLA defeated #1 Kentucky early in the season. That game was a gem, but it was nothing compared to the close games and upsets later in the season. Kansas vs. Oklahoma, Oregon vs. Utah, North Carolina vs. Virgina, are just a few of the most exciting matchups that we saw this past season. This all culminated perfectly during the tournament, which was one of the most exciting in recent history. 

4. The Tournament

There were countless amazing moments during this tournament, but my personal favorite was the Texas A&M vs. Northern Iowa game. That game went into triple overtime and eventually became an instant classic. It was full of excitement, ejections, and everything in between. TAMU eventually came out with the win, and I can honestly say that it was one of the best basketball games that I have ever seen. Additionally, there were so many other games like this which were prevalent throughout the tournament. There was the 10 seed Syracuse and their upset over the 1 seed Virginia to propel them into the final four. Then there was the historic upset of Villanova over Oklahoma in the final four, and eventually the amazing national championship game between Villanova and North Carolina. That game ended with 3 buzzer beaters; one from Villanova, then another from Marcus Paige on North Carolina with four seconds left in the game, and then one final buzzer beater from the center on Villanova. That last shot was done in the most fantastic fashion. It was a 3 pointer, which went in beautifully. That ending finally did justice for the upsets and craziness throughout this past CBB season.

The tournament, the players, and the upsets all made this year of college basketball one of my favorites. It was thrilling to follow and there was always something new to be learned about teams, seeding, and the players. Instead of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, it was more like Keeping Up With Coach K and Co. with the final episode ending with a win by Villanova.

Top 6 NBA Memes

There have been many great NBA memes created over the past few years, but I am going to highlight my favorite of the bunch. Here is my list of the top 6 NBA memes: