Week 12’s Top 15 Kicks Worn on Court was riddled with Kobe signature models. Lebron James debuted a polarizing XVII colorway inspired by his “I Promise” school. Russell Westbrook returned to Oklahoma City for the first time since being traded this past off season. Both Westbrook and Harden rocked ‘OKC’ themed color schemes in their respective signature sneakers to pay homage to the team and city that housed them during their young careers. DeMar DeRozan also returned to his old Raptors home and rocked some Toronto colored red/black Kobe P.E.’s.
We didn’t think it was possible for P.J. Tucker to out-do his Jordan 4 “Wahlburgers” when it comes to on court wearing and rarity of the shoe. Not only did Tucker surpass that, he rocked a sneaker most people have never even seen before and that no other NBA player has a chance of getting their hands on (besides KD). Let’s just put it this way, you can find the Jordan 4 “Wahlburgers” on StockX and eBay – what P.J. Tucker wore this past week will most likely never make it on any of those selling platforms. With that being said, look below to see what exactly P.J. Tucker wore that was so rare and to also see who came in second behind him.
15. Jordan Melo 5.5 “CNY” P.E.– Carmelo Anthony – Portland Trail Blazers
The final head coach opening has been filled as NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported that the team has chosen Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski as their next head coach:
Sources: The #Browns are planning to hire #Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski as their new head coach. Runner-up last year, winner this year.
As noted by Rapoport, Stefanski finished second to Freddie Kitchens in the team’s search a season ago but he now gets his chance to prove that he should have been the choice all along.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reports that Stefanski had long been Paul DePodesta’s choice and with him having more say in the search this time around he made sure to get his guy:
A year ago the Browns owners – the Haslams – along with then GM John Dorsey chose Freddie Kitchens over Kevin Stefanski. A year later chief strategy office Paul DePodesta gets his guy after losing Browns head coach vote.
For Stefanski, not getting the job last season may turn out to be a blessing in disguise as the team he walks into now has a lot more talent than what he would’ve had if he got the job last season.
His first order of business will be to create an offense that is able to get the most out of Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jarvis Landry, which should be relatively easy but Kitchens was unable to do it.
Stefanski has been with the Vikings since 2006 working as an assistant to the head coach (2006–2008), assistant quarterbacks coach(2009-2013), tight ends coach (2014-2015), running backs coach (2016), quarterbacks coach (2017-2018), and interim offensive coordinator in (2018) before taking over full-time this past season.
The day begins with a matchup of a pair of quarterbacks who were taken just two picks after each other in the 2017 NFL Draft as Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans head into Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
We already saw this exact matchup happen before in the regular season when the Texans pulled off a surprising 31-24 road win over the Chiefs in Week 6. Though neither QB had a signature day in that game—Watson was 30/42 for 280 yards, three total touchdowns, and two interceptions and Mahomes went 19/35 for 273 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception—it was a fun back-and-forth game between the two teams.
However, today’s game isn’t just one of 16, the stakes are higher and it is now ”win or go home” for these franchises.
For Kansas City, they are looking to make amends for losing at home in the AFC Championship game in last year’s playoffs. The Chiefs finished 12-4 and thanks to a Week 17 upset was able to get a bye to the divisional round. After running through the league like a buzzsaw a season ago, they really weren’t considered the best team in the NFL at any point this season.
They have a chance to change that though. With the Tennessee Titans pulling off another upset road victory yesterday, the winner of this game is guaranteed a home game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Houston’s defense has been inconsistent all year and Mahomes has been waiting for a shot at postseason redemption. If they can jump out to a big lead early look for them to keep their foot on the pedal and really make a statement.
For the Texans, they are trying to show that they are a different team now. Bill O’Brien made a rash of moves before the season began as the team’s de facto general manager in hopes of seeing his team make that jump into contender status.
Their first playoff game looked like it would be more of the same old song as they fell behind 16-0 but they were able to storm back and advance. Could this be the season that things start to change for Houston?
We’ll find out today. Watson is likely to have a full array of weapons with DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller V, and Kenny Stills all on track to play. The team has also experienced a renaissance at running back with the dual threat of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson fortifying the ground game.
Offensively, the talent is there for this team to hang around with the high-powered unit on the other side of the field. Where the test will come is how their defense responds. J.J. Watt will look to harass Mahomes in the pocket but they’ll need their secondary to be able to corral and contain the sheer speed of Kansas City’s wide receivers. Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and even Travis Kelce is fast for his size and position.
Keeping those guys in front and making sure they are brought down on Iraq contact will be a big part of this game.
PREDICTION: CHIEFS 41 , Texans 27
6:40 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers
The second game of the day also gives us a great QB matchup as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers will get to go at it at the frozen tundra that is Lambeau Field. The weather in Wisconsin calls for a high of 22 degrees at kickoff and there was already some snow in the area yesterday. The divisional round nightcap will give us some good old fashion football weather for sure.
First-year head coach Matt LaFleur has helped lead his team to an impressive 13-3 record and it’s been thanks to the team’s ability to be a much more balanced offense. Rodgers is still as dynamic as a passer as we have in this league but the development of Aaron Jones and the team’s willingness to play a run-first style has brought them to this point.
Jones is no one-trick pony, he’s helped out in the passing game too and with Davante Adams seemingly being the only member of the receiving corps that Rodgers is in-sync with, having a threat out of the backfield like Jones has been crucial at times.
The Packers made noise early in the year as their defense stepped up while the offense worked out its kinks. Yet, as the season wore on more questions than answers arose from that group. They are going to need their edge rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to make a big impact on this game. Green Bay doesn’t normally spend big money on non-Packers in free agency but they did just that to bring both Smiths into the fold the last offseason. Keeping Wilson from extending plays where Green Bay has good coverage will be vital.
They’ll also need an answer for D.K. Metcalf as the rookie’s size is a problem for a secondary that is relatively small. Wilson has confidence that Metcalf will come down with any 50/50 ball so expect a few of those to be up for grabs during this game.
Seattle meanwhile will hope Jadeveon Clowney is back to full-strength and can get pressure on Rodgers to force him off his spots or throw the ball before he is ready. Rodgers is crafty as a runner and the Seahawks have to be prepared for him to make a play when nothing looks open. It will be interesting to see if the team opts to load the box or not. Forcing Rodgers to throw doesn’t sound like the best idea on paper but if the run game isn’t producing it could alter LaFleur’s offensive gameplan and playcalling early.
Both of these teams are looking to recapture the good times from the previous decade when they were the clear top teams in a weaker NFC. Now in 2020, their quarterbacks have gone from young studs to grizzled veterans in what feels like the blink of an eye.
Whichever can keep their group a step ahead of the other will have a shot at making it back to the Super Bowl for the first time in years. A trip to San Francisco first is the only thing that would remain in their path.
The Oklahoma City Thunder played one of their best games on Thursday against the Rockets. Coming into tonight’s game against the Lakers the news broke out that LeBron James and Anthony Davis were going to be out tonight. Once that news came out the Lakers knew other players would have to step up for them to be victorious. Rajon Rondo took the challenge tonight to help his team get the win as he came out looking like vintage Rondo from Boston. Rajon Rondo set the tone for the Lakers with his offense and was able to get other players involved early. The Lakers played with freedom and played unselfishly tonight as a whole which helped out big time. The Lakers had a well-balanced attack against the Thunder and they couldn’t miss from the 3 point line in the first half. At one point in the game, the Lakers were shooting 88% from the 3 point line and that helped them maintain a double-digit margin throughout the night. The Thunder were down by 32 points in the game and it looked as though it was going to be tough to crawl back in this game. The OKC Thunder were getting the good looks that they usually do but the shots just didn’t fall tonight.
The Thunder got caught up in the LA Lakers 3 point shooting and failed at attempting it tonight as they only shot 9-31 for 29%. Every time the Thunder would try to make a run the Lakers would make a crucial shot that would stop the momentum. One player that had it going for the Lakers all night from start to finish was Kyle Kuzma. On the night Kuzma finished with 36 points which were a season-high. It seemed like Kyle Kuzma couldn’t miss anything that he put up from inside or outside it didn’t matter. With LeBron and AD being out Kyle Kuzma stepped his game up and made the most of the opportunity. The Thunder tried to put Gallinari and Bazley on Kuzma tonight but he was feeling it as he hit 15-24 from the field. Kyle Kuzma had the points but Rajon Rondo set the tone from start to finish as he dropped 21 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists. The Lakers bench players had bigger roles tonight and stepped up in a major way in a game that most would have given to the Thunder from the beginning. The Lakers had seven players in double figures on the night and shot 51% from the field as a team. The Thunder just didn’t have it from the start of the game and it showed as the Lakers jumped on them right away. The Thunder tried to fight back in this game but the time was running out on that attempt.
The Oklahoma City Thunder had a bad game overall as a unit especially after the big win against the Rockets. This was a game they started out the game flat and it came back to get them. All night the Thunder were trying to slow down the Lakers and catch up in the score but it didn’t work in their favor. Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a combined 48 points on the night as they tried to shoot the Thunder back into the game. This was a prime example of shooting yourself in the foot because the Thunder as a unit is better than the Lakers team that played tonight. Dennis Schröder wasn’t himself tonight as he missed some shots that he usually makes as well. Schröder gives the Thunder team some added energy and tonight he wasn’t able to get into a true rhythm offensively. Chris Paul was able to get his game going but it was a little too late. The Lakers didn’t have anyone that can guard Chris Paul but the opportunities just weren’t there overall as a team. It’s easy to say that the Thunder looked over the Lakers without their stars but sometimes it happens. The Thunder lived by the three and died by the three tonight. This team has been able to bounce back all season and this game will be one of those moments that help them regain that focus. The Thunder were playing really good defense but the Lakers were just making some tough shots all night long. The Thunder will look to bounce back as they play the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. Tonight was one of those nights where the three guards just didn’t have it going and all season long they’ve been playing at a high level. Look for the Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schröder to bounce back in a major way.
The posthumous album from Mac Miller estate is due this month, entitled “Circles,” this marks the first project since Miller’s death in September 2018, scheduled to be released on Jan. 17. The late rapper first single “Good News,” has been released with a video, directed by Eric Tilford and Anthony Gaddis, features imagery from Miller’s career.
Miller was discovered unresponsive in his Studio City, Calif. home on Sept. 7, 2018. The Coroner ruled his death as an accidental overdose due to mixed drug toxicity of cocaine, alcohol, and fentanyl. Three men have been arrested and indicted in connection with his death.
Earlier this week his family made the announcement in a heartfelt letter posted to his Instagram account on Wednesday. After much deliberation, the family ultimately decided to release “Circles.”
“This is a complicated process that has no right answer. No clear path. We simply know that it was important to Malcolm for the world to hear it,” says his family. “One of the most difficult decisions in the process is how best to let people know about it—how to communicate meaningfully while keeping sacred what should be kept sacred. So this will be the only post on any of his channels.”
“Circles will be Miller’s sixth studio album and first since 2018’s “Swimming,” which was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards.
In honor of Miller’s music and legacy, there will be three fan pop-up events in Los Angeles, New York, and Pittsburgh on Jan. 17 and 18. The exhibitions, in partnership with Amazon Music, will feature immersive listenings of Circles in Ultra HD audio, as well as a multimedia fan art exhibition and exclusive merch. Entry is free and all net proceeds from merch sales will go to The Mac Miller Fund.
“Circles'” will be released Jan. 17, the album is now available for pre-order. See the tracklisting below:
1. “Circles” 2. “Complicated” 3. “Blue World” 4. “Good News” 5. “I Can See” 6. “Everybody” 7. “Woods” 8. “Hand Me Downs” 9. “That’s on Me” 10. “Hands” 11. “Surf” 12. “Once a Day”
