The Weekly Drop Pt. 26

The Weekly Drop Pt. 26

Celebs

by | Feb 4, 2020 | Celebs, Featured

This week has been a little difficult for us all following the loss of Kob Bryant, his daughter Gigi, and the seven others in that tragic accident. This week’s playlist cover art is dedicated to the man, the Father, the Basketball Legend Kobe Bryant. Rest In Paradise.

This week in music we’ve seen the return of a Legend in Lil Wayne who took 24 seconds of silence on the 8th track in memory of Kobe, Tinashe has released the original “KOBE LA version” of her song “Hopscotch” from her album Songs for You. In this original version, she says the “L.A. like I’m Kobe,” this version was posted to her Sound Cloud page with the message “Rest in power Gigi and Kobe Bryant.” Chief Keef released a single entitled “Kobe,” and the tributes continue as Meek Mills enlist Roddy Ricch on “Letter to Nipsey.”  Here are a few of the songs that stuck out to me in the playlist:

Image result for Sway With Me - Saweetie feat. Galxara"

As DC Comics Birds of Prey is slated to hit theaters this Thursday, of course, another track off the movie’s office soundtrack drops. This time it was Saweetie and Galxara with “Sway With Me,” with an accompanying music video showing the duo up to no good. A high-energy, Latin-infused feminist anthem that gives the listener an electrifying brass section, robust rhythmic punches, and a manipulated vocal introducing the famed “Sway” hook sampled from Dean Martin then GALXARA’s vocals take it from there.

Image result for Just Like Jay- K. Michelle"

Durning the Love and Hip-Hop, LA Reunion show K. Michelle spoke about trying her hand at Country music and the track entitled ” Just Like Jay,” featured in her fifth studio album ‘All Monsters Are Human’  doesn’t disappoint. Accompanied by a visual, this single is tonally reminiscent of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” this single is definitely a hit. Speaking about personal topics with lyrics like, ”I walked away from Atlantic because they wanted me to be Mary J, and the whole time I was thinking who the hell gone be K” or “Crucified for my mistakes, make me wanna walk away. Maybe I should walk away, fade to black just like Jay, ooh ‘Cause y’all don’t love me anyway, so I’ll fade to black just like Jay,” a direct reference to the iconic Jay-Z’s “Fade To Black” documentary and his The Black Album. K. Michelle put her heart and soul into this song and if that any indication this album will be one to be on the lookout for.

Image result for Generous- Amber Mark"

Amber Mark is back with “Generous,” as the follow up to “What If,” which released back in June 2018. The New York-based singer’ who according to Pitchfork her soulful pop will make you dance and cry at the same time. Generous- Amber Mark  Milca P. of Hot New Hip Hop said it best on “Generous,” Mark a slow burner delicately details the anticipation of a bedroom rendezvous. Continuing to create fan anticipation for her full-length album.

Image result for Dinosaurs In Love -Fenn Rosenthal, Tom Rosenthal"

One of the cutest songs on this playlist is sung by 4-year-old Fenn Rosenthal, it’s a song about dinosaurs in love but the reason it’s becoming a viral hit was its dark ending. Tom Rosenthal shared this adoral video of his daughter Fenn’s original song “Dinosaurs In Love.” Tom tweet said    “…my nearly 4-year-old daughter, recorded her first ever solo song today. She came up with all the words herself and I helped her a little bit with the tune. It’s called ‘Dinosaurs in Love’.” Moved by Fenn’s heartbreaking song on Tuesday Jimmy Fallon did his rendition of the song.

Image result for Back To It - Josie Dunne"

Josie Dunne is a 22-year old breakout singer, with a supernatural ability to take listeners on a vibrant journey. Having worked as a professional songwriter since age 16, and now on the cusp of releasing her soul-baring second EP  ‘Late Teens Early Twenties,’  Dunne says in so many ways we have been and are continuing to play witnesses in real time to her self-discovery. “Back To It,”  is a classic ballad of someone realizing that its time for a change and this current relationship just isn’t it.

Image result for Fkn Around- Phony Ppl feat. Meg Thee Stallion"

It has been a month since we saw Megan Thee Stallion’s Tiny Desk Concert with the Brooklyn neo-soul band Phony Ppl during the performance, they debuted a brand new collaboration called “Fkn Around.” Today, they’re finally sharing the studio version of the song, a smoothly funky jam about fucking around.

Image result for Rodeo- Lil Nas X feat. Nas"

Lil Nas dropped the remix of his 7 EP track “Rodeo” with new verses from rap icon Nas. Debuting the track during his performance at the 62nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles fans now have the opportunity to stream it on all platforms.

Image result for salem roses to his ex"

This is a song about gratitude as Salem is so thankful that her current boyfriend broke up with his ex. states she would be best friends with her boyfriend’s ex and send her roses with a note thanking her for making him the best. Just a little shade was thrown seeing as his ex doesn’t know what she lost and one woman’s trash is anyone treasure.

This playlist has exactly 81 singles from the week of January 27th – February 2nd. Find your new favorite song to add to your rotation. Check out the playlist below:

 

Feb 4, 2020 No Comments
Top 15 Kicks Worn During Week 15 of NBA Season

Top 15 Kicks Worn During Week 15 of NBA Season

Featured

by | Feb 3, 2020 | Featured, NBA, Sneakers

It has been one full week since the tragic passing of future NBA Hall of Famer, Kobe Bryant. The Lakers played in their first game since his death, and there was not a dry eye in the arena. Players and teams around the league continue to honor Kobe, whether that be wearing his Nike signature shoes, writing heartfelt messages on their footwear, wearing his old #8 and #24 Lakers jerseys, and even changing their own numbers so that no player in the league will wear #8 or #24 anymore. Even coaches around the NBA are wearing Kobe 4’s, 5’s, 6’s, 8’s, etc on the sidelines with their suits during games.

Our Week 15 list is yet again comprised of a good amount of Kobe signature silhouettes. With Kobe no longer with us, one way players are going to make sure his legacy is seen, is through his footwear. Players who have their own signature shoes are even taking a break and rocking some old Kobe gems from the vault. Will a Kobe shoe grab this week’s top spot on the countdown? Look below to see which star athletes are paying tribute by what they wear on court.

 

 

15. Jordan XXXIV “Mardi Gras” P.E. – Zion Williamson – New Orleans Pelicans

 

           

 

 

14. Enspire x Nike KD 12 – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

 

     

 

 

13. New Balance OMN1S “No Emotions Are Emotions” P.E. – Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers

 

     

 

 

12. Nike Kyrie 6 “Pure Platinum” (Nike iD) – De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings

 

     

 

 

11. Nike Kobe 5 “Lakers” (Home) – Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

 

     

 

 

10. Nike Kobe 4 Protro P.E. – Isaiah Thomas – Washington Wizards

 

     

 

 

9. Nike Kobe 7 “What The” – Langston Galloway – Detroit Pistons

 

     

 

 

8. Nike Kobe 4 “Finals MVP” – Isaiah Thomas – Washington Wizards

 

     

 

 

7. Nike Lebron XVII P.E. – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

 

     

 

 

6. Nike Kobe 1 Protro “81 Pt Game” – Lebron James – Los Angeles Lakers

 

     

 

 

5. Nike Kyrie 3 “Mamba Mentality” P.E. – Kyrie Irving – Brooklyn Nets

 

     

 

 

4. Nike Lebron II “Oregon P.E.” – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

 

     

 

 

3. Nike Kobe 3 “Lakers” (Home) – Tobias Harris – Philadelphia 76ers

 

                 

 

 

2. Jordan VII “Oregon P.E.” – P.J. Tucker – Houston Rockets

 

     

 

 

1. Nike Kobe 5 Protro “Kay Yow” – DeMar DeRozan & Anthony Davis – San Antonio Spurs & Los Angeles Lakers

 

                 

 

Feb 3, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Power Rankings: Week 16

SR – NBA Power Rankings: Week 16

Featured

by | Feb 3, 2020 | Featured, NBA

As we inch just days, almost hours closer to Thursday’s NBA Trade deadline, there may be a bunch of rosters that might look a little different as it passes. Expect some circulation of news involving pieces like Clint Capela and Robert Covington as the deadline nears, but as it goes for basketball, no one is stopping the Milwaukee Bucks, now that they’ve successfully clinched a winning record on the season and surely can’t miss out on a playoff spot with the league’s best record.

Other turnaround teams like the Lakers have also matched their season-high in wins from last year, while the Utah Jazz drop four straight and fall out of the top 3 in the West after almost going undefeated since Dec. 4. It’s a game of runs and momentum going into the 16th week of competition, and for other teams like the Clippers and Celtics, that momentum is increasing more expeditiously than a bullet train.

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1. Milwaukee Bucks (42-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

There are only seven games left for the Milwaukee Bucks to win in order to clinch their postseason berth, which is easier done than said when you look at these Bucks. As per usual: they’re still No.1 in defensive rating, average scoring margin and still look the part of the league’s most elite squad, now with the opportunity to maybe even beat the 2016 Warriors legendary 73-9 record. Though unlikely, those Warriors clinched in 58 games as opposed to the Bucks 49 played games this season.

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2. Los Angeles Lakers (37-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Los Angeles was able to make a somber week finish on the right note, following last week’s horrendous tragedy as the collective sporting world mourned the sudden passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. After postponing the game against the Clippers and replacing that televised contest on TNT with a memorial in the Staples Center, the franchise resumed basketball activities with a game against Portland, in which they let Damian Lillard honor the Mamba with a sensational 48-point performance in a loss to the Blazers. They would go on to avenge their Friday night loss with a blowout win over the Kings, but now more questions arise as their starting lineup could change with the trade deadline looming.

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3. Toronto Raptors (36-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

So…it’s appropriate to admit that the Raptors are elite now even without Kawhi Leonard being on the team anymore? Nick Nurse’s squad is making that apparent, winning 11 straight games and jumping to the second seed in the Eastern standings. Oh, and they have the third-best record in the NBA! And yet, more adversity is in their path now that Norman Powell is going to miss time with a broken hand bone, so the path to keeping their upper hand in the East becomes a little steeper.

The first-time starter was averaging a little over 17 points in the 11 games played before his re-injury but keep in mind that this team has been nearly unbeatable when shifting other bodies into starting spots. Terence Davis III had a huge afternoon on Super Bowl Sunday while starting in place of Powell against the Bulls, scoring a career-high 31 points in the win.

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4. Boston Celtics (33-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

If there’s anything the Celtics are proving right now, it’s that their unabashedness and confidence playing against top-tier teams in the NBA is something worth analyzing. They just keep piling on impressive win after impressive win, now with victories over teams like the Lakers, Bucks, Heat, Sixers, Nuggets, and Mavericks on the season. Just last week, they were able to conquer the Miami Heat in their own building, and then beat the Sixers in Boston without Kemba Walker. As a significant part of that offense, Jaylen Brown may have easily had his best week as a pro, averaging 25 points off 55.8 percent shooting in an undefeated week for the Celtics.

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5. Los Angeles Clippers (34-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Paul George returned from a nine-game hiatus due to tending to a hamstring injury and his Clippers were the first team to play in the Staples Center since Kobe Bryant’s passing. LA played against the Kings that night and though it was an emotional night, they still lost badly to the Sacramento Kings while they were down a starter in Kawhi Leonard who took a load management night off. They still had a 2-1 week, though they need to string together some streak of wins in a West that’s altering itself due to teams slipping in the rankings.

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6. Denver Nuggets (34-16, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

Denver stays put in this week’s ranking but still in the top-10, thanks to a rare 127-115 road victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Fiserv Forum. In a week that’s still seen additional missed games from the likes of Paul Millsap, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris and Miles Plumlee, it’s second-biggest highlight was a big comeback win over the Jazz. With the streaking Trail Blazers, second matchup with the Jazz and Suns this week, Denver is looking to keep up this surge of good play from Will Barton, Nikola Jokic and the rest of Mike Malone’s bench.

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7. Houston Rockets (31-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

Add the Houston Rockets to the “I survived Zion Williamson, too” list following their defensive showcase against the Pelicans on Sunday afternoon, managing to keep their leading scorer Brandon Ingram scoreless in the fourth. Also, James Harden is finally out of his shooting slump, evident to his recovery from his thigh contusion that kept him out of two games. In the most recent week of play, Harden went from shooting 22.7 percent from deep, to connecting on 13 of his last 29 attempts in their two wins over the weekend. He’s up to averaging 37.5 points per contest, after putting up career lows from his previous averages of 24.9 points per game in his previous seven games.

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8. Indiana Pacers (31-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

The Pacers finally got Victor Oladipo back from his year-long rehab, and now are back in the driver’s seat of regaining pole position in the East with a perfectly healthy starting five. All Star reserve Domantas Sabonis and his Pacers are poised to overtake the second-seeded Pacers if they’re to win the next five games, and if the Raptors slip since they aren’t going to have Norman Powell for an extended amount of time. Home court advantage is still in the play of possibility, for they’ll have to scratch and claw to obtain that second seed, especially when they face the Raptors in the middle of this week’s four-game stretch.

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9. Utah Jazz (32-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

The Utah Jazz are experiencing a little turbulence in their otherwise solid season, losing four-straight after previously having their way in 19 of their past 21 games. In back to back games, they let both Rockets guard Eric Gordon and Blazers All-Sar Damian Lillard snap for 50 against them, allowing a staggering average of 120.4 points from both games. That statistical anomaly keeps them out of the top-5 ranking of the best defensive teams in the league (Utah has the ninth-best defensive rating in the NBA) but there may be much more to fret about with a Nuggets team they play well against coming up next on the schedule, and Portland and Houston right after them.

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10. Miami Heat (33-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

Miami is also going through a rough patch in their season after their recent 6-5 outing right after going 27-10 up until Jan. 8. Some ugly losses against sub.500 teams is normal, and likely happen once every blue moon. But you have a problem when the losing skid involves teams like the Knicks, Nets, Celtics and Clippers in the same week. Only OKC was beaten by the Heat in examining how many wins they were able to grab against teams over .500 this week and it doesn’t get any easier, now that the Sixers, Clippers (again), Kings and Trail Blazers await a Heat team that’s trying to go into All Star Break still perched amidst the top-3 in the East.

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11. Philadelphia 76ers (31-19, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

At home, the Sixers play like the best team in the East but on the road, they look like a lottery team, now an abysmal 9-17 away from the Wells Fargo Center. Losing to the Celtics is understandable regardless if the Cs were down a point guard, but succumbing to the Hawks on the road? Well, that’s unacceptable for a team that’s looking to make splashes in the postseason. They possess the worst away record of any above .500 team this season and maybe the health of the returning Joel Embiid is a factor, but the frontcourt combination of Al Horford, Embiid and Tobias Harris needs serious evaluation. In the Saturday night loss to Boston, the trio combined for 30 points on a 9-of-34 shooting night and only one made shot from Embiid.

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12. Dallas Mavericks (30-19, Last Week’s Record: 12)

Dallas is another team that stays put in this week’s rankings. They are 3-3 in the games that Luka Doncic doesn’t play and fought with all their might against the Rockets in Friday’s loss, but they need some consistent offense from their backcourt now that it’s being reported that Doncic is to miss at least five more games due to letting his sprained ankle heal. In his place is his European companion Kristaps Porzingis has averaged 24.5 points per game and a little over 13 rebounds in the games Doncic has been out.

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13. Oklahoma City Thunder (30-20, Last Week’s Ranking: 13)

As the Thunder have played the most games of anyone in the month of January, they went a head-turning 12-5, and got Chris Paul back into the All Star Game. They’re just a game fifth place in the difficult West, and that’s amazing considering they’re playing with a core composed off youth and aging veteran pieces. Since Thanksgiving, they’re 24-9, which is the second-best win-loss ratio since then. OKC is still climbing atop the West in a season many prognosticated as a reboulding year of supplying picks and building draft capital.

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14. Portland Trail Blazers (23-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

Damian Lillard might be the best player in the NBA right now, and it’s beginning to finally rub off on the parts around him. The Blazers are 4-2 after Lillard deciced to go apesh-you get it- on the last six teams he and his team faced in the past two weeks, and his numbers in those games sound a little like this: 61, 47, 50, 36, 48, 51. Whoa. He’s pulling up from 40 feet as if it’s second nature and he’s getting his with straight jumpers and dribble drives to the cup, and there hasn’t been a defense that’s been able to stick him just yet. He’s doing whatever it takes to get the Blazers back into the playoffs and in the crossfires of their pursuit of a playoff record are teams like the Grizzlies, who look as if they could lose that eighth seed to the Blazers if they’re not careful.

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15. Memphis Grizzlies (24-25, Last Week’s Ranking: 14)

Memphis put up the third-best record in the month of January with their 11 wins and four losses, and while led by Dillon Brooks, the Grizzlies backcourt has done an excellent job in supplying proficienct shooting percentages from dowtown and floor spacing that Ja Morant doesn’t have to create all the time. Brooks has flown under the radar made by the Morant hype train, but has averaged a team-high 20.5 points and 45 percent shooting percentage from three. They’re 17-1 whenever Brooks drops 20 in a game, and with Detroit, Dallas and Washington this week, that record could improve as all three of those teams struggle with stopping shooting guards from scoring in multitudes.

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16. San Antonio Spurs (22-26, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

DeMar DeRozan is to miss out on the All Star festivities in Chicago in the coming weeks, but has put up All-Star-esque numbers in what’s turning out to be a solid 2019-20 campaign for the former USC Trojan. His 23 points per game is already the third-best average he’s put up in his 10-year career, but this time he’s doing it efficiently at a 53.8 field goal percentage (the best shooting percentage of his career). He’s starting to look like the player that cracked the top-3 in MVP voting back in 2018, and considerably so now that his Spurs are only four games away from having a .500 record again.

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17. Brooklyn Nets (21-27, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

Kyrie Irving came back into the starting lineup and dropped a season-high 54 points against the visiting Chicago Bulls, only a night after dropping 20-5-5 in a win over the Pistons. The Nets were staring 3-0 on the week in a matchup with the Wizards, until Irving was knee-locked with a Wizards defender and left with a knee injury with 5:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Flustered by the second loss of Irving on the season, the Nets couldn’t make a shot in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost to Washington in the game’s final four minutes. It is being reported that Irving is going to be re-evaluated in a week’s time, meaning that Caris LeVert and Spencer Dinwiddie (who’s struggled mightily after Irving’s return) to step up big if they want to hold on to that seventh seed that they’re only a game in front of the Orlando Magic for.

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18. Orlando Magic (21-28, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

The Magic are a polarizing team; they beat lowly, sub .500 teams without issue but when it comes to facing fellow teams that are also playoff locks, they can’t get the job done. They’re a combined 5-22 in games against over-.500 teams, and to make things worse, they’ve now dropped five straight. The Knicks and Hornets are on the list this week but conversely, so are the Celtics and Bucks.

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19. Phoenix Suns (20-29, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Suns drop a spot in this week’s rankings, and we know one thing: it certainly isn’t Devin Booker, who was snubbed again from making the All-Star game. It looks like he’s taking that anger and aggression out on the court, averaging nearly 30 points in the two games he’s played since hearing the news that he wasn’t selected to get an All-Star selection. At this point, it’s unknown as to what he has to do to gain the voters’ respect to just get into one All Star Game, since he’s the only player in the league to score north of 27 points per game off 60 percent True Shooting.

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (20-30, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

The Pelicans haven’t figured out the puzzle of keeping a win streak alive while letting Zion Williamson run rampant on every defense he sees, as they’ve gone a combined 3-3 since his debut. Williamson is becoming what everyone though he’d be at the next level: a highlight machine that can score an inordinate amount of points, no matter how many minutes Alvin Gentry feels comfortable keeping the Pelicans No. 1 pick on the floor. Of course, his 61.5 field percentage is backed up by his 11 dunks in his first six games and his advanced ability to finish at the rim.

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21. Chicago Bulls (19-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

The Bulls are a banged up bunch that, again, is starting to lose trust in Jim Boylen’s rotations and decision-making. The injury bug has now taken Kris Dunn as its latest victim, and the Bulls will be without him for an undisclosed amount of time due to the former Providence guard spraining his MCL in Friday’s loss the the Nets on the road. Additionally, Daniel Gafford is going to miss some time from a nasty fall against the Raptors on Sunday and Lauri Markkanen won’t see the court for a while due to a pelvis ailment.

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22. Sacramento Kings (18-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 23)

Marvin Bagley III has only played four games since December 26 due to what’s being described as a mid-foot sprain, and because of his injury, will miss the Rising Stars Challenge on Feb. 14. The former Duke Blue Devil and top 3 pick has averaged 14.2 points per game and 7.5 rebounds in his short season. Without him, the tasks of beating Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio just got that much harder.

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23. Washington Wizards (17-31, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

You gotta love the parity of the NBA. The league’s worst defensive team…is only three games away from a playoff spot. The Washington Wizards, now winners of two straight, are actually in contention for a playoff berth between them and the Orlando Magic, who have lost five straight games. Bradley Beal is leading the charge with his 28.8 points per game and though another All Star snub, is willing his Wizards back into the conversation of the eight best teams in the East.

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24. Detroit Pistons (18-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

Andre Drummond and Derrick Rose could be moved ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline. But for the right price, that is. Detroit is a team many have their eyes on in the next four days, as many wonder if they’ll work with their core of the guys that are already there, of if they’ll just blow up the roster and get rid of the stars they already have, now that they’re a full four games out of the playoff hunt with no apparent desire to win the eighth or seventh seed.

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25. Charlotte Hornets (16-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 25)

If there’s any consolation for this season, it’s that the trio of Devonte’ Graham, Miles Bridges, and PJ Washington are a future worth building around. All three will showcase their skills on the national stage in the Rising Stars Challenge during All-Star Weekend, but in assessing the team, the Hornets have only won 3 games in the month of January and are a season-low 17 games below .500.

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26. Minnesota Timberwolves (15-33, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Karl Anthony-Towns and the Timberwolves together have not won a game since November 27, 2019, since his return to the hardwood. What looked like a streak-breaker against the Sacramento Kings this week turned out to be a blown 27-point lead and loss in OT, causing more contempt and queasiness for Wolves fans who only want to see their team get a win. They might have a shot at redemption against the Kings again on Monday and a chance at a winning streak against the Hawks a night later, for it’s likely Trae Young won’t suit up for that game.

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27. New York Knicks (14-36, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

Saturday night was a positive for the Knicks, as they found a way to knock off the Pacers, but of course, most positives come after negatives, and how much more negative can you get than a 127-106 loss in the Garden to the Memphis Grizzlies where the game didn’t garner as many headlines as previously suspected. Elfrid Payton took matters into his own hands following some unsportsmanlike actions involving Jae Crowder stealing an inbounds pass and hoisting up a three with virtually no time on the clock while up 21, in which Crowder decided to shove Crowder into the front row as a bench-clearing brawl ensued.

After the game, possible tradee Marcus Morris Jr. called Crowder’s actions “female tendencies”, which, obviously met discomfort and disagreement among folks on Twitter. Payton, who was also ejected from the brawl, received a one-game suspension while Morris received a lengthy fine.

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28. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Cleveland is likely to be high-sellers come the trade deadline on Thursday, and since they’ve seemingly given up trying to compete in this already-lost season, names like Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love are probably the first of many to go. Koby Altman is expected to be really aggressive in both trades and free agency in the offseason, as there are multiple expiring veteran contracts on the team that need to be dealt with.

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29. Golden State Warriors (11-39, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Though he’d probably provide some highlights on a season that’a already compromised, Stephen Curry returning to the active lineup does little to nothing to help their odds to improve their draft lottery positioning. But, it may be worth seeing how D’Angelo Russell and Curry collaborate on the floor when they share it for an extended period of time as Curry’s return date is in early March.

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30. Atlanta Hawks (13-37, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Trae Young’s All-Star debut is worth the wait, although the guard suffered a right ankle sprain against the Mavericks last Saturday in the game’s third quarter. This season is a lost cause, so it’s more than likely the Hawks play this injury cautiously so that he won’t have to miss the All-Star festivities coming up in two weeks.

Feb 3, 2020 No Comments
Primetime Preview: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl LIV)

Primetime Preview: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl LIV)

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by | Feb 2, 2020 | Featured, NFL

Well, we are finally here. The last Sunday of the 2019 NFL season is upon us and either the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers are going to be crowned champions at the end of the night. As we wait for Super Bowl LIV to kickoff (6:30 PM EST on Fox), the natural thing to do would be our normal Primetime Preview, where we give you all the background and intel on each team playing and then use that information to provide a prediction of the night’s outcome.

However, this isn’t just another primetime game, and it isn’t just another playoff matchup. This is the Super Bowl!

For that, we’re going to do something a little different in this space but before we get too deep in the weeds, here’s a look back at the last time these two teams faced off on the football field. In Week 3 of 2018, Patrick Mahomes was just beginning to put together the best statistical debut season of any quarterback in NFL history. Meanwhile, Jimmy Garoppolo was looking to prove to naysayers that he had what it took to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

The game ended with the Chiefs winning 38-27 and Garoppolo was forced to exit early with what would be diagnosed as a torn ACL.

For this Super Bowl edition of SneakerReporter’s Primetime Preview, we’re going to dig deeper than just narratives. We’ve done some digging, crunched some numbers and below we will reveal the three most important matchups of the night. The “winner” of these will likely go a long way towards determining who ends the night with the Lombardi trophy and who doesn’t.

The reason for the change-up is that with a week off between the championship round and the Super Bowl, the normal information that you get from a Primetime Preview has been talked about at length by nearly every sports media outlet by now. Instead of giving you more of the stuff you’ve theoretically heard on a loop since the matchup was set, let’s bring something different. Something that you can keep track of as you’re watching the game.

MATCHUP 1: 49ers Pass Rush vs. Andy Reid Playcalling

When the media talks about the 49ers one of the first things that they mention is their defense and more specifically, their pass rush. While they have singular talent along their line–including Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa–the strength of their attack has been their depth along the line. This season, 12 different players have recorded at least one sack for San Francisco and of those 12, eight are defensive linemen. Arik Armstead led the team with 10 and Bosa slightly trailed with nine.

As a whole, the pass rush ranked first on third downs, plays in opponent’s territory, and early in games. Being first in those categories naturally paints the picture of a team that is dominant on that side of the ball. If the offense can’t convert third downs that results in punts and field goals rather than touchdowns. If the opponents don’t have success when the ball is on their end it becomes harder to score. If you can dictate the momentum of a game early it allows your offense to build a lead and leaves the other team with an uphill battle the remainder of the game.

However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Robert Salah’s group. One area to watch tonight will be the red zone. Obviously, this is somewhere everyone watches regardless because it’s where the scoring usually occurs. Tonight, it will be spotlighted even more because the Niners defense was not great in that part of the field. Among all red zone defenses, they ranked 27th against the pass, had the third-worst sack rate, and were dead last against 11 (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) personnel.

But, the cause for concern doesn’t end there. San Francisco’s pass rush is a tale of two play types. On plays without play-action, they had the number one sack rate in the NFL. Compare that to plays with play-action and the ranking drops all the way down to 22nd.

Knowing this information, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid–with an extra week to prepare–will have some tricks up his sleeve tonight. Reid will be tasked with figuring out the right calls to make against a very talented defense that has some clear weaknesses. With a quarterback like Mahomes, he doesn’t need to pitch a perfect game but if they can exploit this known issue then it will give them a leg up in this game.

We’ve heard a lot about how the 49ers will likely keep a lot of their defenders in coverage and let their front four try and keep Mahomes corralled. It is a tactic that the team used for most of the year and is a big reason why they are even in the Super Bowl this season. However, their strength does have its flaws. The Niners pass rush is bad on early downs, in the red zone, and late in games. Look for Reid to try and attack this team through the air early in often. Partially due to playing in the NFC West, San Francisco didn’t face many teams that looked to throw the ball 35-plus times a game. Mahomes would love nothing more than to drop back 40-50 times and test the speed of his receivers against Richard Sherman and the rest of the San Francisco secondary.

MATCHUP #2: 49ers Aerial Attack vs. Chiefs Secondary

San Francisco’s defense is getting a lot of the love–their defense versus Kansas City offense is being billed as a strength-on-strength matchup–but the offense shouldn’t be overlooked. Kyle Shanahan has proved time-and-time again that he has the smarts to hang with just about anyone offensively. Let’s not forget he was the one who beautifully orchestrated a gameplan to put the Atlanta Falcons up 28-3 against the New England Patriots (he probably wants us to forget how that game ended though).

The more accurate strength-on-strength matchup between these two teams will occur between Garoppolo and the Chiefs secondary. Kansas City was the best Cover 3 team in the NFL, they held opponents to 7.1 yards per pass attempt and only allowed a 44 percent success rate when running the coverage. On the other side of the ball, San Francisco has the best quarterback against Cover 3 defenses on early downs. With Garoppolo receiving the snaps, the 49ers averaged 11.4 yards per attempt and had a 65 percent success rate.

Over the last four years, no team has had a higher rate of 20-plus yard pass plays than the (insert drumroll here…) Niners. Shanahan is bringing the most explosive offense in the NFL with him to Miami, yet the way they get those big gains is different than most teams. Rather than letting Garoppolo drop back and air it out all over the field, the Niners rely more on their playmakers gaining additional yardage after the catch.

San Francisco attempts 65 percent (most in the NFL) of their passes between the numbers–think slants, drags, screens, etc.–and their quick-passing game allows for the ball to be out of Garoppolo’s hands before the opponents can get pressure in the pocket. Due to their propensity to play Cover 3, the Chiefs were the third-best team on passes outside of the numbers. When facing throws between the numbers though, they ranked 20th on all downs and it dropped even lower to 30th on early downs.

Look for Shanahan and Garoppolo to attack this area of the field often, which could result in big nights for George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Emmanuel Sanders if things are clicking for the Niners.

MATCHUP #3: 49ers Motion Offense vs. Chiefs D-Line

Two weeks ago, Raheem Mostert became a household name because he absolutely carved up the Green Bay Packers finishing with a Niners playoff record 220 yards on the ground to which he added four touchdowns. Going into that game, many expected San Francisco to try and use the run game to gain an advantage against Green Bay. One, the run defense had been an area of weakness for the Packers all season and two, it kept Aaron Rodgers on the sideline more than he was on the field.

The Chiefs have not been great against the run the last two seasons. It would seem like a logical conclusion that the 49ers might try to ground-and-pound their way to victory once again. It becomes even more logical when you find out that Kansas City ranks dead last against runs with pre-snap motion; it is their single biggest issue as a defense. Add on top of that the fact that they are the fifth-worst against runs from 21 (2 RBs, 1 TE, 2 WRs) personnel and allowed 5.5 yards per carry (#27) on these plays.

This season, Andy Reid’s team rarely faced teams that used 21 personnel. That won’t be the case tonight.

San Francisco had the fourth-best run success from 21 personnel (shout out to Kyle Juszczyk) and uses 21 personnel more than any other team in the league. Another staple of their run game, pre-snap motion. The Niners are the team that uses pre-snap motion before runs the most. Watch the above video of Mostert’s breakout performance one more time, only three of the plays on the tape do not feature some sort of movement or motion from someone in a San Francisco uniform prior to the ball being snapped.

Last week, with Chris Jones back on the field, Kansas City showed that they had what it takes to slow down Derrick Henry who had steamrolled the Titans to the AFC championship game on the back of some of the most impressive running back play in NFL history. However, the way Shanahan uses the run is a totally different scenario for this group. They will need to be even better than last week if they want to be able to keep the Niners out of the end zone when it matters most.

PREDICTION: CHEIFS 41 , 49ers 37

Feb 2, 2020 No Comments
NFL Honors 2020 Recap

NFL Honors 2020 Recap

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by | Feb 2, 2020 | Featured, NFL

Last night, the NFL held its annual award ceremony to announce the winners of all the season’s biggest awards. Your favorite players made the trip down to Miami to attend the event and bring home some hardware. Surprisingly, only one player from either team playing in today’s Super Bowl brought home a trophy–I think they would each be much happier with the Super Bowl trophy, however. Here’s a rundown of each of the winners from yesterday.

Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)

Since being plucked from the Philadelphia Eagles staff (where he had served as a special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach) in 2008, John Harbaugh has been everything and more a franchise could ask for in a head coach. Just the third coach in the history of the Baltimore Ravens, Harbaugh has already led the team to three AFC Championship games and won Super Bowl XLVII in 2012, which made Joe Flacco elite.

This year, the team finished with its best record in his 12 years calling the shots a 14-2. It was the first time in franchise history that the team had earned the number one overall seed in the AFC playoffs. To get there, Harbaugh and his staff reworked their entire offensive playbook in order to accentuate the talents of their starting quarterback, Lamar Jackson. This led to them breaking the record for most rushing yards by a team in a single season, a record that had stood for nearly 50 years.

Though the team was unable to make it past the divisional round, there’s plenty of reason for optimism in Baltimore. Jackson is only 23 years old, Harbaugh doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, they kept offensive coordinator Greg Roman (who won Assistant Coach of the Year at this event), and their defense is still getting better. This season might have felt like it was destined to end with the Ravens in the Super Bowl but in reality, this may have just been the start to a new dynasty in the AFC.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)

Kyler Murray entered the NFL with a lot of expectations. Once the Arizona Cardinals made the choice to hire Kliff Kingsbury as their head coach, the Oklahoma (and Texas Tech) quarterback became pigeonholed as the player likely to be taken with the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Despite not having the prototypical size of an NFL signal-caller (Murray is listed at 5’10” and 207 pounds) he proved to be worth the pick in his first season.

The Cardinals revamped their entire offense and brought the Air Raid to pro football. It had mixed results but by the end of the season, Murray had proven to the football world that he belonged and that he could captain this offense that once seemed sophomoric–pun intended–to success against the best players in the world.

Murray looks the part of the modern NFL quarterback because of his ability to break down a defense with the throw or with his legs. He finished the year with 3,721 passing yards, 544 rushing yards, and 24 total touchdowns. We’ve seen Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson (more on him later) take the league by storm in no short time thanks to their skills as dual-threat quarterbacks. Arizona looks like it has the next one and for that, he was awarded Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers)

Another year, another Bosa bringing home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. After Joey won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016, his younger brother Nick Bosa pulled off the same feat last night. They become the first set of brothers to ever win the award. Like his brother, Nick made an immediate impact when he got to the NFL. The San Francisco 49ers took him with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft and there’s a case to be made that the team might not be playing in tonight’s game if not for this rookie.

Bosa started in 14 games this year and managed to rack up nine sacks, 47 tackles, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and one interception as part of the best defensive line in all of the NFL this year. His ability to win off the edge with any combination of speed, power, or finesse makes him a very tough person to be blocked one-on-one. Yet, with the Niners having multiple players on the field who need to be double-teamed at the same time it makes it harder to give the appropriate attention to Bosa on every play.

As the only player in this post who is still playing, he will have a chance to show anyone who doubts that he should have won this award just why he received it. If he and the rest of San Francisco’s front seven can figure out a way to slow down Patrick Mahomes than by the end of the night the 49ers could be your new Super Bowl champions.

Comeback Player of the Year: Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans)

We all know how the voting for Comeback Player of the Year usually goes. A star player suffers an injury that keeps them out for the remainder of the season and then the following year they return and have a good year, which results in them being awarded this prize. However, that storyline isn’t the case for the person who won the award this year. Ryan Tannehill didn’t suffer an injury in fact, after being the starting quarterback for the Miami Dolphins in 2018, he was traded to the Tennessee Titans in the offseason where he would serve as Marcus Mariota’s backup.

This lasted until Week 7. At 2-4, the team needed to make some type of change to get a boost and it turns out that inserting Tannehill was exactly what they needed. He would go on to help them secure the last spot in the playoffs and then orchestrate back-to-back upset victories over the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. They even held a 17-7 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.

Tannehill going from castoff to leading his underdog team to a remarkable playoff run is the personification of the word “comeback”. Any other player winning the award this year would have been a disservice to it. Oddly enough, Tannehill now enters free agency and could be in line for a very big pay raise thanks to the work he did this season for the Titans.

Defensive Player of the Year: Stephon Gilmore (New England Patriots)

Stephon Gilmore just completed his third season as a member of the New England Patriots and he capped it off by becoming the first cornerback since Charles Woodson to win Defensive Player of the Year. For most of the year, we heard about how historically dominant the Patriots defense was and a big reason for their success was the play of Gilmore. He single-handedly shut down an opposing receiver–often the opponent’s best one–allowing for the rest of the defense to turn their focus to other players.

Not since Darrelle Revis has Bill Belichick had this type of singular talent at corner and just like Revis, Belichick stole him away from an in-division rival. Gilmore started his career with the Buffalo Bills before signing a big-money contract (rarely given out in New England) to switch sides in 2017.

This season, it felt like quarterbacks were better off throwing the ball out of bounds than at Gilmore. He recorded a career-high six interceptions and tied his career-high–set last year–for passes defended with 20. Both of those totals were tops in the entire league. He also had two pick-sixes (the only two of his career) and 53 tackles. In a passing league, Gilmore has proven to be the rare cornerback who isn’t scheme-dependent. Whatever Belichick and the coaching staff draw up for him to do he will, and he usually does it at a very high success level.

Offensive Player of the Year: Michael Thomas (New Orleans Saints)

His social media handles do a great job of explaining why Michael Thomas won this award, “cantguardmike”. It seemed like no matter who lined up across from him or what coverage and scheme a defense ran, there was no one on the field at any point in time who could guard Thomas. The chemistry and rapport that he has developed with Drew Brees since entering the league in 2016 is truly a sight to behold.

This season, things clicked better than they ever have. He shattered Marvin Harrison’s single-season receptions record, finishing with 149 and also lead the league in receiving yards this year totaling 1,725. For three out of his four years in the league, he has caught nine touchdown passes with last season being his third. The 6’3″ Thomas is just too crafty and too good of a route runner for opposing defensive backs. He also will likely have a size, strength or speed advantage against whoever is defending him on any given snap.

While the New Orleans Saints season ended earlier than expected (again) their prolific offense has been a thing of beauty to watch in recent years. As long as Brees decides to keep playing, there’s a chance that Thomas–or Brees, or Alvin Kamara–are taking home this award again at the end of next season. For now, defensive coordinators in the NFC are going to be spending a lot of time this offseason trying to figure out how to guard Mike.

Most Valuable Player: Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)

And now to the award that everyone was waiting for–and also the award that had seemingly been wrapped up just a little over halfway through the season. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens was named MVP of the 2019 NFL season. In his first season as a full-time starter, Jackson made opposing defenses look silly week-after-week. He became only the second-ever unanimous MVP in NFL history (Tom Brady in 2010 being the other).

Prior to this year, the last time we saw him on the field was in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Chargers where he didn’t complete a pass for multiple quarters. This year, he put to bed a lot of questions about his ability to play quarterback in the NFL. He threw for 3,127 yards and a league-leading 36 touchdowns (compared to just six interceptions). His completion percentage surged up to 66.1 percent from 58.2 percent a season ago. He did all of this while more than doubling the number of attempts and completions he threw as a rookie.

His legs and scrambles made him must-see television on every snap. He set the record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback with 1,206 yards and scored seven touchdowns too. However, the year ended once again with a disappointing playoff performance. Jackson did become the first quarterback to pass for 300-plus yards and run for 100-plus yards in a single playoff game but two interceptions, drops, and inaccurate throws ultimately led to Baltimore getting upset. If he makes another leap as he did between his rookie year and this season then he might be taking home this award again next season.

Feb 2, 2020 No Comments