SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors

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by | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Stephen Curry is in a starting lineup for the first time since October 30 as he’ll help the 14-48 Golden State Warriors defend Warriors Ground against a familiar foe in the Toronto Raptors inside the brand new Chase Center, live on TNT at 10:30 p.m. ET.

Of course, this marks the first time in franchise history that these two franchises won’t face off in the legendary Oracle Arena, and this marks the first time this season that the two former NBA Finals participants square off since Toronto got the last laugh this past June in their 4-2 series win and first achieved title in franchise history.

And it’s just the funniest coincidence that the Warriors’ two-time MVP and three-time champion point guard comes back against the team that kickstarted this snowball effect for last decade’s most dynastic organization. Since Kawhi Leonard won his second Finals MVP against a Warriors team decimated with a flurry of injuries to Kevin Durant (ruptured Achilles) and Klay Thompson (torn ACL), things went from really good, to #TankForWhoever in the span of five months, specifically after Phoenix’s Aron Baynes incidentally landed on Curry’s left hand back on October 30, 2019.

Keep in mind, Curry isn’t all that acclimated to the new arena himself, only playing four games in the Chase Center this season. He’s going to be tasked heavily with the challenge of playing against a fiery Raptors squad that is coming off of a 33-point night from last year’s Most Improved Player Pascal Siakam against Phoenix in a win that got them back into the win column. They are looking to make it two-straight on the road, and keep their cushion against the climbing Celtics who are only a game and 1/2 away from having the second seed in the East.

Without Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol, Chris Boucher’s minutes — and development into a solid contributor off the bench –have become increasingly important. Against Charlotte and Denver, he struggled. But after the bench was called out by Head Coach Nick Nurse for a lack of impact, Boucher responded with the best game of his career against the Suns, scoring 19 points off 5-of-12 shooting in the victory.

That type of response and energy during an emotional night, and he and the Raps taking the floor tonight will have to game plan to stop Andrew Wiggins, who has found a second home in San Francisco. The most intriguing story for the Warriors aside from Curry’s return will be his fit with Wiggins, who’s played something of a de facto point guard when Draymond Green sits.

How the Raptors lock up defensively against the team they defeated in the NBA Finals back in June will be the tale of the night, and during Steph’s 24-28 minutes tonight, it’ll be interesting to see if we’ll get vintage Steph out of the gate in the most suddenly most-anticipated game of the season.

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments
Stephen Curry’s Return To The Hardwood: The Way Back

Stephen Curry’s Return To The Hardwood: The Way Back

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by | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NBA

It’s been a long, turbulent way back to the wooden floors of the Chase Center tinted in gold and maple for the premiere Splash Brother Stephen Curry, whom we all regard as perhaps the most dangerous shooter to ever align their fingers within the black seams of a basketball. It’s been a culmination of 58 games, and a multitude of nights not suiting up for his Warriors, though the rehabbing process of mending his broken left hand finally sees its end tonight at 10:30 p.m. on TNT, when the reigning NBA champs in the Toronto Raptors visit the Chase Center for the first time in franchise history to play the talent-deficient Warriors.

Tonight’s game seems like a foregone conclusion, that in essence makes no sense to even document considering Golden State’s legacy of misfortunate events dating back to last year’s Finals loss, sidelining of Curry’s sidekick Klay Thompson with his Torn ACL, and the departure of Kevin Durant to the Brooklyn Nets. Toronto is the second seed in the East and is looking to get a winning streak going during their Western road trip in an “easy” game against Golden State, who is 14-48 on the year.

And here we are in the new normal: that domineering Dubs team that scoffed at any opposition in the past five years and won three championships in the tail-end of the 2010s is now at the bottom of the food chain, peering with open pupils at June’s Draft Lottery and the inevitability of a rebuild that’ll likely keep them out of the playoff picture for the first time since 2013, or at least until next year when they’ll be at full strength with Thompson and Steph sharing the same backcourt.

The two-time MVP and three-time champ will undergo a minutes restriction, as it has been since October 30 that Curry has taken to a basketball court.

And after requiring two surgeries on that injured left hand due to Aron Baynes landing on it a night before Halloween, after spending this year as an understudy of Coach Kerr and a confidant to those attempting to stay on the team for future seasons, after a brief stint in the G-League with Santa Cruz, answering media inquiries about his complacency and security in a trying year and just being the appealing, relatable enigma that he’s been since being that 6’3 180-lb-soaking wet kid drafted out of little Davidson, expect Curry to track around 24-28 minutes tonight with “short bursts of 4-6 minutes” to get Steph’s feet wet, explained by Dubs head coach Steve Kerr just hours ago.

In an interview with ESPN’s Warriors correspondent Nick Freidell, Curry says he is “excited” to play after four months of rehab. In the four contests he’s participated in this season, Curry has averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds.

But in all honesty, by the time you’ve finished reading this article, Steph probably drilled around 50+ shots and a couple of 40-foot deep balls during his fifth pre-game drill session of the season, because he’s Stephen Curry, and he’s extraordinary, right?

“I think I can play a lot more than that just based on the work that I’ve put in, but you gotta be smart about it in that sense,” he said during the interview. “And you also have to feel the game, too. Obviously, I want to be out there when it matters: finishing quarters, finishing the game and being available in that respect.”

The air inside of the Chase Center tonight will take more of a relieved color, not in the optimism of this lost season suddenly turning around, but because of the love for watching what Steph Curry does, and in the high-level that he does it. We don’t know if there will be some mental hurdle worth paying attention to come tip-off time, and if Curry will portray that apprehensive tone when driving and dashing through the lane, as memories of lightning striking twice and the probability of re-injury coming into play.

He knows that a new normal of some slight nerve damage impacting his ability to affect the outcome of an NBA contest, although he doesn’t exactly expect it to bother him in any way, repeatedly going over how his “new normal” will feel in a game.

“I have confidence in what I need to do with the ball in my hands and with my shot, and being able to take a hit on it and all that type of stuff,” Curry said. “And I just want to get to a point where I don’t think about it on the floor, and hopefully that comes back pretty quick.”

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: Los Angeles Clippers at Houston Rockets

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by | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NBA

The third war of two titans in the Western Conference occurs tonight in the first slot of NBA on TNT action as the Clippers make their second and final trip to the Toyota Center in H-Town to play the Rockets in what is setting up to be a potential playoff preview in late April, live on TNT at 8:00 p.m. ET.

It’s now becoming apparent that all this Clips team needed was some quality time spent on the court together, and with their five-game winning streak being established with big wins over the Sixers and Nuggets, they’re resembling the well-oiled machine many speculated at season’s beginning to run rampant over the entire conference, especially over their roommates in the Staples Center, the Los Angeles Lakers.

They have materialized a single-game cushion over 2nd in the conference behind their DTLA counterparts in the Lakers, and are currently playing their best ball of the season. Heck, one could argue that they’re finally having their best stretch of health this year, with virtually no injuries to core pieces like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Lou Williams. Now, they look locked in and focused on maintaining this hot streak in order to supplant themselves into the hierarchy of formidable foes come playoff time next month.

As it goes for the Rockets, Russell Westbrook is picking up the slack he left by himself with his early-season growing pains in his new city with his old teammate James Harden, the small ball experiment is wild enough to the point that it’s working to near perfection, and in a shifting conference, they’re not too far away from snatching that third seed in this year’s playoff tree from Denver. And yet, there’s still anxiety and uncertainty on whether or not this can be sustained later on this year, evident by a head-scratching loss to the lowly Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back in the Madison Square Garden.

The season series between the two conference rivals is currently at 2-1 with the Rockets holding the advantage. Both teams have made some significant alterations to their rosters, including the likes of Houston’s disposal of the injury-prone Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Minnesota’s 3-and-D man Robert Covington, who has provided a serious spark on both ends of the floor for Houston in the execution of their center-less tactics.

Teams have struggled to compete with the 5-man-out system the Rockets have been running, due to the proficient 3-point shooting and driving ability of the men on the floor in Mike D’Antoni’s offensive attack. But, if any team in the league is built to keep up with such an offense, it has to be the Clippers, right?. LA has tons upon tons of depth and can easily match Houston’s starting lineup, with talents like Patrick Beverley, Lou Will, Montrezl Harrell, and new pickups in Reggie Jackson and Marcus Morris Sr. Those named players all have the ability to guard multiple positions while still displaying pesky length to stretch the floor on the other end.

It’s a tale of personalities in this one, so be sure not to miss a second of it, live on TNT at 8 p.m. ET.

 

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks

SR – NBA Prime Time Preview: New Orleans Pelicans at Dallas Mavericks

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by | Mar 5, 2020 | Featured, NBA

A battle of two exciting players under the age of 21 takes place during the second slot of ESPN’s Wednesday NBA action, as Zion Williamson goes toe-to-toe with Luka Doncic in a game to remember.

It’s been a tale of decadence for the first-overall pick back in June during this stretch of sixteen games, and it doesn’t look as if Williamson is slowing down in his chase of world domination with his 24.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He’s been able to bump defenders off of him inside the lane and finish with proclivity from the get-go of his professional career, and while his stats have been worthy of marveling over, the Pelicans are losing steam in the playoff hunt, and their chances of making the playoffs are expeditiously fading from reality.

Over the span of four days, the Pels have dropped from ninth to 12th in the West, mainly due to their two-game skid that resulted in losses to LeBron James’ Lakers and D’Angelo Russell’s Timberwolves. And now, the seventh-seeded Mavericks are up next. This is the second night of a back-to-back for the Pelicans, and as history precedes them, the Mavericks have owned the Pelicans this year, leading the season series 3-0. And not to mention, one of their series wins includes a 46-point thrashing back on December 7.

It will certainly take a lot for this Pels team to overcome a tough road matchup, as above .500 teams have given the Pelicans problems this year. New Orleans has but three wins in thirteen tries against playoff-seeded teams since the start of the 2020 calendar year. Tonight’s game will see not only Doncic take the floor, but Kristaps Porzingis as well, who has been on a tear after dropping 38 points on the Timberwolves’ heads in the last time he played. He sat out during Dallas’ second leg of their back-to-back against Chicago but will be well-rested in tonight’s contest.

Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Mar 5, 2020 No Comments
The Weeknd Debuts “After Hours” Short Film

The Weeknd Debuts “After Hours” Short Film

Celebs

by | Mar 4, 2020 | Celebs, Featured

Weeks before the release of his fourth studio album After Hours on March 20, The Weeknd debuts a short film of the same name. With a similar aesthetic to the previous videos, it appears he’s been having a lot of rough nights. The short film once again features the “Heartless” singer bloodied, a generally beat-up look and stumbling around town in a daze.

In the five-minute short film directed by Anton Tammi, which debuted on Wednesday (March 4), he picks up from the end of a bizarre January performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! as the night turns seriously dark and stormy. As he heads backstage his smile slowly fades from his face. we then transition to The Weeknd roaming the streets of Los Angeles at night hallucinating as he walks through the subway, accompanied by the track “After Hours,” instrumental. In the final scene, he rides an elevator with a couple before the doors close and screams are heard as the screen fades to red.

Image result for weeknd after hours short film

It does not offer too much in the way of new music, but it does indicate what tone he’s going for this time around. Since his visuals have all been connected thematically, it’s safe to assume there will be more videos before the album arrives.

The Canadian Singer will embark on his 62-date global “After Hours Tour,” traveling to the U.S., Canada, U.K., Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and France. Starting on June 11 in Vancouver, and will run until Nov. 12 in Paris, France with support from Sabrina Claudio and Don Toliver in the U.S. and 88GLAM and Claudio in Europe. Additional shows have been added including London, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Miami.

Watch the “After Hours” video below:

 

 

Mar 4, 2020 No Comments