SR – Playoff Preview: The Eastern Conference’s Final Four Teams

SR – Playoff Preview: The Eastern Conference’s Final Four Teams

Featured

by | Aug 31, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Amidst a week filled with playoff competition, Black Lives Matter protests and discussions that nearly wiped out the rest of the season, and a flurry of news stories emanating from the Lake Buena Vista bubble in Orlando, Florida, the NBA Playoffs have graduated from their elementary first rounds, at least that’s the case in the East. As for the West, however, that’s another topic, since two of the four Western first-round series have yet to conclude with the Lakers and Clippers being the only teams to have made it through to the Western semis, so far.

We’ve just about correctly predicted how the four best teams in the East would fare — Milwaukee, Toronto, Boston, and Miami — so now it’s up to fate to decide who gets the golden ticket of an Eastern Conference berth for the NBA Finals, set to be rewarded to one of these four teams within the next few weeks.

With that, let’s not make haste and get to breaking down these four powerhouses in the East, and predict how the second round will go for each of them.

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Eastern Team Breakdowns, From 1 To 4

1. Milwaukee Bucks (56-17, 1st in East, Won First Round vs. ORL 4-1) – Whilst making quick work of the host city’s team Orlando Magic after a confoundingly shocking game one loss, Milwaukee made the adjustments after shaking off rust that oxidized before the postseason had even begun and are heading to the second round of the Eastern playoffs. The top-seeded team we’d expect to see in the Bubble finally got back on track this past series and so did the defense, as Milwaukee had only won three of the eight seeding games heading into the playoffs due to some slouches on both ends.

Give it to the Orlando Magic, though. Though undermanned and without their three of their best defenders in Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac, and Mo Bamba, the Magic didn’t go down without a fight.

However, the league’s most offensively and defensively efficient team dispatched of the eighth-seeded Magic with obvious consistent contributions from the likes of the presumptive MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, as he put up around 30.6 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists per game off of 56 percent shooting. He was a freight train heading to the hoop and it didn’t matter what kind of wall the Magic put up defensively to force him to kick it out to wing shooters; when he got downhill, there was very little Nikola Vucevic or any other Magic big to contest him.

The more revelating surprise? Khris Middleton is slowly returning to form, having upped his efficiency and overall numbers in the last two games of the series. Compared to his sluggish start to the postseason of 11.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game while shooting 32.4 percent that was really residue left over from the seeding games, Middleton started to resemble his regular-season form, scoring 21 points in two straight contests.

With that being said, Miami is no joke. They’ll have to continue that hot shooting from both of their All-Stars against an equally stout defensive, sharpshooting juggernaut in the Heat, who have won two games at home against Milwaukee this season.

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2. Toronto Raptors (53-19, 2nd in East, Won First Round vs. BKN 4-0) – To put it quite simply: the defending champions are rolling. In game four of their first-round series against Brooklyn, the Raps’ bench scored — get this — 100 points against Caris LeVert and the rest of Brooklyn’s makeshift rotation, effectively completing the sweep. That’s always been a virtuous attribute for Newly-appointed Coach of the Year Nick Nurse; seeing the value of each piece and how each spindle of a Raptor fits within the non-stopping-any-time-soon wheel that is this fiery start to a title defense.

In that 100-point bench scoring performance during the only game they played this week, they had four non-starters go for double figures, including their two leading scorers Norman Powell who dropped 29 points, and Serge Ibaka, who scored 27 points in the 150-122 mauling of the maligned Nets.

On a more serious note, however, it was brought to the national media’s attention that the Celtics and Raptors were the two most notable teams who discussed the sit-out and boycott of the NBA Playoffs as a result of the cyclical pattern of police brutality and the senseless attempted murder of 29-year old Jacob Blake once his story became apparent. And coincidentally, the top-seeded Bucks just went and did it before Game 5 of their series.

In hindsight, that may have done more good than harm, considering the grade 2 ankle sprain All-Star guard Kyle Lowry sustained in the series’ final game. His health will undoubtedly be a salient storyline heading into the second round of the playoffs, and they’ll need all the offensive firepower they can get against a much more formidable foe in the Boston Celtics.

Some stats to throw out to show how dangerous these Raptors are in the bubble: they’re second in points per game with 126.3, first in rebounds per game with 51, first in assists per game at 30.5, tied for second in blocks per game at 5.5, third in field goal percentage at 49.5, fifth in 3-pointers made at 71 and second in 3-point percentage with 43.3. This could be a fireworks show of a series if both teams are clicking, but the health of the Raptors and Celtics could ultimately decide who survives this grudge match.

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3. Boston Celtics (48-24, 3rd in East, Won First Round vs. PHI 4-0) – It’s been a mix of really good and dishearteningly bad for the third-seeded Boston Celtics, who will be the first team in the bubble to kick off the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

On the good end, count the positives. You’re awash with a litany of selections to pick from. Kemba Walker’s knee seems to be healing up well, and he’s reverting back to the Charlotte Hornets/Connecticut Huskies Cardiac Kemba we remembered him be, drawing switches, creating separation off the bounce, stopping on a time, exploding to the rack, and utilizing that footwork in that in-between game, pulling up from around and within the perimeter.

So far in this postseason, the Celtics’ starting guard is averaging 24.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. This is a career-high in postseason rebounding and scoring in a career-low in playoff minutes per game, which is largely due to the minutes restriction placed on him because of his still-recovering knee.

Jayson Tatum is the no-doubt Numero Uno guy, capable of taking over and flashing his skillset to be the best player on the floor every game with splits of .487/.452/.720 and scoring averages of 27.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game.

As it goes for the negatives, however, the Celtics are still waiting for a massive and efficient Jaylen Brown performance, since his numbers steadily dropped in the four games against Philadelphia. Their bench isn’t all that impressive either, only topping out at 29th in the NBA in total bench points. As said earlier in the Raptors section, that won’t cut it for a Raptors rotation that can go 10 deep, regardless if the Celtics are the third-best defensive team in the league.

And the worst of all: Gordon Hayward, who was an integral part of the Celtics posing as that arduous, threatening Boston team that the Raptors could only beat once all season, probably won’t be back until the Conference Finals due to a Grade 3 ankle sprain and the eventual birth of his son. Length and wingspan will be the key for the Celtics to take this series, and not having the switchable Hayward that is adept at stopping opposing guards off the dribble will cause Boston to have trouble containing the tandem of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, and Pascal Siakam.

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4. Miami Heat (44-29, 5th in East, Won First Round Series vs. Indiana 4-0) – Well, that was pretty easy for the Heat. What was hyped up as a potentially gritty and hard-fought series for both teams turned into a steamrolling for the Heat, who swept TJ Warren’s Indiana Pacers to advance to the second round of the playoffs. You can call it a matter of different factors as to why the Pacers were swept: Victor Oladipo not being 100 percent affecting his ability to get into a rhythm, no rebounding presence without Domantas Sabonis, Myles Turner struggling. But don’t leave out this little tidbit:

The Miami Heat are just that damn good.

This is the first time since 2015 that the Heat have advanced to the second round, and the first time in the post-Dwyane Wade era. Erik Spoelstra knows a thing or two on how to dismantle championship favorites who oppose his Heat; he’s got two rings to prove that. Now, the evident obstacle that lies within he and His Miami Heat’s path are the top-seeded Bucks, but these South Florida hoopers are no easy out for Milwaukee.

In fact, you could argue that the Heat are the ultimate threat to the Bucks in the playoffs as a whole.

There are a lot of reasons why Miami could upset the Bucks and have them packing early to head back home to Wisconsin. First, the shooting. Miami has nine shooters from deep that shoot above 36 percent and as a team, they are shooting 39.1 percent from long range in the playoffs. Jimmy Butler returned from injury and fit in like a glove with the Heat like he has all season in his new home. Averaging 19.8 points off a 40.5 shooting percentage from the field, his presence on the defensive end was the nail in the Pacers’ coffin as he didn’t allow bubble-leading scorer Warren to score 30 points once in the postseason.somewhat

The Bucks have very little margin for error when it comes to letting Miami linger, and they cannot let their pedigree of being the first seed flutter in their minds while thinking that a trip to the Conference Finals for a second-straight season is a predetermined truth. They do that and let up opportunities for the Heat to go on runs, and they’ll find out just as quickly that their title aspirations will burn up into ashes if they lose to Bam Adebayo (who is the best statistical defender against Giannis Antetokounmpo in the NBA) and the rest of the Heat.

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Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups: Semifinals

#1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. #5 Miami Heat

Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images

As mentioned in previous sections, this will be a physical, knock-down, drag-out fight between two teams that have constructed some sort of rivalry. Miami split the season series against the Bucks, and many speculate this could be the exiting point for the top-seeded Bucks since the Heat match up so well against them. You look on paper, and can easily conclude that it will come down to the All-Stars in Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo having the noteworthy battle that will determine who heads to the conference finals.

For Butler, it’ll be a respawning from last year’s situation, with him being back in the second round with the looming possibility of heading home at the same point as how he did last year as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers.

And we know how last year ended for the Sixers as Butler came away with an inbound steal to finish an open-court go-ahead layup, tie a pulsating game seven against Toronto, and Kawhi Leonard would subsequently heave a contested deep two that took four bounces on the iron before dropping in, resulting in the first-ever Game 7 buzzer-beater in playoff history and (debatably) perhaps a top-10 moment in NBA History.

This is personal for Miami, as a means to prove to the collective basketball universe that they’re not to be toyed with, and to the Bucks that it doesn’t matter who’s better on paper, because what matters on the hardwood is the say-all factor.

Matchup wise, the heavyweight fight has to be between Giannis and Bam, right? Looking at advanced stats, Adebayo has defended 28 shots against Antetokounmpo this season, and the reigning MVP went 12-of-28, including 0-of-7 from deep on those shots. Antetokounmpo’s worst game this season (using Basketball Reference’s game score) was his 6-of-18 shooting performance in a 16-point loss to Miami on March 2.

Milwaukee has yet to face a real challenge in the bubble, and it’s yet to be seen if they can withstand the onslaught that is Miami’s perimeter shooting and aggressive, airtight defense played by a bunch of lengthy wings. However, Milwaukee can match those intangibles and physicality with that of their own. These are two equally dangerous squads, and this should make for a great series.

FanDuel has Miami as +6.5 underdogs, but ultimately shocking the Bucks in game one as -110 favorites.

Prediction: Miami Wins Series 4-3.

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#2 Toronto Raptors vs. #3 Boston Celtics

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Separated by only 5.5 games in the East during the regular season, Boston has had Toronto’s number in the four times the two Atlantic Division rivals have played all season, but none more so than the 22-point scalping the Raptors suffered by way of a more physically imposing Boston team that utilized positionless basketball, opting for switching their lengthy wings onto smaller guards who are proficient at creating their own shots but struggle to score against taller and longer matchups.

And while that may be an issue for the Raptors, that’s when they can turn to their second All-Star in Pascal Siakam who is an immediate answer to that length Boston uses as their advantage. The issue with him, as we’ve seen throughout their season, is while this is team that puts up a multitude of points by committee, they’ve looked at Siakam to be the take-us-home guy when possessions get tense and defensive coverages get hard to break, and he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations in big games.

The main cause of doubt when assessing Toronto’s legitimate chances of repeating come down to multiple things like health to their most important star pieces and role players, but the main plaguing concern stems from Toronto’s inability to have a highly-skilled mismatch at the wing spot to take over and hit big shots, like how they did when Kawhi was there last year. The Raptors are surely looking at their other All-Star in Siakam to be that guy, but it’s yet to be determined if they have those guys that can carry the offense when the script gets thrown out of the window.

And that’s where the inequality (poor choice of words, sorry, I know) lies. Toronto is a very routine team on the offensive end, since a majority of their points come from motion halfcourt sets, transition opportunities, and fastbreaks when they up the tempo to force natural mismatches in the open court when everyone can’t get back. But other than some jumpers they can get against Boston’s length, don’t expect to see a whole lot of slashing and shot creation from the likes of VanVleet and Lowry, since they’ve had difficulty all season driving against Boston’s wingspan.

Meanwhile Boston, who also runs a set offense and is also lethal in the open court, has three of those isolation scorers: one at the guard spot in Kemba Walker, and two wings that can choose to clear out, take charge of the offensive attack, play one-on-one and ice games late down the stretch.

After all, this game is about a bucket. In the postseason, every made basket is crucial, so in order to win a championship, you need those mentally resilient guys who are fearless to take tough shots and make tough shots. And as history has shown, championship teams have that balance where they can run a set offense where the ball doesn’t stick and role players get their shots in the flow of the offense, but the true Alpha Males will the basket into the nylon when times call for them to be extemporaneous.

FanDuel has Toronto winning the series in six games and have the Raps as -116 favorites. They’ve been great all season, especially on the defensive end. Boston will also be without Boston’s Gordon Hayward, who is out for the foreseeable future. But it’ll be hard to get out of this series without that explosive, offensively-gifted, fearmongering playmaker they once had when they won it all last year.

That might be the deciding factor in this series.

Prediction: Boston Wins Series 4-2.

 

Aug 31, 2020 No Comments
James Harden’s 31 PT Performance Leads Houston To Victory (114-80) HOU Leads Series 3-2

James Harden’s 31 PT Performance Leads Houston To Victory (114-80) HOU Leads Series 3-2

Featured

by | Aug 30, 2020 | Featured, NBA

 

Oklahoma City started the game off struggling on the offensive side. The Houston Rockets came into this game trying to exploit mismatches and they were able to do just that. The Rockets were pretty much daring Luguentz Dort to shoot the ball as they left him wide open. The last couple of games Dort was able to make the Rockets pay for giving him space but tonight it worked in Houston’s favor. Dort finished the game with 6 points on 3/16 shooting from the field. The three field goals that Dort was able to get were inside as he went 0/9 from the 3 point line. The previous games Dort was able to hit his 3 pointers and this game he wasn’t that effective on the offensive end. Lu Dort did play some good defense on Harden but he’s one of the elite scorers in the NBA and he will always find a way to get his points. James Harden finished with 31 points on the night and was able to score inside and out. Harden had his best game of the series tonight against Lu Dort as he was very efficient and made the right basketball decisions.

 

 

The Houston Rockets got a huge boost of energy as Russell Westbrook made his playoff debut tonight. Westbrook was on a minutes restriction between 22-28 minutes and finished with 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 23 minutes. You could tell that Westbrook was still trying to get his legs under him coming back from injury. Westbrook had the mid-range going for him and was able to help get his teammates involved really early in this game. The other guys on the Rockets stepped up in a big way tonight for them as Eric Gordon and Robert Covington both combined for 42 points. It looked like every single time the Rockets had to call on the bench or a role player one of those two were able to connect with instant firepower. The Rockets came out in the 2nd half on fire and the only thing that went bad for them was losing PJ Tucker. Early in the 3rd quarter on a screen, it seemed as though Schröder hit Tucker below the belt and Tucker responded with a headbutt. Both players were ejected and it looked like the Thunder’s air was let out of the balloon. The Thunder were down by 20 points when both were ejected but losing Schröder was a huge blow for OKC.

 

 

The OKC Thunder had a tough outing against the Rockets as they scored only 80 points. Dennis Schröder was the spark that OKC needed as he only had 1 point in the 1st quarter and then he finished with 19 points in the 1st half. Schröder was able to get his game going from the inside and out tonight against all the Rockets defenders. Tonight Shai Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 4 points on the night and only took 8 shots total. The Thunder will need SGA to be a lot more aggressive if they want to continue this amazing season. The Rockets were challenging SGA on both ends and once Schröder was ejected you can tell that SGA was trying to get it going but it was too late. Chris Paul finished with 16 points on the night and he will need to be able to get his scoring going ASAP. The good thing about the NBA Playoffs is the fact that this is just one game and the Thunder will look to bounce back to get back into this game. OKC only had 4 players in double figures and they lost Dennis in the 3rd so it was really tough to come back and climb up that hill. Steven Adams is a huge mismatch and the Thunder will need to feed the big man early in Game 6 in order to stay in the series. In-Game 5 tonight Adams finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets can’t contain him and that’s something that everyone all around the world can notice.

 

 

 

Game 6 will be on Monday as the Thunder look to climb out of this 3-2 hole against Houston.

Aug 30, 2020 No Comments
Though The NBA Season Is Set To Resume, The League’s Infrastructure Has Already Made It’s Mark

Though The NBA Season Is Set To Resume, The League’s Infrastructure Has Already Made It’s Mark

NBA

by | Aug 27, 2020 | NBA

And the grip has never been tighter than it has been for the past 12 hours.

While the season was just confirmed to be back on thanks to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski hitting the send button on his phone’s Twitter app, getting a profuse amount of interactions to a tweet proclaiming the league would resume games as soon as Friday, a wide array of emotions were pulled from the mental Rolodex from all league fans alike. Most anticipated for the life support upholding the abbreviated season to ultimately be pulled, as a firestorm of reports escaped just about all sports media outlets in the hours leading up to 11:56 A.M. ET when Woj confirmed the season to be back.

Those reports were spearheaded by the groundbreaking announcement that both the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers were open to boycotting and scrapping the season while the rest of the teams complied to finish the season, as they were empathetic to the NBA who pulled out all the stops to finish the resumed season.

These debates had run rampant throughout the bubble, and civic discourse among players in regards to their voices not being heard as they had wanted them to had grown in fervor. Players and coaches had become notably infuriated over the unjust shooting of Jacob Blake, a 29-year-old black man who was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of multiple brutish police officers inflicting their brutality onto another defenseless citizen of color, and the continuous violence against black men, women, and children in a nation that’s lied under oath to protect them.

Milwaukee Bucks guard George Hill, while using dysphemistic language to explicitly paint the canvas of the players’ questioning of the league’s return and if it’s done enough to amplify the players’ messages, exclaimed his perspective to journalists and fans listening.

“We shouldn’t have even come to this damn place, to be honest,” Hill said. “I think coming here just took all the focal points off what the issues are”.

And yesterday, mutual agreements with Hill’s sentiments were felt, with boiling points and centralized opinions of unrest finally reached.

The Milwaukee Bucks, who were up 3 games to that of the Orlando Magic’s one game in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, stunned league officials by refusing to step foot on the court inside the HP Field House in the Disney Springs bubble, organizing a boycott that would grab national headlines. The reason? The Kenosha Police Department had yet to indict the officer who fired seven unwarranted shots into Blake’s back, and he needed to be held accountable for the infraction he had against black life.

As Kenosha was the closest city to Milwaukee, — 40 miles south of the city, to be exact — the Bucks decided to not only set the precedent of saying that entertainment and sports must take a backseat to the fight against social injustice by boycotting NBA games in order to put pressure on NBA owners.

Talks about boycotting game one of the Raptors – Celtics Eastern Conference Semi-Finals were deep into discussions as a result of the repeated offenses of police brutality Thursday when the Bucks staged their groundbreaking walk-out. This undoubtedly launched the argument of suspending the games into the stratosphere.

In retrospect, however, the players forced owners and league officials’ hands, to make a decision with the possibility of the money being spent on them being relinquished and the ultimate sacrifice of their livelihoods being erased in order for the billionaire owners to see them, and acknowledge what they really came to the bubble for: the achievement of equal justice under the law for Black Americans.

And across the league, other players and teams would concurrently follow suit. The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder were set to tip-off Game 6 on Wednesday evening and decided to boycott NBA play in lockstep for the reasons mentioned. The Lakers and Trail Blazers did the same later on.

But it didn’t stop there in the basketball bubble. Major League Soccer postponed five games Wednesday after players objected to setting foot on the pitch while a sixth match between Orlando F.C. and Nashville F.C. played on — a sign that the situation’s details were still developing at the time.

The WNBA postponed all of its games as a means of being a voice to the voiceless, showing their support to the families of Jacob Blake and the many lives victimized to the plague that is police violence and unnecessary force against minorities with this touching tribute.

Major League Baseball called off three games because of the players’ voices, as the Milwaukee Brewers followed their fellow Bucks and decided not to play against the Cincinnati Reds, the Seattle Mariners (who have the most black players on a team of any team in the majors, by the way) postponed their game against the San Diego Padres, and Mookie Betts’ Los Angeles Dodgers not playing the San Francisco Giants.

The Bucks, who as a team collectively decided to take matters into their own hands Wednesday afternoon, contacted the Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and the Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes in a team-wide conference call to demand justice for Jacob Blake, who’s life will forever be affected by the transgressions of this past week.

Players in both the NBA and WNBA have long been at the forefront of protests against racism and police brutality. This is nothing new. But for this year, in particular, this summer’s tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and last year’s killing of Elijah McClain all had the same things in common: zero accountability and due process under the law for their callous murderers who were still brandishing their police badges after committing such heinous crimes.

The night of Wednesday, August 26th, players hosted a consensus on whether or not it was appropriate to continue playing a spectator sport while the rest of the country continues to wallow in the pit of dystopic ruin from the social unrest, COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide stress of the upcoming election in November.

Though it was reported that a wide majority of players felt like finishing the playoffs was the right thing to do, a lot expressed the sentiment that they were beginning to grow tired of the bubble, and not being with their families during the stress that the playoffs usually have on all competing NBA athletes. They came to a unified decision to continue playing Thursday afternoon, but even with the growing anxieties about the play being stalled and money potentially being sacrificed for the greater good in this boycott, their voices were heard.

So yes, play will go on.

And yes, in a week’s time we’ll be back debating about whether or not LeBron’s Lakers or Kawhi’s Clippers will be in the finals.

But now, the focus is on the topic of the players truly realizing and recognizing their power and leverage on the league’s overall influence on, essentially, how this country is run. It’s rather within the incorrect frame to see the athlete as just the entertainer who avoids politics at every turn and not the advocate for social change.

And obviously, history tells us that’s not the case at all.

Just how differently would The Plight Of The Black Athlete In America by Dr. Ben Salazar be written if the legendary Bill Russell, who as we know endured countless threats of racial hate crimes as the first Black head coach to win an NBA title with the Boston Celtics, had said enough is enough, openly opting out of the role of head coach amidst fears of himself being in danger?

If a Jackie Robinson or Roberto Clemente shied away from their responsibilities of creating a brighter, less racially charged future for players that looked like them?

If a certain John Carlos and Tommie Smith refuse to raise their black-gloved fists in support of Black Power at the ’68 Olympics?

And in recent terms, for a Colin Kaepernick, who literally became a martyr for that conversation of equality under the law to keep afloat in the national discourse, as yesterday marked the four-year anniversary of his National Anthem protest?

NBA owners who carry a large financial stake in how the league is run aren’t Public Enemy No. 1 to the players. The players know that they have the influence and power to motorize change and steer those billionaires in power who call the shots and who are buddy-buddy with some of the country’s most powerful legislators into making the right decisions to help change the nation for the better.

If they refuse to buy into what the players are selling, letting apathy and disregard for their infrastructure to pave the way, so be it. They have a plan to make them change their minds: hitting them in their wallets.

Just having “Black Lives Matter” on a basketball court and on warm-up shirts is a quarter of the battle. Simply sending a tweet to raise awareness isn’t and never will be enough. NBA history says that the exertion of financial leverage shows us that (see how the league’s boycott of the 1964 All-Star game ties into player unions here.) Players threaten the power of higher-ups by sitting out, thus forcing owners to act on fighting for the justice of the helpless black lives being lost to police brutality in this country.

The time for kind words and PR-written statements is behind us. The time for action must be now, or never.

Photo cred: AP/ Ashley Landis, Pool.

Aug 27, 2020 No Comments
Trinkets Second 2 was Its Last And I’m Not Mad About It

Trinkets Second 2 was Its Last And I’m Not Mad About It

Celebs

by | Aug 27, 2020 | Celebs, Featured

The star trio of Elodie Davis (Brianna Hildebrand), Tabitha Foster (Quintessa Swindell), and Moe Truax (Kiana Madeira) have returned to Netflix for the second season of Trinket on Aug. 25, and if the first season got us into the mind of a shoplifter, while the second and final season was the 12- step process for addiction recovery. (sort of)

We pick up right where we left off as only two days have passed since the season 1 finale, but what Elodie believed to be a great opportunity to choose her own destiny and go where she wants instead of being shipped off. She soon realizes the life on the road with rock star Sabine (Kat Cunning) isn’t the best option, pushing Elodie in ways that don’t make her grow but just uncomfortable. Whether pushing her to sing in front of a group or kissing another girl in front of her, that’s it for her. So the rose-tinted glass she saw her in have worn off and life on the road with Sabine is over. Also being reduced to nothing but a roadie is not the move.

As she is on her way back to Portland, Her Father confronts Tabitha and Moe to hopefully figure out where she could’ve run away. He eventually gets a call from Elodie where she tries to negotiate her return home, their conversation is a bit combative at first once his wife gets him to calm down and agree not to send her away Elodie return was a go.

Trinkets | Netflix Official Site

Elodie, Tabitha, and Moe making their public debut as friends.

Elodie returns home went as you would expect it, her father practically putting her on lockdown until she earns his trust again. As for her return to school Moe, Tabitha, and Elodie are ready to make their public debut as friends (a step up from how they had a secret alliance in season one). As a punishment and way to keep her free time to a minimum, her dad and stepmom force her to get involved in an after-school program. Unsure of what program to join Elodie’s love for music and ukulele skills lead to joining the school band.

On the first day of practice, she meets the cute and quirky clarinet player, Jillian (Chloë Levine) who seems to have instant chemistry, but Elodie isn’t totally sure if her new crush is into girls. After checking her Instagram page to decipher where she lands on the spectrum, views are left clueless until Jillian asks Elodie about coming to a Halloween party that Elodie now has to convince her dad to go. At this party Jillian dressing as Sally Ride “the first gay woman in space,” who didn’t come out until later in life. The two eventually kiss, but Jillian shares that she’s still figuring out her sexuality and grappling with how to tell her parents. But one thing is for sure: they want to be together.

When is Trinkets season 2 out on Netflix? Release date, cast, trailer and plot revealed | London Evening Standard

Elodie new crush Jillian

So Elodie has found a romance more her speed, Moe, on the other hand, is dealing with several obstacles in her relationship with Noah (Odiseas Georgiadis). Not knowing the first thing about being a girlfriend she comments that it was much easier being lowkey about their relationship then out in the open. However that what she’s got Tabitha for, the two work together to make a sign in support of Noah for the big game. but not know the first thing about sports she yells during a penalty kick unintentionally causes Noah to miss a potential game-winning goal (ouch).

Moe and Noah

They get into an argument, which leads Moe to believe that they’ve broken up. She confides in Chase (Nik Dodani) — one of her robotics club teammates — and ends up kissing him in the robotics lab. Tabitha’s ex-best friend, Kayla (Jessica Lynn Skinner). who just so happens to be walking by the room spots them, takes a picture and sends it to Brady (Brandon Butler). So of course he uses this to Blackmail her into stealing the midterm exam from the teacher whose club adviser. On top of that, her home life is upended by the sudden reemergence of her brother, Ben (Andrew Jacobs), who returns from military school and father, Danny (Andrew Keegan).

Tabitha’s journey in season two is all about rediscovering her worth and embracing her true self. No longer with Brady, but initially continuing her romance with Lula (Henry Zaga) from the first installment. However, Lula suddenly disappears, ghosting her only because he stole her credit card information and ran up the bill.

Her biggest moment of the season was stand up to Brady for getting hostile with Moe at the Halloween party and pulling a knife on him and yelling, “You don’t f*ck with me, and you don’t ever f*ck with my girls, OK?” This newfound confidence does eventually lead to a new hairstyle, deciding to get her hair braided to embrace a sense of cultural ownership and a budding relationship with Ben. They try to keep their fling a secret, but it eventually comes to light and creates a rift between Tabitha and Moe. The two best friends take some time apart before they hash things out, allowing Tabitha and Ben to continue seeing each other.

Who Plays Moe's Brother Ben On 'Trinkets'? Andrew Jacobs Creates Some Conflict

However, Tabitha ultimately decides to be single and figure herself out is best for her. In Tabitha’s home life, she’s still dealing with her parent’s split due to her father’s infidelities.  She’s very cold toward her dad at first but comes around to mending their relationship. While she and her mother develop a closer bond, and Tabitha gains a better understanding of herself as a Black woman.

Brady who acts as the shows, main antagonist we where all puzzled to find out he admitted to sinking his own car until we understand his faking a mental health issue such as depression as a way to retake exams to boost his GPA. The blackmailing of Moeand eventual sabotage of her relationship with Noah after assuming she told the teacher he stole the test answers came back to bite him in the ass. As the trio unites at the school at midnight to assemble an installation for everyone to see. Displaying photos of Tabitha’s bruises caused by Brady and derogatory texts that he’s sent her. While also confessing to stealing the test in a letter that reads,

“We don’t expect you to like us, or even understand us, but we just want the truth to be known. Because we may be thieves, but we’re not liars. We stole the test. But it’s part of a bigger story.”

While the school reacts to the shocking exhibit, Tabitha drives Moe and Elodie to the beach where Elodie sprinkles her mom’s ashes. That was the finishing touches in the Netflix series as Trinkets has officially ended with its second and final season. Check out Netflix’s Trinket season 2 Trailer below and stream it now on the platform.

 

 

Aug 27, 2020 No Comments
Philadelphia 76ers Part Ways with HC Brett Brown (A Quick Glance at the Future for the Process)

Philadelphia 76ers Part Ways with HC Brett Brown (A Quick Glance at the Future for the Process)

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by | Aug 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

After their game 4 loss against the Boston Celtics completing the sweep, the Philadelphia 76ers organization had soon made the decision to part ways with Head Coach Brett Brown, believing that it is time to take a new direction in hopes of taking the team further than its current state.

Basketball fans were left to wonder what’s to happen with the roster, which was soon answered by 76ers GM Elton Brand discussing how he simply wants to build a better team around their household names in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. As I’m sure many fans were questioning the decision to part ways with Brown, the 76ers just may be making the right moves, as recent history has proven to us. As of the year 2015, the 3 teams that have won the NBA Championship (Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Toronto Raptors) were all led by first year coaches in Tyronn Lue, Nick Nurse, and the most prolific of the three in Steve Kerr. Now with that being said, simply changing a Head Coach may not instantly propel the 76ers into the NBA Finals, but surely is a step in a direction that may be needed for the organization, as told by history itself. With this we wait in anticipation for any future news regarding the 76ers at this time as the Playoff Race continues in the NBA.

 

 

Aug 25, 2020 No Comments