The Enspire x Nike KD 13 Collab Colored Up In “Black Ice” And “Venom Yellow”

The Enspire x Nike KD 13 Collab Colored Up In “Black Ice” And “Venom Yellow”

Sneaker Releases

by | Feb 12, 2021 | Sneaker Releases, Sneakers

Childhood companion Devonte Young and his streetwear imprint Enspire linked up again as following up to the Enspire x Nike KD 12s from 2019.

Today, as seen via social media this KD signature comes dressed in “Black Ice” as well as “Venom Yellow.”

Enspire x Nike KD 13
Color: Black Ice

Designed nearly identical to one another detailed with Enspire’s logo debossed across the ankle flaps. Both pairs also feature speckled detailing on the upper and midsoles. The Black Ice pair sports an iridescent Swoosh and dark icy soles, whereas the Venom Yellow opts for a much more clearer translucent outsole.

Enspire x Nike KD 13
Color: Venom Yellow

As stated on the same insole of last year’s sneaker the “En” in Enspire is a reminder for those who are “En Route.” Because we’re all en route somewhere but the question that Enspire poses where are you “En Route” to and Who Have You Inspired on the way.

Compared to last year’s model this isn’t very far off with the inclusion of speckles translucent outsole and hints of Enspire’s logo. However, the color choices aren’t aligned to match the colors of Enspire’s light-hearted logo on the KD 12 version or embodies the had a playful childlike spirit which signifies KD and Devonte’s childhood friendship.

Enspire x Nike KD 12

These upcoming colorways seem to be more tone down and have chosen simplicity over being extremely eye-catching. While no release date has been linked to the sneakers stay locked in with Sneaker Reporter as we’ll update on any new information.

Feb 12, 2021 No Comments
Kicks Through the Lens (Week 7)

Kicks Through the Lens (Week 7)

Featured

by | Feb 9, 2021 | Featured, NBA, Sneakers

A brand besides Nike/Jordan joins the countdown this week with a few colorways of their own. DeMar DeRozan continues to not play fair when it comes to new Kobe 6 Protro PE’s and P.J. Tucker dug way into the archives for a Kobe P.E. we haven’t seen anyone else rock before. Nike officially unveiled a completely new model, the Cosmic Unity, a shoe which is made of at least 25% recycled materials. This is a great step for Nike’s vision to a zero waste future in the footwear industry. Anthony Davis sported a clean white/gold color scheme of the Cosmic Unity this past week.

Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, as well as other Nike sponsored athletes all rocked black/gold Black History Month colorways of their respective sneakers. Sometimes keeping it simple and to the point is the right way to go. Being Chris Paul’s teammate seems to have its perks as it appears one of Paul’s fellow Suns is getting his chance to wear some exclusive CP’s this season. DeRozan wore yet another crowd-pleasing mockup of a Kobe Protro 6 and the noise continues to increase for Nike to put Kobes back on the iD platform for customization. Scroll below for Week 7’s Kicks Through the Lens.

 

 

10. Jordan CP3.XIII “Southern University” – Langston Galloway

 

           

 

 

9. New Balance TWO WXY “BHM” – Dejounte Murray

 

     

 

 

8. Nike Cosmic Unity – Anthony Davis

 

           

 

 

7. 2012 Nike KD 4 “N7 Black” – John Wall

 

     

 

 

6. Nike Kobe 6 Protro “BHM” P.E. – DeMar DeRozan

 

     

 

 

5. Nike Kobe 6 Protro “Pacers” P.E. – Domantas Sabonis

 

           

 

 

4. Nike LeBron 18 “CNY” – LeBron James

 

     

 

 

3. New Balance TWO WXY P.E.’s – Darius Bazley

 

           

 

 

2. 2007 Nike Kobe 2 “Westchester” P.E. – P.J. Tucker

 

           

 

 

1. Nike Kobe 6 Protro P.E. – DeMar DeRozan

 

           

 

Feb 9, 2021 No Comments
SR – NBA Power Rankings: 2021 Week 7

SR – NBA Power Rankings: 2021 Week 7

Featured

by | Feb 9, 2021 | Featured, NBA

Now that we’re past the festivities of Super Sunday, the focus of the sporting world is on the hardwood, both on the collegiate and professional levels. And concurrently, some of the league’s best teams at this point in the season are locked in on maintaining their momentum, while climbing teams like Milwaukee are beginning to get their legs under them as we enter the second week of February.

Meanwhile, sobering pre-season expectations are hitting teams like the Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, and Orlando Magic, and it’s a mix of injury woes subsequently crashing into pandemic problems that have affected the NBA as a whole. Some teams have been hit harder than others by both plaguing issues and while they haven’t told the whole story as to how their seasons have gone so far, some teams like the Kings and Hawks have capitalized off of some streaks of key wins and are making the case to be within the realms of playoff qualification.

So with that, let’s get down to it and break down this week’s power rankings.

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1. Los Angeles Lakers (18-6, Last Week’s Ranking: 4)

Should LeBron James be this year’s Most Valuable Player? Aside from Philly’s Joel Embiid, if this past week’s story told us anything, it’s a matter of why isn’t he atop the heap of the MVP race. James put up a near triple-double even in the hindrance of a maskless, rowdy, heckling Atlanta Hawks “fan” sitting courtside for 21-9-7, and then one game later goes for a 27-10-10 triple-double against the Nuggets. He finished the week putting up 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Pistons and displayed LBJ-like heroics as per usual with back-to-back triples in OT against Detroit at home.

And speaking of that “Courtside Karen” incident, just like last night’s Super Bowl where Chiefs Safety Tyrann Mathieu unintelligently trash-talked Buccaneers Quarterback (and eventual Super Bowl MVP) Tom Brady, you’re much better off not tugging at Superman’s cape. James has averaged 30 points, 7.5 rebounds, 10.5 assists per game off 55.6 percent shooting from the field, and a near career-best 41.7 percent from three-land.

Anthony Davis has noticeably struggled as a scorer in the paint and concerns toward his interior game were accentuated this week, but this team has proven they can turn it on whenever they want, courtesy of their comeback win vs. Denver this past week.

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2. Utah Jazz (19-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 2)

Staying within the top three is this Utah Jazz team that is still on fire as we enter a new month. Their only loss came this month to the Nuggets, and they’ve picked up from where they left off before their 11-game winning streak came to an end against Denver, still a top-5 defensive team in the NBA. Currently, Utah makes the most threes per game, owns the league’s best record, and they hold opposing offenses to an average of 105.7 points per game.

Up by more than 10 points entering Sunday’s contest against the Pacers, a Mike Conley-less Utah Jazz team (hamstring tightness) prevailed behind Donovan Mitchell, who engineered the win against a resilient Pacers team on the verge of a comeback with ferocity in his adeptness to attack the rim and score with ease on the perimeter.

Mitchell came just short of his first career triple-double when he had 27 points, 11 assists, and 9 rebounds off an inefficient but persistent 36 percent from the field. That’s now 15 of their last 16 games they’ve won, and they surely look the part of contenders at this point in the season.

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3. Philadelphia 76ers (17-7, Last Week’s Ranking: 3)

Philly doesn’t move an inch in this week’s rankings, and why should they? A loss to Portland when they didn’t have either Damian Lillard or CJ McCollum was disappointing, but it didn’t dampen the tear that these Sixers have been on since 2021 began. The 76ers remain in first place in the Eastern Conference thanks to the inadequacy of both Brooklyn and rivals Milwaukee and Boston as they continue to sift through their own injury obstacles this early in the new year, and with Philly earning wins over the Lakers at home thanks to a Tobias Harris game-winner and a beatdown of a Nets team that didn’t have either Kevin Durant (health and safety protocols) or Kyrie Irving (finger(s)) it’s become that much more of a possibility the 76ers maintain this dominance over the Eastern Conference that will be leading to a first-place finish in the conference.

Joel Embiid is still a frontrunner on the MVP ladder, averaging a career-high 29.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists off 55 percent shooting in 19 games this season, and more importantly, post a top-15 defense to equal their high scoring outing on a nightly basis.

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4. Los Angeles Clippers (19-5, Last Week’s Ranking: 1)

The Clippers played in what was arguably a finals preview this past Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets on the road and while they suffered a 124-120 loss, they were in a groove heading into that game. That groove, to their chagrin, has turned into a stumble as they’ve lost both Paul George and Patrick Beverley to lower-body ailments. Health has to be a primary focus if they’re to keep their deadlock at first with Utah atop the West, and they know just how lethal they can be when all of their guys are actively getting minutes and contributing to wins.

They gave up a second-half 16-point comeback and dropped a second-straight loss to Boston, an Eastern Conference foe in another inter-conference matchup on Friday night as they didn’t have Jaylen Brown, and then lost to the all-of-a-sudden red-hot Sacramento Kings two days later.

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5. Milwaukee Bucks (15-8, Last Week’s Ranking: 7)

It was only a matter of time that the Bucks got back to playing their best brand of basketball, so it’s no surprise they’re getting back into the swing of things. They’ve recalibrated and molded new pieces into their offensive and defensive schemes so that they could get back to being competitive in the East, and a 4-0 streak will easily signify that noticeable improvements are being made, and quickly. They made the bludgeoning Indiana Pacers humble themselves with a 20-point scalping, then followed that with a performance from Eastern Conference Player of the Week Giannis Antetokounmpo that featured 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists that garnered national attention and exclaimed this statement: the Bucks are coming, and they aren’t backing down.

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6. Brooklyn Nets (14-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 6)

So…that happened.

As if the most publicized team in town needed another lede to add to the already compelling tale about the first year of the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving-James Harden trio in Brooklyn, go ahead and add the 19 minutes that a previously-“quarantined” Durant would play in a game against Toronto (Tampa, I guess?) he apparently wasn’t supposed to even be in right into the scrapbook.

After being told he wouldn’t start as a precaution from being in contact with someone who had an inconclusive COVID-19 test an hour prior to the game, Durant went into the game during the second quarter and was ultimately pulled as a result of further inconclusive testing. It was a weird and inconceivable occurrence, but that leaves Brooklyn without their 7-foot shot creator for the next few games until at least Friday against Golden State.

Brooklyn suffered a couple of losses after Durant was pulled, including that exact game against the Raptors, and went on to lose against the Sixers on the road without both Durant and Kyrie Irving on the floor. These games where players are quarantining directly affect the team’s record and can make playoff positioning a slippery slope now that we’re a quarter way and more through the season.

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7. Phoenix Suns (13-9, Last Week’s Ranking: 9)

Make that five of six games that the Suns have won in the past few weeks, but that doesn’t mean Monty Williams isn’t apprehensive to making lineup changes to fine-tune things about his defensive schemes to produce a couple more wins so Phoenix can remain hot in the middle of the pack in the West. Cameron Johnson was moved to the bench in their loss to the Pelicans last Wednesday as has he scored only 8 points in 26 minutes.

He came off the bench in a sixth-man role, the place he started his career at coming out of UNC back in 2019, and in his place was the stronger defender of the two in 7’0, 240-lb Frank Kaminsky III, who was a temporary plug-in that’s been appraised as an ode to teams playing big, and as he’s the appropriate substitution for that specific role (Monty Williams’ words).

He’s averaged 12 points and 7 rebounds in two starts this season and off the bench this year, Johnson has produced in significant dividends, scoring 17 points and grabbing five rebounds in Sunday’s win over Boston while averaging 15.5 points as an integral piece in the secondary lineup.

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8. San Antonio Spurs (13-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

Moving up three slots this week is the San Antonio Spurs, who are 6-4 in their last 10 contests and are getting healthier in an opportune time. Derrick White continues to get welcomed back into the fold, and DeMar DeRozan is quietly putting together an All-Star season, averaging 19.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Spurs’ last four games. Additionally, he’s putting up a career-best 60.7 true shooting percentage, keeping an attacking mindset to tuck his head to get to the line while making around 88 percent of his attempts at the charity stripe, and involving others in the offense as a point-wing, averaging a career-best 6.6 assists per game.

And, as a surprise to nearly everyone, he’s attempted and made as many threes this year than his first two seasons as a Spur with 14 threes made. Something to keep track of: the Spurs have a +12.0 net rating when DeRozan and White share the floor in Gregg Popovich lineups so far this season.

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9. Denver Nuggets (12-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 5)

Denver is 6-4 in their last 10 games, and Nikola Jokic is still within the frame of the MVP picture. But lately, incomplete rosters for games have resulted in losses, and the injury reports are filling up going into their eighth week of the season. The week opened with the 11-point win and shocking road upset of a then-streaking Utah Jazz team, but they haven’t won since.

Two straight losses featured a 21-point loss to the Lakers that looked nauseatingly similar to the Western Conference Finals in the Orlando bubble and then they ran into a trap game against the suddenly succeeding Sacramento Kings, losing by five and allowing Harrison Barnes to score 28 points and rookie Tyrese Haliburton to drop 23 points, while Jokic went off for a now meaningless 50 points in a losing effort. Denver is still a top-5 defensive team, and that accolade will be put to the test the minute they face Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night.

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10. Boston Celtics (12-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 10)

Following their nerve-racking loss to the Lakers last week, the Celtics set their GPS for a Western road trip and during a trip they’re still on at the moment, they’ve gone 2-2 and have some key wins against the Warriors who were at full-strength, and the Clippers when they didn’t have both Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown. Led by the superstar trajectory of Jayson Tatum and a “return to what he used to be before injury” game by Kemba Walker, they outlasted the West’s best team before subsequently laying an egg against the Kings and Suns a few days later. They’ve lost four of their last six games and while it’s reportedly truthful that Danny Ainge is looking to make some rapid roster improvements in the coming weeks leading up to the trade deadline, most notably at the center position, they have to be focused on getting healthier just to stay afloat near the top of the East with all other teams in the conference showing their progress in becoming contenders.

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11. Portland Trail Blazers (12-10, Last Week’s Ranking: 11)

Though it’s understood that Damian Lillard has to burn the candle on both ends since his compatriot CJ McCollum will be out for a few more weeks, Lillard’s minute-by-minute usage is something worth the worry, as the 2020-21 season marks the third-highest usage percentage of his career at 30.7. The highest? His 31.5 usage percentage in 2015-16, a season that featured Terry Stotts utilizing Lillard to play over 35.7 minutes per game (second-highest MPG of his career since his rookie season) as he averaged over 25.1 points per game.

This season is almost mirroring those efforts, it’s just that Lillard has become a much more skilled scorer since then, now averaging 29.1 points per game while playing around his career average of 36.4 minutes played at 36.1 minutes per game. It’s something to monitor for sure, and while he’s already showed he could handle the extra workload with season’s past as examples, rest isn’t something they can afford Lillard to have while they tread through the time of not having multiple starters in their five on the floor.

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12. Golden State Warriors (12-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 12)

A 5-5 stretch of 10 games has the Warriors on the cusp of qualifying for a playoff spot at eighth in the oversaturated Western Conference, and a 2-2 week that featured wins over the Pistons and Mavericks as well as losses to the Celtics and Mavericks in a two-game series on the road told one major inconvenient truth about these Dubs: even Stephen Curry’s greatness cannot absolve the ineptitude of a roster that is compact with injuries. The Warriors need to get healthy and get their deep frontcourt composed of James Wiseman, Kevon Looney, and Eric Paschall back as well as hope that Kelly Oubre, who’s struggled mightily to score the basketball, will start to resemble the star wing that averaged over 18 points off an efficient 45.2 percent shooting and 35 percent from deep during his lone but career-best year in Phoenix.

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13. Indiana Pacers (12-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 8)

Hanging on to a .500 record by a thread, the Pacers have lost 6 of their last 10 games and while they’ve been close, defensive lapses and Nate Bjorkgren’s reliance on floor-shrinking Domantas Sabonis played cause to Indy blowing an opportunity to beat the league’s hottest team in the Jazz on Sunday. As this three-game losing streak goes on, It’s becoming apparent the offense will have to diversify from a spacing standpoint and put their lone All-Star Sabonis in different areas around the halfcourt for the offense to not sputter as it has during this period of shifting pieces (ex. Victor Oladipo heading to Houston) and coaching adjustments.

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14. Houston Rockets (11-11, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

Following some tough news surrounding the faulty right ankle of blossoming All-Star hopeful Christian Wood, Houston will now have to rely on DeMarcus Cousins to do the dirty work inside as the hybrid forward/center for a Rockets team that ranks second in defensive rating and 23rd in offensive rating. Though undermanned, Houston is exceeding expectations this year as a team that’s supposed to coast and monitor the progression of its younger, developing players, as they’ve outdone all prior prognostications with a 7-3 record through their last 10 games to show for it. The West may not allow them to break into the playoff picture with it being so rigid in difficulty, but if the former All-Star Center Cousins can return to pre-injury form like he’s slowly doing (14.6 points, 13.6 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per contest) they might just do it.

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15. Sacramento Kings (12-11, Last Week’s Ranking:

Make that seven of eight games that have resulted in wins for the flaming hot Sacramento Kings, who saw their coveted leader and Point Guard De’Aaron Fox reel in Western Conference Player of the Week awards. Moreover, they’ve earned some key wins over the likes of Boston, Denver, and the Los Angeles Clippers. Three-point shooting has been a welcome attribute that’s inflated Fox’s offensive production during this winning part of their season, increasing his 3PT% of 29.2 to now over 32 percent from the field.

Interestingly, his field averages have raised as Luke Walton feels confident to run the offense through the fourth-year guard out of Kentucky as he’s put up a little over 27 points, eight assists, and 4 rebounds in the last eight games. Since he’s one of the more athletic finishers at the cup, he’s converting around 70 percent of his looks from inside the restricted zone. More importantly, he’s finishing off games in the clutch, scoring an average of 10 points every fourth quarter which is third-best in the league, only behind two elite scorers in Bradley Beal and Zach LaVine.

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16. Atlanta Hawks (11-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 15)

Clint Capela is experiencing a career year in the rebounding and scoring department, but when you play in such a spacious offense coached by Lloyd Pierce and operated by 2019-20 All-Star Trae Young, that’s more than a prerequisite to success. Playing 30.9 minutes per game, he’s grabbing a career-best 14.9 boards and 9.8 offensive rebounds per game, as well as 17.7 rebounds for his Per 36 stats. While on the topic of their frontcourt, the loss of DeAndre Hunter will be keenly felt throughout the defensive presence of Atlanta, as he’ll be sidelined for three to six weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on a lateral meniscus. He’s averaged over 17.2 points per game with 32.2 minutes on the floor.

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17. Toronto Raptors (10-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 20)

Toronto doesn’t seem as if they’ve gotten worse or better, and that’s an issue. Since starting the season 2-8, they’ve shown they still have enough to compete and remain competitive in the East, but injuries and, albeit, just a lack of talent is catching up to them in the most inconvenient of times. And, promptly, they’ve seen their season act in parabolic motion; a tale of highs and lows puts them in a vegetative state of perpetual flux.

In one instance, Fred VanVleet will drop a career-high 50 points in a home win, followed by a rare road win against a Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets team. And in another, the sobering reminder of them not having their best on-ball defender in OG Anunoby as he rehabilitates himself back from a calf injury to them still playing sub-.500 basketball with the possibility of shopping longtime Raptor great Kyle Lowry to build the future in the midst of an average 5-5 record in the stretch of ten games hovers above their heads. Staring at ninth in the East and now hoping that they can qualify for the play-in tournament, things are souring quickly for Nick Nurse’s Raptors.

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18. Memphis Grizzlies (9-9, Last Week’s Ranking: 16)

Speaking of a roller-coaster season, Memphis has had a three-game losing streak, a seven-game winning streak, and another three-game losing streak, which have all been in 2021. In Ja Morant’s return to the hardwood since his ankle injury, Memphis has been outscored by 81 points in his 88 minutes spent on the floor through this current losing skid, as they’ve now lost three in a row after winning seven games straight. Offensively, he’ll need to see his numbers rise if the Grizzlies are to seriously challenge for the eighth seed in the West since he’s only shooting 33 percent from the field during this low period.

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19. New York Knicks (11-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 19)

Currently sitting at eighth in the East while losing 6 of their last 10 games, the Knicks find themselves clinging to the edge of the playoff picture – which is 1000% better than how anyone predicted they’d be at this point of the season. Additionally, they’re beginning to get some big names in New York and some old ones too for Tom Thibodeau. As of Sunday afternoon, the Knicks traded for Detroit’s Derrick Rose and gave away Dennis Smith Jr. and a 2nd round pick in the deal, but it’s yet to be seen if the acquisition for Rose will pay off in the long run.

The rotation of Elfrid Payton and rookie Immanuel Quickley is possibly coming to an end soon, with Payton’s name being involved in some trade packages to playoff contenders as this month’s trade deadline nears. The Knicks are still ranked No. 6 in total defensive efficiency, but find themselves tied with Detroit for 24th in offensive efficiency. That’s significant to the Rose deal, for Detroit was better offensively when Rose wasn’t on the court for them (6.5 points per 100 possessions).

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20. New Orleans Pelicans (10-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 27)

It seems as if last week’s ailments have been cured, as ever since their last embarrassing loss to the Timberwolves on Jan. 23, the Pelicans have won five of their last seven games and are only two games away from obtaining an even-.500 record through 22 games this year. While Stan Van Gundy’s starting five that consists of Eric Bledsoe, Steven Adams, Zion Williamson, Lonzo Ball, and Brandon Ingram have earned their fair share of flack in their molasses-slow start to the season, they’ve netted a rating of plus-37.4 and an offensive rating of 137.4 in the past seven games. They have a fairly easy slew of games coming up with trips to Chicago, Dallas, and Detroit, but what will be of interest will be if, and who, the Pelicans decide to deal before the trade deadline is up.

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21. Charlotte Hornets (11-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 17)

James Borrego’s reliance on his backcourt depth has told the story of this season so far. Malik Monk looked like his elder Kentucky self as he put up 36 points in an overtime win against Miami last Monday, LaMelo Ball following that performance with one of his own, a stainless career-high 34-point, 8-assist night in a losing effort to Utah, and Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward’s combined 51 points in their blowout win over Washington. But the question remains: is James Borrego keeping Ball on the bench productive, or conducive to his confidence and insulting towards his ability this early in his career?

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22. Dallas Mavericks (10-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 21)

Putting Luka Doncic’s most recent display of the “Luka Magic” he’s so accustomed to putting on – I’m obviously referring to his 42-point, 11-assist double-double he put on for the patrons watching Saturday night primetime hoops on ESPN, Dallas has largely underwhelmed, and the team that owns the First-round pick they gave away in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis is the Knicks, who have a better record than them at the moment. They’re 3-7 in their last 10 games, but Luka is doing what he does best, averaging a little over 30.3 points, 9.8 assists, and 6.5 rebounds in four games.

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23. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 18)

The Cavaliers are 3-7 in their last 10 games after setting the world ablaze in the past two weeks. Now a whole four games out of posting a .500 record, they’ve been unable to stick with teams after the halftime mark, losing by a combined 43 points in two games this past week against Milwaukee, and by 22 against the visiting Clippers. Things will not get easier for a young team that’s still learning to put the pieces together for a whole 48 minutes, as they’ll play the Suns, Nuggets, Trail Blazers, and Clippers during a voyage out West.

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24. Oklahoma City Thunder (10-12, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

Mark Daigneault’s Thunder have managed to weather the storm of a strenuous schedule despite them appearing as a team many would perceive to not be as good as they’ve been at this point in the season. Yet, just like last year, a massive reason they’ve been able to not go on long losing streaks has been their ability to finish games in the clutch, going 5-4 on the year in the game’s final moments with a baffling 127.1 offensive rating. They have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to primarily thank for that, as he’s now ranked in the top-15 of any statistic relating to the clutch this year.

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25. Miami Heat (9-14, Last Week’s Ranking: 22)

Jimmy Butler is back, which is good. They’re trying to get him back into the fold of things this year, and it’s been hard to do so when the schedule conflicts with that. They begin a tedious seven-game road trip that begins with a faceoff against Houston and Utah this week and need to find some sort of defensive identity quickly due to the hole that injuries, inconsistency, and the pandemic have left them to dig themselves out of.

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26. Chicago Bulls (9-13, Last Week’s Ranking: 24)

Look for Chicago to be a high-seller once the trade deadline approaches, as they’ll likely be adding to their backcourt if Lonzo Ball from New Orleans becomes available and if they can find proper compensation from a suitor that will take on Thaddeus Young’s contract. Other than that, Chicago should finally be receiving heavy Zach LaVine votes for an All-Star selection, as he scored 39 points on yet another occasion against Orlando. He then became the sixth player in Bulls history to record at least 40 career 30-point games in a Bulls uniform. That win over Orlando was their largest margin of victory so far this season.

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27. Orlando Magic (9-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 26)

Orlando finally got a win this past week as they split the series against Chicago from Nikola Vucevic’s 43 points, and subsequently were handed an L by the same Bulls one game later by way of a 26-point blowout. Orlando is without rhythm and flow offensively, and it translates in transition, as they currently possess the 25th best defensive rating in basketball. Their schedule gets rather gruesome this week, as they’ll have to play the Trail Blazers, Warriors, Kings, and Suns as they head out West.

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28. Minnesota Timberwolves (6-17, Last Week’s Ranking: 30)

Karl Anthony Towns has had a rough go of it, but he’s graciously returned from his bout with COVID-19. Towns has played in only four games this year, but he’s helped the Wolved get wins at 2-2. They’ve only won four games without him, and his floor-stretching ability is the impact he leaves on the court as their best player. Momentum is key in this league if getting ahead in the rankings is the goal, and Towns can help with manufacturing that.

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29. Washington Wizards (5-15, Last Week’s Ranking: 29)

Washington doesn’t move an inch in this week’s rankings, not just because they’ve lost seven of their last 10 games, but they’re getting healthier. Still, the defense continues to be their weak point as they simply cannot stop anyone, and their failure to build off their epic upset against the Nets last week resulted in them getting hammered by the Miami Heat and Charlotte Hornets two nights after. Bradley Beal finally cooled off against Miami, scoring only a bucket on a 1-14 night from the field.

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30. Detroit Pistons (5-18, Last Week’s Ranking: 28)

Losers of eight of their last 10, Detroit went 0-4 in their Western road trip with losses to Golden State, Utah, Phoenix, and Los Angeles in overtime. Though Jerami Grant has been the diamond in the rough in his 32-point night against the Lakers to force OT, the team lost a tightly-contested battle and is now shipping away talent; Derrick Rose was sent back to New York in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick and Dennis Smith Jr.

Photo Cred: Fox Sports 1430

Feb 9, 2021 No Comments
Wandavision Recap 3+4

Wandavision Recap 3+4

Featured

by | Feb 9, 2021 | Featured

Some may call the homages to classic television in the first episodes of Wandavision a “slow start” but the same cannot be said of episodes 3 and 4. The show truly begins to unfold into an unsettling mystery and meta sitcom all in one go. We go from the 1970s to the current day and really get into what is going on in the sleepy town of Westview. Spoiler ahead for the series.

Episode 3: “Now In Color”

Wanda and Vision’s journey into the colorized world kicks off with a Brady Bunch theme song homage and a visit from Dr. Nielson, portrayed by Randy Oglesby. The doctor confirms Wanda’s sudden pregnancy and reveals her to be around 4 months along much to Vision’s chagrin. Vision pleads with Nielson to keep this a secret who agrees due to his impending vacation to Bermuda, of all places. From the jump, you can tell that Wandavision is actively choosing to make the show more unsettling earlier in each episode. Following his discussion with Dr. Nielsen, Vision finds his neighbor Herb, who has a penchant for trimming his hedges, mindlessly cutting into the stone partition separating their yards.

 Vision returns inside to find Wanda even more pregnant and reveals an as-of-yet unseen ability–superspeed much like Wanda’s brother, Pietro. As they prepare the room for their child, Wanda puts up a butterfly mobile above the crib that turns into real butterflies revealing that Wanda is subconsciously using her abilities. The baby kicks and thanks to Vision’s thorough research on childbirth, he divulges that Wanda has quickly progressed to being six months along. 

Vision suggests naming their child Billy after William Shakespeare and going on to quote the famous “all the world’s a stage, the people merely players” adage subtly hinting that things are not what they seem in idyllic Westview. Wanda’s powers seem to be getting more unstable by the moment as contractions from the baby cause Wanda’s powers to go on the fritz. The false contraction causes the entire block to lose power and Wanda and Vision to question what is truly going on in the world. However, when Vision begins to openly question their existence the world is rewound and edited once more just like in their encounter with the beekeeper from the previous episode. Wanda’s subconscious once again comes to the forefront, after her rewritten conversation with her husband the sprinklers come on, symbolically representing her water breaking. 

Another “commercial break” takes place, this time for Hydra Soak. The commercial parodies the Calgon commercials of yesteryear and the couple from the previous commercials once again reprise their roles. The commercial ends on the tagline “when you wanna get away, but you don’t want to go anywhere,” which could be a nod to the prevalent theories about the show. Each commercial ties in heavily to Wanda’s past, with this one referencing the experiments conducted on Wanda and her brother by Hydra following the death of their parents. 

Vision takes off with his newfound superspeed to retrieve Dr. Nielsen and while Wanda attempts to mitigate the pain of her contractions while attempting to keep her power in check. Soon after Vision’s departure, Geraldine shows up asking to borrow supplies to clean her home as not only has Wanda and Vision’s home flooded but Geraldine’s as well, revealing more of the scope of Wanda’s abilities. When Wanda begins giving birth her powers go fully haywire causing chandeliers to drop from the ceiling, pictures to spin, and flames to explode from the fireplace. Luckily, Geraldine refuses to question the strange goings on and offers her assistance in birthing the couple’s baby boy, Tommy.  

Vision returns soon after with Dr. Nielsen and surprise, a second child is born, Billy. Vision and Dr. Nielsen’s discussion after he checks up on the twins is an excellent example of how Wandavision uses the lens of television to be creepy, the two discuss Dr. Nielsen’s vacation to Bermuda to which the doctor declares that the trip is off due to it being “hard” to leave a small town like Westview. Vision overhears his neighbors Agnes and Herb having a discussion about Geraldine’s presence in town and the dangers she may bring. When Vision tries to discuss this further, Herb ominously says “she’s here because, we–” but before he could reveal the show’s big secret Agnes’ kooky demeanor dissipates and she chastises Herb into keeping his mouth shut.

Inside, Wanda and Geraldine marvel over the children causing Wanda to finally have a recollection of her life outside of Westview. Wanda tells Geraldine of her twin brother and their Sokovian heritage seemingly sparking Geraldine’s own memory of the events of Age of Ultron. Geraldine inquires about the death of her brother at the hands of Ultron to which Wanda responds aggressively urging Geraldine to leave. Vision, still reeling from the encounter with his neighbors, comes in to find Geraldine missing. As the credits roll on Wanda and Vision, the screen begins to widen to the modern 16:9 aspect revealing a militarized base located right outside of Westview. 

Episode 4: We Interrupt This Program

The fourth episode of Wandavision is a drastic departure from the ones preceding it. It begins with Geraldine aka Monica Rambeau recorpealizing from the results of Thano’s snap, finally giving us a timeline of the show’s events. Viewers have seen the effects of The Blip played humorously during Spider-Man: Far From Home but Wandavision takes a very different approach. The sudden reappearance of millions of people after 5 years is pure and utter chaos with those living through The Blip frantically scrambling to check on their loved ones and those returning showing up in the context of where they were prior. 

What seems like just moments for Monica has actually been 5 years during which her mother Maria “Photon” Rambeau has passed away. Instead of trying to acclimate to the new circumstances in the revelation of her mother’s death and Thanos’s snap, Monica heads back to the S.W.O.R.D. headquarters. There she encounters acting Director Hayward, who explains the renewed direction of S.W.O.R.D. and under the directions crafted by Maria Rambeau herself, restricts her to terrestrial missions only. Monica begrudgingly agrees to assist the FBI with a missing persons case by piloting a S.W.O.R.D. drone. Monica travels to New Jersey where she meets Scott Lang’s favorite FBI agent Jimmy Woo (portrayed by Randall Park). 

Jimmy soon reveals that there is more at play here than just a missing person. When they talk to police officers right outside of town the officers act if Westview doesn’t even exist, even though they are literally right in front of the town’s sign. Monica flies the drone into the town of Westview and it immediately disappears from view once it crosses the barrier into the television dimension. Jimmy tells her that something emanating from the town is preventing him from entering, yet Monica is quickly absorbed inside of the anomaly. 

Kat Dennings makes her return to the MCU as Darcy Lewis who has earned her doctorate in astrophysics since the days of her last appearance in Thor: The Dark World. She quickly deduces that S.W.O.R.D. is out of their wheelhouse and looking for whatever help they can get. The ever astute Darcy slices through the seeming air of mystery in the S.W.O.R.D. base, deflating Hayward, and discovering the bits of radiation emanating from Westview. Darcy notes there’s a broadcast frequency trapped in this primordial radiation and requests an old television to decipher the mysterious code. 

A S.W.O.R.D. operative named Agent Franklin prepares to journey to Westview through the sewer system at the behest of Hayward, despite the logical points of contention made by Jimmy Woo. As Franklin crosses underneath the town of Westview, his tether separates from his uniform and his hazmat suit morphs into the beekeeper uniform we see ascending from the manhole in episode 2. 

After receiving the television she requested, Darcy is able to access the broadcast signal tucked inside the Big Bang radiation and unearths the actual sitcom taking place inside of Westview, New Jersey. As they begin to watch from episode 1, just as the real world viewers did, Woo begins to mark down all the questions we’re asking as viewers on a whiteboard, marking the moment where the show fully embraces the meta. The group watches the show and begins to discern that the people of Westview are real people being forcibly cast into their roles. Using those same broadcast waves, our resident genius, Darcy Lewis, devises a way to contact Wanda inside the insular world. Then our outsiders get a picture of what’s happened to the drone to which Woo asks, “why did you colorize it?” and the officer responds “we didn’t.”

The group at the S.W.O.R.D. base finally has their chance to reach out to Wanda at Dottie’s swim club meeting and takes their shot but instead of seeing Dottie go haywire the episode simply skips forward to the Hydra Soak commercial. They then follow that up with the beekeeper situation and skip right past that much like Wanda did in that episode. Next, they’ve jumped into the 70s where Wanda is giving birth but during the scene with Geraldine, another edit in Wanda’s world causes Darcy to speculate that someone is “censoring the broadcast.” Before they can get to the bottom of this, however, the alarm sounds and we hear over the PA that the boundary has been breached. 

The aspect ratio changes once more and we find ourselves inside of Westview for the first time in the episode. We pick back up at the end of the last episode with Wanda facing down Monica saying “You’re not my neighbor and you’re definitely not my friend.” Monica pleads with the woman that she thought was her friend as Wanda surges with energy saying, “you are a stranger and an outsider. And right now, you are trespassing here. And I want you to leave.” Wanda blasts Monica through the entirety of the house and through the barrier surrounding Westview. Wanda momentarily looks at her hands as if she’s shocked at what she just did but then proceeds to rebuild her home and tend to her sons. Just as Vis returns and inquires where Geraldine is, we cut to Monica’s crash landing in the area outside of Westview. Wanda swivels to talk to her husband and is met, horrifyingly, by a dead-faced Vision, with a gaping hole in his head where the Mind Stone once was. Vision returns to his picture-perfect visage and tells Wanda they can go wherever they want to, to which Wanda responds that she has “everything under control,” seemingly confirming what people have thought up to this moment. 

Outside of the show, we see Monica also seemingly agreeing with that by uttering “It’s Wanda, it’s all Wanda” once she awakens the field between the S.W.O.R.D. base and Westview, NJ.  We return back inside the world where Wanda asks Vision and the boys what they should watch tonight while a slightly disturbed looking Vision looks directly into the camera. 

Feb 9, 2021 No Comments
Wandavision Episode 1 + 2 Recap

Wandavision Episode 1 + 2 Recap

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by | Feb 5, 2021 | Featured

After announcing a new sleight of supposedly interconnected series for the Disney+ platform last year, Marvel Studios has finally delivered it’s initial TV offering with Wandavision. Originally the studio planned to kick off Phase 4 of the MCU with the Falcon and Winter Soldier series that looks to explore the future of Captain America, but the pandemic had other plans. With the shooting for all of the shows halted, a different show starring two Avengers was able to enter the foray. Enter Wandavision,  the time-hopping mystery and ode to classic television starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda and Paul Bettany as Vision. What starts off as seemingly as a cute story of two lovers reunited and happily married, becomes a mind-jumbling tale of mystery, death, and magic. 

Episode 1: “Filmed Before a Live Studio Audience”

 After a lengthy absence from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wandavision may be a jarring re-entry to the world with its homage to classic television. Despite not being the standard action-packed fare of the MCU, Wandavision is filled to the brim with the elite world-building and Easter eggs of it’s silverscreen counterparts. The series first episode begins with a cute opening sequence showing the titular couple moving into a suburban home, set in what appears to be the 1950s. Following their move, they begin pondering over a mysteriously heart-marked date of August 23 on their calendar. Oddly inconclusive on the date’s significance, Vision takes off for work where the character’s analytical nature is on display, immediately questioning the curiosities of this greyscale world’s skewed reality. 

While Vis is off making computational forms, Wanda receives a visit from her new neighbor Agnes who immediately inserts herself into Wanda’s life, urging the Avenger to try some seduction techniques on Vision. Some Bewitched-style hijinx occurs as Wanda and Vision attempt to make dinner for their guests, the humorous fish-out-of-water sequence expertly precedes the episode’s dramatic turn. After being unable to recall their previous lives after a barrage of questions from their investigative dinner guests, Mr. Hart begins choking with his wife looking on laughingly yet creepily begging him to “stop it.” After the command to help from his wife, Vision is able to save his boss by using his ability to phase through solid objects to dislodge the object. Following the departure of Mr. & Mrs. Hart, Wanda and Vision proclaim their love for one another with Wanda creating wedding bands for the couple as their in-universe credits play. Those credits zoom out, revealing that someone is actually watching Wanda and Vision’s own version of reality play out from afar. 

Episode 2: “Don’t Touch That Dial”

Wanda and Vision take a step forward in time as episode 2, a comedic interaction in bed causes Wanda to merge the pair’s twin beds into one, signifying their journey into a new age. The episode’s intro theme draws heavily from Bewitched even going as far as directly mimicking the art style of Bewitched’s opening while including a myriad of easter eggs and potential clues for the astute and well-read comic fan (Wonder O’s, anybody?). In an attempt to assimilate with their neighbors, Wanda and Vision develop a conventional magic act under the guise of “Glamor” and “Illusion,” respectively, as a part of the talent show fundraiser. The two go their separate ways as Wanda goes off to attend the planning committee meeting and Vision heads to the library to join the town’s neighborhood watch group. In leaving their home for the first time, Wanda comes to find a world shattering revelation outside of their home: a colorized toy helicopter lodged in her rose bushes. Just as Wanda begins to process this bright red toy in an otherwise colorless world, neighbor Agnes pops up snapping her back into “reality” as they head to their meeting.

Wandavision not only draws some of it’s best inspiration from the comics, it also deftly handles it’s obvious love for television with Agnes and Wanda’s discussion of the latter’s’ fashion choice being a direct reference to Mary Tyler-Moore’s then-controversial decision to wear pants on the Dick Van Dyke show. Agnes continues her constant pressure on Wanda by introducing her to the town’s popular girl, Dottie (played by Emma Caufield), whom she says controls everything down to school admissions, another of the multitude of references to childbirth in the show and especially this episode. Wanda’s efforts to blend into the group lead to our introduction to Teyonah Parris’ character “Geraldine,” who was revealed to be an adult version of Akira Akbar’s Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel. Geraldine and Wanda’s bond forms quickly under the stern and demeaning pressure from Dottie. 

Dottie hammers home the importance of the children and requests Wanda’s assistance in cleaning up after the group meeting. Dottie and Wanda’s relationship begins on contentious terms with Dottie harassing Wanda about origins. Wanda’s and Dottie’s encounter results in another jarring moment, a voice breaks through the radio asking “who is doing this to you, Wanda?” Despite Dottie’s inquisitive nature, she gives up on her interrogation immediately after the broadcast. While she still has the combative attitude displayed at the beginning of the episode, Dottie completely seems to forget about the events that just occurred immediately prior.  Meanwhile, Vision’s attempts to fortify the town lead to his discovery that Westview’s Neighborhood Watch program is, in fact, a gossip club. Vision takes a stick of Big Red gum from one of the townspeople which subsequently (after a cute animated sequence) causes Vision to malfunction right before the magic show and act in a drunken manner. 

A commercial advertising a Strucker watch, follows Wanda’s tense encounter with Dottie. The commercial features the same couple that appeared in the last episodes’ Stark toaster commercial leading us to believe these characters have more significance than just characters in an advertisement. The Strucker, the ad refers to is Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, one of the leaders of Hydra, the group that used the Mind Stone to bestow Wanda and Pietro with their powers. The momentary break in the tension helps the show smoothly return to its comedic efforts while also stoking the flames of mystery. 

Vision shows up just in time for the show and finds Wanda and Geraldine backstage preparing for the show. Vision’s inebriation leads him to eschew the sleight of hand portion of the magic act and reveal his true abilities causing Wanda to warp reality to make Visions feats of strength appear as if they were done by conventional means. The act ends up being a rousing success with all of the townspeople lauding Wanda and Vision as comedy geniuses and eerie cheers of “for the children” in unison. The two return home and astonishingly find out that Wanda is suddenly pregnant, their celebration is cut short by a loud noise outside that the couple quickly investigates. Outside, they watch in surprise as a beekeeper suit-clad man surrounded by insects enters Westview through the sewer system. Wanda simply declares “no” and the episode actually rewinds back to Vision and Wanda in their home where, as they celebrate their bundle of joy, color floods the world, propelling them even more forward in the “future.”

Feb 5, 2021 No Comments