Chad Pennington?

The Los Angeles Lakers were feeling good going into last night's game against the Phoenix Suns.  Having won their previous 3 games, it seemed all but apparent that the Lakers would beat the Suns to make it 4 straight.  As usual with the Los Angeles Lakers this season; expect the unexpected.  After controlling the game for nearly 4 quarters, the Lakers gave up a 13 point lead to lose to the Phoenix Suns 92-86.  This loss kills the Lakers momentum, as they were riding high off of impressive victories against OKC & Utah.  The cherry on top is Dwight Howard re-injuring his increasingly Chad Pennington-like shoulder.  I still believe the Lakers can make the playoffs this year, even without Dwight Howard playing consistently.  However, if the Los Angeles Lakers hope to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, they will need to have a healthy Dwight Howard.

A full day has set in since we heard the news of Rajon Rondo tearing his acl Friday night in Atlanta. (Quick note-Rondo finished this game in Atlanta with a torn acl and ended up with a triple double).The Celtics must figure out what to do next. Anybody who says that Boston may be better off without Rondo this year due to his attitude and defense needs to get a grip. Anybody who says that Boston can still make noise in the playoffs without Rondo also needs a reality check. There is absolutely no chance Boston gets anywhere close to the Eastern Conference Finals without Rondo.  The first option is to trade Pierce and Garnett for younger players and save these two from having to be on a team with no chance at winning the finals. Remember Pierce and Garnett are at the end of their careers and this was perceived at the last go around for them. I know that Pierce wants to retire a Celtic but nobody can blame him for wanting to spend the last few years of his career on a contender.
        However , it may be hard to find a deal for these two due to their contracts so Boston has one more option and can hope for the best. If they do not trade Pierce and Garnett, they should drastically lower their minutes until the end of the season and completely shut them down with about two weeks left in the season. There is no reason to put any more miles on these two with no hope at winning a title this season. This will allow young players like Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger, and Fab Melo to gain more experience and groom them for next season with a (hopefully) healthy Rondo.

Well this sucks. This was my most anticipated celtics season in a while. I thought for sure we were headed for Celtics Heat III with the changes Boston made to the roster. What hurts even more is that this will also be the end for Pierce and Garnett in Boston. Danny Ainge needs to do them a favor and trade them to a contender for the last years of their career because Boston is looking at the lottery for the next two seasons. I would not be surprised if KG ends up retiring after this season. Miami must be thrilled not having to see Rondo and Boston again this postseason, they basically have a free pass to the finals now.

Yes the Celtics still lost last night but up until the last minute I like what I saw. Rondo had his patented national television triple double with 23 pts 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Pierce had 22 points but unfortunately did his best Wes Welker impersonation in the final two possesions. All in all though the Celtics showed some heart and fire last night. This is the type of effort you will see from Boston in the playoffs when it really matters. These games are merely for entertainment during this 82 game marathon. As long as Boston is healthy headed into the playoffs they will be fine although I would like to see a trade for a big man before the deadline. Hopefully Jeff Green starts to play well so he can be used as trade bait.

As much as defense wins championships, so does momentum. The past two Super Bowl Champions have been number six seeds who had caught fire at the right time. The Green Bay Packers and The New York Giants have both won multiple road games in the past two postseasons to reach and eventually win the Super Bowl. Will The Baltimore Ravens continue this trend and win the Super Bowl this year after winning consecutive postseason games in Denver and then in New England? I dont know that answer but I do beleive that we are looking at a consistent trend in the NFL. I thought New England had plenty of momentum after beating Houson to beat Baltimore. Ironically, the only thing that can counter momentum is defense.

The Los Angeles Clippers vs the Golden State Warriors would be the most entertaining playoff matchup in the entire NBA postseason if it were to take place.  As much as I like defense, I also love to see a lot of scoring.  The series would be like a NBA All-Star game.  Very little defense, and a lot of up-tempo offense.  It would likely go seven games, and would come down to which team decided to play a little defense.  This matchup reminds me of the early 2000s when the Dallas Mavericks and the Sacramento Kings used to face each other.  The final score for both teams was usually above 115 points.  Just a frantic, up and down game.  Mike D'Antoni's dream. 

 

Currently, the Los Angeles Clippers are the 2nd seed in the Western Conference.  The Golden State Warriors are the 5th seed in the Western Conference.  So, a first round playoff matchup is unlikely unless the GS Warriors fall down to the 7th seed before the start of the playoffs.  I am secretly hoping they do just that.

 

They fooled me once; having a spectacular offense , going 16-0 in the regular season, and losing to the New York Giants in the Superbowl of 2008.  They fooled me twice; having a spectacular offense, going 13-3 in the regular season, and losing to the New York Giants in the Superbowl of 2012.  The New England Patriots did not fool me this time around.  As expected, the New England Patriots lost to the spirited Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, 28-13. 

 

What is different about the Patriots of the past 6 years, compared with the Patriots of the early 2000s?  Defense.  New England's defense has been horrible for a number of years now.  Having a defense in the bottom 3rd of the league will not win them any Superbowls going forward.   The old adage "defense wins championships" turns out to be true.  In all sports, baseball(pitching), basketball, football, etc. the team with the most balance usually wins the most championships.  Placing too much emphasis on one area, and particularly placing too much emphasis on offense, eventually comes back to haunt teams.  In all the major professional sports, the playoffs or elimination rounds are where teams' major flaws are taken advantage of most.  The level of competition becomes more level, and obtaining a victory cannot be done simply by having more talent than your opponent.

 

Going forward, if Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, and the rest of the Patriots hope to win anymore Superbowls, they need to pivot their focus on revamping their defense.  

Were the athletes from the 1990s a bunch of cheats?  Dopers? Steroid users?  As we get further and further away from the 1990s and early 2000s, we are hearing more and more about athletes who used performing enhancing drugs to gain an advantage in competition.  This was not confined to baseball.  Performance enhancing drugs were seemingly being used in all the major sports.  Let's take a look at some of the more prominent sports athletes who have used performance enhancing drugs:

 

 

1.) Lance Armstrong was recently stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles by the International Cycling Union because of the use of performance enhancing drugs.  The 41-year-old cancer survivor is just the latest in a line of top athletes to see their reputations disgraced.

 

 

2.) Roger Clemens was probably one of the best pitchers of his generation.  He did not come under fire until 2 years after his retirement when a book implicated Clemens as a steroid user.  Clemens testified to the United States Congress stating that he "never touched the stuff."  He was subsequently charged with perjury and acquitted, though the general public believes that he is guilty.

 

 

3.) Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, & Sammy Sosa were likely the poster children for steroid use in professional sports, until Armstrong's recent admission.  These 3 baseball players broke numerous homerun records because of their PED use.  They are probably the most disgraced and disliked athletes on this list next to Lance Armstrong.

 

 

 

4.) Alex Rodriguez is a superstar athlete who fans hated BEFORE it came to light that Rodriguez tested positive for PEDs in 2003.  And after several sub-par postseasons with the New York Yankees, perhaps Alex's playing days are coming to an end soon.  At least Alex still loves him some Alex.

 

 

 

5.) Marion Jones became the first female track and field athlete to win five medals in a single Olympic games. The Olympic Committee found the Jones had tested positive for PEDs and stripped her of all her medals. Jones recently tried a comeback within the WNBA, but has failed to regain her former stardom as a track and field superstar. "Once the world's biggest track star, said The Associated Press, 'Jones is now just a disgraced drug cheat.'"

 

If the Los Angeles Lakers hope to turn their season around, Kobe Bryant must change.  But what does that mean exactly?  For months, NBA experts and casual fans have been calling on Kobe to shoot less shots.  But is that really the answer?  Perhaps they should be directing that piece of advice in Meta World Peace's direction.  The best player in the league should not shoot less.  Kobe should simply shoot the same amount of shots, but at different points in the game.

 

 

As much as I like to see Kobe being aggressive early and often during games, I think it is in the best interest of the team for Kobe to hold off on a few shots early in the game so that his teammates can become more involved.  In a win over the Cavaliers last night, Dwight Howard had a very good game on only 11 shots.  Antawn Jamison, who is quietly becoming the new Lamar Odom for this team, also had a good game while contributing 16 points off the bench.  The point is, Kobe should defer to his teammates as much as possible during the first 3 quarters of every game so that they get involved early.  Most players need to see the ball go through the net a few times before they get comfortable on the floor.  If Kobe and the Los Angeles Lakers hope to turn this season around and keep Dwight Howard past this year, then Kobe should heed this advice.

It is not always what you do, but how you do it. This is what steeze is, it is making the difficult look effortless.  The way Russel Wilson surgically went in on Atlanta in the fourth quarter yesterday looked effortless to him. It is too bad Seattle didnt unleash him earlier in the game. The way he calmly evaded the Falcon pass rushers then finding the open receiver was fun to watch. He has "It". It seems like he always knows the right time to either pass or throw and he never turns the ball over. Turnovers are not steezy.  I will miss watching him play this season but I think its safe to say we can expect many Russel Wilson vs Colin Kaepernick duels in the future.

 I expect Aaron Rodgers to have a performance tonight comparable to Lebron's game six in Boston last year. Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for this game for almost eight years now. He grew up three hours north of San Francisco, was expected to be drafted by the 49ers who instead drafted Alex Smith. With Alex Smith now watching on the bench, I expect Aaron Rodgers to completely shred the 49ers. The only way San Francisco has a chance tonight is if they dominate time of possesion and therefore keeping Rodgers off the field. Kapernick's running game will be key tonight, if he controls the tempo of the game and makes timely runs for first downs that keeps their offense on the field then San Francisco will have a chance at the game.

 Prediction- Green Bay 36-27

           What if OKC had traded Russel Westbrook for Rondo while they had the chance last year? Would they be a better team than they are right now? I say yes. Westbrook is a great player and plays his hardest and with heart every game, there is no denying that. However this trait is also detrimental to OKC in big games. Westbrook tries to do too much in big games and usually ends up dribbling for far too long before taking his inevitable elbow jumper. So what point guard would have been perfect for a team with the best scorer in the league? Rajon Rondo. Sure you can say he is a punk sometimes and maybe does not always have his head in the game, but in the playoffs Rondo steps up every year.  Last season Rondo averaged 17 pts 12 assists and 7 rebounds per game in the playoffs. This is exactly what you are looking for in your point guard, try to get everybody involved with your passing while scoring when needed.   Westbrook averaged 24 ppg in the playoffs but with only 6 assists per game and shooting barely above 40 %. Swapping Westbrook for Rondo would have been a great move for OKC. This also would have let them keep James Harden who was more valuable to OKC in my opinion. Imagine a starting lineup of-             
                                                                        Pg- Rajon Rondo
                                                                        Sg- James Harden
                                                                        Sf- Kevin Durant
                                                                        Pf- Serge Ibaka
                                                                        C- Kendrick Perkins

I believe Rondo would have been the most effective for a team like OKC who already have plently of people who can score. He would get everybody involved, especially Kevin Durant who sometimes falls victim to Westbrook's patented dribble, dribble, dribble, elbow jumper special. Rondo would get Durant, Harden, and Ibaka going every game and would take over in the playoffs when needed.  When Boston needed him to do to score in Game 2 of The Eastern Conference Finals Rodno had a casual 44-8-10. When Boston needed him to do everything in Game 7 in Miami he had another casual 22-14-10. Rondo can change his style and adapt to what the team needs depending on the pace of the game and what his teammates are doing. Westbrook is a great player but only has one gear. So what if OKC had traded Westbrook for Rondo? I guess we will never know.
                                                                       

What's the difference between Chicago's Derrick Rose and OKC's Russell Westbrook?  I see no difference.  They are the exact same player.  Super-athletic undersized shooting guards who are playing the point guard position.  Both have no business playing point guard.  Both launch too many shots at the expense of their teammates.  Many of these forced shots are 3pt attempts.  They are both horrible 3pt shooters.  I see no difference in their games.  If you placed Westbrook in Chicago and Rose in OKC, there would be no change in their respective teams seasons.  It would be a paradox.  Nothing would change even though you did change something.  The only reason Rose "deserved" his MVP award over Westbrook was because Westbrook had Kevin Durant on his team.

             Stats Comparison:
         Rose         Westbrook
ppg     21                      19
fg%     46                     .42
3pt%  .31                     .30
           I See No Difference

TNT is by far my favorite network that covers the NBA. Not only is the Inside The NBA Crew the best, but their in game commentators such as Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Mike Fratello, and Chris Webber are also great. Listening to Steve Kerr tonight after listening to that clown Jeff Van Gundy on ESPN only makes me appreciate TNT more.  With that being said, Shaq needs to go. He is not as bad as he was last year but for some reason his humor in interviews as a player has not translated to television.  I can not stand listening to him make noises during highlights while Kenny and Charles are trying to analyze games. When he does actually give an opinion on a player or game, his statement is usally something obvious or boring. Part of his failure has to do with being on the same show as Charles Barkley ,who is by far the best NBA analyst on TV.  Either way Shaq needs to go, replace him with Chris Webber or just have Ernie, Kenny, and Charles.                                                

 

Lebron's last five games in Portland- 38-11-6, 44-13-6, 41-10-8, 34-7-14, 37-14-4.)

 

Also, if you haven't seen him yet this season, watch potential rookie of the year Damien Lillard for the Blazers. He reminds me of Russel Westbrook mixed with a young Chauncey Billups. 

Best NBA Coverage in the land

As previously rumored, Kevin Garnet took trash talking to another level when KG referenced Carmelo Anthony's wife earlier this week during a game in Madison Square Garden.  ESPN's NBA Countdown and First Take both covered the story, but NONE of the numerous people on these shows said exactly what it was that KG allegedly said to Carmelo Anthony.  TNT has not covered the NBA since December of last year because of the various NCAA Football Bowl Games taking place around the new year.  Tonight, within the first 5 minutes of their broadcast, Charles Barkley says that he does not know about Honey Nut Cheerios, but that he likes Frosted Flakes and Raisin Bran.  Got to love Charles.  And this is why people love TNT's coverage of the NBA better than ESPN.  It seems as if the folks at ESPN(such as Stephen A Smith, etc.) are too close to NBA players.  They are afraid of offending them.  This is not the case with TNT's crew; they say what they feel and do not hold back.  That's how a real news organization works.  Keep up the good work.

What Charles Barkley says Carmelo should have responded with.

 

 

Watching Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson this season has been a rare occurrence.  The Seattle Seahawks are rarely televised nationally.  However, whenever I do get the chance to watch Russell Wilson play, I think to myself: "He reminds me of a young Donovan McNabb"  McNabb was an amazing quarterback when he played for the Philadelphia Eagles.  He extended plays with his feet and elevated no names such as Todd Stinkston Pinkston & James Trash Thrash to respectable levels at the wide receiver position.  I still remember McNabb converting a 4th & 26 pass to Freddie Mitchell to beat the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs.  Obviously, Russell Wilson has a better receiving core but their similarities remain.  Hopefully, Russell Wilson's playoffs do not end up like McNabbs' too often did: just short.



       

Today, prominent Baseball Hall of Fame voters did not vote anyone into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  The process requires that a nominee receive a 75% majority to be voted in.  Most nominees failed to even get 50% of the vote.  Some of the best players of all-time, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, failed to make it in.  Most people thought that Bonds and Clemens would be voted in because most people believe that they were Hall Of Fame players before they began to use steroids.

The Baseball Hall of Fame voters took a stand today.  Essentially, they are saying that they will not be voting in any baseball players whom they suspect have taken steroids.  This thinking is flawed and if it is adhered to, just about an entire generation of baseball players will be left out of the Hall Of Fame.  The previous generation of baseball players are collectively referred to as the Steroid Era.

I do not even like baseball, and I hardly watch it at all until October, but I think that these players should be voted in.  Why?  Because it was the Steroid Era.  It is a part of baseball history.  If they want to place an asterisk next to all of their names and section them off into a special "steroid era" room within the museum, then that is fine.  The point is, they belong in the Hall Of Fame. 


You'd better if you want to compete

If you're a young baseball pitcher coming into the Major Leagues as a rookie and during the Steroid Era and you are NOT using steroids, then you are at a major disadvantage.  The basis of my argument can be summed up with one question; if nearly everyone else is cheating, is it really cheating?  Vote them all in.

The best 2k team of all time is the 2011-2012 Golden State Warriors. And just to clear things up, Miami does not count, if anybody considers themself good at 2k and uses Miami online needs to get a grip.  The 2011-2012 Golden State Warriors has the perfect video game team, lets take a look at the lineup.
           
             PG- Monta Ellis- quick, can get his own shot, and can dunk on ppl.
             SG- Stephen Curry- does not miss a shot when you get his release right
             SF- Dorrell Wright- Great driver/dunker and very good 3 point shooter.
             PF-David Lee- Great  off. rebounder, can get about 5 put backs a game
             C- Andreis Beidrins- Great rebounder/dunker/blocker.

                                             
   This is the perfect formula for a 2k team. This Warriors team has a point guard who can do everything and get 30 plus if needed. They have a two guard who wont miss a shot if open, but can also hit most contested shots if the release is right, this is clutch at the end of close games. Then you have a small forward can hit threes consistently, get fast break points, and can also drive baseline extremely well. Either Monta Ellis , Stephen Curry, or Dorrel Wright could be the leading scorer in any game. The big men do their job perfectly by getting put back dunks and layups on offensive rebounds and grabbing defensive rebounds so the guards can fast break.  Perfect 2k Team. I was depressed when Milwuakee traded for Monta last season.

BEST 2K TEAM EVER

 
If anybody can think of a better 2k team please share.
.

 

The only person I feel bad for in this Lakers debacle is Steve Nash. It hurts to see one of the best point guards ever waste away on this team and have to be teammates with Dwight Howard (he looks like such a clown with that headband). Dwight brought all his bad karma to L.A and is getting exactly what he deserves for what he did to Stan Van Gundy and the Orlando Magic. Nash does not deserve to be on this Lakers team, he still doesen't look right in a Lakers jersey so lets hope something can be done to get him out of there asap and forget all about this. 

Howard, Gasol, & Hill Out For At Least A Week

With the recent tension in the Lakers locker room, things are about to get worse.  3 of the Lakers best big men are out for at least the next three games.  Losing the next three games would put the Lakers at 15-21 for the year.  At this point, the Lakers need to win 2 out of every 3 games to even be the 8th seed in the Western Conference and make the playoffs.  More and more, this Laker season is beginning to look like the Philadelphia Eagles past season.

The writing is on the wall

 It seems as if the Brooklyn Nets all but forced Dwight Howard to be traded to the Lakers this past offseason when they resigned Brook Lopez.  Simply put, the Lakers were not Howard's first choice.  With the Los Angeles Lakers in 11th place in the Western Conference and the rumors of near physical altercation between Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard, it is becoming clear that Dwight Howard will not be a Los Angeles Laker next year. Howard, who is coming off back surgery, suffered a tear in his right shoulder Friday night, and is now out for at least a week. He is on pace for his worst statistical season, only averaging 17.4 points and 12 rebounds per game, since his second year in the league.  If things continue to go poorly for the Lakers, look for visible signs of Howard wanting out of Los Angeles by the NBA All-Star break.

For anybody who hates Kevin Garnett let me ask a simple question, what if he was on your team? Would you not love Garnett for doing these things to other teams? Garnett clearly got into Carmelo's head which lead Melo to shoot 6 for 26.  More players should do this instead of trying to be best friends with each other. Durant should be doing things to this to Lebron instead of being best friends with him on Team USA and working out with him all summer.

Garnett and Anthony getting physical last night

Quick thoughts on Celtics vs Knicks   

     

   -  Anybody still saying the celtics are too old to make another run need to get a grip.Without the steeziest player in the league ,Rajon Rondo, Boston smacked the Knicks. Paul Pierce carved up Carmelo for an efficient 23 points including three cold blooded jumpers at the end of the fourth. The Celtics are now 17-17.   At this point last year Boston was 15-15 and we were hearing the same doubts about the Celtic's title hopes . All the Celtics ended up doing was take Miami to seven games in what was basically the NBA Finals and would have beat Miami if not for Lebron's ridiculous game 6.  The NBA better hope Boston doesen't make a trade for a big man without having to give up Avery Bradley.

 

        

 

The Best Player in the League.

     The best player in the NBA is Kobe Bryant.  There is nothing you can say to change my mind about it.  Kobe Bryant is 34 years of age and he is leading the league in scoring.  Kobe is also having his best year in terms of field goal percentage.  I already know what some of you are thinking: "No way! Lebron James is the best player in the league!...just look at these career stats."

 

 

	Kobe Bryant	LeBron James
Points	25.4	27.6
Rebounds	5.3	7.2
Assists	4.7	6.9
Steals	1.5	1.7
Blocks	0.5	0.8
FG %	0.453	0.483

Statistics courtesy of basketball-reference.com

 

 

 

     Going by these numbers, it would be a no-brainer to say that Lebron James is the better player right?  WRONG!  There are a number of things that sports fans never think about when they are comparing two players.  First among these is the team they were on and the offensive system they were in.  For more than half of Kobe's career he was the 2nd option to Shaq.  And for the first few years of Kobe's career, he had to come off the bench behind Eddie Jones(smh).  LBJ, coming to a terrible Cleveland team, was the #1 option in his rookie year.  All the plays were ran through him. 

 

      Another statistic that fans like to get on Kobe about is his field goal percentage.  In the span of their careers, LBJ is shooting a higher FG % than Kobe.  Again, the numbers are fooling sports fan.  If we look at and compare the type of shots Kobe and LBJ have had, we would begin to understand the differences.  Lebron James scores a majority of his points from dunks and lay-ups.  Lebron's FG% is inflated by this fact.  If Lebron were forced to always score in the half-court offensive, his percentages would decrease slightly.  Lebron James is not a good perimeter shooter.  He just isn't.  Anytime I watch a Miami Heat basketball game, I wonder why the people guarding him do not guard him in the way that people guard Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics.  Just sag off of him a little and make him hit jump shots.  Kobe Bryant, on the other hand, is the worst shot taker AND the hardest shot maker in the league.  The number of contested and/or double teamed jump shots that Kobe Bryant takes and makes consistently is amazing.  No other player comes close.  Of course, the difficulty of these shots makes Kobe's FG % lower when compared to Lebron James.  It should be noted that Kobe's FG% is up this year because he is able to get easier looks at the basket because of the presence of Steve Nash.

 

         Kobe is old.  Lebron is still young.  I think this is the ultimate reason why I believe Kobe is better than Lebron.  Kobe's fundamentals and skills are top-notch.  Lebron is highly skilled and highly talented, but he lacks a certain polish in his game that Kobe possesses.  Once Lebron's athleticism starts to fade as he grows older, how will he score?  He has no post game.  No jump shot.  And he is only a decent free throw shooter.  

 

Having said all of this, I will admit the following though.  Read the following sentence carefully: Lebron James is the most talented basketball player in the world. 

 

What if Kobe and Lebron fought?

 



You've been warned.

Welcome to The Steeze Report.

The Steeze Report is your place for the latest news, trends, and opinions about sports.

YOU MUST BE WONDERING:

What the heck is Steeze?

 

Steeze is a simple combination of the words style and ease and although originally used mainly by skaters and snowboarders steeze has recently begun to be used by famous artists such as AJ, Kid Cudi, and Ke$ha.

Who are the authors?

AJ, Jon Slade, C.C., & You.

 

 

What is the point of this website?

 

 

 

We are here to voice our opinions about upcoming sporting events. Usually this means that AJ will talk about how steezey Rondo is, how the Lakers hired the wrong coach(Jon Slade), and who the best basketball shooter in the world is(C.C.)

 

Want to write for us?

 

 

 

Leave a comment on any of our posts with your email so that we may add you as a guest writer.  We welcome any and all persons who wish to wrtie a post.

-Stay Tuned!