We were drowning in series-deciding games in the NBA Playoffs this weekend. Eliminations and game sevens were flying everywhere this week, and SSM is here for it.
Got started on Thursday night, Heat and 76ers Joel Embiid came back but could not be Philly’s fixer Jimmy Butler showed up, James Harden disappeared Both teams said things after the game that were kinda weird
For the Memphis Grizzlies, Friday night was it The Warriors are back to being the absolute shit Klay and Steph were back up to their old splash brother ways Going to the conference finals, hitting threes for days
Sunday was a big one, two game sevens on the slate Bucks and the Celtics were the first game on our sports plate This one was at The Garden, and Boston held their ground With the win the Celtics, are now Miami bound
The finale of the weekend, Suns and the Mavs Dallas is full of grown up cows, no more baby calves A tough matchup awaits them, the Warriors are no joke With Luka and J. Brunson, this team is far from broke
A jam-packed sports schedule lends itself to a few reminders here and there. That’s what SSM is for, you’re welcome.
The picking of the prospects, the NFL Draft Fans getting new players finding out how their roster’s staffed Draft grades make no sense, have to give these guys some time To see if they’ll be good or bad, substandard or sublime
Round two NBA Playoffs are starting today Eight teams left, four East four West, still able to play Injuries aplenty, still plenty guys to see Best time of the year NBA fans will all agree
Major League Baseball dropped the damn hammer Threw out pitcher Trevor Bauer in the baseball slammer A two year suspension, for some bad off field stuff Search it at your own risk, it is pretty rough
Another week come and gone, another Sunday State of Mind.
An always touching tribute, a statue was revealed This week in Oklahoma this one should have stayed concealed Poor Baker Mayfield, guy can’t catch a break If I were him that statue would have ended up in a lake
Big loss in Chicago, Eloy Jimenez Out for up to two months, so the doctor says Add another name to the White Sox injury list Tough break for a good team, that bat will be missed
A happier baseball note, it’s Miguel Cabrera Joined the 3k hit club, maybe the last in this era Only 32 other players have reached that career mark Miggy one of the greatest to do it at the ballpark
NBA playoffs are here, and some teams are in trouble Raptors, Bulls, Nets and Nuggets are all on the bubble Mavs and Jazz, Grizz and Wolves both sitting at 2-2 We get action everyday as the games continue
If you’ve ever read this blog, you know we love NASCAR Driving for 500 miles but not going far The most famous track in all of motor sports The Talladega Speedway, running today of course
It’s Sunday, there were sports this week, and we’re in a certain State of Mind.
A special week in Indy, the NFL Combine A chance for NFL prospects to jump, run, and shine Some major workout numbers, athletic freaks galore NFL coaches and GMs jaws dropping to the floor
Surprise news out of Dallas about one of their best Amari Cooper likely gone, Cowboys fans must be stressed The wideout’s too expensive for Jerry Jones’ liking So now their number one receiver will be gone, sent hiking
Still in a holding pattern in the MLB The lockout continues as both sides will not agree On a new CBA, games continue to be lost The longer this goes on, more baseball games get tossed
We talked last week about big scores in the NBA Repeating this week, Jayson Tatum and LBJ JT scored 54 tonight, Bron 56 on Saturday Defenses sat on the sideline and watched the big dogs play
We’ve got our first few tickets punched in the NCAA March Madness is so close, let’s get this underway Murray State, Longwood, and Loyola Chicago You know what that means; Sister Jean’s ready to roll!
A great start to the week for all of us uniform analysts out there. The NBA dropped their 2021-2022 “City Edition” jerseys on Monday. One of our favorite traditions around here is being completely uninformed fashion critics. As we did last season, we are here once again to provide commentary that no one asks for or needs.
The 404 has always held us down. We bring you this jersey as our ultimate tribute to the 🅰️ pic.twitter.com/Lpxa9yzNlZ
Brooklyn Nets – always a good idea to throw back to the Jason Kidd/Richard Jefferson/Kenyon Martin era. Turns out the Nets Big 3 in the early aughts might end up being better than their current Big 3.
Chicago Bulls – the throwback font on “Chicago” is cool, but the basic number font doesn’t pair well, be better Bulls.
Cleveland Cavaliers – at time of writing, the Cavs have yet to post about their City Edition jerseys; simply shocking that an organization so well run would miss something like this. If you really want to get an idea, go watch Hoosiers.
Denver Nuggets – not only are these fun, but educational! I liked that Denver incorporated the ABA ball, and had no idea before today that their old logo was a miner. Also, the rainbow/mountain look always plays for the Nuggets in the uniform game.
Introducing… our #NBA75 City Edition jersey & uniform. Savvy and skilled, with grit and a never-back-down attitude, it’s a style of play that can only come from the Motor City. We hustle 𝒹𝒾𝒻𝒻𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃𝓉.
Detroit Pistons – aren’t these pretty much just…their normal uniforms with the colors flipped? Only redeeming quality here is a that hint of Grant Hill era green/turquoise on the shorts.
Golden State Warriors – same vibes as the Pistons here for me. These are basically jerseys we’ve seen before, with one saving grace: the “splash” feature is awesome.
Houston Rockets – these are slick. I always liked the Barkley/Pippen/early Yoa Ming era Rockets jerseys, and it’s a nice touch incorporating that with their current logo on the shorts without it looking dumb.
Los Angeles Clippers – wowzers these are clean. Nothing crazy, crisp letter & number font, great shade of baby blue. Not many wins for the Clips so far this year, but this is one.
Los Angeles Lakers – “lost” is an appropriate word the Lakers used in the above tweet. I get what they were going for here, but I think it’s a miss. If you’re one of the most storied franchises in NBA history and you City Edition jersey looks like the Charlotte Hornets Starter pullover jacket we all had in the 90’s, you missed.
Memphis Grizzlies – anytime you have the opportunity to lean into some of the greatest uniforms of all time, you need to take it. Opportunity squandered.
Miami Heat – year in and year out, the Heat are at the top of any type of alternate uniform list, and nothing changes here. The ability to pull off all of the neon blues, pinks, etc. puts them at an unfair advantage. Excellent as usual.
The City Edition makes its on-court debut November 17th at @FiservForum vs. LA.
Minnesota Timberwolves – Kevin Garnett would be proud, and so am I. Nice and easy look, the accent trees on the belt and shorts, with the throwback font as a cherry on top.
Philadelphia 76ers – nice 70’s ABA vibe here. The multi-colored side panel gives off a little Nuggets/rainbow feature as well.
Phoenix Suns – the Suns haven’t posted about their City Edition jerseys at time of writing. But, it doesn’t appear they changed anything from last year. Those were perfect, so if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
This year’s City edition honors three of the most iconic achievements in franchise history – the 1977 NBA Championship and the 1990 and 1992 Western Conference Championships.https://t.co/idNjRbJvjnpic.twitter.com/XJKkSuxC17
Portland Trailblazers – not a huge stray away from their normal threads, but this still plays. How about the argyle-ish side panel, when was the last time we saw that on an NBA uniform?
Sacramento Kings – the lion logo is above par, the rest is fine. I’m going to use my joke from last year’s review (because it was so hilarious), I can see thousands of bros at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza rocking these bad boys solely because is has “sac” on it, which is approval enough for me.
San Antonio Spurs – all in on these. Bright colors really work when teams try to think outside of the box on uniforms, and the Spurs’ color history works perfect for this.
Toronto Raptors – the Raptors kind of have a Magic/orange obsession with gold; very random. But you have to give some points here for the old school logo. A dinosaur dribbling a basketball, how absurd.
Utah Jazz – no social media post, and based on the picture above it doesn’t look like the Jazz put too much effort into their City Edition jerseys this year, sad!
A mix of the old and the new.
Introducing our 2021-22 NBA City Edition uniform 🔥
Washington Wizards – ending with a winner here. Fairly basic design, love the font from the Washington B*llets days. Well done in our nation’s capital.
Another year, another mediocre City Edition jersey review. This is a fun thing the NBA does every year, and while I’m sure they love the conversation and extra dollars that come with it, the misses are almost always as good as the hits.
Starting off young, fresh, and hip. While 19 turns out to be an incredibly strongly represented number, Unitas is widely known as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. Four championships, three MVPs, and a member of all three of the 50th, 75th and 100th NFL Anniversary Teams gives Johnny U the nod.
Honorable Mentions: Tony Gwynn, Willis Reed, Steve Yzerman, Jonathan Toews
Back to back Colts quarterbacks to get us started here. A member of the most recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee class, Manning put up some unreal numbers en route to two Super Bowl wins. Manning’s trophy case is busting at the seams with five MVPs, the 2012 Comeback Player of the Year Award, and number retirement plaques for his number 18 in both Indianapolis and Denver.
Todd Helton played baseball and football at University of Tennessee, and was a teammate of Peyton Manning’s. However, Helton makes our list for his accomplishments on the diamond. Helton retired in 2013 with a career average of .316, 369 home runs, and 2,519 hits. Along the way, he won three Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and a batting title in 2000.
Much like Unitas, Montana is a firm part of the “best quarterback of all-time” conversation. Montana lead the 49ers to four Super Bowl rings, while being the MVP in three of those four wins. One of the more accurate quarterbacks of his time, he lead the NFL in completion percentage five separate seasons.
If we’re including Johnny Unitas, it’s only fair to involve Bart Starr. The quarterback who lead the Packers to victories in Super Bowls I and II, while winning MVP in both games, finished his career with five championships, a regular season MVP award, and four Pro Bowls.
Taking a bit of gamble including Rose on our list, but here we are. The all-time hit king (4,256) does have a stellar on-field resumé. Seventeen All-Star games, three World Series rings, the 1973 NL MVP, and two Gold Gloves.
Honorable Mentions: Ernie Banks, Oscar Robertson, Dan Fouts
Of course the only man to score 100 points in an NBA game is making our list. Wilt the Stilt averaged a silly 30.9 points per game and 22.9 rebounds per game over his 15 year career. He also won two rings, four MVPs, was a seven time scoring champion, as well as an 11 time rebound champion.
The greatest quarterback of all time at the most important position in sports. TB12’s resumé is too long to outline here; but it’s headlined by his seven Super Bowl rings. On top of that, Brady has lead the league at one point in his career in passing touchdowns, yards, and rating.
Honorable Mentions: John Stockton, Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Jim Kelly, Joe Namath, Bob Griese, Aaron Rodgers, Jarome Iginla
Being the center piece of a dynasty goes a long way in lists like these. Messier was the unquestioned leader & captain in Edmonton, where he lead the Oilers to five Stanley Cups. He also became the only player to captain two separate teams to Stanley Cup victories when he lead the Rangers to the cup in 1994.
Honorable Mentions: Barry Larkin, Larry Fitzgerald
Fran Tarkenton walked to Steve Young, Michael Vick, and the like could run. Not only did Tarkenton sling it for 47,003 yards and 342 touchdowns, he also ran for 3,674 yards and 32 touchdowns in his career. Another fun fact: his only MVP season came in 1975, his 15th year in the NFL.
Honorable Mentions: Walt Frazier, Guy Lafleur
Heavy quarterback representation here. Any other noise was a faint whisper from baseball. Abysmal showing by hockey and basketball. We’ll bid farewell to our ongoing series in the next edition of “Who Wore It Best.”
Draymond Green dropped his latest episode of “Chips,” his interview series on Bleacher Report on Wednesday. This was a special one, as he sat down with former teammate and fellow chip-on-shoulder haver Kevin Durant. The best player in the NBA was open, introspective, and refreshing in the 24-minute video released on YouTube.
Off the jump, KD’s headgear selection was intriguing. You have to wonder if the selection of an Oakland A’s hat was a tip of the cap (bad joke) to Warriors fans for his time in the Bay. Even if it wasn’t on purpose, it was ironic.
Despite being teammates on back-to-back championship teams, in today’s environment, the pair are probably better known for their blowout argument (start’s at about 0:56 in the link) that went fully viral. It does appear the two got over the argument, and rather quickly. KD made an interesting comparison between their “conversation” and the infamous Scottie Pippen sitting out incident; saying it was better to “get all that shit out” in the moment instead of letting anything fester. Can’t say I disagree with him.
Another subject Green breached with The Slim Reaper was his apparent change in personality between his clean, “kid who wears the book bag” he was assigned while in Oklahoma City to what we’ve seen since then. In terms of the much maligned career move of leaving the Thunder to join the Warriors, KD said “[i]t was a basketball decision, but I knocked it down to not giving a fuck.”
When discussing how his attitude change towards the media, he also provided compelling openness in admitting he believed they knew more than he did. With age and experience, he was able to find more of himself; noting “the questions they ask me now don’t move me like they used to.” Another encouraging viewpoint of a person finding out more about who they are and not being afraid to be that person.
This interview included a man who seems to be at peace with the person he has become. When asked about his happiest professional moment, Durant expressed his dislike for the word “happy,” saying “it’s a fleeting feeling. I just want to enjoy every day being alive…I don’t want to chase happiness, I want to stay even.”
It was exceptional seeing a personable, accessible, and seemingly unburdened KD. I hope we get to see more of this in the future.
Hot start for hockey! Hašek was one of the greatest goaltenders to ever do it. His career spanned four decades (1980-2011), and included two Stanley Cups, two Hart Memorial trophies, and six Vezina trophies.
Demitra seemed to be on track to becoming one of the best Czech players in the game. He recorded 768 points in 847 games before sadly passing in a plane accident in 2011.
Bergeron has been a steady force for the Bruins since 2003. A part of the 2011 Stanley Cup winning team, Bergeron also made All-Star games in 2015 and 2016.
“The Bus” comes rumblin’, stumblin’, bumblin’ onto our list at 36. Bettis won a Super Bowl (in his home town of Detroit), was a two time first team All-Pro, and made six Pro Bowls.
An easy choice for what ended up being a stacked slot. Durant is potentially (based on how much you love/hate Lebron) currently the best basketball player on the planet. In a career with plenty of years left, Durant has already put together an incredible resume. The Slim Reaper has two NBA titles (Finals MVP in both), a regular season MVP, six first team All-NBA selections, and 11 All-Star appearances.
Honorable Mentions: Phil Niekro, Frank Thomas, Aeneas Williams, Tony Esposito
Another loaded number of selections here, but the most dominant big man of all time takes the cake. The Big Diesel’s career accolades are almost too much to list: four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, fifteen All-Star games, and eight first team All-NBA selections.
For as much good as Kareem has done off the court, he was as great on it. Six rings, a matching number of MVPs, 10 first team All-NBA selections, five first team All-Defensive teams, and lead the NBA in blocks in four separate seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Eddie Murray, Scottie Pippen, Zdeno Chára, Henrik Sedin, Dustin Byfuglien
Maddux is the second of the 90’s Braves big three to make the list, with Tom Glavine making the cut at 47. Mad Dog ended his 22 year career with 355 wins, 18 Gold Gloves, and four Cy Youngs.
Probably going to be our shortest career to make the list. Davis only played in the NFL from 1995-2001, but was good enough to make the Hall of Fame in 2017. In seven seasons, he racked up two Super Bowls, an MVP, and three first team All-Pro selections.
Honorable Mentions: Tim Raines, Martin Brodeur
The 30’s were by far our most expansive edition yet. Huge names and the honorable mention lists were incredible, specifically 32-35. One can only assume the list is going to keep improving into the 20’s.
We’ve reached the end of another week of sports. We recap in the latest edition of SSM.
Many people doubting, and the takes were bold But the theme of the weekend, US basketball gold Men took first on Friday, women shortly after Should’ve known all along, more banners in the rafters
Hall of Fame weekend, in the NFL Induction of a group of guys, who played way more than well Peyton Manning, Jimmy Johnson, and Edgerrin James Many more guys on the list, all greats of the game
JD Martinez and Anthony Rizzo Both put on the COVID List, major AL East blow Both big boppers will now miss time while in quarantine Another shitty part of what’s now normal routine
Of course, Stephen Curry has come a long way since that picture was taken. Skipping a few steps and career milestones, Curry signed a five year, $201M deal before the 2017-2018 season. Life changing money, right? Set for life type stuff for the best shooter in our lifetime and possibly history.
On Tuesday, Chef Curry cashed in again:
ESPN story on Steph Curry agreeing on a four-year, $215M contract extension with the Warriors: https://t.co/02D9mpkbuQ
With that announcement, Curry became the first player in NBA history to sign consecutive $200M contracts. Pretty incredible stuff for a guy who has earned and deserves it. Certain athletes are called “generational” for a reason, and Steph is one of them. He single handedly changed NBA roster construction, how offenses are run, shot selection; you name it, Curry has impacted it since coming into the NBA in 2009.
You can’t ask for much more regarding a high level talent with a pretty clean off the court record as well. Many times in sports, teams will turn the other cheek on player issues if they’re good enough to help the team win. That’s not breaking news. To Curry’s credit, he hasn’t ever had to make the Warriors even think about how to explain why he would still be playing despite doing some immoral shit off the court. If the most offensive thing a guy has done is release some heinous shoes, you’re in good shape.
Curry has done it pretty much the right way since coming out of nowhere at Davidson. In Curry’s 12 NBA seasons, he’s a seven time All-Star, two time MVP, and has won three NBA Championships. You pair that with over $400M in contract money (not even considering ad money, shoe deals, etc.), you must be doing something right in life.
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