NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/15/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  • BUCKS 108
  • NETS 114

This game was supposed to belong to the Milwaukee Bucks. It definitely looked that way at the start as the Bucks blew past the Nets. 

By halftime, the Bucks lead 59-43. The Nets have not had a game all year where they’ve come back and won being down by 16 points. 

Without Kyrie Irving, the task seemed too tall even for a player like Kevin Durant.

Right before the game, the Nets announced James Harden would be back. This would be a good thing for the Nets, right? 

Well, Harden did play, and he played over 45 minutes. Yet, he didn’t look like himself. His injured hamstring clearly must’ve been bothering him. 

Harden scored 5 points on 1-10 shooting. As I said, the former scoring champion did not look right at all. 

So, with Irving out and Harden going 1-10, how would the Bucks two best players play? Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 and Khris Middleton scored 25. 

Now that you have all this information, you must be asking yourself, “How did the Nets win this game?” I’ll tell you how: the Nets have Kevin Durant. 

“The Slim Reaper” as he’s called, had himself a ball game. Durant played the entire game (all 48 minutes), scored 49 on 16-23 from the field.

If you think that’s impressive, well, Durant wasn’t done. He also grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, stole the ball 3 times, and blocked it twice.

Kevin Durant did everything for his team on a night where analysts and fans alike said, “If Durant is one of the best ever, then he better prove it tonight”… he did, y’all.

The Bucks once again fell apart in the playoffs. Once again, Antetokounmpo, the former two-time MVP and defensive player of the year fell apart in the playoffs. 

As Kevin Durant was lighting it up down the stretch of the game, Antetokounmpo, the former defensive player of the year (just to remind you), didn’t step up to guard him.

Then, will about 17 seconds to go, down by two, Antetokounmpo let the ball slip through his fingers with a costly turnover that gave the Nets the win.

Game six is this Thursday, June 17th at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. Are you ready?  

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/14/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  •  SIXERS 100
  •  HAWKS 103

The Philadelphia 76ers looked poised to take a commanding 3-1 series lead, even with their star player, Joel Embiid, suffering from a torn meniscus.

At one point in the second quarter, the Sixers held a comfortable 18 point lead. The Hawks looked like what they are: a young team.

The Sixers and their fans must have been rubbing their hands together in delight. Most of the other teams in the east seemed to be getting hurt, which is opening up the door to a potential finals trip for the “Process”…

Then, the second half happened. The Hawks battled back as a team, shooting lights out.

While the Hawks were clicking on all angles, the Sixers appeared to be a step slow. This is especially true for Embiid.

The entire second half, he seemed slower, and not with the game. In fact, Embiid shot 0-12 in the second half, including missing a layup with less than ten seconds to go in the fourth, down one.

In the second half of this game, when Embiid was on the court, the Sixers were outscored by 16 points.

On the Atlanta Hawks side, their star, Trae Young, struggled shooting the ball. He shot 8-26 from the floor and 3-11 from three.

But he became the first Atlanta Hawks player and the youngest NBA player in playoff history to have 18 assists. He finished the game with 25 points. 

Game five will shift back to Philadelphia on Wednesday, June 16th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

  •  JAZZ 104
  •  CLIPPERS 118

The Los Angeles Clippers decided they wanted to make this a series. After their dominating win against the Jazz this past Saturday, the Clippers hopped all over the Jazz by outscoring them 30-13 in the first quarter. 

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were back at it again. For the first time since becoming teammates on the Clippers, Leonard and George each had back-to-back 30 plus scoring games. 

In this game, Leonard scored 31 and George also scored 31. This is a great sign for Clipper fans. If their two stars continue to play like this, the Jazz and any other team as a matter of fact might not be able to stop them. 

The Jazz star, Donovan Mitchell, had another huge scoring game with 37, but only shot 9-26 from the field.

The Jazz really are in need of their point guard Mike Conley. He’s been out the entire series so far against the Clippers with a right hamstring strain.

The Jazz have shown weakness, especially in their two losses, and would greatly benefit from Conley’s leadership more than anything. 

The Jazz isn’t the only team that has to worry about an injury. Kawhi Leonard, who I already spoke about his great play, hurt his knee with about five minutes to go in the game. 

Leonard was eventually taken out of the game with 4:58 left and would not return. If this knee injury is something serious, then the Clippers chances of moving onto the next round is in serious jeopardy. 

Of course, the always cool and collective Kawhi Leonard said this when asked about his injury. “I’m good.”

Game five will be played on June 16th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/13/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  • NETS 96
  • BUCKS 107

The NBA injury bug has struck again and in a big way. With about six minutes to go in the second quarter, the Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving landed on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s foot.


Irving’s ankle turned hard as he landed on the Greek Freak’s foot. Irving grabbed his ankle and screamed in pain as the play continued down the other way.


After a timeout and after taking some extra time to lie on the floor, Irving gingerly walked off the court.


It was later reported that Irving suffered a right ankle sprain and would not return to the game. The big question is now: how long will Kyrie Irving be out?


With the chances of Irving missing the remainder of this series and possibly longer, if the Nets advance, the need for James Harden to return is extremely great. 


If everything has to fall on Kevin Durant, that could be bad news for the Nets, despite how great Durant is. 


You have to remember, this is still the first season Durant has been back since his terrible Achilles injury. If his workload has to be expanded, you’d hate to see what it might do to his body. 


So, having James Harden back in the lineup is crucial to the Nets success for the remainder of this series. But at the same time, you don’t want to rush Harden back if he’s not ready, or he could hurt himself even more. 


This series, which started out looking like it may end in a Nets sweep, is very much a REAL SERIES, and the Bucks have the advantage. 


For the Milwaukee Bucks, their star, Giannis Antetokounmpo had himself another great game. The Greek Freak had 34 points and 12 rebounds. 


The Bucks had great balance today, with four other players scoring in double figures besides Antetokounmpo. 


Plus, P. J. Tucker has played incredible defense on Kevin Durant. In game four, Durant scored 28 but only shot 9-25 from the field. 


To dive deeper into the stats and to realize how good Tucker’s defense has been on Durant, Tucker held Durant to 9 points on 25 percent shooting. 


Game five will be played on Tuesday, June 15th at a time yet to be determined. 

  • SUNS 125
  • NUGGETS 118

The Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets went through a straight battle in game four. 


There were hard fouls. Mid-range jumpers. Technical fouls. A windup and smack in the face… this game had it all, and it ended with the Phoenix Suns making it to their first conference finals in eleven years. 


The Nuggets may have the MVP (Nikola Jokić), but the Suns have the MVP of the series in Chris Paul. 


Chris Paul dominated with his patented mid-range jumper. He finished with 37 points while dishing out 7 assists… he’s truly the “Point God”, as they call him. 


Devin Booker also came up big for the Suns. He scored 34 while grabbing 11 rebounds. 


As I stated earlier, the Nuggets had the MVP, but they didn’t have him for the entire game. 


Late in the third quarter, Jokić slammed down after the ball in a forceful way. In the process of swinging his hand at the ball, he smacked Cameron Payne directly on the nose. 


This wind-up and swing by Jokić was enough for the referees to throw him out. It was determined to be a flagrant two foul. 


The other Nuggets battled hard the rest of the way, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the sweep. 


The Phoenix Suns will now have to wait to see who they play in the conference finals. Will it be the Utah Jazz? Or the Los Angeles Clippers? 


The Jazz and Clippers play tomorrow, June 14th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/12/2021


Written by Titan Frey

  • JAZZ 106
  • CLIPPERS 132 


It’s déjà vu for the Los Angeles Clippers. After going down 0-2 in their first round series against the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers bounced back with a big win in game three. 


Now in the second round against the top-seeded Utah Jazz, the Clippers dropped the first two games. And like their previous series, the Clippers bounce back with a huge game three victory that keeps their chances alive in the series. 


Paul George, who famously gave himself the nickname “Playoff P”, but it appears he usually plays like “Pandemic P”, as the fans call him. 


After falling 0-2 against the Mavs in the first round, George became “Playoff P” by scoring 29 big points to help the Clippers get the win. 


Now, in this series, after falling 0-2, “Playoff P” delivered again with 31… it’s déjà vu!


Now Paul George wasn’t the only Clipper experiencing a case of déjà vu. Two time champ and two time finals MVP Kawhi Leonard also came down with a case. 


Leonard, who’s known as “The Claw”, thanks to his enormous hands and defensive ability, came up big with 36 points in game three vs the Mavs in the first round. 


How did he fare in game three against the Utah Jazz? As you already know, he played well, or it wouldn’t really be déjà vu, would it? 


“The Claw” scored 34 against the Jazz in game three, helping to secure their first victory of the series. 


The Utah Jazz star, and supposed “greatest Jazz player, ever” according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, played well once again. He scored 30 but didn’t get the help as he did in the previous two games. 


The player I’m talking about is Donovan Mitchell. He’s a great player, who’s been exceptional in these playoffs and last year’s playoffs.


But he’s not the greatest player in Utah Jazz history. I’ll get into that in an article later this week. Stay tuned for that…


Game four between the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers will be Monday, June 14th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/11/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  • SIXERS 127
  • HAWKS 111

The city of Atlanta was buzzing before game three of the conference semifinals, between their Hawks and the top seed in the easy, the Philadelphia 76ers. 

After coming out of Philly with a split, the Hawks felt as a team; they were where they wanted to be.

It was a very familiar feeling to their first-round matchup with the New York Knicks, where they won game one, lost game two on the road, and eventually swept the rest of the series. 

Would this series against the number one seeded Sixers turn out the same? Absolutely not.

The Sixers have a couple of things going for them that the New York Knicks did not. First, the Sixers have a solid all-around team, and second, the Sixers have Joel Embiid (no offense Julius Randle).

After becoming the first Sixer to score 40 in a playoff game since Allen Iverson in 2003, in game two, Embiid followed that performance up with 27 points, 9 rebounds, and a playoff career high 8 assists.

Even though Embiid didn’t win the MVP this year, he proved once again that he sure can play like the MVP. 

This loss was a major blow to the Atlanta Hawks for numerous reasons. Of course, you don’t want to lose any game, especially at home. 

But this loss not only gave the home court advantage back to the Sixers, but before this game the Hawks were 19-2 at home since Nate McMillan took over.

Trae Young scored his normal points (28), but if the Hawks can’t figure out a way to slow Embiid, this series might not last much longer.

Game four will be played on Monday, June 14th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

  • SUNS 116
  • NUGGETS 102

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The series victory against the Los Angeles Lakers gave the Phoenix Suns supreme confidence that might help carry them to the finals. 

On the night where Nikola Jokić received his MVP trophy, he came ready to show everyone that he was deserving.

Jokić had a monster game scoring 32 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists.

How good was this game for the MVP on MVP trophy night? Well, Jokić joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with a 30/20/10 playoff game.

So, with this type of performance, you would figure the Nuggets got the win. The problem is, you know they didn’t. 

The reason why the Nuggets lost, even with the MVP playing like the MVP, is because the Suns had a lot more players who had pretty darn good games themselves.

The Nuggets, on the other hand, didn’t give Jokić a lot of help. Nuggets players Aaron Gordon and Michael Porter Jr. combined to score 19 points on 7-23 shooting… this is not going to get it done, not against these red-hot Suns. 

How dominant have the Phoenix Suns truly been playing? Well, in game three the Suns held a double-digit lead for the entire fourth quarter. This was their fifth straight game holding a double-digit lead in the fourth… yes, that’s how dominant they’ve been. 

Make sure you sit around your TV on Sunday, June 13 at 8:00 PM Eastern Standard Time to see if the Suns remain hot or if the Nuggets can figure a way to cool them off. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/10/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  • NETS 83
  • BUCKS 86

Have we stepped inside of a time machine and gone back to the late 90s? In today’s NBA, the scores are high and the defense is… well, not always there.

Game three between the Brooklyn Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks felt like a throwback. From tough “D” (at times) to plenty of midrange jumpers, it really took me back. 

There’s been a slight back and forth, thanks to the media, between Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The basketball world was excited to see how these two players would come out in game three. This was especially true for Antetokounmpo.

With his past playoff failures, being down 0-2, plenty of analysts felt that Antetokounmpo needed to come out swinging. Don’t go down without a fight.

Well, that’s exactly what the Greek Freak did. He came out red-hot, scoring 15 in the first quarter and helping the Bucks take a commanding 30-11 lead after the first quarter.

I’ve been saying Khris Middleton needed to step up and give Antetokounmpo some help if the Bucks want a chance to get back into this series. Boy, did he step up in this game. 

Middleton bounced back from his horrible play in games one and two by scoring 35 and grabbing 15 rebounds.

After shooting a combined 30% in the first two games, Middleton found his touch by shooting 12-25 in game three. 

Antetokounmpo poured in 33 while grabbing 14 boards himself. These two Bucks stars combined to score 79% of their team’s points. This is the most by teammates in NBA playoff history. 

As for the Nets, this was the first game in the series where the Nets seemed to miss James Harden out on the court.

Kevin Durant started slow. He was 2-7 at one point, but you know he wasn’t going to keep missing. 

Durant came alive in the third, which helped get the Nets back into the game. He finished with 30 points on 11-28 shooting.

This became the first playoff game since 2018 where Durant shot less than 40% from the field. 

Durant would hit a three that put the Nets up three with 1:23 left in the game. After this shot, the Nets would become sloppy. 

Now down one with 11.4 seconds to go, the Nets inbound pass went through Bruce Brown’s hands and nearly rolled out of bounds. 

Kyrie Irving chased after and picked it up before going out, gave it to Brown, who drove to the hoop. Brown threw up a layup that missed and the Bucks grabbed the rebound. 

After two made free throws by the Bucks, the Nets had one last shot, down three with 2.1 seconds remaining. 

Durant would take a game-tying three, with three defenders on him, that missed at the buzzer, meaning the Bucks protect their home court.

Game four will be played on Sunday, June 13th, at 3 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

  • CLIPPERS 111
  • JAZZ 117

The Los Angeles Clippers, the team that has a troubled playoff history, appeared to heading that way once again.

At one point, the Clippers trailed by 21 points in the third quarter. They were destined to head back to LA in a 0-2 hole… then the Clippers started to play like the team everyone thought they would be when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came together. 

The Clippers stormed back and took the lead in the fourth (101-99), but it wouldn’t last for long. 

The Jazz started hitting threes and never looked back. The Clippers started to play sloppy, which is part of their franchise playoff tradition. 

Do you want to know how dominant the Utah Jazz have been?

After the Clippers had a 13 point lead at halftime of game one, the Jazz has outscored them by 22 points in the last six quarters. The Jazz has also been shooting lights out from three in that span, making 30 of them.

Game three will be back in LA on Saturday, June 12th at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/09/2021 


Written by Titan Frey

  • NUGGETS 98
  • SUNS 123


By beating the defending champs, who have one of the greatest players on their roster, might have given the Phoenix Suns supreme confidence.


The Suns just handed the Denver Nuggets, who have this year’s MVP in Nikola Jokić, their biggest loss of the season. 


Led by Devin Booker’s 18 points and 10 rebounds, Booker was manhandling the Nuggets on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. 

Devin Booker wasn’t the only Sun to put in work. The entire team contributed with great balance. 


Every Sun starter scored in double figures, including Chris Paul, who scored 17 and gave out 15 dimes. 


Paul also had 0 turnovers, and his stat line (15+ Points, 15+ Assists, 0 Turnovers), is the third of his playoff career.


There have only been four other games with that stat line in NBA history. 


The Denver Nuggets better figure out how to get the MVP more help if they want to have any chance at getting back into this series. 


Jokić scored 24 and grabbed 13 rebounds, but without the high-scoring Jamal Murray, the Nuggets “other” players, need to give more. 


Game 3 will be played on Friday, June 11th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/08/2021

Written by Titan Frey

Before we get started with the game recaps, I want to let you know an award was given out. 

The 2021 NBA MVP was awarded to Denver Nuggets big man, Nikola Jokić. He received 91 out of the 100 first place votes that were cast by selected media members.

Jokić season averages looked like this:

  • Points per game (26.4)
  • Rebounds per game (10.8)
  • Assists per game (8.3)
  • Blocks per game (0.7)
  • Steals per game (1.3)
  • Field Goal percentage (56.6%)

It’s safe to say the NBA got the MVP right this year. Congratulations, Nikola Jokić.

  • HAWKS 102
  • SIXERS 118 

The question on everyone’s mind coming into this game 2 between the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers was, “Can the Sixers slow down Trae Young?”

Well, NBA fans. In game 2, Philadelphia gave you their answer… It was a “yes”, if you were wondering. 

The Sixers defense held Young to 21 points on 6-16 shooting and a dismal 1-7 from deep. So, yes, the Sixers did their job defensively. 

Now, let’s talk about the Sixers. Did their star player show up? Or did his knee injury hold him down?

Joel Embiid was not held down by anything or anyone in this game. He scored 40 while grabbing 13 boards.

Embiid became the first Sixer to score 40+ points and grab 10+ rebounds in a playoff game since Billy Cunningham in 1970.

Now, Joel Embiid wasn’t the only Sixer to have a stat that hasn’t been done in a long time.

Shake Milton had a +/- of +15 in only 14 minutes of playing time. 

This +15 by Milton is the highest +/- for a Sixer player who played under 15 minutes in a playoff game since 1997. 

Milton scored 14 points in his 14 minutes of action… it’s safe to say, Milton hit the Hawks with that SHAKE, baby! (sorry, terrible joke)

Friday, June 11th at 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time will be game 3 in Atlanta… get ready, folks. 

  • CLIPPERS 109
  • JAZZ 112

Game 1, the Los Angeles Clippers vs the Utah Jazz. One team just came off of a game 7 win and only one day off.

The other team had 5 days off to prepare for this game… which team will be ready?

The answer to that question is, both teams. Each team came out playing hard. It appeared the rest helped the Jazz and the constant playing helped the Clippers keep a good rhythm. 

The big difference in this game would be Utah’s Donovan Mitchell. He scored 45 on 16-30 shooting. 

Mitchell’s play was huge. He alone outscored the Clippers two star players (Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) 45 to 43. The Clippers need their two-headed monster to play better, especially Paul George.

George shot a horrible 4-17 from the field. That’s not going to get it done, and I’m not sure George can overcome this. 

Paul George has a history of underperforming in the playoffs. As you might know, George once gave himself the nickname “Playoff P”. Fans, on the other hand, gave him a different nickname during last year’s playoffs… “Pandemic P”

Even with Mitchell’s amazing performance, the Clippers had a chance to tie the game with a three with about 2 seconds to go, but the possible defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, came up with a huge block on Marcus Morris Sr.

Can the Clippers bounce back and steal a game in Utah? Game 2 will be played on Thursday, June 10th at 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. 

NBA PLAYOFFS RECAP: 06/07/2021

Written by Titan Frey

  • BUCKS 86
  • NETS 125 


Who needs James Harden, am I right? The Brooklyn Nets were without their third head in the monster trio for basically two straight games (other than the 43 seconds of game 1 that he played).


Many basketball analysts had the Milwaukee Bucks rebounding from their bad showing in game 1 and show their true potential and hit those threes they missed in game 1… 


Unfortunately, for the Bucks, the Nets still had two heads left of that monster, and one of those heads belongs to Kevin Durant. 


KD finished with 32 points on 12-18 from the field, including 4-6 from downtown. If this game wasn’t a blowout the entire way (Nets led by 49 at one point), you better believe KD would’ve had more. 


KD led the way, but he had plenty of help, first from his star sidekick,
Kyrie Irving, who scored 22 and dishes out 6 assists.


The Nets role players were solid once again. Joe Harris and Bruce Brown each chipped in 13. Mike James played would once again in Harden’s spot scoring 10. 


For the Bucks, the “Greek Freak”, Giannis Antetokounmpo, scored 18 and grabbed 11 boards. But if the Bucks want to get back in this series, Giannis can’t play good, he needs to play great.


This is especially true if his sidekick, Khris Middleton, is going to continue to build houses with all those bricks he’s laying.


Middleton scored 17, but only shot 7-20 from the floor. This will not get it done, not against these Nets.


So, the question now has to be asked… is this another case of the Bucks choking in the playoffs? Or are the Nets just that good?


Game 3 is Thursday, June 10th, at 7:30 Eastern Standard Time.

  • Nuggets 105
  • Suns 122

Nikola Jokić from the Denver Nuggets is the favorite to win the MVP this season. Jokić led the NBA in double-doubles with 60.


Yet, in this game 1 matchup against the Phoenix Suns, Jokić met his equal (at least on this night).


Deandre Ayton of the Suns had 33 double-doubles this season, which was good enough for 11th place (tied with two others).


Can you guess which player had a double-double in game 1? If you guessed Jokić, you’d be sadly mistaken. 


Jokić scored 22 and grabbed 9 rebounds (okay, he missed the double-double by one board).


Ayton scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds. If Ayton can basically cancel Jokić out in every game, the Suns have a really good chance at moving to the next round. 


Devin Booker scored 21, Mikal Bridges chipped in 23, and Chris Paul scored 21 while hitting big shots in the fourth. 


The Suns are looking strong, but the Nuggets are more than capable of making the right adjustments to get back into this series.


Game 2 is Wednesday, June 9th, at 9:30 Eastern Standard Time. 

MY BOXING PPV RANT

Written by Titan Frey

All right, I’m going to cover another sport right now other than the NBA. I’ll be discussing the exhibition pay-per-view fight between Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs Logan “The Maverick” Paul…

Wait, I can’t cover it. Do you want to know why? Because the $50 I paid for the subscription wasn’t good enough to have the damn Showtime app load up! 

That’s right, I paid for this fight and I originally tried to get on the app at 9:30 or so, the main event started at 11… the entire time all I had was a black screen with the “loading” symbol. 

Apparently, I wasn’t alone with this problem. On social media, various other subscribers voiced their frustration about their Showtime app not loading.

This is a disgrace. Anyone who paid to see it should have been able to watch. I mean, there are plenty of ways to watch it illegally, yet we decided to do the right thing, and we get punished.

It’s like the company (Showtime) wasn’t aware that there was going to be a fight. It’s like they didn’t believe many people would watch. You think they’d make sure everything technical was updated and ready to go. 

This was a very disappointing situation. Do you want to know what else was very disappointing? The fight itself. 

That’s right, for all you that were able to watch the fight, you got to see a hugging match between a retired fighter and a YouTuber.

Many fans were surprised that Logan Paul lasted the full 8 rounds (that’s right. There were no knockouts or know downs).

But considering that Paul is technically a heavyweight and Mayweather is not, it’s not all that surprising Paul didn’t get knocked out.

Plus, Mayweather has never been known as a knockout artist, especially during the second half of his career. 

Either way, fans were disappointed in the fight, similar to the Tyson fight against Jones Jr.

Does this mean boxing isn’t really making a comeback? Or are these exhibition matches, plus the rise of these YouTube boxers, helping the sport compete with the UFC?

To me, I do believe boxing is making a comeback. I just hope the next “exhibition” we get has a lot more action.