May 1, 2024
The Lakers are off to round 2 after taking down the Grizzlies in 6 games. Dillon Brooks really said Lebron is old and won’t respect anybody until they give him 40. So Lebron turned around and gave him a 20-20 game, then the Lakers obliterated Memphis by exactly 40. What a clown Brooks is. He couldn’t even make a shot either. He talked all this trash, yet played like he had his flight booked to Cancun by Saturday. As for the Lakers, it was really good to see D-Lo carve up the Grizz in a big playoff game, especially with Kyrie sitting courtside. If you don’t want to give D-Lo credit, it’s because you don’t want him back with the Lakers next year, because you have a Kyrie agenda. I think the Lakers got their preferred match up in Golden State instead of Sacramento. They are an older team, will play at a slower pace than the Kings, and the Lakers have wing defenders they can throw at them. Anthony Davis should easily have his way against the Warriors as well. I’m sure Lebron will be punched in the balls by Draymond within the first two games though. Other than that should be fun. This also feels like some destiny too for Lebron to get revenge against Steph for beating him all those times in the finals.
As for the Clippers, their season ended again with Kawhi and Paul George injured. What a disappointment this has to be for Steve Ballmer. Is he really going to put up with this for two more years? I realize that Leonard and George were really hurt, but they practice and play so little together, there’s no way they can build strength and conditioning, or any kind of team chemistry. These dudes show up to work less frequently than a millennial that’s still hanging on to his work from home days. I’m sure Russell Westbrook is also going to get a lot of love from the Clips after how he played. It’s true that Russ played better with the Clippers than the Lakers. However, it doesn’t change the fact that his inability to shoot and high turnover frequency makes him a late game liability. That can be absorbed by some teams with depth, but I’m really not sure the Clippers are one of those teams, even with all their depth. Reality of it is, this is the Clipper team for the next two years. All they can do is hope for chemistry and health. Ballmer didn’t hesitate to end the Doc, CP3, Blake era, so I’m sure he won’t hesitate to end this one either. The problem is, Kawhi and PG probably aren’t nearly as tradeable as he would want right now.
To the ice where the LA Kings had a very disappointing ending to their season. They were eliminated by the Oilers in six games, in another 1st round series with the division rivals. Just because we thought the Oilers would win doesn’t make the outcome any less disappointing for the Kings. They simply need to defend better, get better goaltending, and be more disciplined. There was supposedly a sewage leak at the Kings practice facility last week. That was probably just the team practicing their penalty killing. For all the focus around improving their offense, which they did, they got away from the things that made them champions nearly a decade ago: defense and goaltending. This was my concern all along when they focused so much on changing their style of play. It takes discipline , defense, and goaltending to win in the playoffs. It always has, and unfortunately, the Kings will have to face the Oilers frequently in the coming years. If they want to get by them, they’ll have to figure out how to build a team that can beat them, while also building a team that can win the Cup.
To baseball, where the Dodgers cured their problems over the weekend by sweeping the Cardinals. They should clearly petition the league to play them every game. Nevertheless, the Dodgers are tied for 1st in the NL West and continue their up and down play. Clayton Kershaw once again looked spectacular over the weekend, and is now 5-1 with a 1.89 ERA. The new pitch clock rules don’t seem to be bothering him. I know Max Muncy leads the league in home runs, but when is Andrew Friedman’s computer going to move James Outman higher in the lineup? He’s been excellent. I suppose Friedman’s software is still refreshing.
As for the Angels, they lost two of three over the weekend to the Brewers. They are still hovering around .500, but 3rd in the division. Shohei Ohtani is continuing to mash monster home runs, and all people do is talk about how much money he is going to get come the winter time. Are the Angels really going to put up with this distraction all year? I know the answer is yes, but if we know the outcome is inevitable, why put themselves through this madness and get something for him? Meanwhile, Mike Trout is still elite, but there’s not much else. Anthony Rendon is making $30 mill and has hit as many home runs as you and I have this season. It sure would be nice if they could get some production out of him while they are paying him.
Do you know what 54 million people did this weekend? They watched the NFL Draft. That’s insane to me, but more power to the league for commanding this kind of draw. For some reason “The Rams have no picks” was a running joke in the NFL community for months, but they ended up with the most picks in the 2023 NFL draft with 14 draft selections. I suppose that’s also because casuals only care about 1st rounders. They did however, manage to replenish their offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and running back positions. Stetson Bennett is also an interesting pick at quarterback, who may succeed Matt Stafford in a couple of years. The Rams will be young, but more competitive than most think in a weak NFC. One thing is for sure though, the Eagles are loaded.
Meanwhile, the Chargers had a solid but not spectacular draft. Most players they drafted probably won’t start in 2023, but some might in 2024. That speaks to how good the Bolts roster is. Unfortunately, the question will inevitably be, is the roster good enough to beat the Chiefs? As long as Patrick Mahomes is around, the answer might be no. There’s also the fact the Chargers didn’t draft a running back. That tells you that one way or another, Austin Ekeler will be back next year and they will work things out contractually. Ekeler doesn’t have any suitors either, which means unfortunately for him, he has little contract leverage.