December 20, 2021
Don’t try to tell me that it’s about the injuries. Don’t try to tell me it’s about not having enough time on the floor together. This Laker team stinks. They are old and they don’t play any defense. They can’t shoot, they turn it over too much, and they don’t rebound. Anthony Davis has also lost his motivation to be an elite basketball player. It’s like he won a title, and started mailing it in. Karl Anthony Towns is the latest NBA big men to embarrass Davis, which he did on Friday night. I get that AD isn’t durable, but when he’s healthy he’s supposed to be elite. Now he’s not even that elite when he’s been on the floor. That’s a problem. This team will be lucky to make the playoffs and win a game or two as constructed. It was a nice run while it lasted, but we’re a quarter of the way through the season, and the team is what it is. This team wasn’t good with Anthony Davis, and they’ll be even worse without him for the next four weeks.
To the NFL, where the Rams have a massive opportunity in front of them tomorrow night. They can catch the Cardinals for 1st place in the NFC West with a win over the Seahawks. The Cardinals lost to the Lions. If you lose to the Lions you should be demoted to the CFL. The Rams can also gain ground in the NFC seeding as well since the Bucs lost this weekend. After last week we were reminded that this team is still very gritty, and when they don’t turn the ball over, they can beat anybody in the NFL. They’ll get Jalen Ramsey back, and maybe even more reinforcements before Tuesday night.
As for the Chargers, they had their chances against the Chiefs on Thursday night, but it was KC that came up with the big plays when it mattered. Travis Kelce really made the Bolts defense look like a bunch of high schoolers on that game-winning catch, which is exactly how I always picture the Chargers finishing a big game with all the chips on the line.
Brandon Staley was foolish and it cost him and his team dearly. After a 75-yard kick off return, you need points. A touchdown is great, but get any points you can, especially on fourth-and-five. His decision cost his team the game. The Bolts are the 6th seed right now, but they could easily slip out of a playoff spot with the Steelers, Browns, and Ravens all breathing down their neck. The scary part for the Chargers is that the schedule is easy for the last three weeks: Texans, Broncos, Raiders. This is the Chargers we are talking about. They could easily blow it when it’s being gift wrapped for them.
Elsewhere around the NFL, due to unfortunate circumstances, the Texans Jaguars was not cancelled due to COVID-19. The Saints took down the Bucs, and Tom Brady was throwing clip boards like a teenager throws a tantrum when they run out of Uggs at the mall. Death, taxes, and the Ravens failing to score a 2-point conversion at the end of the game. The Dolphins beat the Jets in a game that should have been aired on Comedy Central. The Cowboys took down the Giants, and Stephen A Smith is going to be devastated he can’t make any jokes this week about Dallas. The Titans lost to the Steelers and they looked more terrible than those ugly towels the Steeler fans waive around.
I realize that there is a lot of hype around the Trojan football team, but now this is getting insane. I mean judging from the articles in the LA Times, you would think that USC would be the preseason favorite to win a National Title next year just because of Lincoln Riley’s eating habits and his dogs. Yes, he’s pulling some five-star recruits we haven’t seen in a while at USC. However, if we’ve learned anything from hype like we’ve seen from the Lakers, let this thing play out first before you all start buying your plane tickets and booking hotels for the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, we still haven’t heard anything from UCLA Football as they prepare for the Holiday Bowl. We also got a reminder that Chip Kelly has been a lazy recruiter these last four years. The Bruins miraculously landed a quarterback through the transfer portal last week. That’s pathetic. Chip Kelly had four years to replace Dorian Thompson Robinson, and at the eleventh hour all he can do is land a transfer. This guy is not only lazy, but he’s about to get rewarded for his laziness with an extension, because they just don’t think at this point they can find any better.
I wish there was something to talk about with UCLA Basketball other than COVID. Unfortunately there isn’t. The Bruins were still playing elite basketball until their last three games got wiped out because of COVID. Looks like they won’t play until they matchup with #8 Arizona on December 30th. The only small consolation here: the break will give Cody Riley a chance to get healthy, which is much needed because the Bruins need to get some size back.
Finally, the Bachelorette Season finale is going down on ABC tomorrow night. I feel like Bachelorette Nation is screaming from the mountain top that Nayte isn’t the guy for Michelle, but those two ending up together is more inevitable than Urban Meyer leaving a job five minutes after getting it. Everyone further lost their mind when Michelle picked Brandon over Joe. Then again, Joe did ghost her before the show, so Michelle really got the last laugh on this one. Still, that’s like choosing to watch paint dry instead of going on a tropical vacation. I like how Joe, Nayte, and Brandon acted like they finally realized Michelle has been dating all 3 of them at Fantasy Suites. You know that this season is boring when the most interesting things to talk about in the last few weeks have been Tayshia and Zac’s breakup, and all the Hannah Brown drama. Better luck to the producers in the next season.
