What's Next?

The long awaited fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao has come and gone, now the question looms, what’s next for these two. Mayweather is under contract for one more fight under Showtime, and while there are no clear frontrunners, there is a slew of name waiting for a chance. For Pacquiao the situation is a bit bleaker. The aging superstar can see the light at the end of the tunnel and is not the same boxer that once dominated the sport.

Mayweather is going to have one more fight this year, presumably in September if everything goes to plan. Chances are he’s going to take on Amir Khan. The man who is best known for having a glass jaw. The hype machine will be unreal yet again. Mayweather will do his part in promoting the fight and then will knock out Khan, EASILY and improve his record. That’s what will happen, because Khan is a big draw for the UK crowd, we know Floyd loves his Money, and he is a n easy opponent to take care of, we know Floyd loves his record. What should happen is that Floyd should fight either GGG or Danny Garcia. Garcia knocked out Khan in 2012 and is undefeated at 30-0. GGG is 32-0 and is a vicious knockout artist. Of course those fights won’t happen because A. Both of the fighters pose a bigger threat to Mayweather than Khan. And B. Boxing is all about money and neither of the two are big draws.

As for Pacquiao, options aren’t there. The only feasible option is another Juan Manuel Marques fight, can you say number 5 or a fight against the likes of Martin Murray, Lucas Matthysse, or a Sergio Martinez. Chances are his fight is going to be in Macau since that’s where the next big spot is supposed to be and then he’ll go out with a win.

Disappointed, But Expected

Saturday night’s fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was supposed to be the fight of the century; it was what we the fans wanted, what the world wanted, what the promoters wanted. HBO and Showtime got together, Bob Arum agreed, people ordered, ESPN covered, bars went broke, Las Vega got richer and when it finally came time for the fight, it ended up being a disappointment.

It was a shock to many, but avid fans of the sport saw that coming from a mile away. The old, slow, weak Pacquiao couldn’t do much to hurt “Money” Mayweather. The undefeated Mayweather went to work, on defense albeit and took control of the fight. Pacquiao just didn’t have enough in the tank to bother the best pound for pound fighter in the world. When it was all set and done, the result was a foregone conclusion. Roar of boos came down on Mayweather as they have for all of his previous fights as he was given the unanimous decision victory over Pacman.

Some called the fight an all-time robbery; twitter blew up with hate against Mayweather as many blamed him for not wanting to put up a fight. Truth be told, Floyd Mayweather has never been one to take the initiative in a fight. Best known for his defense, Mayweather is as resilient as a fighter could be. In a violent sport, where a boxer’s lifespan hangs by a thread, his style of boxing has allowed him to continue down this path. Limiting his opponent’s punches, and rarely feeling them, Mayweather is a rarity in the sport. Saturday was not what fans wanted to see because almost everyone though, Pacman was going to bring it but like all those who have tried before him, he hit a brick wall, expect that wall somehow ran around the ring for 12 rounds and fought back. There is no refunds in this business, maybe next time before you press yes on your remote confirming $100 for a fight, you should know what yourself getting into. The hype machine will always be there, but you don’t have to. 

Klitscko Does It Again

The big bad Ukrainian has no limits. On Saturday, Wladimir Klitschko who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO belts secured a unanimous points victory over Philadelphia native Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden. Jennings entered the fight as a 10-1 underdog and nobody saw him as a real threat to beat Klitschko yet he put up a solid fight and his stock rose even in defeat.

39 –year-old Klitschko wasn’t razor sharp yet did enough to earn the decision. Jennings who came into the fight undefeated and weighted 20lb less that the Ukranian. Jennings was able to move around the ring and have Klitschko stalk him but it just wasn’t enough. He created different angles but just couldn’t hurt the experienced Champion who had more successful title defenses than Jennings had pro fights.

With his longtime girlfriend Hayden Panettiere ringside, Klitschko improved to 64-3 and is now set to fight British Champion Tyson Fury. 26 year old Fury is undefeated with a record of 24-0 and after beating Romania’s Christian hammer said he was ready to face the Ukranian. Whether or not Fury can beat Klitschko is still a bit far-fetched but if Saturday was any indication Wladimir is slowing down … just a bit. 

They Bringing Ugly Back

While the Golden State Warriors swept the Pelicans on Saturday and Stephen Curry was getting all the attention for his magical performance in the past two games, very quietly another team in the West was going about their business. Unlike the Warriors, this team plays a very old school, unsexy brand of Basketball. You won’t see them on the SportsCenter Top 10 plays and their players don’t get a whole lot of recognition but as a team, they can be  a nightmare. Of course, I’m talking about the one and only Memphis Grizzlies who went to Rose Garden and beat the highly overrated yet attention grabbing Portland Trailblazers with a third string Point Guard.

After Mike Conley and Beno Udrih who were both out with injury last night, it was time for former Florida sensation Nick Calathes to shine and did he ever. Calathes who has been a journeyman and played in Russia and Greece over his career has found his place in Memphis and put on a show Saturday night. Calathes finished the night with 13 points as Memphis beat 115-109. Up 3-0 in the series, a meeting with Golden State is just days away and Memphis has been flying under the radar due to the style they play, the Warriors are in for a real test.

The combo of Gasol and Randolph, combined with defensive ability of Tony Allen (watch out Steph) and the playmaking ability of Conley, combined with great role players in Courtney Lee, Calathes and Kosta koufos can ruin anyone's season and just because they don’t get love from the Media, doesn’t mean they should be ignored. The Grizzlies are bringing the ugly back. 

This One's for Daryl

To cap off Saturday’s playoff matchups, the playoff God’s gave us exactly what we wanted. Mark Cuban’s Dallas maverick’s against Daryl Morey’s Houston Rockets. Daryl Who??? Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey might not get much media attention but the feud between Morey and Cuban has been well documented. Morey is a man of analytics, his Rockets don’t shoot any 2 pointers. Houston leads the league in 3 point attempts, makes, and turnovers. They shoot a lot, they run a lot, and they dunk a lot. They have a high offensive efficiency, yet get very little credit for their efforts because nobody believes they can do it when it matters.

Cuban who has never had a good relationship with Morey, put gasoline on fire last off-season when he offered then Rockets Small Forward Chandler Parsons a 3yr/$46 million contract. So outrageous Morey decided to not match the offer. Before the start of the series Cuban said “There’s no more predictable team than the Rockets. You know exactly what they’re gonna do, Because that’s not a very good team over there.” The Rockets promptly responded by beating the Mavericks 118-108. Whether or not Cubans Mavs can come back and win the series is another story but maybe their billionaire owner should limit his talking. If anything is for certain is that Morey, the Billy Bean of NBA knows exactly what he’s doing and if it wasn’t for Patrick Beverly and Donatas Motiejunas out for the season, this blog post wouldn’t even be written since the Rockets would’ve easily handled Cuban’s Mavericks. 

The Truth Hurts

After a long and grueling winter, and NBA season … spring has brought us the exciting and meaningful playoffs and they started with a bang. The pointless Lakers, Timberwolves, Lakers, Knicks, etc games have finally ended and fans can turn to matchups that truly matter.

The playoffs started on Saturday in Toronto. The Raptors, having home court advantage and in the playoffs for a second straight year looked to use the crowd to their advantage. Air Canada Center was buzzing in the buildup and the Jurassic park outdoor viewing party had a world cup theme to it. All the intangibles were going for the Raptors until they had to step on the court and face the TRUTH. Toronto’s most hated man, Paul Pierce was at it again as he took care of the Raptors on and off the court. Pierce said the Raptors didn’t have the “It” factor to make a deep playoff run. With fans constant chant of “Paul Pierce Sucks” the Truth went 7-10 from the field including 3 three pointers for a game high 20 points as DC beat Toronto 93-86 in Overtime.

Playing the perfect villain role in the lead up to the game , Pierce let his performance talk on Saturday. The 37 year old however needs his team-mates to perform better over the series if they hope to take down Toronto. John Wall and Bradley Beal combined to go 11-41 on game 1, and if it wasn’t for Pierce’s heroics in overtime, Toronto could’ve easily won it. Game 2 is on Tuesday night in Canada, with the Raptors hoping to even the series before it comes to the nation’s capital. One game in and the 2015 playoff excitement has already reached boiling point. 

Championship Blueprint

The NBA season is set to come to an end, and with playoffs fast approaching, it seems as though the San Antonio Spurs are once again heating up just when it matters. The defending champions came out of the gate sluggish, struggling to win a lot of games for a variety of reasons. The injury to Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard combined with an aging Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan had many critics write off the Spurs.

As the season progressed, the Spurs slowly got healthier and better. In the absence of the big stars, Coach Popovich relied on his role players to carry him through the season. Players such as Aaron Baynes, and Cory Joseph took advantage of the opportunity and helped the Spurs stay in the hunt in the ultra-competitive western division. As the NBA calendar turned to March, it seems as though the Spurs woke up. Currently riding an impressive 10 game winning streak, the Spurs are a half game out of 2^nd place in the west behind Memphis.

A vastly experienced team with championship pedigree, the Spurs are once again there when it counts and pose a huge threat to any team. The Warriors are class of the West and have had a historic season, yet the favorites in the west during playoff time seem to be the Spurs yet again. The Spurs have a good chance of reaching the promise land once again this year, but more importantly they have showed all NBA teams a blueprint for success in the league. It’s not regular season that counts, it’s all about post season.