The Warriors Reap the Benefits

Golden State's monster off-season acquisition proved to be the difference in the 2017 NBA Finals, as Kevin Durant took home the Finals MVP Award.

Despite his herculean effort in the 2017 NBA Finals, Cleveland's LeBron James couldn't carry his Cavaliers to a second consecutive championship season. James was magnificent in the Finals, as he became the first player in history to average a triple-double in every game of the NBA Finals. James finished the series averaging an outstanding 33.6 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in five games, but was simply beaten by the 'super-team' that is the Golden State Warriors. LeBron said that he has never been a part of a 'super-team,' which raised some eyebrows, considering his move to the Miami Heat to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh back in 2010 was arguably the start of that whole phenomenon. While James has played on some incredibly talented rosters during his career, it is tough to find a team that can compare to the Warriors' talent level. With Durant, former MVP Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all in the starting lineup, it is borderline unfair to ask another team to get the best of them in a seven-game series. Cleveland easily has the second most talented roster in the NBA, but even they couldn't muster more than one game against the champions. The first two games were decidedly one-sided, but the Cavaliers were not able to close out Game 3, where the Warriors finished on an 11-0 run to seal the victory that pretty much wrapped up the series. Durant hit the dagger in that particular game, where he nailed a three pointer from the left wing to put Golden State up for good in the closing moments. The Finals MVP became only the sixth player ever to post 30+ point games in each game of the Finals, and his 35.2 points per game were 10th most in Finals history. The 'Slim Reaper' captured his first NBA championship and Finals MVP trophy as his off-season move from Oklahoma City to Oakland proved to be the best decision of his career thus far. The Warriors are firmly the team to beat in the NBA, as it is hard to see anyone being able to compete with them if they are able to keep their current roster in tact. It will be interesting to see if there will be any major moves or changes this off-season to the current landscape of the association. Teams will have to draft well and find a way to capitalize in free agency in order to disrupt the current hierarchy. It doesn't appear anyone will be taking Cleveland's spot as the top team in the East for the next handful of years, and with the Warriors' core players in their primes, the same can be said in the West. While this year's story-line of Durant going to Golden State was compelling, the NBA is going to want challengers to the two top teams going forward. We've had three consecutive years of Cavaliers-Warriors Finals, and, while the rivalry is compelling, this was probably the most boring and predictable playoffs we've had in awhile. Some team needs to shake things up in order for things to become interesting again, as a fourth consecutive year of Cavaliers-Warriors is looking pretty certain as of now.

The Joke of the Century

The highly anticipated bout between legendary boxer Floyd 'Money' Mayweather and MMA champion Conor McGregor is set to take center-stage August 26th in Las Vegas.

Remember a couple of years ago when Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao finally entered the ring after years of build up and anticipation? We were all treated with a less-than-stellar, pitty-pat fight that was as predictable as the sky being blue, as Mayweather defeated his competitor by decision in a bout that was much more about the preliminary trash-talk and lead-in than the actual fight. Now, fast forward a couple of years and we are in a similar boat, except worse. After a year of negotiations and meaningless trash-talk, Mayweather and McGregor are slated to box on August 26th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Money May is expected to net approximately $100 million dollars from the fight, while McGregor will pull in somewhere around $75 million because of his UFC contract obligations. Between sponsorships, Pay-Per-View, ticketing and betting totals, the fight is going to be the largest grossing event in the history of either sport. Mayweather, the undefeated boxer who hasn't been in the ring since September 2015 when he unanimously defeated Andre Berto, will take on the two-weight UFC champion McGregor who hasn't boxed since he was 16 years old. It is a complete money-making event that will deepen the already massive pockets of both men involved. Mayweather would never have agreed to fight McGregor with UFC rules, so ,therefore, McGregor is at a decided disadvantage having to box instead of the fighting style he is accustomed to. This in and of itself is a reason why this fight should have no bearing on either man's career. You are taking two men from a separate sport and asking them to fight in one man's sport. This is like asking Tom Brady to beat LeBron James in a one-on-one pickup basketball game. Not much intrigue, right? Yes, people will pay the $100 Pay-Per-View fee and buy tickets to go to the 'event' (because that's what it is), but it will be purely out of curiosity and nothing more. Mayweather is already a heavy odds-maker's favorite at a -900 money line, with McGregor sitting as a heavy underdog at +600. There is and will be no intrigue and suspense in a couple of months time as these two get in the ring, as Mayweather will defeat McGregor by decision in his sport. He is arguably the best defensive boxer of all-time, and will utilize his quickness and foot-speed to outfox McGregor. McGregor will not be able to use his feet, take-downs or any type of submissions, therefore he will fall mercy to the rules of a sport he does not compete in. Money May will move to 50-0 and pass Rocky Marciano on the All-Time victories list, but with a major asterisk next to his name. So, yes, many will watch the fight out of pure curiosity, but they should title this bout as 'The Joke of the Century.'

Rafa Regains his Throne

Spain's Rafael Nadal captured his 10th French Open Men's Singles title with a straight sets demolition over 2015
Champion Stan Wawrinka.

Champ10n. With an incredibly dominant two weeks at his favorite major, Rafael Nadal slaughtered his way through the field to capture his 10th Roland Garros title, 15th overall Grand Slam and climbed back to his highest ranking since 2014 of No. 2 in the world. This was Nadal's first major championship in three years, when he defeated Novak Djokovic in a tough four-set final at Roland Garros. His 15th Grand Slam puts him second All-Time behind Roger Federer (18), as he broke his tie with the best American player of All-Time, Pete Sampras. Nadal was incredibly dominant, arguably more dominant than ever before at the French Open, as he did not surrender a single set and didn't allow any opponent to win more than four games in any set in seven matches. In the semifinals he routinely dismissed young gun Dominic Thiem, who had beaten him just a couple weeks earlier in Rome. He followed that up with an equally punishing display of physical clay court tennis against 2015 Champion Stan Wawrinka, who was slightly fatigued after his marathon semifinal victory against World No. 1 Andy Murray. It is incredible to see the Mallorca native playing at this level after going through a couple of less-than-stellar seasons, by his standards, on tour. He has accomplished everything he set out to do in professional tennis, and he is potentially playing his best tennis right now at age 31. This season, Nadal and Federer are showing why they are the two greatest players of All-Time. After all their success over the years, they are regaining their form as the two best players in the world in 2017, which not many would have predicted a year ago with Djokovic and Murray having seemingly established themselves as the two players to beat on tour. Now, Murray and Djokovic are struggling with their form, and Nadal and Federer have won virtually every big tournament this season. With the clay court season behind us, we now look ahead to the grass where Federer will return to the court and look to capture his 8th Wimbledon crown. It will be interesting to see if Nadal can continue his top notch form as he prepares for the quick surface change. For now, he will surely enjoy and savor this French Open title as he continues to add trophies to his incredible professional career.