Lighting up the Laver Cup

The Inaugural edition of the Laver Cup, which saw the best players from Team Europe face off against the best players from Team World, was an incredible three-day event in Prague, Czech Republic that was treated like anything but an exhibition by the players and coaches involved. In an event developed by and named after the great Australian tennis legend, Rod Laver, the new Ryder Cup of tennis is sure to continue to be a hallmark on the calendar for years to come. Only a couple of weeks after the end of the year's final major, the majority of the top twenty players in the world came to together to challenge each other in a team-oriented format that saw high-quality, pressure-packed singles and doubles matches the entire weekend. Team Europe was led by the top two players in the world, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, along with top ten players Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem, Marin Cilic and hometown Czech Tomas Berdych. Team World was represented with a great deal of youth in USA's Frances Tiafoe and Jack Sock, Australia's Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis and 18-year old Canadian Denis Shapavalov. Veteran Americans John Isner and Wimbledon semifinalist Sam Querrey were also a part of Team World. The scoring format was first team to reach thirteen points wins the tie. The point value for each victory increased each day, as the first day wins were worth one point, the second day valued at two and the decisive third day three points. In a combination of doubles pairings, young guns versus All-Time greats and familiar opponents going toe-to-toe, the weekend came down to the final singles match on Sunday. With Team World's John Isner having played one of his most complete matches of his career , taking down World No. 1 and recent U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal in a comprehensive straight set performance, the score sat at 12-9 in favor of Team Europe. The final match placed Team Europe's Roger Federer against Team World's Nick Kyrgios in a hotly contested match between All-Time great and flashy, unpredicatable young gun. With their previous encounter in 2017 going the distance in the Miami Open semifinals in April, this was sure to be filled with a ton of intensity and will to win. The 2017 Laver Cup was on the line, and both men brought their highest level in the abbreviated singles format. Kyrgios got an early break and captured the first set, 6-4. Federer increased his intensity and level of play in the second set, with his teammates encouraging and bringing the energy throughout the set. Federer ended up wrestling the second set from his opponent in a tough tiebreak, 7-6(5) and evened things up. The two would then battle in a drawn out super tiebreak, first to ten points by a two-point margin, filled with winners and drawn out rallies that had both their teammates and the crowd on the edge of their seats. Kyrgios eventually held a match point at 9-8 in the super tiebreak after hitting a forehand that just dipped into the corner on the line. Federer proved to be the cool customer he always is in tight situations as he forced Kyrgios to play and the young Australian made three consecutive errors to seal the Laver Cup for Team Europe. Federer jumped up and down and his teammates stormed the court, while Kyrgios was left in disbelief that he had come up short. Although the event does not count towards player's rankings, all of the men involved took the weekend very seriously. The second-annual 2018 Laver Cup will take place next fall in Chicago at the world-famous United Center, and based on this year's success will surely draw a large crowd in one of America's greatest sports cities. You can get a sense of what the atmosphere was like in the video above, which offers different camera angles, players mic'd up and fan reactions during the deciding Federer-Kyrgios match. 

Knicks end the Melodrama

Former Knicks' All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony is headed to Oklahoma City to join forces with fellow All-Stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

When the not-surprising news of the Knicks trading their All-Star franchise player Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder surfaced on Saturday, I looked at my phone when the Bleacher Report alert popped up and read the little blurb. It was just a simple, 'Knicks trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second round pick.' And in that moment I thought about all of the money that the Knicks have wasted over the years on a combination of star players and management who didn't pan out. Not that any of these people had bad intentions or were not giving it their all to make the Knicks a better franchise, but how much money these individuals have made off of an organization that has become the laughingstock of the NBA. Anthony and former team President Phil Jackson were just two of the long list of people who have come into the Knicks' organization and made a fortune off of a franchise desperately looking for answers. In Anthony's seven years in a Knicks' uniform, the team made the playoffs three seasons and won one playoff series. Sure, there were great moments, such as Anthony's 62-point game in 2014 when he set the franchise record for points scored in a single game. The playoff series victory in 2013 against the Celtics was filled with intensity, trash-talk and energy Madison Square Garden hadn't seen in many years. But, for the maximum contract Anthony signed after the Knicks picked up his existing deal from Denver in the middle of the 2010 season after the trade, there were a lot more head-scratching moments than jump-out-of-your seat ones. In his time in New York, Anthony was never surrounded by a talented enough group to really make a serious run at a title. He shared the court with some talented players over the years, namely Amar'e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith and Kristaps Porzingis, but it was never really enough be a threat in the Eastern Conference. Anthony was under constant criticism during his time in New York for his playing style and ability to be the leader the Knicks needed. He didn't allow for Phil Jackson's triangle offense to come to fruition, as his need to dominate the ball on the floor overshadowed the team's offensive game plans. He tried to be a mentor to the franchises' 2015 Draft Pick, Porzingis, and it showed at times in their relationship on the court. Porzingis alluded to Anthony's leadership qualities and how he guided him during his first two seasons in the NBA. While Anthony was without question the face of the franchise for the past seven years, how do we as Knicks' fans look back on his time with the team? Do we appreciate the good moments or do we focus on the failures and continued frustration? Personally, although I believe Anthony meant well and did what he could as one person and player, I find it hard to look back on his tenure with the Knicks as a positive period. The Knicks' organization and management did not do enough to surround him with the talent and personnel he needed to really thrive, but isn't an alleged superstar supposed to be able to carry a franchise and do more than just win one playoff series in seven seasons? It is hard to put the blame of the franchise's demise on one person, but the reality of the way things work nowadays Anthony will surely take the brunt of the blame for the team's lack of success during his time as a Knick. Now, the Knicks are one of the younger teams in the NBA trying to figure out the direction of their franchise, hoping that 22-year old Porzingis can be the one to lead them where they need to go. Anthony is now 33-years old and seeking a championship in the back-half of his career, and hoping that his new regime in Oklahoma City is ready to make the astronomical step of taking down the defending champion Golden State Warriors on their way to an NBA title. The two sides have officially parted ways, and although ultimately didn't achieve what they wanted while together, maybe can get on the right path and achieve their goals while apart.

Two of a Kind

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's 2017 seasons on the ATP World Tour have more than cemented their legacies as the two greatest male professional tennis players of all-time.

With World No. 1 Rafael Nadal capturing his third United States Open Men's Singles title, and sixteenth overall Grand Slam title on Sunday, both he and World No. 2 Roger Federer have firmly cemented themselves as the two greatest men's professional tennis players of all-time. Prior to the start of 2017, there were serious question marks for the two greats. Federer had missed the last six months of the 2016 season due to a recurring knee injury that occurred during the 2016 Australian Open, and Nadal hadn't won a major title since the 2014 French Open and had also struggled with injuries and his confidence level on court. Well, as the 2017 season reaches its last stretch, we have certainly learned a great deal about these two men. Both Federer and Nadal have an unrivaled passion for their craft, as they have shown their desire and hunger to win by coming back in their most impressive fashions this year. After all of these two have accomplished over such a long period of time on tour, their desire and inability to settle for mediocrity has seen them return to the top of the game after many critics questioned whether they'd ever lift another major trophy again. While their two greatest rivals, Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, have had an incredibly tough 2017 by their standards, riddled with injuries and low confidence, Federer and Nadal have shined above everyone else in a similar fashion to a decade or so ago. Only this time, it's much more impressive. Federer turned 36 in August and Nadal turned 31 in June, which previously had been ages associated with entering the twilight of a player's career. This has not proven to be the case with these two legends who have cleaned up the four Grand Slam tournaments this season, in addition to a handful of other big Masters 1000 titles. Federer began 2017 by surprising everyone in his run to the Australian Open crown, defeating Nadal in a five-set marathon in the final. Nadal followed up Federer's early hard court dominance (Federer also captured the prestigious Indian Wells and Miami trophies) by controlling the clay court season and winning his whopping tenth French Open championship without dropping a set. Federer then returned to his favorite court and surface, and mowed through the field in a similar fashion to Nadal at the French Open to capture his eighth Wimbledon crown. There were some question marks for both heading into the year's final major, as they had struggled with some slight injuries and form prior to the U.S. Open. Federer struggled at the U.S. Open and ultimately fell to in-form 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro, which yet again ruined another potential Federer-Nadal matchup in Flushing Meadows. Nadal was aided by Federer's defeat and a less-than-stellar field in New York, and scrapped and fought his way to a third U.S. Open title. Seeing what these two have done on court during 2017 is almost beyond belief and we should appreciate what is happening right now. Federer and Nadal are not only the two greatest players ever in their respective sport, but are two of the greatest athletes of all-time.  Let's appreciate them while they are still healthy and able to compete and play at this incredible level, because there will be a massive void in the sport once they are both retired.