LeBron earns a life time deal with Nike

Yesterday, multiple reports have indicated that LeBron James and Nike has agreed to a "life time" contract, similar to what Nike has with Michael Jordan but more exclusive. The amount of money that LeBron has made off of this contract has yet to be announcement, but we are sure it will be revealed in due time.

LeBron is coming off of a 90 million dollar contract back in 2003 right before being drafted. Back then, a lot of people questioned Nike for making just a hasty decision. Now, LeBron is worth an estimated over $300 million dollars.

Nike has a plan to make LeBron relevant way past his basketball years, just like Jordan has been able to do. It remains to be seen if LeBron will be able to hold such an influence on the culture after basketball, but Nike has fully invested into LeBron to make that a reality. With Kobe retiring , and KD still trying to get back to his fully dominant ways, LeBron will be a life-long staple to the Nike brand.

One More Left for Warriors

In Game 5, the Golden State Warriors defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104 - 91. In this game , LeBron James had yet another triple-double, scoring 40 points to go along with 14 rebounds and 11 assists. During this series, LeBron is averaging just over 35 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assist. Without his running mates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love , the Cavs look too short-handed.

Stephen Curry was able to finally breakout this game, scoring 37 points, including 17 in the 4th quarter alone. The baby face assassin and his counter parts played very well. Draymond Green scored 16 points and 9 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assist. Klay Thompson contributed as well with his 12 points.

Will the Warriors close out the series on Tuesday? Or will Cleveland prevail and force a Game 7?

Kyrie Irving Hurt

As most of us have heard by now, Kyrie Irving is out for the rest of the season with a fractured patella. Irving was on to a great NBA Finals run. Despite being in pain, he scored 23 points, seven rebounds and six assist during Game 1 of the series. With this injury occurring, many predict that the Golden State Warriors will take it all. Here is an Instagram post made by Irving:

Match-up of the week: Miami Heat vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (Written by Haley Greenberg)

            This past week, the Miami Heat crushed the Cavaliers in Miami by double digits. The final score ended up being 106-92. Though the Cavs are in a good position for the playoffs, this win would’ve been huge. LeBron was playing at his old arena against his former team. For the Cavs, coach David Blatt believes that his team HAS to finish in second place in the Eastern Conference. Even with the loss, Cleveland is still two games ahead of Toronto for the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. 8 out of the Cavs’ final 13 games are at home and only 5 upcoming games are against teams above .500.

            Another point of interest for the Cavs is keeping LeBron healthy. He is determined to do well in the playoffs with or without an injury. As of now, Miami is tied with Indiana for the number 7 seed in the East—which would mean that the Cavs and Heat would play in the first round of the playoffs (if the Cavs can hold on to being number 2). James knows that his team is inexperienced in the playoffs and that Miami is a tough opponent. However, he believes that his team is willing and able to beat the Heat if they face each other.

Are Cavaliers Getting It Together?

At one point in the season, it seemed as though the Cavs were barley going to be a top 5 team in the Eastern Conference. This was a major disappointment considering the amount of talent that they have on their team.

Resting LeBron James Will Make A Huge Impact

Before LeBron took his week and a half break, it had seemed as if LeBron was just worn out. LeBron has always put up good numbers, but he seemed physically and mentally drained. In his absence, the Cavaliers were deflated. However, the Cavs seem to be getting it together with LeBron being back and the team continuing to grow in chemistry.

Resting LeBron is something that began in his time with Miami. Every so often he would sit out here and there throughout the season to be kept from being worn out. Doing so in Cleveland will be pivitol as he continues to age through the years. With that being said, LeBron fans should not be too concerned. When he does play, he still averages 37.6 minutes per game.

Their recent victory over the Bulls at home sends a message to the rest of the Conference: don't forget about us.

Return of the NBA Big Man in the West?

            Whens the last time you thought of a big man winning the MVP before this year? Probably not since Shaq or Tim Duncan (no disrespect to Dirk). The NBA has, in recent years, evolved into a “small man’s” league. Small forwards and guards have won most of the recent MVPs from Steve Nash to Kevin Durant. Dirk may be a power forward, but his style of play isn’t really a big man’s game. Guards and small forwards have been the talk of the NBA, heck, even Dwight Howard wasn’t considered the best on his Houston team to many last year. Post play has been considered an afterthought in a league that had traditionally been known to build around big men.

            This notion, however, may be changing this year, especially in the West. There are many big men MVP candidates with the past three winners; Rose, LeBron, and Durant, either battling injury or struggling to adjust to new teams. This has opened the door for a whole new group of candidates to emerge, among many of which are big men. Anthony Davis may be the leader for the MVP award after improving his already impressive play from last year. He is a defensive anchor who is scoring points in bunches as well this year and will probably win the MVP if his play and stats results in more wins for his team. Dwight Howard is co-leading Houston with James Harden to an 11-3 record. Houston was considered an afterthought after the loss of Chandler Parsons, but Howard and Harden, along with the help of some solid role players has brought Houston to title aspirations.

            Two other big men that may be more surprising may be Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings. Gasol has been a defensive anchor to a Grizzlies team that struggled last year without him. Now that he’s been playing in full this year, Memphis finds themselves atop the Western Conference. Gasol is proving that his presence made all the difference from last year to this year and that’s what makes him an MVP candidate.
           Lastly DeMarcus Cousins is probably the most surprising MVP candidate. He has always been considered a top-notch NBA talent, but many always questioned his maturity and if he could last in the league if he didn't improve the mental aspect of his game. This year, he seems to have done that , even restraining his coach from getting a technical foul in order to win a close basketball game. He's upped his statistics from a year ago , and most importantly , has Sacramento in the playoffs as of right now early in the season.
         Of course, the big question is if these players can keep up this play thoroughout the season. If they do, one of them may be the holder of the MVP trophy on the big man once again as it has in the past. The West has many other big men MVP candidates including Blake Griffin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Tim Duncan as well. We can't guarantee that a big man will win this award if LeBron and Cleveland pull their act together, but one thing is for sure, the NBA BIG MAN IS BACK.

        

             

NBA Team Most Likely to Rise in the East: Washington Wizards

   In this year's season, many people have already crowned the Eastern conference to either the Chicago Bulls or the Cleveland Cavaliers. The return of LeBron obviously gives the Cavs a very good chance to win the East. In addition, all-stars Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving make the Cavs extremely tough on paper.  As such , the return of Derrick Rose will make a strong Bulls  team even stronger. The Bulls have even added former Lakers forward Pau Gasol to add offense to the team. So with these two teams predicted to win the East, are there any dark horses that could come from nowhere and take the east? Yes, there are. The team that we predict can do so? The Washington Wizards.

Young Studs: 

    The Wizards probably have the next generation of a great backcourt on their team. Point guard John Wall and shooting guard Bradley Beal are two very good guards that compliment each other very well. Wall is very good at penetrating and getting to the rim. Wall is best when he has the ball in his hands because it allows him to create plays.  Beal is very good at moving around WITHOUT the ball. Beal is also 40% from the three point line. Together, they have averaged close to 40 points per game. The most exciting part about this tandem is that neither player is even close to their peak. Wall is only 24, while Beal is only 21.

John Well (left) and Bradley Beal (right) via Internet

Solid Frontcourt and Depth:
  

   This offseason, the Wizards added Paul Pierce after the departure of Trevor Ariza. Pierce is entering his 17th season, and is on the decline. However, he was nicknamed "The Truth" for a reason. Piece will give the Wizards 12-15 points per game a night. The rest of the frontcourt consist of  former all-star Nene and center Marcin Gortat. Gortat averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds per game last season. Nene is off to a great start this season, averaging 17 points and 5 rebounds per game. As the season continues to proceed, look for this group to develop some great continuity with each other. The trio of players described are all selfless and willing to move the ball around. In addition, all are capable of having a 30 point night at any given time.

    While the Wizards don't exactly have the strongest bench in the NBA, they do have a few solid pieces. Guards such as Andre Miller and Martel Webster do have the ability to make an impact on a game. Forward DeJuan Blair was a nice addition as well. He will fit very well with Nene/Gortat. His energy level will help alot off of the bench. Also, look for young forward Otto Porter to only improve and get better.

Key to Success: Chemistry & Health

 
    Although the subtitle sounds like a college course, this is exactly what the Washington Wizards need in order to compete with the beast of the east. Chemistry is already pretty good, since they have 4 returning starters from last year. With time , Paul Pierce will find his role on the team, and make his full impact that way.
 
    The most important thing for them and any other team is staying healthy. As of now, they are missing shooting guard Bradley Beal due to a fracture on his wrist. As long as injuries do not carry over into the playoffs for the Wizards, look for them to be very competitive.
 

No Place Like Home

As we all know by now,  the King has returned back to his homeland. After four years in Miami, LeBron James decided that he wants to be back in Cleveland. In a well written letter, he wrote that the main reason he departed from Miami is because his decision was "bigger than basketball". This decision occurred after LeBron and the Heat took 4 straight trips to the NBA Finals. With that in mind, LeBron is a very historically aware person when it comes to sports history. When speaking about Northeast Ohio, LeBron stated: "Our city hasn't had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what's most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio." I think that anyone who loves their hometown as much as LeBron does and has the chance to do something great for their community like he does, it's easy to understand why he made the decision.

The people that still question his decision are the people who say that the owner is simply trash. After LeBron departed to Miami, Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert wrote a long letter about how disgusted he was due to the departure of LeBron. He claimed that "Cleveland would win a championship before the "self-proclaimed King". Everyone was well aware that either Gilbert was on crack or just writing out of spite. Or both.

LeBron made sure to have the upper hand at this time around, signing a 2-year 42 million dollar contract with the player option in the 2nd year (which means that if he wants to leave, he very well may do so).Therefore, if Gilbert wants to keep LeBron, he better do anything that LeBron ask him to do.

By returning to Cleveland , many fans and gamers are looking forward to both NBA 2K 15 and NBA Live 15. These games will mark the closing chapter for one era, and the continuation of another for LeBron, Cleveland, and basketball gamers all over the globe.

Cristiano Ronaldo/LeBron James

When you think of the latest sports superstars that would be named in any conversation, two that come into mind are: LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo. While each of these two do play their respected sports, they are arguably the best players in their sport. Let's breakdown the two:

Players:	LeBron James	Cristiano Ronaldo
Points/Goals	27.5 Points Per Game	69 goals in 2013 alone
Assist	6.9 Assist	118 Career Assist (2003-2014)
Awards	4 time MVP	2 time PFA Players’s player of the year
Current Contract	6 year , 110 million	6 year, 132 million

As we see here , both are highly ranked in their respective sports. My belief is that both are in their prime. Both Ronaldo and James are 29 years of age. Coming from different backgrounds, both had a lot of hype as a youngster. In the United States, James had hype around him since he was in high school, being the first high school athlete to ever be on the front cover of an ESPN magazine. Ronaldo was able to show the entire world has good he was dating back in the 2006 World Cup. In that World Cup, Ronaldo put Portugal on his back. In the round of 8, Ronaldo scored twice in the penalty shoot-out to win the match against a dominant England team. That year, Portugal went on to finish 4th in the tournament.

STYLES OF PLAY:
When comparing James to Ronaldo, they have a simple style in which they affect the game. James doesn't necessarily need to score to be very effective in a game. James has the ability to setup teammates with his passes, defend the other teams best player, and rebound just as well as most big men in the NBA.

Playing LW , Ronaldo has the ability to draw defenders towards him in order to pass it to Postiga to score a goal. While Ronaldo will be looking to score his points, he isn't afraid to make the necessary pass.  Ronaldo's passing which will definitely help Portugal if they want to contend for a World Cup.

CLUTCH GENE:
Both players are one of the best players under pressure up to date. In LeBron's career, it took him a while to build a reputation as a clutch player. In fact, early in his career he was seen widely as a player that folds under pressure. The defining moment for him overcoming his bad reputation occurred in the 2012

As both James and Ronaldo partake in some of the highest level of competition in their careers , look for these qualities that make them who they are.

Lob Nation

      There's many great things about NBA 2K13, but there is nothing like throwing the ball up, and watching another player grab it and slam the ball with authority a seemingly helpless opponent. An alley-opp deflates  whoever you're playing against, and stops any momentum that they may already have had. The flow of the game can change all  because of a single alley-opp. Alleys can be detrimental to whoever you play against. I know that I've gone on runs that have started due to alleys, and have lost leads because of them.
      
     One thing that I love about 2K, is the different types of finishes that players may have off of alleys. If you play with  a team such as the Jazz, with the exception of Jeremy Evans, you are more than likely to have the player on the receiving end finish with a basic two hand slam. On the other hand, if you play with a team like the Miami Heat, or the Los Angeles  Clippers, you are bound to witness spectacular dunks. In my opinion, the Clippers are the best alley-oop team on the game. Miami has the options of the perfected and mistake-free made LeBron James, and the slashing Dwyane Wade. However, the Clippers have a number of weapons. When throwing the ball up for players such as Blake Griffin, Eric Bledsoe, and DeAndre Jordan, you almost never know what they will do once they get the ball. You may see anything from a  windmill, to a powerful lunging two-hand, or a cocking back one hand throwdown. In the near future, as a fan  I would like to be able to control what type of dunk that the player may do once they have the ball in the air. Also, with that new feature, only certain player should be able to perform dunks that they can normally do.
     
     For  those of you who don't know how to perform an alley-oop on 2K, simply hit the "x" and "a" button simultaneously. If you would  to play with a little more style, throw the ball off the glass  by pressing "x" and "a" ,but make sure there is a trailing teammate. (For XBOX 360 console only.) Go ahead, try it for yourself.