[SPORTS] SUPER MARIO BLOCKS LEBRON AS KNICKS TOP LAKERS

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 18, 2019 | SPORTS

The fourth highest scoring player of all time LeBron James drove to the left of the basket and needed only two points to be the New York Knicks, the worst team in the NBA. Defending the King was Mario Hezonja, a player who hasn’t been off the Knicks bench in over a month. What do you think happens?

We’ve seen this from LeBron James before and we, as NBA and LeBron fans, should know how this ends. James would pull up and nail a jumper over a Hezonja as the buzzer sounded and the Lakers would leave Madison Square Garden with their 14^th win on the road this season.

That didn’t happen last night. MSG blew up when Hezonja blocked James step-back shot to lock in the Knicks 14^th win of the season.

LeBron had 33 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the game compared to Hezonja’s 17 points, one assist and eight rebounds. Oh, and Hezonja’s lone block in the game.

From a Knicks perspective, it was a great comeback win. The Knicks ended the game on a 13-1 run with Emmanuel Mudiay hitting both free throws to give the Knicks the lead with 22.3 seconds left in the game. You can also look at this as the Knicks losing their grasp on the first pick overall in the upcoming NBA Draft. Fans of the Knicks should see this as a happier moment in a depressing, failing season.

What did you think of Hezonja’s block? Is LeBron losing his touch? Leave a comment below.

[SPORTS] BROWNS A SUPER BOWL FAVORITE?

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 15, 2019 | SPORTS

Following the internet-shattering trade to steal Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants, many believe that this new Cleveland Browns offense will lead the team to the Super Bowl. Let’s take a closer look at that piece by piece.

The offense is spearheaded by Rookie of the Year nominee Baker Mayfield. Mayfield, in a relief role Monday night against the New York Jets this past season, led the team to their first win in two years. By the end of the season, the Browns were a watchable team and the polar opposite of what they have been. Mayfield broke new ground as the quarterback for the Browns, breaking rookie records and establishing himself as a respectable quarterback, something many quarterbacks have failed to do for the Browns organization.

Behind Mayfield is running-back Kareen Hunt. Hunt, who will miss the first eight games of the season following his suspension, is a dynamic, young that burst out into the scene two years ago in an unforgettable game against the New England Patriots to open the season on Sunday night. The Browns already have a young and impressive running back in Nick Chubb, but with both running down field for the Browns, they might be unstoppable for any rush defense.

Finally comes the wide-receivers. Both Jarvis Landry and now Beckham Jr. will be a force to be reckon with. We see the kind of hands Beckham Jr. and Landry have, and they’ll cause havoc in the middle and on the outside parts of the field.

It’s a matter of personalities, an offensive line to block for Mayfield, and a defense, now without Safety Jabrill Peppers, that could cause the Browns to not meet the expectations that everyone is putting them at. They will be more exciting to watch this season and we’ll have to see how the rest of the offseason plays out.

What do you think will happen to the Browns this season? Is social media overreacting about them or are the Browns Super Bowl contenders? Leave a comment below.

[SPORTS] HUNT GETS EIGHT GAME SUSPENSION

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 15, 2019 | SPORTS

Former Kansas City Chiefs and current Cleveland Browns running-back Kareem Hunt received an eight-game suspension from the NFL Friday morning.

The suspension comes after an NFL investigation into three different incidents involving Hunt. The February 2018 altercation with a woman and another from June 2018 involving other men are what the NFL cited as the cause for the eight-game suspension. A third incident was looked into and the NFL decided there would be no discipline for that.

Hunt has not been charged for any of the incidents and will accept the suspension at the start of the season.

The February incident was caught on security camera footage and was later released by TMZ in November. The video and Hunt lying about his involvement led to his release from the Chiefs that same day. The Cleveland Browns picked up Hunt in February, reuniting Hunt with the man who drafted him to the Chiefs, General Manager Jim Dorsey.

The fact that Hunt was not charged for any incident that the NFL still gave him a suspension that long gives me mixed feelings. First, it appropriate that he gets some thing for pushing and kicking a woman, regardless of what the situation was. Secondly, suspensions in the NFL get dished out left and right and there seems to be nothing consistent about them, so why does this player who wasn’t charged with anything get more games off than a player who uses PEDs. I think we all just want to see Hunt play along side this very new and threatening Browns offense this season.

What do you think about the Hunt suspension? Is it too long or is it too short? Leave a comment below.

[SPORTS] LAKERS HITTING NEW LOWS

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 4, 2019 | SPORTS

The Los Angeles Lakers, following a surprising 118-109 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday, have dropped to a 30-33 record on the season. Everything is going wrong in LA.

LeBron and the Lakers have only won four games in their last 12. Their season has had it’s ups and down, notably beating teams more superior to them like the Boston Celtics and having Lebron out with an injury (the longest he’s ever been out in his career.)

It’s surprising. Everyone thought that Magic Johnson was going to build an All-Star team led by LeBron James but they are essentially and Lebron led team and everyone around him are either young and inexperienced still or scrap players that teams last are now better without. It reminds me of what happened with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year, but they made the playoffs and went to the NBA Championships.

So how do you fix them. For starters, Johnson has to make a splash in the upcoming free agent offseason. Anthony Davis is practically a guarantee considering that he wants out of New Orleans and Los Angeles is where he actually lives. Other players that the Lakers need to sign could be Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving (if he wants to play with LeBron again,) DeMarcus Cousins and Kawhi Leonard. One of these guys will make you that much more of a threat in the league that’s spearheaded by the Golden State Warriors, who will probably repeat their reign as champs this season. The Lakers also don’t need any rental player like Carmelo Anthony, who they wanted on the team since the trade deadline. He’s an older player but would have a great chemistry with James.

Right now, this Lakers team was not what anyone expected. They won’t be what we wanted them to be until maybe next season, or the season after that. It’s a matter of who they can land on the free agant market, how their younger player develop under LeBron James, and if James can keep playing like LeBrom James

[SPORTS] BRYCE HARPER SIGNS WITH THE PHILLIES

by Anthony Gabbianelli | Mar 4, 2019 | SPORTS

After the San Diego Padres signed All-Star free agent Manny Machado to a mega contract worth $300 million, it only left Bryce Harper left in the MLB offseason free agency sweepstakes. And the Philadelphia Phillies landed him in a spectacular fashion.

The Phillies signed the former Washington Nationals outfielder to a 13-year, $330 million deal. The contract includes a no-trade clause and no opt-outs. The 26-year-old is here to stay in Philly for the long run.

Over the past week, Harper had meetings with some teams that were interested in signing him. The Phillies and the San Francisco Giants were the only teams who had second meetings with the All-Star outfielder.

The signing of Harper is the largest for any right-fielder in MLB history. Besides the contract, his jersey is already selling extremely well. On Fanatics.com, his jersey is the fastest selling jersey for any player in any sport over a 24-hour period. He’s raking in more than just homeruns, and it’s the offseason.

Harper deserves a big contract due to his status as one of the best players in the game, arguably number two behind Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout. Harper also had career lows at the plate and did not perform as expected from a player his caliber. The Phillies know what they’re getting and Harper should be the player we know he is entering the 2019 season.

What do you think of the Harper deal? Are the Phillies the World Series Champs this year? Leave a comment below.