Tristan Thompson has found his way back in the news, and for all the wrong reasons per usual.
The Cleveland Cavaliers forward made a statement on Thursday following the Cleveland Cavaliers practice when he declared the Cleveland Cavaliers as ‘the team to beat’.
In spite of LeBron James departure back in July, Thompson is plenty confident when it comes to the subject of Eastern Conference landscape.
“We’re still four-time Eastern Conference champions, so until you take us down from that, teams ain’t got much to say,” Thompson told reporters. “Boston, Philly, they ain’t got much to say. Boston had homecourt (for) Game 7 (last season) and lost. Philly, you guys almost got swept. Toronto — we already know that story l. So until someone takes us down, there’s not much they can really say.”
Here is the video below
Tristan Thompson has a message for the @NBA Eastern Conference 👀💨
Tristan Thompson may be the only one who feels as confidently about Cleveland’s chances of winning the Eastern Conference because the Las Vegas Superbook certainly doesn’t.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are listed at 100-1 to win the Eastern Conference this season. Only the Brooklyn Nets (250-1) have worse odds.
What are your thoughts on the Eastern Conference this season? Leave your comments below!
You can say this performance from ‘King’ James marked his official arrival and the first of many signature moments in his career.
On May 31st, 2007 a 22 year-old LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers headed into The Palace of Auburn Hills in a 2-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was the second straight year that the Cavaliers once again were locked in a tough playoff series with Detroit Pistons. The previous year the Cleveland Cavaliers lost in seven games to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.
In familiar territory as was the case the previous year, Cleveland erased a 0-2 series deficit after winning two games on their home floor in Northeast Ohio.
What would happen in Game 5 as the veteran Detroit Pistons unit led by Chauncey Billups tried to hold off James’ Cavaliers from taking control of the series?
Take a look
Game 5 was a night to remember for LeBron James, who carried his team as he scored the last 25 points for Cleveland from the fourth quarter on to send them to a thrilling 109-107 double overtime.
James’ epic 48-point night in Game 5 would prove to be a dagger for the Pistons, as Cleveland would go on to wrap up the series in six games, advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.
Where does this moment rank in LeBron James’ NBA career? Leave your comments below.
Brees Breaking Brees? Beast of the East, Bad Luck, and More!
So where do we stand after last week’s second edition of NFL fact or fiction?
The Jacksonville Jaguars couldn’t build off their victory over the New England Patriots as they fell to the Tennessee Titans at home. Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw EXACTLY three touchdown passes vs the San Francisco 49ers, Yay!!!
How about that Bengals defense? Unable to generate pressure or handle the Carolina Panthers offensive line, the Bengals run defense (230 rushing yards) was exposed at Bank of America Stadium last Sunday (Okay, even I couldn’t of envisioned that would be the case).
After a week that saw a 16.5-point underdog rise from the dead on the road, saw the Cleveland Browns win a football and saw Tom Brady and the Patriots try to run the clock out while trailing, certainly we have some hot takes to get to before the beginning of Week 4.
Let’s get started!
Fact or Fiction: Drew Brees Will Break His Own Completion Percentage Record This Season
If you’re attention has been on how bad the Saints defense has been in the first three weeks you’ve probably overlooked the brilliance of quarterback Drew Brees.
Drew Brees through the first three weeks of the season has thrown for 1,078 passing yards, 8 TDs, 0 INTs and has a Passer Rating of 122.2.
One stat not listed there that’s probably the most impressive is Brees 80.6 completion percentage. He’s completed 104 of his 129 pass attempts, a stunning feat when you consider New Orleans is ranked 28th in rushing and have run the ball on just 33 percent of their plays from scrimmage.
Only the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have run the ball at a lesser rate than New Orleans.
Consider that Mark Ingram, who was fifth in the NFL in rushing last season with 1,124 rushing yards, will return from suspension after Week 4. Drew Brees completed 72.0 percent of his passes last year and it’s entirely possible he finishes a few percentage points higher than he did in 2017.
Fact
Fact or Fiction: The Washington Redskins Will Finish In The Top 5 In Total Defense This Season
The Washington Redskins defense this season has been nothing short of stifling through the first three weeks.
The Redskins are tied for 2nd in points allowed (14.7), 2nd in yards allowed (278.0) and 5th in passing yards allowed (187.3).
Former outside linebackers coach Greg Manusky took over as defensive coordinator last season and the team, decimated by injury, was one of the lowest ranked defenses in the NFL.
This year, a young defensive line that features Matt Ioannidis, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen has turned a team that couldn’t pressure the quarterback last year into a defense that’s getting plenty of it.
Factor in a strong secondary led by All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, and you damn right this defense will finish in the top 5. With that said, they’ll be tested over the next few weeks going up against Drew Brees, Cam Newton, Eli Manning and Matt Ryan in four of their next five games.
Fact
Fact or Fiction: JuJu Smith-Schuster Will Lead The Pittsburgh Steelers In Receiving Yards
Wouldn’t you know though the first three weeks of the season Antonio Brown is not the leading wide receiver on the Pittsburgh Steelers, that title belongs to second-year wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
Smith-Schuster has 356 receiving yards for the Steelers, which ranks third among all wide receivers. A breakout year was expected for the talented wide receiver, but leading the Steelers in receiving yards over arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL in Antonio Brown? Hardly.
Antonio Brown’s still receiving the most targets (42) on the team. While his connection with Roethlisberger is off, that’s something we can’t expect to continue for much longer.
Fiction
Fact or Fiction: The Patriots Will Be Held Under 21 Points For A Third Straight Game
It’s been a trying start to the season for Tom Brady and the Patriots offense. Devoid of playmakers on the outside, New England has struggled to make things happening in the passing game. Brady has been hit often because of it as defenses have taken away Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan and forced Philip Dorsett and others to try to beat them.
Held to 20 points vs the Jacksonville Jaguars and 10 vs the Detroit Lions, the offense limps home to face a Dolphins defense that’s shown to be more than capability.
The problem is the Dolphins just lost their top pass rusher in defensive end William Hayes and the Dolphins are highly unlikely to get home with what they have now on the defensive line. That plays a big role in keeping New England at bay offensively.
Fiction
Fact Or Fiction: Andrew Luck’s 5.34Yards Per Pass Attempt Is Real
Only seven eligible quarterbacks in the NFL have averaged less than six passing yards per completion.
Mitchell Trubisky, Dak Prescott, Tyrod Taylor, Nick Foles, Blaine Gabbert, Sam Bradford and Andrew Luck.
Of those quarterbacks, only three will start in Week 4 for their respective teams. Andrew Luck is one of those quarterbacks, but he’s been unlike the Andrew Luck we were accustomed to seeing before his right shoulder injury caused him to miss all of the 2017 season.
Luck is only averaging 5.34 yards per completion, which is the second worst mark in the NFL behind Sam Bradford (5.00), who has been benched by Arizona Cardinals head coach Steven Wilkes.
Luck averaged a career-worse 4.10 yards per completion last Sunday vs a Philadelphia Eagles defense that surrendered 402 passing yards to Ryan Fitzpatrick the week before.
What makes Luck’s struggles to get the ball down the field even more worrisome is the conclusion of that game last Sunday. Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich would pull Luck out of the game for Jacoby Brissett for a hail mary on the final play of the game from the Colts 46-yard line.
After the game head coach Frank Reich explained the move by saying that they went with Brissett because he could get the ball to the endzone over Luck.
If that doesn’t raise alarm flags, it’s quite possible you are a UFO.
Fact
What are your thoughts on this week’s NFL fact or fiction? Leave your comments below!
After her role as Harley Quinn was labeled one of the few bright spots of 2016’s “Suicide Squad” Margot Robbie finds herself front and center of the upcoming spin-off “Birds of Prey.”
Some expected Batman’s more famous female villains, like Catwoman and Poison Ivy, to appear in the film, but it look like “Birds of Prey” will focus on some less high-profile members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery.
Margot Robbie first played the iconic villain in “Suicide Squad.” Photo courtesy of Consequenceofsound.net
Mary Elizabeth Winstead has been cast as the Huntress. The actress, who has recently been in “10 Cloverfield Lane” and the third season of FX’s “Fargo” found herself at the center of light controversy after her “Fargo” costar Ewan McGregor left his wife of 23 years to persue a relationship with Winstead.
Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead costarred in the third season of “Fargo.” Photo courtesy of FX Networks
“True Blood” actor Jurnee Smollett-Bell has been cast as Black Canary, beating out Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Janelle Monae for the role. Black Canary has previously been portrayed as Caucasian, but this isn’t the first time a comic book character has had its race changed. Will Smith played Deadshot in “Suicide Squad” and Michael B. Jordan was cast as Johnny Storm in Josh Trank’s ill-fated “Fantastic Four” remake.
Robbie has described the spin-off as an “R-rated girl gang film.” She also spoke about how it was originally pitched as a stand-alone solo film focusing on Quinn, but the character works best when feeding off other characters, so the idea to have multiple female villains alongside her was chosen as the best possible option.
As reported by Variety, “Birds of Prey” will be released on February 7, 2020.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell (left) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead (right) will be playing Black Canary and the Huntress in “Birds of Prey.” Photo courtesy of comingsoon.net
Sony Pictures Worldwide is releasing independent distributor A24’s summer film “Eighth Grade” internationally, as they plan for a full-fledged awards campaign.
The film follows Kayla through her last week of middle school. It’s a mundane, slice of life film that progresses slowly, but it places audiences directly in Kayla’s point-of-view. The plot is light and some have criticized the film as slow, but it’s an especially realistic look at modern public school.
Written and directed by Youtube star and comedian Bo Burnham, “Eighth Grade” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this past January, before playing the festival circuit until its theatrical release in July, grossing $13.5 million.
Since its release, many have questioned whether “Eighth Grade” would receive any award nominations. With the news that it will be released internationally, more people will have a higher chance of seeing the film, which would of course improve its chances comes awards season.
Elsie Fisher stars as Kayla in Bo Burnham’s directorial debut “Eighth Grade.” Courtesy of Sundance Institute
However, I’m still hard pressed to believe “Eighth Grade” will receive any major Oscar nominations. If anything, I could see it getting a Best Original Screenplay nomination for Burnham, due mostly to one especially amazing monologue towards the film’s conclusion. I still don’t think star Elsie Fisher will be nominated, nor do I predict it will be nominated for Best Picture.
I think the Independent Spirit Awards will be where “Eighth Grade” will flourish. While these are obviously less high-profile awards than the Academy Awards, they’re still prestigious, as recent winners include Frances McDormand, Timothee Chalamet and Jordan Peele.
Personally, I thought “Eighth Grade” was a brutally honest depiction of growing up in the modern age of social media, and regardless of whether it gets any Oscar nominations or not, I believe it’s definitely worth watching. It’s coming to Blu-Ray and DVD on October 9, and I strongly recommend checking it out.
![[SPORTS] TRISTAN THOMPSON BECOMES LAUGHING MATTER AFTER DECLARING CAVS EAST’S TEAM TO BEAT](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_7919-1.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
Photo via bleacher report![[SPORTS] NBA THROWBACKS: LEBRON JAMES SCORE 48 POINTS VS PISTONS IN ECF](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_7916.jpg?resize=960%2C540&ssl=1)
![[SPORTS] NFL WEEK 3: FACT OR FICTION](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/img_7915-1.jpg?resize=600%2C400&ssl=1)
![[ENTERTAINMENT] HARLEY QUINN SPIN-OFF ‘BIRDS OF PREY’ CASTS KEY ROLES ALONGSIDE MARGOT ROBBIE](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/hq.jpg?resize=798%2C419&ssl=1)
![[ENTERTAINMENT] ‘EIGHTH GRADE’ RECEIVES WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION AS A24 PLANS AWARDS SEASON CAMPAIGN](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/eighth-grade.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
