EJ's Notepad: Spurs Destroy the Grizz

-San Antonio destroyed Memphis 105-83 in Game 1 of the West Finals. That score isn’t or at least shouldn’t be indicative of the series we’re about see in the next week or so. Grizzlies must get more physical with the Spurs. Well that and not give up 14 threes would help. I still see this series going the limit.


-J.R. Smith already sounds like a guy who’s lost alot of potential big money this summer. Shortly after Saturday’s night playoff elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, he was quoted as saying he wants to return and furthermore retire as a New York Knick. For a guy who’s coming off the best season of his career and a 6th Man of the Year award, this is sorta a shocking development. I’m sure the night life in New York is damn near appealing for the dude it will be an interesting summer for him and the Knicks as they try to sort through their very limited cap situation.


-Speaking of the Knickerbockers, funny stuff watching Twitter shortly after Game 6. Absolute panic and chaos. This is of course is the polar opposite of the huge expectations entering these playoffs. While some may think this was a humbling experience, I choose to look at it as a team that over exceeded their expectations. Remember the narrative coming into the season. Heavy criticism as of all their signings of (and I joke) AARP members Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby and why did we let Jeremy Lin leave? Instead all the Knicks did was have their best season since the Clinton administration and overcame alot of adversity (even in a weak Eastern Conference)


-In the aftermath of losing a 5 game set to Memphis Grizzlies in lue of performing without Russell Westbrook, I’m starting to wonder how much does Sam Presti regrets trading away James Harden? Ego is a funny thing and I do understand why he did what he did in the best financial interest of the Thunder organization because hey, this aint NY, LA or even Dallas. But while I still do believe this move can work itself out in the longterm, I’m starting to question whether OKC lost their best opportunity to win a championship. We shall see in the next few years.


-OKC Thunder have no plans to amnesty Kendrick Perkins. Hmmmmm…..ok.


-Reports are swirling in that Dwight Howard is gaining interest from Houston and Dallas. Yup, it’s that time of year again. Dwightmare 2.0 has begun. Only this time I am much more prepared for the annoyance.


-As the basketball season dwindles into the Final 4, my personal TV schedule now comes to the forefront. I purposely allow some of my favorite shows to get ahead of me while I am indulging in the absolute grind of the NFL and NBA season. Late May thru early August is reserved for me to see what the heck I’ve been missing on the tube or as I call it “my wife’s favorite time of the year”. So to zero in on it…here are the following shows I’m targeting this summer: Revenge, Scandal, Mad Men and I will finally make that time for The Wire.


-I’m looking forward Heat/Pacers Round 2. Indiana does present a challenge for Miami with their size and physicality. I honestly think Indy will test Miami probably more than any team of this current run. Heat in 6. Competitive series from game to game though.


-To everyone that assumed Kobe Bryant‘s big announcement last night was him retiring and furthermore wasting your time watching it……nope you cannot get back those 2 hours back.


-PET PEEVE: I wish casual NBA fans truly understood what and how the amnesty clause truly works. This isn’t NBA2k13 folks.


-Another cool thing about the sports schedule lightening up this summer: getting back into the music game. Loads of LP’s to catch up on. God Bless Spotify.


-PLUG TIME: I truly hope everyone who read’s this blog check out my radio show “Earnestly Speaking Radio Show every Friday on The OpinioNation Network. I’ve been truly appreciative of the direction of the show in recent weeks. It’s more than just a sports show to me. It’s almost somewhat a way of life. I love the laid back water cooler talk we continue to have with callers and guests alike. Most of all, I just have for damn sure alot of fun. Earnestly Speaking has been my personal therapy. It’s been the platform (even more than the other podcasts I do and have done) that I’ve ultimately been most proud of. We talk sports, life, entertainment. Just know we always keep it real on there.

​Till next week……