The best opening round in NBA playoff history?

Five game 7s, one game 6, and one sweep...in the first round alone. Finally, the NBA's opening round has concluded, and it wasn't without many thrillers. From off the court drama concerning Clippers' owner Donald Sterling, to Damian Lillard's shot heard around the world, the 2014 NBA quarter finals may have been the best ever.

Last night, the NBA dropped three game sevens into my living room, and many NBA fan's living rooms across the country. The heavily favored Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Memphis Grizzles 120-109 and advanced to the semi finals for the third consecutive season. The Grizzlies put up a great fight in this series, but Kevin Durant's club was too much to handle in the end. This game never really felt close, as the Thunder stormed ahead in the second half and never looked back. If Durant and Westbrook can get on the same page, they may be headed to the Western Conference Finals.

The Indiana Pacers held on by the skin of their teeth and outlasted the feisty Atlanta Hawks in game seven. The Hawks inexperience cost them in this series. Im sorry, but when you have a team down 3-2, like the Hawks did, you need to seal the deal in six or seven. But, once this game got back to Indiana, you had to bet your hard earned money on the East's first seed. The Pacers are still a mess, but they squeaked by and now have a match up with a faster, hungrier team...the Wizards.

The best game seven of the year so far goes the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Golden State Warriors by the score of 126-121. Was there any defense in this game? The answer is no. Still, a good old fashion slugfest will grab the nation's attention. The Clippers went into this series focusing primarily on playing basketball and advancing to the second round for the second straight year. Thanks to their stranger owner, the spotlight fell outside of the Staples Center and into their owner's lap. Long story short, Donal Sterling was banned for life, and we can all go back to watching basketball. The Warriors fought hard, but they didn't have an answer for Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, and the Clippers.

The Brooklyn Nets looked old, tired, heartless, and defeated only a few days ago. What happened? Over night, the Nets righted the ship and outplayed an under experienced Toronto Raptors team., capped off by a gigantic block by Paul Pierce. The good Joe Johnson showed up tonight, and they got just enough defense to outlast the Raptors in Toronto in a thrilling game seven. The Nets now face the two time defending NBA champion Miami Heat, and I have to say, this one will be over quickly.

I have to admit, I didn't pay full attention to the San Antonio Spurs and the Dallas Mavericks series. I just figured the Spurs would destroy them in four or five. Never did I think this series would go seven. It really didn't need to either. The Spurs absolutely destroyed the Mavericks on their home court en route to a 119-96 victory. I don't know how the Spurs do it, but they remain the top dogs in the West year after year. A Spurs-Thunder match-up would really be something. But first, the Spurs need to beat the suddenly red hot Portland Trail Blazers.

Rock song of the day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZCzl6qhZ70

Apple's WWDC 2014 to focus on OSX 10.10

For the first time in a while, Apple may give attention to its desktop operating system, rather than its mobile one, according to 9to5Mac. Many people have thought that the two operating systems would merge into one, but that does not appear to be the case.

Apple is scheduling a desktop OS release date in the fall along with new hardware that will ship with the latest OSX version. Many still believe that Apple will continue their trend of keeping both operating systems closely connected. In an age where tablets, computers, and smartphones all sync up with lightening speed, this would be a good strategy. It is  interesting to note that the code name for OSX 10.10 is currently, "Syrah." Whether this changes by the time of WWDC 2014 remains a question.

In terms of iOS 8, which is due at the same time Apple releases its annual iPhone update, Apple will also touch the surface of their new mobile operating system at WWDC 2014. Many features rumored for iOS 8, including transit functionality in maps, may not be released until later versions of iOS 8, such as 8.1, are released.

Throw Back Thursday: Work, Raw, friends..

In the latest edition of my "throw back thursday," I feature some old pictures from my beginning days in the kitchen at Cedar Crest, as well as some beach photos, wrestling photos, and friends, of course.

February 2010-Abandoned Trains

May 2010-The Stooges at Work

June 2001-My cousin and I at our very first RAW is WAR

October 2007-the ladies and I at my band's first gig.

Our first trip to ocean city. 

Maybe my favorite picture of all-the guys hard at work. 

Today's Headlines: Tornadoes, Donald Sterling, Ferry Disaster Update

Tornados: East coast residents are moaning and groaning as they make their Tuesday morning commute to work. Many baseball games and outdoor events are likely to be cancelled as well with the impending rain due to hit late Tuesday. While many north easterners will moan and grown, many residents of the mid-west and deep south will duck and cover. Over the weekend, Mississippi and Alabama were major targets for widespread Tornado damages. According to a CNN report, tens of thousands were without power in these two states alone.  13 have been reported dead in these two states, on top of an additional 16 in Oklahoma, Iowa, and and Arkansas.

More than 75 million Americans are under risk of severe weather as the calendar turns to Tuesday April 19th. From New York to Mississippi, and all states in between, impending Tornado, flood, and hail warnings have residents seeking shelter. The two states mentioned before, Mississippi and Alabama, are once again the bulls-eye for a predicted Tuesday storm that can bring more Tornados to an already devastated area. We will keep you updated on more information regarding the tragic Tornados of this past weekend.

Donald Sterling: When I turned my radio on Monday morning, I anticipated hearing the fall out from Sunday night's Rangers and Nets playoff games. Instead, radio personalities on ESPN NY and WFAN NY spend countless hours breaking down the fallout from the alleged Donald Sterling remarks. The way the story goes, Sterling's girlfriend recorded him saying he did not want her bringing African Americans to the arena, among other racial slurs. News broke Saturday afternoon and has spread nationwide ever since. While a sports story at first,  Sterling's comments have become a societal issue. In a matter of moments, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will address Donald Sterling and likely dish out a punishment. While I'll leave all the arguing about the type and length of the punishment up to Twitter and radio shows, I will just say that the single fact that any American still feels this way towards African Americans disgusts me. It isn't 1970 anymore. The expected outcome of Silver's press conference are that Donald Sterling will be suspended in-definently and will include a multi million dollar fine. Sterling's family is allowed to have control of the organization.

Ferry Disaster Update: Per a FOX News article, South Korean President Park Guen-Hye apologized Tuesday for the government's inept initial response to the disaster that occurred back on April 12. Nearly two weeks after the incident, nearly 100 people are still unaccounted for. The death toll has been added pushed to 193. As I have posted before on this blog, many of the passengers were high school students. The article continues saying that many families have pressured the Government into believing they did not do enough to save their loved ones who were perishing off the coast of South Korea. I said it when the Costa Concordia went down in 2012, and I said it again when this incident occurred, and that is the fact that in this day and age, tragedies like this continue to happen under the watchful eye of not only the government, but also water patrol. In this case, apparently families and the government of  South Korea agree enough wasn't done to save more lives. Just pitiful.

Links: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/04/29/south-korea-president-apologizes-for-government-response-to-ferry-sinking/?intcmp=latestnews

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/us/severe-weather/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Brooklyn Nets thoughts: Experience, Talent, Heart

Ever since I began this blog earlier in the month, a few of my friends have asked me to do a post on the "other" basketball team in New York City: the Brooklyn Nets. As many of you know, I am a die-hard New York Knicks fan. When it comes to the other teams that the Mets and Knicks share the city with, I am very territorial. Having said that, I do not like the Brooklyn Nets, and never will.

Now, as a basketball fan, I watch the Brooklyn Nets on a nightly basis, and have followed them as if i'm a die-hard fan myself. In this blog post, I will give my unbiased remarks on the Brooklyn franchise currently playing in the playoffs without their big brothers from Manhattan. Below are three things I have have noticed with the Nets over the course of the 2013-2014 season:

Experience-Once the Nets pulled off the trade to land Garnett and Pierce, along with Jason Terry, we envisioned a scenario where big shots were going to be made by very experienced players come playoff time. We all know how the Nets season started and ended. Once at 10-21, the Nets owned the league's best record when the calendar turned to 2014. Give credit to coach Kidd, the players, or both, but something sparked a fire under the Nets. Now, as they battle the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the playoffs, the Nets are relying on their key veterans to pull out a series victory. I predicted the Nets would win in 5 or 6, and the reason is simple: Paul Pierce. While it is not as automatic as it used to be, Paul Pierce has carried the Nets through the first four games of the playoffs. The team has lived the died with Paul's play, and if you look at his track record you'll learn that's not a bad thing. Pierce was brought here for the playoffs, and he's producing. There's not question the Nets have the experience to make a deep run but do they have the talent? Which leads us to...

Talent-Many NBA fans, media, and radio personalities concluded that the Nets had the game's best starting five when the season opened back in October. I mean, add Pierce and Garnett into a lineup already featuring Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez, and you have an eastern conference all star lineup. Unfortunately or Nets fans, the starting five took a major hit when Lopez was lost for the season after another foot injury. With Garnett injured as well, and D-Will in and out of the lineup, the Nets' starting five was far from the best. In fact, their bench was their strength this past season. Deron Williams is not what he once was in Utah. The same can be said for Pierce and Garnett with Boston. The Nets will rely on their experience, and bench, to make a deep run in the playoffs. Not necessarily raw talent, like the Wizards, Warriors, or Raptors are doing.

Heart- Every aspect of the Brooklyn Nets is based on the aforementioned blockbuster trade with the Boston Celtics. The heart of this team sits in the chests of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Deron Williams. In fact, the experience, talent, and heart all fall on Pierce, Garnett, and Williams. Many Nets fans will argue Joe Johnson fits into this equation, and he may, but let's face it. Joe Johnson wasn't brought here to change the culture. He's just an expensive and streaky piece of the puzzle. We all know the 2012-2013 Nets were heartless. They lost to an injured Bulls team in game 7 of the first round on their own court. THAT is the only example I need to prove the Nets were a heartless bunch. The Nets knew this as well. That's why they brought two future hall of famers to this city. This team was supposed to be tough as nails. In some cases this season they were. They beat the Miami heat 4 straight times for God's sake. Having said all of that, the series with the Raptors is truly testing the toughness of this team. Last night, the Nets were a disaster. They came out of the gate flat against a Raptors team that had their back's against the wall. The Nets let them back into this series. As said before, many of the Nets aspirations live with what Garnett and Pierce do. But last night, all blame needs to be on the coach. His team showed the same toughness they showed all of last season, and in the first half of this one. If the Nets win the series all of this will be forgotten, but if you are a Nets fan you have to be saying, "oh no not this again."

My top 10 Sitcoms of All-Time

My Number 1-The King of Queens

Since the Three Stooges are not considered a "sitcom," they are excluded from the list. As you all know, the Three Stooges are my favorite show of all-time. We'll save a post about them for another day. For now, I will rank my top 10 sitcoms of all time, with hope that you'll also comment on yours!

All sitcoms are ranked based on one factor: Funniest! After all, that's what makes a sitcom a sitcom.

10. George Lopez Show

9. The Honeymooners 

8. Full House

7. Three's Company 

6. Leave it to Beaver

5. The Cosby Show 

4. Abbot and Costello Show 

3.