After my previous article, I ended on a cliffhanger ready to discuss the reasons the Suns blew it instead of the Bucks turning on the class. Yes, I said blew it because after taking a 2-0 lead, Phoenix should not have gotten “sun-burnt” for the other 4 games of the NBA Finals!

The Suns had a 2-0 lead leaving Arizona and entering the deer’s cage in Wisconsin. After they were blown out by 20 points in game 3 heads sunk and morale dropped after such a humiliating defeat. They picked themselves up, dusted themselves off, and blew a 6 point lead after the 3rd quarter to be defeated 109-103 with Khris Middleton putting up 40 points.

Now we all know that Giannis scored 42 and 50 in games 5 and six respectively, but that is not what should take the highlights; Devin Booker’s inept defending should. Yeah, he did score back-to-back 40 point games, however, his defending or lack-there-of was what ultimately costed the Suns. Booker was tasked with guarding his opposite number Jrue Holiday and it was the latter who was more successful. Holiday held the 24-year-old to 0-7 from 3 point range in the decisive game six.

Speaking about Holiday, he was the key to the Bucks breaking their 50-year drought for an NBA title. Everyone with eyes could see that a more composed and defensive guard was needed to help Giannis and Middleton to get over the hump. Jrue came in from the Pelicans in 2020 and signed a 4 year, $134 million contract extension with Milwaukee after their win against the Sacramento Kings and is viable if he exercises his 5th-year option in his current contract that they took on from the Pelicans. Don’t get me wrong I believe, no I know, that Jrue Holiday is one of if not the best defensive guard in the NBA, but his performances against Brooklyn were all but worth every penny and I was one to question the decision.

Back to my original point of this follow-up, what went wrong was the mentality, the desire, and the fight. Monty Williams lost to Mike Budenholzer who in my opinion is the most overrated coach in the NBA behind Frank Vogel of course. The Suns were indisciplined as well as Crowder and Bridges were constantly in foul trouble through games 3-6 costing the team valuable points in those games. Monty, who I thought was a bit over his depth going into the finals is 0-3 when his teams are facing the eight ball. That record cannot build morale in a championship-chasing dressing room. This also leaves a heap of unanswered questions which would have been answered if the Suns would’ve won.

Will Ayton get his max extension? The Bahamian was the 2nd best Centre in the playoffs baring Joel Embiid even though it was his first-ever appearance, and who could forget that last-second slam against the Clippers in game two of the conference finals. It would be in the Suns’ best interest to keep this superstar with Devin Booker to build a legacy for the future. And the contract situation, with Chris Paul, Mikal Bridges, and Cameron Payne just to name a few out of a contract, what will the Phoenix team look like for the upcoming season? All that is definitive is Booker will be there and they would want to remain competitive for many years to come.

Never say Never in the Wrestling industry. After a seven year hiatus from in-ring competition Phil Brooks, AKA CM Punk could be returning to the Squared Circle. Cm Punk Was with the WWE from 2006 until his departure from the WWE in 2014. It would be the last time fans would see Cm Punk on WWE TV due to the unhealthy relationship with Vince Mcmahon and WWE. Cm punk stated in multiple interviews that he would not return to wrestling due to the treatment he undergoed. Time after Time and year after year rumors and speculation of Cm Punk returning would be of interest among wrestling fans but eventually would be denounced.

There have been reports stating that AEW All Elite Wrestling Have a Done Deal with Cm Punk but it’s important to remember no public statements from AEW have been released and will not be until CM Punk has made an appearance. Cm punk could appear at All Out in his Hometown of Chicago,Illinois or the night before. Dwayne “The Rock Johnson ” once said to cm punk that he has one of the most creative and innovative minds when it comes to Wrestling and he was right. Cm punk held the WWE Title for 434 days. Imagine what punk could do in AEW as a world champion. There are endless amounts of scenarios for matches and segments such as Cm Punk VS Kenny Omega or CM Punk VS Hangman Adam Paige.One thing is for certain. AEW will never be the same when and if Punk does appear.

After 50 years of anguish, 50 years of agony, 50 years of despair, finally you must now Fear the Deer. The Milwaukee Bucks ended their 50-year drought for an NBA title as they defeated the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in game 6 in the NBA Finals on Tuesday. The Budenholzer coached Bucks have reached the pinnacle of the NBA for the first time since Kareem “Sky-hook” Abdul-Jabbar led them to the title in April 1971.

The Bucks were led by the best player in the world Giannis Antetokounmpo with a staggering 50 points and 14 rebounds. Even though he made most headlines for the fifty-piece he scored, and he ordered from Chick-Fil-A, it was Jrue Holiday who was the deciding factor, putting on a monstrous defensive performance to restrict Suns G Devin Booker to just 19 points and shooting 0 of 7 from 3-point range.

Holiday also contributed heavily on the offensive end as he delivered 27 points and 13 assists to help carry the Bucks to their milestone. The unsung heroes of the finals who won’t get the plaudits are Bobby Portis Jr. who stepped up heavily from the Conference Finals when the “Greek Freak” injured his knee. Portis averaged 7.7 points in the finals including 16 in the series clincher. Khris Middleton, the Robin to Giannis’ Batman, scored only eleven points in game six, however his clutch shot with under a minute to go when it seemed the Suns were making an unprecedented comeback, to put the Bucks back up by 6 and virtually seal the game.

Within all the euphoria of the Larry O’Brien trophy coming to Wisconsin, fingers were pointed on the Suns, not for losing to a masterful MVP and his role players, but the way Phoenix blew a 2-0 series lead in one of the biggest times of each of those players career. It could be down to Devin Booker who was virtually a non-existent player when it came to the defending, Jae Crowder who was always in foul trouble early in the game, or it could be down to NBA Awarded “coach of the year” Monty Williams who is 0-3 when his teams are facing elimination. Enough said I must say congratulations to the Milwaukee Bucks for winning the 2021 NBA Championship and for showing that you don’t need a super team to achieve success.

On May 30th 2021 All Elite Wrestling welcomed back full capacity crowds at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL for one of their biggest spectacles of the year. The show featured The Young Bucks, Jon Moxley, PAC, Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page and Britt Baker (she’s a dentist you know.) This show was electrifying and truly showed what wrestling has been missing since March 2020 when the sports world shutdown.

Fast forward to the week of July and we could all see the effects of what professional wrestling has been missing; the heart beat of every company. On July 7th AEW became the first major promotion to return to touring where the impact of fans who haven’t seen the likes of Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho and MJF in almost two years. The crowd was hot and their impact was felt immediately when AEW shockingly debuted Malakai Black (FKA Aleister Black) to a huge reception from the Miami crowd. The show, dubbed “Road Rager,” did a phenomenal job setting up Fyter Fest Night 1 which featured Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page in a Coffin Match and Jon Moxley vs “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson in a battle for the IWGP US Championship.

The following week the most mainstream promotion, WWE, joined the hot upstart AEW with their own touring schedule that began with a go home show before their annual Money In The Bank Pay Per View. The effects of a crowd was felt right off the bat as Edge received a pop that we have not heard in a very long time. In my own opinion, the WWE Main Roster will benefit greatly from the return of fans as it often felt robotic watching show in the infamous ThunderDome. The return of Finn Balor proved that, as he returned to the main roster for the first time since returning to NXT, to also receive a huge pop.

The historic week in professional wrestling concluded with a very well done Pay Per View in “Money In the Bank.” The show pre-show tag match was one of my favorites as The Usos won Tag team Gold, this match should have been on the main card over The Raw Tag Team match which was mediocre at best where AJ and Omos retained. The best match of this show by far was Charlotte vs Rhea where you really saw the impact of fans right from the bell as chants of “We Want Becky” rained down to a disgruntled Charlotte. The pure talent of both of these women forced the hot crowd right into the match, this was certainly a match to remember. Later in the show’s main event the influence the fans have on the quality of show was prevalent once again as one of the greatest of all time John Cena returned to the company he was the face of for 15 years in one of the most memorable returns of the current decade so far.

The Impact of fans returning post pandemic cannot be underestimated, they have always been the heart beat of this great sport. The following weeks will certainly continue to showcase the importance of fans as AEW continues the tremendous Kenny Omega/Hangman story line and WWE starts the road to Summer Slam.

In a recent ESPN Instagram post, reporter Jeremy Fowler states his top 5 best running backs in the NFL in 2021.

The list goes Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, and Christian McCaffrey. All running backs had great years yet, and this list is interchangeable.

For one, each running back hasn’t had the best past when it comes to post-season success. For example, Henry losing to the ravens in the first round, both cook and McCaffery missing the playoffs, and Nick Chubb losing against the Chiefs this past season, not to mention Alvin Kamara’s subpar performance as well in the postseason.
This list is very interchangeable not only because of performance but also in stats. For example, although his season was riddled by injury, McCaffery’s stats were 225 yards and five touchdowns. However, his performance in those three games he went off. I could bring up his career stats, except this is only based on this past season.

Next is Nick Chubb, whose stats were better than Kamara’s but by a little. Chubb had 1067 yards with 12 touchdowns. In comparison to Kamara, who had 937 yards with 16 touchdowns.

Lastly, Dalvin Cook should be second behind Henry. Cook’s stats was 1557 yards with 16 touchdowns.

Statistically, this list is inaccurate because it should be Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Nick Chubb, Alvin Kamara, then Mccaffery.