King James goes airborn.
A warm weekend in the first weekend in June has passed. Whether you’re in New York City or New Jersey or a forgotten borough as I am in Staten Island, it’s time to reflect on what was an emotional sports week.
1.Like many, I’ve been watching the many tributes to Muhammad Ali. As someone who grew up with boxing in our family due to my great uncle Barney Felix, who was the man in charge for Cassius Clay’s upset of Sonny Liston, I have been captivated by the kind of person Ali was. At the beginning, he was brash and mean saying disparaging things about opponents that divided fans over him. Many rooted for Joe Frazier in the Fight of the Century for that reason. But Ali was much more than the trash talking poetic speaker who made predictions while hyping prize fights. He stood for something. As his protest against the war in Vietnam demonstrated, he took a stance by refusing to get drafted into the Army. A crime he was arrested for. It cost him most of his prime. When he returned to the ring, he wasn’t as quick. But after losing the epic bout to Frazier, he used his head to outsmart George Foreman in what became known as the Rope-A-Dope. Eventually, the powerful Foreman punched himself out allowing Ali to stun him with a quick flurry of rights off the ropes to knock him out and win the heavyweight championship for the second time. In a gruesome display, he outlasted Frazier in their third meeting in the Thrilla in Manila. A epic battle that resulted in both Frazier’s eyes being closed and unable to come out for Round 15. Ali would refer to it as a near death experience in 100-plus degree heat in the Philippines. He would also avenge a loss to Leon Spinks and win the belt once more and then retire.
2.Unfortunately, like most boxers Ali couldn’t escape the game. Whether it was due to only the money or the Nation of Islam, he returned to the ring to fight former sparring partner Larry Holmes in 1980. The Magic Man ran out of any tricks that night in Las Vegas. Oddly prescribed thyroid pills two months before the fight after training hard, he took pills that weakened his body, turning him into a vegetable against the heavyweight champion. Holmes dominated from start to finish, pulverizing a man he loved. Despite taking so much punishment, Ali wouldn’t go down. Eventually, trainer Angelo Dundee stopped the one-sided fight after the 10th round. The legendary trainer who formed a unique bond with Ali stuck with him from the beginning to end from 1960-81. Despite being urged by former Ali doctor Ferdie Pachecho to quit working in Ali’s corner, he stuck with him.
“I honestly felt that if Muhammad was insisting on fighting on, I had to be there to make sure he didn’t get hurt real bad,” he said in a story that appeared in the Independent online at age 90 a year before his death.
3.It’s sad that it ended up the way it did. A suffering Ali from all the shots absorbed was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome in 1984. An incurable disease that is debilitating. For 32 years, he fought on continuing to make public appearances until his body was too weakened. To quote Pachecho in the great Muhammad and Larry 30-for-30 ESPN documentary- who recognized the early signs of Ali slowing down and slurring his speech- he felt that Ali could’ve lived forever because he was so strong. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way. We can still remember him showing courage lighting the Olympic torch in Atlanta for the 1996 Summer Games. An emotional and spiritual moment that’ll never be forgotten.
4.I think what I enjoy most is listening to my father tell stories of how he used to go watch all the fights in a theater on pay-per-view. The same family who got together for fights on CBS and HBO during the 80’s at my Uncle Murray’s when they lived out here. The same family whose grandparents visited us often on weekends for similar reasons. It’s why I became such a huge boxing fan. Funny enough, my favorite fighter growing up was not a popular name. It was Donald Curry. A light middleweight who was exciting to watch knocking out opponents. He was a welterweight and light middleweight champion. Ironically, I also was a huge Sugar Ray Leonard fan. Curry hated him. Mike Tyson of course was my favorite. Nobody packed more punch. The heavyweight game hasn’t been the same Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis departed. It never will be. I also loved Roy Jones, Jr. What an artist. He never ducked anyone and was electrifying. I’m a Manny Pacquiao guy over Floyd Mayweather, who only cared about the money. Sadly, that great era is over.
5.So, what’s left in the fight game? Well, you got Triple G , Gennady Golovkin awaiting Canelo Alvarez. If it ever comes off, that should be worth watching. Though I believe Golovkin will knock Alvarez out. I believe he’s too strong. More consistent too. I did catch a good fight this past Saturday on HBO. Francisco Vargas and Orlando Salido fought to a majority draw. It was a exciting fight between two proud Mexicans who gave it their all in every round. The classic toe to toe battle where each traded blows. Like watching trench warfare with the gloves on. Vargas adjusted his style late by boxing to lead on the scorecards by two points. But the relentless Salido won the final two rounds to gain the draw. Two judges had the fight 114-114 while one scored it for Vargas 115-113. I myself had it 114-114 for a draw. If there were more fights like that, it would be great.
6.If the NBA Finals rematch is gonna be this one-sided in favor of the Warriors, then the Cavaliers may as well do us all a favor and quit on the bench. Their play in Game 2 last night was humiliating. Even the great LeBron James couldn’t be bothered in the third quarter. When the self-proclaimed King James basically gives up during a sad quarter, it speaks volumes. The sad aspect is James led a 7-0 run at the end of the first half to keep the Cavs within single digits. Like a broken record, the Warriors got great play from Draymond Green, who had his second consecutive big game going for 28 with five three’s, seven rebounds and five assists. He took advantage of the Cavs overplaying Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Nobody rotated out for Green’s uncontested treys. Curry and Thompson each hit four triples while combining for 35 points, nine assists and eight turnovers. It hasn’t mattered due to Golden State’s superior depth.
7.The officials missed an obvious foul on Harrison Barnes, who nailed Kevin Love from behind with an elbow to gain an offensive rebound. With Love down and out, Green took advantage going around a fallen Love for a three-point play. A dazed Love left the game and was treated for head trauma, which might mean concussion. He struggled mightily prior with five points and three rebounds while being beaten on defense. He’s not the biggest issue for Cleveland. That would be the vanishing act of Kyrie Irving. Has anyone seen him? The Cavs have three days before hosting Game 3 on Wednesday. If they’re going to make a stand, it must come in Game 3 before their fans. One win and their back in the series. Momentum can change that quickly. But what will Irving do? And when will James take over? Scoring 19 points and turning over the ball seven times while being tentative won’t get it done. Where is last year’s LeBron, who took it to these Warriors? That’s the one needed for any hope of a comeback.
8.I still for the life of me can’t figure out what Tyrone Lue’s job is.
9.It’s okay to shoot the rock J.R. Smith.
10.When ageless dinosaur Richard Jefferson is your best player, you have issues. He was my Player of the Game on my Twitter account. Be sure to follow me @derekflexfelix on Twitter.
11.I made a fascinating discovery last night. While watching the awful second half at my buddy’s, I discovered that Earl Watson coaches the Phoenix Suns. Why? Talk about a confused franchise. They are the same one that dismissed Jeff Hornacek. Maybe the Knicks actually made a good hire. But this business about how players want to come here is a joke. Unless you’re name is Melo, it’s clearly not the case.
12.Speaking of the Suns, they collect point guards. The Knicks don’t even have one on the roster. What if some of Phoenix’s guards get hurt. Maybe Watson activates himself. My favorite small PG was Earl Boykins. From Eastern Michigan, he could ball.
13.Nobody cares about the useless defending of LeBron by ABC apologist Mike Breen. Clearly, his supporting cast hasn’t come to play. But James isn’t immune to criticism. He gave up last night. Remember. Trading for Love was his move. Ditto acquiring J.R. and Shumpert. Channing Frye was brought in for shooting off the bench. It worked the first three rounds because the East is so unbalanced.
14.The city of Cleveland deserves better than this. They’ve waited a long time. Tell you what. If the Cavs lose Game 3, maybe I’ll start believing in the Indians, who swept the Royals over the weekend and are in first place.
15.I don’t have too many thoughts on the Yankees other than that Fearsome Three hasn’t exactly stuck fear in the late innings recently. Dellin Betances clearly is being overused. He’s already pitched in 28 games. It’s not surprising that he’s been more hittable. The 55 strikeouts in 28 innings remain impressive. But he’s also lost four games, giving up big hits. He shouldn’t be taxed. Eventually, Brian Cashman will decide to move either Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman for a haul next month. Assuming the Yanks remain inconsistent and look more pretender than contender.
16.The AL East is now a three team race. With the Blue Jays continuing to get good pitching, they’re two and a half out behind co-leaders Baltimore and Boston. I’m still not sold on the Orioles’ starting pitching. But they sure can hit. Mark Trumbo now has 18 dingers. As predicted, Adam Jones broke out with a pair in a win over the Yankees. Their offense and bullpen are team strengths. As for the Red Sox, they’re the most explosive offense in baseball. Mookie Betts is as good as advertised and Xander Boegarts looks like he’ll vie for a batting title against Astros wonder Jose Altuve.
17.I still can’t get over David Ortiz. Big Papi leads the majors with 54 RBI’s while hitting .340 with 16 home runs. If it truly is his final year, talk about going out with a bang. Hopefully, it’s clean. I’m not as sure about Danny Valencia. How does a mostly backup utility guy suddenly become productive in his 30’s? Odd.
18.I guess it’s safe to say Matt Harvey is back. Nothing given up in his last two starts. Of course, the Mets didn’t score for him in a 1-0 shutout loss to the Marlins Sunday. Jose Fernandez was at his best fanning 14. When he’s right, Fernandez is lethal.
19.Trades you regret: Giants send OF Adam Duvall to Reds for SP Mike Leake. The 27-year old Duvall leads Cincinnati in home runs (16) with 35 RBI’s. Leake signed with the Cardinals where he’s 4-4 with a 3.82 earned-run-average.
20.Daniel Murphy is up to 10 dingers with a NL-leading .384 batting average with 37 knocked in. Right team. Right situation. Not that the Mets miss him. Neil Walker has 13 home runs and 25 RBI’s. He’s never hit more than 23. Murphy’s career high was achieved last year with 14.
21.While the NBA Finals thus far have been unwatchable, the same cannot be stated for the Stanley Cup Finals. All three games between the Sharks and Penguins have been decided by a goal. The last two have needed overtime. After rookie Conor Sheary won Game 2 to put the Pens ahead 2-0, the Sharks got a reprieve thanks to a great individual effort by Joonas Donskoi. His beautiful move around the net and shot through a screen beat rookie Matt Murray to give San Jose their first win of the series. They trail 2-1 with a largely important Game 4 at the Shark Tank tonight at 8 EST.
22.It’s hard not to be impressed with the Pens’ relentless fore-check pressure. They use their speed so well to create total chaos. Four lines deep boasting the HBK line which features former Ranger Carl Hagelin along with Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel, they’re a handful. With Sidney Crosby playing splendidly and Evgeni Malkin eerily quiet, the Pens are the favorite. But the Sharks boast some big weapons too in Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, who needs to put up instead of whining over “cheating” on face-offs. They also boast Mr. Shark, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. Two players I’d love to see win a Cup. Of course, Thornton is trying to shed the soft label by finally winning. He had two assists in San Jose’s 3-2 comeback win the other night.
23.Can Martin Jones continue to stop the Pens as they swarm him? Which defenseman will make an impact? Kris Letang or Brent Burns. All good questions with Game 4 coming up.
24.If Novak Djokovic can win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open completing a calendar year grand slam for the first time on the men’s side since legendary Rod Laver, how does SI deny him Sportsman of the Year? It shouldn’t matter that he’s not American. He’s the most dominant athlete in sports today.
25.I sure miss the days when Marv Albert called the NBA Finals on NBC.
