Un Bacon

Javier's Bacon Breakfasr Burrito
Portland

* you're welcome

My beef with Jordans

I do not understand the value of Jordan's beyond the fact that they've been trendy for 20+ years. To this day I am many things, but a shoe nerd I am not. To this day I can literally only tell maybe 5-6 pair of Jordan's by their specific name. That's lame for someone who's played basketball their whole life, I know, but I've never really understood the trend. Like I literally never look at the shoes on people's feet, ever!

Speaking of feet, since were already down there, I've also don't fully understand socks! Like why would you spend 16 dollars on one pair of socks, when you could but 6 pairs of socks for 14 dollars, minus the Nike swoosh? It's just bad business.

I am a business major at my college and I often think of things strictly in terms of money. It's a gift and a curse because it's made me a healthy combination of cheap but financially responsible as well. I pride myself on my economic decision making. Which is again, why I don't see how someone can spend  an entire rent check on two pairs of shoes!

Now, if you're rich already, by all means, spend your money. My beef comes more with people who waste the little money they have, on things they can not afford i.e Jordans, elite socks, etc.

Call me cheap, I know you will. But it's just my thoughts on the ridiculously overrated sneakers.

They are pretty cool though, so what do I know?

Survivor Cagayan

Wednesday night, the 28th season of Survivor concluded.

Confession time folks,

I still love Survivor. Not quite as much as I love Big Brother, but definitely more then I like any other reality TV show. When I was a kid growing up with my sister and mom in California, we used to bond regularly over reality TV. I don't understand the hate on reality TV, if you don't like it, don't watch it. I approach reality TV in a way that I think everyone should. I watch it purely as a source of entertainment. The way these shows are edited and produced, is to entertain us. We're suppose to watch and end up loving certain people, hating certain people, and hoping our favorite contestants will win, but in actual reality, we really know very little about any of the people.

Anyways, this season of Survivor was one of my favorites in a few years. It was nice because I was actually able to watch it not loving any of the contestants, but liking them all just enough I could see the excitement in all of their success. I will avoid posting any spoilers because to be honest, there's not reason to spoil it if you haven't watched the end yet.

But since there really isn't anything to discuss without spoilers I'm going to make a list of my favorite contestants 1-18 - just for fun.

1. Woo
2. Alexis
3. Tony
4. Kass
5. Tasha
6. Spencer
7. Cliff
8. Jefra
9. LJ
10. Jeremiah
11. Trish
12. Sarah
13. Morgan
14. David
15. Brice
16. Garrett
17. J'tia
18. Lindsey

I am excited for this season of Big Brother as well. 

All in all, I think that reality TV is just as entertaining as scripted TV. I despise when people blindly hate on it, but at the end of the day, it's their loss I guess. 

Bring on Survivor season 29, I know I'll be tuning in like always. 

PS: Jeff Probst may have the best job of all time

Why Cooking Rice Sucks

I've accomplished a lot of things in my life. 

Well,

in comparison to people with actual achievements, I guess I haven't. But to people my age, I have accomplished a lot of things. But one thing I've never done is be able to cook rice. It seems simple right?

"Exact directions on the package of rice" 

For two cups of rice bring 5 cups of water to a boil*

Stir in rice

Let cook covered for 45 minutes

*add butter and salt if desired 

Should have been simple right? 

Wrong. Cooking rice sucks. It never comes out good, ever. It's never as good as any teriyaki place's rice either. Here's a list of some things I'd rather do then cook rice. 

1. Drag my feet through a pile of nails
2. Re-watch the Spurs vs. the Heat Game 6 of the NBA Finals
3. Buy cooked rice
4. Pay anyone up to cook me rice
5. Eat rainbow sherbet ice cream (not a fan, in case the sarcasm wasn't detected)

You know what the worst part about it was? 

Right after the rice was ruined, I found a rice cooker in the depths of my cabinet. 

Family Guy vs. South Park I

I've always loved both shows, ever since I was a kid. 

A while back the question was proposed to me, which is better, Family Guy or South Park? 

I had to take a step back and really think about this for a moment. First of all, the question is flawed fundamentally. Obviously we all love to compare and contrast because we're a society that's based on merit rather then consistent performance.

At first thought, I'd say South Park. I think that across the board South Park has better characters. I think that it has more quality episodes - (the early Family Guy years have some duds, where as the early South Park episodes are arguably as funny as the current ones). But then after I think for a moment, I can't help but think about Family Guy. I laughed so hard at Family Guy's 200th episode where Brian and Stewie are locked in a vault, I nearly cried. 

I'm going to let this debate simmer for a while and discuss with my friends, so I'll probably come back to this one. Comment below if you have any opinions or preferences you'd like to enlighten me on. 

Game of Thrones Pt. IV

"What do we say to the god of death?"

"Not today" 

P.S. this will be the last time I post something that isn't worthwhile...(at least to my best efforts) 

Facebook Unfriending Spree

I think it's time I go on a Facebook unfriending spree.

The reasons for which are complicated but also relatively simple at the same time. Facebook sucks now. It used to be my favorite form of social media. It used to be the only site where I could stay in touch with a lot of my friends. Speaking of "friends," I have 785. I'd say among social media members my age who aren't famous, incredibly good looking, or incredibly outgoing that's pretty good.

But how many of those people are my friend?

I used to swear to people that I could explain my legitimate friendship with every person on my social media accounts. Confession: I lied. I did honestly believe that when I said it, honest. But then it got out of hand.

I have to delete a lot of you on Facebook today and I sincerely don't want anyone to be offended. See, here's the thing guys...

Facebook really did used to be my favorite social media. But today, even with the immense amount of money Facebook commands, they still can't seem to figure out my newsfeed.

Listen, I have to delete a lot of you today not because we aren't friends, or I don't care about your well being in every day life. I have to delete a lot of you today because I don't like the things that you post. I actually am sorry, because I wish that I did. But today is the day I snapped. I never want to see:

• another post complaining about someone who you may or may not beat up
• another "tbh" like my status
• another shared article from Upworthy
• ANYTHING FROM BUZZFEED
• an online quiz that can tell me which character I would be from a Disney movie
• constant pictures and posts about you getting high or drinking
• another post that includes the phrase 'and what happened next will amaze you' 
• shared news articles over 48 hours old - I really stay up on current events, pop culture, etc. I am a blogger after all guys

I really love Facebook because I can keep up with friends who's lives I probably wouldn't otherwise get updates from. If they get a new car, I can see how lame or awesome it is. If they get engaged, get a new job, or win the lottery I'll know! The only way that I will be able to see the posts from the people I want is the trim the hedges a bit. 

For the record, I used to joke all the time about how serious I took Facebook, and how annoying it was when people didn't add me and such, I officially declare - "I do not care" 

I need to save my Facebook, because it's on life support. The unfriend button will be my path to making Facebook an enjoyable experience again. 

Conference Finals Predictions

I know I said I wasn't going to do sports writing on this site as much, but it's sort of an emergency.

Emergency in the sense that more or less, I ran out of time to do a full breakdown on the Conference Finals, but I wanted to get my picks on record.

Miami vs. Indiana

I think that this series will be a lot closer then most people think. The Pacers have been awful for the better part of three months, but they have to turn it around sometime right?

Having home court advantage could prove huge for an Indiana team that will need to work hard to stop LeBron and co. If the Heat's role players (i.e. Chalmers, Battier, Lewis, Allen, etc.) are making threes, they'll be hard to beat.

Miami in 7

San Antonio vs. Oklahoma City

This is the series in the Western Conference we've wanted all along. With all due respect to Golden State, Portland, and Los Angeles, these two teams are the class of the west.

Unfortunately for both OKC and for us as fans, the Thunder will be without forward Serge Ibaka. I think that will be the deciding factor in this series. San Antonio is too good offensively and even despite Westbrook and Durant being the two best players in the series, the Spurs are too deep and too good as a whole.

San Antonio in 6

Neighbors Movie Review

I woke up yesterday with the understanding that I wasn't going to spend my friday night in a movie theatre.

My roommate and I had discussed seeing the Godzilla movie, but ultimately I wasn't up for it.

Anyways, long story short we saw Neighbors. It sorta just happened.

All in all I thought the movie was hilarious. I tweeted before the previews that I hoped this movie had crude humor as opposed to cookie cutter cliche humor. I was in the mood to laugh for sure.

If I was an outstanding film critic I would probably give this movie a 7/10.

Side Notes:

• I never realized how much I liked Zac Efron until now (sus I know)
• I never realized how much I LOVE Rose Byrne until now (aka the lady from Insidious)
• McLovin was hilarious as always
• This movie made me regret not going to a bigger college and joining a frat incredibly 
• But then I woke up this morning and realized, nah I'm good

Why It's Actually Cool To Watch Wrestling

A lot of people ask me why I still watch wrestling. More specifically, why I watch WWE.

When you ask someone my age the common response for why they don't watch wrestling is, "well I used to watch it as a kid."

So did I.

A lot of us used to watch WWE when the Rock, Stone Cold, Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels were the mainstays. When steel chairs and broken announce tables were as abundant as the fans in the top sections of the sold out arenas.

When I was a kid, I obviously realized pretty quickly that wrestling was fake. Watching it with friends, we'd try out moves. It never took more then one punch to the chest to realize, there was no way these guys were actually hitting each other.

A few years went by and I realized that what I loved the most about wrestling wasn't necessarily the matches themselves, but rather the story lines, the music, and the entertainment value as a total package. Now, don't get me wrong, wrestling is like a cake. The fighting is the cake, and the story lines, music, and entertainment is like the frosting (because I mean, who likes cake without frosting?).

I took about a seven year break from wrestling between 2006 to 2013. The way I got back in to it was sort of by chance. My friends and I were working 8 hour shifts 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM on the school paint crew. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, but it was definitely exhausting. We couldn't really stay up late so I found myself getting back in to primetime television (8-10 PM). I so happened to fall on Monday Night Raw around June. They were promoting the Money in the Bank pay per view, and kudos to WWE, because they were able to get me back in within a few quick weeks.

I find myself wondering why more people don't still watch wrestling. Is it too nerdy? Is it too boring? Is it to hard to like because it's fake? I just don't understand.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not the kind of fan that plans my schedule around wrestling on TV, or loses sleep if I miss an episode or two. But if I'm not doing anything? Why not watch? That shit's dope!

Game of Thrones: Part III

So I just finished the first season of Game of Thrones in less then 24 hours, breathe Thomas, breathe.

Countless moments, nearly everyone dead, major nudity, SPOILER ALERT dragons, swords, Kings, man...I'm all in on Game of Thrones.

I don't want to give away anything major for my readers in case you haven't seen the show, but if you haven't you should definitely watch it.

I'm going to have to rent season 2 ASAP.

As always, because I love lists, I'm going to make a list of my favorite characters from season 1. I would have done moments, but I don't really want to spoil some of the major points for people who haven't seen it yet.

10: Ned Stark

The show's main character, and father of the Stark clan, often has a way for doing the right thing at the right time.

9: Viserys Targaryen

I actually hate this guy so much that I like him. There are "certain" scenes with Viserys that I won't spoil, but they're awesome.

8: Jaime Lannister

Jamie Lannister is an ass whole, but that's what makes him good TV.

7: Joffrey Lannister

Joffrey is the biggest jerk so far in the entire show. His potential as a villain limitless. The good guys better watch out, that's for sure.

6: Arya Stark

I just want her to succeed so badly.

5: Khal Drogo

Captain of the "I don't wanna run in to this guy in a dark alley" team.

4: Syrio Forel

"What do we say to the god of death? Not today."

3: Tyrion Lannister

He gets more ladies then every guy in the country combined. Granted, he pays for the majority of them, but who didn't in those days? He's also hilarious.

2: Daenerys Targaryen

She's the hottest girl on the show. Automatic top 3.

1: Robb Stark  

Robb Stark starts out slow during season 1, but comes on strong as any towards the end. I look forward to seeing "his plans" go through.

Game Of Thrones Pt. 2

Okay, so we wimped out on finishing Game of Thrones in one night. So tonight is part 2 of the marathon. 

Real quick, I just want to say, Emilia Clarke is a goddess 

That's all. 

I'll write more tomorrow.

I guarantee it. 

Game of Thrones: All In

I can't post today....

I'm going all in on season 1 of Game of Thrones.

I'm late, I know

Michael Sam Reactions

Let me ask you a question. When did tolerance and acceptance become such a bad thing? 

On Saturday, Michael Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted in to the NFL and professional sports in general. Since Sam came out publicly, the media has given us a healthy dose of coverage. So much so that to many, it potentially bordered on too much. But let me rephrase the my first question. How does something positive, inspiring, and revolutionary hurt the multi billion dollar company? 

Welcome to America, home of the free. Except for the fact that we're still fighting for equal human rights. Guys, that's so 1862 of you. 

Recently I came into an a discussion about whether or not athletes should have to be in support of this. Many have come out and said, if their team drafted Michael Sam he would be treated like any other player. In fact, that's what most teams have said. The Miami Dolphins made headlines last season for their scandal surrounding Jonathan Martin, Richie Incognito, and bullying within the organization. On Sunday, they made headlines again, this time for fining and banning safety Don Jones for his comments reacting to Sam's response to being drafted. 

After tweeting "OMG" and "Horrible" seconds after Sam being drafted, Jones later said in a team issued statement: "I want to apologize to Michael Sam for the inappropriate comments that I made last night on social media. I take full responsibility for them and I regret that these tweets took away from his draft moment. I remember last year when I was drafted in the seventh round and all of the emotions and happiness I felt when I received the call that gave me an opportunity to play for an NFL team and I wish him all the best in his NFL career."

My inspiration for writing this today came from a basketball player who I once considered to be inspirational, in a different way, himself. 

Marshall Henderson probably won't make it to the NBA. But he probably will have a lot of opportunities over seas. He is an exceptionally talented player. An inspirational one. He's been the face of controversy for the Ole Miss program for a couple of seasons, but he wears his heart on his sleeve and that is what's admirable. Today he tweeted a lot of stuff. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I just knew I disagreed on many fronts. At first I thought: "you see Marshall, Sportscenter didn't show that video to warp your impressionable brothers minds, they showed it to open them. A lot people in the world are different, a lot of them are gay. Breaking news guys, it isn't contagious."A lot of people have felt the need to claim this argument as their own defense for being intolerant and inconsiderate towards Michael Sam and the very liberties and freedoms we all share. It's a stupid argument guys. Good parenting and role models triumph over two minute Sportscenter clips, I promise you. But later on I thought about how maybe I was wrong. About how maybe I was just as quick to pass judgement on his tweets and his thoughts and feelings the same exact way he is doing about Sam. It's called hypocrisy. 

The greater question in this whole situation is, who really is wrong? Is Marshall Henderson wrong for what he tweeted? Is Michael Sam wrong for being gay? Or are the thousands of people who felt the need to take precious time out of their day to harass and pass the same judgement back on Henderson wrong? 

This is what Henderson tweeted after about an hour. 

The tweets ended up being an experiment Henderson was playing to help his openly gay friend complete a research project. His tweets helped me come to a conclusion I've been searching for since I began critically thinking about this entire situation.

I am not gay.

And frankly, I'm glad I'm not. Not because the fact that being intimate with another man would be 'gross,' but because so many of you out there are the ones who are gross. The people who spew hatred surrounding a man living out his boyhood dream of making it to the NFL are the ones who are gross. But hey, just as I'm entitled to my beliefs you're entitled to yours right? Here's the thing about opinions though, sometimes they're wrong. Sometimes, an opinion is wrong. If you're one of the people who watches this video and sees anything other then a man's climactic journey from Galveston Texas pee-wee football to the biggest stage of them all, I understand. It doesn't make me think less of you because frankly, I wouldn't want to be thought less of by you for my stance on the issue. Trying to change you and/or your beliefs isn't something I can do. In fact, it sounds exhausting. Some of you who see this worry about your young kids, and how it might influence them or taint their innocent minds. I suppose I see where you're coming from. But what if maybe you're the one tainting your child's mind? What if you're crossing a line between trying to protect your kid, and showing them that tolerance and acceptance is a bad thing? 

All in all, Michael Sam should not be celebrated because he is the first openly gay athlete to be drafted in to professional sports. Michael Sam should be admired for his bravery, and celebrated for his skill set, and play on the field. 

Sorry for the controversial topic. But I hope we can all agree in hoping that someday we can live in a world where these issues don't matter and all people are considered equal. If you don't agree with that, well that's really 1862 of you as well. 

Top 10 Reasons I'm Lazy On Days I Have Nothing To Do

1. I can never pick the right team to use in dynasty mode in NBA 2k
2. YouTube
3. What's for lunch, breakfast, & dinner
4. Twitter
5. It's too late to do anything now
6. I deserve to rest, I work hard
7. I'll start working harder tomorrow/Monday
8. _________ game is on 
9. On demand cable
10. sleep

All these reasons are bull shit frankly. Life is too short to be wasted. I must improve in these areas. 

Timber Ft. Ke$ha

Words can't even describe how much I hate this song. 

When I hear it, I can't help but feel like I'd rather hear nails on a chalkboard in Beats studio headphones for 7 straight minutes. 

It's not even a matter of the 'wonderful artists' who sing it. I actually like Ke$ha and Pitbull. No really. 

The NBA has made the 'wonderful' decision to make this the theme song for all NBA commercials throughout the entire playoffs. Being a Spurs fan, there's a strong chance my team will be around for a while, thus forcing me to listen to this song non-stop for the next four weeks. 

This isn't the first song that I've felt this way about. Here's some more: 

Diva - Beyonce

Started From The Bottom - Drake

Snap Yo Fingers - Lil John 

Most anything YG

Just Dance - Lady Gaga

Happy Birthday 

Cyclone - Baby Bash Ft. T-Pain

Life Lesson

Wait What?

So this can happen now.

Wait what?

For the past two weeks I have been reliving my childhood dream of being the very best. Like no one ever was. The whole time catching them was my real test, but training was my cause. I traveled across the land, searching far and wide. All I ever wanted was to understand the power inside of each Pokemon.

Okay, so yah I'm a nerd for this, but who didn't play the Pokemon games as a kid, right?

I'm not 100% sure how "legal" this app is, so once I beat the Pokemon Elite Four I'll probably have to delete it.

It's been a while since I played and while I haven't beaten a game yet, I have remembered (the hard way in some cases) some of the major things not to do if you aspire to be the best.

1. Don't avoid any trainers - or else you'll get to the Elite Four and your Pokemon won't be strong enough
2. Finding HM surf and HM strength was sneaky tough in the Safari Zone
3. Don't choose Bulbasaur as your starter Pokemon - side note: choosing Charizard is the wimpiest thing you can do, he's obviously the strongest, but Squirtle makes the game just tough enough 
4. Catching a Pikachu is necessary in Viridian forest, but it takes a while
5. Don't teach more then 1 HM move to your starter, you'll regret it later on

Well I'm out....probably to play Pokemon

But remember! 

Make sure you delete the app once you've beaten a game of your choice, because it will take over your life, and you can't let the ladies see you playing Pokemon on your phone now can you? 

My Top 5 Sports Memories: In Pictures ONLY

Housekeeping Note

I've made a major decision in the last 24 hours. I've decided that at least for the time being, I will focus primarily on my whatwereabout.me site for my sports writing. I think that my post from yesterday was just a bit too cluttered for what I am going for with this blog. I want this to be a quick and easy daily platform to post my thoughts. So if you want to hear my insights and thoughts on sports related topics, check out whatwereabout.me. If you want to follow my insights and thoughts on other topics, this is probably the place for you. 

Thanks everyone. 

NBA 2nd Round Playoffs: Power Rankings

For today's post I decided to do something I haven't done yet, and show you guys my passion of covering sports. As you probably know the NBA playoffs are in full effect and analysts have been calling this one of the best first rounds in the history of the league. Due to my school's finals week and other various things that made me busy, I wasn't able to really get a full preview of the playoffs like I would have liked. I did throw some playoff gems in to a piece I wrote for my class project. With all that said, it's time to talk NBA playoffs.

2nd Round Digest 

After a whirlwind of a first round, we're left with 8 teams to duke it out for a spot in the NBA Finals. With the exception of Washington and Miami, every team that advanced faced a legitimate threat. The Heat were able to make quick work of the Bobcats, especially with the ailing Al Jefferson sitting out Game 4. Washington quickly took command of its series with the astonishingly overrated Chicago Bulls (the Bulls have long been the media's darling team, often receiving more praise then they really deserve or is frankly realistic). With that said, let's take a look at the my power rankings heading in to the second round.

#8 Indiana Pacers

The Pacers faced the toughest test of any team in the first round this year. It's ironic because at face value, they actually faced one of the statistically worst playoff teams in the history of the NBA in the Atlanta Hawks. The problem lied in the fact that the Hawks had proven to be a tough matchup for Indiana all season. The other problem was that the Pacers had been on a spiraling collapse, only rivaled by Greg Norman's collapse at the Masters and the 2004 Yankees in the ALCS seeming to lose by the grace of only the baseball gods deciding to finally grant the Red Sox their World Series dream. Like you don't understand, the Pacers were getting worked for almost half of this series. The Hawks big men (the likes of Pero Antic, Mike Scott, and Elton Brand) rendered Roy Hibbert virtually useless. Paul George seemed determined to be find his inner 'Stephon Marbury' at all of the worst times. Lance Stephenson was in full 'I got this' mode which probably cost him $30 million dollars. No longer were Pacer role players performing the way they had all season, hello George Hill, I mean you!

It wasn't just the unexplainable collapse of Indiana either, it was the Hawks rallying behind a 'Pop' disciple with a dream of being the 6th 8-seed to win a first round matchup. The mighty Hawks on paper stood no chance but when Game 1 tipped off, the perfect storm hit. The combination of the Pacers collapse coupled with Jeff Teague turning in to a fringe All-Star, Paul Millsap dominating the paint, and Korver and co. raining threes at a historic rate, the Hawks were able to win all the odd games of the series except the one that truly mattered. The Hawks had the Pacers fighting for their lives the entire series. They went up 1-0 after Game 1, 2-1 after Game 3, and 3-2 after Game 5.

The improbable run of the Atlanta Hawks fell short of a first round upset but the foundation is in place for them to get better. With Teague, Millsap, and Korver returning along with the Al Horford getting healthy the Hawks could easily be a top 4 seed when the playoffs roll around next year. Overall, the Pacers have shown nothing that warrants discussion. The hope is that by finding a way to win the series, against all adversity and with everyone in the media turning on them, that they'll finally be able to rid themselves of the stench they've been dragging on their back for the past three months. But until they play better, they will be the 8th spot in my power rankings. Many believe they will lose unceremoniously to the Wizards, which would make their Game 7 win against Atlanta virtually pointless.

#7 Brooklyn Nets

All hail Paul Pierce! The captain showed up when it truly mattered. The pivotal Game 1 baskets combined with a game saving block in Game 7 sent the Brooklyn Nets to the second round. Here's a cool stat - out of 19 first-year coaches to coach a Game 7 on the road, Jason Kidd is the only one to have won - so can we please allow Kidd to coach and leave him alone now? Deron Williams looked about 60% of the Deron Williams of old, but it might be time to come to the realization that DW is no longer the Utah beast that rivaled only Chris Paul as the best point guard in the NBA. Williams still has the ability to turn it on when needed but not on a nightly basis. It's as if the 'lightbulb' went off in the league's head and they realized how to play him. Am I the only one who thinks that Williams takes way too many three pointers with feet inside the line? No? Okay good. Garnett is done, it's almost sad to watch him out there. Coming in to the series against the Heat, Brooklyn's best case scenario is Garnett averaging 5 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 emotional battle cries that could rally the stagnant Brooklyn fan base a game. If Garnett can give them three games like this against Miami, it's possible they could win 2 games against the Heat.

The Nets winning Game 7 in Toronto is more about the Raptors not being ready to take the next step then anything. The veteran Nets will look to upset the Heat in what can only be considered destiny at this point. All signs point to Miami making quick work of Brooklyn but there are a few unknowns that need to be considered.

• Which Deron Williams will show up? 

If the Nets are going to stand a chance, they're going to need Williams to dominate his matchup with the Heat point guards. Chalmers and Cole are quick but they are small. I wouldn't mind seeing Williams in post up situations much like the way they use Shaun Livingston. 

• Can Kidd at least come close to the coaching ability of Spoelstra? 

This will be an underrated key. When Miami throws lineup changes at the Nets, it will be important for Kidd to be able to react. He can't just force the issue and hope the veteran players will work their way out of it. Especially if guys like Marcus Thornton, Andray Blatche, and Alan Anderson are forced to play big roles. His timeout strategy will be important as well to help stymie the inevitable Heat runs they always go on each game. 

• Will Pierce and Garnett be "Heat killers" again?

The undoubted key to the series and the only reason Miami fans could possibly have to worry is if Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett turn back the clocks and match LeBron and Wade point for point the whole series. While it seems quite unlikely this is even possible for the 36 year old Pierce or 37 year old Garnett, we've seen veterans in the past do amazing things when they play their rivals. This may be the last games of both their careers. I'm sure they're gassed up to face LeBron and co. the same way they were on Boston in the 2012 playoffs.

#6 Oklahoma Thunder

The Thunder had the worst luck of any team in the first round because they had the unenviable task of facing the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies, much like the Hawks were able to keep OKC on the brink of desperation much of the series. When Memphis took Game 5 from the Thunder and were one win away from advancing with Game 6 in Memphis, many wrote off the Thunder. The newspaper article above titles "Mr-Unreliable" was a direct shot at league MVP Kevin Durant.

When faced with potential elimination, Durant rose to the challenge scoring 36 and 33 points in the two games that probably would have defined his career up to this point had he lost. Russell Westbrook continued to flirt with disaster by jumping from the All Star playmaker no one in the NBA can duplicate to the stereotypical "I got this" mode that often drives critics arguments against him. A triple-double in Game 7 silenced Westbrook haters for the time being but against Chris Paul and the Clippers it will be harder to get away with shenanigans.

The Thunder are such an interesting team because they seem to be held together by a lose foundation. They rely on their two stars to do almost all of the scoring, rebounding, and playmaking. Caron Butler, Derek Fisher, and Kendrick Perkins are due to turn to dust any day now and Serge Ibake, while a valuable contributor, will have his hands full all series with DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin. Reggie Jackson sometimes pulls threes that make even the humble kind-hearted Durant role his eyes. People are growing more and more concerned with Scott Brooks' coaching each and every game. But despite all of these concerns, the Thunder are the most dangerous team in the NBA. They're the only team that has a true "playoff gear" that can match the Heat. When OKC gets in to that third gear where they're blocking shots out of the gym and raining threes they're virtually unbeatable.

#5 San Antonio Spurs

The Spurs got the wake up call they needed when they were taken to seven games by the Dallas Mavericks. Down 2-1 early in the series thanks to a Vince Carter buzzer beating three, the Spurs had to rally behind their leadership and the fundamental ball movement that led them, yet again, to the best record in the NBA.

The hope for Spurs fans is that the Game 7 victory against Dallas finally got them over the hump and back on track to ring number 5 for Duncan and Popovich. The Spurs obliterated Dallas and finally looked like the championship contender most had pegged them for months. The keys to the Spurs success against Portland will be the following:

• Contain Damian Lillard

The good news for Spurs fans is that Lillard won't be able to guard Tony Parker. The bad news for Spurs fans is that Lillard is as hot as any player in the league right now he has the ability to rain threes at rates that make defenses tremble. The Blazers are no joke, and containing Lillard to under 25 points is priority number one for the San Antonio defense. 

• Tim Duncan vs. LaMarcus Aldridge

At this stage in their careers it is evident that LaMarcus Aldridge is a better player then Tim Duncan. Duncan's accolades speak for themselves but so does age. Duncan is 38 years old, and Aldridge is 28 years old. They have both mastered the mid-range game. It will be important for the Spurs for Duncan to flex his defensive superiority against LA because if Aldridge has games of 40 points like he did against Houston, the Spurs can't win. It is possible that Tiago Splitter will guard Aldridge and Duncan will guard Robin Lopez, but either way limiting LA has to be a key to the Spurs game plan. 

• 3-point shooting

Both teams shoot the ball incredibly well and have various guys that can make threes. Whichever team can shoot the three better on the road will be the team that will have the advantage in the series. With the bright lights and the NBA stars at their finest, this series will likely come down to the three point shooting of Wes Matthews, Mo Williams, Dorell Wright, Danny Green, Patty Mills, and Boris Diaw. 

#4 Los Angeles Clippers

I won't spend too much time touching on the off court issues the Clippers have faced, but before I break down their second round matchup with the Thunder, I do want to say that it was awesome seeing Doc Rivers and the Clippers fans at the end of Game 7. The Clippers have the sort of momentum that championship teams always seem to find in the playoffs, and even though it was sparked by a disgusting controversy, it could pay off in a bond between coaches and players that could lead to a championship.

Chris Paul will have to be Chris Paul in this series. I know that sounds obvious but it has never been more important than it is right now. This is the Clippers best shot to win the title in their team's history, and a matchup with Russell Westbrook is something Paul knows all about. The two often play well against each other bringing out the best in their opponents, but for this series Paul is going to have to outwork Westbrook. That doesn't necessarily mean he has to score as much, but it means he has to create as many points. The three point shooting for LA will be important in this series as well.

In addition to Chris Paul playing well (and staying healthy!) the Clippers need Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to dominate the post. LA is the only team in the league that has two post players with this much on their backs. The Thunder have absolutely no answer for DeAndre Jordan if he decides to play the way he did against the Warriors. The rim runs from basket to basket will be key for LA. Usually you don't want to speed up the Thunder because they can run as well as anyone, but in this case, the guards and forwards will want to slow down the Thunder stars but when the time is right Paul and co. will want to have their posts outrun the Thunder bigs.

#3 Washington Wizards

If the Pacers had trouble with Jeff Teague, they're certainly going to have trouble with John Wall. Wall didn't shoot well in his first NBA playoff series but he was fearless, and that's what the Wizards will desperately need to beat the Pacers. They must adopt a "why not us" mentality. Trevor Ariza needs to continue to be the lock-down three point machine that he's been for the past two months and Nene and Gortat need to keep bringing their best, especially against the size of Indiana.

The Pacers were exposed by the Hawks with their limited ability to defend the three when teams play small ball, unfortunately the Wizards employ two back to the basket big men. I think an interesting decision for Randy Whitman will be what he will do with Al Harrington. The big man has the ability to stretch the floor but hasn't seen a lot of court time for Washington this season. If the Wizards have the gaul to role the dice and take a chance on Harrington, I think that it could pay off big because it will force David West away from the basket allowing more lanes for Wall, Beal, Ariza, etc.

The worst nightmare for the Wizards is if Roy Hibbert returns to All Star form. Much has been documented about the collapse of Hibbert in the playoffs so far, but he looked solid in Game 7 and appears to be getting his mojo back. As I mentioned he won't have to deal with the spacing issues he did against the Hawks because Gortat isn't a three point threat. If he can patrol the paint, more specifically, keep John Wall out of it, the Wizards are in trouble. A lot of analysts are picking Washington to beat the Pacers, and with their first playoff series win in recent memory. Beating Chicago, especially in 5 games, was a huge step for a team that hadn't been to the postseason since 2008. It doesn't need to end here Wizards fans, make no mistake, Indiana is far from the one seed that they earned in the regular season. The Wizards truly can beat the Pacers, they just have to take the right steps.

#2 Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard is kind of the king of the world right now. That's why I have them ranked second, because there's no player who is as hot as Lillard is after his buzzer-beating three to advance past Houston in the first round. 

It will be very interesting to see how the Portland Trail Blazers come in to their series with the Spurs. If they come in like they just won their playoffs the Spurs could cruise, if they come in with the belief that they can win (which they really can) then it could be an all-time series. Wes Matthews and Nicolas Batum will have to have good games because the Spurs are masters of taking away teams' star players and making the "others" beat them.

Another major key for Portland will be to avoid going down 0-2 in San Antonio. The Spurs are the best road team in the NBA and even though they struggle in Portland and the Trail Blazers have one of the best fan bases in the entire league winning games 3 and 4 back to back will be tough. The best case scenario for Portland is to be up 3-1 after four just as they were against Houston and try to close it out at home for Game 6. The Spurs will not go lightly, they never do. You can't beat them with huge punches, it has to be small body shots over time, wearing them down and then some things have to just fall your way. My major concern for Portland would be gassing themselves out by the middle of this series because they want to win so badly that they keep throwing haymakers early, and all of a sudden the Spurs steal Game 4 and go up 3-1 with two of the next three at home. That would be the nightmare for the Trail Blazers.

* This is the series I'm most excited to watch, just for the record.

#1 Miami Heat

They only key for Miami is to stay the course. They're the best team in the NBA, they have the best player in the NBA, they're the two-time defending NBA champion, they've won the Eastern Conference three straight years, no one is touching them unless they allow it to happen. We all know LeBron, Wade and Bosh are going to show up, but as with the Heat in years past, the only question is who will help them? Usual candidate Shane Battier has disappeared from the rotation, Ray Allen hasn't been able to find his jump shot consistently all season, and Udonis Haslem, Chris Anderson, Michael Beasley, and Greg Oden offer fairly little down low. The hope for Miami is that Chalmers and Cole can make their threes and put that extra pressure on Brooklyn to play small like Miami. The Heat will look to run up and down on the older Brooklyn Nets. Again, the Heat have nothing to worry about so long as they don't shoot themselves in the foots. I predict a quick series for Miami, maybe a sweep if it all comes together.

Just for fun - Here's who will win

Pacers over Wizards in 7 

Heat over Nets in 5

Spurs over Blazers in 6

Thunder over Clippers in 7

National Star Wars Day

I've seen Star Wars Phantom of the Menace more times then most of the movies I've seen (some that I've seen more: Coach Carter, Wedding Crashers, Harold and Kumar 1, and Training Day). In honor of May 4th, aka Star Wars day, aka an excuse for closet Star Wars fans to post pic stitch compilations on Instagram without feeling nerdy, I'm going to make a Star Wars post. Before I start, I want to go over a few ground rules:

• I was born in 1992 - so YES, I do like all 6 Star Wars films 
• I saw the films in the following order - 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3
• My personal favorites are Phantom of the Menace and Return of the Jedi
• Having a "least favorite" would be a sin
• I've seen all 6 enough to know everything from the movies, but I know virtually nothing else 

My fundamental understanding of the Star Wars Universe - The Top 10 List 

1. Understanding the force is the strongest known ability in the galaxy
2. Jar Jar Binks is the most unexplainable character in the galaxy
3. Anakin Skywalker IS Darth Vader
4. The coolest character ever, Darth Maul, is dead - BUT IS HE? 
5. Yoda's word is gospel
6. To knowledge, the Jedi are nearly extinct by the time Luke Skywalker is born
7. Stormtroopers are actually enslaved clone troopers of the Old Republic
8. Chancellor Palpatine - Emperor Palpatine - Darth Sidious = same guy
9. C-3PO, R2D2, Chewbacca, and Boba Fett have been around since before the Clone Wars
10. Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala are the parents of twins Luke & Le
11. Bonus: HAN SHOT FIRST! 

Certainly, some major parts were left out of that list, but to me those are the ten most important things one needs to know when they watch the Star Wars series.

In honor of Star Wars Day - "May the fourth be with you" - I decided to do what I do best, make lists. So without further ado here we go:

My Personal Favorite Characters - Top 15 (click on each character for my favorite moment)

1. Obi Wan Kenobi 
2. Darth Vader
3. Darth Maul
4. Mace Windu
5. Qui Gon Jinn
6. Padme Amidala
7. Princess Leia
8. Luke Skywalker
9. Han Solo
10. Yoda
11. Darth Sidius
12. Lando Calrissian
13. Boba Fett
14. Jabba the Hutt
15. Count Dooku

Best Lightsabers - Top 5

#5 Obi Wan Kenobi (old) - blue (1st lightsaber shown)

This one is fairly self explanatory as it was the first real lightsaber we had ever seen. While Ben Kenobi ultimately falls to Darth Vader in the Death Star, his sacrifice ultimately proves to be a major reason Luke is able to restore balance to the galaxy.

#4 Yoda - small green

In the original trilogy, we never see Yoda fight. When he first draws his small green lightsaber in Attack of the Clones everyone's heart skipped a beat, finally. Almost as cool as his green lightsaber were his arial spinning attack moves.

#3 Mace Windu - purple

Legend goes that Samuel Jackson requested the purple lightsaber when he signed on to work the movie because he wanted to stand out in combat. We're sure glad he did.

#2 Luke Skywalker - green

When Luke Skywalker first dawned his new green lightsaber many fans clamored for his traditional blue one. Not me. In fact when Luke broke out the green lightsaber to start Return of the Jedi, it signaled a new era, and a new Luke Skywalker.

#1 Darth Maul - double-sided red 

Was there any doubt? What's better than any lightsaber? Two lightsabers. 

Best non-Jedi Characters - Top 6

#6 Lando Calrissian

Kind of gets the gang in trouble, and spends half of Return of the Jedi fighting Boba Fett trying not to get eaten by the snake in the ground, but all in all, a pretty swell guy.

#5 R2D2

So cool partly because he's in all six movies. Saves Anakin and the Queen from certain death when their ship was being attacked in Phantom of the Menace. He also shuts down the Death Star's defense shield in Return of the Jedi.

#4 Princess Leia Skywalker

Eludes swag, strength, and courage throughout the original trilogy. Every original nerd's fantasy.

#3 Chewbacca

Pretty awesome for someone who doesn't talk huh?

#2 Boba Fett

Boba Fett is the only bad guy on this list. While he spends the greater part of his life as a bounty hunter, it is shown that Boba Fett isn't fully a bad guy when he was young. His life of work against Jedi Knights came from witnessing Mace Windu decapitate his father during an early battle in the Clone Wars.

#1 Han Solo (duh)

There's no words, just so much swag. 

Best Star Wars Quotes - Top 20

• "Into the garbage chute, flyboy!" 
• "That's no moon, it's a space station" 
• "I'm Luke Skywalker, I'm here to rescue you" 
• "What a piece of junk"
• "Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope"
• "Use the force Luke"
• "I find your lack of faith disturbing"
• "I love you." "I know"
• "Who is more foolish? The fool, or the fool that follows him?" 
• Han Solo: "Uh, everything's under control. Situation normal." Stormtrooper: "What happened?" Han Solo: "Uhh, we had a slight weapons malfunction, but uh, everything's perfectly all right now, we're fine, we're all fine here now, thank you...How are you?" 
• "You're all clear kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!"
• "That's no moon"
• "Never tell me the odds!"
• "I'm not afraid"
• "That...is why you fail"
• "Sorry about the mess"
• "R2D2, you know better than to trust a strange computer!"
• "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"
• "I'll never join you"
• "May the force be with you"

That's about as much Star Wars as I can handle for now, but I anticipate writing more on these phenomenal films in the future. 

I Forgot My Phone

First thing's first, watch the videos.

No really, watch the videos...

Right? 

Now we're ready.

I come from a generation that, for lack of a better term, like to refer to as 'those who have iPhones but didn't grow up with iPhones.' We are the lucky ones. We get the choice. The choice to spend hours a day on self gratifying social media outlets. The choice to send hundreds of SMS messages while we also message on Facebook, Twitter, and other apps. We get the choice to take a picture of anything we want (including ourselves) and share it to the world within a matter of seconds. 

What's the first thing you do when you wake up? What's the last thing you do before you go to sleep? Have you ever been in a waiting room? What do you do when you're in there? How much of the world do you think you've missed, by not being able to set your phone down, without 'missing' it?

Just as we have the choice to go all in on smartphones the way Buzzfeed goes all in on unnecessary screen clogging bullshit advertising, we all have the choice to not. 

I discussed one of the scariest realities we face as a population in one of my articles on for What We're About. 

This post isn't meant to discourage anyone from using a cell phone. Frankly, it's unrealistic not to use it if you have it. Cell phones also provide a lot of conveniences that are worth the negatives. 

The whole point of this video and post is just to raise self-awareness on how much we really use our phones. Because we all know we're those friends at lunch who stare at Twitter or lay in bed checking Instagram. 

Just for fun, and since I love lists - here's the top 10 places, situations, etc. where I wish people would use their cell phones less. 

1. Sporting events
2. When you're watching a movie/TV with your friends
3. School
4. Outside
5. When taking pictures of food (it's just food, we've all seen it before)
6. In bed - before, after, & during
7. When you're with your significant other
8. When you work out
9. Concerts
10. In the car

Here's Louie CK on why he hates cell phones - this one's just for fun - but he makes some good points

Kentucky Derby Notes

I've never really been 'all in' on horse racing. I understand what is great about it, but I find myself much more passionate about other sports. I wonder if it's because I grew up in the city and have limited experience surrounding horses?

My Aunt and Uncle have worked with horses for so long and I've always admired how much care and effort it takes to tend to a horse, let alone racing horses. I remember hearing stories as a kid about how my Aunt and Uncle would wake up at 3:30 - 4 in the morning to feed the horses, go back to sleep around 5, wake up again at 6 or 7 and feed themselves. To a nine year old, the thought of waking up at 4 in the morning is about as pleasant as getting bucked off a horse.

I also remember wandering around Emerald Downs and seeing the barns where the race horses stayed and the trainers quarters where food, water, hay, and other relating items were. It was cool because my Aunt was somewhat of a horse Yoda. She seemed to know literally everything, about every horse.

Also worth mentioning was the horse trainers restaurant that we went to as a kid. I don't recall for sure, but I'm almost positive that it wasn't open to the public. I remember getting the best burger and fries a kid could ever dream of.

All in all, with the exception of a few visits to my Aunt's farm, a couple of horse riding excursions, and another trip to Emerald Downs as a fan in high school that is the extent of my knowledge and experience with horses and horse racing.

When challenged to handicap the Kentucky Derby I find myself reliant only on what I can find from google. Seeing as how the event is tomorrow, it's fairly unlikely that I would be able to cram in enough horse racing knowledge to understand even a fraction of what the experts know. According to this website the odds for who will win tomorrow are as followed:

When I asked my Aunt through a Facebook message for some thoughts this is what she said:

Hi Thomas, I will make my final decision early in the morning after I watch the horses train via HRTV and TVG.and do more study on the race. I like to do a wager called the super hi 5 picking the top 5 horses in order. There are a lot of horses in the race and the payoff could be huge. I saw superfecta, top 4 pay 500,000.00+ one year. "Califorrnia Chrome" is the favorite has a great chance to win although I will include him for sure in my wager I like some better price horses.Wild Cat Red" is fast and will try to take the lead early not sure he can hang on for the long distance of 1mile and 1/4 of the race. "General A Rod" will be closing on him in the stretch. "We Miss Artie" and "Metal Count" have excellent connections and love their breeding. My all time favorite jockey Gary Stevens rides "Candy Boy" cant leave him out. "Tapiure" and "Vincermos" also contenders in my pics so far for top 5 listed in order of preference. Some people like to pic cool sounding names or favorite colors not recommending that. If the track condition gets muddy not sure if the favorite can handle it. Watching the weather

- My Aunt Carrol

With the stated information and other various articles on google I am finally ready to make my picks! (Just for fun of course)

1. Candy Boy
2. California Chrome
3. Danza

Those are the horses I'm rooting for to finish 1st through 3rd! At the end of the day, it will just be nice to sit back and watch horse racing's biggest event knowing at least a little more then I did in years before.

My Favorite Beatles Albums

Guys, I've finally made the list.

And when I say finally what I really mean is - countless hours of debate and rehashing of classics from our favorite rock stars.

To start my final summer vacation, I set out a goal to answer the ever changing question of how I'd rank my favorite Beatles albums. I've always known number one, but depending on the day number two could be a number of classics.

Well finally after much debate, various research, and some divulging some critically acclaimed reviews, I'm able to rank my top 5 Beatles albums.

But first as always, some ground rules:

• Each ranking is based on amount of quality songs and the presence or absence of songs that rank in my top 10 (for example, Let It Be, In My Life, Yesterday, etc. suffered because some of the songs around it I don't love quite as much even though those three are in my top 10 undoubtedly)
• Albums which have less songs I listen to regularly suffered in these rankings
• I value albums that don't lose steam from start to finish, and that is reflected with this list
• As always, if you don't like my list, make your own then
• Finally, I reserve the right to change these rankings at any time depending on whatever factors influence said re-ranking

Number 5: Rubber Soul   (1965)

Rubber Soul gets the nod over Let It Be because there are more songs throughout the project that I enjoy. While Let It Be is probably my favorite Beatles song ever, In My Life is a close second or third. Rubber Soul finally was the project where the Beatles made a leap creatively. From the deeply confessional (Norwegian Wood [This Bird Has Flown]) to the "poignantly nostalgiac (In My Life) the Beatles showed range matched by very few, if any, at the time. 

Number 4: 'Sgt. Peppers Lonely Club Hearts Band   (1967)

When you google, "best Beatles albums, more often then not, this is what will turn up at number one. Sgt. Pepper's is so significant in many ways but unfortunately many of these ways are hard to convey to someone in their 20's. I never have viewed the Beatles as a growing group that jumped on to the scene with their debut album Please Please Me in 1963 to the complete socially aware Sgt. Pepper in 1967. I never saw the growth and culmination that many of our parents did. While I am fairly aware of how important this album is to the entity that is the Beatles as a whole, it ranks only fourth on my list because you need to be a Beatles fan to fully appreciate it. I could not show a friend who "doesn't like the Beatles" (aka: hasn't listened to enough) very many songs off this album and truly turn them in to believers. The intricate production littered throughout Sgt. Pepper's led the way for many artists in the following years. No album from the '60s had the influence that Sgt. Pepper's did and again, it only ranks fourth on my list because I simply don't feel qualified to even understand it fully. 

Number 3: Revolver   (1966)

Revolver contains arguably the most famous Beatles song to people of my generation - Yellow Submarine. I have come across multiple people that have formed an opinion simply off Yellow Submarine, and frankly that isn't fair. True Beatles fans (whatever those are) often cast off Yellow Submarine as nothing more then an playful bubbly song that only reached peak popularity because _____ (whatever reason they may believe). Revolver also contains the first Beatles song I truly loved as a kid, (cliche I know) Eleanor Rigby. When I first heard Eleanor Rigby I was sifting quickly through the Beatles #1 album listened only to 10 second portions of each track before changing to the next song. No Beatles song starts out as strong as Paul McCartney's string-guided lament Eleanor Rigby. Needless to say, I didn't jump directly to the next track. In fact, I listened to Eleanor Rigby so many times, I may have never made it to the next track. 

Number 2: The 'White Album'   (1968)

Yes, I used the gray picture so that we could see it on the white background of my blog. 'The Beatles' often referred to as The White Album was the first time that the Beatles decided to allow the strengths of each individual member to really shine. The double LP was "each member's declaration of independence." For John Lennon, it was getting personal and weird, for Paul McCartney it was indulging in old-school obsessions, for George Harrison it was finally being allowed to step out of the shadows, and for Ringo, it was the time to finally write his best song. The White Album is a legitimate mess at times, but none the less, a brilliant mess. Some of my personal favorite Beatles songs come from the White Album: When My Guitar Weeps, Back in the USSR, Revolution 1, and Blackbird. 

Number 1: Abbey Road   (1969)

In my opinion, the Beatles final album was their best. Abbey Road is the ultimate "drop the mic" moment only rivaled by Michael Jordan's buzzer beater (skip to 2:53 if you're impatient) to beat the Utah Jazz in the 1998 NBA Finals and Eminem's final rap battle where he forced Papa Doc to literally, drop the mic. For me, Abbey Road never skips a beat. The run from Because to the hidden Her Majesty is unmatched by any album I've come across in my entire life. One can not simply listen to an individual song from that stretch but rather must embark on the 20 minute journey of excellence. In addition to the back part of the album, Here Comes The Sun, Something, Come Together, and Oh Darling all are mainstays in my personal top 10. I've always thought it was really sad to see musicians and athletes go out one album/season too late. While I'm well aware of the many problems surrounding the Beatles as the decade turned to the 1970's, one thing is for sure, the Beatles never stayed too long. Abbey Road is proof that there was more great music in there, and it shows with the successful solo careers of each member.