Floyd Mayweather: To Be TBE He must go for Fifty

D. Gulley for The Shop Report

If you think TBE is not going for fifty, come on, you’ve got it all wrong man (phrasing loosely based on the aptly titled song “The Denial Twist” by The White Stripes).  TBE – the abbreviation of The Best Ever – is another name for Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather, and like the title of the song suggests, Mayweather and his fans are in absolute denial that he would end his career at 49-0…

TBE is not the Greatest – So Says Mayweather

TBE – The Best Ever – Floyd Mayweather’s self-proclaimed other nickname, was birthed out of necessity to separate himself from The Greatest boxer (arguably) of all time, or our time – Muhammad Ali.  The idea of Muhammad Ali’s being considered ‘The Greatest’ is a much about Ali the champion pugilist as it was about Muhammad Ali the man, who parlayed his public persona to raise awareness and influence cultural change like few other sports figures have since (such as Arthur Ashe, Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson).  Ali ‘The Greatest, championed a 56-5 professional record through social injustice the likes of which few modern champions have ever heard of and no other will ever experience.  With that in mind, The Best Ever is still distinct because of its focus strictly confined to the sweet science…

The Best Ever calibrates the Compubox the way one would zero out a scale before weighing items.  He can’t be hit, and you can’t avoid his hits.  Combat sport fans lust for the knockout leaves them dissatisfied with the manner of clean, consistent punches that Mayweather has landed on his competition.  The fact that he doesn’t have more knockouts is because he’s realized that going or the knockout – always – makes you vulnerable to defeat.  Reference Hugo Ruiz v Julio Ceja or Manny Paquiao’s last fight against Juan Manuel Marquez.  In each case, the fighter in danger was the one delivering the damage but could not seal the deal.  Mayweather can lay claim to TBE in part because he understands this, therefore he makes sure that each and every punch counts; knockout be damned.

Cherry picking is a sweet science in itself albeit highly unpopular within any major fanbase; and Mayweather fans are huge in number but still smaller than the overall boxing fanbase.  The majority hates the idea of cherry picking but being champion should afford one the privilege because the picking was done for them as a challenger.  Though cherry-pickers shouldn’t be ridiculed, the equal opportunity champions should deserve extra credit for taking on any and all challengers.  Now that Mayweather picked Andre Berto, we see evidence of an eroding fan base given the lukewarm response and anticipation to the upcoming bout, the last of Mayweather’s 6 fight deal with Showtime.  But before plummeting the stock of TBE, take a look at the other five fights of the deal: Manny Pacquiao, Marcos Maidana (twice), Canelo Alvarez, and Robert Guerrero.  Each of the fighters brought titles to the ring that left with Mayweather.  While titles aren’t what they used to be, they still remain a measure of the class of fighter that makes a champion.  Looking further back, the bout before the Showtime deal was against one Mr. Miguel Cotto, probably the most challenging fight for Mayweather in the last decade.  Cotto surrendered his WBC belt to Mayweather in this fight.  By now a trend should be established, Mayweather has beaten more world champions than any fighter on record.  So it shouldn’t matter if one is cherry picking the ripest fruit. [full disclosure, in a previous piece I chastised Mayweather on this tactic, I stand slightly corrected now]

Rocky Marciano – the OTHER undefeated champion

‘The Brooklyn Blockbuster’ had a professional record of 49-0, including KO’s against Archie Moore, Jersey Joe Walcott, and Joe Louis (though it was the last fight of Louis’ 18 year career).  It appears obvious that Rocky Marciano’s record remains in a time and place where undefeated records aren’t hallowed, as it’s not mentioned with Floyd’s undefeated record as much as it could be.  But TBE knows it’s there.  Assuming a win against Berto, there will be two undefeated champions in history, both Mayweather and Marciano.  The effort to separate The Best Ever from ‘The Greatest’, is pointless if the body of work will end up synonymous with another great fighter.  It’s not Mayweather like to be similar to anyone, and the difference will come at either a defeat (highly unlikely) or a pair of wins; the first of which may come against Andre Berto on September 12th.  Alas, the only way to make Mayweather’s 49-0 different from Marciano’s 49-0 is to make it 50-0.  And I certainly look forward to Floyd ‘TBE’ Mayweather separating himself from the other greats in history.

2015 NBA Conference Championship Picks

D. Gulley for the Shop Report with my picks for the 2015 NBA Conference championships. Let’s get right to it.

Western Conference Finals

(1) Golden State Warriors (67-15) vs (2) Houston Rockets (56-26)

Let’s quickly get the obvious out of the way.  The Warriors bring 2015 league MVP Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and a high tempo offense.  The Rockets counter with MVP runner-up James Harden, Dwight Howard and an ever-resilient Rockets team with inside-outside versatility.

Now let’s get to the unknown…

The Warriors have been surprisingly the best team in the league from wire to wire in the regular season with a first year coach Steve Kerr.  Offense gets the glory but defense wins championships, and the Warriors are a thickly veiled defensive juggernaut.  Teams shoot worst overall against the Warriors than anyone else, and teams shoot fifth-worst from 3 point land, thank Andre Iguoldala and Harrison Barnes for this.  Both the Warriors and Rockets collect rebounds as effectively as one another, which gets lost under the lights of the shooting prowess let by Curry and Thompson.  The Warriors are sixth in the league in steals, which turn into extra possessions, and extra points. Most surprising is the Warriors are second in the league in blocks while Dwight Howard and Josh Smith and company are a respectable tenth in the league.  Consider this, the Warriors went through the Pelicans featuring Anthony Davis, and the “Grind House” Grizzles, teams with an inside presence if nothing else, and beat them soundly to advance to this point.  Clearly, the Warriors can win the inside game, now they must face a team with both an inside and outside presence featuring Harden and Howard.  A lot of attention gets made to James Harden’s disinterest in playing defense, but he averages nearly 2 steals per game and 1.5 in the playoffs.  Needless to say, Harden is the straw that stirs the drink for the Rockets’ offense, and Dwight Howard is the ice that keeps it cool.  The dual threat of an interior and exterior presence that will test the dexterity of the Warriors defensively.  The Rockets, however, survived a pressure cooker of facing elimination and winning, coming from a 3-1 deficit against the Clippers.  This is a tremendous effort, enough that lacking home court advantage is not a problem for the Rockets.

All in all, the Warriors have what it will take to advance to the NBA Finals because the depth of their offensive contributions and stealthily stellar defense.

PICK: GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS

Eastern Conference Finals

(1) Atlanta Hawks (60-22) vs (2) Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29)

The Atlanta Hawks arrive with the Eastern Conference’s best record but not the conference’s best talent (arguably).  I’m certain they beg to differ.  Unfortunately, team sports are most identified by singular star power, and the Hawks are the case in point.  But 60 times this season, their opposition recognized just who they were.  On the season, the Hawks lack a single 20-point scorer, with power forward Paul Millsap averaging 16.7 points followed by center Al Horford with 15.9 points.  Small forward DeMarre Carroll at 17.1 points actually has the Hawks’ highest scoring average in the playoffs.  Night in and night out, Hawks veteran shooting guard Kyle Korver proves to be a problem for teams that don’t account for him.  Only the Golden State Warriors have more assists on the year than the Hawks, that means everyone is a part of their success; the whole is greater than the sum total of its parts.  It is in this fashion that he Hawks have been referred to has the Spurs-East.  And it will take every bit of the collective effort to beat the Cavs.  What’s special about both the Hawks and the Cavs is that they do not send teams to the charity stripe a lot, as they are second and first respectively in free throw attempts allowed.  Key for the Hawks is that they force turnovers and are fifth in points allowed, this is where they’re most Spurs-like.

Now about they’re opposition…

The Cleveland Cavs are as bi-polar a team as you can get.  Due to trades and injuries, they are not at all the same team that started the season and held a losing record at one point in January.  Featuring LBJ, arguably the best overall player in the league and Kyrie Irving emerging as a dual first or second option on offense, they are easily the toughest matchup the Hawks will face in the playoff run (save a potential matchup with the Warriors).  What stymies most of the Cavs competition, is that they refuse (or fail) to allow Lebron James to be a factor while containing the others, making him as deadly a threat as ever.  This is compounded by Timofey Mozgov at center and J.R. Smith at guard who are capable third and fourth scoring options at all times.  Last, and most certainly not least, Iman Shumpert embraces on the ball defense which he has been lauded for since he arrived in the league only 3 seasons ago.

Key to this series is understanding the moment, and the emotions therein.  This is an advantage that the Cavaliers have because of Lebron James – like him or not.  Tangibly, the ability to rely on a clutch scorer, or volume scorer is yet another advantage that the Cavaliers hold, though the Hawks have been successful at times in their regular season matchup.  The Cavs bring more to the table than the Hawks and I would therefore be pleasantly surprised to see the Hawks emerge in this series.  Alas, this is about what I expect, not what I would be surprised to see, therefore look for the Cavs to win.

PICK: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

We’ll surely be back with the NBA Finals preview, stay tuned.

NFL14: CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

The is D. Gulley for The Shop Report

NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers (12-4) @ Seattle Seahawks (12-4)

The winner of this game is far less ambiguous than many would like to believe.  But since there’s only one other matchup this week, it appears that many are compelled to stretch every scenario on how the Packers can upset the Seahawks.

To the advantage of the Packers, they’ve faced a tougher schedule since November than the Seahawks including the playoff matchup (based on records – which at deceiving at times) began and including playoffs.   The Packers turnover margin at -15, is lower than the Seahawks at -12.  This means that both teams force more mistakes than they commit.  Where do the Seahawks have an advantage?  The thing about the tale of the tape is that, like the weather, it sets the likely conditions, but it is truly a coincidence when the weather is exactly as it’s laid out to be.  We’re not dealing with the weather, we’re dealing with the defending champion Seahawks who have played up to their level of expertise, not the level of their competition.  Also, the Packers don’t defend the run well, and this will be their demise, as all the other intangibles for each team are a push.  Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson will use this to their advantage.   The Seahawks can also play the slow game – low scoring affairs and the Packers cannot.  The Packers don’t win if they score less than 24 points and the Seahawks D is potent enough to keep the scoring low.  Conversely, the Seahawks have 5 wins  scoring under 20 points.  Notice, that none of this factors in a possibly less than mobile Aaron Rodgers.  Pick the Seahawks to win this matchup.

PICK: SEAHAWKS

AFC Championship

Indianapolis Colts (11-5) @ New England Patriots (12-4)

This is where The Shop Report is in discord – Barbershop J likes the Patriots and D. Gulley likes the Colts.  I’ll tell you why but first I’ll acknowledge my irrational decision making.  Looking at the schedule, the 2014 Colts won and lost to all the teams they should.  I cannot find an upset on their schedule for or against them.  This doesn’t bode well for a playoff team, because the post-season always includes the best of the best.  Upon closer examination, the win over the Broncos last week actually fits this narrative.  Furthermore, the Colts don’t have the best defense, and stopping the run will prove troublesome.  The body of work that the 2014 Patriots have compiled is remarkable, capped by a comeback from a 14 point deficit against a rival in Baltimore last week.  I’m not sure what the stats say, but TE Dwayne Allen is the team leader in TD receptions which means that the Colts have a variety of options in the read zone should they get there (and they will, often).  The Colts are amazingly resilient, having the ability to overcome Andrew Lucks turnover tendencies (he’s more Brett Favre than many people realize).  And still, Tom Brady hates pressure – the type that does not come from the situation but from the play-to-play attacking.  If the Colts can win, they will do so by keeping Tom Brady busy and calming Luck down.  I think it’s the clutch performances that I’ve seen the Colts display that have me picking this team to shock the world and advance to the Super Bowl to lose against the Seahawks.  Same goes for the Patriots if my intuition does not serve me correctly.

PICK: COLTS

NFC Divisional Round: Packers vs. Cowboys

Up until the NFL gave the Cowboys a late christmas present by picking up the flag thrown against rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens against the Lions in the Wild Card,  I wanted to see the Boys get it all this year. I don’t now. I think that “falsity” (my word) cost the Lions not only the game, but the momentum as well.  Nothing says ebb and flow like NFL football, especially in the playoffs. Do the Boys have a chance? Yes. Boys’ defense has played well under Marinelli this season by simply rallying to the football every snap. I could care less about his calf injury, rallying to the football is only a nice sentiment when facing Aaron Rodgers. And all this talk from the national pundits about the weather is stomach turning. They cry about the game being to soft, but add to the softness of it all by going on and on about the weather. How bout we let the teams line up and just play football!!

Packers vs. Cowboys: Boys’ have the offensive firepower (for once) to role with the Pack, and don’t have to rely solely on the arm of Tony “oh-no” as has been the case in years past. Dez Bryant is just as formidable as Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb combined. With a little more healing time under his belt, rushmaster Murray is ready to match anything Eddie Lacy may be ready to bring. The difference in this one will be Rodgers ability to fit the ball into tight windows versus Dez having to climb the ladder to grab one of Romo’s over-throws. That is okay once in awhile, but not for a steady diet. PICK: Packers

AFC Divisional Round: Broncos vs. Colts

Talk surrounding the deterioration of Peyton Manning’s skills from the “experts” is quite concerning and confusing at the same time. On one hand, Manning is still one of the best, but it’s doubtful that he is the same. Huh?!!  Anyway, I think it has far less to do with his supposedly diminishing skills at it does his less than stellar post-season performances that pale in comparison to his historical regular season accolades. As great as Manning is, there is cause for concern whenever his teams get to the playoffs. It’s no accident that many would hesitate to bet on a Manning-led Broncos squad that has home- field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Broncos vs. Colts:  Andrew Luck has what it takes to play QB in the NFL, but i’m not so sure he alone has what it takes this week against the Broncos. Any defensive unit with D Qwell Jackson on it is suspect to say the least. Colts running game is what wins this contest, not Luck. Averaging a paltry 100 yds per game in the regular season, the Colts are second behind the Carolina Panthers this post-season in the run department at 114.0 per game. As I mentioned earlier, Manning is not a sure bet at home; an vastly improved defense can be. Broncos were 3rd in total defense in the regular season. This game comes down to the Broncos D vs. Colts run game. PICK:  Colts

NFC Divisional Round: Seahawks vs. Panthers

This is a contest that is no contest at all. I think Cam Newton’s development as a ” Passer” is still in need of much work, and is overshadowed by his unbelievable physical gifts. That’s why I was a little surprised to hear all the national pundits ” OverPraising” the Panthers victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the WildCard round.  If the NFL is truly a Quarterback driven league, how much credit can be given the Panthers when the Cardinals were down to their ” No String”  QB Ryan Lindley? The same Ryan Lindley who was quarterback at San Diego State while in college. To be honest, I didn’t know San Diego State still had a football program, and you didn’t either. Bottom line, the way the Panthers win over the Cards was celebrated was unprofessional and unsportsmanlike to say the least.

The Seattle Seahawks are most definitely on the other end of the spectrum. Wilson is still Wilson, and the Hawks D may not be what it was in terms of the impact of last year’s SB run, but it still has ball-hawking Earl Thomas, ” The Chancellor”, Richard Sherman, and a foundation that allows for all the stars lights to shine, but not so much so that they outshine the team’s!!  Hawks have a chance to go down in the NFL record books should they somehow pull off what is a rare feat and repeat. I say Cam and co. get a huge serving of humble pie. PICK:  Seahawks

AFC DIVISIONAL ROUND: Patriots vs. Ravens

Man oh man, did the Steelers ever miss the services of Leveon Bell against the dreaded North rival Baltimore Ravens. It wasn’t the clash that it normally seems to be when these two get together, but it wasn’t tennis either. I thought the Steel curtain pedigree would eventually win out, but Joe Flacco’s pedigree (in the post-season) was to rule the day; and rule it did. Say what they want, the one team in this post season (any post-season for that matter) the vaunted Patriots did not want to see is these Ravens. Why?  Because home field advantage can be a disadvantage when facing off against the Ravens.

Ravens @ Patriots:  Brady vs. Dumervil & Suggs is what this matchup will ultimately come down to. Brady has a knack for taking lesser-knowns and making more out of them than the law should allow, and knowing how, and when to use ” The Gronk”  should the situation arise. Ray Lewis is no longer the anchor of a defense that is known for being formidable, but Suggs and Dumervil seems to have picked up the slack quite nicely. Brett Favre may have gotten most of the fanfare, and Desmond Howard the MVP (SB XXXI), but is was the pass-rushing ability of the late Reggie White that set the tone. Because the Ravens have probably the best pass-rushing duo of any team left in this year’s post-season, I pick: Ravens.

NFC Wild Card Round

On the NFC side of thing’s, the bracket is a little less hectic. How many people are expecting the Cowboys to fail? More than what should be the case I bet. The fact that the Boys’ are in it this time of year is remarkable to say the least. There’s some murmurs that the Cards’ Fitzgerald may soon be out in Zona’. that’s too bad, cause he is still a better than, viable option with a decent quarterback. Here’s what’s goin down in the NFC Wild card Round:

Lions @ Cowboys: I like the job Jim Caldwell has done with the Lions this year, but I don’t like the fact he, nor management has done much to get Suh to understand just how detrimental his antics have become. With Megatron Lions have a legit shot, but Cowboys are playin like this is the year that matters more than any other. PICK: Cowboys

Cardinals @ Panthers: Too bad for Arians’ Cardinals that the don’t have a better option at Quarterback. This is the time of year where having one can make all the difference in the world, and I believe the Cards’ will be unfairly bashed as a result should they lose this game at home. Panthers record says they don’t deserve to be here, but Cam says regardless of record, we in!!! And that’s all that matters. PICK: Panthers