Road to the Championship:The Orlando Magic

Let me say this first :

Anyone who knows me will tell you that i am a DIE HARD Orlando Magic fan. But as we all have witnessed, Dwight Howard can not seem to stay out of foul trouble. In the Orlando Magics sweep of the Charlotte PussyCats Dwight averaged : 26 mins 9.8 points 9.3 rebs 3.3 turnovers & 5.5 personal fouls. This is just not acceptable. Sure the refs dont let the big men play physical down low but some of these fouls are unwarranted and stupid. He has been in the league long enough to know how the refs call his game & he needs to adjust accordingly. While im glad to see that we are once again a great TEAM i would love us to be a great team with Dwight on the floor & out of foul trouble. Shut up & play smart. Thats all we as fans ask.

But what about the road to the Championship? Can the Magic make it? Well you obviously know how i feel. Cleveland getting the savvy Boston squad full of veterans & an academy award winning actor in Paul Peirce was the best thing for the Magic. This is bound to be another long tough & violent series for both teams. Personally im hoping for a brawl in game seven & suspensions being handed out. The Magic will either play the Bucks or Hawks in round two. Neither of those teams have a winning pedigree. Dont think that either will be anymore than a speed bump to the Magic. The key is the big men. Dwight, Gortat, Lewis, Bass & Anderson are more than capable. With the lights out shooting of Peitrus & Reddick off the bench, the Magic are a force to be reckoned with. The dynamic play of Jameer Nelson & White Chocolate running the offense, stability at the point guard spot is not an issue like last year. Im Yet to mention Vinsanity. While he is just a shadow of what he once was , he is still a capable scorer. Fortunately he has the luxury of not having to carry his team. I hate to be cocky but the road to the Eastern Conference Championship goes through Orlando. The goal is a championship. They are not happy to be in the playoffs like alot of teams. The Magic are forreal. Please Belive that.

The Greatest Snub of All Time

You wanna talk who had the best lyrics? Maybe who had the best & most complex wordplay? You would be a fool to automatically jump & say 2Pac or Biggie. Lets talk William Michael Griffin Jr better known as Rakim. Rakim is probably your favorite rappers favorite rapper. Listen to a Biggie or Pac track then listen to ANY of Rakims track from the 80's and tell me there arent obvious similarities. Rakim was truly before his time. His flow was and still is the benchmark for all emcees. He could conquer any beat. Im willing to bet he could kill freestyle on a Mozart piece. Go listen to "Paid in Full" "Follow The Leader" & "Dont Sweat the Technique". If you cant see his greatness you probably have a couple of missing chromosomes. Its sad that he gets snubbed as one of the greats when its obvious that he is one of the most influential emcees of ALL time. While all yall are ENGULFING Tunechi's jock please take time during his forced hiatus to listen to a REAL Emcee.

Answer Me This

Why cant i have my own personal choice in music without someone having the AUDACITY to call me a sellout. You mean to tell me that, since im a 20 year old black male in the south, the only music i should know about & listen to is Trick Daddy, T.I., Lil Wayne , Usher & T-Pain? I refuse to cage my mind like that. I refuse to conform to what society feels a young black male should be in America. The only thing one track musical minds promote is ignorance. You mean to tell me if i want to drive down the road blasting 30 Seconds to Mars im a sellout or an "Uncle Tom" & if a white person were to blast Kanye West down the block they are trying to be black? Sorry that's nothing but good ol' ignorance. The excuse i always get when people have a one track musical mind is "I cant relate to those songs. What do they know about me? I can relate to So'n'So's music". Thats not a valid excuse. Honestly there are not that many different things that we as humans dont all experience. Maybe you dont like the delivery of some artists but dont dare say that you cant relate to the ISSUES in other musical genres. Its just not a sensible excuse. Music is has a far reaching effect on society whether we realize it or not. Music helps you connect with others through their thoughts expressed in their own unique way. While you may not choose to do that for yourself, RESPECT those that do.

Money Talks

Racism here in the south is alive & well. I cant say ive ever gone a day without some blatant sort of discrimination. Whether its being followed for a few aisles in the store or someone asking me what kinda work i do just because i pay most things in cash. The racial tension in the south is evident even if you dont look for it. It works both ways too. I remember as a child, when i would go to the hair supply store with my mom, women calling the store owners ‘ChingChongs’. I thought nothing of it. Honestly , at that age , i didnt know any better than to laugh or at the very least giggle.Mexicans too. I dont know how many times ive heard someone mumble ‘dirty mexicans’ under their breath. But im telling yall anything you dont already know about race relations in American. This new economic climate has caused a further rift. Green is the new barrier not shades of brown. The class distinctions are becoming the bigger issue not the color of peoples skin. I honestly feel like we are reverting to the old Caste System of ancient India. Just like in ancient India most people are forever stuck in whatever ‘caste’ they are born into. So not only is there unwarranted racial discrimination to deal with but the economic barrier is now even more defined now. I have no idea what talking about this will do to change it though. Society , while we wish it wasnt, is nothing but a vicious cycle that is forever changing & it destroys & forgets those who do not change with it.

Serving up PLENTY for the Critics.

All that talk about an 185lbs bench press sure seems foolish right now doesn't it? Kevin Durant is nothing short of a superstar in only his third year in the league. Averaging 29 points 8 rebounds and 3 dimes per game the Darantula is leading the young Oklahoma Thunder to their first playoff birth since leaving Seattle. Kevin Durant is warranting MVP discussions with his play this year. KD isnt racking up these gaudy scoring numbers against the bottom feeders of the NBA either. In the last month he has scored 35 against the Jazz, 45 against the Spurs, 29 verses the Lakers and 37 against the Celtics. And to think 3 springs ago the talk was he could play in the NBA. With the dynamic play of Russel Westbrook and the continued development of Jeff Green, Thabo Sefolosha & rookies James Harden & Eric Maynor , Kevin Durant will be hoisting the O'Brien trophy sooner rather than later.

The Playoffs are Coming

Anyone that knows me knows im a DIEHARD Orlando Magic fan. As the season winds down im feeling rather confident in their chances of repeating as Eastern Conference Champions. I was a fan when Tyronn "I miss wide open layups" Lue was running the point & PG13 (Pat Garrity) was our only AllStar representative. Ive been in for a while. But now i think we finally have the pieces to WIN a championship. The additions of Vince Carter , Matt Barnes ,Marcin Gortat & Jason Williams are obvious reasons for my confidence but the maturation of Brandon Bass & Ryan Anderson are what makes confident. Bass has finally come into his own in Orlando. Ill admit i was doubting him for the first 40 games of the season. The play of Bass and Anderson has allowed Marcin Gortat & Dwight Howard top get some rest during as the season winds down. Why is this good? Fresh big men in June are deadly. I dont see any team besides Cleveland even CHALLENGING Orlando in the East. Just a couple of thoughts as the season winds down. Ill be going in on these NBA topics as the playoffs begin.

Nothin on You Remix

If you havent heard of B.O.B. by now i dont know what to tell you. This Grand Hustle artist has come a long way since he headlined the December 2008 XXL Cover. Adorned with a musical mix of Hip-Hop & Alternative genres B.O.B. aka Bobby Ray is sure to be around for a long time. Lovers of GOOD music will make sure of it. This is the Remix to his lastest single "Nothin on You" . His debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray ,drops April 27.

Nothin on You Remix featuring Bruno Mars & Big Boi

NBA Playoff Song?

First off, I couldnt help but think that this song is gonna be big enough by the summer to be played during the NBA Playoffs this season. The basketball overtones are more than obvious. Secondly, on star power alone, this song should get plenty of air play. Jamie Foxx, Justin Timberlake & The King (T.I.) all come together on this track. Listen/Download . What Do yall think? Hot or Not?

Winner - Jamie Foxx featuring Justin Timberlake & T.I.