Flu Game XII's Are Back + Making Them Sick

Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals literally has gone down in history. Michael Jordan pumped in 38 points during the Bulls pivotal 90-88 win over the Jazz. Chicago took a 3-2 series lead with that road victory over Utah. The story in Salt Lake City was overnight prior to the game Michael Jordan ate a bad pizza. Jordan came down with food poisoning and became ill overnight. No one knew if Jordan would play in the swing game. He needed fluids and actually played. Yet during a particular timeout late in the game all star teammate Scottie Pippen had to assist MJ to the bench. 19 years later Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals has become known as the Flu Game. Along with the black & red Air Jordans that were worn, Flu Game Jordans became their nickname as well. Brand Jordan has taken on the approach to remaster their product. Memorial Day Weekend, Saturday to be exact the Flu Game Air Jordans are back !

Penguins Sharks Prepare To Battle For the Cup

1991-92 was the year some things in the NHL happened. Meanwhile both of the 2016 Stanley Cup participants were apart of what happened. The NHL through expansion brought it's product to the Bay Area. It was the birth of the San Jose Sharks. 3,000 miles away the Pittsburgh Penguins were winning the Stanley Cup the 2nd in their franchise history. The Penguins actually went back to back taking home the Cup following the 1990-91 season and obviously following the 1991-92 campaign. Now after 3 grueling series apiece in the Eastern and Western Conferences respectively the puck will drop Monday night for Game 1 in Pittsburgh. The Penguins aim for their 3rd championship overall. It would be their first since 2008-09 and the second for their superstar Sidney Crosby. Meanwhile the Sharks are looking to win their first championship in their first appearance.

Durant/Westbrook/OKC Thunder...So Much On The Line In Oakland

3-1 series leads in the Western Conference Finals does not come along very often. After winning Game 1 in Oakland the Thunder had the home court advantage against the defending champions. Golden State after losing Game 3 & 4 respectively on the road appeared to be on the ropes. Oklahoma City played with so much energy at home led by their 1-2 tandem Durant & Westbrook along with the supporting cast. Oklahoma City defeated the second best team record wise in the previous round the Spurs. They appeared to be on the verge of getting to the Finals by beating the 73-9 Warriors. Golden State won Game 5 in Oakland. Ok...Ok no pun intended yet the Thunder still had Game 6 at home with everything on the line. Golden State comes back from an eight point fourth quarter deficit. Now Memorial Day night it's Game 7 time in Oakland. For OKC so much is on the line not just a Finals berth. Now will KD stay or go ? Will the outcome of Game 7 play a role in his decision making going forward ? After once being up 3-1 realistically can the Thunder go into Oakland and win ? More importantly how will they do it ?

Splash Brothers Staying Alive

Down 3-1 the NBA Champions became the underdog squad against Oklahoma City during the Western Conference Finals. During Game 4 in Oakland the Warriors won and got the series back to Oklahoma City for Game 6. Klay Thompson hit a playoff record 11 three pointers. Curry his Splash Brother backcourt mate and 2x MVP did what Curry does. Knock down three's, create for himself and teammates, break defenders down off the dribble. finishing at the rim, more importantly being a team leader. Memorial Day Weekend will come to an end Monday night. Western Conference Finals tied 3-3 with a birth in Thursday's NBA Finals on the line. The two all stars put their team on their back in a hostile environment. Expect not only those two to bring their game Monday night on home soil yet the 'others' meaning the supporting cast to do the same.

Enjoy The Moment Enjoy The Ride Phillies Fans !

22-17 at the time of this article. During an actual rebuilding season. Following a year where this franchise had the most loses in baseball. Also last season an organization that changed managers and reconfigured their front office which included a new GM. The Phillies are getting it done with pitching and winning one run games. In Philadelphia folks are waiting for the sky to fall in. Opposed to appreciating the overachieving this young squad is doing to start the season. No they aren't the most talented. Yes the have holes. The offense most of the time is difficult to watch. Yet enjoy watching the young players such as Franco and Herrera get better. As well as starters Nola and Valasquez. Manager Pete Mackanin and his coaching staff are attempting to mold these young players the right way. During the 162 game season everything will play itself out. Everything will take care of itself. Live in the moment people of the Delaware Valley. Currently win wise right their or just behind the Washington Nationals and Chicago Cubs. You know the teams in the NL that are expected to go extremely far.

OKC/GS Expect Long WCF

Prior to Game 1 basketball observers should have expected a long 6 or 7 game series between Oklahoma City and Golden State. Yes Golden State has the 2x MVP in Stephen Curry who also doubles as the scoring champion and triples (literally) as the all time single season leader for made 3's breaking a record he set a season ago. Yes Golden State broke the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls single season record finishing the season 73-9 and are looking for back to back NBA titles. Oklahoma City went down in defeat during all 3 regular season games vs. the Dubs. However during the 2nd half during Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals none of that mattered. Russell Westbrook scored 19 points in a critical 3rd quarter. Golden State saw their double digit lead be cut down to 3 entering the 4th quarter. Kevin Durant knocked down a 3 to begin the final period which tied the game. Oklahoma City was aided by 2nd chance points and a size advantage down low by Steven Adams and Enes Kanter. Late in the game down 3 Golden State pressured Westbrook who traveled prior to calling a timeout. The league is a day late and a dollar short confirming the officials indeed missed a traveling violation. Nonetheless prior to the miscall the game was there for the taking. The Thunder took it. Golden State and Oklahoma City will fight each other tooth and nail until their is a winner in Game 6 or Game 7. Finally if Oklahoma does win this series it won't be an 'upset'. It would mean the Thunder earned it's way to the NBA Finals vs. the 2 teams with the top records this season minus home court.

The 6 Set To Make 1st ECF In Franchise History

The last few regular seasons have been successful for the franchise north of the border. Yet during the 2014 and 2015 NBA playoffs Toronto would get bounced early by Brooklyn and Washington respectively. First round home court meant nothing as Drake's favorite team would go home early in back to back springs. During the 2015-16 NBA season point guard Kyle Lowry from Philadelphia and Demar Derozan from Los Angeles helped the Raptors finish with the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Dwane Casey has witnessed his basketball team pull out consecutive Game 7 wins during the opening rounds. Toronto took care of Indiana at home during Game 7 in the opening round. Then took care of Miami on Sunday at the Air Canada Centre. Now the Raptors head to Cleveland to play in their 1st Eastern Conference Finals. The top seeded Cavaliers are well rested and are 8-0 thus far in the playoffs. Cleveland has swept Detroit and Atlanta respectively.

Set To Return : Pippen Olympic Uptempo

The Nike Air More Uptempo was a popular sneaker. They were Scottie Pippen go to kicks during the later stages of the Bulls historical 1995-96 season. Which saw Chicago go 72-10 and win the NBA Finals 4-2 over Seattle. The black colorway were simply awesome. After participating in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona as an original Dream Team member, Scottie came back for more. During the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta Pippen would help Dream Team II to the gold medal. His sneaker of choice for the summer games where the Olympic theme More Uptempo. Which have been retroed before however all have not had the 8 on the back. 8 was the Olympic number for Pippen. So when these kicks come back this summer many fans of these routes will hope for that iconic 8 on the back.

Olympic Nike Air Foamposite One

With August quickly approaching many sneaker companies are making footwear with Olympic colorway themes. Obviously Anfernee 'Penny' Hardaway was an extremely successful Nike athlete during his time in the NBA. Nevertheless even as a retired basketball player his sneaker success has continued. At the time of this particular blog article the release date has not been officially announced. However the Summer Olympics are set to get underway in a little under two and a half months in Brazil. In 1996 Penny was part of Dream Team II. Those group of NBA players took home the gold medal during the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Stay tuned for the official release date of these Olympic Foamposite One kicks.

4 Teams Remain 4 Stanley Cup Chase

16 teams began the 2016 chase for Lord Stanley Cup. The defending Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks are gone. 2016-17 Presidents Cup trophy winners the Washington Capitals have been eliminated after registering the most points during the NHL regular season. Squaring off in the Western Conference Finals : St. Louis vs. San Jose. Eastern Conference Finals : Pittsburgh vs. Tampa Bay. Tampa went on the road during Game 1 and won in Pittsburgh. Yet goalie Ben Bishop suffered a longer leg injury. X-Rays were negative. Yet who knows going forward far as his health for the series. Meanwhile the Penguins are on their 3rd goaltender. Matthew Murray has held the fort down in Western Pennsylvania this postseason helping his team advance to this stage of the playoffs. Later this weekend the puck will drop out West for Game 1 in St. Louis.

Jenkins Shoots Villanova Into Championship History

Villanova rallied from a halftime deficit with a strong start to the 2nd half. North Carolina seemed to be in control late in the 1st half at NRG Stadium. Head coach Jay Wright witnessed his team soul search in their locker room during intermission. From the start of the 2015-16 the North Carolina Tar Heels were the favorites to win the National Championship. Virgina would go on to win the ACC regular season title. Yet UNC was dominate in Washington, DC during the ACC Tournament. In that tournament North Carolina would go on to win it and secure a number one seed in the East. Meanwhile since the 2009 Final Four Villanova had not made it out of the first weekend of the NCAA's. Losing the last two years in the round of 32. In 2014 as a 2 seed. In 2015 as a 1 seed. The Wildcats won the newly formed Big East regular season title. Nova Nation would see their squad lose to Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament championship. That defeat landed Villanova a number two seed in the Midwest. Fast forward back to championship night in Houston, Villanova took a double digit lead with about five minutes remaining. Five basketball minutes away from the Wildcats 1st championship since 1985. North Carolina clawed back into the game, which included Villanova missed free throws and turnovers down the stretch. Tar Heels senior guard Marcus Paige made an incredible double clutch 3 to tie the game with 4.7 seconds remaining. Villanova called a time out. Kris Jenkins would in bound the ball. Daniel Ochefu would set the ball screen. Ryan Arcidiacano would push the basketball. Kris Jenkins received the pass once the North Carolina defense collapsed on the ball handler. The junior forward let it fly. The rest is championship history. Swish ! Villanova 77 North Carolina 74