The Prom Date

"Aight dawg! I knew they'd go out with us! It's on now bruh!"

John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Dwight D. Eisenhower hit boyz in the dome with this, “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Then the best selling author and preacher, Max Lucado, threw this on the table, “A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”

The Black Mamba is at the crib with his leg elevated from having surgery to repair the ruptured Achilles and the rest of Laker Nation has been in a panic because the dragon's head has been cut off. Boyz knew darn well that there was no way ole Buster Brown Dwight Howard could put on the head and lead the fellas to the playoffs right? Win two joints and they’re in. They knocked off San Antonio and then pimped slapped Houston on Wednesday night in overtime 99-95 led by Steve Blake’s 24 points.  

Pau Gasol came in and dropped off his 17^th triple double with 17 points, 20 rebounds and 11 assists. Then Buster himself added 16 points and 18 rebounds to the kitty along with a critical block of the Beard’s shot in the final seconds to secure the win. Leadership? I'd say so bruh, at least for last night!

I guess they were relaxed knowing that they were playing with house money because they found out 10 minutes before the tip that they had in fact secured a playoff spot because ole dull Utah got drilled by Zach Randolph and the Memphis Grizzles. So there was no pressure to win at all cost because you know Buster Brown would have melted like butter if that were the case.

So instead of just getting into the playoffs they locked up the 7^th seed in the West instead of the 8^th. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1^st! It’s all semantics playboy! They’ve got San Antonio in the first round instead of OKC. That’s like telling a boy you gotta fight Pacquiao instead of Money Mayweather. Either way you're gonna get knocked out in the first round. I guess it’s just cool to be in Vegas at the press conference talking trash before getting your wig split though! Right?

 I completely get it. For Lakers fans it’s better to lose in the 1^st round than to not get into the playoffs at all.  Makes sense to me bruh! It’s like being able to take the baddest chick in school to the prom even though she’s your neighbor and she’s told you a million times that you’re like a brother to her. Boyz on the outside lookin’ in don’t know that so you still look like a stud. Lakers fans just didn’t want to face cats knowing that the playoffs have started and they’re at the crib watching the joint.

It’s still wack that you spent all of that energy and bread to go to the prom with a straight up dime knowing you ain’t gotta a shot because she calls you the Big Homie. But you’re gonna lie to the fellas anyway because it’s your word against hers! The only problem with the Lakers is that their date will be televised so they can lie if they want to but nobody's gonna buy it. Stop me when I start lyin’ playboy!

Holla At Ya Boy!

Jay Graves

Get @ me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

The quote under the caption isn't real.

"REAL TALK"

"The formula for beating the Thunder is going to the rack!"

What's real talk is that the Heat should be up 3-0 at this point. They've been in complete control of the Thunder for the 3rd straight game. Game 1: OKC made a late flurry come back from being down 13 points to win that joint. Game 2: OKC was down 17 points but the Heat was able to hold them off. Game 3: In Miami the Heat outlasted another late game flurry by the Thunder to win 91-85! Yep, I'd say that they should be up 3-0 with the eyes I'm using! That's REAL TALK!

I guess all of the hatin' that LeBron James has been getting is starting to rub him the wrong way. He's been averaging 30 points and 13 rebounds throughout the playoffs and he doesn't look like he's slowing down! During Game 3 he put up 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Using hood accounting that's 30 points bruh! See you always round up when it benefits the house. This cat is on fire and the sad part about it is that OKC doesn't have a human being that can stop him when he's going to the rack. That's REAL TALK!

Kevin Durant is a beast no doubt about it. He's bringing his lunch pail to work every night and I respect this boys game to the tenth power. He put up 25 points and grabbed 6 rebounds all while having to sit down the stretch with foul trouble. He picked up his fourth foul late in the 3rd quarter while the Thunder looked to be in control. That's the second straight night Durant has been in foul trouble. Why, because LeBron is attacking the basket and he's like all young multi-millionaire cats in the presence of beautiful women! He just can't help himself bruh! HE'S GONNA COMMIT THE FOUL! That's REAL TALK!

The key to Miami beating these cats is to attack the basket every rip down the floor and let Battier, Jones and Miller shoot the 3 ball only. Everybody should be in attack mode. They have no answer for it. Later for all of those jumpers like I told my guy in the hot joint "Letter to LeBron." Go to the rack every chance you get and this series is a wrap because they'll give up the bucket, foul you or both, either way, it's points. We saw that as clear as a bell on Sunday. Once Durant gets into foul trouble it's over because Westbrook can't win the joint alone. He seems to get rattled and starts wasting possessions by dribbling too much and putting up bad shots. Harden and the rest of the squad feed off of Durant not Westbrook. That's REAL TALK!

The best way to keep Durant from beating you is to keep him on the bench! If he's in foul trouble he can't shoot from the sideline bruh! Keep going at him and make him commit the foul. It's like beating Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. If they're drinking water on the sideline because the defense is on the field they can't throw touchdowns. That's the formula all day long! That's REAL TALK!

D. Wade finally took his smoke break early on and finished his game of craps with the boyz from Liberty City before the game because he came out firing on all cylinders. Before the night was over he had 25 points and 7 rebounds. However, down the stretch he was like Buster Brown turning the ball over. This cat was responsible for 5 of the 9 Heat turnovers late in the game. I don't know what's up with this Dun but he's not looking like the 2006 Finals MVP and that he's championship proven, I'll tell you that bruh! He's not looking like it's Wade County like cats keep trying to tell me about. Every game out it's looking more like James County, USA! That's REAL TALK!


Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! The Miami Heat will go only as far as LeBron James will take them. I know boyz want to hold on to the Dwayne Wade legend of him having a ring and it's his team but he won that title because of Shaq! That's REAL TALK bruh! The fact that Shaq was on the floor getting double teamed gave him the room to show out. It was Shaq not D Wade that made that title happen. Don't get it twisted. Just like if they win it this year it will be because LeBron put these boyz on his back and carried them. That's REAL TALK!

By the way,why was Juwan Howard eating nachos on the bench bruh? They had to stop play 3 or 4 times to clean up the crumbs. Have you ever wondered how this guy seems to get into every camera shot on timeouts? He's like the cat waving in the background when the news crew is reporting a murder in the hood. He's that guy that everybody looks for on the news after the shooting down the street because they already know he's gonna find the camera. They say, "Dang, there goes Juwan again! Boy, this dude here!" He's like the Joe that jumps on the hood of your car at the stop light with a squeeze bottle full of green water trying to clean your windows for a quarter. You know he's gonna jump out but it still catches you off guard every time he does it. You can't get rid of the guy! That's REAL TALK!

Now the series has turned on it's ear at this point because the Heat still have two more games at the crib. Going in I said that they needed to win one game in OKC and at least two games at home to have a shot at winning it all. However, they would have to win Game 6 in OKC if that happens. However, they can't afford to play a Game 7 on the road in that environment. It's like playing in a college arena. So in my opinion, they really need to figure out a way to close these boyz out in Miami and win the next two. IF LeBron James can consistently go to the rack. The Heat will win the title! IF he doesn't attack the rack, he'll go out like a sucker! That's REAL TALK!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Last Day of School"

"Kevin Durant was in Beast Mode in Game 1!"

It's the last day of school and boyz have been talking trash all year long. You know the line, "Wait til the last day of school and we'll see who's momma got fat jokes bruh!" It's the climax to the end of a long school year and it always ends with fights two blocks from the school. Nobody would fight on school property because you'd get suspended for a week to start the new year. Even as kids we had enough foresight to think about that. So you'd let the kid get two blocks out and it was on.  The crowd would already be gathered in Miss Johnson's yard waiting for it to pop off. Then just as the fight got good, Ole lady Johnson would come out with her gun and everyone would scatter. Welcome to summer break bruh!

The season is over and all of the preliminaries are in the books and the Finals got off to a blast with Oklahoma City putting that thang on the Miami Heat 105-94. Initially the Heat looked like they would show up on the road and steal a victory. However, the Young Bloods proved that they were once again the real deal. Kevin Durant put the boyz on his shoulders and went to work scoring 36 points, picking off 8 rebounds and handing out 4 dimes after being down as much as 13 points! He scored 17 of those points in the final period!

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! As much as I pull for LeBron to do well this cat keeps pulling a turtle move on me. That's his new nickname bruh! Turtle! Don't get it twisted he put up 30 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. So he showed up to work! However, he only had 2 points over the first 8:15 of the 4th quarter when Durant was in complete beast mode.

He was spending too much time all night trying to shoot jumpers when he clearly had opportunities to take boyz to the basket! There were so many times that he looked up and had Westbrook in his face and he'd pull up! What? Take that boy to school bruh! The knock has always been that LeBron doesn't have the killer instinct and last night he clearly had on the Turtle shell especially down the stretch! Yeah he scored 30 points but he clearly left points on the table. He was in a position to put up at least 40 if he'd been aggressive to the rack because they'll give him the lane or foul him because you can't stop him.

Initially I thought D. Wade had taken his smoke break before the game because he came out on fire. Then all of a sudden this cat went to the outlet mall to shop for another pair of pink skinny pants bruh! This guy disappeared like he has been doing all of the playoffs. Don't give that Joe a pass either by saying that he had 8 dimes. He's got to score points. It has to be all hands on deck to win a championship. Yeah I know he finished with 19 points but he wasn't aggressive. There was no sense of urgency on the Heat's part all night and the Thunder was playing like it was the last day of school! When Shane Battier is out hustling boyz that's a problem!

 As a matter of fact, Battier threw a rock into the bee hive and set Westbrook off! The young boy was struggling to find his rhythm until he baited him into the double technical and it was on! After that, Westbrook exploded for 27 points! What do we learn here? Leave the kid alone.

The Young Bloods knew what was at stake and stayed the course all night. Durant and Westbrook outscored the entire Heat team 41-40 in the 2nd half! Pride alone shouldn't allow that to happen to LeBron and Pink Wade! C'mon bruh! If I hear another cat tell me about Wade County I'm going to catch him on the last day of school! It's the Finals and OKC seemed to understand what was at stake here a little better than the Heat.

Now I did say on Twitter yesterday morning, "OKC would win game 1 because the Heat are coming off of an emotional 7 game series and having to travel would make a huge difference. Also the Thunder has been chillin' since like last Wednesday. So they'll be fresh down the stretch." I'm not delusional my guy, check my twitter feed! All the Heat have to do is win one of the first two games in OKC to be in good shape because they go back to Miami for 3 straight. Then win 2 out of 3 at the crib but you can't let one slip away like last night!

Crazy props to Durant and Company for showing up to work last night with a sense of urgency. It's the last day of school and boyz are looking to cash in on all that junk you've been talking all year. You can't escape it and it's only one way home. This kid named Thunder is waiting in Ole Lady Johnson's front yard with the whole school waiting to see it go down! However, Miss Johnson's out of town for the next two weeks so the she won't be able to stop the fight this time. What are you gonna do bruh? Because your reputation WILL be solidified in this front yard two blocks from school forever!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Brick House"

"We finally see the Eye of the Tiger!"

In 1860 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the famous poem "Paul Revere's Ride" to celebrate his heroism in the American Revolution. It went this way: "He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch of the North Church tower as a signal light, One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and the spread the alarm!

When LeBron James showed up at the TD Garden in Boston for Game 6 on Thursday night. Paul Revere and his boyz should have had a system in place to stop that cat from going off! At the brink of elimination and staring into the barrel of the blame me all summer scenario. LeBron  single handedly destroyed the Celtics 98-79 by putting up video game numbers bruh! This cat went off for 45 points, 15 rebounds and handed out 5 assists.

The more appropriate poem should have been my remix of a classic written in 1977 by the famous writer Lionel Richie, Brick House! "He's a brick--house, mighty might just lettin' it all hang out, he's a brick--house, the player's stacked and that's a fact, ain't holdin' nothing back! He knows he had everything that a team needed to get a win, how could he lose with what he used 45-15-5, what a winning hand!"

That joint was bumpin' all night because ya'll know that if the Heat had lost that ball game the haters would have been all over the guy that was literally carrying these chumps. It's a shame that people will watch the NBA on a regular basis and still can't see that this guy is the best player on the planet. I saw cats on Twitter making ridiculous statements like, "If Kevin Durant wins a title before LeBron then he's officially better." That's a guy that is wearing a diaper, braces with headgear and folks are still tying his shoes.

LeBron was literally the only cat at work last night! His teammates were in the back of the building on an extended smoke break. I keep hearing Joe's saying that it's Wade's team but I can't tell. Boyz are always hollerin' "Wade County" but if it's Wade's county he's got to quit hanging out in Scrubs County in the 1st half of ball games! This cat is driving backwards in the HOV lane.

 Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Nobody should be able to come into your house, sit in your recliner and eat your dinner bruh. That's if it were your house! Otherwise, you're false flagin' and it doesn't take much for someone to take your girl either. Stop me when I start lying! After a while, Santa Claus can't get credit for the money you keep spending. It was cool when your kids were 3 or 4 years old but as they get older they need to understand who's really paying for all of this.

At one point during the game LeBron and Rondo looked like they were playing H.O.R.S.E.! Nobody else clocked in for work. The rest of those cats were shooting dice in the parking lot. They may as well have their checks direct deposited into LeBron's accounts since he was doing all of the work. Give me a break! Sure, the Heat played pretty good defense but LeBron set the tone bruh!

 It blows my mind that folks will watch the same thing that I'm watching and walk away not seeing that this cat is posting up with KG, chasing Rondo and facing up Pierce back and forth all night! On time-outs he's selling beer and peanuts and even ran through my crib to fluff my pillow. He can't do anymore than what he's doing! You never saw Jordan in the blocks wrestling with James Worthy or Kareem then chase Magic around and still put up 45 all while playing 45 minutes! Kobe isn't posting up KG or Tim Duncan and then putting up numbers like that! I'm just saying that what this guy is doing is crazy.

 Jordan is the G.O.A.T. hands down! However, he always had consistent help! Pippen didn't disappear on him like Wade does on LeBron shopping for skinny pink pants! Also, Jordan wasn't asked to play every position either. Not to mention he had Phil Jackson walking the sideline too, homeboy. LeBron's got Erik Spoelstra! Say that 3 times out loud bruh! Just keep that in mind when you're piling on. If you didn't like the way he left Cleveland that's a YOU problem so get over it.

The Fat Lady was ushered out of the building mid way through the 3rd quarter so that she could make it to Wet Willie's on South Beach because she got a serious drinking problem! She's got to be relaxed enough to blow on Saturday night after a huge Game 7. I just hope the rest of the Heat show up if they are fortunate enough to get past Boston because OKC will be a hard out. The Young Bloods are a younger more athletic Boston and they're not playing around. He can't beat them alone and that's REAL TALK.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Family Business"

"We Goin' to the Ship! We Goin' to the Ship"

When the Western Conference Finals started Tony Parker & the San Antonio Spurs were nothing short of being the school yard bullies. They were the older kids that were snatching hats and chains, going through boyz pockets and unloading the young cats sneakers right in front of the principals office. No one said a word to them because they had been able to do it since April. They had already cold cocked the Utah Jazz and the LA Clippers by sweeping them behind the school and had gotten away with it.

The Spurs had amassed an 18 game win streak that was impressive to say the least. So they figured that the new young kids in school would be a push over. They jumped on the Thunder as soon as they walked in the door and went up 2-0 to completely catch them off guard. The young boyz didn't know what hit them as San Antonio extended their win streak to 20 games to look unstoppable. Then something happened bruh!

The young boyz went home and got reinforcement! The Thunder rattled off 4 straight to send the school yard bully to the crib without HIS sneakers, watch and Ipod with a shiner to go with it! During game 6 Kevin Durant was a beast putting up 34 points and grabbing 14 rebounds playing the entire game as they finished off the Spurs 107-99. Also his boy, Russell Westbrook, who was completely getting worked in Game 2 by Tony Parker dropped 25 in the collection plate for the building fund.

"We're not done yet bruh!"

It was like when the 3rd grader would get beat up on his way home by a 6th grader and all of his classmates just watched it go down without helping because the cat would take their shoes too. Then the younger kid would tell his older brother that was in 8th grade and the next day at school you knew it was going to be a fight on that same street corner! There was no way around it and the entire school was there to see it. The older brother shows up and just beats the brakes off of the kid and strips him of everything but his underwear. That's called standard hood protocol bruh! You don't mess with someone's family and especially not a younger sibling! OMG!

I always say that growing up in the hood was the best place to grow up because you learn early on in life how to treat people. If you cross the line it's always going to knock on your door whether you're prepared for it or not. Unfortunately, the Spurs weren't ready for what the "Young Bloods" were ready to give them.

After going down 18 points in the first half it looked like we'd get a game 7 out of the joint. However, as I told you guys on Tuesday the Fat Lady was already in town and she sounded like Luther warming up in her hotel room! They had security helping her with her dress so that she didn't break the zipper or fall down the stairs on her way to the arena. She had a police escort to make sure nothing kept her from getting to the joint. Oh yes, it was going down in Game 6 bruh!

You better believe that she was on the red eye heading to Boston to rock the TD Garden to a sold out crowd tonight. Vegas has Miami favored by two but I think they're either trying to put the fix in or they're smoking! At this point Miami is getting worked and Spoelstra is getting out coached. The Celtics will be bumpin' that Beyonce' "Single Ladies" in the locker room tonight bruh! "If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it!"  Believe the hype playboy, Boston will not let Miami off the hook that easy. They can't afford to let this go to 7 games and go back to South Beach. That's why the Young Bloods sent San Antonio fishing in 6!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"That Dude"

"Get off me son!"

My older brother once told me that in order to be great you've got to be extremely good at doing the things that require absolutely no talent!  It requires no talent to be on time, to be disciplined, to be dedicated to your craft or to have passion! Flat out, you've got to be able to out hustle and out work everybody. Greatness isn't given away at the neighborhood candy store or down at the pool hall bruh! It's reserved for those willing to make the necessary sacrifices to be called a champion!

Well, the Boston Celtics are doing just that! Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! They have outplayed and out hustled the Miami Heat to take a 3-2 led in the Eastern Conference Finals with an amazing win on the road 94-90 in Game 5. Coaches always say, "Well son, they just wanted it more than you did! There are no substitutions for passion!" Kevin Garnett is my favorite player in the league and always has been for one reason, his passion.

He's been in the league for 17 years and he still plays with the same intensity as he did back in high school at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago. Every time he's on the floor he's talking $100 worth of noise and backing it up! I explained to you guys in the Hot Joint entitled "The Game Inside the Game" that I had no problem with LeBron laughing in his face and that it was standard hood protocol. I also told you that it would only motivate KG down the stretch too. In Game 5 he talked, woofed and barked his way to 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds putting the Celtics on his back. He was the guy in the hood that the rules never applied to. He was VIP before you understood what that was. They just called it being "That Dude!"

 When you mess with the neighbors dog because she's locked up, you've got to be prepared for the day that she brakes the chain bruh. Either you've got to be a flat out sprinter or run with cats that are slower than you. Unfortunately, LeBron is tied to the hip with boyz that are slower than he is. So they all got bit!

KG's my guy but I pull for LeBron because folks hate on the kid so much. What more can the freaking guy do? Pretty much during the playoffs he's consistently put up 30 points and 13-18 rebounds! He put up 30 and 13 in Game 5! Not to mention he's playing 44 plus minutes a night and he's playing multiple positions in the process. The cat left Cleveland so that he wouldn't have to shoulder ALL of the responsibility and he's doing it ALL over again.

It's like asking Adrian Peterson to play running back for two quarters then move over to tight end for part of the 3rd, only to play the rest of it at offensive guard. Then in the 4th they need him to line back up at running back and rush for 92 yards to win the game! It's outright foolish what this guy has to do to win a freaking game!

"Stop whining bruh and just play!"

The Fat Lady has been called but she's in Oklahoma City tonight for a huge engagement that shouldn't take too long. Then on Thursday for Game 6 she'll make her way to Boston! She had a few false alarms after Miami went up 2-0!  Her zipper got stuck on one call then the cab she was taking to the arena had a flat. However, the secret service has been called to escort her into the TD Garden to make sure there are no problems. Now these aren't the secret service that got fired for all of that foolishness in Columbia. Those cats were riding with Justin Blackmon over the weekend with he picked up a DUI and blew a 2.4 before he has signed his NFL rookie contract. Pure genius!

The Heat can only blame themselves because they just didn't want it more than Boston. It's just that simple bruh! After every missed called they've cried and complained for calls that they thought they should have gotten. While the Heat have been looking at the refs and whining the Celtics have been getting down the floor to get easy buckets this entire series.

If you learn nothing else in life understand that there's no substitute for effort! Talent many times will fool you into believing that you don't have to put in the work! Miami thought that they could just roll their jerseys out on the floor and win a championship and it doesn't work that way bruh! You've got be able to grind every night!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Young Bloods"

"You can't push us around anymore & I want my money back!"

During the first two games of the Western Conference Finals Tony Parker and his boyz were at school gang bangin', throwing up sets and wearing colors strong. They were rocking the their hats bent and dragging handkerchiefs out of their back pockets. These cats were literally on the bus terrorizing all of the young kids that were actually going to school to get an education. The San Antonio Spurs jumped all over the Oklahoma City Thunder 2-0 in what looked like a cake walk when this series started.

At one point the Spurs enjoyed a 20 game winning streak that dated back to April during the regular season. The veteran team that at one point looked to be unstoppable are now getting housed by the younger more athletic and somewhat naive Oklahoma City Thunder. After falling down into a 0-2 rusty toilet the Thunder have won 3 straight to take a commanding 3-2 lead in the series after an exciting 108-103 win on Monday night.

Led by Kevin Durant, the Young Bloods are just young and dumb enough to believe that they can tame these veterans and make it to the Finals. What boyz are sleeping on is the fact that Durant is 6'10" and bringing the rock up court, pretty much playing the point and being the scorer both inside and out. Who does that bruh? That's the great thing about being young, you don't realize that you can't accomplish things that don't make sense. The crazy thing about this team is that the average age of their starting lineup is 24 years old. They haven't even rationalized that what they're doing doesn't make sense to older more wiser people. No team this young has ever done this before! That's why people put so much value in veteran teams.

All I know is that Durant put up 27 points and his road dawg Russell Westbrook threw in 23 points to carry the Thunder to a big win on the road. Now these cats are one win away from eliminating the team with the best record in the NBA.  Sometimes having too much wisdom and knowledge can be debilitating because rational thinking takes over.

That's why I always say that in order to be great you've got to be somewhat delusional. You've got to believe that you're actually better than you are in order to push past all of the naysayers or haters, if you will. If you don't believe in yourself then who will bruh?

When the Thunder went down 0-2 nobody believed that they could bounce back but the guys in that locker room. Who would have thought that these young cats could win 3 straight against a team that had previously won 20 in a row? It defies all logic but it was possible because of the mentality of the players. Also by getting some advice from the ole playa's in the barbershop that say things like, "Listen up Young Blood, you'll never lose women chasing money but you'll always lose money chasing women!" See young boyz are more motivated by women than anything else so the ole playa's had to give it to them raw. Winning is gonna keep money in your pockets bruh and therefore women! It's just that simple! In their Chris Tucker voices as they ran out of the locker room in San Antonio, "Let's do this, MAN!!!!"

They thought that if they could hang in there to Game 5 they had a chance because the ole timers would start to  run out of gas and sure enough the tank is now on fumes. It was key to win both games at the crib to even the joint up. Now the young legs have taken over and it looks like San Antonio will be going fishing on Wednesday. Tim  Duncan may even go over Niagara Falls in a bucket at this point bruh!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"The Head Busta"

"Rondo is taking boyz to school & they have no answer!"

Back during the regular season I made the comment that Rajon Rondo was the best point guard in the league and boyz went nuts as they usually do when I say something that the so-called experts haven't said yet.  I usually get labeled as a hater because I didn't agree with what most of the clowns on Twitter or the cats sitting around the table or in the barbershop have to say. When everyone was riding the strap of Derrick Rose I wasn't buying it. He's explosive to the rack but outside of that his game's limited. I keep telling folks that Rondo's a walking double double and you can't teach that. He picks them up like getting the newspaper in the morning bruh.

The fact that he's been gifted genetically allows him to do what very few people can do with the basketball in their hands including Derrick Rose. He's a point guard so he has to handle the rock on nearly every possession. The fact that he's only 6'1" and just 185lbs but has a 9 foot wing span and extremely big hands is freakish. It allows him the handle the rock flawlessly and dribble without others taking the joint not to mention he has unbelievable court vision. Those are all of the things a true point guard needs to have and he has more. 

In game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals he put up another double double, 15 points, 15 assists, getting his teammates involved and putting them on his back to hold off the Miami Heat 93-91 in overtime. The Celtics blew an 18 point lead and only survived because of poor decision making on Miami's part down the stretch. 

I keep hearing everybody ride LeBron in closing ball games but when is Erik Spoelstra and D. Wade going to take some of that heat too. No pun intended! During the last possession in regulation LeBron's got the rock with 4.5 seconds left and he passes the ball. I know that all of the basketball experts in the barbershop are going to ride him for not taking the shot and to some degree they have a legitimate beef. 

However, why doesn't he have other shooters on the floor just in case he gets doubled or in this case triple teamed. Why wasn't Mike Miller or James Jones not on the floor? After all, they are 3 point specialists! What did ole boy in Four Brothers say? "I asked for out-of-town shooters! What I get? In-town shooters! If  I get In-town shooters, I get In-town problems, if I get In-town problems, I get In-town police! That's why I asked for Out-of-town shooters!"

That's Spoelstra out there winging it again bruh. Like he has been for the past two seasons. Also why did Mario Chalmers bring his defender to the ball as well. That's coaching 101! You expect that from a former videographer though!

Also during the final Heat possession in overtime D. Wade gets Marquis Daniels in the air and lets him off the hook. Instead of jumping into him to force the foul and 3 shots from the line he takes the shot and misses. They call them joints "FREE Throws" because you get to shoot them without a defender in your face. That opportunity was basketball 101 and Wade blew it but the world only saw LeBron pass the rock with 4.5 seconds left. I'm just sayin' bruh!

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! LeBron has to take that shot in regulation because he's supposed to see that he doesn't have shooters on the floor at the time. So as the "MAN/The King/Chosen One" he's got to put it on his back to try to win it. Had he taken it and hit the joint he wouldn't have had to worry about fouling out in overtime. That's REAL TALK!  He has to take that shot because there's no negative consequence in missing the joint. The ball game was tied. C'mon bruh! Stop me when I start lying bruh!

Also what was real talk was Rondo studying at the Jay Graves school of saying what's on your mind regardless of how people feel about it.  After leading the Celtics to the highest-scoring half the Heat have surrendered this postseason, Rondo kept it all the way 100, saying in his televised halftime interview with ESPN's Doris Burke what was working for Boston was the Heat "complaining and crying to the referees in transition."

That was as real as it gets bruh! They continued to do that the entire game. Play the game bruh and stop crying down the floor. After the game Burke asked him about his comments again to see if he was going to back off of them. Rondo, like a real G said,  "What I said was true. I don't take back what I said. That's what it is."

The series now shifts back to Miami and it's now the best of three in which the Heat have two at home.  Can they just win at home and stop crying? We'll see! 

Holla At Ya Boy! 

Jay Graves

Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport 

"Thick & Thins"

Mike Miller and Paul Pierce gettin' it in in Game 3!

Remember when you were a kid and you and the fella's would be gettin' it in at the neighborhood cage running games all day. The best basketball games in the world were the joints played in the projects in the cages! No doubt about it! However, right in the middle of the best game of the day some "Imp the Dimp the Ladies Pimp" would interrupt the game because all he wanted was one shot. "C'mon young blood let me get a shot?" So because he's the older cat you let him get one but he keeps asking for the rock all while holding up the game. He's got on shorts, pimp socks, street shoes, a belt AND suspenders but nobody blinks!

That was the Miami Heat's Mike Miller during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Mike is only 32 years old but that Joe gets up and down the court like he's 60! Now he's been ballin' but it's painful to watch him even walk. He'll put up a three and struggle to get back down the court. It's hilarious bruh! During the 101-91 loss to the Celtics on Friday night he was deadly from downtown shooting 50%. I just wanna know how he does it? 

One minute he's struggling to even check in at the scores table and walk on the court and the next he's bursting boyz heads from downtown! He's got to look like at mummy on his off days bruh! He had hernia surgery during the off-season that still from time to time gives him trouble. Then he's got back, ankle and knee problems but he's still out there in his pimp socks giving boyz everything he's got. They call that being a soldier in the hood bruh! If he were a chick he'd be called a Ride or Die! Whatever they call him I want that cat on my team. He played 21 minutes and put up 11 points all without rolling down his socks or loosening his belt and suspenders!

The original joints!

Ole boy got so comfortable shooting around that the other ole timers bum rushed the cage too. Boston's Paul Pierce played 41 minutes and put up 23 points, KG played 34 minutes and added 24 points and 11 rebounds to the collection plate. While Ray Allen scooped up 38 minutes and threw in 10 points for good measure! The young cats just let them have the cage for the day. It was pointless to be disrespectful to their elders and try to fight for the ball. Although Rondo and LeBron wasn't having it. They scored 21 and 34 points respectively!

I guess the key is to let them wear themselves out and on Sunday in Game 4 the old pimps can have a few cold ones on the sideline. You know how they do. They'll get some lawn chairs and an umbrella and post up in the vacant lot, drink, talk trash and play domino's all day. They'll sit out there and whistle at chicks their daughters age on GP. Ain't nothing changed but the score of the game. The Heat will still win this series because they've got more in the tank than the ole timers in Boston can muster up! 

The Heat doesn't need Mike Miller to show up every night but the Celtic's definitely need KG, Pierce and Allen to ball out in order to be competitive. Rondo will get his but it won't save them from going fishing! They can prolong the inevitable all they want but the train is running down hill with no brakes. No Boston team has come back from being down 2-0 since the 1969 squad won the title with Bill Russell and John Havlicek and they were in their prime!

This team is over the hill and kickin' it at Mickey D's in the morning bruh! If the series goes 6 or 7 games it favors Miami all day long! Enjoy the ride but if you're a Boston fan don't worry about wearing a seat belt because you won't survive the crash  anyway! It'll probably be better if you just absorb 100% of the blow that way you don't feel a thing! So if you run up on an old cat today in a pair of thick &thins give him a pound and keep it moving! Just don't let him shoot around until your game is over!

Holla At Ya Boy! 

Jay Graves

Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"The Problem Child"

"Give me all the loose change too bruh!"

On Tuesday night during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals we all watched Tony Parker take boyz to school, take a cut in the lunch line, fight boyz on recess and even snatch a few chains on the bus ride home! He completely went off and everybody watching could only sit back and appreciate his effort. Under normal circumstances he would have been suspended for that type of behavior but because he was so smooth the principal gave him a pass.

On Wednesday night during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals Rajon Rondo got on the bus with reckless intent bruh! In one of the most exciting playoff games we've seen in a while Rondo gave boyz the business in a losing overtime effort. The Miami Heat held off Rondo and the Boston Celtics 115-111 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Rondo lit boyz up for 44 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists!

I keep telling folks that Rondo is the best point guard in the league but they won't listen. All I keep hearing is that he can't shoot. Well, that Dun was shooting in Game 2 bruh!He's a walking double double!  He got on the bus not to be out hustled by Tony Parker's effort in the West. He was the cat that hung around the gym locker room eyeing the other kids sneakers and making a mental note of which locker was the prime catch, only to come back after school to clean them out.

Rondo went off so bad that home land security was called because of the suspicious way he went about picking the Heat apart last night. Who scores 44 points and plays the entire 53 minutes of the ball game. That Dun never sat down bruh! I know that the Heat won the joint but I've got to give props where props are due! Mario Chalmers spent the entire night getting taken advantage of by this cat even though he was able to put up 22 points himself.

Almario Vernard Chlamers, yeah that's his name! "His momma call him Almario! Ima call him Almario!"  Almario spent the rest of the evening after the game explaining to the "Man" where his money was. He was able to make the delivery but came up $44,000 short and that's a problem! They decided not to wack him because they'll need his services on Friday in Game 3 but he can't come up short again or else.

Now the Celtics have to return home down 2-0 after a valiant effort in Miami in Game 2 but the hole will be darn near impossible to climb out of. No other Boston team has rallied from a 2-0 deficit to win a series since 1969 bruh! That's when Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Don Chaney were driving the bus to the NBA Championship and wearing the first pair of bell bottoms pants!

Give Miami credit for coming back from 15 points down to win the joint but it's gonna be a problem in Boston on Friday. Had it not been for the home crowd Rondo may have stolen every pair of sneakers in the building, car jacked the little ole lady in the pink Cadillac and ripped off Mr. Johnson's walker and his depends and sold them at the Flea Market.

If Miami does anything over the next two days they've got to figure out how to slow down Rondo. The other cats can do what they do because they're limited by injury and age. So like I keep saying Rondo is a problem for the Heat. Slow that Dun down and everything's going to be cool, at least for now!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"SHOOK!"

"I'm tellin' my momma!"

When I was a kid the Harlem Globetrotters were always worth the price of admission! They were so hot that they even have their own cartoon on Saturday mornings along with my homeboys The Jackson 5! The Globetrotters had crazy skills and would keep you engaged the entire game. Guys like Curley Neal, Meadowlark Lemon, Marques Haynes and Goose Tatum were putting in work back in the day. What we couldn't understand was why they always played the same team, the Washington Generals. It was WWE before there was a WWE! It was all staged and we loved every minute of it. I couldn't wait for Metal Lark to throw the bucket of confetti at the opposing players or even the refs and it would get the crowd too.

Well, during the third quarter of Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals I started waiting for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to pull out the bucket of confetti and throw it at Russell Westbrook and Company. The Final score 120-111 was not indicative of the beating that the Oklahoma City Thunder took on Tuesday night bruh!

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Tony Parker walked Russell Westbrook to school, sharpened all of his pencils, taught the class, wiped his mouth during lunch period, gave him a nap, brought him home, fed him dinner and put that young boy to bed! For three quarters he had that cat shook like the boogie man in Boyz in the Hood! Westbrook finally got going and put up 27 points but by that time Tony Parker had eaten his lunch and taken his sneakers finishing with 34 points and 8 assists.

The Spurs are running through boyz like Usian Bolt these days. The Spurs set an NBA record with their 20th consecutive victory bridging the regular season and the playoffs and the way they're playing I don't see OKC getting a W the rest of the way bruh! It was border line abuse out there the way they were running their offense with ease. It was so bad that child protective services were called at halftime!

Ya boy Westbrook will have nightmares for years to come trying to get over the way Parker treated him in Game 2. He was shook and that's being nice. I'm glad Tony Parker didn't grew up in the hood in America bruh because if he would have, he would have been talking a C-note worth of trash. That would have completely destroyed that young boy! God forbid he would have laughed in his face. They would have rolled him out of San Antonio on a stretcher.

I just hope that he can beat the shakes off before Game 3. Otherwise, it's a wrap and all of the hype OKC had coming into the playoffs goes up in smoke! One thing about it, those young boyz definitely have a lot to learn about the game of basketball and the more veteran team  proved it in the first two games. Just because you've got talent doesn't mean you can just show up and win. There's something to be said about having a strong basketball IQ.

Tony Parker and the San Antonio Spurs look like they had all of the answers on the test before the teacher even passed that joint out. OKC looked like the cat that didn't study that was trying to cheat off of the girl that has her arm stretched across her paper hiding the answers.  "SHOOK!"

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Hollywood Squares"

"This match up is made for TV bruh!"

In 1978 Bootsy Collins, the funkateer, released an album entitled "Bootsy? Player of the Year!" The hottest record on that album was a joint called "Hollywood Squares!" It started off with these lyrics, "Ah Hollywood, Land of how do you do's, movie stars, take two's. Lights, camera, action and where is my leading lady?" That joint was the fire and anybody with feet can remember walking down the street with a JVC on their shoulders bumpin' it all day. Everybody was Radio Raheem back then bruh, way before Spike Lee put him in a movie!

That joint will be the official theme song of the Eastern Conference Finals. It's Hollywood baby on the east coast! Boston vs. Miami? It couldn't have gotten any better for TV. Think about it son, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce holdin' it down for Boston! KG is my all-time favorite player in the league because he's always played with so much passion. He's literally played his entire career like every game was his last.

Then you've got "Hot Pants" Dwayne Wade and "The Chosen One" LeBron James holdin' it down from the Bottom! These guys are two of the best players in the world bruh! Whether you like these boyz or not they'll have every television in the country on watching this match up. From the suburbs to the projects people will love or hate but they'll be tuned in.

I'll guarantee that even the TV's sitting on top of the broken TV's will be on and the broken joint will provide the ghetto surround sound. Ya'll know what I'm talking about so don't even act like you don't know! The NBA is foaming at the mouth for this match up. It's called ratings and it's got all of the side stories to go with it.

Bootsy? The Player of the Year!

The older more experienced Big Three from Boston vs. the now Big Two from South Beach! Did you see KG go up for the Yoke last night and looked like he got Yanked in mid-air! He's officially an old man now. He looked like Jordan in a Wizards uniform when he missed that dunk. OMG but that's my guy though!  The stars have aligned for this joint and ads space just went up to a premium! They're haggling over it right now, "I know I told you one price last week baby but it's gone up since last night! It is what it is! Are you going to buy it or not cuz I've got three guys waiting to buy it if you don't?"

 Don't even think that D. Wade doesn't have another pair of skinny hot pink joints to put on this week or something even more outrageous. What we saw last week was just a tease bruh! He was just gettin' started! See you don't throw on a pair of hot pink pants before a playoff game unless you know you're about to go off because he would have looked stupid had he lost. Right? Not to mention that his girl is Gabrielle Union! He can put on whatever he wants bruh as long as he's putting up numbers and winning!

Then you've got "The King" that everybody either loves or hates. There are more folks that just want to see him  fail miserably. Either way, the ratings will be through the roof and that's all the NBA wants. Those watching just for the hate are the suckers because the more people watch the more bread you indirectly put into "The King's" pocket. Money is power and you're only fueling the monster and I love it!

While the games are on I'll be bumpin' that Hollywood Squares for you baby bubba! "Um LA Californ-I-A, City of Angels, Hollywood! Cause I've been diggin' you for days!" So in the famous words of Don Cornelius, "It's gonna be a stone cold blast!"

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"The 41 Point Fashion Statement"

D. Wade rockin' the pink pants to put away the Pacers in Game 6 

Under normal circumstances if a brother walks into a room with pink pants on and shoes to match you’ll begin to question his manhood just little. However, when it’s D. Wade you gotta give him a straight up pass, especially after he put up 41 points to close out the Indiana Pacers 105-93 in Game 6 on their home court. My man walked into the press conference last night looking like Boy George but nobody said a word. Well, I did under my breath!

 If you can ball like that and pull Gabrielle Union you can wear whatever you wanna wear bruh! Prince has been doin' it for years! He could have walked in the joint with a thong, high heels and a fresh bikini wax and nobody would have blinked! When you puttin' it down like he is, you get a ghetto pass to all of the roughest joints in every ghetto in America.

 He could have stepped into the Elbow Room on 25th Ave in the heart of G.I.(Gary, In.) with them joints on and boyz would have given him props last night. I know some straight up gangstra's that would have stood in line to shake his hand and polish his shoes after putting up 41 in the playoffs on the road. 

When Bosh went out in Game 1 all of the Pacer fans started to believe that they had a chance to beat these boyz. As I listened to the chatter get to a fever pitch after the Pacers went up 2-1 in the series I’d had enough. Dude, they have probably the two best players in the world bruh. You can’t beat these guys in a 7 game series. The one thing that is for certain in the NBA Playoffs is that the BEST TEAM will always win. This ain’t college basketball bruh! 

You’re not going to see Butler in the Finals or should I say Denver or the Clippers upset somebody and play for the title. It’s the NBA and it’s where they play real basketball. At some point you knew that both Wade and LeBron were going to turn it on and prove to folks why they are considered probably the best players in the world and why they make all of that bread. 

Over the course of three games LeBron has scored 98 points, picked off 34 rebounds and handed out 24 assists. Whereas, Wade has put up 99 points, grabbed 22 rebounds and gave out 11 assists. Who does that bruh? Now I can still hear all of the haters in the background throwing rocks at those stats! Are you kidding? 

 I do have to give my man Danny Granger mad props for holdin' it down like a real G last night. I saw his ankle in the locker room before the game and it was the size of an apple bruh. However, he told me that he would play no doubt about it and that he did. He ended with 15 points and chased LeBron around all night. Whenever you can go heads up and hold the best player in the world to 28 points on a bad ankle you get TALL respect from me. He showed the heart of a lion and played like a true leader. 

It was crazy last night when the final seconds were winding down and the reality began to set in on Pacers fans. Many were ready to fight Heat fans in the building. All I heard were guys telling this Heat fan “OKC, OKC, OKC” as they were exiting the arena. That’s a straight up chump move. You just got beat so take it like a G.  Oklahoma City has nothing to do with this series. By the way the Thunder still has their hands full with San Antonio to even get to the Finals. 

Now the Heat get’s to chill out until Monday and wait to see who comes out of the Boston/Philly series. Don’t trip if you see D. Wade rockin’ the pink pants on South Beach or worse this weekend because he’s earned it bruh! 

Holla At Ya Boy! 
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Sleepwalking"

"You gone wake up now bruh? I can't do this alone!"

Sleepwalking is also known as Somnambulism which belongs to the Parasomnia family. They live down the street from the Jackson's and right across the street from Mrs Ruthie Mae nem. I heard that one of them married a Wade some years ago and their grand baby's name is Dwayne! He comes from a long line of Parasomnia's from Robbins, Illinois just few blocks south of Chicago. Let me tell you bruh, he wore the family shield proud last night in Indiana. I'm just sayin'!

Dwayne Wade looked like a zombie all night long as the Miami Heat got blasted, carjacked and assaulted in downtown Indianapolis Thurday night by the new bully on the block called the Indiana Pacers 94-75, a bunch of guys from around the way. You know how some local guy gives you directions but you really didn't trust him  so you tried to find the joint on your own? Unfortunately for you, you took a wrong turn and ended up in Haughville on the west side.

 That's what the Heat did last night when they showed up at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. It should have been cool because the fellas that were in the ride were completely capable of protecting themselves but the only two cats that got out to fight were LeBron James with 22 points and Mario Chalmers who chipped in 25 points. The rest of the team was shell shocked including D. Wade! Ole boy was in a trance from the word go. He was stumbling around like someone had slipped him a mickey before the game. I keep telling these cats to cover your drinks at the bar dawg or always take keep it with you, but they won't listen.

 Joel Anthony and Ronny Turiaf made Roy Hibbert look like Kareem in his prime! He finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds. He was killing them in the paint bruh! George Hill gave the Pacers 20 and Granger bought 17 to the table as the Pacers did an excellent job of moving the ball and spreading the floor.

Don't get it twisted, the Pacers came to play and they played what Frank Vogel likes to call "Smash Mouth" basketball. All season he's been saying that he wants to see them play "Our Game" and they definitely did it at the Heat's expense on Thursday night. They were in complete control from the opening tip. The Pacers went on the 7-0 run to start the game and never looked back.

Real talk, if Chalmers doesn't play out of his mind the Heat get blasted by 40 bruh! I mean they were stripping boyz of all jewelry, emptying pockets and dog walking these cats in plain view. More than 20,000 people interviewed say they saw it live but refused to testify. The police knocked on doors all night looking for just one witness to help them make an arrest but came up empty. No one has or will be charged in the assault because the locals warned them that this could happen if you took a wrong turn. However, the arrogance of the driver not listening cost his team a beat down.

It's like the story of the gang members getting lost in the wrong neighborhood and the alpha male driving won't listen to his boyz and refuses to turn around.  He keeps driving until the freaking car breaks down and everybody in the ride has on the wrong color! So at this point they're out maned and by the time the police cared about showing up no one can recognize any of them. They're using dental records to identify those found on the scene.

The Heat got mauled and D. Wade slept right through it or should I say disappeared on his partners. I know that the national media will try to blame this one on LeBron too but "Ya Boy" saw it up close and personal bruh. D. Wade was the cat that was talking a 100 worth of noise sitting in the front seat when they pulled into the hood until the ride broke down. As soon as the joint stopped he bailed out and sprinted into the darkness leaving the fella's to fight without him.

The Crazy thing is, when Spoelstra called him out on it he tried to get tough with him on the bench. If you're so bad why are you out there playing like somebody just stole your bike or better yet, like somebody took your girl? He may as well have had on a Pacers jersey and dressed in their locker room bruh. He couldn't hit the broad side of a barn or water if he fell out of a boat. My ole man would always say, "He couldn't hit an elephant in the butt with a bass fiddle!" He committed turnover after turnover, kept stepping out of bounds and just flat out played no defense. I know when they get back to Miami he's gonna have to show his ghetto pass and I don't think too many boyz will approve it at this point. He may have to go back through hood survival training before he gets reinstated bruh!

Now I can't let the "Chosen One" off that easy bruh! If you're the "King" then you've got to start checking boyz for not playing up to par and that includes your boy D. Wade too. Hey, the Black Mamba or Air Jordan would have been all up in cats grills by the end of the 3rd quarter. If boyz couldn't shake it off then those two would have been gunning the rest of the way. If they were going to lose the joint then they were going to go out shooting and LeBron didn't do that!

Props again to Indiana for doing what they've been doing all season long, playing Smash Mouth basketball. I'll even admit, even with Bosh out I thought the Heat had enough talent to still win this series. But after watching that violent assault the Heat are in serious trouble bruh. They may not win another game with cats playing like that. If only two guys are going to show up they may as well just throw in the towel now and let the Pacers chill and wait for possibly Boston. Last night was a Pacers Production brought to you by the makers of Wood Shed Beatings and Blow Out Hair Gel!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"The Porch Screamer!"

The Pacers hold off the Heat in Game 2

When you were growing up there was always a kid that would talk trash like he wanted to fight but would never put his book bag down until he got to his front door? He would talk all the way home and as soon as his mom answered the door he'd throw his things down, get loud and say, "Come on right now!" He was notorious for getting into his folk's car and hollering out of the window as they were driving off. The guy really didn't want to fight but he only acted like it when there was a crowd or his mom was standing nearby to protect him!

As soon as the Pacers defeated the Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semi-final 78-75 boyz came out the wood work talkin' trash and jumpin' on the bandwagon. The emergency room was full last night from fake Pacers fans pulling hamstrings and breaking ankles for trying to get on the bandwagon that's been moving at warped speed all season long. They had boyz all out in the hallway putting casts on because it was so crowded. If you didn't know any better you would have thought that it was a hot summer night in the ghetto and gun shot victims were rolling in.

 Now I guess by now you know that LeBron is my guy and I've been riding hard for him to do well because so many people unfairly hate on him. It's completely unfair to compare him to guys like Jordan when it comes to titles at this point in his career because his 1st 7 years in the league were in Cleveland. Cleveland bruh! Nobody wins in Cleveland!  So obviously my Twitter account just about exploded when the Pacers pulled off the victory.

Know let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! I'm cool with folks enjoying the win last night because it was an exciting game to watch and it makes the series that much more interesting. Not only that, I'm covering Game 3 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse so I'm excited about the series coming home to Indy. The Super Bowl in February and now the NBA Playoffs. I couldn't ask for any more.

However, what I want to see is all of those folks that were at the hospital last night buy tickets to the game and quit frontin'.  As good a team as the Pacers have they are the 2nd worse team in the league in attendance. C'mon bruh! If your gonna talk trash spend money at the same time. Because the only other times the Fieldhouse has been sold out this year is when the HEAT come to town! I know because I'm there every night.

 It's like the Beatles are in town when they show up bruh. FULLY grown men in LeBron jerseys trying to get autographs all over the building and ole boy Cole is from Ohio somewhere and his whole freaking home town shows up on 5 chartered buses and buys up an entire section by themselves. It's shameful the amount of support they get in Indiana when the Pacers have a very good team.

I'm cool with boyz hollerin' at me because that's my motto! Understand this though, it's the NBA Playoffs and the best team always wins the best of 7 series. One win doesn't win the series bruh! So before you start screamin' on the porch you need to wait until your mom comes home before you take a beat down and no one is there to pull the cat up off of you. There are still potentially 5 games left to play in this series and those 3 home games the Pacers have now aren't really home games. I'm just sayin'!

The Heat can't make excuses that Bosh wasn't there because D. Wade missed a layup and LeBron blew two free throws down the stretch. So I don't want to hear that Bosh's absence hurt them. They still have enough in the talent in the tank to win this series. Spoelstra has to be smart with LeBron's minutes because he's playing 40 plus and that will make a difference as the series moves on. Excuse? No, because they know that today! Fix it and move on! Boyz on that bench gotta step up!

I give David West mad props last night for telling his teammates to get off of the floor after the win. He was telling them that this ain't nothing, it's only one game. They began to celebrate like they had won the series or even the title. That's a bad sign bruh! That tells anybody that's been around sports for more that 10 minutes that the Pacers were just happy to win ONE game. The young boys on that team forgot that they have to win 3 more of those joints. West understood that and the veteran acted like it.  Congrats to the Pacers for playing like they're capable of playing and getting a big win on the road.

One last thing, if you are a Bulls fan you're not allowed to participate in any more trash talk because your license has been revoked until November bruh. We've heard enough foolishness from you this year. You should be at the crib licking your wounds trying to get out of the Matrix.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Countin' Chickens"

"All ready to eat and somebody dropped them joints!"

Now I know all you Bulls fans didn't think I was just gonna let ya'll turn the House Music back on and ride off like it was all Kool and the Gang? Or just show up at the steppers set and old school bop all night like it was all good? C'mon bruh, I'm Jay Graves! All that noise I'm been getting for saying that the Bulls weren't going to win the title with or without Rose! I've been saying all year that the Bulls are a free agent away from putting a championship team together and ya'll been calling me a hater all season for saying it.

Now let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! I'm not crazy or blind bruh. I know that Derrick Rose is out but he's BEEN out bruh. You played 28 games without him and went 18-9. You also finished the season with the best record in the league which created an illusion for you. You thought that if you were winning without Rose you definitely had what it takes to win with him.

However, I kept telling all you delusional mugs that you still had holes but I was a hater for bringing it to your attention. I told you that C.J. Watson and John Lucas wasn't going to surprise anybody in the playoffs didn't I?  I said that in the playoffs teams actually have time to scout and during the regular season they don't. The season was condensed so they really didn't have time to find out what Watson or Lucas could do.

So without Rose you should at least be able to get past the 76'rs bruh! Of course, you've got no shot at winning the title without your horse but surely if you were as deep as you have been saying you were. You'd at least get into the 2nd round of the playoffs. The 76'rs are the 8th seed in the East bruh! That means that they barely made the playoffs! C'mon man! Somebody help me out here! Now I'm hearing excuses that Joakim Noah is out. OK, I'll give you Noah being banged up so you should be up 3-1! But ya'll getting car jacked on 95th and Stony by a 8 year old with a water pistol. How are you down 3-1? You didn't need Rose to beat Philly if you were the best TEAM in the league. You should at least being gearing up for Boston and then going down because you're missing Rose and Noah! That makes sense but to be down 3-1 to Philly? You shouldn't even be factoring in Rose's absence this early if you were truly the best TEAM!

All I'm hearing is excuses at this point. You shouldn't be getting dog walked by the 8th seed bruh! Now you gotta call off work and avoid boyz because you been talkin' a C-note worth of trash all year because you forgot that this is sports. You can't count the chickens before the eggs hatch because somebody might steal them joints. Injuries are apart of the game and will always show up when you least expect them to. That's why your bench has to be able to keep water out of the boat when boyz (Noah) goes down!

So while you were countin' chickens I kept telling you that you weren't ready. I'm disappointed in you because of all people Chicago Bulls fans know what a championship team looks like. You've seen 6 of them up close and personal. This team didn't resemble not a single one of them! You got caught up in the hype of the record, the highlight reel of Derrick Rose and couldn't see the big picture.

I know, you got distracted! It happens. All you saw was the fine body and didn't pay attention to the fact that she was crazy. You didn't see that Boozer plays no defense at all, Noah is great on defense and a helluva rebounder but gives you no offense! You've got no other consistent scorer and your superstar has been snake bitten all season long. I know you didn't think that he was going to just show up for the playoffs and turn the switch on. He wasn't in any shape and was bound to pull or tear something. You can't park a car for 6 months and then race it down Halsted going 100mph and all of a sudden hit the brakes! You'll tear the whole front end off of the joint and that's exactly what happened.

See you're the same guy that got lured into the alley by the chick with the bad body only to get robbed by her boyfriend! So I'll leave it alone now and turn the House Music back on as I leave. However, I want you to remember this, if she's bad she gotta have something upstairs and wait 'til you put a ring on her finger before you start bragging about her bruh.

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

EXPOSED!

"I gotta get to the rack!"

Ya'll know how I do! I normally sit in the cut and wait to see what the response is going to be before I give my commentary. On Sunday the Knicks upset the Bulls at Madison Square Garden. Now the fact that the Knicks won isn't such a big deal because it's the NBA and on any given night a team can lose. However, the way the Bulls lost was the story. Derrick Rose missed two free throws and two game winning shots in the closing seconds of both regulation and overtime. He put up an AIR BALL at the buzzer in overtime and 24 hours later everybody acts like it didn't happen.

Now I realize that D. Rose has missed 12 straight games and still put up 28 points in his debut. I get all of that but I've been saying for the past 3 years that he can't shoot. Even with the 28 points put up he proved my point once again that he can't shoot. Bulls/Derrick Rose fans are like Cubs fans! Straight delusional!

If that had been LeBron putting up an AIR BALL to close a game out they would have destroyed him in the media, social media and in every barbershop in every hood in America! However, because it's the beloved non-shooting Derrick Rose he gets a pass. #Wheredeydodatat!

I hear boyz say all of the time saying, "How can Derrick Rose win the MVP last year and not be able to shoot? How can he put up 23 points per game and not be able to shoot? How can he be the best player on the team and not be able to shoot?" Yes he's averaging 23 points per game and there are nights that he'll put up 32 points but 90% of the buckets he makes are in the paint. His first step is deadly! He's as quick as a cat and he's never had to shoot to be effective during the regular season.

If he isn't penetrating to the basket he's ineffective bruh! He's got a janky floater that he puts up but he has to be close to the bucket in order for it to go in. So on this past Sunday when the game was on the line with 14 seconds left and he didn't immediately drive to the bucket I walked out of the room. Because I knew that he wasn't capable of making that shot from more than 15 to 17 feet out. Why? Because he can't shoot!

The NBA season is so busy that teams don't have time to put a game plan together against their opponents for every game. This isn't football where boyz get all week to prepare and watch film. Yeah they know certain tendencies etc. but it isn't until the playoffs that teams really get to zone in on their opponents. The formula to stopping Derrick Rose is to keep him from penetrating. The same Pacers team that barely made the playoffs figured it out last year and almost beat the Bulls but they didn't have the personnel to get it done.

However, the Heat watched the same tape and put 6'8" 260lb athletic LeBron on him and that kept him from penetrating forcing Rose to shoot and they got blasted 4-1 real quick! It's OK Bulls fans Michael Jordan couldn't shoot nor could he go to his left during his first 3 years in the league. I know all my young cats out there can't believe it but it's true! Jordan put in mad work during the off-seasons and eventually became deadly from outside. The question is, will Rose step his game up like Jordan did in the long run. As for now, this years playoff run will end the same way.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, which ever comes first! How valuable is he to the Bulls if when he goes down they don't miss a beat? During his absence they where just as effective without him. The best point guard in the league is Rajon Rondo bruh! He's a walking double double averaging 12 pts. and 11 assts. a night.  Now Chris Paul is hot too but he doesn't get you a double double every time he suits up. Deron Williams isn't a true point, he's a scorer like Rose but the only difference is that D. Will can shoot the lights out of the joint and he's 6'4".  I'm just sayin'! Derrick Rose, in my opinion, is OVERRATED and since nobody has the guts to say it I will!

 The Knicks visit the Bulls tonight. I want you to pay attention to where he picks up his points. Hopefully he'll play because I'm hearing he's a game time decision now because he's suffered an ankle injury.  Then look in the mirror and try to convince yourself that he'll be able carry the Bulls to the Finals with that janky floater! Don't get me wrong, he's a human highlight reel but his game is limited and in the playoffs he'll be exposed again.  Good luck with that bruh!

My point is simply this, if it were LeBron you'd be destroying him right now!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport