2015 NBA Finals Prediction

Like any championship series, the matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers has no shortage of story lines. LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry. A team that was mostly built through the draft and lacks a traditional superstar vs. a team that was built around signing a superstar then recruiting assorted role players from around the league to join him. Anyway you look at this NBA Finals, it's full of intrigue and it's the matchup a majority of basketball fans wanted as these two teams were the best in their respective conferences all season long. The Warriors and Cavaliers are pretty evenly matched as both teams can put point up a ton of points in the paint or from three-point land and screw up an offense's rhythm with stifling defense. What I believe this series will come down to is the health of Cavaliers superstars James and Kyrie Irving. They may have had a week and a half to rest before the start of this series, but James and Irving been battling lingering injuries and that may not be enough time for their health to improve by a notable margin. James should continue to solider on through his back injury without much drop in production, but if Irving's foot injury keeps his offense limited to isolated three's and outside jump shots, there could be some serious issues. Guys like Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Matthew Dellavedova can't be counted on to make strong scoring contributions night after night and when James puts too much scoring responsibility on himself, the team has suffered. The let James fire away strategy may have been worked against the Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals, but the Warriors are too physical and aggressive on the boards and too good at capitalizing off of turnovers (the Cavs averaged 11.8 turnovers per game in the Eastern Conference finals) to allow the Cavs offense get away with being sloppy with the ball and score a ton of second-chance points like the Hawks did. I also believe the Cavs don't have an answer for the Warrior's bigs. Draymond Green has been playing lights out for the entire playoffs, containing the likes of Anthony Davis and Marc Gasol defensively and putting up consistently strong offensive showings with his combination of strong post play and a surprisingly decent outside shot while Andrew Bogut has backed up his reputation as one of the toughest defensive players in the NBA with his excellent rebounding and shot-blocking ability. Tristan Thompson and Timofey Mozgov are solid players who are no slouches on the boards and can put up points when called upon, but they lack the offensive fluidity and high-motors defensively to hang with Green, Bogut and Festus Ezeli for an entire series. 

Prediction: Warriors over Cavaliers in 6
Finals MVP: Stephen Curry

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Defensive Tackles

30.Tony McDaniel (Seahawks)
29.Vince Wilfork (Texans)
28.Sharrif Floyd (Vikings) 
27.Michael Brockers (Rams)
26.Paul Soliai (Falcons)

25.Henry Melton (Buccaneers)

24.Linval Joesph (Vikings)
23.Steve McLendon (Steelers)
22.Bernie Logan (Eagles)
21.Tyrone Crawford (Cowboys)
20.Jared Odrick (Jaguars)
19.Jonathan Hankins (Giants)
18.Nick Fairley (Rams)

17.Star Lotulelei (Panthers)
16.Dan Williams (Raiders)
15.Brandon Williams (Ravens)
14.Damon Harrison (Jets)
13.Haloti Ngata (Lions)
12.Kawann Short (Panthers)

11.Geno Atkins (Bengals)

10.Terrence Knighton (Redskins)

9.Brandon Mebane (Seahawks)
8.Sen'Derrick Marks (Jaguars)

7.Jurrell Casey (Titans)
6.Aaron Donald (Rams)
5.Kyle Williams (Bills)

4.Dontari Poe (Chiefs)

3.Marcell Dareus (Bills)

2.Gerald McCoy (Buccaneers)

1.Ndamukong Suh (Dolphins)

The Best and Worst of Jason Statham

Films Starring Jason Statham That I've Seen:
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
Snatch 
The Transporter
The Italian Job
Cellular
Transporter 2 
Crank
War
The Bank Job
Death Race
Transporter 3
Crank: High Voltage 
The Expendables
The Mechanic
Gnomeo and Juliet
Killer Elite
Safe
The Expendables 2
Parker
Homefront
The Expendables 3
Wild Card
Furious 7

Best Performance: The Bank Job (2008)
Statham almost exclusively stars in pure action films and over the course of his 18-year acting career, he's solidified himself as one of the finest action stars in the business. That being said, he can be a beyond serviceable dramatic. called upon and those chops were prominently displayed in Rodger Donaldson's fact-based heist drama The Bank Job. Statham anchors the film as a cash-strapped car salesman who is recruited by an old friend (Saffron Burrrows) to rob a safety deposit box containing scandalous photos of Princess Margret. Statham's deep, nuanced performance here makes me wish he would do dramatic films more often.

Worst Performance: War (2007)
Even the most consistent actors whiff once in a while and Statham's biggest misfire came with his overly serious turn in War. To be fair, the film's cliched and often ridiculous script didn't give him much to work with, but Statham's performance here lacked much of the charisma and larger-than-life screen presence that's made him a longtime staple in the world of B-action movies.

Best Film: Snatch (2000) 
Statham has starred in a number of truly excellent films over the years, but none have reached the towering heights of Guy Ritchie's comedic crime saga Snatch. Statham's underground, bare-knuckle boxing promoter is one of the many colorful characters in Ritchie's engrossing, hysterical and often insane look at the Britian's criminal underworld. Snatch is a film that gets better on each subsequent viewing and is firmly planted near the top of my list of the best movies ever made. 

Worst Film: Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)
I know it's hard to believe that a re-telling of Romeo and Juliet featuring lawn gnomes isn't one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all-time, but Gnomeo and Juliet ultimately can't live up to the genius of its brilliant and totally not moronic premise. I'll fully admit that the first half-half or so was surprisingly amusing, but once the core love story kicks in, the film becomes nauseatingly corny and unfunny. Gnomeo and Juilet is without question the worst animated film inspired by Shakespeare featuring the music of Elton John to ever be released.

Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next Week I'll take a look at the best and worst work of Jurassic World star Chris Pratt.

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 30 Defensive Ends

30.Vinny Curry (Eagles)
29.Arthur Jones (Colts)
28.Rob Ninkovich (Patriots)

27.Chris Canty (Ravens)

26.Cliff Avril (Seahawks)

25.Jeremiah Ratliff (Bears)

24.Everson Griffen (Vikings)
23.Stephen Paea (Redskins)

22.Jason Hatcher (Redskins)

21.Carlos Dunlap (Bengals)

20.Olivier Vernon (Dolphins)

19.Chris Long (Rams)

18.Chandler Jones (Patriots)
17.Cameron Jordan (Saints)

16.Cameron Heyward (Steelers)

15.Ezekiel Ansah (Lions)
14.DeMarcus Ware (Broncos)

13.Jason Pierre-Paul (Giants)

12.Charles Johnson (Panthers) 

11.Jerry Hughes (Bills)

10.Fletcher Cox (Eagles)

9.Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets)
8.Greg Hardy (Cowboys)

7.Calias Campbell (Cardinals)

6.Sheldon Richardson (Jets)

5.Michael Bennett (Seahawks)

4.Cameron Wake (Dolphins)

3.Robert Quinn (Rams)

2.Mario Williams (Bills)

1.J.J. Watt (Texans)

2015 NFL Position Rankings: Top 20 Centers

20.Eric Wood (Bills)

19.Chris Myers (Free Agent)

18.Lemuel Jeanpierre (Seahawks)

17.Bryan Stork (Patriots)

16.Evan Dietrich-Smith (Buccaneers)

15.Stefen Wisnewski (Jaguars)

14.Jeremy Zuttah (Ravens) 

13.Mike Pouncey (Dolphins)

12.Russell Bodine (Bengals)

11.Manny Ramirez (Lions)

10.Corey Linsely (Packers)

9.Ryan Kalil (Panthers)

8.Jason Kelce (Eagles)

7.Rodney Hudson (Raiders)

6.Travis Fredrick (Cowboys)

5.John Sullivan (Vikings)

4.Max Unger (Saints)

3.Nick Mangold (Jets)

2.Alex Mack (Browns)

1.Maurkice Pouncey (Steelers)

Album Review: A$AP Rocky-At.Long.Last.A$AP

The life of A$AP Rocky has changed pretty dramatically since the release of his major-label debut Long.Live.A$AP in January 2013. In that just over two-year period, Rocky watched his popularity blow up to the point where he was able to land a spot opening for Rihanna and co-headlining an amphitheater tour with Wiz Khalifa, got involved in an 18-month relationship with Victoria's Secret model Chanel Iman and had to endure the pain of losing his longtime best friend and business partner Steven "A$AP Yams" Rodriguez to a drug overdose at the age of 26. The impact all of these events had on Rocky are apparent when listening to his second LP, At. Long.Last.A$AP, which is easily the darkest and most hallucinatory record he's ever released.

Since day one, A$AP Rocky has dropped countless songs about drugs, sex and fashion over largely psychedelic (and pretty consistently excellent) beats, and that formula still runs the show here. There are a few songs that go against the grain such as the album's opening 1-2 punch of "Holy Ghost" and "Canal St.", which serve as surprisingly deep reflections on the perils of fame and losing focus on your core values and where you came from once you get consumed with the jet-setting celebrity lifestyle, but these are nothing but brief albeit welcome detours on Rocky's debauchery-filled journey.

Rocky may still be rapping about the same subjects, but the mood is much more melancholy than anything he's done in the past. Rocky is clearly reeling from Yams' death and the sadness he's feeling is stamped all over the production choices on this album. The production-which was handled by more than a dozen of the genre's heavy hitters including Mark Ronson, Kanye West and Danger Mouse-makes heavy use of eerie samples and lo-fi keys to establish a bleak yet trippy atmosphere that practically never lets up. Even the more upbeat songs like "Electric Body" and "Wavybone" have bursts of haunting psychedelia weaved into their otherwise sunny sound. The gloomy aura of At.Long.Last.A$AP adds a refreshing and welcome blast of darkness into Rocky's well-established sound.

The distinctly somber mood established with the production is nicely offset by the high-energy verses Rocky drops on a vast majority of the record. Whenever Rocky takes the mic, he's a ridiculously charismatic live wire, and that incendiary presence prevents this album from being a depressing listen. The swagger and simply incredible flow Rocky displays when he raps has been long been one of the strongest selling points of his music and on this record, those qualities have never shined brighter. The verses he drops on "Jukebox Joints", "Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2", "Better Things" and the aforementioned "Holy Ghost" are without question amongst, if not the most attention-grabbing and all-around impressive verses he's ever dropped. At. Long. Last. A$AP largely plays with Rocky's internal battle between light and darkness and the stark contrast between his rapping and the production perfectly exemplifies that.

At. Long. Last. A$AP succeeds on a number of different levels: It's a poignant tribute to the late A$AP Yams, it makes (mostly) great use of its abundance of guest artists and I'd imagine it's a great record for psychedelic drug enthusiasts to put on and vibe out to. But above all, it's a reflection of Rocky's growth as an artist. Rocky's lyrics are still pretty hollow on the whole and there are a fair number of tracks that fail miserably ("Pharsyde", "West Side Highway" and above all, "Fine Whine"-which relies way too heavily on Rocky's signature chopped-and-and screwed vocal effect and features a pair of embarrassing guest spots from Future and M.I.A.), but the production and rapping that have defined his musical identity continue to become more polished as time goes on, and that's more than enough to forgive his shortcomings in other areas. Rocky is getting closer and closer to perfecting his niche on each album he puts out and when the day arrives where he gets everything right, the world is going to be in for a serious treat.

3.5/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Holy Ghost
2.Electric Body
3.Better Things     

The Best and Worst of Dwayne Johnson

Editor's Note: Starting this week, I'm going to profile the best and worst pieces of work of an actor starring in one of the week's new releases, starting with San Andreas star Dwayne Johnson. This series will run every week for the rest of the summer movie season and could be become a permanent weekly series if the reception is strong enough. Hope you all enjoy. 

Films Starring Dwayne Johnson I've Seen:
The Scorpion King
The Rundown
Walking Tall
Be Cool
Doom
Southland Tales
Gridiron Gang
Get Smart
The Other Guys
Faster
Fast Five
Snitch 
G.I. Joe: Retaliation 
Pain & Gain
Fast and Furious 6 
Hercules 
Furious 7

Best Performance: Pain & Gain (2013)
Michael Bay's pitch black comedy Pain & Gain featured a gifted cast including Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie and Ed Harris that were all on the top of their game. But it was Johnson's scene-stealing and consistently hilarious turn as Jesus-worshiping cokehead Paul Doyle that served as the crown jewel in a sea of standout performances.  

Worst Performance: The Scorpion King (2002)
The Scorpion King was Johnson's first starring role in Hollywood and it showed. He hadn't yet figured out how to channel the off-the-charts likability and charisma that made him one of the most popular superstars in the history of WWE onto the big screen and it makes his awkward performance here hard to watch. It also doesn't help that the movie itself is way too serious for its own good and doesn't makes use of the comedic chops that got Johnson noticed by Hollywood in the first place.  

Best Film He's Starred In: The Rundown (2003)
It didn't take Johnson long to recover after the underwhelming Scorpion King. Johnson's second starring role in Peter Berg's The Rundown not only showed that Johnson could be taken seriously as an actor, but that he had the potential to be Hollywood's next all-time great action star. Johnson and Seann William Scott make for a great Odd Couple-esque pairing, Christopher Walken is tremendous as the villain and the film is equally good at generating laughs and staging exhilarating action sequences. The Rundown is an enormously fun ride that played a huge role in helping Johnson become the superstar that he is today.  

Worst Film He's Starred In: Be Cool (2005)
The failure of Be Cool has nothing to do with Johnson, who was the sole highlight of the movie as a flamboyantly gay bodyguard to Vince Vaughn and Harvey Kietel's characters who aspires to be an actor (the scene where he does a monologue from Bring It On is brilliant.) Outside of Johnson's spirited work, Be Cool is a nothing short of a disaster. The characters are obnoxious, the writing is lazy and above all, it's painfully unfunny. Be Cool is one of the worst movies I've ever seen and is by far the largest blemish on Johnson's resume to-date.