Saturday, June 29, 2013

NBA Draft 2013


After watching the NBA Draft Thursday night, I saw two surprising moves.
First was the trade of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Nets. These
two players will now team with Brook Lopez and Deron Williams. The
Las Vegas odds makers thought enough of this move to make the Nets a
10 to 1 favorite to win the championship next season. They opened at 40 to 1. Miami is on top at 2 to 1.

This trade does give the Nets a leg up in the battle for New York against
the Knicks.  Garnett has enough for one final run toward a title. Pierce can
still be productive. Both of these veterans showed they can still go but can't
play extended minutes. The playoff series against the Knicks showed that. It would have been nice to see Pierce play his entire career as a Celtic.


Secondly, the Sixers trading Jrue Holiday for the rights to Kentucky's
Noel was totally surprising. It is the second consecutive season the Sixers have moved their best player for a big man coming off injury. Iguodala for Bynum. Holiday was coming off an all star season and only 23. He did turn the ball over at an alarming rate but I think he will improve his assist to turnover ratio with New Orleans. Noel will be tremendous defensively but is a work in progress on the offensive end. The Sixers are starting over minus Bynum, who did not play one minute and Holiday, who was their most consistent performer.

Shout out to David Stern, the retiring NBA commissioner. Stern lead the league to international status, marketing globally and using the salary cap to create parity. The Heat won back to back titles, but a break here or there would have the Spurs or Pacers winning this year. Stern address
the image of the league and placed icons as Julius Erving,
Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant
and now Lebron James as the faces of  the game.

I did not agree with all of his moves. I did not support his stance on wardrobe at post game interviews. That should be a matter of choice. The questioning of an official call in an animated way, without profanity, resulting in not a warning but a technical foul. was over the top.

The NBA is in a much better place than when David Stern took over. It was cool that the first person he introduced 30 years ago at his first NBA draft, Hakeem Olajuwon, was there for his last.

Check out my post on the Miami Heat and other South Florida Happenings.
http://thegamingguyproductions.blogspot.com/2013/06/miami-celebration-featuring-lebron.html
                
                  Follow me for more on Twitter at @GamingGuyM

Monday, June 24, 2013

Miami Celebration featuring Lebron James, D Wade,#ABFF & #DDS


Miami Heat celebrated the repeat of their title defense with a parade on
Monday. The crowd in attendance was in excess of 400,000 people.
Lebron James, the NBA Finals MVP, led the Heat as they received the
accolades from the fans. Dwayne Wade, co-leader of the Heat, spoke
about his appreciation of the support the team received thru out the season.


Wade said that without the fans, Miami wouldn't have found a way to win the title.
"It's humbling. It's very humbling to be here," Wade said, gazing out at the enormous crowd. "I envision a lot of things. I can't say I envisioned this. This parade down Biscayne Boulevard was once a vision by Coach Riley and now we've taken this ride three times. It's special."



Fans came from all over the country to join in the festivities. The town has been partying since Thursday evening when the Heat clinched the Championship. Some people came from as far away as Philadelphia.

DDS arrived Thursday afternoon and watched the final game in South Beach. The trip included business contacts, beach activities and clubbing.

                        Here is a shot of Miami Beach early morning.


Most of the nightlife occurred at the Clevelander Hotel. This has been a
prime spot to party for decades.The Clevelander is back in action after a multi-million dollar renovation and upgrade to the ultimate one-stop destination experience. It is located at the center of the Art Deco District on Ocean Drive.

 A view from inside the club!
 
 
 The American Black Film Festival was held in Miami during this week
of celebration. Stars such as Morris Chestnut, Regina King, Kevin Hart
and Nia Long were in attendance. This was an outstanding networking
event for independent film makers. Marketing strategies of the major
film studios were discussed. Premieres of the summer and fall movies
were shown to the attendees. A great opportunity to market one's talent.

 
#DDS is looking forward to attending this event next year as well. Can't guarantee that will include another Championship but the party continues.
.
On to Wet Willies!
This is the frozen daiquiri spot.
 
I want to thank #DDS for the info and pictures from Miami. You can see more of her and the trip by following her at @ceedesb on Instagram,
@ceedesbacting28 on Twitter.
 
I also want to shout out the @InSouthFlorida on Twitter for providing information about the small businesses in Miami. They promote the region
and build the economy by connecting with consumers. I follow them now because of how they responded to a request #DDS had early in the trip.
 
Follow me for more from +Miami when the tour guide, Krystal, returns to my blog in 30 days.
 
Follow me on Twitter at @GamingGuyM
 


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Steve Rinaldi - Comedian

Steve Rinaldi is blazing a new trail. He is concentrating on his stand -up comedy routine. Steve will be performing at the Laff  House
in Philadelphia on June 26th. The Laff House is the venue where Kevin
Hart started. We can expect that same meteoric rise from Rinaldi. Check him out and you can say you were there at the beginning. The Laff House
is located at 221 South St. Phone number is 215-440-4242. The show starts at 8PM.
 
Follow Rinaldi on Twitter @Steve_Rinaldi
Check out Rinaldi Interview below.
Follow me @GamingGuyM

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

NBA Finals - Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs

First ,let's recap the conference finals. I had Miami in 5, they won in 7.
I also pick the Spurs in 6, they won in 4.  I went 2-0.



This is a roundtable selection for the NBA Finals between the Heat and
the Spurs. I have my followers on twitter, members of the GTLivechat
crew, 3 of my aspiring people of the week and others, giving their
opinions and selections on the series. I'll give my selection at the end of this
post.

Tony DelSignore Jr. takes the Miami Heat. "As much as it pains me, I think
the Heat win with Lebron outshining Tony Parker for MVP honors. Lebron
will save the day again with Miami winning in 7.  Follow Tony at
@TonyD_12

Ronnie takes the San Antonio Spurs.  "I think this team can beat Miami.
Big 3 have complimentary players that are effective and play D. Yes, the
rest helps this old team." Spurs in 6.  Follow Ronnie at @texmexinjersey

Philly #1 DJ Cosmic Kev of Power99 in Philadelphia 98.9 likes Miami
to win the series. Follow Kev at @DJCosmicKev

Deitra Leak likes Miami in 7. "I love Lebron James". Deitra is going to
California next week for apartment hunting and looking for a school
for her son.
Deitra was voted to the List of Cutting Edge Actress of 2013.
Check her out below.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm4031202/
http://t.co/1SBoZoYpgm
http://thegamingguyproductions.blogspot.com/2013/05/d-leak-actress.html


                             Follow Deitra at @WhoisDeitraLeak

HBO's Ty Robinson likes the Heat to win the series in 4 games. Ty was in the series "The Wire". He is now done with school and is looking for
auditions. Ty is actively pursuing an agent.

                               Follow him @FavoriteActor

Deeda Payton - Morning Anchor for KEYE-TV from 5-7am! "My Thunder
are out,so I am not partial to any team. I do think the Heat will win though."
         Deeda was acknowledged as one of the best looking anchor women.
         She has done a wide range of stories and interviewed top celebrities
         This is her interview with Tony Award nominee Cyndi Lauper.
                                           http://t.co/vSnWzWgJAS

                                       Follow her at @DeedaPayton

Merceedes Simmons likes Miami to win the series. "I am confident that
they will win in 4 games. A sweep even. And you know this man!"
Merceedes or #DDS  will be in Miami soon. She'll be looking for modeling
and acting opportunities. #DDS has worked diligently to enhance her physique by exercising at City Fitness.
Check her out below. If you follow her on Twitter,she will
tell you what #DDS means.


                                             @ceedesbacting28
http://thegamingguyproductions.blogspot.com/2013/02/theatres-merceedes-simmons-aspiring.html

Thanks to the members of my roundtable.  This was something I enjoyed doing. OMG! I am about to sign off and did not make a pick. My selection
is Miami in 6. The rest will turn to rust for the Spurs. This will prove to
their undoing. No answer for Lebron. If Wade or Bosh play good in this series, it will end in 5. The oddsmakers have Miami favored to win the series. The following is an extensive preview of the odds.


The 2013 NBA Finals get underway on Thursday, June 6th at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami. The best of seven series between the Spurs and Heat will feature a 2-3-2 format and Miami, as the No. 1 overall seed, will enjoy home court advantage. Most books have favored the Heat to win the 2013 NBA Finals almost all season and that has not changed with the arrival of the championship series. The latest series price from Sportsbook.ag has Miami listed as a -215 moneyline favorite ($215 wins $100) to defend its title while the Spurs, who have won four championships since 1999, are drawing a +185 line ($100 wins $185) to win the series.
Sportsbook.ag is also offering an exact games wager for the NBA Finals, and the favored choices, at +300 odds, are the Heat to win in five and seven games. A Miami series win in six games is drawing a +350 price and a Heat sweep is presently lined at +600 odds. A Spurs championship in six games is coming in at +550 odds while a San Antonio sweep is being viewed as the least likely outcome at +2500 odds ($100 wins $2500).
 
     
 
It's Hard to Feel This Moment these two teams are about to experience.
Rihanna and Jezzy along with PitBull and Christina Aguilera take us there.
 






  Follow me for more on Twitter
            @GamingGuyM

 
 
Tony Parker's Incredible Shot at the end of NBA Finals Game One!
 
Rihanna on stage with a fan after the game.
 
Lebron James block and dunk sequence in Game Two!
 
 
Gary Neal buzzer beater at halftime of Game Three!
 
 
 
D-Wade steal and dunk in Game 4 blowout!
 
Manu Ginobili the star of Spurs Game 5 win!
 
 
Ray Allen 3 pointer to force OT in Game 6!
 
Heat Win! Repeat!
 
 
Thanks to Everyone and #GTLivechat
Follow me at @GamingGuyM