"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

"The Game Inside the Game!"

"That don't work son! I'm from where you from!" 

Kevin Garnett has always been my favorite player in the NBA because of the passion that he plays with. Don't get it twisted bruh, all of that passion comes right at you and when it does it's comes out verbally as well. That's the way the game is supposed to be played. So when LeBron laughed in his face during their 93-79 win over the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals that was called "backing a boy up off of you!" It's standard hood protocol! I tripped because I saw so many people on Twitter that were actually upset with LeBron for laughing at KG because they felt like he was being disrespectful. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Every single person that felt that way grew up in the suburbs! Point plank!! When kids first learn how to play ball in the hood, they are taught by the older kids that the game is played between the ears. See everyone in the hood has talent, speed, agility and quickness. So the playing field/court many times is level. How can a kid get an advantage? By getting inside of the other guy’s head. KG is the king at doing that bruh!

It is as simple as that. If you want to compete in the hood you have to be able to hold your own. Playing in the ghetto is where the best games are played. That's why you see guys that have been able to escape the hood and move to the suburbs take their kids back to the hood to play ball. It's the only way you're going to know if your kid is good enough! Ballin' some nerdy kids in the suburbs where everybody get's a turn and is told that they're doing a great job means absolutely nothing. Can he ball with some kid talking about his momma and telling him how bad he's about to school him? Can he ball with a kid in his face telling him that he's garbage for the sake of saying it and none of the adults in the building are going to stop the abuse. That's the litmus test bruh! All of these guys in the league have passed that test already.

 If you aren’t strong mentally you won’t make it. So kids in that environment have learned to be tough early on because those are the ground rules. You can’t afford to get labeled as the kid that can’t take the trash talk because you’ll get targeted daily. Guys will intentionally go after you just to break you down mentally. Those are the rules and they don't stop once you get to the NBA bruh.

It’s more than just a game it’s about who’s tougher between the ears. Those that are the toughest mentally usually become the better players. Those that aren’t, typically quit before they got out of middle school. That’s just the way it is. This is the way guys are taught to play the game. The question has always been, how can I get an edge on a guy that has the same amount of talent that I have? There’s no secret formula or magic potion, just rattle him until he breaks. KG has always been a master at doing that!

Also the game is a lot more fun to play when everyone understands the rules of engagement. The weak players were eliminated in middle school so that the real trash talkers make it to high school. Then the celebrations and talk gets even louder and more harsh. By the time guys make it to college it’s at a fever pitch. Why do you think that the Miami Hurricanes were so successful in the 1980’s through 2001? In a span of twenty years they won 5 national championships! Yes, they were obviously better than other teams but they also got into their opponents heads and wore them down.

 It's much easier to beat guys that are internalizing the taunting and taking it personal. It’s called “gamesmanship”. In the hood it's called, "backing a boy up off of you!" I can beat you as long as I’ve got you doubting yourself and many times that means trying to embarrass you in the process. If I'm successful at doing that, I'll beat you 100% of the time. So that's why LeBron laughed at ole boy and got into HIS head. It the Game inside the Game bruh!

Muhammad Ali was the king at doing it! Michael Irving “The Playmaker” and Deion Sanders “Prime Time” were very affective at doing it as well. Remember when Billy “White Shoes” Johnson would do the crazy legs in the end zone and people would go crazy? That made the game more fun to play and watch. It's entertainment isn’t it? But more importantly he was trying to get into the other teams head. Why are people trying to take the attitude out of the game? That’s what makes the Game the Game!

I hear commentators so many times demonizing players for celebrating or talking trash by saying that they’re disrespecting the other team. That’s exactly what they’re trying to do! They’re trying to get into the heads of the opponent so that they can WIN the game. However, the only people that make comments like that are people that didn’t grow up in the Hood. If the ghetto didn't exist we wouldn't be watching the NBA because there wouldn't be any talent in the league bruh!

If you took all of the guys out of the league that grew up in the ghetto that clearly understand the rules of engagement it wouldn't even be a televised sport! So for all of these folks that are offended by LeBron laughing at KG I'm just glad you didn't grow up in my hood because you never would have played organized or street ball because you would have been too soft to get on the court or field. Also, your folks would have gone broke trying to replace your sneakers every night because boyz would have taken them from you daily. Believe me, LeBron laughing in KG's face only fueled his fire for Game 2 bruh!


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

"Don't Hate The Playa"

You hatin' on me bruh? 

 Why is it that no one ever wants to admit to being a hater? We hear the term being thrown around all of the time but it never seems to apply to those using it. Folks act like haters live up in some remote village in  the Utah mountains and only come down when there is something or someone to hate on. Well, I'm tired of folks that swear they aren't hating but would be convicted of 20 counts of haterism if they were given a jury trial. It wouldn't matter if they raised Johnny Cohcran from the dead to represent them.

You know you're a hater when you can't appreciate that you're watching probably the greatest athlete that we've EVER seen on a basketball court in LeBron James. I continue to trip off of people that hate him for being better than everybody else or for simply leaving the worst franchise known to man in Cleveland. If you just stepped back and took the hater's mask off for 5 minutes and paid attention to what this guy is capable of doing at his size and weight you'd be amazed. He's 6'8" 260lbs and runs up and down the floor like he's 5'11" 180 lbs.

Not only is he putting up video game numbers during this series against the Pacers, not only is he running the point but he's also playing power forward now that Bosh is out. He's also guarding pretty much every position on the floor while playing 44 minutes a game! I don't think you understand what I just said! He's playing 44 minutes a game bruh! The freaking game is 48 minutes long! Who does that? But you're so busy hatin' that you can't see it. 

I like the kid because he was born and raised in the ghetto in a very unstable environment with a single parent that was just as unstable. However, during his entire career he's never once been on the police blotter or in the news for doing anything other than playing basketball. Keep in mind that he signed a $90 million Nike deal before he even graduated from high school bruh! How many people would have given up as soon as the check came in? $90 million at 18 years old knowing that in two months he's going to be the 1st pick of the NBA draft? Who does that? This kid has handled all of this like a professional for the mere fact that he hasn't been in trouble and all folks can do is hate on him?

Now I would expect it to come from folks that grew up in the suburbs that can't begin to imagine how difficult it is for a black male to get out of the ghetto alive at 18. Not to mention being a 16 year old on the cover of Sports Illustrated still living in the middle of the war zone at the time.  However, I'm blown away at the amount of cats that grew up with the same story as LeBron that won't support this cat. Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! If you're that guy you're a hater bruh plain and simple. If you grew up in the ghetto and you can't appreciate what this guy has done on and off of the court you're a bonafide hater!

Where I'm from, you don't knock another man's hustle especially if he's from where you're from. If you grew up in the ghetto he's from your hood.  You love Jordan but he won't touch the ghetto with a ten foot pole. He'll sell the hood shoes but won't show up to speak to the kids wearing them.You love Kobe but isn't he the same cat that got arrested for sexual assault and threw Shaq under the bus when he wasn't even there?They call that being a snitch where I grew up.

 You love the neighborhood drug dealer that is destroying lives for generations to come. Some kid has to go to school today with learning disabilities because the guy YOU admire sold his mother drugs while she was pregnant. So now with some hope and a lot of prayers he may be able to at least function as an adult one day. But you hate LeBron for playing the game of basketball like no other guy in history because he's yet to win a title? Are you serious? Keep in mind folks, Jordan didn't win a title until he was 28! LeBron is just 27 bruh. Both Jordan and Kobe had the best coach to ever walk the sidelines in Phil Jackson! Don't get me started!!!!

  You also love the guy that just spent 20 years in prison for murder because he's REAL in your opinion. The same guy that took some one's loved one away forever will get love on the street but LeBron can't get any.

 You'll hate LeBron because some media outlet anointed him "The Chosen One" at 16 years old and because he was young, immature and without a father to teach him how to handle the hype, tattooed it on his back.  They named him the "King" while in high school and you're mad that he ran with it? 

If you can't see that you're a hater after reading this joint! You need rehab bruh! They've got a twelve step program for that and a serenity prayer to go along with it. There are a whole lot of things to dislike in the world but not a kid that has overcome all sorts of obstacles even before entering the league. He's the kid that all of these single mothers in the ghetto should be encouraging their young sons to pay attention to because he didn't have a father growing up either but look at what he's done with his life. 

You know you're a hater when you've read this joint and said, "Man whatever, I still don't like him!" Don't Hate The Playa, Hate The Game!!!

Holla At Ya Boy! 

Jay Graves

Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Da Party Don't Start 'til I Walk In!

"It's either all or nothing because it ain't nothing to do in OKC!"

It’s NBA Playoff time and the atmosphere is off the chain. Boyz are having a ball watching all of the games seemingly every night. For those teams that are still alive it means additional revenue and publicity for those particular cities. Unfortunately, there are only certain teams that will ever have a legitimate shot at winning it all.

This isn’t little league ball where everybody has a fighting chance at winning the title or where every kid gets a trophy at the end of the season. It’s like it was when I was a kid and only the very best kids got a trophy after winning the championship. They would also give an MVP award too. They didn’t care about some kid getting his feelings hurt because he didn’t get a trophy. Only the best and those blessed with the genetics to be the best stood on top. That's just the way it was.

Well the NBA is set up the same way bruh. Only the teams blessed to be in the right geographical location or those that are blessed to have multiple superstars have a legitimate shot at winning the title at any time.  What I mean by that is this, only the teams that are in markets that are attractive to superstar players have a shot at winning an NBA title; or you have to be the only market that was ever lucky enough to have multiple superstars that never cared about stardom or getting it in. There is a reason why Los Angeles and Boston have won more than 50% of all of the NBA titles. They are the two best run organizations in the league and it doesn't hurt that superstars and the best coaches want to work in those cities.

It’s easy to lure great talent to major markets because they have something to offer the young urban millionaire athlete. San Antonio was the only other place that was ever lucky enough to draft two superstars that could care less about the lime light or the party,  David Robinson (1st overall '87) "The Admiral" and Tim Duncan(1st overall '97) "Mr. Fundamental."  They were just different types of cats. They were cool playing in a small low key city which isn't normal for a young baller. David went to the Naval Academy and Tim was from the U.S. Virgin Islands. So they were wired differently from jump.

 Most young black athletes with money to burn want to be where the action is bruh! So believe me, when Tim Duncan's career is over in San Antonio they'll probably never win another title because they don't make guys like him or "The Admiral" very often. That's why they call guys superstars because they've got flavor and a brand to some degree. Don't even try to tell me that Derrick Rose is a humble guy and he wouldn't care where he played either. He's from the south side of the Chicago bruh! He may not do a whole lot of yappin' but he wants to get it in too! Kids from urban America are wired differently and they want to be where the action is.

 Unfortunately, a place like Indiana has nothing to offer a superstar free agent. That’s why you’ll never see players like LeBron, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant or Carmelo playing for the Pacers. The Thunder better make the best out of the Westbrook/ Durant(2nd overall pick 2007) combo while they can because those cats aren’t going waste their careers in Oklahoma City for very long either. Have you ever been to OKC? Let's just say this bruh, they were only playing rap music on the radio on Sunday afternoons just twelve years ago! I now because I've got season tickets at OU and the first thing I ask when I pick up my rental at the airport is "What's the hip hop station?" It's just been recently that they've got a station that plays rap music exclusively.

I know that the Indiana faithful is going to be upset with “Ya Boy” for saying this but Ima keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes first and that goes for the crib too bruh! The Pacers are a good solid team that finished 3rd in the East that gave Miami in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately, they're never bad enough to get a very high first round draft pick like they did when they were lucky enough to get Reggie Miller(11th overall).  So they’ll always pick in the middle or late in the first round and that doesn’t get you a potential superstar like Kentucky's Anthony Davis etc.

Middle of the road picks typically get you middle of the road talent. Middle of the road talent can typically get you into the playoffs and maybe win you a series every now and then. That's about it. It also gets you a half empty arena every night too. The Pacers played a close out game against the Magic in the 1st round and the joint wasn't even sold out bruh! They are the 2nd worst team in the league in attendance because there are no superstars playing that people want to see. Keeping it real, they are the worst because the Nets are moving so their fan base bailed on them this season and understandably so. The only time the joint is sold out is when LA, Boston and Miami come to town and those folks are cheering for the other team. Sorry, Reggie Miller has left the building wearing Elvis' cape.

Cats aren’t going to continue to waste their careers in cities that can’t produce championships anymore more. We saw guys like Barkley, Malone and Gary Payton start to wise up towards the end of their careers. "The Glove" was fortunate enough to win a championship with Miami on his way out but the others fell short of begging and never won one.

 LeBron was the smartest of them all and decided that he wasn’t going to waste his career in Cleveland like Reggie in Indiana or like Ewing did in New York. New York has no excuses, they should have at least 5 or 6 titles by now because it’s the largest media market in the world and offers one of the best night life’s on the planet. Who wouldn’t want to play in the Big Apple? The problem with New York is that they have a TERRIBLE front office. No titles since '73 with all of the talent they've had over the years? That's a completely different talk show though.

Hey it's simple, young rich urban cats want to play in Boston, LA, Chicago, Miami, Dallas, New York etc. Atlanta is a place where all of the young rich cats want to be but the Hawks are terribly run too. So a lot of cats just live there in the off-season. Nobody wants to play in cities like Cleveland, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Minneapolis or places similar to those. Hey cats aren't even going to Detroit anymore. That place is a ghost town so you can hang up any hopes of winning titles there anymore unless there is a renaissance.

 Hey lets keep it real, Jim Brown was probably the greatest running back of all time and he just quit and moved to LA to do movies in the late '60's. So I'm just prepping all of my Cleveland fans now. Tyrie Irving(1st overall in 2011) is not going to sign an extension after his initial 3 year deal expires. Everybody wants to win and party bruh believe that and you can put that on ya momma! So like I said earlier, the only teams that ever have a shot at winning are those that have multiple superstars that will typically play in major markets.

San Antonio's been lucky to have Duncan and OKC is holding on by their chinny chin chin with Durant and Westbrook for now. If these young boyz can win a title early in their careers with OKC they might stick around but if not they'll be packing their bags heading for the big city lights too when those contracts expire! Fortunately for OKC they're in the Finals now and still have a shot at winning a title. So that gives them some wiggle room for now. Even if they win the joint they'll probably have to drive to Dallas to celebrate the victory! SMH!

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

"The Original Studio Gangsta"

"If I hear anything else from my bench! I coming over to your bench bruh!"

In 1987, NWA,  a rap group that was raw as a baby's butt with diaper rash took the music scene by storm. They basically told the untold story of ghetto gangsta life that few in suburban America ever knew existed. It was an opportunity to step into the world of gang bangin', drug dealing and the attitude that goes along with it without having to put themselves in any danger. Before that, rap music was about story telling, battling on the mic and throwing block parties. Of course Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five had released the ultimate tale of ghetto life in the powerfully strong joint entitled " The Message" in '83.  However, because of the success of the concept of gangsta rap a new phenomenon was born, "The studio gangsta!"

This was a cat that really wasn't a gangsta at all but he told the stories of a gangster that had everybody in the streets fooled and the rest of world the begging for more. He was able to make a fortune off of the concept of gangsta living because people became fascinated by it. Tupac Shakur was probably the most famous of them all. People hung on his every word but in reality he wasn't even close to being a gangsta. He knew a lot of them and even ran with some notorious killa's. However, just because you're the man sitting next to the man sitting next to the man doesn't make you a gangsta bruh. 

Now we've got Juwan Howard trying to be the O. G. Bobby Johnson of the NBA! On Sunday, before Game 4 of the Heat's 101-93 win over the Pacers. Howard came over to the Pacers side of the court as the guys were shooting around and confronted Pacers rookie guard Lance Stephenson about the choke sign that he made to LeBron after he missed free throws during Game 3. The two players had to be separated by Pacers guard AJ Price before it escalated. Now on Saturday Howard showed up at the Pacers locker room looking for Stephenson.

First of all, why are these cats even warming up? Let me explain to you just how much of a non-factor these guys are to this series. The equipment managers aren't even packing these guys jocks bruh! They're out there in their underwear (free ballin') under their uniforms! Juwan has the best seat in the house and was trying to sell that joint on StubHub for $20G's before the game. It comes with complete access to the locker room and all timeout strategy look-ins as well as all of the Gatorade you can drink. Bonus: you get to talk to LeBron and D Wade when they come off of the floor. As an extra incentive he'll throw in a couple of groupies at no additional charge.

C'mon bruh! Where you from? Boyz have been talking trash since the beginning of time! Juwan is from the south side Chicago and I know he's not trying to catch feelings because some young cat is talking trash from the bench! Are you serious? You're upset because he called your boy out? Now I realize that these two have been beefin' for months dating back to March 26 when they got into it and Howard was ejected from the game after getting into Stephenson's face after several physical altercations during play. 

Juwan (39) is 18 years older than Stephenson and he's trippin' like that? First of all, he's too old to even care that a boy is talking trash from the bench. Secondly, he's darn near old enough to be his dad and lastly he looks like a fool chasing him around the building trying to get his lick back. If your boy is cool with him talking then you should be too. That's like the old timer at work that's been around way too long that's milking the company dry of a pay check, getting into a fight with the file clerk over staples. Neither one of these dudes are playing and they're woofin'? That's like the girlfriend's homegirl wrestling with the boyfriend's homeboy over an argument that the couple had last week and they're over it at this point. 

Juwan and his agent have been gangsta's for years because they've been robbing teams of massive amounts of money since his days in Washington. Remember when as a rookie he signed a 12 year $58 million deal but never really earned it? That's $58 million in '94 bruh! He may as well be sitting on the Heat bench with a ski mask on for all of the money he's taken from teams over the years. Queen Latifah and her girls should have allowed him to consult them before filming "Set It Off" because ole Juwan would have told them how to get away with all of that bread instead of getting down the street only to die with it.

I personally told Lance in the locker room before the game that the "Brotherhood" didn't except his apology because he had nothing to apologize for. He's playing the game the way it's meant to be played! That's with passion and a cat on the sideline talking trash. It's not a game unless there is some random dude on the sideline frustrating the "Man!" We would even do that playing in the cages over in the projects as a kid. It's not a game until somebody gets mad enough to fight bruh. So I had told Lance to keep up the good work regardless of what these politically correct new school cats tell him. If he keeps it up Juwan is going to be the O.G. that some young cat will establish his rep off of. One of these young boyz in the league is gonna toss his salad if he keeps looking for dinner! In the famous words of my cousin Lovell & all of his boyz, "He's gonna get tapped up out here trying to be tuff!"  Trust me on that bruh!

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

"It's Strictly Entertainment"

"Superstars like Kobe & LeBron feed the monster bruh !"

Just recently I a wrote a seriously hot joint entitled "Welcome to Sports 101"  that explained to boyz that they would enjoy sports better if they would simply take their hearts out of it. I say it all of the time but cats won't listen and they continue to suffer from high blood pressure and keep having heart attacks as a result of it. There are two things in this world that guys become irrationally and emotionally handicapped by. They are women and sports. Now you've got to holler at a woman expert on the first one bruh but I got you on the second one.

You'll enjoy the NBA Playoffs better when you understand one simple concept, "It's Strictly Entertainment!" It's called money and where I'm from it goes by several alias'. If you're calling it by name it'll answer to scratch, bread or scrilla but you gotta call it something in order to find it. The NBA makes money when people watch it. They make even more money the more interesting the product on the floor is to watch.

Let's put it like this bruh, don't think for one minute that the Pacers are going to finish off the Heat in 5 games. Now human emotion and logic says that they SHOULD at this point with Bosh being out and boyz looking like zombies out there. I know you were ready to count LA out when they went down 0-2 to OKC too. Naw bruh, the NBA is in the business of entertainment and it's wouldn't make good business sense for that to happen. That's why the Black Mamba went to work last night making 18 free throws and scoring 14 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter to cut the series 2-1 with a 99-96 Game 3 win over OKC. The Lakers shot 42 free throws bruh! 42? I just sayin'!

Folks go to Vegas all of the time in search of entertainment and the chance to become rich. Now once they leave Sin City they've more often than not been satisfied with the first goal and rarely even sniff the second. Why? Because Vegas can't make money gambling on a 50/50 shot you'll come out on top. Are you really playing to win? Sure you are! Are you giving it everything you've got? Sure you are! So why is it that the house always wins bruh? It's because the house was always set up to win! Are the players really playing? Sure they are! But the house is always set up to win!

The league makes more money if the Pacers/Heat series goes 7 games as opposed to 5! So now the "House" will turn the game on it's ear. If you thought that the Lakers were going to go down 0-3 last night you're probably young, don't watch too much NBA or most importantly don't understand the game of money. When the major market team is still playing with a high caliber superstar like Kobe or LeBron more TV's are on bruh! The Laker/Thunder series will go 6 or 7 games too. Remember back in 2000 when the World Series was actually the "Subway Series" and the Yankees and Mets squared off? The ratings were horrible because the only people in America that were interested in watching it lived in the New York metro area. Well, the NBA is way too smart for that bruh!

Lebron stock is worth more than Pacer stock any way you want to slice it. Last year the NBA set all kinds of playoff viewership records because the world hated LeBron and it's a trending stock now. As bad as they played in Game 3 don't count "The King" out just yet. A Boston/Heat series makes way more money than a Pacers/Celtics series. I'm just sayin' bruh!

If LeBron is eliminated too early all of the hate for him goes away and all of the casual hating fans that really don't watch the NBA that ARE watching it now would go away too. So as much as Pacer fan wants to see the Heat die a quick death it ain't gonna happen. Not as long as companies want to advertise during timeouts.

So sit back and enjoy it for what it is bruh! You don't just go hard at the slots when you're in Vegas. You do a little gambling, hit a show or two, get in some sightseeing and lay around the pool. If you enjoy the trip then you don't realize that they hit you for several grand until you get home. By then it's too late to be upset about it because you had such a good time and can't wait to go back!

How many cats frequent the gentleman's club with a pocket full of money only to leave broke! You can always get what their charging you for at no charge in the real world but some cats have rationalized in their minds that it's worth paying good money for. I've never understood the logic but I don't have a dog in that fight. Who am I to knock another man's hustle? I'm just trying to get you to understand that the GAME is always bigger than the players in the GAME bruh!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport
The thoughts & views expressed in this article are strictly my opinion!

"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

Rings vs. Greatness

"Why isn't Bill Russell considered the greatest?"

I wrote an article entitled "LeBron is Better Than Jordan (At 26)" comparing the careers of both players. I looked at both careers up to age 26 because of LeBron's current age during the 2011 season. For the past year everyone that has commented or called me has said the same thing, "What about Jordan's 6 titles?" Like I've always said, Jordan didn't win an NBA title until he was 28 years old bruh. So for the sake of this argument they don't exist. Lebron is only 27 years old bruh! People act the kid is 35 and is about to retire. I can remember when I caught a lot of heat when I said that Kobe was better than Jordan at 22! It's flat out true bruh. People are stuck on the entire career of Jordan and can't understand that his career was built one brick at a time. Like boyz completely forget that Magic played in 9 Finals, lost 4 of them and played terribly in 2. It takes time to win championships bruh. That's why they call them titles!!! They don't just give them joints away at the flea market!   

However, since everyone wants to use titles to measure the greatness of a player let's take a look at it. Here is a sampling of some of the greatest players to ever play the game that have won multiple titles:

1. Bill Russell -11
2. Kareem Abdul Jabbar- 6
3. Michael Jordan- 6
4. Magic Johnson-5
5. Kobe Bryant- 5
6. Tim Duncan-4
7. Larry Bird-3
8. Wilt Chamberlain-2

So if we're only looking at titles why aren't people talking about Bill Russell or Kareem as opposed to Jordan? Better yet, why not Robert Horry who has 7 rings? While you're at it throw in Derrick Fisher who has 5 or John "Freaking" Salley who has 4! My point exactly! If we were only looking at titles we'd have to put Horry in the discussion and we all know that that doesn't make any sense. He was just a guy that was lucky enough to get on the right boat 7 times.

Titles don't always tell the story of greatness because Dan Marino was probably the most gifted quarterback to ever play the game and he never won a title. Can you say that Joe Montana was better than Marino or Peyton Manning because he won 4 Super Bowls? Absolutely not! He was just blessed to be throwing to the best receiver to ever play the game in Jerry Rice and coached by the inventor of the west coast offense, Bill Walsh!

Along those same lines we saw the same thing happen in the NBA with the Bulls. Not only did Jordan have Scottie and Rodman, they played for probably the best coach to ever walk the side lines. So to win 6 titles with that cast of characters wasn't impossible bruh. Do you really think the Jordan would have won 6 titles if he were playing in Milwaukee without Scottie or Phil bruh? Really?

 Rings don't always tell the story of greatness because Jerry West, who is the Logo of the NBA, only has one. I think that people loved Jordan so much that after he started winning titles they started equating greatness with championship rings. Like I said before if that is the case, then Robert Horry is the 2nd greatest player in NBA history. Now how stupid does that sound?

Greatness comes down to a players complete game and what they bring to a team. Is the team better with a particular player on the field or on the court? But the amount of titles that a guy wins isn't the deciding factor because it's a team award. If that were the case they should change the NBA Logo to Bill Russell or Robert Horry! So to say that a person with more titles is greater based on the rings alone is completely ridiculous. By using that logic what you'll be saying is that Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Dominique Wilkins, Allen Iverson and Patrick Ewing weren't great players! C'mon bruh!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves
Hit me up 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

"The Wish Factor"

"I've been waiting for this all week bruh!"

Have you ever been to a little league game and all of a sudden parents get into it and start fighting? Doesn't matter what the sport is you can pick your poison, football, baseball, basketball or track it's going down. The crazy thing about it is that the confrontation is never about the game itself. It typically only happens in the suburbs not down in the hood. It's a phenomenon that I hadn't seen growing up in Gary, In, one of the most dangerous cities in America. It wasn't until I moved to the suburbs, if you will, that I began to see this play out. Why is that?

Like I always say, the best place to be from is the ghetto because if you can survive there you can survive anywhere in the world. One thing you learn early on growing up around aggressive and violent people is how to treat folks. Learning how to talk to people can be the difference between life and death in the hood bruh.

When parents get into it at these games it has nothing to do with the game itself. It has everything to do with one or both of them being disrespectful. They get all fired up about the game and their adrenaline is moving 100mph and then someone pops off at the mouth and there it goes. Folks that grew up in the suburbs have no idea what could potentially happen to them for saying the wrong thing to someone. So out of ignorance they think that they can say anything to anyone. 

The reality of the situation is that folks that grew up in the hood understand full well what the rules are for being disrespectful to others. They understand that there are folks in this world that could care less about going to jail. That person has been in and out of jail his or her entire life and all of their friends are in the pen too. There are cats out here that already have several felonies that can't work anyway. So they are waiting for you to say something crazy to them. It's called having The Wish Factor. Their always saying,  "I wish somebody would say something crazy to me?" To go to jail at this point means absolutely nothing to them.

 So to say something sideways to a cat that you've never seen or barely know can literally cost you your life bruh, even at a little league baseball game. However, folks that grew up in the suburbs don't understand that so that's why they keep doing it. Lucky for them the guy they got into it with grew up in the suburbs too and has something to lose. See when a person has a family and a really good job they'll show some restraint even in the mist of arguing at the field. They know just how far to take but the guy with a felony and no job will go all the way to home plate on you.

 I remember the first time I saw a parent yell at someone else's kid on the field in the suburbs. I got up and moved because I just knew that the kids parent was on his way over to tap him up. Surprisingly to me, nothing happened. I couldn't believe it. It was like being in the twilight zone. 

 Here is my public service announcement for the day! In order to assure that you won't take a beat down at a little league game don't get so emotionally invested that you pop off at the mouth and catch the WRONG guy on the RIGHT day. 

When I was a kid I never once saw parents get into it at a game. Because you already know that the joint would have been cleared with gun fire and someone would have died out there. Yes, even at a little game bruh because there's always someone out there with "The Wish Factor!"

Holla At Ya Boy! 

Jay Graves

Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

"Hood Rich"

"I should have listened to the more experienced cats when I had a chance!"

Everyone can remember Allen Iverson's infamous rant; "We're sitting here, and I'm supposed to be the franchise player, and we're talking about practice. I mean listen, we're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice".  What Iverson and so many others like him never realize is that practice is more important than the game itself.

The game's outcome is only a bi-product of what is accomplished during practice. Whatever we spend most of our time doing, we become experts at it. I went to see Les Brown, the motivational speaker, some years ago and he said something that I'll never forget. He said, "Where ever you end up twenty years from now, you've made an appointment to be there twenty years ago".  So practice is of paramount importance. The question is, what are you practicing?

For years Allen Iverson practiced acting and looking like a thug. He was the first guy in the league to rock tattoos in heavy rotation especially on his hands and neck. He was the one that led David Stern to institute the dress code policy in the NBA. He was the cat that would show up to the game dressed like he was straight off of the block during a time when guys like Jordan and Magic were all business and would be "suited and booted." Nobody could wear a suit better than Air Jordan! Straight up!

All the young cats just loved the fact that A.I. was reppin' the hood and the ladies got into to it too. All you heard was that Iverson was so fine and how they loved that look. I would constantly remind folks that at some point you've got to grow up and whatever you practice would become the norm. Psychologists believe that it takes 21 days to form a habit. Once the habit is formed it's even more difficult to change it. When you rep the hood for so long you can't escape it regardless of where you live.

Now ole boy is broke after making more than $153 million during his playing career. The sad part about it is that he's represented the hood for so long acting and looking the part that he can't get a job if he wanted to. If Barkley can talk basketball on TV anybody can bruh. Now he's very entertaining and he's won all types of awards as a result of it. However, he was the bad guy of basketball for years but he was able to work after retiring because he didn't come across as a street thug. Your reputation precedes you!

 Boyz go broke everyday but are able to find lucrative jobs after the game. I mean Chris Weber is even doing color commentary bruh! Surely with his charisma, Iverson could find a job in the game? Unfortunately, his rep is like having a felony! Nobody wants to be associated with what looks or smells like a thug. Tupac had all of these cats fooled as I explained in the Hot Joint entitled "The Tupac Influence".

Like I always say, "At some point you gotta grow up! All of those tattoos on your neck and hands ain't gonna be sexy when you're pushing 40 and beyond bruh! At some point you gotta look and act like a grown man. Not some young  cat on the block." Father Time is hard but he's fair!

Remember, "We're sitting here talking about practice, not a game, not a game, not a game, but we're talking about practice". I hope these young boyz in the league take a look at what's happening with Iverson and pull a Fifty Cents and remove them joints and clean up their image while they still have time. I was watching the Clipper/Grizzlies game yesterday and Kenyon Martin looks like he just stepped out of the projects and he's been in the league for years. For his sake, I hope that he's saved his bread. If so, he can look any kind of way he wants.

 I've always said that the hood is the best place in the world to be FROM because if you can survive there you can make it anywhere. If you use the survival skills learned in the hood and adapt to the world you're in you can become great. Otherwise, you'll become a fish out of water and never fulfill your potential. Believe me young blood as cool and fine as the ladies tell you that you are when you're money disappears you're just another street thug to them. So if you're cool reverting back to the ghetto an being hood rich have at it.

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

Passion!

"I'm all in all of the time bruh!"

Kevin Garnett has been my favorite player in the league since the day he became a professional. Not because of his game or because of the team that he played for. It was simply his passion for the game and his passion for his team. KG for years has been the only player in the league that plays with a child’s enthusiasm every night. I don’t care if it’s the first game of the season or a Wednesday night in January, he’s going to leave it all on the court.

There are so many guys in the league that have dogged it until the playoffs start like Shaq, Barkley, Malone, Iverson, just to name a few, for so many years. How many times do you hear of guys not even playing on any given night? Remember Shaq was in the league and he would wait until the day before the season would start to have surgery and miss like the first 30 games? This cat would chill all summer then decide he needed to get cut so he didn't have to play the 82 games. I’ve been burned so many times trying to see cats play that just decided they're not playing tonight and won’t even make the trip.

My wife was a huge Iverson fan while he was in the league. So we would get tickets to see him whenever they would come to Indy to play the Pacers. I can’t even count the number of times that Iverson didn’t even make the trip with the team bruh or just stayed at the hotel. She would be all excited to see "The Answer" go to work and the team would come out for warm ups and no Iverson. Then they would have the nerve to announce, "Allen Iverson will not be performing tonight!" Like it was a concert or play or something.  So if you see that cat on the street tell him I'm looking for him because he owes me money too! 

Tickets aren’t free and I want to see guys give it all they’ve got every night. Garnett has been that guy since day one. My wife can’t stand him because she says that he’s animalistic because he beats on his chest and talks to himself all night long. I keep telling her that that is passion pure and simple.  He wants to win every night no matter who they're playing and he knows there are cats like me that don't like wasting money. Give me what I paid for bruh! If I order the filet don't bring out the chopped sirloin. If I pay for the flat screen plasma joint don't deliver the big back! 

Yeah, KG picks on guys smaller than him from time to time but you won’t find a player in the league that plays harder than he does every night. Even when he was playing for the Timberwolves and he had absolutely no help, he had played with the same unbridled passion. You've got to respect him for that. 

It’s only been recently that the guys in the NBA are playing hard during the regular season. There’s a new breed of player in the league now that we’ve never seen before. Guys like Lebron, D. Wade, Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin all play with the same passion. They’re only going to be on the sideline if they are truly hurt and they all want to win every game. They aren’t doing what the old school guys did by pacing themselves and taking nights off to make it to the playoffs. Now don't get me wrong, I completely understood what boyz were doing but my bread was on the table.

 Now if the games were free or discounted every time some cat decided he wasn't going to play I would be cool with that. You can't sell tickets to see Beyonce' and show up and her sister is on stage bruh. C'mon, I didn't pay to see Willie Lump Lump play. I want to see the superstar so unless he's really hurt he'd better be running up and down the floor. Let's keep it real, how would you feel if you waited all month to see Chris Brown and showed up and Chris Jones was on stage? You'd be ready to fight everybody in the joint and even spill it out into the parking lot. Have you ever been in a joint and a fight breaks out and then everybody starts fighting for no reason? That's how it should be if the superstar you came to see decides not to play. 

 Last year, D. Wade and LeBron got together in South Beach to win a title and are still on that mission today. They put ego’s aside and put a plan in place to win a championship and you have to appreciate the effort. It's not bad for ticket sales and ratings either bruh and I'm cool with that. Let's keep it real or all the 100, whichever comes 1st! It's all entertainment and folks want to see the product on the floor. If I wanted to see some cats goof around I could go to the rec center and watch boyz run up and down the floor for free.

 I’ve never been a fan of the NBA until just recently when these new cats have taken the floor. Back when Magic, Bird and Jordan were in the league the NBA was only interesting during the playoffs bruh. People would suffer through the season and get dialed in, in April. The only guy’s worth watching during the regular season was Jordan, Magic, Clyde and Dominque, in my opinion. They were so athletic that they would give you a reason to tune in.  As good as he was nobody cared about watching Bird until the playoffs. It wasn’t until the Lakers and Celtics took the floor that anybody really paid attention.

I just think that Kevin Garnett raises the level of play and passion of his teammates and we need more guys like him in the league. Before he hooked up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen those guys didn’t play at a maximum level every night either.  Sure, they’ve always been good but they would take nights off too but not with KG on the floor or sideline. Even when he is hurt he’s going crazy on the bench and that is contagious and worth the price of admission. There is no substitute for passion and I'll buy that all day long!

Holla At Ya Boy!
Jay Graves

Follow me on Twitter: @jaygravesreport

Superstitions

"Not for basketball bruh! Don't Believe the Hype!"

When I was a kid we were brainwashed to believe all kinds of superstitions or old wise tales. Remember, "step on a crack break ya momma's back!" If you break a mirror you'll have 7 years bad luck! If you cut a baby's hair before they're a year old it will make them stutter. If a black cat crosses your path it's bad luck.  On New Years Day you had to eat black eyed peas because it'll give you good luck! You can't split the pole if you're walking down the street with your friends and if someone did everybody would stop and make them go back. It was ridiculous that we even believed any of that and the sad thing is, some folks still do.

One of the most ridiculous superstitions or old wise tales ever told was that New York is the Mecca of Basketball! You heard so many people saying it that you just assumed that it was true. After all, we've been told that Madison Square Garden was the Cathedral of Hoops. You heard it and it was the law. All the best ballers come from New York City! Nobody plays basketball better than they do in NYC! C'mon bruh, take that off of the menu because that isn't available any more and real talk it never was.

Let's keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! Indiana is the Mecca of Basketball! The Hoosier state has produced 150 NBA players all-time with 15 current players in the league. While New York state has produced 296 players with 18 current players in the league. Now you'll say, "NY is running things because we've got more all-time and more players currently than Indiana does in the league.

Bruh, according to the latest census New York has 19.4 million people in the state! They should have more NBA players all-time than any other state and have more players in the league because of the population alone. Indiana only has 6.5 million people in the state and you've only got 3 more players in the league than we do. I'm not asking you to be a wizard but I hope you could count. If you've got darn near 3 times the amount of people you should have at least 4 to 6 times the amount of players if you're the mecca bruh! That means you should have at least 45 current players in the league and 450 players all-time just to be equal to Indiana bruh! This isn't Algebra it's basic math.

Indiana's Assembly Hall

How is Madison Square Garden the Cathedral and the Knicks haven't won a title in darn near 40 years? The last title that was won in NYC was 1973 bruh! None of the New York colleges or universities have EVER won a national title with the exception of Syracuse(2003)! Whereas, my alma mater Indiana University has 5 banners swaying in the breeze down in Bloomington or B-Town as we so affectionately call it. Get you some Mother Bears Pizza or shoot over to Nicks for some of those fire stromboli's if you're ever in town. Tell them that Jay sent you. They'll still charge you but tell them I sent you.

So how do you fix your mouth to claim the Mecca of Basketball when you aren't producing results or players at a higher rate? The Rucker doesn't count bruh! They don't keep stats on that outside of NYC. That's nothing more than playing in the projects for kicks anywhere else in America. They call those cats Playground All-Americans where I'm from. That's code for "didn't go to class, couldn't go to college and play so here I am holding the hood down type cat!" Unfortunately, you can't claim that on the basketball 1040EZ bruh!

I would throw Kentucky into this argument because the University of Kentucky has won 8 national titles including the joint this year but very few of those guys that played there are from Kentucky. As a matter of fact, only one of the starting five this year was from Kentucky. So that doesn't count bruh! Holla at me later! Virginia has 22 cats in the league but 75% of those guys went to Oak Hill. Kids come from all over the country to play there. That's like the little league dad that stacks the squad and brags about winning the title.

Just in the last 4 years in Indianapolis(pop. just over 800K) alone we've seen, Greg Oden, Mike Conley, Rodney Carney, Josh McRoberts, Eric Gordon, Juan Johnson, Gordon Hayward, George Hill, Chris Hunter, Courtney Lee, Jeff Teague get drafted not to mention Etwan Moore(East Chicago) and Luke Harangody(Merrillville)! So I don't know what they're drinking or smoking in New York but whatever it is it's deadly because according to the real numbers New York ain't even close to being the Mecca of Basketball bruh!

 We'll let ya'll keep the street ball because that's all for Giggles & Kicks and the only cats gettin' paid off of that is the apparel companies using boyz up and throwing them off of the bus. We're straight on that! In the famous words of my man Stevie Wonder, "When you believe in things that you don't understand then you suffer! Superstitions ain't the way!"

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

"Eulogy of a Sore Loser"

"Here lies the body of a sore loser  and his BIG mouth!"

We're gathered here today to morn the loss of a sore loser. He was a good man that got too emotionally invested into his team. Whenever they won he would be way over the top in his celebrations and when they lost he would go into a deep depression. For years I tried to tell him to take his heart out it but he wouldn't listen.

Over the years he lost all of his friends because he talked too much trash to the point of nausea. Whenever his team played he thought that they were supposed to win the title. Even if they were suspect from jump. There was a time when his team had the best record in the league and he and all of his boyz were on a mission to let the world know just how good their team was.

We tried to warn him of the dangers of "Countin' Chickens" before the eggs hatched but he was far too gone at that point. When his team fell apart he came up missing and we all knew that it was the beginning of the end for this sore loser. He started calling off of work, missing appointments and avoiding the few friends that he had left. He wouldn't return phone calls from loved ones. It was bad bruh! We knew that he was in trouble when he started making excuses!

I tried to tell him that you can't treat people that way when his team was on top because you never know how these things will play out but as usual he wouldn't listen. We tried to explain to him that his MVP had been hurt for most of the season and not to expect for him to be able to carry them through the playoffs. When the reality of it all set in now all he's got is excuses. I even gave him the speech that all pledges get on the yard. "Excuses are the tools of the incompetent and those that use them are seldom good for anything else!" However, he was gone by that time like a fiend on the street bruh. Hooked on all of the hype and the best record in the league etc.

I visited him in the hospital when he was on life support when his team was down 3-1 and prayed for his recovery. The next day he and his team got better and closed the gap to 3-2 in the 1st round of the NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, that wasn't enough. He was too weak to sustain any momentum because he and his boyz had already accepted defeat. So my prayers were in vain. This guy and his team had given up a long time ago. He just kept frontin' like he was all good and figured people would be excepting of his excuses but they weren't.

Nobody was going to let he or his boyz off the hook for nearly 6 months of extreme trash talk. When they smelled blood in the water everyone piled on and the sore loser and his team succumbed to their excuses last night on a lonely corner in Philly 79-78. His body was flown back to Chicago late last night and today we say good bye to he and all of his fellow trash talkers until next season. It was like Frank Lucas was selling "Blue Magic" around here now boyz are sitting on the front pew crying.

 I'm so glad that his mouth has been silenced at least for the time being. We all know that he'll rise from the dead in November but at least we all can enjoy the rest of the playoffs in peace. I guess it would be appropriate for us to rock that "Gone 'til November" by the Wyclef Jean as we exit this joint huh?

We aren't going to allow anyone to say any kind words about this brother because there isn't anything to say that is kind other than the fact that he's not talking a C-Note worth of trash today. Thank you for coming out and all of you undercover sore losers can drop your Bulls jerseys in the garbage as you exit and we won't hold it against you bruh! One last word before I let you all go, FISHING!

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

Why Pro Athletes Shouldn't Get Married

"Bad move bruh!"

“Young, Rich and Dangerous” was the title of the final CD of the famed hip hop rap group Kriss Kross in 1996. It should however, be the soundtrack of your life, at least for now. You’re 25 years old and you’ve just signed a brand new 5 year deal worth more than 80 million dollars. The “Young and Rich” part you get, but “Dangerous” you don’t agree with, right? See, you’re not the one that’s necessarily dangerous, however the world that you’ve just been thrown into is bruh. Look into my crystal ball young blood. You still can’t wrap your mind around just how much 80 million dollars is, but you have a pretty good idea of what you can do with it or get in to with it. Just about anything you can imagine.

See money is like alcohol it doesn’t change you, it just brings out what’s already inside of you. Check this out, in 2005 B.M., that’s “Before Money”, you were the big man on campus (BMOC) with a girlfriend. However, the coeds just kept finding their way into your dorm room uninvited. That’s what happens when you’re the most popular guy on campus with the potential of becoming a multi-millioniare. Now that you’ve got the money and fame the campus just got bigger. You travel from coast to coast playing ball and in every night club you hit, every guy in the place wants to be YOU and every woman in the place wants be with YOU.

Now that’s a drug all to itself and it’s easy to overdose on that combination. I’m not saying that all men cheat, what I am saying is that all men are human. So if you’re away from home 30 out of the 52 weeks of the year for sometimes weeks at a time, with women doing everything they can to get at you, that becomes a bit too much to handle bruh. I’m not talking about your everyday women. I’m talking about cosmetic 10’s, the movie star types that follow you around like a puppy.

See we can’t compare a pro athlete to the normal working class family man because he has to typically initiate contact with a woman. So he has to at least be mischievous enough to play with the matches. However,  a pro ball player is running through the forest while it’s already on fire. Women are constantly following these guys from city to city and many times even making their way into hotel rooms uninvited. Sound familiar? Now I’m not saying that all women are groupies, I am saying that all of the women that are constantly in your face are. It’s like being a drug addict and saying that you’re going over to the drug house just to play dominos. C'mon bruh! Somebody help me out here!

Let’s face it, some lifestyles aren’t conducive to having monogamous relationships. I don’t care if she was your college or high school sweetheart. When you guys met you were broke and women weren’t showing up at all hours of the night uninvited and UNDRESSED. Let’s keep it real or all the way 100 which ever comes first. The woman that you decide to marry knows full well that she isn’t the only one. So who’s fooling who, especially if she met you in 2012 A.M. (After Money).

 Even if you think that you're love her you aren’t mature enough to handle what’s coming your way on a daily basis. I just think that you should wait until after you retire when you’re settled enough to be someone’s husband and father. Your lifestyle will have changed by then and you won’t be in the hot spots all over the country every night. By the time you’re in your late 30’s or early 40’s you’ll be ready to settle down.

There’s no rule to say that you have to marry young like Kobe did. If you wait you’ll  meet women that should be well into their careers by then.  Ladies that have more to lose than some young groupie trying to get pregnant and paid at your expense. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s some old groupies out there too but when you’re older you’ll at least be able to recognize the game bruh. That'll at least keep you from getting caught up at the minimum.

 I strongly believe in the full sanctity of marriage and it should never be disrespected. So before you try to join my frat and cross those burning sand’s bruh, you’ll have to get rid of all the girlfriends and be able to keep your butt at home. However, in the mist of being a professional athlete that’s virtually impossible right now. So your application to the Frat has been denied bruh. Holla at the grad chapter when you're ready.

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