The Cavs await the Raptors or Heat for the Eastern Conference Finals after sweeping the Hawks. The Raptors-Heat series is drawn 2-2 and they will play in Toronto tonight at 7pm. The Heat players have been plagued with injuries but they still managed to level the series. Can D-Wade win it for them again?
The Warriors should beat the Trail Blazers in California tonight at 9:30pm to advance to the Western Conference Finals. They will await the winner of the Spurs-OKC series.
On Sunday, Durant came alive in the 4th quarter, the Spurs fell apart and KD won the game for his Momma, who is the real MVP. OKC leveled the series at 2-2.
They headed back to San Antonio for a crucial Game 5 last night. OKC led the 1st quarter 22-16. Then it was all about the Spurs for the 2nd and 3rd quarter. But in the 4th, putting bad calls aside with acrobatics from Steven Adams and Westbrook swatting imaginary flies from his eye saying he was hit by Parker, the Spurs failed to make crucial shots. In particular, Aldridge and Parker. They went cold. While on the other side, Westbrook was hot and unstoppable. His athletisism was impressive resulting in steals and speeding through the paint. His last steal, then the and-1 in closing seconds sealed the deal for the Thunder’s Game 5 win over the Spurs. Westbrook ended the night with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists.
81% of the time, whoever wins Game 5 usually advances in the series. With Spurs’ performance during the season, they would have been expected to beat OKC. But it’s always about match ups. OKC has always been a serious threat to the Spurs. They lucked out with Ibaka’s injury the last time they met in the Playoffs. Now Ibaka may not be as much of a threat, but Westbook is unstoppable. When he is guarded by Kawhi, Durant will take care of everything else. If they happen to lock down those two, there are Waiters and Steve Adams who will do the job. Steve Adams’ game has improved tremendously. Someone should cut his hair. Old man river walk, Tim Duncan has to be present for the Spurs’ defense and to get crucial rebounds. Diaw is not playing as well who used to be a key part of the Spurs’ defense and facilitator for plays and magical ball movement. Danny Green works hard but is not where he needs to be yet for defense, then the Defensive Player of the year, Kawhi Leonard can’t do it all on his own. Ginobili is a ticking time bomb. Parker crumbles under pressure. West makes too many unnecessary fouls and Aldridge fails to make clutch shots. Leonard and Aldridge want it but the rest of the team seem comfortable with their previous rings and accomplishments. Let’s hope some desire to move forward is ignited and they can force a game 7.
Either way, the Golden State Warriors will beat whoever emerges as the winner and beat the Cavs as well, who will reach the Finals, to start their dynasty. Steph Curry is back and he came back scoring 40 points, 17 of which were in overtime. Or can OKC just upset everybody? They surely look hungry. Let’s watch and see.
There have certainly been some crazy endings to the last couple of games in the NBA Playoffs for both the East and the West recently.
Kyle Lowry of the Raptors made a crazy buzzer beater from the half court line the other night to force OT with the Heat but Dwyane Wade was on fire and they couldn’t hold him back. Heat won 102-96 to take the lead in the series 1-0.
Watch “Kyle Lowry Buzzer Beater to force overtime in Raptors vs. Heat Playoff Game!” on YouTube here:
Suga had Miami to win this series but with the recurrence of blood clotting in Chris Bosh’s left calf over the All-Star break keeping him out of the games, it will not be an easy task to overcome the Raptors. Their fate to meet LeBron and the Cavs is now at stake.
The Cavs – Hawks series will be dead. Cavs won easily 104-93.
But the last 13.5s of the Spurs-OKC game with OKC leading 98-97 in San Antonio was madness! So many things happened and no fouls were called for either team. The most obvious foul was the offensive foul on Ginobili on the inbound, players were scrambling all over the place and falling on the court and most hilariously, a Spurs fan (no it wasn’t Suga) grabbed the arm of OKC’s Steve Adams! Even though no fouls were called, at the end of the day, Ginobili should not have passed the ball to go for a 3. Shame on him. This win for OKC levelled the series 1-1. This will be the most exciting semi final series.
Watch “Dramatic Finish in San Antonio | Thunder vs Spurs | Game 2 | May 2, 2016 | 2016 NBA Playoffs” on YouTube here:
Watch “Spurs fan grabbed Steven Adams’ arm on the final possession Spurs vs Thunders” on YouTube here:
Last night, Trail Blazers led Warriors for the majority of the game with a 11-point lead into the 4th quarter. Lillard was on fire and Klay Thompson was not. Then Blazers forgot they had to play a 4th quarter and it all went downhill from there. They started to trail again.
Klay Thompson then started to make shots when it counted, ending the game with 27 points and the Defending Champs quickly erased the 11-point deficit in the 4th to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Trail Blazers have no chance.
Photo: www.nba.com
So what’s the status of the NBA 2016 Playoffs now?
 Two weeks ago, Suga took a walk on the strip of Las Olas Blvd. in Florida in search of a late Breakfast. It was quite a busy atmosphere because of the Festival taking place. People were everywhere!
I wanted to try somewhere new too so the sign, ‘La Bonne Crepe’ caught my eyes. I was like great, Breakfast Crepe.
Missed that though, because upon entry my friend and I were greeted politely then told that they were switching over to lunch so we may have a little wait. It was about 11am and we were fine with that.
Our waitress was not initially pleasant and she was a bit up in age but thankfully she warmed up as time went by.
We ordered Salmon and Turkey crepes with cheese ($15.70USD and $14.64USD respectively). Prices were reasonable and the Crepes on their menu were in different categores such as Breakfadt Crepes, Dessert Crepes, Cheese Crepes, you name it.
After much anticipation, HUGE Crepes came our way but we were not impressed. We had no idea it would be crispy Crepes and they were bland. The meats needed more seasoning and a different kind of cheese should have been used to complement them or add some flavour. So it really was just a big pile of nothing that just satisfied my hunger. I enjoyed my frozen Cappuccino though. The experience makes me have to big up our local, Tea Tree Crêperie, although they usually have you waiting on the one person making their Crepes, the quality is good, consistent, tasty and the flavours are brought out well in the Crepes.
So next time I go back on that strip I will just go with what I know, YOLO!
Witnessing NBA history last night was surely a treat. The Golden State Warriors made history at home, the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California. They beat the Memphis Grizzlies in a blowout game, 125-104 led by Stephen Curry with 46 points to win the NBA-record 73rd game breaking the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins.
The determined Defending Champs’ 24-0 start to the NBA season was definitely a contributing factor to the record.
Congrats to the Warriors and to Coach Steve Kerr who was also a part of that 95-96 Bulls team.
However, since that game was a blowout, all eyes went to Kobe Bryant’s last NBA game when he was at 50 points. Jay-Z told him during the game he traveled all the way there to see it and Jack Nicholson was there as usual, happy to see Kobe perform so well in his last game. Kobe went further to score 60 points! He not only made the Lakers win a game versus the Jazz, 101-96 (well win a game period), he has now scored the most points by a player 37 or older. He passed the great, Michael Jordan who scored 51 at 38 years in the 2001-2002 season and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who scored 46 at 38 years in the 1985-86 season.
Kobe was extremely winded after the game but was happy that his kids got to see him play in his true element and that his teammates actually didn’t want or beg him to pass the ball for once.
Watch “Kobe Bryant 60 Points Highlights | Jazz vs Lakers | April 13, 2016 | NBA 2015-16 Season” on YouTube here:
His teammates were happy for him and embraced him after the game.
When Kobe spoke to reporters after the game, he finished by saying ‘Mamba out (drops mic)’.
Farewell to Kobe Bryant, a true legend in the NBA.
Goddard Catering Group also known as GCG Events are THE Caterers to watch! Up to last week Thursday, many did not know who or what was Goddard. How did that change? GCG hosted what I considered as a launch titled, ‘Destination: Delicious!’ last Thursday night at the Ruins, Mona that was Simply Outstanding, fully representing their brand.
Fidelity Motors Ltd. is a part of the Goddard Enterprises Group of Companies and GCG often works together with Tai Flora Luxe. So on the outskirts of the event, a car was on display followed by a beautiful table arrangement and lounge area decorated by Tai Flora.
GCG and Tai Flora pair beautifully together, as GCG not only caters for Corporate and Social events but for Weddings as well. They describe themselves as expensive but based on Suga’s experience with them, I absolutely disagree. For the complete package that they offer, for instance if you also require their Bar Services, they provide all the necessary glassware, ice, flatware, cutlery, disposables and service staff for an unbeatable price. Not to mention that they come fully equipped with their cooling trucks, electricity and more. To add icing to the cake, they are partners with Pop Up Gourmet Jamaica, which means that once you have your Pop Up Gourmet Advantage Card you get a 10% discount. Depending on the size of your event, that could turn out to be up to $30,000 to $50,000 or more off of your bill! My Gosh, where have they been all along? They have been around for many years Suga Bears. After successfully catering for the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2007, they saw the need to raise the bar on catering services throughout the region, leading to the birth of GCG Events in 2008, an affiliated company of Goddard Catering Group and a member of the Goddard Enterprises Group of Companies. Some persons who know of them may also familiarise them with the airport or airport/airplane food. But when you taste their food, you would have no idea. They are thus familiar with the importance of punctuality as well.
They do a lot of Overseas Weddings and Funerals. Funerals?! Yes, because when persons land at the airport where their office is located, all they have to do is ask for GCG to take care of everything for them and work with their budget stating how much a head they can afford. The headache they thought they would have is usually gone once it reaches into GCG’s hands as they seem to be an excellent team. It is likely that you would communicate with Jasmin Ramsay or Cheridah Douglas who are the epitome of quick, efficient communication, quality service and the ability to deduce the needs of their customers, often without even having to ask.
To the general public, GCG probably started to visually creep into the Events market since the 1st Epicurean Escape in 2012 held at Grizzly’s Plantation Cove, close to Ocho Rios, Discovery Bay and Runaway Bay. The Festival featured some of Jamaica’s finest including Chef Ravi Anne, Chef Dennis McIntosh, Chef Theo Smith, Chef Christopher Evans, many others and most importantly, GCG’s current head Chef, Daniel Schwietzer. Since then they have been taking their time filtering into the Events market even more.
Executive Chef Daniel Schwietzer is Swiss and discovered his love for cooking from his Uncle who had a restaurant in Geneva, Switzerland. He knew very quickly from then that he wanted to be a Chef. He traveled across Switzerland where he learnt French and Italian cuisines, Los Angeles, California and then finally to Jamaica 25 years ago! He has served in the capacity of Executive Chef at Morgan’s Harbor Hotel, Temple Hall Estate, Plantation Inn and for the past 19 years, Goddard Catering Group Jamaica Ltd.
So what did Chef Schwietzer and the other Chefs as well as Bartenders have to offer at Destination: Delicious held last Thursday? It was quite a spread. Suga arrived at about 7:45pm. The event was slated to be from 6:30pm to 10pm so I arrived when things were about to be in full swing. Invited Guests were greeted with Sangria and I was just in time to hear Chef Schwietzer be introduced and have him take us through all the stations where he was sure to display his passion of fusing Caribbean and European cuisines.
The Cocktail station had Roasted Tuna with balsamic glaze drizzled over micro greens, Bruschetta with jerked cream cheese, escellion and wine, Rice noodles with Salmon, usually paired well with white wine and Ceviche drizzled with lime juice and some country pepper. The Ceviche and Tuna Appetizers impressed Suga.
The Soup station had Red peas, Manish water and Pumpkin soup with Spicy Banana Bread croutons that enhanced the flavour. All were tasty, but the Manish water was the hit for the night.
There was a Salad station to top off wetting the appetite. I loved the general use of fresh micro greens as I am in total support of the local farm to table concept.
Then for the meat lovers, the Beef and Pork station were kicking where the mango salsa complemented the Beef Tenderloin well and the coffee rubbed and chocolate infused methods were a delightful enhancement in flavour.
The Flat Bread station had THE most toppings including pesto, smoked marlin, fresh mozzarella and mushrooms, basil, micro greens, you name it!
There was a live cooking, Pasta station with Seafood pasta and a Dessert station where for Suga, the highlight was the Apple crumble. It was delicious.
Wines, Cocktails and Premium Spirits galore were offered.
The most outstanding for Suga was the tender, fresh, succulent cut of Beef! Perfection.
The Chefs were personable and pleasant, especially the men who had a charming flair to their service. Well done Goddard. Well done.
Executive Chef Daniel Schwietzer and Gabrielle Williams from Suga Lifestyle
I thoroughly enjoyed the night and expected nothing less. It was evident that persons were pleasantly surprised, impressed and pleased with the high standard and quality of service, food and drinks that GCG presented. A lot of power players in the Events industry were present and I am sure they will be key to future events and persons that GCG will cater to.
There is currently a breakdown across the service industry, Wedding vendors in particular, with regards to efficient communication such as getting quotes to customers in a timely fashion, following up with customers etc., but GCG is coming full force now and they will be at Dîner en Blanc this Saturday and other events to come. You won’t have to look out for them too hard because they will be Simply Outstanding!
The Warriors managed to hold off the Spurs not once but twice, to equalize the record of 72 wins by the Bulls of the 1995-1996 NBA season.
After the Warriors beat the Spurs last Thursday, they joined the Bulls as the the only other team in the NBA league to have 70 wins in one season. The Spurs were also close to joining them in that prestigious category but fell short and are currently at 65 wins with two more games left to play. Both on Thursday and last night they played without one of their key defensive players and facilitators, Boris Diaw who has a minor injury and it costed them big time. In order to beat this Warriors team, the best hands have to be on deck. Warriors won 92-86 last night with Stephen Curry scoring 37 points as they recorded their names in history and also stopped the Spurs’ 48-game home win streak. Note that Curry could have scored 40 points if his shot that made the basket from the Spurs’ 3-point line wasn’t released after the buzzer. Just amazing.
So what is the mind frame of Steph and thw Warriors now? According to ESPN Score Center, Steph Curry said they put themselves in position to win 73 games and they will approach it the right way.
Tune in this Wednesday to witness history (Yes, Suga is calling it) as the Warriors face the Grizzlies at 9:30pm.
Last night the Golden State Warriors suffered a terrible loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime, 124-117. After the Warriors were leading by 17 points they should have never allowed that loss to happen.
What happened?! 24 turnovers, Splash brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson missed a lot of shots, they went for 3s when there was limited time left in the game and they should have just gone for jump shots and most importantly, Shabazz Muhammad from the Timberwolves came up big scoring 35 points and Andrew Wiggins also of the Timberwolves was on fire scoring crucial clutch shots and the game winning shot.
Watch the recap of the game here:
Before last night’s loss, they had a 55% chance of breaking the Bulls’ 72-win record. With the loss, they are now 69-9 with a 15% chance of breaking the record.
Warriors Coach, Steve Kerr (Past Chicago Bulls player) stated that the Bulls felt the pressure and had a few losses on the final stretch as well.
The Warriors also failed their first attempt to join the Bulls as the only team to win 70 games in a season. This brings the San Antonio Spurs on their heels as well with their current 65-12 record.
The Warriors need to win each of their next 4 games to break the Bulls’ record and 2 of those games will be versus the Spurs!
It is still possible but Suga thinks they are likely to equal the record and not break it. Draymond Green of the Warriors said he cannot wait for the regular season to be over and all of the hype in the media about them breaking the record could have had an impact on their focus during the last few games.
The pressure is on and the Warriors already seemed burnt out but let us see how much fight they have left in them.
