The Weekend kicked off with Team World beating Team USA 155-124.
Skills Challenge
Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid was accused of cheating in Round 2 when he missed throwing the ball into the net and moved on to the next challenge in the round. But he lost to Lauri Markkanen who moved on to the final round anyway.
Congrats to Spencer Dinwiddie of the Brooklyn Nets for dominating Lauri Markkanen of the Chicago Bulls in the final round.
Photo: usatoday.com
3-Point Contest
The 3-Point Contest was embarrassing for most. Especially for OKC’s Paul George who managed to just score 9. Rookie for Phoenix Suns, Devin Booker won the contest with 28 points. Previous winner and Splash brother from Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson was the runner-up with 25 points.
The Slam Dunk Competition
The Slam Dunk Competition was not that exciting for me this year. Less gimmicks and lack of creativity. The most exciting moments were Pacers’ Victor Oladipo attempting to dunk in a Black Panther mask that he was probably blinded by and Larry Nance Jr of the LA Lakers pulling off the dunk his father did in the old 1984 Phoenix Suns jersey. His father, Larry Nance was present, also assisting him in the final dunks of the competition. Larry Nance was the inaugural winner of the Dunking competition in 1984.
Larry Nance (L); Larry Nance Jr (R). Like Father Like Son
It was rookie, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz who pulled off Vince Carter’s 360-jam dunk to win the competition. He wasn’t even supposed to be in the competition. He replaced injured Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic.
Kudos to Mitchell for showing some well needed showmanship. He jumped over Kevin Hart in the earlier round, which is not much of a task, but provided some comedy for the crowd. Kevin Hart wasn’t ready.
The Winning Slam Dunk
Watch “Donovan Mitchell With Vince Carter Dunk – Slam Dunk Contest | 2018 NBA All-Star Saturday Night” on YouTube here:
NBA All-Star Game
Team LeBron versus Team Stephen
Photo: www.nba.comPhoto: www.nba.com
Both Teams took the much-anticipated All-Star Game pretty seriously this year. Both teams played for Charity. Team LeBron’s chosen Organization was the After-School All-Stars, while Team Stephen’s chosen Organization was the Brotherhood Crusade. The winning team’s LA Community based Organization was to receive $350,000USD. The losing team’s Organization was to receive $150,000USD. The players also funded a pool of money, adding thousands more to the winner and the loser’s Organizations.
The referees took the game seriously as well this year. A lot of fouls were called and defense was increased majorly on both sides. It was a close game throughout, but Team Stephen led for the majority of the game. They were tied at 144 each with a minute and a half remaining and right up to 40.2s remaining. DeMar DeRozan of Team Stephen hit a free throw, then LeBron scored a lay up assisted by Kyrie Irving making it 146-145. But it was Russell Westbrook’s two-point shot assisted by Team Captain, LeBron James that sealed the deal with 10.7s remaining in the game. It was left up to Team Captain Stephen Curry to make the final 3-point shot to force overtime but he just couldn’t find any space to shoot and was forced to pass the ball to DeMar DeRozan who let off the shot but missed. It was probably after the buzzer anyway. Team LeBron wins! They won 148-145.
LeBron James won his 3rd MVP All-Star title with 29 points. Starter, DeRozan led with 21 points from Team Stephen. Damian Lillard had an impressive performance from Team Stephen’s bench, also scoring 21.
Biggest Loser of the Weekend
The biggest loser of the weekend for Suga though? Fergi! What was she thinking?! She sang the National Anthem like she was singing Santa Baby. It was awkward for everybody. Shame on you Fergi. Twitter ripped her apart.
Great All-Star Weekend though! See you next year!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this blog, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
NBA All-Star Weekend 2018 is here! It will be held in Los Angeles this year and will feature various events including your favourites.
NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (Tonight, Fri. @ 7pm ET)
The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will be tonight at 7pm ET on ESPN. Some of the Celebs that will play are Tracy McGrady, Black Panther Star Michael B. Jordan, Nick Cannon, Jerry Ferrara (Power), Common, Dascha Polanco (Orange is the New Black) and Jamie Foxx.
NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest, 3-Point Contest and Skills Competition (Tomorrow – Sat., 8-11pm ET)
For probably the most exciting night of the Weekend, see who will be in each competition here!
N.B. Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz will be replacing injured, Aaron GordonPhoto: NBA
NBA All-Star Game (Sunday @8pm ET)
East Vs. West
a.k.a
Team LeBronÂÂ
Photo: www.nba.com
vs.
Team Stephen
Photo: www.nba.com
Team East and Team West will battle for a good cause this Sunday at the 67th NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. LeBron James will Captain Team East and Stephen Curry will Captain Team West. Both Captains got to choose their teams so players from the East and West will be all mixed up this year.
Team James’ chosen Organization is the After-School All-Stars, while Team Curry’s chosen Organization is Brotherhood Crusade.
The NBA announced that the winning team’s LA Community based Organization will receive $350,000USD. The losing team’s Organization will receive $150,000USD.
ENJOY!ÂÂ
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this Blog, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
Left side: Pesto Pizza with Mozzarella, Pine Nuts and Basil; Right side: Pizza Bianca with Double Pepperoni and Mozzarella
MidiCi Fort Lauderdale makes wood-fired Neapolitan Pizzas. Neapolitan Pizzas are authentic Italian style Pizzas that are made with San Marzano tomatoes grown on volcanic plains in Italy and Mozzarella cheese made with milk from water buffalo that are raised in the marshlands of Italy. The Mozzarella cheese used is known as ‘white gold’ because of its high premium quality and taste.
MidiCi has a Daily Happy Hour from 3-7pm and all day on Thursdays. They also do Wine and Cheese on Wednesdays for $19.95USD.
They have quite a salivating Instagram page. Looks like they are worth a try on my next trip!
MidiCi Fort Lauderdale
The Neapolitan Pizza Company
Location: 510 North Federal Highway. Fort Lauderdale. Florida
Eagles Backup QB Nick Foles has done it! Nick Foles raises the Lombardi trophy
The Eagles won their 1st ever Super Bowl 41-33! What a game! It was close from beginning to end!
Here is how it all went down!
1st Quarter
The game had an even start with a Field Goal (FG) each for a 3-3 scoreline.
Eagles scored a TD, then they missed their FG. The score was brought to 9-3.
The Eagles defense did well to stop the Patriots from scoring a TD. The ball wasn’t placed well for the Patriots’ kicker in time and he hit the pole, so there was no score for the Patriots on that possession.
2nd Quarter
Eagles’ LeGarrette Blount ran for a TD. They decided to go for the 2, more than likely since they missed the first FG in the beginning of the game. But the catch was missed. So the score was brought to 15-3.
Patriots scored a FG, bringing it to 6-15 after brilliant defense by the Eagles.
Patriots then made a crucial interception with 5:01 remaining and the Eagles paid for it. Patriots scored a TD. The scoreline was brought to 12-15. The Patriots missed their FG again.
Coach Doug Pederson went for an all-time old and trick play at 4th down and QB Foles sneaked in for the TD catch in the final minute before Halftime! The score was brought to 22-12 and Coach Doug Pederson called it right.
Nick Foles is now the first ever QB to catch a TD pass in Super Bowl History.
If you missed it, watch it here!
Watch “Nick Foles Catches TD Pass on INSANE 4th Down Trick Play! | Can’t-Miss Play | Super Bowl LII” on YouTube here:
The timing was quite funny, since Eagles’ QB Tom Brady missed an easy catch a few plays earlier. This play will surely come back to haunt him.
Watch “Tom Brady Drops An Easy Catch | Eagles vs. Patriots | Super Bowl 52 Highlights” on YouTube here:
Thank goodness both teams were performing well, because it made up for Justin Timberlake’s performance that was just not up to Super Bowl standard.
Justin Timberlake performs for the Super Bowl Halftime show (Photo: Getty Images)
The highlight was when Timberlake paid a creative tribute to Minneapolis native, Prince, but it just wasn’t enough to bring his performance up to scratch.
Sorry Justin, cry me a river, but Suga cannot endorse that performance.
3rd Quarter
Patriots scored to be within 3 points of the lead, 19-22.
Eagles then scored a TD, bringing the score to 29-19. Patriots answered with a TD, bringing it to 26-29 before the 4th and final quarter. This one was clearly going to the wire!
4th Quarter
Eagles scored a FG in the beginning of the 4th to bring the score to 32-26.
Patriots then scored a huge TD to finally get ahead in the game, 33-32!
QB Nick Foles made some brilliant throws that led to a TD to make it 38-33 after they made the play for 2 and missed.
It was now all in G.O.A.T, Tom Brady’s hands then BOOM! …Sack on Brady with a bit over 2 minutes remaining!
The Eagles made use of their possession and scored a FG with 1:05 remaining to make it 41-33.
At this point, any other team in the Patriots’ position would have given up, but they knew they had the Greatest QB of all time, Tom Brady.
The Patriots attempted to make their way down the field with many failed attempts due to the Eagles’ strong defense.
With 9s left, Tom Brady attempted a Hail Mary to one of his best go-to guys, tight end Rob Gronkowski. But the Eagles were all over him in the end zone. The catch was incomplete and Eagles won!
The moment when Gronkowski’s catch was incomplete and the people of Philadelphia realised they won the Super BowlÂÂ
Well tried Brady and the Patriots. CONGRATS to the Eagles!
FLY EAGLES FLY!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this article, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
Super Bowl LII will be this Sunday, February 4th at 6:30pm on NBC!
It will feature the 5×Super Bowl Champion QB, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots versus QB, Nick Foles and the Philadelphia Eagles.
They will play in the dome of the U.S. Bank Stadium way up North in cold, Minneapolis.
Injury Report as at 2/2/18
Source: ESPN Scorecenter
Matchup Predictor as at 2/2/18
Source: ESPN Scorecenter
How is it Possible for the Eagles to Pull off an Upset?
Compared to the Falcons who ran out of gas vs. the Patriots last year, the Eagles are bringing a much better defense with them to the Super Bowl. The Eagles’ rushing yards could outdo the Patriots, but it all depends on the performance of their QB, Nick Foles.
The Eagles showed that they are a force to reckon with after losing their superstar QB, Carson Wentz to a torn ACL (knee injury) in December and still managed to make it to the Super Bowl. Wentz played a huge part in them being the NFC Division Season leader. So it wasn’t a surprise that they barely got through the postseason with a depleted offense. Their star Quarterback from 2 years ago, Nick Foles showed signs of his full potential vs. the Falcons before pulling off the second-best Conference Championship Performance in NFL League History, devastating the Vikings.
If Foles plays like he did in earlier 2017 appearances, based on his passer rate, it will be a huge mismatch versus Brady and the Patriots. Brady could practically win the Super Bowl on his own. But if the Nick Foles of the NFC Title Game shows up, Eagles have a chance to upset Brady and the Patriots.
Suga’s Pick?
I’m never betting against Brady!
Halftime Show Performance
Justin Timberlake
Enjoy the Weekend!
Please Drink Responsibly ðŸ˜Å
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this blog, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
The Red Carpet for the Grammys in New York yesterday was like a circus. I get that for the Grammys artists, models and actresses tend to want to bring out their artistic side or style, but I think the ladies went overboard. It was hard to narrow down the worst looks but I will give you some highlights.
The Men had a few outcasts, but in general, they were not too shabby.
Let’s start with the Worst Dressed Ladies.
Black gone Wrong!
Images: e!online
Too Much and Too Little!
Images: e!online
I get that Sza, new artist on the block wanted to make a statement but sometimes less is more. The hair out along with all that was hanging off the dress was just too much.
Kimberly Schlapman was not Pretty in Pink. Is that a Hippo face on her stomach?
Tina Campbell in Red Velvet. Not bad, but the carpet is already red. So did she have to wear red shoes too?! Mix it up a little.
Tiffany Reid was way too simple. The Grammys isn’t a Birthday party.
Worst Dressed Lady!
So hard to choose, but out of these 3 ladies I give the edge to Pink because she should know better.
Images: e!online
Well Dressed Ladies
Miley Cyrus rocked her pants suit and Cardi B cleaned up well.
I hesitated to put Coco and Janelle in this category, but with a second look I appreciated their get up. Coco’s dress could be looked at as borderline raunchy, but if you have it flaunt it and she flaunted that hourglass figure well, accentuated with pink lips. Janelle almost looked like she should have been in a bullpen in Spain, but always carries herself with so much poise and I think she pulled off the crazy design Dolce & Gabbana had in mind.
Patriots’ QB, Tom Brady in his post-game interview. Brady is already the QB with the most Super Bowl wins in history. He now has the chance to win 6!
The Jaguars led all the way into the 4th Quarter. Their lead was by 10 at the start of the 4th and it all went downhill for them from there. Patriots’ Quarterback (QB) and G.O.A.T, Tom Brady led by Coach Bill Belichick had a good run leading to a Touchdown (TD), bringing them within 3 points of the Jaguars, as the score was 17-20 with 8:44 to go.
Jaguars scored a Field Goal (FG) and then the Patriots scored a TD with lots of time left for the Jaguars to be consistent and finish with the win. But they lacked the consistency to give it their all in the 4th as they did in the 1st half, which is what you need to do to beat the Patriots. They failed to convert, Patriots got back the ball with a minute and a half remaining and ended it after that, winning 24-20.
The New England Patriots are through to defend their Super Bowl Title this February 4th!
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: Minnesota Vikings Vs Philadelphia Eagles
Photo: www.nytimes.com
The game started pretty evenly with a TD for both the Vikings and Eagles after the 1st Quarter.
The Eagles drove the ball to a TD at the beginning of the 2nd Quarter to gain a 14-7 lead.
Vikings had a turnover, then the Eagles were unstoppable. They scored a TD with 1:09 left before Halftime, bringing the score to 21-7. Their QB, Nick Foles had the arm strength even though he was late on the throw.
Eagles scored another TD in the 3rd stretching the lead to 31-7 and again in the beginning of the 4th, making it 38-7.
The Vikings committed their 3rd turnover in the 4th and then it was Game Over.
The Eagles head to Super Bowl 52 and have their 1st chance to win a Super Bowl after devastating the Vikings 38-7!
After losing their Star QB, Carson Wentz to injury during the season, Nick Foles who was their star QB 2 years ago came through majorly to lead them to the win. Congrats to the Eagles.
Who’s performing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show this February 4th? Justin Timberlake!
Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
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Liverpool took 10 minutes to score 3 goals, making it 4-1 at 68′. Liverpool then scored twice in the last 10 minutes to set up a nervy ending for Liverpool to anticipate the sound of the whistle and win in true Liverpool fashion.
If you missed the Goals and excitement or would like to relive the moments, watch it here.
Watch “Liverpool vs Manchester City 4-3 – All Goals & Extended Highlights – EPL 14/01/2018 HD” on YouTube via secure link here:
The Battle for 2nd spot is on. Here is the table now:
Photo: ESPN Scorecenter
Australian Open – Tennis
The Australian Open has begun and it isn’t looking good for the American women.
Defending Champ, Serena Williams withdrew from the Open and her big comeback because she did not feel ready to go all the way.
2017 US Open Champ and American, Sloane Stephens has already been knocked out, along with fellow Americans, Coco Vandeweghe and Venus Williams.
Venus Williams was knocked out by a former top 10 player, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 3-6, 5-7.
NBA – Basketball
The Cavs are on a 3-game losing streak!
After a blowout 99-133 loss to the Toronto Raptors and the release of a video with an angry LeBron James in a team huddle last Thursday night, the Cavs were trying to break their 2-game losing streak versus the Indiana Pacers on Friday night.
After the Cavs blew a 22-point lead, with just a few seconds left, LeBron James stepped out-of-bounds on a baseline drive to the hoop, then to add insult to injury, missed the last shot as well. Pacers rallied to beat the Cavs 97-95. Not a good week for LeBron and the Cavs.
Watch “LEBRON STEPS OUT OF BOUNDS, CAVS BLOW HUGE LEAD VS PACERS” on YouTube via secure link here:
Cavs play the Warriors tonight at 8pm, which won’t be an easy task either.
The Warriors had a different fate with the Raptors, holding them off 127-125 last Saturday night and the Minnesota Timberwolves continue to win.
NFL – American Football
Super Bowl Sunday is set for February 4th and the AFC and NFC Championships are 1 week away to see who will be in it!
3 of the last 4 teams remaining have never won a Super Bowl. Schedule for Next weekend’s AFC and NFC Title games:
Photo: ESPN Scorecenter
How did we get there?!
On Saturday, Top seed in the AFC, the New England Patriots led by Tom Brady beat the Tennessee Titans 35-14.
The Titans started off with a lead by a Touchdown (TD) at the end of the 1st quarter.
The Patriots scored 2 TD in the 2nd and never looked back. They scored a 3rd TD just before the half and entered the 3rd quarter, 21-7. Patriots’ Defense tore up the Titans and they led 28 -7 in the beginning of the 4th and sealed victory with another TD to finish 35-14.
The Philadelphia Eagles held off the Atlanta Falcons 15-10 to book their spot in the NFC Championship.
The Falcons led for most of the half, until Eagles’ Jake Elliott scored a 53 yard FG with 1s remaining before halftime to bring the score to Falcons 10- Eagles 9.
The Eagles later on scored to take over the lead 12-10. In the beginning of the 4th, they scored another FG to go up 15-10.
With a few mins remaining, the Falcons were unable to come up with the catch in the end zone.
The Jacksonville Jaguars pulled off the upset of the Playoffs and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, 45-42.
The Jaguars led for the majority of the game and did well to hold off the Steelers who kept trying to make a comeback.
The NFL Game of the weekend goes to the Minnesota Vikings versus the New Orleans Saints! Vikings beat the Saints 29-24.
The game was quite a snooze until the Saints finally got on the board with a Touchdown in the 3rd to make it 7-17. Then another in the beginning of the 4th to make it 14-17.
It all started with the interception by Saints’ rookie, Marcus Williams.
With 3:01 left in the 4th, the Saints were up 21-20.
With 1:29 left, Vikings got themselves in FG range and scored to make it 21-23.
The Saints then scored a FG with 25s left to make it 24-23.
Then all of a sudden, Vikings win 29-24 TD!
Vikings’ Stefon Diggs scores game-winning 61-yard TD in wild finish versus Saints in NFC Divisional Playoff
Ironically, the Saints’ rookie, Marcus Williams who initially turned the game around for the Saints also ended it for them, failing to stop Vikings’ Diggs.
Stefon Diggs scored the game-winning 61-yd TD and in his post-game interview said, ‘I don’t stop playing till the clock hits zero.’
With that wild finish, The Vikings head to NFC Championship to face the Eagles next Sunday.
If you missed the only 4th quarter ‘Walk-off’ TD in NFL Postseason history, Check it out here.
Watch “Stefon Diggs Makes Miracle Walkoff TD Catch on Last Play, Vikings Win! | Can’t-Miss Play | NFL HLs” on YouTube via secure link here:
Sports Season is now in high gear. Stay tuned!
By: Gabrielle Burgess
If you liked this article, follow Suga Lifestyle or like the Suga Lifestyle Facebook page.
