<br /> <br /> How the National Media Messed Up the Mavs Predictions<br /> by Bob McCullough 6/14/24<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Go into the recent archives of any major sports site, and you'll find a lot of names who should be embarrassed about their predictions for the Mavs-Celtics series. And they're not just the names of those who happened to cover the Mavs. <br /> <br /> <br /> The prediction split was close to 50/50. Maybe 60/40 in favor of the C's, which felt reasonable going into the Finals. Now it seems a little ridiculous. <br /> <br /> <br /> So what went wrong? Let's take a closer look at why the national media especially fell for the Dallas storyline, for it embodies a lot of what's wrong with sportswriting today and NBA coverage in particular. <br /> <br /> <br /> **** Mavs Story Lines<br /> <br /> <br /> This one's at the top of the list. Writers love superstars, and the NBA's entire culture is built around them. The old ebony/ivory combination of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic was irresistable as a result, especially given the story lines. <br /> <br /> <br /> Start with Irving, a fascinating wack job who's been shooting his career in the foot for a long time now. After getting in trouble for spewing anti-Semitic nonsense, breaking up teams, getting coaches fired and conveniently missing games due to his anti-vax rhetoric, Irving somehow managed to resurrect his career and transform himself into a supposedly responsible NBA elder in Dallas. It's the ultimate redemption storyline. <br /> <br /> <br /> If you really believe that I have deeds to several bridges I can sell you, but in a basketball context Doncic may be even worse, which hardly seems possible. He's the most offensively gifted player of his generation, and yet, to use the words of Bob Cousy, he "looks like a truck driver." <br /> <br /> <br /> Which is Cooz-speak for Luka being fat and out of shape, especially for a professional athlete, and the Celtics have relentlessly exploited that flaw. Add in the fact that he goes after the refs on EVERY play, and he's pretty sickening to watch, even with his incredibly skill set. That doesn't stop the writers from relentlessly loving the highlight plays; that's what they do. <br /> <br /> <br /> J's Fatigue<br /> <br /> <br /> This one's right up there, too. NBA writers especially are sick of writing the same old rivalry stories about Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown, i.e., who's better, who gets paid more, who cares more about winning vs endorsements and brand, and so on. <br /> <br /> <br /> Not surprisingly, the rest of us are just as sick of reading them. Even more so now that' they've become largely irrelevant. Whatever their differences were--and there likely were differences, rest assured--they've worked them out to get to within a game of their first title. <br /> <br /> <br /> ** hum. <br /> <br /> <br /> What Matters About the Mavs Previous Opponents<br /> <br /> <br /> This one hasn't been explored as much, but it's relevant. National writers especially saw three glamour teams in the Clippers, the Thunder and the Wolves, which wasn't exactly the case. <br /> <br /> <br /> Start with the Clippers. They were always a shell of a team with lots of older star power--Kahwi, Paul George, the artist formerly known as Westbrick. Without a healthy Leonard, however, that formula was yesterday's news, as the Mavs quickly proved. Simply put, it was a hidden mismatch. <br /> <br /> <br /> On to the Thunder. This one's slightly more interesting. OKC surprised everyone with a first-round sweep over a New Orleans shell team supposedly "led" by the ever injured and absent Zion Williamson, which led to the assumption that they were ahead of the curve when it came to being playoff ready. <br /> <br /> <br /> Dallas exposed them as a bit of a donut team without enough secondary scoring after SGA, giving Sam Presti a solid blueprint for what he needs to fix going forward. The Thunder are one of the few teams where "watch out for them next year" carries a lot of weight. <br /> <br /> <br /> Lastly, the Timberwolves, who have one of the most oddly mismatched rosters in recent memory. They were perfectly constructed to stop the Nuggets, however, with two seven-footers available to get Nicola Jokic off his game. Against the Mavs, though, young Anthony Edwards was exposed as far from Finals-ready, and KAT came off once again as a seven foot scorer who sometimes plays at 6'6" under pressure. <br /> <br /> <br /> What Now For the Mavs? <br /> <br /> <br /> This one's simple, at least on paper--get Luka in shape, and convince him to play a nominal amount of defense. According to reports, though, Dallas has been trying to get him to do this for years, so that's where the "on paper" part comes in. <br /> <br /> <br /> They also need him to grow up. Luka's referee theater routine grew thin when he was exposed to a team with two All-Defense defenders, and at least two more who should be considered for that roster. Whining about fouls is fine when you have inferior defenders, but it doesn't hold water when athletes like Jaylen Brown and Jrue Holiday are in your grill taking options away. <br /> <br /> <br /> Finally, the Mavs need a third scorer. Badly. They got by with guys like PJ Washington and Derrick Jones this year, but bargain basement options like that almost always wilt like March daffodils when the playoffs roll around in April, May and June. The future's still bright in Cuban Land, but it's going to take some serious attitude and personnel adjustments to get Luka, Kyrie and company over the top.

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(NewsUSA) - More businesses and countries worldwide are embracing digital payments as a way to make e-commerce more efficient and create a smoother transaction experience for consumers.<br /> <br /> Digital wallets, such as uBUCK, offer a dollar-backed stable token built on Waves blockchain technology, one of the fastest blockchains available. uBUCK's technology allows for the management of both digital and traditional currency, and both online and offline purchasing power.<br /> <br /> "Piloted by an all-star management team, uBUCK is looking beyond carving out a niche to become a disruptive player in this ever-changing payments industry," according to the company's website.<br /> <br /> The uBUCK digital wallet allows for instant transfers of funds, and unlike some digital wallets, uBUCK is not limited to the United States. Transfers can occur globally, with no transfer fees and no cost to the end user.<br /> <br /> The elimination of transfer fees is one of uBUCK's strongest selling points, as it is an option for those who don't have traditional bank accounts, such as migrant workers looking to send money home, or for anyone else, such as parents sending money to kids at college who want to avoid the additional fees associated with some financial transfers.<br /> <br /> Users of uBUCK can transfer funds, make online purchases, or withdraw cash at an ATM, although reports on digital wallet use suggest that the expanded technology may ultimately replace the need for bank branches and ATMs.<br /> <br /> Sending money with uBUCK is a simple, four-step process:<br /> <br /> * Buy the voucher. Users download the uBUCK app and purchase a voucher.<br /> <br /> * Buy uBUCK cash. Users redeem a PIN to purchase uBUCK cash.<br /> <br /> * Select recipient. Users without a uBUCK account will be invited to the app via email.<br /> <br /> * Send payment. Users can then enter the payment amount, send, and confirm.<br /> <br /> "Our mission is to put honesty, transparency, and trust back into software," according to Ashik Karim, CEO of LiteLink Technologies, the parent company of uBUCK Technologies. LiteLink was recently featured in a Forbes magazine article, "10 Blockchain Companies to Watch in 2019."<br /> <br /> LiteLink is publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange and OTC Markets. Their symbols are CSE:LLT and OTC:LLNKF.<br /> <br /> Ref: Electronics - in Blogs

(NewsUSA) - Most Americans don't have $400 saved to cover for an unexpected emergency, but a recent poll from Chase found that consumers may be ready to change that this year. 80 percent plan to save more and 51 percent say emergency savings is their goal.<br /> <br /> Savings is key to financial health and Chase Financial Education Ambassador Farnoosh Torabi has tips and advice on how to get started and make savings a habit. (watch video)<br /> <br /> According to Torabi, increasing savings is key to stability and gives people the ability to quickly recover when there are ups and downs.<br /> <br /> Chase is focused on helping encourage the habit of savings and support people by providing information and resources that can help customers on their savings journey.<br /> <br /> Take a first step by understanding your expenses and building a budget. Budget Builder is a great tool from Chase to help you monitor your monthly spending and saving.<br /> <br /> Once you have this baseline, the key to reaching your goals is to just start saving, even if you're starting small. "My advice is to automate," says Torabi. "There is a great feature through the Chase App called Autosave which allows you to decide on your own how much you want to save and how frequently you want to save, so you can feel in control of this. The good news is the technology does the savings for you." With this feature, you can save as little as $1 a day.<br /> <br /> While consistency is key, savings is about what works for you. In a month when you have extra cash, you can always accelerate your savings, but in a tighter month, it's all right to take a pause or draw from your savings to cover an unexpected expense.<br /> <br /> Check out chase.com/autosave for more information and tips on how to make savings work for you.<br /> <br /> Ref: Crowdfunding - in Blogs

(NewsUSA) - Owning a home is a huge investment, and once they've owned long enough to build up equity, many homeowners opt to leverage the equity for other uses. But if you're on the fence about taking on another monthly loan payment, an option that may be right for you is co-investing.<br /> <br /> With a home equity loan, you borrow against the equity in your home and receive a lump sum of money that you have to pay back each month over a specified term - commonly 15 years. The interest rate is usually fixed, but is typically higher than your primary mortgage.<br /> <br /> Co-investing offers an alternative to traditional home equity loans. In a nutshell, the co-investing company pays the homeowner an upfront amount, with no repayments for a set number of years, or until the home is sold, whichever comes first. There may also be an option to buy the company out, after a minimum restriction period passes. This option can be ideal for a homeowner who wants access to cash without the added financial burden of monthly loan payments, who has lived in a home long enough to build up some equity, and plans to stay at least another five years.<br /> <br /> Unison, a San-Francisco-based real estate company, is a leader in the growing field of co-investment. Unison offers homeowners a cash payment of up to 17.5 percent of their home's current market value. When the house is sold or 30 years pass, the owner pays Unison an amount equal to the initial co-investment, plus (or minus) a percentage of the home's appreciated (or depreciated) value.<br /> <br /> Here's an example: A homeowner whose home is currently worth $500,000 and who needed $25,000 in cash (5 percent of the home's value) would repay an amount equal to $25,000 plus 25 percent* of the amount the house appreciates in value during the time of the co-investment. With a larger co-investment, the company receives a larger share of the appreciation in value.<br /> <br /> Homeowners can use their cash for anything, but Unison recommends something of long-term value, such as kids' college tuition, medical expenses, home remodeling, or investing in diverse stocks and bonds.<br /> <br /> Other benefits of co-investing: Keeping gains from remodeling work and keeping the equity built from prompt mortgage payments.<br /> <br /> Being a good candidate for homeowner co-investing is not so different from being a good homeowner generally. Unison requires that homeowners keep the home as their primary residence; stay current on payments for mortgages, property tax, and homeowners' insurance; keep the home well-maintained to retain and increase value; and keep Unison informed of issues, such as remodeling plans or emergencies, such as natural disasters, bankruptcy, or plans to sell the home.<br /> <br /> To find out how Unison can help you get the most out of homeownership, visit unison.com.<br /> <br /> *This is a possible percentage for illustrative purposes. The actual percentage varies based on the specific HomeOwner transaction.<br /> <br /> Ref: Housework - in Blogs

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(NewsUSA) - In periods of change, we often find comfort in simple pleasures. A great burger is one of them.<br /> <br /> Yet, some of those simple pleasures have been compromised by the dramatic changes caused by COVID-19, including the disruption of the animal meat industry. Meat plants are closing, causing meat to be harder to find and its prices to rise. Some grocers are limiting the amount of meat shoppers can buy to curb pantry loading.<br /> <br /> I know these issues will be resolved as the pandemic subsides. The animal meat industry will recover, and supply chains will be restored. But right now, you may be asking: What do I do without meat?<br /> <br /> Now is the time to try plant-based protein. Made from simple ingredients you know, Lightlife plant-based meat is as nutritious as it is delicious. And you can find the products in your grocer's meat case.<br /> <br /> To be clear, I'm not against the animal meat industry. I believe we're all trying to solve the same complex challenge: how to feed Americans during this pandemic. But I do believe no diet should be entirely dependent on animal meat. That's why Lightlife is committed to delivering plant-based protein throughout the country to ensure as many people as possible have access to the food they need.<br /> <br /> At Lightlife, we're not asking you to give up animal meat. If you want to eat meat, eat meat. But we believe you should also eat plants: whole plants and plant-based protein. That's why we strive to bring more high-protein options to your table. Fortunately, the trend toward eating more plant-based protein began well before COVID-19, driven by a desire for more balance and variety in our diets, as evidenced by the fact that 44 percent of Americans now describe themselves as flexitarian.<br /> <br /> In fact, Lightlife sales were up significantly in the first quarter of 2020. And longer term, the plant-based meat category is expected to grow exponentially, with the Good Food Institute predicting a threefold increase in the number of American households regularly purchasing plant-based protein1.<br /> <br /> The reality is it takes a little more work these days to make a good burger, even the ones we make with simple ingredients. I want you to know that we're committed to your dinner table. And your lunch table. And if you want a burger for breakfast, your breakfast table, too.<br /> <br /> I am so proud of our production teams working around the clock to ensure our products are available at your local grocer. To ensure their health and safety, we have taken additional steps including social distancing wherever possible, daily temperature checks and health screenings, face coverings, increased sanitation efforts, and staggered breaks and start times to reduce the potential for congestion. This is in addition to the sanitation procedures our team is already accustomed to, and the variety of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) we routinely wear.<br /> <br /> This is all part of our dedication to getting high-quality, plant-based protein to your tables. Because whether your burger is made from ground beef or plant-based ingredients, a good burger is something we can all agree on. And I believe that together, we will celebrate that simple pleasure once again.<br /> <br /> Ref: Diet - in Blogs