Sucks 2 Suck Uses Late First Half Rally to Down M.O.B.

The Suck 2 Sucks knew it wouldn’t be easy with limited practice time prior to the start of the season to build chemistry, but that didn’t stop them from being confident before their Week 1 matchup. 

“we didn’t get many reps together, but with the athleticism and talent on the team, we felt confident we could come in right away and get a win,” Trevor Irving said. 

That’s exactly what S2S did in their week 1 showdown, using a late first half rally to down MOB, 19-13, to start the 2019 campaign 1-0. 

It looked very troublesome early for S2S when MOB got things going immediately, scoring a touchdown on the first play of the game to take an early 7-0 lead. The ensuing play saw QB Stephen Cofer throw an interception that led to another MOB TD, giving them a 13-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the game. 

“We never panicked and never let the early deficit get to our heads,” Cofer said. “We stayed cool, calm and collected and trusted that we could make a comeback.”

Cofer was correct, as he led a beautiful drive that ended in the team’s first td of the season. After getting flushed out of the pocket, Cofer hit a moving Matt Sussman, who had gotten behind the defense, for a highly worthy touchdown catch in the back left corner of the end zone. 

“Look I give Steve a lot of credit for making that throw under pressure. We needed that touchdown to get us back in the game,” Sussman, one of the teams wide receivers said. 

Sussmans day was just getting started. 

On the very next possession, with the Sucks 2 Shcks down 13-6, Sussman picked off a short pass from the MOB QB to get the ball back for S2S. 

S2S, benefitting from having two competent QBs, brought in their left handed signal caller, Mike Seiger, to make a big play. 

And the Southpaw delivered. 

With one final play remaining in the opening half, Seiger launched a 40 yard pass and connected with Joe (no known last name), who hauled in the pass over two defenders. Former Stoni Brook WR Mathew Brevi caught the 1 point play pass and the game was all of a sudden tied at 13 heading into half. 

After failing to making anything happen on the first drive of the second half, S2S used sound defense to get the ball back and put in another stellar drive. 

After getting down field with some short routes, Sussman came up huge with another spectacular play. 

Sussman, who many affectionately call Charles, got confused on the route but somehow found himself wide open where he proceeded to have the highlight of the season. 

Cofer tossed the ball behind him but Sussman was able to contort his body, adjust and grab the touchdown to give S2S a 19-13 lead. 

Things did get a little dicey after a promising drive led by Seiger ended in an interception and an opportunity for MOB to tie the game. Unfortunately for MOB, S2S wasn’t having it. They returned the favor on the next possession when Chris (no known last name) deflected a pass, bobbled it and ultimately brought it in for an interception to end MOBs comeback bid. 

S2S then ran out the clock for a 19-13 victory and a 1-0 start to the season. 

“It was a great team victory and strong way to start the season,” team captain Trevor Irving said. “We want to build on this and keep up the momentum.” 

Added Seiger: “I’m mad at myself about that pick but I think our team really came together today and fought through some early adversity. I’m proud of my teammates.” 

S2S will take on the Globo Gym Purple Cobras In Week 2 action at 10:30 am in boca Raton. 

Riley the Genius or Riley the Ruiner?

As the Shaquille O'Neal deal is now official, some things come to mind. How did Pat Riley pull off this trade? How did Pat Riley trade a 36-year old declining center with hip and knee injuries to the best team in the Western Conference for a 29-year old Shawn Marion and a young point guard in Marcus Banks? Furthermore, how has Pat Riley pulled off half the deals he has in the past? Lets look at some of the trades he has done in the past:

2008- Traded center Shaquille O'Neal for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks.

- Shaq is 36 and has 2 years and 40 million dollars left on his contract. Marion is 29, has better stats than Shaq, and an expiring contract. While I don't like the fact that Riley showed no loyalty to Shaq, it was still a genius move in that it benefits the Heat hugely in the future. They will have massive salary cap space to sign a free agent in the off-season and will be able to build the team around Dwyane Wade.

2007- Traded PF Antoine Walker, C Michael Doleac, and PF Wayne Simien to the Minnesota Timberwolves for SF Ricky Davis and C Mark Blount.

- This deal was completely amazing. The T-Wolves were astonishgly ripped off. Why? Antoine Walker's decline into a terrible player was faster than Eli Manning's demand to be traded to the Giants after he was drafted by the Chargers. Not only are his stats dramatically down, he is just an erratic player. His dribbling, court awareness, and streaky shooting were bringing the Heat down and will bring any team down for that matter. In addition, we got rid of seldom used players in Doleac and Simien, both who average under 3 points a game and make very little impact. In return, we recieved a perrenial scorer in Ricky Davis and decent post player in Blount. Davis can create his own offense, play good defense, and is a decent shooter. He is averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal for the Heat this season. That is much better than Walker's stats in Minnesota. Although, Davis's stats haven't transalted into wins for the Heat, he is still better than having Walker chuck up 3's and getting in trouble for being too fat. Blount on the other hand has been doing very good of late, boosting his average up to 8 points a game and cracking the starting line-up in Shaq's injury absence. Once again, this is a lot better than Doleac and Simien's performance with Minnesota, considering Simien was dropped from the team and Doleac barely plays. So, the Heat got two rotation players for Antoine Walker. I'd say Pat Riley pulled off a good transaction.

2006- The Heat trade Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler, Qyntel Woods, and two 2nd round draft picks for Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and James Posey.

- Once again, the Heat got the better end on this one. In 2006, the Heat won a championship with these 3 players, so nothing else should be said. But, to prove that it was better, lets look at where everyone is now. Eddie Jones is in Dallas, averaging 3 points a game and only getting 19 minutes a game. Rasual Butler is in New Orleans, barely cracking the rotation. And, who is Qyntel Woods? Isn't that the guy who beat up his dog? In return, we got 1 productive season from Antoine Walker, a very clutch 3 point and defensive specialist in James Posey, and our current starting point guard in Jason Williams. All 3 of them helped us win a championship, so the Heat defintely won in that deal.

2004- The Heat trade Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a 1st round pick for superstar center Shaquille O'Neal.

- While that deal might not look so hot right now considering the Heat just traded Shaq to the Suns, it still was another mighty genius move by Riley. Lets look at what happend to everyone that the Lakers recieved in that deal. Undoubtedly, Caron Butler was a huge loss for the Heat. He is now a 2 time All-star and is thriving with the Wizards. But, he is on the Wizards not the Lakers. The Lakers shipped him to the Wizards after just one year for Kwame Brown. I bet the Lakers wish they could do that one over. So, since Butler was only on LA for one year, he can hardly be considered part of the deal. Lamar Odom is still on the Lakers and has been consistent for them for the past 4 years. Brian Grant had a massive, undeserving contract and Riley was able to unload it on the Lakers. What happend to Grant? His knee injuries were too much and he is now in retirement. So, the Heat got Shaquille O'Neal for Lamar Odom and a first round pick. The Heat won a championship and the Lakers struggled to make it to the playoffs for the last couple of years. Lets also point out the fact that the Heat got to keep their leading scorer from the previous season in that trade (Eddie Jones) and got to keep a young Dwyane Wade. I heard Wade evolved into a superstar and was the MVP of the NBA Finals, so he must be pretty good. All in all, the Heat ripped of the Lakers so bad in that trade that it makes Isiah Thomas look like a good GM.

Pat Riley has pulled off many other deals in his illustrious career: Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, and Jamal Mashburn to name a few. Riley should defintely be considered a Hall of Fame General Manager in addition to being a hall of fame coach.

One of the main reasons the Miami Heat won the title is because of Pat Riley's executive decisions through the years and his ability to put together a talented roster.

While some of his moves are questionable, he should be hailed Riley the Genius not Riley the Ruiner.

Tell me what you think.....

Diesel Ditched, traded to the Suns

With this trade, only 1 thing comes to my mind: The Diesel was DITCHED, The Big Aristotle was used like an old rag and then thrown away. So you might be thinking, we got someone 7 years younger than the big fellow, we freed up cap space, and we got a 4 time All Star. But, trading Shaq is like trading away a piece of this Miami Heat franchise. How can Pat Riley be so quick to get rid of Diesel just 2 years removed from an NBA Championship? How can Shaq not be credited for winning Miami it's first championship in franchise history? How can Shaq just be used to win us a championship and then disposed a measely four years later? To me, it is very unfair to Heat fans and shows that Riley has shown no loyalty to the Big Fella whatsoever.

I can't help but be saddened by this trade. When Shaquille O'Neal arrived to Miami in 2004, it was the biggest news the city of Miami ever recieved. We were getting the most influential person ever to come to South Florida sports other than Dan Marino. An entire parade was thrown for Shaq when he arrived in the summer of 2004. Heat fans were raving, the media was excited, the hype couldn't be bigger. Now, just 4 short years later, that man is shipped to the Phoenix Suns?

It simply is a travesty to see the Miami Heat's most influential player ever leave this team. It is truly sickening that we won't see Shaquille O'Neal retire in a Heat uniform, with his number 32 hanging from the rafters in American Airlines Arena along with Michael Jordan. Shaq did more than just win the Heat a championship, he brought new life to the city of Miami, and restored popularity to basketball in Miami.

Shaquille O'Neal will always be remembered as one of the best Miami Heat players to enter this franchise. He ranks up there with Miami Heat legends Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, Rony Seikaly, and he did all in 3 1/2 years. O'Neal will always be remembered for his services here in Miami. He brought the city of Miami revenue, he sold tickets, made the Heat sky rocket to the top of the league in ticket and jersey sales, and most importantly made Heat fans happy. Shaq did not overstay his welcome. Just because his stats are declining and he is injured gives Pat Riley and Heat fans no right to turn their backs on him. He deserved to retire in Miami and to desert him this quickly because of 1 bad season is truly unfair.

I hope Shaq will be remembered as a Heat legend who won the team a champion and will not be seen as an injury prone center who was just bringing the team down.

Shaq, hopefully you will be missed...

Tell me what you think...

The line-up of the future

While most people have given up hope on the Heat for this season (rightfully so), there are still some things to be optimistic about: the Future.

This 2007-2008 Miami Heat season is long gone. The Heat are 8-28, last place in the Eastern Conference, lost nine in a row, and have dug a hole that's too deep to climb out of. To make matters worse, they have a worse record than the lowly New York Knicks. Finally, they have been hit by the injury bug again for the 4th season in a row. Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Jason Williams, Dorell Wright, and Chris Quinn have all been or are on the injury list this season. Surprisingly, some good things have come from their injuries: Discovering the line-up of the future.

With all the injuries, Pat Riley has been forced to look for new line-ups and experiment with the young players on the roster. And what Riley and all Heat fans have discovered is that almost every player on the roster can play ball. While in the past, The Heat were forced to use a 8 or 9 man rotation- this year they have been able to use a 13-man rotation. Not only has Riley discovered his young players can play, he has discovered they work well together. Chris Quinn, Daequan Cook, Dorell Wright, and Earl Barron have all proven to be impactful players that can form a serious line-up in the future. While you hate to see the veteran players go down with injury, it is refreshing to see that the Heat has some hope for the future.

Quinn, Cook, Wright, and Barron are all young players and they are all different positions. Chris Quinn, who has been filling in for the oft-injured Jason Williams, has been a valuable 2nd year point guard that can shoot 3's and play good defense. Daequan Cook has proven to be an excellent draft pick for the Miami Heat. The former Ohio State guard has been lights out scoring recently and most importantly he has been unbelievably clutch for a rookie. He has been hitting clutch three pointer after clutch three pointer in many games this season. His development is crucial for the future of this squad. As for Dorell Wright, its nice to see him finally find his role in the Miami rotation. He has cracked the starting line-up and been making an impact. Before he went down with his recent ankle injury, Wright had been a rebound and block machine. Some of the players are calling him "Little Zo." That is quite a complement for someone who was lucky to get garbage time 2 years ago. Wright is averaging 7 points, 4 boards, and 1 block a game. He has gained weight, grown into his body, and is playing at a high defensive level. Finally, Earl Barron has been making strides to becoming the center of the future. He has finally made his way into the rotation and has been able to score a little and has been a good post player.

While this season has been ugly and very forgettable, the future looks bright for the 2006 NBA champions. While right now, it might not sound good- think 2-3 years from now. Just picture this line-up:

PG- Chris Quinn
SG- Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook
SF- Dorell Wright (Ricky Davis if he stays)
PF- Udonis Haslem
C- Mark Blount, Earl Barron

Doesn't seem too bad.. and with a high draft pick on the way, the Heat's future is looking up.

Tell me what you think...

The Heat's offense is rising

With the Miami Heat season feeling all but over and the fans becoming hopeless, there are still some things that the Heat have improved on since the beginning of the season (let me give you a hint: ITS NOT WINS).

The main thing the Heat have improved on is their offense. They began the season off averaging an abysmal 92 points a game, which was good enough for 2nd worst in the league. Since then, their team point average has risen to 94 points a game, which is 23rd in the league. This doesn't sound so spectacular, but you have to look at the Heat's recent statistics.

A lot of the Heat's recent offensive rise has been due to the return of Dwyane Wade from injury. Wade missed the first 7 games of the season, and the Heat averaged 83.2 points a game. Since Wade's return, the Heat have averaged 97.1 points a game. That's a rise of 14 points a game. This obviously shows that Wade's 25 points a game has been a huge boost to the offense and that the Heat are scoring more as a team.

Also, before Flash's return, Miami had just one 100+ point game. Since his return, the Heat have had eleven 100+ point games. While this is good that the Heat's offense is improving, this still isn't translating into wins for the squad. Out of their eleven 100 point games, only 4 have translated into wins. One of the main reason's for this is the lack of the Heat's defense and inability to make clutch stops in late game situations. The Heat have had 3 overtime losses, in which they have been unable to stop 3 pointers or missed a key defensive rebound.

Hopefully these frustrating losses will stop and the Heat will be able to keep up their offensive improvements, but also improve their defense. Maybe the combination of these two will salvage this season and give Dwyane Wade a reason to stay in Miami.

Tell me what you think...

A sad day in Miami Heat history

And just like that, the glorious career of Alonzo Mourning is over. With a blink of the eye, 15 years of hard-work, dedication, and an unparalleled hustle is over. Mourning's career had so much impact on the game of basketball and to see it end like this just did not seem fair. When I saw Mourning fall to the ground and clutch his knee, I knew it could not be good. I knew a 37-year old center clutching his knee in pain could mean a sad day in Heat history. As I expected, ESPN announced the next morning that Alonzo Mourning tore his right patellar tendon and that it would require season ending surgery. And with this being Zo's final season, it would mean his career would come to a sad end. For a player that had so much tenacity and love for the game, you didn't expect him to end his career with a knee injury. But, he did it doing what he did best- playing defense.

In a season that many considered lost for the Miami Heat, Alonzo Mourning still believed in his heart that the team could turn the season around. Every game of this pathetic season for the Heat, Mourning tried his hardest and was always hungry for a win. He did not have to do what he did. He already had won a championship, already owns every record in the Miami Heat record book, and was easily on his way to the hall of fame. But Zo wanted to win another championship and wanted to deliver more happiness to Heat fans. But while trying to accomplish that feat, he sustained a career ending injury. Zo had such a big heart and wanted to make every one happy. Although Zo's last season won't be remembered for being drenched in champagne after a Miami Heat championship, it will still be remembered for his best quality: his toughness. Zo ended his career playing defense and did while doing another thing he did superbly- blocking shots. Zo's attempt to block a shot by Hawk's guard Mario West epitomized his legacy. He was a player that never gave up on a play, always thought he could block a shot no matter how big or tall the person was, and always put forth full effort.

Alonzo Mourning will not only be remembered for his great statistics, great defense, and great effort, but will also be remembered for his big heart. Alonzo Mourning's legacy is a story like no other. Just 4 years ago, Mourning was fighting for his life when he found out he had a life threatening kidney ailment. But Mourning did what he always did, he fought through it. He fought through his illness and won an NBA championship. His legacy will always be remembered.

With the loss of Alonzo Mourning, The Heat lose a legend, a Miami Heat icon, and a player that will never be forgotten. Alonzo Mourning's number 33 will be hanging in American Airlines Arena forever and will be remembered by not only Heat fans but by the entire basketball community. Zo- thank you for the great memories and all the things you accomplished for the Miami Heat organization.

How about Daequan Cook?

The start of the Miami Heat's season has certainly been a forgettable one. They own the Eastern Conference's worst record at 4-13 and have the 3rd worst record in the league. A huge drop from a team that is only 2 years removed from a championship. But in a season with not much to brag about, there has been one bright spot: The immediate impact of Daequan Cook.

Daeqaun Cook, drafted out of Ohio State in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers, and then traded to the Miami Heat for their first round pick, was not expected to do much for the Heat. He wasn't even expected to make it off the bench. But not only has he accomplished that, he has made an immediate presence on this struggling team. Cook, the Buckeyes 6th man in his one and only year with Ohio State, has averaged 10 points a game in just under 20 minutes a game. Not only that, his speed and athleticism has been welcomed on a veteran and aging team. In addition to that, he has been able to knock down the occasional 3 and is 3rd on the team in field goal percentage. And this is all in just his rookie year. Unlike the Heat's past 2 draft picks, Dorell Wright and Wayne Simien, Cook has been a success and will be a huge piece of this franchise's future when Jason Williams is gone (which could be soon). The Heat were in desperate need of a point guard and the draft of Cook was very smart and will definitely pay off.

So in a season of failure and desperation, Daequan Cook has at least given a look into what the future could look like for the Miami Heat's point guard position. Hopefully the 3 D's, Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook, and Dorell Wright can form their own "Big Three" and get the Heat back to championship form in the future, or maybe even this year?

Tell me what you think...