Monday Man Cave: Championship Edition

Welcome to the championship edition of the Monday ManCave.  Happy MLK day to everyone. Let us not ever forget what Dr.King stood for. Sports is the best way for bringing so many people , of different ethnicity  together. The NBA honors Dr. King  with it’s  traditional  Monday holiday lineup, which  includes a Finals rematch.  The NFL conference championship games are set: Arizona and Carolina will meet in the NFC title game, and New England and Denver will square off in the AFC title tilt. To conclude the weekend, we have  the WWE Royal Rumble. Sit back , relax and let’s  dive in and  arrange, our viewing options for the week.

 Monday night -Golden State Warriors  vs Cleveland Cavaliers – 8pm TNT:The game of the day (if not the year) tips off TNT’s doubleheader coverage on MLK Day. The Warriors won the first match-up on  Christmas day 89-83. That was in Oakland, the scene now shift to Cleveland. The Cavs are fully healthy and after a tough loss to the Spurs, I expect a  great showing  for the home team tonight.You won’t want to miss this star-studded match-up that should be an incredible game with playoff intensity.

 Monday Night – Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Clippers- 10:30pm TNT : The MLK Day slate concludes with a story line-filled match-up in Los Angeles. The Rockets are 2-0 against the Clippers this season, which gives them five straight wins over cp3 and company since they rallied from a 3-1 playoff series deficit last season. James Harden continues to  haunt  the Clippers. He had  46 in the first match up and Dwight Howard had a  double , double in the second matchup. The Clippers  must find a way to slow them down, if they want to win this game at Staples Center tonight.

Thursday Night NBA Action – Los Angeles  Clippers  vs Cleveland Cavaliers  8:pm  TNT: Cavs  defend  home  court against  the Clippers. Clippers  are  9-1, since Black Griffin was sidelined with an injury. Cavs are fully healthy and will look to defend , their home court.

Friday-Movies –  The 5th Wave:The next crop of sci-fi, dystopian YA thrillers is soon arriving in theaters, with The 5th Wave leading the charge. And despite the trauma fans have already witnessed in franchises like The Hunger Games and Divergent, The 5th Wave promises to be the most devastating apocalyptic setting by far, since the film’s destruction was caused by a malevolent alien race rather than pedestrian fellow humans.  The human race stands on the brink of extinction as a series of alien attacks decimate the planet, causing earthquakes, tsunamis and disease. Separated from her family, teenager Cassie Sullivan (Chloë Grace Moretz) will do whatever it takes to reunite with her brother Sam (Zackary Arthur). Fate leads her to form an alliance with Evan Walker (Alex Roe), a young man who may be her last hope. Forced to trust each other, Cassie and Evan fight for survival as the invaders prepare a fifth assault.

Sunday – AFC Championship Game-  New England Patriots vs Denver Broncos  3:05pm CBS: The last time Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came to Denver, Peyton Manning watched the game on television from inside the locker room.Not Sunday, though. The Broncos quarterback will take in his customary spot in the huddle.Manning meets Brady for a 17th time — with a trip to Super Bowl 50 at stake. Brady will be making his  10th  AFC championship appearance. Manning is one of the greatest quarterbacks in the history of the league, but at age 39, there is no question his arm strength and effectiveness are nowhere near where they used to be in his prime. That means his teammates will have to carry some of the offensive load against the Patriots. The Patriots defense is very underrated. Expect a  defensive battle in this one. I  just can’t bet against Bill Belichick. Should be a  awesome championship game. Very well may be ,the last time we see these two warrior quarterbacks do battle.

Sunday– NFC Championship Game-  Arizona Cardinals  vs Carolina Panthers- 6:40pm – FOX: The NFC’s  two best teams  square off, in Charlotte for a  trip to Super Bowl 50.The two teams were the clear heavyweights in not only the NFC but also the league as a whole during the 2015 season, finishing with the two best records in the NFL at 15-1 (Carolina) and 13-3 (Arizona).While the Cardinals have been one of the league’s most explosive offenses this season, the Panthers have been remarkably consistent from week to week.The Panthers beat the Cardinals in the wild-card round of last season’s playoffs, 27-16. One year later, they are very different teams, now that Palmer is healthy and Newton is playing like the NFL MVP. Both teams are well coached. Both teams have a stout defense.  Carolina has won 12 straight home games, and there seems to be nothing that can stop them from making their second ever trip to the Super Bowl. Going with Cam ,to win the NFC .

Sunday  Night –  WWE  Royal Rumble-8PM  WWE Network: The 2016 Royal Rumble is on WWE Network and PPV on Sunday January 24, 2016.The challenger for the WWE world championship at WrestleMania will not be decided by the Rumble this year. For the first time since  the  1993 Royal Rumble ,  the  WWE World Heavyweight Championship will be on the line , in the Royal Rumble match.For the past three years, Roman Reigns has been the standout Superstar at the Royal Rumble. From breaking the record number of eliminations in one Rumble match in 2014 to winning it in 2015, Reigns enters this year’s installment as the defending WWE world heavyweight champion. His entry number is still unknown, but it’s logical to assume he will enter no later than the first few spots. With the roster decimated with injuries, expect a lot  more surprises than  usual. This is a  great spot for some NXT talent to be added into the rumble match. We have some other note worthy matches on the PPV. Dean Ambrose  defends the Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens, in a last man standing match. Will Reigns leave the rumble with his championship? Will we get a  Dean Ambrose push? Will Kevin Owens walk out of the Royal Rumble with two tittles ? We will have to wait and see on Sunday.