One of the most remarkable aspects of the National Football League is its ability to uncover hidden gems in the later rounds of the draft. While Tom Brady, a sixth-round pick himself, stands as the pinnacle of draft steals, there is another player who has carved out an illustrious career and left an indelible mark on the league: Terrell Davis.
Terrell Davis, selected in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, defied all odds to become one of the greatest running backs in NFL history. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Davis was not heavily recruited out of high school and initially played college football at Long Beach State University before transferring to the University of Georgia. Despite a stellar college career, Davis faced skepticism due to injury concerns, which ultimately led to his slide to the sixth round.
Upon joining the Denver Broncos, Davis wasted no time in proving his worth. In his rookie season, he rushed for 1,117 yards and became the first rookie running back in franchise history to start all 16 games. However, it was in the following seasons that Davis truly ascended to greatness. In 1996, he rushed for 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning his first Pro Bowl selection and cementing himself as one of the premier running backs in the league.
Davis’s crowning achievement came in the 1997 season when he led the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history. He rushed for 1,750 yards and astonishing 15 touchdowns in the regular season, earning both the NFL Most Valuable Player award and the Super Bowl MVP award. Davis’s performance in Super Bowl XXXII, where he rushed for 157 yards and three touchdowns despite battling through excruciating migraine headaches, solidified his place in NFL lore.
Davis was not done yet. In the 1998 season, he reached even greater heights, becoming just the fourth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. His 2,008 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns not only earned him his second NFL MVP award but also propelled the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory. Davis’s impact on the field was undeniable, as he possessed a rare combination of speed, power, and vision that made him a nightmare for opposing defenses.
Unfortunately, injuries derailed Davis’s career prematurely, as knee injuries limited his effectiveness in subsequent seasons. Despite playing only seven seasons in the NFL, Davis left an indelible mark on the league and the Broncos franchise. He finished his career with 7,607 rushing yards, 60 rushing touchdowns, and a reputation as one of the most dominant running backs of his era.
Beyond his individual accolades, Davis’s impact on the Broncos organization and the NFL as a whole cannot be overstated. His perseverance in the face of adversity, coupled with his remarkable on-field achievements, serve as a testament to the enduring spirit of the human will. While Tom Brady may stand alone as the greatest sixth-round draft pick of all time, Terrell Davis undoubtedly deserves recognition as one of the NFL’s most iconic and beloved figures.
Baseball and golf are two of my favorite sports to play, practice, and even watch. Both sports run in my family so I have been around them my entire life. Whether it be Tiger Woods sinking a putt to clinch a victory on the last hole or Bryce Harper sending a baseball into orbit for the walk off win, I just find both sports so enjoyable. While there are pros and cons to each, I believe one sports edges out the other in its overall enjoyableness (definitely not a real word but you get the point).
Baseball is America’s pastime. People love going to the ballpark, grabbing a hot dog and a soda, and watching some good, old fashioned baseball. Baseball can sometimes be a little slow to watch, but most of the time it is very entertaining in my opinion. Now from a playing standpoint, baseball is a little different from other sports. In order to enjoy playing baseball, people have to learn how to enjoy failing. I know it sounds crazy but it is true. Hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in all of sports, so if you play baseball, you will fail. You will be in the Baseball Hall of Fame if you fail seventy percent of the time you step in the batter’s box. While you cannot play baseball forever, you will remember the memories you made while playing and the lessons you learned for a lifetime.
Golf is flat out addicting. There is a usual snowball effect when getting into golf. First, someone plays golf and they find out that golf is harder than they thought it was and they are not as good as they thought they were, so they proceed to go out and practice. Next, they understand how good the professionals are and appreciate how good they are so they start watching more golf tournaments on TV. After practicing some more, they get better, their scores start to drop, and that just makes them want to practice and play even more. They then find a group they enjoy playing with, start playing with them at the local course, and they have little matches and so on and so on. People never stop playing golf until they physically cannot swing a golf club anymore.
This may surprise some people, but I think golf is a more enjoyable sport for a lifetime. Baseball is better now but in 30 years I do not think I will agree. Golf will be fun forever.
Rules: The 7 and 8 seeds of both conferences will play one game. The winner of the side will receive a spot in the playoffs facing the 2 seed while the loser of this game will get another chance to get in the playoffs as it will play the winner of the 9 and 10 seed games. The winner of the 7/8 seed game on the western side will play the 2 seed Denver Nuggets and the winner of the eastern seed side will play the 2 seed New York Knicks. After those seeds play, the 9/10 seeds will play. The winner of the 9/10 seed game will go on to play the loser of the 7/8 seed to get a spot in the playoffs against the number 1 seed. Whoever loses this matchup will be eliminated from the playoffs.
Western Conference Tuesday 16
8 Lakers vs #7 Pelicans 7:30pm
Who’s going to win: Pelicans. The Lakers won the regular season series 3-1. With Zion looking better than ever I see him having a really good game. With Zion being physically matched to handle Lebron strength expect him to have a low scoring game. With them being one of the best defensive teams in the league it’ll be hard for the Lakers to get shots up especially in the paint as they rank number 5 in the nba in opposing teams points in the paint per game. But scoring in the paint is one thing the Lakers are good at. The Lakers are the second best team in the Nba in doing that. The Lakers also might lose this game on purpose just so they don’t have to play the Nuggets. This game is going to come down to Zion, whoever wins the battle down low and if the Lakers are hitting from deep.
10 Warriors vs #9 Kings 10:00pm
Who’s going to win: Kings. The regular season series was a tie at 2 apiece (2-2). This team feeds off energy and when they get hype they get hot. After the Warriors made them pack their bags up last year this is a revenge game. For the Kings this game is more than making the playoffs. They want to destroy the Warriors and let them know how it feels. I expect Fox and Sabonis to have big games and send the Warriors home. As for the Warriors Curry likes to be the villain. He has carried his team to the playoffs and when you think they have no way of winning he shows up and gets it done. If he isn’t shooting well in this game then they have no chance of winning. With that being said Veterans like Klay and Paul need to use their experience to help Curry out and win this game.
Eastern Conference Wednesday 17
8 Heat vs #7 76ers 7:30pm
Who’s going to win: 76ers. The regular season series was a tie at 2 apiece (2-2). With Embiid back, winning will be much easier for the 76ers. When Embiid plays they win 79% of their games (31-8) but when he doesn’t play they win 37% of their games (16-27) which means they are losing 63% of their games when he doesn’t play. As for tonight, Embiid should easily score. Losing will be embarrassing especially when they only have Jimmy Butler. As for the Heat, their only priority for this game is slowing down Embiid. Playoff Jimmy also needs to be activated for this game in order to win and get into the playoffs.
10 Hawks vs #9 Bulls 10:00pm
Who’s going to win: Hawks. The Bulls have won the regular season series 2-1. This team is hard to figure out. They can beat the number 1 Celtics back to back nights and then lose to the Hornets 2 weeks later. Even though they are on a 6 game losing streak Trae Young and the Hawks won’t go out without a fight. They know that if they lose their season is over so I expect Young and Murray to come out aggressively and have big games. As for the Bulls who have been dealing with injuries this season they just need to focus and win this game. Demar DeRosen needs to come up big to win this game.
Eastern/ Western Conference Friday 19
Winner of Eastern #9/10 vs Loser of Eastern #7/8 Time TBD
Winner of Western #9/10 vs Loser of Western #7/8 Time TBD
Who will win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 40?
By Dylan Jones
I am going to predict the World Heavyweight Championship match. Drew McIntyre is the challenger to Seth Rollins the champion. Seth Rollins has really embraced the role of champion because he is always eager to put his title on the line even if it is a regular Monday Night Raw. He has been champion for over 200 days and he has defended it 50 plus times. This shows that he is a champion for the people which is why the World Heavyweight Championship Title was created. He has already retained his title once against Drew.
Drew McIntyre won the Elimination Chamber in Australia to grant him another title opportunity vs Seth. Drew has been a world champion before so he knows what it takes to be champion. Drew is even better than when he lost to Seth on Monday Night Raw and he lost because Damien Priest interfered with the match which did not help his chances at all.
Seth Rollins has his focus on the tag team match and helping Cody Rhodes get an advantage vs Roman Reign to finally take down the Bloodline for good. So I do not think Seth will come into this 100% focused and I think Drew will capitalize on this for most of the match but I see injured CM Punk coming out and screwing both men over while they are already hurt by each other. CM Punk dislikes both Seth and Drew so I see him doing something to get them both on the ground. I think this will lead to Damien Priest to cash in the Money in the Bank and win the World Heavy Championship. For people that do not know what the Money in the Bank is, it is a briefcase that gives the winner of it the opportunity to “cash it in” to join or make a match at any time with any champion of their choosing. Putting the title on Damien will lead to more opportunities for all superstars on Raw to get a title shot. I feel that Damien Priest is title ready and this is the perfect time to let him finally cash in his Money in the Bank.
Who will win the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 40?
I am predicting the Intercontinental Championship match. Sami Zayn is the challenger to the champion, Gunther. Gunther is almost in the same situation as Roman Reigns as he has been the champion well over 600 days. Gunther has looked untouchable throughout his reign as champion, beating everyone he has faced. Gunther has not been pinned in a singles match since he made the switch from NXT to Monday Night Raw.
Sami Zayn has been hot recently. He has been getting a lot of wins on Mondays building his momentum for WrestleMania vs Gunther. Sami Zayn had to go through a gauntlet match and win it to get to challenge Gunther. He beat Ricochet, JD McDonagh, Bronson Reed, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Chad Gable to win the match. Sami Zayn should be ready for this match as he headlined Night 1 of WrestleMania 39 in a tag team match with Kevin Owens which they won to become the tag team champions.
I see this match going smoothly, and I do not see anyone interfering with this. I think that Sami Zayn is not the guy to finally take the championship off of Gunther. Gunther has been champion for way too long for someone of Sami Zayn’s caliber to take his title. I think Gunther is going to dominate this match, but then Sami Zayn will go on a little streak close to the end of the match, but Gunther will dodge Sami’s finisher and then he will hit him with his finisher to end the match and retain the intercontinental title. I do not know who the front office has in line to dethrone Gunther, but I am not very confident that Sami will get the job done. I think a good person to come to the main roster and finally beat Gunter would be Bron Breaker because he and Gunther had a big feud in NXT before Gunther was called up to the main roster. A Bron Breaker vs Gunther feud is much needed on Monday Night Raw because they had a very good feud that got cut short because Gunther got called up.
Who will win the United States Championship at WrestleMania 40?
I am predicting the United States Championship Match. This triple threat has two challengers, Kevin Owens and Randy Orton and Logan Paul is the champion. Logan Paul has not had to defend his title that often but when he does he puts on a show. The last time he defended it was against Kevin Owens and Logan won because Kevin got disqualified for punching Logan with brass knuckles. Logan is a high flier and can do some incredible things in the ring. When this match was first announced on Friday Night Smackdown Logan did not seem very excited that he had to defend against Kevin and Randy in a triple threat.
Kevin is getting another opportunity at the title because their first match had a sketchy ending. Kevin has taken every opportunity to attack Logan on Smackdown. He has a strong hatred for Logan so he is definitely ready to get his hands on him again.
Randy has found himself in this match because, while competing in the Elimination Chamber match to win a chance to fight for the World Heavyweight Championship, Logan who was already eliminated, punched Randy with brass knuckles costing Randy the match. Randy is seeking to take the title at WrestleMania.
Personally I do not see Logan retaining his title in this match. Logan will not be able to handle having Randy and Kevin both wanting to take the title. I do not see Randy winning just because I do not see him winning a midcard title this late in his career. I think that Randy will be first in line to challenge whoever wins the World Heavyweight Title or the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. I see Logan trying to do something like sneaking in his brass knuckles, but it not working. This will lead to an opportunity for Kevin to capitalize and win the United States Championship. This would give Logan a break from being on Smackdown every Friday. Logan has been on Smackdown very often and I am sure he is ready to take a break from traveling around the country and fighting once a week.
Who will win the Undisputed WWE Universe Championship at WrestleMania 40?
I am going to predict the Undisputed WWE Universe Championship match. Cody Rhodes is the challenger to the champion, Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns has been the champion for well over 1000 days. He also beat Cody Rhodes last year at WrestleMania 39 in a questionable finish because of an interference by some of Roman’s cousins also known as “The Bloodline.” Roman has had a dominating run as champion he has beaten a lot of notable names like Brock Lensar, Randy Orton, and Jey Uso.
Cody Rhodes is on a mission to “Finish his Story”. He adopted this slogan because he wants to win the only championship his late father, Dusty Rhodes, never won. He had the chance to do it last year, but he failed. Cody has had a tough year working up to this match. He has fought in many matches and he has gotten better as a fighter compared to the last time he fought Roman. He had a long feud with Brock Lensar at the start of the year. This ended with Cody winning and Brock giving him a handshake out of respect, something we never see out of the Beast, Brock Lesnar.
Before this match on night 2 of WrestleMania we will see a tag team match involving Roman Reigns and The Rock vs Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. If Roman and The Rock win then the match becomes no disqualification so the Bloodline can intervene, but if Rollins and Rhodes win, the match becomes Bloodline free. I think Roman and The Rock will win the tag team match. This would make it where the Bloodline can get involved. In typical fashion, I think the Bloodline will get involved in the match, but I think Seth Rollins and Jey Uso will come out and help Cody. After Seth and Jey equal it out I think The Rock will come out and turn against his cousin Roman Reigns and help Cody Rhodes finally finish his story. This will leave fans shocked as to why The Rock did it, but the next night on Monday Night Raw I could see him coming out saying he did it to put Roman in his place and let Roman know that The Rock is the real Head of the Table.
For me, this is a really tough question to answer because I have played both sports and loved both sports. There’s so many different aspects of them whether it be watching them, playing them, or practicing them which makes my decision even more difficult. Let’s walk through these different aspects and I will share with you my final decision.
Watching football is awesome and is practiced by millions of Americans each year. It is fast-paced, fairly easy to understand, and overall very entertaining. Even if you have never played a down of football, you most likely find it fun to watch and have an idea of what is going on. On the other hand, baseball less fast-paced, a little harder to understand, and can be less entertaining if you have not played it and/or do not find it interesting. For me, I understand the ins and outs of baseball and find it very fun to watch. I do understand that baseball can be slow, but I love watching the different hitters with their different strategies face all the pitchers trying to fool them. It’s just so fun to watch and very interesting in my opinion.
There’s nothing quite like a Friday night football game. There’s something about playing with your guys and coming together as one that is in a way that is unlike any other sport which is so fun to me. Football games are very emotional and you can act on your emotion. Baseball games can be extremely fun to play but also can be extremely boring. A big game against a big rival is hard to beat especially if you are playing well. Baseball games can get very emotional like football but if you act on your emotion in baseball it probably will not end well.
Football practice is not fun to say the least. Early season football practice in the South Carolina heat and humidity makes you question your love for the sport. However, there is something to be said about overcoming those practices and playing on Friday nights. Baseball practices are fun to me because I love hitting and taking ground balls, so I look forward to going to baseball practice most days unlike football.
This is a very, very close call but I think overall baseball is more fun to me because I have played it so much and find it so interesting. I do think the average person would find football more fun though.
Which Sumter made pitcher will have the better season? JP Sears vs Jordan Montgomery.
Sumter South Carolina is very prideful in their two big leaguers, especially when both are top pitchers not only on their teams but in the MLB. Last season, JP was the ace on the Oakland Athletics and Jordan was the Texas Rangers go to guy in their World Series win. Before the big money and wins began to roll in for these two, both began their careers as lefty dealers for the New York Yankees this is just one of the parallels in their careers. After they started their careers at the Yankees they were both traded, JP has found his role at the Athletics and Jordan has bounced around from team to team despite having success.
With both pitchers being successful the comparisons are rolling in as to which pitcher will be the most successful next season. The obvious answer is Jordan just because he will more than likely land on a team that will be able to give him more support than the Athletics are able to give JP.
Who wins the most games does not determine who has the best season, it’s all about the stats. Although the stats may be closer than many think, I personally think that the edge still goes to Jordan once again because of the supporting cast he will have playing defense for him.
Baseball is an extremely unpredictable game so honestly no one really can decide who will be the better pitcher based on the previous numbers or even the preseason. So the verdict is still out as to who will be the better pitcher.
In the final quarter of the academic year, I have decided to introduce a new series. As the winter concludes and spring approaches, I hope to embark on a new and relevant topic for those interested. As the season starts on March 23rd, many turkey hunters throughout the southeast are impatiently waiting to kill their first long beard. In this quarter’s series, I hope to provide valuable advice and tips to any turkey hunters willing to listen. These bits of information may provide zero help to a more advanced turkey hunter, but these tips serve as the foundation for beginners. Once again, take this with a grain of salt as I am absolutely not a professional hunter or have ever claimed to be one.
This week’s tip highlights time and place. Obviously, any good hunter wants to beat their prey to its location. So, arriving at your desired destination thirty or forty minutes early is always a good idea. If hunting in the morning, you want to beat the sunrise with plenty of time to spare, such as to walk through the field or woods while it is still dark. If hunting in the afternoon, I really cannot provide much help. Turkeys can show up at any time or place, so beating a gobbler to its spot becomes a little more difficult.
You must remember that no matter where you are or when you arrive there, you want to limit your movement. Turkeys can detect the slightest movement, so it is necessary to camouflage yourself in either a blind or behind some sort of brush. Trees and logs can be very helpful in providing support for your back, as you may be stuck in a certain spot or position for a long period of time. If you were to need to adjust your position, generally, it is best to shuffle around while you are calling. This can somewhat hide the sounds of your movement, or even further disguise it as a bird. Obviously, if hunting on public land, you need to be aware of your surroundings, so as not to alarm or disturb any other hunters. Remember, when in doubt, use common sense to avoid being heard or seen. Turkeys have a sharp eye and an open ear at all times, so beware of every movement.
So there it is. This week’s tip is simple. Arrive earlier than you think. Use common sense. Be quiet. Limit movement. Be disguised. Be one with the turkeys.
Who will win the Undisputed WWE Universe Championship at WrestleMania 40?
By Dylan Jones
I am going to predict the Undisputed WWE Universe Championship match. Cody Rhodes is the challenger to the champion, Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns has been the champion for well over 1000 days. He also beat Cody Rhodes last year at WrestleMania 39 in a questionable finish because of an interference by some of Roman’s cousins also known as “The Bloodline.” Roman has had a dominating run as champion he has beaten a lot of notable names like Brock Lensar, Randy Orton, and Jey Uso.
Cody Rhodes is on a mission to “Finish his Story”. He adopted this slogan because he wants to win the only championship his late father, Dusty Rhodes, never won. He had the chance to do it last year, but he failed. Cody has had a tough year working up to this match. He has fought in many matches and he has gotten better as a fighter compared to the last time he fought Roman. He had a long feud with Brock Lensar at the start of the year. This ended with Cody winning and Brock giving him a handshake out of respect, something we never see out of the Beast, Brock Lesnar.
Before this match on night 2 of WrestleMania we will see a tag team match involving Roman Reigns and The Rock vs Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins. If Roman and The Rock win then the match becomes no disqualification so the Bloodline can intervene, but if Rollins and Rhodes win, the match becomes Bloodline free. I think Roman and The Rock will win the tag team match. This would make it where the Bloodline can get involved. In typical fashion, I think the Bloodline will get involved in the match, but I think Seth Rollins and Jey Uso will come out and help Cody. After Seth and Jey equal it out I think The Rock will come out and turn against his cousin Roman Reigns and help Cody Rhodes finally finish his story. This will leave fans shocked as to why The Rock did it, but the next night on Monday Night Raw I could see him coming out saying he did it to put Roman in his place and let Roman know that The Rock is the real Head of the Table.
Warriors vs Spurs 8:00pm Who’s going to win: Spurs. This will be the third game of the series with the Warriors squeezing by the first game. Even though they’re not winning much, Wemby has been on fire and we are starting to see another reason why he was picked first overall in the draft. Not only for his height but what he can do with his height. There are plenty of players over 7 feet tall but not all of them can hit step back threes like Wemby. With the Warriors biggest player on the court being Draymond Green (who’s only 6’6) Wemby should feast all night and if he isn’t stopped they can win this game. For the Warriors they need to play like they were before they got destroyed by the Celtics. They will have to rely on their 3 point shooting (which they already do) because they’ll rarely score on Wemby down low. Stopping Wemby will be the biggest priority for this game if they want to win. Hornets vs Pistons 7:00pm Who’s going to win: Hornets. This will be the third and last game of the series with the Pistons winning the last two. A battle between the worst teams in the NBA. Like I said earlier the Pistons own this series. But this Hornets team has gotten much better. With acquiring Tre Mann and Grant Williams they’ve been better offensively. Once LaMelo is back and healthy They will be winning more than they are. For the Pistons they have to realize that this is a totally different team from the last two times they’ve played. They have to work hard and win because now at this point every win counts.
————————————————————— Tuesday 12, 2024
76ers vs Knicks 7:30pm Who’s going to win: Knicks. With Embiid out it’ll be hard for them to win a game. They’ll have to rely on the rookies and bench players to make big plays. They also need Maxey to step into Embiid’s role which will be tough. For the Knicks they need to focus. This team is definitely better than the Hawks and Warriors but lost both of them by 10+ points. They cannot play like that against the 76ers. Timberwolves vs Clippers 10:00pm Who’s going to win: Timberwolves. This will be the fourth and last game of the series with the Timberwolves leading 2-1. The T-Wolves have the best defense in the league with Kat and Gobert. This team has been turned around in the last three years from being last in their conference to being top 3. A big reason for this turnaround is Ant. Carrying his team through it all. For the Clippers it’ll be tough losing Westbrook off the bench. He was the tone setter for the players on the bench. They have to lock in on offense and need every opportunity they can get. The Timberwolves defense’s relentless scoring will be tough for the Clips. —————————————————————
Wednesday 13, 2024
Nuggets vs Heat 7:30pm Who’s going to win: Nuggets. This will be the second and last games of the series with the Nuggets being up 1-0. Jokic has been a problem having 4 triple doubles out of the last 7 games since the all-star break. They also won 6 out the last 7 games. With anyone being able to score 30+ this is a problem for opponents who have to play this team. For the Heat Jimmy Butler can’t be the only one scoring the majority of the points. They need Rozier to be the one scoring when Butler is having an off game. Bam also needs to do his best to contain Jokic if they want any chance of winning. Lakers vs Kings 10:00pm Who’s going to win: Kings. This will be the fourth and last game of the season series with the Kings taking a commanding 3-0 lead. As I said earlier the Kings carry this series and if they meet in the playoffs things will not be looking good for the Lakers. Fox has also carried them this series scoring 35+ in two of the last three games. Including having 44 in the last game. The Lakers need to keep them out of the paint. The Kings have outscored the Lakers in every single game against them. With Lebron possibly out for this game it’ll be hard for the Lakers to prevent the series sweep. ————————————————————— Thursday 14, 2024
Celtics vs Suns 7:30pm Who’s going to win: Celtics. This will be the first game of the season series. The Celtics have shown that they can beat any team by 30 if they want. But they cannot afford losing a game when they’re up by 22 with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter. With Jaylen Brown winning eastern conference player of the week and Tatum winning the eastern conference player of the month, these all-stars look like they want a ring. For the Suns KD is averaging 28 points per game while basically making half the shots he takes. To win this game they’ll need Booker to come back from his injury ready to go against this aggressive Celtics team. If I’m the Suns coach I’ll play to win but to also not lose by 50. The Suns cannot take an embarrassing loss and want to keep this game to at least 10 points. Mavs vs Thunder 10:00pm Who’s going to win: Thunder. This will be the third game of the series with it being tied at one a piece. The Mavs have been awful since the all-star game winning only two out of seven games. They also have the worst defense in the NBA since the all-star break. Even when Luka gets a triple double they lose. Obviously if they want to get back on the winning side they have to start by getting their defense back on track. As for the Thunder, if the Mavs keep playing horrible on defense then the Thunder should have an easy night due to having one of the best offenses in the league. Shai, the MVP candidate, has been the leading scorer in most of the games he has played. Shai needs to keep leading this team to victory to keep a top 3 spot in the conference. ————————————————————— Friday 15, 2024
Heat vs Pistons 7:00pm Who’s going to win: Heat. This will be the third game of the series with the Heat up 2-0. At this point the Pistons have only one option. Tank and hope things go better next year. With this embarrassing season major changes need to be done to get them to at least win games. For the Heat they are 8-2 in the past ten games. If they lose this game there will be some serious problems they’ll have to solve. Even with Tyler Herro potentially missing this game they should easily win this. Hawks vs Jazz 9:30pm Who’s going to win: Hawks. This will be the second and last game of the series with the Hawks winning big the last game to be up 1-0. The Jazz haven’t been all that good since the break winning only one out of the last five. This is mainly because of the injuries. With Young out for a while they haven’t been doing that bad. winning three out of the last five. With Seddiq Bay stepping up this team is a team to watch especially when Young comes back. For them to win they have to come with the dominance they came with the first time. ————————————————————— Saturday 16, 2024
Nets vs Pacers 7:00pm
Who’s going to win: Pacers. This will be the first game of the series. The Pacers are one of the highest scoring teams in the league. This team can put up 130 every game if they wanted to. Haliburton has come out of nowhere. Him and his team have improved significantly from last season. For the Nets injuries are their biggest problem right now. With Ben Simmons out for the year the Nets are running out of players to play. Harden, KD, and Kyrie messed this team up by leaving. Even though it might seem that there is only bad news, they have won three of the last five games with a lot of stars out. Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikai Bridges need to have big games for them to win. Warriors vs Lakers 8:30pm Who’s going to win: Warriors. This will be the third matchup of the series with it being tied at one a piece. Lebron looked like age is finally getting to him in his last game. With this the Lakers most likely will give Lebron rest for his upcoming games. This being said AD, Reaves, and Russel have to show his presence for this game. For the Warriors they did an exceptional job bouncing back from the 52 point Celtics loss to beating the Bucks by 38 points. With a loss like that, teams usually lose confidence and lose again the next game. After that performance this either means the Celtics are really good or the Bucks just are trash. Curry needs to keep being dominant and keep winning. ————————————————————— Sunday 17, 2024
Bucks vs Suns 1:00pm Who’s going to win: Bucks. This will be the second and last game of the series with the Suns up 1-0. Before the loss to Golden State they were on a 6 game winning streak due to their efforts on defense. Before the all-star break they lost a surprising game to the Grizzlies who only have half the team with a bunch of G-league players. If they want to win they need to continue playing good defense. They also can’t let Giannis, Dame, and Portis score 63 combined points out of 90. That means the rest of the team scored 27 points. All 10 players that played combined for 27 points. That can’t happen. They need other players like Crowder and Lopez to show up. For the Suns they need to stay consistent. They can’t lose to the Rockets and then beat the Nuggets. Consistency is key for them making the playoffs. To win the need to keep Giannis out of the paint and make him make tough shots. They also need to contain Lillard from deep. Last time Booker and KD combined for 60, they either need to do the same or play good defense. Nuggets vs Mavs 3:30pm Who’s going to win: Nuggets. This will be the third and last game of the series with the Nuggets looking for another series sweep. After the Nuggets swept the Celtics in the season series this team might be favorites to win it all now. With Jokic having a triple double against the best defense, it looks like he cannot be stopped. Even though they made only 4 threes they scored 115 while shooting exactly 50% from the field. For the Mavs, stopping Jokic is almost impossible. Jokic will probably have another 30 point triple double so they need to focus on stopping everyone else and hope Jokic plays badly. They also have got to play good interior defense. They scored 103 points in the paint against a good Celtics defense. If Luka and Kyrie go to an offensive clinic they have a chance to barely outdo them.
The Broncos finished 8-9 and Russell Wilson got benched in the final game of the season. Ever since Russell Wilson has been in Denver, he has not produced at a good enough level for them to be a playoff team. There is no one to blame for their failure except Wilson. They have a great coach in Sean Payton, weapons around him like Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, and they have had a very good defense for years. With the off-season on the come up it offers the question what do you do if you are the Broncos at quarterback.
This offseason the Broncos have the 12th overall pick in the 2024 draft. They can do plenty of things here. First they could draft a quarterback like Bo Nix (Oregon) or Michaels Penix Jr. (Washington) at pick 12. This would give Russell Wilson someone to compete with and mentor until Wilson contract expires. Another option would be to try to trade up in the draft and get a better quarterback prospect in Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Jayden Daniels. I think if Denver trades up they would have to give up at least their 12th pick, another first round pick, and potentially Russell Wilson. Another option would be to cut Russell Wilson and play backup quarterback Jared Stidham. Stidham would probably not be much better then Wilson but this would most likely give them a very high pick in the 2025 draft to get a top quarterback in college football. Lastly they can take a chance on a free agent quarterback. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did this in 2023 by signing Baker Mayfield and it showed to work out well as they won their division and played in the NFC divisional round. Some notable quarterbacks in the upcoming free agency would be Gardner Minshew, and Jameis Winston. Now these aren’t great options but I think they offer the Broncos a better chance to win then Stidham. If I were in Denver’s front office I would definitely look into drafting a quarterback either this year or next year.
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