NBA All-Star Weekend 2019-3 Point Shootout Preview and Predictions

Today at 8pm on TNT, the 3 Point Shootout will be the second of three events played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are the contestants and my pick to win...

Joe Harris- Brooklyn Nets

Joe has a 47.1% 3 point shot average as he's made 132 shots out of 280 taken this season

Devin Booker- Phoenix Suns

Devin has a 32.5% 3 point shot average as he's made 91 shots out of 280 taken this season

Seth Curry- Portland Trail Blazers

Seth has a 46.5% 3 point shot average as he's made 66 shots out of 142 taken this season

Danny Green- Toronto Raptors

Danny has a 42.1% 3 point shot average as he's made 128 shots out of 304 taken this season

Kemba Walker- Charlotte Hornets

Kemba has a 36.2% 3 point shot average as he's made 187 shots out of 517 taken this season

Khris Middleton- Milwaukee Bucks

Khris has a 37.8% 3 point shot average as he's made 122 shots out of 323 taken this season

Stephen Curry- Golden State Warriors

Stephen has a 44.4% 3 point shot average as he's made 236 shots out of 531 taken this season

Damian Lillard- Portland Trail Blazers

Damian has a 37.3% 3 point shot average as he's made 162 shots out of 434 taken this season

Buddy Hield- Sacramento Kings

Buddy has a 44.9% 3 point shot average as he's made 195 shots out of 434 taken this season

Dirk Nowitzki- Dallas Mavericks

Dirk has a 30.9% 3 point shot average as he's made 25 shots out of 81 taken this season

Prediction to win:

In this competition, I think that Stephen Curry will take home the W. Stephen has won it back in 2015 and is probably the favorite to win it again. He is known for his 3 point shooting and is one of the best ever to shoot beyond the arc. His brother, Seth, is also in the competition. But, I expect Stephen Curry to get the job done tonight.

http://www.nba.com/allstar/2019/events/three-point-contest
Stats from https://www.basketball-reference.com

NBA All-Star Weekend 2019-Skills Challenge Preview and Predictions

Today at 8pm on TNT, the Skills Challenge will be the first of three events played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Here are the contestants and my pick to win...

Luka Doncic- Dallas Mavericks

Luka is averaging 20.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.6 assists a game this season

Trae Young- Atlanta Hawks

Trae is averaging 16.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 7.6 assists a game this season

Mike Conley- Memphis Grizzlies

Mike is averaging 19.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists a game this season

Nikola Jokic- Denver Nuggets

Nikola is averaging 20.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 7.7 assists a game this season

De'Aaron Fox- Sacramento Kings

De'Aaron is averaging 17.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 7.2 assists a game this season

Jayson Tatum- Boston Celtics

Jayson is averaging 16.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists a game this season

Kyle Kuzma- LA Lakers

Kyle is averaging 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists a game this season

Nikola Vucevic- Orlando Magic

Nikola is averaging 20.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists a game this season

Prediction to win:

Honestly, this competition is completely up for grabs. Any player out of this bunch can win tonight. That said, I think Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is going to win the Skills Challenge. At 6-8, 208 lbs as a SF, Jayson Tatum has the attributes and speed to take care of his competition.

http://www.nba.com/allstar/2019/events/skills-challenge

Stats from https://www.basketball-reference.com

Bengals (Zac Taylor) and Dolphins (Brian Flores) set to hire new HC

The Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins are going to hire their new head coaches on Monday. The Cincinnati Bengals will hire Zac Taylor, who was previously the Rams QBs coach and the Miami Dolphins will hire Brian Flores, who was previously the Patriots LBs coach. The Bengals and Dolphins both ended last season with a losing record and decided to get new HCs for a fresh start. Here are the "profiles" of Zac and Brian... Enjoy!

Zac Taylor Profile

Previous: Rams QB Coach

Current: Bengals Head Coach

Age: 35

Born: Norman, Oklahoma

High School: Norman High School

College: University of Nebraska

NFL: Played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a QB. Cut in preseason.

Coaching Career Stint #1: Assistant QBs Coach for the Miami Dolphins. Later promoted to interim Offensive Coordinator. 2012-2015

Coaching Career Stint #2: Offensive Coordinator for the Cincinnati Bearcats 2016

Coaching Career Stint #3: Assistant WRs Coach for the Los Angeles Rams. 2017

Coaching Career Stint #4: QBs Coach for the Los Angeles Rams 2018

Coaching Career Stint #5: Current Bengals Head Coach. 2019

https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2018/01/10/Los-Angeles-Rams-elevate-Zac-Taylor-to-QB-coach/2581515560549/

Brian Flores Profile

Previous: Patriots LB Coach

Current: Dolphins Head Coach

Age: 37

Born: Brooklyn, New York

High School: Brooklyn (NY) Poly Prep Country Day

College: Boston College

NFL: Injury prevented him from playing.

Coaching Career Stint #1: Patriots Scouting Assistant. 2004-2005

Coaching Career Stint #2: Patriots Pro Scout. 2006-2007

Coaching Career Stint #3: Patriots Speical teams Assistant. 2008-2009

Coaching Career Stint #4: Patriots Assistant Offense and Special teams. 2010

Coaching Career Stint #5: Patriots Defensive Assistant. 2011

Coaching Career Stint #6: Patriots Safeties Coach. 2012-2015

Coaching Career Stint #7: Patriots Linebackers Coach. 2016-2018

Coaching Career Stint #8: Current Dolphins Head Coach. 2019

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/patriots-assistant-brian-flores-and-complex-landscape-black-coaching-candidates

The New England Patriots win the Super Bowl!

Yesterday, the New England Patriots won Super Bowl 53 as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in a defensive slugfest. No team was able to get into the red zone until early in the 4th quarter. There were only 2 turnovers in the game, one committed by each side. The Rams couldn't get their run game going at all, held to less than 70 yards on the game. Goff and Brady were very uncomfortable in the pocket and both had inconsistent games passing. The outright MVP of the game was Julian Edelman who completed destroyed the Rams secondary. Edelman caught 10 passes for 141 yards on the game. In the end, the Patriots won and Tom Brady won his 6th Super Bowl breaking the tie with Charles Haley who had 5. Rob Gronkowski will most likely retire from the team following the win. Tom Brady is set to continue playing in the NFL. Bill Belichick will also most likely continue coaching. Congratulations to the New England Patriots for winning Super Bowl LIII!! :)

https://www.patspulpit.com/2019/2/3/18209947/new-england-patriots-win-super-bowl-53-beat-los-angeles-rams-tom-brady-julian-edelman

Super Bowl LIII is HERE! Rams vs Patriots Preview and Predictions

After a grueling NFL regular season and playoffs, the Super Bowl is finally HERE! The Rams and Patriots are the last 2 teams standing, and they had to take unique paths to get here...

RAMS PATH TO SUPER BOWL:

Finished the regular season 13-3. Got the #2 seed in the Playoffs

WILD CARD ROUND: Bye

DIVISIONAL ROUND: BEAT the Cowboys 30-22

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: BEAT the Saints 26-23 OT

PATRIOTS PATH TO SUPER BOWL:

Finished the regular season 11-5. Got the #2 seed in the Playoffs

WILD CARD ROUND: Bye

DIVISIONAL ROUND: BEAT the Chargers 41-28

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND: BEAT the Chiefs 37-31 OT

DESTINY vs DYNASTY:

This is a battle between a "Destiny" and a "Dynasty". The Rams are a young team with Goff and Gurley leading the offensive charge. They made big moves in the 2018 offseason in order to try and get to the Super Bowl before the younger stars get huge contracts. This is a "Destiny". The Patriots are a veteran team with a 41-year-old Brady as the ringmaster. This is the 3rd straight year that the Patriots have made the Super Bowl. Brady is appearing in his 9th Super Bowl and has won 5 of them. The Patriots are easily the most hated franchise in the NFL with a team that never goes away every single year. This is a "Dynasty".

Patriots PLAYERS AND STATS:

Mini Depth Chart: OFFENSE- Tom Brady QB, Sony Michel RB, James White RB, Julian Edelman WR, Chris Hogan WR, Rob Gronkowski TE, Trent Brown LT, Joe Thuney LG, David Andrews C, Shaq Mason RG, Marcus Cannon RT DEFENSE- Trey Flowers LE, Deatrich Wise Jr. RE, Lawrence Guy DT, Malcom Brown DT, Dont'a Hightower LB, Elandon Roberts LB, Kyle Van Noy LB, Jason McCourty LCB, Stephon Gilmore RCB, Patrick Chung S, Devin McCourty S SPECIAL TEAMS- Ryan Allen P, Stephen Gostkowski K, Julian Edelman PR, Cordarrelle Patterson KR

Stats Leaders: 

Passing- Brady 375-570, 4355 yards, 29 TD, 11 INT

Rushing- Michel 209 ATT, 931 yards, 6 TD

Receiving- White 87 REP, 751 yards, 7 TD Edelman 74 REP, 850 yards, 6 TD

Defense- Van Noy 56 Tackles, Flowers 7.5 Sacks, 3 FF, Harmon 4 INT

Punting- Allen 64 PUNT, 45.1 AVG

Field Goals- Gostkowski 27-32 

Rams PLAYERS AND STATS:

Mini Depth Chart: OFFENSE- Jared Goff QB, Todd Gurley RB, C.J. Anderson RB, Robert Woods WR, Brandin Cooks WR, Tyler Higbee TE, Andrew Whitworth LT, Roger Saffold III LG, John Sullivan C, Austin Blythe RG, Rob Havenstein RT DEFENSE- Michael Brockers DE, Aaron Donald DT, Ndamukong Suh NT, Cory Littleton ILB, Mark Barron ILB, Samson Ebukam OLB, Marcus Peters LCB, Aqib Talib RCB, John Johnson III SS, Lamarcus Joyner FS, Dante Fowler Jr. WILL SPECIAL TEAMS- Johnny Hekker P, Greg Zuerlein K, Jojo Natson PR, KR

Stats Leaders:

Passing- Goff 364-561 4688 yards, 32 TD, 12 INT
Rushing- Gurley 256 ATT, 1251 yards, 17 TD
Receiving- Woods 86 REP, 1219 yards 6 TD Cooks 80 REP, 1204 yards, 5 TD
Defense- Littleton 90 Tackles, Donald 20.5 Sacks, 4 FF, Johnson III 4 INT
Punting- Hekker 43 PUNT, 46.3 AVG
Field Goals- Zuerlein 27-31

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:

RAMS 34 PATRIOTS 27

Even though the Rams are young and still inexperienced in the playoffs, I think that if the Rams can not let Brady and the Patriots get a big early lead, they will have a chance to win the ball game. The difference maker in this game is going to be whether Aaron Donald can get to Brady or not. Donald is a BEAST on the line with 20.5 sacks on the year. He should be able to get to Brady at least a couple of times throughout the game. The Rams defense was able to hold the Saints to only 23 points in 4 quarters which is definitely something to look out for. Also, the Rams defense needs to not let Brady and his dynamic receiving group get 5-6 completions per drive. The Patriots offense completely destroyed the Chiefs secondary on multiple 3rd n Long situations on the game-winning drive in OT. The Rams can not give up too many easy completions. Finally, the Rams need to keep Brady off the field for as long as possible. The Rams offense needs to eat up the clock and score TDs while doing it. The best way to beat Brady is to keep him on the bench and make him uncomfortable in the pocket. The Rams didn't just magically get to the Super Bowl. They had to work for their wins and grew as a team throughout the year. The Rams have the best shot to beat the Patriots and keep Brady's rings on one finger for now. Tonight, we will find out whether the Rams can deliver or not. Good Luck to both teams and may the BEST team WIN!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgheKYcdEJ0

The Clemson Tigers win the 2019 College Football National Championship!! (late)

On Monday, the Clemson Tigers defeated the Alabama Crimson Tide 44-16 to win their second title in the past 3 years and 3rd overall. The game was never really close with Tua looking lost on the field and throwing 2 INT in the 1st half alone. Trevor Lawrence loooked stellar on the field going 20/32 for 347 yards with 3 TD and no INT. Trevor Etienne added 2 TD on the ground. Clemson finishes the year going 15-0 for the first time in modern college football history. This is a great year for the Clemson Tigers football program and a fantastic way to send their seniors off on a high note. Congratulations to the Clemson Tigers for winning the 2019 College Football National Championship!! :)

https://www.complex.com/sports/2019/01/national-champions-clemson-tigers-to-visit-donald-trump

The Divisional Round DAY 2! Chargers vs Patriots Preview and Predictions

**Note: Since I did a Saturday game last week I decided to do a Sunday game this week**

After the Chiefs and Rams secured their spots in the AFC/NFC championship game, 2 more teams will be looking to join them. Will it be the Patriots joining the Chiefs? Or perhaps the Chargers? Will it be the Saints joining the Rams? Or perhaps the Eagles? The Chargers play @ the Patriots at 1:05pm on CBS and the Eagles play @ the Saints at 4:40pm on FOX. Today, I will be previewing the Chargers vs Patriots...Enjoy!

Chargers: After beating the Ravens last week, the Chargers head into Foxborough feeling very confident when playing on the road. The Chargers avenged their loss to the Ravens in Week 16 of the NFL Regular Season. They held Lamar Jackson to under 60 yards rushing and the team to under 100. Jackson also threw a pick in the game. Rivers had a decent day last week going 22/32 for 160 yards and no TD or INT. In fact, no one on the team picked up a TD. Badgley made 5/6 FGs om the day to lead the team in scoring. The Chargers defense played well. Per ESPN, they recorded 7 sacks on the day, 2 fumbles recovered, and a INT.  The Chargers should continue this momentum heading into their game vs the Patriots. The Patriots have looked worse than their record shows, as playing in a weak divsion explains half of the wins. The Chargers should have the advantage here, but the Patriots are stellar at home in the playoffs. We'll see who has the edge in the end.

Patriots: After clinching the #2 seed, the Patriots were able to get a bye in the Wildcard round. Having rested an extra week, the Patriots' players might have more energy then the Chargers. That said, the Patriots have not looked great overall as a team this year. Questionable losses and a dysfunctional team leave the Patriots at a 11-5 record heading into this game. Gronkowski has had one of his worst years as a TE, and the Patriots have not been able to soley rely on Tom Brady as they have in years past. Per ESPN, the running game has been a pleasant suprise as they have rushed for 2037 yards on only 478 carries averaging 4.3 yards per rush. Tom Brady has thrown for 4355 yards with 29 TD and 11 INT. Sony Michel rushed for almost 1000 yards on the season in 109 attempts. The Patriots are heading into this game on a slight limp, and we'll see if this prevents them from showing America fully what they are capable of. The Patriots will have to rely on the run game a little more than usual which is not the type of playstyle Bellichick likes to play. If the Patriots can get out to a fast start, they might have an edge in this game.

Prediction: Chargers 23 Patriots 16

I think that with the amount of confidence the Chargers have had on the road recently and with the Offensive/Deffensive firepower they have, the Chargers should be able to win this game. The most crucial part is whether the Patriots can keep the Chargers out of the endzone because the Ravens were almost able to come back last week. If the Chargers can have a lead or keep it close for most of the game, they should be able to win in the end.

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/pats-chargers-5-things-know-andor-ignore-week