NHL Western Conference Semifinals Preview

The West is wwwwwwiiiiiidddddddeeeeee open in the NHL. The three favorites were all eliminated in the first round, proving that the NHL playoffs are bananas and the best playoffs in sports. Now we have four teams remaining, all fighting for the right to lose to Alex Ovechkin or Sidney Crosby in the Finals.

San Jose Sharks vs. Nashville Predators

Goaltending: Pekka Rinne turned in an outstanding Game 7 performance against the Anaheim Ducks, but was just average for most of the series. Martin Jones was great for the Sharks in round one, shutting down his old team at every turn. Neither has much playoff history to fall back on. Rinne is the more experienced of the two, but hasn’t exactly been good in them. Jones has a ring, but as a back-up. My gut tells me to trust Rinne a bit more than Jones.

The Tale of the Tape: Preds vs. Sharks!

Hello friends! THE Ultimate Sports Blog Hockey Insider Steve Cook here, and I have to admit that I'm a little surprised I'm writing this column. Sure, I picked the Nashville Predators to beat the Anaheim Ducks in the 1st round, but I was the only NHL writer on the entire World Wide Web to do such a thing. The Ducks were a sexy Stanley Cup pick heading in, and with the fall of the Blackhawks & the Kings in the 1st round, they could have been set up pretty nicely had they advanced. They didn't. The Preds won in seven games, surviving their first Game 7 as a franchise and my first Game 7 as a sports fan.

Pretty amazing, isn't it? The Reds haven't been in any Game 7s since before I was born, I've never been able to stay loyal to an NBA team, and every other sport I follow doesn't bother with series. My most stressful playoff experiences have been Bengals games, and the last couple of those haven't had any stress at all because I knew they were losing. Up until this point, the Preds' playoff experiences mirrored my other pro teams, which has made them easy for me to support.

I expect the worst, so when the worst doesn't happen I am pleased. Wednesday night was quite the experience and one I won't forget anytime soon. I was really happy for a few hours...and then I remembered there was another round starting on Friday and I better get a preview out there for good luck. So, once again...here's the tale of the tape!

Playoff History

The Sharks are 14-17 in playoff series. They've only missed the playoffs six times in twenty-four years, but have yet to get past the conference semi-finals. Considering they've won the Pacific Division six times, including four straight from 2007-08 to 2010-11, that's pretty disappointing. Nashville's record is now 3-8, further below .500 than the Sharks, but they've never had a team with a division title & never been the sexy pick to win the Cup like the Sharks have been. So we'll go with a Push.

NFL Draft LIVE BLOG!!!!

It's time for the NFL Draft you guys!!!

Much like last year, this is the place where you will get my unfiltered opinion regarding EVERY single draft pick that goes down tonight in the first-round of the NFL Draft. Yes, I said EVERY single one!

So make sure you keep this page loaded and keep refreshing it to see how this self-proclaimed NFL Draft expert feels about every move that goes down tonight.

Good lord I love this day!

THE Ultimate Sports Blog's 

2016 NFL Draft LIVE BLOG!!!!

NHL Playoffs First Round Recap

The first round of the NHL Playoffs is officially over, which means we’re one step away from the Chicago Blackhawks winning another Stanley Cup. Wait, the Blackhawks and Kings have BOTH BEEN ELIMINATED?!?!? This shit is crazy. Let’s recap.

Tampa Bay Lightning defeated Detroit Red Wings 4-1

Storyline: The Lightning were too talented and too fast for an older Detroit team that had regressed from last year’s team.

MVP: Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, and Alex Killorn all have a case (that line scored 10 of the 12 goals in the series), but Ben Bishop was the best player on the ice every game. The Lightning goalie gave his team a chance to win every night and once again proved why he’s one of the best goalies in the league. For some reason, people think Bishop is the weak link on the team, but those people are dumb. Bishop is the strength of this team and without Steven Stamkos, they need him to play his size (big).

New York Islanders defeated Florida Panthers 4-2

Storyline: The Islanders won three of their four games in overtime.Poor Luongo.

MVP: Thomas Greiss was really good, far better than anyone expected him to be, but this series belonged to John Tavares. He took over game six, scoring both goals in the elimination game, and had five goals in the series. He led by example and the team follow suit. 

Top 31 NFL Draft Prospects

Before the NFL Draft start tonight, it time to get yourself associated with the top prospects in the draft. These are the guys who will likely be hearing their names called at the podium at some point tonight.

For the record, these aren't my rankings!

I'm using the rankings of the lovely website ProFootballFocus.com. So if you have a problem with the rankings themselves, take it up with them. Not me.

Instead of giving you my personal rankings, I'm letting you know where I think each prospect will get drafted as well as how far they can potentially drop.

It's NFL DRAFT DAY PEOPLE!!!!!! IT'S TIME TO GET PUMPED!!!!!!

Top 31 NFL Draft Prospects

1. Joey Bosa (DE) Ohio State Buckeyes

I think he goes to: San Diego at 3

He won't fall past: Cleveland at 8

2. DeForest Buckner (DL) Oregon Ducks

I think he goes to: Baltimore at 6

He won't fall past: San Francisco at 7

3. Jalen Ramsey (CB) Florida State Seminoles

I think he goes to: Dallas at 4

He won't fall past: Dallas at 4

4. Jared Goff (QB) California

I think he goes to: Los Angeles at 1

He won't fall past: Philadelphia at 2

5. Laremy Tunsil (OT) Ole Miss Rebels

I think he goes to: Jacksonville at 5

He won't fall past: New York Giants at 10

Ultimate Sports Blog's 2016 Final NFL Mock Draft!

The NFL Draft is finally here.

Trust me. I get the feeling because I have it as well. The excitement is beyond bearable and I'm just glad that the draft is back in all of it's wonderful glory.

But before we get to the draft, we have an important matter to discuss and I think you know what it is.

That's right!

IT'S TIME FOR MY FINAL MOCK DRAFT OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

As most of you know, I kind of pride myself on how accurate my mock draft's are from time to time. While far from 100% accurate, my mock drafts actually do relatively well in comparison to some of the experts when you look back at them. That and the fact that I absolutely love the draft is what keeps me going year-in and year-out.

So, no more small talk.

I know why you're here.

You know why I'm here.

Let's cut out the foreplay already.......

Ultimate Sports Blog's

2016 NFL Mock Draft

NHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview

The first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs is in the books. To read my recap, wait until tomorrow. The NHL decided to do that stupid thing where they start the next round in a conference even though the first round in another conference isn’t over, which is stupid. The NBA does it all the time and I guess the NHL figures that if it works for the NBA, it can work for them as well. This is stupid thinking, but the NHL isn’t exactly run by geniuses.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Islanders

Goaltending: Ben Bishop is the best goalie left in the playoffs. There’s no goalie left in the west with an impressive track record, Marc-Andre Fleury has a ring but is currently injured, and Braden Holtby had a great regular season but doesn’t have the playoff success of Bishop, who was in the Stanley Cup Finals last year. Thomas Greiss was much better than expected in the first round, including his momentum changing penalty shot save in overtime in Game 4, but Bishop’s track record, including his brilliance in the first round, speaks for itself.

[Top 10 List] The Top Drafting NFL Teams of the 2010's

The NFL Draft is TOMORROW NIGHT!

Can you tell I'm excited yet?

Before we get to the draft though, we need to take a look at something.

What exactly?

How about "Which NFL teams have had the most success in the NFL this decade?"

Seems pretty fitting doesn't it?

With the draft here, it only makes sense to take a look at which teams have had the most success in the draft recently. These are most likely the teams that will once again have success this weekend. These teams have the best talent evaluators in the game and it really shows when you start looking at how successful each of the teams on this list have done over the last few seasons.

All the teams on this list have something in common and I'll see if you guys can figure it out by the time we reach the end of the column.....

ENJOY!!!!!

Top Drafting NFL Teams of the 2010's

Honorable Mention:

Arizona Cardinals

Notable Picks: Daryl Washington (LB), Patrick Peterson (CB), Justin Bethel (S), Tyrann Mathieu (CB)

San Francisco 49ers

Notable Picks: Mike Iupati (OG), NaVorro Bowman (LB), Aldon Smith (LB), Eric Reid (S)

And now....THE TOP 10!

10. Denver Broncos

Notable Picks: Demaryius Thomas (WR), Zane Beadles (OT), Von Miller (LB), Julius Thomas (TE)

It shouldn't surprise anyone to see the Broncos ranked on this list. Why? Because they just hoisted a Super Bowl trophy that was won in large part thanks to players that they drafted over the last few years (looking at you Von Miller). Everyone knows that I'm not a fan of John Elway and the Donkies, but you have to give them credit where credit is due. They have absolutely nailed some draft picks and reaped the benefits.

Quick Takes: News Round-Up First Edition

Catching you up on the news that matters in the sports world.

Tom Brady Re-Suspended for Four Games

Deflategate won’t die. This story sucks. (Insert joke about sucking the air out of a football). Just suspend Brady for the four pre-season games and move on. This is over a year old and should’ve been put to bed last year. But Roger Goodell got embarrassed and he probably paid off the appeals court to overturn the non-suspension. I don’t even care anymore. Suspend him. Don’t suspend him. Whatever. Just let it go.

Los Angeles Lakers Fire Head Coach Byron Scott

The fact that he was hired in the first place was pretty baffling. Scott is not a good head coach. In fairness to him, the Lakers were terrible this year and no coach was going to make that team competitive. It was a season all about Kobe, as it should’ve been, and the team was never going to succeed with Kobe running the show. Scott hasn’t won more than 25 games since 2008-2009. THAT’S A LONG TIME! This guy had the best backcourt in basketball in Cleveland and one of the greatest players of all-time in Los Angeles. And he couldn’t win more than 25 games. He sucks.

Derek Fisher is reportedly interested in the job because he’d like to be closer to Matt Barnes’ wife, but this job is Luke Walton’s to lose. Really, Walton couldn’t lose this job. He could just not accept it because who the hell wants to coach this Lakers team? They have some decent young talent like De’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle, but Russell has proven himself to be a narc, Clarkson is dating a Jenner/Kardashian and that never ends well, and Randle played at Kentucky. Maybe Kobe will coach the team next year. How awesome would that be? He’d probably punch one of them in the face at some point during the season. I’d actually bet good money on that happening.

Philadelphia Eagles Quarterback Sam Bradford Wants to be Traded

The Broncos should totally trade for him. The Bradford/Sanchez duo is a proven winner. In all honesty, I think teams realize that Bradford is a bust and injury prone and not very good, so why bother? Take a risk on a college quarterback and hope you find the next Russell Wilson or Tom Brady rather than trade for Bradford and be mediocre at best. That said, I fully expect the Jets to trade for him.

Steve Kerr Wins NBA Coach Of The Year

The dude didn’t even coach half the season. That’s how good he is. He’s the AllTimeGOAT. Honestly, Terry Stotts in Portland should’ve won this award. He lost four out of five starters and still managed to get the Blazers into the playoffs as a five seed. Just about everyone thought they were headed for the lottery. He did a great job this year and should’ve won over Kerr, who already had a great team and didn’t coach for half the season. Hard to ignore the greatest regular season in history, but Mark Jackson truly won this award.

THE USB Baseball Report: Fourth Edition

Hi, hello and welcome to THE USB Baseball Report! I'm Steve Cook, and we're in the last week of April already! Where does the time go? The baseball season will be over before we know it. This week we're spending most of our time in the Second City, covering happenings on both the North & South Side. Lots of good baseball being played in Sweet Home Chicago these days. We'll also check in with the Reds & our favorite all-time home run leader & tell you what you should be watching this weekend. Let's get it started!

Jake Arrieta Is Really Good

Your humble correspondent saw his first in-person no-hitter this week. I would have preferred it be the Reds no-hitting the other team, but I had to settle for the Cubs' Jake Arrieta no-hitting the Reds while the Cubbies put sixteen runs on the board. You'd think as a Reds fan this would have been tremendously disappointing, but honestly I was happy to see history. If the Reds had gotten a useless hit in the 9th inning it would have spoiled the evening & made it just another unmemorable Reds loss. Sure, if the game was close I'd say go for it, but a sixteen-run deficit's pretty tough to come back from. No-hitters don't happen every day.

They happen a little more often for Arrieta than most. It was his second no-hitter in his last eleven starts. He's had twenty-four straight quality starts since last June. The record for straight quality starts? Twenty-six, set by the incomparable Bob Gibson in 1967-68. Gibson's 1968 stands as probably the greatest pitching year in the history of baseball. We've seen a lot of great pitchers come and go since 1968. Nolan Ryan. Steve Carlton. Tom Seaver. Greg Maddux. Randy Johnson. Just to name a few.  None of them accomplished what Arrieta has in the past few months.

NBA Playoffs: Week One Recap

We’re a week into the NBA playoffs. Stuff has happened, but it’s mostly been blowouts and boring. Let’s review.

Cleveland Cavaliers lead Detroit Pistons 3-0

Recap: The Cavaliers have three really good players including LeBron James. The Pistons have a bunch of guys who are trying to play physical because they aren’t talented enough to compete. And Reggie Jackson.

Comeback? Hell no.

Toronto Raptors lead Indiana Pacers 2-1

Recap: The Pacers stole game one in Toronto as Paul George reminded everyone that he’s really freakin’ good. Then the Raptors reminded everyone that they’re a better team, blowing out Indiana in the next two games.

Comeback? Probably not. George is really good, but the Raptors have too much firepower. DeMarre Carroll seems to be fully healthy and he’s good enough to limit George, which means the Pacers have to get scoring from Monta Ellis and, uh, I don’t know. Do the Pacers have anyone else? 

Carolina Panthers Make Josh Norman A Free Agent

The Carolina Panthers have officially made Josh Norman a free agent, rescinding their non-exclusive free agent tag after failing to come to terms with Norman on a new contract.

WHAT?!?!?!

As a diehard Panthers fan, I’m shocked by this news. Norman was the best cornerback in football last year and a huge reason why the Panthers went 15-1 and made it to the Super Bowl. Teams were afraid to throw his way. Early in the year, when quarterbacks didn’t know any better, Norman made interception after interception and even returned a few for touchdowns. Then QB’s smartened up, didn’t throw at Norman, and ended up throwing into the arms and hands of Kurt Coleman or Luke Kuechly. The only bad game Norman had on the season was against the Giants in that infamous Odell Beckham Jr. game and the following week against Julio Jones and the Falcons, the only Panthers regular season loss. Otherwise he shut down the best receiver on the other team every single game.

So why did this happen? I have two theories.

[The Top 10 List] Most Intriguing 2016 NFL Draft Prospects

The NFL Draft is right around the corner and as everyone knows, it's always one of the most interesting sporting events of the year.

Why?

Because when a team drafts a player, they usually have no idea what they are getting.

Has this player already hit his peak?

Was this player one of those guys who exceeds in college, but flops once the competition gets stiffer?

Does this player have the mental strength to compete in the NFL?

There are so many questions that go into drafting players, that it really does make the NFL Draft one of the biggest crap shoots in sports and is one of the main reasons why I absolutely love it.

The following is a top 10 list of the most intriguing prospects in the 2016 NFL draft in my opinion.

These are all players that I definitely have my eye on for one reason or another as the NFL Draft quickly approaches in just over a week's time (!!!!).

ENJOY!!!!

Most Intriguing 2016 NFL Draft Prospects

Honorable Mention:

Derrick Henry (RB), Alabama

Shawn Oakman (DE), Baylor

Vernon Adams (QB), Oregon

And now....the top 10!!!!

NHL Playoffs Week One Update

With the NHL Playoffs in full swing and Dustin James finally paying me in green, every Tuesday here at The USB, I’ll be bringing you your weekly NHL Playoffs update. GAME ON!

Dallas Stars lead Minnesota Wild 2-1

Recap: Minnesota is missing their best player, Zach Parise, and have struggled to score goals, losing game one 4-0 and game two 2-1. They finally came alive game three, scoring five goals and overcoming an early 2-0 hole.

Momentum: Minnesota was down 0-2 to the Colorado Avalanche two years ago and ended up winning that series in seven. This Stars team is better than that Avs team, but health is a concern as Kris Russell and Tyler Seguin missed game three. The Wild have the momentum for now,

Looking Ahead: Minnesota played well in game two, but just had a fluky bounce go against them and they finally found a scoring touch in game three. I don’t think it continues though. They’re even more banged up than Dallas and the Stars are simply a better team.

The USB Baseball Report: Third Edition

Hi, hello & welcome to THE USB Baseball Report! I'm Steve Cook, and we've got two weeks of baseball in the books. Each team in Major League Baseball has had games at home & on the road. Everybody has lost at least one game, and as of Friday night everybody has won a game. (Yay Braves & Twins! Welcome to the club!) This week we're going to focus on one of the teams that are off to a hot start, and of course there will be a Reds Update. We'll also have a Top 10 list because every column series needs one. Let's get it started!

In Dusty We Trusty: DC Edition

The Washington Nationals are a team we've been waiting to take the National League for quite some time now. They've got the talent. Time is on their side too, it's good young talent. It seems like they're always the favorites of the preseason magazines but by th time the postseason magazines roll around, they're nowhere to be found. Last season was rock bottom, as they folded like a tent down the stretch and missed the playoffs entirely after leading the NL East for most of the season. Manager Matt Williams lost control of his team, as indicated by the fight in the dugout during one of the last games of the season between star player Bryce Harper & closer Jonathan Papelbon. It was time for a new approach.

So the Nationals hired the most experienced manager on the market. Dusty Baker.

The USB Round Table Discussion: The NBA Playoffs

NBA Playoff coverage is in full gear here at THE Ultimate Sports Blog! With the playoffs here, it's also time for another round table discussion featuring some of the best minds in sports (regardless of what you hear elsewhere, we aren't half bad around these parts). 

Together, we will answer all the hard hitting questions in regards to the playoffs. 

"Can anyone take out Golden State?"

"Which underdogs have the best chance of pulling off an upset?"

"Who's going to win it all?"

See what I mean? It's going to be glorious.....

NBA Playoffs Round Table

Before we get to the good stuff, let's meet the staff:

Steve Cook: Regular readers of THE Ultimate Sports Blog are well aware of who Steve Cook is. He's our resident "all-around" sports guru. If there's a sporting event on television....Cook is probably watching it. Don't argue sports with this guy. You're going to lose.

Jeremy Lambert: Jeremy Lambert is another guy that regular readers of the blog will know. Lambert is our resident NHL/NBA/NFL expert who dabbles in a little bit of curling coverage when allowed. Lambert is a hardcore Oklahoma City Thunder fan, but we won't hold that against him. 

Samer Kadi: Samer Kadi is making his round table debut here at THE USB. Samer is a long-time friend of mine who's opinion I respect tremendously. Samer has been patiently waiting for a sequel to Red Dead Redemption for sometime now. If he feels a little angry in his replies, it's because that game is LOOOOOONG overdue. C'MON ROCKSTAR!!!!

Dustin James: I'm Dustin James. I run this here blog. I love the Portland Trail Blazers and elephant ears. 

And that's that. Let's get this thing started folks......

1. Which underdogs (seeds 5-8) in the Eastern Conference stand the best chance of pulling off a first-round upset? 

Steve Cook: Would Boston over Atlanta really be an upset? The Hawks are always a dumpster fire during the playoffs & the Celtics have been shockingly decent this season & have an illustrious playoff history. Sometimes that stuff matters.  I don't see the Hornets or the Pacers doing much, but keep an eye on the Pistons. They might give Cleveland more of a fight than we think.

Jeremy Lambert: The Boston Celtics. The Hawks and Celtics are almost mirror images of each other. Well-rounded teams without a true superstar who can takeover the game. The only difference is that I do believe Isiah Thomas is capable of taking over a game, especially if Jef Teague struggles like he did for stretches during the season. I also wouldn't rule out Charlotte pulling the upset against a Miami team that will badly miss Chris Bosh.

Samer Kadi: The Boston Celtics. Despite the Atlanta Hawks' remarkable rise last season, most were not sold, and with good reason. This year, they seem to have noticeably regressed, albeit while managing to remain one of the East's better teams. Meanwhile, the Celtics under Brand Stevens have been one of NBA's most underrated stories for the past couple of years, as he's incredibly turned this team around, making them a tough outing for most. The Celtics' defense did suffer in recent times after Jay Crowder's injury, but he's been back for a few games and seems to have helped them re-find their groove. I am hereby officially picking the Boston Celtics to advance to the second round. 

Dustin James: Boston Celtics. The Celtics have been a sneaky good team this season and I was kind of tempted to take them to beat the Hawks in the first-round when I was doing my initial predictions. It wouldn't shock me at all to see the Celtics beat Atlanta (who has been mildly disappointing this season after last year's success) and move on in the playoffs. Brad Stevens has made the transition into the NBA very smoothly and something tells me it won't be long before the Celtics are back amongst the Eastern Conference's elite teams. 

Dustin James' NBA Playoff Predictions

IT'S FINALLY TIME!

WHY AM I SO EXCITED?!?!?!

BECAUSE THE NBA PLAYOFFS ARE HERE AND THEY WILL BE HERE FOR WHAT FEELS LIKE 6 MONTHS, BUT WHO CARES BECAUSE IT'S PLAYOFF BASKETBALL!!!!!!

Anyway, these are my NBA playoff predictions. They will probably be wrong, but probably not because I pretty much went chalk the entire way (except for when it comes to San Antonio because they are a massive gob of shit).

Enjoy.

First Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (8) Detroit Pistons in 5

(2) Toronto Raptors over (7) Indiana Pacers in 6

(3) Miami Heat over (6) Charlotte Hornets in 7

(4) Atlanta Hawks over (5) Boston Celtics in 6

Western Conference

(1) Golden State Warriors over Houston Rockets in 4

(2) San Antonio Spurs over Memphis Grizzlies in 4

(3) Oklahoma City Thunder over Dallas Mavericks in 5

(4) Los Angeles Clippers over Portland Trail Blazers in 5

Second Round

Eastern Conference

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (4) Atlanta Hawks in 6

(2) Toronto Raptors over (3) Miami Heat in 7

Western Conference

(1) Golden State Warriors over (4) Los Angeles Clippers in 5

(3) Oklahoma City Thunder over (2) San Antonio Spurs in 7

Eastern Conference Championship

(1) Cleveland Cavaliers over (2) Toronto Raptors in 7

Western Conference Championship

(1) Golden State Warriors over (3) Oklahoma City Thunder in 6

NBA Championship

(1) Golden State Warriors over (1) Cleveland Cavaliers in 5

Congratulations on winning your second straight NBA championship Golden State. 

NBA Playoffs Preview: First Round

THE NBA PLAYOFFS ARE HERE! After 82-games were not much happened, it’s now time for the most predictable playoffs in sports. The Golden State Warriors lost 9 games all season. I don’t think they’ve lost four out of seven since Steve Kerr became the head coach. They won the title last year and they’re going to win the title this year. But for some reason, Dustin James wants me to write a playoff preview longer than “it’s 2 months of games to decide what was already known after 6 months of games.” So here we go.

As an added bonus, I’ve acquired the talents of Samer Kadi for his insight as well.

The Tale of the Tape: Preds vs. Ducks!

Hello friends! USB Hockey Insider Steve Cook here, and I'm here to cover one of the NHL Playoff Series in depth. My buddy Jeremy Lambert did a great job with his playoff preview and you should go read that if you haven't already, but I feel that this particular series deserves a little more analysis. My Nashville Predators have earned the first wild card slot in the Western Conference and are rewarded by heading out to the West Coast and battling the Pacific Division champions, the Anaheim Ducks.

Jeremy did a great job breaking the series down on the ice, but I think he left out a few key factors that tell the real story of the difference between these teams. See, what hockey analysts often fail to realize is that there's more to hockey than just the offense, defense, goaltending, and other things that happen on the ice. There's all the stuff going on outside of that, which often matters more at this time of the season than anything. People would have called the Chicago Blackhawks the underdogs through most of their recent Stanley Cup runs due to things like offense, defense & goaltending, but other factors play a key role and lead to teams like Chicago & the LA Kings winning over and over again instead of whoever wins the President's Cup in a given season.

That's right...with all apologies to Nick Bakay, it's time to look at the Tale of the Tape!

Playoff History

The Ducks won the Stanley Cup back in 2007. That's pretty nice, but 2007 was so long ago that the Chicago Blackhawks were still in their forty-nine year Stanley Cup drought & the Los Angeles Kings had yet to win even one.

The Preds have no Cups to speak of. They've only won two series during their eight playoff appearances. However, one of those wins was over the Ducks in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Since that happened more recently, I think it's fair to call this a Push.

I mean, it's not like the Ducks beat the Preds to win the Cup.

NBA Regular Season Awards

The end of the NBA's regular season has arrived and it's time to hand out some hardware.

People seem to love reading awards and I absolutely love handing them out.

Here are the players (and coaches) who I believe should end up winning each award this season in the National Basketball Association. Feel free to disagree. It doesn't matter to me.

The Ultimate Sports Blog's

NBA Regular Season Awards

NBA Rookie of the Year

Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)

PPG: 18.3

RPG: 10.5

BPG: 1.7

APG: 2.0

Runner-Ups:

Kristaps Porzingis (New York Knicks)

Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets)

Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)

NHL First Round Playoffs Preview: Western Conference

Yesterday, I showed east coast bias by preview the 1^st round of the NHL Eastern Conference Playoffs. That means we’re going out West today and looking at eight teams, one of whom will eventually win the Stanley Cup because the West always wins. 

2016 Team-By-Team NFL Draft Guide!

The NFL Draft is just weeks away!

Yes....I said WEEKS AWAY!

Can you feel the excitement in the air yet? Well you should, because it's here.

With the draft creeping up on us again, it's time to take an in-depth look at how each team is looking as we turn the wheels of this bus towards the draft. Now that free agency is in the rear-view window, we all have a better idea of what each team needs heading into the draft. This guide right here was put together to help simplify the process for you guys.

What exactly does it entail? Glad you asked.

This guide gives you a run down of every single NFL team's position as they head into the draft.

What is your favorite team's biggest need?

We got it covered.

What players will likely be available when your team is drafting and who should your favorite team be targeting?

Nailed it.

Every question that you want answered as the draft approaches is likely answered in this column.

You're welcome.

The Ultimate Sports Blog's

2016 Team-By-Team NFL Draft Guide

*NOTE: On "Players They Should Target", I pick players that should realistically still be available when the team is drafting. Obviously I'm not going to have the Denver Broncos target a player like Jared Goff with the 31st pick in the draft when there's absolutely zero chance of that actually happening. 

Tennessee Titans

Biggest Team Needs: OT, OLB, CB, OG

Players They Should Target: Laremy Tunsil (OT), Jalen Ramsey (CB)

Potential Surprise Picks: Ronnie Stanley (OT), Myles Jack (LB), DeForest Buckner (EDGE), Joey Bosa (EDGE)

Cleveland Browns

Biggest Team Needs: QB, OT, WR, OLB

Players They Should Target: Laremy Tunsil (OT), Jared Goff (QB), Carson Wentz (QB)

Potential Surprise Picks: Ronnie Stanley (OT), Myles Jack (LB), DeForest Buckner (EDGE)