Ben Cooper Articles - Page 20

The Memphis Grizzlies were eliminated by the Utah Jazz in five games in the first round of the NBA playoffs. They took a big step in the right direction as Ja Morant proved himself to be a star throughout this series. Although the Grizzlies were close to making the playoffs last year, many doubted them […]

The Seattle Mariners will be taking on the Los Angeles Angels in the first game of a four-game set. Although the Angels had playoff hopes at the start of the season they have struggled so far. They are currently 25-30 but are heading into an easier stretch of the season. The Mariners on the other […]

The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers both won their first round series in five games. The Hawks took down the No. 4 seed New York Knicks while the Sixers took down the No. 8 seed Washington Wizards. Although this matchup may not be a familiar one in the playoffs, it will be a good series. […]

The Boston Celtics had a very disappointing season after going to the Conference Finals the season prior. General manager Danny Ainge has been very conservative trade wise the last few seasons; perhaps costing the franchise in the process. The voyage started to derail after star Jaylen Brown suffered a season ending injury in May. Alas, […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are in a tough spot as Joel Embiid got hurt in Game 4. They were up 3-0 in the series but the Washington Wizards won the game to extend it. Now, Ben Simmons will have to take over for the Sixers moving forward as Embiid is listed as doubtful for Game 5. […]

The Miami Dolphins narrowly missed out on the playoffs in the 2020 season. They finished with a record of 10-6 and showed a ton of promise with a ton of young talent on the roster. The Dolphins added even more talent to the team in the offseason. Free agency and the draft for the Dolphins […]

The Houston Texans had a very disappointing 2020 season. They went 4-12 and played horribly in their first season after trading away wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins was a big part of the offense and trading him away was a big reason why the Texans struggled. The Texans also have controversy around star quarterback Deshaun […]

The Carolina Panthers are in a prime position to improve in the 2021 season. They are coming off a 5-11 season, which is disappointing, but the roster looks ready to compete now. While the Panthers may not be thought of as a good team they have a really solid roster. In free agency and the […]

The Washington Football Team had a successful 2020 season. It returned to the NFL playoffs. Going into the season there was not much expectation for the Football Team but they won the NFC East. It was shown throughout the 2020 campaign how dominant the defense is and it can improve even more. The defense for […]

The New York Knicks are in a tough spot down 3-1 to the Atlanta Hawks. This series was and is a return to the playoffs for the Knicks for the first time since 2013 but they have struggled. The Knicks will need to make some adjustments if they are going to get back in the […]

The Denver Nuggets endured a blowout loss against the Portland Trail Blazers to make the series 2-2. This has been a volatile best-of-seven battle, with neither team playing well at the same time… or very consistently. It was a tough game for the Nuggets, who played horrendously. There were many reasons the Nuggets lost this […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a 12-4 season and a first round exit in the playoffs. While the Steelers were able to make playoffs it was a very disappointing run. They lost to the divisional rival Cleveland Browns by a score of 48-37. It was clear towards the end of the season that the […]

The Chicago Bears went 8-8 last season and lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card round. It was a very disappointing season for the Bears as they had high hopes after starting off 5-1. The Bears didn’t have enough talent on the roster to compete last year. Although the defense is filled […]

Kawhi Leonard knows that the Miami Heat had a very disappointing season. They got swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. They had defeated the Bucks in five games in the 2020 playoffs but looked horrible this year. Star forward Jimmy Butler struggled offensively throughout this 2021 series and it really changed the […]

The Boston Celtics are at a pivotal point for the franchise’s future. They have been somewhat successful but have been unable to make it to the NBA Finals. Led by rising stars in Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, it is time for the Celtics to do more. Some Celtics fans have been calling for head […]

The Boston Celtics have fallen behind 2-0 in their series against the Brooklyn Nets. With star guard Jaylen Brown suffering a season-ending injury back in May, the series has become even harder for Boston to win. The Nets have a loaded roster and several players on the Celtics will have to step up to give […]

Back in the 2019 off-season, the Los Angeles Clippers made some big moves by signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George. In the first season with the star duo, the Clippers blew a 3-1 lead and lost to the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd round of the playoffs. The Clippers have also not looked […]

The Indianapolis Colts narrowly missed out on the playoffs with a 11-5 record. They were on the cusp of the playoffs, but were missing a little bit of talent to put them over the edge. In the off-season the Colts attempted to fix these issues and did a solid job. The biggest move for the […]

The Minnesota Vikings are coming off a very disappointing 2020 season. They needed to pounce at the 2021 NFL draft. They went 7-9 and missed the playoffs and made a couple of mistakes in the draft on top of it. Although they had a tough season, the Vikings have some young talent on the roster […]

The Los Angeles Rams are coming off a return to the NFL playoffs this past season. Although it was a disappointing end to the season when they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the divisional round, the game helpfully showed that the team needed to improve the roster in the 2021 NFL draft. The […]

The Buffalo Bills had a great 2020 season but a disappointing end. They lost in the AFC Championship Game. They went 13-3 and showed the potential that they have. The Bills quarterback Josh Allen finished second in MVP voting behind Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers. They have steps to take, and the 2021 NFL draft […]

Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Julio Jones requested a trade in March according to ESPN insider Adam Schefter. The Los Angeles Chargers could solidify themselves as a contender if they make a trade for Jones. They are coming off of a 7-9 season but they now have a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert. Herbert was […]

LeBron James’ legacy has been highly disputed by fans across the world. Some recognize him as the greatest of all time while others try to squander all of his accomplishments. He has a chance to reshape his legacy with the Los Angeles Lakers in this coming fortnight against the Phoenix Suns, beginning with a crucial […]

The Atlanta Falcons had a very disappointing 2020 season, going 4-12 and finishing in last place in the NFC South. The Falcons are trying to retool with new general manager Terry Fontenot and new head coach Arthur Smith. They are in a tough cap situation, resulting in Julio Jones trade rumors. With this cap hell, […]

The Washington Wizards lost a close one in Game 1 against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, 125-118. The Wizards offense looked great but the defense was mediocre. Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook had solid games offensively as Beal finished with 33 points while Westbrook had 16 points and 14 assists. If the Wizards make some […]

The Phoenix Suns missed out on Luka Doncic in the 2018 draft, but it may have been the right choice. Instead of drafting Doncic, the Arizona team selected center Deandre Ayton. Ayton has been a good big man for the Suns, but he hasn’t lived up to his full potential yet. He averaged a double-double […]

The Cincinnati Bengals had a disappointing 2020 season, but the young team has a ton of potential. Quarterback Joe Burrow went down in week 11 after suffering a terrible knee injury. Burrow tore his ACL and MCL along with a damaged PCL and meniscus. Heading into the 2021 NFL season, the franchise added more young […]

The Dallas Mavericks are led by superstar Luka Doncic but have key role players around him. Tim Hardaway Jr. is one of them. He provides solid defense and is a great scorer for the Mavs. While he is not a top scorer he averaged 16.6 points and shot 39 percent from 3. He has a […]

The Buffalo Bills are coming off a great season. They reached the AFC Championship Game. Quarterback Josh Allen was the breakout player for the Bills last season. He finished second in MVP voting only behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The Bills roster was improved even more in the off-season through free agency and […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to meet the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers are led by superstar Damian Lillard while the Nuggets are led by MVP candidate Nikola Jokic. With Jamal Murray out for the season for the Nuggets, it put them in a tough position to win. […]

Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors is often overlooked — not in terms of generating headlines, but in the sense that he doesn’t receive the recognition he deserves when it comes to his impact on each game. Draymond Green is extremely underrated and should get some consideration in the Defensive Player of the year […]

Get ready for the 2021 NBA playoffs and a rematch of last year’s playoff matchup between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks will be trying to get revenge. The Heat shocked them by eliminating them in five games last season. The Heat had a recipe for stopping Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo: They […]

Following an exciting play-in victory over the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to meet the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are favorites to win the series despite being the 7 seed going against the 2 seeded Suns. While the Lakers are the 7 seed they have a great shot at winning the […]

The Dallas Cowboys had a tough 2020 season as they went 6-10 and finished third in the NFC East. Star quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a season ending injury in week 5, derailing the entire season. Even in a tough season, it was shown that the Cowboys have some young talent on the team. In the […]

The San Francisco 49ers have great potential this season. They were just in the Super Bowl two seasons ago but injuries led to a struggle in 2020. The 49ers made some big moves in the offseason that may help them get back to contention. While the new talent is great, they also have guys on […]

The New York Jets have finally put themselves in a position to succeed. With a good draft, the Jets have added even more young talent to the roster. They also have a new head coach in former 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Saleh seems ready to coach a team– a talented group that seems to […]

The Dallas Mavericks will have a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers in round one of the playoffs. This year the Mavs have the tools to stop Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. This is a rematch of last year’s first matchup where the Clippers eliminated the Mavericks in 6 games. Even though the Clippers […]

The New York Giants are coming off a disappointing season. They finished 6-10 and second in the NFC East. They had a shot at making the playoffs as the Washington Football team won the division at 7-9. Star running back Saquon Barkley tore his ACL in week 2 of the season which was a big […]

The San Antonio Spurs are ready to take on the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in game. Head coach Greg Popovich has coached in many big games and that will help the Spurs tremendously. The Grizzlies on the other hand are a very young team lacking playoff experience which will make it tough for them to […]