Matthew Zemek Articles - Page 99

The Portland Trail Blazers can still push the Los Angeles Lakers into the play-in round of the NBA postseason, but they just lost some margin for error, despite the best efforts of Damian Lillard. Dame Time was the right time for Portland on Thursday against the Phoenix Suns, but two missed free throws by Robert […]

The Miami Heat had legitimate reason to believe that Victor Oladipo could become the added lockdown defender and two-way player who could give the team a chance to defend its NBA Eastern Conference championship. That plan did not come to fruition, however. Oladipo suffered an injury not very long after joining the Miami roster. Coach […]

The Kansas City Chiefs improved their offensive line in the NFL draft. Thursday afternoon, they took a low-risk gamble on a cornerback they showed interest in three years ago. Kansas City and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a trade which sends Minnesota cornerback Mike Hughes to the AFC champions, with the teams swapping late-round picks […]

The Buffalo Bills were better than every other AFC team except one in the 2020 NFL season. This should have shaped their approach to the 2021 NFL draft, but it didn’t seem to. That point deserves to be explained in greater depth and detail. Bills NFL draft mistakes: 2. Not trading down more often  The […]

The Seattle Seahawks and head coach Pete Carroll needed to make Russell Wilson happier and safer in the 2021 NFL draft. One can make a convincing argument the team and coach did not do everything possible to help their superstar quarterback. On that basis alone, one can reasonably view Seattle’s draft as a failure under […]

The San Francisco 49ers made national headlines with their No. 3 pick, but their 2021 NFL draft might be remembered as a success for other reasons. Let’s look at how the 49ers found value in this NFL draft. Remember that they got George Kittle in the fifth round, once upon a time. 49ers NFL draft […]

The New York Jets plainly did not give Sam Darnold the resources he needed to become a quality NFL quarterback. They decided to start fresh under center, but the wisdom of their 2021 NFL draft lay more in the decisions which followed the Zach Wilson pick. Jets NFL draft chess moves: 3. Elijah Moore at […]

In a year marked by lots of injuries, the NBA landscape just shifted even more as the playoffs approach next week. Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, an essential part of a team which has struggled all season long, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a torn ligament in his […]

The Dallas Cowboys did something at the 2021 NFL draft which few other teams were willing or able to do. That forms the basis for this examination of the best things Jerry Jones and his war room did from April 29 through May 1. Cowboys NFL draft chess moves: 2. Taking Jabril Cox at No. […]

Whereas the New York Jets relentlessly drafted offensive players and the Dallas Cowboys drafted for defense, the Minnesota Vikings didn’t have a clean, linear philosophy in the 2021 NFL draft. That’s not a problem. What matters is the particular set of selections Minnesota made. Let’s look at what Vikings general manager Rick Spielman did in […]

The Miami Dolphins elevated themselves from also-rans into playoff contenders in 2020. Now they are trying to take the next step in 2021. Let’s consider how the 2021 NFL draft improved their situation. The Dolphins made multiple deals before the NFL draft to ultimately get the No. 6 pick in the first round. Grading Miami […]

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks was ejected from Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers for a flagrant 2 foul, which was assessed for the violent nature of the play and the body area Doncic hit in the Mavs-Cavs contest. ESPN’s Tim McMahon offered an even more precise description of the play, adding a crucial […]

The greatest athletes in any sport don’t merely establish an elite level of performance; they are able to sustain it for a very long time. Max Scherzer of the Washington Nationals has been able to do that, and on Saturday versus the New York Yankees, he notched a milestone which reflects that supreme combination of […]

Medina Spirit won the 147th running of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday afternoon in Churchill Downs in Louisville. Jockey John Velazquez won his fourth Derby. Trainer Bob Baffert claimed the first leg of the Triple Crown and won a record seventh Run for the Roses. Medina Spirit won by half a length over Mandaloun in […]

The Denver Broncos have a young group of receivers. They needed a running back after losing Phillip Lindsay to the Houston Texans. They got that running back through a trade in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday. Denver traded up to No. 35 with the Atlanta Falcons to grab North Carolina running […]

Everyone knew the Jacksonville Jaguars would take Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL draft. Few knew the Jags would take Clemson’s Travis Etienne later in the first round. Plenty of people surely wondered if this was the first time a quarterback-running back tandem in the same backfield was picked by the same team in […]

The Los Angeles Lakers played the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night. They will stay in Big D and play Saturday night on national television (ABC, 8:40 Eastern). It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Lakers-Mavericks prediction and pick. The Lakers are 35-24 in the NBA standings, and they are 28-31 against the spread. […]

Sterling Brown of the Houston Rockets was the victim of a reported assault on Sunday night which caused deep cuts to his face. Brown is expected to make a complete recovery, but he will miss Houston’s upcoming game against the Miami Heat on Monday night. This is the Rockets’ full team statement on Sterling Brown, […]

Days after Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets suffered a season-ending injury, Donovan Mitchell of the Utah Jazz has suffered an ankle injury. Mitchell did have to be helped off the court and taken to the locker room during his team’s game against the Indiana Pacers in Salt Lake City. Utah All-Star G Donovan Mitchell […]

Japan is a country which has embraced golf for decades. Just over four decades ago, Japanese golfer Isao Aoki engaged the legendary Jack Nicklaus in a memorable battle at the 1980 U.S. Open. It seemed unlikely that Japan would have to wait 41 years to crown a major golf champion, but the moment finally arrived […]

Jacob deGrom of the New York Mets keeps living through a personal Groundhog Day… and yet while his losses despite brilliant pitching aren’t new, Saturday’s 3-0 loss to the Miami Marlins (in which he gave up only one run) was extremely rare in one specific sense. The brutality of being a Mets fan was underscored […]

Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets sent highly offensive and ugly messages to actor Michael Rapaport. The NBA has fined Durant $50,000 for sending those messages. NBA is fining Kevin Durant $50,000 for social exchange with actor, sources tell ESPN. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 2, 2021 NBA announces Kevin Durant has been fined $50,000 […]

The Buffalo Bills, who came one step short of the Super Bowl last season, made no secret of their willingness to throw the ball a lot. That figures to continue in 2021. Buffalo has agreed in principle to a one-year deal with receiver Emmanuel Sanders on Tuesday, in a continued push to upgrade the passing […]

The Kansas City Chiefs lacked their superstar quarterback for most of the second half in the AFC Divisional Playoff Game on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Yet, they survived. Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the country watched Chad Henne seal a victory in Arrowhead Stadium, leading Kansas City to the AFC Championship Game against […]

The Atlanta Falcons have officially hired Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith as their new head coach. NFL insiders have reported that Smith was always Atlanta’s top target, and on Friday, the NFC South franchise secured a deal with the man who helped Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry evolve as NFL players. Sources: #Titans OC […]

Just when everyone thought the New York Jets were a lock to go 0-16, they stunned the NFL — and maybe themselves — in Week 15. Entering Sunday at 0-13, Gang Green defeated the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams in one of the greatest upsets in NFL history. The Jets, 17-point underdogs, controlled most of the […]

The Monday Night Football instant classic between the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens will be remembered for many reasons. One is the heart and resilience shown by Baker Mayfield. He didn’t win the game for the Browns, but Mayfield won a lot of respect in the most spectacular NFL game of the 2020 season. Down […]

Part of what made the Monday Night Football classic between the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns such an extraordinary sports event is that a classic game ended with a bad beat. This is a game which had everything. It was immense fun. It had a Russian novel’s lavish plot points and soaring dramas. It had […]

It was the NFL game of the year, the most spectacular contest in this crazy 2020 pandemic season. The Cleveland Browns didn’t win, but Baker Mayfield and Kareem Hunt won a lot of respect against the Baltimore Ravens. Mayfield hit Hunt on a 22-yard scoring strike with 1:04 left, enabling the Browns — down 42-35 […]

In addition to Lamar Jackson testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, four other Baltimore Ravens players have tested positive as well, placing Sunday’s game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in jeopardy of being postponed, which could have significant effects on the NFL schedule and season. Four more Ravens’ players and one more staff have tested positive […]

Head coach Mike McCarthy of the Dallas Cowboys, consulting with special teams coach John Fassel, greenlit a fake punt in the fourth quarter of a close game against the Washington Football Team. The actual fact that a fake punt was called was not the biggest problem; the Cowboys lost All-Pro right tackle Zack Martin earlier […]

After several days of COVID-19 controversies and complications within the Baltimore Ravens’ internal sphere of operations, it was revealed Thursday evening that quarterback Lamar Jackson has tested positive for COVID-19. Sources: #Ravens star QB Lamar Jackson tested positive for COVID-19. — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2020 A Ravens team employee had violated COVID-19 protocols […]

Tight end Logan Thomas of the Washington Football Team gave his side a 17-10 lead over the Dallas Cowboys just before halftime. He then gave something else to Dallas fans. The Washington-Dallas rivalry is a legendary NFL rivalry. The clash has lost its luster on a national level in recent decades, due to the deterioration […]

Russell Wilson keeps racking up touchdown passes. Four more scoring throws boosted Wilson’s NFL-leading total to 26 touchdown passes before the midpoint of the Seattle Seahawks’ season. Those passes built a 30-7 lead which the San Francisco 49ers have reduced to 30-20 in a typically wild game between these NFC West rivals. Wilson threw a […]

Sunday, bloody Sunday. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has seen enough. He not only fired head coach Dan Quinn, but he also fired general manager Thomas Dimitroff. Falcons fired Dan Quinn. He now becomes the second HC in a week to be dismissed. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 12, 2020 Falcons also fired GM Thomas […]

In an extraordinary year, an unprecedented MLB postseason will feature 16 teams, eight in each league. That 16-team bracket is now set. The 60-game 2020 season has been completed. The Los Angeles Dodgers (National) and Tampa Bay Rays (American) are the top seeds in each league. The playoffs begin this week with the best-of-three wild […]

In a very scary story which thankfully had a happy ending, NFL legend Joe Montana and his wife, Jennifer, stopped a home intruder Saturday evening after that intruder had briefly taken hold of one of the Montanas’ grandchildren. Joe Montana was able to take back his grandchild, who was not harmed in the incident. The […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals. After the Lakers clinched the Western Conference title, the two possible Finals schedules have been released. One scenario involves the Celtics winning Game 6 of the East Finals Sunday night, to extend that series to a Game […]

LeBron James has delivered the Los Angeles Lakers back to the NBA Finals in the year 2020, giving Laker fans around the world a poignant and meaningful moment months after the death of Kobe Bryant. LeBron has learned over the years to promise only what he can deliver — not more. Recall the “not one, […]