Paolo Mariano Articles - Page 16

Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley started the season in a bit of a rut. While he’s always had the talent, unforeseen challenges hit his confidence. But as they say, it’s not how you start but how you finish. And boy, did he have quite an ending for the Braves this year. Riley was instrumental […]

Sometimes, we tend to ask some intensely profound questions. What is the true meaning of life? Why is there unrequited love? Where were you when “Bing Bong” suddenly became the unofficial battle-cry of the New York Knicks? Yes, Knicks fans have embraced “Bing Bong” as their enjoyable mantra this season (so far, at least) after […]

The Miami Heat are off to their best start in recent years after improving to 6-1 in their defeat of the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. The Heat, who are as hot as Don Johnson in the 1980s, haven’t started the season 6-1 since they won the NBA title in the 2012-13 season. The Mavericks […]

All 32 teams will be quite busy in the next few hours as the NFL trade deadline approaches. With a 3-4 record, it appears the San Francisco 49ers are in need of some roster changes to salvage their campaign. The 49ers have made huge midseason deals in the past, including acquiring star quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo […]

Call your health insurance company, Jeanie Buss. The Los Angeles Lakers have been on a little roll lately after winning four of their last five games, but things could change ahead of their game against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. The Lakers beat the Rockets at home on Sunday, and the two teams will have […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are beginning to smile more these days. After their drama-filled offseason involving Ben Simmons and his conscience, getting back on the floor has made the Sixers forget about their off-court miseries. The Sixers, playing without star center Joel Embiid who was resting, hacked out an impressive win over the Portland Trail Blazers, […]

The Boston Celtics thought it was all rainbow, butterflies, and clam chowder against the visiting Chicago Bulls on Monday night. After all, they held a 19-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. So everything should be easy-peasy. The Bulls, however, made a bigger comeback than Mark Wahlberg in Planet of the Apes, eventually pulling off […]

After a lethargic start to the season, it looks like the Los Angeles Lakers are rounding into form. They have now won four of their last five games after beating the Houston Rockets on Sunday night. But with a lineup as deep as Johnny Cash’s voice, the Lakers are still tinkering with their lineup combinations. […]

Kevin Durant should buy James Harden a nice cold beer after the Brooklyn Nets beat the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Harden, who’s been struggling with the new rules, messed around and got a triple-double to lead the Nets to their fourth victory. The Bear finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists to […]

After suffering their first defeat of the season to the Chicago Bulls, the Utah Jazz quickly regrouped and returned to the win column after outlasting the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks didn’t have Khris Middleton who joined Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and Donte DiVincenzo on sickbay. But despite their depleted lineup, they didn’t easily budge. Luckily […]

At this point in his legendary career, Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady is virtually unstoppable. No amount of advanced tactics and deep-dive analytics can stop the GOAT from winning his 859th title. Only one thing can end Brady’s reign: A made-up scary curse. Hey, it’s Halloween after all. Or also known these days as […]

The Golden State Warriors dropped a close one at home on Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, 104-101. Stephen Curry’s big game wasn’t enough to propel them to their fifth straight win, suffering their first loss of the season. But in the grand scheme of things, the loss would feel minuscule compared to the struggles […]

Two things that never get old: 1. Benjamin Button and 2. Stories of vindication in sports. Or any story of vindication, really. On Thursday night, Green Bay Packers cornerback Rasul Douglas got his. Douglas made the most critical play against the Arizona Cardinals as he intercepted Kyler Murray’s pass with 12 seconds left. His impressive […]

The Green Bay Packers notched their seventh straight win on Thursday night as they handed the Arizona Cardinals their first loss of the season, 24-21. The Packers found an unlikely hero in unknown cornerback Rasul Douglas who made the game-saving interception with 12 seconds left. The win further boosted the moxie of the Pack Attack, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers looked like they were on their way to their third straight win until the Oklahoma City Thunder poured gas all over Anthony Davis and company and lit their celebration plans on fire. From out of nowhere, the Thunder staged a stirring comeback from 26 points down to steal the win, 123-115, […]

There are many ways for a player to get his message across to the referees during an NBA game. Some talk politely, some argue animatedly, some gesticulate wildly, while some just do the universal get-out-of-here signal. But for Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal, there are more creative ways to do so. Late in the third […]

Rookie guard Josh Giddey must be feeling, um, giddy after the Oklahoma City Thunder completed a huge comeback win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. Giddey was instrumental in the Thunder’s impressive 26-point fightback against the Lakers, finishing with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists. The sixth overall pick of this […]

With an offseason filled with more drama than the entire 17576475 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, the Brooklyn Nets are still navigating their way in the early goings of the new season. While Kevin Durant has been awesome as usual, his greatness hasn’t necessarily translated to wins. The Nets lost at home to the Miami Heat […]

The Chicago Bulls are the toast of the town these days. With their blazing 4-0 start to the new NBA season, the Bulls are definitely on parade. With their early success, fans aren’t the only ones thrilled. Even former Bulls players have been enticed to watch the games from the sidelines. The team’s Twitter account […]

Since entering the NBA as an unheralded prospect, one of the knocks on Kyle Kuzma has been his lack of maturity. While he definitely has the skills, his mental toughness has been largely questioned. But in his first season with the Washington Wizards, it appears Kuzma has finally got it. The Wizards scored an impressive […]

Seven games into the season, the Los Angeles Rams are doing extremely well, dropping just one out of their seven games. But off the field, turmoil seems to be boiling beneath the surface. When he moved the Rams from St. Louis to Los Angeles in 2016, team owner Stan Kroenke vowed to cover millions of […]

No LeBron James, no problem for the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Anthony Davis led the squad in defeating the San Antonio Spurs in overtime on the road, 125-121, to notch back-to-back wins. The victory, however, might prove to be a little costly for the Lakers as Davis appeared to have injured his right […]

Remember those years when the New York Knicks absolutely sucked? Yeah, good times. But those are in the past now. After last season’s inspired run, they continue to regain their place among the NBA’s elite. The Knicks beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 112-99 on Tuesday night to improve to 3-1. They not only snapped their 15-game […]

Strangely enough, the Phoenix Suns, the defending Western Conference champions, are flying under the radar to start the season. With the more star-studded squads beefing up their rosters, Chris Paul and company have been left quite unnoticed. But perhaps that’s exactly what they want. Since the arrival of Paul and coach Monty Williams, the Suns […]

After finishing as a runner-up in last season’s MVP race, Joel Embiid is having a somewhat pedestrian start to the new season. The Philadelphia 76ers suffered another tough loss on Tuesday night as they got handily beat by the New York Knicks, 112-99. Embiid suffered his first-ever loss to the Knicks, finishing with un-MVP-like numbers […]

After sitting out their previous game against the Houston Rockets due to an injury, Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown returned with bad intentions against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night. The Celtics dealt the surging Hornets their first loss of the season, with the awesome twosome of Brown and Jayson Tatum leading the charge like […]

The Miami Heat bounced back from a tough loss to the Indiana Pacers by beating the Orlando Magic on Monday night, 107-90. It was a relatively easy win for Jimmy Butler and company as they took control of the game right from the start. The Magic tried to stage a rally in the second half, […]

You can rest for a little bit, Dave Chappelle. It appears Floyd Mayweather Jr. would like to take the spotlight. A teenage boy approached Mayweather after the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center last Saturday. The fan, who was wearing a Clippers jersey, wanted to take a picture […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Tom Brady is a lot of things. But one thing he’s not, a weather guru. Still, that didn’t stop Brady from talking about playing in different weather conditions in his illustrious career in the NFL. During his years with the New England Patriots, the multi-titled quarterback got used to the cold […]

The entire Staples Center was transported back to the early 2000s on Sunday as Carmelo Anthony lit it up for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Memphis Grizzlies. Anthony came off the bench and exploded for 28 points in 26 minutes. He shot 10-of-15 from the field, including 6-of-8 from long distance in clearly his […]

Despite a rough offseason that saw their family go through a very personal matter, Stephen Curry and Seth Curry are doing quite well to start the NBA season. The Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers both won on Sunday night, with the sweet-shooting Curry brothers lighting it up for their respective teams. But this […]

At long last, after years of eager anticipation, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. will face off once again. It’s the reunion that was bound to happen, especially after the continued clamor from fans. Mayweather handily defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision in 2015, dubbed as the “Fight of the Century.” Many attempts have been made […]

It looks like the Ben Simmons story will have to take a backseat for the Philadelphia 76ers. Maybe at least for today. The Sixers visited the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night. Late in the fourth quarter, with them comfortably ahead, star big man Joel Embiid chased down Thunder rookie Josh Giddey on a breakaway […]

Sophomore guard Cole Anthony had himself a night on Sunday as he led the Orlando Magic to a hard-earned victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, 110-104. Anthony helped the Magic avenge their loss to the Knicks two days ago, tallying a near triple-double of 29 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond […]

With a depleted lineup, the Cleveland Browns found an unlikely hero in D’Ernest Johnson on Thursday night. The third-string running back stepped up big in their victory over the Denver Broncos, making key plays in what was a subpar showing for both squads. Johnson, who only had a grand total of 11 yards in the […]

The Miami Heat were on the cusp of winning their fourth NBA title in 2020. But they fell a bit short against the Los Angeles Lakers. One revelation though during that impressive run was Tyler Herro, who many hailed as the next big thing for the Heat. But after an electric rookie year, Herro suffered […]

The buddy cop movie that is Jimmy Butler and Kyle Lowry has officially begun. The Miami Heat scored a huge first win on Thursday night as they manhandled the Milwaukee Bucks, 137-95. Lowry didn’t impress in his much-awaited Heat debut, finishing with five points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field. He did tally six assists […]

The Denver Nuggets exacted some sort of revenge against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday after beating them in their season opener. The Suns swept the Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Playoffs last year, just in case you forgot. Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic immediately recorded his first big outing of the campaign, leading […]

The New York Knicks won their first game of the new NBA season and fans are already celebrating as if they won the championship. The Knicks pulled off a gutsy, down-to-the-wire victory over the Boston Celtics in double overtime on Wednesday, salvaging what should’ve been a win already in regulation. After the game, Knicks fans […]