Steve Silverman Articles - Page 5

Mikko Rantanen has been the literal definition of an impact player for the Dallas Stars. He had a goal and three assists in the second period of Game 6 of the team’s first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche. He was even better in decisive Game 7 of the series when the scored a hat trick […]

The Indiana Pacers are doing their part to turn the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs into an upset fest. The Pacers shockingly won the first two games of their series with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers on the road, just as the New York Knicks did the same thing in winning their first two […]

The Boston Celtics have lost the first two games of their playoff series to the New York Knicks, and their players are getting ridiculed after blowing 20-point leads in both of those games. Stars like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are bearing the brunt of the criticism from overbearing pundits like talk-show host Colin Cowherd. […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs were finally allowed to breathe easy when they defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, shortly after capturing Game 6 in that series and congratulating themselves on getting out of the first round, the back-slapping and ‘attaboys came to a halt. That’s because they […]

The Boston Celtics got through the opening act of the playoffs as they eliminated the Orlando Magic in five games. Now they have an extremely high-profile second-round matchup with the New York Knicks, and it will be a key step on their way to a second consecutive NBA title and the 19th in franchise history […]

The Chicago Cubs have had a brilliant start to their season as they lead the National League Central with a 21-14 record. While that is good news for manager Craig Counsell’s team, the Cubs have had injury issues with their pitching staff. The latest injury took place in Sunday’s series finale with the Brewers in […]

There’s no stopping Scottie Scheffler when he is on top of his game, and that was clearly the case this weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson in the Dallas suburb of McKinney, TX. Scheffler dominated the tournament from start to finish and finished with a record-tying score of 31 under par. That allowed him […]

The Toronto Maple Leafs overcame some of their recent and painful postseason history when they defeated the Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in six games. The Atlantic Division champions will meet the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in the second round. The first game of the series is […]

The Boston Celtics are expected to be at full strength when they begin their second-round playoff series Monday against the New York Knicks. That means point guard Jrue Holiday is expected to return from a strained right hamstring. Holiday is viewed as one of the Celtics’ key players because of his offensive and defensive versatility […]

The seventh game of the opening round Stanley Cup playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and the Dallas Stars has taken on a completely different tone than the offensive fireworks that were seen in Game 6. The two teams combined for 11 goals in a game that allowed the Avalanche to tie the series at […]

The New York Yankees may have escaped a serious injury to shortstop Anthony Volpe after the shortstop heard a noise that emanated from his shoulder after he dove for a ground ball. The scary play came in the eighth inning in the Yankees’ home game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Christopher Morel of the Rays […]

When it comes to the NFL Draft, every team wants to hit a home run with their first-round draft pick. It is almost essential that if a team is going to sustain success over the years, first-round selections must hit on a consistent basis. Second- and third-round picks are expected to make key contributions, but […]

The Carolina Hurricanes have high hopes of advancing deep into the Stanley Cup playoffs after beating the New Jersey Devils in the opening round. As they prepare for a more difficult challenge in the second round against the Washington Capitals, they have rewarded goaltender Frederik Andersen with a one-year contract extension. Andersen was scheduled to […]

Triston Casas of the Boston Red Sox had to be carted off the field Friday night at Fenway Park when he hit the ground hard while running out a ground ball at first base. The first baseman suffered the injury in the second inning of a game against the Minnesota Twins when he topped a […]

The Florida Panthers have won their first-round playoff series against the in-state rival Tampa Bay Lightning and they are preparing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second round. Head coach Paul Maurice’s defending Stanley Cup champions appear to be in strong form at the most important time of the year. The Panthers have proven […]

The Detroit Lions have one of the most complete teams in the NFL. They had a dominant regular season in 2024, and perhaps the only reason they didn’t play in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles was the injury factor. The Lions played hard on defense for 17 games, but when they met […]

A year ago, the Atlanta Falcons shocked the world when they used the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft to select Michael Penix. Why they would make such a selection a few weeks after signing Kirk Cousins to a huge free-agent deal seemed to defy explanation. The Falcons were setting themselves up for a […]

The Boston Red Sox may be the most romanticized franchise in Major League Baseball history. Perhaps the Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees and the dear, departed Brooklyn Dodgers are in the same category, but the Red Sox clearly lead the way in heartbreak. Cubs fans may raise their hands in protest, but they were simply […]

The Kansas City Chiefs have seen a shift in their overall focus in recent seasons. While quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce remain prolific offensive players, the Chiefs run at the top of the AFC has been underlined by great defensive play. In the early years of the Chiefs run, it was their […]

The New York Rangers went into the 2024-25 season as one of the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. However, the season turned into an abysmal failure for the Broadway Blueshirts, and the Rangers ended up firing head coach Peter Laviolette at the conclusion of a season that saw them finish on the outside of […]

After headlining last year’s NFL Draft with the No. 1 pick overall, the Chicago Bears were in a position to make several useful moves that could result in notable positional upgrades during the 2025 season. The Bears had the No. 10 pick in the first round and used it to select Michigan tight end Colston […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are on a roll. They emerged from a hard-fought battle with the Los Angeles Lakers to earn a 116-113 victory and lead the best-of-7 series by a 3-1 margin. Anthony Edwards took one look across the floor at LeBron James, and the Timberwolves’ leader realized he had to have a huge game. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were desperate to get back on even terms in their playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves when they took the court in Game 4. The two teams battled ferociously in a back-and-forth game that saw both teams make a series of spectacular plays. One of those plays saw 40-year-old LeBron James […]

The New York Mets have been among the strongest teams in the National League throughout the month of April, but manager Carlos Mendoza knows that it’s a long season and there are many things that can derail a season. One of those factors is a team’s overall health, and specifically the ability of the pitching […]

Bill Belichick has been the most successful head coach of the Super Bowl era. The New England Patriots won 6 Super Bowls under his leadership, but when the Patriots lost their mojo after the end of Tom Brady’s tenure with the team, Belichick lost his grip on the head coaching position. Owner Robert Kraft and […]

The defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers were in position to put a stranglehold on their first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after taking the first two games of the series on the road against their in-state rivals. The Panthers came home to Sunrise with momentum on their side, but they were no match […]

Bryce Young is clearly the quarterback of the present for the Carolina Panthers. Whether he remains the quarterback of the future for the Panthers will largely be determined by the way he performs in the 2025 season. The Panthers drafted Young at the start of the 2023 season with the No. 1 pick in that […]

The Minnesota Vikings (14-3) have spent much of the offseason addressing their biggest needs. While they had a brilliant 2024 season, they lost their regular-season finale to the Detroit Lions and their Wild Card playoff game to the Los Angeles Rams. Their offensive line failed to hold up in either game. As a result, the […]

The New York Giants are coming off a disastrous 3-14 season that saw them finish in last place in the NFC East. Poor quarterback play has been an issue for the Giants in recent seasons. The team has attempted to rectify the problem in the offseason. The Giants have brought in a pair of veterans […]

In a draft that featured a huge trade at the No. 2 slot, the Tennessee Titans did the expected when they selected Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. The Titans struggled badly with their quarterback play in 2024 and finished the season with a 3-14 record. The selection of Ward […]

Prior to the announcement of the winner of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award, it was widely expected that veteran Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors would come away with his second trophy in that category. However, much like when a favored movie fails to win an Oscar, Green and his fans […]

The NFL Draft is all about the infusion of new blood and substantial talent into the league. Teams that have scouted well and have the ability to turn talented college players into productive professionals can improve their fortunes dramatically. It often takes times for rookies to become impact players. Teams that are interested in immediate […]

The Washington Commanders are hoping to build off of a sensational 2024 season when head coach Dan Quinn built a team that made it all the way to the NFC title game. While the Commanders lost that game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, they demonstrated just how much a team can improve […]

The Boston Celtics have gotten the early jump on the Orlando Magic in their first-round playoff series. The Celtics overcame an ordinary performance in the first half and dominated in the second. That allowed head coach Joe Mazzulla’s team to begin defense of their championship with a 103-86 victory. Jayson Tatum scored 17 points for […]

The Carolina Hurricanes are off to a sharp start in their Stanley Cup playoff series against the New Jersey Devils. The Hurricanes dominated on home ice from start to finish and came away with a 4-1 triumph in Game 1. The Hurricanes took the play to the Devils from the opening face off and outshot […]

The Boston Celtics had a couple of scares in their Game 1 triumph over the Orlando Magic. The first one came in the opening 24 minutes when the visitors took a one-point lead into the lockerroom at halftime and appeared to have the fight and determination to stay with the defending NBA champions. Jayson Tatum […]

The Edmonton Oilers made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, but as they begin their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, it doesn’t look as if this year’s team can make it back to the championship round. The Oilers and the Kings are meeting in the first round […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the most formidable lineup in Major League Baseball when all of the team’s players are on hand and healthy for manager Dave Roberts. That was not the case in the first two games of the Dodgers’ road series with the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Superstar Shohei Ohtani has […]

The Cleveland Guardians figured to have a tough time hitting the ball in their Saturday afternoon game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh. The home team had ace pitcher Paul Skenes on the mound, and that meant that runs were likely to be at a premium. Kyle Manzardo sends a ball out of the ballpark against […]