Editorials Articles - Page 28

Two seasons have gone by with the NBA utilizing its new Player Participation Policy, which includes a 65-game minimum for awards and accolades at the end of the season, like the MVP award. Not even halfway through this season, the 65-game minimum is being challenged by media members and fans of all 30 teams, especially […]

What on earth has happened to the reigning President’s Trophy winners in 2025-26? After championing last year’s regular season for the first time ever on the back of Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, the Winnipeg Jets authored a miraculous Game 7 comeback against the St. Louis Blues before bowing out to the Dallas Stars in […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Second-year Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr has established himself as one of the best players in his draft class this season, but he didn’t play that way in his team’s 141-115 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The biggest reason was four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, who […]

The 2025 regular season is over, so that means it’s time for the first ClutchPoints 2026 NFL mock draft. With more than half the teams now done with football for a year, organizations and fans alike turn their attention to the league’s annual selection meeting in April. So, here is an early look at how […]

There are major question marks for the Washington Commanders’ coaching staff heading into 2026. And there could be a big shakeup. But a bigger issue is the roster, and glaring problems signal a 2026 disaster for general manager Adam Peters. After a brilliant start in 2024, Peters made bad choices for the 2025 roster. And […]

The San Antonio Spurs’ reign at the top of the NBA power rankings wasn’t expected to last long after three straight wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, especially with how dominant the defending champions have been all season. However, as the calendar has flipped to 2026, the Thunder’s chances of winning back-to-back titles are certainly […]

The 2025-26 NFL regular season ends this week, and for some teams, this season has been over since October. With plenty of teams failing to live up to preseason expectations, while others far exceeded them, it has been yet another year of unpredictable football, but it has been fun to track all of it in […]

For the Baltimore Ravens, Week 18 was supposed to be an AFC North coronation. Instead, it became a familiar gut punch. In a season defined by narrow margins and missed opportunities, the Ravens saved their most painful collapse for last. This loss didn’t just sting emotionally. It has forced serious questions about leadership, execution, and […]

For the first time since 1998, the NFL playoffs will not feature any of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Patrick Mahomes. It is safe to say that the NFL landscape is quite different this year compared to normal, and that will be on display during a postseason that is more wide open for any playoff […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been chipping away with better performances amid a healthier roster over the last couple of weeks, but when the Detroit Pistons won the possession game by 10 in Sunday afternoon’s 114-110 defeat, it showed that the wine and gold’s got work to do to get where they want to be. And […]

The Calgary Flames have won five of their last seven games to keep them in the playoff race. Still, the team is three points out of a playoff spot, but four teams stand between them and the last wild card position. This has led to rumors of Flames players being moved, including Nazem Kadri. If […]

In the modern NBA, the trade deadline is absolute chaos. Every year, nearly every team gets in on the action. With such a high quantity of deals being made, some of the agreed-upon trades are relatively low stakes. The deals that really get fans excited are the ones involving stars. Superstars are dealt at a […]

The Vancouver Canucks have already made the biggest trade of the 2025-26 NHL season, dealing Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild. But when the NHL trade deadline comes in March, the Canucks should be selling off pieces, including forward Kiefer Sherwood. At 30 years old, Sherwood is hitting free agency after the season and has […]

Ohio State football didn’t just lose in the College Football Playoff. They face-planted hard. In doing so, it reignited a debate that a national championship briefly silenced but never truly resolved. Yes, Ryan Day won it all last season. Yes, the Buckeyes entered this year 12-0 and positioned for a repeat. None of that may […]

All season long, the Seattle Seahawks have quietly built a defense capable of carrying a Super Bowl run. In Week 18, though, they stopped being quiet about it. Against a San Francisco 49ers offense that had been terrorizing the league for weeks, Seattle delivered a defensive performance so dominant and complete. It recalibrated the entire […]

Oh, how the tables turn. Coming into their Week 18 game against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers were being talked about as a dark horse contender for the playoffs. Despite the many injuries to their team this season, San Francisco’s performance in the last six or seven weeks gave fans hope that they […]

Everything the San Francisco 49ers worked for over the last six weeks seemed to come apart in one cold, deflating night. A division title. The NFC’s No. 1 seed. Home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. All gone. In their place stood a home loss to the Seattle Seahawks that revealed vulnerabilities the 49ers had managed to […]

For nearly four months, the Carolina Panthers fought their way from afterthought to contender. They turned the NFC South into a legitimate race and put themselves in position to clinch a division crown in the season’s final week. All they needed was one more composed, disciplined performance. Instead, under sheets of rain and rising pressure, […]

It’s stating the obvious that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been better as of late due to improved health, but few consider the importance of this on an individual level. Athletes are creatures of habit, and when those routines are altered or interrupted because of injuries or roster moves, it throws things off. In basketball, that […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Washington Wizards keep winning, but Friday’s 119-99 victory over the Brooklyn Nets might have been their easiest of the season thus far. While veteran forward Justin Champagnie scored a season-high and team-high 20 points (9-12 FG, 2-3 3-point) to go with seven rebounds, one steal, and one block over 25 minutes […]

With the clock ticking away, Kazuma Okamoto finally found an MLB home. He agreed to a four-year, $60 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, avoiding an awkward trip back to the Yomiuri Giants. The Japanese third baseman can breathe a sigh of relief after securing a deal before the Jan. 4, 5 […]

NEW YORK – The New Year is often celebrated as an opportunity for new beginnings. The New York Knicks did not take their chance to turn a defensive page, beginning 2026 with a 111-99 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Despite shooting just 9-of-42 from 3-point range, New York pulled within single digits late […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide had some kind of divine help when the 12 teams that were selected to compete in the College Football Playoffs were revealed in early December. No doubt that Kalen DeBoer had a good team but the Crimson Tide was not a great unit by any stretch. At the time of their […]

The punch-drunk New Orleans Pelicans are approaching a defining stretch of their season, one that will test not just their depth, but the clarity of the Joe Dumars vision. Zion Williamson and Derik Queen are finally playing 30+ minutes a night together, showing fans what could be a great foundation. Beyond that and the trade […]

The prideful New Orleans Pelicans have endured a challenging start to the season, navigating a string of injuries that have tested the depth of their roster. However, as the team waits to welcome back key contributors Dejounte Murray and Herb Jones in the coming weeks, there’s a palpable sense of optimism surrounding the franchise. Zion […]

Many fans billed Arch Manning as the next big thing entering the 2025 season, a notion that quickly unraveled in just a few games. Now, after ending the year by dismantling Michigan in the Citrus Bowl, the Texas quarterback is back on top of the college football world. As the preseason No. 1-ranked team, Texas […]

Going into 2026, the busted-up New Orleans Pelicans find themselves in a familiar, albeit uncomfortable, position. However, though sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, there is no scent of surrender in the Smoothie King Center. According to interim coach James Borrego, a determined sense of resolve hangs in the air around Zion […]

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – When you lose by 37 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green sidelined, the takeaways are slim. An ugly Golden State Warriors offense without the main engine to power it forward. The best team in the league’s star power and depth on full display. […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers needed Lonzo Ball to step up with Sam Merrill and Dean Wade ruled out on Friday night, and he did not disappoint. Despite missing back-to-back games due to losing a spot in the regular rotation, Ball provided energy on both ends of the floor and showed that he can help when called […]

The Sugar Bowl was billed as a heavyweight bout between two playoff-ready powers. For much of the night, it lived up to the hype. When the dust settled in New Orleans, though, the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs were left stunned, eliminated, and searching for answers. This wasn’t a collapse born of panic or luck. It […]

The Detroit Pistons are yet to reach the double-digit mark in losses with 34 games having passed, which is quite the feat considering how bad this team was two seasons ago. And the temptation for fast-rising teams is to further expedite the rebuild and continue their march towards contention. Now, it is easy to take […]

On paper, the Week 18 showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders has basically no impact on the NFL season as a whole. The NFC East is locked up, the Eagles are more or less locked into the three seed unless the Chicago Bears drop the ball against the eliminated Detroit Lions, the Commanders […]

The Toronto Raptors’ play may have fallen a bit as of late, but they remain in fourth place in the congested Eastern Conference with a 20-15 record. That is still better than most expected out of them heading into the 2025-26 campaign, although that seems to be the bare minimum considering how much the team […]

The NFL’s Regular Season finale is here as Week 18 kicks off. Several teams are hoping to punch their ticket to the NFL Playoffs in a win-or-go-home situation while others just try to make it to the finish line as healthy as possible. The Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) will visit the Las Vegas Raiders (6-10) in Week […]

Following a historic comeback to win the AL Central, the Cleveland Guardians ran out of gas in the AL Wild Card round. They lost the series to a Detroit Tigers team that they surpassed to capture the division crown. Now winners of two AL Central titles in a row, the Guardians will certainly look to […]

The Unrivaled offseason league was designed to strip basketball down to its most essential elements: Skill, decision-making, toughness, and chemistry. In the 3-on-3 format, there is no hiding weak links, no easing into games, and no luxury of prolonged adjustment. Every possession matters, every matchup is exposed, and every roster decision carries amplified consequences. As […]

The Los Angeles Lakers came into the 2025 NBA Draft without a first-round pick, but by the end of the night, they felt like they had a first-round talent on their hands. The Lakers traded up in the NBA Draft to select Adou Thiero with the No. 36 overall pick, and during a post-draft segment […]

The New Orleans Pelicans knew Derik Queen was a productive rebounder before the 2025 NBA Draft. What James Borrego did not expect was everything else the Maryland alum was bringing to the home of Mardi Gras. Thankfully, it seems apparent now that the Rookie of the Year candidate’s rebounding base, coupled with emerging rim protection and […]

There are still things to be decided for the NFL postseason, including the Ravens-Steelers showdown. Also, the Seahawks and 49ers have a big game. But in the jumbled playoff mess, there’s no team that experts wholeheartedly want to ride as a lock-solid prediction to win it all. However, here are three teams with massive chances […]