2021-22 NFL (Conference Round)

When I was a kid Commissioner Rozelle preached of 'parity', a world where all teams are on an even keel competitively. Well, that doesn't exactly work in the regular season but when the four quarterfinal matches end in 3 walk-off FGs and a coin flip finish (*), we are basking in the glow of Rozelle's vision. And the man was right: this was a great weekend of football. 

Bengals 19-16 Titans

First play from scrimmage: Ian Eagle is hitting us with a stat about the Titans' paucity of turnovers in recent weeks just as Tannehill was releasing his pass--and I swear to God, I knew that pass was getting intercepted. And it was. The Titans tried to make use of Derrick Henry, who had not played in several weeks, but it didn't move the ball down the field. The Titans pass rush was impressive (Joe Burrow became the first QB to win a playoff game after getting sacked 9 times) but otherwise there just wasn't much to the Titans after you factor in Henry's gimpiness. The Titans were neither over/under rated, they were a quarterfinal squad and that's about right. The Bengal pass rush, too, was pretty good, and though the Bengal offense mostly produced only FGs, it was enough to move on. 

Niners 13-10 Packers

I feel like I say this all the time on this blog, but the Packers' brilliant opening drive, followed by absolutely no offense for the rest of the game, happens a lot more than you think it does--don't be overwhelmed by the opening drive! The Packers missed an FG and had a disastrous blocked punt from their own end zone, so though Aaron Rodgers was not amazing today (boy, were there any other receivers besides Davante Adams out there?), he was actually still good enough to beat a Niners offense that only put up 2 FG's. The Niners D was great (a lot of pass rush this weekend!) and the special teams made the big plays to win the game, but I'm still not seeing it with the Niners (yeah, yeah, they'll be hoisting the trophy and I'll still be like, but how did they win?). Point being: to me this was a Packers choke job, not a Niner victory. 

Rams 30-27 Bucs

Okay, I think we can tell who the Rams are now, right? They're unstoppable for 2-3 quarters and then completely run out of gas in the end. That's who they are, right? So when they went up 27-3 (should've been worse than that, too), no one really thought the game was over, right? And when Tom Brady came back and tied it up late, no one was really shocked, right? We all saw all that coming, right? Well, until that last monster bomb down field to Cooper Kupp to set up the game winning FG--I didn't see that coming! Fun game, though it was never really what you would call 'competitive', even though it was tied with five seconds to go. Now they say Brady is retiring...well this probably was his last best chance and he did just win a Super Bowl, so perhaps now is the time; on the other hand, the Saints and Panthers have no QB and the Falcons are going to replace Ryan soon, feels like the Bucs are still a playoff team... (don't be surprised if this story turns out to be less true than we think it is).  

Bills 36-42 (OT) Chiefs

Well, obviously I would've preferred a different outcome, but this was an amazing game and ended up the way I thought it would, so I can't complain too much. Fun game, back and forth game, felt like the Chiefs had the upper hand and then it didn't any more, that last two minutes was non-stop craziness (at the 2-minute warning the score was 21-26) and I think we've proved that Mahomes and Josh Allen are two best QB's in the league right now. I fully expect both of these squads to be back next year--and I fully expect the Bills to vanquish the Chiefs at that time. The Chiefs were always the best team in the AFC and their weird offensive squabbles early on, never fazed me for a second; and the Bills were always the 2nd best team in the AFC (though that one I wasn't so sure of til this past Sunday). Hey, Mafia, we'll always have 47-17 and that still makes this a great season. 

Bengals @ Chiefs (-6.5) (o/u 51)

The Bengals beat the Chiefs in Week 17, a really marvelous game that went down to the wire (some questioned the Bengals' kooky clock work down the stretch but I thought it was perfect). Can they beat the Chiefs again? Yeah, but I wouldn't bet on it. The Bengals are really good, man, this is not a fluke, that offense can really move the ball and Burrow is the shit. I've even become more impressed with their pass rush (**) but the Chiefs are rolling again, they've re-discovered that the Kelce-Tyreke combo is pretty much un-guardable and Mahomes will find them. The Chiefs looked wounded enough throughout the season to give us pause--and the Bengals are a worthy opponent--but the Chiefs are still the best. Chiefs 31-20 (Chiefs, push)

Niners @ Rams (-4) (o/u 47)

(Division game in the conference finals?) (***) The Niners have beaten the Rams five straight times, including Week 18 when the Rams blew a 17-0 lead. Well, we know how this plays: the Rams will get an early lead and try to hang on. I think they can and will. Outside of the 1st quarter of the Cowboys game, the Niner offense has not done anything at all. Let's be honest: the Cowboys blinked and the Packers just forgot that special teams is a part of the game; the Niners are not in the final four because of their brilliant play. Can they beat the Rams? Oh yeah, we've seen them do it. But if you're blown away by the Niners' play so far in the playoffs....why? I'm still not convinced they're better than the Cowboys! That pass rush (always with the pass rush these days!) has been excellent and I think they'll have their moments against Stafford. But I think the Rams will finally play a complete game and we won't even see much of a late comeback. Rams 34-16 (Rams, over)

 

(*) I haven't heard anyone say this all week long, but we all agree that if the Bills had won the OT coin toss, then it would've been Josh Allen going right down the field to secure the W for the Bills rather than Mahomes winning it for the Chiefs, right? We all know that, right? This game was literally a coin flip and the difference between Allen and Mahomes right now is less than a penny. 

(**) Man, all these deep playoff squads have great pass rushes! In this era of great QB's, the next weapon in the pass rush, isn't it?

(***) Remember back at the beginning of the year when we thought the NFC West and AFC West were both going to dominate? Then the season started and that all went away. Well, 3 of the last 4 teams are from the West, so...

2021-22 NFL (Division Round)

Raiders 19-26 Bengals

Frankly, the Bengals played like shit, let this game stay close and escaped with the W (but the final defensive stand was probably inevitable anyway). The memorable kerfuffle of the game was an inadvertant whistle on a TD pass that was simply ignored; look, the rule is that the play should've been nullified and replayed (would they move the clock back to the time of the original snap?), but I would suggest the whistle didn't make any difference on the play and I'm cool with the refs letting it go (although that ref crew has been booted for the rest of the playoffs). The ball was in the air when the whistle came, the only guy that was going to make a play on the ball was the guy that caught it, so to nullify the play just doesn't seem necessary (perhaps I'm a homer--you decide!). The Raiders were a fun team, made a fun game out of this but the Bengals were better even playing as poorly as they did. 

Pats 17-47 Bills

Wow! The Bills went right down the field and scored, impressive but not a shock, not uncommon for a team's first drive to be kinda perfect. Okay. The Pats go right down the field, pass into the end zone is intercepted--brilliant play! Okay. The Bills go right down the field and score another TD--that's when the game was over. I was expecting 1 TD to be the difference in the game, so when the Bills go in the end zone twice in the 1st quarter, it was all over. The Bills: 7 TD's, 1 kneel down to end the game. First game in NFL history where a team had no punts or FG attempts. This was the most casual thrashing I've ever seen. The Pats were in position to steal themselves a major upset and instead got worked like drug dealers in a Steven Seagal movie. Ouch! The Bills knew what they wanted to do and they went forth and did it. The Pats rookie QB will take a lot of the blame, but he was fine--frankly the two interceptions he threw were both amazing defensive plays. Frustrating loss for the Pats, but they'll be back next year. (Ain't gonna lie: hours after this game was over, I was standing in my living room and busted out laughing uncontrollably for a good few minutes...good day to be a Bills fan!)

Eagles 15-31 Bucs

Yeah, the Bucs were just better. The Eagles offense take forever to get going and you just can't do that in the post-season. The Bucs are thin on offense but they still have Tom Brady and that's good enough to get by the Eagles. 

Niners 23-17 Cowboys

The Niners were absolutely brilliant in the 1st quarter, but I thought rather lackluster for the rest of the game. If you think the Niners are going on a run, I still don't see it. The Cowboys should've won this game and were still in it right to the end--even though they played pretty horribly! Dak Prescott's problem is he holds the ball too long: the routes develop, his split second timing is off, then the play flails, repeat. I like Dak but to go forward in the playoffs, you gotta be decisive and make plays and Dak just isn't there yet. Good W for the Niners, but I say the Cowboys let this get away. 

Steelers 21-42 Chiefs

The Steelers sludged it up, scored a scoop-and-score defensive TD to break the scoreless draw, felt like we were gonna have a game. Yeah....that didn't last. Once the Chiefs got going they were unstoppable and the Steelers were powerless. Let's be honest: the Steelers never should've been here and the fact that they benefitted from other teams (Chargers, Ravens, Colts, Browns) misfortune probably threw off their future development. Oh well. The Chiefs are still the team to beat in the NFL.

Cards 11-34 Rams

The Cards just weren't up for it. I like the Cards, I love Kyler Murray, I even still kinda like Coach Kingsbury, but they won games narrowly by making the right play at the right time and lost their nerve late in the season. They were flat as a pancake in this game, never got going, made terrible mistakes and never came close to making the right plays. The Rams, on the other hand, were fine, didn't really have to do too much and took this game without risking any injuries (which is the Rams' real Achilles' heel). Kinda perfect outcome for the Rams, nightmare for the Cards.

And the next batch of games: 

Bengals @ Titans (-2.5) (46)

Are the Titans underrated? I don't think much of them. They've been pretty good in recent years and yet we're shocked that they finished 1st in the AFC, even though they're in a brutally awful division. If that running game is so unstoppable, why didn't they win more games? And why are we so surprised they dominated a crappy division (especially considering that the Chiefs and Bills both had disappointing stretches this season)? Well, I'm going with Burrow and the Weapons over hand-off Tannehill. I think the Bengals are going to move the ball and their interior defense is gonna force Tannehill to make plays. I like the Bengals 24-16. (Bengals, under) 

Niners @ Packers (-5.5) (47.5)

Some see the Niners as ready for a run but I am not one of those. They're a pretty good team with a one-dimensional offense and a QB with a busted thumb and while they got the W against the Cowboys, they did nothing for the final three quarters of that game. The Packers have mostly cruised all season long and I think they'll cruise for at least one more week. I like the Packers 31-16. (Packers, under)

Rams @ Bucs (-2.5) (48)

This should be a fun game. If the Rams bring their best game, they can win and if the Bucs bring their best game, they can still lose. The Bucs are too thin on the offesnive side, I think the Rams move the ball and get stops on D. I like the Rams 20-13. (Rams, under)

Bills @ Chiefs (-2.5) (53.5)

Here we go! This is the real AFC Final. If the Bills bring what they brought against the Pats, then the Chiefs are going down. But hard to be perfect two weeks in a row and the Chiefs will definitely be bringing more offense than the Pats could generate. I see lots of scoring, way more offense than defense from both sides. After the most perfect day possible for Bills fans, this week will either be a heartbeak or the destiny train leaving the station! ....Yeah, I'm going Chiefs. Gotta go Chiefs 37-31 (Chiefs, over)

2021-22 NBA (Week 13)

Waivings

Jay Huff (Lakers), Willie Cauley-Stein (Mavs), Devon Dotson (Bulls) waived

In all three cases, seems like the teams just had someone they liked better waiting. 

Signings

Zylan Cheatam (Jazz), Xavier Moon (Clippers), Dakota Mathias (Grizzlies), Stanley Johnson (Lakers),  each signed to a 10-day contract

Welcome back to the league, fellas. (Tip: Pocket the per diem, get you breakfast and lunch from the hotel's continental breakfast)  

Marquese Chriss (Mavs) signed to 2-year contract

When Chriss was drafted top ten back in the day, I thought he had 'bust' written all over him. A few years larer, he's still hanging around the league because the league needs athletes and, well, he's an athlete. Is he actually better than Willie Cauley-Stein? Well, maybe.  

Sekou Doumbouya (Lakers), Lindell Wigginton (Bucks), Malcolm Hill (Bulls), Kyle Guy (Heat), each signed to a 2-way contract

Doumbouya back again! We'll see if he sticks this time.  

Trades

Pistons get Bol Bol; Nuggets get Rodney McGruder and a 2022 2nd rd pick

Ohhh! Last week's trade between the Nuggets and the Pistons was rejected when Bol failed his physical. But, no worries, Woj tweeted that Bol was off to the Celtics in a deal that would net the Nuggets Bryn Forbes--but, hold on....that trade never happened. (What? A Woj whiff?) Then Bol got foot surgery, so, I dunno, man, sounds like the Pistons didn't want the damaged goods and seems like the Celtics didn't either. 

Knicks get Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill, Nets 2022 2nd rd pick; Hawks get Kevin Knox, Knicks 1st rd pick (top 18 protected in 2022)

The hot take was that the Knicks got the better end of the day--and they may have--but I don't think it's as clear as all that. This trade was seven days ago and I haven't seen any proof that Reddish or Hill have joined the team (wtf?). Also, Reddish has been AWOL most of the season, so are we sure that he was in any different situation with the Hawks than Knox was with the Knicks? It's easy to say Knox sucks, but I don't know, all we know is Thibs won't play him (and he routinely plays dudes that suck, so....what does that tell us?). Reddish still feels like the better prospect at this point, but both dudes needed a change of scenery and, so far, uhh, the scenery kinda looks the same for both of them. Curious to see how this plays out.  

Injuries

Damien Lillard (Blazers) out indefinitely after abdominal surgery

This would seemingly take him out of the trade talk for this season, right? The Blazers are beat, just don't have the right mix, Lillard hasn't been having a great year anyway, but a season-ending surgery would put the kibosh on needless rumors (and the worthwhile rumors, too). 

Kevin Durant (Nets) out 6-8 weeks with left MCL sprain

Ouch! KD was having a great season, the Nets relied on him a lot (probably too much) and though they have Kyrie back for the road games, they're kinda flying naked with Vegas-Elvis Harden out there. Oh well, the Nets are still good enough and the East is probably still weak enough to not phase the Nets too much.  

Bol Bol (Nuggets?) out indefinitely after left foot surgery

Two days Woj tweeted that Bol was going to the Celtics in a 3-way deal with the Spurs (for Bryn Forbes)...but I have not heard that since. Bol, you may recall, was a 1st round talent that fell to the 2nd round on Draft Day because of injury concerns; so is he still cheap enough to merit interest from a team like the Celtics, that need all the young talent they can get? Or is this surgery proof that he's snakebit and never gonna play in the NBA? I dunno, but Woj never gets it wrong, so now I don't know what's going on. Seems like he's gonna stay with the Nuggets, who have clearly been looking for some veteran minutes off the bench and don't feel like Bol is ready to give them reliable minutes; but, then again, the Nuggets have a tough coach (Mike Malone), who isn't gonna throw a young guy in there--meaning: this is not an indication that Bol sucks or that he's too injury-prone for the Nuggets to want to keep. Merely that they have short term needs (like a Rodney McGruder or Bryn Forbes) that Bol just isn't gonna do for them. Couple more weeks for the buzzards to circle (or to realize the carcass ain't worth it). 

Front office moves

Wolves name Marquisse Watts as Chief Experience Officer

Hadn't noticed any NBA teams doing the 'experience' thing. It's a popular move in the MLS to put someone in charge of actually monitoring the fan experience (seems like the WNBA could really maximize efficiency with this). Are the Wolves the first team to make this move? (Looks like the Nets and the Jazz have this position, not sure about anyone else) Is this a thing that will catch on in the NBA? (Maybe for the small market teams, but I doubt the bluebloods will feel its necessary)

Jose Calderon (Cavs) named special advisor

Hmmm....is he a Rajon Rondo whisperer? Or is he rehabbing Ricky Rubio? If he's actually working with the team, wouldn't they just call him 'coach'? 

Health & Safety Protocols

Hassan Whiteside (Jazz), Killian Tillie (Grizzlies), JaMychal Green (Nuggets), Jordan McLaughlin (Wolves), Tyrese Haliburton (Kings), Desmond Bane (Grizzlies), Kyle Anderson (Grizzlies), Sekou Doumbouya (Lakers), Luka Garza (Pistons)

I have yet to notice a single fine for being unvaccinated. Did the NBA give up on that or no?

2021-22 NFL (Wild Card Round)

Raiders @ Bengals (-6.5) (o/u 48)

The Raiders got crazy mojo and QB Carr has shown himself to be the most underappreciated player of the last decade. They are feisty, they play hard and when they get rolling, they can hang (they are what the Detroit Lions dream of being, no?). But that doesn't really mean they're good. And I think the ride comes to a crashing halt this weekend. The Bengals offense is rolling right now, they know who they are and they may be early but they're here right now and I expect them to make the most of it. I believe that because of QB Burrow, that dude thinks about nothing but the next play (god help us if he ever gets to New England) and while the Raiders got moxy, the Bengals got weapons and they know how to use them. I like the Bengals to mercilessly pound the Raiders (creating a potentially ugly offseason for coach, QB and Defense). Bengals 38-17 (Bengals, over)

Patriots @ Bills (-4.5) (44)

Division game, man. These two already won on each other's home fields this year and know each other pretty well at this point. The weather will be bone-chilling, but both teams will be ready. QB Allen can be great but he can also try to do too much and flail; QB Jones is nice but he's a rookie and has yet to show the ability to make plays when needed. The head coaches are familiar with each other, the fan bases, the players, the owners--this is a division rival, they know each other. I think the Bills are better--but not wildly better--and I expect they'll outscore the Pats. But I don't see a blow out, this'll be a close game, probably low scoring. (If the Bills get a defensive TD, the game is over; if the Pats get a defensive TD, they will definitely cover but not necessarily win) Bills 16-13 (Pats, under)

Eagles @ Bucs (-8.5) (48.5)

I liked the Eagles more than most all season long, they just felt underrated to me. Trading Zach Ertz was a weird move, but they managed to make the playoffs anyway, so one must assume they are pleased with QB Hurts and are looking to spend their gajillion draft picks to build around him (though Hurts and two 1st rounders for Deshaun Watson must sound pretty tasty). But that doesn't mean they're ready to win now. The Bucs have lost a notable amount of offensive skill in the last few weeks (and Gronk, Evans and Fournette are not exactly 'healthy' right now), but I think Brady knows how to do this, he'll move the ball and they'll get enough stops on defense to keep the Eagles bottled up. Bucs 31-13 (Bucs, under)

Niners @ Cowboys (-3) (49.5)

Some of the more famous talking heads this week went all in on the Niners, suggesting the Renaissance of QB Jimmy G and how the Niners had been progressing and are ready to pull off an upset--even multiple upsets! But I think that's crazy talk. I think the Niners a nice midlevel team with a QB with a busted thumb and one all-world offensive threats that's also kinda banged up (Debo Samuel) and not much else. The Cowboys offense is rolling, I think they will move the ball and have big plays, I think they will score a lot. This gives the Defense the chance to gamble and make plays and I think they will. I think Jimmy G gives up the ball (if the Cowboys D scores, this game is way over). I think the Cowboys whomp the shit out of the Niners. Cowboys 41-10 (Cowboys, over)

Steelers @ Chiefs (-11.5) (46.5)

I watched the Steelers a lot this year and there is no way they deserve to be here and there is virtually zero chance of them winning this game. The Steelers have a knack for...I dunno...boring teams to a state of paralysis, which allows the Steelers to hang around and make plays to steal a W (as awful as QB Roethlisberger has been...for years now...he is still a crafty veteran). But I just don't see any scenario where the Chiefs don't move the ball or put points on the board. The Chiefs will score, and I think they'll score early, be up big at halftime, keep it up through the 3rd, then ease up late (though probably not enough for a backdoor cover). 11.5 is a lot but the Chiefs are going to score and the Steelers are not going to keep up. Chiefs 34-10 (Chiefs, under)

Cards @ Rams (-5) (50)

I have no idea. The Rams are really good on both sides of the ball and their best effort might be the best possible in the whole league; but they never give that much effort. The Cards have a sneaky knack for making the right play at the right time and stealing W's; but when they miss their chance, they flail badly and can look pretty awful. And it's a division game! I dunno, man. I'm going road underdog to sneak it out but all possible scenarios are in play (Rams big, Rams close, Cards big, Cards close). Cards 24-21 (Cards, under)

My end of season ranking: 

(AFC) Chiefs, Bills, Pats, Bengals, Titans, Raiders, Steelers

(NFC) Packers, Cowboys, Bucs, Rams, Cards, Niners, Eagles

Projections: 

Bengals over Raiders, Bills over Pats, Chiefs over Steelers; Bengals over Titans, Chiefs over Bills; Chiefs over Bengals

Cowboys over Niners, Bucs over Eagles, Cards over Rams; Packers over Cards, Cowboys over Bucs; Packers over Cowboys

I'll take the Chiefs over the Packers (in a disappointing low-scoring sludgefest of a contest) to win it all. We'll see.

2021-22 NCAA Bowls

#1 Alabama 18-33 #3 Georgia

UGA added a late pick-6 to make it look like a runaway but this game was razor thin for three quarters then finally opened up late. Alabama piled up FGs at a slightly better rate than UGA, but when the Bullogs scored a (gasp!) TD in the 3rd, felt like they had wrested control from their vaunted rivals. But that's when Bama finally got frisky and the last 15 mins or so turned into a wacky shootout. I liked UGA coming into this simply because I didn't think Bama could beat this team a second time. UGA played their absolute worst possible game in the SEC championship a few weeks earlier against the Tide and it felt to me like they were due for a big time win. That said, if Alabama comes into this game with their star WR John Metchie and/or finishes the game with star WR Jameson Williams, the Tide offensive attack undoubtedly would've been more dynamic. But I think UGA was due and they may well have won anyway. Fun game, fine closer to this season and I fully expect to see both of them back next season.

Correct (21)

Middle Tennessee State 42-24 Toledo

Northern Illinois 41-47 Coastal Carolina

Utah State 24-13 Oregon State

Eastern Michigan 20-56 Liberty

UTEP 24-31 Fresno State

#23 Louisiana 36-21 Marshall

Western Kentucky 59-38 Appalachian State

Tulsa 30-7 Old Dominion

Wyoming 52-38 Kent State

Missouri 22-24 Army

Central Florida 29-7 Florida

Mississippi State 7-34 Texas Tech

#20 Houston 17-13 Auburn

#19 Clemson 20-13 Iowa State

#14 Oregon 32-47 #16 Oklahoma

Wisconsin 20-13 Arizona State

#4 Cincinnati 6-27 #1 Alabama

Washington State 21-24 Central Michigan

#11 Utah 45-48 #6 Ohio State

#15 Iowa 17-20 #22 Kentucky

#1 Alabama 18-33 #3 Georgia

Canceled

Memphis @ Hawai'i 

Boston College @East Carolina

UCLA @ #18 North Carolina State

Southern Methodist @ Virginia

Central Michigan @ Boise State 

Incorrect (16)

Alabama-Birmingham 31-28 Brigham Young

UT-San Antonio 24-38 #24 San Diego State

Georgia State 51-20 Ball State

Western Michigan 52-24 Nevada

West Virginia 6-18 Minnesota

Air Force 31-28 Louisville

Maryland 54-0 Virginia Tech

#12 Pittsburgh 21-31 #10 Michigan State

North Carolina 21-38 South Carolina

Tennessee 45-48 (OT) Purdue

#3 Georgia 34-11 #2 Michigan

#17 Wake Forest 38-10 Rutgers

#7 Baylor 21-7 #8 Ole Miss

Penn State 10-24 #21 Arkansas

#9 Oklahoma State 37-35 #5 Notre Dame

Louisiana State 20-42 Kansas State

21-16 isn't bad but I won with the teams I was guessing on and got smoked picking the teams I actually paid attention to this season. Point being: had I actually been betting, my 21-16 record would've gotten me destroyed because my big money would've been on the losers rather than the winners. Okay. Ready for next season already.

2021-22 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 12)

Signings

Head Coach JB Bickerstaff (Cavs) signed extension through 2026-27

Personally, I think the reason for the Cavs surprising showing this season has been the immediate impact of Evan Mobley, but Bickerstaff was there, so re-upping him probably him seems like a good move (especially if Mobley likes him!). 

Alfonzo McKinnie (Bulls), Keifer Sykes (Pacers), Killian Tillie (Grizzlies), Bismack Biyombo (Suns) signed for rest of season

I thought McKinnie still had life in him. Tillie and Sykes are solid end-of-roster guys. And (Bobcat Legend) Bismack Biyombo is...well, I imagine in real life he's a real nice guy but he never did have much game to him. (Remember Adonal Foyle? Kept getting contract after contract while displaying virtually zero on-court prowess and the reason why was because he was such a nice guy; hey, man, that matters! And some of these African dudes are such upbeat, sunny disposition guys that I reckon they're just a pleasure to be around and maybe Bis is one of those guys. You're not really expecting anything from the 15th guy on your bench, so why not sign a lovable guy that gets along with everybody?)

Tyrell Terry (Grizzlies), Theo Pinson (Mavs), Gary Clark Jr (Pelicans), Brandon Goodwin (Cavs) signed to 2-way contract

These are guys that matter within the organization, might not make a difference in the end-of-night highlight package, but those roster spots matter to the teams. I assume these dudes are reliable enough to handle this part of the responsibility. 

Trades

Cavs get Rajon Rondo; Lakers get the rights to Louis Labeyrie; Knicks get Denzel Valentine (who was waived), cash, and the rights to Wang Zhelin and Brad Newley

After the Cavs lost Ricky Rubio, they made the move to bolster their veteran bench by picking up Rondo; this is a tricky move: either he'll be magnificent or he'll be a total pain in the ass, it's a coin flip to see how he pans out. The rest is just paper work shuffling so the league office can pretend like something actually took place (though it would be hilarious if Wang Zhelin became a bust out star for the Knicks next year). 

Thunder get Miye Oni (who was waived) and 2028 Jazz 2nd rd pick; Jazz get cash

Jazz needed to clear space, Thunder get a 2nd rd pick to throw on the pile. Nothing to see here. 

Pistons get Bol Bol; Nuggets get Rodney McGruder and a 2022 2nd rd pick

Pistons get another intriguing youngster, Bol has had moments of looking like a for-real player, on the Pistons he should get minutes. It feels like the Nuggets fancy themselves in win-now mode and weren't eager to give Bol the minutes he needs to develop and would rather just get reliable garbage time minutes from a feisty vet like McGruder. The Pistons get a good look at a fine prospect, the Nuggets get an upgrade on their back-end minutes for the rest of this season (and even scored a free 2nd rd pick). This is a win-win trade.

Waivings

There have been a ton over the last 2 weeks, some of them potentially notable.  But I fell asleep and with all the 10-day contracts floating around, I don't know which ones are worth mentioning, so I'll just pretend there weren't any.  

Health & Safety Protocols

There have been a ton of these, too.  But I can't help feeling like at this point the only reason to note these is to see who ends up there a 2nd time. The NBA (and NHL) will be vital to show the world how re-infection works, especially in the Omicron era.

2021-22 NFL (Week 18)

Games I saw (some of):

Chiefs 28-24 Broncos

The Broncos were the better team (Drew Lock got unleashed!) but a fluke Chiefs scoop-and-score right as the Broncos were about to put the game away turned it around.  The Chiefs had good stretches and bad stretches this season and the last coupla regular season games were...uh...not in the 'good' pile. So how are the Chiefs gonna look in the playoffs? I suspect they're still the team to beat. 

Cowboys 51-26 Eagles

Game over quick. The Cowboys offense is rolling again lately, they're getting hot at just the right time. The Eagles, on the other hand, limp into the playoffs (how did they make it anyway?). 

Bengals 16-21 Browns

Sloppy game of two sloppy 2nd strings slopping away at each other. This game was pure contractual obligation, the Browns just wanted to look busy and the Bengals just wanted to get through without injury. 

Steelers 16-13 (OT) Ravens

I watched the Steelers a lot this year and I am convinced they suck. The Ravens never got their offense going (with or without Lamar Jackson), the whole season seemed like a sleepwalk, not sure where they go from here. The Steelers somehow made the post-season and I fully expect them to get drop kicked quickly by the Chiefs (that said, the Steelers won a bunch of games this season they absolutely did not deserve, so maybe they can keep it going).  

Chargers 32-35 (OT) Raiders

Fascinating match! All  week long we were reminded that both teams would make the playoffs if the game ended in a draw. And when the Chargers got the late score to send it to OT, that improbable scenario was firmly on the table. There has been much post-game chatter about whether the Raiders actually intended to run out the clock rather than kick the winning FG but I think all that is bunk. The Raiders had every intention of winning if possible and even if they hadn't gotten the late 1st down, I think they would've punted it away and taken their chances with 10 seconds or so to go. At any rate, the Chargers were generally the better team and outside of some bonehead moves (going for it on 4th down from their own 20-yard line...?) and some uninspired drives, really should've won this game outright. Oh well. Instead of the Colts and Chargers in the playoffs, we get Raiders and Steelers instead...not an upgrade. 

The rest of the slate:

Packers 30-37 Lions. Yup, not a surprise. The Lions play hard against good teams and suck balls against bad teams. Buck up, Packer fans, your team is obviously good. 

Bears 17-31 Vikings. Meh.

WTF 22-7 Giants. Meh. 

Colts 11-26 Jags. Colts lost to the Jags--bwa ha ha! I thought the Colts would cover the 16-point spread without much effort. But, no, apparently 'not much effort' just wasn't gonna get it done. The Jags were dreadful from beginning to end this year but managed to score a W over Buffalo and knocked the Colts out of the playoffs, just goes to show even the lowliest team can still do damage. Still can't tell whether the Colts really blew an easy shot at glory or if they really sucked and overachieved all season. 

Titans 28-25 Texans. Titans secure the #1 seed in the AFC but almost let this game get away from them. I kinda like the Texans and their young QB (Davis Mills) and if they can get a boatload of picks for Deshaun Watson (Philly has a bunch of picks and a need for a for-real QB....), I can see them being good next year, especially since the Colt are shaky, the Jags are terrible and the Titans seem like massive overachievers. We'll see.

Saints 30-20 Falcons. Meh.

Jets 10-27 Bills. Yeah, that's about right. The game was kinda close til the 4th quarter but, yeah, that's about right. 

Niners 27-24 (OT) Rams. The Rams were up 17-0 almost instantly and still couldn't make it stand up, even though the Niners were playing with an injured QB. The Rams are possibly the toughest 'good' team to figure out. 

Pats 24-33 Dolphins. Not sure how the Pats gave up 33 points to the Dolphins, but it doesn't really matter. (Gotta say I was surprised the Dolphins fired Brian Flores, I thought the Dolphins had some pretty good moments this season, good enough to keep Flores on--but not good enough to lure in some Svengali to take this team up the ladder; weird move)

Seahawks 38-30 Cards. Meh. The Cards (like the Rams) had brilliant moments and shit moments and I'm not sure who they actually are. 

Panthers 17-41 Bucs. Yeah, that's about right.