Ty's 2022 NBA Playoff Preview

With the play in tourney ending tonight, today I have my NBA 2022 playoff preview and prediction.

Real quick, I have the Clippers beating the Pelicans tonight to take the 8 seed in the West, and I have the Hawks beating the Cavs, which hurts my heart because I love Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, and taking the 8 seed in the East. And even if I am wrong, I do not have either number 1 seed going out in the first round, so the play in finale tonight has no real bearing on my predictions today. With all that, let's get to it.

I'll start with the East. The 1-8 pits the Miami Heat versus the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are fun. They score a lot. They have been on a tear. They demolished the Hornets. And they were in the conference finals last year. That is all well and good, but the Heat are a far superior team. And they are whole. They play defense. They muddy the game. They do not mind bullying you. And the Hawks play zero defense. Bam is going to feast. Tyler Herro will thrive against the Hawks second unit. Jimmy Butler is going to get to the rim with ease. Kyle Lowry is going to make Trae Young's life miserable. The Heat are going to win this series, probably in five games.

The 2-7 is going to be fun to watch, but I also loathe both teams. At times I think about picking Boston because they are, relatively speaking, deep, play great defense and Jayson Tatum is ascending to star level. But then I look at the Nets and they have KD, Kyrie Irving is eligible for all the games and they can score in bunches. But when I really sit back and take a deep, deep look, Boston's defense is really, really good. I understand that Robert Williams is out, and that will hurt, but I do not think it will cause them to get beat. I would be terrified of KD, but I do think the Celtics will pull it out in seven games.

The 3-6 matchup pits the Bucks versus the Bulls. My son is a big Bulls fan. He loves DeMar DeRozan and DeRozan has been awesome this year. Zach Lavine has been hot and cold, but when that dude gets it going, watch out. And I have liked Coby White since his lone college season. But the Bulls do not stand a chance. They started too hot and have been really bad down the stretch. Oh, and the Bucks are the defending champs, and Giannis has been amazing all season, and Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are playing well, and the team is whole. I just do not see a world where the Bulls win even a game over Milwaukee in this series. If the Bucks take it seriously, which I am sure they will, they will sweep the Bulls.

This leaves us the 4-5, Philly and Toronto. Philly is good. Joel Embiid is the MVP. I do not care what white journalists have to say on their podcasts. He led the league in scoring, is a top flight defender and is as dominant as Shaq. James Harden is a great scorer, he just needs to show the hell up in the playoffs. It is time. It is now or never. Unfortunately the 76ers second best defender, Matisse Thybulle, decided to not get fully vaccinated and he cannot play in the games in Toronto. That is a blow to the 76ers. Toronto is playing with house money and Nick Nurse is a very good coach. He will find stuff to throw wrenches in the 76ers game plan. He will frustrate them to no end. And he has the players to do it. Pascal Siakim is playing great. Fred Van Vleet is a young Kyle Lowry, OG Anunoby is hyper athletic and Scottie Barnes has a real case for ROTY. This team is good. But I think Joel Embiid will not let this team get beat. He will single handedly win this series for them. It will be a tough seven games, but the 76ers will find a way.

This leaves us with second round matchups of Miami and Philly and Milwaukee and Boston. As much as I love Joel Embiid, I think this is where the playoff Harden will show up, and that is no good. Miami will frustrate and force Harden to make bad decision after bad decision. I have the Heat winning in six.

The Bucks and Celtics should be a good, hard fought series. But this is where no Robert Williams will hurt Boston. Giannis will feast. And when he gets double teamed he will find wide open shooters like Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton. And Jrue Holiday is going to make Jayson Tatum's life miserable. The Bucks will win in seven.

So this leaves me with an East Finals of Miami and Milwaukee. This is where Miami will not have an answer for all the scorers and shooters on Milwaukee. Giannis proved last season that he has that killer instinct, and he is even better this season. And the fact that Milwaukee is healthy, that changes things drastically. It will be a decent series, and Miami will take two games, both at home. But I have the Bucks winning in six and returning to the Finals.

Now let's move to the West.

The top three teams are legit. Anyone of them would have been the 1 in the East. The West is going to be a killer. The 1-8 features The Suns and the winner of tonight's game, I am assuming the Clippers. The Clippers have been a nice little story this year, winning 42 games with a totally depleted roster. Well, all the fun stops now. The Suns are a machine. They are the best team in basketball by a very wide margin. They have it all. Star power, veteran leadership, young players buying into their roles, depth, great coaching, they are all set. There is a reason they won so many games this season and lapped the field. The Suns are the clear favorites, they will be out for blood and they will sweep the Clippers. The Suns are loaded and ready.

The 2-7 features my squad, the Grizzlies, facing the Timberwolves. I'm kind of nervous about this matchup. The Timberwolves are very similar to the Grizz. They both have the same team makeup. They both talk shit and back it up. They both really, really want to win for their city. This will be fun. But where the Grizz separate themselves from the Timberwolves is their depth and star power at the point guard position. Ja Morant is better than D'Angelo Russell and Patrick Beverly. Jaren Jackson Jr is not the offensive weapon KAT is, but he is a far superior defender. Anthony Edwards is going to hate going up against Dillon Brooks for a whole series. The Grizzlies will prove this season was no fluke and take this first round matchup in six games.

The 3-6 matchup pits the Warriors against the Nuggets. Steph will not be 100 percent, and I do not know when he will return, but the Warriors have Klay, who has been great as of late. Draymond Green is looking more and more like himself. And Jordan Poole has been a revelation this year. Sure the Nuggets have Nikola Jokic, and I cannot believe he will win a second straight MVP, that is pure nonsense. Quick little rant coming up here. When Russell Westbrook won his MVP a ton of the sports writers I read and listen to called it all types of names. They said the people who voted for Russ were basketball perverts, whatever in the hell that means. They chastised the fact that the Thunder had 45 wins and were a 6 seed. He averaged a triple double and dragged a team that lost KD to the playoffs in the West. Jokic's Nuggets are a 6 seed. They have three more wins than the Thunder did in Russ' MVP year, which is not all that much. And while Jokic is missing two key guys, the Nuggets bench players and current players are better than anyone Russ played with, with Steven Adams being the lone exception. I'm sick of all the excuses being made for Jokic when these same guys were crushing Russ and bitching and moaning all throughout his MVP season. It is racism at its best. Anyway, the Warriors are going to win this series. They are the better team. I think it will go seven, but when Steph gets back, it is lights out for Denver.

The 4-5 has another journalist beloved player-led team in Luka Doncic and the Mavericks, playing the new team that gets shit on, the Utah Jazz. The white journalists that are begging and pleading for Doncic to be "appreciated like the star he is", will finally get their wish and the Mavericks will finally win a series. The Jazz are too dysfunctional. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell clearly dislike one another. Quinn Snyder seems to have one foot out the door. It looks like Utah is about to blow up their team. The Jazz may take a game, Doncic is out for game one, but they will not muster another one in the series. The Mavs will win in five and all the white guys at ESPN, Bleacher Report and SI will finally be able to cream their jeans now that Luka will get out of round one of the playoffs.

So, I have the Suns and Mavs in one second round matchup, and the Grizz and Warriors in another. All those journalists that will be drooling and bending the knee for Luka will have to eat their words. Again, the Suns are on a mission. They do not care who is in front of them. They will score and score and score all over the Mavericks. And they will force everyone not named Luka Doncic on the Mavs to beat them. That will not work. I have the Suns sweeping yet another round. They are that good.

The Warriors and Grizzlies should be a total blast to watch. And I have some faith in the Grizz in round two. The Timberwolves will be tougher than the Warriors to face. The Warriors are better, and they have the two greatest shooters of all time, and Draymond is awesome, but there is something in the air in Memphis this season. I think Ja, after having beat the Warriors in the play in last year, will have no fear. I think JJJ will be able to help off Looney and Green and cover the shooters. Dillon Brooks is a beast and he can score. Tyus Jones is one of the better backup point guards in the league, and the Grizzlies second unit is better than the Warriors. I really, truly think the Grizz will win in seven games and advance to the West Finals.

Then the party will be over. The Suns are too good. I do not know how many times I have to write it. They are absolutely loaded. They are locked in. They have a bad taste in their mouths from last year. They are out for blood. I do think Memphis will get a game, but no more after that. Suns in five.

That means I have a rematch from last year. I have to be this boring, but the Suns and Bucks are the two best teams in the NBA in my opinion. I think the series will go six again, but this time the Suns will win. Chris Paul will get his ring. Devin Booker will establish himself as one of the new faces of the league. Mikal Bridges will start getting his much due respect. Deandre Ayton will be the first number one pick that has played a smaller role to grab a ring. And Monty Williams will etch his name as one of the best coaches in the league. Devin Booker will also score his way to Finals MVP.

So there you have it, my 2022 NBA preview and predictions. Hey, the Suns look that good everybody. I do not know what else to say. Enjoy the playoffs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Previews the 2022 NBA Play-in Games

I will be doing a full NBA playoff preview when it is fully set. Which leads me to today's piece. Since the NBA playoffs will not be starting until later this week, I will do a preview and prediction for the four play-in games that will be happening tomorrow and Wednesday.

I love the play-in tourney. This was a wildly successful idea. I cannot wait until it becomes a permanent fixture. It makes the first few games so exciting to watch. I think it is the absolute best. I'll start with the East.

The 7-8 features the Brooklyn Nets facing the Cleveland Cavs. This would be a much more fun game if Cleveland was at full health. Unfortunately Jarrett Allen isn't likely to play, and that will be the ultimate downfall for the Cavs. They need his rim protection. Evan Mobley is good. He will be the ROY. But he is not ready to be a full time rim protector yet. Darius Garland is good, but Kyrie Irving, whom I loathe, is more prepared for this stage. Kevin Love has been great, but he is a zero on defense. And Caris Levert is trying to come back from yet another injury. Oh, and the Nets have a fully healthy KD. As much as I'd love to see the Cavs win, and they could, I just do not think it will happen. KD is too awesome, the Cavs are not full and the game is in Brooklyn. The Nets will win and clinch the 7 seed.

The 9-10 game is going to be a score fest. The Hornets and Hawks do not play a whole lot of defense, but man oh man do both teams score. The Hornets love to run up and down the floor and bomb threes. LaMelo Ball finds open guys, Miles Bridges is a better creator and Kelly Oubre is a microwave off the bench. As for the Hawks, Trae Young is wonderful. He is an offensive wizard. Clint Capela is an excellent rim runner and rebounder. Bogdan Bogdanovich is a scorer off the bench. Deandre Hunter is a solid three and d guy. The Hawks have scorers. They also have more experience. And they have been on fire lately. The Hornets are on the come up, but not yet. The Hawks will win this game.

With the Cavs getting beat, and the Hawks beating Charlotte, that means they will face off for the 8 seed. I would love to see the Cavs win this game and make the playoffs, but they will not. They just do not have enough guys, and no one to fully protect the rim. And the Hawks are on a bit of a tear lately. They will grab that 8 seed and make a return trip to the playoffs.

Now we head to the West.

The 7-8 game is going to be fun and I have an interest since the winner will be facing the Grizz in round one. The Timberwolves are the 7, and they are a very good offensive team with a somewhat serviceable defense. KAT has also taken a leap. So has Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves are young, but they are confident. The Clippers found a way to get in without Kawhi all year and with PG missing more than half the season. The utility guys have made the most of the season and Ty Lue has coached one hell of a year. And, as much as I'd hate to see the Clippers in round one, I do think that will be the Grizzlies first round opponent. I think the Clippers, with all the veteran leadership, will find a way to grind this game to a halt and win.

The 9-10 game features the Spurs and Pelicans. This game will be a ton of fun to watch for the young talent on both squads. I think neither one of these teams thought they'd be here, but they are and they have a game to play. I like what the Pelicans have done this year too. They started real slow, 3-16, but they have found a way to turn it around somewhat. And I think the CJ McCollum trade was great. The Spurs probably had no desire to be here, but they found a way. And they are getting their guys back. Dejounte Murray is back. Josh Primo is healthy. Devin Vassell is playing well. This Spurs team is young and they are playing with house money, and I think they will win this game. The Pelicans are very inconsistent and the Spurs have the best coach to ever coach in the NBA. He will devise a game plan to find a way to win.

So that leaves us with the Spurs and Timberwolves fighting for the 8th spot. The Spurs have had an odd and fun year, but this is where it all ends. The Timberwolves are a better team and they really, really, really want to get in the playoffs. That is not to say the Spurs don't, but the Timberwolves need to get in the playoffs. And they will and their reward will be the best team in the NBA.

So I have the Nets as the 7 and Hawks as the 8 in the East. In the West I have the Clippers as the 7 and the Timberwolves as the 8. Again, I love this play-in tourney and I cannot wait to watch. Bring it on.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The SeedSing 2022 MLB Preview

Much to my surprise, yet again, the MLB season started this afternoon. I was oblivious to this news. I have been more focused on my son's baseball team, we started on Tuesday. I remember the lockout, and them resolving it eventually, but the season always seems to sneak up on me. I just do not seem to give it the same attention I did as a kid. Truth be told, I am much more pumped for the NBA playoffs, which start in about a week.

Like I do every year, I have my version of a "preview" of the season. RD is much more the expert on MLB, but I will give it a go and give you guys some predictions. I'll give division winners, the multiple wildcards, the AL and NL champs, some award winners and my World Series winner. Like I say every year, take this with the biggest grain of salt you can find. I truly am out of my element, but hey, I still like baseball. Here it goes.

The AL seems to be solid. There are some really good teams. I do not remember who the Braves played in the World Series last year, had to look up who won in fact, but there are always big hitting, high run scoring teams in the AL. The Toronto Bluejays seem to be the vogue pick in the East, and I am not different. I adore Vlad Guerroro Jr, and I think he alone can lead them to the playoffs. The Central will be competitive. The Tigers look good on paper, the White Sox won it last season and they appear to be loaded. Most "experts" are picking the White Sox, but I am going to go with the Twins. I have family members that are big time Twins fans, so this is a family fueled pick. For as much as they cheat, the Astros should win the West. They are the far superior team in that division. The Angels cannot seem to get it together and the Mariners are done being everyone's "surprise" team. As far as the three, that is right three, wild card teams, I'll go with the Yankees because they can buy talent, the Red Sox because they too can buy talent and the Rays because they seem to have dope pitching every season.

Moving over the NL, we will start with the East here too. The Mets and Phillies seem to be the vogue picks for the division. But why is no one on the Braves? They won it all last year. They did it without Acuna Jr. And I don't think they lost too much. I'll stick with the defending champs in the East. Man oh man would I love, love, love to pick the Cardinals in the Central. But the Brewers are too loaded. I remember seeing them in the playoffs for a minute last season. They are better than any team in that division. But, at least the Cards will be better than the Cubs. The Brewers will win the Central. The West will be owned by the Dodgers. They have the most talent, the most money and if push comes to shove, they will buy any type of talented player they want. The Dodgers are now the villains of baseball. They are the Yankees of the 90's. They will coast. As for the three wild cards, I am going full homer with the Cardinals in one spot, and the Phillies and the Mets to round it all out.

As for the AL pennant, I think the Bluejays will play the Astros, and the Bluejays will win. Good will prevail. And I just want to see Guerroro Jr get his just due. That kid is awesome. He makes baseball fun to watch. Him, Shoehai Ohtani and Fernando Tatis Jr make the game of baseball watchable nowadays. In the NL, I'm going with the Dodgers over the Brewers. I would love to see the Brewers win for multiple reasons, mainly because that is my dad's team, but the Dodgers are too good. They have so many all stars on that team. And like I said, if someone gets hurt or wants out, they will just replace them with an equal or better player because they have so much money.

I think it is pretty obvious that I have the Dodgers beating the Bluejays in the series and winning it all. Unfortunately. But the sports world will really get to know Vlad Guerroro Jr very well this baseball season. I even think he will find a way to beat out Ohtani for the MVP this season. Well, maybe. I do think that someone, maybe Mookie Betts, from the Dodgers will win the NL MVP. I could see Juan Soto giving a fight, but Betts is probably the best player on the best team. I want, and am predicting, that Shoehai Ohtani will win the AL Cy Young and Max Scherzer will win the NL Cy Young. As for the other stuff, honestly, I have zero idea what is going to happen, and I don't know enough to throw some names out there.

There you have it, my 2022 MLB preview. Play ball.

Ty

Another View

2022 the first “normal” season in years, is all about transition. A few teams are taking one last plunge with their guys. The Cardinals, Yankees, Astros, and Dodgers are all or nothing for 2022. Other teams, like the Padres, Blue Jays, Brewers, and Mariners, are ready to take that next step. Let’s break it down.

The AL East will be the most competitive division in baseball. Every team except the Orioles will have over 85 wins. In the end the Toronto Blue Jays will have the most wins.

The NL East is going to be a paper tiger. The Phillies and Mets look good now, they will not be good in the end. Atlanta takes the division again.

The AL Central is the White Sox and everyone else trying to get into the wild card conversation. Any of them could make it, but Chicago will win the division again.

The NL Central has the good, Milwaukee and St. Louis, and the bad. Chicago, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh will not compete this year. The Pirates may lose over 120 games. They are terrible.

The AL West is like the AL East, just not as good. Texas Anaheim, and Oakland will be bothersome, but it will be a fight between the been there Astros and the upstart Mariners. I’m going with Seattle to win the division.

The NL West will be interesting, yet predictable. No way the Giants win 107 games again, but the Dodgers will still have to contend with them and San Diego. Dodgers will win the division.

The three Al Wild Cards will be the Yankees, Rays, and in a surprise, the Detroit Tigers.

The NL Wild cards will be St. Louis, San Diego, and San Francisco.

The ALCS will pit the surprising Seattle Mariners against the soon to be dynastic Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays win.

The NLCS will be a division matchup between the Cardinals and Brewers. The old guys on St. Louis will win the pennant.

Blue Jays and Cardinals, battle of the birds for the World Series. St. Louis wins with a walk off homerun from Albert Pujols in game seven. Fairytale ending.

RD

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Lakers are a Disaster

At the start of the NBA I did my massive preview. I had the Lakers relatively high. I remember saying that I thought they would be a very good regular season team, but be running on fumes by the playoffs. I think I had them going to the second round of the playoffs. I assumed, with LeBron, they would win one series. And even though they started out kind of slow, I figured they would figure it out. I never put too much stock in early regular season NBA games. As the season wore on, and the injuries piled up, as did the losses, it seemed inevitable that they would not make it. They had been on the backend of the play-in tournament for a month, and then fell out completely. And with the Spurs beating the Nuggets, and Suns wallopping a LeBron less Lakers last night, they were officially eliminated.

To be honest, I am kind of stunned. This team has a very solid collection of talent. Sure, it is old. and tons and tons of people made the same joke over and over again, but still, tons of stars. They also got some solid guys on the buyout market and got some younger vets to sign for the league minimum, assuming they would make a title run. I wasn't crazy about the additions of Russell Westbrook, who I adore, and Carmelo Anthony. But I did like getting Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for very cheap. I thought Dwight Howard was a solid backup center choice. I loved the shot they took on Stanley Johnson late in the year. Austin Reaves turned out to be hot and cold, but when he is hot, watch out. When healthy, Talen Horton-Tucker is a good creator. I thought that Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza would bring good veteran leadership. And Avery Bradley is still a decent defender. But it never came together for this team.

LeBron got what he wanted. Three years ago they emptied the picks and young players to get Anthony Davis, which worked. They won a title with those two. But, in letting Alex Caruso walk, in trading KCP and Kyle Kuzma for Russ and picking Deandre Jordan at the start of the year was way, way off. Jordan couldn't get on the floor with any regularity. He was mercifully let go. It is clear they miss Caruso on the defensive end of the floor. They just do not have the guys to play competent defense. And Russ, again a player I love, has been downright bad this season. He just doesn't have the explosiveness that so well defines him. And he is not a shooter, especially a three point shooter. They could have had Buddy Hield. They had a trade ready to go. But LeBron wanted Russ. They could have had DeMar DeRozan. He wanted to play there. But LeBron wanted Carmelo. It was some bad choices I'm sure they wish they could have back. When the trade deadline came and went, and the Lakers did nothing, that clearly pissed him off. But I say again, these are the dudes he wanted to play with. He went to bat for these guys. He told the media to keep bad mouthing them and call them old, that he would get them to prove everyone wrong. Welp, the date is April 8th and the Lakers are 31-48 and officially out of the playoffs.

LeBron is not solely to blame. The front office did not do a thing, as previously mentioned, to help shore this team up at the deadline. And maybe the front office should have put their foot down when LeBron came to them and said give me a mid 30's Russ and late 30's Carmelo and Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk. Those were poor, thoughtless moves. Injuries did not help this team either. LeBron continues to miss more and more time with each passing season. He is getting older. Anthony Davis has proven that, while an incredible player, he simply cannot stay healthy. He misses time every year. He gets cuts and bruises and sits out multiple games. Russ, while not hurt too much, is just old. Same with Carmelo. Kendrick Nunn has not played a single minute all year, and he is done for the year. It just never came together for this team. They never gelled. They openly fought and griped with the media. Frank Vogel never found a way to get these guys to play for him, and that is fully his fault.

I would love to be all hate and doom, like I was with Duke the other day, but this is really simply sad. This team should have been good. They should have been a playoff team. They should not be 17 games under .500. But here we are. It is a bummer that we will have no Lakers or Knicks in the playoffs this season.

No matter what anyone says, this season was a massive failure for the Lakers. They are, without a doubt, the most disappointing team in the NBA. And, quite frankly, it stinks. I wonder what will happen this offseason, but it cannot be much because this team has no picks and no really desirable trade pieces. Time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Watches the 2022 Mens College Basketball Championship

The men's NCAA title game was quite the event last night. It was played in a football stadium, it was filled to the brim, there were a ton of famous people and alums of each school and the game itself was pretty gratifying, especially for this viewer who had no skin in the game.

I hoped for a good, close game, and when that second half started, that is exactly what I got. The first half was pretty one sided. Kansas came out and scored the first seven points, but then UNC took over. They calmed down, hit some shots, and before I knew it they were up 16, at 38-22. They went on an incredible scoring run. They went 38-15 after being shut out for the first few minutes. And they looked like they could not be stopped. While KU settled, UNC attacked. They went inside, which opened up the outside, and UNC feasted. At one point they scored 16 unanswered points. When it went to half, UNC was up 40-25.

I thought we might be in for a blowout, but I still wanted to see the start of the second half. Basketball is a game of runs, and KU has shown all tourney long that they seem to rev it up after halftime. That is precisely what happened. KU came out and attacked. They became the aggressors. They got to the rim seemingly at will. The layups they missed in the first half were falling. UNC was fouling. Things started to turn around. The lead was cut to 12, then 10, then 7, then 4. Before too long KU cut the lead to 1. UNC would answer each run though. KU would cut it to 1, UNC would follow with a dunk or a 3 to stretch it to two possessions. But KU kept going. They stopped settling and kept attacking. They were passing up threes for layups and dunks. The attacking nature in the second half then opened up the outside shot. This was where super transfer Remy Martin showed up. He nailed three big time 3 pointers in the second half. He made big shot after big shot. Ochi Agbaji started to hit shots as well. He stopped shooting mid range shots and threes, and went to the rim. He was making shots and getting fouled. He was getting 3 points the old fashioned way. KU's big man, Tim McCormack, started to own the paint. Armando Bacot played a hell of a game too. That kid was everywhere for UNC last night. But he could not stop McCormack. He was playing hurt, and the second half showed that. He also got far less touches. Brady Manek was not making his usual shots either. He played great defense, but he just couldn't put the ball in the bucket. Caleb Love, who has been sensational all tourney, had a very poor and unfortunate shooting night. RJ Davis kept UNC in it, but he had to put up a ton of shots. And Puff Johnson, even though he hurled during the game, played one hell of a game off the bench. But KU kept grinding and getting to the basket and playing world class defense. Their defense in the second half was a thing of beauty to a basketball nerd such as myself. They played tight defense up and down the floor. KU's guards were making life miserable for UNC's guards. UNC kept trying to pick and roll, but KU's guards were jumping screens and fighting every time. McCormack would not let Bacot get his touches. They flustered UNC in that second half. It was a clinic.

All in all this was a very well played, hard fought title game. I was glad I stayed up to watch the whole thing. I feel for the UNC fans and players and coaches. But I am also happy for the KU players and fans, not so much their coaches. But I want to extend a big thank you to UNC and KU for putting up a wonderful, down to the wire title game. I love it when they are close like this. A blowout is not fun. Last night was fun. A well played game won by a very deserving Jayhawks team. Congrats.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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In the End Coach K Will Always Be Coach K

I figured I was done talking about Duke after I stated that they would win the title no matter what. I am glad to say that I am wrong. I have to eat a lot of crow on this site, but this time it doesn't taste as bad as it usually does. I loathe Duke. I love to hate them and hate on them. I have never ever liked that school, the majority of their star players and, obviously, their head coach.

Which leads me to my point today. I was so, so, so happy that UNC beat Duke Saturday night. It ruled. I was so happy that I was wrong. I was stoked to see UNC not only beat Coach K in his last game in Cameron, but even more happy to see them beat Duke in the tourney, and end Coach K's career without another title. It was akin, I kid you not, for me, when Michigan beat the university of Ohio State in football this year after Ryan Day said he was going to hang 100 points on them. I was almost as excited by what UNC did.

Yet that still did not stop Coach K from revealing the slimy asshole he has always been and will be until the day he passes. He, during a presser on his last game as a head coach in college basketball, managed to throw an 18 year old under the bus. He still found the time to blame someone else for a loss. He may have said some nonsense about how "other factors led to us being beat tonight", but that does not change the fact that he did not take any blame for his much, much better team getting beat in a game where they had the refs, most of the media and a good amount of fans on their side. A player on his team, a freshman, who has had a really good year by the way, missed two late free throws. That stinks. I did feel bad for the kid afterward. That is not something anyone that has ever played basketball wants it to go down. You dream of being the hero, not the goat. But, even at the lowest level of basketball, you never expect your coach, on live TV with millions upon millions of people watching, to openly blame you for the loss. That is just unspeakable petty. I would have lost my goddamn mind if I was that kid. That kid came to play for Coach K when he could have gone anywhere. He did everything that was asked of him. He probably put in as much extra effort as anyone else on the team. I'm sure he gave it his all. And what thanks does he get from the "might Coach K"? He gets completely and utterly run over by a bus followed by a mack truck ending with a semi rolled over him.

Again, how petty does Coach K have to truly be? I mean deep down, what is this soulless person really like behind closed doors? But it just shows who he really is to people who do not know him. I have never liked the guy, and this only reaffirmed my dislike. It is about as classless as one can be. He even said some garbage about how "this was all for the team" and he "really loves and cares about these kids". Well, he may love and care about a few of them, but not the kid who tried really hard to make some free throws and came up a bit short unfortunately.

I do now get it now why he wouldn't have been able to hack it in the NBA. I understand why he stayed at Duke and never gave it a real try with the pros. You can tell me he coached Team USA, but he was a figurehead coaching a bunch of super duper stars, just like he had done at Duke. If he had tried, like really tried for an NBA job, it would have been similar to Rick Pitino and John Calipari. Hell, he may have been closer to John Beilien. But, truly, he is a less successful Nick Saban. Saban could not hack it in the NFL and cowardly left Miami without telling any of his players for Alabama. And he has turned into the greatest college football coach of all time. But a vast majority of people despise Saban. That is Coach K, minus the trying at the highest level. And he is not nearly as dominant in basketball as Saban is in football.

Coach K is a bum. I'm so happy he is retired. I am so happy UNC beat him again. I'm so glad that, even with all the extra help, he still could not get it done. And I am incredibly disappointed, but not at all surprised that he would blame an 18 year old for the defeat. That is the man that he really is. Inside and out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Some Praise for the College Transfer Portal

Following college sports means I read a lot about the transfer portal. It has been on fire the past couple years. In the past I used to get mad about players transferring all the time, but then I grew up. If a kid wants to go somewhere they can get more playing time, so be it. They deserve that choice. If they are promised time somewhere else, go play somewhere else. Coaches can leave whenever they want, so why cannot players do the same? Coaches leave for bigger and better opportunities, players should be able to as well. The same goes for fired coaches. If a player is recruited by a certain coach, and that coach gets fired, why wouldn't they want to go play elsewhere?

This leads me to LSU men's basketball. They have lost, at last count, seven players to the transfer portal this offseason. Will Wade was fired, and for cause. That dude cheated incessantly. He did so many wrong things, and he was horrific at hiding it. Coaches like Coach K, John Calipari, Bill Self, they all know how to, or how to get away, with illegal recruiting. And now with NIL, it is even easier to cheat. But Will Wade found a way to get caught and was let go. Now LSU men's basketball is paying the price. Will Wade cheated, got caught and now players are making a mass exodus. Again, seven players are gone. A few of their top recruits have decommitted and I would not be surprised if a few more decide to leave.

I ask yet again, why are fans and other people mad at these kids? They did nothing wrong. I have told my kids that if they become big time recruits, and someone offers them an ungodly amount of money, take it. They may not have another chance at that kind of money. I have also let them know that if they go to play sports at a school, and the coach gets fired or leaves, they should look elsewhere to finish their college careers. So I have no problem with what these kids at LSU are doing right now. I would love it if some of them were to choose Michigan to finish their college careers. I hope most of them go to another school and thrive. I would love to see a few of them head overseas or go play in the G League if they have the skill. I think the high school kids that decommitted have made the absolute right choice. Now they can reopen their recruitment and find a much, much better fit for their ability.

The transfer portal is there for a reason, and LSU men's basketball is a prime example of why the portal is a good thing. These kids have many better and newer options. They can find places that will hone their skills and help them get better and possibly play at the next level. What has happened at LSU makes me like the transfer portal that much more and makes me believe that it is a great thing for college sports. A lot of people may disagree with me, but hey, I am all for these kids finding the best possible situation for them and their families.

The portal works.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Duke is Going to Win and That Makes Me Sick

I'd really like to do a deep dive into the men's final four today. I would love to break down each team, give reasons as to why I think each could win, what it would take for some upsets, how we got to where we are today and why I think Kansas should be the odds on favorite. I wish that were the case. I wish it were that easy. It is not that easy.

After another weekend of watching games and listening to talking heads and seeing how everything is being called, I think we all know what the outcome is going to be. I mean, CBS, the NCAA, the powers that be in men's college basketball, and a big chunk of the viewing audience wants to see Coach K and Duke win it all. It is his last season. He has been doing a season-long curtain call. The moment he announced he was retiring at the end of this season, I think we all could have foreseen what was going to come. Add on the fact that Duke has yet another great group of five star players on the team, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that they are going to win it all this year.

Also they have the refs completely in their pocket. It is more clear this tournament than in any previous tournament. I watched the Duke-Texas Tech game. I saw Tech jump out to a big double digit lead, only to see it fall off after Duke got every call they could ever want. When that game ended Duke had shot 18 free throws to Tech's 8. So do not tell me that the refs are not doing what they can to make sure Coach K gets this chip. And just doing a bit of a dive on the free throw disparity for Duke, they shot 18 to Arkansas' 11. Against Michigan State, Duke had 21 free throw attempts to MSU's 12. Round 1 was the only close one, Duke had 9 to Cal State Fullerton's 8, but that game was done long before the refs needed to get involved. For those of you doing some quick math, Duke has shot 66 free throws. Their opponents have shot 29. They have double the attempts. I do not care what anyone says, that helps Duke way, way more than their opponents. We also have video evidence of Coach K yukking it up with officials on the sideline and the refs are right there laughing with him. They could not be more overt with their showing of love towards him.

Regardless of what you hear all the time, Coach K is not some kind of pillar of college sports. I have said many times he is a more successful John Calipari. He is just as smarmy and gross. He is a salesman. He is doing things under the table. He chides other teams players when Duke gets beat. He constantly gripes. He, for sure, gave Zion Williamson a good chunk of money to go to Duke. He griped about "one and done", and they became the master of "one and done". I loathe Coach K. And I know that I am not alone. Duke is a great college basketball team, but they are also so easy to root against. They are the Yankees and Patriots of men's college basketball. No one takes anyone that lives outside of North Carolina seriously if they say they are a Duke fan. I know a TON of people who claim to be Duke fans, but only one, a former neighbor of mine, is a true Duke fan. The rest are bandwagon fans. My son is the definition of a Duke fan. He did not care one bit about basketball a year ago. Now he is fully in, and he loves Duke. That is because every time he watches a game all the talking heads talk about what a "great program" they have and how "Coach K is a molder of young men". It drives me nuts. And you better believe I have let my son know how much I despise Duke.

With all this being said, and me going full vitriol and anger this morning, this is my men's final four preview. Duke will win. They will win with ease. If they are ever down in crunch time, the refs and the NCAA will find a way to make it look like they are making a "miraculous" comeback. The tournament is a TV show. Don't forget that. And if this TV show can get Duke to win it all in Coach K's final year, you better damn well believe they will pull out all the stops to make sure that is what will happen. So good job to Villanova, Kansas and UNC for getting this far. But Duke is going to win. I just feel it in my bones.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Gonzaga Once Again Proved That They Are Overrated

I think we are at a point where we can consider Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team a bit overrated.

I watched the games last night, obviously I focused mostly on the Villanova-Michigan game, but I flipped back and forth to the other games. Gonzaga-Arkansas started about a half an hour earlier than Michigan, so the later it got it that game, I paid a little closer attention. Gonzaga never seemed energized last night. From what I saw, I told my dad this, they looked like they thought they could just walk in the gym and win. Arkansas clearly had other plans. Arkansas looked ready to pounce. They also played like they had nothing to lose, which was true. Had they gotten beaten, people would have said of course. But, now that they won, they are the talk of the tournament. They earned the praise.

This seems to happen every single year with Gonzaga. They have wonderful teams that win in the high 20’s and only get beat once or twice during the regular season. They pull in top recruits every year. With the transfer portal as big as it is, they always seem to pull a few good dudes from there too. I’ve said it many times, Gonzaga is not Cinderella. They are a blue blood. They are a college basketball powerhouse. But they cannot find a way to win on the biggest stage. I assumed they had everything they needed to finally win a title this year. They got the top recruit. They got one of the top transfers. They had depth and experience. They played a tough non conference schedule. They played fast, good defense and could shoot from all five positions. But, again, they faltered on a big stage. This happened last season. They needed a miracle from Jalen Suggs in their final four game against UCLA just to make it to the title game. They then proceeded to get crushed by Baylor. But we can go all the way back to 2009 if you really want to take a deep dive. That year they made it to the Elite Eight, only to get beat by 21 to UNC. In 2010, Syracuse beat them by 22 in the Sweet Sixteen. 2011, BYU beat them in the second round by 22. In 2014 Arizona beat them by 23 in the second round. They got back to the Elite Eight in 2015, only to have Duke beat them by 13. In 2017 they made the title game for the first time, but UNC beat them by 6. They also barely beat a low seeded South Carolina team to make it to the title game. Then in 2018 FSU manhandled in the Sweet Sixteen. And Texas Tech took care of them in the Final Four in 2019.

This seems to be the way it is for Gonzaga. They have these great regular season teams, but they always find someway to fall short. And it’s not like they are losing close, heartbreaking games. They usually get destroyed on their way out. Even last night, while the Arkansas win was only by 6 on paper, it may as well have been 10-15. They just had no oomph. And I kind of like Gonzaga. I think Mark Few is a good coach. I grew my hair out like Adam Morrison back when I had hair. I loved Jalen Suggs’ one season there. That Nembhard kid is legit. Chet Holmgren is going to be a top 3 pick. But this team always finds a way to disappoint during March Madness. If I were a true fan, if this was how Michigan basketball performed every season, it would be so maddening.

I’m sure Gonzaga will be highly regarded again next season. I’m sure they’ll be a preseason top 5 team. I’m sure they’ll get top recruits and transfers. But I will not let them fool me again when I fill out my bracket. I promise that. It’s a bummer, but that’s the way it is. Until next season for Gonzaga yet again. Oh boy.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The Big 10 is Doing Just Fine in this Year's Tournament

I spent the last four days watching college basketball, like many other people did. And it was great. There were a ton of close games, there were some blowouts and there were a ton of upsets. I feel like this tournament has had the most upsets ever. It has been crazy. And fun. I've loved watching it. I usually get bored by the middle of day four, but I was all in last night watching TCU and Arizona play a hell of a game.

When I woke up this morning to update my bracket and check the times for the Sweet Sixteen games I was met with an abundance of stories about how poorly the Big 10 has played in the tourney. Everyone is shitting on the Big 10 in fact. I went to SI.com, Bleacher Report, ESPN, all the big publications, and every headline had the Big 10 as the biggest "flop". Journalists and talking heads were destroying the conference. They were having a field day. And when I checked the bracket, only two of the nine teams were left, Purdue and Michigan. So yeah, that is a bummer. But I also took a closer look this morning at matchups and how I personally thought this was going to go.

First off, I am a believer in Purdue. I have them in the final four. I like that team. So to see them here was not a surprise. Michigan, on the other hand, that one has shocked me. That is my team, but I did not expect them to be here. I picked them to beat Colorado State, but I was high on Tennessee. I assumed they would eat their lunch. I had Tennessee in it until they met up with Houston. I am surprised, but also very happy Michigan is here.

As for the seven teams that are done now, there is only one, maybe two teams, I would consider it a "flop". Wisconsin is the main team in this category. They should be in the Sweet Sixteen. They struggled, but ended up pulling away from Colgate in round one. They were gifted Iowa State in round two, but Iowa State showed up and Wisconsin did not. They did not have the refs in their pocket, they missed too many shots and they reverted to the team I thought they would be in the preseason. And Iowa is the other "flop" from the Big 10. They were red hot coming into the tourney, they have a lottery pick on their team and they looked like they could make a deep run. They were a very popular final four pick from their region. But they blew it, and the refs missed a big time call. They never seemed into the game against Richmond, and it cost them. They blew a golden opportunity this season. Outside those teams though, none of the other losses are all that surprising. Indiana won their first four game to play Saint Mary's. But Saint Mary's is a better and deeper team. They won that game with ease, as expected. Michigan State won a close game against Davidson, and then got beat by second seeded Duke in Coach K's last tournament. Illinois got by a very good Chattanooga team, but they were stifled by a much better, and older, Houston team. That Houston team is legit. The University of Ohio State beat everyone's favorite recent Cinderella, Loyola-Chicago in round one, but were downed by a very good Villanova team. They are a two seed. I mean, I get that every Big Ten team that played yesterday, with Purdue being the lone exception, got beat, but it wasn't shocking, outside of Wisconsin. In fact, it was expected. The same thing happened on Saturday as well, except Michigan seemed to stun everyone, including me.

I would think, if the "experts" want to go after a power five conference, and call it a "flop", why not put that on the SEC. They got five teams in, most of them seeded 4 or higher, and they only have one team left. LSU fired their coach right before the tourney, then got beat by Iowa State. Alabama got trounced by Notre Dame. Auburn was absolutely manhandled by Miami last night. That game was never really close. Tennessee, everyone's darling, including mine, was beat by Michigan. People were arguing that Tennessee could be a number 1 seed. And then we have the Kentucky game in round one. I had them in the final four. So did my dad. I know a ton of people who had them in the championship. They were beaten by Saint Peter's, a 15 seed, who is now in the Sweet Sixteen. The only SEC team that is still alive is Arkansas, and they looked real ragged against New Mexico State. That was only one game, but it was a slop fest.

I guess people like to rag on the Big 10 because it is easy and they have not won a men's college basketball title in forever. But I would also think these "experts" would do some research before declaring them a "fraud" or a "flop" of a conference. The Big 10 is tough. There is a reason they got nine teams in the field this year. It is, by no means, a bad conference. The matchups were weird, they favored some other teams and what happened was what a ton of people figured would happen. The simple fact is, the Big 10 has as many teams left as the Pac 12 and Big East. They only have one less than the ACC and Big 12. And they have one more team left than the "mighty" SEC. The bad talk on the Big 10 is just a bit overblown at this point. Maybe all these "hot takes" need to stop and some research needs to be done. That is all I ask as a fan of a Big 10 team. Just put a little time into something before blurting it out of typing it into Twitter or Facebook. Just calm down a bit.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Watches Day One of the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

I spent the majority of my day watching the men's NCAA basketball tournament opening round, and it was glorious. I do not have some kind of list, or a group of losers and winners, or who upped their draft value for you all today. Quite the opposite in fact. I want to talk about the pure joy and agony and fun I had watching games, and seeing the return of fans to March Madness.

The day started at 11:15am for me, as that was when Michigan tipped off. They struggled in the first half, turned it on in the second half and pulled away for a 12 point win to advance. I was stoked. I was also surprised to continuously hear how the tourney started off with an upset. All the stuff I read favored Michigan, and most pundits picked Michigan. But where the seeding landed, it was, technically, an upset. Michigan was an 11 and Colorado State was a 6. This is one of the things I love most about March Madness, the upsets, and there were plenty yesterday.

After the Michigan game I went on a run and recorded a podcast, but all the while I was checking scores. I kept looking in on Boise State and Memphis. I like Memphis and Penny Hardaway, so I was pulling for them, and they won. Baylor had no problem with the 16 seed they played. I was big on South Dakota State, but Providence proved why they were the Big East regular season champs, and locked the Jackrabbits up. Michigan's next opponent, Tennessee, cruised to a win in round one. I suggest people go look up the highlight reel play by their point guard as well.

During the Tennessee game we had our first big time upset of the day. Richmond beat Iowa. Iowa came in red hot, winning the Big 10 tourney, but Richmond scrapped and clawed, and with a little help from the officials, they pulled off the win. Being a fan of a Big 10 team I was bummed for the conference. But, I despise Iowa, so it wasn't all bad. And that video of the Richmond head coach's son in awe, that was incredible. That is what makes March Madness so wonderful and fun and agonizing.

In other games, Gonzaga struggled for a half, but woke up and won with ease. UNC demolished Marquette. It was dope to see a blue blood like UNC win that big in the tourney.

The night games were the best of the day. I had a track club meeting, but as soon as I got home I turned on the TV and watched games until I went to bed. Saint Mary's-Indiana was the only blowout too, making the games even better. New Mexico State beat UCONN. Their two guard scored 37 and was letting UCONN know it. This was a classic 12 over 5 upset we get every year in the tourney. Creighton made a big comeback and won in OT. They had a big run to tie it in the first half, and a big run to close it out in OT. Vermont and Arkansas went back and forth. That was a fun, up and down the floor game. Murray State and San Francisco was a joy to behold. This was, probably, the best offensive game of the day. Both teams were hitting tough shot after tough shot. It was dope. KU did what they were supposed to do. Akron gave UCLA all they could handle. UCLA did not look loose like they did last year, and Akron struck, they just could not hold on in the end.

The game of the night, and the whole day for that matter, was St Peter's and Kentucky. This was back and forth. There were a tremendous amount of lead changes. I do not think any team held a double digit lead. The stars for each team showed out. But in the end, due to Kentucky's lack of making free throws, St Peter's pulled the upset. A 15 seed beat a 2. It barely happens, but it did last night. And while it crushed my bracket, I do not care one bit. This is what I love about March Madness. These teams going out there and giving it their all. Both teams left it all on the floor. And seeing the fans reaction, that was priceless. The camera would cut to Kentucky fans and they were crying. Then they'd cut to St Peter's fans and they were euphoric. This is what makes this tournament the absolute best.

College sports has its problems, but they got this one right. March Madness is a perfect sporting event. It has everything a sports fan could ever want. It is the purest form of competition and it is a total blast to watch. I will jump up and down and yell at the TV, and the teams playing, I have zero allegiance to whatsoever. That is why I love the tourney so much. And after two years of no fans, it is kind of cool to see people cheering their teams on in person. It adds so much. I hope the rest of the tourney lives up to day one. It will be tough to do, but if any sporting competition can do it, this is the one. I love March Madness. This truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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The Lakers are Not a Good Basketball Team

Prior to the start of this NBA season I wrote my big preview where I rank all the teams. I had the Lakers near the top, somewhere within the top 10 I believe. I had faith that they were going to be a good regular season team, then due to the age on their roster, they would tire out and fall in the second round of the playoffs. I assumed with guys like AD, Carmelo, Russ and Dwight Howard, they would win somewhere between 45-50 games. I think I had them as a 3 or 4 seed.

Well, the Lakers have not been a good regular season team. Where we sit right now, with about 15 games left, the Lakers are 11 games under .500 with a record of 29-40. I read a stat this morning that said, "when LeBron doesn't score 50 points, the Lakers are 0-9 since the all star break". That is brutal. This team looks like they have straight up quit on the season. I watched a bit of the Toronto game the other night, and that thing was never in doubt. It got so bad that on one particular defensive possession, the Raptors were able to get to the basket unimpeded while the Lakers pointed and yelled at one another. In that same game, LeBron blasted a ball off of Scottie Barnes' face. Last night, they were playing so bad that Pat Beverly openly called them trash and held his nose as if to say they were playing so bad that it smelled inside the arena. The Timberwolves are having a good season, but they won by 20, over a LeBron James led team.

It has just not been happening for the Lakers all year. There has never been a moment watching them this season where I thought that they had it figured out. LeBron can only do so much, and while it is a ton, he is old and getting older. Anthony Davis is never healthy. Even when he plays he looks hurt. And all that shit he talked about Phoenix, that is ridiculous nonsense coming from a guy that is barely ever on the floor. Russell Westbrook has been a disaster. I love Russ too. He is my guy. But the fit on this Lakers team is just not there. He is not great without the ball in his hands, and asking him to be a spot up shooter is taking away everything that has made him so wonderful as a basketball player. Carmelo Anthony has been a zero for this team. When the Rockets beat the Lakers the other night, Jalen Green was asked by a reporter what the game plan was in the second half, and he said, "attack Melo". I mean, that speaks volumes. They have since cut DeAndre Jordan, but who cares. Dwight Howard barely plays. Austin Reaves is an okay shooter, but he is not going to win them any games. Stanley Johnson has played better, but nowhere near the lottery pick he was. And Malik Monk does not get enough touches. Also, Frank Vogel has made some head scratching coaching decisions this year. And when this team did nothing at the trade deadline, that was a sign to me that they were going to go in the tank. The front office essentially told LeBron and Klutch Sports, this is the team you wanted, so this is the team you are going to finish the season with.

That brings up another thing that bugs me as a basketball fan and a LeBron fan. I adore LeBron. I think he is the second greatest player of all time. I bought into the hype when he was a senior in high school. I was all in. But this is the team he wanted, the team he assembled, and now he is openly complaining to the media that it is not his fault this team is so bad? That is nuts. They could have had Buddy Hield, but LeBron wanted Russ. They could have kept Alex Caruso, but the front office wouldn't pay him and they went with Carmelo. They brought Dwight back and signed Deandre Jordan because he and LeBron have a friendship. Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn are Klutch clients I believe, so signing them wasn't even a second thought. This is just a very, very poorly constructed basketball team. They are too old. They have too many guys that need the ball in their hands to be effective. Their star big man cannot stay on the floor. They play poor defense. Everyone gives into whatever LeBron tells them to do.

The Lakers are a mess, hell, a tire fire. They might sneak into the play-in, but I would not be shocked if they get shellacked by the Pelicans or Timberwolves or, hell, even Portland. This has been a mess of a year for LeBron and the Lakers. And all this finger pointing needs to be directed at themselves. The media didn't bring this team together, LeBron and the front office did. The media isn't forcing Westbrook to airball wide open threes. The media didn't injure AD. The media is not the reason Melo has never been a good defensive player. It is the players and the people in charge. But man oh man is this team bad. And it is wild to see a LeBron led team give up before the season is even over. I hope they haven't, and they can still make a run to get in the playoffs. But the way they have looked since the all star break tells a story of a team quitting, or not even trying. That bums me out.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty's 2022 Men's College Basketball Tournament Preview

The men's and women's NCAA basketball brackets are out now. I am going to do my men's preview today, but I do want it to be known that I am super stoked and ready to root for Michigan's women's team, who got a 3 seed and host two games. Go Blue! But how I will do my preview today, I will pick the four winners of each region, a surprise team in each region, the title game matchup, winner and the player of the tournament. As for "snubs" or whatever, I do think Texas A&M deserved to get in after they made a run to the SEC title game and I do think Tennessee should have been a 2 and not a 3. Other than that, it seems like the committee got something right for once in their lives. You can disagree with me, but this definitely seems like the proper 68 teams to have in the tourney this season. Anyway, let's get to it.

I'll start in the West, which has the overall number 1 seed, Gonzaga. The Zags are no longer Cinderella. They are the best team in college basketball. They have been all year. They have two guys that could win player of the year. They played a tougher out of conference schedule. They are built for March. And I do think they will roll to the final four in this region. The only real threat I could see is maybe Duke or Texas Tech. Duke is very good, they have beaten Gonzaga once already this year, but they are young and they have yet to put together a real full game. Tech is old and rugged, but they will not be able to slow down the Zgas, or even if they do, the Zags can run their offense in the half court through Drew Timme, and they will be just fine. The Zags will also have a tough second round matchup with either Boise State or Memphis, but they should get through that pretty unscathed. As far as my "sleeper" team, I have to go with Davidson. They can score in bunches, are older and are a pretty well oiled machine. I think they will get by Michigan State in round one, give Duke a scare, and if they win that game, I could see them play Gonzaga in the Elite Eight before their season ends.

Onto the East. Baylor is the number 1 seed here. While not the elite level team they were last year, they are still very good and play very good defense. Unfortunately their lack of outside shooting will be the downfall in their effort to win back to back titles. I love Saint Mary's here. They are so solid, play very well on both ends of the floor and beat Gonzaga once and took them to the wire a second time. I also really like Kentucky. John Calipari has a great collection of older and younger talent. Oscar Tshibewe is going to win player of the year, and he deserves it. TyTy Washington is a very good floor general. They have shooting and play good defense. But I think this is where the Big 10 gets a final four team. I have faith, maybe too much, in Purdue. They seemingly have everything you could want in a college team. Depth, size, scoring from everywhere. Purdue is good, and I have them making it out of the East. As for my "sleeper", I like Murray State to win their opener, and put a very real scare into Kentucky before bowing out.

Now let's go to the Midwest. Kansas is the 1, and they should get to the final four with almost as much ease as I expect Gonzaga to out West. Kansas is so good, so deep, so talented, they have it all. They also have an awesome coaching staff. This KU team, on paper, is too good to sabotage itself. I do like Auburn, although I despise their coach. Jabari Smith could be the number one pick in the upcoming draft, and Walker Kessler may be the best transfer in the nation. They also have good guards on this team. Iowa is red hot coming into the tourney, and Keegan Murray is playing like a lottery pick. Wisconsin has kind of fluttered near the end, but Johnny Davis is amazing. And USC has size and length everywhere on the floor. But KU is the team to beat here. They should coast to the final four. As for my "sleeper" here, I have South Dakota State. They lead the country in scoring, they make a ton of threes and they have incredible camaraderie. They are a very, very good mid-major, and they can make a push to the Sweet Sixteen and it would not surprise me.

Finally, we have the South. Arizona is the 1 here, and they have come out of nowhere to win 31 games and coast into the tournament. They also won the Pac 12 tourney. They also have a few pros on their team. They are really, really good. They also got a very tough draw. Villanova is the 2, and they are as solid as they come. Tennessee is the 3, and they had a shot to be a number 1 seed in some brackets. Illinois is the 4 and they have one of the biggest, and most skilled big men I have ever watched. And Houston is a 5, and they are so, so, so good. I'd love to pick another Big 10 team, but I do not have that much faith in Illinois unfortunately. But, kind of out of the box, but not really, I like Houston to make a run to the final four. They just seem due. Kelvin Sampson has rebuilt that program and they have been knocking on the door the past couple of years. As for my "sleeper", I have Chattanooga. They are built like a power 5 team that just happens to play in a mid-major conference. I do think they will beat Illinois in round one and they will be the only real scare Houston gets before they make their run. And, I would be remiss if I did not talk about Michigan getting the 11 seed here. I am stunned they got in. I am even more shocked they do not have to play a first four game. They have been wildly consistent all season, yet they are in the dance. And I could even see them winning their first game against Colorado State. They actually kind of matchup well with that team. I think they will get hammered by Tennessee if they win that first game. But it would be exactly how their up and down season should, and most likely will end.

So, my final four is Gonzaga, Purdue, Kansas and Houston. That is two power 5 teams and two mid-majors, although I think we all can agree that Gonzaga is a legit title contender. They should be the favorites. As for my title game, I am going with Gonzaga and Kansas. They have just looked and felt like the two best teams all year. As for the winner, this is the year that the Zags will finally break through and win it all. They are too talented and too well coached not to. I also think they learned a lot from getting annihilated by Baylor last season. As for the player of the tournament, I will go with presumed number 1 pick Chet Holmgen. I have a feeling he will bust out in a big way.

There you have it, my NCAA men's basketball tournament preview. As I say every year, take this with a big grain of salt. The games start in a few days, and I cannot wait. Happy March Madness everyone.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ben Simmons is Soft

I was really hoping that I was going to get to see the debut of Ben Simmons this season tonight when the Nets play the 76ers. Unfortunately, he has been ruled out with a "back injury". Earlier this week he also filed a grievance against the 76ers organization. And, as of this morning, he was apparently harassed outside of his hotel room in Philadelphia. There is a ton of stuff to unpack here, but the one thing this truly screams to me, Ben Simmons is soft.

First off, Philly fans need to chill the hell out. Without Simmons this team would not have risen as fast as they did. Sure he is a very bad shooter, but what he does on the defensive end of the floor is amazing. He is one of the premiere defenders in the league. He can guard all five positions. He helped push that team to the one seed last season and he was crucial to them going down in the bubble when he got hurt. Simmons did some good things while in Philly. I know the fans are mad at him, or whatever, but they have to admit that he was a crucial player up until this season.

This offseason, and where we are now has really shown me a lot, mainly the fact that he is, as I said before, soft. Something went haywire in his brain during the conference finals last season, and instead of owning up to it and making a real effort to get better, he went on the defensive and blamed everyone but himself. I don't blame Doc Rivers for saying he did not know if Simmons could be the point guard of a title contender. He was asked a question in the heat of the moment and he answered truthfully. Rivers messed up by saying he never said that, but, again, I do not disagree with his original statement. I also do not blame Joel Embiid for questioning Simmons' heart and effort. Embiid, when healthy, is a legit MVP candidate. I'd vote for him this season for sure. He has more than proved that this is his team, especially this season with Simmons not playing. The 76ers are the two or three seed in the East, Embiid has kept them afloat, and now that he has Harden as a willing and capable teammate, he looks so much better. Embiid is the 76ers guy. Simmons was never going to be the 76ers guy. I think he knew that, and so did his agency, and that was why, instead of just taking the much deserved heat, he went on the defensive and refused to play until he was traded.

Then we had the video of him reporting to practice, but not paying any attention. He was on his phone, he was not doing drills and he looked like he quit. Then he said he had mental issues to work out. I will never question anyone who says they have mental stuff to work out. I have lived every day of my life with real bad OCD and anxiety. I have been taking medication for 20 plus years now because of my mental stuff. But Simmons seems to be using it as a crutch. Philly's front office offered to get him help, and he refused. He would then go out and do things that people with real mental issues just do not do. I hope he is seeing someone now to get real help, but I also think this was another way to deflect the attention off of his selfishness.

When he was finally traded, he never did what a lot of players do now by saying goodbye to the city that drafted him. He did the opposite. He filed a grievance against the team. He is making it all about him yet again. He is acting like a selfish, spoiled, soft little baby. He has always been coddled, and now that he is a professional, and that stuff doesn't fly as well, he is reverting back to tendencies you see from spoiled little kids. He got his way. He got what he wanted. The Nets are even letting him sit out the game in Philly tonight because we all know Simmons is deathly afraid to go out there and make a mistake. They can say it is injury related all they want, but he is scared. Go and watch what Stephen A Smith had to say about him. I'm not a Smith guy, but he knows Philly sports from covering them for years, and he was right on the money in his assessment of Simmons at the moment. He has wasted a year of his prime to "prove a point". Yet we do not know what type of player we will see when he comes back. Will he still be an incredible defensive player? Can he run the fast break? How will he play with sharp shooters surrounding him? What is going to happen in the playoffs when teams start daring him to shoot, or start intentionally fouling him to put him at the line? How is his mentality going to hold up to that much pressure? There are far, far too many questions right now.

I used to like Simmons. I thought it was rad to see a 6'10 guy run the point. But I have lost any respect I used to have for him after seeing his attitude and reaction to the dreadful playoff performance last season. It is never his fault, he puts the blame on everyone else. He is soft. He is coddled. And he may be done as a prime time NBA player. I guess we will have to wait until he is less scared to see if he can still play this game at the highest level. That is a real shame.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Let's Talk About Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson

Two big time QB's made big decisions on their future yesterday. It is time to discuss.

First I want to talk about that punk Aaron Rodgers. He completely fleeced the Packers. He acted like a malcontent, a whiner, he played awful in their playoff game and he moaned and groaned about "cancel culture" and "the woke media" all season long. He openly lied to the media, he used meaningless words prior to the year, and when he got caught, he went on defense. He never directly answered any questions about his blatant lying, he yelled at anyone that disagreed with him and he acted like a spoiled child. But the Packers gave into his childish behavior and awarded him a humongous extension.

Rodgers is going to sign a four year 200 million dollar deal. This is asinine to me. He is too old, on the wrong side of his prime, not the reason why the Packers are in contention anymore and has handcuffed the future of the team. This is akin to when the Lakers gave Kobe Bryant a big extension when he was old and coming off a torn ACL. While I do not think the Packers will fade as fast as that Lakers team, I do not have a good feeling about this deal for the future of the Packers. But the people who make the decisions in Green Bay gave that malcontent exactly what he wanted in the end.

This is a classic example of a spoiled rotten kid getting his way. I would never buy one of my kids a toy if they acted like Rodgers did at all last season. They would be grounded and told what they did was selfish and wrong. They would have to own up to their mistakes. But Green Bay just rewarded his bad behavior because they are afraid of being a basement dweller for a few seasons.

I really despise this deal. I wish the Packers would have just moved on. I would really like to say I am going to switch allegiances, but I am so far in the bag for this team, so I honestly do not know who I will root for this upcoming NFL season. At least I still have the Wolverines to root for in college football.

Not to be outdone, the Seahawks made a tremendously big trade later in the day after the Packers gave Rodgers his new deal. Seattle traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos for Drew Lock, Noah Fant, Shelby Harris and five draft picks. The Broncos get Wilson and a fourth round pick. Wow.

It was no secret that the Broncos were in the market for an upgrade at the QB position. They were hot on Aaron Rodgers. I heard they were going to trade up in the draft to take a QB. I heard they were going to get involved with some backups on other teams. In the end though, they ended up with Wilson, which is a homerun.

I have made no bones about my dislike for Wilson, but he is a damn good QB. The only reason the Seahawks were relevant after their couple of Super Bowl appearances was the play of Wilson. He was the engine that ran that offense. He had no o line help, and not a very good run game behind him, yet he put up incredible stats, and until last season, had the Seahawks in, or in the hunt for the playoffs every season. He is the type of QB that can truly make a team better by simply being on the roster. He has more than earned his spot among the top five QB's in the NFL. He is very, very good. And I do think he will help the Broncos mightily on the offensive side of the ball. He has some good young weapons on the outside, and a solid running back by committee group in the backfield. The Broncos o line is far superior to anything the Seahawks ever had while Wilson was there. The Broncos also hired Nathinel Hackett, who was the Packers offensive coordinator, and he has a good mind for running a modern NFL offense. Where the trade doesn't help is the Broncos defense. They need to get better on that side of the ball, but their offense is in very capable hands now.

The Seahawks were able to get a fortune for Wilson, and that should help their rebuild go much faster. I was never a believer in Drew Lock, so if I were the Seahawks, I'd use one of those picks on a QB to build around. I do really like the addition of Fant. He is a great pass catching tight end, and putting him next to DK Metcalf will cause matchup nightmares for opponents. I know nothing of the other guy in the trade. But that amount of picks, that is how to rebuild fast in the NFL. The Seahawks have an OKC Thunder amount of picks. They will be able to take a lot of swings, and a good amount of those will mostly hit.

I feel like both teams got a very solid deal in this trade. I think the Broncos immediately become a playoff contender and the Seahawks will be able to keep some continuity and rebuild much faster than other teams. So while I loathe the Rodgers extension, I like the trade between the Seahawks and Broncos.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches the 2022 NBA All Star Weekend

Let's talk about the NBA all star weekend now. I

want to get the boring or not so good things out of the way first. The celebrity game was so bad that I tuned out after a few minutes. My son stayed with it a bit longer, but even though he is ten and currently obsessed with basketball, turned it off before halftime. He came upstairs in our house and exclaimed, "what a terrible game that was". Again, he is ten. The one cool thing is my wife knew about the MVP of the game, Alex Toussaint, because she rides a Peloton and does some of his classes. Other than that, it was rough stuff. And then we have the dunk contest. This year was real bad. So was last year. The past two dunk contests have reminded me of the post Vince Carter, pre Zach Lavine and Aaron Gordon dunk contests. There were way too many misses, way too many free attempts, dunks that were amazing, but not as great as some other things I have seen and it took far too long. Go look up the picture of Shaq watching the dunk contest this year and that sums it up perfectly. It was bad. I was also very confused by the skills competition. I usually like this portion of the weekend, but the scoring was weird, the teams were off and it was all around confusing. I did like the passing thing and the obstacle course, but the half court shot was not needed, and the shooting from different areas for different amounts of points, I could have done without that. But it was dope to see Evan Mobley and Darius Garland perform really well.

Let's get to some of the better aspects of the weekend. Even though the top 75 draft was like watching paint dry, it was rad to hear former greats talk about other greats and what made them so great. Dominique Wilkins messed up by not picking Jordan first overall, but that is besides the point. It was neat to hear them all go into great detail about what made these players so great. I also liked the three point contest. The three point contest can drag from time to time, but seeing Karl Anthony Towns go far, and then win it all, that was pretty great. The other competitors did solid, but KAT crushed, and it was dope to see a big man win it for once. I also liked the new format of the rising stars game. It was a neat way to switch it up a bit. Change can be good, and this was a very solid change and I hope they continue to roll with it this way going forward.

Finally we have the actual game. The closer to the whole weekend. The game itself was kind of blah for the entirety of the first half. There was no defense, tons of scoring and dunks galore. I did love the dunks. It was incredible to see these guys do some amazing athletic feats. I especially loved seeing Ja Morant do two 360 dunks. It was also amazing to watch Steph hit eight threes in the first half. Steph usually does not bring it in all star games. But I think the fact that he has been in a minor slump for a bit, and that the Cleveland crowd booed him, he decided he was going to bring it. He hit eight more threes in the second half and made a two pointer and ended the night with 50. Giannis also scored 30. LeBron was in the mid 20's. There were a lot of points being scored by the biggest names in the league right now. It was wild. And then, with the Elam Ending in place, that makes the final quarter so much fun to watch. It was a nail biter, each team traded baskets and the ending was almost too perfect. LeBron hit a fadeaway jumper, in Cleveland, after making comments about how he was not closing the door on returning there to end his career. It was awesome.

The NBA all star weekend has some things they need to work out, namely the dunk contest, but the game, especially with the Elam Ending, has been really fun for the last three seasons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Juwan Howard Should Be Severely Punished, Not Fired, for His Actions

The NBA all star weekend will have to wait until tomorrow. Today I have to talk about the unfortunate incident that happened at the end of the Wisconsin-Michigan basketball game yesterday.

This was a somewhat easy win for Wisconsin, with Michigan going ice cold in the second half. Wisconsin won, won with ease and put a dent into Michigan's tournament hopes. Near the end of the game Wisconsin called a timeout, up 14 points, while Michigan still had a few starters in, and they were pressing, with about 10 seconds left in the game. I feel like both head coaches made a mistake here. Michigan should not have been pressing. They were down, they had no chance to win and the starters should have been out. Wisconsin had the win in hand, they could have let the clock run and there was no need to even worry about using a pointless timeout that late in the game. None of this is against the actual rules, but it is part of the unwritten rules in the world of sports. Each coach made multiple unwritten rule mistakes.

During the handshakes at the end of the game, which I was totally happy not having last season due to COVID, Juwan Howard tried to quickly walk past Greg Gard to avoid letting his temper get the best of him. Howard was, for some reason, fuming about the late timeout. And I guess when Howard walked by Gard he said, "I will remember this shit". That was not needed. But Gard grabbed Howard, I guess to try and explain. Again, that was not needed. Things just escalated from there. When Gard grabbed at Howard and stopped him, Howard went off. He started to yell and grab at Gard and the other Wisconsin coaches. It got to the point where the players got involved. People were gathering in a big circle and yelling at one another. At one point Howard open palm slapped a Wisconsin assistant coach. Then players, pretty much all Michigan players, threw punches. Howard had to be pulled back by some of his players. Moussa Dibate and Terrance Williams threw hands. The players and coaches all moved the big circle back and forth, and things were eventually settled.

After the game each coach gave their side of the story and every single website and sports app in the world had their own personal take. I sat and stewed in it for a while. At first I just kind of forgot about it. Then I thought some more about it. Then I slept on it. And then my dad and I texted about it this morning.

I believe that there needs to be punishment handed down, and it needs to be stern. After the football offseason and this basketball incident, Warde Manuel, Michigan's AD, needs to flex his muscles. It has not been great to be a Michigan fan the past couple months, what with Harbaugh openly flirting with the NFL, the basketball team struggling and now this post game handshake incident. Howard needs to be suspended, maybe for the rest of the season, including the Big Ten tournament, and any postseason tournament they may get invited to. Howard also needs to feel the punishment in his wallet. The fine should be pretty significant. I'm thinking, at the low end, at least 20,000 dollars. My dad also brought up that maybe they should send Howard to anger management, I hadn't thought of that, but it seems like a good idea, being this is not the first time Howard has gotten physical with another coach. Whatever it may be, the punishment needs to leave a mark.

As for the people saying Howard should be fired, that is nonsense. These things do happen, and this is not even close to the worst thing that has happened on a college basketball floor. Let us not forget about Bobby Knight throwing a chair or grabbing a player by the throat. Or the time Coach K openly chastised Dillon Brooks for shooting a late 3 in a tournament game that ended Duke's season. We have all the off field stuff with Iowa football last season, and Kirk Ferentz did not even miss a game. Howard putting his hands on another coach is very, very wrong, and needs to be addressed. But there is no world in which he deserves to lose his job. He is having a rough year, he let his emotions get the best of him and he will most likely pay a heavy price. But lose his job? Come on. That is too, too far. But he does deserve a swift and painful punishment. This is also a chance for Warde Manuel to hit the reset button and show the coaches of the sports teams that they work for him, not the other way around.

Yesterday was a bad game marred with a horrible on court incident involving the head coach of the basketball team. Now we wait to see what Howard's punishment will actually be.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Zion is Hurt Again and That Sucks

It looks as if Zion Williamson is going to miss all of the 21-22 NBA season. It is being reported that he may need a second surgery on his ankle, or some lower body part needed to play basketball at a high level.

This really bums me out. I am trying to be more upbeat this year, but after hearing this news the other day, I have to talk about it. I like Zion. I am not a Duke fan, but I watched them play when Zion was there. I am not a New Orleans Pelicans fan, but I watched when Zion was playing. But now, with multiple injuries and missing time here and there and having his minutes restricted when he was playing, it just seems like Zion is going to go down as one of the biggest what ifs in the history of the NBA.

There are some reports saying that he might not need the surgery, that it is too soon to tell, but come on, we have seen this story before. And that is what scares me most about this new report. Zion was THE can't miss prospect when he entered the draft three years ago. He was supposed to be the most sure pick since LeBron. He was going to save the Pelicans, being that they had just traded Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Teaming him up with Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart was going to make this one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA for years to come. Hell, I was laughed at and chastised by RD for ranking Ja Morant ahead of Zion in my pre draft write up that year. Who is laughing now RD? HAHAHAHAHA. But I digress. I bought into the Zion hype. I am super pumped that Morant is as great as he is this early in his career, but I looked at the possibility of him and Zion being the next 1-2 punch in the league. It was going to be super dope to see these two extremely skilled and hyper athletic athletes go head to head for years and years to come. But while Ja has stayed relatively healthy, the same cannot be said for Zion. His rookie year he played in only 24 games. Those 24 games were spellbounding, with some nutjobs claiming he should be ROTY, clearly Ja deserved and won it. But he looked great. But he was also playing garbage time for a team well out of the playoff race by then. He missed far too much time, and we should have seen that as a sign. But in the 2020 season he played in 61 games. He seemed like he was in decent shape. He was playing the point at times for the Pelicans. He was putting up double doubles with ease. It looked like we were going to get the greatness we all expected.

Then the pandemic hit. There was a two month layoff. And when the NBA decided to do the bubble, Zion looked disinterested and out of shape. Something seemed off. The Pelicans could have made the playoffs, but they went home after eight subpar games. Then talks started that he was unhappy, that he was going to ask for a trade, that he wanted to be in a bigger market. But then when the season started, Zion was hurt again. He was going to miss a few weeks. The few weeks turned into a month. Then came a surgery that has kept him out. There were also some photos surfacing of him shooting around before a game, and he looked big. I get that people can doctor photos, and I do not like my picture taken, but Zion has always been a big dude, and he looked real big in these photos. That was the one knock on him coming into the NBA, that he was going to have to lose weight. And it seems like he has not taken on that role yet. I get it. I'm a big guy too, and food is delicious, but I am not a professional athlete who has gobs of money at my disposal and can hire people to help keep me in shape. Yet I have found ways to lose weight and keep it off. To this point in the season, Zion has played zero games. And with this new news it seems like he is going to miss the entirety of the regular season. And I think fans and other people involved with the NBA are starting to move on.

I hope I am wrong and I hope he comes back stronger than ever next year. But we are in year three and he has only played 85 career games. That scares me. I cannot imagine how scared Pelicans fans and their front office are right now. I hope the news is wrong. I hope he does not have to get surgery, or if he does, it is very minor. I hope he comes back and is as ferocious a dunker and rebounder as he was before. I want the best for him because, as a selfish NBA fan, I want to see him dominate. But at this rate it seems more likely that he retires sooner than expected and we talk about Zion as what could have been. That would stink. I hope I am wrong.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Watches the 2022 Super Bowl

I watched the Super Bowl last night, obviously, and I was happy that we got yet another close, down to the wire playoff game. As I say all the time now, the NFL is gross and disgusting and abhorrent and racist, but damn if these playoffs weren't fun as hell. I wait until the playoffs to watch the NFL regularly, and I was very, very pleased with the outcome this season. Going into the Super Bowl, I was not a fan of either team, but I do not actively dislike either team. Each team has dudes I like and dislike. Each team is kind of fun in their own way. Each team has some solid dudes on the team. So watching the game last night, it was fun to see a good game and not have any real stakes involved. I was simply watching as a fan of football. And the game itself did not disappoint.

In the first quarter it looked like the Rams might run away with the game. They scored an easy TD on their first drive, and OBJ had a dope ass TD celebration. I'm not a big fan of celebrations, but when OBJ busted out the moonwalk a smile came across my face. The Bengals answered with a field goal. But just a few drives later the Rams scored yet again, with Matt Stafford hitting a wide open Cooper Kupp in the endzone to push the lead to 13-3. The Rams did miss the extra point, but it seemed like they had all the momentum. But then the Bengals did what they have done all playoffs. They put together a real solid drive. They mixed the pass and the run. Joe Burrow found guys open. Joe Mixon was hitting holes. JaMarr Chase and Tyler Boyd found open spots in the zone defense. And then they ran a trick play, a running back toss pass, and Mixon hit Tee Higgins in the back of the endzone. We had a game. They went to half with the Rams up 13-10.

The halftime was everything I hoped it would be. I am 39 years old, I have listened to hip hop since I was 10, so this halftime show, I feel, was made for someone like me. Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg opened with their classic hits. I was already on board. Then Mary J Blige came out and busted some of her classics. Then we got my favorite, Kendrick Lamar, and he was the cream of the crop for me. And then we got Eminem and Dre doing their thing. It was rad. They crushed. I loved that Eminem took a knee while Dre played piano. When they all joined the middle stage to close the show, I was extremely happy with what I just witnessed. It was one of the best halftime shows I have seen, It kept my attention and I was fully enthralled the entire time. It ruled. Then the second half started.

The Bengals came out and scored on, I believe, the very first play from scrimmage. Burrow hit a wide open Tee Higgins for a 75 yard TD. The replay showed Higgins getting away with an incidental facemask, and he waltzed into the endzone. The Bengals had the lead. They had turned the tide. They would go on to intercept Stafford about two plays later, and they looked like they were going to go up double figures. The Rams defense had other plans. This was when they started to attack the O line and Burrow. They stopped the Bengals on three straight plays and held them to a field goal. That was a big boost for them at that moment. The Bengals could have been up 24-13, but the Rams held strong and it was only a 20-13 lead. Both offenses kind of stalled out for a bit, with the Rams able to muster a field goal to make the score 20-16. The fourth quarter was very fun. There was only one score, but the stakes made each possession fun to watch. The Bengals would drive, but stall. The same could be said about the Rams. There were punts, but with each drop back or run, it felt like something big could happen. With about six minutes left the Rams had the ball and they were down 4. They proceeded to march down the field. I was actually frustrated with the Bengals because they were not really guarding Cooper Kupp, and with OBJ out, the Rams were force feeding Kupp the ball. They abandoned the run and it seemed like Stafford was told to only throw to Kupp. And it worked. They got down in the red zone and this was when the refs decided to get involved. They made a very bad pass interference call on a third and goal. They then called bad offsetting penalties. Then they penalized the Bengals again for a very minor PI call. It was rough to see the refs decide, this late in the game, that it was time to get involved. They let them play until that moment. After the third straight penalty, Stafford dropped back on second and goal and connected with Kupp yet again to take the lead. It was a good throw and an even better catch. It was wild. But the Bengals did have time and two timeouts. They got the ball and made their move to midfield. With under a minute left Burrow connected with Boyd for a 9 yard gain. They ran on second and 1 and got stopped. They then went out of shotgun and ran again and Aaron Donald stuffed the running back. On fourth down, with a short yard needed, I figured they would try the QB sneak. I understand their O line is bad, but I figured they could get the three necessary feet easily. Instead they went in shotgun and called a pass play. And of course Aaron Donald grabbed Burrow and forced him to make a wild throw that fell incomplete.

The game was over. The Rams were the champ. They sacked Burrow seven times. They got the stops when they needed to. They brought in and signed all kinds of big name guys. Cooper Kupp was the rightful MVP. It worked. The Rams turned into the Yankees, and this season it paid off. My hat is off to them. It is also off to the Bengals. These teams more than earned their spot in the Super Bowl, and they played a great game on the biggest stage. I had a blast watching the game, and with the added awesomeness of that halftime show, this was a very good game. Congrats to the Rams, and hopefully we will see both of these continue to be contenders for the next couple of seasons because they are both fun teams. With all this being said, this was a good close to the football season. Now we wait until the fall for more.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Seedsing's Super Bowl 56 Predictions

Who Dey

The Super Bowl is two days away, and I am kind of excited. As I have said before, the NFL is abhorrent, but these playoffs have been an absolute blast. There have been upsets, super close finishes, many overtime games and two new teams.

I did not see the Bengals or the Rams being here, but hey, that is why you play the games. The Rams seem like less of a surprise, but the Bengals are way, way more fun. They are young, confident, fun and easy to root for. The Rams are a team that has bought and paid for super star players. They are in it to win it this year. They are the Yankees of the NFL. I am actively rooting for the Bengals. I want them to win. I want my nephew to feel the euphoria, I want long suffering Bengals fans to gloat, I want to see Joe Burrow and JaMarr Chase win the damn thing, I just want the Bengals to win. But I am a little nervous that it might not happen.

When looking at these two teams they could not be more different. The Rams, as previously stated, were built to compete right away. They have the big names. They have the "sexy" head coach. They got a legit QB. They have a solid defense. They play modern football. The Bengals are different. They are young, They are inexperienced. They did not expect to be here. They are essentially playing with house money. They are fun.

The Rams are favored, and they should be, but do not get it twisted, the Bengals earned this spot. But the Rams seemed destined to win this game. Matthew Stafford is playing the best football of his career this season. He has been on the mark. He is in control of the offense. He is getting a world of help from his O line, Cam Akers, Sony Michel, Tyelr Higbee, Cooper Kuup and Odell Beckham Jr. He had one of the greatest to play in Detroit when they drafted Calvin Johnson, but this is the best collection of offensive talent he has been around. And the Rams defense may be even better. Aaron Donald is the best D lineman in the league. Hell, he may be the best player in the NFL. He is going to be a hall of famer, and he is the GOAT D lineman right now. They were able to trade for Von Miller, and that has only cemented this team as quite possibly the best pass rushing team in the league. And then they have Jalen Ramsey in the secondary to absolutely lock down the other team's best receiver. They have dudes all over the field that just know what they are doing, and they do it at a very, very high level.

The Bengals have some of the best young talent. Joe Burrow is the future at QB. He will be the face of the league at some point. JaMarr Chase has shut everyone up, including me, and is the best young receiver in the game. Teaming him up with Burrow was genius. They have a ton of options out of the backfield. They are a good offense that can be explosive. Just ask the Chiefs. The defense does not have any big name players, but they do their job to near perfection when their backs are against the wall. They shut down Mahomes in the second half and overtime. They would not let Ryan Tannehill or Derrick Henry go off. They have done what is necessary to keep them in games, and eventually win them. But their O line is a disaster. The Tennessee Titans sacked Burrow nine times a few weeks ago and the Chiefs were able to get to Burrow quickly. The Rams pass rush is much better than the Chiefs. I fear that Burrow will be running for his life on Sunday. The Rams also have a better coach. Sean McVay has been to a Super Bowl. He got owned, but it seems like he has adjusted. Zac Taylor is a nice story, but he is not the reason the Bengals are winning games. He isn't some genius play caller. The Bengals are here because of Burrow, Chase and their D coordinator.

For those reasons that is why I think the Rams will win. The game will be close, maybe even go into overtime. That is how these playoffs have been. But because the Rams have a ferocious pass rush, the super star names and a much better head coach, I think they will win. If you want a final score I will say, let's see, 21-17. And I think someone not on offense will be the MVP. I will go with Von Miller to get his second one in this game. With all that, I do want to say, one more time, go Bengals. But I just have a gut feeling the Rams will pull it out. I hope I'm wrong, but I just think the talent is a hair better in LA. Enjoy the game everyone.

Ty

Another view

I’m here in Cincinnati so I will pick the Bengals to win, but this is not a homer pick. Here is what the Bengals will do on Sunday to secure their first Super Bowl title.

The defense will let LA score in the first half, they will shut them down in the second half.

Burrow and company will not get much done in the first half, they will get a lot done in the second half.

The Bengals will keep it close and drain the clock in the second half with their running game.

The Rams will throw a killer interception in late in the fourth quarter

A field goal with no time left will win the game.

I know this will happen because that is how the Bengals got here. Patience and no mistakes. Plus the Bengals are way cooler.

Who Dey

RD Kulik

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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