January 19, 2015
What Have We Learned From the Thunder and Cavs?
The Thunder and Cavaliers are the dream for at least half the league. That’s why it’s so amazing to watch them struggle.
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‘The Grantland NFL Podcast’: Recapping the Conference Championships
Live from the scene in Seattle, Mays recaps the Seahawks’ stunning comeback before the crew gets to New England’s blowout win over Indianapolis on today’s podcast.
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‘B.S. Report’: Cousin Sal
Cousin Sal and Bill discuss the conference championship games, the line for the Super Bowl, and Oscar odds.
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A Brand-New Kei: Is Nishikori the Next Great Men’s Tennis Player?
The sign of a possible sea change in men’s tennis — however slow, however halting — came not when Stan Wawrinka beat Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open last year. It came a week earlier.
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The Beast and Dragon, Adored: How Marshawn Lynch and Russell Wilson Willed Their Way to the Super Bowl
A glorious run. A dropped onside kick. A miraculous throw.
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The Nationals’ Max Scherzer Signing Is a Short-Term Coup, a Long-Term Risk, and a Surefire Ripple-Effect Catalyst
A few years down the road, the Nationals may regret signing Max Scherzer to a seven-year mega-deal. Right now, though, they’re sitting pretty as World Series favorites — and sitting on a surplus of pitchers they could deal for roster depth elsewhere.
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‘It Got Real, Real Bad in a Hurry’: The Obliteration of the Indianapolis Colts in Foxborough
The Patriots delivered a 45-7 beating, thanks to unlikely star LeGarrette Blount.
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NHL Weekend: The Defense Rests
A look back at the biggest games and emerging story lines of the NHL weekend.
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Premier League Winners and Losers: ‘Arsenal Really, Seriously Beat Manchester City’ Edition
Yesterday, Arsenal — yes, that Arsenal — scored a comprehensive 2-0 road victory over Manchester City. It’s the most impressive victory of this Premier League season, and, well, we’re still not sure it actually happened.
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NFL Conference Championship Wrap-up: See You in Arizona
On one hand, you had a comeback for the ages in Seattle; on the other, you had another lousy sequel in New England.
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NFL Run & Shootaround: Packers-Seahawks Go Full WTF in NFC Championship Game
And now we get … Seahawks-Patriots?
Read moreJanuary 16, 2015
That Championship Mailbag: 2015 Edition
Is this farewell to Peyton Manning? Who would be in a Mic’d Up bracket? No one in the NFL could use Tim Tebow? All that plus your championship-weekend picks.
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‘The Grantland NFL Podcast’: Conference Championship Preview
Mays and Barnwell preview this weekend’s conference championship games on today’s ‘Grantland NFL Podcast.’
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The Forgotten Front Seven: Can Green Bay’s Defense Slow Down Seattle’s Rampant Run Game?
In order to stop Seattle’s two-headed rushing demon, Green Bay will be relying on a mix of unheralded veterans, midround draft picks, and some aging and out-of-position stars. Sure, that might sound bleak, but it’s the best group they’ve had in a while.
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Study Up: TCU’s Rise, Ohio State’s QB Race, and More Narratives That Will Dominate College Football’s Offseason
College football is burdened by the longest offseason of any major sport, but it doesn’t waste any time in the transition: The first projections for the 2015 season began arriving, piping hot, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, even before the crews at AT&T Stadium had managed to sweep up the confetti commemorating Ohio State’s championship win over Oregon. If you already feel behind, here’s what you need to know to keep up with the debate until actual football returns.
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The 15th Round
Brady and Manning were tied in their heavyweight battle for the title of best QB of their generation. Then last weekend happened.
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‘Cheap Heat’ Podcast: Roman Reigns, Randy Savage, and the Worst Announcer in WWE History
The tragedy of Roman Reigns, the vindication of Randy Savage, and the worst announcer in WWE history (hint: It’s Vince).
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‘Jalen and Jacoby’: Dwight-KG Beef, Cleveland, and More
Jalen and Jacoby break down the Dwight-and-KG beef, the troubles in Cleveland, and the most fun team in the NBA.
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Mark Titus’s Triangle NCAA All-Stars: Most Underwhelming
We’re restarting the Triangle All-Star machine for the rest of the college basketball season, and you’re lucky enough to be here for this year’s first installment. I’m choosing to start things off on a down note — not because I’m a cynical guy, but because this is a category that needs to be addressed, and I’d rather get it out of the way sooner than later.
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NHL Grab Bag: No One Gets Snubbed Here
Welcome to a weekly grab bag of thoughts and observations from the past few days and/or decades of NHL hockey.
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Why Did Manchester City Just Spend $40 Million on a 26-Year-Old Backup Striker Who Can’t Play Until February?
The first big-ticket move of the January transfer window exists right square in the middle of several looming questions about the future of European soccer.
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The Swaggy P Continuum: Parsing the Multitudes of Nick Young’s Alter Ego
Swaggy P does not exist unilaterally. There are layers, levels, and stations of Swaggy as it pertains to Swaggy P.
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NFC Championship Preview: Packers vs. Seahawks
It has been months since these teams met to kick off the NFL season, so what can we learn from a season’s worth of games?
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NFL Playoff Power Rankings: Who Do You Love?
Why are you watching football this weekend? I was asking myself that very question this week, and that’s when I made this list. It’s championship weekend in the NFL. It’s time to get prepared. Let’s do some human power rankings to get in the right mind-set.
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