Exactly one week after the conclusion of the Western Conference finals and 10 days removed from the end of the Eastern Conference finals, basketball will finally be back.The Mavericks and Celtics will square off in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, with both teams looking to take a step toward their first title in over a decade. Dallas’ last championship came in 2011, while Boston hasn’t gone all the way since 2008.So, get out the wallet, because at best, you only have seven more NBA games to throw your money on.Whether you’re trying to polish off a season of betting that paid for your kid’s college tuition or chasing losses that will prevent that same kid from even going to college, here are three futures bets that you should take a look at for this year’s Finals:Jayson Tat…

As 2023 approaches, it gives media outlets opportunities to do wrap-ups, year-end lists, and rank anything else in the timeframe of the past 12 months. It’s really the only upside of time being arbitrary and a construct of people in power to make sure the plebeians arrive at the salt mines at 9 a.m. OK, rant over. Now onto the best and worst sports trends of 2022 that I definitely didn’t unapologetically rip off from a G/O Media sister site. I’m not going to label them as good or bad — that’s on you, the reader to determine — because one of the trends I’ve learned in 2022 is to never label anything or anyone. The Best – Player empowerment 101 source: AP The NCAA’s power over college athletics is waning, and the shift is going where it should have been for years: to the …

Jose Ramirez hit another homer on Sunday, his 33rd of the year and one that gave him a share of the MLB lead. It was a towering three-run shot that helped propel the Indians over the Angels 4-3, padding their nine-game lead over the Twins in the AL Central. Ramirez is having a ludicrous year, with an fWAR of 7.5— second in MLB, by 0.1, behind only Player of the Generation Mike Trout, who himself is having a career year. Along with his 33 homers, Ramirez has had career-high numbers in almost every notable offensive category, including the all-encompassing ones, like wOBA, wRC+ and OPS—all categories in which he’s in the top-four of all of MLB. Ramirez’s walk to strikeout ratio leads MLB, at 1.33, and his overall walk rate is more than six points higher than his previous career-h…

Some people are fans of the Atlanta Falcons. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Atlanta Falcons. This 2016 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the previews so far here. And buy Drew’s new book here. Your team: Atlanta Falcons. Your 2015 record: 8-8, featuring a white-hot 5-0 start that ended in a 3-8 finish… Yes, they lost that game, too. This is all for the best, mind you. No one outside of Samuel L. Jackson actually wants to see the Falcons SUCCEED and then spiritually vacate a playoff spot. Those spots are valuable. I can’t have these Football Hawks fritter them away in front of an audience of zero people. The Falcons are where excitement goes to die. They should be forced to play on Tuesday mornings. Your coach: GusDan BraGanoPe…

Some people are fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But many, many more people are NOT fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers. This 2013 Deadspin NFL team preview is for those in the latter group. Read all the 2013 NFL previews so far right here. Your team: Pittsburgh Steelers Your 2012 record: 8-8. And I resent that America was forced to watch a team this relentlessly average five times in primetime last season. You will not find another franchise in all of sport that has won so many titles while simultaneously participating in so many ugly, listless, uninspired games. If the Steelers could find a way to beat Cleveland 2-1, they would. And the worst part is that their fans brag about the Steelers' propensity for winning unwatchable football games. DURRR THAT'S JUST STEELER FOOTBAL…

The Pistons will seek their second victory over the Washington Wizards this month when the teams meet on Saturday afternoon in Detroit. The Wizards will have a different head coach patrolling the sidelines for this matchup. Wes Unseld Jr. was moved upstairs Thursday into an advisory role. Assistant Brian Keefe was named interim head coach. The move didn't change the team's fortunes at the outset. The Utah Jazz extended Washington's losing skid to six games with a 123-108 decision on Thursday. The Wizards trailed throughout the second half and made only 23.3 percent of their 3-point attempts for the game. "We didn't hit shots," Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma said. "We played with great effort. Probably one of our best effort nights." A lack of…

data-mm-id=”_tixxcf2m8″>Joe Burrow is a national champion and a near certainty to be the top overall pick in April's draft. He has a well-rounded skillset for a quarterback, able to make throws to every level at an average-to-above-average clip and can get some yards on the ground if he has space in front of him. He doesn't have one skill that's particularly elite, but he does everything else so well that it doesn't matter. As such, there isn't really one quality pro comparison to make in projecting Burrow's future. Colin Cowherd threw out an interesting one on The Herd on Wednesday, saying that Burrow is most similar to retired Cowboys QB, current CBS broadcaster, and soon-to-be media free agent Tony Romo. "Joe Burrow is Tony Romo. He's got a go…

data-mm-id=”_lrnpe7p6r”>Back in 1974, Hank Aaron blasted the 714th home run of his career on Opening Day. His long march to breaking Babe Ruth's record was almost complete. On April 8, more than 53,000 fans packed into Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to see the slugger take his hacks against the Los Angeles Dodgers, some hoping the fateful home run ball would find its way to their glove and then into their bank account. Facing lefty Al Downing, Aaron walked in his first at-bat. Then in the fourth inning, he turned on a 1-0 pitch and blasted it deep to left-center field. It ended up in the hands of Braves reliever Tom House in the bullpen, who sprinted toward home plate like Smalls after swiping his dad's signed Ruth baseball. A little pre-historical irony there. As Aaron rounde…

data-mm-id=”_0en5bs0ua”>Supermarket Sweep was recently added to Netflix, in the form of a 15-episode collection from the show's early 90's heyday. I had never seen a single episode of the show, but I have now watched five episodes and I have seen more than enough to judge the entirety of this series.I am blown away by how bland and exciting this 20-minute grocery commercial can be. It's like Family Feud and Double Dare had a baby and it was only product placement combined with the most mundane physical challenges imaginable. And yet it is just impossible to look away. It's hard to pick a favorite part of the show's formula, but it's definitely the collared sweatshirt that the contestants wear during the sweep. They're like a bunch of Beverly Goldberg&…

data-mm-id=”_av0hkz848″>Tom Brady looked pretty bad Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams, throwing two bad, key interceptions in a 27-24 loss. If you thought Brady was struggling to throw the ball down the field accurately, your eyes weren't deceiving you. His ability to go deep has completely abandoned him, shrinking the field for his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The deep ball has been removed from his arsenal. Ian Rapoport pointed out some of the crazy stats surrounding Brady's deep throws:#Bucs QB Tom Brady has struggled recently with the deep ball. How much? Per @NextGenStats… pic.twitter.com/wx8Gf3Ivym— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 24, 2020You read that right, on deep passes (throws with 20 or more air yards) during Weeks 8, 9 and 10, Brady is 0-for-19 with three …