Enter the SportsFilter NBA Playoff Pickem: Though four teams are still playing tonight to earn their spot, the NBA Playoffs begin Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Orlando Magic play the Cleveland Cavaliers. To play in our pickem, choose the winners of eight playoff series, the games needed, and four props.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:43 AM - 3 comments

Enter the NHL Playoff Pickem: The puck drops on the 2024 NHL Playoffs at 5 p.m. Saturday when the New York Islanders play the Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Play in our pickem by choosing the winners of all eight playoff series, the number of games required, and four prop bets.

posted by rcade to hockey at 08:31 AM - 7 comments

NFL Playoff Pickem Champion: rcade: This news is ridiculously late to everyone but me -- the NFL Playoff Pickem champion is Rogers "The Greek" Cadenhead. I really wish I'd placed an actual bet on the Chiefs to win by 3. I still have one more week to hit the tiebreaker, since I predicted a Taylor/Travis breakup on April 27. Some of you believe in the power of love.

posted by rcade to football at 11:33 PM - 1 comment

NBA Pickem Champion: rcade: Another NBA regular season is in the books and the SportsFilter NBA Pickem champion is Rogers "The Greek" Cadenhead. Ufez Jones made a late climb but a blown Celtics lock against the Bucks at the start of the final week kept them too far back. I probably won't be buying the Wilson Evolution basketball I owe me.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:31 PM - 2 comments

NBA Pickem: Final Day Edition: ESPN has added two TV games on Sunday, the final day of the NBA regular season. Chicago visits New York and the L.A. Lakers visit New Orleans. The Pelicans may be playing to stay out of the play-in games and the Knicks may be playing for home court as a 3rd or 4th seed in the East. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:26 AM - 1 comment

NBA Pickem: Final Week Edition: There are six national TV games on TNT and ESPN in the final week of the NBA regular season, starting Tuesday night. My lead was cut by 31 after a dismal week and now I'm in first by 32 over Ufez Jones. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:43 PM - 11 comments

Iowa Advances Past LSU to Final Four: Caitlin Clark had 41 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds to lead Iowa past defending champ LSU and advance to the Final Four. She tied a tournament record with nine three pointers in the game, moved ahead of Diana Taurasi for most tournament three pointers in a career and broke Taylor Robertson's record for most career three pointers in Division I.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:59 PM - 5 comments

NBA Pickem Week 21: Second-to-Last Week Edition: There are just two weeks left in the NBA regular season. There are six games on TNT and ESPN, beginning Tuesday night when Oklahoma City visits Philadelphia at 7:30 p.m. on TNT. Howard_T wins the week with 34. NoMich picks all dunks and suffers the agony of defeat. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:28 PM - 6 comments

NBA Pickem Week 20: Crunch Time Edition: As the NBA regular season nears its end, this week's picks are tonight's ESPN doubleheader followed by five NBA TV games. I'm in first by 65 over Ufez Jones, a sign that Dallas Mavericks fans are basketball savants. Make your picks, gentlefolk.

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:14 AM - 6 comments

NBA Pickem Week 19: Little Penny Edition: There's an 11-game national NBA week stretching from a TNT doubleheader tonight to an ESPN doubleheader next Monday. Last week was carnage in our contest with Howard_T scoring 23 to win the week. Make your picks and enjoy this old school NBA moment.

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:57 AM - 8 comments

NBA Pickem Week 18: Don't Miss Tipoff Edition: There are 11 national NBA games this week beginning with a doubleheader tonight on TNT. In our contest Ufez Jones wins the week with 88 points and is now 74 back in second place. Make your picks promptly. Don't be late like Anthony Edwards.

posted by rcade to basketball at 11:46 AM - 11 comments

Max Strus Sinks Mavericks with 59-Foot Buzzer Beater: After the Dallas Mavericks went ahead by 2 with 2.6 seconds left, Max Strus of the Cleveland Cavaliers scored a 59-foot three-pointer to win the game Tuesday night. It's the second longest buzzer beater to win an NBA game in the three point era.

posted by rcade to basketball at 12:31 AM - 4 comments

NBA Pickem Week 17: Enough Basketball For You Edition: There are 13 games this week on TNT, ESPN and ABC, starting tomorrow night with a TNT doubleheader of Sixers/Celtics and Rockets/Thunder and ending Sunday with ABC and ESPN doubleheaders. Howard_T won week 16 with 30. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:36 PM - 7 comments

The Life of an NBA Beat Writer: HoopsHype talked to several longtime NBA beat reporters, past and present, about their jobs. "The money has changed things," said Kerry Eggers, who covered the Portland Trail Blazers for The Oregonian in the 1990s. "And more of the players are not willing to do media interviews. They don't feel like they have to. I remember sitting down with Michael Jordan before games -- just me for a few minutes. Now, that would never happen."

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:10 AM - 0 comments

NBA Pickem Week 16: Ufez Gets Results Edition: There's a shortened schedule of five national games in the week leading up to the NBA All-Star Game. First up is a TNT doubleheader Tuesday of Thunder/Magic and Kings/Suns. I won the week with 40 after switching to Mavs over Knicks to test whether Ufez being in attendance influences the outcome of games. Spoiler alert: It does. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 03:20 PM - 4 comments

Marathon World Record Holder Dies: A few days after learning his 2:00:35 in Chicago had become the certified world record, Kenyan marathoner Kelvin Kiptum died Sunday with his coach in a car accident in his country.

posted by rcade to other at 08:38 PM - 6 comments

NFL Playoff Pickem: Super Bowl 0x3A: The San Francisco 49ers meet the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas Sunday night for Super Bowl 0x3A. Though the Chiefs are the defending champions, the Niners are favored to win by two. Werty leads the contest by 7. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to football at 09:20 PM - 15 comments

NBA Pickem Week 15: Blown Locks Edition: There are eight NBA games this week, including a TNT doubleheader tonight and games on ABC Saturday and Super Bowl Sunday. Locking the Lakers to lose turned out to be a terrible idea last week. I have regrets. Howard_T wins the week with 23. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 09:43 AM - 9 comments

NBA Pickem Week 14: Luka Puts Up 73 Edition: There are eight NBA games on national TV this week, starting with Tuesday's TNT doubleheader of Pacers/Celtics and Sixers/Warriors. Howard_T wins the week with 30. I hold onto first. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 04:01 PM - 5 comments

49ers Come Back from 27-7, Advance to Super Bowl 0x3A: Up by 17 at halftime, the Detroit Lions turned back into a pumpkin, losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. Detroit coach Dan Campbell's risk-taking on fourth downs cost the Lions a third quarter field goal that would've restored the lead to 17. The 49ers took the turnover on downs and drove for a touchdown after a miraculous Brandon Aiyuk catch on a long bomb that deflected off the defender's head.

posted by rcade to football at 10:09 PM - 3 comments

Chiefs Shut Down Ravens, Advance to Super Bowl 0x3A: In the second road playoff game of Patrick Mahomes' career, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs defense came up huge, holding the Ravens to a single touchdown by forcing a Zay Flowers fumble for a touchback and intercepting Lamar Jackson in the end zone. Taylor Swift's boyfriend had 11 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown. He also broke Jerry Rice's record for the most receptions in the playoffs.

posted by rcade to football at 06:27 PM - 1 comment

NFL Playoff Pickem: Conference Championship Round: The NFL Conference Championships kick off Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern. The Chiefs play the Ravens as 4-point favorites and Lions play the 49ers as 7.5-point favorites. Werty is leading the contest by one point over Ic23b. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to football at 07:50 AM - 16 comments

Jurgen Klopp Leaving Liverpool: Liverpool FC released a video from Jurgen Klopp this morning announcing his departure from the club at the end of the current season. "I'm running out of energy," he said. "I cannot do the job again and again and again and again."

posted by rcade to soccer at 07:50 AM - 5 comments

NBA Pickem Week 13: Saturday Tripleheader Edition: There are seven games to pick on the NBA schedule, starting tonight on ABC and ending with a Saturday tripleheader on the same network. Make your picks.

posted by rcade to basketball at 10:01 AM - 6 comments

Bills Lose Another Epic to the Chiefs: Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills have failed for a third time to get past the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL playoffs, losing 27-24 after Tyler Bass missed a late kick that would've tied the game. Before these three epic clashes, the teams had last met in the postseason in the 1990s.

posted by rcade to football at 02:54 PM - 4 comments