Category: Playoffs

NBA GOATs: Where they stand in all-time playoff rankings

HoopsHype ranks NBA goats by how they measure up in all-time statistical playoff rankings, in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.

With the NBA playoffs around the corner, we decided to take a look at how well current and former NBA superstars have performed statistically on the sport’s biggest stage, which is the playoffs.

To do so, we looked at our HoopsHype 78, which ranks the greatest NBA players of all time, and checked out their ranking in playoff counting stats.

To the surprise of no one, LeBron James is the only player to be statistically in the Top 25 of all the main counting stats (and he’s actually Top 10 in all of them), so he did pretty well in this.

Scottie Pippen ranks very high in this exercise courtesy of his all-around game, which helped him pick up loads of playoff steals and blocks, and also thanks to his deep playoff runs next to Michael Jordan, who is only in the Top 10 in points and steals.

Old-school legends like Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell didn’t fare so well in this exercise, but that’s because they played in the NBA when postseasons were much shorter than they are today. Also, the league didn’t officially keep track of steals and blocks during their careers, which doesn’t help matter for them.

Regardless, below, check out how NBA GOATs measure in all-time statistical playoff rankings.

NFL Divisional Weekend roundup

Recapping all four games from the NFL divisional round, setting up the AFC and NFC Championship games

One of the more exciting weekends of the NFL season is in the books, though it ended up being not so exciting for the Lions. Still, we are down to just four teams vying for the Lombardi Trophy in New Orleans. Let’s do a quick roundup of the four games from this weekend.

Chiefs defeat Texans, 23-14

Some of the penalties called in this games were quite rough and didn’t help cool off the conspiracy theories against the league and the Chiefs. Still, even the officials didn’t affect the Texans allowing quarterback C.J. Stroud to be sacked eight times, which certainly hurt a number of drives for Houston. They dug themselves too big of a hole that is almost impossible to climb out of in a playoff game at Arrowhead.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 177 yards and a touchdown, 117 of those yards and the touchdown to tight end Travis Kelce. The Chiefs won despite being out-gained on offense 336-212. Neither team committed a turnover.

The Chiefs advance to their 7th consecutive AFC Championship Game and their 6th in that span at home.

Commanders defeat Lions, 45-31

Not spending too much time on this one here since we’ve covered the game head to toe. Ultimately, five turnovers in a playoff game, including three Jared Goff interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) is incredibly hard to win with, especially when you don’t create a turnover of your own.

Washington heads to their first NFC Championship Game since the 1991 season, when they defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI. Could a rematch be in their future?

Eagles defeat Rams, 28-22

Saquon Barkley broke free for a 78-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter, his second touchdown of the day of at least 60 yards, to seal the victory for the Eagles…it just took much longer to actually secure the win.

The Rams stormed down the field and scored just two minutes later to pull within 28-22, got the ball back and got into the end zone before Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter sacked Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (26-of-44 passing, 324 yards, two touchdowns) on third down and then the Eagles forced an incomplete pass on fourth down.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went 15-of-20 for 128 yards and added 70 yards on the ground. Barkley finished with 205 yards and two scores on 26 carries.

The Eagles will host the Commanders in the NFC Championship on Sunday. The division rivals split their season series but are meeting for the just the second time ever in the playoffs, the other came in the 1990 postseason, which Washington won 20-6. This is the first NFC Championship Game featuring a pair of NFC East teams since the Giants defeated Washington to win the 1986-87 NFC title.

Bills defeat Ravens, 27-25

You feel sick for Ravens tight end Mark Andrews, unless you’re a Bills fan. Andrews had the game-tying two-point conversion in his hands and let it slip away. Baltimore did not secure the ensuing onside kick and it goes down as another disappointing playoff exit for likely NFL MVP Lamar Jackson (18-of-25, 254 yards, two touchdowns, one interception).

Bills quarterback and likely NFL MVP runner-up Josh Allen went 16-of-22 for 127 yards and rushed for two touchdowns to lead the Bills to their second AFC Championship Game appearance in five seasons. Just like after the 2020 season, the Bills will head to Kansas City as they look to dethrone the two-time reigning Super Bowl champions.

Film review: The wasted opportunity for the Detroit Lions’ greatest team

Film review: The wasted opportunity for the Detroit Lions’ greatest team against the Commanders

After the Detroit Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship last season, Dan Campbell told his team something that hits even harder today than it did a year ago. He said, “…this may have been our only shot.”

Hearing that again is gut-wrenching as it feels like we just witnessed a wasted opportunity for the greatest team in Detroit Lions history.

We all know the Lions went undefeated against the NFC North (6-0) and on the road (8-0). This fueled the Lions to finish with a 15-2 record and it helped them claim their second consecutive division championship. Most importantly, they clinched their first ever number one seed for the playoffs.

That meant the NFC playoffs were coming through Detroit, if they kept winning. Unfortunately, the Lions played their worst game of the season and there’s nothing left to win. Dan Campbell said it best after the game when having to summarize the outcome, “we never complemented each other.”

He’s not kidding.

Every time the Lions regained the lead or put themselves in position to take it, something bad happened. For example, the Lions took a 14-10 lead with just about 8 minutes to go in the 2nd quarter. One minute and 21 seconds later, that quickly changed when Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin took a designed screen pass 58 yards for a touchdown.

 

On this particular touchdown, defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn put his defense in a position to fail. Looking back at that play, Glenn aligned the defense with one defender on a three-receiver bunch set. Despite safety help coming down late, he still called for a nickel blitz and this ultimately forced the Lions to be outnumbered (3 x 2) in space.

Another example comes from the offense. The Lions were up 7-3 late in the first quarter and were gashing the Washington Commanders on the ground. While facing a 3rd-and-1 from the Commanders’ 17-yard line, the Lions shifted into an empty formation with running back David Montgomery motioning out wide to the left.

It was a clear indication that a pass play was about to occur. As receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown stumbled downfield on his route, Goff never looked away from St. Brown. This led to Goff holding onto the ball for too long and fumbling it away to the Commanders. Five minutes later, the Commanders regained the lead.

Certainly, it was a head-scratching decision from offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Why not just run the ball in that situation? Especially when you know the strength of your own run game and that your offense is almost always in four-down territory.

Staying with head-scratching decisions and four-down territory, we switch back to the Detroit defense. Going into this game, we all knew the Commanders weren’t afraid to go for it on fourth down.

In this game, Washington finished 3-of-4 on 4th down and the only one they didn’t convert was on their opening drive. That was when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota got tackled for a loss. Despite making a stop like that early in the game, the Lions defense cost themselves the chance at another fourth-down stop later in the game.

 

This time it occurred in the 4th quarter. Despite having 10 seconds to adjust their personnel or call a timeout to get situated, the Lions kept 12 defenders on the field and watched the play clock hit zero. While it appeared that the Commanders would get called for a delay of game, there were too many men on the field and Washington was awarded a first down. Why there wasn’t a timeout called is beyond me but Dan Campbell took the blame after the game.

When asked about this coaching blunder, Campbell immediately said, “It’s my fault. It’s my fault.” No matter who is at fault, a good head coach will take blame for when things go wrong and give credit to his team and coaching staff for when things go right. That’s exactly what Campbell has done during his entire tenure in Detroit.

It’s unclear of what happens next in Campbell’s tenure or what the Lions do from here. We’ve never seen Campbell so deflated after a game and that includes the NFC Championship game from last year. Adding to that, it feels like a guarantee that one of his coordinators, if not both, are going to be head coaches next season.

Despite all the success from the offense or overcoming all the injuries on defense, it felt like the Lions were a team destined for the Super Bowl. Sadly, this season concludes like every other season by prompting us to question, what if?

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The most star-studded teams ever in NBA history

Using combined All-Star and All-NBA appearances, HoopsHype ranks the 40 most star-studded teams in NBA history.

Using combined All-Star appearances and All-NBA selections, we have ranked the Top 40 most star-studded teams in NBA history.

And guess what?

Simply putting together a roster full of stars historically hasn’t been a great way to win a championship, which is probably because due to the salary cap, a lot of those stars were past their primes at that point and playing on minimum deals. After all, how else could a team playing in a salary-capped league have so many stars on a single roster? So you end up with a lot of older stars past their primes on those star-studded teams, which can hurt team chemistry and lower the level of defending on the team.

The most star-studded team in NBA history, for example, the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers, had 63 combined All-Star selections and 53 All-NBA selections on its roster, outrageously high marks.

The Lakers went 33-49 that year and missed the playoffs.

Out of the 40 most star-studded teams in NBA history, only 14 went on to win NBA championships. That’s 35 percent. And out of the Top 10 most star-studded teams in NBA history, only the ’73 Celtics and ’13 Heat, the latter led by three in-prime stars – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – won the title.

For what it’s worth, and you can certainly use this in future GOAT debates if you want, not a single Michael Jordan team made the cut on this list, meaning Jordan never played on a team among the 40-most star-studded in NBA history.

Check out the complete list down below.

The Commanders pulled a Matt Patricia move ahead of playoff matchup with the Lions

The Commanders pulled a Matt Patricia move ahead of playoff matchup with the Lions, practicing in the freezing outdoors for an indoor game

When the Washington Commanders head to Detroit to play the Lions on Saturday night in the NFC Divisional Round, the game will be played inside Ford Field. You know, the domed home of the Lions in downtown Detroit for almost 25 years now.

Someone who might not know that: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn. For some reason, Quinn opted to have his Commanders practice outdoors for their Tuesday session. Practice-time temperatures were below freezing, significantly colder and windier than the fan-friendly, climate-controlled stadium where the game will take place.

 

It harkens back to when Matt Patricia was coaching the Lions. Back in the 2018 season, Patricia had his Detroit team practice outdoors in the snow for a practice ahead of a stretch where the Lions played four straight indoor games. Detroit lost three of those four games.

Quinn has a longer and much more successful coaching track record than Patricia, so perhaps there is some method to his madness. The unconventional practice worked last week for Washington when they practiced indoors for an outdoor road game in Tampa Bay. But it sure conjures up some laughable Lions memories.

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Lions vs Commanders: Tale of the Tape for the Divisional Round matchup

How do the Lions and Commanders match up statistically heading into Saturday’s game

It’s finally time for the Lions to suit up for playoff action against the Washington Commanders. Both teams are coming off of their best season in decades with Detroit earning their first number one seed and Washington winning their first playoff game since 2005. With that being said, one of their seasons will be cut short, but which team? Let’s see how the stats line up. 

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Rushing

Both the Lions and the Commanders have been among the best rushing teams in the league throughout the season and that does not stop in the playoffs. For Detroit, after losing running back David Montgomery, it seemed like they would take a step back from the run game without their one-two punch. Instead, Jahmyr Gibbs stepped up his game and allowed for the Lions to continue pounding the ground and winning. 

Washington has created a successful run game as well with running backs, Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler, along with a successful Offensive line. 

Overall, it seems that the run battle between the two will come down to their run defense and how well they can stop both teams’ gritty running backs. 

Lions

3rd in rushing attempts per game: 31.4

5th in rushing yards per game: 146.4

9th in yards per attempt: 4.7

2nd in rushing touchdowns per game: 1.7

Commanders

 4th in rushing attempts per game: 31.1

3rd in rushing yards per game: 150.1

5th in yards per attempt: 4.8

4th in rushing touchdowns per game: 1.4

 

Passing

While both teams pass less than the majority of the league, they have both found immense success in the passing game. Detroit is led by quarterback Jared Goff, who has had the best season of his career with 4,629 yards- 2nd in the league, 37 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. His right-hand man, Amon-Ra St. Brown, has become one of the premiere wide receivers in the league, scoring 12 touchdowns on the season. The pair has allowed for the Lions to have one of the most explosive offenses in the league and it will be interesting to see if it will continue in the playoffs. 

The Commanders have a familiar story as their quarterback rookie sensation, Jayden Daniels, has already made a name for himself with 3,568 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. They also have their star wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, who has scored the second-most touchdowns in the league with 13. The passing game will come down to which quarterback can get the ball to their favorite wide receiver more.

Lions

17th in pass attempts per game: 32.4

2nd in yards per attempt: 8.6

2nd in yards per game: 263.2

1st in completion percentage: 72.41%

4th in passing touchdowns per game: 2.3

Commanders

25th in pass attempts per game: 31.1

12th in yards per attempt: 7.5

16th in yards per game: 218.5

6th in completion percentage: 69.46%

8th in passing touchdowns per game: 1.7

 

Rushing Defense

In what could very well decide in the game, it is very clear that Detroit has the edge with a rush defense that has been solid all year long. Washington on the other hand, has been at the bottom of the league. If the Commanders want a chance to make the NFC Championship, they must find a way to stop the run. 

Lions

4th in opponent yards per game: 98.3 

22nd in opponent yards per attempt: 4.5

3rd in opponent rushing first downs per game: 5.1

19th in opponent touchdowns per game: 1.1

Commanders

27th in opponent yards per game: 135.4

28th in opponent yards per attempt: 4.7

20th in opponent rushing first downs per game: 7

18th in opponent touchdowns per game: 1

 

 Passing Defense 

The Lions are still struggling when it comes to pass defense, although Washington is not much better. That being said, it does seem that the Commanders have the slight edge, and if they can cause turnovers, they have a shot at the upset. 

Lions

2nd in opponent completions percentage: 61.15%

29th in opponent yards per game: 244

2nd in opponent yards per attempt: 8.6

23rd in opponent passing first downs per game: 11.6

2nd in opponent passing touchdowns per game: 1.1

Commanders

6th in opponent completions percentage: 62.65%

3rd in opponent yards per game: 189.1

12th in opponent yards per attempt: 7.5

8th in opponent passing first downs per game: 10.4

16th in opponent passing touchdowns per game: 1.5

 

 Other Stats

Takeaways

Lions: 1.4

Commanders: 1

Giveaways

Lions: 0.9

Commanders: 0.9

Penalties per game

Lions: 6.3

Commanders: 6.4

Lions playoff schedule: Detroit will host Commanders next Saturday night

The Commanders beat the Buccaneers 23-20 on a last-second field goal to advance to play the Lions in Ford Field in the NFC Divisional Round

Get ready for some postseason football at Ford Field next weekend. After waiting through the bye week to find out the opponent for the NFC Divisional Round game, the Lions will host the Washington Commanders.

The game will be played Saturday night with an 8 p.m. ET kickoff.

The NFL announced the division round schedule after Sunday night’s game between Washington and Tampa Bay, the only competitive game of the Wild Card Weekend thus far. Washington banked in a game-winning field goal as time expired to bear Tampa Bay, 23-20. It was the Commanders first postseason win since 2005.

Monday night’s game between the Rams and Vikings, which will be played in Arizona due to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area, will determine the final matchup of the divisional round bracket. The winner will play at Philadelphia, easy winners over Green Bay earlier on Sunday.

NFL analyst sees Vikings-Rams Wild Card matchup as a toss-up

Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team talked about Minnesota’s playoff matchup and discussed the possibility of an upset occurring for the Vikings. 

The NFL Wild Card round is upon us and while Vikings fans hoped they wouldn’t be watching their team, the Lions had other plans. Coming off a disappointing season finale performance in Detroit, the Vikings have a lot to prove against the Rams.

Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team talked about Minnesota’s playoff matchup and discussed the possibility of an upset occurring for the Vikings. This is a rematch of a matchup we have already seen this season and he discusses what makes this game so close despite the previous viewing of it.

Brooke gives the Vikings credit for their coaching staff building such a complete team writing, “Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores have built up one of the best complimentary football teams in the league.” All season long Vikings teams have enjoyed watching this team build momentum for each side of the ball and allowing for them to remain fresh as a result.

For the Rams, Brook also gives their offense credit but worries about the defense. He writes, “For as talented as their defense is, the Rams are so young on that side of the ball that the lack of playoff experience could lead to some mental lapses.”

While he ranks the game as a 5 out of 10 on the upset charts, he does believe the Vikings offense to be the difference maker in the end.

“. . .the Vikings’ offensive attack is simply too balanced to be on full-on upset watch.”

A look into possible playoff opponents for the Lions

A look into possible playoff opponents for the Lions and how they might match up with Detroit

With their win over the Minnesota Vikings in week 18, the Lions have secured the number one seed in the NFC, home-field advantage and a first-round bye. Now, Detroit will look ahead to who they will play in the Divisional Round next week. 

The Lions will play the lowest remaining seed after Wild Card Weekend, meaning that they will not be seeing the number two seed Philadelphia Eagles or the three-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Divisional. There are four potential options for Detroit, and a deeper look into each is needed. 

#4 seed Los Angeles Rams

If the Rams defeat the Vikings, they could be headed to Detroit if the Eagles and Buccaneers take care of business, leaving the top four seeds in the NFC alive. 

Looking into Los Angeles, the Lions faced them in an overtime thriller in week one of the season, and after that, the Rams struggled, starting the season 1-4. That being said, throughout the remainder of the season, they went 9-4 and have drastically improved on offense. Led by former longtime Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, running back Kyren Williams, and wide receiver duo Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles has been red hot. Against a depleted Lion’s defense, the matchup might be dangerous for Detroit. 

 

#5 seed Minnesota Vikings

With two division rivals in the playoffs, there is a fifty percent chance the Lions meet one of them, and it could very well be the Vikings. 

After a disastrous performance in week eighteen’s game for the one seed, Minnesota finds themselves hungry for revenge against a team they have now lost to twice throughout the season. In order for the Vikings to have an opportunity to move forward, quarterback Sam Darnold will need to work out the issues in his game and get the ball to star receiver Justin Jefferson. Along with that, their defense must tighten up against the red hot Detroit offense, or it will be another win against the Vikings for the Lions.

 

#6 seed Washington Commanders

One of the biggest shocks of the season was the turn around of the Commander’s franchise. The Cinderella story was all started by star rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels and his chemistry with wide receiver Terry Mclaurin. That being said, they tend to find themselves in extremely close games and have happened to win nearly all of them, despite a few. Unfortunately for Washington, they are a bottom three team in rush defense which can easily kill their Super Bowl chances with a running back like Jahmyr Gibbs on the sideline. Unless their defensive issues are cleaned up, there is a strong chance their season could end against Detroit. 

 

#7 seed Green Bay Packers

Another possible division rematch and another rival looking to get their first win against the dominant Lions. The Packers have been on the wrong side of history many different times throughout the season, as in their six losses, five have been one-score games. The only team to have a two-possession loss over them are the Lions. That being said, out of the NFC North, Green Bay has the smallest point deficit against Detroit at 13 between two games. Lastly, the Packers are also the best-ranked overall offense and defense that the Lions may face in the Divisional. Meaning that if the teams meet in the next round, it is not a slam dunk for Detroit. 

Bucs vs. Commanders in NFL playoffs bracket: Time, date for wild-card game

After winning the NFC South, and the Rams losing in Week 18, the Bucs jumped into the three seed in the NFC side of the playoff bracket.

When will the Bucs and Commanders play in the NFL Playoffs?

After winning the NFC South, and the Rams losing in Week 18, the Bucs jumped into the three seed in the NFC side of the playoff bracket.

The Bucs defeated the Saints to win their division in Week 18, but it is a Week 1 opponent that the team now has to think about. After defeating the Commanders on September 8 by a score of 37-20, they will have a chance to confirm that win on Sunday night.

The Commanders are a much different team than they were in Week 1. The defense bought into Dan Quinn’s defense, the offense led by rookie Jayden Daniels is shining, and the team is a force to be reckoned with. It isn’t likely to be as one sided a matchup as it was before, but rather more entertaining.

Monday’s game will only be available on NBC and Peacock, and will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET.

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Bucs 2024 Schedule

  • Sept. 8: Washington (W, 37-20)
  • Sept. 15: at Detroit (W, 20-16)
  • Sept. 22: Denver (L, 26-7)
  • Sept. 29: Philadelphia (W, 33-16)
  • Oct. 3: at Atlanta (L, 36-30 OT)
  • Oct. 13: at New Orleans (W, 51-27)
  • Oct. 21: Baltimore (L, 41-31)
  • Oct. 27: Atlanta (L, 26-31)
  • Nov. 4: at Kansas City (L, 24-30)
  • Nov. 10: San Francisco (L, 20-23)
  • Bye Week
  • Nov. 24: at New York Giants (W, 30-7)
  • Dec. 1: at Carolina (W, 26-23)
  • Dec. 8: Las Vegas (W, 28-13)
  • Dec. 15: at LA Chargers (W, 40-17)
  • Dec. 22: at Dallas (L, 26-24)
  • Dec. 29: Carolina (W, 48-14)
  • Jan. 5: New Orleans (W, 27-19)
  • Record: 10-7

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