8 Things I've Learned So Far from the NBA Finals (in honor of #8, the great Matthew Dellavedova himself)

1.     1. If anyone had any doubts about LeBron James being the best basketball player on the planet, his play throughout the past four games have effectively shut those people down. Looking back on some of the all-time greats, I’m hard-pressed to find a player who has had a less-talented supporting cast than James currently is working with, playing without Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. Jordan always had Pippen, and in some cases, Dennis Rodman or Horace Grant, Kobe had Shaq, Bird had McHale, Abdul-Jabbar and Magic had each other, plus James Worthy, and there are countless other examples. LeBron has who? So far, the second-best guy on the Cavs has been Matthew Dellavedova, and Delly has put in amazing work, but doesn’t even begin to approach the talent levels of those previously mentioned. Essentially on his own, James has surpassed even the highest expectations, setting a record for most points through three Finals games, with 123, surpassing legends such as Rick Barry, Jerry West, and His Airness himself, Jordan. When LeBron knows he has to score, he puts his head down and finds a way into the paint, despite facing triple teams at some points when the defense collapsed on him. His basketball IQ and court awareness have been exhibited expertly, making passes across the court while falling out of bounds, crazy elusive behind-the-back tosses, and creating smart plays in transition. Despite a poor game 4 in which he was affected by a head injury after a run-in with a camera, LeBron still showed the type of toughness and grit coaches dream about. Averaging a ridiculous 45.75 minutes per game, James has cemented his status as an all-time great during these past four games.

2.     2. An MVP is expected to surpass the performance of all of those around him. He should be the most reliable player, and no time more so than the Finals. The Finals should be the place for the MVP to show the whole league exactly why they chose him. Not only has Stephen Curry failed to do this, but also he has even elicited some talk as to whether he deserved the prestigious accolade in the first place. By winning this year’s MVP, Curry is no longer ‘The Next Big Thing’, he should just be ‘The Big Thing’, so the fact that he’s getting outplayed is concerning. Particularly in games 2 and 3, Curry was not present, unable to shake Dellavedova’s defense and disappearing at times, doing a poor job of getting to the hoop, directing the offense, but especially shooting the 3, which has been established as not just his specialty, but his greatest competitive advantage. In game 3, Curry went 1/11 from beyond the arc, and didn’t start hitting the shots he needed to as the leader of the team until the fourth quarter – and even then his effort wasn’t enough to overcome the sizable Cavaliers lead. A much improved performance in Game 4 went a long way in quieting the doubters for now, but as the series comes to end, Curry must establish his dominance if he wants to be considered in the same conversation as James.

3.     3. Before these Finals, Matthew Dellavedova was a relative unknown. Maybe you’d seen him come off the bench while Kyrie was less seriously injured earlier in the playoffs, maybe you’d seen his name come up during broadcasts, or if you’re a really serious hoops junkie, maybe you even remember him from his record-breaking days in a St. Mary’s uniform. Regardless of how cognizant you were of him before these Finals, Delly has made one thing clear; everyone will know his name by the time these Finals are through. His defense on Stephen Curry, an incredibly difficult assignment, has been stifling,, at least in Games 2 and 3. Delly stuck to Curry like glue, making sure to pester and bother him all night, both nights, throwing his shot off and ensuring that he got few good looks. Curry’s got deadly handles, but Delly has rarely been tripped up by them, meaning he has fared better than All-Star Chris Paul, who showed up on memes for days after Curry broke his ankles earlier this season. On offense, Delly has been clutch, hitting insane circus shots and, importantly, diving for loose balls with both frequency and vigor, a sign of true hustle and dedication. I mean, the man works so hard he had to go to the hospital after Game 3! Whatever the outcome of the series, Dellavedova performance will be talked about for years to come.

4.     4. Andre Iguodala, who by normal standards should be declining by age 31, has been the spark throughout the series for Golden State. Iguodala has been asked to do a lot this year, from coming off the bench (despite always starting in his previous 10 seasons) for the good of the team to having to be a veteran presence to a mostly young Warriors team. Iggy has been good all series, draining corner 3s, creating turnovers, and absolutely demolishing the rim any time he gets to be the one to finish the fast break. However, Iguodala had his best game in Game 4, where he lead the Warriors with 22 points. But Iguodala’s biggest contributions came on the defensive side of the ball. Very few men can say that they went up against LeBron James and had a good time of it, and even fewer can say that they did this in the NBA Finals. Iguodala, however, can say that at least for one night, he went up against King James and won. Iggy’s tight defense kept LeBron honest and contributed to his shooting struggles and frustration as the game went on. Throughout the past four games, it’s become evident that Iguodala is no mere bench player: he’s been the Warriors’ heart.

5.     5. Tristan Thompson has become a classic example in proving that stat sheets don’t tell the whole story. While Thompson has struggled to find the bottom of the net: he only put up 2 points a piece in Games 1 and 2, and his high this series has been 12, his performance on the boards has been classic. Averaging 13.75 boards per game, with many of those coming on offense to create second chance opportunities, Thompson has been crucial to Cavs’ success, and could be seeing some more money in the near future for his efforts.

6.     6. When David Lee was first benched in favor of Draymond Green, despite earning over $15 million a year, the outpouring of jokes and memes was both loud and large. As dismaying as that sounds, it might be better than when all the joking stopped, signifying that Lee was officially an afterthought, both the people, and as it turned out, the Warriors. In the Western Conference Finals, Lee averaged about 4.5 minutes per game, garnering little attention. In the Finals, however, his timely decision-making, which has been questionable in the past, and his veteran presence have lead to both his increased minutes and production. Whether you think he’s a joke or not, Lee has been able to make legitimate contributions to this series.

7.     7. Defense really does win championships. From Delly’s shutdown performances in Games 2 and 3, to Iguodala’s career defensive night against LeBron, the performances on the defensive side of the ball have really made all the difference. My prediction is that whoever is able to keep the most pressure on when the other team has the ball, particularly in the fourth quarter, will end up winning the series.

8.     8. The last thing that I’ve learned from Games 1-4 of this series is that this Cavaliers-Warriors finals could go down as one of the best Finals series of all time. Leaving out Game 4, which seems to be an anomaly as the margin of victory was 13 points higher than the second-largest margin, the games have been incredibly close and evenly matched. All sorts of TV-perfect drama has ensued: a last-minute comeback denied (Game 3), two overtime games, multiple 40-point performances, the emergence of a nobody to stardom, a veteran coming through in a big way, and a King displaying his wrath. If the down-to-the-wire scores and the superb play continue, this series will certainly go down in history books as one of the greatest ever.

Why James Harden Should Be Your 2014-2015 MVP

     It's a familiar sight for any opponent of the Rockets. James Harden, killer of momentum, leads a fast break to halt the opposing team's run and put the game out of reach. James Harden, marksman, dribbles around the top of the key; the opponents know he will pull up and take the three, they defend accordingly, and he still makes it. James Harden, the agitator, drives into the paint and angles himself in such a way that the opposing center picks up his sixth foul, dragging his feet to the bench in frustration. And then he makes both free throws. Just to top it off.
     The NBA MVP race, with no disrespect to Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Chris Paul, or Russell Westbrook, has essentially become a two-man contest. In one corner stands Stephen Curry, the baby-faced assassin who has been the best player on the best team in the best basketball league. With his propensity to knock down shots from any spot on the court, his three-point shooting prowess, and his pesky habit of getting steals, Curry has been an enigma this year. In the friendly market of the Bay Area, the city, and the league, have embraced Curry as a bona fide star this year in his magical campaign of bringing the Dubs to an astounding 67-15 record. Curry is a wizard each time he steps on the court, going for the highlight reel plays and crazy shots that seem to have been blessed with just a little bit of that magic Curry touch,  pumping up the crowd, walking back on defense with some swagger in his step and the knowledge that he'll be #1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 tomorrow.
     In the other corner stands James Harden, the Bearded One, a mean-mugging shooting guard who will take away the ball and your confidence. Playing with a mean streak that's been with him since his days as a Sixth Man in Oklahoma, Harden has an in-your-face attitude, keeping his oft-injured team not just afloat, but thriving. The player formerly known as a fun-to-watch player on offense and a meme in the making on defense has taken his stock to new heights this season. His defense has shored up, his offense has carried the team, and despite the fact that he's usually the only one defenders are concerned about, he still puts up 27 points a game, whether he's heating up on jump shots, laying it up off the dribble drive, earning from the line, or a combination of the three. He's going to score, he's going to win in the process, and he's going to leave everyone else in the dust, if the game goes his way.
     The race this year is closer than it's been in any time in recent memory. Both candidates are incredibly deserving of the prestigious honor, and personally, I wouldn't fault the committee for either choice. However, I think the decision of the winner should be made with particular regard to the word 'valuable', because after all, the award should go to the Most 'Valuable' Player'. The dictionary defines valuable as having qualities of respect, admiration, or esteem. This definition makes the decision exactly 0% clearer. With the dictionary not being helpful in the least, I think I am justified in choosing how I define valuable, in the context of the NBA, and really, sports at large. Value, in basketball, is essentially how imperative a player is to his team's success. I always like to ask myself the question, if I took X player off of their team, what would be the magnitude of the effect. Obviously, the removal of both Curry and Harden would be incredibly detrimental to their teams. However, to me, the absence of Harden would mean more for the Rockets than Curry's for the Warriors. This makes Harden the most valuable player.
     Mark Cuban, famous for controversiality, said, "James Harden, I think, is the MVP. Because that's not a very good team over there." While this was certainly a backhanded compliment, it's a good point. The Warriors are an incredibly deep team. In terms of starters, the combination of Bogut, Iguodala, Green, and Thompson, all healthy for the majority of the season, would be one of the best lineups even without a strong point guard. Plus, Harrison Barnes, David Lee, and Shaun Livingston are all probably above-average backups. Without Curry, the Dubs would still be a quality team: just not an excellent one. Without Harden however, the Rockets this season would have been a mess. Dwight Howard missed 40 games this season, Terrance Jones was in-and-out for most of the season, and Josh Smith and Corey Brewer were not acquired until midseason. At times, Harden single-handedly carried this team to not just victories, but a 2-seed. Without Harden, they might not even be in the playoffs, let alone ranked so highly. Harden's value to the team is immeasurable, but one stat that's helping if WAR, Wins Above Replacement. It's no surprise that the six MVP contenders finished in the top 6. But number one? No other than James Harden, coming in at 20.48. Drop those 20 wins from the Rockets' record, and instead of being up 2-0 against the Mavericks, they're watching the playoffs from their couches.
     Another stat to help prove my point is the fact that when Draymond Green plays without Steph Curry, the Warriors outscore opponents by 7.4 points per one hundred possessions (Grantland). The Rockets have no such player who do that without Harden on the floor.
     One major difference between the two is crunch time. The fourth quarter was often when Harden played his best, keeping his stamina alive to close out games in the clutch. Curry, on the other hand, often never had to play in the 4th quarter because his team was already pummeling the other team. We know that Harden has been a monster at the end of games, but we really don't know about Curry. This is no fault of Curry's, it's just a blank on his resume. For me, that's another Harden advantage.
     Honestly, either player would be deserving of the award. They've both had legendary season that deserve to be celebrated with the highest honor the NBA can bestow on an individual player. Nonetheless, someone has to win. James Harden should be your 2014-2015 MVP.

One Shining Month for Michigan State

Duke. Kentucky. Wisconsin. Michigan State.

            The list reads like a who’s who of future Hall of Fame coaches, a list of the most storied programs for prospective players, a collection of college basketball meccas for diehards and journalists, bloggers and alumni, fans clad in body paint and in band uniforms alike. But this year, that assortment of teams reads more like a which-one-doesn’t-belong question, a group with one glaring aberration.

Kentucky has been this year’s Goliath, an undefeatable band of seven-footers trying to make history. Pegged as the favorites since pre-preseason, the one-and-dones, along with a couple two-and-dones and the occasional three-and-done, haven’t failed the experts yet, not so much making it to the Final Four as waltzing in.

Duke, lead by 1000-win Coach K, has also lived up to the hype, showcasing probable top-5 picks Jahlil Okafor and Justice Winslow. Chosen by most to make it out of the South region, Duke hasn’t disappointed.

Wisconsin was another preseason favorite, after Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky, the AP Player of the Year, chose to forego the draft and return for his senior year with the sole purpose of getting back to the Final Four, the caveat being that this time they planned on winning a championship. The lanky buzzcuts from up north have also kept experts looking smart, losing only two regular season games and tearing up the West region en route to Indianapolis.

With predictable giants occupying 3 spots, the fact that Michigan State, a team normally in the same group as those giants, managed to win the East region, is even more amazing. After getting the star treatment last year as a popular Finals pick (even President Obama jumped on the bandwagon and picked Sparty as his tournament winner), expectations for the team quickly fell after they bowed out in the Elite Eight. The Spartans graduated Adreian Payne and Keith Appling, and star shooting guard Gary Harris defected to take his chances in the draft, where he currently is on the Nuggets. Expectations for the Spartans in 2014-2015 were cooled, to say the least, and journalists and Spartans personnel alike expressed this opinion.

“Everyone knows we didn’t have the kind of team we normally had,” Izzo said after the Louisville game, enjoying the splendor of making his 7^th Final Four. “This team probably had the least chance to get there [the Final Four].”

“What does a Michigan State down year look like?” was the question ESPN posed on October 1^st, in their college basketball team previews. “This might be the season we find out.” ESPN projected them to finish 5^th in the Big Ten a year after winning it. They began the season as they were expected, winning the games they were supposed to win, losing the games they were supposed to lose against their touted opponents of Duke, Kansas, and Notre Dame. Going into Christmas however, riding a win streak against some mediocre competition, the team suffered an embarrassing loss to Texas Southern, the type of team Tom Izzo schedules purely to put a tally in the W column. The unprecedented loss threw the team off to some extent, going up and down as the conference schedule began in two losses to Maryland. Bad losses continued to plague the team, dropping two to the underachieving Nebraska and Illinois.

By this point, Michigan State was at an all-time low. Players were frustrated, Izzo’s changes didn’t seem to be working, and some experts even had them out of the tournament. “This Spartans team is mediocre,” stated ESPN analyst Jeff Goodman. The Spartans managed to string some wins together after that, but then lost to a poor Minnesota team at home. Going into the Big Ten tournament, the Spartans sat at 21-10.

Collectively, Michigan State is a bit of an odd bunch. There’s no player above 6’9’’, certainly no All-Americans or AP Player of the Years like their Final Four counterparts. But there’s something about this band of sort-of-misfits that fits together in a way that’s not so much tangible as it is emotional. There’s the 5’10’’ freshman point guard whose nickname is ‘Tum Tum’. The senior trying to be more than the role player he’s been asked to be the last three years. The big guard/forward with a mean streak. The temperamental forward with a ceiling higher than Karl-Anthony Towns’ vertical reach but a questionable work ethic. It’s a collection of former role players and undersized big men, players who make up what they lack in talent with effort and players who make up what they lack in effort with talent. They’re not the type of people that make up a stereotypical team, no typical Hollywood roles. Kentucky knows who they are: an NBA futures team, a group of guys who consider college as a stop along the way. Duke knows who they are: players in it for the Duke experience, a chance to learn from Coach K and enjoy the ride. Wisconsin knows who they are: standouts on the court and in the classroom, tall white dudes with buzzcuts who are friends on the court and off. But Michigan State? They don’t fit a mold. Nothing defines them: until they choose to define themselves as a group of guys who finally decide that they really, really want to win.

Going into the Big Ten tournament, Michigan State first got a classy W against a decent Ohio State team. Against Maryland, a team that bested them twice in the regular season, the Spartans finally got their long awaited win. At the final in Chicago, going against the undisputed best Big Ten team, Wisconsin, they put up a better fight than any team in the tournament has done so far. Michigan State didn’t just keep pace with the class of the Big Ten, they lead by as much as 11, before a couple critical mistakes down the stretch were their undoing. Losing in overtime, the team received a seven-seed going into the tournament. Izzo could have tried to motivate the team by saying they were disrespected in their seeding, but he knew this wasn’t the case. “We were respected getting into the tournament,” he acknowledged.

As everyone knows, March Madness is a time for leaders to step up and for people to seize moments. To some extent, that guy has been Travis Trice, the senior shooting guard with a soft stroke and high basketball IQ, who’s overcome everything from having to come off the bench earlier this season to having a freaky rare disease last year. Trice has certainly lead the charge this March, with a huge game against #2 Virginia and being named the East Region’s Best Player. However, it’s been more than just Trice that has been the difference. Nearly every player has stepped up. Denzel Valentine has taken a larger leadership role, stepping up to take big shots and just generally being smarter with the basketball. Bryn Forbes has transformed from shooter to absolute sniper, hitting nearly every corner three. Branden Dawson, known for his tendency to disappear during games, has made sure to always stay relevant on at least one side of the floor, amassing huge rebound totals and coming through in the clutch, as he did against Louisville with a game-changing tip. Gavin Schilling, Alvin Ellis, Tum Tum Nairn, Matt Costello: they’ve all upped the intensity tenfold, contributing to Michigan State’s magical March.

Drawing the 7-seed in the East, MSU’s first matchup was against a touch Georgia team that had hung with Kentucky earlier in the season. Despite being down early, the team rallied, and with some crucial halftime adjustments (these ended up becoming a trend throughout the tournament), they took the lead off of some big shots by Trice and the big men, and their knack for creating turnovers and capitalizing on them. Despite allowing Georgia to come back to some extent at the end, (“We keep y’all interested,” joked Izzo) Michigan State advanced to a daunting matchup with #2 seed UVA. Last year, the Spartans had knocked them out in the Sweet Sixteen, but of course as critics had made everyone well aware, this was not last year’s team. As it’s turned out, that’s worked out in their favor.

Before the game, Izzo, known for his riveting and enigmatic personality, gave a much more toned down speech than as is custom, with a simple message. “60 minutes of hard work, 60 years of memories,” he told his team. The mantra worked, as State jumped out to a 15-4 lead, with Trice scoring most of those points, utilizing the fast break and the outlet pass so well that I’m sure Wes Unseld was smiling somewhere. Unfazed by the slow tempo of Virginia’s offense, State refused to allow them to get a good shot selection, forcing UVA to shoot only 29.8% from the floor. When UVA inevitably came back, Travis Trice took over. Whether it was making improbable 3s as time expired, getting to the line or creating 3-point plays through working the line, or expertly using the kick-out off of the dribble drive, he did all virtually flawlessly. Putting the team on his back, MSU closed out in the final minutes to take the victory. This was their first upset, and it would turn out, nowhere near their last.

Oklahoma, their Sweet Sixteen opponent, played in a style that was decidedly not Virginia’s. Fast breaks, creating turnovers, and an up-tempo style of play characterized Lon Krueger’s team, the 3 seed. In the beginning, Oklahoma seemed to have the upper hand, seizing a decisive lead behind the shooting of point guard Buddy Hield and strong post work by forward Tayshuan Thomas. On the other end of the floor, Michigan State seemed unable to make their shots, taking ill-advised threes and not crashing the boards. They made a little run as the half expired to be down by 4 at halftime, a score Izzo clearly thought to be miraculous considering the poor effort his team had displayed. For the second twenty minutes, the Spartans were a different team. Instead of poor shot selection, they passed around to get open looks for Trice and Forbes. Denzel Valentine and Trice particularly excelled, catching fire and harnessing it to the tune of 42 combined points. The game went back and forth, with 5 lead changes, but the Spartans took control at the end, taking care of business on the defensive end by posting up against Tayshaun Thomas, and not allowing Buddy Hield to get open looks. Dawson got some critical rebounds, finishing with 11. When the dust settled. Michigan State had won by four, setting themselves up for an Elite Eight matchup with Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals.

The game started as a back-and-forth effort, with Michigan State hitting shots and Montrezl Harrel just generally being a beast in the frontcourt. Towards the end of the second half though, Louisville began capitalizing on an abundance of Michigan State turnovers, taking an 8-point lead into the half. This boded well for the Cardinals, as they had won 96 in a row when going into halftime with at least a 6-point lead. Keyword: had. Again, the Spartans came out of halftime with newfound energy. The centers, Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello, took on Harrell, running him ragged and tiring him out, and he didn’t score from the floor for 29 straight minutes. Dawson found new life on the offensive end, getting the ball in the paint and posting up with such success that Dwight Howard would be proud. Trice and Valentine hit shots, and Forbes made 4 corner threes. Going into the final stretch, the teams changed leads they were going out of style, trading baskets and misses at nearly identical clips. Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello, the two centers, were being counted on to stay out of foul trouble. Costello fouled out, and then in a nervous moment, Schilling fouled out as well. With the game on the line, unproven role player Marvin Clark Jr. came into the game. Maybe it was fate, or maybe just luck, but with about a minute remaining in regulation, Clark hit a difficult bank shot that will certainly be on highlight reels for months. However, with 22 seconds left and a one-point lead, Clark got to the line and missed both free throws, a trend that has haunted Michigan State throughout this whole season. With 4.7 seconds left, Louisville center Mangok Mathiang was fouled, with a chance for two. In a moment excruciatingly stressful, Mathiang hit the first after a lucky bounce in which the ball went so high it seemed it wasn’t coming down. He missed the second, Trice missed the halfcourt attempt, and the game went to OT. The two teams traded baskets for a minute or two, but the true turning moment was when Brendan Dawson made a flying tip-in, showcasing hyper-athletic ability. MSU won the game by 6.

Of course, making the Final Four is nothing new for Tom Izzo. With the exception of last year’s seniors, every four-year player for Izzo has made one. But this one will “go down as the best one, just because of what we went through this year,” Izzo said in a post-game interview. The scene after the Louisville win was the definition of jubilation. Players hugged and laughed and cried and screamed, thanking God and Izzo and their teammates. This wasn’t just another Final Four for Izzo; that much is clear. “I’d like to tell you I thought five different times this year we were good enough to get to a Final Four, but I’d be lying to you. I can’t even say I did. I just wasn’t sure we had enough size, enough talent in certain areas,” an emotional Izzo stated.

Izzo is certainly Hall of Fame bound, but if anyone had any doubt, this Final Four run had to have quieted it. “There’s not one All-American on that roster … that’s not a knock to the kids, {Izzo’s} doing it without having a team full of All-Americans, he’s getting it done. So the kids are playing great, but that’s definitely got to the best coaching job,” explained former Spartans star Mateen Cleaves. What makes it even more impressive is that Izzo and this group of non-All-Americans were able to make their run in a year in which all-Americans and the one-and-done system seem to have won out, judging by the other teams in the Final Four.

So tonight, when you’re watching the games, appreciate the Spartans. You may be tempted to get caught up in the flashiness of the other teams, the big names and the bigger paychecks they’re certain to get when the draft rolls around. While those players have been impressive, for me, nothing beats the fact that this Michigan State team has made it into the Final weekend. Whatever the result tonight, Michigan State has truly had a run for the ages. They’ve overcome all sorts of odds, completed more upsets than ever thought, taking a bunch of no-name guys and made them superstars, at least for this one glorious month. Isn’t that what March Madness is all about!? Whatever one shining moments occur, Michigan State can go home, whenever that may be, knowing they’ve had one shining month. As Tom Izzo eloquently stated in the locker room before the UVA game, “60 minutes of hard work, and 60 years of memories.” These Spartans, their fans, and college basketball fans everywhere, will certainly have great memories about this team for years to come.

Football Reigns Supreme

     This has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year for the NFL. In a complete PR nightmare, the league’s integrity was questioned in multiple allegations involving covering up numerous domestic violence scandals, poor handling of criminal players, and reports of commissioner Robert Goodell’s extreme tyranny. This all culminated with Deflategate, the ongoing investigation into the New England Patriots organization’s handling of the footballs used in the AFC Championship Game- specifically, accusations that the Patriots intentionally deflated balls per someone in the organization’s request. Some of the biggest stars in the game (see: Peterson, Adrian) were handled recklessly and ended up not playing, more light was shed on the long-term effects of playing football, and the league was criticized, sued, blamed, accused, berated, condemned, and denounced practically every hour. Despite all of this turmoil and controversy, the NFL remained the most watched, most talked about, most successful American sports league. Football remained unprecedentedly successful in terms of revenue, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that even in the NFL’s worst year imaginable, it’s still America’s absolute favorite pastime. Why? On the field, football was at its absolute best. An amazingly exciting season culminated in one of the most riveting Super Bowls in recent memory. On the biggest stage imaginable, the game served as a reminder that in America, football remains supreme.

            Super Bowl XLIX featured the New England Patriots taking on 2013’s champion, the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams finished first in their respective conferences, despite early season struggles. Many sports journalists wrote off the Patriots after a 2-2 start, saying that the magic of Tom Terrific had finally worn off. In response, the Patriots finished the season 12-4, effectively quieting their critics. The Seahawks were also written off by some after starting 3-3, especially after a loss to the NFC West cellar-dweller St. Louis Rams, in a game where Seattle was out-tricked by a multitude of special teams stunts. Like New England, the Seahawks recovered their season to finish 12-4, led by bruising running back Marshawn Lynch, and a hard-hitting defense highlighted by the ‘Legion of Boom’ secondary.

            During the playoffs, the Patriots won a nail-biter against the Baltimore Ravens that was close until the final minutes, and then dismantled the Indianapolis Colts to advance to the Super Bowl. Conversely, the Seahawks cruised to an easy win against the Panthers, before coming back from a 16-point deficit in a game in which Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw four interceptions- a game that will certainly be talked about for years to come. Going into the game, odds makers were fairly split on whom to favor. Many storylines followed the game: could the Patriots finally win again after being 10 years removed from winning? Would the Seahawks be the first repeat champions since, ironically, the Patriots? The showdown promised to be intense, but no one could have predicted the amazing game that ensued.

            The game started off as a defensive struggle until the Patriots broke through in the second quarter, with a long drive capped off by an 11-yard pass from Brady to receiver Brandon LaFell. The Seahawks evened the score soon after, with a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run, following an amazing catch by Chris Matthews, a receiver who was working at Foot Locker, thinking his football dreams were over, before joining the Seahawks. Both teams scored touchdowns again later in the corner, to send the game into halftime tied up at 14-14.

The Patriots utilized an effective short pass game plan, relying on a lightning-thunder combination of speedy receivers and a certain Polish tight end to pick up first-downs on yards after catch. This well-designed Josh McDaniels scheme allowed Brady enough time to make accurate throws and receivers to draw the secondary far enough away from the line of scrimmage to help other receivers and Gronk to get mismatched man coverage against linebackers, but not so much time that the shaky offensive line could collapse. Edelman, LaFell, and Danny Amendola, as a unit, were able to draw the secondary from the play, while leaving one open as a hot read or short pass. Mismatches were also a vital part of the Seahawks’ offensive game plan, but they used size to create advantages. Matching up tall, athletic receivers on the deep ball allowed Wilson some breathing room on his throws, which was a good combination, especially with Chris Matthews working against Kyle Arrington and at the end, Malcolm Butler. With the constant threat of a handoff to Marshawn Lynch, the ‘Hawks were able to keep the Patriots defense guessing, so the deep balls were particularly effective.

Combining the power running of Lynch with surprising pass plays worked especially well for the Seahawks in the 3^rd quarter, in addition to a pick of Brady, where they were able to establish a ten-point advantage. The true turning point of the game came late in the third quarter, with the Seahawks driving again, stationed at the Patriots 47-yard line. Wilson fired a near perfect pass to usual drop culprit Jermaine Kearse, who dropped the ball deep despite having a half-step on Malcolm Butler. Had the Seahawks scored at this point, the result would have been obvious: game over. Instead, Seattle was forced to punt, and ended up never scoring again.

The Patriots’ Rob Ninkovich got a sweet burst on a Seahawks 3^rd down in the beginning of the quarter, sacking Wilson and giving New England some life. With some clutch third-down antics by Julian Edelman, the Patriots were able to score, bring them within 3. After scoring again later, the Pats nursed a four-point lead as the Seahawks got the ball at the twenty with 2:02 left. After a nice Lynch rumble, the Seahawks appeared to be stuck at the Patriots 49 after some great broken up passes by Butler and Brandon Browner. They got the first down with a quick pass eventually.

There are moments that every Patriots fan remembers with as much ire as Gregg Poppovich when someone misses a layup. The David Tyree helmet catch. The Mario Manningham sideline catch. And with 1:14 left in the game, it appeared that it was happening again. Wilson threw a high pass to Jermaine Kearse, when Malcolm Butler made an amazingly athletic play to break up the pass. A safety than jumped over the falling Kearse, where the ball hit off one leg, two legs, and fell in slow motion onto Kearse’s leg. The ball, moving in slow motion, ricocheted back into the air, as everyone helplessly watched it fall perfectly into Kearse’s hands. It appeared that it had happened again, that God and Jermaine Kearse had conspired to royally screw over the New England Patriots for the third time in the last seven years. As Marshawn Lynch went up the middle and was brought down at the 1-yard line on first down, you could almost hear the exasperated screams of Patriots fan everywhere, letting their decade-long pent-up frustration go with the thought that once again, at the last minute, their dreams would be deferred for another year.

I like to refer to the next 25 seconds as ‘The Greatest Non-Timeout in the History of Non-Timeouts”. It seemed like an obvious call for the Pats to use a timeout to stop the clock and preserve time, as there was an incredibly high chance that the Seahawks were going to score, and the Patriots were going to need all the time they could get to mount a comeback drive. Belichek, however, was a step ahead. He knew that with a timeout, the Seahawks would have time to run, which was a much higher-percentage goal line play than a pass. Facing a ticking clock, he gambled (correctly) that Pete Carroll would pass it, so that if they completed the pass they likely won the game, and if they didn’t, the clock would stop and they could get the run play they wanted without rushing, and even get a chance at fourth down. Belichek’s gamble ended up winning the game.

On second down, Wilson saw his tight end Lockette moving towards the goal line uncovered. Simultaneously, undrafted rookie Malcolm Butler is standing in the exact same spot: just behind two players and in the end zone. Expertly, Butler read Wilson’s throwing motion, and timed his run absolutely perfectly, intercepting the ball at the goal line! Butler, a little known, seldom used cornerback, had just landed himself a spot as a Boston, NFL, and sports hero.

The Super Bowl, the NFL’s biggest stage, could not have been more entertaining. Last minute comeback? Check. Amazing athleticism? Check. Little known guy from a tough background makes a huge play to win the game? Check. The NFL could not have possibly created a better game, though not for lack of conspiracy theorists saying they did. The bottom line is that even in a year totally marred by controversy, there’s an obvious reason why the NFL is the king: the product remains as captivating as ever.