Category Archives: Sports

Warriors Get 74 Wins?

Entertainment, NBA, Sports

BasketBall in mid flight

Can the Warriors Get 74 Wins?

Last season, the Golden State Warriors made history. They passed the Chicago Bulls, who had won 72 games and set the all-time mark when Michael Jordan was there, winning 73 games in a single season. It was tough down the stretch, but it was clear the Warriors were focused, coming off of an NBA title win the season before.

While setting a mark like that may seem like it’d be the ultimate accomplishment, something they’d never be asked to live up to again, those questions are already swirling as the NBA season gets underway. After all, the Warriors signed Kevin Durant in the off season. The best team ever did the seemingly impossible and got even better.

So, will their record reflect it? If they fall short of 74 wins, does that mean they failed, that they aren’t any better than they were before?

In some ways, that does make sense, but you have to consider the team’s goals. No one is going to touch that 73-wins mark unless they do. They’ll be in the record books forever. The Bulls were there for 20 years before it fell. The Warriors, in all likelihood, will be there for the next 20. That’s true if they win 74 games this season or if they sit back on their 73 that they already have. In terms of legacy, for the players who are not Kevin Durant, there is not much more to be done in that regard.

They also signed Durant not because they wanted 74 wins, but because they wanted to beat LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. After winning their 73 games, they blew the series lead and lost in the Finals. Durant himself has never won an NBA title and is incredibly driven to do it. He joined the Warriors so that he could finally get a ring and the Warriors brought him in so they wouldn’t have to feel the pain of a Finals loss again.

Certainly, the Warriors are talented enough that they could go for 74 wins if they decide they want it. Perhaps they want to make a statement and really make people forget how they choked at the end. But it’s more likely that they won’t chase that record and will remain focused on winning rings above all else. Guys like Steph Curry were hurt last season because they were going after wins, and they weren’t as good when it mattered most.

With this level of talent on the floor, there is always the chance that they could begin edging toward the record even without having it as the focus. If it comes into sight and becomes a real possibility, their goals may shift near the end of the season.

NFC Title Matchup?

Entertainment, NFL, Sports

Raised Football Generic

Cowboys and Vikings Moving Toward NFC Title Matchup

There’s a lot of NFL football left to be played, but some things are already falling into place. We’re getting a much better idea of who is out of the playoff race and who could be heading for a postseason collision. At the top of that list, in the NFC, are the undefeated Minnesota Vikings and the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys. Are they going to meet up in the NFC Championship Game, to see who goes to the Super Bowl?

The Dak and Zeke Show

Both teams are a surprise, but let’s start with the Cowboys. Last season, QB Tony Romo and WR Dez Bryant got hurt, and the Cowboys couldn’t win a game. They were a disaster, and everyone blamed those injuries.

This year, Romo and Bryant are hurt again, but the Cowboys are rolling. They just knocked off the Green Bay Packers in decisive fashion, in Green Bay.

There are many reasons for the turnaround, but the two main reasons are rookie QB Dak Prescott and rookie RB Zeke Elliott. Elliott was the team’s top pick, out of Ohio State. He knows all about carrying a team with QB issues. When Ohio State won the National Title, they were down to their third-string QB. Elliott put the team on his back and ran them to the title.

Prescott has also been impressive, especially when it comes to limiting mistakes. He’s a threat through the air and with his feet. He was compared to Tim Tebow before the draft but he’s established himself as a passer in the NFL, as well. It’s to the point that many people think he should keep starting, even when Romo comes back.

Defense and Bradford

The Vikings also have a number of huge injuries. Adrian Peterson, at one time the best RB in the NFL, is out. QB Teddy Bridgewater blew out his knee before the regular season.

They’ve responded in a huge way. They traded for QB Sam Bradford, giving up a first-round pick in a shocking move, and he’s been great. They also geared up on defense and are winning largely on that side of the ball. They don’t need to score 40 points a game if their opponents can’t find the endzone. They have one of the best defenses in the league and no one has beaten them yet.

Who Would Win?

There are several factos to consider. History says that the top defenses tend to beat the top offenses in the postseason, giving the edge to the Vikings. However, the Cowboys are winning without their top playmakers and stand to get even better down the stretch. If you want to see the race toward the postseason in person and for a great price, get your NFL tickets here at Headline Tickets.

Kevin Durant Is Happy They Lost the Finals

NBA, Sports

BasketBall in mid flight

Golden State’s Kevin Durant Is Happy They Lost the Finals

Kevin Durant has won scoring titles and has been, at times, considered the second-best player in the NBA behind LeBron James. He played his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but was never able to win a title. This year, he’s with the Golden State Warriors.

The Warriors are the same team that fell to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals last season. They were winning the series, 3-1, but then James took over and, improbably, carried the Cavs to victory. Recently, Durant was asked what he thought about watching that team lose, after his Thunder team had just lost to them. This is what he had to say:

“I was telling one of my friends, (my agent) Rich (Kleiman), who’s here, we were watching Game 7. Well, as it started to unfold, it was, ‘No question, no way could you go to this team.’ And I was just like a kid, like, I’d really like playing with these guys. I’d get wide open 3s, I could just run up and down the court, get wide open layups. I was basically begging him. I was like, yo, this would be nice. So as I was thinking about my decision and who I was gonna play for, this team came to mind. You know, as they lost, it became more and more real every day. You start to think about it even more. To see if I would fit. Then once I sat down with these guys, everything that I wanted to know about them they kinda showed me. But we don’t have to talk about it though because they didn’t get the job done and they came after me and who knows what would’ve happened. But I guess you could say I’m glad that they lost.”

It’s a bit weird to say that you’re glad that the team you just joined choked away the Finals. That loss still has to sting for the Warriors, who had won more games than anyone else during the regular season and hoped to end it with their second title in a row. It certainly can’t feel that great to have their new teammate talking about just how happy he is that it happened.

That being said, he’s right. The Warriors may not have gone after him if they’d won. They would have taken the last two championships. As they say, you don’t fix something that’s not broken.

Durant wants to win. He’s never done it. He’s now part of a super team, with the best chance to win it all. This team that set the wins record last year is even better with him on it. Had the Warriors won, he might have been stuck losing in Oklahoma City. You can’t blame him for being happy with how this all played out.

The Warriors are one of the hottest tickets in the NBA right now. If you want to see them smash records in person, get your Warriors tickets right here at Headline Tickets.

Fan kissing Seahawks pass

Questions NFL Teams Must Answer

NFL, Sports

The Biggest Questions NFL Teams Must Answer

The NFL season is just a few weeks old, and there are already plenty of questions looming over franchises. People love the NFL for its parity and unpredictability, and it will be great to watch how things unfold. Some of the biggest story-lines to keep an eye on include:

How High Can the Patriots and Steelers Climb?

Both the Patriots and the Steelers look like top teams in the NFL. They have great offenses and the ability to win on any given night. However, each of them is missing a huge star. For the Patriots, it’s QB Tom Brady, suspended after DeflateGate. For the Steelers, it’s RB Le’Veon Bell, suspended for yet another PED violation. If these teams are winning without their stars, just how good can they be? They could very well be on their way to a collision in the AFC Championship Game — though the defending Super Bowl champs, the Denver Broncos, may have a thing or two to say about that.

How Good Is Joey Bosa?

The Chargers are a strange team, looking like they could beat anyone and at other times like they could go 4-12 again. They had a highly publicized disagreement with first-round pick Joey Bosa, a pass rusher out of Ohio State, but they finally got him signed. They want him to be the next Khalil Mack or Von Miller.

Can the Panthers Repeat as NFC Champs?

The Carolina Panthers went 15-1 last year, and there was talk that they could go undefeated before a surprising loss to the Falcons. They still won the NFC and made it to the Super Bowl, though, with the best record in the NFL. There won’t be any undefeated talk this year, as they lost the first game of the season to the Broncos, the same team that beat them in the Super Bowl.

However, the Panthers got WR Kelvin Benjamin back from injury, and he looked awesome, even in that loss to the Broncos. With him in the fold, can they repeat as the NFC champs? Other contending teams, like the Packers, Seahawks and Cardinals, have already suffered surprising losses.

Who Will Be That Surprise Team?

There’s a consistent trend in the NFL, in which a team that was dead last in its division the year before ends up winning the division. The Chargers lost the AFC West; could they overtake the Broncos? Are the Dallas Cowboys going to storm to the top now behind rookie QB Dak Prescott and rookie RB Zeke Elliott? Can coach Chip Kelly turn the 49ers around and win the NFC West?

There are tons of story lines in the NFL, and these are just a few, but they’ll be terrific to watch. To do it in person, get your NFL tickets now.

nhl Stick and puck

2017 NHL Winter Classic

NHL, Sports

St. Louis Hosts the 2017 NHL Winter Classic

This year, the NHL Winter Classic will be held at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The St. Louis Blues will face the Chicago Blackhawks on January 2nd, 2017. This will be the ninth Winter Classic to be held, an annual tradition of playing a regular-season game outdoors, reminiscent of the simpler days of pond hockey. It has only ever been played in the US, and while only inaugurated in 2008, this game garners the NHL some of its highest attendance and television ratings. This Winter Classic is particularly special, as it will mark not only the celebration of 100 years of the NHL, but also pay homage to a particularly special anniversary for the St. Louis Blues themselves. The 2017 Winter Classic will start their 50th anniversary season off with a bang, and it will be their first outdoor regular-season game.

Their fellow Central Division adversary, the Chicago Blackhawks, is not unfamiliar with this particular spotlight. They have competed in the Winter Classic in both 2009 and 2015, and though they have not won an appearance there yet, they are looking at this year to finally emerge victorious. Though the St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games in the Western Conference First Round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Blackhawks are by no means pushovers. If these last few Stanley Cups are any indication, it will be an intense battle up until the end. In their 90th season, the Blackhawks look for yet another opportunity to rise to a new level with the help of the Winter Classic.

In addition to the Winter Classic itself, an alumni game will be played on December 31st, and will include Hall of Fame members such as Bernie Federko, Al MacInnis, Brett Hull, and Chris Pronger. They will also have Kid Rock performing at the Scottrade Center on the same night. Be sure to look for the best ticket prices soon! You don’t want to miss out on this iconic match up.