What’s Next For The Toronto Raptors?

The Raptors have had an unfortunate NBA season, to put it mildly. Just two playoff series after topping the regular season of the Eastern Conference with a 59-23 win-loss record, they succumbed to the Cavaliers in a sweep. This prompted many basketball fans and experts to believe that they are just overwhelmed by LeBron James’ presence.

The hurdle that is James is something the Raptors can’t seem to pass. And it showed in their tentative play throughout that series. Even the newfound chemistry between Toronto stars Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan wasn’t enough; the surrounding talent didn’t show up in all four games.

Image source: raptorshq.com

The good news is that James is likely leaving Cleveland this offseason, and chances are high that it will be for a Western Conference team. This will remove the obstacle that has kept the Canadian franchise from moving forward in the playoffs. However, this would also mean that the Raptors will never get the chance to redeem themselves and prove that they can beat a LeBron-led team in the East.

The firing of their coach Dwane Casey is the newest Raptors hurdle. It’s not usual for a coach-of-the-year candidate to get booted off a team, especially one who led the team to the top of the standings. But management probably decided that the shackling Toronto got from Cleveland was too much and too embarrassing, and they had to put the blame on someone. All in all, the Raptors’ future is uncertain, and it might take more than just firing their coach to claw their way back up the NBA ladder.

Image source: medium.com

Shaun Benderson here, a college student from the University of Florida. I’ve been passionate about sports since I was a kid, so I’m now starting to share my thoughts about my favorite leagues and teams. Visit this blogfor similar reads.

Lebron And The Lakers: What Are The Chances?

No doubt about it, Lebron James is the best player today. He’s talented and reliable, and he leads his teams deep into the playoffs. He is truly a physical specimen. This is why there’s been a lot of talk about his fate after the 2017-2018 NBA season. With the way things are going, the Cavs don’t look likely to dethrone the defending champs or even beat the red-hot Houston Rockets. Heck, they may even be dropped by the Cinderella team of the Eastern Conference – Boston Celtics.

Image source: bleacherreport.com

So, let’s take a good look at a scenario that has a chance of happening during the free agency – 

Lebron to the Lakers.

Can James leave the Cavs? Absolutely. He promised the city a title and delivered, despite being a hated figure for all those seasons he was in Miami.

Should James leave the Cavs? Absolutely. If Cavs management can’t find more consistent players, James would have to extend his playing minutes and run himself ragged exposing himself to injury and a shortened career.

Lebron has developed a taste for the spotlight and everything that comes with it, which is why Los Angeles may be a perfect fit for him, lifestyle-wise. However, the Lakers are part of the Western Conference, a conference filled with monster teams and the defending champs. This might mean he may no longer be as dominant as he was.

Image source: gazettereview.com

Do we think he’ll move to the West? Absolutely not.

Hi there, my name is Shaun Benderson. I’m a college student from the University of Florida. I love sports and can’t get enough of writing about it. To read more about the world of sports, drop by this blog.

Does Dota 2 Deserve a Spot On Espn?

In July 2014, many ESPN viewers were treated to something new. The channel broadcasted the biggest DOTA 2 tournament dubbed The International. DOTA 2 is a video game. 

Image source: www.rockpapershotgun.com

For several years now, MOBA or Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games such as DOTA 2 have been tagged as e-sports. This is because of the competitive scene and the huge following and support from fans and its developer Valve. Valve is mostly known for its hit first person shooter game Counter Strike. 

The said tournament had a prize pool of over $10 million, the largest ever in the competitive gaming scene at the time. This prize would go beyond $15 million in later years. The International hosts teams from around the world with popular teams coming from North America, Europe, CIS, South East Asia, and China. 

Over 40 professional teams attended the tournament. Some teams got direct invites due to prominence or overall great performances in previous tournaments while the rest battled it out in rigorous open qualifiers. 

Professional DOTA 2 games can also be watched with live sports casters as they spectate the live match and give stats, insights, and blow-by-blow commentaries as teams clash in a flurry of spells. 

DOTA 2 wasn’t ESPN’s first attempt at broadcasting e-sports. Prior to the telecast of The International 2014, the channel partnered with Major League Gaming to host a Call of Duty tournament in Austin. 

Image source: http://www.gamingtech.asia/ 

Hi there, my name is Shaun Benderson. I’m a college student from the University of Florida. I love sports and can’t get enough of sports writing. To know more about the world of sports, drop by this blog.

Why The Greatest Circus Show In Modern Boxing Wasn’t Bad At All

Last August, the world was treated to a spectacle, which many boxing fans were anxious to see. It pitted the P4P king of this generation, the unbeaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. against MMA’s biggest star, Connor McGregor. A crossover of this magnitude had never been done before, and of course, people were skeptical.

Image source: sherdog.com

Obviously, it was all about the money. The promotion leading up to the fight was comparable to over-the-top pro wrestling segments with both fighters trying to give each other the best insults they can. 

The fight, however, was something else entirely. Everyone expected the undefeated Mayweather to finish McGregor early, but it wasn’t the case. To everyone’s surprise, the Notorious One put up a spirited effort and even won a few early rounds. UFC and McGregor fans were ecstatic at some of the points McGregor earned.

Although it was easy to see how Mayweather, a 20-year veteran of the sport, outclassed the MMA superstar in the later rounds, it wasn’t nearly the one-sided thrashing experts predicted. Toward the end though, McGregor lost steam and was TKO’d. 

The entire fight saved the whole circus from becoming just that – a circus. Although some casual observers claim Mayweather simply carried McGregor into the later rounds, a lot of replays would show McGregor getting clean shots off. 

Probably not a classic, and definitely not a fight for the ages, but because the fight surpassed people’s expectations in highly entertaining fashion, the entire thing wasn’t bad at all.

Image source: frostsnow.com

Hi there! Shaun Benderson here. I’m a college student at the University of Florida. As a sports fan, I’ve always wanted to start my own sports blog. Click here for more sports-related content.

New blood: The best young quarterbacks today

It takes a special kind of player to do what living legend and future Hall-Of-Famer Tom Brady is doing. At 40 years old, he is still the National Football League’s premier quarterback. His contemporaries, who used to battle him for the claim as the best passer in the league, have already shown a decline for years now. 

Image source: diehardleague.com

The likes of Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, and Eli Manning are already at the tail end of their career.

Fortunately, the sport is still in good hands as there is a handful of 25-and-under quarterbacks who are poised to take over the league in a few years’ time. Two of the best are the following: 

Carson Wentz

Philadelphia Eagles’ Carson Wentz has all the tool to be the best quarterback in the league. At 25 years old, he already has a solid passing game. He can also rush when needed because of his toughness, agility, and strength. In just his second year in the league, he had already become a top MVP candidate after steering the Eagles to a 10-1 win-loss record. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury with just a few games left in the regular season.

Jared Goff 

Jared Goff will always be linked to Wentz because the two quarterbacks were the first two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, with Los Angeles Rams selecting Goff first. Goff’s passing accuracy and strength were never in question, since his college career in California. But his lackluster performance in his rookie season had some pundits questioning whether Goff was drafted way too high. This year, however, he has shown flashes of his potential, exhibiting vast improvement not only in his passing but also in his footwork and football IQ.

Image source: si.com

Shaun Benderson here, a University of Florida student and a newbie sports blogger. Be updated on what’s happening in the sports world by following me on Twitter.

Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, And Duran: The Four Kings

In every era of boxing, there have been choice individuals who’ve ruled their divisions. Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis led the heavyweights early in the 20th century. Sugar Ray Robinson and Rocky Marciano were big names in their respective divisions in the ‘50s. Muhammad Ali took over in the ‘60s and ‘70s. While Mike Tyson made quite a name for himself in the ‘80s, four men took the competition to a whole new level.

Image source: deepredcreative.com

The Four Kings of Boxing as they were known started their careers in the ‘70s, amassing impressive records in the lightweight and welterweight divisions. Maybe they knew it, or maybe they didn’t, but these four men were on a collision course that would set the stage for one of the most, if not, THE most exciting era the boxing world has ever known.

Sugar Ray Leonard lost his first battle against Roberto Duran but avenged his loss with the “No Mas” fight. He would go on to beat both Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.

Robert “The Hands of Stone” Duran would get beaten by both Tommy Hearns and Hagler but would win the respect of millions by being the smallest of these four fighters.

Tommy “The Hitman” Hearns and “Marvelous Marvin Hagler” would have that one unforgettable three-round fight that many boxing experts and historians refer to simply as the War. Many sportswriters believe it to be the greatest boxing match in history.

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I’m Shaun Benderson, a budding sports blogger and University of Florida student. For more interesting sports stories, follow me on Twitter.

Top reasons Luka Doncic should land the top pick in next year’s NBA draft

18-year-old Slovenian player Luka Doncic is already turning heads this early, and many basketball aficionados are picking him to be the shoo-in top pick in next year’s NBA draft. Let’s take a closer look at why this argument is becoming more and more agreeable. 

Image source: sportsillustrated.com

Firstly, Doncic is young and already very skilled. He just turned 18 recently, yet has already gotten significant awards in the European League, including MVP for three rounds during his team Real Madrid’s semifinal run. Alongside countryman and NBA star Goran Dragic, the 6-foot-8 star likewise just led Slovenia to its first FIBA EuroBasket championship, beating Spain, France, and Serbia in the process for the historic 2017 win. 

While Donkic is not as athletic as most top draft prospects from the US, he has a very high basketball I.Q. and a generally complete skill set for his age. During Slovenia’s recent run in EuroBasket, he outplayed the likes of Lauri Markkanen, Bogan Bogdanovic, the Gasol brothers, and even Latvia’s best player and New York star Kristaps Porzingis. 

Donkic sees the floor really well, and his passing skills is complemented by a high three-point shooting clip and impressive inside drives. It’s becoming the norm stylistically for big guys in the NBA to shoot from the outside and bring the ball down, and Donkic fits well with this trend.

Ultimately, the conversation boils down to drafting Donkic over Michael Porter Jr. and Marvin Bagley III. But rapid improvements in this still-teenager’s game spiced up by international recognition and awards are surely making him the most solid top-pick contender. 

Image source: theringer.com

Hello, my name’s Shaun Benderson and I’m currently studying at the University of Florida. As a sports fan, I’ve always wanted to start my own sports blog. For similar reads, drop by this blog.