The Boston Bruins and New York Rangers have one thing in common as they prepare for their Eastern Semi-final clash tomorrow night, and it’s an obvious realization for anyone who watched the wild end to round 1 on Monday. Both teams narrowly escaped elimination by defeating their first round opponent’s in seven games. The Rangers, who were down 3-2 in their series against the Capitals, rallied with promising 1-0 and 5-0 victories to move on, while the Boston Bruins erased a 4-1, third period deficit against the Maple Leafs in game 7 and eventually found the back of the net in overtime to send Toronto packing. Now, after all the drama the two teams will meet tomorrow night for the first of a potential seven game series. The only reason I will even mention a seven game series is because both teams showed their main weaknesses and strengths in their respective first round series’, and we might be in for one hell of a battle. Without further or due, let’s outline five ways that each team can come out victorious in this up-coming series.

The second and third rounds of the 2013 NFL Draft are where the skill position players were selected. In the past few years, most of the little-known impact rookies have been selected in the second and third rounds. Many of these athletes will be getting playing time this year and be sure to keep an eye on these pure talents.

After a hard-fought playoff series, the Brooklyn Nets watched as their inaugural season abruptly came to end at the hands of the injury-ridden, Chicago Bulls, in Brooklyn Saturday night.

Coming into the season, the expectations for the Nets were for the most part, very mixed. On paper, the Nets looked as though they could easily compete with the best in the league. The Nets back court which consists of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson was thought to be arguably the best the NBA had to offer. Adding on rising star Brook Lopez, proven star Gerald Wallace, and 2011-2012 standout Kris Humphries, the Nets looked as if they would finally break out of the slump they had been stuck in since the Jason Kidd days.

The Nets did indeed prove the supporters right as through their first two months, they managed to go 11-4 behind head coach, Avery Johnson. This early success earned Johnson coach of the month honors for both October and November.

Then, it all went down hill.

The Nets began to slump and their record eventually dropped all the way to 14-14. Following this, the Nets made an extremely questionable decision and fired Avery Johnson despite winning coach of the month the two previous months. The Nets would now be led by interim coach, P.J. Carlesimo.

Carlesimo guided the Nets to the fourth seed in the eastern conference where the Nets lost in seven games. As a result, General Manager, Billy King, gave him the boot.

The Nets clearly have some work to do this offseason in order to come back next season and make some noise. Here are five things the Nets must do this offseason in order to come back strong in their sophomore season.

We all have our own ways of recognizing certain people in the NBA.  It could be a unique nickname like Birdman, K-Mart, or the Black Mamba.  It could be a cool hairstyle or having the hairline of a middle-aged man on the decline (cough, cough LeBron).  Some could even be recognized by the way they shoot the ball.  Either way, we know a player not just by who they play for, but the little details about them.  So, without further ado, here are the top 5 trademarks for players in the NBA.

Twitter has become the #1 social media site for many people. Everyone’s on twitter, from Lady Gaga to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to the President. Twitter has also been the source of a lot of controversy. Players have been punished by the leagues they play for because of things they have tweeted. Sports personalities especially garner a lot of online attention. Here are some of the best, and funniest professional sports players on Twitter!

The Toronto Maple Leafs ( 26-17-5) have finally crossed paths with the postseason after a nine-year absence, and the city is ecstatic with this season’s results. However, the fifth place Leafs will be in tough going into the Eastern Semi-final as they match up against the fourth-seeded powerhouse, the Boston Bruins ( 28-14-6). The Bruins, known as one of the scariest and most physical teams to play against in the league, are the clear favorites to win the series on many counts. Over the past few seasons, the Bruins have dominated the Maple Leafs in almost every aspect of the game, and they came out with two points in three of four meetings with the Leafs this season. The Maple Leafs, however, are a fast-paced team with high-octane offense and the ability to match up against even Boston’s toughest agitators. Though the odds are against the Leafs, a number of things would have to go right for them to win the series. In this article, I will explain five reasons why the Leafs can win the series, and five ways that the Bruins can transition into the next round victorious. 

The 2013 NFL Draft is over and it was one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent years. Offensive linemen highlighted the draft. Eric Fisher, Luke Joeckel, Lane Johnson, Jonathan Cooper, Chance Warmack, and D.J. Fluker are all going to be impact players this upcoming season; however, this list doesn’t include offensive linemen. Some rookies will have an immediate impact on the league and others will develop and have an impact in a few years. Here are the top five impact players from the first round of the 2013 NFL draft.

The NHL playoffs are here, and the excitement is everywhere. A lockout-shortened season has provided some interesting twists and turns. There have been some unexpectedly and surprisingly successful teams this year as well. Here are the teams that you should watch to make a run at Lord Stanley’s Cup and raise a banner this spring!

 

It is hard to believe that it was almost three months ago, when the Baltimore Ravens went on an improbable playoff run to win Super Bowl XLVII. However, the dreadful seven month gap between “post-Super Bowl Monday” and the season opener on September 5th, has been going by pretty quickly, which is likely because of the exciting offseason. Some blockbuster trades were finalized, along with some surprising free-agent signings and re-signings. I have put together the top five moves of the offseason thus far.

The draft is just a few days away, and all NFL fans are excited to find out who their respective team will choose throughout the rounds. This draft class has been viewed in a few different ways. Some people rave about the depth of this draft, while others complain about the lack of that elite prospect like an Andrew Luck, AJ Green, or Cam Newton.   I will rank the five biggest lies about this years draft, as we all prepare for Thursday night.