The Weekly Assist: 9/28 to 10/4

Matthew Hanson
Matthew Hanson

Oct 05 | 2020

As Ferris Beuller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.

Here we’ll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We’ve already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.

NFL

The first instances of the NFL schedule being affected by positive COVID-19 cases occurred over the past week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game has been moved to Week 7, and the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens was in turn moved to Week 8. After multiple cases came out of the Tennessee organization, they’re being investigated by the league to determine if they broke protocol. If that were to be the case, they would be subject to further punishment by the league.

Also rescheduled due to COVID-19 is the matchup between New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, which was moved to tonight; we will now have two Monday night football games on the schedule. Cam Newton tested positive, and his loss will be a huge blow to the Patriots’ chances of getting a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.

Some notable results from Week 4 of the NFL include the Panthers winning their second game of the season without Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow getting his first career win over the Jaguars, the Browns outlasting the Cowboys in a thriller bringing them to 3-1, and Seahawks continue to cook as they improve to 4-0.

For more NFL coverage, check back for the Weekly Round Up article released every Tuesday.

MLB

Last week’s Wild Card Round resulted in six of the eight series being 2-0 sweeps. Oakland defeated the White Sox in three games, and it took three for the Padres to dispose of St. Louis. The Divisional Round games start Monday as the two AL series begin.

The Yankees will take on division rival Tampa Bay as the top two AL East teams fight for a spot in the ALCS. The Rays’ starting rotation may be the best in baseball, and they had an 8-2 record against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season. The Yankees will look to get two solid outings from Gerrit Cole in this series and hope that their bats continue to produce as they did against Cleveland.

After taking out the talented young White Sox squad, the Oakland A’s have Houston in the second round. The Astros seek to continue to silence their critics which will only grow louder if they continue to advance. The A’s will need to get a better start from Jesus Luzardo in this series, but their bullpen has been reliable when called upon. This matchup will come down to whether the Oakland pitching can be better than Houston’s bats. Unfortunately, the Astros have the advantage in this series.

The Marlins were the surprise from the first round after sweeping the Cubs; they will be matched against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took the last regular season series against Miami 2-1 and certainly have the lineup to produce plenty of offense featuring Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins will need to get repeat performances from starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez in order to win this series.

The other NLDS series includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorite to win the World Series, and they will face the Padres. San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams to watch all season, and that trend has extended into the playoffs. Facing elimination in Game 2, the Padres’ resilient group fought back to overcome a 4 run deficit twice to even the series. They carried that momentum into Game 3 to close out the series, and hopefully they can continue their run against Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and the loaded Dodgers team. This is a must-watch series that features the blue blood Dodgers against the upstart Slam Diego Padres.

NBA

We have seen the first three games of the NBA Finals now, and Jimmy Butler has yet again proven that we know nothing about the Heat. After the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, everyone assumed Miami was dead in the water–especially since the Heat lost two starters in the series opener and Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) missed both Games 2 and 3.

Game 3 was expected to be LeBron and the Lakers laying the groundwork for a sweep, but instead Miami was able to get Anthony Davis into early foul trouble, which limited his impact in the first half. While Los Angeles struggled to get anything going offensively, Miami’s confidence grew behind the play of Jimmy Butler. The Lakers were sloppy with the ball and at times looked uninterested, if not distracted, by the thought of hoisting the championship trophy. They finished with 19 turnovers and allowed Miami to score 52 points in the paint.

Jimmy Butler was spectacular and had one of the all time playoff performances of this generation. Playing 45 minutes, Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The catalyst for Erik Spoelstra’s team, Butler played the best basketball of his life on the biggest stage. While Tyler Herro and the rest of the team struggled to contribute, Butler put his team on his shoulders and carried them to the finish line.

This series is NOT over yet. If we’ve learned anything from the Heat this postseason, it’s to never count them out. So I’m done doing that and I’m just going to tune in on Tuesday night to see what happens. LeBron has seen his fair share of losses in the Finals, so he is very aware of what a team looks and feels like when they aren’t in a good place to finish the job. Game 3 was certainly an example of a team that wasn’t ready to close. It may have explained James’ poor sportsmanship, as he left the floor before time was up, forcing Frank Vogel to pull someone off the bench to run out the clock.

WNBA

The Seattle Storm has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart set the tone for the series going for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1. Stewart added 22 points and 5 assists Sunday night in Game 2 and Sue Bird had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists in 27 minutes. In Game 1 Bird set the WNBA Playoff and Finals assist record with 16!

The Aces have missed the presence of two-time sixth woman of the year, Dearica Hamby, who is sidelined with a knee injury. A’ja Wilson has been good, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far in the Finals, and Angel McCoughtry has provided two solid performances for Las Vegas. Until they can figure out how to slow down the Storm’s offensive attack, however, getting back into this series will be an uphill struggle.

English Premier League

James Rodriguez scored twice helping Everton to a 4-2 win over Brighton and now sit atop the table with 12 points and a 4-0-0 record to begin the new campaign. Rodriguez is coming off lackluster tenures with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but seems to be rejuvenated with his new club. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton in every match so far this season, including a hat trick. If they can continue to maintain this level of attack, then they may find themselves in contention to win the league.

Trailing Everton at 9 points each include Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. On Sunday Villa deconstructed the Liverpool defense for 7 goals including a hat trick for Ollie Watkins.

Manchester United also suffered an embarrassing loss to Tottenham. After Bruno Fernandes put away an early penalty, Tottenham quickly responded to draw even at 1-1 and then controlled the pace of play until Anthony Martial was red carded and sent off in the 28th minute. Playing with 10 men, Manchester United looked overwhelmed and overmatched as Tottenham controlled 62% of possession and outshot their opposition 22-5. The result was a 6-1 Tottenham victory, and they now have the look of a team ready to compete for trophies. As for Man U, they are towards the bottom of the table and have the look of a team in danger of being relegated.

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As Ferris Beuller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
NFL
The first instances of the NFL schedule being affected by positive COVID-19 cases occurred over the past week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game has been moved to Week 7, and the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens was in turn moved to Week 8. After multiple cases came out of the Tennessee organization, they're being investigated by the league to determine if they broke protocol. If that were to be the case, they would be subject to further punishment by the league.
Also rescheduled due to COVID-19 is the matchup between New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, which was moved to tonight; we will now have two Monday night football games on the schedule. Cam Newton tested positive, and his loss will be a huge blow to the Patriots' chances of getting a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Some notable results from Week 4 of the NFL include the Panthers winning their second game of the season without Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow getting his first career win over the Jaguars, the Browns outlasting the Cowboys in a thriller bringing them to 3-1, and Seahawks continue to cook as they improve to 4-0. 
For more NFL coverage, check back for the Weekly Round Up article released every Tuesday.
MLB
Last week's Wild Card Round resulted in six of the eight series being 2-0 sweeps. Oakland defeated the White Sox in three games, and it took three for the Padres to dispose of St. Louis. The Divisional Round games start Monday as the two AL series begin.
The Yankees will take on division rival Tampa Bay as the top two AL East teams fight for a spot in the ALCS. The Rays' starting rotation may be the best in baseball, and they had an 8-2 record against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season. The Yankees will look to get two solid outings from Gerrit Cole in this series and hope that their bats continue to produce as they did against Cleveland.
After taking out the talented young White Sox squad, the Oakland A's have Houston in the second round. The Astros seek to continue to silence their critics which will only grow louder if they continue to advance. The A's will need to get a better start from Jesus Luzardo in this series, but their bullpen has been reliable when called upon. This matchup will come down to whether the Oakland pitching can be better than Houston's bats. Unfortunately, the Astros have the advantage in this series.
The Marlins were the surprise from the first round after sweeping the Cubs; they will be matched against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took the last regular season series against Miami 2-1 and certainly have the lineup to produce plenty of offense featuring Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins will need to get repeat performances from starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez in order to win this series.
The other NLDS series includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorite to win the World Series, and they will face the Padres. San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams to watch all season, and that trend has extended into the playoffs. Facing elimination in Game 2, the Padres' resilient group fought back to overcome a 4 run deficit twice to even the series. They carried that momentum into Game 3 to close out the series, and hopefully they can continue their run against Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and the loaded Dodgers team. This is a must-watch series that features the blue blood Dodgers against the upstart Slam Diego Padres.
NBA
We have seen the first three games of the NBA Finals now, and Jimmy Butler has yet again proven that we know nothing about the Heat. After the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, everyone assumed Miami was dead in the water–especially since the Heat lost two starters in the series opener and Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) missed both Games 2 and 3.
Game 3 was expected to be LeBron and the Lakers laying the groundwork for a sweep, but instead Miami was able to get Anthony Davis into early foul trouble, which limited his impact in the first half. While Los Angeles struggled to get anything going offensively, Miami's confidence grew behind the play of Jimmy Butler. The Lakers were sloppy with the ball and at times looked uninterested, if not distracted, by the thought of hoisting the championship trophy. They finished with 19 turnovers and allowed Miami to score 52 points in the paint. 
Jimmy Butler was spectacular and had one of the all time playoff performances of this generation. Playing 45 minutes, Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The catalyst for Erik Spoelstra's team, Butler played the best basketball of his life on the biggest stage. While Tyler Herro and the rest of the team struggled to contribute, Butler put his team on his shoulders and carried them to the finish line.
This series is NOT over yet. If we've learned anything from the Heat this postseason, it's to never count them out. So I'm done doing that and I'm just going to tune in on Tuesday night to see what happens. LeBron has seen his fair share of losses in the Finals, so he is very aware of what a team looks and feels like when they aren't in a good place to finish the job. Game 3 was certainly an example of a team that wasn't ready to close. It may have explained James' poor sportsmanship, as he left the floor before time was up, forcing Frank Vogel to pull someone off the bench to run out the clock.
WNBA
The Seattle Storm has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart set the tone for the series going for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1. Stewart added 22 points and 5 assists Sunday night in Game 2 and Sue Bird had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists in 27 minutes. In Game 1 Bird set the WNBA Playoff and Finals assist record with 16!
The Aces have missed the presence of two-time sixth woman of the year, Dearica Hamby, who is sidelined with a knee injury. A'ja Wilson has been good, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far in the Finals, and Angel McCoughtry has provided two solid performances for Las Vegas. Until they can figure out how to slow down the Storm's offensive attack, however, getting back into this series will be an uphill struggle. 
English Premier League
James Rodriguez scored twice helping Everton to a 4-2 win over Brighton and now sit atop the table with 12 points and a 4-0-0 record to begin the new campaign. Rodriguez is coming off lackluster tenures with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but seems to be rejuvenated with his new club. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton in every match so far this season, including a hat trick. If they can continue to maintain this level of attack, then they may find themselves in contention to win the league.
Trailing Everton at 9 points each include Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. On Sunday Villa deconstructed the Liverpool defense for 7 goals including a hat trick for Ollie Watkins.
Manchester United also suffered an embarrassing loss to Tottenham. After Bruno Fernandes put away an early penalty, Tottenham quickly responded to draw even at 1-1 and then controlled the pace of play until Anthony Martial was red carded and sent off in the 28th minute. Playing with 10 men, Manchester United looked overwhelmed and overmatched as Tottenham controlled 62% of possession and outshot their opposition 22-5. The result was a 6-1 Tottenham victory, and they now have the look of a team ready to compete for trophies. As for Man U, they are towards the bottom of the table and have the look of a team in danger of being relegated.
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