Reasons Why the Warriors or Cavs Will Win the NBA Finals

By: Kyle Boris

The Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers are meeting in the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year. Steve Kerr and the Warriors have won 2-out-of-3 thus far with a third championship in reach. Seemingly, the only person in their way is, arguably, the greatest basketball player of all-time.

Some complain that they would have preferred a different matchup this time around, seeing as though we’ve seen this movie play out already for the past three seasons. But, unlike The Hangover 3, Little Fockers and every other terrible sequel, this franchise just seems to keep coming with hit after hit.

The fourth movie in this installment has added the injury questions with 2015 Finals MVP Andre Iguodola and 5-time All-Star Kevin Love. Nick Young and JaVale McGee are the buddy cop duo you never you knew you needed in this blockbuster. Then, there’s the role players don’t feature in many scenes, but if they shine, could make or break the film for a certain team. I’m looking at you Jordan Clarkson, Jeff Green and George Hill.

With all the different storylines intertwined in the 2018 NBA Finals, it’s difficult to come up with a definitive reason as to why either team will hoist the O’Brien Trophy this year. That is why I went to social media to ask for one reason, one word or one sentence why the Cavs or Warriors will win the NBA Finals. After going through all of them, let’s check out the results.

1.) Warriors because they know how to put the ball in the basket

These two Twitter users believe the Warriors’ offense is just too much to keep up with and they might be right. Durant, Curry and Thompson are all among the top 20 in points per game this postseason while the Cavs have only one player. That one player happens to be Lebron James who finds himself at number 1 with 34 points per game. That being said, Kevin Love is the next guy on the list for the Cavs, but he lands all the way at 42 with only 13.9 ppg.

The Warriors have three guys who could legitimately drop 30 a night, while the Cavs struggle to have a player other than Lebron drop 20. Kevin Love has scored 20+ just four times, while the rest of the Cavs have combined for two 20-point games, one from J.R. Smith and another from George Hill.

This postseason the Warriors have played one less game than the Cavs, but still have outscored Cleveland 1,855 to 1,821. The offensive fire power cannot be questioned and Lebron and co. will have to either try to keep up with Golden State, shut them down or just keep relying on the King. But, can they actually do that for a fourth consecutive series?

2. Warriors because Lebron is playing WAY too many minutes

Lebron James is a player unlike any we’ve ever seen before. He rarely misses games, he plays entire contests and he looks like he might actually play forever. But eventually, that has to take a toll on him, right? Right?!

The man has AVERAGED 41.3 minutes per game. The four main guys for Golden State are all averaging around 38 minutes per game with Curry getting the most rest at 35.7 mpg. A 3-minute difference might not seem like a lot, but when every minute counts, that little bit of rest could be the difference especially when the Warriors can rain 3’s on a team at the snap of Thanos’ fingers.

And when Lebron is on the court, he’s leading the postseason in usage rate regarding players who have played at least 7 games. James’ usage rate is at 35.9 while Durant is the highest Warrior at 31.2.

There have been rumblings that Lebron is exhausted and that he’s getting tired. Even so, he still has found a way to take his team to victories over the Pacers, Raptors and Celtics. Even so, that could be a different story once he attempts to tackle the Warriors. Let’s say Lebron and Durnat take a play off together, the Warriors STILL have the Splash Brothers(remember them) to rely on, while the Cavs would be lucky to have a healthy Kevin Love.

Can the Cavs afford to take out Lebron? Can they afford to not have him involved in most possessions? Maybe none of that actually matters?

3.) Cavs because the NBA is…RIGGED

I for one find this hard to believe because I like to believe that everyone is a good soul and no bad would ever be done in the world of the National Basketball Association. But…but! There are plenty of people out there who feel very strongly that our beloved NBA is indeed rigged.

A quick advanced Twitter search using the words ‘NBA’ and ‘rigged’ from May 27th(when the Cavs clinched) until now, will result in thousands of tweets from users who believe the NBA is definitely rigged.

I’m all about rigged television. I’ll tune into WWE each and every week even if it’s rigged so that Roman Reigns wins all the time. You bet I’m into some scripted entertainment, but if the NBA was actually rigged, the lights would go out before Game 1 and Russell Westbrook would show up in a Cavs uniform.

4.) Warriors because the Cavs just don’t have enough

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It was mentioned earlier that Cavs players not named Lebron or Kevin have struggled to make an impact and in order for them to have a chance this series, they’ll need a Kyle, a Jordan, a Jeff and a George, and maybe even a Rodney to show up and contribute.

The Warriors have multiple players that contribute every night whether it be their four All-Stars or their role players such as Shaun Livingston and Kevon Looney. To be able to take down a team like the Warriors, it’ll take more than just Lebron and Kevin(if healthy) to get the job done. That was evident in Golden State’s series vs. the Rockets.

Houston was able to win three games that series and it was no coincidence that role players stepped up to match the big four of the Warriors. In Game 2, P.J. scored 22, Trevor dropped 19 and Eric put up 27. In their Game 4 and Game 5 wins, Gordon also scored 14 and 23 to help take the load off James and Chris.

The Cavaliers’ versions of Eric, Trevor and P.J. can be seen in Kyle, Jeff and J.R., but those guys haven’t proven that they can consistently help out Lebron. If that’s not the case when the Finals begins, we very well might be looking at a sweep.

5.) Cavs because Whatever Happened to Predictability?

You can never go wrong with 80’s/90’s sitcom parodies and CBS Sports tweeted out a fantastic mash-up to get you ready for the NBA Finals with the Family Matters theme song to put the icing on the cake.

“Season 4 of Cavs vs. Warriors was recorded in front of a live studio audience.” pic.twitter.com/xQJOdJAHSl

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) May 29, 2018

Did the makers of the video use Kevin Durant eating a cupcake on accident? Was it intentional that Klay Thompson was shown missing a dunk? Do they know something we don’t? Maybe “Coach Perk” is the X-factor that the Cavs needed all along?

6.) Warriors because they have SNIPERS

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At the end of the day, the Golden Warriors are sending three of the best shooters in the world onto the court each and every night. During the regular season, Durant, Curry and Thompson combined to make 614 3’s and all three were in the top 10 in 3-point percentage among players who took at least 300 3’s.

That’s tough to swallow and even tougher to prepare for.

The Rockets had the bodies to compete with the Warriors thanks to their ability to score the basket at a high rate. But, how will the Cavs do the same when some of their best shooters are under-performing during the playoffs?

During the regular season J.R. Smith shot a respectable .403 from the field, but has seen that number drop to .356 thus far in the playoffs. Jordan Clarkson, another sharp-shooter, had a .456 field goal percentage, but that number has plummeted in the playoffs to .309.

The J.R. Smith Experience pic.twitter.com/1l9292w9lE

— Sherwob Holmes (@World_Wide_Wob) May 26, 2018

Those numbers got the Cavs by in the earlier rounds, but when up against a behemoth like the Warriors, Clarkson and J.R. are going to need to improve for Cleveland to have a chance.

Even if Jordan Clarkson and J.R. Smith shoot better, it’s no given that it will be enough. The Warriors have three MVP Awards between Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. It’s not often you see former NBA MVP’s playing together while both are still in their prime and it’s scary to think these two could be along for the ride for the foreseeable future.

Both guys averaged exactly 26.4 ppg during the regular season which just further showcases just how in-sync the duo is. The only other team to have two players average over 25 ppg was the Pelicans’ duo of Anthony Davis(28.1) and DeMarcus Cousins(25.2) with the latter only playing 48 games due to his season-ending injury.

Durant and Curry are at the top of their games and if Steph keeps shining and shimmying, while Durant keeps making contested long-range shots, the Warriors could be on their way to back-to-back titles.

7.) Cavs because Lebron James

Sometimes the answer is just two simple words.

Lebron James is playing at an almost unfathomable level right now and only he knows just how far he can actually take this team.

James has played in 18 games this postseason. Here’s some of his scoring numbers in those games.

He’s been a fan of scoring 40+ points as he’s put up 46, 46, 45, 44, 44, 43 and 42 so far.

He’s shot at least 50% from the field in 13-of-18 games. He’s also had a double-double in 13-of-18 games.

DON’T YOU EVER FIX YOUR MOUTH TO SAY SOMETHING BAD ABOUT LEBRON AGAIN pic.twitter.com/qLvG7JvRD4

— Shea Serrano (@SheaSerrano) May 6, 2018

But somehow that’s just the norm for Lebron James. You would think after playing an entire NBA season there might be some lay-off, but he’s actually just doing what he does in the regular season and carrying it into the playoffs. James shot 54% from the field in the regular season. His field goal percentage during the playoffs? 54%.

He’s also just staying on the court more than ever in order to make sure his team has the best chance at winning. King James averaged 41 minutes in the Conference Finals vs. the Celtics in order to help lead the Cavs to victory. Will that kind of effort be enough for the Cavs to win another championship with Lebron at the helm? There’s not many players that could take down a dynasty-in-the-making like the Warriors, but if there’s someone not to bet against, it’s Lebron James.

As Twitter user @Da_Manveer said, “Cavs will probably not but hopefully win because(Lebron James) is the greatest basketball player of all time.” And if that doesn’t sum up most of America’s feelings, I don’t know what does.

8.) Whoever Wins 4 Games First

The real answer to this question was quite obvious all along. Basketball fans around the world will be gifted another entertaining series whether the Warriors sweep, Lebron pulls off the unthinkable with a miracle series-winning shot in Game 7, Nick Young and J.R. Smith do Nick Young and J.R. Smith things, or Cedi Osman gets in a game. The 2018 NBA Finals are here so let’s enjoy this fourth installment in this series before the credits roll on another NBA season.

All stats via Basketball-Reference

Twitter: @KyleNoStyle

24 Things That Must Happen in The NBA This Season

By Kyle Boris

It’s almost unbelievable that another NBA season is already upon us. The NBA offseason was full of trades, exciting free agency acquisitions and Olympic basketball that filled our hearts until the 2016-2017 season was ready to begin.

With the regular season ready to get going, I tried to envision what I was most looking forward to seeing in 2016-2017. Could it be the first meeting between new enemies Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook? Maybe it was getting to see Dwyane Wade in the red and white Bulls uniform. Perhaps, it could be finally getting to see Joel Embiid take the court.

Everyone will get to see those three things happen this season, barring any injuries(please don’t get hurt again Embiid), so I’ve decided to take a look at 24 things that might not happen, but MUST happen for me to enjoy the NBA this season.

1.) Russell Westbrook 1-v-1 against Kevin Durant

Let’s get this out of the way early. When the Warriors and Thunder face off for the first time, all eyes are going to be on former teammates, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. They won’t be guarding each most of the time, but I’m hoping because of a switch or defensive breakdown we get to see the ball in Westbrook’s hands with Durant guarding him. You know Westbrook will be itching to drive past him and slam down his signature and emphatic two-hand dunk in front of the Oklahoma City crowd.

2.) Harrison Barnes Makes a Statement in Golden State

Lost in all Kevin Durant saga was the fact that the Warriors let Harrison Barnes walk in order to sign the former Thunder forward. Barnes went on to sign a max contract with the Dallas Mavericks and will get his first taste at being the main piece without those guys named Curry, Thompson and Green. Barnes has flown under the radar and people aren’t sure if he was just the product of a great team or if he could carry a team on his own. I’m not sure how his tenure in Dallas will pan out, but it would be great to see him make his first statement as a member of the Mavs with a breakout game in Golden State in the Mavs’ eighth game of the year.

3.) Joel Embiid Tweets During Halftime

Yes, it will be great to finally see Embiid step on a basketball court, but while he was out injured he provided some gold via Twitter. We can only hope his personality and love for the game(as well as his love for Twitter) lead to an improptu Twitter exchange at halftime of a Sixers’ game.

screen-shot-2016-10-24-at-2-34-39-pm — Embiid sent out this gem while watching a recent debate

4.) Timberwolves Make the Playoffs

The Timberwolves haven’t had a winning season since 2004 when Kevin Garnett was still on the team(his first stint, of course). The team really hasn’t been relevant since then, but finally with some smart drafting, timely trades and a new head coach, the Wolves might be in line for a winning season and hopefully a playoff push. Another full year of Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins along with Zach LaVine, Ricky Rubio, Kris Dunn and Gorgui Deng make Minnesota look like a threat once again.

5.) Ray Allen Returns

Ray Allen hasn’t officially retired, but its been a couple years since he last played for the Heat in 2014. That being said, Allen has continuously stated that he’s still in shape and could just be waiting for the right opportunity. Well, Mr. Allen, now is the time to do it. The Warriors are looking like steady favorites to win the NBA Title, but a return to Cleveland could be just the piece the Cavs and Lebron need to compete with Golden State.

6.) Giannis Becomes a Star

Giannis Antetokounmpo. You know the name. You don’t know how to say it. Even if you do know how to say it, think about how awesome it will be to hear sports anchors over the country attempt to say his name when he becomes a bonafide star. The 21-year old will see action as the point guard for the Bucks and should see huge improvements in his stats leading to the Greek Freak’s rise to fame. We can all laugh as his name is butchered again and again.

7.) The Knicks Make Madison Square Garden Relevant Again

The New York Knicks have missed out on the playoffs the last three seasons. Yes, Madison Square Garden has been electrifying at times during that stretch like when Carmelo goes off or Porzingas piles up huge rejections, but the Garden hasn’t had that buzz around it that comes with a perennial playoff team. If the Knicks are able to get off to a hot start and show their fans that things are different this year then we might get to see MSG rocking like it should.

8.) Linsanity Takes Over the Garden

That being said, how fitting it would be for Jeremy Lin to bring the Garden to its feet once more, but this time as a member of the rival Nets. It can argued that the last time there was that signature buzz in the Garden was when Jeremy Lin ran the town. Even if he’s a member of the Nets now, the crowd in NYC will be split and a stellar performance will get all on their feet no matter which jersey he has on.

9.) Lavine/Gordon II

Do we need anyone else in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest? I think everyone can agree that a three round battle between Zach LaVine and Aaron Gordon would do justice. The two put on a show last February and even though LaVine was crowned the champion, the trophy could have went to either man. Let’s just hope they spent this summer coming up with some new tricks.

10.) Chris Bosh Plays Before March 1st

The Miami Heat and Chris Bosh have gotten themselves into a sticky situation. Bosh failed a physical in the offseason and it doesn’t look like he’ll suit up for the Heat again. Bosh could try and find work elsewhere, but if the Heat release him after March 1st, he won’t be able to play in the playoffs if he were to make it with his new team. Obviously, Bosh’s health is most important, but I’d love to see him get another chance with a new team before he hangs up his jersey.

11.) Warriors Win By 70 Points

Running up the score is never nice, but when you have two former league MVP’s, a former three-point champion and a triple-double machine it’s bound to happen. The Warriors will be in plenty of games that are over by halftime. I’m not saying they should run the score up EVERY game, but give them one crack at the NBA record set by the Cavs in 1991 when they beat the Heat by 68 points.

12.) Wade & Rondo Hit a 3 in the Same Game

It’s no secret that Wade and Rondo aren’t threats from the outside. Wade hit seven three pointers last season during the regular season. Rondo hit 62 which was way more than he hit in his previous high which came in 2013 when he made 26 three pointers. Last year he took 170 threes which helped his numbers rise. I can’t imagine Rondo and Wade will become the new Splash Bro’s, but seeing the pair hit back-to-back 3’s would be special.

13.) D’Angelo Russell Has Ice in His Veins…Again

Everyone seems to be boarding the D’Angelo Russell hype train heading into this season. That’s all fine and dandy, but I just want to see another clutch shot from the man so we can see the Ice in My Veins celebration one more time.

14.) Ben Simmons Plays

Injuries ruin everything. Now, when the 76ers are terrible again they’ll have another excuse. Joel Embiid keeps telling us to trust the process and I want to, but I’m getting impatient. Even if the process wasn’t going to work this season, getting to see Ben Simmons do his thing would have been worth it for one more year. Simmons will be on the shelf for the beginning of the season, but hopefully the Aussie can return in time to give us hope that the process should be trusted.

15.) Damian Lillard is a First Ballot All Star

25.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 4 rebounds per game. Sounds like some pretty solid numbers, huh? That was Damian Lillard’s stat line last season, yet they weren’t good enough to earn him a spot on the all star team until an injury made room for him. Two years ago, when putting up similar numbers, Lillard was overlooked once again and left off completely. You can say that he gets overlooked while playing in Portland, but it’s about time fans and his peers begin to take notice and get Lillard a spot that he deserves.

16.) Kevin Love Bounces Back

Kevin Love’s first two seasons in Cleveland have seen considerable drops in points and rebounds. A bounce-back season from the former all star, along with a Ray Allen resurgence, could be just what the Cavs need to have a fighting chance against the Warriors.

17.) The Schroder/Howard Connection Works

The Hawks have been one of the more consistent teams in the Eastern conference over the last few seasons, but the organization decided to change things up this season by losing Al Horford and Jeff Teague while signing Dwight Howard and moving Dennis Schroder into a starting role. There’s some that question whether these moves will work in the Hawks’ favor, but Howard is still ONLY 30-years old. It seems as though he’s been in the year forever, but maybe, just maybe, he’ll be able to find something special with the new Hawks point guard. Howard definitely has the character to bring some life to ATL and Schroder’s playmaking skills might be the perfect match for Superman.

18.) The Spurs Contend for the Top Seed

Remember the Spurs? How could you forget? They literally never go away even when they do go away. Yeah, Tim Duncan left, but they quietly replace him with LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol. Oh yeah, there’s that Kawhi Leonard guy too. That ain’t a bad big 3 at all. If the NBA wants competition coming down the stretch then we need the Spurs to make a run at the top seed in the West. If not, the Warriors could run away with the West early and keep fans uninterested come playoff time.

19.) Celtics Move Up the Eastern Conference

The Celtics have been creeping up the ranks of the Eastern Conference under head coach Brad Stevens. They finished 7th and 5th the last two years and now are considered a dark horse to contend with the Cavs this year. The Raptors are in the top 3 in the conference seemingly every year, but crumble come playoff time. A young and exciting Celtics team should be able to pass the Raptors in the standings and compete for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

20.) James Harden Wins His First Scoring Title

Harden has seen his points per game increase almost every year since he’s been in the league, however, he has yet to win a scoring title. Well, that could all change this year under new head coach Mike D’antoni who is known for his high-powered offenses. Harden is also going to see time at point guard which should only add to his number of free throws and scoring opportunities. His former Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have already won scoring titles so it could be Harden’s chance to shine.

21.) The Kings Figure Out…something

The Kings have been stuck in NBA purgatory for a while now. They’ve had some good pieces over the years, but a messy front office and a messy locker room has been the downfall to any potential success for this franchise. They have a bonafide star in DeMarcus Cousins, but seem to be wasting his prime years. The Kings haven’t been to the playoffs since 2006 and have only won 30 or more games once in Cousins’s six seasons. Let’s hope they finally figure out something.

22.) We Have Another Great “BANG!” Moment

Any time Mike Breen is behind the announcer’s desk you might be blessed to hear his awesome “Bang!” call. We can only hope we get one like last year’s gem at Oracle Arena.

23.) Porzingis vs. Blake

Due to injuries last season, we never got to see Blake Griffin and Kristaps Porzingis go head-to-head. This match up better go down this season so we can see Blake test Porzinis in the paint. Griffin has a tendency to dunk all over defenders, but Porzingis has been prone to host a block party every now and then. If the two meet at the rim at Madison Square Garden or the Staples Center, the crowd will jump to their feet no matter the result.

24.) Lebron James Takes Down the Warriors

The most exciting storyline may be Westbrook vs. Durant, but the most important storyline will be whether or not Lebron James can do the unthinkable and take down the Warriors in the NBA Finals. James strengthened his legacy with an incredible comeback in last year’s Finals, but this season he faces the huge task of not only beating Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, but also Kevin Durant. Lebron will be entering this season as the good guy and the fan favorite for the first time in a long time and fans will surely be rooting for him to take down one of the best teams ever on paper. We’re not sure if he can do it, but we will all be tuning in to see him try.

Did I miss anything? What are you most looking forward to this season? Let us know in the comments and be sure to be on the lookout for more great NBA content on YourSitch.com

Kyle Boris is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @KyleNoStyle

The Natural Opinion: Kevin Durant

Is Kevin Durant Just Following The Lebron James Model?

I certainly think so.

Picture this. As a young kid growing up in Brooklyn, New York, my friends and I are choosing teams. Myself, along with my little brother, are by far the best players of the bunch. Automatically, I along with my brother are nominated team captains. Notice the word, “automatically”. Why is it automatic that the two best players play on opposite sides? Competitive balance. The two best players on the same team is called a “slaughter”. No one wants to see that, no one wants to be a part of that, including two young boys just playing on the courts of Brooklyn.

The only true way to ultimately decide who truly is the better player is for us to compete against each other. Being on the same team doesn’t accomplish anything. As competitors, no matter the age of the athlete, we feel a sense of accomplishment when we challenge ourselves that way.

I say all this to illuminate the fact that the day Lebron James decided to join Dwyane Wade in Miami in the summer of 2010, the NBA as we knew it would never be the same. I’m an NBA fan through and through. I still love the NBA now, just as much as I did back in the day. But I’ve gotta say, I feel like I’m in the twilight zone these days. NBA Superstars who are considered in the top two or three players in the league consciously teaming up to “slaughter” the rest of the league are being celebrated like those NBA legends of old who accomplished even more without resorting to these “punk-like” tactics? In Brooklyn that’s called “sucka shit”.

Whenever I bring things like this up, I’m deemed a “hater”. But the reality is, I want others to truly appreciate how difficult it is to win an NBA championship. Not only that, how difficult it is to win many times over. Common sense would say, when two of the top three players in the league team up it means they’re taking a much easier road to the ultimate goal. But someway, somehow, Lebron James is now being celebrated like he is on the same level, or according to some, even better than the GOAT Michael Jordan. Remember what I said, “twilight zone”. With that, with only three rings to his name, he’s now bypassed legends like Magic Johnson(5 rings), Kareem Abdul Jabbar(6 rings), Kobe Bryant(5 rings), Shaquille O’Neal(4 rings) Tim Duncan(5 rings). Really?

In 2010, Kevin Durant condemned the forming of super teams in his now infamous tweet. But a funny thing has happened since; Lebron James is being celebrated because he finally started winning championships by doing “sucka shit”. So apparently, Kevin Durant has had a change of heart. He’s now joined the Golden State Warriors to team up with another, arguably, top three player in Steph Curry. My assertion is that the Golden State Warriors have the potential to be the greatest team of all time and once Durant starts winning championships, he too will celebrated as if he’s greater than Michael Jordan. Twilight Zone.

Adriel “The Natural” is a contributing writer for YourSitch.com

7 Things Other Sports Can Learn From Soccer

By Ryan McAdams

The start of another soccer season is upon us and so is another season of me having to explain at length that not every game ends zero-zero. Rather than me tell you why you should love soccer, here are seven things that it does better than the “Big Four” American sports. Take note NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL!

1. Promotion/Relegation

One of the coolest things about each new soccer season is when new teams are added to the league. At the end of the season, the bottom three teams in the top tier league are replaced with the top three teams in the league below them.

135060 — Watford celebrates being promoted to the Premier League in 2015 (Source)

For example, in the Premier League, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa finished at the bottom last year and will be replaced with Burnley, Middlesbrough and Hull City. One of the top benefits of this would be the obliteration of tanking. A team like the 76ers or Braves wouldn’t be able to throw complete seasons away for draft picks because they would risk dropping down to the second-tier league. This would make more teams competitive and create more drama for teams that otherwise have nothing to play for. Instead of Sabres fans cheering at their team losing a game to give them a better draft pick, that win becomes super important to the Sabres remaining in the NHL.

Additionally, you’d get to see new teams, players and jerseys each year when new teams get promoted to replace whoever happened to get relegated that year. One last bonus this plan adds is that money hungry leagues (all of them) can add expansion teams without the traditional negatives that come with adding new teams. Las Vegas wants a football team? Sure thing! But they start in the lower division and have to work their way up to the NFL without the ridiculousness of an expansion draft.

2. Loans

In soccer, players are allowed to be loaned to other clubs for a season or partial season in exchange for that team paying the players salary. Usually this occurs when teams want a young player to have more regular playing time than they can offer, or when they want to sell a player that’s hard to get rid of. The concept of loans in other sports leagues leads to a wide range of fascinating possibilities.

For my favorite football team the Jets, I love the possibility of loaning Geno Smith to another team to see if he can develop into anything resembling a starter, while the Jets still attempt to reach the playoffs with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Maybe Christian Hackenberg is loaned to the Browns after RGIII and Josh McCown suffer season-ending injuries and turns into a star by the end of the season due to regular playing time (ok this is a little too biased, reeling it in a little).

ny-jets-quarterbacks-elsa — MFW the Jets still can’t field a decent QB (Source)

Combining loans with the aforementioned promotion/relegation two-tiered sports leagues idea, we get even cooler possibilities. Maybe the Mets finally give Brandon Nimmo some playing time by loaning him to the Reds as part of the Jay Bruce deal, allowing Nimmo to avoid the corner-outfield logjam in Flushing for a year and giving the Reds an exciting young player to try and avoid relegation. Maybe instead of awkwardly backing up Brett Farve for three seasons before his eventual retirement/unretirement, Aaron Rodgers could have been loaned to the Las Vegas Cardsharks in League 2 and honed his craft there. Rodgers could have developed into an elite quarterback faster (theoretically), the Packers would have realized it’s time to move on from Farve (theoretically) and the Cardsharks could have rode Rodgers to a promotion to the NFL. Everyone wins!

If we attempt to reach an even crazier scenario with loans, maybe instead of leaving Cleveland in chase of rings, LeBron asks to be loaned to Miami for just a year instead, then returns to the Cavs without ever having to have to go through The Decision. Maybe Mike Trout is loaned to the Blue Jays for the rest of the year to create the most ridiculous lineup ever and give him a shot at a ring that he clearly won’t have any time soon in Los Angeles. Maybe JR Smith gets loaned to a team that lets him play games shirtless. The possibilities are endless!

3. Cups & Tournaments

On top of regular season games, there are multiple cups and tournaments going on throughout the year that teams participate in. These tournaments are great opportunities for small clubs (even from the other tiers) to make a name for themselves and for teams that wouldn’t normally have a chance at hardware to go for glory in an otherwise lost season.

maxresdefault1 — And really every season is a lost season if you’re the Browns (Source)

Imagine the Cubs avoiding the suffering of another World Series-less year as their season is redeemed by their brilliant run to the Jackie Robinson Cup (baseball’s tourney would be the easiest to name by far). Like soccer, these tournaments would run parallel to the season and offer hope, excitement and extra games to otherwise disinterested fanbases. Also, powerhouse teams like the Spurs or the Patriots would have to debate whether they want to ignore the cup(s) and put all their resources towards the league, or go for both if they think they can do it. Do you heavily rotate to focus on winning the championship despite being only a few wins away from a trophy in the Cup tournament?

New York Rangers fans could finally pretend their team matters with a Gretsky Cup victory, the Braves could shock everyone with hardware in a season they end up getting relegated to the second tier and the new Seattle Supersonics could upset the Warriors in the Brian Scalabrine Cup (working title) final in a legendary 2-OT game. While this probably wouldn’t work in the NFL due to player safety concerns, what fan of other leagues wouldn’t love to see more games, more playoff atmosphere and more excitement during the season?

4. Jerseys

When I first learned soccer teams get new jerseys made for them every year I thought it was dumb. It’s really just for teams to make more money each season, as crazy fans will end up buying at least a new jersey per season, if not all three (home, away, alternate). It’s a ton of fun to see teams wear throwback uniforms (unless you’re Chris Sale) so it actually makes a lot of sense for fans to be pumped up for new jerseys each year.

The release of these new threads always generates a lot of buzz in the offseason, creating more excitement during a time that usually has none. Sure, sometimes you won’t be crazy about one of your team’s jersey but everyone discussing their opinions on the looks just adds to the fun. Plus, it’s always fun to laugh at the ridiculous uniforms that your rivals will have to wear that year like these atrocities:

I mean, who approved those? But anyway this is a great idea because it’s a huge money maker for teams and leagues and the new designs will give fans something else to debate and argue over. Oh and this, from one team’s jersey launch:

5. Rule Consistency

The rules of soccer have, for the most part, stayed the same for as long as I can remember. And the one time they introduce new technology into the game (goal-line technology), it was a seamless transition that doesn’t take up game time and generally makes the game better and more accurate. Meanwhile in other sports:

And while the NFL can’t figure out the most basic of rules, the MLB and NBA are having trouble with replay. Both have recently implemented video review to help make sure umpires/referees get the call right. But neither has figured out how to have that happen quickly.

Video review on challenges or umpire reviews take excruciating long in baseball, a sport that has been trying everything to speed up their games. Basketball can’t efficiently review plays either and has been trying to tweak the rules to get rid of “hacking” for a while now. The NHL has actually had some good rule changes like taking out the stupid two-line pass rule but also implemented the trapezoid which is up for Dumbest Rule Change in Recent Sports History (not a real thing). Consistency goes a long way in gaining new fans and not pissing off existing fans with infuriating tweaks to da rules. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” should be adhered to by a lot more leagues.

6. Fan Songs

Every Big Four supporter gets behind their team in the most boring ways possible. “Let’s-go-[team]! Let’s-go-[team]!” Real creative Richard, they haven’t heard that one before, that’ll propell ‘em to victory. “D-Fence! D-Fence!” Thank god you were there to tell them you support them doing their job Deborah, what would they have done without you? It’s so uncreative that EVERY TEAM has a version of the same chants. And god forbid you have a stadium of split fans trying to out chant each other WITH THE SAME CHANT. You’ll have the entire stadium screaming “LETS-GO” and then a ridiculous mix of team names “CJOELTTSS!!!”

Meanwhile, in the rest of the world, fans have gotten much more creative and kick the crap out of our chants/cheers. If you watched any of the European Championships, you saw/heard Iceland’s fantastic and intimidating Viking clap:

THIS IS ALREADY A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN ANYTHING WE HAVE AND THEY’RE JUST CLAPPING!

There are endless examples of great songs made by fans, but the best are when they’re making fun of athletes, like West Ham fans chanting at a former player that reminded them of a certain bald Harry Potter character:

There’s also a ton of great self deprecating chants like:

Do these chants actually help teams perform better? I don’t know, Google it. But it definitely sounds a lot better and is less boring that what we have now.

7. Less Commercials

Easily the best part of watching soccer is the uninterrupted flow of play. You get to enjoy 45+ straight minutes of gameplay, followed by a 15 minute break for halftime when TV gets all of its commercials out of the way/when you go refill the bowl of Doritos you spilled everywhere when your team scored and then another 45+ minutes of straight soccer homie. Never will you have to deal with the atrocities of the dreaded extra point-commercial-kickoff-commercial combo that watching football gets you.

Length of Game vs. Actual Gameplay–FIXED [OC] from dataisbeautiful

The above chart, which matches similar research online, gives you an idea of just how little action there actually is in other sports like football and baseball. Most of these broadcasts are made up of replays, analysis, commercials and players waiting around for the next play to start, with very little actually happening. All this is a part of soccer as well but in much smaller doses that lets you get into the flow of the game more.

I get that soccer isn’t for everyone (no sport is, especially NASCAR), and my reason for writing this article wasn’t to convince everyone to start loving it. Nor is it a perfect sport either (please don’t google flopping, racism in soccer, or European Super League). Rather, I thought it important to point out the things it gets right because while no sport has it all together, soccer looks to be leading the pack. And if the Big Four leagues are gonna screw around with their sports, they might as well learn a thing from a sport that has it’s shit together.

Ryan McAdams is a contributing editor for YourSitch.com

Twitter: @ryan7jets