Sincere Sports

  Jordan Poole (Jed Jacobsohn, Associated Press)        The first round of the NBA playoffs has come and gone and we are now left with just 8 teams. From a seeding perspective, there were no upsets in the round of 16. However, there were plenty of startling revelations that absolutely will impact my second round picks here.      In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics will be up against the reigning champions, the Milauwkee Bucks. The Miami Heat are matched up with the Philadelphia 76ers who knocked off the Toronto Raptors.     In the West, the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks both advanced to face each other. The other matchup gives us what will be a very intriguing matchup between the Golden State Warriors and the Memphis Grizzlies.     It's time for some more predictions! I went 7/8 in the first round, only succumbing to an unwavering belief that the Utah Jazz would figure it out eventually, so let's try to go 4/4 thi...

  The Leafs salute their fans (Mark Blinch, Getty Images)     The Leafs capped off an impressive regular season with an odd victory over the Boston Bruins, sealing their playoff destiny in the process.     Here are my 5 takeaways from game 82.

  Matthews celebrates 60 (Mark Blinch, Getty Images)     Auston Matthews became the first player since Steven Stamkos to score 60 goals in a single regular season with a two-goal performance last night.     Here are my 5 takeaways as the Maple Leafs seal home-ice advantage for the playoffs. 

  Verstappen and Perez celebrate the podium (Formula1.com)     The championship was dramatically affected by the time that the Emilia Romagna GP was concluded. The first F1 Sprint weekend of the season was dictated by a wet weekend in which the two Red Bull cars excelled. Charles Leclerc's mistake trimmed the gap in both the Drivers' and Constructors' Championship to set the stage for an exciting season.     Further down the grid, 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had a disaster weekend, coming home in P13. His teammate, George Russell, impressed in a car that was described as "undriveable" by team boss Toto Wolff. It was yet another really interesting race that showed that the 2022 regulations are absolutely working.     We're back on Sincere Sports for the Formula 1 power rankings. Once again, two of our judges are taking a step back for this week, so we have Andrew Lewin and Edd Straw stepping in to fill the void.     As usual, I added ...

  Bernardo Silva (Martin Rickett, Getty Images)     It's back. The UCL action has returned and we have the two first leg matches for the Champions League semifinals this week. Thus, we all know what time it is, don't we?     I've had some mixed results with my predictions so far, but I've been proud of my insight for the matches. Let's see if we can combine good analysis with some correct predictions this time.      The two best leagues on the planet represent the four remaining teams, with Real Madrid and upstart Villarreal representing Spain, while title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City are the delegates for England.      Real Madrid versus Manchester City is a marquee matchup that is going to go down to the wire. Villarreal against Liverpool will be a close one, considering the Yellow Submarine have been giant-killers for the last 12 months.     Let's dive into the predictions.

  Kerfoot after scoring the shootout winner (Patrick Smith, Getty Images)     The Leafs bounced back from two consecutive disheartening losses to the Florida teams with a gritty shootout victory over the Washington Capitals.     Here are my 5 takeaways as the Leafs all but sealed home-ice advantage in the first-round.

  Pierre Engvall (Julian Avram, Getty Images)     We are approaching the final week of the NHL regular season. Frankly, I've checked out a while ago and am ready for the postseason. My biggest issue with the proposed play-in tournament is that there are already arguably too many games in an NHL season. Watching over 100 is draining and it's probably taken a toll on me. Then there are others that watch three games each night. I don't know how those people are still going.     Either way, to celebrate the last power rankings of the NHL season, I'm doing something different. At the start of the season, I made a bold prediction for all 32 teams and luckily I saved each one. As I look at all 32 teams here, I'll be reviewing my bold predictions and seeing how many I got right. Don't forget that these are very bold, so my accuracy might not be entirely up to snuff.     With that out of the way, let's check out the new number 1 team.

  Jack Campbell (Sam Navarro, USA Today)     The Florida Panthers managed to erase yet another multi-goal deficit against the Leafs.     Here are my 5 takeaways from the close game in the Sunshine State.

  Erik Kallgren allows a goal (Roy K. Miller, Getty Images)     Well, that happened.     The Leafs fluffed a chance to scare their likely playoff opponents, getting utterly steamrolled by the Tampa Bay Lightning.     Here are my 5 takeaways from Toronto's most embarrassing loss of the season...so far.

  The fourth line celebrates  ( Andrew Lahodynskyj, Getty Images)     The Leafs comfortably beat a woeful Philadelphia Flyers team by a score of 5-2 as the season winds down.     Here are my 5 takeaways from the victory at Scotiabank Arena.

  The Leafs celebrate Engvall's goal (Kevin Sousa, Getty Images)     The Leafs came back from a 2-1 deficit to defeat the New York Islanders, setting the franchise record for points in a season during the process.     Here are my 5 takeaways from the Leafs' victory against the now-eliminated Isles.

  The Leafs celebrate the OT winner (Chris Tanouye, Getty Images)     Mark Giordano's overtime winner helped the Leafs avoid a loss in an obvious trap game against the Ottawa Senators.     Here are my 5 takeaways from the win in Canada's capital.

  James Harden and Scottie Barnes (Mitchell Leff, Getty Images)     The NBA postseason has arrived. After the conclusion of the play-in tournament yesterday, the first-round matchups and schedule have been unveiled.       Though many are speculating that this year's race is wide open, there is a clear favourite. The Phoenix Suns will feel confident that they possess the ability to lift the Larry O'Brien trophy after falling in the NBA Finals last year.     However, elsewhere in the bracket, there are many chances for upsets. The NBA of 2022 is utterly loaded with superstars and players capable of impacting a series. Thus, it is very unlikely that the first round will go exactly as expected. That's where I step in.      In this article, I'll be looking at every single playoff matchup. I will offer some insight into the notable X-factors, the coaching matchups and my predictions for who will advance.      I'll begi...

  Ilya Mikheyev battles for the puck (Mark Blinch, Getty Images)     After possibly the Leafs' worst effort of the season at home against Buffalo, Toronto followed it up with a dynamic offensive showing against the Washington Capitals     Here are my 5 takeaways as the Leafs put 7 past the Caps.

  Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez took the top 2 spots (F1.com)     The return of Formula 1 to Melbourne was dominated by Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc. Some more unfortunate luck for reigning champion Max Verstappen leaves the World Driver's Championship standings looking very one-sided.      Lower in the midfield, there were tons of storylines, ranging from Alpine's impressive performance to a brutal weekend for the Silverstone-based Aston Martin team.      Therefore, it's once again time for the power rankings! Due to the fact that watching every single session of every race in a season is a borderline impossible task, two of our judges are absent for this week, so I've used the ratings from F1 authors Andrew Lewin and Edd Straw. If all goes well, we will have our typical panel back for when we return to the European slate on the calendar in Imola.      As the author of this article, I've gone about averaging every driver'...

  Matthews battles debutant Owen Power (Andrew Lahodynskyj, Getty Images)     The Leafs lost the season series against the Buffalo Sabres in a sobering performance at Scotiabank Arena.     Here are my 5 takeaways from Toronto's worst game in weeks.

  McDavid and Draisaitl combine for a goal (Amber Bracken, The Canadian Press)     Most NHL teams have just about 10 games remaining in the regular season and then it's time for the postseason! The stretch run always contains the best hockey of the entire season. It's frantic, gritty and quick. It's going to be fun to see which teams prevail, as there is still quite a bit at stake. Teams have lots of reasons to battle hard and dig deep, including home-ice advantage, a more favourable matchup, or even just to make the postseason.     Here on Sincere Sports, we have yet another edition of the NHL power rankings where we take a look at every team and identify any trends that I've been seeing.       There's a lot of movement in this week of the power rankings, particularly at the top. I'm very confused by that fact since I would expect the power rankings to start to stagnate.       Let's not waste any more time and crack ...

Auston Matthews and Mark Giordano (Mark Blinch, Getty Images)     Auston Matthews' unforgettable night helped the Leafs clinch their sixth consecutive playoff berth with a tight win over the Montreal Canadiens.     Here are my 5 takeaways as Matthews' 57th and 58th goals helped Toronto hold off their rivals.

  Vladimir Guerrero Jr (Mark Blinch, Getty Images)     Opening Weekend has come and gone. Thus, it's time for some predictions!     I kept an eye on some games, including the Blue Jays' 2-0 start to see if I could identify any trends that could help give me the inside scoop. Unfortunately, my opinions weren't really changed at all by the first wave of games. Nevertheless, this is still a prediction article that I spent a lot of time on and made some WILD opinions public.     In this Sincere Sports article, we have division predictions, hot takes, awards picks and who I think will win the World Series. Let's not waste any more time here and get started with the MLB 2022 season predictions. 

  Auston Matthews (Glenn James, Getty Images)     Auston Matthews dominated once again as the Leafs held off an efficient Dallas Stars team in overtime.      Here are my 5 takeaways from Toronto's victory after a frustrating spell in regulation forced them to end the game in OT.

  Mark Giordano, Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner (Kim Klement, USA Today)     It was 5-1...    The Leafs lost a game of the year candidate to the Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, despite going up by 4 goals.     Here are my 5 takeaways from a historic third period collapse.

  Auston Matthews (Mark LoMoglio, Getty Images)     Auston Matthews' historic night established him as the league's Hart Trophy favourite and his team as a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.     Here are my 5 takeaways as the Leafs dispatched the back-to-back Cup champs on the road.

  The stars of this year's UCL campaign (The Athletic.com)     It's quarterfinal time in the UEFA Champions League. Most of the titans of modern football are present this year, with Benfica being the only real surprise in the QF stage.     I'm excited to check out these matches as we narrow down the candidates for European glory. As usual in these articles, I'll be breaking down each matchup from a tactical point of view and offering my insight as a fan of the game to help everybody understand what to expect in the games over the next few days.     Let's get started!

  Jack Campbell celebrates a victory in his first game back (Len Redkoles, Getty Images)     A slow start was masked by a strong finish as the Leafs avoided an upset loss against the Philadelphia Flyers.     Here are my 5 takeaways from Jack Campbell's return

  Auston Matthews (Frank Gunn, The Associated Press)     Auston Matthews struck 50 in a commanding win against a bitter Winnipeg Jets team.    Here are my 5  takeaways as the Leafs fought back from an early deficit to hammer the Jets in a nasty affair.