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With the finals set, it’s time to crown a champion after this grueling postseason. Can Giannis return in time to save Milwaukee? Can Chris Paul finally climb the mountain? The Circuit predicts the 2021 NBA Finals. Circuit Artwork Here is the complete collection for the 2020-21 NBA season: 2020-21 NBA Awards Predictions 2020-21 NBA First Round Predictions 2020-21 NBA Second Round Predictions 2020-21 NBA Conference Finals Predictions 2021 NBA Mock Draft Heading into the conference finals, my record was 7-5 in these playoffs. Let’s take a look at where I stand with just one round to go: Bucks defeat Hawks 4-2 Suns defeat Clippers 4-1 Damn those Suns not closing them out in Phoenix! But nonetheless, I improved to 9-5 in this postseason and have my sights on double-digits. Milwaukee comes into these finals banged up; they’ve been without starting wing Donte DiVincenzo since the first round, and now the 2x MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is day-to-day with a knee issue. The lack of depth could really haunt the Bucks, as the team they’re facing comes in rested and healthy. They were able to exorcise a lot of demons even with the injuries, thanks to Durant wearing shoes one size too big and Trae Young bruising his bone, but they are in the finals and have proven that this core has championship potential. Will it be enough against Phoenix? The Suns come into this series white-hot. Granted, they beat the Lakers without Davis, the Nuggets without Murray, and the Clippers without Kawhi, but Chris Paul is playing some of the best ball of his career and Booker has ascended into stardom. With Monty Williams helming the ship, they are rolling at the right time. The best thing Phoenix has going for them is that they are healthy. While Milwaukee is limping into the finals, Phoenix is sprinting. They’ve had plenty of rest, have a plethora of wings to throw at Middleton, and they have home court advantage. Because of all that, give me Phoenix Suns 4, Milwaukee Bucks 1. There you have it! The 2021 NBA champions will be the Phoenix Suns , beating the Milwaukee Bucks in 5 games and Devin Booker will be the Finals MVP.

Georgia exorcised their demons Monday night by slaying the mighty Alabama dragon, closing the door on the 2021 college football season. Now it’s time to reflect on what was, what wasn’t. And look forward to what’s to come! Circuit Artwork Here you can find the complete collection of The Circuit's 2021 College Football work! 2021 CFB 1st Quarter Polls 2021 CFB 2nd Quarter Polls 2021 CFB 3rd Quarter Polls Don’t let the score of the national championship game fool you; Georgia was not much better than Alabama. And neither were particularly good. Georgia’s offense was anemic for 50 minutes, while Alabama couldn’t find the endzone if their lives depended on it. In a battle of field goals, Alabama appeared the better team all night long until they jumped offside and Stetson Bennett launched a hail mary to break the touchdown seal. Both defenses were impressive, and Georgia’s proved to be superior. Finally. Unlike a lot of seasons, the national champion feels right. Georgia dominated teams all year long, while Alabama didn’t feel like an elite Nick Saban team. With the 2021 season in the books, it’s time to reflect on the season and hand out some superlatives! Most Surprising Team: Michigan Wolverines Getty Images Jim Harbough was nearly fired after last season, and the Wolverines had not beaten the Buckeyes in a decade. No one in their right mind thought Michigan would even beat Ohio State this season, forget about winning the Big Ten and making the CFP! Michigan surprised everyone this year and provided us with some great sports theater. Biggest Disappointment: Clemson Tigers Getty Images Jesus this team underachieved. Many thought the Tigers would win the national championship, but they didn’t even make it to the ACC championship game. I think the talk of Clemson’s dynasty falling to rubble is a bit premature, but this was certainly a huge step backwards for Dabo and co. Game of the Year: Texas A&M 41 , Alabama 38 Getty Images This game had it all. The rain was falling, the Tide were rolling, the Aggies were struggling. Until they weren’t. A great 4th quarter from A&M and a game-winning field goal threw the entire season into anarchy. Not only was this a great game, but it completely changed the course of history; had Alabama been undefeated, they wouldn’t have had to play for their lives against Georgia in the SEC championship, so maybe Georgia wins that. Then Alabama plays Michigan in the Orange Bowl, and maybe they end up winning the national championship. Crazy how one kick changes everything. Seven Defining Players: QB Bryce Young (Alabama Crimson Tide) Getty Images This one is pretty obvious. Young won the Heisman, becoming the first Alabama quarterback ever to do so. He led the Crimson Tide to the SEC championship and got them to the national championship game. Young was electric all season long, and is the most memorable player from the 2021 season. DE Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan Wolverines) Getty Images The image of Hutchinson with his friends and family celebrating in the snow after finally beating Ohio State will probably be the lasting image from this season. Hutchinson was one of the best players on one of the best teams, and might just be the top pick in the draft this spring. DL Jordan Davis (Georgia Bulldogs) Getty Images Davis left a huge mark on this year (pun fully intended). Davis is a mammoth of a man, and anchored the best defense in the country all season long and helped lead Georgia to the national championship. Is he the best player on the Bulldogs? Probably not. But he is the most memorable. CB Coby Bryant (Cincinnati Bearcats) Getty Images Cincinnati was one of the best stories this season, breaking through the glass ceiling non Power 5 teams have hit their heads against for decades. And they were able to do so with perhaps the best secondary in college football, led by Coby Bryant. He won the Jim Thorpe Award for being the best defensive back in the nation, and his name brings a smile to all of our faces, so that’s a plus. QB Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma Sooners) Getty Images Most of these names are positive, but not this one. Rattler was the favorite to win the Heisman in the preseason, and he didn’t even make it out of October as the starter. Rattler had a really disappointing season, but maybe with a transfer to South Carolina he can get back to his freshman form. QB Sam Howell (North Carolina Tar Heels) Getty Images Another disappointing season from a quarterback with extremely high aspirations. Howell was a projected Heisman finalist, presumed #1 pick in the draft, and was set to lead the Tar Heels to the CFP. Instead they went 6-6 and Howell was far from a Heisman finalist. RB Kenneth Walker III (Michigan State Spartans) Getty Images Walker carried the Spartans to a surprising 10-2 season, and was leading the Heisman race halfway through the year. Walker was fantastic this season, and deserves to be recognized. Seven Defining Teams: Georgia Bulldogs They won the national championship and put out one of the greatest defenses ever. Enough said. Alabama Crimson Tide They had the Heisman winner. They had the greatest coach ever. They had maybe the best win of any team this season by beating Georgia in the SEC championship. As long as Saban is around, they will always be one of the defining teams. Cincinnati Bearcats Remember me saying they broke that glass ceiling? That’s really all you need to know to have them on this list. Michigan Wolverines They finally beat Ohio State. They finally won the Big Ten. They finally made the playoff. They might have the #1 pick in the draft. And Harbough might be leaving!? They were definitely one of the defining teams this season. Clemson Tigers They were the most disappointing team this season, which is saying a lot because North Carolina and Iowa State disappointed greatly. Clemson went from a national championship contender to a .500 team before September ended. Dabo Swinney took those Green Day lyrics a little too literally. Oklahoma Sooners The Sooners were my personal pick to win the national championship before the season started. Now that the season is over, their coach (and maybe quarterback) jumped ship to Los Angeles, and their other quarterback is in South Carolina. The Sooners were good all season long, but that was the problem. They were expected to be great. Baylor Bears Baylor was another great surprise this season, winning the Big 12 and the Sugar Bowl. Perhaps the defining play of the entire season was their goal-line stand against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game, stopping the Cowboys and helping Cincinnati make CFP history. Now let’s take a way-too-early look ahead to the 2022 season and make some predictions based on nothing but reckless speculation! 2022 Heisman Finalists (& winner) Getty Images QB CJ Stroud (Ohio State Buckeyes (winner)) QB Caleb Williams (Oklahoma Sooners? USC Trojans?) LB Will Anderson (Alabama Crimson Tide) QB Bryce Young (Alabama Crimson Tide) RB Bijan Robinson (Texas Longhorns) 2022 College Football Playoff Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl: 1 Alabama Crimson Tide def 4 Oregon Ducks Getty Images PlayStation Fiesta Bowl: 2 Ohio State Buckeyes def 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Getty Images National Championship Game: 1 Alabama Crimson Tide def 2 Ohio State Buckeyes Getty Images I don’t believe Alabama was the best team in the country this season, but very rarely does that happen two years in a row. I fully expect Bryce Young, Will Anderson and Nick Saban to be back on top in 2022 and win yet another national championship. There you have it! The 2021 college football season is over, and it’s time to reflect on a great season and look forward to the next great one!

With roughly one month left in the 2021 NFL season, we look back at the few things we got right, and the manyyyy things we got wrong in our preseason predictions! Getty Images/ Circuit Artwork It’s been about a month since our last check-in, and a lot has changed in the NFL landscape. From a sleeping giant awakening in the northeast, to an MVP race that seemingly no one wants to win, let’s look at three things I got right and five things I got very wrong before the season. Three Things I was Big RIGHT On: 1- The Saints would struggle in the post-Brees era Getty Images It didn’t seem like it when they were 5-2, but that was five games ago… Now they’re 5-7 and look like they’ll be watching the playoffs on television. Granted Jameis has missed a lot of the season, but I’m not convinced he could have prevented this. With Drew Brees now in the NBC booth, the Saints are simply an average team. 2- Jalen Hurts is not the future of the Eagles Getty Images I said Hurts was a great backup before the season, and now it seems like he will live up to that with Minshew starting in Philadelphia. They’ll eclipse my win total for them, but I still don’t think this team is very good. Which is hard to admit, since they’re my team. But I was right about this one! 3- The Packers would dominate the NFC North Getty Images Jesus this division is horrific. The Lions have as many ties as wins, which is never a good thing. The Bears can’t wait to fire their coach, and the Vikings actually lost to the Lions. I get that Aaron Rodgers feels like the Packers take him for granted, but isn’t he taking for granted the fact that he is guaranteed to win the division every season? It is damn cold there though. Now for the fun part! Five Things I was Big WRONG On: 1- The Bengals wouldn’t be good Getty Images Forgive me for thinking the Bengals were still the Bengals. This team has stunk for years, but it turns out all they needed to do was draft the 2019 LSU Tigers and they would be all set. This team looks good, and could finally win a playoff game (sorry Marvin Lewis). 2- The Browns were Super Bowl contenders Getty Images I really whiffed on the AFC North. I thought the Ravens and Bengals would be bad, not the two best teams in the division. I thought the Steelers would be really good and they’re really average. And I thought Cleveland would be a true contender, but they look like anything but. Baker appears to be on borrowed time in Cleveland, and this team is proving talent does not equate to wins. 3- The Cardinals would be the worst NFC West team Getty Images Turns out they’re actually the best. Granted, had you told me Russell Wilson was going to miss two months I probably would have picked Arizona to be better than Seattle, but I certainly didn’t expect them to be outpacing the Rams. This team looks really good, and they are true contenders. 4- The Lions would be bad Getty Images I thought Detroit would be bad. I predicted 4-13, which is bad. But this team isn’t bad; they’re dreadful! I used to believe in Jared Goff. Now I do not. Somehow this team is worse than Houston, which I didn’t think was possible. 5- The Giants would win the NFC East Getty Images This team just isn’t very good. I love Barkley, I think Judge could be a really good coach, and I like a lot of their skill players. But this team is simply not winning, and it starts at quarterback. If I’m the Giants I’m trading the farm to Seattle to get Russell Wilson in there next season and hopefully that can finally get you past a Washington team that doesn’t have a name, but has a better record than you. Now let’s take our final predictions at who will be bringing home some hardware in awards season: MVP: Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals) Getty Images I thought missing a couple games would knock Murray out, but it turns out no one actually wants to win this award. Mahomes has struggled mightily. Josh Allen just forfeited last night losing to the Patriots who threw exactly three more passes than I have in the NFL. No one wants to vote for Rodgers, and Derrick Henry is going to miss 70% of the season. Murray missed a couple games, but he’s the engine of the best team in the league, so he will win. Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns) Getty Images Diggs and Garrett are neck and neck, but Diggs has cooled off the last month. Garrett is one of the only reasons the Browns are still in the playoff hunt, and his dominance and consistency will earn him this award. Coach of the Year: Bill Belichick (New England Patriots) Getty Images God I hate this team. I was hoping that they would be bad for even five years after Brady left, but it turns out all Bill needed was a rookie quarterback who can throw three times per game. What he’s doing is incredible, and he has this team poised to make another run at a championship. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jamarr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) Getty Images Mac Jones is closing fast, but Chase has helped Cincinnati go from dreadful to contending, which is harder in my opinion than Jones leading New England from playoff contention to division leaders. If the Patriots win out, Jones will win, but if not Chase will hold him off. Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys) Getty Images He’s been great, and has propelled Dallas to a much better defense than most expected. Parsons will win this award with relative ease. Jim Tomsula Worst Coaching Award: Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions) Getty Images Wow. Calling back-to-back timeouts on Thanksgiving is the stuff of legend. This dude has a lot of energy and a lot of heart, but not a whole lot of talent. He is the worst coach in the league, and will be lucky to be the Lions coach in 2023. Tim Tebow Award: Mac Jones (New England Patriots) Getty Images I nailed this one. See my preseason predictions column for my reasoning! Mark Sanchez Butt Fumble Award: Tua Tagovaiola (Miami Dolphins) Getty Images Tua came into the league with a lot of promise, and the way Miami played last season had many thinking the Dolphins would be stealth contenders this season. Instead, they’re towards the bottom of the AFC and almost no one believes Tua is a franchise quarterback. He had a great opportunity this season, and has completely blown it. Cousins You Like That!? Award: Taylor Heinicke (Washington) Getty Images Heinicke went from fourth-string to four-straight wins real quick. They might not catch Dallas for the NFC East, but they are in a great position to make the playoffs, and Heinicke is a huge reason for that. Randy Moss Transaction Award: Carson Wentz (Indianapolis Colts) Getty Images The Colts look one of the most dangerous AFC teams, yet they might miss the playoffs. But regardless, Wentz has inspired confidence in Indianapolis and has given them the stability they have lacked since Luck left them at the altar (or in couples therapy I guess? Altar would be at the draft… This is a poor analogy but you get it). Now let’s make some revised playoff predictions! Wildcard Round: 1 New England Patriots (bye) 2 Kansas City Chiefs def 7 Cincinnati Bengals 6 Los Angeles Chargers def 3 Tennessee Titans 4 Baltimore Ravens def 5 Buffalo Bills Getty Images 1 Arizona Cardinals (bye) 2 Green Bay Packers def 7 San Francisco 49ers 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers def 6 Washington Football Team 5 Los Angeles Rams def 1 Dallas Cowboys Getty Images Divisional Round: 1 New England Patriots def 6 Los Angeles Chargers 4 Baltimore Ravens def 2 Kansas City Chiefs Getty Images 1 Arizona Cardinals def 5 Los Angeles Rams 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers def 2 Green Bay Packers Getty Images Championship Round: 1 New England Patriots def 4 Baltimore Ravens Getty Images 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers def 1 Arizona Cardinals Getty Images Super Bowl: 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers def 1 New England Patriots (MVP: Tom Brady) Getty Images No. It can’t happen. Can it??? This would be the most anticipated football game ever, and Brady will once and for all prove he is better than Bill. There you have it! All of my 3rd quarter poll observations from the 2021 NFL season. Make sure to check back in at the end of the regular season for my playoff predictions once the field is set!

With the regular season in the books and the playoffs around the corner, it’s time to hand out my official awards for the 2021 NFL season, From MVP to Worst Coach of the Year! It’s also time to make my (dreadful) playoff picks. It’s the most exciting time of the football year! Getty Images/ Circuit Artwork The 2021 NFL season was the longest in history, with a seventeenth game added to the schedule. That, coupled with the latest COVID strand, tested teams and rosters this season in pretty remarkable ways. And from Brady returning to New England, to the strangest tie that wasn’t on the final game of the season, it was a great season! Now it’s time to see what I got right, and more importantly, what I got very wrong in the preseason. Three things I was BIG RIGHT on… Getty Images 1- The Ravens would miss the playoffs I predicted the Ravens would suffer the year from hell and miss the playoffs this season, and while it didn’t look great for me through October, I was right! I’m not happy Lamar is injured, but I am happy that I was right on this one. 2- The Patriots would finish 10-7 and make the playoffs I’ll admit, I was spot-on with the Patriots this year, just in reverse. I thought they would struggle the first half of the season and catch fire down the stretch. So even though I had it flipped, I still hit the bullseye on this one. 3- The Los Angeles Rams would finish 12-5 I’ll be honest I took a lot of swings and misses on the NFC side. I picked the Packers and Buccaneers to win their divisions, but that was pretty easy calculus. And even though I didn’t pick the rams to win the West, I did have them at 12-5, so I’ll take the win there. Now for the fun part! Five things I was BIG WRONG on… Getty Images 1- The Houston Texans would finish 0-17 This was by far my biggest swing in the preseason, picking Houston to be the worst team ever. So I think they have earned the top spot on my wrong list, as a sign of respect. Now to be clear, they were terrible this season and finished 4-13, so it’s not like I was wrong about them being bad. Just wrong about to which degree they were bad. 2- The Giants would win the NFC East Wow. 3- The Bengals would be bad Can you blame me? Picking Cincinnati to finish 5-12 was not a bad prediction, they’ve been dreadful for years and their young quarterback is coming off of a major injury. But kudos to the Bengals, they were one of the best stories in the league this year. 4- The Cardinals would finish in the NFC West basement I really like this Arizona team. I liked them last year, and I liked them in the preseason; I just thought they were in the best division ever. But Seattle imploded and San Francisco once again under-achieved, paving the way for the Cardinals to make the playoffs with ease. 5- The Chiefs would finish 16-1 What the hell happened to Kansas City this season? They still won the division, but in very unconvincing fashion. Playoff Predictions Wild-Card Round Getty Images 1 Tennessee Titans (bye) 2 Kansas City Chiefs def 7 Pittsburgh Steelers 6 New England Patriots def 3 Buffalo Bills 4 Cincinnati Bengals def 5 Las Vegas Raiders 1 Green Bay Packers (bye) 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers def 7 Philadelphia Eagles 6 San Francisco 49ers def 3 Dallas Cowboys 4 Los Angeles Rams def 5 Arizona Cardinals Divisional Round Getty Images 6 New England Patriots def 1 Tennessee Titans 2 Kansas City Chiefs def 4 Cincinnati Bengals 1 Green Bay Packers def 6 San Francisco 49ers 4 Los Angeles Rams def 2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Conference Championships Getty Images 2 Kansas City Chiefs def 6 New England Patriots 4 Los Angeles Rams def 1 Green Bay Packers Super Bowl Getty Images 4 Los Angeles Rams def 2 Kansas City Chiefs ( MVP: Aaron Donald ) MVP: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) Getty Images I hate giving him this award, but there were no good alternatives. Taylor might have gotten my vote, but the Colts didn’t even make the playoffs. Kyler Murray was hot-and-cold. Mahomes was not Mahomes, Derrick Henry missed half the season. So begrudgingly, Rodgers is my MVP. Defensive Player of the Year: TJ Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers) Getty Images He tied the all-time record for most sacks in a single season (17 games, but still) on a playoff team. Watt deserves this award, no questions asked. Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans) Getty Images There were a few coaches that garnered consideration, but given that Henry and Jones missed significant time and Vrabel still coached Tennessee to the top AFC seed is enough to give him the award. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) Getty Images Mac Jones and Jaylen Waddle made strong cases (while Trevor Lawerence did not), but Chase was electric and helped lead the Bengals to the playoffs. In a close race, Chase outpaced the field. Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons (Dallas Cowboys) Getty Images This award is not even close. Parsons is the only option here. Jim Tomsula Worst Coaching Award: Urban Meyer (Jacksonville Jaguars) Getty Images Honestly, it’s pretty impressive to have a coach fired two months into the season for hundreds of racist emails, and he wasn’t the worst coach. But that’s how impressively miserable Urban Meyer was this season. Tim Tebow Hot Streak Award: Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) Getty Images All season long I had Mac Jones here, and I was feeling great about that. But I can’t in good conscience give him that award when they had their hot streak in November. Meanwhile, the Eagles went 6-2 the last two months of the season to sneak into the playoffs, so Hurts takes this award. Mark Sachez Butt Fumble Award: Carson Wentz (Indianapolis Colts) Getty Images How in the HELL did the Colts miss the playoffs? All they had to do was beat Jacksonville! That was the most embarrassing loss of the season for anyone in the league, and Wentz had a golden opportunity to ride Taylor to the Super Bowl. Instead, he metaphorically ran right into the backside of Quentin Nelson and fumbled this season away. Kirk Cousins You Like That? Award: Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers) Getty Images I had this right from the start! To be clear, I did not think Big Ben would be particularly special this season, but I did think he would prove everyone wrong and get the Steelers into the playoffs, and that’s exactly what he did. Randy Moss Summer Transaction Award: Odell Beckham Jr. (Los Angeles Rams) Getty Images This might be cheating a little given it was an in-season trade, but OBJ gave the Rams a much needed boost on offense. While the jury is still out on how far they will go, Beckham gives them a great chance to go far. There you have it! My official awards and playoff predictions for the 2021 NFL season. Stay tuned for my 2021 NFL Reflection post after the playoffs are over, and make sure to check out all of our great content here at The Circuit !

It’s time. It’s MARCH MADNESS TIME BABY!!!!! I’m going to break down every aspect of March Madness, make picks for EVERY tournament game, and give you some rules for filling out your bracket. Circuit Artwork Here is the complete collection for the 2021-22 College Basketball Season: 2021-22 College Basketball Predictions 2021-22 College Basketball 1st Quarter Polls 2021-22 College Basketball 2nd Quarter Polls 2021-22 College Basketball 3rd Quarter Polls Some people think Christmas is the best day of the year, others Thanksgiving. Some think Halloween is (but you should probably keep an eye out on those psychopaths). But unequivocally, the best day of the year is Selection Sunday; and that day is today. I will be picking every game in the tournament in an attempt to help you fill out your bracket and maybe make a little cheddar along the way. But before we dive into the who of filling out your bracket, let’s start with the how . I’ve been working on writing a book about March Madness for a few years now (that’s right, I’m writing a literal book), so I’m going to share some of the juicy tidbits with you here for free right now. The title of the book is still under construction, with titles like “ How to Lose a Check in 10 Days”, “Driving Me Crazy”, “Krzyzewski vs. Krzyzewski”, and “The March Madness Bible” (bonus points if you understand those first three movie references). The book is basically going to be a whole lot of rules for filling out your bracket. For the sake of time, and not literally giving my entire book away, here are the five rules that I think most accurately apply to the 2022 NCAA tournament: 1. The VCU Vortex: Play-In Teams Advancing Many people look at those play-in games like afterthoughts, but you shouldn’t. 2011 VCU: Final Four 2012 South Florida: Round of 32 2013 LaSalle: Sweet 16 2014 Tennessee: Sweet 16 2015 Dayton: Round of 32 2016 Wichita State: Round of 32 2017 USC: Round of 32 2018 Syracuse: Sweet 16 2019 None 2021 UCLA: Final Four In 10 tournaments with play-in games, only once has a team from the play-in not made the round of 32, with some making it all the way to the Final Four. So if you don’t have one of those play-in teams advancing, you probably should fix that. (Look for Wyoming this year) 2. The Point Guard Germination: Championship Teams Have Experienced Guards Everyone gets enamored with the freshmen phenoms, and the big guys who can dominate in the low post, but those qualities rarely show up in championship teams. When the calendar turns to March, you need a point guard who has played in big games. 2010 Duke- Senior PG Jon Scheyer 2011 UCONN- Junior PG Kemba Walker 2012 Kentucky- Sophomore PG Doron Lamb 2013 Louisville- Senior PG Peyton Siva 2014 UCONN- Senior PG Shabazz Napier 2015 Duke- Senior SG Quinn Cook 2016 Villanova- Senior PG Ryan Arcidiacono 2017 North Carolina- Junior PG Joel Berry 2018 Villanova- Junior PG Jalen Brunson 2019 Virginia- Junior SG Kyle Guy 2021 Baylor- Junior SG Davion Mitchell Since 2010, only one national champion had a lead guard that wasn’t at least a junior, and that team had Anthony Freaking Davis. Another great example of this rule for a team that didn’t win it all occurred in 2019. The Duke Blue Devils had maybe the best team I have ever seen with Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, but they lost in the Elite 8 to Michigan State with a senior PG Cassius Winston. Always pick the team with the experienced guards. (Look for Villanova this year) 3. The Shocker Spectrum: #1 Seeds Falling in the First Weekend Nobody wants to pick straight chalk when filling out their brackets, but it’s hard to pick against those top seeds. However, since 2010 there is good reason to believe at least one of those four #1 seeds will not make it to the second weekend. 2010 1 Kansas: Lost to 9 Northern Iowa in Round of 32 2011 1 Pittsburgh lost to 8 Butler in Round of 32 2013 1 Gonzaga lost to 9 Wichita State in Round of 32 2014 1 Wichita State lost to 8 Kentucky in Round of 32 2015 1 Villanova lost to 8 NC State in Round of 32 2017 1 Villanova lost to 8 Wisconsin in Round of 32 2018 1 Virginia lost to 16 UMBC in Round of 64 2018 1 Xavier lost to 9 Florida State in Round of 32 2021 1 Illinois lost to 8 Loyola-Chicago in Round of 32 Nine #1 seeds in the last eleven tournaments have fallen before the Sweet 16, so make sure to watch out for that this year; Odds say that one of these #1 seeds is going home early. (Look for Baylor this year) 4. The Double-Digit Deduction: Double-Digit Seeds Win…A Lot Okay, a lot is a little exaggeration. But they do win games. This rule focuses on #12 seeds or higher, as a #10 over a #7 is not that surprising. But let’s look back from 2010 on and see how many instances there have been of #12+ seeds advancing: 2010: 3 #12+ seeds advanced 2011: 2 #12+ seeds advanced 2012: 5 #12+ seeds advanced 2013: 6 #12+ seeds advanced 2014: 4 #12+ seeds advanced 2015: 2 #12+ seeds advanced 2016: 5 #12+ seeds advanced 2017: 1 #12+ seed advanced 2018: 3 #12+ seeds advanced 2019: 4 #12+ seeds advanced 2021: 4 #12+ seeds advanced Those numbers might not seem like a lot, but remember that A) there are only 20 teams each year that are #12+ seeds, and B) these teams are significant underdogs when they play; they aren’t supposed to win many. So if you look at your bracket and see only one or two #12+ seeds advancing to the Round of 32, maybe you should take a second look at that. (Look for Vermont this year) 5. The Purdue Postulate: Purdue Always Underachievers I never pick this team to go deep. Every season this team has a high seed and thus high expectations, and every season they fall spectacularly short of said expectations. Since 2010, here’s a look at Purdue in the NCAA Tournament: 2010: Lost in Sweet 16 (#4 Seed) 2011: Lost in Round of 32 (#3 Seed) 2012: Lost in Round of 32 (#10 Seed) 2015: Lost in Round of 64 (#9 Seed) 2016: Lost in Round of 64 (#5 Seed) 2017: Lost in Sweet 16 (#4 Seed) 2018: Lost in Sweet 16 (#2 Seed) 2019: Lost in Elite 8 (#3 Seed) 2021: Lost in Round of 64 (#3 Seed) With the exception of 2012 & 2015, Purdue has always had a high seed and made the Elite 8 only once, usually bowing out well before their seed line would indicate. If you have the Boilermakers cutting down the nets in 2022… you have already lost your group. (Look for Texas to beat them this year) 6. This Duke Team Will Not Win the National Championship This is not in my book, but it feels important to note it. I love Duke, and I have picked them to win it all nearly every year since 2015 (Nailed that year. 2017 I picked Michigan State, 2021 I picked Gonzaga. 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2019 I picked the Blue Devils). However, after watching Duke this past week there is no way they will be cutting down the nets this year for 1 big reason: Coach K. He’s the best coach ever, maybe in any sport. But his decision to announce his retirement at the beginning of the season has doomed the 2022 Blue Devils. We saw it against UNC on senior night, and again against Virginia Tech in the ACC title game. Remember, these are mostly 19 year-old kids, and they are beyond freaked out by the Coach K of it all. They want to win for him so badly that they are making huge mistakes and freaking themselves out every time they play a meaningful game. There is no way those kids are going to be able to handle the pressure of winning Coach K a final national championship. (Look for Gonzaga to take them out this year) Now that all that is over… Let’s pick some games! Play-In Games 16 Bryant def 16 Wright State 16 Texas Southern def 16 Texas A&M CC 12 Wyoming def 12 Indiana 11 Rutgers def 11 Notre Dame Getty Images Round of 64 West Region 1 Gonzaga def 16 Georgia State 8 Boise State def 9 Memphis 5 Connecticut def 12 New Mexico State 13 Vermont def 4 Arkansas 11 Rutgers def 6 Alabama 3 Texas Tech def 14 Montana State 7 Michigan State def 10 Davidson 2 Duke def 15 Cal State Fullerton Getty Images East Region 1 Baylor def 16 Norfolk State 8 North Carolina def 9 Marquette 12 Wyoming def 5 Saint Mary’s 4 UCLA def 13 Akron 6 Texas def 11 Virginia Tech 3 Purdue def 14 Yale 7 Murray State def 10 San Francisco 2 Kentucky def 15 Saint Peter’s Getty Images South Region 1 Arizona def 16 Bryant 9 TCU def 8 Seton Hall 5 Houston def 12 UAB 4 Illinois def 13 Chattanooga 11 Michigan def 6 Colorado State 3 Tennessee def 14 Longwood 10 Loyola-Chicago def 7 Ohio State 2 Villanova def 15 Deleware Getty Images Midwest Region 1 Kansas def 16 Texas Southern 9 Creighton def 8 San Diego State 5 Iowa def 12 Richmond 13 South Dakota State def 4 Providence 11 Iowa State def 6 LSU 3 Wisconsin def 14 Colgate 10 Miami def 7 USC 2 Auburn def 15 Jacksonville State Getty Images Round of 32 West Region 1 Gonzaga def 8 Boise State 13 Vermont def 5 Connecticut 11 Rutgers def 3 Texas Tech 2 Duke def 7 Michigan State Getty Images East Region 8 North Carolina def 1 Baylor 4 UCLA def 12 Wyoming 6 Texas def 3 Purdue 2 Kentucky def 7 Murray State Getty Images South Region 1 Arizona def 9 TCU 4 Illinois def 5 Houston 11 Michigan def 3 Tennessee 2 Villanova def 10 Loyola-Chicago Getty Images Midwest Region 1 Kansas def 9 Creighton 5 Iowa def 13 South Dakota State 3 Wisconsin def 11 Iowa State 10 Miami def 2 Auburn Getty Images Sweet 16 West Region 1 Gonzaga def 13 Vermont 2 Duke def 11 Rutgers Getty Images East Region 4 UCLA def 8 North Carolina 2 Kentucky def 6 Texas Getty Images South Region 4 Illinois def 1 Arizona 2 Villanova def 11 Michigan Getty Images Midwest Region 1 Kansas def 5 Iowa 3 Wisconsin def 10 Miami Getty Images Elite 8 West Region 1 Gonzaga def 2 Duke Getty Images East Region 2 Kentucky def 4 UCLA Getty Images South Region 2 Villanova def 4 Illinois Getty Images Midwest Region 1 Kansas def 3 Wisconsin Getty Images Final Four 2 Kentucky def 1 Gonzaga 1 Kansas def 2 Villanova Getty Images National Championship 1 Kansas def 2 Kentucky Getty Images There you have it! Every game of the NCAA tournament picked for you, so you can go make tons of money off my hard work. Let’s all just enjoy these next three weekends, because after 2020 we know how miserable the month of March can be without a little madness.

With most teams approaching the 41 game mark this weekend, it’s time to take a look at where things stand, and see what I got right and what I got very wrong in my preseason predictions! Getty Images/ Circuit Artwork The NBA has somehow made it to the halfway point of the 2021-22 season, keeping rosters together with chewed gum and duct tape. But since they made it, it’s time to check in on how I did predicting this season! Let’s start with the positives. Three things I was big RIGHT on… Getty Images 1- The Timberwolves would be a play-in team Minnesota has struggled the past… oh, two decades or so, but this year just felt like the year they could be one of the ten best teams in the west. And I was right! So far, they have played better than most predicted, and look to be headed for the play-in tournament. And if they could pull off a trade for Ben Simmons, they may even make it into the playoffs. 2- The Brooklyn Nets would be great Even without Kyrie Irving, I thought the Nets would be a great team. They were able to be the best team in the East (along with Chicago) without Irving and with a shell of James Harden. Now that Kyrie is back part-time, Brooklyn should have no problem locking up the #1 seed and be a serious threat in the playoffs. 3- The Orlando Magic would be the worst team in the East The Magic and the Pistons are two teams with next to no talent, so it was really a coin flip for who would be the worst team in an improved Eastern conference. But I went with Orlando, and at the moment I was right. Wagner has been a bright spot for this team, but their present remains just as bleak as their future has been for years. Three things I was big WRONG on… Getty Images 1- The Phoenix Suns would be an average Western conference team I will admit, I questioned the validity of the Suns last year. They got the Lakers without Davis and LeBron hurt, they got the Nuggets without Murray, and the Clippers without Kawhi. I thought they were good, but not Finals good, and I assumed they would regress to the norm this season. Nope. They look like maybe the best team in the league, and Chris Paul appears to have found the Fountain of Youth. 2- The Boston Celtics would actually be good Wow did I miss the mark on this one. I think Brad Stevens is a top-5 coach in the league, but I thought a new voice might spark Tatum and Brown to play out of their minds and lead the Celtics to a great regular season; they wouldn’t even make the play-in if the season ended today. This team has been horrible this year, and they need to make some serious adjustments if they want to make some noise. 3- The Dallas Mavericks would win the Southwest division In Luka I trust. However I also trusted Luka to actually be in shape because he’s paid millions to, well, be in shape. But because of that, and because Ja Morant has evolved before our eyes, the Mavericks don’t appear to be on the same level as the Grizzlies, and will need to play very well to avoid the play-in tournament. Updated Standings & Playoffs Predictions Eastern Conference 1- Brooklyn Nets 2- Milwaukee Bucks 3- Chicago Bulls 4- Miami Heat 5- Philadelphia 76ers 6- Cleveland Cavaliers 7- Charlotte Hornets 8- Toronto Raptors 9- Atlanta Hawks 10- Boston Celtics 11- Washington Wizards 12- New York Knicks 13- Indiana Pacers 14- Detroit Pistons 15- Orlando Magic Western Conference 1- Golden State Warriors 2- Phoenix Suns 3- Utah Jazz 4- Memphis Grizzlies 5- Los Angeles Lakers 6- Denver Nuggets 7- Dallas Mavericks 8- Los Angeles Clippers 9- Minnesota Wolves 10- Sacramento Kings 11- San Antonio Spurs 12- Portland Blazers 13- New Orleans Pelicans 14- Oklahoma City Thunder 15- Houston Rockets 1st Round 1 Brooklyn Nets def 9 Atlanta Hawks 4-1 2 Milwaukee Bucks def 7 Charlotte Hornets 4-0 3 Chicago Bulls def 6 Cleveland Cavaliers 4-1 4 Miami Heat def 5 Philadelphia 76ers 4-3 1 Golden State Warriors def 9 Minnesota Wolves 4-0 2 Phoenix Suns def 7 Dallas Mavericks 4-2 3 Utah Jazz def 6 Denver Nuggets 4-3 5 Los Angeles Lakers def 4 Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 2nd Round 1 Brooklyn Nets def 4 Miami Heat 4-2 2 Milwaukee Bucks def 3 Chicago Bulls 4-0 1 Golden State Warriors def 5 Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 3 Utah Jazz def 2 Phoenix Suns 4-2 Conference Finals 1 Brooklyn Nets def 2 Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 1 Golden State Warriors def 3 Utah Jazz 4-1 NBA Finals 1 Brooklyn Nets def 1 Golden State Warriors 4-3 (Finals MVP: Kevin Durant) Getty Images Regular Season Awards MVP Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) Getty Images This award has been one of the easiest to pick this season. While Durant, Jokic & DeRozan have had great seasons, Curry appears to be back to his 2016 self and looks to run away with the MVP this season. 2- Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) 3- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) 4- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) 5- Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) Defensive Player of the Year Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) Getty Images The Warriors are the best team in the league, and Draymond is a big part of that. While Curry has been leading the way from three, Green has been anchoring the defense and he deserves to win this award (as of now). 2- Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) 3- Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) 4- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) 5- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) Coach of the Year Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images The Grizzlies have greatly outperformed their expectations, and they’ve done so without Morant for stretches. Jenkins has Memphis rolling and should be recognized for it. 2- Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls) 3- Steve Nash (Brooklyn Nets) 4- Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) 5- Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers) Rookie of the Year Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) Getty Images No discussion needed. It’s Mobley with a bullet. 2- Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder) 3- Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) 4- Jalen Green (Houston Rockets) 5- Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors) Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) Getty Images The Heat are a good team that have had a lot of injuries, and Herro has helped keep them afloat in the East. Riding the hype he got in the preseason, Herro has emerged as the front-runner in this race. 2- Montrezl Harrell (Washington Wizards) 3- Dennis Schroeder (Boston Celtics) 4- Kelly Oubre (Charlotte Hornets) 5- Jordan Clarkson (Utah Jazz) Stan Van Gundy Coaching Award (Worst coaching job) Luke Walton (Sacramento Kings) Getty Images Nailed it. 2- Ime Udoka (Boston Celtics) 3- Rick Carlisle (Indiana Pacers) Allen Iverson Award (Most exciting player to watch) Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images Despite missing some time, Morant has been a lightning bolt and is leading Memphis to a high playoff seed. 2- LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) 3- Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) Rasheed Wallace Award (Most impactful trade/buyout player) Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers t o Atlanta Hawks) Getty Images The Hawks have a few too many players and are miserable on defense, which smells to me like the perfect ingredients for a trade for Ben Simmons. 2- Domantas Sabonis (Indiana Pacers t o Boston Celtics) 3- Christian Wood (Houston Rockets t o Dallas Mavericks) Jeremy Lin Award (Hottest 2-week stretch from a random player) DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) Getty Images The spirit of this award is to go to a relatively obscure player, but how could someone have a hotter stretch than DeRozan just did by hitting back-to-back game winners on back-to-back nights? 2- Alex Caruso (chicago Bulls) 3- Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors) 1st Team All-NBA Getty Images G- Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) G- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) F- Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) F- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) C- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) 2nd Team All-NBA Getty Images G- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) G- Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) F- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) F- Paul George (Los Angeles Clippers) C- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) 3rd Team All-NBA Getty Images G- Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) G- LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) F- Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat) F- Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) C- Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) There you have it! Our updated polls for the 2021-22 NBA season. Make sure to check back in regularly at The Circuit to see what we got right, and more importantly, what we got very very wrong.

With the All-Star break upon us and teams hovering around the 60 game mark, it’s time for our final check-in before the playoffs! Getty Images/ Circuit Artwork This is arguably the best time of the NBA calendar, with both the All-Star break and trade deadline clumped together. With superstars changing jerseys and teams making their final push to the playoffs, let’s look at what I got right and what I got wrong about the 2021-22 season! Three things I was big RIGHT on… Getty Images 1- This Wizards team would implode I didn’t think Washington would be a playoff team, but I’ll admit I was nervous about that in October. The Wiz got off to a great start, but it appears to just have been smoke and mirrors. With Beal out for the season, so are the playoffs for the Washington Wizards. 2- The Miami Heat would be a top East contender I thought the Heat would be really good this season, but I did not expect this. The Heat have the best record in the East, and have done so with a ton of injuries and missed games. When healthy, Miami could be the best team in the conference. 3- The Magic would be baaaaaad I really can’t take too much credit for this one. Did anyone not see this coming? Now for the fun! Three things I was big WRONG on… Getty Images 1- The Blazers would be a playoff team I thought there was a chance this team could implode if Dame demanded a trade, but given that he hasn’t done that, I am shocked they are this miserable. I can’t say I’m upset though; the Blazers have broken my heart in 2K more times than I can count. 2- The Jazz would be a great regular season team I have always been skeptical of the Jazz in the playoffs, but I thought for sure they would kick ass in the regular season. To see them this far out of first is quite surprising. 3- The Los Angeles Lakers would be a good regular season team Jesus Christ. Now let’s make some final standings & playoffs predictions! Updated Standings & Playoffs Predictions Eastern Conference 1- Miami Heat 2- Milwaukee Bucks 3- Cleveland Cavaliers 4- Philadelphia 76ers 5- Boston Celtics 6- Chicago Bulls 7- Brooklyn Nets 8- Atlanta Hawks 9- Toronto Raptors 10- Charlotte Hornets 11- New York Knicks 12- Indiana Pacers 13- Washington Wizards 14- Detroit Pistons 15- Orlando Magic Western Conference 1- Phoenix Suns 2- Golden State Warriors 3- Memphis Grizzlies 4- Utah Jazz 5- Denver Nuggets 6- Dallas Mavericks 7- Los Angeles Lakers 8- Los Angeles Clippers 9- Minnesota Wolves 10- New Orleans Pelicans 11- San Antonio Spurs 12- Sacramento Kings 12- Portland Blazers 14- Oklahoma City Thunder 15- Houston Rockets 1st Round 1 Miami Heat def 8 Atlanta Hawks 4-3 2 Milwaukee Bucks def 7 Brooklyn Nets 4-1 6 Chicago Bulls def 3 Cleveland Cavaliers 4-2 4 Philadelphia 76ers def 5 Boston Celtics 4-1 1 Phoenix Suns def 9 Minnesota Wolves 4-0 2 Golden State Warriors def 7 Los Angeles Lakers 4-1 3 Memphis Grizzlies def 6 Dallas Mavericks 4-3 5 Denver Nuggets def 4 Utah Jazz 4-2 2nd Round 4 Philadelphia 76ers def 1 Miami Heat 4-2 2 Milwaukee Bucks def 6 Chicago Bulls 4-1 5 Denver Nuggets def 1 Phoenix Suns 4-2 2 Golden State Warriors def 3 Memphis Grizzlies 4-1 Conference Finals 2 Milwaukee Bucks def 4 Philadelphia 76ers 4-2 2 Golden State Warriors def 5 Denver Nuggets 4-3 NBA Finals 2 Golden State Warriors def 2 Milwaukee Bucks 4-3 (Finals MVP: Steph Curry) Getty Images MVP Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) Getty Images Curry has been my pick all season, but what Embiid has been able to do without Simmons is incredible. Him and Jokic seem destined to go 1-2 in this vote now, but my vote would go to The Process. 2- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) 3- Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) 4- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) 5- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) Getty Images On a per-game basis, Green should win this award. But with him missing significant time, Gobert (for now) has passed him. But if Green can play 65+ games this season, I think he will win the award. 2- Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) 3- Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) 4- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) 5- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) Coach of the Year Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images The Grizzlies have greatly outperformed their expectations, and they’ve done so without Morant for stretches. Jenkins has Memphis rolling and should be recognized for it. 2- Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) 3- Billy Donovan (Chicago Bulls) 4- Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors) 5- Doc Rivers (Philadelphia 76ers) Rookie of the Year Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) Getty Images No discussion needed. It’s Mobley with a bullet. 2- Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) 3- Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) 4- Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder) 5- Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors) Sixth Man of the Year Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) Getty Images The Heat are a good team that have had a lot of injuries, and Herro has helped keep them afloat in the East. Riding the hype he got in the preseason, Herro has emerged as the front-runner in this race. 2- Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) 3- Jalen Brunson (Dallas Mavericks) 4- Kelly Oubre Jr (Charlotte Hornets) 5- Jordan Poole (Golden State) Stan Van Gundy Coaching Award (Worst coaching job) Luke Walton (Sacramento Kings) Getty Images Nailed it. 2- Frank Vogel (Los Angeles Lakers) 3- Tom Thibodeau (New York Knicks) Allen Iverson Award (Most exciting player to watch) Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images Despite missing some time, Morant has been a lightning bolt and is leading Memphis to a high playoff seed. 2- LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) 3- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) Rasheed Wallace Award (Most impactful trade/buyout player) James Harden (Brooklyn Nets t o Philadelphia 76ers) Getty Images If Harden wants to play in Philly, then the 76ers should be tough to beat. If he doesn’t, then this could be a disaster. I’m betting on him wanting to play, and so I’m also betting on Philadelphia to go deep in the playoffs. 2- Montrezl Harrell (Washington Wizards t o Charlotte Hornets) 3- Ben Simmons (Philadelphia 76ers t o Brooklyn Nets) Jeremy Lin Award (Hottest 2-week stretch from a random player) Desmond Bane (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images The Grizz have been the most pleasant surprise in the NBA this season, but very few people even knew who Bane was, nevermind thought he would work his way into the All-Star conversation. I don’t know if he can keep this up, but if he can Memphis will be playing late into the spring. 2- Alex Caruso (Chicago Bulls) 3- Jordan Poole (Golden State Warriors) 1st Team All-NBA Getty Images G- Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) G- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) F- Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) F- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) C- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) 2nd Team All-NBA Getty Images G- Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns) G- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) F- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) F- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) C- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) 3rd Team All-NBA Getty Images G- LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) G- Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) F- Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) F- Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors) C- Karl Anthony-Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) There you have it! Make sure to check back in at the end of the season to see my official awards & playoff predictions, and make sure to check out all of our great content here at The Circuit!

The NBA season is in the books, so it’s time to look back on the season that was, and look ahead to the playoffs that will be! Circuit Artwork Before diving into this post, make sure to check out my other NBA posts from the 2021-22 season: Preseason Predictions 2021-22 NBA 1st Quarter Polls 2021-22 NBA 2nd Quarter Polls 2021-22 NBA 3rd Quarter Polls 2022 NBA Mock Draft Now that the 2021-22 NBA season is over, it’s time to start thinking about the NBA playoffs and who will take home the Larry O’Brien trophy. But before we talk about that, let’s look back and see how I did with my preseason predictions! Three Things I was Big RIGHT On: Getty Images 1- The Charlotte Hornets Would be a Play-In Team This was a bit of a homer pick, as I’m a huge Hornets fan, but I did think this team would be better and compete in the East. I thought Charlotte would be a little higher in the standings, but I was ultimately correct that they would make the play-in. 2- The Houston Rockets Would be the Worst Team in the West This wasn’t too difficult to predict, but the Thunder and Blazers made it interesting there for a minute. I think Houston could have a bright future, but for now they are a mess. 3- The Dallas Mavericks Would be Better and Make a Playoff Run Obviously we have to wait and see about the playoff run, but they certainly look better don’t they? I love the Luka-Kidd pairing, and think they will win championships (plural). Since they traded Porzingis, they have looked like maybe the best team out West. Three Things I was Big WRONG On… Getty Images 1- The Toronto Raptors Would Miss the Playoffs I am never picking against a Nick Nurse-coached team again. I just won’t do it. They were so much better than I expected, so apologies to our friends to the North. 2- The Phoenix Suns Would be Average HA. Wow I whiffed on this one. I have always loved Booker, but I never thought they would be BETTER than last year. 3- Westbrook Would Help the Lakers in the Regular Season Jesus Christ. To be clear, I also root for the Lakers. Los Angeles and Charlotte are my two teams. I did not like the trade for Westbrook and thought Hield would have made us much better. However, I did think Russ would actually help the Lakers in the regular season; I thought when James and/or Davis missed time, Russ could carry the load and make the Lakers a good team in the regular season. The playoffs were where I saw Westbrook killing us. Turns out he went full dementor and sucked out the soul of every Laker fan by not even making the play-in. Again, all I can say is Jesus Christ. Atlantic Division 1- Brooklyn Nets (O/U 56.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (44) 2- Boston Celtics (O/U 45.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (51) 3- Philadelphia 76ers (O/U 50.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- OVER (51) 4- New York Knicks (O/U 41.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (37) 5- Toronto Raptors (O/U 35.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (48) Central Division 1- Milwaukee Bucks (O/U 54.5) Prediction- OVER Result- UNDER (51) 2- Chicago Bulls (O/U 42.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (45) 3- Indiana Pacers (O/U 42.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (25) 4- Cleveland Cavaliers (O/U 26.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (44) 5- Detroit Pistons (O/U 24.5) Prediction- OVER Result- UNDER (23) Southeast Division 1- Miami Heat (O/U 48.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (53) 2- Atlanta Hawks (O/U 47.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (43) 3- Charlotte Hornets (O/U 38.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (43) 4- Washington Wizards (O/U 33.5) Prediction-UNDER Result- OVER (35) 5- Orlando Magic (O/U 22.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (22) Pacific Division 1- Los Angeles Lakers (O/U 52.5) Prediction- OVER Result- UNDER (33) 2- Golden State Warriors (O/U 48.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (53) 3- Phoenix Suns (O/U 51.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- OVER (64) 4- Los Angeles Clippers (O/U 45.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (42) 5- Sacramento Kings (O/U 36.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (30) Southwest Division 1- Dallas Mavericks (O/U 48.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (52) 2- Memphis Grizzlies (O/U 41.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (56) 3- San Antonio Spurs (O/U 28.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (34) 4- New Orleans Pelicans (O/U 39.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (36) 5- Houston Rockets (O/U 27.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (20) Northwest Division 1- Utah Jazz (O/U 52.5) Prediction- OVER Result- UNDER (49) 2- Denver Nuggets (O/U 47.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (48) 3- Portland Blazers (O/U 44.5) Prediction- UNDER Result- UNDER (27) 4- Minnesota Wolves (O/U 36.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (46) 5- Oklahoma City Thunder (O/U 23.5) Prediction- OVER Result- OVER (24) Hot damn! 23-7 on the over/unders is pretty good if I do say so myself. I feel pretty good about five of the seven I got wrong; the Suns I missed pretty badly, and I should have respected them more (my bad). And the Lakers…. Yeah (Jesus Christ). But overall, I have to say I did well! Now let’s take a look at the playoff bracket and predict how the 2022 NBA playoffs will unfold: East Play-In: Getty Images 7 Brooklyn Nets def 8 Cleveland Cavaliers 10 Charlotte Hornets def 9 Atlanta Hawks 10 Charlotte Hornets def 8 Cleveland Cavaliers West Play-In: Getty Images 7 Minnesota Timberwolves def 8 Los Angeles Clippers 9 New Orleans Pelicans def 10 San Antonio Spurs 8 Los Angeles Clippers def 9 New Orleans Pelicans East 1st Round: Getty Images 1 Miami Heat def 10 Charlotte Hornets 4-1 2 Boston Celtics def 7 Brooklyn Nets 4-2 3 Milwaukee Bucks def 6 Chicago Bulls 4-0 4 Philadelphia 76ers def 5 Toronto Raptors 4-3 West 1st Round: Getty Images 1 Phoenix Suns def 8 Los Angeles Clippers 4-0 2 Memphis Grizzlies def 7 Minnesota Timberwolves 4-1 3 Golden State Warriors def 6 Denver Nuggets 4-2 4 Dallas Mavericks def 5 Utah Jazz 4-1 East Semis: Getty Images 4 Philadelphia 76ers def 1 Miami Heat 4-2 3 Milwaukee Bucks def 2 Boston Celtics 4-2 West Semis: Getty Images 1 Phoenix Suns def 4 Dallas Mavericks 4-1 3 Golden State Warriors def 2 Memphis Grizzlie s 4-2 East Finals: Getty Images 3 Milwaukee Bucks def 4 Philadelphia 76ers 4-1 West Finals: Getty Images 1 Phoenix Suns def 3 Golden State Warriors 4-3 NBA Finals: Getty Images 1 Phoenix Suns def 3 Milwaukee Bucks 4-2 ( Finals MVP: Devin Booker ) These Suns are incredible, and I really don’t see anyone beating them. I think a fully healthy Warriors squad could beat them, but they don’t seem to be ready for that this season. Plus it just feels like destiny that Chris Paul wins a championship before he retires. MVP: Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) Getty Images Jokic will win the MVP. I know that. But my vote would go to The Process. Everyone talks about the injuries that Denver sustained, which is valid, but until Harden got to Philadelphia I would have taken Aaron Gordon over any of Embiid’s teammates. Philly had a better seed, Embiid won the scoring title, so my vote goes to Joel. 2- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) 3- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) 4- Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) 5- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics) Getty Images Finally! A guard! For the first time since Gary Payton in 1996 (I was barely alive), we could see a guard win this award. Smart is the best defensive player on the best defensive team (by a country mile), so he gets my vote. 2- Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat) 3- Jaren Jackson Jr (Memphis Grizzlies) 4- Mikail Bridges (Phoenix Suns) 5- Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz) Rookie of the Year: Evan Mobley (Cleveland Cavaliers) Getty Images This was the most intriguing vote, which is interesting because all three quarter polls had Mobley in a landslide. But despite Cunningham & Barnes closing strong, the impact that Mobley had on winning this season was enough to give him the award. 2- Scottie Barnes (Toronto Raptors) 3- Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) 4- Franz Wagner (Orlando Magic) 5- Ayo Dosumnu (Chicago Bulls) Sixth Man of the Year: Tyler Herro (Miami Heat) Getty Images This turned out to be the easiest award. Herro wins this easily. 2- Cameron Johnson (Phoenix Suns) 3- Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers) 4- Jordan Clarkson (Utah Jazz) 5- Kelly Oubre (Charlotte Hornets) Coach of the Year: Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) Getty Images Also pretty easy, Monty deserved this award a year ago and will get it this season. This award tends to come a year late (Steve Kerr winning in 2016 when he should have in 2015, Nick Nurse winning in 2020 when he had the breakthrough year in 2019). But Udoka and Kidd closed strong and deserve consideration. 2- Ime Udoka (Boston Celtics) 3- Taylor Jenkins (Memphis Grizzlies) 4- Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) 5- Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) Stan Van Gundy Worst Coaching Award: Luke Walton (Sacramento Kings) Getty Images Nailed it. Allen Iverson Most Exciting Player to Watch Award: Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) Getty Images Ja missed quite a few games, but when he played he was must-see television. He reminds me a lot of the namesake for this award, solook for Morant to win a handful of these. Also, we had this all season so a nice feather in my cap there! Rasheed Wallace Biggest Trade-Impact Player Award: James Harden ( Brooklyn Nets t o Philadelphia 76ers ) Getty Images This is less about Harden in Philadelphia, but rather the lack of impact trades elsewhere. Sabonis in Sacramento? No. Simmons in Brooklyn? Haha I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist that one. Oof. Jeremy Lin Hottest Two-Week Stretch Award: DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) Getty Images Remember those couple weeks when DeRozan was being compared (statistically) to Wilt and MJ? Me too. He’s a really good player, but those two weeks he was a supernova. All-NBA First Team: Getty Images G- Luka Doncic (Dallas Mavericks) G- Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns) F- Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics) F- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) C- Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers) All-NBA Second Team: Getty Images G- Steph Curry (Golden State Warriors) G- Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) F- DeMar DeRozan (Chicago Bulls) F- Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets) C- Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets) All-NBA Third Team: Getty Images G- Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks) G- Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz) F- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) F- Pascal Siakam (Toronto Raptors) C- Karl Anthony-Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves) There you have it! All my predictions and awards for the 2021-22 NBA season. Given my success with the over/unders, maybe you should look at my picks and make some bets! I know I will be; see you next season and happy playoffs!

It’s summer time in 2022 and that means it’s time for the World Cup… wait, what? It’s winter? That’s right! We’re getting the holiday episode of the World Cup this year! Find out who will surprise, who will lose early and ultimately who will hoist the trophy. Circuit Artwork The World Cup is such a unifying event. It draws in millions of people who only care about soccer every four years. It brings together millions of Americans who 1) hate each other and 2) couldn’t name 3 players in our starting XI. Yet, we’re never more patriotic than on the pitch, on the beams and on the track (okay, those last three are in the Olympics. Man, we sure do love sports in this country!) Let’s kick things off with some major storylines to watch for in Qatar this winter: Getty Images 1- Farewell to Messi & Ronaldo? Messi has already said this will be his last World Cup, and one has to imagine this will be the last go-around for Ronald as well. Even if he does make the trip to the States in 2026, he will 41 years old, and he most certainly will not be the same, impactful player he still is now (just don’t ask his Manchester United coach). These two legends have dominated the sport for nearly two decades, but all great things must come to an end. Let’s just cherish these two icons for the next month while we can still see them on the biggest stage. 2- Can a non-European or South American team win the World Cup? No. It’s never happened in the history of the World Cup; it’s not about to start now. Sorry Senegal. 3- Belgium’s Golden Generation If you read a lot on this site, you know I admit my biases. Belgium is my favorite team (sorry USA), because when I was in high school I played on a club team that went over to play in Belgium and I loved it there. So I always root for the Red Devils. This Golden Generation (DeBruyne, Hazard, Courtois, Lukaku, etc…) has been stellar over the years. Buuuut they’ve never actually won. Anything. This is likely the last ride for this core group of guys in their prime, so can they finally lift a trophy? Time will tell. 4- Can France Repeat? This is the 22nd FIFA World Cup, and only twice before has a nation won back-to-back cups; Italy in 1934 & 1938, and Brazil in 1958 & 1962. So it’s been a minute. This is mainly because typically the teams that win are veteran squads with experience and are on their last legs (good sign, Germany!) But France was fairly young back in 2018, and they bring back almost all their top talent this time around. France, more so than any winner in a long time, has a great chance to repeat. 5- The U.S. is back, baby! It is inexcusable that we could miss a World Cup. With all our resources, with our sports-driven culture, with everything we have it’s embarrassing that we are this bad at soccer. Thankfully we’re back, and we have a quasi-superstar to lead us into (hopefully) some of the best days the U.S. soccer team has ever had. 6- Winter is coming… to the World Cup??? God Tyrion would love that headline, wouldn’t he? This is an unprecedented situation. Not only does it highlight the incompetence of FIFA (you really didn’t think about the playing conditions you nitwits???), but it will show who the best athletes are given that this has completely changed their timelines. If the Olympics shifted 6 months, some of the gold medal winners might not even qualify due to training schedules and body mechanics. This could be very interesting to watch! 7- Can England finally win again? No. This team will always tease us, but they will never actually win. Some people are winners and some people are losers, and that’s just how the sports gods work. I don’t make the rules, I just use them to make money from gambling. Now let’s make some predictions! We’re going group-by-group here to predict who will make it to the knockouts. Group A Getty Images Netherlands- 5 points Senegal- 5 points Qatar- 3 points Ecuador- 1 point Qatar will put up an admirable fight here with three draws, but ultimately Netherlands and Senegal will separate themselves in Group A. Group B Getty Images England- 7 points United States- 5 points Wales- 1 point Iran- 0 points The States are back and we’re moving on! We’ll draw Wales and England, but hammering Iran will propel us into the round of 16. Group C Getty Images Argentina- 9 points Mexico- 6 points Poland- 3 points Saudi Arabia- 0 points Taking 9 points in the group stage is not easy, but I think Messi is on a mission in this tournament. The knockouts won’t be so easy, but they will cruise through group play. Group D Getty Images France- 9 points Denmark- 6 points Australia- 3 points Tunisia- 0 points Likewise with the French, they will crush their group. This might be the least interesting group, as France is miles better than anyone else. (watch this be the best group, with France getting eliminated) Group E Getty Images Spain- 7 points Japan- 5 points Germany- 4 points Costa Rica- 0 points Germany has not impressed me in nearly a decade. Japan had a great run back in Russia, and I expect it to continue here in Qatar. Group F Getty Images Belgium- 9 points Croatia- 6 points Canada- 1 point Morocco- 1 point Belgium and Croatia are clearly a cut (or seven) above Canada and Morocco. They will cruise to the knockouts. Group G Getty Images Brazil- 7 points Switzerland- 5 points Serbia- 2 points Cameroon- 1 point I think Brazil is incredibly vulnerable in this tournament, but they should get out of the group fairly easily. Group H Getty Images Portugal- 9 points Ghana- 4 points Uruguay- 4 points South Korea- 0 points Ronaldo is going to take over this group and win it easily. BUT HOW ABOUT GHANA??? Uruguay is a “blue blood” of international soccer, but they are about to be the main victim of this bizarro winter World Cup in Africa. Round of 16 Getty Images United States (2B) def Netherlands (1A) Argentina (1C) def Denmark (2D) Spain (1E) def Croatia (2F) Ghana (2H) def Brazil (1G) England (1B) def Senegal (2A) France (1D) def Mexico (2C) Belgium (1F) def Japan (2E) Portugal (1H) def Switzerland (2G) The U.S. is going to shock the world and finally get back to the quarters for one of the very few times ever. Plus, Brazil will choke in epic fashion against Ghana. I’m telling you man, it’s that home-soil magic! There will be an African nation to make a great run, and I’m betting on Ghana. Quarterfinals Getty Images Argentina (1C) def United States (2B) Ghana (2H) def Spain (1E) France (1D) def England (1B) Belgium (1F) def Portugal (1H) Messi will get the better of Ronaldo once again in a World Cup, advancing to the semis after thrashing the U.S. Belgium and France continue their collision-course, and how about Ghana! Semifinals Getty Images Argentina (1C) def Ghana (2H) Belgium (1F) def France (1D) Down go the champs! The Golden Generation makes it further than they ever have, and Messi is taking one more shot at glory in the final. Final Getty Images Belgium (1F) def Argentina (1C) Homer pick! But I believe the Golden Generation finally wins a major trophy, and then will quickly implode and disappear into nothing for years to come. Before we go, I’ll predict some of the major (& made-up) individual awards for the 2022 World Cup! Golden Boot Romelo Lukaku (Belgium) Getty Images A key ingredient for winning the Golden Boot is playing deep into the tournament. Since I have Belgium winning, Lukaku will have the maximum amount of time to score goals. He was brilliant in the Euros two years ago, so I’m banking on him being brilliant again. Golden Glove Thibault Courtois (Belgium) Getty Images Again, if you are the goalie on the winning team you probably didn’t give up a ton of goals. Belgium has excellent ball control, so I don’t see them allowing many balls into the net. Golden Ball Lionel Messi (Argentina) Getty Images Call me sentimental, but wouldn’t this be lovely to see? I think Kevin DeBruyne has an excellent chance to win this award, but Messi, in his farewell, making the final again, I think he will win this one. Breakout Star Luka Sucic (Croatia) Getty Images This kid is good. I think Croatia will go out early compared to 2018, but Sucic will turn some heads and piss off all other European nations (now there’s another Croatian Luka to worry about? Damnit!) Finally… How about a shot in the dark? I’m going to give my wayyyyyyyy too early pick for who will win the 2026 FIFA World Cup when the world’s greatest tournament heads stateside. Way-Too-Early 2026 FIFA World Cup Winner Spain! Getty Images There you have it! Those are all my predictions for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Make sure to place some bets, and check back in to see all of our great content on sports 7 pop culture. GO BELGIUM!!!

Not sure what to watch on those rainy Sundays? Or those late Wednesday nights? Here are my awards for excellence in film and television for the first quarter (January-March) of 2022! Circuit Artwork If we hand out awards for sports, why not movies & television? With the first quarter of 2022 in the books, it’s time to look back at the best movies, shows & performances of the last three months! (Important to note that these are my favorites, not what I think are necessarily the best; that’s what my Oscars posts are for). * Disclaimer : Obviously I couldn’t watch every movie and show, so if you don’t see your favorite from the 1st quarter here I do apologize. Here are the notable films & shows from the 1st quarter of 2022 that I didn’t catch: The Lost City Everything Everywhere All at Once Euphoria Season 2 How I Met Your Father Season 1 Now to the awards! (Each category has five nominees, winners in bold ) Favorite Film Deep Water Scream The Adam Project The Batman Uncharted This really broke down to a race for second, because The Batman is one of my favorite movies in a long, long time. Scream & Uncharted were both films I really liked, and I am sincerely looking forward to future sequels in both those franchises, and The Adam Project really blew me away. Great action, great emotion and of course, great Ryan Reynolds. But I mean come on, how amazing was The Batman ??? Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Film Ben Affleck as Vic Van Allen ( Deep Water ) Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot ( Death on the Nile ) Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne/Batman ( The Batman ) Ryan Reynolds as Adam Reed ( The Adam Project ) Tom Holland as Nathan Drake ( Uncharted ) There weren’t a lot of standout performances from lead actors this quarter, so this really came down to Pattinson and Branagh for me. Pattinson ultimately won out because he became my favorite batman of all-time, which is no small feat. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Film Ana de Armas as Melinda Van Allen ( Deep Water ) Catherine Keener as Maya Sorian ( The Adam Project ) Jessica Chastain ( The 355 ) Melissa Berrera as Sam Carpenter ( Scream ) Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle/Catwoman ( The Batman ) Deep Water was one hell of a film, and de Armas delivered a truly mesmerizing performance. To see her in Knives Out just two years ago to this performance is like watching two entirely different actresses; I have no doubt this will be her first of many awards. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Film Colin Ferrell as Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin ( The Batman ) David Arquette as Dewey Riley ( Scream ) Mark Ruffalo as Louis Reed ( The Adam Project ) Paul Dano as Edward Nashton/The Riddler ( The Batman ) Walker Scobell as Adam Reed ( The Adam Project ) I struggled to come up with five nominees, but I didn’t struggle at all with picking the winner. Now you could argue Scobell was the lead actor, but given Netflix used Reynolds to sell the movie I moved Walker to supporting. He was the standout for me in that film; his ability to act exactly like how a 12 year-old Ryan Reynolds would act was phenomenal. This was one of the best child acting performances I have ever seen. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Film Jenna Ortega as Tara Carpenter ( Scream ) Jennifer Garner as Ellie Reed ( The Adam Project ) Mikey Madison as Amber Freeman ( Scream ) Sandra Oh as Ming Lee ( Turning Red ) Zoe Saldana as Laura Reed ( The Adam Project ) Much like many of the characters she plays in movies, Mikey Madison was on fire in this movie. She pulled off an incredibly rare feat; I knew she was the killer from the first second I saw her on screen, and yet that made me like her performance even more . She was so sinister and such a worthy killer in this iconic franchise, she gets this award. Movie Studio of the 1st Quarter Paramount ! Somewhat of an upset here, but Paramount has three films in the top 10 domestically in 2022 (now four, but Sonic 2 opened in the 2nd quarter) with Scream, The Lost City & Jackass Forever. That’s a pretty strong opening quarter for Paramount, but unfortunately I see them being the 2018 Atlanta Falcons and blowing a pretty big lead. Disney and Warner should surpass them, but for now Paramount can celebrate as the studio of the 1st quarter! Favorite Show Bel-Air Season 1 Ozark Season 4 Part I Peacemaker Season 1 We Crashed Season 1 Winning Time Season 1 We’ve had some fantastic shows the past few months; Plus The Book of Boba Fett … happened. Peacemaker is in the conversation for best season of superhero television ever, and Ozark is ramping up into something truly incredible, but my love for the Lakers blinds me here, so Winning Time wins best show of the 1st quarter. The acting is great, the style is so 80’s it’s hard to comprehend, and John C. Reilly is pure “Magic”! Every Sunday night truly is Showtime! Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Television Jabari Banks as Will Smith ( Bel-Air ) Jared Leto as Adam Neumann ( We Crashed ) Jason Bateman as Marty Byrde ( Ozark ) John Cena as Christopher Smith/Peacemaker ( Peacemaker ) John C. Reilly as Dr. Jerry Buss ( Winning Time) This was the closest race on the entire ballot for me, as both the John’s turned in stellar performances. While Cena really impressed me with his acting ability, there is something magnetic about Reilly as Dr. Buss that drew me to him in this category. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Television Anne Hathaway as Rebekah Neumann ( We Crashed ) Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks ( Bel-Air ) Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss ( Winning Time ) Jennifer Holland as Emilia Harcourt ( Peacemaker ) Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde ( Ozark ) First things first, Wendy Byrde is maybe the most sinister character I have ever seen. She is truly bone-chilling in Ozark . But Anne Hathaway is giving a stellar performance in We Crashed, and there is just something about her portrayal that edges out Laura Linney. To slightly misquote Rebekah Neumann, her performance brings a “Good energy”. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Television Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase/Vigilante ( Peacemaker ) Jason Clarke as Jerry West ( Winning Time ) John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory ( Space Force ) Quincy Isaiah as Magic Johnson ( Winning Time ) Skylar Gaetner as Jonah Byrde ( Ozark ) Holy crap was Vigilante amazing! He was by far my favorite part of Peacemaker, and I cannot wait to see what Stroma does next with the character. This was an easy choice (despite how well Isaiah is portraying Magic). Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Television Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo ( Peacemaker ) Gaby Hoffman as Claire Rothman ( Winning Time ) Julia Garner as Ruth Langmore ( Ozark ) Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano ( Book of Boba Fett ) Tawny Newsome as Angela Ali ( Space Force ) I mean come on, is there any question here? Julia Garner has delivered an absolutely iconic character in Ruth Langmore and wins this in a landslide. If I took away all the qualifiers and just gave one acting award for all of television, Garner would get it; she’s that good. Streamer of the 1st Quarter HBO Max ! They had two of my five nominees for favorite show of the quarter in Winning Time & Peacemaker , so it was pretty easy to declare them the streamer of the quarter. Disney really did not have a strong opening to 2022, with Boba Fett falling pretty flat. I fully expect them to vault to the top in the 2nd quarter with shows like Obi-Wan and Moonknight, but for now HBO Max is the king of the streamers. There you have it! The Film & Television Awards for the 1st Quarter of 2022! Make sure to check back in at the end of June to check out who will take home some hardware for the 2nd quarter!

Not sure what to watch on those rainy Sundays? Or those late Wednesday nights? Here are my awards for excellence in film and television for the second quarter (April-June) of 2022! Circuit Artwork If we hand out awards for sports, why not movies & television? With the second quarter of 2022 in the books, it’s time to look back at the best movies, shows & performances of the last three months! (Important to note that these are my favorites, not what I think are necessarily the best; that’s what my Oscars posts are for). * Disclaimer: Because there were sooo many films this quarter (I caught 19 of them!) I'm officially changing the number of nominations moving forward; for films & tv, the number of noms in each category will be half or half rounded up if there is an odd number… So this quarter, the film categories will have 10 nominations and the tv categories will have 4. * Double Disclaimer : Obviously I couldn’t watch every movie and show, so if you don’t see your favorite from the 2nd quarter here I do apologize. Here are the lists of films & shows from the 2nd quarter of 2022 that I watched and therefore eligible for award consideration: Films: Ambulance Cha Cha Real Smooth Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Elvis Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore Father Stu Firestarter Good Luck to You, Leo Grande Jurassic World: Dominion Lightyear Morbius Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Spider Head The Bad Guys The Black Phone The Extraordinary Weight of Massive Talent The Northman Top Gun: Maverick Shows: Moon Knight season 1 (Disney+) Ms. Marvel season 1 (Disney+) Obi-Wan Kenobi season 1 (Disney+) Ozark season 4 part 2 (Netflix) **Stranger Things season 4 (Netflix) The Boys season 3 (Amazon Prime) The Offer season 1 (Paramount+) ** Technically, the second part of Stranger Things releases in the third quarter, but given it’s on July 1st and you know I’ll be watching that in one night, I’m including it in the second quarter. Now to the film awards! (Each category has ten nominees, winners in bold ) Favorite Film Cha Cha Real Smooth Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Elvis Jurassic World: Dominion Lightyear Spiderhead The Black Phone The Extraordinary Weight of Massive Talent Top Gun: Maverick Not only is Top Gun: Maverick my favorite film of the quarter, but it’s my second favorite movie of all-time . From the breathtaking flight sequences, to the heartbreaking Maverick/Rooster scenes, to dog-fight football on a beach, this movie is the quintessential blockbuster that really means something. I defy anyone to watch Maverick and not fall in love with movies. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Film Austin Butler as Elvis Presley ( Elvis ) Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange ( Multiverse of Madness ) Chris Evans as Buzz Lightyear ( Lightyear ) Cooper Raiff as Andrew ( Cha Cha Real Smooth ) Daryl McCormack as Leo Grande ( Good Luck to You, Leo Grande ) Ethan Hawke as The Grabber ( The Black Phone ) John Mulaney as Chip ( Rescue Rangers ) Mark Whalberg as Father Stuart ( Father Stu ) Nicholas Cage as Nicholas Cage ( Massive Talent ) Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell ( Top Gun: Maverick ) Tom Cruise is gonna Cruise, right? I think he’s one of the four genuine movie stars on Earth right now, joining The Rock, Will Ferrell & Will Smith. Those are the four names that make people go to the movies more so than the names of their movies. But as great as Cruise is, Austin Butler does something truly special in Elvis. He looks like Elvis, he sounds like Elvis, and most importantly, he moves like Elvis. Maverick is one of my favorite characters ever, but I can’t deny what Butler did this quarter. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Film Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft ( Morbius ) Anya Taylor-Joy as Olga ( The Northman ) Dakota Johnson as Domino ( Cha Cha Real Smooth ) Elizabeth Olson as Wanda Maximoff ( Multiverse of Madness ) Emma Thompson as Nancy Stokes ( Good Luck to You, Leo Grande ) Jennifer Connely as Penny Benjamin ( Top Gun: Maverick ) Jurnee Smollett as Lizzy ( Spiderhead ) Eiza Gonzalez as EMT Cam Thompson ( Ambulance ) Keke Palmer as Izzy Hawthorne ( Lightyear ) Madeleine McGraw as Gwen Shaw ( The Black Phone ) Multiverse of Madness may not have been quite as great as I had hoped, but I’ll be damned if Olson didn’t give a truly brilliant performance. She delivered a haunting, sexy, terrifying, powerful performance as the Scarlet Witch, one that I think could land her an Oscar nomination (if the Academy gets over itself). Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Film Chris Hemsworth as Steve Abnesti ( Spiderhead ) Glen Powell as Jake “Hangman” Seres ( Top Gun: Maverick ) Jake Gyllenhaal as Danny Sharp ( Ambulance ) Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm ( Jurassic World: Dominion ) Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik ( Sonic 2 ) Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald ( Secrets of Dumbledore ) Miles Teller as Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw ( Top Gun: Maverick ) Pedro Pascal as Javi Guitterez ( Massive Talent ) Peter Sohn as Sox ( Lightyear ) Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker ( Elvis ) Did I mention already how much I loved Top Gun: Maverick? As great as Cruise, Conneley, Barbaro and Powell are in the film, Miles Teller steals the movie. I am counting the days until we get Top Gun: Rooster, which is really the best compliment I could give. From him playing the piano just like his old man, to finally learning to not think and just do, Teller creates a fantastic character that should land him an Oscar nomination (again, if the Academy can get over itself). Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Film Awkwafina as Ms. Tarantula ( The Bad Guys ) Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood ( Jurassic World: Dominion ) Laura Dern as Ellis Sattler ( Jurassic World: Dominion ) Lily Mo Sheen as Addy Henson ( Massive Talent ) Monica Barbaro as Natasha “Phoenix” Trace ( Top Gun: Maverick ) Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrun ( The Northman ) Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer ( Multiverse of Madness ) Uzo Aduba as Alisha Hawthorne ( Lightyear ) Vanessa Burghardt as Lola ( Cha Cha Real Smooth ) Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez ( Multiverse of Madness ) This was definitely the most wide-open race on the film side. Kidman might have won had she been in more of The Northman. McAdams and Gomez were both good in Multiverse of Madness, not great. Ultimately it came down to Barbaro vs. Sermon, and I went with Sermon for two reasons; First, I have already given Maverick two awards (out of 4), so I wanted to diversify this a tad bit. Second, Sermon had maybe my favorite moment in the entire Jurassic franchise when she put her hand up and connected with Beta. I know a lot of people thought that moment was stupid and annoying that anyone can just control a dinosaur with their hand up, but I loved it. Movie Studio of the 2nd Quarter Universal! Paramount put up a phenomenal fight with Top Gun: Maverick and Sonic 2, but I had to recognize how many films Universal pumped out the past three months. They had Jurassic World: Dominion, The Bad Guys, The Black Phone & Ambulance (they also made Firestarter, which was literally the only film that I didn’t give a nomination to, so that doesn’t really count). I decided that 4 in the top 14 and 2 of the top 6 of the box office beat 2 in the top 4, and Paramount won the first quarter, so congrats Universal! Film Scoreboard: Nominations (Wins) Top Gun: Maverick- 6 (2) Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness- 5 (1) Lightyear- 5 Jurassic World: Dominion- 4 (1) Cha Cha Real Smooth- 4 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent- 4 Elvis- 3 (1) Spiderhead- 3 The Black Phone- 3 Ambulance- 2 Chip N’ Dale: Rescue Rangers- 2 Good Luck to You, Leo Grande- 2 The Northman- 2 Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbledore- 1 Father Stu- 1 Morbius- 1 Sonic the Hedgehog 2- 1 The Bad Guys- 1 Now to the television awards! (Each category has four nominees, winners in bold ) Favorite Show Obi-Wan Kenobi Ozark Season 4 Part 2 Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1 The Offer Much like Maverick in the film category, Stranger Things ran away with my favorite show. This was a loaded quarter for the small screen, but many of the most anticipated shows fell a little flat for me. Stranger Things delivered on every level with maybe its best season yet. An incredible story with some incredible acting performances, this was an easy choice. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Television Anthony Starr as Homelander ( The Boys ) Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ) Miles Teller as Al Ruddy ( The Offer ) Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Moonknight ( Moon Knight ) While the show hasn’t quite lived up to the hype, Ewan McGregor is doing God’s work in this show. It’s so great to see Obi-Wan back in action, and that fight with Vader…. Oh man! Oscar Isaac and Miles Teller are probably delivering better performances, but what McGregor is doing is truly special, so he gets the win. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Television Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan ( Ms. Marvel ) Juno Temple as Bettye McCartt ( The Offer ) Laura Linney as Wendy Byrde ( Ozark ) Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven ( Stranger Things ) It could only be you, Laura Linney! This has been an incredibly weak field, so she didn’t really have any competition. But even if there were other great lead actress performances, Linney would still take this home. Wendy Byrde is one of the most iconic, unhinged characters in all of television and her final act did not disappoint. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Television Ethan Hawke as Arthur Harrow ( Moon Knight ) Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair ( Stranger Things ) Joe Keery as Steve Harrington ( Stranger Things ) Matthew Goode as Bob Evans ( The Offer ) In all honesty I could have listed four actors from Stranger Things and felt good about that decision, but I chose to mix it up a tad. While I adore Gaten Matarazzo and Joe Keery, and Dustin & Steve are my two favorite characters on the show, Caleb McLaughlin outshines them in this season. To see how he has developed as an actor over 4 seasons has been really nice to watch, and his scenes with Max absolutely steal the show. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Television Julie Garner as Ruth Langmore ( Ozark ) Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley ( Stranger Things ) Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield ( Stranger Things ) Vivien Lyra Blair as Leia Organa ( Obi-Wan Kenobi ) Stranger Things keeps on rolling! Sadie Sink was the MVP of season 4 in my opinion, and the Max’s Song sequence is my favorite sequence in the history of the show. She’s giving such an authentic, emotional, hilarious portrayal of Max this season and made me fear for her life more than once. This was my favorite acting performance on television this quarter, regardless of category. Streamer of the 2nd Quarter Netflix! Disney+ really fumbled this one away. Two MCU shows AND Obi-Wan Kenobi in a single quarter, and you didn’t win? I would have said that was impossible 3 months ago, but here we are. Stranger Things and Ozark were both better than anything Disney+ put out this quarter, so Netflix gets the win. If only they could trade this award for some stock options… Television Scoreboard: Nominations (Wins) Stranger Things- 6 (3) The Offer- 4 Obi-Wan Kenobi- 3 (1) Ozark- 3 (1) Moon Knight- 2 Ms. Marvel- 1 The Boys- 1 There you have it! The Film & Television Awards for the 2nd Quarter of 2022! Make sure to check back in at the end of September to check out who will take home some hardware for the 3rd quarter!

Not sure what to watch on those rainy Sundays? Or those late Wednesday nights? Here are my awards for excellence in film and television for the third quarter (July-September) of 2022! Circuit Artwork If we hand out awards for sports, why not movies & television? With the third quarter of 2022 in the books, it’s time to look back at the best movies, shows & performances of the last three months! (Important to note that these are my favorites, not what I think are necessarily the best; that’s what my Oscars posts are for). Remember that the number of nominees in each category is half (or rounded up with odd numbers) of the amount of projects I watched; so because I watched 23 movies, each film category has 12 nominees. And because I watched 12 shows, each TV category has 6 nominees. * Disclaimer : Obviously I couldn’t watch every movie and show, so if you don’t see your favorite from the 3rd quarter here I do apologize. Here are the lists of films & shows from the 3rd quarter of 2022 that I watched and therefore eligible for award consideration: 2022 3rd Quarter Films Watched: Barbarian Beast Bodies Bodies Bodies Bros Bullet Train Day Shift DC League of Super Pets Don’t Worry Darling Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. Minions: The Rise of Gru Nope Persuasion Pinocchio Prey Secret Headquarters The Gray Man The Greatest Beer Run Ever The Munsters The Sea Beast The Woman King Thor: Love & Thunder Vengeance Where the Crawdads Sing 2022 3rd Quarter Shows Watched: Grey’s Anatomy season 18 High School Musical the Musical the Series season 3 House of the Dragon season 1 Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 Only Murders in the Building season 2 She-Hulk season 1 Terminal List season 1 The Bear season 1 The Flash season 8 The Old Man season 1 The Rehearsal season 1 Uncoupled season 1 *Grey’s Anatomy and The Flash are a bit messy because they aired during the 2021-22 television season, but they dropped on Netflix on June 25th. I decided to bump them to the 3rd quarter because I didn’t have time to binge the whole seasons in the last days of the month with all the movies I was trying to get in for quarter 2, so Grey’s & Flash land in quarter 3! Now to the awards! (Each category has five nominees, winners in bold ) Favorite Film Barbarian Bodies Bodies Bodies Bros Bullet Train Don’t Worry Darling Nope The Gray Man The Greatest Beer Run Ever The Woman King Thor: Love & Thunder Vengeance Where the Crawdads Sing This quarter had no great films like the 1st quarter ( The Batman ) and the 2nd quarter ( Top Gun: Maverick ), but there were a handful of really good, interesting films in contention for film of the quarter. Nope, Barbarian and Don’t Worry Darling all held the belt for the 3rd quarter at one point or another, but ultimately The Woman King won out. This was a great film filled with heart, and some gnarly action sequences that highlight just how badass these women are. A photo finish for a great race, congrats to The Woman King ! Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Film BJ Novak as Ben Manalowitz ( Vengeance ) Brad Pitt as Ladybug ( Bullet Train ) Chris Hemsworth as Thor ( Thor: Love & Thunder ) Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood ( Nope ) Harry Styles as Jack ( Don’t Worry Darling ) Idris Elba as Dr. Nate Samuels ( Beast ) Justin Long as AJ ( Barbarian ) Karl Urban as Jacob Holland ( The Sea Beast ) Pete Davidson as David ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) Sterling K Brown as Lee-Curtis Childs ( Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. ) Steve Carrel as Gru ( Minions: The Rise of Gru ) Zac Efron as Chickie Donohue ( The Greatest Beer Run Ever ) This race was particularly uninspiring. Kaluuya, Novak and Styles (yes, I thought Harry Styles was good.) were all in contention, but I found Efron to be compelling in Greatest Beer Run . He was funny, he was vulnerable, and he really carried that film on his shoulders. Justin Long might have won this award had he been in more of Barbarian, but given that he doesn’t show up for 80 minutes, I couldn’t justify giving him the award. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Film Amandla Stenberg as Sophie ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) Amber Midthunder as Naru ( Prey ) Ana de Armas as Dani Miranda ( The Gray Man ) Daisy Edgar-Jones as Kya Clark ( Where the Crawdads Sing ) Dakota Johnson as Anne Elliot ( Persuasion ) Florence Pugh as Alice ( Don’t Worry Darling ) Georgina Campbell as Tess ( Barbarian ) Joey King as Prince ( Bullet Train ) Keke Palmer as Emerald Haywood ( Nope ) Natalie Portman as Jane Foster ( Thor: Love & Thunder ) Regina Hall as Trinitie Childs ( Honk For Jesus. Save Your Soul. ) Viola Davis as Nanisca ( The Woman King ) This race was not close. Florence Pugh, Amber Midthunder and Daisy Edgar-Jones all put in really great performances, but Viola Davis was inspiring in The Woman King . She was physically overpowering, emotionally vulnerable and simply mesmerizing. Every second she was on screen, the movie was better for it. Dare I say an Oscar nomination might be heading her way? Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Film Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Tangerine ( Bullet Train ) Ashton Kutcher as Quentin Sellers ( Vengeance ) Bill Skarsgard as Keith ( Barbarian ) Chris Evans as Lloyd Hansen ( The Gray Man ) Chris Pine as Frank ( Don’t Worry Darling ) Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher ( Thor: Love & Thunder ) Daniel Roebuck as Grandpa ( The Munsters ) Dave Franco as Seth ( Day Shift ) Luke Macfarlane as Aaron ( Bros ) Russell Crowe as Arthur Coates ( The Greatest Beer Run Ever ) Sharlto Copley as Martin Battles ( Beast ) Steven Yeun as Ricky “Jupe” Park ( Nope ) Evans turns in an all-time supporting performance in The Gray Man. Is it Oscar worthy? Of course not. Is it thoroughly entertaining and fun to watch? Absolutely. He was by far the best part of that film, and one of my favorite roles of his career. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Film Julia Butters as Claire ( The Gray Man ) Lashana Lynch as Izogie ( The Woman King ) Maria Bakalova as Bee ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) Mia-McKenna Bruce as Mary Musgrove ( Persuasion ) Michelle Yeoh as Master Chow ( Minions: The Rise of Gru ) Myha’la Herrold as Jordan ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) Olivia Wilde as Olivia ( Don’t Worry Darling ) Rachel Sennott as Alice ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) Sandra Bullock as Maria ( Bullet Train ) Sheila Atim as Amenza ( The Woman King ) Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie ( Thor: Love & Thunder ) Thuso Mbedu as Nawi ( The Woman King ) This category was very weak this quarter in terms of the number of nominees; I struggled to get to 12. Bodies Bodies Bodies and The Woman King really dominated this category with almost exclusively female casts, so naturally the winner came from one of those two movies. I had to choose between Rachel Sennott and Thuso Mbedu, and in an incredibly tight race, I gave the award to Sennott because her character made me laugh a lot, and I wanted to give Bodies a win. But Thuso was incredible, and will likely land a nomination at the 2022 awards. Movie Studio of the 1st Quarter Sony ! Sony had a very strong 3rd quarter, releasing Bullet Train, Where the Crawdads Sing & The Woman King. All three were nominated for favorite film, with the latter taking home the award. The only real competition came from Warner Bros with Super Pets and Don’t Worry Darling , but they were much closer to third than they were to catching Sony. Film Scoreboard: Nominations (Wins) Bodies Bodies Bodies- 6 (1) The Woman King- 5 (2) Bullet Train- 5 Don’t Worry Darling- 5 Thor: Love and Thunder- 5 The Gray Man- 4 (1) Barbarian- 4 Nope- 4 The Greatest Beer Run Ever- 3 (1) Vengeance- 3 Beast- 2 Bros- 2 Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.- 2 Minions: The Rise of Gru- 2 Persuasion- 2 Where the Crawdads Sing- 2 Day Shift- 1 Prey- 1 The Munsters- 1 The Sea Beast- 1 Favorite Show The Bear season 1 High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 3 House of the Dragon season 1 Only Murders in the Building season 2 She-Hulk season 1 The Rehearsal season 1 House of the Dragon, to this point, is the best show of 2022. With much respect to Winning Time and Stranger Things, HotD has been incredible. Do I have issues with the pacing and revolving cast? I sure do. But I can’t deny that when Sunday night rolls around, I am much more excited about watching dragons than I am about watching football. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actor in Television Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen ( House of the Dragon ) Jeremy Allen-White as Carmy Berzatto ( The Bear ) Joshua Bassett as Ricky Bowen ( HSMTMTS ) Robert Aramayo as Elrond ( The Rings of Power ) Neil Patrick-Harris as Michael Lawson ( Uncoupled ) Martin Short as Oliver Putnam ( Only Murders in the Building ) The Bear was probably the biggest surprise of the 3rd quarter on the television side of things. As someone who has grown up in the restaurant industry and even had a family-owned restaurant, I thought this show did a wonderful job portraying what restaurants are really like. Allen-White was fantastic in the lead role, coasting to an easy win against a weak lead actor field. Favorite Performance By A Lead Actress in Television Selena Gomez as Mabel Mora ( Only Murders in the Building ) Ellen Pompeo as Dr. Meredith Grey ( Grey’s Anatomy ) Millie Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen ( House of the Dragon ) Ayo Edebiri as Sydney Adamu ( The Bear ) Morfydd Clark as Galadriel ( The Rings of Power ) Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk ( She-Hulk ) Now this was a race! Maslany and Clark were fantastic this quarter, but Alcock really brought Princess Rhaenyra to life. When the show skipped in time and moved on from Alcock I was devastated, which is the same moment I knew she was the best lead actress this quarter. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actor in Television Matt Smith as Daemon Targaryen ( House of the Dragon ) Adrian Lyles as Jet ( HSMTMTS ) Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky ( She-Hulk ) Owain Arthur as Prince Durin ( The Rings of Power ) Rhys Ifans as Otto Hightower ( House of the Dragon ) John Lithgow as Harold Harper ( The Old Man ) Easy. No one held a candle to Matt Smith here. No explanation needed. Favorite Performance By A Supporting Actress in Television Emily Carey as Alicent Hightower ( House of the Dragon ) Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys ( House of the Dragon ) Saylor Bell Curda as Maddox ( HSMTMTS ) Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey ( Grey’s Anatomy ) Sophia Nomvete as Princess Disa ( The Rings of Power ) Julia Lester as Ashlyn ( HSMTMTS ) Emily Carey gave Bell a run for her money, but I really enjoyed what Bell did on HSMTMTS . She was really funny, really tortured, and showed off her angelic voice. She did it all, which is why she won. Streamer of the 3rd Quarter Hulu! HBOMax was in contention with HotD alone, but Hulu wins due to sheer volume; The Bear, The Old Man and Only Murders in the Building were three solid shows, and enough to beat out HBOMax and Disney+. Hulu winning might be the closest Disney gets to winning a major award in 2022. Who would have thought! Television Scoreboard: Nominations (Wins) House of the Dragon- 7 (3) High School Musical: The Musical: The Series- 4 (1) Only Murders in the Building- 4 The Rings of Power- 4 The Bear- 3 (1) She-Hulk - 3 Grey’s Anatomy- 2 The Old Man- 1 The Rehearsal- 1 Uncoupled- 1 There you have it! The Film & Television Awards for the 3rd Quarter of 2022! Make sure to check back in at the end of December to check out who will take home some hardware for the 4th quarter!