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The Best of the Day: January 30th, 2021
See the best of the day in sports from January 30, 2021 including Stafford to LAR, Goff to DET, Dame coming up clutch in Chicago, and more!
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The ‘Best of the Day’ is a daily PSO original series showcasing the most significant stories, highlights, and facts going on in the land of the NFL, NBA, & MLB every day. Get a recap on EVERYTHING that happened on 1/30 here.
A week before Super Bowl LV, the Rams and Lions made headlines in a trade that saw Los Angeles land Matthew Stafford and Detroit receive Jared Goff along with multiple draft picks. The deal could be the first of a few potential trades involving franchise QBs this offseason with a number of reports swirling. Also, Damian Lillard came up clutch yet again, as the Trail Blazers will need ‘Dame Time’ to take place on a nightly basis to stay in contention in the brutal Western Conference without their other two best players.
Here is the best of the day from January 30, 2021:
Rams & Lions swap former No.1 picks Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford
A day after the St. Louis Cardinals’ Nolan Arenado trade rocked the baseball world, the former St. Louis Rams and Lions announced a blockbuster deal involving their franchise QBs that sent ripple affects throughout the NFL. The Los Angeles Rams sent Jared Goff, their 2022 and 2023 first round picks, along with a third round pick in the upcoming draft to Detroit in exchange for Matthew Stafford. With the dust settled, here’s a look at how each team made out.
The full blockbuster trade involving two former No. 1 overall draft picks ...#Lions get:
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 31, 2021
QB Jared Goff
3rd-round pick in 2021
1st-round pick in 2022
1st-round pick in 2023#Rams get:
QB Matthew Stafford
Los Angeles:
For the Rams, just two seasons removed from a Super Bowl appearance, it is a clear upgrade at quarterback, even though they got older at the position by swapping Goff, 26, for Stafford, who turns 33 in February. It was a high price to pay, as LA is now on track to make it seven straight years without a first round pick (2017-2023). By trading Goff, LA will also take on a dead cap hit of $22.2M in 2021, but will wind up saving $12.75M. Stafford will bring 2y/$43M left on his deal, a reasonable price to pay. The 2009 former No. 1 overall pick could be the missing piece that elevates this talented Rams squad into a true championship contender.
This is the 2nd time in the 21st century that a QB has been worth MULTIPLE 1st Rd NFL Draft picks in a trade https://t.co/7FNlKEDeHK
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 31, 2021
The 2021 draft is set to be the Rams' 5th straight without making a 1st-round selection. With the Matthew Stafford trade, their streak is poised to reach 7 straight.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 31, 2021
The Rams can be the 3rd team since the merger to not have a 1st-round pick in 7 straight years
H/T @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/Gx3oGF43tn
Detroit:
It was inevitable that Stafford would be traded this offseason, as his frustration after another losing season was publicly known. In return for trading their franchise QB, DET landed Goff, who in 2017 and 2018, looked to be a rising star under Sean McVay, but has since regressed, leading the front office to openly talk about a future without the 2016 No. 1 overall pick. Goff will start an expensive 4y/$134M contract with $110M guaranteed this season. It is clear that Detroit will be hitting the reset button after adding draft capital, hiring a new head coach and GM in Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes, respectively, and now bringing in a new QB in Goff.
The Lions have managed just one playoff win in the Super Bowl era (1-12 record, the win came in 1991).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 31, 2021
Every other NFL team, including the Texans (who entered the league in 2002), have won at least 4 playoff games.
Jared Goff himself has 2 playoff wins as a starter. pic.twitter.com/Gj5ykwMKKN
Honorable Mention: Dame drains GW over Bulls; Lakers-Celtics comes down to the wire
Related: Stories of the Day
Portland’s only chance to stay alive in the West is if Dame plays like an MVP on a nightly basis
When CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic went down, not many people believed Portland would still be able to compete in the West. They’ve been able to float around .500 without their second and third best player, mainly due to Damian Lillard’s continuous MVP performances. Dame has now earned Player of the Day honors in each of his last two games as he leads the Blazers through this adversity.
On Saturday, Portland was just a few seconds away from blowing ANOTHER 19-point lead. However, Dame had other plans. He put on his cape and put Portland on his back. Down five points with 10 seconds left, Lillard squared up a DEEP 3PM to make it a one-possession game. The Blazers were able to trap the inbounds and force a jump ball which led to it going in Lillard’s direction. He then step-backed over the 7-foot Lauri Markkanen for his franchise-record third game-winning buzzer-beater of his Hall of Fame career.
Recent seasons have shown that Dame Time typically reaches his peak after a month or two, and he might be on the cusp of going on a run of dominance like he did last year. He’s averaging 34 PPG and 8.3 APG over his last eight outings. Portland can be a legitimate contender in the West when healthy, however, they won’t be at full strength for at least another month. For them to stay alive in the wild, wild West until then, they’ll need MVP performances from their best player damn near every time they take the floor, or they just won’t have enough juice to get it done.
Dame pulling up from the parking lot 👌 pic.twitter.com/N4Sd3Dd9UI
— NBA TV (@NBATV) January 31, 2021
Damian Lillard hits his 3rd career game-winning buzzer-beater, including the playoffs. That is the most in Trail Blazers history.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 31, 2021
Lillard now has 35 career 40-point games, more than double any other player in Trail Blazers history. pic.twitter.com/sc1L8rVOuP
Related: NBA Takeaways of the Day
Dame called game
https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1355803213044310018
Related: NBA Highlights | Portland Trail Blazers Highlights
PG Damian Lillard, POR (W @CHI): 44 PTS (15-26 FG | 8-17 3P), 9 AST, 5 REB, 0 BLK, 1 STL, 4 TO
#PlayerOfTheDay (1/30/21) - PG Damian Lillard, POR
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 31, 2021
TOP FACTS:
- Drained TWO clutch 3PM down 5 in final 10-sec to Win
- Most career GW buzzer-beaters (3) in Blazers history
- 3rd most PPG (28.8) in the NBA during 2020-21
KEY STATS:
- 44 PTS, 9 AST, 15-26 FG (58%), 8-17 3P (47%) https://t.co/WU5OeVdRh0
Related: Players of the Day
Portland Trail Blazers (123) [GW-3PM] vs. Chicago Bulls (122)
[Highlights] BLAZERS (+127; $9.99) d. @BULLS (-127; $10.75) 123-122 (GW-3PM) [POR +2.5 | o233.5]
Related: Games of the Day
Related: Facts of the Day
Kansas City Chiefs 5 Most Interesting Facts From 2020 NFL Season by Arslan Ubul
KC was the favorite to repeat all season with Patrick Mahomes guiding an electric offense that continues to shatter records left and right.
- T-most comeback wins (10) by any team in a season
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) January 31, 2021
- 1st QB age 25 or younger to ever start 2 Super Bowls
- Kelce has the most REC YDS (4,428) in the NFL since '18
FULL LIST ⬇️ https://t.co/yDBV7VmVyZ
Related: Latest PSO Posts
FULL ARTICLE: Most Significant Sports History on January 30th
YEAR: 2000
SIGNIFICANCE: “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams defeated the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV by a mere yard
Related: Significant Sports History
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