Teams we're tired of seeing win

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr allegedly used NSFW language in referring to one of his players during a game in March. Could that be a sign of a crack in the NBA's current dynasty? Don't count on it. Is there anybody who doesn't believe the Warriors will flip a switch in the playoffs and win a third straight title and fourth championship in five years? Be smart with your cash and bet on Kevin Durant lifting the MVP Trophy a third consecutive June. 

Those of us old enough to remember when the Boston Red Sox were lovable losers now regret rooting for the team to complete the historic comeback against the New York Yankees in 2004. Since that fall, the Red Sox have won the World Series four times, including in 2018. The Red Sox had the highest payroll in Major League Baseball in 2018, as Forbes' Maury Brown explained. How obnoxious.

The #MarchOfThePenguins hashtag strikes fear in Pittsburgh Penguins haters, who know Sidney Crosby and Co. are capable of turning it on and making a run to a Stanley Cup Final after spending months as an average or below-average side. After winning the Cup in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins fell to eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington in the 2018 playoffs. Those rivals may be on a collision course in the 2019 postseason. 

It just feels as if the Connecticut Huskies win every Division I women's basketball tournament. In reality, UConn, champions from 2013 through 2016, didn't play in title games the past two seasons. All due respect to Geno Auriemma, arguably the greatest collegiate coach for any sport, but let's hope that trend continues in the final year of the decade. 

As James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo recently explained, there's uncertainty regarding how much Manchester City is spending on active players for the 2018-19 Premier League campaign. It's widely assumed among fans that City Football Group can purchase just about any talent it wants, and that practice has propelled City to three titles since spring 2012. The reigning EPL champs may end March 2019 as favorites to again finish atop the table. Money really does buy happiness in some instances. 

Granted, the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't won a Super Bowl in more than a decade. But more often than not, the Steelers have been playoff contenders since quarterback Ben Roethlisberger fell to the franchise via the 11th pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns could have spared us all by drafting the Miami of Ohio product. But of course the Browns instead took flop Kellen Winslow and let a division rival grab the future Hall of Famer. 

Water is wet, grass is green and Celtic are winning the Scottish Premiership. You can count on all three as of March 2019. The best side in Scottish football has reigned atop the table since the 2011-12 season, and it will again win the title in the spring 2019 barring an unforeseen collapse. 

This is nothing personal against Villanova, the reigning national champions and winners of the NCAA Tournament two of the past three years. If you don't have a direct tie to Villanova or one of the school's rivals, you probably don't think of 'Nova much, if at all, unless the Wildcats make the Final Four. Seriously, when's the last time somebody randomly told you they passionately love or hate head coach Jay Wright and the Wildcats? 

If the Pittsburgh Penguins aren't the NHL team that fills you with envy, it's possible the Chicago Blackhawks grind your gears. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup three times from 2010 through the spring of 2015, more titles than any other club this decade. In March, Vincent Parise of Da Windy City dared to ask if the current Blackhawks "are the most fun last place team ever." Watching them routinely lose this season has put smiles on plenty of faces. 

We need Juventus to win the Champions League for the first time in over two decades or see a different Italian side take the domestic title from The Old Lady. The Serie A champions for each season since the 2011-12 campaign are once again running away with the title in spring 2019. Juve don't even need Cristiano Ronaldo to remain kings of Italian soccer. What a luxury to have, though. 

Atletico Madrid shocking the soccer world by winning the 2013-14 La Liga title entertained and amused supporters tired of  Barcelona or Real Madrid consistently atop the table. Since then, Barcelona has won the league three of the past four seasons, with Real putting a halt to their rival's run of dominance during the 2016-17 campaign. Barca, led by Lionel Messi, is again cruising atop the table in March 2019. 

Maybe the WNBA could use a dynasty that plays in a massive market to attract additional interest in the league among casual sports fans. The Minnesota Lynx don't play home games in such a market. The Lynx won the WNBA title four times between 2011 and 2017. 

Penn State is viewed as a football school, but it's the university's wrestling program that has dominated throughout the decade. Since 2011, the Nittany Lions have won seven team titles. PSU looks capable of earning an eighth this year. 

Unless something changes within the club's structure, you probably won't be seeing PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League semifinals anytime soon. As it pertains to the Eredivisie, though, PSV has won three of the past four league titles, and The Red and Whites were headed toward another first-place finish as of the middle of March. 

Paris Saint-Germain is good for two things: winning Ligue 1 and choking in the Champions League. Winners of the domestic crown in five of the past six seasons, PSG will moonwalk to yet another title unless that UCL loss to Manchester United demoralizes those in the dressing room to the point they phone in the remainder of the season. The good news for PSG haters is that the club may sell Neymar in the summer. The bad news is PSG will probably still win the league next year. 

We're thrilled the United States defeated Canada to win the gold medal at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Canadians had won the previous four Olympic tournaments. We get it. You're Canada. You're good at hockey and making poutine. You don't have to be so arrogant about it. 

The supposed demise of Bayern Munich earlier this season may have been greatly exaggerated. Winners of the Bundesliga every year from spring 2013-2018, the German giants climbed back to the top of the domestic table on goal difference on March 9. Borussia Dortmund lost its grip on first and was unceremoniously bounced out of the Champions League by Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 on aggregate. That leads one to believe the Bavarians will again be the last German club standing. 

Don't think LeBron James should count as a team? Go look at what the Cleveland Cavaliers are without him. He was a one-man squad who carried the 2017-18 Cavs all the way to the NBA Finals. That performance could be the best argument for King James as G.O.A.T. He'll miss the Finals in 2019, a much-needed respite for most of us.. 

Clemson, not Alabama, has won the national championship two of the past three years, and football fans everywhere who don't shout "Roll Tide" on fall Saturdays thank the Tigers for their service. This doesn't mean we're any less sick of seeing 'Bama in the CFB Playoff, let alone watching it play in title games. Nick Saban has won five championships since January 2010. He turns 68 years in October. Isn't it about time he thinks about retiring to a beach somewhere?

Most memorable 2018-19 European football scene? Fans cheering Ajax smashing Real Madrid 4-1 on March 5 at the Santiago Bernabeu, knocking the not-so-Galacticos out of the Champions League. As Sergio Gomez of Diario AS wrote, Real made history in May 2018 by becoming the first side to win the Champions League three years in a row since the tournament format changed in 1993. The Spanish giants won't complete a four-peat anytime soon. 

You can practically hear an exasperated Joey in the Bronx responding to this by yelling, "The New York Yankees haven't won the World Series since 2009! They don't belong on the list!" Fair, but the Yankees have 27 rings on their resume. They could not win the World Series for another century, and we'd still get nauseous at the thought of them again playing in a Fall Classic. 

"The NFL is a parity-driven league," they said. "Dynasties can't happen in the modern NFL," they said. Nobody told that to the New England Patriots, the franchise that has won six Super Bowls since February 2002 thanks to coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. Brady wants to play until he's 45. He turns 45 in August 2022. Insert eye-roll emoji here.