5 Page 44 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

MLB Rebuilding in 2021: Totally luck out, and just find a great international player
Where would the Braves be without Ozzie Albies and Ronald Acuña Jr.? Where would the Padres be without Fernando Tatís Jr.? What about the Astros with Carlos Correa, José Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and Yordan Álvarez?...

Kyle Lowry’s leadership will be key to Heat’s success this season
Miami guard Kyle Lowry’s value to his new team is already being realized, just a couple of games into the season. After blowing out the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat suffered their first loss against the Indiana Pacers in overtime, 102-91, without Lowry....

Kyrie Irving is not one of the 75 greatest players in NBA history, so just get over it
The outrage over the NBA’s 75th-anniversary team has shed light on the lack of respect for some of the legends of the past. But everybody cannot make this team. And with Kyrie Irving not making the cut, some fans and even current players strongly oppose this decision. Simply having a sweet handle wi...

Carlton Fisk kept it fair, but Keith Olbermann’s attempt to sell historic ball is foul
This is not about ripping Keith Olbermann. If you want to do that, you can start with “Why I Think Trump Is Finished (And My Work Is Done),” from November 28, 2017, a time at which Trump was far from finished. You can go forward or backward from there, it doesn’t really matter, and he’d admit himsel...

Don’t celebrate just yet, Atlanta
If there is one town that shouldn’t take part in a premature celebration, it’s Atlanta....

Dominique Wilkins is owed an apology and the only asterisk I’ll accept in sports
Dominique Wilkins is owed apologies from a lot of you people. ...

A steal of home, a catwalk, a double punt, and more in wild night
There were just a handful of games going on last night, but enough fodder produced from both to last as long as that box of Graham Crackers in your pantry....

The last playoffs
A few years ago, I was in a bar and got into an argument with a semi-regular (who I didn’t much care for) about which sport has the best postseason. He was a real #PleaseLikeMySport hockey fan, and I had felt (and still do) that the MLB playoffs had surpassed the NHL playoffs as the most enjoyable. ...

Max Scherzer trade to Dodgers is one of the greatest deadline deals of all time
Where does Max Scherzer to the Dodgers rank among MLB’s best deadline deals?...

A nod to Toni Kukoč and all of the 2021 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees getting their dues today
We’ve feted Paul Pierce, Ben Wallace, Bill Russell, Rick Adelman, Jay Wright, Lauren Jackson, Yolanda Griffith, Chris Bosh, and Chris Webber this week for their induction into the hoops Hall of Fame....

Ben Wallace is the perfect embodiment of his era
Look at a photo of Rudy Gobert in any game. Typically, he’ll be wearing the same knee sleeves with padding that most other players do, maybe an arm-sleeve or two, and that’s probably it. Let’s not make this about Gobert, though — let’s take another center: Nikola Jokić. Usually, it’s just leg sleeve...

‘Malice at the Palace’ documentary is a reminder of the damage that coded language can cause
“I’m never talking about this sh*t again. Can you get that on camera?”...

Deadspin fixes NBA free agency, Part V: Centers
Centers. You can’t live without these guys, even though some teams try their hardest to. They damn near all need a three-point shot if they’re not an ideal rim-runner to have on the floor. ...

You get a high-impact player! And YOU get a high-impact player!
Well, I’ve been having an aneurysm trying to keep up with all the trades happening in Major League Baseball today and late last night. We here at Deadspin have talked about a few of them already, but it seems like every half hour another impactful trade happens — so we’re rounding up all of the most...

Finally, a woman is on a cover of an NBA 2K edition, and who better than Candace Parker?
EA Sports made it a hot line; 2K’s making it a hot song...
![Who cares if the Stanley Cup got yet another dent? [Narrator: Montreal cares, very much]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/be302fab6bdb94ef76a210147ceaf1f0.jpg)
Who cares if the Stanley Cup got yet another dent? [Narrator: Montreal cares, very much]
Any team that wins a championship deserves a huge parade in their hometown in front of thousands of their adoring fans. They deserve to party the night away and celebrate what they were able to accomplish....

Steve Ballmer and other admirably stupid celebrations of sports team owners
Did you ever have a reason for an impromptu joyous celebration and decide, in that moment, the thing you’re going to do with the people closest to you is… grab their thighs?...

Lightning keep cashing in on ex-GM Steve Yzerman’s masterfully built roster
The NHL playoffs have been robust, entertaining, competitive, hard-hitting, and full of intrigue. Last night, however, was none of those things. The defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning absolutely waxed the New York Islanders 8-0. Although former General Manager Steve Yzerman has retur...

James Harden will reportedly test out his hamstring, taking a huge risk amid injury-plagued season
One day, we’ll learn how this collection of injuries from the 2021 NBA Playoffs could be quantified historically, but, unfortunately, this has to be one of the most football-ass NBA seasons yet....

These NBA Playoffs have been painful to play and watch
We are watching the worst NBA playoffs ever....