leo Page 15 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
The beginning of the end starts for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight
In the latest exhibit that the hockey gods come with a wicked sense of humor, the Toronto Maple Leafs are now tied for the longest streak of making the playoffs in the league. Thanks to the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Nashville Predators all heading for the cottage of the damned th...
Warner Bros. is using <i>Dr. Pimple Popper</i> to ruin the NBA Playoffs
Some of us are old enough to remember when the television parental guideline ratings first debuted. The only programs that weren’t subject to the rating system were news and sportscasts. Athletics and information, what could possibly be inappropriate for children there? How about a grotesque mass of...
Overreacting to Game 1 of each NBA Playoff series
One game into each NBA postseason series feels like a good time to make some premature, bold declarations. The postseason tipped off with a fury of finishes that ranged from exciting to anesthesia. But Game 1 is a starter kit that we’ll try to extrapolate on. It would be wise to tread carefully in t...
Russell Westbrook — flaws and all — was crucial in the Clippers’ Game 1 victory
For those who may be too young to remember Russell Westbrook’s best work, show them from the 1:08 mark in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers 115-110, 2023 Game 1 playoff victory against the Phoenix Suns, to when the clock stops at 10.1 seconds....
Finding the NBA playoff X factors
The NBA playoffs are where superstars can add to — or subtract from — their legacies. They may come up clutch, or absolutely choke under the spotlight. The same goes for coaches. But there are always subplots around certain youngsters, role players, and unknowns who can make a name for themselves. T...
Here's which NBA playoff teams will boom or bust
NBA fans are preparing for one of the most equitable and competitive playoffs in recent memory. The lack of an active dynasty or superteam has the door open for nearly any team to make a Finals run. We’ve highlighted five teams headed toward playoff glory and five teams destined for despair. We cons...
A team should reach for Bijan Robinson in the NFL Draft
No position in the NFL has more turnover than running back. Most teams have switched to a by-committee approach rather than one superstar. And even the 49ers have suitable backups to Christian McCaffrey. With the NFL Draft two weeks away, former Texas standout Bijan Robinson will be the first tailba...
The NBA has a Charles Barkley problem — again
TNT’s flagship show Inside The NBA is at its best this time of the year, as fans tune in multiple times per week to watch Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal do their thing. But what happens when the star of the NBA’s biggest and best studio show gets on TV to tell fans...
The Sports Emmys are lacking, so Deadspin is here to pick up the slack
A problem with the Sports Emmys is there simply aren’t enough categories for individuals. Most awards are for shows, segments, reports, documentaries, etc. Only a handful acknowledge the on-air personalities, so those who care about bringing home some hardware are in for an uphill battle....
Shaq dismantilizes the English language on TNT
Over the years, Shaquille O’Neal and the TNT crew on Inside the NBA have given us plenty of hilarious moments. Just about every episode at this point produces a segment that gets picked up and goes viral on social media. Many of those moments have come out of the mouth of Dr. O’Neal, and the latest ...
The play-in is butt and the NBA is laughing at all of us
Let’s not bury the lede here. The last five to eight minutes and overtime between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves was some of the worst basketball on offer this season, and certainly a contender for worst fare offered up in what is supposed to be an important game. Between the Lake...
The mind-bending nature of the Aaron Rodgers trade makes me want to do a darkness retreat
Friday will mark one month since Aaron Rodgers emerged from his darkness retreat and told the world he wanted a different employer. His appearance on the Pat McAfee Show will be four weeks old on Wednesday and we’ve seen no progress on a deal between the Jets and Packers at all. I get it, just becau...
Might be time for the Hawks, Mavericks to pull the plug on the stars they traded for in 2018
Zoom out on the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks 2018 draft-day trade and the results appear positive. Both franchises made a trip to the conference finals and were competitive against the eventual NBA Champion. Trae Young is a two-time NBA All-Star and was named third-team All-NBA last season. Lu...
Don’t be so quick to count out the Western Conference's top-seeded teams
A large swath of NBA media is out on the top seeds in the Western Conference — and it makes sense, because, for the first time since the 1996-97 season, the East is far and away superior....
Republican-sponsored anti-LGBTQ bills attacking transgender youth participation in sports reaches new low
Republicans en masse across the country haven’t made it clear what they truly stand for outside of hating others and tolerating racism and all forms of bigotry. They’re more afraid and concerned of Black peaceful protestors and children properly identifying their sexuality than insurrectionists, mas...
Kim Mulkey meeting the man that brought Britney Griner home is the White House story we needed
Angel Reese has owned her moment. From being named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four after LSU won their first national title in program history, to the reactions from her “dealings” with Iowa’s Caitlin Clark being the best example of “Two Americas” we’ve seen in quite some time, to her publ...
John Elway parts with Broncos, gets out before draft history sinks in
John Elway’s tenure with the Denver Broncos was mercifully sent to the glue factory Wednesday, and he can now add “consultant” alongside “general manager” and “Super Bowl-winning quarterback” to the list of roles he formerly occupied for the organization. Thankfully for Donkos fans, Elway got out be...
Did Donald Trump hijack John Carlos and Tommie Smith’s raised fist?
In 1968, John Carlos and Tommie Smith risked it all at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City as they stood on the podium with their fists raised high. On Tuesday, a twice-impeached former President who has been harassing and harming Black people for decades from the Central Park/Exonerated Five to...
Manny Machado getting run over arguing a pitch-clock K is objectively funny
There was bound to be an adjustment period as MLB entered the pitch clock era, and my question is, did basketball handle the implementation of the shot clock as poorly as this? Manny Machado was the first player to earn a strike via clock violation in spring training, and he became the first player ...