nf Page 314 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Seems like old times, eh Leafs?
By now you know the key points. The Toronto Maple Leafs haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1967, haven’t been to the Final since then either, haven’t beaten the Canadiens in a series since their ’67 title clash, won their first division title since 2000 this season (thanks to being in the all-Canadia...

The Bucks are first to round two, and are looking like the team to beat (sorry, Nets)
For whatever reason, the Milwaukee Bucks completed Game 4 of Round 1 before the Philadelphia 76ers even began Game 3 of their series....

Christian Pulisic just made American men’s soccer history — in Europe’s Champions League final
American men’s soccer remains, even with all the growth of Major League Soccer and the rise in popularity of the sport, very much a sleeping giant on the world stage....

Last night was an anomaly, but it still shows Nets need more than their big three
If you told me that the James Harden-Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving trio would combine for 96 points, opposite 50 from Jayson Tatum and only 6 from Kemba Walker, I would’ve thought the Nets won that game by double figures. ...

The ol’ ‘It’s tough to win when all but one of your stars sucks’ nights for Knicks
Julius Randle was 2-for-15 shooting, R.J. Barrett went 2-for-9, and Reggie Bullock shot 3-for-8. Even the Knicks’ instant-offense bench guys, Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley, each struggled to 2-for-8 nights. ...

Hats off to a great deal in Vegas
The Golden Knights traded a couple of draft choices to get Mattias Janmark from Chicago in April, and whatever those picks turn out to be, Vegas can rest easy that it was worth it....

Why is 6-foot-3 Mac Jones suddenly being criticized for his lack of size?
We judge a lot of things based on size: Texas BBQ, television monitors, people’s homes, yadda yadda yadda. NFL quarterbacks are no exception. Everything about them gets judged based on their size. Not even Joe Burrow’s hands were exempt from the harsh eye of NFL media. As OTA’s have kicked off acros...

Deadspin's AEW 'Double Or Nothing' preview
Sadly, for the second straight year, AEW will not run Double Or Nothing in Las Vegas but in Jacksonville, Fla. I say that because I had tickets in 2020, and a Vegas weekend with the great wrestling unwashed sure would hit the spot right about now. Oh well! They say this one will have a full house at...

Eagles hire ridiculously qualified Muslim woman as a scout — Eagles fans predictably react horribly
The Philadelphia Eagles announced several hires yesterday on Twitter, including the addition of one Ameena Soliman as a scout....

Great job, Japan… FIFA… IOC… y’all really just nailed everyone’s mood
The latest wave of COVID-19 appears to be ebbing in Japan, but on Friday the country still extended the state of emergency for many areas, and “pre-emergency measures” for other prefectures, including Chiba, just outside of Tokyo....

This is the Jimmy Butler I remember
The Bucks-Heat series was supposed to be one of the most intriguing of the first round. Last year’s Eastern Conference champ, going up against a Bucks team that, if they were to spit it early for the second straight year, could be facing some kind of organizational overhaul. There was the added spic...

Matt Nagy being on the hot seat in Chicago makes zero sense (to non-Bears fans)
When the Chicago Bears shocked the NFL world by trading up nine spots to select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick, the entire football world applauded Chicago for such a great move. The lack of a consistent starting quarterback had been the biggest elephant on the Bears...

Lions lionsing about alert: Kicking the tires on Todd Gurley
The Detroit Lions, who are contending for the No. 1 overall pick next year (yes, already), yet fail to admit it, might bring in an aging running back with arthritis to replace another other aging running back because they couldn’t possibly fathom giving their young, do-everything superstar running b...

Nuggets/Blazers is so much more than just Jokić vs. Lillard
Nikola Jokić and Damian Lillard are doing exactly what they’re supposed to do....

NFL’s all-time scoring leader packs up his legendary cleats
Kickers are people too, and Adam Vinatieri is the greatest kicker of all time. Put some damn respect on his name. The 48-year old veteran, who is the all-time leading scorer in NFL history, announced his retirement yesterday on the Pat McAfee Show....

The Penguins tried to game the system and lost big
One of the many catchphrases that Eddie Olczyk has been trying to “fetch” for more than a decade is “Goaltending: If you don’t have it, you got no chance.” Like most of the things Eddie O says, it probably sounds way cooler and more clever in his head. It’s not a play on words, it doesn’t rhyme, it’...

Positively Metsian twist to Mets’ many injury woes: Noah Syndergaard done till at least August
“Ah, shit. Here we go again.”...

Knicks fans are making the most of this run
America, they here. ...

NFL salary cap jacked up to over $208M per team — and here comes the spending blitz
The salary cap, like it or not, is not going anywhere. With the intention of giving all teams a level playing field in free agency, roster construction, and the ability to retain/acquire talent, it has become an ideology synonymous with American professional sports. I mean, it’s kinda bullshit, but ...

The Mickey Callaways should never be able to don a uniform again, period
Rob Manfred finally finished reading The Athletic’s report from February about Mickey Callaway’s sexual harassment. Or perhaps he clicked on the tube this week and caught Andrea Kremer’s HBO Real Sports piece on the sex harrassment women in sports media regularly receive that was partly based on The...