rant Page 48 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The teams and matchups we most wanna see for the NBA’s Play-in Tournament
Contrary to what LeBron James says, the NBA Play-In Tournament was a great idea. Because of the strange circumstances the NBA found itself in after COVID-19 wrecked 2020, the league had an opportunity to try out some goofy new ideas to make up for the fact that the fans were only getting a 72-game s...

Ja Morant should believe he’s a top-5 PG, even though he’s not
The amount of talent at point guard in the NBA right now is unprecedented. It seems like every team has a borderline All-Star bringing the ball up the court. Just think about it. How many guys in the league right now have earned an All-Star nod at the position? Eighteen. And that doesn’t include str...

James Harden shuns Knicks with elite-level pettiness
Spite is a gift that keeps on giving, and that’s no different in the NBA. Sometimes it can even enhance it....

A Lakers/Nets Finals would do wonders for the NBA, too bad injuries keep getting in the way
The recipe is a simple one to follow: add a dash of the Los Angeles Lakers or a pinch of LeBron James as a substitute. Those are the ingredients for a NBA Finals ratings hit....

Sorry LaMelo fans, but he shouldn’t be Rookie of the Year
If LaMelo Ball wins the NBA Rookie of the Year, it won’t be because of his body of work....

The Mavericks have time to figure out what a Luka-KP led contender looks like, or if one even can
When Googling the phrase “Dončić Porzingis,” the first hits all direct you to stories about their relationship, chemistry, and beef. [As of this writing, at least.] That’s not to say there’s friction between the current two Dallas Mavericks cornerstones, but rather, the outside hunger for there to b...

The Washington Wizards could be the East’s most dangerous play-in team
Before Monday’s 146-143 overtime loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Washington Wizards had won eight straight games. They were 19-33 before that winning streak and had little-to-no business being involved in the discussion we’re about to have....

Kyrie Irving is present and accounted for and the Brooklyn Nets’ MVP this season
For sure, nobody wants to hear it....

Please, please, send John Smoltz to a farm upstate
It was a slow, lazy Saturday afternoon. It would have to be for me to turn on the Mets when Jacob deGrom isn’t pitching (though Marcus Stroman can be a very entertaining watch, too). I grew up at a time here in Chicago when we hated the Mets as much as the Cardinals, and those instincts still flicke...

Like most of us, Kevin Durant can’t stay off Twitter (even though <i>he</i> probably should)
Two-Time NBA Champion, former MVP, and serial tweeter Kevin Durant trended again this morning for liking a tweet he probably shouldn’t have. ...

Sports world hails guilty verdict for Derek Chauvin
The sports world took to twitter before and after the Derek Chauvin verdict was announced Tuesday. Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the murder of George Floyd, was found guilty on all counts, which included second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree mansla...

Dwyane Wade is now a minority owner of … the Utah Jazz?!
Dwyane Wade, three-time NBA Champion, Miami Heat legend, TNT Analyst, and all-around solid dude, is now a minority owner of the Utah Jazz....

We should have had an Eastern conference battle last night with Nets-Sixers, but got ripped off instead
If ESPN were smart, it would demand a refund....

Grant Hill named director of USA Men’s National Basketball Team
You could go so far as to say Grant Hill was always meant for this. ...

Which team played the villain role best?
With the Houston Astros now wearing the crown as the most hated team in professional sports — as indicated by the chorus of boos and piercing screams of “CHEATER!” that rang through the Oakland Coliseum (whatever ridiculous name it has today) last night on Opening Day (ahh… welcome back baseball, an...

On Opening Day, the signs of how much we’ve lost were everywhere
After getting the coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday, I was pretty out of it on Thursday, which meant that Opening Day was a different experience than usual. I woke up in the morning, had breakfast and walked the dog, then went right back to sleep, setting an alarm to be able to watch the first inning...

No, Kevin Durant… you’re still short an actual apology
Y’see Kevin Durant, you don’t seem to get why you’re apologizing. In one sense, I appreciate how nakedly obtuse you are about the whole thing. It beats the PR department-fueled apologies we usually get from someone like you that are treated as the real thing. You’re making it easy for everyone to se...

Paige Bueckers can't turn pro because WNBA rules won’t let her
There’s literally nothing 19-year-old UConn freshman phenom Paige Bueckers can’t do on a basketball court. Well, except for the fact that she can’t take the floor with a WNBA team for another three years....

Idiot of the Month: The worst of March
Huzzah! It is time to single people out and call them names. Welcome to Deadspin’s IDIOT OF THE MONTH. As always, we are proud to present the Trevor Bauer Trophy to an impressive March crop of dipshits and fuckgoofs....

No one seems to care that Kevin Durant is a homophobe
I made jokes about it yesterday, and that’s really all the effort I was prepared to give it. And yet, another day rolled by after Michael Rapaport (who I assume just walked off the set of another charity MTV softball game as that’s still what he does, right?) revealed the heinous and disgusting mess...