rio Page 97 - 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...

Pointless NBA playoff gossip for your everyday life
I’ll admit, I am not an NBA expert. However, I am an expert in pointless NBA gossip. With Round 1 underway, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite pieces of information that scream Personal Life section on Wikipedia rather than another segment on NBA on TNT....

Don't let Draymond Green's stomp distract you from the fact that Jordan Poole has been awful
Until the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings tipoff for Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round series at the Chase Center on Thursday night, every discussion will be about Draymond Green’s fourth-quarter ejection after he stomped Domantas Sabonis in the chest for grabbing his leg...

The Golden State Warriors can't wait to get home
Sure the NBA playoff games have been close, but the Western Conference three-seed vs. six-seed matchup has brought forth the same result as in the Eastern Conference. On the Atlantic coast, the Philadelphia 76ers have pounded the Brooklyn Nets in two consecutive games. On the left coast, the Sacrame...

You can’t lose the Draymond flips his wig game
We’ve known this isn’t a vintage Golden State Warriors team. They kept turning into the Dallas Mavericks/wildebeests whenever on the road, they had to reshuffle the roster halfway through the season, their defense has consistently been of Cottonelle strength. It wasn’t so much that they were assurin...

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...

Treat Rudy Gobert worse than Draymond Green — at least his punch was behind closed doors
It’s not about what was done, it’s about who did it. And if you don’t believe that, this week will be a sports debate-off on the events from the final day of the NBA’s regular season — which included Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert taking a swing at teammate Kyle Anderson on the bench...

The Mavericks give away the game
Well now it’s pretty obvious what NBA teams really think of the play-in tournament. The Dallas Mavericks spent the weekend doing everything they could to drop right out of the 10th seed and into the draft lottery, which they successfully did. Mavericks fans are probably most excited about the season...

Bill Belichick is reportedly shopping Mac Jones because he's still pissed at the QB
Bill Belichick must have forgotten that he is not the only football luminary who has been Mac Jones’ head coach. Jones played college football for Nick Saban — arguably Belichick’s greatest student. Remember, “One band, one sound,” from the movie Drumline? That line is Alabama football. Every person...

Kirk Cousins to San Francisco? Let the speculation begin
Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins was a topic of discussion during this year’s NFL scouting combine. Cousins just completed his fifth year with Minnesota, leading the Vikings to an NFC North division title and the No. 3 seed in the conference. Unfortunately, all that got them was a...

The new NBA CBA does nothing for the entertainment value of the game
The NBA this season is arguably more competitive than it has ever been. The Western Conference is up for grabs and the Eastern Conference has three heavyweights at the top, each capable of knocking out the other with a mighty blow. While there is no single dominant roster that the rest of the league...

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn crash the party
On a night and weekend that is meant to celebrate the sheer enormity of WWE–the bombast, the cultural reach, the money, the sheer scale of it all–it was two guys who made their names in various, darkly lit auditoriums and armories and bingo halls and whatever other seedy corner you might find indie ...

Asante Samuel warns Lamar Jackson about New England, shades Bill Belichick
Ever since Tom Brady left New England, it feels like the shine has worn off the legend that is Bill Belichick. Suddenly, “the hoodie” is catching strays from all directions, including former players. Asante Samuel posted a warning to Lamar Jackson on Twitter about playing for Belichick....

Robert Kraft has a <i>Succession</i> spinoff you never knew you needed
There’s a surefire way to piss off a coach and/or player, and that’s to name or draft their successor. Nobody enjoys confronting the mortality of their career on someone else’s terms — and it’s happening in New England, again. You’d think the franchise that pushed out Tom Brady would learn from its ...

The Great Debates tournament: Final Four
The Final Four is here, with a bunch of heavy hitters and a No. 8 seed that, technically, is a heavy hitter as well. Jordan-LeBron, cats-dogs, Biggie-2Pac, and The Rock-Stone Cold are the last debates left standing, and we’re going to lose at least one more 1 seed, and possibly two if The People’s C...

Which team is the best fit for Lamar Jackson?
There might not be an immediate end in sight to the Lamar Jackson saga, but things are now starting to heat up. The market has been relatively quiet since the news broke that the Baltimore Ravens were placing the non-exclusive franchise tag on the former MVP, and multiple teams made a point of dista...

The best NBA games on this week’s schedule
Focus, people. There are only two weeks remaining in the NBA season....

Warriors' turnover problem submarines a needed victory
There was a four-second difference between the game clock and the shot clock. The Golden State Warriors had the lead with less than 24 seconds remaining in the game. A victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves would have put the Warriors firmly 1.5 games ahead of the play-in tournament. The Warrior...

Florida Atlantic athletic director still speechless after Final Four berth
From the eighth-floor lobby of Manhattan’s New York Marriott Marquis hotel, Florida Atlantic athletic director Brian White couldn’t find the exact words to describe what being in the Sweet 16 meant to the Owls’ program and community as a whole. And that was nearly six hours before tipoff of FAU’s wi...

Don't call Florida Atlantic a 'Cinderella'
Don’t fall for the Cinderella trap. That’s the general consensus from Florida Atlantic superfans, boosters, and radio-play-by-play announcers celebrating the Owls’ East regional title at the Time Square Marriott Marquis well after midnight. Given the trend in this NCAA Tournament beginning with Furm...