sports Page 152 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Tempe voters put an end to the Arizona/Glendale/Phoenix Coyotes sideshow
It was a bad idea from the start. When Gary Bettman enacted his Great Southern Strategy for the NHL, the original Winnipeg Jets, and the Phoenix area never quite fit into it. Phoenix wasn’t a captive market like Tampa or Nashville were, with the hockey teams being the only games in town during the w...

Boston and Miami battle to see who's the Beast in the East
In a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are set to square off for the third time in four years to crown the Beast in the East. While the Celtics remain the No. 2 seed, the Heat have been forced to defy the odds of returning to the ECF as the No. 8 see...

Novak Djokovic wants his opponent shot into the moon because he got hit by a tennis ball
Whining and crying about not getting his way has become just as synonymous as winning when it comes to Novak Djokovic. He wouldn’t get vaccinated and was sad that trying to keep other tennis players as safe as possible wouldn’t let him compete, because all Novak cares about is Novak. And now, as Djo...

James Harden won the standoff with Doc Rivers
Doc Rivers came, he saw, and he squandered another opportunity to add to his ring count with a generational superstar at his disposal. Less than 48 hours after the Philadelphia 76ers came out punchdrunk in Game 7 against the Boston Celtics, Sixers brass launched Doc Rivers into the sun, possibly inc...

The Texas Rangers are doing what the Mets were supposed to
If the New York Mets are going to fumble the torch for those who want teams to try and spend money (or more accurately watch it simply fall from a great height and break), we must find a new bearer to keep the dream alive. Never mix your dreams with the Mets anyway. Sure path to heartbreak. The Padr...
![WNBA sends strong message with Becky Hammon suspension [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/e0fcb4b06f9f1bf146858cced61c23ea.jpg)
WNBA sends strong message with Becky Hammon suspension [Update]
It makes sense now that Becky Hammon, head coach of the Las Vegas Aces, sought permission from her bosses to interview for a head coaching position with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Less than a calendar year removed from the confetti, champagne, and parade of bringing the Aces franchise its first WNBA...

LeBron James vs. Nikola Jokić, and the other Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals storylines
We did not get Kevin Durant vs. Stephen Curry in the Western Conference Finals. Instead, the participants in the series are the best teams in the conference — the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers....

Don’t watch NFL playoff games exclusively broadcast on streaming services if you don’t want them there
The NFL has sold the rights to a playoff game to Peacock, the streaming service owned by NBC. ...

Make Bob Myers galaxy brain his way out of this one
The Golden State Warriors are no longer lightyears ahead of their NBA brethren. Following a second-round exit, the Dubs face a lot of the same issues that bring down over-extended contenders. There are bad contracts, big contracts, and aging stars who aren’t what they once were. Klay Thompson is set...

Can Denver avoid the choke when it counts most in the Western Conference Finals?
The NBA is down to its final four as this year’s conference finals have brought about Déjà vu, although this isn’t an illusion of the mind. Less than three years ago, we saw the same teams representing the NBA’s Eastern and Western Finals. In the west, we’ve got the Lakers and Nuggets in a rematch f...

This time for sure!
When I was growing up, it was understood that the Chicago Cubs would never have a third baseman. Or center fielder as well, but the third base gap was the more hallowed one because it followed Ron Santo. There was no universally beloved centerfielder whose legacy the team could never tread upon and ...

Trevor Bauer sent to the Japanese minors
After posting a sparkling ERA of 8.40 and 1.867 WHIP, the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of the Japanese league have sent former Dodger pitcher Trevor Bauer down to the minor leagues. You hate to see it....

The NBA Playoffs have earlier start times from here on out — God is good
In 2015, I was in Los Angeles for the annual Online News Association Conference. It meant that as a Michigan native, I was up at 9:00 am PST to watch the Wolverines obliterate BYU 31-0 in a college football game that had a noon kickoff on East Coast time. That was also the day that I understood the ...

The party gets serious at annual Bettingpalooza
After the initial head-first dive into the markets, sports betting operators and states have come to an in-between space where unmitigated enthusiasm has consequences. ...

Stop praising Sports Illustrated’s N-word-using, criminal swimsuit cover model
There’s only one real reason to be mad about Martha Stewart gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, and it’s not that they opted to showcase an 81-year-old woman — it’s that they went with a racist felon. I don’t find her personality redeeming, or her crime all that innocent. ...

The final Brick for Vic stock report: NBA Draft Lottery edition
Stand on your head for one night because this is when everything gets flipped upside down so the NBA bottom feeders can plant the flag on a summit. Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery is an especially important inflection point in NBA history. There won’t be any wavering over who will be the top pick in nex...

The NBA's young stars balled out in the second round of the playoffs
The boisterous people of Sacramento were not a part of the second round, but the basketball as a whole was no less exciting. As predicted, the Miami Heat and New York Knicks matchup was late 1990s NBA without the fights, but the 2020s NBA was at its best in the other series....

No NFL team wanted Matt Ryan, so he joined CBS
After failing so miserably with the Indianapolis Colts last season, free agent quarterback Matt Ryan has announced the next step for his career — broadcasting. Ryan will be an analyst for CBS, calling games from the booth and also appearing as a frequent in-studio guest. Ryan, who turns 38 on Wednes...
