west Page 37 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

The path to an NBA championship is increasingly volatile
Neil Young gets credit for the line, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away,” but Kurt Cobain made it infamous. That dichotomy stuck with me, and it’s impossible not to see it in sports....

What will make James Harden happy?
James Harden has just strong-armed his way out of his second team in two years. What’s weird is that he was in two completely different situations. ...

Aaron Donald’s reign of terror places him in pantheon of generational defensive players
Offensive highlights litter every catalog of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, and even fewer of those great plays involve lumbering defensive linemen. A two-yard loss isn’t as exciting as a 25-yard scoring throw or a running back trampling an entire defense. But when the story of Super Bowl...

Super Bowl Ads Roundup: More cameo than commercial
It feels like tweens put more effort into their TikToks than ad agencies put man hours into Super Bowl ads. Feature a celebrity endorsement — or six — into a commercial and we’re good, right? Don Draper called Peggy Olsen lazy for pitching a Joe Namath cameo in the ’60s, and here we are, 60 years la...

Pittsburgh's well represented in the Super Bowl
Super Bowl LVI will be considered by some a homecoming for LSU. Former Tigers who will be playing in this game include Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase for the Cincinnati Bengals, and Odell Beckahm Jr. and 2003 National Champion Andrew Whitworth for the Los Angeles Rams. LSU is tied with Florida for the...

Kevin Durant makes James Harden the last pick on the playground... and it's awesome
I don’t know whose idea it was to hold the NBA All-Star Draft the same day as the trade deadline, but they deserve a massive raise....
![It feels like LeBron James is done with this Lakers team after Tuesday night’s post-game presser [Updated]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/8a0a1c7973a224367148b5d438d6c797.jpg)
It feels like LeBron James is done with this Lakers team after Tuesday night’s post-game presser [Updated]
LeBron James is fed up, and it feels like he’s throwing in the towel on this year’s L.A. Lakers team after Tuesday night’s 131-116 beating at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. When asked after the game if he thought the Lakers could reach the level of the Bucks, James got r...

Are we sure that defense still wins championships?
The saying goes, “Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.” Having a flashy offense with a quarterback who can throw the ball 80 yards through the air is great and all, but a defensive unit that can counteract those talents is arguably more valuable, or at least you’d think....

After 5,460 games, Joe West is calling it a career
Move over Tom Brady, there’s a new retirement in the news, and it belongs to MLB umpire Joe West. After 46 years, 43 seasons, and over 5,000 games West is officially calling it quits....

The biggest NBA bandwagon fan base at the midseason mark
As someone who is loyal to a fault, people who hop team allegiances never cease to make my brain hemorrhage. I don’t know how the LeBron James cult does it. “He’s my favorite player” is what a child says when they first discover what sports are. Yeah, I loved Penny Hardaway, too, but when I moved to...

Where does the USMNT stand in World Cup Qualifying?
Call this the Idiot’s Guide to World Cup Qualifying. The diehard American Outlaws probably know this information by heart. Casual fans may know some. Most general sports fans in America will only tune in to soccer should the United States men’s national team make it to the World Cup, meaning it’ll b...

Spencer Dinwiddie might be on the first thing smoking out of Washington much sooner than anyone expected
It appears that Wizards guard Spencer Dinwiddie’s stay in the nation’s capital could be short-lived. Apparently, Washington is feeling buyer’s remorse halfway through a terrible comeback year for Dinwiddie. He missed pretty much all of last season in Brooklyn with an ACL injury. He may also be a bit...

Another day, another injury for the Los Angeles Lakers
Health doesn’t appear to be in the cards for the 2021-22 Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony Davis had just returned from a 17-game absence due to a sprained MCL. He was back in the lineup last Tuesday and the Lakers defeated the Brooklyn Nets — sans Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden — 106-96. Th...

Like it or not the Splash Bros are back in full effect
It’d been two and a half years since the world had seen the Splash Brothers together on an NBA court when Klay Thompson made his return to the game earlier this month. Thompson was out 941 days with the torn ACL & Achilles. Now nine games into his comeback, Thompson is averaging 15.8ppg and shooting...

Conference Championship NFL Betting Primer: Best Over/Under, Spread, Teaser and Prop Bets
Not many days out of the 365 we are given each trip around the sun can match the excitement of Championship Sunday. ...

The lower 28
There are 28 NFL teams not playing this weekend, which means there are 28 teams trying to figure out how to get to where they want to go: the Super Bowl. Some, naturally, have better ideas about it than others....

So where are we with Christian Pulisic?
It may feel like the USMNT’s qualification process has been going on for about 32 years. Which is what happens when you cock-up the last one and everyone has to wait eight years between World Cup appearances (hopefully). Still, it’s important to stress that the U.S., if it can manage two wins in the...

Austin Reaves is confused
Lakers rookie Austin Reaves is making professional basketball look relatable — by being visibly very confused about whatever scheme LeBron James was attempting to communicate to him during last night’s game against the Brooklyn Nets....

Preposter-Russ!
In his inaugural season with the Los Angeles Lakers, former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook has been underwhelming to say the least. Over his last ten games, the Brodie has averaged 15.2 points per game while shooting an abysmal 36.4 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from deep....

Russell Westbrook for John Wall could be the craziest trade rumor this season
Most Lakers fans would agree that the Russell Westbrook trade has been nothing short of a bust this season. If that move is seen as a bust, I wonder what a trade for Rockets guard John Wall would be deemed? NBA Insider Marc Stein reports that the Rockets would be interested in bringing Westbrook bac...