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Why is it 'Playoff Jimmy' and not 'Playoff Jokic?'
How many triple-doubles do you have to pile up before you get your own playoff persona? When do the pundits start referring to “Playoff Jokic?” to differentiate Nikola Jokic from what goes on October-April? One would hope that Jokic is close to it by now, seeing as how he racked up his 13th out of ...

Chris Paul is gonna be a Laker, isn't he?
The dark postseason cloud that’s followed Chris Paul’s Hall of Fame career is moving on from Phoenix after the 12-time All-Star was informed by Suns executives that he will be waived this offseason, according to Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes....
![Hazardous air quality won't stop baseball in New York — just postpone it [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/98ea298de6ffd884d750d98421b3d05a.jpg)
Hazardous air quality won't stop baseball in New York — just postpone it [Update]
Walking outside in New York City is sketchy even with pristine air quality. There are homeless people everywhere, rats, and 99-cent slices of pizza littered on the streets. Plus, it’s inevitable you run into a tourist that doesn’t understand how much of the sidewalk they take up. I love living here ...

With PGA-LIV merger, the sportswashing of Saudi Arabia's human rights record is in full swing
The impending merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf series has brought Saudi sports washing efforts to an American pro sport. The alliance between the century-old PGA Tour and the upstart series, backed by the Saudi Kingdom’s Public Investment Fund, is their boldest foothold into the American mar...

We are finally getting the Netflix Florida Gators doc we deserve
It’s finally here. Well, it’s at least on the way — reportedly....

WNBA, NSWL TV rights are more valuable than ever as leagues seek new deals
Hours before the WNBA’s New York Liberty were set to take the court against the Connecticut Sky at 2 p.m. on Sunday, the crowd near the players’ entrance was already entrenched. Parents and their kids, couples, and groups of friends, many decked out in shirts and shoes with that distinctive Statue s...

Is Sam Cassell the heir apparent in Boston?
Sam Cassell’s been the heir apparent for multiple head coaching jobs over 15 years. It’s an inescapable cycle for one of the NBA’s most recognizable names. Next season, Cassell will join the Celtics bench as an assistant to 34-year-old Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla. That feels backwards. If these t...

MLB’s shift ban hasn’t solved baseball's real problem, but it also probably can’t
A little more than two months into the MLB season, the first with a shift-ban that keeps two infielders on each side of second base, and the league will probably declare victory. There are more hits, and left-handed batters are seeing more grounders and line-drives are resulting in base hits, which ...

Rose Zhang announces her LGPA presence with authority
As Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Serena Williams depart for their respective GOAT farms upstate, their respective sports are in desperate search of phenoms to replace them. Tiger’s departure from golf’s summit has cleared the way for a new generation to take the reins. On Sunday, in her firs...

Stephen A. Smith’s political takes are beyond concerning — they’re dangerous
Another day, another bad take from Stephen A. Smith. But, this isn’t about how he hilariously thought the Miami Heat would lose to the New York Knicks in the playoffs, wrongly implied that the late Dwayne Haskins was “more of a runner than a thrower,” or falsely assumed that Alabama State University...

Jimmy Butler was good enough in Game 2
There was a little too much fouling of 3-point shooters for my taste on Sunday night, but other than that, the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets played quite the thrilling Game 2. The Nuggets threw run after run at the Heat, who ate every blow and kept countering. Eventually the Heat put the Nuggets on ...

A month before the start of the Women’s World Cup, TV rights are still a mess
In the moments after England won the Women’s European Championships last summer, BBC presenter Gabby Logan issued an inspiring call for the accomplishment to be a mere stepping stone in the growth of the women’s game. Would have been nice if her employers were listening ahead of the 2023 Women’s Wor...

The Columbus Blue Jackets hate their players
In the discussion of most irrelevant franchises in North American sports, the Columbus Blue Jackets would be high on the list, if not on top of it, if anyone could remember them enough to add them. You’d think they’d take some inspiration from one of their former fellow whos-its, the Denver Nuggets,...

Nuggets' Mike Malone has coached more in the past two days than he has all playoffs
In-game coaching is only a part of the equation, which is evident by the way Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has been waving his hands and trying to get his players attention since their Game 1 win. While he can’t call a timeout, huddle up his team, and scream at them to stay focused, he’s been ...

Thanks for the memories, Bartolo Colon
Bartolo Colon hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2018 but is finally retiring — at age 50. His former club, the New York Mets, will hold an official retirement ceremony for “Big Sexy” on Aug. 26 before a game against another one of Colon’s ex-teams, the Los Angeles Angels. ...

Frank Vogel is an upgrade over Monty Williams — for a discount price
A year after getting unceremoniously released through the trap door LeBron James has designed into the floor beneath the head coach’s seat on the bench, Frank Vogel has re-emerged as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. The 49-year-old Vogel and the Phoenix Suns are familiar with each other’s games. ...

Phoenix Suns hiring Frank Vogel to succeed Monty Williams
The Phoenix Suns plan to hire Frank Vogel as their next coach, according to ESPN’s NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski....

It’s Tom Brady’s fault nobody believes he’ll stay retired
Tom Brady wants all you skeptics craning your neck hoping he reverses his retirement announcement to know that you’re wasting your time. Go pick up a hobby. Make some more of that pandemic lockdown sourdough bread. The only way you’re seeing Brady in uniform next season is in Aaron Rodgers’ ayahuasc...

Heat can't get past Nuggets on guts alone
For once a Miami Heat 2023 playoff game played out the way that was expected. The Denver Nuggets are bigger, more talented, and won Game 1 of the NBA Finals by a double-digit margin — 104-93....

Sometimes basketball is as simple as having taller guys everywhere
I wouldn’t pretend to be a basketball expert. My colleague Stephen will be around later to do that stuff. I do know there are myriad ways of designing an offense and defense and how to guard pick-and-rolls and rotations and a bunch of other things that coaches play with throughout a playoff series. ...