Ime's way: Celtics' Finals run a product of coach's vision
The Celticsโ transition from a team that has gone from just outside the top tier of the Eastern Conference to one that's four wins way from the franchiseโs 18th NBA championship began the moment Ime Udoka took the microphone at his introductory news conference.
Williams has 27, Celtics make 22 3s in Game 7 rout of Bucks
Grant Williams scored a career-high 27 points and hit seven 3-pointers, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics set a Game 7 record with 22 3-pointers to eliminate the NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks 109-81 on Sunday in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
AP Source: LaMelo Ball expected to miss rest of season
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball holds his right wrist during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers Saturday, March 20, 2021, in Los Angeles. Ball is expected to miss the rest of the season due to a broken right wrist, according to a person familiar with the situation. He appeared to be hurt after a fall in the Hornets' 125-98 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Charlotte Hornets rookie LaMelo Ball is expected to miss the remainder of the NBA season due to a broken right wrist, according to a person familiar with the situation. Ball appeared to be hurt after a fall in the Hornetsโ 125-98 loss to the Clippers in Los Angeles on Saturday.
NHL announces TV and streaming deal with Disney, ESPN
PITTSBURGH - MAY 04: The NHL logo behind the net during the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers prior to game five of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2008 at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The National Hockey League (NHL) announced Wednesday a new TV and streaming deal with the Walt Disney Co. and ESPN. The NHL said the deal includes:Exclusive coverage of the Stanley Cup Final on ABC in four of the seven years of the agreement, with the ability to simulcast/megacast on ESPN+ and additional ESPN networksThe return of live NHL action to ESPN networks with 25 exclusive national regular-season games on ABC or ESPN75 national regular-season games per season produced by ESPN that will stream exclusively on both ESPN+ and HuluHalf of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on ABC and ESPN each season; and coverage annually of NHLโs Face-off (opening night games)The NHL All-Star Game and Skills Challenge, plus other NHL special events each season. The NHLโs out-of-market streaming package will now be available for fans to stream only as part of an ESPN+ subscription.
Simmons, Embiid both to miss 76ers' second-half opening game
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid will both be unable to start the second half of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, though neither All-Star will be missing from the Eastern Conference leadersโ lineup for long. Both will miss Philadelphiaโs game Thursday in Chicago, and Simmons will also miss the 76ersโ contest on Friday against Washington. Provided both continue to test negative for COVID-19, they would be cleared after those games, the 76ers said. Simmons and Embiid both traveled to Atlanta for Sundayโs All-Star Game, only to learn the night before that they were flagged by contact tracing data. Dallas and Washington both have 38 games remaining, tied for the third-most in the league.
Former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock takes over at U of Saskatchewan
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)SASKATOON, SK โ Mike Babcock, the former NHL coach who directed the Detroit Red Wings to a Stanley Cup title and Canada to two Olympic medals, is taking over the University of Saskatchewan hockey team. The Huskies announced Saturday that Babcock will lead the team on a full-time volunteer basis for the next two seasons. Babcock, a Saskatoon native and former Huskies player, replaces Dave Adolph, who announced his retirement on Dec. 7 after 27 years coaching Saskatchewan. Babcock joins the Huskies after spending the past 17 seasons in the NHL, including guiding the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup championship in 2008. Babcock was fired 23 games into the 2019-20 season, his fifth with the Maple Leafs.
Carolina-Nashville 1st NHL postponement since season started
The NHL did not specify which team prompted the postponement, though four Hurricanes players were added to the COVID-19 list Tuesday. The NHL already postponed the start of the Dallas Stars' season after six players and two staff members tested positive for the virus. Hurricanes players Warren Foegele, Jordan Martinook, Jaccob Slavin and Teuvo Teravainen joined captain Jordan Staal on the unavailable list because of COVID-19 protocols. The teams arenโt scheduled to play again in Nashville until the end of the season with back-to-back games on May 7-8. Now the Predators, who gave players Tuesday off after the postponement, are scheduled to visit Dallas on Friday night for the Stars' season opener.
Red Wings scoreless in opener, lose 3-0 to Hurricanes
The Red Wings, who were easily the NHL's worst team last season, played for the first time since they lost to Carolina at home on March 10, 2020. โOnce you started playing, you stopped thinking about it as much and it wasnโt quite as weird,โ Red Wings center Dylan Larkin said. โIt was a good step in the right direction.โROUGH STARTLarkin made his debut as captain of the Red Wings, and his giveaway helped the Hurricanes score first. Playing the rebuilding Red Wings eight times in 56 games in the pandemic-altered Central Division should help Carolina's chances. The Red Wingsโ No.
Ex-Red Wings coach Mike Babcock joins NBC Sports as studio analyst
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)Former Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock has a new job as a studio analyst for NBC Sports. Babcock spent 10 seasons with the Red Wings from 2005-2015, posting a record of 458-223-105 in 786 career games. Babcock left Detroit in 2015 when he signed an 8-year, $50 million deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Read back: Chelios says Babcock caused Franzen to have nervous breakdown on Red Wings benchJohan Franzen went as far as calling Babcock โthe worst personโ had ever met. Read more: Ex-Red Wings D Colaiacovo on Babcock: Guys hated him in Detroit, tried to get him fired every year
NHL sells naming rights to divisions for 2020-21 season
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The pandemic forced the NHL to realign its divisions for the 2020-21 season, and now those divisions will have sponsors. The special divisions formed just for this COVID-shortened season -- games start Jan. 13 -- will be sponsored by Discover (Central), Honda (West), Mass Mutual (East) and Scotiabank (North). The Detroit Red Wings announced Monday they will feature a United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) logo on player helmets starting this season. Some of these helmet logos are ... better than others:Our friends at @PPG will be the first-ever helmet entitlement partner for the upcoming hockey season. Full details on our new ๐ ๐ถ๐พ๐๐ ๐ท๐๐ธ๐โฏ๐๐: https://t.co/BUUsLJRH2S pic.twitter.com/SOVEdCMW6E โ Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 4, 2021Will we see more moves to increase revenue?
NHL will play 56-game season starting Jan. 13
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)The NHL announced Sunday the league will begin its 2020-21 season on Jan. 13. Teams will play 56 games in this pandemic-shortened season. The expansion draft (Seattleโs first season in the league is 2021-22) will be held July 21. Realigned divisions, playoff seeding alteredThe divisions are realigning due to the cross-border travel ban between Canada and the United States. Follow NHL return to play updates here:
NHL return to play reports: Jan. 13 season start, April 12 trade deadline
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Reports on the NHLโs return to play in January are rolling out this weekend. Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the season will start Jan. 13 (as expected) with a trade deadline scheduled for April 12. The NHLโs regular season -- expected to be cut short to just 56 games -- will end May 8. Teams will play within their divisions with the top four in each division making the playoffs. Read more: NHL eyes division play only; Sharks to ArizonaFollow NHL return to play updates here:
Philly claims Supporters' Shield on final day of MLS season
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)The path to the MLS Cup will go through Philadelphia after the Union wrapped up the Supportersโ Shield and top seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs on the final day of the MLS regular season on Sunday. The snowy victory for Kansas City was part of a wild final day in the Western Conference, with late goals in Los Angeles and Houston shuffling the playoff bracket. LAFC's reward is a trip to defending MLS Cup champion Seattle in a rematch of last year's Western Conference final won by the Sounders on the road. Only Philadelphia and Toronto had a chance to lay claim to the regular-season title entering the final day of the season. The Eastern Conference had a logjam at the bottom of the standings, and the final day ended with both expansion teams claiming playoff spots.
AP source: 76ers set to hire Rivers as new coach
PHILADELPHIA โ There's a new Doc in Philadelphia โ one charged with reviving a 76ers organization that fell far short of NBA championship expectations. Rivers takes over for Brett Brown, who was fired after the 76ers were swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Rivers spent seven seasons with the Clippers, making the playoffs in six of them โ major success for a once-woebegone franchise. He is 1,624-943 in nearly 21 seasons as an NBA coach. He was the 1999-00 NBA Coach of the Year.
Red Wings make trade with Lightning to acquire F Adam Erne
(Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings have traded a 4th-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for forward Adam Erne. The Red Wings will send over their 4th-round pick in next year's draft for Erne, who is a 24-year-old winger drafted by Tampa at 33rd overall in 2013. Erne played 65 games with the Bolts this past season, scoring 7 goals and 13 assists. This appears to be a move for more size up front for the Red Wings -- Erne is listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds. He found himself a more permanent spot in the lineup this past season.
WNBA: Mystics face Fever; Aces take on Storm; Dream battle Sun
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 02: Sugar Rodgers #14 of the Las Vegas Aces guards Courtney Williams #10 of the Connecticut Sun during their game at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on June 2, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Mystics will look to Ariel Atkins, who had 14 points, three rebounds and three blocks against the Aces on July 13. The Fever will have the strength of Kelsey Mitchell and Candice Dupree who had a combined 24 points and eight rebounds against Las Vegas. Las Vegas Aces vs. Seattle Storm Preview (10 p.m. EST tip-off)Two of the WNBA's hottest teams are set to face off when the Seattle Storm host the league-leading Las Vegas Aces on Friday. Las Vegas has won five in a row, while Seattle looks to extend its winning streak to four games.
NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick creates burner account to follow NBA free agency
The most recent victim of this ordeal is New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter JJ Redick whose 10-month social media abscence ended in June when he created a burner Twitter account to keep up with all the drama. In his podcast he states that he decided to create the burner account because his friend asked him how he was gonna stay up to date on free agency, according to the Bleacher Report. "So, I used some random Gmail account that I don't really use, that I think I used to have a Spotify account. I can't remember why I used it, but anyways, used a Gmail account and set up just an egg (avatar) and I followed five people...(Adrian Wojnarowski), Chris Haynes, Ramona (Shelburne), Shams (Charania)the news breakers," Redick said. With the free agency heat cooling down Redick is back off social media and his burnder account has been deactivated.
NBA: Rockets want to pursue Jimmy Butler in sign-and-trade with 76ers
PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 09: Jimmy Butler #23 of the Philadelphia 76ers points against the Toronto Raptors in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on May 9, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ersFree agency begins in just a few days and Jimmy Butler is one of the top commodities for teams. The Houston Rockets are looking for a sign-and-trade deal from the Philadelphia 76ers to recieve Butler, according to the Bleacher Report. Even though the Rockets are on the prowl, the 76ers are looking to aggressively re-sign Butler. The 76ers are looking to offer Butler a five-year, $156 million max deal to stay in Philadelphia, but the Rockets are looking to offer a four-year deal for $140.6 million.
NBA Mock Draft roundup: Possible Detroit Pistons targets in first round
The NBA Draft is this week and the Pistons have a pivotal decision to make. The Detroit Pistons, who finished 8th in the Eastern Conference, have the No. So he's a guard with size who can put the ball on the floor and consistently knock down shots. Yahoo Sports: SG Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Virginia Tech, 6-5, 205NJ.com: Tyler Herro, SG, Kentucky: "Hes a combo guard with top-notch shooting ability, and the Pistons are a team that seriously needs to add shooters. The 19-year-old is one of the few quality shot creators in the class, and he has the positional size to make that valuable.
Coming off big victory, Pistons visit Boston
โ The Detroit Pistons will be coming off their biggest win of the season when they invade Boston on Wednesday night in a matchup of two teams inching toward the .500 mark. The Pistons, who opened 6-10, won for the sixth time in their last 10 games with a victory Monday at Eastern Conference-leading Indiana, which had been unbeaten at home. Boston has won two straight, five of seven and eight of 12 after a 101-97 victory over Minnesota on Monday. Boston had a season-high 25 turnovers and scored a season-low 77 points in a 10-point loss at Detroit on Nov. 3. Boston F Jeff Green is averaging 21.8 points in his team's last six losses and just 13 points in the last five wins.