Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, from left, Kostas Antetokounmpo, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, right, shout at members of the Denver Nuggets on the court during the first half an NBA conference final playoff basketball game Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill) Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard…
Lakers start strong this time, blow out Nuggets in Game 1 — Press Telegram
After stunning the entire NBA community this season, many teams in the NBA are interested… The post Chris Paul Drawing League-Wide Interest for Potential Trade appeared first on LEAGUE ALERTS.
Chris Paul Drawing League-Wide Interest for Potential Trade — LEAGUE ALERTS
After stunning the entire NBA community this season, many teams in the NBA are interested in future hall of fame guard, Chris Paul. Currently the Bucks, Jazz, 76ers, Mavericks, Pelicans, Suns, and Pelicans are all interested per Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
Bucks
After falling in the playoffs in the second-round, the Bucks will look to strengthen their roster with an all-star veteran guard to accompany Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton to form a “Big 3”. The Bucks would likely have to trade their young talent away in order to get Chris Paul since the Thunder are headed for a rebuild. Donte DiVincenzo and first-round draft picks would likely be included.Advertisements
Jazz
The Jazz fell short in the first-round of the playoffs this year and would likely use Chris Paul to form a “Big 3” with Mitchell and Gobert. The Jazz do not have as many young assets to trade which makes a Paul trade to the Jazz less likely than other teams.
76ers
The 76ers have hit a wall with Simmons and Embiid and will likely try to trade for Paul in order to get past the wall. The 76ers have three players that could interest the Thunder a lot. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Shake Milton could all interest the Thunder along with some future draft picks.
Mavericks
The Mavericks fell to the Clippers in round-one of the playoffs and will look to strengthen their roster with Paul. The Mavericks do not have many young assets to trade to the Thunder making a trade between the two teams unlikely, but if the Mavericks do put something together that interests the Thunder, the Mavericks are looking to trade for Paul this offseason.
Pelicans
The Pelicans have plenty of young talent and after failing to make the playoffs this season, they will look to bring in Chris Paul to take them to the next level. Aside from Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, it appears that the Pelicans could be willing to trade anyone else on their team. The Thunder will likely be interested in trading Paul for some of the rest of their young talent such as Lonzo Ball, along with some draft picks.
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Sign In Kendrick Perkins wants the real Boston Celtics to stand up again. The former Celtics center-turned ESPN NBA analyst ripped the team Friday morning in the aftermath of its 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Perkins didn’t mince words in describing how he believes the Celtics…
Kendrick Perkins Rips ‘Selfish’ Celtics After Loss To Heat In Game 2 — NESN.com
The former Celtics center-turned ESPN NBA analyst ripped the team Friday morning in the aftermath of its 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Perkins didn’t mince words in describing how he believes the Celtics have abandoned the unselfish style of play and defensive intensity, which helped them sweep the Philadelphia 76ers and edge the Toronto Raptors so far in the NBA playoffs.
“… the Celtics right now are showing up to the arena in a cute and sassy style of play,” Perkins said on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “Right, they’ve got their Versace robes on and Versace slippers and Gucci slippers with their Louis Vutton swimming trunks. And right now the Miami Heat are showing up in their no-necks and their steel-toed boots. And they’re ready for action and they’re grinding it out.
“The Celtics are playing so selfishly offensively, they’re playing ‘my turn’ basketball. Kemba (Walker) comes down (saying) ‘let me show you what I’ve got: a crossover to a step-back.’ Jayson Tatum (says) ‘oh you’ve got that? Let me show you what I’ve got in my bag: the side-step 3-point shot.’ Then all of a sudden you see Jaylen Brown (saying) ‘oh, let me show you, I can do something too. I’ve got a one-legged turnaround off the baseline. That is selfish play offensively by the Celtics.
“And defensively they have lost their identity. Last night I wanted to call Bam Adebayo ‘Bam O’Neal’ he had so many dunks he was just snatching screws out the rim. Where is the Celtics’ No. 1 (ranked) defense that they’ve been leading in these playoffs? It has disappeared. They have lost their defense identity.”
Perkins’ dismay coincides with reports of a raucous argument in the Celtics’ locker room. Although the Celtics admit to reacting emotionally to the loss, they also downplay the significance of the heated discussion.
Whether the Celtics will improve on their performances in Games 1 and 2 remains to be seen, but Perkins offers some useful tips on doing so and delivers them as only he can.
Thumbnail photo via Kim Klement/USA TODAY Sports ImagesMore NBA: Gordon Hayward Injury: Celtics Forward ‘Progressing’ Toward Game 3 Return
The Tampa Bay Lightning knew before the Eastern Conference final even began that the New York Islanders wouldn’t go down without a fight. And for a long, frightening stretch there Thursday night, there was real concern the stingy, stubborn Islanders wouldn’t be going down at all. But with Game 7 flashing before their eyes, the […]
Lightning secure Stanley Cup final berth with gritty OT win — Edmonton Sun
Author of the article:Robert Tychkowski
Publishing date:Sep 18, 2020 • Last Updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read
The Tampa Bay Lightning knew before the Eastern Conference final even began that the New York Islanders wouldn’t go down without a fight.
And for a long, frightening stretch there Thursday night, there was real concern the stingy, stubborn Islanders wouldn’t be going down at all.
But with Game 7 flashing before their eyes, the Lightning finally landed a shot that guarantees New York won’t be getting up off the canvas.
Anthony Cirelli scored 13:18 into overtime, banking the puck home off the post to close out the Islanders 2-1 in Game 6 and set up a Stanley Cup Final showdown with the Dallas Stars.
“It’s just a blur, but to be playing for the Stanley Cup final is every kid’s goal growing up,” said Cirelli. “The emotions are so high. We’ve worked all year to get to the Stanley Cup Final and we’re here now. We’re ready to go.”
Tampa improved to 5-0 in games following a loss, showing an ability to fight through adversity at every turn.
“It’s how we respond, the character we have in that locker-room,” said winger Patrick Maroon, who’s looking for two in a row after winning a Cup with St. Louis last season.
“We have that mentality of the next man up. I’m super proud of these guys. It just goes to show how much character we have. We have that no-quit mentality in our locker-room.”
It was a battle for most of Game 6. Despite a 17-6 advantage in shots, the teams were tied 1-1 after 20 minutes on goals from New York’s Devon Toews at 4:15 and a quick reply from Tampa’s Victor Hedman at 6:28.
By the end of regulation, Tampa had doubled the Islanders’ shot total, 42-21, but still had nothing to show for it but frustration thanks to goaltender Semyon Varlamov and the Isles’ bend-but-don’t-break style.
“When you reach the conference final, there are no easy games,” said Hedman. “A great defensive effort on their part. They have a lot of skill up front and a great goaltender. It was a hard-fought battle.”
Cirelli ended it from the doorstep to put Tampa in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2015, when they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. It begins Saturday.
“You can’t take anything for granted,” said Hedman. “It’s such a hard league to go far in. We really came together here as a group and we’re super excited to get back to the finals. I can’t wait to get it going.”
It’s sweet redemption for the Lightning, who were Stanley Cup favourites last season only to be swept in the first round by Columbus.
“The belief in our group is so strong, and that’s not something that just happens overnight,” said defenceman Ryan McDonagh. “We knew it was going to be tough, but our group believes in one another. Now that we’re here, we’re really determined and focused to finish the job.”
Some teams consider it bad luck to hoist a conference championship trophy, preferring to wait until they get a chance to hoist the Stanley Cup, but the Lightning were all over the Prince of Wales trophy, including injured captain Steve Stamkos.
“We talked about it quickly after,” said Alex Killorn. “In 2015, we didn’t touch it. We’re not too superstitious, but we thought, ‘Screw it, let’s grab it.’ We’re going to celebrate this and hopefully celebrate another after.”
ON THE RISE
The Islanders finished in seventh place in the east and gained momentum as the playoffs went on, beating Washington in the first round and taking down Philadelphia in the second.
Coming two wins away from the Stanley Cup Final is tough to take, but with Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello driving the bus, their future looks very good.
“There are very few teams that put a group together and win a championship right away without a little failure on the way,” said Trotz. “When the Islanders won four straight (Stanley Cups), there was a lot of hardship on the front end. Same with Edmonton and Detroit. My former club (Washington) had a lot of heartbreak before we broke through. There are a lot of lessons on the way. Learning these lessons are invaluable.”
INJURY FRONT
The Lightning lost Games 3 and 5, the two games that leading scorer Brayden Points didn’t dress for, so they were glad to have him back in the lineup for Game 6.
Point’s status has been a daily concern in the Tampa locker-room, but head coach Jon Cooper said they never put the situation ahead of the player.
“In the end, it’s the player we care about the most. If we’re going to put the player in harm’s way, we will not play him. If we do, then it’s justified because we’ve gone through all the steps. We’re always looking after the player first.”
HEDS UP
Hedman’s first-period goal is his ninth of the playoffs, the third most by any defenceman in a single playoff year. Hedman moved past Denis Potvin and into a tie with Bobby Orr and Brad Park, two goals behind Brian Leetch and three behind Paul Coffey.
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @Rob_Tychkowski
Mark Medina | USA TODAY With frustrations running high, the voices in the Boston Celtics’ locker room became increasingly loud. So loud that reporters on site could hear Celtics guard Marcus Smart and other players having heated conversations following their 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which […]
Why Celtics downplayed ‘emotional’ locker room blowup following Game 2 loss to Heat — Portal4News
USA TODAY
With frustrations running high, the voices in the Boston Celtics’ locker room became increasingly loud.
So loud that reporters on site could hear Celtics guard Marcus Smart and other players having heated conversations following their 106-101 loss to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which puts Boston in an 0-2 series deficit.
“It was nothing. It was nothing,” Celtics guard Kemba Walker said. “Ain’t nothing happening in the locker room. I don’t know what you’re talking about, to be honest. We’ll be fine.”
The Celtics hardly looked fine in Game 2.
They squandered a 17-point lead as Miami outscored Boston 37-17 in the third quarter. The Heat scored 26 points off the Celtics’ 19 turnovers. And after holding a 94-89 lead with 4:25 left following a 15-2 run, the Heat responded with a 17-7 run while the Celtics missed four of their last six shots and committed three turnovers. This all happened two days after Boston blew a 14-point lead in Game 1.
GAME 2 COLLAPSE: Heat rally again to stun Celtics for 2-0 lead
BUBBLE BALL: Have playoff games been better in the bubble?
NO BATTLE OF LA: Lakers insist they didn’t care about Clippers
No wonder the Celtics expressed displeasure in the locker room afterwards. As Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, “guys were emotional after a hard game, hard loss.”
“We’re down 0-2. We’re frustrated. But that’s team sports,” Celtics forward Jayson Tatum said. “No one should be happy to be down 0-2. But nothing out of the ordinary. Just talking about the game.”
“He plays with passion, he’s full of fire and that’s what I love about him most.”
Jaylen Brown on Marcus Smart and reported heated Celtics locker room after Game 2 loss pic.twitter.com/rNa9etgTDZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2020
Celtics players did not necessarily talk about the game in the locker room. They screamed about the game with expletives. But when they went to the interview room, they sounded stoic and polite.
“What happens in the locker room got to stay in the locker room,” Tatum said. “We’re not supposed to come out here and talk about what we talk about as a team. Win or lose. That’s why we go to the locker room when we talk to each other, whether we win or we lose.”
The reason for the Celtics’ loss points to many areas.
The Heat’s entire starting lineup cracked double figures, including Goran Dragic (25 points), Bam Adebayo (21), Duncan Robinson (18), Jimmy Butler (14) and Jae Crowder (12). Miami dominated Boston on the offensive glass (11-6). The Celtics struggled against the Heat’s zone defense in the third quarter, while shooting 4-of-12 from the field.
Although the Celtics had Walker (23 points) Tatum (21), Jaylen Brown (21) and Smart (14) reach double figures, they could not prevail in crunch time. Walker missed a 3-pointer as Miami held a 97-95 lead with 2:06 left. Smart clanked a 3-pointer on the next possession before committing a turnover. Then it was Brown’s turn to miss from deep as the Heat had a 104-101 lead with only 15.1 seconds left.
“We didn’t continue to do the things that we did to get us up and get us that lead,” Walker said. “I think we got kind of comfortable. Those guys, they took advantage of it. They played hard. They played really hard. They played a lot harder than us. They wanted it.”
All of which led to some frustrations afterwards. So much that the Celtics don’t plan to have a formal practice Friday. Either way, they will have plenty to address before Game 3 on Saturday. Perhaps then, voices won’t be raised.
“Got to fix some things up,” Tatum said. “Two times now we’ve had a couple double-digit leads and we let go of the ropes. We got to figure out why that keeps happening. Just have to be prepared to win the next one.”
Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
There were multiple reports of the sound of furniture being thrown inside the Celtics locker room, and the sight of Marcus Smart storming out as he uttered some choice words. 891 more words
Celtics drop Game 2, fall behind Miami 2-0 — Boston Herald
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take an economic toll around baseball, the Red Sox announced more layoffs within the business side of the organization on Thursday. 167 more words
Red Sox announce more layoffs as COVID-19 continues to take its toll — Boston Herald
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — At this point, the Denver Nuggets aren’t going to catch anyone off guard. And they don’t expect to. After watching film of the Lakers on Thursday afternoon, Nikola Jokic — one of the engines of Denver’s pair of historic 3-1 comebacks — came away with the impression that the top-seeded…
Lakers ready to take Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets seriously in Western Conference Finals — Press Telegram
Sign In COVID-19 apparently has struck Major League Baseball once again. Only this time, an umpire reportedly has tested positive for the coronavirus. The reported positive test triggered a sudden change in two crew assignments in Florida to help fill the gaps, sources told The Associated Press. Tuesday’s Washington Nationals-Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana…
MLB Rumors: Umpire Tests Positive For COVID-19, Triggers Crew Change — NESN.com
COVID-19 apparently has struck Major League Baseball once again.
Only this time, an umpire reportedly has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The reported positive test triggered a sudden change in two crew assignments in Florida to help fill the gaps, sources told The Associated Press.
Tuesday’s Washington Nationals-Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana Field began with three umpires, with fill-in Clint Vondrak arriving in the fourth inning.
Roughly 280 miles away, veteran ump Andy Fletcher joined three younger umpires for the Boston Red Sox-Miami Marlins series at Marlins Park.
MLB medical experts don’t think there is a threat of infection to personnel, sources told The AP.
Thumbnail photo via Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports ImagesMore MLB: Rob Manfred ‘Hopeful’ For Limited Fan Attendance For MLB PlayoffsMLB
Reggie Miller’s head says the NBA’s Western Conference Finals are LeBron’s to lose. But his heart? Man, after watching the Nuggets for the last three weeks, his heart’s about a mile high right now.
Reggie Miller on Nuggets-Lakers: “Don’t go to sleep on the Denver Nuggets. Don’t. Do not do it.” — The Denver Post
https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-continue-to-get-bombed-in-the-bronx/wcm/b4bdfe13-e2e1-4894-9f7d-5e1f74482https://torontosun.com/sports/baseball/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-continue-to-get-bombed-in-the-bronx/wcm/b4bdfe13-e2e1-4894-9f7d-5e1f744826fd/6fd/
Author of the article:Frank ZicarelliPublishing date:Sep 17, 2020 • Last Updated 2 hours ago • 4 minute read
Six home runs one night, seven the next as the Blue Jays once again showed they are not in the same ball park as the surging New York Yankees.
Two games into a three-game series and it’s been men against boys, no contest, with New York taking big leads early, fuelled by its booming bats, and cruising the rest of the way, including Wednesday’s 13-2 win.
Two games and the Bronx Bombers have outscored the Jays by a combined 33-8 in back-to-back blowouts.
How bad was it? Yankees backup catcher Kyle Higashioka slammed three of the seven homers on the night, one to each field.
And as hot as the Yankees’ bats have been, their pitching has been just as good.
Deivi Garcia stymied the Jays on Tuesday. Then along comes baseball’s premier hired gun, Gerrit Cole, and his $36-million-a-year right arm.
Cole no-hit the Jays through five innings, the bid coming to an end when Jonathan Villar jumped on his first pitch of the sixth with a double to right.Villar came around to score Toronto’s first run.
Cole went seven strong and threw 95 pitches.
Joe Panik hit his first homer of the season for the Jays with two out in the ninth.
Jays starter Tanner Roark faced the Yankees last week and didn’t hold back when asked why he wasn’t allowed to pitch deeper into the game.
In today’s analytics-obsessed world, the Jays never wanted their big right hander to face the Yankees’ batting order for the third time and hence the hook after four innings.
Roark couldn’t get into the fifth once again, allowing six earned runs to drop to 2-2.
Roark convened with catcher Danny Jansen for a mound meeting in the fourth as D.J. LeMahieu came to the plate for the third time on the night with two out and a runner at first.
With the count full, LeMahieu went the opposite way for a two-run blast, his second deep ball of the night.
The Yankees, now with seven wins in a row, are only going to get stronger with Giancarlo Stanton (on Tuesday), Aaron Judge (on Wednesday) and Gleyber Torres (soon) rejoining the lineup off the injured list
In their absence, players such as LeMahieu and Luke Voit have received more attention and acclaim. Voit hit two homers Tuesday to raise his MLB-leading total to 18, the added No. 19 on Wednesday.
GILES ON THE SHELF
Ken Giles’ regrettable season hasn’t officially come to an end, but all signs point to that unfortunate fate.
The lights-out closer strained his right forearm when the team opened its 60-game season in Tampa.
Giles missed close to seven weeks. When he returned, he made two appearances in low-leverage situations, including a one-inning outing Tuesday.
In each outing, Giles gave up a homer.
Officially, Giles moves to the 10-game injured list.
During his pre-game availability Wednesday, manager Charlie Montoyo said the team is awaiting results of an MRI.
“He gave it all he had and it just didn’t work out,” said Montoyo. “That’s how he felt (Wednesday). I wouldn’t think he’s coming back this year. That’s just speculating. I don’t know that for a fact, but there’s not that much time left.”
The Jays have 12 games left in the season and are 1.5 games behind the Yankees for second place in the AL East.
GONE FISHIN’
Derek Fisher, who struggled mightily in the outfield on Tuesday, has been placed on the injured list. During one of his mishaps, Fisher awkwardly collided with the wall.
Then, during Wednesday’s batting practice, Fisher was hit by a pitch on the right knee by Matt Shoemaker.
Everyone was pinning Toronto’s blowout loss on Fisher, but the truth is the Jays have been among the worst fielding teams in baseball.
In other moves, the Blue Jays optioned left-hander Anthony Kay and activated outfielder Teoscar Hernandez along with right-handers Hector Perez and Jacob Waguespack.
Montoyo also confirmed RHP Chase Anderson will start Thursday’s series finale.
Perez made his MLB debut when he entered Wednesday’s lopsided loss in the seventh. He became the seventh Blue Jays player this season to make their big-league debut.
The first batter Perez faced drew a walk. He then coaxed a double play ball on a routine 6-4-3 out. And then came another walk before yielding d Higashioka’s third moon shot on the night. Aaron Hicks struck out on a 97-mph fastball as Perez recorded his first major-league K.
SPRING IN THEIR STEP
All 30 big-league teams will begin their 2021 spring training games on Feb. 27. Toronto will open against the Phillies in Clearwater before wrapping up its exhibition schedule on March 29.
The 2021 regular season will open on April 1 with the Blue Jays playing against the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium.
MLB also announced the spring training schedule is subject to change as the sport continues to deal with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — On the day the All-NBA teams were released, it was striking how few are left in the bubble. Likely MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and former MVP James Harden were knocked out in the second round; fellow first-teamer Luka Doncic was gone in the first. Second-team point guards Damian Lillard and Chris…
Lakers keep their guard up, taking upset-minded Nuggets with caution — Press Telegram
The view from left field 