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Kirby Smart reveals what he thinks is biggest issue in college football

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Of all the issues that currently exist with college football, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart feels one stands out above the rest.

While meeting with the media on Tuesday, Smart gave a lengthy explanation for why he believes the timing of the transfer portal windows has been the biggest problem in college football. There are currently two windows during which players can transfer — one in December and one April. Smart wants there to be only one transfer window, and he says other coaches “unanimously” agree with him.

“The biggest decision that has to be made in college football right now, by far to me, is when is the portal window and is there one or two. … There is a strong contingent, we had an (American Football Coaches Association) meeting. We unanimously decided that there needs to be one portal window — whatever that is it is. It needs to happen sometime in January,” Smart said.

Smart pointed to the fact that teams in the College Football Playoff have to play games while also navigating the December portal window. He said he brought that up and was told there is “no crying from a yacht,” which means teams that are good enough to still be playing in the College Football Playoff should not complain.

“There is an outcry, there is schools, there is different conferences that feel like it should not fall during the playing season,” Smart added. “I would love that. I would love to be able to play the season without it.”

Smart is pushing for there to be one transfer portal window in January. The reason it is currently held in December is because that aligns with schools’ academic calendars. Smart noted how there are instances where high school players enroll early in college, so he believes the NCAA should be able to find a way around that.

You can hear more from the two-time national champion:

You can understand why Smart and others are frustrated over the timing of the portal window. Some players have had to make the difficult decision to leave their school in the middle of a championship run. You can argue that they are under no obligation to do so, but there is only so much NIL money to go around. Those who wait might miss out.

It would not be a surprise if the transfer portal window is moved at some point, but there are no immediate plans in place for that to happen.

Cover release for ‘College Football 26’ shows one big change coming to game

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EA Sports released the covers for the latest installment of its college football franchise on Tuesday, and one of the graphics confirmed that a significant change is coming to the game.

The cover for the standard version of “College Football 26” features a pair of young star wide receivers — Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith. There is also a deluxe version which features the two wideouts along with several other current players, past players, coaches and fans.

Coaches were not featured in “College Football 25,” which was the first installment of the EA Sports game in over a decade. It had been rumored that some coaches would be part of the newest game, and the cover release gives a glimpse into which ones.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart, Penn State coach James Franklin, Ohio State coach Ryan Day, Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman are among the coaches that will be in “College Football 26,” as indicated on the deluxe version cover.

That is a welcome change for fans, who want the game to be as realistic as possible.

Not all of college football’s biggest names will be in “College Football 26,” however. One prominent quarterback has opted out for the second consecutive year.

EA Sports’ college football franchise disappeared for a while due to licensing issues, but the NIL era has helped bring it back.

Tom Brady trolls Colts fans with ruthless joke after Indy 500 boos

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Tom Brady did not receive a warm welcome from the fans in attendance at the Indianapolis 500 over the weekend, but the seven-time Super Bowl champion had the perfect response after being booed.

Prior to the Indy 500, Brady took a lap around Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a two-seater IndyCar with legendary driver Jimmie Johnson. When Brady was introduced, he heard boos from many of the hundreds of thousands of fans in attendance.

Brady seemed to enjoy the reception and gave a little shrug while waving to the crowd. You can see the video here.

In the end, Brady found a way to get the last laugh once again. He wrote on social media that “it was nice to get in one more successful drive in front of a bunch of Colts fans.”

Many fans hate Brady simply because of the success he had against their teams during his legendary career. Colts fans in particular had many a season ruined by Brady, who was 8-4 in his career against Peyton Manning. There was also all of the Deflategate drama between the Colts and Patriots.

That was not the first time Brady has been booed during a public appearance, and it won’t be the last. When you dominate just about every opponent you play over a two-decade span, the negative feelings tend to linger.

South Carolina baseball player ‘humiliated’ by comments father made ripping coaches

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The South Carolina baseball team struggled this year in their first season under new head coach Paul Mainieri, and the parent of a player who is transferring decided to unload on the program in a social media post.

Jeff Kimball, who is the father of South Carolina relief pitcher Roman Kimball, took to social media on Monday to reveal that his son is leaving the Gamecocks. In doing so, Jeff blasted Mainieri and South Carolina’s coaching staff over the 28-29 season.

“I only wish this year was as successful as the previous two but that’s what happens when coaches who don’t know HOW to coach and just yell at and berate players all season are put in charge,” Jeff wrote on Facebook. “While I hope the team eventually turns it around, unfortunately it won’t be soon with those two morons in charge.”

The “morons” referenced by Jeff are likely Mainieri and associate head coach Monte Lee.

In a social media post of his own, Roman confirmed that he has entered the transfer portal but said his father’s comments are in no way a representation of how Roman feels about South Carolina and its coaching staff.

“I would also like to comment on the social media post my father made that has been circulated across a variety of platforms. First off, I am totally embarrassed and humiliated by the comments my father made regarding the program and the coaching staff, and I want to apologize to anyone affected by those comments,” Roman wrote. “I was totally unaware of the post until it was sent to me by someone. I also want to say that I have nothing but respect for the entire coaching staff at South Carolina, and I pride myself in always being respectful to every coach that I play for. The post my father made was not a reflection of my character and my views of the coaching staff and program at South Carolina.”

South Carolina went 6-24 in SEC play, which was the worst mark in school history. Kimball made eight relief appearances and finished with an ERA of 16.50.

Another parent takes a shot at Mainieri

There were obviously plenty of issues in Columbia this season under Mainieri, who previously coached at LSU from 2007-2021 and won a national championship in 2009. A few weeks ago, senior pitcher Matthew Becker’s mother also appeared to take a shot at Mainieri and company while praising Mississippi State head coach Justin Parker, who was previously the pitching coach at South Carolina.

“Amazing what a team can do when they respect their coach and are playing for their survival,” Laurie Becker wrote on X.

Mainieri has a proven track record of winning, so it is highly unlikely that South Carolina will fire him after just one season. The 67-year-old has 1,533 wins in his career and took LSU to the College World Series five times. Mainieri also had a successful 12-year run with Notre Dame prior to that that included one trip to the College World Series and eight NCAA Regional appearances.

If South Carolina has another disastrous season in 2026, however, they probably will be forced to make another change.

H/T Bro Bible

Danica Patrick makes tough revelations about her relationship with Aaron Rodgers

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Aaron Rodgers has said he has fond memories of the time he spent dating Danica Patrick, but it does not sound like the former NASCAR driver shares those emotions.

Rodgers and Patrick dated for roughly two years before they split in 2020. During a recent appearance on “The Sage Steele Show,” Patrick was asked about the most pain she has ever experienced. The 43-year-old said it was her breakup with Rodgers.

Patrick called the split “sudden” and accused Rodgers of being “emotionally abusive.”

“It felt like it was my life,” Patrick said, as transcribed by Drew Lerner of Awful Announcing. “So like, you know, when you live with somebody and, you know, like, it’s your whole life. It’s your dentist appointment, it’s your hairdo, it’s your clothes, it’s your mailing address. It’s like, everything. And because the nature of the relationship was emotionally abusive, so that wore me down to nothing.”

Patrick said her confidence eroded during her relationship with Rodgers. She also admitted that she ignored the warning signs and tried to work through the issues by convincing herself she is “built for hard things.”

“Everything was torn to bits. And yeah, he leaves a trail of blood,” Patrick added. “I don’t think, uh, I don’t think, um, I don’t think I’m saying too much earth-shattering stuff. There’s been enough out there. … It gave me the greatest gift of how much I needed to show up for myself and take care of myself.”

Rodgers said a few years ago that he feels dating Patrick was “great for me” and explained how the two connected on a spiritual level.

Rodgers got engaged to actress Shailene Woodley just months after his split from Patrick, which probably did not sit well with Danica. Patrick has been open since the breakup about how her mentality with dating has changed.

Report: Spurs plan to part ways with surprising player

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The San Antonio Spurs are reportedly going all-in on their youth movement next season.

The Spurs signed Chris Paul to a one-year contract last offseason to provide a veteran presence at point guard next to Victor Wembanyama. With the French phenom looking well ahead of schedule, the team appears ready to become a playoff contender in the near future.

That future may not have Paul in it. According to NBA reporter Mark Stein, there is “anticipation” that Paul would be “on the move again” this offseason to find a new team.

Stein also noted that the Spurs have conveyed their intention to keep the No. 2 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft to select Rutgers guard Dylan Harper rather than use it to trade for an established star.

San Antonio acquired De’Aaron Fox before the trade deadline, got a Rookie of the Year campaign from Stephon Castle, and won the right to take Harper. That leaves little room for Paul in the Spurs’ backcourt.

Paul’s last three seasons, each with three different teams, painted a picture of his steep decline heading into his age-40 season. While Paul’s assist numbers remained high through that span, his scoring average hit career lows in three straight years.

CP3 averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists for the Spurs last season. To his credit, he did stay healthy enough to play all 82 games with nearly 30 minutes of playing time per game.

Paul memorably had a one-and-done year with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20, which left a positive impact on a then-budding talent in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Spurs fans can only hope the CP3’s brief stint in San Antonio has a similar effect on Victor Wembanyama and the rest of the team.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses being called a ‘free throw merchant’

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has heard the noise about his penchant for drawing free throws.

Minnesota Timberwolves fans jeered the Oklahoma City Thunder star with “free throw merchant” chants in Games 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals. Even Doris Burke got in on the action during Monday’s Game 4.

SGA shot 14 free throws in the contest, en route to a 40-point night to lead the Thunder to a 128-126 victory. Nobody else had more than 7 attempts from the charity stripe.

After the game, reigning MVP was asked about his distasteful moniker. Instead of taking the nickname as a slight, Shai claims to see it as a “compliment.”

“In terms of the label, I don’t care,” said Gilgeous-Alexander. “Never cared. I’ve said this before. I’ve shot more free throws in [past seasons] than I did this season. Because we’re on the top of people’s radar, it’s a little more noticeable… kind of see it as a compliment.”

Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 14.3 free throw attempts in the Thunder’s three wins in the series. He had just four in OKC’s blowout Game 3 loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

The Thunder star was second in the NBA in free throw attempts per game (8.8) during the regular season and first in makes (7.9). While Gilgeous-Alexander has been criticized for getting a favorable whistle and embellishing contact at times, he also leads the NBA in drives per game by a wide margin.

Shai averaged a whopping 10.9 free throws during the 2022-23 season, which was his first All-NBA campaign. But the Thunder finished 40-42 that year and missed the playoffs.

With Oklahoma City just a few wins away from winning a championship, SGA understands why his play is under scrutiny now more than ever.

Timberwolves fan involved in crucial last-second moment of Game 4

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A Minnesota Timberwolves fan sitting courtside on Monday got a little too close to the action.

The Timberwolves trailed the Oklahoma City Thunder 128-125 with 3.5 seconds left in Western Conference Finals Game 4 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn. The Thunder intentionally fouled Anthony Edwards to send him to the free throw line.

With no timeouts remaining and minimal time left on the clock, Edwards was forced to make the first but intentionally miss the second. Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander chased down the rebound and threw the ball toward the other side of the court. The ball went out of bounds along the sideline, right into the hands of a courtside fan.

The incident was interesting, to say the least. The clock would have likely hit zero had the fan not been there to stop the ball a split second early. The fan appeared to catch the ball with about 0.6 left on the game clock. After initially having the clock set at 0.1, referees eventually gave Minnesota 0.3 seconds for a chance at a tip-in off the inbound.

The Thunder were able to prevent a lob to seal a 128-126 win in Game 4. But had the Timberwolves pulled off a miraculous shot to force overtime, the fan could have been a part of a critical moment in NBA conference finals history. He would have been Minnesota’s reverse Steve Bartman.

Doris Burke calls out ‘free throw merchant’ Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can’t get away with drawing fouls on Doris Burke’s watch.

Gilgeous-Alexander drew a foul while being defended by Rudy Gobert late in the second quarter of Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between his Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sunday night. When analyzing the play for ESPN, commentator Burke said that the way Gilgeous-Alexander draws foul calls like that is “why he’s called the free throw merchant.”

Burke had also referenced that nickname for Gilgeous-Alexander earlier in the series, so this was her second time doing so on national TV.

Some fans took issue with the comment from Burke.

Gilgeous-Alexander’s penchant for drawing fouls and trying to earn those calls has not sat well with many. Timberwolves fans even taunted SGA during Game 3 with “free throw merchant” chants.

SGA was getting plenty of calls in Game 4. He scored 40 points and grabbed 9 rebounds with 10 assists. He went 12/14 on free throws as he led all scorers.

The Thunder got the win in Game 4 128-126 to increase their lead in the series to 3-1.

Sheduer Sanders calls out ‘lie’ about him making $500,000 purchase

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Shedeur Sanders made it clear on Monday night that his mind is solely focused on football rather than half-million-dollar purchases.

On Sunday, a post on X went viral, showing a $500,000 custom Rolls-Royce allegedly ordered by Sanders being delivered. You can watch the video below.

The post was labeled as “inspirational” but came off looking like a gaudy purchase from a rookie drafted on the third day of the NFL draft. As a fifth-round selection, Sanders will make just $4.6 million over four years, assuming he plays out his rookie contract. The listed price of the car is even more than Sanders’ signing bonus.

Sanders didn’t take the post lightly. he reposted the video and called it a flat-out lie.

“Another lie…. I’m focused on my team not a car purchase !” Sanders wrote.

The person taking the video flashed his phone screen to show Sanders’ face, making it look like he was on a video call with the Cleveland Browns quarterback. But the moment was so brief that it’s tough to verify if it was actually Shedeur or just a photo of him as a ruse.

Sanders made quite a lot of money off his NIL deals throughout his college football career at Colorado. But the 23-year-old wants the world to know that his focus is on football rather than luxury purchases.

Sanders has reportedly been walking the talk thus far during offseason workouts. One report claims that Shedeur has been the Browns’ best player at camp.

Fans all said the same thing about Freddie Freeman’s incredibly classy move

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Freddie Freeman somehow found a way to raise his already sky-high approval rating.

The Freeman family went through a lot last year when Freddie’s young son Max was diagnosed with Guillen-Barré syndrome. The illness occurs when a person’s immune system attacks certain nerves, leading to numbness and muscle weakness. In Max’s case, the toddler experienced full-body paralysis and had to spend a week in Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s pediatric intensive-care unit (PICU).

Almost a year removed from Max’s health scare, Freddie and his wife, Chelsea, are reportedly donating $1 million to the California hospital that helped save their son’s life.

“Seeing every room full in the PICU each and every day impacted Chelsea and I deeply,” Freeman told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “Getting to know the doctors, nurses and care teams and seeing how they show up each day to bring healing and hope to kids and their families was inspiring. CHOC saved Maximus’ life.”

The move drew nothing but praise from fans. Many of them mentioned how impossible it is to dislike a classy individual like Freeman.

Last August, the Dodgers star got emotional during the press conference while talking about Max’s condition. He lamented the plight of all children like Max who have had to fight against illnesses at such a young age.

After his first-hand experience at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Freddie made sure to pay things forward.

Giannis Antetokounmpo proposes huge change to NBA All-Star Game

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Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to bring some international spice to the NBA All-Star Game.

The 2025 NBA Playoffs may be happening, but the Greek Freak is thinking about next season’s All-Star weekend. Antetokounmpo went on X and reposted a proposed change to the All-Star Game that would pit Team USA against Team World.

“This should be next year All Star Game format!! Must see basketball,” Giannis wrote.

The proposed teams look balanced in theory. Team World’s starting five of Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Victor Wembanyama consists of players who have either won an MVP trophy or are expected to win one in the future. That team could match up with virtually any American five-man lineup.

Issues would arise when it comes to the bench. Only seven out of the 26 players named All-Stars last season could be considered foreign-born. Given that making the All-Star team has both contract and legacy implications for the NBA’s top stars, filtering the list in favor of international players could get dicey.

While the USA-World idea has its fair share of problems, it would likely still be a better product than what the NBA tried earlier this season. Things got so bad during the 2025 NBA All-Star Game that the players themselves were complaining. Even Kevin Durant floated the idea of cancelling the event altogether.

If the NBA could figure out a fair way to sort teams while still rewarding the best players, perhaps a tweaked All-Star Game with international flavor would do well. It’s also not completely far-fetched considering league commissioner Adam Silver has already talked about wanting to emulate the success of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.

Chicago Sky skips national anthem again

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The Chicago Sky seem to have made it a habit of skipping the national anthem.

The Sky did not come out for the playing of the national anthem prior to their season-opening game against the Indiana Fever on May 17. Fans had made the observation at the time of the game, and the matter drew some attention online.

The Sky were back in action on Sunday against the Los Angeles Sparks and got creamed 93-58 to fall to 0-3. Not only were they beaten badly in the game, but Kelsey Plum also rubbed things in early on.

One fan who attended the game says that the Sky also exited the floor for the playing of the national anthem.

Nothing new for Angel Reese

Skipping the national anthem is nothing new for Angel Reese, who is in her second year on the Sky and the team’s most well-known player.

Last year, LSU received criticism for skipping the national anthem prior to their NCAA Tournament game against Iowa. Their coach, Kim Mulkey, denied that the move was intentional.

Louisiana’s governor was critical of the team for doing that and suggested scholarships should be threatened.

The Sky have begun this season 0-3 a year after going 13-27, which was their second-worst winning percentage in their franchise history.

Rick Carlisle appears to be playing mind games with Tom Thibodeau

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Rick Carlisle may be trying to pull an old Jedi mind trick on his coaching counterpart.

The Indiana Pacers head coach Carlisle went viral on Monday for some comments that he made to reporters after team practice. Indiana lost Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the New York Knicks on Sunday but still hold a 2-1 advantage in the series overall.

During his remarks, Carlisle commented on the matchup against the Knicks, particularly the depth that they have at their disposal. Notably, Carlisle mentioned how Knicks guard Cameron Payne did not play at all in Game 3.

Fans quickly theorized that Carlisle might have been attempting to play mind games with Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau there. After all, Payne has largely been a disaster on the floor throughout this postseason.

Though Payne has been to the NBA Finals before (in 2021 with the Phoenix Suns), his play in the 2025 playoffs has been pretty horrid. Payne is shooting a woeful 32.4 percent from the field in the postseason (including 23.8 percent from deep) and has also been a turnstile on defense. On top of that, Payne has had a negative plus-minus in 10 of his 14 games during the playoffs this year (including a -9 in just nine minutes against the Pacers in Game 2).

The general consensus right now is that Carlisle has been outcoaching Thibodeau to this point of the series (though the Knicks did bounce back with a huge comeback victory in Game 3 to save their season). Thibodeau’s decision-making has been questioned for much of this year’s playoffs (in spite of the Knicks’ success), and now Carlisle is apparently hoping that Thibodeau makes the decision to turn back to Payne in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Austin Reaves’ agent issues fiery response to recent trade rumors

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Austin Reaves’ agent is not pleased with the recent chatter surrounding his client.

Aaron Reilly, who represents the Los Angeles Lakers swingman Reaves through his company AMR Agency, took to social media over the weekend with a response to the recent trade rumors surrounding Reaves. Reilly posted a video of Reaves’ highlights from this season against the Indiana Pacers, who are now two wins away from an NBA Finals berth. In his caption, Reilly included a fiery message.

“Next year is going to be a show,” Reilly wrote. “People really have no idea what’s to come. Keep putting him in trade rumors for second string centers.”

Reaves, 26, is under contract for $13.9 million next season and can then become a free agent in summer 2026. That is why many believe that the playmaker-heavy, size-needy Lakers will trade away Reaves before he gets too expensive (with some leading media figures even going so far as to guarantee a trade this summer).

That said, there are not very many options right now when it comes top-tier big men who are available on the trade market. As such, Reaves is being mentioned in connection with lesser-tier guys such as Clint Capela and Nicolas Claxton, something that Reilly is taking exception to.

On the other hand, Reaves and Reilly have had a role in pushing the talented 20-ppg scorer onto the trade block as well. We recently heard reports that Reaves will have a pretty sizable ask when he becomes a free agent next year, which would only increase the chances of the Lakers selling him off before then.

NFL responds to Joe Burrow’s schedule complaint

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The NFL has offered a surprising response to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s public complaints about the team’s 2025 schedule.

Burrow publicly vented his frustration with some aspects of the Bengals’ schedule last week. He was disappointed that the Bengals did not get an international game, but was particularly frustrated that the team’s divisional road game against the Baltimore Ravens is in primetime for the fourth consecutive year.

In response, NFL scheduling VP Mike North admitted that Burrow’s complaints are justified.

“It’s fair. It’s not a one-or-two years sort of a league where you fix every problem every other year or every two years,” North told Geoff Hobson of the Bengals’ official website. “Once you start getting to the same thing three years in a row, four, or five years in a row, whether it’s a short week Thursday on the road or opening on the road. When trends like that emerge, we probably have to adjust at some point.

“It just ended up as we got down the stretch here, that this was our best schedule, and fully acknowledging that, I’m sure the Bengals fans are a little surprised and probably a little disappointed.”

North did note that the Bengals are getting a game on Thanksgiving out of the deal, and dropped a pretty big hint that the complaint will be addressed in years to come.

Burrow spends ample time thinking about the schedule, and his complaints were quite detailed. The fact that the league’s head of scheduling is essentially admitting he has a point is proof of that.

Chris Finch had good response to reporter’s question about SGA

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Chris Finch is not about to divulge the details of his Minnesota Timberwolves’ gameplans.

Finch’s Timberwolves hammered the Oklahoma City Thunder 143-101 in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday for their first win of the series. The win came after Minnesota had been blown out by OKC in the first two games.

Finch, who is in his fourth season as the Timberwolves’ head coach, was asked after Game 3 what his team did differently against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA scored just 14 points on 4/13 shooting in Game 3 after scoring over 30 points in both of the first two games of the series.

“You want me to tell you?” Finch said with a smile.

Finch seemed to be in disbelief that a reporter wanted him to actually divulge secrets about the team’s strategy and game plan. He wasn’t about to do that. Some people also thought that maybe Finch was stopping himself from commenting on another factor affecting Gilgeous-Alexander.

SGA was give 14 free throw attempts in Game 1 and 15 in Game 2. But in Game 3, he only received four. Perhaps Finch could have commented on how Gilgeous-Alexander receiving fewer favorable calls made the difference. But just being at home helped turn things around for Minnesota as they were able to capture a big victory.

The Timberwolves reached the conference finals last year and lost in five games to the Mavericks. They’re hoping to do better this time around. Maybe Anthony Edwards can make good on LeBron James’ request of him.

Fans had jokes about latest Giannis Antetokounmpo-Doc Rivers report

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A report that broke on Memorial Day about Giannis Antetokounmpo and Doc Rivers had many questioning whether it was actually April Fool’s Day instead.

The Milwaukee Bucks are relying on an unusual selling point in the hopes of convincing their All-Star forward Antetokounmpo to stay, veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported to Substack on Monday. The Bucks are hoping that the presence of their head coach Rivers will entice Antetokounmpo to stick around. Stein notes that Rivers and Antetokounmpo are believed to have a strong working partnership.

The report about Rivers and Antetokounmpo immediately triggered a tsunami of jokes over social media. Some users on X questioned whether or not the report was parody while others simply just pointed and laughed with funny memes.

Take a look at a sampling below.

Rivers does have a strong reputation as a players’ coach. But he obviously has a much lower reputation in the eyes of fans, particularly given his recent shortcomings in the postseason.

With Rivers’ 2008 NBA title as coach of the Boston Celtics having occurred nearly two decades ago at this point, fans know him more so these days for his 37-41 (.474) playoff record over the last 10 years (with zero conference finals appearances) and for his history of blown 3-1 leads. In fact, since Rivers took over the Bucks job at the start of 2024, the team has yet to make it out of the first round (with Rivers going 65-53 overall in regular season play).

In fact, the former MVP Antetokounmpo seemingly had a strong rapport with Adrian Griffin, whom the Bucks fired and ultimately replaced with Rivers. Nevertheless, Milwaukee is apparently relying on Rivers as their last line of defense in preventing a potential Antetokounmpo departure this offseason, which is becoming an increasingly likelier possibility.

Paul George got brutally roasted by 76ers fan while stuck in traffic

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Paul George has learned quickly that Philadelphia 76ers fans are an unforgiving sort, and one anecdote in particular drove that home for him.

In January, video emerged of George stuck in traffic as Philadelphia fans celebrated the Eagles’ victory in the NFC Championship game. On his latest episode of “Podcast P,” George revealed that he got burned badly by one Philadelphia fan amid the celebrations.

“As soon as I roll the window down, they’re like, ‘Yo, that’s Paul George!’” George recounted. “(Someone) said, ‘Yo, we could’ve kept Tobias (Harris) if you’re going to do this s—.’”

George joked that as soon as he got home, he got the closest basketball and went to work in response to the burn.

Harris spent six seasons with the 76ers, but was never particularly popular with fans due to a perceived lack of production relative to expectations. The comment comparing George to him was certainly not meant as a compliment.

The 76ers let Harris walk in free agency last summer and brought George in as an upgrade. Instead, George played in just 41 games and averaged just 16.2 points per game, making him one of the biggest disappointments of the NBA season.

The fact that Philly fans are ruthless is no secret, and George seemed to pick up on that. It was not enough to stop him from coming off as rather tone-deaf as the team’s season went down the drain, though.

Venus Williams shares her big fear about doing broadcasting work

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Venus Williams is making her first foray into television broadcasting by joining TNT’s coverage of the French Open, but she is quite nervous about it for one big reason.

Williams on Monday made her television debut with TNT, and admitted she was nervous for the gig. As she put it, she was worried about accidentally saying something silly and getting herself canceled.

“I’m really nervous,” Williams said. “Am I going to cancel myself by saying something crazy?”

Despite her fears, Williams was enthusiastic about the opportunity, and hoped her insights could help fans understand what it is like to be a player at such a major event. Williams played the French Open 24 times during her career, and she reached the final in 2002.

Williams should be fine on TV. We know she’s pretty witty, and has plenty of unique insights as well. There is a reason TNT made it a point to add her as a high-profile panelist as they cover the event for the first time.

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