Steph Curry was feeling great on Thursday night after winning the fourth championship of his career. But he didn’t enjoy a reporter killing his vibe after the game.
Curry’s Golden State Warriors beat the Boston Celtics 103-90 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to win the championship. Curry also was named NBA Finals MVP for the first time in his career.
Though Curry probably enjoyed the honor, what he didn’t seem to like was people using the Finals MVP matter as a point to invalidate his career.
During his postgame press conference, Curry was asked what it meant to him to finally be Finals MVP.
Curry put his hands on his face.
“Forget that, we champs! Why you start with that question? We got four championships!” Curry said.
Curry continued to downplay the importance of the individual honor.
During the championship ceremony on ABC after the game, Curry focused on how him winning Finals MVP is a reflection of his team.
“It means we won. We hear all the chatter … at the end of the day, it’s about what we do on the floor,” Curry said.
Andre Iguodala won Finals MVP when the team won the championship in 2015. Then Kevin Durant won Finals MVP in each of the team’s next two championships.
Curry had won just about every single honor possible. But the one matter where detractors could pick on him was his lack of a Finals MVP. Now they can’t take that away from Curry.
Curry is now in extremely elite company.
Steph Curry put a ring on it during the third quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Curry made a deep three-pointer from the Finals logo to give the Golden State Warriors a 72-50 lead with a little more than six minutes remaining in the quarter. Afterwards, cameras caught Curry pointing to his ring finger. Curry looked like he was showing it to the crowd at TD Garden.
Curry is known for some epic post-shot celebrations, including a signature shoulder shimmy and this celebration from Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
The Warriors finished the quarter with a 76-66 lead, and Curry finished with two three-pointers and eight points. For the game, the two-time MVP led the Warriors with 34 points and made six three-pointers while shooting 12-of-21 from the field.
Curry’s celebration could’ve ended up backfiring on him had the Warriors lost, but with a 103-90 win, he’ll now get to put an actual ring on that finger.
The US Open is known for being the most challenging event in golf, and Rory McIlroy got an unfriendly reminder of that during the first round on Thursday.
McIlroy caught a terrible break with his tee shot on the 5th hole at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. The ball ended up in some long fescue just at the end of a bunker. McIlroy tried to pop it on the green, but he ended up advancing it about 20 feet into another bunker. He was not happy.
Though he slammed his club twice, McIlroy was able to quickly regain his composure. He put his third shot on the green about 12 feet from the hole and made a huge par save.
McIlroy will not be the only golfer to lose his cool at the US Open. The USGA intentionally sets courses up to be extremely difficult for the event, which is why we have seen players have even worse temper tantrums in the past.
Sep 19, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is making sure any proposal to bring the Los Angeles Chargers to North Texas is dead before it can get off the ground.
Talk of the Chargers to Dallas began when Dallas mayor Eric Johnson tweeted that the Chargers should move to the city. Johnson said Dallas had the facilities to bring an NFL team to the city itself. That contrasts with the Cowboys, who are headquartered in Frisco and play in Arlington, both Dallas suburbs.
Jones took note of Johnson’s tweet and shot the notion down quickly.
“Well, I like the mayor,” Jones told Calvin Watkins The Dallas Morning News. “I like him personally, but he doesn’t have the depth. He doesn’t have the knowledge that others have regarding how unique Dallas is and how we enjoy the interest in the Cowboys. He wouldn’t want to water that down as it relates to Dallas if he knew as much, and has spent as much time in sports as I have.”
Jones added that the NFL would not want to bring another team to North Texas, as it would risk the Cowboys’ status as one of the league’s marquee teams.
For what it’s worth, Jones is right, and Dallas proper almost certainly won’t be winding up on any shortlists for new or relocated franchises. Even if there were logical economic reasons, Jones would use his clout to ensure it doesn’t happen.
In addition to their legal woes, the Chargers are already an afterthought in Los Angeles. If they were to move, they probably wouldn’t want to wind up in the same scenario in a different city.
Jan 2, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport (92) in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
One New Orleans Saints defensive player is slightly less of a person than he was a year ago.
Marcus Davenport revealed when speaking with the media on Wednesday that he underwent surgeries this offseeason. One procedure was on his right shoulder after New Orleans’ season ended. He also had surgery to amputate the top of his left pinky finger.
Davenport originally injured his left pinky finger in college and underwent surgery on it last year. But the plate in the finger broke, leading to an infection. He ended up having the top of the finger amputated.
That does not sound like a very comfortable offseason for Davenport.
Davenport was the No. 14 overall pick by the Saints in 2018 out of UTSA. The 25-year-old had nine sacks and three forced fumbles in 11 games last season. He shouldn’t have to worry too much about the amputation negatively impacting his career. Look at what this guy has done.
Nov 23, 2021; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) reacts during the third quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
There was once a time when it appeared to be a virtual certainty that the Los Angeles Lakers would trade Russell Westbrook this offseason, but that is no longer the case.
Both sources close to the Lakers and several rival executives told Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus that L.A. is operating as though Westbrook will be on the roster to start next season. That could change, of course, but it probably speaks more to how difficult it will be to move Westbrook than how the Lakers feel about the veteran point guard.
Pincus said the NBA execs he spoke with believe the Lakers would have to do one of two things to facilitate a Westbrook trade — take back huge contracts or include first-round picks in the deal. More specifically, L.A. would likely need to be willing to acquire veteran players who are signed for several more seasons with annual salaries of around $15-25 million.
Westbrook has a $47 million player option for next season. He will almost certainly exercise it. The 33-year-old did not look like a good fit with the Lakers in his first year, but they may have no choice but to try and make it work.
New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham recently revealed what he wants Westbrook to focus on this summer. At the moment, it appears more likely that the Lakers keep Westbrook than trade him.
Mar 20, 2022; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr encourages his players during the fourth quarter against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Kerr is taking a page out of the book of Showtime-era Pat Riley.
The Golden State Warriors coach went viral for a bold comment he made after his team’s win over the Boston Celtics in Game 5 of the Finals. Kerr was giving a speech to the Warriors in the locker room, and his remarks were aired on ESPN. Most notably, Kerr said, “We’re gonna get this in Boston. We’re gonna finish this in Boston.”
The Warriors will be the NBA champions if they win Game 6 in Boston on Thursday. They also have all the momentum right now after winning each of the last two games by double digits, handing Boston their first back-to-back losses of the 2022 postseason.
Kerr is delivering the message that his team needs to hear right now, as they can’t allow the Celtics back into the series and need to deliver the knockout blow on the road in Game 6. But it is worth noting that Kerr had similarly audacious comments right before the Warriors won their last title.
Mar 25, 2022; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson talks with the media during a press conference at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Deshaun Watson has maintained his innocence as more than two dozen women have accused him of sexual assault. Regardless of whether he is telling the truth, one question he will likely never escape is why he worked with so many different massage therapists in a short span of time. The Cleveland Browns star has yet to provide an explanation.
Watson spoke with the media at the start of minicamp on Tuesday. He was asked numerous questions about the 26 sexual assault lawsuits he is facing. One reporter brought up a recent New York Times story that claimed Watson saw at least 66 massage therapists over a 17-month period. Watson said he does not “think” that number is accurate but deferred to his legal team.
Watson was careful in how he responded to most questions, which was expected. The lawsuits against him are still playing out. None of them have been settled, though Watson did make settlement offers at one point.
Most NFL teams have their own massage therapists on staff. That is one of the reasons many have wondered why a star player would need to receive treatments from so many different people. Watson had an even more puzzling response when asked the same question earlier this year.
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns may be getting closer to trading Baker Mayfield.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported on Tuesday that the Browns have engaged in active trade discussions involving Mayfield leading up to the start of minicamp. While Mayfield’s $18.8 million salary is still an obstacle, one team has shown “urgency” to trade for the former first overall pick — the Carolina Panthers.
Jones notes that the Panthers currently have the best offer on the table for Mayfield. They likely want Cleveland to eat most of the money Mayfield is owed. It has been reported that there is a specific amount teams want the Browns to pay in any potential Mayfield deal.
The Panthers have seemed like the most logical Mayfield suitor all along. Sam Darnold struggled when given an opportunity to start for them last year. Carolina drafted Matt Corral in the third round, but the former Ole Miss star is coming off a significant injury and not expected to be NFL-ready in his first year.
There has been some talk of a surprise team entering the mix for Mayfield, but the Panthers make the most sense. If the Browns are willing to eat most of Mayfield’s contract to essentially buy a draft pick, a deal should get done eventually.
Feb 12, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Montrezl Harrell (8) during pregame warm ups before the start between the Charlotte Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
A veteran NBA player is facing felony drug trafficking charges following an incident that took place in Kentucky last month.
The Charlotte Observer on Monday published news about the arrest of Montrezl Harrell that stemmed from a traffic stop on May 12. Harrell was stopped in Richmond, Ky. for allegedly following the vehicle in front of him too closely.
An officer noticed a smell of marijuana from the car, and Harrell admitted to having a small amount of the drug in his pants.
Harrell was driving a silver 2020 Honda Pilot that the NBA player said was rented. The trooper did a search of the vehicle, which showed there were “three pounds of marijuana in vacuum sealed bags” in a backpack in the back seat.
Harrell’s alleged violation is a Class D felony in Kentucky for first-time offenders. The Charlotte Observer says the crime “is punishable by 1-5 years of incarceration with a fine ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.”
Harrell, 28, was the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2019-2020. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round in 2015 and has been a productive player. Harrell has averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game during his career. He is currently a member of the Hornets but has also played for Houston, the Clippers, Lakers and Wizards.
The big man is from Tarboro, N.C. and played college ball at Louisville.
