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👍 Good morning to all, however particularly to …
LeBRON JAMES AND STEPHEN CURRY
New Yr’s Eve looks as if ceaselessly in the past, though the calendar tells us it was lower than 9 weeks in the past. Again then, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have been main play-in groups, with the 18-14 Lakers holding the seventh slot and the Tenth-place Warriors sitting at 16-16. That — as they are saying — was so 2024.
At this time’s Western Convention standings finds the Lakers (37-21) in second place, simply share factors forward of the Nuggets (39-22) after their loss to the Celtics, and the Warriors (32-28) having spent yesterday morning in sixth and this morning in seventh place. Followers (of those golf equipment) can thank the enhancements to the commerce deadline strikes that introduced Luka Dončić to Los Angeles (9-2 because the deadline) and Jimmy Butler to Golden State (7-3 because the deadline).
And whereas these strikes actually did raise the Lakers and Warriors, our Colin Ward-Henninger has a fantastic piece breaking down simply how a lot these strikes have benefitted James and Curry personally.
- Ward-Henninger: “On the commerce deadline, nevertheless, each James and Curry acquired presents — Luka Dončić and Jimmy Butler — that might finally lengthen their careers and additional add to their seemingly never-ending lists of accolades. Since they started enjoying their new co-stars, each James and Curry have skilled important boosts in manufacturing and effectivity, and the Lakers and Warriors seem like legit threats within the Western Convention.”
James and Dončić are settling in, and issues couldn’t be going higher for the league’s oldest participant. With Dončić now shouldering a lot of the playmaking tasks, the 40-year-old James has been benefitting from relaxation and a few simple seems. And within the Bay, Curry is taking pictures markedly higher with Butler in Golden State than he was earlier than the commerce — 51.4% vs. 43.1% on all discipline objectives and 42.6% vs. 38.9% on 3s.
Positive, all of this can be a comparatively small pattern measurement, however getting older veterans like James and Curry bonfide skilled playoff combatants, who’ve each taken their earlier groups to the NBA Finals, ought to solely function tantalizing prospects for when the playoffs start subsequent month.
Honorable mentions
And never such an excellent morning for …
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ELITE-LEVEL WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAMS
You want upsets? Properly, you’ve got come to the correct place. It was a brutal weekend (or final week) for greater than a pair top-flight packages. Let’s begin with No. 2 UCLA, which entered the weekend with only one loss on the season, and once more had no reply for JuJu Watkins (30 factors) and No. 4 USC on Saturday evening.
Now, you possibly can say {that a} 4 beating a 2 is not that a lot of an upset, however the sequel to the Battle for Los Angeles did not change the narrative for host UCLA, who additionally misplaced at USC two weeks earlier. Bruins coach Cori Shut was so pissed off by the mere sight of the stat sheet that she crumpled it up right into a ball proper there on a dais. The victory gave the Trojans’ program its first regular-season title since 1994, a lot to the delight of SC product Cheryl Miller … and the disgust of UCLA alum brother Reggie Miller.
Past that recreation, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Tennessee and LSU all ended their common seasons with consecutive losses. Even worse for the Tigers, main scorer Flau’Jae Johnson has been shut down by the SEC Match resulting from shin irritation. (Search for Connecticut and USC to be among the many beneficiaries from all the upheaval.)
Not so honorable mentions
⚾ MLB reviewing petition to reinstate late Pete Rose
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Main League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is within the strategy of reviewing a petition from the household of the late Pete Rose, requesting that the sport’s all-time hits chief be reinstated, in accordance with a narrative from ESPN. If profitable, the petition would doubtless pave the way in which for Rose, who died final September the age of 83, to presumably grow to be eligible for election into the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame.
In 1989, Rose was banned from the sport and future consideration of admission into Cooperstown for betting on Cincinnati Reds video games whereas he performed for and managed the staff. Regardless of staunch denials, Rose ultimately admitted to his actions in his 2004 autobiography. Rose spent 19 of his 24 major-league seasons together with his hometown Reds, accumulating an MLB file of 4,256 hits.
In the meantime, President Donald Trump has additionally weighed in on the matter, posting on social media on Friday that he might be issuing “a whole pardon,” though it is unclear how that motion would alter any future baseball-related selections since Rose was by no means charged with a criminal offense relative to the betting scandal.
🏀 St. John’s wins first outright Massive East crown in 40 years
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The St. John’s devoted have been partying prefer it was 1985 at Madison Sq. Backyard Saturday, and for good cause given the Crimson Storm earned the college’s first outright Massive East title because the 1984-85 season. Behind their bodily model of ball, Rick Pitino’s squad put the clamps down on Seton Corridor for a cushty 71-61 victory.
After the sport, crimson and white confetti rained down upon the jubilant followers and the coach, who donned a white go well with for the event. Some would possibly say that such a glance in New York Metropolis in early March is “a alternative,” however provided that Pitino has collected extra wins in back-to-back seasons than every other coach since 1999-2000, I say let the person no matter he needs. As for delving into extra of the on-court motion, let’s kick it to our Kyle Boone.
- Boone: “The way in which they’ve gained has been textbook Pitino with protection and a veer away from counting on 3-pointers at the same time as basketball has extra broadly accepted and leaned into firing from distance. Following the win the Johnnies rank No. 3 in adjusted defensive effectivity at KenPom.com and have the second worst 3-point share and second-lowest 3-point fee amongst main convention groups.”
And this is extra males’s faculty basketball content material from the weekend:
Bracketology | Tomorrow’s Prime 25 At this time | Prime 25 And 1 | Texas Tech tops Kansas … at Kansas! | Tennessee buzzer-beater downs Alabama
🏈 Remaining ideas off NFL Mix
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One other mix is within the books, however our NFL crew has all of it damaged down for you. This is a fast snapshot:
📺 What we’re watching Monday
🏀 Wake Forest at No. 2 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Islanders at Rangers, 7 p.m. on NHL Community
🏀 Unmatched, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Rockets at Thunder, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Pistons at Jazz, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Kansas at No. 4 Houston (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN