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SOURCE SPORTS: 3 Reasons Why the Brooklyn Nets Are Home Early From the NBA Playoffs

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Brooklyn Nets Secure 7th Seed Ahead of Play in Tournament

From projected NBA champions to a first-round sweep, the Brooklyn Nets season is over. The Boston Celtics swept the Nets in 4 games in the NBA playoffs first round. The Nets were the only team to be swept in the first round of the playoffs. Here are three reasons why the Nets are off to Cancun.

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Lack Of Chemistry

The Net’s lack of playing time together finally showed its ugly head going up against a Celtics core that has been playing ball together for several years. The Nets were without Kyrie Irving for most of the season at home, and Kevin Durant missed significant time with a knee injury. The two All-Stars didn’t get time to gel much this season.

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James Harden Factor

Midway last season, the Nets formed a big three by acquiring Harden, who, midway through this season, already had a change of heart that led him to Philadelphia. To first get Harden, the Nets had to give up many assets for him, and when they traded him, they were stuck with a disgruntled Ben Simmons.

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Lack Of Size

The Nets are a small team, and the Celtics took every advantage of it. The Celtics outrebounded the Nets, bullied the Nets, and out-hustled the Nets for four straight games. Durant and Irving were harassed and contested on every possession, and many turnovers both stars had shown.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Tyson Fury Silenced Dillian Whyte With a Devastating Hook, Mulling Retirement

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Tyson Fury Silenced Dillian Whyte With a Devastating Hook

Fresh off his fantastic trilogy fights with Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury returned to the ring to a hero’s welcome at Wembley Stadium. The 94 thousand in attendance witnessed what might have been the Gypsy King’s last dance.

Fury knocked out  Dillian Whyte with a devastating right hook in the 6th round. Whyte managed to get up but staggered into the corner, and referee Mark Lyson waved it off at the 2:59 mark of the round.

After the fight, Fury reflected on his legendary undefeated career, and it appears he is content with walking away from the sport at this time.

“Now it’s all done I have to be a man of my word. I think this is it, it might be the final curtain for The Gypsy King and what a way to go out!” Fury said to the fans at Wembley Stadium.

It isn’t clear where Fury will rank among all-time great heavyweights in boxing history. For right now, he is without question the sport’s best heavyweight in the sport today.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Jay Wright Retiring as Villanova Men’s Basketball Coach After 21 Years of Service

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Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright didn’t want a farewell tour. He wanted to retire quietly, and that’s exactly what he did on Wednesday. After 21 years of being the head coach at Villanova, Wright is retiring from the sidelines ending an era of excellence at Villanova that lead to multiple National Championships and Final Four appearances.

“Over the past 21 seasons, I have had the opportunity to live out a professional dream as the head coach at Villanova,” Wright said. “Patty and I have been blessed to work with incredible, gifted young men who allowed us to coach them and brought us unmatched joy. We cannot overstate our gratitude to the players, coaches, and administrators who have been with us on this path. It has been an honor and a privilege to work at Villanova, especially under Father Peter and Mark Jackson.”

Villanova said Wednesday that Wright would take a new role as special assistant to the university’s president. Fordham’s Kyle Neptune, who spent ten years under Wright as a video coordinator and an assistant coach, will take over as Villanova coach.

Wright was one of just three active coaches to have won multiple national titles. Wright has been approached for years to coach in the NBA and declining such offers for years now. While he wouldn’t be on the sidelines for Villanova, he would still be around the program overlooking it from a distance.

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SOURCE SPORTS: 49ers’ Deebo Samuel Demands a Trade

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Deebo Samuel wants out of San Francisco. In the final year of his rookie contract, Samuel told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington that he had asked the 49ers to trade him. Samuel is unhappy with the way San Francisco has been using him and is uninterested in negotiating an extension.

After missing ten games in 2020, Samuel caught 77 passes for 1,405 yards and six TDs. Last season, Samuel was a triple threat all-purpose offensive weapon. Most of the 49ers’ offense production was centered around Samuel/

Samuel’s defection would leave the 49ers scrambling for a team otherwise ready to compete now. The 49ers lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and their defense ranked seventh in the NFL last season.

If the 49ers are interested in trading Samuel, they could benefit from getting excellent draft compensation for him, considering the 2022 NFL draft is loaded with a talented wide receivers draft pool.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Jerry West Demands Apology From HBO and Producers of ‘Winning Time’ Lakers Series

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First, it was Magic Johnson, and now it’s the logo Jerry West, who isn’t a fan of his portrayal on HBO’s Winning Time series.

In a statement obtained by ESPN, which the outlet states was sent to the network and executive producer Adam McKay, representatives for the former Lakers player, coach, and general manager said the series “falsely and cruelly portrays Mr. West as an out-of-control, intoxicated rage-aholic.” The series, centering on the Showtime era of the storied Lakers franchise during the 1980s, includes Jason Clarke as West and John C. Reilly as then-team owner Dr. Jerry Buss.

The show is based on Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s. West himself referred to the series as a “baseless and malicious assault” on his character. 

Skip Miller, one of West’s lawyers and a partner at Miller Barondess, LLP law firm, said the show is based on the fabrication that attempts to create facts that have “caused great distress to West and his family.” 

“… Jerry [West] had nothing but love for and harmony with the Lakers organization, and in particular owner Dr. Jerry Buss, during an era in which he assembled one of the greatest teams in NBA history,” the statement said, per ESPN.

West has long been considered one of the best men and mentors to several generations of NBA talents to step foot in the league. It’s very easy to see how upset he could be with the HBO show’s view of him, considering he is considered a Laker legend and never that of a tyrant.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Kyrie Irving Fined $50K for Flipping the Bird at Celtics Fans During Game 1

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Kyrie Irving knew he would be hit with a hefty fine for giving the Boston Celtics fans the double bird during game 1 of the NBA playoffs. Well, the league hit the Brooklyn Nets point guard in the pockets. The NBA has fined Irving $50k for his actions toward the fans Sunday afternoon.

“The same energy they have for me, I’m going to have for them,” Irving said following the game. “And it’s not every fan. I don’t want to attack every Boston fan, but when people start yelling “p****” and “b****” and “f*** you” and all of this, there’s only so much you can take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble and take a humble approach. No. F*** that. It’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”

Heading into tonight’s game 2 with the Nets trailing in the series 1-0, it will be interesting to see if Irving will continue to stand by his word to give the Celtics fans the same energy again.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Browns Extends Pro Bowl Denzel Ward Making Him Highest Paid Cornerback Ever

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The Cleveland Browns have made cornerback Denzel Ward the highest-paid player in his position in NFL history. Ward signed a five-year extension with the Browns worth $100.5 million with $71.25 of that guaranteed, per Adam Schefter.

Ward is now set to earn $20.1 million per year on average, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history. He narrowly beat out Los Angeles Rams’ All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey, who took to Twitter to show some. love to Ward.

Ward has accumulated an effective career, standing as one of only four players with 10-plus interceptions and 50-plus passes defense since being drafted in 2018. He’s earned trips to the Pro Bowl in 2018 and 2021 while also posting elite Pro Football Focus grades, owning the fourth-highest coverage mark among corners since 2018 (minimum 1,000 snaps) and allowing the sixth-lowest completion percentage in his career among corners with 100-plus targets since 2018.

Ward will look to help get the Browns back in the playoff mix in the loaded AFC with a new contract under his belt.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Joel Embiid to Raptors’ Head Coach Nick Nurse During Game 2 76ers Win “Stop B***hng About Calls”

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Joel Embiid to Raptors’ Head Coach Nick Nurse During Game 2 76ers Win “Stop B***hng About Calls”

Joel Embiid loves to talk trash while on the court, and it now appears coaches aren’t safe from his antics either. During the game two big win for Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers over the Toronto Raptors, Embiid had an in-game conversation with Raptors’ head coach Nick Nurse.

You couldn’t tell what during the game, but afterward, Embiid revealed what was said with Nurse’s back-and-forth.

“He’s a great coach obviously, what he has been able to accomplish,” said Embiid of Nurse. “I’ve always been a big fan. But I told him, respectfully told him to stop b—-ing about calls.”

Embiid finished the game with 31 points, with 12 coming from the free-throw line. He attempted 14 free throws for the game. It seems Nurse didn’t like the number of times Embiid went to the line in the game.

“If you’re going to triple-team somebody all game, they are bound to get to the free-throw line, or if you’re going to push them off and try to hold them and all that stuff, they’re bound and get to the free-throw line,” Embiid said. “So I feel like every foul was legit and probably should have been more, honestly.”

The Raptors head back to Toronto down 2-0 in their first-round matchup with the 76ers. Maybe Nurse’s complaining to Embiid and the refs way benefit the Raptors in game 3, have Embiid more motivated to keep the pressure on.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Warriors Takes a 2-0 Series Lead on the Nuggets Putting the Rest of the Western Conference on Notice

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The Golden State Warriors are putting the Western Conference on notice with their outstanding play in the first two games of their matchup with the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors have taken a commanding 2-0 lead. They have neutralized defending league MVP Nikola Jokic and the entire Nuggets team with a new death lineup with Jordan Poole playing the role of former Warrior Kevin Durant.

The full unit took the court with 6:02 remaining in the second quarter, with Golden State trailing 43-35. By the time the halftime whistle sounded, the Warriors had led, 57-51. The new death lineup, which has yet to receive a proper nickname, launched a 22-8 run in half a quarter, and the way they did it should terrify the Nuggets, but whichever teams get in their way in upcoming playoff rounds.

“It’s a passer’s paradise for me,” Green said after the Game 2 win. “You’ve got those three guys [Curry, Thompson and Poole] out there at the same time, for me as a passer, that’s heaven. … You can’t ask for anything more on the offensive end, any more options than that.”

Steph Curry came off the bench and shot. Curry shot 12-for-17 (71%) from the field, the highest field goal percentage of his playoff career. It’s the first time in his career he scored 30-plus points in fewer than 25 minutes (regular season or playoffs), even though it was the 48th time he played 25 minutes or less.

The Warriors will look to take a 3 -0 lead in Denver on Thursday night.

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SOURCE SPORTS: Kyrie Irving Explains His Dislike for Celtics Fans After Getting Caught Giving the Middle Finger

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The Boston Celtics took game one of their first-round matchups against the Brooklyn Nets on a buzzer beating layup by Jason Tatum. The battle between Kyrie Irving and the Celtics fans could have gotten lost in such a great game.

After hitting a difficult shot over Jaylen Brown late in the third quarter, Irving can be seen flipping the middle finger to fans in the crowd.

After the game, Irving talked about how he felt about the Celtics Fans and how they showed a lack of respect for him and the game of basketball.

“Look, where I’m from, I’m used to all these antics and people being close nearby,” Irving said after scoring a team-high 39 points in 42 minutes. “It’s nothing new when I come into this building what it’s going to be like — but it’s the same energy they have for me, I’m going to have the same energy for them.

“And it’s not every fan, I don’t want to attack every fan, every Boston fan. When people start yelling ‘p—y’ or ‘b—-‘ and ‘f— you’ and all this stuff, there’s only but so much you take as a competitor. We’re the ones expected to be docile and be humble, take a humble approach, f— that, it’s the playoffs. This is what it is.”

For decades, Boston has been a tough place to play for African American players. Irving was a Celtic for two seasons, and during that time, it was all love. After signing with the Nets two years ago, the disconnect and animosity started to occur.

“I know what to expect in here,” Irving said after Sunday’s game. “And it’s the same energy I’m giving back to them. It is what it is. I’m not really focused on it, it’s fun, you know what I’m saying? Where I’m from I’ve dealt with so much, so coming in here you relish it as a competitor. … This isn’t my first time at TD Garden so what you guys saw, what you guys think is entertainment, or the fans think is entertainment, all is fair in competition.

“So if somebody’s going to call me out on my name, I’m gonna look at them straight in the eye and see if they really ’bout it. Most of the time they’re not.”

Irving put up amazing numbers despite the drama and appears to be willing to be the villain in Boston. Game 2 is set on Wednesday night, right back in Boston.

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