Jack Winter Articles - Page 81

Serge Ibaka, obviously, was feeling pretty, pretty good after Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and rightfully so. On the postgame podium following a standout individual performance in his team’s crucial victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, the Toronto Raptors big man showed off his multilingual tongue, seamlessly switching from speaking English to French to […]

The Cleveland Browns, poised to be among the NFL’s most improved teams in 2019, continued on-field activities this week without the offseason acquisition whose presence most accounts for that optimism. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. wasn’t on the practice field Tuesday, marking the fourth session of organized […]

The Kansas City Chiefs’ desired changes to overtime won’t be implemented for the 2019 season. Going forward, though, there remains a chance the team’s proposal drastically alters how extra football is played in the NFL. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Kansas City’s proposal to change the rules of overtime to put less emphasis on […]

In his first full season as an NFL starter, Patrick Mahomes expanded the limits of what was previously thought possible on the gridiron. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, however, didn’t get to play in Mexico City after a scheduled match south of the border with the Los Angeles Rams was moved to Southern California. But […]

The Portland Trail Blazers were just eliminated by the Golden State Warriors for the third time in four seasons. The two-time defending champions swept Portland in the Western Conference Finals, too, despite playing without Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins for the series’ duration and Andre Iguodala in Monday’s Game 4. Don’t tell Damian Lillard that […]

Patrick Peterson won’t be playing for the Arizona Cardinals during the first six games of the 2019 season. Beyond the middle of October, though, the superstar cornerback is apparently poised to be on the field in a Cardinals uniform for the foreseeable future. Amid widespread speculation that the Kansas City Chiefs might try and poach […]

The Kansas City Chiefs will be almost unrecognizable on defense in 2019. That’s not a bad thing, either, after Andy Reid’s team finished last in a host of all-encompassing defensive statistics last season, and its defense was unable to get off the field in both the late fourth quarter and overtime of a heartbreaking loss […]

The Los Angeles Rams are arguably the most talented team in the NFL, coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Many believe the New Orleans Saints will be even better offensively in 2019 than they were last season, when Sean Payton’s team was something close to an unstoppable force. The Philadelphia Eagles are just more than […]

For a long time, it seemed like T.Y. Hilton was the Indianapolis Colts’ only consistent playmaker. After tight end Eric Ebron’s breakout 2018 campaign and the addition of uber-gifted second-round wide receiver Parris Campbell, the Colts suddenly boast one of the most impressive collections of skill-position talent in the AFC, ensuring that defenses won’t have […]

Remember when Stephen Curry’s perceived struggles were the talk of the postseason? When Kevin Durant was proving his case as the Golden State Warriors’ clear-cut best player? When an especially knee-jerk set of NBA fans were wondering if Damian Lillard might actually be the league’s best point guard? Those narratives existed as recently as two […]

Kevin Durant is generally considered the Golden State Warriors’ best player. Standing just below seven feet with long arms, rare athleticism, and the ability to score and defend pretty much everywhere on the floor, the two-time reigning Finals MVP simply has fewer weaknesses than any of his teammates – and perhaps any other player in […]

Meyers Leonard is probably anonymous to all casual NBA fans, and even some more ardent followers of the league may not be all that familiar with his game. After the first half of Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, though, the Portland Trail Blazers big man was the talk of the basketball world for […]

Stephen Curry, obviously, is best known for his exploits from beyond the arc. The Golden State Warriors superstar is the greatest three-point shooter of all time, and already owns several long-range shooting records to prove it. But what makes him much, much more than just a shooter, at least in part, is elite finishing ability […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have been granted permission to interview Portland Trail Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts for the team’s vacancy at head coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Tibbetts, 41, has been with Portland since 2013. He had previously been an assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Prior to joining the Cavaliers, […]

Damian Lillard is a pillar in the Portland community. After a high school that he has a relationship with was nearly subject to a shooting by one of its students, the Portland Trail Blazers star heaped praise on Keanon Lowe, the educator who prevented another senseless tragedy by tackling and subduing the would-be shooter until […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo might be the favorite to win MVP this season, and there’s a legitimate argument to be made that he should have been a finalist for Defensive Player of the Year, too. Needless to say, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar has been absolutely dominant in 2018-19, reaching a level of play few player ever have […]

Damian Lillard continues to downplay the impact of his rib injury. Shortly after Sunday’s Game 3, another come-from-behind Warriors win, news broke that the Portland Trail Blazers superstar is playing through separated ribs. Lillard appeared to sustain the injury early in the second half of Game 2, when Golden State big man Kevon Looney landed […]

The most jarring aspect of what many believe is the best performance of Draymond Green’s career is what it didn’t include. While Green was leading the Golden State Warriors to another comeback win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, finishing with 20 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, and four steals, absent were any of […]

Mike Brown reacted to Jordan Bell’s embarrassing missed dunk in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals how any assistant coach would. Reminding the Golden State Warriors big man of a previous time in his basketball career, in high school, when he clanked an uncontested dunk off the rim, of course. Brown’s son, Elijah, played […]

Everything matters more in the playoffs. Every possession, every shot, every foul call, every loose ball, every timeout, and every mistake could prove the difference between winning and losing, when the stakes are going home or continuing on the path toward a championship. You could forgive the Golden State Warriors, then, for being frustrated with […]

There’s another explanation for Damian Lillard’s subpar play against the Golden State Warriors than their stifling defense alone. Not that the Portland Trail Blazers star, of course, is using his injury to excuse away his struggles in the Western Conference Finals. Shortly after Sunday’s Game 3, another come-from-behind Warriors win, news broke that Lillard is […]

Coming into his freshman campaign at the University of North Carolina, Nassir Little was considered a potential top-five pick. As the 2019 NBA Draft quickly approaches, though, Little finds himself not even guaranteed of being selected in the lottery, following a wildly inconsistent season that sparked far more questions than answers about his future at […]

Before his team’s game agains the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Saturday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr commended a local educator for his role in preventing a shooting on Friday at Portland’s Parkrose High School. “I read the story. It was a heroic act,” he said, per Mark Medina of the Mercury […]

The Portland Trail Blazers held a lead for the majority of crunch-time in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, and, despite a final blow-out result, were well within striking distance of the Golden State Warriors entering the fourth quarter of Game 1. Yes, the heavily-favored Warriors currently lead the Blazers 2-0, but that hardly […]

One of the most radical proposed changes to in-season competition in the NBA continues to gain traction in the league office. At the annual Sports Lawyers’ Association Conference on Saturday, NBA senior vice president Dan Spillane confirmed that the league is still broaching the idea of a midseason tournament. “We are looking at a midseason […]

Reminder: When a player flames out in the NBA, that hardly means they aren’t worthy of playing professional basketball altogether. Just ask Jan Vesely, a former top-10 pick who’s time in the league lasted just three seasons before he went back overseas to revitalize his career, a move that’s clearly paid off in a big, […]

Dwyane Wade’s career, unfortunately, is finally over. Just as his playing days have come to a close, though, the Miami Heat legend’s oldest son seems poised to pick up his father’s mantle as an electrifying athlete on the perimeter – at least if his re-creation of Wade’s iconic windmill dunk is any indication of things […]

The Houston Rockets took a lot of flak after being eliminated from the playoffs by the Golden State Warriors for the second consecutive season. While much of that criticism stemmed from the basketball’s world’s deep-rooted frustration with the on-court histrionics of James Harden and Chris Paul, some of it related back to the foibles of […]

Over seven months into the 2018-19 season, with the glare off the Larry O’Brien Trophy growing stronger by the day, one would assume Nick Nurse wouldn’t have to beg his team to play with more physicality. After the Toronto Raptors were blown out by the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, […]

The Houston Rockets dismissed defensive coordinator Jeff Bzdelik on Saturday, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Jeff Bzdelik, the Rockets associate head coach who guided the defensive improvement last season, was let go today, a person with knowledge of the decision said. — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) May 18, 2019 This development comes as […]

Just in case your head has been in the sand since last fall, it’s worth reminding that the Milwaukee Bucks were the league’s best team during the regular season, and it wasn’t particularly close. And despite many assuming the Bucks would come back to earth amid the pressure cooker of the playoffs, they’ve instead continued […]

If New Orleans Pelicans owner Gayle Benson gets her way, there’s no way Anthony Davis will be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan said earlier this week that Benson would only deal the Pelicans’ franchise player to the Lakers “over [her] dead body.” Does that sound like an owner who would ever […]

There was never much doubt, but it’s now clearer than ever where Mike Budenholzer stands on the process versus results debate as it related to the postseason. After the Milwaukee Bucks thrashed the Toronto Raptors on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, Budenholzer reiterated that his team will always fall […]

The Milwaukee Bucks had the second-best home record in the NBA during the regular season. Their +11.5 net rating ranked first by a significant margin, and in the playoffs, that number ticked up to a league-best +14.7 before Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals. It’s even higher now, of course, after the Bucks beat […]

The New York Knicks were one of the several teams who left lottery night disappointed. James Dolan’s team, after finishing with the worst record in the league last season, had a 14.3 percent chance to win the No. 1 pick, tied for highest with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers. New York ultimately fell victim […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo continues staking his claim as an all-time great for the Milwaukee Bucks – at the age of 24. In his team’s thorough beat down of the Toronto Raptors on Friday, Antetokounmpo became the second player in franchise history to score at least 25 points, grab 15 rebounds, and dish out five assists, joining […]

Trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by 20 points with the third-quarter clock ticking toward zero, the Toronto Raptors badly needed a spark. Enter Jodie Meeks, who hit a running three-pointer between multiple defenders as the buzzer sounded, ostensibly giving his team some much-needed life entering the final stanza. Jodie Meeks lets it go to beat the […]

The Baltimore Ravens worked out several free agents on Friday, including former Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Jon Bostic, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. Bostic signed a two-year, $4 million deal with the Steelers in free agency last season. He went on to start 14 of 16 games at left inside linebacker for Pittsburgh, […]

The Houston Texans have released veteran tight end Ryan Griffin, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. The 29-year-old was arrested in Nashville, TN last month on charges of vandalism and public intoxication. According to local police, Griffin punched out the front window of a Nashville hotel, after which hotel security followed him on foot. When officers […]