R.P. Salao Articles - Page 5

The Los Angeles Lakers are lightyears ahead of where they were earlier in the season. Now with the postseason in sight, there’s still some final housekeeping to determine who LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the rest of the Lakeshow will end up playing after the regular season ends. Given how the tiebreakers have shaken out, […]

Israel Adesanya had one of the coldest knockout celebrations in history after he left Alex Pereira lifeless on the mat to close out UFC 287. After getting the KO, Izzy made sure to take out his invisible bow and arrow to make sure his opponent was down and out. Three arrows, one for each defeat […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to the play-in tournament, shattering expectations of where the team would be before the season began. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been right at the center of it all. SGA went from promising young player to borderline superstar this season, becoming one of the most lethal scorers in the game. His […]

The headline fight for UFC 287 did not disappoint. On the line for Israel Adesanya was a shot at both regaining the Middleweight belt and exorcising his demons in the form of Alex Pereira. He didn’t disappoint. With his back towards the fence, Izzy caught Pereira with a vicious right hook and then went in […]

Los Angeles Rams icon Aaron Donald and Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel were seen exchanging pleasantries during UFC 287. Aaron Donald and Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel at #UFC287 🤝 pic.twitter.com/cGbJ153aki — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 9, 2023 It’s a harmless show of respect from one NFL figure to another. But given that it’s […]

Draymond Green deserves a ton of respect. He was instrumental in all four Golden State Warriors championships over the past eight seasons. It’s gotten to the point that his outspoken personality has made him underrated given that people love to hate on him, sort of like Paul Pierce. But love him or hate him, he’s […]

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the top seed in the NBA with a few games to spare. Now with the playoffs clearly in their sights, the latest update on All-Star wing Khris Middleton has everything going according to plan. Middleton, who has been dealing with his knee injury throughout the season, is expected to begin rehab […]

Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Clippers won the Battle of LA on Wednesday as they dominated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a 125-118 win. Thanks to a late push by the Lakers, the score ended up much closer than the game actually was, as the Clippers held a double-digit lead throughout […]

The return of Andrew Wiggins appears just around the corner for the Golden State Warriors, but the wait will have to extend a bit longer. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr gave some insights on Wiggins’ potential return in his recent appearance on 95.7 The Game. The positive is that the 28-year-old is said to be […]

The Battle for Los Angeles is upon us as the Lakers and Clippers square off in Crypto.com Arena on Wednesday night. While a singular clash between LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard is significant in its own right, the game carries greater magnitude given its potential impact on the Western Conference playoff race. The Lakers and […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder lost a crucial contest on Tuesday after a late comeback by the defending champion Golden State Warriors. While no singular play determined the outcome, a botched substitution arguably served as an inflection point in the game. With the score tied at 115 midway through the fourth quarter, Stephen Curry sank a […]

With the margins as razor-thin for this year’s NBA MVP race, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid’s recent performance against the Boston Celtics may have gotten him a leg up over Nikola Jokic. That’s certainly where Jimmy Butler’s head is at. The Miami Heat frontman gave his definitive take after hearing Embiid poured in 52 points […]

LeBron James put the exclamation point on a brilliant night against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Lakers star finished a tough spinning layup in traffic to seal the win in overtime. James shed rookie Ochai Agbaji and powered over former Lakers teammate Damian Jones for the final points of the evening. LeBron […]

The NBA’s Most Valuable Player award is a season-long achievement. But when the numbers are as close as they have been between Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, narratives and statement games carry significant weight. The Philadelphia 76ers center made a bold statement on Tuesday as he pummeled the Boston Celtics en route to […]

There’s never been more talent in the NBA than there is now. One of the biggest drawbacks to witnessing said talent has been load management. It’s an issue at the forefront of NBPA president CJ McCollum’s list of issues to tackle. In a recent piece centered on load management from ESPN’s Baxter Holmes, McCollum spoke […]

The early iterations of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the late aughts remain some of the most iconic young rosters in recent history. While Kevin Durant spearheaded some promising talent, he wouldn’t have minded being around some of today’s Thunder players based on his recent comments. Following his latest return to OKC when his Phoenix […]

The Golden State Warriors are expected to get forward Andrew Wiggins back just before the end of the regular season. The Dubs swingman has missed the last 22 games due to personal matters. It’s been revealed that the reason for his leave from the team was due to a serious medical situation his father and […]

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant is in his third uniform since leaving Oklahoma City. No matter the colors he has on his jersey, it hasn’t changed how Thunder fans view him since that fateful day in 2016. The Thunder faithful reminded KD of how they felt about him with some hearty boos during the Suns’ […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking like a force to be reckoned with again, thanks in no small part to two men: Austin Reaves and Anthony Davis. On Sunday night, the former played well but it was the latter who put on a show to remind everyone just how good he really is. AD posted […]

Jimmy Butler took one page out of Stephen Curry’s playbook on Saturday. The Miami Heat forward tried a no-look jump shot in their strong 129-122 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Check out Jimmy Buckets do his thing and quickly turn the other way: Jimmy Butler pulled The Steph Curry no look on a mid range […]

Max Verstappen got the result that he wanted in the Australian Grand Prix to keep his place atop the Formula 1 standings, but it wasn’t without controversy. The Red Bull driver got the very first Australian GP win of his career in what was, in his words, a “messy” affair both when it came to […]

Increased expectations often lead to greater scrutiny. After two Most Valuable Player awards and a legitimate case for a third, Nikola Jokic has been under a microscope more than his first two campaigns. He’s an absolute maestro, controlling the Nuggets’ entire offensive attack. Nobody’s doubting his value on that end. It’s his defense that’s been […]

Brandon Ingram was not going to let the New Orleans Pelicans lose on Saturday. The slithery wing made every decisive pass and big shot necessary to vanquish the Los Angeles Clippers for a monumental 122-114 win. The victory placed them half a game behind the Clippers, right at the cusp of a top-six spot in […]

LeBron James has serious aspirations for the Los Angeles Lakers this season. But beyond this season, the 4-time MVP has been rumored to have his sights set on a move straight out of the Michael Jordan post-retirement playbook. In what feels like one of the NBA’s worst-kept secrets, LeBron has been tied to a future […]

Nobody on planet earth is hotter than Caitlin Clark right now. The Iowa Hawkeyes stormed through the Elite Eight and Final Four on the back of their fearless leader. Clark posted a monstrous triple-double with 41 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists in the win over Louisville earlier this week then followed that up with […]

Anthony Davis again gave Los Angeles Lakers fans a scare on Friday night. The big man landed awkwardly after going up for a rebound, clutching his ankle midway through the third quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Given AD’s injury history, it’s hard not to fear the worst when something like that happens, especially when it […]

The New York Giants have locked in their commitment at quarterback, signing Daniel Jones to a four-year deal that could pay him as much as 160 million. Giants owner John Mara has recently been vocal against some of the league’s proposed reforms, but was nothing but supportive of his team’s long-term QB option, as he […]

Kevin Durant is, finally, back. The Phoenix Suns forward had a few setbacks early in his career in Arizona, but is now healthy and taking the court with Chris Paul and Devin Booker. He finally made his Suns home debut on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t exactly a performance to remember. KD finished with just […]

You couldn’t pick two more drastically different NBA superstars than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Stephen Curry. One is a 7-foot-2 center with an unblockable sky hook who towered over his opponents in the paint at a time when center play was at its height. The other thrives on the three-point shot, draining the most amount of […]

The Dallas Mavericks are slipping further and further away from a shot at the playoffs, which would be a catastrophic end result after taking the risk to acquire Kyrie Irving. After yet another loss on Wednesday against the Philadelphia 76ers, thy find themselves a game back (virtually two because of the tie-breaker) of the Oklahoma […]

The top three seeds in the Western Conference standings are all but set in stone. The 4-through-10 spots, however, remain completely fluid with every seed held by a different owner on a day-to-day basis. The New Orleans Pelicans find themselves right in the thick of things in the wild West, sporting an even 38-38 record […]

The titans of the Eastern Conference – the Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, and Philadelphia 76ers, occupy its top three seeds. Nobody would be surprised if any of those teams emerge as the representative for the NBA Finals. It’s more complicated in the West, with its biggest names and championship owners in LeBron James, Stephen Curry, […]

The Washington Wizards have their sights set on keeping Kyle Kuzma. The 27-year-old forward does have a year left on his deal, but also has an opt-out clause that he’s all but surely going to execute to secure himself a bigger deal. Wizards GM Tommy Sheppard is reportedly angling to be the team that gives […]

If money alone determined the winner of the World Series every year, Steve Cohen’s New York Mets would be the runaway winner for 2023. As the MLB season draws near, they’re tied up to roughly $375 million in luxury tax payroll with almost $500 million committed to free agents this offseason alone. Whether lavish spending […]

The big question mark surrounding the Golden State Warriors and their postseason hopes centers around Andrew Wiggins and whether he can rejoin Stephen Curry and the rest of his teammates. Wiggins hasn’t played for a month and a half now and is running out of regular season games to ramp himself up for any potential […]

Tuesday night was a serious blow for Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics’ chances to chase down the Milwaukee Bucks for the top spot in the East. They fell 130-111 to a Washington Wizards side that has been sitting both Bradley Beal and Kyle Kuzma. The Wizards led by 22 points early into the fourth […]

Change is in the air for the NFL as owners and executives congregated on Tuesday for the league meetings. New York Giants owner John Mara maintains there’s at least one proposed policy change that he’s “adamantly opposed” to and that’s the plans for a flexible Thursday Night Football slate. After several TNF stinkers last season, […]

Preparing to defend an offensive juggernaut like Luka Doncic is always a serious challenge for any opposing coach. Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle was supposed to catch a break from that duty ahead of their home clash against the Dallas Mavericks on Monday. The Mavs superstar was slated to be hit with a suspension […]

Bradley Beal is now the center of a police investigation being conducted by the Orlando Police Department. A confrontation between the Washington Wizards guard and a group of hecklers allegedly got too heated during the team’s recent visit to Orlando to face the Magic last week. The complaint was reportedly filed within a day of […]