LeBron and the Lakers on the brink of history, MLB postseason is here, and college football is (almost) all the way back
The Los Angeles Lakers are back in the NBA Finals for the first time in 10 years after they defeated the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals Saturday night.
Doing the heavy lifting: LeBron James, as usual. King James recorded his 27th career postseason triple-double in Game 5. He's in the NBA Finals for the 10th time in his career, and the ninth time in the last 10 seasons.
It's been a long road back to the Finals for the Lakers, who hadn't won a playoff game since 2012 before this run and had missed the postseason entirely each of the last six seasons – the worst stretch in franchise history. But the addition of Anthony Davis, in addition to some great work by first-year coach Frank Vogel and his staff, has the Lakers, per James, back where they belong – though he says the job is not done yet.
The Lakers' opponents will be the Miami Heat, James' former team. The Heat made history in becoming the first No. 5 seed to reach the NBA Finals, but this squad is no fluke. The ascendance of young stars, led by Bam Adebayo, and play of veterans that have fit the #HEATCulture perfectly – looking at you Jimmy Butler – has made Miami among the most potent teams in the bubble.
The must-read stories from the week that was:
- MLB's expanded playoff field is set: The regular season is over, and a *very* different MLB postseason is about to begin. We take a quick look at all eight wild-card series matchups.
- MJ joins NASCAR: Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin have formed as NASCAR team that will have Bubba Wallace as the driver. What can the presence of His Airness do for the sport?
- 'You can't let up': NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on why the league is fining coaches for mask violations. There's no excuses for the coaches not wearing their masks, Nancy Armour writes.
- Changing the game: Fifty years ago, Billie Jean King and other women pros boycotted a tennis tournament and started their own to spark change.
- 'Respect the hell outta you': Inside Dak Prescott, Hayden Hurst’s intimate exchange after Cowboys-Falcons game.
- Pac-12 BACK: The Pac-12 announced Thursday that it will in fact be playing college football this fall after all. So, Dan Wolken asks, why not make things fair for everyone and expand the College Football Playoff.
- 'They've carried us': How Cincinnati Reds' grounds crew gave team a boost during season without fans.
- #PowerRankings: Who has the best and worst team hashtags in the NFL? Nate Davis sorted through all 32 to find out.
- Basketball 'just a glimpse' of who Jaylen Brown is: One of the most thoughtful, influential voices inside the NBA bubble is also one of the youngest and best players, too.
- Elected officials 'are not doing enough': Pelicans' J.J. Redick on NBA players taking real action in fighting injustice.
- Pandemic. War.: How Vanderbilt football continued despite the misery of 1918.
Quick hits:
- How the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped a high school girl in New Jersey win a spot on the boys tennis team.
- Iowa high school quarterback with one arm scores six TDs in one game.
- Peyton Manning and Charles Barkley trade trash talk.
- The Raiders' "Death Star" is fully operational.
- Ex-Ohio State coach Urban Meyer never felt bad running up the score on Michigan.
- RIP to "The Kansas Comet." Pro Football Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers dies at 77.
- LeBron James 'devastated' by grand jury decision in Breonna Taylor case.
- Alex Gordon is retiring after a 14-year career all spent with the Royals.
- Fitzmagic happened Thursday night in Jacksonville.
- Thom Brennaman has resigned from his job with the Reds and Fox Sports Ohio, a little more than a month after he was heard using a homophobic slur on air.
From our friends around the Network
A Blind Iowa teenager is inspiring friends, family and even soccer star Lionel Messi.
Why OSU quarterback Shane Illingworth's family didn't expect him to suit up against Tulsa, let alone save the day.
His dad was legendary coach Knute Rockne's last equipment manager and he left letters from Notre Dame coach
Defensive leader at OSU Kolby Harvell-Peel shows his creative side through music, with his fifth album released this week.
Best buys from Reviewed.com
- The best workout apps of 2020.
- This $100 Lululemon sweatshirt has a cult following – and is worth every penny.
- Is Peloton’s fitness app worth using if you don’t own the bike?
- This Pilates reformer makes working out at home way more fun.
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