Michael Finley is adamant he’s not a member of the fun police.
Nearly two years after the Mavericks executive was caught on video ripping a celebratory beer away from Luka Doncic following Dallas’ Western Conference Finals victory over the Timberwolves, Finley revealed he was absolutely not attempting to throw a wet blanket on his star’s party.
Luka Doncic and his father, Sasa, after the Dallas Mavericks clinched a spot in the NBA Finals. pic.twitter.com/fbqhft2G6B
Finley insisted to 105.3 The Fan on Thursday that he was actually just temporarily holding the beverage for Doncic so the Mavericks’ social media team could snap some photos of the guard following the big May 2024 win.
“This is the God’s honest truth about the beer situation with our former player,” Finley said. “So after the game in Minnesota, we win the Western Conference championship, we’re on our way to the Finals. I leave the court. I see No. 77 standing over there having a beer, and I say, ‘Congratulations, young fella. You definitely deserve that beer.’
“And he’s like, ‘Thanks, Fin. Thanks.’
“I leave him, I go in the locker room, I celebrate with the rest of the team. We’re having a great time. Champagne’s being popped, pictures are being taken, and we’re having a jolly old time.”
During his visit with @OThankKevin and @inthemageors, #Mavs co-interim GM Michael Finley addressed the viral video of him taking a beer from Luka Doncic after Dallas won the Western Conference Finals:
Finley, though, said when he briefly left the locker room, he noticed some of Dallas’ photographers were “frozen” and staring at Doncic — who was traded to the Lakers only a few months after the incident.
“I’m like, ‘What’s going on, guys? What’s wrong?’” he said. “They said, ‘We want to take a picture of Luka and his dad.’ And I said, ‘Well take the picture. What are you — you guys are great at it. Take the picture.’
Luka Doncic and Michael Finley share a moment after the Mavericks win the Western Conference Finals in 2024. NBAE via Getty Images
“They said, ‘But Luka’s holding a beer. He’s drinking a beer.’”
So Finley said he went to grab the cold one so the Mavs could get some content.
“When you watch the video,” Finley explained, “I go, I take the beer, I hug Luka again, and that’s why Luka looked like, ‘Man, what are you doing? We just talked about this and you said it was cool.’
Luka Doncic and his father Sasa embrace, holding the Western Conference Finals trophy in 2024. Getty Images
“I take the beer, he looks at me in an odd way, they take the picture, two minutes later he comes back and I give him the beer and we continue to celebrate our win.”
Finley, a 15-year NBA veteran who’s now the Mavericks’ co-interim general manager, went on to say that as a former player, he wanted Doncic to enjoy every minute of that victory.
“I’ve been there, I’ve done that and I don’t take it for granted,” he said. “And when a guy like Luka, and what he had done for the team that season, that series, he deserved a chance to celebrate.”
“And,” Finley continued, “I gave the beer back. We celebrated in the locker room. We had a great night. Great trip and went on to the Finals. And yeah, that’s the story. That’s the whole truth and nothing but the truth, as they say.”
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The 3:00 p.m. cutoff has come and gone for the NHL trade deadline, and while the Philadelphia Flyers made some headline-grabbing moves, they did not move what appeared to be their most obvious trade chip.
Flyers moves today:
Bobby Brink to MIN for D David Jiricek Nic Deslauriers to CAR for 2027 conditional 7th round pick Alexis Gendron & Massimo Rizzo to BOS for D Jackson Edward & F Brett Harrison (AHL deal) Claimed C Luke Glendening from NJD
The Flyers started the day off by trading winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for David Jiricek, a 22-year-old right-shot defenseman who will report to the AHL upon his arrival in Philadelphia.
Then it was forward Nic Deslauriers to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 2027 conditional 7th-round draft pick. Deslauriers saw limited playing time this season, mainly being utilized as a fourth-line piece when the lineup needed some physical edge.
They also picked up a center in Luke Glendening, claiming him off waivers from the New Jersey Devils.
On the AHL side of things, forwards Alexis Gendron and Massimo Rizzo are shipping up to Boston, with the Flyers receiving defenseman Jackson Edward and forward Brett Harrison in return.
Perhaps the biggest headline, though, is who Philadelphia didn't move today—namely defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen, who was widely regarded as the Flyers player with the most significant interest from teams around the league.
Ristolainen is no stranger to trade rumors, but in the lead-up to today's deadline, it appeared that he could legitimately be on the move, with teams like the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins rumored to be strong potential landing spots. However, the Flyers' asking price for the 31-year-old Finn was reportedly not met, so he will remain on the roster.
I'm told the #Flyers are not moving Rasmus Ristolainen. They did not get their price.@DailyFaceoff
Forwards Owen Tippett and Carl Grundstrom, along with defenseman Noah Juulsen, also floated around as trade chips, but ultimately were not moved either.
In return, Los Angeles sent a 2026 conditional third-round pick to Toronto as the deal was finalized in the late queue at the NHL trade deadline.
That draft pick becomes a second-rounder if the Kings make the Stanley Cup playoffs, ESPN's Emily Kaplan reported. As of the trade deadline, Los Angeles is three points behind the Seattle Kraken, who own the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.
At last year's trade deadline, the Maple Leafs acquired Laughton from the Philadelphia Flyers for a first-round pick and prospect Nikita Grebenkin. This time around, Holland brings in the same player for a far lower price.
Laughton, 31, has been a key penalty killer for the Maple Leafs this season and is an excellent leader and competitor. He's spent most of this campaign as a bottom-six center, taking reps on the third and fourth line.
In 43 games this season, Laughton has eight goals, 12 points and a minus-three rating. He missed some time early in the year with an upper-body injury and was also a healthy scratch for Toronto's last two games. It was listed as roster management, as Leafs GM Brad Treliving was expecting to move him.
In terms of killing penalties, Laughton averages 2:17 of ice time while his team is shorthanded. What ties in nicely with that ability is how good he is in the faceoff dot, posting a 56.7 percent on the year.
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The St. Louis Blues first traded away their captain to the New York Islanders, then made another deal, sending veteran defenseman Justin Faulk to the Detroit Red Wings for first- and third-round picks, veteran minor league defenseman Justin Holl and prospect forward Dmitri Buchelnikov.
The move came right at the end of the NHL Trade Deadline on Friday.
In moving Faulk, 33, who was in his sixth season with the Blues, along with Brayden Schenn to the New York Islanders, the Blues have stocked up two first-round picks, two third-round picks a goalie prospect and a minor league skater. Faulk still has one more year at a cap hit of $6.5 million.
Faulk, who was having a solid season, especially offensively with 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 61 games, it gives the Red Wings a veteran presence and gives the Blues more picks to perhaps use to deal in the summer or stockpile prospects.
Faulk leaves St. Louis having played 482 games with 232 points (56 goals, 176 assists).
Buchelnikov, 22, is an unsigned draft pick of the Red Wings (second round, 2022). This season, he has played in 39 games for the KHL’s CSKA Moskva and has 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists). Overall, the Nizhny Tagil, Russia native has 108 points (42 goals, 66 assists) in 169 KHL regular-season games.
Holl, 34, has played in 41 games for Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League this season and had 14 points (two goals, 12 assists). He has appeared in eight NHL seasons, including stints with Toronto and Detroit and has 95 points (13 goals, 82 assists) in 396 career NHL regular-season games.
We'll have more on these when general manager Doug Armstrong speaks to the media soon ...
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The Winnipeg Jets have traded veteran winger Tanner Pearson to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick, according to Winnipeg Free Press writer Ken Wiebe.
Pearson, 32, has provided depth scoring and experience for Winnipeg this season. This season, the Kitchener native has recorded eight goals and ten assists for 18 points in 52 games, contributing primarily in a bottom-six role. The Jets added Pearson this past offseason on a one-year, $1 million deal.
Over the course of his NHL career, Pearson has played for several teams including the Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Vancouver Canucks, Montreal Canadiens, and most recently the Jets. Across 774 career NHL games, he has recorded 157 goals and 168 assists for 325 points, establishing himself as a reliable secondary scoring option for a majority of his career.
Pearson was selected 30th overall in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, where he would go on to win a Stanley Cup in 2014.
For Winnipeg, the move gets something in return for a pending free agent as they look to add some future draft capital and start planning towards next season and the future.
Further details, including the identity of the acquiring club and the exact draft pick involved, are expected once the trade is officially finalized.
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Less than six months after acquiring him, the Vancouver Canucks have dealt forward Lukas Reichel to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Reichel, who spent most of his time in the organization with the Abbotsford Canucks, played a total of 14 games for Vancouver.
Vancouver first acquired Reichel on October 24, 2025 from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. This move was made to help the Canucks deal with depth issues at centre due to injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger. Reichel’s fit with the team didn’t quite gel the way many hoped it would, as it took him eight games to register his first point with Vancouver. He was ultimately sent down to Abbotsford and has played there since.
In 23 games with Abbotsford, Reichel scored six goals and seven assists, going on a six-game point streak through the end of January to the end of February. He also represented Germany at the 2026 Winter Olympics, putting up two goals and one assist in five games. During his Olympic tournament, Reichel ended up playing on lines with both Tim Stützle and Leon Draisaitl.
Vancouver will face Reichel’s former team, the Blackhawks, later today at 5:30 pm PT.
Nov 5, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Lukas Reichel (73) during a stop in play against the Chicago Blackhawks in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
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Spring Training is well underway and the World Baseball Classic pool play has also begun. It’s always a good idea to exercise some caution with early stats because players are frequently working through a few things as they prepare for the regular season. That said, there are early indicators we do keep an eye out for, especially for pitchers, like velocity and new pitches. With the obvious small (and early!) sample size caveats in mind, let’s take a closer look at what the Cubs have seen from Shōta Imanaga two starts into Spring Training.
Cubs fans will recall that the 2025 season ended with Imanaga struggling with pitch location and giving up a large number of home runs as a result. To put that in perspective, you can see some of Shōta’s key stats split by season and month below:
Season
Month
IP
TBF
K/9
BB/9
K/BB
HR/9
K%
BB%
K-BB%
AVG
WHIP
BABIP
LOB%
FIP
xFIP
2024
Mar/Apr
27.2
108
9.11
0.98
9.33
0.65
25.93%
2.78%
23.15%
.181
0.80
.227
88.54%
2.41
3.44
2024
May
30.1
123
9.20
2.08
4.43
0.89
25.20%
5.69%
19.51%
.250
1.19
.317
84.91%
3.10
3.81
2024
Jun
27
117
8.33
1.33
6.25
1.67
21.37%
3.42%
17.95%
.288
1.33
.329
53.33%
4.28
4.33
2024
Jul
24.2
97
9.85
1.09
9.00
1.46
27.84%
3.09%
24.74%
.217
0.93
.262
92.78%
3.69
3.67
2024
Aug
36.2
146
9.08
1.47
6.17
2.21
25.34%
4.11%
21.23%
.221
1.01
.234
73.77%
4.83
3.37
2024
Sept/Oct
27
103
8.67
1.67
5.20
1.33
25.24%
4.85%
20.39%
.184
0.85
.206
100.00%
3.72
3.20
2025
Mar/Apr
39
159
6.92
3.00
2.31
1.62
18.87%
8.18%
10.69%
.214
1.13
.220
90.64%
4.93
4.93
2025
May
5.2
22
6.35
1.59
4.00
0.00
18.18%
4.55%
13.64%
.190
0.88
.235
60.00%
2.25
5.52
2025
Jun
5
17
5.40
1.80
3.00
0.00
17.65%
5.88%
11.76%
.063
0.40
.077
100.00%
2.54
5.00
2025
Jul
33.1
134
7.02
0.54
13.00
2.43
19.40%
1.49%
17.91%
.256
1.05
.250
85.47%
5.36
4.53
2025
Aug
34
122
8.47
1.32
6.40
1.32
26.23%
4.10%
22.13%
.154
0.68
.163
81.25%
3.61
3.92
2025
Sept/Oct
27.2
113
7.16
1.30
5.50
3.25
19.47%
3.54%
15.93%
.275
1.23
.260
65.00%
6.68
4.32
Admittedly, some of these samples are minuscule. The 10.2 innings Imanaga threw between May and June last season while dealing with injury are too small to be meaningful. But there are trends here that are notable. Imanaga’s strikeout rate has declined during his time in MLB. His walk rate is still elite. Say what you will about Imanaga, he throws strikes. Unfortunately, the other thing you can see is that those strikes have been more hittable over time, which is a problem.
During his first two spring training starts there is both good and bad news out of Mesa for Imanaga. The good news is that the velocity on Shōta’s pitches has been up a couple of ticks for both starts. In 2025 Shōta’s fourseam averaged 90.8 miles per hour, his splitter was at 83.0 and his sweeper was 80.3. On February 24, Shōta’s fastball sat around 92 miles per hour and hit 94.1, hist splitter mostly sat at 84 and hit 85.5. He threw one sweeper, it was 82.6 miles per hour. This approximately two mile per hour bump persisted in his second start against the White Sox on March 1 — unfortunately, another problem that reared its ugly head during the 2025 season was on display during the March start: a highly elevated home run rate. Of the four hits Imanaga surrendered in that start against the White Sox, three went over the wall.
Obviously it’s early. Imanaga has only thrown 4.2 innings so far this spring, which is an even smaller sample than either of the tiny months I told you to ignore in the table above. His HR/FB rate will not be 37.5 percent for the spring and unless there is a small sample during a month in the regular season, he won’t post a split like that in the regular season. Pitchers are frequently working on their pitch arsenal and approach during the spring in ways that can radically shift their results from start to start. However, if Shōta is still missing middle-middle when Opening Day rolls around an extra two miles per hour might not be enough to get him back to his 2024 results.
DULUTH, Ga. (AP) — Hannah Hidalgo scored 25 points, Iyana Moore added 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and No. 5 seed Notre Dame beat fourth-seeded N.C. State 81-63 on Friday in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Notre Dame (22-9), which has won seven in a row and nine of 10, plays top-seeded Duke in the semifinals Saturday.
Hildalgo, who also had five rebounds and five assists, has scored at least 25 points in six consecutive games. She made 12 of 20 field goals.
Cassandre Prosper scored 13 points for the Irish.
N.C. State (20-10) had its three-game win streak snapped. Khamil Pierre had 17 points and 14 rebounds — her 21st double-double this season — for the Wolfpack. Murray State's Sharnecce Currie-Jelks leads the nation with 23 double-doubles.
Moore hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring 48 seconds into the game and Notre Dame led the rest of the way. Moore (17) and Hidalgo (16) combined for 33 first-half points on 13-of-24 (54%) shooting — while the rest of the team made just 2 of 10 from the field — as the Irish took a 40-32 lead into the intermission.
Hildalgo converted a three-point play 38 seconds into the third quarter that pushed the lead into double figures for good and sparked a 16-1 run. Prosper, who was scoreless in the first half, scored 11 points in the spurt that gave the Irish a 56-33 lead.
Zamareya Jones had 14 points, Qadence Samuels scored 12 and Zoe Brooks 10 for N.C. State.
Up next
N.C. State: Awaits a likely NCAA Tournament invitation.
Bobby McMann, once rumored to be a potential addition for the Colorado Avalanche, is instead heading west to the Seattle Kraken. The Toronto Maple Leafs traded the 29-year-old forward to Seattle in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos.
This marks Toronto’s second roster move this week amid a disappointing season. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs sent centre Nic Roy to Colorado.
Before the deal was finalized, speculation had swirled that McMann could be headed to the Avalanche. Insider Frank Seravalli shared the report on X (formerly Twitter), writing:
Bobby McMann highlights with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Sounds like #GoAvsGo and #LeafsForever engaged again on Bobby McMann. We’ll see where it goes.”
McMann, a Wainwright, Alta., native, has spent his entire NHL career with Toronto. Undrafted out of junior hockey, he signed as a free agent in April 2022 and is now in the second and final year of a two-year, $2.7 million extension. This season, he has produced 32 points (19 goals, 13 assists) in 60 games, demonstrating the speed, physicality, and scoring ability that would have made him an ideal top-nine power forward for Colorado. Over his three NHL seasons, he has tallied 15, 20, and 19 goals, proving his consistency as a goal scorer.
With the trade to Seattle, McMann becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, giving the Kraken a potential short-term boost down the stretch while providing him a fresh opportunity in a new market.
And for the Avalanche, it could be seen as possibly a disappointing deadline. They reportedly had a deal to acquire Nazem Kadri from the Calgary Flames, but ownership nixed the deal at the last second, and they were also unable to snag McMann. However, Nic Roy and Brett Kulak were definitely solid acquisitions.
North Carolina's star freshman and a projected top-five pick in next June's draft, Caleb Wilson, is done for the season after fracturing his right thumb (which requires surgery to repair) while throwing down a dunk in practice on Thursday, North Carolina announced Friday.
Wilson had missed the last six Tar Heel games with a fractured left hand but was working his way back into the rotation when the injury occurred, coach Hubert Davis had told reporters.
Wilson is expected to be cleared to return to basketball activity during the pre-draft process, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. This injury should not impact his draft status.
Wilson, a 6'10" forward, was in the midst of a standout season in Carolia blue, averaging 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
Caleb Wilson was incredible today vs Kansas
24 points 7 rebounds 4 assists 4 steals 9-12 FG
High level motor with NBA athleticism, length, shotmaking, just an incredible performance today pic.twitter.com/IwBQ7B2tOc
Most pundits, as well as front office people NBC Sports has spoken with, have Wilson fourth on draft boards, and maybe the one guy who could crack the "big three" at the top of the board (AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson and Cameron Boozer). His athleticism and power have impressed scouts, and head-to-head he has outplayed Boozer and Peterson when their teams met this season. While there are questions about his game — can he develop a 3-point shot, can he clean up some things defensively — Wilson is considered an elite prospect who almost certainly will be drafted in the top five next June.
SAN ANTONIO, TX -MARCH 5: Keldon Johnson #3 of the San Antonio Spurs goes for a block on Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Frost Bank Center on March 5, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images) | Getty Images
“Thereby was wrought the Hydra, many-necked, flickering its dread tongues. Of its fearful heads some severed lay on earth, but many more were budding from its necks…”
– Quintus Smyrnaeus, The Fall of Troy (4th Century A.D.)
It’s not often that a basketball game makes me think of (or reference) a mythical creature.
I had to double-check, because after 8 years of writing here, my articles have run the gamut as far as subject matter is concerned, but I have somehow managed in all that time to avoid referencing a single primordial cryptid, folkloric being, or otherwise fantastical beasties.
It’s honestly a bit of a shock. Perhaps even an accomplishment at this point, having regaled (and annoyed) so many with the outlines of various historical battles, obscure pop culture references, philosophical and grammatical meanderings, geopolitical analysis, astronomical phenomena, the minutiae of antiquated technologies (and one very odd article about bugs bouncing off of windshields) to find that I’ve yet to have used up my quota for mythological entities.
Not as much of a shock, though, to have spent an evening watching what the Spurs have mutated into over the course of a season, in the face of stiff competition.
The Detroit Pistons are a very good team. To leave it at that feels like a gross understatement. While I didn’t write the preview for that game, I feel duty-bound to point out that not only are the Pistons leading the Eastern Conference, but they have both a higher Net Rating and Defensive Rating than the Spurs do.
Against this version of the Spurs, it just did not matter. At all.
The Spurs were inconsistent on defense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters? Didn’t matter.
Stephon Castle lived inside of Cade Cunningham’s jersey like a toothpick fish inside a urethra. Wemby seemed to block players by just looking in their direction. Devin Vassell floated from defensive rotation to defensive rotation and engulfed his match-ups like the smoke from a dockworker’s Marlboro Red.
The Pistons tried to shut down San Antonio’s outside shooting, keying on Champanige, and Vassell, and even the slumping (25% from three over the last ten games) Keldon Johnson? Didn’t matter.
De’Aaron Fox and Wemby took the opportunity to detonate from inside (and just about everywhere else), and Champagnie and Vassell broke loose in the 4th quarter anyway while Castle flung passes from corner-to-corner with the focus of a professional darts player who just chugged a pint of Ritalin.
It wasn’t even that the Pistons were playing badly. They just couldn’t keep up with the heads of the Grecian monster before them. They even tried to muck things up a bit in 3rd quarter, testing whether the Spurs would cave to their particular brand of physicality. It did not matter.
For every head that the Pistons lopped off, another two grew back. If you were a Pistons fan, it was demoralizing. If you were a Spurs fan, it was mesmerizing.
At the 3/4 mark of the season, these young Spurs are starting to intuitively adapt to in-game adversity. Maybe it’s because they spent so much of the first half of the season having to operate at less than full strength. Maybe each starter (and some of the bench players) having to carry the load at one point or another has transformed them into a largely unsolvable conundrum, each head as deadly and regenerative as the next.
Maybe San Antonio’s front office, not unlike the Greek Goddess Hera, has finally created the perfect foil for the would-be demigods just north of the Red River.
Maybe. I’m still not sure. The postseason is a whole other organism. But there can be no question that the Spurs have reached a whole new level of play over the last five weeks, and barring a few bumps here and there, there are just not many teams that can take on the swarming behemoth of heads, and arms, and legs.
Chances are, there’s at least one Herculean opponent out there to test this silver and black monstrosity.
I am beginning to wonder, though. The Warriors and Suns were able to trouble the Spurs earlier in the season, but that was a different version of this team, and they haven’t had as much trouble with them since.
The Pistons actually took down the Thunder themselves just a week ago, but the Spurs are starting to look like a rough match-up for them due to the defensive abilities of San Antonio’s guard rotation. The Thunder are 1-4 against the Spurs, and several of those games featured the Thunder at full strength (and the Spurs, not so much).
The Rockets are still quietly lurking, but they haven’t looked the same since they lost Steven Adams for the season. The Nuggets seem unable to reach a place of full strength/health, and while the Knicks have been a bad match-up for the Spurs, they’re still the Knicks until further notice.
That really just leaves the Cavaliers (who dusted San Antonio twice during a wave of injuries), the Timberwolves, and the no-longer-Tatum-less Boston Celtics. Only one of those teams will be contending in the West.
Dimly, in the distance, a path begins to take shape. It’s going to take some luck (as it always does), but I’m starting to see an aisle carving its way through the postseason clutter.
One thing that’s often forgotten about the tale of the Hydra, is that it reigned uncontested until the arrival of Hercules. There simply wasn’t anyone else capable of contending with the creature. The toxicity of its breath was enough to take out most of the opposition.
Imagine the mighty Herc had gone down with an untimely injury. That might have changed everything.
Takeaways
I’d like to revisit Stephon Castle for a minute, because, good lord, that man has been putting in work on the defensive end! Castle’s been fantastic on that end all year, but he seems to take it up a notch against the best teams and ball-handlers. Fun fact: Cade Cunningham has gone 15-52 shooting against the Spurs this season. Even more fun fact: The Spurs are now 7-1 against the top other 3 teams in the NBA (by record). Those things are not unrelated. While Wemby is responsible for the black hole that the post is for most teams facing the Spurs, Castle has consistently shown the ability to flat-out erase perimeter superstars at a level I haven’t seen since the-nephew-who-must-not-be-named. It’s absolutely nuts that I don’t feel like the comparison is a bridge too far, but I can’t deny what my eyes are seeing. The number of picks that teams set against Castle whenever he’s on the court is noticeable, and still they’re having to pry the dude off with a crowbar. Cunningham looked frustrated and demoralized by the middle of the fourth. And exhausted. I’ve been referring to getting locked down by Castle as being ‘put in the dungeon’ for a few weeks now, but I’m thinking about upgrading it to ‘the pit of despair’, and I honestly think there are more than a few NBA guards who would agree. If Castle doesn’t make 1st team All-Defense, I say we burn the whole thing down!
I’m starting to get a little worried about Keldon Johnson. Sure, his scoring wasn’t as needed on a night when Wemby and Fox both went off at the same time, but he got a little banged up over the last month, and his shooting has fallen off of a cliff. He’s shooting 45% from the field over the last 10 games, and his True Shooting and Effective Field Goal percentages have both dropped by 50+ points after spending most of the season flirting with Kevin Durant levels of efficiency. Hopefully it’s just the result of him pacing himself after inuring his left shoulder, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye. Thankfully this hydra has many heads, but they’ll still need someone to bring the scoring (and energy) off the bench, and Keldon’s been vital in that way all year.
Luke Kornet only got 8 minutes last night on account of Wemby going thermonuclear, and not a peep was (or will be) heard about it, because that dude is clearly all about the team. Even when he’s not playing, he’s clearly engaged on the sidelines, encouraging his teammates and applauding like he’s an end of the bench big man. I don’t know if this team’s going to really get a shot at the title this season, but if they do, a big part of it will have been the mentality that Kornet and others contribute to. My head still isn’t sure, but my heart says that the vibes are immaculate, and that’s not nothing.
It should be noted that the Spurs took down the Pistons minus one head of the hydra in Harrison Barnes. I know there are those who have mixed feelings about the dude (and the immensely relatable middle-aged hilarity of injuring oneself in one’s sleep probably doesn’t help), but if there’s one thing the talking heads have been right about when it comes to the Spurs, it’s that they’re on the smaller side, and it’s noticeable without Barnes. I have a feeling he’s going to be incredibly critical when it comes to postseason match-ups, so I hope that hydra head regenerates quickly. Especially since the Spurs face the Celtics (and possibly Jayson Tatum) on Tuesday, and Tatum is a perfect player to exploit that weakness at Power Forward. Still, how good are the Spurs that they didn’t even need him against the #1 team in the East?!
The trade deadline has come and gone for the NHL and the Chicago Blackhawks. Ahead of it, they traded away Connor Murphy, Jason Dickinson, Colton Dach, and Nick Foligno.
The last UFA that was in the mix to be traded was Ilya Mikheyev, but he was not moved. They tried to get an extension done earlier in the year, but to no avail. That made the trade rumors surrounding him a little bit louder.
Now that the deadline has passed, the Blackhawks are done, and Mikheyev was not moved. He will remain with the team for at least the rest of this season.
The Blackhawks had a similar situation with Ryan Donato last season, but they decided to keep him and eventually signed him to a long-term deal in the summer.
Maybe Mikheyev is on the same path. He is worth signing to a smaller extension due to the fact that he's an incredible penalty killer, a great defensive forward, and a contributor on offense. For a guy who's that good in a defensive role, his 15-20 goals per season make him even more valuable.
Matt Grzelcyk was another UFA to keep an eye on, but there wasn't much of a market for him. He will finish out the year with Chicago as their oldest defenseman and go from there.
A handful of non-core young players were in rumors from time to time as well, but none of them were moved on deadline day.
The Blackhawks will now host the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center on Friday night in a quick turnaround. Kyle Davidson will speak to the media before the game, so there will be more updates on his thought process coming up.
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MIAMI, FLORIDA - MARCH 06: Ronald Acuña Jr. #21 of Team Venezuela hits a double against Team Kingdom of the Netherlands /d1i of a 2026 World Baseball Classic Pool D game at loanDepot park on March 06, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The much-anticipated Battle of the Braves between Venezuela’s Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies of the Netherlands saw a decisive winner, as Venezuela came out on top 6-2 in Pool D of 2026 World Baseball Classic action.
From a Braves perspective, this was a one-sided affair as Acuña hit the ground running in helping his team to victory in this one. Venezuela manager Omar López made the smart decision to have Acuña lead off and he was rewarded for that decision by seeing his leadoff hitter smack one into the gap in left-center field for a leadoff double on the very first pitch that he saw.
An RBI single from singles machine Luis Arraez eventually brought Acuña home for the first run of the gameand Acuña wasn’t done there, either. He followed up a leadoff hit-by-pitch taken by Andrés Giménez with a walk that eventually turned into a bases-loaded situation. Acuña then scampered home again for his second run of the day on a single from Willson Contreras that made it past Didi Gregorius at third base and into the outfield for a two-RBI knock.
Acuña’s exploits weren’t just limited to his plate appearances or on the basepaths as well. The Netherlands attempted to respond to Venezuela’s four-run fifth inning by loading the bases up with nobody out to start the sixth inning. Braves catcher Chadwick Tromp hit a soft blooper to right field that could’ve easily been one of those Bermuda Triangle-type hits that do a ton of damage without a ton of exit velocity. Fortunately for Venezuela, Tromp’s Braves teammate in right field made it clear that he wasn’t going to give his fellow Brave any easy hits. Acuña made a long run to get under the ball, make the catch and then flip the ball on one hop to home plate in order to save a run.
While Acuña was all over the place in a good way for Venezuela, it was a quiet day on the diamond for Ozzie Albies and Chadwick Tromp. Albies went 0-for-4 at the plate and Chadwick Tromp went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts in this one, as the Netherlands went into this one as clear underdogs and proved those prognostications correct. Braves Hall-of-Famer (and future Baseball Hall-of-Famer) and Netherlands manager Andruw Jones did have something to smile about in this one, as the two runs that Honkbal did score in this one off the bat of his son, Druw Jones. Druw tied things up in the second inning on an RBI double and then he hit a sacrifice fly to Ronald Acuña Jr. for the second run of the game.
That was as good as things got for the Netherlands in this one, as Venezuela ended up cruising to a four-run victory in this one. There wasn’t really a ton of drama in this one and the only Acuña/Albies interaction that we saw was the two pals goofing off at second base in the first inning after Acuña made it there on the leadoff double.
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 6, 2026
Outside of that, it was all Acuña and Venezuela as one of the dark horse candidates to win the whole thing got off to a good start in this one. Venezuela will return to the field tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. ET against Israel on Fox Sports 2, while the Netherlands will be facing off against Nicaragua at 12:00 p.m. ET on tubi. If you’re trying to keep an eye on Ozzie Albies, Chadwick Tromp and Andruw Jones then make sure you’ve bookmarked tubi because you aren’t done with the land of low-budget movies just yet.
Meanwhile in Houston, Nacho Alvarez Jr. is also making his presence felt for Mexico as he hit a dinger in the second inning during his first at-bat of the game in order to give his squad the initial lead. As of writing, Mexico is currently in a serious fight with Great Britain as they’re deadlocked 1-1 in the seventh inning, so keep an eye on that one. Hopefully we’ll see Nacho Alvarez Jr. continue to show out for Mexico and we’ll update this post if he does add to his tally in this one.
GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 23, 2026: Chase DeLauter #24 of the Cleveland Guardians runs out a fly ball during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Goodyear Ballpark on February 23, 2026 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by David Durochik/Diamond Images via Getty Images) | Diamond Images/Getty Images
I am running around all day, but feel free to discuss the game below! Sorry this is late
One of the biggest needs for the Detroit Red Wings was a right-shot defenseman, and they have filled that need in the immediate aftermath of the official passing of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
The Red Wings have acquired veteran defenseman Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues; in return, they've sent the Blues defenseman Justin Holl, 2022 second-round (52nd overall) draft pick Dmitri Buchelnikov, a 2026 1st round pick, and San Jose’s 2026 3rd round pick.
UPDATE: The #RedWings have acquired Justin Faulk from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Justin Holl, Dmitiri Buchelnikov, Detroit’s 2026 1st round pick and San Jose’s 2026 3rd round pick. pic.twitter.com/vTi304dCvi
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) March 6, 2026
Faulk has played in 61 games this season and has tallied 11 goals with 21 assists, and has also averaged 22:29 of total ice time per game.
Holl, who was in the final season of the three-year deal he signed to join the Red Wings from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023, has yet to appear in an NHL game in 2025-26, having spent the entire campaign playing with the Grand Rapids Griffins in the AHL.
A native of South St. Paul, Minnesota, Faulk was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes after having previously played with the Michigan-based USA Hockey National Team Development Program.
He played a single season for the University of Minnesota Duluth before beginning his professional career with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, eventually making his NHL debut with the Hurricanes by playing in 66 games in the 2011-12 season.
He would remain a fixture on Carolina's blue line through 2019 when he was traded to the Blues along with a 2020 fifth-round pick for Joel Edmundson, Dominik Bokk, and a 2021 seventh-round pick.
While with the Blues, Faulk signed a 7-year, $45.5 million contract that carries a salary cap hit of $6.5 million; he is signed through the end of next season.
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