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The Lakers added insult to injury by routing the Heat while they were reeling from injuries to Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic. LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The NBA Finals just got started, which raises the question: Are the NBA Finals over? Forget the final Game 1 score of Lakers 116, Heat 98 . The Lakers led by 30 halfway through the third quarter. After that, the teams were not playing meaningful basketball. They were providing content. It is hard to imagine how Wednesday night could have gone worse for Miami’s players unless somebody made them re-watch the presidential debate. Their three stars all got hurt. Goran Dragic injured his foot, Bam Adebayo aggravated a shoulder injury, and Jimmy Butler rolled an ankle. Butler kept playing, but Dragic and Adebayo did not. Also, it became obvious that nobody on the Heat can guard Anthony Davis, but to be fair to Miami, when Pat Riley built the roster he was limited to a pool of eight billion people. Davis finished with 34 point...

No. 22 BYU is undefeated and scoring a lot of points. So is Louisiana Tech. One team will get its first loss of the season when the Cougars meet the Bulldogs in matchup of 2-0 teams on Friday night in Provo, Utah. BYU, which has scored at least one touchdown in all eight quarters it has played, outscored Navy and Troy by a combined score of 103-10 -- outgaining them 1,244 yards to 330 yards. Zach Wilson completed 23 of 29 passes for a career-high 392 yards and two touchdowns against Troy. He also rushed for two touchdowns. "He's throwing the ball really well and he's seeing things really well," Cougars coach Kalani Sitake said of Wilson. "He's played a lot of games for us and the guys look to him as a leader." The Cougars had two 100-yard receivers as Dax Milne finished with seven receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown while Gunner Romney produced five catches for 138 yards. "All it means is we can't get too big of an ego, too big of a...

While the NFL is fining coaches for not masking up on the sidelines, NCAA conferences don't seem concerned at all. The NFL finally had a COVID-19 hiccup, postponing the Pittsburgh Steelers–Tennessee Titans game from Sunday until later next week. It’s the first game that has been impacted by the pandemic, as the result of at least nine people in the Titans organization testing positive for the virus. In response, the league is upping the ante on its disciplinary measures for coaches who have ignored the in-game mask protocols. Six-figure fines previously had been doled out, but coaches can take that hit, so many of them chose to ignore the rules and not wear the masks. Now, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has sent a memo to all franchises saying it will “address lack of compliance with accountability measures that may include ... suspensions and/or forfeiture of draft picks.” (Titans coach Mike Vrabel has been notably out of mask compliance.) Clearly, this is a league that is...

Mizzou Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz Says College Testing is a "Free-For-All" Missouri football coach Eli Drinkwitz says the SEC does not have a uniform policy for reporting COVID-19 test results and there is no sharing of that information among the 14 member programs, calling the process a "free-for-all." FOR MORE CONTENT FROM SI: Expanded Eight-Team College Football Playoff Proposal RejectedMailbag: What's the Most Fair Solution For a Rescheduled Steelers–Titans Game?Children Battling Cancer Draw Strength From Their Favorite WWE StarsMLB Wild Card Series 2020: Full Matchups, Broadcast Schedule, Dates, TimesChampions League Draw Primer: Pots, Potential Group PairingsNFL Rumors: League Threatens Suspensions, Lost Draft Picks if Mask Protocols Are Not FollowedRidiculous 'First Take' Patrick Mahomes-LeBron James Segment Made for Great TV: TRAINA THOUGHTS

A proposal to expand the College Football Playoff field from four teams to eight teams was rejected by the management committee. A proposal from Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott to expand this year's College Football Playoff field from four teams to eight teams was rejected by the CFP management committee on Wednesday, according to ESPN's Heather Dinich .  Though commissioners review the CFP format annually, Wednesday's meeting was the first time it became known that a Power 5 commissioner had pitched an eight-team format for consideration. Scott told ESPN  he felt it was "important to consider an expanded playoff that would include more teams and automatic qualifiers who are conference champions" in light of the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on the season.  "They decided that doing that now would be such a significant change, and come with so many challenges, especially given the timing with the season already underway, that they concluded that the best ...

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters Wednesday that the SEC has no uniform policy for reporting COVID-19 test results. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters Wednesday that the SEC has no uniform policy for reporting COVID-19 test results and expressed some frustration that not all schools publicly report their COVID-19 cases.  "I really don't know what's going on in the league as far as COVID or COVID-related numbers,"  Drinkwitz said Wednesday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . "There's no uniform system on how we report it or [how] people talk about it. I don't know other than when coaches have said something [about their cases]. Each week we have no idea what's going on with other teams. So, it's kind of a free-for-all as far as that goes." The Missouri coach was later asked if he was bothered that the conference does not release a weekly report on COVID-19 cases.  "That's a decision for peopl...

A number of college football teams have already had to deal with a rare sight: a double bye. Asked when he would feel confident that the 49ers will have a football game on Saturday, Charlotte defensive back Ben DeLuca’s response was: when they kick the ball off. Two weeks ago, DeLuca and his teammates learned just three days before kickoff that their game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill would be canceled due to COVID-19 contact tracing , forcing nine Charlotte players to quarantine. The following week, the team’s home opener was also postponed due to positive COVID-19 cases among its opponent, Georgia State. Charlotte is not the only team encountering consecutive byes in the wake of positive COVID-19 cases. Notre Dame is now sitting and waiting to get out on the field after its Sept. 26 game vs. Wake Forest was postponed , followed by a scheduled bye week this weekend. The Irish announced Monday that 18 players tested positive , and 25 total players are now in isolation with ...

Sports Illustrated host Robin Lundberg played a LeBron teammate name game with SI's Ben Pickman and "The Fantasy Exec" Corey Parson and also asked them which non title run was James's most impressive LeBron James has made 9 out of 10 NBA Finals and 10 of 17 in his decorated NBA career. Which means he's helped a lot of teammates get to the promised land and have a chance to compete for a championship. Sports Illustrated host Robin Lundberg played a LeBron teammate name game with SI's Ben Pickman and "The Fantasy Exec" Corey Parson and also asked them which non title run was James's most impressive.

With the NBA Finals upon us the talk leading in is sure to center around LeBron James. But the most important matchup in the series involves his co-star, Anthony Davis. How Bam Adebayo is able to slow AD could go a long way in determining who wins the title. Sports Illustrated host Robin Lundberg discussed the key matchup with SI senior writer Chris Mannix.

It took a while to get there but the NBA Finals are set with the Miami Heat taking on the Los Angeles Lakers. But who are the most important players in the matchup? Sports Illustrated's Ben Pickman ranked them and SI's Robin Lundberg discussed his rankings with him in order to determine which Lakers and Heat players will have the biggest impact on the outcome. 

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat meet for game one of the NBA Finals tonight in the bubble, these teams took different paths to get to the Finals, the Lakers were the dominant team in the Western Conference playoffs and most people expected them to be here. The Miami Heat on the other hand is a cinderella team from the Eastern Conference. The Lakers are a heavy favorite to win the series and a 4.5 point favorite to win Game One. For all the Lakers and LeBron James greatness, they are not very good vs the spread. Sharp bettors think the Heat can cover the spread tonight.

When it comes to the most important players in the NBA Finals, LeBron James is obviously number one, but which other players will step up? On Sept. 30, 2019, Miami Heat players and coaches participated in media day at AmericanAirlines Arena to kick off the start of the 2019–20 season. Exactly one calendar year later, they will open the 2019–20 NBA finals against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. One franchise enters the matchup possessing two of the best players in the entire league, while the other rode a roster deep with talent to a finals appearance. Both teams are now in their 12 week living in the Disney bubble with Game 1 of the finals being the 85 consecutive day on-campus for both teams. Ahead of what surely will be an entertaining matchup, the following is an attempt to rank the most important 24 players in the finals based on how each player might impact the series when on the floor. 24. Jared Dudley, Lakers The 34-year-old Dudley has appeared in just six games t...

Argument about Mahones-LeBron supporting casts leads to anarchy on 'First Take' 1 . "You're lying to the American public." No, that wasn't one of the lines from last night's debate-that-really-wasn't-a-debate. The sentence was uttered by Stephen A. Smith to Marcus Spears during a ridiculous, yet highly entertaining segment on Tuesday's First Take . The bit, which compared Patrick Mahomes to LeBron James, couldn't have been dumber, but it provided many, many laughs. The first two-and-a-half minutes of the segment made zero sense and just featured yelling and screaming about some list that nobody cares about. However, things got good at the 2:30 mark when Spears tried to call out Stephen A. for mentioning that Mahomes has a ton of weapons because, in Spears' mind, that diminishes Mahomes' talent. I'm not sure why this is an issue for Spears since Mahomes DOES have a ton of weapons and IS great (yes, two things can be true at onc...

Can the Heat slow LeBron? Which Rajon Rondo will show up? The Crossover answers NBA Finals burning questions. Two months in the bubble has paved the way for what should be a fascinating Finals , one that provides far more than just narrative intrigue. The Heat are rolling after bullying Boston , and Miami is a far friskier underdog than one might think . Erik Spoelstra is perhaps the game’s most innovative mind, and he leads a group that is deep, versatile and (perhaps most importantly) tough as hell. The Heat aren’t backing down from the challenge ahead, even as an uphill climb awaits. A Lakers title is no guarantee. So just exactly what will decide the Finals as LeBron James seeks a championship with his third franchise? Let’s sift through some burning questions ahead of Game 1. Which Rajon Rondo Will Show Up? There’s been no shortage of criticism lobbed Rondo’s way in recent years, and frankly, much of it has been earned. The former Celtics point guard wasn’t exactly effective...

Dates and broadcast information for the NBA Finals which are scheduled to begin Wednesday night. The NBA Finals will begin this week after one of the most unconventional seasons to date. The Lakers have rolled through every team they've seen in the bubble, most recently beating the Denver Nuggets 4-1 to win the Western Conference. LeBron James is looking to secure his fourth ring and help the franchise score its 17th title. The Eastern Conference champion Heat surprised this postseason, most recently  by eliminating the Celtics 4-2 to seal a spot in the Finals. Coming into the bubble as a fifth seed, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic will look for another upset in the Finals. Miami and LeBron will be sharing the Finals stage for the first time since he left the Heat in 2014, although this time James will playing for the other team. This year's Finals will mark James's 10th appearance in the league's final round, adding to his legacy with the third-most Fin...

In an excerpt from 100 Things LSU Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, Ross Dellenger and Ron Higgins look back at Nick Saban's coaching career with the Tigers ahead of his induction into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in December 2020. The following excerpt of 100 Things LSU Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die, by Ross Dellenger and Ron Higgins, is presented with permission from Triumph Books. For more information or to order a copy, please visit Triumph Books , Bookshop.org , Amazon or Barnes & Noble . When Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa by private plane in January 2007 after agreeing to become Alabama’s coach, he was mobbed by adoring fans. But when he arrived in Baton Rouge in late November 1999, at his introductory press conference announcing him as LSU’s coach, the reception was “Who’s Nick Saban, and why is LSU paying him $1.2 million a year?” “I couldn’t believe the response and the attitude people had toward me,” Saban said. “I felt like there we...

Twenty years after they pounded the Pacers in the Finals, let's remember the first Phil Jackson-era champs, from O'Neal's insecurities to Bryant's indoctrination to the team's induction into L.A. lore. Excerpted from Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty , by Jeff Pearlman. Copyright © 2020 by Jeff Pearlman. Reprinted by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. The Utah Jazz arrived at the Staples Center on Feb. 4, 2000, at the seemingly perfect time to take a baseball bat to the knees of a wobbling Lakers franchise. Phil Jackson wasn’t happy with Kobe Bryant. Bryant wasn’t happy with Shaquille O’Neal. Nobody was happy with the one-foot-out-the-door Glen Rice. “We were at our bottom,” recalled Rick Fox. “Sometimes, in the course of a season, you wonder if maybe this just isn’t going to work. That’s where we were.” Then everything changed. The Jazz began the game by shooting 1 for...