MrBear Sports

10/04/2023

10/04/2023

10/04/2023

10/04/2023

10/03/2023

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers held media day on Monday, looking forward to a more successful season than the last.
In 2022-23 Los Angeles went 43-39, good for seventh in the Western Conference. In the playoffs L.A. defeated the Memphis Grizzlies in six games and the defending champion Golden State Warriors in six games before being swept by the eventual NBA champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals.
With full seasons from midseason acquisitions D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura alongside five new veterans, the Lakers appear to have their strongest roster since raising their last championship banner in late 2020.
Los Angeles retained Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Russell, Vanderbilt and Hachimura from last season's Western Conference finalists while acquiring Jaxson Hayes, Taurean Prince, Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish and Christian Wood.

10/03/2023

The Denver Nuggets held a press conference at the Ball Arena in Denver on Monday after a short offseason following their historic championship win last June.
At the press table, center Nikola Jokic inspected the trophy sitting next to him. “They didn’t put our name on here,” he said. A journalist pointed out “Denver Nuggets” was written prominently on the front, and Jokic stood up to inspect that side of the trophy.
“Nice,” he said.
Jokic, famously known as a player who prefers privacy to the spotlight, said he looks forward to spending time with his teammates this season, acknowledging that they spend more time together than with their families.
“We miss of course some guys but I think the people are making the journey interesting and fun,” Jokic said.
Head Coach Michael Malone acknowledged that last season’s win was historic after 47 years as a franchise, but that this season will be just as critical.
“If we’re serious about being a team that can repeat, if we’re serious about trying to be a team that can be a dynasty, we have to bring our best every single day, starting tomorrow at practice.”
Training camp begins tomorrow in San Diego.

10/03/2023

Arsenal were handed a major boost on Monday ahead of a big week in the UEFA Champions League and English Premier League with forwards Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus both being fit to train.
Saka went off injured during Saturday’s 4-0 league win at Bournemouth with Jesus also picking up a knock late on, but both trained with the rest of the squad on Monday before the short trip to northern France to face Lens in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Gunners are back in Europe’s top tier club competition for the first time in six years and began their Group B campaign with a 4-0 thrashing of PSV Eindhoven at the Emirates two weeks ago.
Saturday’s win over Bournemouth means Arteta’s side are just one point behind league leaders Manchester City – who lost 2-1 to Wolverhampton Wanderers – making the meeting with Pep Guardiola's treble winners on Sunday at the Emirates an early test of Arsenal’s title credentials.
Thomas Partey also trained on Monday as he nears a return after a groin injury with Gabriel Martinelli and Jurrien Timber the only players absent.

10/03/2023

After the summer the Boston Celtics have had, Jayson Tatum isn’t surprised they’re entering this season with a spotlight fixed on them.
“People expect us to get to the championship and win,” Tatum said Monday. “And if we don’t, we didn’t necessarily meet expectations.”
That’s because during an offseason full of movement around the NBA, the Celtics were among the league’s busiest teams.
In June, they parted ways with defensive stalwart and emotional leader Marcus Smart in a three-team deal that netted them big man Kristaps Porzingis.
The following month, All-Star Jaylen Brown received the richest contract in NBA history when he signed a five-year supermax extension.
Then, Sunday on the eve of training camp Boston made another blockbuster move. This time trading reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon and rim protector Robert Williams III to Portland in exchange for five-time all-defensive selection Jrue Holiday.
It’s shaken up the core for a team that came up a game short last season of a second straight trip to the NBA Finals. But as much as things have changed over the past few months in Boston, one thing continues to ring true: The Celtics will eventually only go as far as Tatum can take them.

10/03/2023

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose and 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart made clear Monday they’re no babysitters for new teammate Ja Morant.
Their goals involve helping the Memphis Grizzlies win now and push Morant when the two-time All-Star returns to the court Dec. 19 from his 25-game suspension.
“I care for him as a human and as a teammate,” Smart said Monday at the Grizzlies’ media day. “And I want to see him succeed because if he’s not succeeding, I tell you one thing. This team’s not going to succeed. And we know that. And I think everybody in the NBA world knows that.”
Rose, who played his lone college season at Memphis, said he reached out to both Morant and the guard’s father during the offseason. Rose said he hopes Morant has learned patience and discipline.

10/03/2023

Video credit ESPN

Damian Lillard held his first press conference as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, following his trade from the Portland Trail Blazers.
Lillard was traded by Portland to play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee this summer, a deal that ended his 11-year run with the Trail Blazers and a three-month saga surrounding his wish to be moved elsewhere in hopes of winning an NBA title.
The seven-time All-Star — a player so elite that he was selected to the NBA’s 75th anniversary team — went from the Blazers to the Bucks in a three-team deal that sent Jrue Holiday from the Bucks to Portland, Deandre Ayton from Phoenix to Portland and Jusuf Nurkic from the Blazers to the Suns.
Lillard is owed a ransom over the next four years. He will make almost $46 million this season and could make as much as $216 million over the next four years if he exercises his option for the 2026-27 season.
Portland won only four playoff series in Lillard’s 11 seasons, getting to the Western Conference Finals once. The team went 33-49 this past season, the second consecutive year of finishing well outside the playoff picture.
That’s not Lillard’s fault. His career average of 25.2 points per game ranks 11th among all players in NBA history who have appeared in at least 500 games. He’s had 17 games of at least 50 points in his career — two of them in the playoffs — and is a past rookie of the year, teammate of the year and winner of the NBA’s citizenship award.
He’s been an Olympic gold medalist, was the unanimous selection as MVP of the seeding games when the “bubble” season resumed at Walt Disney World during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and even won the 3-point contest at All-Star weekend in February.

10/03/2023

Video via ©UEFA 2023

Real Madrid prepared to face Napoli on Tuesday ahead of their upcoming Champions League Group C match at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Tuesday.
Carlo Ancelotti's team sit in second place of the group with three points after beating Union Berlin 1-0, while the reigning Serie A champions defeated Braga 2-1 away.
'Los Blancos' lead in LaLiga standings after beating Girona 3-0 last Saturday.

09/26/2023

Three-time defending champions Australia driver Tom Slingsby said ‘British deserved to win Italy SailGP’ after the final race terminated early due to light wind in Taranto on Sunday.
Emirates GBR, Australia and USA were unable to reach the third gate in the 16 minute race time limit - with winds dropping to just 7 km/h - resulting in the termination of the Final.
This meant the top team from the fifth fleet race – GBR - picked up the overall event win, while Australia and the United States finished in second and third respectively.
Great Britain went on to win their second consecutive event after triumph in Saint-Tropez two weeks ago. GBR driver sir Ben Ainslie, however, said that ‘it looked like the US were going to score a historic win’
Jimmy Spithill’s United States made an amazing comeback, bouncing back from an athlete injury on Day 1 to pick up a 3rd and 1st place finish in fleet racing.
The third place in the Final was set to go to France, but when Canada pipped Quentin Delapierre’s team to the finish line in Fleet Race 5, it went to the U.S. instead.
Despite not being able to complete the Final, Spithill’s team finished 3rd overall - the team’s best result since Sydney in Season 3.