TORONTO – It feels very strange to think about, talk about, or write about basketball after this week’s historic events in the NBA and throughout professional sports. It’s even harder to imagine what it’s going to be like for players – coming off an emotionally charged few days – to take the court and play the game again over the weekend.
Following a whirlwind 72 hours of player protests, postponed playoff contests, impassioned meetings, and major far-reaching decisions, basketball will resume on Saturday, the league and its players announced in a joint statement Friday afternoon.
But unlike last month, when the NBA successfully navigated a global pandemic to debut in its temporary home on the Walt Disney World campus after a hiatus that spanned more than four months, this return won’t seem like a cause for celebration. It’s with heavy hearts and mixed feelings that this unprecedented 2019-20 campaign continues.
The player strike was in response to the shooting of Jacob Blake – an unarmed 29-year-old Black man – by police in Wisconsin last Sunday. The Milwaukee Bucks were the first to act – opting not to suit up for the fifth game of their first-round series against the Magic – followed by the other five teams that were scheduled to play on Wednesday, and then eventually the rest of the league’s players.
The ongoing fight for social justice had been a focus since they arrived in Orlando for the restart, but the players’ concern was that the initiatives – the Black Lives Matter messaging, kneeling during the anthems, etc. – in place were starting to lose their impact. This was a more drastic means of demanding change – real, meaningful change.
For those that were skeptical about what a player strike would accomplish, if anything, consider what it’s done in just a few days.
First, it turned heads, commanded attention, and transcended sports in a way that court decals, T-shirt messaging, and even anthem protests never could. It sparked a movement throughout pro sports, with players in other leagues skipping and cancelling games or events.
Most importantly, it’s already forced the hand of NBA owners and government officials. In their joint release, the NBA and NBAPA announced three new initiatives that were agreed upon during the past new days of meetings and negotiations.
1. They have agreed to establish a social justice coalition, which will feature representatives from players, coaches and team governors. It will focus on issues relating to voting, civic engagement, and police and criminal justice reform.
2. Wherever possible, team governors have committed to work with local election officials to convert team arenas into voting locations for the 2020 United States general election.
3. The league will work with players and network partners to create advertising spots in each playoff game that will promote greater civic engagement.
Additionally, it was announced on Friday that the Wisconsin legislature, which has adjourned since April and wasn’t expected back until after the election in November, will reconvene on Monday to address the Blake shooting – one of the conditions of the Bucks’ walkout.
While there’s still a ways to go, and these are merely action plans, they’re not insignificant first steps. It’s also the reason why the players ultimately came together and agreed to resume the season, despite many who initially campaigned to pack it up and return home.
After everything they’ve sacrificed – leaving their families and communities behind during the pandemic and in a time of social unrest – and all the work they’ve put in to get this far, they weren’t going to let it be in vain. In the NBA bubble, they have a platform to speak to the world. Now, the hope is that more people are listening.
However, the question remains: how are players, who have been so deeply affected by the events of this past week, supposed to switch gears and shift their focus back to the basketball court and play meaningful postseason games over the next few days?
For the first time since the protests began, all 13 teams that are left in the bubble were scheduled to practice on Friday. The Toronto Raptors were the first to take the court at 10 a.m., although it’s unclear how much actual practicing they were able to do.
The Raptors – who will now tip-off their second-round series against Boston at1p.m.ET on Sunday – were also supposed to be the first to speak publicly in the aftermath of the protests, but were one of several clubs – including Miami, Milwaukee and Boston – to cancel their media availability session.
Initially, the plan was to have head coach Nick Nurse address the media. The team told its players that they were all welcome to speak, if they felt comfortable, but they wouldn’t be pressured to do so. In the end, they decided to forgo the session altogether, citing the team’s well-being and that they wanted to wait until there was more clarity on the situation (the NBA and NBPA statement hadn’t been released yet).
It’s completely understandable, given the circumstances. The Raptors have been leaders in the fight for social justice – not just this week but for months. Still, it’s not on them to be the voice of the league, especially after several players – Fred VanVleet, Norman Powell and Pascal Siakam – already gave lengthy and emotional interviews earlier in the week. They also shouldn’t feel burdened to be the ones that have to segue the conversation back to basketball.
As Clippers coach Doc Rivers said on Friday, “It’s not the NBA’s job to solve the world. It’s the NBA’s job to be part of the world.”
Still, the players know they have a responsibility to use their platform to help drive change, and after taking a historic stand and making a monumental statement this week, they’ve decided the best way to do that is to continue playing. That doesn’t mean it will be easy to divide their focus between the sport they love and something that’s far more important.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.
The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.
The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.
Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.
The final is scheduled for Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.
EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.
The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.
Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.
TAKEAWAYS
Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.
Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.
KEY MOMENT
New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.
KEY RETURN?
Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.
OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN
The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.
The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
UP NEXT
Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.
Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.
Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.
Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.
It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.
The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.
Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.
Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.
The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”
Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.
The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.
Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.
UP NEXT
Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
