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How Heat can avoid harrowing postseason play-in round

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

What had stood as a complex equation for the Miami Heat at the NBA All-Star break has turned into basic math for the final month of the season.Within reach of possibly moving as high as No. 4 in mid-February, Erik Spoelstra’s team effectively stands in a now-or-never spot when it comes to the Nos. 5-6 playoff seeds in the Eastern Conference, the final postseason berths that do not require participating in the harrowing play-in round.Entering Wednesday, the Heat stood 2 1/2 games behind the 37-28 No. 6 Brooklyn Nets.Because Brooklyn already has won the first two games of the three-game season series against the Heat, that head-to-head tiebreaker already has been secured by the Nets, regardless of the outcome of the Heat’s March 25 home game against Brooklyn.In essence, it means if the Nets go 9-8 the rest of the way, then to pass Brooklyn and secure No. 6 over Brooklyn, it would require a 12-4 finish for the Heat starting with Wednesday’s game against the visiting C...

ASK IRA: Is Kevin Love in starting lineup in Heat’s best interests?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

Q: Move Kevin Love to the bench. It’s too late to change the scheme of what has gotten them to two Eastern Conference finals and a Finals berth. – David.A: But often when a player is added from the buyout market, it is with certain assurances. While Kevin Love said he did not make starting a prerequisite of joining the Heat, there assuredly were commitments made about playing time (he did not leave a playoff contender in Cleveland to sit on the bench for a play-in contender). If such commitments aren’t honored then opposing teams will use that against you the next time there is competition for such a player on the buyout market. So if Kevin doesn’t start, and if Caleb Martin remains in the second unit, then the only viable role for Keven would be as backup center, which is basically a role that maxes out at about 14 to 16 minutes a game behind Bam Adebayo. And that also would mean losing the size Cody Zeller brings to that second unit.Q: Hello Ira, do you thi...

Why the Chicago Bears helped launch the first intramural girls flag football league in the UK

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

The Chicago Bears — in partnership with Chicago Public Schools — launched the first high school girls flag football league in Illinois in 2021.In its first year the league was composed of 22 teams strictly within Chicago. The next year it expanded to more than 50 teams in the city, and conferences were formed from other Illinois towns such as Rockford and Oak Park.And now it’s going global.The Bears, along with the New York Jets, are launching the first intramural girls secondary school flag football league in the United Kingdom. The introduction of the league Wednesday comes on International Women’s Day. Teams from 12 schools will compete over a six-week season in the borough of Ealing in West London, with no charge for schools or players to participate.Chase Claypool, a Bears wide receiver and NFL Global Flag Ambassador, called it an opportunity to expand the sport internationally.”The Bears reached out to me and asked me if I want to be a part of thi...

Paris Hilton says she made sex tape after being given an ultimatum, and taking quaaludes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

Paris Hilton was in Australia when her manager called and broke the news that there was a 37-second video clip of the then-19-year-old having sex circulating the internet. Now Hilton writes that she gave in to pressure when she made the infamous sex tape with then-boyfriend Rick Salomon. He was 31.In an excerpt from “Paris: The Memoir,” the heiress reveals details about what led to the 2003 sex tape.After her boyfriend, the American poker player Salomon, repeatedly broached the idea of filming the two having sex, Hilton finally gave in.“I don’t remember that much about the night he wanted to make a videotape while we made love,” she wrote in an excerpt published by the London Times.“He had often said it was something he did with other women, but I felt weird and uncomfortable about it. I always told him, ‘I can’t. It’s too embarrassing.'”“He kept pushing,” she continued. “I kept making excuses.”He pr...

Mother and boyfriend convicted in torture-murder of 10-year-old California boy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The mother of a 10-year-old boy and her boyfriend were found guilty Tuesday of torturing and murdering the Southern California child, who was beaten, brutalized and starved.Heather Barron, 33, and Kareem Leiva, 37, were convicted by the judge in a non-jury trial of first-degree murder involving torture. They also were convicted of child abuse of two other children in their Lancaster home.They now face sentences of life in prison without chance of parole.Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies went to the high-desert home of the boy, Anthony Avalos, in response to a 911 call from the mother on June 20, 2018. They were told that he had been injured in a fall.He died in a hospital the next day. Doctors said he was severely malnourished and dehydrated.Prosecutors alleged that the boy was intentionally killed by torture. They said that for years the boy was routinely beaten and whipped with a belt along with the other children, repeatedly dropped on his head, smashed int...

‘Dilbert’ creator Scott Adams spills to Chris Cuomo

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

Weeks after making racially charged comments resulting in his nationally syndicated cartoon being pulled from newspapers nationwide, “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams pled his case to NewsNation host Chris Cuomo Monday night.The 65-year-old cartoonist made headlines late last month on his “Real Coffee with Scott Adams” web program with a rant that included the suggestion white people should “get the hell away from Black people.”He made that comment after citing a questionably worded poll claiming a sizable number of Black people take issue with the phrase “It’s okay to be white.”On Monday, Adams told Cuomo he “intentionally courted controversy” to make a larger point about how strained racial relationships are in the U.S. He said the comments making the rounds online need more context.“There’s no other way to interpret it than the worst possible way,” he conceded.He claimed to have been framing his larger point in a way he knew would “attract attention,” which, according to Adams, took ...

Hyde5: What Lamar Jackson signing franchise tag means to Dolphins (if anything at all)

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

The Baltimore Ravens turned on their phone for business on Tuesday by signing Lamar Jackson to a non-exclusive franchise tag.The Dolphins aren’t calling.Bigger question: Will anyone?There’s a pause right now as no team seems to have immediately stepped up to call Jackson.That’s not a great surprise from the Dolphins. I’ve said and re-said from the start of this offseason the Dolphins should explore the market for Jackson or Aaron Rodgers to measure the cost in terms of dollars and draft picks. That’s just part of doing due diligence.I’ve also written from the start the Dolphins don’t seem to have any interest – or enough capital to make a trade even if they wanted to do so.That’s why I’ve also said Tua Tagovailoa should be expected to be the Dolphins starter next year, just as general manager Chris Grier and coach Mike McDaniel have said all along. ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported the Dolphins aren’t in the Jacks...

Cactus League report: Lance Lynn ‘feels good’ as he leaves for Team USA — while the long ball burns Adrian Sampson

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

The Cubs are streaking.Sure, the games don’t count yet, but the Cubs won’t complain about racking up Cactus League wins. They won their seventh consecutive game Tuesday with a 9-6 victory against the Texas Rangers in Surprise, Ariz. Catcher Luis Torrens hit two home runs and infielder Sergio Alcántara tallied three RBIs, including a two-run double.Elvis Andrus, Oscar Colás, Andrew Vaughn and Jake Marisnick each had two hits for the White Sox in a 5-2 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch.Colás, vying for a roster spot and the opening in right field, also scored twice. He hit in the second spot in the lineup.“He’s put together some really good at-bats,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said before the game of Colás, who’s hitting .429.Chicago Tribune baseball writers LaMond Pope, Meghan Montemurro and Paul Sullivan will be providing Cubs and White Sox updates throughout spring training.Adrian Sampson not stressing abo...

Chicago Bears Q&A: How plausible is it to get 3 first-rounders for the No. 1 pick? Are big moves in free agency expected?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

The NFL combine is in the rearview mirror. The new league year begins in one week — and with it a free-agency period in which the Chicago Bears will have nearly $100 million of salary-cap space.What can we expect from the Bears in free agency? Brad Biggs answers that and other questions in his weekly Bears mailbag.How much of Ryan Poles’ comments to Peter King about getting offers of three first-rounders do you believe vs. Poles sending a message that that’s what he wants? — @tn5280King got a long sit-down with Poles last week in Indianapolis, and the Bears general manager indicated he’d had discussions with three teams to that point and there had been enough talk to know he can get “a ‘24 one and a ‘25 one” in a trade involving the No. 1 pick.For starters, it’s pretty clear nearly all of the smoke about interest in the pick is coming from the Bears, who in a perfect world would have an agreement in place before March 15, w...

Embattled MBTA ‘confident’ it can handle St. Patrick’s Day parade crowds

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:19 GMT

City and state officials are working with the MBTA to ensure the subway system’s beleaguered Red Line can handle the soon-to-be massive crowds flocking to South Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day parade.The MBTA is increasing typical Sunday Red Line service on the day of the parade, March 19, to more closely align with a regular weekday schedule, which was requested by lawmakers, Boston Councilor Michael Flaherty said.“The Red Line will be operating at or near weekday service levels, and last year’s data shows ridership on parade day was about 30,000 less than a regular weekday,” T spokesman Joe Pesaturo said. “The MBTA is confident the Red Line will have the capacity to handle the volume of parade-goers.”State Sen. Nick Collins, D-Boston, said out-of-town visitors are also being encouraged to take the commuter rail to relieve pressure on the Red Line, which is far outpacing other subway lines with 37 speed restrictions as of Feb. 28, according to the T’s latest slow zone data.“Generally, o...