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Keeler: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic doesn’t “need” NBA title to confirm his status. Pressure? Pressure in this series is all on Kevin Durant and NBA’s favorite Suns.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

If Nikola Jokic blew anymore sunshine up Kevin Durant’s backside, KD could roll into Ball Arena on a bridge of lollipops and rainbows.“(He’s) probably the best scorer in the NBA,” the Nuggets’ NBA MVP said Friday of the Suns’ postseason ringer.How do you cope with Phoenix’s pick-and-roll machine?“Pray,” the Joker replied in his deadpan, Jokic way. Followed by a trademark Joker shrug.“I don’t know,” Jokic continued. “They’re going to try everything, probably. They’re talented.”Oh, yeah. Got ‘em right where he wants ’em.So now the Joker needs a ring to validate his greatness? Seriously? Come on. Do better. Did our man Chuck Barkley need a ring? Did Karl Malone? Jokic is going into the Hall of Fame regardless. No Denver Nugget will ever wear No. 15 again. He’s the GOAT of Nick Wright’s least-favorite NBA franchise. The “greatness” ship sailed two years ago.Oh, no. No, no, no, sir. The pressure in the Western Conference’s main event, the-semifinal-that-shoulda-been-a-final, is all...

Grading the Week: Cale Makar’s big hit, Coach Prime’s roster overhaul and optics vs. reality

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

More often than not, it’s the optics of a brutal hockey hit that matter most during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.And if the Grading the Week staff is being honest, those weren’t very good when Cale Makar clobbered Jared McCann in Game 4 of the Avs’ first-round series against the Kraken — resulting in a one-game suspension for Game 5 at Ball Arena that Colorado ultimately lost.Cale Makar — CGranted, it’s quite a bit different to examine something in slow motion than in the fast-moving confusion of real-time hockey action.But this much cannot be argued: Makar engaged with McCann once to start the sequence, the puck was fluttering out of play as he followed McCann into the corner for hit No. 2, and the resulting full-body check slammed McCann into the boards so hard he was lost for the rest of that game and the two that followed.Taken together, it’s hard to argue against severe punishment from the NHL, regardless of the fact Makar’s on-ice hi...

Mathews: Should climate projects benefit communities they impact?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

Do we care if climate projects benefit the communities they impact?That question is posed by the first-ever auction for leases to create off-shore wind farms on the West Coast. The auction awarded rights to build vast flotillas of wind turbines 20 miles off the coasts of San Luis Obispo and Humboldt Counties.This was supposed to be a clarifying moment in California’s commitment to wind energy. The Golden State, for all its supposed climate leadership, has lagged the East Coast in developing off-shore wind power. This is partly because of all the local opposition here — from fishing industries, Indigenous communities, and local stakeholders — to  changes anywhere near our beloved shoreline.In response, the rules of the federal government’s lease auction considered not just the amount companies bid, but whether bidders engaged with local communities. Under the formula, companies who reached benefits agreements with a community could earn credits giving them an edge in the auction.One ...

Brooks: Joe Biden and the struggle for America’s soul

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

Joe Biden built his 2020 presidential campaign around the idea that “we’re in a battle for the soul of America.” I thought it was a marvelous slogan because it captured the idea that we’re in the middle of a moral struggle over who we are as a nation. In the video he released this week launching his reelection bid, he doubled down on that idea: We’re still, he said, “in a battle for the soul of America.”I want to dwell on the little word “soul” in that sentence because I think it illuminates what the 2024 presidential election is all about.What is a soul? Well, religious people have one answer to that question. But Biden is not using the word in a religious sense, but in a secular one. He is saying that people and nations have a moral essence, a soul.Whether you believe in God or don’t believe in God is not my department. But I do ask you to believe that every person you meet has this moral essence, this quality of soul.Because humans have souls, each one is of infinite value and di...

Three reasons for Sacramento’s Game 6 win, and why the Warriors might be in trouble in Game 7

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors cut the deficit to five with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, only to see the Sacramento Kings respond with back-to-back 3-pointers. Steph Curry then scored six points in just over a minute in the fourth quarter, right before the Kings responded with a 9-3 run.The Kings’ overall postseason résumé is not nearly as decorated as their Northern California neighbors, but they looked like the more poised and experienced team Friday in a 118-99 win over the Warriors in Game 6 of their first-round series at Chase Center.Golden State fell behind in the second quarter and never fully recovered, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 against a younger — and possibly hungrier — Kings team Sunday in Sacramento.“I feel like we were in control basically the entire game tonight,” said Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who has a fractured index finger but looked good Friday with 26 points. “From start to finish, I feel like this is probably the best game that we...

Ronaldinho launching worldwide street soccer league

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brazil great Ronaldinho is launching a worldwide street soccer league to give talented young players an opportunity to showcase their skills and follow the same path to stardom as the former Barcelona player.The Ronaldinho Global Street League will begin in “late 2023,” organizers said Saturday, and will initially feature a social media tryout process where street soccer players of all ages can upload their best skills and tricks in a bid to join one of the competition’s teams.Head-to-head matches and skills competitions will be staged in major cities across the world and teams will compete in a league for the title of “RGSL Champions” and to become part of what will be called the Ronaldinho Globe Street Team.“We believe there is massive value in the space — and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the players of the future,” Ronaldinho said in announcing the venture.There were no specifics about the likely location of the events or the precise start time.R...

Última hora y noticias de la guerra de Rusia en Ucrania: Hay 5 niños entre los 23 muertos en Uman

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

Una vista aérea muestra un edificio residencial gravemente dañado en la ciudad de Uman, Ucrania, el viernes 28 de abril. (Yan Dobronosov/Reuters) Haz clic aquí para ver las actualizaciones más recientesThe-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

Medvedev beats qualifier Vavassori in Madrid Open opener

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Second-seeded Daniil Medvedev advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open after beating qualifier Andrea Vavassori 6-4, 6-3 on Saturday in the Russian’s first match of the tournament.The third-ranked Medvedev leads the men’s circuit with four titles won this season, all on hard courts. He is considered the top challenger to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who fought back to beat Emil Ruusuvuori in three sets in his opener on Friday.Medvedev, however, said he is keeping his expectations in check given the surface is not his best.“I will try my best as always,” Medvedev said. “Today I felt very good on the court, and on the rallies I was in control and that is very important on clay.”The 164th-ranked Vavassori upset two-time Madrid winner Andy Murray in the previous round.The Italian played well early on and forced Medvedev to save three break points. But the former U.S. Open winner took control by breaking his opponent on his last service game of the first s...

Russia promises ‘harsh’ response after Poland seizes Warsaw building

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

Moscow on Saturday said there would be a “harsh” reaction and consequences for Poland’s interests in Russia, after Polish authorities seized a building near Moscow’s embassy in Warsaw — a step Russia labeled “illegal.”The building, used as a high school for the children of diplomats, belongs to the Warsaw city hall, Polish foreign ministry spokesman Łukasz Jasina told AFP, adding that authorities had acted on a bailiff’s order.But Russia’s foreign ministry slammed the move as a “hostile” act in violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and as an encroachment against Russian diplomatic property in Poland.“Such an insolent step by Warsaw, which goes beyond the framework of civilized inter-state relations, will not remain without a harsh reaction and consequences for the Polish authorities and Polish interests in Russia,” the ministry added.“Our opinion, which has been confirmed by the courts...

Cloudy with showers this weekend

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:21:55 GMT

7Weather- Good morning! If you were up around sunrise, it was a colorful start with some breaks between the clouds. The nest chance to see any weekend sun is this morning.. We’ll see a lot of clouds with off and on showers. Sunday, there’s a better chance for showers throughout the day. The heaviest rain falls late Sunday into early Monday morning.This morning, light rain is falling across western Mass and Connecticut. You look at radar and that rain looks close! When you look at the entire column of the atmosphere from the clouds to the ground, there’s a layer of dry air in the middle. This will keep the rain away for little longer for us across eastern Mass. A spot shower is possible through the day. Best chance for numerous showers will be tonight. Keep the umbrella nearby if you dinner plans. The showers will be light this evening, and become steadier overnight. High temperatures will be in the 50s, mild inland in the upper 50s and coolest at the coast in the l...