“Klay was expecting this,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters Thursday (per Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “It’s been a very frustrating year for Klay, but I think he’s almost out of the woods. He’s a couple months away from this season ending and moving towards a summer of preparing for the next season with his teammates. I think that’s a much better place for him to be emotionally.”...
The feature on Green included quotes from multiple Warriors staffers who offered an opinion that Green is the team’s most important player but has “become increasingly unpredictable, emboldened and unaccountable.” MORE: NBA awards predictions: MVP a toss-up Thompson was most upset with the following quote: “The guys might be frustrated by [Green’s] antics, but they had an opportunity to prove themselves without him in Game 5 and they played like a bunch of [cowards]....
That might seem like a slight overreaction for landing the commitment of an 18-year-old who isn’t even playing regular minutes as a professional, but make no mistake, landing Green is a significant moment in Klinsmann’s tenure. Green is a legitimate top-level prospect, a player Pep Guardiola has enough confidence in to bring into a UEFA Champions League match for his club debut. Green is still a prospect, a lump of very promising clay waiting to be molded, but his qualities and high profile made him the kind of player who could anchor the next generation of the U....
The Reds ended a run of three league matches without a win with a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town on Saturday, although they remain 12 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side at the top of the table. Liverpool 25/1 to win CL City’s exceptional form has seen them build a five-point lead over nearest challengers Manchester United, who kept up the pressure on their rivals with a 1-0 win over third-place Tottenham at Old Trafford....
Klopp will be coaching his fourth European final, having made the Champions League final with Borussia Dortmund in 2013, as well as the 2016 Europa League decider and last year’s Champions League showpiece with Liverpool. MORE: Klopp won’t let his team count Tottenham out in UCL final Unfortunately, Klopp has come away empty-handed in all those contests, which arguably represents the biggest blemish in a distinguished managerial career. And in anticipation of this year’s final, Klopp says he has altered his squad’s actions in the build-up – a stark change from before....
Nagelsmann became the youngest head coach in Bundesliga history when he was appointed at the age of 28 in October 2015 and has won admirers across the country for his work over the last two years. Firmino enhanced to 7/1 to score v Hoffenheim Klopp hailed Nagelsmann as a shining example of Germany’s promising coaching talent and expects a difficult task when Liverpool face Hoffenheim in the first leg of their Champions League play-off on Tuesday....
Ings’ campaign is over he underwent surgery on his knee, while Klopp will be without Sadio Mane in the new year because of Africa Cup of Nations commitments. It has led to the German considering signings in the transfer market, and he said it could be an option. “We watch the market all the time and of course we need to be prepared for different situations and one of them is injuries,” Klopp told reporters....
City were arriving at Liverpool’s ground ahead of a Champions League quarter-final first leg, which the Reds won 3-0. The victory was slightly soured by the pre-game actions of a group of supporters, with Liverpool forced to issue a statement of apology. And the Reds boss has criticised the fans who damaged City’s bus, forcing Pep Guardiola’s side to seek alternative transport for after the game. “I have to say again, apologies for what happened before the game,” Klopp told reporters....
Mohamed Salah’s 15th goal of the season gave Liverpool a 65th-minute lead against his former club, but Chelsea substitute Willian saw his cross loop over Simon Mignolet and in five minutes from time. Everton 7/2 to beat Southampton Klopp revealed he had wanted to make a change of his own in the moments leading up to Chelsea’s equaliser and claimed Oliver was obstructive. “I was angry because we wanted to change the system and the ref didn’t allow us to,” he told BT Sport....
In the interim, Udrih, who reportedly asked to be moved within the last week, has the Knicks willing to help him in that process, according to ESPNNewYork.com. Udrih has not been with the Knicks for a full season. He signed on as a backup guard this past summer after agreeing to a veteran's minimum at $1.27 million. He's paired in the backcourt with Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni. Felton and Prigioni have dealt with injuries this year, and Udrih stepped in to fill the point guard slot....
Kawhi Leonard scored 18 points and Tony Parker had 17 in a game that was close for about 3 minutes. San Antonio scored the first 10 points, led by as many as 37, and was in complete control in between. Tim Duncan took just four shots but finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds as San Antonio shot 54 percent. The Spurs spoiled the season debut of Knicks guard J....
The team has called a press conference for Tuesday, likely to announce the signing of former Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson to an undisclosed front office position. MORE: Five NBA fights that need to happen | Mike Woodson to Hoosiers? | Rockets want Melo UPDATE: USA Today is reporting Jackson join the team as the leader of the front office. Rumors of the offer and Jackson mulling the decision over have been headlines for weeks, with Wednesday reports announcing the deal as official....
Somewhere inside “King Arthur” is a feel-good movie about virtue triumphing over evil, but you’ll have to look hard to find it. This is something of an Arthurian prequel: our Arthur actually comes from Rome, and he’s itching to return home from Britain after one too many battles. Just as he’s about to get his walking papers, he and his men are sent on one final mission–don’t you just hate when that happens?...
The immortal words of Ricky Bobby seem foolish, but it’s the mindset of a competitor. It’s the mindset of a Black Mamba. That couldn’t be proved any more by Kobe Bryant’s comments after Wednesday night’s game. MORE: Most-hated NBA players of all time | Every team’s worst season since 1990 “It’s hard for people to understand this, but losing is losing,” Bryant said, via ESPN. “There aren’t different degrees of losing, not in my mind....
Bryant, who averaged 27.3 points on the season, needed 27 points to cross the barrier in the Lakers’ Tuesday game against the Atlanta Hawks. He finished the night with 28 points and talked about the experience of hitting such a historical number in front of a pro-Lakers crowd, as ESPNLosAngeles.com’s Baxter Holmes noted. MORE: Welcome back, Swaggy P | Remembering Malice in the Palace | NBA cheerleaders photos “Well, it means a lot,” Bryant said....
The Kobe Bryant episode aired at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN and ESPN2, followed by Episode 6 on the same two channels. The Last Dance was filmed during the 1997-98 season, when the Bulls won their sixth championship in eight years—and second three-peat in that same span. A film crew followed every step of the team that season, from the locker room to travel, practices and the games themselves....
In his 19 years of experience, Bryant has seen a lot. Most recently, he watched Stephen Curry and the Warriors defeat the Cavs in the NBA Finals Tuesday. The Lakers legend took to Twitter Wednesday to congratulate the team, and in the process discovered just how long he’s been playing. MORE: Kobe not a factor in Lakers draft process | NBA Mock Draft | Okafor wants to play for Lakers...
(Images via NikeInc.com) After a great deal of secrecy, the shoe-loving world got its first look at Kobe Bryant in the Nike Kobe 9 at Lakers practice on Wednesday. The extremely high-cut shoe is a design departure from his last few shoes, which went low starting with the Kobe V and later introduced option inner ankle sleeves with the VII and 8. You can expect more later today, according to Nike Basketball on Twitter....
The best Portuguese coach isn’t even Mourinho If we get another thriller at the Stade Louis II this week, following on from the 5-3 blockbuster back in Manchester, that gung-ho approach may be seen as the reason, but the reality will be somewhat different. City have gradually yet significantly improved since December, and in the last 10 games they have kept seven clean sheets. But due to the make-up of the team, particularly in defence, they are still susceptible to the odd blow-out now and again, and Monaco, as they demonstrated at the Etihad Stadium, are one of the few teams City will face over the remainder of the season who are capable of inflicting severe damage....
The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization put an infielder — identified by Dan of @MyKBO as the third baseman — behind home plate as part of an extreme shift. It was bold. It was daring. It could have been revolutionary. MORE: Did the 1981 strike save baseball? | Seven minor leaguers injured in bus crash But it never played out. Umpires ruled that all fielders must be within the lines when a pitch is delivered....
