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đ Good morning to all, but especially to …
THE OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
You want a statement? The Thunder will give you one. Oklahoma City went into Boston and beat the Celtics, 118-112, in a potential NBA Finals matchup. (OKC also beat Boston, 105-92, back on Jan. 5.) Of course, lots will change between now and then — the Thunder didn’t have Jalen Williams or Alex Caruso, the Celtics didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis, and there are several other teams who could make the Finals (hello, East-leading Cavaliers!) — but this was a big one.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 34 points, and I was also super impressed by Chet Holmgren (23 points, 15 rebounds). The Thunder’s depth was on display, too, with Oklahoma City’s bench outscoring Boston’s 34-20.
Another big number? The Celtics attempted 63 3-pointers, tied for third-most in a game in NBA history. The Thunder have used the regular season for a lot of experimentation (and, to be fair, a lot of wins), and Sam Quinn assessed how this one worked out.
- Quinn: “The Thunder could survive hotter Celtics shooting if the tradeoff at the rim proves worthwhile. In some ways it did. The Thunder outscored the Celtics by eight at the rim, and more importantly, they drew 23 more free-throw attempts. The Thunder foul a lot by design, it’s the nature of their ultra-physical defensive style, so winning the free-throw battle by that margin is notable.”
đ Honorable mentions
đ And not such a good morning for …
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THE TEAMS WAITING ON AARON RODGERS’ DECISION
The new NFL year officially opened Wednesday, and with it, the Jets are moving on from Aaron Rodgers, planning to release him after two disappointing seasons. Everyone (including Brett Favre) seems to have an opinion on where he should play next.
Everyone, that is, except the one person who matters: Rodgers himself.
Reports have been all over the place — we’re keeping track of them here — but there’s one constant: The Steelers and the Giants seem to be the frontrunners. Beyond that, it’s murky. Are other teams interested? Is a decision nearing? Will he retire? Who knows!
Here’s what we do know: This can’t be fun for any team involved. Former NFL GM Doug Whaley thinks Rodgers is “holding the entire Steelers organization hostage,” and while I don’t know if it’s that dramatic, I do get where he’s coming from.
In this still-young offseason, Pittsburgh has been tied to …
- Justin Fields (signed with the Jets)
- Sam Darnold (signed with the Seahawks)
- Russell Wilson (meeting with the Browns and Giants this week)
- Rodgers
What if Rodgers doesn’t choose Pittsburgh? The Steelers have had conversations with Mason Rudolph. No, I’m not kidding. The quarterback market is thinning out rapidly. Frankly, Rudolph and similar-caliber quarterbacks are the guys available after Rodgers and Wilson.
I don’t think DK Metcalf, who just joined the Steelers and got a huge deal, would like that. I don’t think Darius Slay, who just arrived from the Super Bowl-champion Eagles and surely wants to contend, would like that. I don’t think defensive stars T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Minkah Fitzpatrick would like that.
This isn’t a shot at Rudolph, who is a perfectly capable backup. But the Steelers have been hamstrung by quarterback play for years — that includes Wilson last year — and somehow might be in even more dire straits now. They were a definitive “loser” in Jared Dubin’s Day 3 winners and losers.
To be honest, the Steelers signed up for this sort of frustration and uncertainty when they got into the Rodgers business. It’s getting late early.
đ Not so honorable mentions
đ NFL free agency Day 3 winners, losers, grades
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Even though Wednesday marked the start of the new NFL year, free agency has been going on since Monday, so things are starting to slow down. In fact, 22 of the top 25 players in Pete Prisco’s Top 100 free agents have signed.
But that doesn’t mean the action has come to a stop. Not even close. Here are some headlines from Wednesday:
In his Day 3 winners and losers, Jared loves Denver’s addition.
- Dubin: “Winner: Engram and the Broncos — The production from the tight end position for Denver last season was nonexistent, and now it injects a player who has 100-catch upside into the offense. This is also great for Engram as he is poised to take over a central role within Sean Payton’s offense, which he called the ‘joker.’ In the past, that’s been manned by the likes of Jimmy Graham and Jeremy Shockey. That sets up what could be a career year for the 30-year-old.”
These are the top 10 players still available.
✠UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid wins in dramatic, controversial fashion
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At this point, I think I’ll just write when Real Madrid loses in the UEFA Champions League. Otherwise, just assume it won. Los Blancos added yet another thrilling victory to their ledger, defeating AtlĂ©tico Madrid 2-2 (4-2 on pens) to advance to the quarterfinals.
- Real Madrid won the first leg 2-1, but Connor Gallagher scored just 29 seconds in Wednesday. Neither team found the net again, and we went to a shootout.
- Things appeared tied 2-2 through two rounds after JuliĂĄn Alvarez converted. However, video review determined Alvarez accidentally touched the ball with his plant (left) foot as he slipped before scoring with his right. That’s not allowed, and the goal was dramatically waved off. Here’s our full explainer, with help from rules expert Christina Unkel.
- After makes from both sides, Jan Oblak‘s save gave AtlĂ©tico life. But Marcos Llorente hit the crossbar, and Antonio RĂŒdiger won it for Real Madrid, sneaking his attempt past Oblak.
RĂŒdiger earned a spot on Francesco Porzio’s Champions League Team of the Week.
There wasn’t nearly as much drama elsewhere:
- Lille 1, Borussia Dortmund 2 (Dortmund win 3-1 on aggregate)
- Aston Villa 3, Club Brugge 0 (Aston Villa win 6-1 on aggregate)
- Arsenal 2, PSV 2 (Arsenal win 9-3 on aggregate)
That sets up these quarterfinal matchups:
- Arsenal vs. Real Madrid
- Paris Saint-Germain vs. Aston Villa
- Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund
- Bayern Munich vs. Inter
James Benge has five observations from the round of 16, including …
- Benge: “We’ve been sleeping on Bayern —Â Michael Olise is a star and it perhaps shouldn’t be a surprise that at the other end Vincent Kompany has got consistently impressive performances out of Dayot Upamecano, a defense that gives up the fewest shots per game in the competition further aided by restoring Joshua Kimmich to a midfield that absolutely dominates the possession game.”
Bayern is No. 4 in Chuck Booth’s Champions League Power Rankings.
đș What we’re watching Thursday
âł We’re watching The Players Championship. Here’s how.
đ We’re watching the men’s basketball conference tournaments: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | SEC
đ Mountain West quarterfinal: San JosĂ© State vs. New Mexico (M), 3 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
đ Mountain West quarterfinal: Boise State vs. San Diego State (M), 5:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
đ Lakers at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
đ Mountain West quarterfinal: Nevada vs. Colorado State (M), 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
đ Kings at Warriors, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV
đ Mountain West quarterfinal: UNLV vs. Utah State (M), 11:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
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