Hill: Flagg in a 'great spot' under Kidd in Dallas
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New York Post
43 minutes ago
- New York Post
The Yankees have traded their way out of second-half swoons before — but this year may require more
Access the Yankees beat like never before Don't miss Greg Joyce's text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he's giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees. Sign Up Now 'This is absolutely gut-check time in our season,'' Aaron Boone said. 'There's definitely an end in sight. We're going to get there. It's hard, obviously, but I'm not going to keep talking about how hard it is and it's tough. We've got to close out innings, close out games and I'm absolutely confident we will.' If that sounds like the manager of a team that just lost another series to the Blue Jays to match a season-high four-game deficit in the AL East, it's not. Advertisement That was Boone almost exactly a year ago coming off a third straight loss, this one at Boston. At the time, the Yankees had also dropped five of six and were in a 10-23 rut that put them in a two-game hole behind Baltimore.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
T.J. McConnell breaks down what it means to be a role player in the NBA with limited opportunity: "The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best"
T.J. McConnell breaks down what it means to be a role player in the NBA with limited opportunity: "The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Every young hooper dreams of dropping 30 under the bright lights of the NBA. And it makes sense. That's what grabs headlines, that's what fills highlight reels, and more often than not, that's what gets you paid. But there are parts of the game that don't show up in the box score, and as much as people love to talk about buckets, those little things often end up making the biggest difference. No one understands that better than T.J. McConnell, the 6'1" guard who's been playing bigger than his height his entire career and just helped his team reach the NBA Finals. McConnell knows exactly who he is, and more importantly, who he is not. He doesn't go around chucking shots; rather, he picks his spots on the floor and tries to impact winning in more ways. "I feel that's something you got to be self-aware with," T.J. said when asked about players adapting to different levels of competition. "And I obviously knew, not only going from high school to the NBA, but just high school, I had to shed the type of player that I was, because, unless you are a five-star recruit, you are not going to do that type of stuff." "It's something you have to come to terms with, and put your ego aside. I kinda just try to do that and in terms of the NBA, knowing your role… The guys that stay the longest adapt to change and know their role the best," one of the key components to the Indiana Pacers' finals run added. McConnell was putting up numbers in HS Back in high school, believe it or not, McConnell was one of those guys who could light it up from anywhere on the court. In his senior year at Chartiers Valley High School, T.J. averaged 34.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game and was named the Associated Press's Pennsylvania Class 3A Player of the Year. Quite impressive for someone who averaged "just" 9.1 points and 4.4 assists per game this campaign. Modest numbers on paper, but anyone who watched the Pacers' run to the Finals knows how big his role actually was. Every time Indiana needed a spark, every time they needed someone to dive on the floor or get to the paint for a bucket (yes, he did it quite often), it was McConnell who got called 2025 Finals were the "battle of role players" If the 2025 Finals taught us anything, it's that having a superstar helps, but having a bench full of guys who know exactly who they are is what wins you games in June. The Thunder had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league MVP and the guy who could shift momentum with a single possession. But more often than not, it wasn't just him doing the heavy lifting; it was the supporting cast who were ready to do the job the right way. The same thing goes for Rick Carlisle's squad. Indiana didn't have a traditional superstar, not in the way the media usually defines it. But they had multiple guys who could answer the call when it mattered most. Tyrese Haliburton ran the show for the most part, Pascal Siakam brought playoff experience and length, Aaron Nesmith played bigger than his size all series long and Andrew Nembhard kept hitting timely shots like he had been there before. And then there was McConnell, a guy who averaged close to 35 in HS, diving for loose balls, turning defense into offense and making the plays that shift the energy in a building everyone could feed off. So, for every hooper dreaming of dropping 30-point triple-doubles, this should serve as a wake-up call. "Do your thing," but don't forget to adapt when the game requires you to do so. It might sound like a cliche from a basketball movie, but in a league filled with talented superstars, the "others" who stick around are those who embrace their job and find a way to thrive in it. Just like McConnell story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 23, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Dwyane Wade breaks down how the current WNBA players are fighting for a better future: "We are in a space right now where we see the league growing in front of our eyes"
Dwyane Wade breaks down how the current WNBA players are fighting for a better future: "We are in a space right now where we see the league growing in front of our eyes" originally appeared on Basketball Network. The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game is officially in the books, and oh, boy, if there was ever a statement that this league is booming, it was made at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the home of the Fever and the Pacers. Even without the nominally biggest star, Caitlin Clark, who sat out nursing a groin injury of hers, the rest of the pack, from Angel Reese and A'ja Wilson to Breanna Stewart to Kelsey Plum, made sure fans got a show. But the biggest highlight wasn't just on the court. Players used the much-awaited national spotlight to push one very important conversation forward, as they all showed up in shirts that read "Pay Us What You Owe Us." Making it clear that, as much as this was a moment to relax and showcase basketball skills, it was also a reminder that the fight for more, both money and acknowledgment, is still far from over. The WNBA is boomin' That's the story of this WNBA season, a league enjoying the glow-up while never losing sight of the battles that still need to be won. These women aren't just hooping for themselves. They're hoping for the next generation of girls who will inherit a different league than the one we're watching today. The WNBA has come a long way. Bigger TV deals, arenas that draw more spectators and growing endorsement opportunities have made the league more marketable, more competitive and, frankly, more exciting for fans. But for the players, the growth goes beyond the numbers. It's about building something that lasts. Dwyane Wade, a 13-time NBA All-Star and the minority owner of the Chicago Sky, spoke on his podcast "The Timeout" about just how important that fight is. "The one thing is, what a lot of, even us NBA players, what we don't understand when it comes to the guys before us is we always take it as hate a lot. 'Oh, the older guys that hatin' on us,' and it feels like that when you are a younger guy and the older are talking about the game or about how much money you make," Wade argued in the recent episode. "When you look at the WNBA now, they are putting on for, yes, they talkin' about themselves but ultimately knowing that some people in this league today will not get the chance to experience what the league would eventually be…" the Miami Heat icon added. "We are in a space right now where we can see a league that is growing in our eyes. We didn't see that in the NBA because by the time we watched it, it seemed like it's already grown." Fighting for a better future for the WNBA It is the point of the whole conversation about what, on the surface, looks like a desire for more money. The women dominating the WNBA today may not fully reap the rewards of what they're fighting for, but they're doing it knowing that the next generation will. And that's what makes this moment so special. The WNBA is at a rare intersection: talented enough to pull in massive audiences, bold enough to challenge the system and still young enough as a league to reinvent itself. With generational stars like Reese and Clark, alongside many voices of support for their struggle, like Wade's, are planting the seeds of a better future. And we are all there to witness it. Will it happen overnight? No. But the message coming out of All-Star weekend was clear: the current generation isn't just here to play. They're here to make sure that by the time the next wave of players steps into the league, the WNBA won't need to ask for story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
