Latest news with #Matrix-esque
New York Times
17-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jalen Williams' ambitious NBA Finals arrival has Thunder close to championship glory
The Bounce Newsletter | This is The Athletic's daily NBA newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Bounce directly in your inbox. COn this day in 1976, the NBA added four teams from the ABA after its merger with the rival league. The Nuggets, Nets, Spurs and Pacers joined. In my opinion, this is when the NBA history truly started mattering, as the league reached 22 teams. It feels similar to the pre and post-Super Bowl era in the NFL. Here is a trailer for a documentary about the merger. Williams' ascension puts OKC one win from title Shai Gilgeous-Alexander having 31 points, 10 assists and four blocks in Game 5 of the NBA Finals was impressive, but not totally surprising. Yes, the assists and blocks are higher than normal, but you probably aren't going to see that statline and outright know that the Thunder took the night 120-109 to pull within one win of their first NBA championship. The league MVP has been performing at an historic pace all season and postseason long. Advertisement When you find out that the run Jalen Williams is on just culminated in the best postseason game of his career, his 40-point effort on 14-of-25 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line? That's when you know the Thunder absolutely took Game 5. This was just the fourth time all season these two scored 30 or more in the same game. There was a win against San Antonio this season in which Williams dropped 41 and SGA added 31, pretty close to the same totals last night. In a Thunder loss to Dallas, there was a 33-point effort by Williams with 31 from SGA. And then, there was the pivotal Game 4 semifinals win in Minneapolis to put the Wolves on tilt with SGA finishing with 40 and Williams having 34. But this performance by Williams has been building all series long against the Pacers, and it's what has the Thunder on the brink of a champagne celebration. In every game of this series, Williams has gotten better: A lot of this has been due to Williams driving to the basket. He's been unstoppable doing that. He has hit every defensive slide with a counter, almost looking like an offensive training drill you'd see him practicing in the summer. It's robotic and effective. His body control, especially through contact, has been Matrix-esque. And his timing is perfect, keeping rotating defenders off-balance with the same hand, same foot layups to speed up the process. The broadcast keeps reminding us Williams says that pressure is a privilege. It's like claiming that someone in today's society has come up with, 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.' But he has seemed to embrace it after some tricky postseason moments in his young career. Williams struggled in their series loss to Dallas last year. His numbers weren't disastrous, by any means. He just wasn't good enough or aggressive enough for what they needed. Such can be life for a 23-year-old in the postseason. Advertisement And even in the Denver series this year, he was brutal offensively, needing 95 shots to score 99 points through the first six games and knocking down just 33.7 percent of his shots and 21.2 percent of his 3-pointers. He was making the rim look like a carnival game. But in Game 7, he stepped up and was dominant in a very compact way. Then, he demolished the Wolves. And we've seen him build from struggling early in this series to dominating last night. It's a reminder too that Williams is only 24 years old and finishing his third season in the NBA. He just made his first All-Star Game, earned an All-Defensive team nod and was named to an All-NBA squad before he even starting negotiations for his rookie contract extension. And one more game like this will bring his first NBA championship. Looks like we don't have to worry about any postseason jitters anymore, if we ever truly did in the first place. We found a point guard for you this summer 🏀 Take the lead. Looking for a floor general this summer? John Hollinger knows who to sign. 💰 Mebounds. Angel Reese has received a lot of criticism online for her play. She's now trying to make money off it. 🔼 Fever rising. Caitlin Clark is back, and the Indiana is rising. They're high on the latest power rankings. 🏀 On the glass. Another reason for the Thunder winning Game 5? Isaiah Hartenstein doing what he does best. 🏈 Fantastic name. This is not related to basketball, but I really enjoyed this story on a no-name QB rising to a projected top pick. LaNorris Sellers, come on down. 🎧 Tuning in. Today's 'NBA Daily' discusses the Game 5 atmosphere in Oklahoma City. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process. The story of the greatest players in NBA history. Is Haliburton's injury limiting Indy's title shot? The big part of the Pacers' side of Game 5 was the play of Tyrese Haliburton. He was not good. He was not playing to the standard you expect from the star guard who has arguably been the story of the 2025 postseason. His incendiary clutch play has taken the playoffs by storm, and even though the Pacers are now down 3-2 in the series, I'm not sure anybody who has paid attention to Indiana during this run is ready to count out the Pacers … that is if Haliburton can be healthy enough to perform. Advertisement Haliburton has been battling a leg injury since Game 2, and we saw him look very limited during his Game 5 performance. In 34 minutes, the Pacers franchise guy had four points on 0-of-6 from the field, 0-of-4 from deep and made all four of his free-throw attempts. He also had seven rebounds and six assists in the game. But this is not the guy you expect to see. You never expect to see him go a full game without making a single shot. It was the seventh time in his career Haliburton has gone without a make in a game. It happened twice this season in two blowout losses on the road. This is the first time we've seen it in the postseason from Haliburton, though. This is obviously a major problem if he can't get right with two days of rest in between Games 5 and 6 on Thursday. Haliburton told reporters after the game that if he can walk, he's going to play, but he was entirely ineffective in Game 5. T.J. McConnell came in off the bench and was massive for them in the third quarter. He had 13 of his 18 points off the bench in that period and helped keep the Pacers close. It was extremely necessary, considering how off Haliburton was. But the Pacers were never going to topple the Thunder in OKC without a much better effort from their top guy. Indiana's odds have been all over the place. After going up 2-1, the Pacers entered a realm in which teams up 2-1 in the NBA Finals win 80.5 percent of the time. In that same space, when a team is up 2-1 and at home for Game 4, they were just 9-10 going into this series. That dropped to 9-11. Now, the Thunder winning Game 5 put them in a highly optimistic group. Teams that go up 3-2 in the Finals win the championship 74.2 percent of the time. For the Pacers to have a chance at being that quarter of history that still perseveres and wins it all, Haliburton has to bounce back from his injury and put on a show. Should teams not on KD's list take a chance? The Kevin Durant trade market might be the biggest move of the summer. Of course, the Desmond Bane trade to Orlando also might be signaling an odd offseason of surprise moves that leave us wondering what exactly anybody is doing at any given time. Such is life in the era of luxury-tax penalties due to the second apron that the NBA has foolishly self-imposed on itself. We know that Durant prefers to be moved to Miami or San Antonio or Houston at this point, but that doesn't mean Phoenix is going to trade him to those places. It just means Durant and his representation may threaten to not sign an extension with any team outside of those three. That's where the Timberwolves (and maybe other teams) come into play. Jon Krawczynski and Sam Amick had a great article about how the Wolves could be the darkhorse candidate to trade for the two-time NBA Finals MVP. And Minnesota hopes the 37-year-old also warms up to the idea, as he hopes to get one more big contract extension of two years and $122 million. Advertisement 'The Suns have made it clear to Durant's camp that they need to prioritize the best return for the team in a deal. What's more, they appear focused on landing the kind of impact players who can help now as opposed to prioritizing draft picks. The Wolves would seem to have options available to offer, with Rudy Gobert or Julius Randle headlining a package that could give the Suns hopes of contending. With the offers from the Spurs, Rockets and Heat coming up short to this point, league sources say the Suns are still hopeful that Durant might warm to the Timberwolves possibility. 'The Timberwolves do not want to make a seismic change to a roster that advanced to the Western Conference finals if Durant is not on board with the move, team sources said. The question now is whether there's any chance of Durant coming around to the idea.' OK, this seems highly significant. First, everybody has assumed this would need to involve Randle and him picking up his player option for next season. The idea that the Wolves could move on from Gobert and his nearly $110 million over the next three years at this point would be a massive shift for the franchise, since it's enjoying its best stretch ever. It's interesting to think about whether or not it's a good idea to trade for someone who doesn't want you, though. The Raptors did it with Kawhi Leonard, and it resulted in winning the 2019 title. And, as elite as Durant still is at 36 years old, it's not the same as a 27-year-old Leonard. The Wolves are looking for the right help around the 23-year-old Anthony Edwards, now that they've found a way to elevate the franchise. But is this stage of an occasionally healthy Durant the right one to acquire? And, if he doesn't want to be there, will he curmudgeon his way out of there before it has a chance to gel? The Marc Lore-Alex Rodriguez era could potentially start with a blowup in their face, rather than a bang, if so. Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Florence Pugh's Leather Bra Top Is a Technical Marvel
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." As someone who has been shopping for bras for a while, I'm always thinking about how to get more support. I'm taking notes, making mistakes, doing research, trying to find the perfect fit. And, yes, sometimes the research includes looking enviously at pictures of celebrities like Florence Pugh looking effortless in the bra-as-top trend. At a photocall for her new film, Thunderbolts*, in London, Florence Pugh again showed off an incredibly supportive and sleek leather bra top from Francesco Murano's Spring 2025 collection. The bra was skintight, with corset boning and sturdy straps, and the Little Women star wore it with a matching ultra high-waisted leather skirt, also from Francesco Murano. The skirt cinched the actor tightly at the waist—creating a dramatic hourglass silhouette—and featured a high slit up one side. Keeping the fit extra slick, Pugh styled the Matrix-esque leather set with black pointed-toe patent leather pumps and accessorized with some dark oval sunglasses and chunky silver jewelry, including thick, layered hoop earrings and several rings. Her signature blonde, slicked-back hair completed the look. Pugh—never one to shy away from a fashion challenge—has embraced a strong and fearless style for her Marvel press tour, which fits perfectly with her badass Thunderbolts* character, Yelena Belova. Talking to Harpers Bazaar U.K. about the new movie, the actor revealed that while filming, she got to perform a stunt that has never been done before. 'My double, the female co-ordinator and I are all now Guinness World Record holders!' she said. You Might Also Like 4 Investment-Worthy Skincare Finds From Sephora The 17 Best Retinol Creams Worth Adding to Your Skin Care Routine
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC Vegas 103 predictions, odds, full card picks
Not all UFC Fight Nights are created equally. After a stellar return to Seattle last week, UFC stops back in the APEX Facility for UFC Vegas 103. It's cards like these where a sales pitch probably won't even entice the most hardcore MMA fan. UFC Vegas 103 is legitimately the most glorified regional event ever. That has been said about many of these shows by now, but unfortunately, it rings true every time. With that said, the main event is compelling, as Manel Kape finally aims to secure an ever-elusive UFC flyweight title shot against the surging Asu Almabayev. That's about it, though. Let's make our weekly picks, shall we? Betting odds courtesy of BetMGM. After a lackluster blow-off unanimous decision loss to rival Muhammad Mokaev last July, Kape did "the thing." What's "the thing," you ask? Well, "the thing" is different for every fighter. For Kape, it's performing like a Matrix-esque world champion against an opponent who had no business being in the cage with him. Kape put on a show, styling on Bruno Silva before a third-round TKO win. Almabayev will receive a similar step-up to Silva's with the matchup. However, he's more well-equipped for it and proven as displayed throughout his 17-fight winning streak (4-0 in UFC, 21-2 overall). The additional two rounds that a main event provides add an element of intrigue to the bout. Kape is the superior striker, utilizing his movement and combinations beautifully when he's on, as mentioned off the top. Almabayez will look to make the fight ugly and outwrestle Kape en route to a decision or submission — the latter of which has only happened twice. There's more overall danger in Kape's game, especially on the feet. That's critical in a matchup like this, where he's at no clear disadvantage. If there is one, it's in the wrestling department. Even then, he should be able to hang and find success. Almabayev can be a mainstay around the division's top, but all paths appear more open than ever for Kape to get his first UFC title shot. Pick: Kape Does the UFC hate Cody Brundage? Because he's not getting done any favors in public perception with a co-main event slot on any card after a loss to Bo Nickal on the UFC 300 main card. (Yes, that's an actual sentence.) Brundage vs. Julian Marquez is much more of a coin flip than you'd think. It's been a rough go for Marquez, losing his last three all by knockout. Therefore, he desperately needs this win to keep his roster spot. Marquez has just become too much of a brawler and his chin has deteriorated because of it. Brundage isn't known for being some wildly talented knockout artist, but he doesn't need to be to hurt Marquez in a wild exchange. Even if Brundage doesn't put Marques away, hurting him will make the inevitable takedown attempt all the easier, leading to a finish on the ground. I like Brundage in this one as long as he avoids any big shots from "The Cuban Missile Crisis." Pick: Brundage So, Esteban Ribovics rules. After winning Uncrowned's 2024 Fight of the Year, you won't catch me missing any fight involving the Argentinian. The odds on this matchup are a surprise, considering Nasrat Haqparast has been on a tear of his own with four straight wins over some notable veteran names like Jared Gordon and John Makdessi. It just goes to show the reasonable hype accrued by Ribovics for his latest performances. As much damage as Ribovics dealt and delivered in his Daniel Zellhuber classic, Haqparast has more tread on the tires despite being only one year older than Ribovics, at 29. I forget the guy is still that young after eight years in the promotion. This matchup should be an absolute banger on the feet and closer than the odds indicate. Haqparast has been stifled by solid clinch work or grappling threats in the past. Ribovics will be wise to that, mixing in takedowns or tie-ups on the cage when applicable. That's unless he gets drawn into another war like his last fight, which saw zero attempts to take the action to the mat, and we love him for that. Pick: Ribovics Hyder Amil vs. William Gomis should be another striker's delight. Both are riding high on great winning streaks, with Amil undefeated in his 10-fight career. Gomis has just been the cleaner and more technical between the two, slicing and dicing his way to victories in all four Octagon appearances. Gomis' takedown defense — or lack thereof — has been why he nearly lost fights against Joanderson Brito and Francis Marshall. Look for Amil to exploit that, but ultimately find himself a step behind while he gets picked apart by the rangy Frenchman. Pick: Gomis Danny Barlow and Sam Patterson are big welterweights, standing at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-3, respectively. In his last time out, Patterson was impressive, submitting Kiefer Crosbie with a first-round arm triangle choke. He continued to show he's a finisher through and through, only fighting to a decision twice in 14 fights (12-2-1). Barlow, 29, has been tested in his pair of UFC bouts thus far, scraping by Nikolay Veretnikov and TKOing Josh Quinlan late. Ultimately, Barlow has more polished striking than his adversary Patterson, but the Brit's tenacious ground game and submission seeking will be too much. A finish is a bold pick. Regardless, I'll take the upset on this one. Pick: Patterson Andrea Lee losing five straight and maintaining a roster spot is baffling, to say the least. Not that I want to see anyone jobless, of course. The UFC is typically just so trigger happy to remove fighters like her as the snowball starts to avalanche. It's the wrong type of history to make. Montana De La Rosa has no business being the underdog against Luana Carolina. Stylistically, that should be as surefire a victory as it gets. Wrestle, wrestle, wrestle and wrestle some more, "MDLR." Circling back to the flyweight division, Charles Johnson still finds himself buried on APEX event prelims despite an absurd resurgence in 2024, winning four in a row. Talk about wicked disrespect — that I will pile onto as I pick against him. Quick picks: Mario Pinto (-600) def. Austen Lane (+425) Chepe Mariscal (-450) def. Ricardo Ramos (+350) Douglas Silva de Andrade (+260) def. John Castaneda (-325) JJ Aldrich (-210) def. Andrea Lee (+170) Danny Silva (-220) def. Lucas Almeida (+180) Montana De La Rosa (+105) def. Luana Carolina (-125) Ramazan Temirov (+110) def. Charles Johnson (-135)
