Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart had an open lane for an easy fast-break basket. Then he unnecessarily moved the ball behind his back and flubbed a layup. A minute later, he had the ball again and hit an acrobatic circus shot on the baseline from behind the backboard. He drew a foul, too. That was … Read more
SECAUCUS, NJ – “They think they know refereeing,” Steve Javie muttered to no one in particular, wearing a wry smile. “It’s even hard in slow motion.” The “they” could be anyone, from enraged fans to confused television broadcasters – and, sometimes, even Javie, who was an NBA official for 25 years. He was sitting in … Read more
The Mets packed up their duffel bags late Thursday afternoon, winners again, and slipped into their uniform for the flight to Denver: a black T-shirt with Eduardo Escobar’s face on the front and “Diez Años” across the back, above the number 10 . Escobar is new to the Mets this season, signed as a free … Read more
Albert Pujols passed Eddie Collins for 10th place on the career hits list when he went 2 for 4 in a loss to the Mets on Wednesday. Or he tied Collins. Or maybe he was still one short. It all depended on where you looked. One thing is certain: Pujols, who is thoroughly enjoying his … Read more
Real Madrid, the European soccer behemoth, closed a deal in which the investment firm Sixth Street, based in the United States, will buy a 30 percent stake in the team’s stadium operations. The announcement Thursday came amid growing optimism among executives that Real Madrid, a 13-time European champion, could complete a deal to sign Kylian … Read more
There were some clear expectations going into Game 1 of the second round series between the Rangers and the Carolina Hurricanes. And in some ways, the 2-1 overtime victory by Carolina on Wednesday developed as foreseen. But it also threw up some surprises. Here’s how it played out. Expected: The Hurricanes won at home Carolina … Read more
The Qatar World Cup was always going to be a World Cup of firsts. The first time sport’s most-watched event is to be played in the Middle East. The first time it will be played in November and December. And now it may also be the first men’s World Cup to have a game refereed … Read more
The official estimates had seemed inflated, deliberately aggrandized, exaggerated for dramatic effect, right up until the planes started landing and the streets started filling. Some 50,000 fans were making their way to Seville, Spain, in the midst of a blistering spring heat wave, from Germany. Twice that number were traveling from Scotland. They came every … Read more
LONDON – A candid window into the glamorous world of English soccer, and an exposé of the machinations of back-stabbing celebrities. A phone lost to the sea, along with the evidence it is supposedly contained. And a legal whodunit with powerhouse lawyers dissecting private WhatsApp messages in open court as tears flowed on the witness … Read more
SAN FRANCISCO – Reputations tend to stick if they ring true and, for a while, Andrew Wiggins’s reputation in the NBA was that he was a bust. For years, the word on Wiggins, a former No. 1 pick, was that he was inconsistent. That he was bad at defense. That he didn’t care. The Cleveland … Read more