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Run, pass, special teams: Nets defensive scheme is working, but not winning games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

The Nets have taken away the run and the pass, but have lost Games 1 and 2 of their first-round playoff matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers on special teams.And they’re OK with that.Nets head coach Jacque Vaughn likes to use a football analogy to describe his defensive game plan against a stacked Sixers team headlined by presumptive league Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid and former MVP James Harden.Embiid and Harden — namely the damage the duo does at the foul line — are the run and the pass. Philadelphia’s complementary players are the special teams.And the returns have been positive: Embiid hasn’t come close to his season average against the Nets this series despite dominating them in regular-season play over the years. And after Harden pelted the Nets for seven threes in Brooklyn’s 20-point loss in Game 1 in Philly, the Nets held him to just 3-of-13 shooting from the field and two-of-eight shooting from behind the arc for eight points.Both ...

Tornadoes kill 3 in Oklahoma; new storms possible Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

By KEN MILLER and JAMIE STENGLE (Associated Press)DALLAS (AP) — Tornadoes plowed through Oklahoma during another deadly spring storm in the U.S., killing at least three people and damaging dozens of homes in a hard-hit rural town. Forecasters warned Thursday that more severe weather was still possible. A day after at least eight tornadoes spun through Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt said authorities were still assessing the scale of destruction and injuries. He toured the aftermath in Shawnee, where nearly every building on the campus of Oklahoma Baptist University showed damage. A home improvement store was destroyed, but several people sheltering inside survived. Two long-term care facilities and a hospital were also damaged there.“The damage is unbelievable when you walk through there,” Stitt said after touring the city.Stitt also toured the small town of Cole, where he said two people died and 50 to 100 homes were damaged. Authorities said a third person who was inj...

Celtics’ Malcolm Brogdon wins NBA’s sixth man of the year award

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

When the Celtics traded for Malcolm Brogdon last July, president of basketball operations Brad Stevens had to be up front with the veteran guard.Brogdon had been a starter for most of his first six seasons in the NBA. But the Celtics had a specific idea with him. They didn’t need a starter, or for Brogdon to be a top option. Their NBA Finals run exposed a need for a playmaker off the bench, and they viewed Brogdon as the perfect fit.“They told me straight up, you’re going to come off the bench,” Brogdon recalled on TNT Thursday night. “We have a formula here, we have something that works. We think you can be a key piece and really help us, but your role is going to be coming off the bench, and I chose to embrace it.”Brogdon, after a few underwhelming, injury-riddled seasons with the Pacers, saw it as an opportunity to join a championship team, and still be a major contributor. He not only embraced the sacrificial role, but excelled in it. On Thursday, Brogdon was recognized as the N...

After ‘ladies’ controversy in Easthampton, second superintendent finalist withdraws amid students reporting ‘conservative transphobic’ Facebook posts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

After the top pick for Easthampton’s superintendent lost his job offer when he used the term “ladies” in an email, the second choice for the district has withdrawn herself from running the school system amid students reporting her past Facebook posts.The Easthampton School Committee is back to the drawing board following this latest chapter in the chaotic search for a new leader of the school district.Erica Faginski-Stark, the director of Curriculum and Instruction at Ludlow Public Schools, is no longer in line to take over as superintendent.On the night that the School Committee voted to not re-enter contract negotiations with first pick Vito Perrone and to instead offer the job to Faginski-Stark, students emailed the Easthampton mayor about their “extreme concerns” with the second choice.“Under the belief that this is her Facebook account, she has posted conservative transphobic rhetoric a multitude of times,” the students wrote to Mayor N...

Boston COVID wastewater, cases and hospitalizations drop, Massachusetts virus cases down 21%

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

Boston’s COVID wastewater, cases and hospitalizations keep dropping, as state health officials on Thursday also reported declining virus cases and patients.Data from the Boston Public Health Commission’s wastewater surveillance program shows that the number of COVID particles in the wastewater plunged 25% over the past week. The wastewater data helps predict virus waves and lulls in the community.In the city, the number of new COVID cases decreased 11% over the past week. The seven-day average of new virus cases is now 2.2 cases per 100,000. That’s a 34% drop over the last two weeks.Also, the weekly total for new COVID hospital admissions in Boston was 66 patients, a 19% decline from the previous week.Related ArticlesHealth | Biobot, the Cambridge company monitoring Boston-area COVID wastewater, will start tracking norovirus Health | Boston-area COVID data keeps falling, Massachusetts virus cases down 15% Health | Howie Ca...

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks says he is cancer-free after undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks announced he is cancer-free in an Instagram post Thursday.“It’s official. I’m cancer free,” Hendriks wrote.Hendriks began treatment in January for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Before the April 3 home opener against the San Francisco Giants, he announced in a recorded message on the video board he was beginning his last round of chemotherapy.A couple of days later, Hendriks thanked family, friends and fans in an Instagram post that included a video of the Sox closer ringing the bell.On Friday, Sox general manager Rick Hahn said of Hendriks: “You get caught up in the competitiveness, you get caught up in the slow start or injuries, you can always find something to be a little frustrated and disappointed about this game if you let it, but with Liam, he’s helped all of us sort of take a broader view about what’s important on a day-to-day basis.“And at the same time, we’ve seen him not lose an ounce of ...

Max Scherzer suspended 10 games following ejection for excessive sticky stuff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — After getting ejected for his hand being too sticky Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, Max Scherzer is well aware of what people are calling him right now: A cheater. Largely considered a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Scherzer understands that a cheating allegation could put that future candidacy in doubt and it undermines his integrity as an honest competitor.Scherzer was suspended for 10 games, the league announced Thursday, for “violating the prohibitions on foreign substances.” He confirmed that he is appealing the decision.MLB’s intent to crack down on sticky stuff is right but many players — including Scherzer — say the execution is flawed. This is the first time a pitcher of this magnitude has been ejected for a foreign substance. The other two, Hector Santiago and Caleb Smith, were tossed in 2021, shortly after the league started instructing umpires to do random checks. All were ejected by umpire Phil Cuzzi.“Every aspect of t...

Orioles announce return of Birdland Summer Music Series with Andy Grammer, DJ Diesel (aka Shaq) and Brett Young

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

The Orioles on Thursday announced a return of the Birdland Summer Music Series featuring postgame performances that range from pop to country to a basketball star turned DJ.This year’s lineup includes multiplatinum singer Andy Grammer on May 27, when the Orioles play the Texas Rangers; DJ Diesel (aka Shaquille O’Neal) on June 30, when they face the Minnesota Twins; and country pop singer-songwriter Brett Young on Sept. 15, when the Tampa Bay Rays come to town.The shows will be included for baseball fans who attend the games on those days; for an extra $30 to $35, attendees can watch performers from the field instead of from the stands. A portion of the money raised — $5 from every on-field pass — will go toward the Orioles Charitable Foundation’s Music & Arts Education Scholarship.Last year’s Birdland Summer Music Series featured performances from Flo Rida, Smash Mouth, Dru Hill, Sisqó and The Struts.Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Ban...

14-year-old boys accused of breaking into East Boston store, stealing cell phones and electronics: Police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

Two 14-year-old boys are accused of smashing the front windows of an East Boston store and stealing cell phones along with other electronics, according to Boston Police.The juveniles were arrested on Thursday after police officers responded to a breaking and entering at 201 Sumner St. That’s the address of Celltronic Boston, a phone repair shop.When the officers arrived at the scene Thursday morning, they saw that one of the store’s front windows had been shattered. The cops saw stones on the ground, along with more broken glass.The business alarm did not activate when the suspects allegedly broke the windows. The officers looked over the video surveillance and saw that the teens allegedly stole multiple cell phones from a wall display at 4:56 a.m.The suspects then returned an hour later and broke the glass counter display, and stole more cell phones, police said. About 30 minutes later, the juveniles again came back and stole more cell phones and electronics, according ...

Trevino-Cortes battery helps Yankees beat Angels in rubber match

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:27 GMT

Three walks and two singles already had southpaw Patrick Sandoval and the Angels in a 2-0 hole when Yankees catcher Jose Trevino stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first inning on Thursday.Trevino, off to a quiet start this season, then drove a pitch to the bottom of Yankee Stadium’s left field wall. The two-out rope cleared the bases and capped a five-run first for the Bombers, which paved the way for a 9-3 rubber match win.The clutch extra-base hit also handed Trevino’s battery mate, Nestor Cortes, an early lead to work with. The lefty fared better than his Angels counterpart, allowing four hits and three earned runs over six innings of work.Cortes, who owns a 3.09 ERA after four starts, also walked two while tying his season-high for strikeouts with seven.The Yankees’ bullpen flirted with some trouble after Cortes departed, but the team never lost its lead. DJ LeMahieu added an RBI double in the seventh inning, while Isiah Kiner-Fale...