Month: April 2022

The Atlanta Hawks have punched their ticket to the 2022 NBA Playoffs. After taking down the Charlotte Hornets in the 9/10 play-in game earlier this week, Atlanta headed up to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers, which found themselves licking their wounds after losing the 7/8 game against the Brooklyn Nets. While the Cavs led by as many as 14 points in front of their hometown fans, Trae Young put the Hawks on his back in the second half and led Atlanta to a 107-101 win for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Cavaliers came out on a mission in the first quarter. With the crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse rocking and Jarrett Allen giving the team a boost due to his return from injury, Cleveland raced out to a 12-4 lead and responded to any attempt the Hawks made to close the gap. While their offense was stellar in the game’s first frame – 36 points on 54.2 percent shooting and six of the team’s nine attempts from three going down — it was their defense that seemed to flummox Atlanta the most.

During the game’s first 12 minutes, the Hawks only made one of their seven tries from three and turned the ball over seven times — four by way of Young — which the Cavaliers turned into 11 points.

While Cleveland extended its lead to as many as 14 points, the Hawks managed to make them a bit uncomfortable. This was thanks in part to the play of Bogdan Bogdanovic off the bench, who hit all five of his shots for 14 points in the first half and was instrumental in getting the Cavs’ lead down to three.

But despite the fact that this group is new to this stage and their opponents made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last year, Cleveland managed to weather that particular storm like a team of grizzled postseason veterans. By the time they went to the locker room for halftime, the team had a 61-51 lead thanks to 17 points by Lauri Markkanen and a 13-point, 5-assist, 3-rebounds half by Darius Garland.

To add insult to injury for Atlanta, the team learned in the locker room that Clint Capela would not be be able to play in the second half after hyperextending his right knee. And despite that, the Hawks spent the entirety of the third quarter slowly chipping away at Cleveland’s lead.

While he struggled for much of the first 24 minutes, Young came alive in the third, scoring 16 points in the frame with five assists. This included a pair of threes late the quarter to give Atlanta its first lead of the game.

Thanks to some shot making by Garland and Caris LeVert down the stretch, the Cavaliers were able to keep Young’s hot streak from burying them, and things were tied at 84 as the game entered the fourth. That torrid form for Young carried over to the final frame, as the All-NBA guard was in total control of things, particularly during the 11-0 run that let the Hawks open up a 95-86 lead.

Cleveland was able to keep things close, but Young’s monstrous second half generally kept them at bay. When they got the lead down to three, Young pulled up from the logo and hit a three that didn’t touch the net.

And yet the Cavaliers just kept coming. Every Young haymaker had a response, and with less than 30 seconds left, it looked like they were going to have a chance to tie things up while down by three. Markkanen forced a turnover, but decided to dribble into the corner and give himself a bad angle for a pass to Garland.

Kevin Huerter read the whole situation perfectly, and while Danilo Gallinari pestered Markkanen and forced a bad pass, Huerter jumped the lane, registered a steal, and got the ball to Young, who went to the charity stripe and pushed the lead to five.

Young finished the game with 38 points and nine assists, while four other players — led by Bogdanovic’s 19 — scored in double-digits. Markkanen led the way for Cleveland with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Garland had 21 points and nine assists, albeit on 9-for-27 shooting.

With the win, Atlanta earned a matchup with the 1-seed Miami Heat, against whom they are 1-3 this year. The series is slated to tip off on Sunday, April 17, at 1 p.m. ET.

UPDATE: While the team was in the locker room for halftime, the Hawks announced that Capela hyperextended his right knee and would not be able to return.

EARLIER: An attempt to prevent an easy basket right before halftime led to Clint Capela leaving the Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Cleveland Cavaliers with an apparent knee injury. With the Hawks staring down a double-digit deficit right before they entered the locker room, Capela attempted to block an Evan Mobley dunk attempt and ended up getting caught with a pump fake.

As he flew past Mobley, Capela grabbed the rookie’s shoulders in an attempt to foul him and keep him from getting an easy basket. Unfortunately for Capela, this came at quite the cost — the big man actually pulled Mobley backwards, and as he fell, he ended up colliding with Capela’s right knee. The Hawks’ center ended up going down in serious pain as a result, and after taking some time to get examined, needed some help as he made his way back into the locker room.

The foul was reviewed by the officials for a potential flagrant, but ultimately, it was determined that it did not quite rise to that level. At the time of his injury, Capela was one of Atlanta’s most impactful players, as he had seven points and a team-high eight rebounds. Shortly after he went down, the Hawks went into the locker room for halftime facing a 61-51 deficit.

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available about Capela’s injury and his status going forward.

Life on Twitter comes at you fast. Yesterday’s trending topic du jour was an unfounded claim that Rihanna and ASAP Rocky were breaking up because ASAP had cheated on the pregnant pop star with footwear fashion designer Amina Muaddi. The Twitter hive and rumor mill quickly began spiraling out of control, until Muaddi herself made a post this morning saying that “I’ve always believed that an unfounded lie spread on social media doesn’t deserve any response or clarification, especially one that is so vile.”

Muaddi’s post pretty quickly quelled the rumor and then later today, fashion writer and noted Twitter antagonizer Louis Pisano issued an apology for starting the rumor to begin with. Which is nice, but the trouble is, the forced apology made some people on Twitter think Pisano was handed a cease and desist order and had to make a statement. “…I’d like to formally apologize to all parties I involved with my actions and for my reckless tweets,” his statement (which he tweeted, of course) read. “I fully accept the consequences of my actions for my tweets and any harm they caused. I have no excuse for it, I’ve been way too wrapped up in Twitter drama and unfortunately leaned into being messy as a brand which is something going forward I’m going to move away from.”

It’s a wild world that we live in when somebody says that they’re “messy as a brand.” If only Twitter users would show some restraint and consider where they get their information (said every journalist ever), then maybe unsuspecting celebrities like Rihanna, ASAP Rocky, and Amina Muaddi wouldn’t get dragged like this. Perhaps if Elon Musk buys out Twitter, then this could change. But it’s doubtful.

A French tech company is rolling out a new device that allows wheelchair-bound people to walk again. It looks like something straight out of a science fiction movie, but the phenomenal benefit it provides is very, very real.

The company, Wandercraft, calls it the Atalante X. It acts like an exoskeleton, fitting around both legs and the back of the spine. Twelve motors make up the robot appendages (six at the hips, two at the knees, and four at the ankles), which helps make more natural movement.

Each motor receives a signal every millisecond from both a user-controlled remote and a sensor that detects upper body movement. This cutting-edge technology allows, for the first time ever, the freedom of hands-free motion.

Wandercraft : Self-balanced exoskeleton latest advancements

www.youtube.com

Alexandre Boulanger, one of Wandercraft’s creators, regarded exoskeletons as “the revolution of the future for people with reduced mobility. They help users to regain a social life through as simple an act as being able to stand up and talk with others face-to-face.”

So far, users seem to agree.

In an interview with Euro News, one of Wandercraft’s test pilots, Kevin Piette, noted, “the first time you stand up is pretty impressive because you can do it very easily, very quietly, comfortably. And then you have this upright posture that you had actually forgotten about.”

One of Piette’s favorite rediscovered activities is cooking. “To be able to cook and reach things up high, things that are part of a really banal day of life was rewarding. It’s also really nice to be able to be at the same level as people instead of always looking up at them from below,” he told Euro News.

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Wandercraft first launched in 2012, starting out with only three engineers. The company now has 50 mathematicians, robotics engineers and biomechanical experts. And so far $45 million has been raised to further develop a lighter, cheaper, more versatile model.

One of those co-founders, Jean-Louis Constanza, whose son is a wheelchair user, credits their success to having “a project that really changes society.”

According to the Wheelchair Foundation, an estimated 10 million people require wheelchairs. And that’s not taking developing countries into consideration, where less than 10% of those who need them actually have access to one. According to the website, that means that every hour of every day, there is need for 145 more wheelchairs in the world. There is certainly a demand for mobility devices.

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Lots of breakthroughs have been made to make everyday life a bit more accessible for those who are disabled, like wheelchair-equipped smart cars. But the Atalante X is something truly innovative and one-of-a-kind. Its next steps (pun intended) are being able to be used outside. Wandercraft engineer Jean-Louis Kana noted that the device will have to adhere to the same regulations as an autonomous car, and be required to develop algorithms to ensure stability and reliability. Particularly if there’s an accident.

However, if the success of Wandercraft continues, the lives of millions will become truly limitless. It’s one small step for robotics, and one giant leap for inclusion.

Mother Nature played a silly trick where I live this week, dumping inches of snow, days in a row. And while I’m tempted to say bah humbug to second winter in April (OK, more than tempted—BAH HUMBUG) I know it’s a temporary blip. The daffodils and tulips peeking out from under the white will persevere, the snow will melt as it always does and spring will emerge in her full, green glory soon enough.

Sometimes the world feels like this. Cold when it should be warm. Snow where there should be flowers. Struggle and suffering when there should be peace and prosperity. Yet we persevere, knowing this too shall pass. We try to look toward the horizon with hope, knowing the light will penetrate the darkness eventually.

And while we wait, we work to help ourselves and our human brethren through the unexpected rough patches. Sometimes that means fighting the good fight. Sometimes it means finding joy in simple things. Sometimes it means letting music move us in its mysterious way. Sometimes it means zoning out on goofy cat videos or laughing along with an infectious viral baby giggle.

Goodness knows we can all use a little lift in our spirits, and small snippets of beauty and delight can help give us the energy we need to persevere. We’ve collected 10 of them to get you started as you wrap up your week.

Enjoy:

BOY singer had the most delightfully surprised response when fans started singing along.

When Swiss/German girl duo BOY performed their song “Little Numbers” at their first U.S. show in Brooklyn in 2013, they were totally surprised by the crowd singing along with the chorus. Lead singer Valeska Steiner’s reaction is so pure and sweet, each time. “You’re giving us goosebumps!” she says. Such a moment is a dream come true for a musician.

Dad’s pride at his daughter passing her nursing exam is so heartwarming.

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That proud pops could not be sweeter. That kind of support means so much.

Grandpa creatively “breastfed” his godson when he wouldn’t take a bottle.

@xo.weendyy

To all the dads out there who struggle with their little ones not taking the bottle 😂💀 #fyp #foryou #parati #fypシ #4u #grandchild

Speaking of support, this is so awesome. And hilarious. Read the story here.

Dads set their pride aside to entertain their daughters in silly cheerleading competition. 

@cedarcheer

Cedar High’s first annual Cheer Dad Jump Off! The competition was sure fierce! #fyp #cheer #cheerdads #cheerleaders

Speaking of dads and hilarity, get a load of these guys. A couple of them actually have some skill! Read the full story here.

Veterinarians get down with a dancing cockatoo. (Sound up!)

Veterinarians dance along with Cockatoopic.twitter.com/zkLn5ZrQwC

— Madeyousmile (@Madeyousmile)
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You definitely want the sound on for this. Cockatoos dancing is always entertaining, but seeing professional humans dancing along is just pure joy.

Fenix the “happy dog” has a pep in his step like no other. 

@fenixlumiere

I’m just a dancing with myself. I’m just a prancing with myself! Have a great day, doing it your way! #happydog #prancingdog #rescuedog #husky #doglove #dogs #cerebellarhypoplasiadogs

And speaking of pure joy, nothing says it like Fenix the husky‘s prancing. He was almost killed due to a neurological disorder that affects his coordination and causes him to prance like he’s dancing, but his owners rescued him and now he lives a happy dog life. May we all have this much enthusiasm in our steps today!

Hahaha. Maybe should have thought that one through, Jeff. 

One of my greatest joys in life is when Jeff calls the vet to make an appointment and they ask for his name, and he says, Jeff. Then, they ask for our cat’s name, and I watch him gather his strength before he tells them, Baby Jeff.

— Brittany Means (@Brittany Means)
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Oh, Jeff. The best part of this tweet is that you can just picture it perfectly. “Your name?” “Jeff.” “And your cat’s name?” Pause…”Baby Jeff.” So funny.

Teen who was homeless gets reunited with dog he surrendered to an animal shelter.

A homeless teen who selflessly surrendered his dog to a Mississippi animal shelter with a bag of dog food and a blanket because he couldn’t care for her properly has been reunited with his dog—and has a place to stay as well. Read the full story here.

After vowing he’d never sing it, Julian Lennon performs his dad’s song, “Imagine” for Ukraine.

Julian Lennon has always said that he would never publicly perform “Imagine,” in deference to the incredible power the song held. However, in light of the war on Ukraine, which Lennon called an “unimaginable tragedy,” he changed his mind. “Within this song, we’re transported to a space, where love and togetherness become our reality, if but for a moment in time,” he said. “The song reflects the light at the end of the tunnel, that we are all hoping for.” Read the full story here.

In a sweet farewell, “Ice Age” studio artists finally—finally!—let Scrat have his acorn.

Scrat finally gets the acorn as a farewell to Blue Sky Studios.nnu201cIn the final days of Blue Sky Studios, a small team of artists came together to do one final shot. This shot is a farewell, a send-off on our own terms.u201dpic.twitter.com/Z9QmNEX4x1

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm)
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Blue Sky Studios, the animation studio responsible for the “Rio” and “Ice Age” series of films, was founded in 1987. In 2021, Disney announced it would be shuttering its doors, and this week a final “Ice Age” short made by a small team of artists from the studio was released. If you’ve watched the “Ice Age” movies, you know that Scrat is always trying to get his precious acorn, but there are always hilariously painful mishaps that prevent his success. This time, they let him have it—a fitting final farewell from Blue Sky.

Hope that brought some joy to your day. Come back again next week for another roundup of small delights to boost your spirit.

This past Wednesday night, it was reported that an intruder broke into DaBaby’s North Carolina home and was shot and injured. The shooting happened on the football field of the property (that’s right, DaBaby has a football field) and a report in The Morgantown Herald said the person was taken to a medical facility. Now new details have emerged, including a 911 call, that confirm that the shooter was in fact DaBaby himself.

There are quite a few confirmations of what happened here, but the most obvious one, is DaBaby posting an Instagram a clip from Cam’ron’s 2002 film Paid In Full and basically admitting it with a caption that read, “chose not to take a n***** life the other day & it felt great. Buddy ain’t deserve to go, I step righteously. Heal up & live my boy! Just don’t bring ya ass back.”

TMZ reports that according to their “law enforcement sources,” the intruder was shot in the leg after a verbal exchange. DaBaby then called 911 and cooperated with police. WSOC-TV released a recording of the 911 call and while much of it is unintelligible, you can hear the caller (DaBaby, presumably) saying, “He’s trespassing on my property… I don’t know what he’s here for, what he’s here to take, what he’s here to do, but he’s shot in his leg. He’s neutralized until you guys get here.”

This is not the first incident of gun violence for DaBaby, who’s also apparently been getting a number of noise complaints from neighbors since he moved into the Troutman, NC home in 2019. In 2018, he shot an alleged assaulter at a Walmart who eventually died and was put on probation for a year. He also currently being sued for assault in a separate incident involving DaniLeigh’s brother. Trouble always seems to find trouble and DaBaby can’t seem to stay away from it.

Who doesn’t love a good golf game? Golf video games are usually very well received, whether they’re an ultra-realistic simulation or something straight out of an arcade. One of the best in the genre is the Mario Golf series. Mario has had a presence of some kind in golf ever since the NES, but what really put him on the green as one of gaming’s most well-known golfers was Mario Golf on the Nintendo 64.

Mario Golf wasn’t the wackiest golf game ever made, but it had a lot of fun details that made it feel very Mario. Not only did it keep matches fast-paced so players didn’t get bored, it would have goofy cutscenes that played after completing holes. It had a strong library of Mario characters to choose from and had a really fun crossover with a port for the Game Boy Color. It isn’t the best in the franchise, but it’s still beloved to this day thanks to nostalgia and some really strong mechanics that continue to hold up. We can now re-experience the classic on the Nintendo Switch thanks to Nintendo’s online service.

Platform: Nintendo Switch
Price: $50 (Yearly subscription)
Release Date: April 14 (4/14)
Genre: Arcade Sports
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Rating: E
Where can I buy this: Only playable through Nintendo’s Online service
Single Player: Yes
Multiplayer: Yes
Early Access: No
Microtransactions: No

Hip-hop’s favorite gambler is at it again. Drake, who recently placed three bets on the Super Bowl for a shade over a million bucks (he hit two of them) and lost $100K when North Carolina beat Duke in the NCAA tournament, is putting some serious coin down on the NBA Playoffs. While Drake is a part owner of the Eastern Conference’s Toronto Raptors and a well-documented courtside presence at their games, he’s looking for action in Western Conference playoffs instead.

Drake has put down $200,000 Canadian dollars (about $158,624 US) on the Golden State Warriors to win the Western Conference Finals and make it to the NBA Finals. The rapper posted a screenshot of the online betting slip on his Instagram Story showing that the Warriors have 5 to 1 odds to come out of the West.

If they make it to the Finals, Drake would claim a cool $1 million Canadian dollars ($793,112). It’s a bold bet considering the Phoenix Suns were the best team in the West in the regular season by a comfortable eight game margin. The Warriors are set to open the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, which won’t be a walk in the park considering how unguardable Nikola Jokic can be. If they win that series, they’ll face the winner of the Memphis Grizzlies and the Minnesota Timberwolves. A showdown with the Suns in the West finals is the likeliest outcome and Drake can only hope that “Steph Curry with the shot boy” is healthy all series, dominates and takes the Dubs into the finals.

Many Americans hope for the day when the regular work week resembles that many of the other countries, with fewer work days, daily siestas and extensive paid leave packages. Having a nap pod under your desk or taking a six-week holiday is, to Americans, what fairytales are made of. Add in up to three years of paid parental leave, and you’re really entering a realm of perfection that Americans can only dream of. But we could be moving closer to those things than we think. While we’re far from having three years off for bringing home a new baby, there are some moves toward redressing the balance between the amount of time spent at work and family (or other activity) time.

California recently introduced a bill, AB 2932, that aims to cut the work week from 40 to 32 hours. This reduction in hours would allow employees to have a four-day work week. The bill also outlines how overtime would be applied, where time and a half pay is required after an eight-hour work day, and anything above 12 hours is compensated with double pay. Workers also would not be docked pay if they did not meet the 32-hour minimum for their work week. While the work week would be a day shorter, employees would not be required to work more than an eight-hour shift. The proposed changes would only affect companies that have 500 employees or more.

If AB 2932 passes, California would be the first state to change the standard work week, which has been set at 40 hours since 1940. It was Ford Motor Companies that innovated the five-day, 40-hour work week in 1926. Congress was nearly 15 years behind with making it a federal law.

The shorter work week wouldn’t just be good for work-life balance, but it could also benefit Californians’ mental and physical health. The American Heart Association discovered that people under 50 were at a higher risk for stroke when they worked more than 10 hours a day for a decade or more. A different study completed across 14 countries found that people who worked long hours were 12% more likely to become heavy drinkers. Researchers in Iceland found that when employees worked fewer hours each week “they felt better, more energised, and less stressed, resulting in them having more energy for other activities, such as exercise, friends and hobbies.”

Additional benefits of a shorter work week include lower overhead and other costs, as employees take fewer sick days and their productivity rises when they are at work.

It seems clear that a shorter work week has enough benefits to begin to sway any fence sitters. If California passes this law, the future of the 40-hour, five-day work week might eventually become a thing of the past across the entire country.

The Minnesota Timberwolves punched their ticket to the 2022 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night with an impressive comeback win over the Clippers and earned a trip to Memphis for the first round, as they will face the Grizzlies in a matchup of two young squads on the rise.

Both teams come into the playoffs hungry to prove themselves for the first time as a unit. Minnesota is making their first appearance in the postseason since 2018, while Memphis is looking to build on a 5-game loss to the Jazz in last year’s first round after coming through the play-in themselves.

Can Minnesota’s bench keep up with the Grizzlies reserves?

All year, the Grizzlies have leaned on their depth to wear teams down, as seemingly any combination of players is capable of winning games — as evidenced by their absurd record without star Ja Morant in the lineup. In the playoffs, depth typically becomes less important, but Memphis’ ability to change looks and ride various hot hands from their bench unit will present a unique challenge for this Timberwolves team.

The Ti,berwolves showed in the play-in that they likely won’t dig deep down the bench and figure to lean heavily on their starting unit and a short rotation, but there is no let up in quality from Memphis even when they go to their reserves and when the Wolves do need to give their stars a break, being able to stay attached will be crucial. The Grizzlies will likely pare down their rotation, but even that should include De’Anthony Melton, Kyle Anderson, Tyus Jones, and Brandon Clarke all getting time and helping keep the likes of Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. fresh.

Taurean Prince remains day-to-day, which could thrust Jaylen Nowell into some of those reserve wing minutes, while Naz Reid showed he can be impactful in a positive way against the Clippers with Towns in constant foul trouble. While Minnesota won’t want this series to turn into a bench battle, either by choice or foul issues, getting some quality contributions from their reserves will be important against a Memphis team that is very confident in their rotation.

Who wins the battle between Karl-Anthony Towns and Jaren Jackson Jr.?

This series will feature a number of fascinating individual matchups, with plenty of focus on Morant’s battles with Patrick Beverley, but the battle of Towns and Jackson is at the top of my mind. Towns, despite what he said in postgame, was frustrated by the blitzing, physical attack of the Clippers, and Memphis will surely have taken note of that. Memphis employs Steven Adams specifically to rough up opposing centers, and Towns will see (and feel) plenty of him early on, but I expect a lot of Towns vs. Jackson in late game situations.

There are plenty of people around the league who think Jackson deserves to be the Defensive Player of the Year this year, as he’s taken his immense skillset and physical tools and finally put it all together as the anchor of a very solid Memphis defense. His length and quickness will allow him to press higher up on Towns out on the perimeter, where he often drags opposing bigs out to deep waters with his tremendous shooting ability and then can get by them on drives when they step out to far. Jackson’s speed should allow him to stay with Towns on the perimeter better than most, and how Towns handles that pressure will be crucial to Minnesota’s hopes of pulling an upset.

Towns has as unique an offensive skillset as any center we’ve seen, knocking down threes at a 41 percent clip and adding a bit of a nasty streak to his game this year, which has been a welcome sight for a player once questioned as soft. He will be presented a number of different looks and will need to maintain his composure and patience in this series, because Minnesota will need much more from him than he gave in the play-in if they’re going to advance through this series.

How often can Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell repeat their play-in performance?

The fact that the Wolves are in the 7-seed is a testament to how absurd Edwards and Russell were against the Clippers, combining for 59 points to carry Minnesota to a win in spite of just 11 points from Towns in 24 minutes. While Towns will surely be better in this series than he was on Tuesday night, to take down the Grizzlies, Minnesota needs their top perimeter stars at their best for the majority of the seven-game set to have a chance at taking down the machine that is this Memphis squad.

Talent isn’t the question for Edwards and Russell. Instead, the question is how consistent can they be against a Grizzlies squad that has become the model of it? Their creation ability is something no one else on the Wolves can replicate. When Edwards is engaged and in attack mode, he’s as tough a cover as any wing in the league, but replicating that effort every night has been the biggest point of frustration in his young career. In the playoffs, it’s a bit easier to show up every night with that juice, though, and if he can do that it could tilt this series in a big way.

Russell likewise has to bring his best, as he has a calming and steadying influence on this Wolves team when he’s in rhythm, bringing a smoothness that contrasts Edwards’ brute force wonderfully. This is a matchup between two teams that have incredibly high ceilings, but the separator in the regular season has been the Grizzlies consistency and high floor. Minnesota can reach those highs but have a much wider variance in performance from game to game that can be maddening at times, and will need to find a rhythm and keep it for seven games to pull off the upset.