Category: Trending

It looks like Coldplay leader Chris Martin isn’t the only public figure being called out on his wardrobe. Instead of the singer getting backlash for the outfit he wore to the Grammys, another musician is indirectly being thrown into the mix: Tame Impala is at the center of a brewing Australian debate.

Former rugby player turned Australian Senator David Pocock appeared on local television airing out his grievances with what has been happening in the region he serves. However, it wasn’t what Pocock said that stirred up controversy; it was what he was wearing while being interviewed that peeved one TV news reporter.

Caleb Bond of Sky News wasn’t a fan of Pocock’s Tame Impala t-shirt, saying, “He couldn’t even put on a collared shirt. Go to a shop and go and buy a bloody shirt, tie, and a suit. You’re a politician!”

Well, Pocock took to Twitter to respond to the report’s rant, writing, “I’d come straight from an early morning game of tennis to celebrate 100 years of Tennis ACT and agreed to do a door stop (not a prearranged interview) in the hallway on the way out of the Press Gallery after a morning radio interview.”

He concluded, “Great to see the big issues being reported [crying laughing emoji].”

Tame Impala hasn’t addressed the exchange, but as a fellow Aussie, he might just get a kick out of it.

Coldplay is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Despite Tuesday coming and going with no arrest for Donald Trump, the former president is reportedly convinced that he’s going to be charged over his hush money payments to Stormy Daniels sometime soon. While you’d think the legal ramifications of those charges would be the most pressing matter on Trump’s mind, not so much. In true Trump fashion, he’s reportedly obsessed with how his “perp walk” will look on TV and has been constantly talking about it behind closed doors.

According to sources who have spoken to Trump, he’s apparently very concerned with not looking like he’s not “slinking away in shame.”

Via The New York Times:

He has concentrated on projecting strength and avoiding any signals of shame over his circumstances, an approach that mirrors his handling of repeated political crises and his flair for creating dramatic, made-for-TV moments. Seeing Mr. Trump after a court appearance could also galvanize his supporters, whom Mr. Trump urged over the weekend to protest in the event of his arrest.

“He wants to be defiant — to show the world that if they can try to do this to him, they can do it to anyone,” said one person who spoke to Mr. Trump over the weekend.

However, the Times report that Trump’s worrying may be for nothing. There is reportedly “no indication” that authorities would even engage in a perp walk. Instead, “arrangements are likely to be made between the Secret Service and law enforcement to avoid a media circus.”

In a way, that would be the ultimate punishment for Trump because, seriously, the guy loves being on TV. Can’t enough of it.

(Via The New York Times)

There’s something about the flavor profile of a good rye whiskey that shouts “springtime!” Maybe it’s the green herbal nature of the rye grain in the mash bill (recipe) or maybe it’s just that American rye whiskey feels brighter than your average bourbon. Either way, spring is a great time to try new rye whiskeys — both brand-new labels and new batches of classic brands.

To that end, I’m conducting a classic rye whiskey blind taste test with new bottles that have just hit shelves for spring drinking. These are all straight rye whiskeys with at least 51% rye grains in the mix. I even added a new Irish rye whiskey that was released exclusively for the U.S. market. There are small batch blends, special oak barrel finishes, and some limited editions that go full rye with 100% of the grain in the mash bill.

Our lineup today features the following rye whiskeys:

• 291 All Rye 100% Rye Malt Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves
• 15 STARS Fine Aged Rye First West A Select Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys
• Rare Character Single Barrel Series Selected by ReserveBar Topflight Series Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Jaqueira Casks
• Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Solera Method Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks
• Lost Lantern 2023 Single Cask #4 Corbin Cash California Straight Rye Whiskey 7 Years Old
• Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series 8-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey
• Method And Madness Irish Whiskey Triple Distilled Rye And Malt USA Limited Edition
• Buzzard’s Roost Straight Rye Whiskey Smoked Barrel

As for the ranking, this is about taste only. I’m looking for that one bottle of new rye whiskey that you should be drinking right now. So let’s dive right in and find you that perfect whiskey to add to your bar cart this spring!

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Part 1 — The Rye Whiskey Tasting

Taste 1

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose opens with dark fruit leather, dark black tea leaves, cinnamon bark, and a fistful of dry dill and marjoram with a whisper of salted caramel sweetness.

Palate: The palate has a cinnamon toast vibe next to more of that dark black tea with a hint of clove-spiced plum jam, freshly cracked black pepper, and more of that salted caramel.

Finish: The plumminess drives the finish with a hint of cracked almond shell and dark dill next to fresh flat-leaf parsley and a touch of sweet-sour cherry packed in sawdust.

Initial Thoughts:

This is excellent whiskey. It really balances the green herbal notes with deeply classic and dark American whiskey fruitiness and sweetness.

Taste 2

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a deep winter spice — clove, anise, cinnamon, nutmeg — next to Earl Grey tea, dried cranberry, dried cherry, and a dash of sour plum.

Palate: Apricot jam over buttermilk scones dusted with cinnamon leads to dry oolong tea leaves, sweet sage, creamed honey, and a touch of ginger tobacco just kissed with dark chocolate sauce.

Finish: That sharp gingery tobacco drives the finish with a bitter chocolate underbelly toward lush cherrywood and sour plum sauce with a hint more of those opening winter spices.

Initial Thoughts:

What a great ride! This whiskey is complex and fun. Rye on steroids.

Taste 3

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is deeply nutty with a dark and worn leatheriness next to a soft sense of mild mushrooms, green banana, macadamia, and anise with a soft Kentucky cherry/vanilla/winter spice undertone.

Palate: The palate is lush and silky with a sense of vanilla oils, star fruit, clove, cinnamon bark, and nutmeg next to creamy nuttiness with a dash of toffee and alder planks.

Finish: The finish just lingers and lingers while slowly fading through vanilla buttercream, sour cherries tossed in maple sea salt, and moist marzipan cut with orange and pomelo oils.

Initial Thoughts:

This is whiskey is fabulous. 5-stars. A+++++. 100%.

Taste 4

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Quince jam and stewed pears lead the way on the nose with a sense of apple cider spiked with cinnamon bark and allspice berries next to a mild sweet oakiness and grassiness.

Palate: Grilled peaches drizzled in caramel mix with the syrup from a can of fruit cocktail next to smudged wild sage, pineapple rinds, burnt orange, and a sense of sweet wet herbs.

Finish: Those sweet herbs drive the finish toward a sense of spiced cherry next to vanilla cookies with a nice dose of winter spice.

Initial Thoughts:

What’s crazy is that this is really, really good rye but I want to go back to the last pour. That’s the sort of rub with these blind tastings, this could be a number one had I not had the last pour right before this. Still, this is delicious but… maybe a touch fruity/sweet?

Taste 5

Tasting Notes:

Nose: Chili-spiced old chocolate bars sit next to mint chocolate chip ice cream in waffle cones with a hint of old grain silos off in the distance.

Palate: There’s a clear ABV buzz on the palate with a clear sense of fresh green tea leaves, sweet stone fruits, spiced hot chocolate topped with vanilla buttercream, and a light sense of nuttiness.

Finish: The end has this vibe that’s kind of like a hot green matcha creamy tea (the ones made with condensed milk from the can) that’s rolled into a mint mochi ball and dipped in dark chocolate.

Initial Thoughts:

This is another great whiskey. It’s so different yet makes total sense once you go on the journey from the nose to the finish. I really want more of this one too.

Taste 6

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose draws you in with dried cherries dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with ground clove and allspice and then dipped in old vanilla syrup made with burnt pods and orange peels.

Palate: A soft cherry sweetness plays with a classic winter spice mix — think cinnamon sticks, anise, clove, orange rind, holly — next to ginger rock candy, peanut butter cookies, and a hint of rum-raisin.

Finish: That sweet/rummy dried fruit drives the finish toward clove-laced plum jam, peanut brittle, vanilla oils, and a whisper of pine resin layered into rum-raisin tobacco.

Initial Thoughts:

Goddamn it, this is f*cking great too. I’m six pours in and all of these whiskeys have been stellar. I have no idea how I’m going to rank these.

Taste 7

Tasting Notes:

Nose: There’s a nice deep leatheriness on the nose with a sense of old dry lemon rinds next to lavender oils, clove buds, and a fleeting sense of eggnog with a lightness to it.

Palate: Oats and winter spices lead the way on the palate with a sense of fresh firewood, honey-dipped malt cookies, and raisins dipped in dark chocolate and flaked with salt.

Finish: Those malt cookies drive the finish toward more raisin and oats with a honeyed vibe, a hint of dry red chili, and a dash of white pepper.

Initial Thoughts:

This is very good too, but much lighter. It looks a lot lighter too. I’m guessing this is the Irish rye, mostly due to the oatiness and honey vibes. Still, this is pretty good all things considered.

Taste 8

Tasting Notes:

Nose: The nose is rich and full of nutty banana bread brimming with cinnamon and cardamom next to salted caramel and moist vanilla cake kissed with tart cherry and a pinch of dark chocolate.

Palate: The palate leads off with a hint of burnt orange that sweetens towards marmalade with more of that vanilla and caramel accented by a campfire-singed marshmallow.

Finish: The end has a light smudged sage vibe that circles back to that nutty and spicy banana bread with a buttery softness.

Initial Thoughts:

This was good but kind of standard. That might just be that the first six pours on this panel were all on a different plane.

Part 2 — The Rye Whiskey Ranking

6. Buzzard’s Roost Straight Rye Whiskey Smoked Barrel — Taste 8

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $70

The Whiskey:

Buzzard’s Roost is a female-led Kentucky bottler. The whiskey in this bottle is double-casked rye from Indiana (MGP’s famed 95/5 rye). After four years of resting, the rye whiskey is re-barreled into new American oak that was toasted and then smoked instead of charred for a final maturation rest before blending and bottling.

Bottom Line:

This was nice, standard rye whiskey. It had a nice sweetness to it and would work as an easy everyday sipper.

5. Method And Madness Irish Whiskey Triple Distilled Rye And Malt USA Limited Edition — Taste 7

ABV: 46%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is from Midleton Distillery’s (the place that makes Jameson, Powers, Spot, and Redbreast) craft distillery. The whiskey is made from a mash (recipe) of 60% rye and 40% malted barley. The whiskey is twice-distilled as per most Irish whiskeys before a long rest in ex-bourbon casks. Once those barrels were ready, they were batched, proofed, and bottled for the U.S. marketplace.

Bottom Line:

This was a nice rye whiskey that felt like a good bridge between classic Irish whiskeys and bolder ryes from the U.S. Overall, if you’re looking for something a little different but still very drinkable, then grab one of these. I think with the honey vibes on the palate, this will make a great citrus-forward cocktail too.

4. Doc Swinson’s Alter Ego Solera Method Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Rum Casks — Taste 4

ABV: 47.5%

Average Price: $46

The Whiskey:

This whiskey is a blend of classic Indiana 95/5 rye/malted barley whiskey with a very low-rye mash whiskey made with 45% corn, 51% rye, and 4% malted barley. Once blended, those whiskeys are added to Doc Swinson’s solera system where they’re finished in a mix of rum casks from St. Croix, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela, and Jamaica. As the barrels are emptied, new whiskey is added to keep the solera method going indefinitely.

Bottom Line:

This was very good whiskey. It didn’t quite pop as much as the next whiskeys, but it got the job done. If you’re looking for a solid easy-sipper, this is a great choice.

3. 15 STARS Fine Aged Rye First West A Select Blend of Straight Rye Whiskeys — Taste 2

ABV: 52.5%

Average Price: $89

The Whiskey:

This new release from 15 STARS is a blend of six, seven, and eight-year-old ryes from Kentucky, Indiana, and Tennessee. That blend informs the name “First West” as those states were considered the “West” during the early days of the United States in the late 1700s and early 1800s.

Bottom Line:

This, again, was a very nice sipping whiskey. It is complex and rewarding. There are no faults at all. If you can find a bottle of this one, you’ll be in for a rich and fun rye whiskey to take slow as a sipper.

2. (tie) 291 All Rye 100% Rye Malt Colorado Whiskey Finished with Aspen Wood Staves — Taste 1

ABV: 66.3%

Average Price: $115

The Whiskey:

This Colorado whiskey is made with a 100% rye mash bill — 50% Colorado malted rye (from Root Shoot Malting) and 50% German rye malt — on a bespoke still. The hot juice is then aged in new oak with signature toasted aspen wood staves added to help refine the aging process. Finally, the barrels were batched and bottled 100% as-is, yielding only 1,000 bottles.

Bottom Line:

This was fantastic. This one and the next entry are number two simply because they’re instant classics but maybe not quite trailblazers. Still, this whiskey hits every note so clearly and well that I kind of don’t care. This is so good.

2. (tie) Sagamore Spirit Reserve Series 8-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey — Taste 6

ABV: 55.7%

Average Price: $86

The Whiskey:

This newest spring reserve release from Sagamore Spirit is an eight-year-old rye. The whiskey was batched and bottled as-is to highlight the deep maritime aging in Maryland.

Bottom Line:

This is just classic from top to bottom with a depth that’s beautiful. If you’re looking for a quintessential pour of rye whiskey, this is it.

1. (tie) Lost Lantern 2023 Single Cask #4 Corbin Cash California Straight Rye Whiskey 7 Years Old — Taste 5

ABV: 64.35%

Average Price: $119

The Whiskey:

This rye is from a tiny California distillery. The distillery was founded on a sweet potato farm that uses rye as a cover crop. The whiskey in this single barrel pick bottle is made with 100% Merced rye grown in sweet potato soil. That whiskey aged for seven years on the farm before Lost Lantern came along and bottled it into 217 bottles completely as-is.

Bottom Line:

Wow! This is next-level rye whiskey. It’s warm on the palate but offers just a wild and exciting ride of flavors so much so that you just want more. Get a bottle before this one disappears forever.

1. (tie) Rare Character Single Barrel Series Selected by ReserveBar Topflight Series Straight Rye Whiskey Finished in Jaqueira Casks — Taste 3

ABV: 56.65%

Average Price: $88

The Whiskey:

Japqueira is a Brazilian wood that most notably grows jack fruit and is used to age cachaça. The whiskey in the bottle is 95/5 rye from Indiana that’s then refilled into a Jacqueira barrel that previously held cachaça and let it rest in Kentucky for a spell. After four years and six months, ReserveBar bottled a single barrel 100% as-is.

Bottom Line:

Yeah, this is another next-level rye that goes places that you’d never expect while still holding the thread of a complete story/journey on/in your senses. It’s wildly delicious and lush with a deep profile that just kind of keeps going deeper. This is where rye is going and I can’t wait to go on that ride.

Part 3 — Final Thoughts on the Spring Rye Whiskeys

The top four whiskeys on this list are some of the best whiskeys I’ve tasted this year (and I’m already north of 300 individual whiskeys so far). Find any of the top four whiskeys on this list, they’re amazing.

If those don’t speak to you for whatever reason, really all the whiskeys on this list are great and you’ll be in for a real treat if you buy any of them. Truly — just check the tasing notes to see what speaks to you.

Everybody is buzzing about Swarm, Donald Glover and Janine Nabers’ new psychological thriller series about the dangers of fandom, which dropped on Amazon’s Prime Video on March 17. Anyone who has binge-watched the series clearly knows that it was inspired by Beyoncé and her Beyhive—with even Glover jokingly asking Beyoncé superfans not to kill the creators behind the series at its premiere. What’s less clear to viewers is: Will there be a season 2?

While Swarm has been promoted as a “limited series,” that term has become pretty elastic, as evidenced by other “limited” series like The White Lotus, which is currently readying its third season. So will Swarm follow the masses and ride the wave of its current popularity? If Nabers has the final word, the answer would be: no.

Nabers and Swarm star Dominique Fishback spoke with the Los Angeles Times about the series, and its true-to-life inspirations. When asked if she would “be open or interested in returning for another season,” Nabers gave a matter-of-fact answer. “This is a limited series,” she said. “This is a story that has a very clear beginning, middle, and end, so this is it.”

For her part, Fishback agreed. “I feel really proud of Dre, of the humor that I got to exhibit with this role,” the actress said. “She really takes on different personas every episode, so it’s like a one-woman show on-screen. I think I got what I came for and we can lay that to rest.”

(Via Los Angeles Times)

Ahead of her big on-screen film debut in John Wick 4, Rina Sawayama has shared a new song from the movie’s soundtrack. On the song “Eye For An Eye,” Sawayama is on guard and vigilant, and a force to be reckoned with. Over an ’80s-influenced electric guitar-and-drum-heavy beat, Sawayama gets proverbial.

“An eye for an eye / an eye for an eye / I’ll see you in Hell on the other side,” she sings on the song’s chorus, warning her opposition of their impending fate.

In John Wick 4, Sawayama plays Akira, a new ally alongside Keanu Reaves’ iconic character.

Last week, during an interview on Good Morning America, Sawayama revealed that the role was a dream come true for her, as she had been submitting self-audition tapes to several films and TV shows for years. It’s only fitting that she records music for the soundtrack, as her songs and visuals helped play a part in landing her the role of Akira.

“I actually got a call out of the blue from Chad Stahelski, the director,” said Sawayama. “He said, ‘I’m trying to find this role and I’ve seen your music videos, and I see that you act and I can see that you do dance and choreography and fight scenes … What are you doing for the next three months?’”

And the rest is herstory.

You can listen to “Eye For An Eye” above.

It’s bizarre to think about seeing sound, but nowadays we can do just that. If you haven’t seen an acoustic camera before, that’s because they’re mainly used for industrial purposes, but they’ve been available commercially from gfai tech since 2001.

YouTuber Steve Mould, who has a science channel with over 2.1 million subscribers, took the complicated concept of the acoustic camera and made it easy to understand in his latest video, “Acoustic cameras can SEE sound.”

In the video, Mould explains how an acoustic camera is much like your smartphone’s video recorder. But it also creates visual representations of sound emanating from where it’s generated within the video.

“They can show you where, in a scene, sound is coming from,” Mould says. The videos also allow you to isolate images within the recording and listen to any sound they produce.

The video shows how acoustic cameras are used in industrial settings for noise reduction and machine maintenance. For example, if a train is flying by at top speed, the acoustic camera can separate the sounds from each wheel as it passes. This allows engineers to analyze the sounds produced by each wheel to determine if they need to be fixed or replaced before there’s trouble.

To record the sound and visuals simultaneously, each camera has an array of strategically placed microphones to reproduce spatial information about sound. They even work in slow motion, and the echoes look amazing.

It’s not hard to imagine a world where, in addition to the video we take on our smartphones, we’ll be able to get a three-dimensional look at the soundscape as well.

Raising kids is no small feat. Just the basic logistics of caring for a human being from their helpless newborn stage to the full-fledged adult stage is a lot, much less doing the countless other things that will actually help that human thrive.

Parents who go above and beyond to create a nurturing environment and build strong core memories with their kids are inspiring examples for us all, and one dad’s spa day with his daughter has people positively gushing.

Mason Smith (@thedadsocial) shared a video of a special spa day he gave his young daughter when her mom and older sister were having their own pampered outing. “Mom and sister went to the salon so I couldn’t have her feeling left out,” he wrote.

The video shows Smith putting his daughter’s hair up and gently rubbing a homemade avocado mask on her face. He then appears to attempt to do something with the cucumber slices (which usually go over the eyes but may not feel particularly comfy for the preschool set).

Next comes the moisturizer, which the sweet dad smoothed into his daughter’s face and neck, massaging her temples and tickling her ears as he went. She clearly loves it.

Next up: some hairstyling, with spritzes and pigtails, followed by a nice little mani-pedi.

It’s as soothing to watch as it must have been to experience:

See on Instagram

People in the comments raved about what a simple-yet-special day Smith created for his little girl.

“Every girl deserves a daddy like this, 🥺❤️” wrote one person.

“I really miss my dad, he was a great friend and same like this, even when I was 18, he use to help me straighten my hair, but he’s no more, passed away on Feb 10th.. missing you dadaaaa,” wrote another.

One commenter said it made them “cry in an incredibly cathartic way” and thanked him for being “this kind of dad” and “sharing it with pride.”

“She will never forget her daddy,” shared another. “This is fantabulous. She loves what he is doing and she admires and loves him for taking the time to make her feel special like mommy. God Bless.”

“This healed a part of me. Thank you for doing this with your daughter,” wrote another.

This isn’t Smith’s first foray into at-home-spa-day-making with his daughter. Another video shows him pampering both of his daughters in this way and it’s just as precious.

See on Instagram

It doesn’t take a lot to let your kids know they are loved, and these kinds of special moments go a long way. Three cheers for good dads.

Job interviews are one of the most stressful situations people go through. A recent poll of over 2,000 people found that job interviews are the fifth most stressful experience a person can have, right after health and financial problems, family issues and running late.

That’s why it is vital to be prepared to handle any questions you have to field during the interview. You’ll be less nervous and make a better candidate. However, many people never think to have a question prepared for their potential employer at the end of the interview when they ask, “Do you have any questions for us?”

Communications director and consultant Jennifer Reardon, who goes by the name @notjenneeree on TikTok, says that she has the perfect question to ask at that pivotal moment at the end of the interview. And she claims that she got the job every time she’s asked the question.

Reardon has over 48,000 followers on the platform and nearly 3.7 million likes. She talked about her go-to question in a TikTok post and it received over 3.7 million views.

@notjenneeree

SOMEONE ELSE MADE A VIDEO ABOUT HER PROFESSOR GIVING THE SAME ADVICE (tag her I can’t remember who) & I STG THIS IS MY SECRET TRICK AND IT WORKSSSSSSSS TRY IT immediately.

“Every job that I’ve interviewed for where I’ve said this, I got the job,” she opens her video. “Do your interview, be normal. Before you’re done, the last question you’re going to ask them is something along the lines of, ‘Are there any concerns that you have about me that we can address before we end?'”

Reardon covered her mouth in anticipation and then said:

“They will have concerns, and then that’s your time to address them, and then once you’re done addressing them, they’ll have no concerns,” she added.

It’s a pretty brilliant strategy because you’re taking the opportunity to address any questions they have about you that they may never get to ask. It’s like putting a button on the interview and sealing the deal by addressing any potential objections. If they have other unresolved issues with candidates, you’re in a much better position to get the gig.

See on Instagram

The video inspired countless others on TikTok to share interview questions that have worked for them in the past.

“My favorite question along these lines is ‘When thinking about your top performers, what skills and qualities make them stand out?’ They eat it UP,” Maura replied.

Mateo has a fool-proof line: “It’s ‘based on our conversation do u have any reservations about me moving to the next round?’ There’s ur answer too if u got the job.”

“I DID THIS!” Sadwook wrote in response to Reardon’s video. “I heard it on TikTok and tried it in the final panel interview with the job I really wanted and they went feral lmao.”

Another added the question of all questions: “I always say ‘Can I have the job?’ and 90 percent of the time I get it.”

Obviously, you will need more than one line to guarantee you get a job on your next interview. However, Reardon’s suggestion is a solid reminder that a job interview isn’t just about selling yourself. It’s about addressing your potential employer’s needs as well.

The Golden State Warriors won a road game on Monday evening. On paper, that is anything but abnormal given that the Warriors were facing the lowly Houston Rockets, especially with Golden State entering as a double-digit betting favorite. However, nothing about the Warriors has been “normal” this season when it comes to home-road splits.

Entering Monday’s action, the Warriors were on an eight-game home winning streak and an 11-road losing streak at the same time. Of course, teams are meant to be better at home than on the road, but it’s been staggering for Golden State.

At home, Golden State is a top-five team in the NBA. The Warriors are 29-7 in San Francisco this season, dominating opponents with a +7.7 net rating and, impressively, holding opponents to just 1.08 points per possession on the defensive end. In contrast, Golden State’s numbers are objectively hideous on the road, headlined by an 8-29 record. The Warriors have an unsightly -6.7 net rating away from San Francisco, and Golden State’s defense utterly craters to the point where the Warriors allow more than 1.19 points per possession.

Is this just noise? Probably. It is only one stat but, at home, Warriors opponents are shooting just 32.4 percent from three-point range, the lowest mark in the league. On the road, that jumps to a staggering 40.6 percent, which would be the highest/worst in the league if not for the historic defensive ineptitude of the San Antonio Spurs.

As the long and winding road of the 2022-23 regular season comes to a close, it is exceptionally difficult to figure out what these Warriors actually are. That is compounded by the reality that Golden State won the 2021-22 NBA title, and it is even more blurry with the ongoing absence of Andrew Wiggins, who is a vital two-way cog for the Warriors.

Monday’s win over Houston wasn’t exactly earth-shattering, but it was notable in a way it probably shouldn’t have been in late March. We’ll see if that is something of a first step toward correction because, inevitably, Golden State is going to need to win a road game at some point to achieve their big-picture playoff goals.

Where do the Warriors land this week in our DIME power rankings? Let’s explore.

1. Milwaukee Bucks (51-20, Last week — 1st)

The best team in the NBA stays in the top spot. Milwaukee did suffer a pretty bad home loss to Indiana this week, but that game had distinct late March vibes. Milwaukee’s other game was a perfectly fine win over Toronto, and there is no reason to drop the Bucks in this space.

2. Philadelphia 76ers (48-23, Last week — 2nd)

After winning every game for two weeks, the Sixers took a hiccup on Monday with a double-overtime loss to the Bulls. That was a bizarre offensive performance with only 105 points (in 58 minutes) and a hideous game from James Harden. In the big picture, that loss doesn’t hurt Philadelphia too much, and they will have a rematch with the Bulls on Wednesday evening.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (46-28, Last week — 3rd)

Nothing changes for the Cavs this week. They lost to the red-hot Sixers but otherwise held serve. At the moment, Cleveland leads the entire league in net rating (+5.8) and a 7-2 record in the last nine games is just fine.

4. Boston Celtics (50-23, Last week — 4th)

It still doesn’t feel as if Boston is firing on all cylinders, as evidenced by a loss to Utah this week. The Celtics did bounce back with a decisive road win in Sacramento that reminded everyone of the team’s ceiling.

5. Memphis Grizzlies (44-27, Last week — 6th)

Ja Morant could return on Wednesday, and that is the headliner no matter the recent results for the Grizzlies. Memphis is still without a couple of key pieces, but the Grizzlies have found their stride again with six wins in the last seven games. Now, the team has the chance to really add to that with back-to-back games against Houston as Morant projects to return.

6. Denver Nuggets (48-24, Last week — 8th)

After a bizarre downturn that became a four-game losing streak, the Nuggets stabilized this week. It was only a 2-1 performance, but the one loss was at MSG against the Knicks. This is a huge week for both the Nuggets and the MVP race, as Nikola Jokic and company face the Sixers (Embiid) and Bucks (Giannis) over the next few days.

7. New York Knicks (42-31, Last week — 5th)

In a distinctly late March NBA game on Monday, Julius Randle scored a career-high 57 points… and the Knicks lost at home to the Wolves. New York still comfortably projects for the No. 5 seed in the East, even if that isn’t a lock, and the Knicks have a very interesting road test in Miami on Wednesday.

8. Sacramento Kings (43-29, Last week — 7th)

The Kings are still holding steady for the most part, though Sacramento just lost two in a row. Memphis getting things together makes life more difficult in pursuit of the No. 2 seed, but Sacramento is hanging in there.

9. Miami Heat (39-34, Last week — 12th)

If the season started in mid-December, it would feel like the Heat were on a pretty normal run. Miami is 28-20 in the last 48 games and generally winning more than they lose. Is that going to satisfy anyone? I don’t think so, but the Heat are the most trustworthy team below the Knicks in the East standings.

10. Oklahoma City Thunder (36-36, Last week — 16th)

The only team playing legitimately well in the middle of the West right now is Oklahoma City. The Thunder are 8-2 in the last ten games, including wins over Golden State, New Orleans, Brooklyn, Phoenix and the L.A. Clippers. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making a push for first team All-NBA and the Thunder are 1.5 games behind the No. 5 seed.

11. Phoenix Suns (38-33, Last week — 9th)

With Kevin Durant still sidelined, the Suns are having some issues. Phoenix is 1-4 in the last five games, and the only win came at home against Orlando. Next up are trips to Los Angeles (Lakers) and Sacramento before a home game against Philadelphia, so it isn’t a guarantee that the results will improve in the short term.

12. Golden State Warriors (37-36, Last week — 10th)

As noted above, the Warriors are Jekyll-and-Hyde, to put it mildly. A road game against Dallas on Wednesday doesn’t have the best projection given the team’s road woes, but that is followed by four straight at home.

13. L.A. Clippers (38-35, Last week — 11th)

The Clippers dip a bit with two losses in the last three games. Both came at home and, in Tuesday’s loss to OKC, Paul George left the game with an injury that could threaten the team’s stretch run.

14. Minnesota Timberwolves (36-37, Last week — 14th)

Taurean Prince made all eight of his three-point attempts on Monday in a win over New York. He posted a true shooting percentage over 100 percent (tough to do!) and that was a wild performance. It also helped the Wolves get a victory they badly needed, and Minnesota has a game against the Hawks on Wednesday that doubles as a battle between maddening clubs.

15. Los Angeles Lakers (35-37, Last week — 15th)

Austin Reaves led the Lakers in scoring in two of the last three games, including a 35-point eruption in a win on Sunday. Yes, LeBron is out, but that is a fairly wild thing to be happening for a team that is still very much pushing for the playoffs. Every game is huge right now for Los Angeles.

16. Brooklyn Nets (39-33, Last week — 13th)

It remains exceptionally difficult to gauge the Nets right now, in part because of the small sample after the franchise-shifting trades. Brooklyn is on a four-game losing streak, but the defeats came at the hands of the Thunder, Kings, Nuggets, and Cavaliers. Shrug.

17. Utah Jazz (35-36, Last week — 22nd)

18. Atlanta Hawks (36-36, Last week — 19th)

The Hawks just can’t avoid the middle this season. Atlanta is 36-36 with a -0.1 net rating, and a win over Detroit on Tuesday kept an amazing streak going. The Hawks have been within one game of the .500 mark for the last 26 games, setting a new NBA record, and that mark has to continue on Wednesday, win or lose, against the Wolves.

19. Toronto Raptors (35-37, Last week — 17th)

Things are opening up for Toronto. The Raptors came very close to jumping into the No. 8 spot on Sunday evening before losing a tight one in Milwaukee. Still, Toronto is 3-1 in the last four, and the Raptors have a homestand beginning on Wednesday that features games against the Pacers, Pistons, Wizards, and Heat this week.

20. Chicago Bulls (34-37, Last week — 20th)

The Bulls are back in the mix to say the least. Chicago has won five of six, including wins over Denver, Miami, and Philadelphia. They still have clear and exploitable flaws, but Chicago is playing better basketball and benefitting from the morass around them.

21. Dallas Mavericks (36-36, Last week — 18th)

Luka Doncic has missed five games in a row and, if that’s all you knew, it wouldn’t be so bad for the Mavs to be 2-3 in that span. It helps to have Kyrie Irving, but even he walked out of the arena in a walking boot on Monday. Things can go south quickly if the team’s only lead creators are out simultaneously.

22. New Orleans Pelicans (35-37, Last week — 24th)

It’s not terribly impressive, but the Pelicans did just win back-to-back games. New Orleans badly needed that, even if the wins came against bad teams, and Charlotte visits Smoothie King Center on Thursday for another favorable matchup.

23. Indiana Pacers (32-40, Last week — 23rd)

The schedule isn’t doing Indiana any favors the rest of the way. In the final ten games, the Pacers have a top-five remaining schedule that includes road games against the Raptors, Celtics, Hawks, Cavs, and Knicks, in addition to home tilts against the Knicks, Bucks, and Mavs.

24. Orlando Magic (30-43, Last week — 26th)

Orlando is a lot closer to the play-in race than the tanking race, and the Magic are 3-3 in the last six games. It was “only” a 2-2 week, but that is grounds for a bump in this space.

25. Washington Wizards (32-40, Last week — 21st)

Unlike many teams in their range, the Wizards have been pushing hard for the play-in. Unfortunately, the results haven’t matched that pursuit with six losses in the last seven games. The door isn’t fully closed, but it’s been a tough stretch.

26. Charlotte Hornets (23-50, Last week — 27th)

Charlotte continues to occupy its own tier. Barring something insane, the Hornets will enter the lottery with the fourth-best odds, and they can afford to evaluate more than some of the other tanking teams in the last ten games as a result of this projectable situation.

27. Portland Trail Blazers (31-40, Last week — 25th)

Reality has fully set in over the last couple of weeks in Portland. The Blazers have lost six in a row, effectively falling out of the play-in race in the process. After the way Portland finished last season, they could slide easily into tank mode, but it’s also a harsh reset for a team that was clearly positioning itself to try to win this season behind Damian Lillard.

28. Houston Rockets (18-54, Last week — 28th)

The Rockets recently won three games in a row, which felt kind of unthinkable before it happened. Starting Wednesday, though, Houston has five straight on the road, and there isn’t a situation in which the Rockets will even close to a coin flip in a game until March 31 against Detroit at home.

29. San Antonio Spurs (19-53, Last week — 29th)

San Antonio actually had a very impressive win on Sunday, erasing a hole of 20-plus points against the Hawks in the second half. Admittedly, that loss was a lot about Atlanta collapsing, but San Antonio took it and the results have been better lately.

30. Detroit Pistons (16-57, Last week — 30th)

It’s pretty grim in Detroit. The injuries are piling up. The volume of minutes allotted to fringe guys is increasing. The losses are still coming. Overall, Detroit has the worst profile in the league and pole position for ping-pong balls.

One of Jeff Garlin’s co-stars on The Goldbergs has opened up about his messy departure from the sitcom.

Wendi McLendon-Covey, who plays matriarch Beverly Goldberg, said on Tuesday’s episode of Andy Cohen Live that the actor’s exit, following a string of misconduct allegations and HR investigations, was “a long time coming.”

When Garlin was fired (and replaced by a CGI abomination), “it was like, ‘OK, finally someone is listening to us.’ But that was kind of hard,” she explained to host Andy Cohen. “We had lost George Segal [who played “Pops”] in real life, and then to have to go through another loss on a sitcom, you can’t keep asking your audience to mourn people… That’s not why they tune in.”

When Cohen asked if Garlin’s exit from the series was the result of complaints made over a long period of time, McLendon-Covey responded, “Yes.”

“If we could not talk about that, that would be great,” she then politely requested. “I’m exhausted by that topic and the PTSD of it all. I just feel like the less people know about that, the better. No one benefits from knowing anything.”

The Goldbergs — which has survived Garlin’s firing, the departure of its creator, the death of Segal, and the real-life inspirations for the characters trashing the show — is currently in its 10th and final season.

(Via Variety)