Category: Worldwide

In what will go down as one of the best games of the first round of these NBA playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder took down the Houston Rockets, 119-117. It was a scintillating, back-and-forth affair, but ultimately, the Thunder were able to come out on top to cut their series deficit down to 2-1.

Oklahoma City has been waiting for a game like this all series — all three of their standout guards were fantastic, and James Harden got slowed down just enough that he could not fully impose his will on the game. As a result, the Thunder are not one game away from going home. Here are three takeaways from this heavyweight battle.

En Garde Guard(s)

Oklahoma City has built its team around a trio of guards: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul, and Dennis Schröder. All three were, in one way or another, fantastic on Saturday night.

Schröder had the most productive game of the bunch, coming off the bench and ending the game as Oklahoma City’s leading scorer. While he struggled from deep, going 2-for-10 from three, the Umlaut scored 29 points on 10-for-23 shooting. He pitched in five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals for good measure. He’s been one of the league’s best reclamation projects this year, going from an empty calories player in Atlanta, to an ok but not outstanding member of the Thunder’s roster last year, to a legitimately dangerous sixth man. If Oklahoma City goes on to win this series, his play off the bench will be a major reason why.

Gilgerous-Alexander stuffed the stat sheet as well. He scored 23 points on 9-for-18 shooting and recorded seven rebounds, six assists, and four steals. When he was relied on at the end of regulation to come up big, Gilgeous-Alexander was as cool, calm, and collected as ever, hoisting up a corner three and getting nothing but net.

And then, there is Paul, who despite being 35 is still incredibly good at finding ways to impose his will on games. He is Oklahoma City’s metronome, masterfully dictating the tempo of games. Down the stretch of this one, the ball was put in his hands and he delivered, as evidenced by his 26 points on 11-for-20 shooting, six rebounds, and five assists. When the team needed a bucket at the end of regulation, he dissected the Rocket defense and found Gilgeous-Alexander for the above triple. And in classic Chris Paul fashion, when it was dagger time, he did this.

Oklahoma City’s guards are unreal. They need to impose themselves against these small-ball Rockets, and for the first time all series, all three were locked in.

The Luguentz Dort Show

One guard from Arizona State imposed their will on another guard from Arizona State. Surprisingly, this did not mean that James Harden had a monster night and toyed with Luguentz Dort, the rookie who has been thrust into a role as the team’s most physical perimeter defender. Instead, this happened.

Dort is 6’3, 215 pounds, and totally unafraid to mix things up. Calling him a subpar offensive player right now is accurate — nine points on 3-for-10 shooting and 0-for-6 from three — but he’s willing to battle and impose his will. This was evident in the eight rebounds he pulled down and the three blocks he registered, and even more evident in how unafraid he was to battle against Harden.

If you are checking Harden and you go into games thinking that you’re going to completely shut him down, you’re going to get demoralized. Dort never wavered, he did whatever he could to make Harden work for everything, and as a result, Harden had a not great game that played a role in the Thunder coming out on top.

Anyway, speaking of Harden…

James Harden’s Not Great Games Are Still Insane

Harden fouled out with just over four minutes left in overtime. He went 3-for-13 from three and connected on 44.4 percent of his field goal attempts on the night. He got pushed around by Dort, whose strength and athleticism has made him the team’s dedicated Harden stopper. His team collapsed after he fouled out for the first time this season, leading to the Oklahoma City win.

And yet despite all of this, Harden scored 38 points, doled out eight assists, and hauled in seven rebounds.

Listen, I understand that the way the Rockets play inherently leads to Harden putting up big numbers, but it is still extremely hard to do this sort of thing in an NBA game. He’s reached the point where his nights where he’s just a little bit off are still remarkable, and if Houston goes on to win this series while Russell Westbrook is sidelined, it will be because Harden keeps carrying the Rockets.

The Batman panel capped off the DC FanDome event, and it was worth the wait. Finally, we’re seeing director Matt Reeves’ fresh take on the events leading up to Bruce Wayne transforming into a masked vigilante. The Robert Pattinson-starring film resides in a different universe than the DCEU, like Todd Phillips’ Joker (which did take a stab at rewriting Batman’s origin story in, uh, a not-so-great way) that starred Joaquin Phoenix in an Oscar-winning role. Will The Batman bring the same accolades for Pattinson? One can only hope, and this is a whole new look for Gotham. Yet as Matt Reeves stressed during his panel, please don’t think of this as an origin story.

Thank goodness, because we’ve heard that origin story many times already. There was plenty of reason to expect a different take on The Dark Knight than we’ve ever seen previously, and from the looks of the trailer, that suspicion has been confirmed. And I’m not simply referring to Pattinson’s refusal to get buff like every Batman-playing actor who came before him. As Reeves revealed before the trailer’s release, he mostly wanted this film to feel “grounded,” and it sure looks like we’re seeing that above.

Grounded, violent, and layered as hell? Check, check, and check.

Between the secret-concealing new Batsuit and Fast and Furious-style Batmobile, it’s clear that a massive amount of effort went into making this movie feel grounded and authentic, even if it’s painting outside the comic-book lines. We’ll see how successful the entire project turns out when The Batman arrives on October 1, 2021.

Saturday gave us a look at The Suicide Squad movie, complete with a new cast of characters as part of DCFandome. Later that night, we also got a video game based on that cast of characters given a big task: destroying the Justice League.

Rocksteady — which made the Batman: Arkham Knight games — showed off a teaser trailer of a Suicide Squad-based game called Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League with a four-minute animation that revealed a major villain for the bad guys, an extremely evil Superman.

Billed as a continuation of the Arkham universe, the cinematic shows some chaos in Metropolis and the Suicide Squad reluctantly taking care of business. There’s the typical humor of the series and, of course, Harley Quinn.

Will Arnet was the host on Saturday to give fans a first look at Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League. Captain Boomerang, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark were all shown in the cinematic, and though we didn’t get any actual game footage in the teaser, a member of the Rocksteady staff hinted at the various ways each member of the squad will use their abilities in the game. The footage showed plenty of combat, but none of it came from the perspective players will have come the game’s 2022 release date.

Making an open world action-adventure shooter a compelling reality is extremely difficult task, but the actual format of Kill The Justice League is ambitious: Every member of the Squad is playable, but it’s also a 1-4 player co-op game. That alone might be enough to lure Arkham Knight fans into the Suicide Squad universe, and hopefully we’ll learn much more about how Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League plays in the months to come.

The easiest way to improve any piece of entertainment these days? Make it LEGO, apparently. That’s what Disney will attempt to do with the infamous Star Wars Christmas special, the latest use of the building set in a mashup of entertainment properties.

There are plenty of LEGO sets these days that feature TV shows and movies, and even Schitt’s Creek might get a LEGO hotel to call it’s own. But White Stripes-ing movie scenes is often a fun experiment in how the film translates to, well, plastic. In the case of Knives Out, even the movie’s director Rian Johnson was a fan of the work one animator did.

A movie fan and animator who goes by the name Joebor1777 on YouTube and Twitter has transformed a number of different scenes into LEGO form. But his video of a pivotal scene (spoilers coming) in Knives Out — Ransom revealing he’d been removed from the family’s fortune and subsequently telling the rest of the family off — was an immediate hit with Johnson, who quickly retweeted it on Saturday.

It’s a great scene as filmed by Johnson, but you have to appreciate the lengths that Joebor1077 has gone to get the characters right and, yes, getting Chris Evans an appropriate-looking sweater. It’s a great reminder to, well, watch all of Knives Out again and get excited that Daniel Craig is reprising his role whenever it’s safe to make movies again.

The Miami Heat are on the verge of a sweep. The Heat and the Indiana Pacers squared off in Game 3 of their first round series on Saturday afternoon, and despite the Pacers showing some serious guts to rally back from as many as 20 points down against their Eastern Conference foes, Miami came out on top, 124-115. With the win, Erik Spoelstra’s bunch took a commanding 3-0 series lead.

The Heat seemed poise to cruise to a win based off of a dominant first half. The team had a 75-56 lead at the half, in large part due to the fact that Miami shot 11-for-20 from deep in the first 24 minutes — the point total and the number of made triples were both a single-half record in franchise playoff history.

Darn near everything worked for Miami in the first half, something that was exemplified at the end of the second quarter when Goran Dragic darted into the lane and beat the buzzer with a layup that just barely made it out of his hand.

That hot shooting disappeared in the third, though, and ironically enough, that led to a scintillating quarter for the Pacers. In what was a wonderful team effort, Indiana began the frame on a 12-2 run, locking Miami down on one end and taking advantage of their chances at the other. By the time the quarter came to an end, Indiana’s once-gigantic deficit was reduced to only four, and the Heat took a 94-90 lead into the fourth.

Whatever Spoelstra said in the huddle prior to the fourth appeared to work. The quarter was defined by the Pacers looking ready to get over the hump — 94-92, 98-95, 111-109, 114-112 — but the Heat figuring something out. Their best shot may have come on the possession following that last aforementioned score, with Malcolm Brogdon drilling a triple to put Indiana within arm’s reach.

But unfortunately for the Pacers, Bam Adebayo is quite hard to keep off of the glass. The Heat missed back-to-back shots, but Adebayo reeled in both, eventually making his way to the free throw line and drilling them both. On the following possession, T.J. Warren had a contested layup, but was met at the rim by Jimmy Butler.

Despite a shot clock violation on the next Miami possession, Indiana couldn’t score, and from there, the Heat just ran down the clock, with Butler, Dragic, and Jae Crowder baiting the Pacers into fouls and getting eight points in the final 40 seconds from the free throw line.

Four players on the Heat scored at least 20 points. Butler led the way, going for 27 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block. Despite a tough shooting night (5-for-16 from the field), Butler was tenacious in getting to the charity stripe, where he went 17-for-20. Dragic dropped 24 and pitched in six assists, Adebayo had a double-double with 22 points and 11 boards, and Tyler Herro provided 20 points off the bench.

For the Pacers, Brogdon was superb, scoring a career-high 34 points, dishing out 14 assists, and hauling in seven rebounds. Warren had a productive day at the office — 23 points, six rebounds, five steals, two assists — while Oladipo scored 20 points, albeit on 21 shots. If Indiana has any hopes of a comeback, their All-Star guard will have to find the form that made him one of the best players in basketball prior to the quadriceps injury that cost him a year of action.

Game 4 will take place on Monday evening. Things are slated to tip off at 6:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

Zack Snyder recently released a short teaser for the Snyder Cut of Justice League, and during Saturday’s DC FanDome event, a teaser trailer materialized. In other words, it’s all happening for the not-so-little fan campaign (and Snyder, who stepped away from completing the film due to a family tragedy with Joss Whedon taking over the theatrical cut) that persuaded HBO Max to make it so after years of waiting.

Previously, Snyder let viewers know that his cut is “an entirely new thing,” not to mention an installment that won’t affect the DCEU, continuity-wise. From the looks of this trailer, he’s delivering on those promises. Among other things, we get a better look at Superman’s Black Suit in motion. We’ve got more Darkseid, an upgraded Steppenwolf, and plenty of shots of Batfleck, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash.

If you’re a fan of the latter two heroes, you’re in luck with this cut. Prior to unveiling the trailer, Snyder revealed that Cyborg is “the heart of the movie,” and he’s excited to flesh the character out more onscreen. There’s certainly going to be room for that here, and with more of The Flash as well, given that the film will be over four hours long.

We knew this thing would probably be dark as well as epic, and setting the trailer to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” certainly sets that mood. The Snyder Cut panel happened following reveals about Wonder Woman 1984 (a new trailer) and The Suicide Squad (the new roles played by Pete Davidson, John Cena, Idris Elba, and more), so let’s just say that the stage was sufficiently primed for the returning Snyder.

It’s worth nothing that HBO Max is referring to this (in press materials) as “the Director’s Cut of Justice League,” but yep, fans are gonna keep saying “the Snyder Cut.” Look for the cut in 2021 on HBO Max.

Much of the world has been deprived of concerts the last five months because of the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While the United States continues its work on lowering cases of the virus to a number worth considering a return of concerts, Germany believes they are in a comfortable enough position to conduct some experiments regarding a potential return to indoor concerts.

The German government is testing the spread of coronavirus for indoor concerts through a research study. In the study, 4,000 people between the ages of 18-50 were called to participate and attend one of three concerts by singer Tim Bendzko. According to TMZ the purpose of this study has been defined as a way “to investigate the conditions under which such events can be carried out despite the pandemic.”

Each volunteer is provided with face masks and must wear tracking devices to track whether they are socially distancing and how close they interact with people if they do not. Another device is used within the study to show how aerosolized particles spread. The first concert in the study occurred Saturday in Leipzig, Germany where 2,000 people attended.

The Minister of Economics and Science offered a statement on the study saying, “As long as there is a risk of infection, major concerts, trade fairs and sporting events cannot take place. This is why it is so important to find out which technical and orginisational conditions can effectively minimise the risks.”

You can see a video from one of the concerts above.

(via TMZ)

Monday Night Football’s move to ESPN at the end of the 2005 season is part of the last big shuffle of National Football League broadcast rights, but according to a report, ABC is looking to get back into the football game once more.

According to Front Office Sports, Disney is maneuvering to bring Monday Night Football back to ABC, and a source says there’s a good chance the deal actually happens. According to the report, ABC is in an “increasingly strong position” to land the deal with the NFL.

Negotiations between the NFL and network partners ESPN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and CBS Sports for the next round of TV rights are still in their early stages and nothing is finalized.

But sources on both sides of the negotiating table say Disney is making a strong push to bring ABC back to the NFL TV lineup. If ESPN retains MNF, the games could also be simulcast or megacast on ABC. “Both Disney and the NFL want it to happen,” said a source.

ABC had the rights to Monday Night Football from 1970 to 2005, when the networks shuffled a bit and ESPN swapped out Monday Night Football for Sunday Night Football. NBC took the latter over, eventually getting a significantly better pick of games in the process. ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast contract runs up until 2021, and Front Office Sports reported that a deal with ABC could put the network into the rotation of networks that airs the Super Bowl, which right now stands at NBC, Fox, and CBS.

ABC has moved on from Monday Night Football in a variety of ways in recent years, most notably turning that time slot into the Bachelor zone. But a return to broadcast television would be significant here, and it looks like Disney wants to make it happen very soon if the reports at to be believed.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner has left IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida — where the 2020 WNBA season is being held — due to personal reasons, the team announced Saturday.

“Our team’s commitment remains on the 2020 regular season and playoffs,” the Mercury’s statement read. “Our players and coaches will have no additional comment on the matter.”

The news comes after Griner missed Phoenix’s game against the Minnesota Lynx on Friday night, in which the Lynx won 90-80, due to personal reasons. The loss to Minnesota was the team’s third consecutive loss, and in Griner’s absence, Diana Taurasi and Skylar Diggins-Smith couldn’t do enough as Phoenix really missed having her interior presence. Kia Vaughn stepped in to replace the 29-year-old, but only managed three points and two assists to go with five rebounds.

This season, the Mercury have struggled to meet expectations, currently sitting in sixth place in the league standings with a 6-7 overall record. Considered a title contender heading into the 2020 season, the Mercury look frustrated as they are unable to string together consistent wins. The Mercury’s final regular season game is scheduled for Sept. 11 against the Seattle Storm, and if they stay among the top eight seeds, their stay in Bradenton will be extended for the playoffs.

If Griner returns to IMG Academy this season, she will likely have to quarantine before being allowed to return to action.

Despite facing some recent struggles in his campaign, Kanye West is pushing full steam ahead in his attempt to run for president. The rapper recently celebrated his appearance on a number of ballots in states across the country including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, and Tennessee. While that may have been a good sign for Kanye, the rapper has reportedly missed an important financial deadline for his presidential run according to TMZ, one that points to trouble for his campaign’s already slim chances.

The report reveals that Kanye missed an FEC deadline, which was August 20, to file a financial report for when he raises or spends $100,000 on his campaign. Filing this report is required by the FEC, so Kanye not doing so it means one of two things: he missed the filing deadline or he failed to raise or spend $100,000 on his campaign. Neither are good news for his presidential run.

The news comes after Wisconsin banned Kanye from appearing on the presidential ballots after The Wisconsin Elections Commission, a bipartisan panel consisting of three Democrats and three Republicans, voted 5-1 to ban the Chicago rapper from the ballot due to late qualifying paperwork. Prior to that, a poll from Politico/Morning Consult revealed Kanye was polling very poorly among Black voters, gaining only 2% of their vote for his presidential run.

(via TMZ)