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👍 Good morning to all, however particularly to …

LeBRON JAMES AND STEPHEN CURRY

New Yr’s Eve looks like eternally in the past, though the calendar tells us it was lower than 9 weeks in the past. Again then, LeBron James and Stephen Curry have been main play-in groups, with the 18-14 Lakers holding the seventh slot and the Tenth-place Warriors sitting at 16-16. That — as they are saying — was so 2024.

At the moment’s Western Convention standings finds the Lakers (37-21) in second place, simply share factors forward of the Nuggets (39-22) after their loss to the Celtics, and the Warriors (32-28) having spent yesterday morning in sixth and this morning in seventh place. Followers (of those golf equipment) can thank the enhancements to the commerce deadline strikes that introduced Luka Dončić to Los Angeles (9-2 for the reason that deadline) and Jimmy Butler to Golden State (7-3 for the reason that deadline).

And whereas these strikes actually did carry the Lakers and Warriors, our Colin Ward-Henninger has an excellent piece breaking down simply how a lot these strikes have benefitted James and Curry personally.

• Ward-Henninger: “On the commerce deadline, nonetheless, each James and Curry acquired presents — Luka Dončić and Jimmy Butler — that would in the end prolong their careers and additional add to their seemingly never-ending lists of accolades. Since they started taking part in their new co-stars, each James and Curry have skilled important boosts in manufacturing and effectivity, and the Lakers and Warriors seem like reputable threats within the Western Convention.”

James and Dončić are settling in, and issues couldn’t be going higher for the league’s oldest participant. With Dončić now shouldering a lot of the playmaking obligations, the 40-year-old James has been benefitting from relaxation and a few simple appears to be like. And within the Bay, Curry is taking pictures markedly higher with Butler in Golden State than he was earlier than the commerce — 51.4% vs. 43.1% on all subject objectives and 42.6% vs. 38.9% on 3s.

Positive, all of it is a comparatively small pattern dimension, however getting older veterans like James and Curry bonfide skilled playoff combatants, who’ve each taken their earlier groups to the NBA Finals, ought to solely function tantalizing prospects for when the playoffs start subsequent month.

Honorable mentions

And never such morning for …

ELITE-LEVEL WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TEAMS

You want upsets? Properly, you have come to the appropriate place. It was a brutal weekend (or final week) for greater than a pair top-flight packages. Let’s begin with No. 2 UCLA, which entered the weekend with only one loss on the season, and once more had no reply for JuJu Watkins (30 factors) and No. 4 USC on Saturday evening.

Now, you would say {that a} 4 beating a 2 is not that a lot of an upset, however the sequel to the Battle for Los Angeles did not change the narrative for host UCLA, who additionally misplaced at USC two weeks earlier. Bruins coach Cori Shut was so annoyed by the mere sight of the stat sheet that she crumpled it up right into a ball proper there on a dais. The victory gave the Trojans’ program its first regular-season title since 1994, a lot to the delight of SC product Cheryl Miller … and the disgust of UCLA alum brother Reggie Miller.

Past that recreation, Notre Dame, North Carolina, Tennessee and LSU all ended their common seasons with consecutive losses. Even worse for the Tigers, main scorer Flau’Jae Johnson has been shut down by way of the SEC Event resulting from shin irritation. (Search for Connecticut and USC to be among the many beneficiaries from the entire upheaval.)

Not so honorable mentions

⚾ MLB reviewing petition to reinstate late Pete Rose

Main League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is within the means of reviewing a petition from the household of the late Pete Rose, requesting that the sport’s all-time hits chief be reinstated, based on a narrative from ESPN. If profitable, the petition would seemingly pave the best way for Rose, who died final September the age of 83, to presumably develop into eligible for election into the Nationwide Baseball Corridor of Fame. 

In 1989, Rose was banned from the sport and future consideration of admission into Cooperstown for betting on Cincinnati Reds video games whereas he performed for and managed the workforce. Regardless of staunch denials, Rose finally admitted to his actions in his 2004 autobiography. Rose spent 19 of his 24 major-league seasons along with his hometown Reds, accumulating an MLB document of 4,256 hits. 

In the meantime, President Donald Trump has additionally weighed in on the matter, posting on social media on Friday that he will probably be issuing “a whole pardon,” though it is unclear how that motion would alter any future baseball-related selections since Rose was by no means charged with a criminal offense relative to the betting scandal. 

🏀 St. John’s wins first outright Huge East crown in 40 years

The St. John’s trustworthy have been partying prefer it was 1985 at Madison Sq. Backyard Saturday, and for good motive given the Crimson Storm earned the varsity’s first outright Huge East title for the reason that 1984-85 season. Behind their bodily model of ball, Rick Pitino’s squad put the clamps down on Seton Corridor for a cushty 71-61 victory.

After the sport, pink and white confetti rained down upon the jubilant followers and the coach, who donned a white go well with for the event. Some would possibly say that such a glance in New York Metropolis in early March is “a alternative,” however provided that Pitino has collected extra wins in back-to-back seasons than another coach since 1999-2000, I say let the person no matter he needs. As for delving into extra of the on-court motion, let’s kick it to our Kyle Boone.

• Boone: “The way in which they’ve gained has been textbook Pitino with protection and a veer away from counting on 3-pointers at the same time as basketball has extra broadly accepted and leaned into firing from distance. Following the win the Johnnies rank No. 3 in adjusted defensive effectivity at KenPom.com and have the second worst 3-point share and second-lowest 3-point charge amongst main convention groups.”

And here is extra males’s school basketball content material from the weekend:

Bracketology | Tomorrow’s High 25 At the moment | High 25 And 1 | Texas Tech tops Kansas … at Kansas! | Tennessee buzzer-beater downs Alabama

🏈 Closing ideas off NFL Mix

One other mix is within the books, however our NFL crew has all of it damaged down for you. This is a fast snapshot:

📺 What we’re watching Monday

🏀 Wake Forest at No. 2 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Islanders at Rangers, 7 p.m. on NHL Community
🏀 Unequalled, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Rockets at Thunder, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Pistons at Jazz, 9 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Kansas at No. 4 Houston (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN