Video Details
Paul Pierce doubles down on his bold take after Game 4, saying the Oklahoma City Thunder have officially ended the title race with their dominant playoff performance.
6 MINS AGO・speak・1:55
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s Georgian artist whose football skills saved his father’s life
As a small boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would sit and wait for the apples to grow.Summers were spent in Tsalenjikha, his family’s hometown, cradled by Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. Between their house and the river was a green swathe, capped at one end by a wide iron gate. It was a perfect football pitch — but for one feature.AdvertisementSince anybody recalled, the gate had been topped with decorative ornaments. Kvaratskehlia’s father, Badri, a professional player himself, had countless footballs burst by its sharp metal. Remembering how he wept with every puncture, thirty years later he warned Khvicha, his second son.Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded. But something looked different.Now, each spike was crowned by an apple. If a shot hit it? The ball would rebound harmlessly away. […]
Matheus Cunha by those who knew him growing up: ‘He turned from water into wine’
Perhaps Matheus Cunha and Manchester United were always meant to be.The Brazilian forward, who has been given permission to undergo a medical at Old Trafford before a proposed £62.5million ($83.7m) summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was born just hours after one of United’s most famous nights and 18 years later cemented his reputation as a prodigious talent by starring against them.AdvertisementWhile Sir Alex Ferguson and his players were still nursing hangovers from their epic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in May 1999, Cunha came into the world in the Brazilian state of Paraiba.By the time he starred for Coritiba against United in the under-19s Dallas Cup in April 2017, football had already taken him thousands of miles from home, and his journey was just beginning.By the age of 14, Cunha had moved almost 2,000 miles to sign for […]
2025 Thunder looking like mirror image of 2015 Warriors as they set sights on first NBA championship
Imagn Images/Getty Images The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to their first NBA Finals as a franchise since 2012 after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. OKC will face either the Pacers (who lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-1) or the Knicks in the Finals, where they will set their sights on the first title in Oklahoma City history.The Thunder are heavy NBA title favorites (-575 to win the championship at DraftKings), and let's stress that this isn't a done deal. The Pacers, assuming they eventually finish off the Knicks, are playing lights out right now. But in watching this Oklahoma City run this point, it's impossible to ignore the 2014-15 Warriors vibes that are all over this team. The Stephen Curry-led Warriors won their first Western Conference finals on May 27, 2015 -- 10 years […]
How ‘Slot-ball’ propelled Liverpool to the Premier League title at the first time of asking
Ripping up the work done by Jurgen Klopp was never part of Arne Slot’s plan when he arrived at Liverpool.One of the key factors in the club deciding to appoint the Dutchman as their head coach to follow in Klopp’s footsteps was the similarities in style.“We are going to try to work on what Jurgen left behind and we will see a lot of similar things,” Slot told the club website in his first interview. “But, of course, I bring my own things to the table as well and I think that’s also what is expected of me.”AdvertisementSlot inherited a team that had finished the previous campaign with 82 points. It had title-challenging credentials, but this season he guided them to another level, both individually and collectively, to dominate the rest of the Premier League in style.His achievements were recognised […]
Barcelona’s title-winners – by the early coaches who helped shape them
Barcelona are back on top.This season, Hansi Flick inspired a thrilling young team to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Most satisfyingly for Barca fans, they all came at the expense of their great rivals Real Madrid. Barca reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and were a chaotic tie against Inter away from potentially lifting a third treble in their history.AdvertisementThat was all down to a group of players who have made Barca fans believe again after a turbulent few years — many of whom are only just getting started.We spoke to some of their first coaches to hear about this group of champions’ early years in football…PedriAppearances this season: 59First club: Tegueste (Tenerife)I joined Tegueste’s youth ranks as a coach in 2008, and a year later, I was managing […]
How would Martin Zubimendi fit in Arsenal’s midfield?
While talk of Arsenal signing a striker has dominated press conferences, social media and the stands at the Emirates, the club knew that could not be the only order of business this summer.That is why their long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi saw them start actively pursuing a deal in January.A holding midfielder may not be the shiniest of new toys, but as the closing weeks of the season have shown, Zubimendi could be just as valuable as a new centre-forward.Arsenal’s search for a midfield threeArsenal’s midfield has endured a couple of false starts since the departure of Granit Xhaka in 2023. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived that summer, with the expectation they would complete a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. Havertz struggled to shine in midfield, and was soon moved to centre-forward, which saw the midfield evolve to include Thomas […]
Related
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s Georgian artist whose football skills saved his father’s life
As a small boy, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia would sit and wait for the apples to grow.Summers were spent in Tsalenjikha, his family’s hometown, cradled by Georgia’s Caucasus mountains. Between their house and the river was a green swathe, capped at one end by a wide iron gate. It was a perfect football pitch — but for one feature.AdvertisementSince anybody recalled, the gate had been topped with decorative ornaments. Kvaratskehlia’s father, Badri, a professional player himself, had countless footballs burst by its sharp metal. Remembering how he wept with every puncture, thirty years later he warned Khvicha, his second son.Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded. But something looked different.Now, each spike was crowned by an apple. If a shot hit it? The ball would rebound harmlessly away. […]
Matheus Cunha by those who knew him growing up: ‘He turned from water into wine’
Perhaps Matheus Cunha and Manchester United were always meant to be.The Brazilian forward, who has been given permission to undergo a medical at Old Trafford before a proposed £62.5million ($83.7m) summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers, was born just hours after one of United’s most famous nights and 18 years later cemented his reputation as a prodigious talent by starring against them.AdvertisementWhile Sir Alex Ferguson and his players were still nursing hangovers from their epic Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich in May 1999, Cunha came into the world in the Brazilian state of Paraiba.By the time he starred for Coritiba against United in the under-19s Dallas Cup in April 2017, football had already taken him thousands of miles from home, and his journey was just beginning.By the age of 14, Cunha had moved almost 2,000 miles to sign for […]
2025 Thunder looking like mirror image of 2015 Warriors as they set sights on first NBA championship
Imagn Images/Getty Images The Oklahoma City Thunder are headed to their first NBA Finals as a franchise since 2012 after eliminating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, in Game 5 on Wednesday night. OKC will face either the Pacers (who lead the Eastern Conference finals 3-1) or the Knicks in the Finals, where they will set their sights on the first title in Oklahoma City history.The Thunder are heavy NBA title favorites (-575 to win the championship at DraftKings), and let's stress that this isn't a done deal. The Pacers, assuming they eventually finish off the Knicks, are playing lights out right now. But in watching this Oklahoma City run this point, it's impossible to ignore the 2014-15 Warriors vibes that are all over this team. The Stephen Curry-led Warriors won their first Western Conference finals on May 27, 2015 -- 10 years […]
How ‘Slot-ball’ propelled Liverpool to the Premier League title at the first time of asking
Ripping up the work done by Jurgen Klopp was never part of Arne Slot’s plan when he arrived at Liverpool.One of the key factors in the club deciding to appoint the Dutchman as their head coach to follow in Klopp’s footsteps was the similarities in style.“We are going to try to work on what Jurgen left behind and we will see a lot of similar things,” Slot told the club website in his first interview. “But, of course, I bring my own things to the table as well and I think that’s also what is expected of me.”AdvertisementSlot inherited a team that had finished the previous campaign with 82 points. It had title-challenging credentials, but this season he guided them to another level, both individually and collectively, to dominate the rest of the Premier League in style.His achievements were recognised […]
Barcelona’s title-winners – by the early coaches who helped shape them
Barcelona are back on top.This season, Hansi Flick inspired a thrilling young team to win La Liga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana titles. Most satisfyingly for Barca fans, they all came at the expense of their great rivals Real Madrid. Barca reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2019 and were a chaotic tie against Inter away from potentially lifting a third treble in their history.AdvertisementThat was all down to a group of players who have made Barca fans believe again after a turbulent few years — many of whom are only just getting started.We spoke to some of their first coaches to hear about this group of champions’ early years in football…PedriAppearances this season: 59First club: Tegueste (Tenerife)I joined Tegueste’s youth ranks as a coach in 2008, and a year later, I was managing […]
How would Martin Zubimendi fit in Arsenal’s midfield?
While talk of Arsenal signing a striker has dominated press conferences, social media and the stands at the Emirates, the club knew that could not be the only order of business this summer.That is why their long-standing interest in Martin Zubimendi saw them start actively pursuing a deal in January.A holding midfielder may not be the shiniest of new toys, but as the closing weeks of the season have shown, Zubimendi could be just as valuable as a new centre-forward.Arsenal’s search for a midfield threeArsenal’s midfield has endured a couple of false starts since the departure of Granit Xhaka in 2023. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz arrived that summer, with the expectation they would complete a midfield three with Martin Odegaard. Havertz struggled to shine in midfield, and was soon moved to centre-forward, which saw the midfield evolve to include Thomas […]
Be the first to leave a comment