Bears Coach Ben Johnson Brings Trick-Play Flair

During his three years as Detroit’s offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson earned a reputation for bold trick plays, fearlessly calling them in critical moments. Now as Chicago’s head coach, Ben Johnson making sure the Bears are ready by closing minicamp with an unusual drill: sending offensive linemen sprinting down the sideline for passing practice. Backup QB Tyson Bagent  joked that “nobody I threw the ball to, at least” stood out, but right tackle Darnell Wright stole the spotlight with a slick one-handed catch and spin before hitting the ground.  If this is a sign of things to come, Bears fans might be in for some creative offensive fireworks this season.

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DJ Moore Promises a New Attitude Under Coach Ben Johnson

After a frustrating 2024 season, Pro Bowl receiver DJ Moore says he’s turning a new page with the Panthers. On Tuesday, Moore revealed he’s had talks with new head coach Ben Johnson about keeping his emotions in check. “Just don’t do it. Just keep it inside,” DJ Moore said, joking about not giving the media any fuel. Johnson has made it clear he wants to reshape not only the roster but also the team’s culture, emphasizing professionalism and positive energy. The Panthers and DJ Moore seem ready to start fresh this season.

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Adam Silver Shrugs Off Ratings Talk Ahead of Small-Market NBA Finals

With the 2025 NBA Finals featuring two small-market teams; the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, it was inevitable NBA Commissioner Adam Silver would face questions about TV ratings and market size. But as he made clear Thursday, he’s tired of the conversation. “It frustrates me that the first thing [fans] say is, how are the ratings? What are the ratings going to be? As opposed to, wow, you have two incredible conference finals,” Silver said during his annual Finals news conference, about an hour before Game 1 tipped off. Silver pushed back on the narrative that market size still heavily dictates success, citing how technology and global reach have leveled the playing field for smaller teams. He emphasized that the league’s $76 billion media deals which begin next seasons.  While acknowledging the ratings topic remains persistent, Silver said it reflects the NBA’s self-critical culture, one that often leans too much on perceived negatives. “It’s part of the culture in the NBA that we’re self-critical… it seeps into our coverage, quite honestly, sometimes,” he added. In short, Silver’s stance is clear: great basketball should matter more than market size or media metrics.

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Severe Weather Delays Pacers’ Arrival in OKC Ahead of NBA Finals

The Indiana Pacers’ long-awaited return to the NBA Finals hit a turbulent start Tuesday as severe weather in Oklahoma delayed their arrival in Oklahoma City by several hours. Their charter flight was diverted to Tulsa due to tornado warnings, heavy rain, and high winds across central Oklahoma. After refueling and navigating around additional storms, the team finally landed in OKC around 7 p.m. local time, approximately 3.5 hours behind schedule. While skies had cleared by their arrival, the delay came amid a chaotic weather day.  Flood watches, severe thunderstorm alerts, and a tornado spotted near Norman, just 20 miles from OKC. Airport operations in Oklahoma City were disrupted throughout the afternoon and evening. Despite the rocky journey, the Pacers will participate in NBA Finals media day on Wednesday. Game 1 is set for Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. It marks Indiana’s first Finals since 2000 and OKC’s first since 2012. As center Myles Turner put it before departure: “You spend so much time thinking about getting there… now that milestone has been achieved. It’s about doing something with the opportunity.”

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Who will win the 2025 NBA Finals?

Based on the consensus among top NBA analysts including Steve Aschburner, Brian Martin, Shaun Powell, and John Schuhmann, the overwhelming prediction is that the Oklahoma City Thunder will win the 2025 NBA Finals. Key Reasons for Picking Oklahoma City: Indiana’s Cinderella Story: While the Pacers possess an explosive offense led by Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. All four analysts agree they haven’t yet faced a defense as relentless and versatile as OKC’s. Bottom Line: The Thunder are considered to be on a different tier. A deeper, more battle-tested, and more complete. The Pacers’ run is respected, but the general belief is that Oklahoma City is too strong to lose this series.

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Wrexham Manager Parkinson Targets Free Transfers

As Wrexham prepare for their first season in the Championship, manager Phil Parkinson has highlighted the importance of smart recruitmen. The club, owned by Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have been frequently linked with Leicester City’s veteran striker Jamie Vardy, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Vardy, who has scored 199 goals in 499 appearances for Leicester, is attracting interest from several clubs including Newcastle United,, Sheffield Wednesday, and Scottish champions Celtic. His next move is set to be one of the biggest decisions of his career. Secondly, Speaking to The Leader, Parkinson outlined his transfer strategy ahead of the summer window, which opens in June. He emphasised that securing players on free transfers will be a key priority for Wrexham as they look to build a squad capable of competing in the tougher Championship division. “We have always got our eye on players who are free transfers and going to be available, and we’ll continue to do that,” Parkinson said. He added, “Recruitment is about getting a lot of tight decisions right, and I felt we did that in January. To hold our nerve and get the right players in made a difference, and I was very pleased with that.” Former Leicester striker Paul Dickov, speaking to 10bet, expressed confidence that Vardy would be an excellent fit at Wrexham, known as The Red Dragons. Dickov highlighted the need for an experienced forward to lead the line as the club faces a more demanding league next season. Lastly, with ambitions rising rapidly, Wrexham’s recruitment approach could be critical in maintaining their momentum up the football pyramid.

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Ancelotti to Confirm Future Plans After La Liga Season Finale

Carlo Ancelotti has announced he will disclose his future plans following Real Madrid’s final La Liga match on May 25. The announcement came admidst speculation linking him to the Brazil national team job. The Italian tactician, whose contract with Los Blancos runs until 2026, has maintained focus on Madrid’s title pursuit. With five games remaining, Ancelotti’s team trails fierce rivals Barcelona‘s by four points. A league triumph would provide some consolation after a disappointing cup campaign with Madrid having fallen short in the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona and exiting the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Arsenal in the quarter-finals. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s encounter with Celta Vigo, Ancelotti emphasized that discussions about his future would wait until the season concludes. “I have a great deal of affection for this club, the players, and our fans—along with a lot of respect,” said the 65-year-old. “That’s why I’ll speak about my future on May 25, not before.” Real Madrid host Real Sociedad in their final league fixture, after which the squad will travel to the United States to prepare for the FIFA Club World Cup, kicking off June 14. Reflecting on his tenure in the Spanish capital, Ancelotti added: “The day I leave Madrid will be a beautiful one. I’ve never had a single issue with this club during either of my spells here.”

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Barcelona Rally to Edge Valladolid with Second-Half Surge

Barcelona produced a second-half comeback to defeat Real Valladolid 2-1 on Thursday. This has kept their grip on top spot in La Liga. It has also helped them gain momentum ahead of their upcoming clash with Inter. Despite being virtually relegated, Valladolid showed no signs of backing down. The hosts stunned Hansi Flick’s men early, as Iván Sánchez’s effort deflected off Ronald Araújo. Then, he spun awkwardly beyond Marc-André ter Stegen just six minutes into the goalkeeper’s return from injury. Raúl Moro tested Ter Stegen again shortly after, while Pau Víctor forced a pair of saves at the other end. Barcelona’s attacking efforts from Ansu Fati  and Fermín López blocked as Valladolid stubbornly held their lead into the break. Dani Rodríguez showed flashes of quality before unfortunately exiting due to a shoulder injury, while Lamine Yamal’s introduction injected more urgency into the visitors’ play. Flick made key changes at halftime, introducing Raphinha and Frenkie de Jong. Raphinha made an instant impact latching onto a poor punch from goalkeeper André Ferreira. Just minutes later, Barcelona completed the turnaround when Gerard Martín’s delivery was met by Fermín.

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Raspadori Strike Sends Napoli Six Points Clear in Serie A

Napoli tightened their grip on the Serie A title race with a hard-fought 1-0 victory away to Lecce. It was powered by a first-half free-kick from Giacomo Raspadori. The win marked Napoli’s fourth consecutive clean sheet and temporarily stretched their lead at the top to six points. Antonio Conte’s side entered the clash in formidable form and they nearly struck early. Romelu Lukaku smartly redirected a low shot from Matteo Politano into the net in the second minute. However, the goal was disallowed for offside after a VAR check. Lecce’s reprieve was short-lived. Just past the 20-minute mark, Raspadori earned a free-kick on the edge of the box and converted it himself with a thunderous finish. Lecce came close to an equalizer before halftime when Kialonga Gaspar met a corner with a powerful header that smacked against the crossbar. Despite a brief spell of pressure from the hosts, Napoli nearly doubled their advantage before the break, but Raspadori dragged his effort wide after being set up by Scott McTominay. The second half saw Lecce improve after a double substitution, with Porir Johann Helgason injecting some urgency into their attack. The Icelandic midfielder saw one shot deflect narrowly over and another clever free-kick effort hit the side-netting. But Napoli managed the game superbly in the final stages, frustrating their opponents and keeping control to secure a crucial away win. The result extends their unbeaten run and gives them breathing room as Milan continue to chase. Lecce’s struggles, however, continue. Now without a win in 12 Serie A outings and goalless in four consecutive meetings with Napoli. Now, they remain perilously close to the relegation zone, just one point clear with the season entering its decisive stretch.

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Tottenham Likely to Miss Maddison for Bodo/Glimt Second Leg

Tottenham Hotspur are facing a setback ahead of their Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt. Midfielder James Maddison expected to miss the tie due to a knee injury sustained in the first leg. Maddison was forced off midway through the second half of Spurs’ 3-1 home victory last Thursday. And the manager Postecoglou admitted the early signs are not encouraging. Speaking after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United, Postecoglou provided a cautious update. “It doesn’t look great but we’re just waiting for further information,” he told reporters at the London Stadium.“We’ll just wait and see. Hopefully we’ll probably get some clarity tomorrow (Monday). It doesn’t look promising but I’ll just wait and see.” There was better news regarding Dominic Solanke, who also missed Sunday’s game. “Dom’s improving. We obviously left him out today but the medical team are pretty confident he should be right for Thursday,” Postecoglou said. With one eye on Thursday’s crucial trip to Norway, the Spurs boss made eight changes to his starting XI against West Ham. Despite the reshuffle, he was satisfied with the performance. “We were disappointed with the goal we conceded but aside from that I thought we nullified their threat as well as we could and they had some decent firepower up front and I still thought we were dangerous going the other way. “So I’m glad the boys get some reward. It’s obviously not a win but to get some reward for their efforts because I thought on a difficult day they handled themselves really well.”

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