Tag Archives: James

LeBron James responds to altercation with fans ejected from Lakers-Hawks game in Atlanta

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are rolling through the league this season. They entered Monday’s game against the Atlanta Hawks with a 15-6 record, including a 4-2 mark on their current seven-game road trip. They’ve become especially adept at disappointing road fans. Through 13 road games, the Lakers have an 11-2 record. 

And though the Atlanta Hawks made things interesting during Monday’s game, the Lakers controlled their battle throughout. That apparently didn’t sit well with an Atlanta fan sitting courtside, who got into an altercation with LeBron James and was ejected from the game by security. Lakers broadcaster Bill Macdonald even jokingly compared the moment to the meme of a Desperate Housewives cast member pointing at an indifferent cat. 

As James revealed after the game, the argument was between him and the woman’s husband, and he did not think they should be ejected from the game. 

“At the end of the day, I’m happy fans are back in the building,” James told reporters. “I missed that interaction, I need that interaction, we as players need that interaction. I don’t feel like it was warranted to be kicked out. There was a back-and-forth between two grown men. We said our piece, he said his piece, I said my piece, and then someone else jumped into it and said their piece. I didn’t think they should’ve been kicked out, but they might’ve had a couple of drinks, maybe, and they could’ve probably kept it going and the game wouldn’t have been about the game anymore, so the referees did what they had to do.”

This is not the first incident James has had with a spectator during this road trip. In a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers last week, James missed a shot at the end of the third quarter and was unhappy with how a Cleveland executive reacted. He responded by scoring 26 points in the fourth quarter. 

“I felt like he was just a little bit too excited about seeing me miss,” James told reporters then. “He was really excited about me missing that shot. A little bit more extra than I would have liked. But he’s got to root for his team, obviously. And he was, he showcased that. So I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter’s my favorite.”

The Lakers ultimately escaped with a victory, giving them 12 road wins on the year and sending them home for 10 of their next 15 games. Hopefully, it’ll be a little while before LeBron gets into it with another road fan with such a long stint in Los Angeles ahead. 

require.config({"baseUrl":"https://sportsfly.cbsistatic.com/fly-135/bundles/sportsmediajs/js-build","config":{"version":{"fly/components/accordion":"1.0","fly/components/alert":"1.0","fly/components/base":"1.0","fly/components/carousel":"1.0","fly/components/dropdown":"1.0","fly/components/fixate":"1.0","fly/components/form-validate":"1.0","fly/components/image-gallery":"1.0","fly/components/iframe-messenger":"1.0","fly/components/load-more":"1.0","fly/components/load-more-article":"1.0","fly/components/load-more-scroll":"1.0","fly/components/loading":"1.0","fly/components/modal":"1.0","fly/components/modal-iframe":"1.0","fly/components/network-bar":"1.0","fly/components/poll":"1.0","fly/components/search-player":"1.0","fly/components/social-button":"1.0","fly/components/social-counts":"1.0","fly/components/social-links":"1.0","fly/components/tabs":"1.0","fly/components/video":"1.0","fly/libs/easy-xdm":"2.4.17.1","fly/libs/jquery.cookie":"1.2","fly/libs/jquery.throttle-debounce":"1.1","fly/libs/jquery.widget":"1.9.2","fly/libs/omniture.s-code":"1.0","fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init":"1.0","fly/libs/jquery.mobile":"1.3.2","fly/libs/backbone":"1.0.0","fly/libs/underscore":"1.5.1","fly/libs/jquery.easing":"1.3","fly/managers/ad":"2.0","fly/managers/components":"1.0","fly/managers/cookie":"1.0","fly/managers/debug":"1.0","fly/managers/geo":"1.0","fly/managers/gpt":"4.3","fly/managers/history":"2.0","fly/managers/madison":"1.0","fly/managers/social-authentication":"1.0","fly/utils/data-prefix":"1.0","fly/utils/data-selector":"1.0","fly/utils/function-natives":"1.0","fly/utils/guid":"1.0","fly/utils/log":"1.0","fly/utils/object-helper":"1.0","fly/utils/string-helper":"1.0","fly/utils/string-vars":"1.0","fly/utils/url-helper":"1.0","libs/jshashtable":"2.1","libs/select2":"3.5.1","libs/jsonp":"2.4.0","libs/jquery/mobile":"1.4.5","libs/modernizr.custom":"2.6.2","libs/velocity":"1.2.2","libs/dataTables":"1.10.6","libs/dataTables.fixedColumns":"3.0.4","libs/dataTables.fixedHeader":"2.1.2","libs/dateformat":"1.0.3","libs/waypoints/infinite":"3.1.1","libs/waypoints/inview":"3.1.1","libs/waypoints/jquery.waypoints":"3.1.1","libs/waypoints/sticky":"3.1.1","libs/jquery/dotdotdot":"1.6.1","libs/jquery/flexslider":"2.1","libs/jquery/lazyload":"1.9.3","libs/jquery/maskedinput":"1.3.1","libs/jquery/marquee":"1.3.1","libs/jquery/numberformatter":"1.2.3","libs/jquery/placeholder":"0.2.4","libs/jquery/scrollbar":"0.1.6","libs/jquery/tablesorter":"2.0.5","libs/jquery/touchswipe":"1.6.18","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.draggable":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.mouse":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.position":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.slider":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.sortable":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.touch-punch":"0.2.3","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.accordion":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.menu":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.dialog":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.resizable":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.button":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.effects":"1.11.4","libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.datepicker":"1.11.4"}},"shim":{"liveconnection/managers/connection":{"deps":["liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4"]},"liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4":{"exports":"SockJS"},"libs/setValueFromArray":{"exports":"set"},"libs/getValueFromArray":{"exports":"get"},"fly/libs/jquery.mobile-1.3.2":["version!fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init"],"libs/backbone.marionette":{"deps":["jquery","version!fly/libs/underscore","version!fly/libs/backbone"],"exports":"Marionette"},"fly/libs/underscore-1.5.1":{"exports":"_"},"fly/libs/backbone-1.0.0":{"deps":["version!fly/libs/underscore","jquery"],"exports":"Backbone"},"libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs-1.11.4":["jquery","version!libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core","version!fly/libs/jquery.widget"],"libs/jquery/flexslider-2.1":["jquery"],"libs/dataTables.fixedColumns-3.0.4":["jquery","version!libs/dataTables"],"libs/dataTables.fixedHeader-2.1.2":["jquery","version!libs/dataTables"],"https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js":["https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js"]},"map":{"*":{"adobe-pass":"https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js","facebook":"https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js","facebook-debug":"https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all/debug.js","google":"https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js","google-platform":"https://apis.google.com/js/client:platform.js","google-csa":"https://www.google.com/adsense/search/async-ads.js","google-javascript-api":"https://www.google.com/jsapi","google-client-api":"https://apis.google.com/js/api:client.js","gpt":"https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js","newsroom":"https://c2.taboola.com/nr/cbsinteractive-cbssports/newsroom.js","recaptcha":"https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?onload=loadRecaptcha&render=explicit","recaptcha_ajax":"https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/js/recaptcha_ajax.js","supreme-golf":"https://sgapps-staging.supremegolf.com/search/assets/js/bundle.js","taboola":"https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/cbsinteractive-cbssports/loader.js","twitter":"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js","video-utils":"https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js"}},"waitSeconds":300});



Read original article here

Fans ejected after verbal spat with Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James in Atlanta

Four courtside fans — at least one of whom was not covering her face with a mask — were ejected from Monday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Atlanta Hawks following a verbal spat with Lakers star LeBron James, the Hawks confirmed to ESPN.

Juliana Carlos, who later posted on social media, and her husband, Chris Carlos, exchanged words with James in the fourth quarter of the visiting Lakers’ 107-99 win, prompting the ejection.

Juliana Carlos posted a video on her Instagram account showing the scene shortly after State Farm Arena security personnel and one of the referees, Mitchell Ervin, intervened.

She can be heard saying, “Shut the f— up. Don’t talk to my husband like that,” while standing on the sideline with her mask pulled down below her chin. Someone off camera can be heard asking her to put her mask on, which is required of all fans attending NBA games this season. She wrote “f—ing loser” in a text box to accompany the video, with her camera pointed at James.

After the ejection, Carlos posted a selfie-style video, offering her account of what happened.

“So, I’m minding my own business, and Chris has been a Hawks fan forever. He’s been watching the games for 10 years. Whatever, he has this issue with LeBron. I don’t have an issue with LeBron. I don’t give a f— about LeBron,” she says in the video. “Anyway, I’m minding my own business, drinking my [beverage], having fun. All of the sudden, LeBron says something to my husband, and I see this and I stand up. And I go, ‘Don’t f—ing talk to my husband.’ And he looks at me and he goes, ‘Sit the f— down, bitch.’ And I go, ‘Don’t f—ing call me a bitch. You sit the f— down. Get the f— out of here. Don’t f—ing talk to my husband like that.'”

James was not asked postgame about Carlos’ name-calling allegation, but he was not fazed by the incident and said he felt like an ejection was unnecessary.

“At the end of the day, I’m happy fans are back in the building,” he said after putting up 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to help L.A. to the road win. “I miss that interaction. I need that interaction; we as players need that interaction. I don’t feel like it was warranted to be kicked out.”

play

1:03

LeBron James acknowledges he misses the interaction with fans and isn’t sure the spectators should have been removed from the game.

He did say that alcohol could have been a factor, however.

“They might have had a couple drinks, maybe,” he said. “And they could have probably kept it going during the game, and the game wouldn’t have been about the game no more, so I think the referees did what they had to do.”

James also said that Chris Carlos went “out of bounds” with whatever he directed at him. “I guess [Carlos] said something that rubbed the big dawg the wrong way,” added Lakers center Montrezl Harrell.

While James said he was not close enough to the fans to be potentially compromised by Juliana Carlos removing her mask, other members of the Lakers found it unacceptable.

“It certainly exposed something with regard to having fans in the pandemic,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “You obviously can’t have fans taking their masks down and shouting at our players with the virus out there during these times.”

“With COVID going on, we obviously can’t have that,” L.A. big man Anthony Davis echoed. “We want to make sure we all can be safe.”

James later tweeted about Carlos, bestowing her with a derisive nickname commonly used to mock entitled white women.

The Hawks are one of nine NBA teams currently allowing fans to attend their home games. Atlanta’s State Farm Arena currently allows up to 8% of its capacity for Hawks games, according to a team official. Monday’s announced attendance was 1,341.

Despite the episode, several Lakers still supported fans coming to their games.

“We love having fans at the game. Whether we’re home or away, it just brings back the game that we love, that joy from the fans and the support,” Davis said. “Whether it’s 500 people or 1,000, 1,500, whatever it is, it’s always enjoyable to play in front of a crowd.”

“I love our fans,” James reiterated. “Laker Nation and everybody else that’s against Laker Nation. It just feels better. Fans in the stands is just — it’s just better. It’s better for everybody — especially on the last game of a 14-day road trip.”

Read original article here

LeBron James heckled by fans during Lakers game, refs briefly stop play

There were a limited number of fans in Atlanta, Ga., Monday night due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn’t appear to stop Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James from getting in a heated argument with some along the sidelines. 

Hecklers appeared to jaw with James during the fourth quarter of the contest between the Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks, which led to referees stopping play and security getting involved, according to a video of the incident posted on Twitter.

The fans in question were allegedly two women who were escorted from State Farm Arena. One of them gave the middle finger on her way out, according to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner.

LEBRON JAMES REACTS TO TOM BRADY’S 10TH SUPER BOWL APPEARANCE: ‘AT OUR AGE, WE CAN STILL DOMINATE OUR SPORT’

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) is restrained by an official as he reacts to a fan in the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Atlanta Hawks, Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

James appeared to shake off the incident, scoring 21 points, as the Lakers defeated the Hawks 107-99.

“At the end of the day, I’m happy fans are back in the building,” James said after the game. “I miss that interaction … We as players need that interaction.”

Last week, a Cleveland Cavaliers executive celebrated a missed shot from James at the end of the 3rd quarter during a game between the Lakers and Cavs. James would explode in the 4th quarter leading his team to a 115-108 victory in the contest. 

NBA FAN’S ‘LEBRON JAMES IS A RACIST’ SHIRT, INCIDENT WITH SECURITY LEADS TO REMOVAL DURING GAME: REPORT

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

He remarked after the game that the unidentified person in question last week “got a little bit too excited.”



Read original article here

Super awkward exit on ‘The Bachelor’ after Matt James cleans house due to bullying

On The Bachelor Monday night, Matt James made it clear that he does not stand for bullying.

Following last week’s episode, in which fan-favorite Katie Thurston brought to Matt’s attention the “mob mentality” and toxicity within the house, Matt immediately took action. The Bachelor first took contestant Anna Redman aside to confront her about spreading the rumor that Brittany Galvin is an escort.

“Anna said something that was out of character, but the damage has been done. I’ve seen how words can affect people, and I owe it to these women to create a safe space for them, and that’s what I’m gonna do,” stated Matt after sending Anna home before the rose ceremony.

However, the biggest bully in the house has been this season’s “villain,” Victoria Larson. The self-proclaimed “Queen” has been behind almost all of the drama thus far, and has been dragged by viewers since day one for her delusion and for completely lacking self awareness.

“I hope I don’t get sent home for this,” said Victoria to an off-camera producer. “Literally, there’s no one in here he can marry besides me. Like, I’m literally the best option for him, and, like, I’m the only one with a working brain in this room, and I’m not even being rude. I’m being serious. If he’s gonna believe some idiot over me, he’s not my person, and, like, if that does happen, that’ll really suck, because that’s not the way I wanted to leave this situation, and, like, you know I’ll be so heartbroken, and I’m, like, trying to be positive, but, like, if that happens, I’ll literally die.”

During the rose ceremony, Victoria stated, “I’m not malicious. I have a good heart. Does Matt really want a wife that’s constantly creating drama? Or does he want a wife like me?”

Bachelor Nation was absolutely thrilled when Matt did not give Victoria a rose during the ceremony and instead sent her home.

“I honestly feel so sorry for you that you would listen to hearsay and not all of the facts behind a situation. So goodbye,” Victoria told Matt as the two awkwardly stared at each other for an uncomfortable amount of time.

Later, Victoria shared in her exit interview, “You think I’m gonna go hug him goodbye? No. And he just stared at me. Like, how dare you? He is not my king, and I am still a queen. Matt is a jester. The fact that, like, he chose Katie over me, ugh. Yeah, Matt, I feel sorry for you with your choices. I would be very surprised if the girls are, like, okay that I left. The whole house is gonna feel like s*** that I’m gone. Like, I brought so many people joy. Whatever. Matt’s not the guy for me. I’m never dating another Matt as long as I live. Ever. I hate that name now.”

The eliminations didn’t stop there. On top of Matt cleaning house with Anna and Victoria, MJ Snyder’s fate also remains in question after Matt found out she had coined the term “Varsity” vs. “J.V.” in reference to the original contestants and the new girls. But we’ll have to wait until next week’s episode to find out if she fesses up to it.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

Watch Katie Thurston being praised for standing up to bullying from other women on ‘The Bachelor’:

Read more from Yahoo Entertainment:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. And check out our host, Kylie Mar, on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Originally published



Read original article here

LeBron James’ timeless dominance is part of league fabric

I’ve come to appreciate the sheer fact of consistency, of availability. Not just day-to-day, though you can certainly expect that from LeBron James, but year-to-year. He is the rare timeless athlete, one of the few constants in my life — in anyone’s life.

Eighteen years. LeBron’s career is old enough to be my drinking buddy, and it pretty much is.

Memories are unreliable, frustrating narrators, but I remember moments involving him with perfect clarity.

When James made his playoff debut with the Miami Heat, I snuck in looks at the TV at my sister-in-law’s bridal shower. When I was in college, I used to find “study” rooms with projectors that somehow always ended up streaming League Pass. I had no idea back then that he’d vanquish far greater foes than Paul Pierce.

LeBron James’ illustrious career has remade the NBA and given us moments to cling to. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

In 2017, when the Cleveland Cavaliers insisted on making Game 3 of the NBA Finals close, I sprinted from a Future concert before he took the stage to a bar across the street, only to watch Kevin Durant nail a dagger in LeBron’s face. I watched him in Toronto. I watched him in Los Angeles. I watch him now, when I have no concerts to run away from.

I still cry every time I watch The Block, watch James crumpled up on the hardwood, clinging to the trophy that will always mean more than the rest.

After watching him for almost two decades, our collective awareness of his particular form of dominance has inevitably receded into the NBA’s fabric. We can’t help but take him for granted. Our minds don’t pay attention to information we already recognize, so we miss what’s right in front of our faces. We hardly notice his workaday greatness except for the days he tops himself.

His current arsenal is essentially an advertisement for NBA history: Dirk Nowitzki’s one-foot fadeaway, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook, Kobe’s fadeaway from the left baseline. The San Antonio Spurs used to let him fire mid-range jumpers. Now, he’s shooting 40 percent from the logo. The Dallas Mavericks let point guard Jason Kidd guard him on the block. Now, James is one of the most efficient post players in the NBA.

“As the league evolves, you have to be able to evolve with it if you wanna be able to keep up with the times, keep up with the Joneses, or the Jameses in my case,” James said, laughing. “For me, [it’s] just never putting a cap on myself. I just want to always continue to get better and do things out on the floor that maybe hasn’t been done in other people’s careers and continue to push the envelope and see how much juice I can squeeze out of the lemon.”

James’ game has been molded by postseason failures that forced him to evolve. James failed against Doc Rivers’ Boston Celtics twice as a Cavalier, but never with the Heat.

Rivers, now the coach of the Sixers, remembers they “would come out and attack LeBron, even out of timeouts, because at that point, he was a great player, but as far as the defensive game plan and all that, he was into it, but he was young. Then we get to Miami, I remember him calling out sets. Our sets. I remember turning to — I think Lawrence Frank was my assistant — I remember turning to him and he said, ‘Uh oh, this is not good for anybody.’ Now, he’s becoming not only the great LeBron, but the great LeBron student of the game. Once he crossed that threshold, he’s really not looked back.”

James reimagined his game to stay on top, but these days, I’m more impressed by how its basic essence, its raison d’être, has remained the same. He has never stopped imposing his will with playmaking, giving rise to a style so ubiquitous its impact on the NBA goes almost unnoticed. When James melded his preternatural playmaking intelligence with diligent study, he remade the league.

I rewatched Game 7 of the 2010 Finals a few days ago and realized two things: Kobe did indeed shoot over too many double-teams, but the offensive layout didn’t present any easy outlets. And man, we thought very differently about basketball just a decade ago.

When LeBron used to pass to open shooters for potential winners, he triggered DEFCON 1 protocols on sports shows across America, hosts begging him to score, to assert his will, questioning his killer instinct, his very manhood — all because he saw things no one else did.

Now, we see it his way. James is far from being the only reason the game is spaced out, but good offenses now simplify decision-making for star playmakers. The choices Luka Doncic and James Harden make with the ball in their hands are an evolution of LeBron’s style. The modern offense is built in his super-computing image.

My para-relationship with James took a turn for the strange when I started covering the NBA.

In 2018, when I was covering the Toronto Raptors’ playoff run, Game 5 of Pacers-Cavaliers was in its final stretch after the Raptors beat the Wizards. Long story short: James hit the winner, and I squealed and shook in my seat in the middle of a news conference. I tried not to look anyone in the eye for another five minutes.

Then James came to Toronto. I’ll never forget the first time I asked him a question, or my boyfriend at the time yelling “no no no” while James dribbled calmly up full court and nailed a strange, floating series-ending bank shot over OG Anunoby from the wing, destroying the Raptors thoroughly and nonchalantly. The Raptors did not, as James once put it, present an adverse situation. You could feel that in his stride.

Imagine a pincer opening up, and you’ll see how most people react to change: One side trying to adapt to everything new while, with equal force, another side clings to the familiar.

The older I get, the more I cling to watching LeBron. I tried to stifle this impulse until one day I stopped trying. I’ve come to believe that the sheer attempt to be unbiased while covering sports, at least in the way that I cover them, is a sham: self-deception of the highest order, and it translates to reporters who aren’t honest with themselves and therefore cannot be honest with readers. It accomplishes little outside of twisting one’s mind into knots that prevent it from thinking straight. We chase this line of work because we love sports, crave sports, want — even need — to be near them.

I imagine LeBron has inspired this tug of war in a lot of young writers. It’s a symptom of his longevity. Everyone else I loved to watch before it was my job has retired. I wonder if NFL writers feel this conundrum with Tom Brady. LeBron has been the planet’s best player for so long that he can still connect me to my childhood, so I’ll keep performing this exercise of pretending not to root for him while rooting for him perpetually, until the day he retires, which I hope never comes.

More from Yahoo Sports:

Read original article here

Joel Embiid not happy after LeBron James shove

The Philadelphia 76ers notched quite possibly the biggest win of a very good season on Wednesday, but the team had to hold its breath after one play in particular.

Sixers MVP candidate Joel Embiid fell down hard in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers. The big man jumped in the paint and was going up for a dunk when LeBron James shoved him in the midsection, causing him to land with much of his weight on his tailbone.

Embiid remained on the floor for a few moments and could be seen walking gingerly, but managed to stay in the game. For his shove, James was assessed a flagrant 1 foul, which he could later be seen arguing about with officials.

Embiid has been dealing with back issues this season, most recently missing Monday’s game due to back tightness.

The Sixers eventually held on and won 107-106 thanks to a Tobias Harris winner. Embiid posted 28 points on 8-of-18 shooting with six rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes.

After the game, Embiid didn’t seem very amused by James’ shove, saying he would have been ejected from the game if he made the same play:

In case you need a refresher, here are the NBA’s definitions for flagrant fouls, the latter of which carries an automatic ejection:

Flagrant Foul Penalty 1: Unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent

Flagrant Foul Penalty 2: Unnecessary and excessive contact committed by a player against an opponent

The officials apparently deemed James’ shove unnecessary, but not excessive in guarding the paint. Embiid appears to think differently.

More from Yahoo Sports:



Read original article here

Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid says Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James should have been ejected for foul

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he believed Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James should’ve been assessed a level two flagrant foul and been ejected from Philadelphia’s 107-106 victory over the defending champions Wednesday night.

“Well, first of all, I mean you look at it, that’s a very dangerous play,” Embiid said of James’ foul, which came at the 5:44 mark of the third quarter. “I guarantee you that if it was me, I would have probably been ejected from the game, which has happened in the past with me getting flagrant fouls really for nothing.”

While Embiid was annoyed about James only being given a flagrant one — allowing him to remain in the game — he was equally bothered by the fact that, 68 seconds later, he was called for a flagrant one foul himself for an elbow to Anthony Davis that Embiid didn’t believe merited that penalty.

“When you compare that to the one that I got, which I thought I didn’t really hit him, I didn’t elbow him,” said Embiid, who had 28 points, six rebounds, four assists and two blocked shots in 38 minutes. “I might have touched him. But I don’t think it deserved the flagrant, if you’re gonna compare those two.

“Those are tough plays and I just thought, you know, it should’ve been a flagrant 2.”

For his part, Sixers coach Doc Rivers, a product of a different era of the sport that featured just a bit more physical play than today’s game, said he didn’t think either play should’ve been called for a flagrant at all.

His only concern in the moment was that Embiid, who fell several feet onto his back and writhed on the ground in pain, was all right after falling down. And while Embiid wasn’t moving as well after the play, he managed to stay in the game and help the Sixers win.

“First of all, LeBron’s not a dirty player,” Rivers said. “It was just a physical play and they had to call the flagrant, I guess.

“You know, all of the flagrants tonight … you can get a flagrant easy these days. But that fall was hard, and there was some concern there for sure. The fact that Joel kept going, clearly he wasn’t the same after that as far as his movement. And we kinda knew that and we used him a lot in pick and rolls because of that.”

Embiid, who has been on the injury report off and on recently with a sore back, which has kept him out of a game or two, said he won’t know how it responds until after he wakes up in the morning, but that he felt it limiting him during the game.

He said part of Philadelphia’s collapse down the stretch, which saw the Lakers score 13 straight points to erase 12-point Sixers lead with three minutes to go and take a 106-105 lead with 11.2 seconds remaining, was in part because of his back limiting his movement.

“It’s on me,” Embiid said of Philadelphia’s late-game slide. “I missed a couple shots. I just didn’t have the legs. Not because I was tired, which I wasn’t, but my back just didn’t allow me to dominate the way I’ve been doing in fourth quarters. I missed a couple shots, we made a couple mistakes on defense, they made a few threes, and just like that they were up 1.”

But just when it looked like the ongoing questions about the Sixers and their inability to close down the stretch would come back to haunt Philadelphia once again, the Sixers were bailed out by a terrific shot by Tobias Harris, who confidently took a pass, dribbled to the elbow against Lakers guard Alex Caruso and rose up to bury what turned out to be the game-winning jumper with 3.0 seconds remaining.

“I’m a person that I visualize myself in those spots, so when the opportunity came … that’s a shot I work on time and time again but in those moments just being confident enough to let it go and being OK with the result.

“Tonight, it fared well.”

It was a shot that also allowed the Sixers to laugh off those late-game foibles, a stretch that nearly ruined what had been an incredibly impressive performance by the hosts over the first 45 minutes against the NBA’s defending champions, one Harris said his team viewed as a measuring stick given the opponent they were facing.

“I would say a little bit of both,” said Harris, who finished with 22 points, when asked if he’d focus more on being happy he hit the game-winner or being frustrated at Philadelphia’s sloppy play late. “I’d say there’s always growth in everything. So, tonight’s win is a great win for us against a great team, but, at the same time, we know we could be better, especially in the fourth quarter.”

Read original article here

‘Home cooking,’ Cavaliers exec’s chirping fuel LeBron James’ season-high 46 points in Ohio return

It had been more than two years since LeBron James played a game in Cleveland, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Los Angeles Lakers star certainly made up for lost time on Monday, turning in perhaps his greatest performance against his former team.

James scored a season-high 46 points in the Lakers’ 115-108 win over the Cavaliers, extending L.A.’s road winning streak to 10-0 to start the season, a franchise record, and he did it in style back in his home state of Ohio.

“Home cooking,” he said afterward on a videoconference with reporters. “It just felt good to be back in my haven, my rest haven, and that’s being home.”

For much of the trip, it was all warm and fuzzy feelings for the 18-year veteran. He spent time with his mother and uncle. He greeted former teammate Cedi Osman with a big hug during warm-ups, skirting the league’s health and safety protocols to show some love. He shouted out longtime Cavs employee Mark “Cobra” Cashman, dubbing him “the greatest equipment guy in the world.”

But heading into the fourth quarter trailing the Cavs 89-87 after he missed a turnaround shot at the buzzer that would have tied things up, James found a reason to quit the nice-guy routine and bury his former team.

After his 14-footer over Taurean Prince bounced twice on the rim and out, James noticed Jason Hillman, the Cavs’ basketball chief of staff, sitting in a group by the baseline with the rest of the Cavs’ front office and clapping to celebrate the errant shot, sources told ESPN.

“I felt like he was just a little bit too excited about seeing me miss,” James said afterward, declining to name Hillman when asked who caught his attention. “He was really excited about me missing that shot. A little bit more extra than I would have liked. But he’s got to root for his team, obviously. And he was, he showcased that.

“So I knew I had another quarter, and the fourth quarter’s my favorite.”

And what a fourth quarter it was. James single-handedly outscored his opponent — the team he once helped deliver its lone championship in 2016, mind you — 21-19 in the fourth to push the Lakers past a plucky Cavs squad that beat the Brooklyn Nets twice on their home floor just last week.

After the carnage was over, with James going 9-for-10 from the field, hitting a 3 from the Cleveland “C” logo at center court and a couple more daggers from the outside while adding two assists, two steals and two blocks, all his former team could do was acknowledge James’ greatness.

“Doesn’t take much to get Bron going,” one Cavs source told ESPN of the brief exchange James had with Hillman, with the four-time MVP shooting an icy stare in Hillman’s direction before making his way to the Lakers’ bench. “He was unreal tonight.”

Added Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, “You take your hat off to him. There’s a reason why he is who he is and he’s accomplished all the things that he’s accomplished. If he’s making shots like that you pat him on the butt.”

It was the most points James has ever scored against Cleveland as he ran his career record to 15-1 in games played against the team he suited up for over 11 seasons. And he was as accurate as he has ever been by one measure — his 73.1% from the field on 19-for-26 shooting was tied for the best he has ever shot out of the 240 career games in which he attempted at least 25 shots (regular season and playoffs combined). The only other time he went 19-for-26? Game 6 of the 2012 Eastern Conference finals in Boston, which many point to as the most important win of his career.

James, at 36 years and 26 days old, became the oldest Lakers player with a 40-point game since Kobe Bryant scored 60 at the age of 37 years, 234 days old in the final game of his career.

“I’ve just never put a ceiling on my potential,” James said. “I always wanted to continue to get better and better and better to a point where I also now can dictate [what] the defense can do. And the defense can’t dictate what I’m supposed to do.”

James finished 7-for-11 from 3, upping his shooting mark to 41.2% from the outside this season, which would be the best percentage of his career should he keep it up.

“The shot-making,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said, “was just ridiculous, and just one of those nights for the ages for him.”

Read original article here

Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James, Anthony Davis ‘still have trouble’ with Kobe Bryant’s death

Three-hundred and sixty-three days following Kobe Bryant’s death and 104 days after winning an NBA championship in his honor, the Los Angeles Lakers’ co-captains, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, reflected on the time that has passed since the world lost Bryant.

“Man, it’s a saying that time heals all,” James said after a win over the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at the United Center, where Bryant’s idol, Michael Jordan, used to play. “And as devastating and as tragic as it was and still is to all of us involved with it, only time. And it takes time. Everyone has their own grieving process.”

Many among the Lakers and in Bryant’s family and close circle of friends are still in mourning, nearly a year after a helicopter crash killed 41-year-old Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others.

“As we approach his one-year anniversary, it saddens our hearts to actually come to the realization that he’s gone,” Davis said. “I know I still have trouble with it, you still just can’t believe it.”

With emotions still raw, the Lakers organization has no plans to make this Tuesday, Jan. 26, any more difficult than it already will be by placing any further emphasis on the anniversary, sources told ESPN. There will be no Black Mamba uniforms worn Monday in Cleveland, the day before the anniversary, or Wednesday in Philadelphia, the day after. There will be no formal tribute, which could potentially draw more attention to the harrowing details of the accident and cause more trauma than healing.

The Lakers’ team will continue to pay homage to Bryant in the subtle ways many of its players have since last season: with pairs of Bryant’s signature sneakers on their feet, with a No. 24 finger sleeve on James’ hand, with Bryant’s nickname unifying the group in every huddle.

“To this day, it’s, ‘Mamba on three!’ anytime we bring it in because we still want to recognize that he’s a part of our organization,” Davis said. “And ever since the tragedy happened, we had a mindset that this is bigger than, you know, ourselves.”

James was asked about Bryant during several postgame news conferences this week and invited conversation about the Lakers luminary’s life, but he was reticent to dwell on the circumstances surrounding Bryant’s death.

“I try not to put myself back in that headspace, because it’s just too dark,” James said, “for not only myself but for our organization and for everyone that’s involved in it.”

Lakers center Marc Gasol, whose older brother, Pau, teamed with Bryant to win two championships, was also not ready to share his thoughts publicly.

“I’m not comfortable talking about it,” Gasol said. “I’m sorry. Still to this day, I have never really talked about it.”

But bring up how Bryant’s game mirrored Jordan’s? That was something James readily weighed in on, if only for the sake of Bryant’s basketball legacy.

“I only looked at Kobe for him,” James said. “And obviously you’ve seen a lot of the similarities between him and Mike, but I appreciated Kobe’s game for Kobe’s game. The way he played the game, the finesse that he played with, the ballhandling capabilities, the shooting, everything that he possessed on the floor — I respected him for who he was as a player and what he was able to bring onto the floor.

“The fact that he was able to take some things from MJ and look at some of MJ’s DNA and actually be able to do it — a lot of people try to do that, a lot of people wish they could take things from some of the greats, implement them into their game and then be successful, they just can’t. They don’t have the ability to do it. They don’t have the drive to do it, the mindset to do it. But he actually did it and did it at a high level for a long, long, long time. And you can respect that.”

And Davis marveled at the magnitude of Bryant’s lasting impact, an influence so omnipresent that the Lakers’ star big man never fully comprehended it while Bryant was still alive.

“I didn’t know, and I know he was very, very known and popular, but I didn’t know he impacted so many people’s lives outside of basketball,” Davis said. “From soccer, to football, to players overseas, to people who don’t even play sports, they’re always talking about the ‘Mamba Mentality.’ I didn’t know how impactful he was worldwide. … I just didn’t realize how many people he impacted worldwide that’s outside the basketball community.”

This season’s Lakers team is in pursuit of a repeat title to pair with the one it dedicated to Bryant’s memory.

“When the tragedy happened, it was more so, you know, ‘Let’s do it for him,'” Davis said. “And that’s what we ended up doing all last year. … We know we fought to the end for a purpose, and it wasn’t just for ourselves. It was for the Bryant family. And we were able to get that accomplished.”

While Bryant remains on the Lakers’ minds and in their hearts, James said that Bryant will be remembered because he’s not just being carried by his former franchise, but by the people all over the planet he once thrived in.

“There’s a lot of things that die in this world, but legends never die, and he’s exactly that,” James said. “So it’s all about representing that.”

Read original article here

Judge denies James Heerdegen’s request for a restraining order against wife Christina Ricci

A judge has denied James Heerdegen’s request for a restraining order against his wife Christina Ricci, after he claimed she is a drunk, pops pills and is a danger to their six-year-old son.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com show a Superior Court of California judge turned down Heerdegen’s request for a temporary restraining order, a change in custody of their son and a change in visitation rights Friday. 

The ruling said there was ‘no basis for emergency orders before a hearing’ and that the allegations made will be ‘considered fully’ at a hearing already scheduled for February 11 in Los Angeles.  

Heerdegen had filed a temporary retraining order against the actress Friday making blistering claims that Ricci would get into drunken rages in front of him and their son Freddie, black out and then forget everything she did when she finally came to. 

Heerdegen also claimed he had to check their son’s bottles of breastmilk for fear of it being contaminated with alcohol she drank the night before.  

His filing came just days after Ricci accused her estranged husband of physically abusing her.

She said she had to hide knives in the house because she feared Heerdegen could kill her after he allegedly said he would only feel sorry for her if she was ‘dismembered into small pieces’. 

A judge granted Ricci a domestic violence restraining order against Heerdegen on Wednesday, six months after she filed for divorce.  

A judge has denied James Heerdegen’s request for a restraining order against his wife Christina Ricci, after he claimed she is a drunk, pops pills and is a danger to their six-year-old son. The couple pictured in January 2019 

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com (above) show a Superior Court of California judge turned down Heerdegen’s request for a temporary restraining order

Ricci’s attorney did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment on Friday’s court decision. 

Heerdegen’s attorney Larry Bakman told DailyMail.com in a statement that, though the judge denied the request for a temporary restraining order, he believes the court is ‘more concerned’ by the allegations made by his client than those made by Ricci.  

‘Despite the Court’s denial of Mr. Heerdegen’s request for temporary orders, trial has been set on a far more abbreviated schedule than that provided to Ms. Ricci,’ he said.

‘Trial on Mr. Heerdegen’s request is set for February 11, 2021 wherein Ms. Ricci’s is not set until March 10th. 

‘A reasonable inference is that the Court is far more concerned with Mr. Heerdegen’s allegations particularly with respect to the best interest and safety of the couples’ child.’

In Heerdegen’s request filed Friday, he claims he feared his child was being fed with ‘alcohol polluted breast milk’.

‘On those occasions in which I found ”contaminated” bottles, I would have to throw them out to ensure that our infant was not being fed with alcohol polluted breast milk,’ he says in the filing. 

He also includes embarrassing photos of Ricci ‘in a state of severe intoxication wherein she was ”blacked out” and passed around by numerous third parties who seem to find humor in the situation.’

He says the photos ‘severely adversely affected my emotional calm and peace of mind.   

The documents include messages between Ricci and Heerdegen where she apologizes for her alleged drunken outbursts. 

‘I get it this time,’ Ricci writes. ‘This morning was a huge alert’. 

In other messages Ricci he labels herself a ‘monster’ and says she’s ‘detoxing.’ 

Heerdegen claims at one point she was so drunk she fell over while holding their baby in her arms and says she would drive their son in a car while under the influence. 

He goes on to claim that Ricci once terminated a pregnancy without his knowledge. 

‘I was particularly devastated upon learning of this,’ he said. ‘It resulted in a brief separation as I left the family house in order to contemplate whether I wanted to continue on in the marriage. Ultimately I decided to reconcile with Petitioner and moved back into the family.’      

Heerdegen had filed a temporary retraining order against the actress Friday making blistering claims that Ricci would get into drunken rages in front of him and their son Freddie, black out and then forget everything she did when she finally came to. Ricci and Heerdegen seen at Adelaide Airport with their son Freddie in 2018

He also included photos of Ricci ‘in a state of severe intoxication wherein she has ‘blacked out’ and is being passed around by numerous third parties who seem to find humor in the situation’

He said the photos of a drunken Ricci ‘severely adversely affected my emotional calm and peace of mind’

Heerdegen also tells of a time in August 2015 when they traveled to Savannah, Georgia, while Ricci was filming a show for Amazon. 

He says they threw a small party for their son who had just turned one. Heerdegen says he left the party and returned to find Ricci drunk which ‘resulted in her launching into a drunken tirade in front of my son, informing me that she had slept with a producer on her show, and calling me the most vile of names and making bizarre threats.

‘The following day [Ricci] claimed to have no memory of what she had said or done. When I inquired about her statement that she had slept with a producer on the show, she stated to me that she most likely said that in order to ”hurt me”.

‘Prior to our separation in June of 2020, [Ricci] would drink to excess on an almost daily basis causing her to engage in emotionally abusive and offensive conduct directed towards me wherein Petitioner during her rants and raves would typically call me a ‘fu**ing cu*t,’ he writes in the filing.  

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Heerdegen claims that Ricci would get into drunken rages in front of him and their six-year-old son Freddie. He claims he had to check baby bottles where she pumped her breastmilk for fear of being contaminated with alcohol she drank from the night before

The documents include messages between Ricci and Heerdegen where she apologizes for her alleged outbursts. ‘I get it this time,’ Ricci writes. ‘This morning was a huge alert’. In other messages Ricci he labels herself a ‘monster’ and says she’s ‘detoxing’

Heerdegen claimed Ricci would ‘typically ”black out” after drinking to excess, and upon waking, have no memory of the events and/or abusive conduct that she had engaged in’. 

While Ricci claims Heerdegen has been violent with her, he says in the filing that she once attacked him while he was on the toilet. 

The 40-year-old actress accused Heerdegen of allegedly beating her, throwing her into a fire pit and mocking her with pig noises before she filed for divorce in June last year.

Ricci’s allegations were included in a request for a domestic violence restraining order against Heerdegen, which a judge approved late on Wednesday.

Photos of bruises on her hands, wrists and arms were included in the court documents, which were obtained by TMZ, as proof of Heerdegen’s alleged abuse.

But in Heerdegen’s filing Friday, he claims any photos she has of her own bruising was caused by her hitting him. 

Ricci’s attorney Samantha Spector said in a statement to DailyMail.com that Heerdegen’s filing is ‘nothing more than a transparently abusive attempt to silence my client. It will not work. Christina will not be intimidated by Mr. Heerdegen and his barrage of misleading claims – and she remains determined to protect her family.’ 

Photos of bruises on her hands, wrists and arms were included in the court documents, which were obtained by TMZ , as proof of Heerdegen’s alleged abuse 

Painful: The actress, 40, gave proof of her injuries, which she said were a result of Heerdegen’s attacks, after she ‘found herself trapped in a house with a violent abuser’ during lockdown

Heerdegen claims at one point Ricci was so drunk she fell over while holding their baby in her arms and says she would drive their son in a car while under the influence

A judge ordered Heerdegen to remain at least 100 yards away from Ricci and their son Freddie. He also cannot have visitations with the boy and must stay away from the family’s dog. 

Heerdegen’s lawyer, Larry Bakman, said his client ‘unequivocally denies all allegations of abuse made by Ms Ricci.’

He said Heerdegen, who works as a cinematographer, intends to file his own restraining order against Ricci that he claims will reveal ‘her abusive conduct fueled by alcohol and substance abuse’.

He also claims that her restraining order is a preemptive fabricated strike against him. 

In Ricci’s filing, she claimed the alleged abuse at the hands of Heerdegen started in late 2019.

During a family vacation in New Zealand that year, the Addams Family star claimed she feared Heerdegen ‘could kill me’ because of comments he made.

‘He said the only way he could feel sorry for me is if I were dismembered into small pieces,’ Ricci alleged in the filing.

‘That night I hid all the knives in the cabin where we were staying. I feared for my life and the life of our son. I slept in a separate bedroom with Freddie and I locked the door.’ 

She claims Heerdegen ‘brutally attacked’ her in December 2019 where he allegedly beat her, spat at her and mocked her with pig noises.

This incident was what Ricci said sparked her decision to divorce her husband of eight years. 

Injuries: Ricci, who is represented by lawyer Samantha Spector, submitted court photos of bruises and other injuries she said were a result of Heerdegen’s attacks on her 

Ricci claims she told Heerdegen she wanted a divorce but it was hindered by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March when lockdown quarantines were first initiated.

She said in the filing that she found herself ‘stuck in the house with a man who had physically and emotionally abused me, and knew that I wanted to end the marriage’.

Ricci alleges that Heerdegen ‘focused solely on punishing and terrorizing me 24 hours a day… I was afraid to sleep at night.’

The filing details two instances in June where Heerdegen allegedly physically attacked her.

The first was June 2 when she claimed Heerdegen allegedly chased her through their house to stop her from calling 911.

‘He grabbed my wrists and hands, dragged me, and slammed my body into the fire pit we have in the yard,’ she said in the filing. ‘I suffered cuts, bruising, and soreness of my hip, which still causes me pain today.’

The couple married in 2013 after two years of dating. Ricci filed for divorce in June 2020 citing irreconcilable differences as the reason why she wants to end the marriage. They are pictured in February 2019

The second occurred on June 25 when Ricci alleged that her estranged husband followed her through the house while ‘screaming at me, spitting on me, throwing coffee at me and throwing a chair at me’ in front of their son.

She called 911 in that instance was given an emergency protective order against him that prohibited any contact between the couple.

The court documents detail Ricci’s fear that Heerdegen will harm their son, claiming that he has allegedly threatened to ‘abduct’ the boy.

In addition to the restraining order she requested, Ricci also asked the court to block Heerdegen’s potential efforts to ‘humiliate and embarrass’ her with audio and video clips he amassed during their relationship.

The couple married in 2013 after two years of dating. They met on the set of ABC’s Pan Am.

Ricci filed for divorce in June 2020 citing irreconcilable differences as the reason why she wants to end the marriage.

She is asking for sole custody of their only son. 

Read original article here