Author: teddoncic

When Tyrese Haliburton crumpled to the floor in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, the Pacers lost more than their point guard. He pounded the hardwood, left on crutches and watched Indiana’s championship dream disappear without him. One season later, that moment still shadows everything the franchise wants to become. Haliburton missed all of 2025-26 while recovering from his torn right Achilles. Indiana crashed to 19-63, and a team built around pace and improvisation spent months searching for someone who could organize the chaos. Blown possessions piled up. Close games became harder to control. Once defenses forced the Pacers…

The Rockets point-of-attack defense will face its hardest questions before a shot ever reaches the rim. Picture Shai Gilgeous-Alexander changing gears above the arc, Luka Dončić calling for another screen, or Stephen Curry disappearing behind a screener for half a second. Somebody has to meet that action first. Houston has plenty behind that defender. Amen Thompson can erase mistakes with his length, while Tari Eason attacks passing lanes like a free safety. Alperen Sengun also has enough size and activity around him to step toward the ball without leaving the paint completely exposed. But one clean turn of the corner…

Houston’s second-unit offense became impossible to dismiss when the Rockets’ season ended with a 98-78 thud against the Lakers. The shots did not simply miss. Possessions tightened, driving lanes vanished, and Houston shot 35 percent from the floor as Los Angeles closed the first-round series in six games. That ugly finish exposed something deeper than poor shooting. When Houston lost its steadying creators, too many possessions turned into improvisation. The Rockets could rebound, defend and overwhelm opponents physically, but somebody still had to organize the offense once the first action failed. The roster now looks much different. Fred VanVleet expects…

At most PGA TOUR stops, finding the fairway feels like a small victory. At Sedgefield Country Club, it is merely the entry fee. A drive can split the short grass and still leave a golfer staring across a bunker, fighting a hanging lie or attacking the narrowest section of a Donald Ross green. Michael Brennan learned how valuable the right position could become during the 2026 Wyndham Championship. He arrived in Greensboro ranked 105th in the FedExCup standings, needing a massive week just to extend his season. Four rounds later, Brennan had won at 22-under 258, matched the tournament scoring…

Closing nerves at Royal Lytham came down to a yellow golf ball, a baked fairway and Shiho Kuwaki trying to make her hands obey. On the second playoff trip down the 18th, Kuwaki drove straight into the fairway. Esther Henseleit followed and pushed hers right. The ball flew toward the gallery, struck a marshal’s lower leg and kicked into a gorse bush. For a moment, everybody stared. Henseleit hacked the ball back into play. Kuwaki walked toward hers knowing the championship had tilted sharply in her direction. Still, nothing was finished. Royal Lytham had spent four days punishing players for…

Approach accuracy can turn cruel at Sedgefield Country Club in the space of one bounce. A flushed iron lands on shaved Champion bermudagrass, skips forward, catches a contour and suddenly leaves a player putting from the wrong level. The swing felt perfect. The result says otherwise. That is the trick of this place. Sedgefield measures 7,131 yards and plays to a par 70, numbers that hardly intimidate a modern PGA TOUR field. Yet the scorecard hides the real examination. Donald Ross designed greens that reward players who control not only direction, but distance, trajectory and landing angle. The green itself…

At Royal Lytham, the 2026 AIG Women’s Open ended with a golf ball buried beneath yellow gorse and Esther Henseleit staring at a problem she never expected. Minutes earlier, the German had poured in a huge birdie putt on the 72nd hole and punched her fist skyward before the ball disappeared. She had dragged herself into a playoff. Now her driver had caught the lower leg of a marshal and ricocheted into one of the worst places on the property. Henseleit could still see the ball. She could even play it, which almost made the situation crueler. Across the fairway,…

Distance control at the AIG Women’s Open had already carried Shiho Kuwaki through 72 holes when Esther Henseleit made her start all over again. Henseleit stood on Royal Lytham’s 18th green needing birdie to catch her. Forty feet remained. The putt tracked across the long green, disappeared, and sent the grandstand into a roar. Kuwaki’s five-under clubhouse lead was gone. Sudden death sent both players back to the 18th, a hole that measured 405 yards on Sunday, with bunkers waiting on either side of the fairway. Kuwaki’s first playoff drive leaked right into thick rough, stopping short of a fairway…

Half-court spacing will define the Rockets in 2026-27 because Houston’s biggest offensive question appears before the shot, the pass, or even the drive. Picture Alperen Şengün catching near the elbow with Amen Thompson stationed along the baseline. Kevin Durant waits on the wing. A help defender takes one cautious step toward the paint, and suddenly the lane that looked open a second earlier has narrowed into traffic. That is the puzzle facing Ime Udoka. Houston finished 2025-26 at 52-30, matching its win total from the previous season. The Rockets also produced an 118.6 offensive rating that ranked eighth in the…

Warriors defensive communication can break down with one late syllable. A sneaker squeaks toward the wrong shoulder. The screener clips a defender who never heard the warning. Somebody finally yells “switch” after the contact has already happened. Two Warriors follow the ball, the weak-side corner opens, and the possession ends with the clean hiss of a three dropping through the net. Those mistakes look small on film. Over 82 games, they become a defense. Golden State finished last season 37-45. In its Aug. 3 Western Conference power rankings, NBA.com placed the Warriors 16th defensively with a 114.4 defensive rating and…