Browsing: lost

Despite putting on a dominant performance in the third and final match, the Indian Cricket Team’s series against the Aussies was a disappointment. The three-match Australia vs India ODI series saw the six-time world champions win the trophy with a 2-1 result.

Despite being the most dominant international cricket side this year, India lost their first series this year in a format where they tend to be quite phenomenal. So, what went wrong here?

This series saw the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma don the Indian blue for the first time in quite a long time. Despite that, India had to suffer a loss. Today, we will look at three things that went wrong for the ICT, leading them to lose the ODI series to Australia.

Australia vs India: 3 Reasons IND Lost ODI Series To AUS

3) Drop the Catch, Drop the Match

This point focuses on the second match of this series, played at the Adelaide Oval, and has been highlighted by team captain Shubman Gill as the biggest reason India lost that game.

The Men in Blue batted first and put up a respectable total of 264 runs, especially seeing how the surface behaved on the day. However, while defending said total, India dropped three big catches. First was opener Travis Head, who was dropped by Nitish Kumar Reddy in the first over of the chase. And while Head did not score a lot of runs on that day, his 28 runs gave Australia a steady start.

The more costly were the next two dropped catches, as the Indian fielders dropped Matt Short, who was named the Player of the Match for his 74 off 78, twice. First came in the 16th over, when Short was at 24 off 20 and India desperately needed a wicket, as Axar Patel at point dropped a catch that he should have held on to.

Then, in the 29th over, after the Aussie had already reached the 50-run mark. His wicket, though, would have been vital at this stage. However, after a delivery by Washington Sundar, Mohammad Siraj puts down a sitter.

By the time Matt Short got out in the 36th over, the score was 187/5. But by then, Cooper Connolly had settled and would go on to take the team home. So India literally dropped the match, along with the catches in that particular game.

2) Veteran batters struggle on wetter pitches.

While the last ODI might have gone gangbusters for the superstar Indian batting duo of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the previous matches told a different story, especially for Kohli.

In the first match, Rohit Sharma was Indiaâ€s first wicket to fall, making just eight off 14. Then in the second match, while the former Indian Cricket Team captain did make 73 off 97, he did struggle a lot in the early proceedings, barely making any runs on the first 30 balls he faced. However, to be fair, every Indian batter struggled against the fire that the Aussie bowlers threw at the start of that innings.

The situation was way worse for Virat Kohli. While he did go on to make an unbeaten 74 in the final match, the first two saw him make two ducks in a row. While his departure in the second game could be explained away by a brilliant ball by Xavier Bartlett, his dismissal in the first was a classic Kohli wicket, him playing a ball outside off and getting caught.

Blame should also go to captain Shubman Gill, who made 19 runs combined in the first two matches.

But why did the Indian batters struggle so much in the first two ODIs? Well, that is because of the nature of the pitch. Both the artificial surface in Perth and the natural one in Adelaide were damp. The first match was affected massively by rain, and so, the track retained a lot of moisture and became troublesome for the side batting first, which was India.

Then, in the second match, while it didnâ€t rain much during the match, it had been pouring for the past few days, and reportedly, the ground staff was still attempting to dry it less than an hour before the game.

1) Flavourless pace without Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah will return to the Indian Cricket Team for the upcoming five-match T20I series against Australia, but he did miss the ODI one, and it showed. The Indian pace attack just didnâ€t look the same without their ace.

However, there are still world-class bowlers here. The likes of Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh have proven themselves at the highest level, Harshit Rana has a lot of international experience, and Nitish Kumar Reddy has shown glimpses of brilliance with the ball.

However, in the first ODI, which was significantly shortened, none of them could put a plug on the run flow, all four conceding at an economy rate of over four on the same pitch where Mitchell Starc kept it under four and Josh Hazelwood under three.

But then, in the second match, while Arshdeep Singh did well and Siraj had a passable evening, Harshit Rana had a night to forget, conceding 59 runs in just eight overs at an economy of 7.38 and taking no wickets. Reddy too conceded 24 in just three overs.

This point is highlighted by how, when the Indian pace attack did well, the team won the third ODI. In this game, Rana bowled his career-best spell of 4/39, while Mohammed Siraj did not concede as many runs. There was still an outlier in Prasidh Krishna, who conceded 52 in just seven overs, but his slack was picked up well by Harshit Rana.

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CALGARY — The Calgary Flames are on the cusp of what almost certainly looks like a lost season.

And the latest team to help put them there is a perfect example of how the Flames should proceed from here.

A 2-1 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens Wednesday extended the Flames losing skid to seven, giving them just three points in their opening eight games.

Only 10 teams in the last 40 years have started that poorly and made the playoffs.

Itâ€s time to start looking at what a proper rebuild can look like, and thereâ€s no better example right now than Montreal.

The difference in Wednesdayâ€s highly entertaining affair was a world-class play by Ivan Demidov that set up Mike Mathesonâ€s winner.

Two nights earlier another gritty outing by the Flames was doused by a Mark Scheifele finish that served as a reminder of the difference between the Flames and playoff contenders — high-end skill.

The Flames donâ€t have those type of players.

“I mean, I can’t generate offence,†said Wolf, the Flames’ franchise player, frustrated by his clubâ€s inability to convert more than one of the 37 shots directed at Jakub Dobes.

 “I do my job, I try to keep the puck out of our net, and hope that our guys can generate a couple. I’m glad we got one there. We got a point, but weâ€ve got to keep working to find more offence.â€

They couldnâ€t find it last season, and thereâ€s no reason to believe theyâ€ll discover it in time to save this season.

The loss to Montreal, in which the only Flames scorer was fourth-liner Adam Klapka, hammered that point home once again.

This is Year 4 of the re-imagined Habs, who are off to a 6-2 start, good for a first-place tie atop the NHL standings.

Look waaaay down, and there lies the Flames with just 12 goals, a minus-16 differential and a team shooting percentage that looks closer to the GST than to the league’s norm.

It puts them on track to be the top lottery draft contenders for the first-overall pick, Gavin McKenna — a rallying cry that has already been adopted by a Flames fan base frustrated by three decades of mid-round draft picks.

Itâ€s time to get serious about bottoming out like the Habs did in 2022, just one year after a surprise run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

That was the year they drafted Juraj Slafkovsky first overall, followed by Lane Hutson in the second round as part of two straight seasons of pain, patience, and pruning.

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And now? Despite being the youngest team in the league, theyâ€re on the cusp of something real. Something sustainable. Something the Flames desperately need to emulate.

Montrealâ€s rebuild began in earnest in 2022, when Kent Hughes took over as general manager and Martin St. Louis stepped behind the bench. What followed was a masterclass in modern roster construction: a blend of savvy drafting, bold trades, and strategic free-agent signings that have transformed the Habs from a floundering franchise into one of the leagueâ€s most promising young cores in relatively short order.

Letâ€s start with the draft.

Juraj Slafkovskyâ€s development curve has been gradual, but heâ€s now anchoring the top line alongside Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield, two players who represent the heart of Montrealâ€s rebuild. Both forced Wolf to make several huge stops to keep the game within reach early Wednesday.

Second rounder Oliver Kapanen, 22, is centring the second line alongside 19-year-old Demidov, who seems destined for stardom after being taken fifth overall in 2024.Â

Suzuki was acquired in the Max Pacioretty trade back in 2018, while Caufield was a 2019 first-rounder. Together, theyâ€ve grown into leaders and offensive stars.

On the blue line, Montreal has stockpiled talent through the draft and trades. Hutson, who won the Calder last year, headlines a blue line bolstered heavily by the acquisition of Noah Dobson this off-season. It added a proven top-four defenceman, signalling the Canadiens are ready to shift from rebuilding to competing.

Those close to the team say the key to the teamâ€s linear ascension has been a culture fostered by veterans like Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Jake Evans, Mike Matheson and Sean Monahan, who the team cashed in on.

The Flames have built a similarly impressive culture, but donâ€t have enough difference-makers in their midst.

Montreal qualified for the playoffs last season for the first time in four years, and while they bowed out early, the experience was invaluable.

The Flames have long been stuck in hockey purgatory — not bad enough to bottom out, not good enough to contend.

It needs to end, meaning this early faceplant could be a blessing.

Itâ€s time for Calgary to stop chasing the final playoff spot and start building something meaningful. That means embracing a lost season or two leading up to the new building.

The blueprint is right there in Montreal. Draft well. Develop patiently. Make smart trades. Donâ€t be afraid to lose in the short term.

The Canadiens didnâ€t panic when the losses piled up, they stayed the course. And now theyâ€re reaping the rewards.

Calgary has several pieces to build around, like Wolf, Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin and Cole Reschny.

But they need more, which is why using a fruitful draft as a springboard is key.

This is a star-driven league, and those teams without them get left behind, as Flames fans know all too well.

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We can safely say the MLB playoffs officially have the attention of the Vatican.

As Pope Leo XIV appeared in a parade Wednesday atop the Popemobile, one attendee bravely yelled “Go Cubs!” at the Chicago native and lifelong White Sox fan. Leo responded by pointing at the man and yelling back in both Spanish and English. The message was the same in both languages:

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“Han perdido! They lost!

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His favorite team was, of course, happy to see it:

This is the stuff you can only get when an American is sitting on the papal throne.

The Cubs indeed lost, with their season ending last weekend in a five-game NLDS against the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers. The North Siders nearly pulled off an incredible comeback, erasing a 2-0 series deficit with back-to-back wins at Wrigley Field, but Milwaukee found its footing with a dominant bullpen game in Game 5.

Leo, previously known as Robert Francis Prevost, grew up a White Sox fan despite his mother being a Cubs fan and his father rooting for the Cardinals, per his brother. Before reaching the Vatican, he could be seen rooting for his team during its 2005 World Series championship run.

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Since ascending to the papacy in a surprise election, Leo has not been shy about his fandom. He has worn a White Sox hat during his general audience and showed Wednesday he’s not afraid to return fire with trolls from rival fanbases.

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The nervy win in Dublin moves the Republic of Ireland up to third in Group F, a point behind Hungary, who boosted their chances of securing a play-off place with a dramatic late draw against Portugal.

The group is delicately poised with two games remaining. If Hungary beat Armenia in their next game, the Republic of Ireland must earn at least a point to take the battle for second place into their trip to Budapest on 16 November.

The Republic of Ireland’s chances have twice been hit by late goals during this window, having conceded a 91st-minute Ruben Neves goal in Saturday’s 1-0 loss to Portugal in Lisbon.

However, Azaz hopes the Irish players can build on that performance and Tuesday’s crucial win in their quest to upset Cristiano Ronaldo and co in Dublin on 13 November.

“We know it’s going to be tough, but we’ll take confidence from last week and this game and we’ll be confident we can do something special,” Azaz added.

“It’s going to be a big occasion, we saw the last game we can compete and they’re top players, but we have to be able to compete and no doubt we’ll be right up for it.”

Armenia boss Yegishe Melikyan said Barseghyan apologised to his team-mates after the game.

“Of course, the red card changed the game. It was a mistake,” said Melikyan.

“He took responsibility. He said sorry to the whole dressing room. But, if a player makes a mistake, it is also my mistake and for that I apologise.

“If there was no red card and we played 11 v 11, I think we could have got a good result. I thought we could have won, but we must go forward and I think we can get good results in the near future.”

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In 2019 and 2020, WWE stars Otis and Mandy Rose took part in a romantic onscreen storyline that had Otis become infatuated with Rose, eventually earning a kiss from her after beating Dolph Ziggler at WWE WrestleMania 36. As it turns out, that wasn’t the first time Otis had a crush on a prominent WWE star. During an episode of the now-defunct series “WWE Ride Along,” Otis revealed to Rose that, as a child, he was tackled by security at a WWE event after believing that Trish Stratus was signaling for him to get closer.

“I thought she pointed at me. I lost my mind,” Otis told Rose. “I kind of looked like an adult. I was 200 pounds in fifth grade. … I’m going down the stairs and this security guard basically spears me right in the side. … I landed at the edge of the stairs. The whole time, I’m like, ‘Trish! Touch me!'”

Asked if he has ever brought the story up to Stratus, Otis stated that he couldn’t bring himself to do it. However, with Stratus spending more time in WWE since the “Ride Along” episode was filmed, the Alpha Academy member has had plenty of time to change his mind.

The storyline involving Otis and Rose only lasted a short while, coming to an end following their shared kiss. In the aftermath, Otis wound up winning the Money in the Bank briefcase but eventually lost it to The Miz. He’d later go on to join up with Chad Gable, and he remains a member of Gable’s Alpha Academy faction even though Gable eventually moved on.

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SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

Last Friday nightâ€s (9/26) episode of WWE Smackdown on USA Network averaged 1,238,000 viewers, compared to 1,342,000 the prior week and the 1,316,000 the week before that. The current ten-week rolling average is 1,412,000.

One year ago this week, it drew 1,568,000 viewers. The ten-week rolling average a year ago was 1,942,000.

KEY TAKEAWAY: The first four weeks after the move from Fox to USA Network averaged 1,634,000; this year, the same four weeks has aberaged 1.370. So Smackdown is down 264,000 viewers or 16 percent year-over-year on the same network. Two years ago, the same four week period on Fox averaged 2,334,000, so they’re down 700,000 compared to two years ago or 43 percent

Two years ago this week, Smackdown drew 2,227,000. Then ten-week rolling average was 2,197,000.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Smackdown: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller†on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)

In the key 18-49 demo, Smackdown drew a 0.43 rating, compared to 0.37 and 0.37 the prior two weeks. The ten-week rolling average is 0.41.

One year ago, Smackdown drew a a 0.45 rating with a ten-week rolling average of 0.56.

Two years ago, it drew a 0.63 rating with a ten-week rolling average of 0.60.

The announced matches and segments were…

• Tiffany Stratton vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax – WWE Womenâ€s Title Triple Threat match
• Michin & B-Fab vs. Giulia & Kiana James
• Cody Rhodes to appear
• Sami Zayn to issue United States Championship Open Challenge

Check out our RATINGS HEADQUARTERS PAGE for more ratings reports.

(You can always reach PWTorch editor Wade Keller at kellerwade@gmail.com. You can also send live event results and news tips to pwtorch@gmail.com. Also, we’re always looking for volunteer contributors to help us round out of coverage of the pro wrestling scene.)

Follow us on Blue Sky, a great Twitter alternative, as we shift away from TwitterX…

(search “pwtorchâ€)

(search “thewadekellerâ€)

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  Neil PaineOct 2, 2025, 08:00 AM ET

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  Neil Paine writes about sports using data and analytics. Previously, he was Sports Editor at FiveThirtyEight.

Parity has emerged as a defining feature of this NBA era.

With the Oklahoma City Thunder’s breakthrough in June, the league has crowned seven different champions in as many years — a streak unmatched in NBA history. Of those seven, the Thunder’s young core has arguably the best chance to parlay the victory into a dynastic run, but that doesn’t mean other teams haven’t been working all summer to make sure it was a one-off.

While fewer blockbuster and major fireworks meant this offseason was quieter than most, plenty of teams reshaped their rosters in meaningful ways.

The Houston Rockets splurged on Kevin Durant in a swap with the Phoenix Suns, who slotted in Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks via the same deal. The Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks lost key veterans and shuffled in new talent. The Orlando Magic bet on Desmond Bane, part of their rise to No. 7 in title odds at ESPN BET. The Los Angeles Clippers made some interesting moves. And the Portland Trail Blazers made headlines by reacquiring Damian Lillard, though fans will have to wait a season for his return, with an injury shelving him until 2026-27.

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To size up all these wheelings and dealings, we projected how a player’s addition (or absence) could shift a team’s standings by setting a baseline of the player’s expected performance using their established level of Estimated RAPTOR Wins Above Replacement (WAR), then identifying the five teams that gained — and the five teams that lost — the most roster value.

We did not factor in the value of literal contracts and salaries, but we did adjust for rookies who could make an immediate impact — hello, Cooper Flagg — and for newcomers with injuries, such as Lillard. We also considered pending free agents as departures. And finally, we noted how much value was lost to presumed season-ending injuries for players like Tyrese Haliburton, though did not factor that into the calculations for teams that made either list.

So which teams bolstered their chances to contend? Which lost big? And which could regret a quiet offseason? Let’s walk through the biggest talent transfers of the past few months — and how they could shape the season ahead.

Jump to a team:
All | BOS | BKN | CHA
CLE | DAL | HOU | LAC
MIL | MIN | PHX

Teams that gained the most value

WAR added: +13.8 | WAR lost: -5.7 (+8.1)

Top additions: G Chris Paul (4.7), C Brook Lopez (3.5), G Bradley Beal (2.9), F John Collins (2.5)

Top losses: G Norman Powell (4.8), G Ben Simmons (0.7), G Amir Coffey (0.3)

The Clippers said goodbye to Powell, who was coming off the best season of his career (6.3 WAR), via a three-team swap in July. But they otherwise didn’t lose much talent from a core that was already pretty good. (Simmons is no longer really an impact departure, sadly.)

They also added a quartet of players with a recent track record of producing at least 2.5 wins per season: the homecoming king CP3 — who often improves his teams — a steady vet with Lopez, and a couple of high-upside reclamation projects in Beal and Collins.

WAR added: +12.6 | WAR lost: -7.5 (+5.1)

Top additions: F-G Kevin Durant (7.1), F Dorian Finney-Smith (2.2), G Josh Okogie (1.7), C Clint Capela (1.5)

Top losses: G Jalen Green (3.0), F Dillon Brooks (2.7), F Cam Whitmore (1.1), C Jock Landale (0.6)

Season-ending injury loss: -6.3 (Fred VanVleet)

The Rockets landed the best player to change teams this offseason in Durant, who — even at age 36 with a diminished supporting cast in Phoenix — averaged 26.6 points last season with his trademark efficiency. They will need him to keep producing in the wake of departures that helped bring KD to Houston (Green and Brooks), and with the recent torn ACL suffered by VanVleet, who was supposed to play a big role in the Rockets’ contention.

Kevin Durant was traded to the Houston Rockets this past offseason and is eligible to sign a two-year extension after the 2025-26 season with the Rockets. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images)

WAR added: +6.3 | WAR lost: -2.5 (+3.8)

Top additions: F Cooper Flagg (3.6), G D’Angelo Russell (2.8)

Top losses: G Spencer Dinwiddie (1.7), C Kai Jones (0.7)

There is a lot more underlying Dallas’ 2024-25 numbers than the typical team. For one, the Mavericks’ No. 19 net rating from last season included multiple distinct eras’ worth of team construction, from before the infamous Luka DonÄić trade to the short-lived Kyrie Irving-Anthony Davis era that followed, including a stretch run spent with both stars on the shelf. Now Davis is back and Irving is expected to return at some point during this season, and their net established WAR (+3.8) is boosted by the assumed value of Flagg (+3.6), the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

The Mavs also added Russell, who was more serviceable in 2023-24 than 2024-25. And they didn’t lose much talent — Dinwiddie had a negative RAPTOR for three straight seasons — so it should be far from a dull season in Dallas.

WAR added: +10.0 | WAR lost: -7.0 (+3.0)

Top additions: F Michael Porter Jr. (5.6), F Haywood Highsmith (1.7), G-F Terance Mann (1.5), G Egor Demin (0.6)

Top losses: F Cameron Johnson (3.5), G D’Angelo Russell (2.8)

The Nets were bad last season, winning just 26 games — their fewest since 2016-17 — and they will likely be bad again. However, they did acquire the more productive recent player (plus an unprotected first-round pick) in the trade that shipped Johnson to Denver in July. It was a cap-driven move for the Nuggets, but the Nets got a player in Porter who is younger and produced nearly twice as many WAR (11.7 vs. 6.3) over the past two seasons, helping to drive their net WAR (+3.0) here.

WAR added: +7.7 | WAR lost: -5.7 (+2.0)

Top additions: G Collin Sexton (3.3), PG Spencer Dinwiddie (1.7), G-F Kon Knueppel (1.0), C-F Mason Plumlee (0.7), G Pat Connaughton (0.6)

Top losses: C Mark Williams (1.8), G Josh Okogie (1.7), C Jusuf Nurkić (1.4), G Seth Curry (0.5)

At least you can’t accuse the Hornets of trying to run back the same group and expecting different results. Aside from the core of Miles Bridges, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, general manager Jeff Peterson has turned over much of the rest of a roster that won just 19 games a year ago, adding Sexton from Utah and Dinwiddie from Dallas — plus drafting Knueppel out of Duke at fourth overall.

Granting that it’s easier to improve a bad team than a good one, and that — like the Nets — the Hornets still most likely won’t be good in 2025-26, they can aim to at least be better than they were.

Who’s not here (and why)

The Orlando Magic are a buzzy team heading into this season, rising to seventh in the preseason NBA title odds, so why do they rank a mere 17th in the net WAR rankings despite adding Bane (along with ex-Suns G Tyus Jones)? They also had to give up Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony — who combined for 4.5 WAR in Orlando last year — to get Bane, who was worth 6.3 WAR, reducing some of the net value of the deal in pure basketball terms.

Similarly, the Memphis Grizzlies and Atlanta Hawks made big moves to add talent — even raiding each other’s rosters in some cases — with KCP and Ty Jerome joining the Grizz, and Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard going to the Hawks. But both teams also lost nearly as much, as Bane and Kennard left Memphis and Caris LeVert and Capela departed Atlanta. That hurts both teams’ net talent ranking.

And finally, the Portland Trail Blazers would be higher by virtue of adding Lillard to go with Jrue Holiday, but Dame’s timeline for a Blazers return is delayed by his torn Achilles.

Teams that lost the most value

WAR added: +4.9 | WAR lost: -16.5 (-11.6)

Top additions: G Anfernee Simons (2.6), F Chris Boucher (1.6), F Josh Minott (0.5)

Top losses: C Kristaps Porziņģis (4.9), G Jrue Holiday (4.5), C Luke Kornet (3.5), C Al Horford (3.2)

Season-ending injury loss: 10.7 (Jayson Tatum)

After winning the 2024 NBA championship and spending most of last season on the very short list of title front-runners, it’s shaping up to be a very different year in Boston. For one, regular-season WAR leader Tatum suffered a torn Achilles in May — and while he isn’t ruling out a return from what was originally deemed a season-erasing injury, he would likely miss the majority of the regular season even if he did manage to come back early.

Add in the fact that Boston said goodbye to many of the core contributors from its title run — Porziņģis, Holiday and Horford — plus highly effective role player Kornet, who signed with the Spurs in July, and the Celtics are looking at a very diminished group leading the way in 2025-26.

WAR added: +9.3 | WAR lost: -16.4 (-7.1)

Top additions: G Jalen Green (3.0), F-G Dillon Brooks (2.7), C Mark Williams (1.8), G Jared Butler (0.8), C Khaman Maluach (0.5)

Top losses: F Kevin Durant (7.1), G Bradley Beal (2.9), G Tyus Jones (2.7), F Cody Martin (1.4), G Monte Morris (0.9), C Mason Plumlee (0.7), F Bol Bol (0.5)

This type of offseason was necessary for Phoenix to press the reset button and move on from the failed Big Three experiment with Durant, Beal and Devin Booker, which yielded zero total playoff wins before being blown up. But the Suns still saw an exodus of talent, headlined by — but not limited to — KD’s move to Houston. They got back some interesting players in that record-breaking seven-team trade, including Green and Brooks, who combined for 7.3 WAR last season. But there is no doubt that the post-Durant transition in Phoenix will be painful.

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1:03

Suns owner Mat Ishbia: I didn’t do enough when KD was here

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia reflects on what went wrong during Kevin Durant’s and Bradley Beal’s time on the team.

WAR added: +5.5 | WAR lost: -11.1 (-5.6)

Top additions: C-F Myles Turner (2.9), G Gary Harris (1.2), G Cole Anthony (1.2)

Top losses:G Damian Lillard (7.0), C Brook Lopez (3.5), G Pat Connaughton (0.6)

The Bucks land here with the dissolution of the Lillard-Giannis Antetokounmpo alliance after an underwhelming two-year run, during which they won only three playoff games across a pair of first-round exits, with both stars struggling to stay healthy at different times. But say what you will, Lillard was productive in both of his regular seasons in Milwaukee, amassing 13.7 total WAR across 2023-24 and 2024-25. Now the Bucks will move forward with Turner, to whom they signed a four-year, $107 million contract in the hopes he replicates his solid averages of 17 points and 7 boards from the past three seasons alongside Giannis in a new partnership.

WAR added: +2.6 | WAR lost: -8.0 (-5.4)

Top additions: F-C Larry Nance Jr. (1.4), G Lonzo Ball (1.2)

Top losses: G Ty Jerome (4.6), G Isaac Okoro (2.5), G Javonte Green (0.9)

A year after leaping from 48 wins to a near-franchise record 64, the Cavs are once again among the title favorites. But like many contenders in the NBA’s recent salary cap era, they had to bid farewell to some of their best role players — namely Jerome, who was ridiculously effective (+5.3 RAPTOR) in 20 minutes per game last season, as well as Okoro, who provided them a steady dose of 3-and-D efficiency for years before being dealt to the Bulls for Ball in July.

If Ball ever stayed healthy enough to play a full season, he could single-handedly erase the Cavs’ offseason deficit, which makes him a fascinating acquisition for a team with its eye on a championship. But for now, Cleveland is down a lot of proven talent from a year ago.

Lonzo Ball was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers from the Chicago Bulls last June for Isaac Okoro. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

WAR added:+0.4 | WAR lost: -3.7 (-3.3)

Top additions:C Joan Beringer (0.3)

Top losses: G Nickeil Alexander-Walker (3.0), F Josh Minott (0.5)

The T-Wolves went into the summer with a lot of uncertainty about which supporting players would be coming back, and in that sense, they arguably did the best they could (without going into the second apron) by re-signing Julius Randle and Naz Reid. But it did come at the cost of losing Alexander-Walker, who had 7.1 total WAR — and with whom the team was an average of 4.0 net points per 100 possessions on the court versus off — over the past two seasons. It’s hardly an earth-shattering loss, but it speaks to the depth that can be a casualty of the luxury tax in the current NBA.

All-30 team NBA rankings

Ranking NBA teams by net WAR added or lost this offseason

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Rai Benjaminâ€s post-victory mood was as light as his crown. Soon, for a few fraught minutes, heavy was the head that wore the costume headgear. (KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT)

EVERY ATHLETE at some point experiences both the thrill of victory and agony of defeat. But theyâ€re not supposed to feel both in the same race.

Rai Benjamin ran a (mostly) masterful race in Tokyo to claim his first world championship. Like at the Paris Olympics, he turned back his friendly nemesis, Karsten Warholm, and clocked 46.52, the =No. 9 all-time performance. He donned a golden toy crown and began his celebration.

Then things went south. He was informed that he had been disqualified. The only flaw in his race had been a hard hit on hurdle 10, which slightly dislodged the barrier in the adjacent lane, occupied by Nigeriaâ€s Nathaniel Ezekiel.

For 15 uncertain minutes, Benjamin went through a ringer of emotions. However, quick action by USATF got the DQ overturned, and he could keep the crown on his head and place the gold medal around his neck.

“I won, and then I didnâ€t win, and then I won again, so I won twice tonight,†laughed a relieved Benjamin.

“Whatâ€s a World Championship without a little drama?†he asked rhetorically. “So, ironically, weâ€re [sitting] in the elimination chairs and [Qatarâ€s 3rd-placer Abderrahmane] Samba goes like, ‘Where are our medals?†And [Brazilâ€s 2nd-placer Alison] dos Santos was like, ‘I think thereâ€s been a DQ.†And I was like, ‘Oh, damn, who got the DQ?†And he goes, ‘I think it might be you.†And I was like, ‘What?!â€â€

In the stomach-churning roller coaster of the moment, Benjamin had to dig down and find the same kind of discipline he puts into his training.

“I still had [the crown] on, and I took it off. And then I was like, ‘Man, get that camera out of my face.â€

“But then I was like, ‘You gotta chill,†because Iâ€m not out here just representing myself, Iâ€m representing the entire United States and my family and this whole team, so I just had to keep my emotions in check and just really figure out what was going on. Thereâ€s nothing much I could do at that point but just wait for the officials. Obviously, it really sucked to lose that way in a DQ after running 10 hurdles, but Iâ€m happy that I was able to show some restraint down there and some self-control.â€

Difficulty maintaining control was what got him into the predicament. Benjamin admitted the clattering of the hurdle caught him by surprise.

“It wasnâ€t intentional, obviously, but thatâ€s on me. I should be clean over 10. I never, ever have that kind of a mishap coming home.

“Usually, I donâ€t really get a lot of lactic, but I was just so fast through hurdle 8 and 9. My body hasnâ€t been in that zone before, so itâ€s only natural that it goes through that whole process, but I was happy that I put enough daylight between me and everyone else so that I was able to recover from that mistake.â€

Recovering from mistakes sums up the whole shift his career has taken in the past two seasons.

From â€19 through â€23, Benjamin developed the reputation as the silver man, mostly to Warholm. The last time he was on this track, the â€21 Olympics, he was fit enough to run a stunning 46.17, which would have obliterated Warholmâ€s WR — except Warholm was faster. Even when Warholm was off his game in Eugene in â€22, dos Santos stepped up to block Benjamin from the top of the podium. In Budapest, he fell to bronze.

He could have been frozen by frustration. Instead, like the heroine of the movie Frozen, he decided to just let it go.

“I think my whole mentality shifted after â€23,†Benjamin says. “Going into Paris, I just stopped putting so much pressure on myself and focused on having fun and enjoying the sport, because I canâ€t do this for a long time. So the mentality was to just come out, have fun, and the same thing here. Itâ€s just been great, man. Iâ€ve been having fun and being loose and just enjoying every step of the way and not really taking myself too seriously here.â€

Next year, he plans to have even more fun.

“This is the most I raced all year, actually in my career. I wonâ€t ever do that again, because it was tough going to the USAs. Going to the Pre and USAs, like I was dealing with some quad issues from â€23, so I was able to quell that and come back and get some good work in and be able to come out here and win. It was just great.

“So I wonâ€t be racing too much next year, but I told Noah [Lyles], ‘You better watch out, because I am running the 2 next year. And the 4. No hurdles.â€â€ Surely, there are intriguing possibilities for updates to his 200 and 400 bests, 19.99 dating back to the Paris DL of â€18 and 44.21 from April of â€23. He anchored the Olympic Record USA relay victory in Paris in 43.18.

Is he going to try a Sydney?

“Sydney McLaughlin is the GOAT, man,†he laughed. “I canâ€t. But like I said, Iâ€m going to run the 2 and 4 next year and have some fun and shake things up.â€

Since 1986, Lee Nichols has been the Rockdale (Texas) High School record holder in the mile and 2-miles. He followed those feats with a brief and highly undistinguished tenure with the Texas Longhorns. He has been writing for Track & Field News since 2004. When he’s not writing about track, he’s either writing about or drinking craft beer and watching Tottenham Hotspur play soccer.

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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The Americans have lost the thread here, along with this absurdly hyped, way too crowded, eye-poppingly expensive 45th Ryder Cup. We’re the hosts here. I say this as a proud native son of Long Island: We should act like hosts.

When your team is trailing by a touchdown (and PAT) in a golf match, you should be able to hear a tee fall out of a pocket. The crowd heckling here is wildlymisplaced. It has not been funny, it has not been original and it is sonot golf.

Rory McIlroy was greeted by a profane chant on the first tee in the afternoon session, and it continued, in various forms, pretty much unabated for the next 17 holes. Did these jingoistic chanters think this is going to do anything other than make him dig deeper and play better? So not golf.

McIlroy’s playing partner, Shane Lowry, who plays ready-golf as well as anybody in the pro game, got serenaded with a verbal shot clock when he prepared to play a delicate pitch shot. So not golf. Secondly, do you think your counting is going to rattle this guy? Have you seen him up close? Lowry grew up on Gaelic football. You’re not getting in his head.

The Ryder Cup actually has become way too big. I don’t know how the PGA of America expects large numbers of ordinary fans with ordinary tickets — kids, normal-sized people, fans old enough to remember Ryder Cups from the 1970s — to comfortably watch this event. They’re not inviting you to buy a ticket and watch a golf tournament. They’re selling you the promise of a spectacle, and the opportunity to watch the event on a massive outdoor screen. Golf fans come to golf tournaments to watch golf. Staring at the back of some guy’s neck for a whole day is so not golf.

As for the actual competition, six captains’ picks feels like the wrong number. I would say eliminate the point system all together and give the captain 12 picks — or return to the old and sensible standard, 10. Twelve might be better. The ultimate beauty of professional golf is that the golfer earns his place in the game.

Let each captain have one assistant. That will force the players to make more decisions for themselves. They’re adults. They play golf for a living at a very high level. They know what they’re doing. The players, some of them, just seem so entitled. You’re good at golf. Don’t get carried away with yourself.

Here’s the biggest thing of all. The Ryder Cup really is an exhibition for bragging rights. That’s a great deal but that’s all it is. A Ryder Cup is not a war. There was never a War by the Shore. There wasa thrilling team golf event in 1991 at Kiawah that showed how truly hard golf is, and how truly thrilling it is when it is played well.

But since then, the hard part and the thrill part have taken a backseat to war. The PGA of America, and to a lesser degree its European counterparts, have been marketing war. We all know what war looks like. Millions of people are living through wars and dying in wars. This Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black has no sense of balance. It’s up to us, the hosts, to get in back on track. Sunday at Bethpage would be a good place to start.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your comments at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Sometimes a captain makes a weird call. A gut decision. Something that doesn’t really make sense on paper, but maybe makes sense in vibes.

Jimmy Walker knows it well. Yes, that Jimmy Walker — the two-time Ryder Cupper who was in Manhattan on Thursday night as the speaking guest at a Ryder Cup party. We chatted at the bar for a few minutes, just enough time for me to ask him something I’ve long wanted to bring up.

“Remember in 2016,” I began, “when Davis Love paired you up with Zach Johnson in foursomes?”

The pairing made little analytical sense — even if Walker won the PGA Championship a month earlier — on a stretched-out Hazeltine, to have the short-hitting Johnson hitting a bunch of tee shots and longer irons.

“Yeah,” Walker said, bringing his mind back to that week. “We were surprised by it.”

Why this Bethpage Black whisperer is bullish on U.S.’s Ryder Cup chances

By:

Michael Bamberger

It happens! But these statistical mistakes are the figurative creaking of the door opening a little bit wider for your opponent to bust through. And they happen to the American side far more than the analytically-minded Europeans, who employ Edoardo Molinari — a data-obsessed player in his own right — as an assistant captain to build nearly every pairing.

So it was not surprising at all when the Europeans trotted out their eight best golfers Friday morning in basically the most-optimal pairings possible. The Americans weren’t too far behind, save for one pairing in particular. Going out third, against top five players in Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Keegan Bradley paired Harris English and Collin Morikawa.

It was an obvious experience play — Bradley electing to sit all three of his Ryder Cup rookies and lean on a duo who played well during the last domestic Cup in Wisconsin. But when it comes to the data behind the current form of English and Morikawa, it was the literal least-optimal pairing, according to DataGolf.

We’re not talking Ah, I woulda gone another direction.We’re talking 132nd out of 132 possible pairings. DataGolf gave English-Morikawa a 34.7% chance of winning, the lowest of any of the first session matches.

And it lived up to that billing.

McIlroy and Fleetwood won the 1st with a birdie and never looked back. They birdied holes 4 thru 6 to win three more. English and Morikawa didn’t make an alternate-shot birdie until the 9th, at which point they were already 5 down. The match would end about one hour later, with Europe winning 5 and 4.

So, Captain Bradley, remind us why you made that call?

“Collin Morikawa is one of the best ball-strikers in the world,” Bradley said when he made his picks. “So is Harris. Harris is an incredible putter. We really felt like they complemented each other. They have similar demeanors and they really like each other and they are extreme competitors. They relish the opportunity to play together.”

He’s not wrong about any of that. But this event is chewed up with hindsight like nothing else in the sport. And when you lean against the analytics, you crack open that door to criticism. According to DataGolf, Team Europe’s pairings were optimized to within one one-hundredth of a stroke, and after one session, they’re leading on foreign soil.

And given all that, there’s still a very important thing to remember. When you pair two top-five players in the world against two top-30 players in the world, the numbers won’t whisper. They’ll shout, probably a lot louder than these pros want them to. But they won’t be nearly as loud as those numbers that eventually take over the leaderboard.

The funny part about that 2016 match for Jimmy Walker and Zach Johnson was Europe’s data analysts rejoiced at the sight of that pairing that week. And about 15 hours later, they were met with one of the truisms of match-play golf at the highest level.

Walker and Johnson won handily, 4 and 2.