Joe Cool

South Bay Lakers recap: G League Lakers advance to West finals

· Yahoo Sports

The South Bay Lakers qualified for the G League playoffs by finishing first in the Western Conference during the regular season with a 26-10 record. On Wednesday, they advanced past the first round of the playoffs with a 122-119 win over the San Diego Clippers.

They took the court again at UCLA Health Training Center to face the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the second round of the postseason. Unlike their previous contest against the Clippers, South Bay was able to thoroughly impose its will during this one.

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It took the lead for good just past the midway point of the first quarter and went up 61-46 at halftime. South Bay led by as many as 19 points and cruised to a 112-97 victory, giving it a spot in the Western Conference finals.

Drew Timme led the Lakers in scoring with 26 points on 9-of-13 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds and five assists. Off the court, Dalton Knecht had a very strong performance with 24 points on 9-of-14 from the field, plus 13 rebounds, and starting guard Kobe Bufkin added 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.

South Bay will face the Stockton Kings on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the West final game. That matchup can be seen on ESPNU.

This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: South Bay Lakers recap: G League Lakers advance to West finals

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Szoboszlai sparks fury with Liverpool supporters after 4-0 loss

· Yahoo Sports

Szoboszlai sparks fury with Liverpool supporters after 4-0 loss

It’s one thing to lose heavily at Manchester City, but what happened at full-time involving Dominik Szoboszlai has struck a nerve with Liverpool supporters in a way that goes far beyond the result.

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With 8,000 travelling Reds inside the Etihad on Easter weekend, thousands of pounds spent and more trips ahead to Paris, this was supposed to be a moment where players and fans stood together, not against each other.

Szoboszlai gesture leaves Liverpool fans furious

Footage posted on X by GeronimoMCI showed the midfielder reacting towards the away end after the 4-0 defeat, in scenes that quickly turned tense.

Szoboszlai stood in front of the travelling support shrugging his shoulders before waving his arms in the air, while fans made their feelings known following another collapse.

That reaction hasn’t gone down well at all, and it’s not hard to see why when you consider what those supporters had just witnessed and what they continue to invest to follow this team everywhere.

This is Easter weekend, ticket prices have just been announced to rise again, and yet thousands still made the trip, with many more preparing to travel to Paris in midweek despite knowing it’s only the first leg and we’re going into it in poor form.

Growing disconnect between players and supporters

What makes this worse is that Szoboszlai himself admitted the “fighting spirit wasn’t there enough”, which only strengthens the feeling that frustration should be directed inward, not outward.

Virgil van Dijk also struck a very different tone, openly admitting he felt bad for the fans and recognising their frustration, which is exactly the kind of leadership supporters expect in moments like this.

Instead, this incident risks creating a damaging divide at a time when we need unity more than ever, because the reality is simple: we all want the same thing.

No one benefits from players reacting like this, especially not ahead of a huge Champions League tie, and if anything, it only fuels the perception that parts of this squad are becoming disconnected from the people who follow them week in, week out.

We’ve seen tough periods before and come through them together, but moments like this don’t help, and the sooner that message is understood, the better for everyone involved.

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New York Islanders fire coach Patrick Roy and name Peter DeBoer as his replacement

· Yahoo Sports

NEW YORK (AP) — New York Islanders fire coach Patrick Roy and name Peter DeBoer as his replacement.

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