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Ernie Johnson has seen many iconic moments in 34 years as host of Inside the NBA.However, nothing might top doing the postgame show Wednesday night from center court at Madison Square Garden after the New York Knicks made the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history to beat the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4.Thats the best. None of the fans are leaving. They just want to soak this whole thing in. It was like a college atmosphere. And then to do the show right there with that energy going on, thats why you do it, Johnson said.Who knows how many signature moments are left in the series, but the quartet of Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille ONeal and Kenny Smith is certainly enjoying anchoring pregame, halftime and postgame NBA Finals coverage for the first time.Inside the NBA moved to ESPN and ABC this season under a licensing agreement with TNT Sports, following Warner Bros. Discoverys inability to retain NBA rights.The shows addition has elevated ESPN and ABCs NBA coverage just as Joe Buck and Troy Aikmans arrival in 2022 took Monday Night Football to another level.The series resumes Saturday night in San Antonio with the Knicks one win away from their first NBA title since 1973. Johnson will present the Lawrence OBrien trophy at the end of the finals. If the Spurs stave off elimination, Johnson presenting the trophy to the Knicks at home after a Game 6 win on Tuesday could surpass the bedlam from the comeback.The transition has been seamless, and its been a wonderful year together. Having Ernie, Chuck, Shaq and Kenny anchor our NBA Finals coverage, in tandem with our outstanding game broadcast team, has elevated our entire presentation, said Burke Magnus, ESPNs president of content.Inside the NBA has a 90-minute pregame show, with the first hour on ESPN before shifting over to ABC. The postgame show begins on ESPN as soon as ABC's coverage ends and goes at least an hour.Mike Breen, who is calling his record 21st finals, has enjoyed having Inside the NBA serve as a lead-in to coverage.Theyre must-see TV even after all these years. They have so much fun, and because of their status in the league, what they say really matters, Breen said. And then you have somebody like Ernie Johnson who runs the whole thing. I dont know if theres another person in our industry I respect more.Same show, different networkBecause TNT didnt have the NBA Finals, Inside the NBAs season would end at the conference finals. Johnson said it felt different when he arrived at the arena in San Antonio before Game 1 on June 3.I havent felt like that on a game day in a long time. I was excited to be there and heading to the arena. I left earlier than planned because I didnt want to sit around anymore, he said. Doing that in San Antonio and then going to New York to be in the middle of that scene was so cool. I think we are trying to make our show match the energy in the building. And I think we did that.Everybodys swinging by and shaking hands and patting us on the back. Its surreal. Were honored to be part of this. And its just been an amazing series.What also makes it special is that this is also the first NBA Finals for most of the shows production crew, many of whom have been with Inside the NBA since the start.Even though Inside the NBA airs on ESPN and ABC, TNT Sports still produces the show from Atlanta. Its still irreverent at times and isnt afraid to pull punches as evidenced by Barkleys criticism of the Spurs after Game 4, where he called them the dumbest basketball team in the history of civilization.Barkley added, When you blow a 29-point lead, the other team has to help you. The San Antonio Spurs helped the New York Knicks win this game by doing some of the stupid-ass stuff Ive seen on a basketball court.For those who worried that the show wouldnt be the same on ESPN, those fears have gone out the window throughout the season. ESPN even bought into some of the shows humor by doing an ad with Johnson singing a song by DMX.There was never a Hey, you guys cant do that anymore. It was just No, do your thing. And weve had the freedom to do that, Johnson said. The great thing is we have access to all these ESPN resources with pregame pieces and reporters. It's been a great deal for everybody involved.Successful finals for ABCWednesday nights comeback averaged 20.9 million viewers and peaked at 23.2 million for the conclusion. According to Nielsen, it was the most-viewed Game 4 since ABC started showing the finals in 2003.The series is averaging 19.6 million viewers, a 116% jump from last years matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. It is on pace to be the most-watched series since 1998, when the Chicago Bulls defeated the Utah Jazz in six games.The Game 3 pregame averaged 9.9 million viewers, a record ___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

United States legend Clint Dempsey had some choice words for former national team assistant Jesse Marsch, who suggested Thursday that some American players needed encouragement to sing the anthem ahead of games.

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Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond called on the Big 12 Conference to suspend Brendan Sorsby after the Texas Tech quarterback won a court order that restored his eligibility and set aside a ban by the NCAA for gambling on pro and college sports. If Texas Tech will not do the right thing, the Big 12 should, Drummond wrote Friday in a letter to the conference. Texas Tech should be sanctioned. I also note that the injunction granted to Sorsby applies only to the NCAA. It does not impede the Big 12 from suspending Sorsby.The office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton warned the Big 12 on Thursday of potential legal action from Texas Tech as the conference considers its options. Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the leagues executive board meeting to discuss Sorsby's situation.Drummond said claims that sanctions against Texas Tech would violate antitrust laws are meritless.By adopting and enforcing its bylaws, the Big 12 Conference is simply upholding integrity and fair play among membership," he said.A Texas district court's temporary injunction that was issued Monday prevents the NCAA from enforcing its permanent ban of Sorsby, a decision that sent shock waves across college sports.The transfer quarterback had been ruled ineligible after he acknowledged years of gambling that included more than $90,000 in wagers and at least 40 bets on his own team while he was a freshman at Indiana.NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team.Drummond weighed in because Oklahoma State is a member of the Big 12. He suggested the conference could act under a bylaw that says a supermajority of the leagues athletic directors can sanction a member school if that school has engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the conference as a whole.Sadly, that fits Texas Tech to a T, Drummond wrote. Its actions in obtaining eligibility for Brendan Sorsby ... have constituted a shameful chapter in the story of college football. Texas Tech has acted in a manner adverse to the Big 12 and the integrity of college football as a whole."Texas Tech says Sorsby has completed a month-long inpatient treatment program and will have to meet stipulations laid out in the court ruling if he is going to play this fall.The school posted a 21-minute video Thursday night in which school president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and coach Joey McGuire defended Texas Tech's approach with Sorsby. Hocutt said the school wasn't party to Sorsby's lawsuit against the NCAA and hasn't helped him with legal fees.Theres no reason whatsoever to question the integrity of our athletics department, or the competitive product that we put on the fields or on the courts each and every time that we go out, Hocutt said. Integrity of the game is sacred, and thats why weve gone to such great lengths to ensure the monitoring and the compliance measures are in place for Brendans return.Big 12 athletic directors in a conference call Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders in what will be his final college season. Some of those athletic directors suggested not playing Texas Tech if he does.The Big 12's board of directors, which is made up of presidents and chancellors from the leagues 16 schools, is set to meet Monday. Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech in January for a reported multimillion-dollar deal after playing the past two seasons at Cincinnati, another Big 12 school. The 22-year-old Texas native first spent two seasons with the Hoosiers. The Red Raiders, with one of college footballs most expensive rosters, won their first Big 12 title last season, set a school record with 12 wins and made the 12-team College Football Playoff. ___AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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JACKSONVILLE, Florida - The Gwinnett Stripers, in conjunction with the Atlanta Braves, have announced that catcher Drake Baldwin will join the Striper... - IL Gwinnett Stripers

Chaque Coupe du monde arrive avec son lot de nouveauts visuelles l'cran. Ce Mondial 2026 ne droge pas la rgle avec l'affichage de cinq mystrieux tirets sous les trois lettres symbolisant chaque pays. Que veulent-ils dire? Explications.