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The Los Angeles Lakers are playing for their season on Wednesday night. They enter Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves down 3-1, which only means that a loss will officially mark the end of their campaign.
While the odds might be stacked against them, the Lakers are remaining optimistic. The plan is to take this series one game at a time, with their objective on Wednesday solely focused on getting a win in Game 5.
Lakers icon Shaquille O'Neal, however, sees things differently. The Hall of Famer and NBA on TNT analyst explained why he believes that this Lakers side just doesn't have enough to come out of this series.
"They don't have any dogs on their team," O'Neal said. "I mean, you've got two of the great players on the team (LeBron James and Luka Doncic), but where are the dogs at? You know, I don't see a lot of fight. I don't see a lot of grit.
"So, you know, when you have players like that, the others should. should want to be dogs and want to do certain things. One of my favorite players was in there the other day. [Robert Horry], dog. Rick Fox, dog. All of them. [Brian] Shaw, dog. All the players that were with me were dogs."
O'Neal alluded to his previous success with the Lakers, where he won three championships alongside the late, great Kobe Bryant. The 15-time All-Star also pointed out, however, that he had a lot of excellent role players on those title-winning squads -- something that O'Neal feels is lacking in this current Lakers team.
According to O'Neal, he believes the Lakers are done.
"I don't see any dogs on that team," he reiterated. "So, might as well pack up and get ready for next year. That's my opinion."
"Might as well pack up and get ready for next year"
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 30, 2025
Shaq & Chuck look at the Lakers' must-win game tonight pic.twitter.com/YxSimCtWsk
Game 5 between the Lakers and the Wolves tips off in an hour or so, which will determine whether or not O'Neal's bold prediction will hold true.
James, Doncic and the rest of the Lakers will do everything in their power to prove him wrong.
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Cade Cunningham extends multiple streaks in return to Pistons
Upon his return after missing three-straight games, Detroit Pistons superstar Cade Cunningham picked up right where he left off from his hot start to the season, making history while leading Detroit to its 11th consecutive win. On Monday night, it was Jalen Duren standing out for his incredible efficiency and production in a win over the Indiana Pacers. But 24 hours later, it was Cunningham back in the lineup and back to showcasing why he should be in the early-season MVP conversation. Cunningham, 24, scored 25 points while shooting 43.5% from the field, recorded 10 assists, brought down six rebounds and even picked up a pair of steals as Detroit beat the Atlanta Hawks, 120-112. Cunningham extended his personal streak of dominance The Pistons' win streak was also not the only streak Cunningham extended with his performance. The No. 1 overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft became only the fifth player this century to post five straight games with 25 points and 10 assists. Due to missing time with a left hip contusion, Cunningham's personal streak dates back to when he scored 31 points and added 10 assists against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 5. However, he was extremely close to this streak being even longer. Cunningham last failed to reach 25 and 10 — he scored 33 with just eight assists at Memphis on Nov. 3. Cunningham is picking up where he left off last season After emerging as an All-Star for the first time last season and leading Detroit to a surprise playoff appearance, Cunningham entered Tuesday averaging 27.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 9.9 assists in 11 games. Furthering his MVP case, Cunningham has helped the Pistons get off to an Eastern Conference-leading 13-2 record. There are two main questions that will now keep surrounding Cunningham and his team. How much longer can Cunningham extend his streak? And then, how many more games can Detroit win in a row?
CFP rankings: SEC in great shape after third reveal
The third College Football Playoff rankings of the 2025 season were released on Tuesday night with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A M, Georgia and Texas Tech making up the top five. The Bulldogs and Red Raiders each move up one spot with Alabama falling down to 10th after a 23-21 loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Ole Miss, Oregon, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama round out the top 10. The Big Ten and SEC continue their dominance by claiming eight of the top-10 spots, but the SEC looks to be in the best position of any league with five teams in the top 10, even with Alabama's second loss of the season. Alabama clings to playoff spot as SEC's outlook only grows stronger Here is a look at what the 12-team bracket would look like as of Tuesday: The biggest takeaway from this week's rankings is the position the SEC finds itself in. Texas A M, Georgia and Ole Miss appear to be in excellent shape, while Oklahoma and Alabama still find themselves in the projected field. Texas was the biggest loser, falling seven spots to No. 17 after its loss to Georgia. Even for Alabama, which suffered its second loss on Saturday, it could still find itself in the SEC Championship game depending on how everything plays out over the final two weeks, which could only strengthen its case even more. Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team at No. 13, ahead of No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia. With the five highest-ranked conference champions guaranteed to make the 12-team field, Miami would inherit the 11-seed as things currently stand. Following South Florida's loss to Navy, Tulane moves up to No. 24 and the 12th-seed as the highest-ranked Group of Five team. No. 11 BYU would be the first team out following the third reveal. There are two ranked matchups this weekend as No. 8 Oklahoma hosts No. 22 Missouri and No. 15 USC takes on No. 7 Oregon. With only two weeks of regular-season play remaining, time is running out to add quality wins to resumes, something each of these two games will certainly do. Assuming there are no more hiccups, the SEC has a realistic shot at getting five teams in the field. Week 12 presented an opportunity for other teams to move up, but after Texas A M completed its remarkable comeback over South Carolina and with Alabama remaining in the top 10, that does not bode well for the rest of the field.
Former Heisman winner has bold take on James Franklin, Virginia Tech
It makes sense for the Virginia Tech Hokies to be excited about the addition of James Franklin as their new head coach. Franklin was fired by Penn State for failing to live up to the championship expectations in Happy Valley. For a program looking to get back on its feet and reestablish itself in this new era of college football, though, Franklin is a home run hire. Virginia Tech now has a bona fide head coach who can win games and recruit at a high level. Let's not talk about winning "the big one" for now. Right now, the Hokies just need to get back into that conversation, and Franklin is great for them in that regard. Getting into the conversation is one thing. Staying there is another, and it's worth noting that one college football commentator, former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III, thinks this will be the move that helps put VT back in that stratosphere. “Virginia Tech will become an ACC contender year in and year out with James Franklin as Head Coach,” Griffin said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. James Franklin will need time to turn things around at Virginia Tech It's one thing to be excited about this move for the Hokies because it is a big-time hire for them. To say that they'll be a contender "year in and year out" is a bit of a premature statement at this moment, though. Franklin can absolutely get them there, but it's going to take time for him to rebuild this program. The Hokies have pledged to put $229M into the athletics budget over the next four years, and you can bet a ton of that is going to go to Franklin so that he can hire good coaches and attract players with big-time NIL deals on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal. The Hokies haven't had a 10-win season since 2016, though, so even in this era when quick turnarounds are possible, giving Franklin a year or two of cushion would be smart. His getting VT to the top of the ACC every season is an idea that also flies in the face of the reputation that he earned at Penn State. Sure, the ACC is in no way as stacked as the Big Ten, but Clemson, Florida State and Miami are huge brands with a ton of money and momentum behind them that won't be going anywhere. Though Franklin did get PSU into the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff last season, it's worth remembering that he was 4-21 against AP top-10 opponents at Penn State and 1-18 against top-10 opponents from within the Big Ten. That's a .160 winning percentage against AP top-10 teams, and that's not going to get magically better just because he's coaching in the ACC now. If he's going to get Virginia Tech back into the college football limelight, it's going to be much harder than just showing up when "Enter Sandman" starts playing. He's certainly talented enough of a coach and recruiter to do it, but let's pump the brakes and let him get settled into his new office before we start talking about Virginia Tech once again being a top program.
One Scenario Raiders Should Already Be Preparing For
The Las Vegas Raiders are 2 - 8 and currently hold the 6th overall pick in next season's draft. They selected Ashton Jeanty with the same draft pick last season, but I think an offensive weapon is the least of their worries. The Raiders' problems cannot be solved by an individual player, but they can bolster parts of their team that need immediate help. Continuing to lose will put the Raiders on pace for a better pick in the 2026 NFL draft, and after their latest loss to the Dallas Cowboys, I don't know when their next win will come. 2026 NFL Mock Draft Mike Renner is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he created his 4th iteration of a mock draft to reflect the results of Week 11. For the Raiders, they're predicted to help out their misaligned defense by taking linebacker Arvell Reese in the first round. "Reese is the perfect modern hybrid linebacker to give a defensive coordinator flexibility. He looks just as comfortable rushing the passer as he does dropping deep into coverage. And he's got the body type to easily do both", said Renner. This isn't the first time Reese has been linked to the Raiders, as he's a popular choice for the Raiders among other mock drafts. It makes complete sense, they desperately need another star to opposite Maxx Crosby, and they can drop him in coverage or have him play along their defensive line. Other than Jamal Adams' career resurgence in Las Vegas, the Raiders' linebacker play has been abysmal all season long. Reese improves their defense in almost every way, with him being able to hold his own in pass rush as well as defending the run. The Raiders' defense only has 19 sacks so far, which is near the bottom of the league. The one area they do best in is run-stopping, and like I mentioned earlier, he can make plays on the ball to complement the Raiders' strength. Taking Reese in the first round would show good faith between Pete Carroll and Raider Nation, assuming he's still employed, as it shows that he took this season's lessons to heart and understands that this team needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. They already have enough firepower on offense with Jeanty and Brock Bowers; it's time they prioritize the other side of the ball with an explosive linebacker who will make game-changing plays.
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