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Inter Milan and Napoli remain firmly embroiled in one of the most dramatic Scudetto races in recent memory.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport via FCInterNews, several factors could determine the outcome of this breathless fight.
Simone Inzaghi is hellbent on becoming the first Serie A manager to defend their title in five years.
However, ex-Inter boss Antonio Conte is fighting tooth and nail to bring a second league title to Naples in three years.
Indeed, only three points separate the leading duo ahead of an intense season finale.
Factors That Could Determine Fierce Scudetto Battle Between Inter Milan & Napoli
Inter’s congested fixture schedule could be a sticking point, especially if Inzaghi’s charges overcome Bayern Munich in Europe.
Furthermore, they’re eyeing a third Coppa Italia final appearance in four seasons under Inzaghi.
On the bright side, most of Inter’s ‘high-profile’ league games will come at the San Siro.
As for Napoli, they will lock horns with top-four hopefuls Bologna next weekend.
Ominously for the Partenopei, the match will take place at Renato Dall’Ara amid their rough patch on the road.
Indeed, Conte’s men haven’t won an away league game since January, going winless on their last four trips.
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Dolphins quickly become NFL's most hopeless situation
There are a lot of teams in the NFL that are already out of the playoff race this season and facing long roads back to contention. There might not be a single franchise that is facing a grimmer, bleaker situation than the Miami Dolphins. The franchise has not won a playoff game in 26 years, the longest ongoing drought in the NFL, and it is going to continue this season. They have mostly been mediocre in recent years only qualified for the playoffs just four times in the past 23 years. They have had no recent success, are having no current success, and do not seem likely to have success anytime soon in the future. Whatever momentum and shine they may have had from last week's big win over the Atlanta Falcons was completely erased on Thursday night in an embarrassing performance against the Baltimore Ravens in a 28-6 defeat. There were zero positives to take away from it, and it is hard to see where a quick fix comes from. The Ravens beat the Dolphins, and the Dolphins beat themselves Coming out of halftime on Thursday night, Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said they were playing against two teams in the first half, referencing the fact they had several self-inflicted mistakes that helped cost them points, stall drives and give points to Baltimore. They had long drives on offense get bogged down by penalties, forcing them to settle for field goal attempts. They fumbled deep in their own territory to set the Ravens up for their first touchdown of the game, and then turned the ball over two other times later in the game. That is a losing recipe against almost any team in football, and especially against a team that is quarterbacked by Lamar Jackson. But that's only part of the problem for Miami, and it's largely only related to this game. The big picture problem is far more concerning. Tua Tagovailoa is not the answer Tagovailoa is far from the only problem in Miami right now. It's just not a good roster overall. But he also does not seem to be part of the solution, especially with a $53M salary cap number. The Dolphins are paying him like one of the NFL's elite quarterbacks — and one of its elite players — and they are not getting anything close to that level of play. He threw his league-leading 11th interception of the season on Thursday, and just looked like a quarterback that had no answers for anything. He lacks elite arm strength, and everything regarding the Dolphins offense is built around timing, their ability for the first read of their offense to get open, and his ability to hit it. When things do not work perfectly, the offense has zero chance to function. It has not worked. Tagovailoa's regression as a quarterback, combined with a gigantic contract that might quickly becoming one of the NFL's biggest albatross deals, is a big reason why this situation feels so grim. It is one thing to not have a quarterback. It is another thing entirely to invest in the wrong quarterback and be stuck with them and have almost no way out from it. Eventually head coach Mike McDaniel and probably general manager Chris Grier are going to be dismissed, and it will not be unfair given the roster and team they have built. Whoever comes in to replace them is going to have a mostly bare cupboard to restock with one of the NFL's worst contracts at its most important position. At least if you are the New York Jets or New Orleans Saints you can start over this offseason with a new quarterback. It seems almost impossible for the Dolphins to do that.
Warriors castoff has a career night against his old team
The Golden State Warriors traded away Ryan Rollins in 2023 after one season and 12 games with the team. Thursday night, Rollins showed the Warriors what they missed out on. With Giannis Antetokounmpo out with an injury, Rollins scored a career-high 32 points and dished out eight assists as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Warriors, 120-110. Rollins went 5-for-7 from three-point range, tying his career best, and went 13-for-21 overall. In the last four minutes after the Warriors got within points, Rollins had eight points and an assists. Oh, and he outscored Stephen Curry, 32-27. Warriors gave up on Ryan Rollins after one season Golden State traded up to draft Rollins with the No. 44 pick in the 2022 draft, believing that the then-19-year-old guard from Toledo could help it reload their championship roster, which was getting up in age. But Rollins missed Summer League due to a foot injury, then suffered a season-ending Jones fracture. After the season, the Warriors sent Rollins and fellow 2022 draftee Patrick Baldwin, Jr. to the Washington Wizards along with Jordan Poole. In exchange, they got 38-year-old Chris Paul, a serious reversal in the team's earlier youth movement. Rollins was included in the deal to help the Warriors dump Poole's contract, which spanned four more seasons, and to ditch his own guaranteed deal. After a troubled partial season in Washington, the Wizards waived Rollins and he caught on with the Bucks in February 2024. Ryan Rollins' huge night showed the 23-year-old's improvement One game after Rollins had a career-high 25 points against the New York Knicks, he set another career high, this time without Antetokounmpo there to score 37 points and take up the defense's attention. Even with a great defensive player like Jimmy Butler on him, Rollins delivered in the clutch. Rollins has gone 9-for-11 from three-point range in his last two games, but it doesn't feel like a fluke. Last year he shot 40.8% on threes and hit 80% of his free throws, a strong indicator Rollins can truly shoot the ball. He also had 12 steals in his first four games, and while he didn't have a takeaway Thursday night, Rollins has more steals than turnovers (10) on the season and an excellent assist-to-turnover ratio of 5-to-2. Last season, Rollins was a solid reserve, averaging 6.2 points and 1.9 assists while starting 19 games. But with Damian Lillard suffering an Achilles tear and then being waived by the Bucks, Rollins got an opportunity, and got an even bigger one when Kevin Porter, Jr. sprained his ankle in the season opener. Rollins looks like he's going to have a serious future in the NBA. Unfortunately for the Warriors, that future won't be with them.
Dexter Lawrence blasts Giants legend Carl Banks after harsh criticisms
Shortly after the New York Giants fell to 2-6 on the season via a 38-20 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday, Giants legend and current radio color commentator Carl Banks offered some harsh criticisms of Big Blue star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Lawrence fired back at Banks. Dexter Lawrence rips "delusional" Carl Banks "He’s delusional," Lawrence said about Banks, per Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "Yeah, those were strong words, but if that’s how he feels, f--- it. “I don’t really know what he’s watching, but he can say what he wants,” Lawrence said. “I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing, trying to help us get a win. That’s it.” Specifically, Banks claimed that the game film shows that "nobody respects" Lawrence anymore. Banks also ripped Lawrence for "not making a difference" as the Eagles accumulated a whopping 276 rushing yards at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field. Earlier this summer, one unnamed NFL personnel director said that Lawrence should have won Defensive Player of the Year Award honors for the 2024 campaign even though the 27-year-old only played in 12 games before he went down with a season-ending elbow injury. Lawrence currently isn't even the best defensive player on the Giants, as pass-rusher Brian Burns is tied for the NFL lead with 10 sacks. According to Jordan Raanan of ESPN, Lawrence has tallied 20 total tackles, one tackle for a loss, 0.5 sacks, one interception, 10 initial pressures and four quarterback hits this season. "I think I’m doing what I can when I get the opportunities," Lawrence explained. "Numbers are not everything. I’ve been an advocate of that last year and the year before that and the year before that. I don’t think numbers indicate anything — for real. They’re just something that’s on your stat sheet. I think the way I play is disruptive. You ask people I play against, and they’ll tell you the same thing. Not people who are talking." Dexter Lawrence shares wish after Carl Banks comments Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke suggested that Banks was possibly "trying to light a fire under" Lawrence with comments that generated discussions on New York sports talk radio programs. If that truly was Banks' goal, his plan seems to have produced the desired result. "Let’s say this: I hope people start trying to disrespect me," Lawrence added. "I hope they start not respecting me, because that’s not what’s showing on the field. They’re showing a lot of respect on the field." Lawrence will next have an opportunity to offer an on-the-field response to Banks when the Giants host a 5-3 San Francisco 49ers side that features dynamic running back Christian McCaffrey. As of Thursday morning, ESPN BET had New York as a 2.5-point underdog for this coming Sunday's matchup.
Blue Jays think Dodgers were relaying signs during World Series
The Toronto Blue Jays think the Los Angeles Dodgers were relaying signs during Game 4 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday night. The Blue Jays won Game 4, 6-2, to tie the series at two. Toronto then won Game 5 a day later, 6-1, to go up 3-2 in the series. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters on Thursday that he thought the Dodgers were relaying signs in Game 4 on Tuesday. “I mean it’s fair game. And we highly suspected that there was relaying, you know, which is fine. But just didn’t want to have the hitter know what was coming,” Schneider said. Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland kept stepping off the rubber during his appearance and even intentionally balked to move Max Muncy from second to third base. That change kept Muncy from being able to see Varland’s grip on the ball, making it much tougher for the Dodgers player to signal to his teammate at the plate what pitch was coming. That strategy is not exactly uncommon. Angels reliever Kenley Jansen did the same thing while facing the Dodgers during a game in May.
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