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Coaching ties, tired legs in focus as Pistons open semis vs. Cavs

NBA: Detroit Pistons at Cleveland CavaliersJan 4, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Detroit Pistons forward Isaiah Stewart (28) during the second half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

J.B. Bickerstaff spent four-plus years building Cleveland into a contender. Now he gets to try to dismantle it.

Just two days after surviving a Game 7, the top-seeded Detroit Pistons open the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night at home against the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers, the franchise that fired Bickerstaff two years ago.

The Cavaliers have won the last three playoff series between the teams and carry a 12-game postseason winning streak against Detroit. But with both sides coming off Game 7s, this one may come down to which team recovers fastest.

Detroit advanced with a 116-94 win over Orlando on Sunday, fueled by 32 points and 12 assists from Cade Cunningham and 30 points from Tobias Harris.

“I know a lot of people would’ve liked it to just be easier, but I think it was great for our guys; to go through what they went through, to understand what it looks like and where they have to be in order to get it done,” said Bickerstaff, who received a contract extension on Monday. “We understand that now, and we (will) take that with us to the second round.”

Cleveland also needed seven games to defeat Toronto. The Cavs beat the Raptors 114-102 Sunday behind 22 points and 19 rebounds from Jarrett Allen and 22 points from Donovan Mitchell.

Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson, who replaced Bickerstaff in May 2024, expects a similar grind.

“I think a lot of similarities. Physicality, right?” Atkinson said when asked what he expects. “We’re going to have to be mentally and physically tough to beat this team.

“They’ve had a great year. They’re the favorites. We go in there as underdogs, which is a challenge. I think it’s going to be a similar series (to the Toronto matchup), being able to handle their pressure, their rebounding, their force, their physicality.”

The Pistons were among the league’s best at protecting the paint during the regular season, limiting both attempts at the rim and efficiency once opponents got there. That carried into the first round, where they forced Orlando into difficult half-court possessions, including a 19-point second half in Game 6.

That approach could create problems for the Cavaliers, especially Mitchell. Toronto had success crowding driving lanes and turning him into a perimeter scorer, and the Cavaliers’ offense stalled at times as a result.

Detroit doesn’t have a single defender like Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, but makes up for it with collective physicality. If the Pistons can replicate that formula, Cleveland could again find itself grinding on offense.

“They’ve been phenomenal,” said Mitchell, who averaged 23.1 points per game against the Raptors. “(Bickerstaff has) done a phenomenal job over there. They’ve been phenomenal all year. They’re tough, right? They’re physical. They’ve got Cade, who’s the head of the snake.

“It’s going to be a tall task. … We got to go out there and find a way to get one on the road.”

On the other end, Detroit faces its own questions. The Pistons have leaned heavily on Cunningham all season, and that dependence showed in the first round when their half-court offense stalled.

Cunningham delivered in three elimination games by averaging 36.3 points per game, but sustaining that level against Cleveland’s defense is another challenge. The Cavaliers have multiple options to throw at him, including Dean Wade, who has handled tough assignments throughout the postseason.

If Cleveland can limit Cunningham’s impact as both a scorer and facilitator, the pressure shifts to Detroit’s supporting cast, which has been productive but inconsistent as secondary creators.

–Field Level Media

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Brad Stuver, Austin shut out St. Louis City

MLS: St. Louis CITY SC at Austin FCMay 3, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Austin FC forward Christian Ramirez (21) is congratulated by teammates for making a goal against St. Louis CITY SC during the second half at Q2 Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Christian Ramirez and Myrto Uzuni scored within 12 minutes of each other in the second half and Brad Stuver turned away four shots for his second straight clean sheet to lead host Austin FC to a 2-0 win over struggling St. Louis City on Sunday.

The Verde (3-4-4, 13 points) have captured consecutive games via identical scores and have turned around a season that had seen them suffer through a seven-match winless swoon.

St. Louis City (1-6-3, 6 points) are now winless in their past five matches and have lost three times over that stretch.

Ramirez’s goal in the 69th minute broke Sunday’s scoreless deadlock. The scoring play started from a corner kick that was originally cleared from the zone before Uzuni pounced on the loose ball, sending it back into the box for teammate Dani Pereira.

Pereira then chipped a pass toward the far post that Ramirez leaped to head into the net past St. Louis goalkeeper Roman Burki for a 1-0 lead.

Austin added to the goal in the 81st minute when Uzuni booted home a left-footed shot after Jon Gallagher ran down the ball near the end line and passed to Ramirez. Ramirez then feed Uzuni at the center of the box for a shot into the lower left corner that doubled the lead.

The Verde got a boost in the match from the return of midfielder Owen Wolff, who entered in the 82nd minute after missing Austin’s first 10 games of the season.

Austin had an excellent scoring chance in the early minutes but Gallagher’s header from deep in the box with a 24% goal expectancy went over the crossbar. Marcel Hartel countered with a shot on goal for St. Louis City three minutes later that Stuver batted away.

Uzuni was in prime position to open the scoring in the 22nd minute when he headed a free kick toward the net that Burki somehow stopped. Stuver then returned the favor in the 26th minute when he dove to make a save on Simon Becher.

–Field Level Media

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Stewart Cink wins Regions Tradition to clinch back-to-back majors

Syndication: Desert SunStewart Cink hits his driver on the first tee during the first round of The Galleri Classic at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., Friday, March 28, 2025.

Less than a month ago, Stewart Cink had never won a PGA Tour Champions major.

Now he has won two.

Cink shot a 3-under-par 69 on Sunday at the Regions Tradition in Birmingham, Ala., taking home the title by three strokes over nearest competitor Scott Hend of Australia in breezy conditions.

“It wasn’t easy,” Cink said. “But I was pretty resilient and I trusted what I had and our game plan was good. You know, I wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but I played good golf under the circumstances.”

The Florence, Ala. native had his own cheering section at Greystone Golf and Country Club on Sunday, as Cink carded five birdies against two bogeys to earn his second straight major after winning the Senior PGA Championship in Bradenton, Fla. two weeks ago.

“This is where I cut my teeth in golf,” Cink said. “The fans out here were awesome, I saw a lot of familiar faces. Everybody’s put on the years, but some people from junior golf that I played with and against and their families. A lot of my friends and family have been out here all week anyway that I knew they were coming. It’s just been great.”

The eight-time PGA Champions tourney winner cited the importance of keeping his focus on the present for his recent hot streak, which has included four wins overall in 2026. He has yet to finish lower than sixth this calendar year.

“One of the things I’m doing a pretty good job of is just kind of staying in the moment,” he said. “It feels good to get back in the winner’s circle again, of course. I hope there’s a lot more times coming.”

Hend surged up the leaderboard to apply some pressure as most other golfers struggled to match Cink’s strong day. Hend did Cink four better with a 7-under 65, but he ultimately had too much ground to make up coming into the day. Still, a day with six birdies, a bogey and an eagle on the par-5 No. 13 left much to be proud of.

Scotland’s Colin Montgomerie shot a 1-under 71 which left him in third place at 13 under once the dust settled, while Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen took fourth with a 3-under 69 that put him at 12 under.

Three golfers rounded out the top five in a tie for fifth: South Korea’s Charlie Wi (68), Germany’s Alex Cejka (70) and Doug Barron (71).

–Field Level Media

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Missing Game 7 a tough pill to swallow for Jayson Tatum

NBA: Playoffs-Philadelphia 76ers at Boston CelticsMay 2, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) and the rest of the Celtics bench react to a three point basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second quarter of game seven of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

It was going well until it wasn’t.

The second-seeded Boston Celtics took a 3-1 series lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Six-time All-Star forward Jayson Tatum, who came back from Achilles tendon surgery much faster than anyone expected, was averaging 24.8 points through the first four games of the series.

But then the Sixers routed the host Celtics in Game 5 and Tatum hobbled off the court in the second half of Game 6, another Philadelphia triumph.

It was not apparent whether Boston coach Joe Mazzulla did not re-insert Tatum into Game 6 due to an injury or the fact that his team trailed by 23 points in the fourth quarter.

But Tatum’s status for Sunday’s Game 7 continued to downgrade and two hours before tipoff, he was ruled out for Boston’s do-or-die contest.

Hence, the four-time All-NBA first-teamer sat on the bench in street clothes as the Sixers completed the comeback, ousting Boston 109-100.

Tatum addressed the media on Sunday, reflecting on his satisfaction on returning to the court and his frustration about the last few days.

“My recovery and comeback (from the Achilles injury) were going so well that how it ended, I didn’t think it was going to end that way,” said Tatum. “It was just unfortunate.

“I worked really, really, really, really hard to come back in the fashion that I did and play at the level I was playing at. So for it to end the way it did was a tough pill to swallow.”

Tatum explained that, since he was still in the return-to-play window, NBA protocols had to be followed pertaining to his left knee stiffness. The Celtics’ medical team and Tatum’s trainer, Nick Sang, agreed that he would not be able to compete on Saturday.

Tatum admitted on Sunday that he was not playing at full capacity since his return to the court on March 6 vs. Dallas. He rated himself at about 80-85% and relayed that his right leg is still shorter than his left.

The Boston star averaged 31.0 minutes per game in 11 March games and 36.2 minutes in five regular-season contests in April. His scoring (21.8) and shooting splits (41.1% FG, 32.9% 3FG) were a little below his career marks, but he rebounded at a career-best 10.0 per game heading into the playoffs.

But Tatum has no regrets about pushing himself to return in a 10-month window and help this year’s team.

“I’m happy and proud of the fact that I was able to do that,” Tatum said. “And, unfortunately, if somebody else has to deal with this, they can look at what I was able to do and have some hope and inspiration that it’s not what people used to think it was. And you can come back from this and be who you were and hopefully be better.”

–Field Level Media

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