Sports
The Golden State Warriors Have Been Buried Before, And They’re Still Standing
The Warriors got blown out in Minnesota on Monday night. There goes the dynasty.
Again.
Just like Halloween 2019, when Stephen Curry broke his hand in the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure. And Memorial Day 2023, when general manager Bob Myers finally had enough of being pulled in two directions and bailed for ABC.
The gravestones were wrong, wrong, and now potentially wrong again.
Jimmy Butler III’s torn ACL is what’s prompting the obituaries this time around. Three losses in four games since the untimely incident and the headlines are bigger and bolder than ever:
KERR NEEDS TO GO … GREEN MUST BE TERMINATED … CURRY DESERVES A TRADE.
What’s the saying?
Fool me once, shame on you.
Fool me twice, shame on me.
Fool me three times … hey, that’s not going to happen.
According to various dunderheads who believe it takes three strikes in order to strike out, the Warriors’ dynasty is dead. Kaput. Extinct. No way they avoid it this time.
Ah, but don’t underestimate the Two Wrongs Can Make A Right Effect.
In many ways, Jonathan Kuminga is to blame for the Warriors’ current predicament.
He was supposed to be really good. So good that he could bridge the old and the new while keeping the dynasty alive.
But it hasn’t happened.
Then he was supposed to have so much potential, someone surely would ship the Warriors a win-now veteran in a trade that would, yep, keep the dynasty alive.
That hasn’t happened, either.
But it still could, thanks to Kuminga East.
You see, the Big Tease isn’t the only difference-maker despised by his own people. In fact, he’s loved compared to what most of Memphis thinks of Ja Morant.
You have to know the Grizzlies have as much interest in jettisoning a headache they’ve experienced first-half for one that, as far as they’re concerned, is one of Kerr’s imagination.
Think about it …
A Memphis franchise that’s been borderline irrelevant for more than a decade gets a chance to push reset, adding Kuminga and Moses Moody — a pair of lottery picks supposedly handcuffed by Kerr — and a 2026 first-round pick that’s quickly falling into lotteryland.
At the bargain-basement price of the Grizzlies ridding themselves of a guy who’s always hurt — including as we speak — and in no hurry to suit up for them again.
That’s a no-brainer.
And the Warriors get … well, they get accused of panicking, of mortgaging their future, of being dizzied by that power plant that’s supposedly taking down the 49ers one by one.
When really they’re getting their dynasty back.
If teaming with Curry helps Morant as much as it did Durant and Butler, then the Warriors get a jolt of energy similar to the one that produced two titles and had them on the doorstep of a showdown with the Thunder in the Western finals last May until Curry got hurt.
Making the playoffs would be a sure thing this season. Just don’t tell the Grizzlies.
But the biggest positive would be in the electric Morant joining Curry, Butler, Green and Al Horford in the league’s best finishing lineup next season, while at the same time directing a second unit that actually has a heartbeat. Curry rests and the opponent gets run ragged. That’s a win-win.
Make no mistake: Next season is the last rodeo for Kerr, Curry, Green and Horford. Maybe even Butler. And who knows what Morant’s future holds? They all warrant nice parting gifts, but Curry deserves more.
He deserves one more shot at a title. Heck, two if you like a longshot this spring.
You know who might agree? LeBron. Any chance the ring-chaser, who can pick his spot next season, would play for peanuts and jump aboard what would then become one of the most memorable teams of all-time?
Dumb question.
Where does that leave the Warriors in 2028? Likely as the worst team in the league, but one that’s located in a destination city, with one of the world’s best arenas, possibly the No. 1 pick and a boatload of cash to spend.
Or you’d rather have the scraps that couldn’t sniff 90 on Monday without Curry, Butler, Green and Horford? And forget Kuminga. He’ll be gone by then either way.
Death to the naysayers. Long live the dynasty.
Well, for two more years, anyway.
Sports
Super Bowl LX sets U.S. media record; Bad Bunny draws 4B+ social views
Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) celebrates with defensive end Leonard Williams (99) after defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images Super Bowl LX was the second-most watched show in United States TV history and set a domestic record for peak viewership, the NFL revealed Tuesday.
Sunday’s game in Santa Clara, Calif., where the Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 29-13, averaged 124.9 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, Telemundo, and other digital platforms. It fell short of the record 127.7 million who watched last year’s Super Bowl but ranked No. 2 and became the most-watched show in NBC history.
The viewership peaked at 137.8 million during the second quarter, setting an American TV record.
Soon after that, the halftime show starring Bad Bunny averaged 128.2 million viewers in the United States in the 8:15-8:30 p.m. ET window.
The Puerto Rican superstar generated over 4 billion views on social media within the first 24 hours after his performance, making it what the NFL called its “most-consumed halftime show of all time on NFL social platforms.”
According to NBC, its streaming platform Peacock experienced its best day ever on Sunday, driven by both the Super Bowl audience and Winter Olympics viewership. Estimates were not immediately available.
“The Super Bowl and the NFL once again delivered a blockbuster audience across the NBC broadcast network, Peacock and Telemundo, and provided an unprecedented lead-in to our Primetime in Milan coverage,” NBC Sports president Rick Cordella said in a statement. “The Super Bowl and the Olympics are the two most powerful events in the world, and we salute our talented production, tech and announce teams who delivered best-in-class presentations for our viewers, stations and partners.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics, Bulls face former players in Anfernee Simons, Nikola Vucevic
Feb 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Nikola Vucevic (4) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Miami Heat at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images Anfernee Simons and Nikola Vucevic will each be playing against their former team when the Chicago Bulls visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night.
Simons was traded from Boston to Chicago last Tuesday in exchange for Vucevic. The teams each included a second-round draft pick in the deal.
Simons jumped right into Chicago’s lineup and has averaged 20.0 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 11 of 32 from 3-point range (34.4%) in three games with the Bulls, who have been playing without Josh Giddey and Tre Jones. Giddey aggravated a hamstring injury during a Jan. 28 loss to Indiana. Jones also has been dealing with a hamstring injury that has kept him out since Jan. 22.
“I think even before (the trade), it was always going to be a job interview with this being the last year of my contract,” Simons said. “I’ve just got to make the most out of these last couple of months here, start building chemistry with the guys and see where that goes.”
Chicago coach Billy Donovan said it’s likely both Giddey and Jones will miss Wednesday night’s game.
“I don’t anticipate Josh or Tre playing Wednesday against Boston, but both guys are ramping up,” Donovan said. “They’re playing three-on-three, and they’re running up the court. I think the medical guys just want them to be in a place where there’s at least enough of a buildup and all that tightness has kind of subsided.”
Giddey averages 18.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists this season — when he plays. The Bulls are 17-17 when he’s in the lineup and 7-13 when he’s not. Jones has averaged 12.4 points in his 38 games, 20 of which were starts.
Chicago enters Wednesday’s game on a five-game losing streak, which appears to be the goal after shipping out four of their top six scorers at the trade deadline.
The Celtics have tinkered with their rotation since acquiring Vucevic, who has averaged 11 points and nine rebounds coming off the bench in his two games with Boston. The Celtics overcame a 22-point deficit to defeat Miami 98-96 on Friday, then had their five-game winning streak come to an end with a 111-89 loss to New York on Sunday.
“We’re playing a little different,” said veteran guard Derrick White. “We got some new guys in new spots and so I wouldn’t say we’re as crisp as we were maybe a few weeks ago when we’ve had all offseason and the beginning of the year to figure those parts out, but it’s exciting we can continue to learn and grow. Just understand it’s going to take day-by-day to get guys comfortable, get guys in the right spots. We got a lot of guys that know how to play and so I think we’ll pick it up quickly.”
Baylor Scheierman has started four of Boston’s last six games. He had career highs for rebounds (13) and assists (five) to go along with 10 points against the Knicks.
“We’ve tinkered with (the starting lineup) all year,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said after the loss to New York. “I think we’re up to 15 or 17 different ones, so nothing’s changed. Everybody on our roster has a chance to impact winning, we have a chance to develop, do different things there.
“So, whether before or after deadline, nothing changes in our approach. How do we have flexibility? How do we know everyone on the roster has a chance to impact winning? We just keep developing identities.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Speed skating: Nuis says Stolz the man to beat but expects battle in 1,000m
Jordan Stolz (near) and Cooper McLeod of the United States race in the 1,000 meters in the ISU World Cup meet on January 31, 2025, at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Wis. MILAN — Jordan Stolz is speed skating’s hottest property heading into Wednesday’s men’s 1,000 meters at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, but a pack of seasoned challengers led by three-time Olympic champion Kjeld Nuis are ready to crash the American’s party.
The 21-year-old Stolz arrived in Milan as the sport’s most talked-about skater and the leading contender for three individual events — the 500m, 1,000m and 1,500m — while also eyeing the unpredictable mass start.
He begins his Milan Cortina campaign in the 1,000m, the event in which he already holds a world record.
Since making his Olympic debut as a 17-year-old in Beijing with modest finishes of 13th in the 500m and 14th in the 1,000m, Stolz has transformed into a world-beating sprinter, collecting six world championship titles.
But the 36-year-old Nuis, chasing a fourth gold medal after victories in the 1,000m and 1,500m at Pyeongchang 2018 and the 1,500m at Beijing 2022, is not ready to concede defeat.
“Jordan is the man to beat but behind him there are so many guys with serious chances — including myself,” Nuis said on Tuesday. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be a thrilling battle, and I’m totally up for that.”
For Nuis, Milan Cortina is his Olympic swansong.
“My parents will be there, and finally my son as well, which is truly remarkable,” said the Dutchman, who holds world and Olympic records in the 1,500m. “This will be my final Olympics, so I intend to thoroughly enjoy it.”
The Dutch squad enters buoyed by Jutta Leerdam’s storming 1,000m gold in the women’s event on Monday, leading a Dutch one-two with Femke Kok.
Among their medal hopes is 23-year-old Joep Wennemars, the 2025 world champion in the 1,000m and son of former world sprint champion Erben Wennemars, who knows what is required at the Milano Speed Skating Stadium.
“I think it’s fair to say a record will be needed and everyone will be skating extremely hard,” the younger Wennemars said.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
Super Bowl LX sets U.S. media record; Bad Bunny draws 4B+ social views
NYT Strands hints, answers for February 11, 2026
