data-mm-id=”_om9vle0y3″>The Miami Heat will meet the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 NBA Finals. That means LeBron James will face off against his former team for the NBA championship. This is going to be one of those "Jerome Bettis is from Detroit" storylines where people roll their eyes and get sick of it, but they shouldn't because this is incredible for both LeBron James and the Heat. It might even be unheard of. ESPN immediately dove into the story by asking Eric Spoelstra about LeBron and then showed clips of James celebrating championships when he was a member of the Miami Heat.ESPN already throwing the LeBron vs his former team/coach storyline in Spo's face ? pic.twitter.com/1V3IGRfAPx— gifdsports (@gifdsports) September 28, 2020If you take a moment to step back, that's pretty weird! Top players have left teams and competed for a championship with a new team a good number of times, but for them to find their old team waiting for them? It has to be unprecedented. And I don't want to hear about some guy who ended up switching leagues after a WWII deployment. When LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010 to go to Miami, the Cavs went from a 61-win team that had been to the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, to a 19-win team. They were a 33-win team when LeBron returned to Cleveland because he was born in Akron, and went to four consecutive Finals. When LeBron left for LA, they again became a 19-win team. After adding a top draft pick, they might win twenty-something games next year.Then there is Miami. LeBron left in 2014 and the team won 17 fewer games the next season. Embracing Heat Culture, they refused to tank or be bad enough to get a high lottery pick. They made the playoffs a couple of times as they shuffled pieces and then signed Jimmy Butler and boom. NBA Finals six years after they lost a superstar. After this, Kevin Durant has the best chance to do this next in the NBA. If he can lead the Nets to the Finals in the next few years, it is completely possible to think the Thunder or Warriors would be there waiting. Tom Brady could feasibly do it this year if the Buccaneers and Patriots met in the Super Bowl. Those scenarios still feel a little far-fetched. Kawhi and the Raptors almost did it, but it ended up not being very close at all.It takes an incredible amount of luck and success to build a contender. When the main piece moves on, teams are usually devastated. To maintain and rebuild in time to contend again before the guy who left is washed is incredible. Not to mention that guy has to go somewhere else and keep being awesome long enough for his former team to bounce back.Reaching the NBA Finals is really hard and each of these teams getting there individually is remarkable. The fact that it's LeBron and the Heat in the same year is amazing. Who knows if we'll ever see anything quite like this again.
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The Philippines will play Malaysia in an international friendly on June 1.
The two countries last met on February 29 in Manila, where the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup champions grabbed a late 1-1 draw after Syakir Ali s goal levelled Denis Wolf s first-half opener.
Malayasia will be the first country to test the Philippines after the AFC Challenge Cup, where they finished third for the first time.
Malaysia has invited us to play a friendly in Kuala Lumpur on June 1 and more or less, we ll go there, Football Federation (PFF) chairman Mariano Nonong Araneta told the Philstar.
I ve had initial talks with (team manager) Dan (Palami) and he s okay with this.
Araneta said Thailand and Indonesia had been invited to play friendlies in the Philippines on June 5…
FC Porto have moved to confirm reports linking them with a move for Club America defender Diego Reyes.
Reyes, 20, has impressed for both club and country over the last year or so and is heavily tipped to move to Europe in the near future.
While Chelsea and Atletico Madrid are also keen, FC Porto and Benfica are thought to be leading the race for the player’s signature.
Porto chairman Pinto da Costa has admitted the Dragons are interested in signing the talented defender.
“He is a good player and we are always interested in good players,” da Costa told reporters after Porto’s league game against Setubal was postponed.
that Porto have already made a contact with Club America as they plan to conclude the deal before the January transfer win…
Mason Mount will not join up with England for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
The Chelsea midfielder recently sustained a pubic bone injury and will miss his club s Premier League clash with Everton on Saturday.
Blues head coach Graham Potter announced at a press conference on Friday that the issue will also prevent Mount from going on international duty, despite being named in Gareth Southgate s Three Lions squad on Thursday.
He wasn t 100 per cent the last game, Potter said. He is still not quite there, so he will miss the England camp as well.
Mount has struggled for form this season, recording just six goal involvements (three goals, three assists) in 32 appearances.
Reports suggest he could attract interest from Liverp…
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo said it is vital that his team breaks the La Liga duopoly of Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Valencia are the only side to have won the title outside of Spain s biggest two clubs since 2004, but with Atletico placed second in the table, there is a belief around Vicente Calderon they can mount a genuine challenge for domestic glory this season.
And Cerezo feels it is crucial for both the club and supporters of the game that his side keep pace with unbeaten leaders Barcelona and break the trend in the league.
It is not only important for Atletico, but for football fans in general, he told Marca.
La Liga was a two-horse race, but Atletico started well and has now fully cemented its place in the pack challenging for the …
Corriere dello Sport claimed to be victim of a lynching over its controversial Black Friday headline as editor Ivan Zazzaroni suggested some clubs had expressed support.
The Italian sports publication sparked outrage when it used the term on Thursday s front page to accompany images of Romelu Lukaku and Chris Smalling.
The former Manchester United team-mates are set to square off in a Serie A fixture between Inter and Roma on Friday.
Inter striker Lukaku called it the dumbest headline he had ever seen and Smalling labelled it highly insensitive .
But after hitting out at social media and criticism and declaring its innocent intentions, Corriere refused to backtrack with its next edition.
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Divock Origi of Liverpool is set to be rewarded for his heroics this season with a new contract, according to the .
The Belgian has scored some extremely important goals for the Merseysiders despite starting only six games in all competitions in 2018/19. In total, he played 19 times and scored six times, most notably the 96th-minute Merseyside Derby winner at Anfiled, another late winner against Newcastle last weekend, and two strikes which encased Georginio Wijnaldum s brace to complete an incredible comeback in the Champions League semifinal against Barcelona. He has now moved ahead of Daniel Sturridge in the pecking order, as Jurgen Klopp s preferred backup option in the forward line. The Liverpool boss has been impressed with his work ethic and continued improvement.
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Liverpool seem to be moving in the right direction under former-Dortmund boss Jurgen Klopp
Liverpool have been in something of a flux in recent years from title challengers to midtable limbo.
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Liverpool made it to the Europa League final on Thursday night, as the Reds defeated Villarreal 3-0 at Anfield to progress 3-1 on aggregate past the Spanish team.
The Merseysiders will now face another Spanish team in the final in Sevilla.
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Josef Husbauer set his sights on keeping Cagliari in Serie A as he was presented to the media along with fellow new boy Duje Cop.
Midfielder Husbauer and striker Cop have joined Gianfranco Zola s side on loan from Sparta Prague and Dinamo Zagreb respectively with a view to permanent moves.
Czech Republic international Husbauer, 24, has experience of playing in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League but is now relishing the challenge of helping Cagliari climb away from the relegation zone.
Husbauer said: I saw Cagliari on television, [it] is a very good team. We are ready to give our best for salvation.
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Croatia …
Market: Bayer Leverkusen win
Odds: 21/20 @
Looking to finish off the job and punch their Europa League quarter-final ticket on Thursday night, Bayer Leverkusen will make the trip to Ferencvaros for their second-leg showdown.
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Best Odds: 1/2
Bookmaker:
Looking to extend on their recent flurry on Saturday evening, Chelsea will welcome relegation scrappers Everton to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea
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