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Kyle Freeland’s NBA Finals prediction: “It depends on who wants it more.”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland was a man on a double mission Sunday. Unfortunately for Freeland, both failed.He began the day by making an excellent start in Kansas City, only to see the Rockies fall, 2-0, at Kauffman Stadium. When he returned to DIA on the team plane, he immediately headed to Ball Arena for Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Nuggets and Heat.“I made it for the second half,” Freeland said. “Tough game, tough loss.”The Heat caught fire from 3-point range and beat Denver, 111-108, squaring the series at 1-1.Freeland, a Denver native, graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School and huge fan of former Nuggets guard Carmelo Anthony, is keeping the faith as the Nuggets enter Game 3 on Wednesday night in Miami.“Obviously, they have their work cut out for them, but I think the Nuggets are going to take care of business and get right what they need to get right,” Freeland said. “Then they can come back home and hopefully clinch the...

Analysis: Why the Nuggets are failing to defend Miami Heat 3-pointers in NBA Finals, and how Denver can adjust in Game 3

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

MIAMI — The screener was actually the screenee. Max Strus slithered from the baseline toward the top of the key, positioning himself to set a pick to Jimmy Butler’s right. But Strus sprung into his next motion immediately.The Heat anticipated Denver switching on the ball screen. Jamal Murray, originally on Strus, stayed put as Butler took a dribble to his right. Butler’s matchup, Aaron Gordon, started sliding right to guard the screener. But he blindly collided with a wall of Bam. Miami center Bam Adebayo had lifted from the foul line, screening for Strus. With Butler’s initial move to the right, Miami had used the Nuggets’ screen coverage against them. Butler passed to an open Strus on the left wing. Nikola Jokic lunged too late for an effective close-out.Brick.That was Game 1. After a win, coach Michael Malone was nonetheless critical of Denver’s perimeter defense. The Heat simply didn’t make open 3-point shots (33%). Strus was 0 for 9. On...

Heat’s Jimmy Butler: Bam Adebayo “going to be the reason why we win the championship”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

MIAMI — Championship on deck? Give Heat center Bam Adebayo credit.Through the first two games of the Finals, he’s been Miami’s first line of defense against Nikola Jokic, doing his best to dictate how the two-time MVP operates offensively. Even though Jokic scored 41 points in Game 2, the scoring came on the Heat’s terms. With only four assists, Jokic wasn’t the unstoppable, unguardable engine he was in Game 1.And that’s just the energy Adebayo’s exerting defensively. Offensively, he’s averaged 23.5 points, 11 rebounds and 4.5 assists through two games. In Game 2, he looked like Jokic Lite, serving as an offensive fulcrum for Miami.Jimmy Butler has been underwhelming offensively and credited Adebayo for his all-encompassing impact.“Bam has been playing incredibly well this entire playoffs, for sure this series, and that’s when he’s got like the toughest matchup by far on the defensive side of the ball,” Butler said.“…He has been there for us all year long, and like...

L.A. County District Attorney to stop posting on Twitter, citing 'hateful content'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will no longer post content on Twitter, citing concerns about “harmful and hateful content,” D.A. George Gascón announced Tuesday.“As a prosecutor’s office, we uphold the principles of justice, fairness and equality for all,” Gascón posted – on Twitter. “The rise of unchecked vitriol targeting marginalized communities, false information, lack of community guideline enforcement or mechanisms to otherwise address these issues, has left us with no other choice.”Last October, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion with the stated goal of protecting free speech.  Since then, the social media platform has lost market value and some high-profile users who expressed concern about a rise in hate speech, including the reinstatement of previously banned white nationalists.In his statement, Gascón alluded to hateful comments that followed official tweets by his office.“While we respect the principles of the First Amendment, we also reco...

California's DMV is changing the disabled parking permit renewal process: These are the changes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

The process to renew disabled parking placards in California will require a little more work in an effort to curb widespread misuse. Beginning on June 30, California drivers who have had disabled parking placards for six or more years will need to renew it to keep placards valid. California bill would ban the sale of Skittles, Hot Tamales & other food items  This is the first year the rule is in effect under Senate Bill 611, which requires placard holders to sign a form with the California DMV every six years to ensure they are still alive and need the placard, the Los Angeles Times reported.The bill turned law, which passed in 2017, was introduced to curb the mistreatment of disabled parking placards. SB 611 passed six months after a 2017 state audit revealed that the DMV wasn’t checking to ensure people who were issued the placards still used them.The audit also found that the department hadn’t canceled the parking permits after people died and found that some were misu...

The story behind one of L.A.'s most famous streets

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

In most major U.S. cities you will find common street names like Broadway, Market, Oak, Elm, First, Second, etc. But in Southern California, you will also find a well-known street name with a less obvious origin: Rosecrans.Rosecrans Avenue is a major, 27-mile thoroughfare through Los Angeles and Orange Counties. It is also a bustling street in the Point Loma area of San Diego.William Starke Rosecrans was born in Delaware County, Ohio in 1819. (NPS)So where does the name come from?William Starke Rosecrans was born in Delaware County, Ohio in 1819. He was brigadier general for the Union during the American Civil War and, according to the National Parks Service, “was largely responsible for the Union's early victories in northern Virginia at the Battles of Rich Mountain and Corrick's Ford.”Rosecrans’ military success, however, abruptly came to an end at the Battle of Chickamauga in 1863 – the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War behind Gettysburg.As the American Battlefield Trust e...

Deadline approaching for big cat owners to register animals as 'pets'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

The deadline for owners of tigers, lions and other big cats to register their animals as exotic pets is quickly approaching.The registration deadline was enacted in the wake of last year's massive win by animal activists across the country that effectively ended the big cat trade among unlicensed animal hobbyists.The Big Cat Public Safety Act was signed into law last December, serving as an official ending to the practice of breeding and trading big cats. President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan bill just two years after the world came to a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic and Americans were captivated by the scandalous and tawdry details of the nation's most prominent big cat traders, as documented in the Netflix series "Tiger King."The firestorm of a documentary increased interest in the American tiger trade and led to a groundswell of support to end the practice. Lawmakers were tasked with striking a balance between animal advocates and longtime breeders.As part of t...

Millions of California children will receive free books thanks to Dolly Parton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

A statewide expansion of a free book program was announced Tuesday, providing millions of children in California with free literature thanks to Dolly Parton.The bill, SB 1183, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom in Oct. 2022 to provide funding for Parton’s “Imagination Library”, providing free books to children from birth to 5 years old.The nationwide program is active across 30 counties in California, with the expansion to fully cover the state's 58 counties and around 2.4 million eligible children by 2028.Free books will be mailed directly to the child’s home at no cost to their family and regardless of household income.Parents or legal guardians can register for the program online. Children will receive one free book per month until their 5th birthday. If a household has more than one child under 5 years old, each child can be registered to receive their own set of books.California will be the first state to offer a fully bilingual English/Spanish book option under the Imagi...

SF Giants beef up batting order ahead of Coors Field visit: ‘It does feel a little bit different’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

DENVER — On a whiteboard in his office, Giants manager Gabe Kapler maps out his team’s lineups for the coming week. It’s typically pretty routine, but for a few days, he couldn’t take his eyes off the order unveiled Tuesday night for their series opener against the Colorado Rockies.“The lineup just looks especially deep today,” Kapler said pregame.It was a day to look forward to as soon as it became clear that Thairo Estrada and Joc Pederson would be ready to be activated from the injured list. Both players were back in there as expected, in slots that signify their importance to San Francisco’s lineup: Estrada second, Pederson third. Michael Conforto’s presence in the five spot was an added bonus, after sitting out their weekend series with a bruised heel.It was enough to make a stoic skipper smile.“Estrada’s back, Joc’s back, Michael’s back at full strength,” Kapler said, noting that Conforto was still dealing with some discomf...

49ers quarterback update: Brock Purdy now throwing three times a week

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:30:40 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy has ramped up his throwing program and is now throwing three times a week, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday.“Brock’s been great on his rehab,” Shanahan said after the first day of the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp. “He’s as obsessive about it as you can be. That’s why he’s ahead of schedule.”There’s been a steady flow of positive news regarding Purdy since the sophomore quarterback underwent surgery on March 10 to repair an ulnar collateral ligament injury in his throwing elbow.Purdy did not throw on the field during minicamp on Tuesday, but was seen on the sidelines and has been an active participant in meetings.Shanahan said he hasn’t directly watched Purdy participate in his throwing program, but said he has a set schedule of when he throws, how many times he throws and how far he throws.“It’s part of his process of getting back and he’s continuing right on the track he’s always been on,” Shanahan said. “No setbacks and it’s been very good so ...