If the NBA dunk contest has disappointed you in recent years, you might consider tuning into this year's edition. The NBA has instituted a new set of rules for the contest, and they have the potential to make this year's version much more watchable than the boring, craptastic contests we've seen in years past. The worst part about the dunk contest has always been the pockets of cringe-inducing dead air that are produced by one dunker trying and failing to pull off the same dunk over and over again. The new rules should eliminate some of that depressing downtime, because the first round is now a "freestyle" round. It works like this: The six dunkers will be divided into two teams, East and West, and will all participate in the freestyle round simultaneously. Basically, it will be a layup line, with each dunk attempt immediately followed by another one from a different player, and it will go on like this until the timer runs out. Things could get messy if everyone is biffing their attempts left and right, but if the players are able to get a decent pace going and feed off each other's energy, it should be a lot of fun to watch. Once the freestyle round is over, a winning team will be announced and the battle round will begin. Whichever team won the freestyle round gets to choose who goes first in the next round, and then the three players from each team are paired off for a head-to-head matchup. When a dunker loses one of these battles, he is eliminated from the contest. Once a team wins three battles, the contest is over. Yes, this means that the stakes are not very high in the freestyle round, but the battle round could make for some great theater. I'd personally like to see a team go down 0-2, just to see if its last man standing could pull off three wins in a row. But yeah, you should try watching the dunk contest this year. It might be cool.
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Firstly, because I want to stay more than the contract [I have] now. It s something special, I want to stay, I want to help the club, if it is possible, to maintain this level as much as possible.
Why should I leave when I said a month ago that I love this club and I like to be here. We spoke with the players and for the next three months here we are going to focus on what we have to do and then we will have to see the sentence.
Those are the words of Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola who has said that, despite the club s impending two season ban from Europe, he does no…
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Market: Monaco win
Odds: 8/11 @
Hoping to extend on their domestic romp this weekend, Monaco will welcome Reims to the Stade Louis-II on Saturday afternoon.
Starting with the hosts, extending on their Coupe de France adventure last weekend as they edged past Lens, the mood in Monaco’s camp should be at a red-hot high. Although Adi Hutter’s side might have eventually fallen short in their bid to punch a European return, the Monegasques appear to be sat in pole position to clinch a Champions League ticket. Signing off 2023 with another eye-catching display as they secured a 2-1 victory away at Toulouse, the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss will be calling on his squad to make another statement here. Now winning four of their previous five domestic appearances a…
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Having been thrashed 4-1 by Mexico in their opening game of Group A, France hit back to keep their chances of progression alive, though they had to do so the hard way in Saitama.
Indeed, South Africa led on three occasions during a remarkable second half, yet it was Les Bleus who took the points.
Liberato Cacace s stunner was not enough to propel New Zealand to victory against Honduras in Group B, while reigning champions Brazil could only draw 0-0 with the Ivory Coast and Spain overcame Australia thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal s late winner.
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France we…
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American Kathryn Mayorga has accused Ronaldo of sexually assaulting her in a hotel in Las Vegas in 2009, something the Portugal captain has strenuously refuted.
German publication Der Spiegel first reported the claims, which also included the suggestion Ronaldo paid Ms Mayorga $375,000 in 2010 as part of a privacy agreement, preventing her from going public with the allegations. Ms Mayorga filed a lawsuit in an attempt to quash that agreement, while Las Vegas police have re-opened an investigation.
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The Albania striker was among the Chelsea substitutes as Mauricio Pochettino’s side were beaten 4-1 at Liverpool on Wednesday.
Broja did not get on the pitch and Fulham boss Marco Silva is keen to bolster his forward options with Raul Jimenez’s hamstring injury leaving them light in attack.
Aston Villa, West Ham and Wolves have also been linked with Broja this month, but Fulham now appear Broja’s most likely destination should he leave Stamford Bridge for now.
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Chelsea s last two results have been particularly disappointing, losing 3-2 to West Ham and drawing 3-3 with Zenit in the Champions League despite being ahead in both matches.
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Sassuolo moved to the summit earlier on Sunday with a 2-0 win at Hellas Verona but Milan responded with an Ibrahimovic-inspired victory at Stadio San Paolo to go two points clear.
The veteran striker headed in from 14 yards with 20 minutes played to score for the eighth league game running before kneeing in an unorthodox second after 54 minutes, but he worryingly limped off late on with a thigh injury.
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The reigning champions had seemingly found top gear again.
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