The Sportsletter - Welcome to the Circus

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 7, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

Today is the day. The ‘Bron Watch’ is on. LeBron James is 36 points away from breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time NBA scoring record (38,387 points) that's lived since 1984. The Lakers host the Thunder tonight on TNT (10:00 pm ET). And if you're not already sick of the LeBron montages, brace yourself.

First thing’s first… The Eagles and Chiefs are live from Phoenix where Super Bowl LVII media week is underway. Let's join the circus.

Letter Rip!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

The King's Scoring Crown 👑

How do you think LeBron James will break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's all-time NBA scoring record? (click to vote)

Layup | Dunk | Free Throw | Jump Shot | 3-Pointer

SUPER BOWL LVII

Super Bowl LVII Media Circus

Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles & Kansas City Chiefs Kick Off Super Bowl LVII Media Week With Opening Night

After a week of practice and some new gear for the big game, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs are officially in Phoenix for Super Bowl week. Both teams arrived Sunday to get settled in for a week-long media circus. Monday night marked the first true Super Bowl opening night in three years — at least in its original form — after the last two were virtual experiences due to COVID-19. The stars and coaches took to the podiums for a barrage of questions and sound bites. There will be no shortage of quote-worthy moments this week. Everybody on both sides was friendly for the moment, but that will change as we get closer to Sunday. Here are the top notes from Opening Night:

Super Bowl LVII Media Day Notes

Quarterback Injury Status: Both Patrick Mahomes (ankle) and Jalen Hurts (shoulder) were both asked about their lingering injuries, and both seem healthy and ready to go without limitations.

Cookies for the Kelce Bros: While much of the media hoopla will center around the two brothers with big personalities, Travis and Jason Kelce, their mother, Donna, had some fun at media day when she delivered homemade cookies to both her sons.

Coaches Corner: The Super Bowl will be just the second time Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni go head-to-head, but the respect for each other tracks back decades. Reid (64) has 23 years over Sirianni (41). Reid spoke about his days in Philadelphia and his love for the players and staff still in Philly while Sirianni is reveling in the moment of his first Super Bowl. Nothing but respect between two offensive minds.

Super Bowl LVI Betting

Chiefs | Spread: +1.5 | Total: O/U 51 | Moneyline: +105

Eagles | Spread: -1.5 | Total: O/U 51 | Moneyline: -125

Super Bowl LVII Preview (Video)

Additional Storylines

NFL: Sights & Sounds From Super Bowl LVII Opening Night

ESPN: Super Bowl LVII Betting: Big Bets, Wacky Wagers & More for Eagles-Chiefs

B/R: Super Bowl Opening Night: Best Moments & Twitter Reaction From Media Day

ESPN: Madden Simulation Predicts Eagles to Beat Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII

NHL

Skating Towards the Stanley Cup

Photo: Patrick Smith / Getty Images

Analyzing the Post-All-Star Break NHL Hierarchy With 30 Games to Play

The 2023 NHL All-Star break is in the books, and now we’re back to your regularly-schedule hockey programming. As teams refocus and retool, the league’s trade deadline is March 3. We’ll likely see a few clubs push their chips in a shot at a deep run, but 25 out of 32 teams are still postseason hopefuls. A whopping 14 of the 16 Eastern Conference teams are .500 or better (can you believe that?). Ten of the 16 teams in the West are, too. Math is weird when you factor in the NHL’s overtime system. All that to say, expect the next 60 days to produce some wildly important hockey.

Metro Is Wide Open

The Hurricanes (76 points) have a comfortable lead on the rest of the Metropolitan Division, but seven of the eight teams are still in the playoff hunt. The Devils (68 points have a strong hold on second, but the Rangers, Capitals, Penguins, Islanders and Flyers are all separated by just six games.

Atlantic’s 3-Headed Monster

The Bruins (83 points) have been the NHL’s top team, but the Maple Leafs (70 points) and Lightning (65 points) are also dominating much of the league. For reference, no team in the West has more than 70 points. There will be a dogfight for the fourth and final spot in the Atlantic with four teams separated by six points — Sabres, Panthers, Senators and Red Wings.

The Wild Wild West

Who even knows? The entire Western Conference is a complete toss-up down the stretch. Ten teams currently sit between 49-66 points with no clear favorites. The Jets (65 points) are the only team with 30-plus wins, but the Stars (66 points) lead the West. The Avalanche (57 points) and Oilers (60 points) have the best records over their last ten games, and they might boast the best star power, too. Anything goes out west.

With just over 30 games left in the regular season, how the next 60 days pans out will set the stage for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Updated NHL Standings

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Ranking Every NHL All-Star Player’s Second-Half Impact

SportsNet: 30 NHL Trade Candidates to Watch Ahead of the Deadline

NHL: Let’s Make A Deal: Top Storylines Before NHL Trade Deadline

NCAA

AP Polls: No. 1s Remain

Despite Upset, Purdue Stays at No. 1 While Tennessee Falls Out of Top-5; Indiana Women Make History

Selection Sunday is just one month away, and February is starting to deconstruct what we thought we knew in college hoops. A weekend full of top-10 losses and conference chaos brought major shakeups in both the men’s and women’s latest polls, but one thing remains the same — Purdue and South Carolina are still the top teams. Here are the latest AP Poll results:

Men’s AP Top-10

1. Purdue (22-2) | —

2. Houston (22-2) | ↑1

3. Alabama (20-3) | ↑1

4. Arizona (21-3) | ↑1

5. Texas (19-4) | ↑5

6. Tennessee (19-4) | ↓4

7. UCLA (19-4) | ↑2

8. Virginia (17-4) | ↓2

9. Kansas (18-5) | ↓1

10. Marquette (19-5) | ↑4

Men’s AP Top-25

Women’s AP Top-10

1. South Carolina (23-0) | —

2. Indiana (22-1) | ↑2

3. LSU (23-0) | —

4. UConn (21-3) | ↑1

5. Iowa (19-4) | ↑1

6. Stanford (22-3) | ↓4

7. Utah (20-2) | —

8. Maryland (19-5) | —

9. Duke (20-3) | ↑7

10. Notre Dame (18-4) | ↓1

Women’s AP Top-25

Additional Storylines

Big 12: #9 Kansas Tops #5 Texas (88-80) After Longhorns Climb Back Into Top-5

ESPN: Indiana Women Reach No. 2 in AP Poll for 1st Time in Program History; South Carolina Still No. 1 After Win Over UConn

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Klay Thompson Catches Fire

No Steph Curry? No problem for the Warriors. Klay Thompson dropped 42 points on the Thunder in Golden State’s blowout win (141-114), and he did it by hitting a dozen 3s (12-for-16) to tie for the fourth-most 3s in a game in NBA history.

🏒 NHL: Tkachuk Still Red-Hot in Florida

The NHL All-Star break brought the stars to Florida over the weekend. Monday featured an in-state rivalry between the Panthers and Lightning, but the Panthers paced the Bolts (7-1) behind the All-Star Game MVP, Matthew Tkachuk (2 Goals, 3 Assists).

⛳️ PGA: Justin Rose Ends Drought at Pebble Beach

Justin Rose (-18) hung on to his lead during Monday’s continuation of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and claimed a three-stroke win over the field. It was Rose’s first win of 2023 and his 11th win on the PGA Tour, but it also ended a four-year losing drought on the Tour.

THE STORYLINES

🏀 The LeBron Scoring Title Tracker

After scoring 27 points on Saturday, LeBron James is within striking distance of breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. He needs 36 more points to break it with the Lakers at home this week against the Thunder (Tuesday) and Bucks (Thursday). (CBS Sports)

🏈 Moves That Made Super Bowl LVII

The Chiefs finished last year in the AFC title game, while the Eagles had a first-round loss to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Both teams made significant roster moves this year to reach Super Bowl 57. Here are some of the key ones. (USA Today)

🥊 McGregor’s Return to the UFC

At 34 years old, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor is making another comeback. After coaching against Michael Chandler in The Ultimate Fighter (TUF31), the two will reportedly square off in a UFC bout later this year. (Yahoo! Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Manchester City Charged by Premier League for Financial Fair Play Breaches (SI)
• Friend of Ja Morant Banned From Grizzlies Arena for a Year After Pacers Altercation (CBS Sports)
• PGA Tour Asks Judge to Delay LIV Antitrust Trial Date (ESPN)
• Ghana Soccer Player Christian Atsu Reportedly Trapped in Rubble After Earthquake in Turkey (USA Today)

• Former Dolphins Coach Brian Flores Joins Vikings as Defensive Coordinator (Yahoo! Sports)

• Former Cardinals & Bengals WR A.J. Green Announces Retirement From NFL (NBC Sports)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

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