SALEM, Ind. – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by Chevrolet Performance Masters of the Pro’s 150 will include a couple of new twists this year.

For the first time, the event will take place at the famed Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tenn., and the event will have promotional sanctioning from the Show Me the Money Pro Late Model Series from Montgomery Motor Speedway.

“We are really looking forward to having the Masters of the Pro’s 150 at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and working with Stan (Narrison) and the Show Me the Money Series he has developed at Montgomery Motor Speedway,” said R.J. Scott, Managing Partner of the Champion Racing Ass’n. “Nashville will be the perfect place for this event to be held, the track has tons of history and the city has become a destination place with all the great food and entertainment establishments! This event is going to be one racers and fans will not want to miss.”

Narrison is the general manager of Montgomery Motor Speedway, which oversees the Show Me the Money Series.  He is equally enthusiastic for the Masters of the Pro’s event.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to work with CRA and Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and for our racers to be eligible for the Show Me the Money Series Provisionals,” said Narrison. “The only way to grow our industry is to work together with common goals and provide great venues and events for our racers. The Show Me the Money Series is one of the strongest in the country and this extra exposure for our racers is priceless. We are looking forward to 2020 and beyond.”

Previous winners of the Masters of the Pro’s include Chase Elliott, John Hunter Nemechek, Bubba Pollard, Anderson Bowen and Cole Williams. Pollard has won the last two editions of the event, which was most recently held at Memphis Int’l Raceway.

The 150-lap green flag event will pay a minimum $10,000 to win and $1,000 to start for the posted starting field, making it one of the highest paying pro/crate late model events in the country. In addition, the winner will be awarded a signature green jacket, similar to the one that is known for adorning the champion of golf’s Masters event.

The event will be an eight-tire max race, utilizing controlled cautions, with teams only allowed to change a max of two tires per yellow. There will be two provisional starting spots for the Show Me the Money Series for this year’s Masters of the Pro’s 150 in addition to the provisional starting spots for the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour and the Nashville competitors.

A terrible shot with a great result. 

On the par-4 18th in the second round of the Oman Open, Callum Shinkwin found himself with a bad lie with the ball well below his feet on his second shot. 

He hacked it out and the ball didn’t travel far in the air. Shinkwin's ball hit the rocks in the penalty area, then hit the rocks again and again. 

Shinkwin is seen in the back of the video with his hands on his hips watching the action unfold. 

His ball ended up in the grass in maybe the luckiest break ever, and he, his caddie and playing partners couldn't help but laugh.

Shinkwin went on to double bogey the final hole to shoot 2-under 70, which landed him tied for tenth place on the leaderboard going into the weekend in Oman.

Sunday will see the first major trophy of the English season awarded, as Manchester City aim to lift the Carabao Cup -- named after a Thai energy drink, in case you wondered! -- for a third straight year when they face Aston Villa at Wembley (Stream LIVE on ESPN+ in the U.S. at 11:25 a.m. ET, following a LIVE social show from Wembley 30 minutes prior to kickoff).

Pep Guardiola's side achieved an unprecedented domestic treble last year by winning the Premier League and FA Cup in addition to the Carabao trophy. Although they seem certain to be dethroned by runaway leaders Liverpool in the league, another trophy hat-trick is possible for City, who remain in contention for Champions League and FA Cup glory.

For Villa, meanwhile, this is an opportunity to put relegation fears aside for a week and attempt to win the club's first major honour since 1996, when they beat Leeds United in this competition. This will actually be Villa's ninth appearance in the final of a competition that dates to 1960.

Here is what you need to know about Sunday's final on ESPN+.

Do Man City just need to turn up?

City won this competition in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019; success Sunday would take them to seven wins, one behind Liverpool's all-time record. Meanwhile, the last time they played Villa in the Premier League, Guardiola's men ran out 6-1 winners on Jan. 12, and they won 3-0 when the sides met in October.

Villa are massive underdogs and have won only once in the league since 2020 began, but they have happy recent memories of Wembley, having won the Championship playoff final in May to secure promotion. They know how to win on the big occasions, and in Jack Grealish, they have a player capable of producing a magic moment.

How good is Grealish?

The 24-year-old midfielder has nine goals and seven assists in all competitions this season, in which he has been Villa's best player and shown form that should see him debut for England before Euro 2020.

With slicked-back, Peaky Blinders hair and rolled-down socks, Grealish stands out for more than just his talent. He has been Villa's talisman for the past two seasons, and his passing skills and trickery on the ball have made him a summer target for City and Manchester United. (The comparisons to United great David Beckham haven't gone unnoticed, either.)

He can hold on to the ball for too long at times, but the rough edges are beginning to be smoothed, and he has a confirmed admirer in Guardiola.

"Villa have one of the best players in the league in Jack Grealish," the City manager said. "He's an exceptional player. I didn't know him before I came here -- he was playing in the Championship -- but honestly, an exceptional player."

Do City have any weaknesses that can be exploited?

City have conceded 29 league goals this season -- more than promoted Sheffield United -- and their defensive issues date back to their not replacing Vincent Kompany when the former captain moved into management with Anderlecht last year.

The shortage of cover at the back was further exposed when Aymeric Laporte suffered a serious knee ligament injury in August. (Laporte returned to action after a five-month layoff but has since had more fitness issues and is doubtful for the final.) Guardiola appears to have lost faith in John Stones, so Fernandinho has shifted from midfield to play as a makeshift central defender alongside the unconvincing Nicolas Otamendi.

And so, with Guardiola lacking a convincing left-back and especially with Fernandinho playing deeper, City are vulnerable. The question is: Are Villa good enough -- or bold enough -- to pose a proper test?

Let's say Grealish & Co. score goals. Can Villa stop City at the other end?

There is no way to spin this one: Villa could be on the wrong end of a mauling! Manager Dean Smith and his assistant, Chelsea legend John Terry, might tighten a defence that has conceded a league-worst 52 goals and faces a potent City attack that has struck 68 times, which is four more than Liverpool.

With the prospect of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus starting the game, it really does look like a mismatch for Villa, especially given City's past ruthlessness against weaker opposition. They have hit Villa for six already this season, and Guardiola's team hammered Watford 6-0 in last season's FA Cup final.

Man City also have the emotional boost provided by Tuesday's massive away win against Real Madrid in the Champions League. Having endured such a difficult and (by their standards) disappointing time in the Premier League this season, victory at the Bernabeu has revived a squad in need of morale.

Do we get VAR in the Carabao Cup Final?

Yes: we could be in for another day of video review-induced drama and controversy following the EFL's decision to use the Video Assistant Referee system for this season's semifinals and final. After all, it's not even been week since VAR overshadowed Olivier Giroud's superb performance in Chelsea's 2-1 win over Tottenham when Giovani Lo Celso wasn't sent off for a dangerous foul on Cesar Azpilicueta.

- Johnson: How VAR has affected every Premier League club
- VAR in the Premier League: Ultimate guide

For Sunday's final, Lee Mason is the match referee and Mike Dean has been tasked with watching the monitors at Stockley Park, the Premier League's VAR hub.

What would victory do for this Man City side's legacy?

In the Guardiola era, City have been lauded as one of the best club sides ever seen in England, and their track record backs up that claim: Victory on Sunday would take Guardiola's trophy haul to six -- eight if you count the Community Shield -- since he arrived in 2016.

What would be the significance of a major trophy for Villa?

Historically one of England's most successful clubs, Villa have won seven league titles, seven FA Cups, five EFL Cups and, in 1982, the European Cup. Beating City would hand the Birmingham-based club a return to continental competition, via the Europa League, and remind many of their once-great status.

Are we set for another League Cup final shock?

The chance of an upset in a one-off game always exists, and Villa can take heart from Swindon beating Arsenal in 1969, Stoke City overcoming Chelsea three years later and Luton Town stunning Arsenal in 1988. In 1991, U.S. international John Harkes was part of the Sheffield Wednesday side that beat favourites Man United (he also scored in a defeat against Arsenal two years later).

Recent years have been dominated by the big boys: Jose Mourinho won his first trophy in English football with Chelsea in 2005, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic inspired Man United past Southampton three years ago. Last season's final, won by City on penalties against Chelsea, is best remembered for the refusal of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga to be substituted by manager Maurizio Sarri prior to the shootout.

Prediction time: Who wins?

3-0 to Man City. They have too much quality, and Villa cannot compete with them for 90 minutes. There will be no shock winners this year!

February 29: PSL - Multan Sultans v Quetta Gladiators, Multan

Our XI: Jason Roy, Shane Watson, Khushdil Shah, Ravi Bopara, Moeen Ali, Azam Khan, Ben Cutting, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Imran Tahir, Mohammad Irfan

Captain: Shane Watson

Watson has been getting starts but has not been able to convert them into big scores. He has scored 268 runs in the PSL against left-arm pacers over the years, the fourth highest in the history of the league. With at least two left-arm pacers at the top to face this time, Watson should fancy his chances.

Vice-captain: Ben Cutting

Cutting has played two games for the Quetta this season and has won both those games for his side from difficult situations. Cutting currently has 64 runs from 29 balls and has also picked up four wickets. Against pace, he has a strike rate of 169.46 in T20s, which is the second highest in the format among all batsmen with over 1000 runs.

Hot Picks

Jason Roy: Roy has blown hot and blown cold this season so far. He has scored two fifties but just 13 runs in his other two innings. Roy also has a liking towards left-arm seamers, striking at 146.18 in all T20s against them. He has been dismissed just once in eight innings by Sohail Tanvir and has scored 47 runs off 35 balls in all T20s against him.

Imran Tahir: There should be assistance for the spinners in Multan, and Tahir should come in handy. Legspinners have a strike rate of 19.75 and an economy of 6.78 in all T20s in Multan. Tahir picked up 1 for 23 in the last game he played at the venue.

Ravi Bopara: Bopara is one of the few allrounders with a positive average difference (batting average - bowling average) among all players with a double of 500+ runs coupled with 25+ wickets in the format since 2019. Bopara has 721 runs, averaging 40.05 with the bat and has picked up 25 wickets, averaging 25.2 with the ball.

Value Picks

Naseem Shah: The young quick has impressed everyone with his pace and accuracy in the two games he has played so far. Naseem has an economy of just 5.75 and has picked up two wickets so far. For the price, he is surely a value pick.

Khushdil Shah: Khushdil scored an unbeaten 29-ball 43 to take his team through against Peshawar a few nights back. He showed that he is comfortable against pace and bounce, and will be facing plenty of that against Quetta. In all T20s, Shah has a strike rate of 118.32 against pace.

Points to note

• In all T20s in Multan, spinners go at 6.76 and pacers at 7.54. Strike rates are more similar as spinners pick a wicket every 18.74 balls and pacers do so every 17.91 balls. Stats updated as on February 27.

Jasprit Bumrah has had a lean run since his return from a stress fracture, sustained last year. He showed signs off rust in his first international game, a T20I match in Indore in January, on return, and later he went wicketless in the three-match ODI series in New Zealand. In between, during the T20I series in New Zealand, he wasn't at his best either, giving away 17 and 13 runs in Super Overs.

ALSO READ: Chopra: What's behind Jasprit Bumrah's dip in form?

In the Test series opener at Basin Reserve, Bumrah managed just one wicket in 26.4 overs in a heavy loss.

Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath reckons that how well Bumrah copes with this phase during his comeback will shape his career.

"It comes back to the individual and how well he knows himself and how well he has done previously," McGrath told ESPNcricinfo. So, yeah, Jasprit Bumrah, he's still quite young and he's got a couple of good seasons, but this would be the making of him."

McGrath stressed on the importance of a positive mindset and clarity in thought, explaining bowlers usually need time to feel their way back into the action.

"It's more about the mindset," he said. "Coming back from injury is more like starting the season. If you finish the season up here, the next season you want to start back up here. It doesn't work that way and it took me a few seasons to work that out. I thought this is where I want to get to and I'm starting the season again or coming back from injury, I'm starting down here. So, I've to realise that and allow myself a few matches to get into where I want to get to and get on that upward slope. I think that's probably the biggest issue - the expectations from everyone, back in the team I've got to pick up exactly from where I left off.

"And if you identify that you've got things in place, then your thought process 'okay this is what I want to achieve this game and it's about the process. Getting the ball coming out well, bowling the areas I want and then building it up each match. If you got that way, the process, two or three matches, you're back up at the top. But, he [Bumrah] has played only one [Test] match and everyone is into him. That's how it goes."

Prior to his T20I comeback, Bumrah had been pulled out of Gujarat's Ranji Trophy fixture. Should he have been allowed to test out his fitness in four-day cricket before coming back to international cricket?

"Sometimes, it is a better way, otherwise no," McGrath said. "It's about the player themselves - where they are at and what they're looking to achieve. To me, it's more how we he bowled. Did he bowl a heap of rubbish, then maybe a few issues. Did he bowl well and didn't take a wicket; one-day cricket is not about taking wickets. Early on you want to take wickets but it's about containment. T20 cricket is sort of similar, and it's about how well he's bowling.

"Sometimes, coming back in Shield cricket in Australia or Ranji Trophy you have over here, there's more expectations on the player to come back and dominate first ball. And if he doesn't, then there's more pressure."

Let's move into the weekend with 10 NBA things:

1. Jayson Tatum is here

When was the last time this happened -- a player in the middle of the season making The Leap, everyone digesting the revelation together and knowing it is real and lasting? Perhaps Kawhi Leonard toward the start of 2016-17?

Tatum always had the pieces. Those pieces rarely coalesced on the same nights -- until the past five plus-weeks, starting almost to the day Tatum made the All-Star team. My pet theory is that Tatum was pressing about All-Star, and making it helped him settle into a groove.

The level of craft in his game has exploded. The individual moves were there; this nasty, left-handed, in-and-out dribble is from the first week of the season:

He has learned to string those moves together in ways that get him into the paint with more space to operate.

He starts by faking away from Daniel Theis' pick, wrong-footing both CJ McCollum and Hassan Whiteside. Tatum pauses to cement his advantage, kinda fakes that same in-and-out dribble as Theis rumbles into position, and finally explodes with a weaving crossover. Utter filth.

There is a staccato to Tatum's dribble game that keeps defenders off-balance -- at his mercy. (I argued last season Tatum needed more pick-and-roll reps, but Boston's ecosystem couldn't handle that sort of role shift. He's running twice as many this season, per Second Spectrum data.)

Tatum has used those pre-screen fakes to open space for the other shot that has rocketed him into All-NBA territory: the pull-up 3. Tatum has hit 41% on 4.4 pull-up triples per game -- 12th most in the league, and a gargantuan increase from 1.4 attempts last season. He remains a huge plus on defense. (Jaylen Brown deserves credit for often guarding power forwards, sparing the other Celtics some banging.)

This Tatum can be a top-five player in the NBA someday -- maybe soon. That provides Boston a path to title contention, perhaps now and definitely later. It gives this season's team something every contender requires: a clear hierarchy. There can be no arguments about who should have the ball late.

Tatum seized that responsibility in a way that felt organic. It's as if the rest of the Celtics were waiting for him to take it, maybe without even realizing. Everyone agreed, in the moment, that this is how it should be.

That is basketball magic. It rarely happens so naturally.

Tatum's next step is to advance as a passer. He has shown hints; he's making the first read a beat earlier:

Eventually, he will manipulate defenses, and make the pass one or two steps further down the chain than they expect. He doesn't project as a mega-assist ballhandling fulcrum, but there is no reason he can't average five or six dimes per game at his apex. Other scoring wings with that sort of profile have proved capable of being the best players on title teams.

2. Zach LaVine's missing playmaking

LaVine is a trooper. He plays huge minutes every game. He says and does the right things when his coach criticizes him in the media. Chicago averages 99 points per 100 possessions when he sits -- so much worse than the league's clankiest offense that it's embarrassing.

But it's fair to ask what level of creative burden LaVine can handle given his status as Chicago's best and maybe only reliable perimeter starter going forward. (It's hard to assume anything about Otto Porter Jr.'s future in Chicago, or anywhere, at this point.)

LaVine's playmaking has stagnated. He knows the reads -- where every teammate should be, how defenses rotate. But he can be late deciding what to do, and noticing when the defense is onto him.

LaVine is halfway to a really smart play there. He understands that Isaac Bonga, guarding the red-hot Coby White in the left corner, is responsible for crashing down on Cristiano Felicio's roll. LaVine stares at White, and tricks Bonga into rotating there -- unlocking an easy pass to Felicio.

Rui Hachimura anticipates LaVine's plan and jumps the passing lane. LaVine has to see that coming.

Caveat: LaVine has zero starter-quality players on the floor with him there. (Apologies to Thaddeus Young, who lost a half-step in transit from Indiana.) Chicago's entire starting frontcourt is hurt. LaVine will do better with more talent and shooting around him.

Even so, there have been too many turnovers like this:

LaVine either misses Hachimura, or knowingly tries an impossible pass.

LaVine is averaging 4.2 assists and 3.5 turnovers per game -- not good enough for a co-lead ball handler unless that guy is an uber-efficient scorer and/or special on defense.

LaVine can contribute to a good team. He is a star-level shot-maker. But evidence suggests he is overtaxed in his current role.

3. The vanishing of Kelly Olynyk

Olynyk was on the fringes of Miami's rotation until Meyers Leonard suffered an ankle injury. He is basically a stretch center without the physicality to defend that position, though he has worked hard on staying vertical around the rim.

He has never been a good rebounder.

Coaches have zero tolerance for weak boxouts from bigs.

Bam Adebayo can defend centers, but that leaves Olynyk chasing stretchy power forwards, and he's not really equipped to do that.

Still: There is a good player in here. Olynyk is shooting 41% from deep. He has a nifty pump-and-go game, and decent passing vision. He just hasn't played with enough force on offense. He hesitates when he's open, and looks unsteady off the bounce -- gun-shy on passes, prone to picking up his dribble in traffic when he still has room to prod.

Hopefully, Olynyk reestablishes his confidence as a temporary starter; he has hit double figures in three of Miami's past seven games. The Heat need him now, and Olynyk needs to show prospective suitors he has room to grow.

4. The Jazz, short on oomph and time

Identity in the NBA is ethereal and fragile -- a "you know it when you see it" collective knowledge that can slip from you with the slightest disruption. The Jazz don't have it right now. On offense, they are caught between their established motion system and a simpler version they settled on after acquiring more high-end scoring talent.

I'm skeptical that shifting Joe Ingles to the bench -- as Utah did in Thursday's loss to Boston -- is the answer. Ingles has Utah's core principles embedded in his DNA, and has struggled in a reserve role. Thursday's no-Joe starting five has been very good in 299 minutes, but the version with Ingles and without Mike Conley has been even better in almost double the minutes. I'd try that first.

Meanwhile, Utah's vaunted defense ranks 12th in points allowed per possession. It still yields the perfect shot profile -- more midrangers than anyone. In prior seasons, opponents shot even worse than expected on that profile. That isn't the case now.

Utah's summer moves exchanged defense and size for offense. That was understandable. The old Jazz had hit their ceiling. But the downsides of that trade-off manifest in those opponent shooting numbers -- and in Utah's total inability to force turnovers.

The Jazz lack a certain oomph -- a hard-to-define combination of size, wingspan, speed, hops. No one is scared when Utah's defenders close out on them. Quick-twitch ball handlers get their inside shoulders past a lot of Utah's mainstays.

That absence of oomph contributes to their biggest weakness: a weirdly porous transition defense. The Jazz turn the ball over on 15.1% of their possessions, sixth highest in the league, and they don't have the roaring athleticism to compensate. They aren't much better defending after live-ball rebounds.

The Sixers make for an interesting contrast. For most of the Joel Embiid-Ben Simmons era, Philly has crashed the offensive glass without compromising its transition defense. That is where having huge, fast players shows up. They cover ground faster, spook shooters, jump higher at the rim. You hear them, and feel them, in a way you don't with Utah.

Utah has to nail the little things -- positioning and effort. Rudy Gobert hasn't been the same impenetrable wall, perhaps out of some frustration over his role on offense. Reinserting Royce O'Neale into the starting five should boost their oomph factor.

The best version of Utah is a good, threatening team. They are running out of time to find it.

5. The overload lob

This is one of my favorite NBA passes:

That situation emerges a lot: A mismatch forces the defense to overload one side, with the first rotation coming off the big guy under the rim -- Rondae Hollis-Jefferson above.

The obvious pass -- and a very hard one -- is to OG Anunoby in the weakside corner. That pass usually stays airborne long enough for the defense to lock back into position. The best case for the defense is Fred VanVleet pinging to a middleman along the arc.

VanVleet refuses to settle. He fixates on Anunoby, and fools Josh Okogie into taking a false step back that way. The resulting pass still requires just the right arc and speed. (There is some chance VanVleet intends this pass for Anunoby, only for Hollis-Jefferson to intercept it, but I'm giving FVV the benefit of the doubt.)

LeBron James is the undisputed master of that specific pass. He doesn't even need to dupe that weakside defender; he sees over everyone, and squeezes lobs into tiny windows. I can close my eyes and see him hitting Tristan Thompson on the fingertips against Golden State's tilted defense in the Finals.

6. Mo Bamba, cocking it waaaaayyyy back

I don't know if Bamba will turn into anything meaningful, though he has made under-the-radar progress on defense; he leads the league in blocks per 36 minutes, and opponents have hit just 50.6% of shots at the rim with Bamba nearby -- 10th lowest among 237 guys who challenge at least two such shots per game, via NBA.com data.

He can leave the glass naked with overeager block-chasing, but Orlando should be happy with Bamba's Year 2 defense.

His future on the other end is an unknown (that's being kind), but give Bamba this: He is a stylish, violent, two-handed dunker.

He cocks the ball, almost Dominique Wilkins-style, even banging it against the middle of his back before whipping it up toward the rim. It's cool. Magic fans deserve cool things.

7. If Cody Martin can shoot ...

That is one large, career-defining "if," but I'm rooting for Martin to answer it affirmatively. He reads and feels the game at a high level.

That stealth cut keeps the Charlotte machine running when it might otherwise stall out. Martin takes a half-second to map the defense, and spots the correct pass.

He has shown nascent ability as a secondary pick-and-roll ball handler:

Spicy!

Charlotte has scored 1.253 points per possession on any trip featuring a Martin pick-and-roll -- the 13th highest (!) such figure among 280 players who have run at least 25 such plays, per Second Spectrum data. That number is a little misleading; Martin has run only 103 pick-and-rolls, and scores poorly out of them himself.

But he might leave teammates with small advantages that make the next play a little easier. Martin also sports the 16th-lowest turnover rate among those 280 players.

He is 14-of-64 (22%) from deep. Until that changes, he is a backup on a bad team and break-in-case-of-emergency deep reserve on a good one. But if it does change, Martin could become a legitimate rotation guy. His peripheral numbers -- assists, rebounding, steals -- indicate a smart role player.

8. Luka and Kristaps, figuring it out

Dwight Powell's injury has forced Kristaps Porzingis to play as Dallas' only big man, and as a direct result microwaved the chemistry development between the Mavs' tentpole stars. Before Powell's injury, Luka Doncic and Porzingis ran 20 pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions, according to data from Second Spectrum; Porzingis spaced the floor while Doncic danced with Powell or Maxi Kleber. Porzingis can succeed in that role.

Since Powell's injury, Doncic and Porzingis have paired for 38 pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions. The Mavs in that stretch have averaged 1.38 points on any trip featuring a Doncic-Porzingis pick-and-roll, a mark that would rank third among 307 pairs who have run at least 100 such suckers this season. (Trivia: Three of the top-10 pairings by this measure -- including Nos. 1 and 2 -- involve Kemba Walker.)

A Doncic-Porzingis pick-and-roll surrounded by shooting stretches defenses toward their breaking point. When Porzingis rolls -- as he is doing more lately -- any help from the perimeter opens up kickout passes for Doncic.

Stay home and play the pick-and-roll 2-on-2, and Doncic sniffs out a solution. He uses hesitation dribbles to make help defenders worry he's about to hit Porzingis beyond the arc, only to zoom through open lanes when those defenders lunge back out at Porzingis.

The duo is just as dangerous when Porzingis pops out. Have his man hang back to corral Doncic, and you risk a storm of easy 3s. Switch, and Porzingis launches over smaller defenders.

Doncic can abuse centers on the other end of those switches.

There is an in-between strategy for defenses: Double Doncic, and send a third defender flying at Porzingis. Two months ago in this space, I questioned whether Porzingis -- historically a poor passer -- could make the right decisions quickly enough in those circumstances.

In the past three weeks, he has shown improvement. Doncic's penchant for improvising -- his give-and-go genius -- seems to have rubbed off on Porzingis:

He hits Doncic with a pass like that almost every game now. Porzingis is averaging 2.4 assists per game in February. That doesn't sound like much, but it's a big step up for him.

He also just looks friskier, as if he can feel his body recovering from 20 months off. He's cutting with explosion, and roasting guys on pump-and-go moves. Dallas has outscored opponents by nine points per 100 possessions when Porzingis plays without Doncic after sputtering on offense in those minutes early in the season.

In New York, Porzingis expressed a comfort level playing power forward. The last month has hammered home -- including to Porzingis himself -- the impact he can have as a do-it-all center. It's fine for Porzingis to split minutes between positions -- see Anthony Davis -- but to win the title someday, Dallas will need him to play a lot of center.

9. Technical fouls for taunting yappy benches

Early in the third quarter of Houston's romp over Golden State on Feb. 20, Danuel House Jr. wound up for a 3 in front of the Warriors bench. Well-placed sources say someone, or multiple someones, hit House with a loud, "Hell no!'

House made the shot, grinned, and replied to those bench yappers: "Hell yes!" He might have added mild profanity for color.

The referees T'd House up.

This might be my least favorite technical foul, and has been since referees nailed Stephen Jackson, then of the San Antonio Spurs, for barking back at a very talkative Oklahoma City bench during an elimination game in the 2012 playoffs. If anyone on the bench does something to distract an enemy shooter -- shouting, clapping, foot stomping -- that shooter should be free to say damn near whatever he wants if he hits the shot.

On the TNT broadcast, Joe Borgia's Disembodied Head and Torso explained the league discourages both sides of the bench taunt exchange, and that officials were correct to penalize House. (They do have to worry about escalation toward fighting.) Borgia intimated referees should also punish bench taunters.

Well, refs are doing a terrible job of that. Every team seems to have at least one deep reserve and an assistant coach who specialize in screaming at enemy shooters, and they get off scot-free. Meanwhile, House loses money for telling the Warriors bench to shove it. Rescind that tech, Adam Silver!

10. Phoenix's letterless orange jerseys

By my count (with help from the league office) only five teams feature orange in their palettes beyond the inclusion of a basketball. Two -- New York and Oklahoma City -- relegate it mostly to the trimmings. Two more -- Orlando and Utah -- adopted it in new alternate jerseys.

The Suns should lean all the way into orange to the degree that fans associate it with Phoenix and only Phoenix. (They should do the same with purple, though Sacramento, Purple Dino-era Toronto, and the Lakers -- who designate their darker shade as "forum blue," not purple -- offer stiff competition on the purple corner.) Dispense with generic black and gray alternates and other nonsense.

These babies, new this season, are keepers:

The sunburst ball is a classic nod to the Charles Barkley era. This is one of only a few jerseys in league history to include no lettering on the front, and the minimalist look is refreshing. It lets the orange dominate. We don't need words to tell us these jerseys belong to the Suns.

Tokyo Olympic Games selection is up for grabs for American athletes

It is not a big city marathon nor a major championship, but one of the most exciting marathons of the year takes place on Saturday (February 29) in Atlanta when the US Olympic Team Trials for Tokyo is held.

Jared Ward, Leonard Korir and Galen Rupp lead the men’s field, while Desiree Linden, Emily Sisson and Sara Hall are among the women’s favourites. It is unlikely to go perfectly to form and you can anticipate plenty of drama en route with a 700-strong field of runners striving to meet the United States’ infamously uncompromising ‘first three past the post’ selection method.

In the men’s race Ward, 31, finished sixth in the Rio Olympics and also in that position in the last two editions of the New York City Marathon.

Kenyan-born Korir, meanwhile, ran a sub-2:08 marathon last year, while Rupp hopes to bounce back from injury to recapture the form that led to him winning the 2016 trial before winning bronze in Rio to back up his 10,000m track silver from the previous Olympics.

There are a number of dark horses, though, such as ultra marathoner Jim Walmsey, who will be competing in his first 26.2-miler on the roads, plus the former track star Bernard Lagat, who is now aged 45.

Watch out too for Scott Fauble, Luke Puskedra, Reed Fischer and veteran Dathan Ritzenhein.

After placing second at the US trial race in 2016, Linden, 36, finished seventh at the Olympic Games in Rio and won the Boston Marathon in 2018.

Sisson, 28, ran 2:23:08 in her marathon debut in London last year whereas Hall, 36, ran 2:22:16 in Berlin in 2019 and is part-coached by her husband Ryan, a sub-2:05 man and 2008 US trials winner.

Jordan Hasay and Molly Huddle are also among a competitive women’s line-up, although one of the favourites, Amy Cragg, withdrew this month.

Adding to the intrigue, the course has a rolling, hilly route and unpredictable and potentially warm temperatures could be in store too.

Entry lists can be found here.

The men’s race will begin at 12:08 local time (17:08 UK), followed by the women’s race at 12:20 (17:20).

Fans in the US can watch the action live on NBC Sports Gold.

WHEEL, Tenn. – The World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series returns to Duck River Raceway Park for the sixth visit in tour history on March 6.

The race will be a 50-lap $10,000-to-win event.

Two-time and defending Series champion Brandon Sheppard, of New Berlin, Ill., is the most recent WoO LMS feature winner at Duck River – capturing last year’s big check after a great battle with runner-up Chase Junghans.

Junghans, of Manhattan, Kan., jumped out to the early lead from the pole, fending off Sheppard’s challenges in the early going. Sheppard took the lead permanently on lap 26, leading the rest of the way for his fifth-consecutive feature win that season.

Coming into the weekend, Sheppard carries the points lead on the back of one win, three runner-up finishes and seven total top-10s through seven starts.

He currently leads three-time series champion Darrell Lanigan by 32 points and reigning Rookie of the Year Ricky Weiss by 54 markers.

Scott Bloomquist Racing drivers Chris Madden, 90 back of Sheppard, and Scott Bloomquist round out the top five. Bloomquist sits 20 points behind his teammate.

Weiss and Madden are the only other drivers inside the top five with a win through the first seven races, both of them scoring victories in the season-opening Battle at the Border event at Vado Speedway Park in January.

Cade Dillard sits eighth in points and scored his first-ever WoO LMS feature win in the 75-lap finale at Vado.

Joining the Outlaws on the Duck River program will be the Crate Racin’ USA Street Stocks and 604 Late Models, Pure and Hobby Stocks, Limited Late Models and Pure Pony classes.

Hot laps are scheduled for a 6 p.m. start time on March 6.

The NHL trade deadline came and went, and we were treated to a flurry of moves of varying degrees of importance to the playoff races. For the most part, it was a pretty sensible deadline, in that the teams currently contending for playoff spots were the ones that generally added to their rosters at the expense of future capital, while the ones headed for the draft lottery sold off what they could for whatever they could get. What comes next is just as fun as the preceding speculation itself, because now we get to debate the merits of each trade.

While it's tempting to evaluate the moves after the season is over based on how they wind up turning out for the teams in the long run, that's also a flawed way to think about the transactions. It's important for us to grade the trades based on the information we had available to us at the time they were made, rather than leaning on hindsight as a crutch. Not every trade is going to work out the way it was envisioned for any number of reasons, but the logic behind the decision-making should be the biggest driving force behind whether a deal was sound or not.

Let's try to make sense of everything that happened by sorting through the short-term and longer-term ramifications of the most interesting trades we saw at this year's deadline.

Jump ahead to a topic:

• The Bruins' risk/reward

• Why the Lightning traded two first-rounders

• Team Building 101, with the Hurricanes

• The Pacific Division arms race

• Which rebuilders did best?

The risk the Boston Bruins took for the potential reward

When we mapped out the Bruins' wish list for the trade deadline, we wrote about how they needed to creatively improve their present-day roster while also clearing future money to retain all of their important assets this summer. They deftly accomplished that in their trade with the Anaheim Ducks, shipping 75% of the remainder of David Backes' contract to Anaheim with a prospect and a first-round pick in exchange for that financial flexibility and Ondrej Kase.

Kase is an immensely tantalizing talent. When he's on the ice, there's no denying the profound impact he has on the game. He has the profile of a player who was created in an analytics lab, excelling in all of the areas those who care about that sort of thing love. He's a possession beast, generates shots at a sky-high rate, and produces even-strength offense like a player with significantly more name-brand value.

It's easy to see why the Bruins would covet him. His shooting percentage has gone in the tank this season, but in the two campaigns prior, he scored 5-on-5 goals at the NHL's fifth-highest rate, sandwiched by Alex Ovechkin and Brendan Gallagher. That particular type of offense is the one thing the Bruins need. Their top line is responsible for nearly half of their total offense, and they haven't been able to find a consistent scorer beyond Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle.

From a stylistic perspective, he's just as seamless of a fit. He's a tenacious forechecker, excels in transitioning the puck through the neutral zone while attacking off the rush, and organically plays the type of puck retrieval possession game on which the Bruins pride themselves. He's a prime candidate to replicate what Marcus Johansson brought to the table last season, and should open all sorts of doors for Boston's secondary scoring options if he can get the puck to David Krejci in positions on the ice where the pivot can do what he does best.

In an ideal world, Kase is a perfect middle-six winger for the Bruins, but things are hardly ever that neat in the NHL. There's some justified concern around the league about his medical history and how his body will hold up to the rigors of the sport given everything he has already been through. Even though the Bruins are willing to take the chance on him -- as were the Hurricanes, who tried to land him in the preseason -- there are teams that had him crossed off their list because of those concerns. In his first three seasons in the league he played 53, 66 and 30 games, respectively, and this season he'll suit up for a maximum of 67 times if he doesn't miss a single game the rest of the way.

But that risk is baked into the price. Kase's $2.6 million cap hit is bite-sized, allowing Boston to take him for a test run for the remainder of this season and the next one, before ultimately having to decide if it's comfortable committing to him as a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021. It's exactly the type of risk the Bruins are in a position to take, because Kase's upside has a chance to take their already great team to the next level. If it doesn't work out, they'll be able to move off of it and look elsewhere without too much trouble.

Why the Tampa Bay Lightning paid the prices they did

There was plenty of sticker shock regarding the price the Lightning paid for their two additions, but looking at what they did without context paints an incomplete picture. While atoning for last year's playoff failures is clearly their primary focus, trading for Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow is just as much about what comes after that.

There's an inevitable financial reckoning coming in Tampa Bay this summer. The Lightning are going to have to, once again, finagle their way around the salary cap, this time by signing Anthony Cirelli and Mikhail Sergachev to significantly more money than they're currently making on their entry-level contracts. To make room for those extra expenditures, the Lightning will almost certainly have to move some combination of Tyler Johnson, Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde in the offseason, depending on what they can get in return, and whom they can get to waive their no-trade clauses.

While Coleman and Goodrow are quite useful players regardless of anything else, the cap register is ultimately where they provide the most value for a team that's in a position like the Lightning's. The two of them make a combined $2.725 million next season, which will come in handy when they have to move up the depth chart and account for the minutes the team is losing elsewhere.

For the rest of this season, the versatility of the chess pieces the Lightning have now affords Jon Cooper the luxury of playing the ultimate matchup game, squeezing every ounce of production out of the various talents he has at his disposal, depending on the situation.

Unlike last season -- when he was understandably reticent to put all of his eggs in one basket by loading up the top line with all three of his best offensive players -- he has shown no such reservations this season. The trio of Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos has already played nearly 300 minutes together at 5-on-5 this season, outscoring opponents by a whopping 29-12 margin (after just 41 such minutes all of last season).

Cooper can do that because of how good Cirelli has been as a shutdown center, vaulting himself into the Selke Trophy conversation with his defensive play. Throwing Coleman and Goodrow into the mix gives Cooper even more options to sprinkle in when the Lightning are either holding a lead or attempting to put the clamps on an offensively inclined team (such as in a potential first-round tilt against either the Maple Leafs or Panthers).

The idea of Coleman and Cirelli being out on the ice together should be a terrifying one to opponents, because they'd surely make life difficult for them. They're both relentless when it comes to hounding puck carriers and retrieving loose pucks, making it almost impossible to do anything remotely risky when they're on the ice. It's quite a luxury to have in your back pocket if you're Cooper, especially as a complement to what the top line can do on the other end of the ice.

Goodrow has shown an uncanny ability to grind opposing offenses to a halt, serving as arguably the only member of the San Jose Sharks to play anything resembling defense this season. Similar to Cirelli and Coleman, he has excelled as a penalty killer, soaking up the most minutes on a Sharks group that was surprisingly the No. 1-ranked unit when it came to goal suppression when down a man. Rather than sitting back in a conventional shell that tries to limit damage, the Lightning are now equipped to aggressively combat opposing power plays with an attack of their own.

That calculus is presumably why GM Julien BriseBois was comfortable moving premium draft capital right now for two players who typically wouldn't command it based on face value, especially if the Lightning feel like they'll be able to recoup at least some fraction of it in the offseason, as they did last summer when they shipped J.T. Miller (and his contract) to Vancouver for picks.

It was a big price to pay, but they were uniquely positioned to pay it. Not only do the trades help improve their chances for the upcoming playoff run, but they proactively prepare the team better for the moves it'll have to make this summer. That type of foresight is commendable in a league where teams are often so preoccupied with what's right in front of them.

The Carolina Hurricanes: Team Building 101

Arguably no team was busier than the Hurricanes were on Monday, at least when it came to making moves of real significance. There's a lot to unpack whenever you're moving as many pieces around the depth chart as Carolina did in a short period of time, but the biggest initial takeaway was that it represented a continuation of how craftily the Hurricanes have been constructing their roster.

What Brady Skjei and Vincent Trocheck both have in common is that they're under contract at a medium-sized salary for what's ostensibly the rest of their 20s, which is a recurring theme for the Hurricanes. If you look at their cap sheet, you'll notice that nearly every contract they have right now can be grouped into that same bucket. The only real exceptions are Jordan Staal (whose contract is a holdover from a different era), and Sebastian Aho (who wisely used his leverage to get paid now and cash in again at age 27 as he used the Canadiens to get his cake and eat it too with an offer sheet).

It's a strategy of team building that's part by design, and part out of necessity. While the Hurricanes have done a remarkable job of drumming up excitement and fan involvement in their local market, they don't want to be throwing money around the way teams in some of the biggest markets in the league do. It's imperative for them to be shrewd when it comes to taking calculated risks, avoiding regrettable albatrosses and getting bang for their buck by employing players who are in their prime years of productivity.

It's reminiscent of the St. Louis Blues, who have similarly built their roster around Vladimir Tarasenko in his prime, which in part allowed them to swoop in and steal Ryan O'Reilly when the opportunity presented itself. While it's not necessarily a groundbreaking revelation to say that every team's sole focus should be getting as many good players any way that it can, it apparently kind of is when you look around the league and see how many teams still haphazardly disregard asset management and long-term planning.

The Hurricanes could justify moving a first-round pick for Skjei because they had two of them after weaponizing their cap space last summer to take a bad contract off Toronto's hands. They could afford to part with three fairly highly regarded prospects in Janne Kuokkanen, Eetu Luostarinen and Chase Priskie because of how much of an effort they'd put into bulking up their minor league system over the past few years. They made 12 draft picks last summer, with the six picks they made in 2018 marking the only time they hadn't exceeded seven since 2014. When you progressively accumulate assets the way they have, you can eventually take calculated risks like this.

In terms of the on-ice fit, inserting Trocheck into a spot down the middle between Aho and Staal provides them with one of the deepest center groups in the league, and some valuable positional flexibility moving forward. It's not nearly the magnitude of the O'Reilly heist, but the principle of targeting a distressed asset and buying low on it is quite similar.

It gives their lineup balance, allowing everything to slide into its natural place. It also takes an offensive burden off of Staal's plate, so that he can focus on what he does best defensively. It also allows Martin Necas to continue his development without worrying about the defensive responsibilities that come with playing center.

On defense, the Hurricanes needed to do something after losing both Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce for an extended period of time. Rental Sami Vatanen is more of a wait-and-see player because of his health, but he should provide a nice shot in the arm for a power play that's just 22nd in scoring efficiency since losing Hamilton.

What they'll get out of Skjei is more complicated. He fits very well with how the Hurricanes want to play, as one of the better skaters at the position. His underlying numbers haven't been particularly impressive since he burst onto the scene as a rookie, but it's quite possible that says more about what was around him with the Rangers, and the way he was used.

Last season, Skjei was paired predominantly with Adam McQuaid, who is no longer in the league. This season he played mostly with Jacob Trouba, but was being used in a shutdown role with defensively slanted deployment. The Hurricanes will be far better equipped to get the most out of Skjei and his particular set of skills given the other defensemen they already have on the roster, especially once they get healthier. Given Skjei's age and his natural physical ability, it's easy to see why they'd identify him as someone who was getting lost in the shuffle with all of the shiny new toys on the Rangers' blue line.

The Pacific Division arms race

The glass-half-empty view of the Pacific Division is that it's the worst division in the league this season. The glass-half-full view for the teams involved is that the division is wide open and there for the taking, with a relatively clear path toward the Western Conference final serving as the carrot dangling in front of them.

That's why we saw the Golden Knights, Oilers, Canucks and Flames all add pieces at this deadline, attempting to address what they viewed as their biggest lineup weaknesses. The Coyotes are in that mix as well, but they already shot their shot previously when they traded for Taylor Hall back on Dec. 16, and are now hoping that the return of goaltender Darcy Kuemper will serve as their big "deadline acquisition."

The Canucks paid a hefty price for what could ultimately be a rental due to their cap situation, but there's no question that Tyler Toffoli has fit in beautifully replacing Brock Boeser alongside Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. In their first 50 minutes together, that trio boasts a 56.2% shot share, 70% high-danger chance share, and 67.1% expected goal share (all via Natural Stat Trick) on a Canucks team that has otherwise struggled mightily at 5-on-5. Toffoli himself already has four goals in as many games, seven points, and an overtime winner. Not a bad first impression.

As for the Flames, their moves were more modest, but still important. In adding Erik Gustafsson for a third-round pick, they not only added a capable player while Mark Giordano and Travis Hamonic are banged up, but also gave their power play a nice shot in the arm. We'll see how the Flames' pairings shake out when everyone is available, but Gustafsson's puck-moving ability would be a tantalizing fit alongside Rasmus Andersson's defensive abilities, allowing them to insulate his weaknesses. At the very least, it hopefully means they won't be needing to rely on Michael Stone and his stunningly dreadful 41.1% on-ice expected goal share.

While those were all nice additions, the biggest net gain of the bunch -- maybe not in terms of what they're adding, but just purely what they're replacing -- may have been the Oilers replacing Alex Chiasson and Sam Gagner in their top six with Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Ennis. Prior to doing so, here's the list of wingers with whom Connor McDavid had taken regular shifts this season aside from Leon Draisaitl, and how many minutes he'd played with them at 5-on-5:

• 632 minutes with Zack Kassian

• 207 minutes with James Neal

• 112 minutes with Josh Archibald

• 78 minutes with Alex Chiasson

• 74 minutes with Sam Gagner

• 53 minutes with Joakim Nygard

• 38 minutes with Patrick Russell

McDavid is great enough that it might not matter who plays with or against him, because he'll ultimately get his production one way or another. But in terms of optimizing the scoring chances his speed creates, the Oilers did the right thing here by upgrading the position while they still could.

Hopefully Athanasiou's lower-body injury won't keep him out of the lineup long term, because the early returns were quite promising. You could already see the flashes of what they could be capable of on the rush, in the two goals they created against the Ducks in their debut performance. Once McDavid recalibrates to the speed and skill of Athanasiou, those opportunities to create easy offense should continue to come in bunches for the Oilers.

While there's no doubt that all of these teams have improved, the question that remains is whether it'll be enough to make a tangible difference and how far it'll ultimately take them. Even though public perception and the current state of the standings would still suggest that the Pacific is up for grabs, it's worth noting that the Golden Knights have been putting together something special for an extended number of games now.

Here are their 5-on-5 ranks in 23 games since the start of 2020:

• Shot attempt share: 57.7% (1st)

• Shot on goal share: 57% (1st)

• High-danger chance share: 57.9% (2nd)

• Actual goal share: 54.8% (4th)

• Expected goal share: 56.8% (1st)

The only three teams with a better goal differential than Las Vegas in that time are the Lightning, Blues and Avalanche. The only team with a better grip on scoring chances is Boston. This is the underlying profile of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The only reason the Golden Knights haven't completely blown the roof off the competition and won every single game during this stretch is because their goaltending has been hit or miss. Their team save percentage at 5-on-5 in that time is just 90.2%, which is worst in the league. The good news is that they can fix it.

We've already seen Marc-Andre Fleury start to show signs of life in February, posting four shutouts and a far more respectable .913 all-situations save percentage in that time; the Golden Knights have gone 9-2-1 in that stretch. If he goes back to struggling, they now have Robin Lehner, who has been a top-five player at the position this season and easily the best backup option they've had in their limited franchise history.

The decision to acquire him came as a surprise to some around the league, but not to those who have been paying close attention. Getting a save every now and again is the only thing standing between the Golden Knights and Stanley Cup buzz, and they've given themselves the best chance possible to get there with their deadline acquisition.

Rebuilding teams setting up future moves of bigger proportions

We typically tend to focus most of our collective attention on the teams adding present-day roster talent because of the immediate impact it'll have on the playoff race, but the other side of the trade tree can be just as notable for big-picture thinkers. With teams handing out draft picks outside of the first round like candy, we saw a number of the most obviously rebuilding teams hoarding picks at the deadline.

The teams with the treasure chests full of assets come June's draft are largely the usual suspects that you'd find by sorting through the bottom of the standings. The Ottawa Senators have three first-round picks, four second-round picks and 13 picks total. The Los Angeles Kings have six picks in the first three rounds, and 11 total. The Detroit Red Wings also have six picks in the first three rounds, and 10 of them overall. The New Jersey Devils have only a modest eight picks total, but will potentially have three of them in the first round.

The one team that doesn't seem to belong with this group is the Montreal Canadiens, who aren't necessarily thought of as being in the midst of a full-blown rebuild. Despite that, they currently have four picks in the first two rounds, nine in the first four and a whopping 14 picks overall.

That kind of volume is largely due to the masterful job GM Marc Bergevin did in squeezing maximum value out of players he moved. He turned the fourth-round pick he paid for Marco Scandella into a second-rounder (and a conditional fourth, to boot) just six weeks later, and recouped a third-rounder for Ilya Kovalchuk after signing him off the street less than two months prior.

While that's undoubtedly expert work on the margins, Bergevin and the Canadiens find themselves rapidly careening toward a crossroads in a hockey market that expects better than the uninspiring results it's received recently. Set to miss the playoffs for a third consecutive season -- and with just two total playoff wins over the past five seasons -- Bergevin appears to have lost the benefit of the doubt when it comes to playing the long game, and is now being judged just as harshly on the moves he didn't make as the ones he did.

What he most notably didn't do at the deadline was cash in on Jeff Petry and Tomas Tatar, despite the fact that it looked like quite the seller's market for players with term left on their deals. Since it's hard to envision a world where he'll be able to get more for them at a later date than he would've prior to this deadline, it's fair to presume that Bergevin either thinks the Canadiens are already closer to competing than they appear to be, or he intends to make a strong push to nudge them in that direction with his next set of moves this summer. While it's fair to wonder whether that's the right move for the team's long-term outlook, it would at least represent a decisive motive for an organization that has been spinning its wheels in no-man's-land for a while now.

If that is indeed the case, then it just adds another layer of intrigue to the 14 picks the Canadiens possess. Even though it's always nice to have extra lottery tickets at the draft given how inexact a science it tends to be, using the logic above it seems unlikely that Bergevin will be tying his fate to a fourth-round project who may or may not make the NHL five years from now. Rather than making the picks himself, it's far more likely that he uses some combination of them to dip into the trade market and take a big swing at a player who can help the Canadiens next season.

Considering that the draft is being held in Montreal this summer, the Canadiens seem like a prime candidate to make some sort of a blockbuster move on the draft floor. Hopefully for their sake what they're planning is more likely to succeed than the half-hearted Sebastian Aho offer sheet, because they need some tangible wins to show for all their efforts after all of the small victories and even bigger losses they've been taking along the way.