David Warner put his bat away and banished a horror Ashes from his mind when he returned to Australia, convinced there wasn't much more he could have done to overcome the stranglehold the England attack - and chiefly Stuart Broad - had over him from start to finish.

The five Tests brought him just 95 runs, the lowest tally for an opener to bat 10 times in a series, with 61 of them coming in a single innings at Headingley. Broad was his nemesis, removing him seven times with one of the most one-sided batsmen-bowler contests since in Test cricket.

ALSO READ: How Broad owned Warner

Warner exchanged notes with Broad after the series had finished and was full of respect for what he had been able to do against him, but secure in his mind that his game did not need a complete overhaul ahead of the Australia season - to such an extent that he only had his first net three days before New South Wales' opening Sheffield Shield match where he scored an excellent century at the Gabba.

"Me and Harry [Marcus Harris] spoke about it. What can you do? If it's in your first 10 balls and you get a good one, you can't do anything," Warner said. "I spoke to Broady about the one he bowled me at Lord's and he said to me it's probably one of the best balls he's ever bowled, up the slope and nipping back in, it's very difficult to do that repeatedly. I look back at that and just forget about it."

Broad's success against Warner came after the extensive work he had done on bowling round the wicket to left-handers, a tactic that has become a go-to for Broad over the last couple of years with impressive results. The Queensland quicks used that angle extensively - it appears he will see plenty of it in the future - and there were some moments of unease, especially against the tall Cameron Gannon.

"It was pleasing to hear Broady, the way he spoke about how he was trying to get me out," Warner said. "You can't generally play for the one that nips back because he's actually just trying to bowl scramble seam and hoping one comes back. All my hard work was for the ball going away from my bat and to his credit he bowled extremely well. He pitched the ball up [much more] than his [overall] career, he had to go work on a lot of things, and credit to him he's bowled fantastically to left-handers over the last 18 months."

Warner's innings at the Gabba was cautious for significant periods against some probing bowling - he mentioned the extra bounce allowing him to leave more easily on length again than was the case in England - but there was a crispness about his attacking shots especially after he had passed fifty. "I know when I'm on when I'm playing the little back-foot punch and pull," he said. "Knowing that, and playing that today, I was very pleased."

National selector Trevor Hohns said earlier in the week that "two or three" batting spots were up for grabs ahead of the first Test against Pakistan but, if there really was any doubt over Warner's spot, that has now been erased. Both incumbent openers have scored hundreds in the opening round of the Sheffield Shield matches with Marcus Harris making a century against South Australia.

"Trevor said what he has to do as a selector and we know what our job is, it's to score runs," Warner said. "If you aren't doing than you probably rightfully aren't going to get picked. You back yourself, I know at home I have a great record, and you trust your game plan."

We're down to the MLB playoffs' final four teams. Most of the national attention will focus on the colossal showdown in the American League between the 107-win Houston Astros and 103-win New York Yankees, a rematch of the 2017 American League Championship Series that went seven games, with the home team winning every game. Don't overlook the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals, however, two fun teams with rising stars in slugger Juan Soto and pitching ace Jack Flaherty.

With the National League Championship Series kicking off Friday in St. Louis and the ALCS starting Saturday in Houston, let's rank the top four teams as they stand right now:

No. 1: Houston Astros

What worked in the American League Division Series: Mostly, Gerrit Cole, who allowed one run in 15⅔ innings over two starts, striking out 25 batters and allowing just six hits. Justin Verlander dominated in his first start (although he wasn't as good working on short rest in Game 4). Jose Altuve, who basically played last year's ALCS on one leg, is healthy and mashing. He hit .350 in the series with three home runs, and now has 11 career home runs in the postseason, most ever by a second baseman. Career in the postseason: .278/.339/.536, 11 home runs, 28 runs and 25 RBIs in 37 games.

State of the rotation: Cole hasn't lost since May 22, when he was 4-5 with a 4.11 ERA. Since then he's gone 18-0 in 24 starts, with a 1.66 ERA and staggering 251 strikeouts in 162⅓ innings. He's allowed more than two runs just once in his past 15 outings. Then you have Zack Greinke, who struggled in his Game 3 start against the Rays, giving up a couple of home runs on changeups up in the zone. He'll be in line to start Game 1, and it seems like everyone is overreacting to one poor outing that came on 11 days of rest. This is still the guy who had a 2.93 ERA between the Diamondbacks and Astros and walked 30 batters in 33 starts. Verlander will be ready in Game 2, but we're unlikely to see him on short rest again this season. The only concern is the No. 4 starter. Wade Miley fell apart in September, so that one probably lines up as a bullpen game with Jose Urquidy, Miley and Josh James in some order in the early innings.

Let's talk about the bullpen: Everyone overlooks the Houston bullpen, but it actually had a lower ERA than the Yankees' pen, and the top three were dominant:

Roberto Osuna: 2.63 ERA, .190 average, .555 OPS allowed

Will Harris: 1.50 ERA, .196 average, .540 OPS allowed

Ryan Pressly: 2.32 ERA, .188 average, .543 OPS allowed

Among relievers with at least 50 innings, this trio ranked fifth, seventh and 11th, respectively, in lowest OPS allowed. The Astros probably won't need much more than those three, but sidearmer Joe Smith is tough on righties and James can light it up at 100 mph (he fanned 100 in 61⅓ innings). The only blip is that Osuna did struggle in Game 2, a 3-1 Houston victory, and had to be pulled for the final out after allowing two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning. Harris had to come in and get the final two outs.

Player to watch: It's pretty hard to ignore Cole the way he's pitching. If this series is as close as most everyone expects, we'll get Cole taking the mound in Game 7 at Minute Maid Field, perhaps riding a 19-game winning streak and looking to pitch the Astros into the World Series. Yeah, I'll sign up for that one.

Man on the spot: Greinke is the obvious choice, with the added pressure of trying to get the series off to get a good start. His career postseason ERA is 4.58 in 12 starts -- hey, that's worse than Clayton Kershaw. Here's another guy: Josh Reddick is an awful hitter in the postseason, with a career line of .212/.274/.285 and three home runs in 165 at-bats. With the Astros the past three Octobers, he's at .188/.248/.238. He struggles against velocity and you wonder if manager AJ Hinch will keep running him out there, play rookie Kyle Tucker or just play Jake Marisnick every day in center and George Springer in right, eliminating the Marisnick/Reddick platoon.

The final word: "We were tested and responded well," Cole said after the hard-fought victory over the Rays. "Had to get hit in the face twice. I like the way we answered the bell. Looking forward to the next series." The Yankees will be a tougher test than the Rays were, with a much better offense. The Astros are looking for a second title in three years, with three consecutive 100-win seasons. If they win the World Series, they'll go down as one of the great teams of all time.

Why they're No. 1: Do you want to bet against Cole and Verlander right now? Not to mention Greinke, the back of the bullpen, the offense, the defense, Altuve, Springer ... heck, we haven't even mentioned Alex Bregman, who might be the AL MVP. Astros in a sweep isn't a crazy notion.

No. 2: Washington Nationals

What worked in the National League Division Series: Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer allowed five runs in 20 innings and struck out 27 batters. Anthony Rendon hit .412 with four extra-base hits. Juan Soto had a 1.020 OPS and two home runs, including the clutch blast off Clayton Kershaw that landed in the Hollywood Hills. In other words, the stars stepped up. Given that the Nationals are a team built around those stars, that's a very good thing.

State of the rotation: The big three of Strasburg, Scherzer and Patrick Corbin went 43-20 with a 3.18 ERA in the regular season, but the starter for Game 1 will be ... Anibal Sanchez. That's because Scherzer and Strasburg started Games 4 and 5 in the NLDS, and Corbin threw 57 pitches in relief in Games 3 and 5. Sanchez is better than your average fourth starter, however, going 11-8 in the regular season with a 3.85 ERA. He allowed one run in five innings against the Dodgers with nine strikeouts. Still, this is a minor break for the Cardinals, as it sets up Sanchez for two starts in the series instead of Corbin.

Manager Dave Martinez was not ready to name the rest of his rotation, but presumably it would be something like this:

Game 1: Sanchez (four days' rest)

Game 2: Scherzer (four days' rest)

Game 3: Strasburg (four days' rest)

Game 4: Corbin

And then back to Sanchez-Scherzer-Strasburg. Corbin could theoretically be available in relief for Game 1 and start Game 4 on three days' rest. Or, given that after his Game 4 start, Scherzer said, "My arm is hanging right now," maybe Corbin goes in Game 2 and Scherzer gets pushed back to Game 3. That would set up Strasburg for just one start, however.

Let's talk about the bullpen: Yes, we have to. Obviously, Martinez used his starters in relief in both the wild-card game and NLDS. Corbin had one bad outing in Game 3, but Scherzer had a scoreless inning with three K's in Game 2 and Corbin bounced back to go 1⅓ innings in Game 5 with three strikeouts. Again, the short nature of the division series makes it more imperative to win now, worry about tomorrow when it arrives. Daniel Hudson and Sean Doolittle showed they could be OK at the ends of games and Tanner Rainey and his 100 mph heater have probably leapfrogged Fernando Rodney and Hunter Strickland to become the No. 3 guy. (Strickland has now allowed nine home runs in 13 career postseason innings, so I think you're more likely to see the Abraham Lincoln statue pitch in a key moment than Strickland.) As for Rainey, he throws hard but doesn't always throw strikes.

The bottom line: As good as the starting rotation is, you're going to need more than two relievers to get through a potential seven-game series. Hudson had two six-out saves in September, so that is a possibility, and Doolittle has looked much better since his stint on the injured list for a sore knee in August. Martinez could try and push his starters an extra out or three, but managers are very reluctant these days to do that in October -- nobody wants to lose a game with a tiring starter in the seventh or eighth inning.

Player to watch: Juan Soto. Sticking to the young-studs theme, Soto introduced himself to that world with his home run off Kershaw. He hit .282/.401/.548 as a 20-year-old, only the sixth 20-year-old since 1900 to post a .400 OBP and the first since Alex Rodriguez in 1996. The other four: Al Kaline, Ted Williams, Mel Ott and Jimmie Foxx. I suspect we're going to see a lot of Andrew Miller-vs.-Soto matchups late in games.

Man on the spot: The obvious answer is Hudson and Doolittle, anchoring the bullpen that had the worst ERA ever for a playoff team. But here's another pair: Trea Turner and Adam Eaton. If the table-setters get on base, then you can't pitch around Rendon and Soto so easily or you force the Cardinals into a lot of one-batter matchups and burning through several relievers just to get past the two big boys. The Nationals' lineup thins out a bit after the top five (assuming Howie Kendrick plays every day), so Turner and Eaton have to make this more than a two-man murderer's row.

Final word: On Thursday, Ryan Zimmerman -- Mr. National -- had an interesting comment about Martinez: "I have had a lot of managers, obviously, and they all come into spring training and say they're going to stay this way no matter what, we're going to be here for you, it's going to be us, we don't care what anyone says. And then as soon as stuff goes bad, every manager has pretty much kind of thrown that out the window and sort of gone into self-preservation mode, where Davey, honestly, has stayed the same way. He's positive every day, his energy, he always trusts his players and has his players' backs. And I don't think it's been any different this year, even when we started as poorly as we did, he stayed the same."

Zimmerman was alluding to the Nationals' 19-31 record on May 23. Since then, they've matched the Astros and Dodgers for the best record in baseball. And they just beat the Dodgers. For four-plus months, they've been as good as any team, bullpen warts and all. They're going to be tough to beat.

Why they're No. 2: Scherzer, Strasburg, Corbin and Sanchez. Call me old school: I still like a starting rotation that can go deep into games and dominate. Soto is a star and I think Hudson and Doolittle are good enough to close out the leads.

No. 3: New York Yankees

What worked in the ALDS: Pretty much everything as the Yankees outscored the Twins 23-7, holding the powerful Minnesota lineup that averaged 5.8 runs per game and set the single-season home run record to just four homers and a .218 batting average. The Twins failed to put up a crooked number in any inning in the three games. The bullpen allowed three runs in 13⅓ innings and enters the ALCS well rested.

The defense also played exceptionally. Aaron Judge showed why he's a Gold Glove-caliber right fielder in a league that doesn't include Mookie Betts (Judge was credited with 19 defensive runs saved in the regular season), Gleyber Torres made a couple of outstanding plays at second base and DJ LeMahieu provides second-base range at first base. The defensive metrics rated the Yankees as a slightly below average team during the regular season, but the eye test suggests the Yankees' defense is another positive element.

State of the rotation: Aaron Boone, learning from last year's ALDS when he left a couple of struggling starters in for a batter or two too long, had quick hooks this year:

-- James Paxton was pulled after 4⅔ innings with a 3-3 tie and 86 pitches;

-- Masahiro Tanaka left after five innings and 83 pitches even though the Yankees were up 1-0;

-- Luis Severino threw four shutout innings and left with a 2-0 lead.

Boone gave a blueprint on how he'll handle his starters in the ALCS. He will not let games get away early like he did against the Red Sox in 2018. Because of the sweep of the Twins, however, the Yankees weren't tested with their fourth starter. One potential option there is using Chad Green as the opener -- something he did 15 times in the regular season -- with J.A. Happ as the bulk guy. Paxton looked a little better than his three runs suggested, striking out eight. Severino waffled a bit with his command and efficiency (he threw 83 pitches in his four innings), but he's showing the big-time stuff he had in 2018.

Let's talk about the bullpen: The Yankees' top five relievers are all guys Boone won't hesitate to go to in a big moment: Green, Tommy Kahnle, Adam Ottavino, Zack Britton and Aroldis Chapman. It thins out after those five, and the big question is whether Boone can continue getting four or five innings of stellar work from that group every game without running into some fatigue issues or the familiarity of opposing hitters seeing them so often. It's easier to go all-out with the bullpen when you're playing a potential five games in seven days as opposed to seven games in nine days. What happens if a starter gets knocked out in the third inning? What about extra innings? What about Games 3, 4 and 5, considering the Yankees didn't use any of their relievers on three consecutive days all season?

A couple of interesting usage notes: Boone used Ottavino as a "righty-only guy" -- in his three appearances against the Twins, he got just three outs. He did have a notable platoon split during the season: .558 OPS versus righties and .753 versus lefties. Kahnle has a little better split and is more likely to face lefties in the middle innings. Chapman, meanwhile, didn't throw more than one inning all regular season, but Boone used him for five outs in Game 3. Chapman isn't the 102 mph flamethrower of a few years ago, and in 15 appearances with no days of rest in 2019 was a more hittable .255/.339/.345, compared to a .160 average allowed with one or more days of rest. The more he throws, the more vulnerable he becomes.

Player to watch: Gleyber Torres. We talked about all the young stars of the postseason as the playoffs began, and the 22-year-old sophomore had three doubles and a home run plus two steals against the Twins. "He's the next great Yankee," Judge said after the series win. The consensus is that he won't let the moment get too big. Indeed, in the regular season Torres hit much better with runners on base than with the bases empty.

Man on the spot: Giancarlo Stanton had limited time at the end of the season as he came back from his injuries, playing just nine games. He went 1-for-6 against the Twins, drawing four walks, so not much of a read there, although a good sign that he was flailing out of the strike zone. It also appeared the knee was still bothering him a bit, and Boone used Cameron Maybin as a defensive replacement.

Final word: I think the biggest issue here will be how far Boone can push the bullpen -- and Chapman, in particular. At some point, the Yankees will probably need one of the starters to give them six innings, or one of the secondary relievers to get a few big outs.

Why they're No. 3: This isn't an insult. This is the best Yankees team since the 2009 World Series champs. The Yankees bash home runs and they have a great bullpen. Just call me old school: I still like my starting pitchers to go more than four innings.

No. 4: St. Louis Cardinals

What worked in NLDS: The first inning of Game 5. The late rally and win in extra innings in Game 4. The four-run rally in the ninth of Game 1. Even with that 10-run inning, the Cardinals hit just .251 with four home runs in the series. But they found a way. That kind of sums up the Cardinals' season. Really, several of their stars have had much better seasons -- Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Carpenter, Marcell Ozuna -- so it was the depth that stepped up, guys such as Tommy Edman and Kolten Wong and Giovanny Gallegos.

State of the rotation: Sophomore ace Jack Flaherty, he of the 0.91 second-half ERA, won't be ready to start until Game 3, as manager Mike Shildt goes with a rotation of Miles Mikolas, Adam Wainwright, Flaherty and Dakota Hudson. As in the NLDS, the Cardinals would love to get to the winner-take-all game with Flaherty ready to go. I mean, they'd love to wrap it up in four or five games, but Flaherty has been a beast. Shildt also mentioned Thursday that St. Louis wanted to set up Wainwright for two starts at home in Games 2 and 6, as he has a 2.56 ERA at home compared to 6.22 on the road (beware the real value of one-year home/road splits).

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will not play in the team's second game in China against the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday after he aggravated a facial fracture Thursday, the team announced.

Irving played just one minute of the Nets' 114-111 win. He left the game after the Lakers' Rajon Rondo inadvertently hit him in the face while shielding the ball.

Irving suffered the facial fracture Sept. 24 when he was elbowed in the face during a pickup game. He was wearing a mask for Thursday's game in Shanghai.

After being hit by Rondo, Irving immediately took off his mask, winced and signaled to the bench that he was coming off the floor.

Caris LeVert, who left Thursday's game after being poked in the eye in the first quarter, is listed as questionable for Saturday.

Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe will miss the start of the 2019-20 season after suffering a small fracture of his rib, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Bledsoe could be out for up to three weeks, the source said, after getting injured during the Bucks' 133-99 preseason win on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz.

The injury was originally diagnosed as a strained oblique muscle after he posted five points and two assists in 12 minutes of action. The Bucks will open the regular season at Houston on Thursday, Oct. 24.

The Athletic earlier reported on Bledsoe's injury.

Bledsoe averaged 15.9 points and 5.5 assists last year, his second in Milwaukee.

Time for another preseason tradition: our eighth annual League Pass Rankings. These are watchability scores derived from a formula etched into stone tablets unearthed during construction of Bill Simmons' backyard swimming pool. We reward each team between one and 10 points in five categories:

Zeitgeist: Do normal people care about this team? If you bring them up at a party, will guests slink away like Homer Simpson into the hedge?

Highlight potential: Does this team have one player who can transform a ho-hum sequence into something transcendent in a blink?

Style: The 2013-14 Spurs would be a 10. James Harden dribbling 44 times before launching another step-back would receive something below a 10.

League Pass minutiae: Uniforms, courts, announcers.

Unintentional comedy: Blame Simmons. We have expanded the category to include variables -- like Markelle Fultz's jump shot -- more appropriately classified as "curiosities."

Reminder: These are not power rankings.

30. WASHINGTON WIZARDS (14 POINTS)

Does Bradley Beal know the name of every teammate? Will he begin weeping during the run of play at some point?

Beal is too good, and too loyal, to act out whatever frustrations he might harbor. If anything, the opposite will happen: He will again lead the league in minutes toiling for a team that seems to believe everything will be fine once John Wall returns from (/pauses to check notes) knee surgery and a torn Achilles. Beal busting it for 35 minutes on this team is almost torture to watch -- Beal as the Leonardo DiCaprio character in "The Revenant."

On the flipside, ranking 30th carries some strange reverse-jinx effect. The Pacers landed here ahead of their feel-good 2017-18 season. Sacramento brought up the rear a year ago.

Troy Brown has a high-IQ slash-and-cut game. Thomas Bryant gets a chance to prove himself a starter. He was one of the league's most prolific dunkers once Washington stole him, and he is dying -- almost bouncing on his feet as he awaits a pass, like an excited toddler -- to launch jumpers. Insiders want to see if Washington reached picking Rui Hachimura No. 9. Any Isaiah Thomas bounce-back would be a wonderful story. Scott Brooks makes a pretty good resting anguished face.

Eh. The basketball is going to be dreadful, and we don't have Steve Buckhantz and Kara Lawson to chronicle it. The Celtics hired Lawson. The Wizards strung Buckhantz along before moving on. Boo. Buckhantz gave voice -- via exasperated sighs and extended silences -- to the hopelessness of a fan base.

29. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (19.5)

One of my random vivid memories from last season: watching from courtside on March 12 in Philadelphia as Collin Sexton kept the Cavs -- without Kevin Love -- close against a full-strength Philly team acting as if that game was beneath it.

I fell a little in love with Sexton that night. He sensed Philly's disdain. It fueled him. He went at Joel Embiid and talked trash, chin-to-chest, during dead balls. He demanded the ball on every fourth-quarter possession, and produced: 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting.

He also had one assist. A Sexton-Darius Garland backcourt is going to chuck wacky shots as open teammates scream for the ball. At least Jordan Clarkson realized halfway through last season that passing is legal!

But Sexton has something you can't teach -- a little Westbrookian bravado that, if channeled the right way, can lift everyone around him.

Love will bring playmaking style and overall respectability unless and until the Cavs trade him. He has a nice pass-and-cut chemistry with Cedi Osman. Larry Nance Jr. is vowing to expand his perimeter game. Perhaps we will see one nostalgic glimpse of the Matthew Dellavedova-Tristan Thompson lob connection. If Kevin Porter Jr. sticks in the rotation, this ranking might look foolish.

The art is dull, save for this throwback bad boy:

Shading the baselines different colors is daring, and it works. The light blue is a needed jolt of brightness.

The late Fred McLeod is irreplaceable on play-by-play.

28. CHARLOTTE HORNETS (20.5)

This is one spot too high, but the algorithm could not resist the lure of Malik Monk unleashed. Will he fling a no-look crosscourt pass 15 rows into the stands? Pull up from 30 feet on a 1-on-3 fast break? Cram on some unsuspecting rim protector? He might do all three in a span of 90 seconds, and James Borrego might have to smile and clap through it.

Miles Bridges tries to posterize everyone. Dwayne Bacon has some Joe Johnson leisurely midrange smooth to him.

But those guys are secondary options. Unless you are a hardcore fan of Cody Zeller's screening techniques, the Terry Rozier-Zeller pick-and-roll will get old fast.

27. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (22)

Chris Paul commandeering 60 pick-and-rolls every night for a mediocre team with minimal wing shooting and depth just isn't that exciting anymore.

At least the Thunder are inching up the art rankings. This jersey, unveiled two seasons ago, instantly became the snazziest in franchise history:

They will wear an orange version this season.

The Thunder have topped that with a black jersey designed to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The Thunder and Nike nailed every detail.

Next project: refresh that court, which has been the same since 2011.

Steven Adams remains a treasure -- forever oblivious when his pointy-elbowed game irritates an enemy into what appears to Adams an unprovoked attack.

26. INDIANA PACERS (22.5)

The hunched, full-speed-ahead fury of healthy Victor Oladipo would jump Indiana at least a half-dozen spots, but it's unclear when we are getting that player. Who holds your attention in the meantime?

Domantas Sabonis comes closest. He brings a rare combination of feathery passing and mean-spirited bully-ball. Sabonis squashes little guys on switches -- shoves them aside, slams, and sneers down at them. When he rises to dunk and spots a help defender coming, Sabonis cocks the ball to add power. He aims to embarrass.

He and Doug McDermott share a wavelength:

Indiana starting Sabonis and Myles Turner means we get to witness an experiment unfold in real time. That's interesting, even if we probably already know the result: They fit well enough to scrape by, but not so snugly that you should pay them $40 million combined (pending a new deal for Sabonis).

Turner is one of the league's inscrutable talents. He protects the rim and shoots 3s. Those are unicorn skills -- bedrocks of superstardom. But something is missing in the in-between moments. Turner's feel comes and goes with weird abruptness. In one stretch, he's a step ahead reading the opposing offense. Those are the moments when Turner inspires Quinn Buckner's beloved "SMOTHERED CHICKEN!" call. This might be the greatest "SMOTHERED CHICKEN!" ever:

The euphoric "YEAH" and "FO SHO!" kill me.

But one quarter later, Turner might catch the ball in open space and have no idea what to do with it.

The offense is vanilla, and the defense won't be the same frenzied, turnover-forcing machine without Oladipo and Thaddeus Young. Jeremy Lamb leaves everyone a little cold. T.J. Warren developing a workable 3-pointer last season was "good" in the practical sense, but do we need to cookie-cutter every wing? Let a teardrop artist float some teardrops!

Aaron Holiday plays with a springy Napoleon complex recklessness, Goga Bitadze looms, and the art and commentary are first class.

25. SAN ANTONIO SPURS (23)

Did you know that when boring people pair up, their boringness multiplies into a stifling super-system of boredom? It's true!

DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge might be the league's two most stylistically boring All-Stars, and they not only play on the same team -- they cooperate on the league's staple play! It leads where you'd expect: jab steps, pivot moves, and midrange jumpers. So many midrange jumpers. My god, the midrange jumpers.

The Spurs ranked last in percentage of shots from both the restricted area and beyond the arc. (They also ranked 30th in dunks. Dunks are fun.) It is incredible they won 48 games despite such retrograde shot selection -- and a defense that wobbled for the first time since Tim Duncan arrived.

How weird is coach Tim Duncan going to be? Does he own suits? Do they fit? Will he get extra leg room scrunching into the second row? Will he react to disputed calls with patented bug-eyed shock?

DeRozan drops the occasional hammer, and has a knack for graceful midair spins. Aldridge led the league in post-ups last season, per Second Spectrum, and that fadeaway over his right shoulder is high-arcing, buttery-soft gorgeousness when it's dropping.

The real fun comes from the young guys and a rollicking bench mob that takes its cue from Patty Mills' caffeinated perpetual motion. Derrick White is a clever two-way player. The White-Dejounte Murray pairing can envelop opponents on defense.

But overall, it's kind of a slog. Bat invasions at the AT&T Center have happened often enough to transition from charming to, "Is this maybe dangerous? Does everyone need a rabies shot?"

24. PHOENIX SUNS (23)

It's OK to admit you're more excited to track the Devin Booker-DeAndre Ayton tandem than to watch the polished Spurs. Youth intrigues. If Booker and Ayton amplify each other as pick-and-roll partners and commit to some of the grimy stuff on defense, Phoenix has a real future. If they don't, the Suns are aimless.

Booker's critics are right about two things: He has been awful on the defense, and his silky stroke belies his middling 3-point shooting -- 35% career, 32.6% last season. But some critics are burying him too soon as an inefficient gunner, and underselling what he has already achieved.

Booker averaged 27 and 7 last season, got to the rim at a career-best rate, attempted seven free throws per game, and hit a tidy 54% on 2s. You think it's easy, or typical, for a 22-year-old to put up those numbers in any team context?

Booker has a nice change-of-pace game, and a solid left hand. He's cagey disguising his pass-or-shoot intention:

Booker should round out his game playing amid more talent -- including a point guard in Ricky Rubio who will spoon-feed him more catch-and-shoot 3s.

Ayton has giant magnet hands. He catches everything. Once he grasps the ball, no force outside his control can yank it away.

His appetite for post-ups is a relief from leaguewide stylistic hegemony. Ayton does not quite fit any of the templates for the modern NBA center: 3-and-D-ish unicorn; Tyson Chandler-style rim-runner; elbow passing savant. He will either gravitate toward one or become just good enough at everything to shapeshift based on team need.

But he will impact winning at the highest level only if he grows into an average defender. Some of his blunders over the first two months of last season were almost jarring in their cluelessness: awkward footwork patterns, ill-timed 180-degree turns -- things you don't see at this level. Ayton improved by spring. He looked more sure on his feet. Ayton continuing that growth might be the single most important variable in Phoenix this season.

Free throws are boring, and the Suns hack everyone; they have ranked 23rd or worse in opponent free throw rate in five straight seasons.

Kelly Oubre Jr. is always doing something nutty -- including falling asleep as his man cuts behind him for a dunk.

Eddie Johnson goes hard at everyone on commentary. Thumbs up to this minimalist orange jersey with the flaming ball -- one of only a few jerseys in league history to include no wordmark reference to the team's name or city on the front:

23. DETROIT PISTONS (23.5)

Blake Griffin ran as many pick-and-rolls last regular season as Kawhi Leonard. He ran more than any other big man (unless you count LeBron) and many guards and wings for whom ballhandling is a defining skill. He attempted almost as many 3s (522) as he had in eight prior seasons combined (590), and still ranked sixth in total post-ups, per Second Spectrum. Only 10 players 6-foot-10 or taller have assisted on at least 25% of their teams' baskets in any season. Griffin has hit that mark four times, most among that group, including in the past two seasons.

I'm not sure any player has reinvented his game to this degree while still retaining some elemental part of it -- in this case, Griffin's brutish post work. He is a brilliant player still innovating even as the revolution he helped usher in -- or at least participated in -- overtakes him. He exists outside unicorn mania. Maybe he is too "old" at 30, or too ground-bound on defense.

But he's still damned fun to watch, and the central force keeping Detroit in playoff contention.

The rest is a harder sell: Luke Kennard's nascent pick-and-roll craft, Bruce Brown's in-your-jersey defense, Derrick Rose's resurgence, the implausible width of Andre Drummond's shoulders. Drummond is a one-man offensive rebounding gang, and it's cool to watch him dominate in snippets using a skill that has largely gone out of style.

Maybe we'll get one Joe Johnson buzzer-beater for old time's sake? Hell, we'll probably get like seven.

22. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (25)

Karl-Anthony Towns single-handedly vaults Minnesota over eight NBA teams. There is almost no other reason, save for the opponent, to choose a Minnesota game on an average night.

Towns has a chance to be the most well-rounded scoring big man ever. He sniffed 50-40-90 shooting territory in each of the past two seasons. He can score out of any action. He almost toggles between personas. On one trip, he's all finesse -- a step-back 3, or a soft jump hook lofted with a flick of the wrist before his defender gets off the ground. On the next possession, he might bulldoze that same defender for a dunk. Towns trailed only Aldridge in total post-ups, but variety makes for greater watchability.

In some actions, Towns can look bulky -- almost clumsy. And then he'll set a screen and glide down the lane with speed and ferocity that make your hair stand on end: Did a man so large really traverse the horizontal plane that fast? Ryan Saunders promises to use Towns more as a pick-and-roll ball handler. Yes, please.

The rest of the roster is mostly blah. Jeff Teague was the human manifestation of "blah" last season. We all appreciate Robert Covington's archetypal 3-and-D game, but are you tuning in to to see it? Ditto for the unrealized potential of Noah Vonleh and Jordan Bell.

Jake Layman uncorks nasty dunks. Josh Okogie fights for every inch, and has uncanny balance shifting from zero-to-60-to-zero:

Closeouts can be highlights!

Okogie has an unconventional counter when opponents hide smaller point guards on him: plow through them on cuts.

I still have hope Andrew Wiggins can be a helpful complementary player, even if every Wiggins midranger triggers acid reflux.

Dave Benz and Jim Petersen are world class on the call.

21. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (26)

I will watch every Ja Morant-Jaren Jackson Jr. pick-and-roll. Jackson had the best all-around rookie season among the five bigs selected in the top seven of the 2018 draft (Ayton, Jackson, Mohamed Bamba, Wendell Carter Jr., and Marvin Bagley III.) It wasn't all that close. He looks like a two-way star.

Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson get to make up for their lost 2018-19 season. There is no player quite like Anderson. On offense, he is a knee-buckling change-up. He moves so slowly as to confuse defenders used to NBA-level speed. He weaponizes slowness.

He plays faster on defense because of his anticipation and preposterous arms. Anderson looks you in the eye as he picks your pocket:

Jonas Valanciunas activated beast mode in Memphis. Taylor Jenkins figures to import viewer-friendly Mike Budenholzer principles. (Fewer fouls would be a nice starting point.) Brandon Clarke is a central-casting League Pass darling.

The Vancouver-era throwbacks look great. The accompanying court might be even better:

I love how the stripe of historic logos mimics the asymmetry of the team's standard court:

Bruno Caboclo, Josh Jackson, and Grayson Allen bump up the curiosity score. Caboclo looked like a (deep) rotation player in Memphis, though he occasionally lost control of his extremities and clanked corner 3s off the side of the backboard. Is Allen more than a cartoon villain?

20. ORLANDO MAGIC (27.5)

The Magic give a professional effort. It's just a staid, predictable one. You can close your eyes and see it: D.J. Augustin darting around a Nikola Vucevic screen and kicking the ball back to Vucevic; Evan Fournier flying off a Vucevic pick at the left elbow, catching on the move, and zipping into the lane as Vucevic pops to 3-point range; the Magic strangling fast-break fun out of the game.

It's a pleasing side-to-side style, but it doesn't produce leap-from-your-seat highlights. Aaron Gordon dunks -- about one per game -- are the main exception, and it is fascinating to watch Gordon navigate the angel-versus-devil battle raging within his basketball soul.

Angel: Be your version of Draymond Green. Prioritize defense. You don't need the ball to be an All-Star!

Devil: Screw that coachspeak. You are the best athlete on the floor. Be LeBron. Call for a screen. Score 30.

Vucevic is one of the league's pivot-foot artists. He puts suckers in the spin cycle:

Jonathan Isaac is all arms and potential and chaos. Bamba is a mystery, Markelle Fultz the league's biggest curiosity.

Orlando's blue-and-black scheme is always pleasing. The new pinstriped painted area is a unique twist:

19. MIAMI HEAT (27.5)

Miami's equal opportunity machine of whirring cuts and handoffs ran its course, but a Jimmy Butler-centric offense isn't all that aesthetically pleasing. There is a lot of jab-stepping and dribbling and burrowing inside for midrange jumpers.

By the way: Did you know Butler works hard, showed up to one practice at 3:30 a.m., and wants to win really badly? I'm not sure if he has mentioned that anywhere. Also: Arriving to practice at 3:30 a.m. is stupid.

This roster will be an evolving puzzle for Erik Spoelstra. I bet he changes the starting lineup multiple times even if everyone stays healthy. One example: If Bam Adebayo and Kelly Olynyk start, how does Spoelstra divvy up defensive assignments? The Heat probably prefer Adebayo protecting the paint, but against some opponents, he might have to chase stretchy power forwards too quick for Olynyk.

Spoelstra could adjust by going smaller: more Justise Winslow, James Johnson (handoff ninja), Derrick Jones Jr. (one of the league's five best dunkers), or the Emperor of Waiters Island. The Heat have the size and versatility to trot out some of the league's funkiest lineups -- groups that could be smothering on defense.

On the other end, they have to sort out a ballhandling hierarchy among Butler, Dion Waiters, Winslow and Goran Dragic.

Adebayo is explosive and savvy -- an underrated passer. I can't wait to see what he does as a locked-in starter. Tyler Herro might be ready for more than a typical late lottery pick. Did I mention Waiters -- the guy who wrote this masterpiece and maybe nicknamed himself Kobe Wade and probably believes, you're damned right, he is the best player in the league -- is back and in shape?

There is a lot to like before you even get to the best uniforms in the league. If the NBA and Nike don't make the "Vice Nights" jerseys a permanent part of Miami's rotation, what are we even doing here?

18. NEW YORK KNICKS (28)

The Knicks nail the minutia: Mike Breen and Clyde Frazier, Madison Square Garden's theater lighting, that classic blue paint. New York's future is tied to five 21-and-under players: Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox, RJ Barrett, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina. No one has an idea how good any of them will be. That alone is reason to watch.

Robinson might have the longest shot-blocking range in the league. He blots out jumpers few would even bother. He is also perhaps the league's thirstiest lob-catcher; you sometimes spot him leaping for a lob no one has thrown:

Smith fears no rim protector. Knox looks the part; can he show substance in Year 2?

Mercenaries block the kiddos in the frontcourt, but they imbue the Knicks with a wild physicality and meanness -- almost a hint of danger. Marcus Morris was ejected from New York's first preseason game after mashing the ball in Justin Anderson's face. Seriously: He just raised the ball over his head, and shoved it flush into Anderson's nose -- a classic older brother move.

Bobby Portis can start brawls with his eyes. Julius Randle aims his boulder body straight at defenders in transition, knocks them sideways, and lays the ball in. Wayne Ellington is always bobbing and weaving around screens; he needs only an inch to fire. Allonzo Trier periodically turns into Jamal Crawford.

17. ATLANTA HAWKS (28)

Atlanta will be the most entertaining bad team. The Hawks played at the league's fastest pace last season, launched tons of 3s, and ranked fifth in dunk attempts. Trae Young is a threat to bomb from anywhere, and a wizard whipping semi-blind long-distance passes -- with either hand -- when defenders swarm him beyond the arc.

John Collins can flat-out fly, and has ambitions of handling the ball in the vein of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant.

Kevin Huerter fires without much conscience, and butts into the fray for rebounds. The rare moments when Jabari Parker tries on defense bring to mind the physical incongruity of an adult squeezing onto a child's bicycle: You recognize the act he is trying to accomplish, but he is somehow fundamentally unfit for it. He doesn't really know what to do, so he bounds around and waves his arms. (Parker can get buckets, and he's a solid passer with something to prove.)

At the past two drafts, the Hawks effectively acquired Young, De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish for Luka Doncic, the picks that became Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaxson Hayes, and more draft equity heading to the New Orleans Pelicans. Those are gutsy bets. Every game is a chance to monitor them.

Alex Len is coming off a sneaky good season. Cherish every Vince Carter motorcycle rev.

16. THE DEFENDING CHAMPION TORONTO RAPTORS (30.5)

The algorithm is perhaps overcompensating for Kawhi Leonard's departure, and projecting anxiety about potential trades. The Raptors still have: Kyle Lowry 50-foot outlets to Pascal Siakam in flight; Lowry buzzing around one step ahead of everyone; Siakam's gangly start-and-stop drives, always appearing on the verge of pratfall disaster and somehow usually ending in profit; Marc Gasol slinging magic from every arm angle, including bowling ball-style passes; OG Anunoby hoping to reassert himself as a franchise pillar; and this national -- nay, international -- treasure telling hapless invaders to GET THAT GAHBAGE OUTTA HERE:

Hell, boring old Nick Nurse busted out the facial expression of the 2018-19 season:

Stanley Johnson and especially Rondae Hollis-Jefferson are worthy buy-low reclamation projects capable of defending every position -- flexibility that unlocks a lot of lineup possibilities if one of them hits.

Depending on your taste, Drake -- giver of in-game back rubs -- is either an obnoxious camera hog or a genuine local hero-mascot.

The Raps are throwing it back to the Purple Dino era, complete with claw prints (!) from sideline-to-sideline and alternate logos of baby raptors eating basketballs and letters:

Awww, they think it's food!

Maybe there really is a conspiracy against Canada's team.

Part 2 coming soon

There was plenty of drama and thrills in both National League division series. Now we see what the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals have left in the tank as they meet with a trip to the World Series on the line.

What's on tap

Friday's schedule

8:08 p.m. ET: Nationals at Cardinals, Game 1

The most important thing of the day: The Cardinals and Nationals barely had a chance to catch their collective breath, but both teams are in the same boat. Neither side has its preferred pitching choice on the mound, but it sure beats sitting at home, and both Game 1 starters have been better than you might think. St. Louis' Miles Mikolas had a 2.81 ERA with 37 strikeouts and nine walks over his past seven starts plus one inning of relief in the NLDS, while Washington's Anibal Sanchez had a 3.28 ERA over his past eight starts, including a solid five-inning start in Game 3 against the Dodgers.

The view from inside the ballpark

ST. LOUIS -- After very different Game 5 experiences, the lead-up to Friday's NLCS Game 1 was as much about catching up on sleep as gearing up for the opener after Washington's late-night thriller in L.A., which the Cardinals watched from Atlanta while waiting to see where they were headed next. When things start up again Friday, it will be a cold, cold night in St. Louis as temperatures are expected to dip into the 30s for Game 1. -- Dan Mullen

A stat to impress your friends: We're guaranteed to see something new and fresh in the World Series as the only possible matchup that could be a repeat is Yankees-Cardinals, and they haven't met for all the marbles since 1964.

Predictions

There's something about cold October air in The Lou that makes it really hard to pick against the Cardinals. The biggest thing about Game 1 is that St. Louis isn't facing one of the Nationals' top three starters, and I fully expect the Cards to make the most of facing Anibal Sanchez and not Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg. Cardinals 5, Nationals 3 -- Mullen

No, Anibal Sanchez isn't Max Scherzer or Stephen Strasburg, but he's a quality No. 4 starter and he'll be good enough in the opener. Plus, the Juan Soto home run off Clayton Kershaw is just the beginning of a spectacular postseason for him. He hits two more in this game. Nationals 6, Cardinals 3 -- David Schoenfield

About last night

Stud of the night: It's got to be Gerrit Cole, who crushed the dreams of the underdog Rays to the tune of eight innings, two hits allowed, 10 strikeouts and one trip to the American League Championship Series secured.

Dud of the night: Rays starter Tyler Glasnow gave up hits to the first four batters he faced, and by then the Astros had all the runs they would need.

Highlight of the night:

Off the diamond

Social media says:

I'm not sure I've ever seen a postseason series end with the starting pitcher sprinting to the mound to hug the closer before the catcher gets there. But Gerrit Cole earned that hug.

54 batters faced in this series
6 hits
25 whiffs
52 swings and misses

Epic.

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) October 11, 2019

Quotes of note: "I don't think you have to look any further than this city to see how big of an impact you can make. We see guys come in, particularly David Freese, gosh, playing against the Dodgers this year. The reception for what he did in the postseason here, you can turn yourself into a legend in a place like this." -- Cardinals reliever Andrew Miller on playing in October

Best of the playoffs so far ...

Our running postseason MVP: There are a lot of ways to break down the dominance of Astros starter Gerrit Cole so far -- a 0.57 ERA and 0.57 WHIP, 25 strikeouts, 3 walks, 6 hits allowed over 15⅔ innings, including eight stifling innings in Game 5 against the Rays. Then there's this: Cole joins Mike Mussina in the 1997 ALCS as the only pitchers with at least 25 strikeouts and one or fewer runs allowed in a single series in postseason history.

The play of this October: We're going to cheat and make this "plays": the back-to-back home runs by Anthony Rendon and Soto off Clayton Kershaw in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the NLDS. Kershaw in the wake of Soto's game-tying bomb could end up as the lasting image of these playoffs.

Game of the postseason so far: Nationals-Dodgers, Game 5 of the NLDS. The Dodgers ambushing Strasburg, Strasburg settling down and keeping the Nats in it, Walker Buehler's mastery, Kershaw's big strikeout before his eighth-inning implosion, Kendrick's 10th-inning slam, questions for L.A. manager Dave Roberts. There's a lot to unpack here, and this was a true postseason classic.

Sportswear giant decides to close its high-profile training group after head coach controversy becomes ‘unfair burden’ for athletes

Nike has decided to ‘wind down’ its Oregon Project training group following the four-year ban handed to head coach Alberto Salazar.

In a statement published by the BBC, Nike said the Salazar situation had become “an unfair burden” for Oregon Project (OP) athletes.

“Nike has always tried to put the athlete and their needs at the front of all of our decisions,” reads the published statement in part.

“This situation including uninformed innuendo and unsubstantiated assertions has become an unfair burden for current OP athletes. That is exactly counter to the purpose of the team.

“We have therefore made the decision to wind down the Oregon Project to allow the athletes to focus on their training and competition needs. We will help all of our athletes in this transition as they choose the coaching set-up that is right for them.”

The decision is said to have been announced by Nike’s chief executive, Mark Parker.

Reacting on Twitter to the news, key whistle-blower Kara Goucher – who was a Nike Oregon Project athlete from 2004 to 2011 – wrote: “Feeling relieved that no more athletes will have to wear this shameful uniform. But Parker can’t have it both ways. You can’t support clean sport and still defend Salazar.”

The US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced on September 30 that Salazar had been banned for four years for “multiple anti-doping rule violations”.

Salazar has denied any wrongdoing and is appealing against his ban.

The Supertrac 2.0 brings the features of Scott’s premium racing models to a wider audience with footwear that is easy to pull on and go.

The Supertrac is a versatile mountain running shoe which has great cushioning, grip and comfort, making it perfect for long days on the trails.

The deep chevron-shaped lugs cope with all surfaces with ease and, when it comes to soft ground, they bite well to give a confident footing.

The cushioning hits the sweet spot of having enough for firm surfaces but not too much when on soft ground and the upper is soft and light, but highly breathable.

Price: £110.00

 Stockist: Scott-Sports.com

World number one Novak Djokovic was knocked out of the Shanghai Masters in the quarter-finals by sixth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Greek 21-year-old Tsitsipas came from a set down - having lost the opening three games in seven minutes - to beat the defending champion 3-6 7-5 6-3.

He will play Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals after the Russian defeated Fabio Fognini 6-3 7-6 (7-4).

Victory confirms Tsitsipas' debut at next month's ATP Finals in London.

It also marks the first time Tsitsipas has recorded a win over the current world number one.

Djokovic - who won the Japan Open last week - has never previously failed to make the semi-finals in Shanghai.

He now trails Rafael Nadal by 1,280 points in the battle for year-end world number one.

"He had the high-quality tennis and he played very well after his serve," the 32-year-old Serb said of world number seven Tsitsipas.

"He was backing up his serve with really good and aggressive first shots in the rally.

"I didn't make him defend enough. I just gave him enough time to really dictate the play from back of the court and he deserved to win."