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England and Ireland's Lord's appetiser lingers in shadow of future feasts
Big picture: Searching for the pinnacle
"So Ben, what does the Ashes rivalry mean to you?"
And as the sun threatened to break through on Wednesday afternoon, the old ground bore all the familiar signs of an impending major event: boundary markers in place, sponsors logos on the outfield, replay screens flickering into life, takeaway outlets lined up around the Nursery Ground. Everything starts to feel more real the closer you get to the action.
None of the above should come as any surprise, of course. Except, in the case of Ireland's Test cricketers - invidiously compromised even as they take it upon themselves to shore up their country's very relevance as an international cricket team - all of this is the very epitome of exceptional.
And three weeks ago, Ireland's most recent international encounter was a surreal three-match ODI "home" series against Bangladesh in Chelmsford - a valiant bid to leapfrog into the World Cup's last automatic qualification spot which, even as it failed in front of a sea of ecstatic Bangladesh fans, couldn't help but highlight the team's nomadic, impecunious status.
Ireland are entitled to feel deeply let down by a sport that invited them to the top table in 2017, only to clear away the dinner plates at the precise moment that they pulled in their chairs. But at least they are here, and ready to savour the occasion as best they can, even if - like an invite to Buckingham Palace on the eve of a colonoscopy - their flight to Zimbabwe next week for the World Cup qualifiers is the single most important date in their diaries right now.
"That's the hand we've been dealt, and we have to be grateful to have these opportunities," Balbirnie added. "They've got a huge summer ahead of them in the Ashes. We're very lucky that we've got in here for this Test. I can't be too greedy. These are Tests that I never dreamed that we would get, and this is my second time here, and this time as captain, so we're very grateful."
England, too, may need to avoid getting too greedy. Stokes batted away any suggestion that his team might push for a win inside two days - a not-outrageous notion for a team that managed 506 for 4 in a single day against Pakistan - and yet the team's new philosophy hasn't yet been tested in conditions where they have quite been such overwhelming favourites as this.
At times in recent contests, Stokes' pedal-to-the-metal approach has invited mild censure, most particularly in their one-run loss to New Zealand in February, where a less bombastic approach from a position of clear dominance would surely have delivered an comfortable win.
His answer to all such doubts has been consistent and clear: Test cricket needs to set out to entertain if it is to compete in the T20 era, and that England has a duty as one of its foremost proponents to lead from the front in that regard, so that other teams - not least Ireland - can reap the benefits of a renewed interest.
To that end, it is unlikely to serve the greater good if England end up meting out a humiliation this week, or even if they make the sort of instinctive decisions (looking at you, Nighthawk) that could in the circumstances be construed as disrespectful.
Ultimately, though, it's just another Test that needs to be won and lost - and for all the huge privileges that England enjoy compared to their opponents, it's not exactly a perfectly settled side that will take the field on Thursday morning.
They'll believe they can stick one on England - they'll have to believe - then they'll leap on their plane to Zimbabwe and get on with their main business of the summer. As, indeed, will their hosts.
Form guide
England LWWWW (last five Tests, most recent first)
Ireland LLLLL
In the spotlight: Josh Tongue and Harry Tector
Quite apart from being the first Worcestershire debutant since Moeen Ali in 2014, Tongue's tale is remarkable for his resilience. This time last year, he was in the midst of a 15-month lay-off that he feared would end his career. But he bounced back in style this winter with impressive displays on Sri Lanka's flat decks with England Lions. The promise of more sharp pace and bounce is music to the England management's ears.
Tector had a quiet time of it at the T20 World Cup in October, but since the turn of the year, his returns have gone into overdrive - 803 runs at 50.18 across formats, including three half-centuries in six Test innings, and a startling 140 from 113 balls against Bangladesh this month that featured no fewer than 10 sixes. If Ireland intend to take the fight to Bazball, he'll surely be in the thick of the action soon enough.
Team news: Tongue to debut as Bairstow returns
Like his fellow seamer Matt Potts, who himself debuted in the Lord's Test against New Zealand 12 months ago, Tongue gets his opportunity in part due to the absence of Ollie Robinson, who is being rested alongside James Anderson for sterner challenges to come. The top-order is unchanged from the winter, but Jonny Bairstow is back as wicketkeeper, nominally at No. 7, although that could yet be up for debate given his exploits last summer. Stokes joked in his press conference that McCullum was looking to demote him, but the match situation could determine the final look of the batting order.
England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Jack Leach, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 Matt Potts
Ireland's build-up has been overshadowed by the absence of their star bowler, Josh Little, who was playing in the IPL final on Monday night but has not bowled a red ball in anger in years. But they may also glance wistfully up at the honours board in their dressing-room, where Tim Murtagh - who took a ten-wicket haul for Middlesex against Kent only last month - offers a permanent reminder of the greatest single day in their Test history.
Nevertheless, they still have the dogged Mark Adair - Murtagh's foil four years ago - while Craig Young will be a welcome recall if he is deemed fit after his recent injury issues. Ireland's batting, however, is their relative strength, with each of their top seven boasting strong recent form, whether that be from the Test tour of Sri Lanka, the ODI series against Bangladesh, or in the case of the openers, James McCollum and PJ Moor, their 232-run opening stand against Essex last week.
Ireland (possible): 1 James McCollum, 2 PJ Moor, 3 Andy Balbirnie (capt), 4 Harry Tector, 5 Paul Stirling, 6 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Andy McBrine, 9 Mark Adair, 10 Graham Hume, 11 Craig Young.
Pitch and conditions
Twenty-four hours out, there's a tinge of green on a slightly off-centre wicket, although as ever at Lord's, the well-drained surface is sure to be fairly true. The real intrigue will be injected by the overhead conditions. To that end, London is in the midst of a deeply peculiar spell of weather, with the forecast promising sunshine and clear skies even while the cloudy chill-factor begs to differ.
It could prove to be a bowl-first day if more of the same is in store on Thursday, although to judge by England's love of a run-chase, it might also make no difference to Stokes' decision if he wins the toss.
Stats and trivia
Quotes
"One thing I have learnt over the last year is just not to plan too much, because you don't know what will happen. All bowlers who are in contention have been told to treat every week and every build-up period like they will play. You try to plan things well in advance and then something goes wrong, then all those plans are out of the window, so it is pretty pointless to do anyway."
Ben Stokes advocates the laissez-faire approach to England's injury issues
"I'm very fortunate this is going to be my second Test match at Lord's and that's an amazing thing for an Irish cricketer to say they've achieved. So, certainly, as a Test team it is our pinnacle event. We're not sure when our next Test is as a team, so we have to enjoy this and try our very best to get a result and create a bit of history."
Andrew Balbirnie, Ireland's captain, puts the talk of priorities to one side and embraces the Lord's occasion
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Klusener joins Tripura as consultant ahead of India's domestic season
Klusener, 51, is contracted to work with them for 100 days in a year. Besides working with the Ranji side, he will help the state's eight teams in both men's and women's sections in various age groups.
Tripura Cricket Association vice-president Timir Chanda said Klusener would arrive in the state capital, Agartala, on Saturday to work with the state cricketers for overall development. In the first phase, Klusener will stay in Agartala for 20 days and will watch and guide the cricketers.
"We hope the cricketers will benefit from his vast international experience," Chanda said. "Our cricketers are also excited to work with Klusener."
Klusener, who played 49 Tests and 171 ODIs for South Africa, was also Delhi's consultant coach for the 2018-19 season. He is currently the coach of the Durban Super Giants in the SA20 tournament. He has previously worked as batting coach of South Africa and Zimbabwe, and was the head coach of Afghanistan in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
Earlier this year, he withdrew his application to become South Africa's next white-ball coach. He was among the six candidates interviewed by Cricket South Africa but chose to pull out of the process and concentrate on T20 franchise roles instead.
Balbirnie: Franchise raids on Ireland players will be 'knock-on effect of good cricket'
Speaking at Lord's on the eve of his team's one-off encounter with England, Balbirnie acknowledged the immensity of the challenge that awaits Ireland this week - not simply in facing down an opposition that has won 10 of its last 12 Tests in thrilling style, but in putting to one side the crucial World Cup Qualifiers that are looming in Zimbabwe later in June.
And while Little's absence has attracted ire, particularly from Ireland's performance director, Richard Holdsworth, Balbirnie insists that his star bowler is still doing his bit to put Irish cricket on the world map and that, given the direction of travel for international cricket, it may not be long before more of his best players are in similar demand elsewhere on the franchise circuit.
"That is something that happens above me and I've got to support what's best for Josh," Balbirnie said. "Do I want him in my team? Of course I do. He's a brilliant bowler in the white-ball format. We've seen that on the biggest stage.
"Josh is Josh. We as a team want to promote Irish cricket as best we can when we're on the pitch, but he's also doing that himself with what he's achieving on the world stage. What he is doing at the moment is only good for Irish cricket, and the development of players coming up through the ranks.
"I'm sure he does [want to play Test cricket], but I know how busy he is and the pressures that the IPL brings. He doesn't want to get back from a game in front of 100,000 people with me saying, 'Do you fancy 12 overs next week at Lord's?' You need to give him his space as well, and make sure that he's in a good frame of mind."
Little finished his maiden IPL campaign with seven wickets in ten matches, and fought his way back into the starting line-up for the play-offs and final, even after missing a fortnight in early May to play in Ireland's ODI series against Bangladesh.
"He's yet to play a Test match, but we know he's pretty adaptable and he's had a hectic schedule," Balbirnie added. "I understand completely that he's got to focus on resting up and getting ready for our World Cup Qualifier, which we head off for next week."
But, as Balbirnie conceded, success on the international stage - whether that comes through qualification for the 50- and 20-over World Cups, or through individual feats at Lord's this week - may well come with spin-off benefits for the players involved, even if it's not entirely in the interests of Ireland's international ambitions.
"The T20 World Cup opened a few doors to people. Lorcan played in that ILT20 at the start of the year and impressed a lot of people.
"I can't have any qualms about that because we are trying to play and entertain people and promote our game. The knock-on effect of that is these guys are going to get exposure to [franchise] leagues.
"Who knows what is going to happen in the next couple of years? We have to create a player-base in our country so if that does happen, and certain players miss certain Irish games, we have to make sure that there isn't a drop in standard when we bring a player in.
"We don't have the numbers that England, Australia, India have - in my career I don't think we ever will. But in our small pool of players, we have to make sure they are all up to speed with what we are trying to do
"Things like this will continue to happen. Josh played in an IPL final in his first IPL appearance, I'm not stupid, he's going to get picked up by other leagues and we are going to have this situation again, but he still wants to play for Ireland. I've spoken to him and he still loves playing for this team.
"But there are opportunities for him, and there will be for others. We just have to make sure that whoever comes into our group is up to speed and ready to go."
Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket
Belichick takes blame for Patriots' OTA violation
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick took responsibility for the team having two organized team activities taken away by the NFL and backed assistant coach Joe Judge for his role in the violation that led to the team being punished.
The violation was a result of coaches' scheduling that resulted in players spending more than their allowed time at the team facility, according to sources. Specifically, it was a result of special teams workshops led by Judge, sources said.
"The whole situation is in the past, it's resolved, and we've moved on. It was three meetings [in Phase 2 of the offseason program]. ... I'm responsible for it, so that's it," Belichick said Wednesday.
Specific to Judge, who will be working with special teams units among other responsibilities in 2023, Belichick added: "Joe is great. Smart guy. Has a lot of experience. He'll do whatever we need him to do, and he can do a lot. So, he will."
For the infraction, Belichick was fined $50,000 by the NFL, which stripped the team of an organized team activity on May 25 and May 30. The team was back on the field Wednesday, with Belichick cracking a joke when asked how losing two OTAs affected the team.
"We had a good long weekend," he said.
No Waze! Federer voices nav app in 3 languages
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Roger Federer knows a thing or two -- or 20 -- about making one's way to a Grand Slam championship. Now the retired tennis star can help you find your way around town.
Waze said Wednesday that Federer's voice will be available to provide directions for drivers using the navigation app.
Federer can be heard in English, French or German.
The 41-year-old from Switzerland won 20 major tennis championships during his career, including a men's-record eight at Wimbledon. Federer announced his retirement last year.
Waze was founded in 2006. Its headquarters are in Mountain View.
Kickoffs set to start ESPN's college football slate
With less than 100 days until the start of the college football season, the bulk of the September schedule has been finalized, as ESPN on Wednesday announced the dates and times for the first three weeks of the season along with the network's bowl season schedule.
Week 1 begins Thursday, Aug. 31, with Florida at Utah (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) as the headliner and kicks off five straight days of games. The opening week runs through Labor Day and includes LSU facing Florida State in the Camping World Kickoff in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, Sept. 3 (7:30 p.m., ABC), and Clemson at Duke on Monday, Sept. 4 (8 p.m., ESPN).
Saturday, Sept. 2, will feature an emotional return for the Virginia football team, which will be playing its first game since the deaths of three teammates Nov. 13, 2022, in a campus shooting. Virginia, which canceled its final two games of the 2022 season as it mourned D'Sean Perry, Devin Chandler and Lavel Davis Jr., will face Tennessee at Nissan Stadium in Nashville (noon, ABC).
As previously announced, Texas at Alabama (7 p.m., ESPN) on Sept. 9 will highlight Week 2. It will be their final game as nonconference opponents before the Longhorns and fellow Big 12 co-founder Oklahoma join the SEC in 2024. Last year, Alabama escaped Texas with a 20-19 win after a 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
Week 2 also includes Notre Dame at NC State (Noon, ABC) followed by Texas A&M at Miami (3:30 p.m., ABC). In Week 3, the Backyard Brawl between border rivals Pitt and West Virginia in Morgantown will be featured on Sept. 16 on ABC (7:30 p.m.).
ESPN wasn't the only network this week revealing dates and times for marquee games, as CBS Sports on Tuesday announced its "SEC on CBS" broadcast windows. CBS will again broadcast the annual Florida-Georgia game in Jacksonville, Florida, on Oct. 28. The final season of the SEC on CBS will debut Sept. 16 with South Carolina at defending national champion Georgia. The SEC TV package will move to ESPN in 2024.
The four-team CFP returns for Year 10, with the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game set for 5 p.m. on Jan. 1 (ESPN), followed by the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. (ESPN). The College Football Playoff National Championship presented by AT&T is also set for ESPN on Jan. 8 at 7:30 p.m.
The New Year's Six bowls kick off Dec. 29 with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at 8 p.m. on ESPN. On Dec. 30, the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl is at noon followed by the Capital One Orange Bowl at 4 p.m., both on ESPN. New Year's Day games on ESPN begin with the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at 1 p.m.
ESPN will present the ACC, American, Big 12, MAC, Pac-12, Sun Belt and SWAC championship games the first weekend of December. The Pac-12 championship game will have the ABC spotlight on Dec. 1, at 8 p.m. The Big 12 championship game kicks off Championship Saturday action from Arlington, Texas, at noon, with the ACC championship game closing out the day at 8 p.m. from Charlotte, North Carolina.
ESPN platforms will also showcase Saturday's championship play from the MAC (noon, ESPN), American (4 p.m., ABC or ESPN), Sun Belt (4 p.m., ABC or ESPN) and SWAC (4 p.m., ESPN2).
Ron Holland, the No. 2-ranked senior in boys' high school basketball for the class of 2023, told ESPN he will play for the G League Ignite next season.
Holland decommitted from Texas in late April, although he wasn't released from his letter of intent until recently. Arkansas was perceived as the early favorite if he went the college route, given the Razorbacks were one of his original finalists in early November.
But the G League Ignite path, which has produced the likes of Jalen Green and Scoot Henderson since its inception in 2020, quickly became a legitimate option for Holland, who is No. 6 in ESPN's early 2024 NBA draft rankings.
"This process was not easy," Holland told ESPN. "At times it was scary because at times I had no idea where I would be.
"The G League will help me reach my potential as a basketball player and prepare me for the NBA. To have a long career, I need to prepare my body and improve my skills as I continue to try to win games. They have a program to help develop my body and my game. I know I have to work on being a more consistent shooter, along with my footwork and ball handling, so I can score in space on the perimeter against a set defender."
Holland also developed a strong relationship with Ignite coach Jason Hart.
"When I spoke with head coach Jason Hart, we were on the same page," Holland said. "He knew that winning was important to me, but he also understands that I am willing to work hard to earn everything."
A 6-foot-8 forward from Duncanville (Texas) High School, Holland steadily rose up the rankings last spring and summer before finishing just behind top prospect Isaiah Collier in the final 2023 rankings.
He's one of the best defenders in the class and an elite two-way player who won two gold medals with USA Basketball. Holland started six games at the FIBA U16 Americas in 2021, averaging 19 points.0 and 10.2 rebounds, then started all seven games at the FIBA U17 world championship last summer, averaging 11.1 points and 6.6 rebounds.
Last spring and summer with the Drive Nation grassroots program, Holland averaged 10.0 points and 5.8 rebounds on the Nike EYBL circuit.
Holland solidified his status among the current crop of seniors with stellar showings at the McDonald's All American Game and Nike Hoop Summit this spring. He had 11 points and 6 rebounds at the McDonald's game and then went for 15 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists at the Hoop Summit.
Holland is an NBA-level athlete with great bounce and open-court speed. His defensive presence is currently his top skill. His ability to stop his opponent in one-on-one situations or rotate over and be a help defender is elite. He is also a great switch defender, something the NBA has increasingly coveted. His versatility to stay in front of the ball against smaller and quicker players off the dribble, contest shooters on the perimeter, or play post defense against bigger and stronger forwards is noteworthy.
As an offensive player, Holland knows how to find scoring opportunities by moving without the ball, attacking the offensive glass and running the floor for transition baskets. His determination and effort make him a consistent rebounder. At the McDonald's All American Game, NBA scouts walked away impressed by his in-game performance and jump shot mechanics.
Holland is the second elite 2023 prospect to choose G League Ignite, following fellow top-five senior Matas Buzelis. Versatile wing Dink Pate, a top-30 prospect, also recently announced he was reclassifying into the 2023 class and playing for G League Ignite.
"They won't let me slip up and I won't let them down -- that's a great combination," Holland said. "They have everything in place for me both on and off the court. On my visit, they showed me how they approach their business both on and off the court. They are in the gym with their guys. If you are not a gym rat, it might not be for you. The G League is all about preparation for the NBA with other professional development. It's what I am willing to work for."
An invisible advantage is fueling the Nuggets' NBA Finals run
WITH THE LIGHTS dimmed for the introduction of the starting lineups, Ball Arena directs everyone's attention to the big screen for an urgent message.
"ATTENTION, WARNING TO VISITORS."
Denver Nuggets public address announcer Kyle Speller proceeds to deliver a grim caution to the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans before the start of the Western Conference finals.
"All visitors to the Mile High City be warned," Speller says in an ominous voice. "High levels of exertion at this altitude may cause hypoxia with symptoms of fatigue, difficulty breathing, rapid heart rate, headaches and confusion."
The alert on the big screen begins to shake and blur as if altitude sickness has already set in. The next graphic shows an X-ray of an upper body with the chest area pulsating red. That is followed by a "Low Oxygen Levels" flash and the number "5280" with a heartbeat pulse darting across the screen.
"You have been warned," Speller says.
Just like the Lakers were advised, from the moment when the Miami Heat walk off the bus past a mural that reads "Welcome to the Mile High City, 5,280' above sea level" to the large "5280" next to each free throw line, the newly minted Eastern Conference champs will be reminded often they are no longer in South Beach, which boasts an elevation above sea level of just under Jimmy Butler's 6-foot-7 height.
Denver not only owns the most suffocating home-court advantage in the NBA, but no active franchise in history has had more success at home compared to on the road.
The altitude isn't a myth.
"Yeah, it's real," Lakers star LeBron James said before Game 1 of the West finals. "You get tired a lot faster."
When the Nuggets return to the court after a nine-day break for Game 1 (Thursday, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC), the fabled Mile High altitude will make its NBA Finals debut. The Nuggets are 8-0 this postseason at Ball Arena, where they posted the second-best regular-season home record at 34-7 (Memphis was 35-6).
Trying to keep the 6-11, 284-pound Nikola Jokic out of the paint and off the glass while also chasing Jamal Murray through screens is that much more daunting when opponents feel like they need an oxygen mask while their legs and lungs tighten.
In case the Heat -- winless in Denver since the 2015-16 season -- don't feel the altitude physically, the Nuggets will do all they can to make them feel weaker mentally.
"That s--- real," Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett said recently on Showtime's "KG Certified. "You know what [the Nuggets] do before games just to f--- with your mental? 'Welcome to Denver. If you start feeling faint. It's because you are above [sea level] ...'
"You're like in the layup line, did you hear that s---? Yo, hold on. Whoa! Whoa! Did that [PA announcer] just say [5,280 feet]?
"You start having a panic attack."
FROM ANTHONY EDWARDS tossing a chair on his way off the floor after missing a 3 at the buzzer to force overtime for the Minnesota Timberwolves to Kevin Durant turning the ball over seven times in a Phoenix Suns loss, to James stunningly blowing a layup and later letting the ball slip out of his hands on a breakaway dunk, opponents have experienced some inexplicable out of character moments in Denver this postseason.
Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon knows what it is like to not feel like yourself in Denver, especially when visiting from Florida. Gordon needed to become a Colorado resident in order to feel acclimated to the Rockies.
"Most definitely, oh my God," Gordon said of whether he felt the altitude when he used to play at Denver during his six and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic. "Couldn't even feel my muscles. I feel like there wasn't even enough oxygen getting into my muscles when I played here. It was crazy. ...
"It takes maybe a week or two to get acclimated to it."
It's no wonder why the Nuggets own an all-time home winning percentage of .652. Away from Denver, the Nuggets are a paltry .350 all time. That .302 difference between home and road win percentage is the largest for any active franchise in NBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
The Denver altitude can get the best of everyone from savvy veterans to draft prospects. The Nuggets have had to cut some draft workouts short after seeing players turn pale and get sick.
"One of the main things that players coming into town feel is that they get desperate [for air]," said director of performance/head strength and conditioning coach Felipe Eichenberger, who has been with the Nuggets for 13 years. "You go for a sprint, you come back and you go for another sprint and all a sudden you just try to pull air. And then I feel like the players [feel], why can I not breathe?"
Detroit Hall of Fame point guard Isiah Thomas said he didn't know anything about altitude or what it meant to play in it since he grew up in Chicago and played his college ball at Indiana. Thomas played in the highest-scoring game in NBA history, a 186-184 triple-overtime Pistons victory at Denver in 1983. Thomas logged 52 exhausting minutes and scored 47 points against the run-and-gun Nuggets in thin air.
"If I did," Thomas told ESPN about whether he felt the elevation, "I didn't notice it."
Researchers, though, have noted that the Nuggets indeed have a unique advantage over opponents at home. According to a 2017 study published by four researchers that includes Michael Lopez, NFL senior director of football and analytics who was a Skidmore College associate professor of statistics, the Nuggets, Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies all led in their leagues in home-field advantage when accounting for team strength. The Nuggets could expect to win 66.1% of their home games compared to the typical home advantage of 62%, according to the study.
"We play there once a year," Miami guard Tyler Herro said after the Heat's Game 7 win in Boston. "So we don't really have much experience [with] games in the altitude. We played in Mexico City actually this year which has a higher altitude [7,350 feet] than Denver.
"But you can feel it. It's an adjustment for sure."
The Heat didn't have much time to celebrate winning the East. Miami jumped on a plane and flew from Boston to Denver hours after Game 7, giving Erik Spoelstra's team more than 60 hours of thin-air acclimation before Game 1.
Potentially making matters worse for Miami is that one of the possible side effects of dealing with the altitude is a lack of sleep. According to a 2016 Athletes at High Altitude study by four doctors from the department of family medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, "athletes often complain of insomnia, frequent awakening and restless sleep" at high altitude.
On the other side, the Nuggets will have slept comfortably in their own beds for nine nights before the Finals tipoff. The seven more days of rest they have than the Heat is tied for the second-largest rest advantage in Finals history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
"We've been here for a while now," Denver guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said, "working out, getting our breathing right, lungs, everything."
Whether it was legendary Denver coach Doug Moe's high-octane Nuggets offense trying to run Thomas and the Pistons off the floor or George Karl's teams that ranked in the top five in pace at home in all of his nine seasons at the helm, the Nuggets have long wanted to leave opposing transition defenses panting in Denver.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone stressed the importance of his team running and pushing tempo early prior to the start of the Western Conference finals. They currently lead all teams in home fast-break points per game in the postseason at 19.3.
"You see it all throughout the season when teams come in here," Malone said Tuesday about the Heat having little time to acclimate. "The altitude is real. [Miami] got in late [after Monday's Game 7], so they're going to try to acclimate as quickly as possible.
"... When we can establish that pace of play, that makes it really hard for visiting teams to kind of sustain and stay with that initially. Most teams will wind up getting their second wind and be able to work themselves into that. But yeah, the altitude is here, man. Might as well use it to our advantage."
Malone says he even hears from Nuggets legends to push tempo and take advantage of the elevation.
"When I hear from guys like Dan Issel, who will text me," Malone said. "And he said it in the Lakers series, 'Man, just keep running these Lakers off the floor.'"
AFTER THE NUGGETS finished 23-18 at home during the 2021-22 season with Murray out with a knee injury, general manager Calvin Booth had a staff member research what the competitive advantage is from playing at elevation and how the Nuggets can exploit it both physically and mentally.
Understanding that exercising at elevation can lead to symptoms of nausea, fatigue and cognitive impairment for those not acclimated, the Nuggets wanted to see when they could strategically push the pace and identify lineups that can play faster to maximize potentially the most influential home-court factor in the league.
"All the teams I've been on, essentially you're definitely going to feel it in the first couple minutes," Booth, who played 10 seasons in the NBA, told ESPN. "Typically, you get your second wind pretty quickly and you stop thinking about it. But now in a high-intensity environment like the playoffs, maybe late in the game it starts to affect you a little bit more."
Booth also wanted to examine how other pro and college teams that play at altitude try to get into the heads of opponents.
By halfway through this season, the Nuggets had devoted the majority of their allotted 30 seconds designated for introducing the opponent's starting lineup to their altitude warning. (It has forced Speller to go through the opponents' starting five as if he is competing in a speed reading contest.)
Speller will also slip an ominous-sounding "5,280 feet" during breaks in the game like he did during one coaching challenge in the fourth quarter of Game 1 of the conference finals.
"He just drops that in kind of subliminally when you can tell a guy is getting a little tired [or] made a bad pass," Craig Dzaman, Nuggets senior director of game presentation, told ESPN.
Dzaman credits Booth with the team enhancing the altitude theme during games. And with the Nuggets in reach of their first NBA championship, they're planning to find more ways to remind the Heat of what they're trying to scale in Denver.
Jokic, however, believes the Nuggets' play should get more credit for their home-court advantage.
"Maybe, maybe not," Jokic says of whether the elevation impacts the opposing team.
"We think it's us."
MURRAY IS GASPING for air as he stands at the free throw line with 19.4 seconds left in Game 2 against the Lakers.
Already feeling the lingering effects of an ear infection that left him mostly sidelined in the days leading up to the West finals, Murray is putting the finishing touches on a 23-point fourth quarter that wins Game 2. It is the first of two straight 37-point outings in the series.
"We are in Denver," Murray said. "Air is thin out here. But you just grit and grind ... Joker is exhausted, too. We all were tired, but we gutted it out.
"We know they're tired, as well. We play in Denver a lot, and they don't as much. So we know down the stretch, even if we're tired, they'll be just as tired or even more."
This moment is why Murray and the Nuggets train so hard during the offseason. Eichenberger takes players to Red Rocks, an open-air amphitheater built into a rock structure 10 miles west of Denver to run stairs, jump up the rows of seats and endure other lung-crushing exercises at 6,450 feet above sea level.
Eichenberger puts players through intermittent hypoxic training, during which they ride stationary bikes while wearing masks that alternate levels of oxygen.
During the season, Eichenberger makes sure his players acclimate back to the altitude following long road trips. Even the two-time MVP has to go through a short but "very intense" high-intensity session when Jokic returns from a sea level road trip, no matter how many heavy minutes and or how depleted his body feels.
"Just to activate his lungs," Eichenberger said. "We do that with him a lot. ...
"He's out of breath for a couple of repetitions and he's just like, 'Man, this sucks. But it makes me feel good.'"
Every step is to make sure the Nuggets outlast their opponents. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the average speed of players on visiting teams in Denver decreases by each quarter from 4.20 mph in the first quarter to 3.89 mph in the fourth. And the percentage of time visiting players spend walking or standing still inside Ball Arena goes up from 69.1% in the first quarter to 73% in the fourth quarter.
"It can mess with your head, for sure," Eichenberger said. "You start thinking about a lot of things. It's just like, 'Man, am I crazy? Am I out of shape?' And you start overthinking."
This postseason, the Nuggets rank second in offensive efficiency and first in net efficiency, effective field goal percentage and true shooting percentage in the fourth quarter at home, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"You can use your timeouts, you can do whatever," former Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams said of trying to manage against the altitude before Game 2 during the second round against Denver. "I've been here and played before. You go through it early and as the game progresses, you get used to it a little.
"But I'm sure it does have an effect. That's not an excuse."
The Heat will be the last opponent tested in the Mile High City this postseason -- one heavy breath at a time.
"You can't stress out about it," Miami guard Gabe Vincent said after Game 7 of the East finals. "We're headed there right now so we'll have a little bit of an adjustment to do."
Not long after the exhausting series against the Celtics, Heat guard Kyle Lowry was already combating the altitude with Miami attitude.
"We'll be ready to go," Lowry said. "We're a team that's ready to go no matter where we are playing."
-- ESPN's Nick Friedell contributed to this story.
Tigers' Greene to IL with stress fracture in fibula
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene has a stress fracture in his left fibula and is out indefinitely, the team announced Wednesday.
Greene will receive a second medical opinion on the injury before the Tigers determine a timetable for his return. The injury was revealed Tuesday night when the second-year star underwent medical tests after an early exit against the Texas Rangers.
The Tigers placed Green on the 10-day injured list before Wednesday's game against the Rangers and selected the contract of outfielder Jake Marisnick from Triple-A Toledo in a corresponding roster move. Right-hander Trey Wingenter was transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Marisnick on Detroit's 40-man roster.
Greene left Tuesday's loss to the Rangers in the third inning after reporting discomfort in his left leg. Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said he "needed to get him out of the game" after watching Greene run after a fly ball in center field.
Greene, 22, is batting .296 with five home runs and 18 RBIs with a team-leading 60 hits and 29 runs scored. The former No. 5 draft pick is the latest high-profile player sidelined for the Tigers, who also placed ace left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez on the 15-day IL on Tuesday with a finger injury.
The Tigers (25-28) have recovered from a 2-9 start to the season and enter Wednesday just two games behind the first-place Minnesota Twins (28-27) in the AL Central.
It took a little longer than Major League Baseball might have anticipated, but the San Diego Padres, fielding one of the most expensive, star-laden rosters in the industry, have become the first team to fold into its long-term plan of fitting all broadcasting rights under a national umbrella.
Diamond Sports Group, the Sinclair subsidiary navigating through bankruptcy proceedings, let a grace period come and go on Tuesday without paying the Padres, allowing the team to break free from its contract.
Through a statement, a Diamond spokesperson said "the economics of the Padres' contract were not aligned with market realities." And so, beginning today and continuing on in perpetuity, MLB will take over the Padres' local broadcasts. It's a major transition, but fans are not expected to miss any games; they'll be available through the league's MLB.tv app, initially for free, and through various cable companies on a different channel. MLB had been anticipating something like this for months.
"I think the whole thing's unfortunate," MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden told ESPN. "Since Day 1, we had hoped that our partners lived up to their contractual obligations. And through a variety of, quite frankly, mismanagement and continued mismanagement, their company fell on hard times.
"We've been forced to take a step back and find a way that we can continue to service the fans -- and we're going to do so, as it's the lifeblood of our industry and so important to our fans, especially locally. We're gonna invest in the product; we're gonna make it better than ever; we're gonna distribute it more widely than it's ever been distributed; and we're gonna stand behind our content. That's our goal."
The mechanisms of that approach are highly complex, but a lot of the details were sorted out on the front end, given Diamond's publicly tenuous financial situation. Here are the answers to some of the most pertinent questions.
Wait, it's going to be free to watch the Padres now? How is that going to work?
From Wednesday to Sunday, Padres games will be free for all fans on MLB.com and Padres.com -- two road games against the Miami Marlins and three home games against the Chicago Cubs. All that will be required is an MLB.com login. Starting next Monday, a subscription cost will kick in for Padres streams in the local market.
How much will that cost?
In-market fans can pay $19.99 a month or $74.99 for the rest of the season to watch San Diego's games on MLB.tv. But most local fans with cable subscriptions won't have to.
OK, how will that work?
MLB cut deals with several cable companies -- DirecTV, AT&T U-verse, Cox and Spectrum -- to air Padres games through their services. Those will be available on different channels (694-3 for DirecTV, 781 for AT&T U-verse, 4 for Cox, 305 for Spectrum). Fans' guides will list the channel simply as "San Diego Padres."
MLB essentially eliminated territorial rights through those deals, which means that, for local fans who purchase the Padres MLB.tv package, streamed San Diego games will no longer be subject to blackouts. Yep, that's right -- no blackouts.
Who will work the team's broadcast booth? What changes can we expect in the broadcast, if any?
In the Padres' situation, not many. San Diego's in-game, on-air talent is employed by the team (the dynamic is different with other clubs), which means fans will continue to watch play-by-play announcer Don Orsillo, analyst Mark Grant and on-field reporter Bob Scanlan. The makeup of the team's pregame and postgame shows, however, is still being ironed out, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Microphone flags will have the MLB logo rather than the red Bally Sports one. Garden said fans will immediately notice more camera angles and a picture quality that is "significantly higher."
What does this mean for the Padres, revenue/payroll-wise?
San Diego began this season with a near-$250 million payroll that stood as the third-highest in the sport, the largest in franchise history -- by a wide margin -- and more than 3½ times larger than it was just six years ago. Now suddenly its financial future is uncertain, at least concerning its profits off broadcasting rights. Only one of three payments for an RSN contract that reportedly pays the team in the neighborhood of $50 million a year was ultimately made by Diamond.
That said, the Padres will still generate broadcast revenue through the deals MLB cut with the various cable companies in preparation for this possibility. Those deals, details of which have not been made public, probably aren't close to what San Diego was generating through Diamond (particularly because streaming rights weren't included in them). But the league believes teams eventually will benefit from broadcasting rights and subscription revenue operating through a national model. (Big-market teams such as the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, who own their RSNs, disagree.)
What's next?
Well, today could be a big day. A hearing will take place in Houston, during which a bankruptcy judge will preside over Diamond's claims that it should pay lesser rights fees to the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians to account for market forces that have greatly diminished the traditional cable model in recent years.
Those teams are essentially on the bubble. And the judge's ruling, which is expected no later than Thursday night, will play a big role in Diamond determining which contracts it keeps or sheds as part of the bankruptcy process, not just with those four teams but potentially with some of the other nine that remain under its ownership. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is among those who will testify.
Other teams that fall out will follow a similar path to the Padres, with MLB offering their games blackout-free on MLB.tv and on various cable channels.
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