Was it at Lecoq that you learned to squeal like a pig? - The Graham Norton Show: preview - BBC One
Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife actress Isla Fisher have donated more than 670,000 to charity, it has been reported.
The generous couple have given $500,000 (336,000) to The Sunday Times Christmas appeal to help protect 250,000 children against a threatened measles outbreak in Syria, the newspaper said.
Sacha Baron Cohen and wife Isla Fisher (John Shearer/AP/PA)
Their donation will go towards vaccinations administered by Save the Children.
Sacha, 44, and Isla, 39 are also giving a separate sum of $500,000 to the New York-based International Rescue Committee which is run byformer foreignsecretary David Miliband.
Sacha in character as his alter-ego Ali G (STEVEN SENNE/AP/PA)
Hes best known for creating characters including Borat and Ali G, while Isla has appeared in Australian soap Home and Away and films including Wedding Crashers.
They have three children: two daughters, Olive and Elula, and Isla gave birth to a son, Montgomery, earlier this year.
Drew Brees (foot) is expected to start Sunday against the Jaguars, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Brees is dealing with a torn plantar fascia, an injury that has sidelined plenty of players, but Brees has said throughout the week that he will play through the ailment. He"ll have tight end Ben Watson (knee) available to him, so while he will be physically hobbled, he"ll have nearly all of his receivers available.
Duke survived a wild finish at Yankee Stadium for its first bowl victory in 54 years.
Ross Martin kicked a 36-yard field in overtime, and Duke held off Indiana 44-41 on Saturday night in the Pinstripe Bowl in New York.
"Absolutely ecstatic," Martin said. "It couldn"t have happened in a better way, overtime. I think we"re four for four for the most exciting bowl games every year. So it"s finally good to jump around the locker room and celebrate up on stage. That"s incredible for the entire program."
After Martin made his kick on the first possession of the extra period, the Hoosiers" Griffin Oakes missed a 38-yard attempt to hand the Blue Devils (8-5) their first bowl victory since the 1961 Cotton Bowl.
Oakes" try sailed above the right upright and was ruled wide. Oakes protested that it was good, but the kick could not be reviewed and Duke"s players poured onto the field to celebrate.
"The ball went beyond the end line over the top of the upright and when that occurs, the play is not reviewable," crew chief Chris Coyte told a pool reporter.
"I actually thought he made it," Duke running back Shaquille Powell said. "When I saw the team celebrating that"s when the emotions came out. That"s when I got so excited because it"s just a relief when you see something like that.
Indiana finished the season 6-7.
Duke appeared in its fourth straight bowl game, losing the previous three seasons to Cincinnati, Texas A&M and Arizona State.
"We"ve been hearing 1961 since my freshman year," Duke senior center Matt Skura said. "It"s been a goal for a long time. It"s just not senior class that"s been a part of this, it"s the senior classes before me."
"We"ve talked about it a lot," Blue Devils coach David Cutcliffe said. "Because of the four-year streak of playing in bowl games, why wouldn"t you mention it?"
The dramatic finish capped a game that featured 1,203 combined yards and 56 first downs. The teams combined to establish nine offensive records in the six-year history of the game.
Shaun Wilson had 282 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns for the Blue Devils, including a 98-yard kickoff return in the fourth quarter.
Before getting hurt in overtime, quarterback Thomas Sirk accounted for 318 yards and three touchdowns. Cuttliffe said he would have not been able to continue if Indiana tied it.
Sirk had a 73-yard touchdown run in the first half and his 5-yard scoring run tied it with 41 seconds left.
After Sirk"s second TD, Oakes missed a 55-yard attempt at the end of regulation.
Sirk was 17 of 37 for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also had 155 yards on the ground.
Indiana"s Nate Sudfeld was 28 for 51 for 389 yards and three touchdowns. Devine Redding filled in for the injured Jordan Howard (knee) and rushed for 227 yards, but it was not enough for the Hoosiers, who have not won a bowl since the 1991 Copper Bowl.
"They made enough plays to win the game," Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said. "We had enough errors."
Duke led 10-0 in the first quarter of what quickly became a back-and-forth game.
Indiana took a 24-20 lead midway through the third when Nick Westbrook caught a 3-yard touchdown pass. But three plays after the Hoosiers" Mitchell Paige fumbled at his 19 on a punt return, Sirk connected with Braxton Deaver for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Blue Devils a 27-24 lead.
Just over 4 minutes later, Alex Rodriguez the Indiana running back, not the Yankees slugger put the Hoosiers up 31-27 with a 10-yard touchdown run. The lead grew to 34-27 when Oakes kicked a 27-yard field goal with 11:12 left, but Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff to tie it.
Indiana took a 41-34 lead with 4:03 remaining when Sudfeld found Paige wide open in the back of the end zone on second-and-15 for a 25-yard scoring play.
Independence Bowl: Virginia Tech 55, Tulsa 52
Frank Beamer built a powerhouse at Virginia Tech over nearly three decades thanks to a ferocious defense and terrific special teams.
In an unexpected twist, his final game with the Hokies was all about offense.
But the 69-year-old coach wasn"t complaining, only laughing and smiling in the aftermath of Virginia Tech"s 55-52 victory over Tulsa in the Independence Bowl on Saturday night.
"It was different," Beamer said. "But all I know is we won the football game."
Michael Brewer threw for 344 yards, Isaiah Ford had 227 yards receiving and Virginia Tech held off a Tulsa rally in the final minutes to send Beamer out a winner.
The coach announced in November he would retire following the season and the team won three of its last four regular season games to become bowl eligible. He finished with a 238-121-2 record at Virginia Tech over 29 seasons.
Virginia Tech (7-6) was playing in a bowl for the 23rd straight season. The first game of that streak also was in the Independence Bowl in 1993, when the Hokies beat Indiana 45-20.
"The first time I came to Shreveport I left here a happy guy," Beamer said. "The last time I come to Shreveport I"ll leave here a happy guy."
"I may come back to Shreveport just for the h**l of it."
This trip was filled with plenty of offense just like in 1993, but had much more drama.
Tulsa (6-7) rallied from a three-touchdown deficit in the second half to pull to 55-52 with 3:47 left. Virginia Tech"s Dadi L"homme Nicolas ended Tulsa"s final drive with a sack of Dane Evans on fourth down.
The 107 points were the most in Independence Bowl history. Ford"s 227 yards receiving on 12 catches set an Independence Bowl record.
Tulsa"s Evans completed 27 of 44 passes for 374 yards and three touchdowns. D"Angelo Brewer ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns.
A relaxed Beamer strolled onto the field about an hour before the game, smiling and waving to fans as the Hokies went through warmups.
Tulsa jumped out to a 14-7 lead, but Virginia Tech responded with 38 points over the next 19 minutes for the 45-21 advantage.
The Hokies" final touchdown during that stunning run came on a 67-yard punt return by Greg Stroman which was fitting considering the phrase "Beamer Ball" became common during the coach"s long tenure because of Virginia Tech"s reputation for game-changing special teams plays.
Tulsa has had a tough time on defense all season, giving up 38.6 points per game, including 66 in a loss to Memphis on Oct. 23.
But the brutal performance in the first half was bad even by the Golden Hurricane"s standards. Virginia Tech controlled the line of scrimmage gaining 370 total yards in the first two quarters by capitalizing on Tulsa"s missed tackles, blown assignments and shoddy special teams play.
Tulsa scored the final 10 points of the second quarter to pull to 45-31. The 76 combined points easily set the Independence Bowl first-half record.
The Hokies controlled most of the second half, but the Golden Hurricane scored on a 21-yard touchdown from Evans to Josh Atkinson and made the 2-point conversion to pull within 55-45 with 7:35 remaining. A 36-yard touchdown from Evans to Keyarris Garrett with 3:47 left made it 55-52.
But Tulsa"s last gasp drive ended on Nicolas" sack. The 223-pound defensive end broke through the line and enveloped Evans before slamming him to the turf.
"We just ran out of time," Tulsa first-year coach Philip Montgomery said. "If we had a few more ticks on the clock, maybe it changes it a little bit. But I"m proud of our football team."
The win gives Virginia Tech some momentum heading into its coaching transition. The Hokies hired Memphis coach Justin Fuente in late November to replace Beamer.
But on Saturday, it was all about Beamer, who praised his players and Virginia Tech"s administration for sticking with him for 29 seasons and 238 victories.
"I realize how fortunate I"ve been to last this long at Virginia Tech," Beamer said. "All I am is grateful and looking forward to the next step."
Foster Farms Bowl: Nebraska 37, UCLA 29
Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score to help Nebraska cap a losing season by beating UCLA 37-29 in the Foster Farms Bowl on Saturday night in Santa Clara, Calif.
The Cornhuskers (6-7) scored 30 straight points after falling behind 21-7 early to overpower the Bruins (8-5) and provide a happy ending to coach Mike Riley"s first season.
Stanley Morgan Jr. gave Nebraska the lead for good with a one-handed, 22-yard catch in the third quarter and Imani Cross, Terrell Newby and Andy Janovich all ran for scores for the Cornhuskers.
Armstrong completed 12 of 19 passes for 174 yards and ran for 76 more to lead the way for Nebraska, which had a season high with 326 yards rushing.
Josh Rosen threw for 319 yards and two touchdowns for the Bruins. They ended what had once been a promising season with losses to Southern California and in the bowl game.
Nebraska only got the chance to play in a bowl because there were not enough six-win teams to fill all 80 slots and the Cornhuskers made the most of the opportunity by taking the game over in the third quarter.
After tying the game with two late touchdowns in the second quarter, Nebraska outgained UCLA 196 to 1 in the third quarter behind a dominant running game.
The Cornhuskers gained 151 yards on the ground alone in the third quarter with the run game setting up Morgan"s touchdown catch that made it 27-21 and then leading the way on two more scoring drives that ended in a Drew Brown"s field goal and Armstrong"s 3-yard run in the opening minute of the fourth to make it 37-21.
UCLA responded with a 9-yard TD pass from Rosen to Jordan Payton and a 2-point conversion to get within eight. Ka"imi Fairbairn missed a 46-yard field goal after a botched shotgun snap by the Bruins and Rosen threw an interception in the end zone on fourth down from the 32 with 2:54 to play to end UCLA"s chances at a comeback.
The Bruins broke out to a 21-7 lead when Rosen threw a 60-yard touchdown to Kenneth Walker III and a 26-yarder to Nate Starks. The Other UCLA touchdown came when Paul Perkins ran it in from the 1 a play after Rosen completed a 22-yard pass to Thomas Duarte on fourth-and-1.
Nebraska fought back with back-to-back TD drives to tie it 21 at the half.
Cornhuskers safety Nate Gerry was ejected late in the second quarter for targeting on a swing pass to Perkins. It was the second straight game that Gerry was ejected for targeting.
Sun Bowl: Washington State 20, Miami 14
Luke Falk threw two touchdown passes to lead Washington State to a 20-14 victory over Miami on Saturday in the snowy Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Erik Powell added field goals of 30 and 25 yards to help the Cougars (9-4) win a bowl game for the first time since the 2003 Holiday Bowl.
Miami (8-5) lost its sixth consecutive bowl game.
Washington State led 20-7 at the half and looked in total control, limiting Miami to three first downs over the second and third quarters.
The Hurricanes rallied in a blizzard in the fourth. Braxton Berrios" 60-yard end-around run set up Mark Walton" 5-yard scoring run that cut it to 20-14 with 13:10 left.
The Cougars, the top passing team in the nation during the regular season, were shut out in the second half, leaving it to their defense to wrap up the victory.
Miami had a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brad Kaaya to Stacy Coley called back on a penalty with 5:14 to play. Two players later, Washington State"s Marcellus Pippins recovered Walton"s fumble at 5.
After a Cougars punt, the Hurricanes were at the Washington State 28, but an end-over-end halfback pass from Joe Yearby was easily intercepted by Shalom Lunai with 2:58 to play to seal it for Washington State.
Falk, the game"s MVP, was 29 of 53 for 295 yards and no interceptions. He threw touchdown passes of 31 yards to running back Jamal Morrow and 25 yards to receiver Gabe Marks.
The scoring play to Morrow, during which he turned up the right sideline and carried two defenders into the end zone, gave Washington State a 7-0 lead.
Miami tied it at 7 on a 4-yard pass from Brad Kaaya to Coley. The first quarter ended 7-7, but the Cougars ran off 13 straight points in the second.
Kaaya was 17 of 30 for 219 yards with one interception. He appeared to give the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead in the second quarter when he connected in the end zone with receiver Rashawn Scott, but the ball came out of Scott"s hands and was intercepted by Peyton Pelluer.
One of the keys for the Cougars was winning the turnover battle, 3-1. Washington State fumbled in the second quarter, but the defense forced a three-and-out. On the next series, the Cougars used a 14-play drive to get Powell"s first field goal and a 10-7 lead.
Washington State made it 17-7 on Falk"s TD pass to Marks, and Powell made it 20-7.
Heart of Dallas Bowl: Washington 41, Southern Miss 31
Myles Gaskin broke a third-quarter tie with an 86-yard run and finished with a season-high 181 yards and four touchdowns to help Washington beat Southern Mississippi 44-31 on Saturday in the Heart of Dallas Bowl.
The Huskies (7-6) won their last two regular-season games by a combined 97-17 over Oregon State and Washington State to become bowl eligible and then delivered Chris Petersen"s first postseason victory in his two seasons at Washington.
Gaskin"s other scores came on 2- and 1-yard runs in the first quarter and a 13-yarder in the fourth. On the 86-yarder, the freshman took a handoff inside, broke to the left sideline and shook off one final defender at the Southern Miss 35.
Gaskin, the game"s most valuable player, gained 170 yards in the second half on 17 carries after being held to 11 yards on nine rushes in the first half. His previous high was 155 yards against Oregon.
The Golden Eagles (9-5) were seeking their first win over a Power 5 conference team since 2011.
They played without rushing leader Jalen Richard. A Southern Miss official said Richard, one of two Golden Eagles with 1,000 yards rushing this season, was held because of an unspecified injury.
Nick Mullens threw touchdowns passes of 56 and 27 yards by Michael Thomas for the Eagles, and Ito Smith added 1- and 2-yard scoring runs.
The Golden Eagles averaged 519.8 yards during the regular season, including their 45-28 loss to Western Kentucky in the Conference USA championship game. On Saturday, they gained 375. They were held to 22 net rushing yards with Smith, who gained 1,088 during the season, leading the way with 40.
Gaskin"s 86-yard run was the sixth-longest in school history. It came on Washington"s first play from scrimmage after Southern Miss recovered a fumble near midfield to set up Smith"s second touchdown run that tied it at 24.
Tomas set a Southern Miss record with 14 touchdown catches this season.
Receiver Jaydon Mickens scored Washington"s other touchdown on a 29-yard run in the second quarter. Mickens took a handoff on what appeared to be an end around following a fake inside, then cut inside and was virtually untouched. The five-play, 65-yard drive included a 20-yard pass to Mickens that was upheld after a challenge from Southern Miss.
Smith"s 1-yard touchdown plunge through the middle followed a 36-yard catch by Thomas along the left sideline just short of the pylon.
That 80-yard drive was kept alive by punter Tyler Sarrazin"s 22-yard pass to Curtis Mikell on fourth-and-5 at the Golden Eagles 25. In Southern Miss" win at Rice in mid-November, Sarrazin threw for a touchdown off a fake field-goal attempt.
Washington was invited to fill the slot appropriated for the Big 12 Conference, which didn"t have enough bowl-eligible teams.
St.Petersburg Bowl: Marshall 16, UConn 10
Freshman Chase Litton had a helping hand in leading Marshall to a third straight 10-plus win season.
Litton completed 23 of 34 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown as Marshall beat Connecticut 16-10 in the St. Petersburg Bowl on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Fla.
"He"s had some growing pains, but he"ll tell you that," Marshall coach Doc Holliday said of Litton. "He"s not even close to where he"s going to be."
Nick Smith had three field goals for Marshall (10-3), including a 32-yarder with 1:44 left that was part of a 13-play, 80-yard drive that lasted 6:35. The Thundering Herd went 13-1 a year ago and 10-4 in 2013.
"It"s a credit to these guys and to this program and coaching staff," Holliday said. "That"s hard to do. It was one of our goals."
Marshall is 4-0 in bowl games under Holliday, including a 20-10 victory over Florida International in the 2011 St. Petersburg Bowl. The Thundering Herd won the Boca Raton Bowl in 2014 and Military Bowl two years ago.
Holliday is 50-28 at Marshall.
Keion Davis got all of his 73 yards rushing on 10 carries during the Thundering Herd"s final scoring drive.
Bryant Shirreffs completed 10 of 17 passes for 86 yards and gained 75 yards on 19 carries for UConn (6-7), which came up short in a bid to have a winning record for the first time since 2010.
"We just didn"t execute well enough to win the game, and that"s it," UConn coach Bob Diaco said.
UConn stopped Marshall on fourth-and-2 at the 17 on the initial drive of the second half after the Thundering Herd opted to skip a field goal try that could have made it 16-7.
The Thundering Herd also failed to increase a 13-7 lead on their next possession when Smith missed a 43-yard field goal attempt with less than 3 minutes left in the third.
"The defense played their hearts out, and we had every opportunity to win the game and we didn"t," Shirreffs said.
The Huskies got within 13-10 on Bobby Puyol"s 52-yard field goal with 2 seconds left in the third.
Marshall took a 7-0 lead 7 minutes into the game when Litton, who went to high school in nearby Tampa, threw a 16-yard TD pass to Ryan Yurachek. Deandre Reaves" 26-yard punt return set up Marshall at the UConn 20.
Reaves also had nine receptions for 88 yards.
"I was excited to be coming back to the place where I grew up, but I knew the focus was going to be on football and winning the game," Litton said.
Connecticut tied it at 7 late in the first on an 8-yard run by Ron Johnson that completed a 13-play, 75-yard drive.
Marshall responded with a 13-play, 65-yard drive that concluded with Smith"s 21-yard field goal that gave the Thundering Herd a 10-7 advantage 8 minutes before halftime.
Smith made it 13-7 with a 29-yard field goal on the final play of the first half that finished off a 15-play, 85-yard drive.
Marshall was 11 for 17 on third-down conversions, and out-gained UConn 389-213. The Thundering Herd had the ball 34:42, compared to the Huskies 25:18.
UConn, which went 2-10 in its first season under Diaco, won three of its final four games to rebound from a slow start to reach the St. Petersburg Bowl.
Connecticut sophomore cornerback Jamar Summers got his eighth interception of the season, including six in the last five games, early in the fourth.
Brian Hawkins walks along Quorum Drive, Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, in Addison, Texas. A Texas snowstorm has closed schools, snarled traffic and forced a main highway to Oklahoma to shut down after dozens of vehicles slipped off the road. (The Associated Press/The Dallas Morning News/Smiley N. Pool)
An overnight storm that pelted parts of Texas and Oklahoma with freezing rain has forced the cancellation of nearly 1,000 flights at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, includingseveral to and from Portland International Airport.
Transportation officials and the National Weather Service warned people to stay off the roads until temperatures rise and the ice melts. Forecasters issued a winter weather advisory for the Dallas-Fort Worth area until Saturday night.
Flight tracker Flightaware.com reported 974 flights canceled at DFW airport by late Saturday morning.
Airport spokesman David Magana says about 5,000 stranded passengers were forced to spend the night at the airport after another 600 flights were canceled Friday. The airport provided cots, blankets and toiletries to the passengers.
Area temperatures are expected in the upper 40s Sunday.
One Portlander gets a ride home from Alaska Air.But American Airlines is gracious about it.
It"s snowy at the Sun Bowl.Yes, the Sun Bowl, in El Paso, Texas, is being played in borderline blizzard conditions. So snowy, in fact, that the camera operators can"t quite find the football:
Miami"s kicker was just practicing his kickoff stroke, but CBS" camera crew apparently thought it was the real thing, and then was mystified when they couldn"t find the ball through all the snow.
Get one roundup of college football stories, rumors, game breakdowns, and Jim Harbaugh oddity in your inbox every morning.
It"s snowy, is our point.
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SB Nation presents: All 40 college football bowl games, in one song
In April 2015, the Apple Watch finally became available for sale. It became, simultaneously, one of the finest smartwatches in the land and, at least according to the perception in some quarters, a relative disappointment for the company.
Why the ambivalence? Apple hasn"t released sales figures, but it hardly seems like a flop -- IDC ranks it second in the wearables market, behind only Fitbit, which has sold more than 20 million of its namesake devices. Any other company would be celebrating that as a breakout freshman product. But this is Apple, after all. You know, the company that sold roughly 75 million iPhones in the first quarter of 2015.
Still, wearables appear to be a market poised for big time growth and, as such, sustained attention from Cupertino. In October, Apple updated its Apple Watch software to let apps run on the watch itself instead of working as iPhone extensions, mitigating the absolute interdependence of the initial scenario. The second version of the Watch OS also features new watch faces, improved third-party apps and better overall performance.
But those improvements were ultimately incremental. And in the meantime, the Watch has seen some fairly meaty price cuts at mainstream retailers like Best Buy.
We expect the introduction of the second-generation Apple Watch to come sometime in 2016. In the interim, we will count the minutes, obsessively glancing at our wrists for news, all the while curating the most interesting predictions, best guesses and rumors about what the future holds.
Announcement and release dates
Though no official invitations have been made yet, Apple"s next big event is rumored to be scheduled for this coming March. Given that the original Apple Watch would be coming up on its first birthday in April 2016, it"s likely that such an event would be focused on its successor. (There are murmurs that such an event could include the introduction of a new iPhone -- perhaps the rumored 6c -- as well as a possible iPad Air 3.)
In terms of timing, multiple reports have cited the accidental disclosure made by one of Apple"s suppliers suggesting that the Watch 2 may be slated for a Q2 release; Quanta Computer chairman Brian Lam also remarked that mass production of the device would not start until the third quarter of 2016. Of course, without any official indication one way or another, there are others pointing to a debut later in the year, in the spring or summer.
What"s new and different about the 2016 Apple Watch?
One widely reported rumor out of South Korea, first sourced by gforgames.com, predicts that the Apple Watch 2"s form factor won"t diverge much, if at all, from the original"s rectangular, iPod Nano-ish essence. And perhaps that"s for the best. According to CNET"s Scott Stein, "in terms of craftsmanship, there isn"t a more elegantly made piece of wearable tech" than the Apple Watch.
Certainly, many folks are hoping for better battery life. With the first generation Apple Watch, even moderate use can burn down the battery in less than 24 hours. In fact, one of the earliest Apple Watch 2 rumors to surface, back in July, characterized LG and Samsung as working to produce a thinner OLED display for the second-generation model, which would allow for a larger battery in a similarly sized device.
And though Apple has sometimes sacrificed functionality for best-in-class aesthetics -- the merely adequate battery life of the iPhone 6 and 6S would serve as one example -- it seems unlikely that Apple would want to deliver another Watch equipped with anything less than 24 hours worth of run time. Especially with competitors like the Pebble Time Steel capable of going more than a week between charges.
There is speculation that Apple could add a camera to the Watch 2. According to 9to5mac.com, the company is considering building a camera into the top bezel, ostensibly enabling users to FaceTime via the device. The debut of Watch OS 2 has already made it possible to pick up or hang up calls using the watch"s controls.
Another fertile area for functionality enhancement would be the watch"s capabilities when not connected to an iPhone. Still, today"s Apple Watch independent capabilities -- activity tracking, music playback, and mobile payments -- don"t extend fully into messaging, making it still feel like a tethered product. Though the recent Watch OS 2 update has improved the situation, a second-generation model could include integrated wireless capabilities to enable more functionality independent of an iPhone.
Apple"s Tim Cook
James Martin
Other possibilities being discussed include the ability to track sleep and smart straps that would include extra sensors for tracking fitness. In fact, Apple CEO Tim Cook hinted in an interview last month that the company could build "something adjacent to the watch" that would be more medically focused and would require US Food and Drug Administration approval. That could be an app, he said, or "something else."
The original Apple Watch was priced along a rather remarkable spectrum, starting at $349 and soaring to $17,000. But could those aforementioned pre-Christmas price drops be a trial balloon for a new pricing strategy in 2016? Or are retailers merely clearing "old" first-gen inventory in anticipation of a new device in as little as 90 days? Time will tell.
Scroll down for a reverse-chronological look at the latest rumors.
December 16, 2015Apple to add polish, not product lines, in 2016
The tech giant likely will update its current gear, but don"t hold your breath for a car.
December 11, 2015Apple Watch 2 rumors and Apple"s live TV service is put "on hold"
If Apple"s live TV service doesn"t launch in 2016 it will be a major fail. We"ll be as nice as possible when we talk about that iPhone Smart Battery Case, and we talk MacBooks.
December 8, 2015Want an Apple Watch? Try Best Buy to save $100
Best Buy is shaving $100 off the price of an Apple Watch, but only through the holidays.
December 3, 2015Apple hot on Fitbit"s heels as global wearable sales soar
Wearables sales are booming, with Fitbit and Apple leading the way and Chinese companies not far behind.
Merry Christmas! Enjoy our airing of grievances against a frustrating Rockets team.
It"s just over the one-third market of the NBA season. The Rockets now sit at an uninspiring 15-15, and, aswe"ve gone over before, the hard part of their schedule has not even begun.
The trade winds around the league are all swirling around Houston, since no one knows if the Rockets will be buyers, sellers, who they"re willing to part with and what is going on with the Dwight Howard situation. Ty Lawson, Terrence Jones, Corey Brewer and others could very well be on the move. Or none of them.
No one person can make sense of the Rockets this year. For Christmas, the TDS family gathered around the virtual fire to hash it out, just like your dysfunctional family.
What"s been the biggest problem other than the general lack of effort?
AK2themax: A complete lack of offensive sets. As in, if you told me that Houston didn"t have any offensive sets coming into the year, I would believe you. The league continues to prove that there are two ways to run an elite offense. You can either run the system that the Spurs use, which requires years of fine-tuning and the correct personnel in terms of ability and demeanor. Or you can run your offense through one player and surround them with shooters and rim finishers. Houston is firmly in the second camp, but in years pastm there was actually off-ball movement when Harden drove. Now, the offense has turned into: try to do stuff for a few seconds, give up, give the ball to James, and then stare at him unless he passes to you. In which case, you panic.
Darren Yuvan: The problem has been two-fold. Defense is the first major issue, though that is likely a function of lack of effort, being that we know the players on this team are mostly capable defenders when they want to be. We"ve seen it. The Rockets gave up 100.5 points per game last season with largely the same group of players. That"s slipped to 106 points per game this year, which is dead last in the NBA.
The second is the failure to get Dwight Howard more involved. The Rockets have a second superstar for a reason. There"s no excuse for Howard averaging 8 shots per night. The man is getting paid $23 million this year, and the Rockets need to utilize him like it. We saw some great glimpses inSaturdaynight"s come-alive game against the Clippers. More of that, please. Hopefully, the Rockets and Dwight continue to use the current negative rumor talk as a motivator. All of the outside chatter goes away if the team starts winning again. It"s really that simple.
Eric Nielsen: Chemistry. Many variables have changed from last year"s success: injuries over the summer, the Rockets dumping McHale, the Harden adidas contract, a Kardashian and the integration of Lawson. The Rockets can"t seem to muster the magic of last season. Everything went the Rockets" way last year and this group may have peaked, going to the WCF, last year.
Ethan Rothstein: It"s a mix of lack of preseason preparation and defensive intensity. James Harden has reverted to his ball-watching ways on that end, Corey Brewer has been a train wreck and, until Clint Capela was inserted into the starting lineup, there was no one on the floor to help Dwight Howard who has clearly lost a step at the rim. The defense has stepped up, but it"s not even close to the level it needs to be, or was last year.
Do you want to see a trade?
AK:Not really. This team has everything it needs to contend in terms of talent. Would a dead-eye shooter help? Sure, but where would that hypothetical guy play? If the Rockets acquired Kyle Korver today the team would have to play small-ball almost exclusively to use him. Furthermore, how could he play with James Harden defensively? Before I continue answering this question with a question (or three), I"ll just finish by saying that Houston is 2-deep at every position and obtaining some other player at the expense of one of those guys might not change the team for the better.
Darren: I do think a trade is needed. The Rockets desperately need another shooter, and they have some players of value they can move. Ty Lawson, Terrence Jones and Corey Brewer all have the potential to be traded, either individually or in a package. A top shooter like Ryan Anderson would be a great fit coming off the bench for these Rockets, and with a workable $8.5 million contract, I"d love to see if Daryl Morey could get something done.
I also think, contrary to what we"re hearing inside the Rockets organization, Dwight Howard could be moved near the deadline if the Rockets continue to struggle. There"s no reason to lose him for nothing if the team isn"t going anywhere.
Eric: I"d like to see the Rockets start stockpiling picks again to make a run at a franchise player. Knowing Morey, the number of players in their contract year and the struggles this team has had, I expect some trades. If we don"t make some trades, we"ll get nothing in return for valuable assets. But, I"m pessimistic that any trades made this year will assist in a deep playoff run.
Ethan: No. None of the options out there seem all that appealing. The Rockets have enough chemistry problems without adding Markieff Morris, Ryan Anderson just makes their defense worse, and Hassan Whiteside, Al Horford and Brook Lopez are all free agents after this year, and they"re all worse than Dwight Howard. Maybe dumping Ty Lawson on someone would be addition by subtraction, but considering all trades the Rockets make have to match salary, it just doesn"t seem likely that Rockets fans would be pleased with any deal Morey makes at this point.
How could we have been so wrong about this team?
AK2themax:Because on paper it doesn"t say anything about heart. If you looked at the roster and the success of last season, you would have been a fool to think the Rockets weren"t better than they were last year. And remember, they were REALLY good last season. That was more playoff experience for James Harden as a leader of a team. It was more playoff coaching experience for Kevin McHale. It was more continuity and chemistry that everyone (read: Mark Cuban) said Houston didn"t have last season. They accomplished so much without their starting point guard and power forward so getting them back meant addition by addition.I think we didn"t consider that Corey Brewer couldn"t make any of the crazy lay-ups that he never missed last year. I"m surewe didn"t consider Ty Lawson would be a complete bust. And I know we didn"t think the team would start the season shooting as poorly as they did. The first quarter of the season can be summed up by their general lack of effort and an inability to dothe things that made them great last year, like making timely shots and defending at a high level.
Darren: Well, last season was not a fluke; we know this team has talent. But maybe last year"s postseason run was the peak for this general group of guys? As good as they were last year, even then it seemed they had another possible gear that they weren"t always utilizing. It always felt like we saw glimpses of what this teamcould be, just never for an extended enough period of time, even then. The thought was that they would get there, they just needed more time together. And this was thought to be the season they put it all together. It"s almost time to start considering that maybe last year"s Rockets, as they stood after the epic comeback versus the Clippers a very good, but flawed team was the best version of this group we"d see. The ancillary pieces haven"t meshed like they were supposed to, and it may be time to reconfigure around Harden.
Eric: Our expectations were so high because of last year. Harden had a career year that is proving difficult to match. The Spurs added LaMarcus Aldridge, the Warriors stepped it up even more from last year, the Thunder got Durant back and the Clippers, Grizzlies and Mavericks are playing at their normal levels. The Rockets are more fickle and fragile than these other franchises, so they are annually challenged to show they are a stable and steady front runner.
Ethan: No one was wronger than I, having picked them to win the title and be the No. 2 seed in the West again. It"s clear that James Harden"s eventful summer affected him. He was in almost unbelievable shape last year, playing b***s out on both ends of the court every night. It"s kind of crazy to have assumed he"d do it again, but he lost so much energy for defense. There were warning signs Khloe, the adidas contract and the preseason injury bug but we were too blinded with optimism to see them.
Do the Rockets have a big run in them?
AK2themax: I can see it happening, but there"s no way that run would be big enough to make me go, "The Rockets could totally play with Golden State or San Antonio in a seven-game series where they don"t have homecourt advantage." Because that"s who you"re chasing if you"re the NBA right now. The playoffs are coming down to the Western Conference Finals between the Spurs and Warriors, with Cleveland likely the roadkill that those teams would get in the Finals. Even with a run, I don"t see Houston entering that discussion, especially with the impossibility of homecourt advantage in the second and third rounds. Basically, I think the version of the Rockets were are seeing (winning two-thirds of their games against inferior teams) is as good as this team really is, and so even a "run" wouldn"t make them anything other than first round fodder. Now excuse me while I take a depression questionnaire.
Darren: They have a run in them. How big it actually is is another story. The West isn"t nearly the top-to-bottom juggernaut it"s been in year"s past, so even if the team plays mediocre ball from here on out, it looks like they could still sneak into the playoffs as a low seed this season. But the gap between the Rockets and the Warriors and Spurs is more like a chasm, and I have my serious doubts if this team, as currently assembled, can improve enough to be competitive with either of those squads in a postseason series. It"s certainly not impossible, but it"s a very, very long climb from where they stand right now today.
Eric:There is a good chance. This team proved last year that when it"s all clicking and the ball is going in the hole, they ramp up their effort and defensive intensity. There is a lot of season left, although the schedule getsimmenselymore difficult. D-Mo is providing some stability; J.B.is scratching hard to push the right buttons and find the right rotations; Lawson is relegated to a roleequivalent to his ability to help the team; and momentum does swing heavy in the NBA.They only sit a few games back from the second tier in the West, so it"s still possible to get home court in the first round of the playoffs.
Ethan: Anything is still possible for this team, except beating the Warriors, it seems. James Harden is second in the league in scoring despite his warts. Dwight Howard has looked more lively of late. Donuts is still working his way back into shape and everyone seems to be building to something. Even Ty Lawson! If I had to guess, I would say this 15-15 team gets to 48-34, the No. 6 seed in the west and a hard-fought, first-round loss to the Thunder.
