We got a behind the scenes look at how the trade between the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys went down during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The Cowboys traded up one spot to select Caleb Downs while the Dolphins ended up with two fifth round picks. Initially it was only going to be one fifth round pick and the clip shows that Miami was going to stay put. The Dolphins ended up selecting Kadyn Proctor and it sounds like he was going to be the pick over Downs anyway. But Dallas coveted Downs enough to add that extra fifth to move and get their guy.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 03: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the third quarter in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CLEVELAND — Reputations don’t change overnight, especially ones built through years of playoff failures.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t alter how they were perceived with a gutsy 114-102 Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors. They did, however, show that they don’t have to be defined by previous postseason letdowns.
Jarrett Allen was the exact opposite of the caricature he’s been made out to be. He was the toughest player on the court on Sunday with the way he thoroughly dominated the paint on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, Allen made it impossible for Toronto to finish inside.
He cut off both passing and driving lanes with his activity on defense, resulting in three blocks and two steals. Allen did this while grabbing 25% of missed shots himself when he was on the floor, translating to 19 rebounds.
This all added up to Cleveland having an impressive 101.4 defensive rating with him playing.
That impact carried to the other end of the floor as well.
Allen played with a forcefulness that Toronto couldn’t match. Every cut, screen, or drive to the hoop was made with an effort that we don’t always see from Allen, but when he has few can stop.
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Head coach Kenny Atkinson saw a game like this coming with the way Allen looked in pregame intros.
“He was flying around,” Atkinson said. “Normally, he’s enthusiastic, but it was like, ‘Man, what got into this guy?’ But he was ready for the moment.”
Allen’s game is momentum-based. When he starts to see a few go through, his energy and effort continue to rise. That’s what we saw, especially in the third quarter. He finished the evening with 22 points on 7-8 shooting in the restricted area with eight huge offensive rebounds.
There was a simple message still written on the Cavs’ whiteboard after Game 7: “Win the possession game again!” Underneath that was a box with +9 in it, signaling how much they won that category.
The guards did a good job of limiting turnovers, but the real difference maker was Allen’s offensive rebounding.
Allen’s lowest playoff moment came when he couldn’t keep Mitchell Robinson and the New York Knicks off the glass three years ago. That was one of the many reasons Cleveland lost that first-round series so convincingly. It’s also where Allen made the infamous reference to the lights being “brighter than expected.”
This game was the exact opposite.
Allen wasn’t the one getting pushed off his spots; he was the one moving defenders out of the way and breaking their spirit in the second half.
This one game doesn’t change who Allen is moving forward. In basketball and in life, you continually need to confront and overcome the same problems.
Allen conquering his previous challenges is emblematic of the team as a whole.
In this series, the Cavs repeatedly showed that they can meet the moment. RJ Barrett’s game-winning three in Game 6 that hung in the air for eternity before falling through might’ve broken previous versions of this team. It didn’t for this one.
Every time they had a chance to collapse after a bad break, they picked themselves back up and continued fighting. That’s something that we haven’t consistently seen before and will help them in the postseason.
“I’m proud of our group,” Max Strus said after an impressive game of his own.
“Overcoming adversity, losing, coming back from it, showing some toughness, showing some character, showing some resilience. I think it’s going to be awesome for us to go through that. Now that we’ve gone through it, we know what it takes to get over the hump. I think it’ll be better for us in the next rounds.”
That is undeniably true.
However, it’s also true that the Cavs proved their loudest critics right on multiple occasions over the last two weeks. Mental mistakes, such as struggling to get the ball over half court late in games, cost them both Game 4 and Game 6. Championship-level teams can’t afford to give away road games, especially not two in similar ways.
The Cavs are both the team that showed they don’t have to be defined by their postseason failures, and that what has led to them can pop up at any moment. The first option wasn’t there for previous groups. That, more than anything, is reason to be optimistic if you want to be.
Talent has never been the problem with the Cavs.
The pieces are in place for a deep postseason run. The issue, both individually and as a collective, lies in rising to the occasion in the biggest moments.
Allen isn’t the only one who’s earned the reputation as a playoff failure. He’s on the same team as James Harden — the modern superstar most known for falling short in the clutch — and Donovan Mitchell — someone who hasn’t gotten out of the second round in his previous eight postseason attempts. Both will have to defeat their demons if this team is going to get over the hump.
Luckily for them, Allen provided the roadmap for doing so.
“I always feel like in this league, when you get a certain label, it always sticks with you no matter what,” Allen said. “No matter how hard you try to change it, it’s always going to follow you around. I think that if I…want to change the narrative that was placed on me…that’s going to weaken my strengths going forward and always try to weigh me back.
“I’ve always been the guy that always just moves forward. Things happen in the past that go my way, that don’t go my way. It’s just part of playing basketball, being at the professional level. [All I can do is] just be my best going forward.”
If Harden, Mitchell, and the rest of the team can continue following Allen’s example and just be their best going forward, then maybe this group can accomplish something meaningful.
DENVER, COLORADO - JANUARY 04: Bo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos and Head coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos speak in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field At Mile High on January 04, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The NFL doesn’t just release a schedule. It sends a message.
Every window. Every matchup. Every slot. The league sends a quiet statement about who matters and who still has something to prove.
For the Denver Broncos, the home opener is the loudest message of them all. After years of irrelevance, followed by a surge that thrust them back into the conversation, the Broncos are no longer a feel-good story. Bo Nix and Denver are now a test case.
Are the Broncos worth building around in prime time?
Or is Denver still a team the league wants to see it or confirm it first?
Who shows up at Mile High for the opener will answer that question. Whether it’s Week 1 or Week 2, you will know the answer to how the NFL feels about the Broncos based on the opponent and when they play.
If Denver opens the season at home against a marquee opponent, that’s not an accident. Think elite quarterback, a recent contender, or a team the NFL can’t stop putting in the standalone windows.
That’s the NFL betting on the Broncos as a draw this season.
A prime-time slot paired with a high-profile opponent says Denver is no longer a curiosity; it’s part of the main stage. It shows that the expectations for the Broncos have shifted from “can they be good?” to “how far can they go?”
With that comes a new kind of pressure. In this scenario, Denver is no longer sneaking up on its opponents. It’s the game.
“We like you, but prove it” scenario
This is where things get interesting for the Broncos. And if we’re being honest, the most realistic.
This is where Denver gets a playoff-caliber opponent in either the prime second game window or the regional window. The former ties into the first section, but still not quite there … yet. The regional window is something competitive but not headline-grabbing.
The regional window scenario is the kind of game fans are excited about, but the NFL isn’t building its entire Sunday around. Both instances are the league hedging its bets.
It’s respect but with conditions. The Broncos are a good team, perhaps even dangerous, but not prime viewing just yet. Think strong supporting act waiting for that bigger role.
If Denver wins this game, the narrative may change quickly. The adverse happens if the Broncos lose.
“Show us first” scenario
Now comes the scenario Broncos Country won’t love, but should still pay attention to. This is the lower-tier opponent in a limited viewing window.
This is the NFL saying, “We’re not sold yet.” It doesn’t mean Denver is bad; it simply means it’s unproven in the eyes of the people who shape the biggest stages. This is the kind of opener where the schedule-makers are keeping their distance … for now.
It’s not disrespect, it’s a challenge. Prove to us last season wasn’t a fluke.
Why it matters
For most seasons, a home opener is a starting point. But for this season, it feels like a measuring stick.
The Broncos are no longer rebuilding. They’re no longer flying under the radar. They’re now in the uncomfortable middle ground where expectations exist, but certainty does not. This is where perception matters the most, especially from the NFL.
How the league views Denver will shape the narrative’s national exposure, how often the team is seen, how often it’s discussed, and how quickly it climbs from “interesting” to “legitimate contender.”
The Broncos won’t just be opening their season when the home opener is announced; they’ll be revealing exactly where they stand in the eyes of the NFL.
BOSTON (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers didn’t know how many games, if any, they could count on from Joel Embiid in their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
It turned out to be just enough.
After debuting in Game 4 following appendectomy surgery last month, the former MVP played some of the best playoff basketball of his career over the final four games of the series to lead the 76ers to a 109-100 Game 7 victory over a Celtics team that had looked like a potential NBA title contender.
The No. 7 seed’s reward is an Eastern Conference semifinals matchup with the No. 3 seed New York Knicks that begins Monday.
In leading Philadelphia to just its second road Game 7 victory ever and first since 1982 against Boston, Embiid finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and six assists to become the first player in NBA history to score 100 points in a playoff series despite missing the first three games.
“Sometimes I’ve been in those positions where I’ve come up short,” Embiid said. “I’ve always said it, you can’t win alone. You need a team. ... The way we’re playing right now, we’re so in sync, offensively, defensively.”
He and Tyrese Maxey (30 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists) also became the third duo in league history to each have 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a Game 7.
Maxey said this series demonstrated how he now knows when to be assertive and when to defer to Embiid.
“It’s a growth, because I had to learn when to be aggressive, when not to be aggressive,” Maxey said. “It got a little bit difficult in the middle of this season. I was basically being first option every single night. Then he comes back and I’ve got to find a way to do both. And he does a really good job of just keeping me engaged and keeping me confident and keep me like, ’Hey I need you to do what you do.'"
The 76ers will need everything Embiid gave and more to compete with a Knicks team that plays a much more physical game than Boston.
Nurse said he believes Embiid is up for the challenge. He was limping at times in Game 7 but then got extra treatment while on the bench just to be able to contribute late.
He had reason to be fatigued because even though nine 76ers players touched the floor in Game 7, only six logged double-digit minutes. Embiid played 39 minutes, tying his series high.
“He was doing everything he could to stay in the game,” Nurse said. “Obviously, we ran a lot of things through him and we did just enough.”
Nurse said being able to come out the hostile environment of TD Garden with a victory will serve his team well going forward.
“It’s really good for us to go through that and respond to it,” Nurse said. “It’s going to be like that in the playoffs. You’re going to be in tight games and it’s going to be super loud. ... And you just have to play through it.”
Nurse said he believes the difference was making Boston play halfcourt sets over the final three minutes after the Celtics were able to play in transition for about 12 straight minutes in the third and fourth quarters.
That’s a lesson he hopes can be applied to New York.
“In the last two (games) and portions of this one, we just guarded really well,” Nurse said.
While there was satisfaction in beating Boston, Embiid said they have loftier goals.
SANTA CLARA, CA - JANUARY 14: Christian McCaffrey #23 and Bobby Turner of the San Francisco 49ers in the locker room before the NFC Wild Card playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium on January 14, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Seahawks 41-23. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 49ers weren’t sure if Kaelon Black would last until the 4th round of the NFL Draft “The fourth round was allegedly a sweet spot for running backs. Arkansas’s Mike Washington was popular among the draft community for his ability to rip off the big play. He was one of the worst pass-protecting backs I can remember watching. If you can’t block, you can’t play.
I felt like Jonah Coleman and Emmett Johnson were good fits. Nicholas Singleton would’ve been a dart throw. Black has the speed edge on the first two and has an argument for being superior in pass protection than any other back in this class. Even in hindsight, Johnson would’ve been fun in Shanahan’s offense.“
2026 NFL Draft’s best UDFA fits: 1 undrafted free agent to watch on each roster (paywall) “Kamara (6 feet, 250, with sub-32-inch arms) does not have NFL size, and he’s not very fast. He does, however, have terrific short-area quickness with outstanding hands and a high-powered motor that never seems to slow down. He constantly got the job done at Indiana (and at James Madison before that), be it rushing inside or off the edge.”
HOUSTON (AP) — When leading scorers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves were both injured in an April 2 game, coach JJ Redick admitted things felt bleak for the Los Angeles Lakers.
But instead of feeling sorry for themselves, the Lakers banded together to fight through the adversity and beat the Houston Rockets in six games to move on to face top-seeded Oklahoma City in the Western Conference semifinals.
Los Angeles has advanced to the second round for the first time since 2023 when it lost to Denver in the West final.
LeBron James had 28 points in Game 6 on Friday night and the Lakers used a tenacious defense to hold the Rockets to their fewest points of the season in the 98-78 victory.
“It speaks to his greatness,” Redick said. “To me, he’s had the greatest career of any NBA player. You can argue all you want and I really don’t care to postulate on who’s the greatest of all time, but he’s one of, if not the greatest of all time.”
“And for him to do it again and answer the bell again, it’s really -- it’s baffling in some ways,” Redick continued.
Los Angeles raced out to a 3-0 lead in the series before losing two games to force Game 6 in Houston against a Rockets team that was missing Kevin Durant for five of six games.
The Lakers played the entire series without Doncic, but Reaves returned for the last two games to help them advance.
There was a chance their series with the Thunder would have started Sunday. But Game 1 was pushed back until Tuesday night when the Raptors beat the Cavaliers 112-110 in overtime thanks to RJ Barrett’s 3-pointer in the final seconds to force Game 7.
“Thanks to Toronto,” James said. “Thank you, RJ Barrett. Appreciate it. Haven’t seen a shot in Toronto like that since Kawhi (Leonard).”
The 41-year-old James was thrilled to get a couple of extra days to rest and recover after averaging 38.5 minutes a game for his injury-plagued team in this series.
“Heck yeah,” he said. “I can go on the golf course now. That’s what I’m thinking about.”
He said he’d start delving into preparation for the Thunder by Sunday.
“It’s the defending champion,” he said. “So, it’s a tall task.”
And the Thunder will be plenty rested after finishing their sweep of Phoenix on Monday night.
Redick credited the leadership of not only James but fellow veteran Marcus Smart for helping steady his team after the injuries to Doncic and Reaves, who combined to average more than 56 points in the regular season.
“For us to be written off a few weeks ago and to win a playoff series is a big deal,” Redick said. “And it just speaks to the character of our team and the leaders of our team that they didn’t let go of the rope.”
Smart, who is in his first season with the Lakers, is so proud of the Lakers for fighting through the injuries to win this series. And he thinks that togetherness will help them as they continue their postseason run.
“It means everything,” he said. “It shows our resilience and it shows the belief that we have our next man up… and it just shows that no matter how depleted we are, we’re always going to go out there and compete and give it everything we got.”
STILLWATER, OK - AUGUST 31: Wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling #1 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys leaps to make a seven-yard catch in bounds against safety Cale Reeder #25 of the South Dakota State Jackrabbits at the six-yard line in the first quarter at Boone Pickens Stadium on August 31, 2024 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State won 44-20. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Why did 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan sound upset no one tried trading for Mac Jones? (Paywall) “Shanahan’s reaction to the lack of trade interest in the backup QB strongly suggested the 49ers were willing — perhaps eager — to discuss a draft-day deal. Shanahan said he expected to receive Jones-related trade calls on the first day of the draft, but no team inquired. And Shanahan didn’t sound overly happy while saying how happy he was the 49ers didn’t trade Jones.
“That kind of blew my mind,” Shanahan said on KNBR. “Definitely someone I would be sick (about) if we lost. But we also understand how good of a quarterback he is. So it definitely surprised me a lot. I know what I would have done. But not everyone did that. So good for us that we still get to hold on to a really good quarterback.”
Good for the 49ers. And too bad for the rest of a league that was too dim-witted to pick up the phone? Yes, there was at least a touch of condescension in Shanahan’s answer.
Shanahan’s apparent eagerness to at least entertain trade offers for Jones before or during the first round makes sense when connecting some dots. Jones would likely net a second- or third-round pick in a deal, and the 49ers thought the strength of this year’s draft was “the second round to the end of the third,” as Shanahan said Thursday on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
Stribling averaged 15.5 yards per reception and did not have a drop on 16 targets on third down in 2025. He turned 70% of those catches into a first down or touchdown.
The thing that could help Stribling play early is his run blocking prowess. Shanahan noted Stribling jumped out on the tape in that area, something the 49ers struggled with in 2025.”
49ers Film Breakdown: 3 passing concepts for De’Zhaun Stribling in his rookie season “While Stribling is being labeled a Jauan Jennings “replacement,” the comparison is really about body type. The juice Stribling has is different than Jennings, and while people are worried about his route tree, I blame Lane Kiffin’s brutal offense at Ole Miss. Pop on Stribling’s Oklahoma State tape, and you’ll see a guy capable of running more than digs (15% of his routes at Ole Miss), nines, aka go routes (26%), and curls (25%).
While the rest of Stribling’s route tree develops at the NFL level, the rookie can benefit from Shanahan’s offense, which routinely schemes guys open. Early on, Stribling should be used as Jennings was in 2023 as a third-down option with way more speed.
I’ve found three concepts used to spring Jennings open that Stribling can benefit from as a rookie. All three concepts and clips are from the 2024 matchup with Seattle at Levi’s Stadium……
Bang/Stutter Rail: The fast motion creates a 1×3 and allows McCaffrey to run the stutter rail from the backfield. With the motion and bunch, the backside routes can be sprung open against man coverage. It can create communication issues with natural picks and rubs. Deebo’s motion actually springs Juice on the return. Samuel takes the nickel and the corner with him as his wide release is meant to interfere with the corner’s angle defending the return.
Seattle is in a two-high safety look, and the Will LB drops into the window for the bang route. The outside cornerback takes the stutter rail away on the outside. The route underneath Jennings is open because of this. The route is deeper than a “shallow” cross, but it’s not quite a “jerk” route either. Jennings is isolated on the Mike LB, and it’s easy money.
Stribling will be in good hands if the 49ers can use him situationally like this early on.”
