The ESPN Daily: Bill Belichick approaches history, Russell Westbrook tries to change, and is the Madden Curse real?
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Diving deep on a team’s culture … The Houston Astros are back in the World Series, chasing a second title in three years. But everyone is talking about how they are handling a team executive’s taunting of reporters over a domestic violence issue. In today’s episode of the ESPN Daily podcast, baseball insider Jeff Passan joins host Mina Kimes to examine what’s really going on in the Astros’ clubhouse. You can listen to the full episode right here.
Rare company … It’s not particularly controversial to describe Bill Belichick as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but when you consider that he’s probably going to become one of only three NFL coaches with 300 career wins Sunday, it really puts his greatness in stark relief. We talked to some of the people who’ve worked with him (including Tom Brady) about just how he’s been able to put together such a sustained run of dominance. Read more
Can Russell Westbrook change? He’s been a force of nature during his time in the NBA, but Russell Westbrook lacks the one thing that would ensure his place in the pantheon of hoops greats: a championship. Now that he’s on the Houston Rockets and doesn’t need to carry a team on his back, this could be his moment. Westbrook clearly wants to change — but can he? The Undefeated writes on the challenges he’ll face this season. Read More
Where it all went wrong … Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota were two of the most hyped QB draft picks in ages when they went 1-2 in 2015. Now, when their teams face off this Sunday, only Winston will be starting … and he’s coming off a week in which he threw a whopping five interceptions. They were supposed to be heralds of the future, but right now, that future is not very bright. What the heck happened? Read More
Beware the Madden Curse … Curses aren’t real, right? Take the Curse of the Bambino — was it really an angry Babe Ruth dabbling in the occult who caused the Red Sox’s 86-year World Series drought, or was it just a bunch of bad decisions and a little bad luck? Probably the latter, yeah? Then again, if you look at the list of players who’ve fallen victim to the Madden Curse — including Patrick Mahomes — you might become a believer. Read More
Giannis’ super-dunks … The modern NBA is all about the 3-pointer, but don’t tell Giannis Antetokounmpo that. On the latest episode of Signature Shots, Kirk Goldsberry breaks down how Giannis thrives close to the rim, and how he’s able to create dunks all on his own. Watch
“We’ll leave the door open and we’ll see what happens at the end of the year, but Klay’s doing great.”
— Steve Kerr, on Klay Thompson potentially returning to the Warriors this season. Read more
On this date in 2015, 2-5 Georgia Tech pulled off a dramatic upset of unbeaten Florida State by blocking a potential game-winning field goal … and returning it for a touchdown. Brutal. Watch
No. 16 SMU at Houston (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN): SMU looks to keep rising up the AP rankings and stay unbeaten against Houston in this American Athletic West showdown.
Bucks at Rockets (8 p.m. ET, TNT): Not a great matchup here for the 1-5 Redskins: The Vikings are 5-2 with both of their close defeats to fellow NFC North contenders.
Redskins at Vikings (8:20 p.m. ET, Fox/NFL): Who’s going to take the crown from the Warriors in the West? Conventional wisdom says either the Lakers or Clippers, but keep an eye on the Nuggets and Blazers as well — two solid teams coming off quality seasons that could be dangerous in the playoffs.
Clippers at Warriors (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT): Is the Warriors’ dynasty over? Signs point to “maybe.” They’ll have a pretty tough test for their first game of the season, as the Kawhi Leonard/Paul George Clippers (without PG) come to town.