Mike Finger

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Mike Finger

They tried to talk Gregg Popovich out of it. He'd been busting his tail at physical therapy, but he just wasn't ready. Too many things could have gone wrong. What if he'd stumbled walking into the room? What if his legs had given out right there at the podium? What if, after going six months without speaking in public, he couldn't find his words? All things considered, there would have been no shame in sitting this one out. Baloney.

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Mike Finger

Mitch Johnson does not need to become an icon. He does not need to wind up on T-shirts, or in the Hall of Fame. He does not need to implore his country to be better, or beg his players to give him "some nasty." He does not need to offer life lessons with every bottle of wine, or grow a coaching tree that spreads to every corner of the NBA. Johnson cannot be Gregg Popovich. But he can preserve as much of what Popovich built as anyone can.

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Mike Finger

Even after the stroke, he was everywhere. During every practice dribble, every timeout huddle and every dinner conversation, the Spurs conducted themselves like Gregg Popovich was watching, mainly because no one could be sure he wasn't. When outsiders would speculate about the venerable coach's health and wonder how on earth he could return, those who knew him best would shake their heads, convinced they were asking the wrong question.

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Mike Finger

Jerry Jones and Deion Sanders have a few things in common. Both are excellent at generating internet traffic. Neither has been associated with a Super Bowl team in almost 30 years. And now both have no choice but to believe that people like Mel Kiper, Jr., know more about evaluating football prospects than darn near every front office in the NFL. If the draftniks are right, the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns had a pretty good weekend.

1 month ago | expressnews.com | Mike Finger

On the TV screen, Kawhi Leonard looked so much older. Not during the game itself Monday night, when he moved and soared and dominated with the same awe-inspiring ruthlessness we remember from eight years ago. But afterward, when the sideline reporter approached and the camera zoomed in. His eyes looked heavier. His face looked wearier. Article continues below this adHad time done this to him? Or had time done this to us all?