New on Sports Illustrated: Celtics' Smart Calls Out Refs for Overturning Giannis Foul

In this weekend's hot clicks: The Cardinals are the second team to have an outbreak in MLB, Giannis has a new BFF and more.

Giannis Has a New BFF

...says Celtics’ guard Jaylen Brown, who was among those upset with the officiating in their

opening-night loss to the Bucks, during which there was an overturned block call and some 50-50 calls that went against Boston.

Late in the fourth quarter of a tied game, after Boston erased an early 15-point deficit, Giannis Antetokounmpo was called for a charge when Marcus Smart slid under the reigning MVP. The call, however, was reversed, and, after Antetokounmpo hit the free throw to complete the three-point play, the Bucks led 110–107 on their way to the 119–112 win (during which Kemba Walker became the NBA’s most expensive cheerleader).

"The excuse was I was late on the charge,” Smart said after the game. “The replay center said I was late and it was a block. Quite frankly, I think we all know what that was about. Giannis has six fouls. They didn't want to get him out. Let's just call a spade a spade. That's just what it is."

Shortly thereafter, Brown posted a photoshopped image of Giannis and Ken Mauer to his Instagram story.

Another Outbreak

Four days after the Miami Marlins’ season was suspended after, at the time, 17 players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19, there’s been an outbreak within the Cardinals’ organization. On Friday, the Cardinals’ announced two positive tests, which led to the cancellation of Friday night’s game vs. the Brewers. 

On Saturday morning, “several” more Cardinals players tested positive, Craig Mish reported, with Ken Rosenthal adding it’s “between four and six” additional players. The Cardinals were scheduled to play the Brewers at Miller Park on Saturday and finish the series with a doubleheader on Sunday.

“In text conversations with teammates Friday, MLBPA player reps warned that if there is a big jump in COVID+ tests over the weekend, MLB season may be canceled,” Jeff Passan reported on Saturday morning while also noting it’s “unclear what the threshold is.” The Cardinals’ new positive tests come one day after Rob Manfred told MLBPA executive director Tony Clark if baseball doesn’t better manage the outbreaks, the season will end.

$365-Million Arm

Swivelympics

Each Saturday morning, I don’t have a plan for Hot Clicks. I might revisit a few things from Friday or grab some links, tweets and videos people have sent throughout the week, but generally I have no firm plan and allow the weekend’s notable stories to dictate the content. This weekend, a swivel chair is dictating the content.

I dropped by The Ocho subreddit for the first time since ‘Nam and was captivated by the Kuopio Swivelympics, a swivel chair competition in Kuopio, a city in the Northern Savonia region of Finland. Each day during the postponed Tokyo Olympics, The Ocho is posting coverage from the Swivelympics, where residents compete for the most rotations on a swivel chair. Late last week, Paul employed “a far more relaxed technique than anything previously seen.” Here’s full coverage from the Kuopio Swivelympics.

Side note: This sent me down a rabbit role, which led to a video of a guy on a swivel chair...with a leaf blower strapped to himself.

Odds & Ends

The ideal Big Ten schedule if its adds a 10th conference game … Illinois guard Ayo Dosunmu is withdrawing from the NBA Draft so he can win a national championship in 2021 ... College football betting overview for the 2020 season … Why the Big 12 is still split on its football scheduling plan … Another Patriots’ player is opting out of the season … Sabrina Ionescu exited the Liberty’s game with an ugly ankle injury … Five must-watch NBA games this weekend … New NBA Mock Draft: Anthony Edwards goes No. 1 … Everything coming to Netflix this month.

Clarissa Bowers

Players Pushing Back

New Trailers

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