On paper, this is a team that should be taking a clear step into a new era: Anže Kopitar is nearing retirement after a successful career, Brandt Clarke and Quinton Byfield are emerging, and the front office has invested heavily in a core that's supposed to push them forward.
Before the injury, Brooklyn's offense revolved almost entirely around Thomas' scoring gravity. The ball stuck. Possessions narrowed. And while Thomas produced points, the Nets struggled to produce wins or stops. They opened the season 0-7, leaking points at a historic rate and searching for an identity that never fully materialized. Thomas' usage reflected both his talent and the team's dependence on it.
"I don't think like that. I don't want to see 'Kompany football' - I want to see Bayern Munich," Kompany replied in remarks captured by @iMiaSanMia. "Against PSG, we defended extremely high at first, then deeper later on - and yet we kept our look. But to say: 'That was my football' - that's not how I'd put it. I want a team who are dangerous in every phase.
Everything - from body mechanics to each individual action in a game - are data points. Tracked, put together, analyzed, and spat out. Outcomes closing towards preordained. Yet, something is always missing. On paper, as they say, it should fit. It should work out. The numbers say it so. But, like a meddlesome ghost, something keeps it from all coming together.
The cracks are starting to show with this England team and with the narrative we've been fed for three years after another defeat. Their identity of always taking the aggressive option, of relentlessly putting pressure on their opponents, isn't holding up to scrutiny. So far in this series they haven't had the strength needed to achieve it, and they haven't had the skills either.
Obviously, the Wizards injuries have began to add up over the last few weeks, with several key players out of the lineup including Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and reigning top 10 pick Tre Johnson. Washington's far from full strength, but if we're being completely honest, the team's underwhelming play to start the season suggest that even if they were healthy, it wouldn't make much of a difference.
It wasn't just the fact that the Heat were bounced out of the first round; it was the fact that they didn't even look like they belonged on the same floor as the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many times in that short four-game series, it didn't feel as if the two teams were even playing the same sport. That was the biggest problem for Spo. And, you'd have to imagine that was one of the bigger motivators for him during the offseason.
It is one of those preseason games. Montreal worked hard and played a simple game. We kind of complicated things at times. That is what you get sometimes in preseason games. They are. It lacks intensity. That can drive a coach bananas, but I understand. There was some good stuff, too. I was happy with some of it. I look for structure stuff. I look for routes, and things like that - our systems.
For decades, the league's uniforms have been symbols of identity, tradition, and competitive pride. With Rivalries, the NFL and Nike are introducing a program that expands on that legacy, creating uniforms that feel rooted in each team's community while offering a bold aesthetic shift on the field. Taryn Hutt, the NFL's vice president of club marketing, described the program as an opportunity to "merge creativity and innovation" while bringing new energy to one of the most visible aspects of the sport.
Mike McDaniel believes that identity and culture must be created through diligent work rather than mere talk, which led to the decision to practice and play against the tough Detroit Lions.
"I think we're starting to see now, as [women's] football becomes more and more professionalized, that pathway players, players with connections to Wales, are now eligible and we're utilizing that more..."
I want to put a team out there on the court that everyone is proud of. It has to have an identity - an identity similar to Phoenix. Some grit, some determination, some work ethic, some grind, some joy. We just haven't had that.
