LeBron James

LeBron James drove to the basket and made a layup at the buzzer to give the Heat a 103-102 win over the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals. NBA players immediately took to Twitter to react to James' basket and the Pacers' decision to keep rim-protector Roy Hibbert on the bench for the final play.

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AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Michael Crabtree tears Achilles

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree recently had surgery for a torn Achilles suffered in practice and is expected to miss at least six months. This could dramatically alter the outlook of the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry in the NFC West and dampen the Niners' Super Bowl hopes. What does this mean for San Francisco, who needs to step up, and will we see a speedy recovery with Crabtree catching passes before the season is over?

Which team will win the NFC West this season?

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    44%
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    50%
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    2%
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    4%

Discuss (Total votes: 4,164)

  • How much does the injury to Michael Crabtree hurt the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes?

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      51%
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      49%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,780)

  • Will Michael Crabtree play at any point in the 2013 season?

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      36%
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      40%
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      24%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,721)

  • Will Anquan Boldin, who hasn't had 1,000 yards receiving since 2009, hit the mark this season with the 49ers?

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      60%
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      40%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,463)

  • Which of these players needs to step up the most in the absence of Michael Crabtree?

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      40%
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      53%
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      7%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,442)

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Mike Krzyzewski turned Team USA men's basketball around after a disappointing bronze medal finish in the 2004 games -- now, he's reportedly decided to remain on the team for the 2016 games, despite saying he planned on ending his international career after winning gold in 2012. Can you name every man to coach the team since 1984? Take our quiz now!

More games from ESPN Arcade »

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Kirby Lee/US Presswire

NFL: Schedule changes?

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the league is still interested in cutting two preseason games and replacing them by expanding the regular season to 18 games or expanding the postseason. Does the NFL need to trim its preseason slate? Is adding more regular-season games or playoff games a better alternative? Vote below!

Which slate of NFL games would you prefer?

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    31%
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    31%
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    38%

Discuss (Total votes: 16,995)

  • Do you watch NFL preseason games?

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      36%
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      64%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,975)

  • Which part of the NFL season other than the actual games do you enjoy most?

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      70%
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      30%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,892)

  • How many preseason games do NFL teams need to get ready and make personnel decisions?

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      5%
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      4%
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      52%
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      27%
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      12%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,729)

  • Which would you be most interested in attending?

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      34%
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      45%
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      21%

    Discuss (Total votes: 3,729)

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Bears great Brian Urlacher has announced his retirement after 13 years in the league. Urlacher recorded 1,353 tackles, 41.5 sacks, and 22 interceptions in his illustrious career, and though he never won a Super Bowl, he'll likely be an early entry into the Hall of Fame. The Bears have had their share of great linebackers, but where does Urlacher rank on the all-time list? Submit your rankings now!

NFL's greatest linebackers

Chuck Bednarik

Chuck Bednarik

Eagles: 1949-1962

Dick Butkus

Dick Butkus

Bears: 1965-1973

Derrick Brooks

Derrick Brooks

Buccaneers: 1995-2008

Jack Ham

Jack Ham

Steelers: 1971-1982

Jack Lambert

Jack Lambert

Steelers: 1974-1984

Willie Lanier

Willie Lanier

Chiefs: 1967-1977

Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis

Ravens: 1996-2012

Willie McGinest

Willie McGinest

Patriots: 1994-2005

Browns: 2006-2008

Ray Nitschke

Ray Nitschke

Packers: 1958-1972

Junior Seau

Junior Seau

Chargers: 1990-2002

Dolphins: 2002-2005

Patriots: 2006-2009

Mike Singletary

Mike Singletary

Bears: 1981-1992

Lawrence Taylor

Lawrence Taylor

Giants: 1981-1993

Derrick Thomas

Derrick Thomas

Chiefs: 1989-1999

Andre Tippett

Andre Tippett

Patriots: 1982-1993

Brian Urlacher

Brian Urlacher

Bears: 2000-2012

Your Rankings

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MLB: Mike Trout hits for cycle

At 21 years, 288 days old, Mike Trout became the youngest player in AL history to hit for the cycle on Tuesday, nearly making it a natural cycle, by going single, triple, double, home run. After winning the 2012 AL Rookie of the Year and finishing second in the AL MVP voting, Trout is proving in 2013 that he is no one-year wonder.

  • The record for cycles in a career is three. Mike Trout hit his first Tuesday night at age 21. Will he hit more than three in his career?

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      62%
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      38%

    Discuss (Total votes: 36,628)

  • How many MVP awards will Mike Trout win in his career?

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      6%
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      22%
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      47%
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      25%

    Discuss (Total votes: 5,994)

  • Mike Trout is projected to finish the season batting .293, with 32 HR, 122 RBI, 112 R, 32 SB. How will his final stats compare?

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      35%
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      49%
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      16%

    Discuss (Total votes: 6,092)

  • Which player has a better chance to win AL MVP this year?

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      74%
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      26%

    Discuss (Total votes: 6,178)

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The draft lottery has been great to the Cleveland Cavaliers -- they got LeBron James out of it one year, Kyrie Irving in another, and now they've got the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. There's no true standout star from this class (although a healthy Nerlens Noel might qualify), leading to speculation that the Cavs might end up trading the pick -- a move that hasn't been made in 20 years. The Cavs have three other picks in this draft and a lot of cap space, but the lure of picking first might be too strong for them to resist, given how well it's worked for them in the past.

More: How would you rank the top players in this year's NBA draft?


Best pick?

There's no LeBron James in this draft, but the available players all seem solid and professional -- not lightning in a bottle, exactly, but better than some No. 1 picks we could name.

SportsNation

Which of these players would be the best choice for the Cavaliers to take with the first pick of the NBA draft?

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    16%
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    13%
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    49%
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    9%
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    13%

Discuss (Total votes: 157,176)


Big Two?

Nerlens Noel is currently rehabbing, but if he ends up recovering fully, he and Kyrie Irving could form the core of a pretty good team.

SportsNation

Would the Cavaliers be championship contenders with a core of Kyrie Irving and a healthy Nerlens Noel?

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    6%
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    63%
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    31%

Discuss (Total votes: 5,373)


A reasonable system?

The Magic didn't get the first pick despite having the worst record in the league. The top pick hasn't gone to the worst team since 2004 -- which, oddly enough, just happened to be the Magic.

SportsNation

Should the worst team in the NBA automatically get the No. 1 pick in the draft, instead of a higher chance at it under the current lottery system?

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    67%
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    33%

Discuss (Total votes: 39,246)

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Welcome to SportsNation! On Wednesday, ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford will drop by to talk some hoops.

Ford covers the NBA and NBA Draft for ESPN Insider and also makes appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.

Send your questions now and join Ford Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. ET!

More Chad Ford: Chats | Columns | NBA index

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Leading a team to 56 wins and a Pacific Division title is usually enough to keep a coach's job secure, but that clearly wasn't the case with Vinny Del Negro and the Clippers. A first-round playoff loss to the Memphis Grizzlies likely didn't help matters, although Del Negro did have to deal with a slew of injuries to some of his best players. Assuming they keep Chris Paul, the Clippers will find out next season whether Del Negro was the reason why they couldn't get over the hump.

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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When you pay a baseball team $214.8 million, you expect certain things in return for your investment. Wins would be nice. Scoring some runs would be great, too. Both have been scarce for the Dodgers, 18-25 entering Tuesday's games and 29th in the majors in runs scored. Consider this: Only the Marlins have scored fewer runs. And Miami's payroll is substantially less than the Dodgers' $214.8 million.

So should we interpret general manager Ned Colletti's endorsement of manager Don Mattingly as the dreaded vote of confidence -- the kind often followed by a firing? Mattingly isn't to blame for the Dodgers' near-comic rash of early season injuries. And Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier haven't exactly hit the cover off the ball. But fairly or unfairly, it's the manager who pays with his job when things go wrong. Will Mattingly survive the season?

What do you think? Leave your comments below.

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