The Dallas Mavericks are definitely cursed
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UPDATE: Kyrie Irving is confirmed to have a torn ACL, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. Everyone's worst fears have come true.
Good morning, Winners! Let's pour one out for the Dallas Mavericks. Not the organization, but the fans who absolutely do not deserve any of what they're getting this season.
Kyrie Irving, the lone source of joy Dallas Mavericks fans seem to have left these days, suffered a knee strain on Monday night during a game against the Sacramento Kings. What a horrifying scene it was. Irving went down immediately after knocking his knee against the leg of a defender as he darted to the rim. He lay on the ground writhing in pain for a while before getting up and gutting out his free throws just in case he could make his return, à la his idol, Kobe Bryant.
He won't. Irving has been confirmed to have a torn ACL. He's done for the season and will probably miss a good chunk of next year.
With that in mind, I've said it before and I'll say it again. The basketball gods are cruel. The things they do have no rhyme or reason. They just do them. That's what Irving's injury on Monday felt like — an unnecessary cruelty levied by some divine force that seems to be a Laker fan.
First, Nico Harrison gives Doncic away to the Lakers. Next, Anthony Davis gets hurt and the organization tries to sneak that news in during the Super Bowl. A few weeks later, the team announced it was raising season ticket prices a month after making what might be the worst trade in NBA history. Now, Irving gets hurt?
Yeah, Mavs fans. Sorry. You're cursed.
It brings me no pleasure to say that, by the way. I know I've been doing a lot of trolling lately — specifically when it comes to Nico Harrison, the Lakers' shadow GM Mavericks' GM. Those are all jokes...mostly. I'm not rooting for the Mavericks to fail. And I certainly would never wish injury upon anyone.
This sucks, honestly. I feel bad for Mavericks fans, who were treated to an NBA Finals run last season only to have it all come crashing down less than a year later. The good times didn't roll very long.
Some Unrivaled history
I've been waiting for this to happen. It was good to see it finally did on Monday.
Brittney Griner pulled off the first dunk in Unrivaled's history. What makes it even better is that she did it with Lisa Leslie — the first woman to dunk in the WNBA — calling the game.
The two of them shared a sweet moment together in the postgame press conference. Meg Hall writes about it here:
NEW: Brittney Griner became the first player to dunk in Unrivaled history tonight. Here is Lisa Leslie, the first player to dunk in a WNBA game, interviewing her after the game.
“You warm our hearts and it’s great to see you be able to finish out your career,” Leslie told BG. pic.twitter.com/FpalqVAtjh— Safid Deen 💯💯💯💯 (@Safid_Deen) March 4, 2025
This is what it's all about. The serendipity. The timing. Leslie being in the building to witness that history feels special. It's very nice to see Unrivaled getting this moment in its first year.
Happy trails, Jimmy Johnson
The longtime Fox NFL Sunday co-host and Hall of Fame NFL coach officially announced his retirement from television after 25 years on the air.
Here's Christian D'Andrea with more:
"He won a pair of Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL Hall of Fame coaching career. Before that he led the Miami Hurricanes to a national title and four straight seasons with an AP top 10 finish. After that came a brief stint on Survivor and some, uh, questionable advertising endorsements.
But what he's most known for after leaving the sideline is his place on Fox NFL Sunday, where he spent the last 25 years as a trusted member of the network's pregame show. At 81 years old and after 60 years of analyzing football for a living, he's decided it's time for a break."
He announced his retirement on The Herd, saying that the "most fun" he's ever had in his career — including his Super Bowl runs — was with Fox Sports. Should we believe that? Absolutely. Coaching doesn't seem very fun at all — especially not in high-leverage situations where a Super Bowl is the expectation. Talking about football on Fox? That had to be a breeze for Jimmy. He was really good at it, too.
It's been quite the run for the guy. Best of luck to him moving forward.
Quick hits: NHL trade deadline watch ... Howie Roseman gets NSFW ... and more
— Mary Clarke has the best nine players left on the trade market for the upcoming NHL trade deadline.
— Howie Roseman compares winning Super Bowls to getting better at having sex. Yes, you read that correctly. Charles Curtis has more.
— The Angel Reese and Chelsea Gray combo is giving what it's supposed to give. Meg Hall has more.
— Robert Zeglinski has more on why it was a mistake for the Bengals to hit Tee Higgins with the franchise tag.
— Here are five potential replacements for Jimmy Johnson on the NFL Sunday show.
— Speaking of Tee Higgins' franchise tag, Christian D'Andrea says it'll make free agency pretty boring and expensive.
That's a wrap, folks. Thanks so much for reading today. Peace. Go get some pancakes.
-Sykes ✌️
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Kyrie Irving injury shows the Dallas Mavericks are cursed
