We spent last evening at Professor Thom's , the Boston sports bar here in New York City. (Apparently, it used to be Riviera's, but then some bartenders got fired, or something; it's difficult to keep track of such matters.) We were engulfed in a swarm of New Englanders, the people who, over the last several years, have celebrated titles, and celebrated titles, and celebrated titles. We saw every inch of their joy last night. (Not a euphemism!) And you know what? It wasn't so bad. It was really fun. The goofy looks around the bar at halftime betrayed any fear of jinxing; this title was happening, and one couldn't pretend otherwise. The dominance of the Celtics was overwhelming, all-encompassing and enthralling; it really had the feel of a Harlem Globetrotters-Washington Generals game. Down the stretch, it was like a band winding down a great set. There's Big Baby Davis with a dunk! Leon Powe! Eddie House! Give it up for James Posey! Everybody got their moment. What drama was sucked out by the blowout was more than made up for by the emotional earthquake afterwards; we were legitimately frightened Kevin Garnett was going to explode into a splash of blood and confetti. It was a celebration, a reminder of what Boston basketball once was and what it was again. We found it best not to attach the Celtics to the Patriots and the Red Sox; let the true diehards have their moment, for they had earned it. (Though if the Celtics win again next year, all bets are off.) We'll talk about Kobe Bryant and how no one can ever think of him the same, no matter what happens the rest of his career, a little later. For now, we congratulate the Celtics and their fans; these come along rarely, even for Boston fans, and must be held as tightly, for as long, as possible. Relatedbest online betting sitesnew sportsbook sitesbest mobile betting appsonline live bettinglive streaming on sportsbooksbest betting sites with cash out
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Pierre Kalulu s late effort saw Milan rescue a 2-2 draw for the second Serie A match running as Mattia Destro s double ultimately proved in vain for lowly Genoa.
The hosts, the last side to defeat the Rossoneri in Italy s top flight back in March, led twice as ex-Milan loanee Destro scored either side of Davide Calabria s excellent equaliser at the Luigi Ferraris.
But Kalulu tapped in from Alessio Romagnoli s downward header seven minutes from time to complete a breathless second half completely at odds with an insipid opening 45.
Leaders Milan fought back from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 at Parma last time out and are now 24 unbeaten in the league but only a point ahead of city rivals Inter. Genoa remain in the bottom three.
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Marquinhos has ended speculation over his future by signing a contract extension at Paris Saint-Germain that commits him to the club until 2019.
The Brazil centre-back joined PSG from Serie A side Roma in July 2013 after just a year in the Italian capital.
Marquinhos has made 31 appearances for Laurent Blanc s men this term and been widely linked with a move away from the Parc des Princes.
Premier League outfits Manchester United and Chelsea had been credited with an interest in the former Corinthians man.
But upon signing his new contract Marquinhos told the PSG s official website: This is a great success, good news. This means that the job is done.
This is a new stage in my life. The project here is beautiful and life is beautiful in Paris.
Ligue 1 clubs Bastia and Saint-Etienne have engaged in a war of words after a proposed transfer of Brazilian striker Brandao collapsed.
Brandao had been expected to join Bastia for the 2014-15 season but they announced on Friday they had sent the 34-year-old back to Saint-Etienne, claiming the Loire-based outfit had demanded a transfer fee at the last minute.
In a statement on their website, Bastia claimed this was contrary to what was originally planned .
Saint-Etienne rejected Bastia s accusation, before claiming the Corsicans owe them over €150,000 for a transfer involving Sylvain Marchal from 2012.
Saint-Etienne noted with amazement the statement released Friday by Bastia, a statement on Saint-Etienne s website read.
Contrary to the leader…
Bundesliga leaders Hoffenheim are to sign striker Kai Herdling from Regionalliga side Waldorf Mannheim. The 24-year-old, who already played for the club between 2002 and 2008, will be brought back in as cover for the injured Vedad Ibisevic, who is set to miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury.
“Because of our personnel situation we hope to get some useful service out of Kai,†explained Hoffenheim general manager Jan Schindelmeister.
…
Arsenal s come-back hero Eduardo da Silva has revealed to The Sun that he is still yet to receive an apology of any sort from Martin Taylor, after the Birmingham defender broke his leg and ankle in a horrific tackle last year.
Eduardo produced a magnificent first-team return on Monday to score twice against Cardiff in the fourth round of the F.A Cup in his first appearance since the end of February 2008.
But the striker revealed that Taylor has never even apologised for the tackle that caused the injury, rubbishing reports that Taylor has met with the Croatian or even spoken to him.
Eduardo said: “Some friends told me he was saying he’d spoken to me  but he never did. I’ve never met him.
…
Casemiro was spotted at Old Trafford ahead of Manchester United s Premier League fixture with Liverpool as the midfielder prepared to be unveiled as the Red Devils latest signing.
The Brazil enforcer is joining United from Real Madrid in a deal reportedly worth an initial £60million (€70m), having won an incredible 18 trophies during a nine-year spell with Los Blancos.
Having bid farewell to Madrid in a press conference earlier on Monday, Casemiro was seen at pitchside ahead of United s clash with Liverpool, in which Erik ten Hag s under-fire side will bid to end an eight-match winless run against their rivals.
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Liverpool want £15 million for Harry Wilson, according to . It has been reported that Fulham are interested in signing the winger in the summer transfer window. Discussions between the Premier League club and the Championship outfit are going on, and the Reds have told the Cottagers that they want £15 million as transfer fee for the 24-year-old Wales international.
Wilson has been on the books of Liverpool since 2005 and has come through the academy. However, the 24-year-old has failed to establish himself in the first team and has not even played once in the Premier League. The winger has been out on loan at Derby County, Bournemouth and Cardiff City among other clubs over the years.
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Diego Simeone saluted Atletico Madrid for again finding remarkable reserves of resilience on the European stage in a 1-1 draw at Arsenal.
Sime Vrsaljko was dismissed for collecting two bookings inside the opening 10 minutes of the Europa League semi-final at Emirates Stadium, while Simeone was sent to the stands shortly afterwards by referee Clement Turpin.
LaLiga s second-place side dug in and only fell behind to an Alexandre Lacazette header after the hour.
Antoine Griezmann was partially culpable for the opener, giving the ball away on the edge of his own area, but the France forward provided a sting in the tail as he seized upon a slip from international colleague Laurent Koscielny eight minutes from time.
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Verdict: Mohamed Salah to score anytime
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Liverpool travel to Rome carrying a healthy three-goal lead into their Champions League semi-final return leg against AS Roma but Giallorossi have already erased the identical deficit and will hope to replay such a huge undertaking once again.
AS Roma
The Serie A heavyweights were hit hard in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final at Anfield despite dominating the opening proceedings. It was Liverpool’s attacking brilliance that ended up stunning the Italians who were trailing 5-0 at one moment with their hopes slowly fading away.
Eusebio Di Francesco’s men refused to back down and managed to score two away goals which will have been a major morale boost, knowing that t…
Ivan Rakitic has dismissed suggestions he could leave Barcelona following the arrival of Andre Gomes from Valencia.
Miquel Sors, who was believed to be one of the Croatia international s representatives, fuelled speculation that Rakitic could leave Camp Nou earlier on Friday with a cryptic tweet saying It s time to go after Barcelona s announcement that they had reached an agreement to sign Gomes.
However, Rakitic has made it clear he is focused on the 2016-17 campaign with Barcelona, stressing Sors is not his agent.
Getting ready for the new season and really up for it, the 28-year-old tweeted alongside a picture of him in the gym.
By the way, my only agent is Arturo Canales.
Getting ready for the new season and really up for it. By the way…