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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Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel was taken aback by his side s 9-0 demolition of Guingamp on Saturday.
Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani scored hat-tricks, while Neymar netted a double as PSG humiliated Guingamp in Paris.
PSG tied their record Ligue 1 winning margin, leaving German boss Tuchel stunned post-match.
I have to think about it, but I don t think I ve ever seen that before 9-0 in a league game, Tuchel told reporters.
Biggest home win in
Biggest win in , equaling the scoreline from a March 2016 victory Troyes
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English)
We really wanted to score, we played with a lot of quality. We improved during the second half and played very smoothly with a good offens…
Leicester City expect full commitment from Riyad Mahrez and will drop the winger if he does not show it, while the Premier League club have still not received any offers for the star, manager Craig Shakespeare says.
Mahrez confirmed his intention to leave the 2015-16 Premier League champions by releasing a statement in May, with Arsenal reported to be among the clubs interested.
But despite Arsene Wenger making complimentary comments about the Algerian, Shakespeare said Leicester have not had any bids for Mahrez and will not select him if he is not focused on his game.
It can be disappointing when players go public with it but I think you have to understand the modern game, Shakespeare said.
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Achraf Hakimi was sent off for Paris Saint-Germain as the Ligue 1 leaders played out a 0-0 draw with Marseille in Le Classique on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino s side, who started with the heralded trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, largely struggled to break down their stubborn hosts, even before Hakimi s dismissal in the 57th minute for a foul on Cengiz Under.
Valentin Rongier and Konrad De la Fuente wasted glorious opportunities to find a winner, while Messi was chased by a spectator late in the second half as he pushed forward in the Marseille half, with security slow to apprehend the man.
The result means PSG are seven points clear at the Ligue 1 summit, while Marseille are 10 points behind in fourth, although Jorge Sampaoli s side have a game …
Verdict: Manchester City win and both teams to score
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Desperate to bounce back from last weekend s shock 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace, Pep Guardiola s side will travel to the King Power Stadium on Boxing Day afternoon.
Leicester
Starting with Wednesday s hosts, although many around the King Power were worried that Leicester would drop out of the top half of the table following a poor run of form entering Christmas, the Foxes 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge last weekend has certainly given Claude Puel s side a much-needed boost. Ending their four-match winless run on Saturday, a run that also saw them crash out of the EFL Cup at the hands of Manchester City earlier in the month, the former Southampton boss will still know that he must…
What the papers say
Arsenal have entered their third bid, worth £105million for West Ham star Declan Rice after Manchester City had a bid rejected at £90million, the Guardian said.
West Ham will reportedly wait for Manchester City to submit another offer on Wednesday.
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The club are demanding £100million for the England and Tottenham captain, who is said to be keen to move to the club.
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Aaron Ramsdale was left revelling in the fact he saved everything during an inspirational performance as Arsenal beat Leicester City 2-0 on Saturday.
Arsenal were buoyed by two early goals as Gabriel Magalhaes and Emile Smith Rowe had them comfortably ahead inside 18 minutes, but from then Ramsdale was the key man.
A maligned pre-season arrival from Sheffield United, Ramsdale has dislodged Bernd Leno as Arsenal s first-choice goalkeeper and showed why that is the case at the King Power Stadium.
He saved all eight of Leicester s shots on target, which improved his overall save percentage for the season to 85.7, which is bettered by only Edouard Mendy (89.7) among goalkeepers to have faced more than two shots.
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Naismith suffered a similar problem in his left knee in 2008 and was out for eight months.
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Croatian defender Ivan Strinic is on the radar of Italian side Napoli, according to the player s official representative.
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Strinic appears to be a perfect target seeing as how his contract is due to expire on 31st December, meaning he can be signed on a free transfer in January.
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