NBA playoff predictions 2026: the winner, key players and dark horses

Will an Oklahoma City repeat end an NBA-record run of seven different champions in seven years? Our writers make their picks ahead of Saturday’s postseason tip-offWemby will no doubt be the answer to this question at some point in the (perhaps not-too-distant) future. But for now, I defer to those with at least some playoff experience. For my money, Jokić still reigns supreme as the best player alive, and for that reason, he’s my pick. CDLJokić. Not since peak Shaq has there been an offensive force this inevitable

Inspirational success stories are great but is ADHD really a superpower for elite athletes? | Emma John

Kirsty Brown is a keen golfer. “If I could just transport myself straight to the first tee, that would be amazing,” she says. “But getting there on time, remembering all my kit, making sure I’ve eaten before I play – all those aspects are more challenging than competing itself.” Brown, who has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), admits that can be hard to explain to coaches or teammates. “It doesn’t necessarily make sense to them – it doesn’t really make sense to me either

‘It was stressful’: inside Scotland women’s Rugby World Cup contract wrangle

“There were players who were definitely struggling,” says the former Scotland international Beth Blacklock of the contract uncertainty that surrounded the squad before their run to the 2025 Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.In pre-World Cup camps talks were taking place between players and the Scottish Rugby Union. Some of the 32-player squad had deals that ran until May 2026 but the rest of the team had arrangements that ended in October after the World Cup had concluded.The talks, which took place before the tournament began, were described as “disruptive” to their preparations by the Scotland captain, Rachel Malcolm, at the time. In November last year the SRU announced an increased number of players – 35 – would be financially supported but only 21 of the 32 in the World Cup squad were to receive a contract

From the Pocket: AFL tribunal verdicts sit as uneasily as any in recent memory

Two cases rocked the football industry this week, one your typical footy folderol that everyone hyperventilates over for several days, the other an incident that cut to the core of a league trying to effect serious cultural change. In both instances, all parties professed absolute certainty in their version of events.First, to the relatively trivial matter, where umpire Nick Foot alleged that Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters abused him by asking: “How much are they paying you?” Complicating matters was the fact that the senior umpire, and I can’t believe I’m typing this, also moonlights as a betting analyst for Sportsbet. All parties brooked no doubt as to what had happened. Foot was “100% adamant” he was insulted

Tiger Woods mentioned drones over home and car, ‘president’ in remarks after crash, filing shows

Tiger Woods told police he had taken multiple prescription medications, including Vicodin, on the day of a crash that led to his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to court filings released on Wednesday.The filing, submitted by prosecutors in Florida as part of routine pretrial discovery and obtained by the Guardian, also details a series of unusual remarks Woods made to officers at the scene of the 27 March crash in Hobe Sound, including references to drones flying over his home and a claim that he had spoken to “the president”.Woods told investigators he takes medications for high blood pressure and cholesterol, as well as ibuprofen and Vicodin, and said he had taken all of them earlier that day when asked. He denied drinking alcohol.A breath test showed no alcohol in his system, but Woods refused a urine test for drugs, the filing states

LIV and let die: golf rebels count cost of Saudi cutbacks and other sports fear worst | Matt Hughes

Public Investment Fund withdraws support for rebel tour and other sports could be hit too with Newcastle United uncertainThe reverberations of an unscheduled meeting of LIV Golf executives in New York this week have been felt way beyond their swanky offices in Hudson Yards, on the west side of Manhattan.A slowdown in Saudi Arabia’s lavish spending on sport, which is conservatively estimated to have cost the kingdom more than $10bn in the past five years, had been expected, but its Public Investment Fund’s withdrawal of financial support for the rebel tour – which was first mooted to LIV execs on Monday – has caused shockwaves throughout the wider industry.Significantly, the possibility of PIF’s withdrawal was not even addressed in an email sent by the LIV chief executive, Scott O’Neil, to his staff on Wednesday evening, which has left many of them more fearful for their jobs. Such concerns are not limited to golf, with other sports administrators fearful that similar cuts in Saudi’s budget could be coming their way.While LIV was the primary vehicle through which Saudi launched their ambitious attempt to become a leading global sports destination and promoter five years ago, with more than $5bn invested on the rebel tour, the arch disruptors were by no means the sole beneficiaries