Knicks Aim for Second-Run East Title

The Knicks ended the regular season 51-31, clinching a seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. They can finish as the No. 2, 3, or 4 seed, though a No. 2 spot is unlikely with the Celtics 2½ games ahead. A third‑place finish would set up a road second‑round series against Boston.

Tyrese Maxey reveals that the 76ers' need for him to be more aggressive with his scoring originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Philadelphia 76ers lost 115-102 to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday. It was a tough loss because the 76ers could have capitalized on Victor Wembanyama exiting the game with an injury after only 16 minutes.

Tyrese Maxey played 40 minutes, but he struggled by shooting only 6-for-16 from the field, scoring only 15 points. He did have eight assists, but that mostly came from him being more passive than normal.

Maxey vows to be more aggressive moving forward

As one of the 76ers' best players, expectations are high for Maxey. He is an All-Star, so his role is pretty defined with the 76ers under head coach Nick Nurse.

On Monday against the Spurs, Maxey was quite passive with his offense. He was making plays for his teammate, which is good for any point guard, but he has to mix it up at times.

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MORE: Tyrese Maxey loved what he saw from the Detroit Pistons this season

Maxey is often an aggressive player, especially with his speed, making him an elite slasher. However, that was not the case against the Spurs, which left him regretting his approach to the game.

Moving forward, it seems Maxey is ready to play the optimal style because he wants his team to benefit from him being aggressive.

"First half, we didn't get shots like I wasn't as aggressive as I should have been. I feel like I was making a lot of plays, I think I had like six or seven assists in the first half," Maxey said after the loss to San Antonio.

"That's just on me. For us to win games, I have to be aggressive. I got to do what I normally do, we won't win like that."

Now that he has learned this lesson, the future is bright for the 76ers. An aggressive Maxey paired with Joel Embiid playing at his best again and a resurgent Paul George, this team could be dangerous in the postseason.

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• VJ Edgecombe gets a major NBA acknowledgement for the 76ers
• Nick Nurse celebrates Paul George for a season-best performance
• Nick Nurse names Andre Drummond as the 76ers' x-factor

Michigan basketball wasn't considered the favorite to win the national championship at the outset of the season. Yes, Dusty May brought in a bevy of transfers, including star forward Yaxel Lendeborg. But it still wasn't thought of as a team that was going to dominate the way it did.

Yet, at the end of the final Monday of the college basketball season, it was the Michigan Wolverines cutting down the nets, after beating UConn, 69-63.

After the game, head coach Dusty May, most outstanding player Elliot Cadeau, Lendeborg, and Trey McKenney met with the media to discuss the big win and the team's first national championship since the 1989 season. Here is everything they had to say.

Opening statement

DUSTY MAY: Yeah, what a way to wrap up the '25-26 college basketball season with this group. I want to begin by thanking last year's team.

At Michigan, we came up a little bit short, but those guys laid the foundation, established an identity for us, and also helped attract these guys to come in and chase this stream together. And secondly, I want to thank our FAU guys, the team, and staff that really, really, this is one time I'll make it about me, that really helped us grow together. And that was the first time I'd been with a group that was truly sacrificial, where we were about each other. And because of that, we all improved so much, and this team's done the same thing.

It's when you bring a group that's talented together, and they decide from the beginning that they're gonna do it this way, and they never waver, and they never change, that's probably the most uncommon thing in athletics now, and it's a tribute to their character, but also those in their circles around them. Their coaches, their parents, their mentors, they allowed these guys to give themselves up for the group, and it's never guaranteed, but for these guys to cut down the nets after all they sacrifice is pretty special.

The game wasn't a typical Michigan game in terms of your shooting, assists, three points, almost none of that was going on. How did you guys find a way to sort of shift your game in the middle of the game to almost a wholly different identity and still win?

ELLIOT CADEAU: You know, all year we've been just finding ways to win, and we made two 3s the whole game. We wasn't making shots. We weren't. Like, we had a couple assists, not as many as we usually do, but we constantly just been finding ways to win all year, no matter how everybody's playing.

YAXEL LENDEBORG: To piggyback off of that, yeah. Early on in the season, we went through our struggles offensively, trying to find our rhythm, was stuck out, and what really brought us together was how, you know, unselfish we were eventually in those moments and our defensive toughness, you know, and whenever offense isn't rolling, we find a way to make plays with our defense and make it lead to quick offense.

When did you know you were gonna go? What percentage were you at, and were you a little bit tentative early, a little bit scared to move on that much?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Yeah, I knew I was gonna go as soon as I got back on the court, the first game. I knew there was no way I was gonna miss this game, no matter what was going on. I was very tentative this game. Yeah, I felt like I was pretty much holding our team down. I feel like we could have been up by way more early in the game, later on in the game. I kept having opportunities to make plays, and I couldn't make the play, but these guys stuck with me no matter what. They all believed in me. I was trying to push through my mental and physical battle. I was dealing with myself, but, you know, these guys really helped me out and helped me push through.

There was a time late in the second half, you came out, you looked frustrated.I saw it on a TV monitor. LJ kind of was motivating you at that moment. Since he had that, a similar injury -- perhaps share that conversation and what he has meant to you.

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Yeah, he was, he was telling me to stop being so hard on myself, you know, he was basically saying like, I'm one of the reasons why we're here, like one of the biggest reason that we got to this moment, you know, and nobody's gonna, you know, downplay me or what I've done this year because of one bad game. So, you know, he just kept telling me to keep going no matter what, he believes in me. All of us, all the rest of the team has my back no matter what, you know, just find a way to get easy buckets, you know. Coach Joyner also came to me and talked to me about the Anthony Davis game, where he was having a bad game, and he found a way to, you know, impact the team. So, I just tried to find a way to do something to help the team out, and eventually it started working out.

Elliot, when you came here to this tournament, everybody was forecasting who would be the most valuable player of the tournament, and such, and when you got the trophy, that trophy right there is what means the most to you, but what did it mean to you to be honored like that?

ELLIOT CADEAU: Man, it means the world to me, like, I'm just so proud of myself where I came from, like, last year I was really down on myself. A lot of people doubted me, and I'm just so proud of myself for me to be able to say I was the most outstanding player and win a national championship at the same time.

What did you guys see when you first got together where you started talking about winning championships when you maybe barely even knew each other, and you didn't know what you still had in you coming here? Where did that come from?

ELLIOT CADEAU: Yeah, I just saw so much talent around me since day one and just like a unique, a unique set of talent, like three bigs at the same time. Switching one through four, I just seen like a unique type of basketball that we was playing and I knew like it would be a mismatched nightmare for every single team that we played and it was this year.

Elliot, your job obviously changed when LJ went down. A lot more responsibility on you, and somehow you went from there to these last two games playing maybe the two best games you've played all year. Can you explain that journey, how you were able to traverse that through the course of this month?

ELLIOT CADEAU: Yeah, I feel like I've been playing the same from when LJ went down. I feel like I just got the ball more, and I just played more minutes, and I just had higher usage. So it seems like my stats were higher, but you know, I think LJ, I thank LJ for even if he's out, he's still supporting us. He's still, he's literally an assistant coach out there, and it just inspires me to go out there and just play for him.

You transferred in at the start of this season. What have you seen in terms of your fit with the rest of the team, and how have you seen yourselves grow since you become a part of this Michigan team?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Man, once we transferred in, I know, especially for me, the whole University of Michigan welcomed me with open arms. You know, I've seen many, many Twitter arguments that these guys are going back and forth with everybody saying like, you know, we deserve the spot here, and they're going to cherish every moment of us being here. And shout out to Will, Roddy, Nimari, LJ, especially those guys. Once we all got together, they were super genuine with us the whole way. They tucked us in under the wing, and they showed us the Michigan way. They could have easily got butthurt or something because the new guys were coming in, stealing their minutes, stealing their points, but you know, they didn't care. All they cared about was winning and, you know, look where it led us, you know.

Yaxel, now that you have a championship trophy, can you tell us a little bit more about the injury? Are you going to need follow-up surgery, follow-up consultation? Is there any, what did it take to get back on the court tonight?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: I hope I didn't mess anything up any more than I already was. I'm going to find that out in a couple of days, you know, once we finish celebrating, but man, it took a lot to get on the court, honestly, and to stay on there. I was dealing with a lot of mental issues today, you know.

These guys all, you know, leaned in on me and helped me out, helped me dig out, dig myself out the hole, man, and, you know, just continue to keep fighting, you know. Chris, shout out to him because he was with me pretty much all day, all night, trying to make sure that I was even 60, 50 percent able to play, you know, and I did the best I could regardless of the outcome, but it feels really, really good to be a champion, to be on top of the world, man.

What about your teammates just makes you the most proud to say that you won a national championship with them?

TREY MCKENNEY: I think just the way throughout the season, I mean, everybody on this team is extremely talented and for us to be able to, you know, sacrifice something for ourselves, I mean, a lot of us, you know, could be somewhere else, you know, doing more than what we've done this season, but I think it just shows that this team is super selfless and I've never been around such a, you know, such a talented group of guys that, you know, are willing to take a lesser role for somebody next to them. So I'm just really grateful to be around this team and, you know, I'm going to cherish this moment for the rest of my life.

It took you a very long time in your career to get to a point where you could pick your next move, essentially. What made you think that you could do it at Michigan and do it quickly once you got to that point?

DUSTY MAY: I want to, Elliot beat me to it. L.J. Cason was playing as well as any backup guard in all the country and probably playing as well as anyone on our roster. And at Illinois, he's hooping and has the most floor-to-man injury in the history of injuries. And the next day, you would think he retired and took over an assistant coaching spot. His spirits were up. He's immediately pouring into the guys, trying to learn, pick their brain, because he had a different perspective. And that's very indicative of this team. He never one day brought negative energy because he felt sorry for himself. And for Elliot to shout him out, beat me to it, is pretty impressive as well.

The toughest part about jobs, and this has always been my opinion, because I've just taken jobs. My wife used to get angry with me because I'd just call her and say, hey, what do you think? Do you mind if I take this job? For whatever reason. And so now, you don't get a chance to really go feel the place and see it. And even FAU, I went to see it. And before I'd see anything, I'd already signed the contract. That's how impulsive I am, whatever the case. So yeah, Anna will give you a better background than me on all this stuff. And living in Ypsilanti, when I was a young assistant in Eastern Michigan, I wasn't that familiar with Michigan other than '89 and being a fan of the game. And just the feelings that people had, the pride they had in the university. I just thought that was really, really cool.

We thought it was a great time to get back to the Midwest. We were to stage our life, or we were empty nesters and just wanted something different. And then just felt like Michigan was a place, ultimately, with the changing landscape, that we could retain really good players, even if it wasn't going great for them. It was going to be hard to leave. And even Tarris is a great example. He had options to go anywhere in the country. And it was difficult for him, based on my conversations, it was difficult for him to leave the University of Michigan and the relationships that he had made and all the people that poured into him. So I just felt like that's the type of place that I'd love to coach at.

You talk a lot about doing something eternal. You're around Terry Mills a lot. What do you think this accomplishment is going to do for this group the rest of their lives and beyond?

DUSTY MAY: It further strengthens their bond. And we didn't need this for that to happen because of their actions all year. But to hang a, we called this, we talked about it early in the season, a center banner. Like we have a lot of, Michigan's got a proud tradition. There's a lot of banners on the side. There's one lonely banner up in the middle. And if we were having a bad practice or we didn't have our edge, we would remind them that if we're ever going to hang another banner so that would have some company, then we can't have these type of days or we can't have these type of practices. And usually, that was one way that we could refocus our group.

It seemed like this was a really unusual blueprint to try to win free throws, blocks, and steals. That's not kind of the Michigan thing. Were you conscious of that was the way you were going to have to do it?

DUSTY MAY: Yeah, we taught, early in games, we can tell how the game's being played. And so then we talk about how we have to adjust, and we have to figure out solutions based on how they're guarding us and all the things. We actually thought the basket would open up a little bit in the second half.

We felt like we were going to make shots in the second half. We generated, I think there were two 3s in the first half that we didn't really love those attempts. And you're not going to love them all. The rest of them we thought were really good offense, and the ball just didn't go in. And so we just were trying not to result in all that we do and just stay with the process and evaluate the contributions and how it felt.

And so then early in the second half, the game got a little bit chippy and physical. And so we thought this is going to be a game. We just have to figure it out. We started going offensive, defensive early. Offensive, defensive substitutions early. And UConn was dominating us on the glass. Credit to them. They were motivated and determined as any team we played on the offensive glass. But we did feel like we were defending well enough that we were going to be able to find enough baskets.

A lot of the players just now we're talking about your assistant coaches being so instrumental in getting them ready in-game before the game. Can you talk about your cohesive coaching staff and how much credit was to them to getting you guys to this point winning this national championship?

DUSTY MAY: I could go on until tomorrow. That's one of our secret sauces is we have an incredibly talented group of coaches that never make it about themselves. Look, this is an ego-driven business.

This is a lot of alpha males with great egos, and that's why they're successful doing what they do. And these guys have made our players the number one, two, and three priority from day one over their own careers, over their own individual attention and accolades and things like that. And so just it's hard for our players not to follow the team, which is the staff, when they're modeling that behavior every day. And they deserve a big, big, big chunk of credit for this.

Dusty, I think from the public standpoint anyway, you brought in Elliot before even the three bigs. And so even he said he doubted himself. The team he played on last year did not have a great year. Other than assists, he did not have a great year. What did you see in him that you thought he could get you to this moment?

DUSTY MAY: That's a great question. We had seen him in prep ranks, and we had seen him in high school ranks, and we felt like we needed a quarterback, a pass-first quarterback on the floor at all times. And with Elliot, once we got him, we were able to sell him. And even I coached Sean May years ago in AAU basketball. And so I called Sean, and he gave me all the intel and everything on the background. And I just said, "Let me ask you one question. Would 17, 18-year-old Sean May, who was a McDonald's American NBA player, All-American, all of it, would he want to play with ElliottCadeau?' And he said explicative, yeah, absolutely. Let's go.

And I said, that's all I need to know because Sean is one of the smartest, best players I've ever been around. And so I valued his opinion that much. And that was a stamp on the intangibles and whether I thought we could win this with him. Because on film it was there. He's a savant, and he's brilliant. And so he's made us better coaches, and hopefully we've helped him become a better player.

You talked there about Elliott, but the group as a whole, when you're putting it together, you never really know for sure. How rewarding is it to have it turn out this well?

DUSTY MAY: I think the most rewarding part is they never changed. Like this came, we weren't very good early in the year. The first two exhibitions, we beat St. John's, but they weren't St. John's yet. And then we didn't play well. And at that point we considered pivoting and changing our lineup and going a different direction and maybe admitting failure for our vision. And because of our staff, I remember the day like it was yesterday, we're in the conference room and we did a deep dive and everything that you could come up with to try to predict whether we thought that would work.

And once we left that meeting, we were more committed than ever that this is going to work and these are the reasons why. Now we didn't feel like we were; it was like bamboo. We didn't feel like the bamboo was just going to shoot to the sky the next week in Vegas, but it did and then that happens quickly when we're playing at that level.

And that's typically when it gets more difficult. I've been on assist on staffs when you play like that, and that's when it really gets tough because there's more tension. There's more of everything coming at your guys, and for them not to waver on how they I guess continue to give. To me, that's probably the hardest part and most rewarding thing that these guys did.

I wondered what is it like to coach at a program where you have that type of fan support? And also when you came to the Final Four when you were young, did you ever sit in those really bad seats when you were a coach that was making no money or trying to get in?

DUSTY MAY: No, I never had tickets. I never attended a game until Mike Davis made it in 0-2 and at that time he had already offered me a position on the staff, even though he didn't have one yet, coming from USC. So we played in the same regional.We got upset by UNC Wilmington and he created a position to bring me back home. But in that process they continued to advance and so he got me great tickets right behind the team and started that process of acclimating to their program. So that was the only time I ever went.

So yeah, the tickets, all these people that pay hard-earned money and give us their time to support us, it's appreciated. We're very, very grateful.

This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: What Dusty May, players said after Michigan basketball championship

No player in Europe comes close to matching Harry Kane's goalscoring record this season – but could an untimely ankle problem scupper his Ballon d'Or chances?

The Englishman has scored 53 times in 45 appearances for club and country this term but knows goals alone won't be enough to land the award, which is why he will be desperate to be fit for Bayern Munich's crunch Champions League game against Real Madrid on Tuesday (20:00 BST).

Kane, who missed Saturday's dramatic 3-2 victory at Freiburg because of the injury, ended his trophy drought by winning the Bundesliga last season, but more domestic honours in Germany won't secure him football's most prestigious individual prize.

Rightly or wrongly, the Ballon d'Or isn't simply a case of rewarding solo brilliance. It is increasingly a prerequisite to also being part of a team that lands one of the game's biggest titles - the Champions League, World Cup or a continental equivalent such as the European Championship.

Kane will get two bites at the cherry this year, captaining England at the World Cup in the summer, but his first – and arguably best - chance comes with Bayern.

The Bavarians have been in scintillating form this season, winning 37 of 43 games, but will need their talisman fit and firing as their European credentials are tested in a quarter-final first leg at the Bernabeu.

"I could score 100 goals this season, but if I don't win the Champions League or the World Cup, you're probably not going to win the Ballon d'Or," Kane said in November. "It's the same with any player. You have to be winning those major trophies."

History suggests he is right. Since 2006, almost 80% of Ballon d'Or winners have claimed the accolade in a year when they also lifted either the Champions League or a major international tournament, such as the World Cup, Euros or Copa America.

Only two players have defied that trend in the past two decades and both are all-time greats who can be considered outliers. Lionel Messi won the award in 2010, 2012 and 2019 despite Champions League semi-final exits for his Barcelona side, with Cristiano Ronaldo taking the prize in 2013, when Real Madrid bowed out of the competition at the same stage.

The pattern is even more pronounced in recent seasons. Ten of the previous 11 Ballon d'Or winners did so off the back of a Champions League victory or major international title, including each of the past five.

Changes to the award, created by France Football magazine in 1956, may have exacerbated this. Until 2021, players were honoured for performances over a calendar year, straddling two different seasons. But since 2022 it has been aligned with a single campaign in the elite European leagues, starting in August.

Journalists from the top 100 Fifa-ranked nations decide who wins and are encouraged to factor in "individual performances" along with "class and fair play". But it appears the third element assessed – "team performances and achievements" – is the decisive factor.

Who could Kane lose out to?

Tuesday's game at the Bernabeu could be doubly significant for Kane's Ballon d'Or chances as he will go head-to-head with Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe, who is also yet to win the award but is enjoying a stellar second season in Spain.

Mbappe has 38 goals and 43 goal involvements in all competitions this term, with both totals second only to Kane among players at clubs in the top five European leagues.

Like Kane, the 27-year-old has not won the Champions League before. But he is the top scorer in this year's competition with 13 goals, just four away from equalling the record in a single season.

France's captain also has 12 World Cup goals to his name, putting him within striking distance of Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16. If he can fire Real Madrid or France to glory in the next few months, setting new milestones for good measure, his Ballon d'Or credentials could become irresistible.

Another French threat is Kane's Bayern team-mate Michael Olise, who has established himself as key player for Les Bleus in the past 12 months. The London-born winger has added end product to his game since leaving Crystal Palace in 2024 and has 24 assists this term, comfortably the most for a team in one of Europe's leading leagues.

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, the 2025 Ballon d'Or runner-up, is also equally adept at creating and scoring goals. He doesn't turn 19 until July but has gone from strength to strength for La Liga leaders Barcelona and World Cup favourites Spain.

He has already shattered a host of age-related records and could become the first teenage winner of the award.

Wingers Vinicius Jr and Raphinha risk being overshadowed by Mbappe and Yamal for Real and Barca respectively but could catapult themselves into contention if they shine for Brazil at the World Cup.

The tournament in North America could also represent a final chance for eight-time winner Messi and five-time winner Ronaldo to add to their hauls. Players with non-European clubs have been eligible for the prize since 2007, though in reality the two veterans will be judged almost entirely on their international impact over the summer.

Which British stars have won the Ballon d'Or?

The Ballon d'Or has gone to a British player just seven times before and it has been almost a quarter of a century since the last winner.

England winger Stanley Matthews, then aged 41, claimed the inaugural title in 1956 before a golden period in the 1960s, with wins for Manchester United's 'Holy Trinity' of Denis Law (1964), Bobby Charlton (1966) and George Best (1968).

Kane can take inspiration from the example of Kevin Keegan, who scored goals galore in England but only won the award following a move to Germany, doing so in back-to-back years with Hamburg in 1978 and 1979.

The only Briton to top the voting since then is Michael Owen with Liverpool in 2001. Though only 22, the Englishman was at the peak of his powers, still boasting electrifying pace which eventually faded as a result of injuries.

He was chosen after helping the Merseysiders win three cup finals plus a famous hat-trick as England thrashed Germany 5-1 in a World Cup qualifier in Munich.

Since then the award has been dominated by players at continental clubs, particularly Barcelona and Real Madrid, who between them have provided 15 of the past 23 Ballon d'Or winners.

Just three Britons have made the top three during this period - Frank Lampard was runner-up in 2005, with Steven Gerrard third, while Jude Bellingham finished third in 2024.

Perhaps ominously for Kane, no player at a German side has taken the prize since Dortmund's Matthias Sammer in 1996, though Robert Lewandowski was unfortunate to miss out with Bayern in 2020, when the award was controversially cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

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