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Born with a comic book in one hand and a remote control in the other, Cory DLG is the talent of Conroe's very own Nerd Thug Radio, Sports and Wrestling. Check out the podcast replay of the FM radio show at www.nerdthugradio.com!
Well it's finally happened, the big dog has stepped into the ring. Esports just picked up probably the most important ally any sport could ever ask for, ESPN. While they had been broadcasting buddies with several leagues of varying size and games, such as The Overwatch League, they are now going to begin hosting their own events. Beginning with Apex Legends at the ESPYs in July, the network will begin hosting invitationals and events at most of their major live events and galas. The reality of all of this is that now ESPN is moving from broadcast partner to actual organizer and event holder which means they're upping their level of commitment and involvement in terms of resources and talent and money and screen time, all of which is only going to help the sport as a whole grow.
The Houston Outlaws return to action this week as The Overwatch League comes back for Stage Three of this season. Their first game is tomorrow at about 9:30 central time on Twitch, ESPN online and the various websites and such. It's unfortunate to note overall that the ownership change still hasn't occurred and that there were no significant changes to the coaching staff or roster, as overall the team has been underperforming steadily for a little while. The desired outcome for this program is to return to the winning ways they had in Stage 1 of the first season of OWL when they were in first place and had momentum going in their favor. Since then it's been a very difficult path for this team with disappointment after disappointment stacking up. They obviously finished the first season out of the playoffs and this season they look to be quickly falling towards mathematical elimination, from that point it's hard to see what can be done in the short term to improve this team without the commitment of resources and support that the other teams all seem to be getting. Where can this team go? Overall I'd like to say the only real direction is up but that feels unlikely as both completed stages of this season have been devastatingly underwhelming in both preparation and performance. This is a team that feels like it's going to keep going in the wrong direction until a real change occurs in a leadership position.
Feel free to check out my digital short story The Wilson House or buy a shirt from Side Hustle Ts where some proceeds help fight cancer or listen to Nerd Thug Radio. Thoughts, complaints, events and comments can be sent to corydlg@gmail.com.Most Popular
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Are Awesome
Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points, Jeremy Sochan added 17 points and 12 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Houston Rockets 109-106 on Saturday night in their home opener.
Wembanyama added seven rebounds and three blocks while shooting 10 for 17 from the field.
Chris Paul added three points and nine assists, including a drive and feed to Sochan for an open layup that put San Antonio up 104-99 with 1:35 remaining.
After trailing by 22 points in the first half, Houston was within one possession for much of the final minutes. The Rockets went on a 21-8 run in the opening six minutes of the final quarter, turning an 18-point deficit into a 95-90 lead for San Antonio.
Jalen Green had 27 points for Houston. Fred VanVleet added 18 and Dillon Brooks had 16.
Takeaways
Rockets: Houston wasted a good finish with a poor start. After shooting 34% through three quarters, including 17% in the second period, the Rockets shot 60% in the final quarter.
Spurs: San Antonio went 2 for 13 on 3-pointers after opening the game 6 for 7.
Key moment
After struggling mightily at times last season to get the ball into Wembanyama’s hands around the rim, a pair of passes from Paul yielded much promise and thunderous celebrations. Paul’s first lob resulted in an alley-oop dunk for Wembanyama with 2:12 remaining in the first half that put the Spurs up 57-38. Paul and Wembanyama repeated the alley-oop dunk a minute later, giving the Spurs a 59-38 advantage.
Key stat
San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich has stressed the need for his team to be more physical and the Spurs responded, outrebounding Houston 57-46.
Up next
The Rockets face the Spurs again on Monday to close out a two-game set in San Antonio.