"The toughest team," Smart said, "sets the rules." "I've been in this league for 12 years and that's always been the motto," the former NBA defensive player of the year continued. "You see it. The team that comes out more physical, the momentum is kind of going their way, and that's how it is. We want to be the toughest team from start to the end."
"The team is making it very easy for me on the pitch. We have a lot of great players, especially up front, who don't just think about scoring goals themselves, but also help their teammates," Díaz said in comments to German outlet Sport Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). "That gives me a lot of security and confidence. It's incredible to play attacks with them. They have so much quality. I'm really, really happy and feel even better and more comfortable."
Blake Snell understands the task ahead of him on Monday evening. The left-handed ace will take the ball in Game 1 of the NLCS for the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road against the No. 1 seed Milwaukee Brewers. Given what we saw from Milwaukee's fan base in the NLDS versus the Chicago Cubs, the atmosphere at American Family Field should be electric.
"I truly appreciate Luka for that," Ayton said. "I've never done that before, where the star players really look out for the team like that. Something like that is actually crazy. I've never heard of it or been in a Porsche before. So it definitely was my first time. I didn't know that Luka was into cars like that. So, yeah, him and LeBron [James]. It was good seeing them behind the wheel. Seeing LeBron behind a car is dangerous."
The Lakers entered training camp with hopes of finally establishing chemistry between stars Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. But the trio have yet to see the court together. On Sunday, they all stayed on the bench during the Lakers' 111-103 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. With Doncic (rest) and James (glute) already out, Reaves was rested Sunday after an already full first week of training camp.
I think people might've blown it out of proportion," he said. "I mean, we've worked on it and I think that conversation is dead now. I think once people see Tyreek score on Sunday, everyone will forget about that. So, we're in a good spot and we've been in a good spot for some time as well, so I'm really happy with that.
Anthony Stolarz expressed his relationship with fellow Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll, stating, "We kind of understand that we all want the same thing and we're pushing each other, but we really don't let that affect us off the ice."
