NBA: Five takeaways from Chicago Bulls victory over Boston Celtics in season opener.

Wade slashed the throat of Boston Celtics as he scored the 3-pointer that secured the victory with 26.3 seconds remaining in the game. 

It was a special homecoming for Chicago native Dwyane Wade as he logged 22 points, five assists, six rebounds and scored the 3-pointer that ultimately secured the win for the Bulls with 26.3 seconds left after which he gestured a throat slash towards the Celtics. Certainly, Boston Celtics were 'murdered' for the night by that shot. Here are five takeaways from the match.

1. Rajon Rondo continued to be one of the best facilitators as he dished out nine assists in Bulls debut. Also, there was a rare sight coming from him, he scored a 3-pointer. Do you believe that?

2. Micheal Carter Williams logged in 17 minutes as backup point guard to deliver 5 points, 3 assists and six rebounds.

3. Surely, Wade was in the '3-pointer zone' as he went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc in his homecoming debut.  Compare that stat with going 7-for-44 from beyond the arc with Miami Heat last season.

Even his wife, movie star Gabrielle union, had something to say about that.

4. Jimmy Butler led all scorers for the Bulls as he scored 24 points going 4-for-6 from beyond the arc with 7 rebounds.

5. Power forward Taj Gibson delivered a double-double  with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

WWE: James Ellsworth costs Dean Ambrose WWE championship opportunity.

Dean Ambrose was shell-shocked after losing the opportunity to become No.1 contender for the WWE World Championship.

C'mon James, Dean is an ally. You were suppose to have thought of the repercussions of attacking AJ Styles in order to gain revenge, but here we are, Ambrose has lost a shot at the championship, all thanks to you.

James Ellsworth delivers 'sweet chain music' in one of his victories over AJ Styles.

After aiding James Ellsworth on two occasions to defeat the Phenomenal One, we would have been expecting the guy to return the favour but instead he cost the Lunatic Fringe his WWE Championship opportunity.

Dean Ambrose survives AJ Styles submission maneuver.

AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose went hard on each other for very different reasons. Styles certainly was for retribution after getting humiliated at the hands of James & Ambrose for weeks while Ambrose felt cheated after Backlash and No Mercy with the Phenomenal One's underhanded tactics.

After some thrilling series of exchanges, it appeared Ambrose was on the verge of victory... before James Ellsworth struck. He retailated after AJ Styles viciously dropkicked him and that was enough to earn AJ Styles the win by disqualification.

I seriously wonder if Ellsworth's interference will go down well with Dean Ambrose.

Get to know the Lunatic Fringe's reaction to losing a title shot next week Tuesday on Smackdown Live.

WWE: Dean Ambrose gets another crack at AJ Styles this Tuesday.

Week after week, Dean Ambrose hasn't relented in making his case to the WWE universe on Smackdown Live that AJ Styles is a man who takes the easy way out. At Backlash, the Phenomenal one won by pinfall after hitting Ambrose low blow, while at No Mercy, he struck Cena in the triple threat match with a steel chair to get victory.

Will Dean Ambrose get the win he needs to become No. 1 contender for AJ Styles's WWE Championship title?

But it looks like justice may yet prevail as a blockbuster main event has been set up for this Tuesday by Commissioner Shane McMahon and General Manager Daniel Bryan, the Lunatic Fringe will have another go at Styles albeit the champions title won't be on the line, but, if Ambrose can somehow come up with a victory (bearing in mind AJ Styles is good at taking the easy way out), he will become the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Championship.

James Ellsworth has claimed two victories over AJ Styles albeit with help from the Lunatic Fringe.

With the humiliation 'the Champ that runs the camp' has suffered at the hands of Dean Ambrose and James Ellsworth these past weeks, guess he will be hoping for retribution come this Tuesday.

Premier League: My thoughts on Chelsea's victory over Manchester United.

After Arsenal gave Conte's men a reality check some weeks ago, the Chelsea manager knew straight away that something had to give and indeed, he came up with the changes. The 3-4-3  formation that served him so well at Juventus and the Italian national team has been implemented since the second half of that match while Cesc Fabregas and Branislav Ivanovic have been exempted from matchday squad with Chelsea looking more assured.

Chelsea thrashed Manchester United at Stamford Bridge.

On Sunday, Chelsea continued their winning run with arguably their best performance of the season against Manchester United, as they thrashed Mourinho's star-studded team 4-nil to inflict the heaviest defeat he has ever suffered as a Premier League Manager. Here are my thoughts on Chelsea's victory.


1. The players are definitely absorbing Conte's tactics and principles.

Conte hollering instructions to the lads.

He has been hammering on not making the mistakes of last season since the collapse in the first half against Arsenal, the lads have taken the message to heart and are gradually reaping the rewards. The climax was this weekend, against Manchester United, you would have thought it was going to be a cagey affair but all the plans of Mr Mourinho were blown away after 29 seconds. Before we could say 'Jack Robinson' Chelsea had doubled their lead by the 21st minute. Even after Kante's goal, we could still hear Conte shouting instructions from the touchline - "go!, stay!".

From the last two matches, Conte seems to switch from a 3-4-3 to 3-5-2 formation with the introduction of Nathaniel Chalobah to sure up midfield leaving Eden Hazard to play the role of a second striker.


2. I could swear those Chelsea lads were on drugs in the first half.

Chelsea were too hot hot for Manchester United on Sunday. 

When you have players who cut a frustrated figure for Chelsea last season under Mourinho, you just know they were out to pay him in his own coin.  In some instances, he publicly criticised some of his players for sabotaging his efforts and treated Victor Moses with little regard as the player told the press during the pre-match conference.

"He never spoke to me," Moses said of Mourinho. "I thought in my head, 'He's got his own players already.'

Players like Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas at one point or the other last season were held accountable for the dismal performance of the team. It's unfortunate Fabregas still couldn't survive the boot under Conte but the manner in which Chelsea started the match said it all - Fast and Furious.


3. Mourinho is neither the 'Special nor Happy One' and looks to be confused these days.

When Mourinho first arrived to the Premier League in 2004, he claimed that he was 'the Special one'. Upon his reunion with Chelsea in 2013, he said he was now 'the Happy one' but as it stands, Mourinho is neither. He cut a forlorn figure after Kante's goal showing clearly a man who felt humiliated. Guess we should call him 'the Humiliated one'.

Mourinho cut a frustrated figure by half-time.

When at Chelsea, the Portuguese coach sold Mata simply because the Spainard couldn't defend only to claim at Manchester United that Mata fits his style. The management of his squad in general has been questionable. Doesn't know the best postion for Pogba, plays Marcus Rasford on the wings and hasn't afforded Henri Mikhtayran the confidence to thrive at Old Trafford. What do you see? A confused Mourinho.

4. Chelsea's defence becoming impenetrable.

How many minutes and counting has Chelsea last conceded a goal? It's a remarkable turnaround for a team that averaged 1.62 goals conceded from its first eight games in all competitions to none conceded in its last three matches plus if we factor in that second half against Arsenal.
On Sunday, Manchester United couldn't find a way through Chelsea's defense, then at some point in the match, resorted to taking outside shots and crosses which were comfortable for Thibaut Courtois.


5. Average players have been made to look like world beaters in Conte's formation.

Moses, Alonso and Matic are thriving under Antonio Conte. 

I could remember that most Chelsea faithfuls especially back here in Nigeria clamoured for the sale of Nemanja Matic, simply because he looked a spent force in their eye. What could we say about a player of Marcos Alonso's caliber? Or Did you ever dream of having a player like Victor Moses tie down a starter's jersey in Chelsea? It's all down to Conte, the work his doing at Chelsea is reminiscent of what he did with the Italian national team at the Euros.

Hopefully, come May 2017, Chelsea should have reaped the reward(s) of a debut season with their Italian manager.

Premier League: Six takeaways from Chelsea's 3-0 victory over Leicester City.

Chelsea are on course again after wobbling against Arsenal and Liverpool.

After the International break, Chelsea were presented with the opportunity to close the gap on the pacesetters of the league with an early kick-off on Saturday and boy, they grabbed the chance with aplomb, smashing two goals in the opposition's net before half-time. Here are six takeaways from Chelsea's victory over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge.

1 - This Chelsea team looks reborn after Antonio Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation.
Since the dismal performance in the first half of the London derby against Arsenal, Chelsea are yet to concede a goal in about 225 minutes plus there are signs the team are buying into Conte's principles. Stats shows that Leicester City had no shot on target throughout the entire match.

2 - The introduction of three youth team players shows that Antonio Conte will be doing things differently from previous managers.
Reports over the years have been that academy products haven't made the transition into the first team even though Chelsea have performed well in age grade competitions. Previous managers seem not to trust the youth team players but on Saturday, Conte introduced Ola Aina, Ruben Loftus cheek and Nathaniel Chalobah with the later assisting Moses's goal.

Diego Costa displaying the 'W' sign after scoring against Leicester City in support of Willian.

3 - Star forward Diego Costa continued to lead the line perfectly.

Finished off a flick from Nemanja Matic of a corner-kick to put Chelsea in front in the 7th minute. He played the game having in mind that a booking from the referee would mean suspension from the Manchester United clash next week and so promptly gestured at the bench to be taken off in minutes. A word of advice to Costa, 'just do your job as a player and Conte will certainly do his as a coach.'

Cesc Fabregas in the colours of spain.

4 - These are certainly hard times for Cesc Fabregas as he wasn't on the team list against Leicester City.
The player who played a major part in the title winning team under Jose Mourinho just can't find his place under Conte. There are reports linking him with a deal in January which would see the Spanish International move to Juventus plus cash and Leonard Bonucci heading to Stamford Bridge. Certainly, his days are numbered at the Bridge.

Victor Moses certainly enjoying his new role of wingback at Chelsea.

5 - Victor Moses looks to be enjoying new lease of life under Antonio Conte.
The Nigerian has been a peripheral figure since his move from Wigan athletic in the summer of 2012 for a fee around £9m. Coaches like Rapheal Benitez and Jose Mourinho during their stint with Chelsea never trusted the winger plus the fact that injuries never helped his course. Since Conte became Chelsea's manager, he has been impressive, scoring three goals so far.

Our hearts are with willian, adieu Mama.

6 - The absence of Willian due to the loss of his mother this past week cast a dark cloud over Stamford Bridge as the heart of all blues faithfuls were with the Brazil international. The team wore a black armband in a show of support for their teammate as strikes by Diego Costa and Eden Hazard were celebrated with both players making the 'W' sign with their fingers.

WWE: Paige proposes to Alberto Del Rio.

In spite of the economic recession going on in Nigeria, people are getting engaged and getting married. Honestly, I wonder how they are getting the money to pay bride price of close to a million naira in this part of the world.

Just yesterday, my cousin named Amaka just got engaged to her heart rob. Certainly, the young man must be very endowed with the cash just like D'banj put it in one of his songs 'Am so endowed.'

Also, in far away Puerto Rico (am sure they ain't talking about recession), Saraye-Jade Bevis aka Paige decided to take the bull by the horn by proposing to Alberto Del Rio on Sunday night at a world wrestling council according to pro wrestling correspondent Ryan Satin.

Del Rio had just finished a match with former WWE Superstar Carlito before she entered the ring to propose (that's just unconventional).

The couple had been dating since May, when they first went public with their relationship after being photographed at Disney World.

NBA: Looks like Golden State Warriors have another star in the making.

Will be interesting to see Patrick McCaw development this season under the tutelage of Steve Kerr.

When Milwaukee Bucks traded Patrick McCaw - the 38th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft to the Golden State Warriors for cash considerations, Warriors executive board member, Jerry West, felt he shouldn't have slipped that far, saying

"People are gonna be sorry they didn't draft him."

Well, those words of Jerry west are already coming true as Patrick McCaw did it to the Nuggets once. And then he did it to them twice.

In a team featuring stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Ander iguodala, it was the rookie shooting guard who stepped up to the plate as the Warriors defeated Denver Nuggets 129-128.

The Warriors rookie hit an overtime game winner to lead the Warriors past the Nuggets. It was part of an 18-point performance on the night.

Five minutes before, McCaw hit a game-tying three-point to send the game into overtime.

If the rookie guard can keep this up, hope KD wouldn't mind coming from the bench.

Here are highlights from the match.

Premier League: Reports suggest Chelsea FC could sign Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus with £50 Million plus Cesc Fabregas.

Leonardo Bonucci has attracted interest from Chelsea and Manchester City this summer.

According to The Sun, there are reports Juventus are willing to allow Leonard Bonucci join Chelsea but only for a deal involving Cesc Fabregas plus a record sum of money for the defender.

With defensive issues still lingering at the London club, Antonio Conte is desperate to land the Italian after a bid shy of £50 Million was rejected in the summer.

Reports are that Juventus boss, Massimiliano Allegri, sees Fabregas as the man to fill the playmaker role vacated by Andrea Pirlo but Conte is reluctant to let the Spanish International leave despite little playing time.

The Old lady's involvement in the Champions League could scuttle the deal from happening in January as the swap would mean Bonucci would be ineligible to feature in the later stages of the competition but a deal could be on next summer.

WWE: Brock Lesnar's adovacte - Paul Heyman warns Goldberg.

Goldberg signals intent on returning to WWE.

News have been filtering in for quite a while of the return of Goldberg to WWE after the legendary superstar and WWE 2k Pre-order bonus charater identified Brock Lesnar as the athlete he would most likely face upon his returns.

Well, Paul Heyman reacted on his twitter platform.

Seeing how vicious Brock Lesnar was at Summerslam against Randy Orton, what's your advice to Goldberg?

NBA: Dwight Howard makes debut in Preseason opener for Atlanta Hawks.

Dwight Howard in those good old days of Orlando Magic.

Recently acquired center Dwight Howard logged in 18 minutes as he finished with six points, seven rebounds, three turnovers and four fouls in Preseason opener for Atlanta Hawks as they defeated Memphis Grizzlies 104-83.

Howard elected to opt-out of his contract with Houston Rockets and leave by free agency after learning that the team hired Mike D'Antoni as coach.

During the center's stint with LA Lakers, he wasn't impressed with D'Antoni's style of play.

The Atlanta native signed a three-year deal worth $70.5 Million.

NBA: Please, can someone tell Russell Westbrook it's still preseason.

Russell Westbrook delivers a monstrous dunk in a preseason match.

I mean, this match wasn't an NBA regular season or post season game, it was just what we call in soccer 'friendly match' but hell no, Russell Westbrook knows no such thing as friendly whether it's a scrimmage, regular season or NBA Finals match, he just brings some much intensity.

Last night, he delivered a monstrous dunk as Oklahoma City Thunder defeated European giants Barcelona 92-89 in an exhibition game.

Take a look at the jam below.