Mark J. Burns

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The Toronto Raptors, led by first-year coach Nick Nurse and Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 to win the team’s first championship in its 24-year history and spoil a three-peat bid from the league’s reigning dynasty. The Warriors finished the series with […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The St. Louis Blues defeated the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 to win its first Stanley Cup in the organization’s 52-year history, ending the NHL’s longest title drought. The victory capped a historic turnaround for the club, which had the league’s worst record on Jan. 2. (The Wall […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The top-ranked U.S. women’s national soccer team defeated Thailand 13-0 in its opening match of the World Cup, setting a tournament record for margin of victory. The Americans set another record with seven different players scoring, including a record-tying five goals from forward Alex Morgan. (The Wall Street Journal) […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories In his first playoff performance in more than a month, Golden State Warrior Kevin Durant injured his right Achilles during the team’s 106-105 victory over the Toronto Raptors in Game 5 of the NBA Finals. The injury ends the star forward’s season, and he’s scheduled to undergo an MRI […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The New York State Gaming Commission is scheduled to vote today to allow sports betting at four upstate casinos. The venues — Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady, Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier and Del Lago Resort and Casino in the Finger Lakes […]

By Mark J. Burns Week in Review NBA The NBA fined Golden State Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens $500,000 and banned him for a year from attending league games and team activities after he shoved Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors during a court-side incident in Game 3 of the finals. The punishment, which according to […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The NBA fined Golden State Warriors part-owner Mark Stevens $500,000 and banned him for a year from attending league games and team activities after he shoved Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors during a court-side incident in Game 3 of the finals. The punishment, which according to a statement […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories The NCAA approved extending the men’s college basketball 3-point line to the distance used in international basketball, effective for the upcoming season for Division 1. The Men’s Basketball Rules committee had recommended the change after a two-year trial run in the National Invitational Tournaments, saying that the line’s new […]

By Mark J. Burns Top Stories FIFA approved a second presidential term for 49-year-old Gianni Infantino, who rose to the top of soccer’s international governing body following its major corruption scandal in 2015 and removal of his longtime predecessor Sepp Blatter. The chief executive, whose major accomplishments thus far include expanding the World Cup to […]