Cleveland, OH
ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins Makes Outrageous Slight Towards Rockets
Nowadays, the use of hyperbole in sports conversations has become increasingly common. Every team or player is described as the best ever.
It’s impossible to avoid.
It’s become the go-to catchphrase to make one’s point, especially when describing the latest flavor of the month or Cinderella story. ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins is the latest example of this, as he took to ESPN’s NBA Today to give the Minnesota Timberwolves their flowers for their stellar postseason run, which now has them facing the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, after knocking off the Denver Nuggets- the 2023 NBA champs.
“Let me start off by saying this. When I’m looking at Anthony Edwards and this Minnesota Timberwolves team, they are on the verge of having one of the greatest runs in playoff history. If you start back to last series, and what they did to Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. They swept them.
Move on to the defending champs, and we’re talking about [Nikola] Jokic, the three-time MVP and best player in the league. They won three games on their home court and had one of the greatest Game 7 performances of all time, especially on the defensive side of things.”
Perkins continued.
“If they accomplish the goal of winning the championship, not only will this team have the greatest run team-wise, but Anthony Edwards will have the greatest individual postseason run, one of the greatest individual postseason runs in NBA history.”
Again, the Wolves are having a great run. But the postseason hasn’t ended yet, so it’s a bit premeditated to make an absolute determination, like Perkins is doing here.
We’re only two rounds in. If they suffer defeat in any of the final two rounds, we’re having an entirely different conversation.
Furthermore, the 1994-95 Rockets are still the only sixth seed to ever win a championship in NBA history, as they limped into the postseason with a 47-35 record. They had one of the most improbable postseason runs, especially considering the degree of difficulty of their path, as they faced all-time greats in every round.
In the opening round, the Rockets faced John Stockton and Karl Malone of the Utah Jazz- easily two of the greatest players to ever play their respective positions, and won in five games. In the second round, the Rockets defeated the Phoenix Suns and Charles Barkley, an MVP who is also one of the greatest players to ever play his position, within seven games.
In the Western Conference Finals, the Rockets faced David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs, another all-time great at his respective position, and won in six games. Moreover, the Rockets faced Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic in the 1995 NBA Finals and swept them.
O’Neal is easily regarded as one of the best centers of all time, if not the best center of all time.
Perkins is certainly entitled to his own opinion, but he’s not above being called out when he has an erroneous take.
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Cleveland, OH
Arraignment for teen accused of murder at Cleveland deli
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The 17-year-old boy accused of a deadly shooting at a Cleveland deli, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Thursday.
Royal King was indicted on the charges of aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault, carrying concealed weapons, and improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle.
King will continue being held on a $1 million bond at the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention Facility.
He will return to court on March 2 for a pre-trial.
King is accused of killing Jahari Stegall, 17, on Sept. 19, 2025 at the E. 185th Deli in the city’s Northshore Collinwood neighborhood.
PREVIOUS STORY: Teen identified after shooting death at Cleveland deli
King allegedly drove to the deli in a stolen car and walked through the aisles.
Security cameras then show Stegall walking through the parking lot.
King allegedly met Stegall at the door with a gun in his hand and shot him in the back of the head before fleeing the scene.
Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley said Stegall was a good kid who barely knew King.
U.S. Marshals arrested King on Oct. 29, 2025 at home on E. 147th Street in Cleveland.
Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Ohio EMA expanding traveler alert system
OHIO — The Ohio Emergency Management Agency, in partnership with the National Weather Service offices in Wilmington and Cleveland, is partnering with Lamar Advertising to help expand the Ohio Traveler Alert System to more parts of the state.
Ohio EMA said the system will soon include areas of greater Cleveland, Toledo and the Cincinnati Metropolitan area.
“Severe weather can make driving difficult and dangerous,” said Gov. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio. “By expanding the Ohio Traveler Alert System, our goal is to get critical weather alerts to more drivers in real-time.”
The system was launched in 2024 in the areas of Dayton and Columbus. If there’s severe weather, digital billboards display messages alerting travelers about certain conditions, such as high winds, snow squalls, ice and flooding.
“Collaborations like these are the backbone of community safety,” said Sima Merick, Ohio Emergency Management Agency executive director. “When we work together, we strengthen our ability to protect the people we serve. OTAS is a prime example of these partnerships.”
Ohio EMA said the communication and messaging on billboards is not only an effective way to communicate to Ohio residents but also to travelers who may not be familiar with the area.
Cleveland, OH
Iman Shumpert Claims Kyrie Irving Left The Cavaliers To Beat LeBron James
Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert played an important role in the Cavaliers securing their only championship in franchise history. He was there to help them win it all, and he was there to watch it fall apart when Kyrie Irving forced a trade to the Celtics in 2017. In a recent appearance on ‘Club Shay Shay,’ the former Cavs guard broke down what really pushed Irving out of Cleveland, and why he wasn’t surprised that he wanted to leave.
“Hell nah. Kyrie is a Kobe guy,” said Shumpert. “Kyrie wanted to beat LeBron, and that’s okay. People like to say ‘Oh, that was dumb’ because you’re a team-up kind of guy. That’s not Kyrie. Kyrie is like ‘The only way I can be crowned the best is if I beat the best. I got to go head-to-head with you; I can’t team up with you.”
It’s easy to forget now, but Irving was once the star of the show in Cleveland. In the years before LeBron’s arrival, he was the only hope for the Cavaliers and was treated like an MVP because of it. When LeBron arrived, all that changed, and it was something that Irving never fully accepted.
“Let’s say you got your momma’s crib. And then they just bring you a new brother,” Shumpert added. “Then your momma’s like ‘Well, you were the one to get the house key and do whatever you want, but now you don’t get to drive the car.’ For people not to understand that’s what happened, and then be like ‘Oh, he should have put his pride to the side.’ Why?”
Irving didn’t leave the Cavaliers because he hated LeBron. He left because he wanted to do his own thing and build his legacy outside No. 23’s shadow. As a longtime Kobe fan, he’s competitive at heart and would rather go against his competitors than join forces with them.
So while Irving made the most of his stint with James (one championship in three Finals appearances with the Cavs), he was never in it for the long haul. Playing alongside LeBron was something he never signed up for, even though he remains on good terms with the basketball legend today.
Shumpert Gets Real On Playing With LeBron
Irving ended his partnership with James early, and it’s something critics still talk about today. When people often forget, however, is that it’s not so easy to play with the King. Besides his enormous presence, he holds everyone accountable with his sky-high basketball IQ. In the end, however, it’s all for the best as he makes everyone better on the court.
“He is Chat GPT of the NBA,” said Shumpert on James. “This is the best way I could describe [him]. You can ask him anything, he knows. He knows the coaches, he knows the assistant coaches, he knows the player development coach. I don’t even have the mental capacity for all that sh*t. It took about a month for me to get used to him saying ‘X1, X2, X3, X4,’ he is really programmed for this. I never dealt with somebody who had the balls enough to look a coach in the eye and say, ‘I’m not running that.’”
James doesn’t just dominate with his physical skill and size. He uses his mind to get ahead of opponents and exploit their biggest flaws. With an unmatched mental game, James frequently outsmarts the enemy, and it’s the secret to his unprecedented NBA longevity.
In the end, Kyrie got to experience the best of both worlds. He played and won with LeBron James in the city where he was drafted. It taught him a lot and put his name in the history books. But Kyrie wanted more, and going out on his own was the best way to ensure he could play out his career on his own terms.
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