The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are in a winner-take-all scenario for a trip to the NBA Finals on Monday night, but Heat fans have to be concerned after losing three straight games.To make matters worse for Miami, the NBA announced the officials for Game 7, and one referee has a negative trend...

Everton boss Sean Dyche has expressed shock at the “disproportionate” 10-point penalty imposed on the club but insisted he and his players are ready to take on the latest challenge put in front of them. Dyche was trying to enjoy a short break during the international window when he got word of the unprecedented sanction handed down by an independent commission for breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules – a penalty that Everton will appeal against. Speaking publicly for the first time on the matter, Dyche said: “I think like everyone, certainly in these parts, I was shocked and seemingly from the wave of noise after that, most people in football are shocked by the enormity of it. “Disproportionate is a word used by the club. Obviously we feel a bit aggrieved by that, but on the other hand it doesn’t change the focus. The focus since I got there is sorting things out on the pitch, getting the team to win. “I think we were on the right lines, delivering strong performances. This has just given us a push backwards to come forwards again. The job hasn’t changed. It’s just made it more difficult under the current circumstances until the appeal… “I don’t know every inch of the past, I don’t know why the commission have come out with what they have but I certainly believe in what the club put forward. It feels disproportionate, it feels unjust and plenty of voices out there feel the same. “What is done is done for now, appeal pending, and we have to get on with it.” Everton fans have hit out at the penalty, and have raised more than £40,000 to fund protests against the Premier League. A demonstration was due to take in London on Friday outside the league offices, while a plane carrying a banner will fly over Manchester City’s match against Liverpool on Saturday. On Sunday, when Everton’s game against United will be televised, home fans will be asked to hold up red cards which call the Premier League “corrupt”. Everton had been showing encouraging signs before the penalty, winning six out of nine in all competitions to climb up the table, but have now dropped to second bottom – level on four points with basement boys Burnley ahead of Sunday’s match against Manchester United. “I spoke to the group and said, ‘Look, the league table is one thing but I don’t change my story very often and I believe the final league table is the truth of the season, and I’m not going to change now’,” Dyche added. “For sure, it changes the viewpoint but it doesn’t change what we’re doing. In fact it enhances what we’re doing. We need to go harder, stronger. This is what it is. It’s been about refocus as much as anything.” The penalty has raised all manner of questions at Everton, with suggestions that rival clubs may now pursue compensation claims potentially impacting the proposed takeover by 777 Partners. On the pitch, there was a sense of optimism that after two seasons fighting relegation things were looking up but – for now at least – they are back in the bottom three. Dyche said that did not concern him in the immediate term, but there was clear frustration from the boss that off-pitch dramas are once again dominating the agenda at Goodison Park. “You have to take away the noise,” he said. “I’ve had to do it endlessly since I’ve been here, keep pushing away the noise around this football club. “Bizarrely, we were talking about it before – the last press conference before (Crystal) Palace was one of the first ones that was just about football. And lo and behold while I was away we get a 10-point deficit. So what do you do? You just keep taking it on.” Read More Kevin Sinfield says time is of the essence as he prepares to run for MND again LTA urges British tennis fans to show ‘respect’ after Novak Djokovic row at Davis Cup Erik ten Hag prepared for Everton to be ‘mad’ and urges Man Utd to match them Alexis Mac Allister’s performance could be key against Man City – Jan Molby PA selective guide to sport on TV for w/c November 27 Nathan Heaney eyeing middleweight world title fight against Janibek Alimkhanuly

The Steelers stood pat at the 2023 NFL trade deadline. Not surprising in the least.

Charles Leclerc insists he would “love to stay” at Ferrari for the foreseeable future but insists extending his contract beyond 2024 is not a “priority” at the moment. Leclerc joined Ferrari in 2019 from Alfa Romeo and made an immediate impression on the tifosi fanbase, winning their home Italian Grand Prix at Monza as well as the Belgian Grand Prix in Spa. After a few forlorn years, 2022 saw the Scuderia challenge at the top again – with Leclerc winning two of the first three races – before Red Bull stole a march and cruised to championship glory as Ferrari saw their tilt fade away due to reliability and strategic errors. This season has seen Ferrari, if anything, take a step backwards and as a result Leclerc has been linked with a move to Mercedes – even in a potentially astonishing swap deal with Lewis Hamilton – but the Monegasque driver was keen to emphasise his heart remains with Ferrari. “I have always loved Ferrari and I would love to stay,” he told the BBC. "I’ve always made it very clear that my goal is to try to be a world champion, but firstly with Ferrari. I know how difficult it is. We are not in the easiest situation. There is a big gap to fill to get to Red Bull’s level but Ferrari has helped me before I got into F1, believed in me and put me into the Ferrari seat very early on, and it’s always a team that I’ve loved. "My priority is to win with Ferrari and it is not my worry whether I won’t achieve it or whatever. We just need to work on the team and try to improve it as much as possible, and I hope that I can achieve that one day." Leclerc has a contract with Ferrari until the end of the 2024 season but insists a long-term extension is not in his or the team’s thinking right now. "Honestly, I am not in a rush,” he said. “I don’t think Ferrari’s priority is signing me at the moment, which is understandable because we are all just focused on trying to have the best race car possible as quickly as possible.” Leclerc has not won a race since last July in Austria, with his best finish this year two third-place podiums in Azerbaijan and Belgium. The 25-year-old is sixth in the driver standings on 99 points, a mammoth of 240 points behind runaway championship leader Max Verstappen. “We expected a good step forward [this year],” he added. "But unfortunately Red Bull had done twice the step, especially in the race, and that was just not good enough from our side. I don’t think we underachieved. I think just the targets were not the right ones." Leclerc and his team-mate Carlos Sainz will be eyeing a strong showing at Ferrari’s home race, the Italian Grand Prix, at Monza this weekend. Read More How does Max Verstappen’s win-streak compare to fellow record-holder Sebastian Vettel’s? F2 champion Felipe Drugovich to feature for Aston Martin at Italian Grand Prix Toto Wolff insists George Russell’s loss of form is a ‘myth’ How does Verstappen’s win-streak compare to fellow record-holder Vettel’s? F2 champion Felipe Drugovich to feature for Aston Martin at Italian Grand Prix Toto Wolff insists George Russell’s loss of form is a ‘myth’

Player ratings from Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Cadiz in La Liga.

Retired tennis legend Roger Federer, who helped Europe win three Laver Cups, hinted he might one day want to take on the...

Probably nothing. But could be something?

Manchester City announced record-breaking revenue of £712.8 million ($888 million) for their treble-winning season on Wednesday -- far outstripping the previous mark reported by...

Peter Kuest is the latest example of how two weeks can change everything

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell named four uncapped players Tuesday in a 42-man training squad ahead of this year's Rugby...

The Athletic, a subscription sports outlet owned by The New York Times, is laying off about 4% of its newsroom staff as part of reorganization efforts

Noah Fifita threw for two touchdowns and No. 19 Arizona used a fast start beat No. 16 Utah 42-18 for its first five-game winning streak in nine years