In their last Olympics Isabelle Weidemann, Valérie Maltais, and Ivanie Boutin won their second Olympic gold in long track team pursuit. They hugged on the podium, and talked about trust. And as Weidemann said, this was the light at the end of a four-year tunnel. www.thestar.com/sports/olymp...

I'd rather die.

Off for Olympics in general. We're still at Defcon 4 for curling specifically, and will stay there until women qualify for playoffs.

Best three minutes of the Olympics for Canada right there.

Will my wife file for divorce on grounds of too much curling analysis. Truly too soon to say.

WE ARE A BIG AIR NATION

But enough about politics

The Committee is on alert

The other night on Jeopardy, two players were tied going into final. The woman in third made a small wager and her answer was, "I hope they both bet everything." They both did, all three got it wrong, and she won. As if that wasn't already hilarious enough, turns out it was all a master plan!

On Chris Paul, master of the minuscule: www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

YOU COME AT THE CURLING KINGS YOU BEST NOT MISS, SWEDEN

CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! CURLING BEEF! (I never post Olympic videos bc the IOC will hunt you down but I am taking that risk so that you can hear the Canadian curling cursing)

With Sid just skating around there. A cheat code.

For your EDINfication, that was a bad shot, Sweden.

The NBA tried to embarrass the Jazz by fining them for tanking. The NBA should be embarrassed that they had to. Just fix the problem.

Chris Paul announces his retirement on Instagram: www.instagram.com/p/DUtPyqHiax...

When the NBA has a big problem, it calls Wachtell Lipton, a major law firm in NYC. A story with @joevardon.bsky.social on who the NBA relies on when it needs to figure out a Clippers scandal, gambling investigations, Donald Sterling, tampering and more. Free link: www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...

Raptors waive franchise legend Chris Paul.

The NBA tried to embarrass the Jazz by fining them for tanking. The NBA should be embarrassed that they had to. Just fix the problem.

Rachel Homan is on notice from the Canadian Couch Curling Committee

Yep.

The NBA should consider not incentivizizing losing if they would like teams to try to win every game.

I don't want to weigh in on whether Powell is American or Jamaican. But the fact that they decided to move him is what bothers me. Just add Lauri Markkanen and get on with it if you need an international player.

From last night

Look, it's going to be hard to break stereotypes if the lead analyst on CBC follows a great Bo Horvat goal with, "What a beauty!"

I'm aware this is mostly just the price of being healthy and young on the Wizards, but Bub Carrington was last in total +/- last year, second-last this year, is -1,257 for his career and averages -9.3 per game.

Mitch Marner, good Thornhill boy.

*Sees a Canadian men's hockey player wearing No. 61* Me: Rick Nash is still goin', eh?

Guh, probably the bad Canadian media sex pest from last decade. You know the one.

Oh you dumb idiots, this is going to get him SO over.

This one is for all the families directly affected, run by the Tumbler Ridge parents committee. www.gofundme.com/f/tumbler-ri...

From last night

Mamukelashvili got hit in the abdomen and is being evaluated now. He returned to the game after the contact.

'Topes lose. 113-95. Great first two-thirds of the season, but that underscores where the Raptors are compared to the league's best. 29, 9 and 7 for Cunningham. 22 for Reed. Scottie with 17/7/5. Raps shoot 43% from floor, 31% from 3 and turn it over 17 times.

Ingram turns it over, watches Pistons not create much in transition, starts jogging, Pistons miss, offensive rebound goes to where Ingram would have been standing had he just run from the beginning.

94-74 after 3. Cade has been brilliant, and the Detroit defence has been suffocating.

What a defensive performance by the Pistons. Just a butt-kicking.

And Cade's shooting is his *weakness*

Raps trail 67-52 at half, on merit. Cunningham has been brilliant: 22/6/6. 12 for Scottie, 11 apiece for RJ and IQ.

Raptors wish GloRilla good luck in NBA Celebrity game and, wait, what's this I'm hearing? She's the new Raptors global brand ambassador?

Darko going back to Scottie with 6:46 left, and I like this, even if he picks up fourth foul before half. You're down double digits. Don't save him for non-competitive minutes.

Kevin Huerter, not to be outdone, with three fouls in two minutes. LESS IMPORTANT. Cade is going nuts.

29-19 Pistons after a quarter. Detroit overwhlemed the Raptors with defensive positioning and length — without their two best big men. Not great. Paul Reed is on pace for 64. Scottie Barnes has 6-3-2 (and 3 fouls)

Well, Scottie Barnes just picked up his third foul with 1:21 to go in the FIRST QUARTER.

So the Raptors get their starting centre back, acquire something close to a legit backup 5 and their pick-and-roll coverage looks as bad as it has all season.

*Hears Van Halen's "Jump" for the 33rd time this year* I think we need someone to write another timeless song about jumping pronto.

Poeltl checks out after not-quite five very iffy defensive minutes.

The Raptors with a moment of silence for the victims the shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C. yesterday. Darko Rajakovic also extended his thoughts for the community pregame.

The Raptors will start Quickley, Barrett, Ingram, Barnes and Poeltl. Cunningham, Robinson, Thompson, Harris + Reed for Pistons. Want some pregame reading? Read my 1-on-1 with Bobby Webster. (gift link!)

Jakob Poeltl will play tonight, on a minutes restriction. Not a bad test run, against a team missing its top two big men with eight days before the next game.