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We have a fun episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way!

Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones discuss Cade Cunningham’s awesome performance against the Knicks (42 points, 8 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks), as well as his status in the league. Is he gunning for MVP? Is he the best player in the league right now?

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From there, the guys open up the Dunker Spot mailbag. They talk through anti-tanking proposals sent in by the Dunkers, explore the Dallas Wings’ ability to compete immediately with Paige Bueckers, share their favorite-looking jumpers in the NBA and much more!

Finally, the guys preview the upcoming slate of Unrivaled games — Angel Reese is back, y’all! — with the playoffs rapidly approaching.

If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com.

2:27 Cade Cunningham is awesome
11:21 Anti-tanking rules are coming (plus proposals from the mailbag)
26:33 Appreciating Alanna Smith’s defense
29:51 Deni Avdija’s right-hand drives
33:25 Can Paige Bueckers and the Wings contend for a title next season?
37:05 Kawhi Leonard or Chelsea Gray shot-making?
39:17 Most aesthetically pleasing jump shots in the NBA
41:46 Why players are more willing to compete in the 3PT contest vs Dunk contest
44:36 Factors impacting the “Face of the League” selection
47:54 Ayo Dosunmu’s 6th Man of the Year chances
50:22 What should Kings fans look forward to for the rest of the season?
53:12 The schematic balancing act of implementing new players + Nekias’ basketball background
58:37 Who’s the most rudderless team in the NBA?
01:00:10 Unrivaled preview

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out all episodes of The Dunker Spot and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

LIVIGNO, Italy — As the Winter Olympics head toward the finish line, the IOC has once again walked right into a Russia problem.

Just as it appeared that the Olympic movement was getting ready to soft launch Russia’s return in the upcoming Paralympic Games — prompting the Ukrainians to say they’ll boycott the March 6 Opening Ceremony — the continuation of a war about to reach its fourth anniversary isn’t the only issue getting dropped on the IOC’s doorstep.

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It’s also the cheating.

Again.

The New York Times broke a story Friday suggesting that a whistleblower told the World Anti-Doping Agency they had first-hand knowledge that Veronika Loginova, the head of Russia’s current antidoping program, was directly involved in the state-sponsored doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. That scandal resulted in a slew of disqualifications, lifetime bans and Russian athletes being unable to compete under their own flag through the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

Though that ban expired, Russia was barred from the 2024 Summer Games in Paris and the Milan Cortina Games for violating the Olympic charter as a result of invading a neighboring country.

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Of course, Russian athletes have been competing in the Olympics all along — 209 of them four years ago in Beijing under the “Russian Olympic Committee” banner (as if that fooled anybody), 15 of them in Paris as “Individual Neutral Athletes” (mostly in tennis, cycling and canoeing) and 13 of them here under the same neutral flag.

But there’s now widespread suspicion the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles will mark Russia’s full-fledged return, even as the war in Ukraine continues with little evidence it’s coming to an end anytime soon.

At a news conference Friday to essentially wrap up the Games, IOC president Kirsty Coventry sidestepped multiple questions on the Russia issue, saying the International Paralympic Committee was a completely separate organization and the IOC had no role in the decision to allow six Russians and four Belarusians to compete in the upcoming Paralympics under their national flags.

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“For right now, we’re focusing on the last three days of Milano Cortina,” she said.

The most interesting moment, though, was a question that caught Coventry completely off-guard. When Juliet Macur, who reported the Times piece on the supposed WADA whistleblower, asked Coventry if it was a concern for the IOC as Russia is being welcomed back into the Olympic fold, it practically stopped Coventry in her tracks.

“I’m looking at my team and maybe someone needs to be dismissed because I’m not aware of that,” Coventry said.

“I haven’t heard it,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams interjected.

“But I would be interested to find out more about it,” Coventry said. “So if you could share it directly with me because that would be very important information and knowledge. If it’s on the New York Times, I’m looking at my team to be like, ‘What happened guys?’ But nope, I’m not aware of that.”

The moment was so stunning that whatever cynicism you want to project onto Coventry and the IOC’s dealings with Russia generally — which would be much deserved, by the way — this one either caught her genuinely off-guard or she’s the world’s greatest actress.

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And if there’s any legs to this story, it comes back to a point we can’t repeat often enough: When it comes to Russia, the IOC never learns.

Now, it must be noted that nothing’s been proven. Though WADA acknowledged the existence of a generic and serious whistleblower tip to the Times, that’s really all we know. The Times couldn’t independently verify the specific claims about Loginova, and it’s unclear whether WADA is really investigating the matter or even wants to.

Let’s just say WADA’s credibility with American antidoping authorities on these matters hasn’t exactly been rock-solid since 23 Chinese swimmers were cleared after testing positive for a banned heart medication at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

But given Russia’s habitual doping issues going back to the 1980s  — no country has had more athletes test positive at the Olympics — would it really be a huge surprise if the country’s current antidoping chief was in fact one of the architects of a widespread, systematic coverup of positive tests in 2014?

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Though Loginova denied it to the Times — “I had no potential involvement in the antidoping laboratory’s operations, much less influence the collection of doping samples and their subsequent testing,” she reportedly wrote in an e-mail — the IOC better get to the bottom of it.

Because at some point, hopefully before 2028, the war in Ukraine will end. And if Russia makes a full-fledged return in Los Angeles, it would not only make a mockery of the IOC but also the United States if they have been allowed to just run the same playbook that has earned them their horrific reputation for cheating.

Then again, maybe none of these stakeholders really care.

WADA and the IOC have always treated Russia with a light touch, levying punishments only when the evidence is overwhelming — and even then taking the cowardly way out. (Sorry, but allowing Russia to compete under “ROC” in 2022 was a joke given how flagrant the cheating was in Sochi. Even the state security apparatus was involved in the coverup.)

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Also, as much as Coventry can say there’s a barrier between the IOC and the Paralympic committee, does anyone really believe they’d bring Russia (and Belarus) back into the fold next month without the IOC’s blessing?

Fat chance.

This smells like a trial balloon. And now, just as it’s about to be released, here comes another accusation of malfeasance, another test for the IOC to see whether it’s serious about conducting a clean Olympics in Los Angeles or play the fool for Vladimir Putin.

After all, that’s what the organization does best.

Peacock is home to all kinds of original content, from Emmy Award-winning reality series The Traitors to Poker Face and Twisted Metal. In addition to original content, the platform has an impressive library of shows from NBC and Bravo, thousands of movies, and live sports, including comprehensive 2026 Winter Olympics covrage.

While a regular Peacock subscription begins at $10.99 for a Premium Plan and goes up to $16.99 for the ad-free Premium Plus plan, you can get an ad-supported subscription for free if you’re a Walmart+ subscriber.

Walmart+ members actually get their choice between Paramount+ or Peacock included in their membership at no additional cost. A monthly subscription to Walmart+ costs $12.99, and an annual plan usually costs $98 — for free Peacock, and additional perks like five free months of Apple Music, discounts on Cinemark movie theater memberships, free shipping and delivery on Walmart purchases, discounts on gas, and much more.

The New England Patriots showed how valuable of a tool free agency can be.

Not many teams have the salary cap space or the desire to spend like the Patriots last year, but New England remade its roster through a great free-agency haul and a strong draft. They went from 4-13 to 14-3 and won an AFC championship.

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Most teams this year will take a more prudent approach to free agency, looking to fill gaps in the roster. Free agency officially begins on March 11, and here are the top 25 players slated to become unrestricted free agents.

25. Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers

Not many quarterbacks about to turn 43 would make a list like this. However, the quarterback market will be brutal and Rodgers was pretty good last season. A return to the Steelers and a reunion with Mike McCarthy seems like the most likely outcome if Rodgers keeps playing, but there aren’t enough starting quality QBs to go around this offseason.

24. Packers WR Romeo Doubs

Doubs made high-profile complaints about his role in the Packers’ offense, and now he has a chance to find a team that will use him more. Doubs has never had more than 724 yards in a season, though perhaps he could do more in a less-crowded receiver group. He will be 26 years old next season and should have plenty of suitors.

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23. 49ers WR Jauan Jennings

Jennings has rarely been in a high-volume role, but he has produced when given opportunities. He has 15 touchdown receptions the past two seasons. He’s a big receiver who might not be a No. 1, but can be a productive part of an offense.

22. Steelers G Isaac Seumalo

Seumalo will turn 33 years old next season, but he’s a steady veteran and it’s hard to find offensive line help. Seumalo has started 104 games in his career and made a Pro Bowl in 2024.

21. Packers OT Rasheed Walker

Walker has been the Packers’ starting left tackle for three seasons and will be just 26 years old next season. Walker isn’t an elite player but it is very hard to find a competent starting left tackle in free agency.

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20. Patriots OLB K’Lavon Chaisson

Chaisson is a classic tale of a first-round disappointment who flourished in a better situation. Chaisson didn’t work out with the Jaguars but was very good for the Patriots this past season, picking up 7.5 sacks. He’s just 26 years old and a team will bet on his emergence continuing.

19. Buccaneers CB Jamel Dean

Dean was Pro Football Focus’ No. 5 cornerback this past season, and while he’ll turn 30 years old during next season, teams that need cornerback help will take a risk that Dean’s 2025 level can sustain for at least one more season.

18. Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill

There are plenty of concerns with Hill, who was recently cut by Miami. He’ll be 32 next season and coming off a major knee injury. He might not happily accept a reduced role and a salary to match. That’s not good for a player who has thrived on being the fastest player on the field for his career. His off-field issues are well known. But Hill has been an elite player who made the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight seasons, and he led the NFL with 1,799 receiving yards and 13 receiving touchdowns in 2023. Someone is going to gamble on getting at least one more prime season out of Hill, one of the best receivers of this era.

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17. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans

Evans could always return to the Buccaneers again. But heading into his age-33 season, Evans should still have some juice left. Injuries set him back this past season, his first in the NFL without gaining 1,000 yards. That doesn’t mean he’s at the end, as his agents told ESPN that retirement isn’t on the table for 2026. Evans is a future Hall of Famer and some team would love to add his presence to its receiver room if he doesn’t go back to Tampa Bay.

16. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins

Cousins isn’t officially a free agent but the Falcons are reportedly planning to cut him, so he’s on the list. Cousins finished last season with some good performances, which will reinvigorate the market for him. He’ll be 38 years old in August but he’ll be better than plenty of the options some QB-needy teams will be looking at.

15. Chargers OLB Khalil Mack

Mack has to decide if he wants to continue playing. He’ll be 35 years old next season and said he will ponder his future. If he does return, he still has value. He had 5.5 sacks last season and while he’s not at his old NFL Defensive Player of the Year level, he can be a versatile piece on a one-year deal.

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14. Jaguars RB Travis Etienne Jr.

Etienne has at least 1,399 yards from scrimmage in three of his four NFL seasons. He also has at least 260 carries in a season twice, showing he can be a focal point of a team’s running game.

13. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III

Winning Super Bowl MVP raises Walker’s profile, but teams won’t see him as an elite running back. He is very good though, and has three 1,000-yard seasons in his four years in the NFL. Walker has big-play ability, but down-to-down consistency has been a question. It seems likely he’ll be back with the Seahawks, but they reportedly won’t use the franchise tag on him, giving him a clear path to the open market.

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12. Falcons TE Kyle Pitts

A very interesting case. Pitts had a historic rookie season gaining more than 1,000 yards, then three incredibly frustrating and unproductive seasons, and then was very good with 88 catches and 928 yards last season. Do you trust the draft pedigree as one of the best tight end prospects ever and those two productive seasons, or the duds that were in between them?

11. Seahawks WR Rashid Shaheed

Shaheed didn’t have a huge impact with the Seahawks as a receiver after a midseason trade, but it’s hard to acclimate to an offense during a season. On special teams he was great though. What a team is getting with Shaheed is a big-play receiver who can also flip a game with a big return. That has a lot of value.

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10. Jets RB Breece Hall

Hall is versatile, productive and just 25 years old next season. He was having a monster rookie year in 2022 before a season-ending injury. Over the past three seasons he put up 4,359 yards from scrimmage in putrid offensive conditions. Perhaps there’s some concern that Hall has never quite lived up to that rookie season, but we can also blame that on the Jets.

9. Chargers OLB Odafe Oweh

The Ravens moved on from Oweh, a former first-round pick, and the Chargers benefitted from a low-cost midseason trade. Oweh had 7.5 sacks in 12 games and put himself on the map as an attractive free agent. Oweh did have some moments with the Ravens too, including 10 sacks in 2024. He will get paid by someone looking for edge help.

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8. Eagles DE Jaelan Phillips

Phillips has an injury history, which might keep the bidding from getting out of control. He’s also an accomplished pass rusher who was once a first-round pick and will be just 27 years old next season. Phillips had just five sacks between the Dolphins and Eagles last season, and he didn’t make a huge impact for Philadelphia after a midseason trade. But his 28 career sacks and prime age will generate interest.

7. Packers QB Malik Willis

The quarterback market is incredibly thin, including a weak draft class outside of Fernando Mendoza. That will make Willis a surprisingly popular commodity, considering how many teams need a quarterback. Would you rather gamble on Willis, who is 26 years old and has looked good when he needed to play for the Packers, a Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers near the end, or Daniel Jones coming off a major injury? At least Willis provides some hope to be a long-term option without many glaring concerns, other than seeing if he can produce as a full-time starter.

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6. Jaguars LB Devin Lloyd

Lloyd looked like a first-round disappointment with the Jaguars — he didn’t get his fifth-year option picked up — but then he had a breakout season with a new coaching staff. He made the Pro Bowl and had a career-best season. Now he looks like a late bloomer that needed a better scheme to thrive.

5. Colts WR Alec Pierce

Pierce picked a good time for his breakout season. The former second-round pick went from an occasional big-play threat to more production in a higher-volume role. Pierce has led the NFL in yards per catch in each of the last two seasons and he’s coming off his first 1,000-yard season. He’ll be just 26 years old next season.

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4. Colts QB Daniel Jones

Had Jones continued his strong play through the second half of the season and hit free agency healthy, he’d be No. 1 on this list and it might not be close. But that didn’t happen. Jones tore his Achilles, and that’s not an easy injury to return from, especially for a player like Jones whose mobility is a big part of his game. It seems likely he returns to the Colts anyway, but there’s plenty of questions too.

3. Cowboys WR George Pickens

Pickens could be No. 1 on this list, but the inevitability of the franchise tag tempers enthusiasm. The Cowboys will have to figure out how to make Pickens happy, because he’s unlikely to be with the tag. He’ll be just 25 years old next season with elite talent, but also off-field concerns that caused the Steelers to move on. If he ever got to free agency he’d get an enormous deal. But that’s very unlikely.

2. Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum

Linderbaum was Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 center last season, he’s 25 years old and is a former first-round pick. This is the exact type of free agent teams will and should overpay. He plays a highly valuable position and has many prime years left.

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1. Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson

Hendrickson had 17.5 sacks in 2023 and 2024. Last season that dipped to 4.5, but his unhappiness over the Bengals’ treatment of him, along with injuries that limited him to seven games, tells that story. Hendrickson is 31 years old so that will work against him on a long-term deal, but pass rushers like this aren’t often available.

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin issued a long apology Friday, days after he threw his own player out of a loss for a hard foul and got into it with a reporter.

Cronin said he directly apologized to center Steven Jamerson II, and that he thought he had committed a dirty play late in East Lansing in the final moments of UCLA’s 82-59 loss against Michigan State. Now, after seeing the tape and all of the pushback, Cronin realized that wasn’t what had happened.

“It’s the only reason I sent him to the locker room,” Cronin said, via the SoCal News Group’s Aaron Heisen. “I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out. … To me, that’s a bad play. You can’t be down 25 or getting your butt kicked, don’t try to take somebody out, hurt somebody on the other team, which is what I thought.”

Cronin threw Jamerson out of the game himself after Jamerson drilled Michigan State center Carson Cooper on a breakaway dunk late in the blowout loss Tuesday night. Jamerson was called for a foul in the moment, though Cronin wasn’t having it.

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He called Jamerson over to the bench, grabbed him by his jersey and started walking him off the floor. Jamerson left without much protest.

“I guess he upgraded that to a Flagrant 2, huh? That’s the first time I’ve [seen] a coach do that,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said. “That sounded like Mick, he’ll get that straightened out.”

Jamerson, a senior, finished with two points and two rebounds in eight minutes. He was hit with a technical foul on the play, as was Cooper for his reaction. Cooper split his free throws for the original foul, which put Michigan State up by 28 points at the time.

After the game, Cronin was still in a terrible mood. He got into it with a reporter who asked him about Michigan State’s student section, and then Cronin asked if that reporter was raising his voice at him.

Cronin apologized for his behavior in general Friday, too, and said he needs to “dial back some of my humor” after the wave of criticism he received this week.

“In this climate, you have to be careful with what you say,” he said. “Because, I’m a good fit here because I know I’m not bigger than the brand. The brand matters here, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school.

“Sometimes, because it’s not about me, I don’t care what people think about me, I need to do a better job knowing, ‘Well I am the coach here.’ I need to make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass our school. For that, I apologize.”

Cronin is in his sixth season at UCLA, which started the season No. 12 in the national rankings before falling out completely. Cronin holds a 155-73 record with the Bruins, whom he led to a Final Four in his second campaign with the school.

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UCLA now sits at 17-9 this season after back-to-back blowout losses last week. The Bruins will host No. 10 Illinois on Saturday.

The New England Patriots felt receiver Mack Hollins earned an incentive in his contract, even if he didn’t technically reach the number that triggered the bonus.

Hollins, 32, received a $400,000 bonus from the Patriots on Friday that would have come with him getting 50 catches this season, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. He finished with 46 receptions for 550 yards and two touchdowns, but missed the final two games of the regular season with a lacerated spleen.

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The eight-year veteran also missed New England’s wild-card and divisional playoff games, but returned for the AFC championship game and the Super Bowl. During the postseason, Hollins finished with eight catches for 129 yards and a TD. Against the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks, he led the Patriots in receiving yards.

In addition to his on-field performance, Hollins drew attention for his quirky behavior off the field. He arrived for Super Bowl 60 wearing a Hannibal Lecter-style mask on his face, along with handcuffs on his wrists and ankles.

Head coach Mike Vrabel appreciates what Hollins brings to the Patriots’ culture by being a great teammate.

“Mack brings a great spirit to work every day. He’s a great teammate,” Vrabel told Boston.com in December. “I actually showed a clip from the first game on a kickoff coverage, and Mack’s over there excited, not going in the game, but he’s into it.

“Somebody made a tackle and Mack’s the first one cheering on the sidelines, and those are the little things that mean a lot, I think, to me,” he added. “So, again, we ask him to do a lot of different things, and again, I think just the spirit that he brings to work and the teammate that he is.”

Last season with the Buffalo Bills, Hollins would also arrive to Highmark Stadium barefoot and shirtless despite the area’s snow and frigid temperatures. Before the Super Bowl, he warmed up without shoes or a shirt in Santa Clara, California.

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Hollins just finished the first year of a two-year, $8.4 million contract he signed with the Patriots. During his NFL career, he’s also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons and Bills. In his eight seasons, Hollins has compiled 208 receptions for 2,619 yards and 17 TDs.

We’re only a few weeks removed from the Indiana Hoosiers pulling off one of the great underdog stories in American sports — let alone college football — and winning the College Football national championship 27-21 over the Miami Hurricanes.

While we’re still months away from any games being played on the field, odds are already out for next season — notably, odds for the 2026 Heisman trophy.

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And for potentially the first time ever, a Notre Dame Fighting Irish QB is the preseason favorite. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr (+700) is the favorite to win the 2026 Heisman at BetMGM, followed closely by Texas QB Arch Manning (+800). They are the only two players with single-digits odds.

No Notre Dame player has been a preseason Heisman favorite since at least 2009, which is as far back as the Sports Odds History database goes.

Carr started all 12 games for Notre Dame this past season, going 10-2 and throwing for 2,741 yards, along with 24 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. The Fighting Irish missed out on the College Football Playoff, losing their two games (at Miami and against Texas A&M) by a total of four points.

Manning was the 2025 Heisman preseason favorite at sportsbooks, but lost that spot after a tough debut against Ohio State. Manning had the most bets, total dollars wagered and was BetMGM’s largest liability in the Heisman market before the 2025 season began.

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Oregon QB Dante Moore (11-1), Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (12-1) and new Indiana QB Josh Hoover (12-1) have the next-best odds. Moore chose to return to the Ducks after struggling in the CFP, while Hoover joined the Hoosiers via the transfer portal, and is the presumed starter with Fernando Mendoza declaring for the 2026 NFL draft. Sayin was a 2025 Heisman trophy finalist and finished fourth.

Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (14-1) has the best odds for any skill-position player.

No Notre Dame player has won the Heisman trophy since WR Tim Brown in 1987.

MILAN — Some athletes measure their Olympics duration in seconds. Others, like Brittany Bowe, measure in decades.

Bowe took her final laps as an Olympic speed skater on Friday afternoon in Milan. She received an ovation from the heavily pro-Netherlands crowd at the speed-skating arena, though her head-to-head rival Antoinette Rijpma-de Jong received a louder one. Bowe sprinted off the starting line, and at the 300m mark was 0.69 seconds ahead of the leaders’ pace. That mark stayed at 0.46 seconds at 700m, and just 0.17 at 1100m. But she steadily began losing pace, and she crossed the line 0.55 seconds behind the lead time.

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Rijpma-de Jong won gold with a time of 1:54.09, Norway’s Ragne Wiklund took silver, and Canada’s Valérie Maltais claimed bronze. Bowe would go on to finish fourth overall, missing out on the podium by 0.30 seconds. It’s the third fourth-place finish for Bowe at these Games.

“I am tired of fourth-place finishes,” Bowe said. “Finishing fourth place three times this Olympics is heartbreaking.

“We are all out here trying to get on that podium. To see my pair finish first and to see the gap between myself and not just a podium finish, but the top spot, is tough as a competitor.”

And yet, Bowe embodies the Olympic ideal for four separate Games now. She’s won two medals. She carried the flag of the United States into the Opening Ceremony at Beijing in 2022.

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Bowe is one of those athletes who can seemingly do anything well. She was a championship-winning inline skater before she switched over to ice … oh, and she also played basketball for Florida Atlantic for four years, averaging 12.2 points per game her senior year. Bitten by the Olympics bug after seeing inline friends skate in Vancouver in 2010, she laced up the blades, and American Olympic speed skating was never the same.

She debuted in Sochi in four events, finishing as high as sixth in team pursuit and eighth in the 1000m. Four years later, she claimed a bronze in team pursuit, and her individual finishes were as high as fourth in the 1000m. She added her first individual medal in Beijing, winning bronze in the 1000m.

Bowe also carried the flag in Beijing, but like almost all other athletes at those Games, she was alone, cut off from family and friends and competing in empty arenas because of COVID restrictions. That inspired her to make one more run at an Olympics … and, naturally, she qualified for Milan, too.

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“After Beijing I was really determined to go four more,” Bowe said earlier during these Games. “I’m really blessed to be able to walk away on my own terms, because not everybody gets to do that. I knew I was going to dedicate four more years of my life, and here we are. It’s gone by in the blink of an eye.”

The Olympics run has paid off in other ways for Bowe. She met Team USA forward Hilary Knight eight years ago in Pyeongchang. Earlier this week, the two got engaged, just before Knight scored the crucial late-game equalizer in America’s gold medal win over Canada:

That’s been the highlight of this year’s Games for Bowe, who ended up fourth in the 1000m following a spectacular skate by the Netherlands’ Jutta Leerdam. She and her teammates ended up in fourth place in the team pursuit event, nudged off the podium by Japan by a margin of 3.5 seconds.

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“Speed skating has shaped me into the person I am,” she said after her final Olympic skate. “So it is so sad, but it is also so great that I am able to finish on my own terms, because a lot of athletes do not have that opportunity.

Her fans have given themselves a name — The Bowe-lievers — and on Friday, they were loud indeed. “We have Bowe-lievers in all 50 states and around the world,” Bowe said. “That support does not go unnoticed.”

Nor will Bowe’s stellar career.

Sidney Crosby was not be available for Canada’s Olympic semifinal victory over Finland on Friday after suffering a lower-body injury during their quarterfinal win over Czechia.

Connor McDavid served as Canada’s captain as international rules require teams to feature a playing captain. Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon acted as alternates.

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Hockey Canada did not reveal specifics of what Crosby is dealing with or whether he’d be available for the rest of the tournament.

Crosby did not take part in an optional practice on Thursday, but skated during a session closed to the media on Friday morning.

“He’s got a lot better chance of playing in the gold medal game than he did today,” said Canada head coach Jon Cooper on Friday.

The 38-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medalist left in the second period after being hit along the boards by Czechia’s Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas. It was the third big hit Crosby took in the period after Gudas and Ondřej Palát connected on checks with the Team Canada captain.

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Crosby recovered and took a stride following the Gudas and Nečas hit and was seen shaking his right leg before exiting the ice. After being attended to on Canada’s bench, Crosby limped down the tunnel to the locker room. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the third period.

The game would need overtime and Mitch Marner’s goal after 82 seconds of 3-on-3 play booked Canada a spot in Friday’s semifinals with a 4-3 victory.

Cooper said afterward that it was important to his players that Crosby had not played the final game of his Olympic career.

This is Crosby’s third Olympics. He won gold the last two times NHL players participated — Sochi 2014 and Vancouver 2010, where he scored the golden goal in overtime that led Canada past the U.S.

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Crosby, who underwent an MRI after the game, was not ruled out for the rest of the tournament by Cooper after the test.

“He’s Sidney Crosby,” said McDavid. “He’s going to have a big influence no matter what. In the lineup, not in the lineup, he’s going to have a big influence. That’s what he does.”

Crosby has two goals and six points in four games with Canada during the Milan Cortina Olympics.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins are holding their breath that their captain will be fine as they have 19 games in 34 days when the NHL resumes play next week. Crosby has a team-leading 27 goals and 59 points through 56 games this season.

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Despite the injury risk posed, Penguins head coach Dan Muse understands the opportunity for NHL players to be involved.

“It’s the Olympics,” Muse said, via the Tribune Review. “Anytime these guys get an opportunity to represent their countries, I’m just happy for them. To play in a tournament like that, to be playing in that setting, that is something I think everybody dreams of. The only thing for me is that I’m excited for those guys getting that opportunity that they’ve earned.

“Excited for them being over there. There’s no other thoughts in my mind other than that.”

Nathan MacKinnon’s power play goal with 35.2 seconds completed Canada’s comeback against Finland to send them to Sunday’s Olympic gold-medal game with a 3-2 victory.

Niko Mikkola’s high-sticking penalty put Canada on the power play with 2:35 left in the third period. Canada set up shop in Finland’s zone and fired away at goaltender Juuse Saros. They found a breakthrough with two seconds to go on the man-advantage via MacKinnon’s one-timer.

Canada will now face the United States in Sunday’s gold-medal game.

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Overcoming an early deficit

Canada needed to come from behind after trailing 2-0 early in the second period following goals by Mikko Rantanen and Erik Haula. As the tournament favorites faced the two-goal deficit and time became of utmost importance, pressure was applied to the Finns.

Canada’s star-studded lineup led by Connor McDavid, who was serving as captain for an injured Sidney Crosby, found themselves inside Finland’s zone often, peppering Saros with shots. The breakthrough would finally come late in the second period as Sam Reinhart, stationed in front of Saros, deflected a Cale Makar shot to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Assisting on that goal was McDavid, who picked up his 12th career Olympic point — all in this tournament — which saw him pass Finnish greats Teemu Selänne and Saku Koivu for the most among players in Olympics featuring NHL players.

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Finland’s attempts at suppressing Canada’s vaunted offense slowly weakened. With under 10 minutes to play in the third period, Shea Theodore’s rocket from the point would even the score at two and give Canada life.

Saros and Finland could only do so much to stave off the offensive threats. The Finns manage to slow Canada for most of the first two periods, but Canada sustained offensive pressure and found space through the neutral zone to create chance after chance.

Over the final 40 minutes Canada outshot Finland 31-9.

No word on Sidney Crosby’s availability

The Canada captain did not play Friday after being ruled out due to a lower-body injury during their quarterfinal victory over Czechia.

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Crosby did not take part in an optional practice on Thursday, but he skated during a session closed to the media on Friday morning. Hockey Canada did not reveal specifics of what he is dealing with or whether he’d be available for the rest of the tournament.

The 38-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medalist left in the second period after being hit along the boards by Czechia’s Martin Nečas and Radko Gudas. It was the third big hit Crosby took in the period after Gudas and Ondřej Palát connected on checks.

Crosby recovered and took a stride following the Gudas and Nečas hit and was seen shaking his right leg before exiting the ice. After being attended to on Canada’s bench, Crosby limped down the tunnel to the locker room. He was ruled out for the remainder of the game early in the third period.

It wasn’t until an hour before the Finland game that Crosby was ruled out, which means it might be another late decision ahead of the gold-medal game on whether he will be available to play.

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“We have 48 hours to decide that,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said Friday. “But I will tell you he’s got a better chance of playing that than he did of playing today.”