“Getting invited into the Green Room, I was like, ‘Oh man, this is a dream come true,” Kevon Looney told FOX Sports. “But then to not get called until the 30th pick, you watch everyone get drafted, not knowing when you’re going to get picked or not. I actually left and came back. It was great, but sad at the same time. That put a chip on my shoulder.”

Source: FOX Sports @ FoxSports.com

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Dave McMenamin @mcten

New video: My @sportscenter report from Game 2 of the Western Conference finals where Kevon Looney busted out to turn the game around for the Dubs. pic.twitter.com/a4vh5hZgM8 – 1:48 PM

Marcus Thompson @ThompsonScribe

Your Game 2 episode of All-82, which probably should be renamed The Kevon Looney podcast at this point.

@Anthony Slater @Tim Kawakami

Apple: https://t.co/hOs7nQAGgM

Spotify: https://t.co/1r6Z8VdRH0

TA: https://t.co/qv4BVG5XYJ pic.twitter.com/H1ouFLVUg2 – 12:52 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

Enjoyed this column from @annkillion on Kevon Looney, who received M-V-P chants last night: sfchronicle.com/sports/annkill… – 11:50 AM

Trey Kerby @treykerby

It looked like the torch may have been passed, but Connor McDavid and Kevon Looney are still the best players left in the playoffs. – 9:25 AM

Tania Ganguli @taniaganguli

Kevon Looney was once a wide-eyed rookie intimidated by joining the Warriors mid-dynasty. “They used to joke that I didn’t talk for the first 6 months,” he said. He’s now a critical part of the team’s next championship attempt, as he showed Friday night. nytimes.com/2022/05/21/spo… – 4:55 AM

Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews

“MVP” chants rained down for Kevon Looney Friday night – an experience he called “nerve wracking.”

He became the first Warrior center with a 20 & 10 playoff game since the 70s as he led the charge in the Warriors’ comeback over the Mavs: espn.com/nba/story/_/id… – 2:37 AM

Matt Steinmetz @SteinmetzNBA

Two questions: Is Maxi Kleber’s box score line among most pathetic ever … and is Kevon Looney poised to win first-ever Magic Johnson award? – 1:56 AM

Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA

Kevon Looney had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors rallied past the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 on Friday for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

“I feel honored just to be a part of the ride,” Looney said. https://t.co/qco2mEtHWy pic.twitter.com/sdB5D40dC0 – 12:55 AM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Jordan Poole isn’t surprised by how Kevon Looney played tonight.

“Loon is a dog. He’s always been a dog.” – 12:37 AM

Ric Bucher @RicBucher

Jordan Poole just got emotional talking about seeing Kevon Looney have the game he had tonight. GSW chemistry is truly something special. – 12:34 AM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Jordan Poole on him and Kevon Looney, coming from the same city, and watching Looney play well:

“The little kid in me is so excited…I’m so happy for him, and I’m happy to be a part of it. Shoutout to big bro Loon.” – 12:32 AM

CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22

Kevon Looney’s sister, Summer, graduated today. He made sure to shout her out while leaving the podium tonight. – 12:25 AM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

Just a couple of years ago, Kevon Looney’s NBA career was on life support. Now, he’s a key difference-maker for a title contender. Feels like a good time to revisit this story I wrote in January: sfchronicle.com/sports/warrior… – 12:24 AM

CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22

Kevon Looney on the Warriors’ dominance in the paint tonight: pic.twitter.com/yg9ary6T9q – 12:20 AM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Kevon Looney on the crowd chanting MVP while he was shooting free throws:

“It was nerve-racking. I haven’t shot a free throw in like three weeks.” – 12:16 AM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

More of Steve Kerr on Kevon Looney: “I don’t know where we’d be without him, frankly. He’s just been a huge part of our team.” – 12:01 AM

Trey Kerby @treykerby

Connor McDavid looking like Kevon Looney out there. – 12:00 AM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Steve Kerr on Kevon Looney:

“Loon is everybody’s favorite guy…He gives us a lot of stability that we need.” – 11:59 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears

Steve Kerr says Kevon Looney is “incredibly underrated by everybody” and was “brilliant” tonight. In the 2nd half, Looney held the Mavericks to 0-7 FG as a primary defender, including holding Luka Doncic to 0-3 FG as his primary defender. Looney had 21 points and 12 rebounds. – 11:57 PM

CJ Holmes @CjHolmes22

Steve Kerr: “I thought Kevon Looney was brilliant tonight… He’s had a fantastic playoff run… He’s underrated by everybody.” – 11:56 PM

Christos Tsaltas @Tsaltas46

Kevon Looney over last 2 games vs Mavericks

15.5 points

8.5 rebounds

3 assists

78% FG

+12

#GoldBlooded – 11:53 PM

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob

Radio Roulette is LIVE @UnderdogFantasy

– Game 2(s)

– Scoring variance

– Jordan Poole roller coaster

– Mavs bench, how rule should apply

– Kevon Looney MVP

– Draymond rules

– Targeting Steph

– I fulfilled my promise, an update

– $100 giveaway

Join us!⬇️

youtube.com/watch?v=h3_MHo… – 11:38 PM

Michael Gallagher @MikeSGallagher

Kevon Looney post game interview.

He’s about to get that cheese like the Antonellis. – 11:37 PM

Melissa Rohlin @melissarohlin

The Warriors stormed back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Mavs in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, 126-117. The night belonged to Kevon Looney, who scored the most points ever in his career, regular season or postseason (21) on 10-for-14 shooting and grabbed 12 boards – 11:37 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Warriors go up 2-0 on the Mavericks.

-Kevon Looney: 21 points, 12 rebounds, 32 more gigantic minutes

-Jordan Poole: 23 bench points

-Otto Porter: 11-7-4-1-1 stat line off the bench

-Steph Curry: 32 points, closed it out late – 11:37 PM

StatMuse @statmuse

Kevon Looney in Game 2:

21 PTS (career high)

12 REB

10-14 FG

MVP of the series. pic.twitter.com/wqbTX38B2a – 11:36 PM

Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux

Kevon Looney is younger than Karl-Anthony Towns, Christian Wood and Patrick McCaw – 11:25 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

I honestly thought Kevon Looney wouldn’t play big minutes in this series, just because it seemed to have the makings of a small-ball-centric matchup. The fact that Looney has even had the chance to have a night like this speaks to how much Kerr trusts and values him. – 11:17 PM

Kerith Burke @KerithBurke

Kevon Looney currently has more made FGs than Luka Doncic – 11:13 PM

Ric Bucher @RicBucher

Have yourself a game, Kevon Looney (21 & 10 and counting)… – 11:13 PM

The Ringer @ringernba

Kevon Looney tonight pic.twitter.com/NVfqkyTE7s – 11:13 PM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Kevon Looney has a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with those points. – 11:09 PM

Kendra Andrews @kendra__andrews

This is the first 20-point game in Kevon Looney’s career, including regular season and playoffs. H/t @ESPNStatsInfo

He has 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 10 rebonds in 29 minutes. 7:48 left in the game. – 11:09 PM

Chris Fedor @ChrisFedor

Who is paying Kevon Looney this summer?! – 11:09 PM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Jordan Poole and Kevon Looney have the Chase Center going crazy in the fourth quarter. Yes, you read that right, Poole and Looney. Warriors lead 97-92 with 7:48 left. – 11:08 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears

Warriors center Kevon Looney has a career-high 21 points (playoffs and regular season) on 10-of-14 from the field to go with 10 rebounds, his second career postseason double-double (first in 2022 Playoffs). Via @Golden State Warriors PR – 11:08 PM

StatMuse @statmuse

Kevon Looney is the first Warriors center with a 20/10 playoff game since Robert Parish in 1977. pic.twitter.com/LOBecakSy0 – 11:07 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

That’s 21 points and 10 rebounds for Kevon Looney. First time he’s scored 20 points in his career, regular season or playoffs. – 11:07 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

Kevon Looney with 21 points and 10 rebounds midway through the fourth quarter. Wow. – 11:07 PM

Gerald Bourguet @GeraldBourguet

Kevon Looney has been terrific to start this series. Dominating his role by doing the little things on both ends, and the Mavs are struggling to attack him defensively – 11:05 PM

Micah Adams @MicahAdams13

Fully prepared for the Warriors to win the NBA title and Steph to lose out on Finals MVP to Kevon Looney. – 11:05 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU

Mavericks scored 13 3rd quarter points

Kevon Looney *created* 14 3rd quarter points (11 scored, assist to Wiggins 3) – 11:04 PM

Monte Poole @MontePooleNBCS

Every time I see Kevon Looney’s mother at a game, she has a standard line: ‘Hi! . . . Now write and say something good about my son. Not just that he’s a good guy.’ – 11:00 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU

Only player in this game for either team with more FGs than Kevon Looney (17 points, 8/11 FGs) through three quarters is Luka Doncic (28 points, 9/17 FGs) – 11:00 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

We’ve talked a lot about the Warriors trying to sign Jordan Poole to an extension this summer. Guess what? Kevon Looney will be a free agent. Bringing him back will be a huge priority for Golden State. 17 points and 10 rebounds so far tonight. Been sensational yet again. – 10:59 PM

Dave McMenamin @mcten

Kevon Looney was nothing short of remarkable in that 3rd Q. He scored 11 pts on 5-of-6 shooting and held the Mavs to 0-of-5 shooting with a turnover on the defensive end. Mavs up 85-83 heading into the 4th. Here we go. – 10:58 PM

Marc J. Spears @MarcJSpears

Warriors center Kevon Looney scored 14 points in the third quarter. @ESPNStatsInfo – 10:58 PM

Shaun Powell @Powell2daPeople

Maxi Kleber letting Kevon Looney look like Olajuwon. – 10:57 PM

Michael Pina @MichaelVPina

kevon looney needs to renegotiate his contract during the commercial break – 10:56 PM

Mark Haynes @markhaynesnba

Kevon Looney is having another big game. The Warriors center has 15 points, 7 rebounds, and some MVP chants at the free-throw line. – 10:48 PM

Rob Perez @WorldWideWob

not even kidding when i say Kevon Looney has a legit chance of winning the first Western Conference Finals MVP. – 10:47 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

Kevon Looney just stepped to the foul line to “M-V-P” chants. This crowd is showing its love for one of the Warriors’ unsung heroes. – 10:47 PM

Micah Adams @MicahAdams13

Kevon Looney is actually older than Robert Parish. – 10:46 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Kevon Looney playing his ass off again: 15 points, 7 rebounds, holding up well on switches, handling the interior with Draymond Green on the bench with five fouls. – 10:46 PM

Connor Letourneau @Con_Chron

Kevon Looney (12 points, six rebounds) is quietly putting together his third really solid performance in a row. His re-emergence has been key for the Warriors. – 10:42 PM

Micah Adams @MicahAdams13

Kevon Looney is proof that you shouldn’t pay Deandre Ayton the bag. – 10:33 PM

Anthony Slater @anthonyVslater

Kevon Looney getting his lower back wrapped on the bench. His workload has been upped way more than normal lately — 35 minutes in Game 6 vs Memphis, 28 minutes in G1 and 13 first half minutes tonight. – 10:07 PM

More on this storyline

After so much struggle, beginning with that fateful night at the NBA Draft nearly a decade ago, his brilliant performance Friday was a testament to his unwavering belief in himself. “Everything was going the wrong way, but I always just kind of stayed even-keel and keep working,” Looney told FOX Sports. ” And things have been working out for me. To have a moment like this is something special for me.” -via FoxSports.com / May 21, 2022

After having a career-night, as Looney walked toward the locker room, he was asked if that was his favorite moment he’s ever had on the court. He shook his head. “I would say the best moment is still winning the championship with them, even though in some games I didn’t play a lot,” Looney told FOX Sports. “But I was there and I contributed in certain series. So, I felt a part of it.” -via FoxSports.com / May 21, 2022

The Warriors came back from a 19-point deficit to beat the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals. The Warriors now have a 2-0 advantage in the series. The first two quarters of the game were owned by the Mavericks. They hit 15 3-pointers in the first half, setting a new franchise record for 3s made in a playoff half. Luka Doncic and Jalen Brunson became the second pair of starting guards to each score 20 points in the first half of a playoff game in the past 25 seasons. “I told them that if we developed some poise in the second half, the game would come to us,” Kerr said. “But I thought we were so scattered in the first half. Maybe emotionally more so than anything. Dallas came out and just punched us. We felt confident that if we [got poised], they wouldn’t make 15 3s in the second half.” -via ESPN / May 21, 2022

Dina Asher-Smith insists she is just warming up as she plots her world title defence.

The world 200m champion held off the challenge of Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson to win the 100m Diamond League race in 11.11 seconds

Daryll Neita was third at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham on Saturday.

Asher-Smith is gearing up to defend the 200m title she won in Doha three years ago and was happy with how things are going.

She said: “I feel like I’ve progressed, I feel like I’ve worked really hard but if you speak to loads of athletes, loads of people always think they’ve improved.

“I do believe I have more scope in both 100m and 200m and we’ve worked really hard over the past three years to get that. If you think in 2019 I was just a different person, mentally, and in a different position physically.

“I’ve never been much of a time person because sometimes you can execute a recipe of movements and it’s a mad headwind or it’s freezing cold. I just don’t think it’s ever wise to get bogged down in whether it’s a good time, although I’ll take it.

“If it’s not such a good time there are so many things that contribute to running a fast time and so many of them out your control. I don’t tend to focus on it.”

The 26-year-old also helped the Great Britain women’s 4x100m team storm to victory at the Alexander Stadium in a world-leading time of 42.29secs.

Earlier, Canada’s Aaron Brown took the men’s 100m win in 10.13s with Olympic champion Andre de Grasse fourth.

Of the British hopefuls, Zharnel Hughes was disqualified with Adam Gemili fifth, Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake sixth and Reece Prescod seventh, and they also suffered a nightmare in the men’s 4x100m relay.

Hughes went too early for the final changeover with Richard Kilty to complete a poor afternoon.

Keely Hodgkinson, who won Olympic silver last summer, ran one minute 58.63s to win the 800m comfortably to prove she has shaken off the thigh tear which forced her out of the World Indoor Championships in March.

“It’s definitely an improvement from last year but I just think the bar’s been raised so much this year,” she said. “Having run 1.55 last year, my aim this year is to be running 1.58s, 1.57s, 1.56s consistently.

“I want to be up there in the Diamond Leagues, not coming fourth or fifth. So as much as Championships are where it’s at, I want to be more consistent throughout the year.”

Reigning world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson was eighth in the long jump with 6.41m.

Laura Muir took victory in the women’s 1500m, the Scot ran four minutes 02.81s as she continued her build up to the World Championships in July.

It was a welcome return after she cancelled her indoor season due to a lingering back problem.

She said: “I didn’t think I’d even be running here. So not just to be running, but to be competitive and to be winning. I’m very happy.

“Initially I had back pain but it was just because I was compensating, I jammed up a joint in my back.

“We fixed that and found out it was the hip instead. I was compensating so much without realising it, making it hard to work out where the pain was.

“I went and got specialist scans in London and found the stress response in the femur and that was that, hard to start rehab from there – on crutches, in the swimming pool and then the gym.”

Holly Bradshaw, who won Team GB’s first-ever Olympic pole vault medal with bronze in Tokyo last summer, failed to clear 4.45m while Josh Kerr was fifth in the 1500m.

After more than two years of reports, rumours and promises from within, the Saudi rebel circuit will finally announce players who will officially play in their opening LIV Golf Invitational next month in Hertfordshire.

Initially, Greg Norman was intent on unveiling his first signees during this week’s US PGA Championship but was persuaded out of trying to take even a few rays of the spotlight from the season’s second major winner.

Louis Oosthuiizen is believed to have been extremely keen to “respect the integrity of the majors” and wait until either Monday or Tuesday for his participation in the $25m, 54-holer at Centurion to be made official. The full 48-man field is then expected to be made public on Friday.

The South African will be LIV’s highest-ranked player at world No 15 and although the 39-year-old is not a huge name – and will take billing behind Ryder Cup heroes including Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer – there can be no doubt of his enduring quality.  The man from Mossel Bay won the 2010 Open and has five major runner-ups on his impressive CV, including back-to-back seconds last year at the US Open and USPGA.

Oosthuizen has suffered a poor start to this year after contracting Covid and being stuck in his homeland for two months around the new year. He is still waiting for his first top 10 of 2022 and that will not happen here at Southern Hills as he only scraped inside the cut. But Oosthuizen will still be fancied as an outsider for July’s 150th Open at St Andrews.

He lifted the Claret Jug at the Home of Golf 12 years and was only beaten in a play-off by Zach Johnson the last time the Open was staged at the hallowed Fife venue in 2015.

It will be intriguing to see if and how the first two tournaments of the eight-event $255 million series will have affected golf’s landscape by the time the British major swings around. Will Oosthuizen and Co be banned from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour – formerly the European Tour – because of disobeying their orders not to tee it up on the breakaway circuit? And will the R&A honour the tours’ punishments and act accordingly in setting its field for the Open?

It is highly likely that the heavily predicted legal fight will be under way by then and the players who do press on regardless have been assured by LIV and chief executive Norman that their short-term inclusion in the game’s biggest events will be protected by injunctions their lawyers have waiting to file.

Oosthuizen, Garcia and Kaymer have qualified for next month’s US Open, but Westwood and Poulter are not currently in the Brookline field. Both missed the cut here meaning there is only one chance left to earn a spot without going through the torment of entering final qualifying. The pair must rise from their respective ranking positions of 71st and 83rd into the world’s top 60 by Monday June 6. That also happens to be the week of the LIV curtain-raiser.

Meanwhile Richard Bland is 58th and, after missing the cut, is anxiously checking to see if he is knocked out of the top 60 for the first cut-off point on Monday.. The Hampshire 49-year-old announced earlier this week that he will appear at Centurion “ban or no ban”.