David Stern, the NBA commissioner, was hot last week and eager to let everyone know it, especially Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio coach, whose Spurs were fined US$250,000 (Dh918,000). Something about saving the integrity of the league.
The crime? At the end of a six-game road trip, after his team had played four times in five days, Popovich decided to give four of his best players the day off. He put Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green on a plane and sent them home rather than have them play the Heat in Miami on Thursday. Duncan, 37, Ginobili, 36 and Parker, 30, are the ageing heart of his team, and Popovich will need them for the play-offs in April, and his interest in pacing them seems obvious.
Admittedly, he was a bit provocative. The Spurs-Heat match-up was on national television and had been promoted as a potential preview of the NBA finals. Then four of the five Spurs starters failed to show, and the Heat won.
Stern went ballistic, deeming it "unacceptable" that the Spurs had not brought the first team. So he opened a can of worms and fined the Spurs, even though they had not broken any rules. If Stern cared that much about the issue, the league should have made a rule on it, ahead of the game featuring one side's second team.
Popovich is one of the league's leading coaches, and he had done the maths. He is not going to kill his team during the 82-game regular season. The post-season is what matters. Except when David Stern disagrees.
sports@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The%20specs
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
Napoleon
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company%20profile
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
