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USA Escorted Coach Tours

Travel in comfort with our USA escorted tours and let us take care of all your travel arrangements. By joining one of our top quality coach tours you can be sure that your holiday in the USA will be totally stress-free. You won’t have to study maps or use navigation systems - you will be taken around with our bus tours as a distinguished guest: exactly as you deserve it. By choosing our motorcoach tours in the USA you will get rid of the stress of driving and you won't need to lift a finger because we will take care of everything, leaving you to relax and experience the most from all the fabulous places you have always wanted to see! On our tours you will explore marvelous landscapes and magnificent cities, you will enjoy perfectly planned sightseeing and you will stay in top-value hotels in very central locations. You will travel in state of the art and air-conditioned coaches, with a knowledgeable tour guide who will provide you with a deeper understanding of all landmarks and will help to make sure that your trip is as smooth and enjoyable as it can be. Choose among our vast selection of escorted coach tours in the USA and enjoy our “Big Country”.

USA Escorted Coach Tours - Discover America

Aloha Discovery

Chicago to L.A.

Chicago to the Golden Gate

New York to Hollywood

The Grand East

The Great American Crossing

Usa escorted coach tours - nature and landscapes.

Northern California

Rocky Mountain Frontiers

Rocky Mountain High

Splendors of the West

Treasures of the Southwest

Western Discovery

Western Landscapes

Western Trails

Usa escorted coach tours - american cities.

California Dreaming

Coast to Coast

East Coast USA and Canada

Eastern Discovery

Great Eastern Cities

West Coast Insider

Western Express - PRIVATE AIR TOUR

Western Highlights

Usa escorted coach tours - sun and coasts.

California Explorer

Hawaiian Islands Insider

Pacific Coast Express

West Coast Aloha

Western Frontiers

Western Panorama

Usa escorted coach tours - national parks.

Best of The Canyonlands

National Parks Explorer

National Parks Treasures

National Parks Wonders

North by Northwest

Scenic Parks Explorer

The Trailblazer

Western Bonanza

Usa escorted coach tours - authentic america.

Colourful Trails of the Southwest

Deep South Discovery

Rhythms of the South

Southern Explorer

The American South

Wings over the West - PRIVATE AIR TOUR

Usa escorted coach tours - culture, heritage and history.

Colors of New England

Historic Highlights

Patriot Trails

Usa escorted coach tours - wild west and native americans.

Cowboys and Canyons

Pioneer Adventures of the Old West

Wild West, Cowboys and Buffalos

Tours-USA.com

Tours-USA.com is a specialist tour operator providing high quality holidays to the USA and Canada. Explore our tours and contact us for any information.

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Heartland Tours and Travel Tours You’re Going to Love

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Bus tours across north america.

Touring across America has never been easier or more comfortable than with Heartland Tours and Travel. We offer a variety of exciting bus tours to sites and events all across the United States in our luxury coach buses.

We carefully curate our destinations and excursions along the way to provide a fun, active, and entertaining experience for our passengers.

With convenient departure locations in Bloomington and Rochester, MN, choose from a variety of motorcoach tours and see the country like never before.

Tour America with Comfort and Convenience

Planning a trip is time consuming, expensive, and stressful, so let us handle the myriad of details so you can enjoy your travels! We handle everything including excursions, events, accommodations, transportation, and more. All you have to do is board our luxury motorcoach, sit back in relaxed comfort, and enjoy.

All of our motorcoaches include an onboard restroom, video systems, reclining seats, footrests, overhead storage, window shades, climate control, individual reading lamps, device charging outlets, and more! And, with advance notice, we can provide wheelchair lifts.

Our tours include accommodations at three and four-star hotels, and you will have a professional escort for the entire tour.

What to Expect on Your Bus Tour

Our coach tours are comfortable, affordable, and offer enriching experiences as we escort you on your travel dreams. For customers of all ages, we work to provide memorable and enjoyable experiences without the stress of planning the details of vacations and family trips. Our fleet of motorcoaches is ready to take you on exciting excursions, relaxing vacations, or delightful tour traditions.

Our tours offer a luxurious and comfortable travel experience. Coaches stop every 2 to 2½ hours for rest breaks, and exciting roadside and town attractions are planned along the tour route.

When you travel with Heartland Tours, your trip experience will be much more than a simple bus ride. Not only are our motorcoaches clean, comfortable, accommodating for all ages, and wheelchair friendly, they are luxury vehicles with onboard bathrooms, video systems with multiple monitors, reclining seats, headrests, fold-down foot rests, climate control, tinted windows, window shades, individual reading lamps, ventilation, and more.

Each seat includes Wi-Fi, extra leg room, 110v electrical outlets, and more. We’ve outfitted our motorcoaches specifically for a comfortable touring experience.

Environmentally Conscious Bus Tours

In addition to comfort for passengers when on the road, you can also take comfort in our environmentally-friendly coaches. Our buses are fueled with a biodegradable, nontoxic, sulfur- and aromatic-free B20 biodiesel fuel. Motorcoaches are also an average of six times more fuel and energy efficient than single occupancy vehicles like cars. When measuring passenger miles per gallon, motorcoaches with over 50 passengers will still have an efficiency of 350 passenger miles per gallon, compared to the 28 passenger miles per gallon of an average car.

Carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by about 85% per passenger mile per person when driving a motorcoach. That’s about three times more efficient reduction of CO2 output compared to commuter trains and cars.

View Our Upcoming  Bus Tours Today!

To learn more about our services and trips, contact Heartland Tours and Travel today at (507) 288-4353 .

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Climate Controlled

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Plan your tour today, view our upcoming tours and book your spot before it's gone.

Proudly Serving Minnesota Since

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Have a question?

Heartland tours and travel can help.

Call: 507-288-4353 Email: [email protected] Office Hours: M-F 8am - 4:30pm

Heartland Tours and Travel 1825 N Broadway Rochester, MN 55906

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Bus Tours & Trips in the USA

• Choose from 250+ USA tours
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10 best Coach / Bus USA tour packages

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Nadine USA travel expert at TourRadar

7 day Southwest National Parks Grand Canyon Tour

Wild west – 5 days, magnificent west – 8 days, la to the bay (11 days), niagara falls, washington dc, philadelphia & amish country 4d/3n (from new york), tastes and sounds of the south (10 days), rhythms of the south (11 days), best of the canyonlands (7 days), dreams of the west end in san francisco, wonders of the american west (classic, 10 days).

• Coach / Bus
• Sightseeing

“The itinaery is great.”

• Christmas & New Year

“This was a great tour, highly recommended. Overall tour run very professionally with very genuine people.”

“I saw a lot of different things and enjoeyed every bit of it. Lorenzo was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions.”

• Visit the most famous sites of the stunning Los Angeles
• Be stunned by the scenery of Grand Canyon & Yosemite
• Visit the famous 'Sin City' & experience its lively nightlife

“The trip ran so smoothly with how it was planned out each and every day. Emily had great knowledge of each place we visited.”

“Bamba experience managed this trip very efficiently. The accommodation was comfortable and the transportation was great too.”

• Dance through the streets at the birthplace of Rock n Roll
• Venture through the beating heart of America's Music City
• Pay homage to the King at Sun Studios in Graceland

“Definitely lots of music and food! Loved the Opry, Graceland, the plantation tours and dinners.”

• Dance the night away to old classics in Nashville
• Revel in the pure beauty of the antebellum estates
• Indulge in a typical Southern family-style breakfast

“Great venue! Lots to do. Well looked after.”

“Monument Valley was the highlight of the trip for me.”

“Wonderful tour! Highly recommend.”

• Enjoy views of the natural Delicate Arch
• See the ancient Cliff Palace of Mesa Verde
• Indulge in a cookout amid majestic buttes

“Accommodations were perfectly situated, and excursions were fun.”

Regions in USA

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View our tour departure locations, earn loyalty rewards for traveling with us.

With our Anderson Loyalty Rewards Program, you can earn points on every dollar spent at Anderson Coach & Travel. Our retail tours are all eligible for this program and be sure to watch for special promotions, like double points, throughout the year. Call our tour department at 1-800-345-3435 for more information and to start earning and saving today!

Bus Tours to NYC, Lancaster, DC & Beyond

Anderson Coach & Travel is your premier PA bus tour company. Headquartered in Western Pennsylvania, our tours range from local bus tours in PA, Northeastern Ohio and New York to flight tours in Iceland, Paris, London and beyond!  Come aboard our top-of-the-line motorcoaches for everything from a month-long trek to Alaska to a one-day theater escape in Pittsburgh or Cleveland. Whether you’re looking for an express bus tour to New York City or an overnight trip to Lancaster, we have the perfect tour for you.

• What sets Anderson apart?
• Convenient Departure Locations
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Custom Tours

As travel experts, Coach USA has planned and operated thousands of successful private tours all across America. These custom tours of local and national destinations are perfect for corporate outings, church groups, students, family reunions and more. Our fleet of modern motorcoach tour buses provide comfort and accessibility for groups of all sizes and interests. A customized private tour of a significant destination will create meaningful and lasting memories for you and your corporate or private group. Contact us today and we will ensure you get the perfect custom tour bus that fits the needs of your group.

Our large organization of affiliates has information available for local and national destinations, plus an extensive range of private tour buses. Select from a variety of tour buses that offer luxury or standard travel for a group of any size. All you have to do is choose a vehicle that accommodates the needs, interests and budget of your organization or travel group. Connect with one of our friendly, accommodating guides and rest assured knowing you have booked a worry-free private tour to the destination of your choice.

Private Tours A re Completely Customizable

Even when at rest, your custom tour bus will be the root of many happy memories. Through a private tour with one of our knowledgeable guides, you may come to see a historic place in a new, more personal light. You can choose to pick a date and enjoy the private tour, or personalize an existing tour to reflect the needs and desires of your group. Make one stop for all the travel needs of your group: our tour experts have years of experience personalizing tours all over the country and can arrange hotel rooms, meals, sightseeing tours , famous attraction stops, entertainment, unique events, airport transportation , guides and more. No matter your group size or destination interests, we have the expertise to create an unforgettable private tour adventure.

Coach USA would like to make your next trip as unique as your group. A custom tour with family and friends can create a sense of wonder surrounding a new destination, anchoring great memories to a set place and time. Book a private tour with Coach USA, and you’ll foster lasting friendships and incredible memories from the comfort of your motorcoach seat. We offer competitive pricing and take pride in offering the best services for our travelers. Contact us today with your interests and together we will create an exclusive trip just for you.

Why Book A Private Tour With Us

We offer the industry’s best and most experienced drivers & tour guides.

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Coach Reviews & Ratings

Our guide was awesome. john did an amazing job.

I took my 80 year old Dad and he bragged about it every day till he passed 5/2...

Jerome & Katherine

We had a phenomenal time

We had a phenomenal time on our Taste of Scotland and Ireland tour. Pat, our driver, and Malackey, our tour guide for Scotland, were so informative and funny. Pat wa...

Valerie & Dennis

Best vacation ever

Best vacation EVER!!! The locations and landscapes were breathtaking. There is beauty everywhere in both countries. The hotels, meals and attractions were top notch....

Nice fellow travelers, very good tour leader, too much time visiting castles-one i...

Trip was FANTASTIC

Trip was FANTASTIC. Great fellow travelers and our tour guide, Damian, was top, top notch. Incredibly helpful when my husband messed up our travel plans. Brought hum...

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Hideki Matsuyama clarifies circumstances of downtown London robbery

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GERMANTOWN, Tenn. – Hideki Matsuyama, his caddie, and his coach, who were robbed in London last week, had just eaten dinner and paid the check at a downtown restaurant when they realized their bags were missing.

Matsuyama spoke about the robbery after signing for an opening-round, 5-under 65 at the FedEx St. Jude Championship on Thursday. He played with a fill-in caddie, Taiga Tabuchi, after his regular bag man, Shota Hayafuji, and his coach, Mikihito Kuromiya, were forced to return to Japan to sort out their travel documents.

“It was an unfortunate situation,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter. “Luckily, I only lost my wallet, but Shota, my caddie, and my coach, lost their passports, and we're trying hard now to get their visas back in line, and hopefully they can join us as a team as soon as possible.”

Fill-in caddie Tabuchi usually works for Ryo Hisatsune, who didn’t make the FedExCup Playoffs.

Matsuyama, Hayafuji, and Kuromiya were on their way back from the Paris Olympics, where nine-time PGA TOUR winner Matsuyama earned the bronze medal, when they stopped for the night in London.

Matsuyama previously said his caddie and coach will miss next week’s BMW Championship in Denver, but on Thursday allowed that his caddie could return for the TOUR Championship at East Lake in two weeks.

"Shota will make it, I think,” Matsuyama said, “but my coach probably won't.”

There was no high-speed chase through the streets of London, he added, or any chase at all.

“We didn't even know it happened,” Matsuyama said. “We were just having a friendly dinner, and Shota was the first one – Hey, where is my bag ? Of course it was frustrating, but we really didn't know it happened. It was just kind of all of a sudden.

"Yeah, he just took it and ran,” he added.

Matsuyama, the winner of The Genesis Invitational at The Riviera Country Club earlier this season, made seven birdies and two bogeys in the opening round at TPC Southwind. He came into this week at No. 8 in the FedExCup and showed no ill effects from breaking in a new caddie, Tabuchi.

"Kind of reminded me of the first time Shota was on my bag,” Matsuyama said. “We kind of worked through a couple things. Really that was the main thing today is having teamwork with my caddie. Playing well, and I don't know how Shota is going to take it, but we'll work that out.”

Would Shota still have a job when he gets back?

Matsuyama laughed.

"Of course,” he said.

Helpful tips

Here's a few useful links to help with planning your trip to Aotearoa New Zealand.

• Best things to do in the North Island
• Best things to do in the South Island
• Other Islands
• Best ways to travel around
• Calculate travel times and distances

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South Island Scenic Drive

Popular Small Group Coach Tours

Explore destinations such as Queenstown, Franz Josef, Wanaka and the spectacular Doubtful Sound wilderness cruise on these small-group coach tours. Travel in comfort with like minded travellers at a relaxed pace.

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See our best-selling affordable scenic tours, explore New Zealand's iconic North and South Island locations at a relaxed pace with your trusted tour guide. Wildlife, fresh glaciers, rainforests, the majestic once-in-a-lifetime Doubtful Sound wilderness cruise, snowy mountains, and deep turquoise lakes await you along the journey. Our popular 17 day ultimate New Zealand tour will leave you inspired, relaxed and in awe of the spectacular landscapes nestled in the North and South Island. In a luxury coach with a maximum of 24 like minded guests experience everything from culture, National Parks, sandy beaches and remote wilderness.

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Russia : Omsk Oblast

Contents: Omsk Oblast

1,977,665 Population [2010] – census

1,858,798 Population [2021] – census

139,700km² Area

13.31/km² Density [2021]

The population of Omsk Oblast according to census results and latest official estimates.

Contents: Cities and Settlements

The population of all cities and urban settlements in Omsk Oblast according to census results and latest official estimates.

Source: (2002) (2010) (2021) Federal State Statistics Service Russia (web).

Paris gymnastics scoring saga and the fate of Jordan Chiles' bronze medal: What we know

The Court of Arbitration for Sport injected late drama into the gymnastics competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Saturday, issuing a ruling that could cost Jordan Chiles a bronze medal .

And there have been so many twists and developments in the time since that it might be getting difficult to keep up.

With the latest update in the case that CAS will not reconsider its original decision , let's take a minute to break down how we got here, where we stand and what might happen next − particularly with regards to Chiles' bronze in floor exercise.

How did this Jordan Chiles case come about?

One of the confusing aspects of this case is that it is essentially an appeal of an appeal.

2024 Paris Olympics: Follow USA TODAY’s coverage of the biggest names and stories of the Games.

At the women's floor exercise final more than a week ago, Chiles' score increased to 13.766 from 13.666 after her coach, Cecile Landi, appealed a deduction that she had received on one element, known as a tour jete full. The appeal, known as an "inquiry" in gymnastics, wiped away the deduction, moved Chiles into third and knocked Ana Barbosu of Romania off the podium.

When the Romanian Gymnastics Federation filed its case with CAS, it was basically appealing the validity of Landi's appeal, hoping that Chiles' score would be reverted back to 13.666.

When CAS agreed, the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) re-adjusted its order of finish for the event and the International Olympic Committee said it would be asking Chiles to return her medal so it could be reallocated to Barbosu.

What is a tour jete full?

Without getting too into the weeds, a tour jete is essentially a split leap − a gymnast doing the splits while rotating in mid-air. The question with Chiles' tour jete is whether she rotated enough to receive the full difficulty score for it .

"I was not confident (in the inquiry) but what do you have to lose?" another one of Chiles' coaches, Laurent Landi, said immediately after the end of the event. "... I was at the same angle as the judge and I felt (her tour jeté full) was way better than all the other meets that she's done, so what the heck? We may as well try."

What makes this inquiry so complicated?

In all likelihood, this controversy would not have arisen if Chiles hadn't gone last of the eight competitors in the floor final. Her luck of the draw meant that whatever happened with her score would effectively decide who would win the bronze medal. (Rebeca Andrade of Brazil and American star Simone Biles had by this point locked up gold and silver, respectively.)

At any other point in the competition, the inquiry process is fairly straightforward. According to the technical rules published by the FIG , a coach can submit an inquiry into their gymnast's score at any point before the next competitor's score is shown. The exception: For the last gymnast in a rotation, the inquiry must be submitted within one minute "after the score is shown on the scoreboard."

Who was keeping track of the official time?

According to FIG's rules, it should've been someone on their judging panel.

"The person designated to receive the verbal inquiry has to record the time of receiving it, either in writing or electronically, and this starts the procedure," FIG's technical rules state.

FIG has not responded to messages from USA TODAY Sports seeking the identity of this designated person at the floor exercise final in Paris.

The lack of clarity on timing has led to dueling narratives from the Romanian Gymnastics Federation and USA Gymnastics. The Romanians claimed to CAS that the inquiry was submitted 64 seconds after Chiles' score was shown, which is four seconds too late. The Americans said they have found new video evidence of Landi submitting the inquiry 47 seconds after the score was shown, which would be under the allotted time.

What happens next?

According to USA Gymnastics, CAS said it cannot reconsider its ruling, even with the existence of the new evidence. Instead, USAG and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have said they plan to challenge that CAS decision by filing an appeal with the Swiss Federal Tribunal, which is the highest court in Switzerland.

In a statement issued Tuesday, CAS explained, in part: ''The CAS confirms that once the final decision is notified to the parties concerned, the case cannot be reopened at the CAS level. The evidence concerning the correctness of the official time when the “Inquiry” was submitted … was discussed at the hearing and the parties had ample opportunities to present their arguments and objections in this regard. If new evidence (i.e. objectively unknown at the time of the CAS hearing) appears after the issuance of the CAS decision, it would be possible to ask the Swiss Federal Tribunal to order that the case be reopened. The CAS would also reopen the case spontaneously if all parties agree.''

The Swiss Federal Tribunal usually only intervenes in CAS decisions in cases where there has been a blatant procedural issue, so it is unclear what the Americans will argue, specifically, or whether their efforts will succeed.

It is also immediately unclear whether Chiles will hold on to her medal while the appeal process unfolds.

Who has the final call on whether Chiles keeps her bronze medal?

Even days later, it's still not totally clear. And the FIG and IOC are pointing at one another. A FIG spokesperson wrote in an email Saturday that "medal reallocation is the responsibility of the IOC." Then an IOC spokesperson wrote in an email Monday that "it is the International Federations (IFs) which establish the results of the competitions" and "the medal allocation is based on results."

In practical terms, the final decision would likely come down to the Swiss Federal Tribunal, should an appeal be formally filed there.

For what it's worth: According to the CAS ruling, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation had not specifically asked that Chiles lose her medal. It asked CAS to place three gymnasts − Chiles, Barbosu and another Romanian gymnast, Sabrina Maneca-Voinea − in third place. (Maneca-Voinea and Barbosu both scored 13.700, but Barbosu won the tiebreaker, which is a higher execution score.)

Contact Tom Schad at [email protected] or on social media @Tom_Schad .

2 travel hacks from The Points Guy if you want to fly at the front of the plane

• "The Points Guy" Brian Kelly explained the business-class boom and shared two travel hacks.
• The travel guru said cheaper fares and a taste of the high life are fueling luxury travel.
• Make back-up points reservations and snag cheaper reward flights with foreign airlines, Kelly said.

Brian Kelly, better known as " The Points Guy ," explained why business-class travel has taken off, and shared two tips for flyers on the "Rapid Response" podcast this week .

Air fares have dropped considerably since the travel chaos of 2022 as airlines have bolstered capacity and sorted out their operations, he said.

"When you peg to 2019 dollars, fares are cheaper today even with record numbers of people traveling," Kelly said, pointing to European flights he's booked this summer that were triple the price in mid-2022.

The expert in airline-reward programs noted that carriers have dropped prices for premium cabins since the pandemic, as people continue to forego business trips in favor of working from home and Zoom meetings.

Cheaper fares have attracted leisure travelers, who are more sensitive to price hikes than people expensing trips on a company credit card.

"Once you get consumers used to buying $4,000 round-trip business class pretty easily all summer long, it's a lot harder to all of a sudden move that up to $7,000 where you were, because consumers get locked in and then they'll say, 'well, I'm not going to go,'" Kelly said.

On the other hand, passengers paid up for premium economy or business to avoid being "jammed in like a sardine" during the pandemic, he said, especially as fares plunged during lockdowns as people stayed off planes.

"So consumers started to get a real good taste of life in the front of the plane and realized … economy sucks," Kelly said. "Once you start flying first class, it's really hard to go back."

Beating the system

Kelly shared two travel hacks. The first is to stockpile transferable credit card points accepted by multiple airlines. When you fly, you can use them to make a back-up reservation on a different airline that allows last-minute cancellation with no penalties.

Related stories

"If my original flight goes out, I cancel, and I get all my miles in cash back, zero fees," Kelly said. "You can use your points as insurance policies to make sure you're getting where you want to go."

The second is to take advantage of cheaper reward programs in other countries, for example by exchanging credit-card points for Air France points instead of Delta ones.

"In France, they don't have 100,000-point offers, bonanzas like we do here," Kelly said. The result is reward flights overseas haven't risen in price as quickly as in the the US.

"Cause if they did that in France, where their French members can't earn points like we do, there would be a riot," Kelly said.

Watch: While Delta's business is 'extremely robust,' the airline's marketing chief stays focused on the data

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Chauncey Billups latest to criticize Timberwolves' Rudy Gobert

Aug 19, 2024.

• Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has yet another detractor — this time an NBA head coach in the Portland Trail Blazers’ Chauncey Billups. 

Billups, a former 17-year NBA veteran himself who’s been the head coach of the Trail Blazers since 2021, was asked about Gobert’s defense on “The Sheed & Tyler Show,” an NBA-centered podcast that features former NBA player Rasheed Wallace. Billups did acknowledge that Gobert is a “great defensive player,” however, he criticized his propensity to get attacked by good teams in the playoffs. 

Billups, who led the Trail Blazers to a Western Conference-worst 21-61 record last season, said when he was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2020-21, the Clippers made it a point to attack Gobert — then with the Utah Jazz — during their second-round playoff series. 

The Clippers beat the Jazz in six games to advance to the Western Conference finals. 

“(Gobert is) a great defensive player, don’t get me wrong, but you don’t just attack great defensive players. You going away from them,” Billups said on the podcast last week. “… That’s the difference in today’s game a little bit is like, yeah, he’s great at the rim, he plays hard, he can block shots and stuff, but like space is trouble, and pick-and-rolls you just attack — you can just go after him.” 

Billups said he struggles with Gobert winning Defensive Player of the Year awards — Gobert won the fourth of his career last season — when teams are able to attack him during the postseason.

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were able to create mismatches that included Doncic hitting a game-winner over Gobert during their 4-1 series win over the Wolves in this year's West finals.

“Regular season, I can understand why he’d be Defensive Player of the Year,” Billups said. “Get deeper in them playoffs, it’s tricky.” 

It gets a little less tricky when you understand Defensive Player of the Year is a regular-season award.

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Hideki Matsuyama dishes on robbery, emergency caddie, low score

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Hideki Matsuyama is working with a new caddie at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

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Hideki Matsuyama got robbed. He lost his wallet. And his coach. And his caddie.

But not his golf game.

Matsuyama spoke to the media on Thursday after his opening round at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and detailed what has amounted to a strange couple weeks. After earning a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics, Matsuyama and his team — his caddie Shota Hayafuji and his coach Mikihito Kuromiya — had decided to spend one night in London. They were at dinner downtown, he said, when they noticed something was missing.

“We didn’t even know it happened. We were just having a friendly dinner, and Shota was the first one: ‘hey, where is my bag?’ Of course it was frustrating, but we really didn’t know it happened. It was just kind of all of a sudden.”

The perpetrator, Matsuyama said, “just took it and ran.”

A travel nightmare ensued.

“It was an unfortunate situation,” Matsuyama said. “Luckily I only lost my wallet, but Shota, my caddie, and [my] coach lost their passports, and we’re trying hard now to get their visas back in line, and hopefully we can join us as a team as soon as possible.”

There’s no good time for a stolen passport, and given the spot in the schedule, this is a particularly critical time for Matsuyama to be playing his best. After his third-place Olympic finish , he’s been hoping to carry some momentum into the final three events of the PGA Tour season; at No. 8 in the FedEx Cup standings he’s all but assured to make it to East Lake, where he’ll hope to challenge for the finale’s $25 million prize.

In the meantime, his coach and caddie returned to Japan, where they’ll work on replacement passports. Hayafuji, Matsuyama said, may make it to the U.S. in time for the Tour Championship. Kuromiya likely won’t.

But Matsuyama, still in possession of his passport, was still able to travel to Memphis, Tenn. to fill out this week’s 70-man field at TPC Southwind. And he was able to secure a last-minute caddie, Taiga Tabuchi, who typically caddies for Ryo Hisatsune. With Hisatsune out of the playoffs, this was supposed to be an off-week for Tabuchi. But when Matsuyama calls, you answer.

“He’s, like, the best Asian player, so I was excited to take the offer,” Tabuchi told the Commercial Appeal in an interview here . “I also caddie for Ryo Hisatsune, and he and Hideki have played practice rounds together, so I know Hideki very well. So, I think that’s why he offered me.”

The visual of Matsuyama without his longtime caddie (who you’d recognize from his iconic bow on the 18th green after Matsuyama’s Masters win) took some getting used to — even for him.

“Kind of reminded me of the first time Shota was on my bag. We kind of worked through a couple things. Really that was the main thing today is having teamwork with my caddie,” he said.

The rest of his game, on the other hand, looked quite familiar. After a rocky start — he found the water at the par-5 third hole to fall to one over par — he hit it well and had a terrific day on the greens, leading the field in strokes gained putting en route to a seven-birdie five-under 65 that puts him in second place after the first round, one shot behind leader Chris Kirk.

But the robbery, he says, he’s “forgotten completely.” How has he avoided the distraction? Matsuyama made it sound simple.

“My job is the same. It’s just play golf,” he said. “I talk to my coach every night on the phone. I’ve got a great caddie. Taiga did a great job today, so we’ll just see how it goes.”

Just one final mystery, then: with their wallets each stolen, how’d they pay for the bill at dinner?

“We’d already paid the check,” Matsuyama said.

In other words, they couldn’t even sneak a free meal out of the deal. But if Matsuyama keeps up this level of play, he’ll be able to buy a new wallet — and a nice check to tuck inside it.

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Dylan Dethier is a senior writer for GOLF Magazine/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America , which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.

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