Apr 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Bryce Harper (42) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Chicago Cubs in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Things are a bit tense in the Phillies fanbase. A series victory against the Braves would do a lot to remedy that. A series loss against them would do a lot to make things tenser.
It’s a three game series, so those are the only two options.
Sep 10, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; General view of the helmet used by the Milwaukee Brewers before the start of the first inning against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The Brewers had a rough week, as they were swept by the Nationals and battled with the reigning AL Champion Toronto Blue Jays this week. They’re now back on the road, as they’ll head to Miami and Detroit this week.
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 16: Blaze Alexander #23 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts after striking out swinging during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on April 16, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Remember four days ago, when the Orioles were in first place? It was fun while it lasted. The momentum arrow has swung decisively downward since then, with the O’s suffering three straight losses to drop back under .500 for the season.
Last night in Cleveland, the Orioles didn’t just lose. They nearly ended up a patsy for their opponent’s bid for the history books. Guardians rookie Parker Messick, making just his 11th major league start, kept the O’s hitless into the ninth inning. The Birds were on the brink of being no-hit for the first time since Hisashi Iwakuma in August 2015. Messick is having a sensational year in the early goings, but the Orioles’ performance last night didn’t make fans feel much better about the erratic O’s offense thus far. John Beers recapped all the action, of which there wasn’t much.
If there’s room for positivity, it should be noted that the Birds put up a heck of a fight in that ninth inning. Leody Taveras broke up the no-no with a leadoff single, and three other Orioles strung together hits after him, plating a pair of runs as the Guardians were forced to turn to their closer, Cade Smith. In fact the O’s might well have tied the game if not for a game-ending diving stop at second base by Juan Brito that robbed Samuel Basallo of a hit. What a comeback that would have been. I suppose the Orioles already used up their “no hits for eight innings followed by an incredible game-winning rally in the ninth” magic on Yoshinobu Yamamoto last year. You can’t expect lightning to strike twice.
Perhaps that ninth-inning eruption can serve as a spark plug for the O’s offense to put up some runs for the rest of this series. At least they won’t have to worry about facing Parker Messick again (not until the O’s host the Guardians in September, anyway). Whatever it takes, it’s time to start stringing some Ws together. The Orioles have been hovering around mediocrity for a while now. If they’re planning to take a step forward, any chance they can do it soon?
Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt arranged a welcome-home prank for his BFF Craig Albernaz that poked fun at his diminutive stature. As someone who is the same height as Albernaz, I must object. I only sometimes use kid-sized furniture.
It’s been a steep fall for Chayce McDermott, one of the Orioles’ top pitching prospects a couple of years ago who’s now being shipped off for a DSL lottery ticket. Knowing the Dodgers, they’ll of course transform McDermott into an elite reliever.
Watching Rico Garcia pitch this year, you’d never believe that six teams gave up on him, including the Orioles themselves four years ago. Let’s ride this wave however long it lasts.
A bit of advice for the Orioles offense: next time, maybe start getting hits before the ninth inning?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: right-hander Logan Gillaspie (29), third baseman Craig Worthington (61), and catcher Dave Huppert (69).
On this date in 1965, in a game at Fenway Park, O’s starter Robin Roberts was knocked out of the game after just two innings, giving up five runs. He was replaced by a 19-year-old right-hander who’d signed with the Orioles as an amateur free agent the previous August. The youngster issued a pair of walks and threw a wild pitch but made it through two scoreless innings in his major league debut. His name was Jim Palmer, and one legendary, 19-year career later, he joined Roberts in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
And on this day in 1993, the Orioles somehow ended up with three runners at third base at the same time. With the bags full, Mike Devereaux hit a sinking liner to center that was trapped by the Angels’ Chad Curtis. Jeff Tackett, thinking the ball was caught, headed back to third base, while Brady Anderson jogged from second to third and Chito Martinez motored all the way over from first to third. The Angels tagged the three runners and easily completed a double play. (The only reason it wasn’t a triple play is because there was already one out.)
Random Orioles game of the day
On April 17, 1959, the Orioles beat the visiting Washington Senators, 4-3, at Memorial Stadium. O’s starter Milt Pappas went the distance, holding the Senators to three runs. The Birds trailed 3-1 in the sixth before Jim Finigan’s two-run single knotted the score, and the O’s took the lead in the eighth when Washington walked the bases loaded to set up a Gene Woodling sacrifice fly. A 22-year-old Brooks Robinson did not start but came in as a defensive replacement in the ninth.
Scott O’Neil rejects claims LIV is close to collapse
‘Structural changes’ afoot, chief executive says
The LIV Golf chief executive, Scott O’Neil, has admitted the nascent golf league’s finances are “managed very tightly” and said structural changes are on the way that would probably mean they needed to raise money, but he remained adamant the league would not fold.
He was interviewed by LIV employees during the TV broadcast of the first round of the rebel tour’s Mexico City leg, a day after reports that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was to cut its funding for the league it helped launch in 2022.
As West Country club join rugby’s modern-day gold rush, their chair looks forward to some US razzmatazz and a possible Prem expansion into Wales
Tony Rowe has not yet had time to ensure Exeter’s proposed new American owners feel fully at home in the west. On a damp morning at Sandy Park no one is wearing a Stetson hat and there is not even a horse tied up outside reception. Maybe that will be part of the handover package assuming the Chiefs’ 700-odd members vote in favour next month of proceeding with the sale of their 155-year-old club.
The winds of change, though, are kicking up the local dust. For the past 33 years Rowe has been integral to one of British team sport’s most romantic Cinderella stories. But romance doesn’t pay the bills in modern pro rugby and times are a-changing. At 77 years old, it is easy to understand why Rowe fancies handing over the reins to a smartly dressed stranger from out of town.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Nikola Jokić will be in the thick of the action in the coming weeks. Composite: Guardian Pictures; Imagn Images
Who would you rather have in a Game 7: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić or Victor Wembanyama?
Wemby will no doubt be the answer to this question at some point in the (perhaps not-too-distant) future. But for now, I defer to those with at least some playoff experience. For my money, Jokić still reigns supreme as the best player alive, and for that reason, he’s my pick. CDL
Jokić. Not since peak Shaq has there been an offensive force this inevitable. He’s in the top 10 ever, already. 6ft 11in, 284lb, unguardable. Guard’s mind, center’s mass, wing’s skill. Makes everyone around him better, putting a battery in their back. Srećno. That’s Serbian for good luck. LE
There’s not a finer player on the planet right now than Jokić, who at 31 is on a course to be in my all-time top five by the time he calls it a career. You’d truly never hear the end of it if he played in New York or LA. But at the moment, in a one-off and even as a playoff debutant, I’d fancy a punt on the vertiginous upside of Wembanyama. Game 7s have a way of tilting on chaos and no one creates more of it by erasing shots, stretching defenses and warping opponents’ decision-making. If he hits his ceiling for one night, whatever that may be, it’s a fait accompli. BAG
You know what? Gimme Victor. I don’t think we’ve fully reckoned with the Jordanesque scale of his competition problem. The Frenchman spent the previous offseason training with Shaolin monks, a fact that can never be overstated. He marked the Spurs’ regular-season series triumph over the Thunder, who were threatening the 2016 Warriors’ single-season wins record, by absorbing their supporter chants and squad culture like Thanos. He remained a viable MVP candidate even while playing under a wholly legitimate minutes’ restriction. Put all that in a 7ft 4in alloy of Steph off the dribble and Shaq in the paint and, sure, I’ll take my chances. AL
Team that will be most missed in these playoffs
Call me nostalgic, but I’m still pining for last season’s Indiana Pacers. It seems cruel and unusual that we had that team ripped from us in such dramatic and devastating fashion, and a playoffs without the scintillating Tyrese Haliburton and his never-say-die supporting cast is an objective downgrade. CDL
Missed – as in absent? The Lakers are technically in the playoffs, but not really: Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves are gone, and so is any illusion of the team being at full strength. LeBron James, once again, will drag what’s left of the roster for as long as it lasts, maybe for the final time in LA. LE
It’s Miami for me. Only three teams seeded fifth or worse have managed to scratch their way into the NBA finals since 2000. Six teams ever. Two of them were Erik Spoelstra joints: the 2020 and 2023 Heat. Even in down years, there’s an institutional culture in South Beach seemingly lab-made for postseason mayhem: adaptive, opportunistic, built for disorder. The East side of the bracket just feels less dangerous without Coach Spo scheming another batch of role players into playoff giant-killers. BAG
It still smarts to be denied the chance to see this newly emboldened version of Miami’s Bam Adebayo who can apparently go for 83 points on any given night. It further feels especially cruel that the Hornets got to play on after LaMelo Ball’s dirty defense on Adebayo in their play-in matchup on Tuesday – though Ball was fined, which, I suspect, comes as little consolation to Spoelstra’s crew. AL
High seed at risk of going out early
Conventional wisdom would say this is the Lakers, and that’s probably the correct pick. But it feels a little too obvious to choose the team who lost their top two scorers, Dončić and Reaves. So keep an eye on the second-seeded Spurs. They’re set to face the winner of Nuggets-Timberwolves in round two, and if that’s Denver, I’d pick the more experienced team to survive and advance. CDL
The top-seeded Pistons, although this hinges on Charlotte making it through as the No 8 seed in Friday night’s play-in. Matchups are fate. Detroit can’t trade twos for threes with a Hornets team carrying the greatest shooting rookie ever and a pack of dawgs. That series could turn into carnage, fast. LE
I’m afraid it’s the Knicks. The first-round series with Atlanta is dicier than a 3-6 matchup suggests. The Hawks’ length, shooting and post-All-Star surge make them dangerous floaters who have already shown they can push New York to the brink in three tightly wound regular-season contests, including last week’s barn-burner played at playoff intensity. If Jalen Brunson gets crowded by Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the Knicks’ deeper supporting cast stalls, it could get late early in Gotham. BAG
How about the Knicks drawing the short straw against Atlanta, one of the league’s most improved teams after the All-Star break? More impressively, the Hawks did so after turning over the core of their roster, making this a far trickier matchup for New York, who were lucky to make it out of Atlanta last week with a three-point win and keep themselves in the driver’s seat for the No 3 seed. The back-and-forth between Brunson and CJ McCollum has the potential to be box-office stuff. AL
Long shot to win
Take a walk with me, if you will, down Pigs-flying-with-dodo-birds Lane. An NBA folk tale for the ages: LeBron James, one last time, puts a woefully ill-equipped team on his back, for one round ... just long enough to facilitate the return of Dončić and Reaves from injury. The Lakers then go on a memorable playoff run, lift the trophy and send James into retirement as a five-time champion. Is it likely? No. Would it be fun? The most. CDL
The Spurs. I called it pre-season. They’re ahead of schedule now, but Wemby sniffing a title in year three tells you what he is already. Around him: a swarm of fearless two-way wings and guards, a swarm of killer instinct. LE
The Pistons. Can a No 1 seed that paced the Eastern Conference for the final 157 days of the regular season really be considered a long shot? When the oddsmakers are pricing them as the seventh favorite to win the title, the answer is yes. Nobody seems to believe in Detroit’s youth movement, even after the third 60-win season in the team’s 85-year history. Their edge is a workmanlike consistency: a deep, unselfish system that’s held through injuries and doesn’t beat itself. BAG
The Hawks have length, bounce and brilliant tactician in Quin Snyder – who may well have the best NBA roster he’s ever coached. What’s more, they’ve caused headaches for higher seeds in the past, pushing eventual champion Milwaukee to six games in the 2021 conference finals and spooking Boston in similar fashion in the 2023 first round. AL
Most important player this postseason
Jokić will, once again, face a gargantuan task. To get to the finals, he will probably have to overcome the thorn in his side that is the Timberwolves, take down Wemby and a red-hot Spurs team, and, ultimately, dethrone the reigning champions. But I believe if anyone is capable of such a task, it’s the Serbian superstar. CDL
Gilgeous-Alexander. If his MVP trajectory falters – or worse, he’s injured – it derails OKC’s ascendent dynasty and throws the field into chaos, where anyone can bag the crown. LE
Wembanyama. The 22-year-old from the Paris suburbs was breathlessly hyped as the NBA’s best prospect since LeBron when he was still a gangly teenager, but he’s somehow managed to exceed those expectations while growing mentally, physically (he’s 7ft 5in now?!) and even spiritually. The Spurs have emerged as a trendy pick to win it all after besting the Thunder in four of their five regular-season meetings and their cheat code at center remains the biggest potential spanner in the defending champs’ repeat bid. BAG
Narratively, it’s Anthony Edwards. The Minnesota star already shown he can drag a team deep into the playoffs, albeit with a roster that hadn’t yet peaked. But if he can manage the trick again – with a thinner supporting cast, in a return to the sixth seed – it sure would make a helluva statement. AL
Eastern Conference finals
Knicks over Pistons. CDL
Knicks over Pistons. LE
Pistons over Celtics. BAG
Celtics over Pistons. AL
Western Conference finals
Thunder over Nuggets. CDL
Spurs over Thunder. LE
Thunder over Spurs. BAG
Thunder over Spurs. AL
Your NBA champion will be ...
At the risk of dampening intrigue, I really do think the Thunder are likely to be repeat champions. They got healthy at the right time, their chemistry appears to be at an all-time high, SGA is favorite to win MVP and for some unknowable reason, Daryl Morey gift-wrapped them yet another perfectly suited bench player in Jared McCain. The Nuggets will give them a run for their money in the conference finals, but ultimately, I just can’t pick against this Thunder machine. CDL
The Knicks. They already bloodied Boston and Detroit in last year’s playoffs. There’s the revenge for 1999 angle; even the Spurs don’t scare them. OKC, young and brilliant, wilt under MSG’s big city lights. Brunson, born to play basketball, takes the Knicks to the promised land, achieving sainthood. For a fanbase title-starved for more than five decades, this is more than a championship run. We’re talking generational spiritual repair, the kind people chase in deserts, dreams and God. LE
The Thunder. Let the dynasty chatter begin. Oklahoma City are the most complete team with the deepest rotation in the most adaptable system. There are no weak points to attack. SGA is the MVP-caliber talent who anchors everything, but it’s the collective that makes them overwhelming. They can win fast or slow, big or small, ugly or pretty. The question now is whether anyone can consistently disrupt them. The Spurs managed it in the regular season, but knocking OKC out of the playoffs will require near-perfect basketball for four quarters, four times. I wouldn’t bet on it. BAG
The Celtics. Less than a year after Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured achilles and threw Boston’s future in doubt, he roars back and leads the Celtics to their 19th championship, rekindling dynasty talk and putting the rumors of unrest between him and Jaylen Brown to rest for good. Joe Mazzulla, now undeniably a mad genius, celebrates by getting a pet wolf – but his wife says he can’t keep it in the house. So the Celtics build a habitat outside the Garden, and fans make a tradition out of hurling the jerseys of their vanquished rivals, putting a basketball spin on the idea of being “thrown to the wolves”. AL
Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki walks back to the mound after a pitch during the third inning of Sunday's game against the Texas Rangers. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)
Fans chanted his name. Teammates toasted his name. His manager deified his name, claiming he had just unleashed one of the greatest bullpen performances in baseball history.
Remember his first October appearance last fall, finishing the clinching game of the wild-card series against the Cincinnati Reds, one hitless inning, two strikeouts, everything disappearing at 100 mph out of this skinny kid’s right arm?
That was the beginning of the chants, arguably louder than for any other player in Dodger Stadium history, stronger than Moo-kie, deeper than Fred-die, chants thundering enough to seemingly be heard for a lifetime.
“Ro-ki, Ro-ki, Ro-ki!”
Remember what happened next? He finished off the first two wins of the division series against the Philadelphia Phillies amid a taunting mob in Citizens Bank Park, becoming the first pitcher in history to record his first two career saves in the playoffs.
Then, back home, he created what was, at the time, the highlight of the season.
With a depleted pitching staff needing him, with the Dodgers' teetering hopes balanced on him, Sasaki came through with three perfect innings to essentially win the clinching Game 4.
Remember this? He started his work in the eighth inning by blowing past Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm. He finished his work after the 10th by being hugged by jubilant manager Dave Roberts while still on the field.
The Dodgers won it in the 11th on that incredible throwing error by Phillies’ reliever Orion Kerkering and the rest is shiny blue history.
The Dodgers couldn’t have won the World Series without Sasaki and, judging from their reaction after that clincher against the Phillies, they thought they had found their closer of the future
“One of the great all-time appearances out of the pen,” said Roberts.
Fellow Dodger pitcher Tyler Glasnow went even farther, saying, “Since … coming in from the bullpen, he’s honestly one of the best pitchers I’ve ever seen.”
The highest compliment, though, was paid by teammate Miguel Rojas, who raised a post-game clubhouse toast in his honor.
He can’t find the strike zone. He can’t find his fastball. He can’t find himself.
He gives up five hits and five walks in four innings. He requires the use of four relievers. He is eventually saddled with an 0-2 record with a 6.23 ERA after piling up a 4.46 ERA in eight starts last season.
The fans faintly begin chanting his name, then their voices disappear into a hush. Nobody is coming to hug him. Nobody is coming to call him the greatest pitcher ever.
He’s no longer the benefactor of a toast, because he is toast.
Remember Roki Sasaki?
Not like this, you don’t.
The former star reliever has become their most embattled starter and one who has made the season’s first big move seem inevitable.
They’ve got to put him back in the bullpen, no?
They’ve got to put him back to where he found his greatest success, where his lack of a variety of pitches will not hurt him, where he can throw 100 mph for 20 pitches and save the team with his strength.
As last October showed everyone, the bullpen is where he belongs. The rotation, featuring budding star Justin Wrobleski, will survive without him. The bullpen needs him more.
Don’t believe the Dodgers’ public shrugs about the recent dead-arm condition of Edwin Díaz. Something was wrong. Maybe nothing serious, nothing long-term, but something was wrong.
You don’t bring in the highest-paid closer in history and then not use him in consecutive save situations unless something was wrong. You don’t have him throw a bullpen for Dodgers officials unless something was wrong.
That “something” may have already been fixed, as Díaz was available to pitch Wednesday after being sidelined for four days, but still. He could need help, and that is exactly what Sasaki offers and exactly what should happen.
C’mon Dodgers, send him across the field and into the left-field corner where he belongs.
Bullpen him, now.
“My goal is, kind of, go deeper in the game a little more,” he told the media Sunday through his interpreter Kensuke Okubo.
No, no, no. He doesn’t possess enough pitches to go deeper in games. He possesses just enough pitches — a fastball and a splitter — to last two innings, tops.
Look at this startling statistic:
In his first two innings of work, in three starts, he’s allowed zero earned runs.
In his other seven innings of work, he’s allowed nine earned runs.
Enough said. He’s a two-pitch pitcher who needs to be moved from the rotation into relief, and don’t think it hasn’t been done here before.
Eric Gagné made 48 starts from 1999 until 2001. At that point, the Dodgers decided he didn’t have the arsenal or attitude to be a starter, so they moved him to the bullpen.
He made 354 relief appearances without ever starting again, using his strength and skill and, yes, perhaps steroids, to convert a record 84-straight save chances while winning a Cy Young and coining the phrase “Game Over.”
Gagné was like Sasaki long before Sasaki. Even his entrance song, “Welcome to the Jungle,” matches Sasaki’s “Bailalo Rocky” with its ominous tones.
This is all so obvious, it’s a miracle the Dodgers haven’t put him in the bullpen already. But this is just the Dodgers being the Dodgers, an organization that puts the players first.
“We were just honest with him, that as things stood, the only real pathway … was in the bullpen,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters at the time. “But we wanted his full buy-in.”
Sasaki, who had mostly started while growing up in Japan, told the Japanese magazine Shukan Bunshun he was “very hesitant” to make the switch but only agreed when the Dodgers promised it would be temporary.
“Because they will let me try to start again next season, it was a relatively easy decision to make,” he said.
Now it is the Dodgers who have the relatively easy decision. Sasaki will be upset, but the bullpen is surely a better option than an extended stay in Oklahoma City, where there are triple-A hitters whom he has already dominated. He’s too good for the minors. The problem is, as a starter, he’s also not good enough for the big leagues.
Into this limbo, the bullpen fits perfectly and if he’s unhappy, well, he was given a $6.5-million signing bonus to accept the ramifications of the following numbers:
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 16: Jose Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees reacts to the loss to the Los Angeles Angels at Yankee Stadium on April 16, 2026 in The Bronx borough of New York City. The Los Angeles Angels defeated the New York Yankees 11-4. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Yankees wrapped up a four-game set with a split series on Thursday, dropping a game that spiraled out of control late and ended up an ugly 11-4 loss. Truth be told, the series ended in a split was extremely fortunate compared to how well the Yankees played this week, as their two wins were both ninth inning comebacks while their losses leaned towards blowouts. If it weren’t for the sleeper cell known as Jordan Romano, they could very well have been staring at a four-game sweep and the continuation of a nine-game losing streak entering this weekend — whether that’s looking at the glass half full, or realizing that they’re in the midst of a truly poor stretch of play, is up to interpretation.
While we wait for the team to retake the field tonight, let’s run you through what we have in store. Matt starts us off with a preview of the pitching matchups for this series with the Royals, and Sam takes us through what the rest of the league was up to on Thursday in the Rivalry Roundup. Jonathan celebrates the birthday of a man who left a legacy across multiple sports in Zack Clayton, Jeff takes the bottom of the lineup to task in examining the lineups struggles, and later in the day I’ll be back to answer your latest mailbag questions.
Today’s Matchup
New York Yankees vs. Kansas City Royals
Time: 7:05 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, Royals.TV
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
Questions/Prompts:
1. Are you more annoyed that the Yankees let the Angels outplay them or relieved they somehow pulled out a split considering their play right now?
2. Is the rotation experiencing regression to the mean, or just going through a rough patch?
CLEVELAND, OHIO - APRIL 05: James Harden #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Rocket Arena on April 05, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pacers 117-108. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
INDEPENDENCE — Basketball isn’t an individual sport, but you might not know that if you just watched First Take or listened to sports-talk radio. Individuals are judged solely on whether or not their teams come through in the postseason. And while that’s an important part of the conversation, one player can only do so much.
“You know the American way is championship or nothing,” Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “In our movies, we call the little kid, ‘Hey Champ.’ That’s the thing. Sure, we’d all love to win the championship, but that doesn’t mean you’re not successful.”
Few players have experienced the ridicule and criticism that comes from being a great individual player but not winning a championship more than James Harden.
Harden’s individual accomplishments over his 17-year career are astounding. He’s an 11-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA player, three-time scoring champ, two-time assist champ, Sixth Man of the Year, MVP, is ninth all-time in scoring, and he’s still adding to that resume. That should put him in the conversation for being one of the very best guards in league history, but it doesn’t for one simple reason. He hasn’t gotten it done in the postseason.
There aren’t many in the league more competitive than Harden. That’s how he’s been able to be such a high-impact player for as long as he has. Atkinson has called Harden’s dedication to the game obsessive. Someone who’s that committed to their craft wants to do everything in their power to win. But at the same time, Harden isn’t defined by the hole in his resume. He admits that he’s had a fulfilling career regardless of what happens from here.
“I’ve done so many things 95% of the world can’t even imagine,” Harden said after practice Wednesday. “I’m very, very confident. I’m happy. Life is amazing. I’ve impacted a lot of different people in a positive way. I’ve impacted the game in a positive way.”
There’s valid criticism for Harden’s playoff shortcomings. He hasn’t stepped up in the biggest moments like you’d expect someone of his caliber to do. But to pin all of his team’s losses on him is reductive. That isn’t how basketball works.
However, if you did decide to put those losses squarely on Harden, he probably wouldn’t mind.
“Honestly, I don’t care,” Harden said matter-of-factly when asked whether the forgotten context of his postseason losses bothers him. “There’s more detail and depth that I could go into as far as running up against a dynasty, injuries, that’s part of the game. There’s no excuse.”
Winning is the number one goal in sports. It’s why they play the games in the first place. But much more goes into winning than simply being the best player or having the most talented team. The margins are thin in closely contested postseason games. The difference between wins and losses can come down to inches and sometimes pure luck.
The Cavs aren’t the favorites to win the championship this season. There’s plenty of reasons to be skeptical of their postseason chances, given how little continuity this core has together. That being said, sports are weird. Anything can happen. This team has the top-end talent to piece things together and go on a magical run. And if that were to take place, no individual player’s legacy would change more than Harden’s.
But if the Cavs flame out, leaving Harden once again on the wrong end of a difficult playoff loss, that wouldn’t change who he is or his approach to the game. He’s still going to show up for training camp in the fall and do everything in his power to be ready for another deep postseason. Maybe in the end, the resiliency to keep coming back to the fight — even after things haven’t broken your way for over a decade and a half — is the mark of a true winner.
“I don’t feel bad. I don’t dwell on it. I don’t think back on it,” Harden said. “It’s part of it. It’s life. I’m sure we all could look at ourselves and think about certain things that happened over the course of our lives that just didn’t go our way, and feel bad about it. I just don’t think like that. I just keep pushing.”
LeBron James will lead the Lakers into the first round of the playoffs Saturday against the young and athletic Rockets with the weight of the season on his shoulders. (Eric Thayer/Los Angeles Times)
The turn this Lakers’ season took, it should go down as one of the franchise’s great what-ifs, coulda-woulda-beens, we’ll-never-knows …
Shared regret for a legion of Lakers fans who were, for the full 15-2 month of March, vibing with their team, screaming excitedly like 6-year-olds and riding hard on the MVP campaign trail for Luka Doncic.
But then things got twisted — Doncic’s grade 2 hamstring strain and Austin Reaves’ grade 2 oblique strain — and now it should be obvious: With two of their three best players sidelined indefinitely, we should expect the Lakers to shut the book on this season soon, unless …
Unless LeBron James can pull off the second-greatest feat of his 23-year career.
Unless he can carry the Lakers past the heavily favored Rockets in a best-of-seven series that starts Saturday at Crypto.com Arena.
Unless the Lakers’ last standing superstar — in what could be his last stand on this team or in this league, no one really knows — can hold the door long enough for Doncic and Reaves to recover and reenter the fray for Round 2.
Yes, the Lakers are leaning on a 41-year-old who started the season sidelined because of sciatica.
Their season rests entirely on the broad shoulders of the team’s willing third wheel.
It’s all up to the guy who capped the regular season by earning his 70th conference player of the week nod, who has won four NBA titles and three gold medals, but who wouldn’t have been able to finish the first round last postseason if it had taken the Minnesota Timberwolves more than five games to beat the Lakers. Recall, James suffered a grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in the deciding loss.
So you shouldn’t hold your breath. But you also shouldn’t count out LeBron; the kid from Akron has beaten the odds before.
He would tell you he’s been beating them the whole time, coming from where he started to where he is now, a billionaire basketball player-slash-businessman, he’s scored more points than anyone, ever. He makes history every time he steps on the court, including sometimes with his son Bronny.
If the famous meme is to be believed, even LeBron can’t believe this is his life.
LeBron James gets past Sacramento's DeMar DeRozan for a reverse dunk. (Eric Thayer / Los Angeles Times)
He does, however, believe he’s the G.O.A.T.
Said so in a 2018 episode of ESPN’s “More Than An Athlete” as he reflected on leading the Cleveland Cavaliers back from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the 73-win Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals two years earlier: “I was like, ‘That one right there made you the greatest player of all time.’”
No team had won more regular-season games than Stephen Curry’s squad in 2016. And no team had rebounded from a 3-1 deficit in the championship round until LeBron’s Cavaliers. That was largely thanks to his back-to-back 41-point efforts in Games 5 and 6, and his meeting the moment in Game 7, when he scored 11 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter and had the iconic, series-saving chase-down block that set up Kyrie Irving’s game-winner.
A beat-up, fourth-seeded Lakers team beating the ascending, fifth-seeded Rockets in the first round won’t top that. Nothing will.
Nor will it make a difference in the great G.O.A.T. debate; if that 3-1 comeback didn’t do for you what it did for LeBron in your personal pantheon of top players, there’s no point having the conversation.
But winning this series against an athletic, physical, long Rockets team that has won nine of its last 10 games? Slot that in as the second-most impressive achievement in James’ decades-long career.
Creating a real problem for Houston and doing it without Doncic, who had 36 points and 40 points, respectively, in the Lakers’ most recent victories against the Rockets?
Rebounding from dreadfully depressing injury news to knock out the NBA’s best rebounding team?
Nothing but the 3-1 comeback would come close. This would be more astonishing an accomplishment than his other three championships, including the one with the Lakers in the challenging confines of the Orlando bubble.
It would rank higher than LeBron’s 45-point explosion to save the Miami Heat from elimination against the Boston Celtics in 2012, or the game in which he scored 29 of the Cavaliers’ last 30 points to topple the top-seeded Detroit Pistons in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. Or any other major victory on which your dart might land.
It would be that monumental of an upset. That unlikely an outcome. That epic.
And that’s why almost no one outside of the Lakers believes in them.
Lakers forward LeBron James starts a fast break against the Spurs. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
All six of CBS Sports’ experts picked Houston; NBA.com has the Rockets winning in five games, the Athletic has it happening in six games. Eleven of ESPN’s 12 prognosticators went with the Rockets, and the betting sites all have them as heavy favorites, with DraftKings favoring Houston by 4.5 points in Game 1 — in Los Angeles.
Let’s be real, rational thought portends the obvious: It’s a wrap.
Unless …
Unless James can juke Father Time and pull off another odds-defying dead lift for the ages.
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 14: Mitch Keller #23 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at PNC Park on April 14, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the first group of MLB Power Rankings has been released, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are somewhere we are not used to seeing them: near the top.
Sports Illustrated has released their first MLB Power Rankings since right before Opening Day, and your Buccos are sitting pretty in fourth place. Here’s what SI has to say about our squad:
How about those Pirates?! After an uncharacteristic Opening Day meltdown, ace Paul Skenes has righted the ship for the Buccos, Braxton Ashcraft is quietly pitching like an ace and Mitch Keller continues to be a quality start machine. But it’s been the Pirates’ rebuilt lineup, led by an apparent breakout year from Oneil Cruz and hot starts from newcomers Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, that has Pittsburgh residents already dreaming of the club’s first postseason appearance since 2015.
So while SI isn’t as presitgious these days as the power rankings on MLB.com, it’s nice to see Pittsburgh being recognized for their 11-8 start. Right now, that puts the Bucs on a 92-win pace, which is better than any of us predicted here on the staff. I think most importantly, baseball has been fun, which hasn’t been the case here in Pittsburgh for a while. I legitimately enjoy watching each member of the starting five, and now that the team is hitting the ball a little bit, it’s been a pretty good watch on that side of the ball as well.
Since I am an elementary teacher, I don’t usually get to games in person until the summer, so it would be nice for the games I attend to matter for a change. It’s been a while since the Bucs were still playing for something in June, July and August when I can actually go. Let’s hope the power rankings hold. Go Bucs!
Bad news for Lancs at Bristol, where Ajeet Singh Dale seems to have done something nasty to his hamstring and has limped off. A real shame on his return to his old club. Glos 8-0.
A fascinating piece by Emma John, with a mention of Benny Howell of Hants, Glos and more.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 24: Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees pitches during the game between the New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Julia Jacome/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The day after finding out Gerrit Cole is headed to Double-A to begin his rehab assignment, we got some details. Cole’s pitch count is expected to be in the mid-40s and the Yankees plan to build him to a “higher threshold” during his rehab then be conservative with him once he returns to the major leagues — so don’t expect to see Cole back in pinstripes after only a few rehab starts. He’ll make several but that kind of timeline dovetails nicely with the end of May or so. The Cole Train could be approaching the station soon.
MLB | Rhett Bollinger: Kids these days don’t understand how incredible Peak Mike Trout was. Or, before this week’s series at Yankee Stadium, they didn’t. The future Hall of Famer, whose career arc was derailed by injury, was absolutely in his bag against the Yanks: five home runs in four games, at least one in each. After he homered in his last game at Yankee Stadium last season, he’s now only the second player to homer in five straight games at the Stadium (joining Aaron Judge, who put his own power on display this week). He also joins George Bell, Darrell Evans, and Hall of Famer Jimmie Foxx as the only players who’ve ever clubbed five round-trippers in a single series against New York. Good work. Now go away.
NJ.com: YES broadcaster Michael Kay is dissatisfied with the Yankees’ handling of Ben Rice in the early part of 2026. He decried what seems like a platoon arrangement at first base, pointing out that it’s depriving the club of one of its best bats. He’s also not convinced by the late game pinch-hitter argument. But Kay is no mere angry fan. He brings a possible solution with his complaint: get Rice ready to don the tools of ignorance. Having Rice backup Austin Wells would allow Paul Goldschmidt to start at first base against lefties while keeping Rice’s bat in the lineup.
The Athletic | Eno Sarris ($): This is perhaps not the most opportune time for this article to come out, considering Max Fried’s ugly start Thursday against the Angels. But we have a new set of Sarris’ pitcher rankings. All four Yankee starters appear, with two in the top 20. Fried lands at #6, with Sarris highlighting his pitch mix, velocity, and command. Cam Schlittler meanwhile, comes in at #20. Sarris’ Stuff+ model has been sold on Cam since last season and Sarris wraps up his thoughts on Schlitter with “Put the bubble wrap on him, this kid’s arm is golden.”
Blues player displayed erratic behaviour in game against Magpies
Coach Michael Voss said 23-year-old was left ‘shattered’ by his performance
The AFL has joined Carlton in supporting a “shattered” Elijah Hollands after the Blues utility suffered a mental health episode during a close loss to Collingwood.
Hollands initially ended Thursday night’s 13.10 (88) to 12.11 (83) defeat at the MCG without registering a statistic, despite playing 75% of the match across the first three quarters.
Apr 12, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) dives for a ball during the second half against the Orlando Magic at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images
The playoffs bring out something different in us. Suddenly, media and fans alike have takes they need to get on record — not because it’s right, necessarily, but because there’s a chance it might be. And if it is, well, you’ll be hearing about it for the next six months. The other 480 takes that didn’t quite land? Those quietly disappear into the void.
At CelticsBlog, we like to think we’re above that. Thoughtful. Measured. Responsible. But this time of year has a way of breaking even the strongest wills. So we gave in.
BOSTON, MA – APRIL 12: Baylor Scheierman #55 and Ron Harper Jr. #13 of the Boston Celtics celebrate during the second half of a 113-108 win over the Orlando Magic at TD Garden on April 12, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Everyone loves a hot take. Let’s hear one for the Celtics.
Jeff Clark: My hot take is that Baylor Scheierman is going to win us a game. Payton Pritchard is going to win us a series. And Derrick White is going to get us to the Finals. Then it is on the Jays to take us home.
Bill Sy: Hot take, you say? The cold, boring answer is that defense wins championships. The surface-of-the-sun take is where that D comes from. As we’ve seen all year, Mazzulla is going to task all the young wings to do some heavy lifting on that side of the ball. Expect Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham to get heavy doses of Jordan Walsh and Hugo Gonzalez.
Rich Jensen: I don’t like hot takes. If you’d ever had the misfortune of waiting for me to decide where to eat, you’d know that I don’t make up my mind quickly. I don’t really have a hot take regarding the Celtics. But I might have a mild or medium take—one with no habaneros and only a few jalapenos. I think that the Celtics might break the tradition of tighter playoff rotations. I think that few championship caliber teams have been this deep—as evidenced by the team’s game 82 win, and I think Mazzulla might find a way to exploit that depth as the playoffs unfold.
“Everyone has a love language and mine is violence” – Joe Mazzulla
Ian Inangelo: My hot take for the playoffs is that Nikola Vucevic has one game where he wins Boston a game with his impact off the bench like Kristaps Porzingis in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Mark Aboyoun: The Celtics don’t lose more than two games per series leading up to the Finals. Whether it’s Orlando or Philadelphia, New York or Detroit, the Celtics will win every series in six games or fewer.
Nirav Barman: Unfortunately, I’m superstitious, and I also know there are plenty of Green Teamers who see the team with shamrock tinted glasses, so I don’t have any particularly hot takes. I believe this team can hang with anyone in the league, including OKC and San Antonio. We won’t be the favorites in every matchup, but we shouldn’t be far from it, especially if Tatum and White find their strides.
Mike Dynon: This is the spiciest we can make it: Jayson Tatum will duplicate what Jaylen Brown did two years ago, winning Most Valuable Player of both the Eastern Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, and leading the Celtics to yet another banner.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JUNE 21: Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics reacts as he holds the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy during the 2024 Boston Celtics championship parade following their 2024 NBA Finals win on June 21, 2024 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Ryan Paice: Queta is going to emerge as the team’s most impactful role player, even ahead of White. Especially with the lack of defensive depth at center behind Queta, I think he’s going to put up some impressive +/- numbers over the course of the playoffs and prove to be a vital key to the team’s success. His defensive impact will be noticeable at all times, both when he’s on the court swatting shots and swallowing up offensive boards, and when he’s on the bench and we have to watch teams repeatedly target Vucevic and Garza.
White might still be the better overall player, but Queta is less replaceable on this current squad and will have a chance to show he’s a top-tier starting center in the league. I expect him to seize it.
Gio Rivera: Baylor Scheierman will make himself right at home this postseason.
That signature thumbs-up celebration will pop up often enough for the Causeway Street T-shirt vendors to get to work, rolling out a fresh design that floods North Station by the Eastern Conference Finals. Scheierman will rise to the occasion, shoot better than 45 percent from three throughout the playoffs, and even get Joe Mazzulla in on the thumbs-up celebration at some point (OK, maybe that last part is a stretch).
Grant Burfeind: Luka Garza is going to hit a huge corner three late in a tight playoff game, right in front of the opposing bench, and unleash an all-time mean mug. I can see it so clearly it’s basically a memory at this point. You’ll hear the screech of Garzilla before the ball even hits the net.
