BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - AUGUST 19: Pete Alonso #25 of the Baltimore Orioles reacts during a review in the seventh inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 19, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. The review resulted in the play being a foul ball. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Hello, friends.
Pete Alonso hit a fair ball into the left field seats last night that should have been a go-ahead home run. Let’s just get that one out of the way right off the top. It’s unbelievable that the umpire did not call a fair ball live and it’s even more unbelievable that the replay center did not accept the decisive angle that would have given the Orioles a 4-3 lead. I don’t subscribe to any conspiracy theories. I think those people are just bad at their jobs.
It is one of those times I would have liked to see some fire from the manager. The figurative shadow of Earl Weaver looms over any major league field involving the Orioles. Craig Albernaz doesn’t have to do it Earl’s way, but he does need to do it some way. Just get caught being mad at the umpires when the process has screwed over your team. Point, yell, gesticulate, whatever, let the team know you’re not going to take it sitting down. Go around yelling at people until they eject you, then yell a little more.
Albernaz doesn’t seem to do this; he didn’t do it last night anyway. I don’t think it’s why the Orioles lost the game. They lost because they have an insufficient number of relievers to rely upon, and also because they went 0-6 with runners in scoring position. I just think it’s something that Albernaz should have done.
The Orioles bullpen being what it is lately, maybe Alonso getting the home run that he deserved would have only set up an even more tragic way of blowing the freshly-earned lead. Two runs were charged to Cam Sanders in an eighth inning outing where he hit two batters and walked another one. It’s not good to have to rely on guys of this ilk. You might get a few pleasant surprises out of them initially but guys like this are relatively cheaply available for a reason and the longer you give them, the more likely they’ll show you.
It’s a bad way to build a bullpen and these weaknesses have been exposed even more since Mike Elias decided to trade Tyler Wells ahead of the deadline. Grant Wolfram has fallen apart. Rico Garcia had his problems recently. Yennier Cano has hit a rough patch since being called into higher-leverage later-game situations. And those are just the ones you might have liked at one time. There are other, rougher names involved.
Perhaps there’s going to be at least one new face coming soon to the bullpen. Orioles beat writers, including The Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka, put this one out last night:
Is De León going to be anything? I don’t know. He was only promoted to Triple-A Norfolk recently and he’s got a 5.28 ERA and 1.83 WHIP through his first four games. Just last night, he walked three batters over the course of a scoreless inning of relief. He is the #7 prospect on MLB Pipeline’s recently-updated top Orioles prospect list. He becomes Rule 5 draft eligible this offseason. Perhaps they think he can be an extra weapon out of the bullpen. Perhaps they’ll even be right.
The 2026 American League playoff situation being what it is, the Orioles did not lose any ground in the wild card chase. The Blue Jays lost. The Guardians lost. The Tigers lost. The Rangers lost. Only the Twins were winners, so they now stand in the third wild card spot, half a game ahead of Texas and a touch farther ahead of others. Minnesota is off today. The Orioles only have to win to peel back the half game.
They need the win also to avoid being swept by the Yankees. I’ve gotta say, folks, it is entirely in character for the 2026 team to really rope people in with winning the first three games of that Rays series only to fall apart after that. They lost the next three games, each in fairly agonizing fashion. They try to avoid a fourth straight loss as the series concludes starting at 6:35 tonight. It won’t be easy: Gerrit Cole is pitching for New York. Kyle Bradish makes the start for the O’s.
Albernaz must trust starters when they earn it (The Baltimore Sun) The Sun was taking Albernaz to task yesterday for pulling Shane Baz in Tuesday’s game. Many people took the opposite view, that Baz wasn’t pulled soon enough.
Alexander nearing rehab assignment and return (School of Roch) Samuel Basallo is back, Blaze Alexander is close to a rehab assignment, is there enough time for things to come back together? On that question, make sure you vote in our poll that’s running this week.
Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries
The most recent Orioles victory on today’s date came two years ago, when they knocked off the Mets by a 9-5 margin to pull into first place in the AL East by a half-game margin. Anthony Santander and James McCann each homered in the game. Dean Kremer was pretty good. Just four of the fifteen players who appeared in that box score for the team are on the 40-man roster right now.
There are a pair of former Orioles who were born on this day. They are: 1996-2001 outfielder Gene Kingsale, and 1955-59 pitcher George Zuverink.
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: Chilean Supreme Director Bernardo O’Higgins (1778), 23rd president Benjamin Harrison (1833), horror author H.P. Lovecraft (1890), baseball Hall of Famer Al López (1908), musician/actor Isaac Hayes (1942), TV weatherman Al Roker (1954), actor Ke Huy Quan (1971), and singer-songwriter Demi Lovato (1992).
On this day in history…
In 636, the expanding Rashidun Caliphate defeated the Byzantine Empire in the Battle of the Yarmuk, seizing control of the area of modern-day Syria from the Byzantines.
In 1648, France defeated a Spanish-Lorraine force in the Battle of Lens, a decisive victory that paved the way for the Peace of Westphalia and the end of the Thirty Years War later in the year.
In 1858, the theory of evolution developed by Charles Darwin was first published in a journal titled The Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London.
In 1882, the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky had its premiere performance in Moscow.
In 1977, the Voyager 2 probe launched, actually launching before Voyager 1 even though it’s numbered second. The probe passed by Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune over the next 12 years and is now over 13.3 billion miles from Earth.
**
And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 20. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - AUGUST 16: Alec Bohm #28 of the Philadelphia Phillies (R) celebrates his three-run home run with Brandon Marsh #16 during the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 16, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Phillies have the day off today before they will look to continue their recent streak of good play against the Cardinals this weekend at Citizens Bank Park. It’s probably for the best the off day is today, as it looks like it would have been incredibly difficult to play a ballgame with tonight’s forecasted weather.
Don Nelson (L), head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, celebrates with Calvin Booth (R) after Dallas beat the Utah Jazz 84-83 to take the first round NBA Western Conference playoff series 03 May 2001 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Booth scored the winning basket to beat the Jazz 84-83 and advance to the second round. AFP PPHOTO/George FREY (Photo by GEORGE FREY / AFP) (Photo by GEORGE FREY/AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
On April 21st, 2001, the Dallas Mavericks officially broke the seal on the NBA Playoffs after a lengthy hiatus. Dallas had missed the Playoffs for 10-straight seasons, including a near miss in 1999-2000 when they went 40-42. Following that campaign, Dallas improved their win total by 13 games to finish 53-29 in 2000-2001, leaving no doubt they had arrived on the postseason scene.
Not only was the +13 win total impressive in and of itself, but for context, the Western Conference was stacked. All but one of the eight West Playoff teams won 50 games (the 8 Seed Minnesota Timberwolves won 47). The 1 Seed San Antonio Spurs grabbed 58 wins, just five games better than a Mavericks team that was a postseason afterthought for so long.
Dallas’ 53 wins were good enough for the 5 Seed and a matchup against the Utah Jazz. Utah was just a few years removed from back-to-back Finals appearances and still featured NBA legends in John Stockton and Karl Malone, yet the two teams were nearly dead even during the regular season. Each team won two of their four regular season matchups. Both teams went 14-10 against the other (now defunct) Midwest Division teams. Utah however, performed better against the Western Conference at large and therefore got home court advantage in the best-of-five series.
Lucky charms fall short
The Mavericks did something that teams often do when they’ve broken through a wall. In this case, the Mavericks decided they would celebrate their return to the Playoffs with an overt show of unity – they wore nice blue socks to match their blue road uniforms. Meanwhile, the more experienced Jazz team needed no such demonstrations.
In game one, Dallas took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter, which generally spelled doom for the opponent. The Mavericks were 46-2 during the regular season when leading after three quarters, including a 21-1 road record in those situations. Despite that, and despite their lucky socks, Dallas found themselves down by a point in the closing moments. Dirk Nowitzki was stripped on a drive that would have given Dallas the lead with roughly three seconds remaining in the game, had he converted. Utah made a free throw, giving Dallas the chance to win on the final shot, but Michael Finley’s three-point attempt was off target and the Mavs were down 0-1 in the series.
The Mavs were roundly beat in game two, losing 109-98 after being outscored in all but the fourth quarter. As a result, they were on the brink elimination. Upon their return to Dallas, they ditched the socks and found a reversal of fortune.
Evening the series
Home cooking was good for Dallas, as they pulled out a tight game three, 94-91 behind a strong first quarter. Finally, Dallas staved off elimination and got their first Playoff win since 1988. With the best-of-five setup, they were just a single win away from forcing a deciding game back in Utah. Game four ended up doing just that. The Mavericks started slow, trailing 24-17 after the first quarter, then collectively went insane, outscoring the Jazz by 37 points the rest of the way. The 107-77 victory gave the Mavs a chance to close the deal back in Utah in game five.
Calvin Booth plays the hero
Utah showed their veteran savvy in game five, getting off to a strong start, particularly in the second quarter. Carrying a 71-57 lead into the fourth quarter, it appeared as though the upstart Mavericks had met their match and would be going home after a valiant effort to force a deciding game. Dallas had other ideas.
Calvin Booth started the fourth quarter despite coming off the bench to start the game. The decision by Don Nelson proved to be an excellent one. The Mavericks slowly chipped away throughout the fourth quarter, with Booth turning away multiple Jazz shots at the rim.
The final two minutes were a roller coaster. Trailing by one, the Mavericks forced a turnover, courtesy of Booth’s quick hands. The ball ended up with Finley, who got it to Nash, who made a great pass from a few steps inside halfcourt to Dirk Nowitzki under the rim. Unbelievably, Nowitzki missed the reverse layup and Malone got the rebound. On the next possession, Dallas played terrific defense, forcing Danny Manning to attempt a shot clock beating jumper with none other than Booth defending him. The shot missed and Nash took it the other way. Finley hoisted a three that didn’t go down, sending Dallas back on defense. Malone missed a turnaround jumper and Nowitzki grabbed the board. Nash got the ball and took off, then slowed it down to set up the offense. Finley got the ball and backed down Stockton. Manning came over to double-team Finley with four seconds left on the shot clock. Booth slipped through on the baseline, Finley (who played every minute of the game) rose up, zipped a pass to him, and Booth turned to hit a layup – his first and only made field goal of the game. In the final 10 seconds, Utah missed a three, got the offense rebound and then missed a buzzer beater. The Mavs had won.
Booth’s entire 2000-2001 season consisted of 15 regular season games with the Mavericks and nine Playoff games. Despite his limited time on the team, he will forever be linked with an amazing Playoff comeback in a deciding game that put the Mavericks in the second round, kicking off a span of 12-straight seasons that Dallas made the Playoffs. Booth returned in 2004-2005 for a second stint. Despite his relatively short tenure with the Mavericks, he left an indelible mark on the franchise. Taking full advantage of Nelson’s intuition, Booth had a major impact across the deciding quarter of the deciding game.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
Is Kyshawn George a career backup or a long-term starter? The stats point towards and answer. | FIBA via Getty Images
Next stop in The Annual Statistical Doppelgänger Machine Tour: Switzerland. Well, kinda. No skiing or fancy-schmancy watches or neutrality — just a look at which players in NBA history had seasons that looked the most like what Kyshawn George did last season.
For those who haven’t memorized the birthplaces and childhood homes of every Wizards player, George was born and raised in Switzerland.
Is Kyshawn George a career backup or a long-term starter? The stats point towards and answer. | Getty Images
To my eye, the broadly favorable view of George’s performance got ahead of his actual performance. He looks good out there, he does many good things, and he does plenty of negative things as well.
To me, the biggest positive is his confidence. It also might be his biggest weakness. There’s good three-point shooting (38.1%) on above average volume, and 7.3 assists per 100 team possessions (well above average). He’s a competent ball handler, he’s tough, and he plays with a relentlessness and physicality that’s at times admirable.
He also commits a ton of turnovers (4.3 per 100 possessions — compare to a league average of 2.8) and fouls (5.8 per 100 possessions). George’s shot selection inside the three-point line was…well…let’s call it “adventurous,” and that sense of adventure contributed to shooting just 48.6% on twos — compared to a league average of 55.0%.
He finished well when he got to the rim (73.1%). The issue: lots of floater range attempts at a 35.7% conversion rate.
The good and bad tallied to an 87 score in my PPA metric. League average in PPA is 100. That’s fine for a second-year player who’s just 22-years-old picked 24th overall. The point here is merely that he still needs to make significant improvements to earn a starting role with the Wizards going forward.
Let’s get to the doppelgängers. And, unlike the comps for Bilal Coulibaly, you won’t need to take safety precautions for these:
Justise Winslow | 2018-19 | Miami Heat | Age: 22 — This was one of Winslow’s (rare) healthy seasons. He played 66 games — two fewer than he did the following season. This was his best overall performance, tallying to an 85 PPA. He was a talented player who never stayed healthy long enough to show what he could do. Gotta think (hope?) George will be healthier, though I have to mention George has played in 68 and 48 games respectively in his first two seasons.
Cole Anthony | 2022-23 | Orlando Magic | Age: 22 — Anthony is basically the little-guy version of George. Tough as nails, all-out effort, plenty of positives, and bit negatives.
Taurean Prince | 2017-18 | Atlanta Hawks | Age: 23 — Prince’s second season. He played all 82 games, though it was not a harbinger of his future health and availability. The 87 PPA he posted that season was also the best mark of his career.
Kevin Porter Jr. | 2021-22 | Houston Rockets | Age: 21 — I’m not a big Porter fan, but he’s been reasonably productive, albeit with enough issues that teams seem happy to move on from him. I don’t think that’ll be the case with George. The profile is there, though — talent enough to generate positives, enough judgement issues to produce negatives (hi there, turnovers) that can hurt the team.
Reggie Jackson | 2013-14 | Oklahoma City Thunder | Age: 23 — Another maximal effort, maybe a bit nuts, little guy. Jackson spent most of his career as a pain-in-the-neck backup guard who was part of some winning teams.
Some honorable mentions:
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs — age 24 season
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons — age 21
Kyle Kuzma, Los Angeles Lakers — age 22
Caris LeVert, Brooklyn Nets — age 23
My eye test comp was Dillon Brooks, but the closest Brooks season ranks around 260th.
My sense is that The Machine’s comps have the right overall type — competitive, hard-nosed, physical reserves who had value to good teams when they could rein in the fouls and turnovers. I think George is reasonably likely to be better than any of those five turned out to be, though it’s worth a reminder that player development is not linear.
I have the same kinds of neat career arc graphs most stat goobers do, but those are averages. There’s a lot of variation, and things get messy with individuals.
SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS - AUGUST 12: 2023 Inductee Tony Parker speaks during the 2023 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Induction at Symphony Hall on August 12, 2023 in Springfield, Massachusetts. (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) | Getty Images
I moved to San Antonio (technically back to San Antonio) from New York in the summer 2013. The Spurs had just been upset in the Finals. I immediately plunged into my fandom and embraced the team I grew up adoring.
Somewhere over the next couple of years, the Spurs beat the Portland Trail Blazers. When they did, Bill Land and Sean Elliott announced that with that win, the Spurs had a winning record against all 29 NBA teams. Even over the next decade when the Spurs faced some losing seasons, they have still managed to maintain that feat.
But what I didn’t know was Tony Parker is the only player in NBA history to retire while maintaining a winning record against every team in the league.
Tony Parker didn’t just build a Hall of Fame career, he built a winning record against everyone.
He is the only player in NBA history to retire with a winning record against every active franchise.
I noticed in the comments section of this post, some fans mentioned that they thought Tim Duncan also accomplished a winning record with every team. While that may be true, Duncan only has a winning record against 29 of the 30 teams in the NBA. Keep in mind Parker spent his final season with the Charlotte Hornets who beat the Spurs in both meetings that year. That means he got the best of all 30!
So while Duncan and Manu Ginobili have winning records against the 29 teams not named the San Antonio Spurs, Parker swept the league.
And he’s the only one.
Or is he?
When I searched “What former NBA players have winning records against every team?” a second name came up.
Kawhi Leonard.
*The above post stipulates that Parker is the only player to retire with a record over 30 teams. Leonard is still an active player…in theory…for now…we assume.
According to StatMuse, Kawhi does also have a better record against all 30 NBA teams. He is the only active player with superstars like LeBron James (29), Stephen Curry (28), and Kevin Durant (28) a few teams shy.
But if anyone gets an honorable mention for Tony Parker’s and Kawhi Leonard’s accomplishment, it is Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Gregg Popovich, and the myriad players and assistant coaches who made the Spurs such a dominant force.
Without them, neither Parker’s nor Leonard’s career could have shined as they did in the time they spent in San Antonio.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 13: Atlanta Hawks team huddle before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers on January 13, 2026 at Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Last week, the NBA finally released its schedule for the 2026-27 NBA season. With its release, it allows everyone to map ahead what the 2026-27 season looks like for the Atlanta Hawks and identify where the good times or more challenging times lie across the 82 game-schedule. Immediately, there’s a key difference in this year’s edition of the schedule compared to last year for the Hawks, with many home tipoffs returning to a 7pm Eastern Time start, for the first time, I believe, since the 2015-16 season.
As we have done so for, perhaps, the last eight seasons now, we’ll break down the schedule month-by-month, examining the trends, fixtures of note, and the difficulty of each month (calculated by averaging the average winning projections of each team by way of Bet MGM.
Let’s look ahead to the beginning, the month of October:
Total games: 7
Home games: 3
Road games: 4
Back-to-backs: 2
Three-in-fours: 3
Longest road trip: 2 games (twice)
Longest homestand: 2 games
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 42.5 wins
A competitive beginning to the season on paper for the Atlanta Hawks. Two games on the road against Southeast Division rivals Orlando Magic (who should be very motivated to begin strongly after the disappointment of last season) and Charlotte Hornets should provide an early test for the Hawks.
Charlotte will be an interesting matchup, who are running a much-changed roster which, for the first time in six years, will not be led by LeMelo Ball, which will provide a very different dynamic to this fixture. Following that, the Hawks’ home opener also represents the first of a home-and-home with the Houston Rockets. Hawks rookie Kingston Flemmings will not have to wait long to return to the state of Texas, where he played with Houston in college as the rookie begins his NBA career.
The stiff opposition continues in the form of Miami and Cleveland, but will at least take place at State Farm Arena before the Hawks head on the road to face the New Orleans Pelicans. Two back-to-backs, a couple of three-games-in-four-nights sleds as well for the Hawks will prove a challenge in addition to the level of competition. Now, moving onto a jam-packed November!
Total games: 12
Home games: 5
Road games: 7
Back-to-backs: 1
Three-in-fours: 1
Longest road trip: 3 games
Longest homestand: 3 games
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 41 wins
November sees the return of NBA Cup action, every Friday! The Hawks’ cup schedule is actually pretty kind to them, with the majority of those games, on paper, certainly winnable — the Celtics on the road represents the toughest game in the cup by some margin.
Elsewhere, the Hawks tackle some high-profile games such as the Lakers at home, the championship winning New York Knicks on the road, and of note for several of the Hawks’ new additions, a trip back to OKC to take on the Thunder. The reception for Aaron Wiggins and Lu Dort will be very warm for their former champions and is sure to be emotional night for those involved. Elsewhere, the Hawks will face Trae Young and the Wizards twice, and a game against the Detroit Pistons at home should also prove to be an interesting measure of the Hawks in the Eastern Conference.
A little less intense overall compared to previous Novembers not only in terms of games played, but back-to-backs and three-in-fours aren’t too prevalent here. However, this is not to last as we move to December:
Total games: 14 (TBC, pending NBA Cup outcome)
Home games: 7 (TBC)
Road games: 5 (TBC)
Back-to-backs: 2
Three-in-fours: 2
Longest road trip: 3 games
Longest homestand: 2 games (three times)
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 44 wins
December isn’t quite complete yet, as two games between December 4th and December 11th have yet to be determined by the NBA as it relates to the outcome of the group stage of the NBA Cup, so while 14 games will take place in total, the number of home/away games is not currently known.
Outside of this, an interesting opening to the month in the form of Miami and Indiana: two vastly different looking teams from last season. Miami now boasts the talents of Giannis Antetokounmpo, while the Pacers welcome back Tyrese Haliburton from injury and reinforcement through Ivica Zubac. The Hawks were able to finish above both teams last season, but will face a much stiffer challenge resisting these teams this season. Again, they represent a great opportunity to measure themselves in the establishing Eastern Conference playoff hierarchy.
A three-game road trip to the Western Conference lies ahead for the Hawks, the most challenging coming in Denver to finish. A difficult back-to-back follows, with a home game against OKC on the second night of that back-to-back one of the more challenging games of the month. A home game against Detroit wraps up the action before the holidays, before a back-to-back after the holidays — including heading on the road to San Antonio. A lighter end to 2026 in the form of Chicago and Milwaukee should provide some relief after a potentially challenging December.
Moving to 2027!
Total games: 15
Home games: 8
Road games: 7
Back-to-backs: 3
Three-in-fours: 3
Longest road trip: 4 games
Longest homestand: 4 games
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 45 wins
2027 opens by welcoming back 2024 first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the Dallas Mavericks to Atlanta. Other notable home games in January include the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, the newly stacked Philadelphia 76ers — armed with Jaylen Brown and LeBron James — in addition to Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and the Knicks to end a four-game homestand. The January 18th game against the 76ers of course representing one of the most important games for the Hawks as part of MLK Day, and an afternoon tip. A four-game road-trip ends the month of January, featuring difficult fixtures against Miami, New York, and Detroit.
While three back-to-backs isn’t too strenuous, three three-games-in-four-nights is a bit more intense as the fixtures and fatigue rack up in January as the NBA edges closer to its halfway point and towards the NBA All-Star break
Moving to February!
Total games: 13
Home games: 8
Road games: 5
Back-to-backs: 3
Three-in-fours: 3
Longest road trip: 3 games
Longest homestand: 7 games
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 38.7 wins
A relaxing in the schedule in terms of projected difficulty of opponents, and a home-heavy schedule with eight home games in total, a seven-game homestand, and a eight-home-games-in-nine-games stretch. A seven game homestand is certainly one of the longest single homestand stretches the Hawks have enjoyed in recent memory, and a number against — on paper — very winnable games. In general, due to the nature of the new NBA Draft lottery rules, the overall projected total games won is a little higher this year compared to previous years, so this should be taken into account.
Moving onto a very quirky March! A March which I’m dubbing ‘All the Western Conference teams you haven’t seen yet.’
(Seriously, I’m not joking!)
Total games: 16
Home games: 7
Road games: 9
Back-to-backs: 3
Three-in-fours: 3
Longest road trip: 6 games
Longest homestand: 2 games (three times)
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 35.7 wins
First appearances of the season for the following teams: Memphis, Minnesota, the Jazz, and the Clippers…all twice! And all of those teams, with the exception of Minnesota, are projected to have low win totals, so while the schedule is intense in terms of number of games, the projected level of opponent isn’t quite as intense. In saying that, a six-game road-trip out West will be a challenge, no matter who the opponent is, but to make up for this, the games the Hawks do play at State Farm Arena are all very winnable games on paper. In short, though, it’s a very Western Conference heavy month!
Onto the final month of April!
Total games: 5
Home games: 2
Road games: 3
Back-to-backs: 0
Three-in-fours: 0
Longest road trip: 2 games
Longest homestand: 2 games
Average projected opponent win total (based on Bet MGM win totals): 49.5 wins
A tough end to the season: all of these teams project to win, at the very least, 45 games, and are all in the Eastern Conference. These could be key in determining playoff seeding, of which the Hawks will want to return rather than go back through the Play-In tournament. Of course, some seeding may already be set at this stage, and it’s entirely possible any one of Boston, Philly, and New York could be top-seeded or locked into a top-4 seed and may use the opportunity to rest key players.
Overall, the Hawks — more recently — have had schedules that are typically more difficult at the front-end of the season and lighten at the back end of the season. I’d argue that both cases are true here. In March, it’s a very road-heavy, Western Conference schedule but against opponents who are not projected to compete for the playoffs. April, short as it is, is a difficult schedule at a very important time of the season and will likely determine elements of the Hawks’ seeding.
In any case, the Atlanta Hawks’ path for the 2026-27 season is set! If you enjoyed the 7:30 home tips, my commiserations, I believe there’s only three (November 7th against Brooklyn, January 2nd against the Dallas Mavericks, March 4th against Memphis). If you prefer 7pm tips, then this is going to be a great season!
BALTIMORE – There’s nothing quite so bottomless as a 162-game Major League Baseball season. Brent Headrick is discovering that three excruciating outs at a time.
After pitching a scoreless seventh inning and getting a favorable ruling on a questionable foul ball call, Headrick has pitched in 65 of the New York Yankees’ 126 games this season. That is an 84-game pace, which would rank second in franchise history, one game ahead of Scott Proctor and two games behind Paul Quantrill, who were used, shall we say, liberally by manager Joe Torre in the mid-2000s.
Back then, usage and load management and the long-term effects of a heavy season on an arm weren’t so copiously tracked. Nearly three decades into this century, arm care and the desire to avoid three appearances in three days, or four in five, are canon on most pitching staffs.
But these are the 2026 Yankees, wracked by injuries to the lineup and short in the rotation with aces Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón and Max Fried all recovering from elbow maladies at various points.
Close and late is the Yankee way right now. And so more nights than not, the bullpen phone rings and summons Headrick.
Answering that call night after night after night is as much a mental challenge as a physical one. And Headrick, a 6-foot-6, 235-pound left-hander, leans heavily on the words imparted by the Yankees’ mental skills staff.
“I’ve said this since early in the season: Attack the day,” Headrick tells USA TODAY Sports. “Each day can lead to the next. You can look two weeks in advance, but it’s not going to do any good. For me, with every aspect of the game, I try to live in today. Take care of what today needs.
“And worry about tomorrow when it gets here. That mentality has allowed me to be more present and take care of my body and do things the right way so I’m prepped for a longer season.”
And oh, what a season.
Headrick has posted a 1.55 ERA in his 65 games, striking out 79 in 64 innings. His 20 holds are eighth in the American League, and he’s holding opponents to a .224 average, with just three homers surrendered.
Yet any number of statistics don’t illustrate Headrick’s value as much as any phrase that exemplifies reliability.
The man posts, as they say.
“We’re always trying to take inventory with guys on a daily basis,” says Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake. “Are they emotionally up for it? Are they mentally or physically exhausted? He’s done a good job communicating when he needs a day. We typically avoid three in a row and four out of five. There have been a couple instances this year we’ve had to push a guy because of the schedule or where the starters were at.
“He’s always been up for it. It’s a testament to how he’s taken care of his body, how he’s managing his throwing program and how efficient he is out there.”
He’d better be efficient. Running your fastball up to 95 mph, mixing in a slider, a sinker and a splitter isn’t necessarily easy on the arm.
Proctor remains one of the game’s cautionary tales. He pitched in 83 games in both 2006 and 2007 but by 2009 his right elbow had, in the words of orthopedist James Andrews, “turned to mush.”
In fact, nine of the top 10 games pitched totals in Yankees history came under Torre’s watch between 1997 and 2007. Safe to say the Yankees are warier of the season’s odometer in this era.
“Definitely something we’ve got to be mindful of, especially as we head down the stretch,” says Blake. “You gotta be smart.”
But the way these Yankees are built makes this challenging. At 71-55, they have a firm grasp on the No. 1 wild card in the AL, and are five games behind Tampa Bay in the East. Minus reigning MVP Aaron Judge, though, and with Cody Bellinger starting a rehab assignment Thursday, it has been a grind.
The value is reflected in the team’s WAR totals. Cy Young Award favorite Cam Schlittler is No. 1, followed by Bellinger and Fried. No. 4, with 2.6 WAR? That’d be Headrick, selected off waivers from the Twins in February 2025.
Righty set-up man Paul Blackburn (2.3) is tied with 34-homer All-Star Ben Rice for fourth. Weird year.
Yet Headrick and Co. keep answering. They’ve taken two games off the Orioles here by 3-1 and 5-3 scores, with four of their relievers – Fernando Cruz, Headrick, Blackburn and closer David Bednar – all pitching back-to-back.
While Cruz gave up a game-tying home run Wednesday, all got their jobs done, with the other lefty, Tim Hill, retiring all four batters after starter Will Warren went just four innings.
The Yankees are 41-24 when Headrick pitches, perhaps the best proof of his high-leverage lifestyle.
“They’ve been awesome,” says manager Aaron Boone. “It’s why we’re in this position playing where we are now, is the strength of our starting rotation, anchored by Bus at the end.”
Headrick calls the bullpen’s success “contagious,” and it is evident. The unit ranks second in the majors with a 3.02 ERA and seventh in strikeouts per nine innings, buttressed by a precision that comes with a 2.49 strikeout-walk ratio that ranks ninth in MLB.
He’s pitched three times in four days on a half-dozen occasions, though the Yankees have avoided throwing him three days in a row, for now.
Still, showing up, in a sense, is half the battle.
“I take a ton of pride. I love being able to help this team win games any day I can,” says Headrick. “Whenever that opportunity comes and they call my name, it’s my job to be ready and I’m going to go out there and give it everything I have.”
Feb 21, 2025; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays catcher Christian Bethancourt (60) participates in media day at the Blue Jays Player Development Complex. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
The Pittsburgh Pirates made a minor move yesterday, acquiring catcher Christian Bethancourt from the New York Yankees for the ever nebulous cash considerations.
The 34-year-old Bethancourt was playing in the Minors for the Yankees organization, and while he will be a Minor League player for the Bucs, officially to be assigned to Triple-A Indianpolis, he will be part of the taxi squad for the Bucs for their extended road trip on Friday.
Bethancourt has bounced around the league quite a bit, spending time with the Atlanta Braves, Tampa Rays, San Diego Padres, Oakland A’s, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, and even did a stint with the Bucs back in 2021.
He hit 11 homers in 2022 and again in 2023, but he’s just a career .225 hitter, and his high water mark for RBIs was 34.
Nonetheless, with Endy Rodriguez once again dealing with injury issues, the Bucs are shorthanded at catcher, and having another backstop in the mix, especially for the upcoming road trip, was a priority for the team.
So a minor move for the Bucs, but one that appears neccessary. Welcome back to the ‘Burgh, Christian.
Basketball: NBA Finals: Boston Celtics general manager Red Auerbach victorious with players after winning game and series vs Houston Rockets at The Summit. Game 6. Houston, TX 5/14/1981 CREDIT: Andy Hayt (Photo by Andy Hayt /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X25583 TK5 R3 F13 )
NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.
“Anyone who tells you they knew Bird would be as good as he turned out—including me—is a liar.”
Red Auerbach
After the Celtics won their thirteenth title in 1976, the team sort of fell apart. The merger between the ABA and the NBA brought new talent into the league, and in any case, championship success was difficult for any team to sustain in the 1970s, a decade in which eight different teams won titles (only the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics won more than a single title). Havlicek was past his prime, and the Celtics were basically a one-man team, relying on the tough-as-nails but undersized Dave Cowens to carry them at both ends of the court. A young Cedric Maxwell had been drafted in 1977, but he was still coming into his own as a player.
The Celtics lost in the second round of the playoffs in 1977, coming off a pedestrian 44-38 record, and they fell even farther the following season, one in which Tommy Heinsohn was replaced as coach by Satch Sanders, who was himself replaced by Dave Cowens the following season, all to ultimately disastrous results. Boston’s 29-53 record in 1978/79 was the worst of the Red Auerbach era.
The unsettled coaching situation and on-court struggles were accompanied by front-office turmoil.
Red had stockpiled three first round picks in the 1979 draft, with the goal of rebuilding the Celtics, but Boston’s new owner, John Y. Brown had other ideas. On February 12, 1979, he traded Tom Barker and those three picks to the New York Knicks for Bob McAdoo.
An incensed Red gave Brown an ultimatum. Either you go or I do.
The threat had teeth. Red had been approached by the Knicks and had an offer in hand to take over basketball operations for the franchise.
Brown backed down almost immediately.
The Celtics had been passed from owner to owner since Walter Brown’s death in 1964—John Y. Brown’s consortium was the eighth in 14 years—and the one constant through all those changes was Red Auerbach.
Brown knew that if he kept the Celtics, he’d probably be burned in effigy on the Boston Common—in fact, that would probably be the most anodyne outcome of forcing Red out—plus he had acquired a sudden urge to run for governor in his home state of Kentucky.
By the end of March, Brown was ready to close on a deal proposed by minority owner Harry Mangurian, and the Celtics were back in the hands of ownership that was willing to leave the basketball decisions in the hands of the most capable guy in league history when it came to those things.
Now Red may have lost those three picks in the 1979 draft, but things turned out alright in the end.
In 1978, Red drafted Larry Bird, despite knowing that he had no intention of leaving school before the end of the 1979 season. It was a calculated risk. The catch was that the Celtics had to sign Bird to a contract before the 1979 draft, otherwise he could re-enter it, and the odds were that he would be picked before Boston had a chance to grab him—and as it turned out, the team ended up with no first round picks in that draft in any event. “I knew this was my shot at him,” Red would tell John Feinstein years later, “I was thinking long term.”
The team also hired Bill Fitch as head coach; Fitch was Red’s first hire from outside the Celtics family, and his coaching pedigree was far from elite. Fitch was in his ninth season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had hired him out of the college ranks in their first season. His cumulative record was 304-434 for a less-than-impressive .411 winning percentage. But there was something about him that Red liked.
The combination of rookie Larry Bird and an experienced hand on the bench galvanized the Celtics, who went from 29-53 to 61-21 in the 1979/80 season. The Celtics lost to the Sixers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Sixers, in turn, lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, as Magic Johnson’s rookie season ended in a Finals championship.
1979/80 was Dave Cowens’ final year with the team, leaving the Celtics in need of front court talent, but Red, who had all his 1979 first round picks traded out from under him, figured out a way to land a pair of low post Hall of Famers with his picks in the first round of the 1980 draft.
The Celtics had gotten involved in a goofy situation with Detroit. They signed M.L. Carr, which meant that the Pistons were owed compensation, but instead of sending Detroit a draft pick—the usual procedure—the Celtics arranged to send them Bob McAdoo—a Hall-of-Famer who just never fit in with the Celtics. However, since McAdoo was more valuable than a draft pick, the Pistons agreed to send Boston two picks in the 1980 draft.
This was not a good deal for Detroit.
The Pistons ended up with the worst record in the NBA in 1979/80, and a coin flip gave them the first pick overall.
At the time, there was a clear consensus that the best player coming out of the draft was a center, Joe Barry Carroll from Purdue.
Red, however, saw things a bit differently. He wasn’t as impressed by Carroll as the rest of the league was. He didn’t want Carroll, he wanted Minnesota’s Kevin McHale.
Now the Golden State Warriors had the third pick in the draft, and they had a center Auerbach liked, Robert Parish, so Red reached out to Al Attles—who was Golden State’s coach and GM, and offered both of his picks in the first round for the Warriors’ number three pick. And, since the Warriors were going to be drafting Joe Barry Carroll, they probably didn’t need Robert Parish anymore, so maybe they could send him along as part of the trade as well.
One can only imagine Al Attles’ glee at the thought of getting the player he wanted and another pick in exchange for, essentially, a backup center, provided Carroll lived up to expectations. This is the thing about so many of Red’s masterpiece trades: it almost always seemed, from a certain perspective, that Red was getting ripped off—like when he traded two future Hall-of-Famers for a center who couldn’t really score, but who would win eleven championships nonetheless.
Thus, on June 10, 1980, the Celtics added Kevin McHale and Robert Parish to Larry Bird and formed one of the most impressive front courts in NBA history.
Joe Barry Carroll? Well, suffice to say that Globe columnist Ray Fitzgerald was not wrong when he mentioned concerns about Carroll’s motivation the day after the Celtics traded their number one pick to the Warriors.
This is where things stood at the start of the 1980/81 season…
The Regular Season
BOSTON – 1981: The 1980-81 NBA Champion Boston Celtics pose for a team portrait at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. Front row (left to right): Chris Ford, Cedric Maxwell, President and General Manager Red Auerbach, Coach Bill Fitch, Chairman of the Board Harry T. Mangurian Jr., Larry Bird, Nate Archibald. Back row: Assistant coach K.C. Jones, Wayne Kreklow, M.L. Carr, Rick Robey, Robert Parish, Kevin McHale, Eric Fernsten, Gerald Henderson, assistant coach Jimmy Rodgers and Trainer Ray Melchiorre. 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. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2002 (Photo by NBA Photos/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Celtics cruised to a 62-20 record, marking a one game improvement from the previous season. They racked up winning streaks of 12 and 13 games bracketing a single loss for a stretch of 25-1 play in the middle of the season. Apart from a somewhat surprising three game losing streak that straddled the All-Star break in January and February, the Celtics never lost two games in a row.
The rookie Kevin McHale appeared in all 82 games, but started just one, making him the latest sixth man in the Celtics’ long tradition. His contributions were just a slim indication of the player he’d become, as he averaged ten points on 53.5% shooting from the field and just 67.9% from the line.
In his second year, Larry Bird finished second in MVP voting and made first team All-NBA. Nate “Tiny” Archibald gave the Celtics standout play from the point guard spot, and the Celtics ended the season with five players averaging double figures. Bird, who played power forward in his early years in the league, led the team in rebounds at almost 11 per game, a total that topped Robert Parish’s 9.5 per game. Although remembered mostly for his offense these days, Bird was an extremely capable two-way player before injuries limited his role to a primarily offensive one.
Boston had the league’s best record, but they weren’t at the top of the league in any statistical category. Their best stat was a defensive one, where opponent points per game, at 104, was good for second in the league.
The Celtics did all this with a rather young team. Bird was in his second year, McHale was a rookie, Parish had four years’ experience coming into the season and Cedric Maxwell had three. Tiny Archibald was the team’s only real veteran, with nine years in the league.
Eastern Playoffs
The Eastern Conference looked to be a meat grinder. The Celtics were tied for the best record with the Philadelphia 76ers, and the Milwaukee Bucks, coached by old friend Don Nelson, weren’t far behind with a 60-22 record.
The NBA had expanded the playoffs to three rounds in 1975, with the two division champs getting byes from the best-of-three opening round. This meant that Boston, which held the tiebreaker over Philly, got to take a breather while waiting for their second round opponent to be decided.
In that first round, the Chicago Bulls, who finished with a 45-37 record made quick work of the higher seeded Knicks, sweeping New York 2-0. This set them up to face Boston.
Things did not go well for Chicago. They lost in four. Boston’s average margin of victory was 8.25 points as they finished +33 for the series. Larry Bird led all players in points, rebounds, assists, and steals, with a 23.5/13/7.3/3.0 stat line.
(Original Caption) Driving for the basket, Boston Celtics' Larry Bird puts a shoulder into Chicago Bulls, David Greenwood in the first quarter action of the Bulls-Celtics fourth semi-final conference playoff game, 4/12.
The Eastern Conference Finals were a rematch from the previous year. Once again it was the Sixers and the Celtics—a rivalry from this era that is sometimes lost beneath the Lakers/Celtics rivalry. The Celtics and Sixers faced off four times in the playoffs during the Bird era—more times than the Celtics matched up against the Lakers, albeit for lower stakes.
Boston’s series against Philly was an absolute classic.
The teams had finished the season with identical records, so the matchup figured to be close and entertaining, and the first game delivered on both counts.
In game one, the Celtics rallied from a ten point deficit and were clinging to a one point lead with less than four seconds left when Billy Cunningham drew up a play for Sixers rookie Andrew Toney that sent him baseline. He got past Cedric Maxwell who felt that it was better to foul him than give him two easy points from a layup.
Toney stepped to the line and delivered the equalizer and the game winner in succession. Final score? 105-104, Philly. The Sixers had seized home court and put the Celtics in a 1-0 hole.
The man who would, with justice, become known as the “Boston Strangler” had introduced himself to the Garden with an exclamation point.
Game two went Boston’s way without much drama as the C’s tallied a 19 point victory, 118-99. Toney led all scorers with 35, but Bird was a close second with 34.
Game three went to Philly, putting the Celtics in a 2-1 hole with the next game being another road contest.
Game four looked to be all Philly as well; the home team had an 18 point lead in the second half, forcing the Celtics to claw their way back into the game. They were down four points, 107-103, when they turned their defense up to maximum. They caused a 24 second violation, which was followed by a bucket from Tiny Archibald that gave them a real shot. The score was 107-105 Philly with just over a minute remaining. The score stayed there until there were eight seconds left in the game. The Celtics nabbed a rebound off a miss by Bobby Jones, and while Bill Fitch signaled in vain for a time out, Archibald began to push the ball up court. Jones reacted to his miss by running the length of the court, figuring that Archibald would send the ball into Bird who was standing near the opposite basket.
His instincts were correct, and Jones snatched the pass before Bird could get his hands on it, sealing the victory and putting the Celtics up against the wall.
Boston wasn’t facing just one ‘must-win’ game. They were looking at three of them.
A team that had struggled mightily against the Sixers in three of the first four games would need to figure out how to beat Philly not just once, but three times in a row.
It’s not much of a spoiler to say that they did. After all, this is a column about a championship season, not an exit from the Eastern Conference Finals.
But those games… Oh, those games… The Celtics won three in a row by a total of five points. Each victory was by just about the thinnest margin possible.
BOSTON – APRIL 29: Julius Erving #6 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots a layup over Kevin McHale #32 of the Boston Celtics in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 1981 NBA Playoffs at the Boston Garden on April 29, 1981 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Celtics defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 111-109 and won the series 4-3. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1981 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Over those three games, Larry Bird scored 80 points and hauled in 38 rebounds. He dished out 14 assists, and logged ten steals. He was turnover prone in the first two of these three games, but in the decisive game seven, he logged five steals and only one turnover.
In game five, the Sixers had a six point lead with just over a minute and a half left in the game, but they failed to score the rest of the way as Boston went on a 7-0 run that featured a block by Parish, a layup and a hustle play that secured a loose ball from Bird, and three clutch free throws by M.L. Carr. Philly, on the other hand, couldn’t handle the pressure from Boston’s defense, as they missed multiple chances to put the game—and the series—away.
Game six, in Philly, was another two point affair.
Once again, Philly seemed on the brink of closing out the series. They had a 17 point lead in the first half in an environment that was beyond hostile to the Celtics.
Decades before the ‘Malice in the Palace,’ Cedric Maxwell was charged by a fan with a pointed object of some sort in the third quarter; retaliation by Maxwell, Archibald and Chris Ford took them five rows deep into the Spectrum crowd. Nobody was ejected. Nobody was suspended. It was a different time.
Somehow, somehow, the Celtics turned that deficit into a fourth quarter lead. As the clock wound down, Andrew Toney found himself up against Kevin McHale with the game on the line. McHale was trying to lure Toney into shooting the ball because the alternative was having Toney dump the ball into Darryl Dawkins, and McHale didn’t have high hopes of stopping the massive Sixers center.
McHale succeeded in luring Toney into a shot that he leaped up to contest, and he ever so slightly “ticked” the ball, pushing it off target and into his hands. “I was hoping somebody would foul me,” McHale said after the game, but the Sixers opted to let a bit more time run down before fouling Tiny Archibald, who sealed the Celtics victory with a pair of free throws.
The series was tied 3-3 and headed back to Boston for a decisive game 7.
Once again, the Celtics found themselves in a hole.
With 5:24 left in the game, Philadelphia had a 89-82 lead.
Bear in mind that the final score of this game was 91-90
The Celtics held the Sixers to just one point—and no field goals—over almost five and a half minutes of absolute desperate, must-win basketball.
It’s one thing to clamp down on a team during a regular season game when there’s not much on the line, but here, for both teams, everything was on the line.
The Celtics forced five turnovers—of which three were steals by Larry Bird—and the Sixers missed all six field goals they attempted during that span.
“Inspired, determined—maniacal” was how Bob Ryan described the Celtics’ defense to close out the game and the series.
With a minute to go, Bird gave the Celtics the game winner, capping a 9-0 run. He’d come out of a scrum under the basket with the ball, “I wanted the ball in my hands,” he said after the game, “that’s the only place in the world I wanted it.” He ran it coast-to-coast, delivering a layup that sealed the game.
The Sixers, who outshot the Celtics 48.8% to 38.2%, sent the Celtics to the line 35 times during the game, where Boston’s abysmal shooting nonetheless gave them a more than sufficient margin, as they made 22 free throws against just 12 by the Sixers.
(Original Caption) Outstretched arms reach for Celtics' Larry Bird (center, #33) as he leaves the basketball court for the dressing room after the Celtics defeated the 76ers, 91-90, to win the 7th and deciding game of the NBA's Eastern Conference title. The Celtics came back from a 1-3 deficit, beoming only the 4th team in NBA playoff history the feat. The Celtics now meet the Houston Rockets in the NBA Championship Series.
The Western Playoffs
On the opposite coast, there was an open rebellion in Los Angeles. The defending champs were chafing under coach Paul Westhead, and although they did well enough in the regular season, winning 54 games, they were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the Houston Rockets, who finished the season with just a 42-40 record.
The Rockets proceeded to knock off 52-win San Antonio in the second round of the playoffs, which set them up to face the Kansas City Kings. The Western Conference produced not one but two Cinderella teams that year, as the Kings, who finished the season with a sub .500 record (40-42) knocked off the Suns, who were the number one seed in the West, in seven games in the semis.
This was almost certainly the weakest Western Conference Finals matchup in history, as the teams were a combined .500 for the season.
The Rockets prevailed in a gentleman’s sweep; they were never seriously challenged by the Kings, who wouldn’t breathe this rarefied postseason air for another two decades.
The Finals
This contest was somewhat anticlimactic. The series went six games largely due to the play of Houston’s Hall-of-Fame bound center, Moses Malone.
But there was no real contest here. Maybe you could chalk up one or both of the Celtics’ losses to fatigue from having to battle back from a 3-1 deficit to the Sixers.
In this era, the Finals started just two days after the Eastern Conference Finals ended.
The series was in no way as close as the 4-2 win total might suggest. The Celtics won games by margins of 23 and 29 points, while the largest margin of victory the Rockets could manage was a five point gap in game four.
Today, Larry Bird’s play in the Finals gets a bit of scrutiny, and it’s true that the Legend did struggle to score, and if he had performed better, it’s unlikely that the series would have gone six games, as Boston’s losses were by a total of seven points, as opposed to a cumulative 66 point margin of victory across all four wins.
But that’s not the whole story. Bird led all Celtics with 92 rebounds and dang near nabbed as many as Malone—who grabbed 94 for the Rockets.
Bird led all players with 42 assists for the series, a total that was nine more than Tiny Archibald for the Celtics, and 17 more than the Houston’s leader in the category. His 14 steals also led both teams.
Even though Cedric Maxwell won the Finals MVP, it was clear that Larry Bird had arrived, and along with him, another Celtics dynasty.
HOUSTON, TX – MAY 14: Boston Celtics player Larry Bird, center, smokes Celtics coach Red Auerbach's cigar, after the Celtics beat the Houston Rockets 102 – 91, in the final game of the 1981 NBA Championships in Houston on May 14, 1981. Auerbach, right, reacts. (Photo by Frank O'Brien/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
Turning Point
The turning point was M.L. Carr’s clutch free throws at the end of game five of the Eastern Conference Finals. Carr capped a furious comeback that kept the Celtics alive and set up two more games that were, at least to Celtics fans, classic examples of the grit and resolve of their team. I wouldn’t want to speculate on how Sixers fans view those three games that they failed to finish.
It Wasn’t Over Until
Larry Bird scored the game seven winner against Philly and introduced himself to the big time with an epic performance that featured three steals in the final five minutes of the game to go along with a game high 23 points, eleven rebounds and five assists.
Tune in tomorrow for the matchup everyone was waiting for: Bird vs. Magic.
Dodgers majority owner Mark Walter, shown alongside pitcher Clayton Kershaw, faces questions about retaining the team amid multiple investigations. (Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)
When the news broke last week that Mark Walter was selling the Lakers just one year after buying the storied basketball franchise, executives working for another crown jewel in his sports empire — the Dodgers — were quick to say the billionaire had no plans to sell the team.
The Dodgers have won three of the last six World Series and 12 division titles since an ownership group led by Walter bought the then-bankrupt team in 2012, and the Dodgers now are considered the most successful — and lucrative — franchise in Major League Baseball.
Yet, amid Walter’s financial difficulties, including a federal inquiry into his insurance empire regarding $16 billion to $21 billion in undisclosed loans to his own companies, questions remain over whether the blowback will hit the Dodgers.
Walter has denied wrongdoing, and sports business experts say it’s far too soon to know whether the Dodgers will be in play. No charges have been filed against Walter or anyone associated with his businesses.
“If you’re judging on that — winning and revenue created — he’s been at the helm of all of that. … He does truly look like a white knight as it relates to his ownership of the Dodgers,” said Patrick Rishe, executive director of the Sports Business Program at Washington University in St. Louis. Still, “we don’t know what the issues are, and we don’t know the severity and the magnitude.”
Aside from the Lakers, the Dodgers are, by far, the most valuable of Walter’s handful of sports franchises, and industry sources not authorized to speak publicly about any potential sale told The Times that the team could fetch $10 billion to $13 billion.
Walter’s sports portfolio includes the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Assn.; the Cadillac Formula 1 racing team; a premier women’s tennis competition, the Billie Jean King Cup; and the entire Professional Women’s Hockey League. The Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimates Walter has a net worth of $18.3 billion.
There have been reports that he is putting his shares of his most valuable professional soccer franchise, the Chelsea Football Club of the English Premier League, on the market.
But the Dodgers are the greatest show in baseball, playing before stadiums packed with fans willing to shell out top dollar to see a roster that includes international superstars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Last week, Dodgers president and part-owner Stan Kasten said the Lakers sale “really has nothing to do with the Dodgers” and that “there are no changes here or contemplated here.” And Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at a news conference that he was “shocked” by news of the Lakers sale and had not heard of any potential changes to Dodgers ownership.
Andrew Granato, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin who specializes in corporate finance and insurance, said that although it was not yet clear whether Walter would offload the Dodgers, it would not be impossible, given the speed and scale of the billionaire’s recent financial transactions and the mounting federal and public scrutiny.
“I imagine that no fan feels particularly comfortable if the owner of their favorite team is under ... investigation. Certainly, it’s not an ideal situation,” he said.
Walter was riding high after the Dodgers’ success and his $10-billion purchase of the Lakers last year. But the last few months have been challenging.
The loans by two Delaware life insurers that Walter owns were made to companies tied to him or his TWG Global holding company but were not disclosed as “related party” transactions as required, the Wall Street Journal reported. Related-party transactions made by insurers are required to be reported to limit conflicts of interest and protect policyholders, who have an interest in the financial strength of their insurers.
Walter, the 66-year-old chief executive of Chicago investment firm Guggenheim Partners, led a group that included another Guggenheim executive and Magic Johnson in acquiring the Dodgers for $2.15 billion in 2012, then a record for an MLB team.
The Times has reported that he tapped the insurers he owned for financing, a deal that was later vetted by state insurance regulators.
However, the amount of related-party loans made by the two affiliated life insurers now under federal scrutiny is vastly more, amounting to 40% of the invested assets of Delaware Life as of Dec. 31, according to Fitch Ratings. The credit rating firm said that is the most of any North American life insurers it reviews.
It’s unclear where the money went, but the Wall Street Journal reported that billions were passed through a third party before being received by entities tied to Walter or his TWG Global holding company.
Last week, Walter stunned the sports world by selling a majority stake in the Lakers for $12.5 billion to former Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger and venture capitalist Joshua Kushner, who is the brother of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Walter has declined to comment on whether the sale was tied to the federal investigation.
The framework for a deal was consummated in a matter of days, Iger told interviewers last week. It still must be approved by the NBA Board of Governors, which meets in September.
Projecting an exact value for the Dodgers is difficult because MLB and its players union are engaged in contentious collective bargaining negotiations that many experts believe could result in a lockout when the current agreement expires in December.
Should a salary cap be agreed upon for the first time in MLB history, the valuation could jump to the high end, the source said. And about $1 billion of any sale would be subtracted to cover the Dodgers’ future commitments on deferred contracts.
The Dodgers’ massive local television deal with SportsNet LA directly elevates the franchise’s overall valuation.
Listing potential buyers should the Dodgers be for sale is challenging because the estimated value of the franchise is so much greater than almost any other MLB team. The record price for a sports franchise was the $12.5 billion for the Lakers.
Besides Kushner and Iger, those who have bid for teams aren’t in the $10-million-plus ballpark. The San Diego Padres were sold last week for $3.9 billion to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
Another question that has arisen as Walter’s financial troubles have garnered headlines is whether MLB would conduct its own investigation into Dodgers ownership or pressure the billionaire and his partners to sell the team.
“Any time there is any kind of public question about owners, they look into it,” former Dodgers president Bob Graziano told The Times. “I would guess, because there is a federal investigation going on, they’re not launching their own investigation, but they are going to wait to see what comes out of the federal investigation.”
No investigation of any kind into the matter has been announced by MLB.
MLB has never formally stripped an owner of a franchise or forced an outright sale through a vote of franchise owners. But the league forced Frank McCourt to sell the Dodgers in 2012 by exerting pressure and threatening a financial takeover or disciplinary action that would have stripped operational control.
When McCourt sold the team to Walter’s Guggenheim group, the franchise was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
When Guggenheim purchased the team in 2012, it outbid billionaire hedge fund manager Steven Cohen, who now owns the New York Mets. A group headed by former Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre and L.A. developer Rick Caruso dropped out of the bidding ahead of Cohen. Additional bidders included media executive Leo Hindery, billionaire Tom Barrack, then-St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke and Jared Kushner.
Times staff writer Laurence Darmiento contributed to this report.
Sawyer-Gipson Long, Beau Brieske, Brenan Hanifee, and Ricky Vanasco combined to dominant Cubs pitching as the Hens took a 2-0 lead in the series with a walkoff victory.
Gipson-Long’s first season back from Tommy John surgery has gone quite badly, but he was on in this one. He hit the first batter of the game, gave up back-to-back singles that scored a run, and from there the right-hander handled the Cubs comfortably.
The Hens got that run right back in the bottom of the first. Jace Jung was in an odd spot leading off, but he started the inning with a double and scored on a Max Anderson single to tie the game.
Gipson-Long scattered two hits and two walks through the rest of his five innings of work, striking out six. Brieske handled the sixth, allowing just a walk. Hanifee took care of the seventh. Ricky Vanasco got three quick ground outs in the eighth, and he allowed just a Jordan Nwogu single in the top of the ninth.
So it was 1-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Cal Stevenson came up big with a one-out double and took third on a Michael Siani ground out. Bennett Lee stepped to the dish and smashed a single to the wall in center field to walk off the Cubs.
🚨Mud Hens Walk-Off Win🚨
Bennett Lee drives the ball deep over the head of the center fielder to score Cal Stevenson with 2 outs in the 9th, and Toledo wins 2-1. pic.twitter.com/HlsZrmRbAb
Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Thursday.
Erie SeaWolves 6, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 5 (box)
Carlos Peña ran out of gas late in his start, but the SeaWolves built an early lead and fought off repeated challenges from the Cats to win again on Wednesday.
The SeaWolves started off quickly. Peyton Graham led off the bottom of the first with an infield single and then stole second for his 57th swipe of the season. Woody Hadeen singled him to third, and Zyhir Hope lifted a sacrifice fly to left.
In the second, Andrew Jenkins led off with a triple and scored on a Luke Shliger double for a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Peña was carving through the Fisher Cats until allowing a run in the top of the fifth. His outing finally went sideways in the sixth as he allowed three runs.
So it was now 4-2 Fisher Cats, but Hadeen led off the bottom of the sixth with a double and rode home on Thayron Liranzo’s 14th homer of the season. Jenkins followed him with a double, and Izaac Pacheco singled him in for a 5-4 lead.
Johan Simon coughed up one of Pena’s inherited runners in the sixth, and then gave up two singles and balked in a run in the seventh. But again in the bottom half the SeaWolves answered back. Seth Stephenson led off with a single and then stole his 55th base. Graham smashed a one-hopper over the left center field wall to score him and take a 6-5 lead.
Moises Rodriguez returned to the fold after his rehab work and tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, while Wandisson Charles collected his fourth save.
Graham: 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, SB
Liranzo: 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB, SB
Jenkins: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, K
Pena: 5.1 IP, 4 ER, 8 H, 3 BB, 6 K
Coming Up Next: The series is tied up heading into a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Thursday.
West Michigan Whitecaps 9, South Bend Cubs 0 (box)
Ben Jacobs was great, and Bryce Rainer set a franchise record by homering for the fifth straight game as the Whitecaps evened up the series.
The left-hander had some struggles moving to the High-A level, but he’s on a roll now. He blanked the Cubs on three hits and two walks, striking out six, over 5.1 innings of work. All he really needs to do is keep refining his command and building himself up, but he’s very much on track to tackle Double-A and perhaps even move quite quickly next season.
The Whitecaps started building a big lead in the second. Clayton Campbell singled with one out and Samuel Gil reached on an error. Stephen Hrustich doubled in Campbell, and Gil scored on a Cristian Santana ground out.
So it was 2-0 heading into the top of the third. Jackson Strong, who has heated up quite a bit since the break, led off with his 14th home run of the season. The 22-year-old is still striking out a lot, but he walks quite a bit, is showing average power already, and plays a pretty good center field for his experience level. Keep an eye on him.
Jackson Strong crushes a solo homer to right to give the Whitecaps a 3-0. It’s his 14th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/B4IQLtWBV9
Bryce Rainer followed Strong with a double and later scored on an Edian Espinal single. Campbell then mashed a two-run shot to make it 6-0.
In the fifth, Beau Ankeney walked with one out, took second on another Espinal single, and both scored on a double from Campbell. That made it 8-0, and in the seventh, Rainer led off with a missile to left-center for his 15th home run of the season.
Bryce Rainer does it again! His 5th straight game with a homer, setting a new Whitecaps record. pic.twitter.com/FpUM0Mc1zu
Cameron Flukey was pretty impressive in his short start, and once again the Flying Tigers hammered Mets’ pitching to win easily.
Flukey started things off with two scoreless innings of work. He threw 23 of 42 pitches for strikes, so he certainly wasn’t sharp, but he’s still just getting stretched out again and was working heavily with the fastball. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out two on the outing. He sat 94.1 mph with his fourseamer, showing off 19 inches of induced vertical break. He got six whiffs, four on the heater and two on the cutter. Zach MacDonald had a huge game at the plate, but he also robbed a homer on Flukey’s behalf in the first.
Ronald Ramirez led off with a double in the top of the second. Zach MacDonald followed with his 20th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead.
Donye Evans handled the third and fourth innings without giving up a run. In the top of the fifth, Enderson Delgado led off with a single and Javier Osorio followed with a double. They both scored on an Angel De Los Santos double, and he scored on a Jesus Pinto sacrifice fly for a 5-0 lead.
Paul Wilson took over in the bottom of the fifth. He was still wild, but the gas is in place as he averaged 95.5 mph with his fourseam and sinker, collecting whiffs on all four pitches, including the slider and curveball.
MacDonald hammered a solo shot in the sixth for a two-homer game.
Zach MacDonald launches his 2nd home run of the night to put Lakeland up 6-0. It’s his 22nd overall home run this year. pic.twitter.com/ejxaj8YRsk
In the seventh, Osorio and Yost singled, and then De Los Santos singled in Osorio. Pinto walked to load the bas1es, and the Mets wild pitched in a run. Nick Dumesnil walked to re-load the bases, and De Los Santos scored on a Jude Warwick ground out. At this point, Mets pitching was a mess and another walk and a ground out made it 10-0. De Los Santos singled and scored on a Dumesnil single in the eighth to make it 11-0.
In the eighth, Wilson finally cracked a bit. He hit the leadoff hitter and then wild pitched him to second base before giving up an RBI single for the Mets only run. Pedro Garcia closed it out from there.
MacDonald: 2-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 HR, BB, K
De Los Santos: 3-6, 3 R, 3 RBI, 2B, SB
Dumesnil: 2-4, RBI, BB, K
Yost: 2-6, R, K
Flukey: 2.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 2 K
Wilson: 3.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 4 K
Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers have won six of their last seven. They hold a 2-0 lead in the series with first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. ET on Thursday.
NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 12: Cam Schlittler #31 of the New York Yankees smiles during the game against the Seattle Mariners at Yankee Stadium on August 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a bit of a cliche, but one of the great things about baseball is that it never fails to surprise us. You can go to the ballpark and see something you’ve never seen before every night. The worst team in the league is liable to beat the best team in the league on any given day. And most crucially, ballplayers themselves are breathing, dynamic people that can and do change. Players who you thought were backups at best can shake up their offseason regimen, learn a new pitch, overhaul their plate approach, make any number of infinite changes, and turn into something you’d never dreamed of.
Of course, the process works in reverse too (players you never thought could regress and fail manage to surprise and go backwards). But let’s focus on the bright side right now and consider the Yankees that have surprised in positive ways this year. Now that we’re three-quarters into the season, which Yankee has raised your opinion of them the most?
Early in the season, I thought the answer to this question was sure to be Ben Rice. On May 3rd, Rice had a 1.214 OPS, and his 222 wRC+ led the majors. Rice carried a high level of production into the summer, but he’s cratered the last month or two. His 140 OPS+ on the year is still excellent, but it’s also probably not a hugely surprising figure to anyone that watched Rice closely in 2025.
Cam Schlittler also seemed like a great answer to this question early in the year, and thankfully, that remains the case even as we head toward the home stretch. Though he hasn’t been quite as dominant as he was during the season’s first couple months, Schlittler is still at or near the top of every AL pitching leaderboard and has a very real shot at the AL Cy Young. He’s an Ace, which was not a guarantee at the beginning of the year.
If no one on the Yankees has moved your expectations of them more than Schlittler, that’s fair. But there are some other candidates on this roster. Ryan Weathers comes to mind; his 3.56 ERA/3.62 FIP on the year are excellent for a mid-rotation arm, and if you put a little added weight onto his most recent stretch in which he’s allowed just three runs over his last five outings, Weathers starts to resemble a front-line starter.
There’s also the matter of the rooks. Everyone knew entering the year that George Lombard Jr. had real talent, but the idea that he’d be ready to contribute at a high level in the majors by the summer seemed a bit of a stretch. While we don’t know how long he can sustain this, Lombard has been a plus player in every way during his first few weeks in the majors after looking extremely polished in Triple-A. We also can give an honorable mention to Spencer Jones, who still strikes out too much but at least has looked like a major-league caliber player during his debut.
If you’re able to look past the Anthony Volpes and Jasson Domínguez’s of the world, there really are quite a number of Yankees who have taken steps forward and shifted our expectations of them. David Bednar has solidified himself as the Closer that was promised, Brent Headrick and Paul Blackburn have flourished into high-leverage arms, hell, even Gerrit Cole has done a lot to wipe away any concerns during his return from elbow surgery.
What do you think? Try and go back to the start of the season, and remember how you felt about each player. Who’s done the most to raise your opinion of them since then?
We’ve got the finale in Baltimore tonight, and we’ve got lots on the site to keep you busy beforehand. In the morning, Nick reviews Wednesday night’s action, and Michael calls for the Yankees to amp up their aggressiveness on the base paths. Later, Peter profiles the great Graig Nettles, and also praises Carlos Rodon’s work in his return against the Orioles this week, while Jonathan discusses the Yankees’ tendency to downplay injuries at times.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 10: Oscar Tshiebwe #34 of the Utah Jazz smiles against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 10, 2026 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Ideas around rebounding in the NBA have changed a lot in recent years.
It used to be far more common in a star player’s profile. Think former Houston Rockets star (?) Charles Barkley. His game was partly predicated on his ability to create easy opportunities in transition, which was partly predicated on his ability to grab boards.
Think Andre Drummond. He was kind of not that good at a lot of basketball stuff, but he was among the best rebounders in NBA history, and that was enough for him to earn an All-NBA nod.
That type of star doesn’t exist anymore.
Go look at the NBA’s rebounds per game leaders. Perhaps Nikola Jokic fits the Barkley archetype, but if anyone wanted to call him the “Round Mound of Rebound”, it would be weird. The Massive King of Passing would be more appropriate.
Otherwise, the list is littered with guys who you’d just expect to get rebounds. Nobody really sticks out – it’s just a bunch of guys grabbing 10ish rebounds per game because that’s their function. It’s less that they’re the league’s best rebounders, and more that the league’s best rebounders often don’t have enough ancillary skills to keep themselves on the floor.
Enter Oscar Tshiebwe.
Rockets build on identity with Tshiebwe signing
Rebounding from individual players has been devalued, but for a while, even team rebounding had lost some luster. Teams were largely opting to pass on even attempting to corral offensive boards in favor of defending transition.
Not the Rockets.
Their 38.8 Offensive Rebounding % in 2025-26 led the league by a country mile. Their overall 54.9 Rebounding % was league-best as well.
So why not add the best rebounder in G-League history?
Tshiebwe’s robust 19.0 rebounds per game in 2024-25 were the best mark ever recorded. This man can collect a board.
He’s only 6’8″, but he’s 255 pounds of pure granite. His 7’3″ wingspan is also helpful. Tshiebwe is not afraid to throw his weight around, and few players can outmuscle him.
So what should the Rockets expect from him?
Tshiebwe can find a role with the Rockets
Rebounds!
Jokes aside: Clint Capela wasn’t great last year. It was fun to see him back with the organization, and he wasn’t…awful…but the Rockets should be in the market for a better third-string, “break in case of Steven Adams-related emergency” backup big.
Tshiebwe has a chance to be that guy. At his size, his lateral quickness is subpar. He can be a defensive liability, although securing the glass is part of defense too, and Tshiebwe is one of the best in the NBA on that front.
TORONTO, CANADA - AUGUST 16: Heliot Ramos #34 of the New York Yankees takes the field against the Toronto Blue Jays in their MLB game at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Cole Burston/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: To say that Heliot Ramos is off to a rough start with the Yankees would be an understatement. Before Wednesday’s game, he had a .371 OPS as a member of the Bombers, yet he has been hitting third or fourth in the order. Manager Aaron Boone implied he might be pressing a little bit, but he continues to back him. “I think there’s a level of, ‘He wants to show us,’ but we know we got a good player here and a good hitter,” Boone said. “He’s fit in very well here. I think you just want to prove yourself, so there’s probably a little bit of that going on.”
The skipper said that Ramos is “definitely hit into some tough luck” as a Yankee, and he might be right. As Phillips explained, the .121-point difference between his .178 wOBA and .299 xwOBA since August 4 was the second-largest of any player in the majors with at least 40 plate appearances over that stretch. A .299 xwOBA is not particularly impressive, but the main takeaway is that there might be better days on the horizon for Ramos.
New York Post | Matt Ehalt: If you were a Yankees or Mets fan in 2000, you surely remember the Roger Clemens-Mike Piazza feud. It all started in July that year, when the seven-time Cy Young Award winner hit the Hall of Fame catcher with a pitch in the head. Then, in the World Series, the ace sawed off Piazza’s bat in the first inning of Game 2, picked up a piece of the barrel, and threw it in the catcher’s direction as he jogged down the first-base line.
Clemens wouldn’t return to Shea Stadium until June 15, 2002. Shawn Estes, who wasn’t on the Mets in 2000, had the responsibility of hitting Clemens, but instead, he missed the target and threw behind him in front of a crowd that, quite frankly, was thirsty for blood. To this day, he resents the instruction given to him and explains why. “The reason why I resented it is not that I felt like that it didn’t need to be done and it wasn’t like the ‘woe is me, why am I the guy that has to take care of this?’ I kind of felt like it was more of it wasn’t my responsibility,” he told Tony Reali.
“I feel like it should have fallen on someone that had more skin in the game, that had more emotions toward the situation that was at hand,” the former pitcher said.
MLB Trade Rumors | Charlie Wright: Former Yankee Néstor Cortés signed a major league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, agreeing to go to Low-A to build up. He is working his way back from arm surgery and is expected to be ready in a few weeks. Good luck to Nasty Nestor in his next adventure.
A Manchester City clearout is in the offing, which could aid Newcastle’s search for a new central midfielder to replace the departed Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães. Nico González could be packing his bags to head up to St James’ Park, having never quite proved himself at the Etihad Stadium. Attacking players Omar Marmoush and Savinho, meanwhile, are on their way to Tottenham, which should kickstart a busy end to the window at City.
On the other side of Manchester, United are looking to sell off some of their younger players to Arsenal. The Gibraltar international James Scanlon, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Swindon, and Habeeb Ogunneye are set for moves to the Premier League champions. The Gunners are ramping up their recruitment of young players to strengthen quality across the club. On his way out of the Emirates Stadium is another youngster, with Ethan Nwaneri wanted by Fulham and Everton, while RB Leipzig could also come into the mix for a loan move. Gabriel Jesus has also been linked with an exit but the Brazilian wants to stick around at the Emirates.
