The 10-year-old third baseman was wrapping up warmups for practice at Vestal Field outside of Pittsburgh when a teammate stopped and pointed.
Someone said it was Pirates ace Paul Skenes. Nobody bought it.
“We didn’t believe it at first,” Anthony told USA TODAY Sports, “but then we went over there and we saw him.”
The reigning Cy Young winner had been driving down Perry Highway in Wexford around 7 p.m. on Monday, June 8 when he saw the light still on at the Little League field. Anthony Greco and his teammates were getting ready for their tournament season.
Two hours later, when Anthony’s mom Courtney came to pick him up, there was Paul Skenes on the field with the kids.
“He just took all the time in the world to talk to them and answer questions,” Courtney said. “He signed autographs, he took pictures and just spent a lot of time with them.”
This was the night before Skenes was scheduled to face the defending World Series champion Dodgers at PNC Park.
“I just couldn’t believe he was there,” Anthony said. “I thought he’d have to practice or something because he’s pitching (Tuesday) night.”
But Skenes had an off day and all the time to talk to the coaches of the Ingomar Franklin Park Little League.
And they had questions.
“How do you throw your splinker?” one asked.
“How do you throw so hard all the time?” asked another.
Skenes shrugged and told the young pitchers to just throw as hard as they could. He signed everything the kids put in front of him; he posed for every picture.
Anthony, who had gone with his family to Altoona, Pa. on Aug. 26, 2023 to see Skenes make his Double-A debut, said that the All-Star was “taller and stronger” than he looks on TV.
When it was his turn to talk to Skenes, Anthony had a very direct question.
“I had a ball, so I just asked him, ‘Can you sign it?’” Anthony said with a laugh. “And then we got a picture after that.”
He is going to frame both and keep them in his room.
The moment went viral in part because when he drove up to the field, Skenes was on the phone with his girlfriend Livvy Dunne. The former gymnast and current model and influencer posted about it on social media, writing she could believe her MLB boyfriend, “is just a boy” for pulling over to watch a Little League practice.
He told the adults at the field that he pulled over because he just loves baseball and remembers being that age and how much Little League meant to him.
Skenes showed up just after practice started around 7 p.m. He did not leave until after 9:15 p.m.
“I couldn’t believe he just spent all the time with the kids,” Courtney said. “To go to the field and see Paul Skenes, someone they look up to.
“They just couldn’t stop talking about it.”
Neither could anyone else who heard about it.
By the time they arrived, the story had already gone viral. It was on the nightly news. Anthony’s dad, Chris, who runs the league, was fielding phone calls from newspapers and television reporters. The pictures and videos were all over baseball social media.
For Anthony and the other kids, however, it was their own experience. A real life baseball star on their field with them. From here on out, Anthony Greco and his teammates and family will never forget it.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 08: Collin Price #37 and Bryan Abreu #52 of the Houston Astros celebrate after the 5-4 win against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Finally getting healthier, the Houston Astros have won 3 of 4 and 11 of 17.
Jeremy Pena is hitting .307 since returning from injury May 18, with 3 doubles, 3 HR, 12 RBI and 4 SB.
Josh Hader has struck out 7 of the 10 batters he has faced in his 3 innings since returning from the IL, and has not allowed a hit or a run.
Jose Altuve has also returned from injury, much sooner than anticipated. He scored the game winning run on Monday night tagging up on a pop-up caught by the Angels second baseman in shallow centerfield. His sprint speed was clocked at over 29 ft/sec, incredibly fast for anyone, let alone a player of Altuve’s age.
Monday night, Bryan Abreu may have finally found his fastball. He threw three straight heaters to Jo Adell at 97 MPH for a 3 pitch strikeout.
Hunter Brown has pitched brilliantly in his rehab starts, and has one more rehab start scheduled before likely being activated.
Cristian Javier will make his second rehab start tonight for Sugar Land after making his first last week for Corpus Christi.
Yainer Diaz is starting his rehab assignment with Sugar Land this evening as well.
Houston is playing better, getting better pitching, and getting healthier as they try to get back over .500 and solidify their place in the playoff race.
The Astros play a total of 27 games in the month of June, and are currently 4-3.
How many games do you think the Astros will win in total for the month of June?
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Astros fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
While the Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs this season, they are still retooling. Because of this, it is very important for them to hit with their first-round pick this year.
In his latest 2026 NHL mock draft for The Athletic, Scott Wheeler predicted that the Penguins would select center Ilia Morozov with their first-round pick later this month.
With the Penguins' centers getting older, it would make sense if the Penguins took a chance on a big center like Morozov with their first-round pick this year. The potential for him to emerge as a solid NHL forward is there, and he could be a nice part of Pittsburgh's top six later down the road.
Morozov just completed his freshman year with Miami University, and it was a solid campaign for the 6-foot-3 center. In 36 games this season, he posted eight goals, 12 assists, and 20 points. This is after he had 11 goals and 22 points in 59 games for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL during the 2024-25 season.
Overall, Morozov has been showing clear signs of improvement with his development. Due to this, it would be understandable if the Penguins added him to their prospect pool if he is still available for the taking when they are on the clock.
Francisco Lindor, who has been out since April 22 due to a left calf strain, was running at close to full speed in shallow right field ahead of Tuesday's series-opener against the Cardinals at Citi Field.
After getting his running in, Lindor took grounders at shortstop before getting in the cage for batting practice.
Speaking shortly after Lindor did his running, manager Carlos Mendoza said the plan is for Lindor to do a week of full baseball activity before assessing next steps.
Mendoza noted that Lindor has yet to run the bases -- something that could possibly be his final hurdle before beginning a rehab assignment.
There was initially a bit of mystery surrounding Lindor's injury, with the team not disclosing the grade of the calf strain and not giving an estimate regarding his timeline.
By all indications, though, there was nothing going on beyond a calf injury that was simply more serious than the kind of strain Juan Soto was able to return from in roughly three weeks.
After starting the season in an offensive funk, Lindor was heating up at the plate before getting hurt, hitting .286 in 14 games between April 7 and 22.
Overall this season, Lindor is slashing .226/.314/.355 with two homers, two doubles, and two triples in 24 games.
The Mets have had Lindor and Soto together in the lineup just 11 times this season -- something that could change in the next few weeks.
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 24: Payton Tolle #70 of the Boston Red Sox reacts after the final out of a game against the Toronto Blue Jays on September 24, 2025 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Before the last two games, the Red Sox actually had a little thing going on the road where they won 10 out of 13 away from Fenway Park. After loses to the Yankees and Rays on Sunday and Monday though, they need to win tonight to keep any chance of a winning road trip alive.
On the mound to help them do that is Payton Tolle, who is coming off an excellent outing of six shutout innings against Baltimore. He’ll face off against Nick Martinez, who somehow has a 2.29 ERA this year in his age 35 season for the Rays after spending the bulk of his baseball career bouncing around between teams, starting and reliving roles, and even continents (he pitched in Japan for four years between 2018 and 2021).
If the Red Sox do manage to get a lead against him, they’ll have a little extra help in the late innings to hold things down as Garrett Whitlock is back in the bullpen:
The #RedSox today reinstated RHP Garrett Whitlock from the 15-Day Injured List. To make room, Boston optioned INF Anthony Seigler to Triple-A Worcester.
ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 12: Hurston Waldrep #64 of the Atlanta Braves pitches in the first inning during the game against the Houston Astros at Truist Park on September 12, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves are currently in Chicago to take on the White Sox but apparently that won’t be the only city that people should keep an eye on during this midweek series. In fact, you might want to keep an eye on what’s going on in Columbus, Georgia on Thursday in particular. That’s where Hurston Waldrep will be moving up from the FCL Braves to Double-A for another rehab start on his way back into action for the Atlanta Braves. Walt Weiss informed the media of this news in a pre-game presser and the Columbus Clingstones confirmed it via press release.
Waldrep is on his way to Columbus! 🤩
Hurtson Waldrep becomes first @Braves pitcher assigned to Columbus on a Major League rehab assignment & scheduled to start Thursday, June 11!
— Columbus Clingstones (@GoClingstones) June 9, 2026
Here’s more from the Clingstones’ announcement:
Waldrep, 24, was selected by Atlanta with the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of the University of Florida. He made his Double-A debut with Mississippi later that season and owns a 3-5 record with a 2.88 ERA across 12 career starts at the Double-A level between 2023 and 2024.
Waldrep is continuing his Major League rehab assignment after making two starts in the Florida Complex League on June 1 and 6. He was placed on Atlanta’s 60-Day Injured List following successful surgery on his right elbow during Spring Training.
The right-hander becomes the first Atlanta Braves pitcher assigned to Columbus on a Major League rehab assignment and the second Braves player overall to rehab with the Clingstones, joining shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, who appeared with Columbus from April 29 through May 3.
Waldrep pitched two innings in each of his starts with the FCL Braves — he faced eight batters and walked two batters without giving up a run in his first outing on June 1 and then he followed that up five days later with another two innings where he gave up a run on two hits and three walks, while peppering a wild pitch in there as well. He did rack up four strikeouts during that second outing, so I’d imagine that the powers that be will be focusing more on the incremental progress rather than the results.
The main thing is that Waldrep hasn’t suffered any setbacks since returning from elbow surgery. As long as that continues then we could be seeing him pitch again for the Braves sooner rather than later. For now, it’s time for Waldrep to hopefully continue to get back into shape at the Double-A level (making his first appearance there since 2024) as he gets closer and closer to a potential return for the big-league Braves.
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 08: Adolis García #53 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates in the dugout out after hitting a 2-run home run in the second inning during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 8, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are the lineups for game two against the Blue Jays. Let’s discuss.
TEMPE, ARIZONA - JUNE 09: Jacoby Brissett #7 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on during the mandatory minicamp at Dignity Health Arizona Cardinals Training Center on June 09, 2026 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images) | Getty Images
We are into the mandatory portion of the offseason and all is right.
Well, all are in attendance, but not all are actively participating.
As camp opened, Jacoby Brissett was seen with the other quarterbacks, observing, while he enjoyed the warm weather.
So, for the Arizona Cardinals the question becomes… what are we doing here?
Brissett we know is holding-in for the contract he believes is deserved for a starter, what that is, no one really can pinpoint, but it is likely more than where they are right now.
Meanwhile, what the hell is Josh Sweat doing? Like, awesome that he is there, but what is happening? Why are you not participating in workouts and activities?
This whole offseason has highlighted the overall dysfunction of a franchise that is the losingest in all North American sports. What is happening?
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 03: Starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning of the MLB game at Chase Field on June 03, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Dodgers defeated the Diamondbacks 7-0. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Shohei Ohtani is back on the mound for the Dodgers in the middle game of the series against the Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.
Ohtani has allowed seven total runs (five earned) in his 10 starts, and in none of his 61 innings has allowed multiple runs. His 0.74 ERA is best in the majors among pitchers with at least 60 innings, and his 2.36 xERA ranks third.
Wednesday will be Ohtani’s first pitching appearance at PNC Park.
Jared Jones makes his third start of the season for the Pirates. The right-hander missed all of 2025 after an internal brace procedure to repair his torn UCL. Jones allowed five runs in his first game back against the Minnesota Twins on May 29, but last Thursday pitched five scoreless innings to beat the Houston Astros.
The Chicago Blackhawks currently have the fourth-overall pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. With the Blackhawks having another pick in the top five, there is no question that they are facing a big decision on who to select with it.
In his latest mock draft for The Athletic, Scott Wheeler had the Blackhawks taking left-shot defenseman Carson Carels with their fourth-overall pick if Ivar Stenberg is not available when they are on the clock.
With the Blackhawks needing help on the left side of their blueline, it would make a lot of sense if they picked Carels with their fourth-overall selection. He would give them a left-shot defenseman who has the potential to emerge as a top-pairing blueliner at the NHL level later down the road.
Carels just had himself a very good season in the WHL with the Prince George Cougars, and the truth is in his stats. In 58 games this campaign with the WHL squad, he posted 20 goals, 53 assists, and 74 points. With numbers like these, it is clear that the 6-foot-2 defenseman has plenty of offensive upside, which certainly adds to his appeal.
It will be interesting to see if the Blackhawks end up taking Carels with their fourth-overall pick this summer. If they do, he would be a nice addition to their prospect pool.
After a third straight physical game to begin the NBA Finals, Knicks guard Jose Alvarado has issued a warning after Spurs star Victor Wembanyama got away with a bit of nastiness on Jalen Brunson early in Game 3.
In the first quarter, San Antonio’s center gave a shove to the back of Brunson’s head as the guard jockeyed for position at the high post, sending him to the ground.
Brunson took exception to the uncalled one-armed shove and addressed it with Wembanyama, jabbing his finger at the Frenchman during the possession.
On Tuesday, Alvarado issued a warning to the Spurs.
“I think that’s not basketball,” Alvarado said Tuesday, via The New York Post. “That’s something that they gotta look at. But he got away with one.
Monty McCutchen, the NBA’s Senior Vice President and Head of Development and Training for Referee Operations, said Tuesday the play should have been whistled for a foul.
"Well, most certainly I think we can all agree that a foul was missed on that play," McCutchen said on ESPN's "NBA Today." "A big part of our job is on-ball, off-ball exchanges between referees. We did a poor job of that here, where we've got two people on ball, and we don't see the screening action… And if we break down in our fundamentals in even the smallest amounts, we have the opportunity to miss a clear foul as we missed here."
The NBA has yet to announce whether Wembanyama will receive a retroactive flagrant foul for the action on Brunson. If the league does upgrade the foul, Wembanyama would be one flagrant foul away from an automatic one-game suspension, after he was issued a Flagrant-2 foul and ejected for elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid earlier in the postseason.
Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox said everybody knows playoff basketball will be physical, and nobody expects to “not have bumps and bruises” in his defense of his teammate.
“If you get hit, you hit back. That's life,” Fox said Tuesday. “If life hits you, you need to figure out a way to get on your feet and hit it back.
Every time he rolls, he gets tagged, he gets hit. If he's trying to go set a screen, box out, whatever it may be, he's getting grabbed, he's getting held. It would be crazy for him to think he's going to get open by not hitting somebody.”
Fox added: “You know that team's going to be physical with you, so you go out there and you try to hit first.”
Stacey King’s family has broken its silence after the NBA champion and beloved broadcaster’s unexpected death.
King’s sons, Erick, Garrett and Brandon, issued an emotional statement through the Bulls on Tuesday, thanking fans for the outpouring of support and remembering their father as more than the larger-than-life personality Chicago came to know.
ESPN Chicago’s David Kaplan said King died after a fall at his home. Medical examiners said King was found at his River Forest, Ill., home and that a head autopsy was needed to confirm the cause of death, ABC7 Chicago reported.
Stacey King playing for the Bulls in 1990. Getty Images
King’s sons said many knew him as a champion, broadcaster and “larger-than-life personality,” but they knew him as an “even greater father, friend, and man.”
The family also shared one of its favorite memories of King’s ability to connect with people.
When fans would ask if he was a professional athlete, King would smile and say, “No, I’m just a tall black guy.”
His sons said that his sense of humor and warmth never left him.
The family said the messages, phone calls, prayers and stories they have received since King’s death have brought comfort.
Stacey King had been a Bulls broadcaster since 2006. NBAE via Getty Images
The Bulls selected King with the No. 6 pick in the 1989 NBA Draft out of Oklahoma, and he became part of Chicago’s first three-peat alongside Michael Jordan from 1991-93. He played eight NBA seasons before retiring in 1997.
After his playing career, King became one of the most recognizable voices around the Bulls as a longtime television analyst, known for his energy, humor and signature calls.
Jordan said Monday that he was “deeply saddened” by King’s death, remembering their years together as teammates and King’s role in defining an era of Bulls basketball.
Former Chicago Bulls television announcer Stacey King attends the first half of an NBA basketball game, Nov. 17, 2025, in Denver. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
The Bulls also paid tribute to King after his death, with owner Jerry Reinsdorf remembering him as one of the unique personalities and “unmistakable voice” in the organization’s history.
King’s family thanked the Bulls organization and Bulls Nation for embracing him throughout his playing and broadcasting career, saying his connection with the city and fans meant the world to him.
“We love you, Dad,” the family added. “Your legacy will live on.”
Jun 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) passes the ball to forward Victor Wembanyama (1) against New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during game three of the 2026 NBA Finals in the third quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
I’ve never been much for horror films.
Sure, I’ve always been fascinated by the destabilizing and open-ended duality of The Shining (Stephen King owes Kubrick a debt for improving on the book, the ungrateful wretch), or the bizarro excesses of a young Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive, and though I have enjoyed the return of more psychological horror over the past decade, by-and-large it’s a genre I don’t engage with much.
Most perplexing to me is the popularity of horror films that rely on the jump scare. The jump scare is a time-honored convention at this point in the genre, but there’s a very fine line between using it as an intelligently startling punctuation, and having it function as the only real draw/form of stimulation.
Personally, I adjust to over-stimulation far too quickly for these kinds of films to be very effective. As a younger man, drinking began to lose the appeal once I needed to imbibe larger and larger quantities of alcohol, even as the effect lessened.
Now, in the relative sobriety of middle-age, I find that one or two drinks can really do the trick. The same feels true for the jump scare. Too many, and I begin to lose interest. I find an extended section of growing unease to be far more effective.
Why is probably why I spent most of my weekend dreading the thought of having to write about Game 3.
Unlike the previous series against the Thunder, there haven’t been any blowouts. Losing feels bad, but in a blowout at least it goes quickly. You lose your attachment to the game pretty quickly when you’re down 20+ in the fourth quarter. It almost seems like it hurts less, or at the very least, allows you to pull the chute earlier.
Each Finals game has felt like base-jumping into the Overlook Hotel. The endless seesawing of the score starts to play tricks on your mind. How many times have the Spurs had the lead? Have they actually ever really had the lead? I could have sworn they were up by 8. Or 10. Or 6. Wait…they’re tied??
The margin starts to feel as inflationary as our national currency (or gas prices), and everything seem relative. What even is a lead? Five points ahead is basically a tie at this point. It’s all a fugazi. It’s fairy dust. Even worse, the games were starting to give me a feeling that the only slasher franchise I’ve ever regularly engaged with gives me.
Anytime something important needed to happen, the Knicks seemed to hit any and every shot in spite of the odds.
A long-distance prayer at the end of the shot clock?
They’re going to make it.
The perfect pass out of a near-perfect defensive rotation?
They’re gonna find it.
A critical rebound that mutiple Spurs are in position for, and have hands on?
And in the second quarter of Game 3, the Final Destination vibes started to kick in again.
The Spurs were amazing for the first ten-or-so minutes of the 1st quarter, before the Knicks caught back up with the highest-scoring quarter of the series for either team.
New York hit 6 of their 13 threes in that quarter. They went 13/16 from the field as a whole. Everything was going in. Perfectly contested shots. Leaning shots off one leg. Shots majestically arcing over Wemby’s Lovecraftian reach. (Brunson in particular seems to have mastered this) Shots with seemingly no arc at all.
They went 8 for 8 from the free-throw line, and they didn’t even seem to need it.
The Spurs had been up by 12 at the start of the 2nd. Now they were down by 7 going into the half. Intellectually I knew that 7 points wasn’t much, but I was starting to feel like the Spurs were up against something supernatural.
Had James Dolan finally given in and sold his soul to dark forces? Was Adam Silver the demiurge? Were the current Knicks being possessed by the ghosts of Willis Reed, and Dick Barnett, and Dave DeBusschere?
And so it continued. The Spurs would claw out a lead. The Knicks would then make impossible plays and shots and/or the Spurs would slip up in unusual ways. And even though they only ended up with eight turnovers, it felt like every pass from San Antonio was either reckless or hazarded by their opponents, to the point that I thought it might be giving me heart palpitations or angina.
If this had been a bog-standard slasher film, I’d have adjusted to it by then, but as in the case of Final Destination, it was the sheer improbability and unpredictability (or false certainty) that was keeping my blood pumping.
I was either standing or pacing for most of the fourth quarter, my daughter tucked in on the couch, a serene and innocently slumbering opposite. I couldn’t carry her to her room in the middle of that madness! Who knows what might have happened?!
I had honored my contractual agreement for pre-bedtime cuddles. What my daughter had failed to grasp was the nature of the contract I had signed in watching this potentially paranormal snuff film of my favorite team’s hopes and dreams on the apparently haunted hardwood of Madison Square Garden!!
(Who says dramatic monologuing isn’t the spice of life?)
And the Spurs clawed out one final lead. They were about to be up double digits.
And then the Knicks successfully challenged the foul, with Keldon Johnson found to be the real culprit like some awful Scooby Doo reveal, which wiped out Wemby’s make and the free-throw.
And the Brunson hit a shot. And then Anunoby. And the valiant De’Aaron Fox answered, but Brunson continued to close the gap.
An alley-oop to Victor, but it didn’t seem to matter. The fix was in, and it felt malevolently Calvinistic. The Knicks were the Elect. Everything was predetermined. We’d seen this movie before. At least twice. And I was definitely not crashing out in a pseudo-theological way at all.
And then Castle hit a three.
And it wasn’t just a three. It was an end-of-the-shot-clock plea for intercession. A life exchange momentarily shifting someone else’s name onto Basketball Death’s list in place of your own. The resuscitation of an NBA team that was flat-lining. A tiny miracle of the sort that had been evading the Spurs all series.
And you could tell the invigoration was real, because no one hung their head or checked out when OG Anunoby ended up at the free-throw line. Or when Jalen Brunson benefited from one last gasp of ludicrous magic by hitting a step-back three to cut the lead to three points.
And then Fox, the 2023 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, who’s had to pick his spots for most of the series, picked the last perfect spot of the night, with a mid-range jumper right over the formidably-defending Anunoby, and the light at the end of the tunnel was there. The edge of the maze. The weirdly rampant zombie-killing lawn mower.
And I was relieved, which feels like the wrong word, because I wasn’t sure what to write. But also the right word, because I really had to pee.
The ending of the film version of the shining is ambiguous. We don’t actually know what happened to Jack, or who/what he even is. The Final Destination films are heading into their seventh installment, with no more hint of clarity or cessation than in the films before.
The Spurs still have to play Game 4. They’ll still be at The Garden. There’s no way of knowing if this was a respite, or a turning point. Anticipation is its own kind of psychological horror.
But for one night, the Spurs disrupted the conspiratorial delusions of at least one Spurs fan.
I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I don’t know if they’ve broken the cycle. But I know that I can’t stop watching.
I can’t help it. It’s the best show around.
Takeways
For most of the postseason, the Spurs have actually shot a little above (79.5%) their season average (78.7%) at the free throw line, but they shot 75% during the first two games, and it cost them. Shooting closer to their average last night (78%) was almost certainly a deciding factor when the margin is so thing, so let’s hope they continue to trend upwards in the respect. People always talk about championships being won in the margins to the point of eliciting the occasional eye roll, but that’s how much a 3% difference can matter. Maybe Mitch Johnson should set up a practice where players shoot free-throws while Sean Sweeney stands next to them doing his best Chucky Doll impression? I’ve got all kinds of ideas, if only they’d ask me.
The Spurs also managed to finally knock down their threes to the tune of something close to their season average (35%). Variance is a beast that both teams are falling victim to in that arena, but the Spurs shot 30% from three over those first two games, and the law of averages has somewhat avenged them. Thankfully, the Knicks are finally sinking back down to just below their regular season average (with some Spursy assistance, of course) after going on a very extended hot streak over multiple rounds, but the Spurs aren’t going to win the day in MSG again if they get a repeat of those first two performances, so light your payer candles before the game, because I get the feeling they’re going to have to weather a fierce response.
Keldon Johnson looked a little bit better after a pair of games that had me questioning how he could be effectively used in this series. But by limiting his usage, and picking his spots more like De’Aaron Fox, he ended the game with the team-high plus minus and has pulled himself out of the depths of a negative net rating. However, as much as I like the more discerning approach, I get the feeling that the Spurs are going to need *at least* one big game out of Keldon in order to bring home the trophy, so he still needs to keep his eye out for opportunities while biding his time more efficiently. Both of the previous series have featured at least one game with Keldon on a heater. Does he have one more in him against a team that has clearly prepared for thwarting him? I guess we’ll see.
Carter Bryant hit a three! It’s his first of the series, and we like to celebrate the little victories as well here at PTR. Naturally we all expect him to instantly morph into Steph Curry and change the complexion of the series. That seems fair. Maybe I can go out and buy one of those wishing willows from Obsession. I’m sure that won’t backfire at all. It’s not like it’s a Monkey’s Paw.
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler released his latest 2026 NHL Mock Draft. In it, he predicted the entire first round.
When it came to the Montreal Canadiens, Wheeler predicted that the Canadiens will select left winger Adam Novotny with their first-round pick.
Novotny is an interesting prospect heading into the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The 6-foot-1 forward demonstrated plenty of promise this season in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Peterborough Petes, so he would be a nice pickup for the Habs if selected.
In 58 games this season with the Petes, Novotny recorded 34 goals, 31 assists, and 65 points. With numbers like these, the big winger showed that he is capable of putting the puck in the net, which certainly adds to his appeal.
The potential for Novotny to blossom into an impactful NHL forward is there, so it would make sense if the Canadiens ended up selecting him in the first round this year. This is especially so when noting that they could use more depth on the wing.
It will be interesting to see if the Canadiens end up selecting Novotny from here. The fit looks strong on paper.
President Donald Trump was booed, loudly and at length, when he appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden Monday night.
The arena had been chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!” as Avery Wilson began to sing The Star Spangled Banner. The Trump’s face appeared on the screen for the first time since he had entered the arena, saluting the flag and the arena erupted in boos.
While the booing was clear on the ABC broadcast, people inside the arena also posted videos capturing the booing.
The Athletic's Esfandiar Baraheni recorded the moment it turned.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 9, 2026
Trump wasn’t rattled, at least not publicly. Boarding Air Force One after the game, the president told reporters, “I think it was mostly cheers. It was loud. And it was enthusiastic.”
He attended as the guest of Knicks owner James Dolan and became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game. The Knicks lost 115-111. They lead the series 2-1. Game 4 is on Wednesday at MSG, ESPN reported that Trump will not attend.
Joining Trump in the suite were White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, EP Administrator Lee Zeldin, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Trump's granddaughter, Kai Trump. Also in the suite was Envoy Steve Witkoff, Director of White House Oval Office operations Walt Nauta, longtime Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn, and executive assistant to the president Natalie Harp.
CNN reported that his son-in-law Jared Kuschner was also in the suite.
