In a split second, De’Aaron Fox became the basketball world’s object of consternation. The foil. The antihero.
It happened with less than 15 seconds left and the Spurs up 106-105. Victor Wembanyama got a defensive stop against Jalen Brunson, and Fox tipped the rebound to himself.
After chasing the ball downcourt, Fox had a decision to make. Use the clock. Or go for a layup.
He’s fast. He believed in himself. He decided to go for what he thought would be a sure-fire way to give the Spurs a three-point lead. A layup is easier to make than two free throws, after all.
Except he miscalculated things.
OG Anunoby met him in the paint. As Fox elevated with 11 seconds left, Anunoby made the block of his life.
The Knicks found themselves with possession of the ball. They had a relative eternity on the clock. They had a chance to clinch the game.
OG Anunoby blocks De’Aaron Fox’s shot in the closing seconds of the Knicks’ historic 107-106 win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA on June 10, 2026 at the Garden. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
Brunson attempted a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left that rimmed out. Fox, who had left Anunoby to double-team the Knicks star, then watched his man cut through the lane, elevate and tip in the ball with 1.2 seconds remaining.
So many things went wrong for the Spurs in a hellish fourth quarter. It takes all five guys on the court to blow a 29-point lead, as well as the guy at the helm. But in a collapse so big, on this stage, the world needs to blame someone.
If Fox had made the layup, he would’ve been the hero.
But the gamble didn’t go his way.
So instead, that play has landed him in the eye of the storm. He’s now the face of a collapse so large that it will be talked about for generations. It might not be fair. But that’s basketball. Just ask JR Smith.
The 28-year-old Fox is a veteran point guard. The Spurs traded for him in February 2025 because they trusted him to shepherd the team in clutch moments. He signed a four-year, $229 million extension with the team in August.
Fox had a fraction of a second to make a decision. In this case, with the world watching, he happened to make the wrong one.
“I just thought I’d be able to outrun him,” Fox said of Anunoby. “That’s it.”
For the Spurs, this series has been defined by a series of little mistakes that have had monumental consequences.
In Game 2, Wembanyama was the fall guy after he committed a turnover with 12.7 seconds left in the Spurs’ 105-104 loss.
Karl-Anthony Towns fouls De’aaron Fox during the first quarter of the Knicks’ historic Game 4 win over the Spurs. Jason Szenes for the New York Post
On Wednesday, it was Fox’s turn to have the world point its finger at him, ring bells and chant “shame.”
Sure, Wembanyama missed two free throws with 1:47 left and the Spurs up 104-103. Sure, the Spurs went cold in the second half, shooting just 20.5 percent from the field. Fox was just a piece of the puzzle.
But his mistake was the most memorable. It was the most egregious.
The funny thing is, Fox was a hero of sorts in Game 3 after he made a jumper with 12 seconds left to help lift the Spurs to a 115-111 win. He came through when it mattered most.
But two days later, the opposite was true.
De’Aaron Fox (4) of the San Antonio Spurs in action on June 10, 2026. Anadolu via Getty Images
Overall, Fox has had a rough series. The two-time All-Star is averaging just 14.3 points over the last four games, less than half as much as his Knicks counterpart Brunson, who’s averaging 29.5 points.
In Game 4, Fox had 18 points (but it took him 16 shots to get them), seven assists and five rebounds. He also had four turnovers, including a glaring one with two minutes left and the Spurs up 104-103 when he essentially threw the ball to Josh Hart.
You want to root for Fox. It was tough to watch. He’s sacrificing his own stats while playing alongside Wembanyama. He’s a guy who truly cares about winning above all else.
But Fox is now firmly in the bullseye of a catastrophe that has transfixed the sports world. This game will be talked about forever. It instantly became a classic.
The Knicks are now one win away from their first championship since 1973. Meanwhile, the Spurs have squandered two games by final-second errors, most recently at the hands of their point guard who was supposed to steady them in these moments.
Fox isn’t the reason the Spurs lost Game 4. This collapse was so much bigger than him. San Antonio was outscored in the fourth quarter, 32-16. Everyone is at fault for this disaster.
But Fox’s blunder was the most stunning.
It’s universally accepted that with such little time on the clock and such a paper-thin lead, the best thing to do is dribble. Let time pass. Incite panic. Draw the foul. Steal time from the opponent. Close their window to score.
But Fox took a risk on the league’s biggest stage.
New York's new hero sat at his locker, alone, icing both knees, looking through his phone as if the day had just begun, as if he didn't just create one of the most iconic moments in the history of the most iconic arena, as if he didn't yet realize his name will be lifted to the rafters with one more win.
There were roughly 19,812 screaming as one — “O-G! O-G! O-G!” — family, friends and strangers who made no distinction, processing the unimaginable, releasing avalanches, tidal waves and mountains of emotions, inspired by 53 years of close calls and bad calls, of decades as a punchline and a punching bag, of a love that was rarely reciprocated and a hope that was never rewarded.
They stayed in their seats long after the final buzzer screamed victory, unwilling to leave the dream. They continued chanting through the concourses, down the escalators and outside nearby bars — “O-G! O-G! O-G!” — sporting jerseys that span the eras, smoking blue and orange vapes in a semicircle of ecstasy, making out as if V-J Day was just declared.
Inside the Knicks locker room, there was quiet.
OG Anunoby slams home a dunk during the Knicks’ historic 107-106 win over the Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Finals at the Garden. NBAE via Getty Images
Roughly 20 minutes had passed since OG Anunoby followed a game-saving block by sprinting to the rim and soaring through the lane for the game-winning tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, capping a record-setting 29-point comeback and putting the Knicks one win from their first title since 1973.
Anunoby had delivered the most important shot in Knicks history, overcome the constant injuries that capped his potential and rewarded the team that saw a soft-spoken role player in Canada as someone built for Broadway.
New York’s new hero sat at his locker, alone, icing both knees, looking through his phone as if the day had just begun, as if he didn’t just create one of the most iconic moments in the history of the most iconic arena, as if he didn’t yet realize his name will be lifted to the rafters with one more win.
Even in triumph, even on the receiving end of unending adulation, Anunoby stayed on-brand, displaying an expression that won’t reveal if he has a royal flush or a busted straight, speaking as if he’s charged by the word, more focused on the next play than the one that changed his life.
But he doesn’t have a say in what comes next. The spotlight he never sought has found a new home, stitched now and forever to the owner of two letters they’ll be chanting for years to come.
“OG is just, he’s unique,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said during this postseason run. “He’s special.”
Ogugua Anunoby was born in London on July 17, 1997, to parents of Nigerian descent. His mother, Grace, was a track and field star in her homeland, who died of cancer before Anunoby turned 1. His father, Ogugua Sr., raised seven children — including Anunoby’s older brother, Chigbo, who was a defensive lineman in the NFL — teaching at universities in Nigeria and England before moving the family to Missouri when Anunoby was 4 to become a professor of business and finance at Lincoln University.
“I do not intend to be immodest, but we tried to raise a proper family,” Ogugua Sr. told Sportsnet in 2017. “And when I say proper, what I mean is we are people who do things well. We value hard work, order and success. You don’t talk unless you have to talk. And if you have to talk, you should say something that doesn’t take away from the conversation, but enriches it.”
OG Anunoby’s father, Ogugua Sr., passed away at age 66. Provided by Trimble Funerals
During Anunoby’s rookie season in Toronto in 2018, his father died in his sleep, at 66.
“It was tough not having a mother, but my dad did a really good job raising us,” Anunoby told Sportsnet at the 2017 NBA Draft.
Anunoby excelled in baseball — and was a big fan of the Carlos Delgado-era Mets — football and track, but was drawn to basketball, begging his father to buy a high-priced hoop for their Jefferson City home when he was 8.
Dr. Anunoby — who demanded his children read for at least one hour every night — complied, as long as it was put to good use.
OG Anunoby is all smiles as he talks to the media after the Knicks’ historic Game 4 win over the Spurs. NBAE via Getty Images
“My dad always taught me discipline and to do everything with my best effort, to always do things on time and be respectful in everything I do,” Anunoby told the London Evening Standard in 2017. “My whole family is big on that so it’s very important to me and I try to do it in everything.”
Anunoby was a relatively unknown star at Jefferson City High School, outside the top 250 players in national recruiting rankings. He was a three-star, 6-foot-8 prospect who played in the shadow of AAU teammate Jayson Tatum and was left off the program of a tournament attended by Tom Crean, leaving Indiana’s coaching staff scrambling to learn the identity of the physical and explosive wing with an invisible ceiling.
“[He is] a quiet killer,” Crean, his former college coach, told The Post after Anunoby joined the Knicks. “He’s an old soul in a lot of ways, a very caring person, but he has got an incredible drive. I’d almost say it’s an insatiable drive to be great and to win.”
Anunoby spent two years with the Hoosiers, but saw his final season cut short after he suffered a torn ACL, resulting in the potential lottery selection falling to the Raptors with the 23rd overall pick.
Tom Crean, who was OG Anunoby’s head coach at Indiana, said the Knicks star has an “insatiable drive to be great and to win.” Anthony J. Causi
In his second pro season, Anunoby earned a championship ring in Toronto, but missed the entire postseason run after undergoing an emergency appendectomy.
“I believe that created an incredible hunger for him because he wasn’t on the court for it,” Crean said. “It’s almost like, yeah, he got the ring and was a big part of it all season, but in his own mind, he didn’t feel the level of winning it.
“He was around the team and he’d been instrumental in getting to that point, but he wasn’t out there on the court at the end, and I think that’s what he truly wants more than anything else. That’s where that drive is for him.”
OG Anunoby played two seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers. Getty Images
Anunoby’s 240-pound frame seemed chiseled from concrete, but it was constantly crumbling. Injuries limited him to an average of less than 53 games in the three seasons before the Raptors sent him to New York for former No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett, Knicks fan favorite Immanuel Quickley and a second-round pick.
The Knicks were 17-15 and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference when Anunoby debuted with the Knicks on Jan. 1, 2024. They went 12-2 in his first 14 games in the lineup before an elbow injury sidelined him for nearly two months.
Anunoby returned in time to help the Knicks take a 2-0 second-round series lead against the Pacers, but he suffered a hamstring injury that sparked a Knicks tailspin, keeping him sidelined until he hobbled through five minutes of an excruciating Game 7 loss at the Garden.
OG Anunoby shakes hands with NBA commissioner Adam Silver after being selected by the Raptors with the No. 23 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Jason Szenes for New York Post
The Knicks locked up Anunoby that offseason to a five-year, $212.5 million deal (the largest in team history), tying their title hopes to an injury-prone wing who had never been an All-Star.
Anunoby matched a career high by playing 74 games last season and set a personal best with 18 points per game, helping the Knicks make the conference finals for the first time in a quarter century. This season, Anunoby hit nearly 39 percent of his 3-pointers, while being selected to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team.
“OG is someone who brings it every night, does what’s asked of him, plus more,” Jalen Brunson said after the Game 4 win. “His work ethic, since the moment I’ve been teammates with him and seen him, has grown. His confidence has grown just because of his work ethic, everything that I’ve seen, he’s got exponentially better at.
“So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room. And we have a superstar in that locker room.”
Anunoby’s importance has long been understood at the Garden, where fans emphatically assist PA announcer Mike Walczewski’s booming introduction of a player whose numbers will never convey the value of someone whose 7-foot-2 wingspan and basketball IQ impact every possession.
“He does everything,” Landry Shamet said in the locker room. “He’s a virtuoso.”
Anunoby was the Knicks’ best player during their first-round comeback against the Hawks, but he suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2 of the second-round series against the 76ers, threatening to derail another deep run. But the 28-year-old was back for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, contributing nine points, three rebounds and a steal in the overtime of what was then the biggest playoff comeback in team history.
Entering Game 5 of the NBA Finals in San Antonio, Anunoby ranks second on the Knicks in scoring (20.7), third in rebounds (6.2), second in steals (1.4) and second in blocks (1.1) in the postseason, while shooting 57.8 percent from the field and a team-best 50.6 percent on 3-pointers.
He is forever different, forever elevated, forever linked to Willis Reed and Larry Johnson. He is the one who made Manhattan shake, the author of the improbable, who took a sledgehammer to Charles Smith’s layups and Patrick Ewing’s finger roll, who called for the ball, then backed up Captain Clutch, flying through the air and parting the clouds to grab a rebound that’s been out of reach for 53 years and put it home.
The legend has spoken — two letters to stand the test of time.
“Every time I talk to him, I say, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter, and he did exactly what I thought he would do,” Karl-Anthony Towns said. “He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you could ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA.”
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes had spent the NHL playoffs waiting for their power play to get going, along with top-line performers Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho.
And they had spent the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final being outplayed in critical second-period sequences.
On Thursday night, it all came together, aligning to bring the Hurricanes within a victory of winning the Cup.
Andrei Svechnikov (37), Sebastian Aho (20), Sean Walker (26), and K’Andre Miller (19) celebrate after a Carolina goal in the second period of the Hurricanes’ 4-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final on June 11, 2026 in Raleigh, N.C.. AP Photo/Ben McKeown
Svechnikov scored twice and Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout offensive game for both, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.
“I liked our effort for sure, and I hope we’re getting better,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “I think there’s certain areas of our game that are starting to look a lot like we need it to look. But I do think there’s still another level that we’re going to need to get to find that next one.”
Captain Jordan Staal found the net again for the fifth straight game in this series after Vegas had taken a 1-0 first-period lead, while Brandon Bussi finished with 23 saves in his second career postseason start.
Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with the Hurricanes playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.
Aho’s goal in the second period marked his first of the series, coming when Sean Walker found him cutting to the left side after Jordan Martinook — swapped with Seth Jarvis to work alongside Aho and Svechnikov on the top line — won a puck battle behind the net on the forecheck.
Then there was Svechnikov, who entered Thursday with four postseason goals before striking twice on the power play. On the first, he whipped the puck past Carter Hart on the right side for a 2-1 lead in the second period.
On the second, he had a short putaway at the post off a sharp feed from Nikolaj Ehlers for a 4-1 lead, one of three assist for Ehlers on the night that included him having two delay-of-game penalties for putting a puck over the glass.
Before those second-period scores, Vegas had outscored Carolina 9-1 in the second period during the series.
Alexander Nikishin checks Vegas’ Colton Sissons (10) during the third period of the Hurricanes’ Game 5 win over the Golden Knights. AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker
And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up with Bussi doing enough to stave off Vegas’ late push to climb back in it.
“It required everything we have,” Staal said on the ESPN broadcast.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for Vegas, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado.
“I thought we were still doing some good things,” Vegas’ Jack Eichel said. “We had chances.”
Vegas goalie Carter Hart and right wing Mark Stone react dejectedly after the Golden Knights’ Game 5 loss to the Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final in Raleigh, N.C. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Hart entered this one as the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games, then did it again to continue a difficult series while finishing with 20 saves.
Asked if he considered swapping to backup Adin Hill, coach John Tortorella responded: “That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”
Vegas had twice before been in a 2-2 series in these playoffs, in the first round against Utah and the second round against Anaheim. Both times, the Golden Knights won Game 5 and closed out the series in Game 6.
This time, they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they’ll have to take two in a row against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.
Not that Tortorella was fazed.
“We’ll be back here,” he said confidently, saying he would leave his clothes behind at the team’s hotel in expectation of returning to North Carolina.
Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson, who was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury. Karlsson skated to the tunnel midway through the second period and didn’t return. Tortorella said the center was “not going to be with us, probably” in the coming games.
Jun 11, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) scores against Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Carter Hart (79) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (3) during the third period in game five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Nathan Ray Seebeck/Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Andrei Svechnikov scored twice and Sebastian Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout game for Carolina’s top-line performers, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Thursday night to move within a victory of winning the Stanley Cup.
Captain Jordan Staal added his fifth goal in the series on a night when Carolina overcame multiple hiccups from these playoffs, from a shaky power play to being outplayed in the second period of this series.
And there had been the waiting game for Aho and Svechnikov — two roster mainstays in an eight-year postseason run — to find a better offensive groove.
It all came together in Game 5, with Svechnikov’s short putaway at the post on the power play giving Carolina a 4-1 lead midway through the third period. And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up, with Brandon Bussi finishing with 22 saves in his second career postseason start.
That gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with the Hurricanes playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since coach Rod Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for Vegas, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado. Carter Hart entered this one as the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games, then did it again to continue a difficult series while finishing with 20 saves.
Vegas had twice before been in a 2-2 series in these playoffs, in the first round against Utah and the second round against Anahaim. Both times, the Golden Knights won Game 5 and then closed out the series in Game 6.
This time, they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they’ll have to take two in a row against a Hurricanes team that hasn’t suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.
Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson, who was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury. Karlsson skated to the tunnel midway through the second period and didn’t return.
The sport’s misguided morals mean England’s Test captain has been humbled for a meaningless infraction and kept off the stage for which he was made
There are times when it’s possible to keep sport in a sensible perspective, and then there are weeks it challenges your very sanity. This has felt like one of those.
MESA, AZ - MARCH 21: Josiah Hartshorn #22 of the Chicago Cubs bats during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park on Saturday, March 21, 2026 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Aryanna Frank/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Starter Connor Noland got the loss after allowing four runs on six hits over four innings. Noland neither walked nor struck anyone out.
Casey Opitz gave up three runs and allowed three inherited runners to score as part of an 11-run bottom of the eighth. But cut the I-Cubs third-string catcher a break—he was pitching on back-to-back nights.
Shortstop Scott Kingery hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning. He was 2 for 4.
Center fielder Kevin Alcántara went 2 for 5 with an RBI double in the fourth inning.
First baseman BJ Murray went 2 for 3 with two walks and scored on Alcántara’s double.
Rigth fielder Justin Dean was 2 for 5 with a double.
Starter Dawson Netz gave up four runs in the third inning on two home runs, a solo home run and then a three-run shot. Netz finished the night giving up four runs on four hits over 3.1 innings. He walked four and struck out three.
Tyler Ras went the next 3.2 innings, did not allow a run and went home with the win. Ras allowed three hits. He struck out four and walked one. Ras, whom the Cubs signed this past winter after the Rockies released him, has a 1.72 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 31.1 innings with Knoxville.
Right fielder Alex Ramírez hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. It was his fifth on the campaign. Ramírez finished 1 for 5.
Shortstop Jefferson Rojas was 3 for 5 with three RBI and one run scored. He was also hit by a pitch. Rojas is hitting .350 in the month of June.
DH Owen Ayers isn’t slowing down. Tonight he was 3 for 4 with a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored once and drove in one.
Center fielder Karson Simas went 2 for 4 with two walks and a steal. Simas scored three runs.
Second baseman Hayden Cantrelle was 2 for 3 with two walks. Cantrelle had three RBI and two runs scored.
Left fielder Carter Trice went 2 for 6 with a double and a two-run single.
Cole Reynolds got rocked for eight runs on five hits over the first 3+ innings. Reynolds walked three, hit one batter and struck out one.
DH Drew Bowser hit his fourth home run of the year in the second inning with two men on. Bowser was 2 for 3 with a double and the home run.
First baseman Josiah Hartshorn continues to impress. Tonight he hit an RBI single in the third inning and a two-run home run in the fifth. It was Hartshorn’s sixth home run in just 15 games in South Bend and 11th overall. Hartshorn went 2 for 3 and scored twice.
Catcher Miguel Useche was 2 for 3 with one RBI and one run scored.
Wisconsin’s doubleheader was rained out, so South Bend’s magic number remains at three to clinch a first-half title.
Starter Noah Edders allowed four runs over four innings, but only one of the four runs was earned. Edders surrendered four hits (one of which was a solo home run) and one walk. He struck out a career-high eight.
Henry Cone relieved Edders, pitched the next three innings and got the win. Cone gave up one run on three hits. He walked three and struck out three.
First baseman Michael Carico clubbed a two-run home run in the fifth inning, his fifth on the year. Carico sent 3 for 4 with a double and the home run. He had four total runs batted in and scored twice.
Third baseman Derniche Valdez then went back-to-back with Carico with his fourth home run of 2026. Valdez was 2 for 4 with a double and the home run.
Center fielder Darlyn De Leon was 2 for 4 with four stolen bases. He scored twice. De Leon had five steals all season before tonight.
Catcher Logan Poteet drove in three runs with a two-run double and a bases-loaded walk. He finished the night 1 for 4 with the walk and the run scored.
Left fielder Edward Vargas went 2 for 4 and scored once.
BALTIMORE, MD - JUNE 11: Luke Raley #20 of the Seattle Mariners bats during the game between the Seattle Mariners and the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on Thursday, June 11, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Last week, I sent two condolence cards and a “congratulations on your new baby” card. This afternoon, while distracted by a flock of teenage goslings, half-grown and ugly as all get out, I tripped over the corpse of what used to be some sort of creature. Life doesn’t need to dabble in subtleties, it beats you over the head repeatedly, hollering “What is the point?” in alternatingly thoughtful and abrasive tones.
As I was once again turning over the well-worn Meaning of Life stone, Cole Young opened the game with a leadoff home run and for two innings that one run mattered significantly as Bryan Woo sat down the first six Orioles he faced. Shortly after Aaron Goldsmith mooed in the bottom of the third, that one run mattered even more, as it kept the Mariners tied with the O’s after Colton Cowser’s solo shot. Soon though, Young’s swooping scoop of a home run felt inconsequential at best as Baltimore showcased one of the Big Innings that has been their trademark this season, piling on six runs just about every way you can – singles, a wild pitch, a double, another home run.
Before all that, though, there was a 3-2 pitch to Gunnar Henderson. Coby Mayo had flown out after Cowser, and while Jackson Holliday and Taylor Ward had hit back-to-back singles, Henderson has had a miserable season at the plate. Hope beat its bedraggled little wings and Woo pumped a 98.7 MPH four-seamer right on the inside edge of the plate. It matched a 3-2 pitch he threw to Cody Bellinger on July 10, 2025 as the fastest pitch he’s ever thrown. Bellinger rolled over on the offering, grounding into a double play; Henderson fouled it off. Ball four was an easy take, and within seconds that career-high velocity didn’t matter at all.
In the top of the fourth, Randy Arozarena walked, which was nice but anticlimactic amidst a five-run deficit. But then Luke Raley homered, and Dom Canzone homered, and this time when Colt Emerson walked it was invigorating. Young, en route to a three-hit night, singled, Julio Rodríguez singled, and the Mariners were suddenly only trailing by one.
When it comes to meaning, baseball is a chorus of perpetual dissonance. For those of us outside, the wins and the losses do not technically matter; our careers, our finances, our relationships don’t change in response to victory or defeat. But I don’t think any of us would be here, reading these ramblings, if baseball was meaningless to us. In fact, my career, my finances, my relationships are all fundamentally altered because of this game. Not by the Mariners’ record, fortunately, but in the way that I have chosen to care about it, to jam its stake into the ground and let my life grow up and intertwine with it. In our massive, yawning abyss of a world, there is such beauty and freedom and silliness in choosing to structure some of life’s meaning around this game.
At some point around the sixth inning, lightning split the sky and rain started to soak the field. Maybe, after all this, none of it would actually matter, at least for today? But the rain abated, the Mariners could not score anymore, and they leave Baltimore with a series split. Just one of many games that matters because it happened, and also not at all.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA - JUNE 11: Nikolaj Ehlers #27 of the Carolina Hurricanes is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period in Game Five of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final at Lenovo Center on June 11, 2026 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Carolina Hurricanes dominated the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night, 4-2, to take a 3-2 series lead and come within one game of lifting the Stanley Cup.
After struggling for the majority of the postseason, both the power play and two of Carolina’s top three regular season scorers — Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho — carried the Canes to a big win on Thursday night. Svechnikov scored two power play goals while Aho found the back of the net for the first time in the Stanley Cup.
Nikolaj Ehlers gave the Knights a power play a little less than seven minutes into the first period on a delay of game penalty.
The Knights, after being just 1-for-12 on the power play in the first four games, capitalized courtesy of Pavel Dorofeyev, who found the back of the net on a cross ice pass from Jack Eichel.
It didn’t take long for Carolina to respond, though. And who else but Jordan Staal. After getting the penalty, Ehlers redeemed himself with a great shot-pass to the front of the net that was tipped in by Staal for his sixth goal of the Stanley Cup so far.
After the first, the score was knotted at 1-1. Uncharacteristically, the Canes were outshot, 8-5, by the Knights.
There wasn’t much offensive action for either side in the first 10 minutes of the second period, but two straight Vegas penalties changed that.
The Golden Knights killed the first, but it was Svechnikov who went five-hole on the second power play, giving the Canes a 2-1 lead in the second period. In the first four games, Carolina was outscored 9-1 in the second, but it was a different story tonight.
That was all that was needed to get the top line for the Canes going it seemed. With a little over two minutes in the second, a great forecheck from Jordan Martinook led to a goal from Aho, who went high over Carter Hart. It marked Aho’s first goal of the series, giving the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead in the second.
For the first time in the Stanley Cup, Carolina outplayed Vegas in the second period, entering the third with a 3-1 advantage and just 20 minutes away from their first series lead.
Carolina picked up right where they left off in the third period. After Mark Stone was called for a double minor for high sticking Jalen Chatfield, Svechnikov scored his second power play goal of the night on a great pass from Ehlers.
Dorofeyev added his second of the game with a little over six minutes left in the game to cut Carolina’s lead to two goals.
The Canes were able to hold the Knights off and secure the big win, with Bussi saving 22 of 24 shots.
The Stanley Cup will be in the building as the Hurricanes have a chance to lift it for the first time since 2006 on the road Sunday at 8 PM.
Red Sox president Sam Kennedy is not impressed with his team’s season so far.
During an interview with WEEI on Thursday, Kennedy eviscerated the Red Sox, calling the team’s season “embarrassing and unacceptable”
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” Kennedy told WEEI. “It’s been awful, especially when you consider the stated goal of building upon what happened last season. … It’s been incredibly frustrating, and I just want to acknowledge that right at the outset. It’s on all of us. We have to get better.”
President and CEO for the Boston Red Sox, Sam Kennedy celebrates their 6 to 5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays during Game 4 of the American League Division Series. Getty Images
The Red Sox entered Thursday sitting at the bottom of the AL East with a 27-39 record, 5½ games behind the final wild card spot.
Throughout Boston’s season-long slump, they fired skipper Alex Cora and four members of his coaching staff in an attempt to create a spark.
Hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson and assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson were all let go.
Chad Tracy has since taken over as interim manager, but hasn’t been able to incite much change.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela (3) celebrates a home run during the eighth inning against Tampa Bay Rays. Pablo Robles-Imagn Images
With the coaching staff change failing, many have turned to chief baseball officer Craig Breslow as the target of criticism.
Kennedy, however, promised Breslow is “working as hard as anybody in terms of getting things back on track.”
“Look, I fully understand and appreciate questions regarding Craig Breslow and his job security and all that, but the issue of a change there, just to be clear, that’s not even on the table,” Kennedy said.
Craig Breslow smiles while being introduced as the Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer during a press availability. AP
As the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaches, Kennedy noted that unless the play improves in the next few weeks, the Red Sox will likely look to move on from a few players.
“At the current moment, there are a lot of discussions going on in terms of improvement and how we get this thing back on track, looking at every single area of the roster and player personnel, and Bres(low) and his team are doing that,” Kennedy said.
“But look, let’s be honest, unless things change dramatically, we may have to pivot here from what our initial planning was. It just, it wouldn’t be responsible to do otherwise.”
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — William Karlsson left the ice, and the Vegas Golden Knights' night went south. He may not be back to help them recover.
With Karlsson knocked out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final because of injury, the Golden Knights took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals against. Carter Hart allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series, and now his team is on the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to Carolina on Thursday night.
“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up," coach John Tortorella said. “We lost momentum when we went back to back in penalties. It was about the same time that we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”
Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after getting knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker a little over eight minutes into the second period. He got medical attention on the bench briefly, skated off and never returned and Tortorella foreshadowed that being the end of Karlsson's series.
“He’s not going to be with us, probably,” Tortorella said. "We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”
But the void left by Karlsson’s departure was all too clear, especially on the penalty kill. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power-play goals less than four minutes after Karlsson left, then added another in the third.
“He’s an important piece to us: up the middle of the ice, a penalty killer, power play guy," Tortorella said. “He’s a winner."
Fourth-liner Nick Dowd called Karlsson one of the team's best players. Defenseman Brayden McNabb, who along with Karlsson and Shea Theodore are the only players who have been around for Vegas’ entire nine-year existence, said Karlsson was a big leader in the locker room.
Karlsson is also nearly impossible to replace.
“He means so much," fellow center Jack Eichel said. "He’s a world class player. He plays in all situations. He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, and he creates a lot of offense. ... It's tough. You lose someone like Karl who’s so valuable to our team and playing so well. But it just means everyone else has to step up.”
Tortorella expects that to happen, promising there will be a Game 7 in Raleigh on Tuesday night.
“We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said. "I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”
To do that, they'll have to win Game 6 back home in Las Vegas on Sunday. Hart is expected to be in net again despite a save percentage of .856 in the final.
Asked if he considered going to backup Adin Hill — who backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023 — in the third period, Tortorella scoffed and said, "That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”
Taylor Swift, Este Haim, and Mariska Hargitay cheer during NBA Finals Game 4 on June 10, 2026. Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
“But I knew everything was going to be alright, because I was wearing my Jalen Brunson Kobe 5 Protos that Jalen gave me a few months ago.”
Hargitay’s show had a 2 p.m. matinee and a 7 p.m. evening performance on Wednesday before the Knicks game.
The late show ended at 8:27 p.m., just three minutes before Game 5 was supposed to start.
After arriving at the game just before tip-off, Hargitay changed into a blue-and-orange shirt that read “Stevie Knicks” to match her seatmate, Taylor Swift.
“I love my husband, and our wedding night was great and all, but I think it might have been the greatest night of my life,” Hargitay said.
Taylor Swift and Mariska Hargitay at the NBA Finals. Getty Images
The SVU actress has been courtside at multiple games throughout the Knicks’ playoff run, largely due to her surprising relationship with star guard Jalen Brunson.
The former Villanova Wildcat grew up watching SVU with his dad, and now watches the show to calm himself down before games.
“The game was so brutal, down 29 at the half, but I’m telling you, to watch this team fight and claw their way back — to see that look in Jalen’s eyes — there are just endless life lessons in there,” Hargitay said.
“And then OG comes flying in, his orange and blue cape fluttering behind him, and then it’s just pandemonium.
“It‘ll get replayed again and again, not just as an epic moment in basketball, but on the highlight reel of the best moments in sports. And all I could think was ‘THAT JUST HAPPENED!!!’ And ‘OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS TEAM!!!”’ And ‘OH MY GOD, I LOVE THIS CITY!!!’”
Jun 10, 2026; OG Anunoby makes a game-winning shot Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
When a writer tells a story from beginning to end, proceeding in order, it is called linear narrative or chronological narrative. More formally, it’s referred to as ab ovo narration (Latin for “from the egg”), a term from Horace’s Ars Poetica, meaning the story begins at the very origin of events and unfolds in sequence.
Conversely, starting from the end and working backward is called reverse chronological narrative or simply reverse chronology. A famous example is the film Memento.
But when a story opens specifically at the ending or a dramatic moment and then explains how events led there, it’s often described as beginning in extremis or using an analepsis (a flashback structure).
Yesterday, I was at work and could not watch the game live. My plan was to head home, retreat into my bubble, and watch it from beginning to end. Unfortunately, a friend texted me the score at half-time. I was annoyed and asked for no further updates, but at the same time, it felt good. Our Spurs were leading by 27 at half-time at the MSG, in the pivotal Game 4. We were on our way back to San Antonio with a chance to restore home-court advantage.
When I got home, I decided to tune in from the start of the 3rd quarter. I didn’t feel I needed to revisit the first two quarters to understand how we’d built such a momentous lead, one that could have written NBA history, and so I bypassed this beginning in extremis…
I suppose you all know the ending anyway, no spoiler needed here. But the real question is no longer the result; it’s how we got there. How do you end up on the wrong side of history in just two quarters when, just 24 minutes earlier, you were firmly on the right side of it?
<p>Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn</p><br> | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
My disappointment, let’s be honest, my fury, was overwhelming last night. I could barely sleep. So I decided to rewatch the game in full, this time with a linear narrative.
Before I get to the autopsy, though, I need to share a conversation I had with a friend in the hours before tip-off. I tried to explain how difficult it is to predict outcomes in basketball, but that it is sometimes possible to foresee the conditions that shape them. I pointed out that Karl-Anthony Towns was due for a bounce-back game, if Jalen Brunson could find ways to involve him more. KAT can direct the offense from the top of the key like almost no other player on the Knicks, and his elite three-point shooting makes him a genuine triple threat. However, I also noted that Brunson had been quite stubborn in this series, grinding to draw fouls through heavy dribbling in traffic which had led to turnovers and low shooting efficiency. The player I singled out as the most dangerous Knick was OG Anunoby. And finally, I voiced my concern about Victor: he had logged heavy minutes and would likely run out of gas in the second half. That, I feared, could determine the outcome, though I still expected the Spurs to win, by three.
As it turned out, KAT removed himself from the equation with two very quick fouls. The young Spurs exploited this early and took flight. Mike Brown threw everything at Victor Wembanyama, Mitchell Robinson (literally), Ariel Hukporti, and even Jeremy Sochan but none of it stopped the first-half onslaught.
From the end of the first quarter through to the end of the third, the Spurs’ lead sat between 19 and 15 points, with a peak of 29. During that entire stretch, Victor Wembanyama played 32 of a possible 36 minutes. I’ll come back to that shortly.
The first three quarters unfolded much like the rest of this playoff run. Anyone can push, shove, and grab Victor with relative impunity. The Spurs accepted this reality some time back and decided to apply the same treatment to Karl-Anthony Towns. The reasoning is simple: if refs were to whistle this type of plays in favor of KAT, they would have to do the same for Vic.
As a basketball fan, I am growing genuinely disillusioned with NBA officiating. On one side, you have players like Luka Dončić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and, to some extent, Jalen Brunson, who rely heavily on theatrics to earn calls in their favour. On the other, you have blatant physical intimidation that diminishes KAT and Vic’s impact and, in turn, the quality, flow, and fairness of the game. Mobile bigs who can shoot the three, rebound, dribble, and pass bring something genuinely special to the modern NBA, something that studio personalities like Shaq and Charles Barkley seem incapable of appreciating, apparently out of jealousy.
Victor Wembanyama has been on the receiving end of this treatment throughout the entire playoffs. And we have also come to understand that Vic is troubled by what he perceives as persistent injustice. Under fatigue and pressure, he has repeatedly crossed lines: a Flagrant 2 on Naz Reid, a shove on Brunson, and taunting Mitchell Robinson early in this game. The pattern is clear, a tired and frustrated Victor struggles to keep his emotions in check. The coaching staff and front office have surely taken note.
The other major lesson of this playoff run concerns Victor’s stamina. It is genuinely remarkable that a 7’5 player who was struggling to play more than 28–30 minutes earlier in the season can now sustain 35 and beyond. Full credit to Vic and his training staff. That kind of physical progression ahead of a Finals run is extraordinary. However, it is equally clear that Vic, who deploys enormous energy on both ends of the floor, often arrives at the fourth quarter running on empty. We know he needs to impose himself early: the alley-oops, the drives, the post positioning if the Spurs want to start strong. And the Spurs have indeed managed by leads in the opening of each of their four Finals games in that way. But Vic also needs reserves to close games when it matters, as Game 2 demonstrated all too painfully.
Which brings me to my central grievance with last night’s loss: the management of Victor’s minutes. It is absolutely unimaginable that the coaching staff had Vic on the floor for 32 minutes across the first three quarters while the lead was never below double digits. To claim that Kornet is unplayable is an insult to the man. Is Kornet less playable than Ariel Hukporti? Than Sochan? And what about Harrison Barnes? The Spurs were up 29 at some point and he didn’t see a single minute?
The irony of Mitch Johnson’s minute management against the Knicks is almost too rich. Tom Thibodeau was held responsible for New York’s “disappointing” seasons between 2023 and 2025. The charge? He ran his players into the ground with relentless minutes and short rotations.
Having watched enough of Mitch Johnson in these playoffs, I am convinced he needs to learn how to better manage his rotation, before his star player ends up injured.
This loss falls squarely on the coaching staff, and on Mitch Johnson above all. We now know Vic cannot play 44 minutes and sustain the same intensity on both ends of the floor. We also know that an exhausted Vic is a less composed Vic and that composure is precisely what leads to flagrant fouls. One more, and he faces a one-game suspension.
With a 27-point lead at half-time, and a double-digit advantage held for more than 32 consecutive minutes, the decision to deny Victor Wembanyama meaningful rest before the fourth quarter was a massive mistake.
There’s a reason I titled this piece after Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or-winning film. Anatomy of a Fall opens with a man already dead at the foot of a chalet, and spends two and a half hours asking a single question: how did we get here? The courtroom never delivers a clean verdict. The film trusts you to sit with the ambiguity. Last night’s Game 4 offers no such comfort, the verdict was final, the scoreboard unambiguous. But the question is the same. A 29-point lead. Two quarters. A fall. How did we get here? Mitch Johnson owes us an answer. It is not a trial. I expect a reaction and some changes.
Robert does not believe that he will need surgery.
No one seems to have much of an idea when Luis Robert Jr. might return from the back injury that landed him on the 60-day IL.
“It’s not an ideal situation,’’ Carlos Mendoza said of the uncertainty surrounding the outfielder, who was plagued by lower-body injuries with the White Sox the past two seasons before suffering a lumbar spine disc herniation in April.
Access the Mets beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.
“It’s his first time dealing with something like this,’’ the manager said Thursday as the Mets beat the Cardinals 5-4 at Citi Field.
Asked Thursday if he could need surgery to repair the injury, Robert said through an interpreter he didn’t believe that would be the case.
Robert, acquired from Chicago in the offseason in return for Luisangel Acuña and minor league pitcher Truman Pauley, said he expected to be back at some point later this season.
The 28-year-old Robert, now three years removed from his All-Star form with the White Sox, expects to begin running within the next week. He’s only advanced to playing catch and hitting in the cage.
Luis Robert Jr. does not believe that he will need surgery. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
“I’ve been able to do a little bit of everything — just slowly,’’ Robert said through an interpreter. “I expect to come back. Honestly, in the beginning, when I first got hurt, I didn’t think it would take so long [to recover]. But, obviously, it’s a new injury and as the days went on, it started getting worse.”
Mendoza added, “It’s hard to tell what he’s dealing with and how soon he’s gonna be back. That’s always frustrating when you’re talking about a player with that kind of talent. He’s just having a hard time staying on the field for one thing or another.”
The Mets designed a plan in spring training to try to shield him from previous injuries, only for a new one to surface.
Luis Robert Jr. hits a single during the sixth inning of the Mets’ loss to the Diamondbacks at Citi Field on April 8, 2026 at Citi Field. Corey Sipkin for the NY POST
With Robert out, A.J. Ewing has emerged as a bit of a bright spot in center, where he’s stood out defensively and shown potential at the plate.
Robert was part of the risky roster makeover during the offseason, which has so far failed to yield results, as Jorge Polanco has also dealt with injury issues and Bo Bichette has slumped for almost the entire season.
Bichette did hit his sixth homer of the season Thursday, a two-run shot in the first. He had been hitless in his previous 10 at-bats and hadn’t homered since he went deep twice May 19.
Christian Scott’s velocity was down a bit and he allowed a career-high three homers in just 4 ²/₃ innings.
He and the Mets were pleased, though, with how he recovered and retired 10 of 13 batters before a Jordan Walker single knocked him out of the game in the fifth.
“I got punched in the mouth and then I punched them in the mouth,” Scott said of his comeback from the early struggles.
The Mets hope Kodai Senga’s rehab stint continues smoothly after it was interrupted by the ulnar nerve irritation in his upper right arm that caused him to be scratched at Double-A Binghamton on Tuesday. … In more bullpen shuffling, right-hander Daniel Duarte was recalled from Triple-A Syracuse, while another righty, Jonathan Pintaro was optioned to Syracuse on Thursday.
Jun 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) runs on a hit and run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Charles LeClaire/Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani hit his 13th homer of the season before leaving the game due to left knee inflammation and Los Angeles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 8-6 on Thursday night.
The reigning NL MVP hit a solo homer in the third inning. He also had a single and walked twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.
It was not immediately clear when Ohtani began feeling discomfort in the knee.
Dodgers starter Justin Wrobleski left the game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring contusion. The left-hander was hit by a line drive off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. The ball ricocheted off Wrobleski to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Wrobleski collided with Reynolds while taking Freeman’s toss at first base.
Andy Pages also had two hits for the NL West-leading Dodgers, who took two of three in the series. Kyle Tucker hit a two-run single, and Miguel Rojas drove in two more runs.
Pirates rookie Rafael Flores Jr. hit his first MLB home run, and Brandon Lowe also went deep. Flores, Nick Gonzales and Spencer Horwitz had two hits apiece.
Wrobleski allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings. Mitch Keller (5-4) was tagged for five runs in four innings.
Jack Dreyer (3-1) pitched a scoreless seventh inning and Tanner Scott got the last four outs for his seventh save.
Up next
Dodgers: RHP Roki Sasaki (4-3, 4.03 ERA) pitches against White Sox LHP Anthony Kay (5-1, 4.40) on Friday night in Chicago.
Pirates: Host Miami on Friday night with RHP Braxton Ashcraft (5-3, 3.28 ERA) facing Marlins RHP Sandy Alcantara (5-4, 4.33).
