With the news earlier this week that (briefly) former San Francisco Giants outfielder Carlos Beltrán will be inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame this year, there was unfortunately bad news for another former Giants outfielder.
Hunter Pence, the very definition of a Forever Giant, did not receive enough votes to keep his campaign alive. Players have to receive five percent of the votes to stay on the ballot, and Pence received only two total votes.
While this is a bummer to hear, it isn’t necessarily a surprise.
Pence was (and remains) a beloved Giants player who had a huge hand in helping the team secure two of their three World Series championships in the 2010s. But his career numbers weren’t quite the caliber they’d need to be to be successful in this endeavor.
That’s not a knock to Pence, or any player that doesn’t get the votes. It’s an arduous process filled with arbitrary preferences by those with the power to cast a vote. Maybe one player per year gets in, two if we’re lucky. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to most of it.
So while I’m bummed, I still think we have plenty to celebrate Pence for.
David Stearns, who spoke to the media about the trade yesterday, didn’t want to speculate on a potential extension with Peralta, for whom he’s traded twice in his front office career.
Here’s how the Mets’ trade for Freddy Peralta—alongside the Yankees’ signing of Cody Bellinger—affects the market for the remainder of the offseason.
Neither the Mets nor the Yankees think they could meet the high asking price for Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in a trade.
Will Leitch looks at teams that missed the postseason in 2025 but might make it in 2026, and you likely won’t be surprised to hear that the Mets are included.
The Twins signed left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers—not to be confused with his twin brother Tyler, who finished last season with the Mets—to a one-year, $2 million deal.
Our countdown of the Mets’ top prospects continued with number ten: Jack Wenninger.
This Date in Mets History
Legendary Mets broadcast Ralph Kiner finally got his place in Cooperstown when he was elected to the Hall of Fame for his fantastic career as a player on this date in 1975.
Baseball, in many cases, can serve as a very effective microcosm for the world and the country it inhabits. From social progression, justice, or the dawn of the information age, baseball has often travelled right along with the world surrounding it. Looking back, that means we can find stories that are nearly impossible to imagine in the modern world, a description the would fit that of Johnny Sturm quite well.
Born in 1916, Sturm played a mostly full season in his rookie campaign with the Yankees, and would never again play on a major league field after. It was due to circumstances mostly out of his control, in an unfortunate story, as Sturm’s Yankee tenure would last just a single year. His performance on its own was unimpressive, but Sturm stands as in interesting landmark for a time that feels long gone.
Johnny Sturm Born: January 23, 1916 (St. Louis, MO) Died: October 8, 2004 (St. Louis, MO) Yankees Tenure: 1941
Johnny Sturm grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and began his professional career in the minor leagues in 1936. After five seasons at various levels in the Yankees’ organization, Sturm would finally get his chance with the big club in 1941. In the post-Lou Gehrig era, the team had struggled to fill the impossibly large void. Babe Dahlgren, who replaced Gehrig, was sent to Boston after the 1940 season, which prompted another change at the position. The Yankees first moved Hall of Fame second baseman Joe Gordon over to first, though it was a move that proved ineffective.
The Yankees eventually moved Gordon back to second, opening a spot for Sturm at first base. The club had struggled out of the gate, and likely hoped the move would help them take a step forward. Incidentally, the day the Yankees slid Sturm into the lineup was also the day Joe DiMaggio began his record-setting hitting streak.
On the whole, Sturm’s performance at the plate during the ‘41 season left plenty to be desired. The Yankee first baseman slashed .239/.293/.300 for just a 58 OPS+ in his rookie season. But, the season didn’t come without its bright spots. In June of ‘41, Sturm belted a two-run homer in the second game of a double-header, which kickstarted a run of 40 home runs in 25 games for the Bombers as a squad.
He also played a role in the World Series that year. Sturm went 6-for-21 in the five games, pitching in with a pair of RBI in the victorious Fall Classic effort for New York. It wasn’t the flashiest of campaigns, but doing his part for a winning World Series squad is certainly something on its own.
The offseason that followed was an eventful one for Sturm. He was married shortly after the successful World Series, and not long after, with the United States then fully entrenched in World War II, Sturm enlisted in the military. He was stationed at a base in Missouri and, fittingly, assumed the duty of building baseball fields and managing the post’s baseball team.
Sturm was obviously away from the team on Opening Day the following year, when his career took a turn for the worse. While operating a tractor, he made an ill-fated move which ultimately caused the amputation of the tip of his index finger on his right arm.
Post-recovery, Sturm served until November of 1945, stationed overseas for the latter part of his service. He attempted to make a return to professional baseball in 1946, with plenty of factors working against him. Having missed four seasons of play, and now playing with a significantly altered right hand, it was an uphill battle for Sturm.
Now 30 years old, Sturm had trouble reacclimating, and was unable to reclaim his former spot, and was forced to toil in the minor leagues. He remained in the Yankees organization through the 1949 season, eventually as a player-manager for the Joplin Miners (and actually putting up some solid numbers).
That would be the end of professional baseball for Sturm, however, as the missed time and injury trouble were too much to overcome for the first baseman. It was a stint with the Yankees cut too short by unfortunate circumstances, and it creates an interesting looking resume, as he was the last of just six players in MLB history to have 500-plus plate appearances in their lone season. A career like Sturm’s feels like something that only could have happened in the past, and serves as an interesting piece of baseball history.
Despite his turbulent experience in professional baseball, Sturm lived to be 88 years old. Born on this day in 1916, his story is one of a kind in Yankees history.
Witt was listed among the 10 best big-leaguers for the 2026 season by MLB Network. He ranked No. 3 for the second year in a row alongside such fellow stars as Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Tarik Skubal.
Four Royals rank inside the top 100 this year. Maikel Garcia (No. 65), Cole Ragans (No. 89) and Vinnie Pasquantino (No. 93) were also honored.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota both confirmed to The Star that Gov. Mike Kehoe invited them to the closed-door meeting, which occurred Wednesday afternoon in Kehoe’s Jefferson City office.
Both officials touted the gathering as a sign that Kansas City, Jackson County and Missouri were united around a plan to keep the Royals inside state lines. That acknowledgement appears to center the state’s plan around Jackson County as opposed to another potential spot in Clay County.
Here is a list of players the Royals employed with negative WAR totals as calculated by Fangraphs:
(list, “led” by Jac at -1.6 WAR)
That’s -6.8 fWAR spanning 1,789 plate appearances and 122.2 innings. The pitching side isn’t bad at all. The 122.2 innings represent just 8.5 percent of all innings. The hitting side, though? That’s not what you want. Those nearly 1,800 plate appearances accounted for 29.8 percent of all plate appearances. Of the 10 bats listed, only Massey and Melendez weren’t negatives defensively. They were negatives offensively. It’s a big group. Let’s see how the rest of the playoff teams fared in terms of percentage of plate appearances taken up by negative value players:
Frazier’s return to Kansas City was a huge boost to the Royals’ lineup. He posted a 98 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR in 197 plate appearances, and the Royals went 35-30 in the second half (after going 47-50 prior to the All-Star Break). Overall, Frazier posted an 89 wRC+ and 0.7 fWAR in 459 plate appearances with Pittsburgh and Kansas City last year. Hence, he showed that he still has something left in the tank, especially for a team with playoff aspirations.
When I left the country, Mariah Carey was on the radio and there were only 2 Avatar movies. I’m sure nothing has arbitrarily changed with pediatric vaccine schedules and the food pyramid. Nicolas Maduro was President of Venezuela, María Corina Machado still had her Nobel Peace Prize, and there were no threats of military action against Greenland, Iran, or Minneapolis. Also, I wonder who was in the Epstein Files. I’m sure that was a bombshell since the DOJ was legally bound to release all of them by December 19th.
But we’re a Royals blog, gosh darn it. And this definitely is NOT a shamelessly transparent attempt to kill two birds with one stone: catching me up on Royals offseason news while not having to come up with a new OT topic for today.
December 5th was before the winter Meetings. I linked to an article from ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle. It listed the Royals early offseason movement.
So far: The Royals re-signed catcher Salvador Perez, tendered a contract to and re-signed infielder Jonathan India, and traded for outfielder Kameron Misner and starter Mason Black.
Misner and Black were both acquired in minor trades in mid November. The former was acquired for our good friend, Cash Considerations (or PTBNL). The latter for a 24yo high-A pitcher.
One day after Mike Yastrzemski signs with the Braves, the Royals make their first free agent signing: Lane Thomas. Then the big news: Maikel Garcia signed a contract extension for 5/$57.5M with a 6th year club option. Early in the new year, the Royals also extended manager Matt Quatraro’s contract. There were also a number of minor league signings sprinkled in that I’m not mentioning individually.
A few days later, JJ struck again. He traded lefty bullpen arm Angel Zerpa to the Brewers for OF Isaac Collins and RP Nick Mears. I don’t quite get this one from Milwaukee’s point of view, but they just keep winning so I probably should try to figure it out. Next, the Royals replaced Zerpa with old friend Matt Strahm. Jonathan Bowlan was sent to the Phillies in that trade.
Carlos Beltran was elected to the Hall of Fame and Alex Gordon got 1 vote before falling off the ballot. Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent will be joining him for this summer’s induction.
What about the stadium search? Cool – the Royals are moving the fence in for the new stadium! …Oh, wait, that’s for Kauffman.
Maybe these stadium search headlines can tell me how it’s going:
Fortunately, the finances of baseball are a-ok! The Royals opted out of their TV deal because Main Street Sports Group (aka FanDuel Sports Kansas City) can’t pay the bills.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers signed .266/.377/.464 Kyle Tucker for an AAV record 4/$240M. In essence, he’s going to cost them more than $100M in 2026 when factoring in the luxury tax. Meanwhile, practically every team is calling the Dodgers moves obscene. That includes the Yankees, who re-signed Cody Bellinger for 5/$162.5M; the Mets, who stole Bo Bichette away from the Blue Jays for 3/$126M; and the Red Sox, who signed Ranger Suarez away from the Phillies for 5/$130M. Yay?
For Song of the Day, last week, Nintendo offered a 7-day free trial of Madden 26. Madden games don’t make it to Nintendo very often: maybe once per generation. So I was pretty happy to try it out.
Everyone else spends hours as a GM, trying to break the trading, drafting, and training system and not playing a single down of football, right? While you’re on the menu screens, music is constantly playing. Sports games have been doing this for a while. A couple of years ago, I mentioned how I discovered Fall Out Boy from one of the NBA2K games. Here’s a track list for the Madden 26 soundtrack. It ranges from Judas Priest to Wolfmother to Run DMC to N.E.R.D. to Lil Nas X.
We’ve mentioned Mammoth (WVH) a couple of times in this space. “Don’t Back Down” is on the soundtrack and it’s one of the biggest songs from their first album. If you watch this and the two other songs I’ve linked to (bel0w), you get the mostly complete story of the Wolfs to date (not much happens in this video, though).
In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a trend making its way around social media where folks are posting pictures of themselves from 2016 to compare where they are in 2026. I’m not usually one to hop onto trends, but considering the state of the Colorado Rockies and how much has happened in 10 years (both to the Rockies and in the world), I thought it might be worth revisiting.
2016
In 2016, the Rockies finished 75-87, solidly third in the NL West ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres. It also marked a seven-game improvement from 2015, where they finished 68-94 and fourth in the NL West.
Walt Weiss was entering his fourth year as manager. Jeff Bridich was entering his second year as general manager. Zach Wilson served as the farm director, and Bill Schmidt as the scouting director.
Ahead of the season, they made a number of moves that proved important later down the line. Here are some of the highlights:
Tommy Kahnle was traded to the Chicago White Sox for Yency Almonte
Mark Reynolds and Gerardo Parra signed as free agents
Corey Dickerson was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jake McGee and Germán Márquez
Tony Wolters was selected off waivers from the Cleveland Indians
Trevor Story was named the Abby Greer Award winner after batting .378 with 17 runs, four doubles, one triple, six home runs and 13 RBI in 17 spring training games. He had his official coming out party on Opening Day against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he famously hit two home runs in back-to-back at-bats against the recently-signed Zack Greinke. (I was at that game — my first-ever Opening Day — and the Dbacks fans got real quiet after the third inning.)
Story would go on to hit home runs in each of his first four MLB games, setting an MLB rookie record. He also tied the MLB rookie record for home runs in the month of April (10) and was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for April that year. He nearly made the All-Star Game, but unfortunately suffered a season-ending thumb injury in August. Story finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting. Nolan Arenado and Carlos González ended up representing the Rockies in the Midsummer Classic.
Story wasn’t the only Rockie to make his MLB debut in 2016, but was one of 12:
Tony Wolters (April 5)
Carlos Estévez (April 23)
Tyler Andeson (June 12)
David Dahl (July 25)
Matt Carasiti (Aug. 12)
Jeff Hoffman (Aug. 20)
Stephen Cardullo (Aug. 26)
Raimel Tapia (Sept. 2)
Pat Valaika (Sept. 6)
Jordan Patterson (Sept. 8)
Germán Márquez (Sept. 8)
Of those, only Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman are currently on MLB rosters. Wolters, Dahl, Carasiti, Cardullo, Valaika and Patterson have all retired; Anderson and Márquez are free agents; and Tapia plays in the Mexican League.
Another highlight of the 2016 season was the emergence of Jon Gray. Gray made his debut in August 2015, but tossed arguably one of the best performances by a Rockies pitcher at Coors Field on September 17 when he tossed a complete-game, 16-strike performance against the Padres. He finished as a finalist for MLB’s Best Performance Award, but ultimately lost to Max Scherzer’s 20-strikeout performance.
Overall, the Rockies had a very middling 2016 season.
They finished around .500 in nearly every month of the season, but collapsed in August and September. They went 23-34 in the final 2+ months, and were 40-48 in the first half. Their best record came in July when they went 15-12, but their highest-scoring month came in August when they scored 173 runs.
Entering 2026, the Rockies have a lot of work to do.
They are coming off a 43-119 season that set a lot of really bad records across Major League Baseball. In the middle of it, they fired Bud Black and named Warren Schaeffer as interim manager (and he has since been named permanent successor). Bill Schmidt also resigned, and many front office executives have departed. Paul DePodesta was named President of Baseball Operations, and Josh Byrnes was named general manager. They have hired an entirely new coaching staff, and only five faces remain from 2025: Schaeffer, Ron Gideon (in a new role as assistant bench coach), Jordan Pacheco, Andy González and Kyle Cunningham.
As far as transactions go, the Rockies have made a flurry of roster moves since DePodesta et al have come aboard. I wrote about most of them on December 8, but they have made more since then. Notably, they claimed Keegan Thompson off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds, traded for Jake McCarthy, signed free agent Michael Lorenzen, DFA’d and traded Bradley Blalock, and signed free agent Willi Castro.
Closing Thoughts
A lot has happened since 2016. Of the current roster, there are zero players who were on the active roster in 2016. Kyle Freeland and Antonio Senzatela are the longest-tenured Rockies, and they both debuted in 2017.
Since 2016, Rockies fans have been treated to highlights like the back-to-back playoff appearances and lowlights like three-straight 100-plus loss seasons. The All-Star Game also came to Colorado in 2021 after the 2020 season was drastically reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There was also a brief lockout from December 1, 2021 until March 10, 2022 which caused a shortened spring training and a postponed Opening Day.
Entering 2026, the Rockies will not be competitive and will likely lose 100+ games for the fourth-straight year.
However, they appear to have a direction for the first time in a long time.
The Rockies have always been notoriously insular, but finally changed course this offseason in the wake of an embarrassing 2025 campaign. Dick and Walker Monfort recently spoke with Sports Business Journal about their new charge, and Ben Fisher breaks down what they said.
The World Baseball Classic is coming around in 2026, and players are starting to declare their intents to play. Antonio Senzatela has committed to Team Venezuela, as has Germán Márquez. In 2023, the Rockies had five players participate: Justin Lawrence (Panama), Daniel Bard (USA), Kyle Freeland (USA), Alan Trejo (Mexico), Elias Díaz (Colombia), and Michael Petersen (Great Britain).
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Sacramento Kings. They’ll be at home tonight. Cleveland went 0-2 against the Kings last year.
Defense
After spending two weeks in the bottom-10 of defense rating, Cleveland snapped back to being elite when they held the Charlotte Hornets to just 87 points in their latest win.
I couldn’t say this was all due to the Cavaliers’ defense. The Hornets also happened to shoot well below their expected percentage. Especially on open three-point attempts. But hey, luck is part of this thing. And I thought the Cavs did a fine job of protecting the paint and leaving Charlotte with few options other than chucking threes on a night where they simply didn’t have it.
Replicating this effort against the Kings should be feasible. This is a far less dangerous offense, with SAC ranking 28th in offensive rating this season. Of course, you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA, but I’d be upset if the Cavs didn’t turn in another strong defensive performance tonight.
Taking Care of the Ball
This is becoming an issue.
Cleveland has turned the ball over at an unusual rate this season. They rank 13th in turnover percentage, which isn’t awful, but it’s a steep decline from being fourth last season. Part of this is that they don’t have as many capable ball-handlers and playmakers as before. Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, combined with losing Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert, have mattered.
The Cavs had 20 turnovers in Charlotte, 21 turnovers against the OKC Thunder, and 18 turnovers in Philly. This is a trend that can’t continue if they want to stack wins.
Evan Mobley’s Usage
I’m repeating one of my points from our last preview. Mobley has to be involved for the full length of the game. I really don’t want ot keep writing about this.
We saw Mobley get to his spots effortlessly in the first half against the Hornets. For him to finish the second half with only 1 point on two field goal attempts is a crime. This is a problem the team has long neglected. It’s time we see them finally address this and put their best foot forward.
After a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Houston Rockets head to Detroit to take on a Pistons team that can be the first to sweep Houston this season.
These teams met back in October, and even with Jalen Duren getting ejected early, the Rockets allowed the Pistons to play their own style and never let Houston get going. Now, the Pistons are leading the Eastern Conference quite comfortably and the Rockets are trying to stay out of the play-in spots in the West.
The Rockets have been terrible on the second nights of back-to-backs, they finally got a win last week against the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves. Will they get win #2 tonight?
On February 1, 2025, former Mavericks GM Nico Harrison changed the lives of everyone associated with the Dallas Mavericks when he traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in the most shocking trade in recent sports history.
The move sparked immediate outrage and shock from the entire league and resulted in Harrison’s firing nine months later — a swift, but necessary resolution to one of the most shocking betrayals to a fanbase from a sports executive in league history.
Now, nearly a year later, the Lakers will be coming to Dallas for the second time since the trade commenced. Los Angeles’ first trip back — a 112-97 April 9 Lakers win where Dončić dominated the Mavericks to cheers from the American Airlines Center crowd — felt like something out of a sports movie. Home fans rooting for an opposing player throughout the game is exceptionally rare, especially in modern sports, yet it happened in April and I expect it to happen again Saturday.
It’s been a year unlike any other in sports fandom. Here’s a look back at a 12-month span that forever altered the Dallas Mavericks, from the fans to the players to the front office.
February 1, 2025, 11:12 CST: The Tweet
Late in the evening of February 1, ESPN’s Shams Charania shocked the world when he announced the Dallas Mavericks were trading Dončić, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in a three-team deal that included the Utah Jazz.
Fans across all teams immediately thought the tweet was a farce. “Has Shams been hacked?” started trending on social media and Charania told the Old Man and the Three podcast that his phone was blowing up with questions about if he’d been hacked.
“I answered five people on phone calls, texts I couldn’t, it was literally up to 300 messages,” he recalled.
But the trade was real, stunning the world. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that night that Harrison “believed defense wins championships” and that the Mavericks had “major concerns” about moving forward with Dončić due to his “constant conditioning issues.”
February 8, 2025: Davis makes debut after fans protest trade
A week later, the Mavericks hosted the Houston Rockets in Anthony Davis’ debut as a Maverick, but the headlines that day weren’t focused on the game; it was on the scene outside the arena.
Thousands of fans flooded Victory Plaza outside the arena to protest the historic trade. People held signs, chanted “Fire Nico” and voiced their displeasure at the move. Inside the arena, Davis and the Mavericks defeated the Rockets, but the Mavericks’ new star exited the game in the third quarter with an injury.
For many, the trade was a turning point, ticket sales declined 40% that season after the trade. In November, the team’s 24-season streak of sellout games was snapped.
February 25, 2025: Dončić faces Mavericks for first time
Dallas traveled to Los Angeles to play the Lakers three weeks later with Harrison in attendance. The Lakers defeated the Mavericks, 107-99, with Dončić securing a triple double in the win. Davis missed the game with an injury.
Inside Crypto.com arena,“ Thank you, Nico!” chants erupted from the Lakers faithful. Harrison was in attendance for the game, and it was likely the last public sporting event where he’d ever receive a positive reception.
April 9, 2025: Dončić returns to Dallas
Two months after the trade, Dončić returned to American Airlines Center in one of the most surreal games I’ve ever witnessed as a fan. Purple and gold jerseys flooded AAC — which wasn’t uncommon for a Lakers road game, Los Angeles has one of the fiercest fanbases in the NBA — but most of the jerseys had one name: Dončić.
Purple and gold meshed with navy blue and white with the same name donned across the back. The Mavericks played a video tribute before the game for Dončić, who teared up on the sidelines as fans applauded the then-25 year old’s tenure in Dallas that included a 2022 Western Conference Finals run and a 2024 NBA Finals run.
Then, the game started, and if you thought Dončić would start slow due to the emotionof the game, he quickly showed the fans and the world just how big a mistake the Mavericks made.
He lit up the Mavericks, scoring 45 points on 16-28 shooting, including 7-10 from three-point range. Dallas fans erupted with every made basket, almost as if to rebel against their own team. Dončić added eight rebounds, six assists and four steals for good measure, and the Lakers clinched a playoff spot while Dallas dropped yet another game, a common theme for the post-Dončić era.
“It was little bit of both happy and angry, but it’s nice to see some familiar faces here,” Dončić said after the game. “…I really appreciate the fans.”
May 12, 2025: Mavericks win draft lottery
The Dallas Mavericks defied all odds and won the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery, despite having just a 1.8% chance to secure the No. 1 pick. It was the first time in franchise history Dallas had moved up in the draft lottery and it put them in position to draft Cooper Flagg.
In June, Dallas did just that, drafting Flagg with the No. 1 pick and beginning a new era of Mavericks basketball. The front office made it clear they were trying to move on and turn over a new leaf. The fans were not yet ready to do so.
November 10, 2025: Tensions boil over
Harrison had tried for nine months to outlast the fan outrage, hoping a flashy new rookie and visions of him, Davis, and Kyrie Irving would soothe fan’s rage.
It did not.
On November 10, tensions boiled over when the Mavericks faced off against the Milwaukee Bucks. Dallas blew a 13-point 4th-quarter lead, but had a chance to tie the game late after P.J. Washington, who had pleaded with fans to stop their chants during the game, stepped to the line to shoot three free throws with Dallas down 3.
Time seemed to stand still in that moment. With Davis watching from the sidelines with yet another injury, the fans staged their final stage of revolt. They no longer cared if their team won or lost. They only cared about Harrison being gone. Nothing else mattered.
That was when team governor Patrick Dumont knew enough was enough.
November 11, 2025: Harrison fired
Harrison was fired the next morning and the Mavericks named two co-GM’s, Matt Ricardi and Michael Finley, to lead the front office while they began a search for a new permanent general manager.
After four years as GM, a run that saw Dallas reach the WCF and NBA Finals, Harrison was out just nine months after the trade. Some things are too big to escape, and Harrison learned that the hard way.
January 24, 2026: Dončić returns again
A year ago, Dallas was a title contender looking to get back to the NBA Finals while the Lakers were facing questions about the direction of their franchise with two aging stars and a lack of appealing draft capital.
Now, everything has flipped.
Los Angeles, fifth in the West, now looks to establish themselves as the contender while Dallas starts a years-long rebuild. Flagg’s quick ascension will provide some comfort for Mavericks fans and gives a glimpse into what the future can hold, but the Mavericks are years away from being in the Finals, while Dončić looks to lead his second franchise to the championship series, hopefully this time with a different ending.
As it turns out, scoring three goals in less than a minute is a winning strategy!
The Bruins scored three goals in a 52-second span of the first period, added another in the second, then held off a late Vegas charge to earn a 4-3 win at TD Garden.
The first two goals of the game, one by Charlie McAvoy and one by Elias Lindholm, came just 30 seconds apart during a costly double-minor to Vegas’s Tomas Hertl.
David Pastrnak led the way on offense for the B’s, recording a goal and two assists.
Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves in the win. The Finnish netminder has won his last four starts and six of his last eight.
McAvoy got the scoring started just nine seconds into the aforementioned double minor, making it 1-0 Bruins.
The Bruins grinders forced a turnover a few seconds after the ensuing puck drop, and Tanner Jeannot capitalized with great shot to beat Akira Schmid and make it 3-0 Bruins.
After falling behind 6-0 in Dallas on Tuesday night, the Bruins decided to take the opposite approach on Thursday night and go ahead 4-0. It seems like that might be a better strategy. Thank you for reading my analysis.
Per Judd Sirrott on the NESN broadcast, the Golden Knights came into last night’s game with one the best road penalty kills in the league, making B’s doubly successful power play even more impressive.
While the recent (until Dallas) winning run was a team effort, Korpisalo has been quietly good for a while now. While he might like the Dorofeyev goal back, he made a few big saves early in the first period prior to the B’s goal-scoring outburst. While Korpisalo had his struggles earlier in the season, he has rounded into form of late.
Lindholm and Morgan Geekie also had multi-point nights for the B’s, with Lindholm having a goal and an assist and Geekie having two assists.
The B’s managed to hold Vegas to a 1-for-4 mark on their own power plays, an impressive feat against the league’s fourth-best power play.
The B’s will be back in action on Saturday night, hosting the Montreal Canadiens at TD Garden.
There’s a difficult path, as it pertains to acquiring an external one. Houston is just $1.2 million under the apron.
The NBA’s hard cap is real.
We know this.
We’ve seen Rockets coach Ime Udoka deploy a hodgepodge of methods toward replacing Fred VanVleet.
Or attempting to.
No option has been perfect. Amen Thompson running point takes him away from his best offensive skills, which is attacking, cutting to the rim and slashing.
Instead, it leaves him at the top of the key, oftentimes standing around and/or taking low-percentage threes.
Kevin Durant has been relied on to handle some of the playmaking and offensive initiation, but he’s rather turnover prone. Especially when blitzed or trapped.
Reed Sheppard is a good option, save for the fact that he gets hunted defensively. He’s thrived in an off-ball role.
JD Davison is a decent fall back, but you don’t necessarily want to be relying on a two-way signee for offensive playmaking and creation.
Especially not the bulk of it. And he’s the best pick-and-roll point guard on the roster.
“Jose Alvarado.. The Houston Rockets—they have kind of did some background on Alvarado.”
Alvarado is a defensive pest. He’s also the type of player who you hate when he’s not on your team but absolutely love to have on your team.
He’s a hell of a spark off the bench and is infectious.
In 22 minutes of action, he averages 7.9 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 rebounds one steal, 42.4 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from three (4.4 attempts) and 82.6 percent from the foul line.
He has a player option next season worth $4.5 million and has a $4.5 million number this season also, making him a realistic target, should they decide to look into making a move.
There will be competition for his services, however, as Haynes also reported the New York Knicks are interested in Alvarado’s services as well.
The Sydney Sixers have progressed through to an incredible eighth Big Bash grand final in 15 years on Friday night, courtesy of a dominant 57-run win over reigning champions Hobart.
Before the season began, everyone had a different opinion about how the Celtics would fare.
Some people naively thought they would plummet to the bottom of the East and tank for hometown kid AJ Dybantsa. Others thought they would hang around and perhaps make a surge if, and only if, Jayson Tatum returned. Most thought they would end up right around .500 or maybe a bit better (I was in that group).
Very few genuinely believed that, more than halfway through the season, they would be 11 games above .500 and second in the East. If you did, kudos to you, but I certainly didn’t.
So, how have they done it? Well, a lot goes into it, but from my perspective, here are ten reasons they’re still contenders.
1. Jaylen Brown has gone from outstanding to unstoppable.
I think we can all officially stop debating whether or not Jaylen Brown is capable of thriving as the No. 1 option on a contender. I thought Brown would embrace this role and excel in it, but I didn’t expect this level of pure domination.
Brown has upped his scoring (22.2 to 29.8), rebounding (5.8 to 6.7) and assists (4.5 to 4.8) per game from last year, while also improving his efficiency (46.3 to 48, 32.4 to 36.4, 76.4 to 79.1). He’s taking over games, leading by example and making life easier for everyone around him. His teammates have followed suit.
Jaylen Brown continues to get buckets at will as the @celtics win at home ☘️
When the season began, people fairly wondered if the Celtics could continue their 3-point shooting prowess without Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.
The answer is a resounding yes. They still have Brown, Derrick White, Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser. Add in Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza and some young guys who are improving in that area, and that’s a whole lot of offensive firepower.
Boston is second in the NBA in 3-pointers made per game (15.6), second in 3’s attempted per game (42.4) and seventh in 3-point percentage (36.8). Last year’s percentage? 36.8. How’s that for consistency?
3. Returning catalysts have expanded their roles.
While Brown has elevated his game, White, Pritchard, Hauser and Neemias Queta have embraced more opportunity as well.
Some of White’s shooting numbers are down, but he’s averaging more points (16.4 to 17.6), rebounds (4.5 to 4.6) and assists (4.8 to 5.4) than last year and is still everywhere defensively. Pritchard is posting career-highs in minutes, points, assists and rebounds as well, and Hauser hasn’t missed a shot in 2026. Queta is handling a lot of responsibility on an undersized team and making it look easy.
I’m always amazed how seamlessly NBA players can adjust to greater responsibility, but the thing about this team is that those adjustments are leading to wins.
4. Young guys are ready when their number is called.
It can be hard to play some nights and sit on the bench others, but this group hasn’t flinched in that respect. Joe Mazzulla tends to mix and match based on the opponent, and the young players on the roster deserve credit for staying ready and pouncing when they get the chance.
Jordan Walsh is playing some of the best basketball of his career and is a menace defensively. Baylor Scheierman is starting to figure it out, holding his own defensively and displaying his unique ability as a playmaker. Hugo González has a chance to be special and is just scratching the surface.
Orlando, FL – April 25: Boston Celtics forward Baylor Scheierman, left, and guard Jordan Walsh participate in the team shoot-around before Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs against the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
5. The new guys have fit in seamlessly.
Simons, Garza and Josh Minott have exceeded expectations and bought into the overall identity of the group. Simons is a starting-caliber player coming off the bench, Garza is often the glue for this team and Minott has been a pest and insane athlete when healthy.
6. They’ve made strides on the glass.
The Celtics are now 10th in the NBA in rebounds per game (45.1) and sixth in offensive rebounds per game (12.7). They were never going to be at the very top in that category, and that’s OK. As long as they’re holding own, and not letting teams bully them inside, they’ll be in most games. Teams like the Pistons and Rockets are tough matchups because of their size, but the Celtics are capable of finding creative ways to compensate.
Of all the things you didn't see coming…the Celtics are now 8th in the NBA in rebounding.
CELTICS REBOUNDING (NBA Rank)
First two months… Offensive: 7th Defensive: 30th Overall: 18th
Last month… Offensive: 5th Defensive: 2nd Overall: 3rd
Already-elite defenders like Brown, White and Queta have taken the next step. Players like Pritchard, Hauser, Simons and Garza, who are probably sick of constantly hearing about their defensive shortcomings, continue to prove people wrong. Guys like Walsh, Minott and González have provided contagious energy.
Defense was a way bigger question mark than offense, and so far, the Celtics have passed the test and then some. They’ve allowed the second-fewest points in the league (109.8), behind only the Thunder, which is extremely impressive.
8. They’ve leaned into playing at their own pace.
I expected this team to play a run-and-gun style of offense, but so far, it’s been just the opposite. The Celtics are dead last in the league in pace (96.43) and have had the third-fewest possessions (4,140) in the league. They’re dictating the action and making teams play their style. That’s generally an indicator that the ball is moving and they’re turning down good shots for great ones.
Miami, FL – May 21: Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra screams at a referee while Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla looks away. The Celtics lost to the Heat, 128-102, in Game 3 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals. (Photo by Jim Davis/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
9. Joe Mazzulla is coaching at an extremely high level.
The players deserve the bulk of the credit for items 1 through 8, but Mazzulla and his staff deserve praise as well.
Mazzulla inherited one of the best situations in NBA history, but he’s proving day by day that his early success wasn’t just a product of his circumstances. He’s one of the best coaches in the NBA and has found a sustainable winning formula with this team.
10. They’re playing with joy and for one another.
Body language is important in sports. You can tell when players are sick of one another and aren’t bought in for the greater good. This team is clearly united and relentlessly pursuing a common goal. Of course, winning can lead to buy in, but without the buy in, wins can be hard to find.
This could be a season to remember, and oh yeah, that Tatum guy is making steady progress.
Minnesota Wild coach John Hynes said it’s not up to him whether Quinn Hughes will play with Brock Faber at the Olympics.
But if Team USA coach Mike Sullivan needed any convincing, all he has to do is look at the stats since Hughes arrived in a blockbuster trade to Minnesota last month. What started out as a one-game trial has turned into a six-week tour de force, with Hughes and Faber combining for seven goals and 41 points in 20 games.
Chemistry this instant is not easy to find. Which is why you have to imagine that the dynamic defensive duo, who seem so similar but bring different elements that complement each other’s game, will be paired together in Milan next month.
“Both of them are obviously high-end players,” said Hynes, who is an assistant coach for Team USA. “I would say they’re a little bit different in the way that they play. But they’re both excellent skaters, I think they can break the puck out well, they can transition the puck well, and obviously you see their skating ability, whether it’s off the rush or in the offensive zone, they’re mobile and they make very good decisions with the puck.
“From a defensive standpoint, they’re both committed guys. They’re not just one-way players — they play a strong, two-way game.”
Chances are the Olympics were not on Bill Guerin’s mind when the Wild GM acquired Hughes in a trade from the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 18. But considering that Guerin is also the GM of the U.S. Olympic team, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a defense pairing that looks like they’ve been playing together for years — not weeks.
After all, the Olympics are a short tournament with little lead-up time. The last NHL game is on Feb. 5. A week later, the U.S. starts the tournament against Latvia on Feb. 12.
Not that Hughes needs much time to feel comfortable, anyway. From the moment he arrived in Minnesota, Hughes has fit in seamlessly with the Wild, helping the team to a 11-5-3 record. In 20 games, he has two goals and 24 points. Faber has also benefitted, scoring five goals and 17 points, while adding about a minute more per game in ice time.
“The way he moves — from the time he got here, I think everyone was like, 'Whoa,' " said Faber said of Hughes. “You don’t realize how good he is until you see it and you play with it. He’s only going to get better the more comfortable he gets. Obviously, he’s been playing so good for us. He’s been a huge part of why we’re winning games. Just such a great addition.”
The U.S., which also has two pairs of brothers — Quinn and Jack Hughes, and Matthew and Brady Tkachuk — is not the only country that will be bringing along the familiarity of linemates.
Canada’s top pairing will likely feature Colorado’s Cale Makar and Devon Toews, who have been playing together in Colorado for years. Finland will also send defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, as well as forwards Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz — all Stars players.
That is, if Sullivan decides to keep the experiment going and keep Hughes and Faber together.
"Look, obviously they feel comfortable with each other so we'll see where it goes," said Hynes.
If last week's game in Las Vegas between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights taught us anything, it's that the rematch on Friday at Scotiabank Arena is sure to be an emotionally-charged game.
Mitch Marner returns to Toronto and will play as a visitor for the first time since the sign-and-trade that saw the player leave for the desert.
And following Toronto's last game, a 2-1 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, spme of Marner's ex-teammates were asked about what they expect it will be like in the building when they play against the former Leaf of nine seasons.
He's been a special player for this team for a long time. He's been a big presence in the community as well, not just with hockey. So I would hope it's a warm welcome. I know he has nothing but good memories here, and I think the fans have experienced a lot of good memories with him as well. So he's a great guy. It's unfortunate he's not with our group anymore. But, yeah, I mean, I hope hockey is a place of respect, and I hope that the fans pay him respect. And I can't speak for everyone. and I don't know how everyone feels, but, just with playing with him. I know he's been an unbelievable guy, and it's going to be emotional for him.
It's going to be good. I think Mitch did a lot for this city while he was here. He was a really good player for this team for a while. I was fortunate to play with him for only a short period of time, but he did a lot of good things, and, yeah, I'm sure it's going to be........... loud *smirk*.
A lot of emotions, but if there's anything I can say, it's a beautiful thing in all regards. Obviously, he was here for a long time, but I hope he just comes in and takes advantage of the opportunity to appreciate just all the memories that he's built over his years here, and there's definitely going to be an extra spring in his step for sure. But overall, I think we want to just continue to play our game, focus on ourselves, but that will be an emotional one for him for sure.
- Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo on Marner's return.
With the standings being as tight as they are right now, each game is of pivotal importance, but especially those intra-divisional matchups like the Montreal Canadiens’ Thursday night match-up with the Buffalo Sabres. After being beaten by those same Sabres 5-3 a week ago, Martin St-Louis’ men had an opportunity to get a do-over against Lindy Ruff’s formation.
Even though it was Jakub Dobes who backstopped the Canadiens to their first win against the Minnesota Wild since 2019 on Tuesday night, the coach had elected to give the net to Samuel Montembeault for Thursday’s game. It was understandable since Dobes had given three goals on just 19 shots on Tuesday night. Still, Montembeault hadn’t looked great either in his only game since Jacob Fowler was sent back down to the Laval Rocket, surrendering five goals on 34 shots to the Ottawa Senators.
They say fake it ‘till you make it because if you believe in yourself, others will. As regretful as it is to write, the Canadiens do not seem to be confident when Montembeault is in the net. Once again, on Thursday night, the first shot he faced went in. Granted, it was on a two-on-one, but still, to win, you need a goaltender who will make the tough saves, the ones that make you think that your last line of defence can do the job. On that play, all three of the Canadiens’ forwards went deep in the Sabres’ zone, Lane Hutson applied pressure in their territory as well, and Jayden Struble didn’t play well on the odd-man rush, but if the goalie pulls off a spectacular save, we have a different game.
Then, the Sabres’ second goal was a shorthanded marker. Noah Dobson was outworked and overtaken on the wing, but Montembeault was passive and deep in his own net. Yes, Dobson should have been more of a nuisance for Beck Malenstyn, but nothing prevented Montembeault from making a poke check.
Buffalo took a 3-0 lead early in the second frame when Zach Benson hit both posts before scoring on his third shot. Of course, the defence shouldn’t let a team take three shots in close succession, but if Montembeault stops the first shot from hitting the post and makes the save, he doesn’t end up looking like a weathercock in his net, and the next two shots don’t happen right under Hutson and Struble’s noses.
Three goals on just nine shots, those are not numbers that inspire confidence. That being said, at least in the third period, Montembeault made a big save on Alex Tuch on a breakaway, which allowed the Canadiens to stay in the game and prevented the Sabres from getting a second shorthanded goal in the same game.
Making Adjustments
After the Habs fell behind 3-0, they woke up. On an offensive zone faceoff, Kirby Dach dished out a great hit along the boards, which allowed Mike Matheson to get the puck back. He then left it for Suzuki, who fed Cole Caufield in the high slot. The sniper one-timed it in, bringing the Canadiens back within two.
Less than 10 minutes later, St-Louis elected to send Zach Bolduc out on an offensive faceoff with Suzuki and Caufield. While the Habs lost the draw, it was Bolduc who then intercepted a pass and got himself alone in front of the goalie, who couldn’t freeze the puck on his shot, allowing Suzuki to take the rebound and score to make it 3-2 Buffalo. The coach’s decision to send the Trois-Rivieres native out for the draw was an inspired one. After the game, he explained that he felt Bolduc had played well and wanted to manage Dach's minutes since he had just returned from injury.
On the other bench, though, it took about two seconds for Ruff, who had just seen his team give up two goals in less than 10 minutes after forging itself a three-goal lead, call for a timeout and give his men a stern talking to. Buffalo only allowed two more shots in the rest of the period, and it stopped the Canadiens from building up their momentum right away. That’s one way to prevent a hemorrhage and an example the Habs’ coach could follow. Oftentimes, he seems reluctant to use his timeout.
A Recurring Issue
If the Canadiens have got the message about shooting more, they finished the game with 34 shots on goal, but they still struggle to play a full 60 minutes and start playing the right way straight from the puck drop. Two of the goals they gave were within three minutes of the start of a period, and their power play has been atrocious for the last two games.
The man-advantage doesn’t mean you don’t have to play as well or be as patient. It’s incredible to see how impatient the top unit can be when it’s time to enter the zone on the man-advantage, while they can be as patient as a young parent who never says no to their spoiled toddler when they are set up in the offensive zone, passing the puck.
In the game against the Wild, Caufield tried to beat three guys on his own to enter the zone on the power play, when by definition, a power play means you’ll have at least one man open on the ice. Tonight, the zone entries were just as hard, and, just like Tuesday, the power play coast the Canadiens’ momentum; it didn’t give them any, especially after it gave up a goal and nearly gave up a second one.
In the end, for much of the game, the Canadiens were dominant; they led 34-17 in shots, they won 64% of the faceoffs (36-20), and they led 28-26 in hits, but not playing for 60 minutes can be fatal, which it was on Thursday night.
This defeat leaves the Habs in a precarious position in the standings, with a two-point lead over the Sabres, but Buffalo has a game in hand. They are also just three points ahead of the Boston Bruins, who won tonight as well. As luck would have it, the Canadiens’ next game on Saturday will be against the Bruins, in Boston, and needless to say, it will be a do-or-die affair.
