Our photographer was outside the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal fans congregated to celebrate their team’s first title in 22 years
Continue reading...What I’ve earned so far from the 2026 NBA Playoffs
Don’t waste youth with the young.
There’s a natural reaction in the playoffs to shorten your rotation — you want to play your best players the most when it matters most. Mazzulla started trimming his lineups towards the end of the regular season from 10ish to 8ish in anticipation of the postseason.
But not until late into the Celtics’ collapse did the team realize that was a mistake or maybe better put, that wasn’t their identity.
Through eight straight wins to start their back-to-back bid, the Thunder went nearly 10-11 deep in their undefeated run before the Western Conference Finals. That may partly be because they’re beating the brakes off of the Suns and Lakers, but more likely, it’s because they’ve fostered a Stay Ready mentality from top to bottom.
Out of necessity, Mazzulla employed a similar strategy during the 82-game marathon of a regular season, but at least to start their series against the Sixers, shortened his rotation. However, by Game 7, he was starting the backend of the bench in Game 7 — a move many fans thought he should have made from the beginning.
With the off-season in mind, Stevens should embrace that mindset in building out the roster again. There will be an instinct to turn nickels, dimes, and quarters into dollars. However, if this CBA era has taught us anything, it’s that youth and depth is a premium not just for the regular season, but for the rigors of every 48-minute battle of the NBA Playoffs war. Whether they’re still on their rookie deals or have team options for next season, the Celtics have nine players that could be making under $3 million next season. Some might not return, some might be included in a trade, but Brad needs to beware of an empty cupboard come training camp next September.
But don’t forget the old dogs.
Tobias Harris was on one. The 14-year veteran was Detroit’s second-leading scorer for a Pistons core of 24-year-old Cade Cunningham, 22-year-old Jalen Duren, and 23-year-old Amen Thompson. In Game 1 against the Spurs, Alex Caruso (age 32) scored 31 points and defended Wemby well in stretches. Landry Shamet was a +25 in the Knicks’ 22-point comeback last night.
The 2024 championship season certainly belonged to the Jays and Brown and Tatum are still the foundation of the franchise at age 30 and 28 respectively. However, it was the collective experience of Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Kristaps Porzingis that helped raise Banner 18. You have to think that if one of those guys was still on the team against Philly, Game 7 swings our way.
Despite the early exit, one of the silver linings of the regular season was the breakout years of Luka Garza (28), Baylor Scheierman (26), Ron Harper, Jr. (26), Jordan Walsh (22), and Hugo Gonzalez (20). Mazzulla will need to lean on that young depth again, but entering free agency armed with a hefty TPE and the non-taxpayer MLE, Stevens will have an opportunity to add a player or two this summer and he shouldn’t be concerned leaning on some old dogs. They may not be able to learn new tricks, but if they can consistently add a different element to the young mix, there’s 15-20 minutes a night for a seasoned pro.
We might need a center.
Victor Wembanyama. Isaiah Hartenstein. Chet Holmgren. Karl-Anthony Towns. Jarrett Allen. Evan Mobley. Jalen Duren.
We should expect to meet any and all of those big men in next year’s march through the playoffs. And let’s not forget how Joel Embiid revealed just how much the Celtics lacked a consistent big man against him in their first round elimination.
Both Neemias Queta and Luka Garza were revelations during the regular season and Nikola Vucevic had his ups and downs in his injury-plaqued time in Boston and even he, the steady vet that has averaged 22 and 11 over 12 seasons, couldn’t add consistency to the center position. With how dominant seven-footers have been so far in the postseason, it’s a chilling reminder just how much Boston misses Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet.
The knee jerk reaction has been to ramp up the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade debate and maybe that’s the play. Maybe there’s a trade for a big that doesn’t include Jaylen Brown. What’s certain is that the 5-spot might be Boston’s #1 priority this summer.
Chris MacFarland Bet Everything on Winning — and the Avalanche Are Cashing In
DENVER — Chris MacFarland doesn't overcomplicate the mission.
"We're trying to win, right?" the Colorado Avalanche general manager said Tuesday at a news conference previewing their Western Conference finals matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights. Simple enough — but the way he's gone about building this team is anything but.
A Roster Built on Trades, Not Tradition
Of the players on Colorado's active roster, only three — Gabe Landeskog, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon — were drafted by the organization. Everyone else arrived via trade or free agency, which makes the Avalanche's sustained success a quiet testament to MacFarland's eye for talent and his willingness to spend organizational capital to get it. It's also a big reason he's one of three finalists for the NHL's GM of the year award.
"We're sacrificing some of that youth. Some of those picks and prospects. So, you've got to delve into (free agency)," MacFarland said. "Our scouts have done a great job supplementing the moving out of the (draft) picks. We've got high, high-end drafted players that are still with us. … But the cycle that it's kind of been building on over the last 7-8 years — that's just part of the beast."
A Masterclass in Roster Construction
MacFarland got to work last offseason, signing Brent Burns and retaining Brock Nelson. He kept building as the season progressed, adding Nazem Kadri, Brett Kulak, Nicolas Roy, and Nick Blankenburg through trades. The moves paid off — Colorado led the overall NHL standings from early November through year's end, finishing with a franchise-record 121 points.
Head coach Jared Bednar didn't mince words about his GM's recognition. "I think it's probably a couple of years coming. But oftentimes with the work you put in — and the blood, sweat, and tears — there's a delayed reaction," Bednar said. "This team for me wasn't just built in this year. It was built over the last couple of years with the guys that have remained, with some of the new guys we got last year. … I've known and worked with (MacFarland) for a long time. No one's going to outwork him and no one's going to watch more games."
🗣️Chris MacFarland:
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) May 19, 2026
"With our group now...we can win in different ways...and we do."#goavsgo | Powered by: @JohnsonAutopic.twitter.com/IUsSqVJ8hq
MacFarland, never one to let a moment pass without a little levity, cut in: "Easy. Easy."
Bednar pressed on: "I shouldn't say nobody. … A lot of the tough (decisions) that we've made over the years, especially in the last couple of years, they all seem to be turning out and working out pretty well for us again this year."
From the Hot Seat to the Conference Finals
Not everyone was ready to give MacFarland that kind of credit — not after January 2025. When he dealt star winger Mikko Rantanen to the Carolina Hurricanes, the backlash was swift and loud. Rantanen was subsequently traded again, this time to the Dallas Stars, and the Stars made Colorado pay for it — eliminating the Avalanche in a bruising seven-game first-round series. Calls for MacFarland's head, and even Bednar's, weren't hard to find in the aftermath.
I'm guilty of it too. I wrote a piece for Mile High Hockey calling for both of them to be fired. I was wrong — and to my credit, I admitted it well before many others did. We're all human. As for Bednar specifically, losing to Pete DeBoer again just left a sour taste. But sometimes that's exactly the point. Defeat, when it stings badly enough, has a way of forging something stronger on the other side.
Bednar knows this better than most — and DeBoer has been the recurring source of that education. Colorado blew a 2-0 series lead to DeBoer's Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, eventually falling in six games. It was a gut punch, the kind that ends coaching careers in other markets. Bednar has now lost three playoff series to DeBoer alone. And yet, the very next season, the Avalanche hoisted the Stanley Cup. The losses didn't break the program. They sharpened it.
Sports history is full of those moments, and since Colorado is once again staring across the ice at a Vegas team, it's only fitting to reach for another Vegas example. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fought the defining bouts of his boxing career in that city — and the fuel for all of it traces back to a single, devastating loss. When Mayweather dropped the gold medal final at the 1996 Olympics, he was inconsolable. No words, just tears. Pain and embarrassment, raw and public. He made himself a promise that night: it would never happen again. It didn't. That Olympic bout stands as the last defeat of his competitive career — an unblemished professional record built entirely on the back of one crushing setback.
His financial record, on the other hand — the IRS disputes, the curious loan arrangements overseas — that's a separate conversation entirely. The man can box. Budgeting is a different discipline.
But back to hockey — because that's where Bednar and MacFarland have always let their work do the talking. The firings that never came. The rebuild that wasn't really a rebuild. The trade that looked like a disaster and may yet prove to be the final piece. Colorado has been counted out before, and they've responded by winning a championship. Now they're back in the conference finals, one round from another shot at the Cup, with the same coach, the same GM, and a roster assembled with the kind of quiet confidence that doesn't need to announce itself.
MacFarland said it best at the top: they're trying to win. Turns out, they're pretty good at it.
Mitchell Robinson’s free throw woes aren’t going away for Knicks
It got lost in the historic comeback, but it’s something that will certainly play a factor going forward.
Mitchel Robinson was effective early in the Knicks’ epic 115-104 overtime win over the Cavaliers in Game 1 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
But Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson went to Hack-a-Mitch, and he was played off the floor.
The Cavaliers went to the strategy in the third quarter. Knicks coach Mike Brown left Robinson on the floor for a prolonged stretch despite it stifling their offense.
Robinson went 2-for-8 from the free throw line before Brown finally yanked him.
The Knicks deficit went from 14 to 15 points during that stretch.
“I wanted to give him a chance,” Brown said. “Mitch has been great for us the last few games in that situation. We’re gonna continue to give him a chance. We’ll move him around and do some different things with him. Mitch can impact the game in different ways, so we need him on the floor.”
But when the Knicks mounted their historic comeback, Robinson was glued to the bench. He played just one minute in the fourth quarter and overtime.
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As the Knicks erased a 22-point fourth quarter deficit, Atkinson largely watched it unfold without calling a timeout.
It wasn’t until the Knicks had cut it to five points with 3:30 left in the fourth quarter that Atkinson finally called timeout.
“I like to hold my timeouts,” Atkinson said. “I didn’t want to have one timeout at the end of the game, one- or two-point game. I try to hold them.”
Avery Wilson, who plays the scarecrow in the 2024 revival of “The Wizard of Oz,” once again sang the national anthem before the game.
He has performed the anthem multiple times at MSG this postseason. The Knicks are undefeated in those games.
OG Anunoby finishes in style after struggling early in Knicks’ Game 1 return
OG Anunoby’s injured hamstring prevented him from returning for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals — until he was needed most.
The Knicks’ best all-around performer through the bulk of the first two rounds was largely out of rhythm in his first game in 13 days, struggling to move with his customary speed and ferocity in Tuesday night’s series-opener.
But Anunoby — who reentered the game with the Knicks trailing 93-71 and 7:52 left in the fourth quarter — gutted his way to the finish line, contributing nine points, three rebounds and a steal in overtime of the Knicks’ 115-104 win over the Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden.
“We had to keep fighting,” Anunoby said. “We’re just mentally tough. We knew we had a run in us. Just play to the end.”
The Knicks’ second-round sweep of the 76ers — combined with Cleveland’s seven-game series against the Pistons — gave Anunoby much-needed time to recover, but the rest came with plenty of rust.
The sellout crowd welcomed back Anunoby with a deafening roar during the team’s introductions, understanding the importance of the team’s top defender to their title hopes — just two years removed from an Anunoby hamstring injury essentially flipping the outcome of their second-round loss to the Pacers — but the excitement quickly evaporated.
Anunoby missed the game’s first shot. His next attempt was off, as was his next 3-pointer, which went long for an airball.
He appeared shaky, his steps somewhat measured, just two weeks removed from a stretch in which he dominated both ends of the floor with explosiveness and decisiveness.
One drive ended with an awkward Euro step and a traveling call. Another possession ended with him fumbling a pass in the lane, as the Cavs turned an 11-point deficit into a 50-48 halftime lead.
Anunoby went to the break with two points, one rebound, one turnover and a team-worst minus-12 rating.Entering Tuesday, Anunoby was averaging 21.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and a team-best 1.9 steals in the playoffs, while shooting 61.9 percent from the field (a team-high 53.8 percent on 3-pointers).
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“[There was] a little rust, but that was expected,” Anunoby said. “I knew that. As the game went on, the rust wore off.”
Anunoby remained largely invisible in the third quarter, but the game changed when Mike Brown asked him to return with less than eight minutes left and the outcome seemingly decided.
Anunoby missed an open 3-pointer with the Knicks trailing by six with 1:41 left in regulation, but the 6-foot-7 forward then delivered the game’s biggest assist. He took a pass from Jalen Brunson at the top of the key, then swung it to Landry Shamet in the corner for the game-tying 3-pointer with 44.3 seconds remaining.
Anunoby, who finished with 13 points (shooting 2-for-9 from the field, including 1-for-6 from 3), five rebounds, two assists, one steal and a plus-15 rating in 34 minutes, hit seven free throws in overtime, plus a drive to put the Knicks up six with 2:56 remaining, sparking chants of “O-G” from the thousands who knew what his return could mean.
“I felt good,” Anunoby said. “Just continue to play hard, shoot shots and be aggressive. … I don’t think it was hesitancy [early]. Just as the game went on I felt more and more like myself.”
Knicks stun Cavaliers with 22-point comeback
The New York Knicks mounted their biggest play-off comeback by overcoming a 22-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-104 in game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.
The Knicks trailed 93-71 with less than eight minutes remaining at Madison Square Garden, but outscored the Cavaliers 30-8 to tie the game at 101-101 before surging to victory in overtime.
It is the second biggest fourth quarter comeback in an NBA play-off game and the biggest since April 2012, when the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies from 24 points down.
"I don't know if I've ever seen that in a play-off game," Knicks head coach Mike Brown said.
"To be down 18, 19, 20 - whatever we were down - and to find a way to come back and win, I take my hat off to my group."
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson scored 17 of his 38 points in the final eight minutes of regulation time and overtime, while Mikal Bridges finished with 18 points and Karl-Anthony Towns 13 points and 13 rebounds.
"The team's relentless. You never know whose night it's going to be, but we're going to figure it out," guard Miles McBride said.
Donovan Mitchell led the scoring for the Cavaliers with 29 points, although only three came in the fourth quarter.
It was their 11th game in 21 days, while the Knicks had not played for nine days.
"We should have won the game," Mitchell said.
"We're up 22 with God knows how much time - got to win the game."
Game two of the best-of-seven series will take place at the same venue on Thursday (01:00 BST, Friday).
The series winners will meet the Oklahoma City Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The Spurs lead 1-0.
They meet at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City on Wednesday (01:30 BST, Thursday).
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns point center plan hits Game 1 roadblock
The first seven games of Karl-Anthony Towns, point center, had worked better than anyone could’ve anticipated.
The Knicks offense exploded. Towns was a pivotal part of an attack with a 130.5 offensive rating in that span, averaging eight assists.
But that was against the Hawks and 76ers, teams who didn’t really have an answer for Towns.
The Cavaliers are a different animal, and it showed in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals.
Towns was a non-factor offensively in the Knicks’ dramatic 115-104 come-from-behind overtime victory. He had trouble creating against Cleveland’s versatile and rangy big men defenders Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, limited to 13 points on 6-for-14 shooting along with seven turnovers.
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“We do feel like we have the personnel to bother him. We’ve got multiple guys who can put pressure on him,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “We’ve gotta be really good with our off-ball defense. They’ve definitely shifted schematically like everybody knows. It’s been … it’s high level so it’s going to be a big part of the series.”
Overall, it has been a strong postseason for Towns. He entered the night averaging 17.4 points, 10 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 1.5 blocks. He has been taking far fewer shots than a year ago in the playoffs — 9.2 compared to 15.8 — but making more of an impact at both ends of the floor.
With Towns on the floor, the Knicks were outscoring the opposition by 24.8 points per 100 possessions.
On Tuesday, he struggled. He wasn’t dealing with the immobile Joel Embiid anymore. In the end, though, the Knicks persevered as Jalen Brunson took over in crunch time, and Towns didn’t mind that it wasn’t his best offensive game.
“I think the Knicks found a way to win tonight, and that’s all that matters,” said Towns, who did have 13 rebounds and five assists.. “It’s not about the individual performances, it’s about this team finding a way to put up a win on the board. I think that’s what’s special.”
SF Giants lose 5-3 after Ketel Marte walkoff home run in four-run 9th inning
There’s an old sketch from The State called “The Barry Lutz Show” where a doctor played by Thomas Lennon explains his research in the field of “monkey torture,” accompanied by an adorable simian. He eventually takes a phone call that purportedly tells him he has to stop torturing monkeys forever and let them all go, only to reveal it was just his friend Terry making a prank call — an even more sophisticated bit of monkey torture.
The San Francisco Giants spent most of Tuesday’s game with the Arizona Diamondbacks clinging to a two-run lead, escaping bases-loaded situations in the 7th and 8th inning with double plays. But the lack of insurance runs and an unreliable bullpen killed them when Ketel Marte hit a two-out, three-run home run off Matt Gage to give the D-Backs a 5-3 win.
At least it wasn’t Nolan Arenado that beat them this time.
Is it worse to lose by 12-2 in a game that’s never close or have hope for 26 outs, only to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory? The 2026 Giants can offer both forms of monkey torture.
The Giants wasted a solid Landen Roupp start, stellar infield defense, and back-to-back jacks from Rafael Devers and Willy Adames after a nightmare four-run 9th. They turned double plays to escape bases-loaded jams in both the 7th and 8th innings, as well as an almost—two-run homer from Marte that went over 400 feet and left him standing on first base in disbelief. Only to fall apart one out from victory.
Caleb Killian (1-2) was clutch in the 8th inning when he induced a double play from Arenado. He was clutch for most of the 9th, giving up a leadoff single and then retiring two straight hitters. He got two strikes on Adrian Del Castillo before hanging a slider the Diamondbacks’ DH hit for an RBI single. Then, he got to 0-2 on Ryan Waldschmidt — before his foul ball was ruled catcher’s interference. And then they lost.
The loss clearly disappointed a group of Giants fans who took over the Diamondbacks outfield pool area, wearing team gear and water wings. One man sported an orange-and-black tank top that read: “Giants Fans: Peeing In Pools Since 1958.” That’s a weird brag, but we believe that young influencers would consider this an example of chlorinemogging and urinemaxxing, a way to assert dominance over home fans. And really piss them off.
Seconds after Mike Krukow pointed out the shirt, Devers and Adames hit back-to-back home runs and kicked off a three-run rally off Arizona starter Ryne Nelson (7 IP, 8H, 2BB, 3K).
Matt Chapman singled and Andrew Susac refused to let him mellow at first, hitting an RBI double off the base of the wall for a 3-1 lead.
Unfortunately for the water wing crew, that was the last of the Giants’ scoring. A two-out single from Casey Schmitt and a double from Devers couldn’t lead to any runs in the 5th. Chapman walked and Susac singled in the 6th, but two groundouts ended the threat. Reliever Kevin Ginkel walked Willy Adames and threw a wild pitch to start the 8th inning, then struck out Chapman, Drew Gilbert, and Susac.
Jonathan Loaisiga got his first win of the season for a 1-2-3 9th.
Things didn’t look promising for the Giants early. Corbin Carroll hit a ball into the left-center gap and sprinted for a triple, and scored when Adames’ relay throw drilled him in the back of the head and bounced away.
That’s what’s known as a Three Stooges home run, with Carroll required to jog home while exclaiming “Why, you idiot!” before returning to the dugout for celebratory eye pokes.
Devers had a personal 1-2-3 inning on defense in the bottom of the 6th, making a trio of defensive plays to thwart the Diamondbacks. He backhanded a sizzling Ketel Marte grounder, dove to the bag to retire the speedy Carroll on a slow bouncer, then snagged a Gerardo Perdomo line drive. It was impressive glovework and it probably infuriated every Boston Red Sox fan in the world.
Seeing Devers look like a competent first baseman and Luis Arraez look like a Gold Glover suggests that the Ron Washington Effect is very real for infield defense. A catcher turned a double play last night playing second base, after all. Arraez made the biggest defensive play of the game, starting an inning-ended, bases-loaded 6-4-1 double play to help Keaton Winn escape a 7th-inning jam.
It was a game full of bright spots and rallies that almost broke the game open, but in the end? It was all just monkey torture. But at least the monkey is cute.
Arsenal fans react to first Premier League title in 22 years – video
Arsenal fans erupted with joy in pubs and on the streets after the club was crowned Premier League champions, ending a 22-year drought. Arsenal claimed the title after rivals Manchester City drew 1-1 against Bournemouth, leaving Arsenal four points clear with one match to play
• ‘We’ve done it’: euphoria as Arsenal win first Premier League in a generation
Continue reading...San Francisco Giants drop another game after Ketel Marte walks it off
The San Francisco Giants follow their three-game sweep against the Athletics by dropping a second straight game to the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 19.
The loss might have been the season's worst.
Ketel Marte blasted a three-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to seal the deal, giving the D'backs a 5-3 victory. The Giants fell to 20-29, the second-worst record in the National League.
Giants skipper Tony Vitello was emotional after the loss, blaming himself saying "it's on me," according to USA TODAY Sports baseball columnist Bob Nightengale.
"Obviously, get a guy on base, lefty hits a line drive to center, and then we've got, you know, a runner at first, they decide to take a chance and go for a stolen base at second base, and there's a catcher's interference called, and then you're dealing with the situation we dealt with, with Marte, a switch hitter," Vitello told reporters after the game, detailing what led to the loss.
He added: "At that point, (Caleb) Kilian had 25 pitches, went with a fresh arm, different look, and made the wrong decision, cost us the game. Not that (Matt) Gage, I mean, he's got as good numbers as anybody on our team, and he's gotten it done for us more times than not, but obviously it's on me."
It was the sixth blown save of the Giants' season.
San Francisco's 20-29 record is tied for the fifth-worst through 49 games since the franchise relocated to San Francisco in 1958. It ties the team's 49-game start in 2017, when the Giants last started 20-29. They finished 64-98 that season.
The Giants wrap their three-game series with Arizona on Wednesday, May 20. First pitch is at 12:40 p.m. PT (3:40 p.m. ET).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Giants' woes continue after dropping game to Diamondbacks on walk-off
New York takes 1-0 lead into game 2 against Cleveland
Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. New York Knicks (53-29, third in the Eastern Conference)
New York; Thursday, 8 p.m. EDT
LINE: Knicks -6.5; over/under is 214.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS: Knicks lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The New York Knicks host the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals with a 1-0 lead in the series. The Knicks won the last matchup 115-104 in overtime on Wednesday, led by 38 points from Jalen Brunson. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 29.
The Knicks are 35-17 against Eastern Conference opponents. New York is 9-4 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.
The Cavaliers are 33-19 in conference games. Cleveland ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference shooting 36.0% from 3-point range.
The Knicks' 14.2 made 3-pointers per game this season are the same per game average that the Cavaliers give up. The Cavaliers average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.4 more makes per game than the Knicks give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Brunson is averaging 28.4 points over the last 10 games.
Mitchell is scoring 27.9 points per game and averaging 4.5 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Max Strus is averaging 2.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Knicks: 8-2, averaging 120.6 points, 44.9 rebounds, 26.0 assists, 8.8 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 51.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.2 points per game.
Cavaliers: 5-5, averaging 109.0 points, 42.7 rebounds, 22.8 assists, 8.0 steals and 5.7 blocks per game while shooting 45.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.1 points.
INJURIES: Knicks: None listed.
Cavaliers: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Moment Buffalo Had Been Waiting For Lasted About Half a Second
It's a painful thing to watch a city hold its breath, believe for just a split second that the moment has finally arrived, and then have it snatched away before the celebration even starts.
That's exactly what happened to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday night, and for a fanbase that has been waiting longer than most for something to cheer about, it landed like a gut punch.
Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens. Everything on the line. And a puck that crossed the goal line — that genuinely, physically crossed the goal line — that didn't count.
The Sabres THOUGHT they scored the go-ahead goal but Wes McCauley's whistle was blown a SPLIT second before it went in 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/DoORVtzlqu
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 19, 2026
The Sabres had dug themselves out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game in the third period and were pressing hard, playing some of their best hockey of the series when defenseman Bowen Byram unleashed a shot from the point on Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobeš. The save was made, but the puck didn't stay buried. Buffalo players swarmed the crease, jabbing at it relentlessly until it squeaked free and slid across the goal line. The Sabres erupted. The building erupted. And then the referee's hand went up, the goal was waved off, and the noise turned into something much harder to describe.
What Actually Happened — and Why the Call Stands
Here's the part that stings most: the officials weren't wrong.
A referee had already blown the whistle before the puck crossed the line, killing the play dead in real time. It was audible on ESPN's broadcast — clearly, unambiguously audible — and it came just ahead of the puck crossing. Infuriating as it was to witness, the call had a rulebook to lean on.
NHL Rule 31.2 exists precisely for moments like this one, and it reads in a way that gives referees significant cover:
"As there is a human factor involved in blowing the whistle to stop play, the Referee may deem the play to be stopped slightly prior to the whistle actually being blown. The fact that the puck may come loose or cross the goal line prior to the sound of the whistle has no bearing if the Referee has ruled that the play had been stopped prior to this happening."
In plain terms, the rulebook acknowledges that referees are human, that their reaction time isn't perfect, and that the moment they decide in their mind to stop play — not the moment the whistle sounds — is when the play is officially over. It's a rule that has cost teams goals before, and it cost Buffalo one on Monday night.
A Tough Break in the Worst Possible Moment
Was it a quick whistle? Sure. The kind that makes you wince regardless of which team you're rooting for, because there's something instinctively wrong about a puck crossing a goal line and nothing counting for it. Sabres fans have every right to be furious, and that frustration isn't irrational — it's a completely human response to watching something that looked like a goal not be treated as one. However, it wasn't an egregious call.
The bottom line is that the letter of the law was followed. The referee made a judgment call in a fraction of a second, blew the whistle with intent, and the rulebook backed him up. Buffalo wasn't robbed by a bad call. They were burned by a fast one — and in a Game 7, in the third period, with a season hanging on every shift, fast is sometimes all it takes.
But Sabres fans should be proud one way or another. This team fought valiantly and they'll certainly be back next season stronger than ever.
Knicks – Cavaliers Notes: Mike Brown wins Game 1 chess match of Jalen Brunson vs. James Harden
A few notes from the Knicks’ remarkable Game 1 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday...
HARD TO BELIEVE
The Knicks were down by 22 points with 7:50 to go in the fourth quarter. That’s when Jalen Brunson went to work on James Harden.
Brunson scored 15 points in the final seven minutes, hitting seven of his last eight shots. His primary defender during several of those possessions? James Harden.
Brunson abused the entire Cavs defense – and Harden in particular – down the stretch in the fourth quarter.
At one point in overtime, Brunson had scored or assisted on 23 of the Knicks’ last 32 points. This was Brunson at his best, picking apart the Cavs defense. Landry Shamet and Mikal Bridges both buried good looks from beyond the arc, thanks to Brunson’s gravity.
“Sometimes you gotta do what the game dictates,” Mike Brown said of targeting Harden in the fourth quarter. “They were trying to do the same thing with Jalen. And so we said, OK, we feel like we can play that game. We try not to play that game much, but we feel like we have a guy that we can play that game with in Jalen.
“And just like we have to try to figure out different ways to guard Harden and [Donovan] Mitchell, they gotta figure out different ways to guard Jalen. But there’s no secret we were attacking Harden.”
Harden was just as bad on the other end of the floor. He went 1-for-6 in the fourth quarter. You’d have to think Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson will adjust this strategy in Game 2. It was a big part of New York’s historic comeback on Tuesday night.
CHESS MATCH
Another key decision in the fourth quarter? Brown going to Shamet. The Knicks coach initially went away from Shamet in Game 1. But with the Knicks down 14, he called Shamet’s number. He put Shamet, OG Anunoby, Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns around Brunson. It’s not often that Brunson is surrounded by shooters. But he was on Tuesday night. And it was a significant factor in New York’s historic comeback.
“We found a group of five guys that went out there, ended up getting stops and scoring the basketball,” Brown said.
They also defended well, holding Cleveland to a combined 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. Shamet’s defense on Mitchell was key.
Will Brown go back to this lineup in Game 2? Maybe. Will he go away from using Towns as a hub? Probably not. One thing Brown made clear after Game 1: he isn't going to abandon Josh Hart, who sat for the final 9:59 of regulation before entering for defense with the Knicks up nine in overtime.
“If Josh is open and his feet are set, he’s gotta let it fly. He’s made shots. We feel like he’s gonna make shots,” Brown said after the game. “And if he doesn’t wanna shoot it, he can get to his middy or he can go [dribble handoff] with somebody, a quick DHO with somebody. We faced this coverage all year and we played well throughout the course of the year and we faced it in Atlanta.
"So, we started the game off 2-for-19 from the three-point line. It wasn’t just Josh. We had some pretty good looks from the right people, and if those go in, the mojo is a little bit different. They didn’t, and Cleveland was able to get back into it. The game is about adjustments. We made an adjustment down the stretch, and we were fortunate to be able to come back and get the win.”
Winners and Losers: Cavs vs Knicks Game 1 – James Harden crumbles defensively
The Cleveland Cavaliers fumbled a prime opportunity to steal Game 1 on the road. They crumbled at the end, blowing a 22-point lead in history fashion.
Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.
LOSER – Big Jim Harden
James Harden just had perhaps the worst individual defensive performance in NBA Playoff history. Seriously, it was historically bad. Harden was targeted eight times in isolation during the fourth quarter, something that has only happened 30 times in the history of the NBA’s tracking data (including regular-season games since 2013).
Harden gave up more points per possession in those situations than anyone, ever.
The Knicks had an absolute feast courtesy of Harden.
Jalen Brunson hunted him in a switch that came far too easily from the Cavs. I can blame Kenny Atkinson for that. It’s inexplicable that the Cavs allowed this to happen as many times as it did without an adjustment.
Still, you have to do more than swipe at the ball and get torched any time you turn your hips.
Harden had no chance in these isolations. He’s an upright defender who can only hold his own when someone tries to outmuscle him. A game that’s predicated on craft and shiftiness is going to beat him every time. Brunson took advantage of that and delivered on a massive comeback.
That wasn’t all, however. Harden finished with more turnovers than made field goals for the sixth time this postseason. An unimaginable stat that has contributed to some of Cleveland’s ugliest losses. The margin for error is too tight for Harden to play like this.
Even a 22-point cushion wasn’t enough to cover it up.
LOSER – Prevent Offense
The Cavs, as I’m sure you’ve heard, had a 22-point lead with 7 minutes remaining. That’s bordering on garbage time. But this is the Eastern Conference Finals. And… we’re in an era of parity and three-point variance. You can’t take your foot off the gas.
Those days are gone. You have to sprint through the finish line or risk a collapse. You saw what happened when the Cavs tried to jog.
As much as we crushed Harden for his defense — an equally bad thing occurred on the other end of the floor.
Cleveland’s offense, which diced the Knicks all night long for quality looks, abruptly went away from everything that was working.
No more ball movement.
The bigs? Forget ‘em.
Let’s not even bother going into the paint, actually
What if we just dribbled for an entire possession? That would waste a lot of time.
Let’s dribble for two full possessions.
What if we dribble for every possession?
Can we just dribble for the final seven minutes? Will they end the game if we keep dribbling?
The Cavs played ‘prevent’ offense down the stretch. Grinding themselves to a halt by trying to burn the clock. Each possession waned until the final seconds of the shot clock, which then only left the Cavs with an opportunity to run one action before hoisting a shot.
That’s how you blow a 22-point lead.
Donovan Mitchell and Harden deserve blame for this. Kenny Atkinson, as well. There’s no excuse for making a mistake that has burned many teams before them. This team has overcome enough obstacles to understand what works and what doesn’t. In no world does this team win games by letting go of the rope and drastically changing their approach in the final minutes.
WINNER – Defending the KAT action
Alright, let’s talk about some positives.
I truly believe the Cavs did lots of great things in this game. After all, that lead didn’t appear out of thin air. The Cavs played lights out through three quarters, looking like the more focused and physical team. We know that didn’t last — but there’s one thing that remains a win for Cleveland.
The Cavs neutralized point-KAT.
New York had found success using Karl-Anthony Towns as an offensive hub. They’d set him up above the arch, forcing opposing rim protectors to vacate the paint and defend him outside as he poses too much of a shooting threat to leave alone. After successfully drawing out the big — KAT would set up shop and allow his teammates to screen for each other. Someone would slip to the rim or cause a breakdown, and KAT would handle the rest with his playmaking.
This has led to the Knicks posting some absurd scoring games in the playoffs with KAT dishing out over 7 assists per game.
However, the Cavs are especially equipped to handle this.
Evan Mobley defended Towns and got all up into his airspace. He didn’t allow KAT to put the ball on the floor and made it difficult for him to access passing lanes.
Meanwhile, Jarrett Allen ignored Josh Hart in the corner and instead roamed the paint to clean up any slippage from the backcourt. Allen was the safety, ensuring no one could get into the paint without seeing a shot blocker.
This dynamic sets Cleveland apart as they are the only team New York has played that has two rim-protecting bigs who can handle KAT as an offensive hub. As a result, KAT finished with just 13 points on 14 shots to go with 7 turnovers to only 5 assists.
This is a winning formula for the Cavs. It’s something that gave New York fits, and they can replicate it on any given night.
Mariners make everyone sad, lose to White Sox 2-1
After the high of last night’s win, the vibes went right back to terrible today despite the presence of hundreds of shirtless fans in the upper deck providing energy into an otherwise sleepy Tuesday, cheering on the dual start of Bryce Miller and Luis Castillo. Unfortunately, the bats didn’t get the message, as once again the Mariners’ right-handed lineup failed to get anything going against lefty starter Anthony Kay and was similarly sleepy against the White Sox relief corps. For a game that featured almost no offense from either side and 27 combined strikeouts, it sure felt like a lot happened, namely that the Mariners’ piggybacking plan made their pitchers sad, forcing Andrés Muñoz into a weird spot in the ninth made him sad, and the Mariners’ right-handed lineup made fans – all 28 thousand-plus of them making a trip to the ballpark for a Josh Naylor bobblehead – saddest of all.
If you want to just focus on the good part of this game, watch the first inning and nothing more. Bryce Milller was lights out in his first inning, firing fastballs that averaged 98 mph and touched 99.3, getting a groundout from the pesky Sam Antonacci followed by two strikeouts, both on 98 mph heat – one a swinging strikeout of Munetaka Murakami and the other an utter undressing of Miguel Vargas, striking him out on three pitches and leaving him staring at perfectly-located 98 mph heat.
The Mariners were able to load the bases in the first, taking advantage of some poor command by White Sox starter Anthony Kay. Julio Rodríguez hit a one-out single off the changeup, a very pleasing development, and then Kay hit Randy Arozarena with a fastball in and walked Josh Naylor. That brought up Patrick Wisdom, playing in his first game since April 14th and making his first MLB start since September of 2024, who to his credit put the ball in play and hustled down the first base line to avoid a double play, allowing the first run of the game to score. Connor Joe kept the pressure on with a gritty seven-pitch walk that pushed Kay’s pitch count up over 30, even if Mitch Garver did strike out to end the inning and strand the bases loaded. That would turn out to be significant, as it’s the only time the Mariners would score tonight.
It looked like the Mariners would keep the pressure on in the second, with Cole Young working a leadoff walk and Colt Emerson going down on a strikeout but forcing Kay to throw him eight pitches to get the out. However, Rob Refsnyder then had…a very bad at-bat, striking out on three pitches, and Julio painfully fouled a ball off the inside of his kneecap and then another one, leading Randy to have to distribute some on-field medical attention:
Julio grounded out, and the Mariners went down quietly in the bottom of the third, leaving Kay’s pitch count at a suddenly manageable 73, and they followed that up with an even quicker bottom of the fourth, making three outs on just five pitches and tossing Kay and the White Sox a lifeline. (He’d get to the bottom of the fifth at 86. Not ideal!)
Meanwhile, Bryce just kept dealing. He kept the White Sox off the bases entirely until Murakami worked a walk off him in the fourth, and didn’t allow a hit until the sixth, when Mason Peters threw his bat at a first pitch splitter that didn’t quite split and rolled through a wide-open right side of the infield for a weak-contact double, the worst kind of double behind only Double Bubble, the worst gum. Miller rebounded to get his next two outs, but with Murakami due up again, Dan Wilson lifted Miller for lefthanded groundball specialist José A. Ferrer, who has unfortunately had trouble with both of those descriptors this year. No need to worry about BABIP luck when you strike them out, though, and Ferrer dispatched Murakami on four pitches, getting him swinging on a slider.
Normally, this is the spot in the recap where I’d try to spin a Mariners loss into a look-on-the-bright-side, better-days-ahead whimsy-soaked vignette. Instead, it’s more whiskey-soaked. Because while Bryce Miller was excellent, and tonight should have been a night to celebrate his 5.2 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and just the one bad-luck hit, instead it was a visibly frustrated Miller who spoke to the press postgame, who said he tried to make a case to stay in during the sixth inning.
“I thought I’d pitched the ball well up till then, I wasn’t thinking I was coming out,” he said. “At the end of the day, we have to throw the ball whenever they tell us to throw it. Whether that’s 100 pitches or 70 or 50 for Rock, we’re trying to win games.”
“It’s a tough situation. We have six guys that are really good starters, so – somebody has to do something. At the end of the day, we want to win, and however we need to do that, we’ll do it.”
Only the Mariners did not win, if you didn’t grasp that from the title. And while technically the pitching staff gave up more runs than the offense scored, the offense was utterly punchless tonight, eliciting boos from the stands as innings ended with no runs crossing the plate for the Mariners. The White Sox brought in their own reliever with one out in the sixth, tapping righty Tyler Davis who gave up some hard contact to Patrick Wisdom, who flew out to center, but struck out Connor Joe, still in the game despite the noted existence of both Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone. Davis would go on to pitch another scoreless inning in the seventh, walking Mitch Garver to lead off the inning but dispatching the two young righties with ease – handing Colt Emerson his first truly terrible at-bat as a big-leaguer, striking him out on three pitches – and then striking out Refsnyder, again somehow still in the game against a righty despite the continued noted existence of Raley and Canzone. Boos rained down on the field as Refsnyder walked off, and that made me sad in this calvacade of sadness, because Ref is a great human and a great leader and has been a great player, and this version of him is just sad, for the team and for him.
That set up the entrance of Luis Castillo, coming out of the bullpen for the first time in his career. They gave him the whole treatment, too, dimming the stadium lights and shooting off the flames at the bullpen gates while playing “Que Calor.” Whatever it was, it seemed to work, because Castillo went on to pitch one of the most dominant frames we’ve seen from him in ages, striking out the side, all on swinging strikes, hitting 96.8 mph on his fastball, and throwing some excellent secondaries.
And here, again, is where we could have spun something fun out of this game, even in a loss, if maybe that had just been the one inning. But the Mariners had pledged themselves to a piggyback game and the caja china had already been purchased, so one way or another, they were roasting this pig.
The velocity wasn’t there for Castillo in his second inning but he was able to protect the one slender run he’d been handed, and in the ninth, things devolved further facing the top of the White Sox offense. He started off by walking Murakami, immediately pinch-run for, and then in a 1-2 count hit Vargas with a pitch, putting two on with no outs and forcing Andrés Muñoz to begin warming. After a mound visit from Pete Woodworth, Dan Wilson came out like he was going to try to make a move to Muñoz, but home plate umpire Ryan Blakney shooed him back to the dugout, because you can’t do that, which Wilson admitted postgame was his mistake. Castillo came back to strike out Montgomery, at which point Wilson came out to get Muñoz.
Unfortunately, the White Sox immediately executed a double steal, putting runners at second and third with no outs, and then Chase Meidroth chopped at a ball and punched it at 82 mph in the same place Peters’s no-hitter-breaking double went, tying the game. The White Sox got would would be the eventual winning run on another weak contact single from Andrew Benintendi, somehow only 31 years old despite being the same age as Refsnyder in my mind, and man. The weak contact hits from the White Sox accounting for all the runs in this game just really feel like a stark referendum on the Mariners offense. Sadness, thy name is Mariners fan.
Grant Taylor had the ninth for the White Sox and despite Dan Wilson opening up the enclosure where they’d been kept all game for a trio of lefties – J.P. Crawford, Luke Raley, and Dominic Canzone – all three struck out, going down on a combined 13 pitches, providing no fight and soundtracked again b a chorus of boos. It couldn’t have been a starker contrast to the good vibes of last night’s game. It was just sad. The piggyback strategy was sad-making. The offense was sad-making. The bullpen management was sad-making. The 2026 Mariners make everybody sad and no one seems to know what to do about it, and that’s maybe the saddest thing of all.