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Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder

Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 13 assists, and the Indiana Pacers pulled away for a 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 on Saturday night to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

Obi Toppin added 18 points and six rebounds against his former team as the gold-clad crowd gave the starters a roaring ovation when they departed with 47.2 seconds left.

Indiana will visit Oklahoma City for Game 1 on Thursday night.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson added 19 points as the Pacers’ relentless ball pressure forced New York into 17 turnovers.

The Knicks still have not reached the Finals since 1999, and they couldn’t extend the series in a game that was tough and physical right from the start.

Whether it was Towns limping after drawing a foul or Haliburton holding his jaw when he took a shot that knocked him to the ground, the tone was set early — and never really changed with so much at stake.

Indiana finally broke open a close game by opening the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 78-63 lead courtesy of three straight 3-pointers — two from Thomas Bryant and one from Andrew Nembhard. The run ignited the crowd, which included everyone from Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to WNBA star Caitlin Clark to Timothee Chalamet to Kylie Jenner.

But when the Knicks answered with eight straight to cut the deficit to 78-71, the Pacers responded with another 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game and the Knicks were forced to play catch-up the rest of the night.

Pacers star and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was on the 1999-2000 Pacers team that made The Finals, served as the color analyst for TNT’s final broadcast.

New York was trying to become the 14th team in league history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. It hasn’t won a title since 1973.

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Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder

Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 13 assists, and the Indiana Pacers pulled away for a 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 on Saturday night to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

Obi Toppin added 18 points and six rebounds against his former team as the gold-clad crowd gave the starters a roaring ovation when they departed with 47.2 seconds left.

Indiana will visit Oklahoma City for Game 1 on Thursday night.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson added 19 points as the Pacers’ relentless ball pressure forced New York into 17 turnovers.

The Knicks still have not reached the Finals since 1999, and they couldn’t extend the series in a game that was tough and physical right from the start.

Whether it was Towns limping after drawing a foul or Haliburton holding his jaw when he took a shot that knocked him to the ground, the tone was set early — and never really changed with so much at stake.

Indiana finally broke open a close game by opening the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 78-63 lead courtesy of three straight 3-pointers — two from Thomas Bryant and one from Andrew Nembhard. The run ignited the crowd, which included everyone from Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to WNBA star Caitlin Clark to Timothee Chalamet to Kylie Jenner.

But when the Knicks answered with eight straight to cut the deficit to 78-71, the Pacers responded with another 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game and the Knicks were forced to play catch-up the rest of the night.

Pacers star and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was on the 1999-2000 Pacers team that made The Finals, served as the color analyst for TNT’s final broadcast.

New York was trying to become the 14th team in league history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. It hasn’t won a title since 1973.

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Former Flyers Goalie Playing His Part for Oilers in NHL Playoffs

Something about the Flyers and their former goalies. (Photo: Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images)

For the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Flyers will have two of their former goalies representing them in the Stanley Cup Final, with one making a surprisingly large contribution in the NHL playoffs relative to his role with the team.

This year's Stanley Cup Final matchup is, of course, a rematch of last year's final, which featured the Edmonton Oilers and the Florida Panthers.

Former Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, whose career post-Philadelphia has been discussed and reflected on ad nauseam, will appear in his third consecutive Stanley Cup Final, starting to quietly cement himself as one of the best goalies in the NHL playoffs of his era.

With four wins and a back-to-back championship, Bobrovsky will move into 15th all-time in wins in the NHL playoffs amongst goalies.

But, today, we're talking about a different kind of impressive feat from one of the journeymen goalies playing across from him. That's none other than former Flyers goalie Calvin Pickard, who's certainly played his part in bringing the Oilers back to the Final for the second year in a row.

Pickard, 33, didn't start the playoffs as the Oilers' starting goalie, and after some tidy work, he's not going to end them as that either. And that's okay.

Maple Leafs Coach Heaps Big Praise Upon Rising Flyers ProspectMaple Leafs Coach Heaps Big Praise Upon Rising Flyers ProspectToronto Maple Leafs head coach and former Philadelphia Flyers bench boss Craig Berube likes what he's seen from Nikita Grebenkin, one of his old players. And he knows there's room for plenty more as Grebenkin embarks on the next chapter of his NHL career with the Flyers.

Pickard and his goalie partner, Stuart Skinner, combined to allow no fewer than six goals in each of the first two games in Round 1 against the Los Angeles Kings, but Pickard then took over and ripped off four straight wins for the Oilers, playing at a borderline dominant level in two of them.

Pickard's win streak extended into Round 2 against the Vegas Golden Knights, starting that series with two decisive victories in as many games. An injury to Pickard forced Skinner back into the crease, who, after a tight 4-3 loss in his first game, posted back-to-back shutouts to send the Golden Knights packing.

It's been Skinner's crease ever since, but we can't so quickly ignore Pickard's flawless 6-0 record this postseason at a time when the Oilers needed him the most.

And should the Flyers be missing Pickard, who was 4-2-2 with a .863 save percentage and one shutout in his brief 11-game stint in Philadelphia back in 2018?

At this point, yes, probably.

Pickard has gone 34-17-2 over the last two seasons for the Oilers, posting a save percentage no lower than .900 in either season and going 7-1-0 in his 10 postseason appearances.

No Flyers goalie finished with a save percentage above .890 this season, and last season, Sam Ersson finished with a .890 exactly in 51 games with no capable backup goalies behind him.

Pickard, even with his unimpressive Flyers stint, has a career save percentage of .903 in 175 games at the NHL level. It's not great, but it's a lot better than what is in Philadelphia right now.

If nothing else, Pickard would have been a solid backup or rotational piece, at least in the current context of the Flyers, but his career has now advanced and playoff success has followed in lockstep.

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Mets offense explodes, Kodai Senga dominates in 8-2 win over Rockies

The Mets' offense hit three home runs and Kodai Senga struck out seven, pitching into the seventh to beat the Rockies, 8-2, on Saturday afternoon at Citi Field.

Every starter had at least one hit in the game while Mets pitchers allowed just three hits.

Here are the takeaways...

-It was an odd start for Senga. After striking out Jordan Beck on a pitch-clock violation to start the game, Ezequiel Tovar lofted a ghostfork over the left field wall to give the Rockies a 1-0 lead. It's just the third home run Senga has allowed this season, all coming in the first inning. It's just the second homer allowed on the ghostfork in Senga's career. Senga bounced back to strike out Hunter Goodman and Ryan McMahon to end the first.

-The Mets offense would get the run back, and then some. Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo led off with back-to-back singles, and starter Antonio Senzatela walked Juan Soto to load the bases. Pete Alonso struck out swinging but Brett Baty picked him up with a bases-clearing triple. Tyrone Taylor singled to put the Mets up 4-1.

The longball would be kind to the Mets in the fourth with Nimmo driving a two-run shot, and Soto followed with an opposite-field blast to put the Mets up 7-1. It's the first time this season the Mets hit back-to-back homers. It's Soto's first home run since May 9. The 66 at-bats between homers was the second-longest drought of his career.

Jeff McNeil will get in on the fun in the eighth with a solo shot to push the Mets' lead to 8-2.

-Senga would settle in, retiring 17 straight batters at one point. But he started to tire in the seventh, walking Tovar to lead off and pitching out of the stretch for the first time. Goodman hit a bullet to third, but Baty snagged it for the first out. McMahon walked and after a mound visit, Thairo Estrada hit a single through the left side to push across the Rockies' second run.

Mendoza pulled his starter and brought in Jose Butto. Butto got the last two outs of the inning to put an end to the threat and Senga's day.

The right-hander threw 92 pitches (55 strikes) across 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out seven batters. Senga has now pitched 28 straight starts allowing three runs or fewer.

The combination of Butto and recently-recalled Chris Devenski combined to get the final eight outs, allowing just two walks and one hit.

-A day after Lindor hit two homers, he reached base four more times on Saturday. He went 2-for-3 with two walks. Soto had just the one hit, but reached base twice

Game MVP: Kodai Senga

While the offense had its best offensive day in a while, Senga continued his dominance in 2025.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets complete their series with the Rockies on Sunday at 1:40 p.m. on SNY.

Clay Holmes (5-3, 2.98 ERA) will take the mound and go up against LHP Carson Palmquist (0-3, 8.78 ERA).

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Looking Back At Every Attempt At Bringing The Stanley Cup To Canada Since 1993

Canada has been searching for a Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens hoisted it in 1993. Since then, there have been several Canadian teams that have competed in the Cup final, but they've failed each time. 

Including this year’s final, there have been eight finals that have consisted of a Canadian team. The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers featured in two Cup finals leading up to this season. In addition to those teams, the Calgary Flames, Ottawa Senators and Canadiens made appearances. 

Edmonton was the last Canadian team to lose in the Cup final, falling to the Florida Panthers in seven games last season. They dropped the first three games, but crawled back to force a Game 7. Despite their dramatic comeback, Florida took home the Cup, winning 2-1 in that contest. 

The Oilers will have a chance at redemption this season against the Panthers after beating the Dallas Stars in five games in the Western Conference final.

Before that, the Canadiens met with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Cup final, where they lost in five games, and the Lightning won the Stanley Cup for a second consecutive season.

This was when Montreal came out of the all-Canadian North Division. They were the last seed in that division and defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in a famous comeback series win after Toronto led the series 3-1. 

One decade before the Habs’ Cup final appearance, the Canucks challenged the Boston Bruins for Lord Stanley's cup in 2011. Despite Vancouver scoring three goals past Tim Thomas in only one game, this series went the distance, with the Bruins ultimately winning 4-0 in Game 7. The Bruins' goaltender went on to win the Conn Smythe. 

After the series was over, the citizens of Vancouver sparked the famous riot. A moment that hockey fans won’t forget anytime soon.

Henrik Sedin battles for the puck with Dennis Seidenberg in the third period of Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup final. (Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images)

Between 2004 and 2007, three Canadian teams featured in the Stanley Cup final in three straight seasons. The Flames lost to the Lightning in 2004, the Oilers lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and the Senators lost to the Anaheim Ducks in 2007.

There was no Stanley Cup winner in 2005 due to the lockout season.

Vancouver played in the final the season after the Canadiens won the Cup, where they lost to the New York Rangers 3-2 in Game 7 of the 1994 final. The Rangers ended their 54-year Stanley Cup drought with this victory. 

That was the second-to-last season where the league had eight Canadian teams. In 1995-96, the Quebec Nordiques became the Colorado Avalanche and won the Stanley Cup that year. 

Nonetheless, it’s been 32 years since Canada last owned the Stanley Cup, and the Oilers now have another opportunity to end that drought.

Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.

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And with that, an era ends: ‘Thanks for watching us. It's the NBA on TNT'

And with that, an era ends: ‘Thanks for watching us. It's the NBA on TNT' originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Ernie Johnson could barely get the words out.

The run of “Inside the NBA” on TNT came to an end on Saturday night, after nearly four decades as a fixture of the league. The show will move to ESPN and ABC next season — and keep Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley together, still doing most shows from Atlanta — but the final TNT sign-off was an emotional one.

“I’m proud to say for the last time, ‘Thanks for watching us. It’s the NBA on TNT,'” Johnson said, before turning his back to the camera, placing his microphone on the desk and getting up from that set for the final time.

NBA games will not be airing on TNT starting next season when the league’s new television package kicks in — an 11-year media rights deal worth at least $76 billion, one that keeps games on ABC and ESPN, brings the league back to NBC and starts a new relationship with Amazon Prime Video.

ABC will broadcast the NBA Finals, meaning the end of the Eastern Conference finals between Indiana and New York was the end of TNT’s run. Turner Sports first acquired an NBA package in 1984 and games were on TNT since the network launched in 1988.

“Even though the name changes, the engine is still the same,” O’Neal said during the final broadcast. “And to that new network we’re coming to, we’re not coming to (expletive) around. … We’re taking over, OK? I love you guys and I appreciate you guys.”

The moment was not lost on Indiana coach Rick Carlisle. His team had just clinched a spot in the NBA Finals by beating New York, and when his brief interview with Johnson during the trophy ceremony was over, Carlisle grabbed the microphone out of the host’s hands.

“Congratulations to TNT on a fabulous, unbelievable run that’s coming to an end,” Carlisle said in the unprompted tribute. “We’re all very sad about that.”

The names of countless past and current broadcasters and analysts were included in the many tributes offered on-air after the game, including Doug Collins, Hubie Brown, Dick Stockton, Cheryl Miller, Danny Ainge, John Thompson, Steve Kerr, Mike Fratello, Marv Albert, Brian Anderson, Chris Webber, Candace Parker and Craig Sager.

“Our hearts are full of gratitude,” TNT’s Kevin Harlan said on-air, speaking to the viewers. “Not sadness, but gratitude and happiness for what has been. It has been an honor. It has been a privilege. And I hope you all have enjoyed it as much as we have.”

Harlan had the play-by-play call for the final game, with Reggie Miller, Stan Van Gundy and Allie LaForce on the broadcast as well.

“Think about my life. I’m very fortunate,” Miller said. “I’ve only known two things: 18 years with one franchise in this building with the Indiana Pacers, and 19 years with Turner.”

Many members of the TNT production crew have gotten jobs with NBC and Amazon, Johnson said, because of their exemplary work to this point. “Best production crew in the business, I might add,” Johnson said.

And when it turned back to the “Inside the NBA” crew for one last time on TNT, the emotions were clear.

“This has just been a magnificent ride,” Smith said.

Barkley talked about how he was going to sign with NBC when starting his broadcast career, then switched to TNT.

“I just want to say thank you to the NBA,” Barkley said. “Every coach I’ve had, every player I’ve played with, for giving me this magnificent life that I’ve had. I am so lucky and blessed. I’m lucky and blessed. And I want to thank TNT. Even though we’ll never say TNT Sports again, I want to thank TNT for giving me a magnificent life.”

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Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Internazionale: Champions League final – as it happened

PSG finally became champions of Europe after routing Inter as they recorded the biggest margin of victory in any European Cup or Champions League final

Pennant watch. Here’s what PSG captain Marquinhos will be handing over during the pre-match niceties. A typically classy piece in the retro-poster style, here it’s the centrepiece of an enigmatic pop-art collage also featuring a fruit platter, several hundred toothpicks, some power bars, three toilet rolls, a carry case of assorted hardware, and what may or may not be a box of Terry’s Chocolate Orange in the top-right corner. If this was an LP cover you’d stay up half the night trying to decode it.

Inter are playing in their third-choice yellow strip this evening. So that means their pennant will clash with captain Lautaro Martínez’s shirt, but what a gorgeous thing it is anyway (the current Volkswagen-adjacent monstrosity of a crest, not half as good as the old interlapping FCIM logo, notwithstanding).

Continue reading...
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4 Free Agent Defenders Yzerman Has To Actually Avoid

Aaron Ekblad (Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images)

The shiny new object is not always the best one.

Free agency often gives NHL GMs a major case of FOMO – the fear of missing out on older veteran players who don’t move the needle as much as they need them to.

Enter Steve Yzerman and the Detroit Red Wings.

Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. 

The Red Wings made some questionable signings last summer and should not repeat those mistakes this summer. This offseason should not be used to hand out favors to aging veterans, but rather to add key players who can help the team win.

With that in mind, here are four unrestricted free agent defenders that Yzerman needs to steer clear of.

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Aaron Ekblad

Yes, Aaron Ekblad is a Stanley Cup Champion. And yes, he has good two-way ability. The main concern with the Florida Panthers defender is his durability and injury history. 

He hasn’t played a full season over the past six seasons because of injuries. The best way a player can improve a team is by actually playing. That’s not a guarantee with Ekblad.

Brent Burns

Brent Burns is a 40-year-old right-handed defender who has significant offensive ability. However, because of his age (and the high likelihood he stays with the Carolina Hurricanes), you can cross off Burns' name on the Yzerman free agent targets list.

Cody Ceci

Cody Ceci is not a bad defender. In recent years, he has been overutilized in situations for which he's not suitable. He had a busy season, first being traded by the Edmonton Oilers to the San Jose Sharks and then traded again to the Dallas Stars.

He’s similar to Justin Holl in some respects (and the Red Wings don’t need another Holl), so it would be best to avoid him entirely.

Tony DeAngelo

Tony DeAngelo is an offensive-minded defenseman who has no clear idea on how to play defense. If the Red Wings want to deploy a defender as an offensive weapon, they have a prospect who can fill the role better than DeAngelo can.

These available defenders are either too old or don’t move the needle in a meaningful capacity to warrant an NHL contract. They might be helpful for other teams, but they aren’t the right fit for the Red Wings.

Yzerman, grab your shades, these shiny objects aren’t worth it.

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Athletics rookie Denzel Clarke’s first major league home run comes in native Toronto

TORONTO — This weekend is turning into quite a homecoming for Denzel Clarke.

The Athletics’ 25-year-old rookie hit his first major-league home run Saturday, going deep at Rogers Centre in his hometown of Toronto.

Clarke told reporters last week he expected 150-200 friends and family to attend the four-game series, and he’s given them plenty to cheer so far.

After going 1 for 19 with 15 strikeouts over his first six games as a big-leaguer, he singled twice and recorded his first major-league RBI in an 11-7 loss Friday night. He also made a flashy defensive play when he leapt at the center field wall to rob Alejandro Kirk of a home run in the fourth inning.

Oakland was down 4-3 in the top of the second Saturday when Clarke, batting No. 9 in the order, stepped to the plate against Braydon Fisher with a man on base and one out. Clarke hammered Fisher’s first pitch 406 feet into the left-field seats for a 5-4 lead.

Clarke, the cousin of Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor and Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor, played college baseball at Cal State Northridge and was a fourth-round draft pick of the Athletics in 2021.

He was playing at Triple-A Las Vegas when he was called up to the majors on May 23.

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Rockies demote first baseman Michael Toglia to Triple-A Albuquerque

NEW YORK — Struggling Colorado Rockies first baseman Michael Toglia was optioned to Triple-A Albuquerque prior to Saturday’s game against the New York Mets.

Toglia appeared to establish himself as the Rockies’ first baseman last year, when he hit .233 with 21 homers following his June recall from Triple-A. He produced his first multi-homer game July 14, when he went deep three times against the Mets at Citi Field.

But Toglia began this season in a 2-for-23 slump and didn’t homer until his 65th plate appearance. He hit .247 with six homers in 26 games from April 16 through May 14 before hitting .125 with 22 strikeouts in his next 40 at-bats.

He leads the majors with 81 strikeouts in just 186 at-bats.

Interim Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer said he wants Toglia to “go down and control the strike zone better.”

“He just needs to get better overall offensively,” he said.

The 24-year-old was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts while serving as the Rockies’ No. 8 hitter in Friday’s 4-2 loss which dropped Colorado to 9-48 — the worst record through 57 games in the modern era.

“It wasn’t working out right now for him and he knows that,” Schaeffer said. “In the future, we expect big things from Mike.”

To replace Toglia on the roster, the Rockies selected the contract of infielder Keston Hiura from Albuquerque. Schaeffer said Hiura, who reached double figures in homers for the Milwaukee Brewers three times from 2019 through 2022, would likely see the bulk of the playing time at first, though Kyle Farmer drew the start at the position Saturday.

The Rockies also designated infielder Aaron Schunk for assignment.

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What To Make Of The Oilers' Triumph And The Stars' Failure

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

1. The Oilers are gaining much more respect the second time around. One reason is the pride that Edmonton has taken in the defensive side of the game.

2. If it's possible McDavid & Co. are even faster than during last year's playoffs.

3. This from Vic Morren on NHL Wraparound with Neil Smith: "These are the two best NHL teams and it's not even close. Carolina and Dallas proved – in their way – how far away they are."

Rangers Blunder That Could Win The Cup For Edmonton Rangers Blunder That Could Win The Cup For Edmonton 1. When Chris Drury canned Gerard Gallant, the Rangers had GG's successor all lined up in Hartford. His name was – and still is – Kris Knoblauch.

4. More Morren: "The Canes DNA is good but in the end they don't have championship personnel. And something always happens to Dallas where it appears that they have the personnel and then their game craps out."

5. Finally Morren: "I'm going with the rematch trends from 1984 and 2009. The motivation to win for the first time outweighs the motivation to defend the title. Finally, Kris Knoblauch is proving to be a brilliant bench boss!"

6. Dallas was picked by The Hockey News Yearbook to win The Stanley Cup. Now the Stars GM Jim Nill will have to decide whether to retain coach Pete Deboer the hockey version of "Close, But No Cigar."

7. Those of us who watched Lane Lambert coach the Islanders are happy to see this good guy get another shot; this time with  Seattle. It's a good gig but not an easy one.

8. This from Jess Rubenstein: "Mike Sullivan may turn out to be a good Rangers coach but his problem is that he's working for a GM who repeatedly gives bad contracts after bad contracts!"

9. Isles new high command got off to an encouraging start by retaining Patrick Roy as well as reliable Kyle Palmieri.

10. Jonathan Toews' decision to make a comeback should gain Chris Drury's attention. He'd make a responsible third-line center.

11. Jake Oettinger got a raw deal and I'll leave it at that.

12. The fact that Oilers GM Stan Bowman chose to retain Corey Perry will go down as one of the quietest smart moves of the entire playoffs.

13. NHL.com's Tom Gulitti sums up the Panthers: "They have championship pedigree."

14. Blue Collar Blue Shirts columnist-extraordinaire Sean McCaffrey stunned The Maven with this one: "Watch for the Panthers to make an Offer Sheet for Matt Rempe!"

15. This Stanley Cup Final will tell us whether age is catching up to Sergei Bobrovsky or that he'll just keep rolling along.

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Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder

Pacers defeat Knicks in Game 6 to advance to NBA Finals vs. Thunder originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Pascal Siakam scored 31 points, Tyrese Haliburton had 21 points and 13 assists, and the Indiana Pacers pulled away for a 125-108 victory over the New York Knicks in Game 6 on Saturday night to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in franchise history.

Obi Toppin added 18 points and six rebounds against his former team as the gold-clad crowd gave the starters a roaring ovation when they departed with 47.2 seconds left.

Indiana will visit Oklahoma City for Game 1 on Thursday night.

OG Anunoby led the Knicks with 24 points. Karl-Anthony Towns had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Brunson added 19 points as the Pacers’ relentless ball pressure forced New York into 17 turnovers.

The Knicks still have not reached the Finals since 1999, and they couldn’t extend the series in a game that was tough and physical right from the start.

Whether it was Towns limping after drawing a foul or Haliburton holding his jaw when he took a shot that knocked him to the ground, the tone was set early — and never really changed with so much at stake.

Indiana finally broke open a close game by opening the second half on a 9-0 run to take a 78-63 lead courtesy of three straight 3-pointers — two from Thomas Bryant and one from Andrew Nembhard. The run ignited the crowd, which included everyone from Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson to WNBA star Caitlin Clark to Timothee Chalamet to Kylie Jenner.

But when the Knicks answered with eight straight to cut the deficit to 78-71, the Pacers responded with another 9-0 run to take their biggest lead of the game and the Knicks were forced to play catch-up the rest of the night.

Pacers star and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was on the 1999-2000 Pacers team that made The Finals, served as the color analyst for TNT’s final broadcast.

New York was trying to become the 14th team in league history to rally from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. It hasn’t won a title since 1973.

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Canadiens: The Grades Are In – Christian Dvorak

Once plagued by unrealistic expectations after being acquired by former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin to replace Philip Danault, Christian Dvorak was given a much more suitable role this year. Between Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson, the American was tasked with pivoting a reliable veteran third line, and he delivered.

For the first time since joining the Habs, Dvorak was able to play a full 82-game season, and there’s no doubt it helped him find both stability and a certain rhythm. It didn’t make him a points-producing machine; that’s not who he is, but it allowed him to give a full effort, which meant Martin St-Louis knew precisely what he was getting every time he sent his third line in.

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While Dvorak put up over 100 points in his last two seasons in the OHL, he did it while playing alongside Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk. In the NHL, he hasn’t had that kind of linemates, and we’ve seen what he can do without superstars on his wings. His best NHL season, offensively speaking, came in 2019-20 with the Arizona Coyotes when he put up 38 points. This season, he scored 33 points, which is about as much as one has come to expect from him.

Dvorak also played a reliable two-way game and was counted on for big shorthanded minutes, and he delivered skating alongside linemate Josh Anderson on the second penalty kill. He doesn’t play a spectacular game, but he is focused on the task at hand and delivers.

In the sixth and final year of his $4.45 M per year pact, Dvorak delivered on the team’s revised expectations and played his third-line center role as well as he could. He might have missed a few opportunities here and there offensively, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to fault him for it. In my opinion, Dvorak deserves a B- for his performance this past season.

Will he be back next season? It doesn't appear very likely at this stage as his contract is up, and Kent Hughes has already extended Jake Evans. The Canadiens' GM has said in the past that there must be opportunities for the kids in the organization to graduate, and it appears to me that Dvorak will be a casualty of that approach. He was well-liked in the room and was a roommate to sniper Cole Caufield, but hockey is a business, and that likely won’t be enough to convince Montreal to sign him again.

Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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Dodgers transfer pitcher Tyler Glasnow to 60-day injured list, claim catcher Chuckie Robinson

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow has been transferred to the 60-day injured list.

The team made the move Saturday when catcher Chuckie Robinson was claimed off waivers. The 30-year-old was designated for assignment this week by the Angels.

Glasnow first went on the 15-day IL on April 28 with right shoulder inflammation. With the current move, the right-hander would be eligible to return in late June. He threw his first bullpen session last week.

Glasnow has made five starts this season, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in 18 innings. His first season with the Dodgers was cut short last year because of right elbow tendinitis.

Robinson was batting .272 with one home run and 18 RBIs with Triple-A Salt Lake City. He debuted in the majors with Cincinnati, playing 25 games and hitting two homers and driving in five runs. He also spent time with the Chicago White Sox last year.

Robinson has a .992 fielding percentage and is 12-for-48 in runners caught stealing.