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Mets' Blade Tidwell reflects on MLB debut: 'I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid'

While Blade Tidwell may have had an uneven major league debut in Sunday's 6-5 loss in the St. Louis Cardinals -- the first game of a split doubleheader -- the highly touted prospect was still able to take in the moment that he's been thinking about for most of his life.

"It was awesome, indescribable, really. It was everything I hoped for and more," said Tidwell, who made his debut with the Mets in need of a sixth starter this time through the rotation.

A second-round pick of the Mets in 2022, Tidwell lasted 3.2 innings in his first game in the bigs, allowing six earned runs on nine hits, striking out two and walking three to go along with a hit-by-pitch.

Tidwell's potential is evident every time he takes the mound. His fastball touched 98 mph, and at times, he was able to spot it on the corners. And while the 23-year-old still has plenty of room to grow, that potential to be a true power arm is impossible to miss for Joe DeMayo's No. 12 overall prospect in the Mets' system.

"I think we saw flashes of his potential, especially the life on the fastball, but we also saw that there’s room for development, especially with the secondary pitches," Carlos Mendoza said after the game. "At this level, you’re going to need pitches to put hitters away, but also you’re going to need secondary pitches to get back in counts. I thought the changeup wasn’t there today with that many lefties [in the lineup]. He flashed a few sliders, a few sweepers, but then he left a couple on the middle of the plate.

"Again, those are some of the things that he’ll continue to work on, but again, we saw flashes of it."

Tidwell said he did briefly take a moment to soak things in during the game, though he got most of that out of the way during warmups.

"It was awesome. I’ve been dreaming about this since I was a little kid," Tidwell said. "Just to be able to come up here and try to help the team win means everything."

As expected, Tidwell was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse prior to the second game on Sunday, making room on the active roster for reliever Dedniel Núñez.

When fans can expected to see Tidwell back in the majors is yet to be determined, but the right-hander will always have the memory of making his debut in St. Louis, with members of his family watching in the stands.

"They were all proud of me and gave me a hug," Tidwell said. "Told me to keep going."

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European football: Mbappé double helps Real Madrid keep Barcelona in sights

  • Real beat Celta Viga to move four points behind leaders
  • Solskjær’s Besiktas win against Mourinho’s Fenerbahce

Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid fought off a late comeback attempt from Celta Vigo to secure a 3-2 win on Sunday and stay within four points of the La Liga leaders Barcelona, whom they visit in next weekend’s Clásico.

Real’s fourth win in succession kept their title dream alive with four matches to go in the Spanish top flight, while Celta Vigo remained seventh after their third loss in four league games. “The most important thing was the win. We played a good first half, but then we fell apart … they are a great team and they put us in trouble,” midfielder Federico Valverde told Real Madrid TV.

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Yankees' bats can't overcome Will Warren's command issues in 7-5 loss to Rays

The Yankees lost their second straight series to a division rival on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Tampa Bay Rays, 7-5, at Yankee Stadium.

Here are the takeaways...

-- A pregame rain shower in the Bronx delayed first pitch by 30 minutes, and it's safe to assume that the wait time was a detriment to Yankees starter Will Warren. The rookie right-hander immediately struggled with command, working in and out of a first-inning jam that included a single and walk allowed. Warren's pitch count then climbed in the second, due to a fielding error from shortstop Oswald Peraza with two runners on and one out that loaded the bases. Tampa wound up drawing first blood on a fielder's choice groundout two pitches later.

-- Warren showed susceptibility to the homer during spring training, and he gave up his fourth long ball of the season in the third when Jonathan Aranda crushed a middle-zone fastball that landed in the Yankees' bullpen for a solo shot. His fourth inning was far more frustrating, however, as he yielded three singles and a walk for three more runs, pushing the Rays' lead to 5-0. A catcher's interference call on J.C. Escarra also contributed to Tampa's small-ball rally.

-- The good news for Warren was that he struck out a career-high eight while working through command issues. The bad news was, well, those command issues. Of the seven hits he allowed, three of them came ahead in the count with two strikes. The Yankees made Warren endure the growing pains, and ultimately took him out with two outs in the fifth and his pitch count up to a season-high 102. It was the second-shortest outing thus far for Warren, whose ERA now sits at 5.65 through eight starts (32.1 innings).

-- Rays starter Taj Bradley kept the Yankees at bay through the first five innings. He ran into trouble in the third, allowing a pair of singles that brought Aaron Judge to the plate as the go-ahead run with no outs, but managed to neutralize the threat by forcing the superstar slugger into a 6-4-3 double play. Bradley looked poised to complete six shutout innings on cruise control, but the Yankees finally inflicted damage with a leadoff single from Trent Grisham and a two-run homer from Cody Bellinger, cutting the deficit to 5-2. It was career homer No. 200 for Bellinger.

-- In relief of Warren, veteran lefty Tyler Matzek made his third appearance of the season, allowing four hits and recording four outs across nine batters faced. To start the seventh, the Yankees turned to veteran Carlos Carrasco, who was slated to start on Tuesday before the team pushed Clarke Schmidt into thespot. The veteran right-hander wasn't too effective as a bulk reliever -- he surrendered two runs on five hits with three strikeouts across three frames.

-- Judge entered the eighth inning 0-for-3, but a stand-up, leadoff double to right-center in his fourth at-bat extended his hit streak to 14 games and on-base streak to 30 games. The captain's knock sparked a rally, as Bellinger proceeded to walk and Paul Goldschmidt drove in Judge with a single to left. Jasson Dominguez then ripped a liner to right, loading the bases, but a double-play grounder off Escarra's bat cut down momentum. The Yankees managed to score two more before the inning ended, as Jorbit Vivas produced a two-run single for his first MLB hit.

-- The Rays tasked Pete Faibanks with facing the top of the Yankees' order in the ninth, and he wasn't the least bit fazed by the assignment. He recorded the save by striking out Grisham, Judge, and Bellinger on 15 pitches. Tampa's margin of victory should've been far greater -- they logged twice as many hits as New York (16 to 8) and left a whopping 16 runners on base.

Game MVP: Jonathan Aranda

While the Yankees allowed four Rays to collect three-plus hits -- Taylor Walls actually led the team with four in the No. 9 hole -- it was Aranda who drove in the most runs. His strong afternoon at the plate began with a solo homer off of Warren in the third, and his two-run single off of Carrasco in the seventh bumped Tampa's lead to 7-2. The five-run cushion was just enough.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees (19-15) will begin the second half of their six-game homestand on Monday night, with the first of three against the San Diego Padres. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

A pitchers' duel could unfold -- Carlos Rodón (4-3, 3.43 ERA) is slated to take the mound, opposite veteran righty Nick Pivetta (5-1, 1.78 ERA).

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Buddy Hield stunningly ties NBA playoff Game 7 3-point record in win vs. Rockets

Buddy Hield stunningly ties NBA playoff Game 7 3-point record in win vs. Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Buddy Hield had the game of his life in the Warriors’ biggest contest of the 2024-25 NBA season.

The veteran guard made nine 3-pointers in the Warriors’ remarkable 103-89 win over the Houston Rockets on Sunday night at Toyota Center, tying the NBA record for the most triples in a Game 7.

Hield tied the record held by former Warriors guard Donte DiVincenzo, who accomplished the feat as a member of the New York Knicks in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.

Hield’s 3-point barrage is exactly what the Warriors needed after searching for scoring options in the Game 5 and Game 6 losses to the Rockets.

In an otherworldly shooting display, the 32-year-old made six 3-pointers in the first half and had a game-high 22 points at halftime, pacing the Warriors to a 51-39 lead.

Hield didn’t cool off in the second half.

His record-tying 3-pointer came with 18.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and helped cement the Warriors’ victory.

The shot gave Hield a game-high — and playoff career-high — 33 points.

On a night when Steph Curry didn’t have the hot hand, Hield picked up the slack and tied an NBA record along the way.

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Top 10 Active NHL Players With The Longest Playoff Droughts

Rasmus Ristolainen (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)

By Jack Sponagle, The Hockey News Intern

Jeff Skinner’s streak of 1,078 games without making the post-season is over, as he has played one playoff game with the Edmonton Oilers this spring. Ron Hainsey used to have the record of 907 games before he finally got into the 2016-17 playoffs with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then went all the way to a Stanley Cup victory.

While both of those droughts were long, at least they came to an end. That wasn't the case for Guy Charron, who saw action in 734 NHL games in the 1970s and early 1980s with the Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings, Kansas City Scouts and Washington Capitals and never once made it into the post-season.

Here are the 10 active NHL players with the most games played without ever making the playoffs.  

1. Rasmus Ristolainen – 776 games

With Skinner’s 1,000-plus game drought over, the hard-hitting Philadelphia Flyers blueliner is now the league leader in this unfortunate stat. He has played in the NHL for 12 seasons, eight with the Buffalo Sabres and four with the Flyers.

2. Rasmus Dahlin – 509 games

The Buffalo Sabres defenseman – and No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018 – made the jump to the NHL at age 18. He’s now 25 and still waiting to see post-season play. The Sabres last made the playoffs in 2010-11, when Dahlin was 11.

3. Tage Thompson – 448 games

The third consecutive player to have ties with the Sabres, Thompson was traded to Buffalo by the St. Louis Blues in the deal that sent Ryan O’Reilly the other way. O’Reilly helped lead the Blues to the franchise’s first Cup. Thompson, meanwhile, hasn’t played in the first round yet.

4. Troy Terry – 427 games

The 27-year old University of Denver product is 73 games away from his 500th outing without his chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup ever really starting. Terry has been with the Anaheim Ducks for all eight of his seasons in the NHL, but has yet to appear in the post-season.

5. Mario Ferraro – 408 games

Ferraro is another veteran player on another struggling California team. The San Jose Sharks haven’t made the playoffs since 2018-19, and Ferraro played his first game with the Sharks the following season.

6. Henri Jokiharju – 407 games

The final player on this list to have spent time in Buffalo is Jokiharju, who’s now with the Boston Bruins. The defenseman spent six seasons with the Sabres after one year with the Chicago Blackhawks. He was dealt to the Bruins at this year’s trade deadline, and the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015-16.

7. Michael Rasmussen – 390 games

The ninth-overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft is a member of a Red Wings team that has missed out on the playoffs for the ninth-straight year. Rasmussen has been with the team for six of those seasons.

8. Isac Lundestrom – 337 games

The 25-year-old Swede is still relatively early in his career, which has been entirely spent with the Ducks. His teammates, Trevor Zegras (268 games) and Mason McTavish (229 games) are both headed for spots on this list if Anaheim can’t turn in some positive results.

9. Lucas Raymond – 320 games

Lundestrom’s countryman Raymond is another young, promising forward who has yet to get a crack at the playoffs. He’s an important cog in the Red Wings' machine, as one of many promising young players that Detroit has picked up in the last nine years of being in the draft lottery.

10. Philipp Kurashev – 317 games

The final player to crack the top 10 is the 25-year-old Blackhawks center. A fourth-round choice in 2018, the Swiss native has featured in over 300 matches with the Hawks, none coming after the regular season’s 82nd game. He edges out Calgary’s Morgan Frost (310) and Blackhawks teammate Joe Veleno (306). Perhaps not the honor he would most want to have.

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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What we learned as Steph Curry, Buddy Hield lead Warriors to Game 7 over Rockets

What we learned as Steph Curry, Buddy Hield lead Warriors to Game 7 over Rockets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

HOUSTON – Survive and advance. The Warriors withstood a Game 7 slog Sunday at the Toyota Center, beating the Houston Rockets 103-89 to avoid a three-games-to-one collapse and advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs, where they’ll face the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Game 1 is Tuesday night at the Target Center in Minnesota. 

The Warriors improved to 9-3 in elimination games under coach Steve Kerr, and 5-1 on the road. They’ve never lost in the first round with Kerr at the helm.

The Warriors have faced the Rockets in five playoff series and have now beaten them all five times.

Steph Curry was bottled up early on, but exploded in the fourth quarter, totaling 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks. The rest of the Warriors’ Big Three came up huge, too. Jimmy Butler had a near triple-double of 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Draymond Green scored 16 points to go with his six rebounds and five assists.

To beat the Rockets, the Warriors needed someone outside of that trio to step up. Buddy Hield remained in the starting lineup and answered the call, scoring 22 points in the first half and finishing with a game-high 33 overall.

A tone was set early by the Warriors defensively. When the Rockets began mounting a comeback in the third quarter, the Warriors quieted the storm and outscored them 33-27 in the fourth quarter. Experience and championship pedigree played out in front of our eyes.

Here are three takeaways from the Warriors’ Game 7 win.

Dray Day

As the majority of Warriors remained getting shots up at shootaround, Green was deep in conversation with Kerr. Few words were spoken by Draymond, listening deeply and nodding along to Kerr’s message. He was locked in, and it showed to start his sixth Game 7. 

After forcing a travel on Rockets center Alperen Sengun, Green followed by making a cutting layup for the first two points of the game. He then perfectly contested Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green at the rim and made a three at the top of the arc to give the Warriors a quick 5-0 lead. Green in the first quarter played nine minutes for the Warriors and was a plus-7 with eight points and three rebounds.

Green in the first half was a plus-14, and Sengun was a minus-13. Defensively, he was all over the place and aggressively stayed vertical whenever the Rockets challenged. Offensively, he was under control and was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer. 

The Warriors needed an all-time performance from Green, and he knew it. Green stifled the much bigger Sengun, and did more than his part offensively. Green finished as a plus-18, and Sengun was a minus-12.

Trust In Buddy

Kerr already had used four different starting lineups through the first six games of the series. His first five couldn’t be the same Sunday since Gary Payton II was ruled out due to a bad illness. There were plenty of question marks surrounding what Kerr would do with Hield, too. 

Hield only scored four points in the Warriors’ Game 5 loss, and then didn’t score a single point in their Game 6 loss. Yet Kerr kept him in the starting lineup for Game 7. And it sure paid off. 

The longtime sharpshooter found his hot hand again, lighting up the Rockets’ defense even more than he did when Hield scored 17 points in Game 3 and 15 in Game 4. Hield in the first quarter alone was up to 13 points, beating the buzzer from 42 feet to give the Warriors a 23-19 lead. Through the first half, Hield scored 22 of the Warriors’ 51 points, going 8 of 9 from the field and 6 of 7 on threes, all while Curry was held to just three points. 

Hield in the third quarter took just one shot, missing a three, but then cashed in on his first try in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a 10-point lead. He scored another 11 in the fourth quarter, including three 3-pointers. His 22 points in the first half made all the difference, and were Hield’s most points ever for a playoff game.

Steph’s Deeper Impact 

He missed his first five shots, he only had three points at halftime and his impact still couldn’t be ignored. Curry in the first two quarters led all players in defensive rebounds (six), assists (five), steals (one), blocked shots (two) and plus/minus (plus-16). That’s what superstars do when their main power is being zapped. 

There’s also no doubt players like Hield were a beneficiary of all the attention the Rockets were putting on following Curry’s every move. His gravity at 37 years old with an injured right thumb is still as real as ever. 

But the Rockets came to life in the third quarter, cutting the lead down to three at one point, and Curry still couldn’t get going offensively. The Warriors held an eight-point lead entering the fourth quarter, and Curry immediately hushed the home crowd, first driving by Jabari Smith Jr. for a layup and then draining a deep three on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter.

Curry was scoreless in the first quarter, limited to three points in the first half and was at eight points through three quarters. The fourth quarter is winning time, and Steph put the Rockets to sleep with 14 points over the final 12 minutes.

Night Night, Houston.

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Mets' Jesse Winker exits Sunday's game at Cardinals with right side discomfort

Jesse Winkerwas removed from the first game of Sunday's split doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals in the bottom of the fourth inning.

The Mets later announced that Winker was forced to exit due to right side discomfort.

Winker started in left field for the first time this season and was replaced defensively by Jeff McNeil, who moved from second base to the outfield.

In the bottom of the third inning, Winker caught a fly ball and made a throw home. The runner was safe at the plate, but Nolan Arenado ended up getting caught in a rundown to end the inning.

Carlos Mendoza confirmed after the game that Winker hurt himself on that throw home, feeling something in "the oblique area."

"We’ll see what we’re dealing with here. He’s getting an MRI right now," Mendoza said.

"When you hear that area, those are tricky. I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but he’s getting an MRI.

Winker, who drove in a sac fly with an RBI in his only plate appearance before exiting the game, is hitting .239 with a .739 OPS this season, driving in nine runs to go along with one home run.

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Blade Tidwell hit hard in debut, Mets drop first game of doubleheader against Cardinals

The Mets fell to the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 6-5 in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday.

Here are the key takeaways...

-Blade Tidwell’s major league debut didn’t exactly go to plan. While the right-hander showed off a 98 mph fastball and a nasty breaking ball, his command was a bit all over the place. Tidwell allowed a solo home run to Willson Contreras in the second inning, but things really didn’t start to spiral until the fourth. Tidwell allowed three hits, walked two, and hit another batter in the fourth, and a four-spot on the board ended his day.

Overall, Tidwell went 3.2 innings, allowing six earned runs on nine hits, striking out two, walking three, and hitting a batter.

-The Mets also dealt with an injury in this game, as Jesse Winker was forced to exit in the fourth inning due to right side discomfort. Making his first start in the outfield this season, Winker made a throw to the plate in the third, but it’s currently unclear as to whether or not that caused the discomfort.

With Winker forced out, Carlos Mendoza had to play some musical chairs, moving Jeff McNeil from second base to left, Luisangel Acuña from third to second, and bringing in Mark Vientos to play third.

-Pete Alonso remains completely locked in at the plate. He doubled in each of his first two at-bats, coming around to score in the first inning on a Brandon Nimmo RBI double. Alonso now has a 1.130 OPS on the season.

-Lefty Genesis Cabrera did a nice job of registering six outs for the Mets, getting out a of a first-and-third situation in the fourth after Tidwell was pulled. With another game coming up this evening, the Mets needed some length out of their pitchers, and Cabrera tossed two scoreless innings, allowing two hits.

-Trailing by three runs in the top of the eighth, the Mets built a rally against former Met reliever Phil Maton. Starting with a Luis Torrens walk, the Mets started passing the baton, and Francisco Lindor came through with the bases loaded, hitting a single up the middle to score a pair of runs and keep the chain moving.

With the bases loaded and JoJo Romero now on to pitch, Alonso was called out on strikes on a more than questionable 3-2 call from home plate umpire Jim Wolf, and Nimmo flew out harmlessly to center to keep the Cardinals up by a run.

In the ninth, the Mets moved the potential tying run to third base with two outs, but Acuña, who had three hits on the day, popped out on the infield to end the game.

Who was the game MVP?

Contreras, who homered and drove in three with three hits in the game.

Highlights

Upcoming schedule

Game two of the split doubleheader is set for 6:15 p.m.

Tylor Megill will take the mound, opposite fellow righty Andre Pallante.

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Warriors avoid collapse, advance to West semis by beating Rockets in Game 7

Warriors avoid collapse, advance to West semis by beating Rockets in Game 7 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Warriors made it more complicated than it needed to be, but they are rocketing to the Western Conference semifinals.

No. 7-seeded Golden State completed the first-round NBA playoff series upset of the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center, beating the No. 2 seed 103-89 in Game 7.

Golden State built a 3-1 series lead but coughed up Game 5 in Houston and Game 6 in San Francisco before stabilizing the ship to win Game 7.

Surprisingly, Buddy Hield led the way with 33 points, while Jimmy Butler chipped in 20 points to help the Warriors advance.

Steph Curry was cold for most of the game but got hot in the second half and finished with 22 points. Draymond Green also bounced back with 16 huge points.

Golden State will head to Minnesota to take on the No. 6-seeded Timberwolves in the second round, with Game 1 scheduled for Tuesday night at Target Center.

Here’s the schedule for the Warriors-Timberwolves series:

Game 1: Tuesday, May 6 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 6:30 p.m. PT — TNT
Game 2: Thursday, May 8 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 5:30 p.m. PT — TNT
Game 3: Saturday, May 10 — Timberwolves at Warriors — 5:30 p.m. PT — ABC
Game 4: Monday, May 12 — Timberwolves at Warriors — 7 p.m. PT — ESPN
Game 5*: Wednesday, May 14 — Warriors at Timberwolves — Time TBD — TNT
Game 6*: Sunday, May 18 — Timberwolves at Warriors — Time TBD — TV TBD
Game 7*: Tuesday, May 20 — Warriors at Timberwolves — 5:30 p.m. PT — ESPN

NBC Sports Bay Area will have Pregame coverage one hour before tip-off of each game, along with Postgame coverage immediately after the final buzzer.

The winner of the Warriors-Timberwolves series will face the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets second-round series.

The Warriors won three of their four regular-season meetings with the Timberwolves, including both games at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The contentious first-round series with the Rockets featured several dust-ups between the players, but the Warriors prevailed in the end.

The Warriors stole home-court advantage by winning Game 1 in Houston. But the Rockets bounced back in Game 2, aided by Butler leaving eight minutes into the contest due to a pelvic contusion sustained after being undercut by guard Amen Thompson.

When the series shifted to the Bay Area, the Warriors pulled out a thrilling Game 3 without Butler. When the six-time NBA All-Star returned in Game 4, he gutted through 40 minutes and sealed the win with clutch free throws and a huge rebound in the final seconds.

The Warriors failed to put the nail in the Rockets’ coffin Wednesday in Houston and Friday in San Francisco, needing to travel back to the Lone Star State to take care of business.

The Warriors now are 5-0 in NBA playoff series against the Rockets.

Curry, Butler and Draymond Green believe they have enough to win the NBA championship this season, and they took another step toward achieving that goal by defusing the Rockets.

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Playoff Notes For Rangers Fans And Others

Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

1. Edmonton's Oilers could very well make it to the Final Round. Guess who's coaching McDavid, Inc.? None other than Kris Knoblauch. He's the fella who the Rangers bypassed for Peter Laviolette. (Chris Drury's mistake of a lifetime.)

2. Tonight's Game Seven between St.Louis and Winnipeg figures to be as exciting as last night's amazing Dallas third period comeback that upset Colorado.

What Mike Sullivan Could Change About The RangersWhat Mike Sullivan Could Change About The RangersThe Rangers media propagandists already have anointed newly appointed coach Mike Sullivan hockey sainthood above and beyond all stupidity.

3. The demise of the Avalanche should persuade Brock Nelson to return to Long Island where he belongs.

4. Leafs vs. Panthers looks like another series that could go the limit.

5. Toronto has its strongest team – from coach Berube on out – since Auston Matthews signed on as captain. 

6. Goaltending, which once was the Leafs' weakness, is more than adequate with Anthony Stolarz between the pipes.

7. The Maven considers Brad Marchand Florida's secret weapon.

8. In Vegas, the saying is "Never bet against the Champions."

9. If Florida has any distinct advantage it's coach Paul Maurice.

10. But the Champs' invisible threat remains attrition. (Alias: too much hockey for too many seasons.)

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New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics Preview: 2025 NBA Playoffs series prediction, schedule, player to watch

The Boston Celtics swept the season series from the New York Knicks and it wasn't particularly close, with the average score being 125-109. Will the playoffs be any different, with both teams a little banged up? Let's break this series down.

When does the Knicks vs. the Celtics begin?

New York travels to Boston for Game 1 of the series on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. Eastern. The series goes almost every other day (with a couple of two-day breaks) the rest of the way.

New York vs. Boston Playoffs Schedule 2025

All times are Eastern (* = if necessary)
Game 1: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 5, 7 ET, TNT)
Game 2: Knicks at Celtics (Wed. May 7, 7 ET, TNT)
Game 3: Celtics at Knicks (Sat. May 10, TBD, ABC)
Game 4: Celtics at Knicks (Mon. May 12, TBD, ESPN)
Game 5: Knicks at Celtics (Wed. May 14, TBD, TNT)*
Game 6: Celtics at Knicks (Fri. May 16, TBD, ESPN)*
Game 7: Knicks at Celtics (Mon. May 19, 8 ET, TNT)*

Player to watch: Karl-Anthony Towns

With the Celtics having Kristaps Porzingis, this is the series where the Knicks truly need KAT to be at his best. New York got away with his subpar efforts in Games 5 and 6 of the Pistons series, but that's an easy path to a sweep if he plays that way against the reigning champs. And it isn't only about his offensive production. Boston exposed Towns repeatedly on the defensive end of the floor in their regular-season meetings, three of which were blowouts. Having a healthy Mitchell Robinson should help; we'll see how often Tom Thibodeau uses the "two bigs" lineup. However, New York needs a consistently elite Towns to pull off the upset, regardless of what Jalen Brunson brings to the table.
—Raphielle Johnson, Rotoworld basketball analyst

Keys to watch for in New York vs. Boston

1) Can Knicks follow Magic’s defensive blueprint?

Orlando's defense did the best job we have seen of mucking up Joe Mazzulla's offensive doctrine, defending on an island (not helping as much and not getting in rotation), chasing Boston's shooters off the arc, forcing the Celtics to beat them another way (a lot of Jayson Tatum, plus the Boston's own elite defense).

Can the Knicks follow that blueprint? More importantly, will Tom Thibodeau even try? OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges are quality perimeter defenders, but Boston rolls out five players who can shoot, which means Towns will have to defend in space this series. That is trouble. Beyond not having the personnel to execute the Magic's strategy — Orlando is loaded with long, physical defenders, New York is not — it's not Thibodeau's style to change drastically from what got the Knicks to the dance. Expect the Knicks to switch a lot this series, it's what they did in the last two meetings against the Celtics in the regular season.

The problem is that it allows Boston to get back to its drive-and-kick, swing-swing to an open 3-pointer offense where they thrive.

2) Brunson and Towns as targets

The Celtics are relentless — if they find a weakness they will go at it repeatedly, every chance they get. The most glaring weakness for the Knicks is that their two key offensive players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, are not great defenders. The Celtics will drag them into pick-and-rolls every chance they get, then drive the lane, which starts their kick-out-to-a-three offense. The Celtics will look to wear the Knicks' stars down.

If the Knicks are going to have any chance in this series, they have to play faster than normal, and Brunson and Towns have to hold up defensively. That may be too much to ask.

3) Injuries

The Celtics come in a little banged up after a very physical series with the Magic. Jrue Holiday has missed time due to a sore hamstring and that likely continues into the start of this series, Jayson Tatum is playing through a sore wrist, and Jaylen Brown has a bone bruise and right knee posterior impingement issue. However, Boston had a lengthy rest after knocking off Orlando, while the Knicks kept playing. Boston is feeling better.

For New York, Brunson is playing through a sore ankle (which appeared to limit him at times in the final game, except in the clutch), and Josh Hart has a wrist issue. While both teams are not at 100%, injuries are not what will decide this series.
—Kurt Helin, NBC Sports lead NBA writer

Predictions

Jay Croucher (NBC Sports Lead Betting Analyst): Celtics in 5

Worst possible matchup for the Knicks - KAT struggles in space defensively, and no team is better placed to punish him than Boston with the best spacing in the league. Tatum and Brown will hunt Brunson on switches relentlessly.

On the other end, the Celtics have elite defensive options to make Brunson's life difficult. The Knicks have great talent but it hasn't clicked at the highest level all year - it magically happening in round 2 of the playoffs seems improbable.

Vaughn Dalzell (NBC Sports Betting Analyst): Celtics in 6

This series will be a dogfight and while the Knicks improved this year, the Celtics are just too well-rounded to beat. While both teams have four constant scoring threats in the lineup (Tatum, Brown, Porzingis, White vs Brunson, KAT, Anunoby, Bridges) -- I am not sure about the New York role players and bench having enough in them to give the Knicks more than two wins in this series. Boston's bench is so much deeper and offers instant offense, unlike New York's trio of Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson, and Cam Payne.

Kurt Helin (NBC Sports lead NBA writer): Celtics in 5

If anything, I would be closer to moving this to Boston in a sweep over Boston in six, I just don't see a path to success in this series for New York: The Celtics will win not only the 3-point game but also the possession game in this series, and that is just too much for the Knicks to overcome. However, we'll give the Knicks one game, assuming a cold-shooting Celtics squad and a big Jalen Brunson night, and say it's a gentleman's sweep.

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Ramírez returns to Guardians' lineup after missing time because of a sprained right ankle

TORONTO — Cleveland Guardians star José Ramírez was back in the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Blue Jays, two days after the third baseman left in the third inning because of a mild right ankle sprain.

The six-time All-Star was injured when he stumbled and fell while crossing first base on an infield single. Ramírez went down after being struck in the back by a throw from Blue Jays right-hander Chris Bassitt.

Ramírez was batting third Sunday against right-hander Bowden Francis.

Ramírez sat out Saturday when Cleveland beat Toronto 5-3. He went 2 for 2 before departing Friday, boosting his average to .274. He has five home runs and 15 RBIs in 31 games.

In last Thursday’s 4-3 victory over Minnesota, Ramírez became the first primary third baseman to reach 250 homers and 250 stolen bases.

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Josh Hart expects Knicks to play with 'level of freedom' as playoff underdogs against Celtics

If the Knicks soon punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, they'll achieve the long-coveted feat as undisputed underdogs. Their semifinal-round opponent is the reigning champion Boston Celtics, poised to defend the NBA's crown and reassert dominance shown during four regular-season matchups.

The storied history between the Knicks and Celtics holds no weight with today's players. While this series marks the 17th playoff meeting between the division rivals -- the second most for any pair of opponents in league history -- they haven't battled this late in a season since 2013.

Nevertheless, the Knicks face a rather tall order with the Celtics stamped as clear-cut favorites and owning home-court advantage. But the outside noise from doubters isn't penetrating their walls. The upcoming games will provide a clean slate and an opportunity to change narratives.

This is how Josh Hart feels, at least.

"If we're counted out already, we should play with a great level of freedom," the Knicks' guard said after Sunday's practice. "We don't really care too much what the outside world said. We're focused on how we feel internally... We don't really involve ourselves with what other people think. The same people who praise us one day, kill us the next. We're focused on us."

The Knicks were consensus favorites in the first round, and nearly closed out their series against the Detroit Pistons in five games. But inconsistent play from some key contributors and the natural uptick in physicality stretched the bout, and New York managed to avoid a do-or-die Game 7 with last-second heroics from Jalen Brunson on the road in Game 6.

In order to outlast the Celtics, the Knicks will need to display toughness from the jump. They'll also need to learn from past mistakes and address their weak points. Boston made 39 more three-pointers than New York in their four-game regular-season sweep. According to NBA.com, that's tied for the fourth-biggest differential for any regular-season series since the three-point line's inception in 1979.

Hart serves best as a facilitator in transition and ball hawk near the glass. His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor can wreak havoc on opponents. But the Knicks would welcome more offense from the double-double machine in extended minutes -- he averaged just 11.8 points across six first-round games. Suffice to say, there's room for growth and pressure to deliver with the stage even brighter.

"I think it'll be a different series. I've never played against [the Celtics] in the playoffs," Hart said. "The physicality always heightens in the playoffs. We can handle the physicality, but they're such a skillful team, we've got to make sure we're not just worried about physicality. We're making sure we're locked-in mentally to their tendencies. Not just their plays, but their personnel."

A trip to the East Finals requires four wins, and the odds of the Knicks racking them up are undoubtedly daunting. They struggled mightily against elite competition this season, finishing a lowly 0-10 against the NBA's top three teams. Four of those losses came against the Celtics, while two came against a potential East Finals opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Knicks and Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Garden.