The Dallas Mavericks have not seen much of Dereck Lively throughout his nascent career. In fact, the promising young center has played in only 98 of 240 (41%) possible regular season games since being selected with the number 10 pick in 2023. The bulk of his missed games stacked up this past season, when he only logged time in seven contests before undergoing season-ending foot surgery.
Lost in the mix of the NBA Draft Lottery, the hiring of Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz and the firing of now-former head coach Jason Kidd, was an update provided by Lively himself. Lively joined Myles Turner and Breanna Stewart on the Game Recognize Game podcast to discuss a range of topics, beginning with his recovery process.
Seen throughout the season with some combination of walking boot and scooter, and even sporting a cane for a while, Lively offers the good news of having jettisoned all of that. “No boots, no crutches, just normal walking shoes,” he said when asked about his current status, following that up with “it’s solely just getting back to building my lower leg strength.”
That last part sounds concerning, but underscores what Lively has been through in a long recovery process. He has not seen game action since December, so a measured process to his return is to be expected. Fortunately, he has over four months before next season tips off and it sounds as though he is well on his way to putting all of this behind him.
Lively is certainly on the Cooper Flagg timeline, but whether or not he is part of Ujiri’s long-term vision is yet to be determined. Lively is up for a contract extension prior to next season, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Does Dallas package him up as part of a rebuild, or do they have confidence in a return to form and attempt to lock down his services on a favorable deal as he comes off a lengthy injury hiatus?
When healthy, he is an exciting, dynamic player that can bring a defensive presence and offensive lob threat (with a burgeoning three-point shot?) that can help the Mavs. Hopefully he will find a more permanent return to action right here with the Mavericks.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks
TOPSHOT - A fan wears a likeness of Victor Wembanyama spray painted on their hair as they cheer awaiting the selection during an NBA Draft Watch Party at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on June 22, 2023. The San Antonio Spurs in Thursday's NBA Draft in New York, are expected to choose French player Victor Wembanyama, widely viewed as a once-in-a-generation talent capable of transforming a franchise, as the No. 1 pick. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images) | AFP via Getty Images
The Spurs are returning to the NBA Finals. For most, getting a ticket is nearly impossible. In San Antonio, the Spurs are monitoring ticket sales and reaching out to season ticket holders involved with reselling tickets through unapproved sites.
According to TickPick, the current price for Game 3 in NYC is now $4,115 – 336% more expensive than the current price of $944 for Game 1 in San Antonio. For those who can’t afford the “get in” price of the NBA Finals, the Spurs Organization is continuing to create opportunities for fans to gather communally as the Race for Seis continues.
Per a Spurs press release:
The San Antonio Spurs announced fan activations that will continue across the city as the team advances to the NBA Finals, taking on the New York Knicks. The organization will continue fostering fan engagement and team spirit with free, public activations such as watch parties, giveaways and more. All the latest Playoff information can be found at Spurs.com/Playoffs.
Official Watch Parties The Rock at La Cantera, 1 Spurs Way Official watch parties, presented by Michelob ULTRA, will continue at The Rock at La Cantera for all Finals games. Attendance is limited and will be granted on a first come, first served basis. RSVP at Spurs.com/Playoffs is encouraged but does not guarantee entry. Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive Frost Bank Center will continue to host free watch parties for all away games, presented by USAA. Tickets are required but do not guarantee entry. Join the Spurs Fan Club to be notified when tickets are available to claim at Spurs.com/FanClub. Attendance will be limited and will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis with required ticket. Participating Pluckers Wing Bar Locations Participating Pluckers Wing Bar locations in San Antonio and Austin will stream all Spurs Finals games, and customers who wear Spurs gear to these viewings can receive five free wings with the purchase of an adult entrée. Offer available while supplies last and subject to Pluckers’ offer terms.
As you can see, there are many ways to watch and to share in the experience with your fellow Pounders.
Be safe and Go Spurs Go!
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Happy, one of the five Humboldt penguin chicks born during hatching season at Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling, which has recorded it's highest ever number of Humboldt births. The fluffy newcomers hatched after an incubation period of around 40 days, and are currently being kept safe in their nest boxes, cared for by their parents and closely monitored by the park's experienced keeper team. Picture date: Thursday May 21, 2026. (Photo by Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images) | PA Images via Getty Images
It’s a new month, and June is a big one on the hockey calendar. The Stanley Cup gets awarded, teams gear up for the draft, some trades and player movement happens as the league looks toward the big day on free agency on July 1st.
Checking back in with last month’s list got a few items off the list:
Step 1: The Wilkes-Barre playoff run
Still ongoing, WBS had Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals last night.
Step 2: Find out draft position
The Penguins stick with 22nd overall, getting no help from other teams to move up a spot or two. Bummer, but so it goes, at least now they know.
Step 3: Sort out Evgeni Malkin
Resolution on this was reached by signing Malkin to a one-year extension.
Step 4: Ownership transition
Status quo holds for awaiting the official finalization league. Word is that could be this month, including more involvement out of Mario Lemieux. That would be a nice opening impression for a new ownership group.
Step 5: Other free agents
The unrestricted free agents on the NHL roster, along with Malkin, are Kevin Hayes, Anthony Mantha, Noel Acciari, Connor Dewar, Connor Clifton, Ryan Shea, Ilya Solovyov and Stuart Skinner.
Malkin, Dewar and Solovyov were re-signed in May. There’s still a month before free agency but if there was a 0.5 over/under for another signing out of this group to come back, you might be fine in taking the under. Contract/market forces make it reasonable for Mantha and Shea to see what the free agency will bring, it doesn’t look like there’s interest from the team on anyone else still out there.
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Now, as we ease into June here’s the current checklist of what to watch for.
Step 5b: More about free agents
On a related note to Step 5 above, there’s restricted free agency ahead for Arturs Silovs, Egor Chinakhov, Joel Blomqvist, Ville Koivunen and Alex Alexeyev. Aside from what the decision is about Alexeyev, either new contract agreements or at least qualifying offers will be sent to the rest of that group by the deadline later this month for progress in that area in the near future.
Down a notch further, several key AHL players are headed into unrestricted free agency. It was already announced in March that Joona Koppanen agreed to a 2026-27 contract to play in Sweden. Boko Imama, Rafael Harvey-Pinard and defenseman Sebastian Aho are free agents on a level of player that tend to bounce around at this stage of their careers (though the well-regarded Imama is a solid candidate that the Pens may keep for a third season in the organization). Taylor Gauthier is on that path too as a free agent, though the Pens have expressed public interest in returning.
Step 6: June 1 free agents
This year there wasn’t much drama for the Penguins on drafted players whose rights expired yesterday. Zam Plante and Luke Devlin don’t apply since they are still enrolled in college that means Pittsburgh retains their rights a while longer. Max Graham was on an AHL contract last year and played more in the ECHL without looking like much of an NHL prospect.
Next year’s June 1 could have been bigger since 2025 CHL prospects who don’t have college commitments will be on the clock to sign by 6/1/27 or re-enter the draft. But many, including Quinn Beauchesne who opted to commit to Boston College for next season, have helped push back that quick clock, Ryan Miller, Kale Dach and Carter Sanderson are on the CHL to NCAA path as well. Travis Hayes, who was in Wilkes as an ATO this spring, still is in-line to be a June 1, 2027 sign-by date and see his pro career start in 2027-28.
(For further detail, there’s also an August 15th sign by date for NCAA players who have graduated, which is when Cruz Lucius is expected to opt for free agency after turning down an offer for Pittsburgh).
Step 7: Front office silly season
Todd Nelson’s name is starting to get floated around as a potential head coaching candidate. There are three openings currently (Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver) and more situations that could up in the air (LA has an interim coach, Vegas doesn’t have a coach for next season as of yet). Nelson is an veteran coach with three AHL championships and plenty of NHL experience, it wouldn’t be a shock if he’s offered a chance somewhere given the strong season the Penguins had and Nelson’s role with the power play and player development.
Three general manager jobs have recently been filled (Toronto, New Jersey, Vancouver), Nashville remains looking for a new GM. Jason Spezza’s name has been out there as a rising star, it may or may not be this cycle but it does look like eventually he will be getting a GM job somewhere in the future.
On the surface, Pittsburgh is set with all key members in the front office under contract for next season. Whether anyone decides to leave and responding to vacancies after waiting and seeing if they develop will be the name of the game.
Step 8: Draft prep
The bulk of the month will likely be spent finalizing a plan for the NHL draft, to be held June 26-27 in Buffalo.
The Penguins currently have seven picks, including three in the top 54 selections of the draft. Pittsburgh only has one pick over Rounds 4-7 (Nashville’s sixth rounder). The word ‘currently’ looms large. The Pens made four trades at the 2025 NHL draft – twice they traded down, once they traded up and they made another deal to send out an NHL player for a second round pick. They’re often very active to shuffle around on draft day and that could again be the case this season to attempt to extract as much value as possible for the future, depending on how the situation plays out in real time.
Step 9: Pro Scouting
Another behind the scenes action point, the Penguins will definitely be trying to find the next versions of Parker Wotherspoon, Anthony Mantha, Arturs Silovs and Justin Brazeau, if they can. All of those players contributed mightily to team success in 2025-26 and any NHL team can always strive for improvement around the margins if they find the right fits available. The results of this work won’t be seen until July but the time now for preparation is at hand to scour which players may be available as free agents and how they might fit with the organization.
The Detroit Tigers opened up June with a white-knuckle 10-9 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, as one of the worst teams in the majors took down the top squad in the American League. AJ Hinch’s squad went wire-to-wire in the victory, but the team nearly collapsed in characteristic fashion in the final innings.
The Tigers can string together two straight victories for the first time since the opening days of May on Tuesday, but they will have to do it with right-hander Jack Flaherty on the mound. To his credit, the 30-year-old has done an admirable job over the past starts, limiting his free passes to just one while keeping up his strikeout totals with 20 over the last 15 innings of work.
Still, Detroit is just 2-10 this season with Flaherty on the mound. The last time the Tigers won with him starting was back on April 15 against the Kansas City Royals in what was easily his best outing of the 2026 campaign — a six-inning effort that saw him cough up a run on two hits and three walks while striking out seven.
Up against him is left-hander Steven Matz, who had a string of three straight solid starts — two of them of the quality variety — snapped last time out against the Baltimore Orioles, who shelled him for six runs on seven hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out two over three innings.
The 35-year-old saw the Tigers thrice last season — once with the St. Louis Cardinals and the other two with the Boston Red Sox, all in relief — holding Detroit scoreless across four frames of work, surrendering just one hit and zero walks while striking out three. We will see if he can bring that same mojo to the mound on Tuesday night.
Detroit Tigers (23-38) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-21)
Time (ET): 6:40 p.m. Place: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida SB Nation Site:DRaysBay Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 62: RHP Jack Flaherty (0-7, 5.81 ERA) vs. LHP Steven Matz (4-2, 4.67 ERA)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 25: Brandon Marsh #16 of the Philadelphia Phillies celebrates after hitting a two-run home run against the San Diego Padres during the seventh inning at Petco Park on May 25, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
May 31, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitcher Rico Garcia (50) hugs Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (29) after a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Good morning, Camden Chatters.
Eleven days ago in this space, I wrote that the Orioles were beginning a season-defining homestand that, if it went well, would help them build some momentum and start to salvage their season — or, if it went poorly, could spell “stick a fork in ’em” time for the 2026 team. Truthfully, I was fully expecting the latter to happen, and that I’d be coming back in 11 days to write about which players the O’s should start putting on the trade market for the inevitable selloff.
Happily, the Orioles had other plans. They rattled off an excellent 7-3 homestand, with two series wins and a split, and they do indeed appear to have some momentum on their side for once. They’re not out of the woods yet, of course; the O’s are still four games under .500, so let’s hold off on printing the playoff tickets. But, as our Tyler Young pointed out, there was a lot to like about the Orioles’ performance of the last week and a half. The starting pitching has improved, their offense started scoring runs more consistently, and the O’s showed a lot of heart with some thrilling late-inning comebacks.
Now comes the tricky part: can the O’s bring their winning ways with them on the road? So far this year, the team has been utterly hopeless away from Camden Yards. The Orioles’ road record is just 9-17, and only one team in baseball (the Royals) has fewer road wins than the Birds. The majority of that damage happened in May, when the Orioles went a dreadful 3-10 on their two road trips, which included being swept by two AL East opponents, the Yankees and Rays.
This next road trip, too, will pit the Orioles against divisional foes, albeit two — the Red Sox and Blue Jays — who are having much worse seasons than New York and Tampa Bay. The Red Sox in particular have been awful at home, carrying a 9-19 record at Fenway Park, so theoretically these next three games should be ripe for the Orioles to take. That doesn’t mean they will. The Birds are going to need to continue the recent solid work from their starting staff and the improved plate approach from their hitters, and they’ll need to do it in hostile territory.
I’ll hold off on declaring this as a season-defining road trip, although obviously the worst-case scenario of six straight losses would leave the Orioles hopelessly buried in the standings. If the O’s can keep their wits about them and at least split the six games against two teams that they should be able to beat, then they’ll still be in position to gain some ground when they return to the friendly confines of Oriole Park next Monday.
If you’d told me before the season that the Orioles would lose Zach Eflin for the season, Dean Kremer for who knows how long, and have Trevor Rogers post a 6.84 ERA, I’d have expected their rotation to be even more in shambles than last year. The fact that they’re holding their own — and even thriving of late — is kind of remarkable.
Some of these guys are before my time, but Nick Markakis is the name that jumped immediately to my mind, as it did Rich Dubroff’s. Any other suggestions, Camden Chatters?
Orioles birthdays and history
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! Three former Orioles were born on this day: left-hander Jack O’Connor (68), infielder Bob Saverine (85), and the late outfielder Roger Freed (b. 1946, d. 1996).
On this date in 1958, Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson, then in his first full MLB season, grounded into a triple play against the Senators. It was the first of four triple plays he grounded into during his 23 seasons, setting a dubious major league record. His career turned out pretty okay anyway.
And in 2016, the O’s mashed seven home runs in one game, second most in team history, to defeat the Red Sox at Camden Yards, 12-7. The Orioles homered in every inning from the fourth through the eighth, with Mark Trumbo and Adam Jones each hitting two, while Manny Machado, Pedro Álvarez, and catcher Francisco Peña (in his O’s debut) bashed one apiece.
Random Orioles game of the day
On June 2, 2010, the Orioles suffered their seventh straight loss of what eventually became a 10-game skid, dropping a 9-1 blowout at Yankee Stadium. The O’s were out of the game almost immediately as starter Brad Bergesen coughed up six runs in just 2.1 innings, while the Yankees’ Phil Hughes dominated the Birds’ lineup for seven strong innings. The embarrassing contest featured Miguel Tejada getting thrown out trying to score on a double in the eighth when the Orioles were losing by seven runs. The loss dropped the Orioles to 15-38, by far the worst record in baseball, and they fired manager Dave Trembley two days later.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - MAY 28: Jamal Crawford talks to the media before the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs during Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals on May 28, 2026 at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photos by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Good morning, BBN!
We have all been on Milan Momcilovic watch over the last few days as we wait for the top uncommitted transfer to announce where he will play his college basketball next season.
It finally came late Monday night when Momcilovic announced his commitment to the Kentucky Wildcats. It marks one of the biggest commitments in recent memory for the basketball program, as well as the biggest recruiting win Mark Pope has had as a coach.
It also saved Kentucky’s 2026-27 season. While the pre-Momcilovic roster had some nice potential, it’s hard to see that group doing anything more than maybe sneaking into the Sweet 16 with a good draw.
Now we can start thinking about a fun season that ends with a special March Madness run.
While Kentucky now has its roster pretty much set, should we also be on commitment watch for a new assistant coach?
Only one name has really been connected to the final assistant coach opening on Mark Pope’s staff as they have honed in on former NBA superstar and current announcer Jamal Crawford.
It has been over a month since Crawford was initially linked to the job, and according to the most recent reports by Jack Pilgrim and Jacob Polacheck of KSR, he is still considering it.
With his NBC duties now over as the NBA Finals move to ESPN and ABC, will we finally get an answer from Crawford? If we do, it should be coming soon, especially with the summer recruiting circuit heating up.
This once again has some similarities to the Tyran Stokes recruitment all-over it. How so? Well, if Crawford really does finally turn it down, they will enter summer basketball with an open seat. Now, although we haven’t heard any other names connected, you have to believe they have been doing their due diligence.
At least, that is what we can hope.
Now, we wait on the former NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
A scouting report on NBA draft prospect Bennett Stirtz:
Position: Guard
Height: 6-foot-2.5 (without shoes)
Weight: 186 pounds
College: Iowa
Strengths
Stirtz had an incredible rise from Division II Northwest Missouri State to Drake to Iowa alongside head coach Ben McCollum. As he climbed the ranks, Stirtz kept improving and showing he very much belonged.
Stirtz shoots with range, variety and volume. On top of his three-point shooting, he can keep the scoreboard moving with crafty finishes inside and soft touch on well-honed floaters, runners and leaners. Over his two Division I seasons, Stirtz went 48.7 percent from the floor, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 82.0 percent at the foul line. He got up 6.9 threes per game as a senior and fired away with the kind of confidence that’s needed in the NBA.
Stirtz is a polished pick-and-roll ball handler who’s clever about manipulating defenses but doesn’t force high-risk passes. He posted a 2.40 assist-to-turnover ratio last year.
Weaknesses
Stirtz isn’t a player with much blow-by explosiveness or traditional athleticism. Defensively, he knows there will be major challenges against NBA speed and strength.
“That’s the main thing that we’re working on right now,” he said in an interview with League Him’s Jacob Myers. “Just watching the NBA, they pick on dudes. They get the same dude in the action every time who they don’t think can guard. I don’t want to be that guy. … I want to be able to guard in the league and be able to guard different positions.
“I think playing (almost) 40 minutes (per game) this year, it didn’t help because I was so tired and I was doing so much on the offensive end. Trying to get a breather, it was on the defensive side of the ball. So that was a tough spot for this year, but I really want to be become a great defender.”
Is Stirtz truly an elite shooter? He might make that look like a silly question, but Stirtz was 10 for 39 from three-point territory (25.6 percent) in the 2026 NCAA tournament, including an 0-for-9 game against Florida. Much of that can be chalked up to having to take difficult off-the-dribble looks and the toll of game after game with zero rest. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if Stirtz has more open shots next to NBA talent and hits a high percentage. However, his ceiling would obviously be lower if he doesn’t end up as a full-blown sharpshooter.
In terms of upside, it’s also notable that Stirtz will turn 23 years old in October. He’s an unconventional prospect and could continue making significant development, but NBA teams will generally expect more growth from the younger players in this draft class.
Fit
With Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe as backcourt cornerstones, Stirtz would presumably not step into the Sixers’ starting lineup as the 22nd pick.
In the event that most of Stirtz’s college strengths translate to the NBA, it’s still easy to envision him being a valuable piece. The Sixers could absolutely use more three-point shooting and more players capable of handling the ball besides Maxey and Edgecombe.
May 25, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) lifts the 2026 Eastern Conference trophy with teammates after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the eastern conference finals for the 2026 NBA playoffs at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
Last week, I had recap duties for the Mets’ series opener against the Reds. After the Mets suffered another in a long line of hapless losses, I chose to mostly write about the New York Knicks, who at that time were one win away from the NBA Finals. A dereliction of duty? Perhaps, but in my defense: Can you really blame me for preferring in that moment to talk about the Knicks—who went on to finish their sweep of the Cavaliers that night and be declared Eastern Conference champions for the first time since 1999, i.e. the first time since I’d started watching them in the mid-2000s—over a Mets team that has spent their 2026 trying—and mostly failing, despite a decent winning streak here and there—to simply hold their head above water?
I don’t even live in New York right now, but even hundreds of miles away it’s pretty clear that a certain blue and orange squad has taken over the hearts and minds of the city, and it ain’t the one we usually talk about on this site.
From my Mets fan point of view, 95% of me has appreciated having the Knicks as a diversion from the awful baseball we’ve been subjected to over the past couple months. No matter how terrible things have been at Citi Field, it’s been a comfort to know that all I needed to do was wait until the next game at Madison Square Garden to experience some significantly better vibes. I fear for what things will be like in the dog days of July and August when I will be forced to give all my attention to the Mets once more (perhaps some people could simply spend those months building up anticipation for football season, but as a Jets fan… well, yeah).
That other 5%, however, is a different story. That other 5% is looking at what’s happening with the Knicks and wondering when we will get to experience something similar with the Mets. And to be clear, I’m not just talking about making a championship run, though of course, that is the ultimate goal in all sports. But what I’m looking at is not just the last two months of basketball, but rather the past four years of it. During that time, the Knicks have accomplished something that the Mets have pretty much never accomplished during their entire history: continuous relevance.
Let’s back it up. Even those who don’t watch basketball probably know that the 21st century had not been kind to the Knicks before the 2020s. The organization spent the first two decades of the 2000s being a perennial laughingstock, putting up just three winning seasons in nineteen years from 2001 to 2020 and winning just one playoff series in those three winning seasons from 2011-2013. But then Leon Rose took over as team president in 2020, and a series of moves—most notably, the free agency signing of Jalen Brunson—transformed the team’s identity. They easily made the postseason in all four seasons since Brunson joined the team, and they had some measure of success once there in each of those seasons, as they won at least one playoff series in all four years before finally making it to the Finals this year. Now they are a mere four wins away from giving Knicks fans their first title since 1973, an event which would undoubtedly cause New York City to burn to the ground. If you need any more evidence for how thoroughly the team has taken over the city, look no further than Mayor Zohran Mamdani signing an executive order to repeal kids’ bedtimes for the Finals, a decision I was sure to inform my sister about so she could adjust my three-year-old nephew’s sleeping schedule accordingly.
Again, winning a championship is the final goal, and if the Knicks don’t manage to get it done this year or in the near future it will certainly limit the level of fondness we can feel about this era in the years to come. But there is still something to be said about rooting for a team that is always a factor come playoff time, that goes into each season genuinely believing that it has a chance at being the last squad standing. Having spent most of my life rooting for a team that was always a laughingstock of the sport instead of at the forefront of it, it has been a special feeling to get to experience the latter for a change and I have tried not to take that for granted.
The Mets, on the other hand? Making the playoffs four years in a row is something the franchise has quite literally never done. Their record is two straight years, which they’ve only accomplished twice (1999-2000 and 2015-2016). In theory, it should be easier than ever to finally break that streak nowadays with the expansion of the wild card. They had the chance to make the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the third time in history last year, but their collapse prevented that from happening. And barring a miraculous turnaround, odds are they won’t be making the playoffs this year, either, so the stretch of perennial irrelevance will continue for an unforeseen period of time. Despite playing in a league whose collective bargaining agreement is far more generous towards big market, deep-pocketed franchises in comparison to a salary cap league like the NBA, the Mets have simply never been able to establish the kind of year-to-year consistency that the Knicks have had for the past few years.
This should all be familiar enough to those of us who have rooted for the team for a while, so why complain about it now? Well, beyond the fact that the Knicks are now reminding us what extended success looks and feels like, there’s also the fact that this time a year ago, it really and truly seemed like things were finally changing for the better.
The Mets had their rich owner and a president of baseball operations who was seen as one of the best in the business. They were coming off a magical 2024 season in which they came up just short, but not before getting one over on some of the foes (the Braves and the Phillies, namely) who have historically been the ones to get the last laugh over the Mets. They had won a bidding war for one of the best players on the planet, beating the goddamn Yankees, of all teams. And in the first half of 2025, they were succeeding at the major league level while also boasting a strong farm system and improved player development apparatus. A World Series victory was not guaranteed, of course, but it seemed like another playoff berth was in store and that a string of them would still follow in the years to come. If you get enough bites at the apple, eventually it stands to reason that you’ll have a pretty good chance at winning it all.
Mets fans have certainly fallen victim to false hope before, but this didn’t feel like that at all. This felt sustainable. This felt real.
But we all know how things played out from there. The second half of 2025 was a slow-moving train wreck, and they missed the playoffs by one game. After a tumultuous offseason which still ended with most people feeling optimistic about how things would go this year, 2026 has largely picked up right where the end of last season left off. And now, 2024 looks like what 2015 and 2006 were before them: not the start of an exciting new era of Mets baseball, but rather a flash in the pan, an oasis of glory (and fairly limited glory at that, given that all of these seasons ended without a ring) amid a desert of ineptitude. Indeed, one good season a decade seems to be all that the baseball gods see fit to give us.
So while watching the Knicks has given me all sorts of joy over the past couple months, it has also made me look at the Mets and wonder: When is it their turn? When will we finally get to see not just a good season here and there, but rather an extended period of meaningful, important, and just plain good baseball? Every single time we think they’re on the verge, things go wrong. Players get hurt, prospects bust, managers and GMs get fired. All of this has happened before, and seemingly, all of it will happen again. And again. And again. It’s the sort of thing that can make a skeptic believe in curses.
So again: When it is the Mets’ turn? Usually when we ask a question like that, we’ll be able to offer some kind of attempt at a sensible answer. But I’ve got nothing for this one. All I can do is watch the Knicks and be reminded of what it is that we’ve been missing.
If there’s a silver lining here, it’s this: The current success of the Knicks showed how dramatically a franchise’s fortunes can change before you know it. One day you can be the worst-run team in the league, and then you hire the right person and sign the right player and suddenly you’re at the top of the organizational rankings. One day, perhaps we will look up and the Mets will have accomplished the same level of annual relevance that the Knicks have achieved over these past few years. Maybe it will even still be the current people in charge to get them there; after all, for all the things that have gone wrong over the past calendar year, they still have some bright young players on their roster, and their player development apparatus remains far ahead of where it was just a few years ago.
So yes, maybe we will finally see the Mets get over the hump if we just wait a little bit longer. But we have already been waiting so long, and despite all the positive steps they had seemed to have taken over the past few years, it still oftentimes feels like we remain so far away.
Now, just four wins away from an NBA title, these young Spurs are on the cusp of recasting the balance of power in the league and announcing itself as a dynastic force.
Wembanyama is 22. Stephon Castle 21 and Dylan Harper 20.
The average age of the Spurs (25.06 years old) makes San Antonio the second-youngest team to reach an NBA Finals in the shot clock era.
Even their head coach, Mitch Johnson, is young; he’s 39 and in his first full season on the job. And if he can top the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, which begin Wednesday, June 3, he would become the fifth-youngest head coach to win an NBA championship since 1970.
These Spurs, it would seem, are ahead of schedule.
That has been the predominating thought surrounding San Antonio’s ascension, but that framing is too simplistic. Yes, the Spurs are winning as a very young team, but that notion minimizes other qualities necessary in championship teams, qualities the Spurs have: commitment to an identity, maturity, a willingness to adapt, a willingness to sacrifice.
“People don’t talk as much about the habits, the character, the togetherness, the competitive response — the things we talk about in these media sessions every single day,” Johnson said May 30, after San Antonio dethroned the Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals. “And this team has now been pretty damn consistent for a long time, for over 100 games for the most part.
“When you look back at how we started the year, how we got to the (NBA) Cup on the road versus Denver and L.A., what we did in the Cup, playing (the Thunder) around Christmastime a few times, expectations. We’ve played in three playoff series, (at times) without Victor, without (De'Aaron) Fox multiple games — I don’t know who has as much experience as we do, this year, in terms of the 2025-2026 season.”
Whether you subscribe to the notion that this team is ahead of some nebulous schedule, the Spurs are nonetheless favored to win the Finals, primarily because of one thing: this team is much more than just Victor Wembanyama.
The Spurs showed that in Game 7, when they topped the Thunder, 111-103, on their home floor. Seven different players reached double-figures in scoring, and contributions from all over the rotation predominated.
Julian Champagnie, who finished with 20 points, dropped 11 in the third quarter. Backup center Luke Kornet, who played just six minutes, hustled back during a pivotal Thunder fastbreak to pin a momentum-changing block against the backboard in an eventual four-point swing. De’Aaron Fox was a menace on defense all night and collected three steals and later found his shooting stroke. Harper knocked down huge shots down the stretch and scored 12 points off the bench on 5-of-8 shooting. Backup Keldon Johnson, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, knocked down two massive 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, both of which came when the Thunder had trimmed the deficit to two points.
And then there’s Mitch Johnson, the coach who came up in the organization and who was hand-picked to be Gregg Popovich’s successor.
San Antonio has built a culture of hard work and discipline, of growth and learning, of consistency. Wembanyama and Johnson are merely the next stewards of that culture, but this front office recognizes that it’s about building a structure and empowering players to own their results.
The Thunder are still a force in the West. The Timberwolves, with Anthony Edwards, and the Nuggets (with three-time Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokić) are always lurking. But, first, it’s the Knicks who stand in the way of history.
And with NBA All-Defensive second-team selection OG Anunoby expected to be the primary defender on Wembanyama, and with Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns leading an offense that has posted the most dominant stretch in league history over any 11-game stretch, the challenge is daunting. Other Spurs will need to step up.
“Winning the Larry O’Brien, it’s a childhood dream,” Wembanyama said after Game 7. “Having a real shot at it. Having a chance — a tangible chance at winning it — at realizing a dream, it’s a lifetime chance. You never know when it’s going to happen again.
“The day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day of the realization of a dream. It’s hard to put into words. It’s almost like the meaning of my life.”
The Carolina Hurricanes have broken through and reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since coach Rod Brind'Amour was captain of the 2006 championship team.
The Vegas Golden Knights responded to a late-season coaching change from Bruce Cassidy to John Tortorella to reach the final for the third time in the franchise's nine years of existence. They won in their second trip in 2023.
The series winner will pick up the franchise's second Stanley Cup title. Who will help get them to the top?
Here are 10 players to watch in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final, five from each team:
CAROLINA HURRICANES
Goalie Frederik Andersen
He had a middling season and Brandon Bussi played four more games and had 15 more wins than Andersen. Brind'Amour went with the veteran goaltender and he has turned things around with a 12-1 record and 1.44 goals-against average. Andersen was one of the first clients of Claude Lemieux after the four-time Stanley Cup winner became an agent. He said after Lemieux's May 28 death that he wants to make Lemieux proud.
Defenseman Jaccob Slavin
He's considered a top shutdown defenseman, which he is why he was named to Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and Olympics. He was injured during the early part of the season, which explains why the Golden Knights were able to score 10 goals against the Hurricanes in two October wins. He'll be key to helping limit a deep Vegas team.
Forward Logan Stankoven
He was the key piece in the return when the Hurricanes traded Mikko Rantanen to Dallas last season after acquiring him earlier in the season. The 23-year-old has taken a big step, recording his first 20-goal season and leading the team with nine playoff goals on the red-hot second line.
Forward Taylor Hall
Hall came over in the first Rantanen trade from the Chicago Blackhawks as part of a three-team deal. The 2010 No. 1 overall pick was a Hart Trophy winner in 2017-18, but his play had dropped off before the trade. He has found his game on a line with Stankoven and Jackson Blake. Hall leads the Hurricanes with 16 points.
Forward Sebastian Aho
He has only four goals and seven points in 13 games after averaging a point per game in the regular season. The second line has been carrying the Hurricanes and they'll need more offense from the Aho-led first line if they are going to beat the Golden Knights.
Others to watch: Seth Jarvis, Andrei Svechnikov, K'Andre Miller, Jordan Staal.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
Forward Mitch Marner
The Toronto Maple Leafs never got out of the second round and rarely out of the first during his tenure there. He received part of the criticism. Joining the Golden Knights in a sign-and-trade, he's not only in the fourth round, he's leading the playoffs in scoring with 21 points.
Forward Jack Eichel
Coach John Tortorella calls him the best 200-foot player in the NHL. The center was used against Nathan MacKinnon in the conference finals sweep of the Colorado Avalanche. In addition, Eichel is second in playoff scoring with 18 points and helped the USA win Olympic gold.
Forward Pavel Dorofeyev
He's tied for the NHL lead with 10 goals, with four of those coming on the power play. He'll be a restricted free agent at season's end and due a big raise after scoring 35 and 37 goals the past two regular seasons.
Forward Mark Stone
The Golden Knights are so deep that the skilled Stone plays on the third line. The winger is a former Selke Trophy finalist and also has four power play goals. Injuries are a problem and he was out for part of the playoffs. The Golden Knights were much better when he returned.
Defenseman Shea Theodore
He's averaging more than 25 minutes a game, the most of any player in the series. The former Anaheim Duck leads blue liners with 11 points and has a series-high 46 blocked shots. He'll be responsible for helping the Golden Knights escape the Hurricanes' relentless forecheck.
Others to watch: Carter Hart, Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden, William Karlsson.
This week, the player responsible for perhaps the NBA’s most potent cultural phenomenon is stepping into a new broadcast role while the iconic franchise linked to his fame is competing for an NBA championship.
Lin, whose memorable play for the New York Knicks during the 2011-12 season sparked the international “Linsanity” craze, is joining ESPN’s NBA Finals coverage as an analyst. He will appear on "NBA Today," "SportsCenter" and possibly other network programs through the duration of the Knicks-Spurs series.
Lin makes his ESPN debut on Wednesday, June 3 on "SportsCenter" with Scott Van Pelt live in Washington D.C.
And yes, Lin told USA TODAY Sports in an interview on June 1, he is excited to see his former team four wins away from an NBA title.
“I always felt like Knicks fans deserve the best performances. They’re so passionate,” Lin said. “And as cool as it was for me to give good performances only for that stretch of time, I genuinely wish that I was able to do more. I genuinely wish I was able to stay longer, genuinely wish that I could have a lot more success and done things in the playoffs for the Knicks, but that never came to fruition.”
Lin played in the NBA for nine seasons, including two-year stints in Houston and Brooklyn and part of the Toronto Raptors’ championship 2019 season, but he remains best known for his lone season with the Knicks. Current Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, who grew up in New Jersey, even credited Lin for influencing his Knicks fandom.
Lin helped the Knicks turn around their season in February 2012 when he joined the starting lineup and led the team on a seven-game win streak while star Carmelo Anthony was out injured. The Knicks made the Eastern Conference playoffs but, with Lin injured and unable to play, were eliminated in the first round.
“I don’t think people understand the agony – putting in that much, having the team be able to turn around and really find good rhythm, and then to not be there for the most important games,” Lin said. “It was really hard for me to not be out on the floor. I know that there were some reports at that time, but the reality was, I was doing everything I could to try get back and contribute, and I wasn’t able to do that.”
Lin went on to play in the NBA playoffs in four different seasons for three different teams and said he plans to lean on that experience in his analyst role with ESPN.
“The goal for me is really how do I bring my previous experience and distill the complexities into something simple and digestible for the fans?” Lin said. “And that’s not just the successes. It’s the failures of multiple first-round exits before I was able to be a part of a team that was able to win it all. And seeing what worked, what didn’t work or what was the differentiator in getting us over the top, those are the things that I want to talk about.”
The whole idea of TV came out of left field for Lin, who said that while playing he never contemplated a broadcast career. But last season, after Lin returned from playing basketball in China and decided to retire, he wanted to figure out his next steps.
This March, Lin made a guest analyst appearance on "NBA Today," which he said was effectively a three-day trial period. He wanted to find out whether he was passionate about broadcasting and whether a network would give him the chance. His analytical breakdown of Luka Doncic’s isolation play was well-received by viewers and answered his own questions.
“I think after those three days, the reception that we got from the fans as well as what I felt internally was definitely beyond what I expected,” Lin said. “So that was nice in the sense of like, oh, people had really appreciated the breakdown, but I also felt joy in being back in NBA basketball.”
He said he’s texted three former teammates-turned-analysts — Danny Green, Iman Shumpert and Steve Novak — for advice. He’s also relied on ESPN anchor Malika Andrews and Guy, the vice president of production, for constant coaching.
“I’m less of the super hot take, loud persona,” Lin said. “I try to be somewhat even keeled, I try to be educated and then I try to be uplifting, even if I have to criticize.”
Lin said he’s learned that broadcasting is harder than it looks, and that he wants to do it anyway. Although his current agreement with ESPN is only through these Finals, he hopes to continue his broadcasting career afterward.
“I definitely have serious interest in trying to do this more and to do this long-term,” Lin said. “Honestly, I’m just really grateful to ESPN for these opportunities and I know that it’s truly special that they were willing to carve the space for me in the Finals. I know that doesn’t grow on trees and is something extremely special, so I’m just very grateful.”
Some Rockets fans are watching them for keys to the future. What do they have that we don’t?
What if the answer is “just about everything”?
Beyond Rockets fans, NBA observers love to watch the Finals in search of the new “meta”. Slow bigs are out. No, wait, they’re fine, but small guards are out. No, wait!
Well, Jalen Brunson, much to Becky Hammond’s chagrin, is heading to the NBA Finals. Isaiah Hartenstein is as traditional a big man as one can be.
The truth is much simpler, and much bleaker. As the NBA optimizes, it veers towards the singularity. You need a top-10 player. You need depth at every position. You need it all.
Someone let Rafael Stone and/or Ime Udoka know that you also need multiple ball handlers.
Rockets must add backcourt depth this summer
Although they surely know that. Needing something is different from getting it.
The available free agents seem either undesirable or unattainable. The Rockets should have the taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception (MLE)…I think?
That shouldn’t be enough for Anfernee Simons, Coby White, or maybe even Quentin Grimes. It’d likely fetch you Gabe Vincent or Bogdan Bogdanovic, but it’s hard to say if either cracks the 2026-27 rotation. There isn’t really a free agent guard who finds that sweet spot between good enough to play and too good to pay.
That said, the trade market is a bit easier to navigate.
Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that Rafael Stone isn’t looking to blow up the team or fork over his best assets. He’s looking at marginal gains. If that assumption holds, he’s probably looking at trading Dorian Finney-Smith and/or Clint Capela, along with second-round draft capital, for a meaningful reserve guard.
That could create its own issues. The Rockets may be hoping Finney-Smith can regain some form and bolster their wing depth. Fair. Surely, they see that Capela wasn’t a feasible rotation option in the playoffs, so at least trading him should be on the table.
The trade market is different from the free agent market. We don’t know who’s on the trade market. We do have educated guesses. Continuing to operate on the assumption that Stone isn’t willing to move a first-round pick, the list of reasonable candidates is somewhat slim.
If he’s willing to move Finney-Smith, Malik Monk has become a popular target. He can create his own shot and make plays for teammates. This is the type of lead guard the team needs, even if his defensive effort will infuriate Udoka on a routine basis.
The Hornets fell out of love with Tre Mann this year. I won’t pretend to have watched enough Hornets games to understand why, but I do know that Mann can play. He can handle the ball and shoot off the dribble. Reviews of Mann’s defense have been mixed, but there seems to be an understanding that he plays hard, which might be enough under Udoka’s tutelage.
Here’s one more name: Jaden Hardy. He scored 12.3 points per game while shooting 42.0% from deep during his 23 games with the Wizards. Sure, he dished out a comically low 1.3 assists per game, but the Rockets need a guard who can generate offense by hook or by crook.
Jordan Hawkins? D’Angelo Russell? Marcus Sasser? These are all guys in Capela’s salary range who would be upgrades over Aaron Holiday. That’s the (limited) criteria here. One thing is clear: The Rockets need a guard.
As it stands, the Rockets have a third-year (and functionally, a sophomore) guard in Reed Sheppard, Fred VanVleet coming off a potentially career-altering injury, Amen Thompson (who is a guard in the same sense that the shadows in Plato’s cave were representations of reality), and Holiday. That will not suffice:
Editor’s Note: As the Celtics begin an uncertain offseason, Insider Chris Forsberg is rolling out a three-part series called “The Path,” in which he breaks down three potential avenues for president of basketball operations Brad Stevens to take this summer. You can read Part I here.
Let’s start this uncomfortable conversation with two unassailable facts:
After seasons in which the Celtics have fallen short of expectations, Brad Stevens and his front office staff have rarely sat on their hands. Boston’s brass typically has made bold summer decisions aimed at thrusting the team closer to title contention.
If the desired pathway forward is to keep the superstar tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown together, there are very few ways to make bold changes around them without moving off the other remaining pieces of the championship core.
Which leads us to Part 2 of our summer pathway series, which we’re dubbing an “uncomfortable middle road.”
With Tatum and Brown set to make a combined $115.6 million and account for 70 percent of the salary cap next season, the spotlight falls on the three other players making more than a minimum salary: Derrick White ($30.3 million), Sam Hauser ($10.8 million), and Payton Pritchard ($7.8 million).
No one wants to entertain the idea of moving on from what remains of Boston’s title core — especially just one year after bidding farewell to Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet. But the reality is that the Celtics don’t have many other ways to infuse talent, at least without utilizing their available exceptions and trying to navigate the luxury tax in the process.
In Monday’s Part I, we investigated the “small tweaks” path, which could patch some holes that the playoffs exposed in this core.
Today, it’s time to get a little more uncomfortable.
Mission statement
Commit to bringing back the Jays but revamp the core pieces around them, using key members of the 2024 championship team as assets in trades and then utilizing available exceptions to fill out a roster that still accomplishes tax goals by season’s end.
The path
Reaffirm a commitment to Tatum and Brown as the core of the team.
Trade some combination of White, Hauser and (less likely) Pritchard.
Cross your fingers on the continued improvement of young core.
Hunt low-cost, high-reward targets with available exceptions to fill out the roster.
We can hear your snarling through your computer or phone. I have a young niece, Allie, who worships Derrick White. She might revoke her Celtics fandom if they trade him, and might attack me for even writing this article.
But the reality is that, if you’re not convinced small tweaks are enough to push this team forward, then it’s going to take some pain to get to the level these Celtics yearn to reach.
Just revisit past failures. Stiff-armed by the veteran Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals, the Celtics crafted a package built around a young Aaron Nesmith and traded for Malcolm Brogdon.
Even after Brogdon produced a Sixth Man of the Year season, it was clear the Celtics needed a larger overhaul of their core, and Stevens made the tough choices the following summer to send out Marcus Smart, Robert Williams III and Brogdon in order to bring back Holiday and Porzingis.
Those moves were jaw-droppers in the moment. It forced the Celtics to move on from beloved pieces of their core. But it got the team where it wanted to go by delivering a 2024 title.
The wish list
Here’s the hard part: Trading any of the White-Hauser-Pritchard trio is neither ideal nor easy to find surefire upgrades.
Every team in the league is searching for their own Derrick White, and even in a poor shooting season, he was vital to Boston’s overall success given his absurd basketball IQ, particularly on the defensive end. Hauser is making less-than-midlevel money and is the sort of bargain shooter whom every contender covets. Pritchard can sign a big-money extension in October but remains maybe the best value in the NBA for the next two seasons.
The uncomfortable question is whether the Celtics missed a chance to fully cash in on White’s value last offseason when teams such as the Magic were launching first-round picks for players like Desmond Bane, and do you wait any longer as lottery reform and a new CBA make it tougher for teams to part with draft assets?
Good luck finding a deal involving White that shores up Boston’s frontcourt. Could you flip White to his hometown Nuggets in exchange for Aaron Gordon? Sure, and if you could guarantee us 70-plus games of a healthy Gordon, we’d at least listen. But Gordon is only a year younger and makes the same money.
You could call the Cavaliers about Jarrett Allen, but they’re already swimming in guards, especially if they bring back James Harden. We’d call the Timberwolves to see if there’s anything you can build around Naz Reid, though he’s as beloved there as White is here.
Maybe you contact Detroit about a deal bringing back Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart? If Portland strikes out on a Giannis Antetokounmpo pursuit, could you pitch them on reuniting the Holiday/White backcourt in exchange for some younger pieces?
You can reach out to New Orleans about a deal built around Trey Murphy III but likely need a third team to ensure White lands with a contender.
The Hauser situation is slightly less complicated. It’s not hard to hunt moves where Hauser’s salary helps target a big man. Detroit, whose lack of shooting was obvious during its own early playoff exit, might be intrigued by a Hauser-for-Stewart swap. The Celtics have a gaggle of young wings who can try to fill Hauser’s void — even if few in the league can shoot it as well as Hauser has in his Boston tenure.
It probably doesn’t even make sense to ponder Pritchard trades until his next deal kicks in, but again, because Boston has a limited number of salaries between the Jays and the minimums, he has to at least be included in this discussion.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
A deal involving New Orleans’ Trey Murphy III and Derrick White likely would need a third team.
What it looks like
We come away from this exercise wondering if the better path is a bigger splurge involving one of the Jays. (Much more on that Wednesday). Alas, this is what the Celtics’ front office is left exploring.
If the team simply moves Hauser, it feels more like a small-tweak summer. Finding the right White package isn’t easy, especially because Boston might value his day-to-day impact more than any team left leery by an outlier shooting season for a soon-to-be 32-year-old.
One more thing to keep in mind this summer: If Boston stays under the luxury tax for one more season, resets pesky repeater penalties and puts itself in position to make 2023-type swings to bolster the supporting cast next summer, then it would also be beneficial to have more mid-tier salaries to build deals around.
The lack of those contracts right now complicates roster building. Splitting White’s $30 million between two players — and then utilizing exceptions to add more contracts around midlevel money — could help the long game.
But does it make the Celtics better now? These are the tough conversations that Stevens and his staff must tackle this summer.
Jun 2, 2008; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Petr Sykora (17) celebrates his game winning goal with defenseman Ryan Whitney (19) as goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (29) skates past them during the third overtime period of game five of the Stanley Cup finals against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. The Penguins beat the Red Wings 4-3 in triple overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-Imagn Images
Eighteen years ago today, Petr Sykora called his own shot, scoring one of the most memorable overtime goals in Pittsburgh Penguins history when it comes to the Stanley Cup Final.
It was 2008 and the young Penguins were trying to upset the vaunted Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final.
Pittsburgh was clearly outmatched in the series, losing three of the first four games and facing elimination on the road in Game 5 as Detroit was ready to celebrate their championship in front of their home fans.
The Penguins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and it looked like things were going their way, but Detroit, as they often did, battled back, erasing that deficit and eventually taking a 3-2 lead in the game.
With the Stanley Cup getting polished and shined and ready to be lifted by Nicklas Lidstrom, Maxine Talbot pressed pause, tying the game at 3-3 with just 35 seconds remaining in regulation.
To overtime the game went. And then a second overtime. And a third overtime.
Detroit continued to pepper the Penguins as Marc-Andre Fleury made 58 saves, keeping the Penguins’ season alive.
And then one of the great moments in Penguins lore happened.
Petr Sykora, who told Pierre McGuire he was going to score, did just that.
What a remarkable goal and what a moment, calling your own shot on that kind of stage.
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images