Perhaps it was the pure exhilaration, the adrenaline running high after the Knicks completed the greatest comeback in Finals history.
Maybe it had to do with the reality that the Knicks are now one win away from ending a 53-year championship drought after decades of incompetence.
The euphoric — and even legally problematic at times — celebrations by Knicks fans from the average Joes to Hollywood A-Listers on Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning provided just a brief preview of the mayhem that may descend upon New York City on Saturday.
ew York Knicks Celebrations Outside Madison Square Garden. June 11, 2026, New York, USA: NY Knicks fans celebrate the win and get into altercations with the police post game 4 after their close game victory over the Spurs. Adem Wijewickrema/TheNEWS2 via ZUMA Press / SplashNews.com
For the first time since June 22, 1994, the Knicks take the court Saturday night in San Antonio for Game 5 of the NBA Finals needing just one win to claim their third championship.
The Knicks famously failed to do so in two attempts in 1994, losing Games 6 and 7 to the Rockets in heartbreakers.
This time around, thanks to their Game 4 heroics, they have three chances to win one game and wash away the memory of John Starks’ Game 7 to forget.
Should they knock off the Spurs, there surely will be a celebration for the ages.
Post-game celebrations outside Madison Square Garden have become a staple in recent years when the Knicks have been in the playoffs, but these Finals outbursts have felt different.
Fans did not leave Madison Square Garden for some time Wednesday night, showering in every last second from a once-in-a-lifetime win thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics.
“Thank you OG!”
Knicks fans say thank you to OG Anunoby outside MSG after he scored the game winning basket. Presented by Tri State Cadillac #sponsoredpic.twitter.com/0yg1DJ8jIw
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
The celebrities, from Taylor Swift to Ben Stiller, showcased sheer joy throughout the night while watching courtside and then celebrating after the game.
Clips from outside MSG showed a fan on a bicycle being held in the air, with the fans below surely not feeling any pain while on such a sports high.
They chanted, “Thank you, OG” after his last-minute brilliance, including a block on De’Aaron Fox in the final 15 seconds that set the stage for his later heroics.
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 11, 2026
Fans ran through the streets as cars beeped their horns, not giving a damn about traffic after watching Jalen Brunson finally break through against a tough Spurs defense.
And to think this all happened after a third Finals win.
It’s been 15 years since the last championship by a Big Four New York City sports team — the Giants won Super Bowl 2012, while the Liberty won the WNBA title last year — and the city is waiting to erupt again.
If you give some Knicks fans truth serum, perhaps they would admit they’d rather the Knicks clinch at home in a potential Game 6 on Tuesday night.
Regardless of the venue, should the Knicks finish off the Spurs, Wednesday’s post-game festivities may seem like child’s play.
The City That Never Sleeps will host an all-night party, full of joy and bedlam, that rings out from Manhattan to Brooklyn to Staten Island to Queens and The Bronx.
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 12: Francisco Lindor #12 of the New York Mets looks on during the national anthem prior to the game between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets at Citi Field on Friday, June 12, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Evan Yu/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Meet the Mets
The Mets began a three-game series against the NL East-leading Braves last night and were able to overcome a rough second inning from starter Nolan McLean and a late rally from Atlanta to secure a 7-5 victory. The star of the night was Bo Bichette, who hit two home-runs—including a grand slam—and drove in six runs. The Amazins have now won two straight.
The Phillies were completely and utterly dominated by Jacob Misiorowski last night, as the young Brewers ace threw a complete game one-hit shutout with fifteen strikeouts to give Philadelphia a 6-0 loss.
Prior to last night’s game, the Phillies made a number of roster moves—including placing Adolis García on the 60-day IL with a lat tear and adding the recently acquired Derek Hill to the active roster.
Sandy Alcántara racked up his 1000th career strikeout and the Marlins won their sixth straight with an 8-3 victory over the Pirates that put the Fish back at .500.
The Nationals were delayed for over two hours yesterday due to rain and didn’t exactly come out of the delay sharp, as they were shellacked by the Mariners to the tune of a 10-2 loss.
R.A. Dickey came very close to throwing a no-hitter—and instead settled for the first of what would end up being back-to-back one-hitters—on this date in 2012.
The Seattle Kraken announced Thursday that they had hired Pascal Vincent as assistant coach and Patrik Allvin as vice president and assistant general manager.
The two join a Kraken team that missed the playoffs last season, finishing 27th out of 32 teams.
Allvin joins the Kraken after serving as Vancouver Canucks general manager for four seasons. He previously made history as the first Swedish GM in the NHL. Now 51 years old, Allvin shared his thoughts on joining the Kraken with NHL.com.
"I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to join the Seattle Kraken organization," Allvin said in a press release. "There is a strong commitment to building a winning team and a passionate fan base, and I look forward to collaborating with (GM) Jason (Botterill) and the hockey operations staff as we continue building a club capable of sustained success.”
Seattle Kraken general manager Jason Botterill and Patrik Allvin are no strangers. The two worked together for a decade in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups together.
Botterill released a statement on the reunion and the reasoning behind the hire.
“Patrik is an excellent communicator in a team environment,” said Kraken general manager Jason Botterill. “He understands the importance of structure and a process in making decisions. You look at his experience evaluating talent in North America, Europe, amateur, pro, he’s had a lot of different titles over his career. He had success in Pittsburgh, winning three Stanley Cups, being a part of a group there [which included Botterill].”
Vincent, on the other hand, joins the Kraken from the Laval Rocket, the Montreal Canadiens’ American Hockey League affiliate.
Canadiens President of Hockey Operations Jeff Gorton released a statement on Vincent’s departure.
"We would like to sincerely thank Pascal for his work and contribution to the Rocket and wish him all the best in his next professional chapter in Seattle," said Gorton. "He was highly committed to our success and made valuable contributions over the past several years. A native of Laval, Pascal was greatly appreciated and respected by the players, his staff members, and the fans. We are grateful for his dedication, leadership, and hard work during his time with the Rocket."
Vincent has worked with several NHL and AHL teams in varying positions. In seven seasons as an NHL assistant coach, he worked with the Winnipeg Jets and Columbus Blue Jackets.
In 2023-24, Vincent was promoted to head coach for the Blue Jackets.
Allvin summarized his thoughts on joining the Kraken to NHL.com.
“The practice facility is phenomenal, best in the league. The support of the Kraken in the city and region was evident every time I've been down there for games. As a visiting team, you can feel the fans’ energy and feel the identity of the team playing fast hockey.”
CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 12: Starting pitcher Tanner Bibee #28 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field on June 12, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Guardians won a big game to end their four-game losing streak and start the season 5-0 against the Tigers. Nick has your recap here.
Tonight is Tarik Skubal vs. Joey Cantillo and if I were the Tigers, losing this one would have me packing it up.
Travis Bazzana is in his first slump in the big leagues. He has a wRC+ of 30 over his last 39 plate appearances. Good for him. He will work his way out of it.
Tanner Bibee has been nails for the Guardians since that disastrous start vs. The Nationals. Props to him and Patrick Bailey for figuring it out. And, if my “Bench Steven Kwan” article can mark the beginning of a run for him, that would be great.
AROUND MLB;
White Sox beat the Dodgers, Twins won, and Royals lost. The Royals are 14 games under .500.
The NHL announced the players who made the All-Rookie Team for the 2025-26 season, and, unsurprisingly, two Montreal Canadiens players are on the list. Ivan Demidov, who led all rookies in scoring this season, and Jakub Dobes, who led all rookies in wins. They are joined by the Anaheim Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke, the St. Louis Blues’ Jimmy Snuggerud, the New York Islanders’ Matthew Schaefer, and the Carolina Hurricanes’ Alexander Nikishin. Oliver Kapanen, who finished seventh in points amongst rookies this season with 37 and third in goals with 22, finished eighth in forward voting with just six voting points.
On top of leading all rookies in points with 62, Demidov also led in assists (43), in even-strength assists (30), power play assists (13), power play points (20) and multi-point performances (tied first with Sennecke at 14). Demidov dominated the forward votes with 195 points, four points ahead of Sennecke (191) and 59 points ahead of Snuggerud (136).
The Russian winger has incredible skills, and the Canadiens front office has made it clear it will try to sign him to a contract extension this offseason. As they should, since they still have the option to sign him to an eight-year deal until that possibility goes away because of the new CBA in mid-September.
As for Dobes, his 29 wins were well ahead of the competition, with his nearest pursuer having only 21 triumphs. Only three rookie goaltenders have had more wins with the Canadiens; Ken Dryden (39), Bill Durnan (38) and Jacques Plante (33). He becomes just the fourth Montreal goaltender to make the All-Rookie team after Steve Penney (1984-85), Patrick Roy (1985-86) and Carey Price (2007-08).
The All-Rookie Team was created in 1982-83, and since then, it has happened three times that the Canadiens have had two players on it: in 1982-83 when Mats Naslund and Dan Daoust made it, in 1984-85 when Penney was joined by Chris Chelios and in 1985-86 when Roy was joined by Kjell Dahlin. In other words, it’s a feat that hadn’t been accomplished in 40 years.
In the last few years, Lane Hutson (2024-25) and Nick Suzuki (2019-2020) made the cut. Before them, Brendan Gallagher had been the last Hab to make it, back in 2012-13.
Pavelski has no experience as a head coach in the NHL or any sort of staffing role in the league since retiring as a player in July 2024, according to eliteprospects.com.
Before being picked for the Canadiens job, St-Louis' only coaching experience was for his son, Lucas, and his team, the Mid Fairfield Rangers, at the U-13 AAA level.
Since he was brought in by Montreal, the Habs have seen exponential growth with the players and as a team. St-Louis' history as a star player in the NHL allows him to truly connect with his players. The Canadiens' recent playoff run to the Eastern Conference final is an example of his influence and success with the Habs.
While plenty of other coaches are being considered by the Maple Leafs, it's clear that Toronto's brass is looking to be creative and explore new concepts.
See more of The Hockey News on Google — Save us as Preferred Source
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Columbus Blue Jackets should be looking to add to their forward depth this off-season. One player who the Blue Jackets should consider making a push for is Chicago Blackhawks forward Ilya Mikheyev.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported last month that the Blackhawks have made Mikheyev's signing rights available for trade. With Mikheyev being a solid top-nine forward who provides decent secondary scoring and strong defensive play, the Blue Jackets should consider pursuing him.
Mikheyev just had back-to-back solid campaigns with the Blackhawks. During the 2024-25 season with Chicago, he scored 20 goals and recorded 34 points. He followed that up this season by scoring 18 goals and setting a new career high with 36 points. With numbers like these, he would have the potential to provide the Blue Jackets with more offensive production if they brought him in.
Mikheyev has also recorded at least 31 points in four out of his last five seasons. The only time he did not over that span was in 2022-23 with the Vancouver Canucks when he had 28 points but only played in 46 games.
Mikheyev also provides plenty of value because of his strong penalty killing. He was a major part of the Blackhawks' penalty kill this season and could hold the same role if signed by the Blue Jackets.
While Mikheyev is not the flashiest of players, he would still be a solid pickup for a Blue Jackets club that is looking to be more competitive next season. On a two- to three-year contract, the 31-year-old forward could be a good value signing for the Blue Jackets to make.
In 427 career NHL games split between the Toronto Maple Leafs, Canucks, and Blackhawks, Mikheyev has recorded 98 goals, 103 assists, 201 points, and a plus-38 rating.
Next Up For Columbus: The NHL Draft is on June 26 and 27 in Buffalo, where the CBJ will own pick #14.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more!
Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.
Let us know what you think below.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
With the 2026 NHL Draft now just two weeks away, we are finally beginning to get an idea of what the Philadelphia Flyers might do with the 21st overall pick.
Much has been made of the Flyers' pursuit of high-end talent and a potential No. 1 center or defenseman, but the reality is, this late in the first round, that's quite unlikely.
A smaller, more dynamic defenseman like Xavier Villeneuve could be that for the Flyers, but that kind of selection has not been in the team's DNA under GM Danny Briere.
With the actual depth of the 2026 draft class looking questionable, all roads may, in fact, lead the Flyers to choosing yet another winger in the first round.
New draft intel from Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects indicates that this very well may be the case when it comes down to it.
"[Elton Hermansson], I had a little bee whisper that maybe [the Flyers] had a good chat with him at the combine. Maybe they like Hermansson," Robinson said on the "Called Up: The Prospects" podcast with fellow draft expert Chris Peters.
Now, Peters did have the Flyers picking a different winger in Adam Novotny at 21 when the duo did their full first-round mock draft on the podcast, but Hermansson offers a bit of a different profile.
The 6-foot-1 Swede is wildly skilled and already plays pro, having played 38 games for MoDo in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier league, this past season. In those 38 games, Hermansson scored 11 goals, 10 assists, and 21 points.
"Looking for a high upside forward bet in the second half of the first round? Elton Hermansson could be just what the doctor ordered," an excerpt from his 2026 draft guide profile reads.
"Hermansson’s offensive skill level is impossible to miss, especially whenever he plays against his peers. He dominates the puck, consistently able to drive play and create quality chances for himself through his superior elusiveness and handling abilities."
The Flyers have no shortage of wingers with Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, Denver Barkey, Alex Bump, Tyson Foerster, and the elderstatesmen Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett.
But, by the time Hermansson is ready to go full-time at the NHL level, Konecny and Tippett will be well into their 30s, and Foerster will be close to it.
So, if the value is there, and everything goes well in his development, the Swedish dynamo could be a natural replacement in the top-six for one of those three.
“Super talented kid. Very talented. He’s got a nose for the net. He can shoot the puck. He’s got shifty feet, maybe a touch knock-kneed, but it doesn’t affect the speed. I think he’s going to be a good offensive winger," an Eastern Conference executive said of Hermansson, as included in the Elite Prospects 2026 draft guide.
"I’m not sure what his player comp is in the NHL, but I like his odds to be a scoring top-six winger in the NHL. Another thing with Hermansson is that he’s not physical, but he’s also not shy to play through contact. Great kid, too.”
Hermansson will have to develop a "B-Game", as many coaches say, to ensure a successful NHL future, but there is enough talent there to justify the Flyers taking another player at the winger position with a premium draft pick.
His pro production, as well as his dominance in international junior hockey (12 points in seven World Junior games, 33 points in 18 total games for Sweden's U18s), will make Hermansson impossible to dismiss, even for a winger-heavy team like the Flyers.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - JUNE 12: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks talks to media during 2026 NBA Finals Practice and Media Availability on June 12, 2026 at 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(Photo by David Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Day has arrived, folks.
It’s win-and-chip for the Knicks in Texas.
Here’s the latest from San Antonio, half a day from the most-anticipated tip-off in Knicks history.
The impossible became reality at Madison Square Garden 🤯
Relive every twist, turn, and jaw-dropping moment from the Knicks' historic 29-point Game 4 comeback win in Chasing History presented by @MichelobULTRA before Game 5 tips off Saturday at 8:30pm/et on ABC! pic.twitter.com/2MktvcFQN5
On the need for staying focused with the title one win away:
“The biggest thing is everybody has to stay present. You have to be present. You can’t think about the outcome. It’s about the process, the next play, the next play, the next play. Sometimes you can think about the process, and it not work out. But when you’re playing against other great teams especially, that’s how you have to take it because anybody’s mind can start wandering when you think about the outcome.”
On the Knicks’ maturity keeping heads level:
“Their level of maturity. Obviously, we have some veteran guys on the team. But you can be a veteran and still have a little bit of immaturity about you, as we all know. From top to bottom, this group is pretty mature. That rubs off on the rest of the group. It makes my job easier. We’ve been preaching all year that it’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand any time you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases, the level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort.”
On avoiding complacency after the historic Game 4 win:
“It is hard. We’re all human. It was hard even in the series that we swept. You win two, three, four, five games in a row, there’s a tendency to relax a little bit. That’s just in life. In your job, you have success for 10 months straight, maybe you feel like, I got this, I know what I’m doing. You’re not as sharp then because everybody’s been patting you on your back and telling you how great you are. Trying to manufacture things to help guys lock in, trying to talk to guys individually so they can continue to talk to their teammates to lock in, all that stuff is huge. Having Pat’s presence around, Pat Ewing, so he can talk to guys to help them lock in from a different vantage point, is all huge, especially during this time and coming off a win like we did last time.”
On the Knicks’ closeout-game mentality:
“We’ve been preaching all year: It’s about the next possession, the next possession, the next possession. We understand anytime you try to play a closeout game, the level of desperation for your opponents increases. The level of desperation for the fans of your opponents is increased. You have to bring your best effort, because even if you bring your best effort, it may not happen, especially on the road. That’s the only way you have a chance for it to happen.”
On preventing a Game 4 hangover:
“I can’t 100% say, ‘This is what I’m going to do to make them not have the hangover from the win two nights ago.’ The biggest thing is, continuing to preach 0-0. Continuing to preach, ‘Stay present.’ Continuing to preach, ‘Next possession, next possession, next possession,’ and hope the experiences they’ve gone through as a group already, and their maturity — as well as our standards, which they’ve really hung onto all year — will help us lock into this game. It’s going to be hard. San Antonio’s a great team. They’re desperate. I still think they believe. It’s going to be hard for us. But it’s natural for that to creep in a little bit. You just hope that it doesn’t creep in too long throughout the course of the game.”
On Jalen Brunson still not getting enough recognition:
“He definitely has not — or did not — get the attention that he deserved during the regular season. I think he’s a top-three MVP candidate. And when it comes down to those things, his name wasn’t mentioned much.”
On what he learned the most from Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich:
“I’ve been fortunate, blessed, lucky to be a part of some good coaching staffs and be with some great coaches, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, they were guys that went deep into their bench. You keep guys engaged by doing that, and you do develop not just a bench but the team, as well, because guys get used to playing with other guys. I’ve seen it work in the past, and that’s kind of what I thought I wanted to do here.”
On lessons learned from Gregg Popovich:
“That’s a great question. I mean, I’d have to think about it. But, you know, you draw a lot from the people that you’ve worked with in the past—people that you’ve experienced things with. For me, working for Pop, I drew a lot. I feel like I drew a lot from a lot of the guys I’ve worked with, but he always used to say: during the regular season, that’s the time to get up, go crazy on the sidelines and all that stuff, because it’s just one game at a time—you practice and you move on to the next game.”
"Let's play basketball now. Be smart. Stick together. We've come back from worse. Chip away"
On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5 with a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals:
“Zero-zero.”
On turning the page after Game 4:
“Whenever you win or lose a game, that night, you’re going to think about it, think about the things you’ve done well or what you did wrong, [but] I’ve always told myself when you wake up the next day, it’s time to turn the page. Yes, we won [Game 4], but we still have a lot of work to do. We have a lot to learn. We didn’t play our best basketball. We still have a lot to revisit to make sure that we don’t really put ourselves in that position again. But honestly, we still have to continue to have the belief that we’ve had. It’s really important from that aspect.”
On appreciating the opportunity ahead:
“I think I’ve been able to understand what a unique opportunity this is. When you’re doing the things that help you prepare for a game, prepare for moments, put yourself in routines that you’ve done your whole career, your whole life, when it comes game time, you’re ready to go because you put yourself, you put your mind in a position to be ready.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ career and teamming up with him:
“The narrative was placed on him by the outside world. You never really know a person until you meet them face to face, and you see what they say and what their actions are. And being the teammate that he is and seeing his sacrifices and seeing what he’s done his entire career puts him in a position to become a hall of famer. And honestly, I wouldn’t trade that for the world. And the things that he’s done have been extraordinary, and I’m not really sure how he’s going to respond to me saying all these nice things about him, but he’s one hell of a basketball player, but he’s honestly a better teammate.”
On the Knicks’ approach to Game 5:
“Obviously, when we practice, we have film, we talk about situations, what we have to do. You’re always preparing worst-possible-case scenario. If it happens, we have to prepare for this. Our mindset and focus is on one possession at a time, one play at a time, one quarter at a time. You’re thinking about the now, how you can be better the next possession, how can you turn the page, positive or negative. Regardless of what’s going on, our mindset and approach has to stay the same. I think we’ve done a very good job of that. It’s something that has grown over the season. It’s really important, especially obviously now.”
On not fearing failure:
“I think the one thing that stays constant is I’ve always told myself, and always been taught by my parents, ‘Never be afraid to fail.’ You put yourself in those positions in the summertime when you’re envisioning what’s going on the court, when you’re by yourself on the court. When those opportunities come about, you’re not afraid of the moment because you worked hard enough to where if you do fail, you’re going to learn anyway. You put the confidence you have in everything you do when the lights aren’t on, when no one’s watching.”
“They come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs, and we’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. We have to make sure we come in focus with a great attention to detail, and taking things a possession at a time. If we do that, and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — all three of our wins. We’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”
On representing New York:
“This city is built on toughness, grit, blue-collar people, and I feel like I’m the same person. They can look in the mirror and they can see myself, just because that’s how I look at myself and I just happen to hoop.”
On the Knicks’ belief in themselves:
“I just think we have a belief in ourselves and a belief in our team as a collection. We all had adverse situations independently in our careers and we made it through. And I think if we have that mentality individually and as a team, nothing else matters.”
On preparing for Game 5:
“We know they come out with a lot of energy. They’ve been doing it all playoffs. We’ve been very up and down with that a lot this year. So we’ve got to make sure we come in focused with a great attention to detail and taking things a possession at a time. We know if we do that and we play our style of basketball, we’re going to put ourselves in a good position to be successful. But we can’t keep getting into a hole and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole. We were fortunate to do that last game — actually, all three games, all three of our wins — but we’ve got to do a better job of starting games off.”
“We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Game-plan discipline has to be at a high level. I’ve said this multiple times: The hardest game to win is the one that ends someone’s season. So we’ve got to be our best version tomorrow.”
On the approach to Game 5:
“We spoke about it multiple times. We’ve got to approach every game like it’s 0-0. We’ve got to have that kind of desperation that it is to win Game 1 of a playoff series. We’ve got to go in there with the understanding of no comfortability, just really be desperate, execute at a high level. Gameplan discipline has to be at a high level.”
On resetting after Game 4:
“Obviously that game is a hardwood classic, something that the NBA has never seen before. But I’ve also seen things, being in that situation, where the joy is at an all-time high and it could be at an all-time low pretty quick. So we understand the magnitude of locking back in, getting back to work. Of course that night, we all enjoyed the shell-shock of what happened, and obviously we were the ones that were part of it. But we all understood the next morning that we had to get back to work, and we had to lock back in, and get ready to find a way to win another one.”
On the Game 4 comeback and concerns going forward:
“Also, in that moment of jubilation [after Game 4], that moment of absolute joy, we have to talk about the elephant in the room — we just didn’t play well at all, and we put ourselves in that deficit. So while there is joy, there is also frustration that we even allowed ourselves to be in that kind of position, especially as much as the deficit was.”
On OG Anunoby’s Game 4 winner meaning within the New York sports fabric:
“You can’t spell God without OG. I tried to explain it to him, but you know OG barely gives you any reaction. So I don’t know if he’s understanding it or not. Like you said, it’s a great moment. It’s one of the best sports moments in New York history. But we’ve got to solidify it with one more win.”
"As players, we know our job's not finished. We're ready."
Mikal Bridges talks about the Knicks' success in close-out games and their mindset going into tomorrow's Game 5: pic.twitter.com/2uXC8wwVBI
“I think it’s pretty easy for us. I think that’s probably the most I can say. I think it’s pretty easy for us. As a player, we know our job’s not finished. Yeah, we’re ready.”
Mitchell Robinson
On the Knicks’ mindset entering Game 5:
“We’re still desperate. It ain’t over. Until it’s said and done, that’s got to be our mindset going into everything.”
On the Game 4 win:
“Getting that win the other night was truly amazing.”
On balancing the Game 4 celebration with staying focused for Game 5:
“You can enjoy it that night, that evening, obviously — soaking it up, with the magnitude of what happened. But quickly turning around and understand there’s more to be done. It’s a tough balance, but one that’s necessary, and I think our whole group’s done that.”
Who is the “most New York” on the New York Knicks?
The team weighs in… and the vote is pretty unanimous 😂
“It’s easy. We’re coming in and trying to win this game. This one is the most important game. It’s something — you know, we enjoyed it, it was a crazy game, and we love how we got the win. But at the end of the day, we gotta leave that behind us and come out here and worry about tomorrow.”
On Mike Brown’s trust in the bench:
“This bench is deep and he trusts everybody. Some days it’s my day, some days it’s somebody else’s day. … These are the times and moments you wait for.”
“That’s the key. Can’t have a hangover of winning a game like that. Obviously it’s special, but we don’t want to repeat it. We want to go out there and take care of business.”
On staying confident amid his shooting slump:
“I’m always going to stay confident, knowing I can impact the game in a lot of different ways. I’m going to make shots. I’m never worried about that. … Anybody is capable of it, 1 through 15 on this team. We’re pushing each other to be better. That’s how our team has been. We’re motivators. We want to uplift everybody. I think having a team like that, you can do a lot of great things.”
OG Anunoby was asked about having "OG Anunoby Appreciation Day" in New York:
“It’s really cool. Just everyone has been telling me how much it means, and obviously I can see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful. Everyone’s been telling me how much it means. I obviously see how much it means. It’s just really cool to be a part of it, and I’m very grateful.”
Mitch Johnson:
"I don't get into social media. I think I've probably been fired 212 times, and we've traded Fox 72 times. People have their opinions. I don't care. De'Aaron Fox will have the ball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow and I have nothing but the utmost… pic.twitter.com/BOneKeoItn
“I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. There’s a lot of times (when) themes of the game that may not necessarily show themselves in a box score on the surface level, that when you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”
On the criticism of De’Aaron Fox’s Game 4 decisions:
“I think I’ve been fired 212 times and we’ve traded Fox 72 times. We still have to show up and play tomorrow, and I’ve got to coach. The people that matter, we bond together, we stick together through the highs and lows. De’Aaron Fox will have the basketball in his hands at the end of the game tomorrow, and I have the utmost confidence he’s going to deliver like he’s done countless times for us.”
On what went wrong in Game 4:
“It’s a good question. I think every game takes on different personalities. A lot of times when you watch the games back, with the level of detail that I would guess all staffs do, but I can speak for our staff, there’s so much that starts to happen, whether on a certain play before you make the shot or before the runs happen. I think that’s what gives someone a lot of clarity on what went well and what didn’t, what led to it. … When you start peeling back the layers, you start to understand the ripple effect, good and bad, of what you do or what you did.”
On his own shortcomings in Game 4:
“There [were] a lot of things that we did, where it felt like we could have put our energy into the right spots in that third quarter. Some things that I could have done to help that, as well. I think that quarter probably was the most disappointing for me. There’s some learning things in every quarter, don’t get me wrong, some things we want to be sharper with, better at, finish games. We weren’t as connected and disciplined as we should have been.”
On the need for better management of Wembanyama’s energy:
“Looking back on it, I do believe that I have to make sure that I help him have the energy required to finish the game as strong as he needs to finish the game. I think I could have done better in that regard. That’s not a number of minutes. That’s not meaning he’s going to play this many minutes tomorrow. It’s looking back on the game, and that game in itself, I got to make sure that I help with that. I think I could have been better in that regard looking back from that game.”
“Everybody thinks—everybody knows—that we’re gonna do it.
On taking the series one game at a time:
“I feel like we need to isolate that one game and take it one game at a time. I think it would be a mistake to waste our energy on multiple games. It’s one game at a time.”
On moving past Game 4:
“We’re very confident. I wouldn’t say it was so hard to, like, shake it off. Harder than any other game before, by far, for sure. I mean, now we’re over it. It’s the playoffs. There’s no time to regret things for too long.”
On the Game 4 collapse:
“Of course, there were 1,000 ways that we could have not lost that game. But it feels like there was a time to process that and really dwell on it, but not anymore.”
On what went wrong:
“Absolutely, greediness was [an issue for us]. I guess the general thing would be giving them less opportunities rather than [us] doing something incredible.”
On his showing fatigue:
“Definitely a factor. But it’s the playoffs. Everybody’s just as tired. I mean, it shouldn’t even be a factor in the game. I mean, now we’ve got two days between games. It’s not going to be a factor.”
On the egg-throwing incident:
“I don’t dislike it. Obviously, it’s not good at all. But it doesn’t bother me.”
On Mitch Johnson’s coaching:
“He understands people very well and knows how to speak to them. I am no exception. He knows how to speak to me. In-game, it feels like non-verbal communication as much as verbal because sometimes it’s loud, sometimes we’re far away. He knows what I need. He knows what I need to get to. I also know what he needs, what signals he needs. We’ve grown very much in that sense.”
On the wave of Knicks fans set to invade Frost Bank Center:
“No, it’s not a concern. I mean, we got good defense here in the crowd.”
De’Aaron Fox on the criticism he got after game 4:
"It's not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don't watch those shows. It doesn't matter. It is what it is. You can't change it now. We're trying to move on from that" pic.twitter.com/hRMBMWliWj
On dealing with outside criticism after his endless Game 4 errors:
“It’s not like people have my phone number and can call me. I don’t watch those shows. It doesn’t matter.”
On believing in a Finals comeback:
“We still have this belief because we’ve seen it. We’ve seen it be done, that teams have come back from 3-1. I think even with those series, the games that they lost, they were losing by double digits. The games that we’re losing have all been close games. We still have that belief that we have a chance to win. But we’re taking this one game at a time. We’re not looking at it as we need to win three games. We need to win tomorrow, and then we give ourselves a chance to play another game. Then you look at that next game.”
On Knicks fans buying tickets in San Antonio and what to expect:
“People are making money. It’s the economy we live in. It’s the world we live in. Am I upset about it? No. Do I understand it? Sure. I don’t think that changes what happens on the court.”
"You have to start off going 1-0."
Devin Vassell sounds off on the mentality of the Spurs as they look to extend the series.
“Just not executing [is what we saw on the film]. There were a lot of defensive mistakes that we made, just not communicating. Then, offensively, just staying in our game plan and not steering away from it. We got some good looks. But with our guards, with Fox and Steph [Castle] just putting pressure on the rim, we feel like when we put pressure on the rim it opens up everything. We’ll be all right.”
"All of the other antics, whatever they decide to do it's on them… We locked in."
On the Spurs’ confidence after the Game 4 collapse:
“It’s a tough one, a tough pill to swallow. I feel like we got comfortable, and things happen. But I think the main thing is that belief is there. We believe. Our belief is as high as ever.”
Stephon Castle on whether they can come back from 3-1:
"I feel like we've made history all year. We've proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. I don't really expect this to be any different" pic.twitter.com/Ta01QqtaEb
“I feel like we’ve made history all year, and we’ve proven that with our backs against the wall that we can step up. So, I don’t really expect this to be any different.”
On why the Spurs remain confident:
“I think just our confidence. We’ve had a 10-plus point lead in every single game. Just trying to stay poised throughout that and try to keep our foot on the gas really. I feel like once we get those leads, we start to play a little bit different, take our foot off the gas defensively. I just feel like we have to stay aggressive but be smart through it.”
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) June 13, 2026
Shaquille O’Neal
On the NBA’s next face of the league:
“You have to take it. If [Wembanyama] wins a championship, yes. If [Jalen] Brunson wins a championship, it’ll be Brunson. Face of the league ain’t something you pass on. You’ve got to go take it.”
On the fantasy scenario of facing Victor Wembanyama:
“Oh, stop it. Let’s talk desserts. He’s too light in the cakes for me. Stop it. But I’m not known for defense, so he probably would’ve scored a few points also. There’s no guarding me one-on-one, so you can’t ask me that question. He’s a great player. This is his time now. This is not about me.”
On enjoying Victor Wembanyama and Karl-Anthony Towns in the Finals:
“I love [Wembanyama] and I love KAT [Karl-Anthony Towns], so for me this is really good. Two big men battling it out. Let the best big man win. Usually in the Finals it’s all about guards. But these Finals are about two big men, so I have an affinity, a love, for both of them. So whoever wins, I’m happy for them both.”
Magic Johnson
On believing in the Spurs despite trailing 3-1:
“In NBA Finals history, one thing about the Spurs, they’re young, and I think they’re going to be okay. I think this series is going back to New York for Game 6. Listen, it wasn’t that they played bad. We have to understand that this team played great. They just gave the game away, and the Knicks took it.”
On why San Antonio should remain confident:
“So all you have to do is play like you did and not make the mistakes that you made, and you’re going to be okay. This team has played four great games. It’s just that the Knicks have a 3-1 lead because they executed in winning time. The Knicks have executed better than the Spurs. So if I’m the Spurs, I’m feeling good. Yeah, I lost, but I’m going home.”
On the Spurs’ mindset heading into Game 5:
“We correct some mistakes that we made, and we can win and make it a 3-2 series and come back to New York. They should be down about the fact that they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter.”
On Victor Wembanyama’s workload:
“And Coach Johnson made a huge mistake. When you’re up 20 at the end of the third quarter, he should have taken Victor out and said, ‘You get this timeout.’ Like Pat Riley used to tell me, ‘You’re going to get this timeout, and you’ll get another three or four minutes. Then I’ll put you back in to end the fourth quarter and the game.’ He should have taken Victor out because they had a big lead. You can rest him and bring him back in. Because he played so many minutes, he couldn’t take over the game.”
On Mike Brown and Jalen Brunson:
“And I think that’s why Mike Brown has been excellent for this team. He has not worn out Brunson. Brunson was able to finish the game, and it was just beautiful basketball. That shot will be remembered. But people better remember the block he made first. Because that block was a game-saving block as well. The point guard should have pulled it back out. De’Aaron Fox should have pulled it back.”
On the Knicks roster:
“I don’t want to hear no talk about Giannis [Antetokounmpo] or no other player coming to [the Knicks]. This is a great team. I’ve watched a lot of basketball — the way these guys love each other, they play for each other, pull for one another — you’re not going to see this anywhere else. They don’t out-talent you. Grit. Toughness. That’s how they beat you. And togetherness. That’s how they beat you.”
Melo wanted Jeremy Lin to stay … but the contract the Rockets offered would've hurt the Knicks 😳 @FDSportsbook
Melo: "Did he deserve the match, yes … what was ridiculous was the jump."
Lin: "My exit from the New York Knicks crushed me … I would've done anything to… pic.twitter.com/wM6yN6EqgZ
“Basically I asked every last question I had: ‘did that happen? What happened there? What happened here?’ But it was honest. It was direct, it was honest and we were able to definitely clear the air. Obviously perception is reality in certain situations… And that’s the thing about that whole stretch was there was a lot that I was unsure about. And so the narratives come, but to be able to talk it out, I appreciate that.”
On how he wants his story remembered:
“And so my biggest thing was when I think back on my career, because I recently retired, I’ve never wanted my story to be me versus anybody else, which we had talked about. And I think at the end of all of this, if my name comes up or my story comes up and it’s me versus Melo or if we’re ever at a point where someone has to choose sides, then I think we failed.”
On wanting to stay with the Knicks:
“I’ve actually never spoken publicly about my exit from New York until today. And the only reason why is because now we have had that conversation. And so for me, it’s like I’m sitting there like, ‘I got to go back to New York. We got to find any which way.’ And New York, they could have offered me three years, nine million, but I didn’t even get that.”
On Houston’s contract offer:
“So I go to Houston, Houston gives me this offer and I’m like, I swear to you, I get on the phone with my agent and I’m like, ‘I don’t want to take it.’ He’s like, ‘You don’t have a choice.’”
“Forget being jealous of what he’s doing, I want him to keep going.”
Melo gets real about the narrative that he envied Jeremy Lin's rise to fame 👀 pic.twitter.com/BVmTEpUImL
“I had to figure my s***. I was injured. I was hurt. I had to think about how fast I’m going to come back, what I’m going to do, how the f*** I’m going to go help this team, how I got to lead this team. I’m in a different position than Lin is. So I got to deal with a whole bunch of s***. Forget being jealous of what he’s doing. I want him to keep going. Game win in D.C. Yo, keep going. Toronto. Yo, keep going.”
On answering Jeremy Lin’s questions:
“These was questions that was built up for 14 years that other people probably was adding on to your pressures and your mindset and your perspective. It took me to go through what I went through to have the time to come back and be at peace with being able to answer all your questions with actual facts.”
Knicks team buses in San Antonio with heavy police escort today
On Victor Wembanyama dealing with more physicality than anyone on the court:
“Wemby has been the victim of some of the dirtiest s–t ever. I mean, people are grabbing and holding him. With Wemby, we’re allowing people to grab and hold him, knock him down. They literally have him locked up. With his demeanor, they’re lucky he hasn’t turned around and popped one of them in the face real quick. Big men, normally you don’t get to be this aggressive with them without them having the ability to retaliate, hold their temper and all of that.”
"When you see the fans and how they get crazy like that, it always motivates you to be at the top. It's impressive, it's motivating… It was really cool to see"
Juan Soto talks about his reaction to seeing fans rally around the Knicks in the NBA Finals: pic.twitter.com/FtRJaeUGox
“We still have a shot. We’re still here, and all the guys that are hurt are really close to being back, so I think it’s not as far as people think. I think it’s closer than what everybody is thinking or expecting.”
On attending the Knicks Finals games:
“It was a great feeling from the fans — how crazy they went, how loud they can get. It was impressive. It’s just a different feeling to be in there, you know, I felt like part of them. Those fans were paying attention to every little detail of the game, the back-and-forth, and that’s one of the things that made it special.”
On chasing another championship with the Mets:
“For me, I’m all-in, trying to get back to those big moments. It’s definitely not easy when you’re going through times like these, but we got to keep our heads up and keep going.”
“Hey, OG Anunoby, happy for your success. Proud that you’re a Mets fan. The Mets and I would love to invite you to Citi Field to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. All the best, Jose Reyes.”
Here you have 9 hours and 50 minutes of New York bangers. Game 5 is 15 hours away. You know what to do. No skips and replay.https://t.co/X6rpXFU6Rm
PARIS, FRANCE - JANUARY 24: The San Antonio Spurs poses for a team photo as part of the NBA Paris Games 2025 at the Eiffel Tower on January 24, 2025 in Paris, France. 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 2025 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 2026 NBA Finals has received some of the highest viewership in recent NBA history. These Finals are a global event, and as the Spurs continue to connect with their growing international fanbase in their mission to grow the game of basketball throughout the world, they have added watch parties in international markets.
Already, viewership is up 123% from last year boasting 23.2 M viewers. Wednesday night’s matchup at Madison Square Garden was the most watched NBA Finals Game 4 was the most watched since 1998.
Having New York has increased the interest compared to 2025’s small market matchup. And the addition of Victor Wembanyama has added viewers in France. So it makes sense that there will be a Spurs watch party there.
Per a Spurs press release:
“The San Antonio Spurs announced the organization will host free watch parties across multiple international markets for Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday, June 13 as the team takes on the New York Knicks. The organization will activate free, comprehensive fan experiences for Spurs supporters in Paris, France, and Mexico City, Mexico to come together and root on the Silver and Black at local restaurants and bars in their city.”
Each watch party will feature giveaways, free refreshments and a chance to win Spurs Finals gear.
“Whether our fans are gathering in France, China, Mexico, Texas or around the world, we’re eager to welcome them into our Spurs family,” said RC Buford. “These watch parties create shared experiences that bring our global fanbase closer together and reflect the values of connection, community and belonging that have always defined our organization.”
Sunday, June 14 at 2:30 a.m. CET Belushi’s at Paris Canal 159 Rue de Crimée, 75019 Paris, France
Saturday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. CST Pinche Gringo BBQ Warehouse Calle Lago Iseo 296, Cuidad de Mexico, Mexico
The organization will also support the NBA’s official watch party at NBA HoopPark, K11 Mall in Shenzhen, China.
Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.
Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 04: Brayden Burries #5 of the Arizona Wildcats dribbles up the court against the Michigan Wolverines in the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 04, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks are narrowing down their search for the No. 9 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft.
There are only a handful of prospects the Mavericks can choose from, especially with eight teams selecting ahead of them. One player who has been linked to the Mavericks consistently throughout the pre-draft process is Arizona guard Brayden Burries, who was named a top fit for the Mavericks by Bleacher Report analyst Zach Buckley.
“After the rookie season Cooper Flagg just authored, prospects should be lining up at the chance to be one of his long-term running mates,” Buckley wrote. “The Mavs could give Burries that opportunity, but they could also provide the playmaking and scoring support he’ll need right away with Kyrie Irving still on the roster and seemingly in the plans.“
Burries could be the shooting guard of the future for the Mavs, who need someone alongside Irving that can shoot. Putting as many high-level shooters around Flagg should be the goal for the future, and Burries could be the start of that complementary group around their star player.
For every player like Burries, there is someone like Houston guard Kingston Flemings, who might not be exactly what the Mavs need going into the draft.
“A backcourt featuring Flemings and Kyrie Irving would be tiny and exploitable on defense, especially against bigger guard groups,” Buckley wrote.
“There’s also a worry about whether Flemings or Cooper Flagg could summon enough three-point volume for the other to have the breathing room they need. Flemings’ burst only really works in a properly spaced offense, and Dallas was dreadful from three last season (29th in makes, 26th in percentage).”
The Mavericks need to have Irving in mind when building their roster for next season, but he shouldn’t be the priority. That being said, the Mavs aren’t really in position to put a player like Flemings on the roster without adding other pieces to the mix.
If they believe Flemings can be their point guard of the future, they should take him, but it should come with a lot of patience.
Mavs Moneyball community, who are your favorite prospects with the No. 9 overall pick? And who do you want the Mavs to avoid? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Detroit Tigers dropped the opening game of their weekend series against the Cleveland Guardians, 3-2, on Friday night in a game that saw the good guys manage just two hits — both solo home runs — plus a good deal of bullpen action after Jack Flaherty left the game early with an injury.
Speaking of injuries, the Motor City Kitties get their star starter, left-hander Tarik Skubal, back from the injured list on Saturday looking to even things up against their American League Central rivals. Last time the 29-year-old took the mound was way back on April 29, when he lasted seven innings, giving up a pair of runs on five hits (one home run) and no walks while striking out seven Atlanta Braves on the road for a no-decision in a 4-3 loss.
Skubal last faced Cleveland in the AL Wildcard Game last year, in which he threw 7 2/3 frames of one-run ball on three hits and three walks while striking out a whopping 14 en route to a no-decision in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory.
Up against him for the Guardians is fellow southpaw Joey Cantillo, who has been absolutely shelled over his last three starts. Stretching across 11 innings, the 26-year-old posted a 12.27 ERA and 9.28 FIP over that trio of appearances, allowing 18 hits (five home runs) and nine walks while striking out 12, earning a pair of losses in the process.
Cantillo previously faced Detroit on May 21 at Comerica Park, where he shut the Tigers out over 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three hits and three walks while striking out six for his fourth win of the year. That was also his last good start before that horrid stretch, so…
Take a look below at how the two match up on Saturday afternoon.
Detroit Tigers (29-41) vs. Cleveland Guardians (38-33)
Time (ET): 4:10 Place: Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio SB Nation Site:Covering the Corner Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 71: LHP Tarik Skubal (3-2, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Joey Cantillo (4-3, 4.57 ERA)
SURPRISE, AZ - OCTOBER 24: Nick Morabito #3 of the Scottsdale Scorpions runs to first base during the game between the Scottsdale Scorpions and the Surprise Saguaros at Surprise Stadium on Friday, October 24, 2025 in Surprise, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Nick Morabito drove in the only run for Syracuse, but also collected a golden sombrero in a pretty poor offensive team showing. Nate Lavender, who got a lot of talk as a potential major league bullpen arm this year gave up two earned runs on two hits and a walk in one inning of work.
Chris Suero and Nick Lorusso both went yard for the Rumble Ponies, with Lorusso driving in five overall. The bullpen gave up just one run over five innings.
The Cyclones uncorked 13 runs, with all but one starter getting a hit and seven starters driving in runs. Colin Houck, Corey Collins, and John Bay all went deep for Brooklyn.
Four pitchers all went at least two innings, with a collective eleven strikeouts. DH Jackson Hauge accounted for all the offense, driving in both runs on a double in the eighth inning.
TORONTO, ON - JUNE 08: Adolis García #53 of the Philadelphia Phillies runs to first base after hitting a home run during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on June 8, 2026 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Imagine being Gabriel Rincones, Jr.
You’re told that you’re headed to Milwaukee as a injury replacement for Adolis Garcia, that you’ll make your major league debut in the first game you are with the team.
Then you see the starting pitcher that will be on the mound for the Brewers.
Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Sal Frelick (10) reacts to the strike during the fifth inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday May 27, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This has not been a good season for Sal Frelick. He has struggled at the plate. Even more alarmingly, he has struggled in the field. People are speculating as to whether he’s injured. And when the Brewers secured the signature of Luis Lara—who has been red hot all season at Triple-A Nashville—earlier this week, they gave themselves an obvious candidate to take some of Frelick’s playing time.
Frelick is an easy target right now. His at-bats don’t look good. He has never hit for power, so he’s not offering value as a low-average, high-homer guy akin to Gary Sánchez. Previously, living with Sal’s struggles at the plate wasn’t hard to do; he was a Gold Glove-winning outfielder in 2024 and still solidly above average out there last season. He has generally been a good baserunner (which, it should be said, continues to be the case this season).
But, contrary to another struggling veteran on the Brewers right now, Frelick shouldn’t be completely given up on. I’m not ready to pull the plug in order to hand his job over to Lara quite yet. In his time with the Brewers, Frelick—who is still only 26 years old—has earned a little patience.
That being said, the concerns are real and should not be ignored. Let’s go through it.
Offense
Take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2026. Then take a look at Frelick’s Statcast page for 2025. What’s different?
The answer: not much. What is true is that Frelick’s Statcast page is ugly. There’s a lot of blue. His exit velocities, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage, expected slugging, all of that kind of stuff, are all bad. He’s in the bottom 10 percent in most of them.
But what’s weird is that he was bad at all those things last year, too. This season, Frelick is batting .228/.299/.311. Last year, he hit .288/.351/.405. So what’s different?
Frelick is still one of the best players in the league at not striking out. He’s actually been quite a bit better this season at not chasing. According to Statcast, he is squaring up the ball at an elite clip—he is maximizing theoretical exit velocity on the swings that he is taking—something he did well last season, too.
Unfortunately, a major factor isn’t allowing Frelick to maximize that high square-up percentage: he’s hitting too many ground balls.
A simple indicator is batting average on balls in play. In Frelick’s first three seasons with the Brewers, he had BABIP numbers of .286, .306, and .317. This year, it’s .243. A more specific indicator is the ground balls. In 2024 and 2025, Frelick was just about league average in line drive rate and he was a little below the league average in ground ball percentage. This season, his ground balls have jumped (GB = ground ball, LD = line drive, FB = fly ball):
2024: 48.0 GB%, 24.8 LD%, 18.0 FB%
2025: 46.7 GB%, 23.2 LD%, 20.2 FB%
2026: 53.8 GB%, 17.9 LD%, 17.9 FB%
Digging further into Frelick’s batted ball data, we can understand why the groundballs are happening. Statcast breaks down batted ball quality into six different categories: weak, topped, under, flare/burner, solid, and barrel. Barrels are what you want—that’s the best quality of contact—and while Frelick is slightly below last year’s 3.1%, at 2.2% he’s actually slightly above league average this year (2.1%). He’s making slightly less weak contact (the worst kind) than last season. He’s getting under the ball slightly more often, but not alarmingly so.
The big problem is his percentage of balls that are “topped.” This matches the eye test: Frelick is hitting a ton of balls that go directly into the ground. At 42.4%, Frelick is more than four percent higher than the league average, and more than seven percent higher than he was last season. We see this is in his launch angle data, too: at an average launch angle of 8.3 degrees, Frelick is well below last season’s 12.1 degrees and even further below the league average (12.5 degrees).
Another thing that might be preventing Frelick from maximizing his square-up percentage is that he has a slow bat. But a slow bat and a good square-up percentage can work for players who can elevate the ball: Luis Arraez is has first-percentile bat speed with a 100th-percentile square-up rate. But Arraez’ 14.6 degree launch angle dwarfs Frelick’s 8.3 degrees, and he’s hitting way fewer ground balls (43% versus 29.4% line drives and 24.2% fly balls).
Basically what the Statcast data tells us is that Frelick is the same hitter he was last year except for one crucial problem: he’s hitting over the top of balls way too often. This accounts for his poor launch angles, his high ground ball percentage, and his low BABIP.
The fact that Frelick is so poor in terms of exit velocity, barrel percentage, expected slugging, etc. means that he has very little wiggle room. If he’s not hitting line drives like he was last season, he’s just going to ground into a ton of outs. That’s true of anybody, but even more so with Frelick, as his low-exit-velocity grounders are less likely to sneak through the infield.
Whether you think this is good news or bad news depends on how you saw the Frelick of 2025, the one who finished seventh in the league in batting average and had a 111 OPS+. If you think that that version of Frelick was good and had a repeatable approach, then you should be optimistic that some adjustments to his bat path should help him stop topping the ball and he can return to being that player. But if you saw Frelick’s 2025 performance as mostly luck-based, and that all the blue on his Statcast page was a major red flag, then you will think that this year’s version of Frelick is simply what last year’s version should have been.
Defense
The defensive question is far more alarming. Simply stated, if Frelick isn’t offering anything in the field, his bat isn’t good enough to be a starting corner outfielder for a good team, and that was probably true even last season when things were going well.
For the purposes of this discussion, let’s use Statcast’s defensive metric, Outs Above Average. Frelick has been a good outfielder the past two seasons by OAA. But it sees him as poor in 2026 (as does Baseball Reference’s preferred metric Defensive Runs Saved, for what it’s worth). Statcast has Frelick in just the 28th percentile in fielding run value. That’s an alarming drop; Frelick was in the 85th percentile in 2025 and 79th in 2024 via the same metric.
The issues are all over. Frelick was in the 90th and 93rd percentile in range in 2024 and 2025, respectively. This year he’s in the 48th percentile. His arm has suffered, too: Statcast has two numbers to grade a player’s arm, “arm value” and “arm strength.” In 2026, Frelick is in the 9th percentile in arm value and in the 44th in arm strength; that’s down from 71st and 66th in 2025 and 66th and 68th in 2024.
Why has this happened? There has been a lot of speculation that Frelick, a player who plays with no real regard for his own body, is playing hurt. He does seem to react with pain at certain times during games. But if this is the case, it’s not really hurting his sprint speed, which you would expect to be an accompanying issue. Frelick’s speed as measured by Statcast is down slightly, but not much—he’s still in the 86th percentile in sprint speed (he was 87th last season).
If Frelick’s speed is intact, I’m not sure how to explain his diminished defensive value in right field. There could be an injury that’s affecting his upper body, but not his legs—that would be supported by the fact that some of the speculation about Frelick’s potential injury being related to his oblique. That could explain the dip in the value of his throwing, but it doesn’t really explain why he is or isn’t getting to balls that he used to be catching.
He has earned some patience
Whether there’s some positive regression in Frelick’s future or not, we do not know. Fans are getting frustrated and Lara is making waves in Nashville. But Frelick didn’t turn 26 until April. He’s got two years of solid major-league baseball behind him. He was a 3.6 fWAR player last season. By all accounts he is a great teammate, he works hard, and he is clearly one of Pat Murphy’s favorites.
There are signs that Frelick is improving, too. It’s only 10 games, but in June Frelick is hitting .303/.378/.394. The pessimists will point out that his xwOBA (.293) in that span is only 14 points higher than his season total (.279), and he is outperforming it by 55 points (.345 wOBA).
If Frelick is injured, then he should stop trying to play through it, go on the injured list, and let Lara have a chance. But it’s worth remembering that Lara is no sure thing, either; he’d be a defensive improvement over this version of Frelick, surely, but there’s no guarantee that he would outperform even Frelick’s 71 OPS+ this season.
In the case of the Brewers’ infield, I advocated for moving on from Luis Rengifo and giving Cooper Pratt the shortstop job. Sal Frelick isn’t Rengifo. Rengifo is on a one-year contract and everyone has known since the day that he signed that there were big prospects behind him. Frelick is a bigger part of Milwaukee’s past and he can still be a part of their future if he turns things around, and the Brewers should give him the chance to do so. He’s earned it.
pic.twitter.com/941nqnn0jK
