ATLANTA, GA - MAY 14: Carles Puyol poses with FIFA World Cup Trophy before the game between the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on May 14, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Jack Casey/Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Today is a much-needed off day for the Braves, who are back in Atlanta and hoping to get things back on track with a win tomorrow against the Giants. They got some, well, mixed news with Spencer Strider’s evaluation, as he’s been shut down for a month and will be reevaluated further. We did get some good news about Drake Baldwin so things may be looking up much sooner rather than later for the first-place Braves.
What I’m Watching
I’m not going to lie (and you probably guessed this from the featured image): I will be watching the World Cup this evening. If you’re insistent on watching baseball, though, there’s a good hate-watch opportunity going on this evening as the Marlins and Phillies will be locking horns. For the sake of the standings I think we all wouldn’t mind a Marlins win but either way, we all win when an NL East team loses so if that’s your choice then enjoy the hate-watch.
There are some intriguing matchups going on out West, though. It’s pretty interesting to see the Pirates and the A’s both being not-terrible this deep into the season and it’ll be very interesting to see how OaklandSacramentoLasVegas the A’s bounce back after getting walloped for 23 runs on Sunday against the Rockies.
Meanwhile, the Rays and the Dodgers will be locking horns on ESPN so that oughta be interesting off of the records alone. Can the Rays go into Dodger Stadium and lay down a marker of intent? Will the Dodgers bring back memories of 2020 with their performance tonight? We’ll see what happens.
For now, I hope everybody enjoys their evening, no matter if you’re watching baseball, soccer, or some show you’ve watched 3850 times already.
Apparently, Jalen Brunson, the Knicks, and New York fans were not done with Victor Wembanyama.
Less than 24 hours after they beat Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs for their first NBA Championship in 53 years, they were celebrating at Fishfly, a private Manhattan club, Page Six reported. Video from @SMHighlights1 shows The NBA Finals MVP with teammates, family, friends and fans raising a glass with the salute of "(Expletive) Wemby!"
Knicks fans had been saying it for a week.
They started in Game 3 on June 8 after Wembanyama shoved Brunson in the back of the head and pushed him toward the floor with no whistle. Late in the second quarter, when Karl-Anthony Towns was at the line, "(Expletive) you Wemby" rolled down from the Madison Square Garden upper decks and onto the broadcast. The league looked at the shove later and called it a foul, not a flagrant.
Game 5 gave New Yorkers even more fuel to the fire.
Brunson rose for a 3-pointer in the third quarter. Wembanyama closed in, stuck a foot under him, and Brunson came down on top of it. No call. The Knicks bench came unglued at the officials. Had it gone down as a flagrant, however, Wembanyama would have been hit with an automatic suspension and would have missed a possible Game 6.
It didn't matter in the final score. Knicks won 94-90 in San Antonio. Brunson dropped 45, and the Knicks were celebrating their first title since 1973.
Wembanyama didn't hang around to see it. He walked straight off the floor and into the tunnel, looking to forget the Spurs' collapse.
TORONTO, ON - NOVEMBER 17: RJ Barrett #9 of the Toronto Raptors celebrates his basket with teammate Jakob Poeltl #19 during second half action against the Charlotte Hornets at Scotiabank Arena on November 17, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 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. (Photo by Andrew Lahodynskyj/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s no secret that the Raptors’ roster has been a contentious topic since the rebuild began in 2024. Bringing on Brandon Ingram has just added more fuel to that fire, with his playoff woes and Toronto’s loss in Game 7 of the first round solidifying the idea that while the Raptors are on the right track, they don’t quite have it all together yet.
The position of RJ Barrett within the team has also been complicated. Taking over as the first option for a chunk of the 2024-25 season with Scottie Barnes out, Barrett was relegated to the third option this year with the arrival of ball-dominant scorer Ingram. However, his playoff rising and the shot heard around the world has caused fans to re-evaluate his position within the roster.
An SB Nation poll showed that above half of Raptors fans feel that RJ Barrett has finally won himself some stability in the Raptors’ organization. With only one more year left on his contract, Barrett’s flexibility had contributed to his position as an important piece in trade talks. But, it seems that the Toronto faithful feel that Barrett should remain on his hometown team as a part of the team’s core, gearing up for next season.
The upcoming campaign has also attracted attention for its high-profile draft class. While the Raptors have only the 19th pick in the draft, Toronto fans are split on whether to focus on acquiring a new big man, or to add more depth to the point guard position.
Jakob Poeltl’s struggles this year have caused a clamouring for the Raptors to bring in someone new at the 5, and SB Nation readers echo this sentiment with their poll responses.
Newly released 2027 NBA championship odds have the runner-up San Antonio Spurs as the co-favorites with the 2025 champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Key Takeaways
The Spurs and Thunder have a combined near-60% probability of winning the Finals.
The Celtics are listed ahead of the Knicks as the Eastern Conference favorites.
Since 2018, no team has won the championship more than once.
The Thunder and the Spurs spent the majority of 2026 as the championship odds leaders. The Spurs' seven-game upset of the reigning champions in the Western Conference finals made them the heavy favorites over the New York Knicks before the Finals, but they lost in five games.
FanDuel’s +250 odds imply that both teams have a 28.5% chance of lifting the next Larry O’Brien Trophy. This marks the first time since the 2012-13 season that two teams have opened at +250 or shorter, when the Miami Heat and Thunder had the same odds, according to Sports Odds History.
Interestingly, the Spurs and Thunder both play in the Western Conference. The teams inherently reduce each other's chances of winning the title because only one can reach the Finals.
The 2023-24 champion Boston Celtics are third in title odds at +600 (14.3% chance). NBA analysts Bill Simmons and Marc Stein reported that two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo could be on his way to helping them in their championship pursuit.
Marc Stein confirms Simmons reports on Giannis and the C's:
“Bill beat me to it, he was the first one to talk about Giannis’ interest in Boston and from everything I’ve heard the last 2-3 weeks, his report was spot on.” (@ALLCITY_NBA) https://t.co/WaIplQxvqB
It’s common for league champions to open as favorites in futures markets for the following season. However, the Knicks - whose 13-game winning streak set the second-longest mark in a single postseason - are only fourth at +750 (11.8% chance). Those odds are longer than the +700 price at which they opened last season, per Sports Odds History.
Odds, trends
NBA conference odds also project two-horse races in the East and the West.
In the Western Conference, the Thunder (+140) have a very small advantage over the Spurs (+145). The combined implied probability of those two outcomes is 82.5%, meaning that nearly five times out of six, either one of these teams should win the conference.
The Celtics (+210) lead the Eastern Conference in futures odds, just ahead of the Knicks (+260). The combined implied probability is a hair over 60%, or three-in-five.
Only one other team in either conference has odds in the triple digits; the Detroit Pistons, the East's best team in the regular season, are listed at +900.
The NBA is riding an eight-year streak without a repeat champion. It hasn’t had a back-to-back conference winner during that time either, and only three teams - the Celtics, Heat, and Golden State Warriors - won their respective conference twice.
If bettors assume the streak of new champions continues, the NBA championship odds favorite would be the Pistons (+2,500).
The Minnesota Timberwolves (+3,300), Pacers (+3,500), and Cleveland Cavaliers (+3,500) would be next in line. Any one of those teams winning the Finals would mark the longest preseason underdog champion since the 2014-15 Warriors (+2,800).
At the time, Dolan assured his players that, should the Knicks bring home the championship, their significant others will also be receiving championship rings in recognition for their contributions and support to the team.
Knicks owner James Dolan gives a speech to the team on April 3, 2026.Knicks guard Jalen Brunson hugs his wife, Ali, after the team’s NBA championship win on June 13, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / NY Post
“When we win the championship, we will get rings. When we get rings, so will they,” Dolan told his team.
“I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others, because their contributions are very important to this team win.”
Dolan had jokes too.
“If you don’t have a significant other, most of you do, find someone that you’re sharing this journey with for the next 10 weeks,” Dolan said, which was met with laughs from around the room.
New York Knicks owner James Dolan and president Leon Rose celebrate behind the Larry O’Brien trophy after their team defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. Getty ImagesNew York Knicks owner James Dolan celebrates with his team after becoming the 2026 NBA Finals Champions. Jason Szenes for NY Post
When the Knicks won their championship on Saturday, Dolan, who has owned the team since 1999, addressed Knicks fans everywhere with an apology.
“Hey, New York, I’m sorry it took so long,” Dolan said as the team was presented with the Larry O’Brien trophy, its first in 53 years. “But here we are, and hopefully it won’t take that long again. Yeah!”
After falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series against the Hawks, the Knicks reeled off 13 straight wins and lost just once in that span on their way to defeating the Spurs 4-1 in the Finals.
The Knicks finished the playoffs with a point differential of +283, the biggest in NBA history.
ATLANTA, GA - MAY 16: Drake Baldwin #30 of the Atlanta Braves celebrates after hitting a home run in the first inning during the game against the Boston Red Sox at Truist Park on May 16, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Matthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Rejoice, one and all. The reigning NL Rookie of the Year returns.
Sensing we needed some good news after the recent skid and mixed Spencer Strider update, the Braves have made an off-day move to reinstate Drake Baldwin from the IL and outright Austin Wynns to Triple-A Gwinnett.
The #Braves today returned C Drake Baldwin from his rehabilitation assignment and reinstated him from the injured list, and outrighted C Austin Wynns to Triple-A Gwinnett.
Baldwin went down on May 19 with a strained right oblique. Sent on his rehab assignment on June 13, he played one (1) rain-delayed game in Jacksonville for the Stripers and went 1-for-3 with a solo homer. “That’s enough, bring him back,” we all joked. But the Braves clearly agreed.
Baldwin’s rehab homer made his hit total the exact same as Austin Wynns’ in his six games / 14 at-bats with the Braves. That lone hit was a single in the extra-innings loss in Chicago last week.
Baldwin is also in first place in NL All-Star voting for catchers in the first batch of votes released today. He’s poised to make and start his first All-Star game. As much as “Send your Braves to Philly” sounds like a threat, make sure you’re voting for Drake and the Braves 5x a day at braves.com/vote.
The Milwaukee Bucks are widely expected to trade Giannis Antetokounmpo sometime in the next week. According to several recent reports, the Boston Celtics are frontrunners to land the two-time NBA MVP.
By all accounts, Antetokounmpo is intrigued by the idea of playing in Boston, but acquiring him would almost certainly require the C’s parting ways with 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. It likely wouldn’t be a simple swap between Boston and Milwaukee, however.
“Giannis wants to win. What team offers him the best opportunity to win? In all likelihood, the Boston Celtics,” Yahoo Sports’ NBA insider Kevin O’Connor said on Monday’s Early Edition. “It’s just going to be a matter of, can the Celtics find an appropriate third team to land Jaylen Brown?
“It seems like all indications are the Milwaukee Bucks don’t want Jaylen Brown as their key return. They’d rather have a haul of picks, multiple pieces, rather than just Jaylen Brown. I doubt Jaylen Brown would even want Milwaukee either at this point in his career. He wants to win somewhere else.”
The Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, and Los Angeles Clippers have often been mentioned as potential partners for Milwaukee and Boston in a three-team deal. Boston would get Antetokounmpo, the third team would get Brown, and Milwaukee would get draft capital and young pieces to help jumpstart its rebuild.
The Miami Heat have also reportedly been in the mix to acquire Antetokounmpo. Wherever the 10-time All-Star goes, the team that lands him will still have work to do.
“It can’t be just Giannis. There would have to be more moves to follow,” O’Connor said. “So I think for the Celtics, if they get Giannis, it’s going to be a matter of, what’s next after that? What other moves are going to completely shake up this roster?”
The Celtics’ roster might get shaken up even if they don’t end up with Antetokounmpo. O’Connor believes president of basketball operations Brad Stevens could move a disgruntled Brown in a different deal.
“I can’t imagine (Brown would) be too happy going back to Boston if they don’t end up landing Giannis Antetokounmpo,” he said. “So I’d imagine that Brad Stevens has at least a Plan B or a Plan C here to flip Jaylen Brown somewhere else for parts. I don’t know what exactly it would be, though.
“The New Orleans package with Trey Murphy, Herb Jones, and whatever other pieces, I think, is pretty intriguing with what they could do in (Joe) Mazzulla’s system alongside Jayson Tatum. I think those are winning players that have just been stuck on a losing team.”
Brown and Antetokounmpo are set to make $57 million and $58 million next season, respectively. Tatum will also make $58 million.
Antetokounmpo, who has a $63 million player option for 2026-27, would be eligible to sign a four-year, $275 million extension six months after being traded. As enticing as it is to put him alongside Tatum for the next several seasons, the new collective bargaining agreement makes it difficult to sustain success with multiple expensive superstars.
“Look, the fact is it’s hard to win with two players making $60-plus million. That’s true with Giannis plus Tatum, it’s true with Brown plus Tatum,” O’Connor said.
“We’ve seen the formula in recent years. The Knicks just won the title with a team that played one through 11 sometimes. Last year, OKC vs. Indiana, two teams that were very deep. Boston the year prior was very deep. With a new collective bargaining agreement, perhaps having one superstar-level player surrounded by good players might be the way forward.”
Whether it’s to Boston, Miami, or elsewhere, Antetokounmpo is expected to be moved before the NBA Draft on June 23.
Watch the Early Edition segment in the video player above.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 14: Brandon Nimmo #24 of the Texas Rangers hits a two run RBI double during the fourth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on June 14, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Paul Rutherford/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Texas Rangers lineup for June 15, 2026 against the Minnesota Twins: starting pitchers are MacKenzie Gore for the Rangers and Mike Paredes for the Twins.
Texas returns to Arlington to begin a six game homestand, with the first three coming against the Twinkies. Corey Seager is still not in the lineup.
The lineup:
Pederson — DH
Jung — 3B
Langford — LF
Nimmo — RF
Burger — 1B
Osuna — CF
Freeman — 2B
Lopez — SS
Diaz — C
7:05 p.m. Central start time. Rangers are -160 favorites.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 15: Aaron Judge #99 high fives Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees after hitting a home run during the game against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 15, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB has released its first All-Star voting update, and a number of Yankees are in contention, with Ben Rice and Aaron Judge in good position to secure spots. As a refresher on how All-Star voting works, we’re currently in Phase 1, which runs through June 25th; the top overall vote-getter in each league after Phase 1 will automatically earn a starting spot at their position in the All-Star Game. The top two vote-getters at every other position proceed to a run-off in Phase 2.
Despite going down with a right rib stress fracture, Judge is still tops among AL outfielders, and trails only Yordan Alvarez for most votes in the American League. His lead over the number-two outfielder, Mike Trout, is narrow, with Judge leading by 977,460 votes to 926,601 votes. Alvarez, a DH, isn’t far ahead of Judge at 1,015,768 votes, but Judge faces an uphill climb to catch Alvarez and earn an automatic slot, given he’ll be on the shelf at least the rest of the month.
Ben Rice is one of two other Yankees in position to proceed to Phase 2, as he’s second to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, trailing by about 96,000 votes. Guerrero’s star power keeps him in the top spot, with Rice thoroughly outplaying the Blue Jay, Rice’s 172 wRC+ dwarfing Guerrero’s 108. The other is Cody Bellinger in the outfield, in third behind Judge and Trout. The top six outfielders advance in the voting, so Bellinger, in the midst of what’s been his best season since his 2019 MVP campaign, looks to be in a good spot.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also within striking distance of qualifying for the Phase 2 run-off. He’s only in fifth place among AL second basemen, but he’s not far behind the second slot, with the Rangers’ Ezequiel Duran in second at 287,996 and Chisholm at 230,846. After a terrible start, Chisholm has looked much more like himself the last several weeks, and could move up in the standings if he stays hot. Giancarlo Stanton is in fourth in the DH rankings, but has slim odds to catch up after suffering a setback in his recovery from a calf injury.
Other Yankees that received enough votes to show up in the rankings for their respective positions: José Caballero, in ninth at shortstop, Ryan McMahon (amusingly) at tenth at third base, and Austin Wells (even more amusingly) at tenth at catcher. You can check out the full lists, as well as the voting for the National League, here.
Filmmaker Spike Lee reacts to a play during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on June 10 at Madison Square Garden. (Ross D. Franklin / Associated Press)
The “Do the Right Thing” star, director and screenwriter was 13 when he witnessed the Knicks defeat the Lakers in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. And he was on hand in San Antonio at age 69 when the Knicks finished off the Spurs with a title-clinching 94-90 victory in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
In between, Lee has become the Knicks’ most famous and visible fan. He has been a season-ticket holder since 1985, the rookie season of Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing, and has been a courtside fixture for decades. In 2024, he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame’s superfan gallery.
Lifelong Knicks fan Spike Lee made sure he got ALL THE ANGLES of the Knicks trophy presentation! 🥹📸 pic.twitter.com/5YpuzibtfO
During a 2020 appearance on ESPN’s “First Take,” Lee laughed when he was informed that his Knicks seats cost around $300,000 a year and that he had spent roughly $10 million on tickets over the years.
So, yeah, he’s considered by many to be an honorary member of the Knicks — and as such, he’s also considered by many to be more than worthy of an NBA championship ring. The idea has taken off on social media, with several celebrities offering their support.
“Give @officialspikelee a CHAMPIONSHIP RING DAMN IT!!!!!!!!” comedian and actor Kevin Hart wrote Sunday on Instagram.
Legendary sports broadcaster Dick Vitale wrote Monday on X: “I agree with Kevin Hart - yes the LOYALTY of SPIKE LEE to the @nyknicks should be recognized & rewarded- Spike is truly a dedicated & genuine LOYAL Knicks fan .YES I agree with Kevin - SPIKE should get a Championship ring !”
“First Take” host and fellow die-hard Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith reposted on X a graphic calling for Lee to receive a ring for his “decades of loyalty.”
Spike Lee celebrates with a crowd of New York Knicks fans after Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Saturday in San Antonio. (Darren Abate / Associated Press)
“I completely support this for Spike Lee,” Smith wrote. “No Knicks’ fan deserves this more than him.”
The Times reached out to representatives for Lee and the Knicks for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Lee is likely less concerned with a championship ring for himself and more concerned with his beloved team earning another one in 2027.
“You know what I’m thinking?” Lee asked during an on-court interview with WABC-TV in New York immediately following Saturday’s victory, before shouting the answer to his own question: “Back to back!”
Mike Brown sat to the right of James Dolan, Knicks players seated in front of them at the club’s practice facility.
It was before the April 3 shootaround when Dolan gave an impassioned 15-minute speech, recorded on video, that implored his Knicks to sacrifice everything with an unyielding commitment across the next 10 weeks of the playoffs to compete a mission years in the making — and 53 years in all — that would make every one of them champions and kings of New York with rings for one and all for the rest of their lives.
10 Weeks to Glory.
10 Weeks that would change their lives and the lives of their loved ones forever.
The Future Was Now.
And the owner believed.
“I don’t know if you understand what it would mean to win the NBA championship,” Dolan told his Knicks. “It would be life-changing… It will stick with you the rest of your lives. And if you don’t win, you’ll be thinking about it the rest of your lives.”
And if you do win, this team will belong up in the rafters with the 1970 Knicks and the 1973 Knicks.
“You will forever ever be important to New York City,” Dolan said. “No matter where you go and what you do the rest of your lives, when people introduce you, even if you become the president of the United States, they’ll start off with ‘NBA champion, 2026.’ … That’s what’s at stake here.”
So seize the moment.
“The big word is sacrifice. You’re going to have to sacrifice if you want to achieve this,” Dolan said.
“It’s only 10 weeks, it’s not a long time. . . Sacrifice everything you got these next 10 weeks to win that championship.
“I know you can do it… You know you can do it. I believe you know you can do it.
“Will you do it?”
He offered suggestions:
He implored his Knicks to eliminate distractions and bind together even tighter.
“At the end of this 10 weeks, what you achieve is what the public’s gonna think of you — not what you say in the press conferences, etcetera,” Dolan told them.
James Dolan’s Apr. 3 speech spurred the Knicks to a legendary 10-week run to the NBA Championship.
He offered other suggestions:
“You need to bump your practice. You need to pay more attention to your diet. You need to sleep better. You need to be ready for every game… That’s not something you start on the first game of the playoffs. That is something you start right now, today!”
And one that was intended as a joke …sort of.
“I had this idea that maybe you should give up sex for the next 10 weeks — you don’t have to give up sex for the next 10 weeks — BUT — like the Spartans, you know what Spartans are? They denied themselves, right? So that they can have an edge. Get the edge.
“Go home, talk to your wives and tell them — don’t tell them you’re not gonna have sex, don’t tell ‘em it was my idea — but let them know what this is gonna be like, what your commitment is gonna be like, and how they’re gonna have to sacrifice too. Those concerns at home, they can’t come on the court. It’s not who we play, it’s how we play.
“Because I believe this team can beat anybody in the NBA.”
James Dolan’s April 3 speech spurred the Knicks to a legendary 10-week run to the NBA Championship.
The Post could not immediately confirm how many of any of the players lived that Spartan existence but the Knicks sure proceeded to play with that edge across those magical 10 weeks.
“It’s a pretty serious mood going into the playoffs,” Brown told The Post. “When he said that, I was like, ‘Mike, hold yourself together. Do not fall out. Focus on his words. Focus on his words. Try to keep this as serious as you can. And let’s see how it plays out with the players.'”
“But there was no way that I could get that done,” he added with a laugh.
Dolan went on:
“When we win the championship, we will get rings. And when we get rings, so will they. I will buy a ring for each one of your significant others, because their contribution is gonna be very important to this team winning.”
He emphasized first-quarter focus and defensive pick-and-rolls and rebounding. “The next 10 days, fix those three things as part of your focus,” Dolan said, “because those are our Achilles heels, and they’ll stop us in the playoffs.
Knicks owner James Dolan celebrates after defeating the Spurs to win the NBA Championship. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
“You gotta try like you’ve never tried before.
“It’s only 10 weeks guys.
“You gotta go for it.
“You gotta leave nothing on the table.
“You must go for it.
“Do it. Commit to it. Go for it.”
Applause filled the room.
“His speech was effective ‘cause it was powerful,” Brown told The Post. “It was impactful, and it added to what messaging we’ve been giving our guys from Day 1, from the Opening Night dinner going into training camp, it added to it. And it added to it on another level because now you have the top guy, the ultimate leader, the guy that owns the team, that writes the checks, saying how he feels in a deep-felt message.
“They took it very seriously. We had shirts made up with 2026 playoffs, and on the back we had 10 Weeks. And we even had the slogan 10 Weeks on the wall in the locker room, and as time went on, guys would say, ‘Hey — we got 3 weeks left, 3 weeks, let’s lock in.’
“If you can break it down to where hey, this is 10 weeks of your life. . .10 weeks of your life to reach the mountaintop.”
Dolan had lauded Brown for a collaborative approach with the players that he and Rose felt was missing under Tom Thibodeau’s sole voice. It heartened Brown.
“One hundred percent this man has my back and we’re aligned,” Brown said. “And that’s what I needed to hear. Our business, it’s a tough business, there’s too many different opinions that everybody can see and feel that can create separation or divide amongst a group. And I felt when he said those words, especially about me, that our players and everybody that was around during that speech, knew that we were truly aligned, vertically and horizontally, and it was a strong bond.”
Brown was heading for an appearance with Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show.”
A parade awaits on Thursday.
“You can’t go anywhere without people hugging you and telling you how long they’ve been waiting,” Brown said. “You see grandpas saying, ‘When I was twenty-something-years-old that happened.’ Then you see parents saying ‘When I was a little kid and my parents used to take me,’ then you see their kids saying, ‘This is great!’ They don’t understand how long 54 years is ‘cause they’re 10 years old (laugh).’ You can feel how passionate and how truthful and how much pain they had over this team not winning all those years.”
The owner’s 10 Weeks To Glory speech changed everything.
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS - JUNE 13: New York Knicks fans, including Erica Ford, center, chant Go New York, Go New York, Go! as they are filmed by a television station outside of Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Saturday, June 13, 2026, before Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, (Katina Zentz/San Antonio Express-News via Getty Images)
According to FOX 5 NY, the New York City Mayor’s Office has finalized the logistics for the Knicks’ historic championship ticker-tape parade. The party hits the streets on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
Here are the times and locations you need to know:
The Timeline & Route
10:00 AM ET – The Kickoff: The parade officially begins down at The Battery (Battery Park) in Lower Manhattan.
The March – Canyon of Heroes: The floats and players will march straight north up Broadway, rolling through the iconic Canyon of Heroes.
The Finale – City Hall Ceremony: The route wraps up at City Hall Plaza. Immediately following the parade, Mayor Mamdani will host the official championship ceremony on the plaza to present the team with the Keys to the City.
Pro Tip: Lower Manhattan will be completely gridlocked, and several MTA subway stations along Broadway will face temporary entrance/exit closures or heavy bypasses. If you are heading down to camp out for a spot, aim for the early morning and use stations a block or two east or west of Broadway (like the dynamic transit hubs at Fulton Street or Chambers Street) to avoid the worst of the bottlenecks.
ATLANTA — Atlanta Braves right-hander Spencer Strider will be shut down from throwing for four weeks because of inflammation in his right elbow, the team announced.
Strider, who had been placed on the 15-day injured list, had a consultation with Dr. Keith Meister before they decided on four weeks. Strider will have another MRI at the end of that period and would begin “throwing progression” if test were to show the inflammation had cleared, the team said.
Strider left a 7-5 loss at the New York Mets in the fourth inning due to right shoulder and elbow soreness. Braves manager Walt Weiss said the team also was concerned about a dramatic decline in Strider’s velocity.
Strider has a history of arm problems. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2019 and had the UCL in his right elbow repaired with an internal brace in April 2024.
Rookie right-hander JR Ritchie, who pitched in relief behind Strider, will move into the rotation and has been scheduled to start against San Francisco.
Strider allowed six hits, including three homers, and a season-worst seven earned runs in three innings.
Strider was making his eighth start of the season for the first-place Braves after missing the first 34 games recovering from a strained left oblique. He is 4-2 with a 5.31 ERA this season.
Strider led the major leagues with 20 wins and an Atlanta-record 281 strikeouts in 2023.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 30: The sneakers worn by Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers during Round One Game Six of the 2026 NBA Playoffs on April 30, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
MIAMI, FL - MAY 23: New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro (91) pitches a ball during a game between the Miami Marlins and the New York Mets on May 23, 2026 at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida.(Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Prior to the start of the team’s series with the Reds, the Mets announced a bevy of roster moves. First off, the club recalled Tobias Myers, who will start tonight’s game, and Jonathan Pintaro from Triple-A Syracuse. To make room on the roster, the team optioned Daniel Duarte to Triple-A and officially placed Christian Scott on the IL, retroactive to June 12, with a right hip impingement. The club also moved Jorge Polanco to the 60-day IL and claimed old friend and now current friend Zack Short off waivers from the Tigers.
The first move of note should not come as a surprise, as Carlos Mendoza announced following the team’s win yesterday that Myers would get the nod for New York in the series opener. The right-hander was sent down to Triple-A at the end of May to stretch out as a starter and give the team a fresh arm in the pen. Since going down to Syracuse, he has thrown six innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit. Mendoza stated that he will be limited to right around 40 pitches today, so he will essentially be an opener. Prior to the news of Scott’s injury, you could have made the argument that David Peterson could serve as the bulk arm tonight, but the lefty may now be needed to fill Scott’s vacant slot. Scott last pitched on Thursday and allowed four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings before exiting.
Pintaro will provide New York with a fresh arm to back up Myers tonight, at the very least. The right-hander has made three appearances for the Mets, allowing one earned run on one hit with five strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings. This will be his third stint for the Amazins this year. Duarte, who was sent down to make room for Pintaro, has also made three appearances for the Mets, allowing just one hit while striking out three over five innings of work. He pitched in each of the team’s last two games against the Braves, tossing 2 2/3 innings and throwing 20 of his 28 pitches for strikes. He did not allow a hit in either outing and struck out two while walking one, The heavy workload meant he would likely not be available for the next two games, and with the Mets likely needing to use their bullpen heavily in these outings, his demotion was essentially a given.
Lastly, if the name Zack Short sounds familiar, you may be ready to tackle and dominate the “2024 Mets Sporcle” quiz. The infielder appeared in 10 games for the 2024 club, amassing nine at-bats and picking up one hit. So, at the very least, he is ahead of Jed Lowrie on the club’s all-time hits list as he begins his second stint in orange and blue. Polanco hitting the 60-day IL functionally doesn’t change much about his recovery timeline, as the club said they expect him to appear as a DH in rehab game in the coming days.
