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Watch Carmelo Anthony get inducted into the Hall of Fame, 'The dogs is barking'

Carmelo Anthony could have been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame many times over. He could have been voted in for his college career, leading Syracuse to a national title. He could have been selected based on his NBA play: 10th all-time in points scored (28,289), six-time All-NBA, 10-time All-Star and a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He could have been invited in for being a three-time Olympic gold medalist with USA Basketball.

Now, Anthony is officially in the Hall of Fame.

Carmelo gave an emotional, touching speech for his induction, at one point getting emotional about his father. However, the part we're going to remember is how smoothly he handled it when the dogs offstage started barking — this is why he's going to be great as a studio analyst when the NBA returns to NBC and Peacock this fall.

Carmelo began his career in Denver and went on to play for six NBA teams, but for a lot of fans he will always be a Knick.

And he will always be a Hall of Famer.

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Jonah Tong surrenders three home runs as Mets lose to Reds, 6-3

The Mets lost on Saturday night against the Cincinnati Reds, 6-3, to even up the series. They'll go for the series win in Sunday's rubber game.

Here are the takeaways...

-Jonah Tong was on the mound making his second career start, and after impressing in five innings at Citi Field in his debut, the young right-hander had a little more trouble in his first road start.

Pitching at hitter's haven Great American Ballpark, Tong surrendered three home runs -- highly unusual for the 22-year-old, who was exceptional at keeping the ball in the yard and allowed just two home runs in the minors this season.

The first of the three home runs did the most damage and came in the second inning. After retiring the side in order on six pitches in the opening frame and getting the first two outs in the second, Tong issued a walk to Spencer Steer before fellow rookie Sal Stewart clubbed his first major league home run to give Cincinnati a 2-0 lead. Both the walk and home run were the first allowed by Tong in his brief big league career.

Matt McLain and Austin Hays then each tagged Tong for solo shots leading off the third and fourth innings. 

-But Tong settled down from there and didn't allow another hit for the rest of his outing, although he did walk two more to give him four on the night as he battled with his command. Nevertheless, the right-hander still showed off his nasty stuff and struck out six batters through six innings. 

-He also showed some passion and moxie walking back to the dugout after the fifth inning and demonstratively conveyed to manager Carlos Mendoza that he wasn't ready to exit the game. At just 82 pitches through five, Mendoza sent Tong back out and the youngster rewarded his manager with a 1-2-3 inning that included striking out the final batter he faced.

Overall, Tong's final line: 6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 6 K, 3 HR on 96 pitches (57 strikes). Despite the gutsy performance, his ERA rose to 4.09.

-Offensively, the Mets had trouble against Reds starter Brady Singer, who allowed one run over six innings. However, the biggest hurdle came on the bases, specifically with Francisco Lindor. 

After reaching base in his first three plate appearances on a single, walk and a double to extend his on-base streak to a career-high 10 consecutive plate appearances, Lindor was erased twice after getting caught trying to steal. The first caught stealing came after he left first base too early, which allowed Singer to pick him off. The second was far more puzzling, as Lindor was caught trying to steal third base with one out and Juan Soto up and New York down 4-1. 

Otherwise, Lindor had a phenomenal night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and a walk. A groundout in the seventh ended his consecutive on-base streak, but his one-out double in the ninth began a new one.

Soto also had a good night, finishing 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base.

-The Mets scored their runs on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Nimmo in the third and a pinch-hit solo home run by Jared Young in the seventh. A third run came across to score in the ninth on a wild pitch.

-After entering and escaping trouble on Friday night, Ryne Stanek came into a clean inning in this one and struggled. He managed to get just one out and allowed two runs on three hits and a walk. His ERA now sits at 5.44.

Game MVP: Brady Singer

The right-hander managed to quiet a hot Mets offense and earned his 13th win of the season.

Highlights

What's next

The Mets finish out their three-game series in Cincinnati on Sunday with a 1:40 p.m. start time on PIX11.

RHP Brandon Sproat makes his MLB debut while the Reds send out RHP Hunter Greene (5-4, 2.70 ERA).

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Cory Schneider Proclaims Igor Shesterkin As The Most Talented Goalie In The NHL

Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Between Igor Shesterkin, Connor Hellebuyck, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Sergei Bobrovsky, you could really make a case for any of them in terms of the debate for the top goaltender in the NHL.

From a salary perspective, Shesterkin is technically valued as the best goalie, having earned an eight-year, $92 million contract extension from the Rangers last season, making him the highest-paid goalie in the NHL. 

Despite the New York Rangers regressing as a team and Shesterkin’s stats taking a dip, former NHL goalie Cory Schneider believes Shesterkin is still the most dominant netminder in the league. 

" He’s the highest paid goalie by a wide amount and I think rightfully so.. “I think [Igor Shesterkin], for my money, is the most talented goalie in the league,” Schneider said on NHL Network. 

Mike Sullivan has A Lot To Prove With The Rangers Mike Sullivan has A Lot To Prove With The Rangers While Mike Sullivan is an already established NHL coach, he has a lot to prove as he begins this new opportunity with the New York Rangers. 

In the NHL Network’s most recent list ranking the top goalies in the NHL, Shesterkin ranked third behind Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy, but ahead of Bobrovsky.

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Watch Dwight Howard get inducted into Hall of Fame, do a good Stan Van Gundy impression

Dwight Howard is now, officially, a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame — a well-deserved honor we knew was coming for a long time.

What we didn't know is that Howard does a mean impression of his Orlando Magic coach, Stan Van Gundy.

Howard has long been a lock to make the Hall of Fame. He was the best defender of his generation, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, an eight-time All-NBA player, and an eight-time All-Star who won an NBA ring in the bubble with the Lakers and averaged 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds a game.

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Time for ‘little brother’ to knock Brisbane off their perch, Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick says

Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick has declared his club will no longer be stomped on or forgotten after beating Fremantle in dramatic fashion to set up a blockbuster Q-Clash semi-final.

The Suns blew a 26-point lead against the Dockers on Saturday night but managed to regain their composure in the dying minutes to seal a famous one-point elimination final win at Optus Stadium.

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Hall of Fame Canadiens goaltender Ken Dryden dies of cancer at age 78

NHL: Boston Bruins at Montreal Canadiens

Oct 16, 2014; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Canadiens former goalie Ken Dryden brings the torch before the game between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

MONTREAL — Ken Dryden, the Hall of Fame goaltender who helped the Montreal Canadiens win six Stanley Cup titles in the 1970s, has died after a fight with cancer. He was 78.

The Canadiens announced his death early Saturday, saying Dryden’s family asked for privacy. A team spokesperson said a close friend of Dryden’s appointed by the family contacted the organization, adding that he died peacefully Friday at his home.

“Ken Dryden was an exceptional athlete, but he was also an exceptional man,” Canadiens owner Geoff Molson said. “Behind the mask he was larger than life. We mourn today not only the loss of the cornerstone of one of hockey’s greatest dynasties but also a family man, a thoughtful citizen and a gentleman who deeply impacted our lives and communities across generations.”

Dryden backstopped the NHL’s most successful franchise to championships in six of his eight seasons in the league from 1970-71 to ’78-79. He won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year, the Vezina as the best goalie five times and the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 1971, while being a six-time All-Star.

“Ken embodied the best of everything the Montreal Canadiens are about,” Molson said.

Known for resting his blocker and glove hands on top of his stick in a relaxed manner that became one of hockey’s most recognizable poses, the 6-foot-4 Dryden retired at just 31 in 1979.

“From the moment Ken Dryden joined the Montreal Canadiens as a 23-year-old rookie in 1971, he made an immediate and lasting impact on the NHL, the Canadiens franchise and the goaltending position,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “Ken’s love for his country was evident both on and off the ice.”

Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1983, Dryden was 258-57-74 with a .922 save percentage, 2.24 goals-against average and 46 shutouts in just over seven seasons and went 80-32 in the playoffs.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on social media he was “deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the Hon. Ken Dryden, a Canadian hockey legend and hall of famer, public servant and inspiration.”

“Few Canadians have given more, or stood taller, for our country,” Carney said. “Ken Dryden was Big Canada. And he was Best Canada. Rest in peace.”

From Hamilton, Ontario, Dryden played three seasons at Cornell University from 1966-69, leading the Big Red to the 1967 NCAA title and finishing with a career record of 76-4-1.

Dryden entered the NHL in 1971 and spent just six games in the crease before making his NHL postseason debut. He and Montreal upset rival Boston in the first round and beat Chicago in the final.

“We looked at him and we thought he was coming from another planet,” Hall of Fame teammate Serge Savard said Saturday. “We didn’t see hockey players coming into the dressing room with books under their arms. After practice, he was going to McGill University.”

He was a cornerstone of Canada’s 1972 Summit Series team that beat the Soviet Union, starting in goal in the decisive 6-5 victory in Game 8.

“I feel the history of that tournament, the legacy of that team just as strongly as all Canadian fans do,” Dryden told The Canadian Press in a 2022 interview. “It never goes away. It’s kind of like a good wine, I guess. Actually, the legacy of it grows.”

He also worked at a Toronto law firm while sitting out the 1973-74 NHL season - after previously earning a law degree atMcGill.

After retiring as a player, he went into broadcasting and wrote “The Game,” one of the best known books about the sport, after publishing “Face-off at the Summit” as part of an accomplished career as an author. He was the color analyst alongside Al Michaels for the “Miracle on Ice” when the U.S. beat the Soviet Union and went on to win the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Carey Price, the Canadiens' starter in net for more than a decade, posted on social media: “Thank you Mr. Dryden, for your service not only as a Canadien, but also as a Canadian. You helped me as a young goaltender and I will always be grateful for your thoughtful words of encouragement.”

Dryden served as president of the Toronto Maple Leafs from 1997 through 2004 - a stretch accented by trips to the Eastern Conference final in both 1999 and 2002 - before resigning to enter politics. He ran for the federal Liberals in 2004 and was named minister of social development in Prime Minister Paul Martin’s cabinet.

Dryden, who also taught at various universities across Canada, held onto his seat in Toronto’s York Centre riding in 2006 when the Liberals were ousted, and again in 2008, but lost in 2011.

Dryden is survived by wife Lynda and their two children.

Brother Dave Dryden was a longtime NHL and WHA goalie. He died in 2022 at the age of 81.