There are very few players in the NBA capable of physically matching up with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Listed at seven feet and 280 pounds, the former MVP often overpowers opponents with his sheer strength. The Knicks just might have a solution.
Center Mitchell Robinsonis one of a handful of players capable of standing toe-to-toe with Embiid.
Robinson left a relatively small imprint on New York’s 4-2 first-round series win against the Atlanta Hawks, as he averaged just 13.8 minutes in the six games. Since Embiid is such a critical piece of Philadelphia’s success, Robinson’s role will be even more important, making him the Knicks' X-Factor in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Standing on business
Robinson’s defensive impact should be significant. He will be tasked with protecting the rim and defending Embiid.
We’ve seen Robinson guard Philadelphia's star center well in the past. In New York’s 2024 first-round series with the 76ers, Embiid shot 12-for-34 (35.3 percent) from the field when guarded by Robinson, according to NBA Stats. When he’s healthy, Robinson has the adequate mix of strength and foot speed to stay with Embiid.
Defending Embiid is a difficult task. After returning in the middle of the first round from an emergency appendectomy, he averaged 28.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists. He’s a skilled center capable of attacking on face-ups from the midrange. Embiid's also a good post-up player who can pick on any mismatches if opponents switch smaller players on to him.
Embiid also has a knack for getting to the foul line. The big man attempted 37 freebies in 146 minutes during the first round, and is fifth in free-throw attempts per game during the playoffs. There will probably be times in this series where Embiid causes Knicks starting center Karl-Anthony Towns to have foul trouble.
Apr 28, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) controls the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the first quarter of game five of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner - Imagn Images
That means the Knicks will likely need more minutes from Robinson, and it’s safe to say he will see a substantial playing time increase. Staying out of foul trouble will be something to watch for the Knicks' reserve center.
One question to ask is how much we'll see of New York with Towns and Robinson on the floor. The two-big lineup was only on the floor for 14 minutes in the first round, according to PBP Stats. Though it’s a small sample size, the Knicks had a plus-26.9 net rating with both bigs in the game.
Philadelphia has mainly played a wing like Kelly Oubre or Paul George at the four, and the Knicks might look to avoid having Towns guard a perimeter player.
Vertical threat
On the offensive end, Robinson is not expected to score much. But he should contribute, with Robinson’s primary responsibility being to attack the offensive glass. During the regular season, he led all NBA players who played in at least 60 games in offensive rebound rate (20.1 percent).
Philadelphia’s main weakness over the past few years has been defensive rebounding. Per NBA Stats, the 76ers ranked just 26th in defensive rebound rate (67.8 percent) this season.
Robinson will be valuable as a screener to get Jalen Brunsonor any of New York’s other ball-handlers free. Quietly, Robinson has also become much more of a vertical threat in the pick-and-roll this season. He made 52 alley-oop field goals according to NBA Stats, the most he's had since the 2019-20 season. During the first round, Robinson converted seven of eight lob attempts against the Hawks.
Philadelphia will have to keep a body on him to prevent those easy finishes, which could open up easier perimeter looks for the Knicks' three-point shooters.
Robinson probably won’t surpass more than 25 minutes a game during this series, but his play might be the largest swing factor.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 24: Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 24, 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 David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The Sixers this past Saturday exorcised 40-odd years’ worth of postseason demons when they defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 at TD Garden, overcoming a 3-1 series deficit for the first time in franchise history.
Now, get over it.
There’s no rest for the weary as the Sixers will kick off their second-round series with the New York Knicks Monday night at Madison Square Garden. These teams met just two years ago, with the Knicks winning in six games. Prior to that, they hadn’t played each other since 1989, with New York sweeping the best-of-five series.
With such a quick turnaround, consider this a preview for Game 1 and the series overall.
It was a weird season series with the teams splitting four games and neither winning at home. There’s some quirky context to add as well. The two games the Sixers won at MSG were with the Knicks playing on the second night of a back-to-back. One of New York’s wins in Philly was without Joel Embiid and Paul George, with the Sixers coming back from a West Coast trip. Only putting it out there to say we didn’t see the optimal versions of these teams face off this season.
The Knicks went 53-29 in the regular season, good for the East’s third seed. They dispatched of the Atlanta Hawks in six games with a 140-89 drubbing in the elimination game. They had a top-10 offense (3rd) and defense (7th) during the regular season. They’re a formidable opponent.
They’re still led by Villanova legend Jalen Brunson. After another All-Star campaign, he had a strong series against the Hawks, averaging 26.3 points on 56.9% true shooting. The Sixers will have their hands full containing the lefty guard with his craftiness, footwork and ability to draw fouls.
But the Sixers have the requisite bodies to throw at Brunson. Kelly Oubre Jr. defended Brunson very well in that 2024 series, forcing New York to change the gameplan by Game 3. Rookie VJ Edgecome was also tough on Brunson during this regular season.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see Paul George matched up on Brunson from time to time after the veteran wing was an absolute defensive maven against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in the first round. Quentin Grimes, who started his NBA career as Brunson’s teammate, will surely see time on the star guard, too.
Karl-Anthony Towns joined Brunson at this year’s All-Star game and also had a strong series against Atlanta. The veteran big averaged 18.7 points, 11.3 rebounds (2.8 offensive) and 6.0 assists while knocking down 44.4% of his threes. Towns was the Knicks’ primary starter at center this season, which presents an interesting matchup with Joel Embiid.
Towns has never fared well against Embiid defensively, but his ability to shoot and hit the offensive glass could present challenges on the other end. Embiid was moving pretty damn well by the end of the Boston series, but we’ll see how the big fella holds up as the minutes pile up. Of course, Embiid will also see Mitchell Robinson, who’s had some success against the former MVP. Robinson only averaged 13.8 minutes against the Hawks. Expect that number to jump. You could even see OG Anunoby get the assignment — with designated help, of course.
The chess match between Nick Nurse and Mike Brown should be interesting. Will Embiid force the Knicks to go to their two-big look more? Could that give the Sixers an advantage with Paul George playing the four and Towns needing to guard him or Oubre in space? How do the Sixers handle screens and switches with Brunson, who is outstanding at finding mismatches?
All of this and we haven’t really touched on New York’s supporting cast. Anunoby had an outstanding first round, averaging 21.5 points while benefiting from all the space Brunson and Towns were creating. Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges didn’t have their best series, but we know what that Wildcat duo is capable of in the postseason.
Deuce McBride is a player who’s never missed a shot against the Sixers (not technically true, but it sure feels like it). You’ll likely see all of McBride, trade deadline addition Jose Alvarado and former Sixers first-round pick Landry Shamet get reps on Tyrese Maxey. The player Maxey will probably see the most of is Hart, who did a solid job at times on him two years ago in the playoffs. It’s safe to say Maxey has grown quite a bit as a player since then. They also have veteran guard Jordan Clarkson as a potential flamethrower off the bench.
This Sixers starting group is much better than the one the Knicks saw two years ago. In fact, there’s a legitimate argument to be made this is the Sixers’ best starting group of the Joel Embiid era. Embiid and Maxey are humming right now. George’s two-way excellence in the first round was crucial. Edgecombe is playing nothing like a rookie, while Oubre has filled in the gaps, despite not shooting as well as he did in the regular season.
Of course, New York is quite different, having moved on from Isaiah Hartenstein and Donte DiVincenzo — who both killed the Sixers in that series — and with the six-time All-Star Towns in the fold. They also have Brown instead of Tom Thibodeau, which means their starters will be much fresher than in previous postseasons.
The Sixers’ bench is where things are going to get interesting. Nurse was essentially in a seven-man rotation by the end of the first round. Grimes is really the only reserve who will play big minutes. The guess here is Nurse continues to roll with Andre Drummond as his backup five given New York’s size. The veteran big played a little over eight minutes in Game 7. That’ll probably be the norm for this series.
The other x-factors on the fringes of the rotation are Justin Edwards and Dominick Barlow. Both guys are in a tough spot, having barely played in the first round. Edwards had some decent moments while Barlow struggled a bit. Again, the Knicks’ size is not just with their bigs, as they feature multiple long wings. That could lead to minutes for either player. While Drummond will get the first crack at backup minutes, Adem Bona could still be heard from in this series if the team needs a bit more energy and athleticism off the bench.
The good news for both teams heading in: the injury report is basically clean. Embiid is listed as probable with a right hip contusion. He took a pretty good beating at the end of Game 7, so it’s good to see he should be ready to go for Game 1.
Eastern Conference Semifinals schedule: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/q1UMwKeGDu
This should be a fun one. The Knicks are a good basketball team, but they’re far from unbeatable. The Sixers have a legitimate chance to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001 — just as we all envisioned when the season began!
Game Details
When: May 4, 8 p.m. ET Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Watch: NBC, Peacock Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic Follow:@LibertyBallers
The Mavericks ended the year 26-56, a 12th-place finish in the West. They split their final two games with a loss to San Antonio (139-120) and a win at home against Chicago (149-128). Cooper Flagg led the team in scoring this year with 21 points per game. In fact, he led the team in total points (1473), rebounds (466), assists (316), and steals (84).
Grade: C+
Dallas had one of the strangest seasons of any team in recent memory. From the moment the NBA calendar flipped over in June until the final game, there was no shortage of drama for the Mavericks. It began with Dallas selecting Cooper Flagg number one in the draft, adding a remarkable young talent to a team with a lot of veteran experience. Playoff dreams were still on the table when the season began, but they fizzled out quickly. From the moment Nico Harrison was fired on November 11, 2025, the expectations and focus of the organization shifted towards the future.
Dallas did its best to give us entertaining basketball in a season that should have had none. They played the most clutch games in the league (45), but went just 17-28. They were fourth in pace (~102.6 possessions per game) and had a lot of fun performances. Cooper Flagg scored 51 points, Naji Marshall had a near 30-point triple-double, and even Khris Middleton exploded for 35 points in just 25 minutes against the Grizzlies.
Of course, with the updated expectations came the balance between blatant tanking and losing the “ethical” way. Dallas opted for the latter most of the time, but because they still had Flagg and other talented players, they ultimately fell short of securing a top chance at the number one pick. Dallas will enter next week’s draft lottery with the eighth-best odds at a consecutive number one selection and just a 29 percent chance to move into the top four.
The first month of the season was an unenjoyable mess, and the really fun moments were few and far between after that. The Mavericks were always going to be behind the eight ball this year, but even still, their performance did not warrant anything better than a C+. By March, or maybe even before, consistent watchers were anticipating the sweet release of game 82. It is all over now, and the excitement will only build.
Straight A’s: Cooper Flagg
Cooper Flagg capped off his sensational rookie campaign by becoming the 19th number one pick to win Rookie of the Year. The list is littered with Hall of Famers and All-Stars, and Flagg projects to be just that. His season averages of 21 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 2.1 stocks (steals plus blocks) were all top five in rookie rankings, including number one in points per game. He provided some of the most incredible rookie moments we have seen in recent memory, like the aforementioned 51-point game and a 49-point, 10-rebound explosion against his Duke roommate and Rookie of the Year runner-up, Kon Knueppel. There was so much to love about Flagg in his first NBA season, but instead of telling you, I will leave you with 20 minutes of his best plays:
Failed the class: Nico Harrison’s vision
Harrison’s tenure in Dallas will, of course, go down in infamy. Not just as a touchy subject for Mavericks fans, but as the poster boy for modern dysfunction in American sports. Harrison traded Luka Doncic in the name of defense, and it was on Anthony Davis’ frail shoulders to show the world that Harrison was right. Unfortunately, for both of them, this vision crashed and burned in spectacular fashion.
Davis played just five games, with Dallas winning two of them, before getting hurt. By the time he came back, the Mavericks had dug themselves into a 5-14 hole, and one that they could not dig themselves out of. During that absence, general manager Nico Harrison was fired, and Davis only played 20 games for Dallas before getting traded to Washington in February.
All in all, Harrison’s gamble had two glaring oversights. He did not realize the emotional importance that Luka Doncic had. This was made clear in his press conference after a disastrous end to the 2025 season. He also failed to realize that you need a point guard in the modern NBA. Dallas started rookie forward Cooper Flagg at point guard for nearly a month to begin the year, and the options they had when they moved on from that plan were not much better. Defense cannot win championships if your offense cannot score. And so, down went Harrison alongside his ambitious idea.
Extra Credit: Jason Kidd
With so much going on around the team this year, playing hard on a nightly basis is a tough ask. Yet, they did, and they did so without any excuses. There are a lot of negatives you could discuss with this team, but effort is not one of them. And that starts with the coach. Jason Kidd has his flaws. He is too experimental in the regular season, he is weird in postgame press conferences, and he has all but explicitly stated he was in on the Luka Doncic trade. But one thing has remained consistent in his time as head coach: he gets his team to play hard. And if Kidd is going to be with the Mavericks long-term, that is a good quality to have in your head coach.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 11: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs goes to the basket against Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second quarter at Target Center on January 11, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 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 David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs Date: May 4th, 2026 Time: 8:30 PM CDT Location: Frost Bank Center Television Coverage: Peacock, NBS Sports Network
After vanquishing the Denver Nuggets for the second time in three postseasons, the Minnesota Timberwolves now find themselves staring at an entirely different kind of monster.
That’s not hyperbole. That’s just what happens when the next player standing between you and a third consecutive Western Conference Finals berth is Victor Wembanyama.
The Wolves just survived Nikola Jokic, the mountain disguised as a man, and the best player on the planet. They spent six games trying to wear him down, body him, frustrate him, make him run, make him defend, and make Denver’s offense feel like it was being dragged through wet cement.
It worked.
Now they get Wemby.
Different animal. Different problem. Different nightmare.
Jokic beats you with angles, patience, touch, and strength. Wembanyama beats you by being 7-foot-5. Guys drive into the paint and suddenly look like they’re trying to finish over a tarantula wearing a Spurs jersey.
Beyound their centerpiece stars, the two teams could not be more different. The Nuggets were battle-tested veterans, former champions who knew how to survive ugly possessions, hostile buildings, and playoff pressure. The Spurs are the opposite. Young, hungry, and probably too inexperienced to know what they’re supposed to be afraid of. They don’t carry the burden of the past. They don’t have the same old legs that Minnesota was able to drag into deep water against Denver. You’re not going to run San Antonio into exhaustion. The Spurs are young and they’re going to keep coming.
The Wolves have to throw out the Denver notebook. Attacking the rim over and over again won’t work in Round 2. You cannot build an offense around repeatedly challenging Wembanyama at the rim. The Wolves just spent a series feasting on a defensive weakness. Now they’re walking into the league’s most terrifying defensive cheat code.
And if that wasn’t a big enough challenge, they have to do it without Anthony Edwards, at least for now.
That’s the shadow hanging over everything. Donte DiVincenzo is done for the season. Edwards remains the great unknown. Will we see him in this series? When? And if he does come back, will he be anywhere close to the version of Ant that can bend an entire playoff series?
Until that answer arrives, the Wolves have to survive without their superstar, which sounds insane, except we just watched them do it. We watched them close out Denver with Jaden McDaniels turning into an alpha, Rudy Gobert anchoring the defense, Julius Randle supplying grown-man buckets, Mike Conley finding one more vintage performance in the couch cushions, Terrence Shannon Jr. attacking like he didn’t realize he was supposed to be nervous, and the whole roster becoming something more than a list of names.
That has to carry over, because San Antonio is not waiting around for Minnesota to get healthy. The Spurs are coming off their own first-round win over Portland, Wembanyama’s first playoff series victory, and you can already feel the league’s machinery starting to hum. The NBA has been waiting for Wemby to matter in May. Now he does.
The Wolves’ job is to make sure this series doesn’t become his coronation.
With that, here are the keys to Game 1.
1. Defense Has to Be the Anchor Again
Minnesota beat Denver because its defense became the defining force of the series. Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels suffocated Jokic and Jamal Murray. Against San Antonio, the assignment changes. The Spurs are not as dependent on two players in the exact same way Denver was, but Gobert and McDaniels remain the foundation of everything Minnesota needs to do defensively.
Gobert now gets the ultimate French basketball legacy duel: the master against the prodigy. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year against the player who has inherited his throne as the most terrifying defensive presence alive. Rudy is not going to out-shine Wemby. That’s not the job. The job is to be physical, disciplined, and stubborn. Make Wembanyama feel contact. Push him off his spots. Make him work through strength instead of letting him glide into rhythm.
McDaniels, meanwhile, has to be everywhere. He won’t have one clean Murray-style assignment all series. He’ll need to hound ball handlers, switch onto wings, fight through screens, recover, contest, and generally keep the Spurs from getting comfortable in their offense.
But the gameplan can’t rely on two players alone. This has to be a full-team defensive effort. Ayo Dosunmu needs to bring perimeter pressure. Jaylen Clark may need to enter with his rabid-wolverine act and turn the energy up another notch. Randle, Naz Reid, Shannon, Conley… everyone has to be connected.
2. Make Wembanyama Feel It
Wemby is not Jokic. You cannot guard him the same way. You cannot attack him the same way. But you can make this series physically taxing, and that starts with Julius Randle.
This is a huge Randle series. Maybe the defining series of his Wolves tenure so far. Because if there is one player on Minnesota who can put a shoulder into Wembanyama’s chest, force him to absorb contact, and make him deal with brute strength over and over again, it’s Julius.
We’ve seen those two clash before. Wemby’s length is absurd, but his frame can still be tested by a motivated, aggressive Randle. The Wolves need bully-ball Julius to body Wemby and send him skittering around the floor like a baby giraffe.
Make him work. Make him defend. Make him absorb contact. Make him fight for position. Make every possesion take its toll.
Young legs or not, playoff physicality adds up.
3. Attack Smarter
This is where the Wolves have to make the biggest adjustment. Against Denver, the answer was obvious: get downhill, attack the basket, and force Jokic into defensive decisions he did not want to make. That plan won the series.
Against San Antonio, that same plan could get your shot sent into the third row.
The Wolves still need paint touches. They still need to collapse the defense, but it can’t be reckless. You cannot drive into Wembanyama without a plan. You cannot challenge him just to challenge him. This has to be smarter offense.
That means floaters, pull-ups, quick decisions, drive-and-kick. Make Wemby move and keep him guessing. Pull him away from the rim when possible. Use spacing to stretch him out before attacking behind him.
If the Wolves simply try to recreate the Denver rim-pressure formula, San Antonio will eat them alive. The attack has to evolve.
4. Knock Down Your Shots
This is the series where the three-point line becomes life support. Minnesota survived a poor shooting night against Denver because the rim was available. That luxury is gone. Against the Spurs, the Wolves need to punish space when they get it.
That is where the loss of Edwards and DiVincenzo stings. Those are two high-volume, high-confidence three-point shooters. Without them, the burden shifts. Ayo, McDaniels, and Naz have to hit.
The Wolves don’t need to shoot 45 percent from three, but they cannot live in the 20s.
Against Wembanyama, empty possessions are brutal because clean looks are harder to generate. When the ball moves and the open shot appears, it has to go down. Mid-30s or better from deep probably gives Minnesota a real chance. Anything below that, and the math starts to suffocate them.
5. Someone Has to Become the Hero
Until Edwards returns, this is the reality. Someone has to step through the door every night.
In Game 4 against Denver, it was Ayo with 43. In Game 6, it was Jaden with 32 and the performance of his life, and Terrence Shannon Jr. went from emergency option to playoff contributor.
The Wolves cannot survive this series by asking for one guy to replace Ant. That guy does not exist. They need a rotating cast of heroes. One night it might be Randle bullying Wemby. One night it might be McDaniels turning defense into offense. One night it might be Naz catching fire. One night Shannon might hit San Antonio with a downhill burst they weren’t ready for.
This is where depth, belief, and momentum all collide. Minnesota has to keep finding unlikely answers until its superstar returns.
The Next Mountain
The Wolves just took down Denver, and that should mean something.
Not just because the Nuggets were their biggest rival. Not just because Jokic is the best player alive. Not just because they did it without their starting backcourt. It matters because it proved something about this group. The switch that we spent all season begging them to flip?
It’s on now.
This team is playing connected, hard, unselfish, desperate basketball, and that gives them a chance.
But San Antonio is not Denver. Wembanyama is not Jokic. The Spurs are not old legs waiting to be worn down. This is a new puzzle, and the Wolves cannot win this series by replaying the last one. They have to adapt. They have to grow. They have to find a new way.
And they have to do it shorthanded.
That is the challenge.
But after what we just saw against Denver, who’s ready to say they can’t?
This team has already authored one improbable chapter. Now comes the next one. A new giant. A new series. A new test of whether this undermanned pack can keep hunting.
Game 1 is where we start find out if the Denver series was the peak…
RALEIGH, N.C. — The Flyers on Monday night face a pivotal Game 2 against the Hurricanes in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series.
Rick Tocchet’s club is trying to bounce back from a 3-0 loss Saturday night in Game 1. The head coach felt like his team didn’t want the puck enough early on and then it never recovered from a quick 2-0 deficit.
“Is it a mindset?” Tocchet said Sunday. “Is it inexperience? Is it the quick turnaround? I don’t know, it could be a bunch of those things, but we don’t have time. You can’t put three or four games like that; you’ve got to figure it out quickly.”
Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Flyers Pregame Live on NBC Sports Philadelphia+. Puck drop is scheduled for around 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Flyers Postgame Live will follow immediately after the game on NBCSP+.
Owen Tippett here at practice after missing his first game of the playoffs. Rick Tocchet didn’t have an update on his status, said he’s day to day. pic.twitter.com/P0BthwFE71
Flyers practice here at Lenovo Center today. Game 2 is Monday night. They’ll try to even the second-round series after being shut out, 3-0, in Game 1. pic.twitter.com/TO6iSLhiNT
The Anaheim Ducks are one of the final eight teams left standing in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. They upset a perennial cup-contending Edmonton Oilers squad in six games in the first round and will be up against another cup-contender in the second round: the Vegas Golden Knights.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville, with the help of his coaching staff, out-coached Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch in round 1, and will have to pull out all his tricks once again if he’s to defeat brand new Vegas head coach John Tortorella.
Tortorella has only been the Knights’ head coach for eight games heading into the playoffs after they shockingly parted ways with Bruce Cassidy. Vegas went 7-0-1 down the stretch under Tortorella and dispatched the Utah Mammoth in six games in their first-round series.
It’s unclear if, how, or to what extent (beyond lineup alterations) Tortorella can make changes throughout the course of a long series, behind the bench of a new team, but Quenneville will have to win five key matchups if the Ducks are to win four games in the next seven and advance to the Conference Final.
Alex Gallardo-Imagn Images
Jackson LaCombe vs Jack Eichel
If the Conn Smythe Trophy were awarded after one round, a very strong case could be made for it to be awarded to Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe. LaCombe scored nine points (1-8=9) in six games, tied for second in playoff scoring and leading all defensemen, dominated underlying metrics, dictated play on every shift, and effectively shut down (or severely limited) Connor McDavid, the world’s best hockey player.
If Quenneville continues to hard-match LaCombe against his opponent’s top player, LaCombe’s next assignment will be Team USA teammate, 2026 Olympic Gold Medalist, and 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Jack Eichel.
Tying LaCombe, Eichel scored nine points (1-8=9) in six games against Utah in the first round, while averaging 24:22 TOI/G, and offers a completely different challenge for LaCombe than McDavid did. McDavid is far and away the fastest player in the NHL who does most of his damage off the rush and operates at a high rate of speed in every facet of his offense.
Eichel, not slow by any means and still one of the NHL’s best skaters, attacks more surgically and methodically. He utilizes his 6-foot-2, 206-pound frame to protect pucks with an elite glide and is one of the NHL’s best passers, displaying deception and throwing misinformation at every turn. He’s equally as dangerous off the rush or on the cycle.
Eichel prefers to carry pucks low to high in the offensive zone and across the blueline, looking for and opening dangerous seams. Like with McDavid, it will require all five skates on the ice to properly limit his impact, but LaCombe will need to be smart not to drift too far from the net front and remain in good positions.
Lukas Dostal vs Carter Hart
Any goaltender will echo that they aren’t playing against the opposing goaltender, but rather the opposing team as a whole. However, in this particular series, Ducks netminder Lukas Dostal will have to out-duel Vegas netminder Carter Hart, and out-duel him significantly, if the Ducks are to have a chance at advancing beyond the Golden Knights.
Through the first round, traditional numbers suggest that Dostal and Hart have been two of the worst goaltenders in the playoffs, with Hart finishing with better numbers.
Hart finished his first round series by allowing 18 goals on 167 shots (.892 SV%) and saved -0.13 goals above expected (GSAx). The eye test suggests a slightly different narrative, as he let in several goals from distance, without a screen, and/or through his body (between his arm and his torso).
Dostal’s numbers were far worse in the first round, as he allowed 20 goals on 158 shots (.873 SV%) and saved -4.61 GSAx. His eye test suggests he was better than those numbers, but unspectacular nonetheless. His rebound control and puck tracking (typically two staples of his game) left a lot to be desired, but none of the goals (of very few) could be classified as “soft.”
Dostal either allowed goals with screens in front of him, off of deflections, and/or from incredibly high-danger areas of the ice. If he could see a shot, he typically saved it, but he wasn’t able to “steal a game,” and he didn’t come up with a “big save that he wasn’t supposed to make” very often.
The big saves he does make often go unnoticed, as his primary strength as a netminder is his positioning, and he makes difficult saves often seem routine. However, with what Vegas strives to accomplish on offense, Dostal will need to make those big, athletic saves he’s not supposed to, and he may have to “steal” a game or two.
Both goaltenders have the skill sets to dictate a series from their respective creases, but neither had to for their teams to advance to the second round. One may have to, however, if they intend to backstop games in the third round.
Corinne Votaw-Imagn Images
Ducks Power Play vs VGK Penalty Kill
In the regular season, Vegas boasted elite special teams, featuring the sixth-best power play (24.6%) and seventh-best penalty kill (81.4%). That continued into the playoffs, as they currently have the fifth-best PP (20%) and third-best PK (93.8%).
The Ducks are a completely different study, as they had middling to poor special teams in the regular season (18.6% PP, 76.4% PK). Their penalty kill remained unimpressive through the first round (71.4%), but it didn’t bite them, as they are the least-penalized team in the playoffs to date.
Anaheim’s power play flipped a switch, however, in the first round, and was one of the greatest factors that led to them defeating the Oilers in six games. With two units finding cohesion and chemistry after 82 games of trial and error, the Ducks scored eight power play goals on 16 attempts in round one.
With the assumption that Vegas’ power play will remain productive and Anaheim’s penalty kill will continue to allow goals at a similar rate, the Ducks’ power play will prove ever-important once again in the second round, as will a continued discipline from Anaheim to limit their own trips to the penalty box.
Ducks Depth Scoring vs Knights Middle Pair (Hanifin-Andersson)
The Ducks’ top line (Gauthier/Kreider-Carlsson-Terry) accounted for six of the Ducks’ 14 goals at 5v5 in the first round and were on the ice for seven. Vegas opted not to match a pair or line against Utah’s top line in their first-round series with much consistency, but the gap between Utah’s first line (Crouse-Schmaltz-Keller) and their second line (Yamamoto-Cooley-Guenther) isn’t as drastic as Anaheim’s.
Utah’s top line did see slightly more ice against Vegas’ top pair (McNabb-Theodore) than they did against their second pair (Hanifin-Andersson). If Vegas’ top pair has remotely the success they did against Utah’s top line, Anaheim’s depth scoring will be more vital to their success in this series.
Anaheim has the offensive prowess down their forward lineup to supplement Terry and Carlsson at the top, with a potent blend of veterans like Mikael Granlund and Alex Killorn alongside talented youth like Beckett Sennecke and Mason McTavish. McTavish and Sennecke got their first taste of playoff hockey, and both project to thrive, stylistically, in that environment. However, both will hope to increase production and factor into more dangerous plays in the second round.
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Ducks Net Defending vs Vegas Slot Offense
At various points in the 2025-26 season, the Ducks struggled to defend every facet of on-ice play. While adapting to a new coaching staff that brought in a new system, the Ducks had sorting issues defending the rush and made poor pressure decisions at the offensive blueline. However, the area that consistently pained them most was defending the front of their net.
Though they’ve improved when defending cycles, they are still susceptible to getting beat back to the front of the net from the perimeter, and they can still get caught puck watching when plays shift sides of the ice laterally.
When pucks are funneled to the crease from the perimeter, the Ducks struggle mightily with boxing out, tying up sticks, and clearing rebounds.
Vegas is as polished as they come on the cycle. They can work pucks low to high for point shots, dominate possession below the goal line, and sustain pressure for minutes at a time. They’re at their best when their best players (Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel) skate pucks up the walls and across the blueline, drawing defenders out of position to open seams and passing lanes.
Anaheim’s centers will have to make astute decisions on whether and when to pressure in those situations, and defensemen will have to limit their temptation to drift too far from the crease. When defending the net-front, they’ll also have to work tirelessly to eliminate screens, tips, and second-chance opportunities. Easier said than done.
As with any series, this Ducks roster stands a chance to win four of seven, especially with Quenneville behind the bench. However, the execution will need to be nearly perfect, and they’ll have to come out on the positive end of these five matchups to do so.
Kevin Durant, Jalen Brunson & NBA Legends on Why the Playoffs Hit Different
Inside the NBA Playoffs, where every possession matters — lessons from Durant, Brunson, Stephen Curry, and more on pressure, leadership, momentum, and what it takes to win.
The NBA Playoffs don’t just raise the stakes; they rewrite the rules. Possessions stretch, pressure multiplies, and reputations are built (or broken) in real time. From rising stars to all-time greats, the game slows down and sharpens all at once. Across eras and experiences -- from Kevin Durant to Stephen Curry to Jalen Brunson -- one truth keeps surfacing: the playoffs demand a different version of you.
Here are 10 lessons pulled straight from those who’ve lived it.
Lesson 1: The Playoffs Are a Different Sport
Ask Paolo Banchero, and he’ll tell you plainly: The playoffs feel like a completely different season. The pace slows, the scouting tightens, and every weakness gets exposed. What works over 82 games won’t necessarily translate in a seven-game series. The adjustment isn’t just physical; it’s mental. You have to think about the game at a higher level, possession by possession.
Lesson 2: Every Possession Feels Like an Eternity
“You feel every possession,” Stephen Curry has said, and that’s not exaggeration. In the playoffs, there’s no autopilot. Each trip down the floor carries consequences. Momentum swings harder, and mistakes linger longer. It’s not just about execution; it’s about endurance under pressure.
Lesson 3: Stay Aggressive—Don’t Let the Defense Dictate You
For Cade Cunningham, one early playoff lesson stood out: passivity is a trap. When defenses load up, show bodies, and force the ball out of your hands, the instinct can be to defer. But that often kills rhythm. The best players stay aggressive within the flow—probing, adjusting, and forcing the defense to react rather than dictate.
Lesson 4: Leadership Doesn’t Have to Be Loud
Jalen Brunson embodies a quieter kind of leadership. No theatrics, no unnecessary noise -- just consistency, poise, and trust. In playoff environments, where emotions can spike, that steadiness matters. Leadership isn’t always about speeches; sometimes it’s about showing up the same way every possession.
Lesson 5: Momentum Can Flip an Entire Series
Young teams often learn this the hard way. Chet Holmgren has described how quickly things can turn, from double-digit leads to sudden collapses. One run, one quarter, one missed opportunity can shift everything. The playoffs are less about controlling the entire game and more about surviving -- and capitalizing on -- those swings.
Lesson 6: Find Your Closing Move
Every great player needs a way to shut the door. For Curry, it became the now-iconic “night night” celebration, a symbol of finishing the job. But the gesture is just the surface. What matters is the mindset behind it: confidence built through repetition, ready to surface when the game is on the line.
Lesson 7: Spacing Wins Series
Big men like Amar'e Stoudemire have long understood a simple truth: if you’re getting doubled, you need shooters. Floor spacing forces defenses into impossible choices. Stay home on shooters, and stars can attack. Collapse the paint, and the perimeter becomes lethal.
Lesson 8: Experience and Size Still Matter
There’s a reason veteran teams tend to thrive deep into May and June. Legends like Hakeem Olajuwon have emphasized how size, chemistry, and experience can overwhelm younger squads. Talent alone isn’t enough; discipline, execution, and physicality separate contenders from hopefuls.
Lesson 9: The Stage Demands More
There’s nothing like playing under the lights at Madison Square Garden or in a hostile road arena. Former players like Mark Jackson recall those moments as defining, where nerves, energy, and expectation collide. The playoffs amplify everything, and not everyone rises to the occasion.
Lesson 10: Your Window Isn’t Guaranteed
Few moments capture the fragility of it all like Kevin Durant’s Achilles injury in the Finals. One instant can shift the trajectory of a career. The playoffs aren’t just about chasing a title; they’re about maximizing the opportunity in front of you, because nothing is promised beyond it.
Final Thoughts
The playoffs expose everything — your habits, your mindset, your weaknesses, your edge. They demand adaptation, resilience, and belief at the highest level. As players across generations echo in different ways, you can’t fully explain playoff basketball. You have to experience it.
LAKELAND, FL - FEBRUARY 22: Baltimore Orioles Outfielder Reed Trimble (62) at bat during the Spring Training Game between the Baltimore Orioles and the Detroit Tigers on February 22, 2026 at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium in Tampa, FL. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Triple-A: Nashville (Brewers) 5, Norfolk Tides 1
Sunday marked the Triple-A debut for Trace Bright, the fifth-round Auburn righty who has now spent parts of three years in Double-A. It went… fine. Bright lasted just 2⅔ innings, walking four and striking out four against just two hits, allowing two runs. Last month, Bright was named Eastern League Pitcher of the Week for a scoreless two-start stretch, but the walks look like a problem still be tackled.
The Tides’ lone run came via the bat of Johnathan Rodríguez, who launched a home run in the eighth inning. Drafted by Cleveland in 2017 and DFA’d in March, Rodríguez is a career .285 hitter in the minors (.852 OPS), but hasn’t had much success in 49 games at the MLB level.
The Baysox coughed up the winning run in the eighth inning, though the offensive contributions weren’t nothing. Frederick Bencosme, the Dominican-born infielder who signed for $10,000 back in 2020, went deep for his fourth homer of the season. Griff O’Ferrall doubled, Aron Estrada had two hits, and Alfredo Velásquez drove in two runs from the nine spot.
Evan Yates, a twentieth-rounder in 2024, gave up three runs but allowed just one walk while pitching into the sixth inning. Calgary native son Cohen Achen pitched 1.2 scoreless. Unfortunately, Jeisson Cabrera let in the tying run in the eighth, though he did strike out the side for good measure.
The headliner here was Carson Dorsey, the Florida State lefty taken in the 2024 draft who has had an up-and-down first full High-A season, with a 6.23 ERA in five appearances. Sunday was definitely an up: Dorsey came out of the bullpen and delivered six scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit and holding the Cyclones to two hits while striking out eight. That’s a dominant outing by any measure, and great news for an under-the-radar arm.
Nate George, the top prospect in the organization, drove in two runs. Elis Cuevas added a home run. Wehiwa Aloy singled and walked.
Single-A: Delmarva Shorebirds 10, Hill City (Guardians) 6
The runs were coming in bunches for the Shorebirds on Sunday. A rehabbing Reed Trimble, the 2021 competitive balance pick who’s battled injuries at virtually every level of the system, went deep. Trimble was one of three prospects the O’s protected from the Rule 5 draft last year, along with Cameron Foster and Anthony Nunez, both of whom have seen MLB action.
That wasn’t it on offense, though. The 20-year-old José Perez also went deep and added a triple on a day he racked up three hits, four RBIs, and 10 total bases. DJ Layton and Edwin Amparo had two hits apiece. Stiven Martinez hit a pinch-hit triple.
A pair of 2025 draft picks—Denton Biller and Dalton Neuschwander—weren’t brilliant, but they didn’t need to be. Each allowed three runs in two-plus innings, through the pair racked up eight strikeouts. Riley Cooper pitched a nice 1.2 innings, with three strikeouts. And Kenny Leiner threw a scoreless ninth.
ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA - MAY 3: Mark Vientos #27 of the New York Mets is congratulated in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 3, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Mark Vientos hit a pair of homers, Clay Holmes maintained his National League lead in ERA, and the Mets are a win away from having a winning streak. Neat!
The Phillies scored six times against Chris Paddack in the first inning Sunday afternoon and never looked back on their way to a 7-2 triumph over the Miami Marlins.
No matter how well José Caballero played in this first month of the season, he was running on borrowed time. The Yankees always intended for Anthony Volpe to slide back into the starting shortstop role when he recovered from a torn labrum that affected his play for much of the 2025 season, and they made that clear when they didn’t make a single infield addition in the offseason.
Right?
This is what everyone in Yankeeland assumed was going to happen, regardless of Caballero’s performance. The team had been vocal about their belief in Volpe as a key piece of the team’s future, consistently defending his performance through last season and into his offseason surgery. When he began a rehab assignment, it looked like his return was inevitable.
But the young shortstop reached the end of his 20-day rehab window yesterday, and the Yankees elected to option him to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The fact he entered the year with all three of his minor league options remaining makes it so that the team isn’t absorbing any risk if this is intended to just get him a week or two more of game action before returning, but there’s a sense that some of the trust has waned in the 25-year-old, and Caballero’s performance hasn’t helped Volpe’s case at all.
A month into the season, Caballero has performed admirably in his time as the team’s shortstop, contributing some clutch moments offensively with steady defense and aggressive baserunning. Entering play on Monday, he’s slashing .259/.306/.405 with a 99 wRC+ with four home runs, 12 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, and 0.8 fWAR. He paces the American League with 7 Defensive Runs Saved and has added value on the basepaths, even after getting thrown out four times in two games last week.
When comparing him directly to Volpe, even if you give Volpe’s 2025 defensive regression some grace due to his labrum injury, the decision makes plenty of sense; the last we saw of Volpe was of a floundering player, and Caballero is performing very well. But if we’re talking about optimizing the Yankees’ roster, the best move would still be to pencil in a healthy Volpe at shortstop and put Caballero back in a role where he’s excellent, as a super-utilityman.
While Caballero has looked better offensively in his brief Yankee tenure than Volpe has in his three-year career, a look under the hood reveals that we shouldn’t expect this much longer from Caballero. Even though faster players will generally run a better BABIP due to their speed (see: Chandler Simpson), Caballero is vastly overperforming his .267 xwOBA, which sits in the 8th percentile. He doesn’t hit the ball hard, has a minuscule walk rate, and his overall quality of contact is much closer to his mediocre 2024 season than his strong finish to 2025.
Compare that to what we saw out of Volpe in 2025, where the expected stats aren’t too much better (.301 xwOBA), but the quality of contact is closer to league average, and there’s more potential in his bat if he can somehow make more consistent contact. Despite his overall numbers being near-identical through three years in terms of wRC+ and OPS, his peripherals have improved, particularly in chase rate and bat speed.
Defensively, it makes sense to give pause to before handing one of the most important positions on the field back to someone who was awful there in 2025, but the Yankees believe that the labrum injury affected him far more than initially believed, causing him to overcompensate in some regards. You could accuse the Yankees of being optimistic there, but we have substantial two-year sample size of Volpe being a strong defender at the position when , combining to produce 21 DRS and 15 Outs Above Average in his first two seasons. Many of his errors last year came from off-line throws, something that could’ve been affected by the shoulder injury.
But the biggest reason to move forward with the team’s initial plans for this season is to optimize the 26-man roster in the absolute best fashion possible. The Yankees’ bench, as currently constructed, isn’t very flexible with the specific roles that Amed Rosario, Paul Goldschmidt, and JC Escarra play. While Rosario can play other positions than third base, it’s not a serious consideration most days.
As of right now, Max Schuemann is the most flexible player on the bench. Schuemann nominally provides versatility, with the ability to play second and third, not to mention his limited experience at short and in the outfield, but the team tellingly hasn’t really opted to use that versatility in the week he’s been on the roster. The role Schuemann fills at this moment can use an upgrade.
Caballero’s defensive prowess gives him a high enough floor that he isn’t a bottom-of-the-barrel shortstop in the league when his bat falls back to earth, but there might not be a better bench player in all of MLB if he’s put back in that role. He’s able to play five different positions at a solid level, having already shown his aptitude at shortstop while also being able to play second base, third base, left field, and right field.
Not only is he a capable defensive replacement at many different positions, but he also exists as a viable pinch-hitting and platoon candidate at these positions. Is there a tough lefty that you might not want to play Trent Grisham or Jazz Chisholm Jr. against? Caballero’s OPS against left-handers is .800 over the last two seasons, with an xwOBA of .320.
His best attribute of all, though, is his speed, which could now be deployed in the biggest spots of the game. To start the season, the Yankees were reduced to using Randal Grichuk as their best pinch-running option, and even though the recent moves have had either Schuemann or even Jasson Domínguez in that role depending on the day, Caballero as the team’s top pinch-runner would be tremendously more valuable once Giancarlo Stanton returns from injury.
When you factor all that in, Caballero provides much more to the bench than Schuemann can, and that’s only possible when sliding Volpe back into shortstop. Think of it this way; shifting from Caballero to Volpe, if the latter is healthy, shouldn’t be too big of a dropoff, while Caballero provides a massive upgrade on whomever he’s replacing on the bench. And of course, Caballero would likely prove to be a bench player only in name, coming in as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement, or starting against lefties so often that he’d find himself on the field more often than not even if he isn’t the everyday shortstop.
None of this matters if there are legitimate baseball reasons why the Yankees do not want to activate Volpe, but if this is merely just to get him more at-bats in the minor leagues and he’s only a week or two away from donning the pinstripes again, he should reclaim his old job. The Volpe we saw in 2023 and 2024was flawed, but that version of Volpe would still make the Yankees roster better right now.
A thorough smackdown of the IronPigs in Syracuse last night. Nick Morabito raised his OPS to .852, while Cristian Pache went deep for the third time this year and now has an .856 OPS himself. The rehabbing A.J. Minter tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout, and even Dylan Ross had a clean inning himself. Good game all around.
In the resumption of yesterday’s suspended game, Binghamton tried to rally late but ultimately fell short. Down 4-1 in the ninth, RBIs from Jose Ramos and Nick Lorusso cut the deficit to one. TT Bowens lined out to end the game though. Close, but no cigar.
A really nice start from Zach Thornton got the Rumble Ponies through in their regularly scheduled Sunday game. Seven strikeouts and no runs in four innings, supported by a good day at the plate for JT Schwartz, was all Binghamton needed.
St. Lucie got caught stealing three times, made three errors, and won anyway. The Mets were actually down 6-2 in this one, but rallied back. Three scored in the sixth on singles from JT Benson and Chase Meggers as well as a successful steal of home (the rare time the “steal second with a runner on third so he can score” play works). Now down one, St. Lucie scored two more times in the eighth on doubles from Randy Guzman and Julio Zavas to take a one-run lead that Christian Rodriguez made stand up.
Victor Wembanyama suffered a concussion during his team’s first round series. Photograph: Eric Gay/AP
Should we just cancel the rest of the NBA playoffs and declare injuries the winner? They’ve already dominated this postseason far more than one team possibly could. The Oklahoma City Thunder are playing without their second-best player, Jalen Williams, after what feels like his 10th hamstring injury. In the series against the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Donte DiVincenzo tore his achilles, and Anthony Edwards gruesomely hyperextended his knee. Wolves backup Ayo Dosunmu put up a heroic 43 points in Game 4, then returned to the bench two games later to nurse an injured calf. The Nuggets lost Aaron Gordon to calf tightness midway through the series and played entirely without Peyton Watson, who was sidelined by a hamstring strain.
Jayson Tatum’s record-quick comeback from an achilles tear was the feelgood story of the season, at least until he hurt his leg, which ruled him out of a vital Game 7 that his Boston Celtics lost to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Los Angeles Lakers’ starting rotation lacks Luka Dončić until further notice and played four of six games against the Houston Rockets without another of their stars, Austin Reaves. The Rockets’ Kevin Durant played 78 of 82 regular season games, then missed every game of the Lakers series but one thanks to a bad knee and a bone bruise in his ankle. We of course had to save the most ridiculous injury for last: Victor Wembanyama was knocked out by the court itself after tripping on a drive and whacking his jaw on the hardwood. (He missed all of one game and wishes he could have missed zero.) Perhaps it was an omen.
This is how the NBA is now. Ten hyper-athletic men powered by modern training regimens share a 94-by-50-foot rectangle, sprinting back and forth and leaping into the air and often crashing into each other as they do. An unconscionably long 82-game regular season sands down the players’ durability. Mix in the extra dose of vigor and roughness that comes with the heightened stakes of the playoffs, and bodies break down. Injuries that affect the outcome of games and series, that make you want to turn off the TV, are a constant risk.
This isn’t to say that this postseason has lacked drama or dopamine. Among the relatively uninjured, somehow, is none other than 41-year-old LeBron James, who continues to find escape routes from the bounds of time. The Sixers pulled off a miraculous comeback from 3-1 down to eliminate the Celtics, the Pistons did the same against the Magic. The Toronto Raptors’ RJ Barrett hit a game-winning three-pointer that kicked high, high off the back of the rim and through the hoop. (I immediately thought of Tyrese Haliburton’s shot against the Knicks last year, the most indelible memory from one of the best runs of clutch plays in history – before Haliburton tore his achilles in the next series.) The shorthanded Wolves banded together to topple the Nuggets; I wanted their scrappy crew to win so badly that it hurt a little bit. But all this brilliance can’t be worth the trail of broken bodies left in the wake. These playoffs feel like a stay-healthy contest rather than a way to determine the best team in the league, which hurts the viewing experience. Far worse is the intensifying feeling that professional basketball itself is incompatible with health.
There are sports, like boxing, in which physical damage is inextricable from the appeal. Basketball is different, or should be. The attraction is in the manipulation of space required to splash a three-pointer, in the precision and explosiveness that goes into a chase-down block. One player bodying another via dunk or block is satisfying, but we don’t want the other player to be hurt. Moses Moody caving his knee in while jumping for a dunk is not supposed to be part of the experience, nor is the epidemic of achilles and calf injuries. Fans should not be wincing every time their favorite player clatters to the ground and is slow to get up, which seems to happen a dozen times per game. No superstar escaped this season unscathed: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had the luxury of not playing many fourth quarters thanks to his team usually putting the game away by then, but still missed time in February because of an abdominal strain. Nikola Jokić hyperextended his knee, after which his searing form from early in the season failed to fully return. Cade Cunningham suffered a collapsed lung in March. Dončić’s hamstring betrayed him in the middle of one of the hottest runs of form of his career. The latter two MVP candidates had to seek exemptions for the league’s 65-game rule to be considered for the honor.
That we’re only one round into the playoffs feels impossible. After his team finished off the Nuggets, Wolves coach Chris Finch looked tired rather than triumphant: the younger, healthier San Antonio Spurs were already waiting in the conference semi-finals.
“Before the series started, I figured the real winner of this series was going to be San Antonio, because both these teams were going to take a lot of pieces out of each other, and they did,” Finch said. “So I’m not sure what we have left standing before we go down there.” It’s easy to envision the Spurs essentially winning by TKO over what remains of the Wolves, or the Thunder forcing James into debilitating exhaustion midway through their series.
There’s a lot to be excited about for the rest of the playoffs, a likely Spurs-Thunder showdown in the Western Conference finals at the top of the list. Still, it’s hard to be too jazzed when more injuries are almost certain to join the pile. Last year’s NBA finals, brilliant through six games, will always be blemished by Haliburton’s achilles tear early in Game 7. In the 2024 finals, Dončić, the best player on the floor, was clearly carrying an injury. We can hope that injuries won’t insert themselves into this year’s finals, but recent history suggests mercy is unlikely.
Practically everybody agrees that the season needs to shorten, perhaps by a lot. Maybe the games do, too. Reverting first-round playoff series to best-of-five, as was the case before 2003, could keep players healthy a little bit longer. Maybe a seven-game series is too much punishment on a human body under any circumstances. For as long as the NBA resists change, its players will pay the price.
After the Lakers mercifully ended the Rockets’ bizarre, injury-marred season on Friday, the agony of defeat appeared tempered by exhaustion. The camaraderie between the players was also striking. Durant, who has had a tough season, hugged James tightly. He giggled with Dončić on the sidelines. Fred VanVleet, the Rockets’ vital point guard who sat out the whole season with a torn ACL, mingled with the players. It looked like everybody had finally been relieved of the burden of the game: the faces atop those beaten bodies, at last, smiling.
Inter’s manager was not first choice to replace Simeone Inzaghi but has created a juggernaut that could not be stopped
It all felt inevitable, by the end, Internazionale becoming champions of Italy for the 21st time with a win over Parma they did not even need. A draw would have sufficed: in this game, or the next one, or either of the two after that. Their rivals for the Scudetto yielded one-by-one through the spring and then, finally, all at once. None of Napoli, Milan or Juventus won this weekend, not that it would have mattered any more if they had.
Inter were 10 points clear at the start of this round and 12 by its conclusion, the best team in Serie A by a mile. They have scored 82 goals in a league where no other team has yet made it to 60. Defensively, only Como can equal their 17 clean sheets.
DETROIT, MI - MAY 03: Texas Rangers Jack Leiter (22) pitches in the first inning during the game between Texas Rangers and Detroit Tigers on May 3, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tigers 7, Rangers 1
Detroit. Dee-Troit. D Troit.
The Tigers.
They won.
Jack Leiter gave up 5 runs in 6.2 innings, which sounds bad.
Which is bad, really.
But he did pitch better than the line would indicate, to use that old cliche.
Leiter allowed a total of six baserunners in the game. The problem is that five of them scored.
Leiter walked just one batter — Riley Greene, to lead off the fifth. It was the first baserunner he allowed all game.
The next batter, Spencer Torkelson, put an 0-2 hanging slider into the bleachers, and that, for all intents and purposes, was that.
The Torkelson homer was the only ball in play over 100 mph that Leiter gave up in the game. Or any other Ranger pitcher, for that matter.
In the sixth, Jake Rogers led off the inning with a ball to the outfield that should have been a single. Evan Carter tried to make a diving catch on it, however, and it got past him for a triple. Kevin McGonigle then hit a flare that fell in for a single to drive in the third run off of Leiter.
Leiter had Kerry Carpenter on second with two outs in the seventh and got a ground ball from Hao-Yu Lee that snuck through the infield for an RBI hit. Leiter was then lifted for Tyler Alexander, who allowed a pair of singles and a double before the inning ended.
So that was the five runs off of Leiter.
He was still really good, though. 10 Ks on the game. 73 strikes on 100 pitches, including 16 swings and misses.
If Leiter pitches like that regularly the Rangers will be in good shape.
Gavin Collyer pitched the eighth and once again didn’t allow any runs. That’s nine games, and 7.1 innings, in Collyer’s major league career without a run being scored.
The bats, meanwhile, were not good, despite the Tigers rolling with a bullpen game.
The only run came off former Ranger Ricky Vanasco in the seventh, when an Ezequiel Duran double, a Josh Smith walk, a wild pitch, and a Kyle Higashioka ground out cut the lead to 3-1.
Duran’s double was the only extra base hit the Rangers were able to muster.
The team was 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Both the hitlessness and only having five at bats with runners in scoring position are problems.
Josh Smith was 2 for 3 with a walk, at least. That’s the offensive highlight for the Rangers.
Jack Leiter topped out at 99.4 mph with his fastball, averaging 97.5 mph. Tyler Alexander touched 91.3 mph with his sinker. Gavin Collyer’s fastball maxed out at 97.9 mph.
Jake Burger had a 108.7 mph ground out and a 101.9 mph fly out. Kyle Higashioka had a 105.9 mph ground out. Corey Seager had a 103.9 mph single. Andrew McCutchen had a 103.2 mph single. Ezequiel Duran had a 103.2 mph ground out. Brandon Nimmo had a 101.7 mph single. Josh Smith had a 101.6 mph single.
On to New York to play the Yankees. Things will maybe be better there.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - MARCH 16: Brusdar Graterol #48 of the Los Angeles Dodgers stands on the field prior to a Spring Training game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Camelback Ranch on March 16, 2026 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday night, and pitched a scoreless inning in his first game action in over 18 months. Graterol, who missed all of 2025 after right shoulder surgery and was slow-played this spring, will have a long rehab assignment before he joins the Dodgers, manager Dave Roberts told reporters in St. Louis on Saturday.
“He hasn’t pitched a whole lot in the last two, three years. So his buildup needs to be methodical,” Roberts said. “I’m looking forward to him getting going.
“Yeah, it seems like the last few years it’s been a rehab situation. So for him to get out of that mode and get to being a regular player, get the health (issues) behind him – we’re all looking forward to that.”
“He would come around the team, and the Frates family is just a really special family,” Sheehan said. “They have the Frates Foundation, which supports ALS research. It was a really cool cause, and I didn’t know much about it before Boston College, but I was grateful that I got to learn about it and keep it going.”
Links
I’ve referenced this article in a few weekend minor league reports, but last week Kiley McDaniel at ESPN updated his top 10 prospects for all 30 MLB teams. On the Dodgers list, Zyhir Hope moved up to second place and shortstop Emil Morales is now fourth in the system. Also from McDaniel: “Jackson Ferris and Adam Serwinowski, lefties who just missed this list, are next to be added to the 40-man after the season; Serwinowski’s stuff fits better in shorter stints.”
