Nobody who watched the first week of Rece Hinds’ MLB career will ever forget it. Most everybody who watched it will use it as a measuring stick for the debut of any other player, so rife was it with gargantuan homers and pinpoint precision with his powerful swing.
If only things had managed to keep even a sliver of that pace.
The Cincinnati Reds designated Hinds for assignment on Sunday morning as part of a larger series of short-term focused roster moves. They needed a 40-man roster spot for a catcher since they needed to place Jose Trevino back on the 10-day IL, and it was Hinds’ spot that, for whatever reason, was up.
Cincinnati also shuttled Luis Mey back to AAA after his rough outing last night, recalling a fresher Jose Franco to help add to the bullpen depth for the time being.
The story here, though, is with Hinds. Even as recently as spring training, manager Terry Francona spoke about how Hinds had done everything he needed to do to make the team only to lose out on a numbers game. Then, when Noelvi Marte ran into a serious slump to begin the 2026 season at the big league level, it was Hinds – not JJ Bleday – who was turned to, and he got a multi-week run in the outfield almost every day to show whether or not he’d made significant enough improvement at the AAA level to warrant a full-time role in the big leagues.
He went 4 for 33 with a lone walk and 18 strikeouts, with nary a homer to his name.
There is huge swing and miss with Hinds, that’s undeniable. The former 2nd round pick is still just 25 years old, though, and the rest of the tools in his arsenal are pretty dang impressive, and there will undoubtedly be another team out there willing to take a flier on him to see if they, unlike the Reds, can unlock the rest that’s there.
If anything, this also rings as an endorsement of who else the Reds have in their current outfield mix. Bleday has obviously hit the ground running, and the presence of Blake Dunn, Hector Rodriguez, and Marte has obviously given the Reds the impression that they’ve got a baked-in hierarchy at the position that no longer needs Hinds, should he be claimed on waivers.
There’s no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens would have liked to clinch the win in their second-round series against the Buffalo Sabres last night at the Bell Centre, but the visitors had other plans. Despite the disappointing result and humiliating scoreline, there was no panic in the Habs dressing room after the game.
Of course, the atmosphere wasn’t the same as it would have been if things had gone according to plan, but none of the players interviewed looked like they had lost all hope. Sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson conveyed how the team chose to attack the prospect of a Game 7 on Monday night:
There’s no panic or anything, I think we’re all excited. It’s just more hockey for us. We don’t want it easy; we like the challenge, and they brought their best. We’ve got to answer the bell.
As for the Canadiens’ coach, Martin St-Louis, he looked confident at the prospect of playing a do-or-die game in Buffalo on Monday night:
I feel like we’ve been good at bouncing forward, and that’s what we intend to do. It wasn’t our best tonight. […] We’re going to reset, go on the road and try to put our best foot forward.
As philosophical as ever, the bench boss explained:
We didn’t have much calm, much poise. You have to live through those moments to learn. Those are stressful moments for the players; they want the result, and it’s noisy and chaotic. Tonight, we couldn’t see things clearly through that chaos. We’re better than this; it just wasn’t a good game for us. […] We’re gaining experience, that’s for sure. That’s how you grow, through those experiences.
Meanwhile, captain Nick Suzuki said his side would have to rely on the experience they gained through Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and that they could let this 8-3 loss be their last game of the season on home ice.
Hopefully, the Canadiens will have learned through their experience in Tampa that you have to take more than nine shots on goal to win, normally. It’s hard to think they will go through if they deliver the same kind of performance on Monday as they did two weeks ago in Florida.
However, they can take a lot away from the way they played throughout the first round against the Bolts. Contrary to the first few games against the Sabres, there was a lot less space on the ice for the Canadiens’ forwards. Lindy Ruff’s side applied consistent forecheck on the puck carrier, not unlike what Tampa did. That's something they'll need to adjust to if they want a better result on Monday.
Oct 22, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Adam Macko plays for the Peoria Javelinas during an Arizona Fall League baseball game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Yeah, this is the way this season is going.
Tommy Nance has been put on the IL with forearm discomfort. Well, they said ‘right forearm discomfort’….but I figured you guys knew which arm it would be. Nance has pitched in 19 games, 20 innings, 16 hits, 1 home run, 8 walks, 24 strikeouts with a 4.05 ERA. He pitched three of four games from May 9 for May 12, but hasn’t pitched since then.
Adam Macko has been called up from Buffalo. He relieved in 13 games, 18 innings, allowing 13 hits, 3 home run, 8 walks and 19 strikeouts with a 4.50 ERA. He also pitched for Team Canada in the WBC.
Macko was #7 on our prospect list this year. Tom M wrote:
Every year there’s a guy I don’t think I’m going to have all that high in my rankings who, once I sit down and put together the probabilities that we use to underpin the expected value scores, just has to be up there. This year it’s Macko. He didn’t perform great in Buffalo’s rotation last season, but he held batters to a 73% contact rate overall and just under 82% inside the zone, both of which are solidly above average and represent steps forward over his superficially more impressive 2024.
Macko grew up in Slovakia, a noted baseball hotbed, and learned to pitch from watching YouTube. He moved to Canada and was drafted by the Mariners in the 7th round of the 2019 draft out of the noted baseball hotbed (but mostly not sarcastic this time) of Vauxhall High School in Alberta. He worked his way up to A+ in the Seattle organization before coming to Toronto in the Teoscar Hernandez deal. From there he’s gone one level at a time, establishing himself in Buffalo in 2025. He’s been maddeningly inconsistent, dealing with both actual injuries and fluctuations in his stuff and command. On the right day, he’ll spot 94-96 with a crisp slider and promising change, while on the wrong day he’ll be missing the zone entirely and sitting 91 with shaky secondaries. Things seemed to click a bit in the second half last year after a demotion to a long relief role. He sat closer to the top of his velocity range in three inning appearances and allowed just a 64% contact rate, generating 29 Ks and 61 swinging strikes in 26.0 innings while keeping his walks (6) under control.
I think that’s Macko’s most likely role going forward: a high quality multi-inning reliever who can make the occasional 5 and dive spot start. If that brings out the good version of him, the one with three 55 grade pitches that he can locate, more often, he could be an actual weapon on a good team. There’s still some hope that he finds a way to harness that quality in the rotation, in which case there could be a #3 starter in there, but that would take achieving a consistency that we haven’t yet seen from him.
When he makes it into a game, it will be his first major league appearance.
Congratulations Adam. Heal up quick Tommy (I have a friend that calls me Tommy, and I’m never sure how to react really, cause I don’t think that’s my name. But, we named my middle boy Thomas (my father, and his father, and his father were all Toms) and he decided, very young, that he was Tommy and he’s continued that way into adulthood and it suits him).
Today’s lineup. There are some changes. Pinango leads off, with Vlad second (DHing) and no Springer.
May 16, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Corbin Carroll (7) reacts after striking out with two on base in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
At 11.3 kg of chocolate consumed each year, Germans eat twice the amount of chocolate that Americans do.
Croissants are not French.
You might associate croissants with French lifestyle, but the croissant is actually from Vienna. In the 13th century, it was known as a kipferl, a denser bread made in the distinct crescent shape.
Silent Hill is based on a real place.
If you’re looking for nightmare fuel: The eerie psychological horror game is actually based on a real place. If you’re a brave soul, you might want to visit the abandoned town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Travelers who have visited confirmed the Silent Hill-esque unsettling feel.
BINGHAMTON, NY - JUNE 25: Brian Metoyer #28 of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies pitching during the game between the Portland Sea Dogs and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies at Mirabito Stadium on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 in Binghamton, New York. (Photo by Kylie Richelle/Minor League Baseball via Getty Images)
This isn’t the dead cat bounce of a new coach. They smashed Hawthorn in every facet of the game to show they are a serious AFL team
“Do you know what you need in a new coach?” interim president Brad Green was asked at the press conference announcing Simon Goodwin’s sacking last year.
NEW YORK - CIRCA 1976: Lou Piniella #14 and Carlos May #38 of the New York Yankees poses together for this photo prior to the start of a Major League Baseball game circa 1976 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. Piniella played for the Yankees from 1974-84. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
In August of 1969, Carlos May found himself laying in a hospital bed. Just weeks removed from appearing in his first All-Star Game, the burly outfielder was, by his own admission, feeling sorry for himself. That’s because he’d suffered a freak accident during a gunnery exercise while fulfilling his service obligations with the U.S. Marine Reserves, losing part of his right thumb. At the age of 21, it looked like the promising future for which he’d worked so hard might be over as soon as it began. Instead, played 10 years in the majors — a more than commendable career.
Carlos May Born: May 17, 1948 (Birmingham, AL) Yankees Tenure: 1976-77
May grew up in Birmingham in the shadow of his older brother, Lee. Lee May was a three-sport athlete at Parker High School before embarking on an 18-year MLB career, earning the nickname “Big Bopper” while swatting 354 home runs. Carlos followed in his footsteps, playing baseball, basketball, and football at Parker High. Despite receiving a scholarship offer to play running back and punt at Southern University, May opted for baseball. “I saw the size of some of those guys, 270-280 pounds, and thought baseball would be a lot healthier for me,” he would later say of the fortuitous decision.
In 1966, the year after Lee made his debut with the Reds, the White Sox took Carlos in the first round of the MLB Draft. While he didn’t have the prodigious power of his big brother, who stood four inches taller, May showcased an impressive hit tool, batting .333 in 604 Single-A at-bats between the 1967 and ‘68 seasons. That was enough to earn him a September call-up in ‘68. He’d never see the minors again.
In just his age-21 season, May emerged as an offensive force in 1969, slashing .281/.385/.488 in 367 at-bats. He made his first All-Star game that season as the lone representative of an eventual 94-loss Chicago squad. The showcase allowed the Mays to make history as the first brothers to oppose each other in a Midsummer Classic, with Lee representing the Reds in the NL.
Carlos got one at-bat in the game and was faced with the dubious obstacle of opposing Hall of Fame knuckleballer Phil Niekro. Unsurprisingly, he struck out to end the game. “Lee was at first base and he had his glove over his mouth,” Carlos later said. “He was laughing so hard at me. I’d never seen a knuckleball before; I didn’t know how to hit the thing!”
That moment of levity would stand in stark contrast to the months ahead. After the injury that cost him part of his right thumb, May spent months in and out of hospitals, leveraging everything from massage therapy to skin grafts to toughen up the skin around his wounded hand. He maintained a remarkable sense of perspective throughout the crisis.
“When I first went to the hospital, I felt sorry for myself,” said May. “Then I looked around. I saw guys with no eyes, guys with no legs, guys with half a head, guys who couldn’t talk, walk, hear, guys with no mind or half a mind. I began to think, ‘What am I griping about?’”
After making a few adjustments — including the use of a custom batting glove designed by Wilson Sporting Goods — May was ready to return for the 1970 season. The rapid recovery was not lost on his teammates. “Carlos really showed me something,” said Tommy McCraw, a first baseman and outfielder on the ’69 and ‘70 White Sox. “He’s got great courage. If he didn’t have real guts, he’d be back in Chicago, not out here trying to play ball. I know he has pain every time he throws, but he keeps throwing anyway.”
While May never again slugged as much as he had in his rookie season — a campaign in which he hit 18 home runs in 100 games and finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting — his hitting ability and plate discipline kept him performing at a high level for the next three seasons. May had a career year in 1972, making his second All-Star team while slashing .308/.405/.438. He began to fall off in the years after that showing, as leg injuries had further sapped his power and made him a liability in the outfield.
On May 18, 1976, the day after his 28th birthday, the White Sox traded their homegrown star to the Yankees for pitcher Ken Brett and outfielder Rich Coggins. The lefty had gotten off to a brutal start, slugging just .206, but found new life in pinstripes, serving almost exclusively as a DH, where he split time with the right-handed Lou Piniella. In 87 games, May hit .278 and got on base at a .358 clip, an encouraging return to form.
May showed out in the first playoff game of his career. In Game 2 of the ALCS, the DH went 2-for-5 against Royals pitching. Unfortunately, he’d go 0-for-14 the rest of the way, unable to contribute as the Yankees got swept by the Reds in the World Series.
May got off to another slow start in ‘77, posting a .601 OPS in 65 games before getting moved to the Angels. After appearing in just 11 games there, it looked like a 10-year career that had yielded two All-Star berths and a .274 batting average had run its course. Indeed, at the age of 29, May had played his last game in the MLB. But, after being recruited to play for the Nankai Hawks of the NPB, he had a second act in Japan. In four seasons with the Hawks, May slashed .309/.390/.506 and hit 70 homers, showcasing more power than he had in the States and ending his playing career on a high note.
After hanging up his spikes, May transitioned to a career with the U.S. Postal Service and has remained involved with the White Sox in their Community Relations Department. “I came to Chicago in 1968 and haven’t left,” May said of his adopted city. “They have the greatest fans in baseball. I played with the Yankees and the Angels, but the White Sox are me. I am a Sox die-hard fan. It hurts me when they don’t do well.”
While his stint in New York was brief, May was part of a pivotal team in Yankees history, one that ended a 12-year playoff drought and set the stage for championships in 1977 and ‘78. Please join us in wishing a happy 78th birthday to Carlos May.
See more of the “Yankees Birthday of the Day” series here.
Cubs vs White Sox Over/Under pick: Over 8.5 (-115)
Fedde has benefited from a very soft schedule to date. He has only faced one team that ranks Top-10 in OBP, and he lasted just 14 outs while conceding three earned runs.
The Cubs rank Top-10 in almost every offensive category and should cause real problems for Fedde.
Run line: Cubs -1.5 (+125) | White Sox +1.5 (-145)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-115) | Under 8.5 (-105)
Cubs vs White Sox trend
The Cubs have hit the moneyline in 22 of their last 30 games (+14.65 units, 38% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. White Sox.
How to watch Cubs vs White Sox and game info
Location
Rate Field, Chicago, IL
Date
Sunday, May 17, 2026
First pitch
2:10 p.m. ET
TV
Marquee, CHSN
Cubs starting pitcher
Colin Rea (4-2, 4.68 ERA)
White Sox starting pitcher
Erick Fedde (0-4, 3.77 ERA)
Cubs vs White Sox latest injuries
Cubs vs White Sox weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
For just the third time this season, the Yankees are an underdog. Despite having a record eight and a half games better than the Mets, the Yankees have earned it after losing six of the last eight games.
A loss Sunday will mean the Bronx Bombers have lost their last three series, topping their season total entering this stretch.
The Mets have won four of five and have a lopsided advantage in the starting pitching matchup. My Yankees vs. Mets predictions and MLB picks have the Mets getting the win on May 17.
Who will win Yankees vs Mets today: Mets moneyline (-108)
The New York Mets seek their fourth series win in the last five.They’re allowing 3.1 runs a game over that stretch, down from 4.2and scoring nearly a run more. The New York Yankees hit below .200 over the last week with an ERA nearly half a run over their season average.
The Yankees shuffled their rotation, pushing Ryan Weathers to Monday and starting rookie Elmer Rodriguez, still in search of his first MLB win.
He’s walking nearly a batter an inning, trouble against a Juan Soto-led patient Mets lineup. The Mets counter with All-Star Freddy Peralta, who has a 3.10 ERA.
COVERS INTEL:Peralta is avoiding solid contact this season. His barrel rate allowed is less than half of last year’s and in MLB’s top 17%. His exit velocity allowed is in MLB’s top quartile and his best in four years.
Yankees vs Mets Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (+100)
The Mets offense still ranks at the bottom of MLB in OPS and OPS+ and third from the bottom in runs scored, but they’ve picked up the pace.The Mets have boosted their scoring by 0.7 runs a game in the last two weeks (from 3.7 to 4.4)and have scored five or more three times in the last five games.
The Yankees are the mirror image. They still lead the AL in scoring but have managed three runs or fewer in seven of the last 10. And the Bronx Bombers’ pitching hasn’t been good enough to gut out those low-scoring games.
The Yankees haven’t won a game scoring less than four runs since April 28. They’ve lost their last seven such games and are 3-12 in them on the year.
Shawn Krest's 2026 Transparency Record
ML/RL bets: 12-18 -5.26 units
Over/Under bets: 18-16 +0.49 units
Yankees vs Mets odds
Moneyline: Yankees +104 | Mets -108
Run line: Yankees -1.5 (+163) | Mets +1.5 (-170)
Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-113) | Under 8.5 (+108)
Yankees vs Mets trend
The New York Yankees have hit the Game Total Under in 14 of their last 22 away games (+6.15 Units / 25% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Mets.
How to watch Yankees vs Mets and game info
Location
Citi Field, Flushing, NY
Date
Sunday, May 17, 2026
First pitch
1:40 p.m. ET
TV
YES, SNY
Yankees starting pitcher
Ryan Weathers (2-2, 3.00 ERA)
Mets starting pitcher
Freddy Peralta (3-3, 3.10 ERA)
Yankees vs Mets latest injuries
Yankees vs Mets weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
There are a number of changes to the Braves’ lineup as they face their first right-handed pitcher of the Red Sox series in Sunday’s finale.
Most notably, the Braves are giving their top two shortstop options in Mauricio Dubon and Ha-Seong Kim the day off, starting Jorge Mateo at short and seventh in the lineup.
Dubon has started 43 of the team’s first 46 games at a variety of positions, becoming a regular outfielder with Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. battling injuries early this season. Kim returned Tuesday from the finger injury which forced him to start the season on the injured list, but is 1-for-17 (.059) in his first five games of the season.
It bears mentioning given how liberally Walt Weiss has used his bench that it’s entirely possible one or both is utilized in a key at-bat or as a defensive replacement on Sunday.
Additionally, Dominic Smith is the designated hitter and hitting sixth, Mike Yastrzemski (who has five RBIs this week after he had six in his first 38 games) is in right field and hitting eighth. Jose Azocar moves to left field to replace Dubon and will hit ninth after his two-double performance in Saturday’s 3-2 loss.
No Braves hitter has faced Red Sox starter Brayan Bello (2-4, 6.46 ERA) more than nine times. Austin Riley has faced him the most and is 5-for-9 (.556) against him with an RBI. Drake Baldwin (2-for-3) and Dubon (3-for-5, three doubles) have also had success against Bello in limited sample sizes. Ozzie Albies is just 1-for-7 (.143) against Bello but has the Braves’ only homer and four RBIs.
Overall, Braves hitters are 18-for-58 (.310) against Bello with six doubles, seven RBIs and 11 strikeouts against four walks.
The Red Sox are running back a similar lineup for Sunday’s series finale. Mickey Gasper is DHing once more after doing so Friday but still hitting second, with Carlos Narvaez replacing him behind the plate and hitting eighth. Nick Sogard also replaces Caleb Durbin at third base, keeping his ninth spot in the Boston lineup.
No Red Sox hitter has faced Braves starter Grant Holmes (2-1, 4.35 ERA) more than six times. Jarren Duran is 1-for-6 (.167) but has the team’s lone homer off the righty. Saturday’s hero Willson Contreras is the only Boston hitter with multiple hits off Holmes (2-for-5).
Overall, members of the Red Sox lineup are a combined 4-for-29 (.138) against Holmes with three RBIs, 10 strikeouts and three walks.
TORONTO, CANADA - JANUARY 28: Jalen Brunson #11 and the New York Knicks huddle before the game against the Toronto Raptors on January 28, 2026 at the Scotiabank Arena 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Nothing better than a Game 7, amirite?
Actually, there’s something even better about today’s matchup, as the Knicks aren’t involved and will be just enjoying the bloodbath from afar!
Here’s the latest from Tarrytown as New York patiently waits to know its ECF foe.
On supporting Mikal Bridges amid benching questions:
“I was just telling the truth. He can play, he’s been in this situation before, we’ve had success with him. So I was just basically answering the questions regarding him. He’s earned the right to be there. He’s earned the right to do a lot of different things. And I was just reiterating it. He’s definitely an important piece of what we’re trying to do.”
On adapting offensive schemes during the playoffs:
“It’s a little complicated from the standpoint that we came in with what we wanted to do offensively. Then we had to scale it to a certain degree because it didn’t fit everybody. Then you fast-forward to the playoffs and you bring some of it back and you bring some new. We are not just adding stuff we did in the preseason. We added some new stuff that is similar to what we are doing, but it fits better with the personnel. Usually if you have a veteran team, especially at this time of year, they lock in a little bit better.
“The moral of the story is it’s the playoffs. So guys do things come playoff time, especially if they are veterans, that they may not do in the regular season or they may take for granted during the regular season. Maybe a little bit of that is mixed in. I don’t know. Maybe our group is locked in. They’ve been open all year to a lot of different things I’ve thrown at them. They are grasping or holding on to this tight, which has given us a chance to have some success.”
On his revelation about pairing Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson:
“I came to a little bit of a revelation with those guys. We feel it’s a little easier to play with them — not just defensively, but offensively, too.”
On how the playoffs force adjustments in real time:
“The playoffs — they make you think and adjust, and they make you do it in real-time because if you don’t, your season can end. You have some time in-between to mess around with things.”
On the importance of point-of-attack defense and team coverages:
“We have to make sure that at the point of attack, there’s ball pressure with a little bit of physicality, but without fouling, without sending a guy to the free-throw line. And then knowing it’s not just the guy that’s at the point of attack, but it’s all five guys guarding the basketball. And whenever the ball moves, all five guys have to move with it. And then lastly, mixing up your coverages but being able to understand the different coverages and being able to go back and forth between them pretty seamlessly.”
On uncertainty about whether the nine-day break is an advantage:
“I’ve been in both situations, playing while a team’s waiting and I’ve been waiting while a team’s playing. You can say a lot theoretically. You can say they’re going to be tired, but you can also say they have a competitive edge because they’ve been going at it for seven games and we’ve been off. You keep trying to do different things during the course of the downtime to keep them sharp, keep them focused and try to keep their competitive edge up as much as you can.”
On recalling LeBron James taking over during the 2009 playoffs:
“I was like, ‘There’s no way in hell I’m going in that huddle to tell him anything right now the way he’s cooking, I’m just gonna let him cook. I’m not saying anything to him.’ And he went out there and he just — he was amazing. That was the best seat in the house to watch.”
On building chemistry with Mitchell Robinson in the frontcourt:
“I think it’s been great to have more time with [Robinson] and to be able to understand ways to help him succeed on the court. That comes with just chemistry, time on the court, playing with each other. Throughout the year we’ve had those moments, and in the last year where we were able to build that chemistry — and it’s paid dividends when we were on the court together this playoffs. So it’s great where you could see that improvement actually happening and see the fruits of our labor.”
On not carrying over regular-season success into the postseason mindset:
“I’m super honored to say this is my third straight consecutive conference finals but in the last two conference finals, it’s been teams we’ve had a lot of success against in the regular season and found ourselves losing in the conference finals. You cannot see anything as an opportunity — ‘Oh, well the regular season said we had success, so it should translate in the postseason.’ It doesn’t work like that.”
On the value of strong perimeter defense for the bigs:
“Point of attack is important, it’s the most important thing. To have our wings and our guards playing defense at the perimeter at a high level, it makes my job easier but also makes our team better. Shout-out to them.”
On his recovery and readiness for the Eastern Conference finals:
“Getting better each day. Feel good today.”
On the current hamstring strain compared to his 2025 injury:
“It was weird. I stepped, I felt something a little bit. Tried to dunk… It wasn’t like the previous ones, for sure. So it was better than before. I never think about the past. Just dealing with it in the moment. It didn’t feel as bad as it had in the past when it happened.”
On staying ready while waiting for the other series to conclude:
“I think everyone’s excited for the games to start, so just letting the other series play out. So if it was tomorrow—just be ready whenever it is.”
"I've spent half my life with the Knick organization…I have not worked a day in my life the last 40 years…I cant wait for the game"
–– Walt Clyde Frazier is awarded Doctorate of Humane Letters, honoris causa, at Long Island University's Centennial Commencement in Brooklyn pic.twitter.com/heykNGsGbi
On OG Anunoby’s progress during the hamstring rehab period:
“He’s been back. He looks good to me. So, I think maybe the crowd, maybe the fans and media worried a little bit more, but I know how OG works and how his body is. I think he’ll be alright.”
On the impact of the Towns-Robinson pairing:
“[Their] rebounding for sure, and then KAT being able to roll and he can space, and Mitch just being an impactful lob threat just spaces the floor. And if you leave KAT open, I don’t think he misses if he’s wide-open. [The duo] just builds a lot for us.”
On embracing Brown’s trust amid lineup questions:
“It’s always great when your coach has got trust in you. Yeah, that’s great. And teammates staying with it, keeping me confident, as well. I think we all know the end goal is just trying to win games and do whatever it takes to win. Even in my mistakes, just try to do whatever it takes and know that I just gotta bounce back and learn from them.”
On staying present and improving each game:
“Just continue to play. I think that’s really what it is. You can’t look at the past. You learn from it, but just be present and do what you gotta do to get better. I think that’s really it. Just learn from each game and try to get better every single game. And that’s really it. I always try to play to help [the team] win and just keep trying to get better. That’s been the outcome.”
On the pros and cons of the extended break:
“I know you’re eager to go out there and play, but I think it’s just good to rest, get the body right and just keep working on your craft and working on what we have to do. So, obviously there’s positives, negatives in this situation, but I just try to look at the positives.”
On defensive responsibility in big matchups:
“It starts with defense. I think that’s the biggest key. Just do what my coaches ask and play hard, knowing the scout [report]. Just me personally, just trying to do the right things and then always knowing I got four guys behind me. Such a team defense that we’re [playing] and everybody just knowing what we’re supposed to be doing and playing on a string.”
BREAKING: A trader has place $10,000 on Alex Caruso NOT winning Finals MVP.
On the Knicks’ offensive flexibility heading into the conference finals:
“I think in terms of offensively, we can play fast. We can play slow. We can play through JB. We can play through [Mikal]. We can play through KAT. OG has been amazing. So we’re able to do that. Defensively, we’ve been able to put guys on really anybody. We had obviously KAT, Mitch [Robinson], Ariel [Hukporti], OG to guard [Philadelphia’s Joel] Embiid. When you have those kind of guys able to do that and then you’re able to throw multiple guys at a [Tyrese] Maxey, a [Paul George], it just allows your team to kind of play the game how that particular game is needed to be played. Then the other team makes adjustments and you’re able to adjust to that.”
On standing by his comments about Philadelphia as a sports town:
“You can’t be a sports town if another team’s fan base takes over your arena.”
— Walt Perrin Sees the Future (@KnickedupFan) May 16, 2026
Miles McBride
On the importance of perimeter defense in the Eastern Conference finals:
“It’s huge. Obviously, every round gets tougher. Different opponents, different challenges, so having a great point-of-attack [defense] on the perimeter is super important. And then trusting our guys at the rim to make plays or rotations. But it’s about energy and effort and just the whole team locking in.”
On comparing the Towns-Robinson duo to the Towns-Gobert one in Minny:
“I think this [duo] is better. Mitch is mobile. He could guard pretty much one through five. KAT is just — he got better now. That was early in his career. So now he’s better, and it works out nice.”
On how Towns and Robinson complement each other:
“[That lineup] is important. [Towns and Robinson] complement each other really well. Obviously KAT is not a traditional big — [well] now he is, in this league. He can shoot 3s, post-up and pass, and Mitch covers up defensively for him. So it’s complementing each other at a high level, and I’m glad it’s clicking at the right time.”
This Julius Randle crashout is HILARIOUS in every way 😂 😂😂
For a franchise that looked dangerously close to wasting another year of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar’s prime, Chris MacFarland rebuilt a Stanley Cup favorite in real time.
There really shouldn’t be much debate about the NHL’s General Manager of the Year award.
The job description for a modern NHL general manager is brutally complicated. You have to protect the future without sacrificing the present. You have to manage personalities, injuries, contracts, cap math, timing, and pressure from a market expecting championships every spring. Most executives spend years trying to thread that needle.
MacFarland spent the last 18 months doing it aggressively — and nearly every gamble paid massive dividends.
The Rantanen Decision That Changed Everything
The move everyone will remember first is the one that could have detonated the locker room if it failed: trading Mikko Rantanen.
Superstars like Rantanen are not supposed to leave contenders in the middle of a championship window. They especially are not supposed to be moved when the fanbase already believes the roster has flaws elsewhere. But MacFarland looked at the bigger picture and saw something uncomfortable: Colorado had become too top-heavy, too vulnerable, and too expensive to sustain in its existing form.
Complicating that reality was the fact that Rantanen wanted $14 million on his next deal.
It made the pivot unavoidable.
Martin Necas arrived and immediately unlocked another level offensively. Jack Drury became the type of dependable, hard-minute center playoff teams desperately need in May. The cap flexibility created by moving Rantanen opened the door for additional reinforcements that transformed Colorado from dangerous into overwhelming.
That’s the part people miss when they isolate the trade itself.
The Rantanen move wasn’t a one-for-one hockey trade. It was the first domino in a complete roster reconstruction.
Building Depth In The Shadows Of Stars
Suddenly the Avalanche could afford Brock Nelson. They could take swings on veteran depth. They could add Brett Kulak to stabilize the blue line. They could bring in Nicolas Roy and Nazem Kadri to harden the bottom-six and insulate the stars.
Now Colorado rolls four lines with almost no weakness.
That matters in the playoffs, where series stop being about talent and start becoming about survival.
Against Minnesota, the Avalanche were missing pieces almost nightly. Josh Manson was banged up. Sam Malinski missed time. Artturi Lehkonen wasn’t available. Cale Makar was clearly fighting through something physically by the end of the series.
Colorado kept winning anyway.
The Avalanche are no longer built like a top-heavy track team trying to outscore problems. They look layered, punishing, and adaptable. They can beat opponents with speed one night and grind them down the next. Few teams in hockey can absorb injuries to key contributors and still look deeper than the opponent. Colorado can.
The Goaltending Fix That Reshaped The Identity
And none of it matters without fixing the crease.
That may ultimately become MacFarland’s defining achievement.
Early in the season, Colorado’s goaltending situation looked catastrophic. The Avalanche were hemorrhaging goals and wasting elite performances from Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen because they simply could not get saves when games tightened. Georgiev, in particular, was about as stable as an Avenged Sevenfold song, which, for the record, isn’t very stable. Cup contenders don’t survive long with unstable goaltending, and MacFarland knew it.
So he acted before the season slipped away.
Scott Wedgewood came in first. Mackenzie Blackwood followed shortly after. Suddenly, the Avalanche went from one of the NHL’s shakiest teams in net to one of its most reliable.
“The Lumberyard” became one of the best stories in hockey.
Not only did the tandem stabilize Colorado, they did it at a bargain price compared to the rest of the league. While other contenders committed enormous money to goaltending, the Avalanche found elite production without crippling their cap structure. That flexibility became critical later when the deadline arrived.
And unlike some executives who empty the future for one desperate run, MacFarland somehow managed to strengthen both timelines simultaneously.
Necas is signed long-term.
Malinski is already locked into a manageable contract after emerging as one of the breakout defensemen in the league.
Parker Kelly turned into a 21-goal player on a contract that now looks like highway robbery.
Wedgewood’s extension could become one of the best-value deals in hockey if his play holds.
Even the Brent Burns signing — a low-risk veteran addition many initially viewed as a depth move — became enormous once injuries started piling up on the back end.
A Contender Built To Survive Anything
That’s what separates a good GM year from an elite one.
Anybody can make flashy moves. The hard part is building connective tissue throughout the lineup so the roster survives adversity when spring hockey becomes chaotic. Colorado finally has that again.
And the timing of all this matters.
Twelve months ago, there were real questions surrounding the Avalanche. Gabriel Landeskog’s future remained uncertain. Valeri Nichushkin’s situation cast a shadow over the organization. The goaltending was unstable. The supporting cast around MacKinnon and Makar no longer looked championship caliber.
The core still gave Colorado a chance.
MacFarland gave them support.
Now the Avalanche enter the Western Conference Final looking like the most complete team left standing.
That didn’t happen organically. It didn’t happen because Colorado simply stayed healthy or waited for internal growth. It happened because the front office identified weaknesses honestly and attacked them relentlessly.
That’s why the GM of the Year conversation is a no-brainer.
Chris MacFarland rebuilt a Stanley Cup contender while the window was already open — and somehow made it look calculated instead of desperate.
In recent years, baseball fans have come to accept the phrase “Because baseball” to describe certain games. Generally, it involves a situation where you look at the matchup on paper and assume that Team A will dominate Team B because of a very favorable matchup. But then Team B wins. And we say, because baseball. It’s a short phrase that tries to explain how sometimes everything looks one way but happens the other. Those games occur, of course, in all sports. If you’ve ever won your NFL Survivor pool, it was because of a game that could have been described as because football. Or your NCAA pool. That guy who is sweating a Mountain West game at 2 a.m. and knows a little something about every team in the tournament lost his champion in the round of 32 when some school that no one has ever heard of just beat the reigning ACC champion on a late three. Because basketball.
If we allow for because baseball to explain things, then there is also a world where it has a total opposite. This is the opposite quadrant on an X,Y graph. In this quadrant, we have Team A that’s been struggling a bit. They are on the road, though as close to home as they can be and still be considered a “road” team. Their starting pitcher is prone to the long ball. Team B on the other hand, they are at home and are surging. They are playing with a ton of confidence. Their starting pitcher. Is he an Ace? Or is he just on a heater? Too soon to tell, but even a good pitcher on a heater is a handful. Team B also thrives on the long ball. This is a bad matchup for Team A.
This was not the matchup you were looking for. Move along, now. It sure would be nice to come off of this road trip with four wins in nine games. So shake the Etch-a-Sketch, forget this one happened and move along. This has been a tough trip. You certainly hoped to win at least five on this trip. But it’s really going to be sick if you only get three. So sleep tight and bounce back. Let’s keep little brother down a little longer. They can try to do their little Phoenix rising thing on someone’s else’s dance floor.
This trip, at times, has exposed that the Cubs pitching staff has been leeched of so much depth that pitching is not anywhere near a strength, even with a stellar defense behind them. None of us are surprised by that, either. It looks like some more relievers will surface soon. Jordan Wicks is getting healthy, but has never established himself at the major league level. But, at least it’s another live arm. Ben Brown has emerged and is a reason for some optimism. He is also a reminder not to flush Wicks. I’ve said this many times and in many contexts. The road to the top is never guaranteed and it’s not necessarily a straight line. Both Wicks and Brown were once highly thought of prospects. Brown is now rebuilding some of his in front of our eyes. Maybe Wicks can be a piece.
This team is going to need more than what they’ve got. It’s going to be interesting to watch this front office wrestle with addressing that. This team in no way looks like it is one or two pieces away from a sure World Series team, much less champion. But it does look like a team that could get hot and could be dangerous and maybe if things fall just right they have a shot. The kind of trade(s) that would significantly boost this team’s chances tend to hurt in terms of prospect capital. This organization has a ton of depth, but their top talent doesn’t exactly leave other talent evaluators drooling.
But that’s still at least a few weeks and probably more than a month away. So this team has to roll with what it’s got and it has to find ways to win games. More often than not, that’s going to rest on the shoulders of the offense. So this team has to get right and soon. Why not Sunday?
Three Positives:
Miguel Amaya had a single and a solo homer.
Pete Crow-Armstrong had a walk and a late two-run homer.
Alex Bregman had a single and a double.
Game 46, May 16: White Sox 8, Cubs 3 (29-17)
Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.
THREE HEROES:
Superhero: Alex Bregman (.035). 2-4, 2B
Hero: Miguel Amaya (.012). 2-4, HR, RBI, R
Sidekick: Ethan Roberts (.002). 2 IP, 6 BF, BB, 3 K
THREE GOATS:
Billy Goat: Jameson Taillon (-.311). 5 IP, 8 H, BB, 8 ER, 2K (L 2-3)
Goat: Ian Happ (-.079). 0-4
Kid: Seiya Suzuki (-.035). 0-4
WPA Play of the Game: Miguel Vargas homered with two on and no outs in the bottom of the first for the first three runs of the game. (.172)
*Cubs Play of the Game: With a runner on first and one out in the seventh, the Cubs down six, Alex Bregman doubled. (.024)
Cubs Player of the Game:
Game 45 Winner: Carson Kelly received 108 of 173 votes.
Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)
The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.
Michael Busch/Shōta Imanaga +13
Michael Conforto +12
Alex Bregman +6.5
Ben Brown/Ian Happ +5.5
Caleb Thielbar -6
Phil Maton -7
Matt Shaw -10
Dansby Swanson -11
Seiya Suzuki -18
Current Win Pace: 102.1 wins
Up Next: The third and final game of the series Sunday afternoon. Colin Rea (4-2, 4.68, 42.1 IP) starts for the seventh time this year. He’s coming off of a rough start in Atlanta, allowing five runs on seven hits and a walk in just 4.1 innings. Significantly better both at home and at night, so hopefully the Cubs offense gets things going quickly in this one.
33-year-old Erick Fedde has been a mixed bag so far this year. He’s 0-4 but has a 3.77 ERA in 43 innings across eight starts. He also didn’t win across his final nine appearances last year, but eight of those were relief outings. It’s been a long time since he’s won, let’s keep it that way. Last time out, he faced the Royals and allowed two runs on six hits over five innings but didn’t get a decision. The former first round pick of the Nationals from 2014 (18th overall) out of UNLV has been better during the day and much better at home.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - APRIL 12: Randy Arozarena #56 of the Seattle Mariners reacts with Josh Naylor #12 after his slide home to score during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on April 12, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Randy Arozarena isn’t all that streaky, but he is on a streak right now.
Arozarena has been the Mariners best hitter this year. His 148 wRC+ is best among the qualified hitters on the team, and his 1.8 fWAR makes him a top 25 player in the majors. He’s more than half-way to his 2.9 fWAR from last year, in about a quarter of the games. It’s looking like a career year.
But one thing I’ve often said about Arozarena is that he’s streaky. Last year, for instance, Arozarena posted a 136 wRC+ in the first half — also pacing for a career year — before posting a 97 wRC+ in the second half. That’s just Randy, I thought, like this is just Randy now.
I tried to measure that hot-and-cold tendency. I found every batter with at least 2,000 plate appearances since 2021. I found their rolling wOBA and xwOBA over each 100 plate appearance stretch. I then found the standard deviation and coefficient of variation for each player — basically, how much does their performance change relative to their personal average.
Arozarena… showed nothing. He is almost exactly the median player by these measures, meaning he was neither particularly streaky nor particularly non-streaky. His performance is about as normal as it gets. I tried different plate appearance thresholds and different spans of years- nothing. Arozarena has been remarkably consistent in his unremarkable consistency. I guess this was just something I made up in my head.
For instance, here’s one of the 10 least consistent hitters since 2024, Jorge Polanco, presented in 100-PA increments:
You can see Polanco’s line begins at the end of his first 100 plate appearances with the Mariners, where he hovered near average. Then he slumped, got hot, and slumped again… only to come out in 2025 and post one of the best months in team history, before slumping and finishing the year on fire… and now he has a 54 wRC+ with the Mets and an achilles injury.
Here’s Randy, on the other hand:
And yeah, that looks more consistent. He starts very low, with the unfortunately-timed slump to begin 2024. But then he figures it out, gets hot after joining the Mariners, and lands firmly above average through April 2025. He slumped briefly last May before riding a long hot streak, then returned to average through the end of the season. So, yes, he has been streaky, but all hitters are streaky.
Of course, this is all just pretense to direct your attention to where the lines end on the plot above: The present. We can see by wOBA, Arozarena has performed well most of the year. But we can also see that his xwOBA is much lower. In fact, Arozarena’s .379 wOBA and .327 xwOBA represent one of the five largest gaps of 2026.
The whole profile is different this year. His 41.1% hard hit rate is much less than his career-best rate of 50.6% from 2025. His barrel rate is also more than halved. Most of his contact is now aimed at the ground, spiking his ground ball rate from 42.6% to 54.0% (one of the largest changes in the league). His line is largely the result of sneaking soft grounders through the infield and a .393 BABIP. Maybe Arozarena isn’t a streaky player historically, but this particular streak I expect to reverse course sometime in the near future.
That said, it’s not all bad. Arozarena is still finding better launch angles overall this year. His 35.5% sweet spot rate is a career best. That’s because, by turning toward the ground, he’s all but eliminated pop ups. It’s good to hit the ball in the air because that’s how you hit homers. But aiming too high is an auto-out, whereas even weak grounders come with a minimum .200 batting average. Arozarena is now hitting a lot of high grounders and flares that are good for singles. He’s making a lot less perfect contact, but his imperfect contact has improved dramatically. His xwOBA on non-barrels has leapt 30 points this year (.319), one of the 20-best marks in the majors.
I also think the contact is getting better overall. Arozarena was perhaps the lone example of a guy who’d actually lost bat speed in the early season — he lost so much bat speed that he brought the team average down with him. His bat speed is now back to normal, and his hard hit rate is up to 45% in May from 37% in April.
Arozarena also is swinging more, chasing more, and just overall being a lot more aggressive early in counts. And his swing is a little different, too. He’s both getting out in front of pitches, and also angling his bat more to the opposite field. He’s also really excited about fastballs up this year for some reason:
I’m really not sure what to make of it. Sometimes with these things I know what I’m going to say and where I’m going to land. Sometimes I find that along the way. But yeah, no, this is just bizarre more than anything.
Randy in 2026 looks like a fundamentally different hitter. I’ve always thought of him as kind of a wanna-be three true outcome guy — working counts, letting the ball travel, swinging hard and up. And now, for whatever reason, he’s become more of a slasher, swinging early and often and at anything close. His strikeout rate is down, and his walk rate is unchanged, which is good. But the lesser contact quality is concerning, and I don’t see him getting to 20 homers this year without some changes. He’s given himself over to the whims of BABIP, and we’ll see how far that takes him.
Still, the great irony here is that Arozarena’s xwOBA is .327 — identical to his mark last year (and .005 off the year before). So while I’m skeptical of his status as a top 25 hitter, he’s probably still in the top 50, and certainly in the top 100.
I guess that’s where my misplaced notion of his streakiness comes from. You just never really know what you’re gonna get with Arozarena. One day he’s a slugger. The next he’s slapping the ball the other way. One day he goes diving into the wall in left for an out. The next he’s walking toward the gap with runners on base. Consistently surprising. Surprisingly consistent. That’s just Randy.
Gilgeous-Alexander is just the fifth player to pull off the feat at age 27 or younger.
Here’s a look at all the repeat MVP winners in NBA history:
Bill Russell (1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63)
The first repeat MVP winner was actually a three-peat. Russell’s three straight MVPs came in the midst of the Boston Celtics‘ eight straight NBA titles. He was 27 to 29 years old during this span, averaging 17.5 points, 23.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game over the three seasons (232 games).
Wilt Chamberlain (1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68)
Soon after Russell’s three-peat, Chamberlain matched his feat over his ages 29, 30 and 31 seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers. He posted absurd statistics over these three years, averaging 27.3 points, 24.2 rebounds and 7.2 assists over 242 contests (at 46.5 minutes per game!). The Sixers won the title in 1967 but lost to Russell’s Celtics in 1966 and 1968.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76, 1976-77)
Abdul-Jabbar’s first two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, when he was 28 and 29, both ended with MVPs. After winning a title with the Milwaukee Bucks, Abdul-Jabbar continued to elevate his game with the Lakers — although more championships wouldn’t come until the 1980s. He averaged 27.0 points, 15.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.7 blocks during this run.
Moses Malone (1981-82, 1982-83)
The only player to be on two different teams for his repeat MVPs, Malone won it as a Houston Rocket and then as a 76er. At ages 27 and 28, Malone averaged 27.8 points and 15.0 rebounds. His numbers dropped by almost seven points per game in his second MVP season, but the Sixers were the league’s best team and swept the Lakers in the Finals.
Larry Bird (1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86)
The most recent three-peat MVP, Bird accomplished this from age 27 to 29 by averaging 26.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists and missing just five games. The Celtics made the Finals in all three of these seasons, winning it during the first and third year but losing to the Lakers in between.
Magic Johnson (1988-89, 1989-90)
With Abdul-Jabbar in his final season in 1988-89, Johnson took full control and began his run of consecutive MVPs. He was already a five-time champion and three-time Finals MVP, but Johnson put a stamp on his legendary career with this achievement at ages 29 and 30. He averaged 22.4 points, 12.1 assists and 7.1 rebounds during the two seasons.
Michael Jordan (1990-91, 1991-92)
Immediately after Johnson’s back-to-back, Jordan did the same thing. MJ averaged 30.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists during his age 28 and 29 seasons, leading the Chicago Bulls to championships both years. He was the first player to win regular season and Finals MVP in consecutive years, a list that SGA is looking to join in 2026.
Tim Duncan (2001-02, 2002-03)
The most dominant two-year stretch of Duncan’s career, at ages 25-26, culminated in his second NBA title for the San Antonio Spurs. He missed just one game in two seasons, averaging 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocks. While these were the only two MVPs for Duncan, he went on to win three more Finals before retiring in 2016.
Steve Nash (2004-05, 2005-06)
Nash is the oldest player to accomplish this feat, doing so at age 31 and 32 for the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 17.2 points, 11.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds over that span as the “seven seconds or less” Suns helped popularize up-tempo basketball. Phoenix lost in the Western Conference Finals in both seasons.
LeBron James (2008-09, 2009-10 and 2011-12, 2012-13)
The only player to go back-to-back twice, James did so for two different franchises. First with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 24- and 25-year-old James averaged 29.1 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists but couldn’t get over the hump in the postseason. He then joined the Miami Heat in 2011, finishing third in MVP before going back-to-back with consecutive Finals MVPs at ages 27 and 28 (joining Jordan as the only player to do so).
Stephen Curry (2014-15, 2015-16)
Few players were more of a spectacle during their MVP runs than Curry, who was (and still is) a threat to shoot it from anywhere. His first MVP coincided with his first Finals win at age 27, then the Golden State Warriors won a record 73 games during his 28-year-old MVP season before losing in the Finals to James’ Cavaliers. Curry averaged 26.9 points, 7.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds on 45% shooting from deep during this stretch.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (2018-19, 2019-20)
The Greek Freak burst onto the scene with consecutive MVPs at age 24 and 25. He averaged 28.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists over the two years while also winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. The Bucks were upset in the playoffs in both of these seasons, but they did win the title in 2021 with Antetokounmpo taking home Finals MVP.
Nikola Jokic (2020-21, 2021-22)
Antetokounmpo’s run was immediately followed by Jokic, who went back-to-back at age 26 and 27. Like Antetokounmpo, Jokic’s Denver Nuggets didn’t win a championship until the year after his MVP run. Jokic did add a third MVP in 2024, though, and he was a finalist in 2023, 2025 and 2026 in what’s been a dominant run. During his consecutive MVP seasons, the Joker averaged 26.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2024-25, 2025-26)
His run has been well-documented, but Gilgeous-Alexander still has a chance to make this run more impressive if OKC can win another title. He could join Jordan and James as the only back-to-back MVP and Finals MVP winners, and he would be the youngest to do so at age 27. Over these last two seasons, he has averaged 32.0 points, 6.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
COVERS INTEL: The Cubs rank 
