Following the Knicks’ closeout Game 5 on Saturday that gave the franchise its first title since 1973, captain and NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson made a special guest appearance on ABC’s “The View.”
Host Whoopi Goldberg asked Brunson how he resisted retaliating against Victor Wembanyama after the Spurs star shoved Brunson to the ground in Game 3.
“I think it starts, honestly, with my parents, how they raised me,” the Knicks star said. “I’ll start there.
Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks dribbles against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the third quarter in Game Four of the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 10, 2026 in New York City. Getty Images
“I wanted to [retaliate] but at the same time, I knew that being a leader, understanding the moment, understanding the situation, you have to keep your composure. No matter when it’s being too high or being too low, you gotta stay even-keeled. That’s something I had for a long time.”
On the play referenced in the interview, there was no call, and Wembanyama avoided a flagrant foul. He had already received two flagrant foul points earlier in the playoffs for elbowing Minnesota’s Naz Reid in the jaw. Had Wembanyama been given a flagrant foul for shoving Brunson, he would’ve been at most one foul away from an automatic suspension.
NBA champion and Finals MVP Jalen Brunson credits his composure in Game 5 to his upbringing: "It starts, honestly, [with] my parents, how they raised me." pic.twitter.com/FO68ROfBQa
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson argues that he should of been fouled to referee Scott Foster during the first half. Jason Szenes for The New York Post
Controversy surrounding officiating continued throughout the NBA Finals. In Game 1, Brunson had multiple encounters with referee Scott Foster, including one in which Brunson was seen screaming at Foster after a no-call where Brunson took hard contact from Spurs defenders.
Those that Brunson credited with teaching him to keep composure include his father Rick Brunson, the former player who is now an assistant coach with the Knicks. The father-son duo celebrated their championship together after Game 5 on Saturday.
The younger Brunson was asked in the immediate afterglow of the Game 5 win how it felt to win alongside his dad and he hesitated to answer, growing emotional as the weight of the moment overcame him.
“You can see it,” ESPN’s Lisa Salters told him in their live broadcast interview.
After back-to-back Stanley Cup Final rounds in 2024 and 2025 featuring the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, there was a new look in the 2026 NHL playoffs with the Carolina Hurricanes facing the Vegas Golden Knights for the championship.
Now that the Hurricanes have defeated the Golden Knights in six games to win their first championship in 20 years, what are the chances of a reprise next season? Both teams are deep and experienced, so it's not out of the question.
Here's a look at the decisions that await the champion Hurricanes and the runner-up Golden Knights during the offseason:
What's next for the Carolina Hurricanes?
Biggest decision:What to do with Frederik Andersen? He's an unrestricted free agent and Brandon Bussi and Pyotr Kochetkov are signed for three years and one year, respectively. Andersen just completed his fifth year with the Hurricanes. He had a middling regular season and Bussi outplayed him for most of the campaign.
But coach Rod Brind'Amour started Andersen in the playoffs, and he was outstanding. The coach rode him until Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, pulling him in the second intermission with the team trailing 4-0 in an eventual 5-4 double-overtime loss. Bussi won three in a row, including a shutout in the clincher.
Andersen was dealing with an injury and has had injury issues in his career. So has Kochetkov. Could the Hurricanes bring back Andersen on a short-term deal as insurance?
Pending free agents: In addition to Andersen, Nicolas Deslauriers and Mike Reilly are unrestricted. Defenseman Alexander Nikishin is a restricted free agent.
Outlook: Most of the team is signed long term, and players have won the Stanley Cup and reached the conference finals the past two seasons. Bussi is a goalie on the rise. No reason the Hurricanes shouldn't have another playoff run.
What's next for the Vegas Golden Knights?
Biggest question: Does John Tortorella come back? He replaced Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season and you can't argue with the results. He steadied the team to keep it in a playoff position, then won three rounds. But he cost the team a second-round pick when he skipped a postgame news conference.
Tortorella said Sunday he wasn't thinking yet of his future, saying he needed to absorb the Game 6 loss. But he called Golden Knights players "real pros" and the team a "first-class organization." He added: "I want to coach and to jump into this with this gang, I feel so fortunate."
Pending free agents: Their list is lengthy. Reilly Smith, Brandon Saad, Cole Smith and Colton Sissons at forward, plus Rasmus Andersson, Jeremy Lauzon, Dylan Coghlan and Ben Hutton on defense. The Golden Knights made a big midseason trade for Andersson, but he didn't have a strong final. There could be turnover in this group, especially with restricted free agent Pavel Dorofeyev due a big raise.
Outlook: The Golden Knights have a strong core and are aggressive going after big-name players. They should remain the class of the Pacific Division, even as the younger teams improve. Their sweep of the Colorado Avalanche was aided by injuries to Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon, which isn't likely to happen again. But Vegas will remain motivated after winning the Cup in 2023 and getting close this year.
"We’re a team that everyone loves to hate," captain Mark Stone said. "That fuels our fire and it’s going to fuel our fire moving forward."
For more on the Rockies, you can check out that series preview from last week or visit our SB Nation Rockies site Purple Row.
Fun facts
The Cubs have won nine straight games at home vs. the Rockies, sweeping three games each of the past three years. They outscored the Rockies, 51-21, including 3-1, 4-3 and 2-1 last season.
The Cubs are 21-14-2 in series at home vs. the Rockies — and 18-6-1 since 2000, including 13-2-1 in 2000-15 and 5-1 since 2019.
Their only winless series were two games each in 1996 and 1997. In 2006 and 2011, they lost two games, then won the third. In 2017, they lost three, then won the fourth.
The Cubs have swept the Rockies in seven series: four games in 2008, two in 2010 and three in 1993, 2007 and 2023-25. ….. This series is the last of three this year in which the Cubs will have played the same opponent in two series separated by one against a different opponent.
The first was April 13-23, when the Cubs won two of three at Philadelphia, won three at home vs. the Mets, then swept four vs. the Phillies.
The second was June 5-14, when they lost two of three at home vs. the Giants, lost two of three at Colorado, then won two of three at San Francisco.
After Wednesday, the Cubs will have finished their season series vs. 10 teams: the Giants, Phillies and Rockies in the NL, and the Angels, Astros, Athletics, Guardians, Rangers, Rays and White Sox in the AL.
The only NL team they have not played is the Marlins. They will not until Sept. 4, when the teams meet in the first of three games at Miami. They will play three at Wrigley Field, the Cubs’ final three home games, Sept. 22-24.
Tuesday: Edward Cabrera, RHP (4-3, 4.86 ERA, 1.413 WHIP, 5.09 FIP) vs. Ryan Feltner, RHP (2-2, 5.20 ERA, 1.211 WHIP, 4.98 FIP)
Wednesday: Javier Assad, RHP (4-1, 3.99 ERA, 1.017 WHIP, 3.99 FIP) vs. Sean Sullivan, LHP (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.667 WHIP, 2.77 FIP)
Times & TV channels
Monday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Tuesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Wednesday: 7:05 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network
Prediction
Well, the Cubs DID finally win a series, over the weekend in San Francisco. The Rockies have lost eight of 11, though they did win a ridiculous game in Sacramento on Sunday, 23-9 over the A’s.
But overall they are 13-25 on the road and have lost nine of their last 13 road games.
If the Cubs don’t win at least two of these three, they’re in trouble.
Up next
The Cubs finally get out of the Giants/Rockies/Giants/Rockies pattern. They have Thursday off, then will host the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-game series at Wrigley Field beginning Friday afternoon.
We are having issues with polls at this time so please just list how many games you think the Cubs will win in this series in the comments.
After Aaron Judge went onto the IL, it was anyone’s guess how the Yankees would respond on the field without their captain. So far, the group has rallied, sweeping the Cleveland Guardians on the road and taking two of three against the Blue Jays with some late inning dramatics. Obviously, the team would prefer to have a healthy Judge in the middle of that lineup, but it’s encouraging that an offense that has looked very thin at times without him producing up until he went on the shelf has managed to score five or more runs in five of their last seven games and won six of them.
Now without Trent Grisham for a bit as well, it’s all on the young Yankees to fill the gaps in the outfield. Jasson Domínguez is back and starting alongside Spencer Jones with Cody Bellinger the lone mainstay from the Opening Day outfield, and that core with Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. will look to keep doing damage. Will the team’s long-debated outfield prospects bloom after finally getting a chance to start uncontested? Will the team’s bottom of the lineup pull through during this stretch? Can the team even manage to earn some separation from the Rays? If you have questions like these, or anything else on your mind, send ‘em in for a chance to be featured in our Yankees mailbag.
Answers will run on Friday afternoon. All questions received by the night of June 18th will be considered. You can leave your submissions in the comment section below or by e-mail to pinstripealleyblog [at] gmail [dot] com.
Think you’ve seen all the postgame Knicks celebrations?
Think again.
A series of exclusive photos obtained by The Post highlight the Knicks celebrating their NBA championship — the franchise’s first in 53 years — at Flyfish Club, the exclusive private members’ club co-founded by Gary Vaynerchuk, David Rodolitz, Chef Josh Capon and Chef Conor Hanlon, located in Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
A majority of the team made an appearance at the club, including Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet, Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara, Kevin McCullar Jr., Trey Jemison III, Dillon Jones, Ariel Hukporti and Jordan Clarkson.
Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns celebrate their NBA title at Flyfish Club. Justin KauperMiles McBride (r.) and Jazz Chisholm Jr. at Flyfish Club in celebration of the Knicks first NBA title since 1973.The Justin KauperKnicks celebrated their NBA Championship at Flyfish Club on Sunday evening. Justin KauperOG Anunoby, Kevin McCullar Jr, Mohamed Diawara, Miles Deuce McBride, Trey Jemison III, Mikal Bridges, Tyler Kolek pose for a picture at the Knicks’ party at Flyfish Club on Sunday night. Justin Kauper
The homecoming party brought players together with their families, close friends and loved ones for a special night that featured a performance from A Boogie Wit da Hoodie and a champagne toast led by Brunson and his fellow teammates.
Other special guests included Yankees two-time All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Vaynerchuk, who is also a New York Times best-selling author.
A Boogie performs at the Knicks championship party at Flyfish Club on Sunday night. Justin KauperJosh Hart and Gary Vaynerchuk having a glass of wine at the Knicks’ championship party on Sunday night at Flyfish Club. Justin KauperA Boogie raps as part of the Knicks’ championship party. Olav Stubberud
Entrepreneur and Karl-Anthony Towns’ fiancée, Jordyn Woods, also made an appearance at the party.
Woods has been a big part of the Knicks’ incredible playoff run towards their title. The founder of the fashion line “Woods”, she was carrying around her own orange bag that proved to be a good luck charm for the team.
She brought the bag to each game throughout the Knicks’ 13-0 playoff run until the team lost Game 3 of the Finals to the Spurs, yet Woods was not allowed to bring it into the Garden for that game due to rules surrounding President Donald Trump’s attendance.
At the end of the run, Woods’ bag went undefeated.
Brunson’s wife, Ali, was also seen at the exclusive club to celebrate.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods smile while at Flyfish Club for the Knicks’ championship party. Justin KauperJordyn Woods, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns seen laughing at Flyfish Club. Olav StubberudJalen Brunson and Ali Marks Brunson pose for a picture at Flyfish Club. Olav StubberudJosh Hart pours a drink at the Knicks’ title party at Flyfish Club on Sunday. Olav Stubberud
She was seen in the immediate aftermath of the championship win, joining in on a big group hug with her husband, Brunson’s parents, Rick and Sandra, and sister Erica.
Once he met his assistant coach and dad for a hug, the emotions started to pour out of Brunson.
“Honestly, it was like a lifetime, honestly, that’s what it felt like. I knew I had to because I knew that face would look crazy on TV,” Brunson said on “Good Morning America” Monday. “I think the best part about it is that these guys have my back night in and night out. Made that moment 10 times more special.”
The partying won’t end on Sunday night.
The Knicks have their championship parade through the Canyon of Heroes set for Thursday, which begins at Battery Park and ends at City Hall.
Jun 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe (5) celebrates his solo home run while wearing a welders hood in the dugout against the Miami Marlins during the eighth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
In another edition of polls conducted by Bucs Dugout the results are in as fans were asked to vote on who they think the Pittsburgh Pirates’ team MVP would be through the early part of the season. The player that gathered the most votes was the Bucco’s slugging second-baseman, Brandon Lowe, as 67% of those who participated in the poll chose “Bam Bam” as the team’s MVP. The margins were not close as second place vote getter, Braxton Ashcraft, was only chosen by 10% of the fans that voted.
It is undeniable that Lowe has been on a tear in his first season with Pittsburgh. He was already big news when the Pirates traded for him this past offseason, but now that he’s blasting baseballs left, right and center, it may go down as one of the best trades in Pirates’ history. On the season Lowe is slashing .240/.325/.512 with 17 home runs, 46 RBIs and an .837 OPS. The 31-year-old second-baseman is currently tied for the 12th most home runs in baseball.
Ashcraft gathered the second most MVP votes from fans at Bucs Dugout, but there was a large margin between himself and the leader Lowe. Still though Ashcraft has emerged as maybe the best pitcher for the Pirates in 2026. The 26-year-old righty has a 5-3 record with 90 strikeouts and a respectable 3.30 ERA. Ashcraft now looking fully healthy has been very efficient in his outings this season, and could be a potential All-Star for the National League.
Newcomer Ryan O’Hearn and second year Pirate Spencer Horwitz both made up 6% of the fan votes as they have been great sources of offensive consistency for the club. Horwitz has settled into the best option at first base for the Pirates, as his .281 average and nine homers have been bright spots for the team. Even with some injury struggles, O’Hearn too has been one of the best hitters for Pittsburgh as well with his 10 homers, .275 average and veteran leadership all helping this be one of the best teams the Pirates have fielded in a decade.
Brandon Lowe showing off his hops to pick a ball out of the air
Rounding out the list was Paul Skenes who got 5% of all votes for team MVP while Oneil Cruz got 4%. Skenes is undeniably one of the best pitchers in baseball but he is admittedly having a bit of an off year. With that being said an off year for Skenes is still great for the most part. Oneil Cruz has really seemed to turn a corner this season at the plate as he’s already knocked in 14 homers this year. On the base pads Cruz has been very active once again as he’s stolen 21 bags so far. His move to the injured list and defensive shortcomings will hold him back from truly shining as the team’s MVP.
FanDuel Sports Network has their list compiled of the most likely players to lead the league in homers by the end of the regular season. Brandon Lowe currently has the 21st best odds as a +17500 underdog to finish the year with the most home runs in baseball. Lowe also currently sits as a +30000 underdog to win National League MVP.
It’s almost a tradition in the NHL that when a team wins the Stanley Cup, other general managers take notes and try to emulate the latest champions’ recipe. That’s how the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to adapt a more robust style of play after being eliminated twice by the much tougher Florida Panthers two years in a row, for instance. Don’t expect the Montreal Canadiens to do that, though. When Kent Hughes was appointed as the Habs’ GM back in January 2022, he was quite clear: he had a plan, and he was going to stick to it.
The good news, however, is that the Canadiens won’t have to imitate the Canes; there are already many similarities between the two teams. Perhaps the most obvious one is that both teams are led by relatively young coaches who have been in their players’ shoes and were once hard-working, highly successful players. It allows them to be closer to their players and to call them out when the effort level isn’t there. They may not do it publicly, but they are comfortable enough to speak to their players and “tell them their truth,” as Martin St-Louis would say. Although Rod Brind’Amour did it very publicly after the first game of the Eastern Conference against the Habs, calling Jacob Slavin’s game the worst he had ever seen him play.
The second similarity between the two clubs is their sound financial structure. No team has ever won a Stanley Cup with a player earning over $10 million per season. The Panthers won twice with Sergei Bobrovsky, who had a $10M cap hit, but that’s as far as it went. Winning teams have enough money to go around. Their stars don’t break the bank with no regard to how the organization will be able to surround them with the right pieces to win. The Canes’ top earners are Sebastian Aho ($9.75 M) and Nikolaj Ehlers ($8.5 M). The two highest-paid players on the Vegas Golden Knights? Jack Eichel ($13.5 M) and Mitch Marner ($12 M).
In Montreal, Hughes has been very savvy in contract negotiations. He made a big splash with the Noah Dobson trade last season and managed to keep the former New York Islanders’ blueliner’s cap hit at $9.5 M, before managing to sign Lane Hutson to a very team-friendly $8.85 M per season. Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky are all signed long-term with cap hits lower than $8 M per season. Mike Matheson ($6 M) and Kaiden Guhle ($5.55 M) also have very reasonable contracts, and as veteran contracts start to expire (Josh Anderson) or be moved (Brendan Gallagher), Hughes will have money to work with to add key pieces to his roster because he has talked his players into leaving money on the table for the greater good.
It will be interesting to see whether Hughes can sell the idea to Ivan Demidov this summer. It sure sounded like the Russian winger was receptive on dressing-room clear-out day when he said he had spoken to Hutson and they both agreed it was important to sign long-term, because Montreal is building a team with the potential to win multiple Cups in the years to come.
The third similarity between the Habs and the Canes is in the way they play. The coaches do not tolerate any passengers, and both want their players to fully commit to playing both sides of the puck. As soon as they lose the puck, the switch in their head goes from attack to defense in a matter of seconds, and they apply an intense forecheck. Of course, Carolina showed that it had mastered that style of play much better than the young Canadiens have, but it takes time, and that’s perfectly normal.
Finally, both teams succeeded in the playoffs because they showed real team effort. Neither first line stole the show; Aho and Andrei Svechnikov had 12 and 11 points, respectively, in 19 games. Suzuki and Caufield had 16 and 13 in the same number of games. In the playoffs, you need all 20 guys pulling together in the same direction; it doesn’t matter whose name is on the scoresheet. What matters are the names that get engraved on the Cup at the end of the playoffs, and on there, there’s no mention of the points they got or the salary they took home; it’s about one single team: a team’s triumph.
The New York Knicks winning their first NBA title since 1973 in five games was bad for sportsbooks.
Key Takeaways
The Knicks turned into a liability for BetMGM as the Finals went along.
Bettors kept backing New York in both futures markets and live betting in games.
Jalen Brunson took home Finals MVP, a small relief for operators.
The good news for operators was that they avoided bettors unloading on the Knicks in a Game 6 or 7. Still, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks captured a massive betting audience, picking up steam throughout their playoff run, attracting betting action in both futures markets and individual games.
The Knicks took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a dramatic Game 4 win and then closed out the San Antonio Spurs 94-90 on the road in Game 5, rewarding bettors.
“Before the NBA Finals began, the sportsbook was cheering for the Knicks because the Spurs were the biggest remaining liability on the futures market,” BetMGM trader Anthony Parenti said. “However, by the time New York took a 2-0 series lead, our liability had flipped. Knicks winning the title ended up making a lot of our customers very happy."
From beginning to end
At the beginning of the playoffs, BetMGM had taken more money on the Spurs (+450) to win the NBA title than Oklahoma City, the favorite in 2025-2026.
New York was at +2,200 to win the NBA championship at BetMGM during the first round of the playoffs.
The Knicks even began the best-of-seven series as +170 underdogs, with the Spurs at -210. After New York took a 2-0 lead, the odds shifted to Knicks -140, and by the time they were up 3-1, the Knickerbockers (-550) had 77% of the bets and 53% of the handle.
Massive wagering
A Knicks team that struggled to compete at times over the last two decades became a major driver of betting activity. DraftKings reported last week that Game 4 was the most-bet NBA contest in the operator’s history. BetMGM experienced an average 28.6% year-over-year increase in money wagered on each Finals game.
Had the series lasted longer, it might’ve done more damage to sportsbooks, but it would’ve produced incredible handles, especially in a Game 7, because of the hysteria surrounding the Knicks.
“The Knicks and the public are locked in on each other,” DraftKings Sportsbook director Johnny Avello told Covers last week.
New York also did a number on sportsbooks through live betting, as the darling trailed by double digits in every game, allowing bettors to pound even better underdog odds. The Knicks were down 29 before the incredible rally in Game 4, and they came back from 16 in the first half in Game 5.
Other Finals betting notes
The Knicks won Game 5 as 5.5-point underdogs. They were getting 67% of the spread bets and 77% of the handle. More than 50% of the moneyline handle was also backing New York at +165 to win outright and close out the series.
A BetMGM bettor cashed a $20,000 ticket at +2,200 on the Knicks, returning a $440,000 payout.
Brunson took home an NBA title and series MVP on Saturday night. He was a -110 favorite by the end of New York’s run to win the individual award at BetMGM, getting 22% of the tickets and 60% of the market’s handle.
However, teammate OG Anunoby was a bigger liability at BetMGM, with his odds getting as high as +50,000 to start the playoffs and shortening to +200 by Game 5.
With the first overall pick of the 2026 NHL draft, the Toronto Maple Leafs will have no choice but to take the best player available, which is also the method that GM John Chayka will be using going into the draft.
With left winger Gavin McKenna sitting at the top of several rankings and mock drafts, and not far behind him is left winger Ivar Stenberg, chances are the Maple Leafs are taking a forward with the first pick of the draft.
However, with their 60th pick, coming in the second round, there is an opportunity to still select a great defenseman. That's something the organization lacked for many years.
Liske, 18, is coming off his second full season in the WHL for the Everett Silvertips. He's become an important D-man for the Silvertips, often paired with projected 2027 first overall pick Landon DuPont on the back end.
The right-handed shot blueliner played 52 regular-season games for Everett, scoring seven goals and 24 points. Liske also registered a respectable plus-36 in the campaign, finishing sixth on the Silvertips in that category.
His production and performance in the regular season were fairly standard, but instrumental for the Silvertips to finish atop the standings. However, Liske was a different animal when it came to the WHL post-season.
The Beausejour, Man., native was a star for Everett in the playoffs, recording four goals and 17 points in 18 games en route to a WHL championship. Liske finished fifth in team scoring for the post-season, but another impressive stat is that the D-man completed the playoff campaign with the greatest plus-minus rating in the league at a plus-25.
While he wasn't exactly the superstar of the Silvertips, he was still a key contributor in an important role alongside DuPont. His role on Everett is similar to a Brent Seabrook next to a Duncan Keith - he's not the flashiest, but as a two-way defenseman, he gets the job done in pretty much all situations.
Liske didn't generate a point in five games at the Memorial Cup, earning a plus-three at the tournament. But he showed a sign of growth and promise in Everett's WHL playoff campaign.
Before this past year, Liske had his rookie season with the Silvertips, putting up two goals and 11 points in 66 appearances. That was followed by a one-point playoff campaign across 13 post-season contests.
Before that, in 2023-24, he played for Northern Alberta Xtreme at the U-18 level in the CSSHL. He scored 11 goals and 32 points in 27 outings. Following that campaign, he joined the Silvertips, who drafted him 10th overall in the 2023 draft, and played six games split evenly between regular season and playoffs. He didn't score in that post-season, but put up a goal and an assist in his three appearances of the regular season.
NHL Central Scouting has listed Liske 44th among North American skaters and the 12th-best defenseman of that same ranking. Central Scouting recorded the youngster at 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds.
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The New York Knicks’ 16-3 run to the NBA Championship was impressive.
Just not impressive enough to sway the NBA Championship odds at prediction markets like Kalshi to believe anyone other than the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder can win the 2027 title.
Those two Western Conference powers have a combined 55% shot to claim the NBA title next season (Thunder 28%, Spurs 27%), which means solid returns for the other 28 teams.
The entire NBA offseason is in front of us, with trades, free agency, and the NBA Draft on deck. Before the summer circus starts, here are my three favorite NBA picks to make right now.
🏆2026-27 NBA Championship predictions
Team
Odds
Miami Heat
3%
+3233
Indiana Pacers
4%
+2400
Houston Rockets
3%
+3233
Odds courtesy of Kalshi as of 3:15 p.m. ET on 6-15.
📈2026-27 NBA Championship odds
Miami Heat (3¢ at Kalshi)
The Heat are at the center of the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade rumors, with the Bucks star preferring to land in South Beach. An investment now gets you out ahead of the market moves.
Tyler Herro, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jacquez Jr., and draft picks are the reported return for the Bucks, but recent rumblings say they’re asking for more. That could draw a third team into the mix to help satisfy Milwaukee’s needs.
Adding Giannis alongside Bam Adebayo gives Miami the most potent frontcourt tandem in the NBA. The Heat will likely retain Andrew Wiggins and have promising young guards in Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson, along with mastermind coach Erik Spoelstra.
A trade for Antetokounmpo could also entice free agents to sign with Miami — if the sun, fun, and no income tax weren’t enough.
As the Knicks showed, the path through the East is far easier, and the Miami Heat odds will spike if and when the Giannis deal gets done.
Indiana Pacers (4¢ at Kalshi)
It would only be fitting that the Indiana Pacers take their place as the Knicks’ biggest rivals in the Eastern Conference.
Let’s not forget, Indiana was a Tyrese Halliburton Achilles tear away from knocking off OKC in the 2025 NBA Finals. The Pacers didn’t rush their star back in 2026, playing out what was a throw-away season.
Indiana swapped the would-be No. 5 pick for center Ivica Zubac, who gives the Pacers the interior toughness needed to compete against the likes of San Antonio and OKC.
The rest of the roster is pretty much intact, returning the depth that was the Pacers’ calling card in 2025. A free agent signing at forward (like veteran Khris Middleton) would bolster the frontcourt and have the Pacers back in the title hunt in 2026.
The Houston Rockets’ early playoff exit and combined 4-10 record against the West’s Top 4 teams have soured most, plunging Houston to seventh in the projected conference pecking order.
This slide seems severe considering the Rockets finished sixth in net rating last year, behind five of the Top 6 favorites to win the 2027 NBA title.
This roster is sound and should return veteran pieces that were injured last year. Kevin Durant is still an All-NBA talent and has quality players around him, with Tari Eason (RFA), Amen Thompson, Alperen Sengun, and Reed Shepard all stepping up.
Houston also has a lot of future draft capital to flex, should it want to chase a big-name trade between now and the 2027 deadline. If the Rockets hold their own among the best in the West come February, GM Rafael Stone might make a move to bring in a second superstar.
I see a lot of wiggle room in the Western Conference, at least below the Spurs and Thunder. The Lakers may not have LeBron James back, Denver’s window is closing, the L.A. Clippers are caught in the Kawhi drama, and Minnesota could look very different — good or bad.
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.
Logan Stankoven was 7 years old and Jackson Blake on the verge of his seventh birthday when Taylor Hall was the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NHL draft.
Fast-forward more than a decade and a half later, and the “Kids and the Hall” line was a huge reason the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup.
“Great all playoffs, all year,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “Their game really hasn’t changed for months.”
Offsetting power-play struggles through the first three rounds and sagging production from the top line of Seth Jarvis, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov for much of the playoffs, Hall, Stankoven and Blake combined for 29 of the Hurricanes’ 66 goals during their title run.
That included the two scored on Carter Hart in Game 6 against Vegas to close out the final.
“Those two just work so hard,” Blake said. “They make it a whole lot easier on me to play out there, for sure. They were unbelievable all playoffs long, and it was so fun and to cap it off with this is very special.”
Hall had what will go down as the Game 6 winner, completing at 18 seasons the longest stretch between getting picked first and winning the Cup. The 34-year-old winger who was NHL MVP in 2017-18 while playing for New Jersey thrived as a role player with Carolina, his seventh team in the league.
“You never know what kind of turn your life’s going to take,” said Hall, who joined Carolina from Chicago as part of a three-team trade in January 2025 and signed an extension a few months later. “I got fortunate coming here. A special group to do it with. They allowed me, personally, just to come in and have success and that says a lot.”
In that same deal, the Hurricanes got big winger Mikko Rantanen from Colorado. He lasted just 13 games with them before getting flipped to Dallas.
The centerpiece of that return was Stankoven, who was most of the way through his first season with the Stars.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Stankoven said. “It was tough at first just to kind of swallow it and realize that I was getting shipped out.”
Stankoven became the center Carolina needed and led the team in playoff goals with 11. Blake assisted on Hall’s goal and scored the second one in Game 6, showing up big as the youngest player to lift the Cup this time.
“I have no words right now,” the 22-year-old Blake said. “I’m out of breath. But this is the greatest feeling I’ve ever had in my life. It’s unbelievable. And to do it with these guys, my family here and everyone here supporting us, it’s unbelievable.”
It all worked because Stankoven was able to fill the void in the middle that had prevented the Hurricanes from getting over the hump.
Hall became the muscle. Blake was the distributor. Stankoven turned out to be the finisher, while also creating the offense at even strength.
“It’s what you dream of as a kid is to obviously, one, win a Stanley Cup, but you want to be a difference-maker in the NHL,” the 23-year-old Stankoven said. “I know that I’m not a finished product. I still have work to put in, and I’m still a young guy. I just want to keep working at my game and just being a sponge.”
While the Stars are more than happy to have Rantanen in his prime, Stankoven made the best of the move 15 months ago. Last summer, he signed a $48 million contract through 2034 and already looks to be worth every penny.
“Everything kind of happens for a reason,” Stankoven said. “Dallas got their player, and I just want to become the best version of myself here in Carolina.”
Aug 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts (50) pumps his fist as he rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Following a couple of series away from home against the Pirates and White Sox, the Dodgers return home to face yet another team with a record above their initial expectations—a Rays team battling neck and neck with the Yankees for the AL East lead. Right at the center of this phenomenal campaign of the Rays lies the stabilizing work of veteran right-hander Nick Martínez alongside Drew Rasmussen at the top of the rotation. While Martinez’s terrific numbers in 2026 come as a surprise given his recent track record, specifically for Dodger fans, it is no new thing to see him perform well.
When Martinez takes the mound for the 41-27 Rays against the Dodgers, he’ll put on the line the finest numbers of his career against any big league club. Martínez has a 2.50 ERA in 36 innings against the Dodgers across three starts and another 10 appearances out of the bullpen. Mookie Betts, for instance, the Dodgers’ player with the most at-bats against Martínez, has a near .200 average in 29 at-bats against him.
As a team, the Dodgers didn’t get out of Chicago with a lot of positives, but one of them was seeing Betts’ bat coming alive, with the shortstop piling on five hits in the last two games, including a homer. Betts now carries this spark into a tough challenge facing a pitcher he has routinely struggled against.
Once a week these days, it seems, Jose Caballero annoys an opponent so much a baseball game stops because of it. Last week, it was Cleveland Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey. This week, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider and young pitcher Spencer Miles.
Sometimes, the games stop for a few seconds as pitchers grapple with his unique approach to the limits of the pitch clock. Sunday, the game stopped for nine minutes as Caballero argued with home plate umpire Steven Jaschinski after Jaschinski stopped play with nine seconds left on the pitch clock to scold Caballero when, by rule, the Yankees’ sparkplug need not be set until eight.
“There’s a lot of major league players in this league,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters in Toronto after the game, frustrated with the delay that ensued as Caballero argued his innocence.
“There seems to be one guy that has an issue with it. It sucks that a pitcher like Spencer Miles has to sit out there for as long as he did. Seems like it could have been handled a lot quicker and a lot more efficiently than it was. But, again, that’s not why we lost, but it’s Major League Baseball, everyone knows the rules.”
Funnily enough, that one guy with an issue might know the rules better than anyone. And he does not shy away from his willingness to use them to his advantage.
The plan, familiar to many by now, is this: Caballero must be set and looking at the pitcher with eight seconds left on the pitch clock to avoid a violation. So as the pitcher readies himself with 15 or 12 or even 10 seconds left, Caballero will step in to the batter’s box, tap his bat, and look set. But he will not look up until the clock hits eight seconds, forcing the pitcher to wait until he does.
“My thing is, I don’t want the pitcher to take control of the at-bat,” Caballero said, while kneeling gleefully, arms hanging over the back of his chair in the Yankees clubhouse.
“So if I am ready right when the clock starts, he has 17, 18 seconds to work with it, and I don’t want to be stuck in there thinking about oh, what’s he gonna throw? He might be shaking his head seven times and then I’m in there just thinking and I get tired of having my bat ready. I don’t want that.”
Caballero was in the Tampa Bay Rays organization when the pitch clock was tested in the minor leagues, so he says he has been honing this strategy since 2019. The clock didn’t hit the big leagues until 2023, so he thinks he has an advantage over veterans who did not grow up playing with it. He says the idea to delay as long as possible was his, and he is not surprised more players do not try it.
“It’s not always an advantage to do it. Sometimes there is more bad than good that you can get out of it – that’s why I’m always involved in all of these bad things,” Caballero said with a smile, referencing his early June disagreement with the Guardians over his approach.
Jun 3, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees shortstop Jose Caballero (72) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
“[Those disagreements] do bother me because it’s the rules. You’re supposed to call the rule,” he said. “Why do I have to stop my at-bat to let you know about the rule you’re supposed to be knowing? If I’m running, and you as a pitcher balk, why would I have to tell the umpire to call it? You know he’s making a mistake. Call the mistake. Simple as that.”
Caballero said every time the game stops because of his late set-up, the argument is “something different.”
Last week against the Guardians, for example, he said umpires told him he looked up once before looking down again, which Caballero disputed, and that Guardians catcher Patrick Bailey said he was waiting to look up until the last minute on purpose. Sunday, John Schneider said he took issue with how long Caballero argued with umpires about the situation.
In both cases – as in every case – Cabellero said he does not understand why anyone is still surprised by his strategy.
“The rules are the rules, and I have my time to do so, and I always do it. It doesn’t matter what inning, it doesn’t matter what count. It’s not like I’m trying to mess you up. You already know,” Caballero said. “I’m pretty sure every team has a meeting before facing us about it. You already know! All you have to do is wait until seven seconds and come set. It’s that simple. If you want to make it a scene, I’m going to look like the bad guy, but the rule is the same for everyone.”
Caballero, 29, probably draws more angst in part because his reputation as someone who tries to distract opponents precedes him. His manager, Aaron Boone, once referred to Caballero’s on-field agitating as “Woody Woodpecker stuff.”
“The instigator,” Boone said.
The Yankees have not had many instigators in Boone’s tenure – or perhaps, more accurately, in Aaron Judge’s reign. Judge towers over a notoriously buttoned-up clubhouse, one known for a business-like approach punctuated only by Jazz Chisholm Jr.’s fearless candor in recent years. When asked about how his willingness to push opponents’ buttons plays with his teammates in a clubhouse full of rule-followers, Caballero interrupted.
“I’m following the rules! It’s just a different way to follow the rules,” he said, smiling and twisting his chair side to side like an energetic kid who could not wait for class to end.
“It’s not that I want to get in trouble But for me, it’s a battle. If I can make you think about something else, I’m winning the battle right there,” he said. “I’m trying to get on base, no matter how, so if that bothers you, I couldn’t be more happy.”
Jun 22, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy (13) celebrates with right fielder Teoscar Hernandez (37, left) and two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17, right) after hitting a three-run home run during the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
The first unveiling of the first round of fan voting for the All-Star Game showcases the popularity of the Dodgers, as two-time defending champions. Four Dodgers have the most votes at their position, and three others are in line to advance to the second round of voting.
Shohei Ohtani leads all MLB players with 1,165,133 votes thus far, while Freddie Freeman leads all National League first basemen, Max Muncy leads at third base, and Andy Pages leads all NL outfielders.
NL designated hitter
Shohei Ohtani 1,165,133
Kyle Schwarber 820,009
Dominic Smith 371,508
Ohtani has been voted by fans to start at designated hitter in each of the last five seasons, including in both 2024 and 2025 with the Dodgers.
NL first basemen
Freddie Freeman 870,606
Matt Olson 802,848
Bryce Harper 651,792
Freeman has played in the last seven All-Star Games with five starts, including in 2023 and 2025 for Los Angeles. After a slow start this season, Freeman has been hot the last four weeks and is now hitting .275/.365/.473 with a 133 wRC+.
NL third basemen
Max Muncy 941,218
Alec Bohm 386,425
Nolan Alrenado 363,091
Austin Riley 353,394
Muncy leads all National League third basemen in home runs (16), runs scored (46), on-base percentage (.371), slugging percentage (.532), OPS (.903), wRC+ (151), Outs Above Average (+5), and FanGraphs WAR (2.9)
Pages is tied with Walker for most RBI (56) among NL outfielders and is fifth among NL outfielders with 2.4 fWAR (2.4), hitting .273/.319/.498 with 124 wRC+ with 13 Defensive Runs Saved.
In addition to Teoscar Hernández, who is expected to miss a month with a hamstring strain, both Will Smith and Mookie Betts are in line to at least advance to the second round of voting despite slow starts to their seasons.
NL catcher
Drake Baldwin 972,813
Will Smith 682,883
J.T. Realmuto 446,915
Smith has been an All-Star in each of the last three seasons, starting in 2025. This year he’s hitting 249/.338/.382 with six home runs and a 105 wRC+. He’s currently on the injured list with neck inflammation.
NL shortstop
CJ Abrams 579,796
Mookie Betts 567,566
Elly De La Cruz 473,485
Trea Turner 414,652
Betts hasn’t hit much at all this season, and missed five weeks with an oblique strain. He’s also one of the games biggest stars and a surefire future Hall of Famer who’s an eight-time All-Star, so it’s not all that surprising that he’s among the top at the position in fan voting.
The first round of fan voting runs through 9 a.m. PT on Thursday, June 25, with the top two at each position plus the top six outfielders advancing to the second phase of voting. The player with the most first-round votes in each league automatically is named a starter at their position, without needing the second phase of voting. Ohtani was the top NL vote-getter last year, for instance.
Phoenix Suns all-time leading scorer Devin Booker is one of the greatest Suns players, if not the greatest player, in the history of the organization. That statement is factually true and cannot be argued against with any real weight.
In his 11 seasons with the franchise, Booker has taken the Suns as close to the pinnacle of the sport as they have been after going up 2-0 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Finals. He is an Olympic gold medalist, a first-team All-NBA selection in 2021-22, has five All-Star appearances, and has a career average of 24.6 points per game.
All incredible accomplishments for someone who has given everything he has to the Valley. But looking forward to the future is not as bright as we hoped it would be after his historic playoff runs in 2021 and 2023.
The question that has been asked the last two seasons: Is Devin Booker washed? Declining? Whatever descriptive term you want, and how extreme you take it, there is no arguing that he has not had the same explosive scoring seasons over the last two seasons as he had in the 2021 to 2024 seasons. Over those three seasons, Booker averaged 27.2 points per game, and in the 2024 to 2026 seasons, he has averaged 25.9 points per game.
Now let’s pause for a second. Those are still remarkably great numbers, and Booker is absolutely one of the best players in the game today. But he has not played to the level of an All-NBA, top 10 player in basketball over the last two seasons, as we Suns fans (biased as we may be) thought he was at for the first half of this decade.
It’s not just his scoring that has gone down; his field goal percentage has declined from 49% in the 2023 and 2024 seasons to an average of 45.9% in the 2025 and 2026 seasons. His three-point shooting has dropped from well above 35% to 33% over the last two seasons. Even his percentage of points scored in the midrange has dropped to just 17%, which is his lowest season since 2019-20.
Statistically, Booker has regressed, and unfortunately, the eye test over the last two seasons tells us the same thing. He looks a little slower and does not appear to have the same ability to separate from defenders as he did during his peak seasons with the Suns.
Booker’s role has also changed from those seasons, too. In the last three seasons, Booker has been the primary ball-handler and distributor on offense. Before that, he had Chris Paul to share the load with him, but in the last two or three seasons, it has been Booker in full control of the ship.
So can Booker get back to his first-team All-NBA, fourth-place MVP-voting season self again?
The short answer is yes, and it comes down to two things: get Booker in position to be the savant scorer he is, not the full-time table setter, and Booker has to become a better three-point shooter.
The first thing the Suns have to do is find, or develop, another ball-dominant creator who can help Booker shoulder the offensive load so Booker does not have to run every ball screen and face double teams every possession. Booker is consistently seeing defenses designed to take him away, and let anyone else on the Suns go crazy.
Think back to last season. Booker faced double teams and heavy gap defenses designed to shut off his ability to score. Meanwhile, Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green usually could isolate in their spots without facing the same tilted defense.
The one-on-one midpost isolations that Brooks got last season used to be Booker’s when the Suns had another threat like Chris Paul or Kevin Durant (before things went south). Maybe Jalen Green can eventually develop into that kind of player where Booker doesn’t need to orchestrate every possession, but that seems lofty. And if it does happen, it will take more than one season for Green to get there. As far as Dillon Brooks’ development goes, what we got last year is what we’re going to get going forward: a black hole that thinks score, score, score when he has the ball.
So if the Suns are willing to trade up in the draft or wheel and deal this offseason, finding a big wing that can rebound and shoot the ball is obviously a priority, but finding someone who can make Booker better has to be No. 2 on the list. Booker made everyone else around him better this season, the part we forget about when talking about his decreasing numbers and worse end-of-game execution. Hopefully, the Suns can find players this offseason who can help Booker be better and not just benefit from his greatness.
Organizationally, the Suns can try to surround Booker with players who can help him get free. But the other part of this conundrum is that Booker also needs to get better as well. The thing that Booker can directly control is how well he shoots from the three-point line. It is no coincidence that his best three-point shooting seasons were also his best scoring seasons as a professional. He shot a career high at over 38% from 3 the year he finished fourth in MVP voting. Is that a coincidence? I would argue it’s not.
The ability to shoot threes, especially off the dribble, creates a different dynamic that Booker has been unable to tap into the last two seasons, only shooting 33% from long range. Becoming an above-average three-point shooter will help Booker slow the ferocity of Father Time because it will make it harder for defenses to stop his ability to get to the basket and get to his patented midrange jumper if they are less willing to give up a three-point shot. Even if it’s less often than it was in the 2021-22 season, the Suns have to utilize Booker off the ball more and get him more open three-point shots to accentuate his shooting ability. Whether that is Oso Ighodaro, Collin Gillespie, or someone else in charge of running the offense, Booker has to get easier looks than he got this season, and getting him off the ball will do just that.
Combining a consistent three-point shot with Booker’s savant scoring package in the midrange, on top of his improved free-throw drawing tendencies this past season, Booker can get back to being in the conversation of a Top 10 player in basketball again. That is a conversation he hasn’t sniffed in two seasons, and it’s also not the only thing he can do to get back to it, but it looks like it could be his simplest way back unless he becomes far more explosive magically this offseason. Outside of a ginormous franchise-altering trade that brings in another superstar to Phoenix, the most crucial thing for the Suns to improve in the next couple of seasons to truly get back into deep playoff contention is for Booker to get back to his apex.
Building around the Devin Booker we’ve seen the last two seasons is futile if he is not actually good enough to take us back up the mountain anymore.
Miami Heat
Indiana Pacers
Houston Rockets
