SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 30: Manager Aaron Boone of the New York Yankees looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 30, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) | Getty Images
It’s a tale as old as time at this point. The Yankees, loaded with talent and with their usual championship aspirations, roar out of the gate, looking every bit the class of the American League for the first half or so of the season. Then, the midseason swoon hits, and the team plummets in the standings, regaining their footing at some point later in the summer, just in time to stabile and make the playoffs.
The story of the 2026 Yankees is following the blueprint so far. They are playing stellar baseball, and in truth look even further ahead of the rest of their AL rivals than usual at this time of year. They’re playing remarkably well, but surely some fans are still just wait for the other shoe to drop. So let’s ask the question: is this the year the Yankees avoid their midsummer malaise?
The first time it happened, the Yankees’ midseason flop could’ve been written off as a fluke. They sprinted to a stunning 61-23 record in 2022, but floundered through July and August before getting things together for a strong September that allowed them to clinch the AL East. They weren’t so fortunate in 2023, when the Yankees had a 36-25 record after their early-June series in Los Angeles, but buckled under the weight of a copious injuries, including Aaron Judge’s devastating toe injury against the Dodgers, limping to an 82-80 finish.
2024 is when the midseason swoon narrative truly took hold in the public’s imagination, the team again playing stellar early-season ball, running out to a 45-19 record before playing sub-.500 ball through most of the summer. And in 2025, things reached another peak (nadir?), when the Yankees regressed from a 42-25 start to post an 18-29 record over the next month and a half, making a number of ugly and costly mental mistakes in the process. Their swoon was so deep that a blistering 34-14 close to the year was necessary to get back into a tie atop the AL East by season’s end.
Here we are in 2026, with the Yankees at 23-11, winners of 13 of their last 15. The pattern of the last four years is strong enough that many feel another faceplant in June or July is inevitable. Yet this roster also looks strong enough to perhaps ensure that whatever slumps the team eventually runs into will not be as deep or as prolonged as in recent years. The club’s pitching has never felt this loaded, and the lineup, with Ben Rice doing his best Juan Soto impression (get better quick Ben!) is as good as ever.
Not only that, but the way the Yankees are moving this year feels different. They didn’t hand Anthony Volpe back his starting shortstop job when he did little to earn it during his minor-league rehab, they quickly demoted Luis Gil when the right-hander proved ineffective, and they promptly cut the shenanigans with Rice sitting against lefties once it became clear that Rice is one of the league’s scariest hitters. It’s the combo of this urgency and the team’s loaded roster that forces one to consider the possibility that this is finally the year the Yankees avoid a nightmarish midseason slide.
What do you think? Will the Yankees find more consistency this year, or are they doomed to repeat the mistakes of the last few years?
On the site today, Kevin will recap a busy day of American League action, while Michael will discuss the still-looming return of Anthony Volpe and how, though many fans not think it, it should give the Yankees a boost. Later, Jeremy profiles Miguel Cairo on the occasion of the former infielder’s 52nd birthday, and John explores the origin of the ‘Bronx Bombers’ nickname, while Andrés praises Will Warren’s improvement against lefties.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - MAY 03: Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors during the third quarter in Game Seven of the First Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Rocket Arena on May 03, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CLEVELAND — Reputations don’t change overnight, especially ones built through years of playoff failures.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t alter how they were perceived with a gutsy 114-102 Game 7 win over the Toronto Raptors. They did, however, show that they don’t have to be defined by previous postseason letdowns.
Jarrett Allen was the exact opposite of the caricature he’s been made out to be. He was the toughest player on the court on Sunday with the way he thoroughly dominated the paint on both ends of the floor.
Defensively, Allen made it impossible for Toronto to finish inside.
He cut off both passing and driving lanes with his activity on defense, resulting in three blocks and two steals. Allen did this while grabbing 25% of missed shots himself when he was on the floor, translating to 19 rebounds.
This all added up to Cleveland having an impressive 101.4 defensive rating with him playing.
That impact carried to the other end of the floor as well.
Allen played with a forcefulness that Toronto couldn’t match. Every cut, screen, or drive to the hoop was made with an effort that we don’t always see from Allen, but when he has few can stop.
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Head coach Kenny Atkinson saw a game like this coming with the way Allen looked in pregame intros.
“He was flying around,” Atkinson said. “Normally, he’s enthusiastic, but it was like, ‘Man, what got into this guy?’ But he was ready for the moment.”
Allen’s game is momentum-based. When he starts to see a few go through, his energy and effort continue to rise. That’s what we saw, especially in the third quarter. He finished the evening with 22 points on 7-8 shooting in the restricted area with eight huge offensive rebounds.
There was a simple message still written on the Cavs’ whiteboard after Game 7: “Win the possession game again!” Underneath that was a box with +9 in it, signaling how much they won that category.
The guards did a good job of limiting turnovers, but the real difference maker was Allen’s offensive rebounding.
Allen’s lowest playoff moment came when he couldn’t keep Mitchell Robinson and the New York Knicks off the glass three years ago. That was one of the many reasons Cleveland lost that first-round series so convincingly. It’s also where Allen made the infamous reference to the lights being “brighter than expected.”
This game was the exact opposite.
Allen wasn’t the one getting pushed off his spots; he was the one moving defenders out of the way and breaking their spirit in the second half.
This one game doesn’t change who Allen is moving forward. In basketball and in life, you continually need to confront and overcome the same problems.
Allen conquering his previous challenges is emblematic of the team as a whole.
In this series, the Cavs repeatedly showed that they can meet the moment. RJ Barrett’s game-winning three in Game 6 that hung in the air for eternity before falling through might’ve broken previous versions of this team. It didn’t for this one.
Every time they had a chance to collapse after a bad break, they picked themselves back up and continued fighting. That’s something that we haven’t consistently seen before and will help them in the postseason.
“I’m proud of our group,” Max Strus said after an impressive game of his own.
“Overcoming adversity, losing, coming back from it, showing some toughness, showing some character, showing some resilience. I think it’s going to be awesome for us to go through that. Now that we’ve gone through it, we know what it takes to get over the hump. I think it’ll be better for us in the next rounds.”
That is undeniably true.
However, it’s also true that the Cavs proved their loudest critics right on multiple occasions over the last two weeks. Mental mistakes, such as struggling to get the ball over half court late in games, cost them both Game 4 and Game 6. Championship-level teams can’t afford to give away road games, especially not two in similar ways.
The Cavs are both the team that showed they don’t have to be defined by their postseason failures, and that what has led to them can pop up at any moment. The first option wasn’t there for previous groups. That, more than anything, is reason to be optimistic if you want to be.
Talent has never been the problem with the Cavs.
The pieces are in place for a deep postseason run. The issue, both individually and as a collective, lies in rising to the occasion in the biggest moments.
Allen isn’t the only one who’s earned the reputation as a playoff failure. He’s on the same team as James Harden — the modern superstar most known for falling short in the clutch — and Donovan Mitchell — someone who hasn’t gotten out of the second round in his previous eight postseason attempts. Both will have to defeat their demons if this team is going to get over the hump.
Luckily for them, Allen provided the roadmap for doing so.
“I always feel like in this league, when you get a certain label, it always sticks with you no matter what,” Allen said. “No matter how hard you try to change it, it’s always going to follow you around. I think that if I…want to change the narrative that was placed on me…that’s going to weaken my strengths going forward and always try to weigh me back.
“I’ve always been the guy that always just moves forward. Things happen in the past that go my way, that don’t go my way. It’s just part of playing basketball, being at the professional level. [All I can do is] just be my best going forward.”
If Harden, Mitchell, and the rest of the team can continue following Allen’s example and just be their best going forward, then maybe this group can accomplish something meaningful.
With guys like this, your power play should not suck. | NHLI via Getty Images
Feel relieved, Islanders fans: the Canadiens have eclipsed the 2015 Islanders’ dubious records by recording even fewer shots in a Game 7 than the Islanders did on that terrible night in D.C.
Of course the critical difference is that the Canadiens’ 9 shots (compared to the Islanders’ 11 on that frustrating night opposite Barry Trotz’s Caps) came in a startling 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida. So the Canadiens move on to face the Sabres, completing the second-round pairings. And dipshit Nikita Kucherov, who kept trying to chirp Jakub Dubes all series, goes home with a sad.
The second round began over the weekend, however with a bit of predictability and a bit of theater.
On the predictability front, I looked at my friend with puzzlement when he said “Hurricanes-Flyers should be a good series.” I don’t have any notion that it will be, and Saturday did not put any doubt in my head when Carolina easily handled Philadelphia, 3-0. [NHL]
Meanwhile, the opening of Colorado vs. Minnesota was insane. The Avalanche jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first, only to allow Minnesota to get two goals back in just over a minute span. In the second period, the Avs extended their lead to 4-2 only to allow the Wild to come back and tie it at 4-4. That didn’t last long, however, as Colorado retook the lead on the way to a 9-6 (EN) win, with a historic number of individual goal scorers. Cale Makar played only just over a minute in the first after taking a big hit, but returned with some of that magic spray and scored two goals. [NHL]
The Wild have Quinn Hughes, who was big in Game 1, but they start the series without Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek. [NHL]
PITTSBURGH, PA - OCTOBER 21: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins chat against the Vancouver Canucks at PPG PAINTS Arena on October 21, 2025 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
As the Pittsburgh Penguins and their fans begin the off-season, two of the franchise’s biggest stars are in something of a “wait-and-see” mode regarding their future. Captain Sidney Crosby hasn’t decided whether he’ll continue playing beyond the 2026-27 season when his contract expires. He could sign an extension this summer, but is in no rush to decide his long-term future. [PensBurgh]
Evgeni Malkin, on the other hand, is waiting to resolve his ongoing contract saga and see whether he will be a part of the team for the 2026-27 season. If he is not a Penguin, it appears Malkin has no issue donning the colors of another team to continue his NHL career. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins are likely headed for another off-season of major roster turnover, with uncertainty at center, defense, and goaltending, despite maintaining a veteran core led by Crosby. [PensBurgh]
Connor Dewar carved out a strong role with the Penguins this season, thriving as a reliable fourth-line contributor. But with Dewar set to become an unrestricted free agent, his future in Pittsburgh remains uncertain. [Trib Live]
Forward Filip Hallander has returned to Sweden to resume off-season training after missing most of the season due to a blood clot, with plans to be reevaluated ahead of training camp. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Mats Sundin as a senior executive adviser for hockey operations and John Chayka as general manager as part of the much-discussed front-office overhaul. [NHL]
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid played through a fracture in his foot/ankle area during the playoffs, head coach Kris Knoblauch said. [Sportsnet]
Jayson Tatum looks on during Game 7 between the Celtics and 76ers on Saturday. | NBAE via Getty Images
What are we supposed to do now?
But seriously, after watching the Celtics collapse against the 76ers and seeing their season come to a crashing halt, it feels like something is missing from spring.
We’ve all devoted countless hours to watching this team play in May and June, and knowing that the journey is completely finished as of May 2 just doesn’t feel right.
In one sense, this team ultimately underachieved and fell short of its potential. In another, if you view it through a broader lens, the Celtics also overachieved and exceeded expectations from the start.
“When you start a season, you think you’re going to be playing until June every single year,” Sam Hauser told reporters. “That’s the expectation, especially being in Boston and with the Celtics — the standard is a championship, and when you fall short of that, it’s disappointing. But there’s a lot of good that we can take from this year and a lot of things that we can build off of.”
Asked Sam Hauser how he processes loss/disappointment on the heels of what was a great regular season:
“When you start a season, you think you're going to be playing until June every single year. That's the expectation, especially being in Boston and with the Celtics — the… pic.twitter.com/uiwRXa0Y3p
As you wake up in a somber daze, and solemnly stare out your window, I encourage you to view this season through both a glass-half full and glass-half-empty prism. I don’t think it’s accurate to say it was a complete success, and I also don’t think it’s fair to say it was a complete failure.
In that sense, it’s a very unique season and one unlike any other I can recall. The only one that comes close is the Isaiah Thomas masterpiece in 2017, but that one felt different as the Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. This playoff run was over before it began. So, how can fans not be disappointed?
No, no, don’t get me wrong … You can absolutely be disappointed, but you should also be grateful. Back when the season began, many expected it would end somewhat like it eventually did. The Celtics would lose in the first round to a more-talented opponent and fade into the night as a middling team.
But, they didn’t do so as the 7-seed. They did so as the 2-seed, which makes it so much more difficult to digest.
Remember, they weren’t supposed to be here. In my opinion, these are the most gratifying seasons, where a team defies the odds and the whole becomes greater than the parts.
“This season, what the expectations were and how we came out and we rose to meet that level of uncertainty with this group,” Jaylen Brown told reporters. “There’s nothing more I could ask for. I had a great time with my teammates. We played hard. Feel like we left it all out there. Tonight, we came up short.”
Asked Jaylen Brown how he looks at failure and success, and whether anything short of a title feels like a failure:
“It's hard to reflect on it just right now, because it's so fresh from the moment. But, obviously this organization is used to playing later into the season. I… pic.twitter.com/q1l5UA5GI3
Brown took his game to the next level this season. Derrick White was a dominant force defensively. Payton Pritchard created even more for himself and others. Hauser evolved as a driver and defender. Neemias Queta was one of the most-improved players in the NBA. Luka Garza, Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr., Hugo González and Jordan Walsh stayed ready and all made significant strides.
Oh yeah, and Jayson Tatum busted his butt and came back. He didn’t just come back. He was back. Back to his old ways, terrorizing opponents and making the game look easy. Then came another injury. Life isn’t always fair, but Tatum should be applauded for his resilience and determination. Full stop.
When you look closely at the roster, and compare it to Celtics teams of the past and other rosters around the NBA, it’s truly a remarkable feat that the Celtics secured the 2-seed. Joe Mazzulla and his staff deserve a great deal of credit for maximizing each player’s skills and pushing the right buttons throughout the regular season.
At the same time, this series exposed what is clearly a flawed roster with several holes. The Celtics need a versatile big who can defend, rebound and score at a high level. They need a wing who can give Brown and Tatum a breather and get buckets. They need a scrappy on-ball defender (it may be González, but he’s still learning) who can pester opponents and let them know he’s there.
While there are many layers to this series, when you break it down to its core, the deciding factor (besides Joel Embiid, of course) was that the Sixers felt way too comfortable in the games they won. There was no resistance. Where was Kevin Garnett, Marcus Smart or Jrue Holiday to channel that intensity the right way?
I admire the youth approach, and it’s quite amazing how much each player grew, but they need more defensive-minded veterans to complement that young talent.
Oh yeah, and there’s the 3-point shooting. I love 3-pointers more than anyone I know, so if I’m saying you’re shooting too many 3’s, you’re probably shooting too many 3’s. There’s nothing wrong with having it as your bread and butter, but you need to be able to diversify your offensive approach when the 3-ball isn’t falling.
Asked (a very visible disappointed) Payton Pritchard how he balances processing a 56-win season with this outcome:
“Just because you don't win a championship one year doesn't mean it didn't build for the next championship. So, when we won Banner 18, four years before that, we… pic.twitter.com/Ow3sxKhSfw
This will be an interesting offseason, and I expect the team to look different moving forward. I don’t think this is the end of the Tatum and Brown era, but otherwise, nothing would surprise me.
As you digest this season, and analyze what went wrong with a glass-half-empty mind-set, this is your friendly reminder to also look at the glass half full. It was one hell of a ride. Be grateful it happened. For now, maybe read a book, get outside, spend time with your family.
The Celtics will be back. They’ll learn from this, and next time, they’ll be ready to shatter the glass to smithereens.
Pritchard summed it up perfectly while speaking with reporters Saturday night.
“Just because you don’t win a championship one year doesn’t mean it didn’t build for the next championship.”
Could be first male French winner since Hinault in 1985
The cycling prodigy Paul Seixas will make his Tour de France debut this year, raising hopes of France’s first male homegrown winner since 1985.
The 19-year-old Decathlon-CMA CGM rider has prompted intense debate in France after a dazzling start to 2026 with his team weighing the benefits of early exposure to the Tour against the risk of overburdening a rider still in his first season as a professional.
PITTSBURGH, PA - MAY 03: Braxton Ashcraft (35) of the Pittsburgh Pirates walks to the dugout after being relieved in the eighth inning during an MLB game against the Cincinnati Reds on May 03, 2026 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Pittsburgh Pirates are coming off a series sweep of the rival Cincinnati Reds, but they still find themselves at the bottom of what’s been a tightly contested National League Central division all season long.
Despite the last place distinction that the Pirates hold, they still have a record over .500, as they are currently 19-16 on the year. The NL Central has just been stacked to start the year with every squad having a winning record in the division; this is the only division in baseball where every team has a winning record. The Pirates’ last place .543 winning percentage is greater than the division leading Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central (.514) and the Athletics in the AL West (.529).
In the division, the Pirates are playing above .500 baseball, but have been far from perfect against these clubs. They currently have a 9-7 record in the division and hold a .563 winning percentage against NL Central opponents. They have been very successful against the Reds as they won both of those series this year. They were uncharacteristically successful against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, as they won two out of the three games in that series. Their lone series against the Milwaukee Brewers was also a victory as they took two out of three games at American Family Field. The club did suffer a devastating four game sweep at the hands of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Cubs currently lead the division with a 22-12 record, which is the third best in baseball. The Reds and Cardinals both hold 20-14 records, while Milwaukee is just narrowly ahead of Pittsburgh with an 18-15 record. St. Louis has the best record against division opponents as they currently sit at 4-0 in NL Central play. The Cubs and Brewers both hold 1-2 records in the division while Cincinnati has a division worst 1-5 record against NL Central opponents.
May has only just begun, but the way the division is playing out now could very easily forecast what the race for the postseason could like at season’s end. This is the most competitive division in baseball right now as even the “worst” team in the division is playing at a high level. The Pirates have completely transformed their lineup, and yet only time will tell if they did enough to win the NL Central or earn to even earn a Wild Card berth. Pittsburgh has seen the most action from opposing NL Central teams to start the season which could benefit them down the stretch, but it’s looking like it’s going to be a tough grind for any team to gain any real separation at the top.
The Pirates will be playing out of division until the end of May. Starting on May 19 Pittsburgh will be in a three game series against St. Louis and then starting on May 25 the Pirates will host the Cubs for a four game series.
Occam’s razor is attributed to a 14th-century friar named William of Ockham. He doesn’t seem to be widely remembered for much else. The simplest explanation is: his idea that the explanation with the fewest elements is probably the most logical one was by far his best work.
The Houston Rockets had a disappointing 2025-26 season. It culminated in a disappointing first-round exit. Now, it’s time for explanations, diagnoses, and plans.
Here, the focus is on the playoff exit. There’s minimal value in considering plans that will bolster the team’s regular-season record if they aren’t playoff viable. So, why did the Rockets lose to a Lakers team that was without Luka Doncic and largely without Austin Reaves?
There are likely multiple Occam-friendly explanations, which may disqualify the razor from being applied. Firstly, and most obviously, the Rockets were without Kevin Durant. That’s a sound explanation, but it’s not very satisfactory. With Doncic and Reaves (mostly) sidelined, the Rockets’ young core should have taken care of business.
So, the task becomes explaining why they couldn’t. Here’s where the razor cuts:
Having two non-shooters in the same starting lineup is likely the primary culprit.
People don’t like that explanation. They’d prefer to believe there are multiple ways to build an NBA contender. It’s a reaction to the NBA’s optimization movement. It’s disheartening to think that team-building concepts are so rigid.
Here’s the issue: Everyone else is optimizing. The only other would-be contender to feature two non-shooters in the starting lineup would be the Detroit Pistons. As of this writing, they’re due to face the eighth seed in the weaker conference in a do-or-die Game Seven in seven hours.
So it’s not going well for them either (Editor’s note: The Pistons won last night, but doesn’t take away from James’ point).
Otherwise, go look at the playoff bracket. Every other serious team’s starting lineup features four, if not five, players whose three-point attempts must be defended. This is reality. The Lakers predictably packed the paint, and that’s the primary reason why the Rockets lost. When the paint isn’t available, it’s easier for defenses to guard the entire floor.
So what’s the solution?
Rockets have to explore three options
Let’s start with one option that shouldn’t be an option (even if it’s the most probable course of action):
Running it back.
Rafael Stone: Please. You cannot run this back. This is not a team that’s a Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams away from accomplishing anything substantial. Even adding a Tim Hardaway Jr. or a Gary Trent Jr. or a (wait, why are you throwing a tomato) Luke Kennard won’t be enough to move the needle.
Why? The explanation is, thematically enough, simple. The Rockets will still be starting two non-shooters. That’s still going to be tremendously easy to exploit in the playoffs. Adding bench shooters would allow them to stagger Sengun and Thompson, but if they can’t both be on the floor when the stakes are high, the problem persists. The Rockets will be choosing between keeping their best playmaker and best defender on the floor.
Put differently: It’s not just about shooting, it’s about spacing. You could surround Sengun and Thompson with the best shooting trio that could be assembled. Thompson’s defender will still sag off of him to put an extra man in the paint, which will result in the same problem.
That leaves two obvious options (spoiler: There’s a third): Trade Sengun, or trade Thompson. Full disclosure: I lean towards moving Sengun.
*I dug my own grave on this, but I can no longer say anything about Alperen Sengun other than “Nikola Who?” without becoming painfully self-conscious. Yet, when I was telling whoever would listen that a non-shooting, non-defending big man was a tough sell in 2024, I was a pariah. Now, the notion of moving Sengun is much more fashionable. I’ll credit myself for being early and move on.
This is less about Sengun himself and more about roster construction and market scarcity. Sengun is Houston’s primary playmaker. It’s more feasible to find a better primary playmaker than it is to find a better defensive wing than Amen Thompson. Thompson’s skillset is rarer, and that’s one of two reasons why I’d lean towards keeping him between the two.
The other reason? Sorry, but Sengun hasn’t hit 60% True Shooting yet in his career (yes, he hit 59.9% in 2023-24, but 60% isn’t even an especially high bar, and that’s one season). You can blame spacing, but Sengun had ample one-on-one opportunities with Deandre “Don’t call me Gobert” Ayton in this year’s series. When he doesn’t have a strength advantage, he has a tremendously difficult time scoring, and that has nothing to do with spacing. There is a legitimate concern that Sengun just doesn’t have great touch.
If the Rockets go this route, they don’t need to push chips in for a superstar. It could be wiser to retool. Trading Sengun for a lesser five who’s a better stylistic fit with the rest of the roster and future assets could put the Rockets in a better overall position.
That could mean a stretch five. Could Myles Turner and two first-round picks be had in a multi-team deal? Bobby Portis and picks? A non-Buck and picks?
Yet, it doesn’t have to be a stretch five. A lower usage big man with defensive value who can comfortably be benched could work. What about Yves Missi and two unprotected future firsts? In that permutation, you’re relying on Jabari Smith Jr. at the 5 minutes to be viable.
And yes, you could just flip Sengun and a bunch of other stuff for Giannis Antetokounmpo. You’re still running two non-shooters, and almost certainly not winning a title, and totally berift of assets, but…yeah, you could.
Alternatively, you could build a high-octane offense and live with the defensive shortcomings by pairing Sengun and Kevin Durant with a third star – but it has to be the right star. It can’t be a paint merchant, or even a midrange maestro. This player would need to be a high-volume three-point shooter.
Who might be available? Jaylen Brown feels like an obvious candidate given his ties to Udoka, but he’s one of those players whose reputation as a three-point shooter doesn’t quite align with reality. Donovan Mitchell is a thought, but pairing him with Fred VanVleet (and if he’s not in the deal, Reed Sheppard) makes for two small guards in a defense that’s still anchored by Sengun. No bueno.
We don’t need to identify the specific star. The simpler point is that if the Rockets want to test the theory that Sengun would thrive with better spacing, they’d need to bring in a third star who’s a significant three-point threat. Even if Sengun’s scoring efficiency never improves, his passing processing would surely improve with three-point threats around him.
So, those are the obvious routes. There is a third one:
But it almost certainly won’t happen.
Rockets could trade Kevin Durant
A starting lineup featuring two non-shooters isn’t championship viable in 2026.
If you don’t have championship aspirations, that’s a moot point.
Why did the Rockets acquire Durant? Was it to make a championship push? Or, was it to get off Jalen Green expeditiously and bring in a veteran who, at least in basketball terms, should elevate the rest of the core?
If it’s the latter, there should be no qualms about moving the guy with the burner accounts. If the Rockets could flip Durant for complementary players (ie, shooters) and a future first, they’d buy themselves some time. Time to build around the sneaky superstar they grab in the 2027 or 2029 draft.
Time to see if one of Sengun or Thompson makes a shooting leap. Time for Anthony Edwards to shake loose to pair with Sengun.
I love this option, but it’s likely a tough sell for ownership. That’s why it’s being treated as an addendum here. Assuming that it’s not an option, the Rockets should move one of their non-shooting starters this summer:
The Boston Bruins’ journey in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs lasted just six games, and now a very pivotal offseason awaits the franchise as it searches for ways to become a true title contender again.
Overall, the season was undoubtedly a success for the Bruins. Very few experts and analytics models predicted Boston would make the playoffs one year after finishing with the NHL’s fifth-worst record. But to their credit, the B’s were in a playoff spot the majority of the season.
Jeremy Swayman bounced back from a tough 2024-25 campaign and was a top-five goalie and Vezina Trophy finalist. Many of the team’s young players, such as center Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, took positive steps in their development. David Pastrnak is still a 100-point player.
So, what now for the Bruins? How should they attack the upcoming offseason? Do they stay the course of their retool or look to accelerate the process and make some bold moves?
There’s an argument to be made for staying the course, continuing to draft well, developing young players at the NHL level and not sacrificing premium assets to make short-term upgrades.
But the obvious path for the Bruins is accelerating this retool.
The case for offseason upgrades
They punched above their weight all season, and assuming they will perform at a similar level (especially offensively) next year without making substantial upgrades is a huge risk.
The analytics crowd was skeptical of the Bruins’ success all year. The B’s scored 15.45 goals above expected at even strength during the regular season, per Natural Stat Trick, which led the league. They also ranked seventh in shooting percentage at even strength. Several players, including Morgan Geekie, Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt, posted career high-shooting percentages.
A scoring regression seemed inevitable, and it came in the playoffs. The B’s scored only five goals in the last four games combined against the Sabres. The power play, which ranked third-best in the league entering the Olympic break in February, ranked 28th the remainder of the regular season and scored on just two of its 16 opportunities in Round 1.
That’s a steep regression.
“You look around the playoffs now and how goals get scored — everything is in the paint,” B’s head coach Marco Sturm said after Game 6. “And for some reason, we didn’t get there. We didn’t get those garbage goals we needed this time of the year. It was just not enough. If you look at Buffalo, they scored a lot of (those kinds of) goals. I think that was a big difference.”
Great goaltending also masked some of the defensive issues that popped up throughout the season. Swayman bailed out the B’s in a lot of games. He ranked No. 2 in goals saved above expected and No. 3 in wins above replacement for goalies, per MoneyPuck.
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The best case for accelerating this retool is that the Bruins’ core players are in the win-now portion of their careers. The Bruins aren’t an old team by any means, but their best players aren’t exactly young, either.
Morgan Geekie, LW, 27 years old
Jeremy Swayman, G, 27
Charlie McAvoy, D, 28
Pavel Zacha, C/W, 29
David Pastrnak, RW, 29
Elias Lindholm, C, 31
Nikita Zadorov, D, 31
Hampus Lindholm, D, 32
Viktor Arvidsson, LW, 33 (UFA this summer)
Pastrnak was asked to describe his emotions after losing to the Sabres in Game 6 and gave a telling answer.
“Of course it’s disappointing,” Pastrnak said. “I’m turning 30 in a couple weeks. Had one sniff at the Cup so far. It gets harder every single year. … You don’t want to waste any opportunity.”
Anyone drafted this year is probably not going to be an impact player at any point during the rest of the above players’ primes. If rookie James Hagens is the real deal, maybe he becomes a top-six forward in this window, but it would be unrealistic to expect a 2026 draft pick to be a franchise player in 2028 or 2029.
Potential trade targets for Bruins
So, what would be a move to accelerate the retool and win now?
Making a bold trade for someone like St. Louis Blues forward Robert Thomas is one example.
Thomas is a legit top-six center and he’s only 26 years old. He tallied 64 points in 64 games this past season and posted 80-plus points in each of the previous two campaigns.
Thomas is an elite playmaker and can score 20-plus goals. He’s also signed through 2029-30 to a team-friendly contract that carries an $8.125 million salary cap hit.
The cost to acquire Thomas, or a similar player, via trade would understandably be very high.
The Athletic’s Jeremy Rutherford reported on Feb. 26 that the Blues were seeking “three first-half-of-the-first-round assets ahead of the trade deadline. For example, that could mean an established young player, a drafted prospect and a draft pick who were all selected or could be taken in the first 15 or so picks.”
Thomas was rumored to be available before the trade deadline back in March, but the Blues ended up holding on to him.
Another potential trade target for teams in need of scoring is Dallas Stars forward Jason Robertson. He’s not a center, but he’s one of the league’s top goal scorers, and the Bruins could certainly use another one of those players, too. Robertson scored a career high 45 goals with 51 assists this season, and has scored 35-plus goals in four of the last five seasons.
The Stars were eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs, but it wasn’t Robertson’s fault. He tallied eight points (five goals, three assists) in six games against the Minnesota Wild.
The Stars are in a bit of a salary cap dilemma, and Robertson is an RFA this summer. He could re-sign with the Stars, and they’d be foolish not to pay him. But if he did become available, the Bruins would be wise to at least call the Stars and see what it might take to pry Robertson out of Dallas.
The cost to acquire Robertson via trade and then sign him to a huge long-term deal would obviously be high, but it would be worth it for an elite offensive player who is just 26 years old.
The Bruins have plenty of quality trade assets, including some good young NHL players, several talented prospects and five first-round picks over the next three drafts. If they decide to use any of these assets to bring in an impact player, it should be a forward.
The Bruins’ No. 1 roster weakness is a lack of elite forwards, specifically at center. Pastrnak is the only high-end forward on the team. He just posted a fourth consecutive 100-point season. Geekie scored 39 goals but can also be a little streaky. The B’s have some other good forwards, but no one who is going to dominate the opponent’s scouting report besides Pastrnak.
Pastrnak was the only Bruins player to eclipse 70 points this season. Only four other 2026 playoff teams — the Ducks, Kings, Flyers and Penguins — had one or zero 70-point scorers. The Lightning and Canadiens, who both play in the Bruins’ division, had four each. Six of the eight teams that advanced to Round 2 have two players with 70-plus points.
If you look at the last 10 Stanley Cup winners, they all had a legit No. 1 center (or two in some cases).
2024 and 2025 Panthers: Aleksander Barkov
2023 Golden Knights: Jack Eichel
2022 Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon
2020 and 2021 Lightning: Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point
2019 Blues: Ryan O’Reilly
2018 Capitals: Nicklas Backstrom
2016 and 2017 Penguins: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin
The Bruins haven’t had a real top-six center since Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci retired after the 2023 playoffs. Elias Lindholm was supposed to be a top-six center when he signed a seven-year, $54.25 million free-agent contract in 2024. But he has been a huge disappointment so far.
Whether it’s Thomas, Robertson or someone else, the Bruins have to add another premium forward before next season. Hagens has the potential to be that kind of impact player, but will the Bruins want to wait until he develops into that?
Running it back with a similar roster next season makes no sense. It would likely result in another first-round exit.
The current Bruins core is solid. But it’s not a championship-winning core. A high-end player or two must be brought in before next season, or we will be having this exact same conversation in May of 2027.
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 23: Anthony Volpe #11 and José Caballero #72 of the New York Yankees after winning the game against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 2025 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: The Yankees have been mulling their options with Anthony Volpe for days now, but they made it official on Sunday — the shortstop will not be getting handed the starting job back after his rehab assignment, instead getting optioned down to Triple-A Scranton. It’s a reversal of fate for Volpe, who has been entrenched at the position since winning it out of spring training in 2023 mostly due to a lack of internal competition, but with José Caballero’s electric play of late the team decided to stick it out with Caballero and let Volpe find his footing in the minors. We went into the reasons that led to Volpe’s demotion, but Gary has plenty more to add on how this came to be.
New York Post | Dan Martin: While the big news of the day wound up being Volpe’s demotion, a scare earlier in the day easily could’ve led the way instead had the Yankees been a little bit less lucky. Ben Rice launched his 12th home run of the season in the first inning of yesterday’s game against the Orioles, briefly tying himself with Aaron Judge for the team lead, but not long after he exited the game in the fourth inning. Rice suffered a hand contusion while fielding a pickoff attempt from Max Fried in the third inning, but X-rays were negative and the team says he will be day-to-day. Rice did take his at-bat in the bottom of the third and doubled before scoring on a Judge blast that put him back as the team leader, and hopefully Rice is out there chasing the Captain down before long.
New York Daily News | Gary Phillips: Tim Hill is an effective man, inducing groundball out after groundball out, but his manager doesn’t think he’s as predictable as he might appear on the mound. Hill’s reintroduced his slider this year, throwing the pitch just a bit over 10 percent of the time while mixing in a couple of four-seam fastballs to keep hitters guessing more on his signature sinker. Hill’s tinkered with the pitch recently, first adjusting it late last season before comparing notes with Blue Jays submarine pitcher Tyler Rogers during this year’s World Baseball Classic. Hill’s form has only looked fantastic since putting on pinstripes, but he’s off to a marvelous start this year with a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings.
MLB.com | Thomas Harrigan: This season’s had plenty of stars get off to surprisingly poor starts, but not all slumps are made equal. Some of the members of this club have exhibited signs that could lead to more than just a slight turnaround, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. doesn’t appear to be there yet for Harrigan, as he notes that Chisholm’s power being absent for most of the year has been a worrisome note for the soon-to-be free agent.
Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division)
Paradise, Nevada; Monday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -166, Ducks +140; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Golden Knights host series opener
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks in game one of the Western Conference second round. The teams meet Sunday for the fourth time this season. The Ducks went 3-0 against the Golden Knights in the regular season. In their last regular season meeting on Feb. 1, the Ducks won 4-3.
Vegas is 15-5-6 against the Pacific Division and 39-26-17 overall. The Golden Knights have a +22 scoring differential, with 264 total goals scored and 242 conceded.
Anaheim is 43-33-6 overall with a 19-12-1 record against the Pacific Division. The Ducks have a 23-12-3 record when they commit fewer penalties than their opponent.
TOP PERFORMERS: Jack Eichel has 27 goals and 63 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has six goals and one assist over the last 10 games.
Leo Carlsson has 29 goals and 37 assists for the Ducks. Mikael Granlund has two goals and 10 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 7-2-1, averaging 3.9 goals, 6.6 assists, 3.5 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
Ducks: 6-3-1, averaging 4.2 goals, 7.2 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body).
Ducks: Radko Gudas: day to day (lower body), Petr Mrazek: out for season (lower-body), Jansen Harkins: out (hand), Ross Johnston: day to day (lower-body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Philadelphia Flyers (43-27-12, in the Metropolitan Division) vs. Carolina Hurricanes (53-22-7, in the Metropolitan Division)
Raleigh, North Carolina; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Hurricanes -262, Flyers +212; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Hurricanes lead series 1-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Carolina Hurricanes host the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 1-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Saturday for the sixth time this season. The Hurricanes won the last meeting 3-0. Logan Stankoven scored two goals in the victory.
Carolina is 53-22-7 overall with a 21-4-2 record in Metropolitan Division play. The Hurricanes rank second in league play with 291 total goals (averaging 3.6 per game).
Philadelphia is 16-12-5 against the Metropolitan Division and 43-27-12 overall. The Flyers have given up 239 goals while scoring 240 for a +1 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Sebastian Aho has scored 27 goals with 53 assists for the Hurricanes. Stankoven has nine goals and four assists over the past 10 games.
Christian Dvorak has 18 goals and 33 assists for the Flyers. Porter Martone has four goals and three assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hurricanes: 9-0-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 6.3 assists, 5.2 penalties and 12.6 penalty minutes while giving up 1.6 goals per game.
Flyers: 7-3-0, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.7 assists, 5.5 penalties and 15 penalty minutes while giving up 1.8 goals per game.
INJURIES: Hurricanes: Alexander Nikishin: day to day (concussion).
Flyers: Owen Tippett: day to day (undisclosed), Rodrigo Abols: out (ankle), Nikita Grebenkin: out (upper body).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Arne Slot is fuming, Mikel Arteta’s big risk pays off and Josh Dasilva enjoys an emotional return for Brentford
Arne Slot was seething as he lamented the decision to allow Manchester United’s second goal to stand despite claims of handball by Benjamin Sesko. “The curve on the ball changed so there must have been a contact,” argued the Liverpool head coach. “But it’s no surprise to anyone that if there is a VAR intervention then the decision goes against us. It’s happened to us all season.” As PGMO confirmed at the time, however, there “was no conclusive evidence that Sesko handled the ball before scoring”. Slot was stretching it to pin Liverpool’s latest defeat on poor refereeing. United’s movement pulled the visitors apart in the first half and, without the injured Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitiké and Alexander Isak, the threat from Liverpool was nonexistent until capitalising on two errors early in the second half. Defeat stemmed from an anaemic first-half performance, nothing else. Andy Hunter
After a convincing 3-1 defeat of the Portland Trail Blazers in round one, the San Antonio Spurs will face a familiar foe in the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves are red hot, coming off a 3-2 victory over the Denver Nuggets, despite missing several key rotation players. The series is set to be a defensive, physical battle that will test the young Spurs and give the Wolves a chance to reach their third straight Western Conference Finals.
The Timbewolves enter the series as underdogs, with multiple players on the injury report. Anthony Edwards’ status is the most interesting of the series as a whole. Edwards has been cleared for on-court opportunities after suffering a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise against Denver. He is listed as questionable for Game 1. Donte DiVincenzo will miss the series after tearing his Achilles tendon in round one. Ayo Dosunmu, who dominated the Nuggets in the first round, is listed as questionable with calf soreness.
The Spurs come into the series with a full bill of health, but they struggled against Minnesota in the regular season. The Wolves took the regular season series between these two teams 2-1. Two of the three games were settled by 3 points or fewer, and the teams never played each other at full strength. It’s hard to take much from the regular season, other than the fact that these are two top-ten defenses, with superstar shotmakers in Victor Wembanyama and Edwards.
The Timberwolves are undefeated at home in the playoffs, which makes home-court advantage crucial for the Spurs. Winning two games at home will put them in a good position to take the series. It all starts with setting the tone in game one, with the chance to make the WCF for the first time since 2017.
Spurs Injuries: Carter Bryant – Questionable (foot)
Timberwolves Injuries: Donte DiVincenzo – Out (achilles), Ayo Dosunmu – Questionable (calf), Anthony Edwards – Questionable (knee)
What to watch for:
Minnesota’s Offense
If Edwards and Dosunmu sit, the key question for Minnesota becomes, where do they get offense from? Against Denver, it came from Jaden McDaniels, who is emerging as a star in these playoffs. McDaniels is averaging 17.8 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the field in the playoffs. He’s been a force getting to the rim, but is shooting just 11.1% from deep. The Wolves have also gotten solid production from Naz Reid and Terrance Shannon Jr. without Edwards.
Denver and San Antonio are two very different defensive teams. The Spurs have been excellent at funneling drivers toward Wembanyama, who has dominated around the rim this postseason. Stephon Castle will have a major challenge in front of him in guarding the Wolves’ best perimeter player, whether it’s Edwards or someone else. If San Antonio’s defense can slow down a surging Minnesota offense attack, they should be in a good position for Game One.
Defensive matchups
Portland showed the league what the blueprint for guarding the Spurs could be in the postseason. They put a big man on Castle, a wing on Wembanyama, and their best perimeter defender on De’Aaron Fox. Ultimately, the Blazers didn’t have the personnel to match up with San Antonio, but the Timberwolves have enough talent to make it interesting.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch could elect to put former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert on Castle, allowing him to roam the paint as an elite rim protector. Then he could put Julius Randle on Wembanyama. That matchup gave Wembanyama some issues in the regular season, as Randle could get under him and play physical defense. Then, McDaniels, the best perimeter defender, could take the Fox assignment.
Or, Finch could ride the hot hand and just put Gobert on Wembanyama. The Wolves’ center played great defense on Nikola Jokic in round one. That could give Minnesota the confidence to let Gobert handle Wembanyama, even if San Antonio’s star big man has historically dominated that matchup.
Spurs three-guard lineup
San Antonio head coach Mitch Johnson has been hesitant to play his three best guards together this season and in the playoffs. Fox, Castle, and Dylan Harper only logged 10 minutes together in Round One, with a neutral net-rating. In the regular season, the trio played 25 minutes together with a -26.9 net rating. If that doesn’t sound good, it’s because it isn’t. However, this lineup could come in handy against Minnesota.
The Wolves don’t have a lot of strong ball-handlers themselves, and could be bothered by the Spurs’ tough guards on the perimeter. Then, on the other end, the Wolves would need to contest with multiple players who can create their own shots and open up looks for others. If Castle and Harper continue to knock down threes, this is a lineup that could swing the series.
Cleveland Cavaliers (52-30, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Detroit Pistons (60-22, first in the Eastern Conference)
Detroit; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Pistons -3; over/under is 213.5
EASTERN CONFERENCE SECOND ROUND: Pistons host first series matchup
BOTTOM LINE: The Detroit Pistons host the Cleveland Cavaliers to begin the Eastern Conference second round. Detroit and Cleveland tied the regular season series 2-2. The Cavaliers won the last regular season matchup 113-109 on Wednesday, March 4 led by 22 points from Jaylon Tyson, while Jalen Duren scored 24 points for the Pistons.
The Pistons are 12-4 against opponents in the Central Division. Detroit is the top team in the Eastern Conference with 57.9 points in the paint led by Duren averaging 14.6.
The Cavaliers are 11-5 against Central Division teams. Cleveland is sixth in the Eastern Conference with 32.7 defensive rebounds per game led by Evan Mobley averaging 6.6.
The Pistons make 48.5% of their shots from the field this season, which is 2.1 percentage points higher than the Cavaliers have allowed to their opponents (46.4%). The Cavaliers score 9.9 more points per game (119.5) than the Pistons allow (109.6).
TOP PERFORMERS: Cade Cunningham is averaging 23.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 9.9 assists for the Pistons. Tobias Harris is averaging 19.3 points over the last 10 games.
Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.9 points, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists and 1.7 steals over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Pistons: 7-3, averaging 110.5 points, 47.2 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 8.7 steals and 9.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 101.6 points per game.
Cavaliers: 6-4, averaging 113.7 points, 45.3 rebounds, 22.8 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 47.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.8 points.
INJURIES: Pistons: Kevin Huerter: day to day (adductor).
Cavaliers: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
