Quote of the Day
“No. He’d need a hockey stick for the 3-2 pitch.” Red Sox manager John Farrell on a controversial call late in his team’s game against the Yankees. David Ortiz was less than pleased.
About Last Night
Cavs get their brooms ready
Cleveland is clicking on all cylinders, and if it keeps playing at this level, isn’t likely to be challenged by anyone in the East. The Hawks are putting up less of a fight than the Pistons, and in front of their home crowd, couldn’t avoid falling into a 0-3 hole. There’s not much hope for Hawks fans, which explains why you’ll hear that guy in the Dominique Wilkins jersey arguing with nobody about how Outkast is better than Bone Thugs n Harmony.
Spurs take back home-court
We make fun of the Capitals and their inability to come through when it matters most, but perhaps it’s time to start wondering the same about the Thunder. Now, let’s be clear, the Spurs are better than the Thunder, and we knew this before the series started. But after stealing (almost literally) Game 2 in San Antonio, the Thunder had a chance Friday night to really get the upperhand in the series, but quite literally threw it away. Russell Westbrook had a brutal stretch with about 2 minutes left, and Kevin Durant threw a pass to Seattle which helped lead to his team falling behind by seven. Amazingly, what happened after the Thunder fought back was worse, as Kawhi Leonard grabbed a crucial offensive rebound, and the Thunder managed to waste nearly 10 seconds to get a bad shot (which actually went in) while down four.
The Spurs are amazing, and Tony Parker turned back the clock. Perhaps the story should really be about the steely nerves and consistency of San Antonio, which leads to steady performances down the stretch. But it’s hard not to have watched this game and feel like the Thunder are lacking something in major moments.
Lightning strikes (get it! Lightning strikes!)
Jason Garrison scored the game winner in overtime, which apparently some people actually guessed in the #bucciovertimechallenge. Those people were drunk. Anyway, the more important point here is that the Lightning are now up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference semifinals and haven’t had Steven Stamkos on the ice for a single second in the postseason. I don’t really care what that means for the Lightning, but I imagine I speak for a good chunk of Red Wings fans who think Ken Holland has lost his touch (some would argue he basically lost it when he had to start making actual cap decisions), and it may be time to find out how much money Steve Yzerman wants to come home. Clearly The Captain -- OUR CAPTAIN -- has figured out how to build a team filled with players who perform in the postseason. I’d rather he be doing that in Detroit.
What to Watch This Weekend
Get your mint juleps ready
The race starts at 6:34 p.m. and will be aired on NBC if you’re only interested in the time horses are actually on the track. Mint juleps start being poured at 8 a.m. (for real, that’s according to the official Kentucky Derby page), so people are going to be smaaaaaaaaaaaaashed by the time the race starts. Nyquist is a pretty heavy favorite at 2-1. He’s running out of Gate 13, which is one gate away from being kind of cool. I’d give you some picks, but I have no idea. So click here.
NBA Playoffs
Cleveland is the only team that can end a series this weekend, while the rest are all about taking control. Miami and Toronto split their first two meetings in Toronto, and now it shifts back to Miami for Games 3 and 4, with the Heat having been pretty clearly the better team. Golden State can go up 3-0, or Portland can show some life at home. Either way, Steph Curry isn’t playing Saturday, and I still think Steve Kerr will rest him until the Western Conference Finals if he can, which he’ll very likely be able to do. On Sunday, Oklahoma City is in a must-win situation, as going down 3-1 against the Spurs with Game 5 in San Antonio is a death sentence.
NHL Playoffs
Pittsburgh can put Washington away Saturday, which will likely create a flood of crying Jordans. Tampa can do the same to the Islanders on Sunday, which will create less crying Jordans, if any at all. Saturday’s other games -- St. Louis at Dallas and Nashville at San Jose -- are crucial Game 5s with the series knotted at 2.
Things to Read
We can’t get enough Leicester City
The title is already wrapped up, and today’s home match against Everton is going to basically be a party for Leicester City supporters and players. The player’s name they’ve sung the most leading up to this moment is Jamie Vardy’s, and after reading his incredible story, you have to believe that was even more incredible for him than a long-irrelevant fanbase.
More soccer, but kind of different
When you think of Juarez, Mexico, you’re not likely thinking of a vacation destination. You’re more likely to be doing research for a paper on the drug trade, or you just watched Narcos and now you’re obsessively researching drug cartels. Not that I did that. Anyway, it’s not the safest place in the world, but its soccer team is now thriving.
. . . and that’s not even the best part of the article.
Best of the Rest
Spurs fans are pretty big Kawhi Leonard fans, which makes sense.
It’s a good thing the Cavs won, otherwise I don’t think Kevin Love would be able to laugh much at this. And this definitely needs to be laughed at.
This too.
Some people are getting annoyed with over the top commitments, but this should change their minds.
We are fully supportive of team #BatFlipEverything
