The Big Story – Tie – Knicks Take NBA Title and World Cup Begins: Normally a New York story isn’t something that makes it into our Big Story. But the Knicks ended their Red Sox-esque 53-year NBA title-less streak with a run that included 13-game playoff winning streak and multiple amazing comebacks, including overcoming a record 29-point second-half deficit in Game 4 of the Finals. So we’ll give the New Yawkers their due.
Then came a great first World Cup weekend that included USA’s shocking 4-1 opening round rout of Paraguay and Turkey’s unexpected 2-0 loss to Australia making USA’s chances to advance from Round 1 more likely. Beyond that was Germany’s 7-1 win over Curacao and several games few new-to-the-party Americans soccer fans care about. At least not yet.
Sports 101: How many of the 15 people who won at least two NCAA titles and one NBA title can you name?
News Item – Time for Red Sox to Panic: (1) They’re an astonishing 12 and 22 at Fenway Park. (2) They have the fewest homers in MLB. (3) Their average 3.9 runs scored per game is 31st in MLB. (4) It looks like neither Garrett Crochet nor Roman Anthony will be back until after the All-Star break.
News Item – Sorta Good News for the Sox: Every team competing for the final AL wild card slot is playing under .500 baseball.
News Item – Paul Misiorowski: Don’t know which is more unbelievable. Emerging Milwaukee star hurler being the first since 2000 to pitch a complete game in under 100 pitches while striking out 15 batters, or that, incredibly, it was the first complete game by a Brewer since Sept. 11, 2023. He allowed one hit and pitched to just 27 batters while 56 of his 95 pitches hit at least 100 on the gun in a 6-0 win over Philly!
News Item – Don’t Trade With Brewers: Thought Craig Breslow was supposed to be an expert evaluator of pitchers? Last year he gift-wrapped Quinn Priester, who went 13-3 with a 3.32 ERA. This year it was the supposed best get in the Raffy Devers trade, Kyle Harrison. He’s an even bigger black mark for the embattled Breslow. He’s 8-1 with a 2.47 ERA and 80 K’s in 65.2 innings.
The Numbers:
13.3 – seconds left when Emerson Stover scored the game winner off a pass from Garrett Lande to make Derryfield School Division II LaCrosse champs with a thrilling 8-7 win over Winnacunnet.
126 – years since the first three guys in any batting order each struck out in their first three at-bats in a game as Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu did last week vs. Tampa Bay.
… Of the Week Awards
Thumbs Up – Spike Lee: Hard to believe I’d give this guy anything. But he gets it for wearing a Knicks “Pope” Jersey to Game 3 to rebut our president’s mindless trolling of the first American-born pontiff.
Thumbs Down – Victor Wembanyama: For Bill Laimbeer cheap shot impersonation in the playoffs. Boooo.
You’ve Got to be Kidding Moment – Texas Tech Football: Hearing them hilariously talking about its “integrity” while defending accepting NCAA-banned transfer QB Brendan Sorsby after admitting he bet 40 times on his own team while at Indiana.
Sports 101 Answer: The 15 are Bill Russell, Al Horford, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, Gail Goodrich, Jamaal Wilkes, Henry Bibby (UCLA-Knicks), Tom Thacker (U of Cincy-Boston), Corey Brewer (U of Florida-Dallas), Christian Braun (Kansas-Denver), Keith Erickson, Lucius Allen, Nazr Mohammed, and Villanova Knicks Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges.
Final Thoughts – NBA Finals: Hope Slow Joe Mazzulla noticed the Spurs blowing four double-digit fourth-quarter leads exactly as his Celtics did the last two years, by continuing to fire up threes after going stone cold.
If I’m Giannis Antetokounmpo, the best place to win another title is San Antonio. Because Wemby needs help down low. Plus they have the depth and picks to make the deal without whipping out their rotation.
If I’m Milwaukee, I’m not doing that deal unless Dylan Harper is in it.
Knick Josh Hart reminds me of former NHC/SNHU great Will (the thrill) Flowers because he impacts a game without scoring a point.
How dumb did Finals MVP Jalen Brunson make ex-Celtics assistant/current WNBA HC Becky Hammon look after she said a team can’t win an NBA title when their best player is “small”?
Email Dave Long at dlong@hippopress.com.