Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols on Tuesday and will be listed as questionable for Game 5 on Wednesday as the team faces elimination, coach Billy Donovan said.
Bulls coach Billy Donovan said LaVine was not feeling great Tuesday morning and will not travel with the team to Milwaukee later in the day. LaVine will have to go through more testing, which will give the Bulls more clarity on his status for Game 5.
LaVine is averaging 19.3 points in four postseason games against the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
This will be the third time that LaVine has entered the league’s protocols, following stints in December and at the end of the 2020-21 season.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – APRIL 16: Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals throws toward first during the 6th inning of the game against the Detroit Tigers at Kauffman Stadium on April 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Chicago White Sox are getting ready to host the Kansas City Royals this week for a three-game series. They will play them a bunch of times this year as division rivals. The Royals are not a very good team right now as they are in the early stages of a rebuild.
With that, there are some really good players in their batting order that are exciting to watch on a nightly basis. That makes them one of those dangerous bad teams if you don’t play at your best. The White Sox have struggled to start this season but this is a good way to break out of it.
In order to break out of it, however, these good and exciting hitters need to be shut down. A lot of good with this group starts and ends with Salvador Perez. In 2021 he had MVP level numbers and is trying to follow it up again this year.
At 31 years old, Perez has a 30.0 career WAR, seven all-star games, five Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, a World Series, and a World Series MVP. He has a chance to be a Hall of Fame player once it is all said and done.
The Kansas City Royals will give the Chicago White Sox good hitters to face.
Behind him are some other really good players as well. Whit Merrifield is a very good hitter as well. He has been off to a slow start to begin this season but everyone knows that he will pick it up soon enough.
Bobby Witt Jr. is the rookie that has had some ups and downs to start his MLB career in the short sample size but there is no doubt that he is dangerous. The White Sox have to be at their best to keep these guys contained in the early part of the season. If they don’t, these guys will show why they have the status that they do.
In this series, Dallas Keuchel, Dylan Cease, and Michael Kopech will make starts for them. Outside of Keuchel, the White Sox have the advantage in each pitching matchup. Luckily, the Royals have a shaky left-handed pitcher on the mound against Keuchel.
Then it will be Zack Grienke and Brad Keller to follow it up. That is a good opportunity for the White Sox bats to really heat up. They really need to break their slump so if they play at their best against the Royals, they should be able to do that.
Less than a week after retiring as head coach at Villanova, Jay Wright is leaving the door open to someday coaching in the NBA.
Appearing Tuesday on ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill & Max, Wright said that he’s not looking to coach right now, but said “I’d be lying” if he said he hadn’t thought about coaching in the NBA.
“Not right now. That was something I always thought about,” Wright said of his NBA ambitions. “My experience with the Olympics kind of scratched that itch. … I kind of feel like I did it a little bit. And I loved coaching those guys.”
“Right now I definitely need a break,” Wright said Tuesday. “Right now I’m looking forward to this [special assistant] position at Villanova. But honestly, down the road, I’d be lying — I don’t know what I’m going to feel like.”
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Wright announced last Wednesday that he was retiring after 21 seasons as men’s basketball coach at Villanova, a shocking move that came just weeks after he led the Wildcats to the Final Four.
Wright said he didn’t have the same passion to continue on as Villanova’s head coach, a point he reiterated Tuesday.
“I know I made the right decision, because I don’t think going into next year I’d be able to do the things I need to do to keep this program at a high level,” Wright said. “But I’m going to take this year and really throw myself into this position at Villanova, and then see what’s out there. I just didn’t want to be the coach at Villanova and not be 100% in.”
Wright, 60, is taking a new role as special assistant to the university president. He had been the Wildcats’ coach since 2001. He won two national championships, in 2016 and 2018, and made four Final Four appearances. He was named Naismith Coach of the Year in 2006 and 2016 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
Fordham‘s Kyle Neptune, who spent 10 years under Wright as a video coordinator and an assistant coach, will take over as Villanova coach.
Information from ESPN’s Jeff Borzello was used in this report.
Jonathan Muecke. Stabilizer, 2013. Gift of Michael Jefferson and Heidi Mucha. Art Institute of Chicago.
A new exhibit challenges our spatial expectations
Designer Jonathan Muecke (American, born 1983) challenges and redefines relationships between form and functionality, spatial perception and materiality in a new exhibit, Objects of Sculpture, opening May 26 (through October 10, 2022) at the Art Institute of Chicago. ###########################
Does color have shape? What is the texture of scale? Is it possible to eliminate surface? Can space expand?
Jonathan Muecke’s first solo exhibition at a major museum, presents a selection of his most experimental works. Whether working in steel, textiles, wood, or composites, Muecke maintains a consistent goal: to produce objects that challenge our spatial expectations and habits, prompting us to experience our physical environments—and understand our place within them—anew. His singular design practice explores the limits of an object by eliminating details, distilling it to its essence through precise, spare lines and evocative shapes. Defying traditional design typologies and expectations of practicality, the resulting objects are curious and enigmatic, but also familiar: a rock with holes; a faceted curvature of carbon fiber felt; a five-sided, open box made of steel; a textile volume with concave surfaces; a continuous, multitiered wooden zig-zag. Interactions with the works hinge on “not knowing what you are looking at,” while also “knowing what you are looking at,” according to Muecke. “You are knowledgeable and ignorant at the same time.”
To encourage productive and inquisitive encounters with the objects on display, Muecke has organized the gallery installation around a large cylindrical volume. This site-specific intervention displaces the center of the gallery and establishes an environment for experiencing the scale, materiality, and form of his works.
Exhibition curator Irene Sunwoo, John H. Bryan Chair and Curator of Architecture and Design, highlights this aspect of the installation: “Jonathan Muecke’s rigorous practice and mind-bending objects challenge how we understand design as a creative discipline, and at the same time encourage experimental display strategies that rethink what a design exhibition can be.”
Muecke received a BA in Architecture from Iowa State University. After working at the architectural office of Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland, he attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he received an MFA in 3D Design. His studio is currently based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In 2014 he was awarded the architectural pavilion commission from Design Miami and in 2015 he was awarded a USA Knight Fellowship. Muecke’s works are in the collections of several museums including the Museum of Art and Design in New York City, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Center National des Arts Plastiques in Paris, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Montreal, the Vitra Design Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Jonathan Muecke: Objects in Sculpture is curated by Irene Sunwoo, PhD (John H. Bryan Chair and Curator, Architecture and Design), and was conceived by Zoë Ryan, Daniel W. Dietrich, II Director at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
Jonathan Muecke: Objects in Sculpture is the fourth edition of the Franke/Herro Design Series, which highlights the work of important emerging talent.
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 05: A general view of the scoreboard at Wrigley Field during the sixth inning of the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Miami Marlins on June 5, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago Cubs won 3-1. (Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
One of those players is Pete Crow-Armstrong. He was acquired in the trade that sent Javier Baez to the New York Mets in 2021. Even if he becomes a halfway decent player in MLB, that will forever be looked at as a great trade for the Cubs.
Baez did not stay in New York as he opted to sign a big contract with the Detroit Tigers during the 2021-22 offseason. Now, the Mets are without Baez and Crow-Armstrong. They are one of the best teams in the National League right now with the richest owner so they are fine with it (you would think).
The Cubs are a rebuilding franchise so adding someone like Crow-Armstrong to the mix could really help them one day. They are happy to know that he is off to just a tremendous start to the 2022 Minor League Season.
The Chicago Cubs might have a really good player in Pete Crow-Armstrong.
He is currently playing for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans of A Baseball. The Chicago Cubs are sure to promote him throughout the season which is going to be totally fun to watch. They are at the point again where they are enjoying these prospects and watching them climb.
To begin this young year, Crow-Armstrong has a slash line of .326/.463/.581 for an OPS of 1.044. That is just magnificent. He has two home runs on the season as well with one of them coming inside the park. There are 10 RBIs to go with all of that as well.
Knowing that he has an inside-the-park home run, you can infer that he is pretty fast. He also has seven stolen bases on the season and two of them are him stealing home. To say that this kid is on fire right now would be an understatement. He is very good.
It very well might take a while to see him on the north side but there is no point to rush him. As long as he keeps developing and producing as the competition gets tougher, the Cubs will be very happy with him. At 20 years old, there is a lot of development still to go but he is well on his way. The Cubs did a very good job with this trade and his early development is promising.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 24: Alex DeBrincat #12 of the ChicagoBlackhawks skates with the puck during a 4-3 Blackhawks win at Crypto.com Arena on March 24, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks had a tough year. There was a lot to deal with but this dreadful season is finally to an end. They began their last week of the year, however, with a big win over the Philadelphia Flyers. It was a 3-1 score over the team that they defeated in the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
The Blackhawks were led in this one by Jonathan Toews. He had the primary assist on Erik Gustafsson’s third of the season which put them up 1-0. He then scored his 12th of the season later in the period which gave Chicago a 2-0 lead.
Kevin Hayes scored one for the Flyers to make things interesting not long after that but the scoring would then slow down for a while. It wasn’t until almost two periods later that Alex DeBrincat scored his 41st of the season to give the Hawks a 3-1 lead. As mentioned before, that proved to be the final score of the contest.
There was a lot to like about that game. For one, it was great to see Toews play like that. Adding a goal and an assist was much needed for the captain. We don’t know if he has much longer with the team (or in the NHL) so this was a good sight to see.
It was also really nice to see Patrick Kane make a really nice pass to Alex DeBrincat who would not miss the one-time slapper. Kane is in his 30s now but there is no doubt that he is still one of the very best players in the National Hockey League.
The Chicago Blackhawks had a very fun win to open the final week of the season.
DeBrincat is top-ten in goals and Kane is 12th in league scoring. It is a really strong duo that is going to be very good together if they are kept in town this summer. These last few games are important for them as everyone wants to go into the offseason feeling good about something. Not many Blackhawks players have a lot to feel good about but these two should feel excellent.
On Wednesday, Chicago has its home finale against the Vegas Golden Knights who are fighting for their playoff lives. That should be a lot of fun to watch. Then on Friday, the Hawks have their season finale against the Buffalo Sabres in Western New York.
It is hard to believe but this stuff is almost done. The Hawks will ride off into the sunset where the top eight teams from each conference are getting set to compete for the Stanley Cup. Even though the Hawks aren’t involved, this is going to be a lot of fun. For two more games, however, fans will have a couple of more chances to see the guys before the craziness of the NHL offseason.
JAYLEN BROWN SPLIT a pair of Dallas Mavericks defenders at the top of the key, took one more dribble, two full-speed steps after the gather and was ready for takeoff from just outside the restricted area.
It was late in the second quarter inside Boston’s TD Garden, and the paint had just turned into Brown’s private green runway. The Celtics’ star swingman, though, had company in front of the rim.
Maxi Kleber, the Mavs’ 6-foot-10 defensive-minded center/power forward who rose to challenge the 6-foot-6 Brown, was willing to risk winding up on the wrong end of a viral poster dunk by one of the league’s most explosive leapers.
Did he ever.
Brown detonated on Kleber with a vicious tomahawk to thrill a Sunday afternoon national TV audience and sellout crowd, including legend Kevin Garnett, who slapped fives with Brown from his baseline seat to celebrate the moment.
Seconds later, the Celtics’ official account tweeted, “OH MY GOODNESS JAYLEN BROWN” with a video of the play that has garnered more than two million views. The NBA’s Twitter account, with its nearly 37 million followers, posted clips of replays from three different angles. It wasn’t long before Brown and Kleber, a relatively anonymous player, were trending — in large part due to a flood of tweets mocking Kleber’s epically failed contest.
Social feeds that night certainly weren’t filled with commentary about Kleber’s contributions to the Mavs’ comeback win: 13 rebounds and three blocks off the bench.
Kleber has been in this precarious position before. The last time he caught the attention of casual fans, it was in Dallas’ 2021 playoff opener, when Kleber unsuccessfully attempted to stop LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard from finishing on a fast break.
Leonard flexed after throwing down a ferocious dunk. Kleber landed on his backside.
Leonard and teammates Paul George and Marcus Morris Sr. punctuated the play by glaring and shouting in Kleber’s direction, an image immortalized on social media. (It even showed up months later in the groundbreaking of the new Clippers arena site — on the back of the hoodie Leonard wore to the event.)
By the way, the Mavericks won that game, too.
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Such is life as an NBA rim protector in the social media age. That, however, won’t stop Kleber and some of the premier paint defenders from meeting the league’s best dunkers in mid-air. Especially in the 2022 NBA playoffs, when the high stakes for the Mavericks and others far outweigh any flak received from the harsh spotlight of social media.
“You know every once in a while it will happen, but you can’t stop playing your game just because something goes viral,” said Kleber, who rarely logs on to his social media accounts during the season. “Whenever there’s a highlight, people get tagged, there will be comments and this and that.
“But this internet world is not the real world.”
RUDY GOBERT’S STATURE and status, among other factors, make his failed dunk contests especially appealing fodder for social media content.
The Utah Jazz center is a 7-foot-1, 258-pound mountain who has earned three Defensive Player of the Year trophies. He’s established himself as a historically elite rim protector, so it’s understandable that a foe dunking on Gobert tends to go viral in a way his defensive dominance often does not.
“I used to get pissed off,” Gobert said. “Now, I kind of embrace it, you know what I mean? I know that I can do 10 good things and it’s not going to be showcased, and the one mistake that I make is.
“Sometimes it’s just like, ‘Oh, there you go. They’re going to celebrate this one for sure. It’s been two months since I’ve been dunked on, but they’re definitely going to celebrate this one.’ I just laugh about it, and I laugh when I see how they celebrate it.
There’s a narrative. As soon as I get dunked on or crossed over, it’s like there’s a national celebration. It’s an honor.”
An example of the highlight culture that has frustrated Gobert occurred on Feb. 12, 2020. The conversation that night focused on one play: Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo muscling Gobert on a drive and finishing with a powerful two-handed dunk over him.
Gobert’s dominant performance the rest of the game — 16 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks, plus-25 in a convincing Utah win — hardly merited a mention.
“That dunk was blowing up,” Adebayo said with a shrug, “but we lost.” Adebayo, who finished fourth in this year’s Defensive Player of the Year award right behind Gobert, can relate. Adebayo just happens — to borrow and paraphrase an old Russell Westbrook quote — to be blessed with the ability not to give a darn.
“You have a lot of dudes who are freak athletes. Why would you not think somebody is going to get dunked on?” Adebayo said. “It’s a mentality that I have. I respect dudes who try to go block everything.
“We’re responsible for a lot of things on that court, and protecting the rim is one of them. Yeah, you might have got dunked on, but it’s still two points at the end of the day. It’s not like it was a 10-point play. Now, it’s going to be history because of the way social media works.”
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Gobert has expressed concerns about how large social media accounts amplifying his mistakes can shape perception of his game. He actively posts on Twitter and Instagram but has worked to prevent social media from affecting his psyche: He doesn’t check social media reaction in the locker room immediately after games and no longer taps the like button on posts that criticize him.
“I used to always say I used that as motivation, and it’s true, but you also give people the energy that you should maybe give somewhere else or give to yourself,” Gobert said. “The most important thing for myself and the other players is that you don’t get discouraged or fazed by what happens on social media.”
However, that’s not the most aggravating aspect of social media for a lot of big men caught on the wrong end of a highlight. It’s the flood of fan comments in their mentions.
“We bust our ass every day in these gyms,” Adebayo said, “and you’ve got some dude on Twitter saying this and that about your game. Yeah, we take offense to that.
“I don’t look at it because I know what it can do to some people’s mentals. I’m strong-minded, but you see something crazy on Twitter and it’s just highly disrespectful, and as a man, you’re bound to respond.”
MILES BRIDGES WAS the lone defender on a 2-on-1 fast break. It was overtime on Oct. 25 against the visiting Celtics, who were up by three points before Jayson Tatum threw his eighth and final assist of the night.
Add another clip to Brown’s highlight reel.
play0:28
Jaylen Brown rocks the rim with powerful slam dunk
Brown beat Bridges off the floor, launching and punching the ball through the hoop with one hand for the dagger in Boston’s second win of the season.
There are certainly occasions when players make so-called business decisions, opting not to try to contest a dunk attempt to avoid any potential embarrassment. There are situations when those decisions are considered appropriate, such as when a defender would be too late to have any realistic hope of preventing a dunk, or if a contest would likely risk injuring the offensive player.
But it’s a practice that is generally frowned upon by the NBA’s premier rim protectors. “I’m not in that business,” Adebayo said.
Bridges, who possesses touch-the-top-of-the-backboard level hops, has been on the other side plenty of times. The most memorable moment probably came at the expense of Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela in April 2021.
After catching the ball on the left wing, Bridges beat his man off the dribble to the middle of the floor before taking off from the dotted line. As Bridges launched, Capela leaped, too, with his arms extended straight up. But Capela was too late and too low, as Bridges cocked back the ball and almost ripped off the rim with his right hand.
“Yeah, I got caught,” Capela said. “He jumped, and I never thought he would dunk it, because he jumped from far. And then, boof.
“When he made it, I heard this noise. Then I realized, ‘Oh, s—.’ I knew after the game it would be all over the place.”
The dunk was so emphatic that the official NBA account tweeted the video of it twice that day. On Instagram, Bridges posted a picture of the moment just before the dunk that generated more than 173,000 likes.
The potential dunk of the year gave the Hornets a five-point lead with 3:47 remaining. Easily, and seemingly immediately, forgotten? Capela had 20 points and 15 rebounds, keying a late comeback without injured star guard Trae Young. The victory had major playoff-seeding implications weeks before the Hawks’ embarked on their magical run to the Eastern Conference finals.
“Well, that’s part of the business, I guess,” said Capela, who received constant notifications of the dunk every time he checked his phone. “I hope the NBA is going to make more money off of it. I’m sure they made a lot of fans off of that one.
The first round of the playoffs is barely a week old and has already packed in plenty of intrigue. The Boston Celtics became the first team to advance to the second round when they completed a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Monday.
If the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks win Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, they will punch their ticket for a second-round meeting with the Celtics.
Elsewhere in the East, MVP candidate Joel Embiid battled through a thumb injury but couldn’t lead the Philadelphia 76ers past the short-handed Toronto Raptors on Monday night. The series heads back to Toronto on Thursday, where the Raptors will try to send the series to a Game 7.
Embiid’s former teammate, Jimmy Butler, and the Miami Heat have a chance to close out the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night and set up a potential second-round series with Philadelphia.
Are Stephen Curry and the Warriors back? Are the Celtics the favorites in the East? Have injuries dashed the chances of a Suns-Bucks Finals rematch? Our insiders break down the biggest questions from the first round.
Stephen A. raves about what the Warriors have to offer and how they are the team that stands the biggest chance against the Suns.
1. Fact or fiction? The Warriors are the title contenders we thought they were in the fall.
Kevin Pelton: Fact. I’m curious to see how Golden State’s small lineups will hold up defensively against teams with more effective perimeter shot creators than the limited Denver Nuggets, but the Warriors have played at a high level whenever Curry and Draymond Green have both been on the court. They are right now at the most important time of the season.
Jamal Collier: Fact. Curry is back. Green looks like the best defender in the league. They’ve got a new death lineup. And their path to the conference finals will put them up against a young team getting to the second round for the first time. Golden State looks like it’s putting it all together at the right time.
Tim MacMahon: Fact, as long as Curry and Green stay healthy. That didn’t happen very often during the regular season, but Golden State outscored opponents by 14.8 points per 100 possessions with Curry and Green on the court together. That ranked second in net rating among duos who played at least 750 minutes, behind only Curry and his baby Splash Brother, Jordan Poole. Curry and Green together in these playoffs so far? A cool plus-29.3 net rating.
Andrew Lopez: Fact. It helps that Curry might be the best sixth man in the history of the league, but the Warriors just needed to get healthy at the right time. Curry looks like Curry. Klay Thompson looks like Klay Thompson. Green is doing Green things. Oh, and Poole is averaging 24.3 points a game.
Israel Gutierrez: Fact, although, probably a bit different than the way we thought they were in the fall. Back then, the idea was Andrew Wiggins would play a huge role, Thompson wouldn’t have to be his old self and James Wiseman would eventually provide some much needed rim protection and easy buckets inside. Now, it’s Poole’s offense that figures to be more crucial than almost anything Wiggins provides, Thompson might very well need to have some classic Thompson games and the 5-spot is going to be ol’ reliable, Green. But this recipe still has championship flavor.
2. Fact or fiction? The Celtics are the favorites to win the East
Gutierrez: Fact, especially now that Robert Williams III can give the Celtics spot minutes at the very least. It’s not just the defense they’ve played since January, it’s the comfort level with which Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown find their shots, while working within an offense to do so. The confidence Tatum is playing with — and you can assume it’ll only grow after dominating Kevin Durant for a series — appears to be at the greatest level of his career. It will be interesting to see just how much Giannis Antetokounmpo can affect that confidence in a second-round matchup.
The NBA75 celebration continues with the NBA playoffs, which runs through June, when the league will crown a champion for its milestone season.
Pelton: Fact. The path that looked so difficult for Boston entering the postseason hasn’t materialized. After surviving a Game 1 scare, the Celtics have a comfortable advantage over the Nets. And while the Bucks have still dominated the Bulls since Khris Middleton‘s injury, his absence would loom much larger against Boston. Additionally, Williams’ return means he should work off any rust before that series starts.
MacMahon: Fact. Others in the East didn’t want any part of the Nets in the first round and took action — or inaction — in the regular season’s final week to avoid them. The Celtics seized the second seed and certainly don’t regret it now. Boston has the NBA’s best defense and a pair of two-way go-to guys, Tatum and Brown, who have proven playoff chops.
Lopez: Fiction. The defending champions are still around, so Milwaukee still has the claim to being the favorite out East. But no one has been as impressive in the first round as the Celtics have been. They are proving they have the NBA’s top defense this season.
Collier: Fiction. I’ll admit to being a Celtics skeptic up until the very moment this first-round series began, but watching the way they have defended Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving has me convinced. The Bucks, however, look the part as defending champs, and I’d still lean on them as a slight favorite, assuming they can get Middleton back on the court early in the next round. We’re in for some 86-82 final scores in that series, aren’t we?
James Harden (left), Joel Embiid (center) and Tyrese Maxey (right) head back to Toronto on Thursday after failing to close out Monday’s Game 5. Matt Slocum/AP Photo
3. Fact or fiction? The 76ers have the best big three in the playoffs
MacMahon: Fiction. Give me Golden State’s trio of Curry, Green and pick between Poole and Thompson. Or Milwaukee’s big three, if and when Middleton comes back from his knee injury. Embiid is a dominant force and deserving MVP candidate, but his thumb injury is concerning. James Harden is no longer an All-NBA player, and he didn’t have the most impressive playoff track record even when he was.
Lopez: Fiction. The Warriors are still in the playoffs and whether you want to put Poole or Green as the third man, Curry and Thompson still lead the best big three in the playoffs. Philadelphia might not even have the best big three in the East: Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and a healthy Middleton could have that crown.
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Pelton: Fiction. Perhaps that’s true so far in this series, but the Sixers will face teams better equipped to defend their perimeter players than the short-handed Raptors as early as the second round against the Miami Heat. It’s worth noting Philadelphia might look better if we talk top-four players, and Tobias Harris continues to fill his role on this version of the Sixers as he has so far in the playoffs at both ends.
Gutierrez: Fiction. And that’s not even because of Embiid’s finger. It’s because Harden has effectively been a role-playing point guard. Tyrese Maxey is perfect as a third wheel, but when you’re relying on his scoring too much, it’s not the right formula. Golden State has a better trio. So does Phoenix, should Devin Booker get healthy.
Collier: Fiction, as I’m curious to see what happens when a team tries to force Harden to do more scoring. Until then, I’ll ride with the Warriors (any combo of Curry, Thompson, Green or Poole) and a fully healthy Bucks big three. Maxey definitely puts Philly in the discussion, though.
4. Fact or fiction? Injuries will prevent the Bucks and Suns from playing in a Finals rematch
Pelton: More fact than fiction. I would’ve picked Milwaukee and Phoenix before the playoffs, and that has changed in the wake of injuries to Booker and Middleton. That said, it’s at least as much a product of other teams (Boston and Golden State) getting healthy as it is those teams’ own issues. I would favor the full-strength Celtics over the full-strength Bucks.
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Collier: Fiction. I hope Booker and Middleton will both return at some point in the playoffs, but the reason I don’t think we’re headed for a Finals rematch has more to do with how good the other teams in the conference are, especially Golden State and Boston.
MacMahon: Fiction. I’m trying to be an optimist here. My hope is that Booker and Middleton are back for at least most of the conference semifinals. If that’s the case, I’d argue we can’t blame their injuries if their teams get eliminated. I did pick a Suns-Bucks rematch with Phoenix winning the Finals. I’ve backed off that primarily because Boston looks so strong.
Lopez: Fiction. If the Suns can get by the Pelicans, Booker should be back for a conference semifinals series to help Phoenix’s efforts after that. But New Orleans won’t go away without a fight. If Milwaukee can pick up one more win against Chicago, it also could get Middleton back in the conference semifinals. The road to a Finals rematch certainly got tougher for both teams, but a path still remains.
Gutierrez: Fact. Against a Celtics defense in the next round (probably), the Bucks are going to need as much shooting and playmaking as possible, and missing Middleton would hurt. And with Booker’s hamstring injury, there’s always a chance it could recur, should he even return. It just doesn’t appear in the cards, which makes sense given how much basketball these two teams have played the past two seasons.
5. Fact or fiction? The Heat are getting slept on
Gutierrez: Fiction. There’s enough to be concerned about Miami, most notably late-game offense. And the Heat, too, have some guys playing with fire. Kyle Lowry is experiencing his own hamstring issue, Bam Adebayo is playing with a bothersome quadriceps muscle, and we’ve seen Butler miss games because of ankle injuries this season. The defense this team is playing is certainly championship level, though.
Pelton: Fact, but that’s a good thing. It’s the first round of the playoffs, and there are eight series going on. The reason we talk about top seeds is because they appear to be in danger of an upset. Miami isn’t.
Collier: Fact. I’ve gone back and forth with how optimistic I am on the Heat all year, and Lowry’s hamstring gives me some caution as to whether this team can remain healthy for a long playoff run, but it’s hard not to like the way Miami has locked down Trae Young defensively. Butler has found his touch offensively, and I could see Miami making a run that validates its achievements in the bubble. Plus, Butler going back to Philly for a playoff series is going to be fun.
Lopez: Fact. Miami came out of the fight for the No. 1 spot in the Eastern Conference standings on top. Butler is playing his best basketball of the season and is arguably the MVP of the playoffs so far. Butler is averaging over 30 points a game in the playoffs, and the Heat don’t have anyone else over 14 points a game, but that hasn’t been necessary because of the balance their roster provides.
MacMahon: Fact. It seems like the only time we’ve talked a lot about the Heat is when Butler and coach Erik Spoelstra did their Royal Rumble impersonation on the bench. Miami is a No. 1 seed that made a recent Finals run and added a pair of champions (Lowry and P.J. Tucker) to the mix since then. Ask Young if the Heat look like a legitimate contender.
Mar 23, 2022; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Marcus Stroman (0) throws in the second inning against the Oakland Athletics during spring training at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
After inking Marcus Stroman to a three-year contract before the lockout, the Chicago Cubs were counting on the 30-year-old to play at a high level. He looked the part in his team debut against the Milwaukee Brewers, tossing 5.0 innings, yielding just two hits and one earned run while striking out three batters.
However, his last two starts have left a lot to be desired. Stroman lasted just 4.0 innings in Colorado, allowing five earned runs on six hits, including four extra-base hits. Against the Rays five days later, he left with one out in the fifth inning after allowing seven earned runs on eight hits.
“He’s accountable for his performance and understands it has to be better,” Cubs manager David Rosssaid. “The accountability thing is No. 1 on my radar. When you see players be accountable for their performance — good or bad — it’s super exciting to see.”
On Tuesday, Stroman is set to take the mound in Game 1 against the Atlanta Braves. Do his underlying statistics show that he’s close to a rebound? Let’s look.
Marcus Stroman’s last two starts haven’t been great. Should the Chicago Cubs be worried?
Per Baseball Savant, the Cubs right-hander is in the bottom seven percent of the league in exit velocity (93.1 mph) and hard-hit rate (54.8 percent). Both are career-lows, but batters are squaring him up at just a 4.8 percent barrel rate – the second-best mark of his MLB tenure.
Normally a strength in his pitching arsenal, opposing hitters are hammering Stroman’s cutter to the tune of a .600 and a 1.200 slugging percentage at an average 97.6 exit velocity. Four of the seven doubles allowed this season have come via this pitch.
He’s had to utilize his secondary pitches more often in the early goings of the season because he has struggled to command his primary pitch. Stroman’s sinker has been all over the place. As a result, his usage is at 32.8 percent, down from 42.3 percent last year.
Here’s a look at Marcus Stroman’s 24 sinkers today, and the heatmap for the same pitch in his two previous starts this year. Still hunting for command of that pitch out of the gates this season. pic.twitter.com/DtTpU5D8Sq
His slider has been effective this year, yielding just a .167 batting average against a 31.3 percent whiff rate and a 25.0 percent putaway rate. Stroman’s split-finger has similar metrics.
It’s not time to panic just yet.
New team, new jitters. Remember that Jon Lester had a 6.23 ERA in his first month as a member of the Chicago Cubs.
Stroman still has plenty of time to settle down and re-gain confidence in his primary pitch. From there, the rest should take care of itself.
“The trick is to live long enough so your children aren’t naming their children after you.”~H.D. Moore
A couple of weeks ago I was scrolling through photos on my phone with my one-year-old grandson. We came across the above photo. It’s a picture of my dad (on the far left) with his uncle and his brother. While he looked at it I said to him, “That’s mama’s grandpa.” I then peeked over at my daughter and thought how sad it is that she never had the opportunity to meet her grandfather.
Today is the fortieth anniversary of my father’s death. He died at age fifty-seven and sadly he missed out on so much. Out of eight grandchildren, he met only one. That relationship lasted only three years. There are now also seven great-grandchildren. That’s fifteen people that will only know of my father through photos and stories. They missed out on so much, too.
And yet, on this sad milestone day, I can’t help but to feel blessed. I have so much gratitude that I’ve been able to see my children grow into adults. I’m grateful that I’m able to know my grandson and make memories with him.
So here’s to my dad. We’ll keep your memory alive. And here’s to your offspring that is doing that. Long may all of us run.
Every five years or so I decide to update this section. I can’t believe I’ve been doing this for close to ten years. The last time I did this I was close to sixty years old. Now I’m just a few months away from the big 7-ZERO. Scary AF!!! I’m pretty sure I won’t be doing an update when I hit 80, but you never know. But until then, lets just be grateful.
