SU was not that surprised when the Celtics got this series to a game 7 after being down 0 – 3. They have the more talented roster and had leads in both home games of the series. When they tied it up at 3 -3 after the miracle buzzer beating tip-in, many said game 7 would be a blowout for the Celtics. SU believed it would be a close game as Miami would be playing with house money at that point. Everyone was betting against the Heat – much less pressure.

The reality is that Tatum tweaked his ankle in the game’s first minute and that had an impact on the outcome. SU says it was a factor but certainly not THE factor. The Celtics felt the pressure and that showed up in their 3-point shooting for the game. Clearly, they hoisted up way too many 3s but when you get down in the 2nd quarter by double digits, sometimes you forget who you are. Credit to the Heat for staying together and getting back to the NBA finals. They don’t play pretty but definitely play more like a team. The Celtics have some big decisions with contracts during the off-season as Brown is due for a max deal. They have been very close now for back-to-back seasons. Do you blow it up?

Apparently, in the NBA, it’s just that hard to come back from being down 0 – 3. We have seen it happen in other sports. The Celtics had the rare advantage of having home court – a missed opportunity. Fun fact: Boston is the first city to lose a home game 7 to a #8 seed in both hockey and basketball in the same season. Way to go!

Should the Knicks retire Carmelo Anthony’s number? SU says absolutely not. Look, Melo is a good guy, speaks his mind and was not a high maintenance player in NY with the media, fans, etc. But for SU, I never liked his style of play, i.e., jab step, jab step, jab step, and absence of how to play true team ball. No championships, no finals appearances, no really memorable playoff runs. Only 7 seasons. It looks like MSG is going to do it. Better make room then for other numbers to join him then as the bar will be lowered.

You have to admit, the start of the MLB season in New York has been underwhelming with all of the injuries and mediocre records. However, we are starting to see a change as the Mets have won a string of games coming from behind late, and the Yankees have a hot Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. For the Mets in particular, this is huge as winning in that fashion changes the whole mood of the clubhouse and gives a team confidence that no game is out of reach. The Mets also have brought up their top prospects, and that is always a good thing. They also have recalled Gary Sanchez and that is usually not a good thing.

The Yankees have a red hot Judge, and it shows just how much they rely on him to win games offensively. It’s actually a black mark on Cashman’s record that he wasn’t able to improve the offense from last season. Yes, the injuries to Donaldson and Stanton have hurt but we all know that Donaldson is past his prime and even when he returns, it won’t help scoring runs. Stanton will help but he will also get hurt again later in the year as he needs to hit that 40% of games played level target for the Yankees in 2023.

SU is excited about the young catcher, Ben Rortvedt, who had 2 hits in his Yankee debut Saturday and looks like he can hit. He must get regular playing time and when Trevino returns, they will have a decision to make. Now, he has been hurt for 2 years since being acquired from the Twins and who knows if he can stay healthy? But SU says keep him on the roster at least and use him as a DH. The team badly needs more offense as teams will get smart and start walking Judge all the time.

Aaron Hicks has been Designated for Assignment. End of an era. It’s the best thing for all parties involved. The Yankees rarely eat salary but they will here on Hicks’ contract. SU predicts someone will pick him up once the time period passes where they would have to pay his full salary going forward. He actually had started hitting of late but he needs to move on. The fans have been killing him – even on the road. He’s not a bad guy.

The PGA Championship was great over the weekend. This guy Block stole the show with his top 15 finish and a hole in one in the final round. Good for the sport and the fans. Is having a LIV golfer, Brooks, Koepka, win a bad thing for golf? Do fans care at this point? Do fans want to watch a tour where the top players are paid millions of dollars just for showing up to play 3 rounds? It’s not for SU and I would not watch any sport do that. Between sponsorship deals and appearance fees (essentially), is it true competition? Or just a series of exhibitions?

The NBA is not likely going to get the Lakers – Celtics finals that they would have wanted as both series are now 3-0. Truth be told, SU has not been watching the Conference finals but I will tune into the finals if it’s Denver – Miami. The Nuggets are a fun watch and play at a very fast pace. The Heat are quite a story overcoming injuries and getting contributions up and down the roster. I have to believe the Celtics will make a stand, and not sure this series is quite done yet.

Finally, a men’s tennis comment. We are now seeing the changing of the guard from the Nadal/Djokovic/Federer era. Nadal is out until 2024, and has already announced that will be his last year on the ATP Tour. Djokovic has some elbow issues and it’s hard to see him making it deep into the French Open or beyond. There are some great young players – Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner – and Medvedev is figuring things out. Like all sports, the next generation takes over at some point. Even LeBron is nearing the end. We will miss the Big Three/Four era when they are gone but time marches on.

While the Knicks’ season ended last night, the future is potentially bright for this team, and they are definitely trending in the right direction. A few points:

1. This team plays hard. There is a grittiness to them.
2. Jalen Brunson had a coming out party against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA. He showed that he is an elite point guard, and if they can put some real shooters around him, then you have something special. Last night, he was all 1-on-1 but that was how they run their offense.
3. Get rid of the 1-on-1 offense next season. Julius Randle is Carmelo Redux. Jab step, jab step, pass the ball with 3 seconds on the shot clock. That is not the NBA anymore. The best teams are up tempo – the Knicks need to do that. Clearly, the Quickley injury was huge plus Thibodeau had put Rose and Fournier in moth balls so the roster was extra short.
4. Try and trade Randle. He is a solid player but his attitude seems to be up and down, and he is a ball stopper deluxe.

SU is back on the Knicks’ band wagon after a 20-year hiatus. Good times ahead.

Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors are out. This year’s team just could not win on the road all year. James Wiseman never developed as expected, and they could have used a mobile big man vs. the Lakers. Jordan Poole is a mess and SU wonders if they may trade him in the off season. He is still fun to watch on offense but needs to learn to play defense. Klay Thompson shot them out of this series and Draymond Green can be a free agent soon. The Warriors’ GM is also a free agent. An interesting team to watch in the off-season.

The Yankees showed some fight last night coming back a couple of times late vs. Tampa Bay. SU says you can point to the injuries to explain their current last place position but even when fully healthy, they need more. The Frankie Montas trade was such a killer last summer. JP Sears on Oakland is a really good pitcher and had showed flashes for the Yankees last year. At this point, I think we can all agree that the Yankees over-hype their minor league prospects. Volpe is the real deal but others just never fully develop. Michael Kay pointed out that Tampa Bay has feasted on the bottom feeder teams so far while the Yankees have played few of them. Perhaps true but the Rays still beat up on them and the Yankees will continue to struggle to score runs all year. Josh Donaldson is closer to returning but is that a good thing?

SU heard last night that in 2022, 51% of all MLB pitchers spent time on the IL during the season. That is pretty amazing. Pitching is not a natural motion and pitching in the high 90’s must be even more unnatural. One wonders if there is a trade-off of speed for health?

The Mets have also underachieved but they have even more injuries than the Yankees. SU will reserve judgment until they are closer to a full roster. I still believe their long-term prospects this year are better than for the Yankees.

SIxers – Celtics game 7 will be a fun watch. These two teams are hard to predict. You have to give LeBron credit to play at such a high level given his age. The Lakers play hard on defense. Denver is really good though – have to give them the nod to make it to the finals. Miami will lose quickly to either the Sixers or the Celtics.

You can’t say no one told you this was coming. SU was on the case a week ago as the Yankees embarked on that road trip. Going 2 – 5 puts them into a tie for last place in the competitive AL East. And it is not going to get any better. Aaron Boone is juggling the same lame group of hitters each game but really, it does not matter where anyone hits in the lineup.

Yes, you can blame it on injuries but every team is dealing with its share of injuries. SU says given that Stanton only plays 40% of the time anyway, you have to anticipate that he will be out for half the season. Just feels like the team missed the boat here on offense. Jake Bauers came up and played half an inning before crashing into the left field wall making a great catch. SU is hoping he will make an appearance. Seriously, even if he is only 80%, worth throwing him out there.

Bottom line: there are more exciting things to watch now on the sports front starting with game 7 Rangers – Devils tonight. See? SU is all over hockey.

Where do you rank the Bruins’ game 7 loss in the first round after setting an all-time regular season record for wins and points? It has to be way up there. The reality is that there is extra pressure when you have that once in a lifetime regular season record. Remember the Yankees in 1998? Down 1 – 2 to Cleveland in the playoffs – that was major pressure. El Duque responded and set things back on track but a team carries extra weight in those instances.

Miguel Andujar got called up to the Pirates on Saturday and promptly went 4 -5 in a doubleheader with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Good for him. Hoping he can stick with the hot Pirates.

The Warriors – Kings’ series was a great playoff opener. Fast pace, high scoring. Golden State needed Steph Curry to bail them out in game 7 with 50 points but you can’t expect him to do that at his age vs. the Lakers. While the Knicks went down in game 1, SU sees that series going 7 games. But on offense, they need to stop with all of the 1 on 1 stuff and get back to moving the ball. They are much better in transition. SU fully expects them to rebound in game 2 – especially if Jimmy Butler is dealing with a sprained ankle.

Just saw that the Mets hit Ronald Acuna Jr. on the Braves in game 2 of their doubleheader after the Braves’ pitchers hit 3 Met batters in game 1. Buck Showalter style ball. No more big hugs and yukking it up at 1st base. Good for the rivalry.