SU has a few thoughts to share on a bright, sunny day:

1. The NBA is now a much more wide open game with recent rule changes and teams pushing the ball up the court. Gone are the days of walking the ball up the court or having Carmelo Anthony jab step at the 3-point line for 15 seconds while his teammates stand around the perimeter hoping for a pass (er, it’s not coming). Then, the Knicks vs. the Pistons series started and we are seeing so much grabbing and holding. SU is not saying that the Knicks are not doing any of that but the refs are allowing Brunson to be pushed, shoved, bumped over and over again. Does he act a bit? Sure but this type of physical play would be whistled during the regular season. Do you now say, “this is playoff basketball” and start allowing it? In the first half of game 1, the Knicks did not even attempt a foul shot until there were 10 seconds left before half time. Ridiculous given how physical the game was. And then in the 4th quarter, it was all foul shots. This is one of the marquis first round series. The refs should call the fouls in the first quarter and make a statement for the rest of the game. We do not want to watch Pat Riley style, 1990s Miami vs the Knicks games which were in the 70s and low 80s for points. It’s not watchable and not inspiring for fans. Clean it up tomorrow night.
2. Can Devin Williams pitch in New York? SU is not seeing it and Luke Weaver will be the closer come June. So, Williams blew the 4-run lead on Saturday and has not been used since. We know closers do not like being brought into games where they can’t register a save. Weaver has been used a lot in high stress situations. He pitched last night. Today, it’s 5 – 1 in the 9th, and a well, well rested Williams is passed over to have Weaver close the game. SU believes it was a case of Boone not wanting to insult Williams by bringing him into another non-save situation. Weaver gave up some long, long fly balls and they won the game but he should not have been in there. Tomorrow is an off day – Williams has been bad in most of his outings. Bad job by Boone handling the bullpen although we are used to that as Yankee fans.
3. How good are the Mets? True, it’s only April but they are getting great starting pitching and timely hitting. The NL is much better than the American League this year and they will have many tough games ahead but they are off to a great start with little in contributions from Soto. A lot to be excited about for Met fans and they will have the sports pages to themselves soon enough in New York (are sports pages still a thing?).
4. Speaking of good, Aaron Judge is hitting over .400 with absolutely no protection in the lineup this year. Very impressive. You have Rice, Goldschmidt and a lot of sub-.200 hitters with Grisham out. Judge is in his prime: you need to win now. Rumor has it Stanton is almost ready to resume outdoor batting practice which feels like a huge advancement for him. SU is not a believer in the Yankees this year with the starting pitching the way it is. Just not sustainable and they will burn out the relievers. New York is a Mets town.
5. 35% of men’s NCAA basketball players are in the transfer portal. Now, it doesn’t mean they will all transfer but this is college free agency on steroids. Great for the players who can chase the NIL money but lousy for the fans as you basically have a brand new team every year for schools that you root for. Plus players are in the portal during the NCAA tournament. Needs to be fixed.
6. The NFL draft is upon us. It is not a good year to draft a quarterback but it seems likely that 3 or 4 will still go in the first round as teams chase a savior who can strike it big.
7. SU has said this before but Paige Bueckers is going to be bigger than Caitlin Clark in the long run in the WNBA. And I am not even talking about basketball ability per se although she has the complete game. Huge social media following and fans all over the country. I believe you will see giant crowds for her games similar to what Clark had last year. SU is still not sold on the WNBA but I enjoy following the former UConn players. Azzi Fudd will be the next big thing when she graduates next year. A lot of talent there.

Are the Knicks winning this series? They need to feature KAT and take the pressure off of Brunson. Post him up against the smaller defenders and get him 20 shots in game 3. Enough of the hero ball and the clear out offense.