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Good morning to everyone, but especially to…
JAYSON TATUM AND THE BOSTON CELTICS
Only four and a half minutes ago, it seemed Jason Tatum rock bottom reached. 3-2 behind in the Celtics’ second-round playoff series against the 76ersTatum went 1-for-15 from the floor, and the famously pleasing Philadelphia fans certainly let him hear it.
But with his team midway through the fourth quarter, Tatum hit four 3-pointers to force Game 7. That turned out to be just an appetizer for the unforgettable main course that Tatum would serve in Boston on Sunday.
- Tatum propelled the Celtics to a 112-88 win in Game 7 with 51 pointsmaking him the second player in NBA history score 50-plus in a playoff game — Stephen Curry became first by scoring 50 in a Warriors victory over the Kings in the first round.
- After leading by three at half-time, Tatum and the Celtics blew the game open in the third quarterbeat the 76ers 33-10 to build a huge lead they would never relinquish.
- Boston has now won six straight playoff series against Philadelphiawith Tatum in three of them (2018, 2020, 2023).
While the 76ers have been more of a traffic cone than a real obstacle for the Celtics lately, Boston’s next opponent is one he can’t underestimate: the heat. Boston and Miami will meet in the Eastern Conference Finals for a fourth record in modern times, and three of those matchups will have been in the past four years.
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After Game 7, Tatum told reporters that he is “humble, one of the best basketball players in the world.” He will definitely have to play at that level to knock out a Heat team that kept him out of the NBA Finals in 2020 and was a Jimmy Butler 3-pointer away from doing it again last season.
Honorable Mentions
And not such a good morning for…
DOC RIVERS AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Speaking of rock bottom… the 76ers somehow crashed underneath. After Blowing game 6 at homePhiladelphia limped to one embarrassing blowout loss in Game 7ask questions about the schedule, front office and definitely coaching.
76ers coach Doc Rivers is now 6-10 in Game 7san NBA record with a whopping five losses, and is 17-33 in playoff series deciding games. Our Bill Reiter believes so reason for the 76ers to break up:
- repeat: “To remind: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. That’s why the Sixers’ decision to hire Rivers was insane, which is why it would be even crazier to keep him now. It’s time to move on from the mistake they made when they hired him in 2020.”
After the game, Rivers talked about his job security rather blunt: “I think I have two more years to go.”
Joel Embid was a step slow all night defensively and went 5-of-18 for 15 points offensively, sending our Brad Botkin to declare Denver’s Nikola Jokic the league’s rightful MVP. James Harden, meanwhile, put on a show in each of the last three fourth quarters — if by show you mean a disappearing act. The 10-time All-Star failed to score a single point in the fourth quarter in Games 5, 6 and 7, missing all six of his shots.
The future of the 76ers seems hazier than everbut it is clear that after this epic collapse there will be a capacity shake-up.
Yes Morant Suspended Again by Grizzlies After Brandishing Gun in Instagram Live Video 🏀
Getty Images
After a 2022-2023 season plagued with off-field drama, i morant unfortunately his summer begins on the same note. The Grizzlies suspended the two-time All-Star of all team activities after he brandished a gun in an Instagram Live video this weekend.
It is unclear what punishment Morant will receive for his actions, as the Grizzlies and NBA are both still investigating. Here’s a look at the times Morant got into trouble in the past year.
- Morant was eight games suspended in March after he posted a video of himself brandishing a gun at a Colorado nightclubalthough no criminal charges have been filed.
- High school basketball player Josh Holloway is claiming that Morant had assaulted him during a pick-up game last July, and the two are currently engaged in a legal battle over the incident.
- A shoe salesman from Memphis claims that Morant threatened him last summer, which forced him to hide in the back of his sneaker store for nearly an hour.
- Last September, one of Morant’s associates threatened to “hit” a group of students during a volleyball game at Morant’s sister’s high schoolcausing the Grizzlies’ head of security, Kevin Helms, to arrive and “help solve the problem”.
After the Grizzlies lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Lakers in late April, Morant acknowledged that his out-of-court incidents “have affected us as an organization”. He then admitted that he had to “make better decisions” out of court. As our NBA writer Sam Quinn writes, he’s not off to an ideal start:
- Quinn: “Morant has made a series of bad decisions over the past year, but the hope after his suspension in March was that he had turned a corner and learned from his mistakes. For a video like this to be released within a month of the off-season is not a development anyone had hoped for.”
MLB Power Rankings: AL East dominates with five teams in the top 10 ⚾
The Yankees are on track for 89 wins, which would have been three games short of first in the AL East last season. This season, however, they are on track to finish last. That shows how insanely competitive the division has been so far.
Notice the latest CBS Sports MLB net worth rankings.
All five AL East teams, led by the Rays, have earned a spot in the top 10. Yes, that includes the Orioles, a team that lost more than 108 games in three consecutive seasons from 2019-2021. Our Matt Snyder admits in his latest power rankings post that he had doubts about the O’s this year, but isn’t afraid to enjoy a slice of humble pie to describe them as “one of the best teams in baseball.”
- cheaters: “Last season, the Orioles broke through with an 83-win season. Heading into 2023, I was hard on the Orioles front office for not doing enough in the off-season to replenish the roster. For about 1/4 of the season , However, at least the Orioles look like a playoff team. It’s a well-rounded offense that runs the bases well and has ittar center in catcher Adleyrutschman. The bullpen is one of the best in baseball (check out Yennier Cano and his 22 strikeouts without a walk in 19 2/3 innings).
As a whole, the AL East is 48 games above .500 and 93-46 outside the division. While impossible to predict, AL East’s dominance over the rest of the MLB can no longer be ignored.
Jason Day breaks the five-year drought with Byron Nelson ⛳ victory
SATISFACTION
For the first time since 2018 Jason day has entered the circle of winners of the PGA Tour. Day broke his five-year winning drought finished 23 under on the 2023 Byron Nelson beating Si Woo Kim and Austin Eckroat by a single stroke.
Not only is Day’s win important because his last was at the 2018 Wells Fargo Championship, but it’s his first since his mother died of cancer last year. So, after his last stroke, a visibly emotional day shared a touching moment with his family on Mother’s Day.
Thanks to Day’s win, his 12th on the PGA Tour, the 35-year-old is likely to finish third or fourth on his way to next week’s PGA Championship. Our golf expert Kyle Porter believes Day deserves such a ranking despite possibly passing some of the sport’s more established stars such as Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay and Tony Finau.
- Doorman: “Does it feel like Day has been the third or fourth best player in the world in 2023? I’m not sure if that’s the case, but I’m also not sure if it matters. Because the numbers are the numbers and Day has satisfactorily proved on paper what he believed through all those hours of grinding and work: that he is once again one of the best golfers in the world.”
What we’re watching on Monday 📺
⚽Liverpool at Leicester City, 3pm on USA Network
⚾ Mariners at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏒 Cracking at Stars, 8 p.m. on ESPN