The Pacers, after playing a first-round opponent without a two-time MVP (Giannis Antetokounmpo) and a second-round opponent with more injuries than the typical rotation, have no expectations with a core that will likely never get to this stage again.
The Celtics boast one of the most balanced starting fives in the NBA and are likely to be the favorites for the foreseeable future, with Luka Doncic playing alongside Kyrie Irving despite a sore knee and under a lighter load than he has in seasons past.
That puts the stakes at Anthony Edwards’ disposal more than any other player remaining in the postseason.
The 22-year-old Timberwolves superstar is ahead of schedule — he beat three-time MVP Nikola Jokic and the defending champions in Game 7 in Denver — but his emergence comes at an ideal time for a league desperate for someone to take the baton as the next face of the NBA.
It’s no coincidence that 40 years ago, the league’s rise to popularity and its ability to escape delayed recording began with superstars who appealed to every market and demographic: Magic and Bird in the ’80s, Michael Jordan in the ’90s, followed by the Lakers dynasty led by Shaq, and eventually Kobe Bryant dethroning his former teammate at the top of the list. Next came LeBron James, with Stephen Curry standing next to James in four consecutive NBA Finals matches.
Now, James is 39 and Curry is 36. They still boast the second-best-selling uniforms in the league, but despite strong individual seasons, it’s been nearly a month since either star stepped on the court, and neither will likely compete for a title again.
Edwards, who led the Timberwolves to their first conference finals appearance in 20 years, is positioned to follow in the footsteps of those stars.
His play is designed to command attention with court-tilting speed. Exciting athletic performance and Incredible finish at the rimHe has the confidence of Kobe, the charisma of Magic and the marketability of Michael Jackson. He exudes authenticity in each of them. Interesting press conferencehe He gained attention for his role as the villain in “Hustle.” And his Urging Charles Barkley to “Bring it to Minnesota” Government approved URL (Source) will redirect you to the state’s official tourism website.
He’s also American, which shouldn’t be a problem, but it is – for corporate sponsors, for the media, for the fans.
Jokic is the best player in the league I don’t want to be in the spotlight He’d rather be in Serbia with his family and his horses than attend a championship parade. This year’s MVP runner-up, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has yet to be introduced to the general fan base. The league’s other top talents (Antetokounmpo, Doncic, Joel Embiid, Victor Wenbanyama) are the most popular players, but their ceilings are limited by their birth certificates.
Heavyweight boxing began to decline in popularity when Americans stopped dominating the sport. The same happened domestically with men’s tennis, which was coming to the end of a golden era without an American Grand Slam champion and without the attention it received decades ago when Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe dominated. The lack of American superstars in soccer is why the world’s most popular sport has never been popular in the United States. The NFL benefits from a plethora of American superstars. Foreign-born players capture the imagination. There’s no better example than Shohei Ohtani. But who’s to say he wouldn’t have been a bigger star in the United States if he’d been born in Ohio or Oregon?
Blind patriotism is the backbone of many sports, including the Olympics, the Ryder Cup and tennis Grand Slams. When casual fans see a flag graphic next to a horse’s name, they know immediately that a horse is in the race. Edwards’ profile will be posted exclusively on the U.S. team at this summer’s Olympics.
The fourth-year guard was named to the All-NBA second team this week and has solidified himself as a top-five player this playoff season by averaging 28.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 40 percent from the 3-point line, putting him in rarefied territory if he leads the Timberwolves to their first title.
Only Larry Bird won a title early in his career as the team’s best player during the 3-point era, but he was much older than Bird. Kobe won his first championship alongside the league MVP. So did Magic. Jordan didn’t win a title until his seventh season. Shaq’s first championship came in his eighth season. LeBron didn’t win one until his ninth season. Curry took six seasons.
Edwards still needs eight more wins. He’s not in great form going into Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. That said, he did have 19 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and two steals in a Game 1 loss. He clearly wasn’t ready physically or mentally after a grinding win over Denver. It’s a testament to being 22 and at this stage in his career for the first time.
He may not climb the mountain this season, he may never get there.
The list of players who never reached their highest potential is far longer than the list of stars who left their mark on legends for generations to come.
The torch is not received, it is taken.
Today’s back cover
Ranger Danger
It’s not time to panic yet.
The Rangers suffered their first postseason series loss with a 3-0 loss to the Panthers on Wednesday night and will return to Madison Square Garden on Friday night for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The Presidents Trophy winners have lost three of their past four games and are now overwhelming underdogs (+245) in the series, while reigning Eastern Conference champion Florida boasts a 5-1 road record in the postseason this season.
The Panthers opened last year’s Eastern Conference finals with a sweep of the Hurricanes, winning their first two games on the road. Only 22 of 109 teams in NHL history have won a best-of-seven playoff series after losing their first two games at home.
The Rangers need to play better after only 12 shots on net through the first two periods of Game 1, but they don’t need what they don’t have.
“We’ve done a good job all year of responding after losses,” Adam Fox said Thursday. “Adjustment is a big factor, but it’s also about mentality and recognizing what we lacked in the previous game, whether that was execution or urgency, understanding that and responding in the games that matter.”
Opening in France
There was a time when Paris was lawless, chaos reigned and the red clay courts were the most unpredictable of all courts.
Between 1989 and 2004, the French Open produced 12 men’s singles champions.
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Michael Chang, 17 years old at the time, became the youngest men’s Grand Slam singles champion in history in 1989 when he made a shocking appearance as the 15th seed. It was Chang’s only Grand Slam title, and he was followed by Andrés Gómez (1990), Thomas Muster (1995), Carlos Moya (1998), Alberto Costa (2002) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003). In 2004, unseeded Gaston Gaudio never played another Grand Slam tournament. Quarter finals — I became a champion.
Then came Rafael Nadal, who won the French Open for a record 14th time in 2005. In the 19 years since his debut in Paris, only three other players have won the tournament: Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka. Those four players have won a combined 69 Grand Slam titles.
Federer is retired, Wawrinka is 39, Djokovic, 37, is finally showing signs of aging, and Nadal is saying goodbye to his favorite tournament.
The French Open, which begins Sunday, is the first in nearly two decades that the field, questions and predictions have been so difficult.
Iga Swiatek is the favorite to win her fourth French Open title in five years, but it’s hard to trust the men’s favorites.
Djokovic is the top seed and reigning champion, but the three-time French Open champion has not lifted the trophy since November and has suffered a number of head-scratching defeats to lesser known opponents this year.
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who is 28-2 this season and beat Djokovic en route to the Australian Open title, has one career victory on clay, has not reached the quarterfinals in Paris since 2020 and is just returning from a hip injury.
No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz recently injured his arm and hasn’t shown any signs of recovery since beating Djokovic at Wimbledon last year, No. 4 Alexander Zverev has never won a Grand Slam, No. 5 Daniil Medvedev often suffers from allergic reactions on clay courts, and No. 6 Andrey Rublev is 0-10 in Grand Slam quarterfinals.
And Nadal, who has a 112-3 career record at Roland Garros, has been plagued by injuries and has played just 11 matches in the past 16 months. He was an underdog in the first round after winning a tough opening match against recent Italian Open champion Zverev.
When Nadal left the stage, chaos returned.
Today’s Outlook
Mike Vasil has finally made his big comeback.
The Mets pitching prospect, who has struggled for much of 2024, pitched a season-high 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and striking out six in Triple-A Syracuse’s 4-2 win over the Yankees’ affiliate on Thursday.
The 24-year-old Vasil was playing with a disgraceful 10.13 ERA entering the month of May, but finished his final two starts in consecutive games with a season-low ERA of 7.71.
The highlight came at the start of the fifth inning, when he struck out Railriders designated hitter Oscar Gonzalez on a pitch high and inside that left him completely confused.
— Andrew Battifarano
What we’re reading 👀
Luis Gil was the Yankees’ savior with Gerrit Cole out of the starting rotation, The Washington Post’s Joel Sherman writes. Gil allowed just one hit over 6 1/3 innings, and the Yankees beat the Mariners on a home run from the in-form Aaron Judge.
🏈 Steve Selby of the Washington Post is urging Giants fans to take a chance on Daniel Jones after he resisted the temptation of the NFL Draft to remain the team’s QB1 spot.
🏀 Julius Randle has been a key centerpiece of the Knicks’ offseason, whether that be as part of the running back lineup or included in a blockbuster trade.
⚾ The Mets return to Citi Field to take on the Giants on Friday night, but they have struggled mightily against the opposition at home.
🏀 The Liberty suffered their first setback of the WNBA season.
⛳ The Scottie Scheffler arrest saga: Apparently it’s still ongoing.
💰 This NCAA legal settlement could change college sports forever.
⚾ Super weird ending to White Sox vs Orioles game.
🥎 Keep an eye on us About Maya Brady.
