The Sportsletter - Did Somebody Say Bubble?

BY MATTHEW CAHILL

APR. 20, 2023 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

We've got a bone to pick with the NBA. Two of the most exciting first-round matchups thus far have been Warriors-Kings and Clippers-Suns. But for some reason, those two games will be played at essentially the same time (10:00 and 10:30 pm ET). Meanwhile, we still have the much less interesting 76ers-Nets game in a solo slot at 7:30 pm ET. Adam Silver needs to fire whoever was in charge of making the schedule. 

Letter Rip!

NBA PLAYOFFS

Did Somebody Say Bubble?

Photo: AAron Ontiveroz / Getty Images

Grizzlies (Lakers) and Bucks (Heat) Pick up Huge Wins with Ja and Giannis Out; Jamal Murray Shines in Nuggets Victory over Timberwolves. 

Another great night of playoff basketball. Both Ja Morant and Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered injuries on Sunday that kept them out of action last night. Fortunately, their teammates stepped up in a huge way to pick up victories without the franchise cornerstones. Jamal Murray also reminded us of his playoff brilliance with a performance straight out of 2020. 

#2 Grizzlies def. #7 Lakers (103-93)

The Xavier Tillman game! On a night where both teams shot in the low 40s from the field, Tillman had a monster game, putting up 22 points on just 13 shots to provide a huge spark for Memphis. On top of that, he soundly outplayed Anthony Davis, who scored just 13 points on 4-14 from the field. Los Angeles was down double digits most of the night before making a late surge in the final minutes, but a dagger three from Dillon Brooks shut the door on any potential comeback. Series Tied (1-1)

#1 Bucks def. #8 Heat (138-122)

Brook Lopez is just about as good insurance as you can get. Nowadays he is known for being a supreme rim protector and not much of a scorer, but he turned in a vintage performance (25 points) to lead the Bucks past Miami to even the series. If you remember Milwaukee’s championship run in 2021, Lopez stepped up in a big way when Giannis went down with a hyperextended knee during the Conference Finals. If the Greek Freak is going to miss extended time, look for Brook to remain aggressive on offense to fill the void. Series tied (1-1)

#1 Nuggets def. #8 Timberwolves (122-113)

This game was quite a roller coaster. Denver blitzed Minnesota early, jumping out to an early 20-point lead. However, Anthony Edwards (41 points) and the rest of Minnesota got scorching hot in the third, coming all the way back to briefly take the lead heading into the fourth. However, Jamal Murray (40 points) took over the down the stretch to give his Nuggets a commanding 2-0 series lead. This is the Nuggets guard’s first playoff run since 2020 where he infamously played like a superstar and helped lead Denver alongside Jokic to a surprise Conference Finals run. Most people chalked up his bubble run as a fluke, but it’ll be hard to deny the greatness of Playoff-Murray if he keeps pumping out 40-point performances like this. Den Leads Series (2-0)

Tonight's Schedule

Gm 3: #3 76ers at #6 Nets (7:30 pm ET)

Gm 3: #3 Kings at #6 Warriors (10:00 pm ET)

Gm 3: #4 Suns at #5 Clippers (10:30 pm ET)

NHL PLAYOFFS

Is the Curse Real?

Photo: Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Panthers Shock Bruins (6-3) to Even Series Heading Back to Florida

Things are officially interesting in Boston. After a historic season that saw the Bruins break both the all-time single-season wins and points records, they entered the postseason as heavy favorites to hoist the Stanley Cup trophy in June. However, their first-round opponent might have something to say about that. Led by Brandon Montour the Florida Panthers exploded for four goals in the third period of game 2 to take down Boston and pick up a huge road victory, knotting the series at one win apiece. It was just the second time all season that the Bruins lost at home by more than one goal.

Will the Presidents’ Trophy Curse Continue?

Since its inception in 1986, only eight Presidents’ Trophy winners have gone on to actually win the Stanley Cup. The most recent team to win both in the same season was the Blackhawks in 2013, meaning it’s been ten years since it’s happened. Last night’s loss probably means nothing in the grand scope of this series, Boston will very likely still advance. However, if the winningest regular season team of all time fails to bring the Cup home, the aura around the Presidents’ Cup cure would be heightened astronomically. 

Stanley Cup Playoff Highlights (Game 2s)

Panthers def. Bruins (6-3)

Hurricanes def. Islanders (4-3, OT)

Stars def. Wild (7-3)

Oilers def. Kings (4-2)

Updated Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket

Additional Storylines

NHL.com: Bunting Suspended 3 Games, out for Maple Leafs Starting in Game 2

ESPN: 'Catastrophic' Turnovers Doom Bruins in Game 2 Loss to Panthers

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

The Semifinals Are Set

Photo: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista / Getty Images

Man City draw Bayern (1-1, 1-4 Agg.) & and Inter draw Benfica (3-3, 5-3 Agg.) to Advance to Semifinals 

We now have a final four in the Champions League. After both Inter and Man City established dominance with multi-goal leads in the first leg of the quarters, both clubs once again cruised to draws to advance against Benfica and Bayern to advance to the next round. At no point did Inter or Man City ever trail in yesterday’s matches, as their aggregate leads were never in danger at any point. 

A Look at the Semifinal Matchups 

With Inter and City both advancing, we now have an incredible pair of semifinal matchups to look forward to. Inter now faces AC in a battle for the city of Milan, while City now gets a shot at redemption as they face off against Real Madrid, who knocked them out in last year’s semifinal. Get your popcorn ready, because we are in store for some amazing soccer in a couple of weeks. 

Champions League Quarterfinals

Bayern Munich draw Manchester City (1-1) | Manchester City advance (1-4)

Inter Milan draw Benfica (3-3) | Inter Milan advance (5-3)

Semifinals Schedule (Leg 1)

Real Madrid vs. Man City: May 9 (Time TBD)

AC Milan vs. Inter Milan: May 9 (Time TBD)

Additional Storyline

CBS: UEFA Champions League Power Rankings: AC Milan and Inter Climb; Man City and Real Madrid Lead the Pack

MLB

MLB Quick-Hitters

Judge Robs Ohtani, Yanks Walk-Off Angels: Gleyber Torres hit a walk-off sac fly to secure a 3-2 victory for New York over the Angels, but that was far from the most exciting play. In the top of the first, Aaron Judge made an incredible catch over the centerfield wall to rob Shohei Ohtani of his fifth homer of the season. 

Scherzer Caught With the Sticky Suff: Max Scherzer was off to a solid start in his outing against the Dodgers yesterday, as he allowed zero runs through three innings. But his afternoon came to an abrupt end after he was ejected for what appeared to be an illegal substance on his arm. Scherzer swore on his life and kids the only substance on his arm was rosin, which is legal. He better hope the MLB believes him, or else he could face an automatic 10-game suspension if the MLB confirms it was in fact an illegal substance. 

THE STORYLINES

⚾️ Major League Baseball Has a Sticky Stuff Enforcement Problem

Max Scherzer's ejection for allegedly using illegal substances in his outing against the Dodgers highlights the MLB's inconsistencies with regulating grip-enhancing substances. (Yahoo!)

⚾️ The Hot New Pitch That's Sweeping Across the Majors

Ever heard of the sweeper? It's essentially a slider that is thrown with the specific intent of horizontal movement. The pitch looks like it's straight out of your old backyard wiffle ball game, and is striking out batters everywhere. (MLB.com) 

🏀 Death, Taxes, and James Harden Disappearing During the Playoffs

James Harden has become notorious for postseason flameouts over the years. He hasn't gotten off to a great start this year either, which is especially concerning for a Philadelphia team that's going to need him at his absolute best if they want to take down Boston in the next round. (Deadspin)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Warriors coach Steve Kerr 'Extremely Surprised' at NBA's Decision to Suspend Draymond Green (CBS)
• Grizzlies' Dillon Brooks Calls LeBron James 'Old' After Game 2 Victory (USA Today)
  
• Scoot Henderson Says He Should Be No. 1 Pick in 2023 NBA Draft over Victor Wembanyama (Bleacher Report)
• 49ers Receiving Trade Calls for Former First-round QB Trey Lance (NFL.com)
• Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Says he Considered Retirement 'for a time' After Concussion-Laden 2022 Season (Yahoo!)

Please consider supporting The Sportsletter, an independently operated and bootstrapped publication, and you'll receive our exclusive Sunday edition. Many thanks to everyone who already supports us!

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Did Someone Forward You This Email? Subscribe Here
Feedback? Contact Our Editor: Jeff@TheSportsletter.com
Not Loving The Letter? Unsubscribe
Follow us on Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Copyright © 2023 The Sportsletter
717 Market Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103