May 17, 2022
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The Celtics and Heat meet for the second time in three years in the Eastern Conference Finals, and Boston is the favorite to come out on top (-185). Meanwhile, Houston, Orlando, and Detroit have the best chance (14%) of nabbing the top pick at tonight’s Draft Lottery.
The $56M Trio Powering The Bronx Bombers
Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports
The Bronx Bombers are living up to their nickname in 2022, riding their booming bats to the top of the majors.
On Monday, the Yankees belted another three homers in a road victory over the Orioles, their MLB-best eighth game with at least three — a trend largely responsible for 21 wins in their last 25, a 5.5-game division lead over the Rays, and the best record in baseball (26-9).
New York’s pitching staff has been stellar — an AL-best 2.72 team ERA — but the bats have led the way, specifically those of Anthony Rizzo (10 HRs), Aaron Judge (10), and Giancarlo Stanton (12).
The Yanks have allotted a combined $56 million of their AL-leading $246.1 million payroll for their Big Three — and each slugger has delivered.
Stanton ($23M), Judge ($17M), and Rizzo ($16M) all rank in the top eight in homers, RBI, and slugging percentage in the AL.It’s the first time in franchise history — 8th all-time in MLB — that three Yankees have hit 10-plus HRs through the first 35 games of a season.The Bombers lead the AL in HRs (52), OBP (.325), slugging (.424), OPS (.749), at-bats per HR (22.21), and run differential (+73) — scoring [[link removed]] a league-leading 51.4% of runs via the long ball.
While the Bombers have secured Stanton (through 2028) and Rizzo (through ’23) for the time being, they notably didn’t extend Judge before the season — which could come back to haunt them next year if he demands [[link removed]] a deal north of $200 million.
For now, a sixth consecutive postseason trip seems inevitable for the Yanks, who still seek their first World Series win since 2009.
They have the best odds to win the AL pennant (+275) and second-best (+600) to win the World Series behind the Dodgers (+475).
Colorado’s Makar Proves Best Offense Is A Good Defenseman
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
The Avalanche’s offense was one of the NHL’s most potent during the regular season, but their most effective weapon in the playoffs has been a defenseman.
Cale Makar was an offensive juggernaut in Colorado’s first-round sweep of Nashville, accumulating 10 points — the most in the NHL at the time — and averaging the most points per game in the postseason (2.5).
The fourth-overall selection in the 2017 draft has been even better than advertised — and his team-friendly contract should provide excellent long-term value.
Last summer, Makar signed a six-year, $54M extension that gave [[link removed]] him the NHL’s fourth-highest cap hit among defensemen ($9M).But next season, he’ll be bumped down to ninth, and then 10th after that — creating more cap space for Colorado.Makar (86) trailed only Roman Josi (96) for defenseman points this season and had the fifth-best plus/minus (48) at any position.The 23-year-old is currently competing with two 31-year-olds (Josi and Victor Hedman) as a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
After dominating Nashville, Makar and co. turn their attention to St. Louis — a historically favorable matchup.
The Avs have won seven consecutive playoff games against the Blues dating back to the 2001 Western Conference Finals — the longest such streak in franchise history.
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Is Deandre Ayton Heading For A Phoenix Sunset?
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Suns were able to brush off questions about Deandre Ayton’s future in a superb regular season, but after another postseason failure — this time in an embarrassing Game 7 rout at home — the urgency is mounting.
On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski reported [[link removed]] that Ayton doesn’t feel “valued” by the organization — and that several teams are ready to put down an offer sheet that Phoenix might not be able to match.
The Suns passed on giving the 2018 No. 1 pick (career 16.3 PPG, 10 RPG, 60% FG) a five-year rookie max extension worth $207 million with incentives. That means he’ll be a restricted free agent this summer — and with Phoenix already committing large contracts to other players, the 23-year-old could be as good as gone.
Phoenix already has $128.3 million on the books for next season.When Devin Booker inevitably makes an All-NBA team, he’ll be eligible [[link removed]] for a four-year, $211M supermax extension — the largest in Suns history.Chris Paul will be on the payroll for the next three years for $90M.
The Suns are also paying Mikal Bridges ($90M) and Landry Shamet ($43M) over the next four years — making Ayton’s claims of being undervalued even more substantial.
Phoenix can match any offer Ayton receives, but with restricted cap space and lacking a score-first player to complement Booker, maybe it’s best for both parties to move on.
Making Headlines
Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports
Golf: Tiger Woods will be paired with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth for the first two rounds of the PGA Championship this week at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma; Woods is seeking his 16th major victory.
NHL: The Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov, the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron, and the Flames’ Elias Lindholm were named finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for league’s top defensive forward.
NBA: Bucks assistant Darvin Ham will get a second interview for the Hornets coaching job, per [[link removed]] Shams Charania; Ham has spent the past 11 seasons as an assistant coach.
Soccer: Paris Saint-Germain has reportedly [[link removed]] given up on trying to retain Kylian Mbappe for next season; he’s expected to join Real Madrid. Also: Lionel Messi is reportedly [[link removed]] joining Inter Miami FC and taking a 35% ownership stake in the team in Summer 2023.
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