What to watch in sports this week: NBA and NHL Playoffs, NFL Draft, Copa del Rey, Dodgers-Cubs
I think this particular stretch of calendar is a top-five TV-watching week, right up there with the 'sports equinox' run in late October. We get a convergence of full-slate playoff intensity (basketball, hockey) and dewy optimism (the NFL Draft, the conclusion of MLB's opening month). Soccer, golf and racing are all in rotation. All sides are pitching in on a party this week. Here's the can't-miss stuff to look forward to.
Now is the time when spring blooms and ball indeed becomes life. For my money, this past regular season was one of the top-rope wildest. A quick recap:
The first playoff round is particularly fun because of its bulky schedule. Eight different series means we get a steady, nightly carousel of playoff ball to watch.
Lakers-Timberwolves is an obvious banger of a matchup. Minnesota comes in searing hot (17-4 since March), and Anthony Edwards is supremely unafraid of the big stage. LA has generational intrigue up front with Dončić and LeBron James, and the sport's glamour franchise is now the betting favorite to win its 18th title. Rockets-Warriors is another cool draw, with Houston's rock-fighting upstarts pressuring Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. Elsewhere, Nuggets-Clippers puts a top-five offense against a top-five defense; Knicks-Pistons fuses two feverish, long-suffering fan bases; the reigning-champion Celtics officially continue their back-to-back effort.
This Jon Bois-ism has stayed with me. Playoff hockey is unparalleled in its tension and chaos. It's a fundamentally different sport from the regular-season product. Make sure that seat belt is fastened, then celebrate accordingly.
First-round series are especially loaded this year. Among the best:
Read next: Hockey executives and coaches make first-round predictions
Two NL East teams with incandescent star power, November aspirations and feral fans meet on Tuesday. It's a cool national TV look at top payroll rosters, with both looking good in the early returns. Philadelphia's Bryce Harper once had MLB's biggest contract; it now belongs to New York's Juan Soto.
Consider the many, many barrels we've got here. Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are Silver Slugger-worthy players at their best. So are Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber. Be vigilant for stray purple milkshake bandits in the Queens crowd.
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Read next: Matt Gelb's dispatches from the Phillies beat
Another marquee matchup, this time featuring Addison and Clark. The Dodgers are an international superteam comprising four MVPs (prime mashers Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, plus 37-year-old Clayton Kershaw). The Cubs are absolutely holding their own with Kyle Tucker in tow. Los Angeles put on a show at the Tokyo Dome in March, while Chicago hammered the defending champs with 16 runs on April 12.
Read next: Patrick Mooney on new Cubs closer Ryan Pressly
Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, Shedeur Sanders and the high-profile 2025 rookie class begin their professional careers with Thursday's selections. The draft is where franchises are built and destroyed, where journeys are inscribed or rewritten, and where increasingly bespoke (if audacious) suits are encouraged. Ward, an electric quarterback from Miami, is expected to go first overall to the Tennessee Titans. The Browns, then the Giants, Patriots and Jaguars are on the clock afterward (after Ward).
Read next: Dane Brugler's All-World draft guide, a.k.a. 'The Beast'
Barcelona and Real Madrid dueling in a Copa final for the first time since 2014? Yeah, we're in, the most 'in' we can humanly be. El Clásico gets exported to Sevilla on Saturday after both Spanish juggernauts advanced 5-4 on aggregate. The Catalan crew defeated Madrid 4-0 on Oct. 26, then bested them again, 5-2, in January's Supercopa de España final.
Read next: Anantaajith Raghuraman on Pedri's importance to Barcelona
Engines rev and NASCAR's longest oval gets some run to close out the weekend, with the Jack Link's 500 going down at Talladega Superspeedway. This was the venue Dale Earnhardt dominated. Six-time overall Talladega winner Brad Keselowski last triumphed here in 2021. Kyle Busch became one of the event's multi-time winners in 2023. Fellow multi-time winners Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin join Keselowski and Busch at the top of the odds to win it this weekend.
NYT archives: Sunday — On this date (April 27), undefeated world heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano announced his retirement.
Streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of LeBron James and Anthony Edwards: Harry How / Getty Images)
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