The Knicks extend the playoffs' best series, plus the best MLB games of the 2000s

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Good morning! I know it's surviving in a different form, but we still need to commemorate the coming end of 'Inside the NBA.'
When you get this deep into the playoffs, LinkedIn phrases start appearing in your head. Perseverance. Mental fortitude. So on and so forth.
It's hard to even describe the mental state of a team facing elimination, with months and months of hard work on the line, with one game to maintain dreams or have it all erased. We had the same scenario last night, in both the NHL and NBA — with wildly different results:
That series continues tomorrow. We have to wait until next week for any other playoff fun. Let's keep going:
Mahomes says no to flag football
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes brushed off the idea of playing on the 2028 Olympic flag football team, saying yesterday he'll 'probably leave that to the younger guys.' Mahomes will be just 32 then, a fact that is absurd considering how long he's been an elite quarterback. We're awaiting word from Pulse draftee Lamar Jackson. Read Pat's comments here.
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Leach, Miles now eligible for Hall
The College Football Hall of Fame announced yesterday it will lower a coach's entry barrier from a .600 winning percentage to .595, starting in 2027, which would make the late Mike Leach — as well as Les Miles — available for selection. Leach's impact on the game was outsized, but his winning percentage of .596 before his death prevented him from entry. Miles was eligible before the NCAA vacated 37 of his wins. Read more on the layers of this here.
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I appreciate balance in all things, which is why I love that, amid all these important playoff games where seasons are on the line in other sports, our baseball staff is Remembering Some Elite Games.
All of our Quarter-Century content has been amazing, but Tim Britton ranked the best games of the 2000s — an impossible task, really. It evoked great memories … and takes.
Four I want to highlight, for different reasons:
25. 2010 NLDS Game 1: Phillies 4, Reds 0
Our 'lowest' game on this list is a banger. The late Roy Halladay, in his first postseason start, threw a perfect game. As Tim points out, there are only eight perfect games this century, but none have been more impressive than this. It's a crime Halladay, a two-time Cy Young winner and Hall of Famer, never won a World Series.
17. 2005 NLDS Game 4: Astros 7, Braves 6
The first 18-inning playoff game this century gets a special place because of how incredible the details are. Adam LaRoche grand slam. Lance Berkman grand slam. Brad Ausmus home run. Roger Clemens threw three scoreless to end. What a lovely time capsule.
6. 2014 AL Wild Card Game: Royals 9, Athletics 8
I love the alternate-reality feel of this one, where Kansas City outlasted Oakland (yes, Oakland) in 12 innings in a postseason-altering game. The Royals went to the World Series that year.
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1. 2001 World Series Game 7: Diamondbacks 3, Yankees 2
While picking this list seemed incredibly hard, the choice was easy. Hard to get more iconic than Luis Gonzalez squibbing a game-winning single to defeat what, at that time, felt like the evil empire in New York. I was 11 years old and remember it so clearly.
Read the full list here, which includes this game:
📺 French Open: Dzumhur vs. Alcaraz
2:15 p.m. ET on TNT/Max
Wake up, it's time to watch tennis now. For schedule's sake, watching the defending champ and his beautiful drop shots in the third round are your best bet today. If you're a real tennis sicko, catch Elena Rybakina-Jelena Ostapenko around 8 a.m. ET. Clay courts are heating up across the ocean.
📺 WNBA: Liberty at Mystics
7:30 p.m. ET on ION
Watch the defending champs take on a surprising Washington team. Nice change of pace after the NBA and NHL barrage.
📺 MLB: Yankees at Dodgers
10:10 p.m. ET on Apple TV+
A rematch of last year's World Series, with both teams still elite. This is as must-watch as we get today.
Get tickets to games like these here.
I am a regular listener to Pablo Torre's podcast, 'Pablo Torre Finds Out,' so I get to be a hipster fan about the show in light of his recent reporting on Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson. But as Zak Keefer writes today, Torre's story of leaving ESPN and ending up here is fascinating. What exactly is Pablo finding out?
I really appreciated Harman Dayal's story on how, in the NHL, high stakes on the ice lead to an inescapable mental health challenge off of it. Read that here.
What happened to Sandy Alcantara, the 2022 Cy Young winner who's completely lost his way on the mound? His slide has come at the worst time for just about everyone.
Want to read a thriller? Spare some time for Austin Meek's story about Mickey Bruce, a former college football star who made an enemy of the man who inspired the movie 'Casino.' It's worth your time.
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F1 drivers are again criticizing Monaco's two pit stop rule. Will things change this time?
Chris Vannini played an early edition of EA's College Football 26. He has thoughts on the five biggest changes.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story about that Stefon Diggs video and the reaction to it.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Keith Law's top 50 MLB prospects after two months of the season. Always a must-read.
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