EL BARRIO, EL FALLS – Happy Monday, everyone! It was another rough weekend of fighting off illness and trying to parent. All incredibly exhausting, but there is no rest for the wicked so let’s get into the work for today: Mets Hot Start, NBA Playoff and NY Rangers Playoffs.
NY Mets Hot Start
New York City’s second team, with a smaller payroll than the big-time clubs/evil empires like the LA Dodgers and NY Yankees, has managed to have a great start to the season. The upstart Mets sit 2nd in the NL, having played one more game than the Brooklyn Dodgers. NY is the only team with 20 wins, though. The Amazins have done it with very dominant pitching, despite not have Jacob de Gromm deGrom. They have some very consistent hitting and solid defense. It is not flashy but has been incredibly effective. A huge key to that has been Buck Showalter, who after blowing a couple of games to start to the season, has been much improved. I hope they can keep up the pace, or just enough to make the playoffs.
NBA Playoffs
Who needs LeBron?! Minus the best player in the game – and arguably ever – there has been no shortage of excitement and/or storylines… The Celtics are fighting back hard after looking bad in the first game against the Bucks. They won game 2 and arguably should have won game 3, if it wasn’t for a key call or two that some would say were wrong… The Heat vs Sixers series is all tied up at 2 a piece after a big return performance from sixer big man Joel Embid and James Harden (that Harden for Simmons deal is looking better and better for Sixers every game)… The Warriors vs Grizzlies has been pure dynamite, with each game full of drama and excitement. Golden State routed the Grizzlies in game 3 to take a 2-1 lead so the series is facing a critical game 4… Another series that is getting interesting is the Suns-Mavericks series. The Suns laid a duck in Game 3, as wunderkind Luka Doncic dragged the Mavs back into the series… All the series are tight and that is all you can ask for as a neutral.
NY Rangers Playoffs
The opening triple overtime loss to the Penguins was hard to swallow. The Rangers bounced back to play much better and win game 2. Game 3 was a very weird, to say the least. After the Pens went up 4-1 after the first period, NY did the unthinkable and benched the best goalie in the game. Ranger goalie Igor Shesterkin has been the most dominant goalie this season and will win the Vezina. However, after a poor performance, it was decided that maybe he needed a rest to clear his head. So in stepped Alexander Georgiev into goal and he had a great period, as the Blueshirts tied it 4-4. That score would not last, as Pitt scored a little past halfway through the 3rd. The Rangers chased the game after that, leaving themselves vulnerable while the Pens scored 2 more goals. Now game 4 takes place in Pitt, with the Rangers desperately needing a win to tie to the series.
Thanks for reading, feel free to comment below. Come back tomorrow for our Ben Whitney, who once dove into a pile of boobs and came out sucking his thumb.
