NEW YORK, NY – There’s a lot to be giddy about if you’re a NY sports fan this weekend. The Stanks are surviving without Aaron Judge, the Jets and Giants remain undefeated in the 2026/2027 campaign, and the teams in orange and blue have HUGE games today/tonight. But sports fanaticism has us always looking at the the hypotheticals, the what-ifs, and the Knicks and Mets are in that realm today. Thus the headlines: Will Knicks Be Dubious Like Golden State? Is Strider Part of Mets’ Turning Point?
Will Knicks Be Dubious Like Golden State?
This is the most tenuous 3-1 lead since Dewey vs Truman. Sure, the Knicks are one win away from a championship, but let’s stop pretending this 3-1 NBA Finals lead over the San Antonio Spurs is some sort of basketball coronation.
Yes, the numbers say 3-1. History says that’s usually a death sentence. But context says something entirely different. Hey, the juggernaut that was Angry Ward’s Golden State Warriors, blew a 3-1 lead to LeBron James’ Cavaliers. They were the only team to blow a 3-1 lead in NBA history. Will the Knickerbockers be the 2nd? Let’s step out of the Fog of War and take a hard, cold look at the facts.
Game 4 wasn’t proof of Knicks dominance. It was proof that the Spurs somehow managed to drive a Ferrari straight into the Hudson River – despite the Orwellian lock-down. New York trailed by 29 points before pulling off the largest comeback in NBA Finals history. That’s not commanding. That’s surviving a disaster that should have buried them.
In fact, the Knicks have been beyond lucky in this series. They’ve benefited from untimely Spurs collapses, missed opportunities, and the kind of bounces that usually get filed under “sports miracles.” Nobody hangs banners for luck, but it has been wearing a Knicks jersey throughout this Finals.
Let’s remember: a 3-1 lead isn’t invincible. Right, Steph Curry?
NOTE: The Spurs have spent large stretches of this series looking like the better team. The Knicks have spent large stretches looking like the luckier one. Indeed, they’ve looked overwhelmed for long stretches.
New York may still finish the job. But if the Knicks think they’re sitting on a commanding lead, they’re one bad night in San Antonio away from discovering how fragile “commanding” can be.
If you think I’m delusional in regards to the above, just wait until you read below!
Is Strider Part of Mets’ Turning Point?
The Mets don’t need a miracle. They need momentum. And suddenly, they might have found it.
Friday night’s 7-5 win over Atlanta wasn’t just another June victory. It felt like one of those games that people may point back to in September and say, “That’s where things started to turn.”
Start with Bo Bichette. The struggling free agent star erupted for two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs… by himself. That’s Dave Kingman stuff, folks, If the Mets are going to make a playoff push, they need the version of Bichette that showed up Friday night, not the one that spent the first two months searching for his swing.
Then there’s the other development.
Spencer Strider left the game with elbow AND shoulder soreness after getting hammered for seven runs. Anytime one of baseball’s premier pitchers exits with elbow or arm concerns, it’s significant – not just for the Braves, but potentially for the entire NL East race. This could be the … wait for it… shot in the arm the Mets need! [Ba Doom Cha]
Take two out of three from Atlanta and the Mets suddenly have something they’ve lacked for weeks: believable momentum. Bichette looks alive. The Braves look vulnerable. The standings become a little less intimidating. Hey, sometimes a season turns on a single weekend.
Ya Gotta Believe.
