Are the Celtics and Panthers cooked?
Good morning! I will accept dried fish for soccer tickets.
Look, this feels mean. But after a most consequential night of playoff hoops and hockey, looking at our results through the lens of the losers is more important. Even more importantly: How cooked are these guys? 👨🍳
Simmering: The Winnipeg Jets
This is a team that dominated the regular season yet barely escaped the first round. A 3-2 home loss to the Stars last night was again nerve-wracking, but Dallas is not St. Louis — namely because Mikko Rantanen is a Star. He scored all three goals last night. At 0-1, Winnipeg might already be in trouble.
Advertisement
On a rolling boil: The Denver Nuggets
Yes, this series is 1-1, but did you watch that game last night? Every missed opportunity for Oklahoma City in Game 1 came back karmically in a 149-106 Game 2 win, an astounding contest from wire to wire. Nikola Jokić scored just 17 points and fouled out. The Thunder had eight players in double figures. So, yes, a tie series — but maybe not for long.
Hard sear: The Florida Panthers
Time and time again, the Maple Leafs have the opportunity to embody their past failures, and every time they course correct. Toronto's 4-3 win last night over the defending champs puts them up 2-0 in what we thought — and could still be! — a dogfight.
Broken thermometer: The Boston Celtics
We've had over 12 hours to process the Knicks' 91-90 win last night and I still can't reconcile what I saw. It's as if I'm cooking a nice cut of beef, the thermometer reads 135 degrees and yet the inside of the steak looks like rubber. Boston is still very much alive in this series, but to squander two 20-point leads at home to these Knicks is unfathomable. Another defending champion down 2-0. Another final play thwarted by Mikal Bridges. I have no idea what happens from here.
BRUNSON HITS TWO FREE THROWS.
BRIDGES TAKES THE BALL AWAY.
KNICKS TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD. pic.twitter.com/NbyRwQri9O
— NBA (@NBA) May 8, 2025
I'll be sad when we have fewer fantastic playoff games every night. Let's keep moving:
This may be one of the more interesting Pulse Polls we've ever done, because it's a circle back to a poll we ran last summer on a similar topic. It also *serious tone* portends to the world at large.
An overwhelming number of you, as I suspected, think NBC using AI to recreate Jim Fagan's voice is lazy and cheap. I agree — I'm of the mind that AI should be used for utilitarian purposes, not creatively.
Two points to make in this specific case:
Still, with all due respect to Fagan's memory, it feels silly to focus so much on that past in this regard rather than moving forward. Find a new voice to anchor your basketball coverage for decades to come. Is that so hard?
Thank you, as always, for voting.
Cowboys get another weapon
George Pickens, the mercurial uber-talented Steelers wide receiver, is heading to Dallas in exchange for a third-round pick and a fifth-round pick, the Cowboys announced yesterday. The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports the two sides had been discussing the deal since before the draft, which checks out after Pittsburgh acquired DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. The deal makes sense for Dallas, but I still don't know what's happening with the Steelers. We'll have more on that this weekend.
Advertisement
Also: Emergency trade pod! Yes, Jerry Jones seems desperate.
Tickets for fish, please
The story of Bodø/Glimt is incredible: a small Norwegian club, playing near the top of the world, finding itself in the semifinal of a European soccer tournament. Premier League blueblood Tottenham Hotspur travels north today for their second-leg matchup, and some fans in the stands will have traded dried fish and reindeer meat for tickets. I love it, and I'm a Spurs fan. Read more here.
More news
📫 Love The Pulse? Check out our other newsletters.
📺 NBA: Warriors at Timberwolves
8:30 p.m. ET on TNT/Max
One question lords over everything here: Can Golden State survive without Steph Curry? He will miss at least the next three games with the hamstring injury he suffered in Game 1. Minnesota has an opening here down 1-0.
📺 NHL: Oilers at Golden Knights
9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Let's see how much of a lead Las Vegas can open up here before the eventual third-period Edmonton barrage. It's eerie at this point.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Two years ago, Nic Enright couldn't see his future, exhausted from cancer treatments. He's now on the verge of making the major leagues. Incredible story here.
Keith Law's first MLB mock draft of the season is out, which is cause for celebration. Yes, there's another elite Holliday in the pipeline. Read his picks.
Eno Sarris identified 10 stats that should worry MLB teams. He's so good at this.
Let's not lose sight of the fact the Islanders won the NHL Draft Lottery on Monday. We have a fresh mock draft in light of it. See the picks.
Rustin Dodd drank coffee like Dan Campbell, an absolute caffeine sicko. It did not go well, but it was interesting.
Tyrese Haliburton laughs at the 'overrated' jabs, but in truth, he was miserable early this season. Jared Weiss has a wonderful story on how Haliburton recaptured his joy. It shows.
Advertisement
Is Dabo Swinney back? Did he ever leave? Seth Emerson writes about Swinney's second wind in the NIL era.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The George Karl story.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our live blog from the PSG-Arsenal match.
Ticketing 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.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Utah Jazz vs Golden State Warrios Las Vegas Summer League recap and final score
In a game that disappointed Utah Jazz fans with the lack of Ace Bailey playing, there was a nice showing from Cody Williams and Kyle Filipowski in the Jazz's 103-93 loss to the Golden State Warriors. Kyle Filipowski playing well is not a big surprise with him having an impressive summer league so far. In this one, Filipowski had 21 points and 6 rebounds. He continues to put up numbers and is likely worthy of being sent home. The Jazz may need him for the simple fact that they need bigs on the floor. Filipowski has not defended the rim well in this summer league but he showing some nice signs on the perimeter defensivly. There may be a world where he solidifies his position at the power forward, and it becomes a staple to his game. Advertisement I'm trying not to overreact, but Cody Williams is getting better. In the second half in this one, Cody Williams really found his groove and looked comfortable driving to the basket and scoring. Williams is showing signs that he's not a player to give up on ... at all. Williams had 22 points on 8/17 shooting from the field. He only shot 1/6 from three, which makes that 2PT FG% really high. He also threw 4 assists and grabbed 3 steals. He's looking like a player who's getting more and more comfortable and confident. It's just summer league, but this is exactly what you want to see from Williams. Probably the most surprising thing is how good he looks handing the ball. Williams is driving to the basket and not turning the ball over at a high rate. The biggest thing for him right now is just shooting the three. His shot is not quite there yet and will take time, but that's something the Jazz have and can allow him a chance to develop. It's a game day tomorrow, and we'll see if Ace Bailey plays. If not, we get a chance to see if Cody Williams can keep up this level of play. More from
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What is the backstory behind Kyrie Irving's beef with fans of the Boston Celtics?
What is the backstory behind Kyrie Irving's beef with fans of the Boston Celtics? For newer fans of the storied franchise who were not yet following the Celtics in the years that the infamously mercurial star played for Boston, the animus against the Australian native might seem a bit much. But there is more than just a jilted fan base at play here, with the heart and soul of a prior iteration of the Celtics having been traded for a player who then promised he would be back to the team, if the fans would let him. That of course was followed by what was seen by many as a betrayal, and by a few as an understandable move given the context. Advertisement The folks behind the "Secret Base" YouTube channel put together a clip taking a look back at that turbulent era of Celtics history and Irving's role in making it such a bumpy ride. Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about the Kyrie era in Boston. This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: What is the backstory behind Kyrie Irving's beef with Celtics fans?
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Summer League Recap: Clippers 106, Bucks 91
The Milwaukee Bucks (1-2) have now dropped two games in a row, likely ending any hopes for them to play in the Summer League semifinal, losing to the Los Angeles Clippers (2-0) 106-91. Chris Livingston kept up his streak as the leading scorer for the Bucks, with 21 points and four rebounds. The big men duo of Pete Nance and Bogoljub Marković put up double-digit numbers for Milwaukee with 18 and 14 points, respectively. Patrick Baldwin led the Clippers with 22. Box Score Advertisement Game Recap After a rough game against the Cavaliers, undrafted free agent Cormac Ryan was responsible for the first seven points for the Bucks, hitting a three and dishing out a couple of assists to Tyler Smith and Pete Nance. That was all part of a 7-2 run for the Bucks, but the Clippers responded with an 8-0 run to take the lead. From there, things stayed close with neither team getting a lead bigger than six. Andre Jackson Jr. woke up a bit offensively to end the frame, scoring five points, including a rare three-pointer. His two free throws helped the Bucks hold onto a one-point lead heading into the second quarter, 27-26. Patrick Baldwin Jr. continued the strong momentum for the Clippers, hitting back-to-back threes to give the Clippers their first lead of the night, putting them up 32-27. That is as big as LA's lead would get, with the Bucks keeping it within one to two possessions. Milwaukee was finally able to retake the lead for a brief moment with a 6-2 run, finished off by a Bogoljub Marković slam dunk. Zavier Simpson and Cam Christie erased the Bucks' one-point lead within seconds, with Simpson scoring on a layup and Christie nailing a three. Ryan wasn't able to get a shot up at the buzzer, as the Clippers would take a 51-47 lead heading into the locker room. Nance started to catch some fire in the early parts of the third quarter, with him scoring five points to bring the game back within three. That helped spark Bucks overall, getting within one after a Tyler Smith putback layup with 6:32 to go in the frame. AJax seemingly found his footing in the third, scoring a layup and then a sweet alley-oop dunk with him cutting back door. Despite the Bucks' best efforts, the Clippers continued to hold them off from tying the game or taking the lead, with Milwaukee getting within two points several times throughout the stanza. With 1:55 to go, the Bucks seemed to find some rhythm offensively, going on an 8-2 run to end the quarter. A three from Marković gave the Bucks the lead back, and they took that into the fourth quarter, 74-73. Advertisement The fourth quarter got off to as terrible a start as you could imagine for the Bucks, with the Clippers going on a 15-0 run to take a 14-point lead. The Bucks wouldn't score their first points until the 5:16 mark, with Livingston hitting a step-back midrange jumper. All told, the Bucks went 0/10 to open the quarter. Milwaukee wouldn't go quietly, though, as they rattled off a 10-2 run to bring the game back within single digits at 95-86 with 2:48 to play in the fourth. Yet, the Bucks' offense stalled again, only scoring two points on a couple of Ryan free throws after he was elbowed in the face on a flagrant foul. Outside of that, it was all Clippers, as they went on a 7-2 run to mercifully put this one to an end—merciful to the people at home watching so they didn't have to listen to Jared Greenberg and Channing Frye anymore. Stat That Stood Out AJax had a much-needed good game after struggling out of the gate in his first two appearances in this Summer League. The former second-round pick scored nine points, dished out six assists (but had five turnovers), four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Support our site! | BreakingT | ESPN+ | ESPN+ 30 For 30 | fuboTV | Disney+ Advertisement More from
