Weekend Action: Knicks secure Finals spot, WNBA starts new season
(🎼NBA, WNBA, NHL, playing on repeat🎼)
Yo, Scott here, ready to dive into today's sports hullabaloo! Joining me is Howard Bryant from Meadowlark Media. Let's cut the crap, Celtics have blown it, big time. Lost by a staggering 30 points to the freakin' Knicks who, might I add, are storming their way through the playoffs!
HOWARD: (Laughter) Yeah, you ain't kidding, Scott. And let me tell you, it's not just that they lost, but star player Jayson Tatum's gone down with an Achilles injury. Ain't no coming back from that for a while. It's like watching the defending champs go down in flames, man.
SIMON: Damn. I guess this Knicks team deserves some props, though, don't they? They've been resilient, battling back from double-digit leads across four games, and in three of those, they were down by 20 points at one point!
HOWARD: You bet your sweet bippy, they do. They've got Jalen Brunson now, and that boy's a baller. They're right where they want to be, and as crazy as their fans are, they've got a shot at it now. The Knicks haven't been to the finals since 1999, so this is it, man. Their moment.
SIMON: You know who else had their moment? The Oklahoma City Thunder. They're gonna face the Nuggets in Game 7. They were the best team all year, but the Nuggets have got Nikola Jokic, arguably the best player in the league right now.
HOWARD: Absolutely, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Jokic is unbelievable. If the playoffs are about finding out who's the best with the most pressure, he's proven he's the man. It's going to be an epic showdown tomorrow.
SIMON: And then there's the WNBA! The season just took off last night, and all eyes are on Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever. Higher attendance and ratings than ever before, especially since her debut. What's your take?
HOWARD: I'm telling ya, Scott, it's gonna be a great season. The Liberty are defending champs, Clark's entering her second year, and rookie Paige Bueckers made her debut last night. It's gonna be all about stars in this league, and there are plenty of players to keep an eye on.
SIMON: Lastly, hockey. Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Washington Capitals, potentially ending Alexander Ovechkin's career. He became the all-time leading scorer this season, but might he hang 'em up for good?
HOWARD: It's a tough question, but I don't see him retiring, man. If he's got the fire in him, he could score another 900 goals, maybe even 1,000. We'll see what happens, but Game 7's coming up for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the defending champion Florida Panthers. Let's root for a Cinderella story, man. The Maple Leafs last won the Stanley Cup like a zillion years ago!
SIMON: Alright, Howard Bryant, we'll have to agree to disagree on the Maple Leafs, but thanks for joining us!
HOWARD: My pleasure, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. They said I could cuss, right?
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- After discussing the Celtics' loss, the conversation shifted to the resilient Knicks, with Howard praising Jalen Brunson's contributions and acknowledging the team's potential to make it to the finals for the first time since 1999.
- Simon then brought up the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are set to face the Nuggets in Game 7, with the latter’s star player, Nikola Jokic, being considered the best in the league at the moment.
- The WNBA season kicked off last night, and all eyes are on Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever, with the league expected to feature a number of stars this season, including rookie Paige Bueckers.
