Sometimes the best drama in sports comes down to the numbers. In the NBA, Golden State Warriors fans are holding their breath in hopes that they win 73 games and become the most accomplished team in history. In Golf this week, the Masters took an unexpected turn on one disastrous hole.
National Basketball Association (NBA)
Looking out for number 1…The talk of the NBA continues to be the Golden State Warriors (72-9), who, with a win in the last game of the season Wednesday, can break the NBA regular season record of 72-10 set by Michael Jordan and his 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls. As fate would have it, current Warriors coach Steve Kerr played on that Bulls team.
The Warriors made getting here look easy as they handled the San Antonio Spurs (65-15), the NBA’s second-best team, twice in four nights and prevented San Antonio from becoming the first team in NBA history to go undefeated at home.
Must see TV: The final games of the regular season on Wednesday will determine if the Warriors set the NBA wins record, and who will take the 8th and final playoff spot – the Houston Rockets or Utah Jazz.Wednesday will also be Kobe Bryant’s last game after 20 years and five championships. Thank for the memories, “Black Mamba.”
The NBA playoffs begin Saturday. These are the matchups as of today:
| Eastern Conference |
Western Conference |
| (1) Cleveland vs. (8) Detroit | (1) Golden State vs. (8) Houston |
| (2) Toronto vs. (7) Indiana | (2) San Antonio vs. (7) Dallas |
| (3) Atlanta vs. (6) Charlotte | (3) Oklahoma City vs. (6) Memphis |
| (4) Miami vs. (5) Boston | (4) LA Clippers vs. (5) Portland |
National Hockey League (NHL)
The Washington Capitals were the NHL’s best team all season, and were led by Russian star Alex Ovechkin, who led the league in scoring with 50 goals. Chicago Blackhawk right winger Patrick Kane, the MVP frontrunner, led the league in scoring (goals and assists).
The NHL playoffs start Wednesday, and here are the first round series:
| Eastern Conference | Western Conference |
| Florida vs. NY Islanders | San Jose vs. Los Angeles |
| Tampa Bay vs. Detroit | Anaheim vs. Nashville |
| Washington vs. Philadelphia | Dallas vs. Minnesota |
| Pittsburgh vs. NY Rangers | St. Louis vs. Chicago |
Two times the fun. Bar owners and fans will be cheering in Miami, Detroit, LA and Dallas as these cities boast both NBA and NHL playoff teams.
Golf
The Masters, the first Major golf tournament concluded Sunday and Jordan Spieth, the 22-year-old phenom who led nearly start to finish, had an awful 12th hole (shooting a 7 on a par-3 hole) and came in tied for second.
Spieth was seemingly cruising to his second consecutive victory at Augusta National but hit two balls into the water in “Rae’s Creek” and saw a 1-shot lead turn into a 3-shot deficit to eventual champion, Englishman Danny Willett. In a cool but difficult tradition this year, Spieth (last year’s winner) presented Willet (this year’s champ) with a green jacket.
National Football League (NFL)
Tweet that! Last week, Twitter signed on to stream NFL Thursday games next season for the bargain price of $10 million. In a rare move, the NFL did not go with the highest bidder.
The NFL family mourns the death of former star player Will Smith, who was shot and killed Saturday, apparently after a road rage incident.
Major League Baseball (MLB)
His-Story…In a league dominated by numbers, Trevor Story started off his career in historic fashion. The 23-year-old Colorado Rockies shortstop hit a homerun in each of his first four games (a new MLB record), and tallied seven home runs in his first six games (also an MLB record). Not bad for a guy who was a late roster addition after Jose Reyes got into legal issues.
Down to one…After the first week of the regular season, there’s only one undefeated team in baseball: the Baltimore Orioles (6-0). While it’s far too early to load up on crab cakes and Baltimore Bangs in the Inner Harbor, the last time Baltimore started the season this well, they went on to win the World Series in 1970.
Hip-hop meets marketing…The Chicago White Sox brought on Chance the Rapper, a Chicago native, to be a club ambassador to help market the team.
Remember at TINK Sports we watch the games so you don’t have to.
See you next time…
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