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The Miami Heat held off what would have been an epic comeback by the Boston Celtics to win Game 7 and advance to the NBA Finals. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 28 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in the 103-84 series win. The Heat will face a well-rested Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of the Finals on Thursday night. The Nuggets will be appearing in the Finals for the first time in franchise history, while the Heat will be making its seventh Finals appearance.

The NBA is investigating veteran referee Eric Lewis for potentially having a burner Twitter account. Lewis is accused of using the account to defend himself and other NBA refs on social media, which is a violation of League rules.

The Philadelphia 76ers hired former Raptors coach Nick Nurse as their new head coach.

HOCKEY

The Las Vegas Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in the history of their franchise and will face the Florida Panthers (who are making their first appearance in the Final since 1996). Neither team has ever won the Championship.

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The Boston Celtics are not going quietly. After being down 3-0,  the Celtics have won the last 2 games against Miami and are now within two games of making history by becoming the first team to win a series after trailing 3-0. To put this in perspective, in the history of the NBA, 150 teams have been down 3-0, and no team has ever come back. And, only three teams have even forced a Game 7. Game 6 is Saturday night in Miami. And, if necessary, Game 7 would be Monday night in Boston.

FOOTBALL

The Washington Commanders are facing a trademark issue with their new name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark office has recently denied the Commanders’ trademark application stating that a trademark application was made in 2021 for “Washington Wolf Commanders” and “Washington Space Commanders” by a fan who has consistently tried to grab trademark names from teams. The Washington franchise said they will appeal. Without a registered trademark, the team could lose revenue because they would have no way to enforce the sale of unlicensed goods.

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The Boston Celtics rallied to win Game 4 and avoid a sweep. The Miami Heat are now up 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit to win, but thanks to dynamic play from Jayson Tatum, who had his sixth 30-10-5 game of the playoffs, the Celtics looked determined to make history. Game 5 is Thursday at 8:30 pm ET.

FOOTBALL

The NY Jets seem to be cursed. After acquiring quarterback Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay, the 39-year-old missed his first Jets practice with a strained calf. According to reports, it’s not a serious injury but still doesn’t bode well for what is in store for the season.

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The Denver Nuggets are heading to the NBA Finals for the first time in their franchise history. With huge games from Niloa Jokic, who was named Western Conference Finals MVP, the Nuggets swept the LA Lakers in four games. The Nuggets will play the winner of the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics series (Heat are up 3-0).

In other basketball news, Carmelo Anthony announced his retirement after 19 seasons in the NBA. The 38-year-old had an incredibly successful career with many accolades (including three Olympic gold medals and ranking ninth on the all-time NBA scoring list) but never won an NBA Championship. Last summer Anthony, a wine aficionado, co-founded his own wine label, VII(N) The Seventh Estate.

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The Miami Heat are up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals over the Boston Celtics, and the Denver Nuggets are up 3-0 in the Western Conference finals over the LA Lakers. No team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, so it’s a good bet that the Heat and Nuggets will face off in the Championship.

Phoenix Mercury’s Brittney Griner, who was locked in a cage in Russia, stood for the national anthem before her team’s season opener on Friday. Before her prisoner exchange with Russia, Griner refused to stand for the anthem expressing her protest of racial injustice. After her recent experience, however, she explained, “Just being able to hear my national anthem, see my flag, I definitely wanted to stand. The Star-Spangled Banner just means a little bit more to me now and represents the freedom Americans have to speak out.”

HORSE RACING

National Treasure won the Preakness on Saturday ending Mage’s hope to secure a Triple Crown.  The Belmont Stakes is the third leg of the series (June 10th), but there won’t be as much excitement with no Triple Crown at stake.

GOLF

Brooks Koepka, who left the PGA Tour last year to join the Saudi LIV series, won the PGA Championship in Rochester, NY. The highlight of the tournament, however, was Michael Block, a 46-year-old head pro at a public golf club in California. Block finished in the top 15 and secured his place in the major for next year. He also took home $288,333 in prize money. Watch him tear up at his press conference.

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The Denver Nuggets are up 2-0 against the LA Lakers with an important game 3 Saturday at 8:30 pm ET.

The Miami Heat looked unstoppable after a decisive win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1. Jimmy Butler did not disappoint with an impressive 35 points, seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds. Game 2 is Friday 8:30 pm ET.

In other NBA news, the Sixer’s James Harden declined his $35.6 million player option with the team and will become an unrestricted free agent.

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The San Antonio Spurs were the lucky winners of the NBA lottery and get the opportunity to select the much-hyped French basketball prospect Victor Wembanyama. At 7′ 5″ Wembanyama’s skills have been compared to LeBron James. In the past, when the Spurs had the number one pick, they chose well by selecting NBA Hall of Famers David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997).

Thanks to Nikola Jokic (34 points, 21 rebounds, 14 assists), the Denver Nuggets cruised past the LA Lakers in game one of the NBA Conference Finals.

Just two days after Philaelphia lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal, the Sixers fired coach Doc Rivers.

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For the first time in NBA playoff history,  a #7 (LA Lakers) and #8 (Miami Heat) seeds are in the conference finals. On May 16th the Lakers and the Nuggets will begin their series, and the Heat and the Celtics will begin on the 17th.

FOOTBALL

Quarterback Matt Ryan tweeted he’s joining CBS Sports as an NFL analyst, but he very specifically stated he’s not announcing his retirement. According to “The Athletic”,

The Colts released Ryan in March, a widely expected move that followed a massively disappointing season. While it cleared more than $17 million in cap space, the Colts are still on the hook for roughly $18 million, which likely played a role in Ryan’s decision on whether or not to retire. If he had walked away from the game, the Colts would be off the hook. Instead, he’ll get paid quite handsomely not to play this fall.

It’s rumored Tom Brady is in discussions with Las Vegas owner Mark Davis for an ownership partner role with the Raiders.

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The Warriors grabbed another win and narrowed the Lakers series lead 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night. The big question is whether Los Angeles forward Anthony Davis will be able to contribute. Davis suffered a head injury Wednesday night (although did not go into concussion protocol) so is likely to play.

The Knicks won Game 5 against the Miami Heat and lead the series 3-2. Game 6 is on Friday.

The Boston Celtics avoided elimination with a big win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The series is  tied 3-3 with Game 7 on Sunday.

The Denver Nuggets advance to the Western Conference Finals after blowing out the Phoenix Suns.

In other basketball news, former Duke coach and Hall of Famer, Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) is coming out of retirement to be the NBA special advisor to basketball operations.

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NBA Playoff Update:

The Denver Nuggets took a 3-2 series lead over the Phoenix Suns. Before the game, Nikola Jokic shook Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s hand in an attempt to put the “shove/flop” incident behind them.  Game 6 is Thursday at 10:00 pm ET

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead. Joel Embiid led the team with 33 points, James Harden added 17, but Tyrese Maxey’s 30 points and seven rebounds seemed to make the difference. Game 6 is Thursday at 7:30 pm ET.

Just days after making headlines by getting a commitment from Bronny James (LeBron’s son), USC landed another superstar. DJ Rodman, son of NBA Hall-of-Famer Dennis Rodman, will transfer from Washington State to play with the Trojans.