Where was OG Anunoby? Where was Josh Hart? Where was Karl-Anthony Towns?

Last night, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers 114-109. They now trail Indiana 0-2 in the series.

The matchup of the night featured Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. Or, more accurately, Pascal Siakam and “blank.” While Siakam scored 39 points and held Anunoby to 16, his performance in transition cemented 14 fastbreak points for the Pacers, while the Knicks only mustered seven.

“The regroup starts tomorrow,” said Jalen Brunson. “That’s it.”

It was too early for New York City to name streets after Knicks players. The pressure in the New York City cooker was far too high on Wednesday night, and Tyrese Haliburton churned our stomachs on Wednesday night. Tonight, the Knicks must win Game 2.

There was nothing pretty about it. About the way the Knicks choked in the fourth quarter of Game 1. According to the Associated Press, teams leading by 14 points in a playoff game with 2:45 remaining were 994-0 before Wednesday night.

Madison Square Garden. The World’s Most Famous Arena. The Mecca of Basketball. Home of the biggest Knicks playoff game in decades.

That’s right, decades. At 3:30 PM, the New York Knicks will look to defend their 2-0 series lead and New York City as they host the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Today’s ticket prices are exorbitantly high. Ticketmaster reads $864 for “Standing Room Only.” So, Knicks fans expect their team to play well. The Knicks are 1-2 at home this postseason, and if they want to win today, they must block out the noise, from Celebrity Row to the Chase Bridge. If they could do it in Boston, they can do it in New York City.

An arena filled with Celtics fans, green, white, and mum. Stomachs churning. Tears splashing. And then, there were speckles of orange and blue on the seats.

Suddenly, an alarm went off. Josh Hart and Jalen Brunson were answering questions from the media while Hart was waiting for his Uber Eats delivery when an elevator fire broke out inside TD Garden.

It wasn’t the only elevator fire that occurred on Wednesday night.

Last night at Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Bombers rallied to whack the San Diego Padres in the back. They won the game 4-3 and the series in extra innings, thanks to a pinch-hit walk-off sacrifice fly by JC Escarra.

Escarra, the Yankees’ backup catcher, used to drive Ubers. Now, he walks off baseball games for the New York Yankees. “Man, a lot was going through my mind,” said Escarra about how he felt when he stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 10th inning with a runner at third base with one out. “My heart was pounding through my chest, standing there hitting, but my story, what happened today, it makes it all worth it.”

Tonight, at 7 PM, the New York Knicks will try to take a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Boston Celtics (TNT, TruTV, MAX).

Boston is going to make things tough for the Knicks tonight. Really tough. They may do some ugly things. I’m sure the players in Beantown got a stern talking to from head coach Joe Mazzulla after dropping Game 1 in their own building. Kristaps Porzingis will likely be back for the Celtics tonight, and the team will be ready to adjust their game and tie up this series.

There will be fewer three-pointers. There will be more jump shots, layups, and dunks. And the Knicks need to make improvements, too, like boxing out three-point shooters more effectively and scoring more points in the early parts of games. Oh, and Mitchell Robinson needs to be better from the free-throw line.

Before Game 1, I said  the Knicks didn’t have a chance against the Celtics. I also said the Knicks’ offense only runs through Jalen Brunson, and nobody else is capable of taking over.

I was wrong.

Sometimes, it’s good to be wrong, and maybe this squad of Knicks is tougher than I thought they were. On Monday night in Boston, thanks to OG Anunoby’s heroics alongside Jalen Brunson’s clutch performance, the Knicks stole Game 1 of the second round of the NBA Playoffs, 108-105.

That’s enough, Devin.

Last night, in the rain, the Yankees were leading the San Diego Padres 3-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Fernando Cruz threw two pitches at the bottom of the seventh to keep Carlos Rodón’s start scoreless. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Yankees called upon the setup services of Devin Williams.

Williams was one of baseball’s best closers last season, earning 14 saves and a 1.25 ERA. In 2023, he earned 36 saves and posted a 1.53 ERA. In 2025, he has a 10.03 ERA across 11 2/3 innings pitched. Last night, he loaded the bases for Luke Weaver, who gave up four runs to give San Diego a 4-3 lead.

We made it! It’s the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs, and tonight at 7 PM, the New York Knicks visit the Boston Celtics for Game 1 of this best-of-seven series.

This will be the Knicks’ third straight Eastern Conference Semifinals appearance. They lost in each of their last two visits, and this squad of Celtics is the toughest playoff opponent the Knicks have faced in the last three years.

Initially, I thought this season would be a failure if the Knicks lost this series to Boston. If they can stretch the series to at least six games, I will give the Knicks credit. If they win the series, then they will defy expectations, because I don’t believe the Knicks can beat the Celtics.

My official prediction for this second-round series: Celtics in five.

Tonight, at 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT), the New York Knicks (3-1) will host the Detroit Pistons (1-3) in Round 1, Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs (TNT, TruTV, MAX, MSG).

It’s time for the Knicks to finish the job. It’s time for them to beat the Pistons in this series. Nobody wants this tightly contested series to return to Detroit.

The fourth win of a seven-game series is always the hardest to secure, and Detroit is going to do everything in its power to prevent the Knicks from winning this series in five games. Especially after the controversial no-call on Josh Hart that helped the Knicks secure a one-point win in Game 4, the Pistons will be working extra hard tonight with massive potato chips on their shoulders.

Karl-Anthony Towns is an even better player than we thought. It might not look pretty when he moves around the court, but somehow, the best three-point shooting big man in the NBA has added the fadeaway to his arsenal.

“It’s the NBA playoffs,” said Karl-Anthony Towns. “You expect nothing but the greatest competition right now in NBA basketball this season. You go out there, you wanna match their physicality. You understand you’re in Detroit. You’re playing Detroit, who hasn’t been in the playoffs, and they have a lot of pride right now. They haven’t seen the playoffs in a while, so they want to fight for their city. And as much as they want to fight for their city, we’re trying to fight for our city.”

On Sunday afternoon in Detroit, the Knicks exceeded the Pistons’ physicality. It was the only way for them to win Game 4 and take a 3-1 series lead. The Knicks drove through lanes and destroyed screens to beat the Pistons 94-93, but the win didn’t come without controversy.

Devin Williams is no longer the Yankees’ closer. He has fallen into one of those pressure traps that often plague New York newcomers. On Friday night, he entered the bottom of the ninth inning against Toronto with a one-run lead and gave up three runs without securing any outs. He was awarded his first blown save of the season, and his ERA increased to 11.25.

“For now, I’m gonna take him out of that role,” said Aaron Boone. “As I said to him, ‘You’ve still got everything to be great.’ This is a guy who’s in the prime of his career and is just going through a little bit. It happens.”

Aaron Boone has moved Luke Weaver to the closer position in Williams’s place, a situation with which Weaver is familiar. Late last season, he filled in for Clay Holmes, who slid from the best closer in baseball during the first half of the season to one of the worst down the stretch. At the back end of their bullpen, Weaver helped the Yankees win their 41st American League pennant. He is currently pitching to a 0.00 ERA.

We finally made it! It’s draft day! Tonight at 8 PM (7 PM CDT), the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft will begin in Green Bay, and the New York Giants hold the third overall pick (ESPN, ABC).

When the Giants beat Indianapolis on December 29, all hopes of securing the first overall pick were lost. The only star quarterback available in this draft is Cam Ward, and Tennessee will likely draft him first overall. With the third overall pick, the Giants have several options, and their best bet is to draft Abdul Carter tonight.

Currently, the Giants hold the third, 34th, 65th, 99th, 105th, 154th, 219th, and 246th picks in this draft. They will attempt to trade for the first and 18th overall picks, since they like Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart.

On Sunday, it was poor officiating, but it didn’t matter because the Yankees won. Yesterday, it was Clarke Schmidt, and this time the Yankees lost.

Across 4.0 innings in Cleveland last night, Schmidt gave up five runs on seven hits, including two home runs, and three walks. In the third inning, José Ramírez three-run homered before Kyle Manzardo flew solo. Jasson Domínguez and Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit two-run shots in the seventh and eighth innings, but it wasn’t enough to propel the Yankees over the Guardians. Cleveland won the first game of this three-game series 6-4.

As disappointing as this Rangers season was, it got worse on its final day. I discussed the article about Artemi Panarin’s sexual assault allegation in yesterday’s report. That news was an awful conclusion to a disastrous season.

And after becoming the fourth defending Presidents’ Trophy winners (and the second such New York Rangers team) to miss the playoffs, all Vincent Trocheck had to say was, “I still think, even after this season, I know what this team is capable of.” He added, “We saw it last year.”

“Come on, Belly,” cried Aaron Boone as MJ Melendez lined Fernando Cruz’s splitter to right field for a potential game-tying hit. It was the ninth inning of a 4-3 ballgame, and the Yankees were an out away from  sweeping Kansas City. In right field, Cody Bellinger sprinted toward the ball and tripped onto his left side, but he extended his right arm, and… caught the ball!

After stumbling to make this epic game-winning catch, Bellinger rolled onto his back and sat up, his legs spread out atop the right field grass. When he got up, he leaned back and soaked in the electrifying Yankee Stadium energy.

When you’re hitting 1-for-20 against lefties, sometimes all you need is a bonk on the head.

Last night, Jasson Domínguez delivered a clutch three-run double in the 6th inning to put the Yankees ahead of Kansas City 4-2. But even Martians need glasses. Or contact lenses. When Domínguez pulled that inside fastball down the left field line, his bat circled his head and knocked his helmet off. It also dislodged his contact lenses.

“I’ve been having a little bit of a struggle from the right side, but lately I feel I’ve made some improvements,” said Domínguez. He has been working hard to produce on both sides of the plate, and his defense has improved impressively as well.

Parting is such sweet sorrow. In case you missed it, the New York Rangers were eliminated from playoff contention over the weekend. There will be more on this later this week. Today, I wanted to highlight a story about Calvin de Haan.

There’s a pretty long list of Rangers players this season who have expressed their discontent over lineup decisions, including Kaapo Kakko (who got traded), Jimmy Vesey (who got traded), Jacob Trouba (who got traded), Zac Jones (who didn’t want to be traded), and Calvin de Haan. The Rangers’ locker room issues have been public knowledge all season long. Since October, there have been murmurs (maybe a little louder than that) that players were offended by Barclay Goodrow getting waived and the organization’s attitude toward Jacob Trouba’s refusal to accept a trade.

Tonight at 7:30 PM (6:30 PM CDT), the Rangers will host the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden (TNT, TruTV, MAX). Guess what dynamic duo is on the call of tonight’s game? Sam Rosen and John Davidson! Oh, baby!

Sam Rosen told the New York Post this morning that John Davidson is “taking [tonight’s broadcast] very seriously.” Rosen explained, “He’s already made several phone calls. We spoke this morning and he said, ‘Where you off to?’ I said, ‘I’m heading for the training facility.’ He said, ‘If you can, would you ask K’Andre Miller about how old he was when he switched from forward to defense and whose idea it was? And would you ask Vincent Trocheck…’ That was our conversation this morning.” Rosen and Davidson will reunite in the Rangers’ broadcast booth for the first time since 2006.

Have the Rangers players given up on their team, or has the team given up on its players?

Last night, the Bah Bah Boo Shirts lost to Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1. The Rangers gave up three first-period goals in a 1:45 span. The Rangers are the only NHL team without a multi-goal comeback win this season, so at that point, the game was as good as over.

Somehow, these New York Rangers led the NHL and set a franchise record in wins and comeback wins last season. Now, they’re going to become the fourth defending Presidents’ Trophy-winning team to miss the playoffs. When asked about his message to the team after last night’s loss, Peter Laviolette said, “I don’t have a message right now. I don’t go into the locker room after [games].” And there it is: Peter Laviolette wants out.