How the Rangers won another Game 7, plus why the Celtics are NBA’s most resilient team
Rangers #Rangers
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Hope you enjoyed a long weekend full of friends, family and, of course, sports.
Let’s get right to it.
Good morning to everyone but especially to…
THE NEW YORK RANGERS
PNC Arena was the strongest of strongholds for the Hurricanes. No visitor came to Raleigh and left with a win.
Until last night.
Behind an explosive offense and the dazzling shot-stopping of goalie Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers dominated Game 7, earning a 6-2 win and advancing to their first Eastern Conference Final since 2015.
This was one of the most impressive Game 7 road performances you’ll see. Entering last night, Carolina had been 7-0 at home this postseason with a +17 goal difference across those seven games. From the start, though, this one had a different feel to it. The visitors’ power play overwhelmed Carolina early, and it was 2-0 within eight minutes. Any time it looked like the Hurricanes might get back into it, Shesterkin shut the door.
The Rangers will face the two-time defending champion Lightning next. New York won all three regular-season meetings, but as we’ve seen this year — and the two years before — Tampa Bay hits a different level in the playoffs.
Honorable mentions Our latest MLB Power Rankings: Memorial Day check in ⚾ CBS Sports/Getty Images
It was a relatively stable week at the top of our MLB expert Matt Snyder’s latest MLB Power Rankings, but we did get a new team at the top.
Here’s the entire top five:
As the season nears its third month, Snyder has also identified some teams that could soon start rising in his rankings, including…
You can check out the full list — and the full Power Rankings — here.
How Celtics rallied from slow start to make Finals; Heat at crossroads? 🏀 USATSI
On Jan. 6, 2022, R.J. Barrett hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, capping the Knicks’ 25-point comeback in a 108-105 win over the Celtics. Boston fell to 18-21 on the season, 11th in the Eastern Conference. Fast forward nearly five months, and those same Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals after beating Miami 100-96 in Game 7 on Sunday night.
Our NBA expert Jack Maloney examined how the Celtics turned things around and became the NBA’s most resilient team. There are a few stats that best exemplify that toughness:
On the other hand, for the Heat, Jimmy Butler’s incredible play not only forced a Game 7, but nearly won it for the overmatched Heat. However, Miami now finds itself caught between two eras, writes our NBA guru Sam Quinn.
Our team of NBA reporters has done an excellent job previewing the Finals, which start Thursday, and their work will be shared in this newsletter in the next couple of days. If you can’t wait until then, though, check it all out here.
Cardinals cornerback Jeff Gladney dies in car accident at 25 🏈 USATSI
Jeff Gladney, who signed with the Cardinals in March, died in a car accident early Monday morning. He was 25.
A female passenger also died in the crash.
Several players, including former TCU teammate and current Eagles wide receiver Jalen Reagor as well as Cardinals star J.J. Watt took to Twitter to share their condolences.
What we’re watching Tuesday 📺
🏀 Mercury at Sky, 7 p.m. on ESPN 2⚾ Angels at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS🏒 Western Conference Final: Oilers at Avalanche, 8 p.m. on TNT🏀 Sun at Aces, 9 p.m. on ESPN