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TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Sept. 6

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Alumni Stadium at Boston College (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief of Digital Sports Desk

CHESTNUT HILL – After an NCAA Week 0, which included an eyebrow-raising North Carolina (with Coach Big Bill Belechick) win over perennial power TCU and a shocking UMass victory over Big TEN doormat Rutgers, it’s time for the 2026 College Football season. The first “real” Saturday of the season came fast upon us and the results will be unfolding as this column is created (September 5).

This column will rely upon experts such as Phil Steele and his incredible preseason magazine to ESPN pundits to VSiN experts and a few early observations from the brand new armchair placed just yesterday in the Lyons’ den.

Only a handful of early afternoon and a few early evening games are in the scorebooks as of the time of writing. Some early impressions?

  1. Boston College barely made a showing in a 34-15 dismantling by Cincinnati
  2. The powerhouse Top 25 schools mostly saw typical one-sided scores over weak opponenents with the exception of a back-and-forth Oregon win over Boise St. (34-27).
  3. A primetime Clemson v. LSU game was delayed because of weather.
  4. The non-NFL Labor Day weekend bodes well for the schedule. Sunday, September 6 boasts three top notch games, including: Washington St. at Washington, Wisconsin at Notre Dame and Louisville at Ole Miss.

Looking further down the road, there’s some interesting buckets of information tucked into the Phil Steele annual. Consider a few that struck a chord and have been filed away as the season progresses:

Steele’s 2026 Toughest Schedule – Top 10

  1. Texas
  2. Michigan
  3. USC
  4. Arkansas
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Ohio St.
  7. Michigan St.
  8. Mississippi St.
  9. Purdue
  10. Florida

Steele’s Surprise Teams for 2026

  1. Alabama
  2. BYU
  3. Oklahoma
  4. USC
  5. Utah
  6. SMU
  7. Clemson
  8. Louisville
  9. Iowa
  10. Houston

Steele’s POWER Ten Teams for 2026

  1. Notre Dame
  2. Oregon
  3. Georgia
  4. Ohio St.
  5. Texas
  6. Indiana
  7. Oklahoma
  8. Mississippi
  9. Miami (FL)
  10. USC

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: After serving more than seven years as WNBA Commissioner, Cathy Engelbert announced her plan to step down at the end of 2026. The announcement came after severe criticism of the WNBA leadership team, mostly coming from the rank and file WNBA players.

Engelbert led the WNBA through very important times. Among her major accomplishments:

  • Leading the WNBA with the WNBA Players Association to formulate a monumental collective bargaining agreement that will govern the league from its inception in 2026 through 2032.
  • Navigating the league through a season in a bubble during COVID-19.
  • Leading the WNBA efforts for its current, blockbuster and record-setting television and media arrangments. The term runs from 2026-2036 aqnd will generate $2.2 billion from Disney/ABC/ESPN platforms, NBC Universal and Amazon. An additional $281m annually ($3.1 billion) will come from auxillary deals with USA Network, ION and CBS Paramount. The deals will be analyzed in 2028 for possible adjustments.
  • Overseeing the WNBA during unprecedented growth of teh league, including record interest to follow the career of Caitlin Clark.

The burning question surfacing in each and every story of Englebert’s retirement is the uncertain succession plan to name a new WNBA Commissioner. In columns and other media reports, speculation has run the gamut of naming recently retired players, like Swin Cash to sitting Governors (Maura Healy of Massachusetts) to former First Lady Michele Obama.

While they’re all great suggestions, it’s more likely the successor to Englebert will come from either an all-out executive search committee, an internal candidate at the WNBA or a team, or someone currently working in the sports industry. Regardless, it will take time.

The most feasible move for the NBA and WNBA is to lure recently retired Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman back to her old stomping grounds – even if it’s just for a six month interim basis.

Ackerman was the WNBA’s first executive leader, then titled President. Ackerman oversaw the lead-up to the WNBA launch – a year-long barnstorming by the USA Basketball women’s senior national team, leading into the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. It served as the perfect launchpad for the WNBA in the summer of 1997.

Ackerman’s calming presence would be welcomed by both management (WNBA Board) and players. Since the season runs from May until October (2027), the stabilization of the organization between January and June will be an important window of time.

There’s no question, Val Ackerman can get the job done and then sail off to a happy retirement sunset, maybe with a few million dollars from a thankful NBA-WNBA organization together with its players.

Just in case you aren’t familiar with her illustrious career, here’s a quick look via a recent edition of The Sports Business Journal. The SJ paid tribute to her amazing career with a full length story and a sidebar of her accomplishments. WWYI took the liberty to snip Val’s year-by-year C.V., including her education and sports industry high points:

The Val Ackerman File

Born: Nov. 7, 1959, Lakewood Township, NJ

Education: University of Virginia, B.A., political and social thought (1981), basketball, two-time Academic All-American; UCLA, law degree (1985)

Family: Husband, Charlie Rappaport; two daughters, Emily and Sally

Boards: NCAA Women’s Basketball Oversight Committee, member; Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, board of directors; Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, lifetime trustee

The Work of Art:

  • 1981: Union Cosnoise Sportive Basket, player in France
  • 1985-87: Simpson Thacher & Bartlett, corporate and banking associate
  • 1988: NBA, staff attorney
  • 1989: USA Basketball, board of directors
  • 1990: NBA, special assistant to the commissioner; later named vice president of business affairs
  • 1992: USA Basketball organizational liaison at the 1992 Olympics; later has same role for 1994 Worlds and 1996 Olympics
  • 1996: WNBA, president (league’s first); guided the league’s launch the following year
  • 1999: College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America Hall of Fame, inductee
  • 2002: Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Women’s Basketball Team
  • 2005: USA Basketball, president (4-year term)
  • 2005: Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, member
  • 2005: Women’s Basketball Coaches Association President’s Citation
  • 2006: U.S. representative for men’s and women’s basketball on the Central Board of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA); named to a second term in 2010
  • 2008: John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
  • 2008-13: NCAA, consultant
  • 2012: National Consortium for Academics and Sports Hall of Fame (now called Institute for Sport & Social Justice)
  • 2013: Big East commissioner (as the college conference split from what became the AAC conference of “football schools.”
  • 2013: USA Basketball’s Edward S. Steitz Award for contributions to international basketball
  • 2013: Big East signed 12-year deal with Fox Sports worth $500 million
  • 2014: NCAA Men’s Basketball Oversight Committee, member
  • 2014: Led the relocation of the Big East’s headquarters from Providence, RI to its current site in New York City
  • 2014: Launched Big East Digital Network (BEDN)
  • 2016: Women’s Sports Foundation’s Billie Jean King Contribution Award
  • 2017: U.S. Soccer Federation, at-large board member
  • 2018: Big East and Madison Square Garden signed agreement to keep The Garden as the home of the Big East men’s basketball tournament through 2028
  • 2019: Led negotiations resulting in the University of Connecticut’s return to the Big East, effective 2020
  • 2019: Co-chair of the NCAA Federal and State Legislation Working Group
  • 2020: Oversaw and navigated Big East’s response to COVID-19 epidemic
  • 2021: Naismith Memorial Basketball of Fame, inductee
  • 2023: Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, inductee
  • 2024: Big East entered into a successor media rights agreement through 2031 on multiple platforms – Fox Sports, NBC/Peacock and TNT Sports
  • 2024: Conference and MSG extended venue agreement, keeping the Garden as the home of the Big East men’s tournament through 2032
  • 2024: Sports Lawyers Association Michael Weiner Award of Excellence
  • 2025: Conference entered six-year agreement with ESPN to provide broad coverage of additional Big East competitions on the ESPN+ platform
  • 2025: Big East and Playfly Sports extended multimedia rights partnership through 2031
  • 2026: Big East announced a three-year extension with Mohegan Sun Arena to serve as host of the women’s basketball tournament
  • 2026: Announced planned retirement as Big East commissioner, effective Aug. 31

Will 2027 see Ms. Ackerman return to 645 Fifth Avenue and guide the reestablishment of the WNBA league office while searching for the next WNBA Commissioner?

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: all basketball fans recall the 2000 Olympics and 2002 Worlds and the coming out party for Yao Ming and “The Great Wall of China.” It was an amazing time to see the athletic and versatile 7-foot-6, 310 lbs center play for his national team and eventually the Houston Rockets.

The WNBA might be awaiting a similar story as the possibilities are endless.

China’s Zhang Ziyu – a 7-foot-3 center – is playing for the Chinese women’s national team at the 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Berlin. She is among 70 current and former WNBA players dotting rosters. In fact, 15 of the 16 teams competing for the FIBA World Cup for women have a WNBA player on their rosters.

If you remember, Zheng Haixia was the first player from China to play in the WNBA. She was on the opening night roster of the Los Angeles Sparks.

Guinness Dublin barrel lot
Photo by Jessica Johnston on Unsplash

YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: British police are trying to recover 70,000 pints of stolen Guinness stout. Two trailer truckloads of the creamy dark suds, valued at 115,000 pounds ($155,000), were stolen from a depot near Liverpool in northwest England, the Cheshire Constabulary reported Thursday. “It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you,’ but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” Det. Sgt. Gary McClatchy said. “We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.” The Guinness had been destined for pubs, but was snatched Monday night by two drivers who pulled up to an industrial park in Runcorn and hauled away the trailers containing about 800 barrels of stout.

The Guinness caper comes only weeks after a theft of Pabst Blue Ribbon lager from a Southern California warehouse, valued at $70,000. The company offered a $20,000 reward for information leading to the recovery.

TL’s Sunday Notes | August 30

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief, Digital Sports Desk (and former head of NBA International Communications)

ISTANBUL – Attending a Basketball without Borders camp for the first time since 2005 (Basketball w/o Borders – Asia (Beijing as host) with Yao Ming is making quite an impression on one former NBA International staffer. The B w/o B camp concept, created in 2000-2001, and staged in Summer of 2001 (in Treviso, Italy), was done in conjunction with the United Nations. The UN’s Zach Messite played a significant role and approached us (the NBA) with hopes to create a program to encourage healthy living amongst the youth of the world.

That evolved into a sports diplomacy mission as well, with the 2001 camp re-uniting players of five former Yugoslavian provinces via each region sending their top players to be instructed by the likes of Vlade Divac (Serbian) and Toni Kukoc (Croatian). The players had not been on speaking terms since playing as one team at the 1990 FIBA Worlds, a tournament they won. The war erupted and divided the nation znd the players.

We (at the NBA) did our small part in re-uniting them.

Pivoting from the “Doctors Without Borders” program already being run, Messite came up with the idea of “Basketball without Borders.” Commissioner David Stern and Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik gave the green light and we were off to the event planning stages. For PR and my staff back then, Helen Wong carried the torch. On Basketball Ops, it was Kim Bohuny and Bret MacTavish. NBAE, Security and NBA events staff plugged in and it was “on.”

At the time, the NBA was already working on the continent of Africa and was staging a camp tagged “Africa 100.” It was a “no-brainer” to rename that effort and the NBA began a continent-by-continent approach to staging the camps, eventually adding The Americas and Asia.

This year, the concept changed to bring the world to Istanbul with the top player prospects all in one place.

FIBA is instrumental in helping to identify the best and most deserving players without allowing any politics to get into the choices. The FIBA U-17 World Championships and their qualifiers also help scout the up & coming players.

Fast forward 25 years and the stats are staggering … check it out!

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: This year’s camp is happening because of the following NBA and FIBA players/coaches/trainers all volunteering their time:

NBA Players

Dominick Barlow – Philadelphia 76ers, USA

Saddiq Bey – New Orleans Pelicans, USA

Thomas Bryant – Cleveland Cavaliers, USA

Bub Carrington – Washington Wizards, USA

Brook Lopez – LA Clippers, USA

Khris Middleton – Washington Wizards, USA

Jalen Suggs – Orlando Magic, USA

Jabari Walker – Philadelphia 76ers, USA

NBA Coaches and Personnel

Kenny Atkinson – Cleveland Cavaliers, USA

Caron Butler – Miami Heat, USA

Dahntay Jones – LA Clippers, USA

Jannero Pargo – Indiana Pacers, USA

Lamar Skeeter – Charlotte Hornets, USA

Greg St. Jean – Los Angeles Lakers, USA

Ekpe Udoh – Atlanta Hawks, USA (ties to Nigeria)

James White – Minnesota Timberwolves, USA

NBA and FIBA Legends

Vlade Divac – NBA and FIBA Legend, Serbia

Danilo Gallinari – NBA and FIBA Legend, Italy

Camp Directors

Chris Ebersole – Los Angeles Lakers USA

Prosper Karangwa – Philadelphia 76ers, Canada/Rwanda

Adam Simon – Miami Heat, USA

Mike Zarren – Boston Celtics, USA

Strength and Conditioning Personnel

Isaiah West – Brooklyn Nets, USA

Emily Zaler – Philadelphia 76ers, USA

Athletic Trainers

Dan Shimensky – Denver Nuggets, USA

Casey Smith – New York Knicks, USA
The Blue Mosque along the Bosphorus River (Europe/Asia)

That list is an amazing combination of people who are all spending their time in the No. 1 world class city of Istanbul – which happens to be home HQ for our NBA Basketball School – Türkiye. To say the synergy is working would be an understatement.

Now consider these historical numbers for B w/o B:

  • B w/o B has been a platform for more than 4,900 participants from 149 countries and territories since 2001.
  • As of 2026, there are 155 former campers advancing to the NBA or WNBA.
  • The NBA and FIBA have staged 86 B w/o B camps in 56 cities across 36 countries on six continents.
  • More than 50 former B w/o B campers were among the record 135 international players on opening-night rosters last season, including 2026 NBA All-Stars Deni Avdija (Portland Trail Blazers; Israel; B w/o B Europe 2018; B w/o B All-Star 2019), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander(Oklahoma City Thunder; Canada; B w/o B All-Star 2016), Jamal Murray (Denver Nuggets; Canada; B w/o B All-Star 2015) and Pascal Siakam (Indiana Pacers; Cameroon; B w/o B Africa 2012).

The Players participating as campers here in Istanbul are the Top 78 17-year old men’s players in the world. The NBA stages similar camps for women, including a wonderful annual event at the NBA All-Star Game.

Jose Dias – Angola

Facundo Mathieu – Argentina

Enzo Roth – Argentina

Riak Akhuar – Australia

John Aryang – Australia

Yahya Basaran – Australia

Antonio Browne – Australia

William Troy Hamilton – Australia

Manu Agbason – Azerbaijan

Hassan Oshobuge Abdulkadir – Bahrain

Aaron Ona Embo – Belgium

Imran Subasic – Bosnia

Lucas Moro – Brazil

Victor Santos – Brazil

Isaiah Clarke – Canada

Noah D’Acre – Canada

Kenyon St. Louis – Canada

Kingston Thomas – Canada

Boran Yue – China

Zhanfeng Zhou – China

Marek Houska – Czech Republic

Martin Sibal – Czech Republic

Martin Simko – Czech Republic

Neora Francis Ossete Toly – Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lucas Troels-Smith – Denmark

Malvin Duran – Dominican Republic

Robert Kangur – Estonia

Mathias Fabien – France

Messi Yangala – France

Mansour Bayo – The Gambia

Mamadou Samba – The Gambia

Herbert Roland Senghore – The Gambia

Lucai Anderson – Germany

Paul Plato – Germany

Caspar Vossenberg – Germany

Angelos Zoupas – Greece

Vince Gaspar – Hungary

Lapo Santini – Italy

Minty Jean-Philippe Dylan Oka – Ivory Coast

Gabrielius Buivydas – Lithuania

Jokubas Kukta – Lithuania

Kristupas Sabeckas – Lithuania

Luca Balducci – Mexico

Yair Olano – Mexico

Luka Malovic – Montenegro

Marko Popovic – Montenegro

Tawhiri Cate – New Zealand

Liam Keogh – New Zealand

Zach Rampton – New Zealand

Justin Akengbowa – Nigeria

Kalu Miracle Ebubechukwu – Nigeria

Prince Carino – Philippines

Lukasz Lysek – Poland

Miguel Sousa – Portugal

Dwight Gaines – Puerto Rico

Ameer Hausawi – Qatar

Azam Yakan – Qatar

Serigne Saliou Mbodji – Senegal

Petar Bjelica – Serbia

Matija Lukic – Serbia

Ognjen Simjanovski – Serbia

Lun Jarc – Slovenia

Taejoon Park – South Korea

Emmanuel Aguer Majak – South Sudan

Eghosa Odeje – Spain

Troy Hilamani Kaufusi – Tonga

Abderahmen Bouguerra – Tunisia

Adem Rafrafi – Tunisia

Besir Briant – Turkey

Darius Karutasu – Turkey

Ruzgar Opcun – Turkey

Demir Ozturk – Turkey

Omer Sik – Turkey

Dmytro Datsenko Ukraine

Oliver Bishop – United Kingdom

Maxx Tjongondjoza – United Kingdom

Kevin Gutierrez – Venezuela

Julio Vasquez – Venezuela

Remember those names, maybe to be seen at an NBA or college basketball arena near you someday soon.

And, remember Matija Lukic – Serbia who won the “Kim Bohuny” MVP award.
Packed house at Türkiye Basketball Federation’s gym (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: What’s the new motto! – “When in Istanbul, attend a FIBA World Qualifying Tournament game!” – That big game was played Friday night at 9:00pm (local) and it coincided with FIBA World Cup qualifying games being played all over the world.

Türkiye drubbed Lithuania, 94-66, after jumping out to a 27-13 1st Quarter lead and they never looked back.

For the USA Basketball qualifying squad, the venue was in Chile and the USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying (Window 4) Team handling their business in front of a capacity crowd in Santiago, 89-71.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | August 16

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NBA’s Leah Wilcox

By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief, Digital Sports Desk

UNCASVILLE (Conn) – Every now and then a day comes along and you know it’s a great day before it even starts. You awake with a terrific outlook. The sun is shining. All is well.

Then, you realize that day is today.

We flew, we drove, we booked hotels, and we were all convening (first at Mohegan Sun, then Springfield) to celebrate the wonderful life, and unequalled professional career of a colleague and dear, lifelong friend.

Friday night, at an exquisite banquet at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino, we honored Leah Wilcox for her endless contributions to the NBA and to the sport of basketball overall. For that, Leah received the highest honor the game and the Basketball Hall of Fame can bestow to someone not enshrined as a player/coach/ref/contributor. Leah was the recipient of the John Bunn Award and we were all there to witness it.

Let’s let Leah take it from here, and I STRESS this is a MUST WATCH.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: To describe the impact of Leah Wilcox to someone who doesn’t know her is a monumental task, and to simply describe her sense of being is even harder. Don Sperling, former Executive Producer of NBA Entertainment and the person who hired Leah, described her as “the best person I’ve ever met.” If you polled the people in attendance at the Basketball Hall of Fame Gala on Friday, that would be a unanimous declaration.

The Hall and NBA show producers did a great job of framing Leah’s career with an introductory film clip, introduced by ESPN (and former NBA on NBC) personality Hannah Storm in a style like boxing’s Michael Buffer. It was THAT big.

As I watched the clips, my immediate thoughts drifted to seeing Leah’s ever-present, tremendous smile in all the video and still photos at hundreds of NBA events – NBA Cares, Rookie Orientations, NBA All-Star Games, and on the set of NBA Inside Stuff. My thoughts wandered to think of how many years (41), seasons, off-seasons, global trips and simply how much time she spent dedicated to the NBA.

At those events, Leah would be building and renewing relationships with the players and their families, but also with the NBA staff. She set quite an example. It seemed she never had a bad day. She was never cranky or sad, but always upbeat and inspiring to all she came in contact with on any given day. Energy would abound.

At the rookie orientation/training seminar, we’d stress to the new NBA players to “be themselves,” and never to stray from that. They had to be authentic, but at the same time be able to tell interesting stories about their lives and how they made it to the NBA. Looking back at those situations, “authentic” was the key word and Leah was always herself. She is the ultimate in “authentic.”

STORYTELLING: After the Mohegan Sun side of the Hall’s schedule was over, I recalled all the days, months, years, seasons, and events we staged together – from Madrid in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992 to 20+ year’s of hectic NBA All-Star Games and NBA Cares events.

But one specific moment in time came to mind: It was at an NBA Christmas party, a gathering of the NBA family where the guests of honor were really the families of the employees – former NBA Commissioner, the late David Stern, would emphasize that the party was a thank-you to the families and support group of the NBA staffers who were often working late nights, weekends, long events, long playoff series, or summertime events, such as Basketball without Borders or a USA Basketball tournament when said employee might be gone for weeks at a time.

As the party was winding down, I found myself in line waiting to gather our winter coats and hit the NYC streets for a cab ride home. Both Leah and I realized, at the same time, that there was a considerable amount of buffet-style (good) food left over. I thought it was a shame. Leah went into action.

She found the head of catering, asked a few questions, prodded a few servers, and the next thing I knew, the two of us were loading large catering trays of food into a taxi cab. There were probably 10 large trays, some good bread, and even some desserts.

Leah knew right where to go, and it seemed to me she had done this type of good deed before. The two of us – side-by-side in a taxi, holding on to the trays to keep them upright, pulled up next to a homeless shelter near Times Square on a cold winter night and explained the situation to the volunteers. They were very happy to see the scope of our donation and it was – in fact – much needed that particular night.

I was in total awe of Leah. It was the way about her, as Billy Joel might sing. She eased through the situation with grace and friendliness. The same person who was comfortable in front of the Commissioner, a classroom of players and their families was equally comfortable at a homeless shelter, being sure everyone had a plate of the food.

It was just another day, another night in the life of Leah Wilcox. Selfless. Generous with her time and wallet. Friendly. Outgoing. Funny – even entertaining. She was simply being herself, just like we were teaching the rookies. It was “Authentic Leah Wilcox,” and it was on display for 41 years in the halls of the NBA, in the studios of NBA Entertainment, and in the back corridors of sports arenas the world around.

That’s Leah – the 2026 John Bunn Award winner.

I love her so much.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: A real (personal) treat at this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame ceremonies was the fact the Class of ‘26 contained some personal friends as much as incredible icons in the world of basketball.

Doc Rivers was a member of the Atlanta Hawks when we traveled to the (former) Soviet Union in 1988. Every single person on that trip made lifelong bond, but Rivers stands out even more. First, I was fortunate enough to get to know him a little better when he played for the New York Knicks, and as fate would have it, he was very friendly with our next door neighbors and friends. Later, we worked together when Rivers did his TV commentator gig with Turner. Even later in the career timelines, we intersected at the Goodwill Games (2001) trip to Brisbane (Australia) when Doc was an assistant coach (along with Oliver Purnell and Tom Izzo as they backed up the late, great Flip Saunders).

Joey Crawford: There were a bunch of refs you were glad to see at an arena when it was game time in the Playoffs. In fact, Crawford worked more than 50 NBA Finals games with most coming in the 1985-2015 range of time. When Joey worked a game, you just knew it was going to be a well-officiated, high level, yet still intense contest. Postgame, it was always a pleasure to stop in and see him. Crawford comes from a long line of “officials” but his father, Shag, was an “official” working as one of the most respected umpires in Major League Baseball history.

Crawford also heads up a long list of great referees from the Philadelphia area. He graduated from Cardinal O’Hara High School. He began his NBA career in 1977 and announced his retirement (because of a nagging knee injury) on January 2, 2016 and tried to hold on until that March 16 when it became a fact after officiating 2,561 games (2nd most all-time to Dick Bavetta (2,635) and 374 NBA Playoff games (ranks No. 1).

And, lastly Mike D’Antoni: We all (NBA staffers) met Mike as he captained the Tracer Milan Italian and European basketball championship team at the 1987 McDonald’s Open in Milwaukee. Mike played the point for Milan from 1977 to 1990. He went into coaching, first for Milan (1990-94) and then at Benneton Treviso (1994-97) before heading back to the USA to begin a long NBA coaching career.

Mike’s No. 10 was retired by his alma mater, Marshall University. His No. 8 was retired by Milano, and he was named one of the 50 Greatest contributors in European basketball in 2008.

The bonding zone, however, was with USA Basketball where Mike was named an assistant coach to the men’s senior team for the 2006 FIBA Worlds in Tokyo and the 2012 Olympics in London.

There’s a long list of players who should send a Christmas card to Mike and his wonderful wife, Laurel, each December, as D’Antoni’s high octane offense created opportunities for players who often would “cash-in” elsewhere.

A short list of those players includes:

  • Joe Johnson
  • Amar’e Stoudemire
  • Shawn Marion
  • Steve Nash
  • James Harden

And, maybe the most astonishing of Mike’s star-making career was:

  • Jeremy Lin

Yes, Lin-sanity was orchestrated by D’Antoni after a series of injuries befell the majority of the New York Knicks’ backcourt. Lin got his chance and has Mike D’Antoni to thank for it.

In 2012, Lin opted for free agency and signed a three-year, $25 million contract with Houston. After taking a lesser salary cap exception with Charlotte, Lin later banked $38m for a three-year deal with Brooklyn.

LeBron Signs with Philadelphia

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – NBA great and sure first ballot Hall of Famer LeBron James is heading to the City of Brotherly Love. James, 41, is signing a two-year, $8 million deal with a player option, Klutch CEO Rich Paul told ESPN on Friday. The 76ers will be the fourth team for James, who spent the past eight seasons with the Lakers, highlighted by helping the franchise win the 2020 NBA title.

Embed from Getty Images

A four-time NBA MVP and the league’s all-time leading scorer, James completed his record-setting 23rd NBA season in 2025-26. He addressed his reasoning to return to the court on Friday in a series of posts on X.

“I thought I was done when the season ended. I wasn’t ready to announce it, and I knew I needed some time to really decide, but I was pretty sure I played my last game,” James wrote. “I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love (playing).”

The 76ers certainly hope so as they seek to halt a 43-year championship.

Per ESPN, 76ers president of basketball operations Mike Gansey stayed in constant communication with Paul behind the scenes. The network also noted that Philadelphia players Tyrese Maxey, who is a fellow Klutch client, Joel Embiid and the newly acquired Jaylen Brown also worked on getting James aboard with the 76ers.

“This is my last decision. I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family. What am I really playing for at this point?

“I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning another championship.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time.

“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!”

The 76ers posted a 45-37 record last season and advanced to the second round in the Eastern Conference before getting swept by the eventual NBA champion New York Knicks.

While James warmed up to the 76ers, that meant he left teams like the Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Miami Heat out in the cold.

The time he needed to make his decision also affected other aspects of the NBA offseason, including next season’s schedule as well as key players’ respective destinations.

“We have to finish up the schedule, and where LeBron plays affects the schedule,” commissioner Adam Silver said last week at a CNBC event. “It will influence how we set the schedule — opening week, Christmas. So I need him to make a decision.”

James averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds this past season with the Lakers. The 22-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion is the all-time leader in games (1,622) and points (43,440).

A native of Akron, Ohio, James was the No. 1 pick of his hometown team, the Cavaliers, in 2003. He played for the Cavs (2003-10, 2014-18) and the Heat (2010-14) before joining the Lakers.

 

 

A.J. is the One

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BROOKLYN – (Wire Service Report) – The Washington Wizards opened the NBA draft on Tuesday night by selecting BYU forward AJ Dybantsa with the No. 1 overall pick. The Wizards tabbed Dybantsa over Kansas guard Darryn Peterson, who had a checkered college season at Kansas last season. The Utah Jazz then chose Peterson with the No. 2 overall pick. Dybantsa grew up in Brocton, Mass. and played high school ball at St. Sebastian’s School in Needham, Mass.

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The 6-foot-9 Dybantsa led the nation in scoring at 25.5 points per  game in his one college campaign and should be ready to make an immediate impact.

“This means a lot,” Dybantsa said on ESPN of going first in the draft. “It’s a stepping stone. Obviously, I have a lot more work to do.”

This is the third time Washington has held the No. 1 overall pick. The Wizards selected Kwame Brown in 2001 and John Wall in 2010.

Dybantsa is the first BYU player to go first overall.

–Field Level Media

Captain Brunson Guides Knicks’ Ship

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SAN ANTONIO – (Wire Service Commentary) – Jalen Brunson fully understands what leading the New York Knicks to the NBA championship means for him, for his team and for the city of New York.

He’s heard it from Walt Frazier, who was a part of NBA championship teams in the Big Apple in 1970 and ’73. He’s talked about it with Bernard King and Patrick Ewing, stars who got the Knicks close in the 1980s and ’90s, and he’s lived it through his father, Rick Brunson, a former player and now an assistant coach for the team.

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Jalen Brunson knew what it would take to carry the Knicks to their first title in 53 years, the price he would have to pay to get his team to the Finals for the first time in 27 years, and what he would have to do to get the Knicks over the finish line against San Antonio and its superstar forward Victor Wembanyama, one of the league’s faces of the future.

Now it’s time to reap those rewards and put to rest one of the most dubious title droughts in pro sports history.

Brunson poured in 45 points, 29 in the second half, to lead New York to a come-from-behind 94-90 win over the Spurs in Game 5 of the Finals on Saturday night, clinching the best-of-seven series 4-1. Three of the Knicks’ wins came on the road with each of them coming down to the final minutes and requiring comebacks from New York.

Brunson, the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, was the ticker that never flickered.

The 45 points tallied by Brunson set a Knicks record for a Finals game, supplanting the 38 scored by the legendary Willis Reed in 1970. Reed scored his in the third game of a series that went to seven and ended with the Captain literally willing New York to the title over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Brunson’s effort in this series was just as arduous and will go down in Big Apple lore with Reed’s performance in that distant Knicks championship run. The undersized New York captain took a beating as the Spurs employed four different players to defend him and knock him around every time he touched the ball. His bruises had bruises and his lumps had bumps.

“I’m hurting right now, oh, I do hurt right now,” Brunson, 29, said after the win. “I’m feeling maybe a little bit worn down physically just because of the game and what (San Antonio was) trying to do. Mentally, I feel fresh. I feel like that’s where I thrive. I’m just happy we’re able to find ways to win the games.”

There was nothing more San Antonio could do. Brunson was just too good. He’s one of just 11 different players to score at least 45 points in an NBA Finals game, for a total of 15 games.

San Antonio coach Mitch Johnson had a matter-of-fact response when asked what his team could have done differently against the Knicks star.

“Make (Brunson) score less points,” Johnson explained. “He’s aggressive. He got to spots. We were undisciplined at times. He got going, then he got going later on. He’s a heck of a player. He deserves everything he’s got.”

On a night when the Knicks got next-to-nothing offensively from Karl-Anthony Towns (two points) and OK production from Game 4 hero OG Anunoby (11 points, eight rebounds), it was up to Brunson to make the plays that produced the victory and the championship. His 15 points in the final quarter were one more than the rest of his teammates combined (14).

“You know, people say (Brunson is) too small. People say he’s a 1B or a 2B or whatever,” New York coach Mike Brown said of the three-time All-Star, listed at 6-foot-2. “He is a freaking 1A. He is an MVP candidate. Brunson — he is him, man, when it comes to New York basketball. He is freaking him.”

Brunson averaged 32.6 points per game in the Finals, scoring 30 or more in four of the contests. As hard as it is to fathom, he got better as the series went on, racking up 32, 36 and then 45 in the last three slugfests.

“That’s who Captain is, man,” Towns said about Brunson. “Captain always finds a way to get back into court and produce as a testament to who he is. It’s just his story, (he’s) never given up, always has been the underdog, always been looked down upon.

“Shout out to everybody (who) told him he couldn’t do it.”

After the final buzzer on Saturday, Brunson — a white towel over his head — ran on the floor toward half court, but he was overcome with emotion, and stopped and crouched near the scorer’s table. At his side were teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, his running buddies and fellow former stars at Villanova, loving him up before literally lifting Brunson to a standing position.

He had carried the Knicks to the title — and now, fittingly, it was his teammates that helped him to his feet. The weight of the world was lifted off his shoulders. The hopes and dreams of the whole of New York City and its rabid and vocal fan base had finally been realized.

After the game, Brunson clutched the Larry O’Brien Trophy and offered a weary smile. There’s a trip to the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan in his and the Knicks’ future, as the team will be feted in the time-honored Big Apple parade tradition at long last.

It will be a day cherished for a generation of New Yorkers, an “I-remember-where-I-was-when” moment, for fans young and old.

Someday there might even be a statue of Brunson outside Madison Square Garden. If so, let’s hope it’s as tough and as durable as the man is himself.

–Steve Habel, Field Level Media

Earth to NY Knicks: Time to Land

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

TRANQUILITY BASE – At approximately 8:30pm (EDT) on Saturday night, the New York Knicks will re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere. They must. They have a game to play.

After performing a miracle of the sporting nature, including the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history which was capped by an impossible dream final sequence and O.G. Anunoby’s incredible tip-in of a Jalen Brunson front rim-rocker three-point field goal attempt, the Knickerbockers have to put their Finals Game 4 victory in the overhead compartment, and must splash down in Texas, maybe somewhere in the Riverwalk of San Antonio.

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Re-entering the earth’s atmosphere is hard enough but splashing down in two to 24 feet of water – call it dirty water – stemming from a combination of recycled wastewater, natural groundwater springs or, maybe, at best, storm water run-off.

NASA has nearly perfected the scientific wonder of blasting a rocket ship through the earth’s atmosphere to orbit the big blue planet, or maybe even soar to the Moon or to go where no man has ever gone before. But, NASA’s HQ is about 200 miles East of San Antonio, a straight shot across I-10. On a good day, you can drive it in three hours. San Antone might have iHeart Media but they don’t have NASA.

The Knicks might prefer to land in Houston – near the Johnson Space Center – to play the Rockets. There’d be the revenge factor of 1994 when they lost to Rudy T, Hakeem and company with John Starks’ off the mark shooting in Game 7 of that series. This year, the New Yorkers could handle Türkiye’s Alperen Şengün but, instead, they’re messing with a different brand of basketball, taking on “The Freak of “la République,” Victor Wembanyama, a 22-year old, 7-foot-4 smooth operator of the game, one with moves, footwork beyond belief, defensive presence good enough to win the NBA’s All-Defensive Player of the Year as the youngest to ever accomplish the feat.

Wembanyama is so good, he was the first player in the league to take the All-D Player of the Year in unanimous fashion. At the ripe age of 22, Wembanyama is earning votes as the NBA’s Most Valuable Player. Someday soon, he’ll be known as the best player in the world.

Which brings us back to the exact kind of ship the Knicks’ new masters of jet-propulsion will need to come down from the exhilarating highs of their miracle on 33rd Street victory of Wednesday night to somehow side-step human nature, and the fatigue it inherits, otherwise known as an emotional high the City of New York has never seen before.

Yes, there was Bobby Thomsen’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World,” but the black & white television signal barely made it to Staten Island, never mind to Glasgow (Scotland) where Thomsen was born. Transistor radio was delivery system of choice back in 1951 when “the Giants won the pennant.”

Yes, there was Willis Reed gimping out of the Madison Square Garden corridor to join his New York Knicks teammates on May 8, 1970 in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA World Championship Series to hit the first two jumpers of the game and propel his club to a 113-99 title-clinching victory. Even Howard Cosell might’ve been lost for words when he uttered, “You exemplify the very best that the human spirit can offer” to the injury-plagued, cortisone injected Reed.

Yes, there was the key play of Super Bowl XLII and an incredible Eli Manning scramble, shaking off defenders to toss a ball that tight end David Tyree somehow caught with his hand and his helmet in the 17-14 NFL Giants title-winning game on February 3, 2008.

Yes, there was Joe Namath’s guarantee for a wictory in Super Bowl III when Namath’s AFC Jets upset the NFC’s Baltimore, 16-7 on January 12, 1969.

NY Mets’ Cleon Jones Catches the Final Out of World Series (File)

Yes, there were the Amazin’ Mets of 1969, 10-games back of the Chicago Cubs in the National League East, who won the division by eight games, upset the favored Atlanta Braves in the NLCS, then – after dropping the first game of the 1969 World Series to the Baltimore Orioles – ran off four in a row, three at Shea Stadium in Queens, to take MLB’s World Championship.

And, yes, there were the New York Rangers who won the NHL’s Stanley Cup after a 54-year drought (1949-1994). NYR captain Mark Messier had willed the team to victory and his moment of raising the Cup might be the only thing to compare to the joy felt by Knicks fans on Wednesday night when they witnessed history and the greatest of comebacks in NBA Finals’ lore.

But, emotional highs are a dangerous villain.

The very San Antonio Spurs the Knicks face might’ve fallen victim to the emotional high of defeating the favored OKC Thunder (May 30, 2026) and blown Game 1 of this 2026 NBA Finals on June 3, when the Spurs led by 14 points with 6:31 left in the third quarter only to lose to New York, 105-95, when the final buzzer sounded on the Spurs’ home floor.

The sound of silence in San Antonio on June 3 and 5th, was quite the opposite of the sonic boom heard at Madison Square Garden on June 10th after New York erased a 29-point deficit.

We just had some experience with a sonic boom as a meteor attempted to enter the Earth’s atmosphere at the speed of 75,000 mph from a height some 40 miles directly over the Commonwealth. The sound created was equal to exploding 300 tons of TNT (and that’s not Turner’s network, but explosives).

It was quite unsettling and it proved what a difficult task NASA faces when our manned USA space ships return their cargo and precious human lives back to safety.

It’s a daunting task to return to Earth, so remember, splashdown for New York’s miracle is Saturday night, June 13, in the Riverwalk of San Antonio. And, remember too, winning three games in the NBA Finals is easy. Winning the fourth game is damn near impossible. But, every season, someone does it. Yes, a Sweet Sixteen victories in a lengthy NBA postseason.

These days of 2026, Space X can return a spacecraft to the launchpad standing upright, as if it’s never even left in the first place. If the Knicks can do so, and clinch the NBA’s coveted Larry O’Brien Trophy and NBA championship, O.G. Anunoby might earn a new nickname – The Original Galileo.

Comeback City

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – Mike Brown walked to the podium inside Madison Square Garden just before midnight on Wednesday, sat down and let out an exhausted sigh.

“Uhh, that was a good win by our guys, obviously,” the New York Knicks coach said.

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It was a lot more than that, and now the Knicks are one win away from a goal more than five decades in the making.

OG Anunoby’s tip-in with 1.2 seconds left capped the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history, as New York overcame a 29-point deficit to stun the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4.

The Knicks, who trailed 81-52 in the third quarter, lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. They can clinch their first title since 1973 on Saturday night, when Game 5 will be played in San Antonio.

“Felt cool — I mean, everyone’s pretty excited, I’m excited too,” the normally poker-faced Anunoby said before breaking into a rare grin. “We’re all excited. We’re enjoying it right now, but we’re just focused on the next game now.”

The Knicks ended the game on a 55-25 run after Victor Wembanyama was whistled for a flagrant-1 foul on Karl-Anthony Towns with 9:27 left in the third. New York shot 52.6% (20-for-38) following the foul while holding the Spurs to 17.1% shooting (6-for-35), including 4-for-19 (21.1%) in the fourth quarter.

“To put as much good work into that first half as we did, get the lead that we had and not finish the job is disappointing to say the least,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.

Jalen Brunson, the symbol of the Knicks’ stoicism, was asked if the Wembanyama foul sparked him and his teammates.

“Not necessarily, no,” Brunson said.

Earlier in his press conference, Brunson invoked a baseball analogy to describe the Knicks’ approach.

“We need to hit singles, get on base and make plays from there,” Brunson said.

New York scored 13 unanswered points after the Wembanyama flagrant foul and trailed 90-75 at the end of the third. The Knicks didn’t score on their first four possessions in the fourth as the Spurs extended the advantage to 95-75.

A 3-pointer by Jose Alvarado that rolled around the rim sparked the stunning final rally for New York. Consecutive 3-pointers by Alvarado and Jalen Brunson pulled the Knicks within 104-103 with 2:21 left. The Spurs turned the ball over, but Josh Hart missed a layup, after which Wembanyama missed two free throws.

Brunson then hit a floater to give the Knicks their first lead of the game with 1:22 left. The teams traded turnovers, after which Stephon Castle hit two free throws to put the Spurs up 106-105 with 30.3 seconds left.

After Brunson failed to hit a short shot, Anunoby blocked De’Aaron Fox’s layup attempt, setting up an inbounds play with 5.7 seconds left. Brunson missed a long 3-point attempt, but Anunoby, who was at the 3-point arc across the floor from Brunson, swooped into the paint, outleaped Dylan Harper and tapped the ball home as the sellout crowd roared.

“I don’t know if there was a play bigger than (that) in the history of Knicks basketball,” Brown said.

Towns, 7 inches taller than Harper, guarded the latter on the ensuing inbounds pass. Harper threw the ball over Wembanyama’s head, and Castle, surrounded by Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart, couldn’t corral the ball or get a shot off as time expired.

“We, from the mud, found a way to get it done,” Towns said. “As anyone who lives in New York knows, if you want to make it in this city, you have to be OK getting out of the mud. And we did that tonight.”

The Knicks flooded the floor as a KNICKS WIN graphic flashed atop the scoreboard.

“Just happy that we found a way to come away with a win,” Brunson said. “But just there’s nothing — there’s nothing to celebrate. It’s not over yet, not even close.”

Brunson finished with 36 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Anunoby had 33 points and four rebounds after a pregame pep talk from Brown.

“I told OG — as big, as strong, as athletic as he is — he’s got to be a monster on the offensive glass tonight,” Brown said. “He took on the challenge and he went and won the game for us doing exactly what I called him out for during shootaround today.”

Towns added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Wembanyama finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Harper scored 21 points off the bench for the Spurs, while Devin Vassell and Fox had 18 points each. Castle contributed 13 points.

Wembanyama (13 points) and Vassell (12) combined for 25 points during the first quarter, when the Spurs shot a blistering 65.2% — and held the Knicks to 29.4% shooting — to take a 41-22 lead.

The Spurs kept the Knicks at bay in the second, and San Antonio led by as many as 29 before ending the half with a 76-49 edge.

Now San Antonio must try to match the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers, the only team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit and win the NBA Finals.

“I think it’s going to go one of two ways,” Wembanyama said. “The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”

– Field Level Media

Spurs Strike Back vs NY Knicks

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NEW YORK – Stephon Castle feels the San Antonio Spurs didn’t accomplish much Monday night.

Even so, they did avoid falling into a historically unfriendly hole while ensuring the NBA Finals would get at least some of the length warranted by what has been a compelling matchup thus far.

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Victor Wembanyama produced 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks Monday night for the Spurs, who got back into the NBA Finals by beating the red-hot New York Knicks 115-111 in Game 3.

The Knicks still lead the best-of-seven series two games to one. Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday night in New York.

Castle added 23 points — 18 in the first half and five key points late in the fourth quarter — as the Spurs avoided falling into an 0-3 hole. No NBA team has ever overcome a three-games-to-none deficit in a best-of-seven series.

“I feel like we still haven’t really done anything,” Castle said. “Obviously we’re still down 2-1 and we’re looking forward to the next 48 minutes.

“Obviously it feels good to win, especially on the road after dropping two bad ones. But I think our confidence has been the same throughout this series regardless of what happens.”

Dylan Harper scored 13 points off the San Antonio bench while starters Julian Champagnie (12 points), De’Aaron Fox (12 points) and Devin Vassell (11 points) all got into double figures. Fox added eight assists.

Jalen Brunson scored 32 points on 11-of-25 shooting for the Knicks, whose 13-game winning streak — the second-longest postseason winning streak in NBA history — was snapped. The 2017 Golden State Warriors won their first 15 playoff games en route to the title.

“I tell the guys, it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “They are a great team. They are well-coached. They have an iconic player. It’s not going to be easy.”

OG Anunoby had 28 points, hitting 9 of 13 from the floor, while Josh Hart put up 16 points. Karl-Anthony Towns chipped in with 11 points, and reserve Jordan Clarkson scored 10 points.

New York’s previous loss was a 109-108 setback against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on April 23.

“We didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins in a row — that’s how you lose a game,” Towns said. “We didn’t do what we’ve been doing for 13 (games). We decided to do something different, and it ain’t going to work.”

This is just the second NBA Finals in which the road team won the first three games. The Chicago Bulls took the first two games on the road in 1993 before the Phoenix Suns won Game 3. The Bulls won the series in six games.

“At home, it’s really like playing six against five — in here, it felt like five against six,” Wembanyama said with a grin. “It really shows what teams are made of.”

The Spurs showed some resilience Monday, when they squandered a 12-point first-half lead and fell behind 64-57 entering halftime. San Antonio blew a 14-point lead in a 105-95 loss in Game 1 and a 12-point lead in a 105-104 loss in Game 2.

On Monday, Champagnie scored the first six points of the second half, and the Spurs shot 50% (10 of 20) in the third while forcing four turnovers. San Antonio took the lead for good at 79-76 on Wembanyama’s 3-pointer with 5:02 left in the period.

 

Knicks Fans: Better Be McCool

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

You’ve got to be pretty good to advance to be head of the New York City Secret Service. Tonight, that is the job for Matt McCool, special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s field office that must oversee a Presidential visit to Madison Square Garden on the night of an NBA Finals game.

Sadly, McCool’s boss will enter The Garden thinking all the hype is about him, but a few seconds into his walk to his “Bunker Suite” or wherever they choose to stash him, and he’ll know what New Yorkers really think of him.

But that will be a distraction from The Main Event.

Much more importantly, we’ll all find out – FAST – that some 19,500 spectators are at The Garden for one reason – and one reason alone – to root on their New YorkKnickerbockers as they play the upstart San Antonio Spurs in a very important game for those who care about the incredible challenge of winning an NBA title.

The Knickerbockers haven’t been able to accomplish the feat since 1973 (and, once before that, in 1970). It’s been a long wait, 53 years to be exact. It’s not the longest wait in NBA history, but it’s close.

Please consider:

  • Sacramento Kings – 75 years – Last won in 1951 (Rochester Royals)
  • Atlanta Hawks – 67 years – Last won in 1958 (St. Louis Hawks)
  • Phoenix Suns – 57 years – entered NBA in 1969
  • Los Angeles Clippers – 56 years – entered NBA in 1971

For the Knicks, it’s been a long, strange trip. The franchise made it to The NBA Finals in 1999 and 1994, only to come up short. Other than those two seasons, it’s been bupkis.

The Summer of ‘73 was a long time ago.

In 1973, the American League had just approved the use of the designated hitter.

In 1973, the Supreme Court issued its ruling on Roe v. Wade.

In 1973, the United States finally put an end to the Viet Nam war.

In 1973, they dedicated and opened the World Trade Center in NYC. (RIP)

In 1973, George Lucas first put pen to paper on a little motion picture to be named “Star Wars.”

In 1973, Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby in 1:59 2/5, a still standing record, won The Preakness in 1:53 and took The Belmont Stakes in 2:24 for the mile and a half course, considered the greatest race in thoroughbred horse racing history.

In 1973, tennis great Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes at the Houston Astrodome.

You get the picture, correct?

Nineteen hundred seventy-three was a long time ago.

In 1973, Patrick Ewing was 11. Willis Reed was 31 and Walt “Clyde” Frazier was 28.

May God Bless the Captain who died March 21, 2023, but Frazier turned 81 on March 29th and he’ll be at The Garden tonight with a bevy of other former Knicks – from John Starks to Ewing, himself. They’ll lead the cheers for the 2026 iteration of the club, a likable group who’ve grown together and improved. Much of the praise should go to former Villanova coach Jay Wright who schooled all-star guard Jalen Brunson,all-everything swingman Josh Hart and Game 2 star Mikal Bridges who scored 20 points, nine in the third quarter when New York seized temporary control of the game. Bridges logged a game-high 41 minutes, chipped in six rebounds and six assists, and hit eight of his 13 shots (including 4-for-6 from downtown.

On the other side, the San Antonio Spurs will not go down easily. Surely, all-defensive player of the year Victor Wembanyama will come with every ounce of energy stored in his 22-year old, 7-foot-4 frame. He’ll certainly be more aggressive than he was in the first two games in the Alamo City.

But, none of the Spurs will be bellowing to remember a thing about the games in “The Alamo,” but instead looking for any way possible to turn the series to a 2-games-to-1 slugfest of which any and all NBA referees will need to hold on for dear life to control the physical play (by both teams).

The Spurs will try to keep The Garden from truly rockin’ the way only Madison Square Garden can rock for a basketball game.

The Knicks will do their best to hold off any complacency, as every street corner coach is declaring victory with only two games in the win column, not the mandatory four games to take a best-of-seven series. In fact, most New Yorkers are clearing their schedules for a parade in the “Canyon of Heroes,” like championship teams that came before them.

Some 200-plus black granite and stainless-steel sidewalk plaques await the dedication of one more, but it will only come if the Knicks can block out the 13 consecutive victories in these 2026 NBA Playoffs. Only the 2017 Golden State Warriors can claim more (15).

Complacency can be a most dangerous antidote, one that can counteract even the very best of efforts of championship caliber teams. But, face facts, no team has ever come back from losing the first two games of The NBA Finals at home to win the series. Thus, a Knicks collapse would be an epic, historic effort.

For the Spurs, forcing a Game 5 is “priority one.” A single win in New York guarantees a change of venues – back to Texas with a glimmer of hope. A Game 3 loss by the Spurs would place as much pressure on the young club as has ever been placed on the shoulders of Wembanyama.

Battling momentum is one thing, but battling intense pressure in Madison Square Garden – the biggest stage in all of sport – is “a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.”

As we all know, things can get a little strange in sports.

A Twilight Zone-like Prediction on “AI” six hours before Game 3

We’re sure to be reminded that comedy actor Ben Stiller will be in the building tonight, but if Rod Serling shows up, all bets are off – even those at the NBA’s co-official betting partners, Draft Kings and Fan Duel – as Twilight Zone defenses are not illegal but much frowned upon in midtown Manhattan where parade routes are already being discussed.

A bit too early, if you ask WWYI.