While We’re Young (Ideas) at TPC River Highlands
CROMWELL (Connecticut) – As your trusty columnist plunges in a pool of “Coppertone,” (that’s OG for sun block), blows in the wind gusts that made Friday’s round at the 2025 Travelers Championship golf tournament hit a low average a 70.68, and while we agonize over the Moving Day results for tournament leaders – Justin Thomas, and Scottie Scheffler – there’s no better time than today to set golf aside for a paragraph or three and a review great Game 7s in NBA history.
Game 7s
Year, Result
2016 Cleveland Cavaliers def. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS 93-89
2013 MIAMI HEAT defeat San Antonio Spurs 95-88
2010 LOS ANGELES LAKERS def. Boston Celtics 83-79
2005 SAN ANTONIO SPURS def. Detroit Pistons 81-74
1994 HOUSTON ROCKETS def. New York Knicks 90-84
1988 LOS ANGELES LAKERS def. Detroit Pistons 108-105
1984 BOSTON CELTICS def. Los Angeles Lakers 111-102
1978 Washington Bullets def. SEATTLE SUPERSONICS 105-99
1974 Boston Celtics defeat MILWAUKEE BUCKS 102-87
1970 NEW YORK KNICKS def. Los Angeles Lakers 113-99
1969 Boston Celtics def. LOS ANGELES LAKERS 108-106
1966 BOSTON CELTICS def. Los Angeles Lakers 95-93
1962 BOSTON CELTICS def. Los Angeles Lakers 110-107 (OT)
1960 BOSTON CELTICS def. St. Louis Hawks 122-103
1957 BOSTON CELTICS def. St. Louis Hawks 125-123 (2 OT)
1955 SYRACUSE NATIONALS def. Fort Wayne Pistons 92-81
1954 MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS def. Syracuse Nationals 87-80
1952 MINNEAPOLIS LAKERS def. New York Knicks 82-65
1951 ROCHESTER ROYALS def. New York Knicks 79-75
That’s a total of 19 Game 7s with the home team going 15-4. Not too shabby for the home squads.
TL TENURE: In my tenure at NBA HQ, there were only three Game 7s over the 26 years. They came in 1984, ‘88 and 1994. (Look who is in far right corner of the photo above from ’84)
Without a doubt, the 1984 “NBA World Championship Series” (that’s pre-NBA Finals lingo), was the best game and the best series I’ve ever seen in person. I worked a then-record 135 consecutive Finals games with Game 1 of the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers sweep over the LA Lakers – Moses Malone called it “Fo, fo, and Fo,” but it went “Fo, Five and Fo” – in a disappointing quick series that Moses, Dr. J and Company just dominated. That next year – 1984 – were were primed for greatness.
The Celtics and LA Lakers delivered with the Cs taking Game 7 on the parquet in the old Boston Garden, 111-102. It was an epic series with Hall of Famers deep on each team’s roster.
LA Lakers:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Michael Cooper
Earvin “Magic Johnson
Bob McAdoo
Jamaal Wilkes
James Worthy
Boston Celtics:
Larry Bird
Dennis Johnson
Kevin McHale
Robert Parish
Both team coaches, KC Jones of the Celtics (enshrined as a player) and Pat Riley of the Lakers (enshrined as a coach) were at the respective helms of their legendary clubs.
In Game 7 back in ‘84, the Boston Garden indoor temperature that was an issue in Game 5 was not as bad (indoor temperatures hovered around 91°F rather than 97 during the game, due to additional fans brought in to attempt to cool the air). The Celtics were led by Cedric Maxwell who had 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Larry Bird (Indiana State) avenged the 1979 NCAA Final Four loss to Magic Johnson (Michigan State) and Bird won the MVP honors for the series.
Earlier Celtics teams lived by the motto, “No rebounds, no rings.” The great Bill Russell ecelled in Game 7s, snagging 40 rebounds in 1962, 35 rebounds in 1960 and 32 rebounds in 1966.
In 1988, “Big Game” James Worthy has 36 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the LA Lakers to a 108-105 Game 7 victory. In the 2-3-2 format for home games, the series switched back to LA with the Lakers trailing the Pistons 2-games-3, but the Lakers prevailed, taking the last two games of the series. Game 6 is remembered for Detroit’s Isiah Thomas spraining his ankle, badly, but still scoring 25 of his 43 points in the third quarter, gimping on the ankle. Worthy won the MVP of the series.
One item of note: The 2025 NBA Finals are a turning point for the league. An age of parity in the league has brought about two incredibly talented teams, one the model for the other. Get ready for more of these type match-ups, as the strong, long, fast, deep, versatile NBA clubs will outlast the traditional types. Since the 2018 NBA Finals, there’s been a different champion each and every year, including 2025. That defines a new era in NBA basketball and it’s … FAN-tastic.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Seattle Mariner’s catcher Cal Raleigh is on his way to a record-breaking season. Raleigh broke Hall of Famer Johnny Bench‘s 1970 record for home runs by a catcher before the All-Star break, hitting his major-league-leading 28th and 29th in the Seattle Mariners’ 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
Looking ahead, Raleigh will attempt to break these numbers for a single season:
2021 – Sal Perez (Kansas City Royals) – (48)
1970 – Johnny Bench (Cincinnati Reds) – (45)
2003 – Javy Lopez (Atlanta Braves) – (43)
Mike Piazza (Dodgers and Mets) is the all-time leader for career home runs with 427 (396 hit as a catcher). Raleigh has 122 dingers on his career.
AT THE TRAVELERS: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a rough round on Friday, playing in wind gusts of 30 mph. After shooting a scorching (62) on Thursday, Scheffler followed with a (69) on Friday, including a double-bogey on No. 17 as he came in at 35. Scheffler began the third round with a triple bogey on Saturday and later experienced a double bogey on No. 8. He had five birdies on the day but shot a 2-over, 72, and will tee-off Sunday as a player T-8.
Thomas was worse. He had a bogey on No. 2 and a dreaded quadruple bogey (9) on No. 13 and finished 3-over, 73 and enters Sunday play T-14.
Between the two leaders, they hit for the cycle with bogey – double bogey – triple bogey and quadruple bogey.
On the other hand, Tommy Fleetwood did some moving on “Moving Day,” shooting a 7-under, 63, and leads Russell Henley by three strokes. Henley shot a best-of-week (61) on Saturday to sit T-2 and three back.
New England native Keegan Bradley – captain of the USA Ryder Cup team this Fall – shot a (63) with seven birdies and a bogey free round.
Digital Sports Desk and sister e-news PGA Tour Brunch will be on site at TPC River Highlands, just south of Hartford, Connecticut where we write from on Saturday and Sunday.
TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Sam Coffey, daughter of former NY Daily News columnist Wayne Coffey, was named to the active roster for the upcoming threesome of friendlies for the US Women’s National Team. The product of The Masters School in Westchester County, Boston College and Penn State will take her place against No. 25 Ireland (June 26 & 29) and No. 8 Canada (July 2). … Those games will be broadcast on Turner (TNT/TruTV).
The 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be staged on Friday, June 27 (7:00pm ET, ESPN) and Saturday, June 28 (12 Noon ET, NHL Net). The event will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
RAFA and RAFAEL: When Rafael Devers was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the San Francisco Giants, it broke up a strong bond between teammates – CeddanneRafaela and the discarded Devers. The MLB scheduling gods brought them back together on Friday night.
“He’s like my big brother. I really looked up to him when I was coming up,” said Rafaela. “So it’s always a pleasure for me to watch him play and watch him perform. I think, yeah, it was fun.”
Yes, it was fun for Rafaela and Boston as the Red Sox took a 7-5 victory at SF’s Oracle Park. Rafaela came through with a rally-starting double, an RBI single and a towering solo homer while Devers had a rough 0-for-5 night at the plate. Devers enjoyed some revenge on Saturday when he homered off former teammate Brayan Bello in the third inning of his SF Giants’ 3-2 win over the Sox.
PHIL STEELE and COLLEGE FOOTBALL: WWYI has written of the great College Basketball preview publication called Blue Ribbon Basketball. For College Football, it’s Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football Preview. The 75-page bible for college footy is already in mailboxes all around the nation and it’s available for purchase by clicking HERE.
Boston College fans can read about the fact their football team will face a Top 25 of toughest schedule in 2025. BC comes in at No. 11 in the country for that tough schedule dictating the chance to have a drop-off from their (7-6) 2024 record when they lost to Nebraska in the Pinstripe Bowl.
THIS JEST IN: The Stanley Cup got a little “banged up” this week, thanks to the Florida Panthers’ celebration of back-to-back titles. The greatest trophy in all the world is cracked and the bottom is dented, but it’s not the first time and likely not the last.
The Panthers won their second consecutive championship on home ice Tuesday night, beating Edmonton in six games. The team, following decades of tradition, partied with the Cup into the wee hours and kept the revelry going in Fort Lauderdale well into Wednesday afternoon. After the damage was done, a spokesperson for the Hockey Hall of Fame said the keepers of the Cup are taking appropriate measures and plan to have it repaired by the city-wide celebration parade today. Made of silver and a nickel alloy, the 37-pound Cup is relatively malleable, and has a history of dealing with the reckless abandon days of lore.
In 1906, a year after being drop-kicked into a canal in Ottawa, Canada, the Montreal Wanderers took possession of The Cup by defeating Ottawa in a rematch. After a night of revelry, the players decided to take the Cup for an official picture at JimmyRice’s photography shop. Pleased with their photo, the players then exited Rice’s and crossed the street for a cold beer, but they did so without Lord Stanley’s Cup.
YOU CAN’T MAKE IT UP: The University of Wisconsin sued the University of Miami on Friday, formally accusing the Florida school of tampering with a football player under a “financial contract” with the Badgers.
The decision to sue could become a watershed moment in the current era of college athletics. Never before has a university accused another of tampering with one of its athletes, who did not have contracts before the dawn of name, image and likeness rights this decade.
“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the school said in a statement.
Though Wisconsin’s lawsuit only refers to the player as Student Athlete A, the subject of the case is cornerback Xavier Lucas, who left Wisconsin and enrolled at Miami over the winter without ever entering the transfer portal.
There was no word on college basketball coaches walking across the gym during conference games and handing an opponent a check for $1.2 million.