South Beach Blues

05/26/2022

By: Jeff Yoder

Good Morning, 

Heat fans are singing the blues in South Beach after the Celtics swiped Game 5, but the Blues won’t be sung in St. Louis just yet. It’s another night of playoffs before a holiday weekend featuring the Indy 500 and Champions League finale.

Letter Rip!

 

NBA PLAYOFFS

Celtics Steal South Beach

Photo: Eric Espada / Getty Images

Celtics Dominate 2nd Half of Game 5 (93-80) to Take 3-2 Series Lead in East Finals (By Matthew Cahill)

 

A pivotal game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals saw the Celtics pull away in the third quarter (93-80) to put the Heat on the brink of elimination. The Celtics are now one win away from returning to the NBA Finals for the first time in over a decade. Miami controlled the game early and took a five-point lead into the half as their aggressive defense rattled Boston like it did in Games 1 and 3. However, Jayson Tatum (22-12-9) and Jaylen Brown (25 points) came alive in the second half, leading a dominant 24-2 run in the third quarter that left the Heat scratching their heads.

 

The game wasn’t pretty by any means for Boston, but it was downright ugly for the Heat. Miami couldn’t buy a bucket all night long. Jimmy Butler struggled from the field again, shooting just 4-18 from the field to mark his second consecutive poor performance. Butler’s supporting cast didn’t show up either, shooting an abysmal 7-for-45 from behind the arc. This team has been criticized all year long for not having enough reliable offensive options, and it’s looking like that could cost them a trip back to the Finals.

 

Fun Fact: The Heat have the highest win percentage in playoff history among all NBA teams when trailing a series 3-2 (.444%).

 

Watch: Celtics Pull Away From Heat in 2nd Half to Win Game 5 (93-80)

 

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 5: Mavericks at Warriors (9:00 pm ET)

GSW Lead Series (3-1)

 

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Celtics Run Past Heat 93-80, Move 1 Win From NBA Finals

B/R: Jayson Tatum Questions Joel Embiid Being Snubbed From All-NBA First Team

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NHL PLAYOFFS

Don’t Sing the Blues Yet… 

Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

Blues Come Back From 3 Goals Down to Stun Avalanche & Avoid Elimination in Game 5 (5-4, OT)

 

The Colorado Avalanche appeared to be packing their bags for the Western Conference Finals after a 3-0 lead in the first 24 minutes, but St. Louis wasn’t about to let the fat lady sing. The Blues rallied to force overtime at 4-4 thanks to two tying goals from Robert Thomas before Tyler Bozak ripped the overtime winner to complete the comeback. Nathan MacKinnon scored a hat trick for the Avalanche, but it wasn’t enough to close out the series. It was the first three-goal comeback by the Blues in an elimination game since 1986, and the series is  COL Leads Series (3-2)

 

Watch: Blues Come Back From 3-Goal Deficit to Survive Avs (5-4, OT)

 

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 5: Rangers at Hurricanes (7:00 pm ET) | Series Tied (2-2)

Gm 5: Oilers at Flames (9:30 pm ET) | EDM Leads (3-1)

 

Additional Storylines

NHL: Avs’ MacKinnon Completes Hat Trick With Unreal Goal (Video)

ESPN: What We Know Halfway Through Every Second-Round Series

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TENNIS

French Open: 2nd Round Highlights

Photo: TPN / Getty Images

Nadal Wins 300th Slam Match While Key Players Stay Alive at Roland-Garros

 

Tennis action at Roland-Garros rolled into the second round with a handful of storylines unfolding. Rafael Nadal became the fifth player in history to win his 300th career match in a grand slam — a straight-set defeat against Corentin Moutet. Novak Djokovic won his second-round match in straight sets as well, while teen phenom Carlos Alcaraz survived a five-set epic that last four hours. In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff and Victoria Azarenka punched their tickets to the third round. Here’s a batch of the top highlights from the French Open:

 

French Open Highlights

 

Men’s Singles

#1 N. Djokovic def. A. Molcan (6-2, 6-3, 7-6)

#3 A. Zverev def. S. Baez (2-6, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5)

#5 R. Nadal def. C. Moutet (6-3, 6-1, 6-4)

#6 C. Alcaraz def. A. Ramos-Vinolas (6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4)

 

Women’s Singles

K. Muchova def. #4 M. Sakkari (7-6, 7-6)

A. Sasnovich def. #12 E. Raducanu (3-6, 6-1, 6-1)

#15 V. Azarenka def. A. Petkovic (6-1, 7-6)

#18 C. Gauff def. A. Van Uytvanck (6-1, 7-6)

 

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Rafael Nadal Reaches 300 Career Grand Slam Matches

WTA: Teens Fernandez & Gauff Win; Bencic Ousts Andreescu

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🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

⚾️ MLB: Longoria’s Turn in the Bay

The Giants ended a losing streak with that 13-12 thriller against the Mets on Tuesday behind Joc Pederson’s 3-HR night, but Wednesday was Evan Longoria’s turn. The Giants’ 3B went yard with 4 RBIs in his first two at-bats en route to a 9-3 win.

 

⚽️ MLS: Galaxy Capture Open Cup El Trafico

The LA Galaxy got the best of LAFC (3-1) in yesterday’s U.S. Open Cup match in the MLS that had its own El Trafico twist. The Galaxy earned all three goals in the second half, and they’re 2-0 through two of three all-L.A. battles in 2022.

 

🏀 WNBA: Sparks Snap 5-Game Skid in Barn-Burner

The L.A. Sparks ended a five-game losing streak by topping the Phoenix Mercury in a point-scoring frenzy on Wednesday (99-94). Both teams shot well above 50 percent as the buckets came pouring in. The game had ten double-digit scorers.

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THE STORYLINES

🏈 Reaction to Kaepernick’s Raiders Workout

As the Raiders complete a workout with Kaepernick in Nevada on Wednesday, it stands to reason that the most interesting part of all this is not necessarily what the Raiders decide, but what everyone else does next. (Sports Illustrated)

 

🏀 Nets Nix Talk of Kyrie Irving Contract

The Brooklyn Nets’ 2021-22 season went anything but as expected, and the instability may not improve given the reported situation with Kyrie Irving. Now, the Nets are outright ‘unwilling’ to give Irving a long-term deal. What comes next? (Bleacher Report)

 

⚽️ Who Will Win the Champions League?

So it is that the 2022 final will be a repeat of 2018, when Madrid triumphed 3-1 over Liverpool to complete an historic Champions League three-peat under Zinedine Zidane. It promises to be quite the spectacle — so, what can we expect? (Sporting News)

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📰 THE HEADLINES