Joel Embiid and Philly clinch their spot in the NBA Playoffs, Playoff Jimmy might be done. We're a week away from the NFL Draft, and TSBN Will be broadcasting live from Detroit on Radio Row! Tune in to Fox Sports 1380 on Thursday and Friday from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm to listen and visit our various social media to be a part of the show!
5. The chase for Lord Stanley starts Saturday:
THE best and most entertaining playoffs system is set to start this upcoming weekend and this is what you need to know.
Eastern Conference:
Florida Panthers (A1) v Tampa Bay Lightning (WC1)
The Panthers and Lightning will face off against one another in the post season for the third time in four years. The Lightning have won the last two matchups 4-2 in 2021 and a sweep in the 2022 Second Round. The Panthers won the season series vs the Lightning 2-1 this year.
Boston Bruins (A2) v Toronto Maple Leafs (A3)
For the 17th time, the Bruins will face off against the Maple Leafs in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs reigniting a rivalry between two of the Original 6. This will be the first time since 2019 that these two historic franchises will face off in the post season. The Bruins lead the all time playoff head to head 42-40-1 and swept the Leafs in this year's regular season match ups.
New York Rangers (M1) v Washington Capitals (WC2)
The 2024 President's Cup winners with a record of 55-23-4 and 114 points, the Rangers have their eyes on winning their first Stanley Cup since 1994. They're taking on the Washington Capitals who needed a little help to get to the post season following some decisions made by the Flyers on the last day of the regular season. Ovechkin and the crew will have their hands full with this Rangers team, but we know anythign is possible in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This will be their 10th post season meeting with Washington leading the all time series 28-27.
Carolina Hurricanes (M2) v New York Islanders (M3)
For only the third time, the Hurricane and Islanders will face off in the post season. Carolina leads the all time series 8-2, having swept New York in 2019 and winning 4-2 last season. This year the two teams split the season series with the Canes winning the first and last match ups of the season. Carolina averaged 4 goals a game, while the Islanders scored 3.5 goals in their head to head matchups.
4. Stanley Cup - Western Conference
The Western Conference comes down to the final day. The Kings take on the Blackhawks and that will decide where The Kings and Golden Knights wind up playing. As it stands right now, the Golden Knights are in but need to win this evening to join Vancouver, Dallas, Nashville (Yeah... thats the typical Tennessee Teams being in the west), Edmonton, Winnipeg and Colorado as they vie for the Stanley Cup.
The matchups between the Golden Knights who host the Anaheim Ducks and the Kings who host the Blackhawks, will decide who makes the playoffs.
If the Golden Knights Win, they're in. However, if they lose, the door will be open for the Kings to enter the playoffs with a win. Obviously with Hockey, there are a ton of scenarios that could decide the outcomes, but IF Vegas wins, they're in. Both the Blackhawks and the Ducks have been really bad this season so anything could happen.
3. Jimmy Butler goes down as Philly clinches 7th Seed:
The Miami Heat might have just lost their ticket to the playoffs after Jimmy Butler went down (MRI Expected) following an awkward landing and bumping knees with Kelly Oubre. The 76ers won the matchup 105-104 as Joel Embiid poured in 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. However, the unexpected star of the game was Nicolas Batum who scored 20 points for the first time in 8 seasons to help solidify the 76ers playoff spot.
Shams reported that Butler could miss a few weeks, but that reporting has since been disputed by Butler's agent and various reporters in the Miami Area. An MRI has been scheduled for Thursday.
Miami will face off against the Chicago Bulls on Friday for the right to take on the number 1 seeded Boston Celtics.
2. Belichick sandbagged by Kraft?
Imagine putting the team first for over two decades, winning Six Championships and raising the overall profile of a team from forgettable to the definition of Champions... only to have it stripped away as though you had nothing to do with it. That seems to be the fate of Bill Belichick as he has now evtered this portion of his career.
Apple TV's "The Dynasty" was a look that showed the fracture between Kraft and Belichick was more of a canyon and was somewhat of a display that showed the pettiness Kraft has with Belichick. Fast forward to the 2024 Off Season where Belichick seemed to be the overwhelming favorite for the Atlanta Falcons' coaching vacancy and the story becomes a little more murky.
Bellichick fells as though Kraft has set him up for failure and personally hindered his ability to be hired by the Falcons following a string of interviews, only to find out that Raheem Morris was offered the job. There have been reports that Belichick wants to come back to coach and has interest in the Eagles, but rumors have also tied Belichick to The Cowboys and Giants. Bill Belichick is 15 wins away from the All Time Coaching Record.
1.Jontay Porter's Bad Beat:
Less than a month after most NBA Fans learned the name Jontay Porter, he has been banned for life from the NBA.
Porter came to the spotlight after it was alleged that he had been giving information about his own health to bettors who would place bets on various draft sites. The Tipping Point was when an $80,000 bet that would have paid out $1.1 Million, on various unders pertaining to Porter, who left the game with health issues.
Following the investigation by the NBA, it was found that Porter would be banned for life from the association. Adam Silver held no punches when addressing the actions against Porter siting the NBA Rule Book and the need to keep the game clean given the new climate of legalized gambling.
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