DAN GARTLAND
Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. The Kentucky Derby is tomorrow. I got to go to Churchill Downs a few weeks ago to see every inch of the historic track, from the most exclusive seating areas to the barns where some of the most expensive horses in the sport are housed. See it all in the latest edition of our Stadium Wonders video series.
In today’s SI:AM:
🏇 Legendary Kentucky Derby sire
⛳ PGA Tour pros react to LIV news
A historic beatdown
Brett Davis/Imagn Images
The stakes in Game 6 of the Knicks-Hawks series on Thursday night couldn’t have been clearer. Atlanta, which had previously held a 2–1 lead in the series, needed to recapture that magic and win at home to force a decisive Game 7.
Instead, the Hawks played what was, without exaggeration, the most embarrassing first half of basketball in NBA playoff history en route to an equally embarrassing 140–89 loss.
It was baffling to watch. The deficit just kept getting larger and larger, and had already grown insurmountable before the second quarter was halfway over. And yet the game had to proceed as normal. The Atlanta rapper Yung Joc still performed at halftime. The PA system still played the music cues meant to entice the fans to chant “de-fense” and, most comically, the screeching hawk sound effect after an Atlanta three-pointer. Again, all while the deficit hovered around 50 points. The ESPN broadcast team of Mike Breen, Richard Jefferson and Tim Legler had to fill time like they were calling a lopsided baseball game on a Wednesday afternoon in August.
The best part of a game like this is gawking at all of the unbelievable stats and facts. Here are a few of my favorites. CONTINUE DAN’S COLUMN ON SI
The best of Sports Illustrated
- No horse has had a more profound impact on the racing industry than Into Mischief. Pat Forde writes about the stud on the verge of a different kind of Kentucky Derby history.
- Matt Verderame ranks the AFC draft classes from worst to best. Gilberto Manzano does the same for the NFC draft classes.
- LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil can talk big, but that’s just part of his track record, writes Michael Rosenberg. The reality is that the party is over.
- Bob Harig is in Doral, Fla., where he spoke to several PGA Tour players about the recent LIV Golf news and what might happen next.
- In his latest notebook, Chris Mannix reports that there could be more cost-cutting moves coming from the new Trail Blazers owner. He also discusses Steve Kerr’s push to eliminate the three-point line and whether coach Jamahl Mosley is still on the hot seat in Orlando.
- Ryan Phillips lists his eight biggest mistakes of Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who has faced newfound scrutiny after firing Alex Cora.
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David Sherman/Getty Images
👀 The top five …
… things I saw yesterday:
5. Mets prospect Jackson Cluff’s leaping catch into the netting in foul territory.
4. A really tough bucket by Joel Embiid early in the Sixers’ win over the Celtics.
3. Justin Crawford’s hustle to beat out an infield single for a walk-off Phillies win. That was the first game of a doubleheader against the Giants. Alec Bohm’s walk-off sacrifice flygave the Phillies the win in the nightcap, marking the first time since 2004 that a team won both games of a doubleheader via walk-off.
2. Julius Randle’s clutch fadeaway as the shorthanded Timberwolves closed out Game 6 against the Nuggets.
1. Terrence Shannon Jr.’s thunderous dunk.
📺 The best of SI video
In the latest installment of Where Are They Now, SI catches up with Kevin Ware, a player on Louisville’s 2013 national championship team who became known for a devastating injury during March Madness. Ware talks about his life after the injury and where his basketball journey took him after Louisville.
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