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Good morning to everyone but especially to…
JAMES HARDEN AND THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
No Joel Embiid? No problem for James Harden and the Philadelphia 76ers. They took Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, 119-115, in a stunner last night.
With Embiid out of the lineup, Harden picked up the slack and powered the 76ers to a victory in TD Garden with a game-high 45 points, which tied his career high for points in a single playoff game. Harden shot a blistering 50% from beyond the arc and plunged a three-point dagger into the Celtics with just 8.4 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
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Harden and his beard stole the show for Philadelphia, but he had plenty of help.
Paul Reed recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds .
recorded a double-double with . De’Anthony Melton came off the bench and drained five three-pointers while scoring 17 points .
came off the bench and drained five three-pointers while scoring . As a team, the 76ers forced 16 turnovers while only committing six of their own
The biggest of those turnovers came with the just over 30 seconds left on the clock and Boston leading Philadelphia, 113-112. As the shot clock was expiring, Malcolm Brodgon threw the ball away to Tyrese Maxey, who gave the 76ers the lead with a dunk at the other end.
It’s been a rough 48 hours for Boston sports fans, as our social media team pointed out on Instagram:
But listen, there’s still a long way to go. Still, the 76ers are off to a strong start as they look for their first playoff series victory over the Celtics since 1982.
… AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE NEW JERSEY DEVILS
There were no “Fire Lindy” chants to be heard in Prudential Center on Tuesday night. There were only patronizing chants of “Igor” as the New Jersey Devils rolled to a 4-0 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 7.
The Devils found themselves in penalty trouble early. They put the Rangers’ power play (which at one point could’ve been described as “lethal”) on the ice three times in the first period, but the penalty kill did its job, and they settled in from there. From the start of the second period on, New Jersey rolled over its Metro Division rival.
Michael McLeod scored his first goal since Jan. 4 to put the Devils up 1-0.
scored his first goal since Jan. 4 to put the Devils up 1-0. Ondrej Palat added to his sterling playoff reputation with a pair of assists.
added to his sterling playoff reputation with a pair of assists. Akira Schmid, who is just 22, made 31 saves for a shutout in his first Game 7 between the pipes.
Coming into this series, the Rangers had a clear advantage in postseason experience, but that was not on display Monday night. The youthful Devils simply outplayed a Rangers lineup that included season veterans like Patrick Kane, Chris Kreider, Vladimir Tarasenko, and Artemi Panarin.
The Devils will now move on to play the Carolina Hurricanes in a battle of the Metro Division’s top two teams in the regular season.
Honorable mentions
Not so honorable mentions
Nuggets take 2-0 series lead, Suns lose Chris Paul to injury 🏀
Getty Images
Entering the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns, the Denver Nuggets trailed, 73-70. The Nuggets then held the Suns to just 14 points in the fourth quarter to win comfortably, 97-87, and take a 2-0 series lead.
Nikola Jokic looked every bit like the MVP candidate he is with 39 points and 16 rebounds, which led all players in both of those categories. As great as Jokic was on offense, it was Denver’s defense that really propelled the team to a Game 1 victory.
Kevin Durant shot 37.0% from the field and hit just 16.7% of his three-point attempts .
and hit just . Suns sank only seven of their 25 field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter.
in the fourth quarter. Six players came off the bench for Phoenix, and they combined for four points.
With 4:56 left in the fourth quarter, the Suns trailed the Nuggets by just three points and were within reach of a victory. Over the next 3:03, Denver didn’t give Phoenix any daylight and went on a 7-0 to put the game away.
To make matters worse for the Suns, Chris Paul left the game with a groin injury in the third quarter and did not return. Paul will undergo further evaluation on Tuesday, and losing him for any amount of time would be devastating for Phoenix as it tries to dig out of a 2-0 hole.
MLB front office unionization on the horizon? ⚾
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With an uptick in unionization efforts in industries across the country, could MLB front offices be next? That’s the sense our own R.J. Anderson got after speaking to “roughly a dozen” people with front office experience.
MLB players, umpires, and concession workers all have unions that help protect and fight for their labor rights. That’s not the case for scouts, analysts, HR professionals and other front office personnel. Employees in those roles often work long hours for disproportionate pay and have tenuous job security.
If those employees do want to look for better jobs for more pay elsewhere in the league, teams have a number of tactics to keep them in place.
Anderson: “The ‘promotion in title only’ trick is just one of the ways that baseball’s inconsistent, one-sided, and oft-shrouded practices have put front-office employees — scouts, analysts, database programmers, business directors, HR administrators and others — at a disadvantage in workplace affairs.”
While there are many obstacles to unionization within MLB front obstacles, one source told Anderson that the process could begin within seven years. That source also noted that the minor league players’ unionization effort, which the MLB recognized in 2022, provides a beacon of hope.
MLB front office employees’ fight for better work conditions and more fair pay, as well as the league’s response, will be something to monitor over the next decade.
Bruins’ Stanley Cup window may be closed 🏒
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Once the Boston Bruins and their fans finally process their Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers, they will have to grapple with an uncertain future. The Bruins were the Stanley Cup favorites heading into this postseason, and it was probably their best chance to hang another banner in the near future.
This offseason could bring some major changes to an aging roster in Boston:
Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci , both 37, may have played their final NHL game.
and , both 37, may have played their final NHL game. Brad Marchand will be 35 when the 2023-24 season begins.
will be 35 when the 2023-24 season begins. Trade deadline acquisitions Dmitry Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi will be UFAs.
and will be UFAs. In total, the Bruins have eight pending UFAs and three pending RFAs ,with $72.9 million already on the books for next season.
When Carter Verhaeghe’s overtime shot sailed over the shoulder of Jeremy Swayman on Sunday, the Bruins’ historic regular season was reduced to being another chapter in the lore of the Presidents’ Trophy curse. The question marks surrounding this offseason only added another layer of disappointment, our Chris Bengel points out.
Bengel: “But being realistic about the situation, when the dust settles in the offseason, it’s possible that the Bruins could be losing all of Bergeron, Bertuzzi, Krejci and Orlov to either free agency or retirement. It’s what makes the context of their first-round exit that much harder to process and so much more monumental.”
If the Bruins are searching for silver linings, one is that the last team to win the Presidents’ Trophy and lose in the first round bounced back quite nicely. After getting swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2019 NHL playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
What we’re watching Tuesday 📺
🏒 Panthers at Maple Leafs, 7:00 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Heat at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏒 Kraken at Stars, 10:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Lakers at Warriors, 10:00 p.m. on TNT
Another Boston team collapses at TD Garden, plus the Devils are fully back
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