Let’s start from the end… at least for the Philadelphia 76ers, rebounded from the first round of the NBA playoffs by the Boston Celtics. The Sixers’ (somewhat incomplete) “process” of deliberately tanking over several years in order to build a championship-winning super-team obviously did not deliver the desired results. But The Process’s failure ultimately had less to do with accumulating draft picks and more to do with failing to train players into a cohesive unit. (Boston’s big defense also helped sabotage the Sixers.) Meanwhile the Toronto Raptors have never faced much in the way of threat from the Brooklyn Nets, but they still put on an impressive first-round performance, especially their bench. hitting 100 in Game 4. Whoever survives the second round streak between Raptors and Celtics could be the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
Next, let’s take a look at the upcoming Major League Baseball trade deadline, to understand which teams our Doyle number says should be buyers and which ones should be sellers. But this is, of course, a strange year, with many more teams vying for the playoffs and a lot of financial uncertainty. So aside from the Boston Red Sox, who we think should open the shop, we’re not sure there will be too many exchanges. And since we’re – somehow – in the middle of baseball’s regular season, we give our midseason MVP, Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Awards. There is a fair amount of overlap, as Sara, Neil, and Geoff agree that Shane Bieber is the winner of the American League Cy Young so far, and everyone appreciates Fernando Tatís Jr., although Neil claims Mookie Betts is the winner of the National League. MVP. But every member of the Hot Takedown team makes their own reasons for many other candidates, and only a few of them are part of Sara’s fantasy team.
Finally, in Rabbit Hole, Neil and Geoff explore the increasingly common phenomenon of golfers shooting 59s for a round, which PGA Tour rookie Scottie Scheffler did over the weekend. Much of the increase in super low scores hinges on better equipment, smarter workouts, and courses that don’t necessarily punish golfers for making a mistake. But only the last thing can be repaired. Now instead of “trying the tiger” of golf courses, the PGA may need to “try them all”.
What we’re looking at this week:
