The balance of power in NY these days is decidedly to the East as the Nets, Mets, and Islanders all continue to shine. Meanwhile, in Manhattan, the Rangers and Knicks have work to do but at least are improving, In the Bronx, the Yankees cling for dear life. And out West in NJ, the Jets and Giants bring hope of putting out the dumpster fires around the Meadowlands.
Brooklyn Nets: Let’s start with the cream of the crop and current NBA Championship favorites. The Nets playing without Harden, made a mockery of the Bucks in the first two games of the series. The second game was over slightly after tip-off. The Bucks did respond however with an impressive, albeit ugly, defensive effort in a Game 3 86-83 win. Meanwhile Harden and Green continue to progress towards a return. At first it didn’t look like the Nets needed either one of them, but now… maybe they do.
NY Knicks: First off, congrats to Tommy Thibs, who deservedly won the Coach of the Year award. The Knicks 20 win improvement and return to relevance this season was spectacular. And what he was able to get out of Julius Randle (at least in the regular season) was also very impressive. Now, the Knicks focus is on the next season of course, and the chase for a star point guard. Thirty-six year old Chris Paul seems to be a main target. Paul would definitely bring leadership to the young Knicks squad, but would be a short-term answer, given where he is in his career.
NY Islanders: As I mentioned a few weeks ago, quite a few “experts” had the Islanders going far in these playoffs and I agreed with them. And so here we are. The Islanders knocked off the Bruins in a classic, hard fought series, 4 games to 2. They find now themselves in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch against the TB Lightning. The Isles are looking to avenge last year’s loss. The Isles are once again the underdogs though there isn’t much to go on for this year’s regular season matchup since the two teams did not play each other. The “experts” give a slight edge to Stamkos, Kucherov, Point, and the Lightning. Can Barzal, Leddy, Brock and the Isles answer the call? Why the heck not!
NY Rangers: Congrats to Adam Fox whom was named a Norris Trophy Finalist. He is the first Rangers defenseman to be nominated for the Norris Trophy since Brian Leetch. And that was way back in 1997. Adam is definitely the anchor of the defense and is only in his second year. A bright spot on this team for years to come.
NY Mets: Other than “First Place” the two most important words for the Mets right now are “flexor tendinitis”. I of course am referring to deGrom’s early exit (at least for him) last night after 80 pitches agains the Pads. He still managed to strike out 10 batters and raise his battling average to .400 along with 2 RBIs though. Jacob says he feels alright and hopes not to miss a start. But you know what, the Mets have a 4 game lead in the East, and there is no denying that deGrom is bringing “MVP” to a whole new level this season. I wouldn’t chance things given his two prior elbow surgeries. I’d rest him for a bit. Why risk the season this early?
NY Yankees: Just when I thought maybe the Yankees were coming out their latest funk to begin another win streak, Chapman morphed into his alter-ego, “Crapman” and gave up a pair of 2-run dingers and blew the save Thursday night. The good news for the Yanks is that the bats have seemed to come back to life and Cole shrugged off the “Spider Tack” saga and pitched well Wednesday night under heavy scrutiny and nerd watching. Spin rate is all the rage now across the league. The Yanks brought up 1B Chris Gittens to add some power to the lineup. He has responded so far by going 0-12 with 5 Ks at the plate. Let’s hope it is just nerves.
NY Giants: First off: RIP Jim Fassel. Coach Fassel led the Giants for 7 seasons and went 58-53-1 with 3 Playoff appearances and one Super Bowl appearance in 2001. In mini-camp news, fans got a glimpse of Golladay and he did not disappoint, especially with that one-handed catch he made. Meanwhile, Barkley continues to progress well off of injury. In yuck news, seldom seen on the field, CB Sam Beal, plead guilty to gun-related charges relating to an arrest last summer. You may recall that the Giants gave up a 2019 3rd Rd pick to get this guy. He has appeared in 6 games so far and now will cost the Giants salary cap $ if/when he is cut shortly.
NY Jets: The star of mini-camp was WR Elijah Moore, who should be a big target for Zach Wilson. Elijah may have the Jets org and fans saying, “Jamison who”? Zach meanwhile has impressed in spots and has looked a bit shaky in others. But the overall sentiment is that he is progressing well. The Jets also signed 29 year old, S Sharrod Neasman.
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