The Celtics went to the Chase Center Thursday night, surviving the Warriors’ patented run in the third quarter and then surpassing that run in the fourth to steal Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
Of course, there is more to the story than that. There was Stephen Curry‘s electric first quarter, Jayson Tatum‘s gunfights and his teammates’ ability to blast Boston back into play and then knock it out of range in the final frame.
We’ll find out how a historic series opener turned pre-series betting odds on its head, as well as an update on the Stanley Cup playoffs, a check-in at the futures markets for MLB prizes, and what’s happening in the world of fantasy Football is going on in today’s winners club.
Thanks for reading – let’s go!
Boston’s Three-Point Barrage Sparks Comeback Victory
The Celtics’ 120-108 win at the Chase Center was a miracle for several reasons.
Boston was 12 points down at the start of the fourth quarter, Tatum had his worst shooting performance in the playoffs and the Warriors were yet to lose a home game this postseason. Then the Celtics hit their first six three-pointers of the fourth and went on a 17-0 run to edge the Dubs 40-16 and convert a double-digit deficit into a convincing win.
The magic behind that comeback — and Boston kept pace early in the game after Curry’s big first quarter — was the three-point shot. The Celtics connected on the 21st of 41 and passed the Warriors from the deep who finished 19 of 45.
It wasn’t even Tatum or Jaylen Brown who were locked in from the outside. Rather, Al Horford, Derrick White and Markus Smart combines for 15 threesomes, each more groundbreaking than the last. Tatum’s playing 13 assists helped cover up his 3-of-17 shooting, and the C’s depth prevailed. Three players score over 20 points, including White off the bench, and Boston is the new favorite to win the title.
Jed Jacobsohn/`
SI Sportsbook odds have moved from +145 for the Celtics to win the title to -175. The Warriors’ odds went from -161 to +140. Golden State have had good starts under Steve Kerr in the past – this was only their third Game 1 loss with him as coach. The most likely outcome of the series is now a Boston win 4-2 (+300), followed by a Warriors win 4-3 (+350).
Golden State’s story was simply a fourth-quarter collapse of epic proportions. The Warriors beat Boston 38-24 in the third and then didn’t have enough in the last quarter to survive the many haymakers the C’s threw. Curry finished with a game-high 34 points and Andrew Wiggins 20 added but Draymond Green scored four points in 2-of-12 shooting and fouled and Clay Thompson a pedestrian had 15 points.
There was some help from the bench for the warriors in the form of Otto Porter Jr. (4 out of 5 out of three) and Kevin Looney held his own on the boards with Boston’s Bigs, but the big hit was Jordan Poole only had nine points, making the non-curry minutes difficult to endure.
Jed Jacobsohn/`
Four stats that told the story of Game 1:
Sunday
8 p.m. ET (ABC) Celts vs. warrior (-4) | Boston leads series, 1-0
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Lightning Look to balance the ECF on MSG
Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is between Lightning and Rangers tonight. Rangers won Game 1 on Wednesday 6-2. That was the most goals Tampa Bay conceded this postseason and a stark contrast to his dominant lead over the Panthers.
The Rangers have overtaken the Lightning in terms of championship odds, but the Lightning are still favored when it comes to tying the one-game-a-piece series.
The Avalanche continued their march through the playoffs on Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Oilers. Colorado leads the series 2-0 over Edmonton and has a 12-6 goal lead. Favored away in Saturday’s game, the Avalanche are massive -150 favorites to win the Stanley Cup.
Frank FranklinII/`
Friday
8 p.m. ET (ESPN) lightning (-133) vs. ranger | Tampa Bay leads the series 1-0
Saturday
8 p.m. ET avalanche (-133) vs. oiler | Colorado leads series, 2-0
Sunday
3 p.m. ET (ESPN): Rangers vs. Lightning | game 3
Check-in for the MLB futures market
Most MLB teams hit or passed the 50-game mark in early June, making this a perfect time to stop by for the awards races.
Jen Piacenti wrote about the field for MVP, Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in the American League and National League. Below are the top three nominees for each award, along with a line from Piacenti about each race and the value she sees.
AL MVP Favorites:
Shohei Ohtani +220
Aaron Richter +333
Mike Trout +400
“Ohtani’s teammate Mike Trout has had a “slow” start to the year, hitting “only” 13 home runs with a .302 batting average. I like the +400 odds of the three-time MVP turning four.”
AL ROY Favorites:
Julio Rodriguez +200
Jeremy Pena +240
Bobby Witt Jr. +650
“Pena leads and even surpasses all AL rookies in WAR (2.2). Franz Lindor and Nolan Arenado. Pena hits .281 with eight homers and three stolen bases.”
AL Cy Young Favorites:
Justin Verander +400
Kevin Gausman +500
Gerrit Cole +700
“Verlander was my pick last season at +1600 and I hope you stuck with that value. However, at +400 odds, I stay away from the Astros ace.”
Ted S.Warren/`
NL MVP Favorites:
Mookie Betts +320
Manny Machado +350
Paul Goldschmidt +650
“If you took Betts pre-season it looks like great value today. Betts is on pace for 54 homers with a .306 batting average.”
NL ROY Favorites:
Seiya Suzuki +175
MacKenzie Gore +250
Nolan Gorman +300
“I also love Nolan Gorman’s odds at +300 odds. Gorman was great in his first 36 plate appearances, with a .387 batting average and two home runs.
NL Cy Young Favorites:
Corbin Burnes +350
Max Scherzer +500
Carlos Rodon +800
“Corbin Burnes, reigning winner of Cy Young, proves last year was no fluke. He has achieved a 1.95 ERA with a K-Rate of almost 32% this year. I’m still at Brewer at +350 odds, although a +700 pre-season would have been much better.”
Before we dive into predictions and news for the upcoming fantasy season, we should pay tribute to two fantasy football legends in their own right who announced their retirements on Thursday.
Frank Gore, a 16-year veteran and five-time Pro Bowler, finished his career as the third-best rusher in NFL history. He has surpassed 1,000 yards nine times and has been dependable for more than a decade, as can be for fantasy managers.
In the 12 years from 2006 to 2017, Gore never finished outside the top 20 running backs and was an RB1 seven times. His best season came in his sophomore year in the league with the 49ers, one of five teams he played for. Gore finished as RB4 by dwarfing 2,000 total yards, 61 catches and nine touchdowns.
He will sign a one-day contract to retire as a 49er and go down in history as one of the best running backs in league history and an enduring figure in fantasy football.
Ed Szczepanski/USA Today Network
Ryan Fitzpatrick didn’t quite have the career that Gore had. The journeyman gunslinger played for nine teams in his 17-year career and “Fitzmagic” became something of a folk hero before announcing his retirement.
Fitzpatrick has twice finished in the top 12 fantasy quarterbacks: in 2011 with the Bills and in 2015 with the Jets. You didn’t build a winner around Fitzpatrick, you probably didn’t even design him, but he was often there for you when you needed some magic.
And Fitzpatrick, who has never been unemployed because he hopped around the league for a long time, is reportedly already in talks to join Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football team.
Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports
Michael Fabiano has compiled 32 facts – one for each team in the league – to help you in your decisions for next season.
Here are some of the notable ones:
- No wide receiver on a Kevin Stefanski offense has done better than WR20. allowed to Amari Cooper buck this trend in Year 1 with the Browns?
- Tight end was a fantasy wasteland on the Jets offense. Will CJ Usoma help change that?
- Drew LockAmerica’s top wide receiver averaged little more than 10 fantasy points per game with the Broncos last year. Does that cause trouble for Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf?
To match his predictions for breakouts and busts, Fabiano compiled a list of 10 fantasy sleepers for 2022. He believes this beginner’s class, dubbing, offers a lot of value Treylon Burks, DrakeLondon and Dameon Pierce potential sleepers. Find out what he sees in each player and in which round he would comfortably draft each player.
In other news
NBA prospects return to college: The NCAA’s exit deadline expired at midnight Wednesday, and some big names have chosen to stay in school and forego the draft for the time being. See which names will be back for another run at March Madness and the 2023 draft a year from now.
Coco Gauff reaches first Grand Slam final: The 18-year-old phenomenon defeated Martina Trevisan in the semifinals at the French Open to set up a Saturday match with No. 1 Iga Swiatek for the championship, where she has +500 to win.
Gonzaga Lands Transfer Malachi Smith: The transfer portal’s top player announced his commitment to the Bulldogs via Instagram on Thursday. Smith was the Southern Conference Player of the Year and averaged nearly 20 ppg last season. Gonzaga is #5 in SI’s Way-Too-Early Top 25; A transfer like Smith strengthens his case as one of the country’s teams.
Thanks for reading Winners Club! Enjoy your weekend and I’ll be back on Monday morning.
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