The NBA Finals & NHL Conference Finals Are Set
By Pete Thompson
As the calendar turns Finals are set, and none of those involve a Philadelphia team, sadly.
Since I last wrote, the Phillies have continued to move in the wrong direction. A Sixers star posts an interesting tweet that gets folks riled up on social media. A national ESPN hockey analyst gives me some insight on who he thinks will be the next Flyers coach. The big Eagles news comes off the field, as a Hall of Fame journalist closely associated with the team retires. Also from football, on the local front, a Mays Landing native is chasing his dream by playing professional football in Germany. And, don’t forget that the ShopRite LPGA Classic is almost here.
Remember, Extra Points is now sports-only. If you’re looking for my entertainment perspective, check out my other column that’s called “That’s Entertainment”. So, without further ado, here are my extra points this week from the world of sports:
I’ll begin with the Phillies as team owner John Middleton has to be wondering what his 223 million dollar payroll is delivering for him. That’s the largest payroll in franchise history, and for that, the Phillies are 21-28 as I write this, just 11-14 at home.
On Memorial Day Monday, the visiting Giants hit home runs in the 9th and 10th innings to ultimately beat the Phillies 5-4 in ten innings. The loss to Gabe Kapler and the Giants was the Phillies’ fourth consecutive loss and their 11th in the last 15 games. They are 11 games behind the division-leading New York Mets, their largest deficit on Memorial Day since 2017. Keep in mind that the 2017 Phillies lost 99 games.
What’s wrong with the Phillies? Well, their bullpen is an issue again as closer Corey Knebel is struggling big-time. He gave up a go-ahead home run to Evan Longoria against the Giants. He coughed up a ninth-inning lead and lost in the 10th of the series finale in New York. Two weeks before that, Knebel was one strike from closing out a four-game Phillies sweep at Dodger Stadium. Instead, he gave up a triple, a walk, and a double in a 4-3 loss. In his last 11 appearances, Knebel has allowed nine runs (seven earned) on 12 hits and seven walks in 10 2/3 innings for a 5.91 ERA. He has three blown saves and three losses in that stretch.
The Phillies signed Knebel to a one-year, $10 million contract to be the closer despite not having closed since 2018 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He didn’t allow an earned run in his first six appearances and posted a 0.96 ERA through April. His ERA now stands at 3.43. Manager Joe Girardi continues to proclaim that “Cory Knebel is our closer.” But you have to wonder how long that will last if Knebel continues to struggle.
In basketball, the NBA Finals are set after Jayston Tatum and the Boston Celtics hung on to beat Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat 100-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Boston will meet up with Golden State in the NBA Finals starting on June 2nd in the Bay Area.
Meanwhile, during Game 5 in Miami, while the Heat was losing to Boston 93-80, Sixers star Joel Embiid tweeted out “Miami needs another Star”. Now, Embiid has made no secret of the fact that he misses playing with Jimmy Butler, but he’s gotta known that a tweet like that will set people talking. He later tweeted out “Y’all stupid” after the predictable social media explosion, but I was disappointed with Embiid stirring things up like that.
As for my prediction? I’ll take Golden State in six. I think Stephen Curry is back doing amazing things. The Warriors darn near swept Dallas out of the Western Conference Finals. I know that Boston is really good defensively, but I think Golden State has too many weapons in their arsenal and ultimately will win.
From hockey, as I write this, the New York Rangers have beaten the Carolina Hurricanes 6-2 in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals in the NHL. The Rangers will take on Tampa Bay for the right to represent the East in the NHL Finals. On the Western side of things, it will be Edmonton vs. Colorado as the Oilers won the battle of Alberta by knocking out Johnny Gaudreau and Calgary.
Gaudreau, who finished second in the NHL in scoring this season with 115 points, played high school hockey at Gloucester Catholic and has previously said it would be “sweet” to play for the Flyers. Calgary will have something to say about that though, as the Flames have said they want him back. It’s expected that the 28-year-old likely will command a long-term deal with an average annual value of at least $9 or 10 million per year. That may be too rich for the Flyers to be able to maneuver.
One last hockey item and that’s from ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, who joined us on the radio on 97.3 ESPN and told us that he thinks Barry Trotz wants to coach in Vegas next, but that may be the Flyers can land John Tortorella. According to Melrose, “Torts” would at least hold the players accountable for their mistakes.
My only football item this week is more about a guy associated with the Philadelphia Eagles and that’s Hall of Fame writer & journalist Ray Didinger. “Ray Diddy” as he is affectionately known, has retired from his Philadelphia radio work and his studio work with NBC Sports Philadelphia. Didinger retires after a 53-year career where he’s seen nearly everything in five decades of covering sports. I had the opportunity to work with Didinger when I spent time producing shows at Comcast SportsNet Philly in 2015. He’s an outstanding person and I feel honored to have interacted with him. Well done Ray, and best of luck in retirement!
On the local front, I have to give a major tip of the cap to Mays Landing native and Holy Spirit grad Gavin Liepe as he is chasing his dream and playing professional football in the German Football League. Liepe (#18) played Division III football at The College of New Jersey and is now playing for the Kirchdorf Wildcats. The 23-year-old tells me via Facebook messenger that he’s playing at linebacker, nickel, and free safety, but mostly linebacker. Liepe has spent time with the Atlantic City and then Avalon Beach Patrol and most recently was teaching high school, but the chance to chase his dream and get paid to play football is one he couldn’t pass up. Best of luck Gavin and we’ll be rooting for you back here in New Jersey.
Lastly, don’t forget that the ShopRite LPGA Classic is almost here. The best female golfers in the world will be at Seaview in Galloway as they compete from June 10th until the 12th for a $1.5 million prize. Go to shopritelpgaclassic.com for more information on tickets. You can get a pair of tickets for FREE just by showing your ShopRite Price Plus card. I hope to see you there.
Once again, if you’re looking for entertainment news, I urge you to check out my new column called “That’s Entertainment” elsewhere in this issue of Shore Local.
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