Slow and steady wins the race
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
Missed you!
The non-stop postseason action is, well, non-stop, meaning there’s plenty to catch up on since we last spoke. And as some sports head toward the finish, others are just beginning — the WNBA season tips off tonight, but not before our special edition preview hits your inbox later today. Booked and busy (in the best way).
— Actress and superfan Brenda Song, throwing shade at her LA Rams’ archrival as part of her iconic schedule release for the Rams on Wednesday. Ruthless.
NBA Playoffs
🏀 No sleep till Brooklyn
The GIST: Believe it or not, it’s nearly time for the conference finals with two tickets already punched by the Indiana Pacers and Minnesota Timberwolves. That said, there are still some lingering questions keeping us up at night. Forget counting sheep — let’s dig in.
👀 Who are the Boston Celtics without Jayson Tatum? Coming back from a 3-1 series deficit is hard enough, but doing it without your best player? Unimaginable. That’s why Boston’s 127–102 Wednesday win over the NY Knicks was so astonishing.
- Tatum’s injury impacts Boston right now, seriously dampening the defending champs’ chances of becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since 2018, but the long-term picture is equally concerning for the C’s.
- Achilles ruptures are a notoriously difficult injury, with a recovery timeline of eight to 12 months. By then, fellow starters Al Horford and Jrue Holiday will be 39 and 35 respectively. Tatum’s injury will likely force the team to reimagine their future, years earlier than expected.
- But for now, it’s all about the present, namely tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Game 6 in the Big Apple. Down 3-2, Boston will try to extend their battle with the Knicks to a series-deciding Game 7 on Monday, but it’ll take a full team effort. Everybody has to eat.
🏆 Take your pick: Denver’s Nikola Jokić or OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? The MVP race may be a regular-season award, but the NBA script writers couldn’t have drafted a better screenplay as the Denver Nuggets protected home court last night, earning a hardfought 119–107 Game 6 win over the Thunder. Naturally, Jokić and SGA both balled out, tallying 29 and 32 points, respectively.
- Now, the back-and-forth battle will come down to the best two words in sports: a series-deciding 3:30 p.m. ET Game 7 on Sunday. Just what the doctor ordered (as well as a hefty dose of electrolytes for Nugget Jamal Murray).
NHL Playoffs
🏒 Just a little stitious
The GIST: You already know making a pro hockey playoff bracket can be hard and unpredictable, but some playoff trends are starting to resurface, like the Toronto Maple Leafs’ postseason struggles and the Presidents’ Trophy curse.
😬 Toronto on brink of elimination: Here’s your annual reminder to check on the Leafs fans in your life after the squad fell 6–1 to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, the Leafs have now lost three straight after opening up a 2-0 series lead and are on the verge of yet another earlier-than-expected playoff exit heading into tonight’s 8 p.m. ET Game 6.
💪 Edmonton Oilers earn second straight Conference Finals berth: Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren't the only Oilers who can light the lamp. Wednesday's 1–0 series-clinching overtime win over the Vegas Golden Knights showcased Edmonton’s newfound depth: The game’s lone goal scorer, forward Kasperi Kapanen, wasn’t even in the lineup until Monday. Teamwork, dream work.
⚡ Carolina Hurricanes unseat top-seeded Washington Capitals: Always the bridesmaid, never the bride, the Canes are skating for a ring of their own this year, eliminating the Caps in a gentleman’s sweep with last night’s 3–1 Game 5 dub. The Canes have made the Conference Finals in two of the last three years but haven’t hoisted Lord Stanley since 2006.
❌ Winnipeg Jets stave off Presidents’ Trophy curse…for now: Across the 38 seasons the NHL’s top regular-season team has been awarded the Presidents’ Trophy, only eight of those squads have gone on to win the Cup. But the Jets’ hopes to make it nine stayed alive last night after they topped the Dallas Stars (up 3-2) 4–0 to force tomorrow’s 8 p.m. ET Game 6.
Together With State Farm
🫂 Jake has your back
MVPs stuff the stat sheet, from Indiana Fever sensation Caitlin Clark to USC superstar JuJu Watkins to Jake from State Farm. And while on-court assists are the bees knees, these hoops icons know the importance of the off-court dime, too. You know the ones:
🤝 The unexpected acts of support, like Caitlin celebrating her teammates
💗 The behind-the-scenes efforts, aka JuJu’s philanthropic side
💡 The problem-solving that make success possible — that’s Jake’s specialty
Just like being a good neighbor, winning — on and off the court — takes a team effort, whether it’s perfectly executing a game-clinching pick-and-roll or simply being there for life’s biggest moments.
- And State Farm’s an expert at dishing out dubs, helping out when you need it most and bringing you this newsletter for free. A dime as crisp as the pleats in Jake’s khakis.
🏒 Reigning champion Minnesota Frost advance to Walter Cup Finals
The Frost will have a chance to repeat after eliminating the Toronto Sceptres for the second straight year with Wednesday’s 4–3 overtime (OT) Game 4 win. Leading the way? Who else but defending playoff MVP Taylor Heise, who scored the OT game-winner. So clutch.
- Minny will face either the Ottawa Charge (leading 2-1) or Montréal Victoire, with Game 4 going down in Ottawa tonight at 7 p.m. ET. As a reminder, the Victoire chose to play the Charge, adding an extra layer of spice with the top seed on the brink tonight. *gulps*
⛳ World No. 2 Rory McIlroy struggles in PGA Championship opening round
The second major of the season is officially underway from North Carolina’s Quail Hollow Club, but this year’s Masters winner holed three bogeys yesterday, leaving him in 98th place and far behind the unexpected leader, Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas.
- With the top 70 golfers (including ties) advancing to the weekend’s third and fourth rounds, the Northern Irishman has lots of work to do. Slow and steady wins the race…right?
🎓 NCAA women’s spring sports in championship mode
Spring is for rings, with two major women’s NCAA tournaments underway. The women’s lacrosse Final Four is officially set following yesterday’s quarter-finals, with the top four seeds (No. 1 UNC, defending champs No. 2 Boston College, No. 3 Northwestern, and No. 4 Florida) advancing to next weekend’s semis.
- Over on the diamond, the 64-team road to the Women’s College World Series begins with today’s first pitch in all eight double-elimination Regionals. Tune in to see if anyone can dethrone the four-time defending champs, No. 2 Oklahoma. Let’s boogie.
🏎️ Ferrari looking to level up at first home race of the season
This Sunday’s 9 a.m. ET Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix is one of two “home races” for the Italian team, and after an underwhelming season start, the duo of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will be feeling the pressure at Imola. Currently fifth and seventh in the World Drivers’ Championship standings, the Ferraris have looked pedestrian next to the lightning-fast, championship-leading McLarens.
- And Hamilton isn’t the only driver who’ll experience the magic of a home race at Imola for the first time — Mercedes’ teen prodigy, Kimi Antonelli, who was born and raised in Bologna, Italy, is hoping to pick up his first F1 podium on home soil. Bellissimo.
Take Your Pick
Montréal Victoire
Ottawa Charge
Will the Charge complete the upset tonight, or can the Victoire force a winner-take-all Game 5 on Sunday? Choose your winner before the puck drops for tonight’s 7 p.m. ET Game 4.
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Recs from our roster!
🏃 How to treat your sore quads
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⚾ What to watch
MLB’s Rivalry Weekend slate, which will see former NY Yankee Juan Soto return to the Bronx for the first time since signing with his old team’s crosstown foe, the NY Mets. Drama on deck.
👟 What to shop
A’ja Wilson’s A’One, if you can. Nike’s first signature sneaker for the WNBA star sold out in hours.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post. Recovery is key.Today’s email was brought to you by Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Marga Sison, Grace DePaull, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Katie Kehoe Foster. Fact-checking by Marga Sison and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Marga Sison. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Katie Kehoe Foster. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.
